Author's Note:
Convinced by my Hinny Discord friends to share my research and my notes on my tumblr. I don't know why, as I've had tumblr sine 2012 and no one liked by Beginning stuff lol, but here is my ASC stuff. So, if anyone interested in seeing stuff on the Potter history, Potter family crest, homes I chose for the aristocratic families, Tonks' engagement ring and wedding dress, Remus and Tonks' wedding rings, or anything else please go check out my tumblr — breaniebree and drop me a line!
Reviews and Comments: To alix33: I'm glad that Moony licking Animagus Harry is so cute! Yes, Fee was the first person to really show Sirius such instant love and affection and calling him darling. Thank you! To purplevictory: Thank you! To BioHazard82: Thank you! To Guest: I will write about what I like to write about, including more politics. But there will be lots of romance to come as well. Thank you. To scrappy8: Thank you! To tank2u1wood: Thank you very much! I don't know if we'll see much of political Harry, but he definitely will take his seat, just not anytime soon. Thank you! To Guest: You think Dean is going to break Ginny's heart? We'll have to see, thank you. To Leaf Ranger: I'm sorry that you've been thinking you're tired of my story for so long now. I don't know what to say to that except if you're not interested, why are you still reading it? Thanks for your thoughts. To Blue Luver5000: Thank you! To hills: Thanks for lovingly Potter family history so much! Remus is good at corralling Harry in, I agree, Sirius is the softer parent and Remus is better at getting Harry's mood lowered. Thank you! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! To coloredwords: Aww, thanks for being in love with my inner nerd! I appreciate that! We have to have a bit of moody Harry thrown in. Thank you!
To sherryola: It was a quote I liked, so I wanted to use it. Thank you. To Moony The Sheep: Nope, I definitely go way overboard with my notes, timelines, spreadsheets lol. Thank you very much! To Wolf's scream: Yes, Harry may become a target since he is rich, and yes, Sirius will tell him of this. Euphemia totally adopts Sirius. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To MaladaptiveDaydreamer: Thank you! I'm sure we'll see more memories of Sirius with the Potters. I have lots of ideas and stuff written but haven't figured out how to use them yet. I'm contemplating doing a Marauder story with them, but who knows. As to Sirius and Zee getting married and having children and/or Sirius dying, you will have to wait and see. Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: Harry can sometimes be a bit moody. You think when Harry gets back, Dean and Ginny will be dating? Wait and see. Thank you! To HJP4Life: It is very close! Thank you! To Kejta: Thank you very much! i appreciate your kind words and thanks for reading my Beginning Series back in the day! To supersandman86: LOL, no, they will not throw Harry and Ginny in a broom closet lol. Thanks for saying I did a great job with the detail about the magical world and the Potter history. Thank you!
To SeriouslyPadfoot: Thank you very much! There will be more magic, but being as I don't have magic, I sometimes don't think to add it in in random moments. LOL. Thank you! To LilyAlice5: Thank you very much! I appreciate the kind words! To Bec Mitch: Thank you! To Paola1991: Thank you! Yes, I'm sure we'll see Lily's parents again, though we did see them briefly in a memory long ago at King's Cross. Thank you! To jakegarrett94: I don't think that was a cliffhanger lol, but thank you! To hasti: Yes, Yes, I do believe that both Sirius and Regulus were taken to Madame Sweetling's or some place similar by in my opinion, either their father or grandfather, but not Walburga as I think that the pureblood families who would bring their boys there would be equally sexist in wanting the girls to be virgins (but I wouldn't put it past them to make sure they had practice on oral). Thank you! To Saz J: I wish some of my readers offered to draw fan art, but no one has offered — a Tonks and Zee drinking wine and laughing would be a good one to see. Thank you! To J Jamie Dupane: Wow! Thank you for such an incredibly long and beautiful review! I did want to show Harry dealing with some normal teenage rebellion and I tried to show that. Thank you so much for such beautiful words! To CF: Harry is a bit lost and confused and yes, Tonks comforted him. Thanks for loving my Tonks and Zee girl talk, including their love of sex lol. Thank you!
To Pottermum: Thank you. I like to add detail as I do the research first and then I always want to try to implement it somehow into the story. I enjoy using my inner nerd. As to what I will do when the story is finished? God, I don't know! I'm pretty sure this story will never end sometimes lol, but if it does, maybe I'll finish writing my own book lol. Thank you! To xXQueenofDragonsXx: I do plan to show more of Fleamont and Euphemia. I'm glad you think the bet between Zee and Tonks is hilarious! To Kmi: A second review! You're basically spoiling me now! Thanks for enjoying my heart-to-heart moments with Ginny and Hermione and then Zee and Tonks, we needed some girl time. Thank you for loving that line, I think it is spot on and neither of them are aware of it. Yes, mutual pining for sure! Thank you! To Pegg7: Thank you! LOL, you think Hermione needs to help get Harry and Ginny in the sheets? We'll see. To RedheadLover: Yes, Harry did admit the words loud that he wants more than friendship with Ginny! Thank you! To Certorian: The wait won't kill you, I promise! To Jmcglynn522: Thank you for enjoying everyone betting on Harry's love life lol. We needed some family time. Thanks for enjoying all of my research and thanks again for your feedback! Thank you!
Thanks to the lovely people in writing-nook on the Harry/Ginny Discord for helping me with this Colin scene. You are wonderful.
Thanks Steel for the idea of adding rain — so simple, but so impactful.
My posting schedule: Once a week.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE:
The One Where Harry Learns About the Potters
The memory dissolved and shifted. Harry glanced at Sirius as he found himself standing in the dark and gloomy entranceway of what he realized was Number Twelve. Sirius slammed the front door behind him. His hands were in his pockets and he looked a few years older and Harry could see the runic tattoos on his inside left forearm. The moment the door slammed shut, the life-sized and massive portrait of Walburga Black immediately began to scream at the sight of him.
"YOU DISGUST ME! NO CHILD OF MINE WILL BE A GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius ignored the portrait and dragged his trunk up the stairs to his room as Walburga, Orion, and Regulus chatted about how great Regulus' school year had been, barely acknowledging him. It was how he liked it best most times. He wondered how long he would have to wait until he could go see James.
He plopped himself onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling, grinning at the topless blonde Muggle in denim straddling a 1973 Gilera 125 Strada. James had found the poster for him last year when he had gone to New York with Fleamont. Sirius had enjoyed using a permanent sticking charm and placing it on his ceiling just to spite his mother who would hate it for the nudity and the fact that it was Muggle. A Muggle who had great tits, he thought, staring up at them.
His door banged open and he merely raised an eyebrow, his arms folded behind his head. "Hi, Mum, realized that I came home too?"
Walburga Black stood there, hands fisted at her hips and her lips curling into a sneer. "How many OWLs do you think that you will bring home?"
"Couldn't say; won't get my results for a few weeks now, will I?"
"I assume you're doing well in your studies, though Regulus says that you seem to spend a lot of time in detention. Why am I just hearing about this now? Your Head of House should be writing to me to inform me when you step out of line. I will be writing to Dumbledore about McGonagall's absolute incompetence in keeping me informed of your well-being," she demanded, looking around the room in disgust when her eyes fell on another Muggle poster: This one was a redhead in a purple bikini leaning against a 1964 BSA Thunderbolt. "And why must you decorate your walls with those awful Muggle machines?"
"I think they're cool," he told her. "McG doesn't write to you because she knows you don't care. I always get good grades, I'm sure my examination marks will be the same."
Walburga only stared at him. "Your father and I have been talking about your choices and your behaviour. In November, you're going to be seventeen."
"Aw, you remembered my birthday? I'm honoured, of course it's only June."
She was across the room and her hand slapping his cheek before he could blink. He sat up on his bed and grabbed her hand. "I'm not a child anymore, you better think again before you hit me."
Her eyes widened in fear for a moment before she masked it. "You will be seventeen this November and as the eldest son and heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, it's time for you to start to think about your future. The Dark Lord, he's approached your father and I about helping him build a better world. You should think about how you want to help him, Sirius. You would bring honour to your family."
"This so called Dark Lord is recruiting henchmen to kill and torture Muggles and Muggleborns. No, thank you."
Walburga's eyes darkened. "He wants to build a world where the pureblood wizard is praised, is worshipped, and is treated with respect! It's about time that you realize what it means to be a Black. Your father and I have decided that you will wed Alecto Carrow. She's fifteen and a member of the sacred twenty-eight. You will marry when she turns sixteen."
Sirius' mouth opened in horror. "Or not."
"No, you will. I am tired of seeing my eldest son make terrible choices. It's bad enough that you were put into Gryffindor House over Slytherin and are hanging around with a Potter — blood traitors, the whole family has been for centuries — but to be seen with that half-blood Lupin! Not to mention that Regulus tells us that the redhead you hugged goodbye at the station is a Mudblood! You should be ashamed of yourself!"
"Don't call her that!" Sirius exclaimed, his anger rising. "She's an amazing woman and I would choose her over you any day."
Walburga merely smirked. "You will marry Alecto Carrow."
"No, I won't!"
"You will marry her or I will get a message out to the Dark Lord about where this Mudblood of yours lives and we'll see how quickly you change your mind."
Sirius stood up, towering over her and pointing his wand at her heart. He didn't care that he was underage; he would use it if he had to. "If you touch her, I will kill you."
Walburga smiled. "There's the Black blood in you, my dear boy. Toujours Pur."
Sirius lowered his wand, a sense of disgust washing over him. He was NOT like his family. He wouldn't let himself be. "I'm not like you."
"Crucio!"
Sirius collapsed to the ground, biting his lip to keep from screaming as the curse brought him to his knees. When she lifted her wand, he breathed in relief, catching his breath.
"You will marry Alecto Carrow. You will produce at least two pureblood heirs, preferably male. You will graduate with honours and join the ranks of the Dark Lord as a proud member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black," she demanded, her wand pointed at him. "And you will abandon all ties with that Potter boy and his traitorous parents once and for all. Have I made myself clear?"
Sirius wiped blood from his lip, spitting on the ground in front of her. "Screw you."
The curse hit him a second time and he screamed as it coursed through him. He felt like his insides were on fire, like someone was holding them in the midst of a burning flame and crushing them with rocks at the same time. His eyes caught movement in the doorway and his eyes met his brother's who was watching wide-eyed, hidden off to the side. When she finally let him breathe, he gasped for breath and rolled onto his side.
"It's about time you start showing respect to this family," she demanded, her eyes glaring at him with hatred and contempt. "You are an embarrassment!"
Sirius climbed to his feet, grabbing his bed frame to steady his shaking legs. "Better an embarrassment than to be like you." When she raised her wand he grabbed it, ripping it from her arms. "I'm not a child that you can control anymore. The Imperius stopped working on me when I was twelve! And this is the last time that you will ever use the Cruciatus on me so, I hope that you fucking enjoyed it! I am going to be seventeen in November and I am going to be in charge of my own future! My own destiny. I will not be marrying a pureblood bitch just to breed with her. And I will not abandon my friendship with the blood traitor Potter as it would be a tad hypocritical of me being that I also befriend Muggleborns and purebloods alike."
"This is your last warning, Sirius! If you want to be part of this family, you will do as I command."
Sirius stared at her. "Then I don't want to be part of this family. I haven't been, not really, in a long time. You trying to make me now is a fucking waste of both of our time."
"You disgust me!"
Sirius merely shrugged. "As your nagging portrait told me when I walked in the door."
"Get out! Get your stuff and get out of my house! You are no longer welcome here!"
Sirius only stared at her for a moment and then he simply grabbed the trunk that he had dragged up the stairs and pulled it behind him as his mother screamed at him all the way back down. He dropped his mother's wand at the foot of the portrait and the last thing he heard was his mother blasting his name off of the family tapestry as he stepped back out onto the London street. He never looked back.
He climbed aboard the Knight Bus and was soon stepping back out on the front lawn of Clevedon Court just as the skies opened up. His lip was still bleeding and his body still trembling from the aftershocks of the Cruciatus. He stood on the front lawn, the sky crying above him soaking him to the bone as he stared up at the house for a long moment, his fingers curled around the handle of his trunk as he pulled it behind him in the rain.
The front door opened and Fleamont stepped out onto the front step. He stared at Sirius for a long moment. His eyes moved to the teen's trunk before they met the dark, turbulent eyes that were full of unshed tears before he nodded and gestured with his head.
"Are you going to stand out there all day, son? I think it's about time that you come home."
Sirius dragged his trunk behind him and stepped up onto the front step. Fleamont simply tugged him forward and wrapped his arms around him tightly, kissing the side of his head and Sirius' fingers curled into the back of the blue cotton dress shirt he was wearing and he started to cry.
Fleamont didn't speak, he simply held him close, his hands patting his back in comfort until the tears subsided and then he pressed a kiss to Sirius' forehead and smiled. "Get your trunk, son."
Sirius sniffed his tears back as he pulled the trunk into the house and Euphemia came out of the living room. She immediately rushed over to him, hugging him close and kissing his cheeks.
"Oh, welcome home, love!"
Sirius closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in her warm scent as she snuggled him close. "I… they kicked me out."
Fleamont placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder, squeezing lightly. "They can't have. This was always your real home, son." He performed a warming charm and a drying charm on Sirius since the rain had soaked him to the skin. "That's better."
Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes again and Fleamont smiled warmly at him before he turned to the house elf who had appeared there.
"Rosa, take Master Sirius' trunk up to Jamie's room. Sirius, I'll get you a pain potion to deal with the aftershocks of that curse."
Sirius' eyes met Fleamont's. "Curse?"
"How many times were you under the Cruciatus?"
Sirius swallowed slowly, his bottom lip trembling under Fleamont's steely look and he knew better than to lie. "Two."
Euphemia kissed his cheek again. "Get the potion, darling." She smiled as James came down the stairs. "Jamie, love, Sirius will be living here from now on."
James grinned. "Excellent! Welcome home, mate."
Sirius stared at the three of them in amazement. "You… I can just… move in?"
James laughed. "Well, yeah, pretty sure Mum loves you more than me anyway."
"James, I love all of my boys equally."
James smirked at her. "See? All of her boys, that includes Rem and Pete too. I'm not even her favourite anymore!"
Euphemia tugged him into her arms, ignoring his protests and covered his face in kisses. "You will always be my baby boy, Jamie, no matter how many handsome sons I have."
James grinned at her as he struggled out of her grasp. "Love you, too, Mum."
Euphemia tugged Sirius close and reached for James again, holding both boys in her arms and kissing his cheek in turn. "I love you both very much. Now, Sirius, go see Monty and get that pain potion. James, that room of yours better be spotless so that Sirius can make room for his things until I get a bedroom set up for him proper."
Sirius grinned at her. "Fee, I'm fine rooming with James, it's no trouble."
Euphemia kissed his cheek noisily. "My boys — off with you."
Sirius tenderly kissed her cheek, making her smile before he followed James up the stairs, a soft smile on his face.
He was home.
The memory dissolved and Harry found himself standing back in the sunroom next to his father. He snuck a glance at Sirius who looked a little sad.
"Uncle Siri, why didn't you move in with them sooner? I mean, if they knew how bad your parents treated you, how come they didn't try to make you leave?"
Sirius sighed. "I downplayed it. I never really thought that it was wrong the way that I grew up and once I did start to realize it, I just stopped going home. From third year onwards I spent every Christmas at Clevedon Court. I never went home in the summer for more than a week or two. I barely saw my family so, it didn't really make sense to say something about it."
"And what did your mum mean when she said McGonagall never wrote to her?"
Sirius smirked. "Minnie knew exactly who my real parents were, Harry. Whenever I earned a detention or got into trouble or did anything that she deemed noteworthy for my parents to know, she sent word to Fee and Monty. She stopped writing to my actual parents in my first year."
Harry nodded. "I'm glad that you had them."
"Me too," Sirius said sadly.
"You miss them," Harry said quietly.
"Like I lost a limb," Sirius admitted, smiling at Harry. "They would have spoiled you rotten and loved you so much. They were the best people I ever met and the way they just invited me into their home, no questions asked… I had never felt so wanted in my entire life. You have a lot of them inside of you. You have Fee's generous heart as much as your mum's and you have this way about you when you look at someone that reminds me of Monty. That trusting look that tells someone that everything will be all right and that they can trust you. It's a good quality to have."
Harry smiled at him. "Thank you for sharing that with me, Uncle Siri. I wish that I had met them. Seeing them when I… I felt loved."
"They would have spoiled the shit out of you!"
He grinned. "And like you didn't?"
Sirius grinned and swung an arm around his son's shoulders kissing his cheek. "I love you. I know that you're growing up and I know that you don't want to tell me everything anymore and I have to accept that. I can't promise you that I won't try to butt into your personal business, but I can promise not to pester you about it after you tell me no. If you don't want to talk about what happened with Mandy, that's okay too."
Harry leaned into Sirius. "I just... I didn't see it coming, Uncle Padfoot, and I should have." He pulled away and moved to stand by the windows, looking out into the back. "We… I like her, Uncle Siri. We even…"
"You even what?" Sirius asked him, his eyes on the tall, lean frame of his son. He was a young man now, he thought, more man than child. He could see the blush rising on the back of his neck as he spoke.
"In Greece we… we still had our bathing suits on, but we… humped a little and… it was kind of brilliant."
Sirius smirked slightly. He felt an odd mix of pride and horror that he wasn't sure how to distinguish. "You dry humped? Did you both climax?"
Harry's neck turned a darker shade of red. "Yes."
Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Like I said, you're growing up. She was the first?"
He nodded. "Yes. And we only did it the once."
"Harry, I feel like I'm probably the wrong person to talk to in terms of sex and the right moment. I always jump in cock first and that hasn't always worked out for me. Zahira is the exception to this and… I don't want you to move too fast. I know that coming from me that's a tad hypocritical, but just hear me out. Sex is about getting to that release, that instant gratification that comes when you orgasm. It's about pleasure and enjoyment, but it also should be done between two people who mean something to each other. Being with Zee has taught me that. Harry, dry humping is good, I know that, but you still have to be careful. Especially in bathing suits, the risk of getting a girl pregnant is still possible."
Harry closed his eyes. "I know. I don't know if I'm ready to… have sex and… I know that I wasn't ready to have sex with Mandy either, I want it to be… I don't know, it should be special, right?"
"Right," Sirius said with a smile. "And only when you and your partner are both ready." He was quiet for a moment. "You don't have to answer, but is that the reason why Mandy broke up with you? The dry humping? Did she think that you were moving too fast?"
Harry shook his head. "No, she's the one who started… that, so no. And we haven't… not since Corfu, we've just snogged, a lot, and… no, she said that... she said that I'm in love with Ginny."
Sirius' eyebrow rose. "Are you?"
Harry stared at his feet. "I don't know."
Sirius slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I think that you should take some time to figure that out. But remember, don't take too much time because that little spitfire isn't going to wait around on you forever."
"You think that she's waiting around on me?" he asked, sneaking a look at Sirius from beneath his long lashes.
Sirius grinned. "Take some time for yourself, Harry, and think about what you want. Thats's what's important. Once you figure that out, talk to Ginny and tell her what's been going on. You keep saying she's your friend, well, no matter what you decide, as your friend, she deserves to know. Think about it."
Harry nodded, his eyes on Sirius.
That sounded like a good plan.
~ ASC ~
When Harry returned to school that Sunday afternoon, he felt a little lost in thought. Ginny was very much on his mind, but so was all of the information that Sirius had shared with him. Marquess of Somerset — it seemed a little overwhelming. Not to mention the warning that Sirius had given him before he left.
"Some girls are going to be after you for your title, Harry. Be careful and wary of them; the older you get the more of a potential high ranking bachelor you'll be and girls will flock towards you."
Harry hadn't really known what to make of that and decided that he would rather not think about it. He had his broom and his Quidditch bag in his hand as he left Remus' suite and made his way back to Gryffindor Tower. He found Neville in the dorm room rifling through his trunk.
"Hey, Nev."
"Hey, Harry," Neville said, tossing some pyjamas behind him. "Have you seen my history textbook?"
Harry shook his head. "No, sorry."
Neville sighed and dug deeper into his trunk.
"Hey, Nev, do you know about all the, you know, nobility and stuff?"
Neville lifted his head out of his trunk and scratched his chin. "You mean like Cumbria?" At Harry's nod, he smiled. "Yeah, I think that it's a little terrifying. I mean, you know that Gran's always had the house elves call me m'lord since I was a kid. Uncle Algie's been having me help with the paperwork and the little bits of it for the last two summers."
Harry nodded. "Uncle Sirius just told me today. I mean, I always knew my parents were rich and everything and I knew that Uncle Siri was the Viscount, but… wow."
Neville smiled sympathetically at him. "Bit overwhelming, eh?" He stood up and moved to sit on his friend's bed. "It's not as bad as you think it is. Mostly it's the little roles we play. We are the go-between for the witches and wizards in our county technically to speak with the Ministry of Magic on their behalf. Most of them don't even use us for that anymore since the Ministry has become more modern. Since we do have wealth, it is our responsibility to help defend our county if need be and Gran says that includes the Muggles who may live near the area being attacked. According to Gran, as head of the Longbottom Family it is my responsibility to ensure that those around me are safe, protected, and free from harm. In the old days that meant forming armies and using our magic to protect them, but now it's our voices and we use them in the Wizengamot and in the Parliament if necessary. Gran says that no Longbottom has sat in Parliament since my grandfather died as my dad never did. She thinks that I should take my seat when I come of age. In the Muggle world that's eighteen, but she recommends waiting until I turn twenty-one when I claim my seat on the Wizengamot, but she's been hinting at maybe having me take the oath early and sitting in to learn things."
Harry scratched his itchy chin as he realized that he was full of patchy stubble again. He was finding that he was having to shave more often now and he wasn't too fond of it. "I don't know if I'm into the politics thing. Uncle Sirius is so good at it."
Neville nodded. "Yeah, me neither. But Gran says that most witches and wizards are just there to vote and to be part of the decision making process. Besides, according to my Gran, Sirius is a political mastermind."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess he kind of is. That does make it seem a little less scary."
Neville grinned. "Sirius just sprung it all on you, eh?"
He shrugged. "Yes, and no. I mean, I did know some of it, but he more or less told me my official title and what I will be coming into when I turn seventeen. He says that he will be training me to understand how everything works and how to deal with my role. We're going to go to Gringotts during my free period tomorrow to start looking at what's in my vaults."
Neville nodded. "Sounds fun. Do you think that Sirius would mind if I asked him to help me understand my investments? Gran just leaves it all up to the goblins which is fine I guess, but I think that I'd like to understand how it all works too."
Harry shrugged. "He'd probably love it. He's weirdly into that stuff."
Neville grinned. "Great. I'll write to him after dinner today." He sighed and looked around his messy bed with his trunk belongings strewn everywhere as he moved back to his own bed to search again. "Why can't I remember where I put that bloody book?"
Harry pulled out his wand. "Accio Neville's history textbook."
The book in question came soaring out from under Ron's bed and landed in front of Harry.
Neville sighed. "Why didn't I think of that?"
Harry chuckled as he tossed the book at his friend, putting his Quidditch stuff away. "Couldn't tell you."
"By the way, Hermione said that you got plowed by a Bludger yesterday because you couldn't take your eyes off of Ginny?"
Harry gave him a pointed look. "Hermione doesn't know what she's talking about. I was watching the Chaser tryouts, not Ginny."
"Not the whole time," Neville said with a grin. "Mandy's had to notice by now."
Harry blew his fringe out of his hair. "Yeah — she — uh, she broke up with me last night."
Neville's smile faded. "I'm sorry, Harry."
Harry shook his head. "No, she had the right of it. Maybe I was watching Ginny and… wake me at dinner, okay? I need to get some sleep."
Neville nodded as Harry stripped down to his boxers and crawled into his bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. "Will do. But Harry?" Harry turned back to look at Neville as he spoke. "Don't let Dean beat you to the finish line. I like the bloke, but if I have to listen to him tell me about Ginny's luscious tits after he's touched them, I'm going to punch him and frankly, you might kill him."
Harry snorted. "Ginny won't fall for Dean's charms, she's smarter than that."
Neville only stared at him. "Not if someone gets his arse in gear and asks her out already."
"Nev… Ginny doesn't like me like that way."
Neville shook his head. "You know, Harry, sometimes you really are thick, aren't you?"
Harry only stared after him as he watched his friend leave the dorm with his history book and he shook his head. Neville didn't know what he was talking about, he thought. He used his wand to close his bed curtains, tucking his wand under his pillow before he closed his eyes and was out like a light and his dreams were all of Ginny.
~ ASC ~
When classes started the next day, Harry felt rather well-rested. He had gone to bed soon after dinner and woken up around four that morning, wide-awake. Looking to burn off some energy, he had snuck out of his dorm and went for a run around the Quidditch pitch first in his Animagus form and then as himself. He showered and dressed for the day and then took the folder that Sirius had given him down into the common room to study until it was breakfast time.
Harry opened the folder up, smiling at the stamp of his family crest on the front cover. Notes had been made along the side in small cramped writing that he didn't recognize.
The Potter Family Crest:
⇒ The gold on the edge of the helmet, the golden tassels, the gold ribbon displaying the family name, and the gold Hippocampus represents generosity and elevation of the mind.
⇒ The silver and white of the feathers, the three white cinquefoils represent peace and sincerity.
⇒ The black feathers, black shield, and black ermines represent constancy or grief.
⇒ The red outline of the helmet and red border of the ribbon bearing the family name "Potter" represents military strength and magnanimity whether through that of a warrior or that of a martyr.
⇒ Cinquefoils represent the Rose of Venus, maternal love.
⇒ Ermines represent nobility and dignity.
⇒ Hippocampus (or seahorse) symbolizes the important partnership between males and females. Patience, serenity and persistence. Stalwart-do-gooders with a natural desire to help people, particularly those who cannot truly help themselves. It represents protection, inflexibility, friendliness, contentment, high-perception, generosity or sharing, and a strong connection to the water element.
Harry stared down at the writing in surprise. So much of what was represented on his family crest actually sounded like him which he found incredibly surprising and a little unnerving. He flipped to the second page where the family tree was drawn out, detailing births and deaths of his family members. He browsed the many names in interest, moving over page after page until he found his own name scrawled. His fingertip traced the lettering for a moment before he moved to what was next.
The same cramped neat writing filled the parchment:
Important Potters:
Linfred of Stinchcombe: Being the earliest known ancestor from the 12th century living in the village of Stinchcombe, Gloucestershire. He was known to be rather eccentric and absent-minded, but with a helpful nature and affability that made everyone like him. Muggle neighbours often visited seeking remedies for their ailments and he grew his own ingredients in his garden. He was nicknamed "The Potterer" for his invention of many medicinal potions including potions that developed into ones that we use today such as Skele-Gro and Pepperup Potion. He fathered seven children, leaving each of them quite wealthy upon his death.
Hardwin Potter: Eldest son of Linfred, married Iolanthe Peverell of Godric's Hollow, the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell who inherited the Cloak of Invisibility. Iolanthe told Hardwin that possession of the cloak was kept a secret and he respected her wishes, passing the cloak down through the Potter family to the eldest child of each new generation.
Simon Potter: Grandson of Hardwin Potter, and well-known Potioneer who further developed his great-grandfather's potions and happily assisted King Edward III and his wife, Philippa, in the birth of their thirteen children. When Simon's wife, Lady Matilda Clevedon's father, Sir John Clevedon, died, the manor home he had built was left to his only daughter and son-in-law and Simon and Matilda moved to Somerset. From then on out, Clevedon Court became the home of the Potter seat. Simon continued his work, serving as the royal healer in the court of the King of England and in 1348, King Edward III granted him the title, Marquess of Somerset. Simon served as Lord Potter in the Wizengamot of the Wizard's Council, eventually serving as Chief Warlock. Lord Potter also sat at the king's table in the court of King Edward III and his grandson, King Richard II.
Ralston Potter: Served as Lord Potter in the Wizengamot of the Wizard's Council from 1612-1652 and was a staunch advocate of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy voting to not go to war with the Muggles, but to live and work alongside of them.
Abraham Potter: Was one of the first of the original twelve Aurors recruited to go to America in 1694 and to help train witches and wizards to deal with the difficulties of the post-Salem Witch Trials era.
Nathan Jeffrey Potter: Elusive pirate in the 17th century, daughter Katherine. Sailed with his twin brother, James. He is credited with being the cursebreaker to break through the underwater tombs in the Mediterranean
James Jeffrey Potter: Elusive pirate in the 17th century. Sailed with his twin brother, Nathan. He is credited with being the cursebreaker to break through the underwater tombs in the Mediterranean
Katherine Potter Andreyushkin: Lady Potter, daughter of elusive pirate Nathan Potter; Ability to perform multiple Patronuses (3 animals: Dolphin, Dog, Bear). She fell in love with Russian Lord Niklaus Andreyushkin and her bear Patronus represents him. She was killed by Dementor army feeding off of coast of Iceland.
Joan Potter: Inventor of Hiccup Sweets.
Henry Potter: Served as Lord Potter on the Wizengamot from 1913-1921. He caused a minor controversy by publicly condemning the Minister of Magic Archer Evermonde's decision to forbid witches and wizards in aiding the Muggles in the Great War (1914-1918). His outspoken and pro-Muggle views are one of the main reasons the Potters were excluded from the document titled "The Sacred Twenty-Eight."
Fleamont Potter: Eldest son of Henry Potter. After graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, developed Sleekeazy's Hair Potion and in November of 1926, wooed American witches with its success, quadrupling the family gold. He was a prominent member of the Wizengamot as Lord Potter until his death by Dragon Pox in 1980.
Charlus Potter: Second son of Henry Potter. He served as a Hit Wizard in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. His wife Dorea Black Potter and their only son William were all killed by Death Eaters in 1974.
Harry stared at the list of names in interest. He had known that his grandfather had invented Sleekeazy's, but the thought of his ancestors having created Skele-Gro and Pepperup Potion on top of it made his head spin. Hiccup Sweets? Pirates? Maybe he did need to pay more attention in Potions class, he thought.
The next page was titled: The Sacred Twenty-Eight.
THE SACRED TWENTY-EIGHT:
After much research into the Most Ancient and Noble Families within the United Kingdom, it has been concluded that only twenty-eight of us are still living within an ancestral realm of blood purity.
We are a rare breed who must strive to survive the growing miscegenation of our society, who are tainting and muddying our noble and ancient blood with that of the Muggle. Or worse, that of the magical creatures such as Wolves or Fae or Veela.
It is up to the Sacred Twenty-Eight to preserve the purity of the magical bloodlines at all cost and to never allow it to be tainted.
1. Abbott
2. Avery
3. Black
4. Bulstrode
5. Burke
6. Carrow
7. Crouch
8. Fawley
9. Flint
10. Gaunt
11. Greengrass
12. Lestrange
13. Longbottom
14. Macmillan
15. Malfoy
16. Nott
17. Ollivander
18. Parkinson
19. Prewett
20. Rosier
21. Rowle
22. Selwyn
23. Shacklebolt
24. Shafiq
25. Slughorn
26. Travers
27. Weasley
28. Yaxley.
The following have been excluded from the Sacred Twenty-Eight for the safety of keeping the blood pure and unmolested by those deemed unworthy to carry the pureblood name.
House of Campbell — married a Mudblood
House of Goldstein — married a Squib
House of Jones — illegitimate child with Muggle
House of Lovegood — Pro-Muggle views and sympathies
House of Potter — Pro-Muggle views and sympathies
House of Scamander — attachment to beasts worrisome and Pro-Muggle sympathies
House of York — last surviving son died in Grindelwald's riot in Paris, 1927
If steps are not taken to ensure blood purity within the United Kingdom, those who possess so called "pure magical blood" will be forced to delve further into Europe to find families of similar social standing and acceptable bloodlines to marry into.
It will be that only children with the purest of blood will be born from here on out.
Anonymous, 1931
Harry made a face of disgust as he read the document over a second time. If it truly had been Theo's grandfather who had written such a document with such views, he was glad that the House of Potter had been considered too Pro-Muggle to be put on the list. He had no desire to be on the so-called sacred list anyway.
The next piece of parchment was a list of companies both magical and Muggle that he held a stock in; followed by a list of charities that the Potter Family donated to on a regular basis. The whole thing was making his head spin and when he looked at the numbers moving in across the page, changing by the second, as the stock markets shifted and fluxed, the large number at the bottom made him blanch.
What would he ever do with this much gold?
He turned to the last page which was a list of Potter properties:
⇒ Clevedon Court, Somerset
⇒ Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow
⇒ Potter's Paradise, Barbados
⇒ Potter Manor, Brighton
⇒ Potter Villa, off Amalfi Coast and Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
⇒ The Potterer Herbological Garden Centre, Devon
⇒ Enchantment Winery, Alsace, France
⇒ Euphemia's Potions Winery, Bordeaux, France
⇒ Jacobite Uisge Beathe, distillery in Edinburgh, Scotland
⇒ Potter Potion Warehouse, New York, USA (Sleekeazy's Hair Potions)
⇒ Potter Potion Warehouse, Liverpool (Skele-Gro and Pepperup Potions)
Harry only stared at the papers for a moment more before he turned back to the first few pages that listed the family tree, glancing over the many names. His family had stuck within the same pureblood families for centuries he noted. He flipped back to the last page of the family tree to where his name was written.
Fleamont Henry Potter m. Euphemia Macha Fawley
|
James Fleamont Potter m. Lily Rose Mary-Brenna Evans (mb)
|
Harry James Potter (hb)
Evans Family: Muggles from Cokeworth, Midlands; parents Deacon Richard Evans (Secondary School history professor) and Cecilia Daffodil Evans (homemaker, part-time bank teller).
Harry frowned slightly at the letters next to his name and his mother's, but as he read it, he realized the importance of it. He was the first half-blood of the Potter family line and for some reason it gave him an odd sense of elation. Cokeworth, he thought, smiling at the name. He had never known that his mother was from there, nor what his grandparents' names had been.
His grandfather had taught history; that was oddly surprising. He wondered what he had been like. He remembered Sirius telling him that his grandparents had died in a car crash when his mother had been in seventh year.
He scratched his chin and leaned back against the cushion of the sofa just as the cushion next to him was filled with bushy brown curls.
"Hi, Hermione."
Hermione smiled at him and leaned over to look at the folder. "What are you studying so intently so early this morning?"
"Uncle Sirius gave it to me. It's my family history. My grandfather was a secondary school teacher. He taught history in the Cotswolds."
"That's really interesting, Harry," Hermione said, smiling at him. "You never met him?"
He shook his head. "No, he and my grandmother died in a car crash when my mum was in seventh year. Uncle Siri said that her sister abandoned her, thought that she was a freak, so my dad and their group of friends kind of adopted her."
"Your poor mum. I couldn't imagine having a sister who didn't have the ability to use magic though. That had to be really tough on both of them."
Harry shrugged. "I guess."
"May I?" she asked.
Harry passed her the folder and she flipped to the page titled 'Important Potters' and smiled.
"The Potters invented Skele-Gro! And Pepperup Potion! And Sleekeazy's! Harry, this is brilliant and look, one of your ancestors helped train the original Aurors in the Magical Congress of the United States of America! This is wonderful!"
He smiled. "Seems like my family was always Potioneers, Politicians, and Aurors with a few loose cannons thrown in. See, it says James Jeffery Potter and Nathan Jeffrey Potter were a pirates in the seventeenth century and credited with being the curse breaker to break through underwater tombs in the Mediterranean. And Joan Potter invented Hiccough Sweets."
Hermione smiled. "This is honestly really wonderful. You're very lucky to have this."
Harry nodded, his eyes on her. "I know." He closed the folder and checked his watch. "It has to be time for breakfast soon, I'm starving."
She smiled at him. "Half an hour. So, why were you up so early? Just couldn't sleep?"
Harry shrugged. "Mostly, yeah. I did sleep most of the day yesterday and I think it just threw my schedule out of whack, but it was worth it. We ran outside in the woods and you could just see the difference it made in Uncle Moony."
"I'm glad."
He nodded and scratched his nose. "Er, Mandy and I broke up, too."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? I didn't know that you were planning on breaking up with her."
"I wasn't. She broke up with me."
"Oh, Harry," Hermione said moving to hug him.
He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm fine, Hermione. Honest."
"Did she say why?"
Harry shrugged. "Doesn't matter. She said that she needs some time and some space, but maybe we can still be friends."
"You should try to be friends. You both got along really well."
He nodded.
"But she was smart, Harry, and she mentioned more than once that you were fairly distracted during Quidditch tryouts. We both know that you should have seen that Bludger coming at you."
Harry gave her a look. "I was watching the Chasers like I was supposed to be. I needed to make sure that they were not only playing well, but merging well with Angelina and Katie. I lost focus for a moment and yes, my leg still hurts."
Hermione smiled at him. "We both know that you were only watching one of the Chasers, Harry."
"I don't know what you mean."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "If you're going to play the fool, I won't stop you, but you should know that I think you're an idiot."
Harry watched her storm off, his face set in annoyance. She didn't know what she was talking about, he thought bitterly.
But Sirius' words were echoing in his mind. He needed to take some time for himself and think about what he really wanted. If he was going to do this, he had to be sure.
The flash of red out of the corner of his eye had his head turning as he watched that glorious mane of red hair tumble over her shoulders and down her back as she hugged Colin, saying something that made him laugh.
He had to be sure, he repeated, grabbing his folder to put it away as his stomach let out a loud unhappy grumble. First, he had to get some food and then he would worry about everything else.
~ ASC ~
Classes that day started off pretty much the same as Binns droned on and on about some rebellion with the goblins and Harry did his best to pay attention. He was yawning hugely when he stepped into Arithmancy and found himself paired with Theo for a small project.
He sat across from him, eyes on his lean form, and noticed that he looked a little worse for wear himself this morning. Once Professor Vector had instructed them on the mathematics needed, Harry slid his chair closer to Theo so that they could go over the algorithm together. They worked in companionable silence for ten minutes before Theo suddenly turned to him.
"Does your godfather know of any good lawyers?"
Harry frowned in surprise. "Er, I suppose so, yeah. Why?"
Theo shrugged. "I am looking to invest in one, but I need to find someone that I can trust. Sirius Black is well known within the Ministry of Magic these days, I thought that he may have some suggestions."
Harry stared at him for a moment. "I'm going to see him this afternoon to go over some noble stuff, I can ask him."
Theo made a face, leaning in to whisper to him. "Precisely what I want to talk to a lawyer about. Auntie Cissa says that I can claim my title at sixteen."
Harry nodded, his eyes on Theo. "But your father is the Marquess, is he not?"
Theo shrugged. "And a wanted man. That should be taken into consideration."
"I'll ask Uncle Sirius today and get back to you."
"Thanks, Potter."
The bell rang signalling the end of class and Vector told them that they would be continuing their work on Wednesday with their assigned partners. Harry trekked back up to Gryffindor Tower to put his books away, grabbing his notebook for International Magical Relations before heading down to the Great Hall for lunch. Today they were to be starting the language component of the class and Hermione was beside herself with excitement.
Harry was really unsure on what language he wanted to learn and even now he wasn't sure if he had made the best choice. He had spoken to everyone and written to everyone looking for suggestions. The list in his notebook of pros and cons was long and in the end, he had chosen the one that most interested him and decided to go from there. So over the course of the school year he would be studying ancient Greek.
Professor Babbling divided up the class of nineteen between the three languages. Only himself, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones had opted for ancient Greek. Dean, Seamus, Lavender, Parvati, Sally-Anne Perks, and Megan Jones chose Mermish. Leaving Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ernie Macmillan, Kevin Entwhistle, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Wayne Hopkins, and Roger Malone to study Gobbledegook.
Harry said goodbye to his friends and moved to sit with Hannah and Susan, feeling a little uneasy at the prospect of sitting with his ex-girlfriend's two best friends. He sat next to Hannah and nodded at the two girls.
"So, ancient Greek, eh?"
Hannah smiled warmly at him. "I think that it will be rather fascinating. Plus ancient Greek helps you understand all sorts of medical terms and my mum wants me to be a Healer one day so it would totally help."
"Do you want to be a healer?" Harry asked her.
Hannah only shrugged.
"The Cyrillic and Greek alphabets are pretty similar so, I think learning it would be beneficial later in learning other languages later on," Susan said.
Harry agreed with her. "I just thought that it would be interesting and like the syllabus said learning ancient Greek can help with Runes, Arithmancy, curse breaking, and ultimately increase your spell repertoire because of the Latin and Greek combination. I thought it sounded more fun than Mermish or Gobbledegook."
Hannah smiled. "I agree. However, understanding Gobbledegook would be good from a financial standpoint, but this seemed better."
He looked up at Professor Babbling when she placed three textbooks in front of them. "For next Monday, I want you to study the alphabet, how the characters are written, and why. I will be working with you personally."
"You're not teaching the other languages?" Harry asked in surprise.
Professor Babbling smiled. "I am fluent in all three, but ancient Greek is my specialty. Professor Dumbledore has agreed to teach Mermish with the help of the Merchieftaness Murcus from the Black Lake, who is a personal friend to Dumbledore. Professor Carthaginian will be teaching Gobbledegook."
Harry nodded in interest and opened the textbook to the first page which listed the Greek alphabet. "Professor, is it comparable to modern Greek?"
"It is similar," Babbling said with a smile. "Once you've mastered ancient Greek, it wouldn't take you no more than a month or two to master modern Greek. We'll talk more about it next week."
Harry nodded as the bell sounded and he put the textbook in his bag along with his notebook. He stood up and then hesitated, moving back over to Hannah and Susan. "Erm, how's Mandy?"
Susan's eyes darkened. "You broke her heart. How do you think she is?"
Hannah placed a hand on Susan's arm. "Suze, that's not fair. Mandy broke up with him, remember?" She gave Harry a sympathetic look. "She's okay, but she is a little heartbroken, she really liked you, Harry."
"I like her, too," he admitted, his eyes sad.
"But sometimes no matter how much we like each other, we know that we aren't we aren't meant for each other," Hannah said before she squeezed his arm gently and gestured for Susan to follow her.
Harry shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched them go. He knew that he and Mandy weren't meant for each other. But he had really liked her. He missed her while at the same time, he felt a bit relieved that they weren't together anymore.
It was those conflicting thoughts that were bothering him the most.
He grabbed his bag off the table and told his friends where he was going before he headed to his father's office where he found Sirius waiting for him. They had some exploring and finances to discuss.
~ ASC ~
Theo looked up at the sound of someone sitting next to him in the library as he tried to work on his Transfiguration paper before dinner and he smiled at Colin. His curly blonde hair seemed even more flyaway than usual and his tongue was sticking out the side of his mouth as if he was contemplating something.
"Creevey."
Colin nodded and let out a slow sigh, sliding his chair closer to Theo. "Homework before dinner? You must have exciting plans."
Theo snorted as he thought about how he had been ordered to meet Macmillan on the seventh floor at seven. "Not really. What are you doing in here?"
"Looking for you actually," he said, wiping his sweaty palms on the sides of his pants. "How did you know that you were gay?"
Theo glanced at the lanky teen next to him in surprise. It was the last thing that he had expected Colin to ask him. "Well, I think that I always knew. Why?"
Colin shrugged and dragged his fingers through his wild afro of pale curls as they only bounced back into place. "I was just curious."
He stared at him, watching him bounce nervously in the chair next to him. "Colin, are you worried that you might be gay?"
"I don't know. I should know, right?" he asked, his eyes bright as they stared at Theo.
Theo smiled and leaned on his elbow, turning to give his friend his full attention. "What makes you think that you might be?"
Colin shrugged again. "Well, I don't know, maybe nothing."
He merely raised an eyebrow in response.
Colin sighed. "Okay, so today in Potions class I found myself staring at Ginny for the longest time. She had her nose all crinkled up in disgust from the awful smell that was emerging from someone's cauldron. It was green and definitely not the Calming Draught that we were supposed to be brewing and her freckles made her face look darker in the dim light of the dungeon and all I could think about was how pretty she is and how beautiful she looks in the bright light or the low light or any light really."
Theo grinned at Colin's ramble. "That sounds like you fancy Ginny, Colin. And I can promise you, with tits like hers, she's not a bloke."
He smiled. "I know. And she does have fabulous tits, I mean, it's wrong of me to look at them because we're friends, but sometimes I just want to as they're, you know, there, but then I think about what kissing her would be like and I love her like a sister so that seems wrong too so, then I thought maybe it was just a friendship thing so, I imagined kissing you, and that was weird."
Theo tilted his head to grin at him. "Colin, you know that you can be attracted to both blokes and birds, right? You don't have to choose one that you like better. It's about finding the person who makes you happy, not the gender."
Colin nodded, still wiping his sweaty palms on the side of his pants. "I had a dream last night that Ginny and Luna were on my bed snogging and both of them were topless."
Theo's grin widened. "That's a great dream. Did you wake up hard?"
"So hard," he said, blushing. "Then after I, you know, I went to take a shower and David was in there and he was also, you know, and well… I couldn't help but watch."
"Did David catch you?"
Colin nodded. "He told me that I could watch and then when he finished he called me a freak and I felt… wrong. But I liked it, Theo. I liked watching his hands move along his cock like that and I… am I gay?" He buried his face in his hands. "I feel like I don't know who I am!"
Theo grabbed Colin's hand and tugged him up to his feet. "Come with me."
He dragged Colin from the library and down to an empty classroom on the left, closing the door behind him. Colin merely looked up at him, his eyes wide.
Theo crossed his arms in front of his chest as he stared at his friend. He had always thought Colin was adorable, his curly blonde hair and tall lean frame was making him grow into an attractive bloke. He knew that he was Muggleborn and loved photography, but other than the few times that he had been around when he had been with Ginny, he had never really spent any time alone with the bloke. He watched him now, his blue eyes wide, his curly blonde hair wildly flyaway from his hands and badly in need of a trim. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his Gryffindor tie crooked and his laces on his trainers were undone. He looked adorably sexy, Theo thought.
He took a step towards him. "Okay, so you are attracted to Ginny and Luna yet it also excited you when David stroked his cock, am I getting this right?"
Colin nodded, swallowing slowly. "Er, yes?"
"Okay, let's try an experiment then."
His soft lips opened in a surprised oh. "Like what?"
Theo smiled and leaned in a little closer. "Trust me. Close your eyes." At Colin's look, he chuckled. "Close your eyes, Colin."
Colin let out a slow breath, his hands gripping the table behind him tightly before he closed his eyes.
Theo stared at him for a moment. Colin's cheeks were a little flushed and he smiled as he realized that he could practically see the wheels turning in the boy's mind wondering what was going to happen now that his eyes were closed.
"Keep your eyes closed," Theo said.
"They are!"
He grinned. "Okay, I want you to imagine soft lips pressed against yours. Soft kisses against your mouth. That hot, wet mouth is moving down your neck, over your shoulders, down your chest. Fingers are unbuttoning your shirt as the mouth moves lower, kissing down your chest softly. Are you imagining it?"
Colin nodded, his mouth parted slightly. "Uh-huh."
Theo smiled. "That hot mouth keeps kissing you as nimble fingers tug your zipper down. Hands slip into your underwear and free your cock, stroking it. Then that delicious mouth and those soft lips wrap around your cock and they look up, your cock in their mouth, and they make eye contact with you. Who is it?"
Colin flushed dark red. "What?"
Theo grinned. "Who has their lips wrapped around your cock?"
Colin mumbled something under his breath.
"Colin, tell me."
"It was… Harry," he whispered.
Theo grinned. "Well, that answers your question, doesn't it?"
Colin blushed. "That just… just like that?"
Theo smiled at him. "I never said he or she, I just said imagine lips and you imagined Potter, who I totally believe is completely hung by the way so, I think that makes you like blokes."
Colin sighed. "But… girls…"
Theo leaned in closer to him. "Potter or Ginny on their knees right now, which one would you choose to suck your cock?"
Colin blushed scarlet and covered his face with his hands. "That's… I can't say."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
Colin peaked at him between his fingers. "Because I want both of them."
Theo grinned. "There's nothing with that, Colin."
Colin frowned. "That seems greedy."
Theo chuckled. "It's not greedy. It doesn't mean you choose to be with multiple people at the same time, though if you do that's your prerogative, but it means that you are attracted to both sexes."
Colin scratched his head. "Oh."
He smirked and pat Colin's arm gently. "Unless you are on the brink of making a life altering choice, I'm not sure why needing to know this very minute was so important to you."
"Because… because I like Ginny, Theo, I mean, I really like her and when I look at her, all I can think about is how she gets more beautiful every day and that she'll never be mine. That I will always be in the friend column no matter what I do and that even if I did find my way out, her heart belongs to someone else."
"Potter," Theo said with a nod. "Not that she'd admit it, but it's Potter. In your fantasy you had both of them."
Colin blushed as he nodded. "The thing is… I love her. She's my best friend, my first magical friend, and as much as I'm attracted to her, I'm not in love with her. We're better off as friends that much is obvious and yet I can't stop — it doesn't make sense."
"Okay, so again: Why did you need to know this very minute?"
Colin sighed and let out a slow breath. "I just don't know what to do. If I admit that I like blokes and birds, now what?"
"What do you mean, 'now what?'"
"Now what do I do with this information?"
Theo chuckled as he watched him tap his fingers on the table behind him. "You don't do anything, Colin. You're still you. You are attracted to blokes and you are attracted to birds. Now that you know that, you move at your own pace. If you find someone that you think you might like, you maybe flirt a little and go from there. It's not going to change anything."
"But what if I don't know how to flirt and I don't know how to kiss and they laugh at me because I don't know anything about relationships or having a boyfriend or a girlfriend and I know the fantasy I just had about Harry is just a fantasy because everyone knows that he's not into blokes and I don't know what to do or how to go about anything or — mmph."
Theo's hand covered Colin's lips to stop him from talking. He leaned in close and his eyes met his. Colin's eyes drifted down to his lips and he let out a shaky breath so Theo leaned in and pressed his lips to his. Colin opened his mouth hesitantly. He kissed him softly, deeply, and slipped him a little tongue before he pulled away.
"Now you've kissed someone. Breathe."
Colin stared at him, his breathing heavy. "I — um — er…"
Theo smiled. "You are absolutely adorable, Colin Creevey, and trust me, you'll find someone who wants to be with you when you're ready. And when the time comes, I promise to help you in any way that I can."
Colin continued to stare at him. "Could you… could you maybe do that again?"
Theo raised an eyebrow. "Do what again?"
"Kiss me."
Theo slid his hand along Colin's cheek, cupping the back of his neck as he leaned in and kissed him softly. It was soft and sweet and when he pulled away, Colin was grinning foolishly.
"You're really good at that."
Theo smiled. "Thanks. Colin, I like you, but we're friends and —"
"— No," he interrupted, shaking his head. "I know. I feel the same. I mean, you have a really great arse."
"I know," Theo said, his eyes twinkling.
"Like a really great arse," Colin continued. "You're good looking, Theo, I know that, but I don't like you as more than a friend and I just needed to be sure, I guess. I'm sorry. Thank you."
Theo grinned at him. "You're welcome."
Colin slipped his hands into his pockets and snuck a glance at him. "But the kiss was really nice."
Theo smiled and grabbed his book bag off the floor. "Yeah, it was. Come on, let's go to dinner and Colin? I'm always here if you have any questions, about anything."
Colin nodded and when he turned to lead the way down to the Great Hall, Theo smiled. He wished that he could remember a time when he had been that innocent. Macmillan caught his eye as they stepped into the Great Hall and he sobered, swallowing slowly. He didn't have that luxury.
He hoped Potter got back to him soon about that potential lawyer.
~ ASC ~
Harry and Sirius had spent over three hours in the Potter vaults within Gringotts and Harry felt like his head was spinning. Sirius had told him that he had taken the little jewellery box with his grandparents and parents important things out years ago and had it locked in his vault in Black Cottage for Harry to go through, but the rest just seemed massive.
Not only was every vault full of gold and jewels, but they were full of art and sculptures and priceless tapestries or old clothing and portraits of family members who had long died. Harry had found himself having a rather in depth conversation on war with his great-grandfather Henry's portrait, who insisted that casualties would have been way down if the Minister of Magic had allowed witches and wizards to intervene properly in the Great War.
It had been amazing and overwhelming.
He looked over at Sirius when his arm came around his shoulders.
"Does your brain hurt yet? Mine hurts and I was only looking at you."
Harry grinned. "A little, yeah. But I'm glad that we did this and I see what you mean about me not having to do much to maintain it."
"It all takes care of itself for the most part, Harry. You just have to know where to keep your fingers in all the pies."
He nodded. "I think that I can do that."
Sirius smiled. "Once a month we'll go over it together, okay? It will help you keep a better understanding of what's going on and will help you keep track of it all. The more we do it, the more you'll be able to handle it all yourself."
Harry nodded. "That sounds great, thanks."
"Want to stop at a pub and grab a bite?" he asked, looking at his watch. "I think that you missed dinner."
Harry readily agreed and they slid into Muggle London to find some place to eat. Once they were seated and had each ordered a plate of fish and chips, Harry asked Sirius about lawyers.
"I know a few, I reckon," Sirius told him as he sipped his pint. "Who's looking?"
"Theodore Nott," Harry said. "He mentioned something about his upcoming sixteenth birthday and being able to claim his rights with his father being wanted by the Ministry? I don't know how much of that is true or not, but he says that he needs to find someone who he can trust with his estate."
Sirius frowned at that. "Hmm, that is interesting."
"Is he right?"
"Well, in theory, maybe. I'll look into it. I think I know someone who could potentially help."
Harry nodded. "Okay, I'll let him know."
"How were your classes today otherwise?"
"Okay," Harry said, shrugging. "Binns was as boring as usual. I'm working with Theo on these algorithms for Arithmancy. Babbling divided us up according to language and it's just me, Hannah, and Susan learning ancient Greek from our class — you know, Mandy's friends."
"Ah," Sirius said, his eyes on his son. "Is that awkward?"
"I don't know yet," Harry told honestly. "Susan seems to be holding a bigger grudge than Hannah. We'll see."
"And anymore thoughts on Ginny?"
Harry only took a long drink of his tea. "Any new ideas on where the diadem could be hiding?"
Sirius grinned. "Okay, not so subtle subject change, I can take a hint." He picked up a chip from his plate, tapping some of the salt off the fry before popping it into his mouth. "No, and I haven't thought about it. I've been too busy working on the War Council. King is hoping to get the first recruits into training within the next two weeks and we'll see."
He nodded. "You're going to sign up."
Sirius stared at his son before he reached across the table and placed his hand over his. "I am. I'm not a sit on the sidelines kind of bloke, Harry, and I know that you aren't either. But this is for seventeen and older and I am signing up. I want to do my part just as much as you do."
Harry stared down at his food. "I want to help fight him."
"And you will," Sirius told him. "When it's the right time. In the meantime, I am giving you and your marauders the job of the diadem. We know that it has to be somewhere inside the school. Find it, Harry. Start looking and see what you can dig up. Explore the castle and maybe you'll find new secret passages to add to the map."
Harry smiled. "I can do that."
Sirius grinned back. "So, let's embark on a new hunt. Operation FUVP is back in action and I will work on the Order stuff. Deal?"
"Deal."
End Author's Notes:
I wrote the Sacred Twenty-Eight wording and added the random names of those not included, the twenty-eight names listed are from Pottermore.
Real historical figures mentioned:
King Edward III = real king of England (actually his heir King Richard II is the one who created the first Marquess title in England in 1386, the Marquess of Dublin, I made it forty years earlier to the made up character of Simon Potter)
John de Clevedon = architect of Clevedon Court, real manor house in Somerset (made up his daughter Matilda)
Known Potter family members mentioned:
Charlus Potter and Dorea Black = not clear on how they were connected to Harry, I decided to make Charlus be the younger brother of Fleamont; made up the name of their son, William
Linfred of Stinchcome = earliest known Potter
Hardwin Potter = married into Peverell family and brought Cloak of Invisibility
Abraham Potter = went to America to teach Aurors of MACUSA.
Henry Potter = argued with Minister Evermonde about getting involved in WWI
Fleamont Potter = when he retired he sold his company, I decided in the 1960s soon after James was born
Lily's parents' names have not been revealed nor do we know anything about them outside of them supposedly dying some time before Harry was born and that they were from Cokeworth, so I chose their names and professions from my Jily story that I wrote a few years ago called: Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
All other Potters mentioned were invented by me.
Thank you as always and please review. :D