Harry felt the power and a slight imprint of the personalities those who lived and added magic to this house when he opened the door and stepped inside. They felt curious and happy to see him. They felt like a family welcoming him home.
He wondered for a moment why he only felt it now and not the last summer when he was here with Sirius and the Order. Perhaps he could feel it now because the Fidelius made by Professor Dumbledore was broken. Or maybe because he was now the Heir.
It was time to do the most important thing yet, claim the house as his in magic. Sirius had told him all the steps he would need to do if Sirius had died before they could do it together. Claiming an ancesteral home was easy to do but still serious magic. It was only possible for Harry to claim Grimmauld Place because he was the Heir.
He walked inside and immediately went into the living room- where behind a piece of wallpaper with a faded yellow star on it, was a room where the wardstone of House Black was hidden. Harry touched the tip of his wand to the middel of the star and the door opened with a creak. He looked behind him to see if Kreacher had found him already yet but it didn't seem so. He took a deep breath and entered the ritual chamber of House Black.
The room itself was intimidating. Harry could feel the magic around him and it felt wonderful. Welcoming and so very happy to see him. The stone was very beautiful. It looks like a giant fire opal the size of a heavy tome of which the inside seemed to flow like water. It looked like magic given form.
It was breathtaking.
Sirius had told him about what he had to do to activate and bind the ward stone to him and the rest of Harry's line from now on. He went to get his wand out of his pocket again and made a small cut. Soon a few drops of blood started rising up so he quickly pressed his hands to the wardstone of House Black.
His hands felt glued to the stone when he intoned like the truly dramatic people the Blacks all were, "Lapis pretiosus et pulcher magicae, Haeres domus Niger, te rogat ut ultimum familiae, ut domum meam tuearis, et te ad me et familiam meam ligaveris ex hoc tempore. Et rogavi, ut fiat!"
Which meant something like this: Most precious and beautiful stone of magic, the Heir of House Black, asks you as the last of this family to protect my home and to bind yourself to me and my family line from this time forward. So I have asked, so mote it be!
Of course the Blacks had a wardstone that needed to be flattered first. This wardstone was truly at home here in the House of Black.
He felt ridiculous but it worked. He could feel the magic swelling around him and saw the blood sinking deep into the stone. Suddenly he could feel the wards forming and was able to feel the house within them.
The wards were poking him and getting impressions from him of what he wanted them to do. He could feel where Kreacher was and all the other living creatures like doxies and even another boggart in the attic. He did not want the pests in his house and the wards felt it and acted on his wishes.
Harry felt how the pests disappeared from under the wards and how Kreacher woke up. He decided to call him.
"Kreacher!" Harry called, and so as Harry was the new Heir Black, Kreacher appeared. Harry was furious with Kreacher for his part in Sirius death but since he came here he also felt strangely responsible for the House-Elf. That must have been the Black Family magic.
"New master be here. New master be a filthy little half-blood, Mistress would despair, oh how far House of Black has fallen." Kreacher bemoaned.
Irritated with the horrible old elf Harry said, "Kreacher if you can't be polite you will be silent."
Kreacher his jaws clicked together and clearly obeyed the magic between master and Elf, as the rude Elf was silent. Harry could see he wasn't happy about it but Harry wasn't done yet. He needed to make sure that what happened with Sirius could never happen again. He needed to be and feel safe in this old house. In his new home. Even if it meant he lived in this home together with the Elf that had a part in Sirius's his death.
"As your new master I ask you to be loyal to me and my family line. If you can't do that then I will either give you clothes or order you to be loyal. That means you will keep my secrets, that you will never try to hurt me in any way, never communicate to anyone or anything about me without my permission and that you will be honest and helpful. You will be polite to me and my guests or you will be silent. You may talk again, do you understand me, Kreacher, or do I have to order you?"
Kreacher didn't look happy about it but he said "Yes, Master I be obeying yous as a good Elf."
Harry nodded. This was the first step towards them living together in this creepy old house. "Now I will ask you some questions and you will anwser me honestly. First is there anything that Sirius or someone else has left for me? Also, do you need help making this house clean again? If so, I can ask another elf for help. But only if you can't take care of this house by yourself, I wouldn't want to overstep on your duties."
For the first time Kreacher looked a bit happy that it was Harry who was his new master. "New master asks if Kreacher needs help? Kreacher is a old elf with a big manor to clean. Kreacher needs help. But kitchen and library be mine!" Kreacher said. Then he popped away and soon came back with a vial with what looked like blood, a letter and a gaudy golden necklace he could see a quite a few poncy purebloods wear.
Harry really hoped that from now on he could have a better relationship with the old Elf. He wanted this to be a happy home for now and in the future. For the both of them. But if Kreacher betrayed him again he would make sure the elf would get clothes. It might not be the smartest thing to do with the things the old House-Elf might know but Harry refused to be unhappy in this new home of his. Never again will he live in place that makes him feel unsafe or unhappy. He had promised himself that.
Kreacher looked old and fragile when he told Harry about what the Elf had brought his new master. "Old Master Sirius left this for new half-blood master. Dear Master Regulus has left this for Heir or Lord of House Black." He laid it on the table and popped away again without any furter explanation.
This time the wards told him Kreacher had gone to the kitchen and Harry hoped Kreacher would go clean it properly before dinner was made in there. He didn't want to know what was left in there since the last time humans lived in the house. What did House-Elves eat? Had he cooked for himself in that kitchen when he was alone?
Sirius had left him something. He looked at the vial of blood, the letter and the necklace and decided to read the letter first since it was adressed to him from Sirius. He was scared to read these last words his godfather had left him with. His hands shook slightly as he opened the letter.
Dear Harry,
First of all, if you read this, I'm dead and I am so sorry for leaving you alone. I hope that at least my death was helpful to you, that I fell in battle protecting you from all that dared to try and harm you. Or in a stupid prank that made you laugh.
I am so sorry Harry that I can't be there for you anymore. Don't you dare feel guilty! You are my pup and I am responsible for my own choices Harry. Remember that please. Remember that you are loved and I had no regrets. I've loved you as my own since I held you for the first time and that only grew when we met again all those years later.
I am so proud of you, pup.
I hope that you are of age now and are able to get away from the Dursleys. But if not then this letter will hopefully be able to help you. Pup, I know this will be hard to hear but you need to know this. I hope we talked about this before my death but if not then listen closely.
As you know I am the last male Black. Since I'm dead now and have no children of my own I have made you, my godson in magic, my Heir. The Black title is a Lordship, Harry, and you need to claim it before somebody like Malfoy tries to. The Black Lordship has a lot of political and magical power and it should help you a lot. And you need all the help you can get.
I have already made you my legal Heir as I hopefully told you and that is enough for me but I also left you a vial of my blood. It is a vial for blood-adoption, Harry. If you want to you can drink it and I will be your third parent in blood. I wanted to give you the option when you would stay here in the summer after your fifth year but if you are reading this letter then it seems that something happend to me.
It would mean you will be truly a Black and all that would include. It means you can use the family grimoire Harry and that would be helpful against all that wish you harm. I want you to be safe Harry. No matter what you chose.
I trust that Remus is with you and that you can count on him and your friends after my death. But I know that nothing seems to go as it should lately. Trust your gut, pup and that beautiful heart you got from your mother.
Be careful, Pup, but don't forget to live your life. Play a prank, fall in love, start a family and I better not see you again till you are old and grey and have lived a full and truly happy life.
Talk to the portrait of Alphard Black if you need any advice on House Black. He was my favorite uncle growing up.
I love you Pup. Always.
Mischief Managed,
Padfoot
Ps. I left you some books in my room that should help you.
The tears ran over his cheeks as Harry read the last letter that Sirius had left him. He knew Sirius loved him but so much that he would be willing to truly be Harry's father? Harry never knew that Sirius felt that way about him but it was brilliant to know. Also so sad to know that he would never be able to truly act like he was Harry's father. He missed Sirius so much.
James and Lily Potter were his parents and he loved them but he never knew them outside of their last moments alive. It was a wonderful but horrifying memory to have and to be grateful for. Sirius on the otherhand he actually knew. He had memories of him and had felt the connection between them. Sirius was truly the third parent in Harry's life.
Harry felt like his parents would approve of his choice. They had after all chosen Sirius as his godfather. He missed them all but this would make him feel closer to Sirius. Though how did this exacly work? Did he just have to drink it? Was there a book on this?
Wait, he had read about Blood adoption vials before. It was something like this: you were supposed to break the seal to put a drop of the adoptive parent blood in it and a drop of blood of the child. Then the child just has to drink it. And when one did a inheritance test at Gringotts, it would show the child having three parents.
He looked at the letter again. It seemed like Sirius had already put his blood in it. Harry just hoped it wasn't a last prank by the man. What if the blood of Professor Snape was in there? He didn't want to be Snape's son! What if he got the hair and nose?
No, Sirius woudn't do that to him. Right?
Right.
So anyway Harry had decided what he would do. He took the vial and broke the seal on it. He made another small cut in his hand with his wand, put a drop of blood in the vial and drank it like a true Gryffindor- without knowing anything about it. Or the consequences of drinking it.
Yes, Harry knew that was dumb but how was he to know what would happen?