Chapter 22: A Book and a Spell

July 19th, 1994

Black Manor

Harry had to admit that Black Manor was perhaps his new favorite place. Everything about it was comfortable, be it the bedrooms, the smell and sounds of the woods surrounding the property, or even just the general calmness of the entire place, lacking the business of Hogwarts or the Burrow, while not being stuffy and cramped like Privet Drive or Grimmauld Place.

Still, even with the comfort, it wasn't time for him to be taking a break. He was confident, after thinking for a significant period of time, that he was flying blind when it came to the future. Remus was still a teacher at Hogwarts, Barty Crouch Junior had been kissed, and Peter Pettigrew was still rotting away in Azkaban, his magic bound.

The lack of knowing bothered him if he thought about it for too long, but he never did. Sirius was enquiring about the location of the Potter Grimoire while also rebuilding some of the old connections politically that his family once had, while ensuring Harry was staying to his studies. By his studies, Sirius meant the Black Family Grimoire. The spells in it were a key advantage due to their unknown nature to anyone not a Black, and the family magic nudged the family members from sharing them, meaning not even Riddle would not know of them.

Harry wasn't against admitting that he was interested in the history of the Blacks. While his studies were supposed to be on magic, he often flipped to the earlier pages. It was surprising to find out that the Black family had existed for almost sixteen hundred years, though their name had changed with time. That wasn't to forget just how many Blacks had been gifted. It seemed every Black had managed a mastery in at least one field, if not more. Arcturus Black, Sirius' grandfather, held two, both in the Defense of and use of The Dark Arts.

Really, most of them had held it in those two categories, though some had other masteries.

Ignoring the history, some of the magical theories were impressive. A Black several generations ago theorized that wand movements and incantations, verbal or not, could be completely removed. The theory was that a strong enough intent, with power and control to back it up, could do anything without the extra steps. An annotation added to it, by Casseopeia, had stipulated that if someone managed to do it, it would only work for transfigurations and most charm-like magic, or spells that altered the characteristics and behavior of an object only. Shields too, were theorized as possible, but nearly impossible to do.

Apparently, due to the arithmetic characteristics of those spells, it was possible, but the method of creating curses, healing spells, wards, and most other forms of magic were different than that of Transfigurations and Charms, where the intent was only to twist what was there or add something to it, instead of creating a powerful and more unnatural effect.

It was a theory that he hadn't understood fully, nor one he was currently reading. Instead, he was flipping through the pages, glancing at the spells on each one for something that stood out for him. A few caught his attention, giving him something to practice, but they never took long to learn.

"Harry?" Sirius' magnified voice rang through the manor, "Come on down to the Parlor."

Harry frowned as he stood and began the short walk to the Parlor where the Floo was. Sirius never had bothered using that method to call him down. There were two elves in the manor after all, not to mention the fact he spent most of his time in five places in the manor, making him easy to find.

"-To meet him. It's been a long time since I saw him last." A woman spoke. The voice was unfamiliar, yet not completely so.

"Well, hopefully he wasn't overly engrossed in reading, he gets that way sometimes." Sirius chuckled, "Much like his mother."

"Is that a problem?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, "If it is, we can always have a duel over it."

"You just want to lose again." Sirius prodded, making the woman laugh. She had her back turned to him, but was turning around as he replied.

"Remember what happened-"

His voice fell off at seeing her appearance, and his wand fell into his hand and aimed at her chest, "Sirius?"

"Harry!" Sirius placed himself between him and her defensively as his own wand fell into his hand, "Really?"

"You invite Bellatrix into the house-" Harry started angrily, only to be cut off by not Sirius, but the woman.

"I am not my sister." The woman cut in with a clipped tone. "I am the eldest. Andromeda Tonks nee Black."

Harry stowed his wand back in the hidden holster after a moment, and he grinned sheepishly. "Right… I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly, but well…"

"I understand. Especially considering two people have escaped Azkaban in recent years." Andromeda replied calmly. "Still, I am surprised you recognized my sister in me so quickly seeing as you never met her."

Truly, her and Bellatrix looked quite similar. The nose, cheekbones, and eyes were almost identical, even Andromeda's hair was black, but her hair was less curly, her eyes lacking the insane gleam, and her lips slightly fuller. Harry had a brief image of her come through his mind where her hair was a dark brown instead, and it took a moment to remember that she was there when he awoke after Hagrid crashed the motorcycle escaping Privet Drive.

'Must have dyed her hair to look different.' There was a moment before Harry spoke, "I've seen photos."

"Right." Andromeda replied, and Harry could sense the hint of doubt in her voice. "Well, I am Andromeda Tonks, Sirius' cousin."

"A pleasure to meet you." Harry held out his hand, only to let out a small oh as she pulled him into a soft hug instead.

"I don't do handshakes for people I held as a baby." She said amused as she pushed him to arm length. "I remember babysitting you a handful of times, and Dora loved playing with you. You loved watching her hair cycle through colors and styles."

"I did?" Harry asked, not having known that. Then Harry realized he probably should ask about her hair changing, which he did.

"You did. We only saw you a dozen times, and we were there for your first birthday, but you loved every visit. So did your parents too. And Dora is a metamorphmagus. She can change her appearance at will, though it costs her the balance in walking… or doing anything really." Andromeda explained, a wistful smile on her face.

"Sorry to have her come by unexpectedly, Harry. I just ran into her on the way back from Gringotts." Sirius spoke up, "I figured her and the rest of the family could join us for dinner?"

"Here?" Harry asked curiously.

"Unless you have another idea?"

Harry glanced at Andromeda, before turning back to Sirius, "What about some muggle food?"

"What makes you think my family knows the muggle world?" Andromeda asked curiously. Harry gave her a flat look, "Nevermind. You would be right. And Indian does sound good."

"Indian?" Sirius asked, puzzled.

"Should we blow his mind?" Andromeda asked, a small grin tugging at her lips.

"Absolutely."

Break…

"Are you sure you want it hot?" Andromeda asked worriedly.

The place she had chosen was a small corner diner in Ashford that was a short walk from their home. Harry had never had any Indian cuisine, nor knew anything about it, but knew better than to ask for anything hot when the dish already had a small pepper next to it. He had seen Dudley make the same mistake once, after all, and the boy had suffered for nearly thirty minutes.

"Of course I want it hot." Sirius said firmly.

Ted, Andromeda's husband, opened his mouth to speak, but Harry held up his hand, doing his best to keep his face straight, "Let him get it hot. He is sure that is what he wants, after all."

Sirius looked at him for a minute before nodding and smiling. Dora had caught on instantly, sharing an evil smirk with him that he returned. The lady taking the order was doubtful, but she just marked her pad before taking Harry's and Dora's order, the last two to order.

"Give me ten minutes." The lady said, walking away.

The ten minutes felt painfully long, but they talked to pass the time. It turns out Ted was working as a Lawyer, being part of one of the Business firms in England. It explained why Ted hadn't worked with Sirius on gaining Sirius his freedom. Andromeda, Harry learned, was a Healer. She worked in the Emergency department of St. Mungos as Head Healer, a supervisory position she enjoyed.

"Here you are."

The dish Harry ordered was a form of chicken and rice with peppers. While not a spicy dish, it still had some mild heat. His first bite was pleasurable, and really, he doubted it would change.

Whatever Sirius had ordered though looked almost angry, and Harry was certain that from more than a foot away from any part of the food, he could smell the spicy taste. Sirius, being completely unaware of muggle food which had a lot more in terms of seasoning, took a large fork full of the mixture of vegetables and chicken…

It felt like slow motion, watching the fork pass his lips. Sirius seemed to barely taste it for the first and second chew, his jaw visibly moving, before it stopped, and Harry watched as his skin cycled through colors passing straight into bright red as he tried to swallow…

After three failed attempts, he finally managed to get his food down, only to enter a coughing fit and chugging his glass of water. Harry gave him props though, instead of trying to draw his wand, he simply took Harry's own glass, downing it too.

"My throat!" He gasped in a whisper. "What the hell was that? My stomach burns. My throat feels like I drank fire whiskey for the first time, and my mouth feels like I took a bite of hellfire."

"That, my oblivious cousin, is what the waitress meant when she asked if you were sure you wanted it hot." Andromeda said with a chuckle. "Blame Harry. He was the one that stopped Ted."

Harry almost wilted under Sirius' glare, mostly for humor since he wasn't afraid of the man, not really. An evil thought came to mind, and acting childishly, he pointed at Dora to pass the blame.

"No!" She choked trying to swallow and speak at the same time. "Blame- ack - the little devil."

"Harry?" Sirius' voice was still quiet.

"Perhaps you would consider reducing the innuendos you make on the beach next time." Harry snarked as Sirius swiveled his watering eyes back to him.

"You tried to kill me."

"You wouldn't have died." Harry huffed, "Quit being a baby."

"You try this then. Or are you scared?" Sirius mocked in a rather childish but raw voice, causing Andromeda to glare at him.

"Enough." The waitress said in a motherly tone as she walked over carrying a similar plate, "I knew you were trying to mess with your father, child. I made another dish that lacked the spiciness."

"Thank you, ma'am. We'll pay for both." Harry nodded happily. He chose not to correct the woman's assumption on Sirius being his father, it wasn't worth it. Besides, No one commented on the matter after she left with the wasted plate.

"You are evil. All of you are evil." his voice cracked a little. Harry chuckled and Dora grinned widely.

Overall, it was a good dinner…

July 20th, 1994

Gringotts

"You know, I thought I wouldn't see you again for at least a week, Sirius." Ripclaw said, an intimidating grin tugging at his face.

"I figured that the sooner he found it, the better." Sirius shrugged.

Harry glared at his godfather. It was barely past dawn on his day to sleep in, and the man dragged him out of bed and to Gringotts. It was insufferable.

"Very well. Come along, the both of you." Ripclaw said, a small glace being thrown at Harry.

It was surprising how much quicker it was to visit his vault with Ripclaw with them. The goblin removed just about any delays, bar waiting for a cart to arrive, making the process to get to a vault far less. Though after about two minutes on the cart, where he would have arrived at his heir vault by then, he was confused. "Where are we going?"

"The Potter Family Vault. It isn't in our highest security section, but certainly not far from it." Ripclaw yelled, his voice cutting just above the waterfall they passed through. They remained dry, but Harry still absently felt the magic against his skin, a stark reminder of the last time he visited a vault so far down.

It felt like another five minutes before the cart came to a stop. Harry glanced around and saw only a singular vault at the stop, with no other access than via the cart they were in to get to it. At Sirius' nudge, he stood and climbed out, before looking at the large crest on the door to the only vault. It wasn't unlike the LeStrange Vault, but certainly different, with the Potter Crest set on the door and a series of Latin written above it.

Mors Vincit Omnia… "Death conquers all."

The whispered words reverberated against the walls, amplifying the motto repeated before fading away slowly. Harry felt a slight chill against his skin, the hair on his arms raising for a few moments causing him to look around, before it left. Sirius hadn't missed his slightly concerned look, though he said nothing.

"Press your ring here, Heir Potter."

Ripclaw's words pulled his thoughts away, and he listened to the goblin's instructions. A series of clicks and twisting of gears sounded loudly, before the door folded in, revealing a large pile of gold, though not as large as he was expecting. "That's a million galleons?"

"A little less than a hundred thousand. Each of those trunks over there-" Eleven trunks lined the wall where he pointed "- hold the rest. It's more practical and allows us more space or to keep the stability of the underground network."

'Makes sense.' Harry thought. Sirius did not enter the vault, remaining outside patiently instead.

"He cannot enter." Ripclaw replied, answering the unasked questions, "This vault is still of higher security. Only certain goblins and those of Potter Blood, or those accepted by the Lord of the House, may enter. You cannot grant him access, at least, not yet anyways."

"Oh. Are you alright out there then?" Harry asked, speaking to Sirius.

"Of course. I've got some papers to review anyways." Sirius smiled, "Go on. Trust me. You'll want to look around."

With only a few seconds of hesitation, Harry nodded, stepping further in. The vault wasn't small, not really. It was easily four times the size of his heir vault, leaving quite a bit of space remaining for the bookshelves, pedestals, and shelving that had been added in. There was even a significant pile of furniture piled in the corner with a single trunk next to it.

"Ah. The remaining items from the Cottage after its destruction." Ripclaw hummed, "That is only the furniture, with the trunk holding all of the miscellaneous items. The photo albums and books were placed on the shelves for you already."

"Thank you." Harry drifted over to the shelves, and easily found a few photo albums. "Is it alright to glance through them real quick?"

"Time is galleons, Heir Potter, but being here is my job, so it makes no difference." Ripclaw replied, stepping over to a cabinet. "I need to look over some old ledgers of the family businesses anyways."

Harry wondered, for a moment, if the ledgers were simply an excuse to prevent him from sounding kind, but chose not to prod. He flipped over the cover and found photos of people he had never seen before, with a date on it, March 27th, 1971. If Harry remembered right, that would have been his father's eleventh birthday. That made the boy in the photo to be James, explaining the glasses, with the two behind him being Charlus and Dorea.

He flipped through several more pages, finding photos of James with various people, including Remus, Pettigrew, Frank Longbottom if the similarities to Neville were anything to go by, and Sirius. There were other photos, some of galas or dance events over various years featuring Charlus and Dorea, along with other couples he didn't know, but the names were listed to help him identify them. The McKinnons were in one photo, as well as some of the Bones, Blacks, Prewitts to name a few.

Closing the first book of photos, he moved to another more muggle one. His eyes watered as he opened it. Property of the Evans Family. Please return to Henry Evans if found.

'Henry Evans…' Harry had never seen the handwriting before, and guessed that Henry was his grandfather. Unlike the wizarding photos, these were still, and without color, but showed a lean man with lighter, Harry guessed to be red, hair, standing next to a woman several inches shorter than him, who was holding a small girl in her arms and with another girl standing on the ground.

Flipping through the photos, Harry saw his mother and Petunia grow up over the years, as well as photos of both of their weddings. There were photos of a funeral, Henry's if Harry had to guess, and photos of Harry not long after his birth. The photos stopped at a few weeks old, and Harry could only guess as to why it happened.

He wiped his face, not having noticed the tears run down his cheeks. His parents had died too young, and he knew so little about his muggle grandparents. It made him wonder if he could even write Petunia, but there was a rather good chance the woman would ignore him as she had always done before.

Shutting the album, he gingerly placed it onto the shelf before moving on. The books all seemed old, and there were even some scrolls to be found on the top shelf of one bookcase, but none of the books stood out to him, not really. The items were equally unknown to him, though the uniform that had several patches, one of a dragon, made him think that it had been fought in before, perhaps by his grandfather of all people.

"Ah. Looking at the other items, I see?" Ripclaw inquired, "Perhaps head to the back wall near the center. There is a rather peculiar book that you may be interested in."

Harry wasted no time in crossing the distance, and found the marble pedestal with a rather decorative book resting upon it, a 'P' made of gold on the cover of it. "Is this it?"

"I believe so, Heir Potter. The book was placed there by Charlus in 1977, but your father never came for it." Ripclaw replied evenly, "I refused to touch it. If it is the item you are looking for, it may very well kill me for trying to check it."

With only a bit of nervousness, Harry took the few steps before carefully opening the cover. A tingle seemed to shoot up his arm, and he felt a small prick on his finger. It didn't stop him from flipping the cover over, words in flowing cursive covering the first page.

Clan Potter

Mors Vincit Omnia

A.D. 1127

Harry stared at the words, before looking at his finger, a small smear of blood on his fingertip. 'My family legacy…'

While it was different in design and interior structure, it was definitely the Potter Family Grimoire. There wasn't any mistaking the book for something else. Harry couldn't deny the temptation to start flipping pages, to start reading, but he resisted it, closing the book softly before picking it up and putting it into the extended bag he carried, an early gift from Sirius.

"Thank you, Ripclaw. I believe that is all I need." Harry said, eager to leave. The goblin shot him a knowing, if slightly horrifying, grin, before leading them from the vault.

The door sealed with a click, and once Ripclaw was satisfied, they began the trek upwards. "Did you find it, then?"

"Yep."

"I have a feeling I won't see you for a while… nerd." Sirius said with a haughty look.

"I take the compliment." Sirius only groaned, and Harry suppressed a smile at making Sirius fail to tease him.