{Oh, my god! I'm so sorry for taking so long to upload! I feel like such an idiot! Well now I hope you like this new chapter. Chapter 16:Ah, the feels when I wrote that. Feel free to comment, I read everything. Hope you enjoy this new chapter as well, and hopefully I don't post the last chapter again twice.}
"Who's next?" James asked with a weak smile. "Give it here." Sirius said. Sirius grabbed the book from James. "You want to willingly read a book?" Remus asked. Sirius stuck his tongue out.
Chapter 13. Now You See Me
"What does that mean?" James asked. Lily rolled her eyes derisively.
Harry was over the moon when Leo got out of the Hospital Wing.
Shizuka smiled widely and Sirius perked up at that.
Aries practically jumped him when he saw him in the Great Hall if Velvela didn't beat him to it.
Sirius said that with a smirk.
Leo got up and fell back to his usual stealing Harry's breakfast. Neville agreed to help Leo catch up with Herbology.
Shizuka and Alice shared warm smiles. Sirius nodded to Frank who returned the gesture.
Things were pretty normal after that. Winter holiday was about to begin and the sign ups to stay over the break came up.
Many people relaxed. Nothing dangerous was happening so far.
Harry and Aries were the first ones to sign their names. Leo would've been third but he got lost trying to find the signup sheet.
Sirius said that with more happiness showing since the last chapter.
Neville had to show him where to go after he passed the place three times.
Alice and Frank shared a smile. Augusta was looking pleased with her timid grandson.
Harry was expecting Malfoy to make some rude snide at him, but he didn't. For some reason he talked to Leo briefly and it seemed… polite.
Lucius and Narcissa shared a look.
Harry and Aries gave him a weird look. "What?" Leo asked.
They were going to save their questions for later. Leo was dragged off by Velvela to go say good bye to their housemates.
"The only down side to staying for Christmas." Sirius said interrupting himself. He didn't notice his brother flinch briefly. "What about family?" Lily asked with a frown. Sirius looked at her with an unreadable look. "My parents have made it clear they don't want me home for Christmas." Sirius said. Lily looked abashed. Arcturus sent a questioning look to his youngest grandson who was looking grim.
Harry saw Diggory give Leo's hair a ruffle, kinda like how the twins did to Ron one morning.
Charlus was wondering if Harry would've liked to have a sibling.
Aries was called over by the twins for pranking stuff and Ron was dragged off by Percy.
Liliana was feeling saddened by the fact that she and James weren't there for his Christmas.
Harry wandered around when he came across Professor Dumbledore.
Lots of people paled or snarled at the mention of the headmaster.
Harry was surprised to see him walking around with a bag of sweets, but he wasn't going to question it. The Headmaster can get quite… odd.
"Never judge a book by its cover." Sirius growled thinking about who got him stuck in Azkaban and away from the boys for a decade.
"Hello Harry." Dumbledore greeted softly. "Hello Professor." Harry greeted. "Is there anything you wanted help with?" The Headmaster asked before grabbing another lemon drop.
"You will go nowhere near my son." James said bitterly. Lily sent him a reprimanding look, that Liliana returned.
"Actually Professor," Harry said. "I was wondering if it would be possible to stay over summer break." Harry said.
Many actually crossed their fingers.
Harry and Aries talked about it briefly, but Professor Flitwick told Aries he had to talk to Dumbledore. Aries told Harry that he wants to stay as far away from the old git as possible.
"Good." Regulus said coldly. "But we don't know why he did what he did." Lily said in defense. "It could be for the greater good." The muggleborn witch said. "What good can come from broken families and abused children?" Bellatrix asked in disgust. Sure she wasn't the most caring person in the world, but family was the most important thing in the world. Lily struggled to find the words to say in defense of the headmaster.
Dumbledore looked at him in surprise. "My boy, I'm sorry to say you cannot." Dumbledore said softly.
"I'm not sure if that's good or bad." Ted admitted. What was worse Dursleys or Dumbledore?
Harry looked down.
"This time around he won't want to." Dorea said with a strong fire in her eyes. Sirius looked at the next line in confusion.
"I know your Aunt didn't get along well with your mother, but I'm sure she does want you home." Dumbledore said.
"But I don't have a sister." Liliana said in confusion. "Does he mean Tuney?" Lily asked she didn't know why but deep down she's jealous that she doesn't have a son to read about. A son like Harry wouldn't have been bad, she thought.
Harry looked up at him confused. "Sir?" Harry asked. "I'm sure your aunt cares for you, after all, her sister Lily was your mother." He said.
Liliana glared at Lily fiercely. No one was going to deny she was Harry's mother. Lily ignored the look and wondered…
Harry's eyes sparked in realization. "Oh, er-yes." Harry said nervously.
"What did he do now?" Charlus asked darkly.
"But what about Aries and Leo?" Harry asked. The headmaster popped in another lemon drop. "I'm sorry to say that they don't have many good relatives to welcome them."
"BULL SHIT!" Sirius yelled. Many of the Blacks looked livid. Someone in their vast family would've taken them in.
Dumbledore said. "I believe your family had taken them in?" Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded.
James frowned. He didn't have any connections to Evans's family. Why did Dumbledore refer to them as such.
"I hoped that with the two of them living away from their…unsavory relations, they won't make the same mistakes as they did. That they wouldn't be affected by their darker relatives." Dumbledore said kindly.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Sirius shouted. "Not everyone is a death eating psycho!" Sirius said angrily. "Don't you complain about that though?" Lily asked in confusion. Sirius's look made her flinch. "No, my complaints were about my bigoted parents who constantly tell me that I should've never been born!" Sirius said dropping the book in his anger.
Lily looked shocked. "My complaints are about the same parents who constantly say that other people who are different from us need to be killed or enslaved! My complaints are against the parents who wanted me to join the very man who will one day kill my wife, and best friends!"
Sirius was panting and shaking after his rant. Shizuka walked up to him and hugged Sirius. Regulus looked away as if in pain. Arcturus saw his two grandsons and knew they had left many things unsaid. And he was going to get an answer from them about their home life.
Lily looked ashamed and tearful. James and Remus pulled Sirius and Shizuka into a tight hug. None of them said a word, and it took a while before Sirius was calm again. "Do you want to keep reading?" Dorea asked in concern. Sirius nodded and picked up where he left off.
Harry nodded. "Er-Thank you sir." Harry said. "No trouble my boy." Dumbledore said before Harry turned around and walked off.
Sirius ground that out.
Harry saw Aries put his quill away and walked up to him in the great hall. "What?" Aries asked running a hand through his still uneven hair.
Regulus could care less if that haircut saved him from a mountain troll.
"We gotta talk." Harry said. Aries looked at him confused. "Do we need Leo?" Aries asked.
Shizuka was silently hoping not.
Harry thought about it briefly. "Maybe later. He's finally out of the hospital wing." He said. Aries nodded.
Regulus had this sinking feeling that Aries wasn't going to like this.
Soon they walked out of the Great Hall without anyone noticing them. When they found an empty courtyard Harry told him about his encounter with Dumbledore.
Manyy people winced painfully at that.
Aries sat still and Harry wasn't sure if the weather or Aries made the air colder.
"It could be both." Xenophilus said airily.
Harry shivered. Aries's anger could freeze lava at this point.
Sirius and the Slytherins shivered. They know that look.
"He lied." Aries hissed.
Regulus nodded.
"What I want to know is why Mrs. Dursley kept the act up." Harry said. Aries blinked before a shocked look came to his face.
"I don't want to know." McGonagall said abhorrently. Lily sent a scandalized look to her head of house.
"Do you think he used magic on them?" Aries asked.
Lily was sweating lightly at the possibility.
Harry was shocked. "Can he?" Harry asked. "It's illegal, but not impossible." Aries said coldly.
"He already used it on a squib, why not a muggle?" Moody growled. "But that's still illegal." Lily pointed out. "Just because it's illegal doesn't make it undoable." The head auror said grimly.
Harry's mind was reeling. "Think about it Harry. How did they act? What did they say? They must've slipped up somewhere." Aries said.
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody yelled.
Harry felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
"They would have that effect on others don't they?" Arcturus asked smoothly. Many looked shocked that he made a jab at them. Lily sent him a dark look that did nothing but raise his curiosity about the witch's moral compass.
"They told us we were brothers remember." Aries said.
"What?" Many asked.
Harry nodded. For nine years, Harry thought Aries and Leo were his brothers.
"So they found out a year before this story." Andromeda said. "Why would they lie though?" Abarax wondered aloud. Many couldn't figure out why but they hoped that the books explained it eventually.
"They used to say we had the same mom, but you and Leo had a different dad." Harry said.
"I guess it could work since they might resemble each other." Dorea admitted bitterly. "Strangers would always think they were siblings." Charlus pointed out. Moody nodded. It wasn't a hard cover to pull in the right situation.
Aries grimaced. "But then they told us we weren't brothers." Aries spat. Harry remembers crying when he found that out.
Regulus frowned slightly. James and Liliana shared a look before blushing.
"Don't they still tell that lie to Marge?" Harry asked. Aries grimaced. "Yeah, and she calls us mongrels." The Ravenclaw bit out.
"WHAT!?" The adults shouted. Regulus sneered at the book coldly. Sirius had a death grip on the book at two future mothers looked livid. James was wearing a rather terrifying blank expression.
"So what happened that year?" Aries asked aloud, biting the nail of his thumb.
Moody nodded. The boy had a keen mind that could keep it attached to his shoulders.
"Marge got me stuck up a tree." Harry said.
"She did what!?" Dorea screeched.
"Still need to get her for that." Aries said.
"That I want to see." Bellatrix cackled.
"Didn't you bite Mrs. Dursley when she tried to cut your hair?" Harry asked. Aries nodded with a smirk.
Regulus wore a smirk as well.
"Nothing else really happened that year." Harry said. It was a usual year with the Dursleys.
"So horrid then?" Many asked the book.
"Maybe when you bit her?" Harry asked.
Moody looked contemplative and Xenophilius hummed.
Aries looked at him weirdly. "I'm sure that's not it." Aries dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Maybe the magic wore off." Aries replied.
Many of the others nodded. It happens and it makes the most sense.
Harry nodded. It made the most sense. "So the magic wore off, and they remember we're not family. But why did they keep us?" Harry asked.
"There's always a motive." Moody said grimly.
Aries had a dark look across his face. "Guess what I found out from my dorm mates?" Aries asked.
Many wore puzzled expressions.
Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "You can convert galleons into muggle money." Aries said.
"What?" Lily asked. Many everyone else nodded. "My Papa has a couple of successful muggle businesses." Liliana said. "Really?" Augusta asked in surprise. Liliana nodded. "He owns a restaurant and a rentable art studio." She answered. Shizuka looked surprised. "I know my family has ownership over a shrine that accepts muggles and a muggle travelling company."
Several of the Family heads looked contemplative. Nothing wrong with making your family more profitable…
"What does that have to deal with this?" Harry asked. "What if they were paid to with our inheritance?" Aries questioned.
Many had dark looks being sent towards the book.
Harry went pale. "No." He said in disbelief. "Think about it." Aries said. "All that stuff they buy Dumbo, that stuff is expensive, and they but him dozens of it every year, or even every month." Aries pointed out.
"Oh my word…" Andromeda said in shock. Many of the family heads looked livid. "He could just have a good paying job." Lily said stubbornly. "If he is then he might not go under penalty of law." Moody growled. There were some ancient laws pertaining to this and they were handled in the age appropriate way.
"Doesn't Mr. Dursley use his own money for that?" Harry asked.
Lily looked smug.
"Remember that one time, two years ago, in November?" Aries asked. Harry grimaced.
Sirius literally threw the book away in disgust and anger. "I refuse to read that." Sirius growled. McGonagall picked the book up and convinced him to read.
Aries did something to really anger Mr. Dursley that day. Aries was black and blue from his belt for weeks. The Dursleys told everyone he got into a fight with someone.
Regulus walked off and when a practicing dummy was shown it lasted three seconds before being blown to smithereens. By the time Regulus calmed down there was enough shrapnel to model a destroyed city.
"What about it?" Harry asked sickly. "I was trying to find out about our families. And Mr. Dursley caught me looking through his bank records." Aries grimaced.
Everyone grimaced.
"He doesn't make enough money to buy all those fancy things, or even for that new car." Aries pointed out. "Remember how he keeps trying to get promotions?" Aries asked.
Everyone was livid.
Harry was shaking in anger.
So was his father.
He had been lied to, and stolen from, and beaten and degraded. He wasn't going to let this go. Aries grabbed Harry's arm. "Don't do anything." Aries hissed.
Everyone sent disbelieving looks at the book.
"I'm not going to let this go!" Harry hissed. "I don't want you to." Aries said with a frigid glare. "But we need to keep our heads down and act like we don't know the truth." Aries said.
Moody nodded grimly. The things you had to put up with…
Harry glared at him. "Until Uncle gets free." Aries said.
"Oh there will be hell to pay." Sirius promised. "Muggle courts or wizard?" Arcturus asked with a cool expression on his face. "Either." Sirius said simply. "How can you get him tried in a wizard court?" Lily asked.
"Well there's the stealing of heirs to ancient and noble families. Stealing their inheritance, and trying to turn them into squibs." Moody said off handedly. "If someone wanted to they could demand his life in exchange." Abarax added. "I personally wouldn't blame them Septimus said surprising everyone. "That's barbaric!" Lily cired. "That's the way it is." Augusta said sternly. Lily looked at them all strangely.
Harry blinked. He actually forgot about Sirius during the school work and quidditch practices.
If Sirius was in a better mood he would've rolled his eyes.
Harry nodded. "Fine." Harry said. Aries looked at him briefly. Aries sighed. "I know it sucks, but we'll get through this." He said.
No one dared to say anything in case they jinxed the boys.
Suddenly there was a snowball thrown at Aries's choppy head. They both turned around to see the twins, Ron and Leo with handfuls of snowballs. "FIRE!" Leo yelled and soon Aries and Harry were trying to take cover from a pelting of snow.
Smiles were beginning to crack the dam of anger and hate from earlier.
They battled for a while until Leo won the tournament. "HURRAH!" He cheered from his spot on George's back.
Shizuka giggled and Septimus shook his head fondly.
George twisted and they started to wrestle in the snow. They went back to the Great Hall cold, wet and hungry, but in a good way.
People were happy that the Christmas spirit was beginning to kick in.
They all sat at the Gryffindor table as the last of the students left. "Harry, Ron." Hermione said. Ron paled slightly and Harry looked up to see Hermione all packed to leave.
Septimus was wondering why his grandson was scared of her.
"Have a good holiday Hermione." Harry said kindly. She nodded. "Are you going to stay here over the holiday?" She asked. Harry nodded.
"Why does she need to know this?" Alice asked. No one had an answer for her.
"I'd be careful around Snape if I were you." She said. "Why?" Harry asked. She bent down towards his ear. "Cause he would've jinxed your broom if I didn't stop him." She whispered. Harry went rigid. Hermione set Snape on Fire!?
"WHAT!?" Was the general consensus of the audience.
She leaned back up and waved goodbye to an awkward Ron before leaving. "Ron, what's up?" Leo asked. "She keeps following me." Ron said. "So maybe she's lonely." Leo pointed out. Harry was sure this conversation was already done.
"They did." Many pointed out.
"She waited until I woke up." Ron clarified. Leo frowned. "Oh." He said awkwardly.
"That is a bit extreme." Lily said unevenly.
"She'll probably get better at making friends, she probably needs more time." Aries said. "I hope so otherwise I'll have nightmares about this." Ron said.
Septimus frowned. He hoped Ron was joking.
They ate quickly and said their goodbyes to Velvela and Neville, who were going home.
Alice and Frank shared a cozy look, not noticing Augusta's approving smile.
Soon they were off in an empty classroom joking and messing around. Harry was sure that this was going to be the best Christmas of his life.
The potters and Blacks looked saddened. They shouldn't have to wait ten years for a decent Christmas.
Ron was teaching Harry wizard's chess. He could never beat Ron, and the twins said no one in their family has for years.
Septimus looked surprised and Moody looked thoughtful.
Soon they had to leave for curfew.
"Aw." Many booed.
When Christmas morning came around Harry was shocked out of his sleepy haze. He had presents. "C'mon Harry!" Ron said excitedly wearing a maroon colored sweater with a large R on it. "What're you wearing?" Harry asked.
"Molly's sweaters." Septimus said wisely. "By hand?" Lily asked. The Weasley patriarch nodded.
"Mum makes sweaters." Ron said before eating some Bertie & Bott's jelly beans. Harry didn't have as many presents as Ron, who got things from his parents, grandparents, and oldest brothers. "What's your family doing?" Harry asked suddenly.
"I was wondering that." Septimus admitted.
Ron ate another jelly bean. "Mum, Dad and Ginny are visiting Charlie in Romania." Ron said casually.
The Weasley head looked thoughtful. Why didn't Bill or Charlie come to visit for Christmas?
Harry got a fifty-pence piece. "That's friendly." Harry said in surprise.
Ted snorted. "That's like giving a kid a knut for Christmas." He said. Many purebloods looked offended and shocked that that was considered generous to Harry.
"Is that muggle money?" Ron asked in wonder. "You want it?" Harry asked. Ron took it.
Septimus smiled. He saw Arthur shine through his grandson there.
He got something from Ron's mum for some reason.
Many of them shrugged. She was a motherly woman.
He had an emerald sweater and a case of fudge. "Oh, no it's a Weasley sweater." Ron moaned.
Septimus chuckled.
Hagrid gave him a hand carved flute. It sounded like an owl. Hermione gave him a box of chocolate frogs.
"Those were some nice gifts." Lily said. Many frowned and disagreed, since they should have had so much more in their lives.
He had two more presents. He opened one and saw a silvery fluid material slip onto the floor. "No way!" Ron said excitedly. "That's an invisibility cloak!" Ron said.
"What?" Many asked in shock. They didn't notice the marauders' looks at Charlus.
Harry looked excitedly at the cloak. He tried it on and his body was gone! "Wow!" Harry said happily.
James looked happy and Charlus shook his head fondly
"Who gave you that?" Ron asked.
Harry looked and found a note. It was written with loopy letters and it said :
Your father left this in my possession before he died.
You it well.
"You have an invisibility cloak?" Barty asked in shock to James. James nodded. "Been in the family for generations."Charlus added. "But that's impossible, invisibility cloaks wear off after a few years." Lily said punctually. "There is a cloak that won't ever wear off." Xenophilius said in a hollow voice. Many sent shocked looks at him. He ignored them and went back to humming.
"I don't know. It just says to use it well." Harry said.
McGonagall hissed suddenly. "What is it?" Augusta asked. "The hand writing reminds me of Albus'." The cat animagus hissed angrily. Many looked shocked. "Did he steal that too?" Dorea asked scathingly.
Then he heard someone come in and he hid the invisibility cloak. The twins came in with blue sweaters with an F and G on them. "Oh, you got a sweater too." Fred said. "And at least she didn't mess your name up. We know we're called Gred and Forge." George said.
The twins managed to make some smiles and snickers appear.
Soon the twins got Percy in his sweater and frog marched him down to the Great Hall.
Septimus chuckled at his grandsons.
Harry went down there with Ron and met up with Aries and Leo. Aries had a sapphire blue sweater with a bronze A on the front and Leo had a black sweater with a golden L on the front.
Sirius and Regulus shared a confused look, before they shrugged.
"You got a sweater too?" Leo asked sleepily. "How can you be tired it's Christmas!" Ron said.
Remus sent a look at Sirius who was always extra childish on that particular holiday.
"He's been spending the past two hours lost if it wasn't for the portraits." Aries said.
"He really has a bad sense of direction." Shizuka sighed.
They went to go eat with the Weasley brothers and saw a full Christmas feast. Harry played Christmas cracker with Fred. A BANG and blue smoke came out and Harry got a rear admiral's hat and several live white mice.
Many people chuckled at that. Those were always fun to have on Christmas.
Percy had some cake and almost broke his tooth on a sickle that was in it.
Septimus frowned.
Leo did a Christmas cracker with George and got green smoke and he got several white mice and a beanie with cat ears.
Sirius barked out a booming laugh.
Aries tried and after a cloud of red smoke he got a princess veil.
Regulus tried to hide his snort at his son's misfortune.
Five minutes later they began to reenact their hats.
"Oh this should be good." Remus said. "We should do this one day." James said causing Sirius to smile widely.
"We must protect the castle!" Harry said in his best captain's voice. "Oh captain, my captain!" A tiara wearing Ron said to Harry. "Come back fair maiden!" Fred shouted as he wore a dragon shaped hat, as he was chasing Aries the runaway 'princess.' "Halt ye knave!" Percy of all people said with a jester's hat on (the twins promised to leave him alone after this). George was wearing a violet colored witch's hat and was petting his black cat Leo. "Meow!"
Everyone had a hard time breathing. They were laughing to hard.
They all busted out laughing and hurt their sides.
Sirius still had a bad case of giggles as he read this.
After dinner they all went up to Gryffindor tower. Fred and George were racing each other while carrying Aries and Leo.
Sirius didn't notice the looks being shared by James and Remus with Barty.
George and Aries won and they all went up to sleep after talking and joking around again.
Many people smiled at what a great Christmas this was turning out to be.
Soon everyone except Harry went to bed. Harry lingered to open his last present. It was a small present, and it was neatly wrapped. He opened it and saw a picture frame. It was a wedding photo.
Sirius choked briefly as he read the next line ahead.
The man looked a lot like Harry. His hair even stuck up in the back too.
James ruffled his hair with a sad look in his eye.
The bride was a tall and beautiful woman with long copper colored hair and the same vibrant green eyes as Harry.
Liliana's eyes welled up and she managed out a weak smile.
Harry felt tears prick his eyes. These were his parents.
"He finally knows what we look like." James said in a wet voice. Liliana dried her eyes with the sleeve of her dress.
There was a note included with the picture.
Many people looked curious but remained silent.
Merry Christmas Harry.
I thought you might like this for Christmas.
From,
Your Godfather
Everyone was shocked. Sirius took a brief moment before he cracked a wide grin.
Harry went rigid. Either this was a joke or Leo's dad was out of Azkaban.
"That's the end." Sirius said before closing the book and tossing it onto the table.
{Sorry that this chapter is shorter than some of my other ones. Hope you liked it!}