The Young Ones
Chapter 14: Talks of Changes
Harry woke to the warmth of small bodies pressed gently against his sides, and small arms resting lightly over his torso. He smiled, opening his eyes to find his little ones resting besides him, the youngest three sleeping peacefully, and Salazar wide awake, looking at Harry with concern in his eyes. Though he smiled when he saw that Harry had woken up.
"Mum, are you okay?" he asked softly.
"Yeah. I will be, anyway. Are you okay, Sal?" Harry said, just as softly as he carefully moved his slightly sore arms so he was holding his babies close to him.
"Yeah, just worried about you," Salazar said.
"I'm sorry for making you worry about me,"
"We always worry about you, mum. Especially after… everything. But… You and nana have both been so hurt that it is hard not to worry about you both. I know dad has been hurt, too, but he seems to know how to handle it. You and nana, you're both so strong, and brave, and amazing, but there are moments where everything seems to be too much for you both still and you just, you are sad, I guess," he shrugged.
Harry swallowed thickly, "I'm sorry,"
"You have nothing to be sorry for, mum. None of it is your fault. We just worry, and that is okay," Salazar said, kissing what he could reach of Harry's arm gently, and Harry smiled at him.
"Sal, I was… I was wondering if you could help me with something," Harry asked.
"Of course, anything," Salazar nodded.
"I-I would like to know what my name is in your time. Is it actually what you said it was when you arrived? Or is it different? And do I look different? Do you know if I have a glamour on, or was I blood adopted, or..?" Harry asked, almost desperately.
Salazar smiled at him, "Your name is Lord Harry Regulus James Prince-Black-Potter-Peverell-Riddle. And, you do look different, yes. You have a blood glamour on you. Because of how long it has been on you it can't be completely removed without an incredibly painful ritual which you weren't able to go through at the time because you weren't fully healed. So you had it removed as much as possible and looked like a mix of nana, papi, James and Lily. But if nana can fully heal you, or make you healthy enough to be able to withstand it, before your seventeenth birthday then you can have it fully removed via the ritual. Then, when we are born in your timeline, we will look how we were supposed to look, rather than how we look now, which is you, dad, and all six of our grandparents. But you will still be able to talk to Lily and James if you want to, because you can talk to anyone you want to talk to," Salazar said.
Harry nodded, "Right. Okay, thank you. If I have it removed, though, will I not be a necromancer?"
"You will still be a necromancer, because to be a necromancer isn't determined by blood, but by how many times you have survived death," Salazar said and Harry looked at him in shock.
"What?"
"In order to be a necromancer, you have to… die, then come back, seven times, before your seventeenth birthday," Salazar said sadly, "That is why it is so rare, and why one hasn't been known of in ages. Because not many people die that much before their seventeenth birthday. And that part of it is only known by people who become necromancers, and their families,"
"So, I-I've died… seven times," Harry said, still very much in shock.
"I don't know, mum. You didn't tell me when you died, but apparently you find out when you get your inheritance, all the times you have died,"
"Wouldn't mum have picked up on it when he scanned me, though?" Harry said.
"I don't know. Maybe it doesn't register if you come back to life," Salazar shrugged, pain in his eyes.
"Right. Sorry, I just… I didn't know that was what happened,"
"I know. No one does. But I think maybe people wouldn't fear necromancers if they knew the truth about them. If they knew that you would only become one if you die and come back to life seven times before your seventeenth birthday. Maybe it would make people kinder, too," Salazar said.
"Maybe, yeah," Harry said, smiling at his son.
"Mummy, you awake?" Orion said tiredly from his right side, where he was cuddled between Aurora and Harry himself.
"Yeah, baby, I'm awake. You okay?" Harry said gently.
"Yeah. You feeling better?" he said, looking up at Harry with worried eyes.
"I am, yeah. Loads better now that I have my babies in my arms again," Harry said, beaming at the five year old.
"Then we shall never leave your arms again, mummy, so you can always feel good," Orion said happily.
"That sounds perfect," Harry said, kissing Orion's hair gently and tugging his babies closer to him.
There was a gentle knock on the door and Harry called for the person to enter, smiling slightly when he saw his mum and Tom there.
"Good, you're awake," his mum said, a small smile on his face, "How are you feeling?"
"A little sore, but otherwise okay, thank you," Harry said.
The girls started to stir awake and Harry smiled as the two of them beamed at him.
"Mummy, you awake!" Lyra squealed happily as she launched herself completely onto his chest.
"Yes, baby, I'm awake," Harry said.
"Now kids, why don't we go and get ready for breakfast whilst your nana makes sure mummy is okay," Tom said gently.
The kids nodded and 'yeah'd in agreement before rushing out of the room with Tom following behind them and closing the door gently.
Harry sat up and rested his back against the headboard as his mum sat next to him on the bed, much like he did on their first day there.
"Are you sure you're okay?" his mum asked worriedly.
"Yeah, mum, just a little sore," Harry said, smiling sadly at the man.
"Would you like a pain reliever?"
Harry nodded and sighed gratefully as he swallowed the potion and felt the slight stiffness and mild pain begin to dissipate.
"I, erm, I wanted to speak to you, actually. About a few things," Harry said nervously, unsure where to begin.
"You can speak to me about anything, Harry," his mum said softly, holding Harry's hand in his and squeezing reassuringly.
"I… Okay, erm, would you like the bad stuff first, or the good stuff?" Harry said.
His mum raised a dark eyebrow at him, "Harry, have you and Tom-?"
"No, of course not," Harry said quickly, "When have we had the time? And I'm not… I'm not ready for anything yet. I want to get to know him, and you, properly first, remember?"
His mum nodded, no less concerned, "Then what could possibly be bad?"
"Well, I… Salazar told me what it takes to become a necromancer, and why it is so rare, and hasn't happened in so long," Harry fidgeted slightly, "I was… I was wondering if, when you scanned me when we first arrived, if my scan said anything about me dying on it?"
Pain like no other filled his mum's eyes and Harry hated himself for asking, but he needed to know. He needed to know if he had already died seven times. No matter how much the thought of it hurt.
"N-no. Why-why would it say anything about you dying?" his mum said, both desperate and dreading.
"Well, according to Salazar… It is only known to necromancers and their families, but apparently in order to become a necromancer, it isn't because of your blood, but it is… In order to become a necromancer, you have to die, and come back to life, seven times, before your seventeenth birthday," he whispered, not looking at his mum, but his heart constricted when he heard the hitch in the man's throat.
"Seven times," his mum whispered painfully.
"I… I can't think of seven times where I might have died, except maybe that first time Tom tried to kill me. But then, I don't remember everything from my childhood, and… I mean, maybe the other times Tom and I have fought? But I don't know. Apparently you find out when you go through your inheritance,"
His mum engulfed him in a hug and he sank into the embrace, almost as desperate as his mum was for some kind of comfort.
"You aren't dying again, you hear me. Whether or not you have already died seven times, you aren't dying again. Not for a good couple of hundred years. Even if it means you don't become a necromancer… You aren't dying again," the man's voice hitched many times throughout his words, and Harry thought he could feel tears dropping onto his hair, but he didn't mind. And he didn't mention it. He understood.
"I'll try not to," Harry whispered.
After a few minutes of silence Harry decided to change the subject, "It turns out there is a blood glamour on me. Apparently, in the original timeline, we weren't able to fully remove it because I wasn't fully healed, or healed enough for the ritual to undo it completely. So I look like a mix of all four of you. But if you can heal me before my seventeenth birthday, enough that I will be able to handle it, then we can remove it, and I can look how I was meant to look. Like you and dad. And the kids will look how they were meant to also, without bits of Lily and James in them,
"Maybe that change will help us, with saving Reggie? Something small that doesn't really matter in the long run, but is still a change. I was also thinking of changing my name. Properly. Apparently my actual name in the future is Lord Harry Regulus James Prince-Black-Potter-Riddle. But I am thinking, if we get rid of the Potter, and really just completely change my name, then that would also be a good change to make, hopefully. Something small, that doesn't really matter, but is still a change,
"I mean, I still love Lily and James. It's hard not to when they died for me, and I have spent most of my life thinking they were my parents. But I… I want to make changes, any change I can, to save Reggie. Hopefully. I can't lose him, or any of them. And I am really hoping that it won't make everything worse. But I want to have a name that you and dad wanted me to have. Maybe. I don't know what name you were going to give me, but… I don't know. I want to be me, the actual, real me. Not the person I have been forced to pretend to be my whole life," Harry said gently.
"The ritual to remove a blood glamour completely is incredibly painful, Harry," his mum said softly, resting his forehead on Harry's hair.
"I know, Salazar told me. But I think I am rather used to pain at this point," he chuckled darkly, "And I want to do it. If I can. I want to look like my parents. The ones who loved me from the moment they knew about me, not the ones I was forced to have, no matter how much I love those ones, too. I want to be me,"
"I… I don't know if I will be able to handle seeing you in that much pain," his mum said, "But if-if you want to do it, and we are able to get you healthy enough before your seventeenth birthday, then I will be at your side the whole time,"
"Thank you," Harry said, "So, erm, the name thing. Do you mind? What were you going to name me?"
"I-I don't mind at all," his mum chuckled darkly, "I would be honoured if you want to change your name. We had a list of names we liked, but we had settled on Xander Leo Snape-Black, I wanted our family name to be Black-Snape because he was more important in society and that is how it usually works, but he didn't like it, he wanted me to be first, for some reason. Or, if you don't like it, I can give you the other names we liked and you can pick and choose your own name,"
"What does Xander mean?"
"It is a Greek name, short for Alexander, and it means defender of humankind," his mum sighed, "Perhaps that was the wrong name for us to settle on, no matter how true it turned out to be. Just in completely the wrong way," his mum held him a little closer.
"Hm, definitely the wrong way," Harry muttered into his mother's strong chest.
"Would you like to know the other names we liked? Or do you want to go with Xander?" his mum asked, almost nervously.
"I… Can I know what other names you liked? Just so I can make an informed choice, I guess. I mean, Xander is nice, and I might pick it, but I really just… I mean I want to help people, but it has been pushed on me since the moment I was taken from you to be something I never really wanted to be, and I don't really want a name that reminds me of that, I think,"
"Okay, I think I still have the list somewhere, I will try and dig it out for you,"
"Thank you," Harry said.
His mum kissed the top of his head in response.
"You're not dying again, you hear me," his mum whispered.
"Loud and clear," Harry said, smiling slightly.
"Good. If you do, though, I am not joking when I say you will be grounded for life. Grandchildren or no," his mum said sternly.
"Agreed," Harry chuckled slightly, "But you had better not die on me, either. I still need you, mum. And my kids need their nana,"
"I'll try not to," his mum chuckled.
"Good. If you do, though, I might need to bring you back and ground you for life, too. Siblings or no," Harry said.
"I don't believe that is how this works," his mum said, and Harry could feel his slight grin in his hair.
"Well, we haven't really had a conventional relationship so far, so I gather we can be a bit unconventional in this," Harry chuckled before sighing sadly, "But please, don't leave me,"
"I'll try not to, Harry, I promise,"
Harry nodded, melting into his mum's arms all the more.
Hiya, how are you all?
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sooooooooooooo, what's going to happen? What is Harry going to change his name to? Is he going to stick to Xander? Or is he going to pick something else? If so, what? Will he die and come back to life again? If so, how will this death occur? Where do you think this story is going? Is there anything you would like to see, even if it is just a little thing? I would love to know your thoughts, especially regarding his new name. What do you think it should be? I will probably do another poll over on my Facebook group so if you want to vote on a new name for Harry then feel free to join it and vote along.
Anywho, I posted an essay/petition where I (un)officially explain why I think I should be cast as my favourite character, Severus Snape, in the new HBO series, despite the fact that I am a woman. It would mean a lot if you went and read it, but no pressure. It isn't going to lead to anything, unless, by some miracle, it goes viral, but it was fun to write. Feel free to go and check it out.
Also, I am working on some Spotify playlists for my fanfics, so if you can think of any songs you think work with the stories as they are so far, or where you think they are going, or songs that give you the vibes you get from the stories, then please do let me know and I will give them a listen, then potentially add them to the playlists. I will let you know as soon as they are ready, though it may take a few weeks because life.
I have a Facebook group called Maraudering_Paige which you are all welcome to join if you would like to and are able to. It is where we can talk about Harry Potter, fanfics, life, share memes and more. It is also where I have somewhat of an update schedule for my fics and will be keeping you up to date on what I am working on, in regards to fanfics, original works, and more things. So if you are interested in joining then I am more than happy to accept you all.
I also now have a TikTok and an Instagram for my fanfic writing escapades. The username is maraudering_paige on both of them so feel free to follow me, and we shall see how often and what kinds of content I can post when I can. But it is another way for me to keep you all up to date if you don't have Facebook and such, and for me to spread the word about other things I am working on and things I want to do and such. So yeah, feel free to join me on those if you are able.
And finally, if you like poems, then I write them and I have started a where you can read 1 or more poems every month depending on how many I have the time to post. You also get access to information about my original books I am working on before anyone else. For £2.22 a month. If you would like to join me over there and read some rants I call poems, and get updates on original work, then you may. My username over there is Paige_Makepeace. No pressure, by the way, you certainly do not have to if you can't or don't want to. I understand. I just thought it would be a cool thing to try. Any money made from this will go towards helping me write and publish the original novels I am working on. Including the one I am hoping to publish first which is a slow-burn, witchy, bisexual/lesbian enemies to lovers book.
If there are any other platforms you think I should join you all on then let me know and I will have a think.
I hope you are having an amazing day!
Kind regards,
Paige xx