69"Alright, so here's the special, extremely limited-time deal that expires immediately after I finish speaking. If you guys pretend that I've been a normal child for the past eight years, I'll leave you guys forever and never come back. Hell, I'll even toss in a grand."
Before I even finished speaking, Petunia began nodding her head so quickly I wouldn't be surprised she got whiplash. Vernon, for his part, just gave a single nod before bowing his head, clasping his hands, and whispering out a prayer.
Oh. I should mention. Just a few months after my awakening, so to speak, the entire Dursley family converted and became hardcore Christians. I already lost track of the amount of times they've tried to pray me out. Or exorcise me. Man, that had been a fun day. I don't blame them though; clearly, they understood that anything less than the divine would be unable to stop me if I ever decided to end their existences. Fortunately for them, they simply weren't important enough for me to kill.
It did get a bit annoying after a while though, especially since they would start praying the moment I even hinted of hurting them. Side note: to them, my presence itself is considered a hint. Every time I would get into close proximity - no, not even that; the moment I came into eyeshot, the Dursleys would immediately begin praying, speed-running through Bible verses. I think I've gotten Petunia to repeat the entire Bible already. Twice.
But hey, at least this should get me some points with Heaven, right? After all, I managed to convert three people to Christianity. Sure, it may not have been with the normal, accepted methods, but it worked, and that's all that matters. Hell, historically speaking, my method was one of the better ones.
I'm just saying. When I die, if there is indeed an afterlife, I want the big boss to at least hesitate for a few seconds before sending me straight to hell. Or reincarnating me into the body of, say, Umbridge. Not sure which one is worse.
And I presume that in those few seconds of hesitation, you'll take advantage of the small opening and attempt to assassinate him?
Exactly! I'm glad you understand.
XxX
I took a deep breath, preparing myself. With my enhanced hearing, I could already hear Petunia and another woman, presumably my mother, exchanging small talk downstairs.
"You know, you don't have to do this."
I sighed. "It's going to be a pain, I know. But it's the best course of action."
"Fair enough. Although I do admit, I'm looking forward to seeing you attempt to prevent yourself from losing your patience when interacting with your family."
I groaned. "Don't remind me."
Oh right. I should mention. Were you expecting me to unleash my righteous fury upon my so-called family? Reject their advances and treat them with as much scorn as humanly possible? Perhaps I'll publicly denounce the Potters, exposing them for who they truly are?
Please.
I fully recognized the fact that being an angsty ball of darkness and anger wouldn't achieve anything. Instead, it would be infinitely more beneficial for me to play nice with them, pretend to be their ideal son - whatever that might be - and keep under the radar. All while abusing the perks that came with being part of the Potter family.
There was no point in needlessly antagonizing people, after all. It's best to not burn bridges immediately. Rather, you should loot and pillage the bridge of everything of value first before blowing it sky-high.
Besides, being the living embodiment of angst and edginess actually gets really old after a while. There are only so many iterations of insults I can use before it gets boring.
A tremendous amount of passive aggressiveness, on the other hand? Hell of a lot more fun. For me, that is.
"Well, good luck, Master." My magic released the illusion, disappearing from view.
I strolled down the stairs. A woman with long red hair and green eyes the exact shade as mine was standing in the living room, waiting for me. Lily Potter. Petunia was gone, presumably having taken cover in another room.
When Lily saw me, she seemed to hesitate slightly.
I had no such hesitations, immediately taking the initiative and freezing in mock shock. "M-M-Mom? Is that you?"
"Harry? You... you know who I am?" Lily breathed.
A little help?
With pleasure, my magic said with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm.
Tears formed in the corner of my eyes as my magic zapped me. Needless to say, it bloody hurt. To Lily, however, it would've appeared that I was tearing up due to emotion, not out of pain.
"You're my mom, right?" I whispered. "I recognize you from the pictures Aunt Petunia showed me."
"Oh, Harry!" And then I was in her warm embrace as Lily Potter hugged me tightly.
You know, the Wizarding World actually has really lax laws on incest, my magic commented idly.
Bitch what the fuck?
I'm just saying.
I mean, I'm not going to deny it. Lily wasn't half bad appearance-wise. Witches aged slower than muggles, and it showed. Petunia looked like a hag compared to Lily - though to be fair, Petunia looked more like hags than actual hags.
But still! I don't care if we've never met before and I don't acknowledge her as my mom - she's still my mom!
There are boundaries even I'm not willing to cross.
Oh wait. I should probably say something.
"Is. . . is it really you, Mom?" I injected a slight quiver in my voice.
If possible, her hug grew even tighter. "It is," she choked out, her voice having grown slightly higher. "Oh, Harry... it's been too long. Far too long." Oh god. Please tell me she's not going to cry.
She pulled back and cradled my face, examining it closely. "You have my eyes," she murmured.
I nodded, waiting expectantly.
She didn't do anything, instead smiling tearfully at me, absently wiping at her eyes, her eyes scanning my face as if she was trying to memorize every minute detail.
However, as the seconds ticked on and the silence grew, I became more and more annoyed.
Why wasn't she apologizing? Why weren't excuses falling out of her lips in an effort to make me forgive her? Why the hell wasn't she prostrating at my feet?
Does... does she think she can ignore what happened to me?
It appears so.
Hell no.
"You abandoned me," I stated simply, my expression blank. "Why?"
Lily flinched. "I - I didn't - "
"Oh, I'm sorry," I interrupted in mock apologeticness. "I wasn't aware that leaving at my aunt's house for ten years without contacting me a single goddamn time wasn't considered abandoning me."
What happened to playing nice?
What do you mean? This is me playing nice.
Lily flinched again, looking down and refusing to meet my eyes. "It's... it's complicated."
"Then explain!" To offset my harsh tone, I then looked down and quietly whispered, "Do you have any idea how I felt?" My voice cracked near the end, perfectly conveying the effect of me being close to tears. My acting skills truly were superb.
Bullshit. Your voice cracked unintentionally because of puberty.
Shut the hell up.
Even as my magic laughed, Lily grew even more quiet. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I... I'll explain everything. Not here, though. Shall we go back to your new home?"
"But this is my home," I said earnestly, gesturing at the Dursley house around me. I immediately gagged slightly in my mouth as I spoke.
Was that really necessary?
Gotta make her sweat a little. Although I can already feel my resolve slipping...
"You wish to stay here?" Lily looked unsure. "I mean, if you really want to - "
"I changed my mind. Let's go home... mom."
Lily froze before a wide, joyful spread on her face. "Very well. Let's go."
She offered her hand to me. I took it without any hesitation. I wanted answers, and it's about time I got some.
One Apparition later, and I was in a living room far nicer than the Dursley's. A large leather couch, a homely fire roaring in the fireplace, and an ornate coffee table in the middle.
I only had a second to regain my bearings before I was swept up into a hug once more. "Harry!" a man exclaimed. "It's been so long!"
Now I was really confused. Even as I let out a hesitant "Dad?" and slowly wrapped my arms around him, my mind jumped leaped from fact to fact and was unable to arrive at a conclusion so it splattered onto the ground and died a painful death. My mom was glad to see me. My dad was glad to see me. So why would they abandon me?
James released me, allowing me to see past him. A boy my age. Red hair, brown eyes. Practically an inverted version of me, and definitely lesser. Daniel Potter.
He grinned at me. "What's up, bro? It's good to have you back." He paused. "I'm Daniel, by the way, and please don't call me Dan," he said, shooting James a small glare, to which James replied with a playful smirk.
I observed them with no small amount of incredulity. What the fuck? All three of them seemed happy to see me. Like, genuinely happy. I saw no disgust, I saw no aversion, I saw no apathy. This made no sense. I was getting somewhat mad at my inability to grasp the reason, so naturally, I deflected the anger back onto them.
At least you're self-aware about it.
"We're finally here." The fake smile melted off my face, replaced with a genuine dark look. "Why was I abandoned?"
It was as if I just stabbed the atmosphere multiple times in the back then committed a few hate crimes for good measure. Instantly, their gazes grew downcast and they looked away guiltily.
"Why don't you sit down, Harry?" James suggested. The three of them sat onto the couch, sinking into the soft cushions. I paused. They couldn't possibly expect me to sit next to them. I looked around, but there was nothing else, so I just stood. This had the bonus effect of giving me the high ground, both literally and metaphorically.
James sighed when he saw I wasn't sitting. He looked at me dead in the eye.
"Harry Potter, there isn't anything I could possibly say to excuse my actions. I have completely and utterly failed you as a father, and for that, I'm sorry." He clenched his fists tightly. "I'm so, so sorry."
I blinked. "What?" I immediately suppressed a mental wince at my ineloquent response, but given the circumstances, I felt it could be excused.
Hallucinogens? Illusions? I'm not dreaming, am I?
Nope. This is real. I already checked.
"James," Lily spoke up sadly.
James shook his head. "No. I am not looking for forgiveness here. Harry, you have every right to hate me. I won't blame you if you do. Just... just please, try to understand why I - why we did what we did."
I slowly inclined my head. "By all means, explain."
XxX
I listened with an impassive expression as James and Lily explained the war between Voldemort and the wizarding world, how Voldemort had desired to conquer all of Britain, how countless lives were lost, how he was evil and tortured children and ate bunnies, blah blah blah. All stuff I already knew.
" - on the night that Voldemort died..." James's face darkened. "He had attacked us in our home. I..." he clenched his fists tightly. "I was incapacitated almost immediately, and the only reason I lived was through a fluke. Lily was also knocked unconscious. I was too weak to stop him. I couldn't protect you all."
Lily laid a comforting hand on his shoulders. "Nobody blames you," she soothed. "It was Voldemort himself. It's a miracle that you even lived."
James shook his head. "It was just an accident, Lily. Pure luck. The true miracle, however, was what happened afterwards." He directed his gaze back to me. "You have to understand, Harry, that you and Daniel should by all rights be dead. For a mere baby to stand up to Voldemort... it was unthinkable. Nobody knows what happened that night, but when reinforcements arrived, there were bits of viscera splattered everywhere, Voldemort was nowhere to be seen, and both of you were alive."
"When Dumbledore arrived," Lily continued, "He examined the ambient magic and deduced that Voldemort had used a Killing Curse on Daniel. Somehow, Daniel survived, and the Killing Curse rebounded back onto Voldemort, killing him." She smiled. "Daniel is the savior of the wizarding world. They call him the Boy-Who-Lived."
HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH THESE FOOLS!
The irony is real, Master. My magic's voice was filled with amusement.
"Mom, stop," Daniel whined, rubbing at his forehead. Between fingers, I could see a -
I bit the insides of my cheek hard to prevent myself from snickering. Did he actually have a heart for a scar? Damn, that's unlucky.
Lily laughed. "Oh, come on. Don't be shy about it." She turned to me with a smile. "Daniel is probably one of the most famous figures in the wizarding world. He's a celebrity, a hero, and a savior, all in one."
"Mom!"
Despite his words, the smile on Daniel's face told me that he was actually enjoying the attention. So he was one of those types. I made a mental note to keep track of all his accomplishments. It could be useful in the future.
Anyways, I had been silent for long enough. Time for me to toss some napalm into the fire.
"Let me guess," I interjected with a polite smile. "Since Daniel was the almighty Boy-Who-Lived, you guys had the brilliant idea to devote all your attention and love to him, and so you sent me to live with my dear Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, right?"
Even though my words were clearly sarcastic, I maintained a completely sincere expression and tone to throw them off. Have you ever encountered someone who you couldn't tell if they were being sarcastic or not? It's extremely disconcerting, which was the effect I was going for.
"No!" Lily exclaimed, aghast. "We love you both equally, Harry."
James nodded vehemently in agreement. "I love you, son, and don't you ever doubt that."
I mentally congratulated myself. I had the momentum; it was time to use it. I prepared to rip apart any argument and defense they might have with a bright, innocent smile on my face until victory was unilaterally mine. Once I win this pseudo-war, I will gain the high ground in all future interactions I have with them, putting me in charge, psychological speaking. Not to mention I also get to establish my moral superiority.
This was a critical battle that I must win. Fortunately, it appeared that the opposition wasn't even aware this was a battle.
It was too easy.
And then it became infinitely harder.
"The reason why we sent you to live with your Aunt was because..." James hesitated, a pained expression appearing on his face before he continued. "If we didn't, Daniel would've died. Harry, we sent you away to save Daniel."
All my confidence evaporated immediately as I nearly lost my composure, my eyes widening the fraction of a centimeter. In just a few sentences, James managed to single-handedly turn the tides of the war.
I didn't display any of my inner turmoil, naturally. I simply tilted my head. "Elaborate, please."
"Twins have a special connection, Harry," James stated. "Most of the time, the connection is beneficial, but in this case. . . to put it bluntly: every time you were in close proximity with Daniel, your magic lashed out and tried to hurt him."
I blinked. "It... did?"
"We don't know why it occurred," Lily said. "Even Dumbledore didn't know. Perhaps Voldemort cursed you on that night. Or maybe it was because your magic detected the residue Dark Magic left from the Killing Curse used on Daniel and tried to attack it. Whatever the case... Daniel almost died, Harry."
"Not that it was your fault," James hastily added. "You couldn't control your magic. We don't blame you."
So it was your fault?
Hey, I wasn't sentient back then. Give me a break. I was probably just functioning on autopilot. You don't just slap a dark lord's soul shard into a baby and not expect any detrimental side effects.
"So that's why you lived with the Dursleys, Harry." James looked genuinely miserable. My mind raced as I analyzed the new information. "Dumbledore told us to keep you two separate until you were both eleven, which is when a child's magic stabilizes and you will have gained enough control to reign it in."
"You have no idea how difficult it was, how much it hurt, being unable to see you." Lily said sorrowfully before looking into my eyes determinedly. "But make no mistake: we love you." She cast a glance at James. "And it wasn't anyone's fault that this happened. It was out of our control - "
"No," James shook his head. "It's the father's duty to protect the children, and yet I was powerless that night." He looked down at his hands. "If I hadn't been so weak, if I had actually focused on my studies instead of playing stupid pranks, if I hadn't fucking trusted Pettigrew - " he stopped abruptly, taking a deep, calming breath before looking back up, looking at me straight in the eyes.
"I'm sorry, Harry. Please, if you're going to blame anyone for you being left to the Dursleys, blame me. Don't blame your mother or brother."
I nodded slowly. "I... see."
Huh. I had prepared multiple contingency plans for today, but I confess, this is one of the few scenarios that I did not expect at all.
Would you like me to stall? I can rupture the plumbing as a diversion, if you would like.
Nah, it's fine. I'll just improvise.
"I forgive you," I said simply.
OH SHIT I DID NOT MEAN TO SAY THAT.
James's eyes widened as Lily drew in a sharp breath. Even Daniel looked surprised.
"What?" Lily breathed tentatively, as if she was afraid she had heard me wrong.
FUCK FUCK FUCK, WHAT DO I DO NOW?! I CAN'T POSSIBLY TAKE IT BACK NOW.
Please, Master, never improvise again.
DAMN IT, I NEED TO COMMIT. COMMIT!
"I forgive you," I repeated with a smile. "How could I possibly condemn you for something you had no control over? It's illogical. You just wanted to give my brother and I the brightest possible futures, and I understand that. And besides..." My smile widened. "You're my parents. I love you, and nothing could ever change that."
SWEET MERCIFUL BUDDHA, WHAT THE HELL JUST CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH?
For a moment, I could've sworn you just shit rainbows and sparkles there, Master.
Lily's eyes became suspiciously bright before she stood up from the couch and hugged me once more. A moment later, James joined in, wrapping his arms around us both. I pretended to not hear his choked sobs, though I did resolve to maim him a little if he got snot on my clothes or, heavens forbid, my hair. I'm not vain, or even germaphobic. I just like being clean.
"He doesn't hate us, James. He forgives us." Lily sobbed into my shoulder. James didn't reply, and judging by his shuddering breaths, I doubted he could reply without breaking down into full-blown tears.
You don't seem to mind it when Lily's crying into your shoulder. Pretty sure she's getting all sorts of bodily fluids onto your clothes.
Yeah, well, she's hot. Objectively speaking.
...
Hey, it's a valid reason, I swear!
I thought there were boundaries you weren't willing to cross?
I can appreciate beauty without actually crossing boundaries, you know. I'm just saying she's hot, not that I want to bang her.
"I love you, Mom, Dad." My voice was muffled, but they clearly heard me because I suddenly found myself unable to breathe from how tight they were hugging me. I tilted my head and found Daniel looking at us with a grin on his face. As we made eye contact, he shot me the thumbs-up.
"No offense, bro," Daniel grinned. "But group hugs aren't really my thing."
"Entirely... understandable," I grunted. "I won't... hold it against you."
Finally, Lily and James let go of me, stepping back and discreetly rubbing their eyes.
Lily seemed a little embarrassed by her reaction. She coughed lightly, saying, "So, umm..." she glanced at the clock. "It's nearly time for lunch. Before that though, should we show Harry to his new room?"
"You go ahead," James said. "I need to quickly go tell Sirius and Remus the good news." He grinned at me brightly. "See you at lunch, son."
"Don't drink too much," Lily muttered. "It'll spoil your appetite."
"Even if Sirius opens the vintage Firewhiskey to celebrate?" James asked with a pleading look in his eyes.
"James," Lily said flatly.
James chuckled. "Fine, fine." With one last kiss to her cheek, he spun in place, Disapparating out.
Lily and Daniel led the way. I followed at a sedate pace, scanning my surroundings and memorizing every small detail.
"We decorated your room ourselves," Daniel said enthusiastically, looking over his shoulder. "It's awesome."
"I'm sure you'll love it," Lily smiled.
I shrugged noncommittally. "I'm not too picky, to be honest. As long as it has a comfortable bed, then I'm fine... with... it..."
I trailed off slowly as Lily opened a door and we stepped into the core of the sun.
Or something very close to it.
Red and gold was splattered across every available surface. The walls were painted a bright, vibrant red, and the ceiling was a glittering gold. There was a red four-poster bed with white covers. A lush red carpet covered the ground, and a golden lamp sat on a dark red wooden desk. Light streamed in from the window with edges painted gold.
This room was blinding, searing my eyes. It was the very antithesis of dark mode.
"Do you like it?" Lily asked hesitantly. "I mean, if you don't, then we can always just redecorate it."
I stayed silent for a moment. Then I smiled. "I love it! Thank you so much, Mom, Daniel."
They both smiled back. "Sweet!" Daniel exclaimed. "My room is just like yours, although I decided to go with a neon gold carpet."
I blanched at the thought. "That's... cool."
You don't sound very convincing.
Yeah, well, it feels as if I just got hit by a flashbang, so forgive me for that. Thank you so much, by the way.
You're welcome, Master.
My magic had dimmed my vision so that the overall brightness of the room was reduced to a tolerable level. She could manipulate my senses, after all. The effect was comparable to me putting on a pair of sunglasses.
"Can I... have some time to myself?" I requested.
Lily nodded understandingly. "Sure thing. I'll call you when the food is ready."
"You've met us for barely an hour, and you're already kicking us out of your room?" Daniel asked teasingly.
"Yup," I answered without a hint of shame.
He laughed. "Alright, alright. My room is right across yours. If you need anything, just ask." I nodded.
The two left my room, Lily shutting the door behind her.
I sat down on the bed.
Can you -
Already done. Upon scanning this room, I detected no traces of any unwanted surveillance magic, nor did I discover any muggle bugs. I also took the liberty of setting up a ward around this room that lets sound in but doesn't let sound out, so feel free to talk out loud. Oh, and I locked the door.
"You're awesome, you know that?" Once I got confirmation that this room was secure, I finally relaxed, falling backwards onto the bed.
My magic materialized next to me, sitting upright in perfect posture. "Of course I know. It would be remiss of me to be unaware of such an obvious fact."
I smiled. "Naturally." My smile faded but a moment after. "Were they telling the truth?"
She hesitated. "I don't have access to any credible lie detecting methods. However, I think they were."
I nodded slowly. "As I thought. Their body languages, tones of voices, and expressions didn't indicate that they were lying."
"So you believe them then?" she asked inquisitively.
I snorted. "Oh gods no. I could unload the entire clip of an AK-47 into a block of Swiss cheese and it would still have less holes than their story."
"Wait, what?" my magic sounded confused. "Their story makes a startling amount of sense. It's entirely probable that a shard of Voldemort's soul being forcibly attached to your own resulted in making your magic more volatile and destructive, which was then channeled through the inherent bond between twins."
"We're fraternal twins, though," I pointed out.
"Irrelevant. Magic does not care about trivial stuff such as genetics. If you are twins, then you will possess a bond. At any rate, why do you doubt their story?"
"It's not that I doubt that aspect of their story," I refuted. "I believe them, actually. Sending me to the Dursleys because I was a lethal threat to Daniel makes infinitely more sense than, for example, sending me away because they got obsessed with fame and only wanted to focus their love onto Daniel, or something equally stupid like that." I shook my head amusedly at the thought.
She tilted her head. "Then what aspects do you doubt?"
I hummed. "Consider this. Even if I was endangering Daniel's life by being in close proximity with him... what stopped Lily and James from visiting me? Distance is irrelevant; they can teleport. Furthermore, even if visiting me would leave some harmful residual magic or something, why didn't they just send me a single card? I received nothing from them in all the time I was at the Dursleys."
A humorless chuckle passed my lips. "Needless to say, they didn't tell me the full story. Half-truths and lies of omission. I'm a little impressed, to be honest. Didn't think they had it in them."
"I see. Should we interrogate them? I have a plethora of spells designed to inflict the maximum amount of pain humanly possible, and I'm more than willing to use them."
"Hmm..." I crossed my arms. "Tempting. Really tempting." I sighed. "But no. As much as I would enjoy it, we're more competent than that."
"Excuse me?"
I snorted. "Torture does nothing but get you the fastest lie to make the pain stop. Only amateurs and sadists torture people when they need information."
"Clearly, you have never experienced the Cruciatus Curse before."
I paused. "That's actually a pretty good point. But still no. We can't afford to make a single mistake lest we find the entire Ministry of Magic gunning for our heads."
"We could take them."
I inclined my head. "We could, but I'd rather avoid becoming a hunted fugitive at the age of eleven. Too much trouble with little to no benefits."
She sighed dejectedly. "Very well."
I stared at her for a moment before shrugging, dismissing it from my mind. If she had a sadistic side, then... well, everyone had their quirks. Besides, it wasn't as if I was one to judge.
"Their attempts to reconcile with me seemed genuine, though. So for the time being, I'll operate on the assumption that while they're still keeping secrets from me, they probably won't attempt to stab me in the back."
"Harry! Daniel!" Lily's voice called from outside the door. "Time for lunch! We'll be waiting for you two." Then the sound of receding footsteps.
I tilted my head. "Hey, do you think she's a good cook?"
"Whatever her level of skill, anything she makes is still invariably going to be better than anything you ever made."
"I resent that. I make a pretty good salad."
"Master, I'm sorry to inform you that tossing some raw vegetables and fruits into a bowl does not qualify as actual cooking."
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. "Hey, hold up - shouldn't the Potters have house elves or something?"
"I doubt it, judging by the slightly crooked painting frame we saw as we were heading to your room. No house elf worth their salt would ever allow that to happen. The Potters likely either do not approve of house elves, or they're not lazy enough to need them. Since, you know, anything a house elf does can also be accomplished by a halfway decent wizard with a wand."
"Right, right." I stood up from the bed and stretched, letting out a contented sigh as my spine let out a satisfying crack. Then I began walking to the door, preparing to have my first ever meal with my family.
As I placed my hand on the door, my magic spoke up from behind me one more time. "Have you ever considered the possibility that it just didn't occur to James and Lily that they could just visit you without bringing Daniel along?"
"... you know, there's something seriously wrong with wizards when I'm actually considering that to be a valid explanation."
XxX
After my magic cast a multitude of detection charms on the food and determined it was safe, I dug in with genuine enthusiasm. The food was utterly fantastic - clearly, Lily had gone all-out on our first ever lunch. It nearly brought a tear to my eye; after all, I had not eaten a proper home-cooked meal since, well, I had reincarnated into this world. The Dursleys did not offer any of their food to me, nor did I ask.
If acting like a clueless eleven-year-old meant having access to delicious meals like this all the time, then I have no regrets. Absolutely none.
I see what they mean when they say the way to someone's heart is through their stomach.
The best way, I corrected.
Does adding a qualifier matter?
Yeah. After all, while the best way to someone's heart may be through their stomach, the fastest way is with a knife.
Touché.
As I ate, Lily, James, and Daniel took turns asking me about my life. I initially tried to ignore them, instead focusing on the food, but they were relentless and so I gave them a highly edited version of my life. As far as they're concerned, I'm just an ordinary little boy with no... eccentricities whatsoever.
I ignored the sound of my magic's laughter in my mind.
All in all, it was a pretty productive meal.
XxX
"Harry!"
That was all the warning I got before I was swept up into a hug. I grunted as I looked at the man who had assaulted me. Black hair, grey eyes. Aristocratic features.
"Who are you?" I questioned.
"Sirius Black, your godfather, at your service," Sirius grinned.
"Sirius," the man next to him groaned. "Next time, introduce yourself first before hugging him."
"Whatever."
"I'm Remus Lupin, Daniel's godfather," Remus smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Harry." He was smartly dressed in some rather expensive clothing, opposite of what I had expected. Even though he was a werewolf, being the godfather of the Boy-Who-Lived must have its perks.
"I've missed you sooo much!" Sirius bemoaned. "Ten years, I was unable to see you. Ten years! So here, I got you a Nimbus 2000."
I blinked. "Thank... you?"
"Flying is in your blood," Sirius grinned. "Have fun!"
"Sirius, handing a top-of-the-line racing broom to an eleven year old who was just introduced to magic may not be the brightest idea..." Clearly, Lupin was the sensible one here.
"Nonsense! Anyways, Harry, let me give you some advice about Hogwarts. When you get there, there's going to be this slimy git called Severus Snape, who'll be your potions professor. You're going to want to cause as much pain and grief as possible to him. Try to create as many explosions as humanly possible. Mix together random ingredients and see what'll happen. Don't worry; he already hates you by default, so you'll be fine. Also, feel free to spread a rumor around that Snape's preferred nickname is Snivellus."
It appears that even though Sirius wasn't sent to Azkaban, he was still insane. We did, however, brainstorm plenty of ideas to make Snape's life hell. I'm a little impressed, actually.
While I'm not one to needlessly antagonize people, if Snape decides he wants to hate me because I'm the son of James Potter, then I will gladly respond with full force.
XxX
I looked around the interior of the Leaky Cauldron with a strange sense of nostalgia. This was the building where it had all begun, where my magic gained sentience and the path to becoming the most powerful being in the world opened up.
Please, for the love of god, if someone ever asks you where my birthplace was, do not tell them it was the Leaky Cauldron.
I gave a mental chuckle. Sure thing, I agreed. I could understand why magic requested that though. Voldemort had always hated anything common or ordinary - it was why instead of arbitrarily choosing rocks to be his Horcruxes, he had selected artifacts of great importance. And my magic, who had absorbed aspects of his personality and character... well, it was no surprise that she didn't want anyone finding out that she was born in a place as undignified and unremarkable as this, just like how Voldemort didn't want anyone to know he was from a muggle orphanage.
As we stepped through the brick wall into Diagon Alley, people immediately began turning over and pointing at Daniel. Daniel, for his part, didn't seem uncomfortable at all in the spotlight; indeed, he seemed to revel in it, smiling to the adoring crowds and waving enthusiastically.
We made our way through the alley, and while the majority of eyes were either on Daniel or my parents, there were a few curious gazes on me, as if they were wondering who I was to merit tagging along with the Potter family themselves.
I didn't mind that they didn't know who I was. I preferred it that way.
We entered Gringotts, a building I hadn't set foot in in nearly eight years now. As James and Lily went over to the goblin teller and Daniel busied himself entertaining some young children who were staring at him with awestruck eyes, I was suddenly approached by a shifty looking goblin.
"I noticed you came in with the Potter family," the goblin said in a low voice. "Are you Harry Potter?"
I nodded slowly. "I am."
"Come with me," he commanded, walking deeper into Gringotts, clearly expecting me to follow him. I stared after him bemusedly before shrugging and following him.
A moment later, we reached a private room. There was already a goblin waiting there for me. The goblin that brought me here hurried away.
"Well, well, well," the new goblin said. "Look who we have here. Mr. Potter, you're back."
I blinked as I slowly began to remember who he was. "Wait a second... you're the goblin from that night, right?"
"Your proficiency in facial recognition is astounding," the goblin said dryly.
"Your name," I mused. "What was it again? Started with a G... Gorvitch? Gorstuck?" I snapped my fingers as realization dawned. "Gorsuck! That's right."
Gorsuck stared at me, looking vaguely perturbed. "You remembered my name?"
I nodded. "Of course I did."
"Who the hell remembers the name of a bank employee from eight years ago?" Gorsuck scowled. "What a weirdo."
"Well, forgive me for having a good memory - or as you would put it, proficiency in name recall," I countered. "At any rate, why am I here?"
"I have first dibs on you."
I blinked. "Pardon?"
Gorsuck sighed wearily before saying very slowly, as if he was talking to a particularly dense individual, "I. Have. First. Dibs. On - '
"Yeah, I heard you," I interrupted, annoyance flickering in my eyes. "But what do you mean by that?"
"It means that I'm the only goblin allowed to receive your bribes, unless I permit someone else to," he responded with a crooked smirk. "It's a tradition at Gringotts. The goblin that the client bribes initially then gains first dibs on the client for the rest of his visits to Gringotts."
I raised an eyebrow. "So you're now my personal goblin?"
"See, I'm too busy salivating at the prospect of getting richer to actually take offense at that. So come on. What the hell do you need?"
"Nothing," I answered. "Believe it or not, I don't need anything this time - " I paused as a thought occurred to me. "On second thought... remember how I paid you ten Galleons not to tell anyone about my visit to Gringotts?"
"I do," Gorsuck said. "Why?"
I shrugged. "Just wanted to tell you again to please keep it a secret from everyone. Especially my family. As well as a certain headmaster, if he ever asks."
"Wasn't planning on telling anyone about it anyway," Gorsuck frowned.
"Even if someone paid you for the information?"
Gorsuck narrowed his eyes. "Now that I take offense to. You think I'll sell out and rat you out?"
"Yup."
"You thought damn right," Gorsuck grinned. "For twenty Galleons, I'll stay quiet - "
I raised my hand to stop him. "No."
"No?" Gorsuck narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I won't go lower than twenty Galleons - "
I shook my head. "You misunderstand. You get twenty Galleons as a down payment, and if someone does offer a bribe significantly higher than twenty Galleons... then you tell me, and I double their price."
Gorsuck's eyebrows rose so high, I wouldn't be surprised if they escaped from his face. "That's... a generous deal."
"I know. It's incentive for you to actually keep your mouth shut."
"Wow. You must care about this a lot." Gorsuck only hesitated for a few moments before nodding. "Fine. It's a deal."
We shook on it.
"Now then. Shall I take you to your vault so I can collect my fee?"
XxX
Did you do it?
Of course. Your little goblin friend is now covered in so many compulsion charms, there is not a chance that he'll ever betray us. Although I am rather curious: if you were concerned about him being a loose end, why didn't you just kill him?
He's an asset, I explained. No point in unnecessarily killing him when we can use him in the future.
Use him? For what?
I smiled dangerously. Well, I'm planning on robbing Gringotts at least a few times in my lifetime.
You are?!
Obviously. I mean, they literally engraved a challenge on their doors to try and steal from them!
... you mean the inscription warning thieves to never steal from Gringotts?
They're practically inviting us to try! What kind of a person would I be to not even attempt it at least once?
A sane person?
That's fair.
XxX
"Harry? Where were you?" James demanded. "We were looking everywhere for you!"
"Sorry, I had to go to the bathroom."
James frowned. "Gringotts has bathrooms? Huh. I would've thought that the little bastards would intentionally not have any toilets just so they could watch the humans squirm..."
"James!" Lily scolded.
James held up his hands in apology. "Anyways, here's your key for your trust vault. I expect you to spend the money responsibly," he said sternly. I nodded. He handed me my key.
My left eye twitched as I realized I had literally just bribed Gorsuck to let me into my vault without a key...
The little bastard probably knew it as well, judging by the smirk he had on his face when he accepted the money.
XxX
I stepped into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and promptly gave a heavy internal sigh when I saw a boy with blond hair getting measured for robes, his mother and father standing next to him.
This was going to be troublesome.
"The Malfoys," James muttered. "Just great. Lily, I'm really sorry about this, but I - "
"It's fine, James. Just do it," Lily muttered back. "I know that if you don't get it out of your system now, you're going to be moody for the rest of the day."
"Love you."
James cleared his throat loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the store - the Malfoys, the shop lady, and several other customers. Strangely enough, the Malfoys looked almost... resigned?
"Lucius Malfoy! What a delight to see you here!" James greeted.
"Potter," Lucius eyed James coldly.
"Oh come on," James sighed theatrically. "Can't you be a little more friendly? After all..." he smirked. "I am your hero."
I blinked. I did not expect that.
"If it hadn't been me and the other Aurors working tirelessly to take down Voldemort, or my own son, Daniel Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, then you would still be stuck under the Imperius Curse, licking Voldemort's shoes or whatever it was he commanded you to do - oh that's right, murder, arson, and torture!" James said loudly, ensuring that every person in the store would hear. "You have me and my son to thank for releasing you from the effects!"
"Thank you," Lucius said flatly.
"You're welcome!" James beamed. "It was my duty as an Auror to protect innocent citizens who were too weak to defend themselves from the Imperius. It must've been absolutely horrible for you, though, to have to torture and kill muggles every day. I mean, how could you live with yourself, knowing that you were so weak and incompetent, you had to rely on a year-old baby to save you from Voldemort's evil clutches?"
"The acts I committed while I was under the Imperius were terrible," Lucius said blandly, as if he had rehearsed it. "However, it was out of my control, and now that I am released from the effects of the Imperius, I am back to being a good, responsible citizen."
"Good, good!" James smiled cheerfully. "However, to show your thanks, why don't you pay for my son's clothes? It's the least you could do, don't you think, Lucy-Goosey?"
A vein pulsed in Lucius's forehead. "Fine," he said, still maintaining the bland voice. "I'll cover it. It's the least I can do for Daniel Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, my savior."
"Awesome! Daniel, feel free to pick whatever you want. Harry, you too."
Lucius narrowed his eyes slightly. "Harry? You mean Harry Potter, your other son? I have not seen him in public before."
"I'm shy," I said before James could say anything.
"You're... shy."
"He got better though," James added. "It's amazing, really, the amount of confidence a kid can gain when he finds out that a wizard triple his age was a mindless servant of a Dark Lord and committed terrible atrocities - against his will, of course."
"Against his will," Lucius echoed.
"I mean, if such a spineless, cowardly, snivelling, piece-of-trash wizard could show his face in public, then surely my own son could as well, right?"
"I see." The bland expression was back.
"I'm glad you understand!" James beamed. "Hey, before we leave, how about my son autographs your forehead? I'm sure you would love that, right? You know, since he's your savior, and all."
Lucius Malfoy breathed deeply, closing his eyes momentarily. I imagine he was thinking of James Potter's painful death. Then he opened his eyes and smiled flatly. "I would love it."
"That's the spirit! Daniel, get over here!"
I admit, my respect for James Potter grew tenfold this day.
XxX
"A tricky customer, eh?" Ollivander rushed around the room, handing me wand after wand that he quickly snatched away after I had tried them. "No matter. We'll find the right wand for you. We always do."
We were at Ollivander's to purchase our wands. Daniel had gotten a wand almost immediately - willow wood and unicorn hair. However, once it was my turn to get a wand, things became more difficult.
"I wonder, now - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Ollivander looked at me expectantly as I swished around the wand in the air. Nothing happened. The old wandmaker sighed disappointedly before snatching the wand out of my hand again.
"Hmm... How about this? Oak and phoenix feather, eight and a half inches, springy - no, that's not it..."
And so on it went, the piles of tried wand growing higher and higher and my patience becoming more and more strained.
I don't even need a wand! What's the point?
You do need a wand. A wand makes casting magic infinitely easier, facilitating the process tenfold. There's a reason why even the most skilled wizards like Dumbledore and Voldemort still use wands even though they're more than capable of wandless magic.
Right. But at this rate, we'll probably be here until sundown before we get a wand.
Patience, Master. Patience.
As the clock ticked on, Ollivander seemed to grow more and more animated. Finally, he went deep inside his store and came out with a really dusty box. He opened it, handing me a wand.
"Acacia wood and phoenix feather, fifteen inches, inflexible." He handed me the wand, his eyes shining with excitement. "Give it a wave."
I did as he asked, waving the wand around, wanting to get this over as much as he did. A pleasant warmth traveled up my hand and a shower of sparks shot out the end.
"There we go!" Ollivander exclaimed satisfiedly. "Acacia wood and phoenix feather... Interesting. Very interesting."
I raised an eyebrow. "Interesting?"
Ollivander peered at me. "I can give a brief lesson in wandlore, I suppose. Acacia is a very unusual wand wood, very unusual indeed. I rarely use the wood due to the extremely peculiarity of its temperament. Wands made from acacia withholds their best effects from all but the most gifted, but when well-matched, an acacia wand matches any for power. I have only sold eight acacia wands in all my centuries." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lily mouth the word centuries.
"Are acacia wands super strong wands?" Daniel frowned.
Ollivander turned to him. "The wand chooses the master," he whispered softly. "In the wrong hands, an acacia wand would be either exceptionally weak or too strong for any fine control - or, in most cases, it would refuse to produce any magic at all. However, when it has chosen a compatible master, there are few wands in the world that can surpass it. Do keep in mind, however, that an acacia wand is not suited for 'bangs-and-smells' magic - it requires sufficient subtlety."
"What about my willow wand?" Daniel asked.
"Willow wood and unicorn hair, twelve inches, quite bendy. The same wood your mother has. An uncommon wand wood with healing power. It is a wood that consistently selects not someone who feels like they have very little left to learn, but rather those with the greatest potential. It has always been a proverb in my family that he who has furthest to travel will go fastest with willow."
Daniel brightened. "That's cool - "
"The ideal owner of a willow wand, however," Ollivander interrupted, "often has some insecurity, however well they may try to hide it." Daniel froze. "Mr. Potter, it is my hope that you will be able to overcome them with the help of your willow wand."
Daniel didn't respond.
The old wandmaker turned to me and stared with his unblinking, silvery eyes. "Today has been a very rare day. A tricky master paired with a tricky wand. Oh, how very interesting. That'll be seven Galleons, Mr. Potter. Have a nice day. Now please, kindly vacate my shop. I have other customers to attend to."
Okay. That was either the best advertising I had ever seen, or he was being legitimate.
Wandlore is an uncertain craft, but Ollivander is undeniably one of the best there is.
Huh. Well, if acacia wands do indeed choose the best of the best, then my wand has just made the best choice it could have ever possibly made.
Still though. Sufficiently subtle doesn't sound like you, Master.
What do you mean? Look, if I'm killing someone, I won't do it with big, loud explosions. I much prefer surgical strikes performed with as much precision and discretion as possible. You know, subtle!
I'm not talking about your go-to method of assassination. I'm talking about your considerable flair for dramatics. However, it is fitting that you have a phoenix feather for the wand core, Master, considering the phoenix's ability of rebirth.
The irony is real.
Let me just say that there is more to the situation with Harry being abandoned than it seems. There is a lot going on behind the scenes.
Thank you for reading, and please review!
