In the days leading up to Christmas, Harry drilled from dawn to dusk, going over all the etiquette and genealogy he had learnt, as well as practicing his French intensively in case he was called upon to give a demonstration. Other lessons were suspended, as was playtime, and the portraits all joined Uncle Marius and Aunt Clytemnestra in helping Harry to prepare.
The day before Christmas Eve, Uncle Marius sat with Harry in the parlour, going over the names of the family members he would encounter the next day. Uncle Marius held up a photograph showing a very grave wizard and a plump, smiling witch.
'Who is this?' he asked.
'My great-grandfather, Arcturus Sirius Black, Order of Merlin, First Class, Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black,' Harry recited dully for the fortieth time. 'He has been living in France for twenty-three years, ever since he left England in a huff after his candidate to become Minister for Magic was passed over.'
'He opposed the Dark Lord because he believed that any pureblood wizard who was worth his salt would take pride in his family name and not conceal it with a silly pseudonym. He suspected He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named of illegitimacy.'
'Correct,' Uncle Marius said proudly.
'Uncle Marius, what's illegitimacy?' Harry asked.
'It's when your parents aren't married,' Uncle Marius explained, turning a bit red.
'Oh. The witch is my great-grandmother, Melania Macmillan Black,' Harry continued. 'She's the sanest person in the family. She'll be wanting me to go to France so she can feed me lots of rich baked goods and keep me away from Aunt Cassiopeia.'
Uncle Marius nodded and held up another photo, which displayed an old wizard with a maniacal gleam in his eye standing as far apart as he could manage from a squint-eyed witch.
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'That's my other great-grandfather, Pollux Cygnus Black. He was Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot for six months before Dumbledore took over, and refuses to allow anyone to forget it.
He moved to Transylvania ten years ago in order to take advantage of their lack of pesky restrictions on Muggle hunting. He was a big supporter of the Dark Lord Grindelwald, and was too disillusioned after his defeat to back He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The witch is my great-grandmother, Irma Crabbe Black. She and Pollux try to talk to each other as little as possible.'
Uncle Marius flipped to the next photograph.
'My father's great-aunt, Cassiopeia Virgo Black. She's on the Hogwarts Board of Governors, never married. She's very skilled at the Dark Arts.'
'And who is this?' his uncle asked, holding up a photograph of a stern-looking wizard with blond hair.
'My mother's father, Abraxas Hippocrates Malfoy. Major financial backer of the Dark Lord, never openly supported him. He'll want to keep me away from Arcturus, and to make sure I receive a healthy grounding in the Dark Arts, in order to counterbalance the puritanical nonsense I'll be getting at Hogwarts.' He paused. 'What's puritanical, again?'
'Excessively concerned with doing the right thing,' Uncle Marius explained.
'But shouldn't you always try to do the right thing?' Harry asked.
Uncle Marius smiled. 'You know that and I know that. But Abraxas feels there are some more important things, such as acquiring power and wealth.'
'But what's the point of having all that power and gold unless it's to use it to help you do the right thing?'
'Precisely, Aries.' His uncle chuckled and held up the last photograph, showing four people with blond hair.
'That's my Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa. He was a Death Eater, but got out of Azkaban by claiming to have been under the Imperius Curse. Aunt Narcissa is very active in charitable work. She sits on the board of St Mungo's and chairs the Christmas Robes Drive for Needy Witches and Wizards every year.
The boy is their son, my cousin Draco. The older witch is Aunt Narcissa's mother, Druella Rosier Black. She's a widow and lives at Malfoy Manor with her daughter. She was accused of playing a part in a recent famine that struck the Home Counties, but nothing was ever proved.'
'In other words, Harry,' James's portrait observed, 'they're all nutters. There's a reason Sirius ran away from home at sixteen.'
Harry nodded. 'I'm beginning to see that. And it's Aries, Uncle James.'
'You don't have to worry about figuring out how to please them, though,' James went on, ignoring him. 'They're a nasty bunch. If it looks like you're slipping, just be evil. They'll fawn all over you. OW!' At that point, Lily had just swatted the back of James's head.
'Great advice you're giving him,' Lily scolded. '"Just be evil." Some role model you are.'
'Actually, Lily,' Regina said, chiming in. 'As much as I hate to admit it, your husband is right.'
James grinned. 'I knew you'd see the light eventually.'
Regina rolled her eyes. 'Even a broken clock is right twice a day. In any event, everyone will be looking to see how Aries lives up to their expectations. If he can satisfy them that he's on the right track, they'll give him anything he wants.'
Lily groaned. 'In other words, we're teaching Aries how to acquire minions and manipulate people.'
Uncle Marius smiled mischievously. 'Precisely.'
Lily turned to Harry sadly, her eyes pleading. 'Fine. Just promise me you'll remember that this is all just acting. Don't actually become evil.'
Harry rolled his eyes. 'I won't, Aunt Lily.'
.....
Want to read ahead. Then join my patreon now.
2+ free advanced chapters from each of my books,
FOR ALL FREE MEMBERS.
Link: patreon.com/Nebula_Scribe
Thank you once again for all the support, and I hope you enjoy the story.