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Cyrus Greengrass survived two wars, without bowing to either Voldemort or his rival Dumbledore, who in his opinion was only slightly better, by virtue of the fact that he was less likely to murder you.
Both sought to tear apart their world, one tradition at a time.
Voldemort wanted to control over any who would bow, the rest could burn. Entire families, thousands of years of history, lost to time. Abandoned mansions filled with the history of his people, trapped behind family wards waiting to fall to time, or be discovered by some inactive branch of the family. All protected by countless house-elves waiting for a master that may never come.
Dumbledore on the other hand turned magic into wand waving, and rote repetition. His tenure marked by the removal of almost all forms of Craft, save runes and potions (Barely). Entire courses dedicated to the history of magic, reduced to a biased ghost rambling on about wars that happened because of his ancestors. Muggleborns dragged into a world they had no tools to navigate. Relegated to making countless insults unknowingly against their peers, until they were either pushed out of magical Britain or married into it.
When the Second Blood War ended, he was ready to fix the Ministry. Make it something he could be proud of again. So he prepared to approach the Potter boy. By the time he was ready, the boy had announced in no uncertain terms that he had zero interest in politics. Rumor was he had refused to take the Black seat from the ‘Lost Lord Black’ (What a stupid name, its worse then what they call Potter these days).
So Cyrus decided to approach anyone who would listen. Longbottom was an early win. He was young, but held in almost the same esteem as the ‘Golden Trio’. Augusta had almost completely withdrawn from politics after the war, he’d heard rumors she’d lost her edge when those who hurt her son were finally gone. He figured with Bellatrix dead, she just didn’t have any fight left.
Slowly he built a coalition, they called themselves the New Traditionalists. Bring back some of the old ways, begin teaching the Craft again, and at the same time, adopt some of the egalitarianism of their muggle brothers. The strangest part of his new situation was, he found himself fighting to eliminate his seat in the Wizengamot. Currently his biggest goal is free and fair elections, an effort to eliminate all of the nepotism that has plagued the ministry. It’s still a while down the road, but most things worth doing took time.
Until a year ago, neither of his daughters looked like they would be much help in his immediate goals. Astoria had gained the favor of that bootlicker Lucius’s boy. The Malfoys were in a similar position to the Greengrasses, but suffering from Lucius’s idiocy in the war. The fool should be worshiping the ground Narcissa walks on for saving his family. Without her, both Lord and Heir Malfoy would probably be rotting in Azkaban.
Yet, when Lucius quickly stepped down, and young Draco stepped up, he was pleasantly surprised. He got along quite well with the boy. Well spoken, and he shared many of the beliefs Cyrus had formed over the last few decades. When he took his seat in the Wizengamot, he quickly joined the New Traditionalists.
Daphne though, she had gone above and beyond. He has always had high hopes for his eldest, she’ll make a brilliant Lady Greengrass when he steps down, but her ties to the new Lady Black had been a boon beyond belief.
After Lady Black left Hogwarts with unheard of marks, and walked into the Wizengamot, she looked every bit the head of one of the most powerful houses of the Wizengamot. Her trademark short sleeves, daring anyone to question her place there. She proudly displayed her scarred arm, everyone knew she had been maimed by someone she could call a daughter of her own house. Yet she bore the marks with no shame, daring anyone to question her right to stand among them.
She was a force of nature, and people listened when she spoke.
She was everything he wanted Potter to be, and more.
He quickly learned Daphne had been friendly with her most of their time at Hogwarts. He was almost giddy upon he heard that. His daughter even seemed quite fond of her, which was something he filed away later.
When he thought his daughter might be preparing to approach the new Lady Black, well, he figured he could save the poor girl a little strife, and offer first. The look his daughter gave him, made him think she might have been waiting for this chance since as far back as when the girl was just Potter’s muggleborn friend and nothing more.
When Lady Black said yes, he was a little smug. Even if he couldn’t use the contract he wanted. With the way Daphne is parading her around, his daughter probably could ask for the moon, and be gifted it with a smile. Which is all he really all he wants for his little girl.
Hermione Black was still a little surprised by the turns her life had taken. Her plans after Hogwarts were along the lines of, apprentice in magical law, work her way up the ministry, write magical law, fix magical Britain from the inside.
When she was still, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter’s muggleborn friend, this seemed like an achievable goal.
Then she went and won a war, and had her life turned upside down by that mangy mutt. Now, using some ancient ritual she’d never heard of, he was her half-father? She still hadn’t worked the math out on that one. Whatever the math was, she seemed to pick up some of his swearing, and devil-may-care attitude. She was still Hermione, but when she said ‘shit’ in front of Harry, and he fell out of his chair, she laughed for most of an hour.
Worst part of the whole thing was the stupid robes. She hated the robes. In private, she adored anything fluffy and long sleeved. But no, she had to listen to Sirius Black of all people.
Show them your not afraid
Show them you belong
Easy to say in a fucking letter.
When she was brainstorming her first Wizengamot session with Harry and Neville, Harry gave her a look that said, ‘Your going to hate me for saying this’, the adorable puppy dog way that only Harry Potter can. You couldn’t even be mad at him afterwards, because even if it works, he still looks so guilty. It’s probably a good thing the only person that doesn’t work on is Ginny. She might need Ginny to be her Harry Potter shield next time they plot their takeover of magical Britain.
But no, Harry had said, “Well, its the easiest way to show them your not afraid.” and the little bastard was right. She could almost forget about the scars after a year of Hogwarts robes and fluffy jumpers. Now she had to wear it like some macabre badge of honor every time she was in public. So suddenly, she had ‘trademark short sleeves’ on her Wizengamot robes. Neville almost broke out laughing when she took the floor for the first time. Everyone else saw her ready to kick ass and take names, but Neville knew she was plotting poor innocent Harry Potter’s gruesome murder from behind her occlumency shields.
She likes Ginny most days, so Harry gets a stay of execution.
She almost cursed the first time some pureblood bigot flinched when she moved her scarred arm. Now she had to keep it up. Luckily her best friend let her take out some of her frustrations on Harry as long as she left ‘no permanent damage’. Ginny really is the best friend a girl could ask for.
Daphne though, she made all this posturing worth it. Her and Tracey had joined their interhouse study group 2rd year. Padma knew Daphne from all the little parties the old families have, and had invited her to join them. She never really had any problem with Slytherins, in 2nd year she hated half of Hufflepuff more than Draco or Pansy, and Daphne had always been friendly in class.
At least Draco and Pansy were consistent, with Hufflepuffs, one day Harry was some mythical savior, and the next he was running around trying, and failing, to murder muggleborns. Either he is an unstoppable hero, or an inept villain, make up your mind. Susan and Hannah had to grovel before she let them join 3rd year after how they treated Harry.
4th year was when hormones started kicking in. It all started with Fleur and her stupid thrall. She was fine at the world cup, but Fleur’s hit her like a truck. She had no idea how or why she was feeling what she was feeling, and really just couldn’t work out she was attracted to the blond. So frustration became anger. Part of her still blames Fleur for making an idiot of herself with S.P.E.W., she couldn’t even stop to think of a better acronym?
When she started blushing every time Daphne smiled at her in study group, she started connecting all those little dots. Viktor was nice, but honestly he reminded her of Harry way too much for anything romantic. Someone who people fawned over for little reason, and just wanted to live a quiet life surrounded by people he cared about.
Between making sure Harry survived, her little freak out over house elves, and the onset of hormones, 4th year ended up being kind of a blur, and she spent most of it going through the motions.
Over the next few years, she wrote Daphne off as out of her league, and slowly Ron grew on her (eerily like a fungal infection). She’s still not sure how, but he was good about helping her get out of her head, and she felt like she owed it to him to at least try. She knew it was all wrong the moment they kissed, but it took Ron another couple months after she got back from Australia to realize it too. So they broke up their little whatever without even a fight. Ron had sized up from teaspoon to at least a tablespoon somewhere along the way. He was a much better as an annoying little brother.
By the time she was kicking ass and taking names in the Wizengamot, she had reinstated Andy, and Teddy. The insecure little girl in the back of her head that gets out a little too often had her half convinced she’d die a spinster, and name Teddy the next Lord Black.
So her surprise meeting with Daphne was beyond unexpected. Everyone outside their little makeshift family saw her as this unstoppable force. So when Daphne gave her that little smile she had forgotten falling a little in love with, she was gone. Big strong Hermione Black, rider of dragons, killer of dark lords, proud ‘Mudblood’, was back to insecure little girl with a crush. Luckily Daphne seemed as baffled as she did by how fast they were falling for each other. Otherwise who knows what twisted ideas she’d come up with.
Daphne spent years hopelessly in love with Hermione Granger. She knew she’d never date a boy since first year. She shared an innocent kiss with Tracy after that slag Parkinson was bragging about snogging the life out of Malfoy. It didn’t do much for Tracy, and she tried it with Blaise, and decided it was a little more interesting. Daphne though, she knew it in her bones that she’d end up with a girl.
It was no secret in Slytherin, but she had boys from all the other houses begging her just to look at them.
She thought of the girl as little more than a friend, until she started sending her those little shy smiles in 4th year. By the end of the year she was looking forward to each one. At one point she was debating asking father about how he’d feel if she married a muggleborn. His favorite grandparent was a muggleborn, and he had nothing against them in principle, but he also cared about alliances, and strengthening the family. She was afraid he’d be against someone without a House to back them up.
By the end of the year it had all turned to a nightmare. Watching her dance with Viktor, and then the return of Voldemort. She knew getting caught dating a muggleborn as a Slytherin would get her killed by some overzealous upper year. So she boxed up her infatuation, and set it aside. She had to survive the war first, then she could worry about her love life. Watching Hermione chase after Weasley for 2 years almost broke her. She was almost thankful their study group couldn’t meet most of 5th year with the toad running around. She had gotten it mostly under control by 6th year.
When Hermione walked out of the war as a triumphing hero she was ecstatic, until she caught her kissing Weasley. Luckily that nightmare didn’t last.
With the paper hailing her as hero, and naming her the brightest witch of an age, she knew father would never say no.
When Hermione Granger became Hermione Black, it was like a dream come true.
She didn’t even have to ask father, he approached her. She almost fainted.
Sitting in the Wizengamot gallery watching her run roughshod over men three times her age was glorious.
When she said yes to the contract, it was amazing. She vowed to never let her go.
She knew she was well in truly in love with Hermione the first time she visited the Black Library.
Her girlfriend had filled it with some of the comfiest chairs she had ever sat in. She was watching Hermione read some ancient book on the Craft, wearing a frumpy over-sized sweater. Her hair was an untamed mess, and her ugly cat was taking up as much space as he could in her lap. The stupid cat looking at her like some usurper.
Yet she couldn’t take her eyes off her.
Daphne Greengrass decided she would have no one else.