First Bite

Narcissa had just taken a few steps out of the shop when someone almost walked right into her.

“Oh, pardon me, I didn’t see where I was going!” a low, cultured female voice said, a voice she thought she slightly recognised.

Narcissa turned her head to see Heir Potter with the woman from a few days before. His maternal aunt if she had understood it correctly.

“No harm done, I’m sure, Miss …” Narcissa said, and the woman gave her a sharp smile, not a cold or threatening one, but a very, very sharp one. The woman’s steely blue eyes flicked down to Narcissa’s Malfoy signet ring.

“Cassia Evans-Dursley, Regent Potter,” the woman said and curtsied exactly as she should as a Regent of a House that was higher than the House Narcissa was married into.

“Harry, are you ready to try your etiquette classes in real life?” Regent Potter asked, when Heir Potter just stood there, looking from one to the other. He looked up at her and blinked owlishly. “I know it’s more than a year since you had them, Hogwarts really should give the children more than one lesson a week for only one year, but surely you remember something? Do your best, nothing bad will happen and I will help you. Somehow, I do remember James’ lessons, after all these years.” She gave the boy a smile.

“Etiquette lessons, at Hogwarts?” the boy looked flabbergasted, and no wonder.

“Yes, Lily really liked that they had that, and the introduction to the magical world classes, even if both only lasted a year. She said that it did help some, feeling more on the same footing as the magical raised.”

“I haven’t even heard about classes like that, Aunt Cassia,” he whispered and looked down.

“Oh,” Regent Potter said and blinked.

“If I may, Regent Potter, it seems that you unfortunately are working with dated information,” Narcissa said.

“Yes, of course, please inform us properly,” she said and looked at Narcissa, just as Heir Potter was. His look was actually quite intense.

If this had been anyone other than these exact two people, Narcissa would have run out of patience long ago, but this was Heir Potter who few knew anything about and even fewer was in contact with. And a woman who, while not having magic, was a force in her own right. She was Regent Potter, she could sit on the Wizengamot, for Merlin’s sake! That obviously had been the deceased Lord Potter’s wish and no one in their right mind would dare try to undermine such a wish, no matter how much they would like to do so, in fear of such an undermining happening to their own wishes after they had passed.

If Narcissa played her cards right, Regent Potter might be swayed to take the Potter’s seat and votes away from Dumbledore. And while there was no guarantee that she would vote in a more favourable way than Dumbledore did, just taking away some of the power from the old man would be worth it. She was certain Lucius agreed with her in this. People might protest at a Muggle at the Wizengamot, but if she was brazen enough to introduce herself as Regent Potter to someone she knew was a Peer of the Realm, as she had seen and recognized Narcissa’s signet ring, she would most likely be brazen enough not to care about what people thought about her, too.

“The lessons you mentioned have been discontinued, quite some time ago, I’m afraid,” Narcissa stated. “I believe they were removed from the curriculum a few years after I graduated, which means that the then future Lady Potter was still at school at that point. She most likely was one of the last to get those lessons, unfortunately.”

“What? Why would anyone remove etiquette classes?” The woman seemed honestly baffled and with a small spark of joy, Narcissa remembered that the Potters had a seat on the Board of Governors, too. Maybe she could sick this woman on them, too, and maybe give Lucius some help to stop the deterioration of their once proud school. She seemed upset enough to do it.

“And the Introduction to the Magical World classes,” Narcissa added and saw ice cold rage seep into the woman’s eyes.

“Why, for fuck’s sake, would anyone do that?!” the woman snapped, before she took a deep breath and let it out. “My apologies, Lady. I’m sorry, Harry, I shouldn’t have raised my voice.”

“It’s quite understandable, I assure you, Regent Potter,” Narcissa said. “I have despaired over it myself, and so has my husband. As I understand it, when the last war really began to rage through our society, someone decided that it was best to remove those classes so the magical raised wouldn’t get the impression of being more important than the non-magical raised. And the non-magical raised wouldn’t have to conform to the magical raised, or to our world’s traditions, festivals, and customs.”

Regent Potter took another deep breath. “Bullshit!” she hissed, then she looked down at Heir Potter. “Harry, I’m sorry to say that we have quite some work to do this summer. You are Heir Potter, you will be Lord Potter at your seventeenth birthday, this is things you should have grown up knowing. We know why that didn’t happen, and I truly believed that the school would at the very least have given you some background to the magical world, the customs and etiquette. Apparently, I was mistaken.”

“Why is this so important, Aunt Cassia?” Heir Potter asked, obviously reluctant, but just as obviously not willing to say so outright.

She knelt down in front of him and looked him in the eyes. “Have you ever heard the saying: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”?”

He frowned, but then he shook his head.

“It means that when you are anywhere that isn’t home, where you don’t know the customs and traditions, you will have to do your best to learn those traditions and customs. You will have to learn how the natives act and do like they do to the best of your ability. It’s only right. In the same manner, people from other places should do their best to learn about your home and your customs when they visit your home country. Do you understand?”

Heir Potter slowly nodded. “Alright, Aunt Cassia. What should I do?”

“Let us finish this introduction first, and then we will see what we do. Do you see the ring on her left little finger? It looks a bit like your Heir ring, just somewhat bigger and with a different crest. We will try to teach you all the families and their crest during the summer. For now, let me tell you that it means she is the Lady of a family that is a bit less influential than the Potters, but, as she is the Lady of that House and you are the Heir of yours, you have to give her deference. When you grow up and become Lord Potter, it will be the other way around.”

Heir Potter looked at his aunt with big green eyes, almost desperate. Narcissa was certain that the boy looked much healthier now than the last time she had seen him. He had more meat on his bones, while still being willowy. He was also quite a bit taller and his dark skin somehow glowed, like he had gotten to spend a lot of time in the sun.

“I’m sorry, I know it seems much right now, but I promise it will get much, much easier the more you learn. Look at it this way, when you know all this, you will know exactly what to do in any and all situations. You will have a reaction for each and every social interaction ready to go on a moment’s notice.”

Heir Potter seemed to like that, because his glum appearance lighted and he nodded a bit more readily.

“Did Mum and Dad know all this?”

“Lily found it fascinating. She said that all the traditions and customs and etiquette made it easier for her to really see that the magical world was a different nation altogether, and not just Brits with wands. She liked it. James grew up with it, of course, and while he could relax and joke around with family and close friends, or at school, according to Lily, he also knew exactly what to do when he had to be Heir Potter, and later Lord Potter, and not just James.

“Of course, James is the reason I know all I do about it. He began the training with me the same week they knew Lily was pregnant. Let’s see, maybe I can remember what he said … “Cass, I love you, you will be the best aunt any child could ask for. If neither Lily nor I survive this war, you will be an excellent Regent Potter and guardian for my future Heir, I know it. But you will learn what I have to teach you, and you will learn it well. No Regent of my House, no guardian to my Heir, will be ignorant of our history and customs. Someone has to teach my Heir, after all, if the worst happens. So sit down, and listen up.” “

Regent Potter looked at Heir Potter. “So, you see, James took his responsibility as a Lord, as a Peer of the Realm, as a Head of House, very seriously, and I’m afraid he would want you to take it seriously too.”

Heir Potter nodded, almost vehemently now. “I will do my best, Aunt Cassia.”

“I know you will, darling, and I know you will do wonderfully. We will take it slow, and maybe get Dudley in on it too, so you can learn together. Now, back to greetings.”

Heir Potter looked up at Narcissa with horrified eyes, he had obviously completely forgotten she was there. She smiled a bit and he looked down, his cheeks darkening.

“The one with the higher rank usually introduces themselves first, or you introduce them first if you are introducing two, or more, people to each other. I did introduce myself like I did because I was a bit too enthusiastic in demonstrating to you how it’s done. That was strictly speaking a social faux pas and I shouldn’t have done it, especially while trying to teach you.”

Heir Potter nodded in understanding.

“So, my Lady, would you mind me introducing you?” Regent Potter asked Narcissa. “Unless your House has gotten a new Lady in the past twelve years, I think I can manage.”

“Please begin the introduction, Regent Potter,” Narcissa said with a gracious nod.

“Harry, this is Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lady Malfoy. I could also introduce her as Lady Narcissa Malfoy. Both are equally fine to do …” her voice trailed off as she looked down at Heir Potter and Narcissa followed her gaze to see the boy almost hiding behind Regent Potter’s back while staring at Narcissa with distrust and loathing. The green eyes burned with something like betrayal, and it hurt her heart, literally hurt her heart, to see the betrayal in those big, green eyes.

“You are Draco Malfoy’s mother?” he asked roughly. “And Lucius Malfoy’s wife?” the words were spat out in a snarl.

“I am,” she said slowly while pain lanced through her body at his anger. “If I may ask, what has my family done for you to react so, Heir Potter?”

“Your husband set a basilisk loose at the school, it petrified many students and almost killed Ginny Weasley and me before I killed it. He tried to bring back the monster who murdered my parents.” The green eyes that were locked with hers darkened to a pitch black.

Her heart pounded in her ears, and she felt the cobblestones beneath her feet heave as if they tried to bring her down. No, no, that was her legs shaking.

Regent Potter caught her before her legs gave way and she helped her down on a bench.

“No, no, Lucius would never put children at risk. No, never, never our own son. No!” she whispered, but the child looked both certain and condemning down his nose at her. “How?” she croaked out.

“Ask Dobby,” Heir Potter said. “I freed him from your husband’s abuse, but maybe he would come and answer your questions.”

Freed Dobby? Dobby wasn’t free. He had served her morning tea just that morning.

“With your permission, I will draw my wand and put up a privacy bubble so we may talk in private,” she said slowly, trying to gather her wits about her. She was a daughter of the House of Black, she would not falter or fail now. She would not.

Regent Potter gave her a nod and Narcissa put up the shield before calling Dobby. The elf appeared with a small pop, dressed in a clean black toga with the Black crest in silver over his heart.

“Mistress Cissa calls Dobby?” The elf greeted her with a bow, as usual.

When she considered it now, he seemed much more attentive and lively now than he had in the past year or so. He wasn’t her personal elf anymore, despite following her into her marriage. After he had learned to be a Lady’s personal elf, he had gone on to learning how to be a nanny elf, and in the past two years after Draconis began Hogwarts, he had begun to learn how to be a Lord’s personal elf. She had seen him around, but not often, and now that she truly thought about it, he had seemed downtrodden and sick the last few times she had seen him before the summer. She should really have paid better attention. Dobby was a born Black elf, after all. If push came to shove, he was her elf. And now it might seem like push truly had come to shove.

“Dobby, I would like for you to tell me how Lucius put children, my son, in danger at Hogwarts this year,” she stated before looking at Heir Potter who studied the elf with a frown.

The elf didn’t answer immediately, and she looked at him again. He was jumping from foot to foot, wringing his hands.

“Dobby, I need to know, as Lucius’ wife and Draconis’ mother. I need to know what happened. As a scion of House Black, I order you, elf of House Black, to tell me,” she said sternly before adding, “Please, Dobby. If Lucius is hurting people, I need to know.”

The elf nodded, looked at Harry and then back at her. “Bad book, bad, bad book hurt Master Lucius. Hurt him for a long, long time. Dobby saw, but Master Lucius was Dobby’s Master and told Dobby to tell no one, not even Mistress Cissa. Master Lucius became bad, bad as the bad, bad book. The bad book … it changed Master Lucius, and Dobby could do nothing! Nothing!” He wailed and tugged at his ears.

“No, stop that. Do not hurt yourself!” Narcissa gasped and pried his hands away from his tender ears. “No, Dobby, it’s alright. I know you must have fought it, fought so hard to help and to tell me.”

Dobby quieted down a bit, his big eyes full of tears, and he nodded hard.

“Dobby tried, he tried and he tried. The bad book wanted to go to Hogwarts and Dobby tried to save the Great Harry Potter from the bad book and bad Master Lucius. But Dobby could not, Dobby could not even save the Great Harry Potter.” He sniffled. “He tried so hard, Dobby did.”

Narcissa winced, knowing how it often went when an elf got cornered while trying to follow orders and do what they thought was right at the same time. She looked up and saw an almost grey Heir Potter and a chalk white Regent Potter staring down at Dobby.

“Didn’t I free you, Dobby?” Heir Potter asked in a whisper. “You wanted to be free so much.”

“Oh, no, Dobby is free from bad Master Lucius.” He hesitated. “Even if Master Lucius gets better now that the bad, bad book is dead, Dobby does not want to be his elf again. Dobby does not want to be Malfoy elf again. Dobby is Black elf,” he puffed out his chest. “Dobby followed Mistress Cissa when she married, yes he did, it was a big honour it was!”

She smiled at him, knowing the discussions and straight out fights that had taken place while the Black elves had figured out who should follow her when she married. The same had happened when Andromeda was supposed to marry Lucius, and the disappointment had been so very great when Andromeda had been disowned from the family instead, when she made her own choice. Then the discussions happened again when Narcissa took Andromeda’s place in the contract.

She also knew with certainty that no one had wanted to follow Bellatrix into her marriage and that in the end one of the very old elves had sacrificed themselves for the younger ones, so they would not have to suffer in Bellatrix’ employ. The little elf had lasted less than a year and Lord Black had been furious with both Bellatrix and her husband, that they could treat Black property so.

“So, you are happy?” Heir Potter asked. “And safe?”

“Oh yes, Dobby is both very happy and very safe with Mistress Cissa. Bad Master Lucius cannot make Dobby harm himself anymore and cannot order him to stand still while bad Master is harming Dobby, no he cannot.” He smiled softly at Narcissa before grinning with a lot of sharp teeth at Heir Potter. “Great Harry Potter sir is so kind for asking about Dobby’s safety. So very kind. Great Harry Potter sir is safe too, now?” The elf looked sharply at Regent Potter. 

“Yeah, Dobby,” Harry looked up at Regent Potter. “Yeah, I think I’m safe too, now.” He nodded.

“The bad book, Dobby,” Narcissa said. “You said that it made Lucius bad and that it was dead now, yes?”

Dobby nodded. “Very, very dead. The Great Harry Potter killed it after he killed the basilisk, he did.”

Narcissa could feel her blood leave her face again at the thought. She might have tried very hard not to consider the word or the repercussions the first time, but she couldn’t escape it now. Basilisk. A basilisk, a bloody, fucking basilisk! At a school! At her son’s school! And Heir Potter had killed it?! A twelve-year-old had been forced to kill it! What the actual fuck! What was going on at that school?! No matter that her own husband was behind it, why had she not heard anything about it, at all? Why hadn’t the school been closed if children had been petrified? Where was the outrage, where were the worried parents, where were the consequences for the hurt and terror those children had endured?

She forced herself to continue:

“And Lucius is coming back to himself now?”

“He is not as bad anymore, but bad, bad book was very, very bad. He will take time to heal.”

Narcissa nodded. Possession did take time to heal, and she supposed that was what had happened, but it would take shorter time with help. She would give him that help, of course, and then bloody well kill him for letting himself end up in that position, for letting himself be a danger to their son and to all the children at Hogwarts.

He was a fully grown wizard, and while the Dark Lord worked in clever and insidious ways, Lucius should have known better than to put himself in a position to be targeted by something that was not alive and could not move itself. They had no less than three safe rooms at the Manor, and one vault in Gringotts, that any cursed objects would be trapped, and safe, in. Those rooms were there for a reason. Oh, yes, she would curse him within an inch of his life for this.

“My deepest and sincerest apologies, Heir Potter, Regent Potter. I knew nothing of this, I give you my word. Dobby could tell no one and Lucius apparently was taken over too fast to be able to stop it, himself. I probably should have noticed myself, and I most likely would have, if the possession had been constant, but I highly doubt that it was. Such is very hard to accomplish for even the strongest spirits. I will however come to the bottom of this and make sure that reparations are made, to everyone who was influenced by this. I can do no less.”

Regent Potter looked at her, but it was hard to care about that in the face of those almost glowing green orbs that had caught her gaze and held it. She was being examined and evaluated and she could only silently pray that she was found sufficient, was found worthy, because she did not know what she would do if she was not. As a Daughter of House Black, she had to be worthy, she simply had to be.

Heir Potter gave a slow nod. “I believe you.”

She almost melted where she sat, she was so relieved. And so very confused. She had no idea whatsoever why this boy’s good opinion was essential to her.

“Thank you, Heir Potter. Is there anything I can do to be of service right now?”

Why had she asked that? She should go home and speak with Lucius. She should get him to a Healer … No, Lucius was not home right now, but on a business trip that he would not come home from before the day after tomorrow, and Draconis was safe with his friend Blaise Zabini. Very well, she could follow through on her impulse.

She gave Dobby a nod of thanks and dismissed him before looking at Heir Potter again, who himself was looking at Regent Potter.

“Well, I have never spent enough time in Diagon Alley to be able to find my way by myself, and I know even less about current trends,” Regent Potter said and looked down at Heir Potter. “What if we ask for some help with getting your most immediate needs met. You have a great suitcase, but you still need a better school trunk. And I suspect that you don’t have any kind of dress robes for occasions where you officially will represent House Potter?”

Heir Potter shook his head.

“What about day robes? Have you grown out of those this year?”

“I have never had any?” he made it sound like a question.

“What did you wear on the weekends and such?”

“My usual clothes?” he whispered and looked down. “Mostly my school uniform without the robes.”

Regent Potter flinched visibly and as Narcissa had read Draconis’ flabbergasted letters about Heir Potter’s unfortunate apparel, she could well understand the other woman.

“Well then, I knew we were going to fill out your wardrobe, Harry, I just didn’t know that it would be from a blank slate instead of refilling it. A trunk, dress robes and day robes and new school robes and uniform to begin with. We might not get everything done today, but we will make a start of it. Would you be able to help us with any of that, Lady Malfoy.”

Narcissa got to her feet again. “That would be my pleasure, truly,” she stated.

“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself,” Heir Potter said suddenly. “Should I try now, Aunt Cassia, or …?”

Regent Potter looked at Narcissa who gave a nod to go ahead.

“Yes, do that, Harry. Do you need any help or would you like to try it yourself?”

“I think I have got it, thanks.” He straightened his spine and looked up at Narcissa. “I’m Hadrian Nalin Iacomus Potter-Black, Heir Potter,” he said with a decisive voice before bowing deeper than he should, given that he was from a higher ranked House than her married one. And having him bow to her was so very wrong on an intrinsic level, even if she did not understand why. No more than she understood why his betrayed look had physically hurt her some time ago, or why she had offered to be of service right now when she had just gotten the worst shock, the worst news, she had gotten in years.

“You may call me Hadrian, if you would like,” he said and looked slightly up at Regent Potter. “Was it alright to say that? I think I would prefer Hadrian to Heir Potter and you said I could use Hadrian for acquaintances.”

“That was very good, Harry, or do you want me to use Hadrian too?” Regent Potter asked. “No one has to call you Harry unless you want them to.”

Heir Potter, Hadrian, chewed on his lip while eyeing Regent Potter and Narcissa in turn. “I think I will keep being Harry to my family and friends,” he said in the end with a nod.

“Good. Now, your bow … Try bowing again, just a bit shallower …”

Regent Potter coached him through the proper bow for one of Narcissa’s station in regard to his own, and then Narcissa led them into Fantastic Alley. She was much more used to shopping there and it was generally a calmer air, professional workers – no one who worked there would swoon over any Lord or Lady, no matter how highly ranked or how rich, nor the Boy-Who-Lived – and better quality of both services and goods. Regent Potter had quickly agreed to change alleys as soon as Narcissa put the question to her in those words.