Gringotts
Lord Animus arrived in the early spring of 1979. This time his first stop was at Gringotts.
Like his previous visit he was recognized right away, but this time he didn't even need to speak with a teller before he was instead guided back to see Griphook immediately.
The first thing Griphook did was show him how his vault was doing. At the end of his previous day his vault had had a little over 500,000 galleons from the original followers of Voldemort and Arcturus Black. It now held over 40 million galleons. Animus had known trusting Griphook had been a good idea. Animus finished looking over the financial reports as he handed over a collection of investments, in both the muggle and magical world, for the next few years.
From there they moved on to the properties he had bought. Everything he had requested had been done. The land in the muggle world had been purchased and the demiguise had been released under the watchful eye of Alphard Black. The herd now numbered over 100 and they were producing over 500 invisibility cloaks a year that were sold outside of Britain to hide the business from the government interference. Even better, Griphook had seen the value in creating a chemical disposal company in the muggle world since the chemicals in the property were almost gone. It would allow them to continue to feed and grow the herd while also making even more money from the chemical disposal. Animus signed the paperwork claiming the company, legally goblins couldn't own a business outside their own lands, which was under the bank, but they could be his silent partners.
He quickly laid out his plans for the property once all the chemicals were gone in the next year or so. He wanted Griphook to hire a magical construction company, preferably one that hired beings, to create a town.
In Britain the only fully magical village was Hogsmeade. The village was incredibly small, there were only about 30 homes and a dozen or so businesses. Because there wasn't anywhere else to live most ended up living in what was labeled mixed magical villages but was actually a muggle town with one or two magical families trying to hide there, not that they were very good at blending in.
But he intended to change that. The town he was planning would have room for a few hundred families. In the centre of the area would be the town centre where there would be a public park. Around there would be a shopping district.
Under normal circumstances something like what he was planning wouldn't be possible since it would require Ministry approval, and they rejected ideas like his all the time. But as he held the title of High King Pendragon he outranked the Ministry and could do what he wanted with his privately owned land and they couldn't interfere. It made it even more fun that they couldn't even demand taxes from him for the shops that were opened on his lands.
The Ministry blocked most beings from owning businesses, thankfully things hadn't yet gotten so bad that they were denied jobs, but it was bad enough. They would be able to get jobs that paid equal wages in his town and even be able to open their own businesses. The fastest way to normalize being rights was to have wixen live along side them and see they weren't the monsters they were often times portrayed as.
He was pleased to learn that the company he had recommended to Arcturus and Melania was still up and running, previously it had only lasted a few years. They would be perfect to use in helping to design the town he wanted to create.
After a bit more discussion they finished up their financial dealings and Griphook took him to a private office he could rent so he could go over the paperwork that had accumulated over the previous 18 years. One of the things he had Gringotts do before he left was hire a research group that had kept track of certain things for him and now he had to read what they had gathered. Not all of it was overly important, but he wanted to know the basics before he returned to the Black Castle. He had already sent a note to Arcturus he would be joining them later and requested that Dorea Potter nee Black be there too.
One of the first things he checked on was the summery of the changes in the laws. He was glad to see that a number of the worst laws had failed to pass. The ones that did pass even had his recommended changes to them limiting their damage. One law that he greatly enjoyed was the law making it illegal to join the Death Eaters. It was much the same as it had been in his time, but there were a few changes that even he hadn't thought to suggest. The first was that it specifically said 'willingly', that meant since Voldemort was told to threaten those that came to willingly be marked if they were questioned and said they had been threatened they technically hadn't committed a crime. The second change, and the one that thrilled him most was that The Order of the Phoenix was also added to the list of illegal fighting groups. According to the law The Order of the Phoenix was deemed an illegal vigilante group and would suffer the same punishments as the Death Eaters, including having to reimburse for damages.
The next section was dedicated to the deaths in the war. He was relieved to see the Dark was taking his recommendations of being careful who they attacked. While there were still a large number dead, the numbers were less than half of what it had been the first time around.
Then he moved on to information that wasn't connected to the war.
First was the grades at Hogwarts. Like he had suggested Melania had taken up a position on the school governors. He had had a letter sent to her documenting a history of both the staff at Hogwarts as well as the OWL and NEWT testers altering grades. It came to a head in 1967 with the death of a defence apprentice, Heir Titus Proudmore. The Proudmore family, one well known for their Gryffindor nature and close connections to Dumbledore had sued the defence master, Didemus Avery.
Originally the Proudmore family had won their suit and were awarded millions in damages. It had effectively bankrupted the entire Avery family that banded together to make sure Didemus didn't end up in Azkaban. Dumbledore had also used his death to reduce apprenticeships until by the time he came of age they were practically non-existent in Britain and those that did exist only did so because he had personally approved of them.
Animus provided Melania with the truth. Titus simply wasn't smart enough to have gotten the apprenticeship. Knowing his dreams his family had requested assistance from Albus to ensure he did well in defence, and since he was one of Dumbledores favoured Gryffindors he did as they asked since it also made the family indebted to him.
Titus Proudmore had originally failed his defence OWL, but his family and Albus hadn't let that stop him. Albus had 'kindly' requested the tester give the 'poor boy' just a few extra points so he wouldn't lose his dream. And the family requested the same from one of the testers that was associated with them. Between the two testers, only one of which had actually tested the boy, Titus was just able to get into the NEWT class.
While he had managed to pass his NEWT by the skin of his teeth it hadn't been high enough to become an apprentice to a regular master, and Didemus Avery was considered one of the top masters in the country, his standards for students was much higher. Once again Albus and his family had interfered. This time they had both gone to multiple different people to get a few extra points added. Ultimately between all the different people increasing the boys grade, thinking they were the only ones to do so, his grade rose 23 points. This gave him a final grade just 2 points above the minimum required by Didemus.
Without their interference Titus never would have gotten the apprenticeship. Because he was given the wrong grade information Didemus was unaware of his new students limits and started teaching him at a higher level than he was capable and he lost control, killing himself.
With the information he had provided Melania they were able to get the wrongful death suit dismissed. It was legally determined that Titus was responsible for his own death, although they made sure to censure both Hogwarts, the OWL and NEWT testers, and the Proudmore family for their involvement.
But it didn't end there. Melania also pointed out how the testing was pointless if both the staff of the school and the testers were giving students grades they hadn't earned. To combat that she recommended they start using honesty ink.
Honesty ink had been created in America the year before and was originally intended as part of a mind healer program. The ink only showed up if the person writing was being completely honest. It was intended to have patients truthfully write how they were feeling or what was going on to force them to confront reality.
But it could be used to ensure that the marks being given were truthful. No one would be able to alter the appropriate grades. She also got them to agree that all tests had to be placed under a seal so once they were marked no one could go back and remark them under an easier marking scheme. And the school board didn't just implement those policies for OWL and NEWT tests, they made it a requirement that all tests and assignments at the school be handled in the same way.
Then there was the werewolf issue. He had tried all ways he could, but nothing worked, Remus Lupin was meant to be a werewolf. But he did ensure it wasn't as horrible as it could have been. He left time delayed letters for the international potioners guild that included a recipe for a potion that would stop the pain of the shift. It wouldn't stop the madness outright, but it would reduce it as the wolf wouldn't be in pain.
He had had the potion sent to a number of different potions masters associated with the guild to ensure they were made public. If he had just sent them to those in Britain he had no doubt they would be covered up. He also had had to make sure that they were made public before the wolfsbane potion by Damocles Belby was created. Belby hated wolves and his potion actually killed them slowly while increasing their pain and madness, something the Ministry had been aware of and had not only allowed, but encouraged.
The potion had been made public only a few years after his last visit and was too widespread before the British Ministry of Magic realized so they couldn't stop it. And that wasn't something those bigoted sadists would do anyway , they loved to make beings suffer as much as possible. Checking the records he was relieved to see that the Lupins had had a monthly supply of the potion delivered since Remus had been turned, although it didn't escape his notice that the name on the potions purchase order was Hope Lupin and not Remus's father despite her being a muggle. He had no doubt the man was just as hateful as always.
From what Remus had told him while his father had loved and protected him he had made no secret of how much he hated werewolves. That was why he had been so worried about being a father himself. Teddy hadn't been born of some great love affair as Tonks had told people before they were killed in the battle of Hogwarts, instead, the woman had gotten Remus drunk and shifted her features to look like someone he confessed he had had a crush on, Regulus Black. Remus never wanted Teddy to think his father didn't love him even as he hated what the childs mother had done to force a marriage.
Looking over the records compiled on Remus he was pleased. Remus had finished Hogwarts with the top scores in history, defence, arithmancy, and ancient runes. He was also in the top ten in every other class other than potions which Animus knew he struggled with due to his enhanced senses and sensitivity to certain ingredients. Ultimately he had graduated as the top student of his year and had been doing relatively ok. He had a part time job at a small book shop and a small place his mum had left him when she passed. Although he was often off on missions that he had no doubt came from Dumbledore.
The next file was on Severus Snape, or as he was now known, Severus Prince-Snape. This file showed a brilliant and seemingly well adjusted young man. It would seem his recommendations were followed about putting pressure on his grandparents. They had been awarded partial custody of him on grounds of neglect when he had been 4 and given full custody when he was 9 due to evidence of physical abuse. He had had monthly visitations with his parents but didn't seem to have been in contact with them since he came of age and could make his own decisions. There was a note that the visitation meetings had specifically been forced through by none other than Albus Dumbledore and the man had tried multiple times to return him to his parents but had thankfully failed.
Severus had graduated with the top grade in potions, naturally. He was also in the top five for defence, astronomy, herbology, and care of magical creatures. He had finished in the top 5 of his year and was already well on his way to getting his potions mastery. He only had a few months left before he took his mastery exam.
Sirius hadn't managed to come out top in any class, but he had been near the top in nearly every one allowing him to be in the top 15 of their year. He also didn't seem to have run away from home. According to the report, although he did spend a great deal of time at the Potter's he was still welcome in the Black family and was known to visit his father and grandparents often. He was also in the trainee program to become an auror and doing quite well. There was still a lot of contact between him and Dumbledore so Animus believed he had still joined the Order of the Phoenix.
One thing that did interest him was that Andromeda had still been disowned from the Black family. What made it even worse was that Nymphadora Tonks had been disowned when she was 4. According to the rumours it had been done because she married a muggle-born but there was no proof of that. It also didn't escape the notice of Animus nor his watchers that the only ones repeating those stories was the Tonks's and their allies, the Black family as a whole had kept quiet about the matter. However, according to his watchers the official magical paperwork at the Ministry stated Andromeda was the one to initiate both disownments. He knew he was going to have to discuss it with Arcturus and Melania when he went to visit. He might not like what Nymphadora had grown up to be, but disowning a child who had committed no crime was not what he thought they would tolerate.
Moving on to the next folders he looked at the information gathered on James and Lily Potter. It didn't surprise him to see that neither managed to make top grades. James had done quite well in transfiguration, and Lily in charms and potions, but neither were the best. People had often talked about how brilliant the two were, but he believed that was more do to their fame rather than real talent. In the end James and Lily Potter were on the higher end of average, but not on the level they had always been portrayed.
Lily and James had gotten married a few months before. James had joined Sirius in auror training but appeared not to be doing as well, there were many notes and citations saying that he was being biased in how he administered the law, not that that surprised Animus. Lily had looked into a few apprenticeship programs but seemed content as a stay at home wife. They were living with James's parents but had been looking for somewhere to move to.
The final file was on Molly and Arthur and was really just the basics. They had married right out of school and Bill had been born not long after, just like last time, and they had gone on to have Charlie, Percy, and the twins so far. But this time the dynamics of the family already appeared to be different. According to the floo report his watchers had managed to get there were multiple trips from The Burrow to the home of the Weasley grandparents each week. Animus had no doubt that the children were often visiting their grandparents to escape their mothers harping, something that hadn't happened last time since Molly was in charge of the marriage and she couldn't stand Cedrella, and vice versa. It would seem that Arcturus had been able to get Arthur a more favourable marriage contract like he had hoped.
Arthur himself seemed a bit different, but not that much. He still worked in the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, but was doing a bit better. It would seem without the Malfoy Weasley Feud, which had been settled a few months after his previous visit, Arthur had been able to get a better starting wage and wasn't looked down on, as much. The man still seemed overly enamoured with muggle stuff, but it looked to be more controlled. The bills and recommendations that came from him and his departments while still supporting muggles was about protecting their world more.
After looking through everything he had the ward stone he planned to have installed in the town he was having built was delivered to him. He spent 2 hours pouring magic into it and creating the ward scheme he wanted the town to have.
With that he packed up and left to head to the Black Castle.
Black Castle
Animus arrived at the castle gates and walked in, looking around as he did so seeing the changes that let him know they really had remodelled. The grounds were absolutely stunning with their lush greens and large flowers and trees.
One thing that he thought was very smart was the pavilion off to the side of the gate that had a fireplace that had clearly been designed as an arrival point for the floo. It had always seemed stupid to have the main floo location being inside the house, if it was an enemy then they would already be inside. By having a floo outside it would offer more protection and family and close friends could still be given the passwords to a private floo inside if needs be.
Going inside he was pleased to see Dorea sitting and having afternoon tea with Melania and Arcturus. Melania instantly greeted him happily, over the years since they had last seen him their lives had only gotten better. Thanks to his warnings and recommendations the Black family was thriving and Melania had no problem telling him so.
After a few moments of small talk Animus and Dorea were left alone in the sitting room and he set the strongest privacy wards he knew of, making sure to cast them in parsel so no one could break them.
"If I may be so bold, who would you be?" Lady Dorea Potter said formally once she felt the wards go up, knowing something important was happening.
"To make a long story short I used a ritual to send myself back in time. Currently I am known as Lord Animus, or, that is my preferred name." Animus smiled at the woman he knew was his grandmother. He was going to be giving her a great deal of information that she may not particularly like and knew he was going to need her help. "But when I was born in the summer of 1980 the name I was given was Harry James Potter."
Dorea had been raised very strictly, her parents had claimed it was the only way to raise a Black, so she had very good control over her emotions but at the information she had just received she couldn't help but gape like a fish. Looking closer she could see the similarities between this man and her own husband, as well as some of her own features. Both had thick messy hair, it had been darker in their youth but had naturally gone white with age. He had the same angular face she herself, along with her son, had inherited from her Black ancestors. Looking at the big green eyes she knew it was true, they were much more vivid than her daughter-in-laws, even with age, but they were undoubtedly the eyes of Lily Evans.
"What is it you need from me?" Dorea questioned. She had no doubt this man was her grandson.
"I need your help to save the Potter name, as well as myself." Animus told her dejectedly as he used his wand to pull a stream of memories from his mind and added them to the pensieve that Arcturus had made available. "Please, watch these memories and then we can discuss what I need from you."
Dorea agreed and swiftly entered the memories, she would do anything for the sake of her son and his child. She wasn't overly fond of her own family, late parents in particular, but since Arcturus had taken control they had been growing on her, which was the only reason she had shown up. She and her husband had both already gotten the news from their healers that they weren't expected to make it more than a year, and that was ok by them.
To most it would seem odd they were both going to die when they were barely 100, most wixen lived to be an average age of 150, but they knew why. When they had been much younger they had been on vacation at their summer home in France when Grindelwald's forces had attacked the area. Both she and Charlus had survived the attack but both had been gravely injured, Charlus's elder cousin Fleamont and his wife Euphemia hadn't been as lucky.
It was because of that attack they were dying younger than many in their world. One of the favoured spells Grindelwald's inner circle liked to use on purebloods that defied them was a core scarring spell. The spell would damage the core, weakening them magically, which was why they were dying younger than was normal given they were technically dying of old age. The only one that could remove the spell damage was Grindelwald or his inner circle and they had no intention of asking those monsters for anything. They had made peace with death a long time ago, they had actually lived longer than they had expected too.
She had just worried James was never going to settle down and continue the family line. Sure, he had gotten married, but he and his wife were far more interested in fighting in the war than starting a family.
Dorea herself had always wanted a large family, but it had been hard for her and Charlus. They had married right out of school and immediately started trying to have a family. After decades of trying and multiple miscarriages and stillbirths they had finally had James when they were in their mid 80's.
They had spoiled him outrageously in their joy over having a child. It hadn't been until James was in his 6th year at Hogwarts she had seen just how much damage they were doing with letting him get away with everything and she had tried to set him on the right path. Unfortunately in her mind it had been a bit late. James was a spoiled and overindulged child that still acted like a kid. He had only joined the auror force when she and Charlus had told him if he didn't find something to do they would be cutting off his allowance. And she knew it had been Albus Dumbledore more than them that had gotten him interested in the aurors. Now all they had left was to get Lily to do something other than sit at home, her and Charlus's home of course, and wait for Albus to call her to one of their less than secret meetings. Didn't the two realize that the group they were members of was illegal?
But now she was excited. There was going to be a grandchild, so maybe it was good Lily hadn't taken an apprenticeship like she had suggested. But along with that excitement came worry, if her grandson had gone back in time, something both incredibly hard and dangerous, something must have gone truly wrong, especially since he was talking about the end of the Potter line.
Animus watched as his grandmother entered the pensieve. Leaning back in his seat he tried not to dwell on the memories the woman was seeing as he picked at the small meal Melania had ensured he had. He had picked those memories in particular to ensure Dorea would assist him in his plans.
The memories started with a few of the worst beatings he had received while at the Dursley's, making sure to include the fact they called him Freak and hurt him for his freakishness.
They then moved on to when he turned 11. The week before his 11th birthday Hagrid had come and collected him, taking him to Diagon Ally to collect his school supplies before dropping him off at the Potter home. It was then he learned the truth, his family was alive and well, they just hadn't wanted him around.
He made sure to include the full memory of James and Lily explaining why he had had to spend a decade with the Dursley's. They told him all about how his younger twin sister, Marigold, had survived an attack by Voldemort, though they called him You-Know-Who, and how she needed their full attention and they didn't want him to grow jealous of his sisters fame so they sent him away to be raised normally.
It still disgusted him that he had accepted that excuse at the time. After a decade of abuse he had been so desperate for approval that he had been willing to do anything to gain his parents love. He had accepted all of their snide comments, mostly from his own sister, and how they looked down on him just because he wanted a family.
It had been at the end of their first year that the truth came out, another memory he had made sure was there. Voldemort had tried to steal the philosophers stone and he, Mari, Hermione and Ron all went to stop him. It had come to an end with just him and Mari in the room with the man and he had thrown Mari away from him no problem, but when he had touched him his skin had started to burn and blister.
In the infirmary Dumbledore told them the truth, it had been him that had survived the attack. The man had seemed shocked since he, like everyone else, had thought it was Mari. Now he knew from interrogating the old mans portrait that he had learned the truth when he had been 5 due to the large amounts of accidental magic he had been doing. That had been when the old man had started his plan of using Mari as a poster child while raising him to be a sacrificial lamb. He had added all kinds of wards and binds on him that would make him pliable to ensure he kept control since Mari revelled in her fame and he didn't want that for him. That was information he had no intention of sharing though.
He knew why Dumbledore had initially believed it was Mari. When the other Dumbledore had come back he had said that Mari was the key but hadn't been able to say more. And Animus believed he knew why. Most didn't know that Lily was the granddaughter of Merope Gaunt younger squib sister who had been abandoned shortly after her birth by her mother so her father couldn't kill her, and therefor related to Voldemort. The Slytherin line was a patriarchy so neither Lily or Mari could claim the Heir position, but if Mari had a son they could have used him to gain some control and if Voldemort was killed they could claim everything. In that timeline, Mari had been the path to power. But in the new one since he had been born the Heirship was his and wouldn't pass to Mari's son unless he died without a son of his own.
The memories continued on, showing bits and pieces of his school years, including the fact that James and Lily insisted that he spend at least the first month of each summer with the Dursley's, even after he had told them they hurt him. But by his third year Remus and then Sirius became a part of his life when Sirius was able to show at least them that he was innocent. According to the argument he had heard in the hospital wing Remus had been arguing with James and Lily about him for years and trying to get to see him but they had been denying and threatening to out him if he didn't keep quiet.
Despite Dumbledore failing to get Sirius a trial he still became an active part of his life. Since James and Lily forced him to stay with the Dursley's they quite literally pitched a tent in their backyard to keep an eye on them. It had driven the Dursley's mad much to his enjoyment. He loved how much Sirius and Remus obviously cared for him. And it had been the treatment of the two men he had seen by those that claimed to be good that had first started him doubting Dumbledore and his light agenda, it had just taken him far too long in his opinion to really see the truth for what it was.
He had loved Sirius and Remus, they were more his parents than his own parents had ever been and he knew the memories showed that. It ended when Sirius was killed when he was 15 and then Remus 2 years later.
The memories showed when he defeated Voldemort once again when he was 17 and how his delightful family still tried to give Mari the credit even though everyone knew he had done it. And then they showed what came after. His delightful parents using a marriage contract to force him to marry Ginny Weasley, that had been the first time he had openly gone against them, but he was forced to comply due to family magics.
The final memory was the day after he was forced to marry Ginny and her reaction to learning she wasn't going to be Lady Potter after his parents passed since he wasn't the Heir. The girls fit and complete meltdown had been something that had always entertained him but he knew Dorea would be furious. She was undoubtably well aware of how Molly Weasley became a Weasley given the fact the woman's mother-in-law was her younger cousin. She would see the girl as nothing but the greedy fortune hunter she was, and she would see his father forcing him to marry against his will, something she had always opposed despite being raised as a traditionalist.
As he figured the memories would be coming to an end he went over to the drinks cart at the side of the room and grabbed two glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey. He had no doubt his grandmother was going to need it, especially if she took after her Black ancestors in any way. It was just as he was sitting down and starting to pour Dorea came out of the memories, her face showing equal amounts of horror and rage. Saying nothing he handed over a full glass which she drank in one go, handing it back for a refill.
Once they were both settled as much as they could be Animus knew he needed to get this conversation started. "Do you have any questions?"
"Why? How? Please. Why would they?" Dorea just muttered in horror at the knowledge of what her own son had done. What he had subjected his own son too. But she pulled herself together after a few moments. "What do you need from me?"
Animus gave her a soft smile. "What I need you to do is nearly exactly what you did last time, just with a few changes.
For a long time no one knew just why it is the killing curse failed, but after a great deal of research I believe I pieced it together. I have no doubt you have already realized that the behaviour of James and Lily has made them a target in this war." Dorea nodded her agreement. "That realization is in part why the attack failed.
From what I found you started borrowing Black family grimoires shortly after you would have been told about Lily's pregnancy. Eventually you found a ritual that could protect us, and you even managed to convince your husband to assist you."
"Charlus used a ritual from the Black's?" Dorea questioned in disbelief. Merlin and Morgana knew she loved her husband but the man was as light as light could be, he opposed everything the dark side even suggested on principle alone. The idea of him doing a ritual that had been created by a Black was unbelievable.
"I have no idea how you convinced him, from what I knew he was all light all the time, but you did it." Animus smiled. From what he had found his grandfather had been of the same school of thought as Dumbledore although not as outright devoted to the man as his son or late cousin, Fleamont. "The two of you bought them a nice house in Godric's Hollow, near where the Potter Estate is. Since it was smaller you had a nursery set up so both Mari and I would be there. It was in the nursery that you conducted the ritual since it was where we would be if anything happened.
Under the carpet you laid down the blood runes. When I checked them I found residue of both your and grandfathers blood. According to the book the ritual requires a blood relative, or in this case two blood relatives, to sacrifice both blood and magic to protect a child of their blood. The two of you working together was enough to help protect Mari and I."
Dorea thought for a few moments. That just didn't make sense, she knew a lot about rituals and knew none that were strong enough to stop a killing curse, not even those created by the Blacks. "I've never heard of a ritual strong enough to throw back a killing curse."
"It wasn't just the ritual." Animus conceded. "It would seem Lily is in fact a squib line descendent of the Gaunt family, which in turn comes from the Slytherin line, just like the current Dark Lord. Only males can inherit and he and I are, or at least will be, the only males in the line making us Count and Heir in the eyes of magic even if it has never been officially formalized in the Wizengamot. Slytherin placed protections so the Count and Heir can not kill one another.
This in turn was helped along by the fact that we both inherited the family magic, the gift of parseltongue. Parseltongue is a magical language and is therefor bound by the rules of Lady Magic, and she protects children first. No of age speaker can kill an underage speaker.
Those three things combine was enough to protect me. He in turn was punished by Lady Magic herself for his attack on me."
"So you need me to do the same ritual I did last time?" Dorea said in slight confusion. "If that was all then you could have just left me be and let things play out since you knew what would happen. So what is it you need me to change?"
Animus smiled, pleased to see his grandmother wasn't a fool. "I would prefer you do the same ritual it's true, I do enjoy the idea of living after all. But I would like for your assistance in making it known.
The reason I was left with Lily's muggle sister and her husband was because of the fame given to Mari for doing the impossible and surviving a killing curse, something that is supposed to be impossible."
"You mean Mari became famous because you survived a killing curse." Dorea pointed out.
Animus smiled once again, it seemed he knew where he got much of his snark from. "True. The reason for the fame was because you didn't tell anyone what you had done since it was blood magic and could be construed as illegal despite the clause in the laws that say it's legal in the event it is used for protection. It wasn't until I started looking into it more in-depth that I found the runes under the nursery rug since no formal investigation was done at the time.
I have already started making the contacts needed to ensure that there is a full investigation this time. What I would like from you is to leave behind a note explaining that you had done a ritual under the carpet so it can be found then. It will hopefully limit the fame so James and Lily won't be completely corrupted by it and might not make the same mistakes."
Animus knew the chances of them actually keeping him were infinitesimal, but he needed Dorea to believe he was trying to preserve the Potter family. Truthfully he wanted them to abandon him, he already had plans to ensure he grew up safe and loved. James and Lily weren't good parents, plain and simple, and he really didn't want to grow up with them. He actually felt a little sympathy for Marigold, oh, he had grown to despise the vapid little shrew quite quickly after meeting her, despite forcing himself to pretend to adore her, but he did understand that she was a product of her raising, she just didn't care enough to try and better herself when she became an adult, even Dudley had managed that to an extent.
"That can be easily done." Dorea agreed, seeing no trouble with that. "Do you know what ritual it is that I need to use?"
"I can't tell you outright, but I can say that it is in Black Family Blood Rituals, edition 2." Animus told her.
Dorea made a mental note to borrow the book before she left. "Will I get to meet you again? You know, when you are born."
Animus could see the woman's hope but knew he couldn't give her false hope in this. "No. You pass a few months before I'm born, a few days after your husband."
Dorea sadly nodded her understanding, she hadn't thought it would happen but she had had to question. It was enough to know that she would have two grandchildren, but that brought up something else he had said. "What became of your sister?"
Animus felt his lips tighten, he really did wish he and his sister could have been closer, but he had hated the girl their parents had raised her to be. "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes, I need to."
"Mari was exactly what she was raised to be, a brat. She was never told no, never given limits, and told she could do anything she wanted, at any time, to anyone, because she was famous.
After graduation Mari followed in James's footsteps and joined the aurors. She wasn't exactly good at it since she didn't like work, but she was famous so no one really cared, plus James was head auror so no one could complain without becoming a target or losing their job.
She had 2 failed engagements. The first one ending a few weeks before the wedding when he was caught with one of her bridesmaids, that thing I was forced to marry. The second one ended when he found out she was still seeing her ex. She ended up marrying a member of the Smith family shortly before her 30th birthday. It ended up being quite the scandal as the muggle wedding dress she chose to wear did absolutely nothing to hide her pregnancy. Their son, Charlie Potter was born 3 months later.
I'm sure you heard about the information about professors and the examiners altering grades due to pressure from certain families." Dorea nodded. "I was the one that suggested Lady Black bring it up. And in doing so I do believe I may have already altered Mari's fate. Mari hadn't managed to get the grades to take her NEWT in potions but between James, Lily, and Dumbledore, her grades were adjusted to allow her to both take and pass the class. In the end Mari was killed when she conducted a raid on a potions lab looking for illicit ingredients and started messing around with an experimental potion. It blew up, killing her and her partner.
With the changes to the grading it is much less likely to end that way for her. If she doesn't study this time and relies on her fame to get her the job she wants she won't be able to get her NEWT in the class so won't even be considered as an auror. Or, to get her NEWT she will have to work for it and will hopefully know enough not to mess with volatile potions."
Dorea couldn't believe the fate of her granddaughter, surely her parents would care enough to teach her basic behavioural standards as well as potions safety. She was definitely going to have to see about doing more than just leaving behind a letter explaining what she was going to do, she was going to see about limiting James and Lily's behaviour as much as possible, her grandchildren deserved that.
"And what happened to Charlie? Or yourself for that matter?" Dorea questioned. "You said this was about saving the Potter family, but surely the two of you could do that. You were the eldest, you should have been the family Heir and later Lord… But that thing you were forced to marry was angry because you weren't the Heir… That doesn't make sense."
Animus could see the confusion on the woman's face as all the information piled up. "I am the eldest, and therefore should have been Heir, but when I was 12 my parseltongue abilities came out and I was disinherited.
Charlie became Heir when his mother died when he was 6. By that point in time the Potter family was effectively broke."
"Broke!" Dorea gasped. "I know the Potter's have never had money like the Black's, but our vaults are doing quite well."
"James, Lily, and Mari liked living the highlife. James and Mari liked quidditch so bought each and every new broom as they came out. Higher-end racing brooms price in the thousands, and they had to get 2 each time. And Lily and Mari did so love their shopping trips in France and Italy.
The Potter fortune was squandered away. By the time Mari and I came of age they had started selling family heirlooms and even the Potter Grimoire. It was one of the primary reasons the contract was set up for me.
Sirius and Remus never approved of James and Lily's treatment of myself. Sirius, as the last surviving member of the main Black line left the vaults to me for when I came of age since I was his godson. James and Lily struck a deal with Molly and her daughter to split the vaults between them using the contract. It was one of the few times I was grateful for James's lack of knowledge about laws regarding traditions and Lily's devotion to her muggle heritage."
Dorea growled at the mentioning of the girl her grandson was forced to marry. "They forced you to be with that harpy to get your money?"
"Yes." Animus nodded. "But it didn't work for them. James and Molly knew enough to create an absolute contract, but Lily and Molly planned a muggle wedding rather than a magical bonding since both abhorred magical traditions. Because we were married the muggle way the contract was null and void.
After Ginny had her little meltdown when I told her I wasn't the family Heir, something my darling parents neglected to mention to her or her mother, she decided to brag about how she was going to go to the bank to take all the money she could and put it in her own vault so I would have nothing before going to visit her 'amazing' boyfriend. The goblins all but threw her out and threatened to charge her with theft if she tried to use a contract like that to steal from one of their wealthiest clients again. Her fit after that was a great joy to watch, her elder brother, who was visiting me at the time, ate popcorn while she lost it.
Then she got caught with Meri's fiancée a few months later and I was able to use that as justification to end the marriage through the muggle courts. It didn't hurt that I had her father and all but 1 of her elder brothers full support in doing so. Arthur may be a bit of a fool, but he is a decent man, he was apoplectic when he learned about the contract his wife and daughter had made. They assisted me in getting the divorce recognized in the magical world.
After that I changed my name to Harrison Sirius Black so James and Lily couldn't try the whole contract thing again. I even managed to claim the Black Lordship since I had Black blood from you and was Sirius's Heir."
"You gave up the Potter name?" Dorea questioned sadly.
"As far as I am concerned Harry Potter died in that nursery the night of that attack. The moment he was rejected by his own parents was his end. For years I tried to do everything perfectly in hopes they would one day love me until I finally realized it was never going to happen. Sirius and Remus were the closest thing I had to parents, but I still have Potter blood. We can just hope the changes we make can make a better life for your soon to be grandchildren.
But, back to Charlie. Neither Mari nor her husband were that parental. He had gone to a quidditch game thinking she'd watch him and she went shopping with some friends thinking he'd watch him. His mother stopped by for a visit and found Charlie screaming his little lungs out in his crib. He was immediately taken away from them and given to his fathers family.
He was raised by one of his fathers cousins along with his two kids. He was sorted into Gryffindor and from all accounts was an all around good kid and student.
By the time he finished school the Potter name wasn't really worth much in Britain. There was still the title but James and Lily hadn't done the reputation any favours with their attempts to remain famous. Charlie decided to try and bring credibility back to the family name. He went to work for the ICW in hopes he would be able to build up his reputation before returning and going to work for the ministry. Unfortunately it didn't work out. He was a part of a trade delegation that was targeted in a civil uprising, none of them made it home. He was 24.
James had already passed away by that point so only Lily was left and they had never had any more children. In just over 50 years the Potter family went from a well respected decently well off house to ending broke and in disgrace."
Dorea just sat there shocked and horrified, how could everything go so wrong so quickly? She was going to have her work cut out for her, but she was going to wrestle things as much under control as she could to ensure her son and his wife didn't destroy the family legacy and endanger her grandchildrens happiness. He was right, if they could change what happened when they were attacked and limit any fame it would go a long way to stopping the worst aspects of the future being described, but she was also going to have to look at controlling the finances and ensuring no ill thought out marriage contracts were made, but she was going to need her husbands approval for that, and that meant telling him at least some of what she had been told.
It took a bit of negotiations, but eventually Dorea got her way. The secrecy wards were adjusted so that she could relay what she had been told to her husband, but only after he had taken a secrecy vow and was under wards to ensure he could tell no one, not even his son, as well as she could only give vague information and not specifics. Animus knew despite his grandfather not being nearly as enamoured with Dumbledore as James that he still had a certain level of devotion, plus the man was all about light magic.
"I did bring you something that may make your conversation with your husband easier." Animus pulled out a small picture, it had been the one Lily took on his and Mari's first birthday to send to Sirius. In the photo one year old him was zipping around on his childs broom, James's legs were visible where he stood helping to keep Mari on her broom, every time he let go she would start to slide off the side. "I keep this as a reminder that as much as I have grown to hate them, it wasn't always as bad as it became. It was taken for our first birthday, we got the brooms from Sirius."
Dorea had silent tears flowing down her cheeks as she got to see what her grandchildren looked like. She swore to herself in that moment she was going to do everything in her power to keep them that innocent and happy.
"It is of course enchanted so no one can see it without my express permission, and I give you permission to show it to your husband Charlus Potter." Animus worked his magic to ensure the picture would burn away as soon as his grandparents died, even enchanted as it was he couldn't take any risks. He always used parselmagic for things like that since it was simple to bend to his will and far more direct, but he also knew Dumbledore had managed to learn a few words and didn't want to take the chance of him breaking his spellwork.
"Oh, and I would recommend you give a standing order to your house elves that if they are freed they should come to Lord Black." Animus said offhandedly. "Lily does not approve of house elves and freed them only a week after you and Charlus passed on last time."
Dorea thanked him and hugged him before leaving. He knew it hadn't really sunk in yet, not that he blamed her, he was just grateful she truly seemed to care for him. He just didn't have the heart to tell her there was little to no chance she was going to be able to stop them from abandoning him since the letter she was leaving wouldn't be found until an investigation was done and he would be long gone by then.
With Dorea gone he move to sit in the small parlour Arcturus and Melania had been in to talk with them. He had the basics from his sources but it would be nice to get more details from them, including the state of the family. He had been surprised to find that there were more Blacks than he remembered.
Melania was happy to explain. They had been having a family gathering when Lucretias lack of children had been mentioned. Lucretia, their daughter and Orion's sister, had been cursed when she was a child when they had rejected making a marriage contract for her with a child of a less than desirable family making it impossible to carry a child to term.
It had been five year old Sirius that found a way around it. Seeing things through the simple yet creative view of a child he asked why they didn't just switch places. It had confused them and they had gotten him to explain his thought process and they had been stunned.
There was a potion that would allow a man to have the reproductive system of a woman to allow for pregnancy and childbirth for gay couples. And there was a potion that would allow a woman to have the reproductive system of a man so she could impregnate someone for lesbian couples. So Sirius suggested they trade roles. Have Ignatius take the potion so he could carry a child and have Lucretia take the potion so she could get him pregnant.
It was such a simple idea but none of them had ever thought of having them switch. And it ultimately worked. A little over a year later Lucretia and Ignatius had welcomed their daughter Vega, and 2 years after that their son, Altir.
And then there was Alphard and his wife Odette. Odette was a tiny little thing and had a very rough time of it with their daughter Raina. She had gone through over 36 hours of labour and nearly died. So, when they were talking about maybe trying again Alphard offered to carry the child. And it worked and they welcomed another baby girl, Carina.
But the topic of children brought up Andromeda and Nymphadora so Arcturus explained since Melania was to furious to even get the words out in regards to them.
It went back to the Malfoy/Black marriage contract. Andromeda had made it no secret she had no desire to marry Lucius, and Lucius had made the same clear about her. Lucius and Narcissa had gone to their families with a compromise since they were in love, and their families had agreed.
They had just been in the process of removing Andromeda's name from the contract and adding Narcissa's when Andromeda and Ted Tonks had signed themselves out of school and gotten married in a muggle town, something they were able to do since they were in their final year and legal adults. It didn't make sense to Animus, her parents had agreed to not forcer to be with Lucius so there was no need to run off and secretly get married.
But then Arcturus finished the tale. There was a dowery vault set up in Gringotts for Andromeda that would be accessible once she was married. If she had waited her name would have been removed and her sisters name added. Once they had the valid marriage certificate Andromeda and Ted had gone to the bank and emptied the vault and transferred it all to a muggle bank account. And to ensure that as her head of family Arcturus couldn't just force her to give the money back she disowned herself.
The family had been both furious and devastated by her actions but chose not to create a scandal. Andromeda's disgraceful behaviour would hurt the reputations of her sisters and they didn't want to do that to them. Instead they chose to cut ties and allow the girl to struggle since being disowned was a major social stigma.
But despite their anger at Andromeda they chose to show mercy to Nymphadora. Once she was a few years old they had started inviting her to things arranged for the kids. Andromeda's response was to send them howlers about how she wouldn't let them steal her daughter so she disowned her from the Black family fully so they wouldn't have any hold on them. But by fully disowning Nymphadora she lost her metamorphmagus abilities, something that had infuriated Andromeda even more.
In the end Animus couldn't fault them, it was all Andromeda's fault. Although, it did make a bit of sense. Given both Andromeda and Sirius had been rejected by the Black family they should have been natural allies, but his Sirius had never really spoken of his cousin and actually seemed to avoid Nymphadora from what he could remember. He figured Andromeda had done something similar that caused Sirius to not like her anymore than the rest of his family.
He was pleased to find out the rest of the family was doing rather well. Marius and his children even came to visit for a week every summer. And according to Arcturus it was Marius they had to thank for Arthur's toning down of the muggle devotion.
Apparently Marius had gotten sick of the teenage Arthur going on and on about how amazing and harmless muggles were on one of his visits so had taken the boy out on a little day trip. He had taken him to different war museums around the country. Seeing photos and videos of WW2 and the concentration camps certainly straitened him out, muggles were just as dangerous as any other species. Marius made it a point to take Arthur out in the muggle world from time to time so he could see muggles were people too, some were good, and some were bad. Arthur was still fascinated with the muggle world and their technologies but he wasn't as much of a wide eyed fool.
Then they spoke of Sirius and his friends. He had cautiously mentioned a werewolf incident in their sixth year, hoping that with a more stable home life Sirius wouldn't do anything as stupid as to risk the life of a schoolmate. And he thankfully was, but time was a stubborn thing and often times tried to repeat certain events even if the situation and participants changed.
Melania explained how there had been a werewolf incident, but it hadn't been Sirius's fault. This time it had been James that had sent Severus to the Shrieking Shack and Sirius that had saved him. And thankfully it wasn't just covered up.
Since Severus was in the custody of his grandparents who were a Lord and Lady they were able to force a disciplinary meeting. Dumbledore had of course defended James, but it hadn't exactly worked out the way he wanted. Dorea had been in fine form according to Arcturus who had attended the meeting with Orion. She had been furious with her son for his behaviour and when Dumbledore refused to properly punish him she had decided to do it herself by yanking him out of school for two weeks so she could adjust his attitude herself, not even her husband had been willing to say a word in the face of her fury.
From there he turned his attention to Melania's position on the school board. He had at first told her to put a limit on how much she did, but now it was the time to act as she had over a decade and a half of service behind her. He suggested that she begin to try and remove McGonagall as Deputy Headmistress. The woman just didn't pay proper attention to her students and was one of those that blindly followed Dumbledore. He suggested using their grades, and behavioural reports, despite having a few extremely good students the rest were generally lower than average and they were often getting in trouble for bullying but having McGonagall or Dumbledore remove their punishment. He also told her that McGonagall wasn't fulfilling her head of house duties properly so shouldn't be considered for the elevation of deputy.
After a bit more talking it was time for his next appointment.