Disclaimer is in chapter 1.
Jessica returned to the room with the tray of tea, noting that the yelling and physical violence had died down. "Have you settled things?"
"Hardly," Narcissa said with a wry smile, "However we've at least made a degree of progress, I believe. My dear cousin here has learned that perhaps his long held opinions aren't as clean and pure as he believed."
Sirius scowled at her as he helped Jessica with the tray, taking it from her and setting it down on the coffee table. "Purity is overrated."
Narcissa shot him a glare at the underhanded shot, but didn't rise to the bait. Instead she accepted another cup of tea and settled back, "So, Cousin, are you going to grow up and take responsibility?"
"There's not a lot I can do, Cissa," Sirius countered, "Or did you miss the 'in Exile' part of my title."
"Then appoint a regent, you simpleton."
"You I suppose?" Sirius growled.
"Do I need to turn the hose on the two of you?" Jessica cut in, glaring at them. "Keep it civil. I've seen what happens when an argument between wizards escalates, and we're hoping to sell this house soon. A gaping hole in the wall will drop the value."
"My Apologies," Narcissa said, sighing.
"Sorry." Sirius mumbled.
"And, for your edification, no. It doesn't have to be me. If you wish me to," Narcissa sighed and ignored the snort from her cousin, "I would be glad to, however you have other options. You could reinstate Andromeda into the family, in fact I would ask that you do that no matter what else."
"If she wants to," Sirius said, "I'll make the arrangements."
Narcissa nodded, "Another possibility is your Godson."
"You mean Harry, right?" Xander spoke up, taking an interest again.
"Indeed. As The Boy Who Lived, young Mr. Potter already has significant political power. That would be useful in the Head of House." Narcissa commented.
"Oh No, I'm not sucking Harry into this mess! He's only... what? Fourteen?" Sirius objected.
"Thirteen, fool." Narcissa rolled her eyes, "He'll be fourteen in July."
"Too young."
"Oh for goodness sakes, Sirius," Narcissa muttered, "Heads of households have often been younger than that. Unless the boy is a perfect imbecile, he'll be able to manage. Especially with good advisors, such as you, myself, and Andromeda."
"Well no one's perfect, but Harry does have his moments," Xander smirked.
The adults scowled at him but he only grinned unrepentantly.
"Seriously, Harry's kinda weird." Xander went on, thoughtfully. "I'm not so sure his home life is all that great. Actually, I'm pretty damned sure it sucks. Just don't know how bad."
"Excuse me?" Narcissa stiffened, looking at him intently.
"Harry doesn't act normal." Xander shrugged, "And a couple times I've seen his Uncle come to pick him up when we get back from school... Fat guy, real ass."
"Xander!"
"Unfortunately, it's an apt description." Sirius sighed.
"You're surely not telling me that the Boy Who Lived is in an abusive household?" Narcissa demanded.
"Don't know if it got that far or not," Sirius admitted, "But Harry was..."
He sighed, grimacing, and decided just to say it, "Almost pathetically happy when I told him he could come live with me. And since he thought I was trying to kill him less than an hour earlier..."
Xander grimaced as well, shaking his head. "Yeah. Harry's weird, like I said. At school he's almost invisible until something bad happens... well, except on the Quidditch Pitch."
Sirius smiled, genuinely happy as he remembered watching his Godson play.
"The Boy Who Lived is almost invisible?" Narcissa was having a hard time imagining it, especially with Draco having told her about how Potter walked around the school like he owned it.
"Yeah, most situations he just kind of curls up on himself and practically hides in a shadow." Xander shrugged.
"That does sound bad," Jessica interjected.
"Indeed." Narcissa scowled. Part of her suggestion that Sirius empower his Godson as Regent was the reports of the boy's 'cockiness' and 'arrogance' from Draco and Severus. A leader of a house had to be able to stand up for the family, and while neither of those two were describing a good leader, she wasn't such a fool as to believe that either was impartial. However, if what Alexander was saying was true, the Potter boy was a far riskier proposition than she'd believed.
"When something goes wrong, though, Harry's the guy you want on your side." Xander spoke up.
"Indeed." Wednesday said, entering the conversation finally.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, in a crisis, he's the guy who's leading the way." Xander shrugged. "It's like he's a different person... It's like he's out on the Pitch. And Harry on the Pitch, you can count on."
Perhaps he wasn't a total loss, then, Narcissa supposed. Still, it made her think twice about that suggestion.
"Would anyone really listen to Harry, though?" Sirius asked, glancing around. "I mean as Head of House."
Narcissa stared at him, stunned for a moment, then remembered that Sirius HAD spent the entirety of Harry's 'fame' life in prison. She took a moment to compose herself, "Yes, Sirius. They would. As the Boy Who Lived, Harry probably wields at least as much influence as any of the other major players in Ministry Politics. Those would be The Minister, Albus, and Lucius in case you were wondering. Arguably he wields more than Lucius, since most of my husbands influence is actually the Minister's."
"Damn." Sirius sat back, thinking. "He'll take over the Potter House when he's sixteen too, won't he?"
"Unless the Potter title is awarded, yes."
"Title?" Xander blinked.
"The Potters hold a Hereditary Knighthood," Sirius said off handedly, "It's conditional, though. The family has been knights and Aurors for so long that King..."
"Edward The Elder," Narcissa provided, noticing him flounder.
"Right, Edward," Sirius nodded, "Awarded them with a Hereditary Knighthood back around 900 AD. It goes into effect when a Potter performs a service to the Realm."
"Like vanquish a Dark Lord, perhaps?" Wednesday put in dryly.
Sirius' eyes widened and he looked over at Narcissa, who shook her head.
"No, I'm afraid that Albus and Lucius quashed that vote less than a month after it happened," She said.
"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Sirius muttered.
"How about killing a sixty foot snake that was threatening a school full of kids?" Xander asked.
"That would qualify," Narcissa said, glancing at him. "Are you saying that those outlandish rumors were true?"
"Depends on which one, but Harry did ice that snake with a sword." Xander shrugged. "I was there."
"And I." Wednesday nodded in confirmation. "Ron Weasley as well."
Narcissa looked over at them for a moment, then considered, "There hasn't been a Mage Knight since Potter's grandfather."
Sirius nodded, "James never quite qualified, not clearly anyway. As an Auror he mostly did small jobs until the war got hot, and during it... well, there were a couple times, but by then he was too busy to worry about it. He would have petitioned for it after..."
Sirius smiled sadly, then shook off the feeling as best he could.
"As Sir Potter of Potter, he would have significant weight to his words. He would be a fitting regent, Sirius." Narcissa said calmly.
Sirius wasn't an enamored with the idea of throwing his Godson into the mess that was Ministry and Family politics, however.
"It would also grant him a greater degree of power over his life," Narcissa suggested, "which from the sounds of things, the boy may need."
There was that. Sirius sighed, remembering what he'd seen when he snuck around Privet Drive. The fat muggles there were bad enough just in general, but he'd seen Harry's Uncle lift a hand to Harry. Harry had gotten away, but even that reaction told the tale of someone used to the situation. He LIFTED a HAND to Harry.
Unforgivable.
"Ok, say I consider this..." Sirius frowned, "How do we make it happen?"
"I could approach young Potter at home..."
"Oh hell no." Sirius cut his Cousin off, "No offense, Cissy, but you married Lucius MALFOY. I'm not telling you where Harry lives."
"I'm going over there this summer," Xander raised his hand, shrugging.
"True, I've invited him to the World Cup." Narcissa said calmly, not showing any offense at Sirius' comment.
Sirius grimaced, "And he's a Slytherin, who's going to be staying with the Malfoy's..."
"Ok," Jessica cut in, "First, I'm not happy with the idea of my son getting involved here, and Second... You insult Alexander again and I'll throw you out of this house so hard you bounce. Given that you're a Wizard, I'll bet I could make it happen literally."
Sirius gulped at her sudden intense glare, and nodded. "No insult intended, Ma'am. Just being cautious, there's also the problem of Legilimency, for example..."
"Mind reading?" Xander shrugged, "Working on that."
The adults turned to stare at him.
"You're learning Occlumency?" Narcissa asked, slightly disbelieving.
"Yeah, it's part of my dueling training." Xander admitted, "Been at it since I got home. I can't block anyone, but I can sure as hell tell if someone is taking a walk through my head."
Sirius and Narcissa exchanged glances, both thinking the same thought.
In less than two weeks?
They shook it off.
"Anyway, can't be that hard to get Harry's address anyway," Xander shrugged.
"Ha! Dumbledore must have put him under so many wards you'd never find it if you didn't already know where to look." Sirius chuckled.
Xander stopped and thought for a moment, frowning as he dug through various conversations he'd had with or about Harry. After a moment he nodded and picked up the phone, dialing 411.
"Hello, Information? Could you connect me with information for Surrey, England? Thanks." There was a pause, then Xander asked the person on the other side for the listing of one Vernon Dursley. He hung up the phone, less than five minutes after calling out. "Harry Potter lives at Number..."
"Four, Privet Drive." Narcissa finished calmly.
There was a long pause as Sirius stared, open mouthed at them both.
"How the HELL did you know that!?" He demanded of his cousin first, openly glaring.
She merely rolled her eyes, "Honestly, Sirius. He performed an act of underage magic the summer past. Which meant that an owl was sent out. Given Harry's fame, and the situation with your escape, the Minister was informed... which means..."
"That Lucius Malfoy knows where Harry lives." Sirius groaned. He looked weakly up at Xander, "How did you find him?"
"Telephone directory." Xander shrugged, "Just had to remember that Harry lived in Surrey, and who his uncle was. It's all public information."
"Oh Lord. There had better be some damned impressive defensive wards," Sirius growled.
"There are," Narcissa said, grimacing slightly. "Lucius 'investigated' them shortly after the seal was broke on Potter's file to send him the Owl Warning."
"I'm sure he did." Sirius growled.
"He couldn't even get in to the family," Narcissa shrugged, "Even without Potter there. In fact, when he returned, Lucius had to recheck the address to remember where he'd gone."
Sirius whistled slightly, "Ok. At least Albus isn't a total idiot. There's something powerful at play there."
"Intent wards, perhaps." Wednesday suggested.
"Finicky," Sirius frowned. "But maybe."
As an Auror Curse and Wardbreaker Sirius had seen his share of wards, particularly old family Dark Wards that protected Death Eater homes. Intent wards were among the most difficult to weave, since even a slight mistake could potentially leave large gaping holes in your protection. Properly done, mind, they were among the most potent of wards while remaining remarkably unobtrusive on a family's standard of living.
The heaviest wards were almost as bad as the Fidelius for messing with your lifestyle, Sirius knew. You could put up Muggle Repelling wards, for example, but if you wanted any contact with the Muggle world you couldn't have it from home. There were similar wards that worked against Wizards, but that was akin to cutting yourself off from the magical world.
Unplottable? Good luck inviting someone over. Places like Hogwarts were all but impossible to direct someone to, they had to arrive via prearranged meeting places, or already know exactly where they were going.
That was why Intent based Wards were among the most sought after, and expensive, of warding solutions. You could key them into hostility and they would only snap to affect someone coming to harm you or your family. In theory. In practice they could be so strict as to go off during a heated argument, and throw your best friend out into the snow, or so loose as to permit someone who is 'merely' intent on beating the crap out of you and doesn't actually have homicidal intent.
In fact, several murders that Sirius and James had investigated had turned out to be crimes of passion in which the wards didn't register any intent to harm because the killer had, in all honesty, acted in a fit of spontaneous rage.
Still, if they were well balanced, Intent Based Wards were the best compromise between security and liberty. That said, if the wards at Privet were good enough to turn Malfoy around when Harry wasn't even present, why had Vernon been able to lift a hand to the boy?
Sirius didn't like where his thoughts were leading, not in the slightest.
"Or," Wednesday went on thoughtfully, "There could be Blood Wards."
Sirius stared openly at her, shocked by the suggestion. Blood Wards, on a Muggle Home? He shuddered, "Even Albus wouldn't... Oh hell, he would, wouldn't he?"
"Tied into Lilly?" Narcissa mused thoughtfully, "difficult."
"Not if she did a sacrificial ritual to protect Harry," Sirius pointed out.
Narcissa's eyes widened, "That may well explain a few things."
"I'm missing something here," Xander pointed out, confused.
Sirius shook his head, "We're just guessing, really. But if Lilly sacrificed herself for Harry, using Old Magic, the power released would be..."
"Substantial," Narcissa finished, "And ongoing as long as Lilly's blood remains. It would explain why Albus left him with her family, if they're as nasty as you seem to think."
Sirius nodded reluctantly.
He didn't like to admit it, but properly anchored blood wards were just short of indestructible. It rather depended on a few factors he couldn't check, either, particularly the wording and conditions set by Lilly. While less of a problem than with Intent Wards, Blood Wards also relied heavily on preset conditions. They did tend to adapt better, and react well to situations that would cause all but the best intent wards to collapse into worthlessness.
That said, they exempted 'family' entirely. Which explained a few things to a degree that Sirius found disturbing.
"So we could see Harry then?" Xander asked, still confused. "I mean, if we don't want to hurt him?"
Sirius nodded, distracted. "Yes. Either Intent or Blood Wards will let you in if you don't have any intent to harm."
"Well, like I said then, I'm going over that way this summer." Xander offered.
"That has yet to be decided, Alexander. For the past three years you've been caught in one insane situation after another," Jessica growled, "I won't see my son killed because he was too stupid to stay out of a war that's none of his concern."
"I can assure you of Alexander's safety," Narcissa said softly, "At least from Death Eaters."
Jessica snorted, but Sirius cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"I'd bet she can make that promise, at least in terms of the group. You can't predict how individuals will act, of course." He said dryly. "Her Husband is probably the guy in charge of them, with the Dark Lord gone."
Jessica glanced over at Narcissa, who shrugged and nodded *almost* imperceptibly. It could be taken as an admission of guilt, she supposed, but even under Veritaserum Jessica knew she'd have a hard time testifying that Narcissa had made any such admission.
She sighed, looking at Alex. "I suppose you want to do this, don't you?"
"Sounds cool." Xander grinned, earning himself a dark scowl. He rolled his eyes, "Come on, Mom. It's not like I'm planning on joining Harry on any crazy stuff. Just deliver some messages, and watch a sports match."
She sighed, "I'll speak with your father. If nothing else, it'll make the Families happy I suppose."
Xander nodded, "Cool. So, I can talk to Harry if you guys want."
Sirius shook his head, "Why not? Not like everyone who wants to kill Harry don't already know where he lives, right?"
"Probably not all," Xander smirked, "Harry seems to piss some folk off..."
Narcissa snorted.
Sirius sighed, rolling his eyes, "Whatever. I still don't know about pulling Harry into this mess, however."
"Don't." Xander said, "You pull him in, and you'll piss him off. Ask him. Lay it out, give him the choice."
"Indeed. Harry Potter has not reacted well to people pushing him where they want in the past," Wednesday said. "Do not make that mistake if you wish to work with him."
Sirius nodded slowly, then sighed, "Alright. Alright. You win, Cissa."
"I would hope, Cousin, that the Family Black has won." Narcissa said with calm contentment. She had accomplished the first phase of what needed to be done. Certainly it was almost a minor issue compared to getting her Cousin to find a wife and produce an heir, but it would do for now.
"If the deep, dark political conspiracy talk is over," Jessica spoke up dryly, "Would you two like to stay for supper?"
Narcissa and Sirius glanced at each other, and flushed slightly at the biting tone, but nodded together.
"Wednesday?"
"I'll be flooing home."
Jessica nodded, unsurprised. "I'll set the extra places."
Sirius found a moment before supper to pull Xander aside, surprising the teen.
"I didn't want to bring it up in front of everyone," Sirius said, a bit of a smirk on his face, "But I was watching you and your friends earlier."
"Gee, why wouldn't you bring that in front of my mom?" Xander replied dryly.
"Hey, not like that." Sirius winced, "I mean at the Junkyard."
"That was you?"
"You saw me?" Sirius was surprised.
Xander glared slightly, "You know, following me around? Not a great way to earn my trust, dude."
"Sorry. I wanted to ask about the wand, though."
Xander shrugged, "Not a lot to say about it yet. It's a work in progress."
"That last blast was at Auror level strength, at least."
"Yeah?" Xander smiled a bit, "Cool."
He frowned a little after, "Still, it's still just a work in progress like I said. It's not real good for charms, and transfiguration is only average. It's an improvement over our other attempts, but nothing great... yet anyway."
"You've made more?" Sirius asked, impressed.
Xander nodded, "Yeah. My uncle helped get me a time to write the wand crafter's exam this summer. Hope to get some more progress made before I head back over to England."
"You make it much better and you'll be giving Ollivander a run for his money." Sirius grinned.
"Yeah well... we'll see I guess," Xander said, embarrassed a bit.
"Look, if Harry accepts the Regency, I want you to tell him to get something out my vault at Gringotts." Sirius said, changing the subject.
"K." Xander nodded, "What?"
"A pair of mirrors," Sirius answered, "They're for talking over distance. He can owl one to me and..."
"Why don't I just make you a Spell Phone?" Xander smirked.
"A what?"
"Come on, I'll show you." Xander nodded to the basement door.
Sirius blinked, but followed him down, and was impressed by the array of magical equipment lying around the tables. When Xander showed him the phone he recognized the work pretty quick. "You did this?"
"Yeah, ruined a bunch of home runes. That spell is such a pain."
"It's NEWT level," Sirius muttered, looking over the devices. "You know, the mirrors are easier to use, right? Just say the word it's charmed to answer to, and it connects you."
"Yeah, I read about those. These work a little different, though," Xander admitted, "Don't need to charm these every time you add a new phone. Just make sure that the new phone uses a different rune address and it'll link automatically when you match them. I'm giving one to my friend Wills, Hermione, Harry... need two for myself. One for you, if you want. They'll all be able to contact each other, and any others we add later. See?"
Sirius did, and he was a little shocked. "You don't have to recharm them to add people in?"
Xander shook his head, "Nope. It's all in the protean, man."
Sirius Black eyed the young man for a long moment, then shook his head. "Kid. You're scaring me."