Chapter 3 Now we are brothers
It was early evening when the rest of Harry’s family pulled up into the Blackpool carpark, Harry just wanted to get out the car and find his parents and Severus as quickly as possible. Harry just needed to see and comfort Severus, being his friend over the year had taught Harry that Severus was very uncomfortable with any change to his routine. He also knew that Severus would be feeling afraid of the people he found himself with, it taken nearly a whole of the autumn term for Severus to start thaw towards him and become best friends. Befriending Severus was like befriending a feral cat or Kreacher the loyal head Black house elf, you had get past their defences and be prepared to be hurt by them, before you could befriend and help them in anyway. While a feral cat used it claws, teeth and tail in some cases to keep other animals and people away especially when the cat was hurt. Harry now knew that Kreacher and Severus used their anti-social behaviour and in Severus case he sarcastic wit to drive human contact away. So Harry was scared that Severus would use the same behaviour defences when his very large extended family were introduced to Severus.
Harry had been surprised at how different his friendship with Severus was, compared to the supposed friendship of his two best mates Ron Weasley wand Hermione Granger in his old time line. His was also amazed at the structure of the Slytherin house compared to the other Hogwarts houses.
It was true that most of his housemates had ignored Severus last year, but that most probably was more due to Severus very defensive and secretive behaviour. From the first moment Harry met Lilly Evans, the marauders and Severus on the Hogwarts train, Harry had seen how Severus push all other overtures of friendship and comradeship away. Severus was proud to be in Slytherin but also upset because of the rivalry perpetrated by the teaching staff at Hogwarts. To keep Lilly’s friendship Severus had made all the concessions, he sat at the Gryffindor’s table where he was bullied by Lilly’s housemates. By apparently choosing Lilly and Gryffindor over his house mates, was a sin that the house itself couldn’t condone. Add the fact that Severus really couldn’t communicate with most people and the situation became a lot worse. It had taken Harry until the Old Hallows break to start to befriend Severus, and then Lilly Evans the shrew in training had tried to scupper the friendship.
He had overheard their conversation accidently one day when Lilly was admonishing Severus with his changing attitude, he dumbfounded when he heard her whispered voice saying “Severus! You are changing, you are turning dark like the rest of your house. You think that your supposed friend Harry Brown really likes you. Sorry to tell you for your own good, Harry using you and you are letting him Severus”
There was a mummering back from Severus which Harry couldn’t hear and Lilly had looked shocked and then continued “How dare you!HOW DARE YOU COMPARE THAT LITTLE SHIT TO MY FRIENDS! HE IS USING YOU!” with this Lilly started crying, Severus commented again and Lilly responded with “I HAVE NEVER USED YOU, NEVER SEVERUS! Perhaps you should remember who was your first true friend back home and it wasn’t F….king Harry Brown was it” Severus continued whispering and then Lilly collected her books and stormed out the Library flinging behind her the words “WHEN YOU FINALLY WAKE UP AND REALISE WHO YOUR TRUE FRIEND IS, I MIGHT FORGIVE YOU FOR YOUR BEHAVIOUR LATELY TOWARDS ME!”
Harry went and sat down beside Severus, Severus looked at him and Harry just confirmed that he had overheard the previous conversation by alluring to it himself “What on earth have you done now! To upset the Dowager Queen of Hogwarts, she looked absolutely furious with you….PLEASE! PLEASE! Tell me your secret….I need the extra income that I can obtain selling the secret to our housemates and other houses of how to get her down from the white, pure unicorn she apparently rode into Hogwarts on…..please I will split the proceeds with you and we can buy that Star trek novel you wanted with your half of the earnings” Severus just smiled, packed away his books courtesy of one Harry Brown and signed for him to join him back in their dormitory. How wonderful it was to grow up in a very unusual mundane family, his mother had learnt for her voluntary work with the St John’s ambulance British Deaf sign language. She had never used it for them, and only once during her nursing career, but she had ensured that Harry learnt it! So when Harry had finally befriended Severus, he had taught the language to Severus so they communicate secretively and without their housemates and enemies overhearing or understanding them. Severus had of course taken it to a whole new ball game and they had both learnt the American Deaf sign language, which was awesome. American sign language was for the majority one handed, excellent if you wanted to continue your conversation in class, at the table.
They entered their room and both collapsed on Harry’s bed, it was the only space in the room that was not covered in Severus mundane and magical books that Harry had managed to get his mother to send him. It was for Harry a win win scenario, Severus got the books he loved to read, and his mother thought he had finally grown to love reading as much as her. So since Old Hallows eve feast when his friendship with Severus had started his mother had sent regularly old her old books including her beloved Star trek novella, Dr who, Blake seven and other Science fiction novels and then the mundane classics had appeared, his dad had finally cottoned on and sent some of his old electronic engineering, model railway magazines and books including a few on the different railways and trains he had. Then add to the already burdening pile the Christian books that a good family friend had sent them, which meant that other religious books had appeared courtesy of his parents friends as well, his uncle Conrad had sent books regarding how to play poker and chess like the professionals and football and other general sporting books. Harry had also obtained a whole new set of Hogwarts course books for Severus, he claimed falsely that the marauders had ruined his original set. The books were delivered by owl post via his Grandmothers post office, and a bill for the books was sent to Dumblegoat for the replacement books! If there was one that made his mother furious it was bullying and the wilful destruction of books and belongings.
Which meant that their room including Severus bed was covered in books, it had gotten so bad that Severus had given up all pretence of sleeping on his bed and just climbed into Harry’s. It was a very near thing indeed that they even had Harry’s bed to sleep in! The major paddy he had when he found Severus had placed for safe keeping more books on their bed had managed to get his point across. The rooms walls was covered curtsey of his mother again! In mundane posters and artwork, there were old Star Trek film poster, book posters. They had painted a mural of a sunrise with the consolations on their walls and ceiling, and stacked in one corner was the mundane camping stove, pans, utensils, kettle, bowels and plates with the enough tinned food and mundane soft drinks to last them for the next twenty tears. There was also a big remote controlled Darlek and K9 had made a permeant appearance in their room alongside his old star wars and star trek figures and space ships. Dr Who, Crystal palace, Manchester united and Watford football posters adjourned the room with the suns football manager league game pull-out providing pride of place. With their different teams entered, Harry was winning at the present time in the game. Even though every considerable space appeared full and overflowing the room contents were not a mess, Severus knew exactly where everything was. Clothes were kept in their rooms wardrobe neat and tidy, and there was even space at their desks for them to complete their homework. Merlin knew how on earth he was going to get all the crap back to his parents at the end of the year, at present his only hope was to pack it up and ship back via owl post, option two was fill up a Hogwarts compartment with the extra luggage he had acquired or ask a senior housemate to shrink it so it might fit into his trunk for the journey home. Of course it wasn’t only the books etc. his mother sent, oh no she had initially sent three extra thick Emperor size highest tog Duvets to ensure her son didn’t get cold at night. Now Harry was do a roaring trade in selling cheap Tesco King-size duvets to their housemates, he got his Uncle Conrad to send them to him, and they split the profit from the sales between themselves. Oh it was very quaint to have second had flea bitten blankets and bed coverings, but the beds even with all the extra coverings that students could obtain you were still freezing at night and the weight of the blankets kept you pinned to the mattress. But with the modern mundane duvet they were light and you was as warm as toast, even when the old Dumblegoat ensured that the dormitories fires were extinguished at midnight.
Severus sighed and then answered Harry’s question back in the Library “Lilly has demanded that I end our friendship, apparently you are taking me away from her and leading me down the dark path that most Slytherin’s are on! It all came to a head when I told her to grow up, and that I can have more than one best friend” Harry then noticed that Severus was trying not to cry in front of him, Severus hic cupped and then looked at a poster of the Tardis and all the Dr Who book covers there had been published till 1988,celebrating the 25th year of Dr Who and continued “She stormed off when I answer her question about who my first real friend was, I don’t think she appreciated my answer” Harry looked at Severus, surely Lilly his mother had been Severus only true friend back in their home town. After all that was what everybody that had known the pair well had informed him back in his old timeline. Severus laughed sadly and finished the conversation “It wasn’t Lilly who was my best friend but her sister Petunia….we met in a park, and I showed Petunia all the different flowers and plants, even told her the history of our town…we got on really well and then Lilly magic manifested itself and we were in the same class at junior school, and Lilly became my best friend and slowly pushed Petunia out…..I always wanted siblings, until I saw Petunia and Lilly…….poor Petunia always overlooked for the perfect and intelligent Lilly, heard their ma say one day to their da ‘that it was a shame that Petunia never got Lilly’s smarts…..but that at least Petunia would be able to always get a job in Fine Fare or if she was really lucky in a small office’” Severus then looked at Harry and sighed “There’s a lot of pressure on Lilly to do well….her parents expect her to obtain the magic equivalent of a mundane Dr of philosophy in some subject, or at the very least marry very well…..Petunia is jealous of Lilly, and I can understand why, but at least she has never had to live up to her their parents unreasonable expectations” Harry lay next to Severus, wishing that they were brothers and realising that the simple story that he had been told regarding his mother and her sister was a lot more complicated then he was told. He just hoped that this time round Petunia might have the strength to follow her dreams and more than eclipse her sister Lilly Evans, and not become the stuck up magical hating bitch she had become in his old timeline “I don’t think Lilly will be by friend for as long as we are friends Harry! And surprisingly I find that very liberating!” Of course Lilly made up with Severus, after all who else was there she could get to do her home work for her and ensure that she passed her theoretical course work!
This friendship Harry had with Severus was mutual in nature he realised, both gave something different and important to the friendship. Harry was protective towards Severus, and admittedly got them into some pretty percaloiuos situations at Hogwarts the last year. He was the joker of the duo, finding fun and mayhem in small stupid things and retaliating against the marauders and others for Severus. Severus had never asked for Harry to do this, and he showed his gratitude to Harry by completing small inconsequential things. There was the time that Flitwick had punished Harry for hexing the marauders. Harry had been assigned a detention with Flitch for the weekend, everybody had realised that Severus had managed to beat the marauders with the ratio of 3:1, very impressive when you realised just how far magically inferior Severus was compared to the marauders. But Harry had taken the punishment for Severus, after all he was one of the teachers pets even though he was a Snake, the professors snobbishly liked Harry because of his magical power and ease with which he could control the gift. Professor Flitwick would have punished Severus by giving him at least a weeks long detention with Flitch because he was classed as a cracker and a Snake! When Harry had returned to their dormitory that night he found his potions homework almost completed for him by Severus, Severus had left him copies of the different potion texts and his notes in which Harry could complete his homework. During the year Severus would ‘try to teach his dunderhead bro, the theories behind the magical subjects they were being taught. Severus had the utmost patience and respect for Harry and it showed when he helped him. The only time that Severus became angry was when other students pranked or messed about it potions. Severus had made Harry take a unbreakable vow that he would never ever mess around, hex or prank in the potions class. Harry had agreed not really understanding Severus attitude until the mundane student that was blinded by the marauders in one of their potions classes. The scary aspect was that Harry knew the ingredient lobbed into the girls cauldron had been meant for Severus, if Severus hadn’t insisted on Harry shielding their work stands the Black mutts would have missed Severus cauldron and the ingredient would have landed in Harry’s, ensuring he would have gone permentanly blind from the prank. After that class Harry also shielded their work stations and never messed around in the class.
By contrast Ron Weasley was a jealous prat who stopped Harry from legitimately reaching his full potential in his old time line. The pranks that Harry and his house had been involved in, had been cruel and sometimes inhumane. Yes it was fun to see the Weasley twins pranking other students, but Harry now realised that most of the pranks they carried out had been thinly disguised bullying. How could it have been any different when most of their pranks had been based on previous Gryffindor’s pranks including the marauders.
Hermione Granger whilst a lot more magical powerful then Severus, and just above average students intelligence Harry now realised. Preached at other students and especially Harry when she helped them with their course and home work. Hermione never explained or helped people, and Harry could testify this was true. Numerous times when Harry had asked Hermione for help, she just rolled her eyes and belittled him and the other students she was helping. Harry now wondered whether Hermione had been such a bad tutor because she needed to keep others below her ranking in their school work or if she didn’t actually really understand the subjects herself. You can read from books and quote verbatim, but it didn’t mean that you understood the subject, he now realised.
The rest of his supposed light side friends had used him as well, whether it was his fame that they used. Stole from him and his family’s Gringotts vaults, used Potter artefacts that they had no right to. Or just plainly used his money to get him Birthday presents and other gifts, just like Hagrid’s present of his owl from him. It seemed that everybody expected Harry to pay for their friendship in money, gifts, or in kind. Severus was the first friend that never expected anything on his companionship in the Snake house, in fact Harry felt that Severus had put a lot more into their friendship then he had.
The car had stopped and Harry was bolting from the back seat of the car with Jordan, when his Uncle managed to stop him. Harry was informed that Jordan and himself were not going to run aimlessly through the hotel looking for his parents and Severus, they could just wait for the rest of the family and compose themselves like well brought up mannered children would, and not comport themselves like the monkeys in the Woburn safari monkey enclosure.
With very little patience Harry waited for his Uncle and Aunt to guide them through the Hotel and into the foyer, where grandpa Rob was waiting for them, Rob raised his eyebrows at Conrad and before Rob could say anything Conrad answered the unspoken question for him “It’s alright Rob! Harry and Jordan just want and need to ensure that Severus is alright, can you take them to the hotel room for us while we finish unloading the car and checking in to the hotel?” Rob nodded his head, and led two very impatient children to Harry’s and Severus hotel room.
Jordan Harry’s cousin had so many questions that she had wanted to ask Harry in the car, but had sense that it would be better to wait to satisfy her curiosity when they all arrived at the resort. From what she had gleaned from the earlier conversation and Harry’s demeaner, Severus and Harry had become very close over their first year at Hogwarts. And by the way Harry had tried not to cry in the car during the rest of the journey she had realised that Harry was very worried about the injuries that Severus must have received from his abusive parents. Harry had been worried about his friend ever since he had come home for the summer vacation, and the worry had increased when his friend hadn’t replied to his letters or parties invitation.
It seemed to take for ever to Harry for the group of three to make it to the hotel room, Rob gently knocked at the rooms door and it was opened gently by his mother who put a finger to her mouth. Harry crept into the ginormous room and saw that his father was asleep on one of the beds and Severus was happily explaining something to Grandpa Brian. Most of Harrys fears faded away at the sight, Severus appeared to be settled and calm. Harry walked softly over to Severus and quickly hugged him when Severus turn to Harry, Harry just commented with a grin “Hi Bro, meet Jordan one of our very annoying cousins…..she eats all the chocolates and gets everybody into trouble!”
Jordan let a huff and snarked back “NO YOU GET US INTO TROUBLE…..I AM THE GOOD LOOKING, INTELLIGANT ONE WHO HAS SAVED YOUR ARSE MORE TIMES THEM I CARE TO REMEMBER COUSIN”
Harry just rolled his eyes and said “Whatever” Severus looked at the cousins opened mouthed, and then grinned, His Harry was here and was going to be better than his best friend, he would now be his brother. Jordan looked alright to and not quite like his angel Lilly, Jordan appeared to be as loud and brash as Harry and he would hate to make her angry at him!
And then an older looking lady strolled into the room, and Severus saw his new ma roll her eyes, as the woman spoke to her, she then turned made a beeline for Severus. The older woman introduced herself as Nanny Jean and informed the children that she would be helping Severus knew parents look after him, the woman seemed very scary to Severus and he wanted to initially hide from her, but his brother Harry and Cousin Jordan just rolled their eyes and Harry signed to him quickly that Nanny Jean was safe and he would have to suck up the fact that she was babysitting him now. It was when Nanny Jean enveloped him in her arms and held him very tight and secure that Severus realised that Nanny Jean smelt of safety and love, a different safety and love than his new parents, brother, cousin and Grand pa’s, but she still smelt of safety. Severus now fully realised that this was not a great dream he had since Old Hallows eve feast last night, when he learnt about Harrys family. He was now a part of his own safe and loving family, but the main question he wanted answered was jhow strict was she on eating chocolate. Would she allow him to have loads of his favourite sweet or would he have to use slytheyn tactics on her to ensure he got a constant supply of chocolate!
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Colonel Christopher Riddle nee Brandon was a troubled man, he had made mistakes in his youth and had been bailed out by his brother in law Fitzwilliam Darcy. He had been forced to bond to the youngest of five daughters a Lydia Weasley, she had been pregnant by Dumbledore who had been a much younger rakish wizard. The wizard over the years had forged a new more sombre and light based persona. He was one of only a handful of people who had known what a douche bag Dumbledore had been.
Lydia had eloped with him from Brighton many years ago, nobody in the Weasley family or their acquaintances had ever been told the truth that Albus Dumbledore had turned his wives head all those years ago, he had promised her the world and prestige and left her literally holding the baby. He had in a moment of conscience and compassion taken the blame for her elopement and subsequent pregnancy. They had been forced to bond, Darcy had paid off his considerable debts and then ensured that they had an income of 3013.45 galleons a year. Christopher had sat down after their bonding and really thought about his life, he was what the mundanes’ would class a cad and never do well. All the considerable advantages he had in life courtesy of Da Fitzwilliam’s Darcy’s father he had squandered because he had been jealous of Darcy, and not appreciative of Darcy’s father considering him a son.
Christopher had decided then to turn his life around and it had been a long and painful process, he had enlisted in the British Mundane army after changing his name by mundane deed poll from Brandon to Riddle, over the years rising to the rank of Colonel. After the Army he had invested money into different mundane companies that had paid off for him, he had also started to breed horses for the mundanes as well as the magical community, in fact he loved the vibrant mundanes and their ideas and ambition. So now he was a very wealthy mundane man, but a financially poor wizard all his wealth had come from his mundane life and career. But now he had to ensure that his mundane wealth was not squandered by his second eldest son, and that his daughters were well provided for.
He given his eldest son Thomas Riddle his mundane name, when the boy had graduated from Hogwarts school. He had also given him 51,300 galleons and a flat he purchase for him to ensure he had enough money to start his future life on. Tom had been angry and had initially refused the money, stating that Christopher had done more than enough to provide for him, but in the end had relented only after being promised that his father would not leave him any monetary or other assets from his estate when Christopher died. Of course Christopher had realised that one young revolutionary Lord Voldemort was indeed his son. Christopher had worried about son, especially when he was a lot younger, a lot more volatile, angry and wanting to oust the totalitarian control that Dumbledore had over the established wizarding society and light side.
Of course Tom still wanted to change and overthrow the established regime, but he had become a lot more calmer with his followers and a lot more patient. Tom had at the beginning of his career to overthrow Dumbledore and the light fraction, eschewed mundane society. He had marked his followers to allow them to keep in contact with him and each other, but over the years Tom had become as infatuated with mundane society as Christopher had all those years ago. Tom and his political group of supporters now used mundane technological means of contact. Tom had also ensured that he got the covert support of the British mundane government and the very old magical families support including of course the Black family but also the Darzy’s, Matlocks, and even the magical commerce sector. Dumbledore could plan and think he was in control of the British wizarding world, but he would find out that the power and prestige he thought he had was being slowly eaten away by Toms unofficial backers the British mundane government. Dumbledore may want and plan for a Great British wizarding war, but there was no way the mundane government would allow the members of a group to launch open civil war on British soil. The mundane had enough problems with other threats to their homeland security without a major wizarding war as well. Toms plans now were to assist the mundane British government to integrate the two British societies under Dumbledore’s and his supporters nose.
But the problem that Christopher had was that British magical society was still stuck in the Regency era, all a deceased man’s wealth was passed onto a male heir. The daughters and widow were at the mercy of the families heir. The problem Christopher had, was that Tom had refused to become the Heir Lord Weasley, making his much younger brother Articus the heir and he just couldn’t take the chance that his Articus would do his duty. He knew in his heart that Articus would leave his beloved daughters at the mercy of the elements. Articus was as mean spirited and selfish as he had been in his youth. The only thought that had kept Christopher sane from worrying at night was that he knew Tom would take in his mother and siblings without question. But he also never wanted his wealth and estate to pay for his sons idol Dumbledore’s plans, so Christopher had kept the mundane estate very separate from the wizard estate the Weasley’s. The Weasley Lordship had come down though his wife’s line, it had no money attached to it except the 3013.45 galleons a year paid to them over the years. Christopher had managed to save around 100,000 galleons throughout the years, and it was this amount of money that he would leave to his eldest son when he died, to his wastrel, deceitful and foolish son Articus he would leave the Weasley Lordship and the Burrow in St Catchpole and nothing else.
The mundane estate would be left to his eldest daughter with the stipulation that she ensured her youngest sister and mother were looked after and that Articus never received a penny from the estate.
His father had been the squire for the Darcy’s estate, and Darcy’s father had taken a shine to Christopher ensuring that he had almost the same advantages as his real son. How did Christopher repay the old man back, by resenting and trying to take everything that Fitzwilliam wanted from him. Well he had been running away from his debts and problems, and acquired a fish wife as the mudane’s would say, but out of the union had come his eight children, his eldest son Tom who he was inordinately proud of, the first four daughters had been still born or Lydia had miscarriage, and then a miracle had happened and his son Articus had been born, followed by their last two beautiful daughters. The Lords of fate had surely had the last laugh. Articus had both his parents faults. From him he had inherited his laziness and never wanting to work for his future, nobody liked hard work, but Articus had taken it to a new level. From his mother he inherited his stupidity, and easily led nature. And Articus had fallen under the spell of one Albus Dumbledore, who lead Articus spec tactically off the rails, his wife had nagged until he gave in and sent Articus to Hogwarts, his daughters he had ensured attended the Durmstang Institute where they excelled, opposed to Articus dismal performance. And now his best friend Lord Charlus Potter wanted him to draw up a bonding agreement between his eldest daughter and his son James, so that Christopher would ensure that James was guided by him or his extended family when he died.
Christopher was sensitive to his friends plight, but there was no way he was going to bond either of his angels to a young man like James Potter. He knew from his career in the army and his mundane friends and acquaintances, that a man’s character was determined not by how he sucked up to his supposed betters and elders, but how he treated his subordinates. And James if it was possible had a worse character and deposition then his son, the boy was a lazy, bullying little toe rag, who treated his subordinates like rubbish. Christopher knew that once his eldest daughter was bonded to Heir Lord Potter than her life would be hell on earth, and no way was he going to allow her future husband to demean and bully her, or allow Dumbledore to have any influence on her life.
Christopher now had to find another magical child that was at least a half blood very quickly to complete a initial bonding agreement with. But none of the old dark supporting families would allow their sons to bond to a wizarding family that had little concrete wealth. Oh it would be different if they knew or understood how very rich the Brandon mundane estate was, but nobody in magical society would know until he was dead and buried hopefully. Christopher knew that time was literally running out, he was very ill with a heart condition, and it was only a matter of time before he passed the veil, and the only entry on his bucket list was ensuring the safety of his daughter and wife, so he had to find his daughter a husband and fast!