Chapter 7

Fiercely, Harry swirled his wand around in circles fighting off Antonin Dolohov with everything he had. Admittedly the man was crafty and powerful, but Harry was more than a match for the man now.

An unknown Death Eater tried to get involved in the fight to tip the scales, but Harry eviscerated the man before the slightest difference could be made. Dolohov grimaced at the sight, and Harry pressed the man even harder.

Slipping past a killing curse, Harry did a complete spin, and launched a blaster so fast that Dolohov was tossed backwards wounded, but not down for the count. The teen intended to finish the job, but a scream brought him up short.

His eyes drifted behind him preparing for another fight, but the sight took all the wind out of his sails. Ginny was lying on the ground cradling the body of a familiar blonde boy that had a surprised lifeless expression on his face. The face of Colin Creevey seared itself into Harry's brain.

"No." Harry whispered in devastation. The boy had been too young to be a part of this fight. McGonagall had told everyone under the age of seventeen to leave, but the stupid, brave Gryffindor sixth year didn't listen.

A rage flared so hot through his body that Harry's wand was producing sparks as he turned to Dolohov who was struggling back to his feet. Giving the man no time, Harry roared out, "Crucio!"

Unlike the previous time when Harry had tried to use the spell on Bellatrix, this time the spell worked. The man screamed in agony, causing many heads to jerk his way, but Harry was on the man in a flash, beating his face repeatedly with his fist. A Death Eater moved forward to engage Harry, but he blasted a hole through the man's chest with a gouging charm before he took more than a step. By the time he returned to continue pounding Dolohov, the light in the man's eyes was already gone, and his face was nothing but a bloody mess.

Harry released the man, and a cold feeling settled in his stomach as he caught the lull in the battle where many were staring at him. The moment was halted by the screeching of creatures coming over a nearby ridge. Acromantulas. Dozens of them. Harry growled in frustration, and began casting powerful elemental curses into their numbers, and fell back into the zone of battle as quickly as he had fallen out of it.

.o.

"We need to talk to him, Charlus." Dorea said with a worried tone as she watched Harry put in the final few laps of his morning run, clearly struggling more than usual.

Charlus frowned as he could make out the dark circles under his son's eyes, "I could see it on his face this morning. I thought about raising the topic, but I don't want him to close up on us. We will need to earn his trust."

"We took him in, Charlus." Dorea protested, "I know it may seem like an obvious decision for us, but I get the feeling Harry was more than prepared for us to turn him away. Almost as if he expected it."

"What did you sense from him this morning?" Charlus asked cautiously, feeling a little guilty about prying into the boy's emotional state.

"Pain, Charlus. Immense pain and regret. Whatever he saw in his sleep last night could not have been good." Dorea said, trying to keep her expression straight as Harry would occasionally glance over towards them. She did not wish to make the boy uncomfortable with personal questions.

Thinking for a long moment Charlus sighed, "We need to give him sometime. Dory, the boy died in his time. Everyone he knew was killed. He probably saw some of his closest friends, who were just children themselves, get murdered in horrific ways. If we push him to confide in us before he is ready he will clam up."

"He is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders." Dorea said sadly.

"Then we must do what we can to lessen that burden. Give him every tool we have access to. Trust him. If Dumbledore was leading the war against Voldemort more before Harry took charge I can only imagine the type of trust issues he could have. I doubt our old transfiguration teacher gave him much of a say in anything. If we listen to his ideas, and do our best to make them a reality we will gain his trust just by doing what we should as his parents." Charlus said confidently.

Taking a deep breath the woman nodded, "Whatever it takes. I just hope you are right, Charlus."

.o.

Harry had again woken up rattled from his dreams. This made his training that morning even more difficult than it was yesterday as he fought his way through exhaustion. The lack of sleep was certainly taking a minor toll on the young man now, and if Charlus or Dorea noticed they didn't comment. He could see the look in Dorea's eye that morning at breakfast though. She clearly wanted to ask what was wrong, but thankfully she respected his privacy, because he was not prepared to talk about his own failures.

The memory of little Colin Creevey had brought a heavy burden to his mind, and the thought of Dennis not growing up with his brother caused an ache in Harry that he could never even describe. Another painful reminder of those he had failed in his previous timeline had nearly left him non-functional in the beginning of his training, but eventually, Harry shook the horrible feelings away for the time being.

Charlus had told Harry later that he had a good feel for all his strengths and weaknesses. Now it was time to begin making his skills bigger, faster, and stronger. Harry had to admit that after their second day of training, he believed Charlus was the most powerful wizard he had met, and that included both Dumbledore and the Dark Lord.

Of course, Harry had only ever seen Dumbledore battle on a few occasions before his untimely demise. The Headmaster was very creative with his magic, and did things Harry was certainly capable of, but never considered in the heat of the moment. It was also undeniable that despite the man's age, he was quite nimble and incredibly fast with his wand.

Voldemort, on the other hand, was always so hell-bent on just killing Harry that he had never seen the monster fight in open combat. The times that they had faced each other the man seemed chaotic, and unorganized in his use of dark and dangerous magics, which Harry supposed was a strategy in itself.

Charlus however seemed to bend the world to his will. He chained spells together in a way Harry had never seen or even heard of. It was the strategy he spoke of that convinced Harry there would be very few, if any, that could stand toe to toe with the man. The youngest Potter was also certain that the longer the fight lasted the more likely Charlus would come out on top. The man was a powerhouse, and Harry no longer had to wonder why Voldemort sought his Great Uncle out. The man was a threat, and there was no other way to describe him or his wife.

Dorea, like Dumbledore, was so creative with her magic, and so fluid, that Harry was certain she would've made Bellatrix in her prime look like chump change. Harry realized that this is what War Mages looked like. People who would go off to war, and no matter the cost, win. He was terribly saddened by the fact that had either of these two lived, the war could've gone differently if they had been in Harry's corner from the get-go.

After finishing training with his mum and dad, Harry busied himself with reading in his family's library. There were many books in the library written by Potters throughout the ages, and Harry was fascinated to read about the legacy his family had left on the world. The stories Abraham Potter II had written in his personal journals were incredible. Harry had yet to get to his time in the Triwizard tournament, but he was greatly anticipating the moment when he read about his ancestor's adventures.

A part of him held a sense of loss knowing all the private texts his family had were lost when Voldemort burnt Potter Manor to the ground in the first war. In his head, Harry was already thinking of ways to preserve the library in case the worst were to happen again.

As the afternoon came to a close, Harry sat down with Dorea who gave him a quick rundown of pureblood etiquette and manners which would serve him well for his evening with the Blacks. At first, he felt a little out of his depth, but Charlus assured Harry that Arcturus would not hold any faux pas against the young man.

At some point in the evening, Charlus had talked to Fleamont over the Floo, and said that they would be by sometime soon so Harry could meet James, and that James and Sirius were both anxious to meet the new cousin that came from nowhere. The thought of meeting his father and godfather as young men gave Harry a bit of anxiety, but he swallowed it down knowing it was something he had dreamt of for as long as he could remember. What could go wrong?

When nightfall came, Harry found himself walking in a familiar part of London. The area of Islington was warm this time of year, and, as he laid eyes on Grimmauld Place, it was odd knowing it wasn't under the Fidelius charm anymore. Dorea had an arm looped through Harry's as they walked towards the front door, and Harry whispered quietly to the woman, "My last visit here wasn't a good memory. A Death Eater by the name of Corban Yaxley had followed my friends and I back here after we broke into the Ministry. This had been our only safe place for a long time, and it was under the Fidelius charm in my time."

Dorea looked curious, but knew now was not the time to question him. Charlus swore quietly under his breath, "I fought with a member of the Yaxley family in Europe. He was a good man, another unpleasant surprise I suppose."

Dorea tapped the black front door with her wand causing it to open with no resistance. In Harry's mind, he could see the fake ghost of Dumbledore charging down the hallway. The final defense Moody had created 20 years in the future still haunted the back of Harry's mind.

Making their way through the door, Harry realized the house was much cleaner now than it would be in twenty years. Other than the layout, Harry could hardly recognize the place without all the dust and grime. As they made their way past the staircase Harry looked to his right to realize the best thing about the house he was in now was that there was no painting of Walburga Black. It was a nice change to be able to walk through the house unbothered by the screeching woman, but he took a deep breath realizing he was about to come face to face with the original for the first time.

The chattering of the family could be heard from the hallway, and Dorea stiffened for a moment before entering. Charlus eyed his wife with worry, but Harry had control of the situation as he patted the woman on the hand that was linked through his arm, "We don't have to do this if you aren't ready. Arcturus would understand. We are behind you no matter what."

Harry knew the woman had not often faced her family since the loss of her son. Being in this moment with her husband and Harry couldn't have been easy for her, but still she held a brave face in the heat of the moment. Shaking her head as though she could tell what Harry had been thinking just from the look he gave her, she squeezed Harry's hand, "I have nothing to be ashamed of. You will be the pride of this family once they accept you. Of that I have no doubt. Come Harry, let us face the Black Clan together."

"Merlin, help us." Charlus muttered causing a grin to spread across Harry's face.

Dorea dragged Harry forward with her into the lively dining room, and when she did total silence spread throughout the room. As Dorea squeezed Harry's hand one last time she separated from her husband and surrogate son as she moved towards her brother at the head of the table taking her spot that had remained empty for nearly ten years.

Charlus and Harry on the other hand moved down the table and took a seat next to a man that had to be Harfang Longbottom, who offered Charlus a hand with only a smile, eyeballing Harry curiously. Most of the family's eyes were on Dorea, but nearly all flickered towards Harry and Charlus periodically. It quickly became clear that they were waiting for Arcturus to say something, but the man merely whispered a few words to his sister, who offered him a grateful smile.

It was clear to Harry they were the last to arrive as he attempted to identify each person in the room. The only faces he really recognized other than the people he had met since his return were the three daughters of Cygnus and Druella Black. All three girls were straight knockouts.

Bellatrix being the oldest was still only in her mid-twenties, and her purple eyes sized up Harry like he was a potential threat. Bellatrix's hair was tamer than it was when he encountered her in the future. It still looked fairly curly, but it was styled and well-kept.

Narcissa hardly even glanced at the boy with anything other than curious scrutiny, and Harry noted her light blue eyes and blonde hair were quite fetching, and let his mind wander to when he dueled her at Malfoy Manor. That cold, older blonde woman had lived in what seemed like a loveless marriage with nothing but an evil ferret for a son. It wasn't exactly an ideal existence Harry figured.

Then his eyes made it to Andromeda, and she eyed the boy with a slight grin and a wink when they made eye contact. For a brief moment, Harry wondered if Andromeda somehow knew who he was, but quickly wrote it off as the girl just being friendly. Her brown hair was light, as were her big warm eyes that reminded him of the woman he knew and respected in his own time. She resisted torture from the Death Eaters, and refused to sell him out after the battle of the Seven Potters. He would forever be grateful to the woman, and her daughter who had been a great friend.

The only other person he recognized was Walburga Black. She looked exactly as her painting did. Her relation to Black family couldn't have been more evident as she had a look that was eerily similar to the three Black sisters. Harry recalled that Walburga was her husband Orion's second cousin, which made her a Black by blood even distantly.

The silence carried on for only a few moments before Arcturus raised a glass indicating the start of the family meeting, "Welcome, my family. We have much to discuss before our guest arrives, and I would like to open the table to anyone who has any qualms, or problems that need to be discussed. Before I do so I would like to offer congratulations to Alphard Black though on attaining the Defense Against the Dark Arts Post at Hogwarts. Well done, my boy."

Alphard bowed his head to the lord of his house, and some in the family clapped while Walburga sneered, "Yes, well done, brother. You can now go suck up to the Great Dumbles himself." The woman turned her eyes to Charlus, "I hear your brother is harboring my blood traitor of a son. I have already requested that he be cast out from the family, so perhaps your family will come to some sense and release the boy into the wild where he belongs."

Charlus showed no emotion at the woman's words, but Dorea had no such qualm in showing her outrage, "I have spoken to my sister-in-law about young Sirius' arrival at one of the Potter homes, and he has been welcomed with open arms for as long as he pleases. And I assure you, if he desired it he could have stayed with my family."

The woman sneered at that, and in the corner of Harry's eyes, he could see Arcturus was already pinching the bridge of his nose. "We have been over this, Walburga. I am not casting your son out of the family for disagreeing with our politics. That is not what Black blood is all about. Not while I am the head of the family. Now if there are no further issues there are other things to discuss."

"I have a qualm." Walburga added immediately, "Since when do we allow outsiders to our family meetings? I see my dear Aunt Dorea has brought her husband Charlus out of hiding with her, but what of this boy? I did not realize we were allowing anyone to our family meetings these days."

Dorea adopted a look of fury, "How dare you insinuate I brought an outsider to this meeting. This is my son, Harry Arcturus Potter."

Gasps were heard around the table at the proclamation. The middle name was something Harry and his family had discussed earlier, and he had accepted the alternate middle name without a fuss. Naming him the same middle name as his father would've been tough to explain in this time period.

Walburga had a scowl on her face, and her nose wrinkled in disgust. "What, did you go adopt a Mudblood?"

Harry glared at the woman, speaking for himself, "Glad to know I would've been so welcomed to the family if I was."

Arcturus chuckled, "Forgive my faux pas, niece, and remainder of our family. This is Harry Arcturus Potter, the son of Dorea and Charlus Potter. He is obviously a Black on his mother's side."

A man Harry did not recognize stood immediately, "Lies! If this boy is who you say he is he would've appeared on the family tree at birth. There are no names next to Henry's!"

Dorea flinched at his name, and Harry glared at the man for causing his adopted mother distress. Arcturus however shouted at him, "Aye, Cygnus, this is true. Charlus, however, came to me a short time after we lost Henry, and begged I help keep the boy a secret."

A woman Harry recognized by photograph, Cassiopeia Black, asked, "Why was this boy kept a secret? After the loss of your first born, Charlus, and the solitude that followed, I don't understand why he wasn't your step back into the world. If my math is right you stepped even further away around the time of this young man's birth. Why?"

Charlus nodded to the fairly elderly woman saying, "Something you all have to understand is that when we lost Henry, we shortly realized afterwards that Dorea was pregnant with our second child. After losing Henry we had a great fear of dragon pox. There are so many old traditions where heirs to the house are paraded around and introduced to every person the parents or heads of house can think of to start making the child's contacts from day one, but this is how we lost our boy."

Charlus offered his wife a sad smile before his eyes returned to Cassie, "We went with Harry overseas to America immediately to have him checked by the best healers in our world. We decided to lay roots down there with some good friends of mine who helped us watch over him. Harry was only with us for thirteen months before he was already displaying powerful bouts of accidental magic, and we knew the boy was going to be special."

Alphard Black inhaled sharply, "Thirteen months? That's almost unheard of."

Dorea spoke, "It was. We wanted the boy raised away from all the pureblood propaganda as well that continued to dominate our country, and we saw the signs of big things on the horizon. Possibly another war, so with the help of our American friends we raised him overseas, and made him the best wizard he can be. I left nothing to chance with my son. Only five people knew he really was until today."

Orion, who was currently the heir to House Black asked his father, "Why bring him out now?"

"They brought me back to fight, and defend my family if I have to." Harry said coldly.

Orion Black, who Harry only recognized by sitting so close to Walburga, said, "Defend from what?"

Arcturus wandlessly summoned a newspaper that sat on a nearby China cabinet, "There are signs of a coming conflict. This symbol appears in the sky. The missing people. The rise of an interesting pureblood movement in the Wizengamot shows that something big is happening behind the scenes. I advised Charlus weeks ago that it was time for Harry to join the family, and he took my advice well. Harry couldn't hide forever after all. We had intended to leave him in America until he graduated, but it seems that was not meant to be."

Most of the Black family were looking at him with suspicion, but no one else pointed fingers. Arcturus prompted anyone who had problems to come forward. The only other discussion of note was the mentioning of a marriage agreement between Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. Harry noted the girl looked pleased, but both her sisters seemed disturbed. Arcturus said that he still wished to speak with the head of house Malfoy before the contract was finished, and Cygnus promised that he was supposed to be attending this meeting with their special guest. Arcturus however cited that those discussions could not be held with so many around, and that they would have to make an appointment with him first. Cygnus looked properly cowed by the end of the conversation, and no one else brought up any further points.

Arcturus began discussing upcoming birthday and holiday plans within the family, but he cut himself off mid-sentence with a frown. At the same time, Harry felt a familiar chill run down his spine as he closed his eyes, sensing a magical presence that made him hot with anger. The atmosphere seemed to tense at the flare of his magic, and he slammed his Occlumency shields into place to keep calm, and reign in his magic. Arcturus looked to his nephew questioningly, and Harry spoke to answer the look he was receiving, "Uncle, our guests have arrived."

Charlus looked to Dorea who looked near sick as her empathic abilities picked up the man's signature. It was then that Harry got a nod from his adopted father. Looking questioningly at the man, Charlus tapped the bottom of his eye, and Harry felt a slight probe of legilimency, 'If this man draws a wand we take him here and now. Arcturus and Harfang will fight with us.'

Harry's eyes widened and his heart roared in anticipation. The thought of battling with all these magical powerhouses made his adrenaline spike. Nodding his head in understanding, he saw Charlus looking towards the door as if expecting the devil himself to walk through at any moment.

Bellatrix broke the silence a moment later by nearly jumping out of her seat, "I will see them in, my Lord."

Bellatrix was gone in a flash, and Arcturus looked to Harry and Charlus offering both men a subtle nod as if he had received the older Potter's message loud and clear without even being spoken to. Desperately Harry tried to reel in his magic, because he knew the Dark Lord would know something was wrong if he entered the room with the young man in his current state. A few deep breaths and Harry closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable encounter.

(A/N) A confrontation with this world's Voldemort is right around the corner! If you want to read that confrontation TODAY you can join me on discord and check out my advanced content. Next week Discord will go up to 3 chapters ahead of FFN and is already on Chapter 13 so if you want to see more of where this story is heading please give me a look at Pat(reon) OrionB15. Until then I will see you all in two weeks. Cheers!

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