AN: Another one shot for Grace's background!

She was not blind to the talking that was taking place around her about her. Talking about how improper she was for a young lady and how Sirius Black should teach her her place in society.

That he should teach her that her behavior was unbecoming of a lady and should teach her a stern lesson in deportment.

That he shouldn't be raising her at all. That she should be with the relatives on her mother's side even if they are filthy muggles.

That last whisper hurt the most. She wasn't normally bothered when people thought she needed to be taught her place or that Siri needed to be harsher with her.

But they didn't know what her relatives had put her through.

She ran over to Siri who was talking to the Malfoys. They had come to the Christmas ball because Narcissa had asked directly. Otherwise, Sirius never would have come. He didn't usually care much for society.

She reached him and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and hid her face against him.

She felt his hand land lightly and protectively on her head of black curls and he gently pet her hair.

"Little one? What's the matter beautiful?" Came the calm and strong voice of her godfather.

"I'm not a lady." She mumbled very softly.

A soft gasp of surprise at her words made it clear that both of her aunt and uncle had heard her words.

Sirius knelt beside her and looked her in the eye. "What are you talkin' 'bout, little one?" He frowned.

"I don't act like a lady and my behavior is bad and I don't know my place and I need a stern lesson in deportment and I should've stayed with my relatives." She babbled everything she had heard.

Sirius' arms came around her and brought her into a tight hug and Narcissa moved closer to put a hand on her shoulder.

Lucius scowled. "Grace, who said that?"

Grace weakly pointed to the general direction of the Parkinson, Goyle, Crabbe and McNair families.

Lucius' face was one of pure fury as he stormed over to the families she had indicated. "Out. Now."

They all looked somewhat shocked by his words. Marcellus Parkinson was the one to speak up. "Lucius!"

"OUT!" Lucius' hold on his temper was rapidly deteriorating.

All of them suddenly made it their mission to disappear as quickly as possible and he returned to his wife and Sirius to comfort Grace.

In his absence, Draco and their friend Blaise had located the girl and were on either side of her, sandwiching her in a hug. She had her face buried against Blaise's neck.

Draco finally pulled away with a scowl on his face but Blaise kept his arms around Grace, whispering soft reassurances to her.

The almost nine year old hadn't been away from her horrid relatives for very long and everything that had done was still quite damaging to the young girl.

She had formed a near instant bond with Draco, slower only to the absolutely instantaneous bond that Blaise and she had formed.

There were bets taken that Blaise and Grace would end up together.

To Sirius' slight horror, Blaise was the only one with the ability to keep nightmares away from her, especially at first, and so he had spent many nights in a sleepover with the young heiress.

So had Draco, though, which had calmed Sirius down significantly.

"Gracie, we don't want you to be a lady. You would be utterly boring." Blaise smirked slightly as he held her just that little bit closer.

She was beginning to relax at his words and her tears had nearly stopped.

Blaise just continued to calmly rub her back. By all appearances, it seemed it didn't bother him in the slightest to have a girl crying on him.

It probably would have had it been anyone aside from Grace. But all the adults knew Blaise was more protective than anything of Grace and therefore would do and be whatever she wished of him.

Lucius smiled slightly at the heartwarming sight that was his niece and her best friend. Yes, she loved Draco. But, though she saw him as a friend for sure, their love was more of a brother/sister love.

Blaise and Grace on the other hand….that was a definite best friend love with the assurance to become more as they grew older.

"Perhaps you three would like to go upstairs?" Lucius suggested calmly. He knew full well they wouldn't disagree and would, in fact, hightail it to the library. They would likely also grab several others on the way up.

He wasn't wrong.

Blaise and Draco shared a look and nodded. Blaise led Grace out immediately but Draco went around gathering several others: Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Adrian Bletchley, Marcus Flint and Grace's new cousin/sister, Susan Bones.

The two adult Malfoys and Sirius shared a look and a sigh.

"So where is Amelia tonight, Sirius?"

"Working. She should be by in an hour or so. That's what she gets for being department head." The man smirked slightly. Positions of authority were not his thing.

&$#&$#&$#

Blaise sat down with the slightly smaller girl within his lap. "Grace, you don't need to be a lady. You are the Potter and Black heiress. You are higher than literally everyone else in status."

Grace frowned and cuddled into him. Okay, she was not ready to listen to reason yet. Blaise could understand that. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly and held her as their friends filtered in.

Daphne was the first one to speak. "What idiot did what?"

Draco was the one to respond. "Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle and McNair families thought to whisper about how she isn't a lady and needs lessons in deportment."

Daphne scowled angrily and looked at Grace. "Don't you dare listen to them Grace Lily Potter! Not only do you totally NOT need to be a LADY." She snarled the word lady like it was a curse. "But you're better than any of them by far. Their problem is they're jealous of your status."

There was a faint smile on Grace's face at Daphne's defense of her. Everyone else was staring at the Greengrass heiress in shock, even her sister. Daphne looked ready to spit nails at the next person to say something against Grace.

Grace slid from Blaise's lap and hugged Daphne tighter than ever before. "What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?"

"You're Grace. That's all the reason any of us need to be your friend." Daphne smiled slightly.

Once Grace had returned to Blaise's lap, she looked at those surrounding her. In just over two years, these people surrounding her would be considered her immediate court while she would be known as the Black Princess. She didn't know that yet, but she felt it instinctively.

It didn't seem to surprise any of them when she finally smirked. "You're right. I don't need to be a lady. I'm a Black and they will all learn why you don't mess with a Black." Her voice was dark and absolutely vicious.

There was a collective shiver from the group but if anything it was a good kind because each one took on a bit more challenging stance.

Daphne's eyes flashed with the thrill that the shiver had caused her and she gazed at Grace. She didn't know it yet but she had just mentally declared her own love and desire for the girl who would never love anyone more than she would Blaise Zabini. If anything, anyone else would always play second if they were trying to start a relationship with the young heiress.

Against their age, Daphne crossed the room to stand before Grace, pulled the witch to her feet and planted a kiss on her that would have seemed more normal for a kiss between two young adults than nine year olds.

She pulled back, dazed. "I pledge fealty to Grace Potter-Black." She said softly. One magical flash later and Grace was staring at her in shock.

"I hope I never let you down." Grace said finally. She kissed Daphne's cheek then pulled her so each girl sat on one side of Blaise.

Blaise, for his part, took it in stride and wrapped an arm around each of them.

"We will all follow you, Gracie." Blaise promised. The others were nodding or mentioning soft promises of their own.

Grace had never felt more loved and powerful at the same time.

AN: I really wasn't sure where to end this one. But here sounded good.