Harry finds a new friend, Emma gets asked a question, Newt and Queenie call in reinforcements, and Tina has a very good reason to be proud of herself. Oh, and we see someone we haven't seen in a while.

***

Harry skipped in front of Emma as she, Newt and Queenie hung back slightly to talk about what they just saw. Queenie had put the glamours back on Newt and herself, so they could walk around Diagon Alley freely.

"This means we need to make sure Dumbledore never gets to him," Newt muttered to the two women as they followed Harry, who was heading to Eeylops Owl Emporium to look around. "Never."

"Agreed," Emma mumbled to them, ducking as an owl passed by her head.

She watched as her son pet a snowy white owl, and then looked up at her, Newt and Queenie. "Can we get her? Pretty please?" Harry pleaded, his bright green eyes pleading.

Newt looked at Emma, who looked very, very hesitant, but he chuckled when she reluctantly nodded. "As long as it's okay with Newt and Queenie, sure kid. But you have to help take care of her," she told him sternly, watching as Harry squealed and turned to Queenie and Newt.

"All young witches and wizards need a companion, and you'll be able to take this girl here with you to school," Newt nodded, and Quennie reached over to pet the owl. Newt went over and quickly paid for everything they would need for the owl, and then walked out with Harry, his new friend perched on his shoulder, nuzzling her beak into his neck.

Emma and Queenie followed behind them as they started walking back down the yellow cobblestone road. "What do you want to name her?" Emma asked.

Harry hummed, tilting his head as he thought. "What about Hedwig?" Newt suggested, and Harry looked up at him confused. Newt grinned bashfully. "A History of Magic was one of the few books I actually read and liked because it covered magical beasts. Saint Hedwig was the name of one of the witches in the book.

Harry looked up at him, down at his new owl, and back to Newt grinning. "I love it!" he cheered.

After Harry got his owl, and Newt shrunk down all of the things he'd gotten for her and put them in his pocket, he led them to the apothecary, explaining he'd only be a minute and went inside. While he was gone, Emma, Harry and Quennie took a seat at the bench near them. Harry was leaning against Emma, playing with his owl's feathers as she trilled happily, and Emma talked with Queenie.

"I'm so sorry, Emma," Queenie sighed, and Emma looked at her confused.

"What for?"

"For all you went through as a child," she murmured. "Newt and I know . . . you were underage when you had your first child. Close, but you were still a few months shy of eighteen."

Emma shook her head, grabbing Queenie's hand. "It's not your fault, Queenie," she said firmly.

Queenie nodded, and then brightened considerably. "Newt and I were going to wait until we got home, but . . . well, I know we will all be exhausted when we get back but we wanted to ask you if you would like to move in with us? It won't take coordinating to see Harry and it will be easier to protect him. It will be much easier to help you manage the houses that way too," Queenie rambled, and Emma smiled.

Harry had lifted his head as Queenie talked, and pulled on Emma's jacket sleeve. When she looked down, he had his puppy dog eyes out. "Can we, Mum?"

Emma couldn't say no to those eyes, so she looked up at Queenie and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. Really good, actually," Emma told her, and Queenie squealed, hugging her tightly.

Newt walked up, and seeing Queenie hugging Emma excitedly, he looked down at Harry. "Did she ask?" Harry nodded, grinning. "And am I to assume she said yes?" He looked up at Emma and Queenie, and Harry nodded again. "That's great, little one!" he grinned, ruffling Harry's hair.

Emma shook her head at her son, and she gave Newt a brilliant white smile. Newt returned the smile, then he grinned as he pulled Harry from his seat next to Emma and dragged him into the Diagon Alley toyshop, Pilliwinkle's Playthings. Emma and Queenie shared a look and both laughed before following the magizoologist and newly adopted boy.

Boys would be boys.

***

The last shop Newt walked with Harry, Emma and Queenie to was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single old chair in the corner of the room. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice.

Harry jumped. Emma placed a hand on his head, pulling him into her side. An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. "Hello," said Harry awkwardly.

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.

"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for Transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - It's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes. Emma pulled Harry back slightly, putting more space in-between them.

"And that's where . . ." Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger. Harry flinched, and Emma placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands. . . well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do . . ." He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Newt. "Newt! Newton Scamander! How nice to see you again. My father found your wand . . . oak wood, dragon heartstring core, 11 ½ inches, rather flexible, wasn't it?"

"It was, sir, yes," said Newt.

"Good wand, that one," said Mr. Ollivander, nodding.

Newt cleared his throat, changing the subject. "Mr. Ollivander, under special circumstances, we are here to get this woman, Emma Swan and young Harry here, a wand."

"Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see. You're still very young, aren't you?" Mr. Ollivander looked at Newt, who, without a word, handed him the piece of parchment that Gornuk had written specifically for this trip. The goblin knew Harry would need a wand as soon as possible because of how strong he is, and because of his ancestors, and had written a letter to Mr. Ollivander explaining the situation.

He looked at Newt and nodded, stuffing the letter into his pocket and looking at Harry and then pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his other pocket. "Which is your dominant arm?"

"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beech wood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.

"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try - "

Harry tried that one too but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.

"No, no - here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."

Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - yes, why not . . . unusual combination: holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Newt clapped, Queenie cheered, and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well . . . how curious . . . how very curious . . ."

He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper still muttering, "Curious . . . curious . . . "

"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"

Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix, whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother . . . why, its brother gave you that scar."

Harry swallowed and leaned further into Emma, who felt uncomfortable with Mr. Ollivander looking at her son like that.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember . . . I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."

Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. Queenie snorted at Emma's thoughts that, without any of them knowing, matched Harry's perfectly.

Mr. Ollivander looked at Emma next. He set the measuring tape to measure her, and dug through the boxes, pulling one out and handing it to her after he looked over the measurements. "Holly, with a unicorn hair core, 12 inches, unyielding."

She took it, and jumped when a vase near them exploded. Ollivander quickly took it back. He grabbed one from Harry's discarded pile and handed it to her. "Ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on." Emma waved it, and purple sparks flew out of it showering over her.

Mr. Ollivander stared at her for a minute with narrowed eyes, but eventually nodded. "Good, good," he mumbled, and Emma, Queenie and Newt all stared at him while Harry avoided looking at him. "Now, Miss Swan, do you know what the purple sparks mean?" Ollivander asked her, and Emma shook her head, biting back a retort. She'd had a long day, but Mr. Ollivander knew far, far more about magic than she did. She would indulge him. "It means you have magic, but it's been blocked. Now, the blockage appears to be weak, and it can easily be lifted, but only by someone close to you. Does that make sense?"

Emma nodded, but she was frowning. What did he mean blocked?

After he boxed her wand back up, they paid seven gold Galleons for Harry's wand and ten for Emma's, then Mr. Ollivander bowed them all from his shop.

"Why did I get my wand much earlier? Gornuk said a wizard was supposed to get his wand at eleven, and I'm seven. Why did I get it so early?" Harry asked as they all walked out of Ollivander's.

"You have very strong magic within you, young one. Very potent, incredibly strong magic that needs to be learnt to control earlier than everyone else. You have a strong magical core, and with that," Newt nodded towards the bag he was carrying, "You will do great things. Even as young as you are," he finished, and Harry nodded, trying to understand.

Queenie smiled at him, and then at Emma as they walked back towards the Leaky Cauldron to go back home. It was now later in the day and the sun was going down. It was five in the afternoon in Britain, which meant it was only twelve in the afternoon in New York, but all of them were exhausted.

When they got there, Emma took hold of Queenie's hand, with her bags tightly shrunk down in her jacket pocket, and Newt picked Harry up and placed him on his hip, the rest of their purchases from Diagon Alley in his pocket.

Both Queenie and Newt flicked their wands and turned on the spot, and they were at the reserve.

***

Unsurprisingly, it was Queenie who spoke first when they returned to the reserve. "Ollivander is . . . interesting."

Newt snorted, stowing his wand away in the slim holster at his belt. "He's been like that for decades, ever since he took over his family's wand shop. His father wasn't much better, though. I imagine it's hereditary."

"What did Mr. Ollivander mean when he said Mum's magic is blocked?" Harry asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

Emma turned to Newt and Queenie, raising an eyebrow expectantly. She wanted to know that, too. The two veterans of the Wizarding World looked at each other, and Emma was surprised when both shook their heads. "We don't know," Queenie admitted. "This . . . is the first we've ever heard of someone's magic being blocked. I'll send a Patronus to Tina, she may have an idea."

"In the meantime," Newt clapped his hands. "I promised someone a visit with a pegasus!" Harry cheered, grabbing Newt's hand and all but dragging the magizoologist in the direction of the reserve. "Oi!" Newt squawked, tripping over his own feet before he managed to catch up with the boy, leaving two laughing blondes behind. "Harry!"

***

Tina had spent decades covering her tracks whenever she visited her sister on hers and Newt's reserve. She lived in the New York area, meaning it would be completely expected for her to roam around New York. If she just so happened to enter her late brother-in-law's bakery, then so be it.

Still, she was relieved she was alone in her office when wisps of silver caught her eye. She looked up, then leaned back as Queenie's thunderbird Patronus spread his wings and hovered midair, wise eyes looking down at her. "We need you on the reserve as soon as you can come," Queenie's voice said; there was a note of worry that made Tina straighten and instantly start packing her bag. "We have so much to tell you."

Tina barely managed to nod before she shoved everything into her bag and grabbed her wand. Queenie's Patronus shimmered out of existence, then Tina held tightly onto her wand and turned on the spot, Disapparating from her office with a loud crack.

When she arrived on the reserve, she heard familiar laughter coming from nearby, and she turned to see one of Newt's pegasi foals - Adherion, she remembered his name - nuzzling Harry's head, messing up the boy's already untameable hair. Harry was giggling up a storm, and Newt was watching as he checked in on the other pegasi, a basket of apples and sugar cubes behind him.

And leaning on the fence of the paddock, deep in discussion, were Queenie and Emma, the two blondes with their heads inclined towards each other. Tina blinked once, then twice. When had Emma and Harry met them? She finally shook her head, striding towards the pegasus paddock. "Queenie!" she called.

Both women turned, and Queenie brightened. "Teenie!" she cheered, hurrying forward. "Oh, you've missed all the fun!"

Emma snorted. "Is that what we're calling it?"

"It seems I did," Tina looked around, accepting Queenie's hug. "Hello, Emma."

"Hi, Tina," Emma waved. "So . . . I'm torn between thanking you for having Harry's best interests at heart and throttling you for keeping magic a secret."

Tina grinned sheepishly. "I didn't think you would believe me."

Emma gestured towards the reserve behind them. "Consider me a believer."

"Hi, Miss Tina!" Harry waved in excitement from by Adherion.

Tina's smile widened, and she waved in reply as Newt spun from feeding the other pegasi. "Hi there, Harry!"

"I'm a wizard!" Harry informed her happily. "And Mum's a witch!"

Tina blinked, looking at Emma in surprise. "You are?"

"Apparently," Emma shrugged, gingerly pulling a wand from her jacket. "I mean, my inheritance test said I was Muggleborn, and one of Ollivander's wands chose me . . . "

"But Emma's wand sprayed purple sparks when she received it," Queenie continued as Newt led Harry out of the paddock. "Which, according to him, means Emma's magic is somehow blocked."

"Really?" Tina tilted her head, frowning. "I thought I sensed magic on you when I met you, Emma . . . but I had no idea what it was. Your magic is . . . " She trailed off, then shook her head. "If your magic is somehow blocked, that explains a lot."

"Well," Emma's voice was far too nonchalant. "That explains everything."

"Do you know how to help us remove it?" Newt asked, joining them with Harry. "Queenie and I know the basics, but as an Auror, surely you know the best way to remove a block?"

"Of course," Tina nodded at once. "Thankfully, it won't be too complicated. If your wand has already recognized you have magic and knows there's a block, then we know we're looking for a block. Often, those with a block on their magic never truly know unless they hold a wand in their hand."

Emma pointedly looked at her wand. "Great, I'm special."

"Of course you are!" Harry frowned at her. "You're my mum."

Emma blushed as Newt snickered. "Yeah, I am, kid."

"Mum blood-adopted me today," Harry informed Tina with a wide grin.

Tina smothered a grin when she saw Emma's red cheeks. "Oh, did she?"

"It was their idea!" Emma hastened to point at Queenie and Newt.

"And you agreed!" Newt immediately countered.

Tina nodded, looking at Queenie. "That explains the inheritance test."

"Yes," Queenie nodded, biting her lip. "And, uh . . . you might need to warn Theseus when you're done here."

Tina raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Queenie coughed. "Let's just say there's a reason Dumbledore wants Harry in his reach . . . and it showed up in his inheritance test."

Tina's expression darkened. If what Dumbledore wanted was on an inheritance test, it was one of two things: a member of Harry's family, or one of his houses . . . maybe even both. "Noted."

"So," Emma cleared her throat. "This . . . block?"

Tina nodded. "Let's find a more open spot for this."

***

Tina's eyebrows climbed higher as she read Emma's inheritance test. "This is unusual," she finally remarked.

"Yeah, Gornuk said the same thing," Emma sighed as she stood in the center of the triangle formed by Newt and the Goldsteins. "Something about the statuses being unknown?"

"That's certainly different," Tina agreed. "All of them being in stasis? Although . . . " She tilted her head. "That could have an impact on the block on your magic."

"Could it?" Newt tilted his head curiously.

"Blocks could be influenced by many things," Tina nodded. "But commonly, if something has happened elsewhere in the family to hinder magic . . . such as stasis . . . it could lead to a surviving family member having their magic blocked. Another option is a curse of some form, but there are very few curses that could block someone's magic for this long. It would have to be one of the darkest curses that exist."

Emma shuddered. "Way to make me feel confident about this, Tina."

"But the potion I drank with Mum's blood was white," Harry said in confusion. "How could it be white if there's a dark curse on her?"

"Because while the curse could be dark, that doesn't make Emma's magic dark," Tina informed him. "And if your mum's magic was that color . . . well, this block shouldn't be too hard to break."

"Really?" Queenie asked in surprise.

Tina shook her head. "I could sense Emma's magic when I first met her, and Mr. Ollivander's wand recognized the block on her. I imagine it's already breaking a little. We just have to break the rest of it. We just need to be prepared for any backlash."

"Ah," Newt nodded, looking around the open field he used for letting various creatures out for exercise. "Hence . . . ?"

"Yes," Tina nodded. "I apologize in advance if you need to fix the yard when we're done, Newt."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Newt waved the apology away. "What's a little lawn maintenance when Emma will have her magic?"

Emma smirked. "Yeah, the first thing you can teach me about magic is how to fix your yard after I ruin it."

Newt pointed to Emma, giving Tina a look as if saying "you see?" "Oh, you two are going to be trouble," Tina sighed, though she was smiling as she pulled her wand from its holster. "Harry, stay behind one of us, please. It won't matter who, just make sure one of us can protect you if something happens."

Harry nodded, shuffling to stand behind Newt. "Can you tell me what will happen?" he asked.

"Of course," Tina nodded as Queenie and Newt drew their wands as well. "Queenie is going to search for where the block is located on Emma. Typically a block is centered in one place, and attacking it directly at the source is the best way to break it. Once she's found it, I'll focus on the magic required to break the block with Newt and Queenie helping me. And if there's any magical backlash, Newt's always been the best with protection charms."

Harry gave Newt an inquisitive look, and the magizoologist blushed. "My creatures," he mumbled as a short explanation.

"Right," Tina adjusted her footing, finding a comfortable stance. "Emma? Are you ready?"

"When have I been ready for anything thrown at me in the past 24 hours?" Emma asked rhetorically, then held out her arms expectantly. "Hit me."

Three wands raised, and Queenie closed her eyes, her wand glowing brighter as she examined Emma. The light occasionally faded, but once Queenie was back on track, the light brightened. Eventually, Tina felt a nudge on her mind, then let Queenie guide her to where the block was centered on Emma. Tina closed her eyes, immersing herself in her magic and examining the block surrounding Emma's magic. She frowned, tilting her head at the image she received: a pure white swan thrashing to escape a cage of billowing, dark purple smoke. "You're just full of surprises, Emma," she finally said out loud.

"That's exactly what I want to hear when you're trying to free my magic," Emma ground out.

"OK," Tina took a deep breath. "Newt? There's probably going to be a backlash."

"Understood," Newt nodded.

Tina gathered her magic, focusing on the storm of purple magic keeping Emma's magic caged. She had broken magic blocks throughout her decades as an Auror, but this was the first time she saw someone's magic manifest as an animal. She couldn't get this wrong, or she had no clue how Emma's magic would be affected. So she carefully aimed her magic and, exhaling slowly and praying that this worked, attacked the cage with everything she had.

The resulting explosion of magic blasted Tina in the chest, and based on the startled cries from Queenie and Newt, they had been hit as well. Tina found herself sprawled on her back, her head hitting the ground hard. She heard Harry's exclamation of surprise, and she sat up as fast as she dared, pinching the bridge of her nose and trying to stop the dizziness.

Then she heard a sharp gasp from Queenie and an awed "Whoa!" from Harry made Tina look up, and she could only stare in shock.

After all, in front of them, staring at her hands in a mix of fear and awe, was Emma with shimmering wisps of diamond white running up and down her arms, her hair gently blowing in a nonexistent breeze. "What?" Tina finally sputtered.

"That's the color of her magic!" Harry pointed with glee. "That's the color the blood adoption potion turned!"

"Uh," Emma gulped, looking around. "I'm guessing from your reactions, this isn't something you've seen?"

"Definitely not me," Newt looked around. "And I've traveled all over the world!"

"I've never seen it in all the time I've removed magic blocks," Tina admitted, rising to her feet. "That's . . . I've never seen magic like this before!"

"Did you see the block?" Queenie seemed to have recovered from her shock, and she was all but dancing around Emma, looking at her shimmering magic in excitement. "Did you, Teenie?"

"Yes, I saw it," Tina nodded, running a hand through her hair. "I've . . . well. Whoever put the block on your magic also has magic unlike anything I've seen, too. The block took the form of a purple cage around your magic . . . which was in the shape of a swan."

"OK," Emma said slowly, looking down at her still glowing hands. "And . . . uh . . . how do I make this - ?" Queenie gently laid a hand on the back of Emma's head, and Emma inhaled sharply, then watched the glow fade. "Thanks."

"Of course, hon," Queenie patted Emma's shoulder.

"Well," Newt turned around, scratching his head and surveying the yard. "Thank you for giving the yard a trim, Emma. I think it needed it."

"That was exactly my intention," Emma said dryly, running a hand through her hair. "So my magic is . . . weird."

"Ah ah," Queenie held up a hand, narrowing her eyes. "We don't use weird, Emma. We use special or unique."

"Just like me!" Harry chirped.

Emma bit back a smile, putting an arm around Harry. "Alright, my magic is unique," she amended. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well, you both have a lot to learn about our world," Newt answered, holstering his wand as he joined the group. "And Queenie and I promised we would help you learn."

"That's exactly what we're going to do," Queenie agreed. "Especially since having two new housemates will make that much easier."

Tina started to open her mouth, then she sighed and closed her eyes. "Of course, they're moving in with you."

"It does make it easier for us to teach them and help them learn about our world," Newt shrugged, grinning lopsidedly at Tina.

Tina sighed again. "Yes," she concedes. "I suppose that is true." Merlin help Queenie if Newt and Emma continue to explore the newfound teasing exponent, she thought, containing a shudder as she shook her head. "Well, in that case," she looked at Emma with a smile. "I think there's more for us to discuss than magic."

Emma's eyes lit up. "The Muggle adoption?"

Tina grinned. "Any objections?"

***

Three months had never gone by faster for Harry.

Moving into the reserve had taken no time at all, thanks to the combined magic of Newt and the Goldsteins. The Swans' first impromptu lesson in magic had been watching Queenie decorate Harry's room to his standards, then Newt doing the same for Emma's. It had taken a grand total of only three hours to move from the apartment to the reserve.

And the kindness of Newt and Queenie hadn't stopped there. Queenie had surprised Emma with a part-time job at the bakery, giving her the ins and outs and basically naming her a manager of sorts. Whenever Emma was at the bakery, Newt was teaching Harry primarily about the magical creatures of the Wizarding World, while also teaching him the basic magical knowledge he and Theseus had received before they were sent to Hogwarts. Both Swans soaked up the knowledge provided like sponges.

Both Swans were also surprised when Tina rarely appeared at the reserve. Whenever she dropped in to check on Harry and Emma, it was always at the bakery or someplace public for them to meet. Emma never formed a full question; she was always stopped by the paling face of Newt or the livid eyes of Queenie. Tina merely gave a strained smile before redirecting the conversation. Harry always went with the flow; Emma deduced this had to do with the tale that Newt had to be far from sober to tell.

Harry had never enjoyed a home more than he did with Emma, Newt, and Queenie. Instead of magic-hating relatives, he now had a mother with magic she barely understood and an aunt and uncle as surrogate guardians who would defend him and his magic with their lives.

And he just barely contained himself from dancing as he sat next to Emma in the office of the same judge they had seen six months earlier, Tina on Emma's other side. "And we are unable to locate any living blood relatives other than the Dursleys," Tina finished her report.

Emma didn't bother hiding a sneer at the mention of the family. "And no other guardians were named in the case of the Potters' deaths?" the judge asked.

"No, Your Honor," Tina shook her head, the inner Auror in her fuming. When Harry and Emma had explored their new home on the reserve, Queenie had taken her to the side and shown her Harry's full inheritance test . . . including Sirius Black's inclusion as Harry's godfather. Tina knew that for the man to still be on Harry's test, years after the deaths of the Potters, that he had to be innocent of betraying the Potters to Voldemort. She knew the magical oaths of godparents meant Sirius Black would have rather suffered Cruciatus after Cruciatus than risk any harm to his godson. "There were none."

"Very well," the judge nodded, folding her hands and leveling her gaze at Emma, who straightened in her seat. "Miss Swan, are you willing to raise this child as your lawful child?"

"Yes," Emma answered without hesitation.

"This child will inherit from you," the judge continued. "He will be treated no differently than a biological child. Do you agree?"

Harry bit his lip to avoid giggling. Tina could tell Emma was smothering a similar reaction. "Yes," the blonde nodded.

The judge relaxed, a satisfied smile on her face. "I know it's been a long six months, a hard process," she said. "But everything seems to be in order. Congratulations, Emma . . . and to you, Harry Potter-Swan," she added with a wink at Harry. "I'm signing off on the adoption."

Harry cheered in delight, leaping from his chair and into Emma's lap. Emma laughed happily, winding her arms around her son. "Thank you," she said sincerely, tucking Harry's head under her chin. "Thank you."

The judge nodded, signing the papers Tina had provided with a flourish, and she handed the papers to Tina as she stood. "All the best to you and your family," she said, extending her hand.

"Thank you," Emma stood, Harry on her hip, and she shook the judge's hand.

"Congratulations, Emma," Tina smiled warmly. "And to you, Harry."

"Thanks, Miss Tina!" Harry gave her a wide grin.

Tina held open the door to the office, and Emma stepped out into the hallway. Newt and Queenie looked up from their discussion, and they leapt to their feet when they saw them. "Well?" Newt asked impatiently, looking from Emma to Tina.

Queenie looked expectantly at Emma, and she grinned. "It's official!"

Tina brandished the signed adoption papers with a smug grin, and Newt whooped happily, drawing startled looks from around the offices. Queenie just squealed, engulfing the Swans in a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy for you two!"

"We celebrate!" Newt declared, pointing at Tina. "You're not getting out of it."

"Excuse me!" Tina's eyebrows shot up. "Did you forget I'm the one who helped push this through?"

Harry giggled. "Everyone is coming."

"Well, now we definitely can't refuse the child of the hour," Queenie smirked at her arguing siblings.

Emma couldn't keep the smile off her face as she looked at their little circle. Six months ago, all she had been was a bail bondswoman working to dig up every dirty secret Vernon Dursley had buried. Now she had a son that was hers in magic, blood, and name, and she had two (three, including Tina) surrogate siblings who had accepted them without an ounce of hesitation. Now she had a family she would never give up for the world.

Look at us now, Dumbledore, she thought icily, and she caught Queenie's approving nod. Try and take my son from me. I dare you.

***

The announcement that he has a visitor arrived approximately seven minutes and thirty-one seconds after the correspondence from Gringotts appeared on his desk. Theseus waited for it to be eight minutes before he took down the wards of his office to permit his guest to enter.

Dumbledore swept into the room without further ado, and Theseus smothered a sigh, reclining in his chair and leveling his former headmaster with a bland look. "Tea, Headmaster?" he asked.

"No, thank you, my boy," Dumbledore shook his head, blue eyes sparking. "Were you aware of Harry Potter's adoption?"

Theseus raised an eyebrow. That took less time to hear than I thought it would. "Tina told me she had found Harry a place to stay," was how he chose to answer.

The offended look Dumbledore gave him almost cracked the Auror, but Theseus merely tilted his head. "And you didn't say anything?" the old man demanded.

"Why would I?" Theseus spread his hands, portraying confusion. Inside, he was laughing at the old goat's expense. "Harry Potter is now on American soil. He has been watched by the American Head Auror. I don't think the British Head Auror has any say over there."

Dumbledore seethed. "Potter-Swan."

Theseus raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"He is now Potter-Swan," Dumbledore said through gritted teeth. "That woman who has him in her custody, Emma Swan, has adopted Harry in the Muggle world . . . and the Wizarding World."

Theseus rested his chin on his knuckles, watching Dumbledore pace the office. "Then that means Tina found the best place for Harry to stay," he said. "Surely that's good for Harry, isn't it? For him to be in a household that supports him?"

He knew that was far from the truth, that Dumbledore wanted Harry under his thumb however he fit, and his Legilimency skills, honed with help from his favorite blonde, American Legilimens, picked that up from the old goat right away. But Dumbledore, just like Theseus, had decades of working to perfect the front he wanted to portray, and the man nodded. "Yes, indeed."

Theseus nodded. "If you still want to keep an eye on him, I'm not the Auror you should be talking to, then." He gave Dumbledore an innocent smile. "I'm sure Tina would love to tell you all about Harry's new home."

The sour look Dumbledore gave him was worth the entire worthless conversation. "I'll think about it," Dumbledore finally said, nodding. "Thank you for your time, Theseus."

"You're welcome, Headmaster," Theseus responded with far too sweet politeness, watching Dumbledore leave the office. As soon as the door shut, Theseus plucked his wand from its place on his desk and slashed it through the air, activating the wards once more. "Bloody bastard scum of a goat and a peacock," he grumbled, removing the concealment spell on his correspondence from Gringotts. As he picked it up, there was a flash of fire in front of him, and without looking, he raised his hand and snatched the incoming letter from the air.

Lord Theseus,

As the Lord of the House of Scamander, it is my duty as the goblin in charge of your vaults to inform you that the House of Peverell now has a regent at its head. Three months ago, Harry Potter was blood-adopted by Emma Swan, which was witnessed by your brother Newt, the Heir of the House of Scamander. Today, I received word from Heir Scamander that with Lady Goldstein's backing, Heir Potter's adoption has been finalized in the Muggle world. He is Emma Swan's son both in the Muggle world and in the magical world.

I write with this information as Emma Swan's position as Harry Potter-Swan's guardian means she is now the Lady Regent of his houses: Potter, Slytherin, and Peverell. Upon Heir Potter's blood adoption, Lady Regent Peverell named your brother the first in line to Harry's guardianship should any harm come to her. This solidifies an alliance between the House of Scamander and the House of Peverell as members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

Should you have any questions, I am certain I, or your brother, would be willing to offer any answers we can provide.

Regards,

Gornuk

Head Accountant of the Sacred Twenty-Eight

The wave of relief Theseus had felt upon receiving the letter had been enormous. This meant Emma's custody of Harry was ironclad; there was no feasible way for Dumbledore to contest her guardianship of the boy, not without going against Tina.

As he placed the correspondence on his desk, he picked up the letter that had just arrived. With a flick of his wand, he cleanly opened the envelope. Out slid a photograph with writing on the back, which Theseus ignored for the moment. He flipped the photograph over; his breath caught in his throat, and he hastily sat before his legs buckled.

His eyes were instantly drawn to the smiling face of his little brother, who appeared the happiest he had ever been since they had been informed of Grindelwald's demise. The grin on Newt's face widened when he saw Theseus and he waved with his free hand, his other arm around an unfamiliar woman's shoulders. He swallowed hard and quickly found Queenie and Tina on the other side of the photograph, the two sisters arm in arm and beaming for the camera. Tina, in particular, looked rather proud of herself, and Queenie was as radiant as she had been when she married Jacob. When they saw Theseus, each of them winked and waved.

It was the duo between Newt and the Goldsteins that Theseus finally focused on. He knew right away this had to be Emma Swan and her new son, Harry Potter-Swan. The boy was grinning as widely as Newt for the camera, green eyes as bright as emeralds. The woman behind him had blonde hair in curls similar to Queenie's, her Killing Curse green eyes eerily similar to Harry's. What made Theseus smile was how close mother and son were to each other, Emma's arms tight around Harry, the boy snuggling into her hug. Photo Emma gave him a curious look, but at Newt's encouraging nod, she waved up at him with a smile. Harry did the same.

They - all five of them - looked like a family.

Theseus blew out his breath in a rush and flipped the photograph over, instantly recognizing the handwriting. He saw it all the time in the few letters that came from America.

Eagerly waiting for the day when there's six of us in a photograph, not just five.

Please be careful with Dumbledore, brother. He's already tried to take Harry from Emma once, I dread to think what he might try a second time. It might be worth watching, though . . . from Queenie's provided memory, Emma knows how to protect her son.

All my love,

Newt

Theseus smiled warmly, propping the photograph against a stack of books he kept on his desk. He would find a frame for it later. He wanted to keep that photo of his family smiling and waving at him where he could see it every day. He would need that motivation while working in the political ring that was the Ministry.

Let the games begin, he thought with a smirk.

***

And yet another monster of a chapter! There was a lot to cover here, from Diagon Alley to removing Emma's block to Harry's Muggle adoption. Anyone got questions? We'll do our best to answer. XD

Again, yes, I took parts from SVU when Liv adopts Noah for when Emma finally adopts Harry. It fits so well. Again, sue me if you have a problem with it.

Next chapter, we're doing another time skip! This time, it's not just the core group we're checking in with . . . after all, there are a few other people in the Wizarding World who have Harry Potter on their mind. ;)

~ Miss Moffat

***

Well, hello there! Two more chapters to go for the prequel and then we're off to Hogwarts! This entire chapter was fun to write, but it was all Miss Moffat that came up with how to remove the block on Emma's magic.

How are we feeling about this chapter? What'd you think about Emma and Harry getting wands? As for Harry, well, we have something big planned for our favorite seven year old. What did you all think of Theseus and Dumbeldore's reaction?

As always, stay safe, stay cool in the summer heat, and continue reading!

~Miss Singer xx

P.S. I wasn't on our Google Doc when she was writing, so I didn't see the "Bastard scum of a goat and a peacock" comment from Theseus until I read it just now. I have to say, I think we should all applaud that one. That's a good one Miss Moffat! (*jauntily salutes* I was rather proud of myself for that one XD - Miss Moffat)