Chapter 23
22 August 1991 Thursday
Ooh, tomorrow's dance day with the Infant Brigade! I hope Draco isn't too much of a snot. We have a good group, I'd hate to mess it up. But I think we might be good for him and I like him, despite his prejudices. I hope the others do too.
Class was class. Cousin Narcissa owled me a couple of pictures of me and Draco playing catch in the air. They're great, and I think I can see why the grownups were a bit nervous. I have got to show the pictures to the others.
UV and I sat and talked some more. I've owled the goblins for a list of my properties that are currently vacant, with as much detail and as many pictures as possible, and then he and I are going to narrow it down and then he and AP will talk.
Now I need to talk to Mrs. Figg. If we move, what happens to her? And I would hate it if she weren't nearby anymore, too. If she would let that organization buy her a house to keep an eye on me, would she let me buy her a house just to keep her around? But the cats might not like moving.
Yeah, maybe I should just talk to her instead of borrowing trouble.
And Tango is head butting me, so if I don't want a black eye or a concussion, I had better brush him now.
23 August Friday
That went pretty well. Draco didn't sneer too much, and nobody gave him a black eye or stormed off in a huff. I think Millie will do well in Slytherin, though. She can definitely give as good as she gets.
And Shack (that's what he likes to be called) did really well for the only new guy in the group. Not shy, that one. Graceful, too. He'd never done any of the formal dances, but he took right to them. And Draco snuck in a couple of brooms, so we taught everyone to fly, right under the adults' noses and they never had a clue. And I know this time they weren't shamming it, except maybe Remus, because Lady Longbottom would have had kittens if she'd known we'd been teaching poor hopeless Neville (who isn't hopeless at all if you actually give him some encouragement and show him how to do things) to fly on an actual adult broom. Of course, the fact that I took Draco aside and reminded him that Neville is a member of a Noble and Most Ancient House and his blood is purer than Draco's, and if I hear him undermining Neville's confidence, I will punch his lights out didn't hurt. Although to his credit, Draco rolled his eyes at me and asked if he really looked that stupid. I grinned at him and he said that it might be someone else who got his bell rung if they didn't look out.
Dancing was even more fun with more people. We could switch about partners, and one time to goof around we just closed our eyes and partnered whoever we touched first, so now I can state on good authority that Shack can definitely dance - and that following is a lot harder than leading, which I told the girls when our dance was over. Millie said she definitely liked leading better. She and Luna really looked cute dancing together. I have this book about a girl who dresses up as a boy and goes off to be a knight and I could definitely see Millie doing that, even if pink is her favorite color.
I kind of wish school weren't starting right yet. We've only got the one week left, so it's a bit late to add more new people, but Draco has a few friends and girl-who-is-a-friend, Pansy, that he'd love to add to the group, and that would leave room for the Patil twins and poor Ernie. Granted that would be adding three couples and to even thing up we'd need another couple, but we could always ask Ronald Weasley and one of those girls Draco mentioned.
I asked Remus and Lady Longbottom if there was any way Ernie might be well enough to at least come and watch and make friends next week. I really hate that he's being left out. I also asked if there was any way we could keep up the group once we got to school. Remus said probably not, but Lady Longbottom looked like she'd had an inspiration and said she had to go make a few floo calls. When she came back, she said it was all settled, and our guest list for next week was as follows: boys - Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Ernest Macmillan, Draco Malfoy, Harold Potter, Adam Shacklebolt, Ronald Weasley, Blaise Zabini, and of course Neville; girls - Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Millicent Bulstrode, Daphne Greengrass, Luna Lovegood, Morag MacDougal, Pansy Parkinson, Padma Patil, and Parvati Patil. That does give us one extra couple, but while Ernie won't be contagious anymore, he won't be well enough to dance, so that just leaves one of us to keep him company for each set. (Millie pointed out that it doesn't have to be one of the girls because she wouldn't mind dancing lead again.) And Lady Longbottom is getting the Weird Sisters to play! And borrowing a few more house elves to really do up the food! This is going to be great! (I did ask Remus why Blaise Zabini instead of Theodore Nott, and he said that while Lady Longbottom might have unbent enough to allow Draco and a few members of the Malfoy client families into her home, no way in Hell was she opening her house to Lord Nott, who is a Lestrange client, by the way, so not sworn to me, which I really should have figured out on my own.
After dance lessons we had some time, so we all went off to Neville's sitting room and listened to records again. Remus had given Shack a warning about that, and he brought some of the most awesome music, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry and a bunch of guys I'd never heard of. Draco tried to act all superior to the lowly muggle music, but he turned out to really like Spyrogyra, said he'd never heard anything like it and it was fascinating. I asked him, did he know purebloods of our grandparents' generation frequented muggle jazz clubs, and he hadn't known. Really, even the ones Draco considers "the best families." Granted, it was to be daring and to tweak their parents, but still. I also told them about what I'd heard about my grandmother's collection of silent films, and everyone agreed that I had to make a trip to my family vault to see if they were there.
It occurs to me that it's a good thing there's no Earl of Selwyn. Potters are clients of the Earl of Selwyn, not Black. That could be awkward. The Abbotts and Greengrasses are Potter clients, not Black. Huh. I wonder how we'll handle that when it becomes relevant? I guess I'll have to make a point not to get into a feud with myself or Luna (Hmm, maybe that would be a good reason to marry Luna? No, I promised Remus I'd stop thinking about that.)
Anyway, it was a great day and UV and I are going golfing tomorrow while AP takes Dudley shopping. Tango says sleep.
24 August Saturday
Golf was great. UV still won, but I tried harder and he still gave me pointers and said I should check out the courses up in Scotland, cos if I keep at it, I might start giving him a run for his money. We had lunch at the club again, and this time I tried a Virgin Mary and Caesar salad and beef stroganoff. It had lots of different kinds of mushrooms in it and it was almost as good as flying. UV bought me a pair of golf ball cuff links because I actually beat him one one hole, and he said don't worry, these were a gift from him, not from myself, and I said really, uncle, it honestly never crossed my mind. The past was ugly, and nothing's going to change that, but we're family. He looked at his feet for a few seconds and said that I was a much better lad than they deserved, and I said, water under the bridge, let's go shoot another nine. So we did. And I am bringing those cuff links to school with me, and if anyone nicks them I swear I will AK them and incendio the remains. Maybe one of the professors knows a spell like Chrestomanci used on his stuff in Charmed Life.
25 August 1991 Monday
This is going to be a busy week. I need to study the Ancient houses so I know how they're allied, and whatever remains of the Sacred 28 and I need to go over properties with UV and talk to Mrs. Figg and check the Potter family vault for those films, and if they're anything like I think they are, get an insurance agency to look at them. There's no way we're going to have the question of residences settled by Friday, so I see Hedwig getting quite a workout. And I should probably meet with Mr. Malfoy at least once before I leave. Have I whined lately that I'm only just eleven. Aaaaaaa!
Anyway, off to class, Remus is waiting.
Monday evening
We studied Ancient families in the morning, then Remus taught me how to play Exploding Snap (which I keep wanting to write as Exploding Snape, which is funny but not very nice) and Gobstones and we spent quite a while playing Wizard Chess. Remus also explained to me about Fairy Chess, which isn't chess played with fairies, but actually chess played with different variances of the rules. He said I'm not ready to take that on yet, but it's good to know its out there. There's one variation, Bughouse Chess, that was really popular in Ravenclaw back when Remus and my parents were there. Remus and my mom and Severus played with the Ravens a lot. He explained it to me, and it sounds like a lot of fun, but it takes two boards and four people, so we couldn't try it. He said if there were more time, he'd see if Percy and Cedric were interested.
Funny, when I got my letter, it felt like it was ages until school started and now it feels like the time whipped by and I'm not ready!
And Remus made me promise not to propose marriage or even talk about marriage with anyone this year. OK, Remus, I get it, I get it! (Besides, Luna won't be at school until next year.)
In the evening after dinner, UV and I looked at properties. Some were pretty easy to winnow out, I know they wouldn't like Grimmauld Place or Curdzon Way, for instance, but others have possibilities. Especially I like the look of a couple of places in Elmbridge. If one of them is by the water, we're going there. That would fit in with my runes, and I just have a good feeling about it.
26 August Tuesday
This morning we studied specifically the Ancient families aligned with the Blacks and which ones had members that were known Death Eaters. I learned yesterday that Crouches were clients of the Longbottoms, and that Barty Crouch Jr. was one of the ones who tortured Lord Longbottom. The others were the Lestrange heir and his wife and brother, which is what makes Ced heir presumptive. And Crouch Sr. was head of the DMLE at the time, too. He's lucky his son was a legal adult at the time.
This evening I talked to Mrs. Figg and AP and UV. We've picked an absolutely brilliant place by the River Wey in Weybridge, and Mrs. Figg says that she'd have to be insane to turn down a suite of rooms in a place like that, and with all the land attached to it, the cats will have no problem moving there. And Dudley likes it too, so I think we've actually got it sorted. And Smeltings doesn't care where in Surrey we live, so now it's all in UV and AP and Mr. Malfoy's hands and I'll see the place over Christmas hols. So that's one big thing off the list.
[AN: inspiration picture http slash slash www dot dailymail dot co dot uk slash news slash article-1341740 slash A-little-bit-paradise-Surrey-spot-tops-survey-best-places-live dot html]
Now I meet with Mr. Malfoy and go to Gringotts and meet Andromeda Tonks tomorrow.
27 August Wednesday
I met with Mr. Malfoy first. We talked business and he told me how to reinstate a family member and he rather exasperatedly went over a list with me, detailing his oath and every way he had thought up so far to get out of it, and why they wouldn't work, and he also told me that Draco would be annoyed with him in the extreme if he had me killed, and whatever else I think of him, please believe that he is fond of his son. I looked at his list and tried to find loopholes he might have missed and he told me that he hoped I enjoyed Slytherin and explained why none of them would work. And he also pointed out that an Earl of Black who is also Harry Potter is his and his family's best protection if the Dark Lamer actually does come back.
On the one hand, yeah, it sounds like keeping me alive and as powerful as possible is in Mr. Malfoy's best interests, but on the other hand, that's an awful lot of people looking to me for safety from a super-powerful raving psychopath. I have got to find out more about Voldemort and figure out if he really was trying to instigate an all-out war between magicals and muggles, with the purebloods crushed in between. Yeah, that's a cheery thought to take with me to school. I think I need to get to know some of the kids whose parents were Deatheaters.
Anyway, I went to the family vault after that. And I thought my vault was full! Wow! It was incredibly well-organized, though. Apparently that was Grandfather Charlus. I found a portrait of him and Grandmother Dorea, too, so I paid my respects and said I'd be sure and have them hung in one of the drawing rooms of my new house. No pictures of my parents, though. I told Grandmother Dorea that Mrs. Figg was my pretend grandmother and she sent her love and said that Billy was always a great storyteller and then told me a bunch of stories about Mrs. Figg, who was apparently quite the tomboy as a girl, and she said she couldn't do the story about the Abraxans justice, so I'd have to get her to tell it.
She also told me right where to look for the films. I had guessed right, it's an amazing collection. Quite a bit of it dates from before the size of film was standardized, and that was another of my "Argh, I'm only eleven!" moments. Grandfather and Grandmother told me to stop worrying, though. The films have a number of protective charms on them and could sit here for centuries just fine. That helped. I asked her to recommend a few of the less valuable and more fun ones I could show my friends, so now I have some Charlie Chaplin and some Laurel and Hardy and Gertie the Dinosaur.
After that, I met with Mr. and Mrs. Tonks and Nymphadora, who is really cool and whom I shall never call "Nymphadora" again, although i do have permission to call her Dora around her family to avoid confusion. I like them a lot. It was a nice long visit and we had tea and biscuits and Dora showed me some of he neat tricks she can do. The metamorphmagus talent doesn't run in the Black line, so I offered to underwrite and inheritance test for Mr. Tonks. He said he'd consider it, but no rush. And now the Black family tree has its first muggleborn on it, so I call this a good day's work.
And Mr. Malfoy said the warders and curse breakers would be out at the new place tomorrow and the floo in my apartments hooked up and warded on Friday, and AP is free to engage movers at her convenience, and since the Dursleys don't have sufficient furniture to fill the place up, would I like to fill in with family pieces, and I asked him if he could please confer with my relatives about most of that, but that I'd select the furniture for my own suite (!!!) tonight from the catalog. Not that I'm buying new, like a museum catalog, and it might as well be, considering. Some of that stuff is ancient. I also authorized the purchase of a grand piano for the music room and I'm a little, no a lot, surprised neither the Potters nor the Blacks already had one. I thought that was something all rich people had to have, but apparently the Malfoys don't have one either.
And it was a long day for all of us and supper was a nice simple baked beans on toast. The movers will be coming Friday while I'm at the party (AP works fast) and I'll be staying the night at Longbottom Manor and Neville and I will go to the train together, so I'll be saying goodbye to the family and Little Whinging Friday morning before I leave.
I am glad Tango lets me hug him.
28 August Thursday
Remus somehow convinced Ced and Percy to stop preparing to leave for a bit, and we spent the morning playing Bughouse chess. I partnered Remus, so I was playing against Ced and he was playing against Percy. It was wild and fast an an awful lot of fun and I think it took all our minds off preparing for school for a while. The guys said they'd never played it before and they'd have to get it restarted at school.
After that, they went back to their packing and stuff and Remus and I took the Knight Bus (he said he couldn't believe he had almost neglected that vital bit of my education!) to the seaside. It was actually unseasonably cool today, so we had the place more to ourselves than we would have and we had a grand time beachcombing and I kicked off my trainers and rolled up my slacks and got my feet wet anyway, because I'd never been to the ocean before. Remus had a camera from who knows where, so he got pictures. I probably looked a right berk, but I don't care, it was fun.
Dinner we all went out for fish and chips and I brought a few home for Tango. I can't wait for tomorrow!