Sorry for the wait, I'm writing this from a new computer! My computer fell right onto its charging port that was currently in use. Needless to say, it no longer held a charge xD Now hopefully nothing happens for at least another year *fingers crossed and gives my car a side eye* (:
I hope y'all enjoy this update!
This last week Harry had been taking full advantage of the resources that this townhouse held. While it had been abandoned for quite some time, Mille had ensured that everything had been kept up perfectly.
It seemed likely that she had taken to cleaning to gain relief from dying of boredom. Which, completely understandable. If he had been stuck in the Dursley's home alone for over 10 years with no one else ever entering the house, he's sure he would be less sane than Millie seemed to be. Whether it was a mental fortuity special to house elves or Millie just being different, he was thankful for whichever reason it might have been. Even after a few months alone on the streets he'd had a hard time, and he wasn't even stuck in a house.
He had not been able to relax fully until he had received word from Sirius that Dumbledore did not suspect that they had left the headquarters. If he had noticed, Harry would have been back at square one without a safe place to stay. After hearing from Sirius exploring the house had been one of his favorite pastimes. There was so much hidden away.
He couldn't help but wonder why his family hadn't been here when hiding from Voldemort, but it was also for the best. If this house had been destroyed, it would have been a tragedy. So much knowledge and history would have been lost if its location had become public knowledge with no protection. Perhaps he was a little callous thinking about it that way. Ah well.
He wondered distantly if his turning had deadened his emotions a little.
Specifically ignoring that there might be another reason for his apathy.
One of Harry's favorite places in the townhouse was the library. This was one room that made the Wixen ability to make the inside of buildings bigger than the outside extremely evident. While the outside of the house looked average for the London area, that being beautiful but also a bit cramped, the inside was gorgeous and open. While the inside of the townhouses surrounding this one might have enough space for perhaps several bookshelves if you dedicated a room to it, the Potter townhouse's library was enormous.
It wasn't especially well lit with just a window and several lamps, but it had a comfortable ambiance. The drapes on the window were a deep red, and the armchairs in front of it were a warm grey. It was the perfect nook for reading, and he was going to take full advantage of it.
In school he had attempted to remain average. His unwanted fame brought enough attention.
All that would matter after Hogwarts were his test scores, no employer would care if he botched his potions in class if he got Os on his OWLs and NEWTs.
He was constantly surprised that his professors did not call him out on it, as his excellent scores in defence should have raised red flags for the less-than-ideal scores in his other classes. Defence was a product of charms, transfiguration, and even potions if you get creative. If one is good at defence, they should, reasonably, then be proficient in the other classes.
By merely being average in all of his classes other than defence, it should have raised the brow of a professor that paid attention.
He did not know if it was lucky or unfortunate that no one had said a word to him about his performance save for disappointed scolding.
"Your mother had true talent in charms, give it another try Mr. Potter."
"Your father was a prodigy in transfigurations, it's a pity."
If he didn't know that he was fully capable of casting the spells assigned, their side comments might actually given him a complex.
Now, alone in his family's home, he didn't have to think about what those he attended Hogwarts with would say. He could be himself without others raising the pedestal even higher.
Granted if they knew what he was now, that pedestal would be crushed quicker than he could blink. It was an eventuality, but he wanted his plans to develop significantly further before that happened.
Connecting with Sirius and finding this home were good first steps, but there was still a long way to go before he could feel halfway settled.
The last time he had ventured into Diagon Alley he had been unable to find as detailed a book as he would like on vampires. Even books found in Knockturn had depicted them in a very unflattering light.
Monsters. Dangerous. Dark. Cruel. Should be killed on sight (laws be damned).
He could not argue the majority of those views, as he knew exactly how he got when he was hungry. However, those views would take up the entire book. Authors apparently considered vampires of little value to society, and thus unworthy of consideration.
Harry knew there were talents he possessed now that he had not before. There were upsides to having been turned.
However, none of the books he found gave him any insight as to what these new abilities may be.
If he wanted to kill himself, he now knew of several books dedicated to the topic.
That sardonic thought was definitely not one he would be sharing with his godfathers, he didn't think they would enjoy the humour as much.
With the Potters known as being a Light family, he was not sure initially what he would find in the library.
However, after scouring the shelves from top to bottom and figuring out the sorting system, he was pleasantly surprised.
The library had books in almost all categories, and they did not discriminate. It was remarkable considering the reputation that the Potters had in society.
What really sold him on the library were the books hidden behind a ward. He knew that it existed as he had scanned the room for spells, and after trying to have Millie deactivate it, she had informed him that the ability to view those books belonged solely to the current Lord or Lady Potter. Even if he had found this house before accepting his lordship ring, he would not have been able to access this portion of the library.
The wards were likely intended to keep out children, though Harry doubted that the creators of the wards had anticipated that one day the only person alive to unlock the wards would be someone that never saw their fifth year.
He would have to change the wards to make their ability to be accessed more flexible, otherwise these books could be locked away forever.
The room behind those wards was filled from floor to ceiling with tomes. There were a few that he had a feeling would be dangerous if touched and left those well alone, though there were quite a few that were simply fascinating.
The majority of these books would be confiscated and destroyed immediately if the ministry knew they existed, but they held some of the answers he had been looking for.
Though there were not any books that explained the abilities he had gained since being turned, there were books about old customs that he had never heard of before.
Presumably, these books would have played a much more significant role in the lives of this family years ago, as the book was obviously well-loved. That the book was in this room and Harry had not heard of these traditions spoke a lot of the situation.
The book was published in the early 1930s, and the idea that the family felt the need to hide it away only made him more curious. Yule, Ostara, Litha, and Beltane were written about in detail. One section of the book that Harry found particularly interesting was Samhain, or Halloween as he had known it. Before Hogwarts he had not thought much of it, as the Dursley's would not let him participate anyway. After he had come to Hogwarts, it was expected that he would participate in the festivities. Which was a little disturbing as that was the night that his parents had died.
Reading the chapters dedicated to Samhain, he reconsidered his resentment of the day.
The book listed rituals that allowed Wixen to connect to those who have passed, whether it be those they had known in life, or their ancestors.
The rituals could be conducted alone, but there also were instructions on how to conduct the rituals with a group.
Harry did not know if he would ever be able to conduct that particular ritual with anyone else, but it sounded like an amazing experience.
With it being the 16th of December, his eyes were also drawn to the section about Yule.
With the winter solstice being on the 22nd, Yule was quickly approaching.
So far it seemed like Sirius would support his decisions, he hadn't lied when he had said he would. However this seemed like an excellent way to test his conviction. Celebrating the solstices and equinoxes was mild compared to a lot of books in this room, the ones on Blood Magic drawing his eye.
If Sirius was agreeable to these rituals, perhaps he would even answer why it might be that the books were in this room. It almost certainly was a cultural shift, though who initiated it was the question.
Harry had a good idea who might have initiated the shift, but assuming doesn't help anyone.
He brought the book of rituals with him, as well as the one on Blood Magic that had caught his eye. While a book titled Introduction to Blood Magic might have caused him to turn the other way a year ago, Harry liked to think he had become more open-minded in the last few months.
Whether that was a good thing was debatable, but he didn't fight these aspects of it as much anymore.
Walking over to the armchairs by the window, he put the blood magic tome on the end table as he settled onto the chair, sitting sideways with his feet hanging off the side. It was soft, and he had already fallen asleep reading in it more than once.
He had hoped becoming a vampire would come with a side benefit of never having to sleep, and although he had to sleep less, he still dozed often.
He wasn't going to think about how there might be other reasons for his fatigue. Nope, not thinking about it.
He would send a letter through Millie to Sirius to ask about the book on traditions, the Order spent too much time in the headquarters for him to visit so far. The last time Sirius had written him, he had been vaguely mentioned that he likely would be able to visit soon.
After almost an hour of reading further about these holidays, compiling a list of questions as he went, he found himself once again relaxing fully into the chair, the book slowly falling onto his chest.
- S.O.A.R. -
As Severus walked down the street toward Number 12 Grimmauld Place, he mentally prepared himself for the upcoming meeting.
Running his fingers along the cuff in his pocket that his Lord had given him, he knew that whichever direction the meeting went, it was bound to be interesting.
Before the last meeting, he did not have much interest in learning how Black and Lupin interacted with Albus. However, seeing Black stand up for himself and for Potter, it made their dynamic a lot more interesting.
With Sirius potentially starting to separate from the Headmaster combined with his connection to Potter, the war could go in a different direction than they had initially thought.
Striding up the steps, he steeled himself before turning the knob.
With a cursory glance around after stepping in, he noted that he was the first to arrive, which was surprising.
Black and Lupin were sitting at the table that the Order usually gathered around, both drinking coffee. Though Sirius' was much lighter than Lupin's.
They looked up as he walked in quietly. He raised a brow, looking around, asking without words where everyone else was, as he wasn't exactly early. He has never attempted to be the first in attendance.
Sirius just looked tired.
"Snape, could you please pull up a chair? I have some questions, and I have a feeling you are the only one who will give us straight answers."
Thank you for reading! Hearing your thoughts give me life 3 Where do y'all see this story going? The tags give hints, but don't give away the why or how ;) I hope you all are enjoying the journey!
I just keep giving Harry more means to repress and ignore his emotions.. oops :)