For you, my brightest star

13/06/1979

Pov – Sirius Black.

The disinherited and disowned ex Black heir is sitting on the kitchen table having his morning cup of black coffee. Prongs, his best friend and brother in everything that matters, calls it poison because it has no milk and sugar. Now everyone cannot have ten spoons of sweetness with their morning beverages.

James is standing by the window reading a letter that had arrived five minutes ago.

“Prongs, what’s in the letter? Why are you standing like a statue over their?”

“It’s from uncle Charlus. Apparently, the son for their deceased son has contacted them recently. They didn’t even know they had a grandson! He mentioned bringing the boy into the family’s fold.”

‘How can someone not know about their son’s child,… .’ Sirius thought.

“Not every family has a tapestry hanging in their drawing room, informing them immediately about birth and deaths in their family, Padfoot.” Prongs replied with a wry smile reading his mind.

“Oh, so that’s why it was in today’s daily prophet that some guy named Harry Potter has been welcomed to the Potter family by their temporary head of house, Charlus Potter. I thought uncle Monty and aunt Effie agreed that you would be the head of the house until they recovered?” Peter asked from the couch he had been sitting on, munching his breakfast.

James answers while preparing his tea with too much sugar and milk. “Oh yes, earlier it was planned that as the heir Potter, I will be the Lord till dad gets well enough to resume his role. But a few days back when I went to meet them at mungo’s, dad told me that he is passing the temporary tittle to uncle Charlus.”

Now, that the topic is raised, Sirius remembered that he wanted to talk to James about it.

“Prongs, don’t you think that Mia and Monty were a bit different this time.” Referring to James's parents. Parental figures to Sirius

“How do you mean Padfoot? I didn’t think they were any different. They were just the same as mum and dad. Do you think someone had imperioed them? Did you check, we should immediately… ..”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Hold your horses prongs, and no I am not saying different in a bad way. They were the same Mia and Monty. Just they appeared to be a little more hopeful? Happy? I don’t know. But also a little more scared.” Sirius said the last part very softly.

Truth be told, Sirius Black will never say it himself but he was terrified. The war had taken a really bad toll on every single one of them. It was as if all their naïve dreams and wishes have been broken into small pieces in front of their own eyes and handed to them are the ashes of their childhood desires.

He thought that among their friend group, the one who would be the most affected by the war would be Wormtail. Being the most kind hearted and compassionate among them all. Many times he thinks that Pete should have been a Hufflepuff but then the guy will do things like joining the order and fighting in the war and Sirius will think that obviously the sorting hat made the right decision. And he would not want Pete to be anything but a proud Gryffindor because the four of them won’t be marauders without Wormtail in it.

But Pete was not the one who was the most affected. Sirius will give the credit for keeping peter’s spirit up and supporting him and being his guiding force to Dorcas Meadows. The two are sickeningly in love. Sirius had thought that if he had to see a couple who would be all lovey dovey then it would be prongs and his ‘lilypad’ but never these two. And see now, both James and Evans have called it quits, but both Pete and Cas are as strong as ever. You can never know about relationships, he thought wryly.

Anyways the person whom war had affected too much is prongs. Sirius himself has seen the horrors that wizards can commit, coming from a dark family himself. So he had no trouble accepting that war is scary. Remus had faced a life alternating event at the mere age of seven when Greyback had bitten him on a full moon and forever changing the trajectory of his life. So, yes moony knew the most about the bitter realities of life. Peter had Dorcas to boost his spirits when he was feeling dejected. The girl had an amazing effect on his best friend.

But prongs had been the golden child of his parents. Never got no for an answer whenever he wanted anything in his life. So now the poor bloke cannot understand why even after putting so much efforts, why is the war not ending. James Potter only knew good kind of pressures in his life like winning quidditch matches or wooing Evans or fighting Slytherins or becoming animagus. He had never before experienced working in pressure where someone can die if you did not act fast enough.

But James Potter was nothing if not resilient. The strides with which he had fallen into the roles as a trainee Auror or an order member is really inspiring. The dude has not yet let the war pull down his spirits.

The only fear that both he and prongs share is for the health of their parents. Sirius just wishes that mia and Monty return back to full health. He does not care much about anyone else. He just wants his family to be safe and happy and that includes Mia, Monty, prongs, Wormtail and moony. He also prays for his idiot of a younger brother, Regulus. But at the end of the day he has to remember that they are fighting on opposite sides of the war. He just wished that Regulus had not chosen to become a death eater then Sirius could openly care for him and protect him.

“Also, uncle Charlus and aunt Dorea have invited both of us to dinner on Sunday, says that he wants to talk about some family business. It’s at the Potter manor.”

Sirius will never fail to be amazed at the hospitality and warmth that the entire Potter family had showered him with. Sirius is sure that there is no need of him to be present at the dinner with uncle Charlus. Most probably Mia had strictly informed her cousin brother in law to treat Sirius just like James. And Monty would have told the temporary Lord of the house Potter to treat Sirius just like another Potter. Sirius will be forever grateful to them for being the loving and affectionate parental figures for him that he always craved for.

“Well great, we will meet this kid as well. You can never know in times like these.” He replied.

“Padfoot, this Harry person is not a kid, he is just a year or two younger than us.” Wormy interjected.

“Also Padfoot, are you suggesting that your great aunt Dorea who is a black by birth, might I remind you, had not checked upon whether the guy claiming to be their grandson is really their grandson. I mean that women is even more scary then mum. And that is saying something” prongs replied and they all dissolved into laughter thinking about the time they had drawn Mia’s ire.

“I think most witches are scary. I mean look at your mother, my mother, McGonagall. Casey says that most women that age are such. But I don’t think it’s about age. I mean look at Evans. Most Slytherins were scared of her. Casey herself can be scary when she wants to br. Marls is fifty percent sweet and fifty percent scary. We are surrounded by terrifying women, merlin save us poor boys.” Peter said and this time they laughed so hard their stomach hurts.

Moony came out of his room, sleepy eyed and said, “What are you three doing here. Don’t you have work to be at?”. He being the only one out of the four of them who does not has any job aside from long period order mission, which are apparently top secret because he won’t even tell the his best mates about them. But those thirteen words have super strong effect on other three marauders. All three of them stood up and apparated out quickly after thanking moony, knowing that their respective bosses will have their head if they are even a second more late.

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Pov – Harry Potter

14/06/1979

Harry can’t believe he is here. Sitting in Potter manor, his ancestral home, having breakfast with his relatives on a dinner table, so unlike with what he had experienced with the Dursley’s.

The head of the table Is kept empty to honour the Lord of the house. Charlus and Dorea are sitting on one side of the table. On the opposite side their son, Kayden is sitting to Harry’s right.

Harry had shifted to Potter manor with all his belongings. He has been given a room on the second floor of the manor. The next door is Kayden’s. There are two more room on the second floor, which will be given to James and Sirius, once Dorea had ordered (read: threatened) them to stay at the manor.

They told him that they had a son before Kayden who is no more. His name was Mason Potter. He had fallen in love with a muggleborn witch. Doria being a Black by birth did not want her daughter in law to be a muggleborn. Charlus also sided with his wife. Apparently, the couple were all for supporting muggleborn and educating them but they thought that bringing a muggleborn in the family will be too much. They wanted a traditional daughter in law who would abide with their customs and keep family close. They did not want their son to be attracted by muggle life and leave them but their worst fear came true one day.

Now potters are not like Black family, so they did not disown him or disinherit him in anger. But the conversations between the two couple were very stilled. Mason was so much awestruck with the muggle world that he wanted to experience everything. He liked to cook food and do chores without an ounce of magic. He liked to travel by muggle means. He liked the variety that world has to offer. He liked their working, their ins and out. Their care free attitude. When Charlus and Dorea came to the conclusion that their son won’t agree to return to old ways of life, they decided to let go of their own wishes and accept their son and daughter in law. The conversation had just started once again in the family but then they received news that their son had passed away because of a car accident. He had been driving it in fact. The old couple lost their son and decided to move away from the townhouse in London that had too much memories of their elder son. Kayden was only 5 when this happened.

The family had came back to London after 19 years for the first time. In Harry’s original timeline, they had been killed before 1981. This, then it proved to be unlucky for them to come back to their old home. But this time they are staying in Potter manor which provides all potters, a protection. Last time, most probably that didn’t happen. Last time they might have stayed in their townhouse and tried to guide a young and immature James in his Lordship duties.

Dorea had suggested that they say that Harry is the son of their son Mason and his wife Sophia. In reality Sophia had decided to forego the wizarding world and started her life in muggle world after the loss of her husband. But as per their plan, they would say that Sophia had not informed Mason’s parents about her pregnancy because of their feud. She had in order to keep her son near her, hidden his identity. She had named him Harry Jones and given him private education with the help of her muggleborn friends. They would say that Harry had taken his owls at the ministry. When Harry asked how will their be ministry record of owls of a person named Harry Jones, Charlus just said to leave it to him, he has contacts, he had said. When Harry expressed his fear that what if that contact is one of Voldemort’s guy, Kayden said, “leave it be harry. Father will take care of it.” And Harry left it at that.

 They would say that Harry was due to take newts this year in June but his mother who had been sick since November last year had passed away in March. On her dying bed she told him about his family and advised him to contact his father's side of the family and thus he wrote to his grandparents and met them. With respect to his education, as Harry is not prepared enough to sit for his newts this year, he had decided to state that his education was effected because of his mother’s health and thus he will appear for exams next year.

For all intent and purpose he would appear to be a recently orphaned kid. He will not have to take any job as he can say that he is preparing for sitting his newts next year. If asked, he will say that, he want to respect his mothers wishes and continue his educational privately and not attend Hogwarts for his last year, this time under the tutelage of his grandparents and uncle Kayden.

Harry was happy, all in all with this absolute bullet proof story Dorea had came up with. This will help him not only now but even after the war is finished.

The thing that makes him even more filled with happiness and gratitude is that they really did consider him as if he was their grandson. As if he really had come to reunite with his family after his mother’s departure. They had asked him to address them as such. That will not only help in their plan but Dorea reasoned that in reality also he was the grandson of Euphemia and Fleamont Potter in some other life. And thus, he is like a grandson to them.

They had welcomed him with warm hugs and loving smile. He knew that it was not at all for the story. They really want him to feel at home with them. Charlus also said that he has come so far in time, so he has a right to have a place he can rest with no fear of someone trying to attack him in his sleep and some people that he can trust when he is struggling with something. Dorea just smiled and nodded with her husband.

Later on Kayden said to him when they were alone that now he does not have to be the sole bearer of their love. 'Now you will know dear nephew what it feels like to be cared by a Potter and a Black.’

“'Uncle Kayden' should I call Dorea, if you want to say something… .. .” Harry joked.

“No need to call mum, 'nephew’… she will eat me alive if she hears that. Haven’t you heard to never mess with a Black and that too a Black woman.” Kayden replied with a shudder, scared off his mother's reaction.

Harry acted to think first, tapping his chin and that as if he had came to the conclusion, he reluctantly says, “Okay, I will try not to tell her what you said. But I want something from you.”

“if I didn’t know any better I would have thought you to be a Slytherin like my dear mother. Ask away. But before that please don’t call me uncle Kayden. Sounds like I am an old fellow. You are just 6 years younger than me. Call me kade like all my friends do and I will help you, promise.”

Kayden himself had been sent to beauxbatons but still, since both his parents and older brother went to Hogwarts, he had listened to numerous stories about it. A young Kayden had been upset at not being able to go to Hogwarts but after Mason's death, the older couple just wanted to stay away from British wizarding community as much as possible and that included the whole affair of schooling. Kayden also got used to it.

“Okay I will call you kade, if you insist, 'uncle Kayden' but only if you stop calling me nephew. Call me by my name. Anyways, I was hoping if you had any magical mirrors with you and if you could lend it to me for a couple of days.”

Harry had wanted a way to be able to physically guide Regulus, Amelia and Pandora in the room of requirements when they go there to search for the diadem Horcrux. Harry got this idea when Charlus was informing them that he had sent a letter to James, inviting him and Sirius to have dinner with them Sunday night. Then Harry had spiralled down in the thoughts featuring his godfather Sirius and that lead to thinking about his death and that lead to the ever crushing guilt that if only he had opened the gift containing two way mirror than Sirius would have been alive.

Harry pulled himself out of his dark thoughts with much difficulty and reminded himself that he is in the past to save not only Sirius but many other.

Harry remembered how Sirius once told him that he and dad used the magical mirrors to communicate while they were given separate detentions. Wow, what a Bromance the two of them had. Not even he and Ron had such relationship. The difference was that Ron was his best friend but Sirius and James are brother in everything but blood. Almost soulmates.

So just like that Harry decided to use a two way mirror. This way it will be like Harry is almost present like the other three. This time it will be a different pair of Potter and Black, who will be using the mirrors not to further their pranking business but to end the biggest prank that Voldemort is playing on them.

But he does not know how to get a pair. In his time they were not sold in magical shops. So where did his father and godfather got it from.

“Umm Harry, I have not heard about magical mirrors. Are you talking about some equipment from your timeline because let be remind you that we are in 1979.”

“No, actually in my time my godfather told me that he and my dad used them while in detentions so I thought they were easily available in this period if they had it while in school. That’s why I asked it.”

“Harry, as far as I am aware, I have not heard about any such mirrors. Now, if Sirius and James had it then,,, ohh don’t act so shocked, I know my cousin, it is impossible for him to have a kid and not name Sirius as its godfather. They both are practically joined at the hip. And Sirius will also return the curtsey to James. But anyways, I know those two are super genius kids. Almost like child prodigy or something. So chances are that they made it themselves.”

Yeah, Harry had also thought of this possibility. But now how will he lead his three partners. He thought that he had struck with a brilliant idea but if he can’t get his hands on mirrors then what will he do.

“Oh don’t make that sad face. Now I know why mother agree to my every whim when I pout and my aunt Effie had spoiled James so much. This is the first I have been on the other side of the Potter puppy dog face. Let me think. ……aha Listen, James and Sirius are going to come day after tomorrow. So why don’t you ask them to make you one.”

“Yeah right. First of all they would want to know how do I know about these mirrors if this is the first time I have met them and they were the inventor of the mirror. And secondly won’t they be suspicious that some new guy claiming to be a lost Potter wants magical mirrors to communicate to someone. Because I can’t tell them who exactly will have the second mirror.”

“You worry too much kid”.

“hey, I am not a kid, don’t call me that”.

Kayden raised his hands in surrender and said, “okay okay no need to get prissy Potter. And as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, James had told me about some of his escapades in school with his co marauders, which happens to include these magic mirrors with which he gossiped with his mate Sirius. So you can say that I told you about it. And you need it,,,, umm,, let me think… . Aha,, say that you have some distant old grandmother and you want to check on her thus you want to send one mirror to her. They are Gryffindor, might just think how chivalrous of you to do so and leave it at that.” Kade raised an eyebrow.

“Right this might work actually. So its hereditary. You know the penchant to cause trouble and mischief. James and you have that it in common. That’s how you come up with such genuine lies.”

“I will take that as a praise and leave at it Harry. Seems this great talent of us Potters seemed to pass from your generation. So sad. Such great loss. How shall you survive in tough times like these.” Kade said dramatically.

“wow, I think now I won’t be shocked to see James. You had already trained me in dealing with dramatic Potter man.”

“But that’s where your wrong nephew of mine. James had fought one year in war, and is training to be an Auror whereas I haven’t. I know you and your true life thus I feel it okay to joke around you.”

“You are saying that he will be all mature and… . .” Harry said suspiciously when kade rudely cut him off.

“Oh no. What I am trying to say is that he will act all mature and smart and important in front of you until he warms up to you then you will meet the real James Potter. My baby cousin. The baby of the family. That is until now. Since now you are the youngest. But anyways you won’t be really annoyed with his antics. In reality, the people who dislike him for his nature don’t understand him at all. All those who wishes him well want him to remain this fun loving guy who jokes around. He may act like the smart and intelligent wizard that he is for the outer world. But at heart he is like a baby. And we love him for it. Ohh how much I have missed that goody idiot. Can’t wait to see him again.” Kade said with a fond smile.

Harry’s heart warmed at the genuine love between kade and James. Both being single child to their parents, one with a dead sibling and other with no sibling. They might have gone to different schools and lived far off. They had different ages (5 years age gap) and different friends but that did not stop them from loving each other.

“You are a good man Kayden Potter. Do try not to get yourself killed this time.”

“Don’t worry Harry. We Potters know how to get out of sticky situation. But in all seriousness, don’t take all the load on your shoulders. You only need to ask and we will help. We are family after all. Effie and Monty adopted Sirius and my parents have now adopted you. And you know, Effie especially asked dad to look after her second son. We potters tend to take in stray wizards with troubled past and make them one of our own. Don’t hesitate. Ever.”

Harry tried to take all this in stride but his eyes filled with tears listening to this, apart from his godfather in his past life no one had ever offered him home and love. He is grateful to these lovely people. But he didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded “ yeah,,,, thanks a bunch. But do make sure nothing happens to my family. I want all of you to stay alive and happy and healthy. I will make sure this war ends soon.” He said with determination.

Kade pats on his shoulder and smiles at him encouragingly while giving him a side hug.

It’s just been a week since Harry had moved in the Potter manor with this family but they had accepted Harry with everything. Kade feels like the big brother Harry didn’t even know he needed in his life. And grandma Dorea and grandpa Charlus ( it still feels strange to call them that because Harry had never had any of those in his previous life and now at 18 getting a set of grandparents takes a little bit of adjusting.) are truly great in their own way.

No one has ever shown him affection and Care freely in his entire life. Not even his godfather, as he was so damaged by those soul sucking monsters that he was not in the right mind fully. Harry knows that he tried. In Harry’s fourth year by living off in a cave and surviving by feeding on rats. In his fifth year by trying to tell him about the prophecy. He tried to share little snippets about his parents. He brought Harry gifts. Offered him home. Celebrated Christmas with him. Fought for him. But Harry could see the toll Azkaban had taken on his mental health. Harrys is sure that the Sirius Black he met was not the real and complete Sirius Black. That real Sirius Black died a little death each second he stayed in company of the dementors.

It is still noteworthy - the concern and care he showed to Harry in comparison to say Remus, a guy for whom his dad became an illegal animagus, risking even Azkaban, for whose justice and on whose behalf his dad got angry at his brother ( meaning when James was not speaking with Sirius after 'the prank') because he felt that it was the right thing to do. His father who along with other marauders tried to remind Remus time and time again that he is not a monster. That he has just got a disease and helped easing the moon nights for him. Lupin himself claimed that in his last year of Hogwarts he even became close friends of Harry’s mum. Then why didn’t Lupin even for once showed him the same concern and care that both his parents had rained on him in his life. Why didn’t he assumed an uncle figure for harry.

Sirius tried to be emotionally supportive of Harry. And for an orphan like Harry it’s the little things that matters the most. Snape claimed to be in love with his mother but why didn’t he try and look deeper. Snape himself was an abused kid then why didn’t he catch the same signs in Harry too. He was a great spy and no doubt that Dumbledore would never have been able to reach till the end if it wasn’t for him. But on personal level Harry felt that in a better world Snape could have seen him as Lily’s son rather then the spawn of his worst childhood enemy and schoolyard bully. Then maybe Harry wouldn’t have been this love starved.

But maybe all three of them, Sirius, Remus and Snape had been at difficult stages in their respective personal lives that they could never have been Harry’s support. Which ultimately worked in the grand scheme of things for Dumbledore. Sirius because he was a fugitive with a cloud of depression looming over him 24*7. So blinded by his own guilt about suggesting to switch secret keeper to Peter. He did not even had a chance to process grief from so many losses of the war before being chucked in the worst prison ever. A man in his mid thirties with his mind still stuck on that of a twenty two year old. Because after that he was alone in prison cell with no development. 

Snape because he was so blinded by his hatred for James that he could not see that maybe Harry had some of Lily’s qualities too. And not just his matching eyes with that of Lily. No, beyond his physical features there must be something of his mum’s too. Snape became bitter because of his past and became a slave of his past mistakes. He got stuck in the viciousness of being a death eater and trying to make up for being a death eater.

And Remus because he could never love himself. He hated himself so much for what he becomes once a month. He was so terrified of what will happen if people learn what he becomes on full moon. What could have Harry asked from a man who did not have sympathy for himself. Lupin only had pity and hatred and disgust for himself and fear from people and life in general. He didn’t let himself process his grief. Not even in 12 years. He never moved on. Much like Snape as he too was stuck in the thoughts of dead people.

When Harry met either of these men. Neither of them loved themselves. So they did not have the capacity to offer any love to Harry.

But Charlus, Dorea and Kayden are still not the people who had fought in a war and they also are not slave to their past. Harry wishes that no harm comes to his new family.

Harry had in the past week besides playing home with his new family, visited muggle doctors, he discussed with them Fleamont and Euphemia’s disease in great detail. Both Charlus and Dorea had helped in getting their blood samples and after studying their case, the doctors have prescribed a regimen for the elderly couple. Both Lord and lady Potter started taking the medicines immediately as they trusted Charlus and Doria on this. It’s been only 5 days and so effects cannot be known so soon. But he hopes that they succeed in winning over this disease.

Now that Harry’s background story has been backed with legal proof. Now that Harry had given into his selfish desire to help his family so that they survive this war. Now that Harry had strong mental shield, a little control under truth serum and knowledge about legilimency. Now that Harry had a team of people who are equally invested in seeing this war till the end. Harry has everything to give his full fledged attention on war efforts. He has to fulfil the promise that he had made to mother magic. Harry is now mentally prepared to fight for so many lives which he honestly was not when he had been dropped off in the past. He hopes that now nothing comes in his way.