Prologue
Harry’s not sure if he was given this honor because Tonks and Remus loved him, because he was the one who got Remus to come home, or just because he was the only one left. But they’re kindred spirits now.
The first war made an orphan of Harry and the second made an orphan of his godson.
Harry refuses to let Teddy suffer the way he did. Harry refuses to allow this beautiful, beautiful boy to grow up without being told every single day that he’s loved, that he’s wanted. Harry had hoped beyond hope that Tonks and Remus would be able to be here, would be able to raise their sweet boy on their own. But, when that became impossible, he had hoped Andromeda would be able to step in. But, advanced age and heartbreak after heartbreak have made it hard for Andromeda to focus on the day to day, and Teddy deserves a grandmother who can be fun and loving when she’s able, but who isn’t burdened with trying to pull herself together and put on a mask.
Teddy deserves someone who can give him their undivided attention, who can give him everything.
So, Harry has to get it together.
He can’t let the ghosts of two wars weigh him down any longer. He’s testified at trials, he’s shook hands and offered condolences and accepted congratulations, he’s attended more funerals this summer than any one person should attend in a lifetime, he’s moved Andromeda and Teddy into Grimmauld Place, he’s even (in an incredibly strange turn of events) opened the doors of the Black Family Ancestral Home to Narcissa Malfoy (who would prefer to be called Narcissa Black, thank you very much), and he’s accepted McGonagall’s offer to return to Hogwarts to earn his NEWTs.
Oh, and he’s adopted Edward Remus Lupin.
Master of Death, War Hero, the Boy Who Lived (x2), the Chosen One, Savior of the Wizarding World, Lord Potter, Lord Black, Lord Peverell, Lord Slytherin (and wasn’t that a shock?), Harry James Potter Order of Merlin First Class … why not add teen parent to the list?
Harry is going to make sure Teddy grows up hearing stories of his parents so he can choose what attributes he recognizes in himself, instead of being seen as the mirror of his father in the haunted eyes of every adult who chooses to care for him. Harry’s going to make sure that Teddy knows that he is wanted and loved because he’s his own person, not just his parents’ child. Teddy is going to be raised in a magical home, raised knowing his station as an Heir to a Most Ancient and Noble House, but he’s going to attend muggle primary school and, now that Harry thinks about it, should probably continue some sort of muggle education even when he eventually attends Hogwarts. I mean, if this kid is anything like his parents, he’ll be endlessly intelligent and endlessly hyperactive. He's going to need something different to focus on so he doesn’t become McGonagall’s’ worst nightmare. A kid who was born a Lupin and a Black and who’s being raised a Potter? A child made up of ¾ Marauder bloodlines who also happens to be Metamorphmagus? And who isn’t properly challenged and entertained? No thank you. Harry’s going to do his best to mitigate that disaster waiting to happen.
* * *
Needless to say, it’s been a busy three months since he defeated Voldemort. And, as it turns out, raising an infant might even be more difficult than battling Dark Lords. Now, Harry’s staring down the barrel of September 1st. Narcissa and Andromeda are certainly helping each other heal, but Harry’s just not comfortable leaving Remus’ son, his son he guesses … that one’s gonna take some getting used to, in a house with two women who have an incredibly fragile bond and who weren’t expecting to ever have to raise a child again. So, really, Harry and Teddy are staring down the barrel of September 1st.
Harry’s not really sure what possessed him to not only decide to return to Hogwarts, a place now filled to the brim with ghosts and nightmares, but to return with a four-month-old child. Harry’s also not sure what possessed McGonagall to agree to this harebrained scheme. He’s not sure if it has more to do with her love of Remus Lupin, he love and respect of Harry, or the fact that Hermione said she’d be helping Harry plan. But, at the end of the day, Harry’s not quite sure he cares what the reasoning is.
Teddy Lupin-Potter is sunshine on a rainy day. His mere presence puts Harry at peace and brings a smile to his face, the only time Harry’s nightmares subside is when he falls asleep with Teddy curled against his chest, his nose buried in the soft hair that settles into honey brown curls whenever the boy is asleep. Harry’s honestly not sure if he’d be able to face Hogwarts without his boy.
Harry’s not quite sure when in the last three months he started thinking of Teddy as his, instead of just a kid he was temporarily watching or an honorary nephew, but he can’t quite find it in himself to feel guilty about it.
He’d stressed endlessly over the more tactical aspects of taking care of Teddy; establishing a trust vault, paying his Hogwarts tuition at the first sign of accidental magic, decorating his room, making plans for his early education. But, amongst all that, he’d discovered that what matters most is that he carves time out of each and every day to give his undivided attention to Teddy.
To read books and tell stories and get distracted playing with bath toys and get lost in the siren song of Teddy’s giggles. He hasn’t quite learned how to stop the tears from falling every time Teddy’s features turned distinctly Potter in response to seeing Harry. Wild black hair and bright green eyes, sun kissed skin and a smile far too mischievous for a four-month-old infant.
* * *
For someone who grew up ignorant to the concept of “family,” Harry has found himself absolutely surrounded by people happy to consider him as such.
The Weasleys have always said he was theirs in all but name, but the months since the Battle have only served to solidify that. He had always chalked up his connection to the Weasley family to his being Ron’s best friend or Ginny’s boyfriend, but with Ron and Hermione trekking through Australia and he and Ginny deciding they’re better off as friends, Harry has remained a welcome presence at the Burrow. Molly had even added Harry and Teddy to the clock.
And then, in a manner so strange it could only ever happen to Harry Potter, he’d not only risen to his station as Lord Black, but he’d come to consider them family. The once prodigious Black family had dwindled in recent years, but their pride certainly hadn’t. With Narcissa and Andromeda’s help, Harry had stuffed his brain with etiquette and politics, he’d been brought into family secrets and took up the mantle in more than just the name, he’d officially welcomed Andromeda back into the family and dissolved Narcissa’s marriage contract.
* * *
He’d also discovered during a truly mind-melting trip to Gringotts that he didn’t even know his own name.
Apparently, as people take up Heirships or Lordships, their surnames are magically updated. But, more than that, he’d never known he had a full name. He’d always known himself as Harry James Potter. But, apparently, he’d been given middle names for each of his known Heirships and, beyond that, he had a full name. Why no one ever deigned to tell him that Harry was a nickname was an absolute mystery.
Strangely, it wasn’t the ceremonies and awards and endless articles that made him realize he’d never be Just Harry, it was looking at that inheritance test in a windowless office with a truly disgruntled Goblin who kept muttering about useless wizards with stupid beards and even stupider robes. Apparently, the account managers had been trying to get ahold of him for quite some time.
It seemed Harry James Potter had truly died in the Forbidden Forest. The boy who spent a decade in a cupboard, didn’t understand the concept of family, and who never planned to see his 18th birthday was gone. In his place was a young man who was Master of an ancestral home, had family in spades, and made plans for the future.
Lord Hadrian James Ignotus Arcturus Peverell Potter Black Slytherin.
And if realizing that he had more names than Dumbledore sent Harry and Steelclaw into a fit of laugher at the sheer insanity of the situation, laughter that only got more manic when the goblin pointed out that at least his third middle name was better than “Brian,” no one had to know.
In public, he remained “Harry Potter.”
To the Wizengamot, he was Lord Peverell; Lord Peverell Black Slytherin Potter was a fucking mouthful, so he’d begged his colleagues to just pick one and stick with it. They’d tried to call him Lord Potter and the Peverell seat lit itself on fire. The chamber had decided to defer to the wishes of the Peverell magic after that.
Narcissa and Andromeda insist on calling him Hadrian, Draco had taken to coming up with as many nicknames as possible and with 8 names to draw from he would likely never run out of options though it seemed “Hades” was his current favorite.
Blaise had decided to henceforth only refer to both Draco and Harry as “Black.” A habit neither of them could break him of but couldn’t technically correct him on given the newly established line of succession.
Harry only had to name heirs to two of his houses. The Peverell and Slytherin Magics didn’t pass down like normal Family Magic. Harry was the Slytherin Lord through the right of conquest, technically, but also through some tie to the Gaunts that he hadn’t fully figured out. When Death bestowed Her gifts upon the brothers, She stated that the magic would one day be re-united. The so-called “Master of Death” would be the last of the line and, when they greeted Death as an old friend, the Master would carry those gifts with them into the great beyond. Harry would be the last of the Peverells, he would – some day in the distant future – greet Death as an old friend. He would join the mantle at Death’s right hand.
And what a sodding mindfuck that had been.
Harry really thought when Voldemort’s soul piece got botted he’d stop having to share his dreamscape. But, as it turns out, Lord Death was more than happy to take up residence.
As such, the only Houses Harry had to name Heirs for were Potter and Black. After a lot of discussion with Andromeda, Harry had decided to name Teddy as the Potter Heir and Draco as the Black Heir. Draco had been more than happy to return the Malfoy seat to the chamber to be filled by a younger family. Draco, even more surprisingly, had absolutely zero interest in actually becoming Lord Black. He was more than happy to be the Heir and to help Harry with family affairs, but much preferred serving in an advisory role rather than taking up the mantle himself.
* * *
Shortly before his birthday, once the dust had settled, Andromeda had approached Harry about officially adopting Teddy. While Harry had been Teddy’s primary caregiver since the week after the Battle and while Teddy was officially Heir Potter, Harry was legally only Teddy’s oath sworn godfather. It seemed, in the panic of the war, Remus and Tonks hadn’t had the chance to update their wills to include what should happen to Teddy. He’d been less than a week old when his parents died. Andromeda and Harry had similar claims over Teddy’s guardianship, Andromeda as his grandmother and Harry as his godfather.
Andromeda approached the question as a conversation about which one of them should be his primary guardian, but Harry could read between the lines. Andromeda had lost so much. They all had. But she had lost her husband and her daughter in quick succession, she was aging and hadn’t planned to raise an infant. She was beyond ecstatic to be a grandmother but hadn’t planned to be a parent again. And, while Harry was young, he was mature and understood Teddy’s situation more than most.
Harry knew without a doubt that he would’ve been better off had he been raised by Sirius, no matter how young and inexperienced he may have been. He’d have been raised knowing he was loved.
After a deep conversation and a lot of spilled tears, Andromeda and Harry had decided that Harry would blood adopt Teddy. Harry had initially suggested merely establishing permanent guardianship, but Andromeda had pointed out that being a blood relative would be preferable for the Potter family magic and, more than that, Teddy deserved to have a parent. And really, how could Harry say no to that?
Thus, with a visit to Gringotts and a simple potion, Teddy became the new owner of a stupid number of names (seriously, someone needs to reassess these naming traditions) and hair that not even a metamorph could tame.
Edward Remus Lupin became Edward Remus Hadrian Potter Lupin.
Harry had argued extensively that they find a different Potter name, but Andromeda couldn’t be moved. She insisted that Teddy bear the names of both his fathers. She then gracefully ignored the way that statement made Harry tear up.
The papers the next day announced the Potter Heir. And, in a move that no one could’ve predicted, the Prophet’s article was entirely truthful and, even more shockingly, tasteful. The world was told the story of the Marauders; a band of brothers decimated by war and how their sons would carry their legacy.