Remus Lupin V
The extraction had been hellish, the curse breaker had said some very colourful words when he realized what was behind the scar. A piece of Voldemort’s essence. Not enough to overwhelm the you boy but certainly enough to suckle on his magic like a parasite. The curse breaker had also mentioned several times that the boy had a magical core stronger than what one would think possible. Remus hadn’t liked the admiration in the wizard’s eyes.
Runes had been used, runes and blood. It was ritual that many would claim as dark but one that was very necessary in this scenario. If the parasite would have been allowed to fester, then it would have coiled itself around Harry’s core making it impossible to separate the two without killing the boy. A thought that made Remus nauseous. The ritual needed the blood of a relative and Remus felt relief at the fact that Sirius was here. He was a Black, just like Dorea Potter had been. It was a bit removed but it was close enough for Harry’s own blood and magic to accept Sirius own. The only consequence was that the ritual involved the giving of blood and magic - Sirius had practically claimed the toddler as his own through the ritual. Harry was now a Black just as much he was a Potter and Sirius had elevated his status from godfather to father in terms of magic and blood.
Remus had seen him falter when the possibilities from the ritual was brought up, Sirius didn’t want to steal Harry away from his true heritage. Remus had then commented how James would have rather seen Harry alive and a Black than a Potter. He had also reminded him that Harry’s grandmother was a Black and while Remus hadn’t known her well, he did think that she would have been delighted by Harry’s dual heritage. James had always bemoaned how his mother was such a Black witch.
He had been scared by the amount of blood that Sirius had to give up, he wasn’t healthy to begin with and Remus would have tried to stop the whole thing if it had been anyone else than Harry on the receiving end. The toddler had been asleep the whole time, Healer Greengrass had given him quite a potent potion to make sure that he wouldn’t wake up mid-ritual.
It was worth it in the end. Sirius was given quite the medical attention afterwards, taken to a room of his own. And Harry had woken up non the wiser with an unblemished forehead.
“Nox”
“Lumos”
“Nox”
He had been spending the last ten minutes ordering a light bulb to appear and disappear. The Toddler found it very amusing, laughing at the simple form of magic. He was sitting in Remus lap. The werewolf had been surprised when the toddler had stood up in his crib and put his arms up towards Remus. It was the first time he had asked for any kind of contact and Remus had been overjoyed to know that his cub finally felt safe enough to be wanted to be held.
Harry James Potter-Black looked almost the same, his cheekbones had gotten a tiny bit higher and his chin a smidge pointier. His hair was still a Potter-mess, and his eyes glowed a bright green. Remus felt relieved that he hadn’t turned into a mini-Sirius. But it was his lack of change that also made Remus realize that James had gotten more attributes from his mother than he had known. The small changes in Harry made it obvious and while he still looked very much like James, he also held many of Sirius characteristics. Characteristics that members of the Black family held, including Dorea Potter and her son James Potter.
Remus smiled at Harry, the boy would be a heartbreaker for sure. It seemed that his - three- parents had contributed with only the best and thus creating a most adorable child. Though it felt a bit uneasy knowing that Harry now was Sirius son just as much as he was James. The amount of blood that the animagus had sacrificed had more than cemented that.
“He looks like a Black”
Remus looked up in surprise to see Sirius standing in the middle of the room, he hadn’t heard him entering.
“James looked a lot like a Black too”
Sirius smirked and nodded but the smirk soon turned sad. “I think I replaced Lily’s features. Only his eyes remain”
The werewolf frowned and looked down at the toddler in his lap who had decided to try to bite of his own thumb. He couldn’t see anything of Lily in him, except the eyes. Harry looked much more aristocratic than he did before. The soft features from Lily were gone. One could see that despite the child’s young age. It made Remus chest hurt.
“He may not look much like Lily but I believe that she have left more of her in him than we realize”
Remus pulled the toddlers hand out of his mouth, the raven-haired boy pouted and tried to stuck his other hand in his mouth. Sirius laughed merrily and walked towards the pair. He bent down and smiled toothily at Harry who had now forgotten about his hand and was instead staring at Sirius intently.
“Hi pup, I’m padfoot”
Harry’s big eyes narrowed before nodding and reaching his arms towards Sirius. Demanding to be picked up. Sirius eyes widened in surprise, and he hesitated for a second before picking him up. His face light up and he then started to explain to Harry how he was the cutest pup ever and how they would have so much fun flying, pranking and other thing’s Remus didn’t want to consider.
Trust Sirius to start plotting with a toddler.
Harry answered by pulling Sirius too long hair, laughing at the way it couldn’t be ripped from his head. The way Sirius winced but didn’t say anything made Remus chuckle, it was answered by a stink eye from the grey-eyed wizard.
“My grandfather came by earlier”
Remus eyes bulged in surprise. Arcturus Black wasn’t a man he would like to get the bad side on, he had heard the rumours of how he acquired his Merlin first class after Grindelwald’s war. He had managed to subdue more men than anyone else. None lived after encountering the current Lord Black and many had thought that it would have been him that would strike down Gellert Grindelwald himself.
“It was weird”
Remus didn’t know how Sirius relationship was with his grandfather. The other man had run away from home and hated his parents vehemently. But he had never said a word about Lord Black.
“What did he want?” Remus asked.
Sirius grip on Harry tightened for a second, a storm cloud hid behind his eyes.
“He wanted to know how I suddenly had a son with James Potter”
Remus choked on his own spit, he coughed desperately and tried to erase the image of Sirius Black and James Potter being involved – like – that.
The dog animagus smiled roguishly at the werewolf. “Is the thought really that horrible?”
Remus gave him a nasty glare. “Please don’t. How did he reach the conclusion that two wizards managed to procreate?”
“The family tapestry apparently. Harry appeared on it yesterday together with James. Harry is linked to us”
Remus gaped. “What about Lily?”
Sirius smiled down at Harry who was now chewing the man’s hair.
“She wasn’t my wife and lack black blood. The tapestry will only allow those of black blood to be showed and spouses. James showed up because of Mrs. Potter and there is enough Black in Harry now to allow the family magic claim him”
Remus closed his eyes, the news shouldn’t have been such a surprise but it still felt weird how blood could change ones magic so much.
“He actually apologized to me” Sirius said, his voice low. “He didn’t want to attend the trials of his family members and he felt that anything that befell me would have been my own fault for being a blood traitor”
Remus snorted. “Was that supposed be an apology? You not being a pureblood supremacist made you deserving of Azkaban?”
Sirius gave Remus a funny look. “You know what a blood traitor is right?”
“Yes? Someone who’ve abandoned his family magic and blood? I know some people at school would call James one for dating Lily”
Siriurs shook his head, Harry didn’t like the movement and took a handful of his hair and tugged. Sirius yelped and looked at the toddler in surprise. A toddler who simply put the same hair in his mouth and started chewing again. Remus laughed.
“A blood traitor is someone who’ve abandoned the family values by harming the family. My grandfather thought that I had betrayed James just like everybody else. Arcturus Black didn’t like how his own grandson had betrayed the son of his own sister. A black witch by birth”
The werewolf nodded in understanding. He wasn’t well versed when it came to pureblood-culture. His own father Lyall Lupin had been pure of blood and had detested the rules in society. He had married a muggle woman and had spent his youth making enemies. One of those had decided to punish him by forever condemning the line of Lupin.
“What now?” Remus asked.
“We’re going to one of my family’s estates. Grandfather told me to use it, he declared that the new heir needed somewhere adequate to live. It’s down in Wales. I would appreciate it if you would come with us, I think I’m going to need all help I can get with raising the son of James”
Remus snorted. “The son of Prongs and Padfoot, who would have thought? I truly hope he takes after his mother”
Sirius smiled devilishly. “I don’t know, Evans could be quite vicious when she wanted to” his smile got a bit muter “Will you come with us?”
Remus wasn’t a fool; he knew that there was more behind Sirius offer. He would have denied the offer if he had any sensibilities but the sight of the boy in the other man’s arms softened his resolve of staying away from Sirius Black.
“Alright”
Sirius Black drew a breath in surprise and his eyes seemed to lose some of the darkness it held, it started to glow with hope. The werewolf wanted to make it clear that he was going there for the cub but decided against it. He was too tired to have another one of those eternal discussions.
Remus Lupin would do anything for the raven-haired boy, swallowing his pride was insignificant if it would give him the opportunity to watch his cub grow up.