Roses Under Cypresses

Chapter 11

Harry narrowed his gaze as he read every single article that Freddie Lounds had written. How very like her sister she was, he wondered if he was right of it was a case of having a twin somewhere in the world. Article after article he flipped through reading with a seething countenance. She relentlessly picked on him, and given the way some articles were written…probably brought a whole world of danger down upon his head.

Harry came out of the articles, fuming mad, roughly looking through his contacts until he found the one, he wanted. Calling him, he pressed the phone against his ear.

"Stuart Macmillian, how can I help?" came the voice of the wizard sounding tinny and rough.

"You work next to the records department, don't you?" Harry asked, even though he knew the answer to that question.

"I do," Stuart confirmed, his voice sounding mighty amused, Harry knew all this.

"Can you do me a favour? Find out if Rita Skeeter had a twin sister, who I believe was adopted by the Lounds family?"

"Lounds? That was a prominent wizarding family back in the day, a bit like the Black family." Stuart said, sounding pensive. "They kept marrying their cousins, there hasn't been a wizard or witch in the Lounds family for two generations…at least none with the name, but be it a boy or girl, they'd definitely take on the Lounds name." they were rich as hell, although that was last generation…who knows what this generation has done to keep the funds replenished.

"Find out all you can about the Skeeter and Lounds family, from the moment the women were born. Seriously, they could be twins, and it wouldn't surprise me the east if they are." Harry explained, "I want a hard copy of them," meaning he wanted them personally delivered to them, and not through a mobile device.

"Then I'll need the address of the place you're staying at?" Stuart said, shuffling paperwork about before making a triumphant sound. "I'm ready when you are."

Harry gave Stuart the coordinates and the address of Wolf Trap.

"I'll have it to you by the afternoon at the earliest," Stuart said, the record rooms were by no means easily navigated, it had private information about every single wizard and witch in the magical world. Generation after generation, and not all of it was in the same place, he feared he might be pushing it by saying he'd be there that afternoon at the latest. You couldn't summon everything you wanted there. He'd need to trawl through the records and find everything he needed, take them to the record keeper, have them copied before he could even think of leaving MACUSA.

Harry glanced at Will, who was still asleep, not that it was a surprise, he suspected that Will would remain so for at least another day or two. He was probably wrong to some degree; he could only imagine how many imprints Will was purging from his system. "That's fine, I'll meet you at the edge of the property just let me know the time."

"I'll keep you updated, definitely," Stuart agreed, stretching out, glad to be getting out of his little cubical today. His work wasn't all that urgent, he had a few people that used him to get information they needed from the Ministry. It was a nice little side earner, living in New York was not bloody cheap or easy. With these side ventures he made enough to actually afford his flat, food and was able to put a bit away for his wedding. His fiancé's family was old school, so she didn't stay with him, and wouldn't until they were married. Harry always paid him very well for all the information he supplied.

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully, well aware of what he was condemning Stuart to. Dusty shelves and long hours labouring amongst scrolls. He was a Ravenclaw, but even he probably didn't want to be amongst those shelves for an extended period of time. With that Harry ended the call, he had another one to make.

Lounds had made the biggest mistake of her career going after Will. It didn't matter that she was part of a family that had more money than sense. Especially if they were still giving it to that piece of work.

Once he had that done, he scrolled through his numbers until he found another one.

"Good morning, Lord Potter, how may I help you this morning?" the sleepy voice of Blaise Zabini answered. After he left Hogwarts, he'd begun working at his uncle's company. Zabini, Zabini and Gerard. It used to be Zabini, Gerard and Crabbe before Blaise had bought him out, and like any self-respecting Slytherin, he had not wasted a moment in changing the name with pride. Gerard was quite old and didn't have an heir, and thus it became Zabini, Zabini, Gerard.

"I've got a case for you, where are you?" Harry asked, hopefully he wasn't still in Italy, but they went all over the place, the company was very well known and defended their clients with a zealot's passion.

"I just got back home last night," Blaise said, the sound of gulping reached Harry's ears, "Naturally we won." Sounding much firmer and not to forget smug.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Harry said dryly, rolling his eyes.

"So, the case?" Blaise asked, the sound of rustling followed Harry on the phone.

"Slander, liable, anything you can throw at her, she's Skeeter's double, man, it's freaky as fuck. I've got one of my contacts trying to find out if they're related. It's like looking at twins, with different colours of hair." Harry confessed.

"It wouldn't happen to be red, would it?" Blaise asked curiously.

Harry paused, genuinely surprised, "Yes, what do you know?"

"Skeeter dyes her hair, like near constantly and obsessively, but there was once where the mixture wasn't right. Merlin, she left the salon nameless in the paper, if it weren't for my mother, I think the poor woman would have lost all her clients. Anecdotes aside, she's a red head." Blaise told Harry, "Does it fit your theory?"

"Yes, actually, it fits my theory," Harry said, "I'll send you the link of her articles pertaining to Will Graham." And Blaise was actually the only person in the universe who knew the importance of that person. Blaise had professed himself concerned when he'd made his will in favour of Will Graham. Thinking perhaps he'd been given some sort of potion. In the end Harry had explained, and Blaise could not tell anyone even if he wanted to.

Even if he could, Blaise valued his life too much to dare to. Lord Harry Potter was the last person anyone should wish to antagonise. He was quite simply put, an absolute terrifying figure to be reckoned with.

He was just grateful he hadn't followed Draco and his ilk in bullying Harry, otherwise his career wouldn't be on the trajectory it was now. Having the Potter/Peverell name under his belt so young? How do you think he got his promotions and made senior partner – youngest to do so as a matter of fact – and his name put up in the firm?

"Do let me know when you get the information, unless, you want me to ask around?" Blaise suggested.

"Merlin, no, I've got someone on it," Harry said, not naming names, he wasn't daft enough to say the names of his contacts. "I'll also need to call and find out if the FBI or anyone in the BAU actually tried to get her stopped. It will be another nail in her coffin."

"Alright, send me the links and I'll let you know." Blaise said, "I'll find out if they have, so don't worry, but bye for now," With that Blaise hung up, and was quick to get dressed in time for the messages to come through, one at a time until each article that Harry wanted Blaise's attention drawn to were there.

Blaise's eyes widened as the messages just kept on coming, just how many articles were there? Bloody hell, he was going to bury Lounds and do his best to make her life a living hell. She'd chosen the wrong person to mess with.

A wry smirk appeared on his face recalling when he found out.

-0 Flashback 0-

Blaise hastily gathered everything he'd need for this evening, including a purging potion that would remove all and any substance Harry had in his body. There was definitely something going on, something they'd missed. Harry had only been out of Hogwarts a few months, and here he was…giving his fortune to this Will Graham? Someone in America? There was nothing for Granger or Weasley, admittedly they had fallen out, but they always inevitably made up.

In a flurry of movement, he was down stairs fixing his tie, before grasping a hold of his travel cloak and wrapping it around his shoulders. Giving himself a look over with a critical eye, he was meeting with a client, even if it was merely because he suspected something was wrong with him.

It just so happened they were meeting at his favourite restaurant, the Red Dragon, their food was to die for. Blaise nodded his approval at the image, before he existed his property, waiting until the wards flared up and he spun on his feet and Apparated to the Red Dragon.

Once Blaise regained his bearings he immediately began walking, all the while looking for Harry. He found him at the booth at the left-hand side of the building. Grim and determined, he stalked towards him, ignoring anyone who spoke to him.

Sliding in alongside his client, watching him closely.

"What can I get you to drink?" the waitress asked as she handed over the menu. Pad and paper at the ready, to take down their orders. Her voice mellifluous and quiet, luckily the music in the background was so low that one didn't feel the need to raise their voice to speak.

"We'll take a bottle of The Cognac a Clos de Griffier Vieux from 1788," Blaise informed her, there was no way they'd be finishing it tonight. He would be taking it home, and it would get used.

"So, what's going on?" Harry asked, staring at Blaise, giving him a knowing look, a small smirk playing across his lips. Nothing amused him more than riling everyone around him, he had a feeling he knew why Blaise was here, and he knew it was going to be an amusing night. "A 1788 bottle? This must be big."

"We need to talk about your will," Blaise said, shifting closer, but still grim.

"My will or my Will?" Harry asked wryly, sniggering at his own silly joke. He hadn't had much of a reason to be happy, so he always took every opportunity afforded to him. Even more amusing was the look of alarm on Blaise's face. He probably shouldn't be quite so critical of Blaise right now, he was worried.

"Harry!" Blaise retorted, worry shining in his dark eyes. 'Deprehedere,' non-verbally casting a detection spell, twitching a little when it amounted to nothing, 'Deprendo' his lips slowly began to press further and further as he cast yet another spell under the table. 'Promo,' with one of the strongest detection spells he had in his repertoire. It would detect even the most subtle of spells upon Harry's person.

"You finished?" Harry asked staring at Blaise with an arched brow, clearly amused and very much aware of what he was doing.

"What?" Blaise asked, staring at Harry as if nothing had just occurred. 'Dispicio!' using the last one he could to find out if it was a light spell eluding his grasp. Nothing, what the hell was going on then? If Harry wasn't under any influences? Then again, just because he wasn't under magical ones, doesn't mean he wasn't under something else. "What do you mean?" playing ignorant.

Harry gave him a look, before raising his right hand out and showing off his two Lordship rings.

Blaise almost swooned with relief just seeing them, it meant he was safe from outside influence. He hadn't realized he'd taken to wearing his Lordship rings, they were rather old fashioned, and he didn't expect a half-blood to care much for tradition. Yet here he was, with two Lordship rings adorned his fingers. Both the Potter and the Black rings, co-joined they looked a sight, half rubies from the Potter and black diamonds from the Blacks. The two rings had merged together, and would do so as long as Harry remained heir. "Who is Will Graham?" he asked cautious, "And why the hell are you giving him the entirety of your estates?

"Here you are, have you decided on what you'd like to eat?" they were interrupted.

Both Blaise and Harry gave their orders, and their menu's back.

"Silencio!" Harry cast a spell to silence the area, since nobody could see their mouths to read their lips, he didn't bother with the Muffliato.

Blaise barely blinked, it wasn't a state of 'this is serious then' since Harry always used silencing spells. He had to, in order to be able to do anything without it being splashed across the newspapers. As good as the Red Dragon was at keeping people out, they could no nothing about their other patrons. Not that journalists would publish anything. He'd sued the Daily Prophet that badly they'd gone bust a few weeks later. So, every single platform knows better than to mess with Harry and him as the lawyer.

"He's my brother," Harry informed Blaise sipping the Cognac, mmm smoother than he thought it would be.

Blaise laughed, it tapered off quickly, "What are you talking about?"

"He's my older brother technically," Harry explained.

"Your parents had a child out of wedlock? People do that now they don't give their kids away…unless, he was a squib? Normally Muggle-borns don't care for that…" Blaise said, "And what do you mean technically?"

"I mean Will was born first…I'm Lily Evan's second child, but technically I'm older than him." he went on to explain.

"What the hell…" Blaise muttered perplexed. "What are you talking about? You really need to start making sense." Brows furrowed, as he threw back his second drink, already grasping the bottle and pouring himself another generous allowance.

Harry inhaled sharply, drinking his own second glass. "Nobody knows this, but my mother disappeared for what was three years for her, but in this time, she was gone for maybe half an hour."

Blaise stared in stunned shock, giving a nod to say he understood to a certain extent and for Harry to continue.

"It all started with Sirius as usual, he gave my mum a joke gift, that was supposed to 'lead her to her soul mate'." Harry said amusingly.

Blaise winced, that had to be a kick in the teeth right there.

"She ended up in 1981, in America, New Orleans," Harry said.

"But she was…" Blaise paused knowing better than to mention his parents.

"Dead? Yeah, she knew, she knew she wasn't going to survive to raise either of her children that she ended up having." Harry said bitterly, it turned his stomach really. "She had to make a choice, and she made it. She knew that her death would end the war."

Blaise swallowed thickly, bloody hell, what do you say to something like this? "She went on to marry and have a kid with her soul mate?"

"They weren't married, they were engaged though, and very much in love," Harry said, rubbing his hands over his face. "It devastated her when she was propelled back to her own time. She didn't even get a chance to explain to him, or say goodbye to her son." Blinking tears away, her journals were heart-breaking. She was devasted right to the bone at leaving Will behind.

"And in her time, he didn't exist yet, until after she was dead." Blaise finished it, feeling sorry for Lily Potter for the first time since he'd heard her name.

"She had to make a choice, ending Voldemort forever – and never knowing either of her sons – or walking away knowing what she was condemning the world to. With the information she had, that's the path she chose." Harry said quietly. "I wouldn't have known anything if I hadn't found her journals in the vault, either she put them there before they went under the spell or they were put there afterwards…" scratching his jaw awkwardly.

"I am sorry," Blaise said subdued.

"Don't be, it is what it is, he's amazing Blaise, you're the only one in the world that knows. I need you to take a secrecy oath. I need to keep him safe; can you imagine what they'd do to him just because he was related to me? To Lily Evans?" Harry said darkly, "It's why I'm back, I'm going to hunt down the rest of the Death Eaters…make it safe for him." grim and determination waved from Harry.

Blaise blanched, "Yeah, yeah I'll sign it," oh, he knew exactly what the Death Eaters would do. It didn't paint a pretty picture that was for certain. He was probably doing the right thing in staying away. No doubt there were dozens of Death Eaters waiting and watching, for anything they could use.

"Thank you," Harry sighed, licking his lips, he might have to buy himself a bottle of cognac although not the price Blaise had just dropped on one. He was absolutely crazy, fifty grand for a bottle of booze, ha! No way. "You know they say I look like my father, but I now believe that's not true, I must resemble someone very closely in the Evans family. Will as well, as a matter of fact, although he does resemble his father too."

Merlin, just getting a chance to talk to him…felt so good. He didn't consider Will a dirty little secret to be kept from polite society. He'd rather have his brother in his life than the whole of the magical world society, even if he was the last wizard in the world. He sorts of wished his mum had chosen to run, to take him and run meet up with her lover and explain everything. Yet, he didn't dare tell anyone about him, despite wanting to holler it from the rooftops.

Hell, Will hadn't told anyone either, he was not a people person. They were alike in more ways than he could have imagined when he read that diary.

Blaise drunk another glass down, "Why did she stay?" he asked, perplexed.

Harry huffed a little in amusement, "She was married to my father, quite literally by only hours, Sirius' gift was a wedding present. She liked my father but she didn't love him, not the way she loved Bill Graham." He confessed, removing two photos from his pocket and handing them over an air of wistfulness.

Blaise looked at them, one still, a Muggle photo, of who he presumed was Bill Graham, Lily Evans and a baby. The second picture was a wizarding picture, one of Harry and this Will, both slender that was deceptive. Both of them grinning, you wouldn't think that Harry had been burdened for years with a war on his shoulders and lost his two best friends after they betrayed their friendship with Harry by siding with the masses.

"You do look alike," Blaise agreed, similar build, slenderness, similar height, similar weight, actually on the thin side. Their hair was slightly wavy, Will a little more curly than wavy, both wore glasses and dressed atrociously too. He detested the Muggle fashion, if that was what it was. "You're really just going to hunt down the Death Eaters?" perplexed as to why he wasn't just staying in America hidden.

"It has to be done," Harry said pouring himself a more than generous drink yet again, "I'll need that oath now." He pointed out before gulping down another…he wasn't sure how many he'd had now.

The oath was spoken, and the men ended up drinking nearly the entire bottle, eating more than their fair share of food to absorb the drink. They were eventually thrown out – kindly due to who they were – and they did make sure the both got somewhere to spend the night which happened to be the Leaky Cauldron.

-0 End Flashback 0-

As Blaise Zabini went through the articles, he gaped in disbelief, but began to compile them for evidence. Wondering at this Lounds woman's sanity, he was going to enjoy taking her down though. Not that it would be difficult.

Hmm, the name Lounds rung a bell, had someone in the firm mentioned them? Or was there another particular reason for the name to ping on his radar?

A/n – Yep, I made the restaurant the 'Red Dragon' in a nod to Hannibal, Harris and that particular world 😉 I wanted some way to explain Harry and Will's relationship of course, and that's when it hit me that I could use Blaise 😊 I did contemplate having it be Will and Harry's first meeting but it wouldn't just be a single flash back, but a series of flashbacks. And you know how I hate those lol 😊 so yeah, I'm really pleased with the outcome and you got to learn more about Will and Harry's past 😉 fun times! What did you think? It took me ages to figure out the ages and everything OMG but I'm pleased with the outcome! 😊 R&R please guys!