Chapter 9

The Potter legacy

Harry slept way past his usual hour the next day. But as they had gotten home quite late from the ministry he didn't think much of it. He opened his terrace door to get in some fresh air when he heard the singing. It was faint, coming from down below on the main terrace to the garden, but it was the most soothing sound he had ever listened to. Was it a new disc Aries had bought?

When the terrace door downstairs opened however, the signing stopped.

'You tricked me.' Aries' voice could be heard slightly dimmed by the distance.

'You needed the sleep.' The singer replied. The two entered the house and Harry could hear no more. Someone came to their home later last night. He made his way down to the kitchen but didn't enter. Letting his curiosity get the better of him he began eavesdropping.

'I thought you liked the surprise.' The singer spoke.

Aries didn't answer.

'You certainly didn't have any objections last night.'

'Harry can wake up at any moment. This isn't appropriate behaviour.'

The woman sighed. 'When did you become so boring?'

'Not all of us have the luxury to remain blissfully childish.'

'Childish? I guess you are right about that, Lord Black.' The woman spat. 'You aged far more than your face shows.'

'Forgive me. It was unfair of me to say that to you.'

'Is this really what you want?'

'This is the life I chose.'

'But this isn't the life you deserve. You never liked the scheming, the strictures, the lies of this world. You wanted to be free of it all. Don't look away from me!'

'Leila-' didn't Fudge introduce a singer Leila at the ministry? Could this be her?

'No, you need to hear this. I know what you are doing, but this isn't the answer. This won't bring them back.'

'STOP!' Harry had never heard Aries this angry. Whoever this woman was, she could get under his skin.

'I'm sorry, but I can't bear to see you like this. You're throwing your life and happiness away.'

'My happiness is here.'

'He doesn't even know who you are.' Who was she talking about?

'Leila, this is what I wanted to do long before I've met you. I thought you understood that.'

'I did, I still do, but after seeing you last night. That wasn't the man I fell in love with, so stiff and sombre. Yes, I know we said it would be a causal relationship. But how can you not see that any woman would fall for you.' Aries was having an affair with a woman that hardly seemed half his age?

'Please stop. You're so young, you can't love someone like me.'

'Why? Because you're so old? Is that it? Stop fooling yourself, you have your whole life ahead of you, you just have to seize it for yourself. Please, come with me, leave this country.'

'You know I can't.'

'I could help you forget about it all. You could be happy, like we were in New Zealand. Remember our little hut on the island. Remember-'

'My life is here now.'

'You owe these people nothing. Take him with you, he will be happier there.'

'You don't want children.' Did Aries have a child here in England? But he said he had no family but the Black family. Harry stored the information for later.

'For you I would make an exception.'

'You don't like to share.'

The woman laughed 'You're right, I don't like to share. Not when I know I could lose what is mine forever.'

'It was never yours to begin with.' Aries said angrily.

'Forgive me, Lord Black. It was not my place to speak my mind, I just thought as someone who valued freedom so much yourself, you would appreciate it.'

'I'm sorry it ends this way between us.'

'No more than I am. This will be the last time we will meet. I am never coming back to Europe.'

'You have concerts booked in every major Wizarding city.'

'Once the tour ends I will retreat from this life. You will never hear of me again.'

'Why?'

'Because it reminds me too much of you.'

'This is what you wanted.'

'What I want now, is not what I wanted four years ago.' there was a long pause before she spoke again 'Your grandfather came to see me once, did you know.'

Aries didn't answer, did he know? Harry wished to see their faces, but that would give him away, and this was a conversation that he really didn't want to interupt.

'You were here watching over him. He told me then that I had to let you go, that it would turn bad for me, that your only purpose was centred on that boy. I told him I could make you see reason. He looked at me with pity then, I hated him for it, but he told me he hoped I would succeed, that the path you were on could only lead to suffering for you.'

'The man didn't know what he was talking about.' Aries's voice was strained.

'He knew more than I did. I thought I could make a place in your heart for me; that your great big heart could hold two. But I was a fool.'

'You do have a place in my heart. You always will.'

'It's not enough is it?' she laughed

'I'm sorry.'

'Not as much as I am.' Harry heard the scraping of chairs and someone left the kitchen through the terrace door. He waited a few more minutes before finally going in. Aries was at the table still, his breakfast half eaten.

'Good morning.' He said smiling at Harry.

'Good morning.' Harry said feeling uncomfortable.

'I made pancakes.'

'Do we have a guest?' Harry asked looking at the half eaten breakfast place across from Aries. He hoped Aries didn't notice his nervousness, but his guardian seemed distracted.

'What? Oh, right. I friend dropped by last night. She doesn't like staying at hotels since she's rather famous and reporters tend to bother her.'

'Who is she?'

'The singer from last night at the ministry. Leila Weinberg.'

'Oh.' Harry started to eat. He didn't know if he should ask more questions or not. It was clear that the two were involved in a relationship, even though Leila was younger. So he ate in silence until the lady singer appeared in the door with a travelling bag next to her.

'Thank you for your hospitality Lord Black.'

'Safe travel to Paris, Miss Weinberg.' That formal good bye put a damper in Harry's plans to find out more. He couldn't reveal he knew about the relationship without revealing he had been eavesdropping. But the questions remained, who was this Leila Weinberg, and who was the child she spoke of? But it would be many years until Harry would meet the singer again and unravel her story.

Aries acted normal after she left. He checked Harry's essay on Thestrals, Abraxan and Unicorns declaring it satisfactory.

'If you're interested in magical creatures, there is an optional class you can take starting third year.'

'Care for magical creatures. Yeah, me Ron and Hermione discussed it. It sounds like fun.'

'Scamander's book will help you with that.' Aries brought him a book, Fantastic beasts and where to find them. 'Newt was a magizoologist, one of the best.'

'Thanks, this will help next year.'

'I'm sure it will, but until then.' Aries gave him a letter

'What is it?'

'A letter, it came with a rented owl this morning. I said no contact with your friends was also part of your punishment, but as this friend is not a Weasley and you did put in the effort on the essay, consider it a reward.'

Harry saw Hermione's writing on the unopened envelope and his eyes grew big. But she had been petriefied and the Mandrakes still had a month to go until they were ready for the potion. He quickly tore it open and began to read.

'Dear Harry,

You can't imagine my surprise when I woke up in St. Mungo's with mom and dad by the side of my bed. The healer here said Hogwarts was on lockdown from a Wollywasp infestation. I didn't buy it, but said nothing to not alarm my parents too much. Ron finally answered yesterday since all the letters I sent to Privet Drive returned unopen.

It seems I missed quite a lot. You have a new guardian. How is it like? I can't take Ron's letter too seriously since he seems to always exaggerate things. Is it true he's scary? Is it true he is a lord? I didn't even know there were lords in the wizarding world. I hope this letter finds you well. I am being discharged tomorrow, so if you send Hedwig with a reply, I will be at home. Also, can you please let me know what you studied while I was unconscious? Ron never pays attention and I am sure to fall behind if I don't take the next week to study.

Love,

Hermione.'

Harry's face lit up knowing his friend was better.

'Well, I won't ask if it is good news, by the look on your face.' Aries smiled.

'It's Hermione, my other best friend. She was one of the students that was petrified by the Basilisk. She's woken up in St. Mungo's.'

'Ah, yes, the four students were discharged today.'

'You knew?'

'Of course I knew. As one of the governors of the school it was also my decision what to do with the petrified students. We couldn't just leave them in the castle with a monster on the loose.'

That made sense. 'May I write her back?'

'You may. But she is a muggle born, so you can always call her on the phone if you want a quick reply.'

Harry jumped up and scurried to his trunk in search of the piece of parchment with the Granger's telephone number on it. It took him a while to find it in the chaos that was the bottom of his trunk. He really needed to clean it later. He settled himself on the armchair near the phone in the office and dialled the number.

'Granger.' Said a male voice.

'Um, hello Mr. Granger, my name is Harry Potter, I'm a friend of Hermione's. I was wondering if I can speak with her, see how she is doing.'

'Ah, the infamous Harry Potter. Just a moment, Miony is out in the garden with her mother.' And there was a long pause until Hermione's voice came up.

'Harry?' her voice confused and surprised.

'Hey there Hermione. It's really me. I have a telephone here and well, Aries, that's my new guardian's name by the way, suggested it was faster calling then sending an owl.'

'Oh my God, it really is you.' She shrieked 'But how do you even have a phone, Ron said your guardian was a wizard.'

'He is, sort of. He does business with both wizards and muggles alike. That's why we have a phone in the house. Anyway, how are you? When did you wake up?'

'About a week ago, but they didn't allow me to write or do much as they monitored my magic and body for any side effects. Everyone is awake now. Collin, Penelope and Justin all went home today also. We also gave statements to the Aurors about what happened.'

'What did happen? I mean Aries says it's a basilisk.'

'He is right. But I can't say more.' She whispered 'I don't want to worry my parents.'

'Oh, right. Sorry, I just hope they deal with it already. Next week it will have been a month since they closed the school.'

'But if it isn't safe…'

'I know, and I'm not particularly complaining about having a bit more of a holiday than normal, but it's Hogwarts.'

'So the new guardian is better than the Dursleys?'

'Loads better, though I did manage to get grounded after only two weeks.'

'What did you do, Harry? Ron said he was also grounded, don't tell me you two did something stupid?'

'Us and the twins, and it wasn't anything dangerous, we just left the Burrow without telling anyone.'

'Mrs. Weasley would have been furious.'

'I am sure she was. I'll have to apologize next time I see her.'

'And your new guardian?'

'Aries? He was angry, and he forbade me from seeing Ron for the rest of the holiday, and I am to go with him everywhere since I am not to be trusted staying alone at home. Which isn't as bad as it sounds. I also had to do extra homework. But the worst is not seeing my friends I guess. I mean before that Ron and the twins were always here and then we kind of blew it.'

'That doesn't sound too bad.'

'It's not, Aries Black is weird like that.'

'Wait, did you say Black?'

'Yes.'

'And he's a lord?'

'Yes, though he only uses that for business or at the Ministry.'

'Harry, he was the one that payed for the cure to be brought from France. There was no Depetrifying Potion in stock at St. Mungo's so he had it delivered.'

'Are you sure it wasn't St. Mungo's itself?'

'No, I overheard two nurses talking. St Mungo's didn't have the cure, because petrifications that require more than the Enervare charm are very rare. Anyway, St. Jean Hospital near Avignon had it and Lord Black had it delivered here.'

'He never told me.'

'Maybe it slipped his mind.'

The two continued to talk for a long time until Mrs. Granger pointed out that it was going to cost them a lot holding such long conversations over the phone. Harry hoped his guardian wouldn't be too pissed off at the bill. Aries didn't seem to mind about the phone, but he was given three new essays to finish until next weekend as part of being grounded: one about eye spells, one about transfiguring animals into inanimate objects and the worst about frequent mistakes in potions making.

'You still have tomorrow the whole day to do your research for these three. Monday we will be visiting two of the Potter properties in the afternoon.'

'Potter properties?'

'Yes, the land on which Potter Manor used to be on and the cottage in Godric's Hollow.'

'I see.' Harry said quietly. Would he be permitted to visit his parents' graves?

'If you want, we can also stop at the old cemetery.' Aries added as an afterthought.

Harry nodded since he didn't trust his voice to come out normal. He had never been to his parents' graves.

'Good, Tuesday will be another day at the ministry in the morning, but shorter.'

'You don't need to take me with you Aries, I've learnt my lesson, and Pan will be here to keep an eye on me.'

'Heide will be back by tomorrow evening as well. But that is not the point, now is it? It isn't just about punishing you, or us getting to know each other. You should also know how the ministry works.'

'So will there be more meetings?'

'No, this is a short session of the Wizengamot.'

'Am I allowed in?'

'Normally all sessions of the Wizengamot are open to the public. You only need to register beforehand to have a seat in the stands. In any case, this will be short, one, one and a half hours. Then we can go grab lunch in Diagon alley and pick up Silvermane's list of investments for you.'

'And the rest of the week?'

'I have some long distance calls in meetings in China and Australia on Wednesday and Friday, on Thursday we'll have to go into London again to see to another property in Grimmauld Place. But all of this should give you enough time for your essays.' With that in mind, Harry went to his own room to start on his new work. Maybe if he finished sooner than Saturday next and did well, Aries would allow him to meet Ron or call Hermione once again.

Heide's return the next evening made his work much easier than before. The little Fae spent her time with him in the library and actually gave him some good tips on which books to use for the transfigurations essay.

'Do all Faes turn into birds?' Harry asked while he was taking a break from writing and nibbling on some cookies Pan brought in from town.

'It depends on the Fae type. I am a celestial Fae, my kin and I usually choose winged animals to transform into.'

'It must be nice to fly like that.'

'You could do it too, you know.'

'What transform into a bird? How?'

'You should ask Aries.'

Harry groaned 'He'd just give me another essay to write.'

Monday evening they took a prepared portkey to Potter Manor, or the ruins of the place anyway. They landed, Harry not so gracefully, in front of a fence covered in vines. Pan had followed them and opened the gate after clearing it of the growing plants. There was a faded coat of arms on the gate with three flowers. They stepped on the property where there used to be a cobbled road. Only now after such a long time, the stone was almost swallowed by grass. There were spring flowers everywhere and even if the ruin didn't look too good, the place had a certain beauty to it.

'Why is it in ruins?' Harry asked looking up to Aries as they passed the four columns of the entrance patio and through the fallen entrance door into a hallway with a beautiful staircase.

'It was before you were born. Your grandparents used to live here until 1979 when they both died of dragon pox. Your father wanted to come live here once you were born but before that could happen this place was attacked by Voldemort and his followers thinking that your parents would be here already.'

'But they weren't, so no one died.'

'Someone did die, unfortunately. There were two house elves taking care of this place at the time of the attack. They didn't make it.'

'Oh.'

'The land around here is good land, the foundation of this house is still solid.' Aries went on.

'Are you saying I could rebuild?'

'Silvermane explained to me that there is a sum set aside by your father for the reconstruction of this place. It has been in your family for generations, and the land recognizes Potter magic.'

'Where are we anyway?'

'Scotland. Quite near to where the Ministry organizes the Picnic every July.'

'How long would it take to rebuild this place?'

'With the two house elves at Black Manor and a few Wizard builders, three to six months.'

'I'll have to think about it.'

'It would be best if you waited until you are of age.'

'Why?'

'The building itself can be done without you, but there is more to a Wizard's house than the physical. Usually spells and runic magic is woven into the construction to make it safer against attacks or intruders. You can use outside help for this, but it is best if you assist with the magical part.'

'And I can only do that if I'm of age.' Harry nodded understanding. 'I'd still like to try and clean this place.'

'Of course, I'll get Tia to trim the lawn, clean the fences and remove the rubble from inside before summer begins.'

'You don't have to do that. I mean, I can pay someone to do it, can't I?'

'You could, but as your guardian I am also responsible with maintaining your properties in good condition.'

'But-'

'If you want to help, you can come here at the beginning of summer and supervise the house elves, how's that?'

Harry accepted this offer knowing that getting Aries to let him pay for it was not going to happen. They took a stroll in the gardens where a series of fountains were filled with rain water and dried leaves before taking another portkey to Godric's Hallow. It was dusk when they arrived in a small alley next to the town square.

'Pan will be waiting for us at the cemetery. Godric's Hallow is not a Wizard's only town so he can't be seen.' Aries explained as he led Harry out of the alley and into the square where the fountain transformed before their eyes into a statue. Harry faltered, the statue of his parents with him as a baby was in the middle of the town square.

'M-my parents.'

'It is their way of honouring their passing.'

Harry frowned, what was there to honour in murder? They honoured their death and left Harry at the doorsteps of his Magic hating relatives. It didn't seem right. But that was nothing to what they saw at the cottage. The place was torn apart, half of the house that was still standing was covered in ivy and the yard and fence were covered in offerings. Some candles were still burning at the corner of the house. Harry felt himself trembling as his eyes took in the small toys dusty and worn from their time out there, the stale bread that had been put on a plate and left there probably for a week or so now, there were baby clothes too, new, or at least in their original package that had been faded by the sun maybe for a year or two, maybe more. All these and letters or notes tied onto the hedge or into the ivy.

'Why would they do this?' Harry asked trying to keep his voice even.

'This place was declared a monument by the ministry. People come here to see, but they don't understand.'

'They leave food, for who, for what?' Harry thought of the many times he had almost starved steeling food from the fridge whenever his relatives were sleeping. And these people just let it rot here.

'It is an offering of sorts. In some cultures it was given to appease evil spirits.'

'Evil? My parents weren't evil!' Harry almost shouted.

'No, Harry, they weren't. And these people though misguided, made the gesture in some form of respect, I am sure.'

'I don't want this. Why would they leave baby clothes? I'm 12 now, do they still think of me as a baby?'

'They don't know you. They just know the story of the Boy Who Lived.'

'Don't they get it? I don't want to be the Boy Who Lived! I want my family to have lived, how can they honour their murder, how can they bring offerings to a crime scene?' Harry felt his eyes sting with tears.

'I'm sorry.' Aries pulled him into an embrace and Harry stiffened. 'I shouldn't have brought you here so soon.' Harry stayed in Aries's arms a moment longer, unsure what to do with the unfamiliar sensation before he pulled back and Aries released him. 'I'll bring you home.'

Harry nodded 'Can we please visit the cemetery first? I've never been to visit them before.' He added whipping at his eyes.

'OK. Pan is waiting for us anyway.' They didn't have to walk long meeting the elf next to the grave stones. Pan handed Harry white lilies to place on the grave as Aries cleaned the stones of some old dried flowers.

James Potter and Lily Potter

27. March 1960 ~ 30. January 1960

31. October 1981~ 31. October 1981

The last enemy that shall be conquered is death.

That was an odd saying for a grave. Harry wondered who had chosen the words. He looked at the dates of birth. He hadn't even known that his father's birthday had just passed, would have, had he been alive. They were barely in their 20s. To die so young. To have a child so young.

'I miss you.' He whispered, Aries heard as he turned from the graves to Harry. But the older man didn't say anything, what was there to say, really, in the face of such a tragedy?

They soon departed the small town for home. Pan served dinner even if Harry wasn't all that hungry, neither was Aries, but Harry didn't notice, too absorbed about what he had seen.

'Aries, is there a way to stop people from putting things near the house?'

'There are charms that can repel objects, protections against intruders. Those should have been put in place by the ministry along with the stasis charm keeping the building from collapsing entirely. The structural integrity of the house was compromised beyond repair, with dark magic.'

'So it can't be salvaged?'

'I'm afraid it's not advisable. Such dark magic leaves traces, traces that can influence future inhabitants.'

'You're saying it shouldn't be rebuilt?'

'I'm saying if you want to have a house on that spot, the best way to go about it is something new from the foundations up.'

'I'm not sure I will ever need two houses. I mean, if I rebuild Potter Manor, won't that be enough?'

'It's up to you. But one house is usually enough for a family, and Potter Manor has enough bedrooms for you to have a Quiddich team as your family and have enough space for sleep overs with your friends.'

'Then I'd like to have the cottage in Godric's Hollow raised to the ground and the charms put up against intruders.'

'I'll file the documents to remove the Monument status then.' Aries nodded.

'Will it take long?'

'We can file them tomorrow after the Wizengamot session. They will take about a month to process, but it will be done before you return from school.'

'Are we even going back to Hogwarts anytime soon?'

'The ministry is trying something new. It will be decided by the end of the week.'

'But still no Basilisk.'

'Not yet, no.'

Well, that was hard to write. I'm not happy with this chapter, it seems a bit ...interupted ? Anyway, one more and then we're back to Hogwarts. Do you think Dumbledore will be OK with Harry's decision to demolish the cottage? I'm not sure how I would feel if I were in Harry's shoes, but it just doesn't sit well with me to have the sight of a tragedy turned into a monument. If you want to honour something about a person, honour their life, not their death. But maybe that's just me. As always, have a nice week :)