AN: If you are reading this for a second time, or you have read this story before, you will notice that this chapter is new as of whenever I updated the story to this point, so yeah, onto the story. I'll be updating and adding new chapters as fast as I can. I must apologize profusely for the extended wait for any and all fans of the story. Now onto the story.

Date Posted: 03/10/19

Chapter VII

19 August 1988

Harry sat still as Bella told him of the different families, "The House of Malfoy was not always British, and they are actually one of the youngest houses among those in the Sacred 28. There are only two members of that House remaining. Can you tell me who?"

"Cousin Draco and Auntie Cissa," Harry replied with a confident nod that made her smile.

Bella put a notch on parchment before she spoke, "Correct, Draco and Cissa are the only two Malfoys alive. That puts them in a tenuous position in terms of House survivability, but it also increases the likelihood of people trying to gain their favour. You will have to deal with this even more so."

"Because I'm the last Potter?" he asked.

"And the heir to the Lestrange and Black families. I can't have children, and neither can Sirius, so all three of those Houses ride on your shoulders. This means that you have to pass on the mantle of three different Houses to your children. There's more to tell about this when you are older, for it is something an eight-year-old will not need to know," she finished speaking while smirking.

Sirius popped his head through the door and said, "Hey, guess who's here?"

"Mia!" Harry shot up and ran through the door of the study. He looked down the stairs of Grimmauld and smiled as he saw Hermione standing there with Remus.

"Hello Harry," Hermione said as she waved up the stairs.

Harry bounded down the steps until he practically collided with her in a hug. She made an 'oof' noise and then returned the hug.

"Harry! Hermione! Come on up to the study for your lessons!" Bella called with a smile on her face.

Those two are either going to be the death of me, or they are going to make my life so much more fun, Bella thought to herself as the two walked into her personal study.

"Now, where did we leave off, Hermione?" Bella asked already knowing the answer.

"Last time you were teaching us about the politics of the Wizengamot," Hermione led, "You were just about to explain the voting system before my mum and daddy arrived to pick me up."

"Ah, yes. The voting system," Bella pulled out a piece of parchment that had a diagram of all the different types of houses on it.

"Now, there are four types of Houses in the Wizengamot. Minor Houses, Noble Houses, Noble and Ancient Houses, and then Noble and Most Ancient Houses. Each type has a set number of votes, and each is able to do certain things. Are you with me so far?" Bella asked real quick.

Seeing both of them nod, she continued, "Minor Houses, such as that of the Minor House of Dumbledore, only receive one vote, and they must be a part of a political alliance with a House of greater standing. For instance, The Minor House of Dumbledore is currently aligned to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Bones. Blood purity is not considered for minor houses, but there has never been a mundane house in the Wizengamot-"

"Why not, Miss Bella?" Hermione asked with a slight frown.

"Because the wizarding world is full of people who do not understand the value of new people in an old world," Bella answered with a sad smile.

Hermione was still frowning, but she let Bella continue, "Noble Houses, such as the House of Smith, are the start of the true hierarchy in the Wizengamot. The requirement to become a Noble House is for said House to have been in the Wizarding world for at least five hundred years. They receive three votes, can draft new legislation that deals with domestic issues and needs, and they may start new political alliances.

"Noble and Ancient Houses, such as the House of Lovegood, are pretty similar, except they've been around for a thousand years. They receive five votes, get the same perks as the Noble Houses, and can propose treaties with other magical nations."

Bella took a breath before explaining the last one, "Noble and Most Ancient Houses have been around for ages. Most of them have been around since the days of the Roman Empire. The Potters, Blacks, and Lestranges are amongst the oldest. They receive ten votes, get all the same previously stated perks, as well as the power to pen treaties between Magical Britain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, may call for a vote of no confidence for any elected or appointed member of the government, and are the tiebreakers in any tie. At this point, blood purity doesn't matter because all the Wizengamot cares about is that someone with magic is available to carry on the bloodline. That's the Wizengomat in a nutshell."

"How many votes are there in total?" Harry asked.

"Eight hundred, give or take a few," Bella said, "There are a few that are presumed extinct, and there are some that are immigrants from afar, so it changes from time to time. The four Founders' Houses haven't had people sit in the Wizengamot for nearly a thousand years at this point. It's practically tradition that those seats remain empty. There's a few others who have been wiped out as the times have past," Bella finished looking gloomy. It was always taboo talking about the extinction of Houses, but Harry had asked a valid question.

The sound of feet pounding up the stairs was followed by the door flinging open and Sirius popping his head into the room. He said, "Hey, guys, we've got a guest I'd like you to meet."

Bella looked at him pointedly. Sirius shrugged, "I didn't invite him. He just showed up, and I can't say no to an old friend."

Bella just sighed, stood up, and started to follow Sirius with the two kids in tow behind her.

As they reached the bottom of the old stairs, a man with unkempt hair and old tattered clothes waved hello.

"Is that… Remus Lupin? Is that seriously you?" Bella asked, bewildered. This was what the Brightest Marauder had become? A man who wore the clothes of a vagrant.

"Hey Bellatrix, Hey Sirius," he said as he held out a paper bag, "I've got some scones from the baker down the street. She said she baked them just this morning."

Sirius took the bag, handed it to Harry, and then enclosed his friend in a tight hug.

"Remus, it's been too long," Sirius said, letting Remus go, "It's been what? Seven years?"

Remus nodded, the light reflecting off the cursed scars that marred his face. He replied, "Yeah. I was over on the mainland on Dumbledore's order trying to talk to the werewolves to stay away from Britain when my ward monitor went off. The ones they gave us in order to make sure we knew they were all right. It went off and I apparated from West Berlin to Godric's Hollow in one go…"

He trailed off to take a deep breath before speaking again, "I saw Hagrid weeping as he came out of the house with Lily in his arms. I had asked him where James and Harry were. He told me where James was, and he didn't know where Harry was I risked another apparition to just outside of Hogwarts' wards and crawled to the front gate. Dumbledore and Pomfrey fixed me up, and he told me that there was no sign of Peter or you-"

His voice broke as he tried to continue telling his tale, "After I was healed up, I decided that Britain could die in a hole, so I went to America. I've been there ever since."

"How'd you find out about us then?" Sirius asked.

Remus grimly chuckled at that, "I went to the library a couple of days ago to get some information on potions. Well, it's only been three weeks or so since Harry's birthday, and I passed by all the different newspapers there. The title on one very familiar paper was Seven Years Later, Where is Harry Potter? Apparently you guys keep him out of the public eye quite a bit.

"Wait," Bella interrupted, "You being here is all because you passed by the Prophet at your local library?"

"Yeah," Remus said while he laughed, "I only ever look at the papers while I'm at the library, so I only see the Prophet every month or two, and this was the first time I had seen a mention of Harry or Sirius. I got home that evening and wept for the lost years I could have had. What did you think happened to me?"

"I don't truly know what I thought happened," Sirius started, "I tried sending an owl to you once, but it came back with the letter still tied to its ankle. After that, I was so busy with the family and Harry that I forgot about trying to find you."

He pointed to Hermione, "This little twerp didn't help clear up my schedule."

She let out an indignant yelp and glared at the aging Marauder. Sirius chuckled and ruffled her hair, which caused her to yelp once more and playfully smack his arm.

"Speaking of the little twerp," Remus began with life in his eyes that hadn't been there in ages, "Who do I have the pleasure of making an acquaintance?"

A hand shot forward and Hermione replied kindly, "Hermione Granger, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Remus took the offered hand and shook it gently as he responded, "Quite the manners you have going for you. It's good to know that the mutt's proximity hasn't done a right dirty job to it."

Sirius hit Remus' shoulder slightly harder than playfully, but he was still smiling, so everything was more than likely all right.

"Hey," Sirius started, "Remus, what are you going to do after you leave? Stay in Britain, go to the mainland, America?"

"Well, I haven't quite decided yet as to what my future steps are. I hadn't really planned at all, you see. I came here on a whim the likes of which I have never committed to before, so I'm not sure what to do after this. You know me, Sirius, I've always been a planner, so I'm currently in uncharted territory," Remus rambled on for a bit before rubbing the back of his neck and looking down.

"Well, I'd like you to stick around Britain, and you know just how big this place in. I could let you borrow a room for however long you need-"

"No, I won't accept charity, Sirius, no matter how long it's been," Remus cut off.

"What about rent a room, and I'll throw in food and other necessities," Sirius smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"How much would rent be?" Remus asked, interest clearly showing in his face.

"One galleon," Sirius stated.

"One galleon a week isn't so-"

"A month, Remus, one galleon a month. You should know me better than that, Moony," Sirius grinned.

Remus looked around at Harry, Hermione, and Bella, none of which looked upset with the proposal. He replied, "All right, you mongrel, a room and food for one galleon a month."

They shook hands and embraced once more before Bella spoke up, "Well, it was nice to finally meet you, Remus, but I really must get onto the lessons for these two."

Upon hearing "lessons", Remus' ears perked up, "Lessons? What are you teaching them?"

Hermione decided to answer this one, "The Wizengamot and the old families."

"Ah, fun topic there, truly," Remus said sarcastically, "It's necessary to know, but by Merlin is it a pain in the toosh."

"Remus," Bella bemoaned with an evil glint in her eye.

"That's my que to leave. Sirius! Where's my room?" With that, the last two Marauders left.

Bella turned back to her pupils and smiled, "Let's go, guys. We have a few more things to learn."

"Okay, mum," Harry said, and Hermione nodded rapidly.

AN: This chapter was added between 6 and 7, and the rest of the story is getting a rewrite. Currently, Chapters 1-7 are done, and I must apologize from the bottom of my heart to the fans of the story. The Lord of House Potter has just recently hit over 100,000 reads, and I feel that I must continue this story. I lost the muse for six months, but I will try my best to post as often as I can. I simply lost my sense of direction with the story, and I am trying to find my way through the wild woods called "Writing"

Until next time.