Chapter 1: Revelations
"Freak! Get down here, immediately!" bellowed an angry and impatient male voice.
"Yes, uncle. I'm coming" replied the young boy, not more than 5 years old. The boy's name was Harry Potter and he knew that with the mysterious, lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, but well-hidden by his mid-long, ebony black bangs, he had all the reason to believe the man's name for him.
As quickly as he could, the 5-year old hurriedly got up from his small cot in the cupboard under the stairs of the Dursley's house. Quietly opening the door of his "room" the black-haired boy got out and came face to face or rather face to belly, with his big, beefy uncle, Vernon.
"Now listen here, boy! We are going to London to buy Dudley some new clothes and unfortunately for us there is no one who could baby-sit you whilst we are gone. There is no way I am leaving you alone and unsupervised in MY house! So you are coming with us and the entire time you are not to speak at all! Do you understand, boy?" Vernon practically shouted at the young boy who flinched slightly, but held excitement in his stunning emerald-green eyes.
"Yes, uncle" Harry dutifully answered before obediently following his progressively fattening cousin, Dudley, to the Dursley's silver Volvo.
The drive to the capital of England was uneventful, yet the messy-haired 5-year old child was happy on the inside. It was, after all, his first trip to anywhere outside of Surrey or even Little Whinging for that matter.
Soon they arrived in the center of London and young Harry, along with his relatives, got out of the car. Immediately he was taken by the shoulder and turned around towards his overweight uncle.
"Listen carefully, freak. You are going to stay here, right HERE! And not even move an inch further. It's enough that Petunia and I were willing to take you in, you little, good-for-nothing orphan. Understood, boy?" the beefy man whispered so that only Harry could hear him. He quickly nodded and with that his uncle let go of him, turned around and left the skinny boy standing next to the car.
After several minutes the boy decided it was safe to let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding. Carefully he looked around at the many different, yet somehow similar buildings, his eyes wide with fascination. Suddenly he stopped his inspection of his surrounding when his gaze fell on a small structure with 3 floors and a sign hanging above the door. It was standing out in the vast sea of high houses and the name on the blackish, wooden board made it look even more out-of-place – "The Leaky Cauldron".
Contrary to his much hated cousin and to the knowledge of his "beloved" relatives, Harry knew how to read since he had learned this ability by himself. If he had the courage to ask his uncle for a book, he would. Unfortunately for Harry, he didn't and unless he wanted to be locked up in the cupboard for several days without food he would not even dare to attempt it, much less consider it.
Curiosity getting the better of Harry, he trotted over to the door of the old edifice, opened it and went inside. What he saw made his mouth fall open. There was a man at the counter reading a newspaper with moving pictures, another man sitting on a table also reading a newspaper whilst at the same time stirring his tea without touching the spoon and a woman serving coffee from a floating teapot.
Carefully the messy-haired child made its way to a door at the far end of the slightly dark room and opened it. Immediately a confused expression passed over the boy's face as he stared at a wall made of red bricks. Harry was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the man walking towards him until he grabbed the young boy's shoulder. Harry was, needless to say, startled by this action and quickly looked up at the person standing behind him, whilst in the process rapidly assessing the man's looks and expression.
The man looked kind and smiled down at him, but it was the clothing that baffled Harry the most. He noticed that the man and now that he thought of it, everyone in the room, were wearing cloaks. However, the cloak covered the man's body completely so that the young boy couldn't see what he was wearing underneath it.
"Can't get to Diagon Alley, kid? Here, let me help you" the stranger kindly said before moving towards the wall and taking out a long wooden stick. Perplexed, Harry watched as the unusually-dressed man tapped 5 specific bricks with it and for a moment the boy was disappointed when nothing happened. Suddenly, the bricks started sinking into the wall and coming out of it. Slowly in front of Harry's wide eyes the previously completely intact wall parted to reveal a long street with stores on either side and with many people with weird hats and clothes crowding it.
"Well, here ya go, kid. Enjoy your shopping" the man told Harry and went into the crowd. Deciding that he better hurry before the wall closed itself again, Harry started walking down the street at a slow pace so as to see what the shops were. The more the black-haired boy continued down the street the weirder the names of the shops got – "Eeylops Owl Emporium", "Quality Quidditch Supplies", "Flourish and Blott's". After passing a few more shops Harry found himself standing in front of a very tall, but slightly lopsided, white building called "Gringotts Wizarding Bank".
"Wizarding Bank? Does this mean….that these people ….are wizards? But uncle Vernon says that magic doesn't exist" Harry quietly asked himself before making up his mind and going under the huge entrance into the bank.
He had not even made a few steps when he froze in place. There was a long row of desks on each side. That alone was not strange, but the creatures behind these desks were scary-looking and unlike anything the young boy had ever seen before. They had long, pointy ears, all types and forms of noses and what Harry thought made them not only frightening, but also very dangerous – their long, almost skeletal fingers and claw-like nails.
Summoning every ounce of courage he had, Harry started walking towards the high podium at the very end of the gigantic hall. The being sitting on the podium wore glasses and was writing something with a feather before, as if sensing Harry's approach, it looked up and stared intensely through his glasses at the small boy.
"May I help you?" it asked and grinned, exposing a row of sharp, little teeth.
Harry gulped and briefly wondered whether it was such a good idea to come into the bank in the first place. It was too late to back away now and the creature's teeth and stare unnerved him more than anything. Taking a deep breath and hoping that everything would be over soon he looked defiantly at the being's face.
"Yes. I was wondering…Well….Actually, I accidentally stumbled into Diagon Alley and was wondering if….the people here…are really wizards and….what you are…" Harry replied whilst lowering his head and shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably. He didn't dare look at the creature out of fear, but after he didn't get a reply he hesitantly lifted his head and saw the surprised, even shocked expression on the being's face.
"To answer your questions, little boy, yes, the people here are wizards and as to what I am, I am a goblin. Now it is your turn to answer two questions for me. Firstly, do you not know that you yourself are a wizard and secondly, what's your name?" the creature, that Harry now knew was a goblin, inquired.
"My name is Harry Potter, sir. You just said that I am…a wizard?" the young boy disbelievingly inquired as he continued to look at the goblin who simply nodded. That would explain all the strange occurrences that kept happened around him for the past few years! "I am a wizard" Harry quietly breathed out the sentence. Just as the last word left his mouth a screeching noise came from above them and the young wizard looked up to see a brown barn owl flying towards him with a envelope in it's long and sharp talons. Suddenly the bird dropped the envelope and Harry, after deftly catching it, looked at the address written in cursive writing – "to our beloved son".
Completely forgetting about the conversation he was having with the goblin, Harry carefully opened it with slightly shaking hands. After unfolding the parchment he began to read through it. Not believing what was written he reread it with tears starting to run down his cheeks.
Dear son,
If you are reading this letter then James and I are dead and something has happened to your father. Even if we are dead, know that your father and I love you very much and are very proud of you.
Now, let me get to the purpose of this letter. I made it so that you receive this if you are not living with anyone with magical blood and when you realize that you are a wizard. If my suspicions are correct, then Dumbledore will have somehow managed to circumvent the execution of our will and has placed you with my "supposed" sister, Petunia, and her husband, Vernon. I hope that they didn't treat you awfully, but you must understand that they have a fear of anything that has to do with magic – "magicophobia" as your uncle Severus used to say when we were children.
My dear son, first you must know the truth – I was adopted by a kind couple named Susan and Peter Evans. They had a daughter, Petunia, who was only a few months older than me. I learned I was a witch when I was 11 and received my Hogwarts letter (N.B.: Hogwarts is a magical school) and it was Dumbledore who took me shopping for my school supplies. I, however, decided to do a bit of research during my school years and found out that I was, in fact, the only grandchild of the Dark Lord Grindelwald. No matter what you hear he is a good man – I did, after all, talk to his portrait in Grindelwald castle. So that makes me the heiress to the Grindelwald line.
That was the first thing you should know. The second thing is that James Potter is not your real father, even if other people say he is – he only adopted you through a blood ritual to protect you as you were the son of his best friend and the love of my life, Sirius Black. We married secretly and James and I married only so that we don't rouse the suspicions of the old coot (I am referring to Dumbledore, in case you were wondering). Son, you real name is Damon Arcturus Gellert Black and you are the heir to both the Grindelwald and Black line, as well as the magical heir to the Potter line.
There is only one last thing you should know, Damon, so read this carefully. If the old man (meaning Dumbledore) really did leave you with Petunia, then I want you to go to the bank ("Gringotts Wizarding Bank") and ask for the goblin Griphook – he is the one in charge of all three vaults as well as your trust vault. Ask him to either floo-call or write a message to either your godfather Lucius Malfoy, your godmother Narcissa Malfoy, or your favorite uncle Severus (he isn't your uncle by blood, but you called him "uncle Sev") to pick you up. If this is too difficult for you to remember just give Griphook this letter.
I have to finish this letter now and I hope that you, my dear son, will never have to read it. However, chances of us surviving are slim, so I hope you take care of yourself. Oh, and if your aunt Bella shows up, ask her to train you in the Black family magic.
We love you and are very proud of you,
Lily and Sirius
Harry could not believe it – he had someone else to go to and they would love him. Or at least he hoped they would. Not only that, but his parents loved him. Gradually the young boy calmed down and looked up, suddenly remembering his earlier conversation.
"Sorry, sir, but it's a letter from my mum. Uh…could I see a goblin named Griphook?" the young wizard inquired of the goblin in front of him.
"Certainly. Griphook!" the magical creature called and a few seconds later a small goblin came and inclined its head towards the goblin on the podium.
"Yes, Master Ragnarok?" it asked whilst carefully observing Harry.
Assuming that the goblin who came was the one his mother said was looking after all the vaults and his own trust vault Harry handed him the letter. After reading it Griphook looked up and grinned in a friendly way at the young wizard.
"Very well, Mr. Black. I shall do as your mother instructed. Do you have any preference as to who I should floo over here?" the goblin inquired.
"Uh, no, not really, Griphook. Could you…uh…floo….them all here?" the emerald-eyed boy answered, once again wondering what "flooing" meant. As he pondered over this new term he watched as the goblin went into a room behind the podium where little, dim green flashed seemed to be coming from. After a few minutes the goblin came back followed by three people – two men and a woman.
The woman was tall, slim with blonde hair and brown eyes. The man in front of her was also tall and with long blond hair, but with grayish-blue eyes. The third member of the group, the second man, was a tall, thin man with somewhat pale skin, a slightly crooked nose, shoulder-length, black hair which framed his face and dark-brown eyes that showed curiosity, but also cautiousness.
When Harry saw the black-haired man he seemed familiar, yet the small boy couldn't quite place where he had seen him before. He thought about it and a distant memory, almost like a dream, appeared at the front of his mind in which he was not more than 1 year old and he was running with his little short legs towards that black-haired man who easily lifted him up and smiled whilst his toddler self was giggling like crazy. Then his infant self happily shouted a name…
"Why have we been called here?" the blond-haired man questioned the head goblin on the podium who was about to answer the man's question when the young, messy-haired wizard gasped, drawing everyone's attention towards himself.
"Uncle Sev?" Harry quietly, yet happily exclaimed and suddenly started running towards the man he recognized from distant memories.
"Damon?" the man known as Severus Snape disbelievingly cried out as he knelt down and embraced the 5-year old boy when he reached him. The young wizard could not believe that his favorite uncle remembered him and cried tears of joy.
The other man and the woman looked surprised at the small boy in the arms of the usually strict man when the name the black-haired man had shouted out hit them. Suddenly, realization hit the Malfoy couple and before anyone knew what was happening they were also hugging the small child. Eventually they broke the hug and looked at the boy they had missed so much during the last few years.
"Damon! It's so good to see you again, my little demon!" Severus happily told the boy in front of him who looked like he was in heaven.
"Oh, Draco will be so thrilled to play with you again! He's been missing you, Damon, and I'm sure that you missed him as well" the blonde woman excitedly said to Damon who, at the mention of Draco, vaguely remembered a toddler like himself with a tuff of blond hair and grey eyes playing with him and a plush toy of a dark green dragon.
"The reason why Griphook called you here, Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy and Mr. Snape, is young Mr. Black" Ragnarok smoothly announced as he watched the 4 people standing in front of him turn their heads towards him at his interruption..
"He just turned up at the bank today and found out he was a wizard at which moment he received a letter from his mother and father. Here is said letter" Griphook added as he saw that the 3 adults were finally paying attention once again. The goblin handed them the letter and waited for every one of them to read it.
The young wizard observed carefully after the two men and the woman read what his mother had written and saw the progressive change of their expressions from happy and overjoyed to angry and downright furious.
"Uh, I'm not in any trouble, am I?" Damon uncertainly asked and was confused when everyone stared at him in a mixture of surprise and shock.
"Why would you be in any trouble Damon? You have done nothing wrong as far as I know" the blond-haired man replied and watched as the small boy lowered his head, ashamed of his previous question. It was now that Lucius noticed that his godson was smaller than most 5-year olds and was skinny as well. He also saw the second-hand clothes he was wearing and that they were too big for him. To top it all off the glasses the boy wore were broken in the middle and were barely held together by bandages.
"Narcissa, Severus, come with me. We need to talk" he announced and walked a few feet away from Damon whose turn it was now to look befuddled. Severus briefly ruffled the boy's already messy hair before standing up from his crouched position and following Narcissa to where her husband was standing with a worried look on his face.
"I don't know if any of you have paid any close attention to Damon, but it seems to me that he has been neglected by his so called "relatives". However, that is not why I have called you here. The question we must face now is the following – where will Damon stay from now on? It is absolutely out of the question for him to go back to those muggles, especially after he knows that he is a wizard" the head of the Malfoy family stated as he watched Severus and Narcissa enthusiastically nod their heads in agreement.
"I may be his "uncle Sev", but if he stays with me the chances of him falling under Dumbledore's influence are too great and if I understood correctly from that letter, Lily doesn't want that to happen" Severus Snape declared.
"That leaves him to stay with us. Narcissa, dear, you wouldn't mind having Damon there, do you? As you know he was and still is like a second son to me. It would only be fitting if he was to live with us, don't you think so?" Lucius turned to his wife who smiled lovingly at him.
"I would love Damon to be with us. After all, as his godparents he certainly deserves this. He would be like a brother to Draco and you know how much he has wanted to have one" the blonde added.
"Then it is agreed – Damon will come to live with us. You are of course welcome to come by any time you want, Severus. Damon regards you as his uncle, after all, and you are also Draco's godfather. I'm absolutely positive that those two would love to spend some time with you" the blond-haired aristocrat summed the decision up and smirked at his invitation to the black-haired man who was, despite himself, smiling at the thought of spending time with his "nephew" and godson.
"Thank you, Lucius. I also have a proposition to make. As you know from Lily and from the letter, James Potter adopted Damon through means of a blood ritual. I happen to know which ritual was used as it required a certain potion that Lily asked me to brew and I also know that it can be reversed. Luckily, it only requires a simple incantation. I am sure that we would do the little demon a favor if we did that. He would still be the magical heir to the Potter line, but he would have his real appearance as well. What do you think about this?" the Potions Master proposed and almost laughed when both Malfoys smiled at his idea and agreed to do it – with Damon's permission, of course. Going through the two decisions once more they walked back towards the young wizard who seemed to be having an interesting discussion with Griphook.
"Damon" Lucius called his godson who turned his head to look at the blonde-haired man "Narcissa and I have decided that you should come and live with us instead of with those muggles. What do you say to that?" he announced their first decision to the young wizard who smiled in delight and hugged him.
"Thank you so much!" the messy-haired boy cried as tears of joy started to run down his cheeks. The three adults were happy that the young boy agreed to come and were angry at the muggles he had been living with for causing him to react in such a manner.
"But that's not all. I happen to know which ritual James Potter used to adopt you and it can be reversed. This means that you would have your real appearance, but will still be the magical heir to the Potter line. Do you want to reverse the ritual?" Severus inquired and watched as the boy, without even thinking, nodded his head enthusiastically.
With that cleared the black-haired wizard stood up and took out his wand. Quietly muttering the spell for the reversal of the ritual to himself he looked at his "nephew" and smiled reassuringly at him. Pointing his wand at the small boy he whispered the incantation and a jet of black with red spirals shot out from his wand and hit the young wizard, the magic of the spell covering his body.
Before the eyes of the two wizards and the witch Damon started to change. His ebony black hair grew and turned even darker so as to turn pitch-black black with a few slight dark red highlights. His oval face became a bit more angular and was sure to show some typical aristocratic traits when the young wizard became a bit older. As if his body tried to correct his slightly malnourished state the boy grew 3 inches in height. The reddish-black light surrounding the boy's new appearance briefly flared before fading into his body.
"You certainly look like an equal mix of Sirius and Lily" Narcissa said before going over to the slightly disorientated Damon and embracing him "Welcome back, Damon" she continued whilst the boy returned her embrace.
"Yes, welcome back…"Lucius repeated his wife's words as he put a hand on his lost "son's" shoulder.
"…to our family" Severus quietly completed as he joined the group as well and ruffled the now less messier hair of his "nephew", who, if the Potions Master didn't know any better, was acting as if he had swallowed an entire vial of the powerful "Elixir of Elation", which made a person literally drunk of happiness.
"Now that you have a new appearance and have grown a few inches you will need new clothes, Damon" stated the blonde as she stood up and smiled down at her new "son".
"Clothes? But I don't have any money with me" Damon replied and became slightly confused the three adults started to chuckle.
"Money? My little demon, have you not read your mother's letter carefully? You have a trust vault here, in Gringotts. This trust vault is a vault that only you can access and use. The question is, though, who has your key? You certainly don't have it and if I had to make a guess I would wager that Dumbledore has it" the black-haired man stated as an angry scowl made its wade onto his face at the thought of the old wizard.
"Dumbledore has no right to that key! Unless…the Potters named him Harry's guardian in their will. Speaking of which…Griphook!" Lucius called the goblin who had gotten into a conversation with the head of the bank "Would you kindly show us the last will of Lily and James Potter?" the aristocrat inquired.
"Certainly, Mr. Malfoy. If you would please follow me" the goblin replied and started to lead the small group of 3 wizards and a witch towards an entrance that lead to a platform where many carts were "parked". After assuring Damon that there was no danger of falling off the strange vehicle, they finally climbed into it and started the long way down towards the young wizard's trust vault.
N.B.: Hello my dear readers!^_^ I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If anyone wants me to continue with this story, then please write so in your reviews. I am also open to suggestions, like what could happen in this story (I still haven't quite decided how it continues after the first few chapters, so any suggestions are greatly welcome).^_^