CHAPTER 8
31 July 1992 - The Nook, Evans Keep - 8:03AM
Lily took a sip of her warm coffee, watching with fondness as Harry polished off a second helping of blueberry French toast with apple maple syrup, his favorite decadent breakfast of all time. Every blueberry embedded in each single toast piece spelled 'Happy Birthday Harry!', a testament to Mia's skill and love for her favorite boy-wizard. The elf had really outdone herself this morning, as another mountain of french toast sat untouched on the kitchen counter. Cheesy scrambled eggs, grilled chicken sausage, fresh fruit salad, and freshly squeezed orange juice sat by, Harry making equal work of those as well. Feeling his mother's stare, Harry smiled happily at her, pleased when she smiled back just as adoringly.
'My baby boy is all grown up.' Harry had really sprouted over the summer, growing almost two-and-a-half inches. His once riotous curly hair hung in soft and sleek waves slightly past his shoulder, a testament to the customized Sleekeazy hair care potions Severus had made specially for him for long-term use. He'd upgraded his silver wire-framed glasses for a sleeker wayfarer style in tortoiseshell, the temples adorned with little bronze snakes. Harry had wanted to look more mature and 'put-together' moving forward, part of wanting to win the Hydra over in his Claimancy to the Throne. 'I hope Alecto hasn't been giving him too hard a time.' The thought of the irritating hypercritical runespoor head made Lily frown.
With a final sip of his juice Harry proclaimed he was all done eating and needed to get ready, grabbing an extra piece of toast to give to Selma as a treat. He quickly bounded up the stairs, causing Lily to chuckle at his enthusiasm. For the first time ever, Harry was going to be joining his twin brother for their twelfth birthday celebration to be held at Potter Manor, all part of "bridging the gap between the two brothers". 'Obediah really knows how to lay it on thick.' Lily snorted at the thought of the overly obsequious man and his rather flimsy attempt at improving House Potter's (but really James Potter's) poor PR as of late, thanks to Howler-gate. He'd invited both mother and estranged son in a joint missive to plan the party and put together the guest list.
She and Harry (along with their solicitors) had assisted as requested, making sure to maintain a balanced enough guest list of 'good' and 'bad' families. Using every bit of etiquette knowledge Milburga had drilled into her teenage head, Lily helped both Harry and Jim understand the benefits and ramifications of each invitation. Apparently, the Potters had just sent out invitations to Jim's friends, ignoring their families (including siblings attending Hogwarts and several scions of Wizengamot families who would likely be offended at being excluded). It was considered a faux pas to invite children to a party at a landed estate without at least a courtesy invitation to their parents and the rest of their immediate families.
Most people overlooked it, however, as (a) James Potter had been offending high society with his tactlessness and lack of social graces for so long that most people were used to it and (b) any chance to bask in the reflected glory of the Boy-Who-Lived was aggressively sought by most high society and government types, even if James in years past had insisted on more… non-traditional muggle frivolities like a limbo contest, a bouncy castle, and a water slide.
For Harry's benefit, Lily had put together a list that ensured maximum networking opportunity. There would be a lot of influential families and equally influential bureaucrats present, and it would be a wonderful chance for Harry to begin laying the foundation for his own network of influential peers and allies - pureblood, halfblood, and muggleborn alike. 'Milburga would be so proud of me,' thought Lily sardonically.
Interestingly enough, Obediah was a veritable Chatty Patty about wizarding high society, much of whom would be at the birthday party bearing plenty of gifts. Apparently, since Halloween of 1981, Jim received literally hundreds of gifts every year on his birthday and at Christmas. To James' credit, he'd thought it unseemly in light of his personal wealth, so he'd placed all gifts of cash or valuables into the Jim Potter Charitable Trust, which did things like raise money for St. Mungo's, Hogwarts, and other non-profit wizarding (and a few muggle) ventures. James and Jim also made a big show of donating all the tangible gifts – toys, clothing, etc. – to needy wizarding children. Consequently, Jim's birthday had evolved over the years into a major charity event with wizarding elites of all stripes donating to the less fortunate by way of ceremonially giving something nice to the Boy-Who-Lived who then passed it along through the appropriate non-profit group. Even the Malfoy family (who would never be allowed to set foot on the grounds of Potter Manor) still sent gifts to the Boy-Who-Lived, which he opened once in front of an eager media crew before handing them off to be donated away.
"LUUCCCYYY I'M HOOOME!"
"In here you old hound!" A few beats later a dashing Sirius appeared in the kitchen, pausing to give Lily a quick hello peck on the cheek before making a beeline to the breakfast feast. Mia appeared and quickly put a heaping plate together for him, even remembering to tuck in a charmed napkin into his white undershirt to prevent stains.
"Thanks Mia!" The elf smiled sweetly in response before quietly popping away. With gusto, Sirius dug into his meal.
"I see you're all excited for the day's festivities, Lord Black." A bark of laughter met her cheeky statement.
"Well it's my favorite godson's birthday, so of course I'm excited." He paused to take a hearty sip of orange juice. "Now, he may share it with a brother he's not on the best of terms with, but that doesn't make the day any less special." He took a hearty bite of sausage. "Trust me, bad blood between brothers is something I understand all too well." His visage became noticeably haunted, no doubt in thought of his deceased brother Regulus.
"Well… I'm choosing to be optimistic," said Lily. She took a final sip of her coffee before banishing the cup into the sink where it began self-cleaning. She ignored Sirius' amused snort (since Lily was typically the cynical type), before making her way upstairs to get ready.
Great Hall - Potter Manor, 10:05AM
'Well, this is quite the spread.'
And it was indeed. The receiving parlor - formally dubbed the Great Hall - was quite grand to Harry's subtly amazed eyes. A vaunted dome-like ceiling made of smooth marble framed the massive room, interspersed with large bay windows that allowed clear sunshine to pour in unfiltered. The floor was made of gleaming polished wood, the center of which bore House Potter's crest. Several painted images lined the walls; some of impressive landscapes, some portraits of curious Potter ancestors, and even some modern-looking abstractions. Tucked in between a portrait of a Potter matriarch and a solemn rocky bluff landscape painting was a rather out-of-place painting; specifically a massive spider web being woven by a rather unassuming brown spider, its many black eyes focused intensely on its task. Suddenly, it leveled a sharp look at Harry, eyes narrowing in seeming suspicion. Scowling, the young Potter immediately turned away, shaking off the flutter of… oddness he felt at the sight.
"Ah, you've all made it!" The sound of Artie's voice pulled Harry from his musings, smiling at seeing his mum's solicitors. Both were wearing slightly anachronistic but still appropriate (and very well-tailored) clothing, befitting the 'muggle semi-formal' theme quite well. Harry could still recall his surprise when he'd received a missive from Artie and Hestia when he'd asked Draco for his parents' recommendation for a good solicitor to deal with his Potter Problem. He'd believed that asking Draco for such a personal favor would establish the right kind of rapport with the young Malfoy, laying the foundation for what he'd hoped to be a solid alliance (especially given their brief camaraderie during the Sorting Feast). Harry still felt regret at how wrong he'd been.
"Good morning and happy birthday to you Harry! And good to see you all as well," said Artie jovially, politely kissing Lily on her knuckles and exchanging a firm handshake with Sirius. Hestia quickly exchanged greetings with them as well, lightly blushing when Sirius (naturally) heaped lavish compliments upon her person. "I don't believe you've met my wife, Elizabeth." A middle-aged woman with black hair and a warm, kindly face stepped forward.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Especially you, Harry."
"Thank you, Madame Podmore," said Harry, smiling charmingly. The woman smiled once more.
"Oh, please, call me Elizabeth. I know it's short notice, but I was hoping that after this affair is over, you three might come by our house for dinner."
Harry looked back at Lily and Sirius, both of whom smiled approvingly. "We'd be delighted Elizabeth."
"Your father has had a light meal prepared in the dining room. Most of the guests won't arrive before noon, but a few of the…Potter family guests are already here. Prior to interacting with them, Lord Potter has requested your presence in the Dining Hall to review some important House-related matters. Hestia and I will join you accordingly."
Harry nodded at that. He found himself strangely nervous. The last time he'd interacted with his father in close quarters, he'd been serving the enormous prat legal papers in Dumbledore's office. The time before that was when he was still a baby. He'd had relatively zero contact with his father since his parents' divorce. Reflexively, he started going over various Occlumency exercises in his head, smiling when he felt his mother place a comforting hand on his shoulder. It wouldn't get emotional here in enemy territory.
10:16AM
James stiffened when he saw Harry and his group arrived. The usual feelings of anger churned with deeply buried feelings of regret, but today, there was a keen undercurrent of sad bitterness burning through his veins. Because together, his younger son, ex-wife, and ex-best friend looked like a… family. Harry and Sirius wore matching cream-hued Muggle linen suits, clearly bespoke given their perfect fit. With their matching wavy lengths of dark hair and matching neutral expressions, they really looked like they could be father and son. And Lily - in her matching linen jumpsuit and snake-themed bits of jewelry - looked like their perfect matriarch. With considerable effort, James swallowed down the acrid taste of bitter jealousy that sprung on his tongue.
"Thank you all so much for agreeing to this meeting. We are very appreciative." Obediah's confident voice rang out, rising to cordially greet everyone. He cut a rather striking figure in his baby pink muggle suit, showing a sliver of healthily tanned skin. His dirty blonde hair was stylishly slicked back, with a stray lock left to dangle rather boyishly across his left eye. Minus the hair, Harry was amused to see Jim and James wearing similar pink-toned outfits, though James looked more like he was going for a round of muggle golf.
While shaking the Obediah's hand, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that the older wizard's overly bright smile and eyes were a touch… insincere. He was pleased to see his sentiments shared by his mother, if the overly saccharine smile she leveled at the solicitor was any indication. Harry quickly glanced at James and Jim, internally pleased to see their matching looks of nervousness, though the occasional ticking of James' too-tight jaw was a tad concerning.
"Please everyone, take a seat." He smiled once more, and Harry felt an instinctive dislike for the man's insincerity flare within him. A few awkward and uncomfortably silent moments passed, before James finally spoke.
"I would like to begin, if I may, with an apology." James paused to take a deep breath, so he could properly recite the words he and Obediah had painstakingly put together a few days prior. "Harry, my conduct for the past year has been ... reprehensible. That, and the conduct I instilled in my Heir that he so brazenly used against yourself and your mother (Jim flinched). I am deeply sorry for the… circumstances that led to mine and your mother's divorce. I maintain that at the time, I genuinely believed you were a squib and that placing you with Petunia and Vernon would have been the best solution. However… thankfully (he strained on that word), your mother took the steps to ensure that it wouldn't happen." He paused to take a sip of water. "More importantly, the Howler I sent you after your Sorting was… completely indefensible. I should have known better, given my previous marriage to your Slytherin mother and being born of a Slytherin mother." Lily blinked while Sirius' nose just… flared. "All I can say is that, frankly, I allowed my… childhood bias against Slytherin House to influence my unconscionable actions against you and… against your mother. I am working on accepting that the Slytherin of today is not the Slytherin of yesteryear, made obvious by you and your friends courageously fighting and helping Jim drive off You-Know-Who. And I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart." He hesitated once more, taking an even deeper sip of water. "In light of everything that's happened, do you see any possibility of forgiving me and my Heir?"
Harry was quiet for a moment, staring unblinkingly at his father. James started to fidget under the surprisingly intense gaze that did not belong on a twelve-year old's face. "I suppose that would depend. Do you see a way to accept me as your son while not having direct influence over mine and my mother's affairs? Having no influence over my academic path, and barring that, my professional path once I graduate from Hogwarts? Having no influence over my mother's affairs, at all, for the remainder of her days?"
James swallowed heavily. "Yes. Yes, I do."
"And can you with full confidence say that in the event of your Heir being… indisposed whilst fighting off You-Know-Who in the parameters of his Boy-Who-Lived duties, that you would, according to House Potter's charter in line with Wizengamot bylaws, would support my promotion Heir Presumptive and eventually your Heir Apparent despite my Sorting?"
Jim snorted and rolled his eyes, causing Harry to smile with all his teeth. Startled, Jim quickly looked away. James swallowed deeply, his eyes lightly narrowing at the line of Harry's question. Eventually, he nodded. "Yes. Yes I do."
Harry stared at him for a long time. James Potter wasn't as easy to read as the typical Gryffindor from school, but he was ultimately still a Gryffindor. Frankly, Harry wasn't sure he was being entirely sincere, but if not, at least he was making the effort to fake it. As a Slytherin, he could respect that at least. He spared a quick glance at his mother and godfather, pleased when they nodded back approvingly.
"Excellent. Now," said Harry slowly, "perhaps a token of good faith might be in order? May I be able to look upon the Heir's ring?"
Before James could say anything, Obediah spoke up. "Unfortunately, the ring was lost on the night You-Know-Who attacked the house at Godric's Hollow. James has commissioned a new Heir's ring, but the enchantments are very high level and anyway it will have to be certified by the Wizengamot. We estimate that a new ring will be available sometime next year."
"You placed the Heir's Ring in Godric's Hollow? Instead of the Potter Vault? Why?" Sirius' voice rang sharply, causing James to flinch in spite of himself. He still couldn't believe that Sirius of all people was his ex best-friend, and was interrogating him.
"I still was the Heir when Lily and I moved there, Sirius. That house was a wedding gift from my parents. I took the Lord's ring after my father died, but I was still in mourning and, as the saying goes, I was 'unwilling to put away childish things' by putting away my Heir's ring and moving back into the Manor. Besides, a Fidelius on the Manor would not have worked properly anyway because of its size and extensive ward scheme, so we still thought Godric's Hollow was safer. Obviously, we were wrong. Anyway, on Halloween Night 1981, the Heir's ring was sitting in a dresser drawer in the nursery Harry shared with Jim. Both the dresser and that whole room were destroyed in the backlash, and the ring wasn't found among the wreckage."
"...A dresser drawer in the nursery Harry shared with Jim." Sirius stared at James and Obediah with his eyes narrowed while he tried to guess whether they were lying about the ring and, if so, to what purpose. He tilted his head in a decidedly Padfoot-like manner, slate gray eyes going flinty. With a delicate cough, Hestia spoke up.
"Let's pass over the ring for right now. What sort of relationship do you propose to have with Harry going forward in light of everything that's happened? Per your divorce you relinquished full custody over to Lily, and as such, are not responsible for his daily care and keeping a roof over his head. In the… possible event that Harry should become Potter Heir Presumptive and then Potter Heir Apparent, would you be comfortable with him living here at Potter Manor? Along with Lily as his primary caretaker?" A beat passed before Obediah responded.
"In the possible event that Harry should become Heir Presumptive and then Heir Apparent of House Potter, then yes, he is welcome to live here as needed. Granted, the current injunction he got effectively prevents him from living here unless ... well, unless Lord Prince, in his stead as Harry's Head of House, moves in along with him and Lily. Which frankly I don't see happening." Sirius' derisive snort registered the impossibility of such an event ever happening in any foreseeable future. "Additionally, Lord Black - as Harry's oath-sworn godfather and his acting pater familias - would have to be completely indisposed and unable to provide his godson hearth and home."
"Fat chance." Sirius snorted, practically glaring a hole in James' head. Obediah just smiled.
"Alright then," said Hestia calmly. "Additionally, will Lord Potter be amenable to a reconciliation between Lily and Jim?" James and Jim stiffened. "The terms of the divorce forbade her from having any contact with her son for almost a decade, effectively cutting a mother off from her own child. Would Lord Potter be amenable to Miss Evans and Heir Potter at least exchanging written correspondence?" Harry felt his mother perk up, covertly squeezing her hand in response. He smiled when he felt her squeeze his hand back.
Before James and Obediah could respond, Jim spoke: "I'd like that very much." James' eyes widened in shock while Obediah just blinked. Lily beamed happily, while Harry discreetly squeezed her hand once more. Though she never outwardly spoke of it, Harry knew she held a lot of pain for being isolated from her son for so long. To his surprise, he felt a brief flare of jealousy at the thought of his somewhat still-hated brother being doted on by his mum. He quickly filed that thought away, letting his Occlumency calm his mind.
"Do you approve, Lord Potter?" asked Obediah quietly. James felt his eyes widen at the matching intense glares Lily and Jim leveled at his head.
"Um… I approve. With provisions." James winced at their expressions, but shouldered on. "Lily and Jim are free to exchange written correspondence to be sent with an approved Potter family owl. Any verbal discussions - without any approved third party supervision - must have a maximum time limit of around twenty minutes twice a week at most. There can be no discussions - written or otherwise - pertaining to his Heirship, heir duties, or any formal business pertaining to House Potter." James' gaze became intense. "That includes any discussion about Occlumency." Jim scowled and made to retort, but Lily beat him to it.
"That works perfectly for us." She smiled serenely, pleased when Jim nodded back. There was plenty of workaround James' so-called provisions. For his part, Lord Potter frowned at her seeming acquiescence. Lily never agreed quickly to anything, and she was more than likely scheming… something. But now, it was too late to go back on his word.
Hestia simply nodded. "Speaking of today, what's the schedule? We realize it's a joint birthday party, but up until this year, it was just 'The Boy-Who-Lived's Birthday Party' and also a major social event. Where will Harry be fitting in?"
Obediah spoke up. "The story we'll be presenting to guests and to the press is… more or less the truth. An estranged father and son of an esteemed Ancient and Noble House have gone through the necessary steps to begin their reconciliation. Your previously believed squibhood coupled with your initial sorting was a bit of a shock, but you and your father have worked diligently to reconcile with one another in the past months. Additionally, your heroic efforts fending off the perfidious Professor Quirrell with your estranged brother has helped those fences mend splendidly. You, your brother, and your family are on the mend, with full approval and support from Lily Evans and Sirius Black." Both adults in question just blinked. "At this time, we ask that the media respect everyone's privacy during this time of transition etcetera etcetera." Obediah smiled once more, his too-blue eyes looking all too glasslike. Harry felt his instinctive dislike for the man ratchet up.
Hestia looked to Harry, Lily, and Sirius for their approval. All three nodded. "Alright, we agree. Speaking of which, do you have a finalized copy of the guest list Harry and Lily suggested? Just to make sure everything is up to par with what we previously discussed."
"Certainly!" said Obediah cheerily. With a wave of his wand - twelve inch larch with unicorn hair - five identical copies of the guest list appeared in front of Harry's group for their review.
Miss Hannah Abbott
Sirius Lord Black
Amelia Regent Bones and her ward, Miss Susan Bones
Acacia Lady Brown with Heir Lavender Brown, & family
Misses Margaret & Millicent Bulstrode
Miss Tracey Davis
The Right Honorable Amos Diggory & family
Sir Malcolm Finch-Fletchley (O.B.E.) & family
Mr. Marcus Flint
Thomas Lord Gaunt & Libra Lady Gaunt
Daniel Lord Greengrass & family
The Right Honorable Hestia Jones, Esq. & guest Miss Gwenog Jones
Misses Olivia & Eurus Kolumbiko
Samuel Lord McMillan & family
Howard Lord Montague & family
Mr. Madanapala Patil & family
The Right Honorable & Mme. Artemus Podmore, Esq,. & family
Severus Lord Prince & Dowager Eileen Prince
Healers Edward & Andromeda Tonks & family
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Weasley & family
The Lady Serena Zabini, Dowager Contessa di Provence and her son, Mr. Blaise Zabini
"Everything looks up to par," said Lily. With a sharp twist of her wrist, her copy of the guest list folded into a small paper plane that flew to land in her open purse. Sirius mimicked her movements with his, doing the same for Harry.
"Excellent," said Obediah. Harry swallowed his snort at his decidedly Mr. Burns' impression. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is." Everyone turned to look at Jim, who'd only spoken once before. "Is Harry talking to any reporters today? The press conference is at eleven. Are you sending him into the meat grinder on his first day back?" Everyone looked at Jim in surprise, especially James and Obediah. There was a harshness to his remarks that he'd never displayed in the past when it came to dealing with the media.
"You have a press conference scheduled on your birthday?" asked Harry in surprise. He'd known of the possibility given the spectacle of the day's events, but he'd still thought the idea absurd until now.
"From time to time," Jim said with surprising bitterness, "the Boy-Who-Lived is expected to put on a show for his adoring fans. It's not all about fighting dark lords ... unfortunately." Jim muttered the last word too softly for anyone else to hear, except Sirius glanced sharply at him nonetheless.
"Well… I'll be there with you Jim. Besides, what are brothers for?" He smiled with all his teeth, causing Jim to snort and roll his eyes.
"Alright then," Obediah clapped his hands together merrily. "Let's party on!"
AN 1: And we're off! Part 2 will be posted shortly. Hope you all liked Harry's 'makeover' so to speak, I think it fits my interpretation of him well enough.
AN 2: Per HP Wandlore, a larch wand has the reputation for instilling confidence and courage in the user, revealing hidden talents and unexpected effects, much like its owner. It was often the case that the witch or wizard paired with a larch wand only realized the full extent of their considerable talents when paired with it, making an exceptional match. Quite fitting for Obediah.
AN 3: As previously mentioned, Obediah Prewett will be played by Nicholas Hoult. I'm thinking Eva Green for Hestia Jones, and Martin Freeman as Artemus Podmore.