The noble and most ancient house of Black was a force that inspired both awe and terror in the Wizarding World. It was the current patriarch, Lord Arcturus Black, that ruled the Wizengamot with a shadowed hand and who had killed that wannabe dark lord Thomas Riddle as if he was nothing more than a feral hound. His wife Lady Melania Black ruled high society and could make or break someone with little more than a passing glance. The Blacks were often linked to dark and grey magic, and were staunch followers of the Olde Ways. Their legacy was full of masters of magical arts, society mavens, and political geniuses. They were powerful, intimidating, and filthy rich. And now, judging by the invitation in her lap, Lily Evans would be the next person to face them. Lily ran her hand across the envelope and took a moment to study it. It was a thick, cream coloured parchment and it was tied with a striped ribbon containing the Black heraldry colours of charcoal black, deep oxblood and a soft dove grey. The black wax seal contained the traditional sigil of house Black.
Lily took a deep breath and placed the letter in her bag. The great hall was not the place to open a letter like this. Given that this was clearly a formal letter, it most likely meant one thing. An offer of sponsorship. In the wizarding world, there was a long and storied history of noble pureblood families sponsoring talented muggleborns. It was an arrangement that benefitted both parties equally. The muggleborn is taken care of by the noble house and is able to build connections within the magical world. The pureblood house is able to claim prestige from the muggleborn’s accomplishments and gain a powerful potential ally in the future. It was a good system, and a very important one. That did not mean, however, that Lily had any wish to participate in it. Though Lily practiced the Olde Ways faithfully and considered herself to be a very traditional witch, she had never wanted a sponsorship. She had already secured an apprenticeship with Lord Slughorn for her potions mastery and felt that the connections she would make through her Master would be more than enough.
Against her wishes, a little bit of hope bubbled up through her chest. The letter could be from her. Heiress Bellatrix Black. Lily had to bite her lip from smiling at just the thought of her. In Lily’s time at Hogwarts, there had been many attempts by Heir Potter and others like him to gain her affections but only one person had ever succeeded. Only a year ahead of Lily, Bellatrix Black was a force of nature. She had been head of the dueling club, Quidditch team captain and Head Girl. She had also trampled her way all over any barriers into Lily’s heart and had turned her life upside down. During her second year, Potter had managed to put Severus into the Hospital Wing after another of his pranks. Lily had chased Potter down and screamed at him for what must have been hours. Just when she thought Potter was finally going to lose it and hex her, Bellatrix had come to her rescue. She had chased Potter off with a well aimed langlock spell and had demanded that Lily call her “Bella”. She had told Lily that anyone who could scream at Potter like Lily did was worthy of Bellatrix’s company. After that, Bellatrix had always seemed to pop up when Lily needed her.
It was Bellatix who had offered Lily her first etiquette book and who had escorted her back to her dorm after prefect meetings. She had taken delight in playfully arguing about potions and charms and all manner of magical arts with Lily during study sessions in the library and never failed to make Potter run off with his tail between his legs with her perfectly crafted insults. They had been exchanging letters since Bellatrix graduated but Lily hadn’t heard from her in almost a month. Besides, Lily thought, Bellatrix’s letters were never this formal and always tied with a purple ribbon. Lily sighed again. It was hard to keep thoughts of Bellatrix out of her mind, especially with so many of her peers entering into formal betrothals. Her best friend Alice had just been betrothed to Frank Longbottom and while she was overjoyed for her friend, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad when she helped plan Alice pick out things for the upcoming bonding ceremony. As far as Lily could tell, Bellatrix saw her as a friend and nothing more. Lily would have to accept this, but gods did it hurt.
Lily took a moment to focus her thoughts. This letter had put her into a bit of a predicament. She had turned down sponsorship offers from the great houses of Greengrass, Fawley, and Abbot. She had also just turned down the 42nd offer from the house of Potter. Lord Fleamont Potter was proving to be just as stubborn as his spoiled son. She had been very polite of course, in her letters of refusal, citing her apprenticeship as her reason, and suggesting that the honour go to someone who was equal in talent but lacking in opportunity. These encounters had been nerve-wracking but with her years of studying etiquette and advice from Master Slughorn and Bellatrix, she had gotten through them just fine. The house of Black was significantly more intimidating than any previous encounter. She would need to consult with her master after classes. Lily wanted to send a letter to Bellatrix, but her last two had gone unanswered and she felt it would be best to wait for a response before sending anymore.
Lily made it through her day slowly, thoughts still drifting to the letter in her bag. Her joint transfiguration essay that she'd written with Severus had gotten an O, she had finally gotten the hang of her non-verbal Accio in advanced charms, and her moonroses had blossomed in herbology (she still owed Alice three boxes of Berties for helping her with those), but none of that mattered because she could not focus on anything but the house of Black and Bellatrix. She walked up the steps to Gryffindor tower and headed into her room. She slid into her bunk and closed her curtains. Carefully, she cast a silencing ward. She could delay it no longer, it was time to read the letter. She took her letter opener and carefully cut into the envelope, and pulled out the letter inside. As she read through the letter, she felt some of her earlier anxiety creep back, causing her heart to beat a little faster.
Dear Miss Lily Evans,
It would be a great honour if you would consent to meet with me at Camelot this Saturday at 11:00 am to discuss a potential opportunity. You would, of course, be welcome to bring Master Slughorn. Should you be in agreement, please owl back and a portkey shall be sent to your Master as soon as possible.
Best Regards,
Lord Arcturus Black
Camelot was the most luxurious restaurant in Dreamers Alley. She had heard they served all of their guests in private rooms, and that each room boasted a different luxurious theme. The service was amazing and the food was heavenly. She had always dreamed of going. Given who the sender of this letter was, the location chosen wasn’t too much of a surprise. She supposed that the news of her appointment as apprentice to Master Slughorn had finally made its way to the world at large. Lord Horace Slughorn was a world renowned potions master, and his students almost always ended up in positions of power and prestige. His last student, Penelope Rossi, was currently head of the experimental potions division at St. Mungos and another of his students, Reid Aarons, ran the most exclusive apothecary in Britain. She would need to meet with her master immediately. Lily gathered her things and headed as fast as she could to her Master’s office and tried to block the disappointment of the sender not being Bellatrix. She could pine later, right now she needed to find Master Slughorn.
She knocked on the door five times, using the code Master Slughorn had taught her in case of emergency. Horace had the door open in a matter of seconds. He took in the sight of his apprentice. She was slightly red from having run to his office from her tower dorm, and her normally calm green eyes were uneasy. Something was clearly wrong with the poor child.
“Lilly dear, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” Lily simply handed him the letter without speaking, she knew her master would understand the second he read it. Scanning the letter, Horace’s eyes widened and he looked back up at Lily, now mirroring her own anxiety. Without a word, he gently put his arm around the distressed girl and led her into his office. Horace guided Lily to her favourite overstuffed armchair and then busied himself with making two cups of Lily’s favourite tea. Once they were both settled away with their tea and a plate of chocolate biscuits, Horace looked to his apprentice once more.
“I assume that this letter arrived this morning?” Lily nodded in response, still needing a moment. Horace sighed. “Well, as I’m sure you know, the house of Black is as powerful as they are temperamental. While there are other things they could wish to discuss with you, requesting my presence means they are offering something serious, or at the very least something that would require my blessing as your Master. A sponsorship is the most likely scenario. I know you have said before that you had no desire for once, but do you still feel that way?” Lily took a moment to think before answering.
“Yes. I know it would be easier to accept an offer, especially if it is coming from someone like Lord Black, but I will not change my mind. It will take more than a little power and fear to make me do so. You mentioned other things, Master. What else would they want, besides to sponsor me?” Horace took a sip of his tea.
“They could wish to start a business venture. You will be more than qualified to open an apothecary once your apprenticeship is finished, and with your talent, it is almost guaranteed to become a success. Making a deal with you early means less competition. They could also wish to offer a place in their family through blood adoption or through a betrothal. They could even want help procuring an illegal potion and sending a letter to you implying sponsorship is nothing more than rouse to get to me. There are a great many things that they could want, which makes it very hard to know how to proceed.” Lily’s brow furrowed and she placed her teacup down.
“Why would they need to adopt me? Lord Black has three children and five grandchildren. He already named his heiress.” Horace chuckled, setting down his own cup.
“The Blacks’ are notorious for coveting power and talent. They have often offered talented muggleborns like yourself adoption into the family. Given that Lord Black’s eldest daughter had no children, he would most likely offer you a place as her child. This way your position would not threaten his Heiress, but your accomplishments would still become part of house Black’s accomplishments. Regarding betrothals, are there any members of the Black house who may wish to bond with you?”
Almost against her will, thoughts of mist grey eyes and wild black curls filled her mind. A husky voice calling her ‘Spitfire’ and a wide wild grin that she only seemed to ever share with Lily. A small cough brought Lily back from her thoughts and a thick pink blush covered her face. Lily shook her head. “No Master. Sirius Black has no interest in me, and Regulus Black is already betrothed to Begonia Crouch. Heiress Black and I….. we’re just friends.” Horace raised his eyebrow at the last part of Lily’s statement.
Being head of Slytherin, Horace had seen firsthand how Heiress Black would cater to Lily’s needs and how far she would go to protect Lily. Heiress Black was always hunting down new books that Lily wanted, escorting her around the castle, and got her personal house elf to bring Lily meals when she studied through supper. He had personally overseen five separate duels that Heiress Black had fought for Lily’s honour. Heirs Flint, Parkinson, Nott, Lestrange, and Avery had yet to even attempt to look at Lily after Heiress Black had finished with them. It was clear to anyone who had eyes that Heiress Bellatrix Black was deeply in love with Lily Evans.
“If you say so my dear. Still, regardless of what Lord Black wants to offer you, this is not really a summons that we can ignore. We’ll have to prepare to go to this meeting. Forgive my asking, but do you have any dress robes suitable for Camelot?” Horace set his empty cup down.
Lily shook her head sadly. “I only have what is left of my robes from the Yule ball Master.” Horace winced. Lily’s blue dress robes for the Yule ball had been beautiful but a jealous Margaret Prewett had cast a cutting hex at them after Heir Weasley had asked Lily to dance. Horace was not normally a vindictive man, but he had relished in giving that horrid girl six months of detention with Filch after he had seen his dear apprentice’s face streaked with tears as well as the cut on her leg left from the nasty spell that little wench used.
“Right then, I’ll have some magazines sent up from Madame Malkins. You can choose a new set tomorrow evening and we’ll put a rush on the order. We should have the new robes ready to go by Thursday my dear. We should also answer this tonight. I’ll help you with your reply and then we’ll get you back to your tower. I’m afraid we’ve left it quite late, and I won’t have any apprentice of mine getting detention over important matters such as this.” Horace winked at Lily, and she managed a small smile for him. Together they crafted a polite acceptance to send back to Lord Black, and then once Lily had been safely brought back to her dorm, Horace went to the owlery to send off the letter. As he ensured that the tawny owl made it past the wards with no troubles, Horace went back to his personal quarters, eager for sleep.
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Raven’s Nest Manor, Lord Black’s Study
A tawny owl tapped the stained glass that decorated the windows of Lord Arcturus Black’s study. With a lazy flick of his wand, Arcturus opened the window for the small bird. It flew in and landed on the side table next to the plush red velvet chair that he was currently resting in. Arcturus untied the letter for the bird's leg and sent the creature off with a treat for a job well done. He accio’d his letter opener into his hand and made quick work of opening the envelope. He quickly read the letter and a victorious grin worked its way onto his face.
Dear Lord Black,
Both my master and I would be honoured to meet with you at Camelot this Saturday. My master will be waiting for your portkey.
Best Regards,
Apprentice Lily Evans
Wonderful. Everything was going according to plan. Now he just had to ensure that his pack of lawyers did their jobs and finished writing out the contracts by Friday and his plan would be perfect. Bellatrix was hopelessly in love with the girl, and had spent the past month convincing him that Lily Evans would be the perfect as Bellatrix’s future lady. After seeing his heiress’ memories of the girl, and reviewing his own information, he had had no choice but to agree. Lily Evans was a faithful practitioner of the Olde Ways, her magic was grey-aligned and powerful, she was beautiful and highly skilled in potions, and better than anything else, Lily Evans made his dearest Bella happy. He would do anything for the lovely redhead who made Bellatrix smile brighter than Arcturus had ever seen. Finally, someone who was worthy of his Bella.