Chapter 3: Godfathers
He awakes with a start, still dazed and with a massive headache to boot. When Harry grabs his forehead, he feels an all too familiar sticky liquid.
As soon as his fingers graze the new scar, Harry immediately doubles over, gasping. It is like standing in a cancellation field all over again, as if a hole is being punched through his chest. With horror, he grasps the front of his clothes, trying to figure out if he's been hurt somewhere else. No, the feeling definitely comes from within… and thankfully wanes when he lowers his hand. Unsettled, Harry wipes the blood onto his cot blanket, knowing that it is unlikely for many of his possessions to remain his after this.
Once the strange pain becomes muted enough to think, Harry allows himself a few moments to process what has happened and spares a painful thought for his parents, who died much too young once again. Then, he locks it away out of necessity like he has done with Ginny, with Professor Lupin, with Neville, with a dozen more of his friends.
Over time, he lost so many who were dear to him to death that he got better at hiding his mourning. At times, he needed to. Breaking down each time they lost someone else had not been a luxury he'd been able to afford, neither had stopping and waiting been. They'd needed to keep pushing, work as a group, focus on practical matters to keep the rest alive. Harry does not know right now how to deal with the deaths of his parents, especially after he hoped – expected - that they would survive. Shoving it away for the sake of focusing on practicality is the best he can do in this moment.
He dreads the prospect of returning to the Dursleys, even now he knows enough magic to keep them in line. The trace won't be placed on him until he'll go to school after all. It is one more weakness in the system of the Wizarding World, for no-one ever expects children to control their magic before they are taught how to. Voldemort is one example of how wrong that line of thinking is, having used his powers to hurt and control others years before being admitted to Hogwarts.
Struggling, Harry grabs his levitating toy broom and uses it stand upright. His eye then falls on a seemingly innocent object that lies on the floor amidst a heap of crumpled robes. A yew wand.
In his first life, he never figured out how the Dark Lord retrieved this wand, one of those little details that had forever remained a mystery. Many people associated to his family had had access to the house and as far as he knew, no Death Eater had entered back then. Wormtail had instantly fled, not having had the chance to grab his master's wand and hide it… Had they stolen it back from wherever the Ministry had kept it locked up? Why had it not been snapped in the first place as was common practise with the wands of criminals? Everyone had known that Voldemort was guilty of murder...
He picks it up with mixed feelings. As he half-expected, it hums in his hand as if it belongs there. To calm himself, Harry concentrates on the fact that it is unlikely that Voldemort personally murdered Harry's parents this time around, making the wand in his hand a tad less repulsive than it had been to him before. Again, he tries not to think too hard about the harsh reality of Lily and James being gone – if not by Voldemort's hand, then surely by his order. Rage or tears are unwelcome when Harry's old heart knows but one thing: that this must not distract from his mission. That this may not change how he views the person whose aid he so desperately needs.
Your soulmate, his mind unhelpfully provides. Your soulmate killed your parents.
Had Voldemort known?
After some quick contemplating and banishing that heavy burden to even further depths of his mind, Harry thinks it best to hold onto the wand. Bloody though it may be, its reaction is a good sign of it likely still holding the core that is a brother to the holly wand waiting at Ollivander's. Wandless magic will only get Harry so far, so this is a treasure he won't deny. He makes a hole in one of his plushies, a stuffed lion, and hides it in there, holding onto the animal tightly as he waddles over to the door. He isn't well enough to even attempt crawling onto the broom again with this stinging headache and dull thudding in his chest.
All of his movements are oddly mechanical, and Harry slowly realises that he is still in shock. He closes his eyes and evens out his breathing, focusing on moving, getting out of the house.
The sound of a roaring motorcycle fills the air. His first thought is 'Hagrid', until realising that of course, the beast of a machine still belongs to Sirius. It turns out that his love of Muggle machinery was not merely an attempt to rebel against his parents, as he has the motorcycle even now, in a timeline where he's never been shunned by the other Blacks. Hope blooms as he sees his godfather, and Harry releases a stream of loud noises to be noticed. Pale with shock, Sirius rushes towards the house to pick him up.
''Harry! Thank Merlin you're alright. What happened here?''
As he should obviously be unable to answer that, Harry clings onto his godfather with all of his might. This is it, perhaps the only chance of sparing Sirius the same fate as in his last life. He can not let the man go after Wormtail.
A crack sounds through the air and Severus appears, eyes spitting fire as he takes in the house.
''Black!'' he shouts, raising his wand. ''How could you?'' His voice trembles with emotion in a way that Harry has never heard before in either life. This is not something he anticipated, but of course Snape thinks, like most of the wizarding world later, that Sirius was the secret keeper. Pettigrew's handwriting and that of Sirius are almost indistinguishable, another reason why his parents thought covertly making Wormtail the secret keeper instead of Sirius would go unnoticed in case there was a traitor in their midst.
His godfather raises one arm up in the air, the one that he isn't holding Harry with. ''You have the wrong idea, Severus!'' he barks. ''James and Lily wanted to trick You-Know-Who. They knew he'd probably come after me if he wanted to torture any of us for information, so they switched last minute to Wormy!''
Severus laughs coldly. ''A convenient excuse, Black. Am I supposed to believe that Peter Pettigrew, who always looked up to James, would betray him?''
''I don't want to believe it either! But I know he was the only secret keeper, there is no other explanation than that You-Know-Who got the information from him. We don't know what transpired, he might not have given the address voluntarily, maybe they went after him! You heard what happened to James and Lily in London, didn't you? Maybe before their deaths, they were forced to confess who was tied to the Fidelius charm on this house. Severus, I loved them like family,'' Sirius chokes, gesturing desperately ''I love Harry like he is my own son. I'd never…''
Snape goes even paler, if possible, but finally lowers his wand. ''In that case, I will find Pettigrew,'' he whispers dangerously, coal eyes burning a hole in Sirius skull. Legilimency, Harry realises. He didn't expect Snape to already be able to use that skill. Impressive, at only twenty-one years old. ''And I'll make him confess.'' Without another word, he disappears with a swish of his cloak. Sirius sags down and allows the tears to flow freely. They aren't left alone for long. Godric's Hollow is a mostly magical village, and many of the neighbours who have seen the exchange between Snape and Sirius exit their houses to ask what happened.
Sirius does not answer any questions, only tiredly shaking his head and holding Harry tight, who in turn clings onto the stuffed animal with Voldemort's wand in it. ''I don't know, I don't know much of what is going on. Someone get Albus Dumbledore, please,'' Sirius repeats over and over again.
Not twenty minutes later, the Headmaster indeed appears, striding towards them in haste.
''Come on, my boy, let's go somewhere more pleasant than this cold street,'' he speaks with concern. ''I just received a short letter from Severus, although it uncharacteristically did not make an awful lot of sense. I've been out of the country today…''
Clearly relieved to have Dumbledore's ear, Sirius breathlessly explains in a hushed voice: ''Death Eaters found James and Lily wandering in London for some forsaken reason. They- Dumbledore, they're-'' he breaks off, taking a moment to swallow down his pain. Only a quick glance at Harry gives the man the strength to go on: ''The Fidelius charm has been broken. I have no idea how, but Harry is still alive. I haven't gone into the house yet as he came towards me, looking all bloody. Albus, nothing about this makes sense.''
Dumbledore's face becomes a mass of wrinkles as he frowns and then draws his wand, carefully going into the house. Once he returns, it is with the bundle of Voldemort's robes. ''We need to speak in private,'' he gravely says. ''Somewhere with thick wards,'' he mutters then, glancing at the many curious eyes on them.
A short trip later, they sit in Grimmauld place with tea that Kreacher freshly brewed. Harry's weak spot for his old elf grows when noticing how respectful he is towards Sirius. The man's parents dying before Sirius could 'break Walburga's heart' clearly brought out some good in this case, for the elf is as loyal as he'd been to Harry and there is no animosity to be found.
As the others sip it in silence for a while to calm down, Harry's eyes drift to the many pictures on the wall of Sirius and his younger brother. To aid his determination of focusing on anything else than loss and find a spark of hope, Harry spares a thought for Regulus Black, whose fate in this world is much better than in his original timeline. As Sirius became the Black family head at age ten, with only a couple of more distant family members taking care of legal issues until Sirius was of age, his younger brother didn't have the time to take over his parents' radical ideas. Not being loaded with family pressure, Regulus was sorted into Ravenclaw and never entered Voldemort's servitude. Harry only met Regulus twice, once at Christmas and once at Easter. He found the man - Or teen, really, Regulus was only eighteen when Harry last saw him - to be quiet and pleasant, very similar to Remus.
He is startled out of his musings when Dumbledore picks him up and brushed the hair out of his face, looking down in sorrow at Harry's forehead. ''As I thought…'' the old man mumbles regretfully. ''Oh Tom, you fool.''
''Albus?'' Sirius carefully asks. ''Does this mean… were James' and Lily's fears justified?''
''I am afraid so. Harry James Potter is indeed Voldemort's Intended. I feel sorry for the lad. There was not even enough humanity left in Voldemort to recognise his soul mate when standing in front of Harry. Either that, or he did and thought the Prophecy so important that he'd rather kill his other half than risk the chance of dying himself.'' Dumbledore's eyes are moist as he shakes his head, silver hair catching the light. ''I pray it is the former, there are few things in this world so cruel as the knowledge that your Intended is against you.''
''It does not matter now anymore, does it? Voldemort failed, Harry is still alive. Why is Harry still alive?''
''Soul mates cannot kill one another,'' Dumbledore quietly declares. ''That information is not well-known, as hardly any would ever try. They can cause each other harm, but kill… no. Voldemort's Killing curse backfired. Curiously, I found only his robes on the floor and no wand was in sight. Perhaps it splintered, the backlash destroyed most of the living room as well. Although both the information I have on Voldemort and the absence of a corpse mean that this matters very much,'' Dumbledore gravely continues. ''He boasted having found immortality to his followers. There are few methods to do so, all of them incredibly dark and none truly permanent, but I have few doubts that someone so intelligent and resourceful as Voldemort would have found one of these obscure ways to reach what he considers immortality. I fear that this was not the last that we have seen of him.''
Harry expected devastation from Sirius, or shock at this revelation at the very least. His godfather shows neither. ''So, what now?'' Sirius questions, face hardening as he takes in that news.
''We have to hide little Harry, bring him somewhere Voldemort will never look, and hide his soul mark with a concealment charm. Harry will be hailed as a hero once the events that transpired this night become known to the public. I can already imagine the titles they will bestow upon him. It is better if he grows up far away from all that.''
Sirius lets out a disbelieving chuckle. ''What? Dumbledore, I am his godfather! I will of course raise Harry here, with me. This house is well-protected.''
Dumbledore resolutely shakes his head. ''Harry has other family still, biological family in the Muggle world. No child should bear the burden of knowing they caused a person's death when barely a year old, especially not when everyone in this world will know his name for it. And certainly not once he breaks the charm on his mark and starts asking questions. I shall have Minerva find his relatives so we can hand him over to them. Be reasonable Sirius, surely you can't raise a child on your own?''
Sirius appears lost and confused, which Harry can understand very well: the man is rash and while claiming to be ready for the burden of a child, he knows next to nothing about raising one. He has no partner who can offer help, and now one of the few authority figures that he respects is urging him to give 'more capable' family a chance instead. Harry, of course, has no intention of letting this happen. He wriggles to get out of Dumbledore's arms, loudly crying out when that doesn't work. Sirius finally snatches him up again when Harry stretches out both arms towards his godfather. The men blink down in surprise.
''It doesn't look like Harry agrees to your plans.'' Sirius says with a hesitant half-smile. ''Cheeky bugger.'' He directs his attention to Dumbledore again. ''Have Minerva scout for Harry's family… but from what I heard from Lils, Petunia didn't have much of a connection to her sister. Lils hardly spoke about her apart from a couple of tight-lipped remarks. Petunia's name is pretty much the only thing I know about the woman.''
''Oh, I know a bit more than that,'' Dumbledore wryly confesses. ''However, she will not be so heartless as to refuse her sister's orphaned child. I heard from Lily that Petunia also had a son last year, so Harry would even grow up with a playmate. It would be far healthier for him.''
''I'll await Minerva's judgement. He is safe here for now, we don't need to rush it.'' Sirius then grows grimmer. ''Albus, concerning James and Lily… they were betrayed, as Snape might have mentioned in his letter to you. They switched their plans about secret keepers at the last minute and put that responsibility on Wormy instead. I don't know if he turned tail or if the Death Eaters tortured him for information. Neither of those options are good. Snape went out to scout for him.''
''I feared such a thing would happen,'' Albus sighs. ''We all suspected a traitor in the Order for a while now. I must admit that I thought it was either you or Remus.''
''I also thought of Remus,'' Sirius mumbles. ''Or Snape. I'd never have thought that Peter of all people could…''
''These are dark times, anyone can succumb to the honeyed lies of Voldemort. Or his threats.''
''Were dark times,'' the other resolutely states. ''Thanks to Harry. Even if not consciously or willingly, it is because of him that we are free of that tyrant for now.''
Dumbledore stares pensively at Harry for a while at that. ''I doubt he will want our gratitude when the gravity of the situation is put on his shoulders. He lost his soulmate tonight. Even if Voldemort returns one day, I doubt that will be mended, not now his parents were killed. The best we can do for his sanity is to keep it a secret from him for as long as possible. To hide his mark.''
That might have actually worked, Harry muses, if he wouldn't have been completely aware of their entire conversation. He is tired again though, and nods off to sleep, trusting that McGonagall will take her time in checking out the Dursleys. For today, he is still safe.
Sirius takes on his role as godfather commendably well, considering the suddenness of being saddled with a one-year-old. He doesn't let the child out of his sight for a moment, sleeping with Harry in his arms and spending most of the next day playing with various toys. From Alice Longbottom, who drops in to visit – and what a relief to see her alive and sane - they hear news from the outside world. A crazy celebration is happening all across the country, with showers of magical stars and crowds of mages walking around in robes in the muggle world. It gives Harry almost a heart attack to hear it, as exactly a situation like this had started the snowball effect leading to their near-extinction.
One man who isn't celebrating at all is Snape, who comes by at dinner to sombrely inform Sirius that Wormtail escaped through the sewers after blowing up a street and several Muggles. The Aurors first wanted to arrest Snape in the midst of all the confusion, but the calm, collected man quickly explained the situation. He didn't even draw his wand due to the presence of Muggles and then helped the overworked Aurors with damage control.
Very late evening, Dumbledore returns, followed by Hagrid, who instantly starts tearing up about Harry's poor fate.
''The decision is final,'' the Headmaster speaks. ''Minerva found them to be… adequate.'' Something in his voice makes it clear that he is lying. He's decided that this is the best course of action, so it will be pushed through no matter McGonagall's opinion. As much respect as Harry has for Dumbledore, this is not a decision he'll quietly agree with.
Having none of it, Harry thus cries and screams each time Sirius tries to place him in Hagrid's arms. In a last, desperate attempt, Harry turns around, clinging to his godfather as he whispers: ''Siri.''
It is a low trick, Harry is fully aware of this. He hasn't spoken in the presence of any adult before, and now uses the voice everyone has been waiting to hear to manipulate Sirius into not letting go. Harry doesn't particularly care at this point, the sheer amount of panic he feels at the thought of being left with the Dursleys for another ten long years is absolutely real.
''What is going on here?'' Snape sneers with annoyance, emerging from the kitchen with the pot of coffee he'd determined necessary for Sirius to remain alert enough to do an adequate job of watching Harry. ''Why is Harrison crying?''
Sirius does not answer, looking absolutely gobsmacked, gaping like a fish. ''He said my name,'' he finally mutters with an expression of wonder. ''Harry's very first word, my name!''
Snape grunts in annoyance, directing his attention to Dumbledore. ''I assume that you are more capable of a comprehensive explanation than the mutt is?'' he coldly asks.
''Severus, no need to worry. We are relocating Harry to a safer place, that is all.''
The surly man is quiet for a moment, then narrows his eyes. ''What location could be safer than the Headquarters of the Order?'' he demands to know.
''The fewer people who know, the better,'' Dumbledore resolutely answers in a clear attempt to end the conversation and leave Snape in the dark. His words are, unfortunately for him, drowned out by Hagrid, who in the exact same moment tearfully sobs: ''The poor tyke has to go to his family into the Muggle world!''
For the second time in twenty-four hours, all colour drains from Snape's sallow skin. ''His family?'' he hisses through trembling lips. ''Petunia? Over my dead body will you take him to that vile shrew, Albus!''
''Severus, be reasonable…''
''SHE HURT LILY,'' Snape screams, spit flying into Dumbledore's beard. Harry watches the spectacle with wide eyes. In his previous life, Snape lost his composure like this very few times and nearly always had his ire been directed at Harry. To have the man be angry on his behalf is a sight he wants to memorise in its glorious entirety. ''SHE HURT HER OWN SISTER FOR HAVING MAGIC. YOU THINK SHE'D FARE BETTER WITH A CHILD?'' Frighteningly sudden, Snape's voice drops down to a whisper. ''Lily told me a few things, Albus. She cried for a week when, after informing her sister of Harrison's birth, the letter she received back held a short message telling her it was shameful that she'd put another monster on this world. That she should have gotten rid of it. I won't have you be responsible for another scarred child on this world, Albus.''
Dumbledore, who looked rather unaffected until now, stiffens at the accusation. Harry isn't sure if it refers to Snape himself, or Voldemort, or someone else entirely.
''Petunia has a family of her own now, another child with whom Harry could grow up,'' Dumbledore tries, going down the 'happy family' route. ''Sirius is hardly equipped to take care of Harry by himself, especially with the harsh shifts Aurors have. He needs supervision, family.''
The other does not budge, and Sirius also looks very unsure now after the outburst. ''Family? Supervision?'' Snape snaps. ''Then I will make sure he has all that. Look around Albus, this house is the Headquarters of a family already, the Order. And even if now that the war is over, others will not be around much anymore, I will. I'll take Harrison to my office at Hogwarts when the mutt is at work, if need be.'' He glances over at Sirius. ''Do you disagree?''
Sirius hesitates, then hugs Harry close. ''You know I sometimes hate your guts, Sevvy, but this has me thinking that deep down you just might be a decent human being after all. For Harry, I'd be happy to share guardianship with you.'' Then, he turns to a weary Dumbledore. ''Are two godfathers acceptable enough as a family?'' he asks, although the tone does not allow for any discussions.
''So be it then,'' the Headmaster sighs, looking as if he is physically hurt by the decision. ''I cannot force you to give up your charge, he is legally yours now. I do hope that you know what you are doing. Now, I'll go back to Hogwarts to ensure the students are not breaking out. Severus, I expect you back in time for class. This is your first year as a full-fledged teacher, after all.''
And so, it comes to be that Harry avoids the fate of living with the Dursleys, moving in with Sirius instead. Severus keeps his word to the letter. Whenever Sirius has a difficult shift and can't find anyone to watch Harry - although there are plenty of volunteers, most commonly Arthur and Molly Weasley - he either floos over or has Harry brought to Hogwarts. Although Harry grieves his parents in silence every now and then when a melancholic mood strikes, his childhood could have been worse, much worse.
AN: Next up will be a few timeskips and show what plans Harry is unfolding under his godfathers' noses in the coming years ^^
Please let me know your thoughts :)