his paracosm bleeds chthonic ichor - rravanne - Harry Potter (2024)

Chapter 1: The Circ*mspect Revenants

Chapter Text

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.

But Harrison James Potter?

Oh, Harry was all in when it came to strange and mysterious things. One such thing that would literally send Mr. and Mrs. Dursley into a coma if they ever found out about it was that Harry often talked with the snakes in their garden (note: do not tell aunt Petunia there are snakes in the garden). Another such thing was that Harry could now lock pick his cupboard door both with a hairpin and without hands (the no-hands option is getting easier day by day, but he still needs to practice).

However, what truly took the cake was definitely -

"Harry! Coast is clear! Come on" A translucent young man whispered to the nine-year-old boy who blinked his wide green eyes towards him before nodding readily, steadying himself. A translucent young woman approached them as soon as Harry was out of the cupboard (he used the hairpins since he felt a bit too stressed to try picking the lock without using his hands). She was very pretty with red hair and eyes just like him. Her gaze on him was loving, yet concerned. The young man kept darting looks towards the top of the stairs, keeping watch for the Dursleys. Harry was a copy of the young man minus the eyes – those were identical to the young woman’s.

The translucent people, his imaginary friends as aunt Petunia had called them (Harry now knew that was just plainly wrong because the two had introduced themselves to him), followed him as he quietly made his way to the kitchen. He made a grab for the bread he had hidden in one of the cupboards (he got slapped for 'burning' it so Harry hid it away when aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon weren't looking) and some of the cheese and ham from the fridge. Aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon never said anything about the missing cheese and ham slices because those two were Dudley's favourite and he often went down to stuff his face with cheese and ham toasties. As long as Harry left at least half of the original quantity of each, nobody would notice anything was amiss.

"What were they doing?" His father, James Fleamont Potter, asked Harry's mother, Lily Evans, in a whisper (it's not like the Dursleys could hear them, but Harry had winced the first time they spoke loudly because he was afraid the Dursleys would hear them so they began speaking in whispers around him). The two of them had first appeared shortly after they were killed during Halloween, 1981. When Harry was also supposedly killed. Or that's what they had told him. Harry didn't realize the two weren't actually alive until he tried telling Petunia about them, freaking everyone out. He had been 3 years old and he had almost been chucked in the trash because of his "mentally illness", as Petunia had called it. It was then that the two introduced themselves and they started raising Harry to be as independent as a literal child could be. His parents started teaching him how to live in a house where survival was not guaranteed.

"Cooing over Dudley" Lily grumbled making James growl lowly while Harry sighed softly. "Drop it, mom. You've tried strangling them all. It doesn't work" Harry whispered which made the two glide closer to him. His dad ran a hand over Harry’s hair in an attempt at comfort, but it passed right through Harry. The 9-year-old felt a mild chill but nothing else. "You deserve so much love, Harry. So much. This is not the life we had dreamed for you" James whispered sorrowfully, caressing Harry’s hair despite the fact that neither of them felt it.

Harry wasn't planned, so he was a bit confused about whatever dreams his parents had for him, but he kept his mouth shut about his doubts. The two had explained bits and pieces to him when he was 6. How they both had had lovers that had abandoned them for some reason. How they were sad so they got together and how Harry accidentally but miraculously appeared. How much the two loved him. How Harry saved them all after his parents’ ultimate sacrifice. How, apparently, Peter Pettigrew, one of James' best friends, had betrayed them. How it had not been James' platonic soulmate, Sirius Black, who had killed them and yet he was the one rotting in Azkaban at the moment. Harry had vowed to get his godfather out of there as soon as he got his hands on a wand. Because that was a problem too. Harry had great magical abilities from what his parents told him. But he couldn't do jack sh*t without a wand. Well, he could. But he was a minor. And magic outside proper adult supervision was illegal for minors. Supervisors were hard to come by, though. Harry doubted that the ghosts of his parents counted as supervisors. (Although, he was tempted every day to try to argue their case if the chance ever arose.)

"I know. It's enough that you're here" Harry told them softly while his mother looked ready to cry as she hugged her waist, trying not to tackle him into a hug he wouldn’t feel anyway. "Where the f*ck is Remus?" James grumbled not for the first time. Harry had found out that both of his parents had expected that at least one of their friends would take Harry in if the worst came to pass. There was mention of this Remus person, a Frank and an Alice, a Mary. Something mumbled by Lily about a Pandora. And a lot of curses towards this Dumbledore person. Because it was Dumbledore who had whisked him off to Privet Drive. His parents had witnessed the whole thing (including Dumbledore leaving a hefty envelope with the promise of more money if only Harry remained in the Dursleys’ care. So, Harry started despising this whole group of people who hadn't tried to take him in. Dumbledore for not placing him under the care of Sirius Black who had tried to take him from this Hagrid guy but was denied. Sirius Black... well, Harry still didn't fully understand the guy. His dad swore up and down he was innocent, but the two also heard Dumbledore saying Sirius was convicted. It sucked that Harry didn't have access to any wizarding newspapers. The muggle ones were filled with corrupt people that Harry had no interest in.

Harry stuffed his face with bread, cheese and ham. His dad floated away to check on the Dursleys while his mom stood by and idly watched him. She did that sometimes. When Harry asked her about it a long time ago, she told him it was because he was her child. And she could not hug him, so she watched him live instead. He was her little world, much like books were Harry’s preferred reality. They had started teaching him to read when he was 4. Harry stole some of Dudley's old books and with their help, the cupboard became less frightening. He started being reckless when stealing books from Dudley and devouring them. Lily had looked oddly smug when he read two whole books in a day while James had seemed overly fond of the two.

A loud, imperative knock.

Harry almost dropped the food. Lily cursed while James panic-glided towards them. "They are coming down-" James hissed while Harry hurriedly put everything back in their proper places. He then skidded towards the cupboard just as he heard Vernon call out to Petunia to get the damn door already. Harry locked himself in just before Petunia came down the stairs. He quickly chewed through the last bit of bread he had managed to bite into while his parents sat down next to him, holding him in an embrace that he did not feel, but that he felt grateful for regardless. It couldn't be the mailman. It was Sunday. And he never knocked.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Petunia's voice rang out shrilly. It sounded as if she was judging the person at her doorway very heavily. Harry liked whoever it was on principle. "Go check who it is. I have a weird feeling about it" He still told his parents who frowned before making eye contact. Harry almost sighed. There they go again, not wanting to leave him out of their sight.

"You go" James told Lily who scowled. "No, I went last time it was someone at the door" She retorted while James shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I checked on the Dursleys last. It's your turn"

"But-"

"You have someone that doesn't belong to you" A young man's voice spoke and Harry froze on principle. James did too, but it looked like he was more in shock than anything else. "Reg?" He whispered brokenly which made Lily gasp before she darted to check. She was back in a second, looking even paler if that was possible. She nodded at the two's inquisitive looks. James let out a noise that wasn't entirely humane.

"Do we trust him?" Lily asked James who worked his bottom lip between his teeth. "f*ck. I don't know. He was... we- f*ck. What is he doing here?" James asked overwhelmed while Harry curled into himself, trying to make himself disappear into his little cupboard. He really hoped this new person – Reg? – didn’t think to check the cupboard under the stairs.

"Someone? Whatever do you mean? Or... ah. You're one of those freaks" Petunia replied snidely which made Harry hold his breath. He got a dangerous air from the person at their door. Like they could easily harm everyone here but they chose not to. "Where is Harrison?" Reg deadpanned and it seemed he stepped inside the house because Petunia spluttered indignantly. "How dare you enter uninvited? Get out right this instant!"

"James! Do we trust him or not?! Because, if not, Harry needs to run right now" Lily insisted while James gulped before he peeked outside the cupboard to stare at Reg. "Who is he?" Harry whispered almost silently, but his parents knew to listen. "Regulus Black. Last we checked he was a Death Eater. And very dead" Lily explained while James pulled his head back inside. "And my ex-lover. Before Lily and I... Regulus dumped me when he took the Mark. Broke my heart. And then disappeared. The Prophet said he died and I... I mourned him. And yet here he is" James explained quietly, looking towards the door of the cupboard.

"James. Run or stay?"

"I don't know. Lily, I don't know this Regulus. Hell, it might not be Regulus. I might just be a disguise"

"sh*t. OK. Harry, when he goes upstairs to find you, you run, OK? Out the backdoor. Get one of the snakes to attack him" Lily planned it all out and Harry nodded determined while James dragged a hand over his face. "Good Godric, he's so beautiful" James whispered wretchedly while Lily sighed, looking a bit exasperated, but also like he understood perfectly how he felt.

"Head in the game, Potter"

"Always, Evans"

"Harrison? Who is that?" came Petunia’s genuinely confused voice, but Harry could hear her starting to get angry. An angry Petunia was never a good thing. Harry tensed his little body, preparing to get out of his hiding spot and make a run for it.

"Do not play dumb with me. I have lost my patience quite a long time ago. I knew Dumbledore was stupid but this is next level idiocy"

James, Lily and Harry shared a look. "Well, that doesn't mean much, right? Death Eaters hate Dumbledore" Lily said but even she sounded unsure. The three of them didn’t trust Dumbledore as far as they could throw him. They disliked him profusely. But the Death Eaters actually hated the man. It didn’t help them settle Regulus’ allegiance. "They do, but they don't call him stupid" James retorted which made Harry tilt his head consideringly.

"Vernon! Call the police! There's a freak here-"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Regulus Black cast before he fully stepped inside the hallway and then, he went up the stairs, ignoring the thump caused by Petunia’s fallen body on the stairs. "Now, Harry!" Lily hissed when they heard Vernon screaming "WHO ARE YOU? HOW DARE-" before another thud was heard. Harry quickly opened the door of the cupboard before hurrying outside. He hastily put on his shoes, grabbed his coat and Petunia's purse and then, he bolted outside through the still open front door. He briefly heard Dudley crying before he was running down the street, the wind whooshing past him loudly.

"Where does he even go? Nobody lives close by!" James screeched as they glided alongside Harry who hurried towards the bus stop. However fast his little feet could take him. "Have you ever been to Sirius' place? Walburga died, right?" Lily asked hurriedly but James shook his head in a panic. "She did but Regulus might be very much alive!" Lily cringed, darting a look behind them. "Right. f*ck. OK. Remus?"

"Too far. Mary?"

"You know she moved to Scotland before we... God, she really hated the war. But Alice and Frank-"

"Yes! Their apartment is in London! Hopefully..."

"It's our only shot. Harry, get on the next bus that's coming. We don't have much time. Do you know how much money Petunia has?"

"Probably enough for a trip to London" Harry mumbled as he took out the wallet from the bag, looked through it to make sure nothing useful was left behind before he threw it in a bin. As he did so, he noticed two figures down the street. A distinctly masculine one and a hunched one.

"f*ck! Hide!" James exclaimed when he recognized one of them to be Regulus. The other, Harry knew, was Arabella Figg who always stalked him. His parents had told him that she was actually a Squib (a person who couldn't do magic) who had been part of Dumbledore's group (the Order of the Phoenix) and probably still worked for Dumbledore. She was spying on Harry for the guy. Harry ducked behind a few bushes and waited with bated breath.

"Come on, get here faster, you stupid bus!" Lily whined hopelessly while James cursed up a storm. "He's coming down the road. Jogging. Probably did a tracking spell. I don't know if we can wait for much longer"

"What about the Knight Bus? " Lily asked but James shook his head. "You gotta stick up your wand. Or be in mortal danger. Harry isn't going to go into hysterics and I don't think Regulus would kill him so-"

"We don't know that though! Harry, is there a snake here?"

Harry grimaced before hissing lowly as he called out towards the garden. "Hello? Anyone there?" A few hisses in response before a viper approached him. "Yes? A human extending an invitation to converse? That is unusual"

"I need your help. There is a man coming for me. Can you bite him?"

"What do I get in return?"

"Umm... there's this lady who has cats down the road? Maybe you can find some rats there too?"

"Hmm, very well. Would you like me to strike as soon as he arrives?"

"Yes, please. The lady's house is the one she stands in front of"

"Thank you, child"

Harry looked up when his parents called out a stringent warning to him. And there he was. Regulus Black was a young man with lovely, curly black hair and grey eyes. His expression was fierce but he looked oddly... concerned? It softened as soon as he looked at Harry. "Salazar, you look just like James" was all Regulus managed to say before the snake attacked and Harry dashed away when Regulus cursed as he tried to get the snake off of him.

Harry bounded to the arriving bus and entered it, hurrying to get a ticket. The driver grumbled something about irresponsible parents but he drove off before Regulus had managed to get the snake off of him. Harry hissed a ‘thank you’ to the snake who seemed to wink at him as the bus doors closed. The snake let go of Regulus' ankle and slithered away towards Arabella Figg's house while Regulus looked around erratically until he finally made eye contact with Harry. He looked dazed and panicked. Harry ducked away from the window still breathing heavily as the bus started driving away.

James laughed out loud, making both Harry and Lily wince. "Good Godric, look at you, Harry! Merlin, I'm so proud! You're going to be a great Marauder" He exclaimed loudly even if he looked shaken. Harry assumed it was because Regulus mentioned him. That seemed to be the only reason why Lily didn't immediately eviscerate him. She did, however, hit him over the head which made James whine. "Stop that! We need to figure out a way to get Harry somewhere safe-"

"But Alice and Frank?"

"Don't you think they'd have at least checked in if they knew about Harry?"

"But they must know. Dumbledore said Harry made the news as the Boy who Lived"

"Exactly. Which means...?"

"f*ck. They might be dead"

"Yeah. Same goes for Mary. She was scared of the war, but she would have come down to check on Harry anyway"

"f*ck. Right. What about a Floo network then? Any Floo. Hell, let's get him to Diagon. The Leaky Cauldron Floo-"

"You've lost me. Why a Floo? We don’t know where to send him"

"The Pottery. My parents' house was under a Fidelius. Because of the war and their active participation. Served as headquarters for the Order for a bit as you know"

"Right! Oh my f*cking God, you're brilliant, James! Is your house elf still there? Peppi?"

"Should be. We told her to take care of the Pottery, right? And the blood wards should allow Harry in since he is my heir"

"But the Fidelius..."

"Ah, right. Harry, sweetheart, the Pottery is located in Harlow, near the North Forest" Harry shivered as that information washed over him. He felt the magic at play. James grinned brightly while Lily whooped. "Um... what is a Fidelius again?" He whispered since there were other people nearby. Lily immediately explained "It's a charm placed on a location. It makes it so nobody knows where it is unless the Secret Keeper shares it with them willingly"

"Like Pettigrew did" Harry said to make sure he understood. James sucked in a breath, looking pained but Lily nodded sternly. "Just like that. Pettigrew was our Secret Keeper. Not Sirius. The Wizarding World may not know, but we do and that's enough for now"

"How long till London?" James asked curiously, hoping to change the topic to a happier subject. "Well, you can hop off at Vauxhall, get to Tottenham Hale by underground and then take the train to Harlow Town. It should be about 2 hours?" Lily said as they consulted a map that was placed in the pouch of the seat before them. Harry nodded in agreement. "Do you have enough money?" James asked concerned which made Harry shrug. "I'm a child. A few of these trips should be free" Lily nodded tightly at that.

"What are the chances Regulus gets him before we reach Harlow?" Lily asked stressed. "We could always do Diagon" James replied but Lily shook her head. "I thought about it, but it's too risky. People might recognize Harry. Hell, we don't even know if he can enter Diagon without a wand or a supervisor"

"Damn it. You're right. OK. Well, as far as I know, Reg doesn't understand muggle public transport... or, well, he didn't back in my seventh year"

"That has to be good enough. So, we have at least one hour on this bus. Rest, Harry. We will wake you up if anything happens” Lily said softly but Harry shook his head as he watched the passing houses. "I don't think I can. I'm strung out" he said gently and it was true. It felt like his body was thrumming with energy. He fell asleep within 20 minutes when the adrenaline wore off. His parents never took their eyes off of him. Changing to the underground at Vauxhall wasn't difficult. He got to Tottenham Hale fairly quickly. He then got the train to Harlow Town. His parents seemed more and more relaxed with every passing district. When they got to Harlow, they almost looked victorious.

And, then, as Harry stepped out of the railway station, Regulus Black looked at him with cunning eyes that seemed to twinkle lightly with pride. "You are definitely their son. Only a combination of them could cause so much chaos" Harry's eyes widened and he looked around for any bit of greenery but there was no luck. It was an urban area. No snakes to be called forward. "Harry. Back out. Back to the undergrounds" Lily said tightly before James intervened. "No! Take another bus! The Pottery is very close. I remember that corner shop from my childhood!"

"Dammit, James, Regulus won't just let Harry go!"

"We don't know that!"

"Do not grow soft! We need to keep our son safe-"

Harry had enough of their bickering so he spoke to the man. "What do you want from me?" He asked and his parents shut up while, impossibly so, Regulus' expression seemed to soften. "To stop running away for one. I'd also like to talk for a bit"

"Don't let him touch you! He will Apparate you" Lily warned when Regulus crouched and extended his hand towards Harry, which made him take a wary step back. Regulus smiled lightly seeing it. "Raised by muggles and yet aware enough not to let another wizard touch you? Interesting. Or... are you aware you're a wizard?" Regulus asked with now narrowed eyes.

"What does it matter to you?"

Regulus tilted his head slightly at that. "It matters because you're James' son... and I have to make right by you since I couldn't do so by him" He spoke softly which made Harry narrow his eyes suspiciously. "Is he trying to manipulate Harry?" Lily voiced her son's thoughts while James grimaced. "I don't know. I don't even know if I ever had a good read on him. He... when we broke up, he told me everything we had was false. I don't know if he lied or not. I didn't get to ask him"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked the adult to clarify which made the 28-year-old young man sigh slightly. "I don't know how much you know about your parents, but before they were together, James and I had... a relationship. We broke up when I got this. Do you know what it is?" Harry took several steps back when the repugnant magic from the Dark Mark on Regulus' forearm hit him. The Mark was hideous as well which didn't benefit Regulus' case. Harry's scar hurt.

"You do. I wonder..." Regulus pondered softly as he hid the Mark without finishing his sentence. "I know you are a bad person if you have that. Why should I trust you?" Harry snapped making Lily and James groan. "Harry, don't tell people who might want to hurt you that you know they might want to hurt you! It really doesn't help you escape!" Lily panicked while James began reciting his list of friends trying to figure out if anyone could save his son. Or if he could get his son to one of them in the next 20 seconds.

But Regulus only smiled sadly.

"Yes, I was a bad guy. I like to think I did some good too along the way, though. I regret not being there for your father. If I had been..." Regulus grimaced then before scratching his nape. "We could go to the park here. A public space. Would that make you feel better?"

"Does Regulus know where the Pottery is?"

"No. I tried once to tell him when we were together but he stopped me. Didn’t understand why then, but it made sense when he joined the Death Eaters"

"Maybe he isn't as bad as we thought"

James sighed at that. "Being heir to the Blacks was important to him. Taking the Mark was necessary to keep his status. It was what was expected of him. I don't think he truly adhered to Voldemort's ideals, though"

"What do we do?" Lily whispered after a few moments of silence. Harry was staring at the man with calculating eyes. "You stay four meters away from me at all times and you give me your wand" Harry declared and that made Regulus huff a laugh. "Definitely Evans' boy. Alright. Here is my wand. Come pick it up" Regulus said as he placed his wand on the ground and then he distanced to give Harry the space he asked for. Harry approached and grabbed the wand which definitely didn't appreciate Harry wielding it and he put it in his coat's pocket.

Harry then let Regulus lead them to the park nearby where Regulus made a sign towards Harry to sit down on a bench while Regulus sat down on the grass in front of him at the desired distance. "What do you know about your parents, Harrison?"

"Why do you call me that? My name is Harry"

"Oh. Your legal name is actually Harrison James Potter. But I can call you Harry if you'd like" Regulus told him indulgently. Harry didn't glance to his sides but his parents still explained. "Harrison seemed fancier. My parents, your grandparents, thought it was a lovely name. We all knew we'd call you Harry but if you ever wanted a more noble name, we wanted to make sure you could have it" James explained while Lily nodded in agreement. Harry blinked. His parents always called him Harry. So that was his name. No matter what.

"Yes"

"OK. Harry, then. Do you know what happened to your parents?"

"They died protecting me from Voldemort"

Regulus seemed surprised. Probably because Harry knew that much. Or maybe because Harry said his name? His parents had mentioned that most people were too scared to say his name, but Harry didn't care. Names carried weight and if that f*cker wanted to come back and haunt him, Harry would fight back. Anything to avenge his parents.

"That's correct. And you know Dumbledore placed you with your maternal uncle and aunt. How is life with them, anyway?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Why do you ask?" Regulus inhaled deeply then before speaking. "Because I'd like you to come with me. I know you may not trust me. And I understand that. But I also saw how they treated you. The Dursleys. Harry... were you in that cupboard under the stairs? I checked everywhere else upstairs before I came back down. I thought they had killed you when I couldn’t find you anywhere" Regulus actually sounded desperate at that which gave Harry pause. "Why do you care? I am not your son"

"No, you aren't" Regulus whispered sounding like he wished it wasn't true. James let out a shaky exhale at that while Lily frowned. "This is no Death Eater behaviour" She mumbled with more conviction than earlier while Regulus continued speaking. "But I ran away from the war. I was hoping to return sooner rather than later but Voldemort had been searching for me. You see, as a Death Eater, you need to be loyal 24/7. No takebacks. I changed my mind but it was too little and too late. So, I ran"

"Doesn't explain why you care" Harry mumbled and Regulus huffed amused. Then, his expression turned wistful. "I was hoping to end the war then, but I couldn't work against Voldemort out in the open. Because he thought I was dead. So, I stayed out of the UK for 10 years. I didn't follow the news. I was busy doing apprenticeships to get stronger. I would have returned if I only heard about you, Harry. About the end of the war"

"What"

"What"

"What"

James, Harry and Lily all had the same reaction. Regulus smiled sadly. "You see, here is a secret. I really liked your father" James' breath hitched while Lily held her breath. "But I had a duty. I needed to become Lord Black and join Voldemort. I was foolish to think I could accomplish everything on my own. But it was too late to ask for help then. James and Lily had you. So, I ran away"

"... because you were jealous?"

"Because I was hurt even if I had no right to be. I dumped James. I hurt him a lot. This was only fair. He deserved to move on. But I didn't want to know. Dora tried to make me see reason but I didn't listen. So, I ran. I rejoined the UK wizarding world just over a week ago. And I found out what happened while I was away"

"Baba is dead. So is mom" Harry deadpanned and Regulus nodded tensely. "Yes. I was a coward then. But I am not going to be one when it comes to you. I know the Dursleys hurt you and frankly I don't know what you're doing in Harlow of all places, but I'd like to offer you a place to live. A home, if you would. I'd be more than happy to raise you" James actually sounded like his lungs punctured as he knelt on the ground, his whole worldview shattering. "It was fake. The breakup. I was right" He whispered brokenly making Lily sigh sorrowfully as she pat his back. "He seems truthful. And anything is an update from Petunia"

"So, you had feelings for Baba. And now you want to raise me because of them?" Harry sassed him and Regulus laughed softly. "Yes. Something like that. You are free to refuse, but then I need to know you found another safe house to live in" Harry narrowed his eyes at that. "You don't have any right to ask that of me" Harry snapped surprising all the present adults. "From what I understand, you hurt Baba, served Voldemort, faked your death and then f*cked off to nowhere while people died. Why should I tell you anything? Or come with you?"

Lily choked on air while James huffed a shocked laugh. "What the f*ck?" James wheezed while Lily giggled hysterically. "That's definitely your son. f*ck. Well, this is the turning point. Can Regulus deal with a tantrum?" Lily said as she glided in between Harry and Regulus, James following. Harry did his best not to look at them as he kept staring at Regulus who looked so unbearably sad.

"Language aside, you are right. I don't have any right to ask anything of you. But I want to tell you one more thing. And then you can decide whether you want to come with me or not. Is that alright?"

Harry frowned towards him.

"Would you actually let me go if I said no?"

"Yes. I swear it on my magic"

James and Lily gasped which made Harry think that his oath was pretty serious. Harry nodded then to have Regulus go on.

"I faked my death because I discovered how Voldemort was still alive despite being very old. He cast some awful magic and split his soul into pieces. I found one of those pieces but I have not been able to destroy it yet despite having tried for the last decade. What I mean is... Voldemort might be able to return"

James sounded like he gagged while Lily had her face hidden in her palms. Harry simply blinked as he watched Regulus. "So, you defected. Why?" Regulus seemed a bit amused by that. "You surely have an extensive vocabulary. Perhaps one day you can tell me how you acquired it. I doubt those Dursley pigs taught you anything"

Harry's lips twitched at that which made Regulus smile softly, looking accomplished. James groaned. "Why is he still so pretty?" He whined while Lily sighed deeply. "No simping ‘till Harry is safe" Lily admonished but Harry knew she was smiling lightly. "I defected because I never hated muggles or muggleborns. I didn't want to follow that blood purity fanaticism. I was striving for power. But I realized Voldemort could not give that to me just before I was forced to take the Mark. I thought it had been all in vain. And then I found out his darkest secret and I thought I could finally do something good. But it almost killed me. I didn't know if he knew what I had done, so I ran"

Harry watched him closely. He tilted his head as he thought through his options.

"Well, wherever he goes, there's bound to be Floo, right? Worse comes to worst, you Floo to the Pottery" Lily mumbled while James nodded. "True. He will probably take you to the house he and Sirius lived in. And having an adult with you means you have more freedom. You can do magic. You can try to make him do stuff like – Lily. Sirius! We can push for a trial!"

"Holy sh*t, you are right! And we can find out what happened to the others!"

"Right?! And Harry can go to Gringotts and inherit everything as planned!"

Harry let them buzz in his ears for a bit more before sighing deeply. "I don't trust you. But I will come with you" Harry told Regulus who gave him a half-smile. "I'll take it. Can I have my wand back so I can Apparate us?"

"Wait! Ask him where he's taking you" Lily hissed while James nodded fervently.

"Tell me where we are going first"

Regulus nodded as if taking orders from a nine-year-old made sense. "Grimmauld Place is in London, near Green Park" Regulus said and Harry froze when the magic washed over him. "The Fidelius..." James whispered at the same time as Harry which made Regulus blink surprised before he smiled gently. "You are smart. Yes. My childhood home is placed under a Fidelius charm. My mother is... paranoid at her best, violently obsessive at her worst" Regulus said with a grimace which made Harry frown.

"Is old Walburga still alive?" Lily mumbled while James shook his head. "No. Both she and Orion died before us. Sirius had a mental breakdown over it, I remember that well"

"Will it be just us, then?" Harry asked him to clarify, making Regulus nod lightly. "Just us. The house is pretty big so you will have privacy if you want it" Harry took Regulus' wand from his pocket and he handed it to him. Regulus got up and slowly made his way towards Harry, grabbing his wand back with gentle movements as if he was doing his best not to spook Harry. "Did Dumbledore send you?" Harry then asked as something hit him which made his parents curse. "Harry, if he says yes, you have to run" Lily stressed whereas James groaned in his palms. Regulus, however, scowled. "Salazar, no. I don't take orders from him. I was, thankfully, pardoned after my death due to... my brother. He pled my case to Dumbledore. That I was a clueless minor. He exaggerated it a bit but... I don't owe anything to Dumbledore"

"So, there's nothing to hold over his head. That's good" Lily mumbled while James sighed shakily, deep in thought and overwhelmed by memories. "Oh, Sirius... if only you could see him now" Lily put a comforting hand on James' shoulder while Harry approached Regulus warily.

"Can I hold you in my arms? It would be easier to Apparate"

"If you promise to put me back down when we get there"

"Of course."

Harry allowed it when Regulus lifted him in his arms easily, balancing him on his hip. Regulus looked bothered by something but he didn't say anything. Harry darted a look to Lily and James who offered him encouraging smiles. "Don't worry. We are always with you. We'll be there in a moment's notice" Harry blinked once, slowly, to let them know he understood what they were saying.

A whirlwind of magic surrounded him and Regulus and Harry had to hold in his urge to vomit. They landed in front of some sort of houses complex. All of them looked the same. Regulus then tapped his leg in a strange rhythm and another house altogether appeared. "Welcome to number 12, Grimmauld Place, Harry" Regulus said softly as they entered, Harry shivering when the blood wards passed right over him.

"Oo, bad memories, this place" James sighed as he appeared from nowhere making Harry flinch. Regulus seemed surprised by his reaction but he seemed to attribute it to the fact that he wasn't let down yet. "Right. Sorry. Here you go" Regulus said as he put Harry down gently. Lily watched the hallway curiously, especially as they approached a curtain of sorts.

The curtain dragged itself open making Harry step back distrustfully. An old woman in a black dress looked over at Regulus with a frown on her lips. "Regulus. You are back. How- who is that?" The woman was speaking elegantly at first and then she looked absolutely disgusted as she looked down at Harry. Harry glared back at her but his view of her was interrupted by Regulus who stepped between them. "My ward, as of now. None of your business, regardless"

"Regulus, is he a half-breed-"

"I said, none of your business, Walburga"

"You may be Lord Black now, but there is honour in blood purity, young man. You don’t get to sully my fathers' home by bringing in a filthy-"

"Merlin, I can't believe we managed to live 16 years in this house with you without going insane" Regulus mumbled before making an elegant movement with his wand and magically dragging the curtains shut despite Walburga's protests. He then sighed. "Sorry about her. She spelt the bloody portrait to the wall and I still haven't figured out how to get rid of it. As long as you're quiet when you go by her, she won't come out"

"Nasty old bat" James seethed as they walked by the portrait which almost made Harry laugh while Lily tutted. "We already taught Harry way too many curse words as is"

"Yes, but he should learn to be creative too” James replied cheekily which did make Harry smile, reaction which he hid by looking at a room they passed by. He noticed some sort of tapestry but he let it be, curious as to where Regulus was leading him.

The kitchen, it seemed.

The house was old, definitely, and it smelt of the repugnant magic Harry felt from the Dark Mark but it was also... comforting, in a strange way. There were at least two rooms around here that didn't feel foul.

"It's almost lunch time. Do you have any preference?" Regulus asked him curiously as Harry climbed onto one of the chairs by the table while Regulus went to check what they had stored in the pantry. Harry tilted his head. Didn’t wizards have fridges? If not, how did they keep the food cold?

"No fridges. They put the food under stasis charms. To keep it fresh. It's as good as when you cook it first. Personally, I like that best" Lily easily realized what Harry was curious about and explained it which Harry was pleased by. "What's a fridge?" James asked confused and while Lily explained the logistics of fridges, Harry watched Regulus cautiously. "No preference" He eventually said making Regulus nod lightly. He then hesitated before asking his next question. "Were they... were they starving you, Harry?" James' and Lily's conversation halted at that while Harry thought about what to answer. He then shrugged. "I learned to find food when I was hungry"

Regulus looked furious for a few moments which made Harry tilt back warily. Regulus' expression immediately changed noticing that. "I'm sorry... I was not angry with you. Just... you should know that, if you're hungry, you can tell me. Any moment of the day. It doesn't matter. You can go take food whenever you want as well. And however much you want" Harry inspected him, trying to find a lie in words and when he only saw genuine honesty, he nodded. Regulus seemed relieved by that as he took to fixing Harry a sandwich from the looks of it.

"Please, tell me that's not ham and cheese. Surely he can do better" Lily grumbled which made James snort. "I'm pretty sure it's cream cheese and salmon. And one PB&J. And some fruits on the side" James said as he hovered near Regulus which made Harry relax lightly. "He wouldn't poison you, Harry. I don't think so, at least" Lily said softly which made James nod as he watched Regulus at work. "I'm watching to make sure he doesn't slip anything in them, anyway. But he is smarter than that"

Harry was relieved by that so, he waited. He saw Lily looking a bit anxious. "Perhaps we can ask him more now. About the others…" She said which made James hum. "After Harry eats" James conceded and Lily nodded in assent. Harry blinked once, slowly before he watched Regulus place the plate with food in front of him. "Tell me if you don't like something. I can go get some pizza too, if you're still hungry" He offered while Harry gingerly picked the PB&J sandwich and took a bite. His hunger won out in the end and he ate everything on the plate under the three adults' watchful gazes.

"Want anything else?" Regulus asked after having already made another salmon and cream cheese sandwich that Harry had inhaled and having given him some more fruits. Harry watched him cautiously, not knowing how much was too much. "It's okay, Harry. You can ask for more" James whispered and he sounded heartbroken by it. Harry blinked as Regulus' expression softened.

"I told you. I'll give you all the food you want. Merlin knows I have too much money anyway" Regulus told him with a small, encouraging smile. Harry toyed with his napkin at that before glancing over at the fruits on the counter. "Another banana... please" Regulus nodded with a hum and he went to grab the banana and slice it into small pieces. Harry thought that was nice. Nobody had made him food like that before.

"He's good with kids" Lily whispered which made James sigh. "I don't know about that. I think he's just... doing what he hoped someone would do for him. Maybe what Sirius has done for him" Lily gulped at that while Harry took note to question Regulus as soon as he finished his banana. When he was done with the banana, he pushed the plate away and he accepted the glass of water Regulus offered him. He gulped it down before he looked over at Regulus who was now washing the dishes with his back to Harry.

Harry sneakily got off the chair and he pitter-pattered towards the room with the tapestry from earlier. Only after noticing that the Floo fireplace was in the kitchen. He entered the tapestry room quietly and he observed. James and Lily didn't object to his sneaking away, but Lily did stay behind to announce them of Regulus' imminent arrival. Harry watched the tapestry curiously. It occupied an entire wall and it was grandiose. Harry followed the branches from Phineus Black all the way to Walburga and Orion and then... Sirius and Regulus. There were a few other families on it. A Charlus Potter, a Yaxley, a Crouch, a Crabbe, a Rosier, a Weasley... Harry frowned noticing cousins marrying each other, however.

"Yeah, the in-breeding to keep the blood pure was very popular for the Blacks. Sirius was supposed to marry Andromeda, you know? And then Andy f*cked off and married a muggle and she was blasted off the tapestry. Sirius left at 16 ... and he came to mine"

"Why did he leave?" Harry whispered quietly but James heard him as they both sat down and looked up at the tapestry. "They hurt him. Very badly. You know the Unforgivable curse Voldemort used on me, Lily and you? That's the killing curse. There's the Imperius curse which forces another person to do what you want and the Cruciatus which tortures you. They used the Cruciatus on Sirius and then they made him use it on Regulus. Sirius thought that Reg never forgave him for not fighting the Imperius and that's why Reg didn't want to leave with Sirius" Harry frowned. That made no sense. James shrugged seeing his expression. "Sibling relationships are complicated. Look at your mom and Petunia. The Blacks are even more complicated because of ... well, everything really. Walburga, Voldemort, Orion, the Dark Mark, the Lordship"

"Harry?" They all heard a panicked call which could only belong to Regulus because Lily glided in quickly. "He's coming this way now. Wand in hand. Think he's afraid you left. He was... he looked like he was hurting as he washed the dishes" Lily said gently which made James sigh deeply. They all watched as Regulus almost ran by the open door before he noticed him and he stopped abruptly. He sighed heavily, looking relieved. "You're as quiet as a mouse. It gave me quite the freight when I couldn’t find you" Regulus said with a tight smile before approaching him, his eyes flitting briefly towards the tapestry before he looked down at Harry. He sat down on Harry’s left side, James looking at him curiously.

"Strange that he picked Harry's left. Does he feel us, perhaps?" Lily asked as she sat down in front of the three boys which made James sigh. "Merlin, I wish" Lily gave him a soft pat on his ankle before they looked over at Regulus. "Why does it say you're dead?" Harry asked him which made Regulus huff amused. "Well, I made it say so. I couldn’t risk the Dark Lord finding out I betrayed him. It was better if he thought I died in his service. But it's a cheap illusion. Here, might as well" Regulus said and he waved his wand and Regulus' face appeared back on the tapestry. He looked... haughty? Pure-blooded? Bigoted? Aristocratic, maybe. James sighed wistfully while Lily snorted at James’ obvious pining. Harry watched Regulus' face on it before he squared his shoulders. At that, his parents also stilled in anticipation.

"I have questions" Harry stated, making Regulus smile indulgently. "I'll answer them to the best of my abilities" Harry frowned lightly at that before adding something else. "You can't ask how I know to ask these questions" Regulus blinked surprised at that before nodding. Harry then inhaled deeply before beginning his questionnaire.

"Remus Lupin. Is he dead?"

Regulus blinked, opening his mouth to definitely ask how he knew that name but he smiled lightly amused when Harry glared at him. "No. Remus is alive. Under Dumbledore's constant surveillance and barely getting by, but alive nonetheless"

"That makes no sense. Why wouldn't Remus take Harry in?" James grumbled which made Lily sigh softly. "Maybe he doesn't think a werewolf could care for a child. You know how terrified Remus was every time Sirius said something about wanting to adopt in the future after the war" James cursed. "f*ck. Right."

"Why didn't he take me in?" Harry still asked which made Regulus close his eyes tightly, looking like he was fighting his urges to...what? Kill Dumbledore? Kill Lupin? Hug Harry?

"Remus is... well, from what I gathered, he wasn't sure he could take care of you. His case is special. He is dangerous once a month-"

"He's a werewolf, yeah. So what?"

Regulus gaped at him before laughing in surprise. James actually groaned at that as he went to slam his forehead against the wall but he passed through it, cursing. "Good Godric, he's so gorgeous. Just end me now"

"Steady now, James" Lily said laughing which only made James groan more. Then, Lily watched Regulus more attentively, frowning in thought. Harry mimicked that frown as he too watched Regulus. "Sorry, sorry, I swear I'm not laughing at you. It's just... Remus is absolutely terrified of you hating him for being a werewolf. He was afraid to hurt you. And Dumbledore didn't help... he undermined Remus at all opportunities"

"f*cking Dumbledore" Lily and James snarled in sync which made Harry scowl.

"I don't care about him being a werewolf" Harry mumbled which made Regulus' expression soften. "Yeah, I thought you wouldn't. But Remus cares very much about that. And Dumbledore got under his skin very easily after... after Remus' lover was imprisoned" They all noticed how Regulus didn't speak Sirius' name but Harry thought that was a discussion for later.

"Mary Macdonald?"

Regulus blinked at that before frowning lightly. "I don't know, actually. I haven't heard about her since the end of the war. Well, at least, there's been no mention of her. Maybe she went into the Muggle world? But I'm not sure. I can look into it, if you want"

"Mary wouldn't. Yes, she was afraid but she wouldn't willingly leave when my son was just orphaned" Lily spoke defiantly which made James sigh lightly. "Yeah. Think Dumbledore got her?" Lily sighed dejectedly. "I don't know" She whispered.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom?" Harry asked which made Regulus cringe. "Oh, no. This must be bad" James whispered lightly while Lily put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"They... they are in the hospital. They were... hurt... really badly after the end of the war by the remaining bad people-"

"Use the proper words. I understand less if you censure the story" Harry grumbled annoyed which made Regulus' expression shatter. "But you are just a child, Harry" he said gently but that only made Harry roll his eyes. "I killed Voldemort even if it was temporary. And I'm the symbol of the victory in the war. I'm not just a child, no matter how much you want to tell me that"

"Oh, my baby" Lily whispered with tears in her eyes, clinging to Harry even if she wasn't actually touching him. James too held onto Harry looking pained. Regulus looked like he'd puke. "You are nine years old" Regulus whispered brokenly.

"And the wizards in power are old. Yet, they're dumb. They almost lost a war, they convicted people wrongfully, they keep treating me like a symbol- no. I refuse to be kept in the dark" Regulus closed his eyes like he was physically ill. Harry was actually worried he broke him until the man let out a shattered breath.

"Frank and Alice were Crucio'd by Bellatrix Lestrange and a few other Death Eaters until there was nothing left of them but their bodies. Their mind is scattered, they barely recognize Augusta - that's Frank's mom - and Neville, their son. They are in St Mungo's Janus Thickey Ward" Harry nodded at that while the three adults let out hissed breaths, probably in a lot of pain that a 9-year-old understood all of that.

"What about Pandora Rosier?" Harry asked and Lily held her breath while James put a comforting hand on her back, but neither of them let go of Harry. Regulus exhaled sharply. "Pandora Lovegood now. She had a baby with Xenophilius and they married shortly after Luna was born. It's... well, not exactly a loveless marriage, but they're not in love with each other. Dora- that is, Pandora, she really loved your mom, you know? But Voldemort knew she was a seer and he wanted her. Evan, her twin, did everything in his power to keep her away and safe. To make her leave. She almost didn't, but Evan and Barty managed to get her out of UK and to Greece. When Lily died... Pandora saw it in a vision. She was making her way back here, but she didn't make it in time to save them. She was too heartbroken to even inquire after you. She assumed someone else would raise you. She thought it would be Remus and... his lover. But then a lot of things happened and then she was with child... It's complicated"

"Oh, Pandora..." Lily spoke between tears and Harry couldn't help but close his eyes. James and Lily both were close to tears and they were holding tightly onto him even if they were passing through him and there were a lot of emotions inside Harry and a lot of people who had wanted to help him but the world just didn't will it so and-

"Harry?" Regulus asked softly and Harry opened his eyes. He had things to do. People to save.

"I need to take my heirship test. At Gringotts"

Regulus looked surprised by the demand but he nodded. "Of course. We can go tomorrow. We should get you some clothes while we're at it as well. And some other things. Have you heard of Quidditch? Your father wanted to be a professional player... and I think he would have if it weren't for the war" Harry wasn't aware of that fact. He heard James bemoaning it a second later. "Lily, I'm a bad father! I didn't tell him about Quidditch!" He whined while Lily laughed between her tears. "Good. He'll be just as obsessed with it as you were. Let him have a few years of no obsessions"

"...can you teach me? Quidditch?" Harry asked Regulus hesitantly but the young man smiled gently. "It would be my honour" Regulus replied honestly which made Harry nod, a little less hesitantly. He then stilled himself for the last point he had to make.

"You need to convince the people at the top to have a trial for Sirius"

Regulus froze. James' and Lily's breaths hitched.

Harry waited tensely, ready to dash towards the fireplace. But the hit for his arrogance never came. Harry looked at Regulus from the corner of his eyes to see Regulus watching him with a pained look in his eyes.

"Is... is my brother actually innocent?" Regulus asked sounding in pain which made James let out a shaky breath while Lily's eyes misted with tears. "Harry. I need to know how you know that. I need... I can't just- Harry, please, give me something to work with" Regulus said approaching the boy gently, his arm hovering in the space between them.

"HOLY f*ck!"

Harry flinched and Regulus distanced instantly, as if burned, but Harry's scare was caused by James who instantly apologized, not by Regulus’ proximity. "Lily! Our will! Our f*cking will!" James called out to Lily who was scowling at him before she gasped in realization. "Oh my f*cking God. The will!" She exclaimed and then they were both jumping around Harry, laughing brightly. Harry wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but ...

"f*ck. Right. Lily, stop tugging. Harry, there is a will in the Potter vault. We made a list of things we wanted to happen after our death. One of the lists had people who could be your guardians. Hell, I even put Minnie there and the Dursleys weren't on the f*cking list! And what's more, Pettigrew is there too! And you know what it says there? That he was our f*cking Secret Keeper, not Sirius!"

Harry stilled. That was it. Proof.

"... there is a will. In the Potter vault. It can prove Sirius' innocence" Harry eventually said which made Regulus take in a shaky breath. "Right. OK. f*ck. sh*t, sorry. I mean, ugh!" Regulus hid his face in his palms to stop from cursing any more while Harry watched him curiously.

"Salazar, are you sure you're 9-years old?" Regulus grumbled as he looked over at Harry again. That actually made Harry grin slightly. Regulus's eyes misted instantly which had Harry's grin slipping as he watched him confused. "Sorry, sorry. It's just... you have your-"

"My mother's eyes, yeah, I know-"

Lily and James always told him that. He was all James except for the eyes. Those were Lily's. It was starting to become a bit repetitive. "Your father's grin... you have your father's grin" Regulus said quietly and James actually sobbed at that. "f*ck, Regulus" James whispered shakily while Lily wiped her tears. And then she wiped James' tears too.

"Oh." Harry whispered, relaxing slightly. Regulus sighed then before shaking his head with a small smile. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"No. But I want to meet them"

Regulus blinked before he began counting on his fingers. "Remus, I can manage. I can drag him to a cafe. Frank and Alice... I don't know about them. Augusta is fussy with visitors, but we can try. I can look for Mary as well, if you'd like"

"And Pandora" Harry added which made Regulus blink surprised while Lily gasped softly. "Oh, Harry..." Lily whispered shakily but his mom had to know. If Pandora had been important to her, she deserved to see her. To ask her about everything. Harry would be the conduit if necessary.

"Of course. I can owl Pandora. She can come here with Luna, if you want" Regulus said which made Harry nod tightly. Regulus then hummed. "OK. Diagon and Gringotts tomorrow. We see how that works, then we can meet the others. How does that sound?" Harry nodded at that which made Regulus smile lightly.

"OK. Let's pick a room for you"

Harry blinked.

"I get my own room?" All three adults made the same wheezing sound as if they were dying. "Yes, Harry, you do" Regulus whispered tightly. Harry looked at him curiously. He sort of looked like Lily when she was angry and threatening to skin the Dursleys. Harry watched him intensely before following Regulus out of the room and up the stairs. "The house is really big. What floor do you want the room to be on?" Regulus asked him which made Harry look at him questioningly.

"Where do you sleep?"

"Ah. I took the master bedroom. It used to be my mother's but I threw away everything in it and brought in new furniture"

"Can I have Sirius' room?"

Regulus grimaced at that. "Maybe when you're older. There's some... unflattering posters in there. Mother tried taking them off for literal years and she never succeeded so I didn't even try. You can have my old room if you'd like"

"... can I see it first?"

"Of course."

Regulus' room was on the first floor alongside the master bedroom. It had his name written elegantly on it and when he opened it, Harry couldn't help but tilt his head to the side. The room looked fine. A bit gloomy, maybe, but it wasn't as if there was anything bigoted or hateful in it. Harry actually kind of liked it. There were a lot of books too. Not (what was it they were called? Muggle?) ones Harry knew. And Harry knew a lot of books. He stayed at the public library whenever he wasn't expected home till dinner. These books seemed to be related to the Wizarding World that Harry had only heard stories of.

"Those are my old Hogwarts books. We will get you new ones when you get your letter but you can look through them if you want. I can show you some of the easier spells to cast. We will have to get you a practice wand, but it should be alright" Regulus said as he walked in and drew the curtains open to let some of the sun shine inside. It was late, however, so Regulus scowled before shooting a Lumos and keeping it floating in the room.

"Why didn't you choose this room to sleep in?" Harry asked him which made Regulus sigh. "I have too many unpleasant memories in this house. I was hoping to abandon it but it has the most powerful blood wards in the world protecting it. And a Fidelius charm on it. The master bedroom is the only room I haven't bled inside of, so..." Regulus shrugged lightly like that was explanation enough for choosing that room to sleep in. Harry watched him carefully, ignoring James's shaky exhale.

"That's why I liked the garden at the Dursleys" Harry allowed that piece of information to float between them, watching how Regulus reacted. He froze for a split second before he turned and he knelt before Harry. He gave him a weak smile. "It was a curious garden. Lots of snakes, even for a place so close to the forest" Harry merely blinked before he realized. He looked down at Regulus' ankle worried. His pants were still punctured because of the viper's bite but Harry didn't see any swelling.

"I'm alright, don't worry. I took an antidote. Were you bitten?" Regulus asked mildly concerned. "Why is he only asking this now?" Lily asked frowning which made James curse. "He must have heard Harry speak in Parseltongue to the snake. Harry, play dumb. We still can't be sure of what Regulus wants" James told his son which made the usual mask of indifference slip over Harry's features. "I was not. You must have frightened it when you appeared by my side so suddenly" Regulus' expression morphed into one of ... pride? And cunning? Harry didn't know how to interpret that.

"It appears so. So, is this room alright? You can borrow some of my old pyjamas before we get you new ones" Regulus said as he got up and went to search through his wardrobe. "It's fine" Harry said simply as he took off his coat and put it on a chair before he approached the bookcase to look at them curiously.

"Oh. I didn't know this was still here" Regulus said softly all of a sudden which made Harry turn. James looked gutted at whatever Regulus was holding while Lily was literally holding James together. Harry approached and blinked seeing a red windbreaker jacket with 7 and POTTER etched on the back of it.

"It was your father's. He was a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team... and the captain in his last year. I will explain Quidditch to you these days" Regulus said sounding troubled which made Harry watch between him and James who looked out of breath. Regulus really sounded torn, so Harry guessed what the problem was and took the decision for him. "You can keep it" Harry said and all three adults looked over at him shocked. "Oh. Harry, I couldn't. It's your father's-"

"He gave it to you for a reason. If he wanted me to have it, it would be with all the other stuff in the Potter vaults"

Regulus' eyes misted but he nodded. "Yeah... you're right. Thank you, Harry" Regulus said gently before going back to ruffling through clothes for pyjamas while James wheezed out a painful breath. "Yeah… thank you, Harry" His father whispered and Harry smiled briefly before going to riffle through the books there. There was one that made him curious. The Tales of Beedle the Bard. He grabbed it and went towards the bed. Regulus had already put a pair of pyjamas there. "I'll go get you a glass of water. Get changed, okay?" Regulus called as he went out the door, clutching the windbreaker jacket tightly.

"Thoughts?" Harry whispered quietly after he closed the door and began undressing. He tucked the money he had left from Petunia against the headboard of the bed before putting his old clothes away. Well, Dudley’s old clothes. Harry wouldn’t mind getting rid of them. Less of the Dursleys he remembered, better his life.

"It's really him. He lied to me" James whispered brokenly while Lily also exhaled shakily. "As did Pandora. She never told me Voldemort was after her. She just up and left. I thought she found someone else" Harry let his parents deal with their heartbreak as he finished changing. He then crawled into bed and opened the book curiously. It was a short story, the first one. Something about Deathly Hallows.

"Check on him" Harry told James when Regulus didn't appear even after 15 minutes had passed. James didn't need to be told twice. Lily stayed by Harry's side and they read the story together. Harry could read very well, but he still liked hearing his mother reading to him.

James appeared after a couple more minutes. He looked even more heartbroken than earlier. "He's... he's crying. Hugging my jacket" He confessed, his own eyes red and puffy. Harry sighed lightly at that while Lily went and hugged James tightly. Harry got out of bed and he quietly made his way towards the kitchen as James directed him. Regulus was, indeed, there, shaking like a leaf as he held onto the jacket, leaning against the table. If it weren't for the shaking of his shoulders, Harry wouldn't know he was crying. That's how silent he was.

"You said I looked like him" Harry said quietly but Regulus still winced and cursed lowly. He then wiped his eyes quickly before turning around. "Harry, I-"

"You can hug me if it helps" Harry finished his offer, ignoring whatever excuse Regulus had planned to give him. Harry could see James' heart melting. "Thank you for that, Harry" James whispered softly while Lily gulped as she nodded tightly towards their son. Regulus looked at him with a heartbroken expression before approaching him slowly similar to how Harry approached certain snakes he knew were venomous. Regulus then knelt in front of Harry and waited, not daring to touch him. Harry approached and he hugged him much like his baba sometimes hugged Harry when he was hurt. Holding his head against his shoulder and gently patting his hair.

Regulus broke down at that, probably because James had hugged him like this in the past as well. "I loved him so much" Regulus whispered brokenly and Harry saw the moment James started crying too while Lily held him together by the seams. "He loved you too" Harry said lightly which didn't seem to help Regulus because he sobbed. "I know. I knew and I ruined it" Regulus whispered between sobs.

"I forgive you. I would have forgiven you. I would have understood. You just had to tell me" James blabbered as he broke free of Lily and he approached the two of them. "He would have forgiven you" Harry reiterated and Regulus sobbed loudly. "He would have, wouldn't he? Him and his bleeding heart" Regulus whispered as he held tightly onto Harry, but not tight enough to make Harry feel uncomfortable.

"My bleeding heart and I would have loved you to the end of the world" James whispered sorrowfully before he went and hugged the two of them. Well, as much as he could, given his ghostly form. "If only... if only I had checked in. But I was a coward. I didn't want to hear about him and Evans. About how happy they were. Pandora tried to tell me about them, what she had seen, but I didn't want to know"

"Lily never replaced you. I only loved you. My infatuation with Lily ended in my sixth year" James blabbered and Lily approached and gently pat James on the back. "I liked you only briefly in seventh year, but I moved on because I saw how happy you and Regulus were" Lily confessed as well.

"My parents didn't love each other" Harry said simply which made Regulus distance so quickly Harry almost fell on his butt. Regulus stabilised him before that could happen. "Harry, your parents were in love. You were a happy family" Regulus said incredulously which made Harry roll his eyes, fact which made Lily and James choke on a laugh.

"I never said we weren't a happy family. They loved me, but they didn't love each other. I was an accident because they were both sad"

"A happy accident" James quipped which made Lily nod fervently. "We love you very much, Harry" Lily whispered ardently, James whispering that he loved him as well. Regulus was staring at him like Harry had grown antlers. He then shook his head incredulously. "One day, you will tell me where you have all this information from. One day, when you trust me enough to" Regulus stated it as if it was a fact so Harry didn't say anything. Regulus then sighed softly. "It's late. You need to get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow"

Harry tilted his head to the side at that. "Will you get any sleep?" He asked and Regulus smiled self-deprecatingly. "Evans' boy, indeed. How smart you are. I don't know. Maybe. But I can have coffee. You cannot" Harry hummed at that as if that was a fair point. Regulus watched him curiously. "Can I carry you to bed?" He asked him gently which Harry considered before nodding. Regulus easily took Harry in his arms (he was definitely malnourished, as his parents told him, but what could he do about that? It seemed like Regulus didn't really mind, though; it looked like he was enjoying carrying Harry).

When they got back to Harry's new room, Regulus stopped briefly by the door and he took off the plaque with his name on it and pasted it onto the master bedroom door. "We will get you a plaque too" Regulus promised before they entered Harry’s new room, James and Lily quietly drifting in after them. Harry's eyes flitted to the door at the end of the hallway which had a plaque with Sirius’ name on it. He didn't say anything else as Regulus tucked him into bed. Regulus sat down on the side of his bed, looking at the book Harry had picked with a small smile. "Have you read it?" He asked Harry which made Harry shrug a shoulder. "While I was waiting for you. It seems a bit silly"

"What does?"

"That the oldest brother would ask for a wand to be the most powerful. It's ... cheating" Harry said with a frown which made Regulus snort. "Yes, I see why you think that. He was rather arrogant, wasn’t he?"

"Yes. And reckless if he took it to bar fights. I'd understand if he had an enemy that was threatening the world. But not for a petty fight" Regulus watched Harry curiously. "Would you want the wand then?" Harry shrugged one shoulder. "Not really. I'd want the cloak more, I think" Regulus blinked surprised. "Really? I thought you'd want the stone"

Well, Harry would. But not for him. For the others. He could see his parents. That was enough for him. Lily and James understood that as they glided next to him, gently whispering their love for him. James then grumbled something that sounded a lot like "f*cking Dumbledore" which had Lily snarling it as well. Harry would question them about it later. If he remembered to, that is.

"You'd choose the stone then?" Harry asked Regulus who nodded briefly. "Yeah. I have... a lot of things to say that were left unsaid" Harry vowed to find a way to have his parents communicate with the others. Harry then yawned which surprised all of them. Regulus' expression softened. "Get some sleep. I've kept you up enough" Harry shrugged. "I don't mind" he said and Regulus gave him a small smile before he bid him goodnight and killed the light. Harry looked at his parents' translucent forms only after the door closed.

"Do you trust him?" Harry asked them quietly. Sleepily. Lily sighed unsure. James too gritted his teeth. "For now, yes" He replied gravely and that made Lily nod lightly. "For now." She acquiesced, all of them keeping the Pottery at the back of their minds for a dark day when Harry would need to escape Grimmauld Place. For now, he slept peacefully in his own bed for the first time in 9 years.

Chapter 2: Hiraeth

Chapter Text

Harry woke up to the smell of pancakes (actually, crepes, as James would inform him later). He got out of bed, wished his parents good morning and he headed downstairs towards the kitchen. Regulus was dressed in a pair of dark green pyjamas that had James watching him softly. "Morning" Harry called as he entered the kitchen. Regulus barely hid his flinch. "Morning" Regulus replied quickly, trying to hide the fact Harry had taken him by surprise. Harry tilted his head curiously at that. Regulus sighed as he responded to Harry's silent question. "You move very quietly. I didn’t hear you enter" Harry blinked before taking a step more loudly. Regulus smiled flittingly before he made a hand movement that Harry should sit wherever he wanted.

Harry chose the seat from yesterday and he watched Regulus plate some crepes with jam for him, a few fruits, another sandwich with cream cheese and smoked salmon and some water. Harry waited until Regulus was sat with his own plate before he started eating which made Regulus watch him amused but fondly. James and Lily were chattering about the house, but Harry had tuned them out in favour of stuffing his face. He had half a mind to nick some more fruit for later but Regulus was watching him every so often, so Harry didn't dare.

"Harry. Ask Regulus how he found you. My blood wards on the Dursleys should have kept your location unknown" Lily said as she drifted in front of her son who briefly looked up at her before asking Regulus that exact question without mentioning the blood wards, however. Harry couldn’t exactly explain how he knew a term that only pureblood wizards were supposed to know. Actually, he couldn’t explain much of what he knew about the Wizarding World, given his upbringing. Better not dig himself a bigger hole. Regulus shrugged one shoulder as he ate quietly, a coffee mug in front of him.

"I asked McGonagall if she knew where you were when I reappeared. She didn't want to tell me at first, so I told her I'd find out on my own. She alerted Dumbledore of this and they sent someone to check on you. An Arabella Figg. A Squib neighbour of yours planted by Dumbledore. Regardless, it didn't take long after that for me to find you"

Harry watched Regulus inquisitively while Lily hummed mildly impressed. "How did you hear about who they'd send check in on me?" Harry asked him which made Regulus smile lightly before something absolutely miraculous happened. Regulus transformed into a cat right before them. James cursed in surprise. Lily muttered a “not another one”, sounding very exasperated, while Harry gaped.

"You're an Animagus" He whispered shocked because he knew James, Sirius and Pettigrew were too. James told him all about the Marauders and how they became Animagi in order to help Remus Lupin out during full moons. That's why Harry always caught all the rats around the Dursleys' house and fed them to the snakes. Lily thought it was a bit cruel. Harry and James were thrilled every time the snakes devoured another rat. Regulus in his cat form - an orange cat with fluffy fur and feline poise - walked gracefully down the length of the table before stopping besides Harry. Harry couldn't help it and he gently pat Regulus’s head which he allowed with a purr.

"Wasn't McGonagall also a cat? How come she didn't notice you?" Harry asked quietly which had Regulus jumping off the table and transforming back into his human form. "I spent a few days at Hogwarts beforehand. Made sure McGonagall saw me. She ignored me when they walked past me, thinking I belonged to a student"

"So, you... what? You stole me from the Dursleys without telling anyone?" Harry asked surprised which made Regulus snort while his parents gaped at him. "I asked Dumbledore and McGonagall nicely to put you under my guardianship. Dumbledore didn't want to. So, I... might have acted on instinct"

James guffawed while Lily actually looked impressed. Harry blinked over at Regulus who looked just a little bit abashed as he leaned against the table, his arms crossing over his chest. "Were you a Gryffindor?" Harry asked him which made Regulus snort, his lips quirking. "Salazar, no. My mother would have killed me if I was. Especially after Sirius broke the generational tradition of everyone being a Slytherin. But I don't think I'd have hated being one. Not anymore, at the very least" Regulus said wistfully which had James looking so very sad again.

"Mom and baba were Gryffindors"

"They were. Your baba and your mom were, also, Prefects in their fifth year. And then they both went on to be Head Boy and Head Girl" Regulus said quietly as he finally sat down to finish their breakfast. Harry wanted another fruit. But he kept quiet about it. He wasn’t sure if Regulus meant what he had said the other day. Perhaps it shouldn't have surprised either of them when a banana floated gently towards Harry and then placed on his plate. Regulus blinked before smiling lightly at Harry's guilty look. "I didn't mean to-"

"I told you. You can always have food when you want it. We should get some vegetables in you for lunch too" Harry grimaced. He hated vegetables. They were hard to cook and tasted oily all the time. Regulus huffed amused. "I will order your baba's favourite if you promise to try it"

"What was it?" Harry asked, instantly interested in the new topic.

"Chicken Tikka Masala" Regulus and James said at the same time. James sounded heartbroken; Regulus sounded melancholic. "He also liked butter chicken but I never found a place that made it similar to how he liked it" Regulus added which made Harry hum intrigued. "Does it have vegetables?"

"Tomatoes and onions, I think. Ginger, maybe? I've never made it but I know a place which makes a pretty good one" Harry nodded at that. "Okay" He agreed quietly and Regulus smiled victoriously. "Lily, why am I dead? I want to kiss him" James whispered sorrowfully, almost whining. "Shh, James. We will talk later" Lily cooed at him while Harry pretended he didn't hear them as he ate his banana. "Do you want to pick your clothes or should I?" Regulus asked him when he was done. Harry shrugged. "I don't know what wizards wear" Regulus sighed lightly at that. "OK. We can pick together. Come on"

Harry didn't particularly like any of the options Regulus presented him but he agreed to wear a pair of slacks that were only a bit too big around his waist, but they got him a belt for them. And a dark green sweater that looked as soft as it actually felt. He didn't want to wear any of Regulus' old fancy shoes so Regulus had to go through Sirius' things and he, eventually, found a pair of Converse that Harry was more than comfortable wearing. Regulus looked awfully fond as he watched him tie his shoes (they were black but had red laces!) before the two of them went towards the fireplace.

"Do you know how to use one?" Regulus asked him to which Harry shook his head honestly. He didn't. His parents did, though, so he had counted on them guiding him through it. "Grab the Floo powder, get into the fireplace, say loudly where you want to go. And clearly. And then drop the powder"

"You go first" Harry told him because he always learned best through visualisation and practice. Regulus nodded and did as asked. "Leaky Cauldron" He called and he disappeared with a poof. Harry tilted his head as he watched the place the young man had just disappeared from. "He's... not what I expected" Harry said softly as he grabbed the Floo powder. "Did you expect him to be meaner? He usually is, but he has a soft spot for kids, I believe" James said mildly which made Lily hum. "Because Sirius took care of him much like Reg's now taking care of Harry?"

"Yeah, I think so. Oh, come on, Harry. You'll give Reg a heart attack if you don't appear soon" James urged and Harry followed what Regulus’ instructions carefully. With a dizzying woosh, he almost fell onto his face out of another fireplace except someone caught him. "There you are" Regulus sounded relieved as he held Harry before helping the boy straighten himself and letting him stand on his own. When they made eye contact, Regulus blinked.

"Oh. The ash covered your white hair. Well, I guess that's for the best. It attracts less attention" Regulus said softly as he dusted the ash off Harry's clothes. Harry was aware that the scar he had from Voldemort was unsightly on his best days (it was even worse when it hurt; the white, thin lines etched into his skin would become red and inflamed; it was very nasty-looking as aunt Petunia told him). The scar ran through his eye and ended just above his cheekbone. It consisted of a myriad of little lightning-like branches that cascaded down the upper right side of his face. His right eye was still Lily's green, but Harry knew he was losing visibility in it and he expected it to go fully white any day now (he knew that’s not how it really worked since he had read up on blindness at the library, but with his luck, he wouldn’t be surprised if it happened).

Ever since that night of Halloween in 1981, Harry's previous dark hair had turned partially white. There was a patch of hair that covered his scar which had turned white the moment the Killing Curse had struck him. His mom had theorized that it was because of the stress he had been under, but, truthfully, none of them knew why it happened. That night was shrouded in mystery for everyone involved. The combination of that tuft of white hair and his very lightning bolt-like scar made Harry very recognizable. But the black soot and ash from the fireplace had, apparently, covered his white hair. Hopefully, that would make him less recognizable, but he was still anxious about that fact. So, he turned to Regulus to ask him about it.

"Will they all recognize me?" Regulus sighed lightly. "They might. You don't have to talk to them if you don't want to, though" Harry shrugged one shoulder. "I don't like it, but I will if it's necessary" Regulus shook his head gravely at that. "Nothing is necessary, okay? You're a kid. Nobody can ask you to give something you don't want"

"Hey, move it, would you? There's other people incoming" One of the bartenders called out and Regulus rose to his full height, making Harry a sign to follow him. A bit intimidated by the number of people around them, Harry grabbed Regulus' hand which made the young man freeze for only a moment before he was moving, pushing people aside in order to exit the Leaky Cauldron. Harry heard someone snap something about rude manners and he turned to glare but they were already outside.

"Gringotts first. Then we go to Madame Malkin's for some clothes. She can do muggle-style clothes as well. You seem to like those more than the standard wizarding ones. And then we can drop by Flourish and Blotts to buy you some books"

"Alright. And then who do we meet up with for lunch?" Harry responded quickly, trying not to be overwhelmed by the fact that they were going shopping entirely for his sake. It looked like Regulus didn’t need anything and, yet, he insisted on buying so much stuff for Harry.

"I owled Remus. Asked him to come alone and unsupervised by a certain old man"

James and Lily took that moment to glide past them, looking around curiously. James looked positively smitten when he saw Harry holding Regulus' hand which made Harry scowl at them while Lily snickered. Regulus chuckled which made Harry look up at him to see a warm expression on his face.

"Not a fan of the old man either?"

"The f*cker knew about the will" James seethed while Lily tensed, looking ready to drop some more creative curses about Dumbledore. Harry frowned some more. "No, I am not" He admitted annoyed which made Regulus hum. There were whispers around them as they passed, but they ignored them as they got to Gringotts where they headed straight for the main desk. "Name and purpose of your visit?" The goblin seated behind the desk asked without looking up from his paper.

"Regulus Arcturus Black. I'm here to appoint Harrison James Potter as my heir and become his legal guardian” Regulus spoke calmly, in a manner that Harry could only describe as aristocratic. It shocked Harry how different he seemed from this morning when he had prepared Harry breakfast. It seemed like he wasn’t the only one who was dazed by the sudden change in Regulus’ personality.

"Oh, Reg. Regulus, my love, I forgive you. I love you. I promise I still do" James whispered as he approached Regulus, tilting his head slightly to place a kiss on Regulus' head without passing through him. Lily too looked close to tears. Harry glanced back at the bewildered goblin who then looked up at Regulus and then down at Harry. He then smiled showing his sharp fangs. "I will call for Slawomir and Griphook – he is responsible for the Potter vaults. Thana over there will escort you to a waiting room" The goblin said pointing at a human guard which the two of them followed.

Harry looked up at Regulus once they were seated inside the aforementioned waiting room which was filled with bookcases, a desk, two sofas and a coffee table. Regulus looked poised and elegant; what Harry would imagine a pureblood looked like. He was wearing black robes, accentuated by silver jewellery and his curly, black hair gave him that air of effortless beauty. He was the picture of aristocracy.

Regulus looked down at Harry when he noticed he was being inspected and tilted his head to the side. "I hope that's okay. Me being your guardian. It means Dumbledore can't send you to the Dursleys again" Harry nodded after a moment of hesitation. "What is it?" Regulus asked then, noticing Harry wanted to say more but didn’t dare to. "Why would you want to raise me? I made a snake bite you" Harry let out almost inadvertently. That had Regulus laughing brightly while Lily's tears finally slipped from her eyes down her cheeks but she was grinning. James too laughed warmly, gliding around Regulus and Harry happily.

"So, it was actually you! I almost believed you when you said you had nothing to do with it. No, Harry, I don't blame you. It was a very clever move" Regulus spoke as he wiped his tears of joy. "But I'm a mess" Harry confessed quietly which made Regulus' smile turn sadder but it still retained its original warmth. He approached Harry gently and placed a kiss on his curls. "That's alright. You can be my mess now" Regulus whispered it against Harry’s hair as if it was their secret. Harry would never admit he enjoyed his warmth, but he wanted to. Harry's eyes flicked over to Regulus and then he snorted. Regulus blinked surprised but his lips curled into a smile.

"What's so funny?"

"You have ash on your lips" Harry replied with a small smile which made Regulus huff amused before casting a spell to clean it off. James looked at Regulus with such warmth Harry allowed a true smile to grace his lips. A soft one, much like Regulus'. He heard Regulus' shaky inhale but whatever expression Regulus made, it was gone when Harry turned to look. It was too late to question him about it since the door opened.

"Slawomir. And Griphook, I assume. It's my pleasure to meet you both. May gold flow your coffers" Regulus spoke without getting up while the two goblins took their seats opposite them. "And may your enemies flee in terror, Lord Black" The two replied in sync which made Harry tilt his head slightly. Regulus hummed in acknowledgement at their greeting. "I haven't taken my signet ring yet, but I'd like to do so, if you will, Slawomir"

"Here it is, lord Black. Would you like a look at the investments we made over the years to double the Noble House of Black's gold?" Regulus denied the offer as he put on a signet ring with a black onyx stone on it. Harry watched it curiously, almost feeling the magic thrumming inside the stone. "Before Mr. Potter is placed under your legal guardianship, we need to do an heirship test" Who Harry assumed to be Griphook said as he took out a piece of paper and a dagger. Harry distanced from the dagger.

"It's okay, Harry. The goblins are neutral. They wouldn't hurt you since you're their client" James assured his son while Regulus turned to look over at Harry, also noticing his discomfort. "They need to prick your finger to draw blood for the test. Do you want to do it yourself?" Regulus asked him quietly but that only made Harry queasy. He shook his head before he extended his arm towards Griphook who expertly pricked his forefinger and then pressed it into a piece of parchment. Harry retracted his arm with a scowl while Regulus placed a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Congratulations, mister Potter. You are heir to 3 households and Lord Apparent to another" Griphook said, making Slawomir's eyebrows raise briefly in surprise. Regulus stiffened. Lily gaped at the goblins while James actually choked on - what could he choke on? He didn't need to eat or breathe.

Harry stared at Griphook. He then spoke up when Regulus seemed to be at a loss for words.

"I assume I'm Lord Apparent for the House of Potter. If I take the signet ring now, will I be Lord?" Griphook grinned showing his fangs. "In name, yes. But you must wait until you're of age to take things out of your vault" Harry narrowed his eyes at that. "With due respect, shouldn't I be able to do as I please with my vaults? My father is dead. I'm the sole heir and Lord of the House of Potter" Harry spoke confidently, trying to imitate the way Regulus had spoken. It seemed it had worked because all five of the ones in the room seemed surprised by his etiquette. Regulus then smiled lightly. "You may access the vault your parents left for you, take anything out of it as you please. But not the main vaults" Harry frowned at Griphook's words. "How many vaults are there?"

"Seven" Griphook replied firmly while James responded gleefully. "My baba, your grandpa, made a fortune selling Sleekeazy's potion for styling one’s hair" James said excitedly while Griphook explained that one of those vaults was Harry's personal vault that he could access at any time. Harry sighed.

"There is a will. My parents'. In which vault would that be?" Harry asked and Griphook summoned a large book. He flipped through it before stopping at a specific page when he found what he was looking for. "That would be James Fleamont Potter's personal vault. I remember him telling me he doesn't want the will to fall into the wrong hands" Harry barely contained himself from glaring at his baba.

"... well, it seemed like a failproof plan at the time" James mumbled sheepishly whereas Lily sighed deeply. "It did. I can't argue with you about it. I'm sure my copy of the will was stolen by Dumbledore. I had it on me when I died and yet nobody said anything" That made Harry angry but he kept his emotions under control. Unseen, unheard, unknown. "But can we see it?" Harry insisted which made Griphook shake his head. "I can't provide a legal copy, I'm afraid. I can tell you about its contents, however"

"Please do" Regulus interjected before Harry could, but Griphook deferred to Harry for the final say in the matter. He then listed the contents of the will. "A list of guardians for Harry in order of the ones James Fleamont Potter and Lily Evans would have preferred to the ones they'd have liked a little less, but still preferred over a literal stranger. The name of their true Secret Keeper. The fact that they left everything to their only son"

"Can you disclose any of that information?" Harry asked hopefully which made Griphook nod slightly. "Yes. But not in any legal context" Harry sighed. So, they couldn't use Griphook for Sirius' trial. "Please do, anyway" Harry grumbled slightly miffed.

"The list of guardians is as such: Sirius Orion Black, Remus John Lupin, Mary Macdonald, Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, Minerva McGonagall, Pandora Rosier and Regulus Arcturus Black."

Regulus choked on air. "What-" He whispered in unabashed shock once he heard his name which had Harry dart a “really?” look towards his parents who appeared sheepish. "Yeah... we made the will when we found out Lily was pregnant. She wanted to add Pandora so I insisted we add Regulus. We didn't think nobody would actually step up before them so... and Regulus was not dead at the time"

"Why wasn't Pettigrew on the list?" Lily asked quietly which made James sneer viciously. "Because the f*cker said he couldn't raise a child" Harry almost scowled at that, but he kept his expression in check. Still, though, Pettigrew was not able to raise a child but he could betray his childhood friends and join a literal Dark Lord? Pathetic. Not that Harry wanted to be raised by him, but the principle of the whole thing remained.

"What... James, what?" Regulus whispered lost as he hid his face in his palms. Harry looked over Regulus before looking back towards Griphook and Slawomir who looked unaffected. He decided to let Regulus deal with whatever he was going through. Harry asked the next urgent question. "What about the secret keeper?"

"Petter Pettigrew" Griphook said and Regulus looked up, seething. "So, you have the proof that my brother is innocent but you won't give it up because Harry is a minor?" Regulus asked which made Griphook blink once before confirming with a dull "Yes." and leaving it at that. Regulus cursed in what Harry thought was French so Harry took the initiative to keep the conversation going.

"What about the other heirships? And do you have the rings for all of them here? I'd like to have them"

"Of course, Mister Potter. Here is the Potter signet ring" Griphook said and handed one ring to Harry. The stone on it was a garnet, from what James whispered to him. Harry felt a wave of magic wash over him which made him blink twice before he looked at Griphook. There were three other rings on the table. Regulus looked at one of them and blinked. "That's the Black ring. Did... did my brother already name Harry his heir?" Regulus looked worried which made Harry tilt his head curiously.

"He's worried he won't have standing ground to be your legal guardian. But he does. The goblins would officiate it even if they only had our will. The Ministry and Dumbledore will have to recognize it if they don't want to start a war with the Goblins" James explained succinctly. And it was as he said, thankfully.

"Yes. Sirius Black took over lordship when we thought you were dead, Lord Black. He was the only Black left alive. He only came to announce Lord Potter as his heir and then he never came back. The signet ring was stripped from him when he was convicted"

"Wrongfully convicted" Regulus bit back which made both goblins shrug. "Convicted nonetheless, Lord Black" Slawomir insisted which made Regulus scoff. "OK. Who else?" Harry wanted to speed things along. He was getting hungry.

"The House of Peverell and the House of Slytherin" Griphook announced and all three adults choked on air that time. Harry sighed deeply. Of f*cking course. The Black ring had the same stone as Regulus' but it was smaller. The Peverell's ring had a lapis lazuli and the Slytherin's had no stone since the ring was snake shaped. It had two malachite stones as the snake’s eyes though. Harry grabbed them all and placed them on his fingers. They all adjusted accordingly.

"You're awfully calm, Lord Potter" Slawomir remarked which made Harry look over at the goblin. That attracted everyone's attention to him which made Harry shrug a shoulder. "I killed Voldemort when I was a baby and I was introduced to magic just a few days ago. Nothing is as surprising anymore" The goblins smirked while Regulus carefully kept a neutral expression on his face. He knew Harry wasn't just introduced to magic, but he didn't dispute Harry's statement.

"How intriguing. A child unafraid of his predicament" Harry watched Slawomir carefully, trying to figure out what he thought was strange about the goblin. It then hit him. "Slawomir. Do you only talk to Regulus or other Blacks as well?"

"There are no other Blacks" Slawomir responded protocollary but Regulus understood what Harry was asking and he looked abruptly towards Slawomir, glaring. "Slawomir. Narcissa and Draco. Have you spoken to either of them? You couldn't have spoken to Bellatrix since she's in Azkaban. What about Andromeda?"

Slawomir looked displeased that his ruse was discovered. "Lady Malfoy and her son have come to test the boy's heirship a few days ago. She has asked if anyone has taken the Black lordship and, if not, if she could. The signet ring refused her. You still showed as Lord. Lady Malfoy might be aware you are back, Lord Black"

If looks could kill, Slawomir would be dead thrice over.

"I want to request another goblin to handle my business as Lord Black. Or perhaps that the other ex-Blacks not be allowed in my vaults" Regulus drawled which made Slawomir nod dutifully. "I can ban them from the vaults if that is your desire. But I am required to meet them for heirship tests regarding the House of Black"

"That's fine. I assumed Narcissa would figure it out sooner rather than later. Can I claim Harry as my ward then?"

"Yes. We need your blood, Lord Black" Griphook said and took out another dagger. Regulus didn't even flinch when the dagger pricked his finger. The Goblins said something in a language Harry didn't understand and then Harry winced when he felt the magic in his Black ring reacting. Regulus gave him a soft, encouraging look.

Harry didn't need the goblins' confirmation. He could feel it. A tether to Regulus. A tether channelled through the Black magic they were both connected to.

"If I am his guardian, can I enter any of his vaults?" Regulus then asked which made Harry frown lightly suspicious. Why would Regulus want to enter his vaults? "You may accompany Harry when he enters his personal Potter vault, but you cannot enter any of them without Harry's approval and only when he is of age. For now, he is heir to three of them and Lord of only one. And, as I said, in na-"

"Yes. Name only. I understand" Regulus said sounding exhausted and that's when Harry realized Regulus had merely wanted to go retrieve the will for Harry since he was an adult and could freely take anything he wanted out of his own vaults. Harry relaxed at that. Then, he tilted his head towards James who immediately approached.

"What is it, Harry? You know I can't read your mind no matter how much we tried" he said sounding dejected. Harry almost sighed. Seemed like he'd have to ask the question out loud. "My personal Potter vault. Does it only contain money?" James' eyes lit up. "No, it does not" James replied in sync with Griphook. "There's a few things I thought you'd like to have. My first broom, a few books, some heirlooms I wanted you to have. Lily also put her cauldron in there for you"

"And some muggle stuff that you might like" Lily added softly which made Harry hum as Griphook enumerated pretty much the same things. Regulus' eyes softened. "We can come another day to get them if you'd like" Regulus offered and Harry nodded. "Should I keep sending you letters at your address in France, Lord Black?" Slawomir asked whereas Griphook looked over at Harry. "And I need an address to direct letters to you, Lord Potter"

"Number 12, Grimmauld Place is the address" Regulus replied for the both of them which made Harry nod in agreement. "Very well. May your gold flow swiftly" Griphook said and Slawomir repeated the official greeting. And while Regulus replied in a customary manner, Harry shot his shot. "And may your enemies succumb to a very untimely death" Regulus blinked surprised whereas the goblins stilled for a second before Griphook laughed and Slawomir grinned sharply. "What an interesting ward you have there, Lord Black" Slawomir said sounding somewhat... fond? Yet dangerously amused.

"Harry, good Godric, are you making friends with the Goblins?" James wheezed while Lily watched everything with wide eyes. Harry grinned up at his parents and, implicitly, at Regulus who was watching his with a soft smile. "That I do" Regulus acknowledged before they exited Gringotts. Harry took Regulus' hand again as they entered the crowd.

Their trip to Madame Malkin's didn't take long, thankfully. Regulus let Harry pick what kinds of clothes he wanted, but he insisted on at least a few formal outfits and robes which Harry eventually agreed on. Madame Malkin confirmed that they'd get the clothes delivered by the end of the month and then, they were heading to Flourish and Blotts. Harry picked a few books at Regulus' recommendation, but he also listened to James' and Lily's input. Regulus didn't put a limit to his spending, but he did tell Harry when he was buying duplicates since Regulus himself had a few of the books James and Lily recommended. Harry didn't want to spend money unnecessarily so he put those back.

For lunch, they headed to the place Regulus mentioned had good Chicken Tikka Masala. The shop owner seemed to know Regulus because he grinned his way. "Hello there! Same order as always?" Regulus smiled familiarly towards the Indian man while James loudly sniffled and Lily pat his arm reassuringly in a “there, there” motion.

"Actually. Two Chicken Tikka Masalas. One water for me and an orange juice for Harry" The elder man looked over the counter at Harry who waved, making him laugh. "Well, would you look at that? Have you ever had Indian food, son?"

"No. Think I'll like it?" Harry was only teasing but Regulus huffed amused when the shop owner seemed surprised. "He's joking. His baba was Indian, so he must have it in his blood" The shop owner laughed heartily then. "He must, he must. Sit down wherever! It will be done in a minute"

While James simped for Regulus very obnoxiously, Lily made sure Harry wouldn't choke in his haste to devour the food. It was really good. Regulus watched him with a gentle smile as they ate, reminding him to chew before swallowing every few moments. When they were done, Regulus Apparated them to a coffee shop in central, muggle London. After making sure nobody would see them, that is.

They entered the coffee shop after a few more moments of watching the entrance. "He's waiting for Remus to enter first so he doesn't just run away when he sees you" Lily had explained to Harry, which made sense. Harry knew Remus had arrived when James gasped. "Oh, Moony, what did you do to yourself?" James whispered as he watched a tall, skinny man with second hand clothes and a slight limp enter the cafe. Harry watched him carefully before Regulus gently tugged him inside after a few moments, keeping Harry behind him.

"Ah, hello. I got you a coffee with milk" Remus spoke and Harry couldn't help but blink surprised. His voice was really soothing. Soft and warm. Harry peeked his head from behind Remus and that had the 29-year-old werewolf freeze. "Regulus" Remus wheezed but he didn't look away from Harry as if he was unable to. As if, if he did, Harry would disappear forever. "Don't make me stun you, Remus. Harry wanted to meet you" Regulus said as he sat down and accepted the coffee while Harry sat on the other chair Regulus had grabbed for him. "He's so thin" James whispered heartbroken while Lily fussed around Remus concerned, her eyebrows furrowed. "He has more scars. f*ck. He's doing the full moon alone. He must be so exhausted" Lily whispered back just as heartbroken.

"You told him about me?" Remus snapped at Regulus who raised an eyebrow haughtily but he didn't confirm nor deny it. "Don't I deserve to know?" Harry entered the conversation which made Remus look at him with a sorrowful expression. "Harry... Merlin, you look just like James. Except your eyes-"

Harry noticed one of Remus' eyes was whitened as a sharp scar went right through the middle of it. It made Harry feel connected to him in a strange way. He wondered if Remus also had problems seeing through that eye. But there were other pressing matters he had to attend to firstly. "Yes. My mother's. I'm aware. Why didn't you take me in?" Harry went for the kill which made Regulus huff in mild disbelief and awe while Remus sighed deeply. "Harry, it's not that simple. I would have, but-"

"If your next excuse is one of the following two, I will scream. Number 1: because I'm a werewolf. Number 2: because I wasn't financially ready for a child. Both are irrelevant" Harry drawled much like Regulus had done when he had been displeased earlier with the Goblins. At that, Regulus actually hid his laugh by coughing while James gaped at his son and Lily laughed incredulously. "Merlin, the mouth on him! That's a Potter for sure" Lily said brightly while James shook his head. "You were just as mouthy, shut it" Lily grinned brightly at that in an unapologetic manner.

"Harry-" Remus spluttered shocked before looking for help towards Regulus who shrugged amused. "Harry doesn't care you're a werewolf. And he's rich. He has a point"

"But I am a dangerous creature-"

"Only once a month. When I could have literally slept through the night while you transformed somewhere safe. My baba and my mother didn't die for me to stay with her abusive muggle family"

That had all four adults stiffen. Then, Remus paled considerably. "No. No- Dumbledore said you'd be safe. That someone from the list had decided to adopt you. He promised me-" Remus didn't seem to be able to breathe. He looked rather asthmatic which worried Harry, but he assumed he’d be fine since he didn’t look like he’d faint. Remus looked agitated… but somewhat clear-headed.

"Oh, Remus..." Lily said softly while James sighed deeply. The two hugged their friend tightly as he shook. "Dumbledore is a liar is what I'm hearing" Regulus drawled which made Harry scoff as he looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's new? Where is my parents' will?" Harry then asked Remus who blinked surprised at the sudden change in topic.

"With the list? At Gringotts. One exemplary is there. The other one is with you. That's what... do you not have it?" Remus seemed to be starting to realize the extent of Harry’s isolation from the Wizarding World and his heritage because he looked even more devastated than before. Regulus actually gritted his teeth at that while Harry shook his head annoyed. James and Lily were mumbling about “f*cking Dumbledore” again.

"No. Harry, if I had known, I would have come forward. I would have tried. There must... there must have been someone else" Remus said desperately as he looked over at Regulus. The young Black sighed as he began counting the people on the list on his fingers. "Sirius is in Azkaban. You said no. Macdonald is literally nowhere to be found. McKinnon and Dorcas are dead. Fleamont and Euphemia are dead. I assume McGonagall trusted Dumbledore's decision to find someone else. Pandora was unavailable at the time, presumed dead. As was I. You were quite literally the only one who could be swayed and you let yourself be swayed by Dumbledore of all people"

Remus looked like his entire world shattered. "Harry, I'm so sorry-" He whispered heartbrokenly which made the 9-year-old watch him wearily before shrugging half-heartedly. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm Regulus' ward now" He wanted to be able to mean it one day – that it didn’t matter. He wanted to be able to tell his younger self that there had been people who had wanted him. They had just been stopped from reaching him. It wasn’t Harry’s fault. He was loveable. But, until that day when he could say he accepted what happened to him, he would feel dejected that nobody had fought to find him and claim him as their ward sooner. He was thankful to Regulus, but he also wished he would have come sooner.

Regulus seemed to instantly melt at that whereas Remus smiled lightly. "That's good. I'm glad, truly" Harry looked between the two of them curiously. It seemed like they had met prior to Regulus kidnapping Harry and Regulus had probably explained everything (the fact that he wasn’t actually dead nor a blood purist Death Eater) to Remus.

"Wait. If Harry doesn't have the other exemplary... does Dumbledore?" Regulus asked as it hit him but Remus shook his head unsure. "No clue. I thought Harry had it. Dumbledore... f*cking Dumbledore" Remus actually seethed whereas James and Lily whooped excitedly at the catchphrase before repeating it. Harry's lips twitched in amusem*nt while Regulus scowled. "Stop cursing. Harry's already picked up more curse words than I'd like to admit"

"He's the son of a Marauder. What did you expect?" Remus asked mildly amused which reminded Harry. "Ah. It wasn't Sirius" Remus looked at Harry like he had gone insane while Regulus sighed deeply. "We usually deal such blows with much more finesse, Harry"

"I don't particularly care about finesse right now" Harry retorted which made Regulus hum.

"Fair enough"

"What do you mean? He was their Secret Keeper" Remus insisted, once again unable to breathe. which determined Regulus to explain in detail what they had found out at Gringotts whereas Harry tiptoed away and, taking out a few of the pounds he had stolen from Petunia, he got himself a hot chocolate.

"Harry, don't wander" Regulus called out in an admonishing tone which made Harry scowl. "I literally have parent supervision" He mumbled quietly in his defence, but his parents heard and they laughed brightly. "Man, I wish they could see us. This would be hilarious" James spoke sounding troubled, but amused nonetheless. "Yeah..." Lily agreed gently before they all returned to the table. Regulus watched Harry intently for a moment to make sure he was alright before returning to his discussion with Remus.

"... means he is a manipulating old f*ck who deserves none of our loyalty" Remus was going on a tirade while Regulus nodded in agreement. Harry sipped from his hot chocolate as he listened to them slandering Dumbledore while James and Lily cheered every time a new creative insult appeared in their conversation.

They stood there for an hour before Remus finally had enough of cursing at Dumbledore. He then looked over at Harry. Remus looked absolutely exhausted. Before he could go on another tirade about how he wasn't worth being in Harry's life, Harry intervened.

"I want you in my life" He said simply and Remus let out a soft “Oh” before tears started going down his cheeks as he wept silently. Harry continued talking when the werewolf seemed to get a hold of himself after accepting a napkin from Regulus. "Baba considered you family and mom thought of you as her best friend. If Voldemort didn't interfere, if Dumbledore didn't interfere... you would have been in my life. I'd like to see what I missed out on"

"f*cking hell, it's like you know them... how-?"

"Don't even bother. I tried and he still hasn't spilled anything" Regulus said sounding more amused than anything, so Harry shrugged. "I'm a miracle, haven't you heard?" He drawled sarcastically making Remus laugh while Regulus chuckled. His parents watched them interact with glassy eyes but happy smiles. "Can we have Remus over at the weekends?" Harry asked Regulus who hummed as he looked over at Remus with an intense look. "I wonder... can we, Remus?" It was like Regulus was daring the werewolf to say no. As if he was unsure whether Remus would raise to the challenge of being an uncle.

"Call him uncle Moony and he'll fold" James quipped instantly, probably getting a read on Remus that Harry was not yet proficient in. So, Harry did as asked under his parents' giddy looks. "Will you, uncle Moony?" Remus let out a sound that was definitely not humane as he hid his face in his palms. Regulus smirked besides him, seeing Harry's cuteness for what it was. Manipulation. "Yes. Every week" Remus promised before he looked up at the two of them. His eyes were red but he seemed determined. "I'll try to find Mary. And I'll stay away from Dumbledore"

"That would be too suspicious. Keep pretending you trust him. We need someone to tell us when Dumbledore wants to use Harry as a pig for slaughter" Regulus replied quietly which made Remus' expression harden, but he nodded in agreement. "Alright. About Sirius-"

"Nothing we can do without proof" Regulus retorted softly, sounding dejected. Harry looked over at his parents but they only agreed with Regulus. Harry gritted his teeth. This was so unfair. Harry almost had his uncles back. He was only missing Sirius. He couldn’t let this go on for much longer. Sirius didn’t deserve to be imprisoned for something he didn’t even do. Harry needed to –

"We should go. But we'll see you this weekend. You know the address" Regulus interrupted Harry’s thoughts rather abruptly, but that was probably for the best. Harry didn’t want to spiral down the rabbit hole of his thoughts.

"Yeah. See you. Bye, Harry"

"Bye, Moony" Harry replied easily, going in for another kill just in case. But Remus had already promised to be a part of his life so he smiled warmly at him as he waved his goodbye. When they exited the shop, Regulus nudged him with his hand making Harry look up at him innocently. Regulus snorted as he shook his head. "Petit diable" Regulus said teasingly which made Harry watch him curiously. "Can you teach me French?" Regulus blinked surprised at Harry’s request before he hummed in agreement. "Sure, petit prince. We can start when we get home"

Home.

What a strange word.

Harry thought he could get used to it, though. He briefly looked at his parents before Regulus Apparated them back to Grimmauld Place. It wasn't exactly how James and Lily had imagined their life, but it was warm and safe. And his parents were there. Harry thought that was enough for now.

Chapter 3: Je vous souhaite d'être follement aimée

Chapter Text

Pandora Lovegood looked like a fairy from the muggle stories Harry read when he was younger and Lily Evans let out such an inhumane sound when they all saw her and her daughter, Luna, that Harry couldn't help but look at her quickly (to make sure she was alright, because there was something more intense than pain in her voice – a longing that Harry could only imagine). James was the one holding Lily together at the moment, just like Lily had done for him when they had first seen Regulus.

"Regulus and Harry... hello" Pandora greeted them gently, holding onto the young girl who looked almost identical to her. Her face shape differed a bit but, otherwise, Luna had the same curly white-blonde hair like her mother, dark blue eyes and dark skin (perhaps a bit on the lighter side, which Harry assumed was the husband’s contribution). Harry wondered if he should call Luna his sister... he then wondered if he could manipulate the two into coming to visit Grimmauld at least once every two weeks.

The plan had been for Luna and Pandora to visit Grimmauld Place, but then Pandora had abruptly asked Regulus if he wouldn't bring Harry here instead. Regulus had not told her about Harry, but he didn't look surprised that Pandora knew. "She is a Seer" he said by way of explanation, but Harry understood what he meant since Regulus had previously explained some facts about Seers to Harry.

Seers were quite rare in the Wizarding World. Or, rather, they knew to hide from the Wizarding World, to keep away from the ridiculous political scene. There was, of course, an exception. Sybill Trelawney was a Seer hired by Dumbledore at Hogwarts, even if nobody believed her prophecies. Harry often wondered if it was the Cassandra Complex at work. He’d have to figure that one out himself. The other Seers – well, the ones who were still alive – were hidden very far away from the arrogant wizards in the current generation of snobby politicians. It was very rare to have a Seer in the family – actually, it was very rare to even know of one. Harry eyed Luna curiously. He had a feeling the Lovegoods now housed two Seers.

"Hi, Dora. Hello, Luna. This is Harry, James and Lily's son" Regulus introduced Harry even if Harry was fairly sure Pandora and, by extension, Luna knew who he was. "Yes, I'm aware. Harry... you are quite familiar with Death, are you not?"

"Dora!" Regulus exclaimed surprised whereas Harry froze. Pandora simply smiled as she crouched before Harry, letting go of her daughter which instantly made Luna dart after a butterfly once her mother wasn't keeping her eye on her. Regulus cursed as he dashed after his goddaughter to make sure she wouldn't get lost or hurt herself. Regulus had told him it was always one of the two when Luna was left without supervision. They had once searched for Luna for an entire day (him and Xenophilius because Pandora had insisted her daughter was going to return in due time) only for Luna to appear by herself with a dreamy smile on her face, saying something about trying to find a crumple-horned snorkack which just baffled Regulus while her parents had seemed ecstatic.

"Do you have a message for me? From Death?" Pandora asked him as Harry approached her warily. It was then that Harry realized Pandora had let Luna wander on purpose to distract Regulus, so that Harry could act as messenger. Pandora knew about his parents. Lily glided closer, much like James had first approached Regulus at first. "I forgive you. You had to save yourself. And you were going to warn us. I forgive you, my darling. I hope you can forgive me too" Lily whispered, leaning her head against Pandora's shoulder. Pandora flittingly looked at her shoulder but that seemed to be more because Harry was intensely staring at it rather than Pandora sensing Lily's presence. James was nearby, waiting to tug Lily into another hug if needed.

"Mom forgives you. She understands you had to save yourself. And that you tried to warn them. She hopes you can forgive her too" Harry told her quietly which made Pandora's eyes mist with tears. There was a delicate smile on her lips. "Oh, Lily, there was never anything to forgive. You know that. I could never hate you. I regret leaving without telling you, but it was the only way..." Pandora sighed deeply then, massaging her temples.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked at the same time Lily did, James approaching them concerned. Pandora smiled lightly, but it was forced, too tight to be genuine. "Yes. It's just difficult to remember sometimes. Those years I was gone were dark ones for me. I was constantly worried something bad would happen... it eventually did, but alas"

"Harry, tell her I don't regret having you, but I wish that she would have been there. That the four of us could have raised you and Luna together" Lily said softly, yet determinedly which made James smile sadly. "Yes, I agree" James whispered gently which Harry reiterated to Pandora. "Mom says she doesn't regret having me, but she wishes that you'd have been there. So that you, Regulus, mom and baba could have raised me and Luna" Tears actually spilled over her cheeks then as Pandora smiled warmly. "Yes. I agree. I never regretted having Luna either. I never will. But I'd have liked it if the four of us would be co-parenting... Luna already has experience with that" Pandora said gently as they all glanced towards Regulus who watching Luna pick flowers with hawk eyes.

"Did you divorce her dad?" Harry asked her surprised which made Pandora smile lightly. "Yes. Xeno knew I treasured him for gifting me Luna, but we never really loved each other. Luna deserved more. Xeno is now searching for his love while also managing the Quibbler. I make potions for a living"

"You don't advertise the fact that you're a Seer. Not even to those you trust?" Harry asked curiously which made Pandora give him an amused smile. "So other people could find out about my gift and kill me for it? I'd rather not. I have a good life here. Not perfect, not without my Lily, but it’s a good life" Lily actually started crying then while James held her together by sheer will. Pandora frowned a bit. "Oh, have I upset her? I didn't mean to" Harry looked at Pandora curiously then, because she seemed really connected to his parents, despite her inability to see them. "Can you feel them?" Pandora sighed lightly at Harry’s question. "Not like you. I can't communicate with them. Lily and James, I assume?" Harry nodded which made Pandora hum as she nodded her head as well, deep in thought. "I can feel Death. When it's coming, when it's present"

"Is there a way for them to communicate with you and Regulus?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps the Resurrection Stone. But it’s risky even if it’s a Deathly Hallow. Especially because of it, actually"

"You mean the one from the stories? It's real?"

"Oh, yes. The Cloak and the Wand too. James had the Cloak, I believe. Did he not give it to you?"

"f*cking Dumbledore" James and Lily snapped at once which made Harry grimace. "Dumbledore has it" Pandora frowned at that, narrowing her eyes. "How unfortunate. I think you will have it in your possession again, but it's frustrating that Dumbledore has f*cked us over so much" Harry let out a startled laugh at that. Seeing fairy Pandora Lovegood curse was not something he thought he’d need to experience. It then made him curious about another aspect.

"Oh. Your name. Are you changing it back? To Rosier. Since you’re divorced now" Pandora had a faraway look on her face at that. "No. I don't do well with Death. I'd rather have Evan hold on to the legacy for for the both of us"

"Evan was her twin. He died shortly before us. He was a Death Eater but not willingly. He took the Mark so Pandora wouldn't have to. Their father was a notorious supporter of Voldemort and he needed at least one of his kids to join the cause, so he proposed a deal to them. One of them gets the Mark and the other can f*ck off for all he cares. Evan took it that very day, before Pandora could even reason with him about it. And then Evan’s boyfriend, Barty Crouch, took it for him and to spite his father who was a horrible man even if he was technically on our side" Lily explained which made Harry frown lightly. Why did people have to be so complicated? Why couldn’t they all just coexist peacefully? Why did Voldemort have to f*ck up everyone’s lives so much?

"Oh, don't be sad. Regulus likes it when you smile. It reminds him of James. Very few things remind him solely of James nowadays" Pandora whispered gently which made Harry huff amused, a small smile playing on his lips. "Those two were hopelessly in love, weren't they?" Pandora hummed approvingly at Harry’s question. "Yes. But Regulus is still hurting because he didn't get to tell James everything. I don't know how to help him"

"He will tell me I'm insane if I suddenly start telling him all that baba's been saying"

"It's not that bad-" James was about to say but Harry interrupted him. "You complimented his pores this morning!" Lily laughed at that, as did Pandora, while James scowled petulantly. Harry grinned at his baba's attitude. "All of him is lovely, what can I say?" James grumbled which made Lily chuckle amused before she leaned against Pandora, hugging her waist. James, now content that Lily wouldn't fall apart, went towards Regulus. Harry watched them before looking back at Pandora.

"Mom's hugging you"

"Oh, how lovely. Lily gives the best hugs"

"You do too. You're like a panda"

"Mom says you're like a panda. And that your hugs are also the best"

Pandora chuckled. "I wasn't called Panda in Hogwarts for nothing. Oh. There's a potion I must check on. For Regulus. I'll be back in a moment" Harry hummed at that and he was about to go towards Regulus when a feeling of wrongness hit him. His parents felt it too because Lily groaned and James gasped. "What is... what is happening?" Harry whispered dizzily, but there was no answer. He looked around but Regulus didn't seem to feel anything, neither did Luna, although she looked a bit agitated as she glanced over at the house.

The house Pandora had just stepped in. "Pandora!" Harry yelled, panicking and that got Regulus' attention because he yanked Luna towards the house in a hurry to check on Pandora. Bu Harry was quicker. He dashed inside and tackled the woman right as the potion she was working on exploded. All Harry could think about as his parents screamed for him and Pandora, as Regulus called out to them desperately, as Luna cried, was this: protect. Protect. Protect. Protect. Family. Protect. We protect our family. Protect. Protect. Protect.

When he opened his eyes, it was to see Pandora blinking quickly as she looked upwards. "Rowena's locks, that was close. Harry. You just changed the future" Pandora whispered incredulously, but Harry couldn’t care less. They had bigger problems to deal with. "Who cares?! We are going to die regardless if the house caves in on us- why hasn't the house caved in on us?"

"The Potters protect" came James' voice and Harry looked in front of him to see his parents passing through the rubble as they looked at him concerned. "The signet ring. It creates a barrier around you and whoever you deem family. It protects against almost anything" James explained breathlessly while Lily sobbed. "I almost lost them both. James. We almost lost them both. f*ck. Regulus is having a panic attack outside. What do we do?" Lily whispered, panicking as well, which made Harry look sideways to see the translucent barrier. "How deep are we?" He asked and it was James who responded. "Deep. I wouldn't move the barrier. It might hurt Regulus and Luna outside"

"sh*t" Harry grumbled while Pandora bit her lower lip in thoughtful consideration. "I think I can help. Just gotta... yes. My wand" she said as way of explanation before she cleared her throat. "Expecto Patronum" A translucent bird of sorts appeared near Pandora's head. Harry couldn’t really tell what it was because of his narrow point of view, but it was definitely a bird. "Find Regulus Black. Tell him: Harry and I are trapped under the rubble. Take the rubble off us gently. We are okay" Harry finally recognized it as an eagle right before it flew through the rubble.

"Harry. This is ..."

"Don't care how monumental it is, Pandora. Right now, we need to keep quiet or we won't have enough air left to breathe by the time Regulus gets us out!" Harry snapped which made Pandora shut her mouth despite her obvious desire to ask for more information. How typically Ravenclaw of her. They waited in silence but, finally, after a few minutes, the sunlight hit them. "sh*t! Harry? Pandora?" Regulus called out as he took off even more rubble from them. James and Lily looked all dried out, with cheeks stricken by tears, but they looked so relieved when Regulus finally took off all the rubble from the barrier.

"We are okay" Pandora assured him gently. "Harry saved us" She then added. There was a cry from Luna from further away which made Pandora shush her gently. "It's okay, baby. Mom's safe and sound thanks to your almost brother"

"Almost what-?"

"Regulus, please get us out!" Harry more or less panic-shrieked because he hated narrow spaces and he hated being this pressed against Pandora even if Pandora was so nice and warm. Harry was going to start hyperventilating despite his parents doing their best to encourage him to breathe in and out. He hated it. He hated this. He had waited enough. He needed out. He wanted out. Right now –

"f*ck- Harry, mon petit prince, you need to lower the barrier. I can't get you out if you don't" Regulus called out while Harry scrunched his eyes tightly shut. Tight. Narrow. Cupboard. Cupboard. Cupboard.

"Shh, you are okay. We are safe. You did well, Harry. We are all so proud of you" Pandora whispered softly and there was a hand in his hair and Harry finally, finally, relaxed and the barrier fell apart. He was immediately yanked away from Pandora which made him gasp before he was eye to eye with Regulus who was looking at him widely as he embraced him.

"Are you okay?! Harry, please, be okay. Does it hurt anywhere? Pandora? Are you alright?" And now it was Regulus panicking as he held Harry in a tight embrace on top of the rubble. "Quite alright. Harry saved us. Oh, Luna, my dear, hello" Pandora said as she got out of the rubble and hugged her daughter tightly. "You were dead" Luna sobbed and the realization hit Harry so hard, he let out a shaky exhale. "Harry?" Regulus asked still panicked and that's when Harry focused on his parents who were also hovering nearby. They looked worried sick. Harry then looked at Regulus, finally looked at him. He allowed himself to come out of his panic-induced dissociative state.

"That was terrifying" Harry wheezed and Regulus exhaled shakily, yet relieved. "Yes. Yes. You're okay. I got you" Regulus whispered before dragging Harry in a tighter hug against his chest. This felt better. Much better than being compressed against Pandora under tonnes of rubble. "Oh, Harry, you gave us the f*cking scare of the year" James whispered shakily while Lily wiped her tears. "f*ck" was all she could exclaim, but it was very telling and on theme. Harry closed his eyes and he let a few stray tears go down his cheeks. He squeezed Regulus back which made the adult coo at him in warm French. Something along the lines of “Tu es bien, je te promets”. When they were all safe and emotionally recovered, Harry glared at Pandora. "What did you mean by I changed the future? Did you see your death?" He accused her which made Regulus snap his eyes sharply towards Pandora as he glared at her. "What-?!"

"I saw the possibility of my Death. My visions usually come true, so I forget that the Universe is multifaceted"

"Spare me the Seer bullsh*t. This is why you changed the meeting place! So, you could die here” Harry noticed James had gone back to holding Lily together which made him grimace. He had really not expected this meeting to go this direction. Pandora sighed at Regulus' accusation. "Yes. I needed you here for Luna. I needed to know she'd have a guardian who knows how to deal with her episodes"

"Episodes?" Harry mumbled confused as he was sat in Regulus' lap because his guardian had refused to let go of him, so all of them having moved to sit on the ground near the demolished house. Luna was also in her mother's lap, having fallen asleep there after crying her heart out. "Visions. Seers have them and go completely insane for a few moments. Talking in multiple voices, sometimes stabbing people. Depends"

Pandora pouted. "I stabbed you only once"

"Yeah and Barty five times. I'm convinced at least two of those times you were sober and just annoyed with him"

Pandora shrugged not denying nor confirming anything. Ignoring the fact that Harry had been right about Luna being a Seer, this was utter insanity. Harry wasn’t even sure he was following. Stabbed?! Five times? Harry inspected Pandora with a new intensity. He had misjudged her. Less fairy, more mermaid (like the ones in the Great Lake at Hogwarts – pretty, but dangerous).

"What about Xenophilius?" Regulus asked exhausted which made Pandora hum. "He doesn't understand. He tries to help, but he will never understand. He's too ... lost in his own mind to help me or Luna get out of ours. He knew I was going to die. That's why he agreed to the divorce so readily. He didn't know when it will happen, though"

"Pandora. This is insane."

"Regulus. I'm sorry."

"No, you aren't. You would have gone through with it. And it would have been my fault for asking you to look into ways of destroying it"

"Destroying what?" Harry asked immediately and Regulus sighed resigned. "Remember when I said Voldemort split his soul into pieces and I had one? Well, I had Pandora look into destroying it... this is the result of that. Her almost dying"

Harry froze. "You have it here?"

Pandora took it out of her pocket. A locket. It dangled from her hand. Harry blinked shocked by the sight and feel of it. It was absolutely repulsive to even look at it. "That's why I hated being squished against you. I felt it" Harry whispered, making Regulus curse while James and Lily grimaced and Pandora sighed. "I thought you would. You and Death, Harry..."

"Pandora, what does that mean?" Regulus insisted again to be given an answer, but Pandora merely shook her head. "The potion backfired because of it. Xeno's house is demolished, as I predicted. And, yet, here I am. Alive. How curious” Pandora paused for a few moments before she looked over at Regulus, tilting her head to the side. “Do you mind if Luna and I stay at yours for a bit while I look for another house?" Regulus sighed as Pandora literally refused to elaborate on hr thoughts. "No, of course not, Dora. You're always welcome"

"Thank you, but I was also asking Harry. He's your child now and this is his choice too"

"Ward" Regulus and Harry intoned simultaneously which made Pandora smile amused. Harry watched the two Seers intensely. "Yeah, it's fine" He agreed and Regulus sighed deeply. "Let's see what we can salvage and leave. The sooner I can get the locket stored safely, the better I will feel. Hold onto it for a bit more, would you?" Pandora nodded at Regulus’ request. The two adults began Accio'ing different things they wanted to salvage from the rubble while Harry was tasked with keeping an eye on Luna.

"Did you see mom's Death?" Luna asked him as he sat down next to her which made Harry realize she had woken up already. Probably because of their chatter. They had been quite loud since all of them had been very agitated. Harry shook his head as he let Luna lean her body against him. "No. I don't see like you and your mother"

"But you see Death"

"I... I guess?"

"Death is your companion"

"I don't know if Death can be anyone's companion"

Luna hummed. "Perhaps. Perhaps not"

"... almost sister?" Harry asked quietly and Luna smiled softly. "Almost brother" She confirmed and Harry mimicked her smile.

Perhaps Death wasn't so unkind.

Perhaps Harry wouldn't mind being their companion.

"As I expected, Augusta doesn't want me to interact with her son and daughter-in-law" Regulus was telling Harry and Remus a few months later, sighing resigned which made Harry tilt his head to the side. "Because you were a Death Eater?" Remus, who was also there, cursed lowly. "What don’t you know, Harry?" Moony asked him shocked which made Harry's lips twitch into a small smile. "Chess. I'm sh*t at it"

"Language" Regulus said automatically even if it was drowned by Remus' warm laughter. They were all currently in the back garden of Grimmauld Place where Regulus was showing Harry how to polish his new practice broom. Well, Regulus and his baba – who was excitedly running his hands along the length of the broom while Lily was “tanning” besides Remus who was drinking a hot chocolate. It was late November in 1989 and Harry’s life was good. Not perfect, but good.

"A literal month of ignored letters for her to simply tell me to go away the one time she responds. How lovely" Regulus felt the need to add before he looked at Harry to answer his question. "Yes. I assume she blames me by association for what Bellatrix and the other two Lestranges did to Frank and Alice"

"Were you there?" Harry asked Regulus curiously. Regulus scowled before he spoke in a deadpan. "I was dead" That made Remus snort but Harry waited for an answer. Regulus sighed. "I was not" He grumbled which made Harry smile. "So, it's not your fault. If Augusta wants to be a harpy, let her" Remus chuckled at Harry’s word choice. "He's playing you much like James used to" Remus teased which made Regulus smile lightly. "Yes, I see it too"

"And yet it still works" James remarked fondly while Harry's smile brightened. He then went back to business. "What about Mary Macdonald?" Harry asked them which had Remus sighing. "I think I have a lead, but it will need to wait for after the next full moon at the very least."

"Are your wolf senses finally picking up on Macdonald again?"

"Well, she was pack before it all went to sh*t" Remus replied as he exhaled smoke from his cigarette. Regulus waved it away as he had quit after he died. Harry didn't mind the smell. It was very... Moony. Harry didn't know how else to describe it. “The lead is very elusive, however. It’s like someone’s deliberately trying to hide her. I’ll try my best, but I can’t guarantee I’ll find her any time soon”

"It’s fine, take your time, just get us some answers. Now, for the real question, Harry. What do you want for Christmas?" Regulus asked sounding determined which had the other four laughing, startled by Regulus’ intense request. Regulus blinked. "What?" He asked confused but somewhat pleased to see Harry laughing. "Regulus, you don't just ask people that. You're supposed to surprise them" Remus said mockingly which made Regulus huff annoyed. "I know that! I just... I want Harry to enjoy his first Christmas with us. Pandora already went shopping for gifts and the traitor refuses to tell me what I will get Harry and if it will be the perfect present"

Harry sighed at that, amused by James' visible delight whereas Lily was grinning giddily. He then noticed how Regulus and Remus were both struggling to find another witty retort and he narrowed his eyes at them. "What are you hiding?" He asked making Remus snort humourlessly. "Told you he'd notice"

"Well, you could have played your part better-"

"Reg." Harry said gently but insistingly and Regulus instantly caved and told Harry everything. "Dumbledore made a fuss about how I kidnapped you, sent an owl and everything for me to bring you to him to make sure you're fine. I told him to f*ck off, he said he was apparently your legal guardian. I told him to f*ck off again and sent him the paper from Gringotts that proved I was your legal guardian. And then I received a letter from McGonagall asking me if I needed any help. I think she might be losing her trust in Dumbledore too. She probably feels guilty – that is, if she found out what the Dursleys are like"

"Good" Harry said simply and Regulus sighed while Remus stretched. "That's not all. Dumbledore was, of course, annoyed and he threw a tantrum. Dragged Regulus through the papers"

"What?! Let me see" Harry said annoyed, his parents also frowning as they approached Harry, sitting by his sides by the time Regulus had Accio'd the Daily Prophet.

Savior of the Wizarding World, the Boy who Lived, was moved abruptly from his guardianship with his muggle family to the care of one Regulus Arcturus Black, ex-Death Eater who was pardoned post-mortem except he isn't as dead as we thought? Is his pardon null, then? What about our Boy who Lived? Find out more on page 5 where we interviewed Albus Dumbledore.

"Assholes" Harry grumbled while James and Lily snapped "f*cking Dumbledore!" in Harry's ears. Harry skimmed the interview and frowned as he read what Dumbledore said about his life with the Dursleys. "A safe, quiet neighbourhood with a family that treasured him?! Who is he talking about? Because that's not me" Harry said before snapping the newspaper shut and throwing it onto the grass. He should just burn the newspaper. The entire Daily Prophet headquarters. Dumbledore too. And whoever this Rita Skeeter person is.

"We could ask Xenophilius to interview you if you want to respond" Remus told Harry who almost nodded before Regulus scowled. "That's unnecessary. Dumbledore is just trying to make everyone feel uneasy that I'm raising Harry because of my past. He can't do sh*t about my pardon when it was signed by him and everyone in the Wizengamot. It has James' signature on it. Nobody will dare go against the father of the Boy who Lived" Harry smiled lightly when James grinned proudly and Lily pat him on the back amused but pleased.

Christmas was a quiet affair with James, Lily, Regulus, Remus, Luna and Pandora. Luna and Pandora disappeared briefly to meet with Xenophilius before they returned. Regulus mentioned that wizards usually celebrated Yule, not Christmas, but Remus insisted on calling it Christmas. "Same celebration, only a few different decorations" Remus had said with a shrug while Pandora smirked lightly. "And no animal sacrifices" Regulus spluttered at Pandora’s comment while Harry, Remus and his parents laughed. Luna smiled lightly as she held onto the blue scarf Harry had gifted her. "There are Nargles in the mistletoe we could use" Pandora hummed at Luna’s suggestion as she watched the mistletoe they had banished to the corner of the room. Pandora had wanted it put up since Lily had insisted to smack a ghostly kiss on her ex(?)-girlfriend. Harry would have tried to get Regulus underneath it for James to do the same, if the Black Lord hadn't look so disgusted by it that James let it go.

The year passed by quickly and soon Harry was 10 and it was November once again. One more year and Harry would be (most likely) going to Hogwarts. It was exhilarating. It was all Harry had been preparing for. Regulus thought there were more horcruxes and that at least one of them was at Hogwarts. But Regulus also wanted him to enjoy Hogwarts so Harry was torn (getting rid of Voldemort before he showed his ugly mug again or having fun and making friends – which was just wild to think about). His parents were encouraging him to have fun and leave the Horcrux Hunt to the adults… but Harry was unsure. They kept saying that these school years will be the best of his entire life. Harry was worried that won't be the case. Not when Voldemort could return any moment now. But he let the adults worry about the Horcruxes and he enjoyed his time at Grimmauld with his guardians and his almost sister. He allowed himself to not acknowledge the elephant in the room and just… live.

When Harry's 11th birthday came, everyone was there to celebrate. He got too many gifts again (Regulus bought too many because he panicked and Remus and Pandora teased him the entire day) and he went flying with whoever was willing (Regulus and Pandora) while Remus remained on the ground to watch over Luna who then gave Harry a flower crown from the flowers she had picked from the back garden. Pandora, James and Lily let out an “Aww!” while Regulus and Remus looked like they'd die of cuteness overload.

It was a little while later when Regulus was being subjected to learning how to make flower crowns with Pandora and Luna when Harry sat down next to Remus who was reading a book, looking very content. "Come live with us" Harry asked him bluntly and Remus promptly dropped his book in his lap before he stared with wide eyes and mouth agape at Harry. James snorted while Lily snickered. "Subtlety could bite your face off and you wouldn't know it" Lily told her son teasingly, but Harry was watching Remus' face waiting for his decision.

"I... Harry... you can't just-"

"I asked Regulus. He said that if you want to, you're more than welcome. The house is big. Reg and I are both quiet. It gets creepy at times. You're loud, it's comforting"

Remus blinked quickly before he sighed shakily, dragging a hand over his face.

"Yeah, okay" He whispered softly which made Harry smile lightly. "Okay, you'll move in?" Remus huffed amused as he dragged Harry in a bone-crushing hug. "Yeah, I will. Someone has to keep Regulus company or he will go insane" Harry snorted at that because it was, most likely, true. "Yup. It's good to have you here, Moony"

"... oh, Harry, don't make me cry again "

"You're worse than baba"

"I am not-" James grumbled as he was wiping his tears while Remus laughed. "Nah, nobody is as bad as James"

"Oi!" James exclaimed and they all laughed, Remus laughing because of Harry's contagious laughter, unaware of Harry’s other conversation with his ghostly parents.

The last month in Grimmauld Place was Harry's favourite of them. Remus was loud and unapologetic about it. He'd go down the stairs so heavily Regulus and Harry actually frowned confused at first. After they got used to it, Regulus finally found a way to force food down Remus' throat. Much like Harry had gained weight two years ago after having a proper food intake for the first time in years, Remus had started to fill up and he was now more than just skin and bones. Regulus too looked healthy as did Harry. They were good for each other.

They now went to the Indian place down the street every week and Arjun knew them all by name. Regulus could do mild spice; Remus was sh*t at it (he kept saying everything burned – Harry thought that was a bit of an exaggeration) and Harry devoured everything, regardless of spice level. Their favourite dish was Chicken Tikka Masala – James beamed every time they ordered it, unaware of the two adults’ nostalgic gazes.

Harry vowed to have a proper meal with his parents and guardians soon. He’ll figure something out. He was starting to gain his guardians’ trust. They wouldn’t think he was insane if he started speaking his parents’ words… right? Right?!

… Harry needed a proper plan.

But that will have to wait, because it was almost time.

And Harry was ready for whatever he’d have to face at Hogwarts. He was determined to make the best of the next few years. And he had his parents with him at all times. What could possibly go wrong?

In retrospective, Harry should have known better than to tempt fate.

Chapter 4: Anagapesis

Chapter Text

When September 1st 1991 rolled around, Harry's entourage was absolutely hilarious. Harry had received his letter shortly after his birthday via owl and they had made a trip to Diagon to get Harry everything he needed from his vault and the other shops on Diagon. They went to Diagon a couple days after Harry’s birthday and, thankfully, they didn’t meet any other students. Harry preferred it that way since, somehow, the newspapers kept writing nonsense articles about him when he barely interacted with other wizards besides his guardians. It was getting ridiculous and, frankly, Harry was worried about his public image. He had considered to sue for libel (Harry had no idea what that meant, just that it might make them stop) but Regulus and Remus talked him out of it.

Regarding Harry’s entourage… A werewolf, a Death Eater, a Seer and two Ghosts walked into a bar together – a good start for a joke, isn’t it?

They had just entered the station the muggle way and were now standing in front of the pillar between platforms 9 and 10. Remus, Pandora, Regulus and two friendly ghosts. ("Luna would have come but she said it was bad luck to see the Hogwarts Express before her time comes. She says good luck and to write to her when you have time") Harry was pushing his trolley while the three adults and the two ghosts followed him. "What memories, hmm?" Pandora asked wistfully as they approached the wall between the platforms.

"Yeah... let's go in. Are you ready, Harry?" Regulus asked his ward who flashed him a thumbs up. "Let your elders in first. I feel my bones crackling" Remus said mockingly before he jogged through the wall. Harry grinned and followed him shortly after, running at full speed through the wall and barely avoiding slamming into Remus when he exited it. Pandora and Regulus stepped through a moment later. Regulus made sure an elf got Harry's baggage before the three adults looked down at him.

"Remember, Harry. It doesn't matter what House you're Sorted in. Look at us. You have a Gryffindor, a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw here" Regulus spoke softly before James piped in. "3 Gryffindors, but yeah, we don't care what House you're Sorted in or, well, we do care, but we care about you being comfortable with it" James explained while Lily nodded. "And if you want a specific House, just ask the Hat to put you there. It will listen to your choice" Lily told him softly as if the two weren't going to follow him all over Hogwarts.

"Yes, thanks. I'll owl you as soon as I find out" he said, ignoring the whispers behind him. People were starting to recognize Regulus and Harry which was always annoying. Harry wished they’d just mind their own business, but he wasn’t that lucky. "We will all be at ours. Don't exhaust Agni on her first ever flight for you, just send all the letters home. And keep Hedwig close to you" Regulus insisted which made Harry huff amused.

Agni was their new owl. He was a lovely, yet very intimidating barn owl that scared the crap out of Moony the first time Harry let him fly around the house. Harry adored him. Hedwig was his pet snake. Hedwig was also a boa constrictor and technically not on the list of allowed pets. Also, technically, Harry shouldn't be allowed two pets. Practically, Harry had owled Minerva McGonagall herself and told her that if she didn't allow him to have both pets, he'd blame her forever for what he had endured at the Dursleys since she could have taken him in. Harry wrote it in a more … innocent manner, making it seem like a devastated child had written it, and he sent the letter only after some serious editing from both Regulus and Remus. Needless to say, it worked.

Of course, if anyone asked, Hedwig was not a viper boa constrictor, but a very friendly, non-lethal, non-venomous corn snake with a pigmentation problem. Well, Hedwig was friendly. But also, very reactive and unnecessarily sassy.

"Lionheart, they're touching my cage! With their filthy hands! Allow me to bite their ankles! I promise to only bite the really smelly ones" Hedwig hissed agitated which made Harry sigh. Hedwig had already bit two muggles who were trying to pet her. Apparently they smelt repugnant to Hedwig, so she bit them since that was her go-to response when she was mildly offended. Harry started carrying around antidotes because of it. And Pandora was, somehow, still proud of her gift choice no matter how much Regulus complained about having to make numerous antidotes. Harry started carrying bezoars with him as well, just in case.

As for why the snake called him Lionheart, well, names couldn’t really be translated into hisses. Hedwig knew her name and the others’ names, but she could never reproduce it. So, they came up with some nicknames of sorts. Panda for Pandora had been obvious, as had been Moon for Luna. Then, Moony was Wolf and Regulus was Lion, for some reason. Hedwig insisted on it. When Harry asked Regulus about it, he smiled gently. “Regulus is at the heart of the Leo constellation. I didn’t know snakes knew astronomy, though” Regulus had told him and Harry translated it to Hedwig who instantly insisted that Harry be called Lionheart. Harry was kinda frustrated by it at first. Why would he be called that? When he asked Regulus for advice to change the snake’s mind, Regulus had raised an eyebrow towards him. “Why? It’s accurate” And that was that.

"You sure you packed everything?" Regulus worried once again making Harry roll his eyes. "We checked three times. If I forgot something, I'll just owl you. Reg, I'll be okay" Regulus' expression softened. "Mon petit prince, tu me manqueras"

Harry smiled lightly. "Tu me manqueras aussi" Harry replied before he allowed Regulus to hug him tightly. "Anything happens and I'll be there" Regulus added which made Harry hum. "I know, Reg. See you at Christmas" Harry said before they distanced from each other. He hugged Pandora briefly, making the woman smile warmly. "Let Death guide you" Regulus only frowned lightly at Pandora’s advice, no longer trying to understand whatever Pandora meant. Harry nodded determinedly before he approached Remus.

"Be careful, okay? And promise me you will write once a week. We want to hear everything" Remus said, making Harry huff amused. "Don't turn into Reg now, Moony. I'll see you all soon" Harry replied and, after letting Moony give him a bear hug, he went inside the Express. He ignored the whispers and stares (his white hair and his cascading lightning scar was a fairly obvious hint about his identity) and he went down and down the corridor until he finally found an empty car. He went inside and sat down, his parents joining him giddily. "We'll go down the corridors to see who's here and try to guess who had kids and who didn't. You'll be alright for a bit, right?" Lily asked him which made Harry nod and he watched as they left before he looked out the window. It didn't take him long to find Regulus, Pandora and Remus. They seemed to be arguing with another wizard – a blood purist, Harry guessed. Harry almost snorted. He hoped they won that argument.

"Sorry, can I sit here? The other compartments are full" Harry blinked at the redhead joining him. "Oh, yeah. By all means" Harry invited him and then, they launched into a discussion about Harry being the Boy who Lived (how fun, Harry was just thrilled by that attention, but he indulged the boy’s curiosity) and about magic (which Harry actually enjoyed conversing about). Ron Weasley was his name and he even introduced his rat, Scabbers. Harry looked twice at the ugly thing because his magic was strange, but he shrugged it off. They talked and talked and they briefly met Hermione Granger who Harry thought would be fun to compete against, if not actually be friends with (although Harry was far too much of a rulebreaker to actually be as meticulous as Hermione about schoolwork).

It was after Hermione left and Harry paid for a bunch of sweets from the trolley lady that his parents returned. Lily smiled brightly seeing Harry with a friend, whereas James had also started smiling before he froze suddenly. Harry gave him a curious look as he unwrapped a chocolate frog that he hurried to eat before it leaped away. He barely hid a flinch when James floated quickly towards the bench Ron was staying on. But James wasn’t looking at Ron. He was staring at Scabbers.

"Harry. Don't make it obvious. I need you to catch that rat right now"

Harry frowned lightly, but he smoothed his features as he looked back at Ron who was holding onto Scabbers and eating a chocolate covered pretzel. Scabbers seemed to be asleep from how much he ate.

"Why, James? It's just an ugly rat- wait. You don't think-"

"I don't think! I know! Harry, that's Pettigrew's rat form! His Animagus form! Look at its paw! It has a missing finger! And all that was left of him at the crime scene was-"

"A finger" Lily whispered, filled with vengeance.

Harry didn't hesitate in his calculated movements as Ron rambled about his family. "And, you know, we are usually just Gryffindors but Percy was the first to break the tradition. And then the twins. Mom hopes I get Gryffindor, but I think that's because of the bad vibes in-" And he kept rambling on and on and on.

Harry grabbed a jar, took out the toffees from it and grabbed its lid. He had his wand at the ready just in case. But it was unnecessary. Harry yanked the rat out of Ron's arms, making it screech but Harry had already stuffed it in the jar. It was a bit of a tight fit so, after closing the lid, Harry enlarged the jar a bit to make sure the rat fit accordingly. The rat scratched against the glass walls of jar and screeched while Ron screamed out "What's wrong with you?! It's just Scabbers, he won't do anything-"

"How long have you had him?"

"What-? I already said! 10 years!"

Harry smirked lowly while his parents glared down at the squeamish rat. "Want to hear a story, Ron? I heard it from a reputable source. The person who betrayed my parents was not actually Sirius Black, but Peter Pettigrew. Peter Pettigrew, who is an unlicensed Animagus. One that can turn into a rat"

"Are you mental?!" Ron yelled gathering even more attention, but Harry didn't care about the people who had opened their car door. Not now. Not when he had a purpose. "They say all that was left of Pettigrew was his finger. Mind explaining why your rat doesn't have a finger?" Harry continued speaking and Ron finally stopped screaming.

"Merlin and Morgana both" One of the people that had gathered outside their car whispered in shock which made Harry glance over at them. Hermione Granger was there as was a boy that Harry identified as Neville Longbottom, twins who looked Indian (probably the Patils) and a white girl with wide eyes and dark blonde hair. Probably Susan Bones.

Despite the captive rat in his jar, Harry waved their way. "Hello there. I'd greet you properly but it seems I caught myself a traitor" Harry said as he watched the jar with his vivid green eyes, lost deep in his vengeful thoughts. "Harry, what if you're wrong?" Hermione asked unsure which made Harry's eyes narrow. "I'm never wrong about these things. How long till we get to Hogwarts?"

"An hour maybe. Probably less" One of the Patils said which made Harry nod satisfied. "Good. Regulus should be home by then. It seems we finally have proof Sirius is innocent" Harry said contentedly. "If you're wrong, I want Scabbers back and an apology!" Ron snapped his way which made Harry scowl. "And if I'm right, I want an apology for all your screaming and raging. It's not like I killed your rat" Harry retorted which made Ron huff a “Fine!" very childishly. Harry was petty enough that he thought he should just kill the rat, but he didn’t voice that thought. He also reasoned that he needed Pettigrew alive. Unfortunately.

"It is him. I'd recognize that rat anywhere" James sneered and that was all the confirmation Harry needed. Harry then looked at his audience. "Either you come in and eat sweets with us or you leave. I don't like audiences" Harry drawled before taking his seat once again, this time with a jar in his lap and a very scared rat inside it that kept scratching and screeching. The lid wasn't on the full way but Harry worried it would die of asphyxiation, so he used his wand and made a small hole in the lid using a cutting spell Regulus had shown him. It was pretty difficult not to hurt the rat or cut the lid too much but Harry succeeded. He then closed the lid fully.

Most of the people outside entered and conversation soon picked up again, but neither Ron (who was still pissed Harry stole his rat) nor Harry joined in. Harry was actually annoyed he didn’t know the spell to reveal Animagi. He’d have to ask Regulus or Remus to teach it to him, because right now he has just missed an opportunity to make the glass explode as Pettigrew transformed back to his human form. Harry wanted to make him hurt for what he had done, but alas, he will settle with getting Sirius back.

As soon as the Hogwarts Express arrived, Harry almost dashed to Hogsmeade. He needed a Floo right away, but Hagrid stopped him. "This way to the boats, Harry!" Harry was going to commit murder himself at this point. "Easy now. It's better if you talk to McGonagall. She can get you a Floo much easier" Lily reasoned with him and Harry accepted those conditions. He got in the same boat as Ron, Hermione and Neville and he waited. He dashed first out of the boat and while Hogwarts was impressive, Harry was on a f*cking mission. He could explore and admire the castle later.

"Professor McGonagall. I need access to the Floo. It's an emergency!" Harry called out to her as soon as he saw her, which made all the first years behind him quieten. McGonagall frowned. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that. You don't seem hurt, mister Potter. What's the manner of this emergency- is that a rat in that jar, mister Potter?" Some people snickered behind him, but Harry didn't care enough about them to be bothered.

"Professor McGonagall. Remember what we talked about in my last letter. Now, I need to talk to Regulus" Harry was glaring at the Professor who narrowed her eyes at him before she huffed. "After the Sorting. I will not allow you to cause trouble until after you are officially Sorted into a House"

"But I-"

"No buts! First years, after me, please"

Harry cursed in French under his breath, but he followed McGonagall to the Great Hall. His parents were seething around him and the stares of everyone on him as he entered the Great Hall right behind McGonagall with a rat in a jar didn't help keep Harry’s attitude problem in check. He noticed redhead twins at the Slytherin table looking at him with bright grins. There were more confused people than anything else, but a few of them were mocking too.

"Goes to live with a Death Eater and he goes insane. Typical" A Hufflepuff grumbled and Harry almost punched them (Remus taught him how to punch; it was great) but he obediently waited as Dumbledore spoke his dumb opening speech (never look him in the eye; strong Legilimens, he reminded himself) and then, McGonagall started the Sorting. Harry wasn't paying attention. The Hat seemed to divide the children pretty evenly. And, finally, his name was called.

"Harrison James Potter"

Instant whispers and mumbling.

Harry walked the stairs up to the seat, sat down and had the Hat placed on him in only a few seconds. He had no time to spare for this stupid ceremony.

"Oh my, what a mind. A Potter raised by a Black and muggles. By a Lupin and a Rosier. How fascinating-"

"Can you hurry up? I have to convict a criminal" Harry snapped at the hat speaking in his mind. The Hat laughed, seemingly only now noticing the rat in a jar that Harry held. James and Lily hovered concerned by his side. How long has it been? Harry needed to drag McGonagall away as soon as possible. He needed a Floo. He needed Regulus. And Remus. And Pandora. And, preferably, the Minister of Magic himself so that Harry could punch him in his stupid f*cking face-

"You might just be the most distracted student I've ever had to sort. But Ravenclaw wouldn't do you any good. And neither would Hufflepuff. You can grow in Slytherin and in Gryffindor both. Tell me, Harrison, do you want to prepare for the future or find comfort in the past?"

"I want you to sort me already so I can free my godfather" Harry snarled and the Hat snickered. "How fascinating. Alright. What about this? What do you want more? Revenge or Justice?"

"Justice is flawed. Can't you see? Sirius has been in Azkaban for 10 years for nothing and Pettigrew is in this jar. This is my revenge. Our revenge"

"SLYTHERIN!"

Cue applause that Harry ignored.

"Finally!" Harry snapped as he tugged off the Hat and looked up at McGonagall who sighed. "Wait for me, Mr. Potter. We will go as soon as I finish sorting all the students" Harry scowled but he went down the stairs and, without looking at either table of students, Harry walked out of the Great Hall and waited in front of it for professor McGonagall.

She appeared shortly after that and Harry hurried to follow her. The rat was getting restless. And so was Harry. "Can you explain what's the emergency, mister Potter?" McGonagall asked as they entered her office. Harry immediately eyed the fireplace. "You will see soon in the papers, professor" Harry said as he grabbed some Floo powder. "Harry, you can't just leave-"

"I have an Animagus in a jar who should be convicted for my parents' murder. I think we can forget the rules for a bit!" Harry argued, before he stepped inside the fireplace and called out "Grimmauld Place".

He effectively scared Regulus, Remus, Pandora and Luna when he almost tripped over the iron gates surrounding the fireplace. "Harry?!" Regulus called out shocked, but Hardy didn't care as he kicked the gated fence around the fireplace open. He stepped inside the kitchen with a determined look in his eyes. He was restless and tired and his parents looked more like ghouls than friendly ghosts.

He raised the jar.

Remus inhaled so sharply he choked on his saliva while Pandora's eyes widened. Luna looked lost while Regulus froze.

"I found Pettigrew" Harry announced them.

Moony promptly attacked.

"Petrificus Totalus!" He called as soon as he opened the lid of the jar, throwing it on the ground. Regulus levitated the rat out of the jar and in the middle of their kitchen. Pandora took out her wand and she did the spell to reveal Animagi.

They all stared as the rat became Peter Pettigrew.

"What's stopping us from killing him now?" Remus sneered as they all had their wands towards Pettigrew who had tears running down his face. He couldn’t speak because of the petrification spell and Harry was so glad for it. He didn’t want to hear whatever this bootlicker had to say. "f*ck knows. Use legilimency on him. In case he tries to kill himself" Harry told Regulus who gritted his teeth. "No need to tell me twice, but this asshole isn't escaping Azkaban. A 10-year stay at the very least"

It took Regulus a few moments to locate the memories but he did, eventually. "Harry, Floo call Kingsley Shacklebolt. He's the auror who handled my pardon case with Sirius. I trust him enough to handle this" Regulus told Harry who nodded and did as asked.

"Who is this- Harry Potter? Aren't you supposed to be at school? My son mentioned you should be starting this year" Kingsley Shacklebolt looked perplexed by Harry's sudden appearance in his fireplace, but Harry didn't have time for pleasantries. "I have Peter Pettigrew here. Alive and well. He's a rat. Unlicensed Animagus. Can you set up a trial for Sirius Black? I believe he is innocent"

Kingsley Shacklebolt remained silent for a few moments, before he spoke again determined. "Pop right through. All of you" They did. Harry was still in his unmarked robes from the Hogwarts Express ride as he walked in front of his three guardians who were levitating Peter Pettigrew between them for all to see as they followed Kingsley Shacklebolt towards the courtroom for the Wizengamot. An emergency meeting had just been called. (Luna was also there, holding her mother’s unoccupied hand and staring with wide eyes at everything and everyone)

"We will have Pettigrew drink Veritaserum before the Wizengamot. I will ask the questions" Kingsley told them making Harry scowl but he relaxed when Luna put an encouraging hand on his shoulder. They entered the huge auditorium and Harry stared at the people inside of it. At the press. He forced the mask of indifference he learned from Regulus on his face as he stood by his guardians. Luna remained behind Harry and Pandora who was behind Harry. Remus and Regulus were stood on Harry’s sides.

Amelia Bones cleared her throat. "Dumbledore cannot make it tonight since he is preoccupied with Hogwarts business, so I will officiate in his stead. May we hear what this meeting is about?"

Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt explained as succinctly as he could how Harry had discovered Pettigrew as a rat in the car of the train, how he stuffed him in a jar and then asked McGonagall to use the Floo to get home and then, how they discovered the rat was actually Pettigrew. Harry was pleasantly surprised Shacklebolt remembered all of that after Harry had only told the story once when they all Floo’d to Shacklebolt’s office.

"How did you know it was Pettigrew? You said it looked like a rat" A man with brown hair asked and Harry looked over at him with narrowed eyes. Definitely a Nott. Theodore Nott Senior. That's who that was. (Thanks Regulus for teaching Harry to recognize the rings and the families they belonged to, it really came in handy now, when harry had to fight bigoted assholes)

"I can sense the Dark Mark on people. Probably because I'm more familiar with Voldemort's magic than most, Lord Nott” Cue gasps which Harry ignored as he continued lying "And the only person in the car beside myself was Ron Weasley who I assume you all know to be an 11-year-old with no Dark Mark. I then assumed it was the rat"

"And if you were wrong?" Lucius Malfoy asked thinly, but that only made Harry grin his best James Potter grin. "Well, I wasn't, was I, Lord Malfoy? Can we skip to the part where we ask him questions? Maybe get his memories of who actually betrayed my parents... Lord Bones?" Amelia Bones seemed amused by his arrogance, not annoyed so Harry chalked it up to a win as they continued the trial. (He had also been very polite by calling everyone by their titles. They should be f*cking thankful Harry didn’t start cursing them out)

And look at the f*cking traitor begging for mercy without actually uttering a word as he was levitated before the entire Wizengamot. And then begging for death when they all saw him telling Voldemort where the Potters and Evans were. How he blamed it all on Sirius Black and how he killed all those muggles. The wizarding world bore witness to this historical moment and Harry felt so f*cking vindicated. Nobody thought to lift the Petrification spell from Pettigrew and Harry was glad for it. He didn’t deserve to defend himself. He deserved to rot in Azkaban. His words would only hurt Harry, his parents and his guardians. And Harry refused to allow Pettigrew to ever hurt them again.

By the end of the evening, Peter Pettigrew was convicted for his aid in the murder of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Evans and the attempted murder of Harrison James Potter. He was to be Kissed by a Dementor very, very soon. As soon as they freed Sirius Black, actually, and held his trial. And then the trial date for Sirius Black was announced to be at the end of October. He would undergo Veritaserum and a memory rewind (through Legilimency) to make sure he didn’t actually play any part in betraying James and Lily. But they said they'd take Sirius out of Azkaban and, when Regulus and Remus promised to look after him, the Head of the DMLE agreed to have him taken to the Black residence that very night.

By midnight, the five of them and the ghost parents were home. Harry fell onto the sofa immediately after exiting the Floo and almost fell asleep. "Harry, you need to go back to Hogwarts" Regulus whispered to him, but Harry was too tired to care. And he was not missing his first meeting with his godfather.

"Leave him be, Regulus. Can't you see he's exhausted?"

"Remus, I am aware my Harry just created a miracle. But McGonagall-"

"Owl her, Regulus. I'll have Luna and Harry in their beds shortly and then we can talk some more” Pandora’s voice was soft as usual, but it was also determined. Harry loved her for taking his side. He curled more on the sofa, ready to go to bed.

"Okay. Salazar... my ward is insanely cunning. Wait. sh*t. Harry, what House did you get Sorted into?"

Remus actually laughed at that while Harry groaned when Regulus shook his shoulder. "I don't know, I was arguing with the Hat for the most of it. I think Slytherin" Harry mumbled before yawning exhausted. Regulus chuckled incredulously with Pandora while Remus actually laughed brightly. "Only you, Harry, can fight with the Sorting Hat and still be placed in Slytherin. I'm sure you were quite the Hat stall"

"Felt like an hour"

"Time is different with the Hat. But it must have been around 10 minutes. Really long"

"Mhm. Goodnight"

The others laughed.

"Bonne nuit, mon petit prince"

Harry was too tired to reply. But his exhaustion didn't matter.

Because he caught Peter f*cking Pettigrew and Sirius would finally be free.

Sirius Black had stared at the same four walls for the last 10 years of his life. He had paced them for the last 10 years. He had only briefly entertained the notion of transforming into Padfoot and leaving. Because that miraculously worked. The Dementors wouldn't attack him in his Animagus form for whatever reason. He spent as much time as he could as Padfoot, but he couldn't risk the guards finding out about his only advantage in this hellhole.

He endured, because that's what he had been trained to do.

By his mother. By his love for his brother. By the war.

Sirius stared at the bread on his plate and the cold soup next to it. He dropped the bread in the soup and waited for it to become a little softer. Easier to chew. He had gotten used to his little 4×4 cell. He knew every little scratch on these walls. He knew every single sound from outside as well. The waves crashing against the rocks was Sirius' favourite sound. It meant that everyone else was quiet enough for Sirius to close his eyes and listen to sounds that were not human screams for once.

That's why he knew something was wrong when he heard someone speak.

"Ooo! Mister Auror! Have you come to gawk?!" Bellatrix shrieked from her cell and Sirius usually wanted to punch her, but at least now she gave him useful information, even if it was unwillingly. He tensed. Aurors coming could meant one of two things: 1. another prisoner would be placed inside one of these cells.

Or 2 –

"Sirius Black?" Sirius looked up at Shacklebolt's face with too much hope and desperation. Shacklebolt's expression softened slightly. There were two other aurors Sirius didn't know the names of behind Kingsley Shacklebolt (Sirius knew him because he had been the one who handled Regulus’ post-mortem pardon at Sirius’ and Dumbledore’s request). It was Shacklebolt who continued speaking. "Upon discovering further evidence in the case of Lily Evans' and James Fleamont Potter's murder, you are hereby liberated until your trial set for the end of October. We will get you to the Ministry from where you can Floo home. You aren't allowed to leave the UK until trial. Is that clear?"

Or 2. someone was being taken away. Because they had died or because... they were being freed. It was easy to guess which one happened often and which one never happened.

Sirius stared, not really processing what Shacklebolt had said. He was pretty sure he wasn’t dead, so that must mean…

He was free.

He nodded, unable to find the right words. Why now? That's what he wanted to ask, but he didn't dare. Not when he had to lean on Shacklebolt to walk. After getting out of Azkaban, he'll curse at them (Hell, he will curse them, Merlin knows Sirius learned far too much Dark Magic from Walburga), but right now he had to be nice.

It didn't hit him until he was standing in front one of the Floo fireplaces at the Ministry that it was actually happening. He was actually free. But he didn't know where to go. Where would he-

"Sirius."

He froze. That voice- it couldn't be. How would he be alive? How would he when Sirius mourned him? When Sirius begged for his pardon? When Sirius looked everywhere for him despite being in the middle of a literal war? He was-

"Thank you, Auror Shacklebolt. Send any new information to Grimmauld Place as agreed"

Sirius turned and looked.

Regulus was older. Sirius had imagined how he'd look if he had lived. He hadn't imagined Regulus would still be so skinny. Or that his presence would be so demanding. He looked much like what their mother had expected from them. Aristocratic pureblood asshole.

Sirius could only stare.

Regulus let him do so.

They were in the middle of the Floo atrium at the Ministry. People were staring. But the Black brothers ignored everyone. Sirius hoped-

There it was.

When they were little, they had learned to speak with their eyes only. In fear of Walburga hearing them talk when they were forbidden to do so. The look in Regulus' eyes told Sirius everything he needed to know. This was his baby brother. He was alive. He was alive. He was-

"... Reggie?" Sirius choked hoarsely as he was drowning in the overwhelming emotions of being freed and then seeing his dead brother all at once. Regulus took a few quick steps forward, catching Sirius before he could topple over. He had tried to keep fit in Azkaban, to move around, but there were times where Sirius could only lie down on the floor and stare numbly at the wall. Especially after the Dementors' daily visit. "I got you. You're free. Let's go home" Regulus whispered and Sirius could cry. He would cry. He was crying.

Because it sounded just like back then.

Back then when Sirius had grabbed his Hogwarts chest, filled with his most important belongings (stolen jumpers from Moony, clothes, books and other school stuff, photos of the Marauders and his other friends, of him and Regulus, the scarf he stole from Wormtail, the leather jacket James had gifted him) and limped down the hallway. Then he had looked over at Regulus who was standing at the bottom of the stairs just - staring at Sirius. As if they had not had a massive fight about why Regulus should join him. About why Sirius, at 15 years old, was leaving. "Come with me" Sirius had whispered, knowing it was the last time he could offer it. Because he would be gone. He would not return. He hated this house and the people in it. He hated what they represented. But he could never hate Reggie.

And Regulus had stared with tears in his eyes. And stared. And stared. And stared.

Until Sirius got it.

And he truly looked at his brother. At the hidden message in his posture, in his eyes, in the tightness of his slumped shoulders. In his clenched fists.

Stay, Regulus' entire being had pleaded.

But he never voiced it. He wouldn't. Not where Walburga could hear them.

Sirius turned his back on him and left. He knew a rejection when he saw one. Regulus would not join him. Not when it meant giving up the Black legacy.

Still shaking from the Crucios his parents had cast on him (and from the one he had been Imperio’d to cast on Reggie) and aching because of at least a couple broken ribs, he limped out of their house and walked. He walked and walked until he arrived to the nearest Floo he knew of. The one at Diagon, in Leaky Cauldron. People had stared at him, but Sirius was not aware of them. He was only vaguely aware that he was grabbing the Floo powder and clearly intoning "The Pottery" as if it was a prayer. As if it was salvation. It had been his salvation that evening.

But he had still been thinking about the look in Regulus' eyes. The hopelessness behind it. The secrets. Because Regulus was hiding something from him and Sirius was determined to find out what it was... even if he'd have to do it at Hogwarts, separated from his brother by prejudices and hatred.

But Regulus had shunned him. He wouldn't let Sirius approach him ever again. He didn't talk to Sirius nor did he seek him out. And it hurt so much Sirius found himself falling asleep crying. Imagining what his baby brother was going through alone. Feeling guilty that he hadn't stayed. That he had left when Regulus had clearly needed him.

Sirius had still tried to get Regulus to talk to him every chance he got, but he was met with a cold gaze that meant nothing to him. No secret message. No recognition. It was like they were strangers. Regulus' entourage didn't help Sirius rekindle his relationship with his brother. The Rosier twins cast very accurate and painful hexes aimed his way any time he tried to follow Regulus after being dismissed. Crouch must have picked up a Dark Magic book over the summer, because he was experimenting new spells on Sirius (Sirius had to hold Remus down every time he fell victim to Crouch’ curses because his boyfriend insisted to get revenge; Sirius always convinced him not to; it hurt, but he understood and respected Regulus’ friends’ overprotectiveness). And Dorcas... she always gave him this pitiful look. Because she knew. She spent far too much time in the Gryffindor common room not to know. That Sirius would often return from his long walks around the Great Lake looking he had cried so much he'd topple over from dehydration. That Sirius would enter the common room twitching in pain from being hexed or cursed, but only expressing disappointment that he didn’t get to talk to Regulus (Sirius never retaliated, because he understood why they were acting like this; he understood them so much it hurt). That Sirius suffered even if he approached Regulus with a grin and a wave. With warmth and hope.

It took an entire year for Sirius to stop trying. He was convinced he'd lost his brother forever. He was convinced it had been his fault for not trying harder to get Regulus out. That he had been too much of a coward to stay. That he had failed his brother when he had raised his wand against him and shot that Crucio at him. That he hadn't fought against the Imperius curse he was under when he had Crucio'd him. ("Crucio!" Sirius had cast but nothing had happened. Regulus had stared at him with this newly-acquired knowledge. To be able to cast a spell, you had to mean it. Especially Dark Magic. Sirius could never cast a Crucio on his brother and mean it. Regulus had closed his eyes in relief. And then Walburga – “Cast the Cruciatus and mean it, Sirius. Face the consequences of your rebellion. One day, you will learn" The hatred he was forced under because of the Imperius cast on him still made Sirius feel sick to this day. Every time he thought about it, he felt like vomiting. Every time he remembered Regulus screaming, Sirius felt like ripping his tongue out. If he hadn't been able to speak, he wouldn't have been able to cast.)

And then – James. James and Regulus. But that too had blown up in their faces. After their 4-months relationship, Regulus broke up with James. He got the Mark. And not even a month later, he died. Sirius failed him.

And yet here he was – Regulus. Asking him to come home. Looking at Sirius as if he was worth something. As if he mattered, as if they were more than strangers. It was all 16-year-old Sirius had wished for that entire year he had tried to get Regulus to talk to him. He felt undeserving of this privilege.

"Sirius. Come home. Please."

And Sirius broke down. He clung to his brother as he cried uglily, because hearing those words again – he could finally respond. He could finally say yes. He nodded, shaking like a leaf but determined to let Regulus know that he was staying this time. If he was allowed, if he could- f*ck.

Regulus Apparated them inside the wards before Sirius could make a bigger fool of himself in the middle of the Ministry. He Apparated them inside the home Sirius thought he would never see again.

And yet there he was.

The realization hit him as soon as he looked up, still clinging to Regulus' robes. But the Black brothers were not alone.

The love of Sirius' life. His biggest f*cking tragedy. Remus John Lupin wasn't as skinny as Sirius remembered – that's the first thing Sirius noticed. He looked good. He looked healthy and Sirius was so glad. He was so f*cking glad someone took care of his Moony. He assumed it was Regulus and, if it was, Sirius wasn't sure what he could do to repay him. How he could thank him. Remus was older, Hell, all of them were, and yet he was still so very beautiful.

In Sirius' nightmares, Remus had torn himself to shreds while experiencing full moons alone. He looked haggard and barely alive. In Sirius' dreams (the ones that were always snatched by the Dementors), Remus looked almost exactly like this. He didn't look gangly anymore, but tall, still taller than Sirius, but not by much now. He didn't look like he hadn't eaten due stress in months, but as if he had at least a good, fulfilling meal every day. There were a couple new scars on his face, the most prominent one being the one that went through his eye.

Was he blind in that eye? f*ck. Sirius was going to cry again. When did that happen? Could Sirius have prevented it if he was there? Could he have done something? The other one was smaller, on the other side of his face, near his ear, going along his jawline. It was almost invisible because of Remus’ stubble, but Sirius noticed it. There were probably more scars under his clothes, but they weren't visible to Sirius. He hoped he got to see them one day. That he got to hear how they happened. That he could chart Remus’ body once again.
And his hair! Sirius stared and stared, because he expected grey hairs, but seeing them just made Sirius realize they had both grown old without each other. And that really f*cking hurt, because how dare the Universe keep going, how dare the time pass when Sirius and Remus weren't together? When they couldn't take care of each other or joke that they were getting old. When they couldn't show their love to each other.

When a Star couldn't be there for its Moon.

"Remus-” Sirius croaked hoarsely, but he was already being enveloped in a bone-crushing hug by the one he had called out to. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have done something. I should have known. I thought you were their Secret Keeper. That you betrayed them. Dumbledore made it so believable. I'm so sorry, Sirius. I failed you. I failed Harry –"

"Remus. Is Harry –?"

"He's alright." It was Regulus who responded, awkwardly escaping from the mess of limbs Sirius and Remus had become while taking advantage of Sirius' grip on him lessening. "He's sleeping upstairs, so tone it down. He might think he's being sleek about it, but I can tell when his nightmares ruin his sleep and he ends up staying awake the rest of the night"

"But – he was supposed to be at Hogwarts?" Sirius was so confused. What was even happening? How did he get out? How did they – how is Harry in their care? Was it the list? No. If the list had been revealed, then they'd all have seen it had been Pettigrew who –

"He caught Pettigrew. In his rat form. That's how we freed you. Pettigrew more or less confessed to everything once we placed him in front of the Wizengamot" Regulus responded as he moved further inside. Sirius felt the sharp twinge of magic he had missed so f*cking much floating in the air and then, there were clothes being levitated to him.

"Take a shower. Unwind. Take your time. Harry's not leaving till morning" Regulus told him, sounding just a bit awkward about the whole thing, but Sirius needed to know. "You and James –"

"It was real. I took advantage of him, but it was real. I loved him" Regulus confessed and he sounded so devastated that Sirius clung even more to Remus who tolerated the death grip. Probably because he was holding just as tightly onto Sirius. "Why did you do it? Regulus, we could have – you could have left"

Of course, it always circled back to this. It always will. Weren’t they just tragic? Regulus' expression hardened as he shook his head. "It wasn't that simple" But Sirius had been locked away for 10 years holding this exact conversation in his head. Imagining what he'd say and what he'd do. During his mock conversations, he'd been angry, sad and downright cruel as he went through countless repeats of this exact conversation. As he exhausted all possible explanations and excuses.

So, today, when this conversation finally happened, Sirius could choose to be understanding.

"You wanted the power"

Regulus blinked surprised at Sirius’ statement before nodding hesitantly. "I did. It was the only way we could all get out alive from that war. Power precedes freedom"

"But you died –"

"I almost did" Regulus admitted quietly and Sirius felt Remus stiffen. So, Remus knew what had happened. Sirius looked at Regulus intensely. And, praying he still knew how to do this, he looked at his brother and pled. Tell me everything, I need to know, please –

"Shower first. Then we can talk"

That wasn't a no. Sirius would take it. And he desperately needed an hour-long shower. Remus hesitated to let him go, but he did eventually. Sirius didn't know what to tell him. He knew there was so much he could say, but nothing came to mind. They were such a f*cking tragedy it was almost hilarious. He was – well, overwhelmed for a start. Really f*cking confused too. He needed a few moments to process everything before he launched himself into even more human interaction. (There were actual people he could talk to now! What the f*ck?!)

After his 45-minutes-long shower, Sirius came back wearing clothes that he guessed belonged to Remus. The jumper was definitely his, but Sirius didn't recognise the pants. He tried not to let that bother him.

Two of the most important people in his life (Harry was sleeping and the rest were dead) were waiting for him at the table in the kitchen. Remus' eyes were red and puffy. He looked grief-stricken and guilty all at once. Regulus looked his usual (can he say that? It has been 13 years since he has last seen his brother) well-put-together self, sitting properly at the table much like he did when their parents entered the dining room. Sirius had never mastered the proper way to sit at a table. Probably why he left the dining room with aching pains.

Sirius sat down wearily on the opposite side of Regulus and next to Remus. He looked between the two of them. "How did you free me?" He asked, because that was the most important thing right now. How temporary it would all be. He needed to know how much he could enjoy this before he had to run away. Because he was not going back to Azkaban. Regulus had mentioned Harry catching Pettigrew in his rat form. But it didn't make any sense. How would Harry know Pettigrew was an Animagus? Did Remus tell him? Did that mean Remus knew the truth?

"As I've said. Harry found Pettigrew. He was in his rat form acting as a pet for the Weasley's youngest boy on the Hogwarts Express" Regulus replied in a neutral manner which had Sirius frown lightly. He did the maths in his head. He then blinked as he felt the weight of the world being placed on his shoulders. "Right. That boy should be in Hogwarts too. Starting this year" Sirius mumbled, dragging his hands over his face. f*ck. Time passed, even while locked away in Azkaban.

Sirius felt gentle hands prying his own hands from his face before he could start ripping entire chunks of skin and hair off. f*ck, his hair. Sirius knew it was getting long and difficult to maintain, but it having no proper care for a literal decade? He'd have to cut most of it. It was just too matted to do salvage it.

He looked up at Remus, allowing him to take his hands into his own. Remus looked gutted by whatever he saw on Sirius' face. But they'd discuss their relationship later. Sirius needed hard, cold facts. For that reason, he turned to Regulus who seemed to straighten himself even more under Sirius' gaze.

"Who told Harry that Pettigrew was an Animagus? That he was a literal rat? Actually, who told Harry that Pettigrew was a rat figuratively?"

There was silence. Sirius looked between the two frowning deeply. It was Remus who sighed and answered, still having a gentle grip on Sirius' hands, warming them up. Sirius had usually ran hot before Azkaban, but now he always felt cold. Remus was warm. Always has been, always will be.

"We don't know. It was Regulus who found Harry – we'll come back to that. Let me explain this first. Harry has been telling us things that only Lily and James would know, but he won't tell us how he knows them. We haven't tried to pry information out of him. He has... he had a difficult childhood"

Sirius felt the same anger he felt on the day Pettigrew cut off his finger and framed him. He might laugh hysterically if he opened his mouth, so he looked at Regulus, demanding an answer immediately. Regulus looked very uncomfortable under his gaze, but he responded regardless of that. "Shortly after I got the Mark, Voldemort ordered Kreacher to do a mission for him. Kreacher hid one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes in a cave"

That was not what Sirius asked about. But he stood rooted to his seat anyway as he stared and stared at his brother who looked even older than he actually was. Because… Horcruxes?! Sirius had heard of them, but only flittingly. He knew they were really Dark Magic, but that was the extent of his knowledge on that subject.

"I ordered Kreacher to return no matter what. He did and he was dying. And then I had him take me there as well. I won't go into the details. I almost died –"

"What do you mean you won't go into the details? Regulus, you should have told me. I would have-"

"What? You would have what?" Regulus asked coldly and it shattered Sirius' heart, because it was his sixth year all over again. It was Regulus hating him again. He couldn't breathe.

"Regulus." Remus called out his name just as coldly and it snapped Sirius of his daze. Regulus had the decency to look abashed that he was picking a fight with someone who had just come out of Azkaban, but his point was made. Sirius was not going to go down without a fight, though. He had not spent his entire sixth year tailing Regulus and trying to talk to him only for Regulus to judge him so wrongly.

"I would have listened. I begged you for an entire year to talk to me before I stopped trying. And then when you and James were together, I didn't intervene. I didn't make a scene-"

"A scene? What would you make a scene for? We were both consenting –"

"And I was a 17-year-old little sh*t who serenaded his boyfriend on Valentines Day regularly. Who made a big deal out of everything. You should have f*cking known that if we were on good terms, I would have teased you to hell and back" Sirius retorted sharply and that shut Regulus up. Remus' grip on Sirius' hands tightened briefly at the word boyfriend before it turned gentle once more. Sirius continued to speak.

"I blamed myself for your death. I thought that if I had tried harder to get you out, if I had pestered you during my last year at Hogwarts instead of getting second-hand reports from James about your wellbeing... if I had kept trying, you'd still be alive" Sirius confessed quietly, without looking at his brother. But he was still a Black. He knew when Regulus was about to cry. He always would know.

Sirius looked up at his brother. Regulus looked on the brink of tears, but he kept trying to keep his stupid aristocratic mask on. His stupid indifferent mask that had kept Sirius away for all of his sixth year. Let it drop, take off that mask and let me see what you feel, Sirius prayed.

"I loved you even when I had to put up with your protection squad. Even when you broke James' heart. I hated myself for it, but I did. And I still love you now, but you have to give me something to work with" Sirius whispered sorrowfully, watching out for every little change in Regulus' expression.

The mask dropped. It shattered against the floor.

"Mother knew" Regulus whispered shakily and Sirius' worldview shattered. "What –?" He tried to whisper but the words lodged themselves in his throat. Regulus dragged a hand over his face in an attempt to piece back the mask, but it didn't work. Sirius made sure it remained shattered on the ground but getting up, leaning over the table and grabbing onto Regulus' wrist. He held tightly onto Remus with his other hand. Remus made sure Sirius wouldn't topple over the table by putting his hands on Sirius' waist. It seemed to hit him then. "You’re so thin. f*ck, you must be hungry" Remus spoke and it made Regulus instantly inspect Sirius’ body, his hand dangling uselessly in Sirius' grip.

"I will-" Regulus was about to say but Remus interrupted him. "I will make some food. You two talk and then we switch. And sit down, Sirius, you are in no state to exert yourself like this" Remus told them tightly before helping Sirius sit down in the seat Remus had just vacated so, now, Sirius was sitting next to Regulus. "Thank you, Remus. I promise I –"

"We can talk after, Sirius –"

"No. I need to say this, at the very least. Remus. Moony. Moonbeam. I still love you. I never stopped. And I have forgiven you a long time ago. I had to hold onto something while I was in Azkaban and that was Hogwarts and you. You kept me sane in there. There. Now, we can talk later about the rest of it" Sirius spoke determinedly, but also trying not to shake like a leaf as he barred his soul like that. Remus stared at him like he'd start crying once again. A few tears did escape and Sirius watched them flow down his cheeks. "I love you too" Remus whispered sorrowfully, gulping before he turned around and began making something to eat for Sirius, effectively ending that conversation.

Sirius looked back at his brother who seemed to be trying very hard to keep his emotions from showing all over his face. But Sirius had gotten past the mask. He could now read Regulus again. And he noticed Regulus was hurting. Sirius backtracked, trying to figure out what he had said that had hurt brother. Ah.

"If I had known you were alive, I'd have held out hope you'd have gotten me out. All I had left of you was you dying. The rest of our happy memories which were very few anyway were stolen by the Dementors first" Sirius admitted quietly which had Regulus inhaling shakily. He looked at Sirius with shiny eyes. "After I got the Horcrux, I ran. I ran as far away as I could. I kept up with the war for a short while. Until I heard James and Lily got together. That they'd have Harry. I refused to hear anything about the War afterwards. Pandora told me that the War ended, but I knew that didn't matter. Voldemort would return so I kept away –"

Sirius' interrupted Regulus' literal word vomit. Regulus was probably trying to speak really fast about everything in order to escape interrogation, but Sirius wouldn't have it.

"Slow down. Backtrack. You had a jealousy fit because James got together with Lily and left the country, ignored the literal war going on and pretended to be dead?!"

Regulus glared at him while Remus snorted amused as he began cutting up some vegetables. He had begun frying some steak which had Sirius salivating just at the thought of it. The smell was wonderful as well.

"That's what I told him when he came to me. He literally returned to society a week before he got Harry out of the Dursleys' house. Ah, that was three years ago, give or take" Remus remarked which had Sirius sigh deeply. "Okay. We will return to that. You know James and Lily didn't even love each other, right? James was sad because you literally died and he couldn't get answers about what you two had going on from you. He was really hung up on you. And Lily was head over heels for Pandora who f*cked off to nowhere without even a goodbye. They weren't even officially together yet, but Lily was devastated. So, they had a one-night stand. And then, they realized Lily was pregnant. They thought to make the best of it. Should have seen Fleamont's and Euphemia's reactions. They were both ecstatic and disappointed with them" Sirius explained at length with a fond smile on his face while Regulus looked more and more shocked with every word.

"Harry said they didn't love each other but... I didn't believe him. James followed Evans around like a lost puppy for two whole years. He was infatuated with her" Regulus whispered brokenly which had Remus speaking up. "And then he fell for you. He was very dramatic about it" Remus said just as fondly as Sirius which made him smile lightly.

"Man, he panicked so much. He fessed up that he was in love with you shortly before you two broke up. He didn't know what to do. I don't think... he didn't tell you he loved you, did he?" Sirius asked his brother who wiped at his eyes to get rid of the tears which were threatening to fall. "He did. Just after I broke his heart" Regulus whispered and Sirius let out a shuddering breath. "Why did you –?"

"Because I knew I'd have to take the Mark during Easter holidays. Mother was ecstatic about it"

"How did you know?" Sirius asked him frowning. Regulus seemed less upset about that as he shrugged one shoulder. "Because after I killed father and took the Lordship, Lucius told me I would take the Mark during Easter"

"Wait, what?" Sirius asked, mouth agape and eyes wide. Remus sighed as he finished making some sort of salad to go with the chicken breast he was currently frying. He must know that story too.

"I was out of the UK for 10 years but I was dead for 11. The first year during which I was technically dead, I killed mother. Apparated inside the house and shot an Avada at her with her own wand. She was alone. People thought she gave in to insanity and killed herself. It's not unheard of from the Blacks. And I killed dad during my sixth year, your seventh. He was being peer pressured into taking the Mark. I made it look like he killed himself during Christmas break. We had the funeral just before New Year's, if you remember"

Sirius stared at his brother. He wasn't sure what to think about this. He had mourned his parents (even if it had been unwillingly – stupid, complex emotions) and he had come to peace with their deaths. But having Regulus as their murderer? Yeah, Sirius was not sure how he felt about that one.

"Why did you?" Sirius whispered and Regulus made eye contact with him as he repeated his earlier statement. "Mother knew." And Sirius had an inkling about what that meant, but he urged Regulus to go on by tilting his head to the side confused. "She knew you'd leave after she forced you to Crucio me. She told me that if I leave with you, she'd kill us both. But that she'd let you go if I stayed"

"No-" Sirius choked out because he couldn't breathe anymore. Or, perhaps, he was hyperventilating. He couldn’t tell. He stared and stared at Regulus, because what else could he do? What could he do when his brother destroyed his worldview once again? When Regulus basically confessed that everything he had done during Sirius' darkest year, all the cold stares and the hexes – it had all been so Sirius could escape. So that at least one of them could. They had been doomed from the start, hadn’t they? "Reggie-" Sirius croaked and he was crying again.

Remus too had stopped and he was staring at Regulus in shock. He hadn't known either. Remus approached and placed his hands on Sirius' shoulders in support. Regulus stared and stared, his own tears going down his cheeks silently. "It worked. You never had to return. I don't regret it" Regulus admitted, but he was crying. He said it very convincingly too, but the mask was gone and Sirius could see. He remembered Regulus looking at him and pleading him to stay, to not leave him there.

Sirius failed him.

"... but I should have checked in on the war. Pandora would tell me if someone bad happened. I thought that would be true for James and Lily's deaths as well. And she tried. But I didn't want to listen. I only heard that they were dead and I wasn't interested in anything else. I returned because Pandora insisted I had to. She gave me no other reason. That's when she introduced Luna to me. My goddaughter. I knew she was together with a guy. I didn't know they had an 8-year-old daughter" Regulus' voice cracked at the end and Sirius couldn't help it anymore. He went to lean over the table to tug his brother into a hug, but Remus didn't let him do so, lest he overexert himself.

But Regulus extended his arm. And Sirius clutched at his hand, crying as he leaned his forehead against it. Regulus too leaned forward, shuddering as he cried silently, clasping Sirius’ hands in his own. "That's when I learned everything. About Harry. About you. I sought out Remus, hoping Harry would be with him. When I realized that he wasn't, I went and confronted Dumbledore and McGonagall. When I found out where Harry was, I went to get him"

"Where was he?" Sirius asked between sobs that wreaked his already weak body. He was really trying to listen, but the grief was overwhelming him. He wasn't sure how much he was understanding and how much he was just storing for later. He'd need some time to process everything. f*ck, he'd need a lot of time.

"Lily's muggle relatives had him. They were abusive" Remus spoke quietly before he hurried to turn off the stove. He plated the food and put it on the table besides Sirius. But Sirius wasn't hungry anymore. He was too strung out to eat. "Did you know?" Sirius asked Remus who shook his head as he sat down beside him. "Dumbledore assured me he was safe. I didn't think to investigate, not when Dumbledore told me it wasn't safe for Harry to be near me –"

"What a f*cking asshole!"

"Shh! Harry's a light sleeper." Remus warned him softly, putting his arm around Sirius who shuddered at the touch before leaning into it. He was so touch starved it hurt. And Harry –

"He's perfect. He has so much of them in him. He looks just like James except for his eyes" Regulus told him softly which made Sirius whimper. "f*ck. I have to see him. Does he... does he want me to –?"

"We have been trying to get James' and Lily's will from Gringotts since he was 9 at his instruction, but he has to be an adult to take things out of the vaults. He knew about the will. He knew you were innocent. He's been dying to meet you. To free you" Regulus told him gently which had Sirius breaking down. Because f*ck Dumbledore for keeping them apart. For not helping Sirius out. For allowing Harry to be abused. For undermining Moony. His Moony. His gentle boyfriend who would never hurt anyone without cause, much less Harry.

When he calmed down enough to breathe regularly, he looked up at Regulus. "Is he happy? Have you – he's my godson. Is he –?" He wasn't even sure what he was even asking. But Regulus knew.

"I am his legal guardian. I officiated it at Gringotts, so Dumbledore couldn't take Harry away after I got him out. Remus is his uncle. Unofficially. You are his godfather. Officially. Pandora is ... I don't even know. Another unofficial guardian? Harry considers Luna his sister – his almost sister, actually. Don't ask me where that came from, I’m actually not quite sure myself. But he is happy. I made sure of it. We all did"

Sirius nodded, trying to breathe properly. Remus took to rubbing his back in familiar, comforting patterns. Sirius could finally breathe lighter then. But this was all so much to process.

"So, you got Pettigrew. He's – I don't even know. Is he detained?"

"Yes. There was a whole Wizengamot meeting. We projected his memories of telling Voldemort everything. Of betraying Lily and James. Of betraying the Order for years" Remus responded tightly which made Sirius snarl. "Motherf*cker. I trusted him. I – I suggested it to James. That it shouldn't be me. That I was too obvious a choice. I suggested Peter. Because who would suspect him, right?" Sirius laughed brokenly at that, more tears spilling down his cheeks.

Regulus' grip on his hands turned deadly. Sirius looked over at him. "If you say something stupid like 'it was my fault', I will punch you" Regulus threatened him which made Sirius laugh shakily. "You punch like sh*t" He accused his brother who, impossibly so, grinned menacingly as he replied. "Remus taught me how to punch"

"It still feels as if a kitten's punching you and he ends up injuring himself more often than not, but he sometimes packs a mean punch" Remus informed them teasingly, making Regulus scowl while Sirius laughed helplessly. His smile then turned sad. "I will have a trial, then. A proper one?"

"A proper one. Pettigrew will be there. And when you're found innocent and he's found guilty, they plan to give him the Kiss" Regulus told him which had Sirius staring at him wildly. "Truly?" He whispered hopefully and it hurt that he could feel this wat. That he would ever want Peter dead, when he had loved him like a brother when they were in Hogwarts. Wait –

"When did Peter become –?"

"A traitor? After we graduated" Remus replied, knowing what Sirius meant. Sirius sighed deeply. At least their Hogwarts years were left untainted. He could think of them as bittersweet memories left untouched by the war for the most part.

"OK. f*ck, not okay. But OK, let's move on" Sirius grumbled, but Regulus shook his head which made Sirius frown. Regulus then dragged the plate with food in front of Sirius. "Eat and only then, we keep going" Sirius grimaced at that but he did try to eat. He let go of Regulus hesitantly and took a small bite at first. His hunger kicked in soon after that bite and he was relieved for it. He didn't need to deal with stress-induced anorexia right now. He had too much on his plate already.

"Horcruxes. That's what we didn't explain to him" Remus easily picked up the conversation which made Regulus nod as he explained what exactly Horcruxes are. A piece of one's soul put into an object after one killed someone. "It makes it possible for him to return, basically. Even if he doesn't have a body anymore. There are Dark Magic rituals that he could do to return. I found three of those just by perusing our book collection" Regulus admitted with a resigned frown. Sirius was going to vomit everything he had just eaten.

"Then, it was all for nothing?" He asked self-deprecatingly. None of them had an answer to that. It was Regulus who spoke next, changing the topic slightly. "Remus, Pandora and I have been looking into ways to destroy the one I have. A locket. I got it when I almost died. That's what Kreacher hid with Voldemort. In a cave filled with deadly traps"

"... if my head doesn't explode after our conversation is done, I will count it as a win" Sirius grumbled as he leaned into Remus' touch, overwhelmed. Regulus grimaced. "That's not all. I think there are more Horcruxes"

"The f*cker made more than one?!"

"I think so. I've been trying to track them down from my knowledge as a former Death Eater, but it's been difficult. There's not exactly a reason why he chose the locket except that it's Salazar Slytherin's. That's why I think he made other Horcruxes from the other Hogwarts' founders' heirlooms. But tracking them is headache-inducing" Regulus explained, frowning at the tea Remus had prepared for all three of them.

"OK. Fine, let's say this conversation isn't a literal mind-blowing exercise of self-control on my part. Let's also assume I won't take literal months to digest and process all of this. What else do I need to know?" Sirius spoke then which had the two sighing. "Well, there is a lot to fill you in. But we can start small" Remus said gently which had Regulus nodding in assent.

"For example, Pandora and Luna. They stayed here for about a year before Pandora found a new house for her and Luna. I'll tell you later why she needed a new house. Harry's close with them both, as I said. Right now, they're at their home. They thought it would be better for us to reunite before they barged in. They'll come by sometime this week, so you can meet them" Regulus told him extensively which had Sirius nodding relieved. OK. That was easier to digest. Even if he felt quietly sorry for Lily.

"Ah. You didn't mention how you got Dumbledore and McGonagall to tell you where Harry is" Remus added, bless him, because Sirius hadn't even thought of that. Sirius then flinched when, instead of Regulus, an orange cat appeared on the table. Sirius stared incredulously. He then barked a laugh while Regulus transformed back, a small smile on his lips.

"Did you get jealous when you found out James and I were Animagi?" Sirius teased him which had Regulus rolling his eyes fondly. Sirius' heart would burst. He was really glad to have Remus as a comforting presence right next to him. Regardless, Regulus didn't give him an answer to that. Sirius was glad to see they were getting back into their old habit of bickering. He had missed this.

"Oh. My form changed" Sirius realized with a blink, making them both freeze. "What?" Remus croaked heartbrokenly whereas Regulus looked devastated. They all knew that an Animagus form usually started out as the baby form of the animal. James as a fawn was the most adorable thing Sirius had seen. Peter as a baby rat had been more or less traumatising (baby rats looked so disgusting). Sirius regretted not seeing Regulus as a kitten. It would have been adorable and great teasing material.

As for Sirius, he had been a puppy. Except no matter how much he practiced transforming, he didn't grow up. He was pretty big for a puppy, though. And that's when they realized that Sirius' form was just a medium-sized dog that resembled a puppy. Sirius had hoped for something larger, but Remus found it endearing. Moony, Remus’ werewolf, also found Padfoot lovely, always making sure Sirius would never get left behind. He was very protective of him. Sirius liked it.

But after a year or two of Azkaban, he noticed that his point of view in his Animagus form had changed. And when he meditated in order to visualize his Animagus form, he realized he was seeing a big, skinny black dog. Padfoot the puppy which had been adored by everyone (including and, most importantly, Harry and Remus) was gone. Sirius mourned the disappearance of his Animagus form, but he had been glad to receive a stronger one. One made to survive Azkaban.

"Here. I can show you" Sirius offered despite the two protesting it would be too taxing on his body. But it wouldn't be. Sirius had been doing it for an entire decade in order to avoid the Dementors as often as he could without getting caught. He got up and he transformed. He knew his fur was matted and that he had a dangerous glint to his eyes now, but Sirius grew to appreciate this form. It made him feel safer as he went against the Dementors, even if all they did was ignore him and move on when he was Padfoot.

Now, Remus let out a kettle-like sound whereas Regulus gripped the table tightly enough that it snapped lightly under his grip. Sirius transformed back and sat down wearily. "This form of Padfoot kept me safe. Did you know Dementors don't care about animals? I managed to transform every few days and avoid being tortured by them. It helped my mental health in the long run" Sirius explained quietly and yet protectively of his new Padfoot, which had Remus exhaling shakily but he leaned his forehead against Sirius', seeking comfort. Seeking a familiar touch. "Then I'm glad" Remus whispered before retreating. Sirius gave him a tight smile before looking over at Regulus. His brother nodded in assent to Remus' statement and that was that.

Regulus then cleared his throat.

"About room arrangements, there's been some changes. Harry took my room and I took the master bedroom. He wanted your room, but your stupid posters are still up. I don't want to traumatize him further, so I'm not letting him in there. You can take back your old room, choose another or... or you can share with Remus" Regulus suggested and that made Remus and Sirius share a long look. There was so much left unspoken between them. Sirius' words at the beginning of their talk had not been enough. Nor had Remus' when he had first seen Sirius.

"And with that, I'm going to make sure Harry's still asleep. I'll be back in 5, no, 10 minutes" Regulus mumbled and he hurried to get out of the kitchen. Remus snorted humourlessly. "He means he's going to cry in his room. It's been hard for him. He misses James a lot"

"Don't we all?" Sirius replied wistfully, before he gently dragged a hand over Remus' grey eye and the scar that went through it. "Did you do this to yourself, Moonbeam?" Sirius asked him sorrowfully which had Remus sighing deeply. "Yes. The full moon after James and Lily died. After you were taken away. McGonagall and Poppy had me transform at Hogwarts. They knew I wouldn't be able to control myself so soon after everything. They promised to take care of me afterwards. Being locked up in the Shack ... well, as you can see, it didn't end well"

"Can you still see with it?" Sirius asked concerned which made Remus smile tightly. "Yes. But it's... darker and blurrier, I guess. Poppy healed it best she could, but since it was made by Moony... Sorry. I know it's not – I'm not the same. I don't know how you can still –"

"I love you, Remus. You're as beautiful as the day I lost you"

Remus' face scrunched up in pain. "Don't say that. You'll make me believe you" He pleaded quietly which had Sirius smiling softly his way as he cupped his face. "Good" Sirius whispered and he pressed a short kiss to his lips, retreating before Remus could properly respond to it. Remus protested, trying to drag Sirius back, chasing his mouth. But Sirius refused.

"I feel absolutely disgusting, Moony. Give me a few days to scrub Azkaban out of me and then I'm all yours" Sirius whispered which had Remus tugging him in a bone-crushing hug. "You're not disgusting. You've been suffering for so long. You're beautiful, Sirius Black. You always have been. I love you. Be mine again, please" He whispered shakily as he held Sirius and all Sirius could do was hold him back just as tightly. "I was always yours, Remus, as you've always been mine. I love you too. I... I have to ask, though. Have there been others?"

Sirius wasn't sure he wanted to know. But he needed to. He needed to know. If there had been others, that would be okay. As long as Remus was single now, Sirius could handle it. If not –

"A few one-night stands. Nothing long-term. Nothing that meant anything more than a shag. It's always been you, Sirius"

And that... well, that was what Sirius expected. And it hurt a bit, of course. But it didn't matter. It wouldn't matter. He had his Moony back. It was going to be okay. They were going to talk and figure it out together.

"Okay." Sirius whispered and Remus distanced to look at him. He gave him sort of an incredulous, yet concerned smile. " Okay? Sirius, you are the most jealous man I know"

"What, you know other men?" Sirius teased and that had Remus snorting. "That's the reaction I expected" Remus murmured before pressing a kiss to Sirius' forehead. That made Sirius smile lightly, but there was purpose in his eyes. "Moony. Before I meet Harry, can you help me cut my hair?"

That's how 5 am caught him and Remus in the shared bathroom downstairs. Sirius' hair was wet and water was going down his bare back since he had taken off Remus' jumper. Seeing his tattoos again had Sirius staring at himself in the mirror for an embarrassing amount of time. But Remus didn't comment on it as he did his best to take out the matted pieces by power of conditioner and sheer will.

"There's probably a spell for that" Regulus announced his arrival as he propped himself against the doorway, watching them. "There is. Sirius refuses to use it" Remus replied evenly. Sirius shrugged at Regulus' inquisitive look. "I always cut my hair the muggle way. Styled it the muggle way as well. I don't want that to change now. And Moony cuts hair really well" Remus snorted at that. "Had to learn since you idiots gave horrible haircuts" Sirius grinned lightly at that. "I almost cut off Moony's ear once by accident. They never let me hold scissors ever again"

"At least they were intelligent enough to do that" Regulus replied dryly which had Sirius spluttering dramatically indignant. He noticed then that Remus had cut the first few strands of his hair. His hair would be just above his shoulders once Remus was done. Sirius usually kept it a bit longer than shoulder-length, but this would be okay too. And it would grow back anyway.

"You okay?" Remus asked him gently which made Sirius smile lightly. "Yeah, reckon I will be" He replied mildly which had Regulus hum. "Good. You were in desperate need of a haircut" Regulus told Sirius who scoffed amused at his younger brother. "No sh*t. I'm sorry I forgot to make an appointment with the Azkaban hairstylist before I met you, your Lordship"

"You're excused" Regulus replied evenly and Sirius spluttered once more. Remus couldn't help but smile as he kept snipping at his hair.

Yes, Sirius knew he'd be alright. He had Harry, his brother and his boyfriend back. He was in a house where he could finally be safe. A house which he might turn into a home with the help of these three people he loved (and Pandora and Luna, it seemed). He was going to heal.

After all, a Star was nothing without its Moon. But Sirius finally had his Moon back. So, they would be alright.

Chapter 5: Vivamus, moriendum est

Chapter Text

Harry stirred awake when someone gently caressed his cheek. "Oh, Lily, look at him. He's worse than Remus was. He's haggard. f*ck. What did they do to you, Padfoot?" Harry heard James whisper brokenly, so he opened his eyes rather quickly and made eye contact with a man with above-the-shoulders black hair, with dark circles under his eyes and skin that clung to his bones, even if he was wearing clothes that should fit him well. He still looked a lot better than Harry had expected. He thought that was probably because he had tidied himself up before coming up to meet Harry. Harry realized then that he was in his bed at Grimmauld and he remembered what he did yesterday. He blinked. The older man smiled lightly. "Sorry for waking you up. Had to get a glance at you. After all, you just saved me from a whole lot more Hell. Merlin, you look just like Prongs – oh."

Harry had sat up on his knees and he was now hugging Sirius Orion Black tightly. "We would have gotten you faster if there was proof. I'm sorry" He whispered tightly and he felt tears landing on his back, but it didn’t matter, because they’d be okay. Sirius was free, he was home and they were all going to be okay. A big, happy family. "No, Harry, no. You don't have to apologize. I'm so proud of you, okay? f*ck, you're so great. You're our little miracle, okay? My miracle" Sirius whispered shakily as he hugged and squeezed back just as tightly.

Lily and James appeared in Harry's line of sight and he looked intensely at them, waiting to see if there was anything they wanted to say. But they were both crying, clinging to each other. Harry thought that, perhaps, no words needed to be exchanged between them. Not at that specific moment.

"You're just brilliant, aren't you? Did you get into Ravenclaw?" Sirius asked as he retreated to stare at Harry who snorted. "I fought with the Hat for about 10 minutes because I had a rat in a jar and I really didn't care about my Sorting at that moment" Sirius barked a laugh at that, wiping his tears while Harry grinned and his parents smiled weakly. "I think it said Slytherin, though. I was busy trying to persuade McGonagall to send me through her Floo, though, so I wasn’t really listening" Sirius grinned brightly at that. "Merlin, you might just be the most amazing Slytherin I know"

"I am offended. On principle" came a soft voice from the doorway and Harry grinned up at Regulus who was watching them with gentle eyes. It then hit Harry. "Wait, can I have more than one guardian?" Sirius looked like he'd start crying again while Regulus snorted. "You literally already have three. What's one more?" He teased but he was looking at Sirius very seriously. Sirius watched his little brother with what Harry could describe as awe and disbelief and such strong brotherly love it hurt. They seemed to be communicating in a way Harry didn’t understand – and, frankly, he didn’t want to. The Black brothers deserved their privacy. They deserved to show their love for each other in their own way. And it was okay that Harry wasn’t privy to it.

"Where are Moony, Luna and Pandora?" Harry asked curiously as he sat down on his bed, Sirius sitting wearily beside him. Regulus entered Harry's room with a considering hum, before sitting on the other side of Harry. Lily and James floated before them all, looking at peace despite their continuous crying. They were smiling despite the rivulets of tears going down their cheeks. Harry wouldn’t even have noticed their tears if he hadn’t years of experience with understanding their emotions. Translucent tears on translucent ghosts – really difficult to notice. But not for Harry. Never for Harry.

"Luna and Dora went home. They wanted me to tell you good luck this year but I reckon you won't need it" Regulus remarked dryly which made Harry snicker while Sirius smiled even more and Lily and James smiled cheerfully (and wetly) because of the rare appearance of Regulus' jokes.

"And Moony is asleep. We... we talked a lot and he was exhausted" Sirius confessed gently, sounding quite exhausted himself. Harry hoped their talks went well. He couldn’t exactly intervene in those, since it wasn’t really his business to. But he hoped that his guardians could act like proper adults and talk things out. "What's the time? When did McGonagall say I have to go back?" Harry asked around a yawn which made Regulus sigh lightly. "It's almost 6 am now. You're expected for breakfast at 7 am" Harry hummed in assent at that, thinking he should Floo back as soon as he said bye to Moony, before he froze. "sh*t. I left Hedwig at Hogwarts" That had Regulus raise his eyebrows incredulously while Sirius blinked confused. "Well, it should be fine, right? She would just stay in the owlery –"

Regulus laughed lightly at Sirius’ assumption while Harry grimaced. Sirius didn't know what to be more shocked by: Harry's evident discomfort or Regulus' laughter. "His owl is named Agni. Hedwig is his snake. His very venomous snake" Regulus explained amused which made Sirius gape while Harry hid his face in his palms and groaned. "Merlin, I hope she didn't kill anyone. She's rather dumb, but she gets offended so easily"

"You got him a snake?! No wonder he's a Slytherin!"

Regulus huffed amused. "I'll catch you up on everything. Harry, do you want to tell Sirius anything before you go?" Harry blinked at Regulus confused until he realized. Oh. Regulus wanted him to traumatize Sirius with knowledge Harry should definitely not have. "Tell him it's alright. That he did his best and if he thinks this was his fault, it's not. Tell him we're sorry that it had to come to this" James spoke softly while Lily nodded fervently. "And call him uncle Padfoot. Make him explode" Lily added teasingly which made James grin lightly. There was still grief shining on their faces, but it was obvious that they were pleased Sirius was free and with his family.

Harry glanced over at Sirius who looked mildly confused, but definitely willing to listen to whatever Harry had to say. "Mom and baba don't blame you for their deaths. And if you blame yourself, they forgive you. You did your best and they're the ones who are sorry for how everything turned out" Sirius looked at Harry with his mouth agape and his eyes wide. "What – how did you –?" Then, his eyes misted over and Harry frowned lightly. "Oh, don't cry, uncle Padfoot"

And then Sirius was crying fully, sobbing, while Regulus watched them amused as Sirius clung to Harry. Regulus gently pat his brother’s shoulder, but he seemed entertained by the whole thing. And yet, Harry was the little sh*t. Right, of course. "How does he –?" Sirius asked between sobs but Regulus only shrugged, still smiling lightly. "He hasn't told us yet. When he feels like it, we will listen, however. Although I have a feeling Pandora knows, but she's being cryptic about it" Regulus explained while Harry struggled to breathe when his parents joined the hug. "Reggie, join the f*cking hug" Sirius told his little brother who smiled some more, but sighed as he did so and now Harry was surrounded.

"This is nice and all that, but I can't breathe"

"Oh, f*ck. Sorry!" Sirius exclaimed as he relaxed his hold on Harry while Regulus chuckled. There were a few moments of contented quiet before Regulus spoke up again. "We are proud of you, you know? For finding Pettigrew, but also for being Sorted into Slytherin. I told you it didn't matter which House you were Sorted into and I meant it. We would be proud of you if you were in any other House –"

"I know, Reg. Calm down. I'm not having an existential crisis over it. Just because my parents were both Gryffindors doesn't mean I had to be one too" Harry replied easily which made Sirius sniffle as he distanced, nodding vigorously. "Exactly. My entire family was in Slytherin and I was a Gryffindor. The Sorting is for your own good, not your family's"

Harry smiled pleased before he blinked when Sirius grimaced. "Should we be worried about your snake?" Regulus actually snickered at that while Harry grimaced. "I really hope she's too lazy to try biting anyone tonight"

S:"I feel like you need a leash for your snake"

R:"We tried. It bit it off"

S: "What the – is that snake a dog?!"

R: "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Snuffles?"

S: "Oh, come on, Reg! I was worried James wasn't being a gentleman –"

R:"He was being a perfect, consensual partner –"

S:"f*cking hell –"

R:" –and then, you went and ruined the night by pissing on the floor. And yet, you insisted you never made a scene regarding my relationship with James"

S: “Oh, that wasn’t a scene, I assure you, Reggie. A scene would be me yelling in the Great Hall about how you two practically committed incest –”

R: “Oh, for Salazar’s sake, Sirius –”

S: “If mother wasn’t a hom*ophobic, bigoted blood purist, she would have been so proud of you for finding yourself a pureblood match. Maybe a bit pissed it was a Potter, but proud nonetheless!”

R: “Would you stop taking the piss?”

Harry grimaced while James was laughing hysterically at the banter and Lily was snickering in delight. "I'd rather not hear about how baba and Reg ... did that" The Black brothers instantly looked at him with sharp eyes. "What do you know about that, Harry?" Regulus asked sternly, while Sirius narrowed his eyes and Harry groaned as he got up from bed. His parents were laughing so hard Harry wasn't sure how they didn't explode yet "I'm going to wake Remus up and leave before you two band against me even more" Harry grumbled as he exited his room. There was a lovely plaque with his name on the door, a lovely, handwritten Harry on a silver and gold background.

Harry ignored his four guardians following him as he made his way to Remus' room which also had a plaque on it with his name handwritten on it. Harry knocked before opening the door and peeking inside. "Uncle Moony? I'm about to Floo over to Hogwarts. Just popped in to say bye"

He heard Remus grumble something not that nice which made Sirius snort while Regulus tried to hide a smile. Harry entered the room regardless to give Moony a hug. Moony was watching him with bleary eyes, but he offered Harry a small smile. "Have fun, don't die and don't give us another heart attack" Remus said sleepily while Harry hugged him. Harry sighed. "Merlin, Moony, you make me sound like an animal" Remus huffed amused at that. "I have experience with that" He joked while the two Black brothers and James took (dramatic) offence to that and Lily snickered. Harry hummed before bidding his goodbyes and then going towards the Floo in the kitchen.

It was currently 6 am. If he Floo'd over now, he'd have time to go get changed in his uniform and grab his books and maybe check Hedwig hadn’t killed anyone. Maybe. "Are you two going to be okay? I can probably manipulate McGonagall into letting me come visit if you can't handle being adults together" Harry told the two, making Sirius gape while Regulus scoffed amused before he went and ruffled Harry's hair.

"Go be a menace at Hogwarts. It's been a while since a Marauder has been there" That had Sirius' eyes watering yet again before he sighed shakily. "If only James could see you now. He'd be so proud of you" Sirius whispered softly and Harry smiled as his eyes flickered to James who was smiling warmly towards him, Lily beaming as well. "I know" Harry admitted softly before he looked at both of them seriously. "Owl me about how the trial goes. I don't actually think McGonagall can let me attend without my Head of House's permission and I don't think Snape likes me very much" Harry said dryly, remembering the hot gaze of the Slytherin Head of House on his back.

"f*cking Snivellus" Sirius snapped while Regulus scowled. Lily looked very bothered as well while James huffed annoyed. Harry shrugged one shoulder. "I will survive. Probably" Harry replied nonchalantly which had his parents groan while Regulus shook his head and Sirius snorted. "Little sh*t" Sirius grumbled affectionately as he tugged Harry in another hug, ruffling his curls again. Harry smiled warmly before Sirius let him go. Regulus hugged him tightly as well and then, Harry headed towards the fireplace.

He grabbed some of the Floo powder and then he entered the fireplace. "See you at Christmas break" He called out to them, making the two smile his way in assent and then, he clearly stated "McGonagall's office, Hogwarts" before dropping the powder. He would have slammed straight into McGonagall if she didn't catch him. She looked at him concerned, but Harry simply gave her a sheepish smile.

"Hello, professor. Sorry for making our first true meeting so rushed" McGonagall sighed resigned at that before she let him go, briefly pointing at the Daily Prophet on her desk. "It's quite alright. It seems like you were quite busy on your first day. What else to expect from you, Mr. Potter?" She asked sounding rather amused, but she looked sternly at Harry. It seemed like a rhetorical question, so Harry didn’t answer it.

Harry glanced over the first page of the Prophet and wasn't surprised to see a photo of him, Luna and his guardians escorting Pettigrew with Kingsley Shacklebolt leading them. Harry was briefly surprised he didn't see his parents in the moving picture, but he guessed it was because they were ghosts and, as such, not captured on film.

"I was Sorted into Slytherin, right? Because I was a bit preoccupied" Harry asked McGonagall whose lips actually twitched in obvious amusem*nt at Harry’s question. "Yes, Mr. Potter, you were. I asked the Slytherin Prefect to come down to escort you, but it seems you are already quite popular with the students, because numerous others have volunteered to show you around" Harry refrained from grimacing as they exited McGonagall's office. He really didn’t need that much attention on him. A redhead who looked to be 15 years old was waiting for them outside McGonagall’s office, dressed in his Slytherin robes and with a Prefect badge proudly pinned to his chest.

"Ah, professor, Harry! Is everything in order?" Who Harry assumed was a Weasley asked which made McGonagall nod in assent. "Yes, Mr. Weasley. Could you escort Mr. Potter to the dorms and make sure he knows his way around the castle? Since he missed the tour yesterday"

"Of course, professor. Come on, Harry, follow me" The older boy called and Harry bid professor McGonagall goodbye before he joined Weasley in their trip to the dungeons. "My name is Percival Weasley, but you can call me Percy. You made quite the impression on us all" Percy the Prefect said, before he began rattling directions to classrooms as they headed lower and lower. Harry was fairly sure they were going to be under the Great Lake. Hell, Harry hoped they were under the lake. Maybe he could see the giant squid Remus told him about.

"The password is Beaded Snakes" Percy eventually told him when they stopped in front of a seemingly random wall which had Harry blinking surprised. So, the common room was hidden. Smart. A door formed in front of them and it opened to let them inside. There were already a few other students inside who Harry ignored as he looked up at the glass ceiling. They were under the Great Lake! How thrilling! He smiled lightly as he saw the aquatic creatures, totally ignoring Percy as he gave him the history of the place.

"Now, now, Percy! The boy is clearly not one of your geeks!" Someone suddenly called and then, there were two almost identical boys in front of him. Redheads. Were they the Weasley twins Ron mentioned? Harry watched them intrigued. "You must be George and Fred. Your brother owes me an apology for making a fuss when I stole Pettigrew from him" They both looked a bit bewildered at first before they grinned brightly, mischievously.

"A Slytherin through and through!" One of them exclaimed proudly while Percy scowled behind them and the other put his arm around Harry's neck. "We will do you one better! We will owe you a favour for saving us from possibly being killed by a murderous rat!" The twin retorted which made Harry hum in consideration. That's when his parents appeared, both of them looking at the common room curiously. James was smiling softly, so Harry figured he had been in here before.

"Sounds fair" Harry agreed eventually which made the twins grin brightly while Percy groaned. "Don't listen to them, Harry. You're better off asking that they exclude you from their next prank rather than anything else they could offer you" But Harry already knew what he wanted from the twins. Sirius' birthday was on November 3rd and Harry couldn't go outside the castle grounds (legally), so he'd ask them to buy something for him since they were third years and they were allowed to leave the castle grounds (legally).

"Harry, let me show you your dorm. You're rooming with Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. Harry wondered if he had really pissed off someone that much that he had to be placed in the same room with the children of people who hated him (and who he had actually antagonized during the Wizengamot meeting – sh*t). Well, actually, he was fairly sure Mrs. Zabini didn't particularly hate him, but she might be wary of him since she was known for her neutrality even during the war. And Harry literally ended the war.

"Still want an apology from Ron" Harry called out to the twins who saluted him with two fingers. "Aye, aye, he will grovel at your feet, Chosen One" One of them announced while the other nodded fervently, making Harry's lips curve into an amused smile. He then followed Percy to his room where, unsurprisingly, the other 3 boys were awake and getting ready for the day. "Be nice" Percy warned them all, before closing the door as he left.

Harry didn't get to even greet the others when a viper boa constrictor slithered from his bed and then sprung towards him, making all three boys curse in surprise. Harry wasn't that surprised as Hedwig curled around his neck. "Where have you been, Lionheart?! These three have been ridiculous! They wouldn't spare any food for me and they ran away every time I poked my head out, so I couldn't even bite them!" Hedwig complained and Harry's lips twitched amused. He caressed the snake's head who petulantly licked Harry's cheek.

"Potter. That snake is yours?" Harry would recognize that Malfoy lilt anywhere (because Remus always made fun of it while Regulus mimicked it perfectly), so his eyes went towards the boy with light blue (were they blue? Harry wasn’t actually sure about that) eyes and platinum blond hair. "Yes. I hope she didn't bite anyone" Harry replied evenly as he approached his bed, grabbing his uniform. There was a Slytherin emblem on it which relieved Harry. Thankfully, he did hear correctly where he had been Sorted. It would have been awkward if he didn’t. "It brings out your eyes" James said lovingly while Lily nodded with a smile, before the two told him they'd go scout Hogwarts to let him bond with his new roommates. Harry blinked once slowly towards them in assent before he closed his chest.

"I think we would have noticed one of us dropping dead if she had bitten anyone. Not for her lack of trying" Theodore Nott drawled which made Harry glance at him briefly. Blaise Zabini was quietly observing him, but he seemed amused if nothing else. Draco looked suspicious while Theodore seemed mildly pissed. Harry guessed they didn't like having a venomous snake in their dorm at night with no supervision.

"They tried to look at your things. I protected them" Hedwig informed Harry which made him narrow his eyes in annoyance. "I'm sure her threats were justified" Harry remarked evenly and that's when Blaise snorted. "Told you you shouldn't have tried, Draco. He's smart enough to leave a venomous snake behind to guard his things even when he's busy being the Savior" Blaise teased which made Harry turn his venomous glare towards Draco who was now flushed, definitely embarrassed at being caught trying to snoop.

"Don't go through my things and you won't get bit" Harry announced them mildly before heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day, but leaving Hedwig behind on his chest as a warning. Hedwig hissed towards the boys who tensed but didn't move while Harry went to change.

What an eventful day. And breakfast hasn’t even passed.

When he came out of the bathroom, the three boys were waiting for him. "You weren't there for the tour yesterday. Need some guides?" Blaise offered with a friendly smile which had Harry blinking once before he went to his chest, grabbed one of the rats he kept there for Hedwig and fed it to her. She swallowed it whole under the boys' fascinated, yet disturbed looks. "Sure" Harry replied evenly before they all went downstairs, Harry waving goodbye to Hedwig who was busy digesting her food under his bed.

They entered the Great Hall after a short walk where Blaise insisted on telling Harry their entire schedule for the week while Draco interfered only slightly to say the exact times and places they had classes. Theodore looked unbothered as he walked besides them with a book under his arm, only joining the conversation to tell them they were about to take a wrong turn and, then, leading them down the right way. Pansy Parkinson had joined them as well at one point and she was trying to get them to talk to her about their professors this year. "The DADA one seems ridiculous. I swear I saw him get scared by his shadow" Pansy complained venomously, making Harry make a mental note to never be Pansy's subject of gossip.

But her topic finally caught the others' attention. "My father says he's useless" Draco replied quickly while Blaise scoffed amused. "Your father says that about every professor at Hogwarts" Theodore tilted his head slightly. "Even McGonagall?" He asked sounding actually curious which made Draco shake his head, looking a bit hesitant. "He doesn't really mention her" Harry let himself be led to the Great Hall where, obviously, when he entered, everyone stared at him and then the whispers began.

Harry wanted to yell at them to get a hobby. He began to make his way to the Slytherin table after flittingly looking around the other tables. He saw Hermione and one of the Patil twins at the Ravenclaw table, talking with a dark-skinned boy who looked to be in his fourth year. He seemed entertained by whatever Hermione was telling him. He then noticed Neville, Ron and the other Patil twin at the Gryffindor table, Ron pointedly avoiding his gaze while Neville waved hesitantly. Harry gave him a small wave back and kept waving when he noticed Susan Bones also waving his way, looking excited. Harry then briefly stopped and considered his next move. He should definitely drop by these people’s tables and greet them properly. After all, why else would they be so friendly to him? If they wanted gossip, Harry could just leave. But if they wanted friendship, well, Harry wouldn’t mind befriending them if they had good intentions.

“Potter –” Draco Malfoy called after him, seeing that Harry began drifting towards the Gryffindor table since it was the furthest and in the opposite direction of the Slytherin table. “Will be back in a bit” Harry called to his roommates who didn’t seem that pleased with his decision to wander, but Harry didn’t care. He approached the table and he sat down beside Patil. “Padma or Parvati?” He asked her genuinely curious which made her blink surprised. “Padma. Parvati’s in Ravenclaw. Won’t be difficult to tell us apart from now on, will it?” She asked with an act of defiance that had Harry smiling lightly. “I like to think I’m observant, so, no, it won’t be difficult” Padma seemed pleased by that before she tilted her head curiously towards him. “Your disappearance made quite the fuss yesterday. Headmaster Dumbledore wasn’t pleased you talked to professor McGonagall rather than going to him about what you found out”

Harry thought about how he should answer Padma’s statements, even if they weren’t questions exactly. It was a challenge and Harry liked living up to those. Ron and Neville hadn’t entered the discussion yet, but it was clear they were listening in, as was anyone who was close by. Hogwarts was well-known for its rumour mill. His guardians had warned him about it.

“I trust professor McGonagall. I haven’t met Dumbledore before, but I have corresponded with professor McGonagall, so I trust her” Harry spoke and he was surprised to find out he wasn’t actually lying. He did trust McGonagall. To an extent, but he did. Neville thought to enter the conversation then, while Ron continued to ignore Harry. How mature.

“Is that what you meant when you told her to remember something you two talked about? Mate, it looked like you were threatening her” Neville told him with wide eyes, making Harry grimace slightly. “That wasn’t my intention. I just needed to get Pettigrew to my guardians. Fast, before he could escape”

“Understandable. Looks like they freed Sirius Black last night. So, he’s truly innocent?” Padma asked him curiously, making Harry nod, sighing. Neville frowned. “That’s awful! Not that he’s innocent, of course, but that he was imprisoned for so long because of a false accusation” Harry nodded at that, his lips forming a tight line. He tried not to glare at Dumbledore, but it was difficult. His parents were, thankfully, doing that for him, yelling curses and making faces and rude gestures at Dumbledore. Harry tried not to smile.

“Anyway, I just wanted to drop by and say hi, since you were kind enough not to stop me from getting Pettigrew to the Aurors” Harry told them with a sharp look towards Ron who frowned, but didn’t say anything else. Padma and Neville smiled his way and Harry felt accomplished. He was about to get up and go talk to Susan, but Neville stopped him. “Harry, my gran told me you wanted to come visit my parents sometime. She didn’t allow it, sorry, but… can I ask why?” Neville asked him hesitantly which made Harry blink. He thought Neville, at least, should know why he had been insistent about it.

“My parents left a will with a list of potential legal guardians for me in case they died. Your parents were on the list. I just wanted to see what happened to them and if I could help in any way. Sorry if Regulus seemed insistent” Everyone at the table looked absolutely shocked by that piece of information, but it was Neville who had actually paled. “Oh. That’s – I’m really sorry, Harry. I can talk to my gran, if you still want to visit” Harry smiled lightly. “That would be nice, but, don’t sweat it, Neville. I see why Lord Longbottom wouldn’t really want me and my guardians near your parents”

“Actually, I’m Lord Longbottom. Gran’s just keeping the seat in the Wizengamot by proxy till I’m of age” Neville told him which made Harry blink surprised before he smiled lightly. “My apologies then, Lord Longbottom. I’ll see you around” He called to Neville and Padma who waved enthusiastically after him while Ron continued sulking.

Next on his celebrity tour of the Great Hall, Harry stopped by the Hufflepuff table and sat down next to Susan Bones who grinned towards him. “My aunt told me all about the Wizengamot meeting. You were brilliant! She’s never met such an outspoken 11-year-old. Besides me, of course. My aunt is planning to take over the Chief Warlock from Dumbledore. I think you can see how beneficial that would be, wouldn’t you? Dumbledore’s getting old and he can’t be in two places at once” Harry decided he liked her even if she disliked Dumbledore for other reasons than him.

“Lord Bones was great. Very impartial and just” Harry replied, making Susan beam. “I’m glad you thought so! Oh, and I’m glad your godfather could finally return home. You gave us quite the scare on the train with that rat in the jar. But seeing that it was Pettigrew? Merlin, you’re just brilliant, aren’t you?” She ranted giddily and Harry couldn’t help it, he chuckled. “You’re too kind, Susan. Thank you. Thanks for being understanding on the train, by the way” Susan’s eyes sparkled intelligently. “Well, you saved the world once. It would be foolish not to trust you. And my gut told me what you were doing was right even if I didn’t understand it. I’m glad I trusted you”

“I’m glad too, Susan. See you around, yeah?”

“Definitely! Bye, Harry, have a great day!”

“You too!”

Harry was very pleased with that interaction. Susan was a really enthusiastic and she probably shouldn’t have announced her aunt’s plans like that, out in the open, but Harry liked her. When he took a few more steps further form Susan, he froze. He had just exited a Privacy Ward. A really good one, too, because he hadn’t felt it being cast. He glanced back at Susan who grinned brightly his way before going back to chat with a brown-haired girl. Harry smiled impressed. He liked Susan even more now. Her aunt had definitely taught her well.

Accomplished, Harry headed towards the Ravenclaw table where Hermione instantly flagged him down. The boy she had been talking to was nowhere to be seen, but Parvati was sitting next to her, watching him curiously. “Harry, you should know how irresponsible you were! You missed the Feast! Headmaster Dumbledore gave us clear instructions to stay away from the Forbidden Forest and the third-floor corridor. And we had a whole tour of the castle. Oh, Harry, will you be able to figure everything out?” Harry blinked at the onslaught of questions from Hermione before he tilted his head confused. “I think I’ll manage” He responded, making Parvati chuckle. “She’s been like this since yesterday, don’t mind her. Hermione, Harry has more information about Hogwarts than you, even if he was raised by muggles most of his life. I doubt his guardians would let him come here unprepared”

Hermione seemed embarrassed that she forgot that fact, but Harry thought it was a bit endearing. “Thanks for the heads-up, anyway. That’s kind of you” Hermione beamed at him before she began ranting about the Daily Prophet article. Parvati and Harry shared an amused, yet fond look. “… while there must be some sort of explanation why Sirius Black never had a trial. Because of the war, maybe?” That’s when Harry tuned back in. “Or, perhaps, someone didn’t care enough to intervene” Harry replied mildly, not daring to look at the professors’ table but the girls noticed. Parvati gasped while Hermione’s eyes widened. “You don’t think Dumbledore knew, right? That’d be disastrous for him” Parvati whispered which had Harry frowning some more. “Actually, I’m convinced he knows. But today’s not the time to confront him about it. Sorry for bursting your bubble. I had only intended to come by and say thanks for not stopping me yesterday”

“Well, it looked like you knew what you were doing. And, frankly, I was not about to stop Harry Potter of all people from doing something” Parvati replied amused which made Harry snicker. Hermione sighed as she shook her head. “I want more information on why you think the headmaster knew when you have time. But, yes, I agree with Parvati. You looked like you had a very clear purpose and you wouldn’t let anyone stop you” Harry smiled at that as he nodded before getting up. “Enjoy breakfast, you two, and see you later”

“See you!”

“Bye, Harry, take care, okay? I swear, Parvati, it’s only the first day and he already made the news”

“I think you’re forgetting something. Harry always makes the news”

“Does he? I haven’t had the time to check all the editions of the Daily Prophet. Could you summarise them for me?”

“Merlin, I’d hope not. My head would explode. But I can give you a crash course on Harry at the very least”

Harry smiled amused as he distanced, letting the two enjoy their conversation. Even if they were talking about him, Harry had a feeling they wouldn’t be mean or obsessive. They were mostly interested in him as a person which was endearing. Also, very typically Ravenclaw to hyperfocus on a subject of interest.

And, finally, Harry ended his tour and he headed towards the end of the Slytherin table where his roommates were seated. He sat down besides Zabini, opposite of Malfoy and he inspected his breakfast options.

It took less than a minute ever since he was seated for Dumbledore to approach the stand and speak up using a Sonorus on his voice. "Dear students, I understand there is unrest given the news from this morning, but I guarantee you that this will not influence your school year. It just shows that justice will always prevail and that, in the end, the truth will come out. Please enjoy your breakfast and have a productive first day of classes"

f*cking Dumbledore, Harry almost said it out loud, but he decided against it when he saw his parents gliding towards him with giddy smiles. "Who would have taught that Minerva and Poppy are actually dating? Sirius would be devastated if he ever found out. Also delighted, of course, but man –" James was saying excitedly before Lily slapped his shoulder, noticing Harry looking at them slightly amused. "Oops. Harry, you know nothing" His baba warned him playfully. Harry hid his smile behind his mug of milk with honey.

"Say, Potter. Can you really feel the Dark Marks?" One of the older Slytherins asked from down the table which irked Harry. He wanted a quiet morning. "Oh, come off it, Flint!" One of the twins called as they made their way to Harry’s end of the table after finally arriving to breakfast. "Yeah, find another way to get off" The other exclaimed grinning menacingly when Flint flushed and a few Slytherins chuckled, but it was so reserved Harry couldn't tell who was actually entertained by the twins' antics.

Harry was seating at the end of the table with Zabini at his right, but the twins pretty much moved Zabini aside so they could sandwich Harry between them. "Say, mister hotshot, don't you think poor Ronniekins should get something in return for sacrificing his pet like that?" One of them asked Harry, ignoring Zabini's glare at being manhandled.

Harry noticed his parents protectively gliding above the table. He simply raised an eyebrow as he began buttering a piece of toast. "If you call a perverted murderer who slept in the same bed as a child a pet... I'm actually quite disturbed" Harry retorted arrogantly which actually had Parkinson laughing in delighted surprise while Zabini, Malfoy and Nott grimaced, but they also seemed quite amused. The twins looked momentarily shocked before they grinned brightly. "Fair enough, but Ronniekins is still left without a pet" Harry wanted this conversation to be over.

"Is he too much of a coward to bring this up himself?" There were a couple mocking oooh's from the Slytherins who started smirking menacingly. Harry hated that pretty much the entire House was listening in. He spread some jam on his toast and began eating as he waited for the twins' reply. "We can't comment on that. Sibling duty and all that. No badmouthing to non-family members" One of them said while the other hummed in assent as he began piling his plate with food.

"We came to negotiate on his behalf because he's sh*t at it. And he also doesn't know how to apologize to you for being a prick"

Harry's lips twitched in amusem*nt. "So, you're trying to guilt-trip me into getting him a new pet instead to buy him time to apologize?"

"See, Freddie, told you he's smart"

"Nah, that's the Slytherin in him sniffing us out, can't you tell, Georgie?"

Harry looked at them curiously. "I'll consider it if you tell me truthfully which one of you is Fred and which one is George" The twins were delighted by that. "I'm Fred" The slightly taller one on Harry's left said while the one with gold-speckled brown eyes on his right responded with "And I'm George"

Harry nodded. He then thought it through and he frowned. "Does it have to be another rat? I have a snake. She will kill any rat she sees" George snickered vengefully at that. "Deserved" Fred said with a grave nod, even if he was being dramatic about it. "But no. Ronniekins surely complained to you that he wanted an owl, right?" Harry hummed at that before grabbing another piece of toast and some cream cheese. There was no smoked salmon which Harry felt a bit miffed about, but he settled for some ham.

"I'll see what I can do about it. Have him apologize to me by this weekend or forget about the whole deal"

"On it, Chosen One" Fred called cackling while George happily said "Cheers!" as the two clinked their orange juice glasses against Harry’s mug of honey milk. Harry couldn't help but smile around it. Perhaps being in Slytherin wouldn't be so bad.

Harry was going to eat his words.

Chapter 6: Mors tua, vita mea

Chapter Text

Double Potions on Friday should be a crime against humanity. But his first interaction with Potions was on Wednesday morning. Harry entered the classroom with narrowed eyes (his father had warned him Snape might be an asshole to him while Lily remained hopeful that Snape was mature enough to not treat Harry as if he was his father) and he sat down in between Malfoy and Zabini. They had struck a sort of alliance after they had agreed not to snoop in each other's lives too much. Having Hedwig guard his chest and Harry not really caring about the others’ lives helped form that alliance.

"Isn't Snape your godfather?" Parkinson, who was seated on the other side of Malfoy, whispered to Malfoy which made Harry tilt his head to the side intrigued. Malfoy nodded looking quite proud. Harry instantly wanted to get up and leave. He did not want to deal with someone Snape (technically) liked. James seemed to share the sentiment because he groaned loudly as he floated above Harry while Lily inspected the potions and ingredients on the bookcases nearby. "Merlin, another little preppy boy –"

"James, you're literally insulting schoolboys –"

"It's in solidarity with Harry!"

Harry's lips twitched but he hid his smile when Snape entered the classroom very dramatically, his robes and hair flying behind him. The classroom quietened as Snape shut the blinds with a nonverbal spell that had even Harry mildly impressed. There would be no brewing today, just a lecture. But that didn't mean Harry could be allowed to exist in peace, of course not.

“Ah, yes, Harry Potter. Our new... celebrity.” Snape said, his voice low, but it didn’t matter with the way the dungeon was made, the low-arched ceilings carrying sound stunningly well. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes while James cursed Snape and Lily frowned. Harry wondered if he should ask Lily for a secret of Snape's. Maybe if Harry freaked him out enough, he'd be left alone. He was actually tempted to do just that when Snape started talking again and Harry thought he ought to pay attention.

“You are here,” Snape said, loudly, “To learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don’t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”

Harry blinked. He almost looked over at his parents because was this guy serious? How impressionable did he think they were? Apparently very, seeing how most of Harry's classmates seemed absolutely elated. Harry wasn't. Sure, potions were useful and his mom, Pandora and Regulus were top potioneers. But Harry knew he wasn't a fan of potions from his experiments with Reg and Pandora over the summer. And Snape definitely wasn't going to make Harry want to learn the subject more intensely.

“Potter!” Snape called suddenly, and Harry’s head snapped up, barely hiding a flinch. He really did not like adults yelling at him. James actually snarled an insult towards Snape, noticing Harry’s reaction while Lily frowned deeply as she approached her son, placing a hand on his shoulder to show her support. “What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to infusion of wormwood?”

Asphodel and wormwood were both sedatives, but that was pretty much all Harry knew about the two ingredients. He wasn’t even sure how he knew that bit, because he had mostly covered first-year Potions with Regulus and Pandora, nothing more. Sure, he had seen them brew more complicated stuff (like wolfsbane potion), but he hadn’t actively helped then. The most he helped with was either stirring the potion (and only under supervision) or bringing them ingredients when asked.

Draco Malfoy had raised his hand tall, even though the question hadn’t been directed at him. Harry thought he was trying to get brownie points with his godfather which was fair. Harry didn’t think it was easy to get Snape to like you even if your father hadn’t antagonized him for 7 years straight. Harry also remarked Ron looking very miffed as he sat by Neville, Padma and a couple other Gryffindors, all of which were trying to go unnoticed. The trio seemed to be pitying Harry while the others were relieved Snape hadn’t picked on them. Well, at least nobody could say Snape had anything against Harry because of his House. No, this was all because he looked like James Fleamont Potter.

"The cheek on him!" James snapped frustrated before he looked over at his son concerned. But Lily was frowning. And then her eyes cleared as she gasped in realization. "Oh! Harry, he's not being mean. He's using flower language to say he's sorry for my death. Asphodel is a type of lily meaning ‘My regrets follow you to the grave’ and wormwood means ‘absence’ and also typically symbolises bitter sorrow. If you combine that, it means ‘I bitterly regret Lily’s death’. He... he knows I like Victorian flower language" Lily said sounding perturbed which actually had Harry frowning lightly.

"I think there's a better way to give me your condolences, professor" Harry grumbled mildly annoyed by the spectacle they created. Snape seemed briefly surprised before he huffed once again in a haughty manner, but he also seemed annoyed that Harry had figured him out. The git. "Answer the question, Mr. Potter"

"This is advanced stuff! The jackass!" James sneered as his hand went through his hair in a frustrated manner while Lily sighed. "You know how he is. Merlin... Harry, the answer is the Draught of Living Death. I kind of get what Snape's trying to do, but I will not let him belittle my son like this" Lily retorted, glaring viciously at Severus Snape's head.

"The Draught of Living Death, professor. But that is pretty advanced for the first lecture for a first year, don't you think?" Harry replied with a stony glare which made Snape glare back.

His peers looked impressed when Snape didn't correct him, but went on to ask another question. Harry straightened his posture, prepared for another difficult question. Perhaps he should have brought Hedwig with him. Maybe after being bitten by a deadly snake, Snape would act more nicely.

“One point from Slytherin for cheek, Potter. Let’s try again, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?”

"Lily, I need to punch him right now. Harry, I'm going to teach you how to make dungbombs and we are going to –"

"Not now, James. Harry, the answer is –"

But Harry knew the answer to that. Regulus had filled an entire jar with bezoars for him and Harry always carried one with him because of Hedwig and her constant desire to bite people. Obviously, Harry had looked into them to make sure he knew how to identify one if, Merlin forbid, he didn’t have one on hand and Hedwig was actively trying to murder someone.

"In the stomach of a goat. It's a stone that saves you from most poisons"

Lily grinned brightly once she heard Harry’s correct answer, while James laughed sharply and flipped off Snape. "f*ck you, Snivellus!" Lily swatted at him, but James was incorrigible in his antics. Harry did his best not to laugh, but there must have been something in his expression because Snape's glare intensified.

"You think you're brilliant for being able to answer these flimsy questions, Potter? Another point from Slytherin, for cheek. I might consider returning them, if you can tell me the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?”

Oh, Harry knew this one as well. And his parents both realized it because they grinned brightly at him, definitely feeling vindicated. “They are different names for the same ingredient. Aconitum variegatum has a lot of names, including monkshood, wolfsbane, devil’s helmet, aconite, and the queen of poisons” Let’s see if Snape would take another point from Harry for his attitude, because Harry was enjoying himself. Hell, he should give Snape his best impression of a James Potter smirk as well. Perhaps then, Snape would realize that Harry was his father’s son in all the best ways. And that Harry was proud of it.

Regarding how he knew so much about wolfsbane, well, it was mostly because of uncle Moony, since Harry insisted he knew everything there was to know about lycanthropy: regulations, potions that helped transformations, Moony’s experience as a werewolf, the discriminations werewolves faced in the wizarding world, the accommodations the Ministry of Magic offered the werewolves during their transformations. He got all his information straight from the source, so Harry knew it was correct, even if it was disappointing to know they were being discriminated against in such a blatant manner. He knew about wolfsbane due to Regulus as well, because he grew some in their garden for Remus' wolfsbane potion for the full moons.

The dungeon fell into stunned silence, save for the dripping of a leaky faucet somewhere in the room.

It was Zabini who spoke up at last. “Well, professor, aren’t you going to give us the points back?" He asked with a saccharine smile which made Harry chuckle under his breath while a few of his colleagues laughed. Padma grinned brightly his way, while Neville shot him a thumbs up. Even Ron smiled tightly. Harry knew Malfoy was a bit miffed form the way he had slumped in his seat, but he assumed that was because he hadn’t been picked to answer any questions. However, Snape turned around without answering, with a rush of his robes, and began writing on the board. Potion Making Safety, he had written. Harry almost sighed, but he forced himself to pay attention regardless of the boring lecture.

Harry didn’t know if the points remained taken off or not, as the Weasley twins had attempted to turn Quirrell’s turban into a snake and had lost their house a combined total of twenty-five points, and it was harder to keep track of the smaller details. Harry quietly congratulated them for their attempt which had the two beaming at him, before ruffling his hair. (Why did people feel it was necessary to make his hair look even more ruffled than before? It’s not like Harry spent a lot of time styling it, but it was still tedious.)

Harry was excited for the Flying Lessons, because he had heard a lot of great things about Madame Hooch. He was less excited when he realized that they'd be taking it from ground zero. He was even less excited when Neville managed to get himself hurt and Malfoy, of course, mocked him for it.

“Oh, Merlin, it looks like Longbottom’s forgotten something!” Malfoy said with boyish delight, taking a shiny object from the grass. Harry recognized it as the Remembrall that everyone had been fawning over that morning in the Great Hall. Malfoy had taken an interest in it then, too. He shook it, as if goading the mist inside to change colour. Harry was going to have an aneurysm by the time he finished school. Why couldn’t people just get along and stop being prats?!

“Hand it here, Malfoy, I’ll get it back to him,” Harry offered, holding his hand out and hoping this could end peacefully. Malfoy glanced down at his waiting palm and Harry knew that Malfoy knew this was a defining moment for them. If Malfoy gave him the Remembrall, the hierarchy in the dorm would change. Until now, Harry mostly ignored his roommates who preferred to spend time in the common room with Parkinson and Greengrass. Harry would take to wandering Hogwarts with his parents who told him stories about each and every corridor. Sometimes, he’d go find some of the friends he acquired his first week of school.

Hermione and Parvati liked to meet up in the library with him. Hermione usually did her homework while Parvati, to Hermione’s chagrin, read books about literally anything else. When Harry had asked her how she had time to do her assignments, Parvati had shrugged. “I bullsh*t the entire assignment and, sometimes, it works. Other times, professor McGonagall asks me why I wrote 6 inches about parasitic vermin in an essay about the Transfiguration alphabet. It depends how late into the night I start writing an assignment” Harry was quietly impressed while Hermione seemed to want to grab Parvati and shake her really well to have her come to her senses. It was always amusing to study with them.

Sometimes, Susan joined them in the library, but she was more often than not in the Hufflepuff common room where Harry had been invited to numerous times. Obviously, he had gone every time. Hufflepuffs were really chill, most of the times. Until someone couldn’t find something and everyone panicked. There were, of course, people who eyed Harry warily, but they kept away and didn’t interrupt Susan's and Harry’s talks. It helped that Susan’s privacy wards were so powerful nobody even dared to approach them. Susan mostly talked about her aunt’s schemes to take over as Chief Warlock and Harry was more than pleased to announce her she’d definitely have at least two votes from the House of Potter and House of Black. Susan had been delighted to hear that. Harry thought about giving up what dirt he had on Dumbledore, but he reckoned it was better to wait and see how Amelia Bones would proceed in her coup d'état.

As for the Gryffindors, Harry met with Padma and Neville often when he went to walk around the Great Lake. They were both interested in Herbology and Harry was more than delighted to listen to them rant about the different types of algae in the Great Lake. He wasn’t always listening and they knew that, but it was great white noise and they appreciated him for sticking around even if he wasn’t entirely interested in their subject of research. Ron was another story altogether. He tended to hang out with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, the latter being one of the few who hated Harry on principle. Needless to say, Ron hadn’t yet apologized to Harry and it had already been two weeks. The twins had tried their best, but even they admitted that if Ron wanted to be a prat, it was his loss. Harry still made the arrangements to buy Ron his damn owl, but he was less and less inclined to befriend him with each passing day.

The pitch was silent at Harry’s request, any conversations the first years had been having hushed entirely. They all stared at Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, two sides of the same coin, both representing the different sides of the War: Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Victory and Failure.

Harry was confident he could beat Malfoy if he was challenged. Regulus had trained him well. James Potter, who would have been the best Chaser in the entire Quidditch World Leagues, had trained Harry to be the best damn flyer he could be. Harry would not loose. “You know what, I don’t think I will.” Malfoy mused, tossing the Remembrall in his hand, a malicious quirk to his lips. “You want it –?” He stepped over his broom. “Then, come and get it.” Harry grabbed his broom immediately, mounting with far more agility and less grace than Malfoy had. Harry was taught to race and play Quidditch - which was an aggressive game - while Malfoy had, evidently, taken proper lessons to fly elegantly. James and Regulus had thought those unnecessary. They taught Harry how to fly with a single-minded purpose: winning.

“Oh, this is stupid!” Zabini drew out, while Harry floated into the air, eyes fixated on Malfoy who was taunting him with the Remembrall, pretending to drop it. “Boys, come on, you sleep in the same dorm and only one of you has a snake!" The sight of them rising had also shocked Padma out of her stupor, who had a fist in the tail of Harry’s robes. However, she wasn’t trying to stop him. She was smirking delightedly towards him. “Don’t get caught, but make him pay!” Harry returned her smirk, winking before he flew higher in the air once Padma let go of his robes. Harry felt at home on a broom, as he always had. There was something instinctive about flying he was pretty sure couldn’t be taught. Malfoy was good, but he was stiff. Harry couldn’t be anything else but a natural when it came to flying. It was in his blood – literally.

“Give it here, Malfoy! I swear I’ll knock you off that broom if you don’t!” Harry threatened, as Malfoy flew steadily past the stands. Malfoy glanced down, as if the thought worried him. “Will you now?”

“Yes.” Harry looked down at the fall himself. It was certainly higher than the length that Neville had fallen, and there were no referees to cast slowing charms if they did lose their grip. Harry grimaced. Maybe threatening fellow students over a Remembrall wasn't the way to go. Especially fellow students who he literally shared a dorm with. Well, worst case scenario, he’d have Hedwig bite Malfoy in retaliation. (Harry would give him a bezoar afterwards, but only after letting him sweat a little bit) “Well, catch it if you can then!” Malfoy announced and he chucked the Remembrall as hard as he could in the direction of the castle, before streaking back down towards the pitch. Harry would have cursed him out, normally, but now, he was far too focused on following the Remembrall with his eyes. Harry watched it fall as if in slow motion, and he was angling his broom to catch it before he even processed what Malfoy had said.

When Regulus was first teaching him how to fly, it was as aSeeker, because that was the position he had played (even if James had bemoaned that Regulus was converting Harry from being a Chaser like his baba; James had then told him it didn’t matter what position Harry played as long as he enjoyed the game; thankfully, Harry was obsessed with it). Regulus would hit table tennis balls far over the empty fields in Harlow town (Harry didn't tell Regulus why he wanted to go there to practice flying, but Remus seemed to understand; Remus didn't spill his secret, thankfully) and sent Harry streaking after them. When he got older, Regulus would enchant them to dart around, with significantly less speed than a snitch, but it was still a thrilling experience. Pandora thought it was hilarious to try to compete with Harry since she had no real experience of flying competitively whatsoever. Regulus sometimes competed too and, when he did, he always won, ruthlessly leaving Pandora and Harry in the dust. Luna would sit on the ground under Remus’ supervision most days (Remus would let her braid flowers in his hair and then he would do the same for her) but, sometimes, they both joined them in the air. They didn’t get to do many drills then, but Harry liked those days the best. Especially when his parents joined in on the fun as well, cheering and shrieking in delight.

Compared to the drills Harry was used to, the Remembrall was easy work. Harry still had to urge the broom faster than it wanted to go to make it before the glass shattered against a wall, but he snatched it an inch before disaster. There was cheering from the grounds as Harry hurried back down. But that wasn't before McGonagall appeared and berated him for almost breaking his neck. “Mr. Potter, you could have seriously injured yourself! Follow me. We need to talk!” She had told him sternly. Harry was indignant at that, but he grimaced when Lily too shrieked in his ear. “Harrison James Potter, what were you thinking?! You almost slammed into that wall!” James was cheering still, looking absolutely delighted. “Nah, Lils, he had everything under control! Didn’t you see him? He takes after me and Reg with that flying – Lily, why are you looking at me like that? Lily, why are you – OUCH!” His baba had been bested by none other than Lily slapping him over the head. Harry almost sighed. He was definitely getting grounded for this.

Then, surprisingly, there came an awkward discussion (for Harry) with Marcus Flint, the Slytherin’s Team captain and Professor Snape, Harry's Head of House, while McGonagall advocated for Harry being on the team since his flying was exceptional. His parents were incredulous, Harry was downright speechless. Snape seemed to want to disagree out of sheer spite, but he must have realized Harry might very well bring his House the Quidditch Cup yet again this year, so he agreed eventually to forsake the rules for Harry to join the team despite being too young. Dumbledore also agreed when both Heads of Houses insisted. Harry thought it was all a fever dream as he was carted from Snape’s office to Dumbledore’s to discuss his integration with the Slytherin Quidditch team. He made sure to stay behind McGonagall and Snape while the two talked to Dumbledore, but, thankfully, the headmaster ignored him and only talked to the two teachers. Small blessings.

Harry dashed away as quickly as he could, hoping he wouldn't have to answer any questions from his peers. The twins accosted him right as he entered the common room. "Told ya, Percy! He's ours!" Fred grinned brightly while they lifted Harry on their shoulders, making the first-year curse in surprise. "Our troublemaker!" George exclaimed before they both cheered "And our newest Seeker!"

"Put the poor boy down before you drop him or his snake will have your throats" One of the older boys that Harry hadn't met yet warned them, sounding amused as he pointed towards the stairs where, indeed, Hedwig was hurrying down on. "Lionheart! I will bite them for you!"

Harry had avoided speaking Parseltongue before then, but he panicked now seeing how fast Hedwig was gliding down the stairs and the floor. "Don't! Don't! They are celebrating!"

"Celebrating what?"

"Umm... I got a position on a team even if I am too young for it?"

"A conquest, then! Fantastic news! May I bite them in victory?"

"Absolutely not!"

That's when he noticed how quiet the common room had gotten. Harry looked over at the older boy who tilted his head curiously, before he hummed in consideration. "What happens in the common room –" He called out loud and, as if it was a mantra, the others in the common room easily replied " – stays in the common room" Even the twins said it as they put Harry down. Hedwig glided up Harry's torso and comfortably wound around his neck. She licked his cheek. "Salty. Did the conquest take effort?"

Harry sighed, but shot the older boy a thankful nod. He extended his hand while introducing himself. "Cassius Warrington. I'm the other Chaser besides Flint and Montague. The twins are our beaters and Pucey’s the Keeper. Malfoy Senior tried to buy Malfoy Junior's way in but Dumbledore refused to break the rules for him" Harry scoffed amused and the twins sighed dramatically.

"Must be nice having so much money, right, Harry?" Fred asked as he pretended to swoon while George actually let himself fall on a coach. Cassius snorted at their antics while Harry rolled his eyes exasperatedly, but fondly. "Ron will have his new owl delivered as soon as he apologizes" Fred and George instantly looked at each other, ignoring Percy's squeaky exclamation of “What do you mean new owl?!”

"Do we know the password to the Gryffindor Tower?"

"Yes, we do"

"Let's go then"

And the twins were off before Percy could stop them.

"Also, Harry" Cassius called his attention back to him, making Harry tilt his head curiously towards the older boy. "Fights with your roommates stay inside the common room and the dorms. We, Slytherins, don't take our problems outside these walls" Harry frowned at that. "Did you tell that to Malfoy?" Cassius smiled amused at that, his eyes twinkling in delight. "Don't think you gotta worry about him too much. He's a bit of a git, but he knows you're one of us and he knows our rules"

“If he respects the rules, so will I” Harry shrugged one shoulder indifferently before he went up the stairs with a “Night!” thrown over his shoulder that the others in the common room responded similarly to. The three musketeers were there, but they remained silent when Harry entered. James and Lily followed him inside as well which could only make Harry happy. Hedwig hissed something that sounded a lot like ‘food’ while looking interested at his roommates which almost made Harry grimace, but he schooled his features.

"Potter, I –"

"If you want a duel, properly challenge me and be done with it. Petty competitions aren't my thing when I know I will win" Harry drawled which made Nott snort while Zabini snickered. Malfoy seemed annoyed for a bit, before he deflated. "I'm not going to apologize. Some of us have to play roles out there" That made everyone freeze.

"Oh... poor boy" Lily whispered softly while James sighed deeply. "Dammit. He reminds me of Regulus, so I can’t even be mad at him" James mumbled frustrated, which made Harry look over at his roommates as he sat down on his bed. "Food, food, food" Hedwig hissed incessantly which made Harry glare lightly at her. Hedwig acted like he never fed her when she already ate three rats daily. He’d give her her last rat of the day in a bit. Right now, he devoted himself to the conversation.

"I won't play the same role as you. I don't like pretending to be a prick unlike some" he told them which made even Nott put down his book. Nott gave him a vicious glare. "Think we like it? We risk being disowned or even killed if we don't act accordingly" Zabini sighed dramatically. "What does it even mean to act accordingly? Be a blood purist, a bigoted prick, marry a pureblood woman and have at least one male heir?"

"Pretty much" Malfoy grumbled which made Harry frown irritated. "That's dumb" Zabini laughed sharply at that while Nott and Malfoy grimaced. "See? That? If I said that, I'd be Crucio'd" Nott mumbled which made Harry freeze while his parents tensed. "f*ck. It's Regulus and Sirius all over again" James mumbled, dragging a hand over his face while Lily placed a hand over her mouth in shock.

"... if you act sh*tty out there, I will act as I always have" Harry told them making Malfoy grit his teeth as he looked away while Zabini shrugged a shoulder as if expecting that and Nott went to pick up his book again. But Harry wasn't done speaking. "But what happens in our dorm stays in your dorm, okay? Don't pretend with me in here" Malfoy's head whipped towards Harry so fast he must have gotten whiplash. Zabini was now smiling warmly whereas Nott was watching him intrigued with raised eyebrows. Harry waited to hear their responses. "As long as your snake stops trying to eat us, I'm down. Call me Blaise in here" Blaise said with a charming smile. Harry returned it and nodded in assent. He’d get Hedwig to behave… somehow.

"Theo is fine" Theo spoke up as well before he picked up his book yet again, but he looked more relaxed than ever. It was probably due to finally making peace with Harry and no longer needing to hide behind an aristocratic mask inside his own dorm. Harry was glad he had proposed this deal. Finally, Harry looked over at Malfoy who was watching him indecisively. "Draco" The blond eventually introduced himself and Harry smiled in relief. "Harry" He replied warmly, blinking when Draco's cheeks flushed bright red.

"Oh my God-"
"James, shut the f*ck up!"
"Lily –" A wheeze.
"Harry, we will be back before midnight! James, come on –"
"Oh my f*cking God, Lily, did you see – Merlin’s balls, stop kicking me!"
"Yes! Shh! Get out!"

Harry ignored his parents’ strange behaviour, seeing them exit the dorm from the corner of his line of sight. He, then, tilted his head as he realized he also had something else to tell his roommates. "Ah. Also, I speak Parseltongue, so don't be surprised when I start talking to Hedwig. She likes biting ... things"

The three boys watched him like he was a figment of their imagination.

"You were about to say people, weren't you? Is that why you knew what a bezoar was? Because you have them?" Theo accused him and Harry took out the bezoar from his pocket with a guilty smile. "Who allowed you to have a venomous snake anyway?" Draco asked incredulously making Harry shrug. "One of my guardians gifted her to me. And I persuaded McGonagall to allow me to take her to Hogwarts by using the orphan card"

"The orphan card –" Blaise wheezed and then, they spent the evening talking incessantly, as if compensating for the first two weeks of cold, avoidant silence. They also did their homework together. Draco was very good at Potions whereas Harry excelled in DADA and Transfigurations, Blaise in Charms and Theo in Herbology. They grinned at each other as they realized they were going to rise to the top of the first-year students very easily from an academic point of view.

Finally, the atmosphere in the dorms was warm. Homely.

Harry hoped it never changed.

Sirius Orion Black would have never thought that being in a room surrounded by wandless wizards would ever be this terrifying. He had been stuck in Azkaban with literal Dementors as his sole company for a decade and this almost trumped that. Almost. Because, at the very least, he had other people on his side now. Friends and family.

“They all reek” Remus mumbled into Sirius’ hair making Sirius giggle nervously. Regulus gave him a look at that, but Sirius ignored him, watching the entire Wizengamot mingling before the trial commenced. Before Dumbledore and the Aurors arrived with Pettigrew. “Are you sure you don’t want us to stay with you?” Pandora asked him gently, making Sirius’ heart burst with warmth. You wouldn’t think this was the same Pandora who had shot countless hexes at him in his sixth year. Sirius found out that she was, as he had expected, overprotective of those she loved and downright cruel to those who threatened her loved ones. He respected her for it. That’s why it had been so easy to forgive her. Because he understood why she had done it. Finally, he understood. She and Regulus would go up with the other Wizengamot members since Pandora was, actually, Lord Rosier even if she had changed her name. She usually didn’t care enough to come to the Wizengamot meetings, but she did go to every single one that Regulus requested her presence in. As for Regulus, he’d be occupying the Black seat at the meeting as Lord Black, but he had a handwritten letter from Harry which gave him power over the Potter seat as well for this meeting. So, at the very least, Sirius already had three votes for his innocence. Joy.

They were down two family members this evening (it was so odd to call their little dysfunctional group a family, but Sirius grew to like it). Harry would have come if he had been allowed, except that his request to Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore had been rejected. The last two had no problem with Harry attending. It had only been Snape who had rejected Harry’s request. Harry told them that official reason was that Harry was underage and he had no business going to the trial when he had already given his witness statement. In actuality, Harry had pissed off Snape by brewing a perfect Wiggenweld Potion and then, using the rest of the period to research past Wizengamot trials. He got detention and Snape was still pissed off with him, so no trial outing for him.

In response to this tragedy, Sirius had sent Harry a detailed letter on how to make a dungbomb and where to place it, so that it hit Snivellus right in his ugly mug. Harry replied a couple days later and thanked Sirius for his advice. He also included a moving photo in the letter. It consisted of Snape snarling something at two redhead boys who were grinning brightly in return. Harry was not the one who had taken the photo since he was in the corner of it, smiling pleased as he sat on the windowsill of an arch that led to one of the inner courtyards. One of his legs dangled in the air while he kept the other flexed against his chest. The one who took the photo seemed to be another boy given the polished shoes captured by the moving photo. Sirius could also see Harry being distracted by some other people approaching. Friends, given Harry’s welcoming smile.

Sirius was really glad someone had taken that photo of his godson (and Snivellus after being hit by a dungbomb), because he now kept it as a memento in his pocket everywhere he went (after he had shown it to the others due to familial obligation). Regulus had been pleased that Harry had not been caught. Pandora and Remus had been very entertained by the notion of Snape getting a dungbomb to his face. Sirius was just glad to see his godson enjoying his school life.

As for the other family member who was missing, Luna would be staying with her father for the night. Before Xenophilius had taken her away, Luna had taken one look at Sirius, her face suddenly blank. She had tilted her head and stared right through his soul with eyes that did not belong to her. When she returned from whatever she had been seeing, she had smiled briefly. “See you soon, everyone” was all she told them before she Floo’d over to Xenophilius’ house. Sirius hoped that was a sign everything would be alright. He wasn’t sure, though. He could never be sure when it came to the two Seers' visions.

And there was, obviously, Remus left. His Moony. Remus had his hand on Sirius’ lower back from the moment their wands had been confiscated by the Aurors at the entrance. Remus was wearing new robes for the trial, looking very sophisticated. Very expensive. Regulus too was wearing his best robes and the two had convinced Sirius to also wear typically wizarding robes in spite of Sirius’ desire to come dressed in the leather jacket James had gotten him when his first one had become too small on him. But he trusted his brother and Moony on this one. Even Pandora had come dressed in dark blue robes which had a more masculine feel to them and complemented her nicely. They looked quite similar to Regulus’, except they were snatched at the waist. Pandora had also had her hair done in a style called goddess knotless braids, which gave her an even more empowering look. Sirius was not exactly knowledgeable about the different hairstyles Pandora has had over the last couple months, but he was excited to learn. Moony had already given him a crash course on the differences between Pandora’s and Luna’s hair and their own, so Sirius wasn’t entirely clueless. He still had a lot more to learn, though. (It helped that he had been close with Mary during his Hogwarts years, because he had learned a lot then, but he had forgotten over the years – which, actually, begged the question: where was Mary? Neither of them knew. Remus had been trying to track her down for three years and, every damn time, he lost her trail. It was like someone was deliberately keeping her away from them. No tracking spell worked either. They were getting desperate at this point. Their only relief was that she was definitely not dead.)

“I’ll be fine. I have Remus with me” Sirius assured them, giving them a nervous smile. He really hoped it was a smile and not a grimace. He was really f*cking nervous, okay? He knew he was innocent but that didn’t stop them last time from chucking him in Azkaban for an entire decade. “Sirius. I’ll kill them all if they try to take you away again” Regulus told him quietly and that had Sirius groaning. “Would you stop threatening to kill people? I understand it’s your love language, but I’m actually starting to get worried about your mental well-being” Regulus’ lips quirked into a smile while Pandora snorted. Remus raised an eyebrow amused. “You’re only now starting to get worried?” Remus teased, making Sirius sigh. He knew that they were trying their best to cheer him up and he was not going to stop them since it seemed to be working.

“Yeah, whatever you – well, there comes one of the devils. Hold me back, Moony, before I knock his teeth out” Sirius grumbled as he glared at Lucius Malfoy who was approaching them with Narcissa in tow. Remus actually grabbed Sirius’ hand in his then, because they both knew Sirius would make good on his threat. Pandora and Regulus watched them approach, standing on Sirius’ other side. “Looks like everyone’s allowed in these days” Lucius said with the typical Malfoy lilt while looking at Remus. Sirius almost jumped him, but both Remus and Regulus held him back. Pandora had no such qualms, however. She remained totally still, but, suddenly, Lucius flinched and his nose cracked. Blood instantly started spilling down his lips and onto his very expensive outfit.

“You must be very stressed, Lord Malfoy, to have a sudden nosebleed like that” Pandora spoke gently with the air of a worried mother. Lucius cursed, snatching the handkerchief Narcissa had offered him and retreating to deal with his ‘nosebleed’. Sirius knew it was one of Pandora’s hexes. That nosebleed was not going to stop anytime soon, unless Lucius knew the counterspell to the hex. He’d faint from bleeding out too. Sirius knew all of that from personal experience.

He could honestly kiss Pandora right then. She must have seen his evident delight because she winked fugitively towards him before they all looked at Narcissa Malfoy who had remained before them, despite her husband’s hasty retreat. Narcissa was no longer the radiant teenager Sirius had known her as. She had once been his second favourite cousin (Andy took first place, always). Now, she seemed to be transforming into a relic - one of those relics that had been studied so heavily by men that it had lost all of its charm.

“Is there something you want to tell us, Narcissa? If not, we should take our seats” Regulus urged her coldly which had Narcissa looking at him intensely. Cissa had been Regulus’ favourite when they were young. They had a similarly deep connection to the one Sirius and Andy shared. Regulus had also never called Narcissa by her full name like that; it had always been Cissa or Cissy. Narcissa seemed to have noticed that, but she didn’t comment on it. Instead, she commented on something else she had witnessed “Given that you assaulted my husband, I believe I’m allowed a couple words without this hostility” she told them evenly which made Pandora tilt her head to the side, eyes wide and innocent. “How could we have assaulted your husband, Lady Malfoy? None of us has their wand” If it had been someone else saying it, Sirius would have instantly called their bluff. But Pandora had such a way with words that even Sirius doubted what he knew. Narcissa seemed to move past that as she openly stared at Sirius.

“You look good, cousin. Whatever you may think, I am glad to see you out of Azkaban” Narcissa told him neutrally, keeping her hands clasped in front of her. Sirius watched her closely. He had never been able to read Narcissa. He could tell at a glance when Andy was lying to him or when she was hiding a bruise or an aching pain from a Crucio. But, Narcissa? He had never really wanted to get close to her, not enough to understand her. But Regulus had.

Regulus Arcturus Black stepped between Sirius and Narcissa, a cruel look to his face. “You have exactly 2 minutes to tell me why you’re trying to use Legilimency on my idiot brother. I graciously offer you that much time just because we were close when we were young” Sirius bristled at that, instantly looking away from Narcissa’s face while Remus dragged Sirius behind him, a tense set to his shoulders. Narcissa didn’t even look guilty. Her gaze dragged over Regulus’ face before a subtle smile appeared on her lips.

“Most men wouldn’t even notice me using Legilimency. Lucius doesn’t even know I’m able to. I wonder, cousin, how did you figure me out?” There was a sudden commotion to their right as Sirius hurried to catch Pandora who had almost collapsed. Sirius thought someone shot a curse her way, but there was a frenzied look to her face, her eyes rolling into the back of her head for a brief moment, before she was back, inhaling sharply. She stared at Narcissa who was watching her with wide eyes, her lips parted as if to speak. Remus looked wildly around to make sure nobody else had noticed, but they were all too busy with their own discussions.

“Are you, perhaps, a –?” Narcissa was about to ask quietly when Pandora spoke hoarsely, watching Narcissa with much less hostility. “Whose side are you on?” Pandora demanded weakly which caught everyone by surprise. Regulus moved to stand between Sirius and Pandora on one side and Narcissa on the other, while Remus hurried to support Pandora as well. Between the two boyfriends, Pandora looked small, but she had an odd expression on her face, as if the entire weight of the world was placed on her shoulders.

Narcissa straightened her posture and Sirius stiffened. The quiet and forgettable Lady Malfoy was no more. The one in front of them was no longer the subdued and obedient housewife. The person who stood before them would not be able to hide their fighting will or their defiance easily. Not in a house which punished disobedience at every whim. The one who stood before them was Narcissa Black, the one who would have inherited the Lordship if only Sirius and Regulus were both out of the picture. (Bellatrix would never inherit the Black Lordship, not when she did not wish to understand it. Magic was capricious like that, the Black’s ancestral magic even more so.)

This was Narcissa Black who would play the perfect housewife, the perfect pureblood daughter as long as it benefited her. When her union with Lucius had first been proposed, Narcissa had been ecstatic since she thought it would be a love match. She was in love – Lucius wasn’t. Sirius had expected her to run away, if he had to be honest. Or, maybe, murder Lucius and claim the Malfoy magic for herself. Sirius couldn’t say he understood Narcissa, but he knew her enough from Andy. And Andy treasured her sisters, especially Narcissa. Andy thought that Narcissa’s plans had changed when she had found out she was pregnant and Sirius found himself agreeing with Andy’s judgement.

Regulus raised an eyebrow towards her, watching her warily. He probably read something on her face that Sirius was not privy to, because his brother relaxed lightly. The same could not be said for Remus who was tense and ready to snap if he sensed any danger. It was close after the full moon, so Remus was more likely to snap necks and ask questions later. Sirius wouldn’t even lie to himself and say that wasn’t really f*cking attractive. However, Sirius had not seen Narcissa – Cissy Black in quite a while. He was interested in what she had to say since she made such an unforgettable appearance now.

“My son’s. I will always be on my son’s side” Cissy replied easily, but that made Remus scowl. “Difficult decision to leave to a child. What side they should be on, that is” Remus retorted viciously which would have made any lesser man cower before him. But Narcissa wasn’t either of those. She gave him a small, ominous smile in return. “I used to think that too. Before Draco went to Hogwarts”

“Before he met Harry” Regulus filled in the blanks and, suddenly, everyone’s posture changed into a less hostile one. Cissy gave them a complacent smile as she eyed each and every one of them. “Draco has only ever had Lucius and me as models in life. Now, he has far more peers he can learn from. He’s quite taken by Harrison’s charm. I hear he has a way with words. Draco’s taken up photography as a hobby this year. I got him a camera for his last birthday. He’s been sending me quite a few photos of his friends. Zabini, Nott, Greengrass, Parkinson and… Potter”

Sirius felt the photograph he had in his pocket burn. Could it be –?

“You think Harry can lead him on the right path? Harry’s not your f*cking Saviour and he will not be doing any leading. He’s a child –” Regulus was telling her irritated, but Cissy raised a hand to politely stop his ranting. “I hate the idea of our kids being involved in the war as much as you do, but you must be aware that your Harrison is not any ordinary child. Just like my Draco isn’t one either”

“What do you mean by that? What do you know, Cissy?” Sirius asked breathlessly, but it was that moment that Cissy Black chose to disappear under the guise of subdued and obedient Narcissa Malfoy. “It seems our time is up. I’m sorry for keeping you. I hope the trial goes well” she told them mildly, leaving before they could stop her and drifting through the crowd towards Lucius who seemed to have just noticed her absence. Sirius had to give it to her. Cissy was as terrifying as ever. She was also intelligent and cunning as f*ck if she could play Lucius and the other pureblood assholes so easily.

“What did you see, Pandora?” Regulus asked, not taking his eyes off of Cissy either. Pandora grimaced as she finally steadied herself, sighing deeply. “I’m not quite sure. It happened too fast to understand a timeline. I think I saw Harry… an older Harry. And a person with platinum blond hair. Just a glimpse of it, so I’m not sure which Malfoy it belonged to. There was a battle. But I don’t know what side either of them stood on” Remus cursed lowly while Pandora clenched her fists to her sides. “I’m sorry I can’t bring more clarity” She whispered dejectedly, but Regulus shook his head. “It’s fine. You gave us another lead” Regulus spoke ominously, but Sirius understood. They could use Narcissa’s indecision, her willingness to follow Draco whatever he chose. They could use her knowledge. Because Narcissa must have gathered enough information to hold over Lucius’ head, to utterly destroy Voldemort’s supporters. An observant woman was stronger than any man. An observant mother was stronger than any army.

“Let’s deal with the trial first. We’ll figure out how to approach Cissy later” Sirius told them and they all nodded. Just in time, because Dumbledore entered the room, with Pettigrew and a small army of Aurors behind him. Regulus and Pandora went to take their rightful seats while Remus and Sirius remained in the middle of the atrium, near the defendant area, on the right side of the stand Dumbledore would occupy. Pettigrew and the Aurors making sure he’s unable to escape stood on the left side of the stand. The full Wizengamot was in attendance which almost made Sirius grimace. Cornelius Fudge was also there, which meant Dumbledore wouldn’t officiate today. Usually, most trials were officiated by Dumbledore. Fudge rarely attended. Sirius grew more concerned by the minute. “The bitch is here too” Remus whispered to him, making Sirius lose the battle of schooling his features as he glared viciously at Dolores Umbridge. She had been the one pushing for most of the anti-werewolf, anti-creature laws. Sirius would happily go to Azkaban for killing her.

“Full attendance. Let’s hope sh*t doesn’t go south” Sirius replied eventually, while Fudge called for silence. “I’m sure you’re all aware why we are here, but I shall state it for the ones who have not been reading the papers.” Fudge spoke as he took the stand while, surprisingly, Dumbledore took to standing quite close to Remus and Sirius. They both eyed him warily, but he only gave them a small, kind smile before directing his attention to Fudge. Remus and Sirius didn’t trust him, but Remus had a role to play so he gave the old man a tight smile in return. Sirius didn’t bother.

“We are here today to decide, for once and for all, who was responsible for James Fleamont Potter’s and Lily Evans Potter’s –”

“Cornelius, I apologize for the interruption, but James Potter and Lily Evans were not married. She never took his name” Dumbledore spoke up, making the Minister of Magic frown as he checked his papers before humming in a discombobulated manner. Sirius wanted to punch the Minister. Remus seemed to be in agreement. Instead, they held each other’s hands, hidden by their robes, as they stared up at the people who would decide Sirius’ fate. “Hmm, you’re quite right. How odd. Nonetheless, we are here to condemn the person responsible for their deaths. We shall start by presenting, once again, for those who weren’t present when Peter Pettigrew was brought forward, the memories of his betrayal. Then, we will bring forward Sirius Black’s wand, confiscated 10 years ago, to check what spells he had used last. We will then have each suspect defend themselves. And, only then, will we vote on who to condemn. Lord Bones, would you, please, project the memories?”

Remus refused to watch them again. He had told Sirius once was already enough. That he had nightmares about it. But Sirius had not seen them before. So, he stared and stared as Pettigrew knelt before Voldemort, as he took the Mark, as he promised to be his most loyal supporter and his spy. As he accepted to be James’ and Lily’s Secret Keeper – there was guilt in that moment, but it didn’t stop Pettigrew from telling Voldemort exactly where the two were hiding. Voldemort knew for months where the two were. Months where James and Lily had raised Harry peacefully, unaware that their cover had been blown. That they were in danger. Voldemort took his sweet time before he came to James’ and Lily’s door on that one fateful night of Halloween.

James had thought it was Peter visiting. That’s why he didn’t have his wand on him. He opened the door with a bright grin that was wiped away as soon as he saw Voldemort and, then, Pettigrew behind him. Sirius sobbed, hearing his James screaming in terror for Lily to run, “Lily! Lily, grab Harry and go! He’s here –!”

“Avada Kedavra!”

James Potter fell like a marionette whose strings were cut. Sirius almost fell on his knees as James’ body hid the ground with a dull thump, but Remus held him. He held him through it all, even as Sirius tried to compose himself and failed. He was sure there were tears streaking down his cheeks, but Sirius didn’t care because, mentally, he wasn’t in this atrium. He was there, 1981, Halloween, in that house. Sirius didn’t have to imagine how James’ body felt. How stiff it had been. He knew, because he held him. He held him and cried and screamed. He knew, because he was the one to find them first.

He watched as Memory-Pettigrew glanced briefly at James and then, at Voldemort heading up the stairs. Pettigrew from the memory looked like he’d puke, so he did what he had always done. He turned around and ran like the coward he was. They skipped the portions of Pettigrew packing his things to run away for what he had done and they plunged straight into the scene of Sirius finding Pettigrew.

Sirius didn’t recognize his younger self as he stared at himself from this third point of view. He was wearing one of Remus’ sweaters, blue jeans and his favourite boots. He had his wand in his hand. Everything about his clothing was normal except that it was rumpled and dusted, as if he had walked through the remnants of a house. As if he had held his best friends’ lifeless bodies in his arms. As if he had been forced to leave Harry with Hagrid – just for that day, just for a few hours, till Sirius found Pettigrew and killed him. If only his plans had succeeded. If only.

His expression was terrifying. The Black insanity was hereditary, they said. Each time a Black was born, everyone wondered when they’d succumb to the generational curse of going batsh*t crazy. If you hadn’t known better, Sirius Black had succumbed to it when he was 21, after having found his murdered best friends because of someone he had considered a brother. For those who knew better, they’d know that Sirius Black succumbed to the Black madness in Azkaban when he almost killed himself by sticking his arms into a Dementor. Well, only Sirius knew about that one, truly. Maybe Bellatrix, since she had laughed so much that Sirius thought she was the one dying. Sirius wasn’t sure he ever wanted to tell anyone else. What happened in Azkaban was best left to rot in there.

“You betrayed them. You betrayed them and they’re dead – and you did it all for nothing! Your f*cking Lord is dead and you’ll join him soon, you f*cking traitor –” His memory-self yelled hoarsely, tears streaking down his cheeks. Memory-Pettigrew gave him a malicious smile. “Sirius, old friend, don’t be delusional. I’ve survived this long. I will keep on surviving” Memory-Sirius had his wand pointed at Pettigrew, but he frowned when Pettigrew took out a small dagger and cut his finger of all things. That moment of hesitation cost him a decade of imprisonment.

“Bombarda Maxima!” Memory-Pettigrew then cast wandlessly, killing off all the 13 Muggles who had stopped to gawk at them. Memory-Sirius was blasted away too, but he managed to cast a cushioning charm at one point. Memory-Pettigrew transformed in a rat and ran away. Memory-Sirius, still battling a concussion and dizziness, could only lie down on the ground, groaning. Crying. Trying to get up and failing to do so.

The memory stopped there, but Sirius knew what happened next. The Aurors found him just before he lost consciousness while he was laughing hysterically. Sirius woke up in Azkaban with no other explanation than the fact he had betrayed James and Lily. That first year he had raged and fought every single guard who tried to calm him down. He had hurt himself so much he had had to be knocked out several times. Sirius preferred not to think about that first year.

Another memory played. The one when they brought Pettigrew in. Sirius stared at his Harry, at his brave, brave Harry, who was glaring at the man who ruined his life. Sirius wished Harry was here. So, he could hug him and tell him he loved him. But it was for the better that he wasn’t here. Seeing his baba dead would be too traumatising for a little boy. Sirius focused on the memory once more when he heard Harry’s voice. His witness statement.

“– the Dark Mark. I then sought out Professor McGonagall and Floo’d home. My guardians did all the spells to check it was Pettigrew. We contacted Auror Shacklebolt. And then, we came to the Ministry. You know what happened next.” Harry told the Auror interviewing him before looking off to the side, probably towards his guardians since they had to be in the room during Harry’s interrogation (he was still a minor, after all). The memory ended there.

Fudge cleared his throat. “Alright. Please, bring out Sirius Black’s wand” He asked one of the Aurors and they did as asked. Sirius’ heart panged. He really wanted his wand back. He wasn’t allowed to have one even if he was freed (part of the conditions of his immediate freedom) and he really missed casting spells. He watched it being placed in the hands of a masked person, dressed in all black with so many Disillusionment Charms and glamours on them that Sirius’ head hurt. They cast the spell to reveal what his last few spells had been. “A cushioning charm. An Apparition. A … a lot of healing charms. Rennervates, specifically, a couple Vulnera Sanenturs and Reparifors. It goes on like this for a while. Should be around fifty healing spells and then there’s an Homenum Revelio and another Apparition. The other spells seem unrelated, but I can continue”

“No, no, that should be enough” Fudge replied while Sirius exhaled deeply. Moony was holding onto his hand as if Sirius would disappear once more. As if they’d find a way to say that this was not proof enough. But it had to be. They had to see it. They had to know, by now. Sirius darted a look at the Wizengamot members – at Regulus. His brother had his indifferent mask back on, but Sirius could tell that seeing James’ corpse had hit him hard. He was glaring down at Pettigrew as Fudge invited him to talk first. Say what could very well be his last words.

Pettigrew instantly turned towards Sirius and Remus which made the two bristle. “My old friends, you must know I didn’t mean for this to happen – you saw my regret and my guilt! You saw me running away! I didn’t expect the Dark Lord to kill them! I only wanted to survive. They were threatening me. They’d have killed me –”

“Then you should have died!” Sirius snapped viciously, because he couldn’t bear to hear more. Pettigrew froze at the vitriol in Sirius’ voice. “We would have all died for you. We would have died to keep their secret. I trusted you. We all did. And you betrayed us all. You deserve worse than death –”

“That’s enough now, Mr. Black. I believe Mr. Pettigrew understands” Dumbledore spoke in a calm, soothing tone that made Remus’ grip on Sirius tighten to the point of bruising. Sirius didn’t care. He was holding onto Remus with the same death grip. He shut his mouth at Dumbledore’s request, but he wasn’t pleased about it. Fudge cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention on him again, especially when Pettigrew knelt and tried to beg for mercy, but the Aurors Silenced him so the trial could go on.

“Mr. Black, is there anything you wish to add?” Fudge asked Sirius, but Sirius was too furious to add anything else. What else could he say, anyway? Everyone saw what happened. It was, unsurprisingly, Remus who spoke up for Sirius. “Sirius’ only mistake was trusting Pettigrew. And, for that, he paid with a decade in Azkaban. I think –”

The bitch cleared her throat, interrupting Remus before giving them a saccharine smile. “As far as I’m aware, you are not Mr. Black and, as such, were not invited to speak, mister.” She intoned with such a sweet tone that Sirius almost gagged. His anger doubled when he felt Remus hesitating to snap at her, because they knew she could ruin his life if only she found out what he was. Sirius was not having it.

“Not yet, that is. I reckon Remus will eventually become a Mr. Black himself in the future, but way to ruin the surprise, Umbitch – ah, sorry, it was Umbridge, wasn’t it? My mistake, I’m bad with names. A decade in Azkaban does that to you”

The entire Wizengamot was stunned speechless at Sirius’ impertinence. Regulus looked both exasperated and fondly amused. Pandora actually smirked in delight. There were a few others who were amused, but most of them seemed mildly disgusted or confused. Sirius hoped each of the hom*ophobic bigots had an aneurysm. Sirius felt Remus fighting a blush and laughter at the same time next to him and he could only grin sharply at Umbridge who was now flushed red. Fudge cleared his throat, seemingly just as flustered. “Right. Right. If that is all, we should move on –”

“A moment, Cornelius. I’d like to say some words in Mr. Black’s – Sirius’, that is – defence. If you’ll allow me” And, well, that shocked everyone once again, because Dumbledore had not been so supportive of Sirius when he had first been taken to Azkaban. He could have done something. Hell, Dumbledore should have done something. Sirius was part of the Order; he had done almost as many missions as Moody. Sirius had been an Auror – a damn good one – and he had taken down so many Death Eaters… It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Dumbledore could just waltz in here and pretend everything between them was alright. It wasn’t. Sirius hated him. He would hate him for all of his life. He would never trust him again.

However, for now, he dug his nails into Remus’ hand and he gave Dumbledore a tight smile as the old man walked to the middle of the atrium and spoke up. “Fellow Lords, fellow wizarding folk, I’m sure you all have come to the realization that we have witnessed a decade-old injustice. One we need to resolve right this instant. Sirius Black has been a loyal friend all along. An ally who we should cherish, not condemn. A man who has lost his brother, his best friend and his liberty all in one night. I ask you all to consider this as we vote and decide his fate. Cornelius, if you will.”

Fudge hummed before clapping his hands, effectively scaring half the people in attendance. “Whoever believes Sirius Orion Black to be guilty, say Aye” Nobody spoke, not when they had all the evidence laid out before them. They'd be fools to. Sirius was so f*cking relieved. Fudge nodded in assent. “Whoever believes Sirius Orion Black to be innocent, say Aye” If it weren’t for Remus now holding an arm around his waist, Sirius would have been blown away by the entire Wizengamot saying ‘Aye’ at once. He was free. He was finally declared innocent. It was done.

“Good, good. Now, whoever believes Peter Pettigrew to be guilty, say Aye” Their response was just as resounding. Fudge cleared his throat and looked down towards the Aurors surrounding Pettigrew who was crying silent tears. “Bring the Dementor out. And allow Mr. Pettigrew his last words. We are not barbarians. Whoever doesn’t want to watch the Kiss may leave. The trial is concluded. Punishment shall be awarded shortly” Fudge announced loudly, two of the Aurors going to get the Dementor from wherever they had stashed it, followed by the glamoured person cloaked in dark clothes. Another Auror took the spell off of Pettigrew who was sobbing loudly, doing his best to escape. He had even tried transforming into a rat, but there was always one Auror with their wand aimed at him who immediately did the spell to reverse the Animagus transformation. The Aurors were the only exceptions to the no-wand rule in the Wizengamot meeting room - and today's trial showed them all how necessary their presence was.

“I’m not staying for this” Sirius said loud enough that Remus heard him, despite the chaos of Pettigrew’s escape attempts. Remus nodded in assent, grimacing. “Yeah, let’s go” He mumbled and the two looked up to see Regulus nodding that he’d stay to witness the Kiss. Pandora, alongside a couple other Wizengamot members, got up from their seats to leave. It seemed that Sirius and Remus were not the only one who couldn’t deal with seeing someone getting the Dementor’s Kiss.

“SIRIUS! REMUS! HE WILL RETURN! THE DARK LORD WILL RETURN AND I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU – COME BACK! PLEASE! HELP ME! SAVE ME! AREN’T WE THE BEST OF FRIENDS?! AREN’T WE BROTHERS?!”

Sirius and Remus ignored Pettigrew's cries. The two were the first out of the atrium. They both retrieved their wands, Sirius with a look of pure, elated relief as he pocketed his. They decided to wait for Pandora to catch up to them after they passed the crowds of journalists. The only statement they gave to the greedy reporters outside the atrium – since they weren’t allowed inside for the trial, they were hounding the entrance – was that Sirius was declared innocent and that Pettigrew would be Kissed by a Dementor.

“…think he was telling the truth?” Remus asked him quietly as they found a secluded corner where they could wait for Regulus' arrival. Pandora was approaching them after having stopped to talk with Auror Shacklebolt (who was also Lord Shacklebolt). Sirius responded before she got close enough to hear their discussion. “About Voldemort returning? Yeah. About him helping us? No. He’d have betrayed us all over again” Remus didn’t comment more on the topic, but he asked something else before Pandora joined them. "Did you mean it? The Mr. Black thing?" Sirius' expression softened as he cupped Remus' face in his hands. "Of course I did, Remus. You'll always be the one for me. Obviously, I'd have wanted to talk to you about it differently, but this works too. We've always been spontaneous" Remus leaned into the touch with obvious delight, but they were interrupted by Pandora who approached them with a kind smile. “I asked Auror Shacklebolt to provide Pettigrew with proper care after the Kiss. He’ll be held in the Janus Thickey Ward in a heavily-guarded area”

Right. Because the Kiss wouldn’t actually kill Pettigrew. It would leave him soulless, alive but not quite. He’d be just a shell, a carcass. Sirius was grateful that Pandora made sure Pettigrew would have proper conditions to live the rest of his life, but he also hated her for it. He wanted Pettigrew to suffer. He hoped that his soul suffered being stuck in that Dementor for eternity.

Neither Remus nor Sirius responded to Pandora as they distanced, but she seemed to expect that, because she simply waited with them for Regulus to come out. He did, eventually, and, after getting his wand back, he approached the three of them. “I expected it to be more gruesome. He didn’t suffer enough, in my humble opinion” Regulus told them, as he approached them with his hands in his robes’ pockets. “Regulus!” Pandora called out indignantly, making Lord Black shrug indifferently. But it was the right thing to say, because both Sirius and Remus relaxed. The complex feelings they held for Pettigrew made it so that they both wanted him to suffer, but they also hated that he had to suffer at all. Regulus’ words were exactly what they needed to hear. They were ready to go home.

As they were on their way out, Pandora suddenly frowned, gripping Regulus’ arm tightly. Regulus cursed before snapping at the other two “Hide her. She’s having another vision” They all cornered Pandora, hoping to hide her from the crowd, even if they had been the centre of attention the entire evening. Thankfully, she recovered fairly quickly. She was frowning down at her hands by the time Sirius turned to check on her. “How peculiar. I don’t usually get two visions in one day. And they show me more specific things… and also take longer” She mumbled while they all stared at her concerned.

She looked at each of them before speaking, shaking her head confused. “Mors tua, vita mea. It’s Latin for 'your death, my life'. I think I saw Harry’s first Quidditch game. That’s all… that’s all I have” Regulus cursed. With all the whirlwind of emotions he went through today, however, Sirius couldn’t process this too. He wouldn't. “Moony, love, let’s get home and get trashed” He told his boyfriend who nodded eagerly, just as weary as Sirius. Pandora gave them a helpless smile while Regulus Apparated them away, not wanting to attract even more attention to them. They’d talk another day about Pandora’s vision. Right now, there were other wounds they had to deal with.

Another Marauder was killed because of the War – well, Kissed, but they had lost him either way. However, they hadn’t lost Wormtail today. No. Wormtail had died right after graduation when Peter Pettigrew had agreed to become a spy for Voldemort. That’s who Remus and Sirius were mourning as they drank their expensive wine (because Regulus refused to let them get drunk on cheap beer – Hell, he refused to have any cheap alcohol in the house at all). They were mourning their best friend, their Marauder, their Wormtail.

After 13 years, they finally said goodbye to the brother they had unknowingly lost to the War.

After a decade, they finally got justice – no, revenge. James, Lily and Sirius were avenged today. Everyone they had lost in the War, everyone who still had nightmares about the War, they were all avenged today through this one Kiss.

Next on their killing list, excluding any Death Eater who got in their way, was Voldemort himself.

“Reggie, bring over the transactions on Helga’s Cup again, would you?” Sirius slurred from the kitchen, wanting to get down to business. His younger brother did as asked, but he was scowling at Sirius as he spread the papers on the kitchen table. “If you spill wine on these papers, I’ll make you lick them clean” Remus snorted at that, while Sirius Accio’d a claw clip and he tied his hair back.

“Let’s get this show on the road, gentlemen and lovely lady” Sirius called out when Pandora had entered the room after having changed in more comfortable pyjamas.

The Horcrux Hunt was, finally, in full swing.

Chapter 7: Redamancy

Chapter Text

Dear Regulus,

I am going to send everyone letters as well, but you can show this one to them while I write the others. I am doing well and so are Hedwig and Agni. I have finally convinced Hedwig my roommates (Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini) aren't food and I have allied myself with them (befriended them? I'm not too sure). Their situation is much like yours was during your Hogwarts years so we are keeping our alliance(friendship?) limited to the dorms.

Snape doesn't like me even when I answer his questions about wolfsbane, bezoars and the Draught of the Living Death. (I answered them correctly and he took points off me) Or when I make perfect potions for him, it seems. It's fine. I don't like him either.

I became friends with Susan Bones, Amelia Bones’ (Head of DMLE) niece. She insists I write to you about supporting her aunt’s campaign to take over as Chief Warlock from Dumbledore (she’s very ambitious, I have to give her that). I think you don’t need too much convincing to do so, anyway. How are the Wizengamot meetings? Still frustrating? I assume Pandora still runs away from them as much as she can. Smart.

The Patil twins and Neville Longbottom are also very nice. Neville apologized for Lord Regent's dismissal of our request to see Frank and Alice. He promised me he’d try to talk his gran out of it, so fingers crossed. The Patil twins have been giving me spices for the food here since some of it is very bland (yes, Reg, we started smuggling spices, I’m a bad guy now). They’re very fun. Hermione is also one of my new friends. She’s a very knowledgeable Ravenclaw, but she likes the rules a bit too much. Parvati and I are trying to make her see the satisfaction of breaking rules and not getting caught, but I honestly think she’s a lost cause.

I also befriended the Weasley twins. And one Cassius Warrington. You may ask how. I actually don’t know. They just started talking to me one day and that was that.

Also, I got Ron that owl I asked you to buy for me since I stole his 'pet' (ew) even if the git hasn't yet apologized for throwing a tantrum at me when I kidnapped Pettigrew. I'm keeping the owl secret until he does.

Right. What this letter is actually about.

I need a broom. I accidentally got myself on the Quidditch team? I'm their new Seeker. McGonagall vouched for me after she saw me fly (don't ask when, you'll probably tell me I was being too much of a Gryffindor) and then Snape reluctantly allowed it. (His face! He really wanted to say no out of spite. The asshole!) Flint said Baba's old broom isn't good enough (you should be proud I didn't punch him, Reg; Moony knows I have a mean punch) so, could you send me a newer model? Nothing too fancy. And you know I have enough galleons stashed in my room for emergencies. Just take from those.

What else? Oh! How is Padfoot doing? And Moony? I have it on good authority that if they are not together again, you and Pandora need to stage an intervention. Also, can I have a background on Quirinus Quirrell? He is our DADA professor and the only person I cannot convince Hedwig not to bite. He is a bad professor obviously, but not enough to be worth killing him?? I don't know why Hedwig is so annoyed with him.

See you soon,
Harry

(Regulus read the letter thrice over before showing it to the others. Pandora was delighted that Harry was a Seeker and promised to look into Quirrell. Remus and Sirius were flabbergasted that Harry knew they were together before either of them even mentioned it to him. Hell, they haven’t even talked to him about romantic relationships yet. Thankfully, Sirius and Remus got back together shortly after Sirius came home and they now shared a room to Regulus' chagrin (but also his relief, because he did not want to stage an intervention for them). "Can I buy the broom for him? It feels like I missed so many birthdays and celebrations" Sirius pondered as he talked to Regulus which made the younger brother frown. "We have the same vaults. And they are filled with galleons. Knock yourself out" Sirius had seemed delighted by it and he had placed an order for a broom shortly after. Regulus thought that as long as he didn't know what it was, he could have plausible deniability. "We should head down for his first game" Remus had then suggested and they were all very excited about that. Luna the most, since she wanted to get a glimpse of Hogwarts. "It's in November. First week" Regulus told them which made Sirius smile sadly. "Well, it depends how my trial goes, I guess" Remus put an arm around his boyfriend's waist, but Regulus was determined. "You will be declared innocent if it’s the last thing I do" He had snapped, making Sirius blink before his older brother smiled softly and that was that.)

"Is that a Nimbus 2000?!" Fred gaped which made Harry look up from the packaged broom the owls had dropped in front of him at breakfast. Fred and George had been dragging a very flustered Ron towards Harry, but now they were all staring. Cassius let out a sharp laugh. "Look at that, Flint. Our star Seeker is prepared to win us the Cup this year" Cassius exclaimed before sending Harry a wink which made him smile lightly. Hedwig flicked her tongue towards the Weasleys who approached him only a bit warily, but she remained relaxed. Harry had fed her some smoked salmon, so she was content enough not to start biting anyone… hopefully.

"My godfather was excited, it seems" Harry remarked simply, before he looked over at Ron who froze. Then, he inhaled, gathering his courage. (if even Gryffindors had to find their courage, then the rest of them were f*cked) "I'm sorry I threw a tantrum when you were actually trying to bring justice to Sirius Black. You were right about Scabbers being... an Animagus" Harry narrowed his eyes slightly at that, feeling it wasn't quite a sincere apology, but he was about to let it drop. That was before Pansy snickered. "Looks like the Weasleys really fell out of grace. They can't even do a proper apology to another heir. You are Heir Potter, are you not?" Pansy asked innocently, but Harry almost rolled his eyes as he realized what she wanted to know.

Harry didn't care about revealing that piece of information, though. As long as he kept the other three heirships safe and secret. Harry raised his right hand and the Potter signet ring appeared at his command, making Pansy and the other Slytherins (and Ron) freeze. "Lord Potter, actually. Since I'm the only one left and all" He drawled, but that didn't have the desired outcome. Pansy flushed, while a few others – Harry assumed they were heirs too – spoke a quick "Well met, Lord Potter" to which Harry responded in kind, because Regulus raised him well in those customs. "Well met. Regardless, Ron, it's whatever" Harry said dismissively, before he looked over at the twins who were watching him expectantly.

"It's a great horned owl named Lucille. She likes mice most, but she'll take crumbs too. She's in the owlery. Has been for the past weeks"

"Wicked!" The twins exclaimed whereas Ron let out a shocked “what?!” before he was dragged away by the twins. Harry hummed and returned to his meal. "Not a word" He added as a precaution when Blaise opened his mouth. His ally/friend smiled amused. "Cutting deals left and right, Potter?" Draco asked haughtily which made Harry raise an eyebrow, recognising the teasing tone behind Draco's pureblood trill. He fought back a smile, ignoring James freaking out in front of him and Lily stifling chuckles. "None of your business, Malfoy" Harry replied in the same tone and he saw Draco's eyes twinkle with barely concealed delight as Harry played into their game. Harry also saw Theo and Blaise trying to hide their amusem*nt while Parkinson looked briefly tense, as she watched them, before she decided to mind her own business – which was gossiping with Daphne Greengrass about Flint and the possible Hufflepuff he was snogging. Harry really did not want anything to deal with that, so he returned to his meal.

When Harry wasn't occupied with classes or Quidditch training or spending time with his ally-friends in the dorms, he was exploring Hogwarts. His parents were more than happy to show him around, guide him to all their preferred hiding spots (some of which were also snogging spots, to Harry’s horror). It was inevitable that he’d meet his other friends on his explorations. He first met up with Padma, Ron and Neville. The three of them were trying to sneak out of the Gryffindor Tower and almost failing. “Mrs. Norris is going to eat you all alive” Harry warned them as he approached them quietly, making all three of them flinch. “Merlin, Harry, you’re as quiet as a mouse – you know what, nevermind” Ron mumbled, cheeks flush red. Padma sighed deeply while Neville grimaced.

Harry gave them a humourless smile while his parents floated above them, keeping watch over the ends of the corridor they were on. “Where are you three going in such a hurry?” He asked them, making Padma shrug one shoulder. “Defending your honour” Harry blinked surprised. “My what now?” He asked surprised which had the three snorting. “Come on, mate, don’t play dumb. You know what honour means” Ron replied which had Harry tilting his head to the side, watching them confused. “Still, why would you do that? I can handle a couple assholes badmouthing me”

Nevile shook his head at that. “You can, but not if it’s all of the people in bigger years. A lot of them are really mad you get to play Quidditch even if you’re a first year. They didn’t get the same privilege. They think you bribed your way onto the team” Harry scowled at that but, before he could speak, Padma intervened. “Not to worry, however, because we got your back! We’re going to meet a couple of the loudest ones and teach them a lesson, just you wait and see –”

“I fight my battles on my own –”

“Harry, stop being such a loner and accept our help” Padma told him abruptly, making Harry blink surprised. His parents chuckled. “You know what? I like her” James said jovially while Lily nodded amused, drifting by the three Gryffindors.

“Besides, they are Gryffindors. You deal with the Slytherins. Parvati and Elysian deal with the Ravenclaws – well, Hermione too, but she’s more stuck up than the rest of us, so” Ron shrugged helplessly and Harry had so much to protest about that, but Neville interrupted him. “And Susan deals with the Hufflepuffs. We’re an unlikely troop, but here we are, right? We can manage this. So, if you will, we’ll be late if we don’t go now” Neville told him, but he sounded just a little hesitant. Like he was putting up a brave front. Harry considered it. He was objectively stronger than them, but he didn’t want to fight them. They were his friends and their little trip just proved it some more. He smiled lightly.

“Where are you meeting up with your opponents? I’ll show you a couple secret passages, so you don’t get caught” The three were delighted to be escorted safely. Harry didn’t even get a glance at the Gryffindors the three would face, before Padma ushered him away. He allowed it amused. He was even more amused when he heard the three of them got detention for being out after curfew. The other three who got detention were Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas and Cormac McLaggen. Harry thought that was deserved for the last three, he had heard them talking behind his back, whispering about him being the next Dark Lord. Harry couldn’t care less what they thought, though.

What worried Harry about that detention was the fact that Padma and Neville had come back terrified from it. Ron and the others less so. "There was something dark in the Forbidden Forest, Harry. I don't know what it was, but... it killed a unicorn. Can you believe it? Hagrid got us out of there before we could see it properly, but it was Neville and I who found it initially. Who would do such a horrible thing?" Harry had an idea of who would dare, given how his scar ached every so often, but he wanted to wait to get conclusive proof from Pandora beforehand. He hoped he was right. And, if he was, his guardians were one Floo call away. He trusted them to keep him safe.

Another time when he went exploring, Harry also got dragged by Hermione and Parvati to the library and given a crash course on this Nicholas Flamel guy as if Harry’s life depended on him knowing about their newest hyperfixation. When he asked them about it, Parvati watched him wearily. “Just trust me on this, okay? I don’t know why, but I think it’s important you know about I” Harry lived with two Seers. He wasn’t going to question Parvati any more, already having an idea about why she insisted he pay attention. So, he did. He even took notes. The two girls were delighted to see him so implicated. That day, he also met Elysian Shacklebolt-Macmillan. He was a lovely Ravenclaw who seemed to notice Harry was powerful the moment he looked at him. He was also Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt’s and Lord Lucas Macmillan’s only son. Harry liked Elysian. He was honest and intelligent without being rude or over-the-top like Hermione sometimes was. The girls were also very comfortable around him – a safe person, Harry had decided and he stood by his intuition.

Of course, by exploring Hogwarts at all hours of the day and night, Harry almost got himself in trouble. In his defence, he was simply taking Hedwig on a walk. It wasn't his fault that his snake wanted to explore the forbidden third floor corridor. Or that Hedwig insisted Harry open a stupid door behind which was a three-headed dog. The dog had snarled in his face and Harry had never shut a door faster in his life. He had grabbed Hedwig and he had run like his life depended on it – it did.

McGonagall almost caught him, but James and Lily managed to help him hide away in a secret passage, while panicking and reprimanding him at the same time (“I told you this was a bad idea! But, nooo, you two wanted to take the damn snake on a walk on the only corridor that Dumbledore forbade access to!” “Lils –” “Don’t Lils me! Your son almost got killed by a gigantic dog!” “So, he’s my son when he’s in trouble, but he’s your son when he gets good grades? How is that fair?!”). Then, they helped him make his way back to the dungeons safely. Perhaps it wasn't only the snake's fault. Perhaps Harry had wanted to wander and accidentally made his way to the third-floor corridor because it was Sirius' trial that day. And, admittedly, he was very worried about the fate of his godfather.

The next morning, on Halloween (how f*cking fitting), Harry was quietly eating his toast when the owls flew in with today’s post. Agni landed expertly on the table and he extended his leg towards Harry, but Harry was already looking at the Daily Prophet in front of Blaise.

"Looks like Sirius Black is finally proven innocent" Blaise read the first-page headline and Harry could only smile warmly as he relaxed despite what today was the anniversary of. "Yeah" he whispered softly before taking the letter from Agni. "Thank you, pretty bird. Take whatever you want from the feast" Harry told him and he watched as Agni stole his smoked salmon toast and left which made Theo snort. Harry looked up to see Draco pointedly not looking at him whereas Blaise was smiling and Theo was reading a book on Charms, looking amused. Harry ignored them as he read the letter he got from Sirius.

Dear Harry,

Guess who is officially a free man? Me!! I'm forcing everyone out to celebrate. Regulus sounded like he was dying when I suggested it, but I know he's happy for me. Even f*cking Dumbledore came to my trial and testified for me! Can you believe that? The same guy who expedited me to Azkaban no questions asked.

Anyway, just wanted to see if you like your broom. Reggie said he'd have my head if I got you the most expensive broom in the catalogue, so I sent you the second most expensive one!

Moony, Reggie, Pandora, Luna and I will be at your game! I promise to cheer for you even if you're playing against my old House. Can't wait to see you flying! I miss you.

Have fun and don't get caught,
Padfoot

Harry smiled some more as he tucked the letter in his robes. Yeah, his day was a little better.

"TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!"

Never f*cking mind.

"Harry! It's Hermione! The troll is heading for her. She's inside the second-floor bathroom, crying because of that stupid Ronald!" Lily warned him as she whooshed in front of him after Harry had sent her to scout for the troll. He was just a bit worried about its whereabouts since the f*cking Slytherin common room was in the dungeons. At the moment, the Slytherins were all herded by Snape and Percy towards said common room.

Harry grimaced as he looked over at Hedwig who was agitated as well. Harry was about to give the others the slip, to go help Hermione, when Draco caught his wrist. "Where are you going?" Draco whispered, between gritted teeth which made Harry glare lightly at him. "Saviour things" He replied before he went ahead towards the twins who were speaking animatedly with Cassius. Something about finding the troll and setting it loose in the Forbidden Forest. While their intentions were good, Harry had other plans for them. "Hey, need another favour" Harry told them which made Fred grin brightly down at Harry. "It will cost you"

"3 Galleons?" Harry bargained and the twins gaped while Cassius laughed in surprise. "He meant a favour for a favour, Harry" The fourth-year said, shaking his head indulgently which made Harry blink. "Oh. That works too –"

"What is it?" George asked him curiously and Harry quickly explained that Hedwig told him Hermione needed help. It was, technically, a lie, but not far from the truth. "I need a distraction" Harry insisted, making the twins smirk mischievously. "On it. Go be the Saviour" George told him, before the twins went ahead, already having decided on a distraction. Cassius frowned lightly before sighing resigned to his faith. "I'm coming with. And I'll grab Elysian just in case" Cassius told Harry which made him shrug in a 'suit yourself' manner before he slipped away.

"Weasleys!" Snape snarled viciously after what sounded like an explosion occurred. That’s when Harry slipped away under his roommates’ worried gazes. He didn’t have time to deal with their feelings, though. Cassius and Elysian quickly caught up with Harry and the three of them made their way towards the second-floor bathroom.

"She wasn't at the feast. I assume Ron upset her again?" Elysian asked sounding annoyed which made Cassius snort as the three skidded when they reached the second-floor corridor. "f*cking git. He sure has that Gryffindor arrogance" Harry grimaced at Cassius’ statement, unable to defend Ron. "Yeah, something like that. Here. She's supposed to be –" Harry was saying as he opened the door quickly, before he interrupted himself.

Well, Hermione was in the bathroom. So was the troll, though. All three boys took out their wands, but it seemed that was unnecessary because Hedwig dashed forward. She almost bit the troll before Harry managed to catch her tail. "No, Hedwig! They can't know you're venomous!" Harry snapped at her, so the two older boys took that opportunity to shoot spells at the troll while Harry got a tight hold on Hedwig. After making sure Hedwig was secure around his neck, Harry ran towards Hermione, grabbed her hand and they dashed outside. Elysian closed the door as soon as they were out since the two older boys didn’t enter the bathroom, remaining safely outside of it. Elysian then locked the door to the bathroom with the angry troll inside.

"I – oh. Thank you" Hermione told the three shocked and out of breath, tears still streaming down her face. "Glad you're safe" Cassius huffed as he let himself fall on the ground, thoroughly exhausted by the whole encounter. Elysian offered Hermione a tight smile. “You really worried Parvati when you didn’t come to the Great Hall. Next time Ron’s being an asshole, tell us. We’ll deal with him for you” Elysian told her gently which made the girl give him a thankful smile as she nodded. Harry let go of Hermione and glared at Hedwig. "No biting!" Harry told her in English which she wouldn't understand, except she did, because Harry must have told her that almost every hour of every single day since he had gotten her. Hedwig hissed indignantly, but made no other comment.

"Harry, is your snake actually venomous?" Hermione asked him breathlessly which made him stiffen before he turned to glare at her as well. "You owe me for saving your life so you are going to keep quiet about it!" He let out hastily, making her scowl before she groaned.

"But why would you have a venomous snake?!" Hermione insisted which made Harry roll his eyes. "Oh, I don't know, Hermione, maybe because Voldemort and his gang are after me?!" Elysian and Cassius snorted at that while Hermione grimaced, before nodding as if Harry actually had a good point. "Good point" Cassius voiced everyone’s thoughts, while Elysian too sat down on the floor. "We should go before the professors –"

"What is going on here?!" McGonagall bellowed as she came down the hallway with numerous other professors. "Well, nevermind" Elysian sighed resigned to his fate while Harry looked up, made eye contact with Quirrell and frowned as his scar ached. He rubbed the entire right side of his face, hoping the pain would go away, but it was just getting worse with every passing moment. With every step Quirrell took closer to him. Harry’s scar had ached in Quirrell’s classes previously, but Harry had chalked it up to poor hydration on his part. Or sleep deprivation. He really hoped Pandora could shed some light on this Quirrell person for him.

"Hermione wasn't at the feast, Professors. So, I got worried" Elysian spoke in an innocent manner, even if Harry was sure he was quite the troublemaker himself. James and Lily floated concerned around Harry, but they remained quiet waiting for the professors’ verdict. "And I noticed Elysian running away from his group, so I got worried" Cassius quipped still lying down on the floor, not looking at any of the professors.

"We captured the troll in the bathroom" Harry told them bluntly and James actually guffawed while Lily groaned. "Harry! A bit of tact!" His mother asked of him, exasperatedly, but even she was smiling lightly. McGonagall looked like they had taken 7 years off of her life. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and Harry very quickly looked away from them. No Legilimency for him, no, thank you. Snape looked ready to reduce their Houses to negative points. And Quirrell looked more terrified by the prospect of an angry door behind the closed door of the bathroom.

"That was awfully stupid of you four! 5 points taken from each of you!" McGonagall told them which made Hermione look ready to cry while Elysian pat her back consolingly. Cassius gave the professors a thumbs up, too exhausted to say anything else. "But you three receive 10 points each for your bravery. Now, let us deal with this mountain troll. Go straight to your common rooms" Harry and Cassius went one way, while Hermione and Elysian went the other way. Hermione thanked the two Slytherins once more before leaving while Elysian smiled warmly their way. Harry had to make sure Cassius didn't bump into anything as the 14-year-old massaged his wrists.

"Man, I haven't fired these many spells since I duelled Percy"

"Why'd you duel Percy?" Harry asked him confused – sure, Percy could be a prat, but Harry wouldn’t see that as a motive for duelling someone? – which made Cassius smirk in boyish delight. "For my boyfriend's honour, of course" Harry blinked. "Oh. You're –?" Cassius narrowed his eyes at Harry before interrupting him. "If you're hom*ophobic, Harrison James Potter, I will hex your pretty face off –"

"My parents were raging bisexuals. Two of my guardians are gay, the other is pansexual. And my godfather is also a raging bisexual" Harry deadpanned, making Cassius smirk brightly before he barked a sharp laugh while his parents chuckled above them. "How delightful! What about you?" Cassius asked Harry curiously, making the young boy shrug. "Still questioning. Might be a raging bisexual myself" Harry replied thoughtfully which made Cassius grin brightly. "f*ck yeah!"

Harry smiled amused at that, before he called out the password once they reached the corresponding wall and they entered the Slytherin common room. He wasn't surprised to see neither of his roommates down there, but the twins grinned at the two of them, albeit looking a bit concerned. "Couldn't keep Snape from going to find you, sorry" Fred told them as they helped Cassius sit on one of the couches. "It's okay. We did it. We are heroes. Yippee! Next time, I'm dragging you two devils with me" Cassius warned the twins which made them grin pleased.

Harry bid them goodnight, leaving them to their chaos and he went up to his dorm. He was assaulted as soon as he entered. "Are you okay?" Draco asked him and Harry blinked seeing Theo holding what looked like dittany, Blaise holding sweets in his arms and Draco having his wand at the ready. Harry's lips twitched before he gave into a smile. "Yeah. Everyone is. We locked the troll in the second-floor girl's bathroom"

"You actually defeated the troll?!" Blaise asked shocked while Theo hid the dittany away and they all took to sitting on Blaise's bed as Harry told them what he had gone through. He noticed that his parents always left him alone with his roommates ever since the four had bonded over their alliance and Harry was grateful to them for that.

Having friends his age was strange, but Harry thought he liked it.

Chapter 8: Mors tua, vita mea (Reprise)

Chapter Text

Things obviously didn't stay normal for too long.

Why would Harry have a peaceful existence at school? No. sh*t had to go south all the time or something was really wrong with the Universe.

“Are you sure this is where you saw those rats?” Harry hissed towards Hedwig as the four of them (the two of them and his parents) made their way towards a supposedly abandoned classroom in which some very desirable rats thrived. “Do you think I can’t tell my right from my left? Yes, they are right behind this door!” Hedwig hissed indignantly towards him, making Harry roll his eyes. This is the fourth time she had told him the exact same thing. They’ve been on the hunt for rats all evening. Harry had actually been worried that Hedwig had managed to eat all the rats hiding in Hogwarts, but she had then told him she’d heard some of them scuttering away (four times now). And now they were chasing after invisible rats. Delightful.

“Your snake needs a hearing and an eye checkup. She’s going to get us lost” James mumbled, which had Harry rolling his eyes once again. “We could always just go to the Forbidden Forest and hunt for rats –”

“NO.” Both of his parents said firmly to Harry’s chagrin. “Harry, you heard what Padma said. Someone is out there killing unicorns. Unicorns, Harry! They’re the most innocent creature of all. Their blood might save you from literal death, but you’ll live a horrible, cursed life afterwards” Lily told him in an admonishing tone. Harry sighed. They’ve already had this discussion numerous times. James too sighed because he knew exactly what Harry would say next. “Well, then. Deal with me checking all the strange classes in Hogwarts, then” Harry mumbled, before he finally opened the door.

Surprisingly, the room itself looked pretty well-maintained. The only thing inside it was a mirror. Harry frowned as he approached it curiously, putting Hedwig down, so she could go hunting if there were actual rats in here. He approached the mirror warily, but his parents weren’t saying anything, so Harry assumed they didn’t think it was entirely dangerous. Well, not dangerous to him, anyway.

“Oh…” Lily let out softly, but Harry was distracted. Because this was not a mirror. At least, not alike any mirror Harry had ever used. What he saw in that – window? – was, perhaps, Harry’s deepest, most ardent wish.

His parents were there beside him, except they were alive and each of them was hugging their respective lover, all four of them having smiles on their face. James was grinning his signature grin whereas Regulus had that soft smile of his on his lips – the one that always made Harry smile in return. He couldn’t really help it, Harry smiled too. Lily was smiling brightly, a hand around Pandora’s waist whereas Pandora had a similar smile on her lips to Regulus' – besotted, joyful. She winked towards Harry as if they were sharing a secret. Luna was there too, sitting down in-between Pandora’s and Lily’s legs, carefree and with a dreamy smile on her lips. She patted the place besides her as if asking Harry to sit down with her. Regulus and James were closer to Harry, but he was still close enough to Lily that she managed to place a hand on Harry’s shoulder. James had his hand on Harry’s other shoulder.

Absentmindedly, Harry tried touching their hands, but, of course, he couldn’t feel them. Remus and Sirius were also in the background, grinning cheerfully as if they had an exciting story to tell them all. And, behind them all, were two blurry people who Harry assumed were his grandparents. Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. He had seen photos of them before, but their expressions and general features were fuzzy. Harry couldn’t really recall what they looked like. The most prominent thing he noticed, however, was that none of them had scars. The version of him in the mirror/window had no scars and no dark circles under his eyes. He looked happy, relaxed and well-rested. All of them did. Remus had no scars either. Harry stared. He couldn’t stop staring because, every time, he found another discrepancy. Another thing he wished for, but that he didn’t dare say out loud.

“What is this…?” James whispered and it was such a heartbreaking sound that Harry almost tore his gaze away, but he found that he couldn’t. He just wanted another look. Another moment of this bliss. He thought his parents felt the same, because they weren’t trying to get him away from the mirror (window?) either.

“Ah. Here’s the rat. I must have misheard him for one. Not much of a difference, if you ask me” Hedwig hissed suddenly and Harry looked towards the direction she was hissing from so that he could see who Hedwig had been calling a rat. It was Dumbledore.

The old man gave him a surprised, yet indulgent smile. “Have I scared you? I apologize. I meant to make my presence known sooner” Harry didn’t answer the man’s words, preoccupied with strengthening his Occlumency shields, while also bringing forth memories that wouldn’t make Dumbledore suspicious of him if, say, he decided to use Legilimency on him. There was only so many times Harry could avoid eye contact before Dumbledore grew wary of him. Before he figured out Harry knew about Legilimency.

“I see you’ve discovered it. I was wondering if you would, with all the exploring you do around the school. Severus and Minerva haven’t found you out after curfew for a while now, but they assumed you've learned how to avoid them. You’re a lot like your father, Harry. But you have your mother’s eyes”

If Harry heard that phrase ever again, he was going to seriously consider killing someone.

Dumbledore was still talking, but Harry was focused on watching his parents from the periphery of his vision. They both finally looked away from the mirror and they were glaring at Dumbledore, approaching him so they could see if he even twitched the wrong way. Harry trusted them to alert him if Dumbledore was about to do anything to him.

“…Mirror of Erised.”

Harry frowned lightly as he zoned back into the conversation. What a weird name for such a thing – wait.

“Erised? Is that spelt E R I S E D?” Harry asked Dumbledore, so that he could hopefully look like he had paid attention to whatever bullsh*t Dumbledore was telling him. The old man’s eyes twinkled in delight.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“That’s Desire spelt backwards. Someone got lazy naming it, it seems” Harry mumbled which had the old man huffing a chuckle. Harry’s parents tensed, watching beard-man warily. “How witty. You definitely take that from Lily. She was the brightest witch of her age” Dumbledore said as he approached Harry innocently, but every muscle in Harry’s body was pulled taut. Dumbledore didn’t seem to notice (or he purposefully ignored Harry’s reaction – Harry wasn’t sure which one was worse) as he looked in the Mirror. “Ah, yes. Thick woollen socks. People always underestimate the importance of warmth in life, Harrison. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you warmth isn’t essential. They most likely have never understood it and that’s why they choose to undermine its power”

Harry felt like he needed a lobotomy after that statement. But he nodded as if he understood whatever subliminal message Dumbledore was trying to tell him. Dumbledore hummed, seemingly distracted before tearing his gaze away from the Mirror. “The Mirror will be moved to another place tonight. So, don’t come searching for it. It shows our darkest, deepest desires. People have gone mad over it. Be wary of desires, Harrison, they can make us do terrible things”

“Let’s go, Harry. I don’t like the way he’s talking to you” Lily told her son urgently. Harry didn’t have to be told twice. “I should probably go back to my dorm. It’s pretty late and I don't want to be out after curfew” Dumbledore hummed at that before he nodded as he watched Harry intensely, as if trying to figure him out. “Yes, you should. However, I’ll have to inform Professor Snape that you have been wandering around the castle again. Get back to your common room safely, Harrison”

“Goodbye, Headmaster” Harry mumbled in a hurry before turning on his heels and leaving, hoping that the old man does not try any Legilimency on him. Ever. He could be very intimidating. “f*cking asshole. He was alluding to Harry becoming a Dark Lord” James snapped as soon as Harry closed the door behind him. “Not only that. I think he wanted Harry to find the Mirror. It’s too much of a coincidence that he will move it tonight” Lily remarked, making the other two nod as Harry hurried to get as far away from that room as fast as possible. “f*ck. You’re right. What could he be planning?” James replied which made Lily shake her head, frowning as the two drifted in front of Harry while also making sure they were facing him, so they could be watching his back. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it. Harry? Why did you stop?”

Harry had indeed stopped, frowning in an exasperated manner. He was trying to decide if he should go back or not, but he decided to keep moving. “I forgot Hedwig. Let’s hope she just comes back to the dorm without mauling anyone”

“Not that we would mind if she mauled Dumbledore –”

“What – Lily!”

“Oh, don’t look so innocent. You were thinking the same thing”

“Yes, but I wasn’t about to say it out loud!”

Harry smiled at his parents’ banter as he hurried back to the Slytherin common room. He silently agreed with his mother. He hoped Hedwig would maul Dumbledore’s face. Unfortunately, she didn’t. She did return safe and sound and very bloody – to Harry’s and his roommates’ chagrin. But the blood belonged to a rat – the animal, not Dumbledore. (Harry still wasn’t sure why Hedwig called Dumbledore a rat and, frankly, he did not want to know. Finding Pettigrew had messed him up enough as is.)

A couple days later, Harry almost lost Slytherin the game when his f*cking broom malfunctioned. During his first ever Quidditch game too! He was pissed off as he did his best not to fall off the f*cking broom – despite the broom’s best attempts. It was worse than riding one of those mechanic bulls at the carnival. (And Harry would know all about that, he watched Regulus try it and then Regulus being flung off of it – it had been hilarious. Remus still laughed about it every time Harry mentioned it. Regulus, not so much - he always transformed into his cat form and ignored them all for the rest of the day.)

"Someone is messing with his broom! Is it Snape?!" James had snarled as he and Lily tried to find the ones responsible – James’ instinct was to always suspect Snape, but the old man was, to be completely fair, casting under his breath, so it was justified this time. His parents had kept away for most of the game, but they approached him now when it was clear he needed some help. Harry also didn’t have his wand on him, so if he fell, he was at the mercy of whoever wanted to cast an Arresto Momentum on him. "No, look, it's Quirrell!" Lily had realized shocked when her eyes caught onto Quirrell casting under his breath, but, by that time, Sirius had slammed into Snape and Snape had slammed into Quirrell, the three of them almost falling of the observers’ tower. All the spells being cast were broken.

Harry snarled a curse and got back in the game. His parents hovered for a few moments to make sure he was alright, before retreating to investigate what had happened. The Slytherins had managed to get 60 points already, but the Gryffindors had managed to get a few points in the chaos as well, so the score was 60-40 for the Slytherins. Angelina Johnson was playing as the Seeker for the Gryffindor team – apparently, Oliver Wood had almost burst a lung when he held try-outs for the team and could not find one decent Seeker. So, Wood had asked Johnson, one of his fastest Chasers, to play as Seeker this year. Harry knew all about it, because Fred and George were friends with Lee Jordan (who was the Quidditch commentator and also a Gryffindor) so, by extension, they were also friends with Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet – Katie Bell too since the girl had befriended the two girls after she became the Gryffindor’s third Chaser.

Angelina was good, brilliant even. She could play any position, but she was originally a Chaser. That’s what she played best.But they were desperate. The Gryffindor team now consisted of Wood as Keeper, Johnson as Seeker, Spinnet, Bell and Fay Dunbar (a blond-haired, agile third year), Cormac McLaggen and Kaori Shimizu (really talented second year; Harry knew she’d be tough to play against in a couple years) as Beaters. The Gryffindors had lost their star Seeker Charlie Weasley this year (no, he didn’t die; he graduated), so they were in a rough shape. Harry didn’t expect them to be a major threat unless they suddenly snagged a better Seeker and a pair of more experienced Beaters. Johnson was good, but Harry was better. McLaggen was also really good, but he held grudges. He had tried to knock Harry off his broom more than focusing on the actual game. Dunbar was alright and very fast – she was a good substitution for Johnson – but she needed a bit more experience to be a worthy opponent. Same went for Shimizu (even if Shimizu was scarily accurate when shooting Bludgers).

Johnson had seen the Snitch and she was currently flying towards it. Harry hurried to catch up. To Johnson’s defence, Harry was flying as a Seeker for about 3 years straight now. Also, to her defence, Harry had the better broom. There was no universe in which he didn’t catch the snitch right from under her nose. Harry had almost slammed into her as he had squeezed to grab the Snitch at an angle, but, thankfully, they didn’t collide. He caught the Snitch. The game was over. He won. The Slytherins won. But Harry was pissed off. Really f*cking pissed off.

"Hedwig!" Harry had called out as soon as he landed, ignoring his cheering teammates. The snake recognized her name and she easily made her way over to him (Harry assumed that she had been hiding under the pitch somewhere since she said it was nice, warm and dark there, but she came out of her hiding hole as soon as she heard the deafening applause/boos of the crowds). Thankfully, everyone was already used to watching their steps lest they wanted to get bit. Or, well, almost bit. Hedwig looked like she had news for him, because she started hissing as soon as Harry picked her up. Madam Hooch grabbed the Snitch from him and Harry thanked her for her congratulations absentmindedly as he hurried to exit the crowd. He could barely hear what Hedwig was telling him. "I saw him! The man with the turban! His head!" Harry frowned at her. "What do you mean?" Harry hissed back as he stopped just outside of the mosh pit formed around his teammates. He could feel Cassius' and the twins' eyes on him, but Harry needed to know what Hedwig had witnessed.

"Bad magic! Evil! I felt it and left to look. He was casting it on you. I came back as soon as I could” Hedwig warned him, making Harry look up to see Snape and Sirius arguing in the stands, but no sign of Quirrell. Harry cursed before he was swept in a hug by Regulus which made him squeak in surprise. "Are you okay? Your broom –" Pandora and Luna also approached them with worried looks on their faces while Remus had been left behind as he was busy trying to get Sirius away from Snape (before Sirius could actually punch Snape in anger – Sirius probably thought, like James had, that it had been Snape cursing Harry’s broom). Remus had finally succeeded prying Sirius away when Harry looked Regulus in his eyes.

"We have a problem. It wasn't Snape cursing my broom" he told his guardian who froze before he looked at Pandora who had already taken out her wand. They all understood what Harry wasn’t saying. Their suspicions about Quirrell were now validated. "I felt it too. The dark magic. Vile. Repugnant. But definitely not from Snape" Pandora agreed with Harry while Luna looked at them all with her big eyes, biting her lower lip anxiously.

"Harry! You did magnificently! I'll buy you a new broom that wasn't touched by a single, filthy curse from that f*cker –"

"Sirius –" Remus tried to appease his boyfriend, but they both stopped seeing how tense the others were. "Where did Quirrell go?" Harry asked them which had Sirius freezing, before he cursed as he too pieced everything together. Remus instantly looked towards the stands, trying to find Quirrell, but he was long gone. "He slipped away after Snivellus slammed into him. Remus?" Moony shook his head at Sirius’ hopeful inquiry. "Can't find him with all these people. And I don’t know his scent either way"

"Get McGonagall" Harry asked Pandora who nodded in a hurry, before dragging Luna with her in search of the Gryffindor Head of the House. "I can distract Dumbledore. I've been itching for a fight with him" Remus told them with narrowed eyes which had the Black brothers sharing a look – it was their own way of communicating. One that Harry and Remus were not privy to, but neither of them minded that. "We are coming with you" Regulus told him their decision and Harry nodded before briefly looking over at his parents who nodded determinedly in turn. They were all ready to move. Remus dragged Sirius in a short hug, he patted Regulus’ back and he gave Harry a bone-crushing hug all in under a minute, before he too was off to distract Dumbledore from coming after them as they snooped around the castle in their search for Quirrell.

Harry was about to leave with his guardians when someone caught his wrist. "Harry –" Draco whispered concerned, before he froze realising what he had done, but then Cassius, Theo, Blaise and the twins were flanking him, obscuring him from view. "We can help" Cassius offered in a heartbeat, but Regulus shook his head. "Be smart. I know the Weasleys are more permissive, but the rest of you can't afford to make enemies of your parents. Not yet. You're too young" Regulus told them gently which made Draco grit his teeth. "But –"

"Thanks for being Harry's friends. But he has us now and forever. We will handle it. You all need to stay safe" Sirius told them knowingly and they all backed off begrudgingly, except for the Weasley twins. "Don't care what mom will think" George said with a shrug as a way of explanation. "And dad thinks our pranks are hilarious so" Fred added which made Sirius' eyes twinkle with obvious delight. He was downright grinning only after hearing the word ‘prank’. Harry shook his head fondly.

"Fine. Distract Snape" Harry told the twins, since he didn’t want Snape coming after them either (and he might, given that Sirius had almost punched him), making the two smirk. "Gladly" They agreed before they were all off to fulfil their quests. Harry knew exactly where to go. (Dumbledore more or less desperately showing him the Mirror and then saying it will be moved? The forbidden third-floor corridor with a three-headed dog guarding something? Dumbledore was not being slick and Quirrell would definitely use the chaos of the game to find whatever it was that Dumbledore was hiding there.) To appear less suspicious, both Sirius and Regulus transformed (when it was safe to do so) and followed him in their Animagus forms. Harry really needed to ask baba to teach him how to become an Animagus too.It was still strange for Harry to run down the corridors with a huge black dog and an orange cat following him, but it was better than the alternative. He was still sweaty and in his Quidditch robes, but he wasn’t about to waste time just to shower and change into clean clothes.

They ran all the way to the third floor (after Harry almost cursed the moving staircases for being difficult on purpose) and Harry grimaced, hearing music coming from the room the three-headed dog was in. He entered the room as quietly as he could. Inside, there was a harp enchanted to play music on its own and the three-headed dog was fast asleep. There was a trap door underneath its left paw. "Big dog" Hedwig hissed while the Black brothers transformed, both of them taking their wands out as they approached the trap door and, in consequence, the giant dog.

"And they keep telling us Hogwarts is safe?!" Regulus whisper-snarled while he levitated the three-headed dog’s paw off the trapdoor. Sirius kept his wand aimed at the dog as Regulus placed the paw down, but, thankfully, the dog didn’t wake up. "I might just punch Dumbledore after all of this" Sirius confessed with narrowed eyes as he made a sign for Regulus to drop down first. Regulus did, Harry following him shortly after and then Sirius dropped down as well, grimacing when he landed. Harry almost called him an old man, but he was a bit too stressed to joke around.

James wasn’t – or, well, he was stressed out, but his coping mechanism was humor nine times out of ten. “Old men, the two of them. Regulus had this look on his face as if his joints were hurting” Lily grimaced lightly at James’ nervous tone. “Maybe keep the jokes for after we get out of this alive – no, James, that was not a pun!” James had chuckled anyway and even Harry had a hard time keeping a smile off his face.

Their fall was broken by some sort of plant which made Harry frown as he tried to get up and realized he couldn’t. It coiled around his limbs and body, tightening its hold on him. Harry was about to panic when Sirius spoke up. "It's Devil's Snare! Don't move too much. It will just suffocate you faster. Just summon some fire, burn it and it will let us go" Sirius warned them which made Regulus sigh exasperated. "You used it during a f*cking prank, didn't you? That's why you know what it is" Sirius grinned unapologetically as he cast an Incendio and the plant let him drop as if burned (unintentional pun on Harry's part - but James would be proud to hear it). Regulus did the same, but he aimed the fire closer to Harry, so Harry would be dropped down first. Regulus landed quickly after them and scowled when he saw Sirius grinning brightly, satisfied that his knowledge had managed to get them out of there.

“I remember that prank. Almost got us all expelled” James mused wistfully which had Lily do a double-take towards him while Harry struggled not to react. “What?! When?” Lily asked him shocked, making James sigh dreamily. “Sixth year. We had to do something big to take Sirius’ mind off of him leaving Regulus behind. Ah. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that” James grimaced when he saw Harry’s curious, yet surprised look. “You can ask them about it later, Harry. Focus” Lily urged her son who, albeit grudgingly, listened to her.

The five of them looked around and realized that they were inside a tunnel.

"Disgusting plant" Hedwig hissed as she coiled more around his arm, making Harry snort. "She called it a disgusting plant" Harry informed the adults when they all looked curiously towards him. All four adults chuckled. "Gotta love that snake of yours, honestly" Sirius said amused, shaking his head, before they entered the next room which was filled with flying keys. There were a few broomsticks leaned against a nearby wall. The hint was obvious. They had to catch a certain key to enter the next room.

"Whoever finds the key first wins!" Sirius challenged the other two with a mischievous grin which made Regulus and Lily scoff amused, while Harry and James grinned. From Sirius’ letters, Harry had found out that his godfather had been a Beater during his school days, which was a great way for them to bond. "You're on" Harry said in time with James, grinning playfully. Sirius and Regulus looked stunned for a brief moment, but Harry didn’t get to ask them about it, because Sirius smirked in return and he flew up first. "No fair!" Harry called after him, before he too mounted his broom and flew up. Regulus hesitated for one more moment before he followed them, a melancholic expression on his face.

It was Harry who caught the right key (that was surprising – but Harry thought it was because Regulus was distracted and Sirius didn’t have enough of an attention span to focus on finding the necessary key) after they tried a couple of them. Harry grinned victoriously towards the others as the door opened when Harry rotated the key inside the lock. Sirius ruffled his hair with a grin while Regulus smiled lightly towards him, still looking affected by whatever he had been thinking about.

They moved into the next room after leaving the brooms behind. "Hate flying" Hedwig grumbled annoyed (well, moodily hissed actually, since she couldn't exactly grumble). Harry smiled lightly amused, but he was starting to get worried. The rooms thus far hadn’t been as challenging as he had expected. Sure, the Devil’s Snare would have killed them if it wasn’t for Sirius, but the keys room was harmless. Maybe frustrating if you weren’t a good Seeker, but not life-threatening.

The next room was comprised of a large Wizard's chessboard that had Regulus smirking defiantly. "Follow my lead" He urged them confidently and Harry scoffed amused when James swooned. Regulus won the game without much effort and without either of them getting hurt. That was quite a win, since the three of them played the part of actual chess pieces. Harry had taken the place of the King, while the brothers took the places of the two Bishops. Sirius and the two ghosts smiled fondly at Regulus’ satisfied smile, while Harry grinned up at his guardian. Regulus gave him a soft smile in return, before urging them to move forward.

The next room had an unconscious troll in it which made them all tense up. "Quirrell’s really going at it. Any idea what's hiding here?" Sirius asked as they passed the unconscious troll (Was that the same troll from Halloween?! Harry watched it warily, but he couldn’t tell) and then, they entered the next room. "I can check" Lily offered and she dashed forward towards the literal wall of flames that divided the room. Harry watched it warily, while James grimaced, but Lily returned safely after only a couple seconds. She had a grim look on her face. "The Mirror of Erised is up ahead. We guessed right that Dumbledore expected you to find this place. Quirrell is there. He’s talking to himself. I think he mentioned Nicolas Flamel"

"Does Nicolas Flamel tell you anything?" Harry asked his two guardians since he already had extensive knowledge about the man (Was Parvati also a Seer? Because she was spot on that he’d need information about Flamel and the Philosopher’s Stone.). "f*ck. Is Dumbledore that stupid?" Regulus cursed, making the others look at him. Harry was proud to see that Reg seemed to know about the Stone and its properties. He didn’t have to inform them of anything and risk them being suspicious as to why Harry had that piece of information. Harry was not going to give up Parvati’s potential secret. Not even to his family. "The Philosopher's Stone. It supposedly produces the Elixir of Life. I thought it was a myth" Regulus explained which made Sirius curse as well, while Harry's eyes lit up in realization (Was he stupid?! He should have realized this when the girls were giving him a crush course on the Stone and Flamel!) and he looked at his parents hopefully, but Lily shook her head with a soft gaze. "No, Harry, the stone can't bring us back –"

"It might be able to, though. If Voldemort wants it to be brought back to life... couldn't it also bring us back?" James asked suddenly which made Lily frown as she thought some more about it. "I... I'm not sure. Maybe? But we would need bodies, right? We'd have to kill someone else for us to live. I don't know if –"

"Lily. We could be with Harry again. And Pandora and Luna and Regulus. And Remus and Sirius" James whispered desperately and Harry couldn't listen anymore. He needed to focus. He had already made the decision for the two of them, anyway. Even if they’d hate him, he was going to try and bring them back at all costs.

They all entered further into the room and started inspecting the table with the seven potions placed on top of it. Regulus took to deciphering the riddles under each of them while Sirius briefly glanced at them, decided he was not fit for the job and took to staring at the wall of flames in obvious awe at the impressive bit of magic. Harry took advantage of their distraction. He knew which potion to pick. Only one of them was half full and his mom had already told him that Quirrell was up ahead. Harry grabbed it and drank all of it, making all four adults yell his name in horror.

"Harry, spit it out! Puke it! I don't know if it's the right one!" Regulus panicked, trying to grab him, but Harry simply put one hand through the wall of black flames, with no resistance nor pain whatsoever. Sirius tried to pass through as well and found he couldn't, not without cursing up a bunch and flicking his slightly burned finger.

"Harry –" Sirius whispered shell-shocked when Harry gave them a small smile as part of his body had already gone past the wall of flames. "Only one of them was half full. Quirrell’s in there already. It wasn’t hard to figure out. Anyway, it's my fight –"

"No! You are a child! You shouldn't have to fight in the first place!" Regulus protested and grabbed Harry’s arm, but no matter how he and Sirius tried to tug Harry away from the black flames, it was like the black flames had already claimed Harry. The wall spit flames and encompassed Harry easily, dragging him further in. Sirius cursed as a flame touched him and he involuntarily let go of Harry because of the pain. Regulus didn’t care about the pain. His hands were being burned and yet, he held onto Harry with a desperate kind of resilience. But, all Harry had to do was slip through. Hedwig had slithered down on the floor and she was now eyeing Regulus. “I can bite him, Lionheart” Hedwig hissed which made Harry cringe, but he didn't tell her not to. Regulus seemed to have noticed the snake too, because he tensed. “Harry, tell Hedwig not to bite me. Harry, I swear to Merlin –” Regulus warned his ward, but Harry smiled helplessly. Sirius tried to get a hold of Harry again, but he stopped when Hedwig hissed in warning. “She can only bite one of us at a time and I have a bezoar. Sirius, grab –”

"It's going to be fine. Get McGonagall. She will know how to get through"

"Harry! Voldemort could be –" Sirius tried to reason with him while he took that final step and he grabbed onto Harry’s arm. Regulus instantly let go and grabbed Hedwig before she could bite any of them. Hedwig squirmed fruitlessly in Regulus' hold. "Let go of me, puny Lion! I will bite your eyes out -" Harry decided to tune her out. His plan had worked, anyway.

"I trust that Voldemort is here. And, for that, I will kill him" Harry informed them simply and he let the wall of flames absorb him. Sirius cursed up a storm as he was forced to let go because of the pain of having his fingers burned. Harry walked towards the next door, trying not to feel guilty after witnessing his guardians burning themselves for him, enduring so much pain for him. After passively allowing Hedwig to bite them if they tried to stop him. He sighed – he was going to deal with his conflicted emotions later.

Harry was also actively trying to ignore how his parents were panicking as they followed him. "Harry, what possessed you to do that?!" Lily demanded thunderously which made Harry inhale deeply. "I want to try to get you back, using the Stone. If it doesn't work, I don't want them to know" Harry admitted, breaking both of his parents’ hearts. "And I mean it. This is my fight. Our fight. Voldemort killed us. It's time we return the favour" Harry added, making James start crying, sobbing. "Harry, you are eleven" His baba whispered shakily while his mother sobbed too, as she placed a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.

Harry advanced inside the last room without another word.

"Harry Potter... the Boy who Lived..."

"Where are you hiding Voldemort? Is he possessing you?" Harry deadpanned as he came down the stairs, wand in hand, his eyes focused on Quirrell. Professor Quirrell smirked intimidatingly towards him. "Smart boy you are – "

"Let me see him" A dark voice echoed in the room, making Lily and James gasp, before they both promptly choked on their next breath. Quirrell took off his turban (Of f*cking course!!! What white, Christian man would choose to wear a turban?!) and there was Voldemort's face on the back of Quirrell’s head. Harry had to admit that that wasn’t one of the possibilities he had envisioned as to how Voldemort came back. But it was, perhaps, the most disgusting of them all. "Potter..." Voldemort hissed and Harry scowled defiantly. "f*ckface" He replied evenly, making Lily shriek in horror while James laughed nervously, but he looked as if he’d puke if he looked too much at Voldemort’s distorted face. "What the f*ck, what the f*ck, what the f*ck" James kept repeating as they all stared at the monstrosity on the back of Quirrell’s head.

Quirrell, with his hands still occupied with the turban, looked at the mirror with derision. “This must be another of Dumbledore’s schemes... The old man thinks I appreciate games.” Harry didn't care for small talk, however, so he got right into the thick of it. “What do you see?” Harry asked Quirrell, but he kept his wand raised and his eyes on Voldemort's face. Voldemort was observing him quietly with a hungry expression that made Harry want to puke. His parents had bristled realizing he had Voldemort’s entire attention.

“The Stone. I am giving it to my Master and he is rewarding me for my loyalty, for everything I have endured”

“You’re revolting. He’s infected you, he’s a literal parasite on the back of your head–”

“Potter.” Voldemort hissed. “You wound me.” The sharp rasp made Harry shiver in barely concealed dread – seemed like old Voldy was done observing Harry as if he was a particularly interesting insect and now he wanted to talk again. “Good.” Harry replied evenly. “Consider it retribution.” Lily had taken to tugging at her hair desperately trying to make a plan for her son to escape, while James was actually praying for the others to come through.

“Master!” Quirrell exclaimed fearfully, probably sensing something that Harry couldn’t. “He is only an ignorant, stupid boy. But he can be useful. Dumbledore must have wanted him here if he knew how to get through” Ignoring the fact that Quirrell might have just saved his life, Harry still found him revolting. But he’d deal with him any other day in contrast to this parasitic form of Voldemort.

“Use him. He’s the key to this repulsive puzzle” Voldemort ordered in a sharp tone, which made Quirrell stare at Harry in demand. Harry’s hand was sweating around his wand as Quirrell hooked a finger silently. Harry felt a tug and he unwillingly took a couple steps forward until he was next to Quirrell. This man who had been stuttering all throughout his classes could do both wandless and non-verbal magic? f*ck. Harry’s plan to kill him would need several updates. “Funny trick, this mirror. One could become addicted to it fairly easily”Harry hoped Quirrell got addicted to something much worse and that he died in a ditch somewhere.

Regardless of Harry’s wariness, he didn’t move as they were both in front of the Mirror. But he didn’t look at it. He didn’t want that beautiful vision to be tormented by Quirrell’s and Voldemort’s presence. Quirrell moved to stand over his shoulder. “Personally, I think it should be shattered. It’s the kind of magic that doesn’t break easily, though” Quirrell continued speaking, while Harry looked at the frame of the Mirror, but not into it. He was quite concerned by the fact that Voldemort on the back of the professor’s head would be able to see into the mirror, to see Harry's deepest desire along with him. But he knew it was only a puerile fear. It briefly struck him – what would Voldemort see in the Mirror? World Domination? Him as the Minister of Magic? All muggles, muggleborns and halfbloods wiped out? Most likely.All of a sudden, Quirrell jammed his wand between Harry’s shoulder blades, probably realizing that Harry was doing his best not to cooperate. “Look, boy!” Quirrell demanded and that set off a lot of Harry’s trauma responses. So, unfortunately, Harry obeyed and he looked.It was the exact same image from the first time he had looked into the mirror. Another detail that Harry didn’t think of at the time was that Voldemort was nowhere in sight. Dead in a ditch, most likely. It was Harry's deepest desire. His family back and alive. And the one who took them dead and forgotten.

"Be careful, Harry" Lily begged her son while James didn't dare take his eyes off him, looking tense and uncomfortable as tears went down his cheeks. “What do you see?” Quirrell inquired, making Harry drawl his response using that pureblood lilt he had grown used to thanks to his roommates. “Your body at my feet" It could have been the truth, but it wasn’t. Unfortunately.

“I’ve heard a rumour” Voldemort hissed at Harry’s impertinence, making him tense. He really hoped that Voldemort would just disappear. That the magic holding him to Quirrell would malfunction and he would go away. Harry actually hoped this was a nightmare or a fever dream. He would happily wake up from a coma if it meant all of this was just a bad dream. “That my follower Regulus Black was the one who raised you. I was startled to hear he was alive. But seeing the way you act, it must be true. He’s raised you in the Old Ways. I can sense the Old Magic on you”

James and Lily bristled, while Harry turned away from the mirror to glare at Voldemort and Quirrell. “Regulus realized what most of your dumbass followers will never. You are a selfish piece of sh*t. You only care about yourself and your goals and you will sacrifice everyone for your success. You are a fake –”

“Harry, don’t antagonize the literal Dark Lord! Holy f*ck, why do I have to tell you this?!” Lily shrieked in terror while James had hid his face in his palms, groaning like he was in physical pain. “I’m sorry, baba, for always badmouthing people and being a menace with mom. I know what it feels like now. I’m so sorry you had to deal with us” James took to whispering, before Lily slapped his shoulder and James instantly looked up, eyes wide and trained on Harry.

“You care for him. How surprising. Turn, Quirrell.” Voldemort’s response was mild, given Harry’s slander.

“Master –”

“Let me face him.”

Harry glared defiantly, keeping his muscles pulled taut, so Voldemort wouldn’t see how much Harry was shaking in fear. “You don’t look away?” Voldemort asked him sharply as if Harry making eye contact with him was a terrible offence. “I have no intention to.” Harry bit back. “Did my baba look away when you killed him? Did he run away like a coward or did he face you ready to give his life for me and my mom?” James let out a sound as if he was being choked out. The monster laughed darkly, in a raspy manner. “No, he did not run.”

“Did my mother, then?” It was Lily's turn to sob loudly, the two ghosts approaching their son and trying to tug him away from the monstrosity he was facing and finding tht they could not. They tried to scream at him to run as Quirrell tilted his head back almost unwillingly, so Voldemort could face Harry better. So that they could be closer. It was revolting.

“No.” Voldemort smiled, needle teeth meant for killing unicorns lining the space his mouth should occupy. If someone asked Harry to draw a monster, he would have drawn Voldemort. Sharp teeth, narrow, yellow eyes, skin pulled taut on a bony , inhuman skull. “You’ve known I was here for quite some time, haven’t you? You guessed I killed the unicorn. And yet you didn’t tell anyone. Not even Dumbledore –”

“If you think Dumbledore didn’t know you were here, you’re an idiot” Harry snapped at the two, making Lily and James whimper in fear for their son. “Insolent boy” Voldemort rasped indignantly. “So, the old man knew. Did he tell you how to get the Stone, then?"

"I don't care about your stupid Stone" Harry snapped, except that he did. He cared very much. If there was even the sliver of a chance that he could bring back his parents... Harry would do anything. Anything at all.

“Quirrell. Turn. Make him use the mirror!”

Harry, who was defiant to a fault, huffed and turned around as he glared at the mirror. “You, dead, me, victorious, I’ve used the f*cking mirror, are you quite content?” But the scene had changed. Harry, now angrier than he had been when he first looked at it, no longer saw the lovely scene from before. The knowledge that there was no hope to achieve that happy ending unless he got the Stone and the fact that the man behind him was hesitant to touch him (And was that not curious? That Quirrell had so many chances to simply grab Harry, but he hadn’t?) had emboldened Harry.

And the mirror finally realized that Harry wanted to find the Stone for a noble reason. The Harry in the mirror smiled impishly at him, and with a conspirative wink, made the Stone appear in his hand and hid it into his pocket. Harry felt the weight of the Stone settle in his own pocket, sure and heavy. One step closer to testing out if he could bring his parents back. The magic of the Stone felt tangible and dense. Harry wondered if the wonder duo (Voldemort and Quirrell) could feel it.

“He’s figured it out. Get the stone.”

Well, f*ck.

His parents screamed and tugged at him to run even if they couldn’t touch Harry. Harry wouldn't. Now when Quirrell had a body that Harry wouldn’t mind stealing in order to achieve his goal.

Quirrell held out a hand. “Give it here, boy.”

“Come and get it, sh*t for brains!" Harry taunted, and, well, that was not Harry’s most inspired insult. But, at least, it seemed to work, because Quirrell moved faster than Harry could ever react to and he grabbed Harry by his collar. Quirrell lifted him in the air and Harry gritted his teeth as he was taken off the ground, trying to kick Quirrell in the stomach. “Get your hands off my son, you f*cker!” Lily screamed tearfully whereas James chose that moment to get in Harry’s face. “Harry, your wand! Use it!” James urged him, but it was all too much. Harry’s scar, which had held a steadily mounting pressure, split in agony, and Harry saw white. He still managed to slam his hands against Voldemort's face and he felt it as the Dark Lord evaporated with a shrill shriek.

Quirrell lashed out in immediate pain, and it was the oddest thing. His flesh was crumbling beneath Harry’s hands like he was made of sand, but here he was, still fighting for his life. The man pulled away, dropping Harry. Quirrell clutched his nape screaming as Harry coughed through the dust.

But Harry wasn't done.

"Mom, baba. Either of you. Voldemort's no longer in there. Only Quirrell. I'm using the Stone, so one of you better get in that f*cking body" Harry spoke numbly, before he punched Quirrell just like Moony had shown him. Quirrell dropped to the ground, squirming as he disintegrated even more. His mouth was gone, so there was no sound except the ones his body made as he writhed on the floor. "There's not much time!" Harry stressed as he grabbed the Stone, feeling the weirdly tangible waves of magic from it and he did what felt right. He knelt by Quirrell after making sure the man was lying down on his back by pressing his knee into the dying man's chest. Then, Harry extended one hand towards his parents and, with the other, he slammed the Stone into Quirrell’s chest. Quirrell was slowly crumbling away, but his body still held its expected form, even if his face wasn’t really a face anymore. There was a steadying pressure building in Harry’s body, starting from the hand he had on Quirrell’s chest and the Stone and towards his other hand - waiting in the air to be grabbed by one of his parents. Harry was the conduit for some powerful magic, but he didn’t know how long he could take the pressure his body was under. It was starting to become painful. "Please!" Harry called out, feeling the right side of his face burn, as if his scar was elongating, branching down the skin of his eye and cheek.

Someone grabbed his arm. He couldn't see who. He couldn't hear his parents. Something was either very wrong or very right.

Harry fell unconscious after something happened. Or maybe after nothing happened. Maybe the pain had been too much and he couldn't accomplish his goal, after all.

When he woke up, moments or minutes or hours later, it was to the feeling of someone caressing his head and crying as they craddled him close to their chest.

Harry knew those hands, even if he only knew how they looked, not how they felt (he found that he liked how they felt as well). He also knew those cries very well.

"Mom?"

Chapter 9: Oneirataxia

Chapter Text

If someone had told Harry in the afternoon right before his first Quidditch match that he'd be in his mother's arms that night, he'd have punched them and then hexed their hair off.

Amazingly, here he was staring at dark green eyes (his dark green eyes!) while Lily Evans looked at him in wonder. "Harry. Harry, darling. f*ck. You - I couldn't feel your pulse. Harry-" And then his mother was crying, sobbing loudly. And Harry was crying too as he clung to her, dragging her closer. He grimaced when he realized his hand hurt. He looked briefly at it to see the Stone in it.

And then he remembered.

"Baba?" He called desperately, scared he had lost him and his mother stiffened. "I can't see him anymore" His mother whispered brokenly and Harry was about to turn around and search and scream for his baba when James Potter appeared right in front of them. "I'm here. I'm okay" He whispered, looking worn out and exhausted but very much present.

Harry relaxed and Lily relaxed consequently. "Still can't see him" She whispered weakly, but Harry choked out a reply. "I can. He's... still a ghost. Baba, how –"

"I pushed Lily"

"The git pushed me. Made me take your hand. Even if... f*ck, James, there are so many people waiting for you"

"It's fine, Lils. I'll come back too. I'm sure we can find another body for me"

"He said its fine. That we will find another body for him. I... mom, how do you feel?"

"Like someone rearranged my bones. But I'm... I'm okay, considering. It's my body. My clothes. It's... older. My body. The age I'm supposed to be. But it is me. I can feel that. I also know that I'm now dependent on that Stone which is less than ideal, but I’ll take it"

"It's yours and baba's. We will find another body"

"Yeah" Lily said quietly as she touched her son's face. His shoulders. His chest. She touched him reverently, with awe written on her tear-stained face. "God, how long I waited to embrace you, Harry... I love you. I love you. I love you so much, my baby. My son –" She babbled and Harry started crying again while James watched them with teary eyes and a wobbly smile.

"Wait. f*ck. Dumbledore. He will want the Stone back" Harry realized suddenly, making Lily and James curse. "Destroy the Mirror. Harry, do it! We will hide the Stone. Dumbledore doesn’t have to know we have it" James said and Harry got up. "How do I destroy the Mirror?" He whispered hoarsely and his mom got up wobbly after him. "Man, this is f*cking difficult. Since when has walking been this sh*tty?" Lily asked as Harry pocketed the Stone and the two approached the mirror while Harry kept his mother upright as they walked. He didn't look in it. But Lily did. And she scowled.

"Oh, what an addicting piece of sh*t" She grumbled and James laughed wetly at her words. Harry was thinking quickly. One more body. Where. How. When.

"Think your rings can help?" Lily asked her son gently, putting a hand in his hair to anchor him. Harry inhaled sharply before he sighed. Right. The mirror. "The Potters protect. What about the Peverells, baba?" Harry asked James quietly who floated in front of him swiftly. "I know I had a Peverell ancestor. I was their heir too, but I didn't get to take over the Lordship to find out more about their magic" James told him honestly which made Harry nod resigned. Testing out magic without knowing much about it was risky. The blind leading the blind – not that helpful.

"He doesn't know" he told his mom who sighed, but she looked like she had expected it. "Yeah. He didn't get to take that lordship. Nor experiment with it. OK. Try the Slytherin one. I have a feeling"

Harry did too.

He pressed his left hand with the Slytherin ring on it and he closed his eyes. "Destroy" He hissed in Parseltongue. The mirror exploded into pieces, knocking Lily and Harry on their backs. James screamed their names, going after them. Harry sat up with a groan while Lily coughed and she turned on her side, looking awfully pale. "Yeah. Should have expected that one. Are you alright, Harry? Did you get hurt? Is the Stone okay?" Lily grumbled as she sat up as well with a groan. Harry touched it and he nodded. They were both bloody and weary as they crawled through glass to each other.

"I'm tired, mom" Harry whispered and Lily shushed him gently, but it was clear that his words broke her heart. "I know, baby. I'm here now. It's okay –"

"Get away from my Harry" A voice called out from the door and Harry was wide awake and alert. "Our Harry" Another snapped and Harry peeked over his mother's shoulder. Regulus, Remus, Pandora and Sirius were all there, their wands raised and aimed towards him. No. Towards his mom. Harry had never moved faster. He skidded on the glass, making them all flinch but he knelt there regardless, his arms extended to keep his mother behind him. To keep her safe and protected. She had once protected him. Gave her life for him. It was his turn to protect her.

"Don't!" He croaked and he saw how it physically hurt all of them – hearing his voice which sounded like he had eaten glass. "Harry, that's not your mom. She is dead. It's not Lily" Remus told him gently as the four approached them. Harry felt Lily shift behind them, before she put her hands on his shoulders to steady him and herself. Harry endured the pain of glass in his thighs and knees, as he had always endured pain – quietly and widely alert. Pandora gasped while the others froze.

"Baba –" Harry whispered brokenly, needing reassurance. Confirmation that he had done something right. That he hadn’t failed. That he had his mom back. "It's her, Harry. I promise you, it's Lils. It's Lily, it's your mom" James whispered exhausted, holding tightly onto his son even if Harry couldn't feel it. Having him hold Harry helped regardless. "It is me, Harry. You didn't do anything wrong. It's me" Lily whispered the promise in his ear, before she looked up at Pandora who sobbed.

"Lily –?"

"Don't. Pandora. Don't look" Regulus gritted through his teeth as he and Sirius advanced while Remus and Pandora remained petrified. "She looks like her, Reg" Sirius whispered hesitantly, but Regulus shook his head. "Can't be. She's dead –"

"I brought her back with the Stone" Harry confessed and they all stopped moving. Nobody breathed. Then, Lily spoke. "Pandora." She croaked and Pandora sobbed as she approached – just one tiny step before she hesitated. "Regulus. Luna told me I needed to be here. This is why –"

"So you could tell us if it is the real Lily Evans. To differentiate between deception and truth. Don't lose your composure, Pandora" Regulus snapped, wand still raised but breaths erratic. Harry tried to make himself taller, stronger, but Lily wouldn't let him. She kept him from moving too much lest he hurt himself more.

"You too, Remus. This is your best friend" Sirius whispered quietly which made Remus let out an inhumane sound. "She might be? f*ck." Remus spoke despairing, but he and Pandora approached and stopped besides Sirius and Regulus.

And then, they approached them even more with only a few meters to spare between them.

"If you hurt her, I will hurt you" Harry snarled when he saw Regulus' wand twitch in his hand. "Harry –" Sirius tried to reason with him, but Harry interrupted him, sharply shaking his head. "I didn't kill Quirrell for you to doubt me" he told them and they all froze once again. "Oh, Harry... it's okay. You're okay. They won't hurt us. Shh" Lily spoke as she hugged her son, but she was now glaring sharply at the people who were making her son hurt.

"Pandora. Ask Lily something only she would know" Regulus told his best friend firmly, but Pandora was frozen as she looked at Lily. There were silent tears going down her cheeks. It was Remus who spoke up, eventually.

"The last time we saw each other. What did you tell me?"

Before Lily could answer, Regulus interrupted. "Was it only the two of you?" Remus nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. At the house she and James were hiding in. James and Sirius were upstairs with Harry. We were in the kitchen. Nobody else was around"

Regulus nodded and they all waited for Lily’s answer. Harry prayed his mother answered right because if this was some sort of illusion, he was going to crumble. And he wasn't sure he'd want to get up again.

"Remus, you old, perverted dog" Lily said with emphasis, even if her voice cracked at the end, and Remus crumbled. His knees hit the ground hard enough that Sirius's head whipped in his direction in concern before he approached his boyfriend quickly to check on him. "Moony. Remus. Hey, what –?" But Sirius froze when he saw Remus was crying. Harry wasn't sure, but it felt like Lily was smiling wetly as she kept speaking to her best friend.

"That's what I told you" Lily whispered sorrowfully, and then she kept going and going. "You and Sirius had just made out. On my couch. I was about to kick you out, but you mollified me saying it would be the last time we'd see each other for a while... we didn't know it would be the last" Lily spoke regretfully and Remus sobbed. "Lily –?"

"I know. I know it's f*cked. I know it's a miracle all the same. f*ck, I'm dependent on a f*cking Stone to live, but I don't f*cking care. I'm back with my son ... and I won't let you take me away from him" Lily told them plainly before it turned vicious as she stared at Regulus who gritted his teeth in apprehension.

"Come on, lover... trust us" James whispered, voice full of hope, but Harry was too panicked to register it. Everything was hurting. His scar felt weird. He was tired. Harry just wanted to go home and be held by his mom.

"Pandora. Your turn" Regulus called out, making his best friend inhale shakily as she approached a bit more. She knelt quite close to Harry and Lily, but not close enough to be able to hurt any of them physically. She placed her wand down despite Regulus' sharp warning.

"We had a secret meeting spot –" Pandora whispered softly, her hands shaking in her lap, but she didn't need to elaborate. Lily knew. She instinctively knew what Pandora was asking of her.

"The old elm tree north of the Forbidden Forest and the Great Lake. Nobody thought to check inside its hollow"

"A secret hour-"

"The witching hour. 3 am, not 1 am"

"A secret kiss –"

"I kissed the place on your forehead where the third eye is. You kissed the freckles on my cheeks"

"A secret name –"

"You called me your bloom. I called you my sunshine"

"A secret greeting."

"My box of secrets, may I open you?"

"Only if you bloom for me"

Pandora then shuddered in disbelief, before she approached the two, crawling through the glass. "Lily, my bloom, my love –" She whispered in pain and Lily sobbed as she tugged Pandora into a bone-crushing hug. The two cried as they held each other. "I forgive you. I forgive you. I love you, Pandora. I always had. I'm sorry" Lily was wracked by sobs as she came apart in Pandora's embrace. Pandora wasn’t far behind her in terms of breaking down, because she too broke apart. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have done more. I forgive you, my bloom. My Lily. I love you so much –"

Harry relaxed then, before he looked over at Sirius who had lowered his wand and was now hugging Remus tightly as the two too cried. Remus was torn apart by sobs he tried to muffle against his palm whereas Sirius was holding tightly onto his boyfriend and staring at Lily as if she was an illusion. Regulus made eye contact with Harry and, finally, he too lowered his wand, staring at Lily in disbelief. Harry shuddered. Finally.

"Harry, how...?" Sirius asked a few moments later when their tears were all dried up. Regulus had managed to wrangle Harry away from the broken glass and he was now healing his cuts and taking out pieces of glass where necessary. Harry tried not to flinch too much. He had a really high tolerance (thanks, Dursleys), but this really hurt, even if Regulus was trying to be gentle.

To distract himself from the pain, Harry told them what happened with Voldemort. How he killed Quirrell. How he grabbed blindly for either of his parents and he used the Stone to give Lily a body, to bring her back. He then told them about Lily and James.

"They've always been there. Ghosts. Translucent souls. They could never touch me, but they spoke to me. They helped me and raised me ever since they died. Mom and baba sang lullabies to me when I couldn't sleep. They told me stories after the Dursleys hurt me. They taught me everything I know. They couldn't touch me, but they raised me nonetheless"

"Were they there all the time? Is that how you knew what they'd tell us? About us?" Remus asked shocked, but Regulus had gone completely still because of a different motive. "James?" He croaked with tears in his eyes as he looked at Harry hopefully, making the boy smile lightly. "Baba has always been with me. But he liked staying by your side when we were at Grimmauld. He's here now too. He's hugging me, but he's cupping your cheek with one hand" Regulus let out a sound like he was wounded and then he was crying too.

"Jamie." Regulus Black whispered and James Potter answered even as he stayed glued to Harry's side. "Regulus, lover, I am here"

"He said and I quote 'Regulus, lover, I am here' " Regulus let out a guttural sound. Harry turned towards the others with a determined gaze. "I need another body. Mom and I destroyed the Mirror, so Dumbledore would think the Stone was lost forever. But I have it. And Baba is here, with me. As always. All I need is a body –"

"We can't just kill the first person we get our hands on. James wouldn't get into a body under those conditions" Sirius remarked reasonably, making Harry grimace as he looked at his baba to see him nod determinedly.

"These were special conditions. Quirrell was a mindless puppet and already dying" James confirmed it and Harry told everyone what he said despite the weary sigh he let out. "You and your bleeding heart, James. I can go kill Dumbledore right now. It won't even be the first time I kill someone –" Regulus spoke quickly, almost like he was going to get up right at that very second and get the job done, but he stopped when Harry put his hand over his heart. Regulus’ heart was almost beating its way out of his chest. It was pounding against his sternum. Harry thought it was oddly comforting.

"Reg. I know" Harry whispered weakly because he would too. He would go up to Dumbledore and kill him. Harry wasn't sure how, but he would. He would bring his baba back and he wouldn't ever regret it. But baba would hate himself forever because of it. And Harry couldn't allow that. Regulus crumbled. He cried as he held Harry and whispered in French. Harry picked up on a few love confessions and apologies but he let them wash over him, he tuned them out. They weren't his to receive. James received them crying and blabbering back in heavily accented French. Harry didn't tell the others what James said. He thought it would be better if James did so himself when they got him back. Sirius and Remus weren't much better. They were clinging to each other and crying with desperate hope that they will get their best friend, their brother, back.

When they all finally calmed down (for the second time), Harry cleared his throat. "Someone else will be coming here – after us. Who knows where we are?" He asked his guardians unwaveringly. It was Pandora who responded first since Regulus' voice was still hoarse as he had his face hidden against Harry's shoulder and chest.

"McGonagall is keeping Luna safe. I insisted I go alone after Luna got a vision and told me I should go. That I was needed" Pandora spoke softly as she cradled Lily against her chest, Lily going pliant since she was exhausted as she leaned her entire body weight against Pandora. "So, she won't come. Snape?" Remus shrugged at Harry’s inquiry. "He was busy with the Weasley twins last I saw him. They turned his hair into snakes. Not even real ones. Gummy ones. They have detention till spring break" Remus sounded amused and oddly proud. Probably a Marauder thing.

"And f*cking Dumbledore?" Lily sneered and James let out a weak laugh. He was still wrapped around Harry and Regulus – Harry didn't dare move at all just because of that. He gaslighted himself that he could feel his baba’s embrace. Just this once, he let himself believe it. "I fought with him till he turned red. Not even in anger, but in mortification that I wasn't his obedient puppet anymore. And that I realized he was manipulating me. So, he might appear soon"

"He can't see mom. He needs to think the Stone is lost" Harry panicked, but Remus grinned weakly at that instead of joining the collective ensuing panic. "Then, it's good that I thought to force Dumbledore into giving back this old thing. He said he'd wanted to send it to you as a Christmas present, but I don't believe anything he says anymore" Remus said and he grabbed some sort of invisible material –

"The Cloak! Moony, you absolute genius!" James exclaimed enthusiastically as soon as he saw the cloth. "Baba recognized it as the Cloak. And he called you an absolute genius, Moony" Harry said mildly amused which made Remus chuckle warmly. Sirius was smiling softly as he watched his boyfriend and then, Harry and Regulus and James – even if he wasn’t visible to the rest of them. "Yeah. That's a family heirloom. It belongs to you now, Harry"

Harry looked at the Cloak before he looked at Lily. "You can borrow it, mom. Till we get you out of here" he told her softly, making Lily smile wetly towards him. "Thank you, Harry" she replied in the same manner before Pandora helped her up. Lily grimaced as she almost fell over, still unused to walking around or standing on her legs. Pandora covered her with the Cloak shortly after she made sure Lily could walk on her own. "I will put my hand on your back, Pandora. So, you know I am behind you at all times"

Pandora smiled wistfully at that. "Orpheus and Eurydice. Okay, my bloom. Let's do it. I won't look at you" She promised as Remus and Sirius helped each other up wearily. Harry looked down at Regulus who had remained still after his confessions in French. He knew his guardian was in pieces – ripped apart and put together hastily with pieces missing or placed incorrectly so, he could function enough to breathe in and out. He could see it from how James was trying to rub Regulus' back in comfort even as his hand passed through him. He saw it in the way James grimaced in frustration but kept going.

So, Harry gave Regulus a purpose when all seemed lost. A short-term one, but one nonetheless. "Reg. Everything is sore. And my face hurts. I don't think I can walk" Harry whispered and it was only a partial lie. Harry could probably walk, but it would be uncomfortable. Regulus picked himself up piece by piece and he looked at Harry with red, puffy eyes. "I will carry you on my back" he said it determinedly, accepting no arguments. Harry nodded relieved.

"Yes. That's it. Thank you, Harry. That's what he needs" James exhaled shakily and Harry nodded distractedly, because that's when Dumbledore arrived with Snape, Sprout and Flitwick behind him. "What happened here?" Sprout asked shocked, gasping as she stared at the adults, at the broken glass of the Mirror.

The seven of them all stared back.

It was Harry who responded as he climbed onto Regulus' back.

"Quirrell had Voldemort on the back of his head. He wanted the Stone to revive himself. I destroyed the Mirror, so he couldn’t get the Stone. Quirrell couldn't touch me without being hurt, so I touched him as much as I could. He disintegrated" Harry spoke numbly, making eye contact with Dumbledore by mistake. He felt the moment Dumbledore used Legilimency and he tensed as he instantly activated his Occlumency shields, showing Dumbledore exactly what Harry had described. He hoped he had done it right – he had learned Occlumency in a very relaxed atmosphere, form Regulus who was a great, but gentle teacher. What Dumbledore was doing felt invasive and wrong. Downright sinful.

"Are you using Legilimency on my ward?" Regulus snapped and all the adults tensed, wands in hand. Even the professors looked at Dumbledore shocked, almost disgusted. "No, of course not. Right, Harry?" Dumbledore lied through his teeth. But Harry knew it was a test. If Harry got defensive, Dumbledore would know there was something to hide. So, with his best confused face, Harry frowned tiredly. "What even is Legilimency?" He mumbled sleepily and he knew his guardians knew Regulus had taught Harry about Legilimency and Occlumency. They all knew Harry was lying and deflecting. They all knew what Dumbledore had done. What Harry had had to do in order to keep their secrets. So, they forced themselves to relax. They forced themselves to look the part of weary, but trusting guardians.

"Looks like we will need a new Defence against the Dark Arts Professor" Snape spoke haughtily to the outrage of the other professors. "I'd like to leave. See my daughter. These matters don't interest me" Pandora spoke loudly, but firmly which made Remus and Sirius nod fervently. "And I'll take Harry home early. I'll return him when I feel it is safe to do so" Regulus told them using his aristocratic, pureblood lilt.

Neither of the professors stopped the five (seven with James and Lily) from leaving that disastrous chamber. They weren't that surprised when they got to the third-floor hallway to see the Weasley twins, Cassius, Draco, Theo and Blaise hiding around a corner waiting fretfully. Their amusem*nt only grew when they noticed others waiting further ahead, anxiously pacing the hallway: Hermione, Elysian, Susan, Neville, Parvati, Padma and even Ron – all of Harry’s friends were there.

"Harry!" They all exclaimed seeing Harry on Regulus' back. Harry waved with a tired smile their way as he watched them all gather in the middle of the hallway, inspecting him with concerned gazes. He blinked surprised when he saw Hedwig by their feet. "Lionheart! These guys thought you were dead! They were psyching themselves up to go after you!" Hedwig hissed urgently as she allowed Pandora to pick her up and put her around her neck.

"I'm okay. Guess who killed Voldemort again" Harry said with a small, victorious smile, leaning his cheek against Regulus’ head. Sirius snorted. "Harry, it's really not reassuring when you say you killed him again " Remus and James snorted at that. "Are you going home?" Draco asked watching him concerned. "Are you coming back is what he meant" Theo retorted which made Harry nod firmly. "I am coming back"

"We didn't actually discuss that –"

"Regulus. Don't. Let's go home" Pandora called to him sternly, making Lord Black sigh deeply. "Fine. Go back to your common rooms. Harry's in safe hands now. He will be back before December rolls around, hopefully" Regulus told them as they continued walking away, leaving the students in the hallway. Harry waved again in a half-hearted goodbye. “You better come back, you have some explaining to do, mister!” Padma called out as they all returned his wave.

They managed to drag themselves to McGonagall's office where Luna looked up at them. She then looked behind Pandora and she smiled even if she couldn't see Lily – somehow, Harry thought that Luna knew Lily was there regardless of her invisibility. "Thank you for keeping me company, Professor McGonagall. We have to leave now. Flowers are blooming" McGonagall didn't look surprised by the cryptic words (she should have since it was November, for f*cks’ sake) but she let out a shattered breath. "Oh, Mr. Potter, look at you. Poor boy... Yes, please, go home. Rest. I'm sure you won't have any problems catching up when you return"

"McGonagall. My ward almost died today fighting Voldemort who had wormed his way inside the castle as a parasite on Quirrell’s head. You'll be lucky if –"

"I am aware now. Miss Lovegood was kind enough to tell me what's been happening under my nose. I will talk with Albus"

"Good f*cking luck" Sirius snarled which made McGonagall give him a disapproving look at his language, but it softened seeing the state they were all in. "Please use my Floo and get home safely" she told them in a peace offering. They all hesitated a moment before Remus went in first. Then Sirius. Then Luna. When it was Pandora's turn, she did it with her back to the others, keeping her promise not to look at Lily. Regulus put Harry down and Harry approached the fireplace but he didn't go through.

"Professor, should I send my snake in alone? I'm afraid to Floo with her" He called making McGonagall blink. "Oh. Very well. You can try, although I am not sure –"

Harry pretended to levitate the snake, but in actuality he handed her to Lily. Harry used the Floo for them both and prayed it worked. It looked like it did work. Only one way to find out though. Harry went through on his own. He arrived in Grimmauld where Lily was waiting, grinning down at him as she held Hedwig. "Brilliant idea, Harry" Remus complimented him and it seemed like Lily had just told them how Harry had sneaked her past McGonagall. Regulus arrived last. He took one good look at everyone and he sighed wearily.

"We have a lot of talks to get through. But first, Lily, pick your room. Everyone else, go wash off. Harry, come, I'll get you some Potions. Remus, grab some for Lily too. You know where they are" They all went to get their tasks done, Harry following Regulus shortly after taking both his Cloak and Hedwig back from Lily. "She smells like the birth giver" Hedwig hissed and Harry responded in a quiet hiss "She is my mother"

"Is the other woman her mate?"

"Yeah."

"But the other woman isn't your mother"

"She is, just not in the same way as my mother"

Harry couldn't exactly hiss names in Parseltongue and have it make sense, so he hoped Hedwig understood. "Just like the one with you now isn't your father, but your father's mate. A father, but not in the same way" Harry sighed relieved that the snake had understood. "Yeah"

James popped up shortly after Regulus made Harry drink a few more potions and change into a comfortable pair of pyjamas. "Baba is back" Harry told Regulus who hadn't explicitly asked to be notified, but Harry thought he'd want to know. "Hello, James" Regulus whispered gently as he buttoned Harry's pyjama shirt. "Hello, Reggie" Jamew whispered and Harry told Regulus what he said. Regulus' lips twitched, Harry didn't know if it was in frustration or amusem*nt.

"Are you sure I can't just kill Dumbledore?"

"Baba said no"

"You're an idiot, James"

"He said you like that about him"

"I like a lot of things about him"

"Baba says he has a lot of things to tell you, but it's strange to have me be interpreter. He asks you to wait"

Regulus' expression softened.

"I will always wait for you, Jamie. For however long you need. But know that I will get you back no matter what" Harry nodded at that in agreement. James cringed. "Yeah, Harry's taking after you. Including your murderous tendencies. Lovely" James teased, making Harry snort as he told Regulus what James said. Regulus chuckled warmly.

They all then returned to the living room after getting cleaned and healed. “Dumbledore used Legilimency on me as I’m sure you’ve all figured out. But I don't think he was suspicious. I showed him only what I told him" Harry told them making them all breathe a relieved sigh. Harry frowned as he pat Hedwig. "Were you actually stressed? Regulus taught me Occlumency. Hello? He literally fooled Voldemort" Regulus smiled amused at that while James grinned brightly.

"Fair enough. It's just been a stressful day" Sirius said as he sat in Remus' lap in one of the armchairs. Pandora, Luna and Lily had the sofa while Harry and Regulus had the other armchair. Luna took the news of meeting Lily very well (Harry assumed she saw it in a vision while she waited with McGonagall, so her presence wasn’t surprising at all).

"You wouldn't think Harry played his first match today" Remus said jokingly which had Lily ooh gleefully. "Harry, you did wonderfully. Especially with your broom being cursed. f*cking Quirrell"

"f*cking Quirrell" Sirius, Remus and James parroted, so Harry did too. When Regulus went to say 'language', Harry said he was only telling them what James said. He then grimaced. "I should make a sign when I'm telling you all what Baba says. ‘He says’ is becoming annoying to say" Harry grumbled, grimacing.

"Touch your glasses while speaking. James always had to adjust his glasses because he refused to have them properly adjusted in a professional shop" Regulus said softly and they all agreed to it. Harry flashed them a thumbs up. "When do I return?" Harry asked them which launched them into a debate on the matter. They all spoke over each other and tried to argue dates and times. (“I’m his mother and my opinion matters. I need to spend as much time as possible with my son. I haven't got to hold him in my arms since he was a one-year-old. You’re not taking that away from me just because it’s more convenient to send him on a Monday” Lily was literally arguing to have Harry home for another week than established, which was quite valid of her in Harry’s opinion.) They settled on sending him back during the first week of December after what felt like an hour.

They then all agreed Lily was not allowed outside Grimmauld until they could get James back. They could make an excuse for why she was alive, but if they had to make the excuse twice after a lot of time had passed? Less believable, more suspicious. So, Lily would have to wait to return to society. She wasn’t bothered by that since all she really wanted to do was spend time with Pandora and Luna (whose house was in the middle of literal nowhere at the beachside) and spend the rest of her time with Harry, Remus, Sirius and Regulus. After they got baba back, the two would just appear somewhere public and announce that they had been faking their deaths and staying with Harry and his guardians in secret. In a more eloquent manner, of course.

They talked through the entire night. And they slept all day the next day.

Harry woke up to see he had fallen asleep on Regulus. Regulus was actually awake and speaking softly. "... and then I went to India because I was a masoch*st and I wanted to see where the Potters originated from. You're probably thinking something stupid like 'that's so wholesome of you' but no, I was just hurting and I wanted to make sure I knew I was hurting. So, I couldn’t ignore the pain. Or, worse, drown in it. I didn't find out about everything until too late. Pandora tried to tell me several times, but I wouldn't listen"

Harry briefly glanced at his baba to see him standing behind Regulus and carding his hands through Regulus' hair as he listened to every word.

Harry went back to sleep.

Lily Evans thought that, after 10 years of being a literal ghost, she would never get to have a body again. She was convinced she’ll never get to hug her son or tie his tie for him or brush his hair or kiss him goodnight. She was also so used to not sleeping and just wandering around aimlessly, watching over her son. It was such an ingrained habit in her being that her feet got her to Harry in record time, given how much she had been stumbling. She had left Pandora behind in the bed they had shared, but Lily hoped that she’d be forgiven.

She just needed to check on her son.

She wasn’t surprised to find him in his bed, sound asleep, but she was surprised to see him sleeping on top of Regulus. Lily had guessed that Regulus had gone up to put Harry to bed but, when he hadn’t returned to the living room, Lily had assumed that he had gone to his own room to sleep. Apparently, Regulus had simply accepted his fate of being Harry’s personal mattress. To his credit, Regulus was doing an admirable job of not moving too much as he held Harry. Lily knew her son was a light sleeper and, yet, he was still sound asleep in Regulus’ arms. Lily was glad Harry felt safe enough here to sleep soundly.

Regulus watched her cautiously as she more or less wobbled inside the room before clumsily sitting on the side of the bed. Being alive once again was awkward. Walking was a nightmare and needing a reminder to breathe had Lily feeling like a newborn. But she was here and her son and Pandora were here too. That must count for something.

“Sorry. I had to see him. It’s strange not having the ability to pass through walls and check on him at all times” Lily whispered with a small smile, as she watched her son with a loving gaze. Regulus watched her intently, but he didn’t reply. He looked back towards Harry with what Lily could only identify as a warm gaze, but there was something off about his expression. Lily had undergone a crush course on Regulus’ expressions due to James, so she was fairly sure in her assumption that Regulus was disappointed – and he was also mad that he was disappointed.

“You’re sad it was me who came back instead of James” Lily stated and she would have laughed seeing the literal panic on Regulus’ face, his hurry to deny it, but she smiled lightly instead. “It’s alright. I told James he should have gone first. I was wary of the whole thing, but he was so excited with the possibility of coming back that he didn’t care about the risks. And when we saw Harry actually knowing how to do it…. I still don’t know how he knew how to operate the Stone. Anyway, at that moment, James and I both knew only of us could go through. We only had one body and we were running out of time. I told James he should go through. I insisted. He has so many people waiting for him. But he wouldn’t listen to me. He pushed me and he made me take Harry’s hand. James and his bleeding heart, right? He’s too selfless sometimes”

“He’s an idiot, you mean” Regulus replied, but his voice cracked as he looked down at Harry. They both looked down towards him. “I’ve been speaking to him. James. I don’t know exactly how it works, but Harry assured me James is here. It’s… it feels like I’m going insane, but you’re here, aren’t you?” Regulus’ voice was quiet and Lily realized he was hurting much like she had been when she couldn’t interact with anyone else besides Harry and James. She gently patted his knee which made Regulus pay attention to her again.

“James loves you. He wouldn’t shut up about you. After we shagged, James cried. And it wasn’t because it was a good shag – he cried because he felt like he was cheating on you when you two weren’t even together anymore. When we thought you were dead. He missed you. He missed you till the day he died and he missed you every day we’ve been dead. He looked for you. Any time we were sure Harry was safe enough, I’d tell him to go look for you. He’s been searching for you for years. He won’t give up on you now. He’ll come back too” Regulus looked on the brink of tears but he hid it all by grimacing. Lily thought that was a hilarious expression on him. “Too many details… but, thank you” Lily shook her head with a small, tired smile.

“Thank you for loving my son. For hugging him and combing his hair and helping him get dressed. For feeding him. Thank you for being his parents when we could not be” Regulus looked at her with a strangled sort of anxiety. Lily tilted her head curiously, but she didn’t need to insist for Regulus to speak up his mind.

“I don’t think I can give up on Harry. No, I know I can’t. He may not be my child, but he is my ward. Legally. I know he’s your son, but I… I do love him like he’s mine”

“Oh, Regulus, I’m not going to whisk him away to the other side of the world. Harry’s your son as much as he is Pandora’s. We are all raising him, this has never been a one-man job. Ever”

Regulus’ tears finally spilt down his cheeks, but he looked relieved. “Thank you” He whispered firmly and Lily smiled. “No need to thank me. You’ve raised and protected my son. We’re even” Regulus shook his head lightly at that. “If I hadn’t left, you two would have been alive. I would have made sure of it –”

“If you hadn’t left, Harry wouldn’t exist. Hell, you might have died. Don’t undermine your need to leave. If I could have, I would have left everything behind. You wanted peace and, for a few years, you had it. There’s nothing to forgive –”

“But I hurt James –”

“True. But I can’t be the one you seek forgiveness from. I told you; all is forgiven between us. We’re even. When James comes back, you can talk about everything with him. But, if you ask me, he’s already forgiven you a long time ago”

“We don’t even know if the Stone will work again”

“It will. It’s not just any piece of magic. It’s ancient and powerful. It bound me to it and it bound me to Harry. But I’m alive. And James will be too”

“You’re far too confident”

“Regulus. I came back to life after an Avada to the face and after ten years of being a ghost. All because Harry wanted me back and he was smart enough to figure out a way to get it done. Very spontaneously, but it f*cking worked. Do you not trust Harry?”

Regulus glared mildly at her before he huffed, gently carding his hand through Harry’s hair.

“Of course I do. I’d give my life for him”

“Then, trust he’ll bring back his baba at any cost”

“…that’s also what I’m worried about”

“…yeah. But we’re here to stir him in the right direction. To make sure he won’t hurt himself more”

“He’s really f*cking stubborn. He went to face Voldemort alone today, because he thought it was his fight. It’s our fight, not his. He’s a child”

“Well, then we’ll have to teach him that he’s not alone in this. Not anymore”

A couple minutes later, Lily returned to the room she shared with Pandora. Lily felt much lighter. She was finally back with her son and his found family. Their family. They were going to protect each other from now on. They were all going to be safe and sound.

When she opened the door to Pandora’s room, Lily froze when a knife was pressed against her throat. She looked into Pandora’s unseeing eyes and Lily waited, but the knife didn’t cut her. She noticed Pandora’s hand shaking wildly in her attempts to keep from hurting Lily.

Lily did not dare speak as she knew what this was – Pandora was having an episode, a vision of the future. And, by the looks of it, it was an intense one. Her eyes had rolled to the back of her head and she looked ethereal in the moonlight – deadly. Lily almost forgot she was in danger of having her throat cut open. Pandora spoke in low, hissed whispers. In voices that didn’t belong to her. “Mortui vivos docent. Nascent morimur. Respice finem. Memento mori. Mors mihi lucrum.”

The knife dropped down between them as soon as Pandora finished speaking and her lovely eyes returned to their rightful place. Pandora grimaced as she touched Lily’s neck gingerly, but there was no blood spilt, thankfully. “I’m sorry” She whispered, but Lily shook her head indulgently. “That’s alright. I know it’s difficult to control the urges. The Fates want sacrifices, I assume?” Pandora nodded wearily before sighing bitterly. “I don’t like what they’ve shown me. It was all about Death”

“You must be glad you learned Latin. Care to translate?” Lily asked her, gently tugging Pandora’s hair out of her face and wiping her sweat. Pandora narrowed her eyes as she thought about how to best translate what she’s heard. “The dead teach the living. From the moment we are born, we begin to die. Consider the end. Remember that you will die. Death to me is the reward.”

Lily grimaced at that. “That’s reassuring” Pandora gave her a bitter smile. “I should have expected it, given your return. Death is angry” Lily grimaced as she properly closed the door behind her. “That doesn’t sound like good news” Pandora tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. “I don’t know. Death is also Harry’s companion, so they might forgive him” Lily blinked twice at that.

“I will pretend I did not hear that. For my own sanity” Pandora chuckled lightly at Lily’s exasperation. “We wouldn’t want any more grey hairs, would we now?” She teased her as she tugged at Lily’s hair while they headed towards their bed. “Ouch! Stop that, you know I’m sensitive. Especially after I literally came back to life” Pandora raised her eyebrows suggestively and Lily laughed. And wasn’t it lovely? That the two of them could finally, finally enjoy each other’s company. That they could finally love each other freely.

“Moony.”

Remus was sitting down on the stairs leading to the backyard at Grimmauld. He had heard steps and the door opening behind him, but he couldn’t be bothered to be on alert. Not tonight. There was a cigarette between his fingers, but he wasn’t smoking it. He was letting it burn, letting the smell comfort him. What a f*cked-up day. A wonderful kind of f*cked-up, but f*cked-up nonetheless. They got Lily back. And the idea that they could also have James back? Remus needed a moment to process everything. Harry has always flabbergasted him, but this takes the cake. Remus would have to ask someone if Harry was real or just a figment of their collective imagination. And who better to ask than his ex-convict boyfriend?

Sirius sat down next to him with a weary huff. A decade in Azkaban really messed up his flexibility and his agility from when he was a youth. They were old and weary now. Scarred and traumatised. But, at least, they had each other. Sirius nicked the cigarette from him, taking a drag before offering it back as he exhaled the smoke. Remus didn’t take it back, closing his eyes and letting the smoke dull his senses.

“You can’t hide here forever. I’d know. I tried when I was young. Reggie and I would hide in the bushes. Mother always found us” Sirius confessed quietly and that had Remus opening his eyes, because these crumbs from Sirius’ childhood were very rare. Hell, when Sirius appeared on the Potters’ doorstep, he only said that things had become too much at home and that he couldn’t stay there any longer. Sirius had told him about a couple of the scars on his body – an unhealed Cutting Curse here, an Incendio there, broken bones that weren’t healed right, several Crucios which had left him very reactive to unwanted or unexcepted touching. He never told them what it was like living in this house and only spoke generally about it. This shared memory was more personal than anything Remus had learned over the last few decades.

“What about your father?” Remus tried his luck, but he knew he failed when Sirius’ expression hardened and he took another drag of the cigarette. He blew the smoke in Remus’ face in petulant reproach. “We don’t talk about our father” Sirius replied firmly, referring to himself and Regulus. Remus took that as a warning not to broach that subject with Regulus, so he nodded calmly. Remus watched Sirius toy with the almost-finished cigarette, before Sirius finally looked back at him.

“You have to tell me if I’m going mad, Remus. Because, if this day was a fever dream, I don’t think I’d be able to live on” Sirius told him evenly and Remus couldn’t help it. He chuckled softly to Sirius’ dismay. “I was thinking the same thing. If neither of us knows what is reality and what is fiction, what are we going to do?” Remus asked his boyfriend, a small smile dancing on his lips. Sirius smiled in return. “Guess we’ll go mad together, then. You know all about the madness within, don’t you, Moony?” Remus snorted at the werewolf joke, shaking his head.

There was a comfortable silence between them before Sirius gently placed his hand on Remus’ knee. “We’ll figure it out when the time comes. When we get James back” Sirius promised him which made Remus watch him curiously. “When, not if?” He asked gently which made Sirius give him a determined look. “Lily is back. Moony, could you have ever imagined that? Harry’s done something miraculous. And he did it selflessly. No Dark Magic. You noticed, right?” Remus felt obliged to nod at that. “The air around him changed when he protected Lily. Old Magic. I only felt something similar on Dumbledore the rare times he joined the battles in the War”

Sirius’ eyes lit up as he looked at his boyfriend, before he gave in and grinned. “More powerful. Older. Older than the Blacks’ and the Potters’. I don’t know what it was, but Harry is strong. And he’s just a boy now. I’m, obviously, not saying this because I want to throw him to the front lines –”

“I know what you mean, Pads. Harry can do miraculous things, but he’s still just a kid. Seeing your dead parents ever since you’re a child? I’d have gone mad” Sirius grimaced at that, before he sighed sorrowfully. “Poor Lily and James too. They couldn’t help Harry. They couldn’t be physically there for him. All they could do was teach him how to defend himself” Remus sighed in turn. “Yeah. Lily hasn’t let him out of her sight all day. I wouldn’t be surprised if she went up to check on him again” Sirius grimaced. “Reggie’s up with him. Wouldn’t let him out of his sight either. Think he’s still talking to James” Remus dragged a hand over his face. “This is so f*cked” Remus mumbled which had Sirius leaning his head against his boyfriend’s. “Yeah. But don’t tell Harry that. He just got his mom back. Let him be happy”

“Why did he never tell us?”

“Now, Moonbeam, you don’t need me to answer that”

“He didn’t trust us.”

“Alright, maybe you need me to answer that. Obviously, Moony, Harry wasn’t sure you’d believe him. Hell, he might have thought it was a hallucination, but he wasn’t about to go to you, because you might want to heal him”

“We might have taken his parents away from him”

“Exactly.”

“Sirius, this is insane”

“Get used to it. Insanity runs in the family”

Remus huffed a laugh at that and he watched as Sirius dropped what was left of the cigarette. He then stomped it out before he got up. Sirius looked down at him with a resolute expression on his face. “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together. Us against the world, Moony” When Sirius extended his hand to help him up, Remus accepted it with no hesitance. As soon as they were face to face, Remus dragged him in a kiss that he prolonged enough for them both to be out of breath. Sirius was watching him with a giddy grin, waiting for Remus’ conclusion. As if there was any universe where Remus wouldn’t choose Sirius wholeheartedly. “Yeah, Pads. Us against the world”

Meanwhile, somewhere in a hidden room of Grimmauld Place, Luna Lovegood observed the knives she had stabbed into the wall. She wasn’t even sure how she’d managed to get so many. She was sure there weren’t so many of them in the cutlery drawer in the kitchen, here, at Grimmauld. She looked down at the blood on her hands and, then, she looked up at the rats that she had most likely stabbed into the wall (under the Fates’ influence, probably, but Luna didn’t remember most of the experience).

At least Hedwig would be more than happy to eat them. Thankfully, Luna wouldn’t have to ask her mother or Lily to get rid of them. She really didn’t want them to find this room. She didn’t want to admit she had let the Fates’ whispers get to her. She was supposed to be strong like her momma. She was supposed to resist and ignore the Fates’ desires.

But why would Luna resist the violent urges if it meant she got a clearer picture of the future?

Why resist sacrificing insignificant rats when she could gain the knowledge she desired?

Luna stared at the words she had spelt by stabbing the rats into the wall, letting the blood drip down her fingertips and onto the floor.

Remember that you will live.

Luna tilted her head to the side. She was smiling before the words even spilled from her lips in the darkness of the abandoned room.

“Death says hello, Harry”

Chapter 10: Duc*nt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt

Chapter Text

"Oh. I forgot Padfoot's present"

Harry told them the next morning and Sirius promptly sniffled. "You got me a present?" He asked softly, looking on the brink of tears. "We all got you presents. Don't act so deprived" Regulus retorted, his older brother glaring weakly at him before he went and hugged Harry tightly while Remus watched the scene with a warm smile on his lips. "Oh, my sweet summer child, I adore you. You can give it to me when you come back for Christmas break"

"Wait. Where did you get the present? You aren't allowed in Hogsmeade" Remus, ever the voice of logic, realized which made Regulus narrow his eyes towards Harry who smiled sheepishly. "Did you sneak off to Hogsmeade? Did James help you –?"

Harry placed his hand on his glasses. "Ye of little faith, Regulus"

Harry took the hand away before he explained. "I asked the Weasley twins to buy it for me" Sirius aww'd. Regulus rolled his eyes while Remus smiled lightly. Pandora, Lily and Luna were just coming down for breakfast, but they didn't comment on the wholesome atmosphere. They all winced, however, when there was scratching against glass. "I thought I had trained Agni to knock with his beak" Regulus grumbled, but he went and opened the window for the bird.

Agni entered and they all gaped at the dozen letters tied around his legs. Agni looked really f*cking pissed off. "Quick, give him salmon before he decides to eat you instead!" Harry instructed Regulus who was closest to Agni while Lily, Sirius and Remus gaped at Harry. "I'm sorry, what the f*ck do you feed that bird?" Sirius asked shocked whereas Remus asked "Do you know how expensive salmon is?!" and Lily nodded emphatically.

Harry, Regulus, Luna and Pandora stared at them.

"We are literally loaded" Harry said confused, tapping his glasses to let them know James said the same thing as him. "Ah, yeah. I forgot" Sirius hummed surprised which had Regulus sighing as he fed Agni who immediately left, flying towards the top of the House to rest there. "You forgot?!" Lily spluttered while Remus snorted resigned to his life of living with the rich.

Harry looked at the stack of letters Agni had delivered with wide eyes. "Looks like your friends sent you get well soon letters" Regulus remarked with a small smile. "I think some of them are also 'what the f*ck' letters. Quirrell dying made it to the Prophet. People are asking who's going to take over DADA and they also really want to interview either of us who was there. Dumbledore must have spilled because it's all our names. Well, except Lily" Remus added as he showed them the Daily Prophet article.

"Of course he spilled" James snarled.

Harry looked at the senders curiously: Elysian, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Padma, Parvati, Susan, Draco, Theo, Blaise, Cassius, Fred and George he expected. The others. Harry didn't expect: Greengrass, Parkinson, Flint, Percy, McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout. Huh. Even the professors sent him get well soon cards. How ... peculiar.

"Can you make sure they aren't cursed?"

"On it" Regulus said as if he had been waiting for this exact moment. He probably had been. After Regulus announced that the letters were curse-free, Harry read them all. Numerous times.

Elysian’s letter was succinct. He hoped Harry was alright and that he took his time to recover properly. He also told Harry that, if he needed any help, his dads (Auror Shacklebolt and Lord Macmillan) were more than happy to lend a helping hand. Harry stored that information for later. In her letter, Hermione went on a tangent and wrote to him about the classes he had missed (she even made a copy of her notes from them). She also recommended him some good books to read while he recovered. Ron and Neville's letters were sweet, both of them telling him to get well soon, but Ron also added what Harry had missed (McGonagall almost hexing Dumbledore for putting the students in danger by storing such a powerful artefact in the castle and Dumbledore publicly apologising to the students).

Padma’s letter was longer than Harry expected whereas Parvati’s was shorter. Padma regaled him with stories about how she was kicking ass in duels against the older students after the Weasley twins and Cassius taught her a few hexes. Harry felt oddly proud to hear about their new friendship. He also knew that Padma would now be almost unbeatable in duels (Well, Harry still thought he could take her in an old-fashioned duel, but knowing how sneaky she could be? Harry would have to think about some counterspells.) Parvati told him to get well soon and rest properly. She also asked him not to wander off too much when he comes back to Hogwarts. Harry frowned at that, making a mental note to ask Parvati more about it when he went back.

Susan’s letter was very chaotic. She jumped from topic to topic much like she did when she talked to Harry face to face. She did tell him to get well soon and that her aunt wished him a speedy recovery. Regarding her aunt, Amelia Bones also thanked Harry and Regulus for their taciturn support of her scheme to take over as Chief Warlock. Amelia Bones was a busy woman since she was both a Lord and the Head of the DMLE, but Harry trusted she could handle being Chief Warlock on top of it. Susan also told him all about her newest scheme. She was now branching out and trying to get other Heirs on board with Amelia’s promotion. She started out with the Hufflepuff Heirs and she was now trying to get the Ravenclaws on board – Elysian was the first to say that the Houses of Shacklebolt and Macmillan were more than happy to offer their vote to Amelia Bones. Harry couldn’t help but smile as he read how Susan then described what she had for breakfast. She could be rather scatterbrained, but Harry couldn’t deny it. She was intelligent and powerful. She would make a great Chief Warlock later in life.

Draco's letter was filled with snide comments, but Harry understood Draco's fear that his mail might be searched. He still saw genuine worry between the spiteful comments, so Harry smiled reading it. ("You are definitely my son" James had told him, but Harry hadn't understood what his father had meant. He didn't ask his baba to elaborate either.) Cassius wrote to him and pretty much begged him to never leave him alone with Flint ever again, because Cassius was going to kill that f*cker if he didn’t stop talking about their Quidditch practices. Harry hoped Cassius could contain himself. They had another game to win in February. They couldn’t afford to lose their captain. Or, well, they could. Harry thought Draco could make for a good Chaser. And Flint was rather unpleasant. Harry was going to wait and see whether Cassius actually acted on his threats.

The professors wished him well very succinctly and they all apologized for what Harry had had to experience. Flint told him to be ready for their next game in February which meant get well soon in Flint’s vocabulary even if the words weren't actually written out. Percy wished him well and sent him a few tea packets to try, saying that they helped him when he felt sick. What a sweet gesture. He had Regulus make sure they weren't poisonous before agreeing to have a cuppa. Parkinson wished him well and tried to fish for information from him. Greengrass’ letter was much more elegant, but Harry could read between the lines. Greengrass too wanted to know if the rumours were true and Harry did, indeed, kill their DADA professor.

Theo hoped he was doing alright, but he also mentioned he wished Hedwig had stayed behind, because he wanted to ask her to bite Draco. That was because, then, maybe, the f*cker would go to sleep already and stop fretting about Harry’s wellbeing every evening. Blaise was as elegant as always in his letter, but he also told him the gossip he had missed (Daphne had kissed this Ravenclaw boy who was a muggleborn and that got her a howler from her parents; they still didn’t know who snitched on her to her parents). And the Weasley twins described how they had transfigured Snape's hair into real snakes this time. And that Snape took a whole day to figure out how to get them off. They also mentioned the fact that Dumbledore now had antlers he couldn't seem to take off. Sweet, petty revenge. Harry loved to see it.

Harry read his letters all through breakfast, letting the others’ conversation wash over him. He was rereading Draco’s letter when Luna tapped his shoulder. “Mom’s had a vision. You might want to listen” She whispered which made Harry look up subtly towards the adults. He knew they all wanted to protect him and Luna from the evil of the world, but he didn’t care. It was his fight too. Luna seemed to share the sentiment, because she wasn’t even pretending not to listen in on her mom recounting what she had seen after she repeated what she had said to Lily.

“I don’t know what I saw. It felt like… Death.”

“You mean dead people?” Sirius asked confused, but Pandora shook her head. “No. Death. Harbinger of Death, personification of Death. The entity” Remus grimaced at that while Sirius looked even more lost. “Death exists as a person? We’re f*cked” Sirius insisted while Lily and Regulus shared a look. Regulus then shrugged. “Just another enemy. We’ll defeat Death too” Luna let out a surprised chuckle at that, which had all adults glancing their way, surprised that the kids had tuned back in into their conversation. Lily huffed amused. “Seems like you weren’t as distracted as we thought” She remarked with an exasperated smile.

Harry shrugged, not bothering to deny it. Luna tilted her head to the side. There was a small smile on her lips, like she had just confirmed something she already knew. Harry was about to ask her about it, but Remus asked the two if they wanted to go to the book store with him and Harry forgot all about that moment.

He spent the next couple of weeks with his family. He was happy. He was getting his sh*t back together after murdering a man and bringing back his mom from the dead. (Which wasn’t a sentence that Harry ever thought he’d say) All was well… until, of course, it wasn’t.

A big fight erupted at the end of November, shortly before Harry needed to be back at Hogwarts. Their evening started calmly with everyone enjoying dinner. Harry had noticed that the adults seemed tense, but he focused on regaling Luna with stories about Hogwarts as they ate. Luna was listening with a dreamy smile, asking Harry occasionally about the animals there. Harry mentioned he had yet to see the Thestrals, but he told her all about Hagrid’s dog and the three-headed dog they had faced. Luna seemed very curious about that, but their discussion was interrupted by Regulus clearing his throat.

“Regulus –” Sirius tried to stop his brother from speaking, but Regulus wasn’t paying him any attention. “Is James here, Harry?” Regulus asked, looking at him intensely. Harry blinked before looking up at a space in-between Regulus and Sirius where James was floating. He had been absentmindedly listening to the conversation happening at the dinner table, but now he looked around confused. Regulus turned to look at the place James was, following Harry’s gaze before Harry could respond.

“I didn’t want to have this conversation with the kids present, but there’s no way to avoid it” Regulus began, but it was Pandora who stopped him. “Luna doesn’t need to hear it” she said firmly, but, to everyone’s surprise, it was Luna herself who protested. “If Harry gets to hear it, so do I. You know my visions are triggered by the things I hear” Pandora frowned lightly, but she nodded resigned. Lily held her hand as a way to show her support. Harry looked between all the adults with narrowed eyes. “What are you hiding from us?”

“I’d also like to know that” James mumbled looking as troubled as Harry felt – sentence which Harry repeated to the others. Regulus was about to open his mouth again, but it was Remus who stopped him this time. “I don’t know why you’re trying, Regulus. He won’t agree” Regulus glared at the werewolf, before leaning in his seat. “I don’t care” He replied firmly which made Lily snort humourlessly.

“That’s, perhaps, the funniest joke you’ve ever told” Lily announced making Sirius snicker while Remus and Pandora smiled amused. Regulus didn’t seem entertained. Harry was getting more irritated with each passing second. Luna seemed to feel the same given the way her brows were furrowed. “Can you get to the point?” Harry asked when he saw Sirius opening his mouth to, most likely, tease his brother.

The adults seemed reluctant, but Regulus spoke as soon as he saw that opening. “We need another body for James. There is one. A perfect corpse, actually. Soulless. Nobody will miss him. And I can easily go grab him –”

“You mean Pettigrew?” Harry asked shocked – he was more surprised that he hadn’t thought of that. It was the perfect solution. Pettigrew did deserve a worse punishment than he had received. And it’s not like the Aurors were getting their panties in a twist trying to protect him 24/7. All they had to do was kidnap him, bring him here and Harry could do the rest. He could have his baba back. It would be –

Absolutely unforgivable – that’s what James Potter’s expression said. Harry grimaced before James even spoke, but that seemed to tell a lot to the other adults. Lily grimaced as well, Sirius and Remus sighed simultaneously and Pandora tilted her head with a resigned expression on her face. Luna blinked, her and Regulus waiting to hear what James had to say.

“If we use Pettigrew like this, we’re no better than he is. Don’t let anyone interrupt you, Harry, as you tell them this. I want to make myself very clear. I don’t regret making Lily come back first. And, yes, I’d love nothing more than to come back to life, as well, but I will not do that by killing Pettigrew. I have two reasons for that. The first one being that I’d be disgusted to exist in my own body. I know the Stone most likely uses only the atoms of a body to create a new body altogether. Some alchemy I could never understand. But I wouldn’t be able to live knowing that it’s because one of my oldest friends is dead. No, because one of us killed him. And, don’t start with the fact that he is a traitor. I know very well what the f*ck he has done. That doesn’t change that I loved Peter like a brother. What he’s going through right now? That’s enough. It has to be, because I refuse to make any one of you kill someone for me. I refuse to have Harry kill someone for me. Not in these circ*mstances. The second reason is even simpler. Kidnapping Pettigrew means the Aurors will search for him. And, one way or another, no matter how slick we are, they’ll know we took him. We’re the most likely to do it, because who has he wronged more than us? I’m not going to watch you all go to Azkaban for me.”

Harry’s mouth was dry by the time he finished saying everything James wanted to tell them. Regulus spoke up as soon as Harry grabbed his water glass and drank half of it in one go.

“I told you I’d get you back. This is the fastest solution –”

“I don’t care what’s fastest. I am here to stay. I am going to come back, just not like this”

“James, if you’d just listen to me –”

“I am listening. You aren’t. You are not going to go to Azkaban for me.”

“Nobody is going to Azkaban. Obviously we’d take all the precautions –”

“And then what? Sure, let’s say it works. Let’s say I’d get over the disgust of being trapped in the body of my traitorous ex-best friend. Lily and I will make our appearance in public, we will spin the perfect lie that we’d just gone into hiding. Except that it’s not perfect. The Wizengamot saw me getting killed in Pettigrew’s memory. Snape saw both me and Lily dead. So did Sirius, Hagrid and Dumbledore. How do we explain that?”

“We could say it was Polyjuice –” Sirius tried to support his brother’s point, but James shut him down quickly. “Our bodies stayed there for hours before someone thought to bury us. It took almost an entire day for our bodies to be deposited in the ground. Polyjuice wears off after maximum twelve hours and that is if you’re really f*cking good at Potions”

“I am really f*cking good at Potions.” Regulus snapped and the fight went on between him and James without the others interrupting.

“Doesn’t matter. Twelve hours, Regulus. Polyjuice won’t cut it. Glamours wear off even faster, especially after Death since there’s no more magic to sustain them. Oh, and let’s not forget the cherry on top. Dumbledore would know as soon as Lily and I appeared. He’d realize we have the Stone and he’ll try to take it back”

Everyone paled as they realized that James’ deductions were true. Sirius actually cursed, getting up. He’d have probably left the room entirely to cool off, but Remus grabbed his hand and held him back. Sirius placed his hands on the back of Remus’ chair, gritting his teeth in frustration. Pandora and Lily were holding hands tightly on the table. Regulus was glaring up at James.

“Then, we don’t announce it. We kidnap Pettigrew’s body – because that’s all there is left of him. His soul is stuck in a f*cking Dementor. Pettigrew is gone. Think about it, James. Maybe his soul will be freed once we get rid of his body. Don’t you want to show your old friend some mercy?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth. You know exactly why I have a problem with this, Regulus”

“Newsflash, James, both Harry and I are already killers –”

That’s when Regulus stopped abruptly. His tone had turned vicious when he spoke, but he realized his mistake a moment too late. He stilled before looking at Harry with a devastated expression, but Harry only gave him a resigned expression. “Harry, I didn’t mean –”

“It’s fine, Reg –”

“It’s not fine. Apologize right now” Lily snapped, glaring at Regulus. Sirius and Remus were also glaring at Regulus who was trying to find the best words to apologize. He didn’t get to do it, because Pandora yelped as she jumped out of her seat.

There was a knife stuck in Pandora’s former seat.

Luna had her eyes rolled to the back of her head and the knife in her hand. She was whispering in multiple voices, switching from Latin to Greek to English to French. Harry stayed as still as possible in his seat whereas the others had also jumped from their seats when Pandora did. The adults were circling the table warily.

“I thought I told you all to hide the knives!” Regulus snapped which made Remus snarl back. “We did! There’s only plastic ones in the cupboards. I don’t know where she got this one from” Harry watched the sweat go down Luna’s face, trying to understand what she was saying, but it was as if numerous people were saying different things at once through her. “Careful, Harry” James warned as Harry tilted closer towards Luna.

He was just in time, it seemed, because he managed to catch Luna before she face-planted onto the table. She was breathing heavily, the knife still clutched in her hand. “Luna, baby, are you okay?” Her mom asked quietly as she gently pried the knife out of Luna’s hand and she gave it to Lily. Harry’s mom gave it to Regulus who made the knife vanish without a second thought. Luna righted herself, grimacing lightly. Tears were going down her cheeks, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“I saw a house elf. An Invisible Cloak… not Harry’s. A different one. And… I think someone was casting an Imperio. And then, I think someone else was using a Polyjuice Potion. I don’t understand” Luna sounded downright irritated by the fact she didn’t know what her vision was referring to. Pandora sat down next to her daughter with a worried grimace on her face. “It’s okay, baby. You did great resisting their whispers” Luna didn’t look pleased, but she let her mother coddle her. Regulus was frowning, while the others seemed tense.

It was James who spoke up, making Harry look up at him as he let go of Luna.

“We have bigger problems than me coming back. If the opportunity arises, I’ll come back. Until then, let’s just enjoy our time together while we still can” James told them wearily and Harry repeated what his baba said, word for word. Regulus didn’t seem pleased by that – nobody did, really – but Luna’s vision freaked them out enough to drop the subject for that day. Regulus and James would fight about it for a couple more days until, eventually, Regulus didn’t bring it up anymore. (That was after Regulus said he was going to go kill Dumbledore and James lost his sh*t at the recklessness of that plan – the other guardians also agreed that it was not a good idea.)

Two nights before Harry had to go back to Hogwarts, to keep from losing his sh*t, he told Regulus he was going to steal James for the night. (Usually, Harry told his baba to just stick by Regulus' side ever since Harry saw Regulus speak to James even if he didn't know he was there; but now Harry needed his baba) So, he laid down in his bed and he stared towards his ceiling. James floated curiously in and out of his line of sight.

"Baba."

"Yes, Harry?"

"Tell me the process of becoming an Animagus"

And James Potter happily did so.

Harry fell asleep sometime after James finished explaining the theoretical and practical sides of it and starting taking about how the experience had been for him and Sirius. Harry didn't have a nightmare that night.

Harry returned to Hogwarts feeling much lighter than when he had left. Even if his scar had branched down (he had noticed it in the mirror the day after Quirrell’s death and he had freaked out; he had calmed down only after he was physically held by all of his guardians, James included) at least it didn't hurt anymore. It was now just past his cheekbones, but it still had a way to go before it reached his jawline. His guardians noticed only because it was their literal job to notice everything about Harry.

Harry returned to Hogwarts by Floo after seven long hugs (Harry wasn't sure why James insisted to hug him when he was coming with him, but Harry wasn’t going to stop him) and with Hedwig around his neck. He also had been forced to take some of his guardians' old clothes with him at their request. Pandora's Ravenclaw scarf, Remus' comfiest jumper from when he was in 3rd year (which apparently Sirius had stolen and only found when he dug through his old room), Lily's fingerless leather gloves (which Remus had stolen from her, but they had somehow found their way into Sirius' stuff at Grimmauld), at least five of Regulus' Slytherin jumpers and James' windbreaker jacket. Well, Regulus had tried to give it to him saying that he will get James back regardless, but Harry had insisted he receive the jacket only when they got James back for good. Regulus had agreed.

So, here he was, dressed casually in a dark green hoodie and jeans with a backpack filled with snacks and clothes and with Hedwig around his neck. "Professor" Harry greeted McGonagall easily as he stepped out of the fireplace, before his eyes flitted over to the other figure in the room. "Headmaster." Harry wasn't at all surprised by Dumbledore’s presence. "Hello, Harry. I was hoping to talk with your guardians –"

"Owl them. They'll answer and meet you at their convenience"

"I meant at their house –"

"Goodbye, Professor, Headmaster" Harry retorted coldly as he exited McGonagall's office and he went down the corridors towards the common room. Neither of them tried to follow him. Good. Harry wasn’t going to become their little puppet. And neither will his guardians. "Harry, you're alive!" Hermione called as soon as she saw him when he passed by a crowded hallway with students hurrying to the Great Hall. He smiled amused towards her as he waved while she grinned back before she hurried to catch up to Ron, Padma, Parvati and Neville. All four of them also waved excitedly towards Harry, glad to have him back.

Harry made his way inside the common room where his housemates greeted him, concern evident in their voices as they asked about his wellbeing. Harry assured them that he was fine before he went up to his dorm. The others weren't there, so Harry assumed they all had already gone to the Great Hall. "Here, Hedwig. Sleep well" Harry told his snake who curled up under his pillow and promptly fell asleep, not deigning to give him a response.

Harry stuffed his bag in his chest, promising himself to unpack later. He didn't get changed, but he grabbed his Slytherin robes over his hoodie before he hurried towards the Great Hall. He ignored all the whispers and murmurs and he walked with his head held high inside the Great Hall. Everyone stared for a moment in silence, before the noise started up again. Lovely to see that Hogwarts hadn’t changed and that they still loved gossiping about him.

Harry made sure to wave towards his friends from the other Houses and flash them a thumbs up at their concerned gazes, before he headed towards his usual place at the Slytherin table. He chuckled amused when he was dragged to seat between Cassius and George. The two gave him a bear hug, crushing him between them.

"You are the most insane 11-year-old I've met. Counting myself at 11 years old and I was batsh*t crazy. Still am" Cassius told him when he let Harry go, making Fred and George laugh. Fred ruffled Harry's hair with a grin as he leaned over George to do so. "It runs in the family" Harry replied, making the three laugh while James squeaked indignantly above him before he hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, fair enough actually" James then mumbled amused. "We did become Animagi when we were 13. Regulus became one when he was 15. Lily made Polyjuice when she was 14 and punched Snape in the face right around then as well. Pandora has to be at least a little mad with all those visions in her head. Sirius is a former convict. And Remus is an actual dark creature, although I call bullsh*t on that. What dark creature folds their socks? Also, Moony actually cuddled Padfoot once when we were all transformed. If dangerous dark creature, why friend shaped?" Harry did his best not to laugh at his father’s playful tone.

"Well, go on, then. Your roommates are waiting" Cassius whispered mischievously which made Harry blink curiously, but he did take his seat next to Blaise, opposite of Draco and diagonal of Theo. "Morning" He saluted them simply, getting similar neutral greetings in return. Harry was not going to get them in danger just because he was excited to see them. He got himself some toast and pumpkin juice. He froze for a second when he felt someone lock ankles with him and he looked up towards Draco. His expression was very much the haughty one that Harry was used to, but Harry could see how tightly Draco held a scone he was probably planning on eating. How he applied a bit too much pressure as he ripped it into bite-sized pieces.

Harry's eyes flickered to Blaise when he felt someone tightly grab the onto his robe, the gesture being hidden under the table. Blaise looked his ever-calm self, chatting away with Parkinson and Greengrass, but he had barely eaten anything. Harry then looked at Theo and he blinked surprised. Theo wasn't reading a book like he usually did. He was frowning down at his plate, darting glances towards Harry and looking just a bit constipated as he tried to hide his true emotions.

Harry hid his smile behind his glass of pumpkin juice.

"Say, Potter, father says Dumbledore and you are in cohorts and spewing nonsense to the Prophet. After all, there is no way you killed a man and aren't in Azkaban, is there?" Malfoy drawled which made Harry look at him and scoff. Harry was going to be his authentic self as usual, even if it meant reacting accordingly (meanly) to Draco's taunts.

"Don't know, Malfoy. Perhaps you'd like to ask your father why Quirrell had Voldemort on the back of his head"

Their side of the table was suddenly silent. Draco was flushed in embarrassment and shock. The ankle around Harry's was now hitting him urgently in indignation and shock. Blaise's hold on Harry tightened. Theo almost choked on the tea he had tried to take a sip from.

Harry buttered his toast and enjoyed the chaos.

When they went back to their room, Harry let out an “ouch!” when Draco pinched his arm. "The audacity!" Draco exclaimed, cheeks still rosy and Harry couldn't help it. He laughed freely. Blaise and Theo followed them inside after closing the door. Blaise chuckled while Theo was smiling amused. Draco flushed even more. "What? I was right. Well, I actually don't know if Lucius knew what Voldemort was trying to do but, you know" Harry ignored the way the three of them flinched when they heard him say (for the hundredth time) Voldemort’s name.

"Surely you must have been a hat stall because the Hat didn't know if you should be in Gryffindor or Slytherin" Theo commented with a sigh as they all sat down on Harry's bed. "Companions! Have you brought food?" Hedwig asked as she appeared from under Harry's pillow. "Here, Hedwig" Blaise said as she handed the snake some smoked salmon. Hedwig happily took it, doing her best not to bite Blaise’s fingers off.

"How sweet. She finally learned not to bite our hands off" Theo deadpanned, sending the others into a fit of giggles. "But yeah. I think the Hat was deciding between Gryffindor and Slytherin" Harry continued their discussion from earlier. "You think?" Draco blinked incredulously towards Harry, making him roll his eyes. "I was a bit busy with the rat in the jar" The three looked at him in astonishment. "So, you pretty much badmouthed and ignored the Hat as it decided your fate because you wanted to seek revenge? Nevermind, you're a Slytherin 100%" Draco said as he shook his head disbelievingly. The other two agreed whole-heartedly.

Harry shrugged one shoulder and changed the subject. "I got some stuff from my guardians. Ravenclaw scarves, Gryffindor jumpers. I think I'll start wearing them to see how long till the professors notice. But maybe starting next year or third year. They're a bit big on me"

There was silence for a moment. And then...

"I get why the Hat stalled for 15 whole minutes. He's very Gryffindor-ish too" Theo said which made the other two boys nod in agreement while Harry smiled amused. "15 minutes? That's a lot. Wasn't McGonagall the one with the longest hat stall? How much was it?"

"8 minutes" Blaise responded which made Harry huff. "Well, guess I stole her record" He replied which made the others sigh as they shook their heads exasperated. "You're going to be a mess for all our years here, aren't you? Getting into trouble every moment?" Harry shrugged. "It's in my blood. Ah, also. Has Dumbledore decided on a DADA professor?"

Draco scowled, Blaise huffed amused and Theo sighed. Harry frowned. "What's this about?"

"Dumbledore ignored everyone advising him to talk to someone who had actually experienced the War on the Light side to see if they'd be interested in the position. McGonagall suggested Remus Lupin or Sirius Black" Blaise explained which made Harry blink in surprise. "Wait, actually?! Is that why Dumbledore wanted to talk to my guardians earlier?"

The boys gaped at him then.

"What."

"What did you tell him?"

"Did you say yes –?"

"Obviously I didn't tell him he could waltz right in. My house is under a Fidelius" Harry grumbled irritated which made the others frown. Then, Draco scoffed annoyed. "The old man wanted access to your house" Harry rolled his eyes at that. "Obviously. I don't think he ever considered any of my guardians for the position. Especially since Remus had a fight with him the day Quirrell died"

"What kind of fight?" Theo asked curiously which had Harry shrug uninterestedly. "I wasn't there, but I assume verbal. Dumbledore's been a sh*t to my guardians. And he still has my parents' will stashed away if he hasn't already destroyed it. None of us like him very much"

"Asshole"

"Bag of dicks"

"What the –?" Draco looked at the way Theo and Blaise cursed so easily in shock which had the other three laughing brightly. "Aunt Anemone has no filter. And neither does Cassius" Theo replied easily while Blaise shrugged. "The Weasley twins are very creative, as well" he said by way of explanation.

"So, who did Dumbledore pick?" Harry then asked curiously to get back to the subject at hand which had Theo sighing. "This absolute dumbass. Look, they almost made us change books mid-school year because of him" Theo said, Accio’ing a book with a blond man on the cover. Harry frowned. "Gilderoy Lockhart? Isn't he some sort of fictional author?"

"He claims it's all real" Blaise told them which made Harry scoff. "I can claim I'm white. That doesn't mean it's true" The other three snorted at that. "He's coming after Christmas break. The other professors are covering the curriculum till then. I like McGonagall the most. She teaches well no matter the subject" Theo admitted which made Harry hum approvingly. He then froze. "Wait, does that mean Snape –?"

Draco smiled proudly which made Harry groan before he pushed Draco off his bed. He did that so the boy wouldn’t try to compliment Snape. The other two boys laughed when Draco yelped as he tumbled off the bed. "How rude!!" Draco exclaimed, glaring at Harry who smiled unapologetically and offered Draco his hand to help him back up on the bed. Draco accepted it even if he was still scowling when he rejoined them.

They all froze when Hedwig slithered from under the pillow and then she glided until she was mostly in Draco's lap. "Is Bright Eyes your mate, Lionheart? That shove didn't feel like brotherly love" Hedwig hissed and Harry's eyes widened comically. "What are you –?" Harry was trying to hiss back, but he stopped when Blaise interrupted him.

"Salazar's socks, Harry, are you blushing?! What did Hedwig tell you?" Blaise insisted to know, being the only one able to tell Harry was blushing since he was also darker-skinned. Theo seemed immediately intrigued by it as he tugged Harry's face towards him, cupping his cheeks in his palms as he stared, inspecting Harry’s features. "Oh, he is. I can't usually tell, but his face is very warm –"

Draco went to touch as well and that's when Harry had enough. He sprung out of his bed and raised his arms to keep them away. "I will hex you all" He threatened, making Blaise and Theo smirk while Draco raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Bring it on, Potter"

"If you hurt each other, I will bite you all" Hedwig hissed, sounding annoyed which made Harry grimace as he translated. "Fussy little thing" Draco commented, but he was scratching Hedwig’s chin while looking very content with the venomous snake in his lap. Blaise and Theo exchanged a look but said nothing out loud, so Harry retook his place and he let his friends fill his head with what he had missed regarding schoolwork (even if Hermione had already tried to keep him well-versed regarding their curriculum through her letters, Harry had to admit that by the tenth page, he had started skipping through her notes, barely skimming them). Harry was truly thankful he had found such loyal friends.

Meanwhile, at Grimmauld Place.

“Oh, Regulus, I’ve been meaning to ask you. What happened to Petunia and her family? I know you Petrified them, but I didn’t want to make Harry ask about them afterwards, so I never said anything. But neither did you”

“Oh. I left them there”

“You what?”

“I left them Petrified. I figured Arabella Figg would eventually check on them to make sure they aren’t dead”

“And did she?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps. When I returned to kill them that summer in 1989, they weren’t there anymore. It’s like they Vanished. I assumed Dumbledore got them out… or they died from starvation”

“…you said you went back to kill them?”

“Yes?”

“… what’s your favourite food, Regulus?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’m asking what your favourite food is, so I can cook it for you”

“Oh. I don’t have a favourite food”

“I can make a James-approved butter chicken”

“… yeah, that would be lovely”

Chapter 11: Psychomachy

Chapter Text

Christmas holidays came and most of the Hogwarts students went home for the duration of them. Harry stepped off the Hogwarts Express and smiled, seeing Regulus, Sirius and Remus waiting for him. Hedwig hissed in greeting and even Agni looked up from his cage for a brief moment before ignoring them all.

"Man, Harry, your guardians are so hot" Cassius whispered while Harry grimaced, as if in physical pain. "That's so weird. They're family. Don't thirst over them" Harry teased while Cassius grinned shamelessly and winked. The Weasley family had remained at Hogwarts to the absolute joy of the twins (“Mom’s not exactly anti-Slytherin, but she doesn’t like the House that much. She wept when Percy sent home the news. The Hat was going to put us in Slytherin anyway, but we avidly asked it to, since then mother might grow out of whatever discriminatory phase she’s in” Fred was telling him during their last meal at Hogwarts for that year. “It didn’t work. Ron’s told us she wept even more when she found out we’re Slytherins” George replied wryly. “She’s been overwhelming ever since, asking us if we aren’t going around with the wrong sort. As if.” Fred grumbled, rolling his eyes whereas Cassius, who had been nearby, smirked lowly their way. “Lovely woman your mom. Should meet my parents” He joked, making everyone snort. George snickered. “Well, maybe mom was right to get worried”)

Susan went home as well to spend some time with her aunt and, in Susan’s words, “devise a plan to take over the Wizengamot” which Harry wanted to hear everything about. Padma and Parvati went home as well since they had a lot of relatives visiting them. (“It’s ridiculous, Harry, all they want to talk about is our future. I don’t even know how I did on that Transfigurations test. What can I tell them about my future?” Padma had complained while Parvati had simply smiled. Harry raised an eyebrow towards her, but Parvati shook her head, which Harry respected. When she wanted to talk about it, Harry would listen.) Neville was going home too since he wanted to visit his parents over the holidays. He promised Harry to ask his gran whether Harry could visit them too sometime this summer. Harry was very thankful for that.

Harry had wished Theo and Blaise happy holidays (Yule, they had insisted) back at Hogwarts since they were staying behind while Draco was now leaving Harry behind to go join his mother who had come to pick him up. Harry, Cassius and Draco had spoken all through their journey back about anything and everything while James had lazily floated around, sometimes throwing another topic Harry's way after having gone towards the other cars to eavesdrop. Harry and Draco didn’t make eye contact as he joined his mother, much like the Black brothers and Remus didn’t once glance over at Narcissa Malfoy. The two Malfoys were gone in a blink after they shared a short hug.

Elysian and Hermione were also going home, the two of them having just exited the Express behind Harry and Cassius. They had overheard their conversation, but they simply smiled amused before wishing them happy holidays and leaving to join their families. Hermione’s parents looked a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by so much magic, but they smiled brightly towards their daughter. Harry noticed Kingsley Shacklebolt and who should be Lucas Macmillan waiting for their son with smiles on their faces. Harry couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight. He turned to glance at Cassius to see a similar expression on his face, but he also looked oddly melancholic. As if he too wished for that sort of reunion. Harry looked around to see who would be waiting for Cassius.

“Ah, don’t bother. They usually have Larpy, our house elf, come and fetch me. He should be around here somewhere” Harry furrowed his brows concerned towards Cassius, since he knew a little about his family life. Enough to know it wasn’t good. Cassius gave him a small smile before ruffling his hair. “Don’t worry about me. I’m going home for my siblings and there’s enough of us to cause a small battle if my parents try anything” Harry tilted his head curiously, so Cassius told him more about his siblings with a small smile on his face as they stood close to the Express but out of the way of the students hurrying to get to their families.

“There’s Cassia and Pollux. They are twins and younger than me and you. They should come to Hogwarts next year. Well, Cassia’s not her birthname, but that’s what she wants to be called. My parents give her sh*t about it, but she has us. And there’s also Diana, my older sister. She’s just started working as a Curse-Breaker, but she promised to be back home for Christmas and New Year’s. We’ll be fine, though, don’t worry. Ah, there’s Larpy. Merry Christmas, Harry!”

“Bye, Cassius. Merry Christmas, take care!”

After watching Cassius Apparating away with his house elf, Harry headed towards his guardians while James cheered seeing the three. “They look like they’re taking care of themselves, that’s good” James noticed with a cheerful smile which had Harry smiling in greeting towards the three adults.

"Harry! Good few weeks?" Sirius asked him grinning brightly while Remus took Agni from Harry. Regulus checked over Harry silently before his eyes flitted around him as if searching for James. James was just behind Harry, smiling brightly at the three of them.

"Yeah. I got to see Hermione knocking Montague into the wall with a knockback curse. McGonagall wasn't sure if she should award or take points for it" Harry told them making Sirius and James snicker while the other two smiled amused. Harry noticed that Sirius looked healthier than ever. He had begun styling his hair and he was wearing it in a half bun while the rest of it curled around his face and neck. He had gained a good amount of weight and his skin didn't look as sickly pale as the first time Harry had met him. His tattoos were more prominent on his skin as well. He looked happy. Harry was glad to see it.

"Luna and Dora are waiting at home. Anyone else you wanna say bye to?" Regulus told him which made Harry shake his head. "No. Let’s go home"

And they Apparated right in the living room with Regulus Side-Along Apparating Harry while Sirius had Harry's trunk. Harry didn’t even get his bearings before he was dragged into a hug. "Oh, Harry! I thought I’d die! And here I thought letting you go back alone was difficult! I was going insane! Like, imagine spending eleven years by your side constantly and now I’m not?! If it weren’t for Luna and Panda, I would have gone insane" His mom rambled as she held him tightly making Harry chuckle, a warm smile appearing on his face.

"How is James? Has he been alright on his own?" Pandora asked Harry which made the adults tense in anticipation. Harry looked over at his baba who had just appeared between Reg and Remus and Sirius. "Hm? Oh, I'm fine. Bit bored sometimes, but it’s entertaining to see what everyone does around the castle"

"He's fine. His only problem is that he is a bit bored. I only get to talk to him when – actually I'm not telling you about that" That had Lily watching him suspiciously alongside Regulus and Remus. Sirius chuckled and Pandora looked entertained.

"Drop it, my bloom"

"Harry, tell Reg I saw his star last night"

"Baba said he saw your star, Reg"

"Your baba should know better. For one, he does better distractions than this. And for two, my star isn't visible yet" Regulus replied but he looked mollified so, to finish distracting all his guardians, Harry Accio’d something from his chest and then he threw it towards Sirius who caught it surprised. "Happy late Birthday, Padfoot"

"You cunning little thing! I love you!" James said laughing which made Harry's smile brighten while they all watched Sirius giddily open his present. Mostly, it was a bunch of stuff from Zonko's, but Harry had also placed a special order from a shop in muggle London and he had it delivered to Hogsmeade from where the twins got it for him.

"Oh! What is this? It looks cool" Sirius said as he got the muggle item out of the box. "Harry – " Lily wheezed shocked, yet entertained and Harry grinned. "Harry, where did you buy a taser from?!" His mom asked between laughs. There were tears of joy going down her face.

"Vernon is corrupt and I can fake his signature. I sent Agni to retrieve it from their post before Vernon got his hands on it" Surprisingly, that had Lily scrunching up her nose, but the laughing won over. Regulus too looked a bit shifty, but Harry didn’t get to ask them what that was about.

"Oh my f*cking God" Lily managed to exclaim. The other wizards looked very confused, but also entertained by the two’s visible delight. "You know how for trials and Wizengamot meetings and pretty much anything that happens inside a courtroom at the Ministry you are asked to deposit your wand somewhere? Well, I thought you might still find some people very annoying. That thing produces sparks that hurt quite bad. Like a ... hmm..."

"A Stupefy" Lily offered and Harry grinned.

"Yeah!"

Sirius' eyes were sparkling. "You're telling me I can Stupefy people with no magic?! Muggles are so cool! Show me how it works, Harry!"

Harry grinned as he deposited Hedwig on the couch and he hurried to show Sirius, James, Remus and Regulus how it worked. Pandora and Luna seemed content to observe from afar while Lily was grinning brightly.

"And then you press this here and –" There was a sound that made the six wizards (raised either as purebloods or not in contact with a lot of muggle technology) wince as an electrical shock emitted from one end of the taser. "Holy sh*t! So cool! Let me try!"

They spent Christmas Eve electrocuting stuff.

Sirius insisted he electrocute Walburga’s portrait. Regulus allowed it with an indulgent smile. The Black brothers looked incredibly delighted when they realized Walburga actually felt the electrical shock. By the end of the day, Walburga Black had been evicted from her own portrait. Nobody knew to which portrait she migrated, but nobody missed her. On Christmas Day, the Black brothers managed to pry off her empty portrait from the wall. They burned it in the back garden as Sirius smoked a cigarette with Remus while Regulus stared at the fire, leaning against the wall. James had too borne witness to it while the others, Harry included, remained inside the house to give them a moment to process everything.

"Best gift ever!" Sirius had told Harry brightly after they had returned inside the house and Harry thought to mention to Remus that he should buy a holster for it. Remus looked really delighted by that idea.

"Wait, where is Luna?" Harry asked, realising he hadn't seen the young girl since he had arrived yesterday. Lily and Regulus cursed. Pandora kept smiling pleased. Sirius groaned while Remus sighed in resignation. They spent a bit of the day searching for her. Neither of them found her. Not even James found her. And he could walk through walls. He had actually gone outside Grimmauld to search the park nearby. And, then, Luna had waltzed down the stairs at one point having Hedwig around her neck. "I found a few rats for her on the roof" she told her mother happily, making Pandora beam.

"What –?" Lily gaped while Regulus exclaimed "Roof?!" Neither of the Lovegoods explained. Sirius and Remus looked absolutely done with life whereas Lily and Regulus tried to get more information out of the young girl, but to no avail. Harry simply dragged Luna on the couch and gave her the present he had gotten her. Everyone then remembered it was Christmas, so they started their gift exchange. Harry could barely keep track of his own gifts, so he didn't see most of what everyone else got, but they were all showered in gifts. (He had noticed Pandora and Lily exchanging matching bracelets with a Lily and a ray of sunshine. He had also seen Remus and Sirius exchanging matching rings, but Harry thought that was their news to share – the exchange had looked like a private affair, but also like they had discussed about it previously. Harry was very happy for them.)

Harry was showered with gifts as well. Remus got him enough hot chocolate to last him a year and a few books that were annotated by him – Harry couldn’t wait to read them. Pandora got him a pocket mirror with an intricate design on its back. She shrugged when he looked at her puzzled – the gift was pretty, but not something he would expect. "I'm unsure. It just felt right to give it to you. Keep it on you at all times" Harry was not going to say “no” to a literal Seer, so he pocketed it and vowed to do as asked.

James had already given Harry his present by showing Harry all the secret passages and the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. It had been a few nights of walking around in his exploration of Hogwarts and then running away from Filch and Mrs. Norris, but it was so worth it. When he returned to the dorms every night, he knew that, at the very least, Draco noticed him coming and going at odd hours, but he made no mention of it.

Lily got him a bunch of her old school books. Annotated too! Which was really going to make Harry not want to put in any effort for his grades the next few years. But he wasn't going to tell that to his very excited mother who was telling him about how her Potions books were annotated with easier instructions and alternatives to the uselessly complicated steps in potion making. Harry had a feeling Regulus and Remus had figured him out though. Probably Pandora too.

When Harry asked Lily how she got them, his mother told him that Pandora and Regulus made the trip to Lily's childhood home (very abandoned, but her things were still there) and got everything out of it. Lily was going to try to renovate it as a vacation home maybe, but she was unsure if she should sell it or not. She'd have to talk to Petunia about that though which was difficult since all Lily wanted to do to her sister and her husband was to snap their necks – there was also some sort of hesitance when Lily talked about her sister, but Harry attributed it to Lily’s contradictory feelings towards her.

Sirius and Regulus got Harry hundreds of galleons worth of stuff. Clothes, a Walkman, lots of cassette tapes with music, books, another broom ("Sirius, he already has a Nimbus 2000 –" "Yeah, but that one was touched by f*ckface's magic. This one is pure!"), stationery and a lot of other things. It was a good time overall and Harry enjoyed gifting all his guardians something (he had actually sneaked out with James' help to get presents for everyone, but he wasn’t going to tell them that; let them believe the Weasley twins bought what Harry told them to).

At the end of the night, there was a small pile of presents left in the corner of the living room that nobody had claimed. James watched them curiously. "Who are those for?" He asked as he approached them, making Harry smile lightly as he looked over at the corner filled with presents. Regulus noticed Harry's gaze first.

"Did he finally notice them then?" Regulus asked sounding amused, yet wistful. Sirius and Remus shared a grin. "Well, he was always rather distracted when you were in the same room as him" Lily said idly which had Sirius groaning dramatically disgusted while Regulus smiled softly and James blinked shocked.

"They are for you, baba. You can open them when we get you back" Harry told him gently and James sniffled before he actually started crying. "He's crying, isn't he?" Pandora asked gently which made Harry nod. Regulus closed his eyes and whispered something that had James (who had been sitting next to him) freeze before he grinned brightly, wiping his tears away. "Grinning now. Good job, Reg" Harry told them and Regulus smiled pleased.

For every birthday and celebration he couldn’t physically be present for, the small tower of presents for James would grow in size. Until he could claim them himself.

"How's the Stone? The Elixir?" Harry asked his mother who sighed lightly. "Really difficult to make and tastes like crap, but it's worth it. Reg, Panda and I will work on it every month. Our brewing process begins when Remus has to take his potion, so it’s not difficult to stay on track" Harry nodded reassured before he glanced over at Sirius and Remus who seemed surprised by his suspicious gaze. "What is it, Harry?" It was Remus who asked him which made Harry huff.

"You don't know, then. Dumbledore wanted to hire one of you as the DADA professor for the rest of the year. Allegedly. You know I told you he wanted to speak with you here? Could have been for that"

"That f*cker will never step inside this house" Reg retorted furiously, the others sharing that sentiment by nodding firmly. "He never contacted us" Remus then told Harry while Sirius smirked. "Or I ate the letters –"

"You better not have –"

"Calm down, Reggie. I wouldn't. Merlin knows where they came from. I guess they could be cursed –"

"I hate you" Regulus retorted, but there was a smile tugging at his lips which made Sirius beam.

Yeah, Christmas holidays were fun. But, New Year’s? Well, that was another story altogether. The day started quite ordinarily. Harry woke up late since they’d stayed up for the countdown. He went down to eat while half-asleep. If he wasn’t so sleepy, he’d have questioned why his baba wasn’t with him. Or why the House was so quiet.

“Motherf*cker!” Someone snarled and Harry flinched as he entered the kitchen. Everyone else was already there with the exception of Luna. It had been Sirius who had cursed and he now looked apologetically towards Harry. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you” Sirius instantly apologized, coming closer to Harry to tug him in a hug. Harry allowed himself to be manoeuvred, but he was staring intensely at his baba. He knew he had no chance reading the expressions on Regulus’, Remus’ or Pandora’s faces. His mother also proved difficult to read, especially when she kept her face blank. But his baba?

“James.” Regulus called in warning, suddenly aware of Harry’s gimmick, but it was too late. James had already looked concerned towards the two papers on the kitchen table. Harry’s eyes slid to them and Regulus cursed lowly while the others sighed. “Sorry! Damn it, Harry, why are you perceptive?” James grumbled when Harry Accio’d the two papers wandlessly. The others didn’t stop him even if they looked like they wanted to.

One of them was an actual newspaper – the Daily Prophet. The first-page article was about… Pettigrew’s murder. Someone had killed him (well, what was left of him) after getting past the Aurors guarding him. The paper said that he was killed after numerous Crucios and then, a Killing curse. Harry blinked. It couldn’t have been any of his guardians, he knew that for sure. If it had been them, Pettigrew’s body would be here, not at St. Mungo’s. And it wouldn’t be this mutilated – apparently, someone had carved out TRAITOR with a knife on his chest. That didn’t narrow down Harry’s list of suspects in the slightest.

Harry then looked at the piece of parchment in his hand. There were only a couple words written on it.

Harry looked at the two in question. Pandora refused to look at him, hiding her face completely in her girlfriend’s hair as Lily held her. In contrast, Regulus was staring darkly at the papers in Harry’s hands. Whoever had killed Pettigrew had ruined all chances of them convincing James to use Pettigrew’s body. Whoever had –

Harry frowned. Their house was under a Fidelius. Most owls wouldn’t find them unless they were specifically trained to track down hidden individuals (or they had the address, but only Slawomir and Griphook had their address). And such talented owls were rare and, mostly, in use of pureblood families. Still, if this had been delivered by an owl, Regulus would have either kept it hostage or followed it to its owner.

That could only mean one thing.

“You went to kill Pettigrew last night” Harry realized shocked as he looked at Regulus.

It seemed that that was news to everyone, because Sirius’ and Remus’ eyes snapped to Regulus whereas James gawked. Even Pandora looked at Regulus with wide eyes. Lily’s lips had formed a thin line – she had probably been suspecting much the same thing, but she hadn’t put it into words. Regulus’ lips twitched as he solely watched Harry now. “Nothing gets past you, does it, Harry?” Regulus teased him softly, not denying Harry’s accusation.

“Regulus…” James mumbled, shocked that Regulus would ignore his wishes so blatantly. But, obviously, Regulus couldn’t hear him. And Harry didn’t repeat James’ call. He was staring at Regulus, waiting for an explanation. Because, in their family, they respected their promises. And Regulus had promised James not to kill Pettigrew.

Regulus offered Harry a small, unapologetic smile. “It was going to be a New Year surprise. I promised James that I won’t kill Pettigrew as long as we find a better replacement next year. It is next year and there’s no replacement” He stated simply and that had Remus and Sirius cursing lowly. Harry looked up at his baba, expecting a fight, but James was speechless. He was staring at Regulus in disbelief. “Nothing left to say, is there, Jamie? Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater” Regulus replied evenly when he noticed Harry wasn’t relaying any words for James. Regulus, then, looked down at the piece of parchment in Harry’s hands and continued speaking.

“I got there just as the Aurors finished investigating who had killed Pettigrew. I played it off that I meant to visit to make sure he was still alive and suffering. They didn’t suspect a thing. After I saw the body, one of the healers told me that Pettigrew had left behind a note. The Aurors said they already tried to trace it and found nothing of significance, so I could have it. I tried my own spells, including a couple Dark ones, but I couldn’t pick up a trace or anything of relevance. Whoever wrote that letter, it wasn’t the killer. They probably had a muggle writing it or a creature of sorts”

“They could have sent you to Azkaban” Sirius told his brother tightly, making Regulus shrug a shoulder. That only seemed to infuriate Sirius further, because he was holding onto the kitchen counter for dear life. Remus had his arm around Sirius’ waist, anchoring him. “Only if I was caught. I was going to do some recon last night and come back another time to finish him, but it seems someone got ahead of me. They killed Pettigrew before I even managed to enter St. Mungo's” Regulus replied evenly.

“They know you and Pandora, whoever they are” Remus stated, referring to the familiar way the note was addressed. “All of our common old friends are dead” Pandora retorted ruthlessly which made Regulus tilt his head slightly. “Are they? It’s clear it’s someone we both know. It would have made more sense if the killer dedicated their well wishes to Harry or Sirius and Remus. But they chose us” Regulus looked towards Pandora with a determined gaze. “Perhaps it’s time we check out our old friends’ coffins” He added with a sharp smile.

“Tell Regulus that just because he’s deflecting, it doesn’t mean I will forget about it. He betrayed my trust. I don’t care about the tricks he pulled in his promise. He wanted to go through with it, regardless of my wishes. He could have had the decency to tell the others, at the very least” James spoke quietly and darkly. Harry repeated what his baba said which made Regulus stiffen, before he exhaled sharply.

“I will not apologize for trying to get you back, James. Being a murderer is nothing new to me” And, with that, Regulus retreated from the kitchen. He almost slammed into Luna, but he swiftly avoided her. James didn’t follow him – he hesitated for only a couple moments. James then went after Regulus with a distraught expression on his face. Harry thought about following but, then, he looked down at Luna.

“It seems I missed something” The young girl stated, looking over at her distraught mother and Lily, before she looked at Sirius and Remus who shared a tense look. She finally looked at Harry. Her expression cleared. “Is it finally time for the rose to bloom once more?” The sound Pandora made was inhumane.

For once, Harry felt sort-of relieved to go back to Hogwarts. At least there, he could ignore all this chaos. For now, he grabbed a banana and then, he went to find Regulus and his baba to help mediate their conflict. It didn’t seem like he was needed, however. Regulus was sat in the library, with his eyes closed and whispering confessions meant only for James’ ears. James was listening with a grimace, but he seemed determined to listen to everything. So, Harry retreated back to his room where he ate his banana and a couple of the snacks he kept up there in case of emergencies. He had gotten used to stealing food from the Dursleys so, keeping a few reserves up in his room wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. But he still didn’t want his family to know about them.

Saying goodbye to his family was more difficult than usual, but he let them all hold him for however long they needed (he was almost late for the Hogwarts Express because of that). And, when he finally made it on the Express, he was greeted by Cassius and Draco who had secured a compartment for themselves.

Time to go back to Hogwarts. To whatever new danger was waiting for him.

“I know it was you. Don’t give me that blank stare. How did you get out? You are forbidden from leaving the premises and, even if you could, the wards won’t let you out”

“…”

“Answer me or you will regret it!”

“What do you want me to say, father?”

“When I cast that Imperio on you, I forbade you from going out. How come Pettigrew is dead? How come there was a note left behind? What did you write in it?”

“…”

“ANSWER ME!”

“I wished whoever found the note a Mery Christmas and a Happy New Year. It seems another year has passed. Not that I’d know.”

“Don’t give me that attitude, if it weren’t for –”

“Do not speak her name.”

“It seems like you still haven’t learned. Unseen and unheard. That’s what I ordered you to be. And you disobeyed. You deserve to be punished”

“…do your worst, father”

“CRUCIO!”
.
.
.
.
.
.

“Young Master…?”

“…”

“Winky can get you a Calming Draught. Or Winky can get you some warm towels –”

“Can you kill him, Winky?”

“Winky cannot, Young Master, much like Winky had to bring Peter Pettigrew here for you to kill. Winky isn’t allowed harm other wizards as per Master’s orders”

“So, he’s taken some precautions. Much like he did with me. f*ck –”

“Oh, Young Master, don’t force yourself. Winky can help –”

“You made sure Regulus got the note?”

“Yes, Young Master. None of them will be able to trace it to Winky”

“…good. Regulus is smart, he will figure it out”

“Does the Young Master trust Lord Regulus Black?”

“I trust him with my life”

Chapter 12: Incepto ne desistam

Chapter Text

"About those graves we need to check..."

"Regulus. Not now."

"Now is the best time, actually. Are you sure Evan is dead?"

"... I don't know where he is buried. You know that. I tried everywhere. I searched everywhere. I know he is dead, but I don't know where he is. I assume Barty buried him. But he died only a month after Evan. I tried to owl him, but my owls always returned unanswered."

"So, Evan."

"He's dead. I've seen it."

"But there is no –"

"I am Lord Rosier even if I am a Lovegood now. Is that not confirmation enough?"

"No. Not when the Lordship switched between me and Sirius so easily. The magic can be bent, you've sent that yourself."

"Evan is dead. I would know if he was alive."

"... fine. We'll return to that later. Dorcas?"

"Buried with Marlene. I tried to go back for her. Evan owled me and told me I was too late. Voldemort killed Dorcas himself."

"Okay. Then, we can check her grave to make sure. What about Barty?"

"Didn't you hear? He died inside of Azkaban. They buried him nicely in the grounds around it. He lasted a year in there"

"... was it Evan getting killed?"

"It was Evan getting killed by Moody in front of Barty that made him go insane. Evan chose to be a Death Eater, so I wouldn't. Barty chose to be one to get back at his father and so Evan wouldn't be alone. When Evan died, Barty didn't care anymore. He'd hurt and torture and kill everyone in his path. He hunted Moody for two weeks after he escaped arrest during the Longbottom case before they duelled it out. Blasted Moody's leg off, but he was still captured. He yelled for his mom. And for Evan. Neither came"

"... but we can check that one too."

"You can. I don't deal well with Death."

"I will take Remus with me, then."

"Why not Sirius?"

"He doesn't deal well with Death either. Or Azkaban."

"...good luck."

Harry and James returned to Hogwarts with a single-minded plan.

Harry was going to become an Animagus.

Small problem.

Harry would rather face Voldemort again than try to make an advanced potion. When he told his baba that, James actually cringed. "Your mother would cry if she heard that" He was admonished, but Harry had bigger problems now. Why did it have to be a potion? Why couldn't it have been a spell?

"Can't you possess me and do it for me?"

"Harry. My son. My blood. My little snake whisperer. Go grab a Mandrake leaf and place it under your tongue"

"You and Reg are perfect for each other"

"Aww!"

"..."

"You meant it as an insult, but I can't read social cues, so I'll take it as a very sweet compliment"

Harry decided to ignore his baba as he placed his Invisibility Cloak over himself. He went outside and hurried towards the greenhouses to find some Mandrakes. They were still babies, but his baba said it didn't really matter. It might actually work better since Harry was a baby himself. Harry was this close to stuffing his ears with wax, so he wouldn't be able to hear what his baba was saying. He blamed it on the fact that his baba really liked talking and Harry was not blessed with infinite patience. He was more like his mom. Like Reg. Willing to listen, but ready to kick ass if he wasn’t allowed some peace and quiet.

"I wonder how Moony is doing" James pondered wistfully as they drifted down the Hogwarts grounds. Harry sneaked a look towards the Forbidden Forest and sighed. Moony and Padfoot had gone to the Pottery for this full moon since the wards were strongest there and they had an entire forest to run through. James had told him the two of them were clued in on the Fidelius on the house. Harry had asked him if he wanted the others to know about it. Specifically, Regulus. James said he wanted to tell them. Harry was fine with that.

Harry grabbed a hairpin from his hair and got to work with unlocking the door. It was better not to use the Unlocking Charm since it could be traced to him. And, he was technically committing a felony. Breaking and entering. And stealing. Ah, well.

He entered the greenhouse and approached the Mandrakes, careful not to touch anything else. He grabbed one of the leaves James judged to be good enough and, looking at the full moon, Harry exhaled deeply. "Talk to you in a month, baba" Harry whispered which made James grin his way as Harry placed the Mandrake Leaf underneath his tongue. He instantly scowled. It tasted disgusting. James snickered seeing his expression and, then, the two of them made their way back to the castle. Harry closed the greenhouse after him, but he didn't lock it. No magical signature left behind, even if someone might be suspicious about a student having stolen something – but it wasn’t like professor Sprout counted the leaves on her Mandrakes, right?

He and his baba had decided to start the preparations for his Animagus transformation after Harry’s game in February (the Slytherins won against Ravenclaw; Harry caught the Snitch just in the nick of time; his guardians came and cheered him on and Harry met up with them afterwards to talk before they went back home; it was a very lovely experience).

They decided it was the most opportune time since Harry wouldn't see either of his guardians till his last match against Hufflepuff in May. The Slytherins were set to win the Quidditch Cup with how things were going. Gryffindor has just lost their star Seeker, Ravenclaw was just now training their new Beaters and Hufflepuff had a solid team, but their Seeker was also a beginner (even if he was in third year; all players were significantly older than Harry, but that didn't matter when he was born to play Quidditch).

This was the most opportune time as well since Harry had the perfect excuse for it.

Gilderoy Lockhart had angered Harry enough for the past few months. It was now March, so it had been three months since Gilderoy Lockhart appeared. And he was such a fake. Harry has been asking James daily if he couldn't let Hedwig bite him. Hell, Hedwig did bite him once! And Harry had been forced by his friends (and father) to give a Bezoar to Lockhart who had actually bought Harry's lie about Hedwig being non-lethal. Harry was sure McGonagall and Snape definitely did not buy his lies anymore. Not when they saw Harry drop at least five bezoars from his bag when he had had to stop Hedwig from biting Lockhart again – the very next day too.

Harry really should have let the bastard die. Since he couldn't, Harry was going to protest having such an incompetent professor the only way he knew how.

By starting a rebellion.

Harry entered his dorm after once again (unsuccessfully) searching Filch' office for the Marauders' Map. James was inconsolable that the Map wasn't there. "f*cking Filch must have ripped it up! f*ck!" James had exclaimed and Harry had sighed in pent-up frustration.

Now, Harry was back in his dorm, holding the cloak in his hand as he entered, so he could pretend it was a normal cloak and not The Cloak. As he expected, Blaise and Theo were sleeping soundly. As he also expected, Draco was not.

Blue eyes observed him as he took off his shoes and grabbed his pyjamas. Harry didn't say a word as he went to get changed in the bathroom. He, then, returned wearing a dark blue muggle pyjama set. It was pretty close to morning, but Harry could use the sleep, however little it was.

"Harry" Draco whispered as soon as Harry put his glasses on his nightstand. Harry squinted as he looked over at the other boy as he sat down on his own bed. He tilted his head to the side curiously. He had been doing this with Draco for the last few nights when Draco was awake to see him come back to their dorm.

Not speaking – but communicating with Draco nonetheless. Telling him that sometimes speaking was difficult for him. Which was true, but Harry usually ran away when he felt like not giving anyone his time of day. During those moments he'd spend his time either near the Great Lake reading or in the common room, clumsily using sign language to talk to the merpeople that stopped to gawk at them through the glass.

(That was a whole Slytherin tradition! The older students all knew sign language almost perfectly now and they taught the younger ones on Saturday evenings. Harry was getting there, but his movements were still stiff. Blaise was proficient because, apparently, his mom was hard-of-hearing. Theo and Draco were almost as clumsy as Harry, but the older students assured them they'd get it down to perfection by their fourth year. Cassius could hold entire conversations with the merpeople easily and he seemed to even joke with them. "I told them I'm having problems with my boyfriend. They told me to drown him. That's their preferred dating advice, so don't listen to them" Cassius had told Harry as the two stood under the glass section of the common room where they spoke to the merpeople. Harry, feeling pretty dead inside at that moment, chose to ask Cassius in sign language what the problem was. With his boyfriend. Cassius understood Harry's awkward attempt at bonding and grinned. "His birthday is coming up. And I suck at gift giving. I do make good cakes though, so I'm hoping the elves will let me bake for him" Since then, Harry either went to the kitchens to unwind or to the glass corner of the common room where he asked the merpeople how to best kill someone without evidence and, preferably, make it look like an accident – he needed a body for his baba. The merpeople told him to drown them.)

Draco seemed to take notice of something Harry was not aware of because he sighed. "You keep dragging mud in the dorm. Blaise and Theo will start asking questions" Harry shrugged in the universal sign of “I don't care, let them”. Harry could tell Draco was scowling now. But James insisted every time that Draco was pouting. For some reason, James looked utterly delighted by their conversation, but he kept quiet. His baba had got it in his head that if Harry was going to stay quiet for a month, he should too. In solidarity. Harry thought it was both a nice gesture and incredibly useless.

"... are you feeling okay?" Draco then asked after a few moments. Harry was not going to break his vow of silence on his first day. So, he started signing something that roughly translated t0 "Yes. I just don't feel like talking" Draco hummed at that. "That's fair. Did walking around after curfew help any?"

The older students refused to teach them any swear words so the younger ones don't offend the merpeople by mistake. They said something about not wanting a repeat of last year which confused them all, but they thought it was better not to ask. (Someone did ask, but the nicer older students cringed and refused to answer whereas the meaner ones actually laughed in their faces.)

But that left Harry without a response. He settled with throwing a pillow at Draco, making the boy splutter. "Well, you're not getting this back" Draco retorted before dragging his curtains shut. Harry rolled his eyes before getting in bed and dragging his curtains shut as well. He hoped to get at least a couple hours of sleep. These days, sleeping was difficult too. All Harry saw every time he closed his eyes was Quirrell’s face crumbling between his fingers. So, yeah, sleeping sucked. But he could face it. Hell, he saved the Wizarding World, he could deal with a nightmare or two.

His baba woke him up early (not that Harry really got much sleep – f*cking nightmares) so Harry could go down to the Great Hall and implement the next part of his plan. He was already seated at his place by the time the others began trickling in. Harry waved at the people who saluted him, busying himself with fixing himself some breakfast. He also nicked a few fruits for the day since he usually got hungry before lunch. He grabbed a few of the things his roommates like too and plated them for them – they did the same thing for him (in their own, dramatically mean way), so Harry wanted to return the favour.

His roommates got to the Great Hall just as the owls appeared.

The owls of every student in Hogwarts.

The professors stared at the amalgamation of birds landing on tables, chairs, floors and all the other surfaces that they were able to land on. A few of them landed in people’s hair or on their shoulders. Poor Neville had three owls on him, neither of which belonged to him.

Harry's lips twitched into a smile at the chaos while James broke his silence to cheer in delight.

All the owls had delivered a letter written by Harry using cutout pieces of paper from the Prophet.

Dear colleague,
Are you done with being taught by a bloody fool who knows nothing besides how to gloat? Are you done feeling worthless after lessons filled with useless information that won't help you pass your exams? Your OWLs? Your NEWTs?
I propose a solution.
Until Gilderoy Lockhart is fired from his position, nobody should speak. In any class. They want us to fail? Well, we can show them how it feels having to go through a class where you are only staring ahead, not understanding anything and dying internally. (that is how Lockhart's classes are like for those who don’t fancy him) They can't force us to participate.
And if you're not convinced to participate in this rebellion, think about it like this. This is the first ever Hogwarts protest. Imagine the entire castle refusing to participate in classes. We'll make history.
First period starts in an hour.
Are you in?

The students were ecstatic. His roommates seemed confused, but they were easily distracted by Harry's offerings (the food he had plated for them). They decided to go with it since their first period was with Lockhart. So, they'd be fighting the problem at its source. The professors were all confused by the sudden giddiness of their students, but they couldn't steal their mail so they were left with seeking information from their Prefects (most of which didn’t tattle – well, Percy did, of course).

Now, Harry knew some people wouldn't participate. Some might actually be against the idea. But some would participate. And Harry was going to be part of that group. His dislike for Lockhart was not exactly hidden.

"Merlin, Potter, you already started?" Blaise asked him when another fist-year Slytherin asked Harry a question and Harry responded using sign language. Harry gave them all a determined grin before returning to his meal. "I think it will be fun. Imagine how many points we'll lose" Fred called as he walked by Harry to ruffle his hair. Harry rolled his eyes as he did his best to fix his hair before giving up. Draco was staring intently at him, but when Harry raised an eyebrow, Draco simply smiled lightly, mimicking glueing his lips shut. Harry smiled in return. Draco would have his back at least.

As always when they entered Lockhart's class, Gilderoy grinned brightly towards them. "Harry, would you come take a photo with me? I need a new one for this week's Witch Weekly article about –" And he droned on and on. Harry rolled his eyes and dropped in his seat while the other students also did the same. The Slytherins had DADA and Potions with the Gryffindors. Padma, Ron and Neville and Harry’s more or less eager antagonists, Dean and Seamus, were grinning brightly at each other. Nobody said a word as Lockhart spoke in great extent about that article.

Eventually, Lockhart realized it. He frowned lightly. He then gave Lavender a winning smile. "Miss Brown, would you kindly take the photograph?" Lavender looked willing, but someone must have spelled her mouth shut and perhaps glued her to her chair because she couldn't get a word out nor move too much.

The lesson continued with Lockhart desperately trying to get someone to speak. When he got to asking Harry, Harry simply turned his head away. "Oh, Harry, come on, aren't we the best of friends –?" Lockhart was trying to say as he was approaching Harry. Too close. Harry backed away in his chair, but it was Draco putting a hand between Harry and Lockhart that made Lockhart understand that Harry didn't want his touch. That he was uncomfortable. That and the fact that Draco was glaring and scowling at the old man.

"I don't... I don't know what to say –"

But the class was already over. Everyone left in silence. They dissolved into giggles as soon as they exited, looking delighted. Lavender looked so upset she was almost crying. Nobody seemed to care, all absorbed in their delight after succeeding in pulling such an elaborate prank.

Harry signed a “thank you” to Draco who gave him a private smile that disappeared soon after they turned a corner. Montague and his gang. Known Death Eater parents and known for their cruelty (and most likely to become Death Eaters after graduation – now that Voldemort was definitely seeking to return to the land of the living).

The Weasley twins hated them and pranked them often. Cassius stirred clear of them since they were snitches. ("Father found out as soon as I kissed a girl. Why? Because I wanted to figure out if I was gay or bi. Definitely gay. The only problem father had with it? She was muggleborn. I got a Howler and Crucio'd when I got home during Christmas break. I was 12. Never came home for the hols again unless mom or my older sister was there. Mom is... I'll tell you another time")

Montague glared towards Harry, but nothing else happened thankfully. Being surrounded by a Nott, a Malfoy, a Parkinson, a Greengrass and a Zabini had its perks.

It took the professors till the end of the day to track one of the letters – Snape already knew of them, but he didn’t seem keen to share his knowledge with the others; most likely because he didn’t care to since it didn’t impact his lessons. Dumbledore made an announcement about it at dinner. He asked for patience and understanding. Explained that Gilderoy was not trained to be a professor. The students didn’t care. None of them caved until after a week of the silent treatment during classes where all four Houses had lost over 300 points each since they couldn’t do spells without saying the words.

Well, Harry could do a few of them. The easy ones. Wingardium Leviosa, Accio, Lumos. His professors were impressed with him. Non-verbal magic was very rare in such young people. Harry accepted their compliments with a simple nod.

It was after the first week that their numbers dimmed. They came to a compromise with the ones who were desperate for academic validation (read: people like Hermione who had been downright crying when people had shushed her and had stopped her from speaking in Lockhart's class). The weak ones (the others' words, not Harry's) could start participating during the other classes, but nobody would speak during Lockhart's. Not until his resignation letter was in Dumbledore's hands. That had the professors mollified.

Snape didn’t care either way since they didn’t need spells in his class. He would call them idiots both verbally and using sign language. He had been a Slytherin, so he knew very advanced sign language. Terminology and such. Harry was having the worst days when he had to finger-spell things like “flobberworm mucus”. Snape was not a downright asshole, however. He taught them the signs for the most common potions ingredients. Harry thought it was more because it was a Slytherin tradition and he was their Head of House rather than the fact that he wanted to be nice. After all, sometimes, Snape would forget to say what he was signing and the Gryffindors always ended up looking depressingly lost. Harry would share his notes with Padma, Neville and Ron when they looked particularly desperate – which they were very thankful for even if Harry’s notes were rather chaotic.

By the second week, Lockhart had become desperate. He'd try to grab Harry and drag him to the front of the class to convince the others to speak with him (Harry wasn’t sure about the logic behind those attempts, but he didn’t really want to question Lockhart’s sanity). Harry wasn't sure why Lockhart thought Harry had any power over the others since Seamus had called Harry a murderer to his face at least 5 times since Quirrell’s death. And Seamus wasn't the only one wary of Harry.

But Harry didn't really care about their opinions. He had bigger problems to deal with – they had no prospective body for his baba. Harry wasn’t sure what to do since James refused to kill a random person or steal a random recently-deceased body from St. Mungo’s. There was also Lockhart who was becoming annoying enough that even James was considering killing him – Harry hoped his baba would cave soon.

When Lockhart decided that Draco was not a threat anymore (despite the blond boy's vicious glares and scowls), Blaise and Theo would intervene and stop him from physically dragging Harry around. Or, Pansy and Daphne would slam their books against the table to draw the professor’s attention to them.

When that didn’t work either, Padma, Ron and Neville would get up from their seats and throw Lockhart’s books out the window – that always made him leave to retrieve them (even though he could literally use a Levitating Spell or an Accio to get them back? Harry really’ didn’t understand him). When Lockhart managed to piss off their entire class and yet he kept wailing at them to talk to him, Harry started bringing Hedwig with him to DADA. Even if Hedwig was pissed off that Harry wouldn't talk to her either, she always liked to torment Lockhart and aggressively hiss in his face.

At the beginning of week three, Lockhart began ignoring them in turn and just talking about himself for the entire period. Apparently, that lasted for three days before he grew pathetically desperate and raised his wand against a student (the student had been Elysian who didn’t hesitate to disarm the professor with a vicious glare – he had notified his dads who had visited the next day and asked for Lockhart to be sacked; Dumbledore, once again, asked for their patience, but he did suspend Lockhart for the rest of the week).

Lockhart’s classes that week were covered by the other professors while he supposedly "calmed down". Harry wondered how long it would take for another pair of parents to demand Lockhart’s dismissal now that he was becoming mentally unstable. He wondered how long Dumbledore would try to appease them before he’d be swayed by the peer pressure of the parents (even Lucius had sent a nastily-worded letter which had surprised Harry when Draco had told them – Draco had seemed very proud of himself for accomplishing that feat).

At the beginning of week four, Lockhart had finally had enough. "Harry Potter. I'd like to propose a duel" He had announced as soon as everyone settled in their seats. That got exactly one person talking. "You're f*cking insane. My father will hear about this" Draco seethed and while Lockhart looked madly victorious that he finally had someone to talk to, he was staring in a frenzy at Harry.

Harry had only this week left of his silence and he wasn't going to let it go to waste just to satisfy a crazy old man’s wishes. Even if his nightly talks with Draco (when Harry came back from his nightly walks) were lovely, Harry did actually want to be able to respond to him. Using his voice. Draco proposed discussions at 3 am that were far too complex for Harry's sign language abilities. But Harry also really wanted to become an Animagus.

"Nevermind. Let Hedwig get him – sh*t! Harry, I was joking! We are not killing your professors! You are not allowed to kill your professors! Merlin, I didn't think I'd ever have to tell you that" James told him as Harry almost let go of Hedwig to have her fill of Lockhart. Harry rolled his eyes. He thought about whether he should accept. He then saw how frantic Lockhart looked and he almost smirked. He had a brilliant idea.

He nodded, accepting Lockhart’s challenge.

Everyone gasped when they realized Harry was not going to drop his silent act for the duration of the duel. Harry got up from his seat and he got his wand out from his pocket. Everyone began whispering between themselves. He and Lockhart stood back-to-back for a moment as Draco acted as their referee. They took five steps and they turned simultaneously.

Harry raised his eyebrows in a challenge when Lockhart didn’t attack immediately.

"Lily might just kill me again for this. Regulus and Remus too" James groaned after he had spent the last few minutes telling Harry that this was not a good idea. But Harry had become the greatest at ignoring people over the last few weeks.

"Alarte Ascendare !" Lockhart called sounding like he had already won (as if there was any glory in winning against an 11-year-old).

Protect, Harry thought and his Potter signet ring appeared on his hand. The bubble shield around Harry manifested in full force and the spell ricocheted against the shield and went back towards Lockhart. The man was blasted into the ceiling by it since he didn’t have time to defend himself. He then fell in a clump on the floor, wheezing painfully. James barked a laugh, looking so proud of his son. Harry's classmates were gawking.

Thank you, Harry thought as he glanced at his Potter signet ring. The magic felt warm and loving. The ring hid itself again and the shield dropped. Harry took one look at Lockhart to make sure he was still alive and, then, he grabbed Hedwig and his bag and he left the classroom. His classmates followed soon, all of them ecstatic to spread the news.

Harry briefly heard Padma, Neville and Ron congratulating him for which he shot them a tight smile. Harry ignored Seamus snarling a “Of course he'd win, he’s a murderer” as he passed by him and then, Harry exited the classroom. His roommates, Pansy and Daphne caught up to Harry easily since Harry wasn't in a hurry to get to their next class.

"Was that the Lord magic?! It’s so cool!" Pansy exclaimed as she sidled up to Harry as they walked to Transfigurations. Harry glanced briefly at Pansy. He hadn't interacted that much with her. He actually preferred Daphne’s company since she too enjoyed the peace and quiet. They sometimes talked to the merpeople together since Daphne's sign language was better than Harry's. He had asked her about it once (why she was so good at it) and she had told him that her parents had taught her since they expected her to be a Slytherin. Harry thought that was sort of sad, having all those expectations placed on her. Daphne had huffed a small laugh and called him an adorable fool. Harry hadn’t been sure how to respond to that, so he went back to asking the merpeople about their favourite food (any living being weak enough for them to catch).

"Yes. Thanks" Harry signed simply, but Pansy frowned. "You can talk, you know. I’m pretty sure Lockhart will resign after this out of mortification, so the whole thing is done. I thought it was rather annoying, to be fair. A bit too time-consuming. So, come on, Potter, we haven’t heard your pretty voice for a month now!" Harry scowled at that. Absolutely f*cking not. He had less than a week left and he could make the f*cking potion. He wasn’t giving that up just to talk to Pansy.

"Potter, don’t be rude now! A pretty girl asked you something" Pansy insisted, now looking pissed off herself. Harry didn’t stop Hedwig who hissed a warning towards Pansy when she got too close. "What the –?! Control your pest!" Pansy snapped, but she looked embarrassed that she had jumped back so far away. Harry rolled his eyes and distanced from her and, implicitly, the whole group of Slytherins. He waved towards Hermione and Parvati who knew to wait for him to join them. He felt his friends' hot gazes on his back.

"Still protesting, Harry?" Hermione asked him calmly while Parvati smiled in greeting, but he saw an interested twinkle in their eyes. He smiled lightly, indulging their unspoken wishes. "Yes. What words do you want to go through on our way to Charms?" That was the rough translation of what he signed, sentence which he scribbled on a piece of parchment he got from Hermione. He then showed the two the signs again more slowly. Hermione seemed thrilled to sign back a few words, asking him to correct her.

Parvati frowned in concentration as she did the same, the three of them holding a stilted conversation using sign language (Harry and Parvati) and occasional speech, courtesy of Hermione. Parvati had too joined their protest and she had been quiet for all of their classes and, sometimes, just like today, even outside of them. When Harry asked her about it, Parvati said it was because it was easier to get out of doing actual work during classes. Harry respected her for that.

When they got to Charms, Harry sat down between Hermione and Parvati despite the hot gazes of his Slytherin friends’ on his back.

Pansy was in a mood about it when Harry joined the Slytherins on their walk back to their common room. What surprised Harry was that Draco looked pissed off as well. But Harry didn't ask him about it until they were in their dorm.

"What's up with you?" Harry signed and Draco frowned more. "Is it because it was Pansy that pestered you that you had to leave us?" That made Harry frown. "Hermione and Parvati are my friends. I want to spend time with them" Harry signed, finger spelling both of their names and hating them a bit for having such a long names. Draco looked even more annoyed by that, if that was even possible.

"If it was someone else asking you to speak– if I– nevermind" Draco grumbled something resigned and went towards his chest to get his pyjamas to change for bed. Harry blinked surprised by his contradictory attitude. He looked at Blaise and Theo for help, but the two only shrugged. Harry noticed that they too looked a bit disappointed and annoyed. He tilted his head in confusion. Did they actually miss hearing him talk that much?

Chapter 13: Cartref

Chapter Text

It was the day of the full moon, April 19th 1992, when Lockhart tried to kill Harry.

Well, kill is, perhaps, a bit of a strong word.

It was the day of the full moon when Lockhart shot an Avada Kedavra Harry's way.

In Lockhart's defence, he had actually shot it to try and kill Hedwig who was going to maul his face.

In Hedwig's defence, Lockhart was looking like a piece of appetising meat after he lost favour with everyone in the castle when he lost that duel against Harry.

For more context, it was after curfew. Harry was taking his usual walk since he couldn't be bothered to deal with whatever Draco had up his ass this last week. He had been in a pissy mood and their nightly talks weren't a thing anymore. However, Harry knew Draco was awake when he returned from his nightly walk because Draco always inhaled sharply when Harry entered the room. At first, Harry thought it was a fluke. Then, he realized it was Draco trying to hold his breath while Harry moved about the room. Harry went to bed very quickly every time, so the stubborn idiot didn't suffocate.

The night Harry almost died (again), he was speaking with Helena Ravenclaw. One of Hogwarts’ ghosts. He had been trying to befriend them all of the ghosts haunting the castle, but they had avoided him ever since he began his school year. After having a pleasant conversation with Helena about flowers, he asked her about it. Helena pondered how to answer him.

"You have means of bringing us back. We don't want to be brought back" Helena explained and, then, she looked over Harry's shoulder towards James. Harry frowned. How –? The ghosts never saw James before. Even his baba seemed shocked.

But it wasn't James Helena had seen, but a very furious Lockhart who had just got sacked – as Harry would find out later. And he looked absolutely delirious and fuming as he marched towards Harry.

"You! It's all your fault! If you had simply gone with my plan, none of this would have happened! We would have been famous! But it's fine, it's fine, it's fine! It's fine, I said!"

Definitely delirious. Probably insane too.

James tensed besides Harry. Helena frowned deeply before she disappeared through a wall, effectively escaping the upcoming conflict. Harry hoped she was going to get backup. Maybe Peeves. Harry really wanted to befriend Peeves – for totally innocent purposes, of course.

"I will fix it!" Lockhart declared and he took out his wand.

In Harry's and Hedwig's defence, the spell Lockart wanted to cast started with Ob –. There weren't that many spells like that. Harry let Hedwig go as he tried to duck and the snake took that exact opportunity to use her little body as a spring to try and maul Lockhart's face.

Lockhart shrieked as he saw the snake coming for him. He then switched tactics and began casting "Avada Keda –" towards the snake and, in consequence, towards Harry who was running to stop Hedwig.

James screamed Harry's name. Harry realized his mistake when the wand was pointed towards his face with the spell almost casted.

"Expelliarmus !" It was McGonagall who came to his salvation. Harry grabbed wildly at Hedwig's tail and he managed to get her in his arms. She was getting big – too big to handle, it seemed. He was panting as he stumbled in his step before righting himself and staring in-between the two adults – one who had tried to kill him and the other who had saved him.

"What is going on here?!" McGonagall demanded, holding Lockhart's wand and Harry saw Helena hovering next to her. He sent her a grateful nod. She nodded in return before disappearing through another wall. Harry went to open his mouth to explain what had happened before he froze, realizing that he couldn’t. McGonagall frowned towards him, but it was James who saved him from this conundrum.

"Speak, Harry! It's done! It's been a month!" He called pointing towards the full moon, so Harry did, trusting his baba fully.

"He tried to kill me!" Harry accused, his voice hoarse because of disuse, and it wasn't even a false accusation. Lockhart tried to explain, stammering, but McGonagall had had enough. "Enough! Back to Dumbledore's office, Gilderoy! You will tell the Aurors everything. I understand you were upset you were fired, but almost killing an 11-year-old? How dare you!" Harry exhaled relieved when McGonagall petrified Lockhart and levitated him to drag him away after she finished her accusations. Harry was about to discreetly leave, but McGonagall sensed his intentions and she cleared her throat.

"10 points from Slytherin for being out of bed after curfew, Mr. Potter"

Harry cringed.

"Sorry, Professor"

"... get back to your dorm. Safely, Mr. Potter. I'd escort you, but it seems I have some more work left to do tonight"

"Yes, Professor. I can find my way, don’t worry"

Harry turned to head towards the common room. Instead, he headed towards the stairs as soon as he was sure McGonagall wouldn’t see him altering his course.

"Harry..." James was trying to sound admonishing, but he was as excited as Harry felt. If not more so. Harry entered the Room of Requirement wishing for his lab room. It was a modified version of Regulus’ lab back at Grimmauld. Except most of the bottles here were empty. Harry grabbed the necessary ingredients he had stolen from Snape (the blame had already fallen on the Weasley twins, so Harry didn't even have to defend himself – the two were outraged, but they couldn’t prove it hadn’t been them, so they got detention; Harry anonymously sent them a lot of Zonko’s products as an apology) and he finally took out the Mandrake Leaf from under his tongue. He carefully put in a phial. He then draped the Cloak over himself and he hurried up towards the Astronomy Tower.

"Please let it not be cloudy. Please, pure light. Please, moonlight. Yes!" Harry said excitedly as soon as he took off the Cloak when he got up to the Astronomy Tower and he saw the clear sky. He let the moonlight shine through his phial. "That's good! Now, your hair, Harry" James directed him according to the Animagus transformation process. Harry cringed as he tugged at his hair till a strand gave away. He dropped it into the phial.

Besides the Mandrake Leaf part, the dew he needed to procure was definitely Harry's least favourite part. A silver teaspoon of dew that had to have been taken from a place not touched by sunlight of human feet for at least 7 days. It had been hell to decide on a place. James had recommended one, but it had been quickly rejected because of the obvious footprints left there by someone who had discovered the place. They found one eventually, but they both knew it was pretty risky. They went through with it, however, since they couldn't find a better alternative. Harry then added a Death's-head hawkmoth in the phial. And that was the potion done.

"OK. Where should I hide it?"

"Well, we stashed ours in the Shrieking Shack"

"Really? Weren't you afraid Moony would break them?"

"Nah, we found a good spot. I'll show you. Come on, we have to go through the Whomping Willow"

"Through?!"

And that's when James told him the story of how they discovered that particular passage. How they got whacked inside the Lake numerous times before they realized they could immobilize the Willow. Harry hadn't tested that particular spell, but he gave it a try. It worked! (It took a couple tries, but it worked in the end and that’s all that mattered.) It was probably because he hadn’t used a verbal spell in a long time, but Harry felt very good about his magic. He walked through the passage listening to James recounting more of his stories about the Shack. It was also then that Harry realized he would have maybe an hour of sleep before he had to get up for breakfast.

He cringed. He'd get back to bed really late. Would Draco be worried? Harry scowled. Probably not, since he was in a mood. Harry really needed to avoid him these next few days – for both of their safety, because, one day, Harry would snap and hex him. And a duel between them with so much pent-up frustration wouldn’t be a pretty duel.

They finally got to the Shrieking Shack and Harry placed the phial as instructed, in the hidden place indicated by his baba. He sighed. "Time to wait for a lightning storm then"

"Let's get you to bed. Merlin knows Lily and Reg will kill me when they find out what I taught you" Harry shrugged at James’ statement. "No, they won't. Because they won't know"

"You cannot ask me to lie to your mother and my literal soulmate. Merlin, Harry –"

"Baba. I won't tell if you don't. It's omission. Not lying"

"See, that's why you're in Slytherin. I swear, Harry, sometimes it's like Regulus raised you alone"

"No, you and mom helped. So did Sirius, Pandora and Remus. Sometimes"

"Oi!" Harry giggled as he hid under the Cloak and he hurried to make his way back to his dorm. He got there just in time, it seems, because when he opened the door, he almost slammed into Draco. Thankfully, he had already hidden the Cloak in his bag.

"Where have you been?!" Draco hissed at him and that reminded Harry that Hedwig had somehow made herself scarce while Harry was going around preparing the potion. He relaxed seeing her fast asleep on his trunk. Harry entered and closed the door behind him. Draco was watching his hands intently which made Harry frown. Why was he – oh. He was waiting for Harry to start signing. Right. Well, that wasn't necessary anymore.

"Got busy. Lockhart almost killed me –"

"What?!" Draco actually shrieked which woke the other two boys up. "Can you two shut the f*ck up?" Theo groaned from his bed. "Learn Silencing Charms" Blaise agreed sleepily.

"Lockhart almost killed Harry!" Draco told them and that woke them up, the two getting out of their beds after dragging their curtains open.

"He what –?" Blaise began asking shocked whereas Theo scowled. "Lockhart can actually cast complex spells?" That made Harry snort and the two stared at him surprised. Harry rolled his eyes. "Doesn't seem like we'll need the silence oath now that Lockhart is probably on his way to Azkaban. McGonagall found us while I was out"

"Why were you out at this hour?" Theo asked curiously which made Harry shrug as he pointed towards Hedwig. "Catching rats for her. I'd send her to hunt on her own, but I saw her trying to eat a cat once and I'm not risking it anymore"

The cat had been McGonagall.

Harry had lost 25 points for that. He still blamed Hedwig.

Speaking of, Harry hissed a soft apology to her. "Sorry I didn't speak to you for a bit. I had to –"

"I know now. You smell like your guardians. The dog. The cat. It is forgiven, Lionheart"

Harry smiled relieved hearing that.

"Can we backtrack? You were almost killed and now you're smiling and talking and –" Draco looked exasperatingly lost. Theo and Blaise looked very entertained by the chaos. "Well, this is the Boy who Lived we are talking about" Theo drawled amused which made Harry scowl. "I really hate that nickname. And every variation of it"

"But they give you a persona" Blaise sing-songed making Harry grimace. "Ew. You sound like Lockhart. Speaking of, there's only – what – a month left? Are the other professors just going to cover the DADA lessons again?"

"Probably. Man, I can't believe we bullied Lockhart till he went so mad he tried to kill the literal salvation of the Wizarding World" Blaise commented as he yawned while Theo rubbed his eyes. Harry hummed as he helped Hedwig get under his pillows. She peeked her head out and placed it on the pillow before closing her eyes. Harry was sat on his bed and about to call a goodnight to the others when Draco appeared in front of him.

Harry blinked. He almost missed it.

Draco using sign language. Very quickly, but Harry caught it.

I'm sorry.

He smiled lightly in response. “Forgiven” He replied in a whisper and Draco nodded stiffly before going to get in his own bed.

Harry slept well.

For exactly 47 minutes before he was rudely woken up by his roommates.

"Putain, je vous déteste." Harry mumbled in French. He heard something drop and he drew his curtains open. Draco was already staring at him with wide eyes.

"Tu sais parler français?" He asked breathlessly. In French.

Their little moment was interrupted by Theo.

“Moi aussi. Tu n'as rien de spécial.” Theo deadpanned which made them all look at Blaise who huffed amused. "I speak Italian. But it seems I should learn French. This looks like an opportunity. We could communicate outside the common room and still appear rivals"

That made them all grin impishly. "Sounds like you have summer homework to do, Blaise" Draco retorted while Theo hummed deep in thought. "Which other pureblood families have French roots? Notts, Rosiers but their only heir isn't at Hogwarts yet, Malfoys, apparently –"

"Ah, no. Maman taught me. She was a –" Draco began to say, but Harry interrupted him as he realized. As he remembered his heirship test and the Black family tapestry.

"Black. Narcissa Black. The Blacks were raised as bilingual children" Harry said which made Draco nod in confirmation. "Did Lord Black teach you French?" Draco asked him curiously which made Harry nod. "Yeah. I thought it would be useful to know another language. Seems like I was right"

"Technically you already know another language. Parseltongue. And a little bit of sign language" Theo remarked while Blaise exhaled exasperatedly and mumbled "Lucky bastard." Harry snorted. "But, yeah, I will learn it this summer. What are your plans?" Blaise asked the others curiously and they discussed as they got dressed before heading downstairs.

They signed a hello to the merpeople present today behind the glass ceiling. One of them asked Harry to throw a few fruits in the Lake after breakfast and Harry agreed with a smile – it was good to see the merpeople diversifying their diet; actually, now that he thought about it, they’d probably use the fruits to bait other aquatic beings and eat them. Quite ingenious of them.

As for their summer plans, Draco was going away to a residence in France that his parents owned. Blaise was going to Rome, as always, where he will practice French and spend some time with his mother's associates' children. Theo was spending part of his summer with Anemone Nott, his aunt, and his father and, the rest of the summer, he was going to stay at his mother's ancestral home. Peace and quiet, he had told them. Harry really liked to hear that his friend would have a bit of freedom. As for Harry, he was probably going to go visit the Potter’s ancestral home too, but nothing was set in stone (not when they still didn't have a body for James). His guardians could very well be planning a trip that Harry had no idea about.

As they got to breakfast and took their usual seats, Harry realized something was off. He sighed as he realized what it was. People were tense. He glanced at the new edition of the Prophet and realized why. Lockhart's arrest was made public. "How joyful. Looks like our protest worked" Draco drawled which made Harry roll his eyes while a few others snickered. "Ça va?" Draco then asked him in snarky French which had a few others raise an eyebrow, but nobody else seemed to understand.

Theo too raised an eyebrow Harry's way in the most pureblood way possible. Harry fought a smile. He had to hide it behind his hot chocolate. "Oui, tout va bien" He replied easily before whispering the meaning of the words to Blaise since he was sitting next to him. Pansy looked absolutely confused by their sudden language change, but she didn’t insist on an answer. Well, only after she inquired about it and was shut down by Theo. ("Why are you speaking in another language?" "You wouldn’t understand the finesse of insulting a rival in another language, Parkinson. Drop it")

Agni flew in which made Harry smile seeing him until he saw what he was carrying. "Oh, boy" Blaise whispered and suddenly the entire Great Hall was paying attention to Harry Potter and the f*cking Howler in front of him. Harry stared at it for a bit too long, trying to decide if he should burn it or not, before it opened itself.

James, who had just arrived, took one look at it and cringed. "I have a feeling we are both in trouble" his baba said and Harry couldn't deny it. They were definitely in trouble for... something. Harry wasn’t sure what exactly that was, but he would find out soon enough. The Howler took the shape of a pair of lips before it started screaming. But not towards Harry. It turned towards the professors' table.

"YOU DARE CALL YOURSELF PROFESSORS?! YOU DARE CALL HOGWARTS A SAFE PLACE AND YET MY CHILD IS ALMOST KILLED TWICE IN LESS THAN A YEAR?! HOW f*ckING DARE YOU –"

"Sirius, calm down"

"DO NOT TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, REMUS! ALL OF YOU SITTING AT THAT HIGH TABLE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES! ESPECIALLY YOU, SNIVELLUS! HARRY IS IN YOUR HOUSE! YOU SHOULD BE PROTECTING YOUR STUDENTS, NOT HIRING PROFESSORS WHO WOULD LITERALLY KILL THEM IF GIVEN ENOUGH MOTIVATION!"

"You know, Harry was also walking around the castle after curfew –"

"AND HE DESERVES TO BE KILLED FOR THAT?!"

The silence was deafening.

"HIRE COMPETENT f*ckING TEACHERS OR I WILL SUE YOUR ASSES! THINK I CANNOT?! I HAVE VAULTS THAT ARE AS BIG AS YOUR f*ckING CASTLE"

"Well, that’s just bragging."

"SHUT UP, REGULUS!"

"Stop hogging the Howler. I also have something to say" Regulus spoke and Harry hadn't been scared before, but he was now. Not for himself, but for what the professors would have to face if they didn't get their sh*t together. Because that was Regulus' f*ck-around-and-find-out voice. James seemed to recognise it too because he was grinning brightly, silently encouraging Regulus to be as terrifying as he could.

"If my ward comes home with another injury or another scar, you will find out why I was never suspected while I was a Death Eater"

The Howler destroyed itself to Sirius' cackling.

It was then that Harry realized.

His guardians could be really scary.

Regulus was an ex-Death Eater. Sirius was an ex-convict. Pandora was a Seer who predicted his parents' deaths among other unbelievable stuff, a Seer that Voldemort had wanted to get his hands on so desperately that Pandora had had to flee. Lily came back to life after facing Voldemort himself and raising Harry as a ghost for eleven years. Remus was a literal werewolf. And James... well, Harry was sure his baba could be very scary himself, but he had the disadvantage of being a ghost. But, Harry has been told stories. His baba was protective. Fiercely so. He'd given his life for Lily and Harry without a second thought. He’d protected his friends and family with everything he had. And Luna? Luna was just starting her self-discovery journey. Sure, she was a Seer, but she was also so much more. Harry could feel it in the way she used her magic, both as a Seer and as a witch.

Yeah, his family was scary.

Harry found that he liked it.

The Great Hall was deadly quiet.

Then –

"Well, you better hire a better professor next year!" Fred called out which had George immediately saying "Or you'll have to deal with quite a few angry guardians and parents!" There was immediate approval from the entire Great Hall. Most of the Professors were glaring at Dumbledore who had the decency to look a little sheepish. Snape, however, was staring at Harry as if he had just realized he was in his House.

Harry really hated that guy. But, it was fine. Because the school year would end in a few weeks after their exams and Harry won't have to see him for the entire summer. Hopefully, nothing too crazy would happen for the last couple months of his first year at Hogwarts. After all, he was already almost killed twice. That couldn’t possibly happen a third time, right?

He was, of course, almost killed for a third time that year in the first week of May.

He didn’t have time for that. He had his last Quidditch match in less than a week. Flint was going to kill him himself if Harry missed their game. They needed to win this game in order to win the Quidditch Cup. And getting the points from this game would make them to get the House Cup as well.

In consequence, Harry did not have time to die. Hagrid’s new pet had other plans.

“Come on, Harry, it’s not that bad, right?” Ron was asking him after Harry had stared silently at the baby dragon in front of him for the last couple minutes. The baby dragon who had almost fried Harry’s face off and then tried to maul his face – it was an unsuccessful endeavour, thankfully. Harry had enough scars as is.

Norbert was now being distracted with a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood, courtesy of Hagrid. He was slurping it aggressively, snarling every couple seconds towards anyone who looked at him too long (so, Harry and Hagrid mostly). Harry looked over at Padma, Ron and Neville who looked stressed when Harry kept silent.

“Well, at least your friends match your crazy levels” His baba muttered and Harry almost glared his way. His baba noticed the minor change in Harry’s expression and chuckled, before assuring Harry he was only (partially) joking. Harry looked back towards Hagrid and Norbert.

This was bad. The biggest reason why was because it was illegal to own dragons since they were dangerous and very deadly (Harry, frankly, thought that was stupid; he would have loved to own a dragon; Hell, Hogwarts having a pet dragon would have been so cool too) since they tended to kill first and ponder later, if they ever stopped from killing and devouring, that is. Really difficult to train too.

“Ron already spoke with his brother, Charlie. He’s a Dragonologist at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. He and some of his friends are going to come pick up Norbert and take him to the Sanctuary” Padma informed Harry which made him frown lightly. “Hence why Hagrid’s coddling Norbert now” Ron added.

“I’m not coddling him! I’m just – oh, it’s so hard to say goodbye to the little guy. He knows me so well now too!” Hagrid replied before cooing towards Norbert who snarled in his face, seemingly ready to spit fire Hagrid’s way. Norbert was appeased when more brandy and chicken blood was poured into his bucket.

“The thing is we don’t know how to get Norbert up to the point of extraction. It’s the Astronomy Tower, but Filch and Mrs. Norris always patrol there since it’s a popular spot for people to sneak to” Neville grimaced as he spoke which had Harry raising an eyebrow towards everyone else. So, this was why he was here. That annoyed him mildly. He would have loved to see Norbert’s hatching. Or spend time with him. Hell, he wanted a pet dragon now.

“You are not getting a dragon” James said firmly as if he could read Harry’s thoughts. And, most likely, James could. Harry wondered if his baba also thought about getting a pet dragon earlier. Harry barely hid his smile before focusing again on his friends’ attempts to convince him to help them.

“…Hedwig must be it, right? You never really get caught anymore, but you always look tired, so we thought you use Hedwig as an alarm system while you’re out after curfew. You seem to be able to communicate with her somehow. Did you have her trained?” Ron was telling him, now looking awfully suspicious of Harry.

Harry did his best not to roll his eyes at that, before he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “When’s Charlie coming?” He asked them, making them all exchange excited looks. Harry couldn’t believe he had accepted so easily, but he made it clear to the three that they each owed him for this. They promised to make it up to him, although when Harry asked how they planned to do that, they told him it was a surprise.

Charlie Weasley would arrive in two days just after curfew. Harry ignored his friends trying to thank him for his “sacrifice” and he approached the dragon. Were dragons just evolved snakes? Could Harry talk to it? He’d have to test it when he delivered Norbert to Charlie Weasley.

“…and we could just do that. Right, Harry?” Padma asked him which made Harry glance towards them, before looking briefly at his father for help. He had not been listening to the ongoing conversation, but James had. “They said they’d take Norbert to the castle’s inner courtyard before curfew and, then, you’d take him to the Astronomy Tower” James told him which made Harry hum. “Fine. Just make sure you get to your common room before curfew”

“We will. Don’t worry about us. Worry about not getting mauled by Norbert” Neville grimaced as they all looked over at the dragon who looked far too happy with blood and brandy smeared all over his body. Harry sighed long-suffering. He really wished he could have a pet dragon. Perhaps then, he’d be left alone. But, there was no convincing his guardians of it. Unfortunately.

On the day of extraction, Harry made his way out of the common room with the Cloak in his bag and with Hedwig around his neck. “A dragon. Are you trying to replace me? I will strangle that puny, ridiculous worm with wings” Hedwig hissed as soon as they got to the inner courtyard, where the three Gryffindors were waiting for them. Harry barely refrained from rolling his eyes before looking at the bucket the dragon was in. “Really? Couldn’t find something better?” Harry deadpanned as he stared at the bucket filled with brandy and chicken blood which the dragon was devouring with not-so-subtle growls.

“Sorry! We didn’t know how else to keep him contained” Neville replied with a grimace while Harry sighed exasperatedly. “I can’t go through the castle. Mrs. Norris would hear me coming from the other side of the castle” Harry grumbled before he tilted his head as an idea struck him.

“Fly, then” His baba spoke Harry’s thoughts into existence.

Harry smiled slowly which seemed to terrify Neville and Ron whereas Padma grinned. “A troublemaker’s smile! Let’s hear your plan, Harry” Padma urged him, but Harry had already taken his wand out, pointing it towards the Quidditch Pitch. “Accio broom” He cast and he waited. One of the school brooms, most likely taken out of someone’s hand, came flying towards him. Harry caught it and mounted it with ease. He grinned his friends’ way. “Give Norbert here. I’ll handle it”

“You’re so cool, Harry!” Neville exclaimed with a bright smile whereas Ron and Padma grinned in return. “Can’t wait to see how much of a menace he’ll be in a couple years” Padma quipped while Ron huffed amused “As if he isn’t one already”

Harry decided to ignore them as he levitated the bucket with Norbert inside. “See you tomorrow” He called towards his friends before flying away as they waved and wished him good luck. He flew swiftly towards the Astronomy Tower and, after he landed, he placed the Invisibility Cloak over himself and Norbert who snarled, but didn’t start spitting fire. Hedwig went down the stairs to investigate if anyone was approaching. James too was nearby, except he was floating outside the Tower, so he could tell Harry when Charlie Weasley would appear with his friends.

“There he is. Red hair. Should be a Weasley, right? Eighty percent chances that that’s Charlie” His baba called after a couple moments of Harry tensely watching Norbert to make sure the dragon wouldn’t try killing either of them. Harry thought that they had established some kind of trust. Then, when Harry took off the Cloak, Norbert spit fire right at him. Again.

The Potter shield activated without Harry asking it which was a relief, because it saved Harry from an awkward visit to the hospital wing and a really awkward discussion with his guardians. Thank you, Harry thought towards the Potter magic as it subsided once Norbert turned to snarl at the people who had landed next to him.

“Wow, you’re small. After everything that Regulus and Sirius told me about you, I expected you to be more – nevermind, your glare gives off quite an intimidating aura for an 11-year-old” One of the people who landed commented on Harry’s appearance, making him look at them with narrowed eyes. They had violently purple hair with bright blue eyes and they were dressed quite androgynously even if Harry couldn’t actually tell what gender they were.

“Play nice, Tonks. You must be Harry Potter, then. Ron told me to expect you. And that’s Norbert?” The redhead who was definitely Charlie Weasley asked as he dismounted his broom and approached Harry and Norbert with a small, charming smile. Harry blinked curiously seeing the man’s attire: a band T-shirt that would probably make Sirius and Remus nod approvingly, cargo pants and leather boots. Norbert spit fire right at those boots, but Charlie didn’t seem to feel the burn. “They’re fireproof. Perks of being a Dragonologist. Most of my stuff is fireproof” was Charlie’s explanation, but Harry had been thrown off by something else.

“Holy f*ck. Is that actually Andie’s daughter? She’s grown so much!” James had asked shocked which made Harry blink towards Tonks. Because… daughter? Harry frowned lightly. “You’re Nymphadora Tonks, aren’t you?” He asked them mildly suspicious which made the person raise an eyebrow towards Harry. “Awfully perceptive. But don’t call me Nymphadora. I use they/them pronouns. I might be presenting more masculine or feminine some days, but my identity doesn’t change. Being a Metamorphmagus helps with the dysphoria though. It’s easy to change my body to whatever feels like me” Tonks replied evenly while Charlie looked between them, the other people behind them taking care of the dragon with quick efficiency.

Harry hummed. “Ok. So, should I call you Tonks then?” He asked them which made Tonks blink surprised before they grinned. “Well, guess I should have expected you’d be emotionally intelligent. You were raised well” Charlie smiled softly at that which made Harry look towards him as well. “Any coming out confession from you? It seems I’m accepting enough to be every queer person’s secret diary” Harry deadpanned which made Charlie laugh in surprise. Harry blinked while Tonks snickered, smirking down towards Harry.

“That mouth on you. Is it Sirius’ influence? Maybe Remus’. Sirius and Regulus come by for dinner every week. They only dragged Remus with them once, but he managed to drop so many curse words that even I was impressed” Tonks told him, making Harry huff amused. “I assume you were talking about their parents’ A+ parenting skills?” Harry asked making the two chuckle again. “Merlin, you have to come to dinner too once school lets out. Charlie drops by sometimes too, so we can all make my poor mother lose her marbles”

“Your mother’s lovely, shush” Charlie tutted, making Tonks roll their eyes, a smile on their lips. “Of course she is, but she can only take so many troublemakers at once. Dad and I are more than enough”

Harry tilted his head to the side as he watched the two of them gravitate towards each other almost involuntarily. “Are you two together?” He asked them bluntly, used to seeing Sirius and Remus interact just as easily. Charlie blushed fervently whereas Tonks snorted before they smirked. “Don’t spoil that surprise confession, kid” Tonks winked his way to Charlie’s mortification before one of the other senior Dragonologists called out that they were ready to go.

“We’ll see you for dinner, Harry!” Tonks called before beckoning their boyfriend (soon-to-be boyfriend?) over. Harry watched them fly away, waving his way, before turning towards his baba who was watching them with a smile. “I’m glad. They look happy. Andie wanted her child to be happy by all means. Sirius told us all about it. I didn’t know they used they/them pronouns, though. We should definitely attend those dinners” Harry nodded in agreement before putting his Invisibility Cloak back on. He looked towards the broom indecisively before deciding to leave it here. Someone will eventually think to Accio it – there we go. Harry watched the broom be tugged away by the summoning magic before he went down the stairs to find Hedwig.

He found Hedwig chomping down on a rat. Harry disgruntledly dragged her back to the dorm, but he couldn’t help but smile. He helped smuggle a dragon – even if Norbert had almost mauled his face – and he hadn’t been caught. Another win in his books.

Speaking of wins…

Harry was panting by the time he landed after another successful match. They had won their last match of the year against Hufflepuff. It was a pretty tough match even if the Hufflepuff Seeker – Cedric Diggory – was also a beginner. It was clear that he too had been flying for a couple years. He had been all smiles and grins after the match, however, as he shook Harry’s hand. Harry wasn’t sure what to think of him, to be completely honest.

Something exciting had happened during the game as well. Padma, Ron and Neville had come up dressed in silver and green with a sign that had POTTER 7 painted on it while chanting the Slytherin’s Quidditch chant: WIN, WIN, SLYTHERIN! So, that had been their way of making it up to him after the whole dragon business. It had been entertaining for Harry and the Slytherins and definitely a bit frustrating for Ron since his dislike for Slytherins (besides Harry) was fairly obvious, so Harry counted it as them being even.

“Great game, Harry!” Pandora called out with a bright smile as she and Luna approached while Regulus, Remus and Sirius followed after them. It was Sirius who grabbed Harry and spun him around with a bright grin on his face, making Harry yelp. “That’s our Seeker! You were so good, Harry! Left them all in the dust –”

“Put him down, Pads, he’s gonna faint from all the spinning” Harry knew Remus was smiling just from his tone alone, but he didn’t get to check because he was a bit busy with regaining his balance after his godfather put him down with a sheepish grin. Remus ruffled his hair affectionately, telling him he did a good job. He then subtly offered Harry a minimalized box with a wink. “Sirius and I worked hard on it. Should function pretty well” Remus told him and Harry grinned, tugging them in a big hug to their obvious delight.

And, then, it was Regulus’ turn. He was watching Harry with a fond expression – if one squinted – and his hands stuck nonchalantly in his pockets. “Did that Bludger hit you at all?” Regulus asked him making Harry shrug a shoulder, aware of his baba diving towards them with an eager grin.

“Got my shoulder a bit. But I’m okay” Harry reported which had Regulus raising an eyebrow incredulously whereas the others seemed worried. Regulus cast a diagnostic spell on Harry just to be sure and, sure enough, the only damage was a bruise forming on his shoulder which Regulus healed without a second thought. “Love when he does nonverbal spells” James swooned making Harry’s lips twitch in amusem*nt before he gave in and smiled brightly. Regulus smiled as well. “Good job, Harry” Regulus said softly and Harry allowed himself to live that moment.

He allowed himself to store it in his heart as one of his happiest memories, surrounded by his family – because his mom was also there. She was hidden under the Cloak, which she had borrowed from him before the game via dog (Sirius as a dog, Snuffles, delivered the Cloak to Lily). She was gently holding Harry’s fingers, so her presence wouldn’t be noticed by anyone else besides Harry. She had congratulated him quietly, but anything else will have to wait for when he came home for the summer. But she was there. They were all there. Harry rejoiced in that small moment of happiness – he wanted to believe he deserved it. He would believe it, one day. For now, he only let himself enjoy it. Deeper, self-deprecating thoughts and reflections would be handled after the sunset.

It was a special day. June 5th was a special day.

Harry watched fondly as Draco opened his presents eagerly. It was his birthday. He was officially 12 years old. Harry leaned against his wooden trunk as Draco sat down in the middle of the room and reviewed all the presents he got with Theodore and Blaise also sat down beside him. Theodore got Draco a bunch of expensive-looking leather-bound books that he thought Draco would find interesting – and Draco confirmed that he’d read them all as soon as he got home – whereas Blaise got him a really expensive, professional broom polishing kit (“For when you make the team next year” Blaise had told Draco with a wink, making him smirk whereas Theo had snorted and Harry had smiled).

Cassius got him a bunch of silver rings that Draco seemed to really like (Harry recognized a few from this expensive Muggle jewellery store – it was then that Harry realized that all of his roommates and Cassius were loaded. He sometimes forgot that he too was loaded. How peculiar.) The twins got Draco a box of platinum blond hair dye which Harry, Blaise and Theo thought was hilarious; Draco didn’t appreciate the joke, but he accepted the Honeydukes’ sweets gladly before tossing the hair dye aside. Harry was not going to admit he helped the twins get that part of the present, but he’d enjoy telling the twins all about the way Draco had blushed angrily.

There were, obviously, a bunch of gifts from the other pureblood families’ kids which Harry didn’t really pay attention to since they were pretty boring. Some of them Draco actually discarded since he said they were courting gifts which he was not going to accept – Harry couldn’t really tell the difference at first, but Theo explained that courting gifts had the sender’s family crest on them and that’s how Draco could tell which one was an actual birthday present and which one was an offer for a political alliance. Harry vowed to be careful himself when he received gifts in the future. He wouldn’t want to be stuck in a political courtship. Daphne got Draco a luxurious dragon-shaped brooch and a bunch of Potions books whereas Pansy got him a dragon plushie. Harry thought it was cute. Draco tossed it at the bottom of his trunk as soon as he saw it while Theo chuckled and Blaise smirked in delight.

As for the gifts from his parents, his mom got him a couple notebooks, each with a different pressed flower stuck on its front cover, a lot of jars that Harry guessed were filled with Potions ingredients and a couple new outfits. Numerous owls had delivered those gifts to Draco in their room after harassing the students exiting the common room to let them in. Fred had said it had been hilarious to see Montague almost getting his eyes poked out because he kicked one of the owls.

As for Draco’s father, Lucius Malfoy had sent him a book on the Malfoy heritage and legacy alongside a complete family tree to showcase their pureblood status. Draco had looked over at them with a blank look before putting them aside in his trunk. Neither of the three boys had said much about the presents from Lucius, but they all complimented Draco’s new outfits and notebooks. Draco preened under the compliments, proud to display the notebooks and expensive outfits. He also told them that the flowers had been personally pressed by his mother – it was one of her hobbies.

It was now time for Harry’s present. Draco grabbed the silver and green wrapped box curiously, darting a glance towards Harry who smiled lightly. “Open it” He asked his friend who huffed at Harry’s impatience but did as asked. He tugged off the silver bow and, then, he opened the box. He blinked when he took out a camera from it. “You know I already have a camera. I’ve given you some of the photos I’ve taken so you could send them to your guardians” Draco retorted confused as he flipped the camera around.

Harry rolled his eyes. “It’s a Muggle camera. It takes still photos. It looks almost identical to your magic one so, your parents wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. Just so you don’t get in trouble. I asked Sirius and Remus to do the charms on it to make it appear identical to that one. And they also worked on the album in there. The photos you take with the camera will instantly appear inside the album as well, but you can add your own moving pictures too” Harry explained as Draco took out a photo album which, when opened, was blank. It looked more like a journal than an album, really – same size and everything.

Draco blinked and watched curiously as Harry pointed towards Draco’s wand which was placed on the ground between them. “You have to set a password for the album so you can see its contents. Just tap your wand against it and say it. I placed some photos inside of it already, some of the ones you took this year. You can use it as a journal too. After you set the password, the album’s contents can only be revealed after you say the magic words. The temporary password Sirius and Remus made up was Goldilocks” Theo snorted at that whereas Blaise and Draco appeared confused by the Muggle inside joke. Harry smiled, but he didn’t explain it. “You can cast a Silencing Charm if you want to create the password and open it now”

Draco did as told and Harry looked away when he made up the password, as did Blaise and Theo – so neither of them could accidentally read Draco’s lips and find out the password. They turned around when the void of the Silencing Charm disappeared. Draco looked at the pictures placed there with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. Ten pages of the album were already filled with photos of them, diminished so that two of the could fit on a single page.

Text flitted around the page – jokes and anecdotes from the day – before they were replaced with other text. “Does it have a mind of its own?” Draco asked shocked which made Harry shrug. “Not really. It just mimics us, I think. Sirius told me you can have conversations with it. Here. That photo where Blaise laughed so hard he choked. Isn’t it hilarious?” Harry spoke as the other two approached as well and they all stared at the photo Harry had mentioned.

The text around the photo disappeared and in its place a couple other lines appeared: B.Z. thinks you’re focusing on the wrong aspect of this photo. T.N. is clearly laughing in it. What a rare sight.

“No f*cking way!” Blaise exclaimed with a bright grin whereas Theo hummed delighted, a small smile playing on his lips. “What fascinating charms. Your guardians are truly talented” Harry smiled, already aware of that fact since his guardians and his baba had also created the Marauder’s Map – now, if only he could find the bloody thing.

Draco looked up at Harry who panicked seeing the boy’s shiny eyes and slightly quivering lips.

“This is the best present I’ve ever received” Draco enunciated every word as clearly as he could, making Harry relax as he smiled relieved. “Happy birthday, Draco” He replied warmly, making the blond boy smile happily. They looked through the photos together that morning until they had to go to classes.

After that morning, they never asked Draco to open the album. Not unless it was Draco himself who wanted to show them a photo from it or wanted them to see how their album selves were bickering. It belonged to Draco, after all. Through it, he finally had the privacy and liberty to share his true self – his darkest desires and his most private thoughts, the ones he didn’t dare share with anyone else. A judgement-free zone. Harry was glad he could offer Draco that tiny bit of freedom.

Their end-of-year exams went well even with the whole DADA mess of this year. And then, it was time for their end-of-year feast. In the morning, they’d be going home. Harry had felt both excited and nostalgic when he realized his first year was coming to an end.

"... and, as is customary, we will decorate the Great Hall accordingly to the winner of the Quidditch Cup and of the House Cup. The winner for both this year is... Slytherin!" Harry detected just a bit of annoyance in Dumbledore's voice, but he didn't care as he laughed brightly when the Weasley twins grabbed him and tossed him in the air in victory. Cassius had somehow managed to grab Draco and he was easily holding the boy on his shoulder. Draco was so red Harry worried for a second, but he was laughing too. Harry grinned even more as he realized that. Draco's laugh was pretty. They were all swept away in their House’s celebrations.

He was so preoccupied that he almost didn't notice it.

Lightning storm outside.

As soon as the Great Feast was over, he made up a random excuse to his roommates and he dashed away. He dropped by his dorm to grab the Cloak and, then, he hurried to the Shrieking Shack. Harry had worried he'd have to move the potion, but it seemed like luck had really been on his side – the phial was intact. James was as giddy as him as they entered the Shrieking Shack and retrieved the potion.

"Hell yeah! It's the right colour! Blood red, look!" James exclaimed brightly and Harry grinned even more. "That's great! Can I drink it now?" James tilted his head inquisitively. "Do you want to do it here or the Forbidden Forest?"

"Here, I think. It feels like if I lose control or something, I will be safer here"

"Yeah, fair enough. Okay. So, you drink the potion and then you will feel this fiery pain and an intense double heartbeat. And then, you will see the animal you will transform in inside your mind. But, that's their final form. You will be a baby in the beginning since you're inexperienced. Don't be alarmed by it. Sirius was a puppy for most of his life... before Azkaban, that is"

Harry nodded in understanding. "OK. Let's do it" Harry whispered and, then, he drank the entire phial in rapid gulps.

It felt like he was dying. Like he was duplicating himself.

He saw antlers. A majestic stag stomping his foot at him, antlers poised for attack. Harry bared his heart and soul to it.

See me, accept me, he pled. The stag listened. It relaxed and, then, it bowed towards him. It saw Harry. It accepted him.

Harry couldn't breathe.

He opened his eyes and he was ... small.

"Oh, Godric's beard! Merlin and Morgana both! Harry, you're adorable! I should have taken pictures! You won't be like this for long! Oh, Merlin!" James cooed around him which made Harry shake him away. He wobbled a bit on his feet, but he got his bearings fairly quickly. He began strutting, because what else could he call this strange walk? James was dying of laughter. There were actual tears in his eyes.

Harry tried to run away.

James yelped. "Be careful! I almost broke three bones on my first run as a fawn! Merlin, to think you'll have the same form as me!" James called as he followed Harry easily. Harry trotted around the Shrieking Shack gleefully. "If you're anything like me and you are, as we established, you'll reach maturity at the end of your third year. Maybe at the end of your second year if you transform at home and exercise during the summer"

Harry turned back in his human form grinning brightly. "I'll be a stag?" James smiled warmly. "Looks like it. Come on now. It's rude to leave your friends waiting" Harry grabbed his bag, put the phial back in the hiding area since Harry didn't want to bring it with him and he went back to his dorm. The others didn't seem surprised when he entered the room that late. Instead, he was asked to join their game of exploding snap which Harry did, curiously.

It was a good last day to end his first year at Hogwarts.

Chapter 14: Interlude I

Chapter Text

“Harry! Where are you going? It’s 1 am!”

“Harry! Do not go through that Floo or I swear to God –”

“Harry! Merlin, you’re quick. Do not Floo away. Reggie’s gonna kill us both if you disappear again!”

“…really, Harry? Back to your room.”

“Oh. Thought I’d find you here. I assume James didn’t get to warn you I was coming. I won’t tell Lily and Regulus, don’t worry, but you do have to go back to your room and get some sleep”

“Will you finally tell me where you keep going so late at midnight? Mom and Lily are starting to get worried that you keep wanting to disappear. I can’t see where you’re going, don’t worry. Even if I could, I wouldn’t tell them. We all deserve our secret little places. Oh? My secret place? Well, it’s secret. I am more discreet with mine compared to you. Can you go back to bed? You know how much we worry about you. Yes, I’m guilt-tripping you. Come on, almost brother”

This is all Harry heard the first few weeks he was back. Where was he going in the middle of the night? Well, he kept Floo’ing to the Pottery to practice transforming into his Animagus form. He couldn’t exactly practice in his room or at Grimmauld in case he got caught. But his midnight trips had been discovered only a few days after they started. Remus was the first to catch him trying to Floo away when the werewolf came down to get a glass of water for Sirius who had apparently woken up from a nightmare. Needless to say, Remus told the others, so they started checking Harry’s room and the Floo at odd hours of the night to make sure he wouldn’t go anywhere. Harry refused to tell them where he wanted to go and why despite everyone asking him to. He deflected enough that they gave up on trying to figure out why he wanted to leave for a couple hours every night. Instead, they banded together to stop him from achieving his goal. How petty of them.

Lily found him next when he came down at 5 am, hoping all of them were asleep. His mother was not. Then, Sirius chased him down the stairs when they both exited their rooms on the first floor at the same time one night. Sirius was shirtless and looking very pleased with himself, before he stared shocked at his godson. Harry almost made it through the Floo when Sirius caught up to him and stopped him. Regulus found him the very next night after he camped out the fireplace the entire night. Harry had entered the kitchen quietly only to see a wide-awake Regulus at the kitchen table with six coffee cups in front of him. Harry had gone back up to his room, knowing there was no way he was getting past Regulus fast enough (even his baba had cringed seeing Reg there). Pandora found him the next time he tried to sneak out, but she was kind enough not to tell the others. She did send him up to bed though. Even Luna found him!

Harry was really starting to get frustrated after so many failed attempts, but he did manage to slip away quite a few times – enough so that he got better at transforming back into his human form. His guardians did block the Floo network though, so Harry wasn’t able to use it half of the summer. But it wasn’t because of his nightly escapades. No, it was because of all the crazy things that had happened over the summer. Such as…

12th July 1992

“Floo-Call Cissy.”

“What, right now?”

“Yes. Lucius is at this Death Eater party they hold every summer. Narcissa never attends since she needs to watch over Draco”

That was Sirius, Remus and Regulus beginning a conversation out of nowhere – it seemed as if they had previously discussed it, but Harry didn’t know the context for it. Harry looked up slightly confused from his book whereas James blinked surprised. “When did they ever get to talk to Narcissa?” His baba asked confused making Harry tilt his head as he watched his three guardians. Lily, Pandora and Luna were out at the Pandora’s cottage (heavily warded, secure and private, thanks to Regulus; also, placed under a Fidelius Charm). So, Harry and James were left to deal with whatever insanity these three had planned.

“Narcissa Malfoy, you mean? Why would you Floo her?” Harry asked them making Sirius drop into the seat next to him at the dinner table whereas Remus sat on Harry’s other side. Regulus went towards their fireplace and he knelt there, posture rigid as he called out “Narcissa Black. Malfoy Manor”

“Cissy talked to us at my trial. She’s not who she seems to be. Listen” Sirius whispered before they all shut up as the Floo-Call connected to Narcissa Black (Harry noticed the surname change with a wary gaze as he put his book down on the table). Her face appeared in their fireplace and she looked – subdued? Harry wasn’t sure that was the right word. He bristled on instinct when he saw her, though. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, that’s exactly what she was.

“Narcissa.”

“Regulus. I trust you, Harrison and your lot of guardians are having a lovely summer.”

“Delightful. Is Draco doing well?”

There was a pause, before Narcissa dropped the subdued exterior and Harry observed with awe how quickly she became predator instead of prey. “Why wouldn’t he be doing well? Is there something I should know?” Regulus shrugged one shoulder, hearing her vicious tone. “Merlin knows there’s not enough knowledge in the Malfoy House” Regulus retorted making Narcissa narrow her eyes towards him.

“You chose a proper time to call me and everything. You need something and you bring up Draco to weaken my defences. This won’t work. Tell me what you want.”

“No. I brought up Draco to remind you who you have to protect.”

“… what is it you need from me?”

Harry gaped whereas Sirius and Remus exchanged a victorious grin. Regulus smirked lowly which made Narcissa huff annoyed. “I have not agreed to anything.” She reminded him.

“You have. From the moment you answered this call, you have.”

“… so perceptive. Ask. I don’t have much time to spare.”

“Horcruxes. How many does Lucius have? How many do you know of?”

Harry froze whereas his guardians waited for Narcissa’s answer with trepidation. Narcissa sighed deeply at that, before offering Regulus her best Black scowl. “You think you can destroy them? You’re pitiful.”

“You’re pitiful if you know of them and you just left them in Lucius’ hands.”

“Hilarious. If I give you this information, what will you do?”

“Hunt them down. Obviously.”

“Obviously. You’re ridiculous, Regulus. Last I checked, you weren’t a Gryffindor.”

“As you know, I have a ward. I have a family. And you must remember the old Black saying–”

“Tout pour la famille. Foolish idiot. You know how much weight those words hold.”

“I’m prepared to carry it. Are you?”

Narcissa remained quiet for a few long moments. Harry was convinced she’d end the Floo-Call right then and block them from contacting her ever again. Instead, she sighed deeply. “I know of three of them. I don’t know how many there are in total”

Remus cursed rather loudly which made Narcissa raise an eyebrow. “We have an audience?” She asked coldly making Regulus shrug. “Family.” He replied simply which made James float towards him with a lovesick, nostalgic expression on his face. “Family.” James repeated softly, but Harry didn’t get to say it to the others since Narcissa started speaking again.

“Fine. One of them is in Lucius’ possession. Not for long, however. He intends to send it over to Hogwarts. To wreak havoc, I assume, but I’m not sure how exactly. It’s small enough to fit in a desk’s drawer. There’s another Horcrux in Hogwarts, but what it is exactly… I’m not sure. Lucius doesn’t know either. And I never got to ask Bella about it. As for the last one I know of, that one’s in Bella’s vault.”

The five of them stood there in quiet silence before Sirius hurried to Accio a bunch of parchment pieces whereas Remus went to get quills and pens. James grinned brightly. Regulus smirked down towards the fireplace. “Thank you, Cissa. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.” Narcissa huffed aggravated, but there was a small smile playing on her lips. “Don’t get caught. It would be a pity to attend your funeral again. And, Harrison?”

Harry blinked, surprised to be addressed.

“Yes?” He asked as he approached the fireplaced, sitting down besides Regulus and, in consequence, his baba. Narcissa watched him curiously before she nodded with a resigned sigh. “If you want to send Draco letters, do it through me. Address them to Narcissa Black. I promise to give them to him without opening them. He deserves some normalcy and privacy.”

“…alright. Thank you.”

“No. Thank you.”

It was then that Narcissa ended the Floo-Call. Harry looked at it contemplatively for a bit longer before Regulus put his hand in Harry’s hair, making him turn towards his guardian. Regulus gave him a gentle smile. “Want to write Draco a letter while I Floo-Call the girls? We should research how to get into the Lestrange Vault. And the other two Horcruxes as well”

“I can help.” Harry insisted which made his baba enter his line of vision with a similarly gentle smile. “We know. But you deserve some normalcy too” James told him, making Harry sigh, resigned to his fate. (He wouldn’t ever admit it, but he liked experiencing some normalcy too.)

13th July 1992

Andromeda Black, now known as Andromeda or Andie Tonks, was one of the coolest people Harry had ever met.

“Child of mine, I swear, if you show Harry another Stinging Hex, I will personally throw away your Walkman.”

“But mother –”

“And if I hear you say that it’s for his protection one more time, I will throw away your tapes too”

Tonks sighed at that, but they were smiling as if they knew their mother didn’t actually mean it. They ruffled Harry’s hair before bounding to bother Sirius and their dad, Ted Tonks. Regulus quietly sipped from his mug of coffee as he remained by Andromeda’s side, but even he had a small smile on his lips. “They sure have grown up a lot. Really fun to hang around. And useful, it seems. We can practice that Stinging Hex when we get back” James told Harry, making him blink once, slowly, in confirmation. He then went to approach Regulus and Andromeda who both welcomed him with a smile.

“Hope Ado didn’t negatively influence you too much. I take no responsibility if they did” Andie told him making him chuckle while Regulus tilted his head to the side. “Ado?” Reg and James asked at the same time. Andie scrunched up her nose as she dragged her cardigan tighter around herself. “Can’t exactly call them Tonks, can I? It would be weird. And they didn’t like the name Ted and I chose for them. So, we played a bit with Nymphadora, see if we couldn’t find a shorter name from it that’s gender-neutral. We came up with Ado. They love it, but they accept to be called that only by family and people they are very close with”

“Ado?”

“Charlie, you made it! Glad your superiors didn’t keep you contained to Romania. Did you tell your mother you’re back?”

“Yeah. She expects me back before dinner. I only dropped by to say hello and make sure you’re alright. Oh, hey, Harry”

Harry waved towards the redhead which was a wrong move because the adults all looked at him curiously (Andie and Ted) and suspiciously (Remus, Regulus and Sirius). “How do you know Charlie?” Regulus asked his ward, making Harry and James cringe. Tonks let out a surprised laugh whereas Charlie actually grimaced. “Sorry about that” He mumbled whereas Harry sighed, resigned to his fate. “So, you know how Hagrid likes animals?” Harry began his story of how he delivered a baby dragon to Charlie Weasley, Tonks and a couple other Dragonologists.

By the end of it, Andie told him he’s become her favourite Potter (James, Sirius AND Regulus were all offended – which amused everyone to no end), Ted gave Harry a butterbeer, Charlie apologized for bringing it up so casually while Tonks laughed their ass off when Harry was grounded by Regulus (his punishment was no Quidditch for a week) for keeping the fact that Harry had been in danger a secret. Sirius high-fived him and Remus sighed fondly while ruffling Harry’s hair. It was the strangest dinner Harry had ever attended, but also one of the most relaxing ones. Harry hoped they could have more dinners like this – hopefully with Luna, Pandora and Harry’s parents present as well.

15th July 1992

Augusta Longbottom had finally accepted Harry’s request to visit Frank and Alice, but she had conditions. Obviously. Harry could only bring two guardians, preferably those who personally knew Frank and Alice (by that, she meant Harry couldn’t come with Regulus nor Pandora – no Death Eaters/ Death Eater adjacent). Harry had wanted to say no out of spite, but Neville had seemed so excited that Harry couldn’t do that to him. So, he came with Sirius and Remus and, thankfully, Augusta didn’t bite anyone’s head off. She actually ignored them in favour of speaking with the Healers while Neville introduced Harry to his parents. Sirius and Remus remained quiet, observing their old friends sorrowfully. On the other hand, James watched them with tears running down his cheeks. “f*ck… Frank, Alice, Merlin’s balls, what the f*ck?” He babbled underneath his breath, but Harry still heard him – he pretended he didn’t so his baba could process what he was seeing.

Alice was humming a song known only to her while snacking on sweets absentmindedly, unwrapping them meticulously and more often than not failing to get them to her mouth – there were piles of sweets all around the room. Frank had approached Neville and he was about to give his son a wrapper when Regulus Black walked inside the room, escorted by three mean-looking Aurors and with a note in his hand. He handed the note to Harry wordlessly, making his two guardians hurry to his side while Augusta also approached them warily.

Did someone kill Gilderoy Lockhart? The same person who had killed Pettigrew? Was this another note from them? And why was Regulus being threatened at wand point?! Harry needed answers and he needed them now before he started blasting some idiotic Aurors.

The Aurors had their wands pointed towards Regulus’ back – fact which Harry noticed only after he read the note. “What the f*ck do you think you’re doing?!” Sirius had viciously snapped whereas Remus and Harry had bristled. The Healers came to escort the Longbottoms away whereas the others exited the room and went down to one of the bigger hallways. James was frowning, looking ready to punch all three Aurors – even if that was physically impossible.

One of the Aurors spoke, but neither of them took their eyes off Regulus. “This is the second time Lord Black was present while a murder was committed in this facility. There is cause to believe –”

“The notes are literally addressed to him. Why would he kill someone and then send a note to himself?” Harry snapped, not really caring what kind of authority figure he was facing. The Aurors didn’t like that, but James did. “f*ck yeah! Tell them they can’t detain him without evidence. And that by pointing their wands at him, Regulus can take them to court for defamation” Harry did as told. The Aurors looked caught off guard whereas Sirius and Remus smirked proudly. Regulus wasn’t moving at all, but his lips twitched as he glanced down at Harry. They all knew who told Harry what to say. “Auror Standard Code. Lower your wands, you f*cking rookies” Sirius snapped at the three Aurors who did as asked, albeit begrudgingly. Having an ex-Auror godfather had its perks.

“When you have proof, come back. Stop discriminating against him just because of a choice he was already pardoned for” Remus told them viciously, making the Aurors retreat with their tails between their legs (they still glared at all of them over their shoulders, but they retreated without any more wand-pointing). It was then that Harry looked at Regulus who looked far too relaxed to be innocent. “Tu comptais le tuer” Harry whispered to Regulus in French, making Sirius snarl a curse in French whereas James and Remus frowned, Remus trying to piece together what had happened (and easily doing so seeing Regulus’ unapologetic look). James looked visibly upset that Regulus had once again tried to kill someone for him. Before saying anything, Regulus cast a Privacy Ward around the five of them.

“Quelqu'un l'a tué avant que je ne puisse le faire... encore une fois.” Regulus replied easily which made Sirius point a finger towards his brother’s chest as he accused him. “Tu es négligent! Un jour, ils t'incarcéreront pour de bon.” Regulus rolled his eyes at that while Remus just seemed lost (but he also looked very smitten, probably because he liked hearing Sirius speak French). James seemed just as lost as the Black brothers started to argue in rapid-fire French that even Harry had a hard time understanding. But he understood Regulus’ last spoken sentence. “Seulement s'ils m'attrapent en flagrant délit, ce qui n'arrivera pas puisque je n'ai commis aucun crime.”

Sirius looked he’d explode on the spot. James actually stared cursing so much that Harry cringed which Regulus noticed, but he didn’t say anything about it. “So, he’s dead? Lockhart?” Remus asked him which made Regulus shrug one shoulder. “Seems so. I would have tried to look around, but the Aurors apprehended me. Same assholes from last time”

“Any clue who’s killing people?”

Regulus narrowed his eyes at that. “Dorcas’ dead. Remus and I checked” He replied numbly which made Harry watch between the four adults. Sirius looked very uncomfortable and tense. Remus nodded in confirmation, but he also looked pretty tense. As for his baba, James had grimaced before dragging a hand over his face. Harry assumed the two of them either used a spell to verify Dorcas Meadowes’ body was still buried – spell which Harry wasn’t sure even exited, to be honest – or they… dug her up.

Neither Remus nor Regulus elaborated on that.

“Pandora seems certain Evan’s dead. We tried to find his body. We think it’s somewhere around the Rosier Manor, but Pandora won’t let us search for it” Regulus then said making Remus nod once more. “That’s where Moody presumed he and Barty Disapparated to. Where Evan also, allegedly, died” Remus added which made Sirius and James nod grimly while Harry tilted his head with a frown. “Barty? Evan Rosier’s boyfriend?” He tried to clarify, making the adults all grimace as they realised Harry was still very much part of this conversation.

“I guess you wouldn’t know all about them. Not when Lily and James mostly talked to you about our groups. So, you know about the Marauders. Me, James, Remus, the rat. Lily had her group of close best friends as well. It was –”

“Mom, Mary Macdonald, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes and… was Pandora part of it too?” Harry interrupted Sirius from explaining before he looked at them all curiously. It was Regulus who shook his head in response. “Pandora was part of my friend group. As was Dorcas. But they both befriended those three as well. Dorcas was closer to them since she dated Marlene since their last year at Hogwarts and until they died during the War. Besides the girls and myself, there was also Evan, as you probably guessed. And Barty Crouch Jr.” Regulus explained before frowning lightly. Sirius tilted his head to the side. “Where’s he buried? Heard he died after a year in Azkaban, but nothing else” Sirius asked them neutrally, but even Harry could see him trying to keep it together.

Remus took Sirius’ hands in his to keep them steady since they were trembling – Harry had not noticed they were trembling, but Remus obviously had. Sirius looked down at them as if he hadn’t realized they were, in fact, trembling either, before he looked up at Remus who gave him a reassuring look. “It doesn’t matter. We can handle it” Remus’ reassurance made Sirius furrow his brows as he shook his head slightly, looking lost in thought. “I don’t want either of you near there. Azkaban isn’t –”

“It’s a place. Places are sh*tty, but it’s not them that traumatize you” Regulus interrupted their brother, the two making eye contact and understanding something neither of them wanted to say out loud. That it was the people in those sh*tty places who traumatized one, not the places themselves. Or the Dementors, in the very specific case of Azkaban.

“You still have to check on Barty, then?” Harry asked, making Regulus and Remus frown. Sirius looked at them confused, but he let Remus keep hold of his hands. “We would have already checked, but someone keeps denying our visit requests. Probably because we’re not exactly…the representation of Good” Remus explained which made Sirius glare at them both. “Don’t say that about yourselves. You’re –”

“We know.” Remus said gently, but there was a small smile playing on his lips. Sirius nodded in determination before looking over at Regulus who shrugged. “I know who my allegiance is to” He replied simply and, oddly enough, he looked towards Harry. He blinked surprised before looking at his baba, but James was also watching Harry with a soft, yet sorrowful smile. Harry then looked at Sirius and Remus, both who shared that same expression. Just when he was going to ask them about it, Augusta and Neville Longbottom exited the Janus Thickey Ward with no sight of any Auror or Frank and Alice behind them.

Regulus dissolved the Privacy Ward, inspecting them both quietly before his gaze deferred to Neville first. “Well met, Lord Longbottom. Well met, Lord Regent” Regulus saluted Neville first which made him freeze whereas Augusta Longbottom raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything as she looked down expectantly at her grandson. Neville cleared his throat, looked over at Harry who gave him a thumbs up and, only then, did he return the official greeting. “Well met, Lord Black”

Regulus nodded in acknowledgement before glancing towards Lord Regent Augusta Longbottom who watched him with hawk eyes, coldly assessing him. “Well met, indeed. Have they found you innocent of yet another murder?” Augusta asked him coldly which made Neville freeze whereas Harry frowned. Sirius and Remus tensed as they watched the interaction while James groaned exasperatedly before speaking. “Merlin, I hate this woman. She freaked me out every time I came over at Frank’s. So controlling. Frank loved his mom, but he couldn’t wait to get away from her. She nagged Alice a lot, but they bonded eventually. Right now, she’s just a cold-hearted hag, though”

“You know how it is, Lord Regent. I’m innocent until they find proof I’m not”

“Is that right? Is there any proof to be found, Lord Black?”

“I expressed myself poorly. I meant it as until they create proof that I’m guilty of something”

“Hm. These three have already seen my Frank and Alice. I assume you have no desire to visit them”

“I can’t say I knew them well enough to miss them”

“But did you know them well enough to torture them?”

“Gran!”

“Quiet, Neville. Lord Black has a question to answer”

“I can’t say I ever saw them during the War since I was dead before either of us entered the front lines”

“You jest. I can’t say I like this quality in men”

“Good thing I’m young enough to be your grandson. And gay”

Sirius guffawed whereas Remus barely stifled his own laughter. James was laughing so hard he almost fell over (he was literally floating in the air, Harry didn’t understand the dramatics of it). Harry smiled amused, but he dropped it seeing Neville’s terrified look. Augusta Longbottom looked very fierce as she glared towards them all, Harry especially.

“You’ve seen the state of them. They couldn’t raise their own son, not even taking you into consideration. And I had no obligation in regards to you, Lord Potter” Augusta told Harry snippily, making him straighten his back as he held her glare. “I understand, Lord Regent. I hold no ill will towards Frank and Alice Longbottom” Augusta looked towards Regulus briefly before asking one more question. “Can you say that about all of your guardians?”

“Yes.” Harry responded without hesitation which made Augusta harrumph. “Blind trust never gets you far. Alas, Alice and Frank seemed to like your company. You and your two guardians can come visit whenever. Come, Neville” And, with a flash of dark violet robes, a luxurious bag that would have hit Regulus in the face if not for his quick reflexes and a head piece that almost took out a chandelier, Augusta Longbottom left the hallway, Neville quickly going after her after saying goodbye to everyone.

“She’s as terrifying as ever. Poor kid” Sirius grumbled which made Regulus look at him curiously. “Met her before?” He asked his brother which made Sirius, Remus and James nod with a dramatically terrified expression on their faces. “Remus and I met her at Frank’s and Alice’s wedding. James used to go to Frank’s house during summers after they befriended each other. Frank was Captain of the Quidditch Team when James started out as Chaser” Regulus hummed at that before he looked over at them. “Need another moment with them or can we go? I need to go fight some Ministry officials to give me access to Azkaban’s graveyard” Regulus replied blankly, making James snort humourlessly whereas Sirius and Remus sighed in sync. Harry was about to ask Regulus if he actually meant a physical fight when all hell broke loose down the hallway. Dozens of Healers hurried down the hallway, all looking stressed out because of whoever was causing such a commotion.

They all looked to see what could have possibly had so many Healers hurrying that way. “What the f*ck.” Remus breathed out before either of them could see the dark-skinned woman being escorted towards them, held up between two Healers and surrounded by countless others. Sirius watched her with his mouth agape whereas Regulus inspected her with a cold, calculating gaze. James floated towards her, watching the Muggle clothes she was dressed in, as well as the distraught and bewildered expression on her face.

The woman got a glance at Harry and stopped in her way, making all the Healers dragging her towards the Janus Thickey Ward stop their attempts to push or pull her. She looked at Harry with a puzzlement and familiarity that confused Harry.

“James?” She asked breathlessly before looking up towards Remus and Sirius and, then, Regulus. She shook her head, starting to look panicked. “No. No. No. You three – I have to – where is Lily? And Marlene? I have to –”

“Mary, calm down –” Sirius tried to appease her, stepping closer, but Mary jerked back violently, shaking her head more as she tried to get her hands up to her hands. The Healers were holding them too tightly for Mary to succeed no matter how much she tried. “Please, don’t provoke her!” One of the Healers called out, but it was too late. “Stefan said it was alright to be a little confused. But this isn’t – there’s two of everything. Charlotte said it wasn’t real. My therapist said my hallucinations and dreams were just my imagination playing tricks on me, so why are you here? Why do you exist?!” Mary was shrieking by the time she finished muttering her confusing statements.

Regulus dragged Harry behind him when Mary’s eyes darted to him once again. (Mary Macdonald herself, in the flash – right age, ethnicity, gender. Everything was right except Mary herself. She looked very… Muggle. Harry wasn’t even sure she had her wand on her. She looked like she came out of a Tesco and, then, suddenly Apparated here.)

“You’re not James. Who are you? Why is there –? Can someone tell me what’s going on, for Christ’s sake?!”

“Someone get a Sleeping Draught for Miss Macdonald, please!”

“What the f*ck is that? Can’t you just tell me why you’re dragging me away? Hello –?!”

“Forget the Sleeping Draught, she’s going to take us all out with this much pent-up magic.”

“Can you, please, vacate the premises?” That last sentence was directed to Harry and his group of guardians, but that seemed to make the already squirming Mary even more panicked. She began elbowing people as she tried to get closer to Harry and his guardians. “No! They know what happened to me. They know me! Please!” Mary elbowed one of the Healers so hard in the face that blood spurted from their nose. She looked desperately towards Harry who would have helped her if only he knew how. Since he didn’t, he backed away some more, letting his guardians and his baba come between him and Mary.

“James and Lily know. They must. They always do – get that thing away from me!” Mary screamed when one of the Healers took out their wand. Harry then saw something he thought he’d never see. He had briefly read about them, but he had never actually seen one since they were pretty rare. Harry was fairly sure his family hadn’t seen one either.

“An Obscurus” Remus exhaled shocked before Sirius and Regulus cast a Shield Charm around the five of them. “Oh, Mary, what happened to you?” James whispered heartbrokenly as they all watched the shell of who used to be Mary Macdonald scream as a relatively small black mass of vapoury void erupted from her body and tried to swallow her whole. It didn’t work, thankfully, but it freaked the Healers out enough that they knocked Mary unconscious – that also made the black void return to the woman’s body.

“Hey! Don’t do that, what the f*ck?” Sirius raged as he dissolved his Shield Charm and tried to approach, but Regulus’ Shield Charm still remained intact. Sirius glared at his brother who shook his head, a calculating look on his face. “Someone’s doing their best to distract us from something. But just who… and what…?” Regulus mused, trying to piece everything together and seeing the bigger picture as always while the others kept focusing on the details. Harry wanted to learn to think like that. Until then, he’d listen to Reg’s intuition. Regulus’ expression suddenly cleared before he looked back towards Mary.

It struck Harry then too. He remembered everything they had collected about Mary Macdonald over the years. How she was a close friend of Lily Evans and James Potter and on the list of possible guardians for Harry. How she moved to Scotland shortly before the end of the War. How she disappeared and nobody ever heard of her ever again after the end of the War. Eleven years of absence, yet no body to be found.

Someone might call her a loose end. A liability.

That would be someone who would want Harry to be abused and easily manipulated. Someone who would want an emotionally vulnerable Harry who would latch onto any parental figure. Someone who wanted to forge Harry into a mindless weapon. Someone who paid off Harry’s abusers and then hid them, so Harry won’t be able to enact his revenge. Someone who has been paying far too much attention to Harry ever since he started school.

Someone who was a skilled Legilimens and could easily mess with someone’s mind. Implant fake memories and steal the true ones.

Harry looked up at his guardians to see that they too had figured it out, Regulus first, then Remus, Sirius and James. They all stared as the Healers dragged Mary into another wing of St. Mungo’s now that they realized they were not only dealing with someone with a messed-up memory, but also with the beginning of an Obscurial.

Harry briefly touched his scar and his hair. He looked at Remus’ scars, at Sirius’ hands which were now shaking with barely contained fury, at Regulus’ scowl, at his baba’s horrified expression. Such recognisable features. And Mary couldn’t really remember any of them. Someone had taken them away. They had violated her mind carelessly. They had violated her for years.

Dumbledore had taken Mary away and he had made an Obscurial out of her. He had forced fake memories into her mind, making a mess of it and, most likely, he had forced her to live without her magic. He had abused her so Mary couldn’t take Harry in. So Harry could be easily groomed into whatever Dumbledore had wanted him to become.

Harry couldn’t help it.

He puked all over the floor.

“Why is Regulus Black trying to visit Azkaban?”

“…”

“Answer me, Bartemius.”

“You know I don’t answer to that name –”

“You answer to your birthname and you answer when I talk to you. Do I have to use an Imperio on you just to get a proper conversation out of you?! I’ve raised you better than that.”

“…”

“I will not repeat my question.”

“I don’t have the answer you want.”

“Give me an answer nonetheless.”

“Maybe he’s visiting his relatives.”

“…”

“Or doing some sort of weird pilgrimage. Why would you think I know him? He betrayed the Dark Lord –”

“Do not! Do not speak that name. I forbid you from using it.”

“Well, you don’t like it when I call him Voldemort either –”

“Quiet! CRUCIO!”

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“Has he softened up a bit, Winky? I swear that lasted less than usual”

“… that’s only because you fainted, Young Master. Winky feared you wouldn’t wake up”

“Ah. That makes sense. How long was I out, then?”

“An hour, Young Master. Winky has brought some Healing Potions for you”

“Did you steal them?”

“Master insisted I get them from his study.”

“Are they poisoned?”

“…no, Young Master. Winky and Master have checked.”

“Ah. Pity. Any news on Regulus and Pandora?”

“It is as Master says. Lord Black has been requesting to visit the Azkaban graveyard. Master made sure his requests were denied on basis of his previous allegiance and the possibility of a mass break-out”

“Huh. That would be fun.”

“Young Master?”

“Nothing, nothing. So, they confirmed it’s me?”

“Winky believes they have their suspicions. Aurors tried apprehending Lord Black, but his family intervened.”

“Sirius?”

“And Mr. Lupin. And Mr. Harry Potter”

“His ward. Man, Regulus must be racked with grief.”

“Mr. Harry Potter is very alike to the late Lord James Potter”

“Oh, Reg, you f*cking idiot.”

“Can Winky bring anything else to the Young Master?”

“A knife.”

“Winky thinks that Young Master has satisfied his thirst for blood already”

“You’re ridiculously witty. How are preparations going?”

“Well, but Winky still thinks we can convince the Master that –”

“That I’ve changed? That I’ll be good? That ship’s sailed a long time ago.”

“But Master loves –”

“No. He loved my mother in sickly way. But he never loved me. Have you seen Regulus and the other two interacting with James’ and Lily’s kid?”

“Yes. They are protective of him.”

“They love him like he’s their blood. That’s paternal love. Whatever father feels for me… that’s not love. The preparations, Winky.”

“…Winky is preparing.”

“Good. Now, help me get to the highest floor. With some luck, father forgot to lock it. And get mother’s wand.”

“No, Young Master. Young Master promised Winky that he will only use it for justice. That’s what the late Mistress acquiesced to.”

“… even she’s confined me. f*cking hell. Okay. To the roof, then.”

“It’s still closed off, Young Master”

“Any windows open?”

“No, Young Master.”

“Any doors open?”

“No, Young Master.”

“What about –?”

“Young Master, let’s lie down, you’re shaking.”

“Huh. Didn’t even notice. Thanks, Winky. Go gather some more aconite for me. Carefully. I trust Reg to figure this sh*t out, but I want out of this rabbit hole.”

“… of course, Young Master.”

Chapter 15: Lupus in fabula

Chapter Text

Disregarding all of the aforementioned insane events, Harry spent his summer trying to convince his guardians to kill every single person who looked at them weird (his only supporter was Regulus and, sometimes, Lily and Sirius), hiding from his guardians to practice transforming into Bambi as James had begun calling him affectionately (Harry was banned from using the Floo in consequence when all of them panicked when he started disappearing in the middle of the night), flying around on his new Nimbus 2001 (Sirius bought it on impulse and now Regulus had restricted his access to their Vaults in fear he'd empty them in a few more weeks), being psychologically trained by Pandora to trap any beetles he finds, doing schoolwork in preparation for his second year, speaking lots of French with Pandora, Regulus, Sirius and Luna to their partners' frustration and sending lots of letters to his friends who were travelling all over the world – Agni hated them all, he was starting to aim his claws to take eyes out every time he returned home with post from all over the world.

The Weasleys and Longbottoms were the only ones not travelling from Harry’s friend group (“Not really in our budget” was Ron’s evasive way of explaining it whereas Neville told him he and his gran never really went anywhere outside of the UK in case they were needed by Alice and Frank). The Patils had gone home to India for a month for a big family reunion (“One of our cousins is pregnant, but she’s trying to hide it by having a hurried wedding” Parvati had informed him in her letter whereas Padma had seemed confused by the whole rushed wedding; Harry was becoming even more confident in his deduction that Parvati was a Seer, but he wouldn’t confront her about it. It was her secret to tell, after all.)

Hermione was spending time in France with her parents since they had to attend a conference there. They used that opportunity to stay a couple weeks in France. Hermione wrote entire paragraphs about architecture, culture, literature, the language itself. Harry skimmed through them with a small smile, pleased to see Hermione was enjoying herself. Susan and her aunt had a one-week trip to New York. Amelia Bones (and, in consequence, Susan) refused to answer any letters that weren’t emergencies, so that she and her niece could have a nice week to themselves to do whatever they wanted to. (“My aunt says there are two actual emergencies in the Ministry. There’s number one: the Ministry or England is taken over by Voldemort or another blood supremacist. Or two… you’re dead or dying.” Harry had blinked seeing what Susan had written, but when he wrote to her about it, she refused to elaborate. Harry promised himself to ponder more on his role in the Wizarding Society… if he remembered to, that is.)

Elysian had gone to Amsterdam for Pride with his dads which he had described as the coolest experience he’d ever had. That whole letter made Harry ask his guardians if they could go to Pride together next year and they were all more than happy to oblige Harry’s request. Cassius took his siblings and they went to visit his older sister in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she was busy taking care of a century-old curse with, apparently, Bill Weasley, the oldest Weasley child and the Heir to the House of Weasley. Charlie was the Prewett Heir – speaking of, Charlie was in Romania, working hard to complete his training and become a fully-licensed Dragonologist since he was only an apprentice Dragonologist at the moment. Tonks kept them updated since they took it upon themselves to pop by Charlie’s place every couple weeks. Harry wasn’t sure if they became official, but they were definitely together in some way.

Theo was finally safe after spending almost half the summer with his father and his aunt. He was now at his mother’s ancestral home where he was taking care of a bunch of creatures that liked to flock there since the place was mostly left unperturbed. Safe and sound. Theo wrote to him about the herd of Thestrals he had there which made Harry very excited to see Thestrals first-hand someday – Theo mentioned there might be a herd of them at Hogwarts, so Harry was excited to search for them. As for Blaise, he kept complaining about how difficult French verb tenses were. And how rolling his r’s was an idiocy. Harry couldn’t wait to hear him speak – both to encourage him and to tease him.

Another thing he did this summer was preparing Luna emotionally for her first year. "Alright. Listen up. Boys are trash, please be a lesbian –" cue everyone laughing around them while Luna smiled, amused by Harry's antics " – and if someone likes you, I need to veto them beforehand. That goes for friends too"

"What's a veto?"

"It means I can reject them for you. Because I know most of the Hogwarts’ students due to my gossip-prone friends. Right. The Houses. Gryffindors are brave yet stupid, Ravenclaws are smart but they procrastinate a lot, Slytherins are ambitious, but cowards most of the time and Hufflepuffs are chill, but tend to wish for world domination"

"You literally insulted all of our Houses" Remus remarked amused, making Harry shrug. "I was almost a Gryffindor. I can badmouth them. Ah. Also, Luna –"

"Yes, Harry, I will come find you if anyone is giving me trouble" Their guardians looked relieved by that. Only for a moment, though. They then realized Harry could bully a professor out of their position and they were suddenly terrified about whatever revenge Harry would plan if someone dared hurt Luna.

Going back to the crazy stuff that’s happened at the beginning of summer… well…

Harry still wasn’t sure what the deal with Mary Macdonald was. Sure, they all guessed Dumbledore messed up her mind, but they didn’t know how to heal her. She was a confirmed Obscurial and it’s not like there was a cure for that. And they wouldn’t let Harry near Mary since she always went into a frenzy when she saw him. She kept calling him James, mistaking him for his baba. Lily had been inconsolable ever since they’d found out about what Mary had (allegedly) gone through. Mary too seemed to have a panic attack every time someone tried to explain to her that Lily and James were dead. That so were Dorcas and Marlene. Regulus, Remus, Sirius and Pandora had tried their best to take custody of Mary and get her away from St. Mungo’s (and Dumbledore’s influence) but they had no legal basis to act on since Mary was an adult and they weren’t her family.

Sirius had tried to fool the Healers into believing that he was Mary’s husband – which would have been literally impossible from a chronological point of view. But, Sirius was a really good gaslighter. It had almost worked, until the Healers noticed how upset Remus was becoming and, then, Sirius noticed – it had been a whole debacle that had ended with Remus and Sirius going out for a date night to make up and with Mary being left behind once again. His guardians weren’t giving up, of course, but it was a long-term battle to get Mary back. (“We’ll get her back. I promise” Regulus had told them all, making a very distraught-looking Lily look up at him. The two had exchanged a glance before Lily nodded, looking much more determined than before. “And he kept saying he wasn’t leader material” James had grumbled making Harry snort, but he didn’t tell the others what James had said. Sirius whined to get Harry to cave, but it was unsuccessful no matter how much Sirius playfully and dramatically begged Harry to talk. Harry didn’t cave, but everyone was smiling by the end of that act. Mission accomplished.)

As for Lockhart’s death, the Aurors had confirmed it was the same killer as Pettigrew’s, but there were no other news. They had supposedly ruled out any other human accomplices, so they were looking into creatures who could have helped the murderer. Nevertheless, the Aurors were stumped. And Regulus’s requests to visit the Azkaban graveyard were still being denied. Harry had a feeling his guardian would take the illegal route soon – anything to achieve his goal. His guardians assured him, however, that they will figure everything out. They also asked Harry to focus on his studies and Hogwarts – as if Harry wasn’t aware his guardians had a lot of stuff on their plates. Tracking the three Horcruxes Narcissa had told them about, trying to get Mary out of Mungo’s and into Grimmauld, trying to track down the serial killer that seemed to know Regulus and Pandora and –

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!”

– and planning Harry’s birthday party.

Not that Harry had really wanted a birthday party, but he had a big family so any celebration turned into a party fairly quickly. He watched them all with an amused smile as he closed the backdoor of Grimmauld Place. He had searched for them all over the house only to go to the backyard as his last resort before attempting to Floo-Call a trusted adult (Andromeda, most likely). Thankfully, it had not come to that.

All of his guardians and Luna had hidden in the backyard to surprise Harry for his 12th birthday. Harry watched them with amused smiles before looking up at his baba who grinned brightly. “And yet Moony says I can’t keep secrets. Look at me, Remus! I didn’t say sh*t!” Harry huffed amused before telling the others what his baba had said. Remus shook his head in amusem*nt while Sirius grinned just as brightly. “Hell yeah, Prongs! Way to go!” Lily rolled her eyes at that whereas Pandora chuckled. Regulus raised his eyebrows incredulously towards his brother and James, but there was a small smile (perhaps a little mean) playing on his lips. “Are those your standards? I don’t think that’s something you should be so proud of –”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Party time!” Sirius interrupted Regulus’ upcoming flirty banter with James, making James pout and Regulus huff mildly annoyed. Then, everyone focused on Harry once again. “Oh, happy birthday, my dear Harry! Merlin, you’ve grown so much!” Lily exclaimed as she dragged Harry in a suffocating hug. Harry was fairly sure he was kept in someone’s embrace all day. Even while opening presents. It was, first, his mom who refused to let go of him until he blew the candles on his birthday cake and made a wish. When asked about the wish, Harry was about to say he wanted his baba back, but Lily stopped him. “Wishes aren’t supposed to be told! They won’t come true if you tell them!” Lily had warned them which made Sirius frown. “What? That’s bullsh*t. I told Prongs and Moony all my wishes and they always came true!” The two then launched into a heated debate about the subject to Remus’ and Pandora’s amusem*nt.

His baba took that moment to hold him in an embrace. Harry allowed it with a small smile that Regulus and Luna seemed to understand instantly, but neither said anything about it. “Happy birthday, Harry” His baba said softly and Harry closed his eyes, wishing and wishing and wishing.

“I heard –”, Harry opened his eyes to look at Regulus who had approached them with that small, gentle smile of his, “– that if you tell your wishes to the stars, they’ll come true” His guardian said as he crouched by Harry’s side. Harry was finally getting taller so, for once, Regulus had to look up at him as he was crouching. James huffed amused, trying to listen to Lily’s and Sirius’ banter as well as Regulus’ and Harry’s conversation.

“I take it you’re the star?” Harry asked his guardian with an amused smile which made Regulus shrug one shoulder. “Sirius too, technically, but he’s distracted. So?” Reg asked him which made Harry watch him contemplatively. “You know my wish” Harry said simply, his eyes darting briefly to his baba – movement which went unnoticed by James, but Reg took note of it. He hummed and nodded. “We share a wish, then. You know I –”

“I know, Reg.” Harry replied softly which made Regulus smile nostalgically.

“My turn to hold the birthday boy!” Sirius announced brightly and somewhat obnoxiously before scooping Harry in a hug, making him yelp. “You’ll make him puke!” Lily warned, but Sirius dismissed her worries and spun Harry in the air, making him laugh. Sirius held him while they joked around. Then, while they ate, Harry sat besides Remus who had his arm around the boy, holding him close to him, yet comfortably so. When it was time for cake and the “happy birthday” song, Pandora held him and Luna close, with a hand on each of their shoulders. Luna kept hold of Harry’s hand as he blew out his candles again for the dramatic effect of doing it as the birthday song ended.

As he opened his presents, Harry sat in-between his parents on their picnic blanket. Harry didn’t only have to go through the gifts from his guardians, but also presents from his friends. Lots of them. All of his friends who were travelling abroad sent him souvenirs and things they thought he’d like. The ones who remained home also sent him presents – the Weasley twins sent him a strange box that Harry didn’t trust on principle (he opened it and, to his relief, it was filled with prank-related stuff which really intrigued his baba, Sirius and Remus), alongside a sweater with an H on it (“Mom insisted you get one since we’re friends” was Ron’s explanation in his next letter) alongside a couple treacle tarts. Neville sent him a strange plant that Regulus identified as a Squill. “It’s used for cough medicine… and Felix Felicis. Huh. Interesting thought” Regulus pondered with a contemplative look on his face. “Plot murders after Harry’s birthday” was Pandora’s swift reply which made Harry snicker while the others cringed in preparation for another “let’s murder that person” discussion.

Theo sent him a bunch of books – Harry noticed how they all were related to his interests which made him smile, pleased to see his friend paying such close attention to him – whereas Blaise sent him an Italian to English dictionary to Harry’s amusem*nt and a bunch of souvenirs from Italy. The other gifts from his friends were delightful, of course, as were the gifts from his guardians.

However, Harry had to admit that Draco’s gift was quite memorable.

Mostly because, while they communicated quite frequently during the summer, Harry had always had to wait for his pen pal to respond whereas his responses were almost instantaneous. Harry blamed Lucius Malfoy. He really hoped he could trust Narcissa as much as Draco did, but, for now, he was still wary. He wasn’t familiar with Draco’s home situation and, frankly, he didn’t know how to be subtle with asking about it.

But hearing that Draco and Narcissa worked together to make his gift?

Harry couldn’t help but smile as he took out the photo album filled with photos from their first year. There were a couple photos with Harry’s parents from when they were in Hogwarts. Harry assumed Narcissa got those from Andromeda – although, he wasn’t sure how exactly since they weren’t really talking. There were still a lot of pages left empty, but Harry delighted in seeing all the photos Draco had taken of them. The cover of the photo album had a lily pressed into it, a snitch etched onto it with golden thread and Harry’s initials calligraphed below the flower and the snitch: HJP. Harry thought Draco had taken inspiration from Harry’s present to him, but he wasn’t upset in the slightest. The gift was sincere and well-thought through.

And, as it seemed, that was not the end of it.

Inside the gift box there was something else.

“… are those cuff links?” Sirius asked confused when Harry opened the small box inside of it. “You’re not asking the right questions. Are those cuff links with stars on them?” James retorted, but Harry didn’t deign to tell the others his baba had spoken, too intrigued by whatever the cuff links were. He held them in his hands and – there it was.

“Wow. That’s a very powerful Disillusionment Charm. It’s like I’m looking at a fractured mirror” Lily mumbled, blinking quickly before looking away. All of the adults looked away, grimacing. Harry stopped trying to coax the magic out of the cuff links and his guardians looked back towards him once more. Remus sighed. “Seems like Draco knows you well enough to know about your nightly walks after curfew” Harry shrugged at that, but he was smiling. “He tends to wait up for me to come back safely” He replied simply, but, for some reason that made all of his guardians react exaggeratedly.

“History repeats itself, then” Lily drawled which made James burst out in laughter while Remus grinned. Regulus and Pandora shared an amused smile whereas Luna tilted her head curiously to the side. Sirius looked vaguely queasy, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Harry admired his presents and he couldn’t help the warmth overwhelming him. It was… this was love. Harry could tell. He did it – finally. He was loved. He knew his parents loved him – but this? Finally, there was someone who could show him they loved him. Multiple people. He was grateful. And he knew that he’d never take this for granted. He’d protect them all. He will never let them be hurt for his sake. They’d thrive. They’d be safe. His family and his friends as well. Speaking of… he was worried about Draco. Harry didn’t like the vibe he was getting from his letters. He didn’t like what he read about Theo’s summer with his dad and aunt either, but, at least, Theo could be free of them for a while. But Draco?...

As for the letters he had exchanged with Draco… well, there were only a few of them. But Harry still kept them locked away, safely, in his trunk. He wasn’t sure why he was so attached to them. They were a bit censored even with the newfound freedom of their correspondence, courtesy of Narcissa. He treasured them, but he didn’t know why.

Maybe he’d know in the future.

Harry,

Maman told me she told you how to safely get letters to me. Father can’t know about this. Or that we’re friends. I hope you understand. And I’m sorry.

I couldn’t read the letters you sent since I had to burn them before father could ask who they were from. A bit of accidental magic. Father wasn’t pleased my magic was acting up, but I’d rather take a scolding than a Crucio.

I hope you’re having a nice summer. Theo’s just gone to stay at his mother’s ancestral home, so he’s safe for the rest of the summer. Blaise has started picking up some French, but he tells me his tutor is horrified by his accent. Guess we’ll have some fun with that.

I heard about Mary Macdonald’s sudden reappearance and your attempts to get her away from St. Mungo’s. Maman told me she was close to your parents. Is that why you want her back? Has Macdonald been Crucio’d? Is that why she acts so crazy? What about the rumours she almost killed ten Healers? I hope you’re okay and that it didn’t affect you or your guardians too much. And that she heals – if that is possible.

Write to me whenever you’re able to. Stay safe.

Signed, your concerned friend, Draco

To Narcissa Black
For Draco

You’re kinda impossible to get a hold of, aren’t you? I wrote you five letters before giving up. Blaise and Theo explained why I couldn’t send you stuff, but I was worried. Are you alright? Some of the things you mentioned in that letter… are you sure it’s safe for you and your mom there? I talked with Regulus and he can get you and your mom away from there. Offer you some sort of sanctuary.

Also, is your mother trustworthy? She said she wouldn’t read this, but I don’t know how much I can trust her. She’s ferocious. She reminds me of my mom in a way.

The stuff with Mary is crazy. She’s fine technically, but her mind is messed up. There’s a lot to unpack there. I might tell you about it someday, but that day is not today. Sorry. Saviour business and all that.

I am safe. Are you?

Signed, your even more concerned friend, Harry

Harry,

Maman is the only one I trust. We trust each other. We keep each other safe. If she said she isn’t reading the letters, then she isn’t. I know you don’t trust easily, so I asked her to make sure she’s keeping her promise. She said she hasn’t read our letters and she never will, unless I show them to her. But I won’t. She always gives them to me sealed, just like you send them.

As for the offer for sanctuary… Malfoys don’t run away. We face our problems and deal with them. I appreciate the offer, but no, Harry. This isn’t your fight or Regulus’. It’s mine. It’s my mother’s.

Someday, you say? I’ll hold you to that.

I’m glad you’re alright. I assume you’re all doing your best to heal Macdonald mentally. Mind healers might help, but it implies Legilimency. I don’t know how much you know about it, but it would mean any of Macdonald’s secrets will be revealed to the mind healer while they help her. You might not like it, but it’s an option. A good one.

Your birthday is coming soon. Are you excited? Are you hosting a birthday party? Not that I can attend, but… Blaise and Theo might. And your other friends.

Write soon.

Signed, your very intrigued friend, Draco

To Narcissa Black
For Draco

You’re asking me to write soon as if I’m the one taking weeks to reply. My birthday is next week. Yes, I’m excited, but there’s no party happening. Most of my friends are all over the world right now. And my house is under a Fidelius. Not really a good place to hold a party. The others said they’d be sending me presents anyway. Poor owls. Agni already hates me for making him fly all over.

We don’t have a mind healer we can trust, so, no. We have a plan, but it will take time.

Someday, okay? I’ll tell you all about it.

Write soon. Your responses are becoming sparser and sparser. Take care.

Signed, your nervous friend, Harry

Harry,

I won’t be able to respond to any more letters. Father is getting suspicious. I hope you like your birthday present. Maman helped me make it.

Happy birthday.

Signed, Draco

After this very eventful summer, Harry was now back on the Hogwarts Express. It was a good morning to be stuck in a cool train compartment, surrounded by sweets from the trolley lady. He and his roommates were now conversing solely in snappish French that made it look like they were arguing while they were actually talking about the most normal subjects. For example...

"I think we should find an enclosure to put rats in. For Hedwig" Harry said in French, but it sounded like he was threatening Draco to sic Hedwig on him.

"Thanks for the clarification. I thought you meant we should feed the rats to each other" Theo deadpanned, not looking up from his book. Blaise smirked then and they all knew they'd have to burst a lung to keep their laughter hidden. "How romantic"

f*cking asshole. Harry would have ruptured something if it weren't for their cabin door opening after a short knock. "Luna? Is everything OK?" Harry asked softly, switching to English as soon as he saw her there. She offered him a smile. "Yes. I came to make sure you had your mirror on you" Harry blinked. Right. Pandora's gift from last year. Harry frowned lightly in thought, but he nodded. "Yeah. Pandora said I should have it on me, so I do. Do you have one?" Luna hummed as she nodded. "Yes. Your friends should carry one too. Just in case"

"Not his friends" Draco snapped which made Harry raise an incredulous eyebrow towards him. Draco looked pissed off, unlike the Draco from a couple minutes ago who was grinning brightly and joking around with his friends. Harry was going to become a Draco-whisperer one day, but today was not the day. "Well, I should get going. I wouldn't want to attract any more wrackspurts" Luna acquiesced, looking curiously at the other boys before looking back towards her almost brother.

"Take care, don't die" Harry called out, making Luna giggle. "Was that your sister?" Theo asked in French, but he couldn't mask his genuinely curious tone. Draco blinked at that. "Sister?" Draco sounded terribly confused. "Do you just hear what you want to hear every time someone speaks, Draco? Harry has mentioned Luna before. She's one of his guardians' daughter. That pretty much makes them siblings. You grew up together, right?" Blaise spoke to an embarrassed Draco before asking Harry about Luna which made him hum as he played with a chocolate frog, watching it try to escape his grasp.

"Not really. I was 9 when I met her. We clicked, though"

"What was the deal with the mirror?" Theo then asked making Harry shrug a shoulder, trying to hide his instantly defensive attitude. He had to keep Luna’s and Pandora’s secrets. "She's into Divination. Her father runs the Quibbler” Harry lied through his teeth, not wanting to out Luna as a Seer. Not even to his closest friends. It wasn’t that Harry didn’t trust them to keep the secret – but he knew there were other ways to obtain such secrets. Especially from kids who were untrained in the art of Occlumency.

"That thing is filled with crap" Draco replied viciously to which Harry retorted "You are filled with crap" making Blaise chuckle whereas Theo seemed distracted, absentmindedly flipping a page in his book back and forth. Blaise changed the subject for their next discussion, sensing that Harry and Draco might start arguing very soon. "So, predictions for this year? I think Harry will kill another teacher" That made them all splutter in shock.

"That was so uncalled for!" Harry protested while Theo snickered. "I don't know. Odds are pretty high. It's already happened once; well, twice, if you count Lockhart getting murdered after you made him go insane" Harry huffed annoyed before shaking his head. "Uncle Remus accepted the job. So, there will be no killing" The other three booed. Harry rolled his eyes at their antics, but there was a smile tugging at his lips.

"Was Remus the one with the scars?" Blaise asked curiously which made Hardy nod in confirmation. "Yeah. Remus John Lupin. You'll see. You'll like him. He's actually qualified for the job" The other three boys agreed to wait and see what happens.

To get to Hogwarts, they weren't placed in the boats this time unlike the first years. Instead, they were directed towards carriages. Harry drifted curiously towards the skeletal horses dragging the carriages. "Potter, what are you –?" Draco was about to ask him, but his friends stopped and stared as Harry pet what was an invisible thing to them. "You're quite pretty" he said gently while Theo sighed lightly as he too approached the animal. "That’s a Thestral. I mentioned them in my letters. You can only see them if you've seen Death." Theo told Harry in French which made the boy glance at Theo curiously, but not wanting to pressure him into answering Harry’s silent question. "I was there when my mother died" Theo replied numbly, gingerly touching the Thestral. Theo had seen his mother’s Death and that’s why he could see the Thestrals. Harry had seen his mom die as well. He pet the Thestral once more, making it huff.

"What do they look like?" Blaise asked in heavily-accented French as the four of them entered the carriage – the gloomy atmosphere was lifted as the other three tried to fight off smiles from their faces at the accent. "Thin skeletal horses. You can see all their bones. They are literally skin and bones" Harry explained while Theo nodded in confirmation. "Hey, little pricks" Cassius called out somewhat affectionately as he stepped onto their carriage and sat down next to Harry. Harry grinned brightly seeing Cassius had acquired a couple more piercings in comparison to last year. Besides getting his ears pierced (and there were lots of piercings there), he had his lower lip pierced and his belly button which was obvious from the evident, round prominence underneath his tight t-shirt. He also got his hair bleached partially, so his brown hair contrasted with the blonde lower part.

The boys exchanged greetings and, if future Harry would look back in time, he'd know that was the moment he decided he was definitely into guys as well. A few others inside the carriage must have also come to that conclusion, but their discussion revolved around other ordinary things. "So, the new DADA prof. He's your guardian? Is he alright?" Cassius asked as they got off the carriage later on, Harry and Theo petting the Thestrals once more before going on their way inside. "Yeah. I mean, Remus is fun at home. He taught me quite a few spells before my first year and he's patient. I think we will have a good year"

"Don't jinx it now" Blaise bemoaned dramatically and the others chuckled. They entered the Great Hall and went for their usual seats. Harry waved towards his friends at the other tables that waved his way in return and he saluted those he was familiar with at his table. But, he had done so distractedly because he was smiling up at the professors' table where uncle Moony was sitting between Madam Pince and McGonagall, chatting idly to them.

Uncle Moony had wanted to leave Grimmauld in his usual day-to-day clothes. Everyone in the house thought that would be a hate crime, so Sirius jumped rope again and bought Remus a whole new wardrobe of outfits. In order for his boyfriend to accept it, Sirius bought a whole new wardrobe for Lily as well, another for Luna and half for Pandora and Harry respectively. Regulus had looked resigned to it, but nobody had said anything as he too bought some clothes and stuffed them in the room James had chosen for himself. The room was filled with clothes and gifts and other belongings. All of them waiting for James to come back.

So, now, Remus was dressed in a smart muggle suit and a wizardly robe on top of it. He looked like a renowned war hero with his scars on display on his face, neck and arms. Which he was, even if Dumbledore wanted to sweep that fact under the rug. (Speaking of him, he refused to even glance at the Slytherin table. Harry watched him with narrowed eyes for a few moments, before getting back to his meal.) All of the previous Order members were.

James whistled with a small smile on his lips. "Moony sure does clean up nicely. Padfoot must have almost ripped the clothes off him. I'm surprised he made it in time, actually" Harry was going to get a lobotomy. It was a fun little procedure that would hopefully fix all his problems.

He made eye contact with Moony who smiled gently his way, smile which Harry returned before joining the conversation at the table about the Quidditch season. Flint was talking loudly about needing a few replacements to train since he was a sixth year now. Cassius was a fifth year whereas Montague was a fourth year and the Weasley twins were third years. Flint would graduate sooner rather than later and he wanted to leave behind a generation that could get them even more wins. Harry could tell Draco was listening in with barely contained enthusiasm which made Harry hide a smile behind his cup of tea.

Cassius looked like he’d rather be anywhere else, snickering with Fred and George about something only the three of them knew. Montague was listening intently, silently observing everyone who was paying attention to the discussion. Harry spoke only when spoken to, so it was mostly Flint holding that conversation – which made sense since he was their captain. “I want another Quidditch Cup in Slytherin colours” was Flint’s last sentence of his speech before they all paid attention to the professors’ table when Dumbledore called for their attention.

Dumbledore gave his boring start-of-the-year speech, introducing Remus as their new DADA teacher (that was the only interesting part of his speech). The applause was raucous to Remus' surprise. People knew him as Harry's guardian so they trusted him to be capable – well, most of them. Harry was proud of that. Even if there were a couple wary people, they remained quiet, so that was good.

Then, the Sorting began.

Harry started paying attention only when he heard the name Greengrass being called. He briefly looked over at Daphne who was watching her younger sister, Astoria, with a curious gaze. Pansy had turned as well towards the brown-haired first-year. “SLYTHERIN!” The hat called out after a couple moments of deliberation. Astoria smiled briefly before hurrying to get to the Slytherin table where Daphne welcomed her with a small smile. Pansy instantly started talking with her as soon as the girl was seated to Astoria’s shock. Millicent Bulstrode and Tracey Davis also joined the conversation in hopes of getting to know the younger girl – and, probably, to obtain any gossip possible.

"Any guesses for your sister?" Theo asked him in soft French, making Harry hum, deep in thought. "Her parents are both Ravenclaws. But I don't know. She could fit here too" Harry mused which made him and his friends watch Luna in the crowd of the other first years.

"Luna Lovegood!" McGonagall called eventually and Harry watched curiously as Luna stepped up and sat on the stool. The Hat was placed on her head and, after a full five minutes had passed, it still hadn’t given a verdict. "Is this another Potter head stall?" Draco drawled in a whisper, but it was then that the Hat delivered its conclusion. "RAVENCLAW!" Luna hummed pleased and she got up to join her new housemates, but she did shoot Harry a bright smile which Harry returned warmly. She also smiled towards Remus who waved her way with a warm smile. Harry watched as Elysian, Parvati and Hermione welcomed Luna with open arms to the Ravenclaw table.

Then, it was time for the Warrington twins. Cassia and Pollux. “Warrington, Cas–” McGonagall started calling, but Cassia darted forward and interrupted her as she sat down on the stool. “It’s Cassia, Professor. My name is Cassia Warrington” The first-year girl stated defiantly which made McGonagall’s eyes twinkle in delight. Behind her, Dumbledore frowned, but McGonagall took action before the old man could. “We’ll change the name in the archives accordingly, Miss Warrington” Cassia looked ready to cry in relief as the Hat was placed on her head. “f*ck yeah. I knew McGonagall would understand” Cassius grinned whereas the Weasley twins shared a curious look, but chose to grin in support rather than interrogate their friend.

“HUFFLEPUFF!” The Hat called out, making Cassia grin brightly towards her older brother who whooped in sync with the Hufflepuff table. Cassia ran to her table where Susan and Cedric welcomed her warmly. It was, then, Pollux’ turn. The Hat touched his head for only a moment before it called out “HUFFLEPUFF!” as well. Pollux smiled lightly as he joined his twin while Cassius cheered for him as well. After making sure the twins weren’t looking his way, however, he dragged a hand over his face, grimacing. “This won’t end well” He mumbled concerned which made the twins pat his back encouragingly, but the three of them all looked very concerned. “They are safe here” George tried to reassure him, but Cassius only grimaced more in answer.

The last to be sorted was Ginevra Weasley which had Harry dart another look towards the Weasley twins. They were whispering quietly between themselves, trying to comfort Cassius, but they had their eyes on their younger sister.

The Hat barely touched the girl's head before it bellowed "GRYFFINDOR!" Ginevra grinned proudly and she went to join her table, Ron nodding approvingly towards her. She did look at the Slytherin table, however briefly. While her eyes flitted quickly over the twins, it was Harry who had her attention for a few longer moments. She flushed brightly when she realized his attention was also on her. Harry blinked surprised before returning to his meal. Perhaps he shouldn't have ignored Ginny so easily, though. That always proved to be catastrophic for Harry.

Their first DADA class took place the next day and Harry came with Hedwig slung around his neck. She had grown bored of sitting alone in their dorm and she threatened to bite the next person to come inside their dorm if she wasn't allowed to see other things besides those four walls.

Remus received them all with a kind smile. He didn't even bat an eye when Hedwig came down from Harry’s shoulders and she tried to make her way up to his neck. Remus’ new robes were slippery, however, and she hissed annoyed. "I hate new clothes. His old clothes were comfy and easy to climb over" Harry went to translate, but Remus seemed to have understood the gist of it, because he grabbed Hedwig and he placed her on his shoulders. Hedwig then hid her face in a tuft of Remus’ hair and she remained there for the entire period, neither the snake nor the werewolf bothering to answer the students’ shocked gazes.

"Welcome everyone. My name is Remus John Lupin. I'll be teaching you Defence against the Dark Arts this year. I'll present the curriculum this first class and we might start talking a bit about Cornish Pixies, but that depends on how our conversations go. This class will be very practical so, I'll have you place your wands on your desks as soon as you are seated. We'll practice spells almost every class. We will discuss theory as well, but I'll allow more independent study on that. I believe spells are best learnt by doing them, so, let's begin talking about our curriculum"

Harry smiled at everyone's mildly astonished looks, especially as they watched Remus handle a snake they all guessed to be venomous as if it was a toy. Harry was trying really hard not to laugh every time Hedwig's tongue darted out and she said something like "Tastes like dog. Musty"

The class went well. They started talking about Cornish Pixies as Remus had predicted, but he also took questions from everyone interested to learn more about his experience with DADA. One of the questions had Harry bristle however.

"Where'd you get all those scars from, Professor?" It was, obviously, Seamus who asked that stupid question. Harry had almost grabbed his wand to shoot a curse his way, but Draco had grabbed his hand before he could grab his wand. "Easy, Harry. Moony has it covered" His baba said confidently even if he looked upset himself.

Remus smiled indulgently, not at all looking uncomfortable by the question. "You can't exactly teach a subject if you don't have some experience in the field" He replied mysteriously and he instantly won over the entire class. Remus Lupin, war hero and, now, qualified DADA professor. ("A very attractive war hero" Cassius would tell them that evening making Harry gag. "He's practically married!" Cassius winked at that. "I don't see a problem with that" Harry realized then he was being teased - of course! - so he had Hedwig jump on Cassius, making him shriek. Hedwig only licked his cheek though, making the other boys laugh delighted whereas Cassius glared, but a smile was playing on his lips as he shook his head in resignation.)

The school year began with such a happy atmosphere that reality hit Harry hard. On the night of the first full moon of the school year, on 12th September 1992, Harry was rushing down the corridors. He didn't take neither the Cloak nor Hedwig with him. He needed to get to the Shrieking Shack as soon as possible. He didn’t have time for distractions. He needed to be there for Moony. He had to help them all. James was protesting it since Harry's fawn form had only just lost its spots and was only now growing antlers, but Harry didn't care. Reg and Sirius would be the only ones herding Moony tonight. Harry could help.

It seems that he was getting predictable.

Regulus was watching him with a raised eyebrow as he stood by the passageway that led to the Whomping Willow and, then, from there to the Shrieking Shack – actually, screw the Shrieking Shack. Harry should have gone straight to the Forbidden Forest. Instead, he was caught by none other than Regulus. "No Cloak, no Hedwig, no precautions? Really, Harry?" Regulus asked him, actually sounding disappointed that Harry got caught outside past curfew. Harry scowled. He didn't need the Cloak when all he had to do was transform and run to the Forbidden Forest. James grimaced next to him.

"Moony is –"

"With Sirius. And I'll head there too, as soon as you're back in your common room. Remus said you wouldn’t be so careless to try and join us during the full moon. Sirius and I disagreed with him. Based on different reasons, but we still thought you’d show up" Regulus said as he stepped away from where he was leaning against the wall. He bent slightly to look the young boy in his eyes. "I know you want to help. But Remus isn't himself tonight. He'd never forgive himself if anyone got hurt because of him. He'd leave if you got hurt. Do you understand?" Regulus' words were true even if they were cruel – vicious words to warn a child not to intervene in adult business. James was frowning, but he wasn't contradicting Reg.

"James. Control your son."

"What the –?! You try to keep him still! I look away for one second and he's on the other side of the castle!"

"Baba said it's impossible to control me"

Regulus' lips twitched in amusem*nt. "I'm sure that's your variation of what he said. But, alright. Let's think it through" Regulus spoke as he crouched, making Harry frown a bit more. He didn’t like the patronizing mood of this conversation.

"You go there and you get mauled. We all suffer. You go there and observe from a distance. Remus smells you; we have to protect you and then we have to choose who to save since Remus will attack you. You don't go there at all and you go back to sleep and you visit Remus tomorrow morning. Remus is pleased to see you unharmed and so are me and Sirius. You are mildly annoyed, but you get over it before the next full moon. The cycle continues and we all survive"

Harry's eyes were blazing with barely contained rage. "I killed Voldemort twice and you think I can't handle Moony?" Harry retorted viciously which made Regulus sigh softly. "Harry –" Regulus gently carded his hand through the boy's hair, eyes thoughtful, as he spoke " – I know you're capable of miraculous things. You can look after yourself. But, you don't have to. We are the adults. Let us protect you for however long we can"

James was oddly quiet, so Harry assumed he was tearing up. One glance proved it. Harry sighed deeply. "Fine." He grumbled which made Regulus smile pleased. "Good. Go back to bed, mon petit prince. We'll see you in the morning" Harry grumbled a “stay safe” before turning around. When he was sure Regulus wouldn't see or hear him, Harry was already pretty close to the common room. "When Bambi grows up, I'm joining them, no matter what they say" Harry told James who sighed deeply, but there was a small smile on his lips. "Yeah, figured you would. But only when Bambi has antlers. Like Prongs"

The next morning, Harry was in the Hospital Wing before the castle had properly woken up. Madam Pomfrey blinked seeing him before darting a look towards the only occupied bed and sighing. "Well, come on in, then, Harry. I'm sure they'd appreciate your company" she spoke, sounding tired. Harry hurried to get to Moony's bed. He wasn't surprised to see Sirius asleep in a chair next to Remus' bed. Remus too was sleeping with Sirius having his head on Remus' abdomen, Remus’ hand being placed on his boyfriend’s nape. Regulus was also nearby, holding a mug of coffee in his hands and reading a book. He looked up when Harry approached. He looked tired, but not overly so.

"Did you sleep well?" Regulus asked him and Harry scowled. Regulus smiled amused, so Harry's scowl probably resembled a pout more than anything. "How bad were you hurt?" Harry asked bluntly, making Regulus shrug one shoulder. "I wasn't. Moony finally got used to having me around. He thinks it's funny to pick me up and drop me on Sirius’s back for some reason. Sirius had some scratches from me because of that, but Pomfrey healed those. Remus wasn't that injured either" Regulus regaled him with the details in French which had Harry nodding relieved. Regulus watched him curiously. "Is this your new hobby? Going out after curfew? I will ask Snape to tighten security around the Slytherin common room if it becomes reoccurring"

Harry frowned at that. "Why are you so mean, Regulus?" He sighed, but that had Regulus watching him with hawk eyes. "Lockhart almost killed you last year. I don't blame you for that, he was insane, but I blame you for being vulnerable outside of the common room. You know better" Harry sighed. He did know better. That doesn't mean he liked to hear that from Regulus. From anyone, really. Regulus seemed to know that, however, so he sighed indulgently. "I bullied Snape into signing a permission slip for you, excusing you from classes today. To stay with these two losers and myself"

That had Harry smiling brilliantly towards Regulus. "Thank you, Reg!" And if Regulus' expression softened substantially, only James Potter noticed as Harry climbed onto the other side of Remus' bed and he laid down next to him. Regulus kept watch and, after making sure Harry was fast asleep, he spoke with his lips against the rim of his mug.

"I will find you a body if I have to kill them myself, James"

James couldn’t help but tense at that. He wanted to stop him, to tell him to wait, but he too was eager to be back. Even if the very thought of Regulus killing again was disturbing to him, Regulus killing for James... well, James didn't really want to explore how that made him feel. He didn't think he'd like what he found. James and Regulus orbited each other in silence for the rest of the morning until the three Sleeping Beauties woke up and Remus indulged Harry's clumsy diagnostics spells while Sirius watched them with a fond gaze. It slowly became tradition for Harry to join them in the morning after full moons, but Regulus didn't allow Harry to miss classes after that first time.

(Meanwhile, during the morning after that first full moon, Professor McGonagall frowned down at the empty seat next to Draco Malfoy which usually belonged to Harry Potter, but had been occupied by Pansy Parkinson that day. "Mr. Malfoy, where is Mr. Potter?" Draco flushed. Why was it that he was expected to have the answer to that? It was even more embarrassing that he actually had the answer to the bloody question. But so did Theo and Blaise! Why weren't they asked?! "Hospital Wing, Professor. He's visiting Professor Lupin" McGonagall hummed knowingly at that. "Very well, then. Let's continue with our attempts to transfigure these beetles into buttons.”)

Chapter 16: To the world we dream of...

Chapter Text

“Have you ever thought about Death?”

“Daily. Why?”

“It feels tangible sometimes.”

“It does.”

“You’ve never …communicated?”

“No. I speak with the Fates. Or, well, they speak through me. It’s supposed to be a dialogue, but it feels more like a monologue, truly”

“Have they mentioned Death?”

“Occasionally.”

“Does Death know me?”

“Of course. You’re Death’s companion after all”

“Care to elaborate?”

“No.”

“Course you wouldn’t. Do you just not know or are you playing the mysterious card?”

“The Fates don’t like me sharing Death’s secrets.”

“I see.”

“Do you communicate with Death?”

“…occasionally.”

“Funny.”

“I know, I’m hilarious. But, to answer your question, no. I haven’t communicated with Death the entity. Only my parents’ ghosts.”

“I think that will change soon enough.”

“Is that a prophecy?”

“It’s my intuition.”

“So, a prophecy.”

“Pretty much.”

Harry and Luna were walking through the Forbidden Forest talking casually. Hedwig was around Luna’s neck, hanging on her shoulders as she looked around curiously. Harry didn’t let her alone in the Forest since he didn’t trust her to survive the wildlife there. Especially because he was confident her combat skills ended at “bite”. (He meant Hedwig, of course, not Luna – he trusted Luna to harm a man twice her size).

“Your friends who are not your friends… they’re interesting” Luna commented as they stopped in a clearing filled with Thestrals. Luna had discovered them shortly after she had arrived and, surprisingly, she had been able to see them. Luna theorized it was because she had seen her mother die in her visions, but Harry thought it was because she had seen Lily who was, technically, dead. Or maybe her connection with the Fates as a Seer made her able to see the Thestrals. Harry wasn’t entirely sure, so he let his guardians debate it at their daily after-dinner research hangouts (ADRHs as Sirius had taken to calling them – to everyone else’s chagrin).

Harry sighed lightly, remembering Draco’s cold attitude from the train ride. “They are. Anyone caught your eye?” He asked her, referring to her Seer abilities which made Luna smile lightly as she levitated a dead rat from her basket towards the nearest Thestral. The foal ate it without hesitation as Luna pet it while Harry sighed long suffering – he’d have to get more rats for Hedwig who had already managed to snag one from the basket. She was devouring it in the grass, away from them since neither of them wanted blood or other rat bits on their clothes.

James was floating around, watching the Thestrals curiously, but also making sure nobody would take Harry and Luna by surprise – well, Harry hoped they wouldn’t be discovered at all, but he wasn’t that optimistic. Luna levitated the other rats towards the approaching Thestrals with a coy smile on her lips. Harry would have asked where she got so many dead rats from, but he was distracted by what she said next.

“All four of you have caught my eye”

Well, in Harry’s experience, being perceived by the Fates was never a good thing. James cringed in agreement.

When Harry returned to his dorm after feeding the Thestrals with Luna, there was only one other person awake except for him.

Draco didn’t shy away from Harry’s curious gaze. Instead, he hid something under his pillow. Harry recognized it as the album/diary Harry had gifted Draco for his birthday this year. Harry had left Hedwig with Luna, so he closed the door behind him and he headed towards his bed. He was not going to inquire if Draco didn’t want him to, but… there was one thing he had to know.

“Ça va? T'es blessé? Il t'a fait mal?”

Draco blinked twice, surprised by the venom in Harry’s voice, before he gave him a small smile.

“Ça va, Harry. Je peux me le faire”

Hearing his name with a French accent was strange, but Harry liked the way it sounded – or maybe it was the way Draco was saying it. He wasn’t sure. Harry observed Draco’s features to make sure he wasn’t lying, before nodding once, resigned. “Tell me if you need anything” He told him in English before he grabbed his pyjamas and he headed towards the bathroom to get changed, missing the way Draco watched him intensely.

Draco dragged his album journal from under his pillow and he wrote one question on it, waiting to see what the copies of his friends would reply. “Does he truly care?” Draco had written and the others had not failed to answer very in character to themselves.

B.Z. thinks D.M. is hopeless.

T.N. agrees whole-heartedly. He also suggests that D.M. should find a new hobby that doesn’t involve obsessing over the Saviour.

H.J.P. believes D.M. is not that hopeless.

Draco smiled before uttering the password to lock his album journal.

“Gamma Draconis.” The brightest star in the Draco constellation. As bright as Draco’s not that hopeless dreams.

On Halloween 1992, Harry was walking back from his nightly walk hiding under his Cloak because he didn't trust Regulus not to act on his promise to ask Snape to patrol the common room. Hedwig was with him, but she seemed far more agitated than usual. "What is it?" Harry hissed at her in Parseltongue which made the snake lick his cheek before she hid in his hair. "Well, there's the fact that someone is opening the Chamber of Secrets and is trying to bond with a gigantic serpent that could swallow us both in one gulp. And the fact that I'm just a boa constrictor barely 2 meters long and that thing is like 50 meters so, yeah, a bit intimidating"

Harry froze.

How the f*ck did he process that?!

"And you're only telling me now?!"

"What do you mean?! The Chamber has just been opened!"

"What are you hissing about with Hedwig, Harry? It feels important. It feels like Regulus would yell at me over this. Harry, are you going to cause trouble – oh, Godric's beard! Harry, why are you running?!"

However, Harry didn't have time to explain as he sprinted towards the second-floor bathroom as Hedwig instructed him to do. Myrtle, the bathroom's ghost, was wailing about a girl going down the sink which made Harry cringe as he stopped mid-sprint. He looked at the empty space where a sink should have been and he let himself drop, bunching the Cloak tightly in his hands so he wouldn't lose it.

"Harry! Regulus will surely yell at me for this! Where are we going?! Oh, Merlin and Morgana both, are you going to almost get yourself killed again?!" His baba's words followed him down the hole and into a tunnel and, soon enough, so did his baba. James looked absolutely horrified as they ran down numerous tunnels, directed by Hedwig who looked even more agitated than before. But Harry had to be the Saviour and do… kill a big serpent? He wasn’t even sure. He just knew he needed to help this girl.

"The King of Serpents is almost awake!" Hedwig hissed urgently as Harry looked up at the door with a face (Was that Salazar Slytherin?) and a lot of snakes carved on it. He had just gotten the crash course from Hedwig who had apparently gained so much knowledge by befriending the other snakes around Hogwarts who knew more about the King of Serpents – Harry was not pleased to realize Hedwig had information she didn’t deign to share with him, but now was not the time to argue with his pet snake. Now, Harry had to deal with a not so domesticated snake.

Harry hissed at the door to open the f*ck up which it did, thankfully – Harry had hoped the door wouldn’t require some sort of strange password and he had been right.

The scene he saw before him was absolutely terrifying.

Ginny Weasley was standing before a 50-meters-long snake, with a journal in hand and eyes downcast, looking very numb for an 11-year-old fangirl.

"That's a Basilisk! HARRY! DO NOT LOOK IN ITS EYES! IT WILL KILL YOU!" James yelled as loud as he could and Harry turned around as soon as the basilisk took notice of him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets searching for anything useful, but all he had on him was his wand, his cloak and Pandora's mirror. Then, he realized. This is why Pandora had warned him to have the mirror. So, he wouldn't look in the basilisk’s eyes, but through a mirror. Surely that would diminish the lethality of the serpent’s gaze.

"Hello... and who might you be?" The voice of Ginny Weasley called out softly, but Harry had a vague feeling that it wasn't actually Ginny talking to him. Harry took out the mirror to glance into it and towards Ginny, carefully angling it away from the basilisk's eyes.

"I assume that’s you possessing Ginny, Voldemort?

"Ah. Yes. That's the name you know. That scar on you. Are you, perhaps, the baby who killed me? Harrison James Potter?"

Harry didn't respond. He hissed towards the basilisk. "King of Serpents, you have been trapped here for far too long. I understand you are hungry. I offer you a deal"

"Fool. The basilisk only answers to me! I am the Heir of Slytherin, the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets! Don't you dare –"

"There is a smell to you…"

The answering hiss made Harry freeze in place whereas Ginny turned towards the basilisk in shocked betrayal. Hedwig had taken to hiding in Harry's Invisibility Cloak, not wanting to deal with whatever was happening – even if it was her fault for bringing them all here. James was staring at Ginny, at the basilisk's body, at Harry, not quite understanding what was happening around them. "If Regulus hears about this, we won't need to find me a body. He'll kill you. f*ck, he’ll kill me too – again!" James wheezed as he turned around, hiding his face in his palms. "Harry, get the f*ck out! Holy f*ck, you are giving me grey hairs and I AM A GHOST!"

But, Harry was more interested in the basilisk who ignored Ginny's/Voldemort's protesting hiss and approached Harry, slowly dragging its long body towards him. Harry would apologize later for giving his ghostly baba grey hairs.

"You speak my tongue."

"I do, King of Serpents"

"You smell familiar. If you are the Heir of Slytherin, you shall prove it."

Harry lifted his hand and he called the Slytherin magic forward. The Slytherin snake-shaped ring appeared on his middle finger and Harry shoved it behind him so that the basilisk could see for itself. But it didn't need to see the ring at all, it seems.

"I can taste your magic. You are the Heir. This one... is a fake. I shall eat the fake."

"Don't!" Harry called out just as the basilisk turned and lifted its body high in the air, ready to strike Ginny down. But, it stopped once it heard Harry’s command.

"You are my master, Heir of Slytherin, but know that I am meant to kill. To slaughter and destroy. As is the magic of Slytherin. Why must you reject us?"

Harry shivered at those words before glancing over at his baba who was darting looks between all three of them, careful not to look the basilisk in the eyes. "I really hate that I have no clue what's going on" James whispered shakily which made Harry grimace. This was bad, but he didn't have time to explain now. He had a basilisk to appease.

"She is no enemy to us. The person possessing her is the fake. The journal. I will take it and I will get our revenge. I will bring you enemies to slay if you are just a little more patient"

The basilisk remained quiet for a few moments before it lowered itself to the ground and it slithered away through one of the tunnels in the walls of the cave they were in. "I will be waiting, Master" it said as it disappeared in the walls. Harry would have fallen on his ass if he didn't hurry to take out his wand and approach Ginny. He snatched the journal from her and she instantly fell down, her body limp as a doll. Harry cursed as she hurried to catch her. He then levitated her when he decided he was not strong enough to carry her around the castle. And, with an incredulous look, Harry turned and stared at James, before looking down at the vile magic that surrounded the journal.

"I think... I think I just found another Horcrux" Harry mumbled, observing the oppressive magic.

James stared at his son who was holding a most-likely possessed journal in one hand and levitating a formerly possessed girl with the other.

"Harrison James Potter. You are going to explain to me what the f*ck just happened or you are grounded until you turn 17!"

Harry cringed and did as asked, knowing when not to tempt Fate. He talked while they exited the Chamber of Secrets in a hurry, not wanting to deal with a hungry basilisk once more. Harry made sure to close the door behind him, just in case. Hedwig poked her head out of the bunched-up Cloak as Harry finished explaining everything to his baba. That was right around the time when the two of them were out of the tunnels and inside the second-floor girls’ bathroom once more.

"Oh. You saved her! That's good. I thought she was going to join me" Moaning Myrtle mumbled, sounding quite disappointed that Ginny was not dead. Harry scowled at her before he exited the bathroom. He hid the journal in his cloak and he hurried to get Ginny to the Hospital Wing, trying his best not to be terrified by his baba’s silent treatment that started shortly after Harry began explaining everything that had happened.

Harry should have expected he would get in trouble.

"Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked confused as she got up from the chair where she had been chatting with Pomfrey – were they truly girlfriends? Wives? Harry would have to investigate their relationship in his future years here at Hogwarts. The two women looked very comfy, as if they had been having a nice cup of tea before Harry rudely interrupted them. But, it was an emergency. The two hurried to get up seeing Ginny's unconscious body. "I found her like this. I don't know what's happened to her"

"MRS NORRIS IS DEAD!"

Harry flinched as the doors to the Hospital Wing banged open and Filch came in carrying his very stiff cat, followed by Remus and Snape. Both of them immediately looked at Harry, Remus looking surprised by his presence and Snape suspicious – as always. "Is Mrs. Weasley petrified too?" Remus asked worried as Pomfrey got both the cat and Ginny into two separate beds. Harry shrugged lightly. "Not sure. I found her like this erm... earlier. Before curfew. Took me a lot of time to get here"

His professors were not buying his stilted excuse – it was definitely not Harry’s most believable lie, but he was still stressed about what had just happened to him. Remus was actually staring at Harry with a raised eyebrow – he definitely didn’t buy that lie. Snape wanted to open his mouth to most likely take points from Harry, but he was saved from that and from a possible detention by Ginny herself.

Ginny woke up and gasped. She took one look around, her eyes snatched onto Harry and she blushed heavily before looking away. She then looked awfully confused. "How did I get here... I don't remember getting out of bed" Ginny whispered and, while this debacle went on, Harry was trying to sneakily get to the doors and open them quietly –

"Harry. Stay put. Mrs Weasley? Does anything hurt?" Remus spoke up, making Harry stiffen while James snorted in amusem*nt. Snape gave Harry a withering look before all the professors went to check on Ginny. Harry was done for. No escaping answering for this mess. Might as well write his will now. Could he say he quit Hogwarts before they expelled him? Harry ought to try.

"Where did you say you found her, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked, making Harry frown lightly at the obviously leading question. "I didn't say. But, it was in front of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom"

"And what were you doing there, Mr. Potter?" Snape drawled which had Harry crossing his arms over his chest. He had been at Nearly-Headless Nick's Death-day alongside Padma, Neville and Ron, but he had left at one point to wander since his friends seemed much more entertained by the whole thing than he was – or, rather, Nick seemed to be satisfied with just the three of them. The ghosts were still wary of Harry since they all somehow knew he could bring them back to life. Harry really needed to research that phenomenon since James swore neither he nor Lily had told the other ghosts about Harry’s abilities. Curfew came and passed as Harry wandered the silent halls of Hogwarts. But, Harry didn't forget – he had the perfect excuse for why he was out and about. It was the night of Halloween.

"It's my parents' deaths’ anniversary. I don't have anything to explain to you" He snapped which made Snape's eyes narrow at the attitude, but it was Remus who spoke up. "Harry. Go back to your dorm. We'll talk about your detention for breaking curfew again another time" Harry didn't need to be told twice. He was out of there in no time.

"You have to tell Moony and the others. If this is a Horcrux..." James was saying, making Harry grimace as he tugged the Cloak over himself and he hurried towards the library. "Right now, I need to research basilisks. I have a feeling it tried to kill Mrs. Norris, but something went awry. She might have looked at the basilisk through something, but cats don’t just carry mirrors with them. I need to do more research"

Harry barely avoided getting caught by Madam Pince who had come to grab herself a little midnight read (it was an 800+ pages tome on Cannibalism; Harry decided he feared the librarian almost as much as he feared McGonagall… almost). He then searched everywhere for basilisks only to find a passage about them in the most obscure book. He cast a Lumos as he read, furrowing his brows in frustration. Hedwig licked his cheek before darting to tug Harry's bangs away from his eyes (she did that by booping his hair which wasn’t very effective, but it was quite endearing). "You need a haircut" James whispered softly while Harry hummed lightly in response. "I'll get one over Christmas holidays" He mumbled before his eyes lit up.

"Baba. So, we know the basilisk kills you if you look in his eyes. But, if you don't look at it directly, but reflected in something –"

"Like a mirror or... a puddle?"

"Yes! It only petrifies you. That's what must have happened to Mrs. Norris. And it’s why Pandora wanted me to have a mirror on me. Mrs. Norris looked at it through a puddle, so she should be fine with a Mandrake Restorative Potion, right?"

"It's a Mandrake Restorative Draught, but yes."

Harry read some more through the book, focused. He then frowned deeply.

"What –?"

"Werewolves are in the same danger category as basilisks and dragons. That's bullsh*t!" Harry whisper-yelled, making James snort humourlessly.

"Language. But yeah, bullsh*t"

Harry put the book back when he got all the information he could, but he was still frowning. "How did Ginny get this thing?" Harry grumbled as he stared down at the possessed journal. He frowned when his scar prickled – he pressed his fingers against it to hopefully quell the pain, but it didn’t really help. There was some dark magic surrounding the journal – dark magic that reacted to Harry’s scar, just like Voldemort’s presence did. Harry kind of wanted to open the journal to see what would happen, but he abstained as he stashed it in his hoodie's pocket. "Maybe you could ask her? She was awake, right?" Harry shuddered. "I would rather not. She keeps blushing and staring after me. It's starting to get creepy"

"Charming" James whispered, but he was trying to stifle his amused snickers. Harry hid himself under the Cloak, ready to go back to his dorm. He had the misfortune of almost crashing into Snape and Remus as he tried to enter the Slytherin common room. "The merpeople said everyone is accounted for. But, the boy might have befriended them. They are disgustingly fond of troublemakers" Snape told Remus who sighed wearily. "I still think you should just let me check on him. Waiting till tomorrow will just let the rumours spread. And Harry won't be ready for them"

"He'll survive" Snape's lips curled as he said that which made Harry frown in irritation. He looked up at his baba who was already following the two. "I'll go gather information. Go to bed!" James urged him while Harry entered the common room after he didn't hear the two professors speaking anymore. He hoped they were far enough not to hear him open the door to the common room – thankfully, he had no problems entering. Harry dashed upstairs where he hid the journal in the Cloak and he put it in his chest. He then put Hedwig on top of his chest as precaution before he climbed into bed.

"Do I want to know?" Draco asked him in a soft whisper which had Harry grimacing as he glanced over at the blond boy lying down on his side on his bed while watching Harry through parted curtains. "Not really." Harry replied honestly which had Draco snorting. "Someday?" He asked hopefully which made Harry give him a tight smile. “Someday.” Harry promised which made Draco nod before he let the curtains fall closed. Harry sighed lightly before lying down in bed himself after drawing his curtains shut. He waited until James returned, however, as he did not want to fall asleep uninformed. When he did, James looked to be in metaphorical pain.

"Someone wrote in rooster blood on the walls that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened. And that the enemies of the Heir should beware"

Harry almost groaned. Possessed Ginny must have done it before trying to wake up the basilisk to murder people in the castle. How delightful. f*cking Voldemort. Harry needed to know if that thing was a Horcrux – he was 70% sure it was one. But, he needed confirmation and would get it responsibly. He'd ask Remus tomorrow after he finds out what detention he will have for being out after curfew. Again. Until then, he slept for as long as he could – it was a night filled with dreams that left him feeling anxious and drained.

Before he could even go to the Great Hall with his roommates for breakfast the next day, Percy knocked on their door and poked his head in. "Professor Snape wants us all in the common room before breakfast, so come down quickly" he told them before going to announce the other students of this ad hoc meeting. "What's this about? Snape doesn't do cuddle parties" Blaise mused making Theo cringe in disbelief at what Blaise’s statement had made them all envision. "You spend too much time with the Weasley twins. Stop that"

"Why? They’re very enlightening… and quite easy on the eyes" Blaise replied amused which made Theo scowl again. "Aren't you at the age where you should be disgusted by romance?" Theo asked in French as they all exited their room. "We are all the same age" Draco retorted, also in French, as they walked down the hallway. "The Zabinis have to be prepared for surprise betrothals. My mother was betrothed to her first husband when she was thirteen. They married right after she graduated"

"That's... ugh. I have no words" Harry mumbled which had Blaise snorting humourlessly while Draco raised an eyebrow. "Emotionally constipated much?" He asked making Harry roll his eyes exasperatedly. "Just not eager to jump into a betrothal when my only worry should be that Potions quiz we have today"

"You say that as if you don't plan to copy off of us" Theo deadpanned which made Harry huff exasperated. "That was one time and it was because I was just out of the Hospital Wing after being hit by a Bludger during training"

"Excuses" Draco replied dramatically, before they all shut up as they entered the common room under Snape's cold gaze. Thankfully, they weren't the last to arrive. The last were a few first years who cringed when Snape glared at them for their tardiness. Their Head of House then began telling them what this meeting was about.

"You will find out, if you didn't already, that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened last night” Gasps and shocked muttering. Harry felt Draco doing his best not to look at him while the others kept whispering, gossiping about whoever could have possibly done something so stupid or so marvellous, the adjective depending on who you asked. "I am going to ask you a question. I want an honest answer. I will not punish you in any way should you come forward"

"Liar" James whispered and Harry tended to agree with his baba – especially at the moment.

"Who opened... the Chamber of Secrets?"

The silence was deafening. Nobody dared speak.

Harry was slightly amused, but he kept his expression in check. They were definitely not looking in the right place for the one who did it. But, who would guess it was Ginny Weasley possessed by a younger Voldemort? Harry almost sighed. He was going to spend his lunch break with Remus to talk to him about everything that’s happened – hopefully. Harry was just a bit scared about how he’d react.

"...well. At least you aren't fools. If either of you had confessed, I'd have personally delivered your expulsion papers to Dumbledore"

Perhaps Harry shouldn't tell Remus that he had been in the Chamber of Secrets, after all.

Snape let them go shortly after that, but he glared at Harry for good measure which had Harry rolling his eyes in return. He heard Snape muttering about taking two points off of him for his recurring attitude problems, but Harry knew it was merely a warning – if Snape had actually planned to follow up on his threat, he would have announced it loudly in order to humiliate Harry. Harry was already immune to Snape’s intimidation tactics. Bullying was successful only if Harry cared enough about whatever the bullies had to say – and, these days, Harry had bigger problems to deal with.

Harry and his roommates walked in silence to the Great Hall, with Harry deep in thought as he absentmindedly pet Hedwig who hissed pleased at the scratches (she had returned that morning right after Snape’s speech, delivering a good morning message from Luna, Hermione, Parvati and Elysian). Harry took his usual place and he was about to grab a piece of toast when he noticed that it wasn't Blaise who sat down next to him. It was Draco.

Harry couldn't help it.

He turned to look. Draco was already looking at him.

"Was it you?" Draco asked in such quiet French that nobody else could hear them. Harry blinked. He then realized what Draco was asking and he rolled his eyes, turning away. "You're ridiculous" Harry quipped making Draco frown in irritation. "Am not. Being Heir to Slytherin is an honour any of us would want. How would you even acquire the heirship?" Draco asked wistfully, but Harry knew a trap when he heard one so he simply shrugged as he began preparing his breakfast.

"If you didn't do it, what were you doing out last night?" Draco asked, being a little bit louder than necessary because Theo and Blaise looked over. They both looked annoyed at Draco’s indiscreetness while Harry frowned some more. At the very least, their discussion was in French.

"Wow, Draco. Good one, mate" Blaise said sarcastically while Theo frowned even more. "That's insensitive. Even for you" Theo told him and Draco blushed, stuttering as he realized he was in the wrong. Harry was a bit pissed because of that. "Just because everyone knows how and when and where my parents died doesn't mean I have to hold a public event every time their death anniversary rolls around. I deserve privacy too" Harry snapped, grabbing a banana and getting up from the table.

He left the Great Hall, ignoring everyone's eyes on him, went straight to the kitchens and he plopped down onto one of the chairs to the house elevens’ surprise and worry. An odd-looking elf, definitely a couple centuries old, approached him warily. "Kreacher has to ask... are you Heir Harrison James Potter? Kreacher feels the family magic of the Noble House of Black" Harry blinked surprised and, then, he remembered Regulus mentioning how he had sent the elf that had helped him secure the Horcrux to work at Hogwarts since it was safer that way for all of them. Harry smiled lightly. "Yes. Hello, Kreacher"

"Is Master Regulus doing well?"

"Yes. Regulus is fine. So is Sirius"

Kreacher frowned at that.

"Master has not called Kreacher home"

Harry thought about how they had literally kicked Walburga out of her portrait by shocking her until she finally left. About how Regulus had done a lot of remodelling and how he had placed the stuff reeking of Dark Magic in the Black vaults. Harry knew Kreacher would be devastated if he found out since Regulus had mentioned he had loved Walburga and, in consequence, her use of Dark Magic. "I think it's still unsafe for you, Kreacher. I'm sure Regulus will send for you when he feels it safe to do so" The elf appeared mollified by that. "What can I get for the Heir of the Noble House of Black?" Kreacher then asked Harry making him hum. "Just some light breakfast. Thank you, Kreacher"

After eating, Harry walked over to Charms, preparing to catch up to Hermione and partner up with her. His baba had been oddly quiet, so Harry looked up at him in question once he reached an emptier corridor. "Did you... does it still hurt? Our death anniversary? Even if we've been here the whole time?" James asked him gently which made Harry sigh. He tugged at his scarf, thinking about how to respond. "It helped hearing and seeing you. And it helps that mom keeps me in her arms every time she sees me now. But I didn't know what comforting touches felt like until I was nine years old. And I still haven't learned how your touch feels" Harry told him quietly. When he looked up, his baba had tears running down his cheeks.

"Oh, Harry..." He whispered and Harry gave him a shaky smile before he finally arrived in front of the Charms classroom where Hermione approached him before he could even wave towards her. "Harry! Why didn't you tell me Luna was your sister?" He blinked before he huffed amused, fully aware of the eyes on them.

"Because it's complicated. And when would I even bring it up? Ah, yes, Hermione, regarding that obscure article you told me about, did you know that my mother had a girlfriend who then married someone else even if she was still very much in love with my mother and then she had a child and that child was Luna and after nine years, I reconnected with both Luna and her mom and her mom became my unofficial guardian?" Harry spoke without hesitation which left Hermione baffled. A few others who had been eavesdropping seemed confused too.

"Can you give me that in writing?" Hermione then asked him and Harry couldn't help it. He laughed as they entered Charms. "Sure, Hermione. I'll make you a cute family tree" he acquiesced to Hermione’s delight.

After Charms, there was lunch, but Harry wanted to talk to his uncle Moony so, he went the opposite way in comparison to the others. "Potter –" Draco called after him, but that only drew attention to them. Harry didn't want more attention. He kept walking.

He stumbled when Draco more or less slammed into him. "f*cking hell, what's your problem? You want to take my kidney out?" Harry grumbled as he held tightly onto his now aching side. Draco only checked briefly he was alright before speaking up as he walked with Harry. "You'll live. Potter, I –" Draco was still speaking in English, so Harry knew it wouldn't be a substantial apology or an explanation. He found he didn't care what Draco had to say at the moment. "Don't. If it's not important, I have to go" He replied, tugging his bag's strap over his shoulder more securely and preparing to walk faster.

But. Draco grabbed his forearm, so Harry stopped. Draco's cheeks were rosy. "Harry." He whispered insistently, urgently, using his French accent. So, obviously, Harry caved. "What do you want?" Harry asked in French and Draco beamed, before he turned serious. "I’m sorry. I was a prat. I didn't think it through" Harry nodded at that. He waited to see if there was more and when there wasn't, he shrugged. "It's whatever. Look, I really need to –"

"I'll make it up to you" Draco then added breathlessly and Harry paused. He raised an eyebrow in obvious curiosity. "How?" Draco exhaled sharply before smiling cheekily. "It's a surprise. You'll see" Harry huffed then. But, he was smiling involuntarily. "Okay. I'm having lunch with Professor Lupin. I'll see you next period” Draco smiled then and nodded, letting Harry go.

Harry couldn't wipe that damn smile off his face until he got to Remus' office.

“So, it’s decided then? Unanimously?” Remus asked out loud, looking down at Sirius’ face in the flames of the fireplace from his office at Hogwarts. Sirius nodded which looked a bit amusing since his head was made out of flames. The two of them were talking through a Floo-Call during Remus' lunch break.

“Yeah” Sirius responded, darting a couple looks around just to make sure nobody was listening in (which would have been impossible since Remus had set up privacy wards around his office in preparation for his meeting with Harry) “We’re going to kidnap Mary Macdonald” Sirius stated proudly and Remus could only sigh. “Don’t you need my vote for that?”

“Why, you’d vote against me, my darling moonshine?”

“Well, this is concerning your ex-girlfriend…”

“Remus, I am a Floo away from the Black vaults. I’ll go pick you a ring right now –”

“Merlin, Sirius, I was joking.”

“I wasn’t.”

“I know, but –”

“We’ll figure it out after we deal with Voldemort. I know.”

“…I can’t wait to marry you.”

“I know. Me too. What do you think about Sirius Orion Black-Lupin? Or Sirius Orion Lupin-Black?”

“We are going to ruin your initials either way. Say goodbye to S.O.B.”

“Oh, no! How tragic!”

“Regarding Mary –”

“You know Mary and I weren’t ever in a long-term relationships. It was just occasional shags which stopped as soon as I realized I was falling for you -”

“Sirius. I know.”

“Okay. Good.”

“I just wanted to tell you and Regulus good luck. With kidnapping Mary”

“Oh. It’s actually me and Pandora who are going since Regulus being seen at St. Mungo’s after Mary's kidnapping would be quite suspicious.”

“Ah. That’s fair. And when – oh. Hold on. Harry’s here.”

“Tell him I said hi. We can talk later. See you soon, Moony”

“Yes. See you, Padfoot. Take care”

"You too, Remus."

Chapter 17: Kintsukuroi/Kintsugi

Chapter Text

Harry knocked and waited to be allowed in. He knew Remus would sometimes call other students to his office during lunch to help them out with spells they found difficult. This was not one of these days since Harry had checked in with Remus prior to this meeting. Remus was dressed more casually in a pair of black slacks and a maroon jumper but Harry could practically see the galleons flying into Madame Malkin's coffers. Blacks and their need to spend their money on their boyfriends... (especially one Sirius Black)

Remus gave him a light smile. "Hi, Harry. Are you okay? You left breakfast suddenly" Harry gave him a look at that. "Am I speaking to uncle Moony or Professor Lupin right now?" Remus sighed deeply at Harry’s question. "Both right now. I have to tell you about your detention though, so perhaps a bit more of the Professor side of me"

"Well, tell me about it then. I want to talk to uncle Moony" Remus smiled softly at that while James floated around them, idly watching everything. His baba was still upset over Harry's confession although he had assured Harry it wasn't because of him, but because of James' inability to fix it quickly. Harry felt uncomfortable after hurting his baba in such a blatant way – and without meaning to.

"You'll have detention with me. This Tuesday, right after your last class of the day"

"What will I need?"

"Just your wand"

"OK. Anything else, professor?" Remus huffed amused at that before shaking his head and relaxing as he leaned against his desk. "I brought some sandwiches for us. Sirius insisted to drop them off earlier. He knew we'd have a talk, though, so he didn’t stay too long on the Floo"

"Did you tell them?" Harry asked as he dropped his bag on the ground and sat down at the office. Moony dragged his chair so he could sit beside Harry. "I told them we'd talk after your game next Friday. We do need to talk about your nightly walks, Harry. Curfew exists for a reason" Harry shrugged as he picked at a sandwich, forcing himself to eat it. He felt a bit nervous.

Remus ruffled his hair which made Harry glance at him curiously. Remus was smiling warmly his way. "It's still me. Uncle Moony. Even if you may be in trouble in the future"

"Because you tattled" Harry deadpanned and Remus laughed softly. "You got caught. You know the rules" Remus replied as he too chose a sandwich and began eating it. Harry hesitated before he broached the main subject bravely. "Any news on the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Mm, no. Surprisingly, Dumbledore says it’s alright now. That it passed. And that there shouldn't be any more victims. But there was a bit of a messy receive from the parents. Dumbledore promised to have Professors patrolling alongside Prefects and if another victim appears in the next month, then he will take more drastic measures"

Harry hummed at that. There would be no more victims. He just had to learn how to gaslight a basilisk and what exactly (or who) to bring to it and feed it. He basically had a bigger pet now. Hedwig would be jealous. She was jealous already, actually. (That’s why she had abandoned him during this meeting – she was staying with Luna, doing Merin knows what.)

"Miss Weasley says she doesn't remember you helping her. Nor coming out of her room. Do you know something about that?"

Harry would have bristled normally, but he knew when he was in over his head. He bent and he grabbed the journal out of his backpack. Remus instantly bristled at the oppressive magic it emanated. "Ginny had it. It was... speaking through her. Like she was possessed. I'm convinced it was Voldemort. And I think this is another Horcrux" Harry whispered to his guardian who then dragged a hand over his face. He then sighed deeply. "I think you're right. But we should have our expert check it out"

"Reg?" Harry wondered out loud and Remus nodded. He then gave Harry an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'll have to tell him sooner about your detention. I had planned to lessen the blow after your win this week but alas"

Harry smiled lightly. "You don't know if I'll win" Remus scoffed. "As if there is any other option" Harry then sighed, but nodded in agreement. "I can Floo-Call him now to have him come through" Remus offered, but Harry had to come clean with everything before Regulus came here. He needed an ally to face Regulus. But he had something he needed to check first.

"Uncle Moony, are you under any oath? I mean, do you have to tell Dumbledore and the other Professors everything I tell you?"

"What – no? Why are you –?"

"I’m talking to uncle Moony now, right? Not to Professor Lupin."

"Harry, you know that I can't exclusively act as your guardian during work hours"

"Oh. That's fine. I can come back after curfew –" Harry was already grabbing for his back and almost out of his chair when Remus put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaving.

"Harry! For Merlin's sake, sit down!"

"But it's not urgent. And I don't want another detention."

"You're killing me, Harry. What did you do?"

"Uncle Moony." Harry was pouting. He didn't care.

"Fine. Yes. Just uncle Moony."

"Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets, but I can open it and control the creature inside of it" Harry confessed and he realized he broke Remus by the look on his guardian’s face. "But I didn't tell it to hurt anyone! That was Voldemort. And it won't hurt anyone else anymore! It recognized me as Heir –"

"Harry. What is this it you're talking about?"

Harry grimaced at Moony's tone while James cringed, finally adding something to their conversation. The two of them were in trouble. "... a basilisk?"

"I'm calling your guardians."

"You are my guardian!"

"Yes. But, I need Regulus here before you say anything else"

"But, we can have a pet basilisk, uncle Moony!"

"Oh my God. No, we cannot!"

Remus Floo-Called Reg in a hurry and he was here just after the call ended. He looked bewildered for a moment before his eyes landed on the journal. He stiffened. "That's a Horcrux." He stated confidently before looking at Moony's absolutely done expression and then at Harry's sheepish one.

Reg narrowed his eyes. "Why do you have a Horcrux?"

Harry told them everything.

He was grounded for the entire two weeks he was at home minus Christmas and New Year's for... well, Reg didn't exactly say for what, but Harry could guess. He was a bit hesitant to ask what his punishment would be. Reg hadn't ever grounded him before. Harry wasn't scared per se, but he had never seen Regulus this angry before.

"- and you just let him go inside the f*cking Chamber and face a BASILISK? James Fleamont Potter, I am going to kill you when I get my hands on you" Regulus seethed while James hid his face in his palms. "In baba's defence, he tried. I just didn't listen. There wasn't much he could do" Harry took his baba's defence which had him sigh as he kissed his son's head even if Harry couldn’t feel it. "Thank you, Harry, but he's right" Harry told his other two guardians what James said while Regulus kept staring at them with narrowed eyes.

He then froze.

"You have a pet basilisk" Regulus stated as if he had just realized it. "We are not letting him keep it as a pet!" Remus spoke for the first time since he had called Regulus over. "Not what I meant. Basilisk venom. Nothing can survive it. Supposedly, not even Horcruxes"

Harry beamed. "Think it will like devouring Voldemort's souls? I don't know what to feed it otherwise" Remus looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it at the last minute. Regulus looked constipated. "You are much worse than James was"

"Oi!” Both James and Harry called out before they looked at each other and chuckled. Fair enough, it seemed that Regulus’ statement was partially true.

"It's worth a try" Remus eventually said, sighing. Regulus hummed deep in thought. "It is. Can you control the basilisk?" Harry grimaced at that. "Kinda? It calls me Master. Because I'm, you know, Heir to Slytherin"

Remus blinked surprised while Regulus nodded in assent. "You're what now?"

Harry frowned. "Did you not tell the others?" Harry asked Regulus who huffed amused. "I’ve been a bit busy to sit them down and tell them absolutely everything about you. I’ve been trying to make sure you survive and that’s a full-time job” Harry rolled his eyes at Regulus’ sarcastic answer. He then showed Remus his hands and he let his rings appear. Remus stared silently.

"Potter, Black, Slytherin and Peverell. I'm heir to the last three – Moony, did you set up a privacy ward?" Remus stuttered indignantly. "Of course I did! As soon as you walked through the door" Harry hummed at that. "Guess I got used to your magic. I didn't feel it" Harry said which had Remus shaking his head fondly. He held his hand out and Harry obediently let Remus inspect his rings.

"Think we can visit this pet of yours?" Regulus asked then which made Harry nod as he watched his rings be obscured by each of their family’s magic. "Yeah. Should be fine. Might want to bring a sheep with you or something though. It's really hungry. It didn't start killing people left and right just because I told it not to"

"Does it have red feathers on its head? The basilisk?" Remus asked suddenly, making Harry blink confused by the sudden question. "Erm... No?"

"Then it's a female"

"Oh. That's cool – ah. I called her King of Serpents. I don't think she was mad though?" Harry mumbled, sounding a bit concerned even to his ears. Surprisingly, it was Regulus who chuckled. Harry huffed amused when James instantly went to his ex-lover’s side, drinking in the sight of his joy.

"A gender-nonconforming killer snake. Love that" Remus drawled amused before he sighed. "I can get us two goats. Will that suffice?" Remus asked them which made Harry let out a non-committal sound. "Not really, but it will do"

"Three goats"

"Four and she might call it an appetizer"

"Merlin. How big is that thing?"

Harry grimaced. "Big. Oh. You should bring mirrors. If you accidentally look her in the eyes, you will only be petrified. Not killed. But I'll ask her to keep her eyes closed... or keep her head really high in the air"

Regulus sighed at that. "I'll get us mirrors. Should we meet in an hour?"

It was Harry who refused. "I have classes, Reg. The ones you insist I go to?" Harry grumbled, making his guardians smile amused. "I'll see you both after curfew. 11 pm on the dot on the second floor, inside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom"

"Harry, out after curfew again?" Regulus asked him sounding exasperated, but Harry simply raised both eyebrows his way. "Do you want to explain to a student why we are all locking ourselves in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?" Remus cringed. Regulus looked mildly disgusted. James started laughing.

Harry bid them goodbye after snatching three sandwiches. He ate by the Great Lake, smiling softly as he listened to his baba tell him about his time at school. Luna joined him eventually, not telling him how she found him. She accepted one sandwich, but she took out the meat from it and she gave it to Hedwig.

Classes went well overall that day. Theo and Blaise seemed relieved that he and Draco patched things up, but Harry was still waiting for the “make it up to you” part of their agreement. Draco didn't seem to forget, because he looked giddy all day. He looked as ecstatic as when he was chosen as the new Chaser for the team. (And he had been really excited then. So excited that he almost went to hug Harry, forgetting their ruse. Thankfully, he had managed to play it off by calling Harry a “mindless buffoon”. Cassius was still teasing them about it.)

When the four roommates returned to their dorm for the evening, Draco turned towards them with a truly pureblooded smile on his lips. Haughty and flawless. Harry almost sighed.

"Oh, boy" Theo mumbled while Blaise snorted. "What is it now?" Harry tilted his head to the side as he greeted Hedwig who slithered up his body. She wound herself tightly around his neck and head before hiding her face in a tuft of his hair. "I want you to meet someone. This is Dobby, my house elf" Draco said and, indeed, the house elf jumped from Draco's bed (Harry wanted to ask if the elf had been there the entire time, because that was some crazy sneaking he did there – but he definitely wasn’t, because he tripped thrice on his way to meet everyone) and he went to introduce himself to the other two boys who seemed interested in how he could be so far away from home. Harry was more interested about how the elf Apparated in their room since Hogwarts was a No-Apparition zone.

Draco took that opportunity to talk to Harry quietly. "He's a bleeding heart. He must have learned something that father was planning against you because he's been trying to ... help you all summer and till now" Harry raised an eyebrow. "I received no such help"

"Because I stopped him. Dobby has good intentions, but his definition of helping you is either making you unable to go to Hogwarts or hurting you enough that you go home on your own" Harry stared incredulously.

"Your family is f*cked"

Draco snorted at that. "Don't I know it? But Dobby did want to meet you so, here we are... You can ask him to do things for you. He will listen and do them if it doesn't interfere with what my father's ordered him"

"Do you know what Lucius is trying to do? Harm me?" Harry asked Draco curiously. He was more curious if Draco would answer him or not. Family stuff was delicate for them. They never asked Theo why he had scars all over his chest and arms. They didn't ask Blaise about his mom nor his (missing) dad (or the following deceased stepfathers). They never asked Harry about his parents or why he was always up at odd hours, doing Merlin knows what. And they never asked Draco about his home life.

Harry broke a rule. He didn’t regret it, however. He wanted to see where the boundaries laid with Draco. The blond didn't seem to notice Harry's internal debate. "If I had known, I would have warned you. I almost did last night, but Dobby told me father's plan failed. He's furious but alas"

Harry hid his shock with a hum. So, it had been Lucius who had sneaked the diary to Ginny. But how? It still didn't make sense.

"Did your father meet Ginny Weasley this summer? Or any Weasley at all?"

Draco blinked at the question before scowling. "How would you even know that? It wasn't like the Prophet reported on it. The Malfoys and the Weasleys have been on the outs for ages" Harry sighed. So, there had been some altercation that ended up with Lucius sneaking the diary to Ginny. Guess the old man was still a Death Eater.

"Lucius is turning predictable" Harry hummed which made Draco give him an odd look before he shrugged. "I never said my father was the smartest man" Draco replied evenly which made Harry hum as they watched Dobby excitedly talk to Blaise and Theo who looked very interested in and amused by the house elf.

"He's cunning and ambitious, though" Harry retorted which made Draco nod with what might have been resignation. "His worst and best qualities at once" Harry watched him curiously, trying to see if he should break yet another rule and ask Draco what he thought of Lucius’ ambitions when Dobby approached them. "Oh, mister Harrison Potter, how much Dobby longed to meet you!"

Harry couldn't help but smile. "Hello, Dobby. It's my pleasure to meet you" Dobby smiled brightly at that before he began telling Harry about how exactly he had been trying to help Harry (read as keep Harry away from Hogwarts) over the last few months. All of the things he listed were, for one, illegal and definitely fatal for Harry in the long term. Draco looked embarrassed when Dobby said he hadn't done anything because Draco had stopped him. Blaise and Theo looked absolutely concerned with the house elf's mental stability. Harry was thinking that Dobby would have been dead thrice over if he had tried anything of the sort with him (sending a Bludger to Harry's head, Jesus f*cking Christ). His guardians would have ripped his head off most likely. Maybe add him to the former collection of the house elves’ heads at Grimmauld (his mom had finally managed to take it down this summer and bury the poor things).

They had Dobby bring them some sweets after he finished his horrifying speech (the house elf then left, but promised to be there if they needed him) and the four of them spent their evening discussing about the Slytherin Quidditch trials that happened over the weekend. "I decided to try out for Chaser. Father insisted I played Seeker first year, but I like being Chaser more" Draco told them as the four of them laid down on the floor in the middle of the room. Theo sighed. "Must you always defer to listening to your prick of a father?" Draco huffed annoyed while Blaise and Harry shared a smile. "He's... trying"

"Yikes. It's that bad" Blaise remarked making Theo and Harry snort while Draco sighed. "We don't all have the luxury of carefree parents who let us do whatever we want" Draco remarked which launched exactly three reactions.

"What parents?" It was Theo who surprisingly asked that. Surprisingly because 1. His dad was still alive. 2. Everyone would have expected Harry to ask that.

Instead, Harry said "Parents are literally there to protect you. I'd be dead numerous times already if I didn't have them"

But, it was Blaise's answer which surprised them the most. "Carefree? You try to live in a house with a European Council leader whose love language is transactional deals. That is if I ever see her"

There was a long silence after that. Well, since they opened Pandora’s box (ha), might as well go on.

"We are all f*cked up, aren't we?" Harry asked quietly which had Theo sighing deeply. "What did you expect? Draco's parents are Death Eaters. As is my father. My mother's dead, most likely because of said father. Your parents have died the most tragical death of all. I'm actually surprised you are only this f*cked up. Blaise's dad changes every few years. No offence, but your mother isn't exactly subtle. Props to her for not getting caught, though. And your mother is, as you've described, more leader than mother. Two of us are expected to take the Dark Mark if Voldemort returns. One of us is expected to inherit the European Council leadership and the other is literally tasked with saving us all. f*cked up doesn't even cover it"

This was Theo’s longest rant ever. They were all stunned as they turned to look at him. He blushed which was also a novelty. "I can string more than 3 sentences together, you know?" He snapped at them and that broke the spell because they laughed and Theo joined too, although a bit more subdued than the rest of them. And then, there were tears. Theo was doing his best to hide his while Draco actually hid his face in his palms. Blaise looked constipated as he tried not to let his spill. And Harry... Harry didn't have any tears left to spill. They had all dried up by 9 years old after years of abuse from the Dursleys. So, he was the one to speak first.

"If I am to save everyone, I will save you three as well" He stated softly. They had all sat up by now, positioning themselves in a circle on the floor. "You're insane" Theo quipped as he shook his head. "And I don't need saving. I’ll be fine as long as my mother doesn't ally herself with Voldemort … which she still might since his chance of winning is a bit higher because you're a very easily killable kid, Harry" Blaise explained which had Harry rolling his eyes. "He tried in first year and I melted his face off"

The other three cringed at that, but Theo nodded mildly impressed afterwards. "You could try to write a proposal to your mother. I'm sure that by fifth year Harry will do even more stuff like this" Theo told Blaise who huffed amused before he considered it. Draco's eyes widened. "You're not actually –" Draco was trying to retort, but he got interrupted by Blaise.

"That's actually not a bad idea" Draco sighed resigned while Harry and Theo smirked. "You're all insane. I'm going to bed" Draco grumbled which had the others chuckling. "Goodnight, sweetheart. Get your beauty sleep –"

"I will f*cking hex you, Zabini"

"Oooooh!" Theo and Harry chanted dramatically while Blaise pretended to be heartbroken. Draco smiled lightly, shaking his head before actually going to bed since it was still a school night after all. It was then that Theo and Blaise looked intensely at Harry making the boy freeze. "What?" He asked confused.

"If you need our help, ask for it. Don't be stupid" Theo told him which had Blaise nodding determined. Harry smiled lightly. "I appreciate the offer, but I won't put you in danger. I'm sure nobody is really pleased that I'm hanging out with you all. Actually, probably Lucius is. He might think Draco can manipulate me or something" Blaise huffed amused. "And to think Draco was nervous to tell you about that" Harry shrugged. "It's to be expected. You can try to manipulate me all you want" Harry said as he got up, stretching. He then smiled down at the two boys watching him curiously. "But I was put into Slytherin for a reason. I won't fall for your schemes" Theo smiled then while Blaise hummed approvingly.

Harry got out of bed at exactly fifteen minutes to 11 pm. He grabbed his coat, asked Hedwig if she wanted to come (“No, thanks. Go have fun with your new, terrifying best friend") and then he was off. He hurried down the corridors and he gently pushed the door to the bathroom door on the second floor to make sure it doesn't make a sound.

There was a wand in his face in the next second.

"REGULUS!" Remus, Harry and James whisper-yelled at the man who then lowered his wand as Harry tugged the Cloak off of him. Regulus shrugged a shoulder, looking only mildly apologetic. "Forgot you actually know how to use the Cloak given how many times you got caught" He was teasing Harry, but his gaze was intent. Harry scowled at him before he got a look at Remus and he had to stifle his laughter. There were four goats floating around Remus, petrified. Moaning Myrtle was inspecting them with a big smile and wide eyes. It was, perhaps, better not to tell her the goats would be dead soon.

"Uncle Moony is becoming my favourite because of that" Harry grumbled which had Regulus smiling surprised. "I am your favourite?" He asked with almost sparkling eyes which had James chuckling softly. "Was" Harry and Remus said at the same time to which Regulus and James huffed amused. "Do you need to go down there? You could stay here with me" Moaning Myrtle said batting her eyelashes towards them. "You're speaking to two gay men and I am a minor while you’ve been dead for like twenty years already" Harry deadpanned to his guardians’ amusem*nt and Myrtle’s displeasure. Harry then hissed towards the sink which opened up at his command to reveal a tunnel. His two guardians weren't amused anymore. They stared darkly at the hole in the ground.

"Hogwarts is safe, they said. Forgot to mention the f*cking basilisk under the school. Or the three headed dog or –" Remus kept grumbling as they approached. Harry dropped down first, surprising his guardians who called out his name panicked. James sighed lightly and followed his son. Regulus and Remus (with the goats) did too after a couple moments. The goats had trouble fitting at first but they did, eventually (after a diminishing spell).

Harry got himself off the floor and waited for the adults to get their bearings before leading them down the corridor. He also ignored the two of them scolding him for giving them such a scare. "How did you say you found this place?" Remus asked eventually, making Harry sigh. "I didn't say" He replied making Regulus snort while Remus sighed. "Need to work on your manipulation tactics, Remus" Regulus said, making Remus grumble something about where he could shove that suggestion. "Hedwig led me. But I also... I don't know. I felt like I had to be here" Harry said quietly as they stopped and looked up at the massive doorway. Harry hissed at it to open and it did.

"Take your mirrors out and keep your backs to the entrance" Harry called to them and they did as asked. They entered the room awkwardly, using the mirrors to navigate inside of the chamber. James floated distractedly, careful to only look at the floor as he entered.

"Master?" There came a hiss that reverberated against the entire room and all four of them froze. Harry was the one to clear his voice before speaking up in Parseltongue. "I came back to check on you. And I brought some goats. If you're hungry. Are goats okay as a meal?"

"Sustenance... I have never sampled these goats you speak of. But I shall try them. And the other two?" The King of Serpents slithered in the room using one of the holes in the ceiling. Remus and Regulus stiffened, tightening the grip they had on their wands. James turned around, not risking it, using Remus' mirror to look around.

"My guardians. They keep me safe. They're not food"

"No. Are they your fathers?"

"No. My father isn't here. Nor is my mother. They are guardians"

"Protectors. I shall be their protector as well then"

"Can you keep your eyes closed? Or look up? So, we don't die if we accidentally make eye contact with you?"

"I have no intention to kill you, Master. Neither you nor your protectors. I will keep my eyes closed"

Harry sighed relieved as he turned around. All three of the men behind him called out his name, but the basilisk had kept its promise. It was towering before Harry, eyes closed. "It's fine. I told her to close her eyes. You can look" They did. Remus cursed. Regulus looked somewhere between elated and terrified. James grimaced.

"Is it okay to call you King of Serpents? I didn't realize you were a female" Harry told her making the snake hiss something similar to... a laugh? Harry had never heard a snake laugh before – Hedwig’s cackles didn’t count. "King is preferable. What brings you here besides my sustenance? I expected to wait longer for you, Master"

"She's asking why we are here besides bringing her food. Do I tell her about the Horcruxes?" Harry asked the three behind him only to see Remus looked very, very, very done with life. Regulus had already taken out the two Horcruxes. Locket and diary. "Yeah. For now, ask her if we can get some of her venom. Then, if she wants to, she can eat them"

Harry nodded at that.

"What do you think about eating soul fragments?" Harry hissed which had the snake tilt her head to the side. "Interesting. Is that what was possessing the girl?"

"Yes. Soul fragments of the fake heir"

"Tempting. I could try. But I have to break their protection first, don't I?"

"Yes. Your venom. Can I harvest some?"

"Of course, Master" The basilisk lowered her head, eyes still closed, and opened her mouth. She remained still, waiting. "I can – " Harry tried to tell his guardians he’d harvest some venom, but Reg beat him to it and he approached the basilisk. Harry sighed in resignation before switching back to Parseltongue so he could talk to the basilisk.

"My guardian is protective of me. He will harvest it"

"The one with the soul fragments? He is strong. Suited for my Master"

"Yes. The ... one with the goats. He is also powerful"

"Yes. Very. Especially during full moons"

Regulus took out a vial and he levitated it towards the snake's fangs. The venom dropped into it easily, but Regulus didn't dare take his eyes off the snake. When the vial was filled, Regulus levitated it away and retreated a few steps back. Harry approached and so did Remus. He let go of the goats who ran away to hide somewhere in the chamber, feeling the predator inspecting them.

"Hunting. That will prove to be amusing" The basilisk hissed and Harry hummed lightly. Harry stopped by Regulus' side as he put the diary down. He then poured some of the basilisk venom on it. It instantly started spluttering a black goo that had Regulus drag Harry back before the two of them were knocked back as a shadowy figure appeared out of the goo, screaming in agony. It looked like a young man.

For only a moment.

Then, the King of Serpents opened its mouth and devoured it, leaving the harmless diary behind.

"Hm. Appetising" The King of Serpents hissed as it rose to full height, darting its tongue out. Everyone stared at it wordlessly.

"... you know what? f*ck it. We have a pet basilisk, sure" Remus spoke as his hand went through his hair, looking at once incredulous and overwhelmed. Regulus barked a laugh as he still held onto Harry while Harry smirked. James laughed nervously. "I have a family of crazy maniacs. Mom, dad, I'm sorry for everything I have ever done" James was whispering which had Harry snort before he told the other two what his baba said.

"Euphemia and Fleamont would have loved you" Remus told Harry and Regulus with a warm gaze which had both of them stiffen. "The diary –" Harry immediately tried to distract them. It didn't really work seeing baba's and Remus' soft looks, but it got Regulus moving. He Accio’d the diary and then he smirked lowly. "It's gone. The soul fragment is gone" Regulus smirked more as he looked upwards at the basilisk. "And it looks like the basilisk actually consumed whatever Dark Magic was keeping the soul fragment tethered to the diary. So, now, we have one of the most feared creatures under our control. And we have enhanced it by feeding it Dark Magic. Let's see what Voldemort thinks of this"

"You are terrifying" Remus deadpanned as he crouched besides the two, checking briefly that they were alright. James pretended to swoon at that while Harry smiled amused. "Do the locket too" Remus added which had Regulus placing the locket in the almost same location the diary had been in, the King of Serpents retreating briefly to have space to dive towards the soul fragment. Regulus poured the rest of the basilisk venom before distancing and dragging both Remus and Harry with him. James too distanced, looking both intrigued and terrified.

This time, the black goo didn't form into a young man.

It formed into Harry's parents. "Why have we spent our death going after you? You are a useless child. Unlovable! We should have never shown ourselves to you" Lily snapped which had Harry flinching as he distanced. "A freak. A Slytherin and a Parselmouth? You are a freak and you are going to become the next Dark Lord. We hate you, Harrison. Never ever talk to us again –" Before James could finish his sentence, Harry was yanked into an embrace by Regulus, Remus jumping between the two of them and the locket while the basilisk devoured the black goo, leaving the locket behind.

Harry was shaking. He wasn't sure why. He was pretty sure he was crying too. He wasn't sure why. Regulus was shaking too. Harry wasn't sure why. Remus looked like he had seen his biggest nightmare as he stayed with his back to the basilisk. Harry was being cradled by Regulus who was whispering softly in French, but Harry couldn't make sense of it.

"Harry. Harry. Harry!"

Harry looked up. His baba was watching him concerned. "Are you okay, Bambi?" He asked with such love in his voice that Harry sniffled. "Yeah. Yeah..." He whispered because it must have been an illusion of sorts. His parents wouldn't...

They wouldn't.

"Harry? Mon petit prince? Ça va?" Regulus whispered softly holding Harry tightly against him, hiding his head against his chest. "Did you see... what did you see?" Remus choked out which had everyone relaxing at once. They hadn’t seen the same things. The goo must have made them hallucinate something. "James and Sirius" Regulus whispered, but didn't elaborate further on. James looked heartbroken by it. "... baba and mom" Harry confessed quietly which actually had James whisper a tiny “no”, but he didn't get to elaborate because Remus spoke up. "...Sirius, Lily, James and Harry "

"No, no, no. Whatever you saw, it was fake. I love you all, so shut whatever voices you have in your head up and listen to me. You are my most precious people. I love you all so much. Nothing that that piece of sh*t –"

"... I think we get it, baba" Harry said with a soft smile before he told Regulus and Remus what James had said. They both smiled lightly. It looked like the Dark Magic hadn’t affected James since he was a ghost, so he could comfort the three of them now. "Yeah..." Remus sighed before glancing briefly at the basilisk who was now slithering back towards one of the holes in the wall.

"Master, I have eaten well. Is there anything else or may I sleep this off?"

"Do we need her or can she go nap?" Harry asked the others which had Remus mumbling "nap" incredulously under his breath while Regulus sighed. "She can go. I think we'll be okay for now"

"Go sleep. Enjoy the goats"

"Yes. Return soon, Master"

"I will"

The basilisk retreated in the walls.

The four of them remained silent for a while.

Then...

"Two down. Probably a few more to go" Regulus stated which had Harry groaning. "Why does he have to be so stubborn? Just die already like the rest of us" That, surprisingly, made all three adults break into laughter.

"Yeah – Merlin, if only it was that simple" Remus sighed while Regulus got up and he picked Harry up as well, making the 12-year-old sputter. "Let me carry you. I miss you being tiny" Regulus told him gently and Harry acquiesced, leaning his head against Regulus'. Remus followed them quietly, but closely.

"I love you three" Harry told them quietly, making them both freeze in their tracks before they continued their walk. Harry hadn’t really told them he loved them. Well, he actually never said it. He always tried to show it, but it had felt way too awkward to say the words. It was a strange feeling to finally say it out loud, but Harry thought they deserved to hear it. He had to tell his mom he loved her too. Soon.

"We love you too, Harry" Regulus whispered tightly while Remus nodded fervently as he tried to wipe his tears subtly (he failed). James smiled lovingly towards his son before kissing his forehead with a whispered “I love you too. So much”. Harry would have fallen asleep then if he didn't know that he had to make the trek back to his room.

Remus thankfully didn't take any points off of him for being out after curfew again. He was a bit preoccupied with looking over what was left of the Horcruxes. When they got out, Regulus put Harry down and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Get to your dorm. Do not get caught. No other wandering"

"Yes, Reg"

"And get some sleep"

"Yes, uncle Moony"

"Why is he uncle Moony, but I'm Reg?"

"Because I can't exactly call you uncle when you're more of a stepfather"

Remus barked a laugh at Regulus' instant flush while James giddily laughed as he spun around in the air. Harry smiled and let the chaos stew as he grabbed his Cloak and bid the two of them goodnight before leaving.

He quite enjoyed doing that. His baba did too, seeing how he babbled excitedly about Reg's red face.

"Do you see Pandora as a stepmother then?" James asked Harry curiously when they entered the Slytherin common room. "Yeah. But she told me not to call her any variation of that before she and Lily get properly married. So, I just call her Pandora" James hummed at that, a soft smile on his face. "Proposing, huh?"

Harry watched him briefly as he climbed up the stairs. "You will get to do that too. Soon"

James smiled brightly. "Firstly I have to ask him to be my boyfriend again. But yes, soon"

“Madam, you can’t have your dog here”

“Oh, he’s a service dog. It’s alright”

“A service dog? What is – madam!”

“Sorry, he’s alerting. I must go lie down somewhere”

“Madam – oh, whatever. I don’t get paid enough for this”

Pandora silently apologized for deceiving the medical staff and lying about having a disability, but it was what Lily had instructed her to do after a four-hour explanation on disabilities and the need for service dogs in the Muggle world. It had been a very educational discussion for the better part of this day and, now, it was evening, almost the end of visit hours. That’s when they decided to strike.

Pandora hurried after Sirius in his dog form, calling out "sorry" and "excuse me" frequently as she followed him towards the ward designated for dangerous patients. It was usually reserved for werewolves, but Mary had gotten herself one room to herself. Her condition was not only a danger to the others, but a danger to herself. Surprisingly, there were still a lot of visitors that Sirius almost barelled into, but he managed to avoid collision at the final moment, thankfully. The visitors weren't that pleased by the whole ordeal, however.

Regulus had given them one final instruction before she and Sirius had left the house.

“Don’t let anyone see you. If they do, they’ll link you to the kidnapping. The Aurors know we are close because of the notes left by whoever killed Pettigrew and Lockhart. They will interrogate you for the kidnapping and they will use Veritaserum. You’re great, Dora, but you can’t resist Veritaserum”

“What about me?” Sirius had asked his brother making Regulus huff. “You just keep being a dog”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I fought in the War. I was an Auror, I can –”

“Sirius. You were in Azkaban once. I’m not risking you being locked up again. You either are a dog during the entirety of the mission or you don’t go at all”

“…well, that was awfully sweet of you, ignoring that final threat”

“Is this normal sibling behaviour?” Remus had asked the four of them and they all responded with a resounding “yes”.

Of course, they had taken other precautions.

Officially, Remus was at Hogwarts. Unofficially, he was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Sirius whereas Lily was impersonating Pandora using Polyjuice as well. The two of them and Regulus would be out at a very crowded restaurant where they’d be seen by a lot of wizards. Perfect alibi. Unfortunately, that meant that Pandora and Sirius had a time limit. They had to get Mary out in exactly three hours. Regulus said he could make a potion that would last twelve hours, but that felt like overkill, so they all agreed on a potion that lasted three hours.

That was also because Remus and Regulus had to meet up with Harry at 11 pm to check out the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Lily had freaked out when she had heard what her son and James were up to now that she wasn’t there. Pandora had found it fitting – Harry had both of James’ recklessness and impulsivity, but also Lily’s resilient and calculating nature. Sirius had thought it was absolutely amazing that Harry was Heir to not one but three other Houses besides being Lord for the Potter’s and Heir to the Black's. Needless to say, he was the only one who thought Harry being confronted by danger once more was mostly exciting. At Lily’s, Regulus’ and Remus’ disapproval looks, Sirius had snorted. “You think Harry’s so easy to kill? Nah. He’s defied Death like thrice already” And he was right. Regulus and Lily still threatened to smother him if he applauded Harry for his feat. (Sirius did just that in his next letter. But he only told Pandora about it.)

Of course, Pandora hadn’t gone in as herself inside St. Mungo’s. She had glamoured herself to look like a random brunette white woman in her late twenties. She also had a Polyjuice Potion prepared. One that would make her look like Mary’s primary healer. Before then, they had to get to the fourth floor of the building. They stopped briefly on the third floor nearby the Poisoning Department.

Sirius in his dog form – Snuffles, as James and Remus had teasingly called him ever since their school days – looked up at Pandora as they hid inside one of the janitor’s closets. Pandora drank the potion as quickly as she could, expecting the rancid taste, but still gagging after she swallowed it. “This is awful” She mumbled even as she felt changes happening to her entire features. She dropped the glamour, courtesy of Sirius’ spell work, before she looked down at Snuffles. “Well, do I look alright?” Snuffles whined, not wanting to bark, before nodding his head in a very human-like manner. Pandora had seen strange things before, but a dog acting so human-like was one of the strangest.

“Ok. Let’s go, then” Pandora mumbled before fixing the glasses on her face and going ahead, Snuffles remaining behind her as they walked. Some of the other healers greeted her, but Pandora refrained from speaking. She settled with nodding in greeting. The ward Mary was in was placed after the Janus Thickey Ward. Pandora had meant to go right past it, except there were three people blocking her way.

“Ah. Sorry for blocking your way. They wanted to look outside their Ward” A tall man with a wooden leg and a fake, magical eye spoke to her. Pandora recognized the Longbottom couple briefly, but her attention was on the man in front of her.

“Kin killer.”

She hadn’t said that out loud, had she?

It was… it was the…

“Brother killer. Killer of our kin.”

Was it… was she speaking? Pandora wasn’t sure if –

Snuffles barked coming in front of her and – had she spoken? The man in front of her – Moody, Alastor Moody – looked at her oddly, but he didn’t seem suspicious of her yet. She had to move.

But she couldn’t.

If she moved, she’d kill Moody.

Because she knew what those whispers in her head meant. Those whispers were from the Fates. And they were getting restless.

“He killed him. He killed our brother. Our kin. Our family. He killed him. Murderer. MURDERER!”

Snuffles barked once more before jumping up and snatching the wrapper Alice had in her hand. Alice looked down at the dog before she crumpled and Moody huffed as he hurried to catch her and support her. “Perhaps not the wisest idea to get them out. I’ll get them back inside” Moody grumbled before herding the two inside. Alice was watching Snuffles with wide, empty eyes, but there were tears going down her face. Frank blinked twice before Pandora couldn’t see either of them anymore.

She finally allowed herself to move when the door to the Janus Thickey Ward was shut closed.

Her wand was in her hand and pressed against the door in less than a few seconds.

She could kill Moody. One spell. That’s all it took.

Snuffles whined.

But she risked killing the Longbottoms as well.

Pandora exhaled shakily.

“It’s fine. Come on” She whispered as she lowered her wand and tried to put a foot in front of the other, to step away from a future she did not want (or did she want it?). Sirius walked in front of her and looked up at her with big, expressive eyes. Pandora shook her head. “Come on” She urged herself to keep walking. It worked. She made her way to the ward Mary was in – Ward 51. Pandora was sure she was waddling like a duck as she walked, but, thankfully, nobody was around to see her. Nobody except Sirius. He probably had a million questions for her, but they had a mission. And time was ticking.

Pandora put her wand back in her jacket’s pocket before she stopped in front of Ward 51’s door. “Be prepared” She whispered to Sirius who nodded once as he tensed up, preparing to dash inside. Pandora knocked twice before opening the door.

There, on the only occupied bed in the room, Mary Macdonald looked up at them. She instantly tensed. “I’m not hallucinating them. James and Lily are real” Mary spat spitefully as Pandora entered the room, closing the door after Snuffles entered. She also made sure Moody wasn’t out again before turning towards Mary. “They are real” Pandora agreed softly as she watched Snuffles who hurried to get to Mary and slobber all over her lap.

Mary blinked surprised at the enthusiastic assault before she smiled lightly. “I love dogs. Who’s this?” She asked as Pandora approached her quietly. “His name is Snuffles. Does he remind you of someone?” Pandora asked her which made Mary frown as she pet Snuffles’ fur. “Should he? He seems… familiar. Is he someone’s pet?” Pandora almost chuckled, but she only allowed a smile to grace her features. “In a way” Sirius barked at that which had Mary scratching after his ears to Snuffles’ pleasure. Mary watched Pandora warily. “What are you going to try now? More exposure therapy?” Mary asked her which made Pandora shake her head mildly before she stopped. “Well, actually… in a way, yes. But we have to take a little trip for it”

Mary watched her incredulously.

“You’re letting me go?”

“No. I’m bringing you to someone you need to meet”

Mary frowned before her entire expression turned hopeful. “James and Lily?” She asked to which Pandora smiled indulgently. “I didn’t exactly get permission for this, so I’ll have to Glamour you. May I?” Mary watched her for a couple moments before nodding determinedly. “Anything to get out of this hellhole” She said as she stood up. Snuffles nuzzled against her leg while the two women approached. Pandora remembered the Glamour Sirius had cast on herself before and she did her best to replicate it on Mary. It was weaker than Sirius’ had been, but it was pretty good. “We’ll walk downstairs towards the fireplaces. We’ll use the Floo Network to get away” Pandora told her which made Mary nod, albeit hesitantly.

“She is waiting” Pandora added to hopefully get Mary on board with their more or less subtle kidnapping. It seemed to have worked because Mary nodded once as if convincing herself that this was the right move.

And, then, they were on the move.

Pandora hurried to get them past the Janus Thickey Ward, not wanting to deal with Moody again. They, thankfully, didn't meet him again. The receptionist did give Mary and Snuffles the stink eye, but after Pandora offered her a smile and a wave, everything was forgiven. They headed towards the fireplaces connected to the Floo Network.

That’s when their riskiest gamble would take place.

Pandora pushed Mary towards the fireplace which made her look at her surprised as she turned with her back to the fireplace. That’s when Pandora took out her wand and cast a strong Disillusionment Charm alongside a privacy ward.

It’s also when Snuffles turned back into Sirius.

Mary stared at him, but there was no time for chit-chat. They didn’t know when Mary would have another episode. They didn’t know when someone would come check this area. And Pandora wasn’t the greatest at Charms.

“Hi there, Mary. Time to dip”

“Sirius –?”

“Grimmauld Place” Sirius had chanted the name of the house, drowning Mary’s question.

Pandora sighed as she watched them disappear before following suit. She appeared out of their kitchen fireplace to see Lily and Mary (noticeably without a Glamour – Pandora almost sighed seeing that, but at least it held on long enough) hugging each other tightly as they both cried, blubbering nonsense. Sirius was smiling brightly, looking relieved. Remus was checking in on him whereas Regulus instantly looked over Pandora who still looked like Mary’s primary healer. “Here. Potion to get that disguise off of you” Regulus said as he handed Pandora a potion which made her smile. She drank it swiftly and she cringed through her transformation back into herself.

Mary looked over at her and she blinked. She looked at all of them, looking very out of depth and slightly uncomfortable. “You know Remus and Sirius. I’ve told you about my girlfriend, Pandora. And this is Regulus, Sirius’ younger brother” Lily introduced Mary to everyone which made her look around with wide eyes as tears kept going down her cheeks. “You’re all real. Is… is Hogwarts also –?”

“Very real” Sirius confirmed which made Mary look at him confused. “Why do I remember kissing you?” She mumbled which made Lily and Pandora laugh surprised whereas Sirius cringed when Remus glared lightly at him. Regulus rolled his eyes before intervening, involuntarily saving Sirius.

“Before you all get into that, I need to know how it went. Did anyone see you? Any witnesses?” Regulus asked Pandora and Sirius who shared a troubled look which made Regulus sigh deeply while Remus and Lily tensed.

“Well, you see…” Sirius began saying, but he didn’t know how to begin, so Pandora explained everything that had happened – using Lily’s idea to get past the receptionist, meeting up with Moody and the Longbottoms, Pandora realizing that Moody killed her brother, Evan (Lily had hugged her then whereas Regulus had tensed), Sirius transforming safely back into his human form and getting Mary out. It was, overall, a successful mission. Hopefully, it will remain their way. Afterwards, Lily and Pandora began introducing Mary to the house alongside Sirius whereas Remus and Regulus went to meet Harry and deal with the basilisk inside the Chamber of Secrets and the horcruxes they’ve gathered.

Meanwhile, on the kitchen table, forgotten by its peruser was a Daily Prophet newspaper. It had been snapped closed by the breeze coming from the open window, so anyone could see the headline on its first page.

Chapter 18: Si vis pacem, para bellum

Chapter Text

"Have you fed the pet?" Remus asked him as soon as Harry entered his office for detention on Tuesday. Harry wasn’t a fool, he knew why Remus picked that day to keep him busy. He didn’t comment on his choice, since it wasn’t that bad. Spending such a dark day with his baba and Remus would be alright, if he ignored whatever his detention would imply.

Harry was mid-yawn when Remus interrogated him so. He stopped in his tracks, befuddled, before deciding to play dumb. He knew uncle Moony referred to their basilisk as the pet but, frankly, Harry was tired from a full day of early practice and then exhausting classes. He deserved to have a little fun.

"Luna fed Hedwig. She keeps getting a lot of dead rats out of nowhere, so I let her handle Hedwig's breakfast whereas I handle her dinners. Lunch depends on –"

Remus wasn't looking particularly impressed by Harry's ploy.

"Harry. You know what I mean"

"Who you mean, you mean"

James, who had been busy trying to commune with the other ghosts of the castle (and failing to do so), had entered Remus’ office shortly after Harry. He now cackled as Harry took an affected look at Remus' call-out.

"Moony may look patient, but he’s whooped my ass far too many times. He doesn't hold his punches. Be careful, Harry" James warned his son with a conspiratorial look on his face, but he was smiling far too brightly for Harry's peace of mind.

"I dropped by to ask if she was hungry. She said the goats would suffice for this month. She's still busy digesting"

Remus hummed deep in thought.

"That makes sense. She probably has a low metabolism after being frozen in time for so long. She’ll probably sleep through the digestion of the goats. Did she eat them all?”

“Three of them. She insisted on keeping one as a … pet, of sorts. She called it a companion. She chose it because it was the only one who came to confront her after she hunted the rest of them.”

Remus stared at him incredulously.

“So now there’s a pet goat too?”

Harry shrugged and Remus groaned exasperatedly. James snickered at that while Harry entered inside the room even more, now hovering besides Remus. “So, how is she?” Harry asked his guardian who looked mildly amused – Sirius had told Harry through an encoded letter that they had consensually kidnapped Mary. That she was safe at Grimmauld. Remus could probably guess who Harry was referring to, but he seemed to want to get his revenge for Harry’s earlier ruse.

“Pandora is quite fine. She’s enjoying this new brand of tea Regulus got her. Lily tea.”

Harry grimaced at that to both Remus’ and James’ amusem*nt. Harry loved his mom and he adored Pandora. But, he lived with a bunch of Slytherins with no filter. He had heard far too much already not to be able to recognize innuendos at a glance. Remus took pity on him though, probably realizing that James was also anxious to know more about how their operation went. “Everyone’s fine. We’ve been… adjusting, but we’re fine” Harry nodded pleased to hear that while James exhaled relieved.

“Now, about your detention…”

“Oh, boy” James mumbled while Harry cringed, preparing for the worst.

“You’ve still not gotten the hang of the Disarming Charm. You can do it, yes, but I want you to be able to use it even when you’re sound asleep. Wandless, even non-verbal. We’re not leaving here until you’ve mastered it”

“Uncle Moony, that could take me the entire year –”

“It’s Professor Lupin. And we both know you’re way more talented than that. Come on, the earlier we finish that, the quicker I can talk to you about another spell I think you’d like to learn.”

“Don’t tell me it’s something ridiculous –”

“Funny you should mention that –”

“Uncle Moony!”

“I’m joking, Harry. If you can perform the Disarming Charm flawlessly, I’ll consider starting teaching you the Patronus Charm. I’ve seen you researching it at the library. You could have asked either of us about it. We’d love to teach it to you.”

Harry stared at his guardian thoughtfully, before looking over at his baba who smiled encouragingly his way. Harry nodded determinedly. Time to get to work.

The match on Friday, in the first week of November, was spectacular. Adding Draco to the team had been a good choice even without Lucius' "gift" (everyone on the team got Nimbus 2001s, even Harry, which sent Sirius into a frenzy as he tried to buy the next expensive broom for him, but Regulus banned him from the vaults – again – until he could learn to spend their money responsibly). Draco was fast and he knew when to play dirty and when to fake moves. Harry had managed to watch him very briefly before the Gryffindor Seeker, Angelina Johnson, started messing with him, doing numerous fake outs. Harry still caught the Snitch, but Merlin's beard, he was sweating buckets by the end of the match.

He celebrated briefly with his team before going to greet his guardians. Sirius was wearing one of Regulus' scarves from the looks of it – a Slytherin one. And he had painted POTTER across his face. "Such a good game! I almost had a heart attack when they sent that Bludger at you at the end though" Sirius told him as he ruffled Harry’s hair. "Thought it was tampered with, for a second, but it was just the Beaters' talent" Remus added with a small smile (he was, for once, dressed casually and, despite his allegiance to Gryffindor, he also had POTTER painted across his cheek – in smaller print than Sirius’, though) while Regulus briefly checked over Harry before softly congratulating him.

"Harry! What a good game!" Luna called out as she reached them after she came down from the Ravenclaw area in the stands. Her mother brightened seeing her, hugging her tightly before she too congratulated Harry. Luna was wearing a Slytherin head piece that depicted Hedwig quite accurately. Hedwig was also around her neck, napping loudly (apparently, snakes snored – hissed? Hiss-snored). She was dressed in green and silver, going all out in showing her support for her almost brother. Harry couldn't help but smile warmly towards her. "Thanks, Luna, everyone"

"The Christmas holidays are soon! Have you thought if you wanna visit anyone –?"

"He's grounded" Both Remus and Regulus reminded Sirius who groaned loudly while Luna and Pandora shared an amused smile. Harry did not ask them about Mary since he assumed his mom was with her – and there were too many people listening in anyway. He had gotten updates about her well-being from Remus and he was going to formally meet her (meet her again?) over the holidays.

"Spoilsports, the lot of them! We could go anywhere and they decided to be snappy, strict sh*ts" Sirius exclaimed dramatically which made Harry grin widely. "Right?" He goaded Sirius who was about to start another dramatic tirade with James excitedly feeding off his energy (“f*ck yeah, let’s go visit India over the holidays. I’m sure mom and dad left some sort of beginner’s guide to, well, everything –”) when Cassius interrupted them with a bright smirk.

"Sorry, guardians. I need to steal Harry. You are not escaping celebrations in the common room tonight, okay? You gotta live, Chosen One!"

Harry glared at the older boy. "Call me Chosen One again and I will –"

"No threatening others or you're grounded on Christmas too" Regulus warned him which had Harry shutting his mouth. Cassius' eyebrow raised surprised. "Salazar, what did you do?" He asked Harry who sighed. "Got caught out after curfew far too many times. I'll join the celebrations in a bit" Cassius smirked pleased. "I might have a solution for that. Come up to my room after celebrations" He whispered with a wink before waving goodbye towards Harry's guardians. Harry watched him curiously before turning towards said guardians.

"You should go have fun" Pandora told him which had Luna smiling. "You will have fun. I promised Hermione to show Hedwig to her sometime. She wants to examine her scale pattern… and lethality. Cassia and Pollux want to see her too. Can I borrow her?" Luna asked Harry who nodded after making sure the snake was alright with it. "No alcohol" Remus reminded him while Regulus narrowed his eyes. "And no girls. Or boys, for that matter. You have to be at least 14 –"

"I am leaving –"

"Let the little man have some fun! By the time I was 14, I already kissed half the girls in our year" Sirius said with a bright grin which had Remus narrowing his eyes. "I did not know that" He stated, making Sirius freeze in what looked like the beginning of a panic attack. Sirius then saw something on Remus’ face that the others didn't because he scowled. "Remus John Lupin, don't scare me like that! And I know I regaled you with a detailed list of my exes!" Remus was smiling warmly after his ruse was revealed, looking very accomplished. Harry couldn't help but smile as well. "I'll see you all soon" Harry told them, bidding them goodbye.

He spent about an hour at the party after the match before going up to his room – his roommates were still mingling around the party. Draco had been the star player today – there were rumours that Montague would be off the team soon because of that. Something about the Slytherin team not needing benchwarmers. Harry assumed that was Snape’s order (obviously, Montague wasn’t happy about that, but if it truly was Snape’s idea, he couldn’t do anything about it). Harry exited his dorm when the celebrations in the common room seemed to be over. All three of his roommates bid him goodnight as they went to their dorm, but Draco watched Harry curiously as Harry went further down the hallway.

Harry stopped in front of Cassius’ room under Draco’s heavy gaze before he knocked against the wooden door. Cassius opened the door with a smirk before dragging Harry inside. When they entered, Fred and George were there as well which made Harry blink in surprise. "We exchanged roommates since the assholes I was rooming with were snitches and the assholes in the twins' room were blood purists" Cassius explained, remarking Harry’s surprise at seeing the twins there.

"Who is the other person sleeping here then?"

"Hm? Oh, there's nobody else" Fred replied to which George smirked. "There's five of them in our former dorm and it's just us three here. Snape didn't care when we told him. He said to solve our own problems and only bring them to him if someone was dying or dead" The twins shrugged whereas Cassius nodded decisively. "Nobody died. Yet" Cassius announced, before adding the “yet” as an afterthought. Harry blinked. "Why am I here?" He then asked the three which made them share a smirk.

"Well, someone said you keep getting caught after curfew –"

" – so, we thought to help you out"

Fred and George finished each other’s sentences as usual while Cassius went and grabbed something from inside his pillow case. Harry's eyes widened as he saw a piece of parchment and his baba gasped. They both recognized that old parchment. "The Map! They have the Map! Harry!" James exclaimed in a frenzy – a justified frenzy. He and Harry had been looking all over the castle for the Map. It had never occurred to them that someone else would find it and figure out how it worked.

"You know what it is?" Cassius asked surprised at the clear signs that Harry recognized the Map which had Harry grinning brightly. "It was my father's" He explained simply before taking out his wand and tapping it against the parchment once. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" Harry intoned and the Map was brought to life. "What?!" The twins exclaimed as they processed what Harry had said while Cassius raised his eyebrows mischievously. "Well, guess you were right when you said he's a troublemaker" Cassius told the twins before he extended the Map to Harry making the younger boy blink.

"What are you –?" He was about to ask, but Cassius continued his train of thought. "I spoke with the twins and we agreed to give it to you. We know all the passages by now. We might want to borrow it when we need to find someone, but ... it's yours. Your legacy, it seems. It actually makes even more sense to give it to you now" Cassius told him sincerely. Harry accepted the Map with slightly trembling hands and a warm smile. "Thank you –"

"Yeah, yeah. Sappy bullsh*t out of the way –" Fred interrupted only for George to continue asking " – which one of them was your dad?" Harry smiled amused at that. "Prongs was my dad. I know who the others were too, but... well, I'll leave that as a mystery for you to figure out"

"What –?!"

"No fair!"

"Are they alive?"

Fred, George and Cassius spoke in that exact order which had Harry smiling, realising they were going to take him up on the challenge he had issued. "Two of them are still alive. Moony and Padfoot. Wormtail isn't. Wormtail is the traitor" Harry confessed with a vengeful gaze which had Cassius and the twins cursing. "f*cking Pettigrew" Fred snapped which made Harry nod in confirmation. James looked affected too, but he put on a brave smile as he dragged his fingers over the Map, relieved to have it back in the family. The legacy of the Marauders was back in the hands of its successor.

"What do we get if we find out?" Cassius asked curiously which had Harry tilting his head. He swiftly checked the Map and he smiled when he noticed the Room of Requirement wasn't on it. "A new, secret room that can change according to your preferences. It’s not on the Map"

"f*ck yeah. I'm in" Cassius said instantly while the twins nodded in agreement as well. Harry smirked then. "Good luck. Mischief Managed" he said and he put the Map in his pocket before exiting the three’s dorm.

James was ecstatic as they went back to Harry’s dorm. "Finally! Now you won't ever get caught! Do not, under any circ*mstances, let Moony know you found the Map. Or Regulus" Harry nodded with a mild grimace. "Moony might take it since he's a Professor now. It would surely make it easier to catch students out of bed after curfew. And Reg would make Moony take it" Harry whispered which had James nodding fervently. Harry yawned, but he forced it to stop early to keep talking to his baba. “Can I tell Sirius?” Harry asked James who grinned. “Yeah. He’d… he’d give his life to protect any secret you share with him” James whispered heartbrokenly which made Harry frown, before nodding in determination.

"What a night" Harry mumbled exhausted, getting an equally exhausted smile from James. “Sleep well, Bambi” James wished his son as they entered the dorm to see his roommates were already asleep. Including Draco. Harry went to change and, then, he was off to bed. He had a feeling this was going to be a good, quiet school year now that they handled the basilisk business and destroyed two Horcruxes and freed Mary. Things were finally turning around for him. Hopefully. Unless this was just the calm before the storm. Seeing how much the Fates loved to prove him wrong… Harry decided to prepare for the worst.

“Don’t let him get to me. He has the same look in his eyes as him.”

“As who, Mary?”

“As… that old man. You said he was named Dumbledore? He did… something to me. To my mind. I think. I mean, isn’t that what you said? I don’t remember –”

Regulus took another step forward which made all three women – Mary, Lily and Pandora – glare towards him. Regulus raised an eyebrow towards them. “If she wants to remember, I’m her only chance” He stated clearly which made Lily grimace as Mary leaned further away from Regulus in her seat on the couch in the living room at Grimmauld.

Regulus remained standing, waiting. It was the weekend, he was tired from dealing with ignorant people and… with uncovering who killed Pettigrew and Lochart. He had told Sirius what he had found, but he had yet to tell the three women. He’d do it after his Legilimency session with Mary. They deserved to know. Pandora, especially.

Speaking of, Pandora gave him an admonishing look. “Don’t be insensitive, Reg. You know much abuse can affect someone –”

“I don’t like that word.” Regulus interrupted her which made Lily frown. “What, abuse? Why? Oh. Because of –” Lily stopped speaking when Pandora put a hand on her thigh. The redhead grimaced and looked up towards Regulus who looked almost as tense as Mary. “I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking” Regulus shrugged at that. “It’s fine. You couldn’t have known”

“Oh. I knew. Sirius mentioned it briefly, but… James crumbled after you died. He thought your mother killed you for quite a few years. He was inconsolable. Sirius had just manned up enough to go seek answers from Walburga when… when we found out she died”

Regulus tried to keep an impassive mask on his face. He almost cracked when Lily mentioned James, but, then, he succeeded to remain neutral when Walburga’s name was mentioned. “Regardless of all that, Macdonald, I get you don’t trust me or particularly like me. You don’t have to. You just have to give me your consent and I’ll try to figure out how much Dumbledore f*cked you up”

“…consent?” Mary asked quietly.

That seemed to make the other three freeze instantly. Regulus and Lily looked like they’d both get up and go kill Dumbledore themselves right at that moment. Pandora had a hand over her mouth, looking sick. As if she’d puke. Mary raised her hands to appease them.

“I know what it is, calm down. It’s just… I thought that thing… erm, Legilimency? I thought that hurt no matter who did it. No matter if I gave my consent or not”

Regulus cleared his throat forcefully before speaking up.

“No. It only hurts if someone does it to you without your consent. It’s… it’s similar to rape. Mental abuse. It’s the cruellest form of torture. Voldemort enjoyed doing it to anyone who displeased him. I assumed Dumbledore was better than that… but it seems my expectations were far too high”

Pandora got up then, exiting the living room and going outside. She didn’t look at Regulus. Because she knew. She knew what Regulus had gone through during his years as a Death Eater. During his years stuck in this blasted house with his awful parents. He had confided in her briefly, but she had seen more than she had let on. Regulus remained standing, stiff as a rock, but present. He had a purpose, a mission to accomplish. Establish a bond, build trust. Rescue another tortured soul. Just another typical Sunday night.

Lily grimaced as she got up, intending to follow her girlfriend. But, before that, she put her hands on Mary’s shoulders in an attempt to reassure her.

“I trust Regulus with my life, okay? He won’t hurt you. He knows that no means no. He just wants to help you” Mary smiled weakly towards her friend. “Go comfort your girlfriend. I remember how much you fancied her during school. I’m happy for you, Lils”

Lily sniffled. “Yeah. Me too, Mary. Me too. We’ll be right back. I promise you’ll be okay” Lily assured her before hurrying to catch up to Pandora. Regulus watched her leave before looking back towards Mary who was studying him attentively. “Can I see your forearms?” She asked him quietly, but determinedly. However, Regulus wasn’t prone to giving away secrets for free. “Can I sit down next to you and maintain eye contact while doing so?” Mary watched him for a couple moments in silence before nodding.

Regulus sat down besides her and he kept eye contact as he rolled up his blouse’s sleeve for Mary to see the Dark Mark on it. He made sure not to touch Mary while all of this happened, however. Mary looked at the Mark coldly which briefly surprised Regulus. He shouldn’t have underestimated her just because she had faced such a traumatic experience. Regulus knew better, but he had grown softer over the years, no matter how much he tried to deny it. Mary Macdonald had survived Dumbledore’s Legilimency and living a Muggle life with no connection to her past. She is surviving an Obscurus. She dodged a lot of bullets as a muggleborn witch to begin with. Even if, in the end, that had meant falling prey to another monster.

“That Mark means you’re one of the bad guys. He had it”

Regulus actually tensed at that. “Dumbledore had it?” He asked shocked, because that would change their whole understanding of the old man. Everything they knew about him would be demolished. They would have to barge into the school. f*ck. They’d have to get Harry out. Homeschool him. Or maybe send him to Beauxbatons. Or maybe getting out of Europe entirely would be better for all of them – Ilvermony was another alternative for a school. But that meant going to America… Regulus would rather take his chances with the French.

“What? No.”

Ah. Nevermind, then.

“I meant the man that was with him. When… Dumbledore didn’t come, there was someone else who came by. Gave me food and water. New clothes. He had this Mark. I asked him about it and he said it was because he was one of the bad guys”

Regulus hummed in thought. “Can you identify him? If I show you a photo of him?”

Mary blinked. “Maybe? I mean, I remember him having long, black hair. A big nose. He… I asked him why he was helping me. I think, at least. Everything from then is still pretty scrambled. It’s not as bad as my memories before then, but…”

“What did he tell you?”

“Sorry?”

“What was his reason for helping you?”

“Oh. Erm, he said Mea Culpa, I think.”

“Are you sure?”

“Obviously not. He could have said something else entirely. My brain is scrambled.”

“Right.”

“What does it mean?”

“My fault. Mea Culpa means my fault.”

“Oh. So it’s his fault I was…?”

“Kidnapped? Abused? Tortured? It seems so.”

“Do you have any idea who he could be?”

“Was he our age? Looked forever exhausted?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Regulus nodded once as he tugged his sleeve back over the Dark Mark. “We’ll keep this between us until I can get a photo of the person I’m suspecting and you can confirm it.”

“Why?” Mary asked him suspiciously which made Regulus roll his eyes, but he answered her with an exasperated sigh. “Because it would hurt Evans.” Mary’s lips tightened into a thin line, but she eventually nodded her assent. She then observed Regulus cautiously.

“Lily said she trusts you. I don’t understand why.”

“I raised her son. Harry. Saved him from his abusers”

Mary’s expression cleared. “Harry… I was supposed to… I remember Lily telling me I’d be his legal guardian if something happened to her. That Harry would be in my care. When I was in Scotland with… when I was living my Muggle life, I always felt like I was forgetting something important.”

“Your real life, perhaps?” Regulus deadpanned, making Mary roll her eyes in an irritated manner. Regulus almost smiled. He was getting to her – getting under her skin. As long as he could accomplish that, he could figure out how to get her to trust him enough. “Obviously. But my duty too. I knew deep down that there was someone I failed to protect.” Regulus watched her curiously. “You mistook him for James numerous times” Mary smiled bitterly at that. “I remember Harry as a baby. Crawling around the house. James and Lily would be exhausted every night, so I’d come by to babysit. I remember holding him… singing lullabies. He was a sweet, curious child”

Regulus observed her for a few moments before speaking up. “I’m not a Mind Healer. I can’t promise to give you your memories back. I know how to hide my memories and bring them back up when needed. I think I can help you, but you need to let me access your memories.”

“Legilimency. Yeah. My Mind Healer at St. Mungo’s suggested it, but I didn’t want to hear of it. Not after everything.”

“Was that the lady Pandora turned into?”

“Oh, no. That lady was the one who tried to heal… erm… the black goo that keeps attacking everything around me. And it keeps draining me. The… magic that I feel in me… it’s no longer there when that thing is out”

“That thing is an Obscurus. We theorized that if we get your memories back, you’ll be able to use your magic again. Freely. And that thing would go away”

“Just like that?” Mary asked breathlessly which made Regulus snort incredulously. “You say that as if it’s easy. It could take years. And, until then, we’re all in dangers. We don’t know when you’ll have another episode”

“… I have them when I see Harry. Or when someone brings up something important that I don’t remember”

“That’s exactly why you won’t see Harry until we can get you under control”

“…fine. Has anyone figured out I’m missing?”

“Obviously. The Aurors have already looked into our alibis. Alastor Moody even called us down to the Ministry, but they had no proof of our implication, so we denied. Very cordially”

“Cordially how?”

“Sirius sent a Howler. Spent a good five minutes yelling at Moody for suspecting him when Sirius spent a decade in Azkaban for a crime he didn’t commit. He really went over the top, truly, but it worked. We aren’t suspects anymore.”

Mary huffed a sharp laugh at that. She then looked down at her hands in her lap. She picked at a hangnail thoughtfully.

“You aren’t that bad for a bad guy”

“Don’t discredit me now. I have a reputation to uphold” Regulus deadpanned, making Mary snort. “Lily said James loved you. You must be a good person. James doesn’t love bad people” Regulus tilted his head at that, looking just a bit miserable. “Let’s agree to disagree. Now, can I check out your memories?”

Mary watched him warily. “Just a check-up?” Regulus sighed, but nodded. “We can start small”

“Okay, then. Begin”

If asked about it, Regulus would deny that he was gentle. Taking care of Harry didn’t count. Being gentle to kids was the bare minimum. Being gentle to victims was also the bare minimum. Regulus couldn’t atone for everything he did. But he could heal his inner child just a little bit by helping other people like him.

Pandora was lying down on the grass, not caring that it was November. She had grabbed onto some blades of grass tightly and held onto them as if she was in danger of falling into the skies. As if gravity was pulling her towards the stars instinctively, ignoring her Earth-bound body. Lily approached her cautiously, in case Pandora was having another Fates-induced vision, but her girlfriend’s eyes were open and filled with tears. They spilled down her temples and into her hair and ears – perhaps the grass as well. It must have been uncomfortable, but Pandora didn’t move from her spot even as she started speaking to Lily.

“He hurt so much during the War. He was 16 years old when that monster first… Lily, he described it as mental rape. I’ve seen – I knew he suffered. That he was tortured. His homelife before then wasn’t brilliant either. But this is too much. I can’t – I can’t breathe, Lily”

Lily hurried to kneel by her girlfriend’s side and she got Pandora to sit up, hug her legs against her chest and keep her head between her legs. Lily would always recognize the beginning of a panic attack. “Breathe, sunshine. I’m here. We’ve survived this. What happened to Regulus is tragic, but he survived, okay? So have you. He’s alive. Isn’t that what’s most important?”

“I could have tried harder to get to him. He kept hurting, Lily. He’s suffered for so long and I couldn’t help him. I thought… every day, I thought I’d lose him”

“You haven’t. He’s here.”

“Yes, but for how long?”

Lily had no answer for that question. She had a feeling in regards to what Pandora meant, but she was grateful when her girlfriend explained nonetheless. Lily didn’t like what she had come up with… unfortunately, Pandora’s answer was pretty similar to Lily’s thoughts.

“Every day James is still… Regulus has suffered for so long. He’s endured so much of this alone. That’s his nature, you know? You’ve seen him. He’d go to Azkaban, kill a man, just to get James back. He’s self-destructive, he refuses to talk about anything. I’ve spent years trying to help him, but I’m exhausted, Lily. I want him to get better, but I can’t cure him by hugging it out of him. I can’t even get him to open up most days”

Lily exhaled sharply, before gently placing her hands on Pandora’s cheeks and lifting her head so that the two of them were eye to eye. “You are not alone anymore. Neither is Regulus. You both have me, Sirius, Remus and Mary. Harry and Luna too – they may be kids, but they’re far too wise for their ages.” The two women shared a shaky chuckle at that before Pandora sniffled. “You’ll help me hug his self-destructiveness out of him?” Lily smirked. “With pleasure. Let’s hope he doesn’t try to stab us” Pandora snorted. “Knives are my thing” She retorted with a pout which made Lily’s smirk turn into a grin.

“That they are. You’re very attractive when you wield one”

“I wield them when I intend to seriously maim or kill someone. Most of the time it’s not even of my own volition”

“Still very attractive… a bit concerning, but attractive nonetheless. Oh, no. I’m turning into James. Save me, my sunshine”

Pandora laughed at Lily’s deadpanned plea before leaning their foreheads together.

“What would I do without you, my bloom?”

“Let’s never find out” Lily stated defensively which made Pandora smile apologetically before placing a soft kiss on Lily’s lips. “Let’s.” Pandora agreed gently before she allowed Lily to help pull her up. They headed towards the house and hoped Mary and Regulus didn’t kill in each other while the two of them had been outside.

“You know, Moony, this is all insane”

“You’re only saying this now?”

“Well, it’s always been insane, obviously. Remember who we live with?”

Remus snorted at that, but that didn’t stop him from playing with Sirius’ hair, twisting it around his fingers. Sirius had his head in Remus’ lap, looking up at him with an adoring gaze. The two of them were sat on Remus’ couch in his quarters at Hogwarts. Sirius had been visiting him ever since he had started teaching. He’d come every evening after dinner. Sometimes, he spent the night, sometimes he dragged Remus to some Muggle club and they danced the night away. Needless to say, Remus had become best friends with coffee – dark, no sugar. Sirius drank his overly sweetened lattes as if they could reinvigorate him after pulling an all-nighter. Remus didn’t know how his boyfriend could be so vibrant and lively every morning – it’s like he was still the 21-year-old Remus remembered. Like they hadn’t aged at all. Remus sometimes wished that was true, but he felt like his age every day. Time was truly unforgiving in his case.

Sirius grabbed his hand, making Remus blink down at him. “What is it?” Remus asked him surprised that he’d be interrupted from his combing through Sirius’ hair. Sirius smiled amused as he sat up, keeping their faces close together. “What were you thinking about, moonbeam? I’ve been trying to give you an update on what we’ve found out. And, yet, you keep staring into space. Oh. No pun intended, but now it’s definitely intended –”

“Ha, ha.” Remus deadpanned before shutting Sirius up with a long kiss pressed against his lips. Sirius exhaled in surprise before becoming pliant in Remus’ embrace. It was, surprisingly, Sirius who distanced. “Not that I don’t like where this is going, but Reggie will disown me if I don’t keep you informed” Remus sighed at that, but he didn’t let that stop him from trailing kisses down Sirius’ jawline and, then, his neck. “Oh, that’s not fair, Remus. You expect me to concentrate like this?” Sirius asked breathlessly, making Remus smile against his skin. He was tempted to go even further, but he knew how ferocious Regulus could be. If he found out Sirius didn’t manage to accomplish his informant mission because they were distracted, disownment would be the last of Sirius’ worries. Remus pressed one more kiss, perhaps with the smallest hint of tongue, against Sirius’ skin – right where his pulse was – before distancing enough to give Sirius room to breathe. Sirius was blushing and his pupils were dilated. That didn’t help with Remus’ already waning self-control.

“Well?” Remus teased him, making Sirius groan as he pushed Remus into the pillows on his couch. Remus chuckled as he allowed Sirius to manhandle him. Sirius looked down at him with the eyes of a rained-on dog. “You have two minutes to digest what I’m about to tell you. Then, we go back to making out”

“What? Sirius, that’s not –”

“Regulus is starting Legilimency sessions with Mary. We’re hoping he could help her remember everything. Well, except the darker parts of whatever Dumbledore did to her.”

“That doesn’t sound like it will work.”

“It will. My brother doesn’t give up easily and he’s a perfectionist. Also a very good Legilimens. Stop interrupting me. The second thing you should know is that we were finally allowed to check out the Azkaban graveyard. Apparently, it had been Crouch Senior denying us entry. But now that he’s missing, presumably killed, Regulus went to check out Barty’s grave.”

“What did you find?”

Sirius glared mildly at Remus for interrupting him again. “I’m deducting from your two minutes since you’re asking so many questions.” Sirius warned him which made Remus smile amused. He mimicked zipping his lips shut. Sirius nodded with a pleased smile at that before continuing. “Reggie examined the grave, but we wouldn’t know sh*t until we could exhume the body. Except, how to get that approved?”

“Another red tape.”

“Exactly. But Reggie thought fast. He told the guards that it was possible that Barty wasn’t actually dead. I saw the memory. It was hilarious to see him making fun of the guards and the Azkaban administrator.”

“Wait. You mean, they caved? They exhumed Barty’s body?”

“Yes. They dug the coffin out.”

“Was this last night?

“Tonight, actually. Just a couple hours ago. The press is going to be all over this tomorrow. The Daily Prophet especially –”

“Padfoot.”

“Right. You know it’s hard to focus when you have that look on your face.”

“Sirius.”

“Right. Right, sorry. It wasn’t Barty in the coffin. It was an older woman – Reggie recognized her as Barty’s mother. Dressed in Azkaban’s prison uniform. Regulus theorized that she drank a very well-made Polyjuice Potion and took Barty’s place. But there’s already Healers working on determining what killed her. Officially, Crouch Senior said she was missing. She was declared dead a couple years ago when they still couldn’t find her body.”

“So, does that meant that Barty’s alive?”

“Yes. Or, well, at the very least, he didn’t die in Azkaban. And with the notes Regulus and Pandora have been getting –”

“Barty’s the killer.”

“Most likely. Regulus said he’d tell the others. I was asked to tell you.”

“What about Harry and Luna?”

“That’s on you, Moony. Have them come by for lunch or something and talk to them. They deserve to know.”

“All in approval to traumatize them even more? We don’t even know what Barty wants. And why has he started making his presence known only now? It can’t be about Regulus. He’d have known Regulus was alive when he adopted Harry. And Pandora was quite a well-known Potioneer. Why would Barty reveal he’s alive now? Why all the notes?”

“No clue. Regulus is hoping to track him down, but it’s not like we know where he’s been hiding in the last decade. He left nothing behind.”

“Then, how are we –?”

“Time’s up, Moony!”

“Wait, Sirius, I still have –!”

“Time for some loving!”

Remus laughed as Sirius more or less pushed him back against the cushions as he climbed on top of him, but he couldn’t blame his boyfriend for wanting to take their minds off of it all. They were in bigger sh*t than each of them had initially anticipated. And Remus was tasked with informing Harry who tended to self-sacrifice and Luna who was more stab-happy than Pandora. Remus had his job cut out for him. But… until then… well, Remus still had a lot of exploring to do until he could confidently map out his boyfriend’s body. Better get to it.

Chapter 19: Do you hear that?

Chapter Text

“One bite and you’re dead! I mean, how could Dumbledore and the other professors let Harry keep Hedwig?! She’s a danger to everyone around her!”

“You know, Hermione, Harry has quite a few people who want him dead. It’s good he has a second pair of eyes with him at all times. Almost all times, actually”

“Luna! You can’t possibly agree!”

Luna looked up at the two people she was walking with towards the Great Hall. Sometimes, Cassia and Pollux joined them on their hangouts, but today they weren’t here. Luna befriended them on the Hogwarts Express – the two of them were quite lovely individuals. Pollux had a lovely collection of letter openers. And Cassia was out of the most outspoken people Luna had met. She really liked braiding Cassia’s hair. It was very well-maintained and luscious. Parvati liked showing them how to put makeup on. She was slowly becoming an expert at it, courtesy of all of her relatives pitching in on showing her how to do it. Padma also came by to spend time with them sometimes – girls’ night every weekend. Their latest one was last night. They’d played music in Susan Bones’ room and talked a lot. Luna and Hermione spent some time in the Hufflepuff common room to observe Hedwig before they joined the Parvati, Padma, Cassia, Susan and her roommates in the latter’s dorm.

The three Ravenclaws had got up early alongside Padma to go to their respective towers and get changed for the day. Since it was a Sunday, they’d each spend their time resting or doing their homework. But, first of all, they had to get some breakfast. Usually, Elysian joined them on their walk to breakfast. But not today. The Warrington twins weren’t with them either. Luna could draw a conclusion from that, but she thought it wasn’t proper time yet for that.

“I quite like Hedwig. She’s very resourceful” Luna replied thoughtfully as she scratched underneath Hedwig’s chin to the snake’s pleasure. Hermione groaned at that while Parvati chuckled. She then blinked confused. “Oh, no” Parvati cringed which made Luna watch her curiously. Luna had been observing Parvati for the past few months. Her suspicions were growing. She was almost convinced that Parvati was a Seer as well. “See something you don’t like, Parvati?” Luna asked teasingly, making Parvati flinch to Hermione’s surprise. “What –? Oh, no. It’s just… here, look!” Parvati exclaimed as she distracted everyone’s attention by grabbing a newspaper out of a boy’s hands who was just passing by. He tried to complain, but Hedwig hissed at him rather aggressively and he dropped it, leaving them alone.

Luna was more interested in the article on the first page of today’s Daily Prophet, however,

Luna froze on the spot.

Crouch. Barty Crouch Junior.

That name. She knew that name.

Holy sh*t.

“Luna? Hey –! Where are you going?”

“Let her go, Hermione.”

“What –? Harry too?”

“Harry too.”

Luna looked briefly behind her as she kept running to see Harry had caught up to her. “Your uncle’s ex” Harry told her simply which almost made Luna nod. “Still boyfriends when he died. From what mom and I know” She replied as the two took a corner and hurried to get to Remus’ dorm, hoping he was there. He sometimes went home for the weekend, but Luna had high hopes. “Great. Is that better or worse for us?” Harry replied as the two stopped in front of Remus’ dorm out of breath.

“I think it’s neither” Luna admitted, making Harry sigh before he knocked harshly against the door of their guardian. The two waited with bated breaths. They needed an explanation right this moment. After all, wasn’t homeschooling them the most plausible solution? It would get them both out of danger of being – Luna wasn’t even sure if Barty Crouch Junior wanted them dead. There was a good chance that he was the one killing for Regulus and Pandora. Did that make him a good guy or a bad guy? Luna wasn’t sure what to believe. All she knew for sure was that she’d need Hedwig’s help again tonight. She needed to secure some more rats. Luna had a couple questions for the Fates.

The door opened to reveal a shirtless Sirius.

Now, Harry has lived with his guardians for almost four years now. He has seen them shirtless quite a few times. Still, it made him take a step back. Because it was Sirius’ shirtless torso, not Remus’. Even if he hadn’t seen his godfather’s face, Harry would have recognized the myriad of tattoos in a heartbeat, no matter the context.

“Oh, hello” Sirius greeted the two with a kind smile. Harry observed him somewhat amused. His godfather had a bedhead, most likely morning breath as well, and he still looked like he was part asleep. Harry shared an amused look with Luna who smiled lightly. Hedwig also seemed to feel that her input was needed. “You know, your guardians have definitely –” Whatever Hedwig had wanted to say was drowned by Remus’ voice loudly calling out from the inside of the room.

“Sirius! I told you not to open the door! It could have been McGonagall, for f*ck’s sake”

That made Sirius grin brightly as he opened the door for the kids and Hedwig to come in. “That’s exactly why I opened the door. Imagine her face, I’d pay good galleons for that” After Sirius’ confession, a stray sock hit him in the face making Luna and Harry let out a startled laugh while Sirius groaned as he threw it back towards Remus who had just come out of the bathroom. Remus, however, caught it easily. At that, Sirius pouted. “Moody Moony” Sirius accused before kissing his boyfriend’s kiss as if in greeting.

It then hit Harry. The two must have just woken up. It was 8 am on a Sunday, to be fair. But breakfast started at 8 am and ended at 9:30 am on weekends. It was even earlier during school days – from 7:30 am to 8:50 am. Harry had gotten used to this schedule as had every other pupil – but these two didn’t have to wake up so early in quite a while.

“I swear I didn’t miss this goddamn awful schedule. I don’t know how we survived seven years of this” Sirius mumbled before gently patting Luna’s and Harry’s backs on his way to the bathroom. Remus watched him with a warm smile before turning towards the two. “Has something happened?” He asked them as he led them towards the couch in the middle of the room. Harry had been inside a couple times but only to check if Remus had stuff to give him from his guardians. Remus’ dorm, probably similar to the other professors’ dorms, was quite spacious. There was his bedroom behind the closed door on the right, a bathroom on the left. The door to the dorm opened in a living room area combined with a kitchen. Harry thought it looked quite cosy, but that was probably because Remus had brought plants and books and other knickknacks to decorate it with – alongside funnily-shaped pillows and fluffy blankets, but that could have been Sirius’ influence. Harry would bet everything he had that Snape’s room didn’t look or feel this cosy and warm.

Remus’ presence helped, most likely. Harry always felt safe with him.

Luna more or less shoved the Daily Prophet article about Barty in Remus’ face. He seemed confused at first before he frowned. “Well… it seems that the story was published sooner than expected. You’d think they’d wait at least until Monday”

“How did they even find out so fast? And how did they find the article so fast? This literally happened last night” Sirius said as he exited the bathroom dressed in Remus’ clothes and with his hair tied in a bun – or, rather, pulled in a bun and kept there by courtesy of his wand. Luna and Harry shared a look before they observed the adults. “So, you knew?” Harry asked them which made Remus sigh as the four of them sat down on the couch with the two kids in-between them. “Yes. Sirius told me last night after Regulus went and confirmed Barty wasn’t buried where he was supposed to be”

“And is he buried somewhere he isn’t supposed to be?” Luna inquired making Sirius huff amused. “Good question. I did not ask. Your mom’s convinced that Barty’s alive, though” Sirius replied which made Remus sigh while Harry furrowed his brows. Luna hummed in consideration. “And Regulus is convinced that Barty is the one who killed Lockhart and Pettigrew. We don’t know where he could be, however. The Aurors inspected the Crouch Manor thoroughly and they found nothing” Remus added, but he seemed disturbed by something else as well. Sirius seemed to notice it too, but he realized it before Harry. “Still bothered about how Crouch killed those two? There was no sign of any Apparition or any Floo-Calls. The murders didn’t even seem to have taken place at Mungo’s. It’s all a bunch of bull – crap.” Sirius tried to censor himself and failed, but Harry was focused on something else entirely. He jumped out of his seat, scaring the sh*t out of Remus and Sirius while Luna smiled lightly, as if she knew what Harry – or rather where Harry wanted to go.

“Harry?” Remus asked him confused and obviously worried.

“I may have an idea. How Crouch kills, I mean” He stated, looking ready to bolt. “And what would that be?” Sirius asked him which made Harry exclaim “I need to find Draco!” to the two adults’ surprise. “Is he in danger?” Remus asked bewildered while Sirius blinked surprised. Luna’s smile grew, but she remained silent as she pet Hedwig. “No, but he’s the only one who can help!” Harry called out before dashing out of the room despite the two adults calling out after him. Sirius and Remus shared a disbelieving look before seeking help from Luna. “James went to hear some gossip about Professor Snape from Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. Naturally, Harry’s self-control disappears when his baba isn’t nearby” She exclaimed calmly, but there was a mischievous smile adorning her features.

Sirius barked out a laugh whereas Remus sighed as he got up. “Do you want to eat something while we wait for Harry to get back and enlighten us, Luna?” Luna’s growling stomach was all Remus needed to hear before he went to get some breakfast done for the three of them. Sirius gave Luna a smile before broaching another completely innocent topic. “Did you know your mom’s a badass, Luna?” He asked her with a conspiring smile, making the girl mimic it. “I’ve heard rumours” And that’s how Sirius began telling stories about Pandora’s adventures in Hogwarts to Remus’ chagrin and Pandora’s excitement whereas Hedwig napped.

Meanwhile, Harry ran down the hallways of Hogwarts as if Death itself was on his heels. He briefly checked the Map and made sure Draco was still in the Great Hall before hurrying to get there. The doors to the Great Hall were, thankfully, already open. Harry worried he had his baba’s dramatic gene – he would have slammed the doors open just to get faster to Draco. Everyone was staring as Harry made his way to the end of the Slytherin table. Hermione looked particularly worried as did Cassius, Elysian, Ron and Neville. Padma, Parvati, Fred and George seemed to know better because they looked amused by Harry’s hurry. Susan seemed curious – overly so. As did most of the Slytherins. Well, with a few exceptions. “No running, Harry, or you’ll fall!” Percy warned him but Harry wasn’t listening.

Harry didn’t even bother to sit down. He put a hand on Draco’s shoulder, making the blond jump in his seat. Harry didn’t have time to question that reaction, however. He leaned close against the boy’s ear and whispered. “J'ai grave besoin de toi” Draco froze for a moment before he answered in a rather strangled manner. “I – oui, bien sûr. Grave, oui” Harry nodded once before distancing and making a sign for Draco to follow him. Which Draco did. Awfully quick. Harry didn’t ponder on why that was. He had information to gather.

“What was that about? All that gibberish you’re saying – is that French?” Pansy asked the two remaining boys who shared a look before Theo dismissed her. “Definitely none of your business.” That made Daphne lean forward in her seat to look at Theo with a small smile. “Can I make it my business, Nott? I want to know if whatever they’re doing will endanger our lives” Theo held Daphne’s cunning gaze for a while before he huffed. “You’re in no less danger than usual, Greengrass. Better start training your sister on how to survive in the same House as Harrison Potter” Theo replied curtly which made Daphne hum as she looked over at her younger sister who was chatting with Millicent Bulstrode and a couple other girls. “You know what? You’re right, Nott. To each their own. Pansy, look at Weaslette’s atrocious sweater”

“Salazar, you’re right. She looks like she inherited it from her great grandmother”

“We will not forget that sacrifice, weasel girl” Blaise deadpanned in French, making Theo’s lips quirk in a near-smile. “Indeed. What about our local troublemakers? Do you know why he’s started whispering in his ear?” Blaise snorted at that. “No, but he will definitely explode if it happens again. Did you hear him? Oh, I need you – oh, my beloved –”

“Stop that! I will laugh and then you’ll have to explain to the girls why”

Theo sighed at that as he watched their two roommates disappear out of the Great Hall. “Menaces. Both of them. I despise them already. They’ll be insufferable in the future.” Theo deadpanned, keeping their conversation solely in French since they really appreciated the privacy it offered them. “They’re already insufferable. But you can’t deny they’ll be invincible together. Heirs to Good and Evil. I’m sure my mother has some novels with that exact prompt” Theo cringed at that while Blaise smirked in retribution. “What horrifying imagery.” Theo replied before he looked down at his food. “The four of us will be invincible” He added which made Blaise smile lightly. “You truly think we’ll survive all seven years? And beyond that? You’re way too hopeful to be Theodore Nott” Theo hid his smile behind his mug of tea. “Well, someone did promise to save us. A certain Chosen One, Saviour of the Wizarding World” Blaise huffed at that before returning to his breakfast. If the two friends stole food from Draco’s plate, they’d never admit to it. But they totally did.

After Harry and Draco made it safely out of the Great Hall, Harry hurried to get to one of the secret passageways he knew of. “Where are we going?” Draco whispered as he kept pace with Harry, making him grin lightly towards his companion. “Secret” He replied before dragging Draco through one of the tapestries. Draco yelped, but they passed right through it and into a secret hidey-hole. Harry leaned against one of the walls of the small room they were in while Draco looked at him, waiting. “Well?” He eventually asked Harry who nodded in assent. “I have to ask you something. About Dobby. And I can’t tell you why I’m asking”

Draco crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the opposite wall. “Someday, then?” Draco asked which made Harry smile lightly. “Someday.” He agreed before clearing his throat. “How can Dobby Apparate here? Hogwarts grounds are a strict No-Apparition area” Harry asked Draco who blinked before humming. “That’s a good question. I assume since you don’t have a house elf you don’t know, but elf magic is different than ours.” Harry leaned closer. “How so?” Draco tilted his head, mulling over his thoughts to try and find a way to explain it.

“We leave traces.” Draco began saying, lifting his arm and gently swiping the air with his hand. Harry felt the trace of magic in the air – Draco’s magic. So easily identifiable. Green apples – sour ones, specifically; it was as if Harry could taste them on his lips. Green apples and the air after a storm. “Our traces are individually different. There are some who can tell who cast what spell only by sensing the magic traces they left behind. Most of us can tell that magic has been cast, but not much else” Harry was going to keep his observation of green apples and stormy weather to himself. He really didn’t want to stand out even more. “Our individual magic traces are even different from our family magic. Heirs’ and Lords’ magic feels different. Now, if our magic differs so much individually in a species, imagine how different it is from other species” Draco emphasized which made Harry realize.

“We know how to stop and detect our species’ magic because it’s familiar to us, even if it’s different. We know how it works” Harry said out loud, making Draco smile, proud that Harry figured out so quickly. “Exactly” Harry was not going to wonder why it felt so nice to see Draco smile. “That’s why house elves are undetectable when they Apparate or Disapparate”

“That sounds dangerous. Couldn’t house elves just appear and murder people and then disappear?” Harry asked, which might have been a bit too obvious but he needed to know. However, Draco shook his head. “They can’t harm other wizards. And their magic is pretty weak compared to ours since they’re… well, enslaved. Free house elves, however rare, are stronger than the ones who are chained to a family”

“Can’t you free Dobby then?” Harry asked, thinking of Kreacher and reminding himself to send a message to Regulus about him. Draco shrugged one shoulder at that. “Only father can, since he’s the Lord” Draco sounded particularly sad about that, so Harry decided not to push. He focused on what he found out and an idea struck him. “Ok. House elves can’t kill. But what if their masters ask them to bring them people to kill?” Draco blink surprised by the question before his expression softened. “Harry, are you worried about Crouch being out of Azkaban? He won’t target you. Father says his only target would be Mad-Eye Moody since Crouch has a personal vendetta against him”

“Draco. Please, just answer the question”

“Fine, fine. It’s possible, in theory, I guess. But nobody would be stupid enough to do that. What would you do with the body afterwards?”

“Dump it where you got it from”

“What are you –?”

“Thanks for the lesson on house elves. I owe you”

“Practice with me tonight, then”

Harry smirked as he prepared to leave. “You’ll get us caught”

“No, I won’t! You haven’t been caught out after curfew in quite a bit. You’ll figure something out”

“Ha. Ok, fine. Be ready”

“You bet, Potter”

Harry got out of the hidey-hole first and he hurried back to Remus’ quarters, unknowingly leaving behind a very flushed Draco Malfoy. Harry had big news, however. He knew for sure how Barty Crouch Junior killed Pettigrew and Lockhart without leaving any trace behind. And if it was true that Barty had access to a house elf who could get him inside Hogwarts no problem, his guardians should really consider homeschooling him and Luna.

As Harry made his way to his destination, his baba joined him. “Aren’t you difficult to find? I swear, if I didn’t have my parent radar, I would never know where you’re headed. Well, that and the fact that I’m tethered to you like a dog on a leash. But that’s less pleasant. Where are we hurrying of to? It’s Sunday. No classes. Relax day? Chill day?”

“Baba, please never say chill ever again.”

“What? Why? I can be cool!”

Harry didn’t deign that statement with a reply. He arrived in front of Remus’ room and he knocked quickly before entering, hoping he wouldn’t be traumatized by whatever he’d find. Thankfully, all he saw when he entered was very normal: Luna, Sirius and Remus having breakfast. “There you are. I was just starting to get into stories about Lily’s embarrassing adventures during our school years. James knows more about that than me, though, since he stalked her for like four years – oh, that’s not a happy face” Sirius interrupted his excited rambling when he saw Harry’s expression.

“What did I miss, Harry?” James asked his son instantly and Harry cringed as he closed the door behind him and told the others what he realized. “Barty Crouch is using his family’s house elf to get around undetected. And he used the house elf to get the victims to his location, kill them there and then had the house elf bring them back. That’s why there was no magic detected at the crime scenes besides the house elf’s Apparition. Well, the Aurors didn’t identify those, but it makes sense, right?”

“It does. Terrifyingly so” Remus replied after a couple moments of stunned silence. “Are we going to be homeschooled?” Luna asked the two sounding more curious than worried. Harry thought she knew the answer to that question and she was just asking to be polite. “Yes.” Remus replied whereas Sirius and James both said “No.” Sirius and Remus looked ready to get into a fight over it, but James asked something first.

“How’d you figure that one out?” He asked his son which made Harry repeat James' resounding "No" and his question to the others, announcing them that James was now present as well. “Draco showed me his house elf, Dobby. He had Apparated in our room even if –”

“Nobody can Apparate on Hogwarts grounds. Except house elves. You’re a genius, Harry” Remus grinned brightly while Harry sighed deeply. “I don’t know. It just made us aware of the inevitable. If anyone wants to hurt me or attack Hogwarts, all they need is a house elf” At that, however, both James and Sirius shook their heads. “House elves are strange creatures. With strange morale codes. Apparating themselves is fairly easy, but they also aren’t allowed to hurt any wizard. All they can do is transport other people away… if they have their consent” Sirius explained which made Luna frown. “How would this house elf get Lockhart’s and Pettigrew’s consent?”

“Well, Pettigrew was a carcass. Couldn’t exactly give consent” James mumbled which Harry repeated loudly for the others to hear. “And Lockhart was insane. He’d have given anything to get out of Janus Thickey Ward” Sirius added which made everyone nod gravely. Remus sighed. “Guess Sirius and I need to go home and discuss this with everyone. We need a plan of action” Remus told the two kids who nodded. “Tell them we said hi” Harry replied which made Sirius grin as he ruffled Harry’s hair. “We aren’t leaving just yet. Come now, eat some breakfast” Harry wasn’t going to deny such appetizing food. He sat down and ate while he listened to Sirius tell stories about Lily getting into trouble – there were quite a few stories. Harry hadn’t expected so many. His baba knew a couple more, but he said Lily swore him to secrecy about them – it seems she had even greater blackmail material on James.

“If you had figured out everything, why’d you go find Draco?” Luna asked Harry at one point which made him tilt his head. “I wasn’t sure how house elf magic worked and I remembered Dobby. I thought I would get to ask Dobby directly about it, but Draco explained it to me quite well, so it didn’t seem necessary.”

“Did you cast privacy wards?” Remus asked which made Harry shake his head. “We were behind one of the tapestries. In one of the small hidden rooms behind them. They’re equipped with privacy wards since they were used for muggleborn and halfblood people to hide during the War, right? Baba told me about them” Harry said which made Remus and Sirius sigh lightly. “That’s right” Sirius said gently which made Harry look up at the three adults. They all had this complicated look on their faces. When Harry looked at Luna, she seemed … well, troubled. But at peace. Harry wasn’t sure how to describe her expression. It was a sort of resignation Harry had seen on McGonagall’s face before. When she was looking at Harry, but she wasn’t actually looking at him. It was as if she was looking at a past version of him – at James, probably. Harry knew how similar the two of them were. Especially as children. He had seen photos of James when he was young and he was almost identical to Harry. Except for Harry’s eyes… and scar… and, partly, his hair.

Sirius huffed amused suddenly, making everyone look at him. “Like father, like son, right, James? I swear Harry’s more like you every day” Harry wasn’t sure what Sirius meant by that, but the adults seemed to know because they all started chuckling. Harry looked at Luna seeking help, but she simply smiled and patted his shoulder. “You’ll understand when you’re older” She said wisely. Harry promptly threw peas at her. Luna chuckled and threw cucumbers back at Harry. “Oh! Food fight!” Sirius called despite Remus’ protests. It was chaos after that. Remus did join the food fight. Nobody was harmed during the food fight – well, except for Remus’ wallpaper. It was a bit more colourful than it had been that morning. Remus fixed it with a couple spells after the kids left, but Harry found it amusing to watch Hedwig try to eat the ham that was stuck on the walls. She also tried jumping for the ham which well from the ceiling. It was surprisingly entertaining.

“You two take care. Remus will come back soon and tell you what we, the adults, have decided” Sirius told them after smacking two loud kisses on their foreheads. Luna and Harry shared an amused look whereas Remus rolled his eyes affectionately as he watched his boyfriend. “Behave, you two” Remus warned them which made them give him their best innocent looks. Remus sighed in resignation whereas Sirius snickered. Before the two could Floo home, Harry realized he had forgotten to ask them something.

“Can you tell Regulus I’ve met Kreacher? And that we should probably bring him back home? I don’t think it’s safe to leave him among the kitchen staff anymore” Harry said which made Sirius groan while Remus nodded. “Don’t listen to this baby. He never liked Kreacher. I’ll tell Regulus, don’t worry. See you two soon”

“Bye, uncle Moony” The two kids called out as they exited Remus’ room. Hedwig was now sliding down the floors in between the two as they walked. “What are your plans for today?” Luna asked him, which made Harry smile lightly. “Get in some trouble. You?” Luna returned Harry’s smile. “Find out what trouble awaits us. Can I borrow Hedwig?”

“As long as you feed her”

“Of course.”

“Ok. Be careful”

“You too, Harry”

“Have you ever heard of the eagle trust fall?”

“I don’t think so”

“Eagles mate for life so, to see if the partner they want to choose is right for them, they’d fly really high in the air. Then, they’d fly towards each other, lock talons and dive down. They’d fall out of the sky, holding onto each other for dear life. They’d only let go when they’re about to reach the ground. If both eagles don’t crash, then they’re perfect for each other. As powerful. As resilient. As devoted.”

“Do you know this because your Patronus is an eagle?”

“Yes. It tempts me every day to try to become an Animagus just to do this with someone. Doesn’t it sound romantic, my bloom?”

“Quite so, sunshine”

“My mother used to tell me about them. She really liked animals. Birds, mammals and fish. Prey and predator alike.”

“I regret never meeting her. She sounds lovely”

“She would have liked you. She approved of Barty … so, she’d have approved of you too”

Lily’s and Pandora’s quiet talk was interrupted by Regulus opening the backdoor of Grimmauld and looking down at the two of them lying down on the grass. In November. On a Sunday morning. Regulus didn’t even seem surprised to see them there. “Speaking of Barty, Sirius and Remus come bearing news. Harry figured something out”

“Did you finish your morning session with Mary?” Lily asked as the two women got up which made Regulus nod briefly. “Yes. Macdonald and I have news too. Come gather at the roundtable” Regulus deadpanned. The said roundtable was the coffee table in the living room. They all spawled wherever they could on the couch and the two armchairs. Regulus grumbled something about getting another couch, but it was time for serious talks.

Remus and Sirius started by explaining how Barty had managed to kill Pettigrew and Lockhart and why he couldn’t be traced. “Ingenious” Regulus commented dryly whereas Pandora said “Typical of him, truly.” Lily nodded in assent since she remembered Barty getting more OWLs than her – yes, she was still bitter about that. She had set a record! And not even a year later, Barty broke it.

“Any ideas on how we find him?” Lily asked which made Remus and Sirius share a look. “We could try tracking down Barty’s house elf through Kreacher” Remus offered when Sirius refused to speak up. Regulus raised an eyebrow towards Sirius. “You hate Kreacher”

“Oh, don’t pretend you were keeping him away for my sake”

The silence was deafening.

Sirius stared at his brother with wide eyes while Regulus refused to elaborate. “Holy f*ck, you were actually –!”

“I will call Kreacher back, then. See what he can find out.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Regulus purposefully ignored Sirius’ happy expression while Remus rejoiced seeing it. Lily raised a hand to gather everyone’s attention. “You mentioned you and Mary made progress?” Lily asked as she lowered her hand which made Regulus narrow her eyes at her while Lily ignored him to give Mary an encouraging smile. “I said no such thing –”

“I remember a lot more about our school days. It still feels like a puzzle for which I don’t have all the pieces, but less so every day. Regulus is very helpful”

Regulus was frowning at that statement. Sirius could see right through it because he smirked, knowing his brother was pleased by the compliment.

“Regarding our news,” Regulus interrupted anyone else from speaking “I showed Mary a photo of who I thought was the mystery man who helped her during her incarceration and yet said it was his fault that Mary was there.”

“And?” Pandora asked curiously, drawing Regulus’ attention for a moment before Regulus looked towards Lily. He looked almost apologetic. That’s what set off alarm bells for everyone except Mary who was fidgeting with her hands in her lap. “It was Snape. I’m not sure what Dumbledore has over him, but Snape’s definitely Dumbledore’s lapdog now” Regulus confessed, visibly upsetting Lily. Pandora dragged her girlfriend in a hug whereas Mary put a hand on Lily’s shoulder in consolation.

“And here I thought he couldn’t be even more of an asshole” Lily grumbled against Pandora’s chest. “We don’t know the full story” Remus offered, but he was quickly shut down by Sirius. “Snivellus has always been an asshole. Whether he’s a Death Eater or Dumbledore’s minion. What are we going to do about him?”

“Nothing, for now. He could prove useful in time” Regulus replied thoughtfully. That subject was dropped shortly after that since nobody really had any good idea on how to handle double spy Snape. “Well, we have to decide if we’re pulling Harry and Luna out of Hogwarts” Remus told them and, after a heated discussion, they decided to vote. Sirius, James and Pandora voted for the kids to remain at Hogwarts whereas Regulus, Remus and Lily voted to get them out of there.

“What about you, Mary?” Lily asked which made her friend blink twice in surprise. “I get a vote?” She asked which made Lily give her a soft smile. “Welcome to the guardian gang” She teased her while Sirius cheerfully added “Or the Horcrux Hunt Squad, but we’ll get to that later” Mary pondered for a couple moments, then she spoke up. “I think they should stay in Hogwarts. There’s power in numbers and from what you’ve told me, Harry and Luna have a lot of friends who will keep them safe. And Hogwarts is one of the safest places there is”

“Troll, three-headed dog, basilisk…” Remus grumbled under his breath, but it was useless. The votes had been cast and the kids would remain in Hogwarts.

“Next topic? The next Horcruxes we’re looking into. The ones Cissy told us about.” Sirius reminded everyone which made them all nod. Mary looked a bit confused, but she was caught up fairly quickly after Pandora and Lily explained most of what they knew to her.

“There’s one in Bellatrix’ vault. And one at Hogwarts. Quite vague” Pandora commented as she leaned further towards the coffee table. Remus hummed at that as he leaned his head against Sirius’ shoulder, the latter being sat on the hand of the armchair Remus was occupying. “The locket was Salazar Slytherin’s relic, right? Should we look into other founders’ relics?” Lily asked them which made Regulus hum unconvinced. “That might work. There’s a lot of Gryffindors here. What can you tell us about Godric’s legacy?” Regulus asked them which made Sirius huff amused. “You mean besides the Sword of Gryffindor?” Regulus almost smiled at that. “Well, that was easy to figure out.”

“Yes, but only Gryffindors can get it. True Gryffindors” Remus cut them off before they could delve into a topic they didn’t need. “So not Voldemort. What if someone got it for him, though?” Lily asked them which made Regulus snort. “Dumbledore would have noticed. He likes being in control of powerful things” That silenced everyone for a couple moments. Then –

“Like me?” Mary asked at the same time Lily wondered out loud “Like Harry?”

Remus got up then, looking very bothered by that line of inquiry. “I’m going back to check on Harry and Luna. I shouldn’t have been gone for so long” He told them which made Pandora smile lightly. “No need to worry. They can take care of each other. And they have friends who watch their backs” Regulus observed Pandora for a couple moments before he looked at Remus. “Think you can teach Harry the Patronus charm? It would be helpful to know there’s a faster way for him to contact us if something happened” Remus gave a sharp nod. “I’ll do my best. I’m sure Harry will too”

“I’m coming with you” Sirius announced as he got up which made Remus inspect how determined his boyfriend was before he smiled, conceding. “Ok.” He agreed and the two prepared to go back. “Take care” Mary called after them before the two disappeared into the fireplace. And, then, there were four.

“We can do some more digging into your memories if you feel up to it” Regulus told Mary who smiled lightly, but she shook her head. “I’d rather rest. My head hurts a little” That made him frown. “I told you to notify me if anything hurt”

“I’m okay. Just tired”

“Well, do you want to have a picnic then? It might help relax you” Pandora suggested with a kind smile which made Mary nod in agreement. “Regulus?” Lily called after the man who was going towards their Floo. “You three have fun. I’m going to explore other avenues. See if anyone else knows anything about Voldemort’s Horcruxes”

“You think there’s more than five?” Lily asked him surprised which made Regulus stop briefly in his trek. “Locket, diary, whatever’s in Bellatrix’ vault and the one at Hogwarts. Which fifth are you talking about?” Pandora blinked confused. “I’m not sure. But five doesn’t right either” Regulus and the others watched Pandora tensely for a few moments.

It was Regulus who was brave enough to ask that fateful question. “Then, what sounds right?”

Pandora looked up at them all numbly. “Seven.”

Silence.

Then…

“I’m going hunting for some information. Don’t wait up for me” And, with that, Regulus disappeared. Lily and Mary each put a hand on Pandora’s shoulder when the white-haired woman hid her face in her palms. Life was about to become tremendously difficult for them.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the stars like this”

“Don’t your guardians let you fly at night?”

“Only at home. But we can’t see the stars that well there.”

“I assumed the Blacks had acres and acres of land. That’s what Maman told me”

“Draco.”

“Sorry. No secret sharing, I know”

“…sorry.”

“It’s alright. I understand”

The two boys were lying down on their brooms and looking up at the night sky. They had entertained the idea of playing some Quidditch in the dark, but, unfortunately, it was too dark. They had snuck out just after curfew, but it took quite a bit for them to quietly make their way to the Quidditch pitch. Harry had taken them through tunnels and secret passageways since they’d be going out without the Invisibility Cloak nor the Marauders’ Map. They’d been lucky for once – nobody caught them out. Not even uncle Moony who had promised Harry he’d patrol that night. Sneaking out with Draco had been somewhat entertaining. Draco was good at it too. Harry hadn’t expected that – it had been a pleasant surprise.

Tonight was a school night, however. Tomorrow was Monday. They’d have to go back inside soon.

These couple days have been quite busy for everyone. Harry was thankful for these moments of peace and quiet. And Draco’s company wasn’t so bad. He didn’t push Harry to talk. He sometimes didn’t talk himself. The silence was strange at first since Harry was used to dissociating while his baba ranted about different topics. Of course, his baba knew Harry wasn’t really listening, but it was beneficial for both of them. Harry would recharge whereas James wouldn’t explode from keeping all of his emotions hidden. It was different either Draco. He understood Harry’s need for silence, but he wouldn’t hesitate to bring Harry back to reality either. He wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts, but he respected Harry enough to let his mind wander for a couple minutes in-between each new topic.

“Did Lord Black teach you how to fly?”

“Yes.”

“Your flying’s strange. Chaotic. Not even the Weasley twins are this chaotic with their flying. Maman told me you reminded her of Regulus”

Harry smiled at that. If only his baba was close enough to hear this. But, no. His baba had given them privacy. He was in the Quidditch stands, watching the sky and talking to himself. Or, well, that’s what he always told Harry.

Harry was fairly sure that his baba was talking to Regulus’ star. Maybe Sirius’ too. Maybe to Moony as well.

“You fly like every other posh pureblood”

“Oi!”

Harry laughed as Draco poked his side before turning his head, carefully as to not fall off his broom, to watch Draco. The blond already had his eyes on Draco. They had a sphere of light flying around them – a spell derived from Lumos. It kept the light mid-air so they could see each other. That’s how Harry realized…

“Huh. Your eyes aren’t blue”

“What.” Draco croaked, almost falling off his broom.

“One is blue. The other’s…grey? They are really close shades, but definitely different colours. There’s a name for it –”

“Heterochromia.”

“Right!”

Draco sat up suddenly on his broom, making Harry blink surprised. “We should go inside” Draco mumbled which made Harry sit up as well. He was about to question Draco when he bristled. It felt like someone was watching them. He looked around the pitch, but there was nobody there besides his baba who was already coming closer to tell Harry to go back and try to get some sleep, most likely. Harry looked towards the Forbidden Forest, but it wasn’t a full moon. And the other creatures residing inside of the forest wouldn’t venture so close to the pitch.

That could only mean one thing.

There was a man in the woods. Someone was there, watching them. Harry wasn’t sure who it was even if he had his suspicions. But he also didn’t want to alarm Draco – he already looked in no-shape to go hunting for whoever was watching them. Harry wasn’t even sure if his intuition was right. This was all he was basing his assumptions on. His gut. His intuition. The feeling that he was being inspected.

Harry needed to get them all back inside their dorm.

“Yeah. We should go” Harry replied distracted as they headed back towards the castle, flying on their brooms for extra safety. They got back in their beds safely and without being detected. Harry hoped that his intuition had been wrong about someone watching them. Unfortunately, that would never be the case. And this wouldn’t be the last time Harry felt so visually dissected.

There’s a man in the woods.

And he has a mission to accomplish - kidnap Harrison James Potter.

Chapter 20: A weapon? A monster? A child.

Chapter Text

“Run! Don’t get caught, Harry!”

Harry huffed mildly exhausted at his baba’s warning before continuing his run through the Forest. It wasn’t like he wasn’t aware of his disadvantageous position. Harry was running like a drunk toddler – that wasn’t knowledge gained from his personal experience, thankfully. The Dursleys had been neglectful, abusing pieces of sh*t, but even they knew what not to give to a child. Well, most of the times that is.

Harry turned right abruptly, almost slamming into a tree in his haste to get away. He should exercise more. He was panting after only running for a couple minutes. Harry wasn’t a quitter, however. He was either going to be taken down or –

He was taken down. By his own incompetence.

In Harry’s ridiculous attempt to multitask, he neglected to watch his steps and he tripped on a gigantic root penetrating from the damp soil of the forest. Needless to say, Harry fell face first onto the ground, rolling a bit before he managed to break his fall. It didn’t help that he had four legs and a new centre of gravity – being in his fawn form was still a bit awkward. Harry had gotten the hang of it, but running was still complicated. Having to use all four limbs while running was both exhausting and ridiculous. He could do just well on two legs, why did he need four?!

He’s had lesser time to practice his Animagus transformation since this year has proven even busier than the last. Not only did Harry have to hangout pretty often with his friends from all over the four Houses and his roommates, he also had to make time for his family. He’d meet up with Luna and Remus for a meal or a snack – sometimes there’d be another guardian waiting for them alongside Remus, but most often it was just Remus. Harry was alright with that, however. He really liked his uncle Moony. Disregarding all of these hangouts, school and homework, Harry also had to go out before bed to wander the castle. He also had to procure food for Hedwig and his basilisk – she still had that goat! Harry really would have to find out a name for it – and also make sure Agni was doing well. Harry has also recently gotten to talk more with the Hogwarts’ ghosts, so he hoped to gain their trust – but he needed to play the long game for that. If either of them could lead him to the Horcrux at Hogwarts… oh, that would be just marvellous.
Beside all of that, he was training with Moony and Padfoot when he was around. Harry had finally learned the Disarming Charm to perfection, so Moony was now introducing him to Patronuses – or, well, he will be when they meet after classes tomorrow.

So, evidently, Harry has been extremely busy. However, going out and running as Bambi was Harry’s most freeing experience.

“Well, that was a bit less pathetic than your earlier attempts” Hedwig announced as she slithered next to Harry’s face. James also inched closed to make sure his son was alright. Harry wanted the ground to swallow him. He was tired, he was sore. Christmas holidays were just around the corner and he still had gifts to buy. He also… would be grounded. For the first time since Regulus took him in. Harry wasn’t sure what to expect from that. He only knew one type of grounding, one type of punishment – the Dursleys’. Regulus could be a very frightening person – Harry hoped he’d take him easy. He was aware that this was most likely a trauma response from Harry’s lovely childhood, but it didn’t quench his anxiety. It just doubled it.

Harry huffed as he got up, before taking a look around the forest. After making sure nobody was there, he transformed back into himself. He remained sat on the ground, breathing heavily. He really needed to start exercising. If he’d have to someday face Voldemort fully… Harry had to be ready. For anything.

A half-hearted hiss got his attention and Harry hand instantly wrapped around Hedwig’s head when she half-heartedly launched herself at him. She hit him with her tail a couple times to Harry’s chagrin before he let her drop in his lap. “Fierce grip. Warrior of your kind” She hissed more or less patronizingly. “That better have been a prank” James warned the two of them which almost made Harry laugh, but all his muscles hurt from only smiling, so he rejected the need to laugh at his baba’s worry.

“I asked Hedwig to test my reflexes” Harry explained as he got up, dusting himself as well as he could. The snow had melted in a couple patches around the forest and, while that helped with Harry’s agility, it also meant damp and muddy soil. Harry looked as if he had had a mud bath fully-clothed. He felt as if someone had tried drowning him in mud. Probably because he hadn’t been sleeping well. And that was peculiar too. Sure, Harry had an odd sleeping schedule. However, he usually got enough sleep to function. He would walk through the castle until he was tired enough to fall asleep instantly when his head hit his pillow.

But something had changed inside the castle. Maybe the castle itself had changed. Well, that’s what Harry hoped, but he was fairly sure about what it truly was.

Someone was stalking him. Massive stalker behaviour. Harry had a list of candidates for his possible new admirer/stalker – and that list had, written sloppily in red ink, GINNY WEASLEY. It was a quite obnoxious-looking list. Susan had found it between Harry’s books a couple days earlier, so Harry had had to explain most of the strange feelings he had had – as if someone had been watching him incessantly. Harry attributed most of the stalking to Ginny. She was incorrigible. Harry couldn’t even wave her way because she’d turn around and run away, blushing. But when she’d see him first? Harry has been told she wouldn’t take her eyes off him for even a moment.

So, Harry gave her almost all of the credit for his strange feelings. (Sue him.)

Almost.

The only one that didn’t fit in was when Harry had felt watched when he and Draco had gone to fly on the pitch. It didn’t make sense since Ginny had been at a sleepover with a bunch of girls in her year and above. Multiple people had seen her there all night. So, she had an alibi.

Harry didn’t want to think about his other suspicion. That Barty Crouch Junior was stalking a 12-year-old. Harry hoped that Regulus had at least one sane friend – even if he doubted it. After all, Pandora was a Seer, so she was instantly disqualified from the position of sane friend. Then, there was Dorcas Meadowes who had gone and fought Voldemort one-on-one as revenge for her girlfriend, Marlene – that’s insanity. Evan Rosier would still be a great candidate if it weren’t for the fact that he had been dating Barty Crouch Junior, the person who forced the healers to diagnose insanity as a mental illness. Harry was exaggerating, of course – that person would have probably been Bellatrix Lestrange.

Back to the point, Regulus needed a sane friend. Because he had none, in Harry’s very professional opinion.

Back to the actual point –

“We should go back. You have classes tomorrow” James reminded his son who stretched before turning towards the castle which he could see towering fairly close to him – a 20-minute-walk away, perhaps. “Feed me, Lionheart” Hedwig demanded as Harry picked her up and he put her around his neck. “Yes, yes” He mumbled as he started his trek back towards the castle.

He also started a conversation with his baba about pineapple, for some reason.

That was probably why he didn’t heart the twigs snapping inside the forest as a man walked away, having gained quite useful information in such little time.

One step closer to accomplishing his mission… not that Harry was aware of that.

“Pineapple on pizza?”

“See, Regulus thinks it’s disgusting, but the clashing flavours are quite interesting –”

“And, so, professors Lupin and Snape will be waiting for you this evening after dinner for the first meeting of Hogwarts’ new Duelling Club!”

Dumbledore’s stupid speech about house unity in such uncertain times (Crouch’s apparent survival and escape from Azkaban) was drowned out by everyone’s excitement once they heard that last sentence. Hogwarts has never had a Duelling Club. At least not to Harry’s knowledge. So, obviously, he was one of the first to sign up for it when Snape sent the signup sheet over the Slytherin table. Harry had snatched it first and he had jotted his name down in a hurry, followed swiftly by his roommates. And, finally, their first meeting would be happening.

“Excited?” Draco asked quietly as the four of them stood outside of the crowd surrounding the long podium where the main duel would take place. “Definitely. Remus is a really good duellist” Theo raised an eyebrow at that. “You’ve duelled him before?” Harry snorted at that. “I tried, but he’s merciless. He took me out in two spells. But I’ve seen him and Sirius duel. They’re vicious”

“Wasn’t Sirius an Auror during the War? My mother mentioned him a couple times” Blaise mused which made Harry nod before the four of them looked up as Remus stepped inside the room followed by none other than Severus Snape. “Quieten down, everyone. And welcome to our first meeting. I’m glad to see you all here and in such great numbers too” Remus spoke with his usual smile as he and Snape got up on the podium, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

“Holy f*ck, are they going to duel?” Cassius asked shocked, making Harry’s eyes snap to the older boy. Elysian, Fred and George were next to him alongside Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell. Harry watched them curiously for a few moments before looking around to see who else he recognized while Remus explained how their Duelling Club would work.

Hermione was also in the crowd with Padma, Ron and Seamus Finnegan. Harry didn’t think that Parvati signed up since duelling wasn’t really her passion. She preferred using her magic to create rather than destroy which was fair from Harry’s point of view. Harry liked to create too… but he was destined to destroy. To fight and attack and kill –

Draco poked him in the ribs hard enough that Harry almost glowered his way, but he caught Seamus’ eyes before that. Seamus was glaring at him, evidently trying to convince Padma, Ron and Hermione that Harry was the Antichrist. Or the Devil. The Evilest Evil™. Harry mused if he should react in any way whatsoever, but he was once again interrupted by Draco poking him. This time Harry did turn to glower at him. “I swear, you ought to learn to listen to your Slytherin side more than your Gryffindor one. Don’t pick fights” Draco whispered to him scowling which made Theo sigh deeply. “They’re bickering again. Someone cut my ears off”

“That wouldn’t help. You’d still hear them. I can stab your timpans for you, though”

“How lovely, Zabini. Please do”

Both Harry and Draco glowered at their two roommates who shared a conspiring smile. Harry shook his head slightly annoyed before looking around for more people he was familiar with. He could see a few people who played on the Quidditch teams, but he forgot their names. He was better with faces rather than names. Oh, Susan was here too alongside Pollux and Cassia – and the Hufflepuff Seeker. Cedric Diggory. He flashed Harry a smile when he saw him looking, but Harry diverted his gaze to another place. The entire Slytherin Quidditch team was here. So were Millicent, Tracey and Astoria – Daphne and Pansy had chosen not to sign up. They didn’t care enough to sign up. Percy and his soon-to-be (if the Weasley twins’ teasing was to be trusted) girlfriend were present too.

There were a bunch of students from all Houses and all years.

Harry smiled. There would be chaos. How fortuitous.

“… professor Snape and I will demonstrate the first duel. Then, we will ask for a couple volunteers to start us off. Only after we’ve gotten a couple visuals will everyone start duelling. Sounds good?” Remus spoke to the crowds before turning to Snape who drawled a “Yes.”

Harry watched the two professors raise their wands and bow towards each other before they each turned their backs and took five equal steps. Nobody dared speak. They could only watch as the two professors – one known for fighting for the Light side and the other with murky allegiance – face each other once more. Remus smiled gallantly when Snape didn’t cast the very spell. He took that opportunity to attack first.

“Baubillious!”

Count on uncle Moony to cast a powerful spell with a stupid name. The spell produced a bolt of white light that would have hit Snape if he was even a second later when he casted a Protection Charm pre-emptively. “Stupefy!” Snape called but Remus easily deflected it and cast another funny-sounding spell. “Colloshoo!” Harry had never heard that one – he found out what it did when Snape’s shoes were suddenly stuck to the floor, making it impossible for him to move without falling off or taking his shoes off. “Expelliarmus!” Snape casted, sounding more irritated than before. Remus used his own Protection Charm to deflect the spell before getting closer quickly. He then started casting numerous spells one after the other, forcing Snape into only using defensive spells.

Everyone was stunned by this display of power. The room was quiet save for the two adults’ grunts as they duelled.

“Depulso!” Remus finally casted, sending Snape flying – except for his shoes, which remained stuck to the floor. Before Snape could get up, Remus cast another spell. “Ebublio!” and Snape was now trapped in a large bubble. The Slytherin Head of House looked very displeased. “Watch it. He’s gonna find a way to take points off of Harry for this” Cassius whispered, making everyone who heard snicker and, unfortunately, despite the raucous applause, Snape heard them and he glared at them, already mouthing off how many points he’d take off of them. From Harry, actually.

“Je te le dis direct, je peux pas le blairer” Harry whispered to his roommates who did their best not to laugh (Theo and Blaise) whereas Draco looked mildly offended on his godfather’s behalf. Harry looked over at his uncle Moony who undid his last spell, leaving behind a good-smelling, as if he had taken a shower, Snape. Harry tried not to laugh at that, remembering the Marauders’ jokes – especially that nickname.

“Oh, look, Moony cured Snivellus”

Of course it was his own baba who stabbed Harry in the back.

Harry couldn’t help it. He chuckled. His roommates seemed not to find it weird given their previous conversation. Thankfully, it looked like nobody else heard Harry’s slip-up since they were busy gushing over Remus or laughing at Snape’s expense. Needless to say, Snape was, fortunately, busy taking points off of the people who were laughing.

But Remus wasn’t.

He had seen Harry chuckling. He must have, because he now had that terrifying mischievous expression on his face – similar to the one he had when he had turned McGonagall’s teacup into a pair of fluffy mittens right when she was going to take a sip from it. Well, Harry knew it had been Remus. The rest of the school didn’t. Harry presumed McGonagall had known, though, because the next day, Remus’ coffee cup was transfigured into a kitten. It wore off fairly quickly, but Remus spat off hairballs all day. Sweet revenge.

Harry assumed now was time for his own punishment since he had been caught chuckling at a Professor’s unfortunate defeat, no matter how funny it had been.

“Any volunteers for the first duel?” Remus asked out loud, determining a lot of hands to be raised high in the air. Remus was looking at Harry with a certain look, however, as if telling him “Raise your hand or I’ll find an excuse to make you to do it”. Harry glared pre-emptively at his baba since this was all his fault, but James was busy laughing his ass off as he watched Snape quarrel with the Weasley twins who were trying to goad him into taking points off them since they were in his House. Snape had stopped taking points off of them at one point. He simply gave them detentions now every time they did something ridiculous. The Weasley twins weren’t pleased by that since they wanted to make Snape take points off of his own House. So, an entire quarrel was taking place.

Harry had his own quarrel, however. He raised his hand defeated. Remus smiled brightly.

An impossible thing happened just then – or, rather, improbable. Harry was proof that nothing was impossible, after all.

“Harry.”

“Draco.”

The two roommates looked at each other before looking up at the two professors who had called their names simultaneously. Remus looked surprised by the coincidence. Snape did not. Harry almost groaned. Of course Snape planned for this to happen. Snape must have realized Remus would call Harry up first. So, he called on Draco who had not raised his hand to make a point.

“Faire semblant.” Draco whispered which made Harry look at him briefly as the two went towards the podium – actually, it was a stage now. The stage where they now had to perform in front of numerous people. They had to act as if they hated each other. For Draco’s safety. For the Slytherins’ safety. Harry understood a lot more than he let on. He understood Millicent’s and Tracey’s terrified looks, because they knew. They had seen Draco and Harry interact in the common room. They were not hostile towards each other. They were almost friendly – and that wasn’t how things were supposed to be. Harry had defeated the Dark Lord. That same Lord was supposed to bring power to most of the Slytherins. He was supposed to make a pure society. And here Harry was, a halfblood, integrating with the Slytherins. Befriending them and swearing to save them. It was preposterous. It was wrong. It was … deadly. If the adults found out, they’d disown their heirs instantly. Or, worse, they’d kill them.

Harry knew that. Draco knew that. The Slytherins knew that.

Snape knew.

He had to know. Someone must have been prodding. One of the snitches in Slyhterin must have thought that the fact that Harry and Draco hadn’t’ killed each other yet was proof that the Slytherin Heirs weren’t fully devoted to the cause. This little show Draco and Harry had to display would either save them all or condemn them all to death or worse.

All of the Slytherins, past and present, knew that.

The others didn’t. Sure, they noticed the tension in the room, but they assumed it was because Harry Potter, their Saviour, their Chosen One, their Child of the Light, was now forced to duel Draco Malfoy, their Persecutor, their Chosen Villain, their Child of the Dark. Harry knew that wasn’t how it truly was. There was nobody who could claim they were fully light or Dark. Two good examples of that were Pettigrew, the Betrayer, and Dumbledore, their Hidden Nemesis. Or Narcissa Malfoy, the one who truly should be called Lord Malfoy. Harry knew from a young age that the world wasn’t all black and white. There were grey areas. He belonged to a grey area too. He understood. Draco understood. Snape understood. The Slytherins understood. The rest of them didn’t understand.

Remus didn’t understand.

Perhaps that’s why he looked briefly surprised when Harry took on a vengeful expression as he stared at Draco who discussed a battle plan with Snape beforehand. Harry looked up at Remus for any pointers, but uncle Moony appeared perplexed by the whole thing. Harry thought Moony would get it, eventually. But not soon enough. He was starting to connect the dots, but it wasn’t fast enough.

“Bow.” Snape instructed them as the two boys approached each other. Neither of them listened to him, however. Bowing showed respect and in their little show, they hated each other. They had to play this by the script. They had to make sure the snitches told the adults – the current Death Eaters – that the Light and the Dark were still visibly divided. That Harry and Draco, future symbols of their respective alignments, were not fraternizing. They had to show that they despised each other.

So, they only briefly lowered their heads in acknowledgment towards each other. It pained Harry to do that. Because he did respect Draco. They were close. They knew things about each other that others didn’t. But he didn’t let his conflicting emotions be seen. This was not the place for it.

“Wands at the ready!” Remus called out somewhat reluctantly, as if he was starting to understand what this show was all about. Harry and Draco raised their wands simultaneously. Harry stared blankly at his roommate. “Someday.” Harry promised through his glance alone, not daring to utter the word in any language. Draco’s eyes were far too emotionless to represent a reply of any sort. Or, if they were a reply, Harry ought to be concerned.

“Scared, Potter?” Draco drawled using that stupidly aristocratic lilt.

“You wish.” Harry scoffed before the two turned away from each other. They took their five steps and, then, they faced each other again. The show had already started. Time to give it their all.

“On the count of three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent. No harming each other or you’re both looking at detention for the entire week before Christmas break. And no family magic.” Remus warned them, finally reading the atmosphere and drawing a conclusion. Harry wasn’t sure if it was the right conclusion, but his words had the right effect. The crowd was growing antsy. They were starting to see that this was not only a duel between two students, but a display of power between the two sides of the War.

Harry hated that he had to play in their hands, but he wasn’t going to be the cause of the sudden death of all of the heirs originating from Death Eater families. So, for once, he played his part without further comment.

“1,2…” Remus didn’t get to finish his count because Draco attacked first. Harry almost smiled. Of course he would attack first, being the evil guy that he was. Harry really had to concentrate to take him seriously, even now. That was because all Harry could think of, even when Draco tried to appear bad and evil, was that the scowling idiot who was attacking him now was the same scowling idiot who drowned his tea with an obscene amount of sugar when he thought nobody was looking. Harry was looking, though. Of course he was looking.

“Everte Statum!”

Typical Slytherin behaviour. Harry had anticipated it, but he let himself be hit by it despite the Potter magic wanting to create a shield. Harry would listen to at least one of uncle Moony’s rules. Hopefully, that would make his detention a little less gruesome. Harry’s pain tolerance was pretty high, but it still hurt being forcefully thrown back – a sharp pain all over his body. Harry had had to roughhouse with Dudley and that had been even worse, so he’d be alright. Sure, his knees were most definitely scraped and he was sure he’d be bruised all over from the fall, but he’d be alright.

Harry got up before Remus could intervene and help him up. Before he could stop the fight.

“Rictusempra!” Harry casted and he watched as Draco doubled up, wheezing before he fell to his knees. Draco could barely move from laughing so much due to Harry’s successful Tickling Charm. Harry could have gone for a more damaging charm, but he was supposed to be the good guy. He wasn’t going to crack. Because if he did… worse things may happen. He’d be labelled as a traitor. He’d be cast out and the Light side would crumble without a symbol to fall behind. So, Harry refused to think about the dangerous magic he had read about in the books Regulus had forbidden Harry to access at Grimmauld.

“f*ck yeah, Harry! Now shoot a Tarantallegra! Hit him where it hurts! Humiliate him!”

Harry smiled amused, hearing his baba, but it must have come out as arrogant because Snape scowled before dragging Draco up and forcing him to continue their duel. Harry’s smile was wiped off his face as he prepared himself for what was to come. “I said no harming –!” Remus was about to call off the duel, but that was when Draco shot his next spell.

“Serpensortia!”

Now, Harry would have chuckled at that. Because of course Draco would send him a snake as an apology. Harry could easily speak to it in Parseltongue and keep it from attacking anyone. But Harry didn’t want to reveal that secret to the entire world. He knew how he was viewed by quite a few people. He didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. His plan was to scorch the thing or cut it in half. It wasn’t alive, after all, right –

“Why do I exist. This hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Why is living so bright. Stop. Stop looking at me. Stop pointing at me. STOP TALKING!” The snake started hissing gibberish after that, turning towards one of the students in the crowd. Harry could see he was a Hufflepuff, probably a second-year, but he didn’t know who the guy was. All Harry knew was that this conjured snake, which was definitely suffering because of its existence (and wasn’t that an image? Harry would have to talk to McGonagall about this, because – Salazar, poor conjured animals; did they all suffer like this?). Still, Harry didn’t want someone to be bitten by this conjured snake. So, he did what any Gryffindor would do.

He ran towards the snake. Of course the snake noticed. It turned towards Harry and struck.

In that one moment, it felt like time itself had stopped. The snake was going for Harry’s neck, everyone was screaming, Remus and Snape went for their wands, trying to cast anything to destroy the snake. But Harry didn’t need their help. He knew what would help the snake. Death. Death was the answer to it all. And Harry was a killer.

He would have tried to be sneaky and grab the snake by its head like he sometimes did to Hedwig when she was being particularly capricious. But there was no time. Harry had the words on his lips – the curse that almost ended his life. The curse that rebounded and ended a monster’s life. But did this conjured creature truly deserve the same fate as that monster?

Harry was at a loss.

“Kill me”

No longer. He was at a loss no longer. The snake had hissed the answer to Harry’s dilemma. But even if he was a killer, Harry wouldn’t kill this poor creature.

So, he did what he was taught to do after so many years of being taken care of.

He trusted his guardians.

Harry ducked and rolled, just as Remus cast his spell. “Vipera Evanesca!” Harry briefly heard a scuffle and he looked over his shoulder to see Snape keeping his hand on Draco’s shoulder. Harry read the situation fairly quickly. Draco had tried to run to Harry. To help him. No. They couldn’t have this in their little play. In their show. In their masquerade.

Harry raised his wand. He was a Slytherin, after all.

Draco froze.

“Expelliarmus” Harry called rather softly – he really should learn how to act as the superhero in the story. It was exhausting to pretend, however. Harry caught Draco’s wand as it was flying towards him before getting up. Harry stared at Draco. Draco stared back at him.

“You both have detention” Remus announced them, sounding thoroughly exhausted. James snorted. “You did well, Harry” His baba assured him sadly and – oh. James had a saddened look to his face. As if he understood. And Harry realized he must understand so well. His relationship to Regulus must have been somewhat similar. He must understand more than Harry does. After all, why had Harry gone and associated his friendship with Draco to James’ and Regulus’ love story?

Harry threw Draco his wand back and he walked off the stage.

He always hated playing make pretend.

A cool breeze. Stars. Flying.

Peace.

Harry opened his eyes as he laid down on the grass of the Quidditch pitch when he heard steps. He tensed, about to grab his wand, but his baba appeared next to Harry with a reassuring smile. “Don’t freak out. It’s just Draco” If that sentence had been uttered a couple hours ago in the crowd of students waiting for a duel between Good and Evil, someone would have smacked their jaw against the floor in disbelief.

Instead, Harry looked up at Draco as he stopped by Harry’s side. Draco gently touched the side of Harry’s ribs with the tip of his shoe. Of his posh, lacquered shoe. Harry was done with such pretences. He raised his arm towards Draco as if asking for help to get up. Draco grabbed it without hesitation.

So, obviously, Harry dragged him down. Draco fell down with a huff, but he didn’t get up or complain. Instead, he laid down next to Harry after letting go of his hand. “You’re a prick for almost making me show everyone I’m a Parselmouth” Harry told him, briefly looking over at Draco. The blond snorted. “You’re a moron for making me laugh so much my lungs hurt”

“You’re a prick for not playing fair”

“You’re an idiot. You’re a Slytherin. You shouldn’t have played fair either. Ah. That reminds me. You did end up playing dirty. Good for you”

“Are you seriously going to complain about me winning that awfully dramatized duel?”

“Yes! Even if it was dramatized, you saw – I thought that snake would kill you”

“You aren’t so lucky.”

“…guess I’m not”

Harry observed Draco’s features under the moonlight. An idea struck him then.

“I challenge you to an official, non-dramatized duel.” Harry whispered in the darkness of the pitch. Draco seemed to have noticed the secrecy of their conversation because he too lowered his voice. “We don’t have seconds. Blaise and Theo are asleep” Harry shook his head as he got up swiftly. “No seconds. Just us” He said before extending his arm towards Draco who eyed it warily for a moment before accepting it. Harry helped him up before raising his eyebrows towards Draco. The blond sighed, but nodded.

Harry smiled as he bowed deeply towards Draco. He looked through his hair and he smiled seeing Draco had bowed as deep as him. He smiled even more when he saw Draco checking to see how low Harry bowed as well. They both straightened themselves and got out their wands. They raised their wands simultaneously before they turned away from each other. They took their five steps and, then, they faced each other again.

“Scared, Malfoy?” Harry asked, imitating his posh lilt.

Draco grinned in response. “You wish, Potter”

“We are never adopting children. Harry is enough of a menace to last me my entire life. You should have seen how ridiculously Gryffindor he acted today in class. And don’t even get me started on Draco Malfoy. I swear, they’re worse than –”

“Now, Moony, you’re quite tense. Come to bed”

“… you know, this is getting old. You can’t just distract me from my problems by lying down on my bed naked. It worked for the first three years of our relationship. Don’t you think you can be at least a little more creative than that?”

“I can show you how creative I am, Remus. Or how punishing. After all, someone neglected to tell me he’d be duelling Snivellus today. I want to see the memory. I bet you looked –”

“… oh, for f*ck’s sake, Sirius. Just kiss me already”

Sirius was not going to explain to his brother why he was late to their very important meeting that night. Regulus took one look at Sirius’ giddy smile and stiff walking and guessed exactly what kept his brother from making it on time. He didn’t comment on it, however. Nothing except for a simple “Get laid on your own time. We’re on borrowed time here”

Before Sirius could come up with a lovely excuse, Regulus spoke up, the family magic filling the air. “Come home, Kreacher” Sirius’ mood instantly soured. He did not want to see that little sh*t. Yet, here he was. Kreacher looked up at Regulus with bright, hopeful eyes. Sirius scowled. “Do you really have to bring the rat back home?” Sirius grumbled irritated as he crossed his arms over his chest. Both Kreacher and Regulus ignored him. “Master Regulus, Kreacher is most pleased to see you alive and well” Kreacher announced before bowing as deeply as he could with his wrinkly, old body.

Sirius rolled his eyes at him whereas Regulus smiled lightly. “It’s good to see you too, Kreacher. I’m sorry for keeping you out of the loop for so long” Kreacher shook his head urgently at that. “No, Master, no. Kreacher understands that Master has a reason for it. Kreacher is just glad to be home” Sirius actually snorted at that which made Regulus glare at his brother. Then, he sighed as he knelt beside Kreacher. “Are you well? Did they treat you well at Hogwarts?”

“Why do I have to listen to this?” Sirius grumbled annoyed, but he was once again ignored.

“Yes, Master. Kreacher was most respected. But Kreacher was not Kreacher there. Kreacher was Grigor there.”

“Good job, Kreacher. Anything useful you might have found out?”

“The young Heir… the Heir has visited Kreacher numerous times. The Heir told Kreacher stories about Grimmauld Place and Master”

Regulus smiled softly hearing that while Sirius sighed. “One guess to figure out where Harry got that bleeding heart from” Sirius quipped making Regulus chuckle. Kreacher looked between the two brothers curiously, but he didn’t utter a word about their definitely improved relationship. Regulus got up and grabbed the evidence they had gathered about Barty. Newspaper cutouts and prophecies from Luna and Pandora, theories and evidence – Regulus handed it to Kreacher who looked at them curiously.

“Read through these. When you’re done, leave them with the rest of the papers in the living room. Don’t be scared if you see other people in the house. We have a couple new residents. You’ll feel it when someone who’s unwelcome tries to come through the wards. Now, about those papers. The Crouch family had a house elf. I need their name and I need to communicate with them. Can you find out who they are, please?”

“Of course, Master”

“That’s still creepy” Sirius pointed out, making Regulus roll his eyes while Kreacher harrumphed. “Kreacher has not missed Master Sirius” The house elf promptly announced before making himself scarce. Sirius watched it disappear with disgust before going outside, not even excusing himself from his brother. Regulus raised an eyebrow and followed his brother outside.

“What’s your problem?” Regulus deadpanned as he sat down on the stairs next to Sirius who was smoking a cigarette. Sirius offered it to him, but Regulus shook his head. He had quit. He wasn’t going to go back to chain-smoking. He had quit for a reason. H e wasn’t going back on his promise. Sirius didn’t answer Regulus’ question. Regulus was about to leave since this was a waste of his time – he could be researching that new tip about Horcruxes he had just got his hands on. It wasn’t a reliable source, but it was a source. Regulus wouldn’t ignore it just because it wasn’t exactly reliable. It could be a waste of time but, truthfully, he was desperate.

“Kreacher was just like them.”

Regulus froze in his spot. He didn’t dare speak. Because he knew who Sirius was referencing. Sure, they were long dead, but that didn’t mean they weren’t haunting their nightmares.

“He wouldn’t have given a rat’s ass about us if mother dearest hadn’t asked him to take care of us. Make sure we’re fed and watered. Even so, he wouldn’t make sure we were clean. Mother would spell us clean, but I still felt dirty afterwards. I was the one who figured out how to shower after years of spells thrown our way when we started smelling bad. I was the one who begged Kreacher and our parents to change our diapers. I was the one who took care of you when our parents were too busy attending dinner parties to do it. Or when Kreacher threatened to eat us. You cried when Kreacher first said he’d eat us if we weren’t quiet. I punched him when he tried to scare you even more. I thought I’d get in trouble, but father actually nodded at me. As if I did a good thing being cruel to a house elf who didn’t know any better. I tried being nicer to Kreacher, but he would force it out of me. That vile cruelty… when you started transitioning, after you started wearing binders and after you cut your hair, I heard Kreacher telling them that, at least, if I wasn’t a good Heir, they had you. That’s why our parents were so supportive. That’s why Kreacher started taking you seriously, worshipping you even. Because, in their sickened perspective of life, you were now the man of the house, the rightful Heir.”

Sirius inhaled deeply before continuing to speak, letting his cigarette burn between his fingers.

“I hated you for a while because of that. Not because you were finally transitioning to your true self. Merlin knows you are a better man than I’ll ever be. And I’m truly glad to see you happy in your own skin. I hated you because they paid attention to you. Good attention. I hated you because you wouldn’t remember how they sneered and threatened to hurt you. You’d only remember that they were supportive of you… but I was supportive of you too, Reggie. I was so happy to have a little brother.”

“Sirius –” Regulus tried to say something, but he didn’t even know where to begin. Sirius gave him a small, saddened smile, noticing his reluctance. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to get this off my chest.”

“… I won’t deny being happy that they were supportive when I transitioned. I got the best medical care in the wizarding world. My scars are barely visible anymore. And I healed well. But don’t think for a second that I didn’t doubt their every word. I knew what they were after. They didn’t want a girl to inherit the Black magic, so they jumped at the chance when I started transitioning. I was their perfect Heir. I took advantage of that as much as I could”

Sirius smiled lightly. “Remember when Kreacher almost outed you to them?” Regulus huffed amused. “Of course. They had been so supportive when I told them I was trans. I had sort of hoped they’d be supportive of me liking men as well. But that’s not what a perfect little Heir is for”

“You needed to make little perfect heirs of your own”

Regulus scrunched up his nose at that while Sirius snickered. “If only our parents hadn’t been cursed with two gay men as their sons” Regulus smiled at Sirius’ sentence in spite of his next snarky remark.

“You’re bi. You could have been their perfect little Heir”

“And yet here I am dating a man who’s also a werewolf”

“Mother almost had a heart attack over that, you know?”

“She did Crucio me enough for me to forget that little detail”

They remained silent for a couple moments of recollection. Their wounds from their parents, from Grimmauld, were still raw. Not bleeding, but raw. They had to thread these waters carefully lest they drown.

“That’s why I hate Kreacher. He helped them. With the punishments. He was always there”

“… you hate him because he didn’t save you?”

“I hate him because he didn’t save us. We were children. We didn’t deserve any of it”

“… no, we didn’t. But Kreacher isn’t the one to blame”

“He’s the only one who’s still alive that I can blame”

“You’re mad because you can’t be a sh*t to their faces anymore?!”

“Of course not. Well, maybe a little bit. I just… wish this was easier.”

“… me too.”

Sirius flicked the butt of his cigarette and watched it fall on the ground. He crashed it with his shoe before getting up, sighing. “Kreacher’s your responsibility. I don’t want to deal with him. He brings out the worst in me” Sirius informed his brother, heading back inside. He stopped, however, when Regulus spoke up once more. “My oldest memory –
probably because my brain deleted most of the trauma from our childhood – is you teaching me how to tie my tie. And Kreacher showing me matching shoes for the tie”

“…Reggie, you were like eight in that memory. You don’t remember anything else before then?”

“Not really. Only flashes, nothing concrete.”

“… that’s alright. It wasn’t worth remembering.”

“If you have any good memories from we were younger –”

“Come on. I’ll take out the Pensieve. We can look at them together since Remus’ stuck at Hogwarts and the girls are asleep”

Regulus smiled as he got up and followed his brother inside. If the two of them were their parents’ biggest disappointments, well, Regulus thought he could live with that. After all, he got his brother back and their parents were dead. The Black brothers would be fine as long as they had each other.