Thanks to Some Yanks

by Reigorgas

After the Events of Halloween 1981, the three Potters were believed to have perished along with Lord Voldemort. The public, believing Sirius Black was the traitor, forced him to take his alive godson with him to America. Now at 15, Harry has to return to Britain with his Godfather and cousin, because Voldemort has returned, and Harry is the only one who can stop him. M for Safety.

9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hello Everyone! Welcome to Chapter 9! First off: A HUGE SHOUTOUT to my beta Goldzar, for being an absolute UNIT, and getting this to me in a quick manner. This is a shorter one, but it does develop a lot more story, we get introduced to more characters, some of which will have a big impact in this story. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Harry woke the next morning and got ready for the day before heading to the kitchen. It was almost noon, Thomas having already left for work, which meant it was just Sirius in the house. He sat down with a bowl of cereal and ate quietly, his mind towards where he needed to stop for his shopping trip. Sirius came in at that moment, his nose in a letter. The next Wizengamot session was only two days away from now, and Sirius was considerably busy. Harry knew he had to be there to be recognized as the official heir, but he knew next to nothing about the Black or Potter estates. He resolved to touch up on the family history tomorrow before the meeting. He knew that the Grimoires of both families were in the vaults at Gringotts, so he decided to get copies while he was there.

"Knut for your thoughts?" Sirius's voice alerted Harry to his presence.

He was leaning against the doorframe of his room, and Harry smiled at him, "Yeah, pay up mutt."

Sirius turned his head and stuck his nose in the air, "I'll have you know I'm a noble-bred." The two laughed at the old joke that was a favorite of Harry's mom.

"I was just thinking about my responsibilities to House Potter and Black." He ran a hand through his hair, "I know that the Potter's are considered dead, but wouldn't it be a good idea to announce that you're a proxy for the Potter heir?"

Sirius barked out a laugh, "pranking the stuffy Wizengamot members? I love it, Harry! I can get the goblins to write up the papers while I'm at Gringotts today." Harry agreed, and they discussed the implications of announcing an heir to the Potter family. "It will cause quite the stir, I know the Ministry tried to seize the assets back in the '80s, but the Goblins blocked them due to a 'possible heir' being alive." He accentuated the heir part with his fingers, "It will also be a major shock when we announce Remus as the steward, many of the purebloods in the world will be mighty displeased with a 'disgusting half-breed' having a prestigious position." The two laughed and finished their meals. After finishing up, they got ready for the trip to the alley. Arriving in the Leaky Cauldron floo, the two men walked through the entrance. The crowds had grown since they were last here, mainly because most were preparing for the upcoming school year. They made their way through the crowd and made it to Gringotts. The two of them first went to Borgrod's office.

After they exchanged pleasantries, they announced their business, "Master Borgrod, I'd like to officially declare Lord Black, my godfather, proxy to the Potter seat in the Wizengamot, we just need to file the paperwork, and we would like Gringotts to... expedite the process, price is of no concern."

The goblin grinned and took the paperwork from them, "Of course, Heir Potter, it will be dealt with appropriately." The goblin summoned a clerk, and the other goblin hurried away with the paperwork, Harry left as well to head down to his vaults to collect some gold for his errands. After he left, Borgrod looked at Sirius, "Now then Lord Black, our appointment is waiting in Conference room nine." Sirius nodded, and the two rose and left the office. They arrived outside of the conference room, and Sirius let out a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves. He then opened the door and stepped inside. He stopped and stared at the man waiting in the room. The Sandy-haired man was dressed shabbily, in clothes that looked patched up by hand and weren't of the best quality. It tore at Sirius's heart to see one of his best friends looking like a beggar. He approached the man, who turned and stared at him. The man was wide-eyed, as if he didn't believe that Sirius was standing there.

The man whispered, "Padfoot?" when Sirius nodded and smiled at him, the man rushed forward and pulled Sirius into a tight hug, Sirius felt the tears coming, soaking his shirt, and the man started babbling, "I'm sorry, so sorry Padfoot, I didn't know what to believe, and everyone was gone, and I was so alone, and..." the tirade of apologies and tears kept coming, and Sirius could do nothing but stand there and hug his friend, rubbing his back and letting him vent.

After what felt like hours, Sirius pulled away and held him at arm's length, "Jeez Moony, these years haven't been kind to you, you look like you could be a grandfather."

The two laughed and Sirius continued, "You don't need to feel guilty, Wormtail tricked us all, and I didn't know who to trust, since you were spending all your time with the packs. Now I know that we haven't talked to each other since then, but nothing said in this meeting is to leave this room." Remus raised an eyebrow but gestured for him to continue, "Harry is alive."

The man's eyes bulged out and he let out a gasp, "That's impossible, there was a body, he was buried along with his parents!" Sirius sighed and sat down, Remus followed suit, disbelief written all over his face.

Sirius continued, "I know, it is hard to believe, but on that night, Harry survived, and I took with him to America."

Remus' eyes widened again when he connected to dots, "Harrison…" he whispered, Sirius nodded, "That's right, Harrison Regulus Black is actually Harry James Potter. I've kept him hidden and safe for the last fourteen years. He has been raised to be the Heir to the Potter legacy, and my own, although I may let Thomas have it if he continues to woo Nymphadora…" He trailed off, and Remus rolled his eyes at the gleam appearing in the other's. "Padfoot, stay on topic."

The dog animagus laughed and waved his hand, "Yeah, yeah, thanks Moony." He took a second to recheck his thoughts before continuing, "I have no doubt that he is the best of all of us Moony, he has Lily's thirst for knowledge, compassion, and stubbornness, he is as charismatic as James and I at our best, and the power of all of us combined." The smile grew on his face, "He is intelligent, and cunning, I have no doubt that he will eventually become a Lord that the Potter legacy will be proud of." He looked at Remus and smiled, "and that's where you come in my friend, since Harry is still a student and can't handle his estate until he's of age, that means he needs a steward. He has chosen you to be the steward of his estate until he's ready to take it on himself." Remus gasped, and began to back out. "Padfoot…"

Sirius slammed his hands down on the table, "No Moony! Harry wants you to be part of his life, he chose you! I can't do it because I have the Black family's accounts to worry about, and that will probably be a full-time job. We've already agreed that I will Proxy his Wizengamot seat until he decides on a new proxy or to takes it up himself, however we need someone we can trust to handle his accounts, they've been frozen for fourteen years Moony, and we need to make sure that when Harry is ready, he can live the life he wants." Remus stared at him for a long time, his eyes searching for anything other than sincerity. Finally, he let out a sigh and smiled at him, "You two planned this didn't you?"

Sirius laughed, "We are Marauders Moony; pranks are what we do. Just imagine the faces on the Purebloods when we announce that a werewolf is the steward to an Ancient family's accounts." The two shared a chuckle, and Sirius summoned a stack of parchment that was waiting by the other end. "Now then, as the Potter steward, you'll be in charge of his accounts, managing finances, properties and any potential paperwork that needs to be filled out in his name." He handed him the top sheet, "This is the written contract to recognize you as the steward, signed by Harry and myself as his guardian."

Remus looked it over and spluttered at the salary portion, "Padfoot this is way too much! I don't need charity!"

Sirius laughed, "We are well aware of your thoughts on charity Remus, but Harry and I agreed that as the steward of a family as old and powerful as the Potters, you need to be able to dress and act the part, so you will be using this money to buy yourself a new wardrobe, and possibly a home." Remus rolled his eyes, knowing that fighting Sirius on this was a losing battle.

"Fine. I'll do it, and I'll make sure Harry is kept informed of the changes to his estate, you can count on me Padfoot." Sirius smiled and hugged Remus.

"Excellent, now let us head out, I could use a drink at the Leaky." The two men stood, collected all the paperwork and left the conference room. Remus handed the signed contract to a goblin waiting by the door, who sent it to Borgrod's office. The two friends then headed out of the bank, and down the alley.

"So where are you staying Sirius? I wouldn't imagine you're staying at your childhood home."

Sirius shuddered, "Merlin, no! We are staying at Padfoot's Retreat."

Remus smiled fondly, "I loved that cottage, it was where we could escape and be us, no war, or prejudice, just friends being friends."

Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "It hasn't changed much since then, other than Andi and Dora updating the place, and Thomas and Harry are there as well."

Remus nodded, "So when am I meeting Harry?"

Sirius laughed, "You'll meet him when we attend the Wizengamot session tomorrow, you have to be officially declared the steward, and I need to claim Regency." The two men entered the pub and found a table after ordering their drinks from Tom. They sat down and began reconnecting, Sirius telling Remus stories about Harry growing up in America, how different it was compared to England, and the wonderful relatives Harry got to have as family. "I swear Moony, Terri is a blonde version of Lily, same temper, same intelligence, they're almost sisters! The crazy thing is, her surname was Evans!" Remus gasped, "I know! I asked her about it, and Terri didn't know Lily, apparently Evans is a fairly common name in the States." The two kept drinking and talking. Remus shared some of the stories of what he'd been through after that night, and Sirius was horrified. One of his best friends in the world was left essentially a beggar, making small amounts of money whenever and wherever he could, unable to afford decent clothes or a decent roof over his head.

"At one point, I decided that trying to make ends meet with rent was pointless, so I bought a tent and lived out in the woods, far from any muggle or wizards. While far in the wilderness, I could apparate to anywhere I needed, for work, food, or a place I could go to shower and groom myself." He grimaced, "It also kept people safe from me during the full moon."

Sirius wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders, "It's okay Moony, you can forget about living in the wild now, you will have a flat fully furnished to your heart's content, enough food to feed yourself, and a lovely span of wilderness to roam on those nights."

Remus smiled and hugged him back, "Thanks Padfoot, I'll start packing up my tent and getting my things in order, I guess I have a flat to prepare for." He got up, hugged Sirius one more time and headed back out to the alley to the apparition point. Sirius left some extra coins on the table for the drinks, headed over to the floo and went home.

*One Hour Earlier*

Harry emerged from Gringotts, pouch filled and list in hand. He decided to collect all of the other items on the list, before heading to the bookstore. Luckily for him it seems the books used at Hogwarts were, for the most part, the same as at Ilvermorny, he just needed to pick up the Astronomy book, the History book, and the DADA book, which Harry had never even heard of this author before. He spent the next hour or so collecting the assorted items he needed, mainly the Telescope for Astronomy, a new Rune Kit (the one he had was getting dull), and new dragonhide gloves for Herbology. He finally made it to Flourish and Blotts, stepping inside, he was able to quickly find the Astronomy book, and the DADA book was not too hard to find either. As he flipped through the book, the slight interest he had quickly turned to distaste.

"This man hasn't cast a spell in his life!" Harry muttered to himself.

"I quite agree, Slinkhard isn't the brightest star in the sky." Harry turned around to find the source of that voice. His eyes fell on two girls that were watching him from the entrance. It was the blonde and brunette from the ice cream shop when he first visited the alley. The blonde was looking at him, eyebrow arched. She was dressed in a flowing summer dress and sandals, her hair held back by a headband, her ice-blue eyes gazing back at him. He looked away and glanced over at the brunette. She was dressed in a knee-length skirt and heeled sandals, along with a pink blouse and white cardigan over that.

"Yes, he does seem rather… dull, as if theory is the only important part of learning these spells." The taller of the two, the blonde, nodded in agreement, while the other just smiled at him coyly. Harry stepped forward, placing the book down on the shelf, he decided that with two beautiful girls in front of him, he could now 'turn on the charm' as Sirius liked to call it. "Now where are my manners? My name is Harrison Black, adopted son and heir to Sirius Black, the Lord of the House of Black." He bowed slightly and the two showed different levels of surprise, the blonde barely reacted, the slight widening of her eyes was the only indicator, while the brunette gasped audibly.

The blonde girl recovered first, "I am Daphne Greengrass, Heiress to the House Greengrass."

She curtseyed slightly in response, the brunette following, "and I'm Tracey Davis of House Davis." Harry did note that Tracey didn't give an honorific, meaning she wasn't of the Peerage.

He kissed both their hands, "Charmed, how can I help you lovely ladies today?"

Daphne smiled, and gestured outwards with her hands. "We thought we'd introduce ourselves to the mystery boy we saw, who knew it was the new Heir Black."

Harry laughed and shrugged playfully, "I'm flattered, I'm guessing you're shopping as well?"

The two girls nodded, "We were just about to get our books for the year, I can already tell that DADA will be rather dull." Tracey added, "We also need to get our new robes fitted."

Harry smacked his forehead lightly, laughing slightly to himself, "Of course! I forgot about the uniform, I didn't buy one yet because I hadn't completed my admittance exam. Do you mind if I accompany you two?"

Daphne responded this time, "Not at all Black, let us get our books and then we will show you the best place for your robes." Harry made his purchases and stepped out of the bookstore, patiently waiting for his two new companions to join him. They emerged with their own purchases a few minutes later and they then began escorting him down the alley, looping their arms through his on both sides. The girls led him to a shop called 'Twilfit and Tattings', "This is the best place to get high quality items Heir Black, they cater for only the best here."

Harry grinned at them, "Please call me Harry or Harrison if you must, I haven't been announced officially as Heir Black, and besides, this isn't a formal setting."

Tracey smiled, "Then you must call me Tracey!" Harry grinned at her, and nodded. Daphne didn't respond and then nodded after considering his words.

"Very well Harrison, you may call me Daphne." Smiling even larger now, Tracey dragged them into the store. Daphne made her way towards the robes section, hailing a seamstress on her way. Tracey however, headed to the no-maj fashion section.

He probably looked quite surprised because Tracey laughed and smiled at him, "What? Just because the elite shop here doesn't mean they don't acknowledge that muggle fashion is superior for casual settings." She headed towards some of the displays, whereas Harry wandered into the menswear section. He browsed for a while, impressed with the choices and styles that were on display. He did, however, find a leather jacket made of some kind of magical animal. He was instantly reminded of the jacket Sirius used to wear all the time. He looked at the price and grimaced, while still do-able, it was on the expensive side. Harry decided that it was worth it however, and purchased the jacket, along with temperature regulating charms and an impervious charm, wanting to stay comfortable in any weather, and not get dust or water all over it. He put it on and smiled at his reflection in a nearby mirror.

"You look dashing my dear," the mirror said, to Harry's amusement. He left the men's section and headed back towards the front of the store. He spotted Tracey looking at the jeans they had on display, she was bent over slightly, and Harry could see the shape of her rear through her skirt, it was a wonderful view, and he stared for a few seconds before looking away.

He looked back to find the girl looking back, her eyes on the jacket he was wearing. "Nice Jacket Harry! You look very fit."

Harry paused, processing her words, and then winked at her, "I could say the same to you my dear, you look quite pretty yourself." The girl blushed and giggled, she clearly wanted to say more, but they were interrupted by Daphne's return.

"Here are your uniforms, Trace," she said, handing her a bag. "Luckily, I already had your measurements from when we got those dress robes, so you didn't need to get measured again."

Tracey thanked her friend, and Harry began moving forward, "Looks like it's my turn then." He found a tailor waiting for him by the measuring stand. Stepping up, the tailor's measuring tape began moving around him, measuring lengths, widths, and everything in between, sometimes literally.

"What brings you in today sir?" Harry was surprised by the polite tone in the man's voice, but he supposed that since the elite shopped here, he must've assumed Harry had money.

"Hogwarts uniform, I'm transferring this September." The man looked at him, the tape measure still working overtime on Harry.

"A colonist transferring to Hogwarts? How unusual. Nonetheless, I will endeavor to make sure you are perfectly set to join the students at our fine institution. Now the majority of the uniform is made from magically threaded cotton, but what would you like your outer robe to be? You can have Acromantula Silk, Linen, Satin, or Cotton."

Harry thought it over for a second, and then decided, "I'll take the Acromantula silk, for both. Please thread warming charms into the winter cloak please." The tailor nodded and finished his measurements. "Very good sir, and which shoes would you like to pair with your robes?"

Harry gestured down to his dragonhide boots, "A pair of dragonhide boots, black if you would, I've found that I enjoy these very much."

Nodding, the tailor made a mark on the floating parchment, "Your order will be ready shortly, feel free to browse the shop until then." Harry thanked the tailor, and tipped him some extra galleons after paying, and headed back to the two girls who were waiting for him. They had been joined by two other girls the same age as them. There was another blonde, but was shorter and curvier than Daphne, she was dressed in a knee-length skirt and a light blouse, he thought she was quite pretty, but his attention was focused on the red-head. She is what American teens called 'Fucking Hot', and she was dressed more like a No-Maj, jean shorts and a top, it emphasized her rather, ample chest, but still classy enough. Harry approached them and smiled, "I hope I didn't make you wait too long, and who are these two lovely ladies?" the four turned to look at him, the blonde letting out a yelp of surprise.

"Harry, this is Hannah Abbot of House Abbot and Susan Bones, Heiress to House Bones. They're friends of ours and Hufflepuffs at school."

Harry greeted them as etiquette dictated, and gave his most charming smile, "A pleasure, my name is Harrison Black, Heir to the House of Black." The two girls blushed and smiled, returning his greeting. "I find myself feeling hungry, would you ladies like to join me for an ice cream?" The four agreed, and after shrinking down their packages, they all made their way to Fortescue's. They ordered and found a table outside under the umbrellas, enjoying the warm summer weather. Harry was enjoying himself immensely, getting to listen to four very attractive girls talk about their summers, and quiz him on things in America. They were particularly fascinated by Ilvermorny, and how similar and different it was to Hogwarts. Tracey teased him and declared his accent "charming" whilst Susan had muttered something that Harry couldn't hear, but made Hannah giggle and the red-head blush. Harry was astounded at the amount of attention he was getting, back at Ilvermorny he didn't get much attention from the females of the school outside of academic purposes. Thomas was much more popular, and attracted most of the attention while he was there. Harry had one date, but the girl decided she'd rather have him as a study partner than a romantic one, apparently Harry was 'unapproachable' most of the time. The only one he spent a significant time around was Renee, who Harry thought of as a sister. That apparently changed here, which made sense, the Black Family here was even more dangerous here than America, and they demanded respect. Harry felt that the girls were all interested in him, but he couldn't determine the reason for Daphne. He checked his watch, saw that it was time to pick up his uniform, and finished his ice cream. Standing he addressed the four girls,

"Ladies, I thank you for entertaining me, but I have errands to complete, I will see you all on the First of September." He kissed their hands in farewell, and left, heading back to Twilfit and Tattings. Unknown to him, the four girls watched him leave, and a few had a similar thought in their mind, 'I want him.'

A/N: Oh boy, we got ourselves a fight on our hands! Romance, while not a main part, will play a major part of our story, Harry isn't a playboy or anything, but he will probably date a few girls over the span of this story, some of which you may like, some you may dislike. I have plans, and I have a final pairing in mind, but I have to ask, would you like to see more of Thomas and Tonks? Or rather send them to the sidelines as minor characters? Do you care that Harry will have multiple love interests (hint, no 3 person pairings)? I'd love for your opinion.

Please give a Review if you'd like, and I'll see you in July!
Cheers,
Rei