Sirius had been astounded at Harrys lack of knowledge about his standing in the Wizarding World so the day after the Potter Statements had arrived he had taken him to the study and started to show him the accounts and to explain the meaning of terms such as Heir Apparent. His godson had taken everything in stride until the ledgers with the accounts and listings had been brought out but the moment he had looked at the ledger he had frozen.
Harry sat looking at the ledger in front of him in complete and utter shock, how could he have so much? He had lived in a cupboard for most of his life, been starved and only had Dudley's old hand-me-downs yet all that time he had a fortune buried under London. His shock was similar to the first time he had been taken to his trust vault. At the time it had seemed an amazing amount but the realisation that was only a fraction of his wealth was staggering.
"Harry, Harry," Sirius's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he glanced up to meet the concerned gaze of his godfather,
Discover moreMobile app developmentMobile fanfiction appMobile user analyticsFan fiction booksApp store marketing"I'm fine Sirius, it's just a lot to take in at the moment." Sirius nodded his understanding; he too had been taken by surprise when he had first gone over the Black Family Accounts. Harry looked down at the parchment again, trying to make sense of what it was telling him.
Trust Vault: 42,601 Galleons
Potter Vault: 102,733,786 Galleons, 5 Sickles, 10 Knuts
Potter Family Vault: 18 Portraits, 692 Books, 184 Weapons, 3 Letters, 72 Heirlooms
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Properties: Potter Manor, 15 Godric's Hollow, 146 Diagon Alley
Lordships: Potter, Gryffindor, Slytherin (By Conquest)
He turned his incredulous gaze up to meet his godfather's. "How can I have these Lordships Sirius?" He asked, surprise evident in his entire posture. Suddenly he had an awful thought, Sirius hated Slytherins and now he was the heir, what if Sirius started seeing him differently? He knew his godfather had said that he would love him no matter what he did or was but would this change something? Another thought came to him; Sirius didn't know he was a parselmouth either. At least he now knew where the ability came from but it was widely regarded as a dark ability, even though Sirius said he would love him he had indicated that he would punish him if he turned Dark.
He looked at the parchment again, would it be better to tell Sirius before he found out? He remembered what the animagus had told him after his nightmare, "Then don't hide things from me pup." He had felt ashamed then and he knew if he kept this from Sirius he would feel ashamed too. His godfather had given him so much and asked for so little in return and if he kept this from Sirius he would feel like he was lying to him and he knew it would be worse if he kept it from Sirius and his godfather then found out he had done so.
Discover morePsychologyScience Fiction & Fantasy FilmsBook recommendationsFiction writing guidesAuthor resourcesAbruptly he realised his godfather was in the middle of an explanation, "...still has a large emphasis on the aristocracy, most of the old houses have Lordships and the Potter name is one of the older lines, as you can see from the Gryffindor Lordship. You take up your Lordship when you turn seventeen or the previous lord dies, for example after my death you will also have the Black lordship as I have no children and you are my named heir whilst you will claim the Potter and Gryffindor Lordships when you become an adult." Sirius paused and glanced at Harry, checking to see if he had understood.
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"I'," Harry gabbled, deciding he might as well get it over with. Sirius held up his hands,
"Woah, slow down pup so I can actually understand you," he mock scolded. Harry couldn't help but grin at the gentle teasing, it was an obvious sigh of Sirius's affection for him and lately he had begun to tease Sirius in return although he was still a little leery of doing so. It went against everything he had ever done to deliberately make fun of an adult, especially a parent figure. He would talk back to professors but only if they were attacking either him or his friends but he would never make fun of them. Sucking in a deep breath he spoke again,
"I've also got the Slytherin Lordship and I'm a parselmouth." Sirius regarded him steadily for a moment,
"No matter, you're still my godson and I still love you." His face softened, "That's what you were worried about correct?" Harry just nodded, keeping his eyes away from Sirius and he heard the man sigh. Then his godfather's fingers caught his chin and gently pulled it upwards so he was facing him, "It. Doesn't. Matter." He said emphatically, "You will always be my pup and nothing will ever change that, besides," His eyes took on a mischievous glint and a grin spread across his face, "A Gryffindor is heir of Slytherin, it is the ultimate prank to play on the rest of the world." He reached over and wrapped Harry in a one armed hug and Harry couldn't help but smile. He knew other teenagers hated that level of affection but having been starved of it throughout his childhood he was more than willing to accept it and he relished in the comfort and security it provided.
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Dropping the joking manner Sirius continued in a much more serious vein, "Actually though that will be very good for wizarding society. Each of the founders seats wields considerable influence in the Wizangamot and Hogwarts, in fact you have a permanent and perpetual seat on both. Also the rife between Slytherin and Gryffindor has meant that many Slytherins have been forced to the dark and has caused untold amounts of prejudice. Getting rid of that would massively improve wizarding society and help make sure that there can never be another Voldemort."
Harry felt a grin slowly begin to spread across his features. Not only had Sirius accepted both his parselmouth abilities and his Slytherin Lordship he had shown how it could be useful and improve people's lives drastically. He had seen enough of the prejudice towards muggleborns and other magical creatures to be appalled by it and anything he could do to change it would be welcome. "However," his godfather added, his voice stern, "You are not going to be changing things anytime soon. You need to recover fully and enjoy your time at Hogwarts. Anyway you can't actually claim the Lordships until you are seventeen."
Discover moreMobile app subscriptionFan fiction communityApp download campaignsWriter communityRegular stories"But that wouldn't stop me from laying the groundwork," Harry said, beginning to see the glimmer of an idea, "If I made friends in all the houses it would go a long way towards creating house unity. I mean most people only have friends in their own house and if you could change that you could get rid of a lot of the prejudice." Sirius grinned back at him,
"That is a good idea, particularly as it involves nothing dangerous or life threatening." Sirius paused, seeming to consider whether to say something, eventually he spoke again, "One more thing, I've accepted the job of DADA professor at Hogwarts." For a moment Harry said nothing, then a wide grin spread over his face and he launched himself at the animagus. Sirius smiled and wrapped his arms around him, returning the hug, "I gather you approve." Harry nodded awkwardly, his face pressed against his godfather's chest. "Of course I approve," he said, his voice strangely thick, "I won't have to leave you to go to Hogwarts." Sirius said nothing, he just held Harry close. He understood far too well the worry Harry had of being abandoned. When he had returned to Hogwarts after being taken in by the Potters he had worried that they wouldn't take him the next summer and Harry had suffered from more neglect than he had. He knew it would take time for Harry to heal and being at Hogwarts with him would only help.
Eventually Sirius released him and Harry moved back, slightly embarrassed by his enthusiastic response but he couldn't help it. The news that Sirius would be teaching had meant he would not have to leave the only person who had ever loved him and he still would be protected and safe at Hogwarts. He would still have someone who was like a parent and could help him if he needed it. He shot a glance at his godfather but saw nothing but understanding. He smiled slightly as he realised Sirius would always understand and never judge him in these situations, he had been there himself and he was one of the few people who could actually understand. He was so lucky Sirius was his godfather.
Sirius's soft voice broke into his thoughts, "We'll deal with the Lordships and your accounts in more detail later, they aren't that much of a priority at the moment, seeing as you can't do anything with them until you are seventeen so there is plenty of time to train you for that." He paused, making sure he had Harry's attention, "I want to teach you Occlumency." At Harry's puzzled look he elaborated, "The art of defending your mind. I want you to learn because I think that dream you had was real and I want to make absolutely sure Voldemort can't get anywhere near your head." He looked at Harry only to meet the fear filled gaze of his godson. Mentally he berated himself for delivering his suspicions in such a blunt way, he knew he would need to do a lot to reassure the teen now.
His gaze flicked around the study, it was a very practical room but he knew it would be easier to reassure Harry and teach him Occlumency in more comfortable surrounds. Hard backed chairs weren't that good when you needed to relax. "Come on Harry, lets go down to the sitting room and I'll explain more there alright?" His godson just nodded, staying silent and Sirius knew without a doubt that Harry was currently frightened and worrying like crazy. Placing an arm around Harry's shoulder's he steered the teen to the sitting room then sank down onto the sofa, encouraging Harry to join him. His godson slipped down beside him, staring straight ahead, staying mute.
"I'm possessed aren't I?" Harry's voice broke the silence. Sirius stared at him, how on earth had Harry managed to come to that conclusion? Just because he was having visions did not mean he was possessed, nobody had survived the killing curse before so the effects it could have were completely unknown, in fact it made perfect sense that there was some sort of connection after it failed to kill either of them. Sirius started as Harry continued to speak, "Voldemort likes to possess people, he did it to Quirrel, he did it when he was just sixteen and now he's possessed me too." The fear in his voice was easy to hear.
Sirius had to stop this before the idea took root, "You are not possessed Harry," he said forcefully. "You are having visions, I don't know why although it might be because of the failed killing curse, very little is known about curse scars after all." He opened his arms, "Come here," he ordered softly. Fear still marking his face, Harry crept into his godfather's embrace. Sirius held him tightly and with his free hand he carded his fingers through the boy's messy hair. "You are not possessed," he reiterated firmly, "In order to be possessed you would have to have come into close contact with him in the last few weeks and you have been safe here. Besides your visions place him firmly someplace else, with that rat running around after him." Slowly but surely he felt Harry start to relax, "You are seeing visions and I want those to stop because it could work the other way and I don't want you put in danger or for you to see any more killing." He felt Harry burrow deeper into his hold and he automatically tightened his grip. "I'm going to protect you and that includes teaching you occlumency." He felt Harry relax completely and he knew he had won the battle.
Releasing Harry he sat up a little straighter and Harry curled up against his side listening. "The main aim of occlumency is to create barriers in your mind and various traps. Normally this is done by maintaining complete control over your emotions," He allowed himself to grin at Harry's snort, "and compartmentalising your thoughts however I'm sure that won't work for you." Harry grimaced and nodded, he knew his emotions were too close to the surface and if he had to admit it he knew he was too hurt by the Dursleys to ever manage that level of control. He could keep his emotions from showing on his face and lock them away until he was safe but he could not exert control over them.
Sirius smiled down at him, "I was exactly the same, being the Marauder's resident hothead combined with my home situation meant my emotional control was almost non-existent so I developed another way which I think should work for you as well. There is one issue though, no matter what method you use in order to check your defences I will have to enter your mind." He squeezed Harry's shoulder tightly, conveying his apologies through the gesture, "I won't do it without your permission and I will warn you in advance I promise, but you will have to trust me." Harry looked up, meeting his gaze and searching it for something, although Sirius didn't know what. After several moments his eyes dropped. "I trust you," he whispered.
Sirius smiled tenderly down at him, relieved that his godson still trusted him after everything that had happened and would allow him to do this. "Okay Harry, my method works by using your emotions to keep people out of your mind. Emotions are usually quite complex and tangled not to mention irrational so my method works by using your emotions to make a labyrinth around your mind which will trap and confuse anyone attempting to enter your mind for long enough that you can use your fear and anger to push them out." Harry was nodded as his explanation continued,
"That makes sense; I know I could never empty my mind of all emotion or something like that. So how do I make the labyrinth?"
"It's simple enough. You choose one very strong memory to be the foundation of your labyrinth, the sort of thing you would use to cast a patronus and then you use other memories that contain strong emotion to provided anchor points in your labyrinth and then use the emotions to create the actual labyrinth." He met Harry's eyes and continued seriously, "It will take some time to learn and we are going to have to do this every day; but now you've finished your homework we can use most of that time for occlumency, but don't worry we will still have plenty of fun in the afternoons, particularly as you are now cleared for some strenuous activity which includes flying."
Harry's face lit up and Sirius could help but smile. It was wonderful to see his godson recovering and enjoying himself again. He could clearly remember the frightened, cowering boy he had found in the cupboard and the way Harry had pulled away. He was well aware there were still plenty of mental scars and that they would take a long time to heal but he was recovering. "Although," he added with a hint of a warning in his tone, "We won't stay out for too long, you lost a lot of muscle mass and it will take time to build that up again and get you to the point where you can do strenuous activity for long periods. You are going to start some martial arts tomorrow as well, although duelling will wait a bit longer." Harry's face had fallen slightly at that statement but it perked up again at the mention of starting martial arts.
"That should be fun. Learning new spells is great and all..."
"But you feel better if you are actually doing something not just learning from books." Sirius finished for him. Harry smiled somewhat sheepishly up at his godfather but Sirius just laughed and reached out to ruffle his hair. He understood completely, he had never been that brilliant at sitting and learning from books either, he had always preferred the practical to the theory and James had been the same. "However," he said, once the moment of levity had passed, "You still need to learn occlumency seeing as the Voldemort problem is current and I will not risk your safety in any way, shape or form, especially when it comes to Voldemort because I will notlose you ever again."
Harry was taken aback by the fire in Sirius's voice when he spoke about losing him. His godfather would miss him if he vanished. He knew Sirius loved him but he was only beginning to understand what that actually meant. He knew that Sirius would always try to protect him and that his godfather would comfort him and care for him and he knew he was always safe with Sirius, and he could feel the love and care his godfather had for him whenever Sirius held him and he also knew that he loved and trusted Sirius in return. He knew without a doubt that he would give his life if it protected his godfather and that it would kill him if Sirius ever died or vanished and he realised that it worked the same way. It would hurt Sirius if he ever died and that thought made him determined to do whatever he could to prevent that happening because he would never willingly hurt his godfather, the only parent figure he had ever known.
"Today we'll work on the foundation. You need to find a very strong memory or emotion and it has got to be something that is unlikely to change, for example basing it off love for a crush isn't a good idea, neither is anger at a particular person because anger is more fleeting than other emotions and can overrule things." He paused, taking in Harry's puzzled expression, "I used my friendship with James as my foundation, if that helps," he said quietly.
Harry nodded, the example gave him a good idea of what to work with. He paused and searched his mind trying to find something that fit the criteria. Several thoughts he discarded almost immediately and he quickly came to the conclusion that the vast majority of his emotions, memories and experiences would be useless for creating a strong foundation but the fact that they didn't work wouldn't help him find ones that did. Frowning in annoyance he scoured the memories that were left, several memories and emotions he considered for a moment before he placed them aside, nothing he found would work. He paused, considering. He needed something that was fundamentally part of him, that wasn't flimsy and wasn't destructive.
Suddenly the perfect solution occurred to him. His desire to protect his friends, Sirius and the other people he cared about was a fundamental part of him and he was absolutely certain that it would never change; he would be able to use the protectiveness he felt for his foundation. He opened his eyes and met his godfather's gaze, smiling in response to the unasked question, "Yes I found a good foundation memory." Sirius smiled back and patiently began couching him on the process necessary to create the base of his occlumency shields.
Over the next several days he shields improved further. Moving out from his foundation he was able to use the large quantities of anger and hate to create a mess of tangled walls and the strength of the emotions was such that the walls contained several nasty surprises for anyone who attempted to enter. Jealousy, fear and pain created further layers and the addition of the happiness and love he had created a bewildering array of barriers which would confuse and shock any invader, particularly when they were combined with the worst memories he possessed, the effect was guaranteed to be disorientating. And the moment of uncertainly it created for the attacker would give him to opportunity to throw them from his mind. However the final defence was the worst, a collection of Harry's worst memories would be hurled at the attacker and they would be forced to view every single one of them before they could continue. These memories were also contained throughout the labyrinth, purposefully hidden in order to incapacitate the attacker.
But occlumency wasn't all he was working on. Gradually he was becoming a lot more aware of his status in the Wizarding World and the pureblood customs. Defence lessons had also become much more interesting, his repertoire of spells was much broader and the unbinding of his core had given him much more power at his disposal and he also found that he was picking up spells much faster than before. Privately he thought he could give Hermione a run for her money when he got back to Hogwarts, only on the practical side though, he would never compete with her for the theory, he simply didn't have the same passion for books and research that she had. The martial arts and the odd duel were also going a long way to improving his physical strength and providing him with an alternative. The grin on Remus's face had been rather feral when he announced pureblood wizards never expected muggle fighting techniques and he couldn't help but wonder what the back story to that remark was.
This holiday had been the best he had ever had. He had learnt a great deal about his parents and Sirius had given him a home and all the love he had been starved of. Also since his birthday both Ron and Hermione had come over every few days for animagus training and he was greatly enjoying spending time with his friends. The training had been less exciting with very few results, he had managed to convert the skin on his hand to fur and Hermione had managed a similar feat but both Sirius and Remus had assured them that it was totally normal and the animagus transformation would take them a long time to complete, even a small amount at this stage was extremely good. Having Ron and Hermione over also ensure that Hedwig wasn't worn out delivering letter the length and breadth of Britain and many plans had been made for the Quiddich World Cup and getting their school supplied. The ministry had gifted Sirius three tickets to the top box as part of their apology and as the Weasleys had also won tickets both the boys were looking forward to the match intensely whilst Hermione was also interested in seeing a professional game despite not having a great deal of love for the sport.
However this morning Harry was a little apprehensive. They had been working on his shields for over a week now and Sirius had finally decided that he should test Harry's defences and he was more than a little uneasy. He trusted Sirius and knew his godfather would never hurt him but his mind was his last sanctuary, one of the few places the Dursleys couldn't reach and he was more than a little leery of letting Sirius in. There were many things that he hadn't told the animagus and many parts of what the Dursleys had done to him had been hidden away as he was ashamed and he didn't want his godfather to see any of it. All of it was hidden behind his walls but he hadn't been doing occlumency for very long and he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep Sirius out.
So it was with more than a little nervousness that he took his customary position on the sofa for the start of the lesson. "Okay pup," Sirius said gently, "I'm going to try to breach your defences and you are going to try and fight me out. I promise that if I get through I will withdraw immediately alright?" Harry smiled weakly, it wasn't the very convincing but it was the best he could do. Sirius reached out and squeezed his shoulder lightly, "It will be fine Harry, just focus on your labyrinth and you will be fine." Harry leaned into the touch, grateful for the reassurance. His godfather smiled warmly at him then brought his wand up, "Legilimency," he murmured.
Sirius found himself in Harry's mind. Before him large walls rose up to almost impossible heights and he could see them moving and shifting with the flow of emotion. And opening appeared before him and he ran through, he knew most people would attempt to penetrate the labyrinth. Immediately the entrance snapped shut behind him and slowly he began to venture deeper into the maze. The walls of the labyrinth throbbed with the different emotions and he could see the variety of colours that represented the different emotions. Here the walls were made up almost entirely of anger and it washed over him, making the walls close in on him.
He reached out a single hand to touch the wall and immediately a surge of anger accompanied by a face he recognised as Vernon Dursley's flashed back at him causing him to jerk his hand away as if he had received an electric shock. He knew the walls were secure, he couldn't imagine anyone forcing their way through such raw emotion. Walking quickly he travelled further into the labyrinth when suddenly the feeling changed. Before he had been surrounded by simmering rage but now he was almost buoyed in feelings of happiness and love. The change was disorientating to say the least and just for a moment he paused, but that was enough.
A wave of memories slammed into him, throwing him backwards and sucking him into them. Vernon Dursley raising a belt and bringing it down to hit him again and again. He could feel the pain and terror that accompanied each strike, and hearing Vernon's voice crying 'Freak' as he did so. But those cries were mixed in with voices he was very familiar with, "Take Harry and run," , "Not Harry, not Harry, kill me instead.' 'Stand aside you silly girl". And another flash, a dementor pulling his face upwards, his mouth opening, the complete lack of happiness and then searing pain, a basilisk and the voice of Voldemort, "Dying alone, forsaken my his friends, defeated by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged."
A cry echoed throughout his mind and he was back in his own body, staring at his godson who was curled up in front of him. The memories left him shaken, his pup had suffered so much, had been hurt so many different ways. He had failed him. He had failed Lily and James but most of all he had failed Harry. One of the memories crashed down on him, his godson had faced a basilisk, Voldemort and had been near death. The realisation that Harry might not have been alive when he broke out swept over him and he couldn't prevent the tears that started to leak out of his eyes. He had made so many mistakes and Harry had paid for every single one.
Reaching out, he pulled Harry into his arms. He had to know he was safe, had to reassure himself that Harry was still here, still alive. "I'm sorry," he murmured again and again as he held Harry close. His godson was here, safe but the realisation there was a very real possibility he might not have been shook him to his very core. Then he felt Harry wrap his own arms around him and hug him fiercely, "It's not your fault." He said forcefully, repeating his statement when Sirius refused to stop apologising, "You are here now and you love me and that is all that matters."
Sirius smiled, still feeling guilty but the knowledge that his godson didn't blame him filled him with joy. He didn't know what he had done to deserve Harry but he was not going to do anything to endanger him. After a few moments he gave a shaky laugh, "Your occlumency definitely works, I pity anyone who comes face to face with your shields," He tightened his hold, "Particularly that last wave of memories." He closed his eye, thinking of all the things he had seen in that single wave. One part in particular stood out for him, he had heard Lily and James's last moments. That more than anything else was the worst, a child remembering the night their parents were murdered. As he held his godson he promised himself that he wouldn't fail him ever again.