Chapter 2
James did not tell a soul about his predicament. Not even torture by the Dark Lord himself would get that information out of him. He may as well have had a Fidelius charm around the information.
It was early may when he received the letter from Regulus, delivered in the middle of the night by a nondescript barn owl. He was lucky to have been awake, filling out yet more fucking paperwork. If he had been in bed with Lily, that would have been bad.
Pandora has given birth. Visit the cottage tomorrow evening.
- R.A.B.
James' heart was in his throat. He incinerated the letter, and vanished the ashes. Just as he did with all Regulus' correspondence, though they had been few and far between recently. They hadn't seen each other in weeks, and Regulus had seemed distant last time they spent time together.
James still didn't know what he was going to do about the baby. He'd just have to wing it tomorrow.
______
They never met at each other's homes, not even now. They often met in hotels and inns, sometimes at Noir Cottage- the Black family's seaside home near Cornwall. That was where James stood now, waiting to be allowed through the wards. He assumed Pandora had given birth here, babies couldn't travel by magical means so young.
Regulus was usually dressed so comfortably when he saw James, but that was not the case today. As he strode down the path towards James, he wore black velvet robes with the Black family's crest of crows. James had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Reggie!" he exclaimed, leaning in for a kiss that was politely dodged. James didn't bother to try and mask his hurt, "Reggie? Is the baby okay?"
"Come inside."
James followed him into the sitting room of the cottage. Regulus sat on the armchair beside the fire, leaving James to awkwardly perch himself on the loveseat they usually shared.
"Hydrus Arcturus Black was born yesterday evening at thirty three minutes past seven. He weighs six pounds and two ounces, and I will be raising him alone."
The words hit James harder than a kick in the teeth, "What? But he's our son! We should be doing it together!"
"And we would have been. You heard about my brother, Sirius, marrying Rabastan Lestrange a couple of months ago, yes? Well, imagine my shock when I went to the Ministry to file the marriage records for them and was informed by an acquaintance in the Department of Magical Records of the scandal it caused amongst the department staff when one James Fleamont Potter, Pureblood Lord of a noble house, had filed records of his marriage to one Lily Bridget Potter, née Evans, a Mudblood. On the fourth of July 1979, too. A month before you asked me to sire an Heir with you."
"Reggie, it's not what it looks like. I swear! I love you-"
"You lied to me! I've seen the Mudblood in Diagon, she's bloody pregnant! You tricked me into creating a child with you, thank Merlin I was sceptical and had an ounce of sense in my head. I knew we weren't going to be together forever, like you always told me. I knew you'd get with her one day. I am Hydrus' primary parent, with the blessing of Lady Magic herself, and I will be raising him alone. There is nothing you can do about it."
"Regulus, let me explain, please-"
"We are over, James. For good. I will tell no one, apart from Hydrus when he's old enough, about you. Take these, be thankful I'm even letting you have them."
"I had a name picked out and everything, he's our son! Harrison Orion Potter-Black!"
"He's my son, James. You lost every right the moment I found out you had a secret wife on the side."
"Reggie, for fuck sake! He's my son, too! Just... Merlin, at least send me the odd photo of him as he gets older!"
"Fine," Regulus said, his voice as cold as ice, "Now get the fuck out."
______
It was only when James got home, thankful that Lily was visiting her parents overnight, that he stopped to look at the two things Regulus had given him before he left. A birth certificate, and a photo.
Certificate of Magical Birth
Name: Hydrus Arcturus Black
Date and Time of Birth: 8th May 1980, 7:33pm
Father (sire): Regulus Arcturus Black II
Bearer: Pandora Evelyn Malfoy
Partial Donor: James Fleamont Potter
Bestowed Titles:
Heir to the Noble House of Potter
Heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Peverell
Third in Line to the Heirship of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black
The photo of baby Hydrus showed that what Regulus said was true. Lady Magic had truly recognised him as the primary parent. Though a newborn, baby Hydrus was very clearly a member of the House of Black in his features. The only trace of himself that James could see was his son's skin being slightly darker than Regulus' own- though the tone looked more comparable to a resurgence of the Black's Persian ancestry, than of his own Indian heritage.
James put both items deep into the secret box hidden behind a false back in one of the bookshelves, the one that only opened with his own magical signature where he kept photos of himself and Regulus, and wept.
He was drawn out of his weeping some time later with a jolt as he had a sudden realisation. Baby Hydrus was Heir Peverell. They were part of the Potter ancestry, but there hadn't been a Peverell Heir since the last century- something James remembered as having to do with the specific magical requirements to carry the heirship. For the life of him, he couldn't remember what the requirement actually was, but he knew it was a lost gift. Feeling useless that he didn't even know that much, he slumped back down onto his desk with his head in his hands.
The gloom he felt consumed him right up until the 31st of July 1980, for that was the day the son he would get to raise was born.
Henry James Potter.
James would worry about Regulus and the issue of Hydrus holding the Potter heirship at a later date. For now, he would celebrate fatherhood.