Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter or Oh My Goddess.
The return to Britain was every bit as stressful as travelling to Japan had been, but by this stage Harry was used to the process and had a good idea of what to expect. It helped that everybody took a day off to relax after their return to Hinckley before they resumed their routine.
For Harry that meant returning to school, his lessons in magic and his sessions with Monkey. This was now a familiar routine that Harry could work through with growing confidence in his own abilities. He had no need to fear that his results would be compared against Dudley's and earn him a punishment if they were better. His teachers offered encouragement and congratulations as the circumstances required, while his family received all positive news from the school with nothing but warmly stated enthusiasm.
Urd went back to her shop, which had now reached a level of popularity that ensured its success. This meant that Urd was busier than ever trying to keep up with demand, something she found quite taxing when combined with the potions lessons she had started to teach Harry.
Skuld seemed to spend all of her time buried inside of the simulator she had constructed, catching up on years of magical training. She would emerge for meals and to sleep, but was otherwise engaged for almost every waking moment. What spare time she did have was spent making additions to the renovation work that had now begun in earnest on the old church.
Belldandy was also heavily involved in the renovations being undertaken, as she had become the project manager by default. She spent her days fielding questions from the builders and sorting out building supplies, in between cooking for her family and giving Harry magic lessons. She was also spending as much time as she could manage with her husband.
Keiichi was also involved in the renovation work, though his job took up most of his time. He was also taking Harry to the bike club almost every weekend to continue their motor-biking experiences; neither person called them "lessons" any more as Harry had picked up the basics quickly enough that the two were now riding for the sheer joy of it.
Welsper had finally been brought home and integrated into the family, though given that she spent most of her time sleeping it was not a big change. Apparently even magic cats needed 23 hours of sleep a day.
All in all, Harry's family had reached a routine state of happy predictability. Which naturally meant that something else was due to happen.
Sirius Black leaned back from the desk he had been working at and looked at the product of his efforts. He did not write letters this formal very often, and he had been forced to go back to the old books his mother had once used to try and educate him in the "proper ways of society".
After he had effectively left his blood relations, Sirius had believed that he would never need any of those lessons in etiquette again. Life had apparently conspired against him.
I can't afford to screw this up, he thought as he read through the letter, I don't want to alienate Harry's new family. If I am ever going to have any sort of relationship with Harry, I'll need to work with these people.
Sirius had been very surprised when Dumbledore had told him about the Odinsdotter family. There had never been any mention at all of any relatives in Scandinavia. Not that Lily had ever talked about any of her family beyond her parents.
From what Dumbledore said, it looks like another muggle family torn apart by the Statute of Secrecy. It wouldn't be the first time and I doubt it will be the last. The Black Heir Apparent thought as he signed the letter and reached for the materials needed to attach a seal.
After the wax of the seal had set, he carefully rolled the parchment up and walked to the manor's owlery. On the way he passed Remus Lupin, who glanced up from the scroll he had been reading. The werewolf had made a serious effort to turn over a new leaf following his rather painful wake-up call and was currently working on helping Sirius secure his position as the next Lord Black.
Both men had a hunch that the political power associated with that title would be necessary in the years ahead. It was obvious that the magical society of Britain had not improved a great deal since the fall of the Dark Lord, and Harry's fame as the "Boy-Who-Lived" would inevitably see him dragged into the toxic political game that the Ministry and old families played on a daily basis.
The remaining loyal Marauders were determined that they would be well placed to help Harry when the game finally turned on him. To that end there was very little that they would not do to help the only son of their departed friends.
The Ministry can wait for now. Sirius thought firmly as he secured his letter to an owl. Step one: get in contact with Harry and earn the trust of his family.
Dame Augusta Longbottom, regent of the Noble and Most Ancient Family of Longbottom, strode down Diagon Alley purposefully. Those who saw her coming were quick to get out of her way. Years of fighting the internal family political battles that had sprung up in the wake of her son's incapacitation had given the matriarch a no-nonsense attitude that was almost palpable.
Augusta had been a proud member of the Longbottom family after her marriage into it, and had been delighted at the success and popularity of her son Frank. It had turned to ashes after the Death Eater attack that had almost killed her son and daughter-in-law, placing the Longbottom family into a bit of a crisis. Frank had been the head of the family following the death of his father, and with Neville too young to take over the position had been left in something of a grey area.
Had Frank died it would have been a lot simpler. Augusta would have taken over as regent, acting on Neville's behalf until the boy reached his majority. With Frank still alive but officially incompetent, plus the persistent rumours surrounding Neville's magical strength, Augusta had found herself confronted with many attempts to have the family head position passed to other branches of the family.
Augusta's response had been direct and to the point: over her dead body. Several duels that had resulted in the crippled bodies of her opponents and the official challenges ended, but that had not stopped the persistent attempts to undermine her authority.
Recent events, however, offered a new avenue of approach. The magical community had, when not being rocked by the revelations of the Black Scandal, been buzzing with news of the new Potions Mistress that had set up shop in Diagon Alley. That this new store had secured contracts with St Mungo's, the Ministry and several major Quidditch teams within weeks of opening had everybody gossiping. The overall conclusion was that this Urd person must be remarkably skilled.
Augusta Longbottom had heard more than that thanks to her extensive network of contacts within St Mungo's. She knew that Urd did not just produce the highest quality potions to have been seen in Britain since the 19th century - she also created improved versions that were significantly better than the original products.
Never one to miss an opportunity, Augusta opened the door to "Urd's Elegant Potions" and entered with her usual forceful presence fully on display.
Approaching the counter, she saw the young silver-haired woman absently leafing through a copy of "Witches Weekly". Clearing her throat gently, the Longbottom matriarch was pleased to see that Urd did not need any more prompting.
"Miss Urd?" She began.
"I am she." Urd replied with a small smile.
"I am given to understand that you are Potions Mistress of considerable talent." Augusta continued.
Urd nodded. "I think it is not immodest to say that I am at the top of my craft."
Augusta paused a moment before continuing. "I have a...project I wish you to undertake. I am not sure if it is strictly within your field of expertise, but at this stage I have exhausted all other avenues of approach."
Urd considered the old woman carefully. "Perhaps you would care to explain further?"
Augusta swallowed and prepared to grasp the nettle by the thorns. "I want you to look into the condition of my son and his wife. They were subjected to the Cruciatus curse until they suffered from some sort of mental break many years ago. All attempts to treat them have failed. I have approached you in the hope that you might bring a new perspective that will allow for some progress..."
Belldandy held the formal letter and examined the seal. She was unsure why the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black would be contacting her in such a formal manner. Shrugging slightly, she broke the seal and unrolled the parchment.
After quickly reading through the letter, she lowered it to her desk as she considered her options. This might complicate things. On the other hand, those complications might be very welcome and useful.
It seemed that Sirius Black was Harry's godfather, and wished to get back into contact with the young Potter heir. Belldandy was unfamiliar with the former prisoner, and was concerned that the arrival of the heir to the house of Black might complicate any custody matters.
Then again, Sirius had only asked for a meeting at this stage. It looked like he was willing to simply talk at this point. If nothing else, it would allow the Norns to get a measure of the man.
Nodding to herself, Belldandy reached for writing materials. It was time to use her calligraphy skills and send a formal reply to match the missive she had received.
Fortunately for Albus Dumbledore, life at Hogwarts had calmed down to what passed for normal in the magical school. Severus Snape had managed to adjust his approach to school discipline to a degree sufficient to keep Minerva McGonagall satisfied. She had even started to call him "Severus" again in private, after having taken to barking out "Snape" for a while. Aurora Sinistra had also apparently come to some sort of settlement with the Potions Master, as the two were no longer sniping at each other during staff meetings.
The appointment of the Astronomy Professor to be the new Head of Gryffindor House had proven to be very successful. With a member of staff on hand to assist with issues before they developed into anything too problematic, the House had been visibly happier and less stressed than at any time in the previous decade. Of course, the young Weasley twins seemed to be determined to be the new Marauders, with pranking activity reaching levels not seen since the infamous quartet graduated.
In all, the calm at Hogwarts was a considerable relief for the Headmaster, as he was constantly distracted by the ongoing political fight at the Ministry. Minister Bagnold was fighting to stay in office, in spite of the general shift of public opinion against her. Dumbledore was finding himself engaged in almost daily meetings with other light-sided members of the Wizengamot and Ministry, all in an effort to shore up support for Cornelius Fudge. The "compromise candidate" was proving difficult to sell, as the man's career up to that point had been one that seemed to avoid making waves. With little to no evidence of any leadership skills on show, Dumbledore was having to argue from the perspective of maintaining political stability.
It was not a message that many of his colleagues on the light side of politics were willing to hear.
Still, Albus was confident that the new Minister would be in office by August. After that, the Ministry would be able to bury the last vestiges of the Black Scandal in the back pages of the Daily Prophet. Maybe some star Quidditch player would do them all a favour and have an affair or two...
Sirius Black sat impatiently in the drawing room of the old Black Manor in Leicestershire. Located just outside of Leicester itself, it was the closest property the Black Family had to Hinckley. Sirius hoped that the proximity to Harry's new home town would be useful in the future.
Unfortunately, his plans for re-establishing contact with his godson had been disrupted by a letter he had received from Narcissa Malfoy. Apparently his cousin wanted to discuss matters of importance, or at least of importance to Narcissa. Sirius was certain that the status of her son in the Black Family would be the main topic of discussion.
"She's here, Sirius." Remus interrupted, sticking his head around the door. Sirius nodded, and Remus left to escort the Lady Malfoy in.
She's aged well, Sirius thought clinically as his cousin entered, though how much is thanks to potions and glamours is something I'll likely never know.
"Greetings, cousin. How are you today?" Sirius said as Narcissa stopped in front of him.
"I am well, cousin. I trust you have been keeping well?" Was the somewhat stiff response.
"Well enough. Would you care to be seated?" Sirius replied as he turned to a set of over-stuffed armchairs.
Narcissa nodded and regally seated herself. Sirius did not quite sprawl, but he did adopt a more relaxed posture.
"I'd offer some refreshment, but I think we will both be happier if we just cut to the chase and get down to business. Am I right?" Sirius said once he was comfortable.
Narcissa looked tense, but she nodded. "Agreed."
Sirius looked at his cousin levelly. "So, tell me. What brings you here today, cousin Narcissa?"
Narcissa braced herself and went for broke. "My son. Draco."
"What about him?" Sirius asked disinterestedly.
"I want to discuss his future with the Black Family." Narcissa said as she stared at Sirius intently.
Sirius shrugged. "As I understand, he will be the head of the Malfoy Family one day. The affairs of the House of Black should be of no interest to him."
"Don't be a fool," Narcissa hissed, "you know full well that he is in the line of succession for the Black Family."
Sirius glared. "I do. Though I can easily change that at any time, and just might. Remember your place here, cousin, and don't try my patience."
"My apologies," Narcissa said contritely, "I did not mean to-"
"Yes you did. You always did have a superiority complex, 'Cissa, looking down on the rest of us. Especially after I was sorted at Hogwarts." Sirius said with some heat. Narcissa looked down, unwilling to speak.
Sirius dropped his glare after a few tense moments. "Let's get down to brass tacks here. You don't want to see your son cast out of the House of Black. Nor do you want to see yourself cast out. So you're here to see what it will take to keep the one member of the family that you treated with the most disrespect and disdain from taking any petty revenge."
Narcissa just nodded, not wanting to provoke the man in front of her.
Sirius glanced at a curio on the mantlepiece. "Well, I'll be open with you. There is no way in hell that I am ever allowing the son of a Death Eater to succeed me as the next Lord Black."
Narcissa looked up at that. "Lucius was pardoned at his trial."
Sirius snorted. "Don't even try. I fought that son of a bitch on two occasions - don't argue that I couldn't possibly tell through the mask, your beloved husband could never resist the temptation to taunt his opponents and I'd know his voice anywhere. I've seen victims of the Imperius in the aftermath of Death Eater raids, and I saw enough to know that 'Lucius' was never subjected to it. We usually had to restrain Imperius victims to prevent them from killing themselves, your precious husband has never shown the slightest sign of remorse. He's a Death Eater, unrepentant and only free due to bribes I can't prove."
Narcissa looked away again. Sirius resumed speaking after a small pause.
"If you want your son to have any future in the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, make sure he is not like his father. He'll be attending Hogwarts in a year's time with my godson, I'll be interested to see what he's like as a person. I'll interview young Draco formally after he has finished his OWLs, and get my measure of him then. And if he turns out to be another bigoted bastard like his father..."
Sirius leaned forward and looked Narcissa in the eyes. "...I'll cast the little git out of the family faster than you'd believe possible. You have six years, Narcissa, six years to make Draco a wizard worthy of the name Black. You had better make the most of that time."
Narcissa nodded again. "Understood, cousin."
Sirius leaned back. "Excellent. Then I think we should adjourn."
Narcissa stood and moved towards the door. She stopped as Sirius spoke up again.
"Oh, and just so that you know...Andromeda is back in the family. Officially. Young Nymphadora has been officially brought into the family fold along with that. And Bellatrix has been disowned, totally. I'll let you know what the means as far as her vaults go, there are Black family heirlooms that will need to be retrieved...not to mention some of her money which the Family will reclaim."
Narcissa whirled to face him. "Why?" She whispered.
"Bellatrix Lestrange attacked the Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom, a family which the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black has a long history of shared alliances and common marriages." Sirius said formally. "As such, Bellatrix betrayed the House of Black and has been cast out. Do remember your family history, cousin Narcissa, the Longbottoms have been much closer to the Blacks than the Malfoys and Lestranges have ever been."
Narcissa nodded stiffly, doing her best to hold back tears. She left the room with as much dignity as she could muster, while Sirius smirked behind her.
Belldandy seated herself at the head of the table as the rest of the family looked at the small feast with some anticipation. Smiling gently, Belldandy cleared her throat and caught everybody's attention.
"I have a few things to say before we eat. First of all, I have received a letter from Sirius Black. He would like to meet us all and talk to Harry."
Harry looked surprised. "Why does he want to talk to me?"
"Sirius Black was a close friend of your parents and is your godfather. He would have taken responsibility for taking care of you in 1981 but other circumstances prevented it. He has only recently been able to re-establish contact with you, but does not want to disrupt our family in the process. So, would you like to meet him?" Belldandy explained.
Harry thought about it. "I guess so. He might be able to tell me about my parents."
"I'm sure he would be delighted to. Now, for some important news." Belldandy said, before she stopped for some reason.
"Yes, sis?" Urd prompted.
Belldandy seemed to come to a decision. "There's no easy way of saying this, so..." she turned to Keiichi, who looked puzzled. "I'm pregnant."
There was a stunned silence, which was broken by the sound of Keiichi hitting the floor after passing out.
Harry sat in stunned silence. He knew, intellectually at least, what Belldandy had meant by her statement, as he had read a book in his old school library one lunch time when hiding from Dudley that had explained the concept in terms he could understand. Now he was wondering what this meant for him. Belldandy noticed his apprehensive look and moved to reassure him as her sisters inspected Keiichi.
"Harry, you're going to have a brother or sister. It will be wonderful!"
Harry perked up a bit. Aunty Bell looked so happy, he could not help but return her smile.
Urd doodled on a blank piece of paper as she thought about the task she had received from Augusta Longbottom. The previous day had seen Urd take a trip to St Mungo's to evaluate Frank and Alice Longbottom.
Their symptoms are odd. They've lost critical memories that are key to the foundation of their old personalities, effectively resulting in new people in their bodies. Some issues with the formation of long term memories, short term memory is slightly erratic, they can associate some people with their normal interactions like young Neville bringing her sweets. Probably not competent to take care of themselves, though given that they've been under care since the attack I can't be sure about that.
Urd glanced at a book of mental illness that she had open on the desk next to her. It sounds like a version of what the doctors on Earth would call Alzheimer's disease. Now, how would I go about curing that...I might be able to use that as an avenue of approach for the Longbottoms. If I can cure Frank and Alice, the success of my shop is guaranteed!
Urd reached over to a rather full shelf of books and grabbed an old tome that had runes on the spine.
Should be right about - here! Alright, found it! OK, I need to start with some seeds from one of Idunn's apples...
After Belldandy had contacted Sirius Black, a reunion between the Marauder and his godson had been organised. Accordingly, Sirius and Remus found themselves at the front door of Harry's new home in Hinckley on a Saturday afternoon. The visit was meant to reduce the number of people involved, as Sun Wukong would have finished for the day and Urd was tied up in her new shop.
"Big place," Remus muttered as they inspected the old church that seemed to be part of the property, "it looks like they've got some wealth."
"I'd say so," Sirius said musingly, noting that the church currently had a large construction crew working on it, "probably means I won't have to provide financial support like we were planning."
Remus nodded, before he turned his attention to the front door of Harry's new abode. His time spent in the muggle world meant that he was more familiar with the architecture that confronted them. He quickly spotted a button for a door bell and pressed it.
In short order, the door opened to reveal a young woman with honey-brown hair. "Oh, hello. You must be Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."
"That we are." Sirius said with a rakish grin. "I take it that you are Belldandy?"
"Yes, I am. Please, do come in." Belldandy said as she moved to allow the two men in.
"Thank you. I am Remus, and he is Sirius." Remus said by way of introduction as the two Marauders entered the house.
"Harry? Your godfather is here." Belldandy called out as the trio walked into the living room.
Harry emerged from the kitchen a moment later, looking slightly apprehensive.
"Hello?" Harry asked in a tentative tone.
Sirius fought down an urge to rush over and sweep his godson up in a hug. "Hello, Harry, it has been a long time."
Urd's eyes gleamed as she watched her potion slowly drip into the beaker from the filter suspended above it. It was a masterpiece; created by combining elements of a youth potion with several memory potions and at least one potion designed to increase intelligence.
Of course, the creation of a potion this complicated was not the easiest of activities. This was attempt number six. The first five attempts had either blown up or had burned through the Pyrex containers Urd used for her concoctions.
This should undo the damage done by that horrible magic. The youth potion should only affect the brain, any other effects should be so small that nobody will notice them. They might end up slightly smarter than they were before the attack, but that's unlikely.
She had been so caught up in her work that she had not noticed that she had several important inquiries from her superiors sitting in her email. They were all related to the improper use of materials found only in Asgard.
In Hinckley, Sirius had finished explaining just why he had been absent from Harry's life since 1981. Remus had been fairly quiet as to his whereabouts, but Sirius was not going to draw attention to that if he could avoid it.
"So, what now?" Harry asked.
Sirius sighed. "Well, I'm not going to take you away from your relatives here, Harry. Don't worry about that. While I didn't know that Lily had family in Norway, it is obvious that you are far better off here than anywhere else in Britain right now."
Harry nodded uncertainly. Sirius took this as a sign to continue.
"What I want at this stage is to participate in your upbringing. I can explain to you how the magical world works, who the important people are and so on. That way you'll have a good idea as to what is going on when you go to Hogwarts."
"Do I have to go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
Sirius pursed his lips before he answered. "No, you don't. There's nothing to force you to go there. I would really like you to do so, and I know that Lily and James would want you to as well. But in the end it is entirely up to you. Though you'll still need to be taught how to use your magic safely. I guess we'd continue the home schooling that Belldandy has already started."
Harry nodded again. "I guess I'll decide when it is time to go. When is that?"
Remus spoke up at this point. "You'll receive a letter of invitation on your eleventh birthday, Harry. If you accept the invitation, you'd start at Hogwarts on the first of September, 1991."
Harry thought about it for a moment. Ultimately he didn't need to make a decision then and there, so he decided to leave it for the future.
"In the mean time," Sirius said as he turned to Keiichi, who had been watching the meeting from a corner of the room, "I understand that you have been teaching Harry how to ride a bike?"
Keiichi looked a little startled to be dragged into the conversation. "Er, yes I have. We built his mini-bike together and we have been practicing most weekends at the course outside town."
"Excellent," Sirius said, "I built my own bike as well, you know. Can we have a look at Harry's? Want to show me your bike, Harry?"
Harry's eyes lit up. "Sure!"
Urd watched with satisfaction as the Longbottom family had a proper reunion for the first time since 1981. Her potion had been a success, with both Frank and Alice now able to recall their own past and create new memories properly.
Of course, their treatment was not yet complete. Even with Urd's potion repairing the damage to their minds, they had a lot of therapy in front of them before they could become functional adults again. Not to mention the fact that rebuilding their family was going to take months if not years.
Still, Urd knew that she had started the ball rolling on the full recovery of the Longbottoms. As far as she was concerned, it was now inevitable that Frank and Alice would leave St Mungo's with completely clean bills of health.
Turning, she walked off towards the nearest public floo point. She had some things to tidy up at her shop before she returned home. With any luck, she'd still be able to get home before the meeting between Sirius Black and Harry had finished...
Urd paused as she spotted a familiar figure leaning on the fireplace of the public floo point. It was Peorth, dressed conservatively for a change. The first class goddess noticed Urd and walked over.
"Bonjour, Urd. I am here to investigate why you have been using restricted ingredients for a potion not necessary for your Prophecy Fulfilment task."
Urd winced. Oops.
Sirius Black left Harry's home with a satisfied air.
"Remember, Harry, I'll be back next Sunday. I'll bring my bike with me, and we can practice riding together. OK?" He said as he stopped just outside the front door.
"Sure!" Harry said with a wide smile. Meeting his godfather had been good - they shared an interest in motorbikes and both Sirius and Remus had plenty of stories about Harry's parents.
"Great! See you next weekend then." Sirius said with a wink. Remus nodded, and the two men walked off to find a secluded location to apparate.
"Any reason why we aren't using their floo to get home, Sirius?" Remus asked as they moved out of earshot of Harry and his guardians.
Sirius sighed. "The same reason we didn't use it to get here. The floo at the manor isn't hooked up right now."
Remus blinked in surprise. "Why is that?"
Sirius glanced around, checking for eavesdroppers. "Nobody has used the place since the 1960s. The Floo Authority disables any floo points that go unused for more than ten years, even if you pay the bills. For the manor, I figure that my father or grandfather probably had them close it off to save money.
Remus nodded in understanding. "So, what are your thoughts on Harry?"
Sirius whistled through clenched teeth. "I do not like what has happened to him since '81. If it weren't for the fact that I know what Blood Wards can do, I'd be going to give the Dursleys hell right now. As it is, though, Harry has a good family to look after him. They'll take care of him, provide the love he needs and keep him safe."
"Safe?" Remus echoed. "How could you tell that?"
"Two things," Sirius said as they spotted a convenient place for apparation, "the first is that I know a thing or two about wards. I gave Harry's house a quick scan, and all I can say is that I doubt that any place in Britain is better protected. Except maybe Hogwarts. Belldandy said that they warded the place after they moved in, so they know a thing or two about defence."
"OK, that's one reason." Remus said slowly. "What was the other?"
Sirius grinned mirthlessly. "From what I could get out of Dumbledore, he must have tried to take Harry away from his new family. He didn't get his way, obviously, so Belldandy and her sisters must have done something to make him keep his distance. Whatever it was, if it was enough to give Albus Dumbledore a scare..."
"...then it should be enough to give any wannabe Death Eaters second thoughts." Remus finished.
Sirius nodded firmly. "Exactly. At any rate, let's get home. I feel a good steak and kidney pie calling out to me."
Remus sighed. They really had to graduate beyond bachelor cooking.
Narcissa Malfoy sipped from a cup of tea as she thought about the ultimatums she had received from Sirius Black.
The whole meeting had been a bit of a shock. She remembered Sirius from before he had been cast out of the family home, and from the time that they had both been at Hogwarts together. That Sirius had been a prank-loving fool who was entirely disinterested in family politics. Considering his antipathy towards the attitudes held by the main family, Narcissa had been unsurprised when Sirius had ignored a threat to have the succession passed on to Regulus.
The Sirius Black she had met earlier, however, was an entirely different kettle of fish. He had taken on the Black Lordship without hesitation, and had shifted into the role with apparent ease. Narcissa had expected to be able to appeal to Sirius' empathy and manoeuvre him into guaranteeing Draco a place in the family.
Azkaban had obviously changed the man. Narcissa now had to make sure that Draco would meet Sirius' standards or he would be cast out of the Black Family altogether. While the family assets and money would not be an insurmountable loss considering the Malfoy fortune, the damage to Draco's reputation in Pureblood society would be enormous. It would scupper any chance of ever achieving any sort of high office in the Wizengamot.
Lucius Malfoy was a good example of just how damaging it could be to find your path to the Wizengamot blocked. In spite of his acquittal, Lucius had not been able to secure a seat in the Wizengamot in spite of hundreds of man-hours of political wrangling. The blow to his reputation that resulted from his trial had left his political ambitions dead in the water. Lucius was instead forced to work through proxies and by using his wealth to garner influence with senior Ministry officials. While this did achieve Lucius' goals most of the time, it slowed things down to a crawl.
Narcissa's uncle had once been able to get new legislation enacted a mere week after he had decided to move on the issue, all thanks to a well-established network of friends, patronage and favours owed. Lucius' best effort so far had been four months from start to finish.
Narcissa did not want to see Draco grow up under a the same sort of cloud that had cast a permanent shadow on Lucius' career. To that end she had to turn Draco into the kind of person that Sirius could at least tolerate, even if her cousin was unlikely to ever do more than that.
Unfortunately for Narcissa, Lucius' influence was quite strong. He had been a significant presence in Draco's life up until now, partially thanks to Lucius spending most of his time working from home.
I'll have to change that. I'll persuade Lucius to work harder on his business empire and build a larger capital base. That ought to keep him out of the manor a bit more. I'll persuade him that I can take over Draco's home-schooling to allow him more time to expand his business activities. All I have to do is say that I'll be giving Draco the type of political education that the Blacks were famous for and he won't even bother to pay attention.
Narcissa nodded to herself as she set her tea-cup down. She had a goal, and a plan to get there. Now all she needed to do was find out how her plan would react when it met the real world.
When Urd returned home, she looked slightly shell-shocked. Harry did not notice as he was engaged in a life-or-death struggle with Skuld in some two-player racing game on the Sega. Belldandy noticed immediately and escorted her sister to a room where they could talk privately.
"What happened, Urd dear?" Belldandy asked with some concern.
Urd winced. "I went overboard on a project. Peorth came down to give me a rap over the knuckles for it."
Belldandy gave Urd a disappointed look. "What did you do this time, Urd?"
Urd looked away. "I was approached by Augusta Longbottom. She wanted me to work on a cure for her son and daughter in law. The Longbottoms are important politically, so I jumped at the chance to build up some more political capital."
Belldandy just continued to stare at her sister. Urd hurried to continue.
"They had something similar to what the doctors here call Alzheimer's disease. So I created a cure for the Longbottoms based on one I knew would work for Alzheimer's."
"Urd, I know what that disease is like. No ordinary potion would cure it." Belldandy said firmly.
Urd winced again. "Yeah. So I ended up using some ingredients from Asgard that I shouldn't have."
Belldandy's disappointed look turned into a glare. "What did you use, Urd?"
Urd looked at the ceiling. "Oh, not much, really. Just a few seeds from one of Idunn's apples, a few hairs from Sleipner, some mint from Father's garden."
Belldandy shook her head. "Urd, those are not things to even bring to Midgard, let alone use in a potion meant for mortals! Do you know what you could have done?"
Urd was now looking at her feet. "Yeah, I know. But the cure worked as I thought it would! The Longbottoms are now on the path to recovery! This will help us a lot!"
"And what happens the next time somebody asks you to cure a condition that you'll need ingredients from Asgard for?" Belldandy asked softly.
Urd stopped dead. "Um, I'll just have to say that the ingredients for the Longbottoms were really rare, and that I can't get new stock in."
Belldandy shook her head. "Urd, you've now got a reputation as a person who can heal seemingly untreatable afflictions. You'll need to make sure that you don't end up besieged by every mortal in magical Britain who wants a miracle cure. Tonight we'll craft a spell that will help the magical community to lose interest in this incident, so that it won't be front page news tomorrow."
Urd gasped. "But what about the Longbottoms? They'll know it was me and what I did. Plus we might need their help down the road!"
Belldandy looked stern. "They'll be left with the knowledge of what you did and why it was important, but they won't see fit to publicise your role. Rest assured that they will feel gratitude, but you won't get the credit for this in the wider community."
Urd pouted. She was losing a golden opportunity to enhance her shop's reputation!
Belldandy sighed. Once again, my sister fails to think of the wider implications. I suppose it was inevitable that she would start doing this again once we were established here.
The introduction of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin into Harry's life offered only a minor disruption to the routine of the Hinckley household. Both men understood that Harry was busy during the week with school and extra-curricular activities, so weekends became the usual time that they would visit. With Saturdays filled with Sun Wukong's lessons and time spent with Belldandy, Sunday became an unofficial "Marauder's day".
Harry came to look forward to visits from his godfather, as Sirius was almost as keen a motorcyclist as Keiichi. The three of them were often at the bike course out of town, taking full advantage of the tracks. Sirius was learning as well, as he could not use the magical abilities he had given his bike (politely but firmly retrieved from Hagrid) a decade earlier. Forced to ride "muggle style", he found that Keiichi was significantly more skilled.
For Keiichi, teaching his adopted son and Sirius was a true joy. He'd often been forced into a teaching role in the Motor Club and those memories allowed him to easily shift into the role of instructor. Remus had been persuaded to join in as well, and was surprised to discover that he was often taking advice from Harry on the art of motorbike riding.
Of greater impact on Harry was the impending arrival of Belldandy and Keiichi's first child. The renovations on the old church had been given a new impetus as Belldandy was sure that they would need the extra room. Harry was increasingly finding himself being brought into planning sessions with the entire family as the plan of room allocations was drafted and redrafted.
Any worry that Harry might have had that the arrival of a child might have decreased his own standing in the family was quickly overcome as Belldandy gently but steadily pushed Harry towards becoming the "big brother" in the family.
Harry's training with Sun Wukong was going well, as were his lessons in magic. He was now able to confidently summon objects across rooms with just a thought, and had started on basic transfiguration. His martial arts skills were also progressing well, with Monkey quickly moving on to more advanced lessons of offensive and defensive magic that were incorporated into katas. This training was kept secret from Sirius and Remus, as the Norns did not want anybody outside of the family to know about Harry's skill with wandless magic.
In all, life for Harry had reached a new happy routine.
10 June 1990
"...I hereby declare that Cornelius Fudge is the new Minister of Magic." Dumbledore concluded at the end of a long and boring session in the Wizengamot.
Bagnold had finally been persuaded to go quietly, after Dumbledore had privately warned her that she would likely fail any motion of no confidence should one be put up. In order to keep the political peace, she had been granted a not ungenerous pension. She was already planning on several book deals and was apparently looking at moving overseas to escape the last taints of the Black Scandal.
The election of a new Minister had gone through quietly and uncontested after it became obvious that the Lights and Neutrals were lining up behind Fudge as a single bloc. The Darks had decided to avoid fighting an unwinnable battle and voted in favour to make it unanimous. No sense in alienating the new Minister on the first day, after all.
Now to see just what type of Minister we have. Dumbledore thought to himself. There was already a private meeting between the Supreme Warlock and the Minister booked for the next day.
21 June 1990
"The winner of this year's House Cup is Ravenclaw!" Dumbledore announced with a flourish. The students of Ravenclaw cheered as the banners in the Great Hall changed colours to suit.
Sitting down after finishing his speech, Dumbledore eyed his staff members. Filius Flitwick was, for obvious reasons, in an extremely good mood and seemed to be enjoying a private joke with Hagrid. Severus Snape was glaring at the student body with his usual dour look. Minerva McGonagall seemed to be ignoring the events going on around her in favour of a conversation with Professor Vector. Pomona Sprout was directing a huge smile at the Hufflepuff table, lending half an ear to whatever it was that Sybil Trelawney was saying to her.
In all, Dumbledore was just glad to see the school get this far without the staff going into melt-down. Minerva's resignation as Head of Gryffindor House had started a cascade of events that had changed the school dynamic drastically, and it had been all that the elderly Headmaster could do to keep up.
With a new Head of House who was not quite so overworked, Gryffindor had a new champion who had been more than willing to put an end to the favouritism that House Slytherin had enjoyed since the arrival of Severus Snape as a staff member. With Severus' biased actions strictly curtailed, the House Cup competition had been the most even seen in decades.
Ultimately it had been the Ravenclaws' hard work on the academic front that had given them this year's cup. Gryffindor had ended up a poor third thanks to the efforts of the Weasley twins in first year, although said twins had also learned every nook and cranny of the castle thanks to the endless series of detentions assigned to them by their no-nonsense Head of House. Interestingly, Slytherin had ended up in last place, thanks mostly to rampant point losses incurred due to chronic bullying.
All of these changes had irritated the Potions Professor considerably, but Dumbledore was forced to concede that the students had never seemed happier. The last time Albus could remember spirits being this high had been before the rise of Voldemort.
The next challenge would be to see if the new state of affairs would continue. Before that, however, Albus had to find another teacher to take on Defence Against the Dark Arts.
25 September 1990
"Breathe, dear." Eir gently chided her charge. Belldandy did her best to comply, but was finding things just a trifle awkward.
"I know this isn't the easiest of things, but you've got a lot of joy waiting for you at the end." Eir said encouragingly as she silently cast a diagnostic charm. "Now, it looks like they're almost ready to join us, so let's get ready to push, OK?"
Outside the room, Keiichi was pacing nervously as Harry, Sirius and Remus sat on a bench and watched him. Harry was just as nervous as his father figure and looked it. Sirius and Remus were also nervous, but were a lot better at hiding it.
"You lot are getting all worked up for no good reason, you know that." Urd said as she leaned against a wall.
"How can you say that?" Skuld demanded from where she had been trying to allay her nerves by reading a magazine. "Belldandy is in there, and it's twins!"
Urd spared her youngest sister a small glance. "I have every confidence in Belldandy. She'll get through this easily, and will probably try to go right back to her normal routine tomorrow. Just be patient and relax, getting all worked up won't help anything."
After hour had passed, Eir emerged from the room with a broad smile on her face. "Everything has gone well. Keiichi, would you come in please?"
Keiichi somehow managed to keep his legs under control long enough to enter the room where his wife was resting. Belldandy was propped up in bed with her babies on either side.
"Hello, Keiichi dear. Come and meet your son, Týr Keima and your daughter, Takano Anzasu."
Keiichi's legs gave way just as he managed to find a chair next to his wife.
15 March 1991
"Today, I want to discuss how most wizards and witches are trained to defend themselves," Sun Wukong began, "your training has been more comprehensive, so you will need to get used to different styles of defence."
Harry nodded in understanding.
"You'll find that most wizards and witches in this country have a fairly limited view of how to fight with magic," the Monkey King went on, "they focus on their spells first and foremost. Hardly any of them think any further than which spell to cast at any given instant."
Harry's brow furrowed as he thought about this. "But doesn't that restrict them a lot?"
Sun Wukong nodded. "It does. The average wizard will cast a spell to create a magical shield as a first response, rather than simply dodge. Very few will think to use their magic to move objects around that might block their opponent, whether as a tripping hazard or a physical barrier to spells. The best of them will dodge and use their surrounding environment, but wouldn't even consider just ducking inside somebody's defence and striking them physically."
Harry was confused. "Why not?"
His sensei sighed. "It is cultural, mostly. They have been isolated from the non-magical world for so long that they have developed a mindset that pretty much compels them to use their magic as their first response to any challenge, whether it is cleaning up around the house or protecting their lives. As you can probably imagine, this is a limited viewpoint."
Harry nodded. "So all those techniques for weapon taking that we went through..."
"...can be used to take away a wizard's only defence against the world - their wand." Sun Wukong said with a small smile. He liked it when a student was able to think for themselves like this. "Knife taking techniques in particular are great for this, though I have found that some changes are required due to the differences in the threat posed by knives and wands."
"Hang on - only defence? Can't they do magic without a wand?" Harry asked, baffled. He had not even used a wand in any of his training so far.
Sun Wukong grinned. "You'll find, young Harry, that very few people in Britain ever get taught how to use their magic as you have been. You were taught to cast spells without any tool assisting you from the very beginning. Here in Britain, that skill is hardly ever taught and is considered very rare." It is considered rare just about everywhere else as well, but you don't need to know that right now.
Harry looked astonished. "But it is so easy! Why don't they teach magic the way Belldandy does?"
"There are a lot of reasons, Harry. Fundamentally it boils down to the fact that it is a lot easier to teach children how to use a wand than it is to get a more complete understanding of their magic and how to use it." Urd interjected. "My family has always believed in undertaking a task properly, using the best approach rather than the easiest."
Harry nodded. He hardly ever saw his family use their wands around the house, though he knew they possessed them. "So by starting without a wand, I can get a better understanding of magic?"
"Correct." Urd said with a knowing smile. "As you know, once you turn 11 you will be eligible to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry here in Britain. If you decide to go, we will get you a wand for it. All of the magic you learn there will use wands. You will find that being able to use your magic without a wand will be a significant advantage."
Harry nodded again, before he returned to the topic at hand. "What are the main differences between dealing with a knife and dealing with a wand?" Harry asked.
"Wands are ranged weapons, so you have to be a lot more pro-active. You must go to your opponent, rather than wait for them to attack you. Wands do not have any edge, so you can take the weapon directly rather than concentrate on the hand or wrist. And finally, wands are quite fragile when compared to a blade. Snapping it is fairly easy, and effectively destroys it as a weapon. So you need not even remove it from your opponent, simply breaking their wand while it is still in their hand will be enough." Sun Wukong explained.
Harry mulled over the techniques he already knew, working out how he could adapt some of them. "So the trick is to get in close and deny them their weapon, which in turn will deny them of most of their combat options?"
Sun Wukong nodded in acknowledgement. "In part. Remember that you have magic of your own, so you don't have to close the distance if you don't need to. Fighting with magic adds a whole new dimension, and it is a balancing act between knowing when to cast a spell and knowing when to engage in hand to hand. On some occasions, you may find it best to keep your distance and engage at range. On other occasions it will be best to get up close and personal as soon as possible. Knowing how to approach the battle is a large part of winning it, but that knowledge can only come with an intimate understanding of every option at your disposal."
"Understood, sensei." Harry said seriously.
"One thing, Harry," Urd interjected, "please do not tell anybody outside of our family that you do not need a wand to use your magic. Not even Sirius and Remus, until we say so. It is a very rare skill in this country, and public knowledge of your abilities would result in your fame growing ever larger."
Harry grimaced. He had been introduced to the fame of "the Boy-Who-Lived" by Sirius and Remus, who had warned him about the perception of "Harry Potter" in the wider magical community. The series of children's books drove the point home more effectively than anything else (even if everybody else he knew thought them hilarious). "Understood, Aunty Urd."
31 July 1991
Harry's third birthday in Hinckley had gone well. No longer jumping at shadows and fearful of making mistakes, Harry's celebration had involved most of his friends from school as well as his family. The party had been boisterous, with Sirius and Remus putting on a credible "muggle magic" show for the kids.
At the end of the day, after the guests had all gone home and the mess of the party had been cleaned away, a family conference was held. Sirius and Remus were in attendance as well, as the topic of tonight's meeting was one they could offer advice on.
There, in the middle of the table, was Harry's invitation to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Everybody around the table was staring at the piece of innocuous looking parchment. Finally, Sirius broke the silence.
"Well, it isn't like this is a surprise."
Urd gently snorted. "Understatement of the year there, Padfoot."
Sirius nodded at the nickname. He had revealed his animagus form shortly after he started to visit Harry on a regular basis. Remus' condition had also been revealed, and to the relief of both men Harry's family had been fully understanding. Urd had gone so far as to provide free Wolfsbane potion on a regular basis.
"Well, we have been talking about this for the past month or so." Skuld offered. "I don't think we ever came to a conclusion, did we?"
"No, Skuld dear, we didn't." Belldandy said as she looked at Harry carefully.
Harry sighed. "OK, I'm really not sure about this. Going to a magic school sounds like fun, but I'm already learning magic here. Plus I have friends at my school here who wouldn't be going with me to this Hogwarts place."
Belldandy nodded, even as Sirius and Remus reacted with surprise at hearing about Harry's magical lessons. "That is true. As far as we know there are no other potential wizards or witches at your school right now."
Sirius leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands, having decided to table Harry's magical home schooling for the moment. "I'll be honest, Harry. I think you should go to Hogwarts. The first reason is that it is what your parents would have wanted. But there's more to it than that."
Harry looked up expectantly.
His godfather stared at the invitation intently. "Like it as not, you have a place in the magical world. You will one day be eligible to be the next Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, a position that has a fair amount of political power attached to it as well as a lot of business investments, properties and money. If you don't manage that position, it is vulnerable to being taken over by less scrupulous members of the magical world."
Sirius turned his gaze to Harry, looking right into the boy's eyes. "I won't lie to you, Harry. The magical world is far from perfect. Of course, the non-magical world isn't perfect either. But I sincerely believe that you have the ability to be a major force for good in the magical world. You could make it a lot better, through your position as the next Lord Potter as well as all that 'Boy-Who-Lived' stuff. But you'll need to go to Hogwarts to establish yourself in the magical world."
Harry blinked, and looked to Belldandy. For once she had a serious expression on her face.
"I think Sirius is correct," Remus interjected, "there's a lot you could fix in the magical world one day, Harry. But if you don't go to Hogwarts, you'll never have the background to be able to do it."
Sirius picked up the conversation again. "There's also the fact that I think that Hogwarts will be a lot of fun, as well as provide you with a good education. My time at Hogwarts are the best years of my life so far. And really, I'd much rather you have a fun time at school than fix the world."
Urd looked thoughtful. "They make good points. But let's look at it from another perspective. At Hogwarts, you'll be learning magic alongside children your own age. Right now your magical lessons are a bit of a solo affair, just you and Belldandy. You've been doing well at it, but there's a lot to be said for learning with friends. Just think about your guitar lessons - is practicing at home the same as practicing with your friends?"
Harry nodded as he thought it over. His guitar lessons were always more fun when he was playing with a group.
"And it isn't like you'll lose all contact with your friends here." Urd went on. "It won't be easy, but you'll still have summer holidays to meet up with them."
Harry thought about what Urd had said. On top of Sirius' comments, it made for a compelling case. Finally, he looked at Belldandy.
"I think I want to go to Hogwarts." Harry said confidently. Belldandy smiled back.
"Good! Now let's write a formal reply, shall we?"
"One other thing first," Urd said, before she turned to Sirius and Remus. "Yes, you heard us correctly. Belldandy has been teaching Harry how to use his magic since shortly after he moved in with us."
Sirius looked interested, Remus looked flabbergasted. "But - what about the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery?"
Urd looked contemptuous. "Hmph. Like the Ministry could detect anything that has been going on inside our wards. It doesn't matter anyway, as Harry has been practicing wandless magic and the Ministry can't really track that."
Now even Sirius looked surprised. "Wandless?" He managed to gasp out.
"Yes, wandless." Belldandy said firmly. "We all learned how to do magic without our wands first, and I saw no reason why I shouldn't teach Harry the same way. He's been an excellent student."
Sirius finally managed to get control of his jaw again, even as Remus continued to gape. "So, just how good...?"
"Harry is probably better at wandless magic than most second year students at Hogwarts are with their wands," Urd said as if she were talking about the weather, "but Harry?"
"Yes, Aunty Urd?" Harry asked.
"No wandless magic at Hogwarts unless it is an absolute emergency. You don't want to draw any more attention to yourself than you'll be getting anyway, OK?"
"OK." Harry agreed.
Sirius and Remus exchanged glances. Just what had been going on without them noticing?
Two days later, there was a thunderous knock on the front door. Belldandy opened it to reveal a very large man waiting outside.
"'ullo, I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. I'm 'ere ta see young Harry 'bout gettin' his school supplies and such. Is he 'ere?"
Author's Notes: I couldn't quite dive straight into Harry receiving his Hogwarts letter. I had a few loose ends to tie up before I could even think about Harry's 11th birthday.
So, Belldandy and Keiichi are now parents. There is a madness to this method.
Idunn is more correctly written as Iðunn but I've anglicised it for easier typing. In Norse mythology, her golden apples are the source of the gods' immortality and eternal youth.
I've tried to follow the canon description of the form of insanity that Frank and Alice Longbottom had. According to one interview, JKR knew somebody who's grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's disease. She used the symptoms as the basis for how Frank and Alice acted around Neville.
Naming the children: Chapter 294 finally revealed the name of the Norns' father: Týr, the Norse God of Law. Which makes my "Odinsdotter" surname for the Norns technically incorrect. Drat. That's what I get for starting this story before the manga finishes making major revelations.
Regarding the Norse mythology, it should be noted that the OMG manga has never been faithful to it. In Norse mythology, the Norns have no stated relation to any Norse deity (and are implied to be Jotuns, not gods/goddesses), whereas in OMG they are explicitly stated to be goddesses and now have a named Norse god as their father. Furthermore, in OMG Týr is the ruler of Asgard, not Odin (in Norse mythology Týr was the ruler at one point, but Odin took over later). OMG also states that the mother of Belldandy and Skuld is Anzasu, who doesn't appear to be derived from the Norse mythology at all.
Oh, and at long last...I'm catching up to where the canon story actually starts. Man, it took a long time to get to Harry's first year.