Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Meddling with Darkness	By : zoy_grey Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 32786 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 11
Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of JK Rowling's world of Harry Potter, the characters or the timeline. Though I do own the plot that I came up with in this story.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
A/N: Hello again, I'm back with a treat for all of you who feel bad for Sirius being imprisoned for so long ;) Just be warned...this is by far the longest chapter I have written, but I felt I needed to close certain parts of the story ;)
Now to answer some of your questions. I understand your questions why Harry isn't doing this or that, but sometimes I can't make the characters take the easy way, because I already have something else,some new plots and twists planned. I really appreciate your comments, suggestions and how you got into the story, but please bear with me, I promise everything will end up well...at least for most of the characters :P
As for Kalmia's question: I was tempted to lie that there will be no incest, but that would be unfair to my wonderful readers ^^' So technically speaking, yes it is incest since Harry and Draco are related. However, in my defence I'm gonna say it honestly didn't cros my mind to tag the story as incest, because relationships between cousins seem pretty normal when you consider historical marriages between royalty, aristocracy and even nowadays (although I'm aware that not every country legally accepts such relationships). Also since Harry is a Black in this story it felt kind of natural to...let's say...keep the Black family tradition of cousin relationships :P Besides, Harry and Draco are only second cousins here and they weren't even raised together, so for some reason it doesn't feel like they are that closely related ;) I understand if this explanation doesn't convince you to keep reading this, but I do hope it won't spoil the story so far ^^'

Chapter 16

Regulus sat by the window in his bedroom and observed the cold autumn weather changing everything outside. He wrapped himself in the blanket he took from the bed earlier and glanced at his husband sleeping peacefully. Sometimes it surprised even him, how peaceful and even gentle the man looked like; no one would believe that the most feared wizard of the time had a good side. Regulus left the man in bed and didn’t want to wake him up.

Black had his own problems to think about. It had already been a little over a month since Sirius was captured by the Ministry. Everything was going fine until Fudge started acting the way none of them expected; even Voldemort didn’t predict the Minister to cause them so much trouble. The plan was to hand Wormtail to the aurors in order to lift Sirius off charges and then, as a free man, older Black would be able to officially apply for the custody of his son. Everything got complicated when Cornelius Fudge decided to make an example of Sirius. According to Dorian Witham, Black’s solicitor, the Ministry could have declared Sirius innocent and release him, but they didn’t want the only person who knows how to escape Azkaban to walk around free.

His gaze landed on the newest Daily Prophet. There was a big photo of his brother from the recent hearing and a headline saying: Sirius Black – liar or mental? Regulus sighed heavily turning his gaze to the view behind the window again. It was only yesterday night when Lucius reported to Voldemort that Witham brought up the matter of Sirius’ child in the court, but things didn’t go well. According to the solicitor, the Wizengamot immediately figured out that they would try to claim Harry Potter to be Sirius’ son; of course none of them believed it, but still they made it difficult for them to push forward with the case. Black and Witham asked for a blood test on Harry, but the Ministry declined as long as Sirius didn’t show them a proof that he even had a child at all. That however was problematic if not impossible without revealing already too many of the family secrets.

“You’re up really early today,” came a gentle voice. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t notice when his husband got out of bed.

“I couldn’t sleep. I was debating with myself entire night,” explained Regulus and moved a bit to make some space next to him for Voldemort.

“I know you’re worried about your brother,” started the older wizard sitting next to the man and wrapping his hands protectively around him. “I admit this trial is taking longer than I thought it would, but it’s going to be fine. We already have some of our people in the Wizengamot…Lucius and Abraxas are going to convince more of them to be more favourable towards Sirius. They will even convince Fudge…”

“Tom, we both know that might not be enough,” interrupted Regulus looking the man in the eyes. “Fudge might not be the brightest person, but he’s stubborn and if he wants something, he’ll get his way….I’ve made my decision.”

“What decision?”

“In order to push the case forward Witham needs a proof that Sirius had a child…I’m going to go to the Ministry and give them that proof.”

“Out of the question!” the Dark Lord moved away from his husband immediately, furious at the idea of Regulus putting himself in danger. “They suspect you were a Death Eater. They will capture you and put you through a trial like your brother! I will not allow that Regulus! Besides, you don’t have a proof. It would be only your word to convince them to believe Sirius’ words and make Harry go through a blood test.”

“The baby registration documents from the Ministry are hidden safely in the Blacks vault in Gringotts. At this moment I’m the only person who can go there, take it and bring it to the Ministry.”

“We don’t even have a good alibi story to explain your disappearance at the end of last war and this decision of yours is just rash,” said Tom angrily and turned his back to the younger wizard, refusing to look at him.

“The longer this trial takes, the more influence Dumbledore gets while we are waiting. Besides, the Ministry can’t prove me anything…you never gave me the Dark Mark exactly because you didn’t want to put me in danger,” when his husband didn’t react to his words an idea came up to him. He walked closer to the man wrapping his arms around him lovingly and whispered into his ear. “I know what you were planning…that potion Severus gave you…I’m not stupid, I know what potion that was. Your actions made me very happy…I’m delighted that you want to have children and that you want to have them with me, but I will not drink that potion as long as my brother is imprisoned.”

Hearing those words, Voldemort turned around to face the younger man. He saw determination in his husband’s eyes and he knew there was no way to change Regulus’ mind in the matter. After a moment he grabbed the other wizard by the hair and tugged at them lightly to force Black to tilt his head a bit backwards, giving him access to his lips. Tom eagerly leaned forward initiating a rough but passionate kiss with his husband. When the younger man lost himself in it and slipped his tongue to lick the other man’s lips, Voldemort broke the kiss, leaving Regulus standing there disappointed. Seeing the characteristic pout growing on the Black’s face, Tom grinned with satisfaction.

“You have to promise me to wait two more days so that I can arrange a perfect alibi for your disappearance.”

“I promise…but only two days,” said Regulus and pulled the man for another passionate kiss.

Harry was in his dormitory looking for the Invisibility Cloak. Ron and Hermione have just left to tend their Prefect duties and Harry couldn’t wait to meet with his cousin. Lately, meetings with Draco were the only thing that kept him more or less calm; especially with everyone being happy that Severus was gone for a week and they didn’t have Potions class, while the black haired teen was actually feeling bad and worried that the potions master wasn’t there. Also, the latest article about Sirius announcing that he had a son that was hiding with the Potters in Godric’s Hollow caused another wave of stupid comments from Harry’s schoolmates and unknown witches and wizards. Only this morning, he received about ten letters from people he didn’t know; they were all telling him to stay strong and not to pay attention to the lies of criminals like Black. It all annoyed Harry immensely; he even planned that if Minister Fudge keeps blocking the trial he was going to send him an owl informing the man that he was ready to give a blood sample to move the trial forward.

Harry sneaked out of the Common room, happy that Ginny was occupied flirting with Dean. That gave him the chance to get out of the Tower unnoticed. He quickly headed to the dungeons, where Draco was usually having his rounds, and stopped before Severus’ private chambers. Before the potions master left for his trip to Durmstrang, he gave his son the keys and a password to his quarters to make meetings between the two teens easier and safer in case anyone was following them.

He didn’t have to wait long. He barely managed to take his cloak off when he heard a familiar knocking on the door – it was Draco and he knew it, because the two of them have set a special code for knocking on the door. Harry rushed to the door and allowed the blond to enter. He immediately noticed Draco looked completely worn-out.

“You had training session today?” he asked and transfigured an armchair for the blond to sit.

“Thanks,” smiled Draco and sat in the chair. “Actually I had three training sessions today. I had to divide my housemates into groups, remember? And tomorrow I’m teaching them Occlumency.”

“This all sounds brilliant, I wish I could help you with those sessions and learn something myself,” said Harry.

“You say it as if you couldn’t,” snorted lightly Draco.

“What was that supposed to mean?” asked Harry a bit offended by the other teen’s reaction.

“I’m sorry Orion. I didn’t mean to sound harsh, but it has been a long day and to be honest it’s awfully annoying that I can’t see you more often,” explained the blond and rubbed his face feeling tired. “I was looking forward to the school year, because I thought we’d be able to spend more time together, but we barely see each other.”

“I know. I want to spend more time with you too, but with everything happening with my dad and Ron and Hermione following me everywhere…”

“You can always tell them it’s none of their business where you’re going…or to simply leave you alone,” interrupted Draco and sounded a little bit annoyed while saying this.

“That’s not a way one treats his friends. I’m sure you wouldn’t say that if it was about your friends…would you treat Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe or Goyle like that?”

“I always do whenever it’s necessary. I might not have any friends, but the ones I have trust me…that’s what friends are for. When I ask them to do something and don’t give them the reason they know I can’t tell them the truth just yet, but they trust me and do what I say.”

Harry stood silent for a moment, but then sighed and said “Well I’m not you. I can’t say something like that to my friends…they won’t understand and we might end up fighting like last year.”

“Orion, I understand you’re in a stressful situation at the moment, but this is not a game anymore. You have to understand we did not come back to school this year…we are in Hogwarts, but it’s not safe…this is Dumbledore’s secret battlefield and everything we say or do is being watched,” said Draco trying to get through to his cousin.

“You think I don’t know that? Every year I was forced to face dangerous situations here in Hogwarts…it’s my dad who’s being kept in the Ministry right now!”

“You’re not the only one who has to make sacrifices. There are still people who believe we support the Dark Lord…if we make the slightest mistake my entire family will be thrown into Azkaban. Do you think I don’t care about that? Believe it or not, but we are all doing everything we can to keep you and your father safe. Every time I start the training sessions with my housemates I’m risking getting caught by Moody or Dumbledore, but I’m doing it because in the future this will help me protect you in school. I would appreciate it if you at least didn’t try to act like we’re not friends in front of entire school, but instead you’re worried about having an argument with Weasley and Granger!” the blond couldn’t help but shout the last part of his monologue. He didn’t want to be mean to his cousin, but the excessive amount of work this school year took its toll on him.

“What are you talking about? Moody and Dumbledore can’t do anything to hurt students here…why would they even want to do that?!” the black haired teen was getting frustrated himself by this conversation. He just wanted a nice, relaxing evening with Draco, but the blond was being more of a pain in the ass today than all the other students. “Besides, it’s me whose everyone going to ask to fight when the war will finally break out!”

“That’s my point! You are not Harry Potter! You’re not the Saviour of the Light from that damned prophecy! Open your eyes Orion, the war has already started…but war is not always an open battle,” explained Draco. “Dumbledore is already gathering supporters. He has sent your father to Durmstrang not because of school’s business, but to recruit witches and wizards to the Order. Lupin was sent to negotiate with werewolves…even Hagrid was sent somewhere. Mad-Eye is practically teaching students to fight and kill…if this doesn’t convince you that the war has already started then I don’t know what will.”

“Then why do I always end up in the centre of this mess? Why do I always have to fight and save everyone’s ass?” Harry was having enough of this conversation and wanted to go back to Gryffindor Tower. He knew lately he has been too occupied by Sirius’ trial to notice anything else that was going on around, but it was a bit too much for him that day. He hated the feeling that he was useless and everyone around protected him while he did nothing.

“You ended up involved in this mess, but this war is not about you…it never was. It’s about how we want the wizarding world to look like in the future,” realising he was being a bit harsh to the other teen, Draco took a deep breath to calm down and stepped closer to the black haired boy. “Your fathers decided which side they want to join…I chose to do anything it takes to protect my family and now it’s your turn. You can’t stay neutral…you need to take a stand in this war...even if that means some people will hate you for it.”

Harry knew the blond was right, but he felt bad about everything he just heard. He didn’t want to make this difficult decision right now; he needed time to think it through. The teen sighed heavily and moved towards the door.

“Where are you going?” asked Draco.

“I think you still have your Prefect duties to tend to,” he glanced at his cousin standing not far from him. “And I think you really need some rest.”

“Orion,” the blond stopped him. “No matter what you’ll decide I’m going to be there for you, to protect you.”

Harry only smiled weakly and left the chamber. He was certain the Slytherin would lock it later on, so he could head back to the Gryffindor Common room. He felt awful because of Draco’s words; it hurt how he was being accused of doing nothing, but he was certain the blond was exaggerating the situation. Of course they had to watch out for the Headmaster and Moody because those two liked to meddle, but they would never openly hurt anyone.

“Harry, where have you been?” he heard Hermione’s protective tone as soon as he entered the common room. He was quickly surrounded by the Weasleys as well, and in all honesty it pissed him off; especially after the conversation he had with Draco.

“We were looking for you, mate,” said Ron.

“You realise it is past curfew and theoretically Ron and I should reprimand you for wandering around the castle at night,” said again Hermione.

“Aren’t you already doing so?” pointed out Harry a bit annoyed and walked to the boys’ dormitories. “I’m tired and going to bed.”

“What happened to him?” asked surprised Ginny.

“The two of you are pressuring him too much lately,” said Fred to his youngest brother and Hermione.

“You’re following him everywhere,” George agreed with his twin.

“We’re just concerned about him,” protested Ron.

“Give him a break…let him deal with the situation the way he wants,” said the twins in unison.

Regulus pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. He managed to get into the Ministry without any problems, but the corridor with the courtrooms was crowded by reporters. Black didn’t expect many people to recognize him, but he couldn’t risk causing a commotion before the hearing. He waited in the shadows, far away from the crowds, and squeezed the locket his husband gave him this morning; it made him stronger and braver as if Tom was there with him. When he spotted a familiar black haired solicitor, he stepped out of his hiding place and walked over to the man.

“Mr Dorian Witham?” Regulus asked to catch the man’s attention.

“Yes. With whom do I have the pleasure to speak?” he asked trying to catch a glimpse of the other man’s face; for a mere moment he thought he saw someone looking very much alike Sirius Black. Not wanting to draw too much attention, he gestured for the man to follow him to the side corridor. “Let us go over there. We won’t be able to have a civilized chat here with all the reporters.”

“I know the hearing is about to start so I’ll make it short,” said quickly Regulus when they were in a safe distance from other people. “Your client is my older brother and I need him to get out of here as soon as possible. I’ve brought this document…I believe it will be enough to prove he’s telling the truth.”

Witham took the paper from the man and quickly scanned the information there; when he realised what it was he was holding, his eyes lit up and smirk formed on his lips. “This is more than enough. With this we practically won the case. However, you’re believed to be dead…I can’t drag another Black into this…the Minister seems dead set on putting someone in Azkaban.”

“I’m missing, not dead. That’s a difference, Mr Witham. You need this document, but you can’t show it to the Wizengamot without me revealing myself. I have a good alibi and I know how to disappear from the Ministry as soon as I give my testimony,” explained calmly Regulus.

“Alright then,” agreed the younger man. “Please wait at the courtroom doors until I call for you, Mr Black. Let’s hope nothing surprises us this time.”

“It better not…or the consequences will be dire.”

Witham walked into the courtroom looking very smug; he had an ace in the hole and he intended to finally win this damned case. He briefly stopped by Sirius’ chair and whispered to him, “Don’t worry Mr Black. The fate favours us today.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby open today’s hearing,” announced Fudge not giving Black and his solicitor time to discuss anything. “The case concerns Mr Sirius Black, his involvement with Lord Voldemort during the war and his reasons to escape Azkaban in order to get close to Mr Harry Potter. During the last hearing Mr Black revealed that his son was hiding with the Potters in Godric’s Hollow and insisted on permission to conduct blood tests to prove his rights. Do you still insist on this Mr Black?”

“Yes. I had no reason to attack the Potters or to do anything that might have caused danger to them, because my son was with them,” Sirius explained once more. He was growing tired of telling the same story over and over again. “I’ve escaped Azkaban because I wanted retribution for Peter Pettigrew’s actions. I’ve seen Harry in Hogwarts. I’ve noticed a very special birth mark on him that looked exactly like the one my son had. I went to Potter Manor and found the grave of Harry Potter, but my son’s body was never found in Godric’s Hollow. So yes, I insist on blood tests to prove that my suspicions are correct and my son is alive.”

“Yes, we understand your reasoning, Mr Black, but you can’t ask the Ministry to involve Mr Potter, an underage wizard, into this trial and blood tests only based on your suspicions,” said a really old looking wizard sitting on Fudge’s right side.

“If the honourable assembly allows, I would like to call for a person who can prove my client’s words to be true,” interrupted Witham.

Members of the Wizengamot looked curious, but they gestured for the witness to come in. The reporters sensed a revelation coming, so they prepared their cameras. Even Sirius looked confused from him solicitor to the doors, not knowing who to expect. Moments later a cloaked person entered the courtroom and stopped before the judges, not far from Sirius’ chair. Older Black immediately recognized the mysterious person and his heart jumped to his throat.

“Please take your cloak off and introduce yourself,” said Fudge a bit annoyed. He wanted this trial to end quickly; preferably with Black being punished for escaping the prison. Yet here they were meeting another week and hearing a new witness.

The wizard took off the hood of his cloak, looked up straight at the Wizengamot and said, “I’m Regulus Arcturus Black, second son of Orion and Walburga Black…younger brother of Sirius Black.”

A loud gasp of shock could be heard in the room, immediately followed by agitated voices of both Ministry officials and reporters. Some of them were saying this was an imposter and that Regulus Black was dead, while others were just expressing their shock to see the man alive and actually defending his brother. When the excitement cooled down and over a dozen of Wizengamot members confirmed the man before them was no doubt Regulus Black, Fudge continued with the hearing.

“Mr Black…Mr Regulus Black, I must express my doubts about you being a witness in this case, especially that you were declared missing for over ten years,” said Cornelius.

“I understand those concerns. I might not have the best relation with my brother, but I do not want to see the heir of my family imprisoned or accused of lying, especially when it is possible to prove the truth. During war the Black family was in grave danger, because I was believed to be a Death Eater,” said Regulus and showed everyone his wrists and arms, proving there was no Dark Mark. “In order to protect me and our family from further suspicions, my spouse suggested I leave the country, but when I did so I was attacked and had a concussion. I was found by French Healers who took care of me for nearly five years. When I recovered from the concussion and heard about end of the war and my family being nearly destroyed I came back to London. Before I left during war, I knew my brother was going to have a baby, but when I returned mother told me to search for the baby boy, because he must be alive. All those years I couldn’t find him, but it seems my brother managed to find him on his own.”

“Mr Black,” asked Madam Bones. “Thank you for your explanations, but we would all like to see a proof that would allow us to order a blood test. I’m afraid your words are not enough.”

“That’s why I’ve brought this document,” Regulus took out a scroll with the Ministry’s emblem on it and showed it to Fudge. “This is the birth certificate of Orion Nox Black, son of Sirius Black. As we all agree this is a very delicate matter that we’re talking about, I would like to keep any other information about this certificate a secret. Since we all know this affects the one and only Saviour of the Wizarding World I strongly insist on disclosing these information here only to a small select group of the Wizengamot members.”

There was another long debate among witches, wizards and other Ministry officials. The reporters seemed outraged by Regulus’ request, because it meant they wouldn’t be able to get any scandalous information for their articles.

“Mr Black, how do we know this is an original document? The birth registration keeps such records inside the Ministry,” asked a middle aged wizard.

“When my brother disappeared and my father died, we took some safety measures to protect my son. The circumstances of his birth and his parents were supposed to be kept secret until the end of the war,” explained Sirius. “My mother’s brother, Cygnus Black, explained the gravity of the situation to one of the wizards in the Administrative Registration Department and that wizard gave my son’s birth certificate to our family.”

After about ten minutes the decision was made. In the light of the new evidence Wizengamot agreed to Regulus’ terms and chose a small group of ten witches and wizards from different departments, including the Administrative Registration Department, to find out the contents of the birth certificate. Of course the person included in the group was Cornelius Fudge, who ostentatiously ignored Dumbledore’s request to be allowed to get acquainted with the document; reasoning that he was the Headmaster and partly Harry’s guardian at the moment didn’t help either. Sirius was relieved Fudge hated Albus so much, because it would cause enormous complications if the old fool found out Severus was Harry’s father.

Regulus calmly handed the scroll to the Minister and waited for the reaction. It didn’t take long to hear horrified gasps.

“This can’t be true…that’s impossible…absurd,” muttered Cornelius, but representatives from the registration division quickly confirmed that the scroll was indeed an original. Fudge looked at his co-workers and they all agreed there was only one thing they could do in this situation. “Your request for a blood test of Mr Harry Potter was acknowledged and the test will be conducted in the upcoming week. Further decisions will be made during another hearing on 25^th October.”

Not waiting for anyone’s permission Regulus cast a glance at his brother and then his solicitor and quickly left the courtroom. He needed to get to the Floo as soon as possible; before anyone tried to stop him and put him under a trial as well. His mission was completed. Now all he wanted was to get back to his husband and wait for their plans to move forward at last.

Harry wasn’t surprised at all when he was called to the Headmaster’s office three days after Sirius’ last hearing. He expected, anticipated even, the blood test he was about to go through. This was bringing him closer to finally having his family back.

He headed to Dumbledore’s office thinking about the shocked reactions of all the teachers, students and Ministry officials when the results come out positive, proving that Sirius was indeed his father. He couldn’t help but think about Severus’ reaction too. Now that he thought about it, the man was in the worst situation; he knew Harry was his son, but he couldn’t reveal it to anyone; he couldn’t even start treating the teen more like a son in school, because that would cause too many questions.

Suddenly his attention was caught by shouts and blasts coming from one of the classrooms. He was too curious to find out what was going on and he turned from his way to find the source of the commotion. When he reached one of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classrooms he spotted a group of third year students running around the room, hiding behind their desks and practically fighting with each other. The spells were flying in the air, hitting everything in their way. Most of the spells were fairly harmless, but some of them weren’t all that innocent.

“Bombarda!” shouted someone inside the classroom and Harry barely managed to dodge the blast, but the door frame wasn’t so lucky and exploded.

Even more curious than before, he took a look into the room and saw the students were from Gryffindor and Slytherin. The rivalry between those two houses didn’t surprise him at all, but what he saw didn’t look like a regular rivalry during lesson; it was more like an open battle. Immediately Draco’s words came up in his mind. He didn’t want to believe it, but now he saw it with his own eyes; the students were casting nasty spells at each other and Moody was nowhere to be seen. Moments later, he saw one of the Gryffindor girls stunning her Slytherin opponent and immediately pointing her wand at another female Snake. The Slytherin girl was too occupied fighting two different Gryffindors to notice someone else was aiming at her.

“Bombarda maxima!” shouted the Gryffindor girl and cast the destructive spell.

“Protego maxima!” Harry reacted immediately and formed a shield around the Slytherin girl and people standing the closest to her. The explosive spell hit the shield, but fortunately didn’t hurt anyone; it only knocked a few students off their feet. “Are you out of your mind?! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Immediately everyone stopped their fight and looked at Harry dumbstruck. The fact that the Golden Boy walked over to the dark haired Slytherin girl and asked her if she was alright, shocked them even more.

“But…we’re just practicing,” some of his younger housemates tried to explain. It seemed that none of them actually saw anything bad in what they were doing.

“Practicing? Do you even realise what damage you could have done with those spells?” asked Harry; furious at what he was hearing. He would have to apologize to Draco for not believing him. “This is Defence Against the Dark Arts and not Fighting Club. You’d better start practicing Shield Charms until professor Moody comes back.”

Harry stormed out of the room leaving the Third Years completely stunned by his words. He was mad that something like this was allowed in Hogwarts and he intended to make sure it didn’t happen again, but first, he had a blood test to take.

The teen marched to the Headmaster’s office in a record time. He entered the familiar, round chamber and saw professor Dumbledore, professor McGonagall, Cornelius Fudge, Amelia Bones and around ten other people, who he didn’t recognize. They all looked at him sympathetically as if he was about to face something awful. Harry however didn’t see it that way; he was excited to finally regain his true identity.

“Mr Potter, you already know Minister Fudge and Madam Bones,” started professor McGonagall. “The other witches and wizards here are also from the Ministry. Do you know why they are here to see you?”

“Because Sirius Black claims that I’m his son,” answered Harry, doing his best to copy Draco’s mask of indifference. “I’m supposed to give you a sample of my blood, right?”

“Yes…but if you have any doubts or reservations towards this test you can of course refuse to take part in it,” informed Madam Bones, smiling at him weakly.

“If he’s wrong then he’s just my father’s friend and I want him to be free,” explained the teen. “But if he’s saying the truth…then he’s my father…and that’s even more a reason for me to want him to be free.”

All this time Dumbledore was silently observing the black haired teen. He was surprised by how well the boy controlled his emotions; Harry was practically putting up a show for the Ministry and he did it perfectly. This actually worried the headmaster, because it meant the boy could be pretending in front of him as well and that led to him losing control over the Golden Boy. Albus couldn’t help but notice that young Harry was avoiding his gaze ever since that one time in September when he tried to use legilimency on him. Dumbledore was frustrated because that time he was very close to actually discovering the real relationship between Harry and Sirius, but the potions master interrupted him in doing so. All that Albus knew right now was that Sirius Black was very important to the teen, but he couldn’t quite tell if the boy had any clue that Black was his father.

“Alright then. Please take this blade and cut the inside of your hand,” instructed him one of the aurors that were with them. “When you do that, allow the blood to slowly slide down the blade and fill the handle.”

Harry did exactly as he was instructed. He cut his hand and watched the blood fill the blade’s handle. With every blood drop he thought that only few more days now, maybe a week or so and he’ll be together with his real dad.

Later that day, during dinner, Harry took his seat by the Gryffindor table with Hermione and Ron. He told them about the blood test and that he was kind of excited to hear the results. They would have to wait for those until Sirius’ next hearing, because the Ministry had to compare the blood of Harry and Black.

“It sucks that you have to go through all of this,” said Seamus overhearing their conversation.

“Why? I’m actually impatient to know the results,” said Harry a bit annoyed by Seamus’ words. “I don’t see anything wrong about those tests, to be honest.”

“Really?...I mean…he’s trying to say you’re not who you are,” Seamus continued.

“Nonetheless, he didn’t betray my parents…if they were my parents,” said Harry and received surprised looks from all the Weasleys and Hermione. “He’s either my godfather or father…I don’t see the reason to feel down about it.”

Hermione and Ron didn’t say anything to that, but they didn’t quite understand their friend. They liked Sirius, but they didn’t expect Harry to be so calm about this revelation – after all, Sirius was trying to say he was a completely different person; it had to have some effect on their friend.

“Oi, mate. Why are the Snakes staring at you like that?” asked Ron after they were half way done with the dinner. Indeed, Slytherins were practically staring at Harry with a mix of suspicion and confusion on their faces.

“Might be because I helped one Slytherin girl today,” said the black haired teen causally as if it was the most normal thing ever. Seeing his housemates gaping at him, he explained further. “I saw Gryffindors and Slytherins having DADA class and they were really nasty to each other…so I stopped them. Actually reprimanded them and protected one of the Slytherin girls in the process.”

“Why? They are just Snakes,” asked Ron. “It was probably them who started the fight anyway.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ron. You’ve all seen how Moody is teaching DADA…those are pretty drastic teaching methods. And as much as I don’t like to say it, it were Gryffindors who were more violent in this fight. One of our girls tried to cast a powerful explosion spell at a girl who wasn’t expecting anything.”

“I’m not saying professor Moody’s methods are nice, but difficult times are coming and he just wants us to be prepared,” Hermione tried to reason, but it was clear even she wasn’t too happy about what she was hearing.

“Are you all mental?” asked Harry not believing what he was hearing. “I haven’t heard about Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs being forced to fight with each other. The only house that’s being targeted is Slytherin. That’s not normal!”

“Serves them right. All those years they’ve been bullying others and acting all superior…they finally get what was coming,” commented Ron. “Besides, they’ve been plotting something all along…with Malfoy pretending to be your friend and whatnot.”

“He IS my friend! Like it or not, I told you I won’t push him away,” the teen yelled at them and stood up from his place. He looked Draco’s way trying to make an apologetic face; he finally understood his cousin’s words. Moreover, he has finally made up his mind; he knew what stand to take in this war – he was going to stand by his family till the very end.

It was already 25^th October and Harry was restless since the moment he woke up. He knew it was the day of his dad’s hearing and everyone would find out about the blood test results. He couldn’t wait to see everyone’s reaction, but even more than that, he wanted his dad to come back to him. Normally, Harry would share everything with his friends, but since their minor fight a few days ago they didn’t talk much. To be precise, Ron and Hermione stopped following him at all. They also cast him cold glares whenever he chatted with Draco in the corridors. Harry on the other hand was feeling better than ever; everything was finally falling in place – his relation with Draco; Sirius’ trial was starting to look better.

That day their first lesson was Potions and Harry had to be honest with himself and admit he was glad to finally see Severus back in Hogwarts; even more so that the man was safe and sound.

“Where is Mr Goyle?” asked Severus Snape as soon as he entered the dungeon and scanned the group of students before him. At the same time, he tried to ignore the fact that Ron Weasley was complaining to his fellow Gryffindors about how awful it was that a certain teacher came back to school.

“He’s in the medical wing,” explained Draco who was usually paired with Goyle during Potions. The blond saw the annoyed look on the potions master’s face and glanced at Harry, who seemed obviously annoyed too, by Weasley’s constant complaining. Draco had to fight back a laugh when he realised that the facial expression of the black haired teen resembled the one on Severus’ face very much.

Harry on the other hand couldn’t help but roll his eyes listening to Ron’s ranting. A year ago he’d probably appreciate the redhead’s comments about the potions master but now they were simply getting on his nerves. Deep inside he hated the thought of someone badmouthing his father. He couldn’t stand it anymore and snapped at his friend, telling him to stop his nonsense.

“Potter, Weasley…I strongly suggest you stop your girly quarrels,” hissed dangerously Severus, who found himself inches from them in mere seconds. “Now split and start your potions before I lose patience.”

When the teacher walked away to his desk, Harry had a silent battle with Ron about which one of them was to stay by their usual table. The black haired teen didn’t want to lose but when he saw Draco smirking from across the dungeon, so he calmly walked over to him.

“Mind if I join you today?” Harry asked his cousin.

“You think you can keep up with me in potions?” Draco asked with a smirk, but his eyes showed that he was thrilled to brew with his cousin again.

“Try me…unless you’re worried I’m better at brewing than you are,” teased him Harry.

“Cheeky git,” muttered the blond and grinned.

“Today you’re brewing Draught of Peace…a potion many of you will no doubt need this year before your OWLs,” explained Severus when he was done writing instructions on the blackboard. He was mildly surprised when he turned around to face the class and noticed his son paired up with Draco. He smirked to himself and continued. “I’ve heard certain teachers encourage rivalry…let’s test your rivalry here as well. The best brewed potion will earn your house ten points.”

Harry finally felt at ease. This was the way things were meant to be. He was spending time with his cousin and didn’t have to hide; he could finally improve his brewing skills as well as impress Severus. Half of the school already thought he might not be Harry Potter and that was one of the best feelings ever. He never realised how big of a burden the expectations for the Boy Who Lived were, and he was thrilled to get rid of those. All he needed was to wait right now for the official verdict regarding his dad, but he was fairly calm about it. He could already picture himself going to London for Christmas and enjoying the winter break with Sirius and the rest of the family.

“Not bad,” commented Draco when they were nearly finished with their work. “You’ve made progress since the last time we’ve brewed together.”

“Why thank you Draco. You’re so gracious today,” snickered Harry seeing the blond rising one of his eyebrows.

“I might have had a bad influence on you after all,” smirked Malfoy. “But seriously speaking, you might be able to get your brewing skills to NEWTs level.”

Harry haven’t thought about NEWTs yet, although he was indeed considering continuing his education in potions. First of all he’d have to think about his future, especially now that his point of view about the world has changed a bit. Earlier he would go for a career as an Auror, but now his priorities have changed and he didn’t find the profession to his liking.

“Time is up,” announced the potions master glaring at the students and their cauldrons; some of the potions have already exploded and the wizard looked the students who caused it with disdain. He went through the entire dungeon, checking the results of their work and stopped by the table in the front. “Mr Malfoy and Mr Potter…five points to each of your houses for the exemplary Draught of Peace.”

“Told you I’m not that bad,” Harry winked to his cousin playfully, gathered his belongings and headed outside with his fellow Gryffindors. “See you in Arithmancy, Draco.”

“That was amazing, Harry. You got us house points from Snape!” squealed Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, passing by the black haired teen, Hermione and Ron. “And you even survived entire lesson with Malfoy.”

“Harry,” started Hermione when the rest of their housemates were far ahead of them and couldn’t hear their conversation. “I don’t want us to fight like last year…we’re just worried about you. This acquaintance with the Malfoys is really risky.”

Ron didn’t say a word, because he was still a bit mad at Harry for pairing up with the blond git, but he wholeheartedly agreed with Hermione. They didn’t tell anyone, but professor Dumbledore asked the two of them to try and keep Harry away from Draco; at least as long as they don’t find out the true reasons for Malfoy being friendly with the Golden Boy.

“Look, I appreciate that you’re worried about me. I really do, but you can’t follow me around everywhere. I need some privacy too and like I said before, I will meet up with Draco whenever I feel like it, but it doesn’t mean I going to forget about you,” explained Harry and continued when he saw both Ron and Hermione were about to protest again. “I was doing what was expected of me, but now I’m going to do what’s best for me. I’m going to enjoy spending time with ALL of my friends. I’m going to wait for the results of the blood tests and accept whatever result will come out. So as my friends, all I’m asking of you is to trust me. I really know what I’m doing.”

There was a long silence, but in the end both of them agreed to Harry’s terms. They knew their friend was going through a lot right now and they should be supporting him rather than spying on him. They also understood the Headmaster’s concerns, but frankly speaking, they were already growing tired of their extra duties. They were Prefects; they had OWLs this year and had to make a decision about their future careers; and they had their own family issues – Ron’s mother was very worried about her three eldest sons lately, especially that no one stayed in close touch with them; Hermione’s parents, on the other hand, told her just recently that they were expecting another child and she would have a little baby sister sometime around spring break. Taking all that into consideration, they decided to give Harry a bit more space and focus on their own problems.

After nearly two months of imprisonment and an outrageously long trial, Sirius didn’t know what to expect from today’s hearing. He was certain of the outcome of the blood tests, but that didn’t mean that the Ministry would let him free and have custody over his son. His solicitor, however, seemed to be in high spirits as if he already won the case. Black preferred not to get his hopes up so he simply waited, in his spot in the courtroom, for the Wizengamot to gather and start the hearing.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we once more gather here to continue with the trial of Sirius Black,” started Cornelius Fudge. “With the evidence and testimonies that were showed during this long trial, I believe we will be able to finally end this case. First of all, we will get to know the results of the blood tests conducted on Mr Harry Potter and Mr Sirius Black.”

Suddenly two Mediwizards entered the room holding the report from their research of the two blood samples they were given by the Ministry.

“Please tell us your discoveries regarding the blood samples,” instructed them the Minister.

“Both blood samples we were given shared a similar pattern, both genetically and magically,” explained the older of the Mediwizards. “This proves that the samples came from people closely related with each other. After further research we’ve established the degree of the blood relation of the two wizards and there is no doubt it’s a parent – child relation.”

“How is it possible then that Mr Harry Potter is a spitting image of late James and Lily Potter, if he’s in fact not related to them?” asked Madam Bones, who already knew from the birth certificate, who was the other parent of the boy.

“There is no doubt the first blood sample belongs to Mr Sirius Black and the other to the teenager we know as Harry Potter, but indeed this underage wizard is not related with the Potter family in the slightest. During our research, however, we stumbled across something peculiar,” explained the younger Mediwizard. “The blood sample of the boy showed traces of someone else’s magic. We’re not talking here about the traces of the boy’s parents’ magic. We’re talking about evidence of someone else’s interference in the boy’s blood and magical core.”

A wave of shocked gasps could be heard around the courtroom. No one honestly expected such a discovery; after all, meddling with someone’s magical core was very dangerous and could have harmed the person for the rest of its life.

“We believe that Mr Harry Potter is indeed son of Mr Sirius Black and the traces of unfamiliar magic in the boy’s blood is a proof of someone placing a very powerful glamour on him. A type of glamour that mixes with the person’s blood and magic,” declared the older wizard.

“What you’re saying is that Mr Harry Potter is not related to the Potter family?” asked one of the older wizards from the Wizengamot.

“Yes. The boy we know as Harry Potter is in fact not Harry Potter. Our research proves, with no doubt, that the boy is in fact Orion Black, son of Sirius Black,” announced the Mediwizard.

“Thank you for your time and work,” said Fudge and continued with the hearing.

After it was revealed that Harry was truly his son, Sirius sighed relieved. He didn’t mind anymore if he had to explain the same things again; he was already satisfied that at least something went right. Even if he wouldn’t be set free, then at least his son was able to use his true identity now and maybe he’d make up with Severus; that way Sirius’ mind would be at ease that at least his child had one of his fathers by his side.

The trial dragged the entire day again. The Wizengamot asked him again to explain how he escaped Azkaban and the reason for him becoming an Animagus; they also questioned him about not registering at the Ministry as an Animagus. When the questions were finally over he was taken to his cell once more, because the Wizengamot had to make a final decision.

It took almost two hours for them to agree on a verdict, but when they were finally done with it, Sirius was brought back to the courtroom. This time the room was wide open for everyone who was interested in the case; and in Black’s opinion, almost entire Ministry and all the reporters were present in the room. With relief he noted to himself that not everyone was waiting for him to go back to Azkaban, because he saw Remus in the crowd, smiling at him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve come to the end of one of the longest and most complicated trials in history,” Fudge started his speech. “In the light of all the evidence, testimonies, tests and reports, we’ve come to the final verdict. Regarding accusation of supporting Lord Voldemort during war, Mr Sirius Black is found not guilty. Regarding betrayal and endangering the Potters, Mr Black is found not guilty. Regarding murder of twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew, we find Mr Sirius Black not guilty. Regarding the violation of Animagus registration laws, we find Mr Black guilty. We sentence him to one month of imprisonment in Azkaban, however due to the already served twelve years of unjust imprisonment, the Wizengamot only demands Mr Black to immediately register as an Animagus. And finally, regarding Mr Black’s request concerning his son, the Wizengamot hereby acknowledges Mr Orion Black, formerly known as Harry Potter, as a legitimate son of Mr Sirius Black. However, taking into consideration young age of Mr Orion Black, as well as the complexity of the family situation, we will not reveal the identity of the other parent for public notice. Mr Sirius Black is obliged to reveal that information in a suitable time to his son, over whom he and his spouse are given full parental rights and guardianship.”

When Fudge stopped talking and the members of Wizengamot were leaving the courtroom, Sirius remained in his seat. He felt the chains around his arms and legs vanishing; he saw Shacklebolt approaching him and handing him his old wand, but he couldn’t hear anything; he was too shocked that it was finally over. He couldn’t yet comprehend the fact that he was again a free man with full custody over his son.

“Mr Black congratulations,” Dorian Witham’s words finally broke through his stupor. The wizard with a proud look on his face was reaching out to shake his hand. “It was a pleasure to defend you, Mr Black, but I hope we will never see each other here again.”

“Sirius, you lucky bastard! You’ve done it! You’re free again!” moments later he saw his school friend trying to get to him through the crowds of reporters, who all wanted to take photos of Black. Remus finally managed to reach his friend and embraced him.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Sirius after a few camera flashes made him almost blind. “I need to get home, make myself look presentable…and meet with my son.”

Lupin didn’t ask any more questions; he simply helped his friend get through the crowd and to the Floo. They travelled to 12 Grimmauld Place, which was currently inhabited only by Remus and Kreacher.

“So you’re married, eh?” Lupin asked him teasingly, but Sirius only smiled impishly. “And you even have a child.”

“What can I say? The process of conceiving a baby was very pleasurable,” Black grinned widely and winked at him playfully.

“Dear Morgana! You will never change,” Remus shook his head in disbelief and walked away to his room, laughing at his friend.

When Sirius heard the door closing behind the man, he walked over to his mother’s portrait and took the curtains away. The witch looked stern, but this time there was a tiny bit of pride when she saw her eldest son.

“Mother, I’m free again, I have Orion back and I promise you that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore will feel the wrath of the Blacks. He will pay for everything he has done to our family,” the man proudly declared, making Walburga feel even more pride in her son.

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter and now I'm going back to writing the next chapter. I might have some spicy moments prepared for you in the next installment ;)
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Meddling with Darkness