CHAPTER TWO
Three days following the meeting with Lord Voldemort, Severus Apparated outside Mossbridge Hall. Originally built just around the end of the Cousin's War at the start of Henry VII's reign, it was one of the oldest Potter properties in both age and how long it was under the legal ownership of the family. It was an impressive red-bricked manor house that was situated in a secluded area of the English countryside, near to the English dragon reserve, and protected by a myriad of different wards and spells. It was here that Lily Potter had decided it was best to raise her son since the death of her husband.
In comparison to the state of the other properties the Noble family of Potter owned, and others in Harry's keeping, the house was in shambles. The ivy on the vast Tudor house was wild and unbending, coiling like green, spidery fingers around the property. Most had settled on decorating the gargoyles and dragons around the house. It was sometimes difficult to tell if the grumpy creatures had been carved with their expressions, or if their expressions had formed because of the ivy. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to where certain plants had been planted and half the bushes were overgrown. The two towers of the manor looked like it was set to crumble, but that was just part of the strange architecture. Even the trees around the house seemed to have a life of their own, growing in abnormal places and to strange sizes.
Severus always thought there was something eerie about the place, but never could quite put his finger on it as to why.
As for Lily Potter, she had suspected that she would be receiving another visit from Severus despite seeing each other not too long ago. Her old friend always kept her up to date with developments in the latest schemes that his ally Lord Voldemort, whom she knew as Lord Slytherin, had concocted. Lily had only grown to like or trust – tentatively – Lord Slytherin in recent years, but she knew Severus always had her best interest at heart. Despite everything James and the Marauders put him through. If Severus wanted to meet so quickly, Lily knew instinctively it was a matter of utmost importance.
She just hoped that whatever Lord Slytherin was planning could be beneficial to her, and her son.
Lily had seated herself in the parlour with a book when she heard Severus being welcomed by Nipsy, the Head house elf of Mossbridge Hall.
Severus looked as well dressed always, but naturally always in his customary black and white robes. Lily had often begged him to try a different colour – green or indigo – but so far she had been unsuccessful in convincing Severus to relinquish the dreary colour combination. Lily had hoped that being Lord Prince would have opened her old friend up to wearing some more colour, but she had been sorely mistaken. "You will never find Lady Prince if you keep looking like you're going to a funeral," she loved to tease him.
Her favourite comeback from Severus one time had been, "you can never be too careful. You never know if she is a bat Animagus and becomes intrigued."
As for Lady Potter herself, Lily was dressed in a regal gown of burgundy and gold, looking even more stunning than when Severus saw her last. Despite the fact she was in her late thirties, Lily looked almost the same as she did when she was twenty-five. Her dark peridot eyes were a little older and more haunted than Severus remembered, and there were dark exhausted rings under her eyes. But other than that she was still recognisably Lily Potter, Matriarch of the House of Potter.
"My Lady, Lord Prince to sees yous," Nipsy stated formally with a small curtsey.
"Yes, thank you, Nipsy. You may leave us," Lily smiled at her old friend as her house elf disappeared with a loud POP. "Hello, Sev. I didn't expect to see you back so soon, especially after that little accident with the kneazles."
"Water under the bridge. Animals will be animals," Severus assured with a small smile. "How are you, Lily?"
"You know the answer to that question already," Lily answered curtly, gesturing for Severus to take the opposite armchair, which he promptly did. No sooner had he sat down, did Lily begin to pour the tea. "Now, I think we have always had a perfectly candid relationship with one another, Severus. You would not be back here so soon unless you had something of import to tell me."
Severus sighed deeply. "Straight to the point as always. Nothing ever did get past you, Lily. Yes, I bring you news. News that you may not like to hear."
Lily raised her eyebrow but allowed Severus to continue before questioning.
Severus stirred his tea. "Three days ago I was summoned to attend a meeting with Lord Slytherin and some of his most closest allies. He is still on a mission to consolidate as much power in the Wizengamot as he can, as you well know, and he has realised that there could be one thing standing in the way of his proposals."
Lily already knew the answer. "My son. Harry." She sipped her tea. That already answered exactly what she had suspected. "I am not a fool, Severus, I knew this day would come eventually, but I had hoped it would come in two years when Harry came off-age. I wanted it to be his choice, not anyone else's."
"You already know what Lord Slytherin has plotted?" Severus could not hide the tone of surprise.
Lily chuckled. "Of course. Harry is one of the most eligible bachelors in wizarding Britain. I have had to fight off Molly Weasley and Dumbledore to stop them from trying to broker a marriage between Harry and the only Weasley girl, Ginevra. As if the girl ever stood a chance! Harry is not interested in women, in the slightest, so I hope the candidates that Lord Slytherin has selected are not of the female variety?"
"No, he has selected three men," Severus answered in almost disbelief.
Lily clicked her tongue as she put two sugars into her tea. "Ah, well that's something at least. He had the decency to remember. Their names?"
Severus cleared his throat. "Evan Rosier."
Lily snorted. "Ah, Evan. The one who loved to enchant people's clothes to strangle them or tickle them depending on his mood. The one who managed to cause an almost full scale lockdown of Hogwarts because he transfigured our tables and desks into lions and they went rampaging through the castle. That was rather funny, I will admit. Who else?"
Severus first sipped his tea nervously before answering. "Barty Crouch Junior."
Lady Potter's face darkened a little. "The little Ravenclaw who was endlessly bullied by his own father and forced to become a Ministry worker, all because his father has been engaged in a long standing pissing contest with Cornelius Fudge. I seem to remember that Barty had a propensity for creating some very nasty enchantments – ones that could befuddle the mind of a person into making them think they could fly out of the window without the need for an Imperius. Managed to trick several of my friends into accompanying him to Hogsmeade with some of them, but not in a creepy way. Anyone else?"
For once in his life, Severus took a chocolate biscuit from the biscuit plate. "One other. You might not like this one all too much."
Lily sipped her tea. "I don't like any of the other two. Who is the third?"
Severus tried not to gulp. "Rodolphus Lestrange."
Lily almost spat out her tea in shock and she widened her eyes at Severus. "Please tell me you're joking."
The Potions master could not help but wince slightly. "I'm afraid not. Since his divorce, Rodolphus has not gone out into society or has contemplated marriage, and as the Heir of the House of Lestrange, Lord Slytherin felt it was high time he started to try and begin courting again."
"And he thought my son would be the perfect test dummy?!" One of the parlour windows cracked as Lily's magic exploded in righteous fury. "I will have a word with Lord Slytherin the next time I see him!"
Severus tried to quell the famous ire of the Potter matriarch. "Not exactly. I think Lord Slytherin believes that because Rodolphus is older and more experienced, he may suit Harry's character better," Severus answered truthfully. "Evan is a little high strung and Barty is studious and shy, but Rodolphus is composed, intelligent and dedicated. They each would suit Harry – and it would satisfy the curiosity of the wizarding world."
Lady Potter had gotten control of her temper and magic and genuinely seemed to consider what her older friend was saying.
"I suppose Lord Slytherin could have done worse," Lily mused. "I mean, he could have suggested Dolohov or Mulciber the Younger. Or even you." Lily laughed at Severus' ashen face at this. "Joke, Sev, joke."
Severus took a moment to glue together what was left of his nerves.
"So, you consent to them trying to win Harry's contract?" Severus asked, not daring to believe his luck.
There was a moment of calculating silence as the Lady Regent of House Potter considered for a moment. To Severus, though it felt like an eternity.
"I will only consent if Harry wishes," Lily answered with a sly glint dancing in her emerald eyes. "I will write to you before the day is out."
"Then I shall look forward to your letter," Severus stated, getting to his feet. "You have not heard anything from Lord Black, have you? Or … Mr. Lupin?"
Lily shook her head. "No, no word yet. But then again, they are rather sporadic in their letter writing."
He frowned slightly. "I hope nothing bad has happened to them. For your sake, and Harry's."
Lady Potter smiled a small smile. "Thank you, Sev. Have a good day."
"You too, Lily."
Lily watched Severus be escorted out of the manor by Nipsy and then Disapparate to no doubt report their conversation to Lord Slytherin. Lily hoped Severus told the man everything she said. Lord Slytherin was the ticket to Lily finally gaining her revenge, and she was not going to let that go easily.
Suddenly, the familiar magical signature of her son came into her sensing radar.
"I thought you were upstairs doing your homework. And what did I tell you about eavesdropping?" Lily mock scolded him.
Harry, his raven hair ruffled as usual, dirt on his shirt, well-cut trousers and boots, stepped through the door at the other end of the parlour with a cheeky grin on his face. "Aww, but you and Uncle Sev always have the most interesting conversations when I am not there. I feel rather left out, Mama," he teased. He folded his arms and titled his head slightly, studying his mother. "So, you are finally relenting to the masses."
"In a way that will suit us both," Lily assured him with a smile. "That is, if you want to as well."
Harry did consider it, though not as long as his mother did.
"It will put the papers to rest at least. Maybe then they can move onto Draco Malfoy and the hiccup in his contract with Astoria Greengrass," Harry grinned. "It could put a spanner in the works for both families involved. I do so love seeing Lucius squirm, don't you?"
"Lord Malfoy," Lily corrected but chuckled at her son's words, nonetheless. "But yes, a Malfoy in distress is quite a sight to behold. You should have seen his face when I once turned his beloved blonde locks into bubble gum pink! Naturally everyone in Slytherin blamed your father and his friends."
"You should have been in Slytherin too," Harry chuckled.
"Oh I wanted to be," Lily admitted. "But the Hat thought it best for my safety to be in Gryffindor."
Harry nodded. His mind turned onto the men who were going to be wooing him. "Evan Rosier, Barty Crouch Junior and Rodolphus Lestrange. I suppose I don't have the pick of the crop but at least Lord Slytherin hasn't sent me his private secretary or something."
"The Rosiers and Lestranges are among the most respected and old pureblood families in wizarding Britain," Lily shook her head at him. "As for the Crouches, they may not be illustrious but they have a very good standing for new money. I have to say, that man could have sent you worse offers."
"You remembered Evan and Barty," Harry observed, clearly remembering the juicy information his mother had told his uncle in all but name. "What can you tell me about Rodolphus Lestrange, other than he is Heir to House Lestrange and a Healer?"
Lily's brow furrowed in thought. "He has been recently divorced from Bellatrix Black, some six months now. He has a strong sense of duty and loyalty to his family and I doubt has any appetite for another marriage that will be as loveless as the one he has just escaped from."
Harry nodded as he paced. "And now he is forced to try and win me. Poor man. I suppose I am going to have to make sure that loveless will not be an issue with any of them."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "You are agreeing to this?"
The young Lord considered his answer for a good minute this time.
"I am," Harry agreed. "In fact, invite all three of them here in five days' time."
Lily knew the expression on her son's face all too well, the glint in his eyes that was a tell-tale sign that Harry was up to something. Something that she was not going to like. "I hope you know what you are doing, Harry."
"Do not fret, Mama," he reassured her. "By the time I am finished with them, we will know if they are worthy to pursue further or if we need to write to Lord Slytherin, thanking him for his recommendations but regretfully needing to seek our business elsewhere."
Lily shook her head, stifling a chuckle. "I see now why the Sorting Hat placed you in Slytherin, my darling boy."
The same sly glint Lily had entered the eyes of her son. "I thought you knew I would be when I accidentally set your favourite gown on fire and then blamed it on the fire snake, and spoke to it in Parseltongue."
Lily mock-scowled at him. "Off with you, brat."
Harry went out of the room chuckling. "Love you too, Mama!"
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So, the gauntlet has been picked up! Harry is not going to make it easy on them, though XD You will have to wait and find out!
As usual, the characters and world are JK's. I hope you like my sandcastle that I am building in her pit of characters.
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