Changeling Child
Abby Ebon
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Vixen Uchiha's prompt: A Dresden Files crossover with Harry Potter
Harry Dresden is given Harry Potter to raise by one of the fae Queens because
James or Lily was their so many great grandchild. The Queens deal with riddles
soul piece and mess with Dumbledores plan for the greater good.
(Harry?) goes to school under name of Dresden
Slytheren is Lord of Black Court and is the oh so many grandfather of Hp on Lily's side.
High council has been watching Dumbledore for sometime but due to truce they can due nothing without proof. Never never cat is brought over and Mister/Bob make kitten
for HP to take to school. Think Pixle the cat.
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"Ah, Leanansidhe…take this babe, and give him unto your godchild." The Winter Queen Mab speaks to her handmaiden, said babe sleeping in her arms. Leanansidhe sees his scar and knows him for mortal, and one of the precious few of that race that shares blood with the fairy Queen and her sister Queen and their Mother Winter and Mother Summer.
Millennia ago it was that the Mothers had last lain down with mortal men, their being no fae men who could spark life within the womb of their more powerful women. Leanansidhe knew she looked upon possibly the last born child of such union.
The Winter Queen held her mortal brother, and waited with the enduring calm of her nature. Leanansidhe bowed before her, Mab who was Titania's sister and the famed mortal Arthur's elder daughter. Such men were rare, and the Queens and Mothers kept them close, Leanansidhe knew Kringle the Merlin to be one, and Arthur the Lord Hearne, another. The third was Lord Salazar Slytherin of the Black Court. One day Leanansidhe hoped her godchild might be a fourth.
"Thy will be done." Leanansidhe bowed to Mab and the babe her brother in her arms. She took the babe when Mab offered him, tucking him safely within the other fae's arms. Mab kissed Leanansidhe's cheeks in blessing, and Leanansidhe goes to the home of her godson and gives him a gift, laying the babe upon the couch where the cat called Mister sits with a flicking tale.
He watches both with a certain carelessness that marks him as one of Cat Sith's offspring. Or, given his grey coloring, Leanansidhe thinks him more likely to be lady Greymalkin's get. He does not speak, and she does not know if it is because he can not or because he was cursed with muteness. Likely, only the spirit Bob would know.
He looks at her and the babe as if asking for an explanation. Leanansidhe offers her hand to Mister, and addresses him as if he can heed her like any of Sith's malk kin can.
"Mister Toldrum, oh King of all Cats, take heed of the babe, I put him in the keeping of this household for he is High Court kin but mortal, and a wizard. It is better this way." Mister sniffs her fingers, sneezing as if in grudging acceptance and Leanansidhe smiles as she stands.
"Give my godson my best." Well she knows that Harry Dresden does not desire to see her in his own home.
"Oh, and the babies name is Harry James Potter. Isn't that charming, them having the same first name like that? Just like Mother Winter and Mother Summer!" Leanansidhe winks at the malk who settles against the babe's side protectively, a warm weight to reassure the boy.
Fondly, as if exasperated at his own sudden acceptance of the babe, and wondering what Harry's namesake will make of him – Mister licks the child's eyes and ears and nose, so he will always know the fae, be they friend of foe.
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"Mister….?" Mister wakes to find Harry Dresden hovering over him – no, over them – with wide eyes and a horrified expression.
"Mister, I know you bring home rats and mice and birds and things best not mentioned in polite company, but babies? Bob, please tell me what he's thinking! I can't have my cat kidnapping babies!" All children are precious to the fae, but most especially their own. So Mister forgives himself for finding the panic of a wizard who he has adopted and whose barely grown into his own power finding he's gotten offspring overnight most amusing.
The baby, however, does not find it funny at all, and howls his annoyance for the whole world to hear. Mister pins his ears back and grits his teeth, staring wide eyed at the infant who has to have the healthiest set of lungs this side of Never Never. If he'd had more than a stub for a tail he'd tuck and run.
Mister looks to Harry Dresden, and that look says clear as the new dawned day, do something dolt! Harry cringes even as he reaches for the infant of his own species and holds him aloft, sort of holding him at bay and wondering what to do now.
Mister has never been so glad to hear the phone ring. Harry shuffles awkwardly toward it, looking panicked for a moment on how to hold the baby or if to put down the baby and pick up the phone would be best, in the end he sort of tucks the baby against his chest, pinning with chin and arm, and grabs for the phone.
"Murphy? Oh, Murphy, thank god you called – my cat kidnapped a baby! Help me?"
Mister can only take so much, and now knowing that Harry will get help to handle all this he bolts for the open window making an escape. He knows he'll come back when things are…quieter.
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"I don't understand." Harry Dresden says to Murphy, who pinches the bridge of her nose and tries hard not to sigh. She can only explain this so many times before she might hit him. It's a mess she can't fix for him. Unless Harry gives up all rights, he's stuck in this.
"Legally, you – Harry Dresden, are the baby – Harry Potter's guardian. He was named after you by his parents, Lily and James Potter. It's all there in the paperwork, signed and sealed and in black ink, all the i's dotted and t's crossed. They died last night, somewhere in Britain, and he shows up here this morning, all yours. Enjoy being a daddy. Don't ask me how it was done; I'm sure you have a better idea." Murphy knows that it will probably be more trouble than its worth to start asking questions and expecting logical answers from any system of law. Let alone of adoption.
"Great, well, isn't there anyone else?" Harry asks softly with a bit of regret, looking down at the baby he's now learnt in one day to properly hold, who watches him with wide green eyes. There is something eerie about that look, as if he understands all he's seeing. Dresden is quite sure this baby isn't merely human anything.
"No, Dresden, there isn't and if you give him up and expect me to help you sort that paperwork out, I swear I'll never call you about a case again - ever." Harry's had to rely on paychecks from that work for food and bills all too often to not take her words seriously.
"Okay, okay - I'll keep him." Harry doesn't want to admit it, but he's sort of grown fond of the little guy. Just a smidge.
It probably has to do with his name, Harry - it is a wonderful name.
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"Harry James Dresden, don't you dare do that!" Said little boy looks up wide eyed from where he'd been playing with Molly, Michael's eldest girl. She's the only one of her siblings bold enough to play with the ten –almost eleven year old – wizards. She's fourteen, the elder Harry Dresden thinks, though with the Carpenter's having seven children, it's hard to add the ages up right.
"But, she's…" Harry's green eyes glance to the girl, who had been studying what the elder Harry had thought were pictures, but they aren't – they are pentagrams and such signs and symbols as only those who know magic should know. She tries to pick up the papers, but Harry's not fooled and takes them from her, trying to get them all not sure if he has when he's got a handful of them and lights them on fire with a muttered word.
"We are going. Now!" Harry ducks his head and keeps his eyes on the floor, ashamed of being told off in front of everyone, flushing with either anger or embarrassment.
"I'm sure he meant no harm, Harry." Charity doesn't like the elder wizard, but has a clear enough soft spot for the younger of the same name.
"I'm sure you're right." Harry doesn't sound as if he believes what he says and it makes the boy at his side cringe.
"Sorry, Mrs. Carpenter. Molly…" The green eyed boy tries, but Harry has no patience for it today, maybe it's because he's afraid his friends will think he's not raising the boy he thinks of son right if he's showing magic to anyone his own age – or he fears what's coming. In the kitchen, under a cupboard in a cauldron is a letter for the young Harry Potter (and Harry James doesn't use that name, Potter, it's been Dresden since he first learned to write his letters) and it talks of a school of magic, Hogwarts. He takes the boy out of the Carpenter's home, like he wants to take away the possibility of Harry leaving him to go to Hogwarts.
It would probably be safer, what with all the trouble that finds the only wizard listed in the yellow pages of Chicago – possibly, but he doesn't want it to happen, and doesn't like to think about telling the boy.
He has to though, he knows it.
"Dad, why…why did you do that? Molly knows we're wizards, I…." Harry's green eyes search his father's face and flick away, like Mister might if he sees a shadow move or light flick. He doesn't go wild and chase after such sights – and a good thing too for the little fae and brownies sakes.
"You can lose friends like that, showing off, showing them something they can never really have." It hurts to say, but it's true and it's happened to the older Harry before. He's lost friends doing what he does, and while he likes to think that they weren't really good friends in the beginning if they left him so willingly at the end and that he's better off now without them – it wasn't always the truth, and he knew it.
"Sorry, I just…just was trying to help her understand, I guess." They both tuck themselves into the Blue Beetle, there is a long quiet between them during the drive to their apartment.
"I…It's not just what you did, it's this birthday you have coming up." July 31 was circled in red ink on the calendar in the elder Harry Dresden's bedroom. Curious green eyes study the only man he's ever called dad, for all that he knows they aren't blood related. It's never mattered to either of them so much as now.
"There's this school your parents went to, Hogwarts…it's got this old wizard Dumbledore running it. The Council's been looking into him, and so far they say there isn't anything really wrong with what he's doing. They've had magical schools over there for ages. It's just not as common over here." Harry tightens his grip on the steering wheel as he speaks, trying to sound calm. He's supposed to encourage this tradition, because he doesn't think he can live with himself if his boy gets this chance and passes it up to please him, he'd learn more about magic – and his parents, by going. It'd just be for the school year. He'd be back in the summer and for holidays. For wizards, travel is easy.
"You…you want me to go?" His boy asks, soft and unsure.
"If, if you want to. You don't have to if you don't want to, but…but it'd be good for you, when I was your age I never even knew about a school, let alone one full of people like me." Harry regrets that he never got that chance, even if he turned out sort of okay for it. His boy, his son, nods silently, as if Harry's made his choice for him, and it isn't like that and Harry doesn't want him to think like that.
"You're not being banished; you'll be back every summer and all the holidays." Harry nudges at him playfully, smiling with all the warmth he can muster for the sake of his son. The younger Harry can't help but smile back. It makes his dad sure he's doing the right thing in letting him go if he wants it.
"Mister's even went and spawned for the big event, Bob says. A girl kitten all grey and small as he was when I first found him – and we know how big that runt got, and another I think might be a fae malk from Cat Sith, a white starburst breasted boy with a black coat. Leanansidhe says you are to name them, in honor of their becoming your companions." Harry isn't really surprised when his son, in the way of young boys still growing into their teens will, spontaneously hugs his side, clutching at him as if to squeeze the life out of him. Harry laughs, soft and soothing, holding him back reassuringly, rubbing his back so he knows he's not alone in the turbulent emotions he has.
"Blackstone and Copperfield..."His son blurts out against his shirt, muffled as if he doesn't really want the elder Harry to does though, and he silently thanks Mister for the kittens to companion and champion his son, their naming becoming in a way his son's gift to him.
Harry Dresden, later that night, watches his son write his acceptance letter of Hogwart's invitation, signing it Harry James Dresden without any hesitation.
He's wondering, not if Harry James Dresden is ready for Hogwarts – but if Hogwarts is ready for him.