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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 58: A Conversation with the Patriarch
"Would you mind letting Sirius stay with our family for the remainder of the break?" James asked.
Lord Pollux raised an eyebrow at the question. "Sirius? That little rascal?"
James observed the expression of the old man. It was evident that he was expecting a different request.
"Sirius and James have been friends since their first year at Hogwarts," Fleamont explained.
"Right… I almost forgot that the boy was sorted into Gryffindor. His mother threw a massive tantrum on the day she found out. If my son hadn't stopped her, I'd bet she would have requested for me to storm the castle gates and demand a resorting." Pollux shook his head. His eyes focused again on James. "Mmm… is that really what you came here to ask?"
Fleamont looked at his son. Much like Pollux had realized, James hadn't told him everything. After all, if that was all he wanted, they could have sent an invitation by owl.
"Do you mind if I speak with Lord Pollux alone for a minute or two?" James asked.
If his father wasn't suspicious before, he was now. But he couldn't exactly scold his son in front of the Black House Patriarch. "Very well… but don't waste too much of Lord Pollux's time. He is a busy man." He stood up and prepared to leave the room.
"Kreacher," Pollux called.
The house-elf appeared immediately. "Master?"
"Show Lord Potter to the guest hall on the lower floor and prepare some tea for him to enjoy. You can use some of my private reserve," Lord Pollux instructed the elf.
If Kreacher had any reservations about attending to the Potter family, he was clever enough not to show it in front of the Patriarch.
"Yes, Master."
Once his father and the grumpy elf were out of the room, Pollux spoke again.
"When I heard your father requesting a meeting, I thought the topic of conversation was going to be my granddaughter."
"You thought I came here to talk about Bella?" James didn't look surprised by that.
"This is something that no one else in the family knows, but she often sends me letters. In previous years, she had only spoken about what she was doing in school, sometimes mentioning something about her sisters or cousins." Pollux looked at James with a mix of curiosity and something else. "But this year, it has been different. She began to write about you. At first, it was to complain, but then she was talking about how much you've changed and about your mastery in potions."
Lord Pollux stood up and walked to one of his shelves, reaching for a bottle before going back to the table. "Forgive my rudeness, but I cannot offer you any of this." He took a glass from one of his drawers and poured himself some firewhisky.
"I assume you know that I am a Potion Master. When she described that brewing method you used… I had to admit that I didn't believe her. Even though Bella is not one for making things up."
"But you still don't believe her," James pointed out.
Pollux smiled. "Can you blame me? If what she described was accurate… that would mean you are at the very least on the level of an Alchemy Master. Magical flames are an extremely advanced piece of magic. That would make you the youngest one in the world… by several decades."
"Are you going to ask me for a demonstration?" James said.
Pollux brushed him off. "I'm going to be honest… that's not even the part that surprised me most. I have never seen Bella take an interest in some Gryffindor boy… well, you have no idea how rare that is. So, I became curious as to how involved you two are. I'm sure you are aware that she is already engaged."
"Yes, with Lestrange… I have been reminded of that fact," James responded.
"I'm sure you have. The Lestrange House has been requesting a marriage with our house since my generation. In fact, my little sister Dorea was meant to marry one, before she…"
"My relationship with Bella is not like that. I'm just giving her a few potion lessons," James said.
Pollux gave him a knowing look. "I'm sure that's all."
"That being said, the person she has been engaged with, is just a violent brute. If you really cared for your granddaughter, you could have found someone better, at least," James said.
"Hmph! What do you know about the way our families operate? We don't choose marriages based on the individual value of the wizards and witches. We have to look beyond that, to the benefits that can be obtained by the union of two families. The Lestranges are an old and powerful wizarding family. And we already broke an engagement with them because of my sister. Denying them again would turn them into our enemies instead of our allies. Bella knows what is at stake, and she is aware of her duty as a member of the House of Black."
"You are using your grandchildren as bargaining chips to gain influence and wealth," James pointed out.
Pollux didn't seem to like his comment. "Enough. I knew you were not going to understand it. The Potters have always done things differently, and that's why they barely have any reliable allies left. I'm just telling you these things so you can give up any thought that you might have about a future with my granddaughter. The engagement will not be broken just because her fiancé has an attitude problem. She is a tough girl; I'm sure she will be able to keep him in line, one way or another."
James shook his head. This is why he disliked these ancient pureblood families. They always put the House's future above their own family members.
"I thought that a man this close to death would have been more aware of the value of life and the importance of family bonds over material benefits."
The expression on Pollux's face completely changed. He glared at James with his cold black eyes. "What did you say?"
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