Chapter 2
Hadrian knew exactly who the boy in the robe shop was, but he was taught better. The boy didn't even introduce himself before going on about Hogwarts, and before long his mother was standing outside looking white as a sheet. Draco Malfoy himself didn't even seem to notice Harry hadn't answered him once beyond noncommittal hums as his Aunt Andy pointedly ignored the other boy, helping Harry to select a few other small additions to his wardrobe. Harry's pre-Hogwarts physical had shown that while his physical sex was male, his actual gender leaned more towards androgyny. His features lent themselves well to such, delicate and elfin. His high cheekbones and elegantly styled black curls were aristocratic looking in nature, and he huffed softly as he looked at the selection of boots. "Aunt Andy, which do you think will suit best?"
"Hazz, I think you'll look lovely no matter what you choose to wear." The voice wasn't his aunt's, and he turned towards the door with a beaming grin. Eyes the color of a beautifully polished emerald swung towards the door, and Hadrian hurried over a bit quicker than was socially acceptable to wrap both arms around his older cousin. Nym wrapped him up in their arms and held him a moment longer than they really should, before leading him back and helping him to choose a nice pair of black dragonhide boots, with a very slight heel. They told him it was best to start with something like a kitten heel and work his way up, which was a relief for him. He had almost thought he would be expected to be able to walk in higher heels immediately- a bit silly now that he thought about it, but he was eleven! He was allowed to be just a bit silly.
By this point, Narcissa Malfoy had come and retrieved her son, and they had given Aunt Andy their regards before scurrying out. Which was to be expected, of course. Few people knew that Aunt Andy had been reinstated to the Black family, but they all certainly knew that Harry was the heir, as decided by Great-grandfather Arcturus. Sending Andromeda to take him for his school shopping and not someone like Narcissa, who was not only an acknowledged daughter of the House of Black, but had a son his own age- well, it sent a rather pointed message.
It didn't matter much to the House of Black what the House of Malfoy had to say about them, thankfully. Despite having allowed one of their precious daughters to marry into the house, Malfoy was lesser to an almost laughable degree. His robes were only the first stop of the day, and he was already tired of the under-washed masses. But needs must, and one mustn't dawdle when others are waiting for them. So onward they went, to Flourish and Blotts. A young Muggleborn sat outside the store with her parents, who were trying to convince her to go to a 'nice, normal school' instead of Hogwarts until the father at last became done with it. "Hermione Jean Granger, that is enough! We know this means a lot to you, but we can't afford to do this every year. We have other responsibilities, and this is a lot of money to just toss out every year on magic books."
The girl became incensed. "Toss out? Toss out!? This is my future we're discussing! Buying things I need for schooling is not tossing out money, Is that how you see preparing me for my future?" Her voice was all choked up, and Hadrian could feel their features shifting, the metamorphmagus ability altering his physical appearance in response to his maternal need to comfort the girl. The now feminine Hadrian was more than happy to accept when her aunt stepped forward and separated the girl from her parents.
"Hey- are you okay? I'm sorry he spoke to you that way, you deserve whatever future you envision for yourself. If that includes magic, then you should learn it!" Her smile was soft as she rubbed the girl, Hermione's back. Hermione sniffled, scrubbing at her face to get rid of the tears that had begun to fall. She straightened easily, tossing riotous curls behind her which Harry would really like to get her fingers into.
"I'm alright- I just . . . my dad has been skeptical since the ministry worker came to inform us that I was to go to Hogwarts! He's seen the spells I've been able to accomplish with my ministry appointed tutor, and still he argues against my learning magic. I just don't understand it."
Harry nodded her head carefully, thinking on it for a moment. "I suppose he could be afraid. He doesn't know anything about magic. Subconsciously, do you think he might have been taught that magic is bad?"
The girl bit her lip for a moment. "I- . . . can we talk about something else." And she sounded so small and afraid, Harry complied immediately. "Well- I'm Heiress Lyra Black! It's very lovely to meet you Miss . . . ?"
"Oh! My apologies, how very rude of me! Please accept my sincere apology Heiress Black, I'm Hermione Granger, first generation witch. Over there with your- aunt, I think she said? Are my parents, Daniel and Marianne Granger. They're both muggles."
Lyra, as Harry had been told to refer to herself when she was in this form, smiled brightly. "No trouble at all Miss Granger, I'm quite pleased to meet you!" She pulled out a couple of spare pairs of gloves from her shoulder bag, black leather embossed with vines and a delicate silver clasp. She passed over a pair to Hermione, who was for some reason not wearing any. "Please accept these, it's not appropriate for a young witch to go about without gloves, Miss Granger, nor with her hair unbound."
Hermione's hands flew to her hair- Harry's own had schooled itself into intricate braids the moment they had shifted forms. Hermione's hands slowly fell from her hair, and she accepted the gloves, pulling them on carefully so as not to rip the delicate grey lace Harry seemed to prefer. They had only just started to learn what it meant to be androgynous, now that puberty was beginning to rear its ugly head. But it was enough to know that Hermione's tutor wasn't doing their job. They would have words with whomever had been assigned to her later, but for now, it appeared Andromeda had finished speaking with the Grangers, and she returned with the knowledge that Hermione would stay the rest of the summer with them. Her parents had thought it best that if she was truly determined to live in the magical world, she should at least see that she could stay in it happily after school ended.
The result of this decision, was the postponing of the rest of Harry and Hermione's school shopping until a later day. Which was a pity, but Harry was fine with doing it another day, so long as it wasn't in the last week before school, when all the unprepared would swarm the Alleys for last minute shopping. It was anarchy out there, and she would rather not deal with a bunch of ne'er-do-wells pushing and shoving to gawk at her forehead. It truly wasn't a very interesting sight, great-grandfather had her ritualistically cleansed when she was seven, as it is a magically powerful number, and the scar was a faded, barely there sowilo rune which stopped at the tail of her eyebrow. She thought it made her look a bit interesting, even if it was slightly too close to her eye for her liking.
Hermione was barricaded into the Head of House's office once they returned, then rushed off with Auntie Andy and Nym, and by the time dinner rolled around, they had two perfect little daughters of the House of Black sitting at the table. Hair done up in matching updos of braids and delicate ringlets, just a smidge of blush and a pearl necklace for each, they descended the stairs arms in arm in dresses of blue and green, happily chatting about the wonders of the Alley.
Neither would find out for years, just what extent their family had gone to in order to ensure Hermione could never be taken from them if she did not want to go. They would only be grateful for it later.
~~~~~
The first years stood, half of their teeth chattering from anxiety and the other half from the Scottish highland winds they'd just come out of, in a small room off the great hall. Lyra had by this point had about a month to get used to her new sister/cousin(?) Hermione, and it was safe to say the two were quite close. They did each other's hair (no matter which form Harry was in), painted nails, gossiped and explored together, tittering about things they never told great-grandfather when he asked. 'Great grandfather Arcturus, you should know much better than to poke around the business of women folk.' And did he ever, his wife had been a spitfire just like his granddaughters, and his great granddaughters after them. They were the only reason he was still acting Lord Black. But he was ailing, quite badly and soon he would need to be much more active, or to finally push his goals to completion in the next few years, if he were to protect them. Not that either girl knew such a thing as they marveled at the Great Hall.
"Abbott, Hannah." As she bounced up to the sorting hat, no one was the wiser to Arcturus Black sitting at his large, old desk, flicking his wand and sighing when his lumos flickered a bit. Very well, the letter he needed to pen was of great importance, he would have to write quickly to get it sent off tonight.
"My Dearest Bella,"
Unbeknownst to him, the woman herself was sitting in a small boat with her cousin Sirius, both rowing quickly to get themselves as far from the shores of Azkaban as possible before they were noticed to be missing. She would receive the letter five days later as the two cousins scrounged up some food not far from the Black Family Keep, somewhere safe for them to go, if only for the time being. The letter would arrive just as they settled down to eat, the owl frantic looking and exhausted. The seal of the Black family meant there was only one person this could be from- of course, they still scanned the letter for anything harmful, but they found nothing. Of course, that didn't mean nothing was there. Arcturus Black was not in the place he was for lack of cunning or intelligence.
In the letter, he pleaded with her to get free- to free Sirius as well, if she could. To come home. The family needed them- now more than ever. Their grandfather would continue to seek a way to prove their innocence, but Sirius and Bella knew exactly how to do so. All they had to do, was make it home. All they had to do, was make it to Arcturus, and they would be free. Not only that, they would be a family! He had reinstated Andy when her husband left her for wanting to return to help raise Sirius' goddaughter. Andy kept their daughter Nymphadora, and now there was yet another daughter of House Black in a young muggleborn. Miss Hermione Granger would be her ward, if she made it home. She would finally have her child- not only that, but her daughter! A beautiful, smart daughter if what her grandfather wrote was true. He had even sent a photograph of their girls in front of the Hogwarts Express, their school robes worn over their dresses and delicate dove grey gloves covering their hands, equipped with matching parasols. They were beautiful. And she and Sirius would get home to them or die trying.
~~~~~
"Did you hear? Potter-Black got sorted last night!"
The halls were alive with whispers, and Lyra tried her best not to be bothered. She had been a boy for the sorting, and there was a tiny bit of confusion when she woke up in the boys' dorm with a girl's body, but after some explaining to her head of house, and her male house mates, she was shuffled off to a room with only two beds, the other of which held Hermione's trunk at the end. They were the Slytherin heir rooms, but as she had disclosed to her head of house, she spoke parseltongue. Due to the blood sibling ritual they and Hermione had undergone just a scant few days after the muggleborn's arrival, so could she. Which meant that she and Hermione could get in with no real trouble.
Of course- the fact that Hermione could, had been discovered by accident. When they had gone back to Diagon Alley for the rest of their school shopping, it had included Familiar shopping. Lyra had shifted forms in front of her lovely owl Hedwig, to be sure she was okay with both. Then they had heard the complaining. The cage was too small, and too cold, the lights too fake, the food not live. The sisters had glanced at one another and, owl cages in hand, crept slightly further into the Magical Menagerie. They found a wall of snakes, and two stuck out. For Harry- or Harri as they had started spelling their famous nickname, a small, very venomous python which would grow to be possibly bigger than she was, her scales a shimmery black which shone green in the right light. For Hermione, a slightly large constrictor snake with beautiful earthy brown scales, which she held around her shoulders in a large show of trust with the snake, who appeared to appreciate it very much. The girls left with two familiars each, and happy grins across their faces.
Which led to now. Arcturus had sent Hermione her house ring, and while Draco Malfoy was an obnoxious little shit, even he congratulated her,even if his face looked like he was sucking on a lemon when he did so. Hermione was his better, that was just a fact of their lives. But his obvious dislike of that fact provided them at least some entertainment. Though his obvious scorn may have had something to do with their choice of seating arrangement. Harri huffed as he sat at breakfast, leaning heavily on his sister/cousin and munched on a scrambled egg sandwich. Hermione insisted he eat more than a few pieces of toast, even when he was sitting at a separate table. Hermione was a Ravenclaw, and Harri a Slytherin, though neither seemed to care very much. Today they proved they cared even less than the rest of the student body thought, and sat with Harry's godbrother and childhood friend Neville, who introduced himself politely and then helped Hermione get on his case about his breakfast.
While Harri mumbled to himself about friends with too much interest in his breakfast and traitor cousins ("You don't know that for sure, I might be your sister." "That makes it even worse!"), Hermione had been reading a letter that was apparently from their great grand-father. "Grand-father Arcturus says he's found your dogfather and my possible mother." They were spinning Hermione as a child of one of the Azkaban Blacks who had been raised by their muggle dalliance, eventually having married another muggle and leaving Hermione to be introduced to their world as a "muggleborn". Of course, she had been a muggleborn, but that was no one's business but theirs.
"Well, I suppose we'll probably see them at Yule then."
Hermione simply nodded, but Arcturus had spoken to her at length. They would explain it to Harri at Yule, but this wasn't a cover story. It was simply what had happened to her. Harri was responding in a composed, put together way to questions about her at the moment, and that was what they needed him to keep doing. He would be far more emotional if he found out that her father had been with Bellatrix Black (a stipulation in her marriage contract stated that if it was found her husband was the reason Bellatrix had not had a child, she would be released from the marriage. As she had been able to bare a child to someone else, and a magical child at that, she returned to her rightful place in the House of Black. Daniel Granger had taken their baby girl and left, leaving Bellatrix with no proof to take to her grandfather and get her marriage annulled. He had simply taken Hermione and run. Hermione was not even truly her name. She was born Eridanus Black, and come Yule, she could be again, if she wished it. Her mother would be waiting for her at Yule- her real mother. What would she feel when the time came?
She recalled meeting him and the way his face had gone ashen, his chest shaking with rattling coughs as she and Andy ran to his side to help soothe him. He had ordered the materials for a blood identity test from Gringotts. They were one of the only places that were still authorized to perform blood magic in the British Isles. So Hermione pricked her finger, let seven drops of her blood fall into the prepared potion base, and watched her world come down around her ears.
Name: Eridanus Narcissa Black
Age: 11 years old
Status: Half-blood
Parents: Bellatrix Melania Black (mother), Daniel Roberto Granger (father)
Natural magical abilities:
- Seligentongue
- Bibliomatica Memiq
Bonds*: Sibling bond - Hadrian Regulus (AKA Lyra Andromeda) Potter Black (Full; status optimal), Child bond - Daniel Roberto Granger (Incomplete; status Null**)
*Bonds formed between living magical beings via magic and emotional connection, fostering a tether than can be used to obtain the general wellbeing of family and/or other bonds.
**Null- Inactive, usually due to death or magical incapacitation
Full- Fully realized and healthy bond
Fledgling- New bond, not yet complete
Incomplete, null- Incomplete bonds are usually a result of one party not having the requisite magic, or having a different type of magic, than their potential Bondmate. Incomplete, null implies the bond was voluntarily severed. It is societally unacceptable to inquire about a null bond in polite company.
The test reawakened some questions Hermione had learned to stop asking about. Why didn't she look like her mother, who was beautiful and pale and blonde. Hermione was slight, but in a way that was obviously temporary. Her skin was an olive tone closer to her true mother, and she had nearly amber golden brown eyes with streaks of grey shot through the color. Her hair was a mad mass of curls upon dark brown, nearly black curls. She was going to grow up to be beautiful, many could already tell. And if one of those people happened to be Ronnie Weasley, well that was her own business.
Ron was, to put it quite simply, born with the wrong bits. She could get that fixed if she chose, when she got older, but she liked pretty things and her long red hair, and her mother and sister enjoying girls' days with her, and that was that. She was young, but had been on the hormone correction potions since she was nine so she could not enter male puberty. That sounded . . . uncomfortable, to say the least, and she would rather just skip it altogether and go through the right version the first time. She had never been a boy, and did not plan to start acting like one. She surprised both herself and Hermione by sliding in next to her one day that first week when she and Harri joined Neville at lunch. She could see her brothers approaching Harri from the other side, they were androgynous today, but Ron wasn't sure if they knew they were doing it. The usually characteristically sharper or softer cheekbones settled somewhere in the middle full lips pouty but not in an obviously feminine way. Curls hung down past their shoulders loose, but as they weren't feeling entirely masculine, they had tied the long tresses up into a pretty green bow. They wore a skirt, but the legs were less slim and delicate than usual and the hips were more tapered and narrow. A denim jacket hung over their shoulders, and Ronnie noticed the little snake tongue flickering in and out of the slightly baggy sleeve. She said nothing, however she did leave little bits of hard boiled egg near the opening of Harry's sleeve which would disappear into it.
Hermione had been distracted by their conversation on the differences being a young lady in the muggle world versus the wizarding, and somehow had not noticed the subtle and unassuming motions of her hands. The thing that had eventually given her away, at least it appeared this way to Ronnie, was her quiet giggling. She couldn't help it when she saw the little scaly nose just barely poking out of Harri's sleeve. Harri flashed a grin, which she returned happily, blue eyes sparkling with joy, and she decided she was going to be friends with these two if it killed her.
It did not, in fact, kill her. And in fact, she slotted into their dynamic as though she had always been there. Soon there were often three eleven year olds, their ties in red, blue and green, trailing light floral scents and airy giggles through the halls. (One could usually tell whether to expect Harri or Lyra by whether that scent was marigold or cedar wood.) Soon enough, they had also acquired two red haired shadows.
Fred looked to his brother as they left Harri, Hermione and Ronnie at their Herbology class. His brother was lost in thought, probably about how he was going to suggest courting to Arcturus Black. He wondered with a chuckle, how long should he let George think he'd be doing so alone.