Chapter Text
Harry stared at his parents, finding himself in the middle of a ritual circle. James and Lily looked like they were in their Hogwarts years in this… room that the ritual was being held in. James was buzzing with excitement, absolutely bouncing like a little kid as he grabbed Lily's shoulders.
"LILY! I told you, I told you! I told you we were destined to be together and have a child. See? Look at him! LOOK!"
"What the bloody fuck? Potter, this is… This makes no sense at all. No no, no. We are supposed to be looking at a bowl with an image of a possible baby as the parchment in the bottle fills with information. That's what you said. That's what the book said. That's what we set up for. The bowl, bottle, and all of that is gone and we are looking at a… What? Another fourteen or fifteen year old?"
"I better not be fourteen or fifteen again." Harry frowned, "Uhm. Can I have a mirror?"
Lily obliged and Harry cursed when he saw that indeed, he was fifteen again. Damn it.
"Who are you?" Lily asked softly.
"I know this sounds… crazy, but I'm Harry James Potter. I'm your son and I'm from the future. This… whatever you did here, it opened a door to my time. What did you do, anyway?" Harry asked, probably sounding way too calm and unbothered given the circumstances.
"This was supposed to be some old… pureblood ritual telling us if our union would be destined for children!" James waved his hands absent-mindedly before running forward and hugging him. "LILY, IT'S OUR SON!"
Harry stumbled a little before hugging James back, feeling… so much that it all canceled out into a numb overwhelm.
"I… I really did marry you…? Why?" Lily commented as she stared at Harry in disbelief.
"I'll talk to my parents and we can do a blood check just to prove it, but yeah, I mean look at him. He's a spitting image of me with your beautiful eyes, nose, and lips. And he's kinda skinny like you too…"
"Hey!" Harry felt like he should be offended.
Harry shouldn't have given him that, because now James was smirking. "A very girly figure."
"HEY!"
James smacked his shoulder. "It looks good on you, kid, very good. Don't be upset about it, okay? Siri is going to lose his bloody mind."
Harry shrugged. “Well, yeah. You did name him Godfather. He would be excited to find out.”
“Oh, no no no!” James raised his hands up, “I mean he's going to try to pull you!”
"Like he does for anyone even mildly attractive," Lily sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I can't believe we actually end up having a child. Do I lose my bloody mind in the future?"
“Wait, he would react to this by…” Harry frowned, not loving that idea. In fact, he didn't know exactly how to feel about it at all. Why?!
"From what I heard, he matures," Harry said, pausing before adding, "enough…" Lily raised her eyebrows, "eventually?"
Lily sighed and walked over to him, looking him up and down. "Well… Wow. This is an experience. Those really are my eyes… behind the cheapest glasses I've ever seen. We'll have to fix that. James, why would we forgo paying for our son's glasses? They're hideous."
"First we have to introduce him to my parents and have him enrolled in and started in school with the rest of us," James said, "I can't believe it! We get to meet and go to school with our son!" James jumped. Again.
Lily sighed. Harry was caught between sighing with her and just… overwhelmed again.
"Oh and Lily, love of my life, future wife and mother of my son, you owe me a date!" James pointed at her with the widest grin.
"Fine… I guess you do win." She sighed and shook her head, frowning at Harry. "Sorry sweetheart. This was… sort of a bet of your… fathers. Okay we need a cover story. Perhaps… you're a cousin? Long lost brother?"
"He's my son!" James said pointedly.
"We know, James, but we need to figure out what we're supposed to tell the other students."
"That he's my son. Our son!” James insisted.
How did James survive the war for as long as he did? Harry blinked at him.
Lily groaned. "I can't imagine getting married to you." She shook her head tiredly.
"We have to go to the owlery like… or Dumbledore… or… Merlin there's a lot to DO!" James bounced on his feet.
"Where are we, exactly?" Harry asked.
"Oh… Well," James said, "At my home. It's just before the start of fifth year, you see. Lily and I bumped into each other in diagon alley and made a little bet. I cast a ritual and you time traveled or… whatever. I guess the magic of both things interacted and boom! Here you are! My kiddo. Oh I can't wait for you to meet my friends!" He whipped around to Lily. "And I can't wait to go on a date with you!"
Harry managed to meet his grandparents for the first time with a relative lack of drama. Once they performed a few blood tests, they believed him easily enough. A letter to Dumbledore later and Harry was set to be sorted as a transfer student. He had a story of who he was and why he was here ready, but James kept cutting him off every other minute shouting, "This is my son!"
So few people even got around to hearing that cover story.
It got to be a bit much, so he ran off before James could actually introduce him to his friends on the train, to people Harry knew and lost. He wasn't ready for that, not yet. He used the cloak, which was a lot more powerful than it had been before he'd taken possession of the hallows, and once he got an empty compartment, he warded the door shut and turned his ring.
Yes. He'd come back with the Hallows from his time, and that wasn't all.
Before him appeared a figure shrouded in shadow, a cloak of ink that whispered around his body. A pale, bony hand with a wooden index finger, notched and carved like an ancient tree. Upon looking at the eldritch type figure, Harry did the only thing sensible for the situation.
He yelled at it.
"You made me fifteen again?"
"I thought it would be… beneficial."
It was a voice that drained every ambient sound and swallowed it into a hollow abyss, just like the air growing ever so colder by the moment. Harry sighed, pulling his robes around him as Death rattled before him. Was he trying to laugh? Was IT trying to laugh?
"It's inconvenient!" Harry scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Think about it this way… You'll have time to stop some choice events from happening. Most notably, you can choose to sway a certain…" Death paused and his voice went softer, edging almost close to human, "Regulus Black away from a troublesome path."
"Regulus Black?" Harry breathed in sharply and winced as it popped in his chest, "Sirius's brother?"
"You can stop him from joining Voldemort…. Quite easily, actually."
"How? By telling him who I am or where I'm-"
"Not right away. Be patient. Just… exist. He'll be interested in you. You reek of dark magic, of me… and he is a simple teen… Very easy to charm, to win over."
"What are the chances he'll want anything to do with James' Gryffindor brother, though?"
That rattle filled the entire cabin until Harry grimaced, very uncomfortable.
"Gryffindor… You think you're getting into Gryffindor?"
Harry didn't get sorted into Gryffindor.
His father screamed from across the hall that there'd been a mistake, a terrible mistake, that all logic and reason had been lost in the world. He shouted at anyone who would listen until a very red faced Lily cast something to thankfully mute him. Harry made his way to the Slytherin table red faced as Regulus and well, the whole bloody table looked at him curiously. He wondered how he was going to charm Sirius's younger brother, but… Well, he had to try, right?
"Regulus Black," Harry said once they'd made it to the dorms. It wasn't hard to find the young Black. He looked so much like Sirius, after all. Just… Well, prettier, more elegant, and a hell of a lot neater and put together with shorter, more styled curls and a more feminine figure and appearance. "I've heard about you,"
"Oh? Really? And pray tell, what did my brother tell you about me, hmm?" Regulus rolled his eyes.
"I don't know. I haven't met him yet… Just you." Harry smiled, "You're more interesting anyway… and we share a house, right? Besides, you have a pretty good reputation. You're certainly no troublemaker like Sirius."
Death said Regulus was easy to charm, right? Harry could do this, act mysterious and befriend this person. Then, he'd save Sirius' brother. It was a win win.
Regulus felt his cheeks flushing. "Well, I didn't end up in Gryffindor at least and I try to represent the Black name well." He turned his nose in the air. "It might not be much, but-"
"It has nothing to do with your family," the teen said, "It's who you are and what you can accomplish. You're brilliant."
"My grades are pretty high." Regulus nodded hesitantly, cheeks still flushed. Harry didn't realize he was this easy to fluster. Maybe he was just shy.
"It's a different kind of brilliant… and you have bravery, the courage to do what no one else would dare."
"Bravery? No, no. Perhaps you have me confused with my brother, Sirius. He's the dunderhead of the two of us. I keep my head low and focus on academics."
"Regulus Black," Harry shook his head with a soft smile. Gently, he reached forward to cup his cheek. Why not? He probably lacked affection and getting some might endear him to Harry. He seemed pretty attentive so far, in any case. "Don't doubt yourself."
Regulus swallowed, heart pounding hard and then oh… Those green eyes burned and for perhaps the first time in his life, he felt special. It was rare anyone gave him any mind, always focused on his brother instead. Praising him, degrading him, always focused on him in one way or another while barely sparing the younger Black a glance. Now this boy, this strange teen was giving him his full attention, and Regulus didn't know what to do.
"Who are you?" Regulus breathed, "Other than a Potter? James keeps screaming you're his offspring and no one really knows."
"I'm an illegitimate brother to James. My mother ran off out of shame since I was born out of wedlock and wouldn't allow me to attend school, but she died very recently, so…"
Harry smiled, taking in his features softly and oh. Regulus couldn't remember how to breathe because Harry was looking at him with an odd fondness that was killing him.
"I hope we can get to know each other better."
Regulus managed to make a sound, but not much else as he gazed down at Harry's lips. The teens eyes widened suddenly, lips parting as he seemed to catch himself before he flushed deeply.
"That is to say- I mean- Merlin, I'm bad at words. I hope we can be f-"
Snape came in with a scowl. "Can someone possibly tell me why Potter is standing outside the portrait raving like a lunatic? He's asking for the transfer student. Something about a resorting." His eyes rolled. "Of course, I suppose he can't take the fact that his apparent blood relation could possibly be sorted into Slytherin." His eyes fell on Harry and his upper lip curled. "You. Could you chase the Gryffindor Potter back to his own dormitory?"
Harry turned to Snape, eyes looking him over and widening. "Snape! Severus Snape? Oh. I heard about you."
Snape sneered. "From your brother? He's an imbecile. Are you one as well?"
"Not from him, from other students. I hear you're top of your class in potions and defense against the dark arts."
Immediately, Regulus felt put out. Apparently his new housemate was just charming to everyone.
Snape took a long moment to look the boy over, first disgusted at his striking familiarity to the other Potter, then curious at the lichtenberg scar, and finally settling on soft, green eyes. "Yes," he sneered, a bit smug, "Well, some of us have brains around here, unlike most of the dunderhead Gryffindors. Do you, or are you just like your pathetic brother?"
Harry laughed. "I'm pretty good in Defense, but my wordless spells can use a bit of work. I heard you have a knack for them. Perhaps you can give me some tips?"
Snape sniffed, turning his head, preening despite keeping up his upstuck front. Regulus stirred with jealousy. "Yes. Well… Perhaps, if you prove worth my time, but I have a strong distaste for Potters. Now," he stressed, "Remove the dunderhead. He's hardly the sort you want to be associated with even if you are, unfortunately for yourself, related if you hope to get anywhere in life, by the way."
"He is… my brother. I'm moving in with his father and my step mother at the end of the year, so I have to be a little civil." Harry spoke hesitantly. "But you are right about him being a complete prat! I've learned that much already."
"That is the understatement of the year." Snape crossed his arms.
Harry nodded and headed for the portrait.
"I think," Barty said as he wrapped an arm around Regulus. Regulus yelped, having forgotten his friend was even there, "That he was trying to seduce you, Reggie. Maybe Severus too."
"Don't be disgusting," Severus grimaced.
Regulus stared after where Harry just left, absolutely hopelessly with a hand over his chest.
"Black! Put your brain back into your head, will you?" Snape sneered.
"He didn't try," Evan smirked and rolled his eyes. Oh great. He was here too. They both witnessed Regulus becoming embarrassingly undone. "He successfully seduced Reggie."
Regulus shook his head a little, short on words before he eventually choked some out.
"I'm actually thinking that I've never felt such intense dark magic before. Something happened to him. Think it has something to do with what caused the scar?"
Evan paused, then hummed. "You're right, actually. There's a drowning darkness to him."
"How can you tell?" Barty asked, tilting his head.
"When you've grown up with dark magic, you get a sense for it," Regulus said with a nod, "You're still… somewhat new to practicing."
"Feel like asking him about it?" Severus prodded.
"Do you think he's a pureblood?" Regulus hummed, "He's illegitimate, but that doesn't mean he's not a pureblood."
"Does it matter?" Severus frowned. Deeply.
"Yes. If I'm going to cou- I'd just like to know."
"Really?" Snape raised an eyebrow. "You want to court the illegitimate brother of James Potter? The Gryffindor maniac?"
"What would your parents say?" Barty laughed.
"That's why I want to know if he's a pureblood." Regulus rolled his eyes. "Although… It might not matter if he is…" Regulus shrugged, blushing deeply. "I mean, I can't be worse than Sirius at this point."
Severus scoffed while Barty laughed and tucked Evan into his side.
"Actually, think about it. I know you hate James." Regulus glared at Severus.
"Obviously."
"It would be perfect revenge. At least in my case." Regulus started to grow confident again, head raising and lips pursed, "He stole my brother. And you see how fond he is of his."
"Yes… he's been calling him his child," Severus grimaced.
"Imagine meeting your fathers half of the family for the first time only to realize you're stuck with an idiot crazy Gryffindor as a brother," Evan sneered.
"How devastated would he be if a Slytherin seduced him and introduced him to the dark arts? To our ways? If Sirius could be influenced, I'm sure Harry can," Regulus went on, "And maybe his mother was more traditional. You never know. He does seem dignified."
"He seemed like he was trying to charm the pants off of you and Severus here," Barty smirked.
Snape's eyes narrowed and his face went strangely blank. "Well, if it could prove a nuisance to Potter, then perhaps the idea has some merit,” Those dark eyes turned to Regulus and dug in deep, “but he's all yours."
Regulus swallowed and pouted. Good. He was clearly the better option anyway.
Harry was rather embarrassed to find both his parents waiting outside. James looked infuriated while Lily looked rather embarrassed.
"My son, a Slytherin!" James exclaimed.
"Don't say that so loud!" Harry begged. This man was literally a child.
Lily sighed. "I tried to stop him. I'm sorry. This is just how he is. With luck, no one will think too much of it." Still, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Potter!" Her eyes flicked to Harry and back to James. "James, leave him alone!"
"We are going straight to Dumbledore. There's obviously been some sort of mistake. You can't be a Slytherin. You're my son! You have Gryffindor in your blood and heart. I can not let this stand. There's been a huge mistake with the sorting hat."
"James!" Lily exasperated, "Let it be. He's not unhappy, so-"
"Our boy will die in there. They'll kill him. My son! My sweet son. I just found you! I won't lose you so soon."
Harry sighed. "No one will kill me! Look, I'm not surprised to be in Slytherin, alright? I had… I almost got sorted into it last time."
"You're a warrior for the light, not a Death Eater!" James pushed.
"Not all Slytherins are Death Eaters!" Lily glared. "Our so- Harry is not a Death Eater! I mean, obviously! And the sorting hat isn't wrong. It's never wrong. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's wrong."
"Oh really? And the people who go after you for being muggleborn. What HOUSE do they tend to come from again? I don't think I've seen any Hufflepuffs throwing the m word around."
Harry sighed and covered his face. "Not in front of the dorms. You're making such a scene. This is… the worst first impression I could have and it's all on you!"
"Oh please. Who cares what a bunch of snakes have to think?"
"I do. I'm going to be living with them!"
"That's why you need to be resorted!"
Lily smacked James over the head and grabbed him by the ear. "You heard the boy. Let's take this elsewhere."
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Okay, okay, okay!"