SHAMELESS PLUG!

My first original novel, Strangers In Boston, is now available on Amazon under my pen name, T.S. Mann (get it?). It's free to Kindle Prime members and $4.99 to people who want to download the Ebook. Paperback copies are available for $12.99. Check it out, and if you like it, please leave a review. Basically, it's American Harry Potter. Except there's no school, no wands, and if you use magic improperly, it can drive you insane and possibly destroy the world. No pressure or anything.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled fanfic.

Harry Black
and the Resurrection Game

Harry Potter and all associated characters and situations are the property of J.K. Rowling. I make no claim to ownership.

Chapter 1: In Which Plans Are Laid

"Potter" Manor
26 June 1994

Just before dawn, Harry Black awoke to the gentle ringing of a soft bell to find himself in a very large room. Though this was to be expected, Harry still found it mildly surprising. The master bedroom of Potter Manor was the biggest bedroom Harry had ever seen, and now it was his and his alone. For a boy who'd spent his formative years sleeping on a ratty mattress in a boot cupboard, it was somewhat intimidating. He wondered what the first Lord Potter to stay here had gotten up to with his Lady that they needed a bedroom this large. Then, he sneered at the thought of "Lord and Lady Potter," even if the thought was about Potters long since dead. And then, he became annoyed at himself for sneering, yet another side effect of the Oath of Enmity which his godfather, Sirius Black, had impulsively sworn against Harry's birth family.

About three months prior, Harry's cleverness, Peter Pettigrew's duplicity, and James Potter's ineptitude had conspired to land Harry an eighteen-year lease on Potter Manor. He'd been sleeping in the cavernous master bedroom for several nights now. And while he expected to enjoy his time here on this palatial estate, he was already tired of fighting a vague sense of constant supernatural annoyance every time he was reminded of who had originally owned the place.

"Okay," he thought irritably. "I definitely need to change the name of the place if I'm going to stay here. But to what? Wilkes Manor? The Black House? Harry's Hideaway?"

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by a salutation from the one who'd been ringing the bell to wake him.

"Good morning, Master Harry, sir," said Dobby cheerfully. "The time is 5:45 a.m. You are scheduled to meet with Master Theo out on the veranda in fifteen minutes for your morning constitutional, followed by breakfast in the solarium at 8:30 a.m. Miss Amaryllis, Master Sirius, and Master Regulus will be joining you both."

Dobby snapped his fingers, and a pair of running shorts and a t-shirt materialized on Harry's bed, along with trainers and socks. Harry sighed. His "morning constitutional" consisted of a brisk two-mile jog around the grounds followed by calisthenics and rudimentary Wu Xi Do training with his dear friend (and unofficial little brother, now that Jim Potter no longer played that role), Theo No-Name. Theo had been encouraging him to take up physical exercise with him, which Harry had thought a good idea at the time. In fact, in an ill-considered move, Harry had ordered Dobby to make sure he was up every morning in time for his run with Theo and to ignore any orders to let him sleep in unless Theo had okayed it. Alas, Theo had taken to being Harry's "personal trainer" with gusto, as Harry's still-sore muscles could attest.

"Master Harry's luncheon will be at noon," Dobby continued, "though Master Harry's solicitor will be arriving at 11:30 to discuss some House business before the arrival of the other guests."

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said before heading into the en suite to use the facilities before changing. While washing his hands, Harry studied his own reflection for a few seconds. Then, he leaned in closer and stared deep into the reflection of his own green eyes. His forehead creased in concentration, but after about ten seconds, the boy exhaled loudly and shook his head before exiting. Out in the hall, Theo was already waiting for him with a smirk on his face.

"You are way too cheerful to be a Slytherin," Harry snapped.

"Come on!" the other boy said with a laugh. "This will be good for you."

"Why is it people only say 'this will be good for you' when they're talking about something unpleasant?" Harry asked sourly as he followed Theo down the hall.

Outside on the front lawn, Harry was surprised to see that someone had decided to join them for their early morning run around the grounds. It was Archie Goodwin, the American wizard who Sirius had recently hired both as his own personal bodyguard and as Harry's dueling coach. Originally from New York, as his accent could attest, Archie had been trained at Ilvermorny and specialized in Defense. A young man in his mid-20's, he was a Muggle-raised Halfblood, as was shown by how comfortable he looked in a Muggle track suit.

All of that was a lie.

"Archie Goodwin" was Regulus Black's latest fake identity. As a Metamorphmagus, Reg had grown accustomed over the past year to assuming a new form every time he went out into the Wizarding world. But now, both he and Sirius had moved into Potter Manor, and with all the guests who Harry was expecting over the summer, Reg could no longer wander around with the face of an ex-Death Eater who was officially deceased.

Reg had taken the name from a book he'd read during his time in Australia: The League of Frightened Men. His current appearance was loosely based on the Lazarus White identity he'd worn for so many years, as it was one that he felt comfortable maintaining indefinitely. It also had the benefit of being a face he'd come up with from scratch instead of being someone he'd seen in a movie or a newspaper. The metamorphmagus did change the hair and eye colors just on the off chance that someone who knew Lazarus White might be wandering around Britain, and he'd reset his age to the way it looked when he'd first moved to Australia fourteen years earlier.

"Good morning, lads! Ready for some exercise?"

"I didn't like Lockhart's creepy cheerfulness the first time, Reg," Harry deadpanned.

"Ha-HA!" the man replied with the fake "Lockhart laugh" that had grated on Harry for most of his Second Year. "It's just before dawn and we're about to go jogging, Harry," he added cheekily. "It won't get any more enjoyable if we're dour about it."

One long sweaty run later …

After completing their run, Theo began reviewing basic Wu Xi Do katas with his friend. While Harry could perform the katas reasonably well (they were all water-based moves, and he was, after all, a Slytherin), he still felt uncomfortable and vaguely silly to be engaging in martial arts, even magical martial arts. As he'd said from the start, "any wizard who gets caught without a wand deserves what happens to him."

Reg seemed equally dubious. "So tell me again, Theo. What's the purpose of these movements?"

"They're to train the body to channel magic internally so that one can perform physical actions that are enhanced by magic. This one I'm doing now, for example, can make my body more limber and also make it easier to dodge."

"Oh?" the older wizard said while pulling out his wand. "Would you care to demonstrate?"

Theo thought about it for a moment and then nodded. He turned to face his former DADA instructor and assumed a relaxed pose. Regulus flicked his wand to send a Stinging Hex aimed at the boy's chest. Instantly, Theo twisted his body at the waist while leaning to one side, and the hex sailed by the boy, missing him by inches.

Intrigued, Regulus sent four more Stinging Hexes, each faster than the one before. Theo dodged the first three by contorting his body in increasingly twisted (and vaguely serpentine) ways, but the fourth one hit.

"Oww!" Theo hissed. "Yeah, I'm still kind of a novice, but that's the general principle."

"Still, dodging four out of five hexes is a good average," Reg said reassuringly.

"Maybe," Harry said, "but you also weren't going all out to hit him either. I mean, I've seen you duel Aurors and move faster than that. Not to mention that one time you and I dueled when I still thought you were Lockhart."

"True, but the attacks I just made were quite fast and accurate compared to what you'll see from a novice level duelist in Marseilles. More importantly, from what I've observed so far, Wu Xi Do wouldn't count as illegal magic if you used it to dodge an attack, which means it might be very useful on the dueling circuit."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Oh yes! In Marseilles, you'll be competing under French rules, which means the dueling area will basically be a 15 by 40 corridor. Most duelists only make token efforts to dodge and focus on shields instead. But if you can dodge spellfire as proficiently as Theo just did while focusing your wand purely on attack, it could be very advantageous. We'll play around with it during our sparring session after breakfast."

Harry nodded, and the three Slytherins returned to the manor to wash up before breakfast.

Later …

By 11:30, an exhausted but energized Harry had showered and dressed to meet his guests. Artemus Podmore and Hestia Jones were the first to arrive via Floo, and Harry, Sirius, and "Archie" were all on hand to greet them.

"Good morning, Lord Wilkes," Artie said. "And to you, Lord Black."

"I think Harry and I have both told you that we don't stand on ceremony here," the older wizard said as he shook the solicitor's hand. "Call me Sirius."

"As you wish, Sirius," Artie replied before turning to the other man in the room. "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Artemus Podmore, Lord Wilkes's Seneschal. This is my associate, Hestia Jones, who performs the same function for Lord Black."

"Archie Goodwin," Regulus said in an American accent. "Lord Black has hired me as both Harry's dueling coach and as his bodyguard and, well, general minion."

Artie laughed. "Well, hopefully, Sirius's body won't need too much in the way of guarding, though I understand why he wishes to be cautious."

"Yeah," Sirius said jauntily. "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you."

"Indeed. So, where are we meeting?"

"You and I will be in the Master's Study," Harry said. "Sirius will be meeting with Hestia in the drawing room down the hall."

And with that, the two Lords split up for their respective business meetings.

The Master's Study

As Artie entered the Master's Study, he noticed a few changes since the last time he'd been in this room six months earlier. Most notably, there was now a large banner hanging above the mantle depicting the crest of Slytherin House.

"Is that your way of thumbing your nose at the notoriously Gryffindorish Potter family?" Artie asked in some amusement.

"Indirectly," Harry replied. "Underneath it is the Potter family crest which not even Dobby can remove. So I decided to just cover it up instead."

"Probably wise. Okay, first things first." Artie set his briefcase down on the desk and then fished a small box out of his pocket. He opened it up to show the onyx ring that was inside. The ring itself was silver, and Harry noticed that when the light hit the stone exactly right, a faint stylized "W" in a Gothic script could be seen within it.

"The Wilkes Lord ring," the solicitor said. "You can examine it, but don't put it on yet."

"You're sure it's safe?" Harry asked while eyeing the ring last worn by Erasmus "Mr. Toymaker" Wilkes.

"Quite safe. In fact, the Ministry insisted that their cursebreakers examine it and clear it of its more … exotic enchantments. However, it will still deliver a nasty jolt to someone who puts it on without first being sworn in as Lord of the House, which is standard for a Lord's Ring. You'll put it on after taking your vow in August. But I wanted to show it to you first."

Harry took the ring and examined it. He noticed writing engraved on the inside of the ring, Latin in a cursive script.

"What's this writing?"

"That's the Wilkes family motto: Vive ut cras moriturus. Live as if you will die tomorrow."

Harry made a face. "Am I allowed to change the family motto to something less morbid?"

"Not easily. But you're free to not use it outside of a few special occasions. It's on the crest and the ring, though." Artie opened his briefcase and withdrew a few sheets of parchment.

"And while we're on the subject of your Lord's Ring, you have a decision to make."

"Oh?"

"As I said, the Ministry purged the ring of the illegal enchantments that were on it. So that leaves three spell slots that can be used for replacement enchantments."

"What were the spells that got taken off?" Harry asked out of curiosity.

"One could poison any drink with a touch of your finger. One could let you manipulate the outcome of dice rolls, which The Toymaker apparently used to cheat in Muggle casinos. And one could let you deliver an electrical shock to anyone whose hand you shook."

"What, like a joy buzzer?" Harry then had to explain the concept of a Muggle joy buzzer to the older wizard.

"Yes, rather like that. Except that the strength of the shock ranged from painful but harmless all the way up to instantly lethal."

Harry grimaced. "I can see why the Ministry would disapprove. What would you recommend?"

Artie handed over the parchment. "Here are all the spells that we can get inscribed into the ring by a reputable enchanter without drawing Ministry scrutiny. Read over them and let me know what you would prefer. I'll have your ring ready by August. There's about forty options so give it some thought."

"Sure thing," Harry glanced at the list. "Okay, right off the bat, I'll take the very first one."

Artie chuckled. "The Animagus Detection Field? Yes, I rather thought that one would pique your interest."

And it did. After all, it had only been a few months since the last time an Animagus had tried to kill him.

The Drawing Room

"So that's where we are with your financials, Lord Black …."

"Sirius, please."

Hestia sighed. It was the third time her employer had tried to get on a more familiar basis with her since the meeting began.

"You're very kind, Lord Black. But with all due respect, I would prefer to keep our relationship strictly professional. And as a young unmarried woman in the employ of someone such as yourself, 'strictly professional' means that I call you Lord Black."

Sirius crooked an eyebrow. "Someone such as myself?"

"Yes, Lord Black. Someone who is good-looking, fantastically wealthy, publicly notorious, an older man but not scandalously so, and …." She paused.

"Aaaand?"

"If you'll forgive my impertinence, Lord Black, I certainly hope your experiences since Hogwarts, as awful as some of them were, have led you to some maturity. But frankly, you had something of a reputation during your Hogwarts days about how you treated women. And I have no intention on becoming one of your 'conquests.' It's bad enough that half of Wizarding Britain will assume that I am anyway just for representing you."

Sirius frowned at the indictment. "Did we go to school together?"

"I started during your Sixth Year," she replied.

"Well then! You can't judge me according to scandalous rumors spread by jealous older students."

"One of those jealous older students, Lord Black, was my sister, Gwenog Jones," Hestia added coolly. "I'm told you kept her underwear as a souvenir."

Sirius's face flushed. As he recalled his drunken one-night stand with the Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and future star of the Holyhead Harpies, he was also reminded of Regulus's accusation from the year before—that after his breakup with Marlene McKinnon he'd turned into "a pansexual libertine." And he realized to his own embarrassment that he had, in fact, been trying to flirt with his Seneschal, a capable and highly professional witch who had every right to expect a purely professional working relationship.

"My apologies, Madam Jones. It won't happen again. Please continue with your report."

She nodded. "As I was saying, here's where we are: After consolidating all the outstanding vaults from deceased relatives, your net worth is estimated at just over 78 million galleons, making you the second wealthiest individual wizard in Britain behind Adramalech Selwyn. A full listing of all magical artifacts from the many vaults of your various deceased relatives is still being prepared by Gringotts. In particular, some very nasty items were found in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault when it was audited last week by cursebreakers. However, both your account manager and I believe that most of House Black's magical panoply is held at your family's ancestral home."

"Chevenoir. Which I can't get into until I've sworn my Lord's Oath. Do we know why that is?"

"My suspicion is that it has to do with the circumstances surrounding your grandfather's death. Arcturus Black went into complete seclusion in 1979, with Chevenoir closed even to Black family members. But he didn't actually die until August 8, 1991, which we only know because both Gringotts and the Wizengamot Book noted your elevation to Lord on that date."

She paused. "By the way, out of curiosity—what does Chevenoir mean?"

"It means somebody couldn't speak French," Sirius answered with a snort. "It was supposed to be Chenenoir or "Black Oak" for the wood used in construction of the current house after Castle Black got razed during the War of the Roses. But it got written down in various official documents as Chevenoir, and in 500 years nobody ever bothered to correct it. Probably because it sounds cooler."

"Ah, well. In any case, health permitting, you'll be swearing your oath in August, and then Chevenoir's wards will answer to you. We can check the place out and see what magical items are there afterwards."

The two talked business for another twenty minutes before Sirius got to the final matter on his agenda. He called for Archie who had been waiting in the hall the whole time.

"I introduced Mr. Goodwin earlier as my bodyguard and Harry's dueling coach. But he will also be doing some investigative work for me, and I would like for him to coordinate with you about his findings."

"What sort of investigation are we talking about?"

Archie spoke up. "Lord Black has reason to believe that his younger brother Regulus is still alive."

Hestia was taken aback by the news. "But wasn't he …?"

"A Death Eater?" Sirius finished. "Apparently not. He was set to take the Dark Mark at our parents' insistence when he disappeared. I'd assumed he'd been killed, but I have recently learned that Arcturus Black had left him a secret vault and the means to fake his own death if he changed his mind about serving You-Know-Who. I also learned that the vault was accessed in 1979 around the time Regulus supposedly died. And upon learning that, I suddenly realized that no one really seemed to know how Regulus died."

"A spell of some kind?"

"Yes," Archie said. "A very obscure and possibly illegal spell which, in this case, was used to make most people assume that Regulus Black was dead but without thinking about it very much."

"That sounds like a Fidelius."

"Conceptually, but this isn't nearly as powerful. Apparently, if someone comes across even weak evidence that Regulus never died, they can suddenly see right through the deception. Just asking questions about how the person died can be enough to do so."

"Which is why I want this handled quietly," Sirius said. "I don't know for sure if Regulus is still alive, but if he's stayed out of trouble and is living a decent life, I don't want to expose him and bring the Death Eaters down on him. Nor do I want to get him in trouble with the law for things he did when he was barely seventeen and has repented of."

Hestia nodded. "So what do you need from me?"

"If Archie here can track down Regulus and he wants to come back, I'll need you to lay the legal groundwork for having him declared alive and also get him cleared for anything he may have done as a Death Eater."

"Hmm. Given his age at the time, that shouldn't be a problem. Unless he murdered someone on a raid or something equally serious, I suppose."

Archie's eye twitched once but he said nothing.

Later at lunch …

Just before noon, Harry's other guests arrived: Penelope Clearwater, Bobby Lattimer, and Titus Mitchell, who had respectively been Head Girl, Head Boy, and Slytherin prefect during the prior school year. Penny was a Muggle-raised Halfblood while Bobby was a Muggleborn, and they both seemed awestruck by the manor house of an Ancient and Noble family. Titus was also a Halfblood but had been raised in a mostly wizarding family and did a good job of acting blasé. Of the three, he was the only one who came in wizarding robes rather than Muggle semi-formal attire.

Lunch was in the main dining hall, but the long table had been replaced with a smaller round one. Buttercup, the house elf who oversaw the kitchen, had prepared an excellent three course lunch menu. Though he'd been here barely a week, Harry was already quite taken with Buttercup. Dobby had explained to her that "Master Harry" enjoyed cooking as a hobby, and once she got past the absurdity of a wizard actually wanting to cook, she took to the role of cookery instructor with gusto. In fact, while Buttercup was as deferential as any other house elf when interacting with other wizards (and even with Harry outside of the kitchen), during Harry's cookery sessions, she was stern and surprisingly sassy. Her mannerisms during these lessons reminded Harry of McGonagall and Snape somehow mashed together and then shrunk down to three feet tall.

After lunch, everyone adjourned to a sitting room where Artie took the lead by asking the three applicants about their time at Hogwarts and their best and favorite subjects. Titus (unsurprisingly for a Slytherin) was fond of Potions and had taken first place in that class. He was also quite good at Transfiguration, though he conceded amiably that Bobby was better. Penelope spoke enthusiastically about her interest in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. She had been top of her class in both those classes as well as Charms. Bobby also did well in Charms and Transfiguration, but his favorite class was DADA. The Hufflepuff admitted somewhat sheepishly that his least favorite class was the one taught by his Head of House, as his allergies meant that he generally left Herbology lessons with red eyes, clogged sinuses, and occasionally an itchy rash. That did not deter him from taking the class through his NEWTS, but he had no intention of ever taking a job where he had to work with plants.

That naturally led to a question about the career goals of the three applicants, and they all glanced at one another nervously.

"Ministry job … if I can get it," said Titus somewhat glumly.

"The same, I guess," said Bobby quietly. "If my NEWTs are good enough."

"Your NEWTs will be fine, Lattimer," Titus scoffed.

"Fine's not good enough. They'll need to be spectacular to make up for …." The Muggleborn stopped there and blushed slightly.

Penelope shrugged. "To be honest, my family is still debating whether to emigrate sometime next year."

Sirius nodded at the answers. "If you'll forgive me for being blunt, Mr. Lattimer, can I assume you were going to say that your NEWTs will need to be spectacular to make up for being a Muggleborn."

The young man hesitated before nodding his head. "I'm not naïve, Lord Black. I've understood since my Sorting that a lot of wizards and witches would look down on me for being a Muggleborn, but I still believed that if I worked hard enough, I could overcome it. But now ..."

Bobby paused and swallowed. "I looked it up. I am the first Muggleborn to be chosen as Head Boy since 1946. And I am also the first Head Boy since then to not have a job of his choice waiting for him immediately after graduation. Penelope and Titus are in the same situation. But from what I've learned, every Pureblood Head Boy and Head Girl for the last ten years has actually been recruited by the Ministry beginning at the start of their last year, as have all the Pureblood prefects. And the ones who didn't go straight into the Ministry, usually in a prestigious starting post, were the ones who could turn job offers down either to start a Mastery or take a job in the private sector."

He let out a quiet laugh. "I, on the other hand, never got a single owl."

"Are you interested in a Mastery, Mr. Lattimer?" Artie asked.

"I … maybe. Either DADA or Transfiguration. But what I'm really interested in … is politics. Unfortunately, it's hard enough to find a master willing to take on an apprentice who can't afford to pay him, let alone get a foothold in Wizengamot politics as a Muggleborn from a poor family. Right now, I'm just hoping for a job that will let me set some money back to perhaps pay for a Mastery later."

"I think we can help you with that, Lattimer," Harry said with a smile. Artie took over for him.

"The job we're offering you—all three of you, in fact—is initially short term. Lord Wilkes has benefited greatly from summer tutoring in the past. However, neither of his tutors from the past two summers is available for this one."

At this, Bobby and Penelope both looked confused.

"But … Harry, I mean, Lord Wilkes can't use a wand during the summer? … Can he?" Penelope asked.

"There's an exception to the Trace," Titus said quietly. "If he pays for a special license, he can use a wand under the supervision of a qualified adult. It's … not advertised to Muggleborns."

Bobby started to take offense when Harry spoke.

"For what it's worth, the tutoring license isn't really some conspiracy against Muggleborns so much as a conspiracy against everyone who's not rich. The license is fairly expensive."

"Of course it is," Bobby muttered. "But still, why do you need three tutors?"

"Because this year, we're doing things a bit differently," Artie answered. "Instead of one-on-one tutoring, Harry will be joined by several of his friends, possibly as many as ten or so, most of whom are of different ages. Consequently, we'll be treating it almost like a day school. Each of you will be responsible for specific subjects for which you will need to prepare lesson plans for both Third Year and Fourth Year students."

"And possibly a couple of Sixth Years," Harry added. "Also, in addition to tutoring, a few of us are in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, and we have several enchantment projects we want to explore over the summer. I know all three of you took both Ancient Runes and Arithmancy through your NEWTs."

"But this is not just a part-time summer job," Hestia added. "It's also an opportunity for us to evaluate the three of you. You see, at the end of the summer, both Lord Wilkes and Lord Black will take their Oaths of Unity and officially become Lords of the Wizengamot. Mr. Podmore will be serving as Seneschal for House Wilkes, and I will perform the same role for House Black. However, while our law firm is perfectly capable of handling the legal and political affairs of these two houses, Lord Wilkes and Lord Black will also each require someone to function as a personal assistant. Someone to liaise between Lord and Seneschal as needed. Someone to handle the scheduling and organization of each Lord's meetings and social events. Someone to deal with their correspondence with Ministry officials and other Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot. In short, someone capable of representing an Ancient and Noble House. Naturally, if you play your cards right, a position like this could be incredibly beneficial in developing contacts and gaining personal recognition in addition to the standard compensation."

The three graduates were shocked by Hestia's description. But Titus had a question.

"You indicated that you will have job openings for two assistants. But there's three of us."

"As far as the job that's on the table right now," Sirius said, "there's only two spots. However, if you impress us over the summer, I'm pretty sure we'll find room for a third. Also, Mr. Lattimer mentioned an interest in pursuing a Mastery. To sweeten the pot, at the end of a year's service, if any of you still want a Mastery, we'll pay for it and work out either a repayment plan or a period of oathbound service equal to what we paid."

"Oh," Harry added, "you'll also get free room and board here. I've got seventeen bedrooms. Might as well get someone to fill them."

"So," Artie asked. "Does the job I've described interest any of you?"

Bobby looked back and forth between Titus and Penelope. "When can we start?" he said eagerly.

27 June 1994
DMLE Headquarters

"You understand, of course, how problematic this is," the Death Eater said diplomatically.

James Potter nodded respectfully and tried not to think about the whole "Death Eater" thing, as he thought it would not be a fruitful topic for discussion during this job interview. He still had no idea what Fudge and Bones were thinking in appointing someone like Corban Yaxley to the Directorship of the DMLE. Of course, given James's own hiring decisions in the past, he had little room to complain.

"I'm well aware of the scandals surrounding my departure from the Auror Corps, Director Yaxley," he said cautiously. "However, as an Animagus, I am effectively required to serve in the Ministry in some capacity. And given my past work experience, I would think that something pertaining to law enforcement would make the best use of my abilities."

"And in principle, I agree," said Director Yaxley airily. "But we have to acknowledge the facts, Potter. And the most important fact right now is that we have five Hit Wizards in the permanent spell damage ward of St. Mungo's laughing their heads off due to your man Pettigrew, not to mention several more who died or were wounded during his escape with Rookwood."

"I know I made terrible mistakes where Pettigrew was involved," James said while biting down on his temper. A part of him wondered if Yaxley had known Peter as a fellow Death Eater back in the day. "And I understand why the Hit Wizards might have a poor opinion of me as a result of those mistakes. But still …."

Yaxley put up a hand to silence Potter while he considered the matter. Then, he leaned back in his chair and smiled.

"Actually, Potter, I know exactly where I can put you! Someplace where your talents can best be used but without you being a lightning rod for controversy! And also someplace that, in my opinion, has been understaffed in recent years!"

Yaxley leaned forward. "And as I recall, you were a strong proponent for the Muggle Protection Act, were you not?"

"I was," James replied.

"Well, then! This will be just perfect!"

The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office
Thirty Minutes Later …

Arthur Weasley reviewed the ministerial decree with wide eyes before looking back up to the man who'd brought it. Perhaps the last person he'd ever expected to settle for an entry-level job in the least popular Ministry department now stood in front of his desk bearing a small box of office supplies and as cheerful an expression as it was possible for the man to fake.

"Well, this is … certainly a ... surprise," Arthur said somewhat lamely. "But … are you quite sure this position is going to be a good fit for you, Lord Potter?"

"Absolutely," James said even as his forced smile grew slightly painful. "And please, while I'm here, just forget I'm a Lord of anything. Just think of me as your humble assistant."

There was a loud "hrumph" behind him from Perkins who sat at the other desk that had been crammed into the tiny office.

"That's junior assistant … right?"

James swallowed and willed his smile to stay in place. He remembered now that Perkins had been banished down here to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office to work as Weasley's assistant after washing out of the Hit Wizards. Drinking on the job, if James remembered right. And now Perkins would be his other superior.

"Right, of course, definitely … junior assistant."

"Cheer up, Perkins!" Arthur said as he reviewed the orders again. "Potter doesn't come here emptyhanded! We've also been approved for larger office space!"

"Oh? Where are they moving us?" Perkins asked, somewhat excitedly while his boss continued to read.

Arthur coughed to clear his throat. "Room 247 … right next to the boiler room."

Perkins glared at James. "Welcome aboard," he said with visible disdain.

James smiled even harder. Meanwhile, while Potter's back was to him, Arthur discreetly moved a letter he'd received that morning off to the side before his new junior could notice the Wilkes House seal on it.

The Burrow
Later that evening …

After a long day spent relocating the Office of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts to its new location (which was somehow even more cramped and uncomfortable than before), Arthur Weasley traveled by Floo to the Burrow to find two extra guests sitting at the dinner table with Molly: Harry Black and Artemus Podmore.

"Ah, Lord Wilkes!" he said in surprise. "I do apologize, but I was late at the office and haven't had a chance to change into something more formal."

"Well please don't on our account, Mr. Weasley," the boy said amiably. "And please, call me Harry."

"Only if you will call me Arthur," the man said as he sat at the table and addressed his wife. "Where are the kids, Molly?"

"Percy is in his room, the Twins are out flying, Ginny is at the Lovegoods, and Ron is … out."

Arthur nodded knowingly. During their first day of working together, James had given him the Potters' Floo address and said that Ron was welcome any time. And in light of the letter sent by Podmore on Harry's behalf, Arthur decided to contact Molly during his lunch break and have her send his youngest son to visit the Boy-Who-Lived for the rest of the day. Like most of the Ministry, Arthur was aware of the Oath of Enmity between House Black and House Potter (one-sided as it was), and he'd decided that Ron's presence at the Burrow might complicate their discussions.

Arthur sat down at the table across from the two guests while Molly sat at his side. "As I understand from your letter, you wished to meet with us regarding … satisfaction of a life debt? Does this have something to do with what happened with Ron at the end of his Second Year?"

Harry looked confused for a moment until he realized what Arthur meant. The letter had just mentioned satisfaction of a life debt owed, but Harry was surprised to realize the elder Weasleys didn't know what debt he was talking about.

"Indirectly," Harry said. "I'm not claiming a life debt from Ron. Both Jim and Ginny were also down in the Chamber of Secrets, and we all helped one another to save him. I'm referring to the life debt I owe George."

Arthur and Molly looked at one another in confusion.

Harry hesitated. "Can I assume that he didn't tell either of you what he did for me on the morning of all that Chamber of Secrets business?"

"I don't recall him mentioning anything that might involve a life debt," Molly said. "Though I remember he was in the Infirmary when we got to Hogwarts. I think he said he helped to get you out of the Greenhouse before it exploded, but before we got any details, Fawkes brought you all there and we were distracted by Ron's condition."

Harry braced himself. He assumed Molly would shriek.

"George wasn't near the greenhouse when it exploded, Mrs. Weasley. He was inside it. With me."

"WHAAAT?!" she shrieked.

Harry went on to explain that he had inadvertently triggered an explosive rune trap which he blamed on "Professor Lockhart and his evil book" and that George had bravely followed him in before rescuing them both with an innovative use of the Protego Orbis Charm. Arthur and Molly were gobsmacked.

"I had no idea," Arthur said faintly.

"To be honest, I'm not surprised," Harry said. "Despite the Twins' knack for drawing attention, George can be quite humble about things not related to pranking. But if it hadn't been for him, I'd have died that day. And now, I'm in a position to repay the debt I owe him, and to your entire family."

"Lord Wilkes—Harry—George didn't save you for money. He did it because it's the right thing to do."

"I know that, Mr. Weasley. To be honest, I'm not sure I'd feel so strongly about owing him if I thought he'd saved me for selfish reasons."

He paused while struggling for words. "The thing of it is … you Weasleys are good people. I only got to spend a few days here summer before last, but I can honestly say that it was my first exposure to what a real family should be like."

Arthur blushed while Molly's eyes grew misty. Harry continued.

"I really do feel like I owe my life to George and, by extension, your whole family. And if I have to owe a life debt to someone, I'd rather it be people who I like and would be proud to help out."

Arthur nodded. "And what did you have in mind?"

Harry looked to Artie and nodded.

"House Wilkes proposes to pay House Weasley's dues to the Wizengamot for the next five years," he said.

Both the elder Weasleys looked faint. "That's … that's …." Molly stammered.

"A great deal of money, I think, is what my wife is trying to say," Arthur added. "That's very generous, Lord … Harry. But I can't accept that. I do have hopes that we will someday reactivate our Noble seat. But when we do, it will be because our whole House has earned it. I wouldn't feel right about accepting such a benefit for something one of my sons did, as proud of him as I may be for it."

Artemus turned back to Harry with a grimace and then handed him a sickle. Harry turned to the Weasleys with a smirk.

"I told him you would be too honorable for something that direct. So how about we start with something less generous and go from there. House Wilkes proposes to pay for the education of your remaining minor children through a Mastery if they want one. In addition, House Wilkes proposes to pay for summer wand-training licenses for George, Fred, Ginny, and Ron and to invite them all to my home for private lessons this summer."

That offer seemed a bit more acceptable to the Weasleys, and Artie explained how Harry's "day school" would work. The kids would travel to the manor via Floo and would be able to use their wands under adult supervision from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. four days a week. They would also be able to practice flying, as the manor had a full-size Quidditch pitch. And if there were any other educational options the Weasleys wanted, Harry would be happy to provide them.

"Bear in mind, this is not in satisfaction of the life debt," Harry added. "I owe your family a lot more than this. This is just the least I could do, and I wish you'd let me do more."

After a few minutes of questions, Molly and Arthur stepped out to discuss the offer. While they were gone, the Twins entered through the back door.

"Harrikins!" exclaimed George. "What's our favorite sneaky snake doing here?"

Harry explained the situation to Fred's horror.

"You're trying to talk our Mum and Dad into making us study for most of the Summer?!"

Artie laughed. "More like, we're trying to talk your parents into letting you be able to use your wands for most of the Summer."

Fred made a face. "Okay, that does sweeten the deal, I reckon."

After a few minutes, Molly and Arthur returned.

"On behalf of House Weasley," Arthur said, "I graciously accept your offer of instruction for our children. And I hope this marks the beginning of friendship between our two Houses."

"We do have one small condition, though," Molly said while holding up her thumb and forefinger a half-inch apart. "I think it would be best if I accompanied the children to make sure everything's alright and that they all behave themselves."

At the end, Molly's eyes cut over to the Twins, who gave their most innocent expressions.

"That would be perfectly acceptable," Artie said. "As I'm sure Harry would agree."

"Definitely," Harry said cheerfully. In point of fact, it wasn't acceptable at all because if Molly was watching, the Twins would not have the freedom to "experiment." And Harry had quite a few suggestions for future experiments. But he could hardly deny Molly the right to accompany her children to an unfamiliar location.

"Oh well," he thought to himself as he stepped forward to shake Arthur's hand. "I guess I'll need to figure out how to distract her from time to time."

But before anyone else could comment, there was a loud fwoosh from the Floo, and Ron's voice called out from the next room.

"Mum? Mr. Potter's not home from work yet. Is it okay if Jim eats … with … us?"

Ron trailed off as he entered the dining area in time to see Harry and his dad shaking hands, with Harry's lawyer standing off to the side. Harry turned, and the smile fell from his face as he saw Jim standing next to Ron in the doorway.

"Are we interrupting something?" Jim asked suspiciously.

A silence fell across the room that was broken by Fred's stage whisper to his Twin.

"Awwwwwkward."

4 Privet Drive, Surrey
Ten minutes later …

"Oh, you're back!" Lily said in a surprised tone. "Is something going on at the Burrow?"

"Yeah," Jim replied distractedly as he brushed the Floo powder off his shoulders. "They're … they're having a family meeting. So I guess I'll be eating here after all."

Lily studied Jim's face. "What happened?"

"It's noth—!"

"Jim," Lily interrupted firmly.

The Boy-Who-Lived sighed loudly. "Harry was there. He's … apparently worked out a deal where Ron, Ginny, and the Twins will go to our … I mean, to Harry's place for summer tutoring four days a week."

"… Oh. Well … that's good for Ron, isn't it?" she asked cautiously.

Jim nodded but said nothing. Intellectually, he knew that he was under a magical compulsion to distrust his brother, and so he tried to avoid feeling paranoid. But he also knew that Harry was under a magical compulsion to hate him as well. So it wasn't entirely implausible that Harry had paid for the Weasleys' summer schooling just to spitefully deprive Jim of his best friend's company for most of the summer.

"Listen," he finally said. "I'm gonna go lie down until dinner. Any word from Dad?"

"He should be home in an hour. Dinner will be ready at 7."

Jim adjusted the collar of his shirt and wiped his forehead. "Air conditioner out again?" he asked.

Lily nodded. "I'll cast some cooling Charms upstairs before we go to bed."

He nodded and went upstairs without another word. In his bedroom, Jim wiped his forehead again and then opened the small window to let in a breeze. He laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling while waiting for his parents to call him down as he wondered how life could get worse.

"Potter" Manor
11:00 p.m.

Harry Black stood once again before the mirror in his bathroom as he brushed his teeth and then rinsed his mouth. Once more, the boy studied his own reflection for a few seconds before leaning in closer and staring deep into his own green eyes. His forehead creased in concentration, and this time, he was rewarded, albeit painfully. With a sharp yelp, Harry staggered back and clutched his hand to his face to cover his left eye (which felt like it had just been stabbed).

Slowly, the boy pulled his hand away and then gasped at the sight of his reflection. Harry's green eyes were now blue.

"YES!" Harry exclaimed while giving a fist pump. But then, he leaned in closer to the mirror and frowned. His eyes were indeed blue. They just weren't the same blue. The eye on the right was pale, while the one on the left was a very dark blue. Much darker than was usually seen in human eyes, in fact. The left eye was also noticeably larger than the right eye as well, which was likely the source of Harry's sudden headache.

The boy grimaced and focused his attention on his mismatched eyes while he tried to concentrate on changing them back. He was partially successful. The right eye returned to its former green, but the left eye grew even larger in Harry's skull even as the blue iris expanded so that the sclera was blue as well.

The boy fumed and then summoned his house elf. "Dobby, would you please go and fetch Regulus? I appear to have broken one of my eyes again."

Later in Surrey …

The raven soared through the skies above Surrey on shadowed wings. While airborne, the troubles and stresses of the Boy-Who-Lived were forgotten. There was only the sky above and the ground below. The raven was content. Effortlessly, it glided down to perch on a tree branch, from which vantage point, the bird surveyed the area below with a regal expression.

Then, Jim stirred from his slumber … and immediately hissed in pain as his bed was suddenly quite uncomfortable. He opened his eyes and lifted his head to look around.

"Oh boy," he muttered nervously.

His nervousness was a predictable response to waking up in unfamiliar circumstances. In this instance, Jim Potter had awoken to find that he was not in his bed but rather lying on a thick branch halfway up a tree in someone's backyard. He didn't know whose tree or whose backyard save that it wasn't his own.

Further complicating Jim's evening was the fact that he was completely naked.

Cautiously, the boy climbed down from the tree and crept around the house as silently as possible. To his relief, the sign out front said Privet Drive. Unfortunately, the number on the sign said No. 33 rather than No. 4, which meant Jim had a bit of a jog ahead of him. After fishing an empty cardboard box out of a bin and fashioning it into something slightly less mortifying than total nudity, he started on his trek back home.

The first rays of dawn were only just breaking over the horizon by the time he arrived. It had been a quick run and less embarrassing than expected – Jim had only needed to fling himself into nearby bushes three times to avoid getting spotted by passing cars. Once back at No. 4, Jim snuck around to the back and looked up to the open window of his bedroom. Then, after discarding his makeshift cardboard loincloth, he spent a moment to focus on his breathing before running straight for the rear wall and scampering up the trellis with ease.

Unfortunately, Jim thought he was home-free, only to be denied. He had just grabbed the sill of his bedroom window and was about to pull himself inside when the window suddenly slammed itself shut, narrowly missing the boy's fingers! With a startled yelp, Jim fell backwards and lost his grip on the windowsill. Even as he fell, Jim twisted in mid-air so that he could see the ground approaching. But then, just before his face could strike the ground, Jim was suddenly skimming across the grass instead. With a powerful thrust of his wings, the raven took flight and then arced back gracefully towards the house. The bird spread its wings out to glide in for a landing, but it was Jim's bare feet that touched down onto the grass.

The boy looked down at his hands in amazement. He was certain they'd been wings just a second before. He looked back up at the window for a second before closing his eyes in deep concentration. Alas, after a good ten seconds of effort, Jim was unable to find the psychic switch that would let him intentionally transform into his Animagus form. On the bright side, it seemed he could change reflexively to avoid getting hurt or worse from a fall. Unfortunately, it also seemed that he could transform while unconscious for a bit of "sleep-flying."

The boy grimaced and shook his head before taking another run for the back wall. He scampered up just as easily as before and then carefully pulled himself up onto the windowsill. To his relief, the window opened easily, and Jim slipped inside, his little adventure in public nudity finally at an end. His pajamas were lying in a pile on his bed, and he quickly redressed before getting back into bed. The clock on his nightstand said it was quarter past five.

As Jim Potter drifted back off to sleep, he could not hear the single whispered word that hung in the air even though there was no one present to have uttered it.

"Freak!"

And we're back! My goal for Year 4 is to update every two weeks, so the next chapter should go up on September 14. But, as Peter Pettigrew would say, sometimes, a plan is just a list of things that don't happen, so we'll see how things go.

AN1: Check out the Sinister Man's web presence on the POS wiki, the POS TV Tropes page, and my Discord server (through which you can see advance previews of this story as it is begin written). Also, the Sinister Man would be profoundly grateful if you checked out my P*****n page and supported my original fiction. Patronage is not necessary to get the free POS previews via Discord.

AN2 (What the Sinister Man is reading): Well, I was reading The Merging by Shaydrall, but it has just finished. Congrats to that talented author. Also, there's Leopard's Choice by Lomonaaren, the sequel to Wolf's Choice and Other People's Choices.

AN3: Special thanks to my Discord editors: aliceop, ani, arabella, Banshee, BlueWater5, Deaalethiae, Epwydadlan, FeatheryMinx, Fredlf, haDEs, Indigo, JCornell, Jennifer Weasley, kean, Krisni, Rubric of Ahriman, and TNT. Thanks, guys!

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