Chapter 35: Overt Overtures & Obscure Organization

When Harry awoke in the morning at his usual time, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, and found Natalia propped up beside him, her soft blue eyes watching him and the blanket pulled up around her chest as she sat with her knees pulled up, her head resting on them.

"Morning," she greeted him softly. "Did you sleep well?"

Harry pressed his palms on the bed and pushed himself up.

"Yeah, I did," he responded, "great even. Other than waking up that one time, that is." The dream really freaked him out, if was even a dream… "You?"

Harry couldn't help but think of how adorably cute she looked with the side of her head resting on her knees and her warm, happily content gaze being directed at him.

"I've never done something like this before." She said quietly, her blue eyes never leaving his form. "It was nice… really nice." She let out a breath of soothed satisfaction.

"Me neither." Harry added. He'd been more physical with Fleur than with Natalia, but he'd not spent a night in the same bed as a girl before, even if it was a totally chaste event. He'd had the sharing of a bed with Fleur, after the Second Task, but that was rather different. They weren't in an unsupervised place, they expected to be checked on, by Pomfrey, and they were sharing a space with Cedric and Viktor, though they did have privacy screens up, making it feel like a bit of a different experience than staying in his bed with Natalia, where nobody could disturb them.

Harry leaned over and planted a line of soft kisses up her arm, starting from her elbow and reaching towards her shoulder.

Natalia shivered in delight, at Harry's actions. "We need to talk before I leave, though."

Harry abruptly stopped and leaned back against the headboard, upon hearing the ominous words. "Talk about what?" He questioned carefully. He'd just spent the night in bed with her and thought they were getting things put to rights between them.

"About the gift from my family, the paperwork I gave you last time we were together." She said, eliciting the interview with Macnair to come to mind.

"It's a test, Harry," she told him flatly. "Father wants to see what you are going to do, now that you have an inkling of what those arrayed against you have been working toward."

"I see…" Harry said, thinking back to his discussions with Cyrus and Horace about it. "It's not such an easy thing. I'm gathering allies but, at the moment, it's just me and a couple advisors. We're building but we're just getting started." Harry rubbed his face with his two hands.

Natalia hadn't shifted yet. She was still holding her legs with her hands and upper body leaned forward onto her thighs. "My parents haven't spoken to me about it… but, I know what they will want to see."

Harry's ears perked up, she was confident, he could hear the earnestness in her voice. "Okay…" He said gestured her to continue, making it clear she had his attention and that he wanted her input.

"They want to see your resolve," she told him. "They want to see you are willing to take decisive action against your foes, they want to see preemptive action, they want to see what many on the continent were waiting for, the last time You-Know-Who threatened to overthrow the Ministry."

"Resolve and decisive action?" Harry said, more tasting the words and hearing them come from his mouth than anything else.

Natalia didn't respond to his words, she just watched him. The ballerina brought her arm up and worked it between her head and knees, giving her a more comfortable perch for her head, elevating it a little as well.

"They want me to take out someone on the list, or have someone do it for me?" Harry asked, his tone subdued.

"It could be that, or something else," she responded. "There is a lot of value, tying themselves to the Potters and Blacks… but… that's only if you win."

"Obviously." Harry responded.

"I've told you before, and I'll tell you again." She sat up and turned, placing her hands on Harry, "I want to help you. I can do it. I will do it." There was something in her eyes that he hadn't seen for sometime. As if whatever had changed between them had reignited a part of her that was missing. Harry thought it might have been resolve, but she'd been determined during its absence. If anything, it might be a mix of resolve, hope and direction.

From what Harry understood, Natalia had been expecting her life to go a certain way. Her ballet was an out, an escape from what she knew she'd have to do. But, when Harry came along, she had a chance to be just Natalia, not Natalia Pavlova. That her pursuit of Harry had been of her own volition. Well.. maybe. Harry wasn't actually sure whether Lacroix had introduced them as just Harry and Natalia, if she'd been pressured into it, if Natalia knew about it ahead of time and whether she had been pushed to date him by her family. But none of that really mattered.

What did matter, to Harry, was that the girl in front of him was acting more like the Natalia he'd known and met, not the unbalanced and unstable one. She was calm, she was collected and she was caring, proactively helping him.

She was more balanced and carefree.

"Thanks." Harry said, placing his hand on top of hers and squeezing it. "So I'm going to need to strike a blow against my enemies for your family to approve of us?" Harry wanted to be sure about this, everything he understood had been that they wanted him for his name and lineage.

"No. I don't think that's the case." Natalia responded, a frown marring her face. "I think it's a test. When… if… negotiations happen, there will be different responses. Like, if you take no action, things will have to go more in their favor; but, if you show you can handle things here, they'd be more comfortable… and lenient." She was almost wincing when she said that, clearly unhappy with the words coming out of her mouth.

Harry didn't feel she was being particularly articulate. "So if I'm not willing to murder people who go against me, they'll be arses in negotiations? I'm not really liking the sound of that…" He raised an eyebrow at her and kept a pensive look on his face.

Natalia rolled her eyes. "No. That's not at all what I'm trying to say." She'd apparently had enough of the position and scooted her bum over so her hip was up against Harry's. The brown haired young lady then swung her legs up and over Harry's, leaving her thighs resting on his. Turning her upper body, she nuzzled into him.

"In the last war, the continent was none too interested in getting involved. Your Wizengamot had voted to stay out of things, officially. Most of those who helped, like your grandfather, Charlus Potter, were old and were no longer going to be front line combatants." Harry always admired her when she got like this. Power and politics were not her passion but she'd learned enough to be knowledgeable. He always found it fascinating to hear the Pavlov perspective versus what he already knew, much of it from Slughorn.

"Those that felt indebted to those who had volunteered to help against Grindelwald, were none too eager to send their children off to fight what looked to be an insurgency, where loyalties were split and the Ministry ineffective. To most of those who might have been willing to aid, it appeared that the resistance to You-Know-Who and his forces was hesitant. You had a reluctant to punish Ministry, a vigilante group led by Dumbledore which only used non-lethal methods, and they fought against a fanatical group that would eviscerate foes and their whole family." Natalia patiently explained the background.

"So when my family presents you with an interrogation that shows they are still active and plotting your demise, they want to see if there is something worth supporting. They won't back Dumbledore, they won't throw their lot in with the Ministry, and that leaves only you."

Harry nodded, now better understanding her rationale. He thought Natalia was done making her point but apparently she was not, as her mouth began moving once more.

"When the Dark Lord was killed, the Ministry showed their lack of backbone and let anyone with a modicum of an excuse off. Dumbledore could have used his clout but he did not. Now he's the Chief Warlock for a Wizengamot that routinely works against him, his greatest opposition being those that he could have had their power taken from them. He let his enemies live to regroup, too soft to imprison them, let alone permanently deal with them, and now they are the dominant political power in the country." She shook her head after speaking with disgust.

"Father would be in favor of helping but he doesn't want his investment to last. If you were to emulate Dumbledore, it would be a different kind of investment…" She added and pulled herself into him.

Harry wrapped an arm around her and assisted her in pressing herself against him. He could feel her warm braless chest pushing against his bare skin, a thin fabric was all that separated them. He couldn't help but sneak a glance, not that she didn't notice, as she was looking at him when he did it.

He saw her smirk but ignored it in favor of following up on her previous comment. "I get it. I'll think about it some more. We've already talked some but there has been indecision on the correct course to take." Harry said with a little frustration.

"Mmmm, this is so nice… I could get used to this…" Natalia purred, enjoying the contact with him. "Sadly I need get going and eat, however.."

"I can have Dobby scrounge something for you, if you want. What do you normally eat?" Harry offered as Natalia gave him one last hug before she began to extricate herself from him.

"Dobby?" She quietly questioned, quickly quirking her head to the side.

"My house elf." Harry replied before he called him.

"Master Harry?" The elf said, carefully eunciating his words correctly.

"Dobby, meet Natalia Pavlova." She glanced at him, shooting Harry an odd look.

"Miss Talia" Dobby greeted before bowing.

Harry had been training his arse off and had decided Dobby should too. He suggested to the elf that he learned from the Hogwarts elves. The diminutive creature had come a long way in a short period of time.

"Do you want something before you go?" Harry asked.

"Sure, oatmeal and two hard boiled eggs, if that's not too much trouble."

As soon as she'd finished asking the elf popped away she questioned him further, "Your elf? I thought you might be staying with whomever is teaching you." She said and Harry was pleased to note it didn't come across as if she was fishing for information.

"He was the former Malfoy elf. Before my second year, he came to visit me and warn me of a plot. It was against what his then-master would have wanted. I tricked Malfoy into releasing him and he's been rather fond of me since. The little guy does all my shopping, cooking, cleaning and who knows what else." He shook his head amusedly, "But he's a good friend and completely loyal." Harry added fondly.

Natalia just nodded her head and removed herself from the bed. "I'll quickly get ready." She took one step away from the bed before dexterously spinning on one foot, the other bent at the knee, and twirled back to face him. She dashed back onto the bed and dropped a firm kiss right on his lips, leaving hers to linger on Harry's lips for a moment.

She pushed herself back, from leaning over the bed, and quickly stood, her chest bouncing with the quick movements. Harry's eyes followed the movement, like a moth to a flame, and she caught him again. "Can't leave without my kiss, now can I?" She gave him a sultry wink and blew him another kiss before giggling as she skipped to the bathroom.

Harry watched her arse swaying away, his eyes not failing to notice her enticing bare legs as well. He quickly got up and dressed. Within a few minutes they were both sitting in the chairs and eating a quick simple breakfast.

"Mind if I put something out there, or do you have to go too soon?" Harry ventured between bites of his apple.

Natalia cast a quick tempus and said she had to leave in ten minutes, inviting him to talk so long as he understood her time constraint.

"I know you were open to the idea of you and Daphne but what about Fleur?" He really didn't want to bring it up, especially after things had gone so well this morning but… he just felt he should.

Natalia immediately scowled upon hearing Fleur's name. With her lips pursed she replied, "I don't think she'd accept me, so it's a moot point."

Harry sighed, of course she was going to give an answer like that. Natalia wouldn't make this any easier for him.

"If she went along with it, and the Delacour family would birth the Potter heirs, while you could birth the Black heirs… or… there is the possibility of another family I could gain headship of…" He was reluctant to add the last part but thought it was vague enough not to worry about it. He was, of course, thinking about the Peverell and Slytherin names. Supposedly, he was a potential Slytherin heir, he still needed to prove worthy of it, somehow. The centaur had called him Son of Peverell and after hearing Daphne's story, he considered that he could be a descendant of Ignotus Peverell, the first holder of the incredible cloak that he possessed. Though, revealing his connection to the three legendary brothers might be a ghastly idea.

"Another family?" She stopped eating and cast her shrewd gaze on him.

Harry nodded slowly, "It would be immediately recognizable, but I'm still looking into the legalities of it." He felt bad for kind of lying because he wasn't doing that, exactly. He was trying to become the Slytherin Heir but he didn't know how to do that. The Peverell name was not one he would utter in front of anyone who didn't have an Unbreakable Vow. Any requests for information at the Ministry would more than likely get out to the general public, and he wasn't going to risk that, ever.

Natalia turned back to her food and ate a mouthful, carefully considering his words, before responding. "Are you saying you'd consider three wives ?" Both of her eyebrows were raised and her lips were thinned as she waited for a reply.

Harry grimaced, not from the scrutiny of Natalia, but from indecision. "Maybe? Yes? No?" Harry dropped his head and ran his hand through his hair, ending with rubbing the back of his neck while his face faced the floor, though his eyes were tightly shut.

"I don't know." His green eyes found her blue ones, "I'd prefer one wife, a normal sized family and a nice normal nuclear family. But, things aren't that simple… " He huffed in frustration, "Am I considering three? Yes, but I don't want to be. Two would be easier but if I'm having more than one wife then why not three, why not get double the advantage of having a second wife?" He questioned like it was the obvious thing to do, unveiled sarcasm leaking through as he threw his hands up.

"Sure, there are some nice things about multiple wives but it's never been something I sought." He slumped back in his chair and took a large bite out of the side of the apple he hadn't yet gotten to, loudly chewing it as it was larger than he would normally have taken, bits of apple almost falling out of his mouth.

Harry stared into the fire and tried to steady himself. He focused on eating and looking at the embers in the fireplace, Dobby must have taken care of that, he didn't think it was active at all when he woke.

"I don't know either." Natalia finally answered after a long silence. "Like, I can see that there are benefits for me." She said bemusedly, not sure what to make of her own answer.

Harry wasn't expecting any sort of positive response. He knew that Natalia was open to considering Daphne, and he knew she was okay with dating him while he may have been pursuing another but this… No. This he didn't expect any kind positive consideration.

"If it was just me and you, if we had that happily ever after together, with all the politics working out, you'd need a lot of children. A lot ." She said again with a shudder. "My family will want at least one child to keep the Pavlov name, and if you have three others…" She shuddered again at the implications. "The ideal world would be at least two per family. Seven. Seven would be the minimum goal." She looked horrified at the prospect.

She put her bowl down on the side table, having finished her oatmeal earlier, "I can do a couple kids… but I'd prefer them later, though not within a decade if it could be helped… I'd like to be twenty-five or older."

Harry understood that. While she was young and in the prime of her career, she'd prefer to focus on that. He guessed she would like to hold off on pregnancy until she was in her thirties but her parents might be unhappy with that, he also doubted Horace would be in favor, when the whole point was to ensure his lines did not die out.

"With Fleur being older, and you having another wife for the second line, that would free me up from obligations, like Daphne had said…" she said contemplatively. "But I'd have to share your attention…" she added bitterly, openly scowling at the prospect.

"I won't answer today," she said slowly, coming to that conclusion just before the words departed her lips. "I won't dismiss it outright but I won't agree either." She decided with confidence.

Harry thought she'd be the second most difficult to convince if he was going to go in this direction. Daphne would be the easiest to convince. She seemed eager to take on the burden of the contract than to allow even the possibility of her child be stuck with it.

The most difficult one, he thought, would be Fleur. That would be something to sort out at a later date. He knew not every relationship always worked out. He really liked her, but the decision would be out of his court, after he decided to pursue multiple wives, something he hadn't committed to yet. If Slughorn had his way, he'd have a bloody harem of mistresses and wives.

What is the point of life? What kind of legacy will I leave behind?

These are questions that have plagued me for months on end, as I near my own end. What was the point of the life I lived? These are the kinds of questions that I can no longer escape from.

The more I have considered it, the more I am convinced that my life will find fulfillment in what I leave behind. It is my legacy that will be my heir. One that will come after me and surpass me. A man who will be ruthless to his enemies, loving to his family, cunning in all pursuits, and one who will not be lost to the pursuit of power. Any heir of mine will be powerful, that will never be in question. The issue will be one of character, one of integrity, and the strength of will to follow the correct path. For I have found it is the heart of the individual that matters.

I have long considered my options and no longer believe in providing advanced tutelage for the unworthy. Seeing your teachings used against others, having your hard work spat upon… No, the unworthy will never receive the gifts I am able to pass along. It is too dangerous to hand out, it is too potent to allow just anyone to possess.

My tutelage would make even a mediocre wizard into a powerhouse. Between the parseltongue learning and the seven sets of rituals, one cannot be anything but a strong wizard. If one started as a weak wizard, they would become strong and those that are already strong would become peerless. Yet, it is not the strength of the wizard that makes them great.

My legacy will be my heir because they will be one with what is, above all, most important. They will have a strength of character that is harder than any forged metal. They will have a heart purer than mine own.

Forty paces and forty moving targets. No distractions from a wild Cuddles, dipping and diving as she flies around trying to make a nuisance of herself during the exercise. It was odd to be training again, for the second straight day, without his little dragon. He kept expecting it, but there wasn't any evidence from her hunts through the pipes, looking for rats. There was no shrieking and the fire proofing he'd done on reflex was just wasted spellwork.

He rubbed his shoulder as he mentally prepared for this. The targets were moving in ways that were not exactly obvious and he'd been challenged to take it a step further. He was supposed to think about other things while doing it. Salazar had commented that his mind should not be actively thinking about the spell practice. His mind should be actively thinking about other topics. The point being that this next step would make it routine, basic, a negligent action that needed little to none of his focus.

Harry began to think, he hadn't been able to get the last journal entry out of his head. The later the passage, the more introspective Salazar Slytherin became. He was talking less and less about magic and more and more about life lessons. The further he read the more comfortable he was that he had made the correct call to go ahead with everything.

Harry's wand arm was a blur, each movement throwing out a deadly spell that was aimed to penetrate targets, his trusted piercing hex. Un, deux, trois, his first three spells punctured their targets with nary a thought from Harry, no concentration, just robotic actions of his body, his keen eyesight and hand-eye coordination.

No matter how comfortable he was becoming, learning from the controversial man, he knew, in his gut, that there was something else coming. Just following the directions wouldn't lead to being worthy. If it was simply reading books and following their plans, then there would've been several Slytherin Heirs littered throughout history.

But there wasn't.

The Hat had told him, many had attempted this before and all had failed.

All had failed.

It was beyond arrogant to think it would be so easy. It was why he knew something was coming, something that nobody had been able to overcome. It made him wary. It made him cautious. It made him train harder.

Spells continued to race out his wand, as he was moving, static target practice hadn't been used for weeks now. Three more dropped, un, deux, trois, with a dozen or so already destroyed. Harry began to dodge imaginary spells, varying his spell release points, their height, depth and angles. Target after target kept dropping… and this was only the first round.

Each day he worked himself as hard as he could. McGonagall had been amazing so far. Flitwick had been unbelievable. Yet, it wasn't enough. He needed to grow beyond them. He needed to be able to walk amongst the Titans of the magical world. He needed to become as strong as Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Grindelwald. He needed to be Salazar Slytherin reborn, nay, he needed to be greater than that. And his task was thus, his task was to become a titan, to wield magic in such a way that none could stand against him.

It was his drive, his goal. He'd never be out from under the thumb of Dumbledore if he had to hide behind the man's prowess when Voldemort returned. He'd never be able to avenge his parents if all he could do was rely on others to help him escape Tom Riddle.

The final three targets were torn through, mere seconds apart, trois, deux, un. Harry used his forearm to wipe his forehead. His breathing was steady, not yet laboured, yet not fully relaxed either. There was a slight sheen of sweat on him and he began the spellwork to reset his targets, to prepare for the next round.

His head was overflowing with thoughts these days. His mind was never at rest. Not until he worked himself to exhaustion was he able to find succor through deep sleep. When there was energy to burn still, his mind wandered and gave him insomnia.

Though he didn't tell Natalia, her presence really soothed him. He didn't come back and physically work himself, like he had been recently, to ensure he fell asleep.

All this pressure, all these plots, all the negotiations, they were starting to wear him down. He'd been working and training so hard that he felt he was starting to buckle under all the weight on his shoulders. And it was a good thing he was going to meet his advisors. He'd kind of had enough of trying to navigate everything and needed some relief.

Harry finished his last roll, having hit the final target in the second round, and stayed crouched on one knee. His breathing was mildly laboured but not to the point where he couldn't keep this up for some time yet, sweat was more pronounced but he was not yet dripping as he would be, later on in his workouts. He got up and prepared for the next round, a little disheartened he didn't have a dragon trying to screw with his concentration, blocking spells, screeching, roaring and lighting things on fire. It felt too quiet, it felt wrong.

Harry had everything reset and began his next round, the final one for this morning. Time to get his mind on other things again.

He thought about Natalia, Fleur, and even Daphne, to a lesser extent. He was being pressured on all of those fronts and Horace was the one who was pushing the envelope the most. He was adamant he should be locking in allies now, while everything was peaceful and he was a media darling. His stock wouldn't be rising that much higher, within the next few years, and now was the time to capitalize on it, to do it now, before things crashed and burned.

Harry kept his spellfire up, jumping from one leg to the other, landing and going into a single legged squat before pushing back up. He'd do some explosive single leg squats, as if he had jumped and needed to land on a single leg, bracing the impact to take on his whole weight before exploding in another direction. He did all of these things while keeping his wand a whirlwind of death, his spells penetrating the targets.

He did his best to keep his mind active, thinking about something completely different from what he was trying to accomplish. He was having a rough time figuring out what, in Merlin's name, he had seen in his sleep. Was it a dream? Was it something else? It felt too vivid, too real to be just a dream. He could close his eyes and do his best to picture Fleur's exposed breasts… but seeing them was different than trying to remember what they looked like. The dream didn't feel like it was fuzzy, in any way, about the perception of her sleeping attire.

No, what threw him off more was Gabrielle's presence. In no way did he believe he was some bloody pedophile. There wasn't a conceivable scenario where Harry could imagine himself lusting after a child . The only way his mind had come up with, as a conceivable way for him to have the potential for perverted thoughts about her, a child, was if, and it was a big if, not something he'd ever done, nor would he ever do, would be if he was imagining her when she was older, legal, and years, many years, past puberty

Harry's aim was thrown off when he violently shuddered. No, no, no! Nope, nope, nope! Never happening.

There wasn't a single chance he'd had what was the makings of a wet dream involving Gabrielle.

His mind had been working frantically to come up with another option and it was difficult to do so. Really, the only thing he had come up with was… he went to sleep as Harry… and woke up as Cuddles?

It was the only thing he could think of that made any sense. The two of them were magically linked. His magic fed into her to make her grow. He could communicate commands to her with just his thoughts… Like really… really… it was the only thing that made sense.

Harry was finished once more, final set down and he wiped his face with his off hand. He waved his wand and used just his intent, will, power and creativity to dry himself off, removing the smell as well. It wasn't quite a shower but it kept him from smelling like a horse's arse.

He slipped his wand back into his holster and decided it was time to hit the books. He was all done on his wanded courses, for NEWT level material, and was just working to finish up the rest of his courses. He wanted to write them all before the Third Task. Completing two years of intensive studies, in just a few months, would shock people. He'd have to talk with Slughorn and Greengrass and see if it was a good idea to write them all so quickly.

The speed at which he was learning was not natural, blatantly so. Writing all of his NEWTs and knocking them out of the park would be like taking out a front page advertisement across the entire wizarding world with bold fluorescent pink lettering saying 'Please Investigate'. Probably not a good idea.

There was the option of writing only a couple subjects but he didn't like that… Maybe he should talk to Griselda Marchbanks again, she might have a good idea too.

Either way, it was time to hit the books before he went off and met with his advisors.

Harry sat behind his desk, the former desk of Arcturus Black, and watched as Cyrus, and Horace came in. There was a lot on the agenda for this evening and so, after a quick greeting, they were all ready to get to it.

"How were things with the Delacours?" Horace asked, while using his wand to break open a drink, a bottle of wine this time, surprising Harry. Horace normally went for the firewhiskey or things akin to it.

Harry knew Horace was keen on it. He'd been advocating to lock in another major family, especially one like the Delacours to a solid, unbreakable, alliance. If Harry was going to be taking more than one wife, getting it started with one of the most eligible heiresses was ideal. The only drawback was the 'creature' heritage, many of the pureblood matches who would've vied for her were put off by this, not seeing it as a benefit, as Harry does.

"Well." Harry answered succinctly, he expected the slight downturn of Cyrus' lips, he was in favor of going more domestic with their selections, thinking tying him in further, locally, would help more with the Voldemort issue. Beyond his own daughter, he'd even suggested Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot as daughters of two well respected families with strong bonds to other families, that they were friends with Daphne probably had as much to do with it as anything, Harry thought.

"They will support us and I'd like to add Patrice into these meetings shortly." Harry eyed both men carefully.

"Is it wise to bring him here? There is very little reason to include him beyond the cold war we are embarking on." Cyrus said, his lips thinned as he finished.

"We can have a pre-meeting before." Harry easily waved off his concern, "They are joining and have sworn their vows. They could have stayed out of it, breaking off their negotiations and leaving us to fend for ourselves." Harry allowed his words to sink in for a few seconds before he continued, he wanted them to really think about how easy it would be for them to walk away and not risk their family.

"We'll recognize that and they'll be full participants. Anyone who puts their family in the firing line should be fully aware of what they are involved in." He was adamant about this. It would be disrespectful and wrong to do otherwise was Harry's reasoning.

"Others that you might add will be made aware of horcruxes?" Horace asked in such a way that the underlying assumption was that they should be kept secret.

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair. That was a good question.

"Even with the Unbreakable Vow, there are ways of acting on information that might reveal that we have uncovered the secret." Cyrus joined Horace's camp for keeping that information from the Delacour family with an important point.

Harry leaned forward and dropped his head down, moving his hand to the back of his neck and rubbing the back of it. He really understood the importance of information control but that was something that the major players would need to know. It was really something they'd have to confront Dumbledore over. There was no way the man wasn't aware of it to some degree.

"We'll need to balance the absolute need to keep it secret with the need to hunt down and destroy the remaining ones." He said, not committing himself to a future course of action, receiving nods from both men.

"Did they offer to conclude the marital negotiations?" Horace asked, persisting on finding out more on the consequences of revelations to the French family.

"No," Harry said slowly, frowning and turning his chin toward the man, "they… didn't." He concluded, they hadn't said anything about it at all after he'd dropped the bomb of knowledge on them.

"Oho! Not too be unexpected, my boy." Slughorn reassured him jovially with a congenial smile. "The rest of the terms are easily within agreeable tolerances, a few hiccups, perhaps, but if you'd not come with the revelations you had, we'd likely be toasting your betrothal." He raised his glass, in a false cheers, and took a sip of his wine, three fingers on the thin stem of the glass, controlling its movements.

Cyrus smiled tightly, "Yes, well, did you want to cover the basis of the plan for the family affairs, within the context of these negotiations?" He attempted to guide the conversation to cover the items he was directly overseeing.

"Not so quick there, Cyrus, not so quick." Horace looked smug after Cyrus huffed at the interruption. "I've just been to visit Ackerly and I have big news." He was grinning like a cheshire cat, "He'd come from meeting with Amelia Bones herself, the Interim Minister and front runner until next week's Wizengamot vote."

Horace broke eye contact with Cyrus and looked at the drink in front of him, sitting on a coaster on the desk. His right hand grabbed it and he used his fingers to spin it in its place, rotating the slender stem of the glass.

It was obvious he was enjoying drawing this out. With measured movement, he took another mouthful of his drink, making sure to swirl it within his mouth, extensively testing it on his palate, before swallowing with an exaggeratedly loud 'ah' to complete the sedate sampling of his drink. "A lovely vintage." He murmured, looking at his wine glass. Horace smacked his lips "yes, truly lovely."

If Harry wasn't annoyed with him delaying his announcement, he would be marvelling at how well he was able to act. He truly looked to be none the wiser that the other two wizards in the room were thoroughly vexed at him.

"Right," he said, finally getting back on topic, amusement dancing behind his eyes "right, right, Ackerly stated the DMLE has concluded it's thorough review of Sirius Black's incarceration." He daintily picked up his wine again and slowly brought it to his mouth.

Harry wanted to react, he wanted to snap at the man but it was the exact thing he was trying to provoke, well that and some personal enjoyment. Harry thought this was done more to bother Cyrus than him. Although the Head of House Greengrass wasn't showing it outwardly, Harry was sure it was annoying him a great deal.

"It appears the evidence is beyond flimsy, all of it being circumstantial, at best, and it's going to be blamed on the Director of the DMLE at the time."

Cyrus scoffed, "Blaming the disgraced Barty Crouch for it, spitting on an already desecrated grave, sounds about right."

"Not just him," Slughorn picked up Cyrus' line of thought, "Fudge will be prosecuted for failing to follow due process. Ordering the Dementor's Kiss is only legal with a Wizengamot vote, and there wasn't one."

"Ah, so they tarnish the disgraced outgoing government and come in riding a wave of popularity, foiling a Death Eater plot and championing the rights of citizens, correcting the injustices of the previous regimes." Harry summed up the political maneuvering that Bones was doing.

"Well done, my boy, well done." Slughorn praised as he beamed at Harry. "Her first act will be publicly clearing Sirius of all charges, provided Sirius' interviews go well this week."

"Interviews?" Cyrus questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, interview. A somewhat voluntary interview with DMLE, Ackerly will be attending as well." Slughorn informed them.

Harry nodded, it was nice to think there was at least one thing being taken off his list. He was glad he'd listened and had sought legal assistance with this. He certainly didn't need more on his plate.

"Any word on the expected settlement for Sirius and the Black family?" Cyrus asked, some eagerness leaking into his tone as he leaned forward ever so slightly.

"None, other than it will be a quiet ordeal that will be taken care of quickly. It won't be part of the press release." Slughorn said.

That didn't matter so much to Harry but he did notice how it shoehorned the conversation back to the direction that Cyrus had wanted it to go to previously.

"Well, it will be a pleasant thing, the Black family is severely lacking in its liquidity and income producing holdings." He stated imperiously.

The man didn't give an opportunity to be side tracked at this time. "The plan is multi-faceted, restructuring the finances of both your families and rebuilding their positions." He started his explanation, the one he'd been putting together after going through the Potter and Black holdings.

"The Potter family has rather limited assets. With your approval," he said, looking at Harry, "the historical monument in Godric's Hollow has been sold to the Ministry, a property which was only recently acquired, relatively speaking. Beyond that, they hold few, if any, investments."

Harry nodded, he knew this basic information, they had not had good stewardship of their finances but had left Harry enough to have a nice nest egg. It was nice that he was getting this base information again but he wanted to hear more about the plans for the future.

"The Black family holdings are far more substantial but are in total disarray. They went through a tumultuous decline in assets, most of it funnelled towards the campaign of You-Know-Who." Cyrus continued.

Again, Harry already knew this.

"They have many holdings that are underproducing, not producing, or need serious infusions of capital to make them viable. Meanwhile, the Potters have available Capital and the thirty percent ownership of the Daily Prophet. While it is possible to sell the holding, I believe your forebears had reached the same conclusion as I, that their political benefit outweighs their financial potential by a good margin."

Harry nodded, although he did not have a majority holding, nobody did. In fact, his family was the largest shareholder. Three others held twenty percent and the staff of the Daily Prophet jointly had the rights to the final ten percent.

"The two families have an interesting financial dichotomy. One with capital but not real assets, and the other with assets but no capital to make the most of them. This leads to the work-up I have done. In short, there are two options that I foresee as beneficial to both Houses." Cyrus eyed Harry, he cast a wary glance at Horace, who had remained silent, content to just hold his wine and listen.

"The real difference is, how intertwined do you wish your families to be? In one option, we can sell Black assets to the Potter family and use the proceeds to get the Black family holdings churning out profit as they should be. This arrangement would allow for total separation of all financial dealings." Cyrus informed him.

"The second option would be to set up joint ventures, where the Potter family buys into joint ownership and funds projects. For instance, the Black family has a parcel of land that has a single derelict building on it, hidden behind still active muggle repelling wards. The Potter family can bankroll the building of a six-storey commercial building, as the property is zoned for such a use. They'd both share future profits, on an equitable basis, but would remain fiscally tied together, as long as the partnership is maintained."

Harry could tell, just by the tone of his voice, that Cyrus was more in favor of the second option. Tying the two families together financially would help keep closer ties, long term, provided things didn't get ugly. This was a rather long-term strategy discussion, as neither option would be that different while Harry was heading up both families and alive to keep them close.

He looked to Horace, who was keeping silent on the discussion, more than likely waiting for Harry to respond first, testing him, seeing how his weekly lessons, which went far beyond just potions, were taking.

"The second. Continuing the closeness between the two families is important to me." Harry said, noting the pleased look from Horace.

Cyrus swallowed the liquid in his mouth and dipped his head in acknowledgement. "I'll have a comprehensive plan worked out for your approval then, shortly." Harry thought he could hear some eagerness in the man's voice, as if he was looking forward to the work.

"That covers the Delacours and the financial sides, what's next?" Harry asked, looking between both men. They didn't have a specific set agenda but they did cover most things regularly.

"Oh, I didn't mention that Ackerly had also said he's close to a settlement for the illegal use of Harry's name and likeness," Slughorn said abashed at this oversight, "it will certainly help provide capital for House Potter, an ongoing source of revenue too."

Cyrus gave him a sour look, none too pleased to have not heard this earlier. Normally it was Cyrus, as the Steward of House Black, that would have met with Ackerly but it was fortuitous luck that had Horace run into him, leaving him out of the loop until the next meeting with the man.

"Good to hear," Harry said, in way of acknowledgement, his words reflected on their delivery, "that brings us to Riddle."

"Not the Pavlovs?" Cyrus immediately questioned with a frown, shifting in his seat as he asked.

"Well, it will bring them up as well, with my first point of discussion." Harry replied right away.

"Oho! Let's hear it then, my boy!" Horace enthused before waving his wand and refilling his drink.

"Well, Natalia and I are on good terms, great terms even." Harry did his best to not focus on the slightly lecherous grin on his face, not that the sour look on Cyrus' was much better to note. "She informed me that they expect action, considering the Wizengamot let most of the Death Eaters walk, after the last war."

"Action?" Cyrus sat forward in his chair, his eyes intense as he looked at Harry.

Harry looked over to Horace and was surprised to see such a contemplative look. "This would be in response to their prior action?"

"Yes," the young Head of House Potter sighed, "something concrete, something permanent ."

The unspoken words silenced the room. Harry looked between his two advisors and couldn't get a realistic take on what they were thinking. So, he waited.

"This… this," Horace said, rubbing his chin, "this comes down to what you want to do with Natalia." He said slowly with a degree of caution.

"Meaning?" Harry responded, he thought he understood what was being asked but wanted no ambiguity.

"Meaning," Cyrus interjected, before Horace could reply, "the Pavlov family have made you an overture, the Macnair interrogation and if you are to pursue Natalia Pavlova then they want to see commitment." He stated flatly.

"Yes, if they are going to ally with you, then they want to see you will not be against their way of doing things." Horace added his own thoughts to the question that had been posed to him.

Harry ran his hand through his hair after taking a drink.

"How would it work?" Harry asked, not looking at either man, deeply in thought.

"You didn't ask Natalia that?" Cyrus questioned, no hint of recrimination in his voice.

"Why would I ask her that?" His eyebrows were knit with confusion as he looked to Cyrus with perplexion.

Cyrus drew out a breath and looked to Horace with question.

"Oh! Sorry… I, er, kept the first part in my head." He said with his cheeks gaining a rosy hue. "I meant to ask how would multiple wives work? I already know what Natalia's family wants." He motored through his words, trying to push things away from having losing track of his inner thoughts and what was going on outwardly.

"Not to worry, my boy," Horace chuckled, "it happens to the best of us."

The elder Greengrass man didn't take the same approach; he'd narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, before opening his mouth to speak, "You know what they want? Did Natalia tell you something directly or more of an indirect inference to what would work for them, as an overture?"

Harry noticed how sharp his gaze had gotten. He was taking this incredibly seriously. "They want to see a retaliation of my own, or something like that, and Natalia didn't give me anything direct, she wanted to make sure I understood the underlying meaning of her father's actions." He said, deflecting suspicion away from Natalia.

"I see." Harry watched the man sink into himself, his mind clearly processing and analyzing what he had heard.

"I'm not certain killing off another 'imperiused Death Eater' would not bring retaliation and while we have positive press that may not last if that entire political bloc turns on us, especially if Dumbledore's faction failed to offset them." Slughorn rubbed at his eyes after relaying his concern with the plan.

"Could you even do it?" Cyrus questioned, "Killing isn't easy. Self defense is one thing.. but, killing in cold blood? That… that's something else entirely." He closed his eyes for a moment before taking a large drink, finishing his drink before he refilled it again.

Could he kill? Could he just go and end someone's life?

He'd done it before, he'd killed Quirrell… but, like Cyrus had said, that was self defense. This would be premeditated, he'd have to pick a target and play meticulously. Who would he even pick? Many of them deserved death. Many of them had ended the lives of innocents. But crossing that line? Who was he to pick between which Death Eater deserved to live and which one deserved to die?

"Have you decided on multiple wives, versus a single wife?" Horace asked cautiously, his eyes betraying how intensely curious he was to know the answer.

Harry took a deep breath as he considered his answer to that question, he noted how they had both dodged, or missed, his earlier questioning. "Hypothetically speaking, the most preferred positioning, if I were to go for multiple wives, it would be Fleur for House Potter and Natalia for House Black?" He watched how his words were taken and saw the fleeting frown form on Cyrus face that was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Yes," Horace said while nodding, "that would make the most strategic choice, as far as gaining the allegiance of two powerful foreign families." His eyes shot toward the ceiling and he tilted his head, "Although, that would leave the next Black Heir subject to a marriage contract."

Harry already had an idea in his one, one he'd hinted at to Natalia.

"Really though, I'm not sure you'd get that. The two families have antagonistic relations and even if you offered that option to both parties, neither may agree."

Harry understood that. He didn't think it was something that couldn't be overcome however, provided he could get Fleur and Natalia to work at it. There was simply too much upside for some petty grievances to keep it from working. Though, the entire situation would have to be handled with finesse. He knew he'd be ruffling feathers along the way but he'd try for it, the worst that could happen would be for it to not work out.

"What if we went for Fleur for House Potter, Daphne for House Black and any further wives, for those two houses, would have to have the approval of both House Greengrass and House Delacour for more wives." Harry mused aloud.

"Dropping the Pavlov family?" Cyrus asked, disbelief colouring his voice, his sharp eyes watching Harry intently.

"No. Aside from those of us in the room, nobody knows that I'm a candidate to be the heir of Salazar Slytherin, the first one." Harry said, regaining both men's complete attention. "The Delacour family would not be aware. This offering looks more like completing of a marriage clause and allowing the Delacour family an extra potential heiress."

"You would give in to that demand?" Horace asked, keeping his voice neutral as to not betray his opinion on the matter.

Harry shrugged, "The boy would be the Potter Heir, the two girls Delacour Heiresses. If the worst happened, there would be two females that could step into place, the child with Daphne, and if things work out for the Slytherin line, then other options there. While it may be best to have a dozen kids running around, to repopulate all the lines, it could wait a generation. Even by this plan, there could be now less than four and if Daphne was able to reverse the ritual… then, more than that."

"You are saying, if I am hearing you correctly, that you'd try and negotiate the Delacours into a contract and trick them, by not revealing you could have a claim to the Slytherin line?" Cyrus asked skeptically.

"Yes." Harry said, a slight grimace came over him as he answered. He didn't like that he might be withholding information, to make his plan work, but it was possibly a necessity.

"Then you'd have to make an overture that would make a statement." Horace concluded. "I've counseled toward rebuilding your lines more thoroughly, and with less international flavour, but this scenario, if it were to work out that is, would be good as well." Slughorn commented, not being overly critical of Harry in the least.

"With only my family being local, that will present a challenge, however. We'd need to draw on allies and build our ranks, or capitulate to the Dumbledore camp and hope we have enough sway to force them in a direction that would be more effective."

Harry wasn't happy with that plan. Even if everything went well with that plan, it still sucked, in his opinion. What would the best case scenario be? He got Susan in a contract, giving him a solid alliance with the niece of the Minister of Magic. Tying the woman sitting in the highest office in the magical world's sole remaining family member would essentially guarantee she did her utmost to end Voldemort.

Then they could astutely add a couple more families which were more neutral, or had strong financial assistance. Between them all, they'd have the basis for a strong faction of their own in the Wizengamot. With the Ministry's backing, they might have enough power to stop a resurgent Dark Lord…

But… Harry didn't actually think that.

The Ministry, under Crouch Sr, had actually been engaging the Death Eaters with intent to kill. They had been keeping captives in prison and they were far more talented, and staffed, than the current DMLE. Even with greater numbers they failed, spectacularly so. Even if Dumbledore had worked with the DMLE, flawlessly, there was no guarantee that would have made a difference.

That plan wasn't one Harry felt comfortable with. He felt it was doomed to failure, repeating the mistakes of the past.

What he needed was something different. Something unexpected. It was why he was thinking this more international arrangement would be better. Already the Pavlov family was pushing him in a direction he would never have considered.

Dumbledore was worried it was a dark direction. Harry snorted, lost within his own thoughts, the ever so nebulous 'dark'. If he had to choose between doing some dark deeds and staying alive, he was going to be crossing into an area Dumbledore wouldn't want him to go.

Heh, he'd answered his earlier question already. He couldn't just sit around and wait. He had to be proactive. If he was going to wade into this shadow war, he'd need to be jumping in with both feet. He'd need to be in the trenches, in the thick of it.

"I'm not going to do that. We may be allies of necessity with Dumbledore but his way didn't work. The Ministry is full of leaks and the people of this country are so cowed that the brave few who fought have been targeted and devastated." Harry's voice was full of conviction, his mind made up.

"Then you will try and pursue both the Delacours and the Pavlovs?" Horace questioned, not commenting on what Harry had said directly.

Harry looked at him directly, "I'm going to do what's necessary to win. What we need, most of all, is a general. We need a strategy that can win. Dumbledore isn't the answer, the Ministry isn't the answer. Maybe the Pavlovs have an answer, or, perhaps, the Delacours."

"I can't say I fully disagree…" Cyrus said, rejoining the discussion. "Even with Bones about to be elected, unless they get a full decade more of peace, they are a ship out at sea, leaking faster than they can bail and they are about to be broadsided." He looked to Horace, to see if he would disagree. When he did not, he continued, "The DMLE isn't what it was, the Death Eaters have been subverting any authority they can try and exert, they have been gathering lists of people who may oppose them, and they have the financial backing to fight a drawn out conflict and win by attrition, against any opponent."

Harry looked at Cyrus in more of a new light. The man had thrown himself in with Harry. He wondered, now, if it was more out of desperation than anything else. He didn't join the Dark Lord the last time, he only had two daughters, and House Greengrass was close to extinction. They'd have to flee or stay entirely out of it if they were to survive. With two beautiful daughters and the Malfoys already having them in their crosshairs… It was probably Harry or nothing.

"Okay, then let me ask this: who is most valuable? Who is the one ally we cannot lose?" Slughorn threw out the question for either to answer.

"The Pavlovs." Cyrus Greengrass replied after some thought, looking sour at the admittance. "They know how to fight dirty. Even just looking at what they did with Macnair… they picked the perfect target."

Harry nodded his head. Patrice was more straight-laced. He'd be like gaining Amelia Bones' full allegiance. He was too close to Dumbledore, too closely aligned with his philosophies. Stunners and redemption were not going to cut it this time around.

"I've been trying to find a general type, some type of advisor for running our combat type strategies. The best I could come up with was Alastor Moody." Harry said with a sigh, not happy he would be admitting how poorly the search had come out.

"Augusta Longbottom was someone mentioned to me, someone who had served against Grindelwald but not at her age. Alastor was the only real candidate but you can throw him out of the running easily. He's too close to Dumbledore and he's loyal to the Ministry. It's obvious he'll be the link between Bones and Dumbledore, if, rather when, hostilities start up again." He was frowning now. Harry didn't like being painted into a corner. Really, there was only one really viable option that he was aware of in the magical world.

"I think I need to send a strong message and show Ivan, and the rest of his family, that we mean business and we aren't going to be messing around." There was still some reluctance within his voice, there was still resistance to just taking life in such a fashion.

"Are you sure this is the direction you'd like to go in? The Pavlov family may not play nice with the Delacours. This might lead to gaining one and losing the other." Slughorn cautioned him.

"Look, this isn't simple. This isn't easy for me." Harry snapped back. "I really like Fleur and this decision might end that…" Harry clenched his fists, "… I'm making a decision here to not die, to give myself the best chance of seeing ten years from now. If I could, I'd just date, I'd try and see which one I'd like to spend the rest of my life with! But I don't get that!" Harry spat, unhappy with the situations he was being forced into.

"I get to pick a future wife, future wives, based on what I need to stay alive. I'll have to live with this decision for the rest of my life! " He hissed out the last few words. "I'm going to have to get an Unbreakable Vow from a person I might be betrothed to shortly, because I can't risk being unsure that I can trust her, or her family."

Harry flopped back in his chair, not wanting to say more. He was frustrated. He was pissed off. He knew the plan to try and get all three was a fool's errand. For all Harry knew, there had been other Slytherin Heirs. Maybe Salazar refused to let anyone carry his name, maybe he wanted them to create their own legacy, getting the Slytherin name might not even be possible.

Slughorn gulped down the rest of his wine and moved around the desk, walking slowly but steadily. "You've got us Harry." He said, "We're with you to the end," Horace placed his hand on his shoulder. "I don't think the Delacours would walk away from you, aside from loyalty, they'd lose too much face to do so now. They'll stick by you as friends, if nothing else."

The cynical part of Harry wanted to disparage that they were only with him because they no longer had an option. It was hard for him to accept that people may not abandon him when things got tough. He didn't trust easily and always waited for the other shoe to drop.

"Who knows," Slughorn said, breaking Harry out of his musings, "maybe she'll surprise you." Though he said the words, it didn't sound like he believed them, not to Harry's ears at least, they'd covered the reasons why it was unlikely Fleur would agree to a multiple wives scenario.

Harry looked up at Horace, "Thanks." He said, placing his hand on Slughorn's, for just a moment.

Harry sat up and grabbed his drink with both hands, sipping at it while Slughorn poured himself another glass of wine.

"So the plan is what, then? Stall negotiations with the Delacour family, quietly sound out if they will entertain not just Fleur marrying you, and to pursue impressing the Pavlov family?" Cyrus summarized where their conversation had led to, asking for clarification that he understood everything correctly.

"Yes." Harry said, his voice quiet and subdued as he nodded.

"Who would you target?" Horace asked, genuinely curious and Harry noted Cyrus was just as curious, if not more so.

Harry had been giving it some thought since the morning. There was a name he'd bandied about within his own head. A single candidate that had tried to kill an innocent first year, a man that was important to the political, financial, and tactical planning of the Death Eaters. A person that is dangerous in the extreme and had recently taken on bad press. Harry had been considering using the idea of framing it as a political assasination, nothing to do with his former Death Eater status.

The more he thought about it, the more Harry rationalized the candidate he had in mind was the best bet.

Harry took a deep breath before revealing the name, no doubt it would surprise them with his audacity.

"Lucius Malfoy."