READ THIS!-
So I hope this chapter meets all your expectations, short I'm aware but these updates are going to be until Harry is fully integrated into the family and we get to see the end results.
Question? Do you want him to remain the head of the Potter family without any explanation despite the fact no one can question him on it, or take on a variation of the Black family name, like Noir? I'm open to reader feedback on this one.
Oh, and would you prefer the Malfoys were willing members of Voldemort's army or are they simply screwed over by Lucius' father and forced to take up the banner when the old man got himself killed? Personally I don't mind bad boy yet not actually evil Lucius, especially if it keeps Andi's little sister safe, which would be a priority for the woman regardless.
Anywho, enjoy!
Andromeda Tonks nee Black sipped her glass of room temperature, and thus sub par, wine while listening to her little sister and her bearded guest's explanation as to what was going on.
Normally she'd frown on alcohol usuage this early in the day but she had just come off a ten hour shift at the hospital and the scene she'd walked into practically demanded an emotion dampener.
Five minutes into the strangers story she knew she had been right in that regard at least.
Stroking her fingers through her daughters hair, ignoring how its color changed every few seconds as the little girl helped the toddler next to her play with blocks, Andromeda finally made eye contact with this Harry.
World weary, that was the term she'd use for the man for sure. He had the look of a soldier but managed to convey just enough of a hint of boyhood bashfulness to seem endearing, and the simple fact he kept a constant observant eye on the girls playing at their feet showed he was a protective sort.
Also, if his backstory was actually true and not the product of some psychotropic drugs, it was shocking that the man had not become a full blown psychopath thanks to the paths his life had taken him down. The fact the same could easily be said for Andromeda endeared him to her enough to continue listening with an unbiased ear at least.
That, and Bellatrix was practically cuddling with him, which she was so going to be teasing her sister about for quite some time. 'Love at first sight is idiocy, I'll never fall for such tripe!' indeed little Bella, really Andi couldn't wait to tell Cissa about this. Her baby sister would be planning the nuptials by the end of the day much to Bella's mortification.
It was going to be hilarious.
As the very abridged version of Harry's story, along with a promise to swear an oath that it was all true drew to a close the front door swung open and a haggered form stepped through the threshold.
Andi's drink stopped midway to her lips as she took in her normally roguishly handsome cousin's disheveled appearance. His eyes were wild and blood shot, long hair tangled and matted, clothes wrinkled and sweat stained, and the sparking wand in hand didn't help his image of instability either.
"What do you know about Pettigrew!?" Sirius Black spat out as he aimed said wand towards the very startled, and much as she would later hate to admit it, terrified Bellatrix.
"Sirius I-"
She was interrupted by Harry who let out a tired sigh as he stood and stepped in front of Bella while he smiled at the newcomer, "Padfoot, relax we're all friends here, just lower your wand and-"
A second later Sirius was hit by a stunner cast by Andromeda who was pinching her nose while shaking her head lightly as he fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Glancing down at her daughter and...cousin, niece? Violet, going with Violet, she stood and walked over Sirius' prone form and closed the front door, turning to her sister and guest she pointed at the little girls while letting out another sigh.
"Keep them occupied," pointing at Sirius with a sniff of disdain she continued on, "hit him with some cleaning charms and tie him to a chair. I'm not taking any chances with emotionally unstable wizards around my daughter. Take his wand, make him eat something, and I'll be back down in twenty minutes. I'm calling my husband and telling him to come home early with his legal pensieve, then I'm taking a shower and a pepper-up potion, and we're getting all of this sorted out in a quick and civil like manner."
As Harry watched Andromeda walk up the steps he turned to a rather flustered Bellatrix who was hastily hovering Sirius' prone form towards the kitchen before he glanced down at Nymphadora and smiled.
"Well kiddo, it certainly says something about me that I find the fact your mother is still terrifyingly practical to be a rather reassuring revelation...you able to keep an eye on my little girl while I make sure your aunt doesn't drown your uncle in the sink?"
Nymphadora giggled in turn as she gave him a sloppy salute, "Aye aye! I have a toddler training broom still, you think I could let Vi play with it?"
Harry scoffed, as if there was a version of himself not adept at flying?
"Knock yourself out Nym, you are her big sister figure after all, it's your job to spoil her."
She let out a happy squeal and scooped Violet up in her arms as she rushed back upstairs to her room, Harry vaguely wondered if that had been a bad idea before shrugging it off.
He had a Dogfather to calm down after all.
Ted Tonks was, if he had any say in the matter, a rather amicable man for someone who regularly had to deal with criminals, politicians, cheating spouses and the like. The legal offices he worked for catered to many fields, from patent violations, custody cases, divorces and so forth, and seeing as his bosses had acknowledged his ability to be a jack of all trades he kind of had his hands in everything.
Which, while great for his future career prospects, drove him to the point of madness trying to keep it all together. It didn't help that he was one of two magicals on staff, not counting the vampires, and the only one who was willing to operate in both worlds, but sometimes that little detail could work in his favor.
Eyebrows still raised from the rather interesting call from his wife Ted placed the phone onto its cradle and leaned back into his chair while making a contemplative grunt.
"Huh..."
Shaking his head he cast a security charm on one of his desk drawers and soon retrieved his legal pensieve, one specialized to reject altered memories and set off alarms if someone attempted to charm it. It had been expensive but his first case using it had made it worthwhile at least, placing it in his briefcase he grabbed his jacket, turned out the lights, and headed out to the main office.
Knocking on his boss's door, who happened to also be the only other magical here he stuck his head in and smiled at the middle aged witch sitting behind her desk. She pulled her glasses off and smiled lightly at her firms rising star while nodding slightly in greeting.
"Ted, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
He gave her a sheepish smile while closing the door behind him, "Hey Gloria, I'm just going to cut to the chase here. There is a sort of emergency going on at home and I'm going to need to take the rest of the day off to handle it."
Gloria Jefferson tilted her head to the side as the muggle born witch raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
Ted sighed, "Yeah, apparently one of my wife's relatives showed up with his little girl and they're kind of in need of some legal aid." He thought of how to describe it then decided to give her a watered down version, safer that way. "They're half-bloods from a magical conclave, foreign one I think, and they don't exist in the muggle world. It seems someone is trying to take custody of his daughter from the magical side and the offending party is handling it like a pure blood sooo..."
She barked out a laugh, "So they're asking you make them exist in the real world and bury it in so much red tape that the purist is going to need a machete to get through it eh?"
His boss despised pure bloods, his wife was a singular exception.
He grinned in return, "Yup!" he stated while popping the 'p'.
She made a shooing motion while putting her glasses back on, "Go have fun, tell Andi and the little one I said hello."
With that he made his farewells, grabbed his hat, and made his way to the alley between the firms rented property and a Chinese carry out place and apparated to a small park not more than a hundred meters from his home.
Huffing in the cold he muttered to himself about actually breaking down and buying a car as Novembers cold wet winds hit him while he shook his head in disdain. Maybe Bellatrix had been onto something when she suggested they move to Boston out in the colonies, it had a rich culture, the magicals there didn't take shit from anyone, and the weather was fairly consistant.
That, and the beer choice was amazing, his sister in law had been practically jumping on her tip toes when she had mentioned that bit away from his wife, and damn if it hadn't been enticing.
The thoughts of none oceanic climates and good beer were pushed aside though when he opened the front door to hear screaming, crashing, cackling, and...was that crying?
Entering his home Ted made his way to the kitchen to see his friend Sirius Black tied to a chair, dressed in a pink bathrobe, with his sister in law Bella force feeding him a spoonful a carrots from a baby food jar while a dark haired man was laughing uncontrollably in the corner. His daughter was seated on the floor holding a small girl who was giggling to herself, while his wife sat at the table with a towel wrapped around her still damp hair completely ignoring the chaos going on around her as she blithely sipped her tea before placing the cup back on its saucer.
Ted eventually met her gaze and Andromeda grinned brightly upon seeing him, "Dear! So glad you could make it so quickly, please take a seat and bring out that pensieve of yours, we have ever so much to discuss..."
Ted glanced at the whimpering Sirius and his pouting sister in law, then at the bemused man who had kicked off the corner and taken a seat next to the one Bellatrix was heading to while Andi shooed the two girls into the other room. Eventually silence prevailed and the mystery man took in a deep breath and spoke.
"So...to start off with, where I'm from I'm the only child of James Charlus Potter and Lily Marie Potter nee Evans, my name is is Harry James Potter...this is my story..."
The pensieve got quite a workout after that.
More cutting corners on not rehashing the obvious, hope you like Andi and Ted's intro, next chapter is back to Bella and Harry, please review!