Author's Note:
Reviews and Comments: To Queen Raja: Thank you! I agree, Harry and Ginny are so cute together! To Guest: Zee has become an important part of Harry and Sirius' life. Not everything goes through her first. Harry and Sirius are still very close. Zee being part of their life doesn't take anything away from Sirius raising Sirius. Thank you. To Leaf Ranger: Theo is still struggling and he's not ready to confess yet, but going to the Burrow will give him a nice Christmas. Thank you! To LicensedGnat: I know that pythons are constrictor snakes, however, in OOTP, something makes Arthur's wound not heal properly and I was leading off the same idea (not to mention I had Ginny and Harry theorize that because it was Voldemort possessing Nagini, there was some extra magic there including venom through the teeth — Nagini is not your average snake). Thank you. To minerdude: Thank you for liking how I dealt with Arthur being saved. To alix33: Zee's tattoos are so pretty! Thank you! To Guest: As I said above, I had Ginny and Harry theorize that because it was Voldemort possessing Nagini there's some extra magic there. Thank you. To purplevictory: It really does require research on the most random things and I've missed your detailed reviews, so welcome back! Thank you. To pix25: Thank you! I do plan to keep writing, I can promise you that! To supersandman86: Thank you! It is because of McGonagall that the story has turned in the direction it has. She was the one to save Sirius, who in turn was able to save Harry. It was the beginning of the story for me and how it all just fell into place still boggles my mind. Thank you!
To coloredwords: To be honest I still only have part of Draco's story in my head so I honestly don't know where he will go next. Thank you! To dutchie: Thanks for liking my character development. To Wolf's scream: I think Draco is seeing a different side of his father and he hasn't quite figured out how to deal with it, in his mind, he's still thinking only about keeping himself safe and his family, which includes Theo. Thank you! To FluffyGirl623: Thank you for saying I'm a wonderful writer. We will see more of the memories and no, Theo will not be alone for Christmas. Thank you for thinking the theory of Voldemort being inside of Nagini is clever. To Anansil: Yes, the magic snake changes things. Thank you. To Krazyasibe: Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: Harry sings, just not well, LOL. I think I mentioned it in a chapter eons ago where Sirius tells him he takes after his mum in the music department, as in he has zero talent. And yes, Draco will find out about Theo staying with the Weasleys for Christmas. Thank you. To minxblades: Thank you! To boothbonesrule: I love that you plan to reread, thank you! To christyannb94: Thank you — I am doing my best to be a minimum of 5 steps ahead, but 12 is even better so, I'll take that compliment! I hope you like Zee and Sirius' Christmas exchange and what's to come. Thank you! To JVM1092: Thank you very much!
To FriendlyNeighbourhoodCatDemon: Thank you! To Pegg7: Thank you — I love your reviews! I can't give everything away now, but I love my Theo too. I have lots of story planned for Theo! To Deisuan: Yes, as you read Ginny and Harry's theory about Voldemort possessing Nagini there are extra magical qualities there. Thank you. To PurpleLotus: Thank you for saying my talent keeps getting better and better.
Thank you for all of your kind reviews. I've been having a tough few weeks in terms of stress and being on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. One person at work is giving me a particular hard time and instead of getting writing done on my breaks, I am crying in my car to try to de-stress myself so, that I don't snap on this horrible woman who treats everyone around her like shit. Anyway, not important, what's important is YOU — thank you for continuing to read this story every week. It means so much to me and your reviews just make my entire day; give me something to smile about and lately, I have needed that smile. Thank you for being you and for putting up with me.
Thanks to Dusk for her awesome editing skills!
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 TWO HUNDRED AND SIX:
The One Where Everyone Gets Motorbikes
When Harry woke up on Christmas morning, he quickly washed up before he headed downstairs. He couldn't wait to see how his parents were going to react to the two motorbikes that they had inadvertently gotten each other as gifts. He headed into the kitchen to get a glass of juice and he jumped when Dobby appeared with a crack.
"Happy Christmas, Mas-Harry Potter, Sir!"
Harry grinned back at him. "Happy Christmas, Dobby."
Dobby reached behind his back and handed him a badly wrapped package.
"I have something for you as well — one minute!"
Harry retrieved Dobby's gift from under the tree and hurried back into the kitchen to pass it to him. Dobby stared at it in awe.
"Harry Potter got Dobby a gift, Sir?"
"Of course I did!" Harry told him. "Open it!"
Dobby ripped open the package with a big smile on his face. His eyes widened in amazement as he pulled out twelve pairs of new socks. Ginny had helped Harry pick them out in Hogsmeade, and the two of them had made sure that they were the brightest, most obnoxious socks that they could find. Dobby hugged them to his chest.
"Harry Potter is too good to Dobby!"
Harry shrugged. "You deserve them. Happy Christmas."
Dobby hugged him tightly around the middle before he thrust his own package at him. Harry carefully unwrapped it to reveal a pair of bright red socks. They had pictures of broomsticks on the side, and Harry was touched.
"Thanks Dobby!" He tugged them onto his bare feet and Dobby beamed.
"Would Harry Potter Sir like some breakfast?"
"Sure, thanks. Uncle Sirius and Zee are still in bed."
Dobby immediately began to bustle around the kitchen. Harry stretched his arms up over his head, feeling like he had a bundle of energy. After telling Dobby he was heading outside, Harry put on his coat and boots and trudged through the freshly fallen snow to his treehouse. He climbed up the rock climbing wall and down across the net tunnel. Then he hung from the monkey bars before landing in the snow, finding himself energized from the little jolt of exercise. He headed back into the main cabin of the treehouse and did some sit-ups and push-ups. He didn't want to lose his routine just because he was home.
When he was done, he headed back inside just as Dobby served him a plate of steaming scrambled eggs with bacon, potatoes, and toast with jam. He dug in happily and was just finishing when Zee kissed his cheek from behind.
"Happy Christmas, Harry!"
"Happy Christmas," he told her as she took a seat at the table.
She accepted the cup of tea Dobby brought her, but said no to the breakfast as Harry finished up. "Have you been awake long?"
"An hour maybe?"
Zee smiled as Sirius came into the kitchen.
"What? He's awake? And not obnoxiously blaring Christmas carols to get my arse out of bed? Who are you and what have you done with my son?"
Harry shrugged indifferently. "Age has tamed me."
Sirius snorted and wished Dobby a happy Christmas as he accepted the tea. "Where's Kreacher this morning, Dobby?"
"At Number Twelve, Sir."
"Kreacher!"
Kreacher appeared a moment later and wished them a happy Christmas, his eyes focusing on Sirius to receive instructions. Harry and Sirius presented Kreacher with a framed photo of young Sirius and Regulus, and the elf cried buckets in his thanks. Dobby and Kreacher were having their own celebration at Number Twelve, but Sirius informed them they were welcome at Black Cottage. The elves voted to go, wishing them all a happy Christmas once more.
Zee grinned, standing up. "I think that Dobby has had a wonderful influence on him."
"He's still a bit batty," Sirius admitted. "But he's a wonderful elf. After he defended me with Winky… he's a changed elf." He clapped his hands together with a grin. "So? Presents?"
The three of them headed into the sunroom and sprawled out on the floor in front of the tree. Harry eagerly reached under the tree for the gifts he had gotten for his parents. He passed Sirius his first, laughing when his father tore into the paper. Inside was a new tool set for his motorbike and new gadgets and tools for him to play around with. Sirius grinned widely.
"Thanks, Harry! This is great."
"It's travel sized too, so you can keep it on the bike with you at all times."
Sirius beamed and hugged him. "It's perfect!"
Harry handed Zee hers next and she smiled warmly. He hadn't known what to get her, so he made her an assorted gift basket with Ginny's help. He'd filled it with two of her favourite wines (one red, one white), assorted bath bombs, some of Mrs Weasley's lotions and shampoos, a few new novels, and a gift certificate for a massage for the Witch Spa in London.
"Harry, this is wonderful!" she said through a tight hug.
"Witch Spa?" Sirius said incredulously. "You think only women can get pampered?"
Harry rolled his eyes dramatically and passed Sirius the envelope under the tree. "I got you a day pass too, Uncle Siri. I wouldn't want you to miss out on putting those cucumber slices on your eyes."
Sirius shot him the two-fingered salute before he hugged him thanks.
He opened his own gifts as Remus and Tonks arrived. He received new clothes: Jeans, jumpers, long-sleeved tees, hoodies, button-down tops, and a new cloak along with two new pairs of trainers and a new pair of boots. He unwrapped new underwear (the boxer briefs he liked) and socks with a smile, along with the toiletries he was low on. Remus and Tonks gave him some new Quidditch shirts, showing his support for his teams, along with a new book on defensive spells. Harry unwrapped refills for his broomstick servicing kit and tickets to the Quidditch Cup in May, each of which made him dance in joy. With the way his team was playing this year, he knew that they had a good chance of making it to the finals.
Harry gave Remus a messenger bag. He knew how important Remus' briefcase was to him, but it had been fixed and altered so many times over the years that it was starting to look beyond shabby as it frayed along the edges. This one was Italian brown leather, and engraved along the side in silver lettering it said: Professor RJ Lupin, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Along the strap it read: Best Teacher. Remus smiled widely as he hugged Harry in thanks. For Tonks, a new wand holster as hers had broken; he knew that she always needed an extra one for her job. The one he'd found was bright pink with purple polka dots, and she'd laughed at how outrageous it was before immediately putting it on. When he explained the holster had a stealth charm that made it invisible when activated, Tonks stared at in amazement and thanked him earnestly.
Zee finally slipped Sirius the small box under the tree. "I know that we said no gifts this year, but this is for you."
Sirius took it from her, leaning in to kiss her softly. "I kind of got you something as well."
"You first," Zee insisted.
Sirius smiled and untied the ribbon, pulling out the folded parchment. He opened it up and read it aloud. "Your gift can only be received by finding the series of clues I've left. The first clue is: It's not under the tree, but maybe it's at the top."
Sirius grinned and stood up to check the top of the tree, finding another small envelope nestled among the branches with a letter S on the front. He opened it up and read again.
"The porch of Muggle homes often holds mailboxes. See if there are any surprises on our front porch."
Sirius stared at her in amusement, but went outside to see what he could find; he found another S envelope stuck to the beam of the porch, and opened it up.
"The best part about new neighbours is that sometimes they become more than just a neighbour. Check out my old house."
Sirius raised an eyebrow, but the five of them all put their coats and boots on and headed next door. Another envelope was on the front door of Zee's cottage, so he tugged it down and opened it up.
"Go around to the left and see what's on the back door."
Everyone followed Sirius around the side of the house and to the next envelope.
"My shed used to host my bike before you made room in yours. See what it's holding now."
Sirius moved to the shed and pulled the door open. The moment he did, the charmed lights came on and his eyes widened in disbelief. "Holy shit! Is that the new BMW K1100RS?"
"If you have to ask — I'm worried about you."
Sirius grabbed Zee and pulled her up against his body, kissing her deeply. "I love you! You're amazing! How did you… why did you… what did — holy shit!"
Harry laughed and led the way inside as Sirius followed him, practically skipping in joy. Sirius examined every inch of it, beaming like a kid on Christmas.
"Look at these angles! It's so sleek and so modern! So different from my other bikes! They say that it can reach up to 220 kilometres an hour in three point eight seconds! Four cylinder, water cooled, cable operated," he lectured as he walked around the bike, examining it. "Fuel injection, manual five-speed with an electric starter. And it seats two!"
Zee was smiling widely. "It's not too much?"
"Of course its too fucking much! Merlin woman, you bought me a brand new bloody bike and I fucking love it! If it's possible, I worship you even more!" He tugged her close again and whispered in her ear. "I'm going to show you how much I worship you when we're alone!"
She bit her lip. "I'm glad you like it. It drives like a dream. I had the time of my life test driving it. But I want a ride on the first day."
He kissed her again. "You can have anything you want."
Zee chuckled. "Dangerous words to say to a woman."
Sirius only stared at her. "Not to me. I love you."
Zee kissed him again. Harry, Remus, and Tonks talked about the new bike until Sirius finally agreed that they could leave it safely locked in the shed until the weather was acceptable to take it out for a drive. Then they returned to the house. When they reached it, Sirius grabbed Zee's hand with a smile.
"Speaking of surprise gifts, I have one for you, too. In the work shed."
Her eyebrow rose. "I wondered what you were hiding in there."
Sirius led her inside and lifted the concealment charm.
Zee took one look at the shiny 1937 BSA M20 bike and burst into tears. "Oh! Oh, Sirius! It's mine?"
"It's yours. It was pretty destroyed, but I refinished it. I was able to find parts for what was broken. I know how much it means to you."
She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as he bent to lift her, kissing her deeply.
"It's perfect! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Harry laughed as the two of them kissed. "Anyone else find it strange that you both secretly bought each other motorbikes?"
Remus chuckled. "It is a strange coincidence, I'll give you that. But those two are weirdly addicted to Muggle bikes."
"Agreed," Harry said, moving to link his arm through Tonks'. "Hey Tonks, do you think your mum is making any apple tarts tonight?"
Tonks grinned. "She knows you're coming, Harry. Trust me — she made apple tarts."
He beamed at her, and Remus laughed.
Harry thought that overall, it was a pretty perfect Christmas.
~ ASC ~
Ginny smiled at her mum as Theo helped pull out the turkey. He'd been eager to help with the meal, wanting to assist in everything possible, and had thanked them ten times over for inviting him. Despite wanting to help, Theo really wasn't great in the kitchen and Ginny thought it was probably a good thing he had house elves to cook for him on a regular basis. But he wasn't afraid to try and she gave him points for that.
She was glad that Bill had taken her to convince him to come and spend Christmas at the Burrow. The thought of Theo spending Christmas alone had bothered her more than she wanted to admit. Her parents hadn't batted an eye to see him at breakfast that morning. Molly had simply kissed his cheek in greeting and asked if he wanted strawberry or raspberry jam with his toast.
At last, they sat down to dinner that evening. Theo was laughing as Charlie told them a story about how this baby dragon — still too young to fly — had escaped the reserve, but gotten trapped in a tent, and set it on fire. Apparently this scared some of the new recruits, who were amazed when Charlie had found the poor baby; Charlie had then scooped him up into his arms like an actual baby to calm him down. The poor thing had been terrified and confused.
After dinner, Ginny, Ron, and Theo played some Exploding Snap, and Mrs Weasley brought out dessert. Mrs Weasley eagerly turned on Celestina Warbeck's Christmas tunes as Ron rolled his eyes.
"Mum's obsessed. We apologize in advance."
Theo chuckled. "I met her once. She's a nice witch."
"You met her?" Ginny asked in amazement. "Where?"
"At some Ministry function, a few years ago. Father sent me in his place. It was rather boring."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Your father sends you to Ministry parties in his place?"
"Since I was ten," Theo told him. "That's why I'm trying to gain my title and inheritance early. I've been doing almost everything anyway."
"You said that it looks good?"
He nodded, smiling at Ginny. "It looks more than good, it looks fantastic. The reference letters were a big help, and my lawyer says that it's almost a for sure thing. I meet with him again on the fifteenth, and we're going to sit before a praetor in a few weeks who will make the final decision."
Ron moved over to the twins when they called him. Ginny turned to Theo again.
"You deserve it. You said last night that you want to fix up that mansion?"
Theo scratched his chin as he nodded. "Yeah. It needs a lot of work. Father kind of let it go over the years, and it's too museum like in my opinion. I want it to be liveable and comfortable. I want it to be a home and not a mausoleum which is kind of how it feels like sometimes. It's my plan for the summer, if everything works out."
"Your father is all right with you taking over?"
"He seems to be. He thinks that it will work in his favour, but in reality, I plan to cut him out."
Ginny's eyebrow rose. "I'd say that was harsh, but considering who your father is, I think that it's a wise choice."
"I wish Uncle Lucius was around," he admitted. "He's great at that kind of thing — estates and financial advice, and running a large home. Thankfully the house elves will help me out as well, but I could use some advice, that's for sure."
"That's Malfoy?"
Theo nodded. "Yeah, it is. He's oily and sneaky and yet oddly caring and considerate. He's a contradiction but a great father, and he's always been nothing but nice to me. He's been more of a father to me than mine ever was. I spent a lot of time there as a kid, especially after my mum died. Father didn't want me around. I was a nuisance."
Ginny frowned. "I'm sorry, Theo."
He shrugged. "It's all right, I'm making up for it now. This is one of the best Christmases I've ever had. Thank you."
Mrs Weasley had moved over to pass them each a mug of hot chocolate and she beamed at his words. "Theo, you are always welcome here for any holiday or any ordinary day. Our home is always open."
"Thank you, Mrs Weasley."
Once her mum moved away, Ginny turned back to her friend. "I know that you asked Snape and McGonagall for letters so, with Bill and Mum, you had four?"
"Eight actually," he said with a smile. "Mrs Weasley and Bill weren't the only surprise letters. Black sent one in along with Dumbledore and I asked Auntie Cissa as well, Draco's mum and well … Finn sent one."
Ginny's eyebrow rose. "Ciara's uncle? The one who you've been writing to?"
Theo nodded. "Yeah. I mean, a reference letter from a fae prince is a definite bonus."
Ginny grinned at him. "A fae prince! I bet he's so handsome!"
Theo rolled his eyes. "He's Ciara's uncle, Ginny! He's like thirty or forty years old!"
"Doesn't mean he can't be handsome," Ginny insisted.
He smiled at her. "Yeah, he's probably gorgeous. Most fae are, aren't they? He's kind, and I really like writing to him. I feel like he's the kind of person who can give me the advice I need with Uncle Lucius not available and well… it's good to have friends in important places, right?"
"Well, sometimes I suppose, but I think it's more about the quality of the person than what they represent."
Theo looked around at her family and nodded. The Weasleys were not someone the Notts would associate with and yet after everything he'd learned and seen about them, the quality of this family made everyone else he knew look like rubbish.
"I agree with that."
Mrs Weasley walked back over to them, her eyes on Theo. "Theo, dear, I have a small gift for you," she said, passing him a large box tied with a green ribbon.
Theo raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Mrs Weasley, you've invited me over for Christmas! That's more than enough."
She waved him off. "It's nothing, and the gift is just a little something. Nothing to worry about."
Ginny grinned at her mother as Theo carefully lifted the lid on the box. He found a dark grey cashmere turtleneck jumper with the Slytherin crest designed in the middle. His eyes widened as he stared at it, looking around at everyone in the living room who were wearing similar jumpers; he was suddenly surprised to find tears at the back of his throat. No one had ever given him anything so thoughtful.
"You — you made me a jumper?"
Mrs Weasley smiled warmly. "Ginny gave me your measurements so, I hope it fits, dear. It's just a little something, like I said, but I wanted you to have it."
Theo dropped the jumper back into the box and launched himself into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank you! This… thank you!"
Mrs Weasley hugged him back, kissing his cheek. "You're very welcome, Theo."
He hugged her a moment longer before he pulled away, his cheeks flushed.
Fred moved to sit next to him with a grin. "Sure, she gives you the fancy Slytherin crest. We just get our initials, like Mum's worried we'll forget our own names. Silly of her. I mean, I obviously know I'm Forge and he's Gred."
Theo smirked at him as George high-fived his brother. Percy muttered something under his breath that made Fred stick his tongue out at him. Theo tugged his own jumper off and pulled the new soft jumper over his head, folding the neck down under his chin, the soft warmth of it cradling him like a mother's touch.
"This is beautiful. I can't believe your mother made this."
Ginny smiled. "Mum's rather talented with a needle and thread; she can make almost anything." She kissed his cheek. "And the fact that she made you a jumper means that you've been officially welcomed to our family."
He stared at her, his eyes bright in amazement. "Thank you."
Ginny watched him look around at her family with warmth in his eyes. His head rose slightly when Charlie reached down to get something from under the tree. Ginny elbowed him. "Stop checking out my brothers!"
He smirked at her, his eyes dancing. "Charlie has a great arse, almost as good as Bill's. Asking me to not look is like asking you to not snog Harry."
Ginny chuckled. "Fine, but be more subtle."
"Subtle is my middle name."
"No, it's really not," she said on a strangled laugh. "Theo, is that what you and Finn write to each other about? You ask his advice on your titles and finances?"
Theo shook his head. "No, I haven't asked him anything like that. I just meant, I think that he would be a good person to go to about those things since he's a prince. We mostly talk about Ciara, about my classes, about the changes in the Ministry, and I've told him about my friends. He's easy to talk to and… I like having him to correspond with."
"Do you talk to him about Ernie?"
Theo stared blankly at her. "That's private, chick."
Ginny stared back at him. "I thought that we didn't keep secrets from each other."
He sipped the hot chocolate in his hand. "We don't. Ernie and I have an arrangement in secret. I don't go back on my word and I don't break confidences. Potter punching him was wrong."
Ginny nodded, but frowned when she saw his trembling hands as he picked up the hot chocolate. "Okay, I won't bother you about him again. But promise me that if anything changes, you know that I'm always here for you. Always, Theo."
Theo eyes softened and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Same goes, chick. I adore you."
Ginny clinked her mug of hot chocolate with his with a smile. She still thought something strange was happening with Macmillan, but she wanted to trust her friend. That didn't mean she couldn't do her own investigating on the subject, though.
No one messed with those she loved.
~ ASC ~
Christmas at the Tonks' was just as delicious as usual. Sirius still insisted on their annual snowball fight. This year, Ted came out of nowhere and decimated all of them with a stash of snowballs that he'd prepared in advance, making Tonks laugh. Afterwards, they headed inside, cold and wet, to be treated to hot chocolate and dessert. McGonagall had stopped by for late tea in the afternoon before they'd gone to the Tonks' house. McGonagall had teared up a little at the beautiful blown glass vase that Sirius had bought for her. She'd wished them safe travels and headed back to Hogwarts for the Christmas feast.
By the time they arrived home that night, Harry was yawning from all of the good food he'd consumed. The portkey was leaving the next morning at nine, so Sirius told him to make sure that he was packed before he went to bed. As tired as he was, he was excited for the morning. The opportunity to travel to Moscow, not only to spend time with Zee's family — his family, was exciting.
He packed a bag before he climbed into bed that night. While under his covers, he turned to look at the photo of him kissing Ginny, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Harry woke the next morning to the alarm he'd set and hopped in the shower before packing his last minute toiletries and making his way downstairs. Zee and Sirius had their bags at the door already and were serving up breakfast. They ate, said goodbye to Dobby and Kreacher (who insisted on cleaning up) and headed out with their bags to the Ministry of Magic. They took an international portkey and Harry clenched his teeth at the terrible pull it gave him. Then they arrived in a large atrium in the middle of the Russian Ministry of Magic.
Harry had barely found his balance before he heard Zee cry out, "Papa!"
He watched with a grin as Misha scooped her up into his arms, swinging her around in a circle before he kissed both of her cheeks.
"You all right? All healed up?"
"I'm great, Papa! I've missed you."
Misha kissed her again before he let go and moved to pull Harry into his arms. "How's my favourite grandson?"
Harry hugged him back tightly. "I'm great."
Misha hugged Sirius next before he urged them to follow him. "Sorcha is at home preparing for you. She's fretting that you von't be comfortable."
Zee laughed. "Mama doesn't need to worry about that!"
Misha shrugged. "You know your mama."
They stepped outside of the Ministry, and Harry looked behind him in awe. The Russian Ministry of Magic was inside the Russian White House, magically hidden beneath an elegant design. Misha explained how they had one joint unit that allowed for the Aurors to work intelligence with the Russian police — but like in Britain, the Muggles had no idea that the magical world even existed. Misha noted that it was only a short walk for him to get to work every day. Harry looked around the bustling city of Moscow in interest.
Misha and Sorcha lived on the top floor of the Kudrinskaya Square Building, one of the Seven Sisters Towers. They had a large loft apartment where they had resided for many years. The architecture was beautiful, and Harry and Sirius snapped photos of buildings as they walked past. By the time they reached the apartment, Misha was beaming at them.
"Velcome," he said, opening the door to allow them inside.
Harry stepped into a large spacious living room with a Christmas tree in the corner by the balcony. The kitchen was on the left along with a dining room. He had just turned when Sorcha came running out of one of the bedrooms, her arms open wide. Harry hugged her tightly, not even pulling away as she covered his face in kisses.
"Harry! Welcome, mo ghràdh! Happy Christmas!"
The apartment had two large bedrooms, the master and Zee's old room; a master bathroom and another small bathroom on the opposite end of the apartment along with the kitchen, dining room and a living room. Harry would be sleeping on the pull out sofa in the living room. Misha had erected a magical wall to add a small room to the living room, to give Harry more privacy.
Moscow was two hours ahead of London time, so they sat down for tea and filled Misha and Sorcha in on their holiday activities. Zee told her father how Sirius had restored Misha's father's motorbike, showing him the photos that she had taken. Sorcha asked Harry all about Ginny. He must have been grinning widely the whole time that he spoke about her, because Misha raised his bushy eyebrows with a grin.
"You have a good girl there, da?"
"Da," Harry responded, making everyone laugh.
Once they were settled in and fed and watered, Misha told them that they were going to head to his parents' house in St Petersburg.
"Ve Apparate."
Harry nodded, holding Sirius' arm as he side Apparated them to the address. Harry found himself standing outside of a decent sized home in a nice neighbourhood in St Petersburg. Zee let herself in through the front door and Harry heard the excited shouts moments before he and Sirius entered, and they soon found themselves full of bodies wrapped in many embraces at once He was hugged and kissed by more people than he could count as he tried to remember all of their names.
Zee hooked her arm through his and brought him around to her family. "Harry, you remember Yuri. He's ten now, but he'll be eleven next month, and old enough to start up at the Koldovstoretz School of Magic."
Yuri beamed at her. "Da, Zee — I can't wait!"
"Yuri is my second cousin, the son of my cousin Mikhail and his wife Ana. Hello, Dinara! You've gotten so big!" Zee exclaimed, hugging the little dark haired girl tight to her. "Dinara, do you remember your cousin, Harry?"
Dinara smiled shyly at him. "Hi, Harry."
Baba and Deda hugged him, kissing his cheeks boisterously as he was led to take a seat in the living room. Papa had two sisters he remembered: Tetya Olga and Tetya Sasha. Olga was married to Dyadya Dmitri Petrov, and they had two children: Zee's cousin Mikhail, who was married to Ana (and they had one son, Yuri Petrov), and Zee's cousin Mila, who was married to Nicholas Sokolov (and they had the two girls, Nastasia Sokolov, who was eight and Dinara Sokolov, who was six). Sasha was married to Dyadya Yerik Blok and they had twin girls, Tanya, who was married to Alex Fedorov (with new identical twin girls only eight months old named Eva and Irina Fedorov), and Tatiana, who was engaged to Iosif Kuznetsov (with plans of marrying in the next two years). Ivan and Anya eagerly invited everyone into the house and soon there was much food, drink, and laughter.
Zee told Ivan all about how Sirius had rebuilt his old motorbike from scratch and Ivan beamed at him, looking at the photos in interest. The three of them talked motorbike mechanics for a while as Sirius explained his process in restoring the bike. Harry asked Ivan about how he obtained the motorbike, and he learned that Ivan and his friend Pyotr Palemonov had been part of the mechanical division of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. It had been their job to get supplies to the army. Harry found it fascinating. He couldn't imagine being at war without magic, and hearing the stories was incredibly interesting.
Baba had made a feast with the help of her daughters and the large dining room table was soon groaning under her plates of food. They had Olivier salad, devilled eggs, pirozhki (meat-stuffed buns), dried mushroom soup, kulebyaka (a salmon pie), and peljmeni (meat dumplings). For dessert, Anya made kutya, a delicious fruit and nut cereal along with priyaniki (gingerbread and spice stuffed biscuits with jam), and pampushky, which were doughnuts. Harry was very full afterwards as it had all been so delicious.
After dinner, Deda told stories of Christmas when he was young, how Russia had been different then. Harry listened with half an ear, nodding in and out of his food coma. They exchanged gifts afterwards and Harry was surprised to be given presents.
Baba and Deda gave him a Muggle tourist book on Moscow which he flipped through in interest, and Baba had knitted him a jumper in dark green with a Firebolt on the front. It almost rivalled the annual Weasley jumper he always received (this year's had been Gryffindor red with a lion on the front). Tetya Olga and Dyadya Dmitri gave him a Russian dictionary and a box of sweets. Tetya Sasha and Dyadya Yerik gave him a book on Russian Quidditch teams and a Russian spellbook. Misha and Sorcha gave him a new cloak in black in with silver fastenings, along with a special international portkey called a Familia Portkey, which gave him immediate access to their apartment for any reason at any time and he hugged them tightly in thanks.
Yuri convinced Harry to play gin rummy with him after the gifts were exchanged, and it was only when Nastasia and Dinara fell asleep on the living room floor that they decided it was time to leave. Zee promised that they would be back to visit before they went back to England; they hugged and kissed everyone again, and Misha Apparated Harry back to their apartment.
Harry woke up the next morning looking out at the Moscow sunrise coming up over the cityscape. He thought that it was beautiful. He found Sorcha in the kitchen cooking and he greeted her with a smile. She bent to kiss his cheek when he sat on the high bar stool by the island.
"How did you sleep, mo ghràidh?"
"Good," he told her. "What are you making?"
"Porridge with fruit. You will eat it and you will love it."
Harry grinned, helping himself to some juice from the ice box. "This place is great."
"We love it. We don't need anything grand. When we return to Scotland we always stay with my parents or with Zee, and here we are close to Misha's work. He has a short walk every day, and he likes it. I work from home mostly, or sometimes I will wander off to a café or restaurant to be inspired."
"What paper do you write for, Grandmama?"
Sorcha smiled at him. "I'm a freelance journalist so, I write for whatever paper catches my fancy. I submit my articles around and those who are interested pay for them. It keeps me busy and allows me to not only write about whatever topic I desire, but to write whenever I want to write."
Harry nodded, drinking his juice. There was something that he had been wondering about, but he hadn't wanted to bring it up yesterday among all of the holiday festivities. He stared into his glass for a moment before he spoke.
"Grandmama? Can I ask you something?"
"Anything, mo ghràidh," she said with a smile.
Harry swallowed, his eyes on his juice. "It's about that curse, the one that Zee was hit with… Uncle Sirius told me that Papa told him it was a popular curse that Grindelwald used, here in Russia?"
Sorcha continued to slice up berries as she spoke. "He did. Your Papa and I, we only know of the stories and the history of what happened, as we were too young to really remember what was going on, but he was stronger here in the East than he was in England. Living here, you hear about it often. I was born in Scotland so, I only know stories, but the people here are still dealing with some of the aftershocks of it. Families are still grieving the loss of loved ones. He had more support, more followers, and it was where he was originally from. He attended Durmstrang when he was a boy, you know — but he was expelled for performing twisted, dangerous experiments, and near-fatal attacks on some of the other students there. Misha studied him and his antics very closely. It was a huge part of the Auror program when he joined. The Russian Ministry did not want to be caught by surprise again so, they taught their Aurors all sorts of things that they wouldn't have done a decade before."
"Like what?" Harry asked, curiously.
"The darkest of magics," Misha said from the doorway. He stepped into the kitchen and kissed his wife before he sat down next to Harry. "I studied dark magic, dark curses, and dark vizards throughout history. My knowledge of dark curses is much more advanced than I vould like it to be, but it's for the best."
"To use them?"
"Bah! No!" Misha exclaimed, shaking his head. "To understand them. Remember, Unforgivables are the three hardest things to defend yourself against, but they aren't the only ones. If I know the dark curses, maybe I can stop them or save somevone before the curse takes hold. Like vith your mama, I knew vhat that curse vas the moment I saw it, and because I did, ve vere able to save her. No one has used dark magics like that in over half a century, and no one has used them in Britain for centuries before that. Healers in England don't even recognize the signs anymore, not the young ones anyway."
"So, it should be studied by everyone?"
Misha shook his head. "No, not everyone. Aurors should know it, and it vould do good to put it back into the healing textbooks. The problem is that vith the sharing of knowledge, you also run the risk of the dark magic being learned again, and that is vorrisome to some people."
Harry nodded in understanding. "Grindelwald was stronger out here?"
"Much," Misha said, vehemently. "I vent to Koldovstoretz, but everyone knew that Grindelvald vas a student at Durmstrang. Many of the students supported him and his cause. That sign, the Deathly Hallows, it was engraved everyvhere, on the valls, on the grounds; people called it his sign. It's sad how that symbol, not meaning anything bad on its own, can change into something feared so quickly."
"People are afraid of the Deathly Hallows symbol here?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Da, because they see it as a sign of Grindelvald, and vhat he represented. They don't see the sign for vhat it is."
"What did he represent exactly?"
"He vas vorshipped and idealized. He claimed that he vanted to bring about a better vorld; one vhere vitches and vizards vere free to live openly. He claimed that he did not hate people vho didn't have magic, he just knew vho the superior race vas. He claimed that it vas the arrogance of the Muggles, their lust for power, and their barbarity that vould ultimately bring him victory over them."
"And people bought that?" Harry asked in disgust.
"It vas very different times," Misha explained. "I know people say that often, but unless you lived it, it is often difficult for us to understand. The vorld vas a very different place, Harry. The Great Var had ended, and vith it brought an influx of vealth and luxury along with civil vars, and here in Russia, it meant the murder of the monarchy — the bringing in of a new system of government that forced the magical vorld further underground for our own safety. Ve developed more intelligence units designed to help us keep tabs on the Muggles, our own intelligence field office. Then the vorld suffered a huge economic depression. People vere looking for a savior and people like Grindelvald, full of charisma, and full of vild ideas; people vere attracted to that. They vere hopeful for change. He offered it. He had great skill in Divination and people say that he predicted the next big Muggle var. He varned that the 'Muggles veren't lesser than us, but other; not vorthless, but of other value; not disposable, but of another disposition.' His mantra vas that: 'Magic blooms in rare souls and is only granted to those vho look for higher things,' vho deserve higher things. Grindevald claimed that: The vorld ve vill make for all of humanity vould be for those vho live for freedom, for truth, and for love. He claimed that ve as a magical race vere to rise up and to take our rightful place in the vorld. He claimed that the Muggles vould turn upon us, destroy us, as they destroyed each other, and with the last Muggle var still so fresh in everyone's minds — and the seeds of a new var being teased — people vere scared."
"He spoke carefully," Harry noted.
Misha nodded, smiling at his wife when she placed steaming bowls of porridge topped in berries and brown sugar in front of him and Harry. "Oh, he spoke very carefully. Only those vho listened closely understood vhat he vas doing, vhat he vas truly saying. Ve studied his speeches in the academy as part of a course on psychological varfare that the Ministry began about fifteen years ago. Ve all vent back and ve vere retrained to help better understand it. Ve read over copies of all of his speeches; breaking down his vords, and seeing his true meaning behind them. But Grindelvald… it vasn't just in our vorld either. The same time as Grindelvald vas rising, the Muggles had equally charismatic dictators taking over like Stalin, here in Russia, and Hitler in Germany, or Mussolini in Italy. The vorld vas changing and ignorance breeds fear, vhich often leads to violence. It vas a very different environment."
"Isn't Voldemort kind of preaching the same thing?"
"To some extent," Misha agreed. "But he's more cautious about it. He vants to take control much in the same vay, but I don't get the impression that he vants to eradicate the Muggles the vay that Grindelvald did."
Harry nodded. "We don't really know what he wants though, do we, Papa? We just know that he wants me dead."
Misha put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Ve don't alvays get vhat ve vant, do ve? Do you plan on letting him kill you?"
"Well, no — but he's Voldemort!"
Misha smiled at him. "Da, he is. That doesn't mean you just lie down and do vhat he says now, does it?" At Harry's look, his smile widened. "How's Defence Club going?"
"Good. We've learned loads more new spells, plus I've been learning some new spells by taking Ancient Greek as well."
"Khorosho, khorosho! I have more to show you later today, da?"
"Da," Harry said back, making Misha grin.
Sorcha came around his chair, tugging Harry down to kiss his cheek. "Enough sad talk now! Eat your porridge. Papa and I are going to show you the Moscow that we know and love after breakfast!"
Harry beamed at her and dug into his breakfast, feeling a little lighter. Dark times were coming, but that didn't mean that they had to stop living and he couldn't wait to see some of Moscow in the meantime.
~ ASC ~
Misha and Sorcha took him out to see the Moscow version of Diagon Alley called Moscovite Alleya. Gringotts had its own shining branch at the end of the street, made from white marble just like in London. Sorcha showed him the markets, and he browsed in interest at the witches and wizards selling flying carpets and apothecary products. Jewellery was a big seller, and he found himself looking at these dangling broomstick earrings made from lapus lazuli that he thought would look fabulous on Ginny. He bought them and slipped them into his pocket with a grin.
They visited the Winter Palace. A wizard took them on a secret tour through the home that once hosted the Romanovs, explaining how the wizard Rasputin had tried to save them, only to be made out to be a villain by the Muggles before he was ultimately murdered. The wizard used a portkey to continue the tour and took them to the summer palace and told them all about the Ipatiev House, showing photos. He explained how the royal family had been kept prisoner by the new government, and ultimately killed. The myth that one of them had survived had spanned decades, and sometimes, people in the streets still hinted that either Anastasia or Alex had made it out of that cellar.
They went to museums, visited bakeries, and then Misha took him on a tour of the Russian Ministry of Magic, otherwise called the Kremlevskiy Magicheskiy Komitet (Kremlin Magical Committee aka KMC). It was similar to the British Ministry, but at the front entrance was a large statue of a witch and wizard, backs to each other, and wands held high, giving off the impression that they were working together to protect those around them. The Ministry was inside the Russian White House, hidden away from the Muggles who worked alongside of them with no idea that magical Ministry was hidden below it.
Harry was given a personal tour of the Auror Office, and Misha showed him his office. He explained how the bullpen worked and how as Head Auror, he often communicated with the Muggle authorities to help solve crimes. It was completely fascinating, and Harry could see why Tonks loved her job as much as she did.
When they returned to the loft flat, Sirius and Zee had already left on their own tour of the city. Sorcha urged him to sit down before she hurried out to Apparate Ivan and Anya over for afternoon tea.
Harry spent the late afternoon listening to Ivan talk about his experiences in the Second World War, and how Anya had waited for him for almost seven years before they could get married. Ivan told him about the war, about Stalin, and about the rise of the Soviet Union. He explained how Misha's first few signs of magic had shocked them, and how when they eventually came to learn that he was to be a wizard, they thought someone was spoofing them.
"Ve vere scared," Ivan told him. "Stalin vas still persecuting people vho vere different; they vould be sent off and never heard from again, but ve knew that they vere dead. Ve thought something vould happen to our little Mikhail Ivanovich, our Misha, and ve worried. But the Headmaster of Durmstrang came and he told us that he vould be safe. Then he came again for Olga Ivanovna and again for Sasha Ivanovna… ve vere blessed to have such wonderful children."
Anya smiled. "Then our children vould come home and show us the most amazing things. Our vorld vas videned."
Harry grinned at them. He learned that Anya had worked at a soup kitchen during the war, helping where she could, while she waited for word on Ivan. When they were finally able to find each other and to marry, it had been the happiest day of their lives. Sirius and Zee returned and the seven of them had dinner before Baba and Deda headed back home. Misha Apparated them back, as St Petersburg was over eight hours away.
Harry had hugged them goodbye and promised to write, smiling when Anya kissed his cheeks and Ivan held him in a tight bear hug before they left.
Zee wanted to show Sirius one of her old hangouts and Harry voted to stay behind. The two of them headed out, as Sorcha decided to have a bath, and Misha grinned at him.
"Ve duel?"
Harry beamed at his grandfather. "Da."
Misha moved the furniture around the living room and urged Harry to take out his wand. "You are safe to do magic here. Show me vhat you have learnt."
Soon Harry was dodging spells, rolling and jumping, as their spells clashed in mid air, bounced off shields, and shot around them. They duelled for a solid ten minutes before Misha hit Harry with a tickling charm and he fell to the ground, clutching his sides.
"Khorosho!" Misha said, grinning widely. "You keep getting better and better. I vould like to have you on my Auror Squad one day."
Harry grinned back. "Yeah?"
"You are strong. You keep up vith it, and you vill have the skill to be an incredible Auror vone day."
Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to be an Auror, but hearing that it was a good possibility made him grin. "Thanks, Papa."
Misha put an arm around him, hugging him tightly to his side. "Now, help me fix this room before your Grandmama sees the big mess ve made."
Harry laughed and nodded. He could definitely do that.
~ ASC ~
The three of them headed home the morning of the thirtieth of December, and Harry was equally as glad to be home as he was sad to leave. Zee's family was wonderful and he enjoyed spending time with them. He looked forward to the fact that he could write to them, that they welcomed him so easily, and that he had an open invitation to return whenever he wanted.
Harry unpacked his things in his room, smiling at the photo on his nightstand of him kissing Ginny. He couldn't wait to tell her all about his trip and to hear about her Christmas in return.
He headed back downstairs, finding Sirius in the kitchen making tea. He took a seat at the table before he spoke.
"I'm ready to learn everything. Security, finances, estate stuff — everything. Where do we start?"
Sirius raised an eyebrow as he looked at his son. "That's a good start right there. What do you mean by security?"
"I want to learn how you keep everything secure, Uncle Padfoot. I know that this place is charmed and protected securely from Voldemort being able to find it, I want to know how. I want to know more about the Marauder Charm, about blood magic, and about how you make a place safe."
Sirius smiled as he sat across from him, his fingers wrapped around his tea cup. "All right, let's talk about it."
When they stepped into Number Twelve later on that morning, he felt much more informed. He and Sirius had spent two hours that morning discussing more about his finances, the Potter Estate, and security of the Potter and Black holdings. Sirius had moved on to discuss how all of the security worked at his homes, at Black Cottage, and at Number Twelve. Harry was interested in how they worked in the Marauder Charm and mixed in the concealing charms and security measures to make sure that everything was safe. As Sirius explained to him how it all worked, Harry asked to be more central to it and he was pleased when Sirius agreed.
Sirius decided to make Harry part of the blood wards on the study in Grimmauld Place. He explained how the wards worked for him and Remus, but that also meant that anyone with their immediate blood could also be let in, such as a parent, a child, or a sibling. Anything more than that (like a grandparent or an aunt or a cousin) could potentially get through the blood wards, but it would take a lot — and it would take more than just blood; as the blood wasn't considered primary. This charm was great for keeping people out, but if you wanted to hide something from a family member, it wasn't a good idea, as they could easily break through the wards.
Sirius set up a new guard on the charmed entrance and Harry added his blood as Sirius instructed. "See! It's easy. So now, whenever you need to get in here, which shouldn't be necessary — as it's just full of FUVP stuff — but if so, you have full access and you don't need me or Uncle Moony to be here. The lock on the vault is the same as the one at home as well, in case you need to get inside for any reason."
Harry smiled at him. "Thanks, Uncle Padfoot."
Sirius nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Now, you know that I have no problem explaining this kind of thing to you, or letting you be part of the security as you are getting older and should be aware of how these things work, but what's with the sudden desire? Did Misha fill your head with too much Auror stuff when you spent time together?"
He grinned. "Maybe a little, but I've been thinking about it for a bit; well, since you told me about all of the Potter stuff and the whole Marquess of Somerset deal."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"I know that I go back to school soon — but... can we go to Clevedon Court?"
Sirius' eyes widened slightly before he caught himself. "You… you want go there?"
He nodded. "I do. I want to see where my dad grew up. I want to see the house and I guess, I want to see what's mine. Zee or Uncle Moony and Tonks can come with me if you don't want to go back there. I understand — I mean, why you didn't offer to take me before, that is…"
Sirius' eyes softened, but he shook his head. "No... it's time. I should go back. You should see it."
Harry smiled. "Good. I want to."
"Let's go see if Dobby and Kreacher can make us some lunch. Dobby can come. It might not be a bad idea to put him in charge of your properties."
"How so?"
"Well, your grandparents had house elves as well, but they were pretty old back then. I've had Kreacher stop in on them every month or so to help me keep track and to help keep me updated on your holdings. They had four when I lived there. One of them insisted on going with James when he got married. His name was Cedar and he sadly died of old age before you were born. James cried buckets over him. He'd been around his whole life after all. But there are still three house elves taking care of the Potter Estate. Rosa and Darby still rule Clevedon Court, and Basil oversees the properties outside of Clevedon Court. But Dobby is your personal elf, Harry. He's bound himself to you, which means that he has power over the other elves, he is now the Head Elf of the Potter Household."
Harry nodded. He knew that house elf magic and hierarchy all depended on the elf in question and how long they had been working with the family. But if a witch or wizard chose a personal elf and bound themselves with that elf, that elf became elevated in the household. Hermione had told him how it all worked and he was surprised that he remembered, if he was honest.
"Okay. I'll talk to him."
They headed into the kitchen and Kreacher was more than happy to make lunch for them. He immediately got started as Sirius went to answer some mail he needed to catch up on. Harry asked Dobby to sit with him for a moment.
"How can I help you, Mas-Harry Potter Sir?"
Harry smiled at him. "Dobby, I know that there's not much for you to do here as my elf and well, you're probably bored —"
"— Oh no, Harry Potter, Sir! I could never be bored! I is your elf, Sir, no honour is greater!"
Harry smiled at that, the backs of his ears reddening. "Er, good. Um, I don't know if you know anything about the Potters, but I have a lot of properties and a manor house that is mine. Um, Uncle Sirius and I are going to go to Clevedon Court today, that's the house in Somerset by the way — as I've never been. I think that it would be good for me to see it. There are two house elves there already, but... as you said, you're my elf, and as my elf I was hoping that you could help me er — acquaint and organize myself with the Potter stuff."
Dobby beamed at him. "I would be honoured, Harry Potter, Sir!"
"Great! You can come with us, as I don't really know what you'd need to do, but we can work that out together, if that's okay?"
If it was possible, Dobby beamed even wider.
They ate steaming bowls of French Onion soup and then Dobby Apparated Harry to Somerset. Sirius appeared next to him a moment later as they stood outside the front gates. Harry looked up at the house in amazement.
It was a huge stone mansion, but he thought that it still looked rather homey. It had a large expansive lawn and a small front porch. Harry swallowed at the sight of it.
"This is Clevedon Court?"
"Yes," Sirius said, emotion rising in his throat as he looked up at it. "Go ahead. You should be able to get through the gate without my help."
Harry stepped forward, opening the gate, and as soon as his hands touched it he could feel the magical pull. He knew that it was tied to his blood, to his bloodline, and he moved forward, warmth rushing over him as he entered. Sirius and Dobby stepped in behind him.
They were only halfway up the drive when the front doors opened and two elves came running out in tidy little uniforms.
Harry smiled politely at them. "Er, hi, I'm Harry."
"We know," the female elf said, staring at him. She had lots of wrinkles around her eyes and she looked positively ancient. "I'm Rosa, your grandmother's elf, and this is Darby. We is taking care of the Potters at Clevedon Court for eighty-five years."
Harry's eyes widened at her words. "Er, wow — thanks."
Rosa turned to Sirius. "The Marquess and Marchioness were so proud of you, Master Sirius."
"Thank you, Rosa."
Harry gestured for Dobby to come up next to him. "Rosa, Darby, this is Dobby. He's my elf. He saved my life, and I would like him to help with everything here."
Darby immediately bowed to him. "We is honoured you would come to work here, Sir Dobby."
Dobby beamed at them. "Will you show me how the house is run, Darby?"
Darby and Rosa nodded, gesturing for Harry and Sirius to go first. Harry stepped into the front entrance and his eyes widened. It was large, with hardwood floors and detailed Gothic architecture on the walls. A large arched doorway led into a huge great hall that Sirius explained was often used for entertaining. Past the great hall was the living room, where there was a huge stained glass window in the front. It had been used as a chapel at one point, but had worked for centuries as the Potters' family room. Past the family room was a huge library that Sirius explained Monty had used as a study as well. The corridor from the great hall led to the dining room and a bathroom. The kitchen was on the other side of the great hall and had its own small table for family dinners. A large staircase led the way upstairs where there were three large bedrooms and a larger master bedroom with its own private bath. The third floor was split in two, but had two smaller bedrooms, still quite grand in size with one bathroom on the right side. The left side was mostly abandoned and used for storage; each side had their own separate staircase.
The house had been added onto over the centuries and there was a secret staircase in the library that led up to one of the towers where Monty kept his Potions room. Another staircase on the opposite side of the house led up to another two-storey tower where Euphemia had kept a small indoor greenhouse. There was a small house on the grounds, detached, which also boasted two bedrooms and a small living room and kitchen kept for guests. The wine cellar was below the house through a huge stone archway and stone steps leading down from the kitchen.
The manor house was beautiful, with its slightly uneven floors and mix of architectural centuries from Gothic to Elizabethan, though it included modern touches. Harry touched the railing of the staircase and couldn't help but smile as he pictured his father sliding down it.
"What do you think?" Sirius asked quietly when they made it back down into the front hall.
"It's not at all what I expected. It's huge and small at the same time. It's… homey."
Sirius smiled at him. "That it is. It's what I liked about it. It didn't feel like some rich fancy manor. I walked around barefoot. James slid down the bannister. We ate sitting on the carpet in the library and in the living room just as much as we did in the kitchen. It was a home. The third floor needs renovating. James was going to do it but after Fee and Monty passed, he just sealed up the place. He wasn't ready to come back here. But it's a beautiful house and maybe one day you'd like to live here with your wife and kids."
Harry blushed. "Er, that's a while off, don't you think?"
"Maybe," he admitted with a grin. "Come on, the grounds are extensive. But there's one part I think that you'll particularly love."
They headed out the back door at the end of the front hall and out into a huge yard. Harry looked out over the gardens, still beautifully taken care of, he noted, as his eyes travelled around the stone fence, the small towers around them.
"What are those for?"
"That little tower on the end is full of gardening supplies. That small little white one is where Rosa and Darby live. Fee had Monty build it for them so that they would have their own space. It has a small living room and kitchen, a bathroom, and two small bedrooms."
Harry grinned at the thought. He had always thought it was strange that Kreacher slept in the boiler room, but when Sirius had offered the elf a chance to sleep anywhere else in the house, he'd refused. He hadn't really thought about where Dobby slept, and he felt a little ashamed of that. He needed to make sure that Dobby had his own space as well.
"That tower on the other end used to be where James kept his Quidditch stuff," Sirius said, pointing at the large field. "As that is the perfect place to play Quidditch."
Harry's eyes widened as he looked at the big yard. He could see the goals at either end and couldn't stop smiling. It was hardly to scale and only a quarter of the size of the Hogwarts' pitch, but still massive. The thought that this house boasted its very own Quidditch pitch made it seem even more incredible.
"Wow!"
Sirius laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty great."
Harry shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked at the back of the house, from the intricate stonework to the steps. It was beautiful, and the thought of living there one day made him feel warm inside. He felt like it could be a home just as much as Black Cottage had always been.
"Thanks for taking me here, Uncle Siri."
Sirius put his arm around Harry's shoulders. "Thanks for insisting on coming here. I think that I needed to come back just as much as you needed to see it. I thought it would hurt, coming here again, but it doesn't. It's full of happy memories for me, and that's all that matters." They both stared at the back of the house for a moment longer before Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulder. "Want to make a day of it and see the rest of your properties?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, yeah that sounds good."
They went to Brighton next where a modest-sized manor resided that had once been the home of his great-uncle Charlus and his aunt Dorea Potter. Basil took care of the Brighton Manor, but wasn't there when they arrived. It was two-storeys with three large bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a parlour, and a library. It was much more posh than Clevedon Court and was full of sculptures and art.
"Dorea Potter was very much into ancient art," Sirius told him. "She spent millions of Galleons on sculpture and art to decorate this place. I was only here once or twice, and every time I felt like I was in a museum. She was an avid collector."
Harry had to agree with that assessment. The house was beautiful, but unlike Clevedon Court — it didn't feel homey. They left Brighton and Sirius had Kreacher Apparate them to Southern Italy where the Potters had a large villa on the Amalfi Coast made of large arched stonewalls and columns, with its own private courtyard and ocean view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was where they finally found Basil, who was so honoured to meet Harry, that he bowed as he spoke, until Harry ordered him to stop.
Basil was only too excited to take Harry to the Potter's property in Barbados, where a huge two-storey white manor loomed on the beach full of open balconies and doorways with a private salt water swimming pool. Potter's Paradise, as it was known, had a large pool and stepped down onto the beach. It was beautiful, and Basil explained how he kept the house in shiny, pristine condition while ensuring the pool was clean at all times.
Next, Basil took them to France, where he met the people who worked his winery in Bordeaux under the label 'Euphemia's Potions.' It had been a gift to his wife from Fleamont when they celebrated fifteen years of marriage, and Basil explained how the winery produced some of the best red wines in the world: Cabernet sauvignons, cabernet francs, merlots, and many blends. The second winery was in Alsace, producing rieslings and white wines that were also very popular. The Alsace winery labelled their wines as 'Enchantment' and had been opened by his grandparents as well - five years after the winery in Bordeaux. Harry and Sirius tasted the wines at each winery and Harry introduced himself, smiling at the witches and wizards who were so honoured to meet the owner of the winery.
Next they headed to the Scottish Highlands to the Potter Distillery. They tried the Scotch there, as the place was known for producing 'Jacobite Uisge Beatha,' which translated to Jacobite Whisky. Basil explained how it was one of the most popular whisky choices in Britain for its smooth taste with hints of apple, butterscotch, tangerine, cocoa powder, and peat, and how they had imported it all over the magical world since its inception in the eighteenth century. It was the whisky of choice for most, unless they were looking for the burn and flash of Firewhiskey.
After leaving Scotland, Basil took them to meet the operations manager of the two Potion making warehouses in New York and in Liverpool. The manager was a witch, who was currently working at the warehouse in Liverpool. She explained to Harry how the warehouses worked and how she oversaw the two companies, travelling between New York and Liverpool every few weeks. He learned a little bit more about the potions and their supplies that had been invented by his family members. They ended the tour back in Devon at the herbological centre called 'The Potterer' where the manager explained how they sold flowers, plants, and herbs to magical and non-magical people alike.
By the time they left, Basil was beaming at him; Harry felt slightly overwhelmed. He thanked the elf and explained about Dobby. Basil immediately nodded in attention and promised to go straight to Clevedon Court to speak with Dobby about his orders.
Sirius put his arm around Harry. "What did I tell you? Everything is taken care of. You are sent monthly reports, but your lawyers take care of that. If you want to read them over every month, all you have to do is ask for copies, but it's not necessary. As to the homes, they are yours. The wineries and the distillery all have suites for you to stay in as well, if you'd like."
Harry only nodded his head. "It's a lot."
Sirius chuckled. "And then some. But as I said, it's nothing that you have to do. It all takes care of itself for you. On top of the lawyers who handle the financial aspects and estate, you now have Dobby, who I think we can trust to handle organizing literally everything else."
Harry had to agree with that statement. "Uncle Siri… where does Dobby sleep?"
Sirius looked at him in surprise. "He has a bedroom in the basement of Number Twelve. I offered him a room on the main floor, but he refused. It's tiny. It used to be a cupboard, but it has a small bed, a night table, and dresser. He insisted it was all he needed. Why?"
"I was thinking of how Nan made that little home for Rosa and Darby and I was worried that I hadn't supplied a place for Dobby."
"That's why I'm here," Sirius said with a smile. "I made sure that he was taken care of. But now that he will be taking on more responsibility within the Potter Estate, you may want to offer him a new place. You can think on it and see."
Harry nodded. He felt relieved to hear that Dobby had his own bedroom. He wondered if maybe the elf would want his own little space in Clevedon Court, maybe a little flat or something. He let Sirius Apparate them back home, and his eyes widened when he stepped into the living room. Colt and Flo were sitting there laughing with Zee.
Flo immediately jumped to her feet and engulfed Harry in a tight hug. "Sweetie pie!"
Harry hugged her close, kissing her cheek. "Grandma! Grandpa! What are you doing here?"
Colt grinned widely from the couch. "We couldn't stand the thought of not seeing you guys on Christmas, so Flo rounded up one of those port-catch thingies, and here we are!"
Harry hugged Colt before he sat in the armchair. "Portkey, Grandpa. When did you get here?"
"About two hours ago," Colt said, stretching his long legs up on the table.
"Your grandfather been's going a bit stir crazy without work."
Colt scoffed at that. "I have not! The woman's always picking at me! I have the ranch and the horses. I'm fine!"
"How are the horses?" Harry asked, surprised at how much he missed them. "How's Cloud Dancing?"
"They're great," Colt told him. "Zee said that you went to Greece this summer. How was it?"
"Good. We relaxed and spent some time on the beach."
Flo placed her hand on his arm, squeezing gently. "After seeing him come back, I think you deserved some beach time."
Harry smiled softly at her. "Yeah."
Flo bent to kiss his cheek again before she took a seat next to her husband. "Where are you and Sirius coming from?"
"Harry and I have been touring his estate holdings," Sirius said, sitting in the armchair across from Harry. "We've been slowly introducing him to everything he owns and to his responsibilities as a Potter."
"Marquess," Harry corrected, the back of his neck flushing.
Colt's fingers tapped on his leg. "You said that in one of your letters. The Marquess of Somerset, quite the grand title now? Basically royalty, ain't it?"
"No," Flo said, patting her husband's leg. "But definitely a wonderful honour. You said your ancestor was given the title because he helped a king?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, eons ago, back in the fourteenth century. His father-in-law is the one who built Clevedon Court too, the house where my dad grew up. Uncle Sirius and I just came from there."
Harry explained where they had gone and what he had learned.
Zee turned to look at Sirius. "You never told me that Harry owns Euphemia's Potions! That's favourite cabernet sauvignon!"
Sirius shrugged. "I didn't really think about it."
"It was interesting," Harry told them. "Plus I met the house elves. One of them has been checking on everything I have internationally, and I asked Dobby to oversee the elves, and… well, I guess keep me updated. I'm still learning and working on all of that."
"Sounds like you've been busy, boy," Colt said with a smile. "Learning how to be the man you're meant to be. Very responsible."
Harry shrugged. "I just want to understand how it all works. It seems less daunting once that happens."
"Well, Lord Potter, why don't you tell us more about it then?"
"It's technically Lord Somerset — if you want to be politically correct," Sirius said, making Harry flush again.
Colt's booming laugh had Harry grinning at his grandparents.
This Christmas had turned out to be even better than he had anticipated.
End Author's Notes:
Just a helpful reminder of who the Zacarias family is.
Zee's parents: Magnolia Jackson Zacarias (deceased) and Misha Zacarias and Sorcha Brown Zacarias (stepmother)
The Jacksons:
Colten Raleigh (Muggle, 1921) m. Florence Jackson (pureblood witch, 1924) (1941)
1. Magnolia Jackson Zacarias (7 April 1941) m. Mikhail Ivanovich Zacarias (9 May, 1941)
(a) Zahira Zelena Zacarias (9 April 1964)
The Zacarias':
Ivan Zacarias m. Anya Zacarias (1939) (Muggles — Ivan was the soldier in WWII with the motorbike) — all of their children, grandchildren, and supporting family is magical.
1. Mikhail (Misha) m. Magnolia Jackson Zacarias (d) m. Sorcha Brown Zacarias (1972)
(a) Zahira Zelena Zacarias (9 April, 1964)
2. Olga Zacarias Petrov (1944) m. Dimtri Petrov (1960)
(a) Mikhail Petrov (1962) m. Ana Ivanov (1983)
(i) Yuri Petrov (8 June, 1985)
(b) Mila Petrov Sokolov (1965) m. Nicholas Sokolov (1985)
(i) Nastasia Sokolov (8 May, 1987)
(ii) Dinara Sokolov (3 February, 1989)
3. Sasha Zacarias Blok (1947) m. Yerik Blok (1964)
(a) Tanya Blok Fedorov (1967) m. Alek Fedorov (1993)
(i) Eva Fedorov (14 July 1994)
(ii) Irina Fedorov (14 July 1994)
(b) Tatiana Blok (1967) eng. Iosif Kuznetsov
The Browns:
Callum Brown (1894) m. Fiona (1899) (1919)
1. Brian Brown (1921) m. Jocasta Fitzgibbons (1942)
(a) Dougal Brown (1944) m. Ellen Smith (1969)
(i) Jenny Brown (3 May, 1972)
(ii) Ian Brown (4 February, 1974)
2. Sorcha Brown (14 January 1937) m. Misha Zacarias (1972)
(a) Zahira Zelena Zacarias (9 April, 1964)
Also:
Ivan & Anya = Baba and Deda
Tetya = auntie
Dyadya = uncle
Misha & Sorcha = Papa and Grandmama
Colt & Flo = Grandpa and Grandma
Callum & Fiona = Gran and Grandda
I thought it would be interesting to do some more of a comparison between Grindelwald and Voldemort and what better opportunity to do so than when Harry is in Moscow. Misha and Sorcha were children when Grindelwald's war was going on, but they still know the stories, especially Misha who as an Auror would have it ingrained in him. I took the Grindelwald information as a mix from Pottermore, the Harry Potter wiki, and of course a few direct and paraphrased quotes from the Fantastic Beasts films.
Also, a discussion with Dusk over Christmas presents — my family always stressed gifts we needed more than wanted. We always received one or two things we asked for (new books, CDs, movies, games, etc) and then we were gifted with new clothes, new pjs and the like along with a refill of all of our toiletries (shampoo, chapstick, soap, deodorants, perfume, cologne etc.) which is why I had Harry receive the like. I still love that gift as it's a new supply I don't have to purchase myself lol. I voted to keep it in. Just thought I'd explain.
Thank you for reading and please review!