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Lord Potter's Own Will
By Mutt N Feathers

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Category: Post-OotP
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: Action/Adventure
Warnings: Violence/Physical Abuse
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 26
Summary: REPOSTED
Harry is now Lord Potter, and he decides to use his new found Independence to set the course of his life.
Hitcount: Story Total: 26057; Chapter Total: 2711





Author's Notes:
I know many of you are waiting for Harry to meet his parents, but its not in this chapter either. We meet Maggie, though, which is interesting and important. Nice long chapter. Thanks to everyone who is reviewing. I'm keeping up with them, at least I'm trying.




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Chapter 3:
Dedwydd (Welsh)/
Happy (Modern English)

Friday, December 22

7:38 a.m.

Remus Lupin would never admit it aloud, but he'd slept better last night than he'd slept in a long time. The small flat he'd been able to let after he left Hogwarts had always been less than weatherproof. In the winter it was cold and draughty; in the summer, hot and muggy. He didn't like living near so many people either. He was always afraid he'd hurt one of them on the full moon. It was in a Muggle neighbourhood, as it was news when he'd been outed as a werewolf by Snape, so he avoided wizards and witches when he could.

It got somewhat better when Sirius had moved in with him after the Tri-Wizard Tournament, at least there was company. There were ways it was worse though, too. The place was small, and they tended to trip over one another at least fifty times per day. Sirius was often irksome and cantankerous, and Remus found not snapping in frustration at his friend was nearly a full-time job.

When they'd moved into Sirius' family home, it didn't get any better. While they had more room, there was also more pressure on them. Remus never told anyone he could hear the dark objects calling him in certain rooms. It was like they knew what he was, and they too wanted freedom to come out and play. Being in the sitting room took monumental concentration to keep the wolf from finding his way to surface. He'd never truly shared what a battle it was for him, the human, to remain in control while in the old house. Nights were plagued with tormenting dreams, and moments of paralysing fear when he awoke anywhere other than his bedroom. He had no idea what he'd done in these times, but was thankful each morning to find everyone alive and healthy. The nights of the full moon might force him to change, but Remus knew the wolf was never truly gone the rest of the month.

The delightful house which had belonged to Harry's great-grandmother, Prudence, before she married Eldon Potter, was completely different for Remus. Here there were no dark items, no boarded up windows or grime and dust which needed removing. Here he slept on a luxurious bed, with a down duvet and matching pillows. Here the curtains were whole and in cheery colours and light fabrics. This was a home, rather than a house; even if no one had resided there in nearly one hundred years, Remus could feel that when they did, they'd loved this place. When he saw the Potter house-elf, Dilly, he wanted to thank her for getting this place into such fine shape.

Remus pulled his dressing gown over his pyjamas and headed down the stairs toward the kitchen. Even with each of them having their own bedroom, there were still four unused rooms in this house, as well as a full apartment over the barn/garage. When Harry went back to Hogwarts, if he went back to Hogwarts, the house would seem even larger. Remus wasn't sure if he was hoping for the boy to return, of if he wanted him to have a different experience.

Reaching the ground floor, Remus made an immediate right into the kitchen, and was surprised to see Sirius already dressed, eating his breakfast and reading the Irish Wizarding paper.

"Good morning, Remus," Sirius said cheerfully and Remus stood in the doorway, wondering if his friend had been cursed or Imperiused. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"It is," Remus answered. "Why are you so chipper this morning? You hate mornings. I usually can't rouse you before noon."

"Ah, it's a remarkable thing I discovered," Sirius explained, laying the paper aside. "Sleeping is far better than being passed out. It makes one much happier to greet the day." Remus let out a nervous laugh and smiled.

"That it does," he replied, his previous worries evaporating. "I see you cooked. I didn't know you knew how."

"I didn't know I did either," Sirius confessed. "However, I'd watched you enough times to get the hang of it. Anyway, I only made toast and eggs, not too hard."

"How many did you throw out?"

"Only about half the loaf and about a dozen of the eggs," Sirius said plainly, not even looking up and Remus laughed. "Oh, and two skillets."

It was the absolute bluntness and dryness of the statement which Remus found hilarious. It wasn't long before they were both laughing so hard they were snorting, Sirius falling off his chair.

"Tell you what," Remus said when he finally was able to right himself. "I'll give you lessons. No point in wasting all of Harry's money on your inability to cook eggs and toast." The werewolf went and filled his plate, and then grabbed a tea cup and sat down. Sirius had the pot on the table, along with the lemon slices as neither took it sweet or light. "Honestly, mate, why are you up so early?"

"Promised Harry I'd go to the Ministry here to get things taken care of first thing. Maggie's owl was here when I got up, telling me she'd meet up with me at eight, right on the front steps of the Ministry building. There's a note there for you, too," Sirius answered.

"Maggie sent me a note?" Remus said incredulously. While he'd certainly known Maggie in school, he'd never had the close relationship with her that Sirius did. Remus knew they were close, but he'd never pressed for details. Unlike Sirius' other, later relationships, he was very quiet about Maggie. There was a look in Sirius' eyes when she didn't return for their sixth year, which the werewolf would never forget. He often thought it would be similar to the one James would have had if Lily had gone away. Remus was genuinely concerned for both of them, especially if they were to rekindle whatever flame it was they'd had. War wasn't a time to fall in love.

He picked up the envelope and weighed it in his hands. It felt very heavy to him. It was simply addressed to Remus, so he knew it was from her. Anyone other than a close friend would have had a more formal phrasing of his name. He broke the seal on the back, the initials "M.o.L." in the wax. He knew these were Maggie's preferred initials, for she hated having to use "M.M.C.I.o'.L"; actually she hated anything which reminded her of her given name.

Sliding the paper out, he was surprised to find it was on stationary from the Ministry of the Magical Republic of Ireland. His eyes quickly scanned the letter, not entirely sure what to make of it. Sirius had been watching his friend, and when his brows furrowed, he decided to speak.

"Something wrong, Moony?"

"Er, I'm not really sure. Maggie wanted to alert me that the Ministry here has a werewolf registration -"

"Dammit!" Sirius swore, slamming the paper down on the table. "Can't they just leave you alone? If this is how they're going to treat you, then so help me -"

"Sirius," he said, stopping the other man's rant, although not his seething. "It's not like that. They keep track of every werewolf's saliva," Remus explained. "The only identifying information is a number. IF someone is bitten, THEN they match the number to a name. The list is split into three parts, with three different people having some of the information. It's so they can arrest the correct werewolf, or at least investigate it."

"Oh, so they're not going to punish you or something?" Sirius said, still guarded about having Remus need to submit to something like this.

"Not at all," Remus explained. "I have to go and give them a sample," he said with a laugh. "Spitting, such an attractive activity." There were times Sirius honestly wondered which one of them had grown up with the rigid, up-tight, pure-blood heritage. Remus was far more formal and dignified than he. Of course, he was tossed from his family, so maybe the lessons hadn't stuck?

"Well, at least they're not rounding you all up and branding you," Sirius said with a disgusted shake. That was the latest bit of information being bantered about in the English Wizengamot. It was almost as bad as the last war, when Delores Umbridge wanted to proactively arrest them all.

"Not at all," Remus said with gratitude. "Can you imagine if they did something like this at home? They'd find out half the werewolves out there were bitten by Greyback."

"Seriously?" Sirius sounded more than surprised.

"I'd suspect so," Remus explained. "Most of us don't want to hurt people. The majority of those who weren't bit by Greyback or his cronies were bitten by kids who didn't know any better, or someone who had just started changing. What's that saying, a few bad apples and all?"
"Depressing thought," Sirius groused, picking up his paper again. "You going to come in with me this morning?"

"No. I don't want Harry to wake up with neither of us here."

"Good point." The clock struck quarter to, and Sirius stood, levitating his dishes to the sink. "Need to grab a few things, then I'm off. Doubt this will take too long. Dilly popped over this morning to tell us dinner will be at one. I told her not to go to a fuss, but she insisted on doing a full roast. Something about nearly forgetting how to cook or something."

"I suppose if I'd spent nearly two decades in a house full of paintings and ghosts, with only another house elf to cook for, I might forget too," Remus replied. "Good luck today."

"Thanks, although I'm not worried. It sounds as if dear Maggie has done most of the work for me," Sirius said with a truly happy smile which made his friend grateful. A few minutes later the familiar pop of Disapparation from the front hall let Remus know his friend was gone. He picked up the paper and began to read. The coverage of what was happening in the UK was much better than in the Prophet. He wished he could ship this paper back to some more resistant-minded folks there. He decided to indulge in a slow morning, reading the paper and enjoying his tea; it was something he infrequently allowed himself.

At about half eight, Remus heard Harry come downstairs. He was already dressed and looked as if he'd wrestled with his hair. His choice of clothing seemed odd, however, as he'd dressed in the trousers and shirt from his uniform.

"Harry, you don't have to go to Hogwarts today," he stated. "No one, not even Dumbledore, is expecting you back. I thought you wanted to see your parents' portraits today?" Remus had spent enough time with Harry to know something was making him uncomfortable; he also respected that Harry would explain it to him when he was ready.

Harry sat down in Sirius' vacated seat and took in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "I know I'm not going to Hogwarts today," he started. "It's just, I was going through my trunk and with the exception of my school things, everything else I own used to belong to Dudley. His cast-offs are huge on me. Even my dress robes from last year's ball are too small. I didn't want my parents to see me for the first time, and have me in rags."

Remus knew what Harry was feeling. He had been very careful with his clothes when he was in school, wearing the same tatty pair of trousers and shirt every full moon to protect his other clothing from being ripped apart and then spelled back together.

"Well, I need to head into town to finish my Christmas shopping," Remus said thoughtfully. "Sirius is a rather difficult person to shop for, but he once expressed a love of Muggle dog toys and treats."

"Sirius likes to eat dog biscuits?" Harry was utterly disgusted by this.

"Only when he's turned over," Remus explained, although he often wondered why they disappeared so quickly while they were in school. "Anyway, I thought I'd get him a nice collar with a name-tag and all, and then some of the biscuits. We could do some clothes shopping while we're out." He'd let his voice trail up at the end, making his statement sound more like a question.

"That would be great," Harry confessed, smiling happily that Remus had understood. "Do you think it would be best to meet the Potters in Wizarding robes, or should I wear Muggle clothes or -"

"Harry, wear what you're comfortable in," Remus stopped him. It was endearing how nervous this was making the boy. "Your dad only put on Wizarding robes when he had to, which thankfully your grandparents didn't insist upon often. He was much more comfortable in Muggle jeans and jumpers."

"Oh, thank goodness," Harry sighed happily. "I hate robes, too. I also know Sirius said there would be times I'd need to wear them."

"We'll get you some of each then. There are several shops only a block or two away which should do. There's also the shop where you and Sirius got your ceremonial robes close by, too," Remus explained. He'd worked as a tutor in Killarney for most of Harry's second year at Hogwarts, so he knew the area well. "How about I get dressed, you eat some breakfast and then we'll run our errands?"

"That's great, but I'm going to need money. Don't suppose there's a Gringotts branch around?"

"Not exactly," Remus said with a smirk. "There is this, however." He opened one of the drawers in the small desk, which sat near the door to the hallway, and pulled out a Muggle billfold, full of Muggle cash.

"Whose is this?" Harry asked, examining it for identification.

"It's yours. Your great-grandfather had it created when he found out we were taking up residence here. He's still your Designo Custodia, at least for financial matters. Harry remembered Myrddin explaining the term to him in his Lordship studies. It was a person who managed your affairs in abstention. Harry figured it must not matter if the person is only a portrait.

"There's also a Muggle credit card in there," Remus explained. "It will automatically draft the funds from your vault when you use it." Harry looked at the brown leather wallet respectfully.

"And they say Muggles don't have any magic." Remus laughed at Harry's observation before leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs.

LPOWLPOWLPOWLPOWLPOWLPOW


The front door opened, and Harry and Remus walked into the house. It was a good thing Harry had come into his complete inheritance, because he'd spent a fair bit of Irish pounds and Wizarding gold shopping this morning. He now owned two sets of regular wear robes, two sets of more formal robes and a new dark green cloak. He also had two pairs of jeans, three pairs of Muggle trousers, seven dress shirts, five casual shirts, three jumpers and a Muggle sweatshirt or two, he couldn't remember. They'd also purchased various sets of pants, socks, pyjama bottoms, tee shirts and new shoes and trainers. Harry was considering burning everything which was currently in his room, minus his Binding Circle robes, school clothes and the sweater Mrs. Weasley had made him in his second year. Nothing else in there was worth keeping.

"I'd keep one set of ratty clothes," Remus explained. "You never know when you'll need to do something outdoors. You may also need to bathe Padfoot; he tends to shake a lot."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Harry quipped back.

"I already heard that," Sirius said. "I'll let you know, I'm partial to my dog, so leave him out of this." Harry and Remus looked at him surprised, Sirius never spoke of Padfoot in the third person. It wasn't until they saw Maggie sitting with him did they realise why. She'd never learned about the guys' Animagus transformations.

"Sorry, but he's a poorly behaved pup," Remus played along. "Gets himself rather dirty."

"True," Harry agreed. "He's often standing in his own shite." Remus and Harry struggled not to laugh, while Sirius was turning red in the face from restraint. The werewolf finally decided to put his friend out of his misery and turned to Maggie.

"Thank you for your note," he said calmly. "I planned to go in on Wednesday morning." Maggie nodded and smile at him.

"Der isn't a rush," she explained. "Just get in before de full moon. If der was an accident, and ya weren't registered, den I might have a hard time protecting ya."

"I don't want to put you in an uncomfortable position," he said honestly. "Thank you for your help."

"Tis what friends do. So, Lord Potter, sir," she said with a smile playing at her lips. "Did ya leave anytin' for de other shoppers?"

"I did," Harry said looking down. "I just haven't ever had my own clothes, other than my school robes and stuff."

"Ah," she said with understanding, standing up from where she had been on one of the wing chairs in the sitting room. "Well, show me what ya bought. Gotta know if it's suitable or not."

"Suitable for what?"

"Dinna you mention it to him?" she asked, turning to Sirius and glaring.

"I haven't seen him this morning."

"Fine excuse, Mr. Black. I tink you know Mr. Potter 'ere is better lookin' than ya."

"What I might not have in looks anymore, I make up for in experience," Sirius teased back and Harry thought he might be sick. The inference of sex directed at Maggie was more than he could take.

"You really tink I'd take age over beauty?" Maggie raised an eyebrow at Sirius before turning back to Harry. "Anyway, I wanna invite all t'ree of ya to the O'Lachlan New Year's Ball. My family puts it on every year. Highlight of da holidays."

"Sounds wonderful," Sirius spoke up quickly. "We'll all be there." Remus glared at the old dog for including him, knowing he hated social situations like this.

"Ye can bring along a lady friend if ya please," Maggie added. "Perhaps de young lady with de brown eyes?" She added the last part very quietly and Harry blushed and looked away. The thought had already crossed his mind.

"Ah, but my lady friend will already be there," Sirius said smoothly.

"Den you'd better find 'er before midnight, she might find another setta lips to kiss da new year in with."

"I promise, I will find her the minute I arrive." Sirius and Maggie shared a look, and as much as Harry hated it, Sirius was talented at flirting. He wished he had some of Sirius' swagger when it came to girls.

"Good. I need to get back ta work," Maggie explained. "Next Wednesday, nine a.m. sharp. I dinna want to explain why yar late for ya own trial."

"Your trial is set for next week?" Remus spoke, thoroughly surprised. "How did you get it organised so quickly?"

"I did de paperwork, took it to da court myself," Maggie answered. "I mighta mentioned Sirius was English, and rather famous, and a burr in da butt of the English Minister and his reputation had been ruined by da English Ministry. They're gonna give him Veritaserum and it'll be done. By Tuesday night, if he's been telling me da truth, he'll be free to go anywhere he wants." The news excited Harry, who dropped his bags and hugged Maggie.

"Thank you," he said with an impassioned earnestness which was surprising. Maggie hugged him back.

"Ye are welcome, Harry." He released her and Sirius walked her out. It took a few minutes for him to come back to the sitting room, where Harry and Remus were waiting for him. Harry looked surprised, Remus concerned.

"A gentleman never kisses and tells," he said, effectively ending the discussion. "Well, why don't you put those sacks up in your room? We need to be heading over to the estate. Dinner is awaiting us."

Harry swallowed hard. In a few minutes, he would be with his family, sort of. The promise made him excited and frightened all at once. He quickly gathered his things, took them upstairs and decided what to wear to meet his Mum and Dad.

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