Renouncing Magic's Child

While his older self went off to talk to Madam Bones about the Dursleys and the child abuse case she was planning to bring against them, young Harry stayed seated for his second lesson of the day. He didn't resent his older self for getting out of lessons. He was dealing with all the adult stuff that Harry didn't really understand. He was a little scared that people might start asking for his opinion too soon, but he really didn't know anything about the magical world. Ron on the other hand was not so willing to sit through lessons and would complain almost constantly about it.

Harry didn't really understand what the problem was. He was excited to learn about the magical world. This was all new to him. He was especially looking forward to today's lesson as they would be learning about what it meant to be a Lord. After seeing all those Lordships on his inheritance test, Harry thought this was a lesson he desperately needed.

Lucius stood in front of the fireplace and looked at all the young people in front of him. Not all of them were heirs but that didn't mean that they shouldn't know this stuff.

"When people think about magical Lordships, they immediately think of the Sacred Twenty-Eight," Lucius started, "however, there are far more than twenty-eight families that hold a seat on the Wizengamot and therefore have a lord or ladyship. Most lordships pre-date the statute of secrecy and the separation of our world from the muggle world and so they often have a honorary muggle title attached to them. However, most wix do not pay these any attention as they have mostly all but died out in the muggle world."

Harry began making notes. He wanted to know everything he possibly could about his lordships.

"Each titled family holds a seat on the Wizengamot that is passed down from Lord to Lord or Lady to Lady," Lucius continued. "Some titles are newer, for example where one family line dies out. After five generations without an heir, the seat will be open to re-assignation. The Wizengamot will then vote on who in recent years has done something notable that might be deserving of granting a title. These are rarely given to muggle raised candidates, mostly due to the stigma around blood purity."

Hermione didn't look particularly impressed by this.

"But it has happened on occasion," Lucius said seriously. "The older the house, the longer they have had their hereditary seat, the more influential a Lord or Lady tends to be. This is not because they have more votes as all seats are seen as equal in the Wizengamot but that they have had longer to build alliances - in most cases generations upon generations. Also certain houses hold more weight on the grounds of historic accomplishment. A good example of this is the four houses of Hogwarts. Anyone who sits as Lord of those houses will have great sway in the Wizengamot."

His younger self stepped forward then. "Something else that is worth knowing is that some of the more ancient seats have a greater allowance for staying dormant. The Hogwarts seats can lay dormant for ten generations before they would be open for re-assignation. Although, I would like to point out that it would be political suicide to try and move a motion to re-assign those seats even if they lay dormant for twenty years. They are seen as one of the building blocks of our society and are somewhat untouchable."

Lucius nodded his head in agreement. No one in their right mind would even consider suggesting such a thing.

"The only house that is not open to re-assignation at all is the house of Myrrddin as only Mother Magic can determine her heir," Lucius said. "That house works very differently to the others. As it can be inherited, if Mother Magic deems her Lord or Lady's children worthy, but at any time it can be lost by a family. Equally, the royal house does not vote in the same way that the rest of the Wizengamot does. They only vote when there is a tie because wherever possible the house of Myrrddin is supposed to remain impartial. They do have the option to veto laws that Lord or Lady Myrrddin believes to be in direct conflict with Mother Magic's wishes. However, this power is supposed to be used sparingly. They can put forward bills for consideration, just like any other seat but it would be prudent to only do this when it seems absolutely necessary."

"It would be better wherever possible to use your political capital and the art of debate to prevent laws passing," young Lucius told Harry, "rather than use your veto. And it would also be wise to use your other seats or a political ally to put forward bills you want to see passed."

Lucius brandished his wand and the words 'The Royal House of Myrrddin' appeared in the air in front of them.

"Next are the Most Noble and Most Ancient Houses. These are the ones that have been around the longest and have some sort of historical importance and legacy that denounces the family as Most Noble. As I said before they can remain dormant longer than others. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Emrys (Merlin's house), Lefay and Peverell. You'll notice so far I have not mentioned a single house that listed in the Sacred Twenty-Eight."

He was enjoying this. Muggleborns and even some half bloods believed this was all blood purity garbage but it really wasn't. The pureblood agenda had nothing to do with the sacred houses. Hell, even the sacred twenty-eight was about more than just blood purity. But they'd talk about that later. Probably not even today.

"Then we have the Noble and Most Ancient Houses. The oldest of these is the Black family. It is said that the Black seat was the first to be awarded but that is unproven. It is known that they gained Noble status because they have produced more than one headmasters of Hogwarts. Another of the oldest pure-blood families in Britain is the Crouch family. The Greengrass family gained Noble status for their family's longstanding reputation for working in the Department of Mysteries. The Prince family are noble due to their various contributions to potioneering. The Warringtons and Sayres also hold a Noble and Most Ancient seat."

"So your title can change even if it doesn't affect your seat's voting potential?" Harry asked.

"That's right. At any time a house with an existing seat might gain noble status or even most noble," Lucius said. "For example, if you, as the heir to the Noble and Ancient House of Potter, were to do something notable, no doubt your house would be elevated to Most Noble and Ancient."

"But your ancient status doesn't change?" Harry asked.

"Potentially in a couple hundred years or if quite a few names die out," Lucius said thoughtfully. This wasn't a question Draco had ever asked him. "It isn't impossible. If for example all the Noble and Most Ancient House were to die out, I imagine they would move the rest up and bring new houses in at the bottom."

Harry nodded. That made sense. He was surprised how easy this was to understand. He had been expecting to be completely overwhelmed.

"Next we have the Most Noble and Ancient Houses. The House of Burke became most noble after Elizabeth Burke was headmistress of Hogwarts. The Diggory family gained Most Noble status due to Eldritch Diggory being Minister for Magic. The Fawleys gained Most Noble status after Hector Fawley became Minister for Magic. The same can be said for the Flint family. They gained Most Noble status when Josephina Flint was Minister for Magic in the eighteen hundreds. The Lestranges also gained the title Most Noble in the eighteen hundreds when Radolphus Lestrange was Minister for Magic. My own family gained the title Most Noble for my ancestor, Armand Malfoy's involvement in the invasion from Normandy. The Nott family are also Most Noble and Ancient, although it is unknown exactly what they did to receive the title most noble. The Parkinson family also gained their Most Noble status when Perseus Parkinson was Minister for Magic in the seventeen hundreds. The Rowle family gained Most Noble status when Damocles Rowle was Minister for Magic in the seventeen hundreds."

"Something that might interest you, Heir Potter," young Lucius said, "is that if a Most Noble and Ancient house was to ascend in rank, they wouldn't automatically become Most Noble and Most Ancient, but rather Noble and Most Ancient. The house takes one step up, never two."

Harry smiled at that, jotting the information down.

"Are all previous Minister for Magics awarded a seat?" Hermione asked.

"It is tradition that they are," Lucius said. "Often their family already have a seat so their Noble status is just elevated but if they do not have a seat at all then a Noble seat will be awarded them. Unless of course, they resign in disgrace. It is worth noting our current Minister will be angling for a Noble seat when he leaves office. But with everything that is coming to light in the books, I am not convinced one will be awarded him. Not if Madam Bones has anything to say about it."

"So, it's not that different from the House of Lords in the muggle world," Hermione muttered to herself.

"After Most Noble and Ancient, we have the Noble and Ancient Houses. Quite a few of these were awarded their Noble status during the last war."

Neville tensed. Mr Malfoy was about to mention his parents and he didn't like talking to people about them. He wasn't ashamed. He just didn't like the attention. It was private. He was proud of his parents but that didn't mean he wanted everyone talking about them. They couldn't possibly understand how much it hurt to see them as they were now. Never truly knowing who they once were.

"The Bones family gained Noble status after the death of the Lord and Lady," Lucius said gently before bowing to Susan. "The Dumbledore family gained Noble status when Albus Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald. Dexter Fortescue also gained his family Noble status after he was Headmaster of Hogwarts. The Longbottom family gained the title of Noble for their contribution and sacrifice in the first war." Again he bowed to Neville, making the boy blush, but Neville was grateful that he didn't say more than that. "The Ollivander family gained Noble status because of their contribution to society through their wand making. The Potter house also gained Noble status after the death of both Lord and Lady Potter in first war." Another bow, this one to Harry. "The Slughorn family gained Noble status in the sixties for Horace Slughorn's contribution to potionmaking and the Travers family gained Noble status upon the retirement of Torquil Travers from his position as the Head of the DMLE. The Weasley family gained Noble status upon the retirement of Matilda Weasley from her position at Hogwarts. She was the transfiguration teacher and also deputy headmistress. It was awarded due to her dedication to furthering the education of her students. She was said to be an extraordinary teacher."

The Weasleys in the room could hardly believe that Lucius Malfoy was complimenting one of their ancestors.

"The Weasleys have not sat their seat since Arthur Weasley's father passed away," Lucius continued. "Although there is hope in the Wizengamot that one of Arthur's children might accept the Lordship in the future."

The Weasleys were all gaping at him now and Lucius had to hold back a chuckle.

"Then we have the Ancient Houses: Abbott, Avery, Bulstrode, Carrow, Crabbe, Doge, Gaunt, Goyle, Hawkworth, Lovegood, Moody, Macmillan, Ogden, Patil, Prewett, Rosier, Ross, Selwyn, Shacklebolt, Shafiq, Umbridge,  Yaxley and Zabini. This is currently the largest group of houses, although it is worth noting they all sit on very different sides politically. But we'll get into that in a moment."

Harry quickly jotted those names down too.

"And lastly the Noble Houses. There are less of these than the Ancient seats as they are given out sparingly, and only when a seat has been without an heir and dormant for the required time for re-assignment. They are usually reserved for retiring Minister for Magics, wix who excel in a particular field, or contribute to society in a significant way. Millicent Bagnold gained a noble seat at the end of her time in office. Bathilda Bagshot was awarded a Noble seat for her contribution to society as a historian, Damocles Belby was offered a Noble seat for inventing the Wolfsbane potion, although he refused it and so his brother currently sits as his proxy. Hector Dagworth-Granger was also awarded a Noble seat for his contribution to potioneering. Nobby Leach was awarded a noble seat when he stepped down as Minister for Magic, although that seat lies dormant as he died without an heir. Newt Scamander gained a noble seat for his contribution during the war on Grindelwald. Other Noble seats belong to Dippet, Plumpton and Urquart."

"What were they awarded for?" Hermione asked.

"Dippet was the headmaster of Hogwarts before Dumbledore," Lucius said with a sigh. He thought everyone knew that. "Plumpton was awarded his for his contribution to Quidditch and Urquart was a previous head of the DMLE. I believe he died in the line of duty."

"Someone got a seat for their contribution to quidditch?" Hermione asked in disbelief. Then again, that happened in the muggle world too.

"Yes, Miss Granger," Lucius said with a smirk. "We take our sport very seriously in the magical world."

Hermione huffed.

"So who can tell me how many seats there are in total?" Lucius asked.

"Sixty-four including the royal house," Hermione said immediately.

"But should we include the royal house?" Lucius pressed.

"No," Harry said thoughtfully, "because they do not vote in the same way."

"Correct Heir Potter," Lucius said with a smile. "As that seat behaves fundamentally different to the others it is excluded from the count. There are sixty-three seats in the wizengamot. But not all of them are currently active. The four Hogwarts houses have sat dormant until now for quite some time. Occasionally some one claims to be an heir but they never seem to be able to prove it. That is obviously going to change soon with Heir Potter's lordships."

"Do you think I'll keep the Gryffindor lordship?" Harry asked. "I won't have done what my older self did to gain it."

"That will depend upon the will of Mother Magic," Lucius said. "Equally it has been some time since we've had a Lord Emrys. In fact, the only Most Noble and Most Ancient seat that has been claimed in recent years is the Peverell seat and that has been with the Potters for several generations."

"So, will I have multiple votes because I have multiple seats?" Harry asked. "Or will I not be allowed to vote at all because I'm Prince Myrrddin?"

"Technically, both answers are true," Lucius said. "You will have four or five votes, depending on whether Mother Magic allows you to keep the Gryffindor Lordship. However, it would be better for you to instill a proxy for your other houses. They will still vote according to your wishes but you won't be seen to be breaking the neutrality of House Myrrddin."

Lucius's younger self continued, taking them back to the lesson. "Sixty-three houses but not all active. The Hogwarts houses have not had anyone in their seat for sometime, neither have Emrys and Lefay. It is believed heirs exist as the seats are not dormant - meaning their magic is still present - but no heir has stepped forward to claim them, or those who have tried have not been able to prove their heritage. Although this could in part be because they require specific acts to be inherited. For example, Gryffindor seems to require an act of bravery before an heir becomes eligible. We prove our heritage with an Inheritance Test just like the one Heir Potter completed on our very first day in this chamber."

"Likewise, Black has not had a sitting Lord since Elder Arcturus stepped down," Lucius said. "Again, that will soon change when Lord Sirius Black is given his proper trial and his innocence is proven. The Crouch seat is active but currently has no heir. Barty Crouch Junior is considered ineligible due to his incarceration in Azkaban. The Greengrass family holds a Ladyship rather than a Lordship which will eventually be passed down to Heiress Daphne Greengrass. Severus Snape is currently Lord Prince as he inherited it from his mother. It is a Lordship but it passed through the female line when the male line died out. He does not have an heir at present."

Several people looked amazed at hearing that Professor Snape was technically a Lord.

"The Sayre seat is currently dormant," Lucius continued, "and the Warrington seat will be passed onto Cassius Warrrington, a current Hogwarts student, when his father passes. The Burke, Diggory, Fawley and Flint seats are currently active and the Lestrange seat is active but currently has no heir. Corvus Lestrange's heirs are currently in Azkaban and therefore ineligible. My own Lordship will pass down to my son Draco when I pass away, likewise the Nott Lordship will go to Heir Theodore Nott when his father passes. Parkinson currently has no male heir and will likely pass through the female line to the next male heir. The Rowle seat is active and has a male heir."

Young Lucius continued, "The Bones seat is currently held by Madam Bones as regent until Heiress Susan Bones reaches her majority. The Bones lordship is one of the very few that is not influenced by the gender of the incoming heir. The Dumbledore seat is held by Albus Dumbledore and his brother Aberforth is his heir. The Fortescue seat is also active with multiple male heirs. The Longbottom seat is held in regency by Madam Longbottom until Heir Neville Longbottom comes of age. The Ollivander seat is active with a few heirs."

"Then we come to the Potter lordship," Lucius said thoughtfully. "You will rarely hear me praise the headmaster but I do believe he made the right decision regarding your lordships, Heir Potter. While, I believe he was in err to not inform you of them, I respect his decision to leave them unseated until your majority. As your magical guardian, no one would have argued with him had he decided to sit as regent. However, in leaving them unseated he has been surprisingly respectful. Where a regent is family, they will often vote in the same way the family has for the last few generations. They will keep the status quo and maintain the family's standing. However, a regent outside of the family might not know the values that the family strives for and therefore can cause serious damage to political alliances. As I said, I believe this was a wise move on his part. While voting habits are public knowledge, the motivations behind them are not. Most Lords record their thought process for each vote in a journal for future generations. I imagine you will find something to that effect in your family vaults at Gringotts."

"So, does that mean one of my houses might vote differently to another, even though I'm Lord?" Harry asked, scratching his head.

"Potentially, if they have different alliances or if their values are different," Lucius said with a nod. "It is important to maintain the traditions of your houses and their values, but you must also consider your own opinion. If, for example, you fundamentally disagree with a law that one of your houses historically would have voted in favour of, there is no reason you should still vote for it. We want to better our world, while also respecting tradition."

"The Slughorn and Travers lordships both have heirs and the Weasley seat is unseated but not dormant and has multiple heirs that could potentially one day fill it. Abbott, Avery, Bulstrode, Carrow, Crabbe and Doge all have heirs. Gaunt is a difficult one. The seat is unseated but has an eligible heir - Thomas Marvolo Riddle. It is unknown if he will take up his seat in future." There was an awkward pause as everyone considered the idea of having Voldemort on the Wizengamot. "The Goyle seat has an heir. The Hawkworth seat is currently dormant. The Lovegood seat is unseated and has been since the late Lady Lovegood died, but when Heir Luna Lovegood comes of age she will be eligible to take the seat. The Moody seat is active but without heir. The Macmillian, Ogden and Patil seats all have sitting Lords or Ladies and heirs. The Prewett seat is unseated at this time but it is believed that it belongs to the Weasley twins. It has historically been an unusual lordship, always assigned to a pair of twins."

The twins frowned at that. No one ever told them that they might inherit the Prewett lordship when they came of age.

"Rosier has an heir. The Ross seat is held by Professor McGonagall and will be inherited by her niece. The Selwyn and Shacklebolt seats both have heirs. The Shafiq heir died during the first war and the sitting Lord has yet to choose a replacement. Umbridge has no heir and will likely come to an end with the sitting Lord, unless his niece Dolores has children. Dolores occasionally sits in proxy for her uncle as his age is failing him. The Yaxleys are secure with two heirs. And the Zabini seat is currently held in regency by Madam Zabini for Heir Blaise Zabini."

Ron was getting bored. This was a lot of information and most of it seemed useless to him.

"The Bagnold seat has an heir, the blood adopted son of Minister Bagnold. The Bagshot seat currently has no heir and is likely to go dormant when Bathilda Bagshot passes. The Belby seat has multiple heirs. The Dagworth-Granger seat has an heir, although he is very young. The Leach seat is dormant without an heir. The Scamander seat currently has two heirs. Dippet does not have an heir but this is not an issue as he asked when his seat was assigned that it be awarded to the current headmaster or mistress of Hogwarts for their use during their service to the school. He wanted the seat to be used for the benefit of the school and its students. Plumpton and Urquart both have heirs."

"Urquart is interesting actually," young Lucius said, "in that Urquart married Minerva McGonagall and they had a son. Professor McGonagall is actually Lady Ross as her mother was a Ross. But the Ross goes through the female line and so her son is ineligible for it, hence it will go to her niece. However, the Urquart seat is a male succession seat and so their son was able to claim that one."

Harry looked at the long list of names. How was he ever going to remember them all? Not to mention the way Lucius had listed off their accomplishments with ease.

Lucius smirked. He knew he was giving them a lot of information but still this was just an overview. "The Wizengamot is divided into three parties. When a Lord or Lady gives their oath and takes up their seat, they assign their seat to a party. This can be changed if their views change or they find that the party no longer fits with their own values. There is the Lux party, the Tenebris party and the Neutrum party. Any guesses what defines them?"

"Light, Dark and Neutral," young George said. "It's based on their magic?"

"Exactly, Mr Weasley," Lucius said with a grin. "For the most part, families seem to assign their party based on their family's magic. However, this is not all that they consider. The Lux party tend to be pro-muggle, pro-muggleborn, they want better relations with the muggle world. They are also very against dark magic and in recent years they have been against the practicing of the Old Ways. They have been trying to push for prison reform in the last twenty years or so. For the most part, you could call them progressive, I suppose, but only really in as much as they seem to be quite anti-tradition. They are not particular for or against non wixen magicals. They want lower taxation across the board, higher wages, cheaper health care, and greater career opportunities for half-bloods and muggleborns. They do not seem to have a stance on squibs."

"Non wixen magicals?" Hermione asked.

"Goblins, Weres," Lucius began, "Vampires, Centaurs, Merpeople, Vela, House elves."

"As for the Tenebris faction," young Lucius continued, "they would be the more traditional party. They tend to be pureblooded, anti-muggle, anti-muggleborn, very protective of the statute of secrecy, and would advocate further separation from the muggle world. They obviously support a wixen's right to use dark magic, although most would agree that all magic should be limited with regards to crime - murder, assault, theft, etc. They would like to see a return to the Old Ways, and want to see the sacred days return to common practice. They are very hard line on the matter of Azkaban, believing it should remain as is."

"Isn't that odd?" Neville asked nervously. "Considering more dark magicals are in Azkaban than light or neutral wix?"

Lucius sighed. "It might seem it. But the dark faction believes that if a criminal is found guilty of a true crime - not just using dark magic but using it with negative intent or any magic with the intent to harm - the strictest punishment is needed."

Young Lucius chuckled. "Of course, if you were to put the dark members of the wizengamot in Azkaban they might think differently."

"The Tenebris faction are quite heavily anti-non-wixen-magicals," Lucius finished. "They want lower taxation for purebloods, higher for everyone else, greater security for the lorded estates, and they tend to be quite anti-squib."

"Then the Neutrum party," young Lucius said, "is supposedly somewhere in the middle and each member of that faction seems to have a slightly different view of what that means. In general though, they are pro-muggleborn and half-blood but anti-muggle. They want to maintain the status quo with regards to the statute of secrecy. They are neither pro or anti dark magic, but very hard line with regards to crime and punishment. They have differing views on the Old Ways. They are pro non-wixen-magicals. They see taxation as something fluid, at times thinking it should increase while at others decrease. They are pro-squibs remaining in our world, because they believe them leaving our world is a risk to the statute of secrecy."

"Traditionally speaking Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Crouch, Diggory, Dumbledore, Longbottom, Weasley, Abbott, Doge, Moody, Macmillan, Prewett, Ross, Shacklebolt, Bagnold, Bagshot, Dippet, Plumpton and Leach are all Lux aligned. In reality as Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Weasley, Prewett and Leach are all unseated, this leaves the Lux party with fourteen active seats. As for Neutrum, we have Peverell, Emrys - although Merlin was dark, his house has always remained neutral, Prince, Sayre, Greengrass, Fawley, Bones, Fortescue, Ollivander, Potter, Bulstrode, Hawkworth, Lovegood, Ogden, Patil, Selwyn, Shafiq, Zabini, Dagworth-Granger, Scamander, Belby and Urquart. However as Emrys, Peverell, Sayre, Potter, and Lovegood are currently unseated, they have only sixteen votes. Lastly Tenebris, is technically the largest party with twenty-two seats. Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Lefay, Black, Warrington, Burke, Flint, Lestrange, Malfoy, Nott, Parkinson, Rowle, Slughorn, Travers, Avery, Carrow, Crabbe, Gaunt, Goyle, Rosier, Umbridge and Yaxley. However, in reality, they only have seventeen votes."

"That's still more than the other parties," young Ron said, folding his arms.

"True. This is because Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Lefay, Black and Gaunt are currently unseated." Lucius waved his wand and the names all moved around in the air. "Can anyone see anything interesting?"

"The Tenebris hasn't gained any new seats," Harry murmured.

"Quite right, Heir Potter," Lucius said with a small smile. "Since the war with Grindlewald, the Tenebris party has been shrinking in size. This is fully intentional as all new seat assignments to anyone with a dark core have been rejected, regardless of merit. While having a relatively even spread is probably in the interest of the wixen world, it is still unfortunate for those who were deserving."

"Of course," young Lucius said, "things will look somewhat different when we return. I would not like to presume where anyone will align their seats but if Heir Potter keeps his Gryffindor lordship and remains aligned to Lux and the Weasley and Prewett seats are taken up, Lux would potentially have eighteen votes. And if Heir Potter keeps Emrys, Peverell and Potter neutral, and the Lovegood seat is taken up, Neutrum would have twenty votes, bringing everything into almost perfect balance. Of course, if Heir Potter decides to keep Slytherin dark and Lord Black does the same with house Black, and let's say Lord Gaunt takes up his seat, the Tenebris would still have twenty votes."

Harry tilted his head, paying close attention.

"However, lets say that the Leach seat and the Sayre seat are reassigned, those parties could both potentially gain an extra vote and if Lord Black were to go against tradition - as he is known to do from time to time - and assigns the Black seat to Neutrum, we might see a real change in the structure of the wizengamot. Lux would have nineteen votes, Neutrum would have twenty-one, and Tenebris nineteen. That would quite literally change everything."

Harry frowned. Balance. That's what Mother Magic said was needed. He thought he might need to discuss this with his older self, dad and great-grandfather.

"The next thing we need to consider is how to address a lord or lady based on their rank," Lucius said swiftly. He could see several of the youngsters were growing bored. Fortunately they were very nearly finished. "Heir Potter will you stand up, please."

Harry quickly obeyed.

"I have technically been remiss in calling Harry Heir Potter," Lucius said, coming to stand next to the young boy. "Can anyone tell me why?"

Zabini put up his hand.

"Yes, Heir Zabini?"

"Potter is not his most prestegious title," Blaise said.

"Correct," Lucius said with a sharp nod. "Can you also make a reasonable guess why I might chose to ignore ranking upon this instance?"

"I can think of multiple reasons, Lord Malfoy," Blaise said seriously. "First, you think he is likely to be partial to his father's house and this would be acceptable had Prince Myrrddin stated as such or..."

"Continue," Lucius said with a grin. "I won't take offense."

"You are actively trying to undermine his authority by using the only title he holds that is lower than yours."

"Very good," Lucius said, nodding. "I will say that I was hesitant to start using other names for Prince Myrrddin until he was ready to use them. I can only imagine how much of a shock this has all been for him. But you are correct that outside of this chamber, it would be highly inappropriate for me or anyone else to call him Heir Potter unless he stated that is what he wished to go by. The correct way to address Harry is Prince Myrrddin, Heir Slytherin, Gryffindor, Emrys, Peverell, - now this is where it gets complicated, let's see if any of you spot it - Potter, Black."

"You put Black at the end," Hermione said.

"Exactly!" Lucius smiled. "Any idea why?"

"Because I will be Lord of all the other houses when I reach my majority," Harry said, "but the Black seat already has a Lord so I will remain Heir."

"Very good Harry!" Lucius patted him on the back. "Now, undoubtedly, Prince Myrrddin will not want to use all his titles constantly, although I will say he is well within his rights to do so if he pleases. But he can choose to use whichever or however many he wants. Let's say though that Harry chooses to go by Heir Potter and I am introduced to him, it is my responsibility to make sure I am aware of his other titles so that I will not cause offense upon introduction. My bow should be lower than Harry's, because my house is beneath his highest standing one. In fact, Harry is not required to bow at all, as Prince Myrrddin. Although I would advise at least a head tilt. Good manners always go a long way."

"What about if your family doesn't have a wizengamot seat and your not an heir?" Dean Thomas asked.

"You would introduce yourselves similarly," Lucius said. "Families in the wixen world are all organised by houses, even if a house does not possess a title. So technically, when I introduce myself, I am saying that I am Lord Lucius Malfoy of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Malfoy. Although, we don't say all that because it's a bit of a mouthful. You would introduce yourself as Dean Thomas of House Thomas. Your house might be new to our world, but the interactions you have with others in our world, will influence how people see your house for generations to come."

Dean nodded thoughtfully.

"If you are the first magical in your line, you will technically be head of your house," Lucius said, "and you have the potential to fashion your house however you please. With your own values and ideals. Equally, it might be worth checking with the Goblins that you do not have any pre-existing family ties in our world. I would strongly advise that any of you who have not already completed an Inheritance Test do so at your earliest convenience. You never know what surprises might be hidden there." Lucius clapped his hands together. "I believe I've kept you long enough. Time for dinner."