CHAPTER 5

22 December 1981 - The Evans Keep - 11:21 AM

"MERLIN'S SAGGY BALLS!"

The bawdy declaration caused a startled Lily to drop the garland she'd been placing on her Floo mantel, eyebrows raising in shock. An annoyed Tom clucked his tongue disapprovingly, muttering about having another 'talk' with Sirius about his 'terribly uncouth' language in front of the baby. Together, he and Lily raced up the stairs to Harry's bedroom.

There, they found a gawking Sirius, steel gray eyes wide in wonder as several plush toys levitated around him. A standing Harry clapped delightedly in his crib, gurgling excitedly at the spectacle.

"I-I- S-S-Sirius? A-are y-y-ou doing this?" Lily whispered, not daring to raise her voice, not daring to hope for the impossible.

"No, I bloody well am not doing this!"

"M-Mia?" A quiet pop announced the Evans' elf, outfitted in a crisp white toga with hands clasped obediently behind her back.

"Yes Mistress?"

"Are you doing this?" Lily asked, gesturing to the still levitating toys.

"No Mistress, I am not doing that." With a shaky nod Lily dismissed her, turning to stare back at the still floating toys.

"So this means that… that… Harry is doing this?" The child in question clapped his hands eagerly, his excitement causing the floating toys to begin slowly spinning around Sirius' head. Lily continued gawking, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Wasting no more time, Tom unsheathed his wand and began casting a series of complex diagnostic spells, yew wand elegantly tracing the air as several intricate runes sprang into being. That excited Harry even more, his chubby arms stretching to grab at the symbols. Tom indulgently smiled at the excited child, crystal blue eyes crinkling in amusement. Turning his focus back to the runes, he spent a few moments intensely studying their meaning, his wand occasionally reorienting them. A few seconds passed and Tom paused, eyebrows shooting high in shock.

"Well, what is it? Circe's sake man, don't just stand there! What does this all mean?" Sirius was gesticulating madly as Tom glared in his direction. Lily ignored them both and scooped Harry from his crib, planting a light kiss on his brow as she cuddled him against her.

"As I was going to say, this is decidedly unprecedented. According to the results of this test, it would seem Harry's core has completely replenished. He is currently magical." Two shocked stares met his statement, as Harry clapped his hands in delight.

"How the bloody hell is that possible?! He's been a squib for months now, how on earth does he have magic again?! This makes no sense! You must have done the spell wrong." Sirius' expression oscillated between disbelieving and outraged, unable to comprehend the possibility of his godson once more becoming magical.

"It has been less that two months, and no, I did not 'do the spell wrong'. I am not in the habit of making errors, especially when performing magic. I would ask you to try yourself if you are still skeptical, but I am equally certain you would be completely unable to." Sirius scowled at Tom's latter statement and prepared to retort, only for Tom to raise his hand to silence him.

"Nonetheless, It is decidedly curious that his magical core would regenerate so spontaneously. Or… perhaps not so decidedly curious. Hmmm… yes… it seems that your r-... rather, what you did Lily, caused a particular imbalance that has corrected itself." Sirius looked sharply at Tom at that statement, eyes narrowing when they exchanged The Look. The one mutual expression Lily and Tom frequently shared that communicated a wealth of information (knownst only to them) with a single glance. Tom quirked his eyebrow and Lily huffed, seemingly coming to agreement with him. In a flash, Tom locked the door and covered it and the entire room in a slew of impenetrable privacy spells. 'Walls have ears, especially magical ones.'

"Fine, I'll tell him, but only after he swears the necessary oaths and can be quiet enough to listen. Mia!" The house elf appeared and Lily handed Harry over, instructing Mia to keep him entertained for a bit. The elf delightedly agreed, deeply fond of the child and eager to spoil him with games and sweets..

"Lily what the bloody hell is going on?!"

"Oh be quiet and have your wand ready! I'll tell you once you've sworn the oaths, and not a moment before! Now stop pouting so we can get this over with." Still glowering, Sirius unsheathed his wand and swore the oaths under Tom and Lily's unwavering gazes. Satisfied, Lily launched into her full explanation: Her skepticism on the purported infallibility of the Fidelius, unmoved by James and Dumbledore'e insistence. Her outright suspicion of Peter, his fumbling cowardice and repeated disappearances further souring her faith in him. James' insistence that they switch Secret Keepers to throw off the Dark Lord, since no one would suspect Peter. Sirius had guiltily looked away at the last statement, his countenance radiating discomfort. While Lily did not go in depth with the ritual's specifics, she did share that she'd drawn on the symbology of ancient protection runes, using them as the means to power the ritual that would protect her sons' from all of the Dark Lord's magic. At the end of her long-winded explanation, Sirius gave her a long hard stare before nodding resolutely, pulling her into his arms for a firm hug.

"I understand Lily, trust me I do. Harry and Jim are your children, and I can understand wanting to do everything to protect them, even using an arcane ritual to do so. Mother's love and all that yeah? Well, unless you're Walburga Black." he shuddered at the last statement, causing Lily to release a teary laugh.

"And I guess you were right about Peter too. Cowardly little bastard is now a missing person, officially noted by the Ministry. While I do think he's a less than capable wizard on his best day, he may have turned traitor, against his best friend's wife and children no less! The little sonofabitch better hope the Aurors find him before I do or there will be hell to pay." Sirius' expression was thunderous, gray eyes turning stormy with anger.

"I still don't understand the squib part though. You're the smartest witch I know, and I cannot imagine you making any mistake when it comes to this stuff, especially not when your children are concerned. It just doesn't make any sense." Before she could respond, Tom stepped in with his explanation.

"You see, I believe it all lies in the symbology of the runes utilized in the ritual. Per my theory, Lily drew upon Sowilo for Harry, drawing on him being the second-born son and thus needing the stronger light of the Sun for his protection, since he is symbolically weaker than his brother Jim, who is the Potter Heir. The strength of the ritual drew too much literal power from Harry, using him like a battery. With nothing left once the ritual powered down, Harry's magic had no scant reserves to replenish. Magical cores are never truly empty, in spite of what Healers may articulate when you exhaust too much power in spell-casting. There are alway scant amounts - your core base if you will - remaining, which serve as the basis for regeneration of the bulk of the core. It would seem that Harry's core base was able to replenish itself over the past few weeks, allowing his entire core to fully regenerate. Rather fortuitous too; yesterday marked the start of the Winter Solstice, a very symbolic time marked by the death and rebirth of the Sun. Since Sowilo is aligned with the Sun, it is fitting that Harry's magic should be reborn in kind." Tom languidly crossed his arms and surveyed the two, satisfied when they slowly nodded their heads in response to his explanation.

"Makes sense I guess. You're the expert of the arcane and forgotten and what not, so I'll gladly acquiesce to your superior knowledge." Sirius gave a sarcastic little bow, which Tom returned in kind. Sirius' expression became contemplative, asking the question on all their minds: "Should we tell James and Albus?"

Lily and Tom exchanged The Look again, and after brief seconds, a decision was made.

"No. I am not comfortable telling either James or Dumbledore about this new development with Harry's magic. They were all too ready to send him away for his Squibhood, and I fear what they might do even now that he is magical. As absurd as it sounds, they might try and take Harry away to be used as Jim's reserve battery, just in case. Jim is the Boy-Who-Lived, and his survival - to them and the rest of the Wizarding World - will always take priority. I cannot, I will not allow that to happen to my baby boy. Besides, James and I already divorced and he's reneged custody of Harry to me. It will remain that way. He and Albus can find out on Harry's first day of Hogwarts, just like everyone else." Lily's tone brokered no argument, and Sirius and Tom readily agreed with her. Harry's sudden magical ability would be kept secret indefinitely (with the noted exception of Severus).

"Do you think it'll last? Harry being able to do magic now? Enough that he will be able to go to Hogwarts?" Sirius turned to Tom, who looked contemplative.

"I am not absolutely certain. I am certain that this event occurring was exceedingly rare to begin with, so I have faith that the rarity will continue to favor us. We will of course monitor Harry daily to ensure that this change is permanent. Once we're certain, we'll proceed from there." Firm nods met his statement, and Tom nodded in kind, dismantling the security wards he'd placed.

"Sounds good to me! I'll go see what Mia and Harry are up to in the kitchen! I might get lucky and score some of Mia's double treacle mini pies. Those things are bloody delicious!"

"For the millionth time, language Sirius! You do enough swearing around us, but there is a very impressionable toddler in the house whom you are partially responsible for! At least try to use some dignified vocabulary!"

"Oh blow it out your arse Ridd-OW! Bloody hell man! You nearly tore my ear off with that stinger! I'll have you know that my left ear is my fifth best feature!"

"Surely you jest?! Fifth best feature?! You barely listen as is!"

As the two descended into their usual bickering, Lily followed closely behind, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at their antics and weep in relief at the miraculous news. Her precious Harry would be able to do magic, a feat that would make his life considerably easier. While she had been fully prepared to handle all of the responsibilities required to care for a Squib child - even going Muggle if the need had arisen - a magical Harry definitely changed things.

"A Christmas miracle indeed."

Later that Day - Hogsmeade

Charlie Weasley eagerly jogged to Marven's Magical Menagerie, eager to pick out his birthday present. While his birthday had technically been the week prior, he'd saved enough of the modest birthday money he'd received to purchase his own pet. While he knew he could never afford the krup pet he truly desired, he was more than grateful to afford the chance to have one at all. It would be his and his alone, one that he wouldn't have to share with his brothers for the foreseeable future. When one came from a notoriously impoverished family like his own, one learned to make the absolute best of every little thing.

Upon reaching his destination, Charlie eagerly entered the store, the charmed seashell chimes clinking loudly to announce his arrival. He took a deep breath and smiled, finally in his comfort zone. He loved animals since he could walk and talk, and was well on his way to becoming a rather precocious Care of Magical Creatures expert. Third Year meant he could begin shadowing Professor Grubbly-Plank with his practicals, laying the foundation to become his Apprentice once the opportunity arose, much like Rubeus Hagrid was now. While a Mastery was financially not feasible at this time (or in the near future), Charlie was choosing to be optimistic.

Shaking those mauldin thoughts from his mind, Charlie made his way around the store, stopping to say hello to the long-term residents who had yet to be purchased. He occasionally stopped to marvel at the store's newest editions, gently ruffling the feathers of a gorgeously plumed Fwooper, its bright orange and yellow feathers practically luminescent. He wistfully made his way over to the Krup cages, accepting playful licks and giving much-loved scratches behind eager ears.

"Ah hello Charlie! I figured it was you! Our friends are always so calm when you're around!" Lark Marven - Assistant Store Manager and tenth-generation Marven - made her way over to Charlie, swaddling something small against her chest.

"Hi Lark! Good to see you as always! The store looks wonderful, as usual!" Lark beamed happily at the praise, rocking the small bundle in her arms back and forth. Curious, Charlie leaned in for a closer look.

"What's that you've got there?"

"Oh this is a poor rat I rescued some months ago!" She adjusted the swaddle to give Charlie a better view of the unfortunate animal. It was an ordinary looking thing, with plain brown fur and dark half-closed eyes. It was covered in many scabs, newly fresh skin peeking through the flakes. Its front left paw was missing a finger and all fingernails, the skin incredibly tender. HIs tail was heavily bandaged, considerably smaller than he'd expect a rat's tail to be.

"He looks like he's seen better days." Charlie's heart twinged sympathetically, wondering what terrible misfortune must have misfallen this poor creature.

"Oh I know, I've been nursing him back to health! I found the poor dear in some alley in the village, and if you can imagine, he was in even worse shape! Missing a finger, most of his fur singed, and his tail almost a stump! Practically teeming with curse magic too. I've gotten his health back up with nutrient potions and the like, but he's still so weak." Lark tutted sympathetically at the rat, reaching into her pocket for mouse treats, gently feeding them to him.

"It was odd though, the way I found him; he was surrounded by a large pile of dead rats, all teeming with the same curse magic he was! They were practically covering the poor guy, almost like they were protecting him of sorts! Really strange, but I am glad the poor dear survived. I reckon some nasty wizard used them in some sick experiment and just abandoned them there. I did my best and vanished the dead ones, but this one was still alive and worth saving." Lark paused again to give the stirring rat a small scratch under his chin, his whiskers twitching in delight. Charlie leaned closer and mimicked her action, delighted when the rat leaned into his touch and tried to burrow into his hand.

"Oh he likes you! Of course he does, you're a gem with the creatures." Charlie blushed at her praise, politely thanking her and giving the rat more chin scratches. Staring keenly, Lark made her decision.

"You've been looking for a pet haven't you, dear? And you just had a birthday last week right? Tell you what; as a belated birthday present for my favorite customer, how about I let him come home with you, permanently? You're already an expert, and I know you'll care for him for the remainder of his years." Charlie stared at her in shock, eyes widening.

"Really?! Really, I can have him?! Oh Lark yes, yes! I promise, I will take the best care of him, I'll make sure he's fed, watered, gets enough sunshine, everything! Oh thank you Lark!" Charlie leaned in and gave Lark a hearty hug, which she eagerly returned. She skillfully transferred the swaddle over to him, adjusting it to fit his body. Satisfied, she set about gathering the necessary supplies Charlie would need to care for his new pet.

"Do you have a name in mind for him Charlie-dear?" Charlie glanced down at the rat in question, gently soothing his whiskers as he thought of his answer. Looking his body over, Charlie gave his answer.

"Scabbers, his name will be Scabbers."

AN 1: Aaaaand he's here! Say hello to Scabbers, whom we all formally know as Peter Pettigrew. Our Dark Lord did in fact survive, and will in fact be enjoying life with the Weasleys. More to come later.

AN 2: Harry is now officially magical! No more Squibhood for our favorite protagonist. Tom's explanation does a really great job of drawing on the symbolic aspect of Lily's protection ritual. More will be revealed soon!