The Other Potter

Part 13

The silence was thick as the group made their way towards the pub, the tension building until Jasmine broke it.

"...The bloody audacity!" She hissed, clearly struggling with her desire to go back and curse the duo.

"How dare they?" Miranda added, shaken by the rough handling her friend had received.

Harriet let out a cold laugh, "I'm not even surprised anymore."

"Grandfather is going to be furious," Regulus said, a pensive look on his face.

"As he should be, brother or not, Potter still manhandled the heir to another ancient and noble house," Evan said, anger still burning in his face, "feuds have been started over less."

"James doesn't care about things like that, he doesn't think about his position, or the impact his actions have on the Potter name, family or reputation. Hopefully one day he'll grow up and realise his actions reflect on more than just himself."

Her truthful words caused everybody to scowl, all horrified at the thought, as all, bar Severus, had family names that came with expectations. Severus was both blessed and cursed being a Snape, blessed as he is freed from the expectations that many of his housemates faced, yet on the flip side many of his pureblooded housemates had judged him for his 'impure' blood initially. That his mother had been a Prince meant little when he didn't carry the name nor title.

"At least something good came from all this though," Jasmine said, suddenly smirking.

Harriet paused wondering what she could mean, before remembering that she had agreed to a date with the older Rosier.

Evan sent a harmless stinging hex at his smirking sister, "I could have gotten her to agree to a date without Potter making a fool of himself."

Harriet laughed at their easy relationship, before speaking up, "oh, that confident were you?"

"Hopeful," the older man answered, although the look in his eye said otherwise.

Entering the pub they soon saw that although busy, there was a table in the corner that would be big enough for them all to take a seat.

Sitting down, she wasn't surprised that she had Evan on one side of her, and Regulus on the other. Though the fact that her cousin was now eying up the older man with obvious distrust didn't shock her. Harriet's relationship with Regulus was more like siblings than anything else, as though they had traded brothers.

After they had ordered a round of drinks, the group fell into easy conversation. Harriet chatted easily to Regulus about the latest letter from Cassiopeia, who had expressed her desire to train with them both this summer, in particular Regulus who Harriet suspected would be Cassiopeia's heir in their family, the next keeper of the Black Book; From what she had observed, the older woman had started to eye her cousin up for the role last summer. It made the most sense, Bellatrix, for all that Harriet adored her, was too temperamental, too quick to throw hexes, while Narcissa was the opposite, poised and balanced, Narcissa was the perfect politician, cunning and wise, but she lacked the bite needed.

/

"...he like...?" Barty asked, his question registering to Harriet and drawing her attention.

"He is powerful, he's almost magnetic. When he speaks about magic... It makes me feel foolish for ever taking it for granted. He loves magic, and he makes me love magic..."

Harriet turned towards them, intrigued by their conversation. Barty was visibly hooked, staring with unsurprising awe at the oldest member of their group. His eyes growing wider with each word spoken about the Dark Lord.