Harry woke up with the feeling that someone in Grimmauld Place was throwing up their guts. Since there was only one pregnant lady in this house, he assumed it was Tonks.
This wake-up call was not a nice feeling for Harry to wake up to and he really hoped that he could tone down the connection with the members of House Black a bit so that he wouldn't have to feel this everytime it happened.
The ring on his finger glowed for a moment and he suddenly couldn't feel what Tonks was doing anymore. Brilliant! Harry really loved magic.
Today would be the day that he would get an answer from Andromeda about if she and her husband would move in with him. Most importantly, he would also call for Effy today and hopefully go to Potter Manor. The house his father had grown up in and his fathers father before him.
He couldn't wait to see it. How would it look? Would there be anything left of his father? Or perhaps something of his grandparents?
But first he needed to get dressed and eat some breakfast. He'd hoped Tonks would want to eat something. It couldn't be good for a baby if the mother didn't eat enough. But he was sure that Kreacher would take good care of Tonks and her baby. The old House Elf was very glad to take care of the pregnant witch of House Black.
Kreacher was much happier nowadays anyway. He had people to take care of again after years of being alone in this house with only Walburga's portrait and the Horcrux as company. Harry had talked to his Elves recently and they even agreed to take up a hobby. Kreacher decided he wanted to try woodworking and Dobby wanted to try painting.
While Harry wasn't sure if both hobby's had truly nothing do do with housework, he was glad they decided to try something. Who knows, maybe they would like it.
When he got downstairs after dressing in another suit and robe set from the Black Lord before him, Orion Black, he saw he was the last one to arrive. Tonks, quite pale and with light green hair, was sitting at the table with Dobby and Kreacher.
Harry was glad to see that Dobby looked a bit less sad then yesterday. Sad House Elves were the worst thing ever. They just looked so pitiful with their big tearful eyes and dropping ears. Harry would have liked to have a talk with Tessy about her treatment of his friend but he knew that House-Elves had their own courting traditions. It was hard but he shouldn't involve himself in this.
Breakfast was lovely as always althought Tonks didn't seem to be a morning person. She mostly grunted at Harry when he said good morning to everyone or when he asked her to pass the toast. For such a generally cheerful person she really didn't like to talk before her morning cup of tea.
It was only when breakfast was ending that Tonks started to become more like herself. They talked about what they would do today and this was when Tonks told Harry that she was thinking about resigning as an Auror.
This shocked Harry but when she told him her reasons he understood. She was a young single female who was pregnant. It was also a dangerous time to be an Auror and she didn't want to risk her baby. Then there was the problem of her living with Harry. No one could know where she lived and that would be difficult when she worked as an Auror.
But Harry didn't think it fait that she'd have to give up her dream job for him. So after thinking about it for a moment, he came up with an idea so he asked her, "You remember I told you about Amelia Bones, right? Why don't you go to her? She knows everything and as she is the Head of the DMLE and thus your boss so she could help you out, I should think." He did not want her to give up on her career when it was not truly neccesary.
Tonks lived up hearing that. She didn't want to stop working as an Auror. She worked hard for her position and she didn't want to be completely depended on Harry. House Black may be rich but Tonks was an adult woman who didn't want to take advantage of her Lord who was a sixteen year old kid.
Also, Moody would be so disappointed in her if she just stopped doing all that he had taught her. Tonks was glad to hear Harry was in contact with Madam Bones. Perhaps it would be possible to work something out. Desk duty or something. Moody had been her mentor in the Aurors and she would miss him enough already when she was gonna be out on materity leave.
So Tonks would go with Harry to Longbottom Manor this afternoon so she could have a conversation with Amelia. He hoped they could work something out together.
Harry wanted go and call for Effy as soon as he was done with breakfast. He couldn't wait to meet his new Elf. This Elf had know his parents and maybe even his grandparents! She was the only Elf in service to the House of Potter and the last few Grimoire entries had been very positive about her. Thus it was a little while later when Harry was standing in the living room.
Tonks was back in the library researching werewolves and Dobby and Kreacher were busy somewhere in the house so Harry could call for the Potter Elf now, "Effy!" He called strongly.
There sounded a pop and a little Elf was standing in front of him. She was tiny and looked to be a bit younger then Dobby in age as far as he could tell. She was wearing a tiny uniform with the Potter crest on it which was a Griffin in flight holding a sword in its claws.
The House-Elf Effy had clear forest green eyes that looked to be tearing up as she looked at him. She said, "Master Potter? Yous be little Master Hadrian? Effy be so happy to be finally called by Master!"
Harry smiled at her and replied, "Yes Effy, I'm Hadrian James Potter-Black. I've read about you in the Potter Grimoire. It's said that you are the Potter Elf and that you could take me to Potter Manor?"
Effy's eyes grew wide when she heard what he said and she started bouncing on her toes. She looked so very happy when she said, "Little Master Harry has returned! Effy be very happy to see yous again. Does Master Harry want to go to Manor now?"
Harry nodded but first he wanted to ask the female Elf if she wanted to bond with him as his Elf. Effy looked even happier when he asked her that and she said, "Master be good master to ask Effy. What be Masters terms?"
Harry told her what he told his other Elves, "My terms are that you are honest and loyal to me and my bloodline. I ask that you take good care of yourself and that you will never punish yourself. If you have done something you think is wrong you can come and talk to me about it."
He continued with, "If you want I can pay you and give you time of. I have another Elf, Dobby, who gets one day of every two weeks of and gets paid two sickles a week. My other Elf, Kreacher, is more traditional and just wants the bond. It is your choice Effy, what do you want?"
"Effy be grateful for Masters offer but Effy being fine with just bond. Effy thinks Master be very kind so Effy be accepting terms!" And Effy, like the two Elves before her, darted forward to grab Harry's hand.
He felt the sting of the bond and saw the glow of the bond being accepted by both Elf and Wizard. She packed a powerful puch for such a tiny little thing. Harry was happy and asked his new companion if she wanted to meet the other two Elves living here.
Effy nodded shyly and Harry called for Dobby and Kreacher. Kreacher popped in first and Dobby came soon after.
Harry first introduced Kreacher to Effy, "Kreacher, this is my newly bonded Elf Effy. She is a Potter Elf and will continue managing Potter Manor for me."
Kreacher made a slight bow to the younger female Elf and said, "Kreacher be honered to meet miss Effy. Welcome to new family."
Effy looked a bit shy with meeting the two new Elves and Harry wondered if maybe she had been alone all this time. He hoped not. That would mean that she had been alone since his parents died fifteen years ago.
"Effy be glad to meet Kreacher. Kreacher be having beautiful home and kind Master." Effy said with a slight bow back to the old Elf.
Harry wondered if this was a traditional greeting between Elves which made him wonder why Kreacher hadn't done it when Harry bonded with Dobby? Perhaps because Dobby became his bonded Elf first?
Harry continued with, "Dobby, this is Effy, I hope you will make her feel welcome in our family." He looked at Dobby to see his reaction and was amused to see Dobby staring with wide eyes at Effy. He was even more amused to see Effy's shy looks back at Dobby. It seemed that Dobby had already forgotten Tessy and her choice to bond with another Elf.
The two Elves bowed to each other and Dobby said, "Dobby be very glad to be meeting miss Effy. Be welcome to new family."
Effy replied with, "Effy be very glad for kind welcome and new family. Master be wanting to go now?" Effy said while looking at Harry.
"Yes, please Effy. We are also planning on taking on another Elf named Winky into our family. Right now she's at Hogwarts but hopefully you will like each other. Thanks guys and we will see you later." He nodded to Dobby and Kreacher before she took his hand so that they could pop away to Potter Manor.
Harry appeared together with Effy on the front porch of a beautiful Manor made of a dark red stone. He could feel the wards testing him as he walked to the door and put his hand on the doorknob. As he had before with Number 12, Grimmauld Place, he said, "I, Hadrian James Potter-Black, son of James Potter, Lord of the House of Black and Lord of House Slytherin demand entrance to this Manor as the last of the Potters."
It still felt a bit ridiculous to talk to a door but he was starting to get used to it with all the lessons on Wizarding Culture from Gran. Talking to inanimate objects was fine as long as they didn't talk back to him. It was one of the first lessons a Wizarding child got apparently. As if he hadn't learned that lesson back in his second year.
He felt the wards accepting him the same moment he heard the door click open. Effy clapped her hands excitingly and asked him to follow her to the ward stone of the Manor. Stepping through the doorway Harry had to struggle keeping his mouth close. It was already beautiful and he was barely inside the house.
While they walked through the Manor, Harry couldn't stop looking around. This was so different than the Black Manor. From inside and outside this was so much more beautiful and so much more like a home he would want to live in. This house was perfect.
Effy told him proudly that there where twelve bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a ballroom, a training room and two dining and sitting rooms. And that was just inside the Manor. Then there were the gardens which were utterly beautiful, a quiddich pitch on which he couldn't wait to fly on and a big pond in which he could easily swim.
Unlike the Black Manor where the colours were mainly black, green, gray and white, this house had the more warm colours like white, brown, cream, red, green and blue. It felt like a home he would want to raise a family in. His magic felt at home here in the ancesteral Potter Manor.
This was his home.
Effy led him to a corner in the beautiful sitting room. The room had very big windows were sunlight was gently streaming through. The floor was made from a light coloured wood, the same as the rest of the house from what he had seen. The walls were a light cream colour with some gold and green accents. It looked welcoming.
Effy led him to a corner in the back of the room where he had to put his hand on the wall. Harry felt a click and a door appeared and opened. Inside the next room lay the ward stone of Potter Manor. It was a beautiful blue-green stone with veins of gold running through it.
Harry pricked his finger and put it on the stone so that the stone would connect to him and his bloodline. Then he said, like with the ward stone of the Black Manor, "Lapis pretiosus et pulcher magicae, Haeres domus Figulus, 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: Most precious and beautiful stone of magic, the Heir of House Potter, 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!
Once again he felt the wards of a manor connect to his mind. He could feel the Manor and the grounds it stood on. Unlike Black Manor, this house was free of pests and seemed to be very well kept by Effy. Which was a relief because that meant she was a healthy and happy House-Elf even if she had been alone all this time.
Effy meanwhile, was glad that her new Master seemed to like the Manor so well and that the wards were now truly connected to her new Master. She hoped he would like what she would show him next. She could feel her new master as well as he could feel her with their new bond. She felt how hurt he was health-wise and that told her a lot. She feared her young master had not a good life before.
He was healing, yes, Effy could feel that. But no master of hers had ever been so unhealthy. She had served the Potters for a few generations and it saddend her to see that the son of her beloved Master James and Mistress Lily was so mistreated. She hadn't been able to find him with the wards he was surrounded by but now she could she felt guiltier then ever. She should have tried harder, even if she barely had enough magic left to take care of Potter Manor. She could have tried.
She hoped this surprise would sooth her young master.
Effy grabbed his hand and let him to a room close to the sitting room. When Harry walked in he immediately stopped, shocked. It was a portrait room. A portrait room full of portraits of his ancestors. A room full with Potters.
The portraits were all sleeping but Harry could see a lot of the names he had seen on the inheritance test. But Harry was drawn to one portrait specifically, the portrait of his grandparents. Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. Was Effy named for his grandmother of was that a coincidence?
Unlike with the Black portraits it seemed that the Potter portraits were mostly made for couples. Unfortunaly there wasn't one made of his parents before their death. They were so young before they died and Sirius was kept in his house after he escaped Azkaban so he didn't get to have a chance to make one before or after Azkaban.
Harry walked to the portrait of his grandparents and activated the Wake Rune with a shaking hand. He studied his grandparents before they woke up and he saw that his grandfather looked a lot like the pictures of his father but than with dark brown eyes and a lot older than his father ever got to be.
His grandmother was a pretty blond witch with some silver streaks through her hair and his father's hazel eyes.
His grandparents were waking up now and Harry was a bit nervous. Would they recognise him? Would they like him?
Harry barely dared to look at the portrait when he heard, "Harry? Is that you?" His grandmother sounded unsure but when Harry nodded he could see how both his grandparents lit up.
This time it was his grandfather who said, "It is very nice to meet you, Hadrian, son. I can see that we have been asleep for a long time. Where are your parents, Harry?"
And Harry felt the world crash down around him. They didn't know. What was he supposed to do? He knew they weren't real people, his real grandparents, but they were still an imprint James Potter's parents. How could he tell them that their son is dead?
His grandmother saw his reaction and gasped and brought her hand in front of her mouth. Harry looked at her and realised that she already knew and so he stated with a serious face, "My parents died when I was one year old, defending me from Voldemort and killing him in the process. At least for a while. He is back now and determent to kill me."
Both his grandparents looked shocked now and his grandmother was crying. His grandfather grabbed the hand of his wife as to comfort her but it was clear they were both heartbroken. Harry felt horrible that he had to tell them this.
"Oh my poor baby. Are you alright? Do you need anything? Is there anything we can do for you? Are you happy? Where did you grow up? Are you going to Hogwarts?" His grandmother suddenly reminded him of Hermione which made him laugh and relax a bit in this horrible moment of introduction to his grandparents.
His grandfather said, "Don't mind your grandmother, lad. She is a bit of a blabbermouth and I love her dearly for it. And please, We would love it if you could call us Grandma and Grandpa." Harry had to look away for a moment with how his grandparents looked at each other. They looked to be very much in love and Harry wasn't used to people looking at each other like that. He did not exacly grow up with healthy examples of relationships.
Harry was thinking that perhaps it was time to man up and ask Hermione out. It made him super nervous but he decided he needed to know. He wanted what his grandparents had, what his parents had. Hermione Jean Granger was the girl for him, he was sure of it. Perhaps his grandfather would have good advise on how to do it properly. He would have asked Alphard but that man couldn't be trusted with dating advise.
Vernon and Petunia liked to pretent that they were a loving couple but Harry didn't think they were. While Vernon didn't mistreat his wife exacly, she also was expected to be a housewife and only a housewife. Now, his aunt might have preffered it that way but had she ever gotten the opportunity to be something else? Nothing wrong with being a housewife but Harry thought oneshould make that choice themself.
Thought it didn't excuse her behavior to him, a child in her care. Petunia had turned into a bitter, spiteful and cruel woman all on her own.
He smiled at his grandmother and answered her with, "Yes Grandma, I'm alright now. I've made some very good friends at Hogwarts and I have recently gained some allies willing to help me. I'd like to hear some stories about my parents if possible? It's just that I don't know much about them..."
Harry continued with, "I'm indeed going to Hogwarts. This is the summer before my sixth year and I was sorted into Gryffindor."
Fleamont and Euphemia Potter were glad to hear more about their grandson but were a bit concerned by what questions he didn't answer. How was it possible that their grandson, their Heir didn't know much about his own parents? What happened while they were dead? So his grandmother asked gently, "Where did you grow up, Harry? And where is Sirius? Did our boy not raise you after Jamie passed?
And once again Harry didn't quite know what to tell his grandparents.