Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Priapus, Beans, Malcolm Tent
The Sorcerer's Legacy
Chapter 11: Granger
– Grayson Raum-Black –
The return to school is always a little hectic, even without the added time commitment of my new positions. Despite it all, nobody really has time to do anything, and the Triwizard Tournament has only added to that. With the competitions coming up, the whole school is in chaos.
None of them have started yet, of course, but that doesn't stop people from preparing or getting excited for it. The tournament officially starts on Halloween when the Champions are selected. Morrigan actively refused my offer of a ritual beforehand because her ego needs her to become champion by her own talents before she is willing to rely on me. It hasn't stopped her from taking advantage of her apprenticeship with Aunt Triss, though, and they've been training together. Triss is a far better teacher than Lupin, Quirrel or, Merlin forbid, Lockheart.
Slytherin has been a bit of a mess at the moment as the dust settles and people wait to see how I'll act. I've skyrocketed up the totem pole and one of my old main tormentors, Pansy, is following me around like a lost duckling. I'm not even really having her do anything, just exist around me, because it still sends the message that things have changed and that I won't hesitate to abuse my power over anyone who bothers me.
Wednesday more or less keeps to herself, though I have seen her spending time with Morrigan… I'm sure that's fine, right? Those two are both prickly bitches who love all things dark, and Triss knows Wednesday because she knows Lady Addams, so Wednesday has joined Morrigan's training after I suggested it. It almost got a smile out of Wednesday.
Almost.
"I was starting to think you'd forgotten about us," Lavender teases as I arrive at the library. "And here I thought we'd left such a lasting impression."
"You're not exactly forgettable, but something tells me that the start of the year is more relaxed for Gryffindors than it is for us Slytherins," I retort with a tired chuckle. "Professor Snape is a demanding head of house, doubly so now that we have foreign guests."
"Wait, Snape actually does things? I assumed he just brooded and glared at you guys all year," Parvati asks with a giggle as I take my seat, my guest popping out from behind me to both of their surprise.
"He does that too!" Astoria assures them as she sits down. "Wow, your boobs are massive. Is that why Gray agreed to teach you even though he's grumpy?"
"Probably," Lavender answers easily, turning to me questioningly.
"Ladies, I hope you don't mind that I brought my personal bane and devourer of free time to join us," I say, getting a giggle from them. "I must have done something to truly offend Professor Snape because I have once more been saddled with mentoring Astoria for the year. I'd say she won't be a distraction, but that would be a lie. At the very least, she'll make you both look better by comparison."
Ignoring her attempt to kick me under the table, I lay out the books I'll need for Astoria, the duo and myself. Astoria is easier because I'm well aware of exactly where she is and her strengths (spellcasting and charms) and weaknesses (anything she finds boring, paying attention, not being annoying). I don't know Lavender or Parvati nearly as well, and that means that firstly I need to work out where they are struggling.
Their awkward giggling and embarrassed looks tells me that they are correctly reading my expression as I look over their grades.
"Wow, you two are dumb," Astoria says, making Parvati throw a piece of scrunched up parchment at her head. "If you're so good at Divinations, why didn't you predict how bad your grades were going to be?"
She isn't wrong. They have an average of Outstanding in Divinations… and Poor or Dreadful in the rest. Except Charms and Potions, which are at Acceptable grades. Lavender's explanation of beauty charms and cosmetic potions being the reason for her interest in the two subjects does not fill me with confidence in the task I have unknowingly set myself up for. Is it really worth the effort?
My mind goes back to the train ride to school, and I scratch my chin. Yes, annoyingly, it probably is.
"What do you need your grades to be for the remedial exams, and when are they?" I ask with a sigh, getting the pair to beam. "Don't smile. Goyle has better grades than you. Goyle. I didn't even know it was possible to lose to him. The only reason you beat Crabbe is because I think he's legitimately illiterate. How did you do this badly?"
"Honestly, I have no excuse," Parvati admitted. "We spent basically all our time with Divinations and I didn't think we'd done that bad even if we'd slacked on our homework."
"I was more interested in boys than spells," Lavender admits. "Puberty hit hard, and the wands I wanted to play with weren't wooden. Oh fuck, err- sorry, Astoria-"
"Meh, I've heard worse. You should hear Tracey sometimes," Astoria says with a lazy shrug. "Are you sleeping with Gray?"
My sigh makes Astoria snort.
"What? It's a legitimate question. If Snape didn't literally make you teach me, you'd have probably thrown me into the lake by the end of the first lesson. You're always 'I don't have time for fun or socialising, I need to read thirty books a day and sit around looking grumpy'," Astoria says, her voice deepening in a very poor impression of my own. "Puberty had to hit you eventually. The only girl you ever looked at was Granger and that's so you could glare at her anytime she beat you at something. Now, you're using your super-important time to teach two Lionesses who happen to be super hot? I'm onto you."
Lavender and Parvati's giggles only make Astoria look smugger as I sigh to myself.
"It's not too late to throw you into the lake," I point out.
"Yes, it is. I know how to swim now. Plus, I'm not scared of the Giant Squid anymore since I keep seeing him through the common room window and he's just a big softie," Astoria continues. "So, are you helping because you want to play with Lavender's boobs? They are really nice boobs. Even the other Slytherin boys think so."
Silencing Astoria with a spell, I turn back to the pair and remind them that they still haven't answered my questions as Astoria gestures wildly.
"The remedial exam is just before the winter break. We're supposed to get Acceptables in the core subjects," Lavender explains, looking oddly smug as she tugs at her robe to make it tighten around her chest.
Mid-December, then? Two months to get them caught up. I can deal with that.
Astoria's flailing is ignored as I start to work on a plan, both for their grades and for how I'm going to make the most of this mess. Having an in with Gryffindor is going to be useful going forward, even if it comes with more work than I originally hoped.
Astoria is right… Lavender is lucky she has such amazing breasts.
– Later –
As I return to the common room (and immediately push Astoria toward her sister), I briefly wonder how I ended up making lesson plans. I'm trying to become a demon, not a teacher. I was plotting the human sacrifice of the fake Mad-Eye at the start of the year, now I'm trying to work out how to make a pair of beauty and divination-obsessed teenage girls not fail their remedial exams.
Speaking of Mad-Eye, or Barty Crouch Junior, I swear he's following me around. It's not just me. I've seen him lurking in the shadows around me, Morrigan, Keira and Damian. I don't know if Crouch has a grudge against my family, but I doubt it's a coincidence.
The issue is simple. Damian is a cunt, but a powerful one. Keira is smart enough to notice his lurking and never goes anywhere alone, and Morrigan wouldn't hesitate to curse a teacher if they irritated her. If he's targeting my family, I'm the easy mark. He more or less stopped following the others after the first week, but I keep seeing him wherever I am.
I still want to see what he's scheming. I'm willing to put money on it involving Potter because it seems like everything that happens here involves her. It has to be the Triwizard Cup, but I should be able to confirm that next week when the Champions are selected. If anything weird happens, I can confidently say that it's Crouch scheming.
I don't know if he's working alone, so I want to get some more information before I get rid of him… which is not exactly an easy feat to begin with. Mad-Eye is meant to be a legendary auror, and Crouch has clearly captured him. But every time I see him lurking in the dark corners of wherever I'm going, I become just a little less willing to keep him around.
After Halloween, no matter what happens, Crouch dies. His master killed my father, and that alone means the Death Eaters have a blood debt to pay. His sniffing around me so much is only speeding up his demise.
"H-Heir Raum-Black, may we speak?" a soft voice says, getting my attention. Juliet hugs her book a little tighter as she notices the attention we're getting, but I just nod easily and gesture for her to follow me. I could claim I need privacy, but honestly, I just want to be away from Astoria. Daphne gives me a smile as Astoria turns her attention from me to her sister, and I return it with a nod.
As we enter my room, I take a look at Juliet. Her hair is done in a neater style than before, and she looks more confident than when I had to save her from Lyra. Lyra still throws insults at her, but most of the house is just waiting to see how things go before they target her too hard.
"I accept," Juliet says, taking a deep breath as she stares at me unflinchingly.
"Oh?" I ask, getting a nod from her. She's not as confident as she looks, but she seems certain.
"I've read through the books you gave me, and vassalisation is my best chance," Juliet says. Beyond the book on vassalisation itself, I also gave her several tomes on Wizarding society and history. If she's going to be a part of this world, she should know it, after all. "Beyond protection, my prospects aren't great in the Wizarding World without a sponsor. No Muggleborn has ever been Minister of Magic, or the head of any department. I didn't get magic, actual genuine magic, to work at a store or-"
She pauses, taking a deep breath as I wait for her to gather her thoughts.
"I read up on more than just the books you gave me, and things aren't much better anywhere else, even just from the English-speaking countries. America would require me to cut all contact with my parents. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, it's either the same or worse," Juliet continues, proving the intelligence I suspected she had. "So, I can either leave and pretend I'm not a Witch, accept mediocrity and a dead end job no matter how hard I study, or find someone to sponsor me."
I click my fingers, one of the house elves bringing me the necklace I put aside. It's thin, silver and has an amulet with the Raum family crest on the front. The Raum family is the better choice since the Blacks are far less friendly toward Muggles and taking her into that family would be seen as an insult to the others with Black blood. Nobody knows a damn thing about the Raum family, because we barely ever interact with the rest of the world. The only Raum blood left is in me and my siblings. Morrigan might bitch, Keira won't care, and Damian-
Eh.
"And you understand what it will mean?" I ask, watching as she nods.
"I do," Juliet agrees, and just a hint of a blush crosses her cheeks. Something tells me she's found references to the fact that female vassals were often seen similarly to mistresses. The entire act of vassalisation has fallen out of favour over the years, even if the laws haven't changed since fucking Merlin walked the world. Seriously, our legal code is older than some civilisations; it's kinda embarrassing.
Some people say 'if it isn't broken, don't fix it', but centuries of new laws have piled onto the already convoluted legal system and made it ten times worse. The shaky foundations can't handle the weight of the constantly growing system.
The point is, she definitely knows that she'll be entirely under my control. Once she takes the amulet, I could tell her to strip and take her virginity right here and now.
"You know there's no going back once you do this, yes?" I ask, making her nod. Becoming a vassal is easy. Being released from your vassalisation? Infinitely harder. Basically impossible if I decide not to let her go. This necklace might as well be a slave collar.
"I do," Juliet agrees, and I see no hesitation in her eyes. She's nervous, but her mind is made up. Calling for my elf again, I gesture for Juliet to take a seat at the small table I have in the corner of my room, normally for when Keira has come to gossip at me while I pretend that I'm paying attention. Placing the contract down in front of her, I give her a moment to read through it. I've had the family solicitor create it, because some things are better left to the professionals. "I'm ready."
I give her a small smile as I pass her a blood quill, watching her sign her name on the dotted line. She's lucky that I got one with the inbuilt anaesthetic charms. They're fairly commonly used in contracts, especially when the goblins are involved. The type of blood quills the goblins use do not have the charms. Vicious little bastards.
As she finishes signing the contract, it flashes as the magic goes through and I move closer. She flinches back, but relaxes as I calmly place the amulet around her neck. The crest glows purple for just a moment as it accepts its new owner and the charms tie themselves to Juliet.
"Congratulations, you are officially under the protection of the Raum family," I say, making her smile awkwardly. "But I'm afraid you may quickly come to regret it, because now it's time for something… painful."
Juliet pales at my grim words, but doesn't break eye contact until the door opens.
"I will find the listening charm you have hidden in here, by the way. You have made one too many dramatic entrances," I say to Keira as she smiles innocently. "Juliet, this is Keira, my older sister. She'll be taking you clothes shopping as your muggle casual wear is not helping your reputation. May Merlin have mercy upon your soul."
Juliet blinks at that, before she lets out a small giggle.
"Oh, stop being so dramatic, you big baby," Keira teases, nudging me with her shoulder. "It wasn't that bad."
"Fourteen hours, five countries, to get clothes 'more befitting the heir of the family'. I already had a perfectly good wardrobe, and you know it," I grumble, watching Keira smirk. "But for once, your obsession with fashion is actually useful instead of infuriating. Make yourself useful."
"Yeah, yeah. You know this is going to piss off some of your housemates? Some of them gave me such ugly stares when I let myself in," Keira jokes.
"Nobody gave you trouble?" I ask, getting a snort from her.
"I'm a better duellist than you. Also, Morrigan was in the common room, and everyone remembers how to behave when she's around. She didn't even look at me, but she has you snakes so well-trained, doesn't she?" Keira asks. I snort, nodding. She's not wrong. Morrigan is unpredictable at the best of times, and you never quite know what is going to rouse her temper.
Maybe she wouldn't give a damn about someone taking offence to Keira's presence. Maybe she'd throw a barely legal curse at them. Maybe she'd attack Keira herself, who the fuck knows. It's truly a coin flip when you're dealing with Mori. The only person still dumb enough to take that coin flip is Damian, and that's because he's a good enough duellist to survive her wrath when he inevitably pisses her off.
I'm half convinced that he's only as good a duellist as he is because he's had to learn to survive the consequences of his own stupidity. If you're going to be that stupid, you have to be strong.
…actually.
"First order: Juliet, ignore anything Damian tries to tell you. He's full of shit, and he has no power over you. Assume he's lying at all times," I order. "Morrigan and Keira don't have power over you either. If Keira asks, she's probably worth listening to unless it sounds stupid. Actually, tell me anything she asks you to do. Do whatever Morrigan says, not because she can command you but because she'll curse you if you don't."
"I am standing right here," Keira points out with a laugh. "Though he's right, assume Damian is lying and that Morrigan will attack you if you annoy her. Now, come on. We have shopping to do. Coming, Gray?"
"I would rather offer myself up to Morrigan as a test dummy," I say bluntly.
"Umm, won't most places be closed?" Juliet asks, making me and Keira share a look before we snort.
"Don't be ridiculous, we're too rich for places to be closed," Keira waves off with a grin as she grabs her new dress-up doll, my first human sacrifice given up to Keira's foul designs. "You're technically a part of the Raum family now. You'll learn that the very old families get whatever they want. And what I want is clothes."
"Are we allowed to just leave school?" Juliet asks again.
"Here's a magic spell that is incredibly effective against teachers. If anyone asks why you're leaving, you look at them and say 'family business' then walk off. Make sure to flash the amulet at them to remind them which family," I snort. "Keira and I went on 'family business' to go and get ice cream about three dozen times last year."
"I love the look on Snape's face every time you pull that card. He knows you're full of shit, and he knows he can't do anything about it. At least Flitwick genuinely doesn't care. I think it's his goblin side, but he has a big thing about not sticking his nose into other people's business," Keira laughs as I pause. I've been pulling that card since First year and Snape knows he can't actually stop us unless he takes it up with my mother, which he is very interested in not doing.
Wait, is that why I got saddled with Astoria?
…fuck.
– Rose Potter –
Hermione was a stresser. This was something she knew all too well. Hermione stressed over everything. She was the top student in their year, and she still acted like every homework she submitted was going to come back with a Troll grade and a note from Dumbledore himself calling her an idiot and expelling her.
She genuinely feared for Hermione's hair next year when the OWLs started, because all of it was going to fall out from sheer stress. Hermione was probably going to die of a stress-inflicted heart attack when they got to their NEWT exams. The point was, Hermione was a panicker.
But just this once, Rose was on her side because something was very fucky in Slytherin and Hermione's little sister was at the core of it.
"She's basically a slave, a slave. She literally cannot defy anything Grayson or his mother's orders, because the magic involved won't let her," Hermione screeched. It had been bad enough when Juliet had been sorted into the den of vipers, with Lyra smugly pointing out how rare it was for a Muggleborn to graduate from the Slytherin house, bringing up other Muggleborn students who disappeared or dropped out, only to be never seen again.
Juliet was avoiding them, and the one time Hermione had cornered her, the explanation had only made things worse. Juliet had bluntly, but shyly, explained that Hermione was public enemy number one and interacting with her would just make things worse for Juliet. She was already disliked for the crime of being related to Hermione, but if she were openly friendly with her sister, it would make it far worse.
Rose had tried to say she'd protect her and gotten laughed at, because how could she watch Juliet's back when she couldn't (easily) get into the Slytherin common room where Juliet slept. If she targeted Juliet's bullies when they were out of the common room, she'd just make things worse later when Juliet had to go back to her room.
Hermione had taken to obsessing over the Map, watching Juliet and who she was interacting with, which was barely anyone, as it turned out. Juliet was normally alone, right up until she wasn't. Suddenly, Juliet was always with other people and the reason had only made Hermione panic more.
She'd become a vassal of Grayson Raum-Black. Hermione had immediately dove into researching vassalisation and been aghast at how one-sided it seemed. Juliet was effectively a servant to Grayson and unable to defy him except for some very specific scenarios. Rose didn't really get it, but she'd asked Sirius about it and he'd been surprised since even amongst the more traditional families, this form of vassalisation had fallen out of use. What she'd gotten from Sirius didn't make her feel any better, because while it was entirely legal if done right- (and Sirius was sure that it was because he didn't think his cousin Yennefer would permit her son to fuck something like this up)- it was effectively slavery.
"I thought you liked Gray?" Rose tried, watching Hermione let out a frustrated sound.
"As I have told you and Ginny, repeatedly, I don't like him. I just respect his intelligence. I've barely spoken to him outside of class," Hermione replied immediately. "And it doesn't matter how much I like someone when they've just put a slave collar around my sister's neck. Why would she agree to this? She had to be coerced. Surely there's a way to break the contract, right? She's too young to be signing contracts anyway-"
"Normally, she would be, but there's some weirdness around how Muggleborns are seen legally. Muggles can't sign magical contracts, so Muggleborns don't have an actual guardian, which means they can sign legal contracts," Rose explained. That was one of the things Sirius had explained to her. Dumbledore was technically their legal guardian until they completed their OWLs, but there was some legal fuckery involved. "I tried talking to Damian, but he was no use. Mostly because he didn't know until I mentioned it."
"You expected Damian to be useful?" Hermione asked with a clipped tone. She wasn't fond of the prefect, mostly because he'd done wonders in showing her how some people would abuse positions of power. It had been helpful in breaking Hermione's devotion to authority figures, but had left her with a chip on her shoulder.
"It was worth a try," Rose shrugged. "I also asked Lavender and Parvati, but they didn't know anything either. Plus, they didn't want to get involved in another family's business."
"We can't just leave Juliet in this mess!" Hermione shouted, hitting her hand on the open book before her. You know it was a truly dire situation when Hermione was willing to raise her voice in the library and hit a book. Madam Pince gave them a stern look as Hermione took a deep breath and leaned back with a troubled expression. "But everything I've found makes it clear that I could just make things worse for us both if I try anything. Purebloods get to just shout 'family business' and suddenly nobody can ask them what they're doing, certainly not a mudblood," Hermione practically snarled, bitterness clear on her face.
Technically, it was just the old pureblood families that could do that but pointing that out wouldn't help right now. It was one of the things Sirius had made clear, the oldest families, which the Blacks and Raums definitely were, had a lot of benefits that they'd clung on to since before the Ministry was even formed. Can't get rid of them because you'd have to convince those same families to vote to remove their own powers.
"I know. Look, Juliet seems happy enough right now, so Gray obviously isn't openly abusing her. Pissing him off would just make matters worse," Rose pointed out, playing devil's advocate. Juliet was looking better, her hair had been done in a 'proper' style, and her muggle clothes had been replaced by some very nice dresses and robes. She'd even seemed to make a friend in Astoria Greengrass. As Hermione went to shout again, Rose cut in. "I'm not saying we leave it, obviously. I'm saying we need to be… subtle?"
"You want to be subtle?" Hermione asked, her lips twitching into an amused smile despite herself.
"Hey, the hat wanted to put me in Slytherin for a reason. I can be sneaky when I want to be," Rose defended. "...I just don't usually want to be."
"Yes, you're a master of discretion. Have you stopped openly glaring at Professor Merigold out of some delusion that she wants to kill you?" Hermione asked, clearly pleased to have something else to focus on.
"It's not a delusion. Quirrel turned out to have Voldemort hiding in his turban. Lockheart tried to memory charm me and leave me to die. Still can't believe you had a crush on that clown," Rose muttered, dodging the half-hearted swipe from Hermione. Even Hermione knew that hadn't been her finest moment. "And Professor Lupin tried to eat me. Okay, it wasn't entirely his fault beyond forgetting his potion, but still! That's three for three on defence professors having it out for me. I don't care how nice you think she is. Merigold is going to try to kill me. Just wait."
"Well, she's a world-class duellist, so she'll probably succeed," Hermione teased as Rose snorted. "Still mad she caught you trying to sneak into her office?"
"I was just being proactive. Something happens every single year, and it's always connected to the Defence Professor. If I die on Halloween, it was Merigold," Rose joked back. The Troll, the Chamber, Sirius breaking in. Something always happens on Halloween as well. Pattern recognition wasn't paranoia. "The point is, we can't just blunder into the complete fuckery that is magical nobility. There are so many laws and rules, we'll just fuck ourselves over."
"Do you have a plan?" Hermione asked. Rose leaned back, frowning as she tried to remember everything she could about this shit. Things were easier when she could just throw spells at the problem.
"...maybe," Rose said after a moment. "I think I have an idea that might work."
Hermione paused, clearly surprised, and Rose was only mildly insulted that Hermione was shocked at her coming up with something resembling an actual plan.
– Later –
Approaching Grayson, he looked up at the trio with a raised eyebrow. Catching him alone wasn't hard with the map, especially since he seemed like a loner anyway. Despite rumours that the new Addams girl was his mistress, they were rarely seen together. It was harder to catch him without Pansy who was following him around for some reason, or weirdly enough, Barty Crouch.
Why the unfortunately mustached Ministry official followed Grayson around so much, she couldn't even begin to guess. Politics was not her area of expertise.
"Can I help you?" Grayson asked, his voice drawling and clearly unimpressed by their arrival. Ginny gave him an awkward smile, and Hermione just glared at him despite their plan. Ginny had been the one to warn them about how much he'd changed since the Weasleys had been invited to the big party his family held.
"Heir Raum-Black," Rose started awkwardly, unsure if she'd gotten the address right as his eyebrows shot up in what was almost certainly amusement. "I'd like to request err- oh fuck it, I want to know why you vassalised Juliet Granger."
Well, she tried.
"Oh?" Grayson asked, an almost dangerous glint in his eyes.
"I am a Black, on my grandmother's side. I even got an invitation to your party because of it," Rose pointed out. Dumbledore had been the one to convince her not to go, not that she liked the idea of some big political party anyway. Of course, learning that seemingly half the fucking school went made her second-guess her decision not to attend.
Sirius had been the one to point that out, mostly to tease her about being distantly related to Malfoy.
"...it was a ball, not a party," Grayson sighed. She just shrugged. How was she supposed to know the difference? "That said, you are a distant relative of the Black family and as such, you were on the guest list. You aren't, however, actually a member of the Black family, as your father removed himself, and by extension, you, from the family."
Wait, he did?
"I believe he did it while drinking with Sirius Black, so they could both claim to be ex-Blacks given Sirius' believed disownment, according to my mother," Grayson explained. God damn it, Sirius. "Not that Sirius actually was disowned as that would have fallen to his Grandfather, not his mother, and she had no actual power to do so."
So, Sirius was still a Black? Could she use that? Not really, since she'd have to reveal that she was in contact with a wanted criminal.
"Finally, Juliet was made a vassal of the Raum family, not the Blacks," Grayson continued, watching them freeze. "While I am Heir Raum-Black, the families are technically separate and as such, the Raum's business is not the Black's business. It was a nice attempt, however. Far more dignified than I expected from a Gryffindor."
"What the hell are you playing at, Gray? I know you don't like me, but involving my sister is low-" Hermione started, unable to restrain herself any longer.
"I did it to save her life, you fool," Grayson said bluntly, cutting her off. "It may surprise you to realise, but while I can't say I particularly like you, I don't see you as worth my time enough to dislike you. Your connsistent need to show off in class is mildly aggravating, but hardly something that would lead me to scheme against you."
"Save her-"
"Do you know how disliked you are amongst the… less intellectually gifted students of Slytherin? The only reason you can walk to class safely is because you have your own pocket hero by your side. If Rose dropped out, I suspect you'd last a month before you were driven out. You're also disliked in Ravenclaw, more or less for the same reason. People don't like being shown up, especially not Purebloods who have been told of their genetic supremacy over the muggleborns most of their lives only for a muggleborn to easily beat them in every subject," Grayson explained in a bored tone.
"And you do?" Hermione asked, getting an annoyed look.
"No, but I can acknowledge that while I'd rather kick you off your pedestal, you have earnt your spot at the top. When I beat you this year, it won't be because I cheated or schemed to bring you down but because I had the better grades and class performance," Grayson replied confidently. "But to most of my house, you're an uppity know-it-all mudblood and if you didn't have the Girl Who Lived babysitting you, they'd love to put you in your place."
"But Juliet doesn't have anyone to protect her," Rose finished.
"Within the day, Lyra was rallying the house to torment her. I stopped it, mostly because bullying Lyra is satisfying. That same night, some older students attempted to break into her bedroom at two in the morning, but I had placed a security charm on the door," Grayson continued, and they both stiffened at the implication. "As it happens, I know what it is like to be targeted because of something your older sibling did. Damian and Morrigan have made many enemies, across the entire school. Juliet, however, doesn't have a Keira to help her."
"You think they'd kill her?" Hermione asked, going back to his comment about saving Juliet's life.
"Unlikely. It's far more plausible they'd bully her to the point of her dropping out and leaving the magical world, or to the brink of suicide. I heard some of the older boys making their intentions known, as Juliet seems to have hit puberty early," Grayson explained as if he was talking about the weather as Hermione gasped in disbelief. "So, I was left with a choice. Leave her to her fate, or do the one thing I could think of to ensure she would remain safe. An attack on Juliet is an attack on the Raum family now, and we Raum don't respond well to threats or insults."
"And you did this out of the kindness of your heart?" Rose asked sarcastically. Grayson just laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous. I did it because I saw a chance to turn her into something useful for my family. As I said, I don't particularly like you, Granger, but I can respect your intelligence. If Juliet shares your intellect, and so far it seems that she does, she's bound to go far. Now, her success is the success of the Raum family," Grayson admitted shamelessly.
"You're all heart," Rose snorted, getting a shrug from him.
"I am what I am. I'm going to be Lord Raum-Black soon. Taking actions for the good of my house is just common sense," Grayson replied. "As little as I'm sure you believe my word is worth, I have no intentions of abusing or harming Juliet."
"Where is she anyway?" Rose asked. They hadn't been able to find Juliet on the map…
"My sister has taken great joy in having a new toy to dress up. She's taken Juliet to her beautician to get her hair done," Grayson sighed with a shrug. "Juliet seems to enjoy Keira's company, for some reason, so I saw no need to stop her."
"Wait, Keira took her out of school to go and get her hair done? The Hogwarts bylaws clearly state-" Hermione started.
"Family business," Grayson cut in, making Hermione stare at him for a moment before she let out a frustrated growl. "But yes, Juliet is currently in… Milan, if I recall Keira's preferred stylist. Something about doing something with the complete bush you Grangers call hair. If it helps, changing Juliet's style to make her look less like you is only going to help her in the long run."
"But Keira is just playing barbie dolls?" Rose asked, her lips twitching.
"...I have no idea what a 'Barbie' is, but probably," Grayson agreed. "As Keira's previous favourite doll, I can tell you it is a humiliating but otherwise harmless process. I'm sure Juliet is fine."
– Juliet Granger –
"Erm, Miss Raum-"
"Just call me Keira," Keira reminded her, rolling over with a satisfied smile.
"R-right. Keira… aren't we supposed to be going back to school?" Juliet asked, watching Keira sit up. Her cheeks blushed at Keira's bare breasts but Keira just shrugged making them jiggle.
"And we will, later. But right now, I want to work on my tan and I can't do that in the Scottish highlands," Keira explained as she laid back down on her beach towel. Juliet could only look out at the sandy beach and blue seas despite the autumn month. "Are you really in such a rush to get back?"
Juliet paused, looking at her tropical drink for a moment, before she lay back down, hearing Keira snort into her towel. Well, Gray had told her to listen to Keira, and Keira said they needed some sun…
– Grayson Raum-Black –
Escaping Potter and her hangers-on, I smile to myself. Juliet was the bait, and my target bit it instantly.
Of course, my plan comes with some minor hiccups, but I think it'll be worth it in the long run.
"Would you care to repeat that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow as the sixth year blocks my path.
"I said I challenge House Raum to an honour duel for shaming proper purebloods by betraying your kind to protect a mudblood," the boy, something Rosier, says again.
"Ah, I thought that was what you said, but I was sure that I couldn't have heard you right. After all, surely you couldn't be that stupid," I drawl, seeing him snarl. I swear his name starts with a C. Cor… Corvus? Yeah, Corvus. I remember Keira making fun of it. "But stupidity seems to be in your blood. The same short-sighted stupidity that saw your father share a kiss with a dementor."
The idiot freezes before his best attempt at a superior smirk is replaced with pure hatred and fury. Oh, right. Mother is the one who made sure his death eater father got the Kiss. Still, this seems out of character-
Oh, Lyra, you never learn.
"The House Raum accepts your challenge, Heir Rosier," I say dismissively. "As the challenged party, I choose the time and place, yes? This Saturday, at nine in the morning. In front of the Great Lake," I decide, making him sneer as he nods. His response is cut in by an icy cold voice.
"Tell me, Rosier. You do realise that this challenge can be taken up by any member of the Raum family, don't you?" Morrigan asks, as all colour leaves Corvus' face. Her golden eyes basically gleam with malicious intent, her wand sparking.
"She's not wrong. You challenged the House Raum, not me directly. Technically, my mother should be the one to accept your challenge, but she's busy with things far more important than… well, you," I continue.
Somewhere, I hear someone snort at the realisation that Corvus has challenged Morrigan to a duel, but I cut in before Corvus can wet himself or faint.
"But I believe I will answer this challenge, Heir Rosier. If you have such a problem with my decisions, it's only fair that I be the one to answer them. Sorry to ruin your fun, Mori," I tease, enjoying the icy look from her. Despite her glare, I can see the questioning look in her eyes as she makes sure that I am sure about this. I just nod once, and she snorts before storming off.
Rosier lets out a sigh of relief.
He really shouldn't.