Chapter 16 Family

The day Prince came into the apartment and slammed into wards was a shock. The wards didn't stop him, but for a full second he could feel them examining his presence and core. He carefully made his way through the flat and set the groceries on the table. They had been living in Benny J's place for close to two months. In another two weeks Harry would be headed back to Hogwarts. In all of that time he'd never encountered a ward on the flat, and this did not feel like Ree's magic.

Prince could hear laughter from the back rooms and followed the noise to the room Dudley and Benny J shared. All three boys were sprawled on the floor playing a card game. He was struck by how tiny Harry looked compared to the two wrestlers. Green eyes lifted from the game and met his. Prince waved and smiled at Ree, pleased at the grin he received in response. His wizardling was handling their separations better each time, and both Dudley and Benny J seemed to understand the need to keep the youngest distracted.

Leaning against the door frame, he puzzled at the new wards. Obviously they hadn't been discovered by another wizard, friendly or not, but at the same time it wasn't either himself or Harry. Unwilling to interrupt the game, and noticing Ree throwing him a look, Prince waved briefly and moved out of the room. He made a thorough sweep of the flat, checking all of the hiding spaces, before returning to put away groceries.

Kiki wove in between his legs demanding attention and he pet the cat.

"What do you think? Do you know where these wards came from?"

The feline shoved its bum under his hand for scratching, ignoring the question. With a soft snort Prince gave up. He would have to ask Harry. Later. When his wizardling wasn't having so much fun. There was no rush if the wards weren't harmful.

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Harry knew something was different about today. He'd woken feeling warm and tingly all over. At first he'd brushed the sensation aside believing it was simply the remnants of a pleasant dream, but the feeling seemed to return at odd points of the day. He'd been a tad anxious about Prince leaving for his errands, but Dudley had been quick in offering company and reassurances.

It was odd how close he'd grown to his cousin. Dudley had spent most of their childhood terrorizing Harry, yet somehow Harry had come to trust in the older boy. When they'd ran away Dudley offered to protect him and it was just that simple. Harry knew now that his empathy was part of the reason why he could read people, and the few times he'd reached for Dudley's emotions he'd found only concern and something like fondness. It was like his cousin really cared about him. Things weren't perfect between them. Dudley would get bossy or worse, try to talk about things like abuse which Harry couldn't stand because he was fine even if Dudley couldn't see that. It was really nice, having a real family member who was looking out for him. Harry had never in his wildest fantasies believed that Dudley would ever be like this. When he was very little and still dreamed that the Dursleys would someday love him, Harry was always the one who proved that he could be normal, average, not a freak. He'd never once imagined a life where Dudley would run away with him and get a tattoo of a phoenix and say the m-word without blinking. Curled up on the couch under his cousin's arm Harry felt that warm tingle and wondered.

When Prince returned to their little home Harry knew the feeling wasn't in his mind. He reached out with his senses and mentally curled around his anchor. He could feel the startled reaction of Prince in the doorway and for a moment thought the blond sensed him in return. The continued curiosity told Harry that wasn't the reason. He continued with his card game, secure enough in the friendly atmosphere not to bolt out and cling to the older guy. Still, he followed the emotional shifts carefully, just to make sure.

It wasn't until after dinner when Harry could get some time alone with Prince. Dudley was showering and Benny J was toying with something in his bedroom. Harry knocked quietly on the door to the office space Prince had claimed, entering at the call.

"You felt it too." He blurted immediately.

Prince quirked an eyebrow, "Yes."

Harry waited a beat for more before huffing. "What is it?"

"Wards, you're feeling a new set of wards." Prince frowned then. "I don't know where they came from, but I can tell you they aren't dangerous. It isn't your magic, or mine, but I can't sense who did cast them. There are no signs that anyone found us here and I can't even find a trace in the area of a wizard or witch who must have cast the ward. There should be something."

Harry's first reaction was to panic. Someone found us! He reached out blindly physically and mentally and found a warm hand and only puzzled curiosity. His panic flowed away. "Why aren't you worried?"

"There is absolutely no evidence that anyone was even here. If whoever this was is that good, than they could have done quite a bit of damage if that was their intent. I can only detect the protection ward."

Harry nodded but something about the phrasing caught him. Protection ward…protection ward. Why is that … oh. "A protection ward, like maybe blood protection?" his voice soft and uncertain.

"Blood protection?" Prince blinked, startled. Blood magic was generally considered Dark by the unstudied masses. "Quite possibly, there are several protective wards that use a blood connection. Why would you jump to that assumption though?

"I-" Harry swallowed. "One of the reasons I go back to the Dursleys each summer is the blood wards around Number 4. Dumbledore said-" Harry couldn't speak any more.

Prince went cold. Hot rage welled up in him. That arrogant son of a bitch kept sending my wizardling back into an abusive household because of blood wards! Ree flinched back and Prince quelled his temper trying to focus on the little calico haired wizard in front of him. It wasn't hard to go from anger to remorse at the shaking shoulders and downcast eyes. I am not wrapped around his finger, just a thoughtful anchor.

"Sorry wizardling, sorry. I'm not upset with you. This is good." He soothed gently. "You are probably right about the wards, a blood ward would explain how it could appear with no traces of the caster. If that is the source, that means we are doubly safe and haven't been detected by another wizard. Now tell me why you think the ward might have moved."

"Dudley- when we were running away I told him about the ward." Harry took a breath. "It might have been before that, when he was trying to convince me to go. I told him about the ward and he said it might work for him, because he's family too." He stumbled over his words. "I needed to stay with a blood relative for it to work see, and Dudley said maybe, and that he would go with me. I think. I don't really remember the order of it all."

Prince pulled the younger boy into a hug. Ree still had difficulties with the events of that day but this wasn't the time to dredge that up, not when Prince's own emotions were unstable.

"It sounds like you could be right, and Dudley too. Coming here together it looks like you've established a strong set of blood wards around this flat. I'll run a couple tests in the morning to be certain, but you can sleep well and good tonight." Prince shook his head with a grin. "True blood wards! You are the safest you could be with that kind of protection on the flat. Not to mention me in the next room."

Harry laughed and looked up at the blond without pulling out of the hug. "The safest ever." He agreed.

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Dumbledore watched in horror as one of his many gadgets began to disintegrate. That particular object had monitored the wards around Number 4 since that fateful Halloween. It had always been a delicate thing, but there were only two reasons for that device to fail completely. If Potter died, or if somehow the wards had been neutralized. Dumbledore fixed his eyes on a second device, waiting with dread. After a full hour he released a long breath. Harry Potter was still alive. This of course meant that something was very, very wrong. He turned away from the shelf and began to focus on a solution. He would need to call the Order. With any luck someone will have answers for him today.

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