November 10, 1985
Healer Sri Lie had come back to her home island to find an urgent message from Sirius Black awaiting her. Her normal rounds had been disrupted for a week when two factions on outlying islands had broken out into warfare. Magicals hexing each other and the muggles around them. But it had resulted in many days spent fixing spell damage and modifying memories.
Fourth quadrant's Sunaryati Rais wasn't as capable as second quadrant's Bapak Black. Sri Lie's home quadrant hadn't had anything like this happen in the last year for two main reasons: one it had a high tourist population and magicals preferred to live under the radar and two Sirius had made it clear to groups that might start things in his quadrant that he wouldn't hesitate to smash them flat if they started trouble.
Sirius actively spent time coordinating and proactively seeking peaceful solutions before things got bad, often quoting her sister's favorite maxim an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Sri Lie opened the message.
Sri Lie,
I think I got a lead on that third spell. I've sent to England for more information.
Sirius
Sirius and she had spent many months and never found anything on the third spell. In that time she had come to view Sirius as the son she had never had. She had monitored the two foreign wizards closely that first year was amazed by the love lavished on the little boy by the man. Sirius had come to her with parenting questions and life questions and together they planned little Harry's care. Together they had gleefully celebrated Harry's return of accidental magic.
She wasn't due to magically check on Harry for another month but that wouldn't stop her from stopping by and checking on "her" boys. She wondered if she should mention to Sirius that the last time she visited, Harry had voiced a desire to have siblings the way many of his friends did. After all she wouldn't mind more "grandchildren" and she was certain Sirius made an excellent father.
One week earlier
For the second time in a week Sirius entered Gringott's Jakarta. He'd made arrangements for one of the banks conference rooms following his appointment with Splitaxe the goblin in charge of wills and inheritances here in Jakarta. Splitaxe smiled as he and Sirius negotiated the percentage that would be the inheritance tax on the Black vaults. Sirius had learned from his Uncle Alphard that goblins could be negotiated with but that most wizards and witches never tried, as result most of them paid a lot more for services the goblins would be willing to provide for less.
Inheritance taxes for one; negotiating could bring it down to a mere one percent much better than the four and a half that was the starting point from the goblin's point of view that most wizards and witches paid. Sirius in the end proved to be an able negotiator but he got a bit of a surprise.
As he read through the paperwork he looked up. "What is this Duke de Sable stuff ?"
"Ah yes. The Black family is a cadet branch of the de Sables? The De Sables were a French Wizarding family that were from a bastard son of King Charlemagne hence the Title of Duke. The Blacks were founded by a younger de Sable son who came over with William of Normandy. The last de Sable duke died around the same time as your father. It took two years for the family lines to be traced. Congratulations Your Grace. You are the fiftieth Duke."
"No wonder mum always considered being a Black meant practically bring royal. Shit. Uncle taught me some financial stuff but, gees. What's this? The de Sable motto "toujours fidele et fort" ? I wonder when that got changed. What all do I need to sign?" He signed the many documents and at the end Splitaxe handed him the Lord rings for the Black family and the de Sable family. He put them on first the Black then the de Sable. "I'm lord now right?"
"Yes, Your Grace."
"I want to reinstate Andromeda Tonks to the family and provide her with the quarter a million galleon dowery that her sisters each got and the quarterly upkeep payments of ten thousand galleons. I want the goblins in Gringott's London to cease dower payments for Narcissa to Lucius and for Bellatrix to Rudolphus, payments will be resumed providing both my cousins and their spouses consent to having their arms inspected and prove to be free from the dark mark."
"Should either of my cousins be marked, they are disowned and declared oath-breaker and their dowries reclaimed. If they are not marked but their spouses are, they will be given a choice of being disowned and staying with their spouse minus their dowries because the oaths to the Black family have been superseded by oaths to the bastard Voldemort, or having their marriages dissolved. I will not tolerate having Black money supporting the Dark Bastard or his agendas.
"I name my third cousin Harry James Potter as my heir in the event of my death. Andromeda Tonks is named guardian to him should I die while he is still a minor. Under no circumstance is Albus Dumbledore to be given any access to Harry James Potter or decisions regarding his welfare.
"Obviously I need time to read through the estate papers before more decisions are made however I need to need to call Kreacher and get a few things from Grimmauld place. I will need a goblin to act as account coordinator here in Indonesia, perhaps you could recommend one?"
"I will think on it Your Grace."
"Thank you Splitaxe, may your gold flow."
"And yours, Your Grace." The goblin said as he left the room.
"Kreacher, your master has need of you."
There was a earsplitting crack and a dirty house elf appeared. "Filthy traitorous disappointment to mistress finally calls."
"Kreacher, enough. I am aware of my mother's low opinion of me, however I am your master now and I will not tolerate your disrespect. I forgive this time but the next time you will have a choice of clothes or for each word of my mother's you repeat you will have a day of leisure and pampering of yourself no duties allowed is that clear?" Sirius looked at the elf, he looked dirty. "Kreacher I do not like how you look; why present yourself and our family in such a manner?"
"Kreacher couldn't fulfill Master Regulus' last command. Mistress didn't care so I punished myself."