It was an interesting experience walking across the platform and watching how people cleared the way for him and Sirius as they headed to the train.
They were now just waiting for Tonks and her family to arrive, who were still trying to deal with everything that had been happening to them lately. The Tonks family had shot up in status and prestige almost instantly once the knowledge of them being a part of the Black family had become public.
Even Michael Hutt had sent Tonks a note in the hopes of getting her to meet up with him, followed by a box of chocolates saying he was sorry. Both the note and the chocolates had been totally ignored, though Harry was more than willing to admit Michael had good taste in chocolates. Tonks may have tossed them to the side, but Harry had tried a few and found they were rather tasty, and he wasn't about to let anything that good go to waste.
Already Nym had received several marriage contract proposals, which was very entertaining. They were basically meaningless since her parents would never sign one without her permission, and frankly, Ted and Sirius were still walking funny after she cursed them for joking about signing one on her behalf.
They had even gone to the effort of creating a fake document engaging her to an 85-year-old Lord Trollope, which they had signed and showed to her during an evening meal. Sirius still claimed the prank was worth the pain because of the brief look of horror that Tonks displayed before she realized the contract was a fake and began cursing the two of them. In reality, whenever a contract was received, they were declined politely rather than offend the houses who wished to jump on the Black bandwagon.
It was clear to any ambitious family within the Ministry that the Black family was back in business and was very much at the top of the political tree, and would be for some time.
Hence, they were an attractive choice for any family seeking an alliance, since they were a new player and seemed to be in a neutral position between the existing political parties. They were neither extreme like the pureblood supremacists nor revolutionary like some of the more active light families. In short, they were very much in the middle, providing an additional option for many families.
Sirius had already received several requests for meetings with different houses, who were all trying to work out where he stood on the political battlefield and who he would eventually side with. Harry had sat in on several of those meetings, much to the annoyance of the various visiting heads of families, who thought he was too young to attend. He rather enjoyed making them sweat with his probing questions and double talk, which made it clear he was more than capable than his age suggested.
Also, one of the benefits of being there in person was that it allowed him to see who was who. He was also able to keep his godfather from making a total fool of himself, not that there was much of a chance of this happening. Andy seemed to be drilling Sirius in the world of politics just as much as he was.
However, Sirius was making it clear he preferred anything but politics and instead wanted to go travelling for a while. Not that anyone could blame him for wanting to see the world after being locked up for a decade. But the politics were necessary to ensure the family's success, so Harry was trying to get his godfather to see it as a game to outwit his rivals.
Looking around the platform, Harry examined the other families gathered around and started putting names to faces. It would be an interesting year, since in the first year his status had been rather quiet, but that would be impossible now with all of the Daily Prophet articles. His station and position as one of the top families in Britain, just due to his Potter inheritance, let alone the fact that he was rumoured to be the Black family heir. And that would be another big topic of discussion within the school and political cycles.
Some of the more observant members of the crowd would notice that he was already wearing a Black family ring, which made his status as a dual heir to two Ancient and Noble families known to the world. This screamed, "Don't fuck with me; I can bury you and your children's grandchildren," which was fine by him. They still didn't know about his Peverell lordship, which made a great ace in the hole.
Either way, some of the more politically aware students would already be examining for any openings or weaknesses. This probably included most of Slytherin House, besides the ones who were too arrogant to think he could be a threat to their power or those too dim to put together what his dual rings meant.
So it was going to be interesting, dealing with those who saw him as a way to power and status. It would be curious to see how long it took them to realize he was very much a snake in his own right and wouldn't be easily manipulated.
Also, he was interested to see how the teachers reacted, especially individuals such as Snape and the Headmaster, who had to know full well the trouble he could cause them now that Sirius was freed and the Headmaster no longer was his guardian. At least they had an agreement already in place, but it wouldn't surprise him if he had a sit-down with the Headmaster sometime soon.
Not that he had any personal plans to cause trouble or rub salt in the wound, as long as Snape stayed civil and out of his life. Seeing Tonks and her family finally arriving, they put on a bit of a show greeting each other to show that the Black family was united. They knew full well that the press would be hanging around somewhere, due to Rita passing on information that they were currently "hot stuff," and the editor wanted an article on them, be it good or bad. The family was doing everything they could to ensure it was a good story rather than a bad one.
"Shall we find a suitable compartment?" he questioned.
"Sure, pup, unless you want to wait for some of your friends?" his godfather responded.
Smiling at the idea of seeing some of his friends, since he hadn't seen Daphne or Tracy since the start of the holidays, "While it would be nice to see them again and introduce you to them, they can always find me on the train. Besides, it's a bit crowded here for that."
"If you're sure, pup."
Offering his arm to Tonks, who quickly hooked her arm in his, Harry made a show of being a gentleman and leading his cousin onto the train, all the while ignoring the flashes of the cameras. This confirmed that the reporters were very much interested in his family. He personally led them to the front of the train, just behind the prefect compartments, before settling down for the trip ahead.
"Feels good to be on this train again. It's a shame I couldn't be here last year to see you off, Pup," Sirius said soberly, obviously recalling his own time at Hogwarts.
"At least you're here now. That's what matters in the end. Besides, it's not your fault, unlike others who have no excuse," Harry said, trying to lessen his godfather's guilt on the subject.
"Thanks, Harry," Sirius responded while patting him on the shoulder. "I wish you would forgive Remus though. His life's hard enough as it is."
"Maybe I will, but why should I? He wasn't there when I needed him all those years ago, and he blames it all on his condition as to why he couldn't be there. If he wanted to be a part of my life so much, why didn't he write to me last year? Or come to the platform and try to see me off? Like I said, that man uses his condition as an excuse for all of his misfortune," he stated gravely to Sirius, making his opinion of Remus clear.
"Harry has a point, Sirius. If Remus wanted to be a part of Harry's life, why wait until now? I know I don't have much of an excuse since I knew James and Lily, but I was nowhere near as close to them as you and Remus were," Ted argued.
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