Sorting for Success

by Reigorgas

After the defeat of Lord Voldemort, many of the students, among them Harry Potter, returned to Hogwarts for a repeat Seventh Year. With his girlfriend, Ginny, and his friends, Harry wants this year to be normal. Until it is announced that all returning students will be resorted. ABANDONED

4. The Summer Before

Chapter 4

A/N: This has been the most heavily changed chapter that I did during this last week or so. So please read it and enjoy the much more drastic shift in how it was written. Such as the Lemon does not exist anymore between Harry and Ginny. (Edited 3/20/2019).

Harry's POV

It was just a few weeks after the defeat of Voldemort. Harry was sitting in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, with a cup of tea in his hands. He was staring off into space, thinking about the last few weeks. 'He's dead, finally, after years of fighting him, he's finally dead.' He shook his head 'but at what cost…' The list of fallen friends was long, Cedric, Fred, Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore, Colin, Lavender, even Snape, none of them were meant to die during this conflict.

Harry had decided to go to a mind healer, like a muggle psychologist, after much deliberation, to talk about his guilt. This guilt had caused Harry to have nightmares of the people that had fallen, coming back and blaming him for their deaths. From Sirius and Cedric yelling at him for their death's earlier, to Remus and Tonks berating him for forcing Teddy to grow up without parents. The list went on and on. Harry set out for St. Mungo's Hospital, first he headed into the Janus Thickey ward, and checked in on Sirius. He was still in his coma, since he came out of the veil about 3 weeks ago, but he was still in the same state as he was when he went through in the first place. After sitting with Sirius and talking to him, Harry walked over to the mind healer ward, called the Sigmund Freud ward, and he walked up to the front desk, where a secretary was writing on a parchment in front of him.

"I'm here for the appointment at 4?" The secretary, without looking up at him,

"The healer will see you now in room 105, Mr…" Harry looked at the secretary, and replied

"Potter, and please, don't say anything."

The reaction was instantaneous, her head shot up and she stared at him for a second, and she then quickly looked away and began to busy herself at her desk. Sighing, Harry got up and opened the door to the offices, moving down the hallway, he stopped at room 105 and took a breath. Exhaling, he opened the door. The first thing he saw was the very ornate design of the room, very Asian in appearance, with a small fountain in the corner, and with plenty of scrolls with what looked like Chinese proverbs on them across the walls. There were also a few candles lit to add to the comforting ambiance. He then noticed the plush couches around the room, and the very beautiful mahogany desk in the opposite corner of the fountain, with papers littering the top of it, and the long black hair of a woman looking out the window into Diagon Alley, sitting in the chair.

"Erm.. Hello? I'm here for my appointment."

The woman turned and looked at Harry, and then immediately her eyes widened and asked

"Harry?"

Harry's eyes bulged as well, realizing that it was none other than Cho Chang sitting there.

"Cho? You're a mind healer?" She nodded while he sat down at the desk.

"Yes, ever since I graduated from Hogwarts after Dumbledore died, it reminded me of Cedric, and I decided to help people with that kind of trauma." She then motioned for him to sit. "Now Mr. Potter, I do believe we are here for business, what can I help you with?"

For the first couple minutes, they played catch up, keeping it light. Then as the conversation with each other became more comfortable, Cho started to talk to him about his troubles. Harry opened about his nightmares and his guilt over surviving the war, while friends hadn't. Over the next couple weeks, Harry met with Cho every other day, working through his mental issues, where he finally came to terms with his demons in the end, including his relationship with Ginny, Harry had been dealing with his difficulty having Ginny as his girlfriend, She was overbearing, feisty, and loved being in the limelight. For harry, that wasn't what he wanted right now, and Cho made him realize this, however, he's scared of how the Weasleys, especially Ron, would react to their split.

~Time Skip~

Harry woke up after the first restful sleep he's had in forever, "Kreacher!" And an audible pop was heard as Kreacher appeared before Harry.

"What can Kreacher do for Master?" The little elf did a slight bow. 'A long shot from a few years ago...'

"Kreacher, could you prepare some breakfast for me?" With another small bow, Kreacher disappeared in a pop. Harry then went upstairs, heading for his bedroom. He stopped on the floor below it and glanced into the room on his right. The RAB on the door was quite prominent.

Opening the door, Harry peeked inside, there wasn't any dust to be seen, it looked unlived in but very clean. There were Slytherin colors all around the room, with a few posters of Quidditch teams, and on the nightstand, was a picture of Regulus with Avery, Macnair and Snape, all with their arms around each other and smiling. Harry couldn't help but feel the irony in that since there was a similar picture of his father, Sirius, Remus, and Pettigrew all in the same fashion. 'Kreacher's doing obviously' Harry thought, 'he never did get over the death of Regulus.' That made Harry think of Sirius, Regulus' older brother and his godfather. 'I miss Sirius so much.' I am glad he has returned to me however.' Shaking himself out of his stupor, Harry continued up the stairs, undressed, and jumped into the shower. After drying himself off, he dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Walking downstairs again, Harry could smell the food coming from the kitchen. Entering he heard voices as well. Curious, Harry peaked his head in, and was pleasantly surprised to see Hermione and Ron sitting at the table tucking into some pancakes, eggs, and bacon, Harry almost turned around when he saw Ginny walk into view and sat down. Looking up, Ginny smiled and got up, rushing over to hug Harry, who flinched at the contact.

"Harry! I'm so glad to see you!" She pulled away from him, and feeling him move, and looked into his eyes "Are you ok?" Harry, swallowing his discomfort, smiled down at her

"I'm fine Ginny, nothing to worry about." Harry then looked up at Hermione and Ron "Hey guys, great to see you." Ron got up and pulled him into a brotherly hug.

"Hey mate, glad we showed up just in time for breakfast... ouch! Hermione, bloody hell what was that for?" Hermione just smirked at him.

"Oh, hush Ronald, we know that was unnecessary." She then smiled at Harry and pulled him into the classic Hermione hug, "It's great to see you Harry. You haven't been writing to us, that's why we're here." Harry pulled away and had the courtesy to look sheepish.

"Yeah sorry, I've been busy these last few days, with visiting Gringotts soon to get my family affairs sorted, and also to meet with my mind healer." Ginny looked at Harry when he said mind healer, and worriedly asked "What do you need a mind healer for Harry? Are you ok? Do you need anything from us?" Harry held up his hand stopping her from asking anything else.

"Ginny, it's ok, I'd been going to see Cho Chang to help get over my survivor's guilt. She's been very helpful in getting me to figure out what is wrong with me." When Ron and Ginny looked at him confused, Hermione had gone slightly pale at that.

"I've heard about that, it's a muggle phrase for when a soldier survived a battle and felt guilty over the deaths of those who had died." She then gained a look of realization. "Oh Harry, you're feeling guilty about those who died at the battle of Hogwarts!"

Harry nodded at that "Perceptive as always Mione. Yeah, I've been talking to a mind healer, about it, and she helped me get over my guilt, and move on from that so I can focus on my future."

"That's very mature of you Harry, I'm glad you're moving on from that. But Chang? Couldn't you have gone to see someone that you didn't have a history with, is she the best choice?"

Harry scowled but nodded. "Yeah, I know, Cho is the leading expert in mind healing right now after the war, and I thought that talking to someone that I knew would help me. She has kept it professional, and we've became just friends again, nothing more. That's also why I've decided to return to Hogwarts for the repeat year." Ron gaped at him when he announces that, and Ginny had a slight frown on her face when Harry was talking about Cho but smiled again when he said he was attending Hogwarts again.

"You mean you aren't going straight into the Aurors with me?"

Harry shook his head, "No Ron. I want to get my NEWTs and actually obtain a job through my accomplishments, not because I'm famous or a war hero." Harry heard Ron mumble something that sounded like 'Or Both' but he ignored it. "Besides, that means I can spend time being a normal student for once, and all that entails" Ginny blushed at the comment and Hermione beamed at him.

"Harry that's wonderful! I'm so glad you're going to take school seriously for once. What classes are you going to take?"

Harry paused at that and thought about his OWL results, the classes he took his sixth year, and what NEWTs he wanted. "Not sure yet, but I'll be sure to tell you when I find out."

Hermione looked pleased at that, and Ginny came and grabbed Harry's hand, in which he pulled away quickly. She frowned at him, but then just smiled and said,

"Now you need to eat Harry, we can discuss more after that." Harry let her put a plate in front of him and began to eat.

~Time Skip~

The date was July 16th, and Harry was getting ready to head over to the Burrow for the weekend. He had just returned from his last session, Cho had finally decided that Harry had the tools he needed to get over his guilt, and a task to end his relationship with Ginny, in which Harry was unsure of how to go about it. Harry finished up with his breathing exercise for the day, and grabbed his bag, and walked downstairs, and heard the floo activating. He entered the sitting room to see Ginny sitting there waiting for him. When she saw him, she jumped up and gave him a hug.

"Hi Harry, you ready?" Harry pulled away,

"Almost, just need a few things to take care of, and then I'll be ready."

She then smirked and wrapped her arms around his neck, "What would that entail?"

He smiled and pecked her on the cheek. He heard her sigh in frustration, and he pulled away from her "We shouldn't keep your family waiting."

Ginny pouted at that, obviously wanting to do more than what she got but then she nodded and turned back to the fireplace.

"Right, let's go then." She stepped into the floo and called "THE BURROW" and she was gone in a rush of green flames. When the flames died down, Harry stepped in himself, and with a strong voice called "THE BURROW" he was rushed away in a spinning, when Harry emerged from the floo at The Burrow, he collapsed on the ground, coughing.

'I'll never get used to traveling by floo, Merlin I have no balance.'

Hearing some small pieces of laughter behind him, he turned and saw Ginny, Ron, and George chuckling at him with barely contained smiles on their faces, but Hermione was playfully glaring at them. He scowled at them, and grunted out "Shut up, you were raised traveling by floo." That sobered them up slightly, but there were still small smirks on their faces.

Ron then stepped up and hugged Harry, "Regardless, glad you're here mate, looking forward to spending the rest of the summer with you."

Harry smiled and replied, "Glad to be here mate." He frowned slightly "However, I will be in and out of Diagon Alley visiting the goblins to work on my family's holdings, and recover whatever is left, so I'll probably just live at Grimmauld Place." He shrugged, "Also St. Mungo's say that Sirius is showing more activity than before, so they say its possible he could wake up in the next few months or so, so I'm going to keep checking up on him."

With that everyone cheered, and Harry, George, Ron, and Ginny went out back to the Weasley Quidditch pitch for a small two versus two matches. Harry and Ginny versus Ron and George, with George and Harry playing Chaser, and Ron and Ginny playing Keeper. Ginny had pouted when the boys had decided to keep it balanced by having Ginny play Keeper instead of Chaser. After a few hours of intense playing, Ginny and Harry prevailed, mainly due to Ginny pulling some trick plays, which she would take the quaffle and play chaser for a point.

"That was bloody cheating that's what it was" Ron grumbled.

Harry and George laughed as Ginny hit him on the head, "Oh, shut up Ron, you're just upset you lost."

Ron just shrugged and walked ahead, his face turning slightly pink with the laughter of Harry and George ringing behind him. "Oh, ickle Ronniekins is upset, where's our loveable bookworm?" Harry laughed, and Ginny smiled slightly.

They continued to walk back to the Burrow, and when they got to the back door they heard

"Honestly Ronald, it's just a game, if you're upset don't come running to me because you feel like they cheated." Harry, Ginny and George looked at each other and broke out into uproarious laughter, as they walked in, and they saw Hermione with her hands on her hips glaring at them, and they stopped laughing. But Harry couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Shut up all of you, it's just a game."

George walked up and put an arm around her shoulders, "It's not just a game Hermione, it's a lifestyle!" She rolled her eyes at that, and then Mrs. Weasley walked in and instantly sent them all away to clean up and get ready for dinner.

Ginny took Harry's hand and led him to her room, in which she began to undress and grabbed a towel.

"Ginny, what the actual fuck?" Ginny turned to him and said,

"Now you going to join me in the shower boy wonder, or are you going to just stare at me like that?" Harry realized his mouth was open, and he closed it with an audible click. He then turned straight around and left the bathroom. "Harry!" She called to him and came running out in a robe. Grabbing him around the waist, and grabbed his crotch. "This seems to want to join me" and she rubbed it over his jeans. Harry pushed her away and began to back off

"Ginny I can't do this, I don't feel comfortable." Ginny sighed,

"Harry, what's wrong? I thought you were ready for this."

Harry kept facing away from her, "I just… Can't right now, its not right Gin."

She grabbed his shoulderes and spun him around to face her. He could see the anger bright in her eyes.

"Is there someone else? I know that Chang was your mind healer, is that it? Are you screwing Chang? Couldn't get over that Asian slut?"

Harry scowled at her, and instantly shouted "No! Cho was just helping me get through my problems after the war, we kept it at a professional level, and never got anywhere near that kind of relationship! What if I'm just not ready?" He then turned away again.

"I see you didn't deny that it's someone else…" Harry could feel her getting upset behind him, sobs coming into her voice even more. 'I know why. it is someone else, and I've got it bad.'

*Flashback*

Harry had just stepped out of Cho's office, and turned down the street, passing Madam Malkin's shop. He then collided with someone and he grabbed their arm before they fell over. He pulled them up and as they looked at each other the first words that came out of their mouths were,

"Potter?"

"Greengrass?" Daphne Greengrass stood before him, wearing a very expensive pair of robes that were made of what Harry assumed was Acromantula silk. He then let go of her hand and backed away a few steps. "Terribly sorry about that Greengrass, I wasn't looking where I was going."

Greengrass looked at him, a questioning looks in her blue eyes 'Her eyes are blue? Why am I noticing this now?' Harry couldn't look away from her eyes, then he snapped out of it when he heard her say.

"It is quite all right Potter, I can see that you're the oblivious Gryffindor you usually are." Harry scowled slightly at that.

"Look Greengrass, no need to be so hostile. I apologized and now I'll be on my way." As he turned to keep walking away, Greengrass then reached out grabbed his arm and turned him back.

"Not so fast Potter. I need to tell you something." Harry looked at her questionably, and then blushed at the intensity of her gaze.

"And what would that be Greengrass?" She smirked at him.

"You're returning to Hogwarts, yes?" Harry nodded his confirmation at that, and Greengrass' smirk grew a little more into a grin.

"Excellent, then be warned, don't be bumping into the Head Girl or she'll freeze your bollocks." Harry paled at that when he realized she was talking about herself. 'Greengrass is the Head Girl? What about Mione? Damn… I didn't see that coming.' He smirked at her.

"I'll keep that in mind Greengrass, wouldn't want to BUMP into the Head Girl hmm?" She glared at him when she got the innuendo.

"Shut up Potter. I have things to do, so I'll see you at Hogwarts." He nodded and watched her walk away. The back of her robes accenting her very womanly shape. Her hips were swaying slightly as she walked, and Harry couldn't help but think that Greengrass was a catch. He didn't realize it before he moves towards her and says

"Greengrass!" He saw her turn, with a question on her face, but something else in her eyes. 'Satisfaction?' He thought to himself. Focusing on her, he said "If you'd like, want to meet for lunch sometime?" Harry could've sworn he saw a smile on her face before it was completely stone cold.

"I think that wouldn't be a wise idea, have a good day Potter." She turned back around and disappeared into the crowd.

*End Flashback*

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he noticed Ginny wasn't there anymore, so he jumped into the shower and quickly changed, and headed down to dinner. Dinner was a small affair, with Arthur, Molly, George, Ron and Ginny joined by Hermione and Harry. There was a lot of talk about Hogwarts, and how they felt the year would go with McGonagall in charge.

When dinner finished, Harry said his goodbyes and floo'd back to Grimmauld Place. He was leaving the room when he heard the floo activate again and Ginny came walking out. She had a murderous look on her face, and instantly began berating Harry.

"Harry what was that? You aren't acting like yourself! You usually love playing footsie with me under the table, you enjoy shagging, and you enjoy my presence, but today it almost seems like you don't care about me anymore!"

Harry sighed, he knew this discussion was coming. "Look Gin, I'm dealing with a lot, which I know you are too, but I need some time to figure out what I'm doing, and I also need to get caught up with my family accounts and such." Harry then turned away from her "I just need some time to myself, to figure out my life. I'm sorry."

He then looked back and saw her starting to tear up and she asked, "Are you breaking up with me Harry?"

Harry then reached out and grabbed her hands, "Merlin, No Gin. I'm just trying to figure out my life right now, It's not that at all!"

She huffed and crossed her arms, "Fine, I get it Harry, I'll wait for you to get yourself together, but by Morgana's Tits, you better be ready for me when you do."

Harry smiled slightly at this, "Thanks Gin, that means a lot." She nodded and headed back to the Burrow through the floo.

Harry sighed, sat down on the couch, and rubbed his temples. 'Why can't I tell Ginny the truth? Why do I not feel the same way that I did…' He couldn't find a reason, but nonetheless he had some work to do.

~Time Skip~

It was now July 28th, and Harry had an appointment at Gringotts. He dressed in some new robes that he'd purchased at Madam Malkin's. They weren't as nice as the ones Greengrass was wearing that one time, but Harry felt very dignified in his. He walked up to the entrance of Gringotts, with his hood up, to avoid the crowd of people in Diagon Alley.

He entered the bank and walked up to a teller. "Hello, my name is Harry Potter and I'd like to meet with my account manager."

The goblin looked up from his ledger and nodded. "Your account manager will be notified of your arrival and will meet with you as soon as they can Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded and watched the goblin turn around and shouted in Gobbledygook, the language of the goblins. A goblin came hurrying up, shared a few whispered words, and then ran off. The teller turned to Harry and said, "Mr. Potter your manager has been notified, and you may follow me to his office."

Harry followed the goblin through the doors behind the desks and walked down a hallway. This hallway was littered with doors, each one depicting a different family or so, he saw a few he recognized, Bones, Abbott, Longbottom, Malfoy, Parkinson, Greengrass, and a few others. He halted in front of a door that said Ragnok, Bank Branch Manager and Account Manager of Potter and Black. Knocking Harry heard a "Come in" and entered the office.

The goblin behind the counter stood and shook Harry's hand, "Ah Mr. Potter, I was hoping to see you soon." He then sat back down and motioned him to sit in the chair across the desk from him. "Now, you've come to discuss your accounts?"

Harry looked slightly puzzled at that, and asked "Accounts? I thought I only had the one."

Ragnok chuckled at that, "Why the Potter and Black accounts of course Mr. Potter, you did inherit Sirius Black's family account due to your naming of his single beneficiary. It came with the inheritance of Grimmauld Place."

Harry's eyebrows rose at that, "But he isn't dead anymore, so does he re-inherit the Black family account?"

Ragnok shook his head, "The accounts had already been moved to you since he was declared dead by Magic and the Ministry." Harry nodded "Ok so I have the two accounts then, carry on" Ragnok pulled out two files, both quite thick in fact, but Harry was sure that they were enchanted to hold more than what was originally allowed in the files.

"Now let's begin with the Potter account, why don't we?" He grabbed one of the files and opened it up. "As of now Mr. Potter, your trust vault holds approximately five thousand, three hundred and eighty-four Galleons, four thousand and twelve Sickles, and three hundred Knuts. Quite a substantial amount of money for a trust vault. In your main Potter vault; you have three million. eight hundred and forty-nine thousand. seven hundred and thirteen Galleons, four million. two hundred and fourteen thousand, three hundred and twenty-five Sickles, and three million three hundred and fifty-four thousand four hundred and sixty-seven Knuts. Plus, an immeasurable number of jewels, family heirlooms, and other such items."

Harry's eyes grew wide at that, almost four million galleons?! He could live comfortably and never have to work again! Shaking his head in amazement.

"I'm guessing the Black family vault is similar?"

Ragnok laughed at that., "Hardly Mr. Potter! The Potters, as in your grandfather Charlus Potter, and your father spent a lot of money on the war effort against Voldemort.

The Black vault on the other hand, while Blood Supremacists, never got involved in Lord Voldemort's cause, because the head of house at the time, Arcturus Black, wouldn't allow it."

Harry gestured for him to continue, Ragnok then opened the file. "The Black family vault contains; twenty-five million, three hundred and fifty-two thousand, four hundred and thirty-six Galleons, thirty-five million, three hundred and twenty-four thousand, two hundred and thirty-four Sickles, and four million, two hundred and thirty-five thousand, eight hundred and seventy-eight Knuts. That's not counting the artifacts, heirlooms, and jewels the Blacks have as well."

Harry's eyes were so wide at that point, Ragnok had the nerve to say, "If your eyes get any wider they might pop out of your head Mr. Potter." Harry couldn't help but smile at that, and then just sit there, stewing over the incredible amount of gold he had.

'I'm rich, I'm so rich, that no one can compare to me, maybe not even Malfoy. What I wouldn't give to have one over that ponce.' His thoughts then traveled to Greengrass. 'Maybe I could get expensive robes like Greengrass was wearing, and I could definitely buy some new clothes now I can afford it.'

He then turned back to Ragnok and asked "What about investments?"

Ragnok smiled, "A fine question Mr. Potter, while they were very rich, neither the Potters or Blacks were big in business. They had a few investments, but they weren't like the Greengrass' who gained all their wealth through business. Combined, you have a forty-five percent ownership of the Daily Prophet, sixty-five percent of Quality Quidditch Supplies, fifty-one percent of the Nimbus Company, and seventeen percent of Flourish and Blotts."

Harry couldn't believe it, he was almost the owner of half of the Daily Prophet! He instantly thought of the slander they had written back in his fifth year about him and Dumbledore, and Harry couldn't help but smirk 'That newspaper is about to get quite the wake-up call from me soon enough.'

He thanked Ragnok, and with his head spinning with all of the money business that he now knows about, he left Gringotts. He had a lot to think about, but the first step was to take a trip to Madam Malkin's for some new robes, and then Muggle London, after getting some Muggle money, for some other clothes.

This summer seemed to be a new experience for Harry, and hopefully, will be somewhat normal for him.

~Time Skip~

Two days have passed since Harry visited Gringotts, and tomorrow was his birthday. Harry was going to turn 18, and while that wasn't a big deal in the Wizarding World, he could go out into muggle London, and not have to worry about anyone being curious about his age. This would allow him free reign to do what he wished. He was currently walking down Diagon Alley towards Gringotts, he had a meeting to attend, he was meeting with Ragnok to discuss his Black family holdings, since he was Sirius's heir. Harry was nearing the steps of Gringotts, when a

"Potter!" rang out across the square. He halted, and immediately heard the whispers around him begin to pick up as people finally realized who was standing there in front of them. Harry turned and say Draco Malfoy standing there, a look of anger on his face, and he quickly marched towards him. When Malfoy got to him, Harry looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Can I help you Draco?" Malfoy's look of rage turned to surprise, at the address by his first name.

"What's with the name Potter? One would think that we were acquaintances." Harry chuckled

"Come now Draco, can we put our childhood feud behind us? The war is over, we're both free, we can start anew." When Malfoy's eyes narrowed into hostility, Harry continued "I hold nothing against you Draco. I knew that you were doing what you were to protect your family. That is an honorable thing to do, even though it caused you to join the wrong side in my opinion, you put family first." Draco was surprised at that. Instantly however, he got angry again.

"That reminds me why I'm here now Potter. You aren't the rightful heir to the Black family. It is my right as the son of Narcissa Malfoy (nèe Black) to be the head of the Black family! Harry laughed.

"Come now Draco, you and I know both know that the head of the Black family, my godfather Sirius left the head of the family to me. That is why I am visiting Gringotts today." Malfoy scowled, but the crowd was getting larger, and it looked like some members of the press were making their way towards the crowd to see what was going on. Harry then turned and began walking towards Gringotts, he turned one more time and said "If you still wish to be a member of the family Draco, I'll will it so. You have my word." Malfoy looked so stunned by that, and Harry smirked and walked into Gringotts. 'That'll make him stew over it for a while.' When he entered the bank, he walked up to the reception desk for the account managers. "Hello I'm here for the twelve o'clock appointment with Ragnok?" The receptionist looked up and nodded,

"Very well Mr. Potter, feel free to go right in, Ragnok is expecting you." Harry nodded and worked his way down the hall towards Ragnok's office. Opening the door, Harry was surprised to see that Ragnok was not alone. Standing next to the desk was a tall blonde haired man, with deep blue eyes, and a pair of glasses. He looked around twenty-one years of age.

"Ah Mr. Potter, please come in! I'd like you to meet my associate Mr. Thomas Evans." The man nodded towards Harry, and said,

"Hello Mr. Potter, I've heard a great deal about you." While sounding respectful, there was something off about his voice, and noticing the look on Harry's face, he laughed "Ah yes, you're most likely wondering about my voice. I'm from America, so I don't have the accent that you have here in England." Harry nodded, and reached out his right hand,

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Evans, would you by chance have any relation to a Lily Evans?" The man accepted the handshake,

"Yes, she was my cousin on my mother's side. Your mother's parents were my mother's aunt and uncle." Harry's eyebrows then raised a little bit and he asked,

"Then why are you here Mr. Evans?" His expression turned grim and it was Ragnok that answered

"Mr. Evans here is not here because of your mother, he's here because of Sirius." Confusedly Harry turned back to the man, and the man instantly noticed the unasked question.

"My name isn't exactly Thomas Evans. While Evans is my mother's maiden name, my actual last name is Black." Harry's eyes widened. 'There's another Black?! What does that mean? Does that mean there's someone that will succeed him?' He smiled at Harry's expression. "While I am a Black, taking over the family here isn't my place. When you're the third of four boys, you don't exactly get to inherit the title. Also, if I was to inherit the head, it'd be the American branch of the Black family." He shook his head, "this'll get complicated, let's just say I'm here in country for Sirius, I heard about his return and coma, and being a member of the Black family, I wanted to meet the head of our family."

"So why are you actually here?" He smiled

"That's a secret, I can't tell you, just that you'll see me again quite soon." Harry puzzled over that but thought nothing of it.

"So, you'll be going by Evans when you're here? That's dangerous, since Lily is a national hero."

He grinned. "Believe me, it's better off that I go by Evans than Black, since the Black family name is still not as respected as it used to be." Ragnok clapped his hands,

"Now, Mr. Potter, Mr. Evans, if you'd like, we can discuss the Black family holdings if you'd like." Both Harry and Mr. Evans nodded, and sat down.

~Time Skip~

Leaving the bank, Harry's head was spinning. This Thomas Evans was a mystery to him. Apparently, his mother and Sirius had family in America that he never mentioned. Harry was determined to go do some research about this family from America. He headed back to Grimmauld Place and had Kreacher make some tea as he went into the Black Library. After searching for around an hour, Harry found a bookcase labeled Journals. He then found a journal from Sirius's grandfather Arcturus, dating to 1935. In this journal entry, it read:

Today has been a dark day for the House of Black. My father has had another argument with my younger brother Castor. They argued once again over the growing power of Grindelwald and how the family should act. My brother is against supporting a man he calls a monster, and a menace to wizard-kind. My father would hear none of it, and stated, that he was no longer welcome in the home of our family, and that he had to leave. Castor did so, and he left England entirely, stating that he'd go to America, where Grindelwald wasn't as far reaching. Taking his trust vault contents with him, which of course was a suitable amount since we are very wealthy, he left. I do not know when I'll hear of Castor again, but I wish him the best.

Flipping through Harry found the name Castor again, this time it was dated June 6th, 1944.

This is a momentous day for all humanity. Whether it be the muggles fighting against Germany or wizards against Grindelwald, this could be a deciding day. Earlier, I heard that the American MACUSA was sending some of their Aurors and volunteers to Europe to help support the English and Russians against Grindelwald. I knew that I'd meet Castor, and I wasn't wrong. He's grown up quite a bit, he's taller and bigger than me, and he has a fire in his eyes that I'll always remember seeing on his face whenever he was committed to a cause. Castor told me about his wife and son. He married a half-blood named Greta Simmons, from the well-known Simmons family of the USA. His son Harrison was three years old and was the liveliest child he's ever seen. When I commented on the lack of a star name. Castor scoffed and said that that was stupid, that he wasn't going to do that. I didn't see him the rest of the war, since we were separated after the fighting broke out.

It's been a few days since then, and I heard that Castor and his squad were hit hard, and Castor himself was injured, I hurried to the American Wizarding field hospital, and found him in the spell-damage ward. His squad had been hit by Grindelwald's special hit squad, led by none other than our father. Castor had been injured, but he had killed our father. That means that I am now the head of the Black family. I'd offered to let Castor return to England, but he refused. He said he was happy in America, and that his family was beginning to grow. There was a new addition in slightly less faded ink. That was the last time I saw Castor before he died of Dragon Pox. His son Harrison has repeated his father's pledge to remain in America. Harrison is now a young man, and he has begun to court the eldest daughter of the Allen family, which is well known for their wealth in America.

This was the last entry of the journal, and Harry couldn't help but read it.

It is Christmas in 1977. I can feel death coming for me, and soon I'll have to pass headship to my grandson, because my fool of a son had aligned with that fool Lord Voldemort. Sirius may be a wildcard, but he was always faithful to me and my teachings, he and Alphard, my youngest son. I wish to travel to America to visit my brother's family. His grandson James had married a muggleborn which named Teresa Evans. After doing some digging this woman is related to James Potter's wife, Lily. They have three sons. The youngest, Thomas being born this last September. It was a very fruitful Christmas. James refused to return to England and stated that his family will bring the Black family pride and power in America. We agreed then to split the family, with myself leading the English chapter, and him leading the American. We would work together on investments and anything monetary, but he'd be the face in America, and myself in England.

Harry shook his head, casted a quick tempus charm and saw it was now 10:30 at night. He'd been reading for six hours and he could feel it. Calling Kreacher to prepare him some food, Harry went and changed into some comfortable sweats and a sweater and ate the nice soup that Kreacher had made. He then went to bed, ready for his Birthday tomorrow, but little did he know that there was some planning going on elsewhere.

Harry woke the next morning to Ginny, Ron, George, Hermione, Neville, and Luna all standing around his bed.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" He smiled at all of them,

"Hey thanks everyone! While this is surprising, I'd appreciate it if you all vacated the room so I can dress?" Everyone laughed and filtered out, however Ginny stayed behind. She looked super nervous about something.

"Harry?" Harry hummed in acknowledgement.

"I'd like to give you a special birthday gift…" he felt very uncomfortable at that moment, and immediately got up and said,

"I need a shower Gin. I'll see you downstairs." He could feel the angry glare at the back of his head, and then he felt a hand grab his wrist. He was yanked around and was facing a furious Ginny Weasley.

"What the hell Harry? I thought you were past this! I wanted to give you something special for your birthday! Here you are still not being part of our relationship, if you want to call it a relationship anymore." She sighed. "Harry, I want to give you something special. "She sauntered up to him, and began to wrap her arms around him, but she couldn't do anything more because the next thing she knew Harry was out the door, heading downstairs. Ginny running after him.

When Harry entered the kitchen he saw Hermione, Neville, and Luna with surprise in their eyes, but George and Ron had narrowed eyes as they looked at Harry coming in like he saw a ghost, and an angry Ginny in his wake.

"What did you do to Gin-Gin Harry?" George asked before Harry could say anything, Ginny responded

"He rejected me that's what! I can't believe you rejected me Harry! After all we've been through and done together, you just brush me off?!" Ron had stood up at that

"You did what?!" He started to grow red in the face, George standing up next to him with fire in his eyes. "Is Ginny not good enough for you Harry? Is that it?"

"No Ron, its not that, I told Ginny at the Burrow last time, I'm dealing with a lot and it's just not a good time." Ron just looked at Harry like he had grown a second head. George had sat down with understanding in his eyes, joined by Hermione and Neville, while Luna, is well, Luna. Harry turned back to Ginny. "I'll say it again Gin. Its not you, it's me, and I can't go on like this right now." Ginny reared back and smacked him.

"I knew it! There is someone else, and they're poisoning you against me Harry! Its ok though, we'll figure this out." And at that, she turned around and left the room, everyone could hear the floo flare up and dissipate. Harry just shook his head and sat down at the table, and Kreacher gave him a plate of pancakes with eggs and bacon. Everyone then took their seats and received a plate of their own, and the kitchen soon shifted into the sound of utensils clattering around and small awkward conversation around the table.

"So, Harry, have you put in any more thought into Hogwarts this year?" He looked over at Hermione, and nodded grateful at her changing the subject.

"Yeah, I've decided to continue with the classes I took sixth year, including potions, and I've sent McGonagall a letter about a few other things that I want this year."

"What would those be Harry?" He smirked,

"That's a secret for me to know and for you to find out!" Hermione frowned at that, but she just sighed and shrugged.

"Whatever you say Harry, but don't go around thinking that you can escape this." Harry kept that stupid smirk on his face, and just nodded,

"Right then Mione, if I ever desire to tell anyone, you'll be the last to know" Hermione slapped his arm

"Prat."

"Yet you still love me" he cheekily responded, and fled the room, with Hermione in pursuit and the laughter of the rest of them following. Harry ended up hiding in his warded room, with the pounding of Hermione's hands on the door as she shouted

"Harry James Potter you better open this door right now, or so help me I'll get Kreacher to get you!" Harry laughed, and shouted back

"Nice try Mione, remember he's my elf, and he'll listen to me before he does to you!" Hermione huffed and then he heard her footsteps stomping down the hallway. After waiting for a few minutes, Harry opened the door, and looked out. Seeing no one, he began to creep towards the stairs, when a pair of arms wrapped around him and he heard Hermione shout

"Gotcha!" Harry yelped as he felt a hand slap him in the arm, and he was then on the ground with Hermione tickling him. The house rang with the sound of laughter. Harry was finally released, and he walked into the sitting room with everyone else in tow, and they all sat around for presents. Harry received a broomstick maintenance kit from Ron, seeker gloves from the absent Ginny, a book on creatures from Luna, a book on spells from Neville, a week's supply of prank items from George, and a book on wizarding families from Hermione. When Harry looked at Hermione, she replied "It's so that you understand the families that you've inherited and most of the family's you'll end up interacting with due to your new status." They all looked at Hermione shocked, and she blushed from the attention. "What?" she asked, "I did some reading on wizarding culture, and how heads of houses are the faces of their families, and that their actions reflect on their family, so I wanted to help Harry out." Harry smiled, and hugged Hermione tightly,

"Thanks, Mione, you are always looking out for me." After spending, a few more hours Harry's friends all said their goodbyes and left, saying that they'll see him soon. With a smile, Harry then sat down in his new office that Ragnok had suggested Harry have, and began to sift through the letters he had received that day while he spent time with his friends. Most of them seemed to be either letters wishing him well, a few cursed ones that Kreacher took care of, and some letters from parents asking about possible relationships with their daughters. However, there were three letters that really peaked Harry's curiosity. One was from Greengrass, one was from Hogwarts, and the last one was from Thomas. He'd insisted on Harry calling him that because they were Family and not too far apart in age,

"It makes me feel old when you call me Mr. Evans and I'm only three or four years older than you Harry." They had laughed at that, and Harry now opened his letter.

Dear Harry,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. If you didn't know in American culture the age of adulthood is 18 versus it being 17 in England. As such, being one of your surviving family members that a) doesn't hate you and b) is here in England, I'd like to invite you out tomorrow to go spend some time with your distant cousin. I'd like to get to know my family over here, and since my family is either dead, in prison, or unavailable, you're my safest bet right now. I'd like to get to know the godson of my uncle, and the heir to the other half of the family. If you'd like to meet, please send me an owl at your earliest convenience with a time and location. Other than that, Happy Birthday Harry, and do enjoy the rest of your summer.

Regards,

Thomas

Harry smiled, and set to write a reply to Thomas, telling him that meeting him for lunch tomorrow in Diagon Alley sounds quite wonderful, and that he'd see him there. Harry sent it out with the regal looking barn owl that was waiting for the reply. He then picked up the letter from Greengrass and opened it up.

Potter,

I believe a happy birthday is in order. One would think that you had never expected to live to your 18th birthday Harry scowled at that but kept reading, regardless, I do wish you the best for this day. The reason I'm writing to you is that there is a business venture that both the Blacks and Greengrasses had invested in, and now that you're the head of the Black family, I'd like to meet with you tomorrow for lunch to discuss this business venture that we have yet to undertake. Please let me know of your ability to attend tomorrow, and don't be late.

Daphne Greengrass

Heiress of the House of Greengrass

Harry was curious. 'Business venture? How curious, I'm having lunch with Thomas, but since he's a member of the Black family, he should be there as well, I'll let her know to meet us for lunch.' He did so and sent Hedwig out with his reply. He finally picked up the letter from Hogwarts, opening it he found the customary greeting, but then two badges fell out of the envelope, and another smaller letter. Curious, he picked up the two badges, and his eyes widened to see the badge for Quidditch Captain, and Head Boy. He grabbed the letter that came with it.

Mr. Potter,

First, I'd like to congratulate you on your return to Hogwarts. I'm so pleased that after everything you would return to where it all started for you, and that you'd do so without much convincing. Now, I bet you're asking yourself why I've given you the positions you have. The reason for quidditch captain is that you have shown that you enjoy doing so during your sixth year at Hogwarts when you were captain. Now, I trust to see the quidditch cup in my old office at the end of this year. The transfiguration professor will be taking over the position as head of house, therefore it is their office now. Finally, the Head Boy position is not because you were the boy-who-lived, and now the Boy-Who-Conquered, but that you were student your sixth year that had the highest grades that is returning, just barely beating out Mr. Boot. The only one with better grades than you happened to be Mr. Malfoy, but he is not returning this year, and therefore, being the highest scoring male student, you will be Head Boy. This is an honor and privilege that is very coveted by many, and I hope that you as Head Boy will allow for students of all ages and houses to learn to get along. I hope to hear of your acceptance of both positions, and I'll see you on September 1st.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Harry was quite surprised at the sincerity of the letter, and the reasons behind it. He never knew he was the second-best scoring boy at Hogwarts for his year. That blew his mind. It hurt a little bit to know he was second to Draco Malfoy, but since he wasn't returning, this was Harry's chance to prove that he was a good student, and that he could perform to the highest level he can. With a year of nothing crazy going on or a dark lord to worry about, this could be the year Harry can complete school without any struggle. 'Here's to a peaceful year I guess!' He thought happily as he sent his acceptance to McGonagall via the Hogwarts owl waiting for him. With that, Harry went to bed, ready for the next day, with quite the event coming up, little did he now that this would change his life, for better or for worse.

~Time Skip~

Harry appeared in an alley in muggle London and stepped out onto the street. Walking down some ways he found the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Entering he nodded to Tom, who knew not to cause a scene when Harry was there. Exiting the Cauldron into Diagon Alley, Harry casted a Notice-Me-Not charm to keep the shoppers ignorant of him, and he found the entrance to the restaurant he was looking for. The Flaming Gryphon was a new pub-style restaurant that had opened recently, and it became quite the place to go for food. Opened by none other than Lee Jordan, who while still the loveable prankster had quite the taste for food, and after spending some time in the Muggle world at different pubs, he decided to bring the best of the best foods to Diagon Alley in the form of this restaurant. Harry entered the place to find that Thomas had already found a table. Walking over, Harry removed the charm and sat down. Thomas looked up and nodded his greeting,

"Hey Harry, glad you could make it." Harry smiled

"Thanks Tom. Hey, listen there will be someone else joining us for lunch today." Thomas looked at him curiously, then looked over Harry's shoulder

"Let me guess, she's blonde, hot, but has quite the resting bitch-face." Harry looked at him surprised at the description of Daphne Greengrass but nodded.

"Yeah, how'd you know." Thomas smirked, because she's walking towards us right now." Harry turned and indeed, Daphne Greengrass was walking her way towards them and she stood next to Harry, looking down at him.

"Hello Potter, fancy seeing you here, who's this handsome man you have here?"

Daphne's POV

Daphne was walking down Diagon Alley towards the restaurant that Potter had said to meet her at. She was curious however to who would be joining them from the Black family. To her knowledge, the only people that could be there would be Andromeda or Ted Tonks, and Draco or Narcissa Malfoy. Neither of those options sounded appealing to her, but the Tonks family couldn't be that bad, she had met their daughter before the Battle of Hogwarts, she had seemed nice. When she entered the Flaming Gryphon, she saw Potter sitting down at a table with a very handsome blonde man, who was wearing glasses, and from what she could see he had very blue eyes, not the bright electric eyes Daphne had, but a deep blue. She began walking towards them, and she saw the man look at her, and then Potter turned as she got to the table.

"Hello Potter, fancy seeing you here, who's this handsome man you have here?" Potter smiled and gestured for her to sit down in the chair next to him.

"Greengrass, I'd like you to meet Thomas Evans, my cousin from America." Daphne's eyebrows raised at that 'Cousin? When did Potter have family from America? Obviously, he wasn't related by blood, since he had the last name Evans. Wait… Evans? Wasn't that Potter's mother's last name?'

"Evans? Any relation to Lily Evans?" He smiled

"Sure, she was my mother's cousin." 'Wait mother's, then why does he have the same last name?' Almost as if he was reading her mind, this man chuckled and said, "Yes while Evans was my mother's name, my actual last name is Black." Daphne's eyes widened when she heard Black.

"Wait, you're a Black? How come we never heard of you? And why is Potter the head of the Black family, when obviously, you're older?" The man sighed and just shrugged

"This may take a while." He then went into a long story about his great-grandfather's journey to America, and how the decision between his father and his great-great Uncle Arcturus, the head of the Black family at the time, had decided with the split of the Black family and headship and such. Daphne was in awe of the man's story, and how even though he wasn't the Heir of the Black family, in America, he and his brothers commanded a lot of respect. 'Wait then why is he here in England?' She asked him so, and he laughed. "Ah, that's mainly a secret, but what I can tell you is that I'm here for work. Also, I wanted to visit with my cousin from both sides of my family." She nodded at that, and then asked

"So why are you here?" He then said,

"While Harry is the head of the Black family over here in England, what business goes on still affects us over in America, so think of myself as a liaison to my half of the family, and since I probably have more training in dealing with this kind of business, I can help him out." Daphne could see the logic in that.

"Now, let's get down to business, shall we?" With the nods of confirmation, Daphne began. "Ok, so the business proposition that my father Cyrus Greengrass, and the last head of the House of Black, Sirius, were working towards a business venture in potion making. As you may not know, my father is an accomplished potioneer, and deals a great deal in ingredients and the finished product. They were planning a large-scale production and shipping company of Wolfsbane potions. They wanted to make it easier for Werewolves to acquire the potion and since we're making it, the costs of shipping and distribution won't be as high as it is now, making it much more affordable for poorer werewolves to get their hands on it." Potter and Mr. Evans looked impressed as Daphne began to go into detail about the shipments and how production would be easier, and how gathering ingredients and crafting the potion would be cost-wise. After Daphne finished, Mr. Evans nodded,

"That is a fine idea, I can see why Sirius was getting behind it in the first place, not just because of Mr. Lupin, but others as well." He turned to Potter and to Daphne's surprise said "This is your call Harry, since this would be focused mainly in Britain, this doesn't affect our assets in America, but if we wanted to branch out to other countries, we'd be able to put our resources in as well. Potter looked thoughtful and turned to Daphne.

"Ok Greengrass, we'll join you in this venture, we want a 60-40 split with you getting 60 percent of the profits." Daphne looked at him surprised, while Mr. Evans was nodding in agreement, an impressed look in his eyes. Daphne couldn't help it and asked

"Why is that Potter? Why give us the bulk of the profits?" Potter scoffed

"That's easy Greengrass, your company is doing most the shipping, and producing and such, my side is mostly providing financial support, so while important, isn't as heavy as what you're doing, so I think a 60-40 split is fair." Daphne nodded, and shook his hand.

"Very well Potter, I'll inform my father of your decision, and we'll send the paperwork to your account manager at Gringotts for their approval. It is a pleasure doing business, and I hope to see you at Hogwarts this year?" Potter nodded,

"I'll be there Greengrass, don't doubt it." They finished lunch with smattering of small talk mainly dealing with the upcoming school year, and then Daphne got into a heated debate with Potter about Quidditch, while Mr. Evans was putting in some of his own input about some of the American club teams, particularly his favorite the Seattle Thunderbirds. Afterwards, Daphne had left and went home. Collapsing on the couch in the sitting room, she heard her father walk into the room and sit down next to her.

"So, Daphne, how'd it go?" Daphne opened her eyes and smiled at her father.

"Perfectly, they're in."

"They?" Daphne nodded

"Yes, a member of the American Branch of the Black family is in England, and he mentioned that if we wanted to go international, we had their support in America." Cyrus Greengrass smiled

"Excellent, it is about time we made it safer for Werewolves and wizard-kind alike to live together, especially without that bigot Umbridge in the Wizangamot, we can actually move towards getting them more help." Daphne nodded, and said

"It will be a great first step in getting our family out of the prejudice of us being dark." Her father then stood up and stretched,

"Well, until then, let's get those documents to the Black family account manager, and we can begin this venture, shall we?"

A/N: This was the longest one I had written in the first place, and where I really wanted to continue this story. So I can really make a better story and fix some plot holes that I had made earlier on. (Made 3/21/2019)