Emeralds and Ashes

With a faint pop, Harry apparated in the alley across the telephone booth that was the entryway to the ministry atrium. Crossing the road with quick strides, he entered the red booth and quickly entered the code.

"Welcome to the Ministry for Magic. Please state your name and business," a cool female voice sounded.

"Harry Peverell, here to visit the Wizengamot archives."

"Please affix the card to your robe and always keep it on your person. You are also required to have your wand registered at the counter. Have a good day."

A small white card popped up, and Harry quickly affixed it to his shirt. Grimacing, he stepped inside and pulled the flush. In an instant, he vanished beneath.

The ministry atrium was bustling with activity and Harry looked around. It was 1975, so Voldemort had not yet announced himself to the world. As far as he remembered, no attacks had started yet.

That would change soon, he thought to himself as he walked over to the counter where he was supposed to get his wand registered.

A bored-looking witch pushed a tray forward and Harry placed his wand inside. The witch raised her eyebrows slightly after looking at the materials before pushing the tray forward. Harry smiled and grabbed his wand before walking toward the elevator.

He noted with a frown that quite a few ministry workers were waiting, and he joined the queue. Finally, the door opened with a loud ring, and Harry walked behind the others.

His destination was Level 2, so he opted to stay near the front and quickly stepped out when the elevator reached his destination.

The Wizengamot archives were situated at the far end of the corridor, and Harry walked over with quick, firm strides. A few people paused to look at him, curiously wondering who he was and what he was doing there. Harry did not pay them any mind. Who he was would soon become public knowledge anyway.

Harry entered the large room with numerous files and folders arranged on massive racks and walked over to the counter where an old wizard was sitting with a folder open in front of him.

"Yes?" The man asked when he looked over.

"I would like to claim the lordship of my house under the Doctrine of Ultima Linea," Harry said clearly. The man's eyes widened.

"You will need to have a blood verification then."

Harry nodded and pulled out his wand before making a thin slice on one of his fingers. He held it forward and let a drop fall on the small flask the man had held out. A small runic sequence was engraved on a metal contraption and Harry watched as the man put the flask inside.

The man's eyes bugged out when he read the small piece of parchment that popped out and he held it out for him. Harry read it and nodded.

Eligible heirships:

Lord Incumbent to the Ancient and Noble House of Peverell

Heir Secondary to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter

"This is correct. My name is Harry James Peverell, and I want to claim the lordship of my house as the last of my direct line. There is already an apparent heir to the House of Potter, right? Perhaps that is why I am the secondary heir. Our families are related, afterall."

The man quickly procured the ring of the lord of the house and slid it on the counter with a shaking hand. Harry smiled and took it out of the box before slipping it through his finger.

"Thank you," he nodded at the old man, who gave him a shaky nod and walked out of the room.

One more task to take care of, he thought to himself as he made his way to the elevator.

-Break-

Harry walked out of the office of the Department of Education, having scheduled his OWLs that would take place the next day. He planned to enroll himself as a sixth-year at Hogwarts. Originally, he had intended to join his parents in their year, however, because he had arrived a year earlier than intended, he had no choice.

The elevator was empty, and Harry smiled to himself as he entered. Leaning back, he thought of things he had to take care of.

There were a few tasks that demanded his attention. Preventing the rise of Voldemort was important, and even more important was killing him. Slughorn knew how many Horcruxes Voldemort had made, so he would need to develop a close relationship with the man. Hopefully, his Peverell bloodline would help him out.

Another important task was to acquire the Horcruxes. He knew what most of them were, however, he had no idea where they might be. Bellatrix, Regulus, and Lucius were all Hogwarts students right now and had not joined his forces. That proved a bit bothersome.

Then there were a few personal projects which he would undertake aside from Voldemort. He was sure the Deathly Hallows were real. He could acquire the stone and the cloak. However, he had no clue where the wand was. He would need to investigate it. It was his family's relic, and he would be damned if he let someone else use it. He just hoped that the wand had not been destroyed.

Sighing, Harry thought about the final task. His family was alive. His parents were alive. There was no way he would be letting any harm fall on them. They would live happy and fruitful lives, and he would ensure that.

Eyes closed, Harry wondered if he could do something that would prevent people from joining Voldemort's forces altogether. He chuckled mirthlessly. Many evil people lusted for power, and they would jump at the chance. There was nothing he could do to save them. However, that did not mean there was no hope for them at all. He would see how things unfolded, and only then would he decide whether he should make an effort. He had no appetite for charity anymore. He had only so much fucks to give.

Arcturus had told him to save their families and as many people as he could. Harry scoffed to himself as he thought about a few members of the Blacks, particularly about Bellatrix and Walburga. He would save only those he deemed deserving of his help. No one else. If they chose Voldemort, he would be happy to deal with them, his promise to Arcturus be damned.

The elevator stopped and Harry saw it was Level 2. He sighed. He had hoped he would have more time in solitude, however, it seemed someone else needed to use the elevator as well.

The door opened, and his eyes shot open when he saw the people who entered. Their eyes fell on him before they zeroed in on the tag affixed to his shirt, and they widened.

"Lord Peverell, an honor to meet you. I am Arcturus Black, Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black," Arcturus said, his eyes hiding none of his interest. Beside him, the dark-haired man shook his head.

"Always with the formalities," he sighed, before looking at Harry with a smile. "I am Charlus Potter."

Harry looked at the Black patriarch and his grandfather and had to work his Occlumency to the maximum. Fixing a polite smile on his face, he nodded.

"An honor to meet you as well, my lords," he replied as the door to the elevator closed. He looked at the two men. Even twenty years younger, Arcturus still looked like a moody bastard with the same hair and beard. Harry had to wonder if the man ever changed his style.

His grandfather on the other hand was a tall, broad-shouldered man and Harry could readily admit that he looked like the warrior Arcturus had told him he was. With a neatly trimmed beard and hair that came to his shoulders, Charlus Potter was every bit an imposing lord of a powerful magical family. Involuntarily, Harry straightened and tilted his face slightly upwards.

Both men radiated a sort of presence Harry had only felt in the company of a few wizards, and that list included both Dumbledore and Voldemort.

It could only be his luck that he would stumble on these two men before even a day had passed in this new reality that was now his. Harry sighed. This meeting was going to happen anyway.

"Imagine our surprise when we found that someone came to the archives today to claim the lordship of the Ancient and Noble House of Peverell," Arcturus remarked as he looked at Harry. "I must say we are quite fortunate to meet you already."

Harry nodded.

"I had no idea that the main line of House Peverell had survived," Charlus remarked, looking keenly at Harry. "My family records clearly state that the last daughter of the house married into my family, so I was indeed surprised to learn that someone had claimed the lordship."

Harry looked at the man with a frown, who was quick to reassure him.

"I do not mean any insult, Lord Peverell. It was simply a surprise. Everyone knows the ancient spells governing the Wizengamot cannot be tricked. You must be eligible to hold the lordship of the house, otherwise that ring would have killed you the moment you put it on with the intention to control the house."

Harry gave the man a small smile. The ancient spells could not be tricked, yes, but there certainly were ways to maneuver around them if the correct conditions were met. Conditions like his situation.

"I understand, my lord. No offence taken," he reassured the man.

The elevator came to a stop and the door slid open, and they saw that they were already on the main floor. Together, they walked out.

"We would be honored to host you over dinner, Lord Peverell. As lords of Ancient and Noble Houses, we should get to know each other. Say, this Sunday evening at 7?" Arcturus asked politely, or at least as politely as one could expect from the man. Harry had to stop himself from sighing.

It might have been an invitation, but Harry knew what it truly was. He knew how prideful Arcturus was, and there was no way it was in his best interests to decline a request from him. He looked at the man and nodded.

"It would be my pleasure."

Arcturus smiled.

"The address is #12 Grimmauld Place. If you arrive via Floo, please call beforehand and I shall grant you access," he said and looked at Charlus. "You should come over with Dorea and James as well."

Charlus gave his acceptance before the two men greeted him and walked away. Harry sighed to himself as he stared at them before walking over to the apparition point.

-Break-

His trunks had all his belongings, and his first task was to get himself settled. Two things were necessary – a permanent place to live and getting his vault sorted out at Gringotts. Resolving to get the latter sorted out first, Harry apparated to Diagon Alley.

He smiled as he looked around. The alley looked clean and lively, with people bustling on the street and inside the shops. Since school was due to start in a month, several students could be seen doing the shopping early.

This was what things were like before Voldemort's reign of terror.

He identified several shops from his time, from Madam Malkin's robe shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Eeylops Owl Emporium, and Flourish and Blotts to Florian Fortescue's ice-cream parlor. He frowned as he looked at the latter. The last he had heard, Mr. Fortescue had been murdered and his shop vandalized. So much destruction had been wrought by one madman in his lust for power, Harry thought, seething.

Walking up the steps to Gringotts, Harry took a moment to look at the warning inscribed on the wall. He truly had no interest in ever robbing the goblins.

The foyer was as expensively decorated as ever, with golden chandeliers dangling off the ceiling and a shiny marble floor reflecting the light.

He spotted a teller with no queue in front of him and walked over.

"State your name and business," the goblin said curtly, looking at him with keen eyes.

"Harry Peverell, here to open a new vault and make a deposit."

The gleam of greed entered the goblin's eyes as he stared at him.

"Peverell, you say?" He muttered. "Prove it."

Harry held his hand out in response, and the goblin stared at the ring. It was a platinum ring with a black gemstone in the middle with the Peverell insignia on it.

"Authentic," the goblin admitted as he looked at him. "You are the first Peverell who has decided to entrust Gringotts with your money."

"I know. Everything starts somewhere."

"True, true," the goblin muttered before his hands glowed. Harry watched as a key materialized on the counter before the goblin slid it in front of him. "One drop of your blood."

Sighing, Harry made a thin slice on his finger and let a drop fall before healing it. The key glowed once again and the goblin nodded.

"Vault 108. Your records will be collected from the ministry. Larkoff will take you to make the deposit."

Harry watched as the goblin stamped a piece of parchment harshly, which flew away. Looking to the side, he saw a goblin who he assumed must be Larkoff.

"Follow me, wizard," the goblin muttered. Harry followed behind him.

They got in the cart which took them to a deep trench beneath the bank. Harry watched the waterfall he recognized from his first visit as well as a few dragons that seemed to be guarding the vaults. He had never ventured this deep, and he wondered just how he was assigned a vault this deep underground.

The cart came to a stop and the goblin hopped off. Harry jumped off behind him.

"Key."

Silently, Harry handed the key over and saw the goblin open it. As expected, the vault was empty. However, Harry observed that it was massive.

He brought a few trunks out and enlarged them, before flicking his wand.

The goblin watched with wide eyes as millions of galleons floated inside the vault and started to arrange themselves in massive piles. Harry flicked his wand again when it was done and looked at the goblin.

"Thirty-six million, four hundred thirty-three thousand and six hundred forty-four galleons."

Harry nodded in satisfaction. Both the Potter and Black vaults had been emptied, and given what he knew about the houses, it was not a surprise to see that he had this much money. It went without saying that he could live comfortably without working a day in his life, even though he had no intention of doing that.

He took out the six hundred forty-four galleons and put them inside a bottomless bag before gesturing for the goblin to close the vault. The goblin sneered but did as he was bid, and Harry pocketed the key.

One long ride in the cart later, he was back in the foyer and quickly walked out of the bank. He needed to sort out his living arrangements, and even though he would've lived very comfortably in a small home, he knew he needed a manor befitting the House of Peverell. After all, politics would require him to host a few events to socialize with his allies.

Luckily, Arcturus had told him who to approach, and Harry quickly walked to the apparition point and vanished with a faint pop.

-Break-

"Lord Peverell, apologies for keeping you waiting," a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and blonde hair walked over and greeted him with a firm handshake. Harry nodded.

"No apologies are needed, Lord Greengrass."

The lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass smiled as he led him over to his office.

"I could not believe my assistant's missive when I read that the new lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Peverell had paid me a visit. Please do tell, what can I do for you?"

Harry smiled, not surprised at all that word had spread in the pureblood circles already. "I want to purchase a manor for the House of Peverell. Naturally the best will do. I would prefer it if the manor is in the south. I am not a very big fan of the cold."

Alastair Greengrass smiled. "You have come to the correct place, my lord. I believe we can get you sorted out very soon."

Harry watched as the man tapped his wand on the table and miniature versions of three large mansions materialized in front of him. He immediately noted that two were smaller than the third.

"These are a few of the properties for sale in the south. This one is outside Southampton," Greengrass gestured toward the first one, before pointing to the second. "This one is outside Falmouth and the last one is outside Bournemouth. All manors are away from the muggle-populated areas so you don't need to worry about it."

Harry immediately discarded the other two and focused on the one outside Falmouth, which was the largest and overlooked the Celtic Sea. It also looked the best out of the three.

"I think the one in Falmouth would do. However, I would like to have a tour before we finalize everything."

Greengrass smiled. "Certainly. If you will," he asked, tapping his wand against the replica and gesturing for him to touch it. Harry gently grabbed hold and they vanished in a swirl of colors.

The gentle breeze of the sea greeted them as Harry and Alastair appeared in front of a massive manor, and Harry admitted to himself that the replica certainly did not do it justice.

The manor was an impressive sight. It was a massive sprawling estate with a four-story façade and a large garden in front with a pathway through the middle that led to the house. The outer wall was made of bricks and decorated with intricate details and Harry saw large columns featuring the exterior.

As they toured around, he saw that the compound consisted of the garden he had seen, a large courtyard, and even a large fountain in the middle.

They toured the manor, and Harry liked it very much. The interior was richly decorated with antique furniture, wooden paneling, and Persian rugs. Large chandeliers and other luxurious artwork added to its grandiose. It was spacious and he believed it befitted the House of Peverell.

Half an hour later, Harry walked out of the office of Alistair Greengrass a few hundred thousand galleons poorer but as the proud owner of the Peverell Manor. Although the property had been warded by some of the most capable curse breakers Greengrass contracted, Harry would be remiss in his vigilance if he did not investigate them and add a few of his own. After all, the lord of House Black – a house that was notorious for its lethal wards – had been his instructor, and the man had taught him everything he knew about warding. Harry was not as capable as him yet, but he was confident that it would take days for anyone to breach past his defenses. House Black was not one to be trifled with.

It was already late afternoon, and Harry grabbed a quick lunch at The Leaky Cauldron before apparating away to his home. He quickly got to work, tweaking the wards and adding his own. The wards the property had come with were enough, but times would not be normal for long. Once Voldemort started his attacks, he was bound to cross wands with him. As such, these wards would surely come in handy.

Harry spent over three hours working on the wards, and only then did he pronounce it satisfactory. He wanted to cast the Fidelius charm over the property as well, however, that would serve no purpose. The war had not started yet and he would be inviting people over, so casting a Fidelius was not something he ought to do. However, he was sure he would need to cast it in the future.

That could wait. He had more pressing matters to attend to, one of which was to procure a house elf. There was no way he could take care of this vast property on his own. Once again, Arcturus' advice came to his aid.

It was early evening when Harry Potter appeared in Knockturn Alley in front of Borgin and Burke's shop. Shady characters from hags to petty criminals had already started to fill the alley and Harry quickly pulled his hood up and started to project his magic around him. He smirked when a couple of thugs stopped in their tracks, reconsidering what was their previous intention of mugging him, and walked in the other direction.

The slave trader ran his affairs in the deeper part of the alley. Harry had to scoff at the fact that such a heinous practice was underway right under the ministry's nose. He knew they won't do anything. Taking any action against slavery and dark artifact dealers would upset a lot of pureblood houses, and that was not something any minister could do. A minister had to appease those who ensured he or she was elected or those who were in positions of power, either financially or politically.

Harry walked with purposeful steps toward the deeper end of Knockturn Alley and searched for the small statue Arcturus had told him about. His eyes zeroed in on the small statue right outside a small building and he entered.

A rotund man with round glasses and a large mustache appeared from the side and grinned snidely.

"Welcome to my humble establishment, my lord. How may I help you?"

Harry had no interest in the many creatures he could see in the cages. He wanted so badly to just free them all, however, he knew it would lead to drastic consequences for both him and the wizarding economy in general. With war at the doorstep, he could not afford any setback, even though it pained him to leave these creatures in such a situation.

However, Harry resolved to himself that freeing them would be one of the first tasks he would undertake once Voldemort was dealt with.

"I am here for a house elf," Harry replied firmly. The man's smile widened.

"Certainly, my lord. If you would follow me," he walked to a large cage and Harry joined him. He could not help but wince slightly when he saw the magic-dampening chains holding them against the walls of the cage. There were four elves in total, all dressed in rags and staring at the floor.

"How much?"

"One elf sells for two hundred thousand galleons," the man grinned sickly.

Harry nodded. "Five hundred thousand for all four. Take it or no deal."

The man frowned.

"The best I can do is seven hundred and fifty thousand, my lord."

Harry didn't budge. "Five hundred thousand for all four. I am being very generous here."

"My lord, one elf sells for two hundred thousand. I can give you all four for seven hundred thousand. No less than that."

Harry didn't bother to reply and turned around. "I'll take my business elsewhere then."

He was almost at the door when the man shouted for him to stop. Harry smirked.

"Six hundred thousand and we can call it a deal."

Harry turned around.

"Throw that wolf into the mix and we have a deal," he said, gesturing toward a dark wolf that was chained in a bright cage with lamps surrounding it. The slaver looked over and grimaced before he sighed.

"I believe we have a deal."

Quickly, Harry signed a receipt and stamped it before handing it over to the slaver, who took a look at the name. His eyes bugged out.

"I hope I can count on your discretion. Afterall, it would be your preference to have my continued patronage."

"Too right, my lord Peverell, too right. Anything you want, whatever you want. I will ensure I procure it for you."

Harry smirked and nodded before heading over to the cage with the elves.

"Bring them out."

The slaver did as he was told, and Harry stared at all four elves. With the help of the magic that the bond will grant them, he was sure they would be fit and running in no time.

The slaver brought a small vial and made a little cut on each elf's fingers before taking a few drops of their blood in it. Harry made another thin slice on his finger and let a few drops of his blood join theirs. The slaver shook the vial before pouring a few drops inside each elf's mouth with a small dropper.

Instantly, the elves' skin lightened to a healthy pink and they stood straighter, looking at him in adoration. They energetically introduced themselves, and Harry nodded.

"Go to Peverell Manor. I shall join you in a few minutes."

The elves nodded and vanished with a pop. Harry turned to look at the wolf that was staring at him keenly.

"Open his cage."

The slaver quickly unlocked it and Harry yanked it open. The cage was too bright and he had to squint slightly as he walked in.

"I gather this is a shadow wolf?"

The slaver grinned.

"One of the few in Britain, my lord Peverell. And now you are the proud owner of one. I must say you would be the envy of quite a few witches and wizards when they see it."

Harry nodded and watched as the slaver did the same blood infusion with the wolf, and once he dropped the mixed blood in its mouth, the wolf's slightly grey fur darkened into pitch black and it stood up, looking at him curiously.

Harry bent down so that he was at eye level with the wolf and smiled.

"You are my companion now, and I can't wait to get to know you."

The wolf growled softly in response and bumped its head against his. Harry chuckled. He noticed it was a female, and immediately, the name came to him.

"Luna," he whispered, looking at the wolf who tilted her head. Harry smiled softly. "Your name will be Luna. Fitting for a wolf, I think."

The newly dubbed Luna softly licked his nose. Harry chuckled and walked out of the cage, with the wolf following behind him. The moment they crossed the threshold, Harry watched as Luna vanished inside his shadow.

"I cannot see it, but you will always be able to tell that it is there. As a shadow wolf, it will always come to you if there is a shadow near you," the slaver replied, looking at him. Harry nodded.

"I believe that concludes our business today."

The slaver watched as Harry turned around on the spot and vanished with a soft pop. His eyes fell on the big fat draft from Gringotts and he could not help but grin. The business was brilliantly booming, and he hoped there would be more sales to come. However, right now, he needed to procure more elves since he was out of stock.

With a skip in his steps, the slaver walked away, leaving a collection of caged magical creatures behind him.

-Break-

Even though he knew how efficient house elves could be, he was still surprised to see how quickly they had divided the work among themselves. After arriving back home, he needed to wait for only an hour and he was served a healthy dinner courtesy of Minnie.

They were a pair of male and female elves, with Minnie taking charge of meals, Vimsy overseeing the upkeep of the manor, Rooky resolving to ensure the garden, courtyard, and the entire exterior of the manor was maintained to the highest of standards, and Harkey to take care of all the clothes and fabric in the manor while also helping the other three out whenever possible.

Harry was satisfied with how much work he had managed to get done already. His OWLs had been scheduled for tomorrow, his manor and everything about it was taken care of, and without even intending to, he had gotten into contact with Arcturus and his grandfather.

He frowned as he thought about it. There was no way he would be telling them who he truly was. Terrible things happened to wizards who meddled with time, and even though this was a new reality, he did not want the future to interfere with what was essentially the past.

Even though a part of him wanted to at least tell his family who he was, he did not know if that was the right course of action. He did not know what they might do if he told them what had happened in the future he had come from. Sighing, he decided that he would tell them only if it became necessary, otherwise, this secret would go to his grave with him.

"It's truly a bother, Luna," he muttered, stroking his new companion behind her ears, chuckling when she gave a soft rumble.

He had his task cut out for him. Managing politics, discovering the entire truth of Voldemort's Horcruxes and killing the bastard for good, taking care of his followers, and preventing as many people as he could from joining him. Those would prove challenging. He doubted he would manage to accomplish the latter. The wizarding society was already very fractured and had been a ticking timebomb, to quote the muggle saying. It had needed only a catalyst to send it exploding, and Voldemort had played that role expertly. There was no way he would be able to stop people from joining him, however, he could certainly prevent a few from doing so.

Most of his followers whom he knew were currently at Hogwarts, and that included the majority of his inner circle. Malfoy, the Lestrange brothers, the Black sisters, and many others from predominantly dark families had their charges in either the sixth or seventh years, with a few being in the lower years like Regulus Black or Barty Crouch Junior. Harry wondered how many he could prevent from going to the other side.

He chuckled when he realized the chances were very slim. If he managed to stop even five of them, he would consider his endeavor a success.

His thoughts went back to his promise to Arcturus. The man had asked him to somehow ensure no one from his family joined Voldemort. Harry knew Walburga and Bellatrix would jump in a heartbeat, which left Regulus and Narcissa. He sighed. He would try with all of them, however, he would not bother too much if they did not see sense. As he had previously decided, he would be making efforts to save only those who deserved saving. If they wanted to make their graves so much, he would happily stand aside and watch them lie down. It was not as if he owed anyone anything.

He had had enough of being beholden to others. This was his life now. He would live it however he wanted.

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