"That's not how I imagined it here, it looks so normal."
"What did you think it would look like, like a fairytale castle?" Sirius wanted to know from his son.
"I wouldn't have been surprised by the name," Harry admitted meekly.
"The name is derived from two old families that are unfortunately now extinct," explained Severus.
“Is it privately owned?” The young man wanted to know and looked around further.
“No, there were no heirs, no one was destroyed in a fight and there was certainly no will, so the entire property is state property. .Or, to put it another way, a state treasure, at least that's what you could call it, ”Ariel said.
"Sweetheart?"
The teenagers looked questioningly at the adults.
“The interior is not only a dream but also incredibly valuable. .There are also many rare animals to be found in the woods, ”Remus explained.
"Which explains why the ball is here," Draco muttered.
"That's right, England wants to show the Greeks what it's got."
"Sounds very suggestive," Sirius grinned.
.severus just rolled his eyes, but then had to smile himself. To him politics often sounded like nothing more than a tail comparison. Of course he didn't say that.
."Can we just wander through the halls like that?" Harry asked curiously.
“Only when the ball has officially opened,” explained Fleur.
“Who is actually taking care of Gabrielle today? .it's still way too small for such an event, ”Percy wanted to know.
“My parents have agreed to spend the day with her. You're going to a reptile zoo with her, ”Hermione smiled.
."I hope you can get my sister out of there, too, and that without letting the little one go with you," giggled the Veela.
“Maybe we should check your bags later. Just to be sure, "Remus agreed.
.almost all of Harry's friends were there today. Only the other champions were missing.The Weasley parents were no longer allowed to attend such events, but not even they were stupid enough to forbid their children from meeting the Greeks. .Of course, the two adults promised each other new contacts and more power, but the youngsters didn't care. They were just happy to finally be able to do something together again. .and if it was a ball that was fine too.
Harry also saw all of the teachers at Hogwarts, with the exception of Dumbledore, who hit it off. Nobody seemed to want to miss this day.
."Well, are you looking for your gentleman?" Asked Ron with a wink.
Harry immediately darkened a bit, but he was in control.
"Absolutely," he admitted.
"Oh, I wish I had been there when Mr. .malfoy asked you if he could advertise you, "languished Daphne.
"You went to the party," Colin muttered.
"Yeah, but we didn't see the kiss," Astoria pouted.
The boys looked at the girls in disbelief. .even Fleur and Ariel had asterisks in their eyes.
"Why do you look so dreamy? You all already have a boyfriend or a husband, ”Neville wanted to know from Luna.
“Oh, Nev, that's something completely different. .every girl dreams of such a moment. "
"Every girl dreams of Mr. Malfoy kissing Harry on the hand?"
For this remark, George was pounded in the rib by his companion.
.“No, you donkey, every girl dreams of something like that happening to her herself. Oh, why are we only with such unromantic guys? ”She wanted to know theatrically.
.from the other women came an approving sigh that almost made Harry burst into a fit of laughter, especially when he saw the embarrassed faces of the boys and men.
They looked at each other briefly and then nodded in agreement. .the next moment they all grabbed their partner's hand and kissed the back of her hand.
Severus shook his head but then turned to Sirius himself.
."Do you think there is a lack of romance in our relationship?" He wanted to know.
"You ask me that after I had to run around in my dog form for days?" Countered the Animagus.
.Severus immediately grabbed his husband's hand and brought it to his lips.
"Of course I can't leave it like that," he breathed.
Sirius had to swallow when he saw this, mostly because Severus never let him out of his sight. .those eyes promised so much more.
“Merlin, when is the ball over? And where is the next cave I can drag you into? ”He whimpered.
Sirius got a few laughs from the bystanders.
"Seamus?"
.the young man turned to his partner.
"Yes?"
"May I also give you a kiss on the hand?", Dean wanted to know a bit shy.
"But, we've been together for so long, and I can't complain about the lack of romance either."
.“Thank you, I'm glad to hear that, but I would still like to show you my love. Especially now and here. Everyone should see it, ”the boy confessed.
Seamus smiled.
"You're so sweet. And of course you can kiss me, anytime and anywhere. "
."Not in my class," Severus said immediately.
Dean ignored the teacher for the first time in over a year and devoted himself entirely to his partner.
Harry watched his friends and family smile at the little silliness. .even if it didn't look like a joke on other visitors, they all had long necks. Then at least they saw who was already taken here.
As beautiful as that was, the green-eyed man was all the more longing for Lucius. .they hadn't seen each other since his birthday party and letters just weren't enough.
"May I briefly interrupt you?"
Startled, Harry turned to the unfamiliar voice.
.In front of him stood a tall, broad-shouldered wizard with dark hair, a mustache and a winning smile that immediately made Harry flee reflexes. His clothes screamed for money and power. .The only thing missing was that the guy would have hung gold coins around his neck.
"Sorry, do we know each other?" The young man wanted to know politely.
"Not yet. My name is Tito Fudge. "
"Fudge? .are you related to the former Minister of Education? ”it came back suspiciously.
The wizard grimaced.
“Unfortunately I have to answer this question in the affirmative, he is my brother. .but as the saying goes, you can't choose your relatives. "
"True enough," Harry agreed, who immediately thought of his own unloved relatives.
"Is this your first time here on Silberstern?"
.Harry almost rolled his eyes as if the guy didn't know the answer.
"Yes, I am," he then admitted.
“You will find that this property is a pearl of national property. .the ministry really made a wise decision when it decided to hold the ball here. "
Harry nodded, unsure of what to answer. .he secretly glanced at his friends and his fathers, but they had meanwhile also become involved in conversations.
'When did that happen again?'
"Mr. Potter, won't you be sixth year in the fall? "
.The young man looked completely taken aback at his counterpart.
“Yes, yes, that's right. Are you asking for a reason? "
“Absolutely, you are now at the age where you have to worry about your future. .I would like to give you some suggestions. "
“Thank you, that's very kind of you, but I've already decided what I want to be. And I wouldn't be a lawyer anyway, ”Harry replied with a smile.
.the man across from him opened his eyes in surprise.
"How do you know what I do for a living?"
"Because you ask questions whose answers you already know," the green-eyed man didn't say that out loud, of course.
"You guessed it well?" He suggested.
."I won't believe you," replied the wizard bluntly.
"I can't think of any other reason, because I don't have any vision," Harry explained.
.Suddenly Fudge came very close to the green-eyed man and his gaze suddenly had something very suggestive. Instantly Harry's hand went to his wand.
“So no visionary talent, I even believe you. .But isn't it more like that you knew exactly who I am from the start? After all, your father works in the ministry, he's even on the council, I'm sure he told you about me. .through his vassals he is always very well informed. "
"Why should he have done that?" Harry wanted to know.
.“Because you are now at the age where you should not only worry about your professional future, but also your private one. You will soon have a large number of seats, but you are very inexperienced when it comes to politics. .I am sure Lord Black would definitely like to prevent your seats from falling into the wrong hands or from getting into someone who doesn't mean it well with you. "
“Then why should he tell me something about his colleagues? .Apart from the fact that I always get very detailed information about politics in this country. "" Even if I find it deadly boring and backward. "
.Harry slowly lost patience, the guy was standing far too close to him, not even a Greek would find this distance pleasant. He was also talking about things that he apparently had no idea about.
.“I like how innocent you are. Your father is of course looking for a suitable partner for you. Is it not so? .that's why you knew something about me, and the fact that you even made a note of my job shows me that you are interested in spite of your innocence. Very gratifying for me, and also very flattering. "
.Harry's eyes almost fell out of his head with this more than flawed gift of combination. This man knew even less about the world than he himself. .and that he also seemed to believe what he was saying made the whole thing worse. The guy had to be a terrible lawyer or he'd only had easy cases so far.
.What hit the bottom of the barrel, however, was the next action of this right-winger.fudge had seized the opportunity and grabbed Harry's hand, he was just about to bring it to his lips when the young man leapt back to be out of the reach of Mr. I-am-a-gift-to-the- World come.
.fudge stood there for a moment, completely perplexed, but then he grinned again.
“You really are as shy as people say I thought it was just a show to make yourself more interesting. But as I see it is not the case. "
."I can assure you that my refusal has nothing to do with shyness," Harry growled.
He wanted to say something else, but then suddenly he saw the man for whom his heart had been beating for almost two years.
.As always, lucius had appeared at the ball a little later. This time not because he wanted to make a spectacular performance but because he still had to work. Otherwise he would have come with the others. .he didn't want to leave Harry alone at this event. The first official ball was always a balancing act. And that's why the blonde was now looking for Harry in the pack.
.It wasn't long before he saw Draco's pale head of hair and the tall figure of Severus, so the shy cat couldn't be far either. And yes, there he was, talking to ...
'No, not that. .what did Harry do to get this steamy chatterbox? ’
Lucius quickly made his way through the crowd and just saw Harry ward off a more than tasteless approach of this notorious gigolo.
.'Well, not like that, that means war', the man growled inwardly.
"Harry, sorry for keeping you waiting, it really is unforgivable of me."
With the words, HE took Harry's hand and breathed a kiss on it. .The politician was only able to hold back a sideways glance at this substitute bench rival.
Immediately the young man's features lit up.
"Mr. Mal, ... I mean, Lucius, it's nice that you're here. "
.lucius straightened up and pulled Harry a little closer to him. Only now did he allow himself to take a closer look at these lacquer monkeys with the stupid taste in fashion.
"Tito," he greeted him icily.
."Good afternoon, Lucius, I didn't think you'd be interested in Mr. Potter."
"Because neither Harry nor I like to publicize our private lives."
."Then Lord Black has chosen you as the future husband for the young hero?"
Lucius shot Harry a questioning look.
"Mr. Fudge is stiff and firmly convinced that Sirius is up to just that. To sell me off. "
."Why should he do this?" Growled the blonde.
"As if that wasn't obvious," Tito replied puffily.
Lucius only raised an eyebrow, but one hand was already on his wand.
.“So you want to go high and are you ensnaring Harry for it? I have to disappoint you, this young man doesn't believe in arranging marriages. "
Tito nodded at the sign that he had understood.
."I'm glad to hear that, because it means that I still have chances too."
"Please?" Harry said in disbelief.
'I wouldn't even let you touch my corpse.'
Lucius patted his little one on the back for reassurance.
."I would advise you to give up."
"Are you threatening me, Lucius?"
This one smiled coldly.
“Don't forget, this is an official ball, even if the Greeks are there. .a threat is the most harmless thing you have to deal with if you press my companion for a long time. "
Tito looked around at the other guests before turning back to his opponent.
."You may not like it, which I even understand, but it doesn't change the fact that you are trying to claim Harry Potter for yourself, so I'll tell you right away." .for many it will be a declaration of war, no one will leave this beauty to you without a fight. Even if I withdraw, which I won't do, others will come. Younger, better looking. .in the end you will most certainly lose. "
Lucius was about to answer, but Harry got ahead of him:
“No way to lose, nobody has a chance against this man. And what does younger and better looking mean here? .as if there was someone like that. If anyone here is a beauty, then it's Lucius, not me. You'd have to be blind not to see that. "
That completely took the wind out of Fudge's sails. He just stared at Harry.
."Thank you for this nice compliment," came Lucius.
Immediately Harry went bright red so clearly he had never expressed his feelings before. Especially not in front of Lucius himself. And then in front of a lot of witnesses.
.“I'm just telling the truth. And I only let you woo me. You know that, I've been waiting for this for a long time. I will not allow anyone else to be ensnared. .everyone who tries will experience firsthand how well I can now handle my wild magic! "
At the words, the white streak straightened as a bolt.
.since this was an official ball, he was allowed to make threats. After all, at such events it was about showing others how strong you were. Even fights were allowed to some extent.
.lucius gave the stunned Fudge a confident smile and then gently stroked Harry's strand.
"You'd better leave now before Harry completely mutates into a fighting mackerel and turns you into a hydrant. .you'd better say in which Muggle park you want to be set up. "
That was Severus, the man's bad mood could still be seen from the moon. .he had a look on it that he would not have given even the worst students in his worst teacher days. And the effect didn't fail either, Fudge was about to piss his pants and yell at his mom.
."Um, yes, I'm sorry to have bothered you. But remember my warning, your son will attract many more admirers. No matter whether male or female, if you then need a lawyer, then ... "
."You go at last," Sirius hissed now and visibly played with his wand.
And he was gone.
Harry sighed in relief.
"Thank you, the guy didn't go at all, he was even worse than his brother."
."Must be genes," growled Severus.
“It's hard to believe, but he's a good lawyer. At least for rich bitches who complain to their ex-husband for money, "sneered Lucius.
."Why didn't you help him earlier?" Draco asked Severus and Sirius.
“Because I had to put some intrusive interlocutors to flight myself. And Sirius was no different, "Severus admitted.
.“It bothers me a lot that Harry was given that name, but I still like this kind of event more than the fun parties. Nobody looks angry here when you pull the wand. It is even expected. .I love to scare these idiots, "Sirius grinned.
"How are you, kid?" Severus wanted to know.
“As soon as my adrenaline is drained, I will probably pass out. .Merlin, what was I thinking? ”Harry yelped.
Lucius rubbed the angry wizard on the back.
“I really liked it,” he confessed.
"You like everything about Harry," Ariel added.
."The minister is here, he'll be opening the ball in a moment," the blonde changed the subject and headed for the lectern with Harry.
"That can be fun," sighed Hermione, referring to the event.