The Letter
1 year later
"Get up, birthday boy!" Lyra taunted as she pulled back the curtains on Harry's four-poster bed. She immediately regretted that decision, as a stinging hex shot towards her, an occurrence which caused her to utter a cry of shock. Harry, on the other hand, had an expression of infinite amusement on his face. Lyra took a moment to recompose herself and frowned. "Should have remembered you were up before me…"
"And there you were, hoping to repay my birthday surprise in kind," Harry said.
"Hey!" Lyra objected, "That ambush hurt for days afterwards."
"Stung, you mean. And I was reinforcing a point. 'Constant vigilance!'" he replied, showing his impression of their mum.
"Merlin, Harry, I swear you are becoming more and more like mum every day!"
"Would that be in always beating you or waking you up on the morning?"
"Git. Anyway," Lyra continued, ignoring the events of the immediate past, "I came to tell you that it's almost time for breakfast."
Fifteen minutes later, Harry and Lyra came down to breakfast. They were greeted by a smiling Cassie "Happy birthday, Harry!"
Cassie
Cassie looked at them both and smiled. Harry had grown into an adorable young boy. His shoulder length black hair was messy since he had just got up from bed. He had thankfully not inherited the bad eyesight from her brother (then again maybe the blood adoption fixed his eyes.) and his green eyes were filled with innocence and amusement. he was clearly good looking for his age and were quite tall.His face had high cheekbones and a strong jawline whuch are a hallmark of the Black family,although he still inherited her brothers body structure.Harry was the perfect blend of the families of Potter and Black.She mentally chuckled, wondering how she and Sirius were going to deal with them once he started dating.Though then again maybe it would be her trying to deal with him while Sirius egged him on.
While Lyra was also adorable,she had inherited Cassie's hair (which was not as bad as her brother's birds nest of hair,thankfully the blood adoption of Harry made his hair tameable for him to grow it).Though her face was Sharp and defined, with high cheekbones, a straight nose, and a strong jawline,features which are common in the Black family,though her eyes were the most interesting.Lyra had from what she researched Heterochromia where her eyes were different colours,while her left eye colour was Sirius's silver but on her right eye the colour was saphire blue.
After the attack on the night of the 31st of October, 1981,was the attack on the Longbottoms by the Lestranges and Crouch Jr. Since Cassie had informed Alice about the attack by Voldemort, the Longbottoms had thought that the risk had decreased. But even though the wards around their Manor were fully charged, Voldemort had employed the best of the best to break them down over a long period of time to avoid detection, so the attackers were able to slip in. When the Longbottoms realised what had happened, Frank had been able to send a brief message for help. But by the time help arrived, some of the damage had been done, though it would have been horribly worse had no one arrived on time. Alice and Frank fought against Bellatrix Lestrange,with Barty Crouch Jr with all they had while , Cassie and Sirius fought against the Lestrange brothers. In the end the Lestrange brothers were killed,and Bellatrix and Barty Crouch Jr were captured.
Unfortunately, due to the horrible exposure to the Cruciatus Curse and other dark curses like the organ-liquefying curse, Alice and Frank had to quit their jobs as Aurors. They didn't have the ability to fight like they used to before, at least at the time. They had since recovered, but Alice had permanently lost her ability to bear more children while Frank had been in a coma for a month, though thankfully, he had recovered from the ordeal and had since taken up his family's seat on the Wizengamot like Sirius.
While herself she continued her path of being a spellcrafter although she became Regent Potter when Dumbledore tried to assume regency of the Potter seat which,Cassie took personal offense in.
Remus Lupin had been another sore point during the past ten years. When Cassie and Sirius had cut off all contact with Dumbledore, Remus didn't seem to believe that the Headmaster and Chief Warlock would do anything to harm the siblings and said that they should listen to Dumbledore and introduce Harry and Lyra to him. Naturally, this upset Sirius and herself, so while they were still good friends, the tension between the werewolf and the other two remained.
"thanks mum" Harry saud bringing her back into the conversation
"Where is dad?" Lyra enquired.
"He has some business in Diagon Alley. He will meet us there later. Now eat up, both of you. We haven't much time to get the shopping done, and then there's the party later.".
Harry
Soon after breakfast, Harry, Lyra and Cassie took a portkey to Diagon Alley. Before they had left, Harry had Cassie cast a rather powerful notice-me-not charm on his scar. It was a precaution he regularly used when out in public. The charm (which he could cast himself but not maintain for long periods of time), combined with the fact that there were very few photographs of him in existence, protected him from being swarmed by the adoring British magical populace.
Harry found himself standing in a small square that formed the terminus of Diagon Alley, one of the grand avenues of magical London, and the very heart of its commercial district. Centuries ago, this had been a crowded, narrow, dingy, zigzagging market street, with small shops and carts of all kinds of peddlers and tradesmen. Though the name remained, a about century and a half ago it had been completely transformed into a spacious boulevard. Behind him was the Leaky Cauldron, which stood on one of the entry points from the muggle part of the city. The alley itself went on for a mile or so in the opposite direction; it intersected the unsavory Knockturn Alley at the very edge of the majestic Merlin Square. Here was the beating heart of magical London. On one side of the square stood the Thousand Fountains, a most magnificent display of spellcraft and architecture, and on the other, the massive Wizengamot building, with its columned white façade, the two separated by a grand esplanade. The chambers of the Peers of the Magical Realm, as well as the office of the Minister for Magic were housed therein. The rest of the square was surrounded by the buildings of the various departments and offices of the ministry. The main roads of the magical city all originated from various points around the square, most often right next to the department responsible for the main purpose of the buildings on the street in question. For instance, Albion Avenue, which led to the international portkey station and the legation quarter, started from the building of the Office of International Magical Relations. Likewise, the address of Gringotts Bank was 1 Diagon Alley, near the Magical Stock Exchange and the Department of Revenue; the road leading directly to the magical part of King's Cross Station started behind the Department of Magical Transportation building, and to reach the National Quidditch Stadium hidden near Regent's Park, one inevitably passed the Department of Magical Games and Sports. The magical city existed in parallel to the much larger muggle one, in great proximity yet utterly hidden from view.
The three set off along the street's impeccable sidewalk, while horseless carriages sped past them on the road. First they went to Madam Malkin's, a renowned sartorial institution, where Harry got hia black Hogwarts robes, in addition to several shirts, trousers and ties(Which was Lyra's idea which resulted in Harry giving his sister a look which promised retribution. Next, Harry got some quidditch gear and broom polish, before restocking their potions supplies and stationery. Harry then bought a silver, self-focusing telescope, before going into Florish and Blott's, a large book emporium. He and by extension Lyra had all the Hogwarts books and were in fact quite done with them, so Harry just grabbed several more advanced titles and some journals. Finally, they stopped at Eyelop's Owl Emporium to get Harry one of the birds in question, which Harry decided he would name later before sending it off to the Manor.
The family then entered the old wandmaker's building. Upon entering the siblings saw shelves and shelves of small rectangular boxes behind the main desk. The inside of the building was a lot larger than the outside. Must be some sort of enlarging or expanding magic… Harry let his thoughts wander when he was suddenly startled by a man sliding into view on a nearby shelf. Harry flicked his eyes at Lyra and saw that she was perfectly calm. She always somehow saw stuff before they came, or was unusually perceptive.
"Ah… I wondered when I'd be seeing you here Mr. Potter…the tales Ive heard about you…"
And"Mrs Potter- Black,Cherry and Dragon Heartsting 13 and a half inches,still working well for you I hope?" Ollivander said turning to his mum.
"Still working well for me Ollivander thank you,We are here to get a wand for this one," Cassie said pointing at Harry.
"And… Miss Potter-Black, how wonderful to see another member of your family in my stores… and my my…"
Ollivander then leaned forward from his position on the shelf to take a closer look at Lyra.
"... born with the Eye of Kilrogg… how interesting."
"Sorry, sir… what is the Eye of Kilrogg?"
Lyra had pretty much asked the question Harry wanted to ask.
"It is a rare magical trait that allows a witch or wizard to view the magical auras around people and objects…and see a few things that others cannot."
Suddenly everything surrounding Lyra made sense in Harry's head. That's how she seemed to never be taken surprise by their parents coming to the room they were setting a prank on. She literally could see them coming through the door and walls.
"Now… enough about that… you are here for your wand after all. Mister Potter-Black… let's get you a wand."
Ollivander than disappeared between the shelves and came back with a box. He opened it and passed Harry the wand. He waved his wand in a circular motion and shattered the glass cup on the desk.
"Apparently not…"
Ollivander then came back with a different wand and took the previous one from Harry. Harry gave the wand a slight flick this time instead of the large circular motion. It then caused a few of the boxes of wands on a shelf to the left to fly out of their confinement.
"Guess not…"
This process went on for a long time until Harry went through every wand. Lyra was laughing slightly at the chaos created by Harry and his mum was sitting down with a amused grin on her face.
Ollivander thought for a moment, before speaking. "I don't believe I will have any wands ready made for you.. I daresay we will have to make you a wand, Mr. Potter. This will be quite exciting!"
Ollivander indicated Harry to follow him. Harry walked past the isles of shelves that were burdened with wands, before walking through a door in the back of the shop. It seemed to be a workshop that smells heavily of polish and wood, with tools and equipment on one side of the room, and several sets of shelves on the other. Ollivander walked to the left where the shelves were, before turning and speaking to Harry.
"Alright, Mr. Potter. What I want you to do is walk past the shelf with wood on it, while holding out your wand arm. I want you to grab whatever wood reacts with your magic, which I am sure you will feel. Don't be afraid to make multiple passes either, or grab more than one wood." Ollivander said.
Harry frowned, focusing on the instructions, before slowly approaching the shelves. Turning his body to put his hand closer, he walked past dozens of woods, ranging from whites, to browns, to the darkest blacks and oddest reds. At first, he felt a small tingle, but walking through a second time, he closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling. Slowly, he walked through, before feeling the tingle, that then turned warm. Waving his hand in the area, he finally reached up a shelf, and felt the near-burning heat of magic.
Grabbing it, he felt warm run up his arm. It was powerful,. He continued on, before finding a second, that was nearly the polar opposite. It was like a cold rush, and it radiated power, but it wasn't of rejections, but of acceptance. He grabbed that one, enjoying the second rush, before continuing through the remaining woods. On finding nothing else. He opened his eyes, and looked in his hands.
Both woods were radiating their power, but it was comfortable. The wood that burnt hot was grey, while the other was a white, neither of which Harry recognized. Looking up at Ollivander, he saw the man smiling, clearly excited about what was happening.
"Those two woods call to you?" the odd man asked. Harry nodded. "Very well. Onto the cores then. You will do the same thing you did before. Grab the ones you feel a good connection to, and afterwards, we can narrow it down to which ones feel the best."
Harry followed the instructions, and closing his eyes again, he began to walk through the two shelves of cores. Most had no reaction, or seemed repulsed by Harry, but after only a minute of walking, he found one that was quite warm, though not nearly as much as the woods. He grabbed the glass vial it was in, and continued walking, before finding a second. It wasn't until his third and the fourth that he felt the same nearly intoxicating power.
Slowly reaching out, he picked up the vials that weighed almost nothing. He could feel the magic though, it was incredible. Sighing, he slid the vials into his other hand, before continuing. It was only a few feet later that he felt a cold power, one almost perfectly matching the second wood, just inches away from his hand. He reached out and took it, and was surprised at the weight of the vial. Not deterred, he walked through one last time, before opening his eyes and returning to Ollivander.
The man was beyond excited, nearly jumping up and down at the five vials Harry held. Guiding him to an empty table, Harry sat the cores down. Quickly, he moved the two over with the woods that felt the same. The hot core was a bright blue feather, and a fang while the cold core was a massive meaty string and an orange feather. Harry was almost scared to know what it was, though he was confident it was a heartstring of a beast.
"I think this is it." Harry said.
"The two woods are Grey Ash and Fir. The Grey Ash is one of the oldest pieces I have, while the Fir was found in a tree near Hogwarts, which is heavily saturated in magic. Grey Ash often favors transfiguration and combat based magic. While Fir often favors transfiguration. Those who possess a Grey Ash wand are amazing duelists and fighters, but also non-conformists, and are more of an outsider. Though you are unique Mr Potter-Black this wood has not been seen in both of your families wands." He stopped, eying the core next to it, before continuing.
"In my experience,There is no doubt that Fir, coming as it does from the most resilient of trees, produces wands that demand staying power and strength of purpose in their true owners, and that they are poor tools in the hands of the changeable and indecisive. Fir wands favour owners of focused, strong-minded and, occasionally, intimidating demeanour,This is a wand for survivors,fitting it chose you." He said, stopping to give Harry a moment to think.
"Now, the cores, well, they are incredibly interesting. The bright blue feather you see is that of a Thunderbird. It was kind enough to grant me one when I healed its wing. Thunderbirds are often loners, preferring their bonded ones or other Thunderbirds and Phoenixes. They are powerful, but rare cores, and the few that have been used often are capable of elemental magics and incredible feats of Transfiguration. The other core is one of my family's most prized cores. It is the fang if a Basilisk,the king of Serpents,hunted to extinction during the time of the founders . My family was only given just one, and it chose you. What we know of the core is intense power, often capable of powerful offensive and defensive magic, and that any fire based spell is amplified with this core.There is also the phoenix feather and the heartsting of a Hebridean Dragon" Ollivander looked at Harry.
"Why did you arrange the cores like this?" He asked.
"It felt right, the feelings… they seemed to match." Harry replied.
"Hm… interesting. Well, dual core wands are incredibly rare, as they have very low stability. I will need some blood to help encourage the stabilization, and I will destroy any blood not used." Ollivander said when Cassie tried to object,Harry knew why,Blood was extremely important and absolutely deadly in the wrong hands.
After giving the blood, and told to return in three hours time,the family was now at Fortesque's ice cream shop
"well things never get boring for you now,does it Harry?"Cassie said ruffling his hair Harry said Mum! In indigination.
"what doesnt get Boring?Sirius said
"Dad!"Harry and Lyra said simultaenaously hugging him
"Well we have to go to Gringotts kiddos"Sirius said
The family of four then went to Gringotts and asked for their accounr manager Blood fang and Nargok.
The goblin looked at the parchment carefully and said, "Very well. Griphook! Take them to Bloodfang's office."
With that, the party of four went to the office of the Potter family account manager. When they entered, they all bowed in respect to the goblin who bowed back.
"Greetings, Master Bloodfang," said Sirius in a dignified voice.
"Greetings, Lord Black and Regent Potter," said the goblin. "How may I help you today?"
"Today is the eleventh birthday of my son and I wanted to make the Heirships official today," said Cassie. "I had informed you about this before."
Bloodfang nodded and took out a sheet of parchment. He looked through it and said, "Everything seems to be in order, Regent Potter. Once you sign it and give the ring to your son, it would become official. I have taken the liberty of keeping the Heir ring here after you removed it from your family vault during your last visit."
"Thank you," said Sirius as he went through the official form. Once he was satisfied, he turned to eldest and only son. "Harry, I want you to understand the seriousness of this responsibility," he said sternly. "This isn't a laughing matter. Once you place those rings on your finger, you are responsible for your family, which includes your sister. I want you to promise me that you will behave responsibly and take care of the family when the time arises."
"I promise, father," said Harry trying to hide his nervousness. As much as he didn't like it, there was no denying the fact that it was the eldest son that got to become the Heir Apparent of the family and future Lord. Only in rare cases did the elder son get passed over for the daughter and in this case, Harry was scared that this might ruin his relationship with his sister. This was a big step and Lyra was very dear to him and they were very close even if they pranked each other a lot, so he was very confused and scared.
Just as he swallowed his nervousness, he felt a gentle squeeze of his hand. Harry turned and saw the smiling face of his sister, who nodded to her brother, telling him to go ahead.
"I, Hadrian James Regulus Potter-Black, Son of the Raven and the Griffin, claim Heirship of House Black and House Potter,. Recognise my claim through my blood and magic".Harry proclaimed
Harry was blinded by the light, and he saw a silver and green thestral appear from the flame,. It did not stay formed for long as it quickly transitioned into a golden brown and silver griffin which looked directly at Harry with its own independent intelligence.
Its gaze startled Harry, as it seemed to see into his very soul, and it radiated power, a power that Harry realised felt very comforting, like it was holding him in warm arms. Suddenly, the griffin opened its wings and screeched, then jumped at Harry.
Harry had expected this as the Black raven had done the same, so he did not move. As the griffin dissipated and became a light haze of light that was absorbed into his body, and a large ring appeared on his right index finger. It was made of silver and the front had a griffin's head and on the sides was the pattern of its wings. A light grey stone was set into it where the eyes would be, onto which was carved the Potter family crest.Then another ring appeared It had a silver band, and on each side of the ring a raven was etched, carrying a large black stone in its beak that had the Black crest inscribed on it.
The ring's silver stone glowed briefly as the remaining magical residue was soaked into his body, and as the light died in the stone Harry felt his eyes burn briefly before everything settled down.
"Well, that was easy." Sirius said taking his knife back and wiping it clean with a cloth he conjured.
"Congratulations Harry"Lyra and their mum said
Harry nodded distractedly; he could still feel the family magic, but it was very deep in him and barely noticeable.They then went over the family accounts which took 2 hours and Now the family were walking towards ollivanders.
Harry was walking towards Ollivanders feeling excited. He wanted to see the wand. The oddball shopkeeper was standing behind the counter, and lit up at seeing Harry back in the shop. "Perfect timing Mr. Potter-Black, I finished them just fifteen minutes ago."
The man disappeared, before returning with two boxes, and a leather item Harry did not recognize.
"Here we are, Mr. Potter-Black. Firstly, I must ask, have you claimed your inheritance?" Harry stilled, and the shopkeeper sighed, "No one, including even the headmaster, will hear anything you have told me, or know that you were even here. I hold complete discretion for everything with my customers. Wands are something important and personal."
Harry nodded, and lifted his hand to show the Potter and Black heir rings. "Good, then it is legal for you to have two wands. As you are the last of your line, I am not required to put the trace on your wands as you will then be legally immune from the law for underage magic, though most have forgotten that law, and am only to inform you that you are not allowed to break the Statute of Secrecy."
That news excited both Harry and Lyra, as he could now practice magic. "I would avoid casting any magic in a muggle dwelling, as they may still attempt to try you for it. So long as you are in a wizard's dwelling, you are free to do magic. Now, without further delay. At thirteen inches exactly, with Grey Ash, Basilisk fang and Thunderbird feather. It has runes with golden filling to encourage heat dissipation, and unbreaking runes for the wood. Due to the use of your blood, this wand will never work for another"
Harry was barely listening as he stared into the now open box, showing his new wand. It was a masterpiece, the rune on the hilt of the wand was like an artwork, the gold contrasting perfectly with the comfortable grey. It had a small lip where his hand would stop with it being the family symbols the raven and the griffin, and small waves from the wood going up the length. Harry slowly reached out, and wrapped his fingers around the wand, causing the wand to spit golden, Lightning blue, and green sparks. A fire spread up his hand rapidly and into his chest, and left him breathless. If he had been paying any attention, he would have noticed Ollivander take a step back from the magic he was radiating, that some of the dust had risen off the shelves, or that his eyes were glowing a bright green.
The feeling settled after a few moments, and the room returned to normal. Harry looked up as Ollivander started clapping. "Magnificent! I haven't seen a reaction like that in a very long time!"
Gesturing him to set the wand down, he opened the other box. "Again, this wand is exactly 13 inches, and your blood was also used to stabilize the wood and heartstring. I present to you, Fir with a Hebridean Dragon heartstring and Phoenix feather. It was hard to stabilize, but it worked perfectly with your blood. With the same runes inlaid with platinum, it provides the same benefits as your Grey Ash wand.It will be hard to control, but once you learn control, it will be perfect in a duel where you would want the benefit of defensive and offensive magics in balance, where the Ash wand would be less suited for Defensive magics." Ollivander said.
Harry slowly reached out, and as his fingers connected, he felt the cold power rush through him, making his knees weak. The reaction was almost identical, but the sparks from the wand were mostly red and white, and Ollivander was left stunned once more, at the power the Harry would possess.
As things calmed down, Sirius said. "How much do we owe you?"
"Before we cover the cost, there are two things I wish to discuss. Firstly is wand registration. For the Basilisk fang wand, I will 'accidentally' forget to register it, though still have it documented. Instead, I will only register the Fir and 'Dragon' Heartstring and Phoenix feather wand. This means that if you ever go to the ministry, you must present only your Fir wand, and if you ever end up on trial, leave your Ash wand somewhere safe as you will be searched. I believe this is something I won't regret, as you may need the advantage one day. In most situations, I would suggest using the Fir wand, and only use the Ash wand in private or when you must, as the Ash would be more powerful, and a good secret weapon to have." Ollivander said, emphasizing 'dragon' and 'accidentally'.
Harry didn't quite understand the reasoning, but was sure later he might. If it was an advantage, he wasn't going to refuse it.
"Excellent, Mr. Potter," he commented, "You should practice with your wand. It seems you have picked up the habit of overcompensating for your previous one. Once you get used to the new one, you will be able to control the power of your spells better." He also handed Harry a leaflet on proper wand care and a bottle of polish. "Do not neglect this fine instrument, Mr. Potter. Nothing pains me more than seeing a badly treated wand."
"I won't, sir! I promise," said Harry.
"You have my thanks as well, Mr. Ollivander," added Sirius,. "Here is your payment." He took out a rather full bag of coins and handed it to him. "Now I hope you will excuse us if we took our leave, as we have a rather full schedule ahead."
"Anytime, Lord Black. And Mr. Potter, if you have some questions about your wand, do not hesitate to send me an owl. Good day," the wandmaker said.
With that, the family left the back room and made its way to the exit. "This seems to have taken longer than I expected," Sirius declared, looking at his pocket watch, "So I'm afraid it's side-along apparition back to the Manor." He held out his arm for Harry, and Cassie did the same for Lyra.
And with two faint pops, all four had disappeared.