Chapter 4
The cuckoo's egg
Harry sighed as the last of the family was skilfully ditched by Melania, leaving Sirius, Arcturus, Melania and Harry by themselves. 'Sirius needed rest' was a perfect excuse to ask everyone politely to leave them alone.
Harry hadn't really thought about it much when they decided that he would pose as Sirius's son. Now he worried about how Sirius was going to react when he was told the truth. The man was looking at him in a little disturbing way.
Sirius acted like he was none the worse for wear after his decade long stay in Azkaban. Harry knew that being Padfoot helped but his own dogfather had shown the scars from prison all the same. This Sirius was likely no different. Time, good food, and a healthy potions regimen prescribed by the healer that had done a check-up would hopefully help him heal. As long as the truth didn't shatter him first.
"I need to know. I've been going mad thinking about who his mother could be. He is what, eleven…twelve?" Sirius directed his inquiry at Melania and Arcturus.
Harry laughed. "You've been going mad thinking about that?" He cocked an eyebrow. "It doesn't have anything to do with sharing an abode with dark floaty creatures that suck all warmth and happiness out of the world for the past decade."
Sirius laughed but he also looked unsettled at Harry's change in behaviour. Until now Harry had mostly kept quiet, pushed to the background and allowing the 'adults' to talk. Sirius too had mostly kept quiet, instead observing and acclimating himself to his return to his hated family.
"How are you feeling?" Melania asked, ignoring Sirius's question. "It's been a long and tiring day, perhaps you should rest."
It didn't pass by unnoticed and a scowl appeared on Sirius's face. "—How am I feeling?—Like I deserve some bloody answers," He flung back. "—How did you find out I was innocent? –How did you find Pettigrew? –And Why did you even bother helping me. Wasn't I cast out of the family for being a blood traitor? –Who is Orion's mother? –Where is she? –And How did he come to live with you?"
"You mean that spat with your mother, where she cast you out and burned a hole in the family tapestry." Arcturus shot back irritated. "You should know better boy. You're even more moronic than I thought if you think you're mother had any say on who is or isn't part of this family. Being a Black is a part of you. If I had cast you out you would have felt it. Perhaps you should talk to that woman who married the mudblood. Ask her how she felt after turning her back on her family. Perhaps I should have killed her and that mongrel of hers when I had the chance."
Sirius shot up from his chair. "—Don't you dare talk about Andy like that!"
"I will damn well talk as I please in my own ho—"
"—That's enough!" Harry shouted. "You're not helping Arcturus—And sit down Sirius—What are you going to do?"
Harry shocked Sirius into obeying, the man was staring open-mouthed at him. Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose. "My mother's name is Lily Potter, or Evans as she was born."
"—THAT'S A LIE! Lily and I never—"
Harry glared at Sirius for him to shut up which he promptly did. "You are not my father, James Potter is."
"—But Lily and James and James only had a daughter. I should know I'm her god—"
"—Will you shut up and let the boy speak," Arcturus interrupted.
The tension was thick between the two men and they kept glaring at each other but at least they were quiet.
"The name I was given at birth is Harry James Potter. I was born on the 31th of July 1981 and despite my current appearance, I'm forty eight years old." Harry paused to let that sink in. "I performed a ritual to travel back in time and it worked, in a way. It turned out that not only did I travel through time, I also travelled through space. I found myself in a very similar world to my own past, with one big difference, as far as I can tell. Here I was born a girl."
"Rose…"
Harry nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, Rose. I had planned to turn up in the body of my younger self but as you can see that didn't go as planned."
"Then why pose as my son?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? If I'm going to exist here I needed a cover story. Pretending to be your son was the easiest and most obvious choice. With your reputation it wouldn't be weird for you to have a few bastards running around. Plus any test would show that you're my father—or at least one of."
"I adopted you?"
"You did. Blood adoption." Harry moved a hand through his hair. "I used to look a bit more like James."
"You have Lily's eyes."
"So I've been told."
Silence settled as they let Sirius take in all the information he had received.
After a while he spoke up. "You're the reason I'm out of Azkaban isn't it? You knew where to find the rat?… Thank you."
Harry acknowledged the gratitude with an incline of his head.
"How did you find out in your world?"
"You did actually. The Weasley family won the Daily Prophet draw and had their picture taken for the newspaper. By sheer chance that edition ended up in your hands. Of course you recognised the rat on the shoulder of the youngest Weasley boy immediately and you started planning your escape. You were the first one without any outside help who succeeded.
"It took awhile but you managed to capture Pettigrew. Only I stopped you and Remus from killing him. I thought him more useful as a way to prove your innocence. Sadly that same night was also a full moon and in the chaos that ensued Pettigrew got away."
Sirius nodded that he understood. "Did I ever get my freedom back?"
"You did. Although few people believed in your innocence. After Pettigrew's escape you had to flee to avoid being kissed. Andy helped you to hide in Grimmauld Place by casting the fidelius over it and wrote to the only person she knew that could really help you."
"Who?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Harry said cheerfully and waved his arm at the third man in the room "Arcturus of course. I may have been the legitimate Lord Potter at the time. I was also only a thirteen year old minor with a dubious reputation and with a very limited education on wizarding politics. Arcturus returned from exile and raised hell from high to low, left to right, to fight for you. He got you your trial and made sure that you got your freedom as well by bribes, blackmail and threats where necessary. Without Pettigrew it wasn't as clear cut a case as now and very few people believed in your innocence."
Melania reached for her husband's hand while Sirius was looking with wonder in his eyes to his grandfather. "I can't believe you would do that."
"Have you forgotten everything you were taught—Family before everything," Arcturus said gruffly. "Besides that wasn't me. I'm half tempted to have you thrown back into Azkaban with the stupidity you're displaying."
Harry laughed and said, "Loveable as always I see," before laughing some more. Harry loved this and he had almost forgotten how much he had missed it. His Sirius and Arcturus could bicker like an old married couple, tempers would flare and curses would fly but at the end of the day they knew that the other had their back no matter what happened.
"So are you okay with me pretending to be your son?" Harry asked.
"I guess…" Sirius said doubtfully. "Do I have much of a choice?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Not really, but the illusion of choice can be a comfort."
"I guess it's the least I can do as thanks for getting me my freedom back and proving my innocence."
"I hope that it speaks for itself that none of the things we spoke about should be shared with others."
Sirius nodded in understanding. "And what now? More innocents to save? More death eaters to kill?"
"Now, now we will have some fun," Harry said with a smile
For some reason those words sent shivers down Sirius's spine.