Chapter 4: Happy Birthday

Leo blinked rapidly at Kreacher, his brain trying desperately to process the bomb that had been dropped on him. Home. He was home. He turned to Harry, grinning excitedly at the boy before frowning slightly at his expression. He looked a bit worried, and a tad upset for some reason Leo couldn't figure out. The blonde reached a hand out, grabbing Harry's and squeezing it slightly, drawing the boy's attention.

"Don't you see what this means, Harry?" Leo smiled. "We have a home – a place of our own. We never have to go back to the Dursleys again."

"No," Harry shook his head, pulling his hand away. "You have a home. Not me."

"Don't be daft, Harry," Leo huffed impatiently. "We're family, and family looks out for each other. If this is my home, it's yours too. Isn't that right, Kreacher?"

"Whatever Young Master Leo wishes," Kreacher bowed again.

Harry didn't look convinced, but let the matter drop as Leo requested a tour of their home. There were four floors and a basement in total. The basement housed the kitchen, a cavernous room with a large fireplace at the far end. Iron pots and pans hung from the ceiling above, and a long wooden table sat in the center of the room, large enough to fit a couple dozen people around it for a meal. Leo found it to be a bit gloomy and depressing, seeing how grimy the surfaces were and how dusty the floor was.

They made their way back up the stairs into the entrance hall, passing a wall decorated with severed, shrunken elf heads. Leo shuddered and asked if it would be possible to remove them at some point, to which the house-elf gave a curt nod before leading them up a grand staircase to the first floor. There were five rooms on this floor. There were three bedrooms, one bathroom, and the last was the drawing room.

The second and third floors housed more bedrooms and bathrooms, and a room on the third floor that was firmly frosted shut. Leo and Harry both tried and failed to open the iced over double doors before giving up and asking Kreacher what was in there. Kreacher remained silent before leading them up to the fourth and final floor where three bedrooms were. Leo ignored two of them in favor of the one at the furthest end of the hall, which had a plaque on it that read: Castor Perseus Black.

Dad's room. Leo strode forward, opening the door and stepping inside. There was a double bed with a dark blue bedspread pressed up against the wall in the center of the room. Several bookcases stood in each of the corners, their contents neat and orderly. A black dresser with an attached mirror stood between two dressers, facing directly opposite of the bed. Surrounding the edges of the mirror were various pictures that Leo noticed were moving. One in particular caught Leo's eye and he snatched it off, bringing it over for Harry to look at.

"Look, Harry!" Leo exclaimed, pointing at the four people in the picture. "These must be our parents!"

There were two males and two females in the picture, all of them smiling and waving at the two boys. The furthest on the right was a male who looked exactly like Harry, with the exception that his eyes were hazel and he lacked the trademark lightning bolt scar on his forehead. The woman beside him had blazing red hair and bright green eyes – Harry's eyes. Though Leo would also swear that they had the same smile.

The woman beside her was blonde, with equally bright green eyes and a shy smile on her face as she occasionally glanced up at the man next to her. This man had jet-black hair, neatly combed and trimmed to where it sat elegantly atop his head. He had a handsome face, high cheekbones, sharp jawline, and blue-grey eyes like Leo's. What drew Leo's attention, however, was how tired and worn the man looked. Light shadows lingered beneath his eyes, as though he had gone a few nights without sleep. Despite this, his smile was warm and inviting – though not without a slight hint of mischief. Leo noticed Harry's father had the same sort of smile.

"Guess our dads went to school together too," Leo finally said.

Harry nodded absentmindedly, continuing to stare hungrily at the picture containing his parents. With a small shrug, Leo let him hold onto the photo before looking around the room, perusing the various bookshelves and quirking an eyebrow up at some of the topics. They all had something to do with magic, though Leo noticed that a lot of them were mainly about something called 'transfiguration' and potions. I wonder...

"Kreacher?" Leo called out, turning his head to see that the house-elf was lingering outside the doorway. "Do you know if my dad kept a journal or something?"

"Kreacher is unsure," the house-elf shrugged. "Kreacher knows Master Castor enjoyed his writing, but Kreacher does not know if he wrote in books."

"Hmm," Leo frowned, turning back to the bookcase. "Kreacher? Do you mind getting one of the bedrooms cleaned up for Harry to stay in?"

"As you wish, Master," Kreacher bowed before giving a snap of his fingers and disappearing with a loud 'crack!'

Leo and Harry both jumped at the loud noise, glancing at each other before staring at the spot Kreacher had disappeared from. After a moment, Leo gave a shrug, chalking it up to magic he would never understand. He turned back to the bookcase his eyebrows creasing as he vaguely recognized some of the titles on the books. He reached into the rucksack he still had slung over his shoulder, moving things around until he finally found his Hogwarts letter. Plucking it out, he looked over the list of required supplies before grinning as he realized most of the books were already on the shelves. Brilliant. Less stuff to shop for. I can share with Harry until we find a place that sells real wizarding -

An audible 'smack' was heard, prompting Harry to look up from the picture and see that Leo had slapped himself in the face.

"Er, you alright, Leo?" Harry asked, lowering the picture slightly.

"Ace," Leo replied sarcastically, lowering his hand. "Just realizing what a twit I am."

"Just now? Thought we always knew that," Harry grinned as Leo made a face of mock laughter. "What's wrong?"

"You know how we were wondering where we're supposed to get all this stuff for school?" Leo waved the letter emphatically as Harry nodded. "I forgot that we have a magical creature in this house who can tell us where to get this stuff."

Harry managed to keep a perfectly straight face as he replied, "Just now figuring that out? I came up with that ages ago."

Leo stared at him for a moment taking a book titled The Dark Arts Outsmarted and lobbing it at his cousin's head. Harry ducked it with a laugh before running out of the room, Leo chasing after him.

Siri 'accidentally' turned Reggie's hair red again yesterday. I couldn't tell who was more furious – him or mum. Siri ran into my room and hid under the bed, just as mum and Reggie barged in looking for him. It took a lot not to laugh at their faces – they were as red as Reggie's hair! A few lies later and they left, and Siri crawled out from under my bed. He gave me a mock salute before running out the room, most likely to cause more mischief and prank Reggie. Perhaps I should tell him it was I who turned his room pink the other day?

Leo chortled at this before flipping to the next page in the journal. It had been almost a week since he and Harry had discovered Grimmauld Place and decided to live there. Since then, Kreacher had cleaned up the house to the point that it was now inhabitable by humans. Harry was pleased to have his own room, as well as three full meals a day – not having to do chores or listen to authority figures of any kind was just a bonus. Leo was just happy to find a connection to his father, as well as said father's journals.

He had discovered a loose floorboard beneath the bed and, upon lifting it up, found several journals written by his father, a few letters that were in neat, feminine handwriting that Leo assumed were from his mother, and a few books that left him confused. One was on the topic of werewolves, another on something called 'Animagi', and the last was written in some weird runic language he couldn't even begin to decipher.

He had set the books aside in favor of perusing the letters. He found that most were, in fact, from his mother. Others were from Harry's mother, and there were a couple from James Potter. He decided he would save the letters to give to Harry on their birthday – which was tomorrow. After reading the letters, he read through the first of his father's journals, one that told of his adventures before he went to Hogwarts.

After looking at both his parents' handwriting, Leo discovered that his was utter bollocks by comparison. Rose Black neé Evans wrote in small, careful letters, never taking up too much space on the page. Castor Black wrote in flowing script, his handwriting the neatest Leo had ever seen in his life. The words were average-sized, not too big, not too small, clear and precise in the message they conveyed. Leo's was a bit rushed, the letters crammed together and spread as widely as he could get away with on paper. If I'm looking for similarities to my parents, handwriting is not the place to look. Leo snorted, picking up a letter his mum had written during the summer after their first year.

Dear Cas,

Sev told us the strangest thing yesterday. He said you lived in London, not too far from King's Cross. You do realize this means you're obligated to visit us now, right? Perhaps we can meet up this weekend and go to the park? I heard they're having some sort of music show Saturday night; would you like to go? I know you said you like Muggle music and I just sort of... never mind, it was a stupid idea.

Have a wonderful summer!

Rose

Delightfully awkward. Brilliant, mum. Leo chuckled, running his hand fondly over the letters on the was yet another trait he found that he didn't share with his parents. Where she seemed to be shy and a bit awkward, Leo was brash and charismatic. Where his father avoided conflict and seemed to think things through before he did them, Leo was hot-headed and reckless. Least I know where I get my self-confidence and talent for mischief from. Thanks, Dad. Leo smiled in amusement setting the letter aside.

A loud 'crack' sounded on the other side of the door, followed by a small knock as Kreacher's voice croaked, "Master Leo, it is be nearing noon. Young Master's guest is awaiting him in the kitchen."

"Thanks, Kreacher. I'll be down in a moment," Leo called back, tidying up the mess of letters and journals.

Another loud 'crack' sounded as Leo grabbed the stack of letters from Harry's parents and headed downstairs. He took the steps two at a time, jumping over each of the landings and grimacing when one of the planks made a particularly loud 'creak'. He jerked his head to the side, relaxing when the coverings over his grandmother's portrait remained closed. That's right, Wally, just stay asleep.

Leo had had a rather unfortunate encounter with the woman as he had been chasing Harry through the house that first day. The curtains covering her portrait had opened wide, revealing an old woman in a black cap screaming at the top of her lungs, asking what filth dared intrude upon her ancestral home. Leo politely told her who he was, shooing Harry away so she wouldn't start yelling at him. The woman had scrutinized him for a moment before starting to insult his mother and saying that he was 'lucky your father was so powerful, else you both would have been burned off the tree'. At that moment, Leo had dearly wish he had a wand with which he could burn her mouth off. Unfortunately, he had to settle for closing the curtains on her and try to keep his natural loudness to a more...tolerable level.

Leo shook his head before making his way down the stairs into the kitchen, wherein he saw Harry bouncing in his seat at the table, the excitement visible on his face.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Leo grinned, handing him the stack of letters.

Harry's eyes widened as he replied, "Thanks, you too..."

As the boy trailed off awkwardly, Leo gave a wave of his hand as he said, "Don't worry about getting me a gift. I wouldn't have gotten you anything if I hadn't found the letters. It was a stroke of luck."

"Well, still," Harry mumbled, opening one of the letters and blinking in shock as he realized it was written by his father.

He looked up at Leo, eyes watering gratefully as he opened his mouth to speak. Thankfully, Leo was saved from whatever mushy stuff his cousin was about to say by the appearance of Kreacher, who had come to escort them both to Diagon Alley, the place where they would get all their wizarding supplies. Harry looked conflicted at the house-elf's presence, wanting to read his letters but also eager to see more of the wizarding world. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that he could just read the letters when he got home and rose from his seat, grasping the elf's left bicep whilst Leo grabbed the right.

The next thing they both knew, they were spinning, and felt pressure from all sides as though they were being sucked through a tube. Darkness pressed upon them as they fought to breathe before it all suddenly vanished, and they were kneeling on the ground, taking great gulps of air in front of an enormous marble building that read Gringotts in large gold letters.

Kreacher's fingers appeared in front of Leo's face, clutching an ornate signet ring with the Black family crest. Leo took it slowly, frowning in confusion at the house-elf.

"When Master Leo enters Gringotts, ask for Adknus. Show Adknus the ring, and Adknus will take Master Leo to his vault," Kreacher informed him.

"Right, thanks, Kreacher," Leo nodded, rising to his feet and reaching over to help Harry up as well.

"When Master Leo is finished, call for Kreacher, and Kreacher will take young master home," Kreacher bowed before snapping his fingers and disappearing with a loud 'crack!'.

Harry and Leo exchanged a look before shrugging and walking inside the building, staring curiously at a short creature with a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet. They stopped at a second set of doors – this time silver – upon which was written a poem. Harry wanted to stop and read it, but Leo ushered him along, saying 'we don't have all day to spend reading bad poetry.'

Another pair of those same creatures bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more of them were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more of them were showing people in and out of these. Leo and Harry made for the counter.

"Hello," Leo greeted the creature at the counter. "I need to speak with Adknus."

The creature peered at them for a moment before gesturing for the fellow to his right to come over. The new fellow was taller than the others by a couple inches, sported a sharp goatee, and had jagged scars going down his right eye, which was completely white.

"You wished to speak with me, Mister...?" Adknus trailed off.

"Black. Leo Black," Leo supplied, resisting the urge to hold out his hand for a handshake. He held out to the ring to the goblin as he continued, "I'm told you're the one to speak to about accessing my vault?"

Adknus took the ring, inspecting it carefully before returning the ring to him and saying, "Very well, Mr. Black, I shall show you to your vault. Your companion, however, must stay behind." He raised a hand to quell Leo's heated objection. "Those are the rules, Mr. Black. None but the vault owners and goblins may enter the vaults of noble and ancient houses."

Leo seemed unconvinced, but was reassured profusely by Harry that he would be fine on his own for a while, and that he wouldn't leave the bank and wander off without him. Still less than okay with it, Leo followed Adknus. Adknus took a leather bag that seemed to be full of jangling metal from a passing goblin – as Leo now assumed they were all called – and led him into a rough stone passageway, which was lit with flaming torches. They stopped at a set of tracks, where Adknus whistled. A moment later, what looked like an old mining cart appeared, which Adknus climbed into, with Leo not far behind.

With a jerk the cart moved off, gathering speed, twisting and turning through the labyrinthine passages, sloping downward all the time. The cart moved at breakneck speeds, and Leo couldn't help but let loose a loud 'whoop' of laughter, which echoed off the walls before being lost in the tunnels. Minutes passed before they finally stopped, disembarking from the cart as Adknus lead the way down the hallway. They turned a corner, and Leo stopped suddenly in his tracks, mouth agape.

A gigantic dragon was tethered to the ground in front of them, barring access to four or five of the deepest vaults in the place. The beast's scales had turned pale and flaky during its long incarceration under the ground; its eyes were milky pink; both rear legs bore heavy cuffs from which chains led to enormous pegs driven deep into the rocky floor. Its great spiked wings, folded close to its body, would have filled the chamber if it spread them, and when it turned its ugly head toward them, it roared with a noise that made the rock tremble, opened its mouth, and spat a jet of fire that sent them running back up the passageway.

"That - that," Leo stammered, for once at a loss for words.

"Is a dragon," Adknus needlessly informed him, taking out a number of small metal instruments that when shaken made a loud, ringing noise like miniature hammers on anvils.

"No shit, Sherlock," Leo grumbled. "Did your people do that to him?"

"Yes," Adknus replied in a dismissive tone, handing Leo one of the instruments. "It will expect pain when it hears the noise: It will retreat, and -"

"That's not right!" Leo exclaimed. "Dragons may be dangerous – but that's no reason to hurt them! They have thoughts and feelings just like the rest of us! They're living creatures that deserve respect, and -"

"Mr. Black, I do not have all day to be listening to what I am sure is a very moving and well-rehearsed speech," Adknus cut him off, shaking the instrument and prompting the dragon to retreat with a loud roar. "If you will follow me to your vault."

Adknus led the way to one of the furthest vaults, pressing his hand against the wooden door and watching it melt away to reveal a cave-like opening crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armor, with gems and jewelry sprinkled liberally throughout. Despite the horrible thing he had witnessed, Leo couldn't help but be awed at what he saw. Adknus handed him an empty bag, which Leo took with a small grunt of irritation before he began collecting as many gold coins as he could fit in it. I want to avoid coming back here as long as possible.

Once he was done, he followed Adknus back to the mine and remained stonily silent as they made their way along the tracks back to where they had boarded. Leo leapt out of the cart, stomping into the hall and stopping abruptly when he spotted Harry, who was not alone. A giant of a man was standing in front of him. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

Leo rushed over quickly, saying, "Harry, are you okay?"

"Blimey, Leo, is tha you?" the man asked in a surprised tone.

"Aye, and you are...?" Leo questioned warily, holding out his hand.

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts," Hagrid drew himself up proudly, taking Leo's hand and shaking it. "I brought yeh o'er to yeh Aunt and Uncle's when yeh were jus babies -"

"You're not taking us back, are you?" Leo questioned bluntly, quickly removing his hand and edging in front of Harry protectively.

"I prolly should... but I reckon yeh'd jus leave again, wouldn't'cha?" Hagrid chuckled, receiving a curt nod in return as Leo relaxed slightly.

"Hagrid said he could take me to my vault," Harry informed him eagerly. "Then he could show us where to get our stuff. He knew our parents in school too – he can tell us all sorts of stories! Isn't that brilliant, Leo?"

"Ace," Leo replied, not really in the mood to deal with anyone else – even if they had stories about his parents.

"Are you alright, Leo?" Harry asked, placing a hand on his arm worriedly.

"Fine," Leo shook his head before putting on a clearly fake smile. "Listen, I'm not really in the best of moods – and I don't really want to ruin your birthday, Harry – so why don't you go along with Hagrid for the day and we can meet up at Gringotts when you're done?"

Harry blinked at him, asking, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just... don't mention where we've been staying, alright?" Leo added in a hushed whisper, receiving a nod in return.

Leo clapped him on the shoulder, nodding briefly at Hagrid before exiting Gringotts and making his way through Diagon Alley. He got his robes fitted and his hat and cloak bought at Madam Malkin's, got what few books he needed at Flourish and Blotts, got his cauldron, scales, and telescope from Potage's Cauldron Shop, and picked up the ingredients he needed at Slug and Jiggers Apothecary. Finally, he stood in front of Ollivanders, a narrow and shabby shop at the end of the road. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as he stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair. Leo felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library – or, at least he would if he ever stepped foot in one - and looked around at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice right behind him, prompting Leo to jump.

"Um...hi?" Leo replied, somewhat unnerved by the man's sudden appearance.

"I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Leo Black," the man – Ollivander, Leo presumed – stared at him for a moment. "Hazel and unicorn hair was your mother's - pliable, very dependent on emotions. I would've thought she'd receive a willow wand, much like her sister."

"Just because they're twins doesn't mean they should have the same type of wand," Leo shrugged, silently latching onto the information.

Ollivander let loose a small laugh, "Your father said the same thing when he and his brother got their wands. Castor's wand was English oak and thestral hair. An unusual combination – never thought it would pick anyone, to be perfectly honest -"

"Pick?" Leo knitted his brow together in confusion.

"Yes, Mr. Black, it is, after all, the wand that chooses the wizard," Ollivander nodded, smiling slightly. "The concept fascinated your father, and lead him to pursue a side-career in wand-making so as to better understand how and why the wands make their decisions."

"My father worked here?" Leo asked, blinking in astonishment, receiving another nod. "Did he ever make a wand?"

Ollivander stared at him for a moment before walking around to the back of the counter and bending down. When he rose up, he held a long box in his hand, layered with dust as though it hadn't been touched in years. He carefully lifted the lid of the box, revealing a long, thin, red stick laying within. Leo approached it somewhat nervously before grasping it by the handle. Immediately, warmth flew through his fingertips as he held the wand up. He gave it a wave, and red flames spiraled out of its tip, curling upon itself before disappearing abruptly.

"Red oak and phoenix feather, eleven and a half inches and surprisingly flexible," Ollivander nodded slowly. "It was the only wand your father ever made – and I'm sure he would be quite proud to see you hold it."

Leo rubbed his eyes, managing to mumble a small 'thanks'.

A/N:

Apologies for not updating last Friday, I got caught up in, well, everything. To make up for it, I shall post two chapters today.

the22nddoctor: I had a role in mind for Daphne when I began this story, but decided to scrap it when it decided to take a different turn than I had originally intended. Draco won't have that big of a role to begin with but, as the series (yes, there will be a series) progresses his role will get larger and larger.