Cassiopeia made herself comfortable in record speed. Cassiopeia looked at Harry as someone analysing a historical document, her glasses perched on her nose as she looked him up and down, her eyes staying on the patch of white hair in front highlighting his mismatched eyes, a little above was a prominent lightning bolt- shaped scar. Remus had checked it and it was a magical scar so it was basically permanent.

"So, this is the boy who lived? There are whispers, you know, of him," They knew, it was in the prophet. "That's what they call him, the boy who lived, like his father." She looked over at James but he made no motion to speak.

Cassiopeia looked back at Harry. Her eyes still assessing the young boy. James' wand was wrapped tightly in his hand ready for a duel, he didn't care how nice Cassiopeia was to Harry or how calmly Regulus interacted with her, one wrong move and he'd kill her. He wasn't going to have his son put in harm's way, he already had multiple scars and he hadn't even turned 5.

He once made a joke about almost matching with Remus and no one knew whether to smile and joke with him or cry and hold him close.

"You have your mothers eyes and your fathers hair."

James hadn't spoken about Lily and no one asked after a while, everytime she was mentioned or she was alluded to James would freeze and dissociate, it was evident that he loved her and Regulus felt a creeping emotion in his heart he hadn't felt in years, he hated it, he had no reason to feel this way.

Regulus hadn't spoken to James about anything other than Harry and James hadn't asked or offered. They also never spoke about the memories since that day and Regulus didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry, maybe both.

Sirius so far hadn't thrown a curse at his aunt or his brother and he didn't know if he was grateful or scared that he wasn't lashing out. Cassiopeia was a wildcard with most of her cards close to her chest. They didn't know if they could trust her in the slightest but didn't voice their thoughts. She stretched out her hand, Harry's eyes widened before he took her hand with both hands. A glint of humour painted her eyes.

"Hello Harry," she smiled and Regulus found himself instinctively curling his wand between his fingers. "How have you been?"

"Hi, Mrs. Black," his voice coming out small like a mouse. "I'm alright, how are you?"

"Oh! So polite at such a young age, I'm assuming that's your doing Regulus?" He glanced at his aunt.

"If I'm going to raise a child, I'm going to raise him right." He turned his head in indignation, he'd be dreadfully offended.

"Better than your predecessors I hope." Cassiopeia regarded the men in the room.

Regulus Arcturus Black the once favourite puppet of the black family turned traitor who was said to be dead, James Fleamont Potter the grieving widower who managed to escaped the Dark Lord with his year old son and successfully go into hiding, Sirius Orion Black the black sheep of the Black family who seemed to have disappeared slightly under the grievance of his best friend and finally Remus the undocumented werewolf who could have been minister if not for the prejudice.

"I doubt you've taught him about the family he's part of." Regulus' jaw ticked.

"Harry? A black? Not if I can help it!" Sirius growled. Cassiopeia didn't even look at him.

"But he is, his father is a Potter and his other father is a Black son he is unofficially a Black and it still counts."

"I am not the boy's father, I am merely aiding James in taking care of Harry." Regulus wasn't in the right headspace to be a father and a husband.

"Do you want to ask the boy?" he shook his head.

"He's young, confused," Regulus started. "He's barely 3!"

"You were also three when…" she stopped. The grip on Regulus' wand tightened.

"Let me finish that for you, when they began drilling their idiotic ideologies into me, right?"

"Yes."

"I won't allow it."

"How can he move forward if he doesn't know what he's moving forward from?"

"You want me to raise him as a blood purist fanatic? His mover was a muggle-born for crying out loud."

"Not as a blood purist but as someone who knows who was before him and what they did wrong?"

"So he can do it right?"

"So he knows the world isn't simply black and white, or would you rather wake up one morning and be greeted by an angry teenager who has figured out the crimes of you and your fathers. "

Regulus stopped as an image of a teenage James came to mind, the fierce look of anger that was directed at the mark on his arm, James wasn't angry at him but the fury suffocated him. He was no saint; the mark proved that he'd done somethings he wasn't proud of and he couldn't live to see that look directed at him.

He ran his hand through his hair and looked at the woman before him. He threw up his hands.

"Fine, we'll teach him about the damned family."

"Is he going to Hogwarts?"

"He's not going to Hogwarts." James muttered beneath his breath. He finally joined the conversation. He sat up in his chair and looked at Cassiopeia, it was the first time he's interacted with her and it seems she noticed it as well.

"Isn't that where all of you met? Is-" her eyes lit up. "Dumbledore."

"We'd be sending him right into his hands." Sirius re-entered the conversation.

"But why?"

"His mother is dead, his father came out of the shadows to enrol him, he has a noticeable patch of white hair, heterochromia and a magical scar. I'm surprised he hasn't backed one of the ministry's searches for him." Remus added.

"Maybe he has."

"So where will you send him?"

"We have options, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry it's in north America there's also Castelobruxo that's in northern brazil,"

"Uagadou in Africa and Mahoutokoro in Japan what about Koldovstoretz in Russia"

"Castelobruxo, Ilvermorny and Uagadou accept students from all over but Hogwarts is only for the kids from the United Kingdom and Ireland."

"Beauxbatons."

"If we're not sending him to Hogwarts, I'll be damned if he goes to Durmstrang," Durmstrang has a reputation, "All those lots care about is the Dark Arts, he needs less of that."

"But he might want to go to Hogwarts because that's where we all went, it's as Mrs. Black said, how we met, how we became close.."

"It's not safe."

"What would Dumbledore do? Take him hostage and experiment on him? That's not how he works."

"He could try and warp Harry's mind, manipulate him and use him as his latest chess piece."

"We're giving Dumbledore too much credit and we're giving Harry too little credit."

"How about we ask him?" Sirius asked. Harry had taken a seat beneath Aunt Cassiopeia or "Aunt Cassie?" at the foot of her chair and was simply watching them all.

James plopped down beside his twin.

"Harry."

"Papa."

"When you're older, you're going to go to a school and that school will determine almost everything about you."

Sirius sat in front of Harry stretching out his hands for Harry to hit. "Your father, Me and my brother and Remus all went to Hogwarts even Aunt Cassie went to Hogwarts."

"But the thing is," Regulus continued. "There's a man at the school, Albus Dumbledore, we don't trust him, but he's the one who runs the school."

"Did you like the school?" Harry asked, his eyes wide as he processed the amount of attention on him.

One by one memories flooded each individual in the room. Gryffindors' warm common rooms and the lively laughter and fun. The grand library with its 'forbidden' section and Madam Pince who always seemed eager to throw the students out of the room. The great hall that held all the students of all classes. The youthful energy the four had before…

"That school was the best thing that ever happened to us." Harry nodded as he let it sink.

"Then I want to go!"

"Harry…"

"I wanna go."

"Then it's settled, he's going to Hogwarts." Cassieopeia clasped her hands together "I have a question, Mr. Potter."

"James."

"James, how did the Dark Lord find you? The auror found remnants of a Fidelius charm in place, I assume Sirius was your fidelius keeper-"

"It was Peter."

"Pettigrew?"

"The very same." his eyes flashed and the room got colder. They never spoke about Peter either but it was less than they did for Lily. They still mourned Lily because she was an exceptional witch who was the brightest of her age. She resonated with everyone. Remus and her were so close in their school years, she helped keep James and Sirius in check during their probation eras.

But Peter…

"Is that why he went missing?"

"He didn't go missing," The venom in James' mouth was palpable that even little Harry noticed. He bopped over to James who scooped him up. "He gave us up free to the Dark Lord for protection and a high rank in the death eaters."

"Oh."