Previously on A very Black plan: After a horrible night full of visions from Voldermort, Harry woke up feeling the need to expel some frustration. He had learned a lot more interesting spells from the three Family Grimoires he found in his vaults at Gringotts. After that it was time to go to the Longbottoms. There he met with Neville and Augusta Longbottom, the Dowager Lady of House Longbottom. After he had explained why he had come to her for help, she agreed to train him in whatever way she could. The fierce old lady also adopted him as another grandson.
After that meeting he met with Neville for a walk on the Manor grounds. Harry needed to explain some things to his friend about what he had discovered this summer. Neville was shocked but pledged his support to Harry in a Vow. Harry also got reminded of Winky while at Longbottom Manor. When he got back home he asked Dobby to go to talk to Winky for him. If the female Elf managed to stay sober, Harry would ask her to become part of his family when he went back to Hogwarts. Winky agreed quite happily according to Dobby.
It had been a week since the meeting with his new grandmother. It still felt weird calling her that but it was also kinda nice. And he could see how much it meant to her to be called Gran again by another child. He could imagine that she had hoped for more grandchildren before that horrible day when her only son and his wife were attacked.
Harry went to Longbottom Manor every day since that first meeting a week ago. He was learning a lot about how he has to behave as a Lord in the Wizarding World but surprisingly, also the muggle world. It seemed old fashioned at first, but Harry liked the clear rules this new, at least for him, society had. Gran was a strict teacher who clearly knew a lot about her subject. She was also surprisingly sneaky. Harry had the feeling that he could learn a lot from her. More than just the politics and culture stuff as he had first thought.
It was also comforting to know that as Lord Black and Lord Slytherin, he was one of, if not the highest ranking noble in Britain. So long as he followed the rules and behavior Gran was teaching him, no one who was traditional, so most purebloods really and some of the half-bloods, would ever dare to harm him. If they did, they would be forevermore be called a Blood Traitor.
Blood Traitor meant something different than he had thought it did. It was more than just a slur. It was a declaration. A declaration that the family declared Blood Traitor were not to be trusted. That they were unworty of the magic in their blood due to a very serious betrayal. Most times it involved a broken vow. It left a visible strain on a persons magic if left there. It could go on for generations.
This is what happened to the Weasley family around three hundred years ago. There had been an incident involving the Malfoy family and a broken Vow. They lost their status, wealth and the respect of their fellow witches and wizards. It still followed the Weasley Family even after three hundred years. There was a way to cleanse themself of the strain of being a Blood Traitor but most of the family seemed almost proud of it. It was strange to Harry now he knew what it meant.
Why would they leave a strain on their magic if it could be removed?
The Lordships he inherited also meant that he was of a higher status then Malfoy. And wasn't that just hillarious? He couldn't wait to see his face when it got out.
Gran was also teaching him about the politics of the Wizarding World. It was a bit boring but also, with some subjects, very interesting. Harry knew next to nothing about the politics of the Wizarding World but Harry knew what he would like to change in it.
Harry wanted more equality in creature rights, he wanted a department that would check if House Elves were treated right, he wanted to be sure that no other children were getting abused by their guardians and he wanted a class in Hogwarts that would teach Wizarding Culture. And that were just a few things on his mind.
These things made Harry politically Grey according to Gran. Harry was fine with that. While Harry had been taught that anything other then the Light was wrong, he knew better now. It might have been the one thing Voldemort was kinda right about.
'There was no right or wrong', Voldemort had told him back in his first year, 'only power and those to weak to seek it.'
Like Dumbledore had told him back in Harry's second year, 'It's our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'
Harry thought it was more like there was no light or dark, only power and what you did with it. Intent was what mattered and the decisions one made. While Harry distrusted the Headmaster, he did still have some wisdom he shared. Or was that 'had' some wisdom? Honestly Harry didn't know any more. He had trusted Professor Dumbledore but it was clear now that the Professor didn't have his best interests in mind. Yet it was hard for Harry to forget how he felt about the man. He had been kind of a grandfather to Harry. Old an wise and always so kind to Harry.
Had it all been a lie?
This too was something he talked to Gran about. She understood his mixed feelings about someone who was supposed to be honorable. Family. She told him about Algie. Her brother-in-law. Someone who she had trusted, considered family. Algie had even been her friend before her marriage to her husband, his brother. After that they lost contact but he had still been family. He had been their at all the important moments.
She had trusted Algie. Harry's bad feeling about where this was going proved right. She told him about what that man had done to his best friend. Neville had given his Gran permission to talk to Harry about it all. He had seen his friend struggling with this and asked his Gran to talk to him, to help Harry.
Harry was furious. He had known that Neville's uncle Algie was not a good man. He had even suspected abuse. But to hear it all laid out for him, was horrible. It was way to familiar. He had never wanted to have this in common with Neville.
Gran had a sad look on her face when she saw the recognition in his face. She went to sit next to him and took one of his clenched fists in her old wrinkled hand. Suddenly she began to talk in a suspiciously lighter tone. It made Harry look up to her, as she talked about Algie and how the 'poor man' one day went for a walk and never came back. Apparently he went on one of his usual walks but this time he walked straight into a Walking Willow.
"Such a tragic accident, don't you think, Hadrian?" Gran asked him with a fierce light in her eyes. Harry had known from the first time he meet her that she could teach him a lot of things. He was right.
He couldn't regret the man meeting such a horrible end. Nobody hurt his friends. It seemed that he and Augusta Longbottom could agree on that. Still, he was here for a lesson on Politics and while this had been very illuminating, it was time to go back to that lesson.
With what Gran explained the Light faction was way too pro-muggle and the Dark fraction way to anti-muggle for his personal beliefs. And that was just one of the points he disagreed with. So the Grey section it was. The Greys main points seemed to match the most with his own.
Others in the Grey faction were the Longbottom, Bones, Greengrass, Boot, Morgan, Moon, Prewitt, Abbott, Goldstein, Fawley, Shafiq and Smith families. In the future the Grey faction would also have the Black, Potter and Slytherin families if he had his way.
In the Light faction were the families of Bagman, Hornby, Diggory, Doge, Mcdonald, Trigg, Ogden, Brown, Macmillan and Dumbledore families.
The Dark faction were the Alderton, Belby, Fawcett, Wright, Warrington, Runcorn, Parkinson, Malfoy, Nott, Avery, Burke, Carrow, Lestrange, Rosier and Yaxley families.
The Grey and Dark factions were the biggest since there were a quite a few Light faction families killed off in the first war. A few of the Dark and Grey families were also killed off to the point of extinction or that there was only one or two people left but that was still better of then what had happened to families in the Light fraction.
Gran also had a plan for contacting Amelia Bones and Andromeda Tonks for him. She would invite them both for tea and then Harry would be there too. He would explain everything and ask them for help or otherwise an oath of silence. Gran had a reply already from Amelia.
Sirius had been right that he should be more careful with his trust. He had been lucky till now but it was getting too dangerous to trust blindly. It had already been dangerous last year with the toad at Hogwarts. Edgecomb had betrayed them and had almost gotten away with it unnoticed if it hadn't been for Hermione.
Amelia Bones had agreed to come for a visit today on her free day and Andromeda would come tomorrow to visit the Longbottoms.
And so when Harry heard she would come today, he dressed in one of his nicer suits and asked a very excited Dobby to take him back to Longbottom Manor. He didn't want to meet her in his dirt stained old clothes. Harry had helped Neville a bit in his Greenhouse today and it showed. By now he had permission to pop over anywhere he wanted and so he appeared in the sun room where Gran was drinking tea with a familiar looking woman.
The woman looked to be around forty and had dark brown hair with some streaks of grey in it. Madam Bones looked tough, dressed like she was prepared for battle at anytime and he could see that she also had the same bright blue eyes as her niece, Susan. The last time Harry had seen Madam Bones, he had stood on trial for underage magic.
Amelia Bones looked startled from the pop that Dobby and Harry made from popping directly into Longbottom Manor and had her wand out ready to cast. When she saw who it was she looked surprised but put her wand away again in her wand holster.
Harry took a step forward as Dobby popped away again and took the hand of Lady Bones to air kiss it as he had practised the day before with his Gran.
And let it be known that it had been one of the most awkward hours of his life. Apparently it's not so easy to kiss a lady's hand the right way. But he had learnt. As quickly as he could because let him tell you, it wasn't fun to learn how to greet a Lady when your Gran is the practise lady in question.
It was tradition to kiss a Lady's hand without coming with in a centimeter of it. Unless it was close family like a sister, mother or your Lady Wife you didn't actually kiss the hand offered. Which he thought the ladies were probably grateful for. You wouldn't want everybody slobbering over your hand.
Meanwhile Gran had also stood up and said with a smirk to Amelia, "Lady Bones, may I introduce you to the Lord of Houses Black and Slytherin, Hadrian James Potter." Amelia's eyes grew wide as she heard both of his titles.
She quickly recoverd her composure and said, "It is nice to formally meet you, Lord Black, my niece speaks hightly of you and your teaching capability."
Harry blushed slightly as he said, "Thank you, Lady Bones, she was a good student and she seems like good friend to have."
Harry was a bit confused with the way Augusta and Amelia smiled at him when he said that but before he could say anything Gran invited them to sit down and drink some tea. It was time for him to talk.
They drank their tea and ate the biscuits like the Brits they were before they began the conversation they invited Amelia here for. It was still a bit nerve wrecking. Harry wasn't used yet to telling people about his life. About the bad things he had always kept to himself as much as possible, because who would have believed him? Nobody had before this summer.
Once again Harry told his story to someone he barely knew and yet he could see how much the other woman cared about what he told them. He saw the anger and disbelief even behind her professional Auror facade when he told her about his life before Hogwarts, the adventures he had at Hogwarts and what he knew of the Prophecy and the Horcruxes Voldemort made. He told her he needed allies to survive this war and asked for her help.
Amelia looked determined as she said, "You shall have it. What can I do to help? Do you want training? Or a magical restraining order for Dumbledore and his Order so that they can never get close to you ever again? Or both. I can do both."
Harry let out a loud surprised laugh at that and even the stern Augusta Longbottom hid a laugh behind a dainty cough. He hadn't known that was an option but that would be awesome!
With a grin on his face Harry said, "Yes please, I would like to be trained in combat and strategy by you, Lady Bones, if you are willing and have the time to spare. My blood-adopted father, Sirius Black, left me a training manual for Hit Wizards. Do you think you could train me to fight like that?"
Harry continued with a smirk on his face that reminded both woman of the Blacks they had known, "And do you think a restraining order would be helpful? I was thinking more about a mental health check since the Headmanster is acting so very strange lately."
Amelia nodded and told Harry with a serious look on her face, "I will train you in what you asked for. And while I agree that it might be time to make a appointment for Dumbledore with the mind healers, his obsession with you is dangerous and it worries me. So I will bring you the magical restaining order and you will fill it in. This way it will not be possible for him to come close to you. His own magic would make him stay away from you."
The Lady of House Bones continued with, "I will pick you up from here to go to Bones Manor where we can train in my training facility. But know that it will not be easy. I expect you to work hard and do the best you can at all times."
Harry understood and nodded his agreement and Madam Bones looked satisfied.
"Would you mind if my niece and her friend join us sometimes? I believe you know Hannah since she was also part of your group. And perhaps it would be a good idea if Neville joins us as well? If only so that They know how to defend themselves."
Augusta nodded and said, "Yes, you're right, that might be a good idea. Voldemort and Dumbledore are a danger to my grandson as well. Shall we meet here again the day after tomorrow, instead of going to Bones Manor? Since you have the meeting with Andromeda tomorrow."
"Yes that would be fine." Harry said to his Gran. He then turned to Amelia, "I haven't asked her yet but do you think it's alright for my other friend, Hermione Granger, to come and join us? She's a muggleborn and she would never forgive me if I trained for this war without her."
Amelia thought for a short moment but nodded her agreement quickly. Harry was relieved. Now he could ask if she wanted to join them too. He wanted to see her again.
"Alright then. I will be here to pick you and Neville up the day after tomorrow around 10 o'clock in the morning. You, Harry, can go and ask your friend if she's willing to join us. Now since we are done here I will go and pick up Susan from Hannah's house so we can have a talk together."
Suddenly Amelia seemed to go wide eyed and stiff and she said, "Someone broke through the wards at the Manor!"
She grabbed her wand and quickly cast a patronus in the form of a silver badger and said to it, "Kingsley, get a team to Bones Manor! The Manor is under attack. Susan and I are safe at an another location."
The badger patronus disappeared and Amelia turned to him and Augusta to quickly say, "Thank you for your hospitality and I will see you the day after tomorrow. I have to go to the Ministry now and go and make sure Susan is safe."
With that she ran to the Entree Hall where she disappeared through the floo.
Harry and his Gran looked at each other, worried. Did that mean that Death Eaters tried to kill off the last of the Bones family? Or was it something or someone else attacking Bones Manor? It was her free day which she probably tends to spent at home like most people do when it was a free day...
They decided that they couldn't help her much with the little amount of information they had. They should wait for her to contact them. And Harry was in hiding anyway.
As for now, Gran decided not to waste the day waiting for Amelia to contact them. It was time for the dreaded dance lessons.
A Lord needed to know his way on a dance floor and so his Gran would teach him the different dances he was already supposed to know. Harry was a bit horrified that he would have to dance with her as his partner but needs must. Otherwise it would have been Neville. That would have been something.
And so the lesson began.
It was a few hours later that Harry came home exhausted but strangely happy. He decided that he liked Amelia Bones and he hoped that everything would be alright with her and Susan. And the dance lesson had been kinda fun after he got the hang of it. Althought Neville did laugh at him when he followed the sound of music and saw his friend dancing with his elderly grandmother.
But Harry would get him back for laughing at him. Just he wait.
When Harry got to the living room of Grimmauld Place he saw that Hedwig was gone from her stand in the livingroom. Harry thought for a moment but concluded that she was probably in the finished owlery. Kreacher had told him this morning that he would finish it today. The wards agreed with him when he thought to check them. Harry decided to visit her. He needed some sympathy cuddles after all the dancing he did today.
He got to the owlery after climbing a few stairs that he really wished weren't there at the moment. Alphard the mean, mean man just laughed at his stiffness going up the stairs. Dancing really was a lot more tiring than he had expected it to be. Opening the door to the Owlery he took a good look around.
The owlery was built in a circulair room with a number of round windows that were spelled so that only the owls could fly through. There were a lot of stands and nooks the owls could rest in. But when he looked around he couldn't find Hedwig in what she usally chose as her spots. Harry started to get worried when he hear a hoot coming from a corner.
Hedwig was sitting in a nook. That too was quite unusual. When he walked closer he saw something he didn't expect.
Harry exclaimed, "Hedwig, you're nesting!" And indeed, Hedwig had built a nest in the nook she occupied.
Hedwig hooted at him and stood up a bit so that Harry could see three beautiful eggs. Harry had the strangest urge to wail that he wasn't ready to be a grandfather but he held himself back. Hedwig would never let him live that down if he actually did that. It must have been the Black blood in him. Harry had never been so dramatic before the blood-adoption.
Instead Harry just asked his owl with a serious look upon his face, "Do I need to have a talk with Othello?"
Hedwig hooted sternly back and Harry decided to leave it to her. She was a capable female who could take care of herself. He really hoped that the chicks would take after her and not their rascal of a father.
Now he just needed to tell Hermione that they would become grandparents at their age. He just had to wait for Othello to get back with another letter from her so he could share the 'happy' news. Harry had been sad to know that magical owls could easily fly the distance between France and England. There had been no Othello free week as he had hoped.
Though that owl better be back soon. If he wouldn't help Hedwig out with the chicks then Harry would make a new pillow out of the owl. Both Hedwig and Hermione would probably forgive him for that, right?
It was by now very much time to go eat the dinner he needed to tell Dobby and Kreacher about their soon to be new family members. Hopefully the Elves would like the happy news about the owl chicks.
...How long did magical baby owls stay in their eggs? Did Harry need to do anything to help them? Oh Merlin, what if he screwed this up? Hedwig would never forgive him! He needed to talk to someone who knew about owls. Did Dobby or Kreacher know anything about the breeding habits of owls? Maybe Gran or Neville knew something about the breeding habits of owls?
Harry took a deep breath and cursed his new Black genes. He never got so emotional before the blood-adoption. Not that he regretted it. He never would regret getting closer to Sirius.
He walked downstairs to share the happy news with the waiting Elves.