Harry Potter and the Power of the Past
Disclaimer: All JKR's, not mine.
Summary: This is a complete AU- Harry Potter is a 21-year-old wizard, who's on top of the world. He's rich, in love, and loved by all, but his life is turned upside down as a spiral of events leads to the ultimate battle between good and evil. Can Harry lead the fight for the light, but yet manage to keep his life together?
A/N: Thanks for the reviews everybody. Oh, and review again!
S/N: Just so you all know, the story will start picking up in a few chapters, I would say around chapter 15. I also want to tell you that I don't like creating my own spells because I feel it takes away the magic from the real Harry Potter books, so if I just say "He flicked his wand…and then the result", that's the reason why. I know it prevents you from seeing the true power of the wizard/witch, Harry in particular, but you still get the drift. The chapter I just wrote, however, (which just so happens to be the best chapter I've ever written in my opinion) is chock full of spells of my own creation, so I sometimes do create my own.
S/N 2: This is the last chapter of what I like to call the Grimmauld Place arc: the beginning of the next chapter has a little bit of Grimmauld Place, but the house isn't the center of the plot of it. And last chapter I mentioned adding a character that was in DH, but this is not him…its another person, but I'll tell you more about it next chapter since I don't want to spoil the surprise in this one! Oh, and Harry's animagus friend still is important (and I dropped you a hint about it based around Sirius' thoughts about meeting him one day and not even realizing it).
Chapter 9: Black Brotherly Love
There was a soft tap on the dirt-ridden window that was on the other side of the room. Flicking his wand, Harry said, "Tergeo", cleaning up the window and allowing people to see out of it. "Cedric's owl, Tootsie." Harry grinned, recognizing the eagle owl. Opening the window, he unhooked the letter, and gave the owl passage into the room. "I'm going to leave this window open, let some air in, you know?" Sirius nodded, and went back to work, letting Harry to read his letter in private. Harry unrolled the parchment and ran his eyes down it, it read:
Harry,
I checked up on your plan and we're in luck. You were right; the owner does want to sell, due to her being old and wanting to retire. I asked how much she wanted for it, and it's reasonable. Let me know if you're still in, and I'll take care of it within the week.
Cedric
Harry smiled, while grabbing a quill that was on one of the desks, and writing: I'm in. Let me know what's happening tonight. Harry. He hooked the letter back onto Tootsie's leg, who immediately took off, leaving Harry and Sirius alone. "Well, looks like I'm going to be owning an apartment building for wizards."
"Speaking of which," Sirius replied, continuing the cleaning. "Think I can get in on that? I think it would be fun to join you guys in your business ventures. After all, you guys make a bundle of money, right?"
"You can afford it?" Harry questioned, grimacing at the rudeness of the question. "I'm sorry, I…I didn't mean it like that."
Sirius laughed, flipping his apology off. "Yeah, the Blacks have a sizeable account in Gringotts, plus I got a healthy sum of money from my Uncle Alphard—another Black who was blasted off the tapestry."
"Good, then you're in if you want to be." Harry agreed, turning his attention to a bunch of shelves that were laden with magical devices. Most of them were broken or otherwise junk, but one object caught Harry's fancy in particular. It was a heavy golden locket, ornate with a serpentine S that was akin to Slytherin's Hogwarts symbol. He filed it off to the side, away from the other items for future studying. "We like taking on partners, since it allows us greater profit margins."
"How did Cedric make his money?" Sirius asked, as he banished away a nest of dead puffskeins that were found in the sofa cushions. "I have rudimentary knowledge on how you did it, but if I remember correctly, the Diggorys weren't really a well-off family."
"He won the Tri-wizard cup." Harry answered simply. "Using his prize money, which was like a thousand galleons, he invested it. Add that with his career, and all of his business earnings, he's pretty loaded. Roger's parents owned the Owl Emporium beforehand, so he came from money. And Viktor makes a ton off of quidditch endorsements, plus the earnings off of his national team. We're not fools with our money, you know? We invest; we make sure it's always moving. You have to spend money to make it."
"Career? What does Cedric do?" Sirius inquired, moving onto the next piece of furniture as the couch that he was working on was finished. It was a brown leather chair that had a grease-like substance on one of cushions.
"He's an Advocator, actually." Harry laughed, using the scourgify spell to clean off the wood of the shelves. "Has an office in Diagon Alley; building 107, if I remember correctly. But that's just a means to an end, I reckon. Deep down, we're pretty sure he wants to be the Minister of Magic one day." Sirius' eyes flicked over to Harry. There was something in the man's voice that Sirius couldn't quite decipher.
Deciding to think about it later, Sirius asked, "So that animagus friend of yours, is he a good wizard? Brilliant like you?" He questioned, his curiosity getting the best of him. He knew that Harry was friends with the man, and that he would most likely meet him one day and not even realize it, probably at Harry's wedding, or maybe even before that.
Harry laughed, flipping off Sirius' compliment as a load of baloney. "I'm not brilliant, but yeah, he's a great wizard. Not on Dumbledore's level, but he's as good as Cedric, Remus, and you." He said, knowing that there were few wizards who were better than those three; he had seen some of the spells Sirius had done when trying to get the portrait of his mother down, and was rather impressed. Roger, Tonks, Viktor, and even Hermione—with all her bookish knowledge—were just a step below, yet still on the better end of the wizarding world. Snape and Kingsley were maybe just a tad higher, with both being extremely powerful wizards, though not much more than Sirius.
His voice had went back to what it was, making Sirius furrow his brows, wanting to figure it out just why it had changed when mentioning Cedric being Minister of Magic one day. Was he jealous, Sirius asked himself, though shaking it off the second it entered his head: it wasn't a jealous sound, it was almost prideful as if he wanted Cedric to be the Minister. A loud knock on the front door from a floor below threw the man out of his thoughts before he could figure it out, however. Leaving Harry to continue with the cleaning, Sirius ran down the stairs to answer the door.
"Dobby will get it, Master Black." Dobby said, walking out of the first floor drawing room where he and Zeali were cleaning. Dobby was a few steps ahead of Sirius, who slowed his pace down, allowing the elf to lead.
"Please, Dobby, call me Sirius." Sirius chided, following behind the elf towards the door. He watched as the elf opened the door, granting Sirius view of the three people who had been the ones to knock. Andromeda, Nymphadora, and Remus were standing on the stoop, smiling brightly. "What are you guys doing here? And don't you have class, Remus?" He questioned, knowing that Hogwarts was still in session.
"It's three o'clock, Padfoot. Classes are finished for the day." Remus replied, moving around Dobby and entering the house. He looked around, grimacing at the dilapidated state that it was in. His nose flared out a little, as the musty smell of the room entered his nostrils; there was a hint of blood, sweat, and mold. "Woof, when you said it would need work, you weren't kidding."
Sirius rolled his eyes, kissing Andromeda on the cheek. "Thanks a lot, Moony. You did just offer your services, did you not?" He laughed at the look of aghast that Remus had on his face.
"Where's Harry?" Tonks questioned, scanning the foyer for her fiancé. Ha, fiancé, I love it, Tonks thought to herself. "Or, rather, where's my fiancé?" She grinned from ear to ear.
"Congratulations, by the way." Sirius smiled, genuinely happy for the couple. He could see the pair loved each other immensely, and was glad that both of them had found one another. "He's upstairs, cleaning out the study. First door on the right." He told her.
Tonks nodded and headed for the stairs. Before she got there, however, a short green blur tackled her leg, gripping on to it for dear life. "Mistress Tonks, Zeali's so glad to see you!" Zeali chirped from Tonks' leg.
"It's good to see you, too, Zeali." Tonks smiled, patting the young elf on the head. He let go of her after a few minutes, as he backed away, bowing his head slightly. "I'll see you later, okay Zeali?" Seeing Zeali nod, she spun around and skipped up the steps.
"She hasn't stopped smiling all day." Andromeda murmured, as Remus and Sirius headed towards the kitchen. "She's so happy to finally be engaged, it's incredible."
Tonks entered the study quietly, her pink eyes flashing to Harry's back immediately. She watched him use his magic to clean the room up, a small smile gracing her pretty, heart-shaped face. "Hey, Sirius, I meant to ask you, what was my parents' wedding like?" Harry asked aloud, assuming Tonks, who had just taken a few steps into the room, was his godfather. His back was still turned, so he failed to know better. "I mean will mine and Nymphie's be like theirs was? What did my father get as a wedding gift to my mother? Because I have an idea for a gift for Nymphie, but I want to know if its too extravagant? Not that it even matters on second thought, since I'll probably end up getting it for her for a made up reason like…'just because it's Wednesday', or something."
"Marrying you is more than enough of a present, Harry Potter." Tonks said, making her presence known. Harry whirled around at her voice, confusedly staring at her with his bright green eyes. "Lame come on, I know, but it had to be said." She teased, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Extremely lame." Harry agreed, dodging the tickling charm that she sent at him. He sidestepped another charm, inching closer to her each time he moved. Then, with a move quicker than she could counter, he tackled her onto the couch, rolling over so she was on top of him. "But I couldn't be more thrilled to have such a lame future wife." He whispered in her ear, his proximity sending chills down her spine. She leaned into him, planting a soft kiss on his lips.
"Hope we're not interrupting." Sirius murmured, strolling into the room with Andromeda. "But we're just taking a tour of the house. Since, after all, it has been what, Andromeda, twenty-six years since you've last been here?"
"Just about." Andromeda shrugged, as her eyes moved over the room. She remembered being there back when she was in Hogwarts long ago. She hated it back then, but now…now there was something different about it, as if the feel of it had changed.
Tonks rolled off of Harry, allowing them to both get up. "Oh, Sirius, I found this while you were gone." Harry said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a large silver ring, bearing the Black family crest that was in a navy blue stone. "Thought you might want to look at it." He tossed the ring over to his godfather, who studied it for a few seconds, before slipping it onto his left little finger, the band fitting him perfectly. "And I was wondering if I could borrow this." Harry held up the gold locket from before, showing it to Sirius. "It spikes my curiosity for some reason."
"Its yours if you want it." Sirius shrugged, not knowing or caring what it was. The ring that Harry had given him, however, was something he wanted to keep. Not out of any loyalty to the old Black family, but for pure spite. He wanted to be able to wear it the day the Black family's image was changed. "Remus is downstairs, by the way."
The pair of Sirius and Andromeda left a few minutes later, heading down the hall to one of the bedrooms that were on the floor. Opening up the first door on the left, Sirius gave a mocking grunt. "Regulus' room, you remember?" He questioned his cousin, who nodded in response. They were hit with a gust of dust immediately, each coughing and closing their eyes. They gazed about the room, as they made their way inside, each lost in memories of the past.
Regulus Black was a man who had an aura of indifference around him his whole life. Being brought up with the Black family values, he thought of himself as more superior than muggles and muggleborns, though didn't show his arrogance in the company of other purebloods. While the other members of the family had always scowled at Sirius, being the black sheep of the lot, Regulus didn't partake in that, for that wasn't the way he worked. Instead of openly hating or loathing Sirius, he just wouldn't even notice the man's existence; however, if he was forced to notice Sirius, he wouldn't be hostile towards him, but cool and professional. Even though Regulus thought he was doing Sirius a favor, it, in fact, hurt the man even more, knowing that your brother didn't even care enough to look at you and wonder 'what if'.
The room looked just the same as it used to, with the same sense of former grandeur as the rest of the house had. It was decked out in Slytherin colors of emerald and silver, draping the bed, the walls, and the windows. The Black family crest, which was a navy blue shield with two greyhounds rampant charged and a chevron, with two five-pointed stars and a short sword, was painted over the bed, along with its motto: Toujours Pur. Nestled on the nightstand was a photograph of a Hogwarts Quidditch team, all smiling and waving. Snakes emblazoned their chests, clearly showing with pride, mind you, that they were Slytherins. There was a wardrobe in the corner, and a desk was situated next to the bay window that adorned the far wall; quills, old text books, and ink bottles were scattered about on the nicked, wooden desk.
"Sirius?" A familiar voice questioned, making Sirius spin about and face the portrait that was on the wall next to the wardrobe. "It is you!" The man in the picture cried. He had long black hair, and aristocratic good looks that were akin to Sirius and Andromeda's own, even coming close to exceeding theirs. Being a little shorter than Sirius, though just as stout, with regal navy blue robes on, he looked and dressed like a Black. "I had heard rumors that you had been released from Azkaban. I'm glad to see that they were more than just rumors, my brother."
"Regulus?" Sirius said slowly, wiping the dust off of the canvas, allowing a better viewing of the portrait. "You had a picture made?"
"Yeah, a few weeks before Voldemort killed me." Regulus nodded, his eyes flicking over to the woman behind his brother. "Hello, Andromeda. You look as beautiful and magnificent as ever." She frowned at him, not understanding why he was being so polite. Noticing this, he said, "I'm sorry for the way I treated you both when I was alive. I was so indoctrinated in our family's hatred that I failed to see what really mattered. I turned my back on you both, and for that I'm truly, deeply sorry. But, I admit, I have taken certain precautions and steps to atone for my sins."
"Ha, you're just like mother. I'm surprised you're not screaming and ranting about me being a blood traitor just like she did." Sirius spat, losing himself in his feelings of the past: his pain rising inside him. "After all, that's what Death Eaters do, right?"
"I'm not a Death Eater." Regulus said softly. "I betrayed them before I died. Look, I honestly believed in their cause, but when I saw what they were willing to do to get it, I left. And, as a result, I was hunted down by them, and killed by Voldemort personally."
"So I've heard." Sirius admitted, looking up at his brother, finally realizing that Regulus had apologized. "Our dear cousin Bellatrix taunted me with the information while I was in Azkaban. Apparently, she loved the fact that she was the one who made you crack under the Cruciatius."
"You were near Bellatrix in Azkaban?" Andromeda asked, her face expressionless as she waited for Sirius to answer. She didn't know how she felt, knowing that Bellatrix was alive and as sadistic as always; on one hand, she hated it; on the other, it was her sister, and it wasn't a virtue of hers to just hate her family—even though they hated and turned their backs on her.
"Yeah," Sirius nodded, looking over to Andromeda. "Our cells were across from one another. We were two of the most guarded inmates, so we both were in each other's misery."
"I was dead a few days before you went to Azkaban." Regulus said, sadly. "But, really, Sirius, I am sorry for the way I treated you when we were children. I might not have felt it then, but I love you my brother."
"Why…why are you acting like this?" Sirius inquired, confused by the way his brother was speaking. In truth, he had always hoped Regulus would turn out okay, and it had hurt to hear that his little brother, someone who he would have protected in a natural family, had died.
"Because I know you're taking down and destroying the family portraits. And, before you destroy mine, I want you to know that I changed before I died. I admit, I'm still not thrilled with muggles, but I have changed." Regulus answered. "A wizard is a wizard, no matter how pure they are. And that…I see that now."
"You're okay." Sirius said, giving Regulus a small smile, hoping to show that he was willing to give the man a break. "I'm only destroying the ones who are raving at me like the lunatics that they are, or the ones who are too old and their canvas' are worn away."
"Thank you, brother." Regulus replied, his usually stoic features curling into a large grin. "I hope that we can talk again, and make up for all the time we were at each other's throats." Then, with his gray eyes flicking over to his cousin, he said, "Same goes for you, Andromeda."
"I'll come in here tomorrow and personally clean the room up, so we can talk then, all right?" Sirius questioned, taking a few steps towards the door. Regulus agreed, and waved as the two left the room, closing the door with a soft click.
"Hey, Sirius," Harry called out from down the hall. "I'm going to the Ministry to connect you to the Floo Network, and get you some more floo powder because I saw you were out." Tonks came up behind him, and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Oh, thanks, you don't have to do that." Sirius replied, taking a few steps towards them. He noticed Andromeda tilting her head to a door at the end of the hall from the corner of his eye. That's where she used to sleep when she would stay over, he thought to himself, remembering those rare occurrences. "I'd have gotten around to it sooner or later."
"Don't worry about it," said Harry, waving him off. "We have to go there anyway, so it's not a big deal, honestly." Harry took Tonks' hand, and headed down the stairs. "Hey, Remus." He said, as the pair passed the werewolf, who was walking up the stairs. Once on the first floor, they apparated out and to the Ministry, intent on setting up a meeting with the Head of Magical Documentation; the person who would oversee their wedding, and make it official.
The Magical Documentation office was part of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. The office handled birth certificates for wizarding children, marriage licenses and ceremonies for the magical community, death certificates and services too, and was headed by an Irish wizard named Declan Tennyson. All wizards had to get a license to be wed by the office, but most didn't have the office do the ceremonies; since about fifty percent of magical marriages were to muggles or muggleborns, they got married the muggle way. Harry and Tonks, however, were going the wizarding way, since they were both from magical parents, were both magical themselves, and their children would be pureblooded.
It took about fifteen minutes, for Harry had used some of his clout to push his way through the waiting period. Surprisingly, the Head of the Office, Declan Tennyson, said he would be the one to administer the ceremony. Usually, as with other wizards and witches, the attendants—basically the pencil pushers of the office—would be the ones to do it. Harry and Tonks both knew he was only willing to do it because it was 'the Harry Potter' but they didn't care. As long as they were married, they were happy.
They then headed over to Level Six, which held the Department of Magical Transportation, and housed the Floo Network Authority office. Harry signed the papers to hook up Grimmauld Place to the network, paid the galleon that it cost, and bought a few packets of powder in a hurry. Leaving, they flooed back to the house, and began helping Sirius clean again.
"Sirius Black, thank Merlin you're out of Azkaban." A portrait said, as the wizard entered the dark and dusty room. Sirius swished his wand, igniting the torches and candles that were scattered about, allowing light to flood into the darkened room.
"Phineas Nigellus Black." Sirius nodded to the portrait, staring at it warily.
"As the last scion of the Black family, Azkaban was no place for a wizard who has a duty to fulfill." Phineas told him, looking down at his descendent from his golden frame. His portrait was king-like as he sat in a large throne, and wore the finest of green robes money could buy; he had long black hair that was grayed in some spots, and a black goatee that framed his face.
"Duty? What is that?" Sirius mocked, smirking slightly. Even as a child, and especially as a rebellious teenager, Sirius had loved bantering with Phineas, and was amazed at how natural it felt right now. He knew deep down, completely hidden from even Phineas himself, that Phineas had a soft spot for him, and knew the old man liked the banter just as much. "I've already accomplished some of it, being that I've begun to change this house from the darkness that it was."
"So I've heard." Phineas growled, knowing that his estate wouldn't be recognizable soon enough. He didn't care if Sirius refurbished it—though he thought it was just fine the way it was—but he was worried about all of his possessions that he had bequeathed to his family upon his death. Some of them had been priceless heirlooms that had been handed down for generations. "And my picture is just fine, and I'm not ranting at you, so don't destroy it."
"I see you've been talking to Regulus." Sirius noted, laughing slightly at the indignation that his great-great-grandfather was showing. "Don't worry, you're fine. After all, you hated me as a child when this was my room," He gestured to his surroundings. Unlike Regulus' room, which advertised his family's creed, Sirius had strived to emphasize the opposite. The room was spacious and was once handsome. There was a large bed with a carved wooden headboard, a tall window obscured by golden curtains, a small desk, and a wardrobe not unlike Regulus' in the room across the hall. Where Regulus decorated with Slytherin colors and banners, Sirius decorated with the golds and reds of Gryffindor, taking pride in his differences amongst his family. Only one picture, other than Phineas', hung on the wall, and it was of four Hogwarts students standing arm in arm, laughing at the camera; on the desk, however, was a picture of a motorcycle—Sirius' flying one—that zoomed in and out of the frame.
Sirius grinned, turning his attention away from the room and back to his ancestor, continuing on. "But you hated everyone, so I know it wasn't because I was a 'blood traitor'." He watched as Phineas left his frame, muttering something about young people and their place these days. Shaking his head with laughter, he wrote a list of everything he needed to do to clean up the room and left, leaving the window open to air out the place.