When the door opened, it revealeda beareded man with black to graying hair and seemed to be surprized to find Soi-Fon, and with a child in her arms no less, "Soi-Fon?" he asked, sounding surprized, "What are you doing here, and with a child no less?" he asked, his voice filled with confusion, but also care for her.
Soi-Fon took a deep breath. "...Hello, father. I...I want to introduce you to Harry. ...He...He's my son..." She grit her teeth, awaiting her father's reaction.
Needless to say, he reacted as she had predicted, "Son...your son...you have a son...why have I not met the father?" he asked, he was staying calm, but, his anger was obvious.
Soi-Fon remained calm. "It's because...I broke the law, father. His father was one of the living, and he is now deceased..."
Her father facepalmed, somethign she would never have guessed he knew, "Ok, so, were you two at least married in some secret marriage that I am not aware of either?" he asked, hoping that she was.
"Yes." She replied with a small smile, remembering her and James's wedding day. "It was the greatest day of my life..." A few tears streamed down her cheeks.
Her father hmm'ed to himself, "And why should I accept your child as part of the family, when I never met my recently revealed son in law that I will never meet due to his having died?"
Soi-Fon's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't care if you accept him or not. Nothing will prevent me from raising my child. I'll leave the family forever if I have to. You will not take Harry away from me."
Her father gulped, "Um...ahem," he coughed, "There is n-no need for that!" he stammered a bit, hoping to placate her, he then stepped inside, "Please, Soi-Fon, you and your son are free to come in, tell me about your son, who I of course know nothing about, since someone never decided to tell me about him..." he said, trying to make her feel guilty with that last part.
Soi-Fon sighed. "I had no choice, father...I was afraid if I told anyone, he would be in danger. It is against the law to mate with the living, after all..."
"Fair enough, but," he said, as he closed the door behind them as they entered the home of the House of Fon, "I would still like to know about my grandson," he said.
Soi-Fon smiled at Harry. "One moment, father..." Wordlessly, she placed Harry on the couch, unwrapped the plushies from his blanket, and placed his beloved bee on his chest, Harry subconsciously holding it close against himself with a smile.
Her father arched an eyebrow at the plushies, "What is with the stuffed animals dear?" he asked neutrally.
Soi-Fon smirked as she watched her son cuddle his little bee. "They're a representation of me and my friends...I'm the bee." She replied calmly.
Her father sighed, "Fine, whatever, now, tell me more about my grandson," he repeated. Soi-Fon sighed, and then began telling her about how she James Potter, and how he was a noble back in England, that little fact made her father a bit happier about his grandson, hwoever, when he found out about Voldemort, the prophecy, and how Harry had apparently been treated under the Dursleys, Soi-Fon's father was seething with rage directed at the Dursleys, however, when he heard aobut how Soi-Fon had decided to deal with them, he agreed to keep her secret about what she had done to them. "Alright, dear, you haven't slept in a while, so, go, sleep, after all, from what you told me, you still need to see your son's godmother tomarrow," he said, smiling at his sleeping grandson and his tired daughter, he could see her trying to resist yawning.
Soi-Fon scooped Harry into her arms. "Father...Please bring the rest of his plushies up..."
Her father looked at the old plushies, they really were quite worn, maybe if he had them repaired...
"No." Soi-Fon said simply. Her father looked at her in surprise. "Leave them the way they are. He's used to it."
"But I didn't say anything Soi-Fon!" he said deencively. Soi-Fon grinned from the stairs, "You didn't need to father, I knew what you would think as you saw them..." His response was to sigh, pick up all the plushies, and blanket, and bring them up to his daughets room, where he found Harry under the overs, and Soi-Fon getting ready for bed.
"Here are his belongings, dear." The older man said as he placed the cuddly toys and blanket on Soi-Fon's dresser.
"Thank you, father." Was Soi-Fon's reply.
"May you both sleep well." And with that, her father left the room. Soi-Fon turned to the bed and smiled over at her sleeping child. Wordlessly, she climbed into bed with him and pulled him into her bosom. He let out a soft coo of content and snuggled closer into her. She was a bit surprized at how easily he accepted her son, but, then again, he WAS family to her father, so, in the end she could see him accepting him. Finally finished and ready for bed, she crawled intob ed, and smiled as her son curled up into her side holding his little bee plushie tightly.
The next morning, Soi-Fon and her father woke up to the smell of something cooking, and smelling delishous, however, as she looked for Harry, she knowticed he was not in the bed anymore, his bee plushie was still there, but he wasn't, getting out of bed, and getting dressed, she went to the kitchen to investigate.
When she entered the kitchen, the sight before her stunned her. There, in the kitchen, was Harry, cooking an absolutely perfect breakfast of bacon, eggs and hashbrowns. Soi-Fon was baffled by what she was seeing. Her five year old child was cooking all by himself...and he was a master at it...
"Harry...?" She said, her bafflement evident in her tone. Harry snapped around to look at her.
"Did I make enough?" he asked, before looking sad when she didn't reply, "Should I make more then?" he asked, not sure how much she could or would eat.
Soi-Fon stared at Harry for a few moments, then slowly began to approach him. Harry flinched, expecting he had done something wrong and was about to get hit for it...Only for Soi-Fon to kneel down to his level and hold him close.
Harry looked up at his mother, "I don't understand mommy." he said, "Are you happy I made breakfast, or mad that I didn't make enough?" The little boy was beginning to feel nervous. Was she going to hurt him...? It didn't seem like it...The way she was holding him felt very nice...
Soi-Fon sighed, "Harry, I am thankful that you made me breakfast, but, you scared me this morning," she said. Harry looked at his mother curiously, "You were scared?" he asked her. "Yes," Soi-Fon said, smiling down at him as she held him in her arms, "I didn't know where you were, then I find out you were the one who made breakfast, your much too young to make breakfast, maybe in a year or two you can cook more, but, from now on, unless me, or your godmother are here to watch you, your not to cook, understand? I only say this because I am worried about you, and do not want you to burn yourself or get burned by boiling water or something, ok?" she said, trying to convey how much she was worried about her child.
Harry nodded shyly and looked down. "Okay...I'm sorry...I won't do it again...Um...So, you're gonna hit me now, right...?"
Soi-Fon sighed, "No Harry, I will not hit you," he said, "I just don't want you cooking alone again, ok? Also, perhaps...um, you could teach me how to cook?" she said sheepishly, "I am not that good of a cook myself, so, you help teach me how to cook, and I will let you cook more often, ok?" she said, since she could see he did enjoy cooking, but she was in no way going to have him cook alone and unsupervised anymore.
Harry blinked, then nodded. "Okay." He said softly. "Thanks for not hitting me."
Soi-Fon smiled, "No child should ever be hit, sweety," she said, hugging her son, "You know, I am going to have to come up with a nickname for you," she said with a playful smirk, "Something to call you and show my affection for you as my son, when I am too busy to call your name, and so you know I mean you, and not some other Harry," she said, still smirking, "Now, want to help me wake up your grandfather?" she asked with a devious grin.
Harry smiled up at his mother joyfully. He had always thought that his mother had died. It had been the greatest moment of his life to discover that his mother was still alive, and was thrilled to find that she actually genuinely loved him. He felt like the luckiest little boy in the history of the universe, finally being able to look into his mother's eyes and enjoy her embrace after four years of knowing nothing more than pain and misery. He nodded in answer to his mother's question.
Soi-Fon grinned as she whispered her plan into her sons ear, causing him to smile as well, needless to say, 20 minutes later, a sopping wet older man with a beard, and a lilypad on his head, walked into the kitchen, dripping water everywhere, and an unamused scowl on his face. "You see son, THATS, how you know you got someone," Soi-Fon said, as she pointed to her father's annoyed face. When she managed to stop laughing, she looked to her father, wiped a tear from her eye and said, "Look what your grandson did for us this morning?" she said, with a hint of hidden meaning to her father, making it clear to him, comment on how he shouldn't be cooking, and i will castrate you later.
A bead of sweat poured down the older man's face. "Ah, yes...Um...You...shouldn't do that, because you are...too young, and...things... Yes..." Soi-Fon rolled her eyes. He tried at least...
Harry looked down. "Sorry...It's just that my aunt and uncle made me cook for them every day, so I'm...uh...I'm kinda used to it..."
Soi-Fon shot a look at her father promising pain later, before hugging her son and saying, "Which is why you will be teaching me your cooking skills, while I keep an eye on you to make you do not hurt yourself in the kitchen, since you seem to enjoy cooking," she said, smiling at him, "Hmm, for a nicname, how about...'Little Chef'," she suggested, "What you think, you can choose another if you do not like it," she said, smiling, she really did want him to have a say in the nickname she gave him.
"Um...I...I don't know..." Harry admitted. "I don't know what nickname I could have...I used to have a nickname..."
"If it was a nickname those monsters you lived with gave you, then no." Soi-Fon replied gently.
"Oh...Then um...I...I don't know..."
Soi-Fon smiled, "Give it time, we will find the right one for you my son," she said, as she hugged him, "Now, sit down and take one of these plates for yourself and fill it up with food," she said, as she took a plate and helped herself to some of the food, as did her father. "And remember, we have to go and see your godmother later, ok Harry?" she said, ignoring the look her father shot her at the mention of Harry having a godmother, another thing that she had kept from him, omitting it when she told him about Harry.
Harry looked surprised. Soi-Fon raised a brow and crossed her arms. "What is it?"
"I...I get to eat this...?" Soi-Fon frowned.
"Of course. You made it...Why wouldn't you be allowed to eat it...?"
"It's just...Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia never let me eat the food I cooked...It was all for them...I just got bread once a week."
Soi-Fon growled, silently wishing the Dursleys a painful death at the hands of those Hollows she had summoned before having left and gone to Kisuke Urahara's shop, to get the change done so Harry could go to Soul Society with her, and then took him to his godmother, but, that was in the past, now, though, Soi-Fon had to focus on the here and now, "Harry, from now on, forget every single rule, or thing that Vernon or Petunia told you, alright? From now on, you will follow rules that ME, or your godmother, or your godfather give you, ok, NO ONE ELSE'S rules matter, ok?" again, Soi-Fon, ignored the look from her father at the mention of a godfather this time.
Harry nodded shyly. "Kay, mommy..." He said softly. Soi-Fon smirked.
"There's a good boy. Now eat your breakfast." Harry nodded and helped himself to a piece of bacon, an egg and a spoonful of hashbrows. Soi-Fon shook her head. "That's nowhere near enough to fill you up." She put three more pieces of bacon, two more eggs and five more spoonfuls of hashbrowns on Harry's plate. "There you go. Eat and enjoy."
Harry nodded, he didn't want to disappoint his mother, so, he made sure to eat everything she had put on his plate. When he finished eating, he could barely move cause of how stuffed he felt, he let out a groan as he tried to move, when, suddenly, he felt his mother pat him on the back causing him to burp loudly, followed by him blushing in embarrassment, "Thanks mommy," he said, still blushing, causing Soi-Fon to smile, she was happy, she was reunited with her son, and, she was helping him heal from the damage done by that bearded bastard, Dumbledore, and that family of racist monsters, the Dursleys, and now, he was living with her, and he was welcomed, well, by those he had met so far anyway, she was actually dreading the first encounter of a few of them meeting Harry. She then smiled at Harry, "Do you want me to carry you to your godmothers for the procedure, my son?" she asked with a grin, she could see him struggling to get up, and to stay awake from how full he felt.
Harry looked at his mother. "Um...Wh-Who's my godmother...? And...what is a godmother...?"
"Well, if anything ever happens to me, she's the next in line to become your legal guardian." Soi-Fon explained.
"Oh...Is she nice...?"
"Yes. The kindest woman in the soul society."
"But I thought you were the nicest woman ever..."
Soi-Fon smiled and shook her head a bit, "Come on you cheeky bugger you," she said as she picked him up, and said, "And I am kind, but, I am only REEALLY kind to you, and your godmother, everyone else has to watch their step, or they will know why not to cross me," she said, as she kissed his forehead, "Now, lets be on our way. See you later father," she said, as she left the door, carrying the barely conscious Harry, who was continuously nodding off in her arms and heading towards nap town.
She chuckled. "There's no reason you can't take a small nap as we travel." She said calmly.
"But..." Harry replied, trying to protest cutely.
"No, really. It's fine. You're tired, and you need rest. Sleep." She countered in a motherly tone.
Harry let out a small child like sigh, "Ok mommy," he said, as he snuggled into her arms comfortably, "Hmm, your warm momm-..." he said, before trailing off as he fell asleep in her arms, causing Soi-Fon to giggle at the sight of her son falling asleep the way he did.
An half hour's walk later, they made it to the Squad 4 Barracks, and Soi-Fon carried her son proudly, refusing to hide her source of pride from her son's godmother's force of soul reapers. When she reached Unohana's office, she knocked once, and heard the affirmation from within before entering, "I am here Unohana, and i brought my son, though, he is asleep from a fully tummy at the moment," she said with a giggle. which made Unohana smile, happy to see her closest friend happy again after five years.
"Very good. I will see him as soon as he wakes up." She replied. "Why don't we put him down to rest on my couch over there, and I will prepare us some tea?"
"Sounds good." Soi-Fon replied with a nod as she placed Harry down on the couch, his little head resting on her lap.
Unohana soon finished making the tea and then brought it over to Soi-Fon, "So," she started, hiding a grin behind her cup of tea as she drank a bit, "How did your father take the news?" she asked, knowing that this would, in essence, be a bit of teasing on her part, but, hey, its not like she got to tease her friends too often.
Soi-Fon frowned. "Better than I expected, but I don't think he fully accepts Harry just yet..."
"That's a shame." Unohana replied.
"He won't do anything about it, though. He knows I'd destroy him if he tried anything..."
"That IS what being a mother is all about you know."
"I know."
While Soi-Fon and Unohana chatted small talk about what had happened, Harry slept on the couch, before slowly waking up with a yawn and a frown, before seeing his mother sitting a little ways away, and then, stumbling his way in his still half asleep state over to his mother, tugged on her sleeve cutely to get her attention.
Soi-Fon's eyes widened and Unohana giggled. Soi-Fon looked down at her son, and smiled warmly.
"Hello there, dear." She said calmly. "Did you have a good nap?"
"Mh-hmm," Harry nodded, and hugged his mother bofre crawling onto her lap with his back against her, he then looked at Unohana curiously, with a tilted head, too shy to ask. Suddenly, Isane Kotetsu came into the room, "Captain Unohana," she bowed, before seeing Soi-Fon and Harry, "Captain Soi-Fon, Harry," she said, bowing to them as well, though smiling when she saw Harry, before Soi-Fon had had to give up Harry, she had, through Unohana, been like a kind of big sister for Harry when he was younger, and seeing him again, made her happy, even if she was saddened by what had happened to him since the last time she saw him, "The chamber is ready for the extraction, my lady," she said, looking at Unohana.
Unohana nodded. "Very good." She looked over at Soi-Fon. "Soi-Fon, if you will be so kind as to bring Harry to the chamber, we can begin." Soi-Fon nodded and stood, Harry in her arms.
Harry sleepily hugged onto his mother, "Whats happening mommy?" he asked.
Soi-Fon smiled sadly, "We are going to remove something from you to make you better dear," she said, "Sleep for now, when you wake up, you will be better, ok?" she said, smiling. Harry nodded, trusting his mother, and snuggled into his mothers arms, "Kay, mommy..." He whispered. He rested the side of his head snugly against her chest, and smiled at the soft rhythm of her heart, wrapping his arms around her. "I love you..." And with that, he fell asleep once more. Soi-Fon smiled broadly as she heard Harry's words, "I love you too, my son," she said, her heart warmed by his admision of love for her as family, and as his mother. When they reached their destination, it was a room thats floor was covered in a diagram, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi waiting for them, "Are we ready to start this extraction already?" he said rudely, "I can't wait to study and disect this horcrux once its removed, after all, its not every day that one turns up!" he said with a bit too much delight in Soi-Fon's opinion. "Don't worry," Mayuri sighed, "I have already given my word to Unohana, I am to leave your son alone, and if I come within fifty meters of him without you, Isane, or Unohana present, I will suffer unimaginable torture or something," he said off handedly, making Soi-Fon relieved a bit at that. "However, once the horcrux is removed, its mine to study as I please," he added, "As per the terms of the agreement I made with Unohana," he said.
Soi-Fon glared. "Unimaginable torture doesn't even begin to describe what will happen to you if you try anything funny with Harry. Understand?"
Mayuri grimaced, if anyone knew how to inflict pain, it was Soi-Fon and her squad, he was under them with his experiments, but even he paled in comparison to her and her squad mastery of causing pain, so, he nodded, "Very well, you have my word, again, I will never lay a hand on your son Captain Soi-Fon," he said, bowing, but it was obviously in fear of her abilities. "Now, if Harry would step into the extraction chamber," he said, indicating the massiver chamber in the center of the diagram ladened room.
"Well, Harry WOULD step into the chamber, but Harry's sleeping right now." Soi-Fon said flatly. Mayuri rolled his eyes.
"Then CARRY him into the chamber and be done with it." he said impatiently.
Once Harry was in the chamber, and the door closed, Mayuri flipped the switch, and the engins reved up before they beganing sucking any soul enenrgies not native to Harry, which began to seep from the scar on his forehead like a black ooze being sucked out and up towards the top of the chamber, along with a bit of blood that was seaping from the scar being reopened as well. As the ooze coallesed on the cieling of the chamber, it formed an inhuman humanoid face, bald, slitted eyes, and a snake like nose, it truely was the face of a monster. And it was continously trying to get back to Harry on the floor.
"MOMMY! HELP, IT'S GONNA GET ME!"
Everyone turned to the chamber to see that Harry had at some point awoken during the extraction, and was staring in fear at the horcrux above him, desperately trying to get back to his body, and this time, it no doubt planned to take over it as its own. "Mayuri, activate containment protocols!" Unohana shouted, "NOW!" Mayuri fflipped a few switches and soon a tube connected with teh top of the chamber before a hatch opened and the horcrux was caught by surprize as it was sucked into the tube, along it, and then into a special soul conatiner for horcruxes. Once it was contained, Mayuri deactivated everything, and turned to Soi-Fon, "The procedure is done, the horcrux is mine to study, but I shall inform you, the Head Captain, Unohana, and the others of what I find, Captain Soi-Fon," he said, grinning, he had a new 'toy' to 'play' with. Soi-Fon just sighed with relief, "I'm just glad its out of him, though, it seemed pretty powerful to me, given how much it was struggling to get back to my son," she said. Unohana came up behind her and nodded, "Yes, that...thing, has ben feeding off of Harry's negative emotions," when both Mayuri and Soi-Fon looked at her questioningly, she replied with, "What? I studied soul magic as part of my healing research, after all, as the living say, ''People be crazy', and do stupid things with science and magic," she sighed, "Never know what they might come up with, you know?" she said, "Best to be prepared, hence why I know about what a horcrux would feed on a living 'container'," she explained.
"Now then...Please let my son out of there, so I can give him a hug. He's scared to death...
Mayuri turned to Unohana, "You do it, I did what I agreed to and I am finished, I am off to research this thing," he said as he left, his 'daughter', following behind him. Unohana sighed, and hit the release switch, causing a door to open in the chamber, and no sooner was it open when Soi-Fon was gone with a mini-sonic boom from the speed at which she practically flew to her sons side, hugging him and reassuring him as he cried into her chest from the terrible fright he just had.
"It's okay, dear." She said gently. "It's gone now. It'll never get you. A...person I know, is going to make sure it suffers, I can assure you of that." Harry clutched at her robe with his tiny fists.
"It was so scary..." He whimpered, sobbing a bit.
Soi-Fon smiled, "Well, it can't hurt you now, and should you encounter what it was a part of, I want you to call for me, ok?" Harry looked at her, "And how will I reach you when your not there?" Soi-Fon smiled, "I will find a way, ok?" Harry nodded, "Kay mommy," he said, still sniffling a bit, but smiling now, feeling safe in her arms. "We should go see your godfather now," Soi-Fon smiled. Unohana nodded, "Yes," she agreed, "Let's, I need to inform him of the extraction's success, and that Mayuri should have results and a possible soul signature for him to send to the other soul reapers soon," she said.
And with that, the young woman carried the child out of the room, ready to introduce him to his godfather. Harry hoped he was as nice as his mother and godmother were...