Work Text
"Long day?" Abbot asked when Harry entered the office to the Secretary for the DMLE.Harry grunted in acknowledgement. All he wanted to do was go home, eat whatever Kreacher had made for dinner, and collapse into bed. His shift was supposed to be over, and he wanted to rest before heading to the Weasleys for his birthday the next day.He always referred to the end of his shift as "supposed to be," because Harry's luck always made it a much longer day.Sure enough, when Harry opened the door to his boss' office, Head Auror Robards had an apologetic look on his face.Harry groaned. "What is it now, and why can't you send Auror Malfoy?""Death Eaters," Robards replied."Fuck."Robards snorted.The ex-Death Eaters had been lying low since Voldemort's death, or most of them. Lucius Malfoy had successfully bribed his way out of prison again (although with a lot more restrictions, and he wasn't allowed to step foot in either the Ministry or Hogwarts) Draco Malfoy was forced to become an Auror as reparations, and Severus Snape was still teaching potions at Hogwarts -- although he was only teaching sixth and seventh years now."Someone spotted Rabastan Lestrange near Hogsmeade, along with a few masked Death Eaters," Robards told Harry."A few?" Harry asked."More than three, didn't get an exact number.""I'll take Malfoy anyway, he can glamour himself," Harry decided. "Who else is coming?" There were twenty Death Eaters."There shouldn't be this many!" Harry yelled to Malfoy as he shot a Stunner at a masked figure."Don't look at me, Potter," Malfoy said irritably, "I only knew half of the Inner Circle!""You know that's not what I meant!" Harry snapped back, dodging a cutting curse."I'm not used to you being-" Malfoy ducked, and a Killing Curse narrowly missed him "-nice to me, Potter! Incendio!"A jet of fire caused several of the Death Eaters to shoot to the ground, and Malfoy quickly Disarmed them.Harry ignored him and cast a Patronus in Parseltongue.His instructor at the Auror academy had been very interested in whether there was a difference between regular spells and spells cast in Parseltongue. Harry had also been curious, so he'd tried the most harmless spell he knew -- a Patronus.Instead of a white, transparent stag bursting from his wand, it was a huge, eerie green Basilisk. This sent nearly every student in the room into hysterics, until they realized the snake wasn't hurting them. In fact, like a regular Patronus, it felt peaceful, but even more so.Apparently, any magic cast in Parseltongue was a lot more powerful, and sometimes more deadly, and it was so much easier to control. Harry gave his instructor a heart attack when he was able to cast a Parseltongue Fiendfyre without it burning anything down.The Basilisk soared over the battle, causing shrieks from most of the Death Eaters and two from Anderson and Pike, who apparently didn't know about his Parseltongue Patronus. Malfoy and Harry used this distraction to Disarm most of the enemy, leaving only Rabastan Lestrange armed."Potter!" he snapped. "You're not supposed to speak Parseltongue! You're just a filthy half-blood!""Voldemort was a half-blood, idiot," Harry sneered back, causing gasps, even from his own side. "His mother was a Gaunt, and his father was a Muggle.""Liar!" Lestrange cried."It's true," Malfoy drawled, and the man startled when he saw the blond. "Although the Dark Lord only told Severus and my father."Harry tried to Disarm Lestrange while he was distracted, but the man managed to hang onto his wand. "Still using that spell, Potter?" he sneered. "I suppose they only made you a full Auror because you're the Boy-Who-Lived."Harry snorted. "I just cast a Parseltongue Patronus, bitch." Malfoy choked, and Lestrange looked wildly offended. "And I can do more than that."~Expelliarmus.~"Lestrange's wand was yanked forcefully out of his hand, and it shot immediately into Harry's grasp. The regular Disarming charm didn't do that; you had to retrieve the wand yourself.Harry was distracted, however, by every single Death Eater gasping and grabbing their left arms, including Malfoy."Potter, what the fuck?" Malfoy said indignantly.Lestrange stared at Harry, expression wary."What did I do?" Harry asked cautiously, feeling annoyed at the sudden suspicious looks from the other Aurors, minus his ex-rival, who was frowning at him."Only the Dark Lord is supposed to affect our Marks," Malfoy said slowly.Harry groaned and rubbed his face. "Fucking shite, the fuck.""Who taught you to swear so much?""Remus," Harry said with a sigh. "Why does everything happen to me?""You're special," Malfoy drawled."Shut up." His frustration at everything caused Harry's words to become borderline Parseltongue. Judging by the ex-Death Eater's reactions, that caused the same reaction as regular Parseltongue.Malfoy twitched, glaring at his arm. "Merlin, Potter.""I need to start wording everything as a suggestion and not an order whenever I'm around you now, don't I?" Harry grumbled. He was met with the same stare Malfoy had given him many times once the war had ended, the one that said Malfoy was still very much not used to Harry being nice to him.Harry glared at the other Aurors, who were now pointing their wands at him, but the glare had very little heat. "I know this is protocol, but seriously-""The Dark Lord is never nice," Lestrange snarked. "It really is Potter.""We don't believe Death Eaters," Magolian snapped."Ex-Death Eaters," Malfoy retorted. "The Dark Lord's dead, Magolian. The wands aren't necessary."Harry handed his wand over to Malfoy, resigned. "They're not going to listen to you, either.""Bastards," Malfoy muttered, then looked horrified. "I still don't like you, Potter!"Harry snickered, and someone cast a Stunner at him."Oh, for the love of-" When Harry woke up, he was in Robards' office. The head Auror was yelling at Magolian, who was apparently the one who had Stunned Harry. Gornuk, Harry's Accountant, was sitting next to Harry, looking bored and amused at the same time, and Malfoy was on his other side, scowling."Fair eve," Harry grumbled to the goblin."Is it?" Gornuk asked wryly."Fuck no," Harry complained. "I thought I was done having Dark shite happen to me.""Potter, you're awake," Robards said gruffly, pausing mid-rant. "Get out, Magolian," he snapped, and the Auror fled immediately. "What happened?" Robards barked at Malfoy."Potter can influence the Dark Mark with Parseltongue, sir," Malfoy responded in a snarky tone."Do you take lessons from Snape?" Harry muttered out of the side of his mouth. Gornuk coughed."Shut up," Malfoy responded under his breath."Would you two act like adults for two seconds?" Robards snapped irritably. Gornuk coughed again."Sorry, sir," the two responded, Malfoy shooting Harry a dirty look.Robards nodded jerkily to Gornuk, who pulled a silver piece of parchment and a needle out of his briefcase. "You know the drill," he told Harry, setting the paper on the desk and handing the needle to him."Bloody fucking..." Harry shut up when he saw Robards' frustrated expression and quickly pricked his finger."Drill?" Malfoy asked Gornuk."Muggle expression. You pick it up when you're associated with Harry.""Friends," Harry corrected absently, squeezing three drops onto the parchment. He missed Malfoy's shocked look and the slight widening of Gornuk's eyes.
Magical Blood Test for Harrison James Potter:
Name: Harrison James Potter
Date of Birth: 31 July, 1980
Date of Death: 31 October, 1981
Date of Rebirth: 1 November, 1981
Date of Death: 29 May, 1993
Date of Rebirth: 29 May, 1993
Date of Death: 3 May, 1998
Date of Rebirth: 3 May, 1998
Parents: James Fleamont Potter, alias(es) Prongs (father, deceased); Lily Potter Nee Evans (mother, deceased)
Godparent(s): Sirius Orion Lupin-Black, alias(es) Lord Black, Padfoot (living); Severus Tobias Snape, alias(es), Lord Ravenclaw-Prince, the Half-Blood Prince (living); Alice Longbottom Nee Selwin (living)
Lord to:
Merlin (through J. F. P.)
Pendragon (through J. F. P.)
Peverell (through conquest)
Gryffindor (through J. F. P.)
Hufflepuff (through L. P. Nee E.)
Slytherin (through conquest)
Gaunt (through conquest)
Heir to:
Ravenclaw (through S. T. S.)
Prince (through S. T. S.)
Black (through S. O. L.-B.)
Harry had seen that at the end of the battle, when the goblins summoned him to take his Lordships and Heirships -- apparently he'd had a mail ward cast on him, so none of their letters were getting through. It still surprised him that he'd died three times, not just one."What the fuck?" Malfoy exclaimed."You've died three times," Robards said quietly. Harry jerked his head up to stare at the man; he'd never seen him so shocked."Yeah," he said slowly. "You know about the first time. The second was Basilisk venom-""What!""-and Fawkes, Dumbledore's Pheonix, healed me," Harry continued, ignoring Malfoy, "and the third time was Voldemort. Honestly, Malfoy-""The Marks were cursed to burn whenever someone said his title in front of us," Malfoy snapped.Harry blinked. "Bastard," he said finally, earning another choked noise from Gornuk."I want to know the extent of your control over the Marks, and I want to know why," Robards ordered, still looking a little haunted."I'm not going to-" Malfoy paused. "What was that phrase you used, Potter?" he asked. "'I'm not going to be a guinea pig?'""You heard about that?" Harry asked, embarrassed. The first time his instructor had asked to see Parselmagic, his wording had implied that it was more of an experiment."Still don't know what a guinea pig is-""It's like a pygmy puff, but more annoying and fragile," Harry offered."-and I don't care," Malfoy said, ignoring Harry."It's an order, Auror Malfoy," Robards said sharply."I'm not going to hurt you," Harry complained."I know that," Malfoy drawled. "You're a sappy Gryffindor.""Oi! True, but oi!""You're a pair of blasted toddlers," Robards said in exasperation. "Get out of my office. Potter, no more jobs until you know more about this.""Yes, sir."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Harry!" Sirius said brightly as he emerged from the Floo. "How was work?""Shite.""Language!" Remus called from the kitchen."Says the swearwolf!" Harry and Sirius chorused back."Fuck off," Remus complained."What's he making?" Harry asked Sirius as he threw his work robes carelessly on the floor. Kreatcher appeared, looking scandalized, and disappeared with Harry's robes."Dunno," Sirius replied, clearly lying.Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, I need to talk to both of you.""What for?""I'll tell you when I don't smell like sweat."Half an hour later, Harry was seated in the living room, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Remus and Sirius sat across from him, looking expectant."I'll just get to the point," Harry sighed. "When I speak Parseltongue, it affects the Dark Marks.""How?" Remus asked with a curious, concerned tone. Sirius was looking alarmed.Harry explained the raid. "Robards benched me until I know more about what the fuck's going on.""Lang-" Remus dodged Sirius' swat "-uage. Shut up, Padfoot." Ignoring Sirius' snickering, Remus said, "You could talk to Severus."Sirius made a face."No," Harry said vehemently. "He despises me. And anyway, after I saved him from Nagini's venom, he's been avoiding me.""Lucius Malfoy, then," Remus suggested, looking faintly sympathetic."Maybe. I haven't seen Cissa for a while," Harry mused. "Their library might have something.""Who else knows?" Remus asked."The Aurors who went on the raid with me," Harry said, "Robards, and Gornuk. Unless Robards ordered this to be secret, the entire fucking world will find out tomorrow."They still hadn't found something to arrest Skeeter with.Remus and Sirius grimaced in unison. "You should probably tell the Weasleys now, then," Remus said gently, "before they hear about it from someone else."Harry sighed. "Fine. Have you heard from Ron and Hermione?" he asked hopefully.They both shook their heads, looking angry and worried. "I can Floo-call Molly if you like," Remus offered. "You probably won't be allowed over until tomorrow, so they'll probably come here.""Sure. Malfoy probably already told his parents, so I won't need to talk to Cissa yet," Harry decided.Suddenly, the Floo turned green, and Narcissa's head appeared in the fire. "Harry, can Lucius and I come through?" she asked, looking concerned."You can," Harry replied dryly, after glancing at Remus and Sirius. It was their house, after all. "I want to wait until the day after tomorrow to talk to your husband.""All right."Cissa appeared a moment later and pulled Harry into a gentle hug. "Are you all right?" she asked softly.Harry hugged her back. "Mostly annoyed," he muttered into her shoulder. He refrained from swearing in front of the Malfoy matriarch. "Everyone will know by tomorrow.""You're telling Molly and her flock first?" Cissa murmured into his hair."Siri's inviting them over now," Harry replied."Do you want me to stay?" Cissa asked gently.Harry swallowed. "Yeah."They both sat down on the couch again. A moment later, most of the Weasleys were crowded in Grimmauld Place's living room."Where's Teddy?" Charlie asked, plopping on the floor next to the twins."He's asleep at Andi's," Sirius said with a tight smile. "We Floo-called her after Bill," he told Harry."How did she react?""She's surprised but not upset," Remus replied."Why's she surprised?" asked Bill."What's going on?" Percy demanded."My Parseltongue affects Dark Marks," Harry said bluntly.Ginny bristled in alarm. "You-""Gornuk checked, I'm not Voldemort in disguise," Harry snapped at her. Charlie and Percy, who were both dating men, glared at her."We know that, Harry," Arthur said patiently, shooting Ginny a stern look. "Have you talked to Severus?""How did you find out, anyway?" Bill asked curiously, his eyes alight with interest.Harry explained the raid yet again, then said to Arthur, "I don't think he wants to talk to me. I'm going to talk to Lucius Malfoy after my birthday.""Blimey, Harry," Fred said dryly."Everything happens to you, doesn't it," George said wryly.Harry snorted. "Ya think?" Cissa squeezed his shoulder gently, and he relaxed a little. "I wanted to tell you before Skeeter got a hold of it.""I'll write Luna, see if you can get an interview in the Quibbler," Remus suggested."Robards isn't going to fire me because the wizarding world hates me," Harry drawled. "I don't care what people think, as long as you guys don't hate me.""Never!" the twins said indignantly."You're our brother," Charlie agreed. Bill and Percy nodded."Has... has Ron written to you?" Harry asked hesitantly."Yes; he hasn't talked about you," Arthur said apologetically. Most of the Weasleys looked furious, but Ginny wouldn't look at him.Harry swallowed. "You can tell Fleur, right?" he asked Bill. She was heavily pregnant, and hated Flooing."I will," he agreed. "She'll be at the Burrow tomorrow, though, I promise.""She doesn't have to-""She wants to," Bill said simply.Sirius wailed dramatically and fell onto Remus' lap. "You're all so sweet!" he sobbed. Harry, Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie started snickering. Percy and Molly looked both disapproving and amused. Cissa was just amused."Get off of me, mutt," Remus said exasperatedly, shoving Sirius to the floor. The laughing grew louder.There was a beeping noise from the kitchen, and Remus yelped, "Merlin's fucking balls!" He shot into the kitchen to Molly's and Cissa's shouts of "Language!" and howls of laughter from everyone except Percy, Arthur, and Ginny. Sure enough, the first page of the Prophet loudly proclaimed that Harry was going Dark. Harry didn't let it bother him, though; the Weasleys and Sirius had put up mail wards since the end of the war, so no one could bother him on his birthday.He arrived at the Burrow for breakfast, which was pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns, and fruit salad. After breakfast, Harry opened his presents, which were mostly Quidditch-themed, except for the prank kit from the twins and the giant green rubber duck from Arthur. They all went outside to either play Quidditch or watch the game (in Fleur's, Arthur's and Remus' case).When the game was over, Luna and her father entered the yard. Luna gave Harry a hug, smiling dreamily. "Hello, Harry.""Luna," Harry said in relief, hugging her back. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it." He nodded a greeting to Xeno."I wouldn't miss my brother's birthday," Luna said. "You should talk to Severus," she said seriously. "He'll help you with the nargles."Harry sighed. "I know, but..."Luna patted his arm. "He wants to protect you.""He has to, you mean.""I said what I said," Luna said mildly."Harry!" Fred yowled from the door. "Lunch is ready!""Hey, Lu!" George called, waving over-dramatically and almost falling over onto his brother. Sirius snickered.Harry was glad he didn't have to talk to Luna about Snape, because she was distracted by Molly's delicious ham-and-cheese sandwiches. Afterward, Remus proudly displayed the cake he'd been making the day before: a two-tier, Slytherin green cake with writing in silver: Happy Birthday, Harry!The cake was delicious.They spent the afternoon in the Weasleys' living room, all doing different things; Luna and Bill were discussing creatures in Egypt, with Fleur listening sleepily; Charlie and Oliver Wood, Percy's boyfriend, were bickering about which Quidditch team was the best; Percy and Remus were playing chess in one corner; Charlie's boyfriend, Max, was watching Sirius, Fred, and George with a wary look on his face (they were muttering in the corner, mischievous expressions on their faces, so Harry wasn't surprised); Xeno was telling Arthur and Molly about his and Luna's vacation to Atlantis; and Harry and Luna were cuddled up on the couch, trying not to fall asleep.Molly and Remus went into the kitchen at around six to make dinner, at which point Cissa showed up in the Floo."Happy birthday, dear," she said warmly, handing Harry a small wrapped gift. "Hello, Luna, love.""Hello, Cissy," Luna said sleepily. "How's Draco?""He's doing well," Cissa said with a smile. "I'm going to help Molly and Remus." She disappeared into the kitchen."What'd Cissa get you?" Fred asked, and Harry jumped. The twins and Sirius had appeared in front of Harry, exaggerated looks of excitement on their faces."Fucking Merlin!" Harry exclaimed indignantly. "Stop giving me a heart attack!"The room filled with laughter.Cissa had gotten him beautiful green dress robes that matched his eyes, as well as a midnight blue gown. Harry blushed, shoving the dress out of sight; he hadn't really told anyone outside of Luna and Cissa that he liked feminine clothes, too."They won't mind," Luna whispered to him as they all filed into the kitchen for dinner.As it started getting dark outside, most people began Flooing home. Fleur and Bill were first to leave, followed quickly by Percy, Charlie, Max, and Oliver. Soon, only Arthur, Molly, and Harry were left."Thanks for today," Harry said softly, hugging Molly tightly."You're welcome, love," she whispered, squeezing him back.There was a sudden crack from outside. Molly and Arthur froze in surprise, and Harry reached for his wand, turning to face the door."Mum?" a familiar voice called. "Dad? You home?"The door opened, revealing Ron, with even more freckles and longer hair, and Hermione, who was lightly tanned. They stopped in the doorway when they saw Harry."Harry?" Ron said. "What are you doing here?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"It's Harry's birthday, Ron," Arthur said slowly. "We thought you wouldn't be back for months.""We wanted to surprise you," Hermione replied, frowning at Harry. "That's not what Ron meant.""Why isn't he in Azkaban yet?""What the fuck are you on about?" Harry demanded. "Azkaban? I haven't done anything even remotely illegal!"Ignoring the Cruciatus he'd cast on Carrow because he'd spat at McGonagall.Ron looked much like he had when Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, and Hermione's expression was disapproving and disgusted."Parseltongue," Harry guessed flatly. They both looked surprised. "Yeah, I know you don't like that I can speak it. It's not like I can control it.""Just don't speak-""It's a FUCKING LANGUAGE, Ron!" Harry snapped. "I'm not going to use it for evil! Maybe I like being able to talk to beings that don't judge me for something I can't control! Or judge me at all, actually!""Oh," Molly whispered behind him."How did you know we don't like Parseltongue?" Hermione asked sharply.Harry sneered back at them. "After the war ended," he said, "I was able to actually think, without classes and Quidditch and Voldemort trying to murder me, and I realized Dumbledore wasn't all he was cracked up to be. In fact, I'm pretty sure he orchestrated most of my life."Harry wasn't expecting the panicked expression on Ron's face and Hermione's unreadable one."You knew," he whispered. "You knew he was manipulating me, and was planning for me to die."Molly gasped in anger and shock."No!" Ron protested quickly."Shut up, Ron," Hermione hissed at him."Get out," Arthur said sharply."Dad?" Ron asked in surprise.Arthur strode forward, and Harry saw the furious expression on his face. "I don't care about Albus' reasons for hurting a child, what he did, and what you have done, is not acceptable. If you still agree with Albus' plans, neither of you are welcome in this home.""Mum?" Ron pleaded, turning to Molly.But Molly was just as outraged. "Harry has saved our family more than once!" she screeched at him. Harry stifled a flinch. "He saved Ginny's and Fred's lives! He has treated us with warmth and kindness and love, and you tried to get him killed! GET OUT!"Ron and Hermione bolted out of the house, looking shocked and outraged."Harry, what do you mean, Dumbledore orchestrated your life?" Arthur demanded, looking concerned and furious."Remus and Sirius need to hear this, too," Harry sighed. "I would have told them earlier, but Remus feels indebted to Dumbledore, and Sirius isn't great at judging people."Molly and Arthur exchanged worried glances but followed Harry through the Floo."Harry, what's wrong?" Remus asked in alarm when he saw their expressions."Hermione and Ron came back," Harry said sourly."They weren't writing to you on purpose?!" Remus exclaimed, eyes flickering between green and gold."Yes, and they were helping Albus control Harry," Arthur said darkly."What?" Sirius and Remus said in unison."I can explain that, but it's a long story," Harry sighed, sitting down in an armchair. "Kreacher?"The house-elf cracked into view and looked at Harry expectantly."You should hear this, too," Harry explained, pointing at the couch."Yes, young master," Kreacher said hoarsely, popping next to Remus. Sirius sat down on his husband's lap, and Molly and Arthur took the other two armchairs."I didn't figure this out until after the war ended," Harry said tiredly, leaning back in his seat. "Previously, I'd been too busy avoiding Voldemort or whoever was trying to kill me that year-" he shot Sirius a dry look, and the man looked sheepish "-doing schoolwork, playing Quidditch, and surviving the Dursleys."Remus' eyes flickered gold again, and the other three adults scowled. Kreacher's lips thinned."But since I was free of all of that, I was finally able to look over my life and realized there was something off," Harry said."At the end of my first year, I begged Dumbledore to let me stay at Hogwarts for the summer. I didn't tell him everything the Dursleys did to me, but he knew the gist. Almost any other adult would have immediately tried to find a safer family for me to live with, but Dumbledore didn't. He said it was just a misunderstanding, and that the Dursleys loved me. He promised to tell them to treat me better, but I couldn't be moved because I had to stay with a blood relative of Lily's, and Petunia was the only living relative she had."Remus frowned. "Her parents didn't die until you were four! You could have stayed with them.""I didn't know that then," Harry said dryly. "Actually, as an eleven year old, I believed Dumbledore, and willingly went back to the assholes."I tried at the end of second year, as well, knowing Ron had told you-" he turned to Molly and Arthur "-that they'd put bars on my bedroom window and had been starving me, but he gave me the same answer.""Albus told us you were exaggerating," Arthur admitted, "like children usually do."Molly hissed like a tea kettle."Realizing that made me go over my school years with a fine-tooth comb, and check over everything Dumbledore told me," Harry said, giving the two a forgiving nod."I got my letter to Hogwarts a week before my eleventh birthday, but Uncle Vernon took it before I could read it. It was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs."The four adults gasped, and Kreacher looked alarmed. "The Heads of House are supposed to check over the letters for things like that!" Molly exploded."I asked McGonagall that," Harry agreed, "and she said she always lets Dumbledore read over her share of the letters because she had three jobs at school and didn't have time.""So Dumbledore knew," Sirius whispered. Remus' eyes were glowing now, and he was growling."Vernon decided that I had outgrown the cupboard," Harry said sarcastically, "and gave me my cousin's second bedroom." He ignored the second set of gasps. "Instead of sending a teacher to check up on me -- or even to guide me through Diagon, because that's what they're supposed to do for Muggle-raised wizards -- the school just sent more letters, until about a thousand letters were sent two days before my birthday."The Dursleys took me on a wild trip to try to escape the letters, but they always caught up to us, and we ended up on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean in a very old shack. An actual person was never sent, at least not until my birthday, when Hagrid broke down the door to said shack.""Hagrid?" Sirius said in surprise. "They're supposed to send a teacher, not the groundskeeper."Harry snorted. "I actually don't mind Hagrid being sent, because he's still very sweet and slightly naive, but yeah."Until then, I thought my parents had died in a car crash-" gasps, and a snarl from Remus "-and Hagrid was not the best person to explain that to me from my adult perspective, but the perfect person from Dumbledore's perspective, because it planted a seed of anger that would turn into the desire for revenge. I'm pretty sure my parents wanted me to actually live, not try to kill myself while trying to kill a dangerous Dark Lord.""I would have to agree," Remus admitted. "Sirius and I weren't happy that you wanted to do that, either."Harry snorted. "Well, that's because Dumbledore explained the prophecy in a way that seemed there was no other choice. Most of that was me trying to defend myself."He returned to his first year. "Hagrid was also the right person, for Dumbledore's plans, to be obvious that he was retrieving the Sorcerer's Stone from Gringotts. He didn't tell me what it was, but Hagrid is very much not a Slytherin."Sirius sniffed, and Remus nudged him sternly.Arthur snorted. "I can see your visit now.""The eleven-year-old me was very curious about 'you-know-what in vault you-know-which-'" Remus looked incredulous and exasperated "-but it wasn't quite enough to spark my own investigating."I met Draco Malfoy that day, although I didn't learn his name until the train. He came off as arrogant and rude, and I was immediately reminded of my cousin, who encouraged his gang of friends to help him beat me up."Two growls this time."I told Hagrid about it, and asked what Quidditch and Slytherin were, and he explained it as 'a game played on broomsticks' and a House whose students always became evil as adults. I was a bit skeptical, but I was also eleven, so I didn't protest."Ron sat with me on the train, saying everywhere else was full, which I doubt now. He, like Hagrid, disliked Slytherin House and raved about how awesome Gryffindor was, and gave me a more in-depth explanation about Quidditch. Malfoy visited our compartment somewhere down the line, along with Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, and I thought my cousin had become three people -- stupid, big, and spoiled."I didn't really care about which House I got at that point, at least until Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle sorted into Slytherin. I asked the Hat to put me in literally any other House, and since I wasn't particularly studious and had a hard time trusting people, they picked Gryffindor."On the last day of my first week of school, I happened to visit Hagrid on the day the goblins were talking about the break-in in the Prophet.""'Happened to?'" Molly repeated."Dumbledore suggested to Hagrid the first Friday back, after the Prophet had been released, that he invite me over for a cup of tea," Harry said. "Hagrid hadn't finished reading the newspaper yet, so I read that article and noticed the break-in had happened on my birthday, the same day Hagrid had removed whatever the object was."Again, I was curious, but I just wanted to experience the wizarding world without getting in danger, so I just went back to doing schoolwork."Then I found out that Dumbledore had a Cerberus in the school, and he was standing on a trapdoor.""What!" Remus exclaimed. "A Cerberus! That's far too dangerous to put in a school!""Dumbledore told the students to stay away from that corridor, but he did it in a way that would just make them more determined to explore it," Harry drawled. "I did ask Fred and George about it, though, and they said they tried to go there on the first night, but there were spells on the door keeping them from picking it."Molly looked exasperated. Sirius snickered."I think Dumbledore specifically had spells on the door to keep everyone but myself, Hermione, Ron, and Quirrell/Voldemort away," Harry explained. He paused. "And Neville, the night we discovered it. The Fat Lady was gone when he came back from the hospital wing," he explained to Remus, who looked confused as to why Neville of all people would break the rules."That made me want to investigate, but I did it in a way that wouldn't put me in danger," Harry said. "The only reason I was up that late in the first place was because Ronald dragged me there, after Malfoy challenged him to a duel. He didn't actually show up, but he did tell Filch, so the four of us had to run." He frowned. "I was following Ron," he said quietly. "I think he led us to the forbidden corridor on purpose."Arthur was angry again, and Molly looked like she wanted to cry and/or curse Ron."You all know about Halloween," Harry said wryly. They nodded, looking annoyed. "I suspected Snape at that point, because he'd stopped Quirrell and got bitten in the process. Ron only agreed because Snape treated me worse than he treated every other person-""What!" Remus exclaimed, eyes gold again. Sirius was furious -- and, Harry, thought, a little smug that he had an actual reason to hate Snape now."Stop that," he snapped at Sirius. "I'll explain most of his behavior when I get to his memories."Harry explained the end of his first year and then his second. "I really don't think Lucius Malfoy would be stupid enough to give a child a deadly magical object," he said when Arthur was outraged. "Cissa would probably murder him. I think Dumbledore did something to make him do that -- he has plenty of hiding spots in his house that only he knows about."Arthur snorted."Oh, and he knew that Lockhart was Obliviating before we did," Harry recalled. "And did fuck all about it. I don't know why, we'll probably never know since Lockhart still doesn't remember anything."There was a pause, and then Remus' eyes widened. "Wait. Albus -- he knew Sirius was innocent for more than a year before he was removed from the Wizengamot, but he never ordered a trial!"Harry smiled thinly. "Actually, he knew Sirius was innocent long before that.""What?" Sirius and Remus chorused, outraged."I think I should probably start with the prophecy," Harry decided. "I did some research about staff interviews, partially because I was thinking about applying for the Defense position after retiring as an Auror, partially because I was going over Dumbledore's statements with an adult perspective. Dumbledore is only supposed to hold interviews for any staff member in his office or school board headquarters, with a member of the school board present. Instead," Harry said coldly, "he held Trelawney's interview in the Hog's Head, with no witness, on the night of my mother's bridal shower, so he knew Snape would be there."Remus' eyes were gold again."How did Albus know Severus would be at the Hog's Head then?" Molly frowned."Snape was in love with my mother," Harry said blankly. "That, or he considered her a sister."Remus and Molly exchanged worried and knowing glances. Harry ignored them. Sirius didn't notice, but Arthur did. "The prophecy is fake?" Sirius whispered."I'm pretty sure it is," Harry agreed. "It is possible that Dumbledore already interviewed her and she gave a different prophecy, but he decided it didn't fit in with his plans and made it happen differently.""What did the fake prophecy say?" Arthur asked quietly."'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies,'" Harry quoted. "Snape only heard the part about vanquishing and the circumstances of the birth, but he told Voldemort anyway.
"He was alarmed when Voldemort immediately decided I was the one in the prophecy," Harry added, "which makes sense, because half-bloods aren't products of incest and are more powerful than most purebloods, and Snape went to warn Dumbledore, since he was no longer on good terms with my mother and never on good terms with my dad.
"Dumbledore told him he would protect my parents, and told James and Lily to go into hiding. He suggested the Fidelius Charm. They couldn't pick Remus as the Secret Keeper because he was spying on the wolf pack and didn't even know they were under the Fidelius. That left Sirius and Peter.
"Dad immediately picked Sirius for multiple reasons: he'd done a Purification ritual-" Sirius grimaced "-which, contrary to pureblood belief, doesn't remove Muggle blood, but removes issues of incest; he was raised Dark, so he knew how the enemy worked and was very good at fighting them; Dad considered Sirius to be his brother; and Peter had been seen as 'weak' by the Order, and not as powerful as Sirius by the Marauders. Mum also didn't trust Peter," Harry added.
"What?" Sirius said in surprise.
"I didn't know that," Remus said slowly.
Harry smiled thinly. "They wrote wills. Dumbledore told you they didn't, but my mother wanted to make sure the Death Eaters didn't get their things, and that I wasn't raised by Petunia."Remus, Sirius, Arthur, and Molly looked shocked."Also in the wills," Harry added sourly, "was the fact that James and Lily had changed their Secret Keeper to Peter a week before they wrote them. They specifically changed the wills because Lily didn't trust Peter. Dumbledore stopped the previous Potter Accountant, Thorneye, from publishing them."Remus was snarling quietly, and Sirius didn't bother calming Moony down this time."I don't have proof of this next bit," Harry admitted, "but I think Dumbledore was responsible for Sirius' injury, the one that made you decide to switch to Peter."Sirius gaped at Harry, as Remus spun on Sirius. "You didn't tell me you were hurt!" Remus growled."I think Dumbledore subtly manipulated the four -- well, three of you to distrust Remus," Harry said dryly. "Also, Sirius is an idiot.""I am not! Shut up, Moony," Sirius snapped at Remus, who was raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "How did you know I was hurt?" he asked Harry."Poppy Pomfrey," Harry replied. Sirius went a little pink."I don't know whether Peter was spying for Voldemort or Dumbledore, but Dumbledore knew Peter was a Death Eater anyway," Harry continued. "So, my parents were killed, and I was sent to the Dursleys."When Snape found out, he went to confront Dumbledore. The headmaster told him that he couldn't control my mother's death, but that her son was alive and still in danger. He manipulated Snape into making a vow to 'protect Lily's boy.' When I saw that memory, I knew Snape had no idea about what the Dursleys did to me, otherwise his magic would have killed him."Most of the other adults went gray, while Sirius looked torn between horror and anger."Fourth year," Harry continued, "there was no way Dumbledore didn't know Moody was an impostor, because he was very close to the man. He actually couldn't get me out of the Tournament, but he'd been trying to pit me against Voldemort anyway, so he didn't try."He was also glad Voldemort used my blood for the ritual, because that was the only way past Lily's protection," Harry continued. More growls."That summer was shite. I kept having nightmares about Cedric and the whole ritual, as well as the Dursleys being themselves, and yet nobody wrote to me. Not even you," he said quietly to Sirius. Sirius looked pained. "You didn't know how bad my summer was, so I forgave you for that a long time ago. I think Ron and Hermione did that on Dumbledore's orders, however," Harry said sourly. "Make me more dependent on them, or some fuckery.""Fuckery," Arthur mouthed with a bewildered look on his face, as Sirius muffled snickers into his hand and Remus looked both embarrassed and amused. Molly looked exasperated."I mostly blame the Ministry for that shite show of a trial," Harry continued, "and had I had my adult mind when that happened, I would have sued their asses for giving a minor a full criminal trial. They didn't even investigate like they were supposed to, since I used a spell that is only used in self-defense."Fifth year was fucking shite, and I'm pretty sure Dumbledore knew about the Blood Quills-""Blood Quills!" everyone but Kreacher exclaimed, and Harry remembered that he hadn't told them about Umbridge."Uh... so Umbridge made me use a Blood Quill every detention she gave me?" Harry said hesitantly.Remus' eyes went gold again, and he tried to stand up. Sirius was still on his lap, though, so they ended up on the floor."Get off of me," Remus complained. Sirius responded by flopping onto him more.Harry rolled his eyes. "Could you two act like actual adults for two minutes?""Hark who's talking," Sirius retorted.Arthur cleared his throat, and they turned to him. "Sixth year?" he asked quietly."Almost there," Harry sighed, as his honorary parents scrambled back onto the couch. "When Dumbledore was kicked out of the school, he went searching for Horcruxes-""What!" Sirius sputtered."What are Horcruxes?" Remus asked cautiously. Molly and Arthur also looked confused."I thought your dad was Dark," Harry frowned at Arthur."Borderline," Arthur said, "and I wasn't allowed in the library."Harry nodded and turned to Remus. "I don't know what Dark families know about Horcruxes, so I'll just tell you what I learned through Dumbledore. Meaning Slughorn's memory.""That's why he hired that spider of a man?" Sirius complained."I didn't like him either," Harry admitted. "A Horcrux refers to an object in which you place a piece of your soul. There's a ritual you have to perform, but Slughorn didn't tell teenage Voldemort how to do it.""It's not just a piece," Sirius said bluntly. "Every time you perform the ritual, it splits your soul in half.""What the fuck?" Harry exclaimed. "Some shite must have happened to Voldemort if he was that desperate not to die."Remus frowned. "You mentioned he was in a Muggle orphanage? Do you know when?"Harry blinked. "Voldemort was born on 31 December, 1926, and graduated Hogwarts in 1945. Wool's Orphanage was located somewhere in London."The werewolf went gray. "The Great Depression lasted from the end of 1929 to the beginning of 1933. Then the second Muggle World War happened and Muggle London was bombed, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941. A lot of students were panicking because their parents lived in that area, and a lot of people died, on both sides of the war.""What the fuck," Harry muttered, as the others in the room looked nauseated. "Well, he made six on purpose, because he wanted seven pieces of soul."Sirius looked shocked."On purpose?" Arthur said sharply."Well, by the time he tried to kill me," Harry said with a sigh, "he'd made five Horcruxes, so his soul was pretty unstable. When his Killing Curse hit me, it rebounded, because of Lily's Life-For-Life sacrifice-" Sirius' eyes widened "-and hit him. If what Sirius says is true, then half of his already tiny soul broke off and latched onto the only other living person in the room."Remus went gray."You're a Horcrux?" Sirius cried in alarm."I was," Harry corrected. "The goblins think the Horcrux died when I was bitten by the Basilisk, because that was the first time I died after I became one. Which meant I didn't need to be killed by Voldemort," he added sourly.More growls."Regulus stole one of the Horcruxes," Harry told Sirius, who looked surprised. "He told Kreacher to destroy it.""Kreacher failed," the elf whispered."I should have let you destroy it, instead of Ron," Harry sighed. "I'm sorry, Kreacher.""Kreacher is not mad at young master," Kreacher retorted."What were the Horcruxes?" Remus asked."Slytherin's locket, which is the one Regulus stole, Ravenclaw's diadem, which he hid in the Room of Requirement, Hufflepuff's cup, which the goblins found in Bellabitch's vault and destroyed (they apparently hate Horcruxes), Voldemort's diary-" Molly made a little sound of shocked horror, and Arthur turned gray "-the Peverell Heir ring, which killed Dumbledore via a very nasty curse, and Nagini."Arthur winced a little and rubbed his arm.Harry yawned suddenly. "Fuck, I wasn't done.""We get the gist, cub," Remus said quietly. "Who else have you told about this?""Nobody, really," Harry said tiredly. "Luna knows, though, because Luna."Sirius snorted."Time for bed, cub," Remus insisted, and Harry found himself being carried up the stairs.Bloody abuse, Harry grumbled to himself; he would always be slimmer and shorter than he wanted to be....
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Harry was slouched over a cup of coffee when Lucius Malfoy and his son entered the dining room. He grunted in a semi-greeting without looking up from his Batman mug."What is that, Potter?" Auror Malfoy demanded, plopping onto the chair beside him."The guy on the mug or the drink, Blondie?" Sirius asked brightly."Black," Lucius Malfoy grumbled, only taking a seat when Remus offered one."L'Oreal.""Sirius," Remus complained when Harry and Auror Malfoy choked. "Don't be rude to our guests."Sirius pouted."You'll have to wait until Harry finishes his coffee," Remus said apologetically to Lucius and his son."Coffee?" Auror Malfoy repeated."Muggles drink it to stay awake," Sirius replied."And what is that on the mug?" Auror Malfoy added."It's a Muggle fictional character called Batman," Remus said resignedly, while Sirius snickered. Harry glowered at his godfather, to groggy to be embarrassed. "That's his vigilante name, anyway. A vigilante is someone who does an Auror's job without having the license," he added when both Malfoys looked confused. "His personality is like Severus'.""Batman?" Auror Malfoy said dryly, raising an eyebrow at Harry. He flipped the blond off in response."Harry, don't be rude to our guests," Remus repeated. He set a plate of pancakes in front of Harry. "Have you eaten?""I have eaten," Lucius Malfoy replied sleekly. "My son-" he shot Auror Malfoy an exasperated look "-woke up ten minutes before we needed to leave, and chose to fret over his appearance instead of eating."Auror Malfoy would have glared at his father, but he was too busy staring at the Nutella spread over Harry's pancake. "That smells delicious," he told Remus. "May I ask what that is?""It's Nutella," Remus replied with a smile as he started dishing a few pancakes on three more plates. "A type of chocolate spread made from roasted hazelnuts. Would you like some? It's rather rich.""Please," the younger blond said politely, but Harry could see the eagerness in his eyes. Harry rolled his eyes."I have never heard of Nutella before," Lucius Malfoy remarked."That's because Muggles invented it," Remus replied, earning an indignant look from Lucius. Sirius snickered at the man.Harry had finished his coffee by this point and immediately started scarfing down his breakfast as Remus set down the three plates in front of his husband, Auror Malfoy, and himself."Potter," Auror Malfoy complained.Harry swallowed and flipped Malfoy off again. "I'm starving, I love Nutella, and I eat like this when it isn't a formal setting." He shoved another bite into his mouth."Barbarian," the blond grumbled, scooting away slightly. He ate his own food much more daintily."Wouldn't you prefer to savor it?" Lucius Malfoy drawled."Eh."Harry finished quickly and got up to put his dish in the sink, but Kreacher snapped into view before he could. "Can't do any work around here," he complained good-naturedly as Kreacher began washing his plate and mug.Kreacher and Sirius snorted in unison, then glared at each other."For Merlin's sake!" Harry exclaimed. "Sirius, eat your food. Kreacher, ignore the mutt.""Mutt!" Sirius cried in betrayal. Kreacher smirked and went back to washing dishes."Living in a house of children, I swear," Harry grumbled, sitting back down. At Remus' raised eyebrow, he said dryly, "Swearwolf."Auror Malfoy almost choked on a bite of pancake when Remus actually pouted.Lucius Malfoy cleared his throat, not knowing whether to be amused or annoyed. "Auror Potter, my wife said you needed my assistance with the Dark Mark. I would suggest, first, that you speak to Severus.""He doesn't want to talk to me," Harry said yet again. "I have some questions to ask first. How does the Mark feel normally?""As if it isn't there," the man replied after a thoughtful pause."When does it feel otherwise?""When being summoned, when the Dark Lord's title was spoken, or when the Dark Lord was feeling intense emotion," Lucius Malfoy answered. "It hurts in those instances.""So you've never felt anything but pain when the Mark is activated?" Harry said with a frown."No," Auror Malfoy agreed, as he was between bites. "You are an excellent cook, Professor, thank you.""I'm no longer your Professor, Auror Malfoy," Remus replied. "You may call me Remus or Moony.""Draco, then," the smaller blond said after a careful and surprised pause."How did Vol -- er, You-Know-Who activate your Mark, or get it to react?" Harry asked."I am not entirely sure of the answer to the first question," Lucius Malfoy admitted. "You would have to ask Severus that. If we were in the presence of the Dark Lord, he could get the Mark to react with Parseltongue.""Okay, then," Harry said slowly. "Well, the first thing I want to do is see if I can get the Mark to stop hurting entirely. I don't know if I can remove it, yet, so this will have to do. Are you two okay with me doing that?"Both Malfoys stared at him. "Potter," Lucius Malfoy said slowly, "you want to stop the pain, when I-" he stopped.Auror Malfoy sighed. "Potter's too nice for that, Father."Harry poked his side in retaliation, and Malfoy smacked his arm, glaring at him. The older blond watched his son and Harry with a peculiar expression on his face; Harry assumed it was because he was surprised at Harry's kindness."I have no issue with this experiment," the man said finally."Whatever, Potter," Auror Malfoy agreed."You can finish your pancakes," Harry smirked, seeing the pout Malfoy gave his plate. He got up and went to sit beside Lucius Malfoy instead."Now?" the man said, surprised."Yeah, I promised Andi to help her with Teddy," Harry replied."What's wrong with the brat?" Auror Malfoy frowned, but Harry could see the concern in his eyes."Just a small cold," Remus assured him, but he and Sirius still looked worried. "He and Andi missed Harry's birthday because of it."Lucius Malfoy rolled up his left sleeve, expression blank. Harry gazed down at the Dark Mark and focused."~Hello?~"The serpent slithering through the eyes of the skull replied almost instantly. ~You are my master, yet not my master.~"~Yeah, I don't know how the fuck that happened,~" Harry told it. The snake actually snorted. "~What are your orders about Lucius?~"~The man who was branded with me?~ the snake questioned."~Uh-huh.~"~How old are you, master?~ the snake asked with a snort."~I just turned twenty yesterday,~" Harry said in a slightly defensive tone."What's wrong, Harry?" Remus asked, as everyone noticed the tone."Lord Malfoy's Mark basically called me a child," Harry pouted."You certainly act like one," Lucius Malfoy said in a drawling tone. He yelped in pain when the snake hissed."~You can understand English?~" Harry said in surprise.~I can, master,~ the snake hissed angrily."~Lucy was just teasing, and I don't like using pain as a punishment,~" Harry insisted. The snake laughed at the nickname. "~If you do follow my orders, I don't want you to hurt Lucius anymore.~"~As you command,~ the snake replied. ~How do you punish?~"~I don't really,~" Harry said slowly. "~The closest I get to punishment is a harmless, yet slightly humiliating, prank, and I usually only prank my honorary parents, Remus and Sirius Lupin-Black, and my honorary brothers, Fred and George Weasley.~"~Pranks?~ the snake said with a sigh. ~You are a very odd Dark Lord.~"~I'm not a Dark Lord,~" Harry frowned.~You are a Dark Lord, master,~ the snake said. ~Only a Dark Lord can control Dark Marks.~Harry blinked. "What the ever-loving shit fuck-""Language!" Remus exclaimed as Sirius burst out laughing. Auror Malfoy, who had finished his breakfast, rolled his eyes."What is it?" Lucius Malfoy asked cautiously."Apparently," Harry complained, "I'm a bloody fucking Dark Lord."Sirius immediately stopped laughing."Of course you are," said Auror Malfoy with an eye-roll, ignoring the shocked expression on Remus' face. "Only a Dark Lord can control Dark Marks.""Well that's fucking lovely."~Are you well, master?~ the snake asked cautiously."~I'm more annoyed than upset,~" Harry decided. "~I was groomed my whole life to kill Voldemort-~"~You're Harry Potter?!~ the snake exclaimed. Lucius Malfoy twitched and blinked down at the Dark Mark in surprise."Did it hurt?" Harry asked in alarm."No, it just... vibrated?" the man said slowly.Harry relaxed and responded to the snake. "~Yes, I am.~"
~How?!~
"~You're asking me?~" Harry snorted. "~I know shite about Dark Marks.~" He paused. "~Is it possible to change the Mark? I don't particularly like the design, and I don't think Lucy does either.~"~Yes, you can change the Mark,~ the snake agreed. ~Focus your magic on me.~Harry reached out gently with his magic, causing everyone in the room to gasp quietly. Both Malfoys suddenly grabbed their left arms, gasping.After a pause, both Malfoys released their arms, and everyone got a good look at the new Dark Mark.Instead of a skull and a huge serpent, there was instead a Deathly Hallows symbol, with a familiar snake wrapped around it.Harry snorted as the other four people in the room stared at it."What's so funny?" Sirius asked immediately."That's the snake I accidentally set on my cousin Dudley when I was eleven," Harry said wryly, gesturing to the new Mark."This is..." the older blond stared at his arm. Draco Malfoy pulled down his own sleeve, eyes widening."Oh, I probably should have asked," Harry said, embarrassed."Thank you," Lucius Malfoy said quietly.Sirius gasped. "Did L'Oreal Malfoy just thank you?"The blond rolled his eyes.~Master,~ said the boa constrictor, ~do you still wish Lord Malfoy to be your second-in-command?~Harry blinked. "~Uh... I guess, for now? But I don't want slaves.~"
~They do not have to be. What do you wish your Dark Empire to be?~
After a pause, Harry said quietly, "~A family.~"~Might I suggest a Pack, then?~ said the boa constrictor in a gentler tone.Harry stared at the Dark Mark. "~That... works. What the fuck?~"The boa constrictor laughed."What is it?" Remus asked curiously."I told the Dark Mark I didn't want slaves," Harry replied, earning an eye-roll and a muttered "Bloody Gryffindor" from Draco Malfoy, "and that I wanted... a family, so it suggested making it a Pack instead."Remus' eyes were misty.Auror Malfoy narrowed his eyes at him. "Your Muggle relatives were shite, weren't they." It wasn't a question."I... yeah," Harry admitted, and ignored the wide-eyed look from Lucius Malfoy. "Oh, the snake asked if I wanted you to be my second-in-command, but that was before I made my... Dark Empire?... a Pack, so I want Moony to be my second.""Me?" Remus said in surprise."You're more responsible than Padfoot," Harry replied, "and pretty smart and clever." He would have chosen Snape, but..."I think you mean pretty, comma, smart, and clever," Sirius smirked, making his husband blush lightly.Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He gave Remus an expectant look."Are you sure you want to pick me?" Remus said worriedly."Snape doesn't want anything to do with me, so yes," Harry agreed, managing to keep the pain out of his voice. Both Malfoys stared at him.Remus gave him a little smile. "Alright, cub."Harry blinked again. "I have to ask the Dark Mark one more question. ~Do I need to use a tattoo as a Dark Mark or can I use something else, like a piece of jewelry or some shite?~"~If you're going to use a piece of jewelry,~ the boa constrictor replied, ~I would suggest using different styles of bracelet. There are two different types of familial bracelets, for those related to you and for those you consider family but that aren't related to you, courting bracelets, bonding bracelets, for those you are married to, and familial-adjacent bracelets, for the parents of your romantic partners.~"~Does my godfather count as related to me?~" Harry asked.
~It is a bit of a stretch, but yes.~
"~And the man married to my godfather, and their son?~"
~What is their last name?~
"~Lupin-Black.~"~You are descended from the Blacks, anyway,~ the boa constrictor said with a sigh. ~Dorea Potter Nee Black birthed Harrison Michael Potter, who married Rebecca Potter Nee Fleamont, and they bore your grandfather, Fleamont Potter.~"~So, my godfather and his husband and son are related to me?~" Harry said wryly.
~Distantly.~
"The Dark Mark says I don't have to use a tattoo as a Mark," Harry told them, and the Malfoys looked startled. "I can try to change yours if you want," Harry added to them."I like the tattoo," Auror Malfoy admitted."What would you choose, instead?" Lucius Malfoy asked him curiously."Bracelets," Harry answered. "Moony and Pads would get familial bracelets, the type where it shows they're related to me, and... I guess you would get the one where you're not related to me. Since you're not my romantic partner-" Lucius Malfoy grimaced "-or the father of my romantic partner."He missed the slight pout on Auror Malfoy's face, and so did Sirius, but Remus and Lucius Malfoy didn't.Harry was about to ask Sirius and Remus if they wanted to get a Marked bracelet, but then a familiar voice shouted from the drawing room Floo."BLACK! WHY IS MY MARK THE BLOODY DEATHLY HALLOWS SYMBOL?!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Harry bolted. He heard Auror Malfoy following him up the stairs and tried to shut his bedroom door on him, but the man caught it just before it clicked."Haven't seen you run that fast since Auror Redford tried to ask you on a date," Malfoy drawled, shoving the door open."Shut up," Harry snapped, panicked."What are you so afraid of?" Malfoy demanded. "You killed a Dark Lord, your Patronus -- Parselmagic or not -- drives away a hoard of Dementors, and you even survived Umbridge. Why would a snarky Potions Master scare you?"A strangled noise was Malfoy's only response."Harry!" Sirius yelled up the stairs. "Batman wants to- ow!""Severus," Remus retorted -- apparently both he and Snape had hexed Sirius -- "wants to talk to you!""You mean yell at me for something I can't control, again," Harry muttered under his breath.Malfoy's expression cleared. "You like the bastard," he said bluntly.
I wish I didn't. It would be so much less painful.
"Come on, Potter, he won't bite," Malfoy said, snatching his arm. He smirked. "Unless you want him to."Harry smacked him, face bright red. "Shut up, ferret.""Make me, Scarhead," Malfoy taunted.Harry didn't realize Malfoy was distracting him with bickering until they were downstairs. Harry froze mid-retort when he saw the infuriated look on Snape's face. Lucius Malfoy and Remus were looking exasperated, and Sirius was rubbing his arm, glowering at Snape."Potter," his old Potions professor snapped, arms folded across his chest, "what did you do?""I was only trying to change Lord Malfoy's Dark Mark," Harry replied stiffly. "I didn't know it would change everyone's Mark.""So that article was true," Snape said in disgust."Yes," Auror Malfoy agreed, letting go of Harry's arm. "And if you stop being a dick to him, Severus, he'll remove your Dark Mark.""There's no if," Harry snapped at Malfoy. "I'm not going to keep someone in the Pack if they don't want to be." Snape doesn't want anything to do with me anyway."How chivalrous," Snape sneered. "And how predictable that you chose to make your Dark Empire a pack. Reminiscent of a certain group of pranksters."Harry twitched. "You don't have to be part of my family if you don't want to be," he said coldly, making a startled look appear briefly over Snape's face. "I wouldn't force you to spend any more time with James' son than you have to."Snape stared at him but said nothing. Harry couldn't tell what emotion was on the man's face. Frustrated, he turned to the arm with the rolled-up sleeve."~Is it possible to remove you without hurting the man you're branding?~" Harry asked the boa constrictor.
~Yes. Did Severus betray you?~
"~No, but he hates me. I don't want him to hurt, and I don't want to force him to be part of my Pack.~"
~Very well.~
The Deathly Hallows symbol and boa constrictor disappeared. Snape stared down at his blank arm, then back at Harry."I'm going to Grimmauld's library," Harry said flatly, "see if there's anything that will tell me about Dark Marks." Because books don't hate me."Potter," Snape interjected, but Harry marched out of the room.He had only been in the library a few moments, trying to see the book titles through tears, when someone entered the room. Harry ignored whoever it was."It would be easier to find the book you want if you asked the house-elf, Potter," Snape said quietly from right behind him.Harry yelped and almost fell over, but Snape caught him. "What do you want?" Harry asked defensively."To talk," Snape replied, gazing down at him with dark eyes. "And... to apologize.""For what?" Harry asked bitterly. "Taking points and giving detentions for things as stupid as sneezing in class? Constantly comparing me to a spoiled bully? Reminding me that my parents were killed because of me? Simultaneously calling me a powerless idiot yet somehow powerful and smart enough to do things like trick the Goblet into thinking there was a fourth school?"Snape winced at that last one. "You didn't mention making you and your parents a target in the first place.""I don't blame you for that," Harry retorted. "That was entirely Dumbledore's and Voldemort's fault, Dumbledore for making a fake prophecy and Voldemort for falling for it in the first place. You were in emotional turmoil, have been for years, so I also don't blame you for not realizing it was fake."A falsely calm expression fell over the man's face. "The prophecy... was fake," Snape said in a very quiet, very icy voice."A headmaster is supposed to hold staff interviews in the headmaster 's office or in the school board headquarters with a member of the school board present," Harry said bluntly, semi-quoting the school charter. "Instead, he held it in the pub that his brother owns on the night of my mother's bridal shower."A strangled noise of fury escaped the man's lips. "I will... speak to Albus' portrait later," Snape muttered. Right, speak, Harry snorted inwardly. "I want to apologize for everything you mentioned, because you did not deserve any of that. You should have been able to trust your own professor, and I hurt you instead."
Right, he's apologizing as a professor, not...
"I never hated you," Snape said quietly, startling Harry. "I hated James, and I missed Lily desperately, and you were the product of both sides of my pain. I should not have taken my anger at your parents out on you.""Why are you apologizing now, as opposed to when I needed an adult?" Harry asked. "A responsible adult," he amended, "because those two idiots downstairs still act like children sometimes."Snape coughed to hide a laugh. "It didn't cross my mind that I needed to apologize until a few months after the war ended. I could not have shown any affection to you, anyway, as I had to keep my position with the previous Dark Lord. You have never been talented at Occlumency.""I am now," Harry frowned. "Aurors need to learn it. Is that another fuckery Dumbledore did? Making it impossible for me to learn Occlumency? Fuck the old man."The Potions professor choked. "Where did you learn to swear so much? Black doesn't have that foul of a mouth.""Remus," Harry said dryly. "I'm surprised the Swearwolf managed not to swear at all during my third year, at least not in front of students."The other man shook his head in exasperation. "You spoke as if there was more than one reason you needed a responsible adult.""Well, other than stopping me from landing in the hospital wing every month," said Harry, earning an eye-roll, "there was also the fact that I was a child who knew next to nothing about the wizarding world yet was being forced to fight a bloody Dark Lord; I was being sent back to magic-hating Muggles every summer; and whatever fuckery was happening to me that year, like Basilisks or Dementors or dragons.""I thought Draco was misinformed about you living with Muggles," Snape frowned. "Albus told me you were being safely raised by a relative.""He was half right," Harry said tiredly, "you were just wrong about which side the relative was on."Snape froze. "Petunia?" he whispered. "That blasted old fool gave you to Petunia?""And her 'lovely' husband and 'well-behaved' son," Harry said sarcastically."Minerva said your home life was not pleasant, but she never told me-" Snape made another strangled noise. "I suppose because she knew I would confront the bitch."Harry choked. He'd never heard Snape swear before. That compared with the man's smooth baritone sent a wave of heat down to his midriff. Harry shifted his bathrobe to try to hide it, but the movement caught Snape's attention anyway.The man stared at him. "Merlin, Potter. I suppose you wouldn't have been as upset by my apparent hatred of you had you not cared about me.""What? This only shows that I-" Harry cut himself off. "How did you-""I was a triple spy, Potter, and a Slytherin," Snape deadpanned. "It wasn't difficult. And what is this innocence? Is the Chosen One a virgin?"The man was teasing him. Harry was flustered. "I, uh. Maybe. Ginny and I had only kissed a few times before she broke up with me."Snape's lips thinned. He apparently remembered that particular article, too, Ginny's vicious tirade at Harry's sexuality blazing across the front page."And Ginny and Cho Chang are the only people I've dated," Harry continued, "as I was too busy with Auror training and then my new job to date."And the person he had developed very strong feelings for was avoiding him."I am surprised that it is me you desire," Snape said, "given the way I treated you.""I didn't get a crush on you until sixth year," Harry admitted, "and it was technically the Half-Blood Prince that I liked, and I didn't know he was you." Snape looked surprised at that. "At least, the emotional kind of crush. I'm pretty sure every kid attracted to dudes has a heart attack every time you talk. I was fifteen whe-" Harry froze, realizing what he'd just said.Snape raised an eyebrow at him. "My voice makes you hard."Harry spluttered again. "No!" he protested.The man studied him. "Would you like me to change the subject?" he asked tactfully."Yes!" No."What was the magic connecting you to the Dark Lord?" Snape asked.Oh, this was definitely not the subject Harry wanted to talk about, but it was an important subject. "Dumbledore didn't tell you?""He was not specific," Snape replied. "Only that you needed to die to make the Dark Lord immortal.""I was an accidental Horcrux," Harry said.Snape looked horrified. "What?""The goblins think it was removed by the Basilisk venom in my second year," Harry continued, "but for a long time I thought it was because I let Voldemort shoot an AK at me before I killed him.""That's not how that works," Snape said in a strangled tone. "Merlin, Albus is not the place to go for knowledge on Horcruxes!""What do you mean?" Harry asked slowly."The only way to remove the soul-piece inside of you," Snape explained darkly, "was if you had stayed dead. You are still a Horcrux, Potter.""What the ever-loving shit fuck!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"What's a Horcrux?" Auror Malfoy asked with a frown."All my father told me was that I should never make one, and forbade me from even researching the subject," his father replied with a frown. "Which is saying something, as my father was obsessed with learning.""There's a lot of rumors about what the ritual to make Horcruxes includes," Sirius told Lucius Malfoy, who was surprised that Sirius of all people knew more about Horcruxes than he did, "but one of them is cannibalism."Everyone except Snape grimaced at that. "It's not entirely cannibalism," Snape grumbled."How do you know?" Sirius demanded."I wish I didn't, Mutt," Snape sneered at him. "Unfortunately, the Dark Lord who created Horcruxes was a Prince; every member of my family has invented something for the magical community, but very few of them were as evil as Horcruxes.""I don't need to know how to make Horcruxes," Harry said, shooting Sirius a look that said 'shut the fuck up,' "so what else do you know about them?""The Prince family has a theory about magical beings," Snape began. "Their magic is determined by three things: your soul, your mind, and your magical core. Your soul is your being, your morals. Your magic will struggle to cast anything that goes against your ideals. Your mind is your emotions and thoughts. Your magic is affected by mental disorders and your ability to control your emotions. Lastly, your magical core -- Light, Dark, Gray -- controls what type of magic you are most comfortable casting. You can still cast any kind of spell and perform any ritual, but it will be more difficult if it doesn't match your core. These three pillars support your entire being, and fracturing any of these pillars will cause damages to the other two.""Is that why You-Know-Who was bloody insane?" Harry said dryly. "Because he ripped his soul apart?""And why his magic became unstable," Snape agreed. "This is why magic that affects these pillars are usually illegal, although the Ministry hasn't realized why it's so important that they remain illegal.""Why hasn't the Prince family published these findings?" Remus asked curiously."Because it presents Dark as 'good,'" Snape drawled. "In reality, magic is neither good nor evil, but a tool, and the reason the Ministry believe Dark magic to be evil is because it relies on controlling your emotions instead of your thoughts.""But both of those are just as difficult," Harry said with a frown. "And that's basically saying emotions are evil."The three ex-Death Eaters rolled their eyes. "You think we don't know that, Potter?" Auror Malfoy complained. He twitched and glared at his Dark Mark."You can call me Harry," Harry decided. "But only because the Dark Mark irritates you when you call me by my last name." He glanced at Lucius Malfoy. "That goes for you, too.""Lucius, then," the man said, glancing between his son and Harry with a contemplative look on his face."'Draco' is better than 'ferret face,' I suppose," Auror Malfoy muttered, earning a cackle from Sirius. Remus smacked his husband.Snape cleared his throat. "When a soul piece is placed in a living Horcrux, it attaches to the soul already there. Unless the ritual is performed, the souls will combine, because the point of Horcruxes was to keep the soul safe until they could return their original body. I believe Albus must have done something to your soul, because you never should have had a mental connection to the Dark Lord with the combined soul.""Fucking old bastard," Harry growled."The reason the Dark Marks recognize you as the Dark Lord is because the soul-piece that attached to yours must have been larger than the soul in the Dark Lord's body, making it the main soul," Snape said. "Luckily, the soul-piece that joined yours after Albus died was too small to alter your being to be the Dark Lord's. It was, however, large enough to affect your three pillars." Snape shook his head. "This was supposed to make your pillars weaker, not stronger, but of course it's you, Potter." He cocked his head. "Why didn't you stay dead when the Basilisk killed you, and when the Dark Lord shot an AK at you?""Fawkes brought me back," Harry replied, "and... I think by the time You-Know-Who shot an AK at my face, I was Master of Death.""Is that why the Dark Mark is the Deathly Hallows?" Draco said in surprise."How did you get all three of them?" Snape asked with interest."I inherited the Cloak," said Harry, and Snape grimaced, "Dumbledore gave me the Stone in his will, although I had to bloody die to get it out of its encasing, and I earned the allegiance of the Elder Wand when I disarmed Draco.""I was the master of the Elder Wand?!" Draco exclaimed indignantly. Harry snickered."It might be better for you to use it than your old wand, Potter," Snape told him."Harry," he corrected. "And, uh... I have been.""What?" the room exclaimed.Harry pulled out his wand and removed the glamour. "My holly wand started acting weird after the war ended," Harry said with a sigh, "so I started using the Elder Wand, and it worked a lot better, even better than my wand had before the war ended. I didn't want to be the target of assassinations, so I glamoured it to look like my holly wand.""You're not supposed to be able to do that," Snape said, looking stunned."Maybe it's because it's the Elder Wand, and I'm the Master of Death," Harry suggested."Merlin," Remus said, looking exhausted but proud. "My cub is a Dark Lord and the Master of Death... James would have a heart attack.""Did you use the Stone to talk to James?" Sirius asked, looking longing."No," Harry replied flatly. "I use it to talk to Mum on my birthday and Christmas -- Yule, whatever -- but over-use of the Stone is supposed to make people depressed. I didn't get around to it yesterday because..."Remus and Sirius looked angry and worried."What happened?" Snape asked."Ron and Hermione were helping Dumbledore," Harry said blankly. "But I didn't know until they came back from Australia yesterday, they hadn't written to me the entire time they were gone. Actually, they hadn't talked to me since the war ended. Ron was surprised I wasn't in Azkaban because I bloody speak Parseltongue," he sneered."People don't get arrested for being Parselmouths," Draco said in exasperation when Harry's honorary parents looked even more angry."Ron doesn't think things through unless it's chess," Harry scowled. "He's an idiot with a lot of things. I thought it was endearing, except during our fourth year." He shook himself. "Professor, do... do you want to talk to my mum?"Snape's eyes widened as Remus and Sirius exchanged glances, Remus looking fond and Sirius looking torn between pride and annoyance. "I... I would love to, if you have no issue with that, Harry. And you may call me Severus, if you wish."Harry darted out of the room before anyone could see his face turn red. "It's in my room," he called over his shoulder.Remus and Severus appeared behind him, both looking amused. "You two shouldn't be alone in your room, Harry," Remus told him.Harry gave him an unimpressed look. "Remus, I am twenty years old. Kindly fuck off."Severus snorted. "I have no intention of debauching your cub, Lupin." Harry spluttered, turning his glare on the professor. "Certainly not with his mother in the room."Harry almost fell over again, horrified at the thought of his mother, dead or not, watching... that. Severus and Remus caught him before he could fall over."We are never talking about this again," Harry said in a strangled tone.Remus coughed, and Harry hexed him.