Hello everyone! Guess who's back with another chapter!

First off, I'd like to apologize for how long this chapter's taken to get done. I had it finished a few months ago, but then my laptop (the old piece of crap) decided to crash on me and I lost most of my writing with it and I had a lot of issues with rewriting it.

Secondly, I'd like to thank you all for your patience in waiting for this chapter! Thirdly, thanks for all your Follows, Favorites and Reviews! And for reading this story!

Fourthly, I do hope you enjoy the chapter! Thank you all!

Many, many thanks to the lovely and wonderful DarkIceAngelFlare who's beta'd this story and a few of my others. Thank you so much for your patience and help, I really do appreciate it a lot!

Enjoy!

~Snow.

I do not own Harry Potter or FFVII. Wish I did though.

When Harry awoke the next morning, it took a few moments for him to gather his thoughts enough to remember where he was. Emerald green eyes blinked sleepily before closing again as he yawned, snuggling deeper into the covers and closer to the warm body he was next to.

Wait.

Warm body?

Harry jerked awake, eyes snapping open as his breath caught in his throat for a moment, his vision obscured with the sight of silver and his nose brushed against the silky strands. His curled up hands were between his and the other person's chest, brushing against soft – yet durable feeling – cloth.

Peeking up, Harry saw the edges of a pale face with long, silver bangs buried into his hair. It took him a moment to remember who it was that was holding him close: his father.

An arm was draped across his waist, holding Harry close to the longer body. The hold felt oddly… Protective. The feeling wasn't something Harry was used to, yet it was comfortable. The hold wasn't overly tight, as there was enough room for Harry to push him away if he wanted, but the brunette found himself not wanting to.

Blinking sleepily, Harry moved his head just slightly to glance at an age-old clock on the wall across from the bed. He had to bite back a groan when he was - barely - able to make out that it read just before six in the morning.

Letting his forehead rest against the other man's chest, Harry stayed silent, listening to the quiet sound of his father's even breathing. Shortly, his eyelids flickered closed and soon he fell back asleep, not seeing pale eyelids flutter open and green eyes watching him.

The next time he awoke was when he heard the clock on the wall chiming nine times. The arm wasn't draped over his waist anymore so, cracking an eyelid open, Harry glanced around the area he could see even with his blurry vision.

Lips curved downwards slightly when he couldn't see anyone and he slowly sat up, stretching as he did, managing to pop a few bones back into place.

Covering his mouth as he yawned, Harry snagged his glasses off of the nightstand and slid them on before glancing around the room and his frown deepened when he didn't see a single strand of silver or his father.

Untangling himself from the sheets, Harry pushed back what he could and stood up, worry growing in the pit of his stomach. Could he have imagined it all then?

"Looking for something, Harry?"

Harry jumped as a smooth voice spoke. Whirling around to face the black-haired man leaning against the bathroom doorway, the brunette scowled when he saw the amused look on Sephiroth's face.

Wait, black-haired?

Sephiroth chuckled quietly at seeing the annoyance on his son's face. "Get ready for the day and we'll make our way to Gringotts, alright?" Noticing the confused look slowly creep onto Harry's face he glanced at his hair. "Is there something on my face?" He quirked a brow.

"What the bloody hell happened to your hair?" Harry asked, his gaze fixed on Sephiroth's now ink-black hair.

"Language, Harry," Sephiroth chided lightly, his expression blank except for the corners of his lips - which were twitching slightly in amusement. "I dyed it. In both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, silver hair isn't exactly normal on someone my age. Even where I'm from it isn't," he added, sitting on the bed as Harry started to dig around in his trunk for clothes.

"Also, don't breathe much when you're in the bathroom. It smells so badly that I'm certain the Goddess can smell it from here."

Sephiroth couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips as he and Harry made their way down Diagon Alley not a half-hour later. Sephiroth had cast Invisi again, his hand once more on Harry's shoulder.

Acid green eyes looked around curiously as they walked by shops that he remembered from when he was James, and ones that had come after his death. He was relieved to see that many of those that had been forced to close down during the war had been reopened, yet there were still several that had been shut down for good.

As they walked, the normally silver-haired – currently black-haired – man couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated as he had to take his hand off of his son's shoulder in order to maneuver around someone for the fifth time. Biting his lip to keep from uttering an unhappy noise, Sephiroth swiftly sidestepped a wizard and quickened his steps to catch up to Harry, who was reaching the white marble steps that led up to the bank.

Lips curved upwards slightly in faint amusement as Harry jumped when his hand once again placed itself on his son's shoulder. Green eyes glanced up from behind round frames to where Sephiroth was hovering over him. The youth seemed to be attempting to see him for a moment before he turned his head back in front and continued his way up the marble steps to the grand doors that led into Gringotts.

Remembering what different kinds of warding and runes were used to keep thieves from sneaking in and stealing from the vaults, Sephiroth was surprised that his Invisi didn't even falter.

Glancing around quickly, Harry noticed a teller open and made his way over.

"I'd like to speak to the Potter account manager please, in private," Harry told the goblin teller, shifting a bit nervously as the goblin's eyes met his before flicking for a moment behind him where Sephiroth was standing.

"Does Mr. Potter have his key?" the goblin asked impatiently and Harry nodded, fishing the key out of his pocket.

Picking up the key and verifying it, the goblin's eyes narrowed before he disappeared behind the counter and into the hallway behind the large oak desks.

Leaning forward Sephiroth murmured into Harry's ear. "When you meet with the account manager, show him politeness and greet him by bowing and saying, 'Merry met, Master Goblin'," he instructed quietly, a smile flickering across his lips for a moment as the boy nodded in understanding.

The goblin teller returned a moment later, beady eyes watching Harry as he led him into one of the corridors behind the large oak counters. Harry couldn't help but look around curiously when they were led down the deserted corridor. Large oak doors stood high and he peeked into the crack of one that had been opened slightly and saw what looked to be a large office.

"Over here please." The goblin motioned for Harry to follow him to one of the office doors. Knocking sharply, the goblin waited a moment before opening it. "Account Manager Griphook, Mr. Potter is here to see you."

The goblin then motioned for Harry to enter the room, which the brunette did. Green eyes took in the sight of the goblin that had taken him to his vault during his very first trip to Gringotts. Stopping just inside of the doorway, Harry bowed.

"Merry met, Master Goblin," he greeted politely to the shock of the goblins. Standing up, Harry raised an eyebrow slightly at seeing the goblins staring and feeling uncomfortable, he cleared his throat.

The noise broke the goblins out of their surprise and Griphook shooed away the other goblin, the door shutting behind him.

"Sit down, Mr. Potter, and may I ask your guest to make himself visible?" The goblin's question came out more like a demand and Sephiroth chuckled, dropping the Invisi as he bowed.

"Merry met, Master Griphook," the black-haired man said before standing upright again, cat-like eyes observing the surprised goblin before sitting down in the chair next to his son.

"Merry met, Mr…?" The goblin raised a brow and Sephiroth's lips curved upwards.

"Sephiroth Grimoire Valentine, distant cousin of Harry James Potter as well as the previous life and current reincarnation of Jamestown Charlus Potter." Sephiroth bowed his head slightly, acid-green eyes meeting the goblin's dark beady ones.

"Do you have proof of who you are?" Griphook demanded, eyes narrowing as he glared at the black-haired man in front of him.

"Besides my memories? I'm certain that a blood test can clear everything up," Sephiroth answered haughtily. "Unless you don't think it can?" he asked challengingly.

Emerald-colored eyes darted their gaze between Sephiroth and Griphook as Harry sat in silence, wondering what Sephiroth was doing by challenging the goblin. Instead of being sneered at like Harry expected, the goblin seemed to smirk.

"Very well, then." Griphook opened a drawer and dug around in it for several moments before producing a piece of parchment and placed it on top of the oak desk. "One drop of blood and this parchment will show your bloodlines back to the times of the Founders themselves, if not further," the goblin explained, seeing the confused look on Harry's face.

"Hopefully the amount of Mako in my bloodstream won't eat the enchantments and parchment," Sephiroth mused quietly to himself, reaching for a quill that lay on the desk. Picking it up, he pressed the tip into the pad of his forefinger.

Harry supposed it took quite a bit of pressure to break the man's skin as it was obvious that the quill nearly snapped before blood dripped onto the parchment from the new wound on Sephiroth's finger.

Griphook snatched up the paper before Harry could even glance at the words that were starting to form on it while Sephiroth stuck his finger in his mouth, licking away the blood while dropping the pen onto the desk again. To Harry's surprise, the tip of the quill had been eaten away.

"I see that you are whom you claim to be," Griphook began slowly after observing the parchment for several moments, "yet it interests me on how you can be the past and yet the future life of Jamestown Potter."

"If you are thinking that I used some sort of Dark Magic, I can tell you right now that it is not the answer," Sephiroth stated calmly, watching in faint amusement as the goblin seemed to relax slightly. "I, in my life as Sephiroth, have cells of a creature that has made it so I can reclaim my body, although I can only do it a set amount of times. I have used the last time to return to Harry."

Griphook nodded slowly, black eyes glinting curiously as he looked Sephiroth over for a long moment before questioning, "Why might you two be here, Mr. Potter, Mr. Valentine?"

"I wish to adopt Harry."

If Sephiroth's blunt answer surprised the goblin, he didn't show it, and before Griphook could speak again, Sephiroth continued.

"If you could put on the paperwork that I am adopting Harry as my son because of family relations rather than the fact that I am his father soul-wise, that'd be very appreciated."

Griphook raised a brow. "That would be falsifying papers, Mr. Valentine."

"Ah." Sephiroth's lips curved into a smirk, "It wouldn't be. During my time as James, I was curious about my family history and I found out that Charlus Potter's grandfather – Lucian Potter – had a twin brother, Lewis Valentine, Vincent Valentine's grandfather. So, we are family. And I believe that you know this, since you, as the Potter family accountant, have the records of our family tree and should know them by heart."

Griphook's lips curved upwards into a nasty-looking grin – in Harry's opinion at least – "You are correct, Mr. Valentine." The goblin paused for a moment before asking, "How would you like to adopt Mr. Potter?"

"Blood adoption," Harry said firmly before Sephiroth could even open his mouth. His cheeks flushed slightly as he saw Sephiroth raise an eyebrow while Griphook regarded him in surprise.

"How do you know about blood adoption? It isn't a subject covered until at least Seventh Year," The black-haired man questioned, acidic green eyes looking down at the twelve year-old. "And why blood adoption, Harry?"

Here, Harry looked sheepish. "Last year, with the whole 'Heir of Slytherin' thing, my friends and I looked up a bunch of things on bloodline traits and how they are acquired.

"Plus, you're my Dad, even if your body isn't the one you had when I was, uh… Conceived." Harry's cheeks flushed darker but he continued on stubbornly. "If you blood adopt me, then that means that you don't have to tell anyone that you used to be James Potter if they try to take me away, and they couldn't take me away from you because of the blood adoption, right?" His stubborn tone faltered along with his expression, quickly being replaced with worry instead.

Sephiroth's lips curved upwards into a proud smile as he nodded, watching his son relax as he agreed.

"There's few ways to break a blood adoption, all of which are painful. The Ministry doesn't like the idea of blood adoption as they consider it dark, but they've never been able to pass a law that would make it illegal." Griphook smirked. "They would not be able to take you away from your adopted parent unless there was undeniable proof of abuse, mentally or physically, Mr. Potter."

"How is it done?" Harry asked curiously.

"There is a potion in which Mr. Valentine would give a single drop of blood. His blood will take the place of your biological father's, thus changing your looks and blood as well," the goblin explained.

"Am I to assume that this potion isn't cheap?" Sephiroth questioned, a brow raising as he leaned back in his chair.

"You assume correctly, Mr. Valentine. While the potion isn't outlawed, there are some ingredients that are on the darker side of Magic."

"We'll take it anyways. As Harry said, they won't be able to take him away from me and I won't need to tell anyone my past life as James," Sephiroth said, his tone clearly showing his determination.

Griphook nodded and stood. "Follow me please." He strolled out of the office with Sephiroth and Harry following suit.

They followed the goblin down several corridors until they finally entered a room. Inside were several cupboards and a simple bed.

"If Mr. Valentine would come here," Griphook requested, pulling a phial out of one of the cupboards.

A brow quirked upwards slightly as the Ex-SOLDIER strolled over to where Griphook was waiting, a small knife in hand.

"A few drops of blood, please." Handing the knife over to Sephiroth, the goblin uncorked the bottle.

Regarding the knife for a moment, Sephiroth pressed the tip into one of the pads of his fingers. Blood dripped from the wound and into the phial that was waiting in Griphook's palm. The blood hissed as it hit the potion and the potion turned from a bright red to a darker shade, a hint of green swirling in the blood.

"Mr. Potter, if you would sit on the bed." Griphook motioned towards where the hospital-looking bed sat. "I warn you, after you drink this you may be sore for a few days afterwards as your body and magic will be adjusting to the changes this potion will bring. Your looks will change as well as your body structure. Your balance may be off and you may get new allergies that you haven't had before. You may feel ill as well. Are you certain you wish to go through with this? The only ways to reverse it are painful," the goblin warned, offering the phial to Harry.

Sitting on the bed, Harry nodded in understanding and certainty as he took the phial from Griphook, and gave Sephiroth a smile before downing the contents of the phial in one go. He grimaced at the strong taste of copper in the potion.

"At least it didn't taste as bad as Skele-Grow," the brunette joked weakly, frowning after a moment when nothing happened. "Is nothing supposed ta ha...pp…en...?" A bout of dizziness hit Harry and he seemed to be swaying side to side as the world around him spun. Blackness bloomed in Harry's sight and he slumped onto the bed, eyelids fluttering closed.

"Mr. Valentine, if you would follow me."

After checking on and running hand lightly through Harry's hair, Sephiroth turned towards the goblin waiting for him and nodded, sparing one last glance at the son who looked so much like James. Following the goblin out of the room, he was led back to Griphook's office, where the goblin sat back behind the desk while Sephiroth shut the door.

"I would like a list of all Potter properties," Sephiroth requested, moving to where the desk was and he dropped elegantly into one of the armchairs. "I do need a place to raise Hadrian, after all."

"Hadrian?" A brow rose and the goblin regarded Sephiroth in curiosity while one hand moved to a desk drawer.

Sephiroth nodded, listening to Griphook shuffle through the papers in the drawer for a moment before he spoke again. "With a new look, Harry needs a new name as well," Sephiroth paused, a flicker of a thoughtful frown passed across his face before he began again.

"Hadrian is a name that Harry could be used as a nickname for. Vincent after my father and Valentine, well, I believe that one is obvious."

The goblin nodded, setting the adoption papers in front of Sephiroth while simultaneously producing a list of the Potter properties. It took awhile to fill out the adoption papers, but as soon as he had – and signed his name in blood (it took five blood-quills to do so) – Griphook handed them off for proper processing.

"Here is a list of the Potter properties."

Nodding his thanks to the goblin, Sephiroth turned his attention to the list. The first thing he noticed was that it looked exactly the same as it had twelve – almost thirteen – years beforehand when he and Lily had gone over it, looking for a place to hide.

Cat-like eyes flicked over the names, noticing that some were marked as occupied. Deciding to bring that up with Griphook on a less pressing day, Sephiroth continued to look over the names before one unoccupied one stood out.

"Doe Cottage..?" Sephiroth frowned thoughtfully as he shifted through James' memories in his head until he came upon the one of the small cottage he had bought for Lily as an engagement gift.

The only thing magical about the cottage was the wards he had placed around it and the cottage itself held a hint of magic, but not of the kind that they used, but of its own natural charm. Lily had loved the place as soon as she had stepped inside of it, and if it hadn't been for Dumbledore insisting on them staying someplace closer to other wizards, they would've hidden there instead. Not that it would've mattered. Peter would've given them away anyways and instead of Godric's Manor, it would've been Lily's Doe Cottage that would've been destroyed that night.

"Doe Cottage," Sephiroth voiced aloud again, though this time there was a hint of finalization in his tone before he turned to Griphook. "I'd like you to make two Portkeys to Doe Cottage, using newly crafted necklaces, if possible," Sephiroth requested of the goblin, who smirked.

"Easily done, for a price of course." Griphook answered and Sephiroth smirked back.

"Of course. Take only what is necessary," Sephiroth said. Picking up a piece of blank parchment, he pulled it to him before he grabbed the nearby quill and started to sketch the designs he had in mind. "These are what the charms on the necklaces will be, so that the chain itself isn't the Portkey but the charm." He handed the sketches and quickly written spells to the goblin who looked them over before nodding.

"We can have it done tonight. Be here at five o'clock," Griphook said sharply and Sephiroth nodded.

"Do you think you could draw up Muggle adoption papers as well? Harry currently lives with his Muggle aunt and uncle and I have no wish for them to have a claim on him in the Muggle world any longer," Sephiroth questioned.

"It would cost a little extra, but I should have the papers ready for you before young Mr. Valentine wakes up."

Sephiroth nodded, already expecting the cost. "Do it then, and while you are at it, take a little extra to keep my son's adoption quiet for a few days. With the weekend beginning tomorrow, it shouldn't be too hard to keep a single letter from leaving until Monday."

If the goblin's grin could have gotten wider, Sephiroth was sure it would've. "Your contributions to Gringott's upkeep is much appreciated, Mr. Valentine." Griphook paused for a moment before adding, "As young Mr. Valentine's adopted father and the second eldest living Potter family member, you are now the Potter heir's proxy until Heir Potter is ready to take up the mantel or your father takes charge of the Potter family accounts."

A dark brow rose and Sephiroth nodded, already knowing who Griphook was speaking about, but he wondered why the goblin was mentioning it.

"And as Potter proxy, there are several things that need looking over from the years that the Potter family hasn't had a Lord or Lady to look after it." Griphook turned and nodded to a goblin - who had followed Griphook in - his grin sadistic.

Oh, that was why.

Sephiroth could already feel the oncoming headache as the goblins started shuffling in with the piles of paperwork.

Joy.

It was two hours later when Sephiroth was notified that Harry was waking up.

He hurried down the hallways quickly, but slow enough that others didn't see a blur. When he was allowed to see Harry, Sephiroth couldn't help but smile softly as he took in his son's new looks while he sat on the edge of the bed.

Dark brown hair that looked almost black unless in the right lighting, was now inky black in color. No longer did the boy have the cursed Potter hair either; what was once messy hair that stuck up at odd angles and refused to be tamed now laid nearly flat on his head, only a few locks stubbornly stuck up.

His hair hung to his shoulders – Sephiroth made a mental note to take Harry to a hairstylist while they were in Muggle London – and his skin was pale. Not the unhealthy pale that Sephiroth sported, but very pale nonetheless, almost like the moonlight.

Harry's features, such as the shape of his jaw, his cheekbones and his lithe figure were similar to Sephiroth's. Harry had also gained a few inches and his shoulders had widened, but Sephiroth noticed that Harry looked more like Vincent than him. A few of Lily's features were noticeably still in Harry's, such as the shape (and Sephiroth hoped the color) of his eyes.

Dark lashes fluttered as Harry stirred and Sephiroth nearly breathed a sigh of relief when Harry's eyes opened, showing that they had stayed the same size, shape and color of Lily's.

"You still have your mother's eyes," the dyed black-haired man spoke softly, a hint of a fond smile on his lips as he carefully, gently, ran a hand through Harry's hair. "You don't look much like I do, but rather like your grandfather."

"That's nice," Harry mumbled sleepily, not truly paying attention to what his father was saying.

The corners of Sephiroth's lips twitched further upwards as the boy moved closer to him, his head now resting on top of Sephiroth's leg. Leaning against the stone wall beside Harry's bed, Sephiroth frowned slightly when he noticed the boy shiver, reminding him of this morning when he had awoken when the person in the room next to theirs had slammed the door shut.

Sephiroth had found Harry lying on his side at the very edge of the bed, shivering slightly. The silverette himself had still been lying where he had fallen asleep, his brows had furrowed in confusion for a moment before he had remembered where he was and who the boy sleeping nearby was. When he had noticed Harry's shivers, the silverette had carefully sat up and pulled the bedding away enough to uncover his son before he had pulled the dark-haired preteen into the middle of the bed with him. Then with Harry held close to his chest, Sephiroth had pulled the covers up again and he had slipped under them himself this time and, protectively holding his son, had fallen off to sleep again, until Harry had woken early that morn.

After a few minutes had passed, Sephiroth lightly shook Harry's shoulder.

"Hadrian." Sephiroth lightly shook his son's shoulder again and chuckled quietly when Harry grumbled unhappily. "You need to get up, otherwise we won't get any shopping done before we head home tonight."

"Alright. 'M up, 'm up," Harry grumbled, slowly sitting up, one hand balled into a fist that was rubbing an eye and the other rose to cover his mouth as he yawned. "How long was I asleep?" the preteen questioned, blinking away his sleepiness.

"A few hours. It is nearing lunchtime," Griphook – who had been standing in the doorway – answered. Waving a hand towards a mirror that hung on the wall near him the goblin asked, "Would you like to see your new looks, Mr. Valentine?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded eagerly, bouncing out of the bed. Ignoring the slightly annoyed look he got from his father and the head rush that threatened to blind his vision with bright colors, he hurried over to the mirror.

"Whoa," Harry breathed in surprise, emerald eyes widening as he looked over his reflection. His body had changed a lot and the first thing he had noticed was, "I'm taller."

His father chuckled. "Indeed you are, Hadrian." The corners of Sephiroth's lips curved upwards as he continued, "I believe that a change of clothes and a haircut is due first, and then we shall go and see about getting Muggle custody of you from your aunt and uncle before coming back for our Portkeys to our new home."

Harry nodded and turned away from the mirror. Both Valentines said their goodbyes to the Potter Account Manager before leaving Gringotts and headed out into Diagon Alley. This time Sephiroth wasn't under the cover of an Invisi.

First stop, the Leaky Cauldron for lunch.

It was nearing four o'clock when Sephiroth and Harry found themselves standing on the doorstep of Number Four, Privet Drive.

The latter shifted uncomfortably, nervously glancing up at the house while pushing his new glasses up higher on his nose. Sephiroth had taken Harry to an optometrist first thing and instead of the round, thick-framed glasses that Harry had had since five, he now wore a pair of rectangular, thin-framed glasses.

Secondly Harry had gotten a haircut. Hair that had hung to his shoulder were now cut to just above his jaw, oddly (to Harry, at least) the boy's hair was flat for the most part. The hairstylist had happily taken notice of a natural parting in Harry's hair and had used that to help style the young wizard's hair.

Sephiroth had only seen a picture of his father during his Turk years once, completely by accident. If he remembered correctly of what he had seen in the photo, his son's hairstyle was almost the exact same, just a bit shorter.

The new haircut suited Harry, in Sephiroth's opinion, it was much better than the cursed Potter hair had been.

The twelve-year-old boy wore a new set of clothes as well. Instead of wearing clothes five to six times too big for him, Harry wore a set that fit him perfectly. Most of their clothes had been stored in a rune-shrinking, several-compartment trunk that was currently stored in Sephiroth's pocket.

The black-haired preteen currently wore a dark red turtleneck sweater – Sephiroth could practically see Sirius/Genesis beaming in pride – and black jeans. Black trainers peeked out from underneath the dark denim.

Setting a hand soothingly on Harry's shoulder, Sephiroth offered his nervous son a hint of a smile before he raised his other hand to knock on the door. It was only moments before the door was answered by a tall, horse-faced, long-necked blonde woman.

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley." Sephiroth forced a polite smile as the woman took in their appearances in surprise, his acidic eyes glinting darkly as he lightly squeezed the hand on Harry's shoulder. "I do believe we have an overdue chat about your nephew, Harry Potter – or rather, should I say, Hadrian Valentine?

A cruel smirk replaced his forced smile. "My son."

And that's the chapter!

Hope you all enjoyed it!

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Hopefully see you all soon(er)!

~Snow.