Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 53: A Planned Visit
"You want to do what now?!"
His father, Fleamont Potter, was usually a man who showed little emotion. He was known at the Ministry for his cold demeanor and calm attitude, no matter how big the issue they were dealing with.
But now, he almost fell from his chair due to the shock.
"I said that I want to visit the Black Family Manor on the twenty-sixth," James repeated.
"Why would you want to go there?! That whole family is insane!" Fleamont shouted.
"Wasn't Grandma a Black?" The manor had a large tapestry in the main hall, depicting the entire family tree since the Middle Ages.
James was a bit surprised to find out that his paternal grandmother came from that house. Her name was Dorea Black, and she died some time before he was born.
"That's one of the reasons I'm telling you they're insane. Your grandmother was expelled from the family just because she chose to marry my father, Charlus Potter. In the Black Family, the parents have the right to choose the future partners for their children. Or the Family Patriarch, if the parents are unable to secure a viable partner. My mother, Dorea, went against their wishes because she fell in love with my father during her Hogwarts years… That was enough for them to turn their backs on her."
"They didn't approve of a marriage with our family? You'd think that the heir of a pureblood ancient magical family would be good enough for the Blacks," James thought he had a good idea of how that family operated.
Fleamont shook his head. "My father's blood purity was not the issue. The problem was simply that our two families never got along in the Wizengamot. Always pushing for different laws and policies. Also, the fact that my mother made the decision without consulting her family first was more than enough for them to cut their ties with her. She never set foot in that house again, and I did my best to interact as little as possible with that family."
"I see… I understand that you don't like the family. But I still need to pay them a visit. I'm just not sure what the protocol is. I don't think I can just show up at their doorstep." James knew where the house was, but it would seem rude to go there without at least a warning.
Fleamont frowned. "Of course, you can't just go there… I thought I taught you basic manners among pureblood families, at least." The man sighed and sat back down in his chair. "You still haven't told me why you insist so much on going there. And don't tell me it's to visit Sirius, because you never did that before."
"You seem to have reached a conclusion about the motive behind my visit," James noted. "I wonder what it is."
"Hmph! Your mother mentioned that she caught you staring at Cygnus's daughters. I don't care which one caught your fancy. It's best to forget about them."
"That's what I thought…" James realized that there would be no way to convince his father on this one. He had already decided on his intention and disapproved of them.
He turned around and began to leave. "I won't waste any more of your time."
"Wait, James. Bloody damn it! You're still planning on going, aren't you?" Fleamont shouted.
"Why, of course," James responded nonchalantly, completely ignoring his father's anger.
His father slammed his hands on the table. "Reckless boy… And I thought you had matured after what happened last summer."
"Being stubborn is not necessarily a sign of immaturity. To be honest, you are quite stubborn yourself, Father."
Fleamont frowned. "Tsk… Fine, but first, I will speak with old Pollux Black. He is the most reasonable one from that family. If he agrees to receive us, then we will go together."
James nodded. "Very well. I'll wait for the news." He was planning on going no matter what, but he could give his father a chance to do it in a more polite manner than just Apparating on the front door.
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He had to wait until the next day to receive another word from his father.
Apparently, Pollux Black had agreed to receive them on the twenty-sixth. And he had agreed so easily that it made his father suspect that the old man was plotting something.
James could only imagine that Bella must have had a conversation with her grandfather and positively mentioned him.
Then… Christmas Day arrived.
James received letters from many of his classmates, including Lily, Frank, and Alice, talking about how they were spending the break and asking about his own.
He tried to respond to them all the best he could, despite not having much to tell them.
Over the course of the day, several owls arrived carrying presents for him. They were from his closest friends: Remus, Peter, and Sirius. Although the one from Sirius arrived quite late, several hours after dinner, when James was already about to go to bed.
There were just simple things, like candies from Peter, a new quill from Remus, and a book about Quidditch from Sirius. They had previously promised not to spend much on the presents to avoid burdening anyone.
Something James was grateful for, as he was spending all his money on the materials he needed for his experiments and had little more to spare on something trivial like Christmas presents.
"Hmm… What is this?" James opened up the Quidditch book that Sirius sent him to browse its contents and found a piece of paper stuck inside.
When he pulled it out, he realized it was a handwritten note from Sirius. For some reason, he had decided to hide it inside the book.
'Was he worried that his family would control his mail?' he wondered.
But if that was the case, then this note must be about his family.
He began reading its contents. As he had already guessed, this was about the 'family meeting' that forced Sirius, his brother, and his cousins to return home for the break.
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