Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Title: The Poet's Wish
Author: ReadingRed
Beta: DukeBrymin
Chapter Eight: The Changes
"Wow, Daddy it's so dif'ent!" Teddy exclaimed, pulling on Harry's hand, trying in vain to get further into the Alley.
"I know, buddy, it sure is," Harry said to the boy with a smile.
"Gringotts first?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded, and the family set off down Diagon Alley. Harry felt like a child, the way he was looking at everything with awe, but he couldn't stop himself. He was amazed by the world around him. No signs of death or destruction; he had almost forgotten that the world had been like this once.
"Gin, it's amazing," Harry told his wife.
"I know, but now's not the time. People are starting to stare." Harry looked around quickly to see if anyone was looking at them. No one was. His wife was joking with him, that was another thing Harry had almost forgotten about, he wasn't used to being able to tease his wife or even to act his age. He was only twenty-one years old but the war had aged him prematurely.
In their time, saying someone was staring at you was like saying "duck and cover", or at the very least, "someone is following you". In their time Harry would've sprung into action, looking for the person who was watching them; in this time, Harry scanned the area first but was able to stop himself from trying to draw his wand. After making sure no one was watching them, Harry realized she was joking with him. After slowing his heart rate Harry laughed.
"Ha ha, you're so funny. Did I ever tell you that?" She shook her head, playing along. "Well I should've, because you're freakin' hilarious. I nearly killed the guy in the red robe." Harry said with a nod in the man's direction.
Ginny caught onto his joke a lot faster than he did hers, and she laughed.
"Whatever," she said, and took his free hand in hers and the family continued on, making their way through the crowd to Gringotts. Finley and Teddy raced up the giant steps that led to the doors of Gringotts, laughing at their game.
Finley got there first exclaiming "I win!" as he slapped his hand on the large door. Teddy reached the door soon after, and was about to say something, when the doors opened from the inside. Teddy and Finley jumped out of the way just in time.
Lucius Malfoy and Draco, his young son, came out of Gringotts with an air of arrogance that only the Malfoys could pull off. Malfoy Sr. looked down at the boys and wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something bad, and Teddy and Finley did the same. The elder Malfoy was aghast that someone might dare do that to him. He looked up, presumably to find the parents of these two children. When his gaze settled on Harry and Ginny he smirked.
"Are these two… children yours?" he directed the question to Harry, barely giving Ginny a second glance.
"Yes, they are. Why, have they troubled you?" Harry replied. Just talking to Malfoy was making him sick. His mind was on repeat; images of the people Harry had seen this man kill and torture were playing over and over. Harry wanted to kill him where he stood. Ginny sensed what Harry was going through; her mind was doing something similar. She gripped his hand harder trying to calm him with her touch.
"I suggest you keep a better watch over them. You never know when something . . . less than savory might befall them," Malfoy said before turning with a swish of his cloak, Draco following shyly behind his father.
For the first time Harry looked at Draco as a child much like himself. They had both been raised in abusive homes, they had just responded in different ways. Harry had decided when he was young, that he would never be like Vernon. Draco, on the other hand, had apparently chosen to become just like his father.
In the future, Draco became a Death Eater; Harry could vividly remember watching him kill Fred and George. Not this Draco though, he hadn't killed anyone yet. 'Maybe he hasn't decided to be just like his father yet,' Harry thought. 'Maybe there is still time to change him.'
Harry had hope that maybe they could help that little boy. He looked at Ginny and saw tears in her eyes. He knew that she was thinking something along those same lines.
If they could change Draco, maybe he wouldn't grow up to kill her brothers, or let the Death Eaters into the castle. They could prevent the loss of so many lives by changing one little boy.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Harry asked quietly.
"We have to do it, Harry. I'm not sure how, but we have to help him. We have to change the path he'll go down."
Harry nodded. "Then that's what we'll do."
"Daddy, Mama, hurry up!" Teddy's little voice cut through the air.
Ginny laughed. "Well, you heard the man, hurry up."
The young couple climbed the steps after their children. Harry opened the door and the two boys rushed in, followed by their parents. Teddy took Finley's hand after the older boy stopped in his tracks.
"Come on, Finny. It's okay. They're nice Goblins. I was scared the first time too," Teddy told the boy sincerely. Finley nodded and let Teddy lead him to the counter. Ginny and Harry were a step behind them.
"Key please," the Goblins gravelly voice rang out.
"We don't have one," Harry said.
"Hmmm, name?"
"Potter," Harry told him quietly.
The Goblin raised his eyebrow and leaned over the counter to look down at Finley and Teddy. "Follow me," he said as he climbed down from his seat and came around the side of the counter. The short Goblin led them down a corridor to a door that was marked Head Goblin. The Goblin knocked twice before opening the door and motioning them inside. He followed them into the small office. An old Goblin, sitting behind a desk that dwarfed him, looked up from his paperwork.
"Yes?" he asked, in a surprisingly soft voice.
"Master Hagfold, these people say they are the Potters," the Goblin said. Hagfold raised his eyebrow. We seem to be getting a lot of those today, Harry thought to himself.
"Very well, you may go Jugard. You four come here." They all did as he said. Jugard leaving the room and the family moving closer to the desk and the old Goblin. Finley tugged on Harry's arm. Harry looked down at the boy and saw him raising his arms in the world-wide way of children that meant 'pick me up'. Harry picked up the boy and set him expertly on his hip. He was used to carrying Teddy and Finley wasn't much bigger. Seeing Finley being held it wasn't long before Teddy asked Ginny to hold him too.
The Goblin didn't seem to notice that it was his presence that was scaring the two children into the arms of their parents, or if he did notice he didn't seem to care. The Goblin stood from behind his desk and walked to a filing cabinet. He opened the top drawer and started skimming over the files. After minutes of searching he pulled out four slips of parchment from a single file. He calmly walked back to his desk and sat down with a sigh.
"Closer please," he said, motioning them to stand just in front of the desk. He pulled out a large knife and set it on the desk next to where he had placed the parchment.
"Four drops of blood from each of you will be needed. These parchments are charmed to tell lineage. Blood activates them. If you are truly Potters we will have no problems here, but if you are lying to gain access to our vaults there will be trouble." The Goblin looked at them as if he expected them to turn tail and run, instead they each held out a hand.
Hagfold took the knife in his right and a piece of parchment in the left and cut Harry's palm first. Harry watched the blood drip from the wound on his hand. After four drops the Goblin set down the parchment and touched Harry's palm. The wound healed and left a small scar in its place.
The experience was the same for Ginny, Finley, and Teddy. Harry's heart broke when he watched his boys. They didn't even flinch when their hands were sliced. Children their ages shouldn't be so used to pain that they didn't flinch when they were hurt.
Finally, when they had all been cut and healed, the Goblin set down his knife and looked at the pieces of parchment one by one, reading them aloud as he went.
Harry James Potter
Born to James Ignotus Potter and Lily Katherine Evans Potter
31 July, 1980
Twenty one years of age
Next he read Ginny's parchment.
Ginevra Molly Weasley Potter
Born to Arthur Septimus Weasley and Molly Ann Prewett Weasley
11 August, 1981
Twenty years of age
After Ginny's Hagfold read Teddy's parchment
Ted James Remus Potter
Born to Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Nova Tonks Lupin
30 April, 1998
Magically Adopted by Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley Potter
30 April, 1999
Four years of age
To Harry's surprise the Goblin didn't stumble over the dates, he just kept on reading.
Harry James Potter
Born to James Ignotus Potter and Lily Katherine Evans Potter
31 July, 1980
Six years of age
After he read Finley's parchment he looked up.
"The Watcher?" Hagfold asked.
"Yes," Harry said.
"I expect you'll want to adopt this one too?" Hagfold asked, pointing at Finley with a gnarled finger.
"Yes!" Harry, Ginny, Teddy and Finley said at the same time. Hagfold smirked at their enthusiasm. He stood and hobbled back to the file cabinet, this time returning quickly with a single piece of parchment.
"A single drop of blood from each family member please," Hagfold said once again, holding the knife in his right hand and the parchment in his left. Carefully and quickly he sliced their palms this time running the blade the opposite angle so the cuts made an X shape on their palms.
After everyone had given blood he set down the knife, but unlike last time he left their hands unhealed.
"Mother first please. Place your hand on the parchment and repeat after me; 'This child comes to me, not from my womb but from my heart, to cherish and hold, never to part.'"
Ginny repeated the words and when she was done Hagfold had Harry step forward.
"Father next. Place your hand on the parchment and repeat after me; 'To teach and mold, a father's wishes and hopes fulfilled, to guide and love, this boy, my son."
Teddy was next. Ginny set him on his feet and he went to Hagfold.
"Now the brother. Hand on the parchment please, boy. Now say these words; 'Brother to follow and to love, brothers by bond and now by blood." Teddy repeated the words as Hagfold said them. When he was done he smiled at Finley and went to stand by his brother and father.
"And finally the little one himself, come here please." Harry let the boy down and Finley walked softly over to Hagfold.
"Hold this paper please. Make sure your palm is touching the marks left by their palms and repeat after me; 'A mother to cherish, a father to follow, a brother to love, a family to keep.'" Finley did as he was told and when he had finished Hagfold gave him one last instruction. "Now say your new name boy."
"Finley Harrison James Potter!" Finley shouted. A golden light filled the room arching from the paper first to Ginny, then from her into Harry, then into Teddy and lastly the light went into Finley. When the light finally dimmed the Potters looked at each other and immediately saw the changes in one another.
Harry was taller, not by much, but it was noticeable; he also could feel a change in his metamorphmagus power. It was stronger; he felt like he could change effortlessly instead of fighting to change, like he normally had to.
Ginny, could feel the difference in her magical power; she felt stronger. Ginny had always been a very powerful witch but now she felt like the limits she had once had on her powers were gone, and in their place, an infinite amount of possibilities abounded. What she couldn't see was the changes to her outward appearance. Her hair had darkened a shade, it now had black strands interspersed with the red, making her hair look auburn.
Teddy's changes were hardest to notice because he changed his appearance so often. It was only when he went to his base self, what he looked like when he was just being himself, that the changes could be seen. Teddy now looked like a true Potter. His hair was jet black, and as messy as if he had just stepped out of a wind tunnel. His eyes were hazel and almond-shaped. If anyone who had known James Potter as a child would've looked at Teddy at that moment they would've said Teddy could be his twin.
Finley was changed the most. He now was the proper height for a child his age. His hair was as messy as ever, maybe even more so, but now it had red highlights, barely noticeable unless the light was shining on his head at just the right angle, but still they were there. Finley remembered what it had felt like to change his appearance earlier and like Harry, Finley now felt like he could change himself to look like anything he pleased. Finley had also gained more muscle tone. When he had lived with the Dursleys, they hadn't fed him well and he was very underweight, now he looked healthy for the first time since his parents had died and he had gone to live with his accursed relatives.
"Well what do you think of the changes?" Hagfold asked. The Potters could only look at him in silence.