Jealous Eyes in Knockturn Alley
Today was the day Sirius came to visit Harry. Though, if it were up to him, he'd do it every day. But because of the help he'd received from the Malfoy family and his cousins, he now had to take responsibility for the affairs of the Black family, which took up most of his time. At least he had the support of his favorite cousin and her husband, though he still had very little free time to see Harry.
If he knew Wanda considered him a bad influence on her son, he wouldn't be allowed in the house every daynot even if she had gone mad. She couldn't risk Harry being led astray. It would be interesting to see Sirius's face if he ever found out.
Their meeting spot always ended up being the bookstore. The reason was simple: it was a cozy place, full of books, and a place where Harry could be close to his mother. Although, to be exact, Wanda didn't really need a job. She simply wanted to show Harry how to become a functional adult. And over time, she had grown to enjoy being surrounded by books.
"Hey Harry, I heard you've been taking etiquette classes," said Sirius the moment he walked into the bookstore, smiling when he saw his godson. "Is that old lady Higberta still teaching them?"
"Professor Higberta, yes. She's our teacher," Harry replied.
"Ha! They tried to send me there too. But I burned that ridiculous giant hat of hers and got expelled on the first day," said Sirius with a mischievous grin.
"Godfather... sometimes I really don't understand if you're a good person or a bad one," said Harry with a slightly serious tone, making Sirius choke and lose his smile for a moment.
"Ahem… I was a troubled child. Doesn't mean I was bad," Sirius quickly defended himself. "Maybe I just liked pranks a little too much," he added with a nervous laugh.
Harry eyed him suspiciously, while Wanda smiled from a nearby shelf where she was arranging books by hand. Every now and then, she liked doing things the old-fashioned way without magic.
Feeling Harry's inquisitive gaze on him, Sirius desperately tried to redeem his image. He started digging through his memories for a good deed he could proudly share. Several seconds passed… and nothing came to minduntil suddenly, something did.
"You know, Harry, when your father and I entered Hogwarts, we became friends with Lupin. And he had a rare condition that made him lose control… he was always alone and barely wanted to talk about it. So your father and I dug into some old Black family books and found a way to speed up the process of becoming Animagi," Sirius said, a touch of nostalgia in his voice. "Normally, you have to hold a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a full monthbut we kept swallowing it by accident. And if you mess up, you can end up partially transformed or even disfigured. It's a very dangerous spell. That's why there are only six officially registered Animagi. There might be a few illegal ones, but not many dare to try. We did it just so we could be with Lupin during full moons."
"But if you did something illegal, technically that's not a good thing," Hermione interjected from beside Harry, staring straight at Sirius.
"Err… if you do something to help someone, it doesn't matter if it's illegal… as long as it's the right thing," Sirius tried to justify.
"Aunt Wanda, Sirius is teaching Harry something bad," Hermione said immediately, throwing him under the bus without hesitation.
Sirius instantly regretted telling that storyespecially when he felt Wanda's piercing gaze. It was so intense it actually made him break into a sweat.
…
Meanwhile, no one noticed a distant gaze watching Sirius, then Harry, and finally Wanda, with an expression full of disgust, jealousy, and intrigue.
"That guy again," muttered Lockhart as he hid inside a shop across from the bookstore, staring particularly hard at Sirius. The only reason Wanda hadn't noticed him yet.
"Why does he keep coming back? Who the hell is he? Why does he get along with the boy so well? Is he planning the same thing I am?" Lockhart whispered angrily.
"I need to find out more. I can't let the woman I've spent so long trying to win be taken by some penniless nobody," he said through gritted teeth. But what filled his voice most was envypure, poisonous jealousy.
Sirius's current appearance, now that he had to act as the head of a noble house, had been refined by his cousin. He now wore elegant robes, kept his hair well-groomed, and thanks to the healing potions he had taken, his natural Black family good lookssomething they were very proud ofhad begun to shine once more.
That only fanned the flames of fury and envy in Lockhart's chest.
"No one is going to steal what's mine," he muttered before standing up and leaving. He needed information. And he knew exactly where to get it. After all, it wasn't the first time he'd found out someone's secrets… and made them disappear.
He followed a path he knew by heart, slipping into Knockturn Alley as he pulled a black hooded cloak over his head to hide his face.
Every time he passed a dark wizard, he gripped his wand with fear, but he didn't stop. He quickly made his way through the alley until he reached a grimy bar and entered without hesitation.
Inside, various patrons were drinking all kinds of strange, smoking liquids. Some glasses held a thick red liquid. One man sipping from such a glass had long fangs protruding from his mouthclearly a vampire. He looked up when he sensed Lockhart's presence and gave him a mocking smile before sipping again, this time with noble manners.
Lockhart swallowed hard but quickly made his way to the bartender.
"I'm here to see the informant," he said in a serious tone.
The bartender said nothing and simply pointed with his thumb toward a door beside the bar.
Lockhart stepped through without delay and followed a dark hallway until he reached a door. He knocked firmly.
"Come in," a raspy voice said from within.
Lockhart obeyed, closing the door behind him.
"Oh, it's you again," said a man with multiple scars across his face. One eye was milky white, the other pitch blackutterly hollow. His appearance was disheveled, with a long beard and shoulder-length dark hair that clearly hadn't been washed in days. His clothes, however, were elegant: a high-end robe covered his entire body. "Writing another book? Need a real adventurer to fill your pages?" he asked with a mischievous yet sinister grin.
"The last one sold quite well. Our cut was rather juicy," the man added with a sly wink.
"No. This time it's about someone else. I need information," Lockhart said quickly.
"Oh yeah? What a pity. Alright then, what do you need to know? I won't charge yousince we're partners," the informant said calmly.
"It's about a guy who frequents Flourish and Blotts," Lockhart began, but before he could continue, the man frowned and raised his hand to stop him.
"Are you talking about the Greengrass family's bookstore? We don't mess with pureblood families, and you know that. And not just that the woman working there is from the Potter family. We can't afford to get on the bad side of two powerful houses at once," he said seriously.
"No, no, no. It's just some guy who shows up there often. I don't think he's anyone important. The first time I saw him he looked like a beggar, though now he seems to have some money. I want to know who he is, where he lives, and why he keeps coming to the bookstore," Lockhart explained.
"You know we only deal in information. We're not hired thugs," the informant clarified, just in case.
"I know. I just need the information," Lockhart insisted.
The man stared at him for a few seconds before nodding.
"Alright. If it's just about a nobody, it'll be easy. You know we've got eyes and ears everywhere," he said with a confident smile.
"Then I'll be expecting good news," Lockhart replied, leaving through the door and pulling up his hood once again.
What the informant didn't know… was that the bookstore wasn't just tied to two pureblood houses, but threesince Sirius's arrival. A prayer for them.
…
"Um… Wanda, may I speak with you for a moment?" Sirius said, a bit nervously as he approached the front desk where Wanda was arranging a few books.
She turned to look at him calmly, waiting for him to continue.
"I've been talking with my godfather, Mr. Fleamont," Sirius began seriously. "He told me we could use some of the old Potter family recipes to restore the Black name. If we do it right, we could build a strong economic foundation… something that would be a real support for Harry in the future."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But he also asked for something else: to help restore the Potter family as well. Back in his day, Fleamont sold all the businesses he built because James wasn't interested. He thought he wouldn't need them. But this world… this world is full of classism, favoritism, and power structures that can turn against anyone. Harry is going to need more than talent and magic if he wants to be free to choose his own path. And since you're the one representing the Potters now… I'll need to work with you, if you'll allow it."
Sirius fell silent, slightly tense. He still wasn't sure how to deal with Wandanot just out of respect, but because of what she was. Unfathomable. Powerful. Incredibly intelligent. She had literally used a teleportation spell to travel from the Ministryprotected by all sorts of magical barriersto the Potter Manor without a wand. And that had been on a quiet afternoon.
Wanda stared at him silently, thinking it over.
Sirius was right.
This world was cruel. Classist. Even racistamong wizards. Having money wasn't always enough; one needed power, political or commercial influence, connections. The Potter family had a seat on the Wizengamot, sure, but it was still just one vote. If Harry ever got into troubleand he was a Potter, so he would eventuallyfacing the system would be complicated. Sure, she could erase everyone's memories. She could reshape reality if she wanted… but that wasn't the point.
This was about her son's future.
Wanda knew she would live a long time. She knew her power was nearly absolute. But she also knew she couldn't always be at Harry's side. Not directly. Sooner or later, she'd have to step back, let him make choices, face challenges, grow on his own. As a mother, it was her duty to prepare him for the world. Not to shield him from it… but to teach him how to face it.
And if one day Harry had children, or even grandchildren, then having a network to protect thema strong family business to back their name, their safety, and their choiceswould be the best gift she could give.
"Alright," Wanda said in a calm but firm voice.
Sirius let out a sigh of relief.
"Then… I'll contact you when we need to use the Potter family seal. I was thinking of starting with potions and medicine companies. They're noble fields, and with our formulas, they could be quite profitable."
Wanda nodded, and Sirius gave a respectful bow before leaving. He had a lot of work ahead. But at least this time, he wouldn't be doing it alone.
…
N/A: This part won't matter much until way later, after several time skips. Just imagine Harry all CEO-likenoble, elegant, and surrounded by Chaos Magic. Tsk, tsk. Too cool.