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Narcissa wasn't particularly surprised when the letter came informing her of Arcturus Black's death.
Her grandfather was old, and tragedy often aged a person. And Arcturus' descendants were just that, a tragedy.
Children, dead. A grandson, dead. Two grandchildren, imprisoned in Azkaban. One granddaughter disowned, the other... well, despite Narcissa marrying into a reputable family, she had to admit she all but turned her back on her old family.
Arcturus Black died alone.
She'd attend the will reading, just to prevent any dispute over who inherited the Black property. Not that there'll be much to dispute. Arcturus had no other descendants to his name outside of Narcissa and Draco, except Andromeda, but she was disowned, which weakened her claim. Not to mention that Narcissa was quite sure Andromeda was quite happy with her life as it was.
When she and Lucius showed up, Narcissa was quite surprised to see Kreacher with a man in attendance. It was rare for house elves to personally show up to a will reading, but not unheard of. However, with how reclusive Kreacher had been, having chosen to remain at the Black ancestral home, she had expected him to remain there until Draco or Narcissa decided to make use of the place.
No matter. Kreacher was of no importance. The reading was about to begin.
The goblin, Griphook, cleared his throat from behind an ornate, wooden table.
"This is the will and last testament of Arcturus Black III. I leave to my heir, according to the most ancient tradition, all my properties and valuables. The properties as listed are..."
To his heir, that would be his son, Orion, but Orion was dead, his sons dead or imprisoned, and all but officially disowned.
"... According to tradition, the inheritor of said assets would be the eldest son, Orion Black. However, due to his passing and Sirius Black's imprisonment, all titles are transferred to Regulus Arcturus Black."
Silence.
Griphook continued, "Due to the passing of Regulus Black, his will shall come into effect as the last known heir."
This turn of events was unexpected. She hadn't anticipated that Regulus had written a will. Narcissa wasn't particularly worried, though her heart panged at the reminder of her lost cousin.
Unfurling another piece of parchment, the goblin read, "This is the will and last testament of Regulus Arcturus Black. I, Regulus Arcturus Black, of sound body and mind, hereby leave all my assets to my most loyal friend, Kreacher."
Silence. Then her husband all but exploded in anger, shouting about the legality of it all.
Griphook held up a hand, silencing the seething Lucius, though Narcissa could tell his wrath had not abated.
"Due to the laws, both magical and wizarding, surrounding house elves, while Kreacher can in fact own the assets as per the late Regulus Black's will, the witch or wizard whome with he chooses to have a magical contract with would be the regent of said assets."
"So my wife is the regent." Lucius grit out, "As that is the Black family’s house elf and my wife is of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."
The goblin turned towards Kreacher.
That's when she finally acknowledged the man standing next to the Black's house elf. At first, she dismissed him as the Ministry Official sent to collect Kreacher for his involvement with the will. But no.
Firstly, he wasn't wearing the Ministry-approved robes, wearing what could very well have been construed as formal, muggle clothing.
The man- boy, even, looked young enough to have just left Hogwarts. And then there was the fact that Kreacher was gripping the boy's hand with both of his own, as if the young man was a comfort.
The boy had short black hair, just starting to curl at the ends, pale skin, and unusually large ears.
His eyes steadily observed them, bluish grey.
Narcissa felt a weird sense of deja vu.
As she observed the pair, she noticed Kreacher's expression. In her memories, the house elf always had a perpetual frown on his face, if he was making an expression at all. But the way he looked at the boy, the adoration, the... awe. It only compared to the way he looked at Aunt Walburga, or-
Regulus.
Now that she looked closer, there were clear similarities between the two. If the boy’s hair were just a bit longer, she could imagine this is what her cousin would've looked like if he had lived just a bit longer.
No. Their facial structure didn't match. Regulus' features were softer, more filled out. Oh, but she could imagine. They could've been brothers or-
Narcissa looked back at Kreacher. Kreacher, who was forever loyal to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
Perhaps inheritance wasn't going to be as straightforward as she thought.
"It is true that Kreacher serves the House of Black." The boy spoke, addressing Lucius's previous pointed inquiry.
"However, you wife gave up her right to the Black name and all titles associated with it when she married into the Malfoy family, so unless Kreacher decides to create a new contract of servitude with your wife, or the Malfoys as a whole, she has no right to the regency."
Lucius snarled as he advanced on the boy, obviously threatening with the way he held his cane.
The boy- no, young man, Narcissa finally acknowledged, held head high, facing him head on.
Her husband suddenly stopped, contemplative. 'Perhaps,' Narcissa thought, 'he noticed the same thing I did.'
She approached the group, pulling her husband back to present a more composed front.
"Apologies. The Lord Malfoy and I were just surprised by the unexpected turn of events." The Lady Malfoy intoned.
The use of Lucius' title was no mistake. Even with the reputation they lost due to siding with the Dark Lord, the Malfoy name held power.
"Kreacher chooses the Lord Emrys as his regent," the house elf all but spat.
"Kreacher," the newly named Emrys muttered, "be nice."
The elf grumbled something that was vaguely identifiable as agreement.
Emrys- but Kreacher called him Lord. Maybe the Lord of a different wizarding family? The name sounded familiar. A quick glance told Narcissa her husband was having similar internal debates.
The man, Emrys, mummbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "And I'm not a lord."
Not a Lord? This was becoming more and more convoluted. Maybe he was a bastard? Either Arcturus's or Orion's. Either way, it would explain Kreacher's insistence of him being Lord, yet having a different name. Or was Emrys his first name?
Emrys held out his hand in greeting, "Malvin Emrys. Pleasure to meet you." His smile was a weird mix of cocky yet humble. A mix of arrogance and shyness of youth?
"Lucius Malfoy." Lucius reciprocated without smiling.
"Narcissa Malfoy." As Narcissa shook his hand, she felt an inexplicable sense of power. Keeping eye contact with the man, she couldn't help but compare him to Dumbledore of all people, but deeper and, of course, more youthful. Like this man had the potential to become a wizard as great as the Hogwarts Headmaster.
Hmm. She should keep an eye on him. It's always good to have strong allies. And this one, even if he turned out not to be a Black, would be a valuable player to have on the board.
Griphook coughed, "Lord Emrys."
A huff.
"Are you able to initiate a functioning magical bond with Kreacher so as to fulfil your end of the magical contract.
"Well, I think I'll have to do a bit of research first but I should have the magical reserves to keep Kreacher healthy." Malvin rubbed the back of his head, a bit sheepish.
The goblin lifted an eyebrow, "And the magical contract?"
"There might have to be a few changes to the terms on both ends, but otherwise it should do."
Lucius still looked like he swallowed a lemon. He was expecting to get access to the Black fortune after all. Suddenly, Lucius's eyes widened. He must've remembered something.
Was that... excitement? Or anticipation?
"And that concludes the will reading of Arcturus Black and Regulus Arcturus Black." Griphook's tone was final.
-
The couple departed with genial goodbyes. Perhaps too genial.
"Who was he?" Narcissa asked her husband as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Emrys. More specifically, the Lord Emrys." Lucius replied, and Narcissa nearly hit him right then and there. He knew she hated mysteries.
"You were practically salivating at the end. I admit, despite being young and his disarming appearance, that boy has potential, but there is something more there."
Lucius just hummed; Narcissa really contemplated using magic to make him tell her.
"The Emrys family was not a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. However, if you look closely, you notice the name mentioned in quite a few magical history books dating back to just as far back."
Now that he mentioned it, Narcissa remembered reading an old Charms book, co-authored by someone named Emrys.
"Not much is known about the family. They were once known for their innate magical talent, but they disappeared over the past centuries. Up until now, I thought they had died out like many other Wizarding family over the ages. If that boy is truly the Lord Emrys, he probably has a sizable inheritance from the Emrys line already."
"There is more." There was no question. The Malfoys may value money, but Lucius was no gold digger. There was something more to be gained here, something even more valuable than money or even reputation. A connection. But why?
"I mentioned how the Emrys were known for their innate magical talent."
"Yes."
"Well, it has long been speculated, among those who remember the family even existed, that this magical talent was because they were descended from a great warlock."
Narcissa still didn't see it. A lot of people claimed their lines were directly descended from famous wizards, not to mention that, according to Lucius himself, this was nothing more than a passing rumour, a speculation.
"According to rumours," Lucius continued conspiratorially, "They are direct descendants of Merlin."