Emeralds and Ashes

Harry awoke the next morning at the crack of dawn, having slept much more peacefully than he had the previous night after that emotional ordeal.

He quickly finished his morning rituals before getting ready for his morning workout. It was usual for him to run a few miles before doing some weight training.

He walked down the stairs, smiling at Minnie who beamed at him before exiting through the door leading to the garden and the courtyard. It was large enough for him to complete his morning run in a few laps, and he started to run.

Today, James and Sirius would be arriving, with possibly Uncle Charlus and Aunt Dorea in tow. It had taken him some time, but he was now able to differentiate between who they were to him, and who he now knew them as. His constant reminders to himself had certainly worked.

Harry had not imagined that he would build such a close relationship with the Potters so quickly. Initially, he had thought that he would be just another random lord of an Ancient and Noble House who would approach them for an alliance. However, they had instead welcomed him as family, something he had been pleasantly surprised by.

He had never sensed any sense of foul play from them, or any desire to get close to him to exploit his position in the Wizarding Society or anything. The Potters were powerful enough in their own right, and they did not need to put up an act to gain more power.

Harry was more than satisfied with how things had gone so far. Walburga Black had been neutralized to a large extent, and he hoped Arcturus could this time keep a firm hold on his emotions after his wife's death and not let his house go astray. Even then, he hoped Walburga could at least not exercise any form of control over the house.

He had also managed to warn Dumbledore and the Potters of the upcoming threat, and he was sure all of them would be preparing to the best of their abilities. He had no intention of ever telling Dumbledore everything and would take care of all the Horcruxes by himself, but he could certainly use the headmaster's help on other matters, particularly political and on the field of battle, should the need arise.

Sirius and the Potters were also ready to stand ready with their wands raised, and he was grateful for their support. They would be coming over in a few hours, and Harry was looking forward to training and crossing wands with them.

The refreshing morning air carried with it a hint of the salty seawater, and Harry took a deep breath as he ran. A large perimeter surrounded the property, and he could not see the sea clearly from the ground. However, the sound of waves crashing against the shore was very clear.

His property was well isolated from the population. Located outside Falmouth, it overlooked the sea and was surrounded by hills on the other side. Harry liked his privacy, and it did not get as cold as the north either, so he was certainly grateful for that. There was no way he would appreciate always having to cast warming charms on himself whenever he went out of the manor.

However, the silence did perturb him a bit. There was nothing audible apart from the sounds of birds and Luna's growls whenever she prowled around the courtyard. He wondered if he could house a few magical creatures on the grounds, and resolved to discuss the matter with Uncle Charlus.

It took him well over two hours when Harry was done with his morning run and the weight training, and he groaned as he took a seat at the dining table. A glass of water immediately appeared in front of him, and he smiled before gulping it down.

"Thanks Minnie!"

His breakfast appeared in an instant, and he chuckled before diving in.

-Break-

It was barely past 10 when the Floo lit up, and Harry walked forward with a bright grin on his face.

"Welcome to Peverell Manor," he greeted Charlus and Dorea with warm hugs before clasping arms with James and Sirius. "Come on, I'll show you around."

The Potters and Sirius looked around as Harry led them through the entire manor, and they had to admit that it was an impressive structure, befitting the House of Peverell.

"You sure didn't hold back mate, did you?" Sirius remarked with a chuckle when they finally arrived back and took their seats in the living room. "Merlin, I bet you'd make Malfoy jealous."

Harry chuckled. "That wasn't my intention."

"I certainly would pay to see that fake mask of politeness on Lucius' face crack," James grinned.

"He does look slimy, I'll admit that," Harry replied.

"You've met the Malfoy heir?" Dorea asked inquisitively. Harry nodded.

"Believe it or not, but Abraxas Malfoy was kinda stalking me when I went to take my OWLs. Man's so shady it's blatantly obvious. Invited me to a dinner at his place to welcome back the House of Peverell."

Sirius snorted. "His son is worse. Merlin, it sickens me whenever I see the looks he gives Cissy."

Harry looked at Sirius in interest. "Malfoy is interested in your cousin?"

"More like the Black fortune. Slimeball knows she would come with a handsome pile of galleons and would enhance his house's prestige."

Dorea sighed. "Language, Sirius."

Harry nodded. "Aren't the Malfoys filthy rich though? Why would he want a share of the Black fortune?"

All four chuckled as one, and Harry looked at them in confusion.

"It is something of an open secret in the upper class of Wizarding Britain that the Malfoys are rich in name only. They keep this façade of wealth and opulence to keep up appearances, but almost everyone who can be concerned with it knows that the wealth is only superficial. There is no substance beneath," Charlus replied.

"I see," Harry muttered.

"Whatever wealth the Malfoys have is for bribes and under the table deals. Nothing else. They are still among some of the richest families of Britain, but nowhere near as rich as they portray themselves to be."

"You did a good thing, denying his invitation politely. With what you told us yesterday, it won't surprise me in the slightest if Abraxas allied with this madman. The family is as rotten as you can imagine," Dorea replied.

Harry nodded. "That does remind me of something I need to discuss with you all."

"What is it, Harry?" Charlus asked with an inquisitive look on his face as he leaned back.

"My parents often discussed a few pureblood families. There are a few I want to ask you about, and whether they are worth allying with."

"I see," Charlus replied with a frown. "Well, I'm sure among the four of us, we can give you a sufficiently satisfactory answer. Which families are you talking about?"

"Malfoy, Lestrange, Carrow, Avery, Yaxley, Crabbe, Nott, Goyle, Rosier, Lee, Snyde, Mulciber, Travers and Rowle. Those are the ones I remember clearly. We already discussed Malfoy, so you don't need to talk about them."

"All are the members of the dark faction," Dorea muttered.

Charlus looked thoughtful for a moment before looking over at James and Sirius.

"What do you think about the heirs or heiresses of those houses? And any other children you might know as well."

James scoffed. "All rotten to the core. Apart from Rosier. I mean, those children are in Slytherin, but I've never seen or heard of them bullying or acting out at Hogwarts."

Sirius nodded. "Aunt Druella is from that family, and she is a good woman."

Charlus nodded. "I have had several talks with Malcolm Rosier over the years, and he is a decent man. However, the family is a staunch supporter of pureblood rights, so if you want them on your side, you need to approach and convince the man before the other side does. I don't believe he would condone mass murder or terrorism though, so that gives me a positive feeling about it."

Harry nodded.

"You need to be aware of something though," the man continued. "Malcolm has two siblings. Druella and Evan. You know Druella already. However, you should know about Evan. The least I can say about the youngest brother is that he is unhinged and a constant source of headache for his family."

"The one most likely to join Voldemort then," Harry muttered. Charlus shrugged.

"High possibility."

"What about the other houses?"

Charlus looked back at his son and nephew, who sneered. "The worst of the lot. I have no doubt that they would jump at the chance to join forces with this madman. They openly talk about how it would be a blessing to kill all muggleborns and half-bloods."

Everyone was surprised by James' reaction and the vitriol his tone contained, apart from Sirius, who nodded.

"That's the least of what they say and believe in."

"Even the young kids?" Dorea asked in surprise, and James grimaced before nodding stiffly.

"I think they just go with the flow, but students fourth year and above are firm believers of blood supremacy and are bigoted to the extreme."

Harry frowned. "I see…"

"The elder members are not any better either," Charlus replied. "All houses are members of the dark faction, and you can consider them already on this madman's side. Merlin, he wouldn't even need to offer them anything. Just one word from him and they would be all for killing and massacring muggleborns, half-bloods and the so-called blood traitors."

Harry nodded. It seemed it was as he had thought. However, there must be at least one person in those houses who was decent. He asked Charlus as much, who shrugged helplessly.

"If there are, we have no idea. You'll never know unless to personally talk to each member and ascertain for yourself."

Harry sighed and nodded. That would be a hassle indeed. He would have to think of something else. Otherwise, it seemed very likely that almost a dozen pureblood houses will cease to exist.

Still, that was better than the future he had come from. He would indeed give them a chance, but would not hesitate in eradicating them if they decided to do the wrong thing anyway.

"How many students are there from those houses at Hogwarts?" Harry asked James and Sirius, who frowned and started to calculate.

"Apart from Rosier and Malfoy, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Fourteen, right?" James asked Sirius, who nodded.

"If we don't count the cadet branch of House Carrow, yes. They are at least better than the rest of the lot."

James nodded at him before turning to look at Harry. "Yeah, fourteen then. House Carrow has a cadet branch, and there is one boy from that branch. I don't know the name. He's a quiet one in the sixth year. All the others are the worst of the lot, and always remain in groups together."

Harry nodded. This cadet branch must be the one Hestia and Flora Carrow were from. He had seen the two girls a few times at Hogwarts, and they had seemed alright, albeit the quiet sort. This boy must be their father.

Still, fourteen students were supposed to carry the bloodline of those twelve families forward. The number sure seemed very low.

Those fourteen students had a choice, and he would give it to them. Their decision would determine the continuation of their bloodline. He had no intention of letting Voldemort have his inner circle, and he would rather nip his future servants before they could even become one. He did not care for the adults. However, the upcoming generation will have a choice. He would not deprive them of it.

The Potters and Sirius stared at Harry who sat there in silent contemplation, wondering what he was thinking about. Harry looked at them and nodded.

"Nothing. Just thinking which houses would be worth it."

The elders nodded in understanding.

"I believe we should discuss these matters with Arcturus as well," Charlus interjected. "The Blacks might have traditionalist views but Arcturus will never agree with mass destruction. He knows the importance of magical blood. It would be valuable to have him on our side as well."

Harry nodded. "I'll send him a letter today."

Charlus nodded.

Soon, it was time for the elder Potters to depart, and they promised to join them in their training sometime. However, for now, Harry was left with James and Sirius who looked expectantly at him. He nodded and led them toward the training facility he had gotten set up.

The two boys stared around the chamber in wonder. From muggle training equipment to battle dummies and targets – the training facility had everything they would need to improve enormously.

"Come on, let me show you something we will be doing everyday first thing before starting spell practice," Harry walked forward, and they followed him until they reached a dark spherical structure suspended in the air.

"This is to improve your control over your magical output. There are multiple levels, and all you need to do is channel enough magic to make this sphere light up. The magnitude needs to be as precise as possible. There is a small range within which the light glows, so if you are under or over the limits, the light won't glow. I find this a very good way of controlling how much magic I want to release when casting spells."

James and Sirius nodded as they stared at the contraption in wonder as Harry brought another one out and affixed it to the ceiling.

"I haven't needed to use this for a while now. This is used to test and enhance your magical output. This will help you improve how much power you can put behind any spell. With these two artifacts, you can improve your output as well as control."

"Where did you get all these things from?" Sirius asked, gesturing around.

Harry smiled. "The muggle training equipment from the muggle world. However, I managed to retrieve the magical artifacts from one of my instructors. For secrecy reasons, I cannot tell you who my instructor was."

The boys nodded. It was Arcturus who had told him where he could get everything he needed. However, there was no way he was going to tell them the truth.

"Alright then, should we get started?"

James and Sirius grinned at him at that.

"Oh we're ready, mate."

Harry nodded. "Okay. I'd like for you two to arrive here by 7:30 from now on. We will include physical training into the mix as well. But for today, I want you to first take turns with these lovely spheres before you will demonstrate all the offensive spells you know. I want to understand what your current level is."

James and Sirius nodded and went over to the spheres. Harry went to the other end of the facility and started on his spell practice. A training dummy appeared in front of him, and Harry whipped his wand out.

The training dummies Arcturus had him use increased the difficulty level based on his skills, and these were similar. A bone breaker immediately shot towards him at a rapid pace, and Harry expertly dodged before retaliating with a cleaver in no time. The dummy chose to erect a shield, and Harry smirked when his cleaver shattered the shield before striking the dummy right at its throat, beheading it.

Harry readied himself as the dummy repaired itself before it started to fling a multitude of dark spells toward him. Harry dodged, shielded, or swatted the spells aside as he slowly closed the distance between them. Once he was within range, he conjured a large flaming whip and started to strike the dummy with a degree of precision resulting from prolonged training.

James and Sirius had already turned around after hearing a loud thud a few minutes ago and they kept staring at the display with wide eyes. They turned to look at each other in shock before turning back toward where Harry was now fighting against two training dummies. He was quickly alternating between flame whips and curses as he flung the latter at the dummies before conjuring the former and battering them with it.

His eyes were glowing a dangerous shade of turquoise that sent shivers down their spines. They could feel the murderous aura around him. This man was a warrior and a ruthless killer; there were no two ways about it.

"All those spells are hitting vital spots," James muttered, and Sirius refocused before his eyes widened when he realized James was right.

"Such precision is not normal," the heir to the Blacks replied. James nodded and watched as Harry conjured flaming swords out of nothing and banished them toward the dummies. The swords pierced through the dummies' necks, hearts, and crotches. The boys winced on seeing the latter.

Harry flicked his wand and their eyes widened when the dummies exploded, sending debris all around the arena in which Harry was practicing. Although calling it a practice felt like an insult to the display.

"He is using dark spells with such ease," James said with a frown. Sirius nodded. It didn't sit right with him either.

Harry nodded to himself and watched as the dummies repaired themselves before he turned to look at his impromptu audience.

"Why did you two stop?" He asked, frowning.

"Mate, you expect us to continue doing this shit when you pull that out of your ass!?" Sirius exclaimed. "Merlin, I've never seen something like that!"

James nodded. "You fight like you've been trained to fight."

Harry looked at the younger version of his father and sighed.

"That is because I was. The Peverells have always had to protect themselves, so we have been instructed in martial magic since we could start learning. I am no different. It took me a lot of effort to get to where I am now, and I still have to go much far. At my current level, I can probably stall Voldemort for a short while before he'd overwhelm me with his sheer magical ability."

James and Sirius stared at him with wide eyes.

"Just how powerful is he then!?"

Harry frowned. "Think of Dumbledore. Now think of how capable he would've been if he used all the spells people consider the dark arts."

A shiver went through James and Sirius. Such a thing was too terrifying to even imagine.

"As of now, there is only one wizard who could probably defeat him. Dumbledore. No one else. I need to get stronger so I could claim to be in the same bracket."

"Does that include using the dark arts with such ease as well?" Sirius blurted out, and Harry turned to look at him.

James and Sirius watched as Harry shook his head and walked over to take a seat on the couch.

"What are the dark arts?" He asked plainly.

"Spells used to cause harm to others," Sirius replied flatly. Harry turned to look at James with an expectant look, who frowned.

"What he said. Spells used with the intention to cause harm to others."

Harry chuckled.

"Your answers are as different as they could be."

At their confused frowns, he gestured for them to sit down. Once they had, he started to explain.

"Sirius, you said the dark arts are spells used to harm others. And James, you said the dark arts are spells used with the intention to harm others. If we go by Sirius' definition, then almost all the spells are dark spells."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"Even basic first-year spells like Wingardium Leviosa or Lumos can be used to harm others. You can levitate someone, say, a hundred metres high and drop them, or cast a powerful Lumos right against their eyes and hold it there for hours on end. Both will cause harm. So inherently, most of the spells are dark spells, right?"

Sirius stared, flabbergasted. It seemed he had never thought of it like that.

"So your definition is flawed. Now, coming to James' definition. Intention does count. Those basic spells will be considered bad only if they are used with the intention to cause harm. Otherwise, they are inherently good spells. Using this logic, all spells must be inherently good as we can use them for multiple purposes, not only to harm others. With me so far?"

James and Sirius nodded. Harry smiled.

"Now, intent is also well and good, but it is not a definitive metric to classify a spell as light or dark. If you use, say, a bonebreaker on another person to save someone, your intention is pure, even if you used it to harm someone. Does that make the bonebreaker light or dark?"

"What are you saying? That it depends on the scenario?" James asked curiously.

Harry nodded. "Most of the times, yes. It depends on both intent and the scenario, and that is how it should be. My objective is to stop a madman from destroying everything. It is a noble cause, which means I have the right intent in this scenario. That should mean all spells I use in this endeavour should be okay, right?"

He smiled at their confused expressions.

"What I am saying is that it's wrong to classify spells as light or dark without knowing the scenario they have been used in. All spells can be used for both good and bad purposes. We need to look at them on a case-to-case basis. However, there are indeed a few spells which should be considered dark in my opinion. Spells that require true malice to cast. That is it."

James and Sirius both frowned. "You're talking about the Unforgivables."

Harry nodded.

"Even those could've been used for good. Perhaps to allow someone relief from severe pain by killing them painlessly, or by bewitching their mind to stop them from committing some heinous act. However, it is impossible. That is because inherently these spells require true malice and hatred on your part to cast. If you have even an inkling of any other emotion apart from malice or hatred, you simply won't be able to cast those three spells. It's a shame, really it is. The Unforgivables could've been used for so many positive purposes.

"Many spells which we consider dark derive power from anger. However, I consider them within the grey area, even though they can cause considerably more significant damage. But the unforgivables are inherently dark."

James and Sirius nodded, both thoughtful.

"We are going to be at war, and that will require us to do things we wouldn't like. We would have to make the choice – us or them. And that would require us to use spells we previously would've never dreamt of using."

Harry stared at the two as they remained silent.

"So how much have you done so far?"

James and Sirius looked at each other before turning towards him and sighing. Harry frowned.

"Look, you two. If you are serious about this, I want you to train without slacking off. Getting distracted won't help you. Get going now."

The two young men sighed and nodded in understanding, and Harry crossed his legs before closing his eyes.

"I'll be out of it for at least an hour. You two should be done with channeling your magic through both the spheres until then. I'll look over the results and then you can demonstrate your spellcasting level."

James and Sirius nodded and watched as Harry's face relaxed into a peaceful look. They turned to look at each other with resolute expressions and went over to begin their tasks. Harry had given them a lot to think about. However, for now, they had something else to concern themselves with.

-Break-

It was late afternoon when they finally emerged from the training area. Minnie had already laid out the lunch. Harry chuckled when Sirius all but bolted forward and dove in.

"Don't worry, there's more than enough for us all," he told James, who shook his head at his best friend and took his seat.

It was while they were eating that Harry thought about something that had been bugging him ever since their talk a few hours ago.

"Hey James, mind if I ask something?"

"Huh? What's up, mate?"

"Nothing much. It's just… you looked pretty pissed off when you were telling us about the children from those bigoted houses."

James' face darkened at the reminder and Harry saw Sirius sigh with a small smile on his face.

"Let's just say I've heard a few of those assholes say some not so pleasant words to a few people I care about."

Harry nodded, looking askance at Sirius who muttered something.

"What was that?"

Sirius looked at him before looking at James, who sighed.

"It's a girl I care about. She is a muggleborn and is the most brilliant witch you'll ever meet in your life. Those cunts have sometimes said not so savory things to her. It always enrages me when I think about it."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"I see. I can understand how something like that would agitate you. So you have a crush, hmm?" He asked, smirking. Sirius laughed out loud.

"Crush? Merlin, this dog has it bad for her."

"Yeah so? I love her, and I have no shame in admitting it."

Harry looked at James with wide eyes. "Wow, you love her? You two must be very close then. How long have you been together, if you don't mind me asking?"

Sirius guffawed as James looked as if all the wind had been knocked out of his sails. Harry gave them a look of faux confusion.

"That girl hates his guts," Sirius replied, still laughing. "Thinks he's a smartass and couldn't care less about him."

"Shut up, Padfoot," James hissed, kicking him in the shin.

"Ouch. Fuck that hurt," Sirius cried out, massaging the spot.

Harry shook his head. He thought about his parents, and whether he could do anything to bring them closer. In the original timeline, it took his father maturing to realize what he was doing wrong, and he had gotten together with his mother in their final year. However, such maturity had been triggered by the traumatic event of his grandparents' deaths. There was no way he was going to let that happen in this timeline.

Perhaps there was something he could do so his father could mature quicker this time around. He would certainly not interfere directly as that could prove risky. However, he could certainly maneuver the situation around so that his father realized that he was conducting himself wrongly.

Harry decided to wait and see how things would turn out before taking any steps. Already he had changed a lot since his arrival. Hopefully, he could do much more and bring positive changes in their lives.

"And you're one to talk," James retorted. "Mr. I-can't-contain-my-dalliances-and-settle-down-with-the-one-I-fancy!"

"Merlin, that's a big ass name," Harry snorted mid-bite and swallowed quickly. Sirius flushed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied.

"Yeah, right. Marlene McKinnon. Ring any bells?"

Harry seemed to recall Sirius mentioning the woman a few times in his past, and always with a sense of regret. If he remembered correctly, his godfather did indeed like her, but they never got together because of his lecherous behavior. The girl was killed with her entire family during Voldemort's initial attacks.

Harry looked at Sirius who was looking anywhere but at them.

"Let me tell you about our great Padfoot and his legendary love life," James looked at him with a grin as Sirius acted as if he couldn't hear what they were talking about. Harry leaned forward with a teasing grin.

"She is a cheeky minx," James continued. "Declined his Hogsmeade invitation last year because our resident Casanova here can't seem to keep himself away from sampling a new witch every other week."

"Sirius…" Harry deadpanned.

"What? Whatever suits her. I gave her a chance at sampling the perfect specimen of masculinity that the great Sirius Black is. If she doesn't want to get blessed with my magnificence, her loss."

Harry looked at James and chuckled at the similarly exasperated look on his face.

"Keep being this humble and she'll never agree to go out with you," Harry replied. Sirius shrugged.

"Her loss. I have witches lining up for me. Who cares about that idiot?"

"You do sound like you do," James interjected with a grin. Sirius gave him a stink eye which was expertly ignored before he turned to look at Harry and a certain devilish gleam entered his eyes.

"And what about you, Mr. Perfect?"

Harry blinked at him. "Mr. Perfect? That's the best you could come up with?"

Sirius shrugged before smirking knowingly.

"Who do you have your eyes on?"

Harry forcefully ejected the vision of grey eyes framed by blonde locks out of his mind and shrugged.

"Haven't found her yet."

"Uh-huh, as if I'd believe that," Sirius interjected swiftly before looking at James. "Remember what I told you yesterday before Mr. Perfect here came over?"

James looked at Sirius with a frown before his eyes widened.

"You weren't joking!?"

Sirius clicked his tongue and pointed at his eyes. "This dog's eyes never miss things like this, mate."

James turned to look at Harry in surprise.

"You have hots for Narcissa Black!?"

Harry's eyes shot open.

"What the fuck!?"

"Oi! Don't play coy now. I saw you two making eyes at each other during that bloody dinner. Merlin, they looked like a married couple already. Talking with your eyes!? Seriously? How cheesy can you get, Peverell?"

Harry could only stare in shock as Sirius kept smiling smugly.

"You're completely off the mark here. There's nothing between me and your cousin."

"Yeah, and I'm the bloody Minister for Magic! Admit it, Peverell. You've got hots for Cissy."

James stared at a dumbstruck Harry with wide eyes.

"Merlin's saggy tits! It's true! You fancy Narcissa!"

"That's why he was so vexed when I said bloody Lucy was interested in Cissy. Dude has hots for her. I'm sure."

"I was not vexed!"

James scratched his cheek. "Err… mate. You kinda were."

"He was, right!?" Sirius exclaimed before turning to look at Harry with wide eyes. "Look mate, I don't care about anything, but please take Lucy down a peg or two. I'd happily watch you make out with my cousin in the middle of the Great Hall just to see the look on that slimy cunt's face."

"Fucking hell, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed as James looked on with a grin.

"Admit it, Harry. You do have hots for Narcissa," he prompted, grin widening when Harry glared at him. "See, all this teasing and you've still not denied it even once. Looks kinda done and dusted to me."

Harry could only stare in surprise. He had no idea anyone had even seen him and Narcissa interacting in such a manner. He had indeed been thinking of approaching Narcissa once they got to Hogwarts. She was beautiful, and so far she had been entirely different from what he had heard of her in his previous life. There was no way he was going to deny himself happiness in this new life, and exploring whatever there was between them was something he wanted to do.

He looked at Sirius and sighed in defeat.

"You really are a pathetic dog," he muttered.

James and Sirius only laughed in response.

TBC.

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Thanks for reading.