Summary: All Harry wanted was another cup of coffee. Unfortunately his lack of situational awareness leads him straight into an active casting zone where he is thrown back in time.
Now armed with a new name and identity, Castor Potter-Black must find a way to save his younger self and destroy Voldemort before he rises hopefully stopping the second Wizarding War. It should all be fine though… he's totally got this… if only the super hot Weasley would stop distracting him.
Tags: Harry Potter Raises Himself, Harry Potter is Lord Peverell, Harry Potter is Lord Black, Dark Harry Potter, Time Travel Fix-It, Pre-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Black Family Feels, Good Malfoy Family
Chapter One
Evie's Notes: Happy Saturday! I hope you all are having a wonderful week ! I have become recently obsessed with the "Harry raises himself" tag and wanted to give it a shot myself ! I hope that you all enjoy the this new story .
Growing up Harry never imagined he would end up working as an Unspeakable. Though to be fair growing up he hadn't really seen himself living past eighteen. So when he actually managed to graduate Hogwarts at first he didn't know quite what to do with himself. Naturally everyone pushed him to be an Auror, but after spending his youth chasing and killing "Dark" wizards he was tired. Tired of the fighting, the blood, the gore and most importantly tired of losing people. So when the opportunity to work in the Department of Mysteries arose he grabbed it with both hands.
Over the next several years, Harry went through many changes as his knowledge and power blossomed in the Department of Mysteries. Harry fell in love with research, returning to the little boy he once was before Hogwarts who loved to hide away in the library and read for hours. Spellcrafting was something that came easily to Harry and greatly enjoyed inventing with his fellow Unspeakables.
Outside of work, his life changed too as it is wont to do as one grows up. He moved into Number 12 Grimmauld Place and with Kreature's help renovated it, turning it into a place to be proud of. He grew his hair out and finally saw a healer which fixed most of the damage done to him by the Dursleys growing up. He even got his eyes fixed so he didn't need his glasses anymore. His famous scar had faded over the years so that it was only noticeable if you were really looking for it.
His friendship with Ron stagnated after Harry's break up with Ginny, his blossoming friendships with ex-slytherins, and quitting the Auror academy. They still talked but things were tense. Hermione tried, bless her, but in the end she married Ron, limiting her contact with Harry.
While those friendships might have faltered, Harry's bond with Neville and Luna grew unbreakable. The couple became Harry's closest friends and confidants.
He also became close with Theodore Nott because of his work and through him Blaise Zabini and most surprisingly Draco Malfoy. The Ex-Slytherin trio helped him to explore new aspects of himself as he discovered his core had darkened from Gray to Dark after the final battle and his death. The trio took him under their wing and kept him safe as he learned to embrace this new aspect of himself.
One thing that did not change though was his need for coffee to be a fully functioning Wix. Unfortunately for all involved, Harry had not had the right amount of coffee on the morning in question and found himself ignoring the large signs warning against entry and bypassed the wards that should have blocked his access to that particular hallway as he made his way to the breakroom. The siren song of coffee was too strong for Harry though and in pushing past these defenses his nose still buried in his own research, in hopes of a shortcut through the Hall of Time he found himself in an active casting zone. The Unspeakables who were working on this project had all removed themselves from the zone as the spell entered its final step to create a time turner.
Harry looked up confused as he heard shouting, looking around he found himself surrounded by golden dust… shit! Looking at his horrified co-workers, Harry couldn't help but compare them to the faces that everyone had pulled when his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. With a twisting in his gut everything disappeared in a flash of bright light before fading to gold as his body hit the ground.
Xx Spilling the Hourglass x Spilling the Hourglass xX
Harry came too on the hard floor cracking his eyes open he let out a groan as he realised he was surrounded by the time department Unspeakables… all he wanted was his coffee!
"Identify yourself Unspeakable" ordered Unspeakable Onyx, the head of the Department of Mysteries.
"Ummm… Unspeakable Emerald, spellcrafting" replied Harry, causing the group to murmur. Why didn't they recognize him… he had even remembered his name badge for once.
"Well Unspeakable Emerald it seems that you have been on quite the trip" remarked Unspeakable Ruby. Gesturing to the gold time dust that Harry only just now realized he was covered in.
"Shit! What year is it?" he asked, assuming he had to have travelled at least a couple if they didn't recognize him as an employee.
"It is currently May 8th, 1994" piped up one of the Unspeakables Harry didn't know.
"Yeah, I've gone for a trip alright" sighed Harry, rubbing his head. "I assume there is a protocol for this?". One of the first things he learned joining the Department was that there was a protocol for everything.
"Yes, If you would please follow me to my office" ordered Director Onyx.
Getting to his feet, Harry brushed off what time dust he could from his robes before following his old/new coworker, current interrogator into the office.
"As you know, terrible things can happen to wizards that meddle with time. To prevent this Mother Magic is known to step in and try to mitigate some of the damage that could occur should you meet your younger self as your previous self".
"How does she step in?" asked Harry. He had never been too interested in the Time Department previously, sticking to his own projects.
"Seven drops of blood for the test please. If I am right you shall see how she meddles" directed Unspeakable Onyx.
Pricking his finger, Harry counted out the drops as they fell on the parchment before wandlessly healing it. He watched intrigued as the blood spelled out an impossible truth.
Name:Castor Charlus Potter-Black
Age:22 years oldBorn:July 15, 1972
Mother:Dorea Black
Father:Charlus Potter
Lordships:
Potter (eligible)
Peverell (eligible)
Black (eligible)
"As you can see Mother Magic dealt with the issue of your double soul by bringing back to life Castor Potter-Black who was believed to be still born. It will be up to you Unspeakable Emerald to come up with a believable cover story".
Harry, now Castor, stared at the results in shock. He had become his own cousin nine years in the past.
Clearing his throat, Castor responded, "I shall inform those who need to know that I was schooled at home due to poor health and was raised by governesses after my parents deaths. Since then I have been in America working on my mastery. It's best to keep it simple, luckily Wixen are not known for being the most logical creatures". As he said that Mother Magic acted filling his mind with false memories of growing up Castor Potter-Black and his work in the States.
"True. I will submit the necessary paperwork here for you to retain your position as an Unspeakable in the spellcrafting division. Keep an eye out for an owl with further work details. In the meantime I recommend heading to Gringotts to sort out your personal details and claim your lordships".
Nodding his thanks to Unspeakable Onyx, Castor followed his advice, transfiguring his Unspeakable robes into day robes and heading to Gringotts.
Xx Spilling the Hourglass x Spilling the Hourglass xX
At Gringotts Castor approached an open teller and quietly asked "I would like to speak to the Potter and Black account managers please".
"Key" demanded the bored goblin.
"I don't have my key, but I will consent to a blood test," countered Castor.
"Very well, prick your finger here, just three drops of blood" ordered the teller.
Doing as directed, Castor watched as the Teller's eyes went wide in shock, before he schooled his expression into one of professional indifference. "Very well, please follow me Mr. Potter-Black".
The teller led Castor through the winding hallways before stopping in front of a door which read "Silverfang, Account Manager".
Pushing open the door, Castor was led into the office where he took his time studying the detailed stone carvings that decorated the place as the two goblins hurriedly discussed his results in hushed gobbledygook.
"Mr. Potter-Black, please take a seat" offered the goblin as the teller exited the room. "It seems rumors of your death were greatly exaggerated. I am Silverfang, the account manager for the Potter accounts. We had assumed the last Black had been disowned and incarcerated so the account has been put into stasis. The same has been done to the Peverell accounts. I would be happy to oversee them both for you as well".
"Well met Master Silverfang" greeted Castor. "Yes, reports of my death were faked in order to provide security during the war and simply overlooked after the deaths of my parents. I am here today to claim my lordships and see about gaining custody of my cousin, Harry James Potter. I have been told he is living with abusive muggles at the behest of his current magical guardian. As his blood kin, I have a greater claim to his guardianship".
"That you do Mr. Potter-Black. Let us start with your lordships and then move onto the paperwork for the young Mr. Potter".
A third goblin entered the office carrying in his hands two ring boxes. Silverfang took them with a nod and a word of thanks.
Presenting the rings to Castor he explained "These are the lordship rings for the Most Ancient and Noble House Black and the Most Ancient and Noble House Potter. The ring for the Peverell family is currently missing from our vaults. You can call it to you with a blood summons though"
Castor looked at the beautiful two rings in front of him, in his past life he had only taken up the Potter Lordship so the garnet stone with golden antlers carved into it was familiar to him. How interesting he thought that James Potter's animagus form was the same as his house crest. The family motto was carved around the stone, vires in familia, "strength through family".
The Black family ring was an onyx stone set in a silver fastening with constellations glistening within the stone. The family Motto, Toujours Pur, "Always Pure" was carved around the stone.
Sliding the Black ring onto his right ring finger and the Potter ring on his right pinky he smiled as he felt the warmth of the family magics surrounding and accepting him as their lord.
"For the blood summoning we need ten drops of blood into this bowl" directed Silverfang who had been busy setting up the ritual as Castor accepted the rings.
Into the crystal ritual bowl, Castor added his blood on top of ingredients already lying within. Once his blood was added, the goblin lit the mixture on fire and began to chant. The room grew darker and colder as the shadows closed in on the pair. The flames suddenly sputtered out and in the ashes of the bowl lay the all too familiar resurrection stone.
"Lord Potter-Black I am sensing a great darkness from this ring. It reeks of an evil magic we goblins cannot abide. With your permission I will have a curse breaking team remove the curses and evil magic from within the stone"
"Thank you Master Silverfang. You have my permission to remove what I sense may be a horcrux. The worrying thing is that I sense another in this building" fibbed Castor slightly.
"Rest assured Lord Potter, we here at Gringotts will take your warning to heart and conduct a thorough examination of our vaults. If we find such an object it shall be removed and destroyed immediately. Would you like to return another day for your final ring? The curses will take our team time to break".
"Yes, I believe that would be best" agreed Castor easily. "As for my soon to be ward. I am hoping the papers can be drawn up today so that they might be filed with the ministry as soon as possible".
"Of course. I will draft those now and we can file them before you leave".
Castor spent the next thirty minutes signing and filing the proper paperwork. At the end of it though, he was officially the legal and magical guardian of one Harry Potter and there was nothing Dumbledore could do about it. Luckily he had just under a month until Harry would come home to get ready for him.
"Finally, since I am newly back in the country. Are any of my properties move-in ready?" asked Castor.
Looking over his profile, Silverfang answered "Black Castle and the townhouse at Number Twelve Grimmauld place are available for move in. Potter Manor's wards have deteriorated over the years and the place isn't liveable as the elves had been freed by the previous Lady Potter. And of course the cottage in Godric's Hollow is absolutely unlivable".
"Black Castle is a little big for just myself and my ward. I'll move into Number Twelve for the time being. Please send a curse breaking team over in the next few days, I know my family well enough to know that it will be needed".
"Very well, Lord Potter-Black. I will put through that paperwork now"
"Thank you Silverfang. May your gold everflow" Castor bid goodbye.
"May your enemies tremble at your feet" grinned back the goblin.
"They will" promised the newly appointed Lord Potter-Black as he made his way home to Number Twelve. He had a house elf to befriend.
Xx Spilling the Hourglass x Spilling the Hourglass xX
Standing on the doorstep of Number Twelve, Castor sent out a burst of his magic to the wards. The door clicked and swung open allowing him entrance as he felt the wards tie themselves to him.
Entering the house he winced as Walburga Black's portrait began to screech about "invaders in her house". Hitting the portrait with a quick silencing spell and muffling spell he ensured that he wouldn't be heard by the portrait or have to suffer her screams.
With a loud 'pop' he was no longer alone, in front of him stood a very dirty and tired looking Kreature holding a kitchen knife looking ready to attack.
"New wizard feels like Master Black… but Kreature does not know this new wizard" muttered the house elf, twisting the knife in his hand.
"Kreature, my name is Castor Charlus Potter Black and I have just taken over the Black Lordship after years of traveling. I have seen what has become of our once great house and seek for myself and my heir to bring it back to greatness once more. There is no need for the knife, I am not a threat to House Black".
"Kreature hears Master Black. How may Kreature serve?" asked the elf bowing deeply, the bond between the two locking into place. The knife disappeared hopefully back to the chopping block in the kitchen.
"It's been a long day, Kreature. Please clean the master bedroom and washroom and run a bath for me" the elf snapped his fingers and Castor felt through the wards as his magic got to work. "I have orders for you that will be followed not just in word but in what they mean. No looking for loopholes"
The elf nodded his understanding.
"I ask that all cursed items be gathered up and placed in the secondary sitting room. I will have a team of curse breakers come in the next few days to deal with them. I ask that you clean this house from top to bottom, getting rid of the filth and grime. The heir suite and the guest suites should be set up. Lastly clean yourself up and make yourself a uniform befitting your status as an elf of the great House Black. Do you need any clarification or help on any of these orders?"
"No Master Black, Kreature shall get started immediately".
"Thank you. I will take my meals in the main dining room, please have something prepared after I have bathed and dressed".
Leaving the elf to get to work, Castor made his way up the familiar path to the Master Suite. Stepping inside he was happy to see that the elf's magic had already cleaned the room and the washroom attached. Opening the wardrobe, Castor pulled out a set of Orion's old robes, choosing to wear those after he bathed rather than his transfigured work clothes.
Stepping into the bath, Castor allowed himself the chance to finally close his eyes and relax after the chaos that had been his day. He let himself take a moment to truly feel and grieve the life and friends that he left behind.
Dressing in Orion's old robe, Castor brushed back his curls and braided his hair simply to keep it out of his face. He was pleased to note that most of his features had stayed the same after his trip through time. His scar was missing though, and his cheekbones were higher. His eyes had taken on the grey blue hue of the Black Family. He had kept the wild potter curls and was just glad he had finally learned how to care for them. Walking downstairs he was happy to see Kreature's magic hard at work scrubbing the floorboards and sorting the cursed and uncursed objects. Entering the dining room, Castor happily took the seat at the head of the table and enjoyed the delicious meal that Kreature had prepared for him.
As he finished the delicious chocolate tart that had been prepared he called for the elf.
"Master Black is calling Kreature" greeted the elf, popping into the room looking significantly cleaner and wearing a black toga with the Black Family Crest on it.
Getting serious, Castor looked at the elf and said softly, "Kreature, we need to talk about Master Regulus".
The elf immediately began to cry as he bemoaned his inability to destroy the locket that his master had entrusted to him.
"Kreature, Kreature please. I can destroy the locket. I only need you to bring it to me"
The elf instantly perked up at his words. "Master Black is able to help Kreature?" he asked tearfully.
"Yes, please bring me the locket and I shall destroy it once and for all. That way you can honor Master Regulus" instructed Castor.
Kreature quickly popped out and back in with the locket in his hands, holding it out reverently to his new master. Castor directed him to place it on the table before drawing out his pocket inventory. The plus side to being an Unspeakable and inventor is that he got to experiment with all kinds of ingredients including basilisk venom. Tipping just two drops out of the vial and onto the locket the pair watched with bated breath as the metal melted and the soul shard let out a horrified scream. Less than a minute later there was nothing left of the horcrux. Waving his hand, Kreature banished the ruined metal from their sight.
"Thank you great master. Thank you" cried the elf happily as he hugged Castor's legs.
Patting the elf on elf softly on the head, Castor said, "May Master Regulus rest now in peace".
Kreature pulled himself together and returned to his tasks as Castor headed back to the Master Suite. Tomorrow would be another very busy day.
Xx Spilling the Hourglass x Spilling the Hourglass xX
Castor had quite the to do list the next morning. As he made his way down to the dining room in yet another borrowed robe. Clearly the top of the list was to get some new clothes as well as a new owl. Taking his seat at the table, he tucked into the delicious breakfast Kreature had made. The flapping of wings alerted him to the arrival of the morning's mail. Paying the Daily Prophet owl, he took the paper mentally noting to update to a subscription so he wouldn't have to pay in coin each time. Opening the paper he frowned seeing an article about the escaped "Mass Murder" Sirius Black. He would have to do something about that.
The other owls were from the Ministry and from Gringotts. Director Onyx had sent him the promised information about his work details and who to contact for his re-start date. Meanwhile the Gringotts letter was promising that the curse breaking team would be over at the house the next day and letting him know that the work on his ring was done so he could stop by and pick it up whenever he was ready.
Calling to Kreature to let him know he was going out for the day and reminding him of his orders, Castor set out for Diagon Alley.
Xx Spilling the Hourglass x Spilling the Hourglass xX
Castor loved shopping! It was a joy he never got to experience truly as a kid so as a twenty two year old he tended to go a bit overboard. Stepping into one of the high end clothing stores that his Slytherin friends had introduced him to in the past/future, Castor ordered a full wardrobe both wixen and muggle along with shoes and accessories. He walked out of the store in a brand new light gray three piece suit feeling a hundred times better and an excessive amount of galleons less. So worth it, he looked great!
Making his way into Gringotts, he bumped into a tall person and would have fallen had they not caught him. Glancing up, Castor was surprised to find his savior was none other than Bill "Way too Hot" Weasley. Shit. "Whoa there! You ok?"
Castor righted himself with the help of his future/past friend… always unattainable crush. "Yes, thank you" replied Castor breathlessly only to realize he was still holding onto the man's arms and quickly let go with a blush.
"I'm Bill Weasley," offered the charming and dangerous young man, holding out his hand with a wicked grin.
"Castor Potter-Black" he replied, accepting the offered hand.
But instead of a handshake, the older man placed a kiss to his knuckles as he said "It's a pleasure to meet you Lord Potter-Black". Clearly noting the lordship rings.
"You too, Heir Weasley. I apologize for crashing into you, I must not have been looking where I was going".
"You can crash into me anytime, handsome" winked the man, opening his mouth to continue only to be cut off by a yell of "Weasley!" as one of his team members motioned for him to join him across the bank.
Sighing, the man let go of his hand and said, "Until we meet again, Lord Potter Black"
"Until then, Heir Weasley" replied Castor, sure his cheeks were permanently stained red after his run in with the man… literally!
Giving himself an internal shake to compose himself, Castor made his way over to an open teller showing his rings and asking to speak to Silverfang.
It was short work to accept the Peverell magic as he slid the resurrection stone onto his right middle finger. He quickly signed the necessary paperwork to file with the ministry before heading back out into the alley to resume his shopping.
Xx Spilling the Hourglass x Spilling the Hourglass xX
He visited a number of shops securing for himself new writing supplies, books from Flourish and Blotts and stocked up on ingredients at Slug and Jiggers Apothecary.
His final stop was Magical Menagerie where he went in search of a new familiar. Inside the shop was filled with the screech of owls, the meows of cats and the ribbits of toads.
Making his way through the shop, his eyes fell on a beautiful grey Tawny Owl. He was no Hedwig, but his magic called to him in a way that it hadn't since he first got Hedwig in his last life. "I will call you Zephyr and you shall do a magnificent job guarding my mail".
As he made for the check out he passed a lone terrarium in which a gorgeous green snake half dozed lazily. "Good afternoon beauty" hissed Castor.
The snake cocked it's head questioningly, "A speaker, my I've never met one of you before"
"How about I get you out of here? You can come home with me and be my trusted companion…" offered Castor.
"You will feed me many rats?" checked the snake
"You have my word" promised Castor with a chuckle.
"Then we have a deal speaker"
"My name is Castor… what may I call you?"
"I have no name"
"How about Cleopatra? She was a strong and beautiful queen?" suggested Castor.
"Cleopatra" hissed the beautiful snake. "Yes, I quite like that. I will go with you speaker and you shall provide for me".
Gathering her tank and supplies, Castor made his way to the front of the store where he quickly paid for both of his new familiars. Sending Zephyr ahead, he apparated back home to Number Twelve.
Evie's Notes 2: Thank you all so much for reading ! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know your favorite part of in the comments! I hope to see you all next week !
I love hearing from y'all! Let me know what you think of the story in the comments or my Tumblr Find-y0ur-j0y! Have a great week and stay safe! - Xo Evie