October 31, 1981
Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow
A long stream of smoke was visible on his flightpath through the night sky.
It was a rather cold Halloween night, with the chill seeping into the bone. That evening, Sirius had been in charge of surveillance of a Death Eater outpost on the eastern edge of Edinburgh. After greeting and informing the next shift about the changes in the outpost movements, a tired Sirius had apparated home and threw his coat on the hangar and dragon hide boots on the stand in the entry corridor, intent on grabbing a beer and heading to his bedroom.
Walking into his bedroom and turning on the bulb, Sirius pulled off his shirt and threw it into the nearest hamper. Turning towards the wardrobe, his eyes caught sight of the photo frame on the table next to the bed. His eyes softened at the sight of an eight-month-old Harry and him playing on the floor of Potter cottage and a smile rose on his face.
Debating the merits of a good night's sleep versus seeing his godson in a rather cute costume that Prongs and Lily would have dressed him up in, Sirius knew there was no choice to be made. Taking a quick shower and dressed in a fresh black shirt and blue pants, Sirius walked out of his house, grabbing his coat and boots on the way. Pulling the coat over his shoulders and his boots onto his feet, he stopped at the sight of his bike, a 1979 Harley Davidson FXS Low Rider, parked next to the garage door. Remembering the fun Harry had on the one time had ridden on his bike, Sirius decided to drive to Godric's Hollow, wondering if Lily would allow another ride. Then again, Lily might just hex me for suggesting the idea. The thought brought a grin to his face.
Starting his bike and channelling his magic through the runes carved on it, Sirius activated the various notice-me-not charms and quickly drove onto the road before taking to the sky and activating the disillusionment charm, angled the bike in the direction of Godric's Hollow and accelerated, thoughts of Prongs and his family running through his mind.
On approaching close to Godric's Hollow, Sirius spotted a stream of smoke rising over the houses. Realising with mind-numbing horror that the smoke was rising from the location of his friend's cottage, all thoughts of a warm night in front of a fireplace were wiped from his mind and a mild panic attack nearly took over.
Engaging the afterburner and channelling as much of his magic as he could through the bike, Sirius, eyes narrowed, quickly approached the cottage, praying to magic that his friends and godson were safe. Auror instincts kicking in, Sirius approached the cottage and circled around the house, noticing the destruction wreaked on it.
Smoke from the fires that were still burning on the roof rose up high. The roof of the nursery had partially caved in and the wall looked like it had been hit with a blasting curse, pieces of debris lying on the front lawn and road. The front door was in pieces and the windows of the main hall seemed to have blown outwards due to some great force. Part of the back wall of the cottage had collapsed, allowing him to glimpse the kitchen.
Fighting down the rising panic with all his will, Sirius quickly brought the bike down onto the road in front of the house. Quickly dismounting and drawing his wand from his holster, Sirius slowly approached the front gate, casting as many detection spells as he could. He could detect no curses or dark objects on the path to the front door and none of the wards seemed to be active. Passing through the front gate, he could feel the wards in tatters. Approaching the front door, his final detection spell gave him the locations of two living beings in the house. The thought almost brought his heart to a standstill.
Prongs! Lily! Harry!
Wrestling down the panic that seemed ready to bubble to the surface, Sirius walked through the remains of the front door and stopped at the sight of the wreck of a living room, his eyes quickly cataloguing the room. The sofas and armchairs were lying in pieces across the room. Part of the fireplace appeared to have been hit with a blasting curse. The tea table was upended, the cushions couldn't be seen and several metal spikes were embedded on the wall beside the front door. All in all, a major battle appeared to have taken place in the room
But Sirius could not focus on any of these details, his attention arrested at the right of his best friend on the floor, dust over his face with his glasses shattered and left eye bleeding, lying under a pile of the wooden beams that had collapsed from the roof of the living room, blood pooling beneath the wood.
"James!"
James appeared to move, before his remaining eye, the right eye, focused on his friend, a smile rising on his face, lips and chin smeared with blood and cuts. "Siri-" A hacking cough cut of the rest of his words.
Shocked out of his stupor by his friend's voice, Sirius rushed towards James, his wand moving on instinct, levitating the collapsed pile off James and throwing to towards the far wall on the left.
"JAMES!"
"Siri-" James tried to speak, his voice filled with pain but was cut off by another coughing fit.
"James, I'm here! Don't worry! Everything will be alright! I'll get you, Lily and Harry to Mungo's. Don't worry. You'll be right as rain soon." Sirius rambled, trying to keep his friend awake and lifting the remaining wood off James, both with his hands and his wand.
James smiled at his words, trying to keep his remaining eye open and regain his breath to continue speaking.
Lifting the last of the wood and throwing it away, Sirius knelt next to James, lifting his head onto his lap, his left hand latching to James' hand, his wand waving over him off, clearing the dust off his face. "James, keep your eyes open. Don't you dare die on me!"
James gave a weak smile and at his words. "It's over, Padfoot. I lost. Voldemo- cough! The wanker defeated me in the fight!" James tried to give a grin, but let out another blood-filled cough. Sirius didn't look like he was about to give up on him, holding his hand tightly and his wand waving over his friend. "I am dying, Pad. Got hit by a blood boiling curse. I want yo—cough—I want you to know something!"
"Anything!" was his friend's reply, tears streaming down his face while his wand continued to cast as many diagnostic charms as he knew.
"Lily and I... We knew Pettigrew betrayed us." The statement sent an overwhelming amount of guilt through Sirius, knowing he had suggested the traitor for the role of secret keeper. "We knew that we were in danger – cough - we set up a final failsafe-" James coughed out more blood and Sirius held him together, his grip tightening on his hand. "Can't tru-trust Dumbledore. Take Harry away—away from Brit-cough! Make him a marauder-teach him-old friend! Pad! Promise me! Promise me!" James seemed hysterical by the end of his words.
"I promise!" Sirius's eyes were clouded with tears, weeping freely at the sight of his friend dying in his arms. "I will take Harry away! I will take care of him as my own son. I promise you, Prongs! Marauder's oath!"
James let out a blood-stained grin. "Lily is dead upstairs." James let out a breath of despair at the words, breaking Sirius' heart. "The dark wanker-cough-" Sirius could not help but grin at James' description. "He is destroyed, I think. Lily and I – Looks like our plan-cough-might have succeeded. Take Harry away - teach him - keep him safe."
"I will Prongs! I swear on my life!" Sirius tightened his grip on James at his words, hoping against hope that James would still live.
"My-cough-my wand!" James lifted his bloodied right arm a few inches of the ground, the effort showing on his face, and pointed a finger towards the fireplace before his arm drooped to the ground.
Sirius summoned James' wand out of the rubble and placed it gingerly in his bloodied hand.
"Summon - summon the trunk inside-cough-the closet" James pointed Sirius towards a closet on the far left wall. Sirius did as he instructed and a brand new trunk burst out of the closet, splintering the door in the process with Sirius immediately banishing the splinters. James turned his face, slowly, towards the trunk. "For you - and Harry - take it - take it!" He shoved his wand into Sirius's numb fingers.
James took a deep shuddering breath. "Harry is - the last of the - the Peverells-cough- He should-come back-cough-reclaim his heritage–his-hallow and-thestral-cough-hidden" James began coughing and spewing out a lot of blood.
"James! James! Don't give up! James!" Sirius held onto James, tears streaming his face and desperately willing him to live.
James gave him a lop-sided grin, a tear landing on his cheek.
"Mischief-managed!"
The light left James' eyes as Sirius' widened in horror and overwhelming grief.
"James! James! JAMES!" Sirius roared his friend's name in rage, grief and sorrow, his magic reacting to his emotions, the objects around the room being thrown in a whirlwind of magic.
A few minutes passed in a storm of magic permeating the room with Sirius' sorrow before he finally gained control over his emotions and his magic. Sirius wanted to stay where he was, he wanted to protect what was left of his friend. But he had promised James he would protect Harry; that he would raise him as his son.
Looking at his friend for the last time, Sirius gently closed his friend's eyes - his grief nearly overwhelming him - and placed his head on the ground, collected the trunk and James' wand, shrunk both the items and placed them into his inner coat pockets.
Taking a deep breath to steel himself and wiping his eyes with his left hand, Sirius slowly walked up the stairs, wand out and all his senses on high alert for any ambushers in wait, the stairs creaking with every step.
Lily! Harry!
The thought of his friend and godson nearly drove him to his knees. Taking another deep breath to fortify himself, Sirius arrived upstairs and approached the destroyed door of the nursery.
As soon as he walked in, instincts still running, his eyes roamed over the room, taking in the blown out wall to the right, a part of the roof blown outwards, a black tattered and charred cloak lying on the floor and to the left, an auburn haired woman lyi-
The last thought brought a complete halt to his mind, forcing Sirius to focus on the woman he had considered a dear friend and a sister. Lily was lying on her back on the floor, her dress in tatters and several deep gashes across the chest, her right arm shattered with blood pooling on the floor from the still bleeding wounds. A broken wand lay next to her.
The sight of her lifeless eyes drove Sirius to his knees. Tears streamed down his face and he reached a hand out to touch her face. Just as his hand reached out, he registered the crying sound of a baby.
HARRY!
Sirius whipped his head towards the crib, watching a one-year-old Harry, a bleeding wound on the right side of his forehead, tears streaking his face and an arm outstretched towards the lifeless body of his mother through the fence of the crib.
Harry was... still alive...
The thought snapping him out of his state of sorrow and pushing his grief back to deal with it later, Sirius rushed towards the crib, holstered his wand, and lifted a sobbing Harry into his arms, slowly speaking in a soothing voice. "Prongslet! Prongslet! I'm here, don't cry!"
The baby seemed to realize who he was. "Pa 'foo?"
Sirius let out a heart-felt laugh, which sounded more like a whimper. Harry was all right!
"Shush! Shush Prongslet! Padfoot is here for you... Padfoot will make everything all right!" Sirius gently shook Harry, hoping to sooth him.
The little boy seemed to understand and gave him a rather happy squeak, blood and tears streaking his face.
Sirius felt a wave of joy go through him. Harry was still alive. Finally focusing on the still bleeding wound on Harry's head, he adjusted his hold on him, drew his wand, pointed it towards Harry's wound and muttered "Prope vulnere!"
The bleeding stopped but the wound had barely healed, the skin and muscle underneath still eviscerated. It appeared to be in the shape of a rune and was tinged with dark residue.
Dark magic?Knowing he did not have time in case another attack occurred, Sirius cast a sleep charm on Harry, holstered his wand and turned towards the door, changed his mind in a split second, and headed towards the hole in the wall. I need to get out of here!
He cast a glance towards Lily and her broken wand and had nearly jumped out of the room when the words of his grandfather, Arcturus Sirius Black, floated through his head…
Blood of the Mother...
Turning back towards the lifeless form of Lily, Sirius drew his wand, conjured a large vial and, with great effort, levitated some of Lily's blood out of her eviscerated body into the vial. Casting an unbreakable charm on the vial, he placed it into a pocket of his coat.
"I will take care of him, Lily. I swear!" Sirius murmured the words, a brief spark of magic flashing out his body, and holding Harry tight, jumped out of the hole. He fell down to the ground but his experience as an Auror and his specially-woven dragon-hide boots, with an auto-levitation and cushioning charms for such escapades, helped him land safely without any harm to either man or child.
Ensuring Harry was comfortable in his arms, Sirius quickly approached the front gate. As he passed through the gate, he felt a crack in the magic around him. Stopping for a second to take a quick reading with his senses, Sirius walked away from the home.
Hearing footsteps walking in his direction, Sirius immediately drew his hand and pointed it in the direction of the new arrival. Walking towards him, wearing a mokeskin jacket and a sock in one pocket, was Hagrid. The large half-giant was crying. Profusely.
Hagrid noticed Sirius who had holstered his wand, walked towards him. As he neared Sirius, he noticed Harry sleeping in his arms and bawled his eyes out. "'ow did it 'appen, Sirius?"
"Pettigrew!" Sirius growled out the name. "He was the secret keeper. He betrayed us all." he answered, his eyes turning to grey steel and focusing on his Occlumency to prevent emotions from overwhelming him. He could not break down, not now, despite the fact that he wanted to find the rat and tear him limb from bloody limb.
"Petti- that rat! He wa- the-bastard!" Hagrid growled in rage, wiping at his tears with the back of his hand.
Beating down his own anger at the rat, Sirius wondered how Hagrid got here and what his purpose was. "But what are you doing here, Hagrid? Where's Dumbledore?"
Hagrid appeared to snap out of his rage and looked down at Sirius. "Dumbledore ordr'd me ta' take Harry to 'im, Sirius."
Dumbledore? What's he playing at? Feeling a mote of suspicion and remembering James' words to him, Sirius spoke clearly. "Listen Hagrid!" He continued in a strong stern tone. "I am Harry's godfather. I will take care of him. Go to Dumbledore and tell him to hunt for Pettigrew! I will- I will take Harry to a healer—he was bleeding!"
"But Dumbl-" Hagrid tried, oblivious to Sirius' rising anger.
"HAGRID! HARRY NEEDS A HEALER NOW, AND IF DUMBLEDORE WANTED HIM SO MUCH, HE SHOULD HAVE BLOODY COME HERE HIMSELF!" Sirius admonished. Then lowering his tone, he spoke calmly. "I'm sorry! Just go and tell him. Catch the rat. Pettigrew, he is a rat animagus! GO!"
Hagrid, cowed by his words, pulled the sock out of the pocket of his jacket and muttered "Pop." He disappeared in a flash of blue light. It was surprising how easily the large giant was cowed by his words.
Sirius considered his future plans and held on to Harry. He needed to get him to a healer. But James had told him not to trust Dumbledore... The ministry could not be trusted either. Knowing he only had one option left, Sirius' hold on Harry tightened "Hold on tight, Prongslet!" and apparated from Godric's Hollow.
Sirius, along with Harry, appeared with a crack in front of the large doors of Gringotts, the Goblin-run bank. Unlike what most of the wizarding population knew of them, the ancient families knew well that the goblins were not just bankers, but a race of gifted warriors, master crafters and, of course, healers. If he had to choose between a goblin and a ministry healer, the choice was obvious.
Entering through the bank through the large bronze doors, Sirius stopped in front of the main gateway. The floor was covered in black granite with the ceiling reaching over twenty feet in height and covered in murals of ancient wars between wizards and goblins. There were two rows of counters, manned by goblins, on either side of the room with the head goblin and his desk located at the far end of the room opposite him. Two doors on either side of the head goblin led to the rest of the bank and rooms built for various…services. A few doors were located behind the counters, leading to magic-knew-where.
A few witches and wizards were milling around, some sitting on the benches placed near the entrance and others talking to the tellers. Spotting the nearest teller who was free, he approached the counter and whispered. "I, of the ancient blood, request a goblin to heal me!" His grandfather had taught him many such odd phrases and solutions to the queer little problems of life. For a ruthless bastard, Arcturus Black had been a rather loving grandfather towards him.
The teller's eyes flashed in recognition, passing a glance at the baby, and nodded. "May we see some identification?"
Sirius held out his hand.
The goblin took a sharp-looking pin from below the counter and pricked his palm, drawing out a tiny little spurt of blood. The goblin whispered an incantation in gobbledegook, turning the blood blue. Nodding at the result, the goblin vanished the blood with a wave of his palm and returned the pin to its place below. Turning to Sirius, he said "Very well. Come with me!"
The goblin led Sirius through the doors at the back, Sirius following him into the hallowed chambers of Gringotts, the same granite flooring and white marbled walls visible throughout the corridor with large bronze doors at uneven intervals. Sirius knew that the number of people who might have had a chance to step into these hallowed portals in the last few generations could be counted in one hand; his own grandfather being one of them.
The goblin led him past several murals and doors before finally stopping at a door marked with goblin runes. Knocking once, the goblin opened the door and entered the room, Sirus, still holding Harry, right on his heels.
The room appeared to be the goblin version of a healing chamber. The entire room was of a pale white color with several beds located on either side of the room at regular intervals. Goblins wearing white robes, small runes decorating them, were milling about the room, organising potions into the various cabinets present or talking amongst each other.
The goblin teller approached a rather elder goblin and quickly spoke to him in the goblin tongue. The healer nodded at his words, glanced towards Sirius and spoke a few words to the teller.
The elder goblin and the teller approached Sirius. "Is the baby is need of healing?" The goblin had a gruff voice. Sirius nodded at his words.
"Hand him over!" The elder goblin took Harry from Sirius and pointed a finger towards Sirius. "You stay here! Rook over here-" he pointed towards the goblin teller, "-will inform your account manager. I believe you need to sort things out." He gave a pointed look and Sirius understood what he meant. The cost of the healing service.
The elder goblin proceeded towards one of the beds, barking commands to the others, placed Harry on it and began casting spells.
After a couple of anxious minutes of watching the goblins work on Harry, the goblin teller returned with his Account Manager Ripclaw.
Goblins had funny names, but Sirius was not idiotic enough to point that out. No, he liked his life and money too much for that.
Ripclaw nodded towards Sirius and dismissed the teller. "Mr. Black, please come with me. We have things to discuss while the child gets treated."
Against his better judgement, Sirius let Ripclaw's suggestion overpower his own paternal instinct to stay there till Harry was back. He followed Ripclaw out of the room, past a couple of doors and stopped at a door marked with the plaque 'Black Account Manager'. Ripclaw pressed his palm flat against the wood, a brief green flash appearing between his fingers, opened the door and walked in with Sirius.
The room was sparsely furnished, but the furniture was of excellent make and taste. A rich wood desk stood in the centre of the room, with two red leather upholstered chairs facing a single black chair on the other side of the desk. A vanishing tray and several folders were present on the desk alongside a pot of ink and three quills along with a small bell. Two rich wooden benches were placed on either side of the door and a large red wood cabinet occupied the wall behind the desk. The entire room was lit up using rune-based lights placed on the walls.
Ripclaw occupied the black chair and Sirius took the chair opposite, wondering what it entailed.
Leaning forward with his hands on the desk, Ripclaw spoke in a rough voice. "I will be blunt, Mr. Black. There are quite a lot of things we need to take care of, before we move in to the costs of his treatment."
Sirius looked at the old wizened goblin with wariness.
Watching Sirius' response to his words, the goblin flashed his teeth in a facsimile of a smile. "No need to be suspicious Mr. Black. The child will be treated by the best of our healers. The issue, however, is quite different. I suppose Lord Black has informed you about the custom of goblin healing that is meted out to the ancient families?"
Sirius gave a wary nod.
"Did your grandfather also tell you that the patient needs to be of your blood in order to get treatment?"
"Excuse me?" Sirius blurted out in surprise, his mind racing about the meaning of the words.
Ripclaw simply nodded. "Only a Lord can ask for goblin treatment, and only for his immediate family. Since you are unmarried, I am afraid it presents quite a problem as you have broken several of the rules of the Goblin nation. And you know, very well, we do not take kindly to rules bring broken."
Sirius looked warily at the goblin, his hands tightening in fear. "Do you have... any... suggestions as to how I can clear myself of this... transgression?"
Ripclaw nodded. "There is. But first, I have to ask. Who is this baby?"
Knowing the truth would help than hinder, Sirius spoke slowly, his tone wary. "Harry James Potter. Son of James and Lily Potter, and heir of the Noble and Ancient House of Potter. He is my godson."
The goblin's forehead creased and it was clear he was deep in thought. Keeping his eyes closed, he asked "Why is it that his birth father is not here?"
The question nearly derailed the control Sirius had on his emotions. "He's- he died an hour ago. In the altercation with Voldemort-"
"and the boy survived?" Ripclaw intervened abruptly. Sirius nodded.
Ripclaw stared at Sirius in thought before asking "What of the dark lord?"
Sirius flashed back to his memories of the nursery, the face of lily being prominent among them. Remembering the tattered cloak on the floor, he said "I saw his cloak fallen on the floor. Apparently, he died during his attempt to kill Harry." Seeing the goblin's interest in Voldemort's demise at the hand of a child, Sirius continued speaking "How? I do not know."
"Interesting." Thinking back on the conversation and filing several enquiries for later, Ripclaw spoke in a clear tone of voice. "In that case, Mr. Black, I do have a suggestion for you. But before that, I wish to tell you that your grandfather passed away two days ago."
Sirius' eyes filled with tears. While his family had despised him and his traits, his grandfather had always shown pride for his efforts and had taught Sirius everything he knew. Feeling a muted sort of grief, he realised he had no one left in the world now.
Except Harry.
Taking a breath to steel himself, Sirius gestured towards Ripclaw to continue speaking.
"As of right now, you are the Heir Apparent. If your family magick were to accept you and bestow the lordship upon you-" Sirius was hanging at his every word- "you could blood adopt the baby into your family and thus, the dilemma of your transgressions could be completely resolved."
Knowing this was the only way to provide Harry the healing he needed, Sirius did not hesitate on his answer. "Done!"
"Very well then!" Ripclaw opened the upper left drawer of his desk and pulled out a ritual bowl made of black stone etched with runes of various scripts and a ritual knife made of goblin silver with an emerald-studded hilt, also covered in runes and placed them in the center of the desk. Gesturing towards the implements, Ripclaw asked "I assume you know the process—" Sirius nodded in the affirmative "-very well. Proceed."
Sirius took the ritual dagger that was place beside the bowl with his left hand. Placing his right hand, palm down, over the bowl, he sliced with the dagger, letting his blood drip into the bowl, uttering the incantation. "Familius Magicus!"
A jet-black flame erupted out of the blood inside the bowl, nearly devouring Sirius' bloodied palm, kissing the blood that was steadily seeping down his palm, drop by drop. The heat was quite welcoming and Sirius felt the family magic brush against his own.
"I, Sirius Orion, son of Black, claim the Raven as my own. By blood, by magic and by oath, I assert my will as the Lord of Black. As I have said, so mote it be."
The fire suddenly erupted in another vigorous flare and, previously where there were flames, now stood an ethereal, black raven sitting on his bloodied palm. It stared at him for a moment, judging him for all his worth, before letting out a squawk and transforming into a large old-fashioned ring, which settled itself comfortably on his middle finger of his right hand, the family magick humming in his veins.
"Congratulations, Lord Black!" Ripclaw replied.
Sirius nodded, both tired and relieved that was done. He drew his wand over the cut, closing the wound.
Observing his condition for a second, Ripclaw continued. "Now, after young Potter's treatment has been completed, we will perform the adoption ritual. The entire process, including the treatment, is going to cost you fifteen thousand galleons. Though, as your account manager, I believe it will not matter to you."
Sirius nodded, his face now flushed with anxiousness.
After waiting for an hour, a summons arrived from the healing chamber and the duo followed the messenger to the chamber. The elder goblin stood next to Harry who was bundled up in fresh white blankets, sleeping on the bed. He seemed to be fine, but the wound was not completely healed. While Sirius could no longer feel the tinge of dark magic he'd felt back at Godric's Hollow, there was a lightning shaped scar where the wound previously was.
The goblin healer answered the unasked question. "Sowilo, the rune of victory. Quite a phenomenal rune your child has here, especially when the wound was caused by vile magic." There was an undercurrent of curiosity in his voice.
Feeling somewhat ominous about the answer, Sirius muttered his thanks, approached the bed and lifted Harry into his hands. The rest of the healers stood behind the elder goblin.
The healer paused to take in the scene and began his report. "There are some details you need to know. Firstly, the dark magic he was tainted with was eviscerated." Sirius flushed with relief. "BUT-" The healer's voice was filled with warning "-There is a soul-piece, or as you wizards would likely say it, a horcrux, embedded in his scar. But whose, I cannot say!"
"Voldemort!" Sirius gritted his teeth. Damn him! He cursed Voldemort for not only taking away Harry's parents, but for infecting him with his putrefied soul.
The healers looked warily at each other before one of them spoke up. "The soul simply cannot be splintered with a mere backlash of magic. In order for this to occur means that the original soul was possibly fragmented several times prior to this event. The number I cannot say, but yes, your child holds one of those abominations in his scar."
Sirius's hands trembled, his mind roiling with grief for Harry and rage at the white-faced bastard for causing this. "What does it mean for Harry?"
The elder goblin responded. "We have been able to isolate the abomination from his magical core, and keep it bound a specialised runic matrix. I would suggest you to use your family magic to help keep it bound and protect the boy. Mind arts also help, but you can teach him when he matures further. Please do bring him back annually for a check-up. All other issues have been cleared." Nodding towards Sirius, the elder and the healers returned to their duties.
Sirius had no idea what to do. His godson, James and Lily's only child, would have to survive with a horcrux in his scar. He wanted to rage at the world for this injustice.
Ripclaw turned towards Sirius. "Lord Black, please come with me!"
Nodding to Ripclaw, Sirius walked followed Ripclaw to his office, baby Harry still asleep in his arms.
Entering the office and taking their previous positions, Ripclaw spoke. "I understand that you want to blood adopt him now."
Sirius nodded.
"Very well." The old goblin took out another ritual bowl etched with runes and a ritual dagger and placed them on the desk. Sirius let Ripclaw levitate Harry onto the desk in front of the ritual bowl. Grabbing the knife with his left, Sirius sliced his right palm again and let the blood drip into the bowl, uttering the incantation. "Familius magicus heriditas."
The bowl erupted in black flames, flaring for a brief second and the raven stood there in all its glory. Sirius cast an anaesthetic charm on Harry and then made a tiny incision in his right arm, letting a small amount of blood seep out. He summoned the blood into a conjured vial and then dropped said vial into the bowl. The raven sat and watched the details sharply.
When the flames flared again, Sirius uttered "Familius magicus heriditas!"
The bowl erupted in silver flames, the raven watching the proceedings, and an ethereal silver gryffin roared out of the bowl. It was of the same size as the raven. The two magical totems stared at each other for a moment, and then flew towards each other, merging and forming a pulsing sphere of silver and black light. The sphere flew off and entered into the incised cut on Harry's arm. Harry glowed golden for a second, and then returned to normal. With a single swish of his wand, Sirius healed the incision.
Knowing the ritual was complete, Ripclaw spoke up. "It is done. Now all you have to do is name him."
Sirius sat there, stunned in amazement. How was he supposed to name him?! James and Lily had already named him. But... James had told him take Harry away...
"Take Harry away—teach him- keep him safe."
Nodding towards Ripclaw, Sirius stared at Harry, wondering what to name him when he remembered the words of his now deceased friend.
"Harry will have to return. Return back and fight for his heritage."
Remembering the words of his departed friend and his vow, Sirius stared at Harry for a second before turning towards Ripclaw. "Ares... His name will be Ares James Black. The last of the Potters and the future Lord of Black, my blood heir."
"So mote it be!" The goblin intoned.
"So mote it be!" Sirius finished.
Knowing the records would have registered the change, Sirius asked "Did James Potter leave any will?"
Ripclaw nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, but we need to talk to the Potter account manager for that!" He rang a small bell placed on the desk and whispered, seemingly into the air. "Call for Grimjaw!"
After a minute, a whiskered old goblin - whom Sirius assumed was Grimjaw – entered the office.
Turning towards Grimjaw, Ripclaw said "Lord Black had blood adopted the heir of the Potter family, and as such, he wants information about the existing wills."
Grimjaw stared at Sirius for a moment and then replied. "The wills will require thirty-six hours to be opened. Since the present Lord passed away not more than three hours ago, I cannot convey the details to you."
Sirius nodded at the response. "Very well. Can you at least comply with some of my orders regarding the wills and the Potter accounts? I am now the official guardian of the Potter heir, after all."
Grimjaw cocked his head before responding slowly. "I suppose."
Knowing that was all the response he would get, Sirius conveyed his instructions. "I want the vaults belonging to the Potter family to be put on immediate lockdown. Only upon the request of either Harry or me, should the vaults be opened again. However, that does not include the investments and business ventures. Keep the gold flowing in and take your personal profit as was decided between you and the late-" Sirius choked at the word. "-Lord Potter. Also, the wills shall remain sealed until further orders from me."
Grimjaw gave Sirius a sharp stare. Then, he nodded jerkily. "Very well."
Turning to Ripclaw, Sirius said "I want you to shut down all existing Black properties until further orders. I shall be residing at the ancestral manor of the Blacks in Bulgaria. Please coordinate with your branch there so that I can access my fortunes from your Bulgarian branch. All letters and correspondences shall find me there. If anyone asks, Harry, or I, were never here. Kindly take three pieces of precious armour from the Black armoury as a gift." Ripclaw's smile widened at his words. "When the time is ripe, Harry and I shall return, but that is a long time away." Running through his instructions in his head and satisfied that his affairs were in order, Sirius asked "Could you provide me a portkey to the manor?"
Ripclaw nodded to his request. He opened the bottom right drawer and pulled out an old ring. Upon whispering an incantation, the ring glowed blue. Ripclaw stared at the ring for a second and handed it over it to Sirius.
"Thank you. May your enemies fall before you, and may your gold forever flow!" said Sirius. The ring glowed and Sirius and Harry popped away.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: (Dated 20-12-2017) And now I suppose it is time that we introduce the actors/actresses who will… without Imperius exposure… shall be playing roles in this story. Special thanks to my fellow co-author (who actually wrote all of the actor/actress stuff up) for his contributions. And now, here are the names.
ASTORIA GREENGRASS – OLIVIA HOLT
BLAISE ZABINI – RYAN HASON BRADFORD
DAPHNE GREENGRASS – VIRGINIA ELIZABETH GARDNER
THEODORE NOTT –I wanted GAGE MUNROE for the role, but under compulsion spells from my extremely petulant co-author, we have jointly decided to award this role to a YOUNGER JAMES FRANCO.
Skadarken: Hey, I argued for the right actor. James Franco from Sam Raimi's "Spiderman". Not my fault if you're blind to his virtues. Ignore him, people. He was color blind that day.
TRACEY DAVIS – QUINN SHEPARD
SIRIUS BLACK – CHRIS PINE (While Gary Oldman did a marvelous job in the films, he is well… too old for a man in his early thirties. And we are NOT doing a time-travelling younger version of Gary here)
JONATHAN GREENGRASS – COLIN FIRTH
VICTORIA GREENGRASS – YVONNE STRAHOVSKI
LILY POTTER – JESSICA CHASTAIN
JAMES POTTER – SEBASTIAN STAN (Please the original actors were WAY TOO old for portraying a nineteen-year-old couple)
Skadarken: We both agreed on that point. Seriously, who puts 40-year olds to play characters who barely made it to 21.
While we would have liked to change the lead actor, but we didn't want to risk the readers to get a heart attack by changing Daniel for the lead role. Hence, he stays.
Skadarken: *In a stage whisper* HE had an aneurysm when I suggested it.
As Always. Read. Enjoy.