“Welcome to the DeLeon Estates, Grey Lord.” The young child said, giving him a deep bow, “Thank you for answering our request.”

“Coming doesn’t mean that I’m able to help, your elf didn’t say what the nature of the curse was,” Harry said, following the sickly-looking child into the mansion.

“The others are gathered in the hall; Father is waiting to meet you.”

“What is your name?”

“I am Kai, Kai DeLeon," he said, opening a wide set of doors to what was once a grand entrance, a degraded coat of arms was carved to one side, hidden by thick ivy that was coving through the damaged ceiling, only the silhouette of a cat or lion was discernible.

He lit a waiting lantern with a match and headed deeper into the house, gesturing for Harry to follow. The most notable thing Harry saw was what wasn’t there. No magic coated the stones or the worn furnishings. He couldn’t see the edges of any wards or magical creatures on the property. The only magic he could sense at all was the formidable house wards keeping the estate protected and hidden.

The hall was lit with a massive fire along one wall while fading candles pulsed weakly, illuminating the small crowd of young adults and children scattered near the hearth. An older man sat in the older chair, watching them approach, pale and sickly.

“Thank you for coming, Grey Lord.” The man said, his voice rough but deep and resounding, “I was afraid I would live to see the end of my family.”

“What exactly is the nature of the curse you wish me to remove?” Harry asked, looking over the others gathered.

“The founder of our line was cursed on the battlefield. He retreated into isolation to heal his wounds and unknowingly passed the curse onto his children. Since then, our family magic has been unstable, once the child reaches the age of maturity and comes into their magical inheritance, their core ruptures and kills them unless they bind themselves, body and magic, to the wards of our estate. Once bound, they have limited use of their magic and cannot leave the grounds. The wards draw so much magic most die even with the wards healing their cores.”

“I have never heard of such a curse,” Harry said slowly as he looked at the strange mist that seemed to wrap and muffle each child’s core. The mist seemed to be released magic floating around the children while the older members of the House’s cores nearly drained dry. “Who cast the curse?”

“It was rumored to be a member of House Slytherin, but it could never be confirmed. Dozens of wizards and witches died that day, any of them could have cast the curse.”

“Is there a mark from the curse?” Harry asked, watching as the man drew his sleeve back to reveal a runic griffin wrapped in blood-colored thorns on his forearm.

The mark itself was also part of the link to the wards, letting them drain away his magic before it could escape the damaged cores. He distantly felt a wave of sorrow from Hogwarts, but he kept his attention on the mark. It traced faint lines of black magic trailing through the man’s core and pulsing darkly in his bones.

“Breaking the curse may take down the wards. They are entwined now.” Harry warned him most of his attention was still on the curse.

“Cure the children first, if you are able. I can hold the wards.”

Harry stripped off his robes and cloak, setting his things to one side and gesturing the closest child forward. Shedding his Metamorphmagus change, he ignored the gasps as the ten-year-old took a seat on the stone in front of him. This was going to take all his concentration.

“I need everyone to be quiet and still. I can’t be interrupted." he said, rolling up his sleeves and offering his hands to the child, “What is your name?”

“Gideon,”

“I can’t promise this won’t hurt, Gideon, but I will do my best not to let it.”

“It could hurt him?” One of the young women demanded stepping forward.

“The curse is old; it has bound itself to the very magic of your House. Each of you has been cursed since birth, your bodies and magic won’t see the curse as foreign. It hurts to have your magic removed.”

“Can he be spelled to sleep?”

“No, with a potion or magic,” Harry said, frowning, “Will you allow me to bring a house elf here? Their magic shouldn’t interfere.”

“If you think it necessary, but I must insist on the secrecy of our location.” the man said uncertainly, “How did you know we don’t have house elves?”

“I couldn’t see their magic on the property.” Harry said with a shrug, calling for Tea, “Why?”

“The family unbound our elves when the drain on their magic became too great.”

“How can Tea help the young master?” Tea asked, popping in and giving Harry a bow.

“I need you to stay and spell each person asleep before I work on them.”

“Would the young master like beds to watch other them?”

“Yes, thank you, Tea,” Harry murmured, distracted by how the child’s magic was reacting as the elf conjured beds along one wall and more chairs for everyone else.

“Exposure to magic accelerates the curse, that’s why there isn’t any spellwork on the castle,” Harry murmured in shock.

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“And why none of our family has gone to a wizarding town or school in generations? We would have been happy to live as muggles, but the children’s magic is too unstable, imagine having constant magical outbursts. The slightest wish or desire is cast at a deadly effort unless they are on the grounds protected by the wards.”

“How did you hear about me?” Harry asked as everyone got settled.

“We still do business by owl with Gringotts. Our account manager, Grimick, recommended we contact you. Because your mother was the descendant of a squib from our line, it seemed like fate.”

“You send away the squibs?”

“They have a chance at a normal life; some choose to stay, but most leave. One, Helen became a genealogist and kept track of the family line. She wrote to us when your mother was accepted to Hogwarts. The first of our line to attend in centuries.”

“Let’s find you a bed, Gideon.” Harry said, giving the boy a grin, “Maybe next year you can go to Hogwarts. Are you eleven yet?”

“I’m ten, could I really go?" he asked his father with a wide grin.

“If the curse is lifted, I will be contacting tutors for everyone, Gideon. We will all be learning magic and relearning our way in the wizarding world again.” The man said, waving the child onto a nearby bed.

“He will be safe, Charles?” The young woman pressed, her bone-white hair making her seem older than she was, the curse had aged them all faster than was natural.

“He will be safe,” Charles promised as he took a seat.

It took the rest of the weekend to heal the family. Harry could feel the wards weakening with every person he freed from the curse. The strain of maintaining the wards wore on the DeLeon head, leaving him weak and sweating as his magic was drained.

The curse clung stubbornly, digging sharp barbs into the children’s magical cores, leaving deep wounds. The scarred cores of the adults might never fully recover, but the children had a chance since their cores were still flexible and growing. Harry suffered cuts and slashes of his own and could only cure a few at a time before needing to rest.

There were only twelve members of the house left alive, all under the age of forty, thanks to the curse. They had never survived to the hundred or two hundred years that most wizarding families reached.

The house wards dropped about Charles in the form of a griffin; wings folded tight about her charge, claws tangled with the dagger-like thorns wrapping them both. Harry poured as much magic as he dared into the older man before starting to hack the thorns away.

Charles moaned and writhed, his magic instinctively fighting to keep the curse his magic viewed as part of itself. Harry vaguely heard shouts and voices, but he was too far along to stop now. The black briar finally burst into flame, and the griffin screamed its freedom. Harry came back to himself on a narrow cot to Tea’s happy face.

“Young master is awake!” Tea squeaked happily as Harry struggled to sit up, blinking at his wrist with a frown, a golden vine wrapped his skin while a small griffin sat on his pulse point.”

“Is everyone alright?” Harry asked as Charles hurried over.

“Thanks to you, everyone is fine. We contacted the goblins, and a healer checked everyone over. You overextended yourself. They left some paperwork and a few potions for you to take.”

“And this?” Harry asked, holding up his wrist and accepting the pepper-up potion he was handed.

“Only something we would have offered anyway, the House has accepted you as a non-blood member. As such, you are allowed on all properties and will be invited to any weddings or other family events.”

“I didn’t ask for payment, sir.”

“Charles, please, and considering you are a descendent of our House already, you are more than welcome, Lord Potter.”

“Harry,” he said with a small grin, taking the next offered potion and accepting a glass of water, “I can offer one thing if you are willing, I am housing several children and students at my estates. I already have tutors coming daily for lessons, so I’m sure adding a few more wouldn’t be a problem.

“Grimick mentioned that you are forming a House alliance. We will have to discuss terms, but I do not believe there will be an issue with our House joining.” Charles said with a grin, “If you are recovered, there is something on the grounds I would like to show you.”

“A walk would be nice,” Harry agreed, easily absently making a mental note to see if any elves were seeking a new home who might enjoy starting from a magical blank slate.

Behind the manor, the garden rose on terraces to a sloping lawn with a white stone path leading them higher. Just out of sight from below, a mausoleum sat at the center of a small grove of ancient hardwoods. The wards pulsed about the white marble, making the golden veins in the stone shimmer.

“The grave of our House Founder, Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts and Dueling Master.”

“When did you change the House name?” Harry asked in shock.

“It has been DeLeon since the beginning. Godric feared reprisals against his family and did everything he could to hide and protect his House. We are a distaff line from his second son; the first line is still awaiting a head to be found. The Peverells and supposedly the Potters are potential heirs to the line, but no one has claimed the title in centuries.”

“I was recently informed I can claim the title however, I’m waiting on the right time to do so. I don’t want my enemies using the House or my allies for their plans or forcing me to go against them.” Harry said, “I have no intention of ruling your House or line, I just want to live my life without the world and its leaders hunting me.”

“There are many that would come to try and force an alliance or marriage to someone who can claim a founder’s line. Be careful in when and to whom you choose to reveal your titles too.”

“I’m more afraid that Hogwarts will react to the activation of the Lordship and reveal my lineage before I’m fully prepared. I plan to investigate the matter. However, I have little time outside of my classes and the handful of hours I can steal for things like this.” Harry said, waving at the grave before them and the Lord of DeLeon, “I am barely managing to deal with my Houses business, complete my studies, do the required work for Hogwarts, and research into the magics I hope to learn this summer. Every day, I fall further behind where I need to be to stand on my own and survive a confrontation from my enemies.”

“House DeLeon stands behind you, my Lord. Tell me what you need to research, and our time is yours. As for enemies we have little fighting prowess left with no magic in our House for generations now.”

“I have a group of families taking refuge in warded properties from the various Houses and bloodlines I’ve inherited. The children there will be tutored and taught various skills to keep them up on their education for when the war is over. You and your family are welcome to come and learn as well. I’ll send an elf over with instructions on how to contact my Gringotts manager, he is forwarding my mail from those my enemies shouldn’t know about yet.”

“Are there any besides the Dark Lord we should be worried about?”

Harry hesitated for a long moment before nodding, “Go and speak to Gold Kris at Gringotts. Ask him for the file on myself and Hogwarts. He will explain the issues we are facing.”

“I will request that once a formal alliance is in place. The ritual bonds would prevent detection and even truth serums would be hard-pressed to pull more than basic yes or no answers with a strong enough ritual bond.”

“Are you certain you wish to bind your House and line to the Potter House that deeply? I am more than willing to allow your House to be among those hidden in safety if you wish to take the time to rest and heal.”

“No, the House of Gryffindor and DeLeon will stand behind you, Lord Potter. We will be ready for battle when you call.”

“Very well, I will notify Gold Kris and arrange for the use of a ritual room for the bonding if you still insist on the strongest bond.”

“You won’t regret it, Lord Potter. House DeLeon owes you a debt, and I will dedicate my life to assisting your endeavors.”