AN: Quick updates? Yes.
Also, I have something to say. I now have spectacles, brand new. It's just weird, and it feels disappointing to get spectacles after twenty-five years of my life without them.
Time: Same Time
Rose entered Potter Manor behind Violet and Lyra, through the massive oak front door that she would be seeing everyday for the rest of the summer, that seemed like it belonged in a castle rather than their house, and making her sigh at how dramatic ancient people had to make everything, even the front doors on their houses.
She wasn't even kidding, it was barely two feet smaller than the doors to the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
She felt tired and bored out of her mind after the long train journey home, unable to stifle the yawn that escaped her. Her back was killing her, after sitting in the uncomfortable leather seats for a few hours, playing Exploding Snap with her sisters and their friends, besides getting some light reading done while the others were all laughing at the latest edition of Teen Witch Weekly. Honestly, she felt that even laughing at that horrible magazine was a waste of time. And then she had slept for two hours, which left her body cramped in her awkward sleeping position.
She tried to crack her neck to get the little ache out of her system, like she often saw her sister do, but winced at the sharp spike of pain shooting through her body. Instead, she settled for a good old stretch, enjoying the familiar satisfaction of popping joints in her spine as she yawned again.
Rose dropped her trunk with a light thud on the cold marble floor, grateful for being able to use magic outside the school, not legally of course, but nobody could track her use of magic.
She briefly considered taking her luggage up to her room and taking a shower before crashing, but was stopped when Lily entered, no, rather she skipped into the room, putting a stop to Violet and Lyra's ceaseless complaints about the year they had to repeat, that had started ever since Dumbledore had decided to suspend the school to take care of the Chamber of Secrets fiasco.
The entire thing had been cleared up surprisingly quickly, and all the students had been recalled after the winter break, though the end-of-year tests still remained suspended since school hadn't really been held long enough for that.
"What's got you so happy?" Violet asked their mother, eyeing her slightly suspiciously.
Lily had left the school a week before it had actually ended, though nobody knew why, not even them. She had been awfully tight-lipped about the entire matter, claiming that it was nothing, and she just didn't have anything to do at Hogwarts, which was technically true.
Now that she concentrated on their mother with renewed curiosity, adjusting her glasses that had been sitting askew on her face, Rose could see why Violet had asked that. Lily's smile threatened to split her face and she was practically glowing with happiness, looking like she was going to float off any moment in glee. Her bright emerald eyes sparkled in joy, and her lush red hair seemed to be brushed extra carefully that day.
Was there something they were forgetting?
Rose tried to rack her brains for anything she was forgetting, but even her Ravenclaw memory couldn't help her to that end. She wished she had Neville's Remembrall.
"Come on, we're waiting here," Violet repeated a few moments later, breaking Lily out of her giddy silence.
Lily tried to suppress her smile, but failed miserably. Ultimately, she conceded, spilling the beans.
"Your Dad and Sirius found Harry last week! They wanted to surprise me, too, with the news but Dumbledore slipped me the news and now, here I am, making sure everything is prim and proper to get my baby boy back!" She gushed, floating away with enthusiasm, apparently ignorant of the fact that the four-year-old toddler she had lost wouldn't be the one she was getting back.
"Then, where are they?" Lyra asked, clutching her Hogwarts robes closer, almost afraid of hoping again.
"Your dad and James have left to get him." Then her voice dampened a bit as she cupped her cheek in worry, "I rather thought they would have been here by now."
Her words, spoken so casually despite her underlying excitement, caused the room to still temporarily, going so silent that Rose felt that everyone could hear her heartbeat.
"Fucking hell, woman, you aren't kidding?!" Violet asked her, her eyes wide while Lyra was trying desperately to keep her overflowing emotions from leaking through, trying to reinforce all her Occlumency barriers.
Lily shook her head, smiling happily. Her emerald eyes shone slightly with happy tears as she watched her daughters cry out in joy as they hugged each other, cheering loudly at the thought of finally getting back their brother, whom they had all but given up for dead.
Rose stood silently, still shocked. She supposed she should be happy for her family, that she was going to finally be reunited with her brother whom she had heard so much about, her brother who had taken a killing curse to the face for her at four years old.
But she didn't know how to feel about that, knowing that the family dynamic was going to shift irrevocably, for better or worse, she didn't know.
Despite knowing that it was her brother, she couldn't help but feel shy, her introverted instincts acting up at meeting a new person.
Although she felt grateful, having somebody else to concentrate on would be a relief. Even at home, her family members were constantly trying to pamper her, thanks to her being the youngest of them all. She just hoped she wouldn't feel too jealous not being the centre of attraction in the household anymore.
She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself, when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she was met with the smiling faces of her two sisters and mother, offering her little warning before she was swept up in a massive group hug.
She couldn't help but let out a happy laugh at the infectious joy that her family exuded.
"Don't worry, lil sis," Violet whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek softly. "You'll love him. Harry is the best brother in the world."
"I know that." She whispered back. "But what if he hates me? What if he thinks I'm the fault he had to stay away for so long?"
"Nah." Her brash Gryffindor sister brushed away her worries without a second thought, smiling goofily. "My brother is the best in the world. He will love you blindly."
Rose stood there for a moment, silent and fidgeting despite the comfort she felt in the arms of the three women.
"Maybe that's what I'm afraid of. Maybe I'm afraid of losing him again, before I even get to know him properly." She whispered quietly, putting a damper on the family's joyous mood with her sombre words.
"We're home!" Lily heard James' voice cut through the heavy silence that had descended on the room, putting a smile back on her face as she gave a last parting hug to her youngest daughter, the most needlessly but adorably insecure person she had ever seen.
She pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "They are here. I hope you will be on your best behaviour." She flashed her a smile. "You won't lose your brother again, I promise. He will lavish all of you with so much attention that you will be feeling fed up with him in a week."
She laughed at the tooth-rotting sweet image her mind conjured of the four, watching as Violet argued back passionately on her brother's behalf, her noble Gryffindor genes shining through, "I'm never gonna get fed up with him!"
"I know, I was just joking." Lily smiled, pulling them all into another hug.
They broke away from the family hug a few moments later, watching as Violet and Lyra eagerly ran up to the front door to greet the new arrivals, opening the massive door that allowed them entry to the living room. They had still not bothered to change from their slightly sweaty and smelly Hogwarts robes, and it didn't seem like they cared for that even a single bit.
Rose wanted to laugh at Lyra's expression which looked completely alien on the normally stoic Slytherin girl, feeling slightly happy that she would drop her Occlumency barriers so easily at the thought of reunion with Harry. It certainly won her brother a few cookie points from her.
Wearing matching excited expressions, the four of them looked on eagerly at the door that slowly opened, adding to the tantalizing suspense in the air. On any other occasion, Lily would have reprimanded her husband for his annoying knack for theatrics, but at that moment, she couldn't care less, almost bouncing on her heels as they watched James and Sirius come in, looking slightly subdued.
Seeing their deflated, conflicted expressions, the four witches faltered.
"James?" Lily asked softly, "What happened? Did you get Harry?"
Her words seemed to shock the two Aurors out of their reverie as they looked up, seeming slightly surprised that they were home already, being as lost in thought as they were.
"Yes. They did." A deep, masculine voice sounded out from behind them, a strong hand reaching out to open the door further as a man, presumably, Harry, slipped on from behind them. "I'll just allow myself in, if you don't mind, Mother."
Lily's smile seemed to widen as she almost ran to greet her son, touching his cheek tenderly, almost afraid to lose him again, trying to make sure that he was indeed real.
"Harry?" She asked softly, feeling him reach up to hold her hand.
"Yes, Mother." He replied, smiling down at her.
Lily felt her heart quell till it felt like it would burst any moment, but she contained her joy nonetheless, more worried about her son.
He seemed to be quite well enough anyway, even without their help. He was tall, easily taller than James, until her face was level with his broad chest. Her eyes roamed over his body in worry, looking over every inch of her son, watching the visible muscles that strained against the formal-looking black silk shirt that he wore.
A thick golden chain hung around his neck, telling her of the fact that he had indeed found his way in the world. She tried to bury down the hurt she felt in her heart at the fact that he had grown up so much without her, finally realising that he was nineteen years old, an adult.
She looked up to his face, feeling a slight red tinge colour her cheeks at the face of a dark Adonis that greeted her, staring down at her with unidentifiable emotion shining in his dark emerald eye. For the first time, Lily realised with a startle, Harry had a black eyepatch over his right eye.
From there, the slight signs of danger that were evident in his body came to her senses, the veil of a happy mother slipping away as she realised that she was in the maw of a predator, all her rusty survival instincts flaring at the face of danger, triggering a rush of adrenaline in the face of this beauty. A beauty analogous to the mesmerizing hood of a snake that did not let its prey realise what they were really doing till it was too late.
The few scars that were visible on his sharp, well-defined jaw, the hidden look in his emerald eye that screamed danger. The way his long, raven hair fell across his sharp features, sending shadows dancing across his face like demons straining to escape from the cage of his flesh and skin. The dark ink on his pale skin, tattoos that peeked out from beneath the collar of his shirt. The slightly stiff yet lazy way he carried himself with, a lumbering gait that spoke of poorly restrained power and a fine temper, the way he looked down at her with a finely veiled sneer in his eye. The posture that screamed that he was better than them, that he dared anyone to hurt him and make it out alive.
The way his blood red lips, stark against his pale skin, curled up in a smile that didn't reach the rest of his features, making it look like his facial muscles were under the complete control of his mind. This wasn't Occlumency, this was something greater, something infinitely more sinister, the mesmerizing skill of a seasoned predator that drew people to him like moths to a flame. His sharp canines gleaming dangerously as he revealed his teeth in a smile that was too bright, too artificial for her liking.
His entire look screamed at her to keep away from him.
"What happened to your eye?" She found herself asking, a slight tremble in her voice as she reached out to touch his cheek, but was entirely unable to as her muscles seemed to freeze up beneath his sharp gaze, somehow familiar yet so distant.
She hated the feeling of warmth fleeing as a heavy atmosphere descended on the room, sending goosebumps up her skin.
He just smiled at her, completely ignoring her question as he moved in for a hug that she couldn't resist thanks to her uncooperative body. Against her better judgement, she found herself returning the hug, her arms wrapping around his chest as she pressed her cheek against his chest, feeling his heart thumping against her cheek and unable to help enjoying the comfortable, protective warmth that he exuded.
This was her son, she reminded herself. There was no way Harry could ever hurt anyone. She remembered the little child, though her mind refused to associate the little innocent saint with this chiselled, sinful Adonis standing in front of her.
She felt like slapping herself. She was married, and seriously couldn't be having such thoughts about any other man, much less her son.
Harry broke the hug, instead moving to greet his sisters.
Lily turned to look at their reactions, the smile that had blossomed on her features again dimming at their pale features.
"Ooh." Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Not happy to see me?"
His words seemed to break them out of their reverie, and Violet jumped back, her wand sliding into her hand effortlessly as she pointed it straight at his head. Rose and Lyra followed the brave Gryffindor girl's actions with barely a moment's hesitation, and much to the surprise of the three adults, instead of being happy to be reunited with their brother, the three sisters had their wands all levelled at his head.
"Quite the reception, I see," Harry spoke, eyeing them with amusement shining in his eye.
"Hands where I can see them. No funny business, or I'm gonna aim to kill." Violet hissed with enough venom to make a basilisk pale, again taking the lead as she often did. Harry shrugged, putting his hands above his head, though the amused smile playing on his features told him that he was far from nervous, despite the glowing tips of three wands barely feet from his head.
The adults were distracted as emerald flames burst from the fireplace, but the three girls remained still, their wands not moving even an inch from where they had their brother pinned.
"Lily, are the others home- what's happening here?!" Remus asked, shocked as he stumbled out through the floo, too surprised to even try and dust the ash off himself as he stared at the standoff. "Harry? Violet, what are you doing?! Stand off!"
"Back, Dad!" Lyra snapped at Remus, not even looking at him, at the same moment Harry gave him a small wave and cherry smile that looked completely alien on his intimidating figure. "Hi, Uncle Moony!"
Before anyone had a chance to process anything any further, Violet decided to enlighten them on why they were acting that way.
"Do you know who this is? We saw him at the party last summer. He led the old wanker off somewhere and then he disappeared." Rose informed them, making all the adults immediately whip out their wands, pointing them at Harry, who looked completely unfazed at the multitude of glowing wands pointed at him.
"Harry?" Lily asked in a shaky voice filled with maternal worry, but she was beaten to the punch by her husband.
"How do we know you're even our son?" James asked, his jaw tense as he realised he might have potentially brought the world's most wanted serial killer himself, or at least his accomplice, right into his house.
"Easy," Harry spoke, before he raised his hand, again wandlessly summoning the Potter Coat of Arms with apparent ease.
James seemed shocked for a moment as he watched the familiar gold and scarlet Gryffindor colours shaped into the crest he woke up to everyday adorning the ceiling of the master bedroom. A crest that was supposedly impossible for anyone who didn't have Potter blood to summon or even recreate, especially with such ease.
Harry seemed ignorant of his reaction, instead concentrating on the ghostly, flower-adorned stag using his palm as a racetrack and prancing around, loving the magical feeling that always accompanied him summoning his family's crest.
"Harry, what is your relationship with the Stalker?" James asked, seemingly coming to terms with the fact that this was in fact, his son. His voice was hard and firm, befitting his position as the Head Auror.
"James!" Lily admonished, finally coming to her terms as she tried to come between her son and everyone else, but to no avail. "You are raising your wand at our son! We can't just accuse him of something so heinous!"
"Get to the side, Lily flower," James growled, his brown eyes blazing with fire that was signature of his Gryffindor self.
"James-" She got prepared to protest, but was cut off.
"As much I love this family drama, I think we would be better off doing something productive." Harry raised an eyebrow, looking at them amused. He spread his hands, realising that there was no way out. Not that he wanted any way out. So far, everything was going according to his plan. "Well, you see, Pops, I am the Stalker." He introduced himself with faux grandiose, putting emphasis on the 'am'.
"And you see, like a fool, you brought me back to your nice little home, the moment I let my location be known to you as bait." He continued, shaking his head and giving a genuine laugh at James' naïvety. "Are you sure that you are the Head Auror? Best detective and law enforcement officer Britain has to offer? Don't make me laugh. People like you are the exact reason I have been able to roam so freely for so long."
"Harry, this is not a joke." James hissed, not knowing how to react to this situation. Beside him, Lily looked like she was about to collapse any moment.
"Yeah, yeah, suit yourself," Harry spoke, shrugging as he looked at them, knowing they were waiting for an explanation, maybe a long-winded psychopathic speech.
He reached into the pocket of his jeans, watching as all of them tensed in anticipation of a fight, trigger-happy and twitchy. Rose, the youngest of the lot and the one with the least self-control, even let off a spell in her nervousness, as he took his hand back out.
Harry just tilted his head nonchalantly, letting the spell whizz past his ear and explode the moment it crashed into the wall, the exploding curse leaving a small crater in the wall. He just waved his hand a moment later, showing off in a casual display of wandless magic as he repaired the room to its previous state.
He decided that he was too tired to stand anymore, and instead lumbered over to the comfortable-looking sofas arranged in a large three-sided square at the centre of the room, before taking a seat, completely ignorant of all the nervous glances exchanged and the tense and twitchy wands that had never left his head.
He looked up, acting surprised at the fact that all of them were still standing. "Oh don't keep standing on my account. Come on, take all these seats."
When that failed to get them to sit like he wanted them to, Harry's eye twitched.
"I was not aware of the fact that I was offering you a seat. Sit." He growled out.
Still wary, and knowing that he was nearing the end of his patience, the Potter and Black families took their seats on the sofas, each taking extra care so that they didn't have to sit anywhere near him, till they were all cramped on the opposite side, facing him with their wands still out.
He looked annoyed at that. "Put those away, we can't have a civil conversation with those around."
"You can't order us around in our home, Stalker," James growled out.
Harry looked mildly surprised at the fact that he had been talked back to, though nobody could tell if it was genuine or not. "Well, then, Auror Potter, would you kindly put away your wands? I'm so scared here, I think I'll wet my pants."
He sat up straight, leaning forward with a gleam in his eyes, almost inviting James to attack him.
The Head Auror gritted his teeth, knowing when he was outmatched. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked down to see Sirius shake his head slightly.
Looking around at his family, all of whom had already put away their wands, James admitted defeat. Shooting a last glare towards Harry, he sat down, internally warring with his paternal side that protested against his treatment of his own son.
If it had been only him and Harry, he might have handled the situation differently, but now that the safety of the entire family depended on him, he had to play it the hard way.
"Oh, come on, Pops. Relax." Harry said as he reclined in the soft cushions as if he owned the place. "Here, have a ciggie. Maybe it will help you calm down."
He extended his arm, offering him a cigarette from the little metal box he had taken from the pocket of his jeans.
James stared at the box, then back at Harry. "You fucking smoke?!"
Lily was too shocked to be able to reprimand her husband's coarse language, concentrating on Harry.
"Yeah, you know? No law against it. And I'm old enough, I think." He stared at them, his arm still outstretched.
"I'll take one- ow!" Sirius' hand was slapped away by his daughter's, making him pout childishly.
"Nobody? Rose? No? Alright, suit yourself." Harry spoke, before extracting one for himself, holding it between his teeth as he flipped the container, which also doubled as a lighter.
He admired the little cube for a moment, wanting to get away from the drama that he had wrought, something that was necessary. This was exactly why he had been putting off meeting with his family.
He ran his thumb over the engraved skull and roses in the silver, admiring the craftsmanship for a moment before he clicked it open, before lighting his cigarette.
An awkward silence enveloped the room as they watched Harry put the lighter back in his pocket, before he took a puff, coolly exhaling grey smoke from his lips as he reclined on the sofa, sinking into the luxurious cushions.
"Great. Now, what do you want to talk about? What do you want to know?" He asked, leaning back as he felt his muscles relax, the familiar, comforting burning in his throat. He put one leg over the other, staring at them, daring them to speak.
He danced his foot to the rhythm of Slipknot in his head, knowing full well how the constant tapping of his foot ticked the Head Auror off.
"Why? Why did you do all this?" James growled out, unable to suppress his open hostility anymore. This man was not his son. No, it couldn't be, he refused to admit that.
Harry couldn't be a serial killer.
"Good question." Harry nodded approvingly, as if he was a teacher and James had just asked a relevant question, knowing very well how he was rubbing the Head Auror in all the wrong ways. "Why did I do what I did?"
"Hmm." Harry continued, answering his own question with another one. "Why did I save your daughters? True, they don't owe me life debts because of our blood relation, but I think that doesn't mean I need to be met with such hostility."
James gritted his teeth so hard Harry thought his jaw was going to snap.
"You know I didn't mean all that. Why did you kill so many people? So many innocent people, even children?" Harry saw his lips tremble as he spoke, knowing he was using Occlumency to suppress his emotions.
Harry stared at him, wondering what to say. He was silent for a long moment, before he spoke finally. "You failed to save your family, James Potter. Both times, I had to step in to save all of us. Once at Halloween eighteen years ago, and another Halloween, two years ago. Why is that so? Is that because you're a bad parent? No. Both of us know you're the best father one could ask for. Your daughters agree, and from what I know of you as a father, though I can't speak as much as them on the matter, you are a good father. Then what is it?"
Harry stopped for a moment, taking another drag of his cigarette. The end glowed bright red before he parted, again blowing smoke through his lips.
Rose had never seen anyone make smoking look so sexy, though her opinions were kept to herself. She couldn't help but sniff quietly, able to pick up her sisters doing the same beside her as the scent of the silver smoke wafted to their noses. It was a sweet scent, nothing to be objectionable about, rather, it smelled much better than a few boys at Hogwarts, though that was not saying much, given the low hygiene the Gryffindor boys (cough, Ronald Weasley, cough) seemed to have.
It was nothing like the burning smell of tobacco that made them invariably cough whenever they encountered a smoker. Was Harry smoking something else, or were his cigarettes charmed?
"You are weak, James Potter. That is the answer. And I am not. I am strong, strong enough to protect my family." Harry stared at the glowing end of the cigarette, trying to decide whether to take another hit. He eventually decided against it. "The only reason I am powerful is because we were attacked by Voldemort. The only reason I am powerful is because I chose to ignore the laws of society and push myself further."
"Tell me." He stared at James head-on, unflinching, ignorant of the world around him, till it was only him and his birth father in the world. "Why do we need to hide ourselves?"
"Hide... ourselves?"
"Yes, hide. From Muggles. From each other. Why is this secrecy so prevalent in the magical world, the corruption that supports the weak against the strong? You are strong, at least compared to those in power, but you are stuck working for them as a pawn, with little voice of your own. You are stuck running after Dumbledore as his lapdog. Why? Is it because they are powerful? How? The only thing they have is money. How does that help? Do you... like being stuck in second place?" He questioned James incredulously, not even waiting for his answer before shifting his attention to his youngest sister.
"Tell me, Rose. How many students have you seen at Hogwarts, you get away with everything because their parents are powerful?" He demanded, his atmosphere of dominance telling the girl that he wouldn't accept anything less than the absolute truth, and making her shrink into the sofa.
"I... I lost count." She admitted quietly, blushing slightly.
"See? That's the problem. There are so many factors other than your fitness. Weak people run society, they allow other weak people to oppress the strong." Harry spoke, his eyes gleaming with an almost fanatic madness that called for blood.
"What do you mean? What do you want to do? Are you some wannabe Dark Lord who thinks he can fix everything? That doesn't seem quite original... oh wait, maybe that's because it isn't." James couldn't help the bitter words that tumbled from his lips before he could actually filter what he was saying.
Harry growled, his grip tightening on his knee till his knuckles were white. "Watch it." He warned the Head Auror, before leaning in close, ignoring the way the others leaned away, from his intimidating presence or the cigarette dangling from his lips, he didn't know.
"That's it. I hate laws, rules, authority figures. I want to tear society down, and reduce everything to a primaeval state. Maybe development will stagnate, but man will be greater than ever!" Harry spoke passionately, his excitement palpable. "We will only truly thrive if we do not have to restrain ourselves at every turn. Voldemort reached his cap, but he was far more dangerous because he had supporters. The law made people flock to him as he was willing to defy them. Without laws, nobody will have too much power. Power will be equally distributed. Voldemort would have never gained such a great following! There will be no Voldemorts anymore, no Dumbledores, no Grindelwalds, no... me." He added silently, shooting them a small, unhinged smile.
Many of them looked like they were about to be physically sick as they listened to his rambling, uneasy at how passionately anti-social someone of their own blood could be.
Harry's excitement dimmed slightly at their lack of enthusiasm.
"Alright, then, Father. I'll give you a choice. In one world, I am not the most wanted serial killer in the world but me, Rose and Violet are dead and Voldemort is still around. And the other is this world. Which one do you choose? The life of your daughters, or the hundreds of innocent and guilty lives I have taken?" Harry asked, knowing full well that he was offering James a 'pick your poison' card.
He stared at him, his face emotionless. "You know that isn't offering me much of a choice. Not the choice that you had."
His voice carried an accusing edge to it.
"Right, right. Of course, so unmindful of me." Harry spoke, a little smile tugging at his lips. Silver smoke curled upwards from the cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, transient and short-lived, soon fading into nothingness. Harry leaned in closer again, his hands clasped together with all the vibes of a real estate agent about to finalize a deal.
"As you rightfully pointed out, I hold all the cards right now." He glanced towards the three girls sitting, half terrified and half confused, shooting them a genuine smile before he returned his attention to James and Sirius, knowing full well that the two of them were the ones to take any important decision. "So, it would seem that I have an advantage. How about we just forget all of that ever happened and move on with our lives? I would like to see how good my Pops is."
Harry smiled at James, a bright, cheerfully disarming smile that let him catch a glimpse of the innocent child that he had lost, tugging at his heartstrings.
"Here's the deal. I'm willing to compromise. You swear an Unbreakable Vow that I will be a part of the Potter and Black families, as is my birthright. And I'll swear that I'll never harm another person ever again unless my life or the lives of my family is threatened. How about that? It is either that or we do it the hard way." Harry finished, having laid all the cards he was willing to let them see, leaning back again in a gesture that he had given his final offer, as if they were negotiating a transaction. "I'm even willing to swear the Vow first as a token of goodwill." He added as a deal sweetener, knowing that their foolishly admirable Gryffindor chivalry wouldn't let them back out of the deal, in fear of death and dishonour.
He waited for a moment, watching as James glanced at either side, silently exchanging words with his wife and friends, before shooting another nervous glance at their three daughters, who sat on the sofa, warring with conflicted emotions.
Maybe he realised that Harry wouldn't hurt them, not truly, and that he would never even show them the dark side of his life unless provoked. That he was the strongest one in the room by far, and had already displayed fierce protectiveness to his sisters. On the other side, there was a major part of his mind, both the Auror and the human parts calling for him not to fraternize with a serial killer, arguing that he was unhinged and could snap at any moment. He could, and maybe would, make their lives a living hell.
Harry could see the gears turning in his head, the silent words and suggestions exchanged with his family that he noticed but couldn't decipher, as if he was weighing out all the pros and cons of the deal. His logic warring with his emotions that was desperate for survival, for the continued well-being of his family.
Ultimately, he knew what James wanted.
He wanted to tame and domesticate a monster.
Harry felt himself smile internally, almost wanting to laugh at his father's naïvety. He was no child, and James was making a grave mistake by confusing him with a common, insane criminal. He might be a bit unhinged, yes, but Harry had a long way to go to still lose his intelligence. After all, it was man's greatest weapon, that which made him the most feared monster of them all.
Two could play at that game. A monster might wear a collar and sit when told to, but it was still a monster. It would still break free when the sun was swallowed by the glorious darkness of night.
After a few minutes of silence, while Harry finished his cigarette, James turned to him, looking at him through smouldering dark brown eyes.
"I agree to your deal-"
"Ah, sweet-"
"-only if you swear also, not to let anything from your time as the Stalker affect us."
"Apart from my fighting skills, of course?" Harry asked, shooting him a blinding smile, aimed to let them all see the genuine glee he felt at that.
"Yes." James suppressed a growl that threatened to escape him at the cheerful display, which his gut told him was all but genuine. It looked honest enough, but he wouldn't put it past Harry to manipulate himself to achieve his own ends.
"Great, then. As I promised, I'll go first." Harry extended his right hand for James to take, standing up tall and resisting the urge to laugh when his father did the same, his head only coming to his chin. He looked towards Sirius, "Padfoot, would you mind acting as the witness?"
The Black Heir shot a slightly nervous glance at James, before nodding, unsure of himself.
"Great," Harry spoke, watching as he placed his wand on their joined hands. "Reed, nice."
Sirius growled at him. "The oaths, please."
"Alright, alright, jeez." He glanced up from the wand, staring directly into James' burning eyes that belied resilience and courage, though Harry found no power in his gaze. He smiled casually, as if he wasn't just about to make an Unbreakable Vow, that would be fatal is broken, that could be messed up if he worded it incorrectly. "I, Harry James Potter, of House Potter, swear upon my honour and magic as a wizard that I shall never harm the hair on another's head, unless it is in a duel, or the lives of my allies are in danger. I swear that I will never let my past as a serial killer negatively impact the lives of my family. May Mother Magic take my life on my word as a wizard should she ever deem the oath to be broken by me, so mote it be."
James looked at him, seemingly unsatisfied for a second by all the clauses he included, before he spoke his vows. "I, James Charlus Potter, of House Potter and on behalf of Houses Potter and Black, extend my hospitality to Harry James Potter, of House Potter. I swear that he shall find a safe home wherever any of the two Houses reside." He hesitated slightly at the look Harry sent him, the gleam in his eyes that screamed that he knew what he was trying to do, that completely contrasted the gentle, disarming smile on his face. "I swear that we shall not live in any household where he is not allowed entry, by magic cast by a third party or otherwise. May Mother Magic take my life on my word as a wizard should she ever deem the oath to be broken by anyone of Houses Potter and Black, so mote it be."
Beads of mercurial sweat rolled down James' forehead as he spoke these words, and that had nothing to do with the oath itself as much as with the one he was swearing the oath to. He visibly cringed when a bright white flame of pure magic emerged from Sirius' magic, circling around their joined wrists and signalling that the oath had been firmly sealed till their death.
He felt like he had just walked into a carefully laid trap, ignorant of the others around the two visibly relaxing.
He was not fooled by the devilishly handsome looks of his son, or his silver tongue and disarming attitude. He could see the faceless monsters pressing against his pale skin, screaming for expression, the darkness that clung to him, almost bending the light around him. He could see the endless pools of Fiendfyre that swirled and gleamed with barely restrained power in his dark emerald eye, the same eerie shade as the Killing Curse, that just put him on edge with a glance. So familiar, yet so alien, devoid of all the warmth he felt whenever he looked at the green eyes of his wife and daughters.
He could feel the darkness lurking beneath the black eyepatch, that seemed to reach out towards him, intent on burning and torturing him eternally, chaffing at their chains.
James felt like he had just made a deal with the devil.
He wished he had never found Harry.
But what was done was done.
He promised himself to keep a close eye on his son.
For the safety of his family.
That was his top, and only priority. If he had to take out Harry to save his family and die himself in the process, he would.
Omnia pro familia.
He repeated in his mind, the age-old Potter family motto.
Anything for family.
AN: Thoughts on the chapter? Harry manages to include himself in the family, despite James' reluctance. Also, you have to realise, that James' behaviour towards his son is because he fears for his family, I tried to express that. He is suspicious of Harry, maybe with time, he will warm up? Who knows?
Next chapter. We catch a glimpse of the Potters and Blacks as they warm up to Harry, and a duel between Harry and James for their ideals.
Also, I'm sorry for this again. I know I just came back after a short hiatus while I was updating my other book. But now, one of my favourite authors, @7Jonas7 just got his account deleted, and nobody has been able to contact him so far. So, I want to save his works in the form of screenshots and possibly republish them if it is indeed revealed that he has left us forever, so this might be on hold for some time.
Again, I apologize.
Keep calm and headbang!