Note: Unedited. No Beta. Slow update.
Of Magic and Death
02:
It felt like a very long time since Harry closed his eyes so he opened them slowly so as not to burn his eyes if ever he was delivered in an extremely lightened area by the spell.
But it wasn't the light that bothered him when he finally decided to look around. It was the blurry images around him. He hadn't needed glasses since he used an eye correction potion. Now, they were blurred once again and obviously he needed glasses.
'No matter. I could just brew the potion again,' he said to himself. He tried to sit up but he felt difficulty in his mobility. His eyes widened at that and he wanted to scream in exasperation. "What is it now?" was what he was about to say but all that came out of his mouth was babyish gurgling.
His eyeballs almost bugged out when he realized that fact. Slowly, he looked around and saw that even though his surroundings looked blurry, everything looked huge. The one he was fairly sire was a cabinet looked entirely like it was a tall pole. And he looked like he was floating.
"Hello, my child," a rough and tired voice said. It sounded so familiar that he looked at the source of voice. But even when the person was in front of him – holding him? – he still couldn't make out his feature.
"Aw… can't see? You're still a baby after all. Just wait for a few months. You'll be able to. Don't worry Castor, you'll see soon,"
A baby? He was a baby?
He returned a long way back than he had anticipated.
. . . . .
Castor Sirius Black, formerly known as Harry James Potter was now one year old and was already walking. He wouldn't want anything otherwise. Though he still enjoyed being carried by his mother, Sirius.
Boy, was that a surprise. He wasn't born with James and Lily as parents. He was born with Sirius as his mother. It surprisingly took a shorter time than he had thought to get used to that particular fact in this world. It was probably because he was already desensitized by the impossibilities that seemed to be happening to him. His once godfather and now his dad was a male carrier. That was how he birthed him.
He had known that there were male pregnancies in the Wizarding World, a male carrier. They usually have strong magic that made them a suitable person to carry the carrier gene and was only able to get pregnant when joined by an extremely powerful partner without using any protection while engaged in sexual acts.
He didn't know much about them though since he hadn't been able to continue his research on them as the memory was also one of the many that was cloaked or blocked from his mind. Thankfully, Dumbledore didn't obliviate them so it could be retrieved if one knew how. Why Dumbledore didn't do obliviation?
Simple. Because too much obliviate would result in a person's descent to madness. And that was only one possible side-effect. There were other documented side-effects as well of too many obliviation. There were psychotic behaviour, insanity, over-inflated ego, recklessness and others. There were also positive ones – though he couldn't personally imagine how it could be triggered – like self-confidence and prodigious mind. And he was too valuable to be left with those types of illness.
Anyway, Sirius was now his biological mother since he carried him though he called Sirius as 'Dad' since even if he had integrated into the Wizarding society and studied their culture before the knowledge was blocked from his mind, he still felt weird calling a man 'Mom'. Unless the man was feminine looking. But Sirius wasn't. He had a set of muscles and body that would make any woman drool, just not that big like a body builder. And he was handsome, not beautiful.
This change from his original timeline was something he had considered as a slight difference in the past he was in so he considered himself as being successful in coming back in time.
But then he saw his previous parents, James and Lily Potter still alive while they were apparently trying for a child of their own. And the war weren't that dark and bloody like they were in his timeline. They could still roam around the Diagon Alley and meet up with other people. Well, his Dad did and wherever Dad went, he's there. He would even go as far as to say there wasn't a war. Just the usual politics if his Dad's rumblings were to be considered.
He tentatively concluded that he wasn't probably back in time so much as he was in another dimension. And then on his second birthday he saw his apparently Uncle Regulus. Alive, healthy and more importantly NOT BRANDED. He didn't have the signature dark magic on his left forearm. In fact, his arms – both of them – are smooth and appeared to not have any marks. He didn't even have the feel of a glamour magic.
He knew since he was very sensitive to magic and was able to sense magic around him. It was why he get strangely energetic when in the Diagon Alley since the place is saturated with magic it was absolutely breathtaking.
And that was when he finally and fully accepted and resigned himself to the fact that he was in another dimension.
And since it looked like everything was okay, unlike his previous timeline, then that means he didn't have to plan so thoroughly like he had thought before. He could just be himself and not worry about anything here.
And it was strangely satisfying to relax a little even if it was kind of weird.
. . . . .
"Death?" he whispered tentatively, uncertain if something were to happen. If his friend would really come to him like he had said. He was in his bedroom that night, at a physical age of two, almost three year old in a month. A swirling black of smoke and shadow appeared in front of him. And then Death was there on his human form, looking at him with his usual warm gaze that made him relax instantly.
"Master. You finally called," he casually said. Castor huffed up a laugh at the amusement he heard in Death's voice, as if he knew what was on his mind. Which he wouldn't put past him if he did. He was connected with him after all.
"Well, I was a little apprehensive!" he defended himself. Death chuckled before he scooped him up on his arms and brought him onto his bed. Death himself just sat on it, looking at him in curiosity.
"So Master, I take it you realized you're in another dimension?" he groaned at what Death said.
"So I really was?" at his nod, he groaned again. "Oh, come on! Why couldn't what I had planned come smoothly without any complications!" he complained.
"It is okay this way Master. At least you landed in a significantly peaceful timeline than yours. You could relax here,"Castor sighed in resignation before he moved and laid his head on Death's lap.
"Sirius is my mother," he started. To which Death answered in a hum, carding his fingers on his hair and massaging his scalp rather well. "And I don't know who my father is. Dad refused to talk about it and I don't want to push since I could feel his magic going into distress," he paused for a few minutes, the silence enveloping inside his room was comfortable.
"I still want to know though,"
"Do you want me to tell you?" he didn't speak for a very long time, only concentrating on the sensation of Death's massage. He was already sleepy and on the verge of unconsciousness when he finally answered.
"No."
. . . . .
His third birthday wasn't like any other.
And that was because his Aunt Lily was finally delivering her baby.
He was there at St. Mungos with his father, his Uncle James, Uncle Remus, Uncle Peter and Uncle Severus, waiting for Aunt Lily's baby to come out. His Aunt was swearing rather colorfully and he perked up hearing new and unusual words coming from her as she delivered and screamed threats towards Uncle James who looked like he had lost a lot of his blood due to how pale he was.
Uncle Severus was smirking as he looked at Uncle James while Dad and Uncle's Remus and Peter were openly grinning at him.
"I hope she won't remember any of her threats," Uncle James moaned painfully.
"They sure sounded painful. Good luck Prongs," Dad said.
"Lily is creative," Uncle Remus just said. Uncle James whimpered when Aunt Lily screeched his name again. Uncle Peter just patted his shoulder while obviously fighting a grin due to how his lips were twitching madly.
He could never get over how Peter Pettigrew wasn't an evil, backstabbing rat of a bastard in the dimension he was currently in unlike before. He could understand Severus Snape since he was friends with his previous mother and now Aunt Lily. And with how much kindness Aunt Lily had on her, a simple remark about a bad word – even if she was indeed angry about it and ignored Uncle Severus to make him realize what he had done – he had no doubt she would forgive him and would start their friendship again.
But Peter was different here. He was a shy, rather timid, but still utterly loyal and gutsy when it came to his friends. Castor was reminded of his dear friend Neville. The one whom was the last of his close friends to have been killed.
He shifted his thoughts out of his previous life and onto the present. It was easy since they heard a sharp cry of a child followed by a relieved and delighted sob inside the room Aunt Lily was in.
It seemed like his counterpart in this dimension was finally born.
. . . . .
"Oh James, can't we just change little Harry's name a little?" Aunt Lily asked. He wasn't really paying much attention to the discussion since he was peering on the baby that was on Aunt Lily's arm, looking around the room he was in with a cute scrunch on his nose.
The baby was beautiful if he say so himself. He was small and already had a tuff of hair on his head and his eyes were swirling with a color of the beginnings of green alike his mother.
He himself had green eyes – which his Dad didn't comment much on other than telling him he had extremely beautiful and captivating eyes before he tears up, his magic turning distressed and then hugging him tightly – but it was more vibrant, more attention-grabbing and quite honestly his most defining feature. His hair wasn't that gravity-defying anymore. It was silky and wavy at the end as it rested on the back of his neck with bangs framing his face. He had aristocratic features and at first glance one would say he looked like a miniature, green-eyes Sirius. A fact he was proud of.
"What do you mean my Lily-flower?"
"Make it a little more formal but could still be shortened as Harry," she answered. He perked up at that and listened even as he was still looking at the baby. Aunt Lily ruffled his hair before she looked at Uncle James expectantly.
"Harrison?" Dad piped in. He couldn't help but scrunch his nose at the name. He didn't like it and he was glad he wasn't named as that before in his own dimension.
"Look at the face your son is making Sirius. Does it sound like its good?" Dad took one look at him and grinned cheekily, messing his hair and making him glare at him. He didn't really dislike the gesture as his hair was easily fixed and the gesture was so Dad-like he knew he would miss it if he stopped. Not that he'd say it aloud of course. It's just turned into a habit now.
"Dad!" he complained, his hands going to his hair. His dad only gave him a cheeky smile.
"Hadrian," Uncle Severus said, closing the book he was reading. Aunt Lily stopped and looked like she was considering it.
"I like it," she declared. Uncle James paled.
"Lily-flower… Hadrian sounded so stuffy…" his voice trailed off when Aunt Lily gave him a sweet smile.
"What was that James? Hmm…"
"Nothing dear!" he squeaked. His Uncles all laughed, or in Uncle Sev's case, he chuckled.
"Alright! My baby is now named as Hadrian James Potter,"
"With Harry as nickname right?" Uncle James quickly inserted. Aunt Lily have a sigh and reached out his hand towards Uncle James' hand.
"Yes dear."
It was kind of funny to see Uncle James' relax a little at that reassurance.
A/N:
Second chapter's here. I've got nothing to say. I won't even have any author's note in the next chapter, probably.
Just don't forget to comment okay?