The morning following his talk with Shirayuki, the air in the pocket dimension seemed to vibrate with a renewed energy. Harry finished his training routine with Kurogane, feeling every muscle in his body respond with a precision that was previously foreign to him. After a long shower that washed away the traces of effort, he took a moment in front of the mirror. There was no longer any sign of the scrawny child who lived under the cupboard; before him stood a young man of robust build and noble bearing.
He dressed in a black silk robe, its gray edges shimmering subtly with every movement. Noticing that his vision was perfect thanks to the evolution of his standard of living, he had left his glasses definitively on the table, allowing his green eyes to stand out without barriers. Accompanied by Mipsy, Harry crossed the portal to the outside world and headed to Gringotts. In Ironfang's private office, the atmosphere was one of pure business. They were finishing adjusting some financial details when a firm knock echoed on the door. As it opened, four women entered the room, and time seemed to stand still.
Amelia Bones and her niece Susan, along with Andromeda Tonks and her daughter Nymphadora, stood paralyzed at the sight of the young man waiting for them. He was not the helpless child of the chronicles; he was someone who radiated a quiet but imposing strength.
"Harry?" Andromeda whispered. Her voice broke, and a hand instinctively rose to her mouth to muffle a sob. She approached slowly, her gaze scanning Harry's face. "By Merlin... we have been looking for you everywhere, but the walls they built around you were impenetrable. You are... you are magnificent. You have Great-Uncle Charlus's bearing, but that gaze is all Lily's."
Andromeda could not contain herself any longer and closed the distance to wrap him in a warm, firm embrace. Harry, who was not used to physical contact from a relative, stood stiff for a second before relaxing and returning the gesture. He felt a lump in his throat; it wasn't the magical loyalty of his creatures, it was the warmth of blood calling to blood.
"I am your aunt, Harry," she continued as she pulled away, her eyes misty. "It hurt every year not to be able to be close. I know it's a lot to take in, but we are family, Harry. It hurt my soul not to have been there for you all these years, but Dumbledore never let us find your whereabouts."
Amelia Bones, maintaining her professional composure though clearly impressed, took a seat. "Andromeda is right. Albus kept us away with excuses about security."
The meeting turned serious when Ironfang placed the seals of the Potter and Peverell houses on the desk. The torchlight reflected off the gold and stone of the rings, symbolizing a power that had been dormant for far too long.
"As you know," Ironfang intervened in his raspy voice, "Lord Potter has claimed his titles. However, the law is clear: being a minor, he cannot occupy his seat in the Wizengamot or exercise his vote directly. He needs regents to act in his name."
Harry looked at the two older women with a seriousness that left them breathless.
"Andromeda, Amelia... I know we barely know each other, but I trust what you represent," Harry said.
"Dumbledore has used my seats, the Potters', to mold laws at his whim. I want to formally ask you to accept being my regents. I don't want my votes to remain in the hands of an old man who hid my own origin from me."
Andromeda took Harry's hand, squeezing it tightly. "I accept, Harry. I will defend the honor of your name and the Peverells with every fiber of my being."
Amelia nodded with a stern smile. "This is going to cause a political earthquake, Harry. Tomorrow morning I will present the acts of regency. The Headmaster is going to find out that you have decided to take the reins of your own life."
While the women discussed the legal technicalities, Harry relaxed a bit, noticing the gaze of the younger ones. Nymphadora, who insisted on being called Tonks while her hair changed to a vibrant bubblegum pink, broke the ice with a laugh.
"Hey, cousin, you're a pretty imposing Lord," Tonks joked, winking at him. "I'm going to like you a lot. It was about time someone annoyed that old goat. And get ready for Hogwarts, because you're going to cause a sensation!"
Susan Bones, who had been watching Harry in silence, shrunk back a little when he looked at her. Her cheeks flushed deep red and she played nervously with the edge of her robe. With a voice barely above a whisper, she dared to speak.
"Harry... I... well, we all grew up reading the 'Boy Who Lived' books," Susan said, looking down for a second before meeting his green eyes again. "In the stories they always paint you as someone... thin with glasses—my aunt tells me they were similar to James Potter when he was a child. But you are very different from those books. You are... you are very real. And much more imposing than any story could imagine."
Harry gave her a soft smile, noticing her shyness. "I have seen those books, but they are very different from that character; everything you have heard about me is very different from reality."
Susan nodded shyly, feeling her heart beat fast. Seeing Harry, so tall, strong, and self-assured, was 100 times better than the hero in the books.
After formalizing the regency documents, where Andromeda assumed custody of the House of Peverell seat and Amelia that of the House of Potter, the group moved to a private restaurant to share a meal. What began as an attempt at celebration soon turned into an atmosphere charged with icy indignation. Harry, though cautious with his privacy, decided that if they were to be his voices in the Wizengamot, they should know the truth that Dumbledore had tried to bury under the asphalt of Privet Drive.
As Harry recounted, with a calm that was almost more unsettling than tears, the years of negligence, the cupboard under the stairs, the hunger, and the abuse of the Dursleys, the air in the room seemed to thicken. Amelia Bones stopped eating, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her cutlery; her instinct as Director of the DMLE screamed at the blatant violation of child protection laws.
"Dumbledore said you were protected by magic your parents had placed on you?" Amelia intervened, her voice vibrating like a whip. "There is no magic in this world that justifies leaving the heir of two Ancestral Houses in the hands of animals who hate him. This is not just negligence, Harry. It is a crime of state."
Andromeda, for her part, wept silently, but her dark eyes shone with the legendary Black fury. Seeing the strong and noble young man in front of her and comparing him to the child the story described broke her soul, but something clicked in her mind. "That man isolated you so that, when you returned to our world, you would be a blank slate that he could write on as he pleased."
Tonks had stopped playing with her hair; now her face was serious, with a grayish tone that reflected her disgust. Susan, for her part, clung to the edge of the table, looking at Harry with a mixture of horror and renewed admiration: she couldn't believe that someone who had gone through that hell could smile with such kindness.
Were it not for Amelia's high office and the need to act with political cunning, the four women would have appeared at number 4 Privet Drive at that very instant to burn the house to ashes. However, they all knew that the sweetest revenge would not be against the Dursleys, but against the old man who put them there.
Amelia, processing the information with the cold mind of an investigator, set her glass on the table and fixed her gaze on Harry.
"Harry, if the Dursleys are as nefarious as you say... are you still living with them currently? If so, I will not allow you to return to that place for one more minute," Amelia sentenced, with an authority that admitted no reply.
Harry shook his head gently, flashing a small smile; it was a lie he had already thought of. "No, Amelia. Some time ago, a Potter family elf managed to find me. He took me out of that place and brought me to Potter Manor. It is thanks to living there, under the protection of my own home and with proper food and care, that I have been able to grow and recover from those years."
The relief in the room was palpable. Andromeda let out a long sigh, putting a hand to her heart. "Thank Merlin."
The meeting lasted until the evening shadows began to lengthen. Despite only a few hours having passed, Andromeda was reluctant to let him go. She stood up and took Harry's hands once more, as if afraid to let go.
"It's hard for me to let you go, Harry," Andromeda admitted with a misty voice. "I feel like I've just found you and my instinct tells me not to lose sight of you. But I know you have your own business to attend to at the manor."
"I'll be fine, Aunt Andromeda," Harry replied, conveying a confidence that finally convinced her.
Amelia nodded, shaking his hand with a firm but warm professional grip. "Tomorrow morning the Potter and Peverell seats will officially change hands. The Headmaster will receive the notification at dawn. We'll see you on the Hogwarts Express, Harry. Susan and Tonks will look for you there."
Tonks gave him a playful wink as her hair flashed a vibrant orange. "See you on the Express, cousin...!"
Susan, for her part, said goodbye with a shy wave and a smile that lit up her face, still amazed by the boy who turned out to be much better than any written legend.