7 - Heritage Surprises
16 December 1995
Gringotts
“Okay, explain the process to me again,” Hermione asked Alhena quietly.
“Three to seven drops of blood on the rune on the parchment – the more blood, the more detailed it is – wait for it to finish – it’ll glow gold – then read it. If there are lordships and stuff, rings in order of oldest house,” Alhena responded quietly. “Remember the traditional greetings. Money for account managers, wishes and good fortune for healers, battle for guards and such, general good fortune if you are unsure.”
Hermione nodded as they followed behind Orion. Alhena had a minor illusory magic ward up for their privacy, but Orion was turning heads anyway.
“May your fortune grow by the day, Manager Sharpclaw,” Orion spoke formally.
“May yours do the same, Lord Black,” Sharpclaw responded. “Welcome back to the waking world. What shall I do for you today?”
“I am here to alter the family tree.” Orion gestured to Alhena. “Heir Black has her own.”
“May your fortune increase, Manager Sharpclaw,” Alhena’s tone was formal, but not cold. “My friend wishes for an inheritance test, and I am doing two others on behalf of our friends, with written consent. I would also like to do another for myself.”
“Certainly, Heir Black. I shall be with you momentarily.” Sharpclaw retrieved the family tree and handed it to Orion, along with the special quills, before handing four sheets of the inheritance test parchments to Alhena with a firm nod.
Alhena and Hermione moved to another table nearby, and Alhena handed one to Hermione, before laying the remaining three out. She dripped seven drops of Harry’s blood on one, seven of Ron’s on the other, and seven of hers on the last.
Surprisingly, Ron’s was the first done
Name: Ronald Bilius Weasley
Born: 28th March 1980, St. Mungo’s, London
Age: 15 years, 8 months
Blood Status: Pureblood
Parents:
Arthur Septimus Weasley (father)
Molly Elizabeth Weasley née Prewett (mother)
Grandparents:
Paternal:
Septimus Weasley (grandfather, deceased)
Cedrella Ursula Weasley née Black (grandmother, deceased)
Maternal:
Magnus Prewett (grandfather, deceased)
Elizabeth Prewett née Fawley (grandmother, deceased)
Vaults:
Ronald Weasley Vault – 2,500 Galleons (Septimus Weasley)
Prewett Scions – Ronald – 10,000 Galleons (Muriel Prewett)
Weasley Family Vaults – 1,055,000 Galleons, 28 artefacts
Magical Abilities:
Core magic – Neutral
Natural Healer
Seer – conventional
Mage sight
Magical bonds:
Familiar bond – Pigwidgeon (owl)
Notes:
Dyslexic
“Ha, knew it,” Alhena muttered quietly, before turning to Hermione. “Mione, you alright?”
“You’re right, again.” Hermione pushed her inheritance test over.
Name: Hermione Jean Granger
Born: 9th September 1979, London General Hospital, London
Age: 16 Years, 3 Months
Blood Status: Squib-born Half-blood
Parents:
Antares Hayden Granger (father)
Ellen Julia Granger née Winters (mother)
Grandparents:
Paternal:
Hayden Sean Granger (grandfather)
Jean Polaris Granger née Hitchens (grandmother)
Maternal:
Magnus Ivan Winters (grandfather)
Justine Mina Winters née Fawley (grandmother)
Harold Blythe (adopted grandfather, deceased)
Callista Blythe née Swann (adopted grandmother, deceased)
Titles:
Lady of the Ancient and Noble House of Dagworth-Granger (paternal)
Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Winters* (maternal)
The Brightest Witch of her Age**
Vaults:
Hermione Granger Vault – 10,500 Galleons (Antares Granger)
Dagworth-Granger Family Vaults – 2,800,000 Galleons, 289 artefacts
Winters Heir Vault – 25,000 Galleons (Magnus Winters)
Winters Family Vaults – 2,450,000 Galleons, 897 artefacts
Magical Abilities:
Core magic – Neutral
Eidetic Memory
Magical bonds:
Familiar bond – Crookshanks (half-kneazle)
Notes:
*: Declared by Lord Magnus Winters, March 1980
**: Declared by peers
“Merlin, Morgana and Circe! Muggleborn my foot, there’s at least three squibs in there! And wizarding ancestors within two generations!” Alhena laughed. “Living ones, too!”
“Mum will want to know her early memories aren’t imagination.” Hermione’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Alhena pulled Hermione into a one-armed hug as she read Harry’s.
Name: Hadrian James Potter-Black
Born: 31st July 1980, Potter Manor, Dorset
Age: 15 years 4 months
Blood Status: Pureblood
Parents:
James Charlus Potter (father, deceased)
Lily Marie Potter née Evans (mother, deceased)
Sirius Orion Black (blood adopted father)
Grandparents:
Paternal:
Charlus Henry Potter (grandfather, deceased)
Dorea Ursula Potter née Black (grandmother, deceased)
Orion Arcturus Black (blood adopted grandfather)
Walburga Irma Black (blood adopted grandmother, deceased)
Maternal:
Harold Martin Evans (grandfather, deceased)
Rose Minka Evans née Gaunt (grandmother, deceased)
Titles:
Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter (paternal)
Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Stinchcombe (paternal)
Heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Peverell (dual) *
Vaults:
Potter Heir Vault – 50,000 Galleons (James Potter)
Potter Family Vaults – 50,000,000 Galleons, 18 Artefacts
Stinchcombe Family Vaults - 1,135,000,000 Galleons, 189 artefacts
Peverell Family Vaults – 20,000,025,000 Galleons, 2800 artefacts
Magical Abilities:
Core magic –Neutral Dark
Metamorphmagus (limited)
Parseltongue
Properties:
(Request audit)
Magical bonds:
Familiar bond – Hedwig (snowy owl)
Notes:
*: Declared by Alhena Black-Peverell, 12th August 1995
Alhena laughed a little, before turning to her own.
Name: Alhena Melania Carina Black-Peverell
Born: 1st October 1979, Ridgeford Cottage, Surrey
Age: 16 Years, 2 Months
Blood Status: Pureblood
Parents:
Orion Arcturus Black (father)
Carina Isolde Gaunt-Haydon (mother, deceased)
James Charlus Potter (blood adopted father, deceased) *
Lily Marie Potter née Evans (blood adopted mother, deceased) *
Grandparents:
Paternal:
Arcturus Sirius Black (grandfather, deceased)
Melania Julia Black née Macmillan (grandmother, deceased)
Charlus Henry Potter (blood adopted grandfather, deceased)
Dorea Ursula Potter née Black (blood adopted grandmother, deceased)
Maternal:
Algernon Simon Haydon (grandfather, deceased)
Raine Allegra Haydon née Gaunt (grandmother, deceased)
Harold Martin Evans (blood adopted grandfather, deceased)
Rose Minka Evans née Gaunt (blood adopted grandmother, deceased)
Titles:
Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Peverell (triple)
Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Slytherin (maternal)
Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Gaunt (maternal)
Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black** (paternal)
Lady of the Noble House of Haydon (maternal)
Honoured High Necromancer***
Vaults:
Alhena Black Vault – 49,000 Galleons (James Potter)
Peverell Family Vaults – 20,000,025,000 Galleons, 2800 artefacts
Slytherin Family Vaults – 45,038,000 Galleons, 355 artefacts
Gaunt Family Vaults – 12,090,000 Galleons, 20 artefacts
Black Heir Vault – 100,000 Galleons (Arcturus Black II)
Black Family Vaults – 2,500,055,000 Galleons, 590 artefacts
Haydon Family Vaults – 1,575,000 Galleons, 110 Artefacts
Magical Abilities:
Core magic – Dark Neutral
Necromancy
Metamorphmagus
Eidetic Memory
Parseltongue
Soul Mage
Natural Healer
Seer****
Mage sight
Malignant Legilimens*****
Natural Occlumens
Properties:
(Request audit)
Magical bonds:
Familiar bond – Minerva (great horned owl)
Familiar bond – Nyx (raven)
Soul bond (mature) – Rabastan & Rodolphus Lestrange
Notes:
*: Blood adoption did not take properly, reason unknown.
**: Declared by Lord Arcturus Black, November 1981
***: Incredibly rare title, has been noticed by Necromancers’ Alliance.
****: Both regular and Soul Seer.
*****: Cannot be blocked with Occlumency, incredibly rare ability.
“Nothing much has changed, except for the age, the change in Father’s status, the addition of my grandparents and minor details, a vault name changing, changes in vault balances, the soul bond maturing, and them figuring out what kind of Seer I am. Minor details.” Alhena nodded in approval.
Orion peered at the parchment, before arching an eyebrow at Hermione’s. “Hitchens? The name is familiar.”
“Isla Black married Bob Hitchens, a muggle, back in the 1870s, and Walburga blasted her off the tapestry back in the 40s and poorly removed her from the tree proper in the 50s, according to Phineas the First.” Alhena huffed.
“More family tree editing, then.” Orion turned back to the Black family tree. “Who to remove and who to add back?”
“Remove? Walburga, Bellatrix. Add back? Isla, Phineas the Second, Marius, Cedrella, Alphard, Andromeda, Sirius.” Alhena was thinking fairly hard.
“Why Marius and Isla?” Orion sounded intrigued.
“Remember my rattling list in St. Mungo’s? Marius has two children, Rigel Marius, and Altair Cygnus Blake, both squibs. Altair has a daughter, Vela Iola Blake, with Blythe Blake née Grimm. Vela is roughly Dora’s age, and also an Auror. Rigel is married, I don’t know to whom, and has twins on the way, and they’re highly likely to be wix.” Alhena gave a meaningful look towards Hermione’s inheritance test. “Isla and Bob had two children: Mirach Isla and Castor Robert Hitchens. Mirach didn’t have children, and is noted as a spinster. Castor had three: Cora Zosma, Alfred Minkar, and Shaula Lesath Hitchens. Cora and Shaula married foreign wizards, and I lost the trail there, while Alfred married Agathe Selwyn – another of the Selwyns’ numerous squibs – and they had four children. Allegra Alya, Maurice Reda, Josephine Thiba, and Jean Polaris Hitchens. Josephine, Maurice, and Allegra had magic, while Jean was a squib. And we know where that one ends.”
“Since when do you know all that?” Hermione arched an eyebrow at her best friend.
“Oh, well… Isla is incredibly talkative, and apparently likes checking in on her descendants and relatives often. I largely shove that information in the Genealogy Information part of my mindscape and don’t think about it. Comes in handy sometimes, though.” Alhena laughed awkwardly as Orion wrote Isla and Marius back in, shaking his head.
The girls peered over his shoulder at the revised Black Family tree. Besides the names already present on the tapestry, there were new names. Isla Black and Bob Hitchens (and all their descendants), Marius Black and Julia Elba (and their descendants), along with familiar ones (such as the Weasleys, Andromeda, Ted and Dora, and Sirius). Bellatrix and Walburga’s were a faded grey. Hermione spotted her own name and groaned. “Ugh, I’m related to all my friends.”
“Don’t get me started on how I’m simultaneously Harry’s sister, aunt, and cousin, or Sirius’ half-sister and cousin. At least we’re distant cousins, otherwise I’m pretty sure I’d be able to marry practically no one.” Alhena shook her head. “And I won’t even mention the Gaunts.”
Orion snorted. “As Carina eloquently put it, they were a bunch of inbred idiots that somehow managed to cling to good looks and stave off the worst effects of inbreeding for the better part of three centuries. She and Thomas had a good laugh over that in solidarity. And then they promptly gave all of us purebloods unimpressed looks.”
Alhena snickered in response as she duplicated all four inheritance tests, before rolling the eight sheets up. “Lady Dagworth-Granger’s in the Dagworth-Granger Family Vault, mine in the Black Family Vault, Lord Potter-Stinchcombe’s in the Potter Family Vault, and Mr Weasley’s in the Weasley Family Vault.” She set the originals on Sharpclaw’s desk.
“Why the family vaults?” Hermione arched an eyebrow.
“Good question, Hermione.” Alhena smiled. “Family vaults typically have blood wards of some sort, so unless you’re a member of said family, or have been allowed access, I wish you luck getting in, never mind out.” Her smile turned a little bloodthirsty.
Hermione giggled. “Fair.”
They said their greetings, before heading back to Grimmauld.
Grimmauld Place
“And, how did it go?” Ron was practically bouncing on his feet. “Dad’s getting discharged, so Mum and Dora are over at St. Mungo’s.”
Alhena dropped the four copies on the kitchen table in response. “See for yourself, my friend.”
Harry snatched up his own, reading it through. “Did you seriously have to declare me your heir?”
“Cousin mine, I don’t intend on dying, but I need contingency plans. And I will tell you that the Peverell family magics are a little temperamental where Thomas is concerned.” Alhena laughed as she made her way up to the drawing room, everyone in the house behind her. “Now, let’s see how this looks in reality, shall we? Repair yourself, tapestry.”
The effect was nearly instantaneous. The scorch marks disappeared, and the portraits became true-to-life. It listed full names, and the names under the scorch marks reappeared, oftentimes linked to other, new ones. Walburga and Bellatrix’s names disappeared, and Alhena blushed ever so slightly as the Lestrange brothers’ names were linked to hers with pale silver lines (a contrast to the gold lines of marriage or the bronze of simple unions). Hermione groaned behind her, causing her to roll her eyes. “Live with it, Mione. We’re cousins.”
“Uhm, how much do we owe you?” Harry said hesitantly.
“Nothing. Ron guessed Fawley and Winters, both correct. You guessed Black, also correct. My guess was Dagworth-Granger, also correct. So, bet nullified. We’re all correct.” Alhena shrugged.
“Uh, Al. A scary massive owl just delivered a letter. A thick one,” Ginny said as she entered, aforementioned letter in hand.
“Thanks, Gin.” Alhena took it, turning it over. “Malfoy. Lucius’ handwriting. I wonder why.” She opened it, scanning the contents. “Well, that’s interesting.” She read the contents aloud.
‘To Lord Orion Black, Heir-Lady Alhena Black-Peverell, Lady Hermione Dagworth-Granger (and parents), Lord Hadrian Potter, the Weasley Clan, and the Honourable Mr Sirius Black. You are cordially invited to the annual Malfoy Winter Ball, starting on the 22nd of December 1995 at 17:30. The theme is Winter Wonderland.
Kind regards,
The Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy’
“Uhm, Alhena… The 22nd is in six days. The robes take weeks to make.” Ginny was nearly in a panic.
“Not if you have the entire weight of the Black and Peverell names behind you,” Alhena said nonchalantly. “With the Peverell name, I could get the robes for all of us done in three days, maximum.”
“The perks of money and prestige, huh?” Hermione giggled.
“Welcome to the Pureblood life, Mione.” Alhena grinned, before tilting her head. “Have your parents gone on their ski trip yet?”
“No. Why?” Hermione frowned, before clarity lit up her eyes. “Oh, they’re invited too! Oh Morgana, I’d love to see Parkinson’s face when she realises my parents, lowly squibs, are invited to a high society Pureblood ball.”
“Then make it a reality,” Ron said from the doorway.
“I’m paying, my dears. The Peverell vaults are doing precisely nothing except gathering interest,” Alhena said with a smirk.
Orion’s chuckle sounded from the doorway. “Far be it from me to stop you.” He turned to Sirius. “Your trial is in two days.”
Sirius’ throat nearly closed up. “What if they toss me back?”
“They won’t. Not if they value their lives against the combined forces of the Black, Peverell and Malfoy families. Or, Circe forbid, the wrath of Amelia Bones.” Alhena smiled. “The 18th is purely trials. Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, Sirius, and lastly Augustus Rookwood. The Department of Mysteries want him back.”
“Why would they? Didn’t he break his oaths?” Sirius was confused.
“Pfft, no. There’s a two-month grace period where you can share information on any research with anyone you want, before it becomes public knowledge. Again, the information comes from a dead former Unspeakable.” Alhena rolled her eyes. “Bagnold was an incompetent fool, Crouch Senior had an agenda, and Fudge is also an incompetent fool.”
“Are you going to the trials, Alhena?” Ron arched an eyebrow.
“Absolutely. Tiberius Ogden is the current Chief Warlock.” Alhena smirked.
“Alhena, you mind being my proxy?”
“Of course, Harry.” Alhena smiled at the Potter Lord.