14th February 1995 - King Harry's Office, Volstar Ministry of Magic, Skyfall
If he were asked to describe what he had been feeling of late, Sirius reckoned he had a healthy selection of words to choose from.
Determination, curiosity, resignation, excitement, exhaustion, contentment, pride, worry, annoyance, confusion.
It seemed each day was a riot of shifting emotions where there used to only be room for terror and despair.
He thought it strange in its own way, just how much could change in the space of a year.
Less than a year, really. Though that milestone was just a few short months away.
A milestone just about everyone in Skyfall was anticipating with the same kind of heady excitement he felt when he thought on it. The excited grins and sparkling eyes that sprung up whenever the topic popped up in conversation did wonders to see him through some of his lower moods.
The source of the occasional bout of disappointed moping on his part, it had been something he had half hoped, half expected would disappear with the escape to Volstar.
Either that or in all the busywork the move had created for everyone.
But Harry and Frederick both had taken to reminding him that there was no magical instant cure for years of sustained mental and emotional trauma. Even in a world with flying horses, wands and legends of forces of nature personified.
Or potions.
Cheering charms, the draught of peace, calming draughts, and the like bestowed temporary relief from the likes of anxiety and depression. But they didn't heal the underlying cause of those feelings.
Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Unction could heal some mental scarring, Sirius knew, enough at least to diminish the risk of fresh scarring from becoming too deeply entrenched to remedy. But it had limits, as most solutions did, needing to be taken while the damage was still fresh or at least recent.
It lightened the weight of the trauma, of the memories and forced the mind to process that much lightened event so it could not hook deep into the subconscious and leave its ugly mark.
But old, deeply ingrained pain was too heavy for the unction to lift and ease.
Which left Harry's new potion.
It had been in testing just about all the previous day after the Tri-Wizard judges had decided they couldn't judge it while it was an 'unknown substance' and had instead stuck to evaluating his godson's prep skills and the other finished brews he had bottled samples of for judging.
Sirius couldn't help but think on how much Harry had looked like his mother while he was brewing. Honestly he wasn't entirely sure how much of what he and thousands of others had watched came down to the mental boost of the ritual, and how much was Lily's prodigious potion talent peeking through.
Not that he thought it really mattered, but he liked to think at least a little of it came from Lily.
Especially when he happened to be sitting, staring down at his potion laced tea.
His first dose as it were, since the Healing Serenity had been cleared for human consumption the day before.
Well aware of his own faults and the lingering whispers in the back of his mind, and the nightmares that still choked him awake while covered in cold sweat. After months of therapy with the knowledge that he would be looking at years more to safely process it all, he could sit back and look at himself and the things he had been through and admit he needed the help.
Just how much, he preferred to keep to himself.
He didn't have much pride left and what little he had was almost solely reserved for Harry, but he did have enough to want to keep just how damaged he was from becoming gossip fodder.
Not that that was much of an issue, the folks that had settled and gotten to work on building Skyfall with him and Harry had so far all shown themselves to be of a decent sort.
Still…
Shaking off the thought he focused back on the cup warming his hands and resolutely raised it to sniff at the liquid.
There was the familiar scent of earl grey that had become their morning tea beverage of choice, but underneath it there were other scents that he knew came from the potion. Smells that invoked a sense-memory of comfort.
Old books and wool that was both soft and slightly scratchy.
Green growing things and rich loamy earth.
Sweet chocolate and hints of whiskey.
The fabric softener Lily had used of all Harry's baby blankets and the bundles of flowers that even while in hiding James had kept sneaking off to pick or buy so his vaguely terrifying lady wife would always be surrounded by beautiful things.
Half forgotten scents that made something in him unwind, letting him know it had been tense to begin with.
The strength of it was less concentrated than it had been straight from the bottle, softened and diluted by the tea but still there underneath. But like the Amortentia Potion's scents drew to mind association of love or at least deep infatuation, Harry's Potion of Healing Serenity invoked comfort and safety.
Two things in short supply for those that had been hurt enough to require the powerful brew.
Taking a moment longer to breath in the aromatic steam, Sirius eventually brought it to his lips and took a careful sip, then another.
And then another until his cup was surprisingly empty and his storm grey eyes were closed while he basked in the warm feeling of peace that had spread through him.
He realised he must have been drifting in that sense of peace for quite a while because when he had opened his eyes to share the experience with Moony who had agreed to sit with him while Harry ran about doing some last errands and check-ins, he found that Harry had returned and was sitting behind his desk like normal and that there rest of the group that would be acting as Harry's entourage for the trip to Japan were seated or standing here and there about the room, chatting quietly.
Harry looked up from his work and fixed Sirius with a calm expression. "How do you feel?" He asked quietly.
"Good...like I've been dozing in the sun on a good day." He replied and licked his lips to chase the last of the surprising smoky-sweet flavour.
"No disorientation or nausea?" Harry asked, pulling a notebook towards him to make notes.
"No, none. I can't even recall ever feeling this centred or peaceful." He admitted and glanced down at his hands, absently noting the lack of minute tremors that had plagued him since his time in Azkaban where he had started shaking from cold or terror and never quite stopped. "I'm steady."
Harry followed his line of sight and took in the way his hands remained perfectly in place with nary a tremble or twitch. "In more than one way. That's good."
Remus edged his way closer to his childhood friend and leaned a hip against the edge of Harry's desk so he could study the other man intently. "Your eyes are clearer, always before there was a hint, a touch of mania. We shrugged it off as a side effect of the old Black Madness...but it's gone." He whispered, eyes having gone a touch wide as he processed what he was seeing.
"The scars are gone too." Sirius told them, holding his hands a little higher to illustrate. "My hands were covered in them from tearing at my cell, but they're gone."
Harry cocked his head to one side while he considered that before he nodded his head to the door that led off to his private suite. "Use my bathroom, check out your other scars and see if they're either gone or faded."
"Right, yeah, back in a moment." The older animagus muttered as he rose to his feet to follow the suggestion.
"He's standing taller, straighter and less hunched in on himself." Harry noted to Remus as he watched his godfather move.
"I noticed that too." The older man agreed then cast a glance at Sirius' empty teacup. "For only the first dose that's quite a lot of change."
Harry nodded slowly. "It's easy to notice the lack of something when you're so used to always seeing it. With the Serenity the effects are fairly immediate, most people would only need the one dose. It's only the fact that he needs to heal years worth of sustained damage that make him need more than that." He explained, adding another note to his list of observations.
"So if I took it?"
The boy king looked up from his writing and gave his former teacher the entirety of his attention. "To put it plainly you would likely require a slightly longer regimen than Sirius, five or six doses. Based on the damage from Moony, from the Wolfsbane that your normal healing brews couldn't fix. Stress and emotional trauma add on to that too."
"Right." Remus muttered, gaze dropping to stare down at his own scarred hands. "It would be expensive too, phoenix tear and bada-horangi blood are hard to come by not to mention all the other ingredients."
"Typically yes, but you wouldn't be paying anything for your doses." Harry told him and quickly held up a hand to forestall an argument. "That's not to say it would be technically free or charity. You'd be the first werewolf to take the potion, that means I'll need you to keep a comprehensive journal that starts before the first dose and continues for several months after the last one. You would need to reflect on things that you will initially want to shy away from."
Seeing the confusion on the others' faces Harry leaned forward and let his arms cross on the desk in front of him.
"The day you were infected with lycanthropy is a deeply traumatic memory, you'll need to reflect and give word in detail how you feel when you think about it both as a whole and in parts. The pain, fear, the diagnosis afterward and your own thoughts and feelings about your parents reactions. Your memories being a child that was different from others, growing up, your time at Hogwarts, the war. Even my parents' deaths and the time after."
Remus shifted in his chair, licking his lips in a clear show of unease. "I…"
"It will get easier as you take each dose. The potion will be healing the scars from both the events themselves but also the mental and emotional impact they had." Harry offered. "It won't erase that the events that caused them happened and you'll need to speak to a therapist for a while to make sure you learn how to properly process those sorts of events so you don't slowly relapse one day."
"Is that really likely?" Remus asked, brows furrowed thoughtfully.
"Not for most things, but the more complex, life altering traumas it's a possibility. You need to teach yourself and by extension your subconscious how to process and let go of those underlying pain and fear associations. The longer you put it off and try to ignore it, the deeper you let them take root." Harry explained, his tone calm and even.
The werewolf nodded, eyes focused on the scarred hands folded in his lap. "Can I think about it?" He asked quietly.
"Of course, it won't be an option until after Sirius has finished his own course, which won't be for another couple of weeks since it's a once a week treatment." Harry told him, his own arms unfolding as he leaned back and reached for his quill. "So not until after we get back from Japan at least."
Remus inclined his head slightly, expression locked into that thoughtful frown as he considered the costs and the potential benefits.
Movement behind him brought Sirius back into the office proper and he watched his old friend sink back into his seat.
"All the light ones are gone, the heavier ones are smaller or lighter. You were right." The animagus announced, grey eyes focused on his godson.
"Magical or mundane scars?"
"A few of each." Sirius shrugged.
Remus raised an eyebrow at him. "Does that mean you finally got rid of that one you had on your thigh from when Sarah Taffey tried to hex your bollocks off when she caught you snogging Millidere Morden behind the courtyard statue in sixth year?" He queried, expression shifting into something much more amused.
Casting a look from the werewolf to Harry and back, Sirius scrunched his nose up at the other. "Yes."
Harry sighed and shook his head slightly. "I'm just going to focus on the scar thing, I think."
"Probably for the best." Moony agreed with a small grin.
"Oi, you're the one that brought it up." Sirius grumbled.
The werewolf's grin widened and his eyes sparkled merrily. "Just to watch you squirm."
"Wanker."
"Tosspot."
Sighing again at the two old friends and contemplated trying to steer the conversation back on point for a second time only to pause when the clock on his desk chimed and a flock of tiny enchanted owls flew out of it and around it before they flew their way back into their clock nest.
Twelve owls for twelve o'clock.
"Time for us to head out to the field so we're ready for the portkeys." He announced and pushed to his feet. He tugged at his waistcoat to straighten it and patted down his pockets to double check the shrunken luggage that he planned to carry with him while Hildegara handled the rest.
It was only a small group going, just Harry, Sirius and Frederick being escorted by Hildegara - who in fact informed Harry that she would be accompanying him - and a few other elves and a squad of goblin warriors hand picked by Ruknukle and of course including the taciturn goblin himself.
While there Harry would have a few business items to take care of, like formalising a peace agreement and a trade agreement that was rather happily beneficial to both nations. It also helped that both sides held the belief that traditions should be respected and honoured where possible but that progress was of equal importance.
Aside from that, Harry had been promised access to the Imperial Library, Gardens and the nations top magical-medical researchers.
In exchange Harry would share knowledge including his most recent inventions and advances. He would still hold the patent of course, which he had found out worked differently in the magical world from the mundane one, opperating as both patent which announced the formula or directions for creation of a specific thing, and a master license which awarded exclusive rights and royalties to the inventor and their immediate family. However certain individuals could be licensed to study them and in limited cases recreate them without having to pay Harry - or Volstar by extension - a fee or a percentage of retail, as long as they were approved of by Harry and awarded a special sub-license.
Though it hadn't come up at the time the original dialogue had taken place in regard to that exchange, Harry already had plans to allow the Emperor's chief Healer the sub-license to test and recreate the Healing Serenity since he knew it would likely be asked about when they sat down for discussion and it would help improve relations a step further if he made what was turning out to be one of the most powerful healing potions in the world available to the imperial household. A big step further.
That had been an interesting revelation, finding out that the imperial throne passed down the magical side of certain bloodlines. The Emperor - or Empress - themselves always being magical and their spouse always mundane so as to create a harmonious balance between the two sides of society and to ensure both sides were equally accepted and spoken for when important matters of state needed discussing.
A magical and mundane marriage reflecting yin and yang.
Harry had supposed that was where the old legend came from, that the first Emperor was born of the gods to help guide and govern man.
The tie to 'other' lingering in legend, just like it had done across Europe.
The trip out to the port zone was largely uneventful, aside from Remus double checking this or that. Even though he still had access to Harry at a moment's thought via the crown-earring connection, he still liked to cover most conversations in person where possible.
And he worried, near constantly.
Which in this case was a bit fair, Harry reckoned, since Japan had just a month prior felt the wrath of a terrible earthquake that had caused horrible devastation and loss of life.
But they reached the large stretch of ground which had recently been rendered permanent via the placement of patterned paving and took their places. Each of them held an intricately folded paper dragon that had been turned into a portkey.
Unlike the debacle with the British Ministry, the Japanese one had paid close attention to the number of people Harry would be bringing along with him and had properly supplied each of them with a personal portkey to remove any awkwardness.
They had also been timed to ensure that a small group of Harry's guards would be ported across first so they could scope out the area and take up defensive positions before Harry and the rest of the group would be ported across.
It was, technically speaking, a small consideration. But it was nonetheless one that both Harry and his guard had appreciated, it showed a level of thoughtfulness regarding Harry's comfort and general safety. Something that had been in short supply where his own birth nation was concerned.
Harry noted the moment the advanced guard were whirled away and turned his attention to Remus who was standing to one side to see them off. "Remember that Bill's staying to help out around the office, so if we get another reply back from Egypt, go over it with him in case there's some cultural context or niceties that need observing. I don't want us to accidentally upset anyone and have those doors close on us."
"I will, Harry, don't worry." The older man assured him with a smile.
Alright, maybe Remus wasn't the only one that worried.
He felt a small pulse from the origami dragon in his hand and had a moment to appreciate the fact that whoever had charmed it had also included a small warning to let the user know that it was about to trigger.
He had seen the small additional layer when he had checked over the portkeys upon arrival to double check that they all went to the correct place, but it hadn't clicked at the time just what it was meant to do in practice.
The young king had enough time to give Remus a nod of farewell before the world twisted around him, leaving him with a somewhat familiar sensation of both rushing and warping.
When the world righted again Harry was standing in the centre of his small group in a carefully selected section of what he had been informed in letter was the Imperial Gardens.
The portkeys, having served their purpose and no longer needed hissed and turned to ash that was quickly blown away by the gentle breeze.
At strategic points around the area, oni guards had been positioned to keep the peace, much the same way that Harry's goblin guards were. Harry also spotted a few kyuubi slotted in here and there for added measure.
Both were sapient magical races native to Japan, much like the goblins and elves - and many more - were to Europe. The oni sharing a similar cultural standing to the goblins, though the kyuubi had no immediate parallel in Europe, they were intensely powerful magical beings that had a natural lifespan that numbered in the thousands of years and were seen as both incredibly wise and mercurial as a result. The presence of so many acting as guards from the imperial family was in its own way a very polite but solid show of both power and influence.
They were also natural shape shifters like the human metamorphmagus, which Harry personally thought was rather interesting and he made a mental note to see if he could arrange for a chat with a couple to compare knowledge and experiences.
Positioned in front of Harry's group, though a respectful distance stood a group of people he knew to be the Imperial family, the Japanese Prime Minister, the Japanese Minister for Magic and the chief of security for the Imperial family along with who Harry assumed was a photographer and reporter further back who would record this first meeting for posterity and what it could potentially mean for the world political stage. Or at least the magical side of it.
Seeing that Harry's focus had settled on them and was therefore ready to begin formalities Emperor Akihito took a couple steps forward and offered Harry a shallow bow.
Deep enough to denote respect but not so much that he announced Harry of a higher social rank than himself, which wouldn't have been true. He was offering Harry a position of equality, despite the younger leader only recently having come into power. Behind him the rest of the group had followed the Emperor into their own bows of greeting though deeper to denote their own positions as lower than Harry's - and thus the Emperors own - in terms of social and political status.
Taking a few steps to put himself ahead of the rest of his entourage and meet his older counterpart and offered his own bow in return, making it a little deeper than the older man's own in deference to his greater experiences and seniority. All the while mentally patting himself on the back for having the forethought to do as much research as he could into Japanese culture and etiquette.
When they straightened Emperor Akihito took another step forward to close the distance and offered his hand for Harry to shake in the western custom of greeting. "Welcome to our lands, King Harry of Volstar. We hope your stay with us will be as peaceful as it is enlightening."
"Thank you. We're honoured by the courtesy you have shown us." Harry replied, stepping forward to close the distance and shake the older leader's hand while photos were discretely being taken of the exchange.
They each took turns quietly introducing their respective groups before they were led on a tour of the grounds which was apparently closed to the public on Tuesdays under the excuse of maintenance. Though in actuality that day was set aside for the use of the magical populace and for the Imperial family themselves should the mood strike.
The conversation was largely light, discussing recent events and construction - or reconstruction post earthquake - and plans for other research going forward.
It struck Harry again, how much the other was treating him as an equal. He didn't try to talk down to Harry or skirt around topics as if Harry wouldn't understand them. It was so different from the few other meetings he had had with other leaders of government that Harry had more than once wondered what made the difference. If it was just a personal and political choice, how all world leaders were treated.
Or, if it was specific to Harry in some way, because of Harry in some way.
He had mentioned his animagus form in his original letters when he was requesting access to their libraries so he could learn more about eastern dragons, and he knew that most Asian nations revered their dragons to a certain extent but he wasn't sure that was it.
Eventually both groups went their separate ways, the Emperor onto other business and his family and staff to their tasks for the day. And Harry and company showed to their suites - which Harry noted was rather close to the Imperial families own - to rest before dinner.
Safely enclosed in his suite, Harry swept over it curiously, intent on checking for any attempts to spy or otherwise invade his privacy and was both surprised and pleased to find nothing but a wellness charm bound to the room which would notify a receiver elsewhere in the palace that someone inside was in poor health.
It was very discreet but not hidden which helped him come to the conclusion that it was there as a safety feature rather than an attempt to gather personal information for less than kind intentions.
Frederick had agreed, informing him that it was fairly standard practice for the charms to be placed in the residences of leaders while in office. The chief physician having the other end to ensure quick response in case of sudden illness or even assassination attempts.
Harry had been assured that similar measures would be put into place when his own palace was constructed.
Which, really, was the most anyone had said about the future royal palace for Volstar in several months.
Apparently everyone had gotten used to the idea that Harry was in fact truly serious about making sure all the other buildings he considered important were completed before anyone even thought about working on something as time consuming as a palace.
Though they would be starting work on the Great Library in the next week.
That was one project that Harry was more than eager to see underway and completed.
Hermione must be so proud, Harry reckoned.
He'd gone and turned into a bookworm just like her.
Poor Ron.