"Penny dear, pass the sweets," her mother requested from the sofa where she was busy cuddling with Samuel, or 'Sam,' as her stepfather liked to be known, whilst they watched a new Christmas crime drama on the TV.
Truthfully, she had come to loathe the man, since she was relatively sure that he was the reason why her mother wanted to withdraw her from Hogwarts. Then there was also that natural sense of loyalty to her birth father, even if she rarely saw him nowadays. She still found it utterly ridiculous that she was encouraged to call Sam 'dad.' Despite these feelings, she still wanted her mother to be happy; she couldn't help but feel that her mother could do so much better, just like she had realized with Percy.
Disturbingly, her attraction had actually shifted to Harry, with the young lord starring prominently in a number of her wet dreams and fantasies, even if she was only just starting to admit this to herself. She couldn't help but wonder if the companion oath she had sworn to Harry was affecting her subconscious mind.
Nothing in her research about the oath had described any similar phenomenon, but denial was a powerful emotion, she admitted. None of these thoughts showed on her face, however. This was Christmas, a time of joy, and the last thing she wanted to do was spoil it by being a selfish bitch too wrapped up in her own issues to enjoy the holiday and time with family. She handed her mother the sweets with a smile. "Here, mum."
"Thanks, dear," her mother expressed, whilst taking the bowl of sweets; Sam lovingly kissing her mum on the forehead once she sat back.
Turning her attention back to the television drama, she found it a thrilling puzzle trying to solve the crime before it was revealed to the viewers. This reminded her of the Chamber of Secrets and the attacks currently plaguing the school.
Even without detailed knowledge of magical law enforcement's investigative techniques, she could already see the difference in how non-magicals and magicals investigated and solved crimes. However, this did stir an interest in her to try using adapted muggle investigative methods to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets.
"You ok, dear?" her mum asked, her fingers unwrapping a toffee chew before popping it into her mouth.
"Fine, mum, just thinking," she expressed as the Christmas commercials ended.
"I know that look, it's boy troubles!" her mother exclaimed with an excited smile. "Is it that ginger-haired boy you introduced me to? Peter Weasel?" This caused her to burst out into giggles.
"No, mum," she answered with amusement, thinking about telling this story to Harry upon their return to school. "Mum, first, his name is Percy Weasley, not Peter Weasel. Second, I decided he just wasn't for me. He comes from an old pureblood family who remains under the impression that proper women stay home and raise the kids, like an old Victorian-era family." She saw her mother frown at this. "Besides, he couldn't kiss worth a damn," she added, lightening the mood and throwing an outrageous wink at her mother.
"Is good kissing really that important to you ladies? Do you really judge a guy based on how he kisses?" Sam asked the pair of them.
"Yes!" they both exclaimed, her mother erupting into giggles before turning to Sam. "Don't worry, love, you're a good kisser," her mother expressed as they erupted into an impromptu snogging session.
"I love you, Ann," Sam stated firmly, looking down into her mother's eyes.
"I love you too," her mother replied, kissing Sam lightly on his lips before pulling away and turning back to me. "So, are all wizard marriages like that?" she asked, looking slightly concerned.
"Oh no," Penny stated, already seeing where this was going. "As I've talked about before, the magical world can be separated into three groups: pureblood, half-blood, and muggleborns. I'm a muggleborn; Percy, however, was a pureblood. Most purebloods follow old traditions and are still very much Victorian in their practices, going as far as arranging marriage contracts for their children."
"Marriage contracts? They're illegal here in Britain," Sam stated with concern.
"Wizards and witches have their own separate laws, Sam," she stated. "It's actually a fairly uncommon practice nowadays. It's only really practiced anymore by the really old houses, who remain both wealthy and noble."
"That's good to know," Sam expressed.
"Yeah, Percy's family was a part of that group, at least that of an old family if not wealthy and noble, so his upbringing has instilled some rather Victorian beliefs and values," Penny stated. "This was one of the reasons why I moved on."
"At times your world seems so archaic and outdated," her mother voiced, as Sam nodded silently in agreement.
"Compared to the muggle culture that's true in a sense," she admitted, wanting to defend it.
"You have to remember though, mum, that magicals live much longer on average than muggles. Depending on how strong magically we are, the longer we live. The typical lifespan for a wizard or witch of average magical power is somewhere between 125–175 years. That's easily double or more the lifespan of a muggle today. It's triple or more the average lifespan of a muggle of just a hundred years ago." She watched the pair's jaws drop open with amazement, not realizing just how different magicals were in this regard.
"The Headmaster of Hogwarts, a wizard of considerable magical power, is actually over 150 years old, but he barely looks seventy," she explained. "Even at 150, he's probably got quite a few years left in him and is currently Chief Warlock of the British Wizengamot and head of the International Confederation of Wizards. Two powerful positions in both the British and world magical government."
"That is just one example of the many differences between magicals and muggles, but it's one of the reasons why the magical world is so slow to change compared to the muggle world. Far older men and women stay in government longer and naturally limit how quickly cultural change can take place.
They were quite literally brought up in another time, in another era, in another century. If muggles lived as long as magicals, it'd be the same way here. The natural order of the younger generation replacing the old, or in other words, new ideas supplanting the old ones, just takes more time."
"Makes sense," Sam stated to himself.
"So who is this boy then?" her mother asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
...
( Greengrass Manor – Dining Room )
Observing their dinner guests across the table, she personally found both Sirius and his young charge, Harry, a delightful change of pace compared to some of her and her husband's typical business associates. Her foot continued to rub playfully against her husband Nicholas' leg, teasing her husband out of sight beneath the dining table. "So, Harry, what are your favorite subjects at Hogwarts?" Cynthia asked pleasantly, wanting to know more about the future dual Lord and if he could prove to be a suitable match for either of her daughters.
She detected a brief moment of hesitation as Harry mentally weighed his response to her question, just like Daphne would have done. "Charms and Transfiguration… but DADA would be higher on the list if we had better teachers in that subject. Most of my DADA learning is actually done independently with my cousin Tonks. There are runes as well," Harry offered in explanation, as he cut some more of his expertly prepared beef.
'That's rather interesting, especially the little bit about runes being of interest even when he's too young to have taken the class. Very ambitious independent studying there,' she noted whilst demurely sipping some of the fine red wine from her glass as her husband replied.
"Indeed, Daphne expressed similar views on the subject and the teacher," Nicholas expressed with a minor frown at the corresponding reports. DADA was an important class after all. To have a substandard teacher in that important subject invited disaster if the dark times ever returned.
"Indeed, Professor Lockhart is quite simply an idiot," Harry stated firmly, catching her by surprise at the bluntness of his assessment. This added another dimension to the already intriguing young lord.
"Undeniably an idiot, but Harry is being far too kind in his assessment of the man," her eldest suddenly added surprisingly, speaking up without being prompted to.
"I have several associates in Slytherin who have a similar view of the man's ability," which increased her interest in Harry further, as Daphne would normally have remained quiet during a meal such as this, keeping her counsel to herself unless someone asked her a direct question. This implied that she felt quite a bit of trust and respect for Harry and was comfortable sharing her thoughts with him. It was the beginning of a valued partnership.
"I'm sure there is a reason he was hired for the post," Nicholas expressed, as he topped up his wine glass, before gesturing around the table silently inquiring if anyone would like more. She covered her glass with her hand, making it clear that she was fine, whilst stopping her teasing of her husband under the table.
...
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