It was his last day in Egypt, and the Curse Breaker team was throwing a going-away party for him. Apparently, it was a bit of a tradition they had. It didn't hurt that he had gained the respect of them all during his time here. They respected his work ethics for someone so young, along with the fact that he was polite and very knowledgeable too.
He watched as everyone moved around him, saying their goodbyes. He had exchanged addresses with a few of them so they could stay in contact. It had been a fun experience learning from them, and he had learned a lot. He was now even more fascinated with the idea of enchanting. The ancient Egyptians had created some very fine works.
He watched as Garry stepped over to him with a bit of a sad face. "Kid, you sure I can't talk you into sticking around?" he said, whispering and looking around. "I mean, come on, I've got guys here three times your age that don't work a fraction as hard as you."
Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, Garry, but Larry and I have to get back to the isles. I still have to finish school, and not to mention, my girls would track me down to the ends of the earth and throttle me—then you for keeping me away from them."
Garry paled a bit at that and grumbled, "Yeah, I suppose I don't need any more women out to get me. My wife is already up in arms about me snubbing dinner with her mother last month."
Harry now laughed loudly. "Oh boy, I can only imagine. Gen is one scary woman. How could you do such a thing, Garry? You should know better; you've been married for thirty years."
He held up his hands. "Hey, if you think she is bad, you should meet her mother. That woman is a monster."
Harry laughed and shook his head. He pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Garry. "Here's my address, mate. Let's keep in contact, yeah?"
Garry nodded his head, taking the paper and smiling. Who would have thought he would become friends with a fifteen-year-old and a Pendragon at that? "Sure thing, kid, if you ever need anything broken, let me know."
Harry chuckled at that as he thought about what was to come. "Sounds good to me, Garry."
Harry sat down at the breakfast table in Camelot, having returned the day before. He picked up the daily prophet first as he slowly sipped his coffee. Nothing was really mentioned within it other than a few of the normal things about people going missing here and there. He vaguely remembered Sirius telling him about something like that in his time. Other than that, nothing overly stood out for him. A few engagement announcements and the usual crap about the ministry. It seemed they were looking to oust the current minister that Harry met years ago. Something about the man being a pervert or something.
He put it aside and picked up the muggle paper he had Kert get him every morning. He nearly spit his coffee out when he read the headline. "SMALL VILLAGE NORTH OF LONDON UNDER ATTACK," is what it read in big bold letters. Looking it over, he began to read.
A village north of London was attacked last night by an unidentified group of terrorists. Many suspect the horrible act to have been committed by the IRA or their sympathizers. The attack took place in the wee hours of the morning, around one, and lasted for an hour. Three hundred and fifty souls were lost in the attack that will rock the British Isles for years to come. Of those three hundred, nearly half were children. There has also been evidence found that many of the women and unfortunately even the children were raped and tortured before they were killed. We here at the British daily send our condolences to those that lost friends or family in this heinous crime. We plead to our ministry to find these evil men and end any future attacks like this before they can happen.
The article went on about the IRA and other terrorist groups from there. Harry looked at the front page that showed a house with its front door blasted open and the top half on fire. The muggles were calling it a terrorist attack, but he knew better. This had been the work of witches and wizards. One wizard in particular came to his mind.
He swallowed hard as he stared at the page. Larry and Laura slithered in and crawled up the chair to rest their heads on his shoulders. He paid them no mind as they read over his shoulder.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Laura asked. Her vocabulary is much better now.
"Yeah, Harry, I don't think I have seen you like this before," Larry said.
Harry gestured down to the paper before him on the counter. "The war has begun."
Larry's eyes widened, as did Laura's. He had filled her in shortly after she came to live with them. "You don't mean him, do you?" she asked, almost fearfully.
Harry reached up and scratched her head, leaning his face against hers. "Unfortunately, I do, Laura. However, don't you worry. You're with us now, and he will never control you again. This I can swear."
Laura nodded her head as Larry agreed with Harry. The three sat there in silence for a time before Harry went up to his study. He had a few letters to write. He needed to find out what other countries thought about this attack on British soil. He even went as far as to write to some friends in the muggle world to see what they knew. It would be a long day before he went over to the Blacks for dinner. He didn't know what to expect but he prepared for the worst. Andie had told him about many stories over the last few years, but he knew she was also keeping a lot from him.
That night, Harry dressed in a fine Acromantula silk robe that was a deep blue to match his eyes. He stood in front of his mirror and adjusted his collar before Larry slid under his robe and poked his head out. "Are you ready yet? If you keep fiddling with your robes, we're going to be late," he whined.
Harry chuckled. "Yes, I am ready. Quit your nagging."
"I do not nag!" Angry Larry snapped.
"Sure, sure," Harry laughed, making their way to the foyer.
They said a quick goodbye to Laura and stepped into the fire. They whisked through the grates at the speed of light. Harry felt a bit queasy as he watched them fly by over and over. He hated magical transportation. However, he was fortunate that his mother had taught him how to handle it with grace and dignity. He finally reached his destination and stepped from the grate with all the poise of a king walking into his castle.
He was greeted by a small elf who bowed respectfully. "Youse must be Lord Pendragon. If youse please follow me, I will take you to Master Black."
Harry nodded his head as he glanced around the large foyer. The manor was immaculate in its design but honestly had nothing on Camelot. Then again, he could be biased. The elf led him through the room to a hallway. As they got to the end of the hall, he heard a pompous-sounding voice speaking on the other side of the door.
"Father, I would like to make an announcement if I can," the somewhat deep voice of a man came through the door.
The elf stopped, wondering if he should bring the lord in while his master's son spoke. He turned and told Harry to wait a moment, popping off to announce the arrival. A new voice he recognized as Arcturus spoke next. "What is it now, Cygnus?" he asked, sounding exasperated.
"Ah, well, I would like to announce that I am in the process of setting up another marriage contract for the house of Black." Harry was a bit confused for a moment. Wasn't Narcissa already under a contract with Lucius? "You see, I have managed to secure one with the Yaxley family and their oldest son for Andromeda here. All I need is for you to sign it, father."
Harry gritted his teeth and was about to barge in when he heard Andie gasp in shock. However, the sound of laughter stopped him. "Hahaha, you foolish boy! I already have a contract in place for Andie! In fact, he is here now. Lord Pendragon, you may enter?" he called.
Harry pushed the door open, his face set in stone. He glanced around at the shocked faces around the long table. He saw Andie sitting there with small tears in her eyes and an empty place between her and Arcturus for him to be seated. His anger rose as he saw the tears. How dare this fool make his Andie cry. He kept looking and noticed her two sisters next to her. Bellatrix was glaring hard at him, and Narcissa gave a small imperceptible nod. Sirius was looking at him in confusion along with Regulus. A tall woman sat next to the man that could only be Cygnus, who was standing, could only be Andie's mother. The woman had the same hair as her middle child and the eyes of Andie and Bellatrix. Across the table next to Regulus was a fat woman that he recognized as Sirius's mother, Walburga. Next to her was a man with the spitting image of Sirius. Melania was giving him a warm smile from the other side of the table.
Arcturus stood up to greet his guest
as all eyes tracked the young lord. They had, of course, heard of the boy, and none of the adults besides Druella thought much of him. However, now sitting in his presence was a different story. They could practically taste the power rolling off him. Even Arcturus was a bit put out by this. However, he could understand since he probably heard what was said.
Harry made his way first to the lady of the house and gently took her hand and placed a kiss upon it. "My Lady Black, you look at the picture of beauty this fine evening. I thank you for allowing me the honor of sharing your table."
Melania smiled at him. "Why, thank you, my lord."
Harry gave her a small smile before moving on to Arcturus. "Lord Black, it is an honor to be here this evening."
"And it is an honor to have you, Lord Pendragon," Arcturus replied.
"Now, as much as I would like this to be a pleasant evening, I believe we already have a bit of an issue," he said, looking down his nose at Cygnus.
"Indeed, let me rectify that now," Arcturus said, turning to the other occupants. "I had called you all here today to inform you all of the wonderful news that House Black had entered a contract and alliance with House Pendragon. This will help to keep us in the grey. This alliance was cemented in a contract between Lord Pendragon here and Andromeda. It was signed in blood over Christmas." He stressed the word blood to make it clear it was non-negotiable.
Cygnus growled and glared down at the table at his middle daughter. "So, the stories of you whoring yourself out are true then, you little..." Andie sobbed a bit, sending Harry over the edge.
"I'm quite sorry about this, Lord Black," Harry said, not sounding sorry in the slightest.
Suddenly, a fist was buried into Cygnus's chest, doubling him over and making him almost puke. A scream was heard from those around them, but Arcturus just smirked and told them all to sit the fuck down. Before Cygnus knew what happened, he was launched across the hall and slammed into a wall by a roundhouse kick.
He groaned and rolled onto his back. As he tried to stand up, he suddenly screamed out in pain. The sickening crack of bone was clearly heard throughout the room. He looked up through his tear-filled eyes only to come face to face with an extremely large white Siberian tiger. The beast roared into his face, revealing the large sharp teeth in its mouth. Cygnus whimpered and pissed himself.
The next moment, he found himself not looking at a tiger but at the Lord Pendragon. The boy stood atop him with his boot on his throat, glowering down at him. "The only reason I'm not tearing your throat out is that I don't want to have Andie see it. However, let this be a warning to you, Black... If you ever make MY Andromeda cry again, there is no ward you can hide behind. There is no person you can seek help from. There is no land or sea you can hide on that I will not find you. And when I do, I will make sure that you suffer the worst pain imaginable before I slowly kill you," he told the man under his boot.
His voice was deathly calm, sending a shiver down everyone's spine other than Andie. She knew that he would never hurt her. That he would only ever love and cherish her. Sure, it was slightly scary to see him like this. But at the same time, it was amazing to know the lengths he would go for her and the other two girls. She shot out of her seat as he took a step back from her whimpering father and launched herself into his arms. She sighed softly as she felt his arms wrapped around her waist and pull her into a tight embrace. She felt safe in his arms. She felt love with him nearby. She felt at home.
Harry looked up at the stunned and even scared faces of the Blacks around him and the smirking face of Arcturus. "I knew I liked you for some reason, Pendragon. Tippy!" he called, and the elf from earlier appeared. "Now the rest of you. If you so much as think about saying anything further to Pendragon or Andromeda, you won't have to worry about Pendragon getting to you. You'll have to deal with me. This contract has already been signed and finalized. It is an excellent opportunity for House Black and, to top it off, it is what Andie wants. Anyone who has a problem with it can piss off and get blasted from the wall. Am I clear?"
The others all nodded, though he noticed Walburga and Bellatrix did not look happy at all about this arrangement. He narrowed his eyes to them. He would have to watch his granddaughter and daughter-in-law closely from now on. He ordered Tippy to remove Cygnus and clean him up as he took a seat. Harry and Andie soon followed, with him holding out her seat like a true gentleman. He snorted a bit at that, remembering when that rascal Lestrange had come to dinner. Neither he nor the Malfoy heir had bothered to hold out their betrothed's seats for them, forcing them to sit on their own. At least he knew that one of his granddaughters would be treated right.
The rest of the meal proceeded in a somewhat peaceful manner. Andie leaned on Harry the entire time, and no one said a word. Arcturus knew that she needed comforting after what her father had said. He was about to punish the boy himself if Harry hadn't taken it upon himself. Watching the boy transform into a giant tiger had nearly made even him lose his composure. That was one hell of an Animagus transformation. Thinking about how he had done it at his age made him realize that this boy was going to be powerful. He was thankful that he seemed to get along with Druella. Andie and she had always been close, and it would be a shame if he didn't. All in all, it wasn't a bad night. He silently chuckled when he thought about possible future dinners with the other two girls' betrotheds. Pendragon was certainly shaking things up in the house of Black.
(Snape's POV)
Severus was having a horrible summer. Just like the year before, he had not seen Lily all summer. Her parents once again refused to let him near her, and he was starting to get frustrated. He heard a tapping on the window and looked over to see a barn owl with the paper. He opened the window, letting the creature in. He paid for it and took the paper. He watched it fly away before he looked down and unfolded it.
His heart stopped upon seeing the front page. There in full color was a large picture of Pendragon in a nice set of robes. To his right stood Andromeda Tonks, looking immaculate in a dark blue dress. To his left was Amelia Bones in a crimson dress, looking stunning, her chest now larger than it had been the year before, coming up on a D in size.
However, it wasn't these two women that drew his attention. No, it was the one sitting in front of the other boy that captured his gaze. There, with Pendragon's hands resting on her bare shoulders, was the love of his life, Lily Evans. She wore a stunning emerald dress, and her long crimson hair was draped over her left shoulder. On her ring fingers, and those of the other two girls, was a beautiful platinum engagement band. He read the heading of the article as bile rose in his throat.
"HOUSE PENDRAGON TO MAKE A COMEBACK"
He swallowed the nasty taste that burned his tongue.
In a surprise announcement yesterday, Lord Harry Pendragon of the most ancient and most noble house has announced, along with the Lords of the Ancient and Most Noble houses of Bones and Black, his wedding engagement. However, it was not just to these two lovely ladies to which he is engaged. No, there is a third beauty that had caught our once king's descendant's eye. Lily Evans has also entered a contract with the Pendragon house head. A young Muggleborn girl who had shown her willingness to try and fit in and understand our society. She is said to be one of the smartest witches of her age and is sure to be a fine addition to the Pendragon line. This reporter would like to say congratulations to the wonderful girls and their betrothed.
A growl left his lips as he read. How dare that woman betray him like this. Couldn't she understand that she was his? He crumpled up the paper and threw it in the trash. He slammed his fist on the small desk he had in his room, fighting back the scream of rage that bubbled in his throat. Then he heard it, a voice he hated even more than the Pendragons'.
"Boy, shut the hell up in there and keep it down!" His father screamed drunkenly. "Now that I think about it, get me another beer before I decide to teach you another lesson!"
Severus gritted his teeth as he left his room. He noticed his potions knife sitting on the desk. A gleam came to his eye. He couldn't touch Pendragon yet, but he could get rid of one problem. He picked it up and walked out of his room. He slunk through the house, not bothering to be quiet. His father was sitting in his favorite chair with his back turned to him, watching television.
The man heard his son
approaching and decided to taunt the boy. "Man, I should get me another whore this week. You know, ever since your slut of a mother decided to off herself, I haven't had any good pussy since. But you wouldn't know what that was like, would you, boy! Ha! I bet even among those freaks your whore mother was from, they wouldn't touch a little bastard like... urgk!"
Severus came up behind his father. His father's words made him even angrier. He took his hand and grabbed his father's head back, then quickly and with force ran the blade of his knife across the man's neck. He felt a warm liquid splash across his face as his father grasped his throat, trying to stem the flow of blood, his eyes wide. Severus came to stand in front of him, and his father looked up in fear as he choked on his own blood. Severus didn't smile, but the gleam in his eyes gave away what he felt.
As the light from his tormentor's eyes faded and the sounds of choking died down, he smirked. "One day I will kill you as well, Pendragon. Then my sweet Lily flower will be all mine."
(James' POV)
James Potter was sitting at the breakfast table at Potter Manor with his parents when the post came. He watched as his father unrolled the paper and started reading. When he flipped pages, a picture caught James' eye. He quickly reached out and snatched the paper from his father's grasp.
"James!" His father exclaimed, but he ignored him.
"No..." he whispered.
"James, what is going on, son?" his father asked, a little annoyed.
"She's marrying that dark wizard Pendragon!" he shouted back.
Fleamont and Euphemia got up and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was the girl his son had pointed out, along with a rather handsome blond boy. "Oh, James dear, I'm so sorry, sweetheart. "Don't worry, there will be others," she said reassuringly and gave him a hug.
Suddenly, his magic flared, and dishes went flying against the walls, and Euphemia was pushed back. "NO, I DON'T WANT ANOTHER, I WANT LILLY!" he shouted like a five-year-old having his candy taken.
"James, calm down, son. I'm sorry, but it looks like you will need to look elsewhere," Fleamont said, trying to calm his son down. He hated having to tell his boy he couldn't have something.
"No! I'll get her, just you wait and see! I just need to try harder!" he shouted, storming out of the room.
Fleamont shook his head. "Ah, what a little spitfire, just like his old man."
Euphemia, on the other hand, looked concernedly at her son's retreating form. He was acting like a child, and that could cause serious problems. She looked back at the paper and the boy in the middle. The Pendragons could cause a lot of problems for them. They were kings among lords at one time, and many old families still owed them many and large debts. Debts that this boy could collect on at any point in time, and the Potters were among these debtors. She couldn't help but think perhaps they had spoiled their boy a little too much.
(Dumbledore's POV)
Albus Dumbledore paced back and forth while reading the morning paper before his fireplace in the headmaster's office. This was no good. No good at all. The morning edition had announced the marriage between Pendragon and those three girls of his.
It honestly wasn't too surprising to Albus. No, he had seen this coming a while ago. However, it threw two of his long-term plans down the drain. With Pendragon marrying Lily Evans, it would help Muggleborns see him as a good pureblood. Evans being willing to learn and follow their ways would be seen as a condolence to the pure bloods who would overlook her for it. Even the most die-hard purebloods, for the most part, understood the need to bring new blood into the mix every now and then. What many didn't know was that most purebloods would bring a Muggleborn in to breed every so often. Though it was rare, and no one admitted to it. If they didn't, then the line would die out, and it had happened on occasion.
However, that was small potatoes compared to the other plan. With him marrying Andromeda Black, he now had no way of separating her from her younger sister. He knew it was only a matter of time before the older one ditched the younger two. Her leaving Hogwarts and getting married. He had heard the whispers of a new dark lord and knew that she would join them.
However, worst of all was Arcturus. He knew the old bastard well enough by now to know that he would have plans. If Sirius didn't accept the lordship, he had no doubt that the old man would have Pendragon become the regent of the house and produce an heir with Andromeda. There was now absolutely no way he could get a hold of the Black fortune without killing off the whole house. Even then, it was no guarantee. If Walburga ever actually banished Sirius from the family, his chances were really down the toilet.
He growled and threw the paper into the fire, where it smoldered and lit. "Fucking Pendragon!" he snarled.
The old headmasters watched on, shaking their heads. At one time, they had all thought Albus Dumbledore to be a good man—a man of knowledge and integrity. He had always seemed so polite and good with children. Now, however, they could see him walking down a dark path of lies, deceit, and manipulation.
He cursed again as he leaned against the mantle. Two well-laid plans down the drain. He needed a new plan but had no idea how to manage it. Sirius could wait a bit. From what James had told him, he still hated his family after all. So, there was a chance anyway. For now, he had to think of a plan to get the Potter fortune under his control better. He also needed to think of a good wife for the boy to set him up with that could benefit him in the long run. "Fucking Pendragon..." he cursed the boy again.