Chapter Text
Dumbledore stared at the letter before him, ‘How could Dursley do this? I specifically told him to keep the boy alive.’ He snarled, ripping the parchment into shreds and tossing the worthless fragments into his fireplace. ‘He’s lucky he’s already dead. Azkaban would have been too good otherwise.’ He sighed, turning to the mirror, and straightening his chartreuse and violet mourning robes, with the little Muggle angels embroidered on them, as he fixed his grandfatherly expression back onto his face. ‘At least Minerva finally believed that I had no idea of the truth of the brat’s circumstances.’ He lifted a lemon drop from the undosed dish he kept in his drawer and stepped through the floo to Gringotts.
-_-
Haerviu frowned into the mirror as he straightened the mandarin collar sitting close around his throat. “I question why I have to wear white, when you can get away with purple of all colours, Uncle.”
Hannibal gave a light laugh, “I can wear dark purple because I’m an adult Haerviu, and because I’m not a Lord.” He paused, “and also because it shows the heritage of my House.”
“And Dudley?” Haerviu grimaced, remembering the blubbering mess that he and his uncle had had to corral into a black threepiece suit that morning.
“Is a Muggle.” Hannibal lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug, “He won’t be held to the same standard as either of us, but if he’s not there when Dumbledore will certainly be aware he’s in my care, along with yourself, well…”
“Fine.” Haerviu grimaced, tracing a finger along the scar that had been crafted to mask his Original’s more infamous one. “Don’t expect me to be happy about it though.” He smirked, revealing sharp incisors, “Actually, don’t expect him to be happy about it either. I do believe he’ll be more upset to realise we’re freaks than I will be to take him to this debacle.”
Hannibal gave a short huff of a laugh, “I believe that may be likely, yes.”
“At least Draco will be there.”
-_-
Draco grimaced at the sight of the Weasley menagerie entering the Gringotts meeting room the Goblins had provided for Potter’s Will reading, only for that grimace to slip into an ezpression of nausea at the sight of Dumbledore’s robes. “What in the name of the Triple Goddess is that man wearing?” He demanded in a whisper of his father.
Lucius froze, nearly mesmerised by the ungodly colour combination, “If I knew, I’d purge the memory.”
“Fair.”
A familiar childlike voice echoed from the doorway, “Excuse me Headmaster Dumbledore, I believe I’m supposed to be in this room also.”
“Ah, the little Black Heir.” Draco forced down a snort at the deathglare he could just see past a pair of cavorting human-headed Veela he could see on the Headmaster’s robe, as Dumbledore continued, “I have to say, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“And I’m sure you weren’t expecting to see the Malfoys either Headmaster,” spoke a colder accent, causing Draco to frown in mild confusion, “And yet they are also here. Now, if you would allow the boys and I to pass?”
Draco smiled faintly at the sight of Haerviu in full white funeral robes, only to snap his head around at the sound of the Weasel’s voice, “Who the Hell are you?”
He arched a brow, ‘I wonder if he reaslises just how red his face looks in combination with that hair?’
Haerviu frowned, in what Draco could barely make out as mock confusion, but, looking at Dumbledore and the other Weasleys, seemed to be fully believable, “Sorry, but who are you?”
“Ron Weasley.”
Haerivu smiled faintly, “Charmed, I’m sure.” A faint smile lit up his eyes, letting Draco know that he’d missed something in that sentence, “As for who I am, I’m Hadrian’s cousin. I received, as I’m sure you all did, and invitation to his Will reading, with the request that his funeral be held after the fact.” He turned to the Goblins, as the Slavic-looking man behind him, corralled a rather fat child who appeared to be under some sort of silencing spell, into a seat near the rear of the room, “Is that everyone now?”
-_-
Grimclaw snarled at the youngling, pleased to see he looked significantly healthier than the year previous, if smaller than he had whilst wearing the glamour, “It is indeed.” He plucked a small black stone from his pocket, and set it on his desk, glaring at the bushy-haired human youngling as she opened her mouth to talk. “Before we begin, I understand the Dursley family are deceased?”
Cernunnos’ Spawn inclined his head from where he sat in the back row, “Aside from their son, who is temporarily in my care, until we meet up with his aunt tomorrow afternoon, yes.”
“Good.” Grimclaw spoke over the incredulous outcry from the human rabble, “In that case, the Will reading can continue unobstructed.” He reached one of his gilded talons to the lump of obsidian and let a pulse of magic pass through it, the voice of the youngling’s previous identity immediately emanating from the chunk of solidified magic:
“I Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black, Heir to the Houses of Potter and Black do hereby declare this my Will and Testament. All previous Wills are invalidated, and unless any further Wills are verified by Blood and by Magic, so too are they. First, the Title and Estates of the House of Potter are to go to my closest Male Magical Blood Relative, with the proviso that they cannot have been an inmate of the Institution of Azkaban at the time this Will is read (Henceforth to be referred to as my Heir).”
Dumbledore frowned, ‘Sirius can’t inherit then. Andromeda is next? Or the Malfoy brat? If Sirius can’t inherit, then surely neither can his son.’
“Second, the Title and Estates of the House of Black which I hold as Heir. If they are mine to pass on, then I pass them to the next Legal Heir of the House of Black. If they are not mine, then let Magic do with them what she will.”
Remus frowned, “Heir?”
The goblin glanced at him, “Sirius Black was stripped of his Heirship by his grandfather. His son was illegitimate until recently and so was ineligible for the Heirship until then. Hadrian Potter held them as his due as Sirius Black’s only legal Heir until and unless Lord Black changed the inheritance order, which I believe has been done?” He glanced at the boy Remus had seen enter with Harry’s cousin.
“Yes Master Grimclaw, Grandfather arranged it shortly after he became aware of my existence.” He paused, and glanced at the Weasley’s, “Before I had communication with Hadrian.”
“Of my personal belongings, I pass the duty of delegating them to my Cousin Haerviu Leander Vasileios. I may not know him well, but he has done more towards making me aware of my Heritage than any other. I trust that he will carry out his duties appropriately.”
Remus frowned, as the boy from earlier suddenly smelt of tears, “He t-trusted me that much?”
“Third, the Dursley’s mentioned that they were being paid to take care of me, and to treat me as they did. Any who were knowingly complicit in such are to be persecuted to the full extent of the Laws.”
Dumbledore froze in his rapid calculations, ‘WHAT!?!’
“Fourth, as I do not know who paid for such treatment, and I was left ignorant of this world, then I grant to the Goblins the right to pursue any available legal avenues to persecute those responsible and to ensure that none of my Estates suffered due to my isolation.”
Draco sniffed, “Only right.”
“Shut up Malfoy.”
“Make me Weasley.”
“Draco…”
“Sorry Father.”
Grimclaw frowned at the Wizards, “Speak again before this is done, and leave the room.” He smirked, satisfied at the continued silence, and recontinued the Will again.
“Fifth, of the properties granted to me by Bequest, then I dole them out as follows: Lake Lestrange to be returned to the House of Lestrange, with thanks, and the offer of Alliance with House Potter to be upheld by my Heir; Fae Isle to be granted to Draconis Lucius Malfoy with my gratitude for putting me in touch with the only Family Member I know that I am proud to claim, though I cannot offer an Alliance as I suspect my Heir would prefer to do that himself, given his personal friendship with the House of Malfoy; The Faery House to be granted to Neville Longbottom with my gratitude for being the first to meet me and treat me as a boy instead of a Name, and with the offer of an Alliance between the Houses of Potter and Longbottom to be upheld by my Heir; The Smithy to be gifted to Frederick Gideon, George Fabian and Percival Ignatius Weasley, with my gratitude for treating me as a part of their Family, even with the lack of faith shown by the rest of their House that I have thus far met. No Alliance will be offered to the House of Weasley as I am not as ignorant as I make out, and Ronald is grown far too obvious in his desperation of late.”
Haerviu hid a smile at the obvious explosion brewing in MoRon, and the incredulity showing on the faces of Percy and the Twins. Hannibal resting an approving hand on his shoulder from the row behind.
“Sixth, of the Compulsions and Blocks placed upon myself, only those placed by my parents can I trust were placed in my best interests. Thus, those responsible for the remainder are again to be punished as the Law demands.
Seventh, if the Dursley’s have not yet been punished for my childhood, then I would demand that the Law do as it is supposed to do, along with any who were complicit in my abuse, including whoever left me on their doorstep after my parents were killed.
Eighth, any who hold my belongings without my unspelled and freely offered permission, or that of my Heir, are to surrender those belongings to Gringotts for my Heir to dole out as required by this document. A list of such items as withdrawn from my vaults, whether by myself or another, is held by Gringotts for this purpose.
Ninth, any Titles I have not mentioned or claimed are to be held by Gringotts until such a time as my Heir either claims them himself, or passes them on to the next in Line for the Title.
Tenth, any actions carried out by use of my Titles during the period after my parents were killed, before I claimed my Heirships are to be deemed invalid, and either reversed, or submitted to my Heir for re-evaluation.”
Haerviu met Grimclaw’s eyes, both hiding a smirk at the obvious rage filling Dumbledore’s magic beneath his decent attempts to mask it.
“Eleventh, I freely offer Legitimisation to my Cousin Haerviu Leander Vasileios as the legal Blood Heir to all Titles to which we both share Blood. The status should have been yours by rights Cousin, that it was withheld merely due to your father’s lack of acknowledgement is a crime as great as any I suffered. I am grateful that your uncle was willing to take you in in his sister’s name, and that House Vasileios hold no such foolishness in their own Codes.
Twelfth, I have a series of messages for those who I believe need to hear them:
- Draco Malfoy, I might not like you much, but you introduced me to Haerviu, when I otherwise would not have known of his existence. Thank you for that, and I hope you enjoy Fae Isle.
- Lucius Malfoy, I am truly grateful for your acts to try to free me from my relatives. If I am dead at their hands, know that I do not blame you in any way. I leave to you and your wife for your kindnesses, 1 000 000 Galleons from my Bequest Vault.
- To Severus Snape, I suspect much of the way you treat me in class is due to orders given to you, else you would not be as kind to me as you are in my detentions. I leave to you the 23 various cauldrons found in my Bequest Vault with hopes they are of more use to you than they were to me, as well as 500 000 Galleons from the same Vault in hope that you can use them to restock your personal supplies, as from what I am told of Teacher’s Salaries in the Muggle World, I doubt you are granted the budget to experiment as you prefer.
- To Frederick Gideon, and George Fabian Weasley, I understand that your mother is less than fond of your pranks, as well as your future career path, so I grant you 500 000 Galleons from my Bequest Vault on the completion of your schooling (NEWT minimum) with the intention of furthering your chosen path. I grant my Heir the right to apportion it out as an annual payment to ensure that it goes where I intend.
- Percival Ignatius Weasley, I am told you’re the boring one of your Family, but all I can say is that I appreciated your dependable nature. Sometimes it is nice to be treated as a child, and you never expected more of me than you did any other. As thanks for your friendship, I grant you half the books found in my Bequest Vault, with the proviso that my Heir goes through them with you to ensure that any cursed and/or Dark books are returned to his care, for destruction or for him to have the Goblins cleanse at his discretion, and to thus remain in his inheritance. I also leave to you 25 000 Galleons from my Bequest Vault to go towards further study in your chosen career path, as I doubt you’ll have to restore exploded possessions as frequently as your brothers.
- Neville Francis Longbottom, you were the first person to want to be my friend for no reason other than you liked me as a person. I ask that you grant that same chance to my Cousin if he does as he intends and transfers to Hogwarts this coming year. I doubt that he will sort Gryffindor, but I hope you will give him a chance nonetheless. I leave to you 25 000 Galleons from my Bequest Vault to go towards your future career in Herbology.
- Augusta Longbottom, I ask that you take your Grandson to a Wandmaker. His wand may be his fathers, but it is doing him no favours. However, if you will not take my word for it, speak to my Cousin. He may not be a Wandmaker yet, but a part of his Family Magics that I am permitted to share, is an instinctive affinity with that Art. He may be able to convince the wand to work with your grandson instead of against him.
- Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, thank you for being terrific dormmates. I don’t know you as well as I’d like to, but what I do know, I like. So thank you. I leave to you 5 000 Galleons from my Bequest Vault apiece, to be held in Trust until you finish your schooling, and to then be used however you wish.
- Minerva McGonagall, you were a Head of House I could trust, and I thank you for that, I leave to you my thanks and 500 000 Galleons from my Bequest Vault to be put to whatever purpose you wish.
- Ronald Weasley, what can I say? You’re a prat. Asking to see the physical mark of the event that orphaned a person is not the way to make friends with them. Nor is pranking the entire dormitory. Nor is telling people to stay away from them because you’re their best friend. However, I will grant you the same gift I did your brothers. If you are innocent of any of the crimes mentioned above, then I will grant you 25 000 Galleons from my Bequest Vault. If the Goblins find that you are in fact guilty, as I suspect you are given the compulsions and random comments you’ve made, then I ask that my Heir withhold this bequest, and investigate the Bequests granted to your brothers to ensure that they were innocent of the crimes. I do not think either Fred, George or Percy are guilty, but if I am wrong, then I would like this information to be assessed by my Heir.
- Hermione Granger, I think you and I could have been great friends, but I don’t like how you keep trying to force me to follow a path you’ve set out for me. Just as I don’t want to be only a hero, I cannot be your less intelligent friend, even if I live longer than I fear will be the case this will still be true. However, I will grant you 25 000 Galleons from my Bequest Vault to further your education, as well as the remainder of the books from said Vault, with the same proviso granted to Percival Ignatius Weasley, that my Heir is to assess all the books you select and withhold any cursed or Dark texts. These Texts will likewise be his to do with as he will. I don’t know that I can trust you though, so, like Ronald, if the Goblins find you guilty of knowledge or complicit in the actions taken against me, then I ask that my Heir withhold this Bequest and you be prosecuted to the full extent of the Law.
- Dumbledore, you may think me a fool, but the Dursley’s did one good thing for me, and only one. They told me who left me with them and showed me the letter you left. Congratulations, you left me to be abused and, ah yes: ‘Ensure that the boy doesn’t get an overinflated sense of self. Do what you have to do to keep him humble and unaware of the Magical World.’
- So, to Amelia Bones, Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt and Auror John Dawlish, I leave to you a copy of my medical records, a copy of my vault transactions during the time between my parents deaths and my claiming of my Heirs Rings, a copy of my parents’ wills and the request that you ensure my death was not in vain.
- To Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley, I ask my Heir to purchase Grunnings and sell it for scrap.
- To my cousin Dudley, I don’t like you. You’re a bully and a fool, but that’s how you were raised, so I leave you four years paid education to the university of your choice. My Heir will ensure that the payments are made for your education and your residence in the dorms. If you elect not to attend university, then the equivalent will be deposited into your account as an annual stipend until the time at which you would have completed your degree. I only hope that you become a better man than your father. There is every chance you’ll have a Magical Child, as our mums were born of a Squibline that has apparently long laid dormant. I can’t guarantee it will continue to do such for you.
- To Sirius Black, your son is the only Family member I can say with any honesty holds any emotion for me other than hatred for possessing the Magic they cannot understand. I am told you were the one responsible for my parents deaths, and for that I should hate you. I never knew my parents though, and so all I can say, is that I hope if you ever meet your son that you be as proud of him as I am. His life sounds to have been near as terrible as mine before he found his uncle, but he has made something of himself in a way I don’t think I ever could. I suspect you’re the one responsible for the second of my surnames as well as my Heirship of your House. If that be the case, then I thank you for tying me more closely to Haerviu in whatever way you have, even if you’re to blame for the circumstances in which we both were raised.
- Hannibal Lecter, I thank you for giving my cousin the life I could never have. I leave to you the remainder of what lies in my Bequest Vault in hopes you know of a way to establish an orphanage or similar for those of us of Magical Heritage left abandoned in the Muggle World. I have no expectations that you run it; I only ask that you do what you can to establish it.
- To all present or who seek to judge, I care not if you think my understanding or my faith foolish or childish. The fact that the Goblins accepted my wishes should tell you just how legal they are.
Next, any Bequests from my parents’ Wills that have yet to be carried out I place in the care of my Heir. If you deem them valid, and the recipients have not earned your disdain, or the anger of my Houses, then feel free to carry them out.
Penultimately to Haerviu, Cousin, you are the first member of my Family to care for me for me, and not for what I can give you. I don’t know if you’ll be the one Magic deems my Heir, but from my understanding, you are my second cousin on my Father’s side, and your uncle possesses no Magic. Therefore, by my understanding you are the one most likely to be named as my Heir. I apologise for the burden and publicity I am likely putting you under, but I know no one else I could trust. Neville perhaps, but there is no Family Tie. Lucius has his own duties, and I don’t know if he was helping because he cared or because he felt indignant at the treatment of an Heir to an Ancient and Noble House. Draco has the Blood through his Mother to claim the Blacks at least, but while you see him as a friend, I only know the arrogant prat I met in school. I am sorry for the burden I am placing on your shoulders, Cousin, but I know that you will carry it out the best way you know how. The Light might be where my parents stood, though I only know of them what I am told, and the Dark might be what led to their deaths, but in my eyes, the Dark are the ones who attempted to free me from the Hellhole the so-called Lord of the Light left me in. I only ask that you make your own choices, and I pray that you are granted the chance to make them that I never was. Any Inheritances I may possess that I have failed to name, or which have been granted to be by right of Bequest since I made this Will, are henceforth to be granted to my Heir, which I hope proves to be my Cousin.
Finally, I ask that my Heir ensures my burial be carried out according to the Funerary Practices of the House of Potter, and that my ashes be laid to rest within our Ancestral Home as per the funerary traditions inherited from the Founding House of House Potter. If my funeral is to be the spectacle that something tells me it shall, then I request:
- That any hymns or songs of that nature be those approved by the Peverell Heirs before me.
- The Lovely Appearance of Death being my personal preference of such.
- That my body be washed in the traditional manner, which Haerviu should be well aware of, before being laid upon a pyre of Ash, Holly and Yew.
- That my body be wrapped in white linen. My face may be uncovered if my cremation is to be witnessed.
- That a silver urn, unmarked and unenchanted be used for the collection of my ashes.
- That Haerviu be permitted to take my ashes directly from the pyre and return them to the Founding House’s embrace as per tradition.
- Haerviu should know where to go, we share a blood tie to the House of which I speak.
- If he does not, then the Goblins are aware of the means by which he can find out.
- That such spells and rituals as are necessary for the funeral in the manner I have requested are carried out by Haerviu, or by Narcissa Malfoy as the next closest Blood Relative in his stead if he deems himself unable to perform any of them.
- That if Wizarding Great Britain requires a marker of my existence, that a tombstone be erected of granite in a graveyard chosen by Haerviu, and warded by the Goblins, to ensure its security.
- No part of my body is to lie beneath the stone.
- That my parents be transported by Haerviu as I am, and that they be entombed near my father’s parents as is traditional, if they have not already been so.
- That I will not have a holiday named after me. I am a boy like any other, and I wish my death to be free of the marring that Voldemort’s gave me life.
- Haerviu should know where to go, we share a blood tie to the House of which I speak.
Here ends the Last Will and Testament of Hadrian Jameson Potter-Black, Heir to the Houses of Potter and Black. Verified by the Rite of Magic and Blood, if any attempt to deny this Will then may the Gods of the Next World have mercy on them and their House, for Thanatos as Patron of House Potter’s Founding House will have none. I swear upon my Blood, my Bones and my Soul that the boy called Haerviu Leander Vasileios is my Brother in Blood and all inheritances and Lines not divided in the above, or already shared between us, are to be granted to him by Right of Magic. May any who deny this experience Her wrath. So mote it be.
Haerviu raised his voice, fully aware that the only reason the others had not begun to yell, was because Grimclaw’s hand was placed rather visibly upon the hilt of the sword sheathed in one of the desk legs, “Why did he believe I could do this for him?”
“Because legally you’re the only one he could place it on, Wizardling.” Grimclaw growled, amusement pulling at him despite his anger at the necessity of the subterfuge, “Any other and the Wizards would have argued that their precious Boy-Who-Lived had no idea what he was doing, and that obviously he needed to be buried in the middle of Diagon or something with a massive red and gold pyramid.”
Haerviu snorted, “I highly doubt he would have appreciated that, especially considering he requested the Peverell Traditions.”
“Speaking of my boy, how exactly is it that you are kin to the Peverells?”
Haerviu blinked at Dumbledore, occlumental void fully in place, “I’m sorry Sir, but that’s a Family Secret.”
“Your Lineage is a Family Secret?” Granger demanded.
“Yes.” Haerviu flicked his gaze at her, “As it is for most of those Families who descend from the more infamous Houses. I know for a fact that Mordred’s Heirs still live, and I highly suspect Ekrizdis was not the last of his Line. If we are ashamed of our relatives, or it is unwise to claim them, it is not uncommon to hide the Lineage. As it is, some time ago it became illegal to have necromantic ties, as such anyone who descended from the Peverells after a certain point prefers to cloud the details of exactly how we are related. As it is, the most recent connection was a marriage between House Potter and House Demetriou in the Sixteenth Century if that satisfies you.”
Dumbledore arched a brow, “I was unaware the Potters had any ties to the Demetriou.”
“They didn’t. Nor do we. But Euphemia Potter and Simonetta Lector were sisters, as such we are cousins once more. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it appears I have to arrange my Cousin’s funeral.”