Godfather at the Gate
Today, the neighborhood was unusually noisy. Moving trucks went up and down the street, while longtime residents—people who had lived there since the children were small—seemed to have all agreed to move out on the very same day. Even the Dursley family was louder than usual, which was saying quite a lot.
It seemed they had been trying to live a quieter life ever since everyone began treating them like outcasts, especially after rumors spread that they had tried to make a single mother with two children look bad. That hadn't left a good impression among the neighbors, much less after their constant eccentricities—like the time they were seen shouting at the front door, falling over one another as if they were staging a family wrestling match.
And that wasn't even mentioning the most recent incident, when Vernon's sister ended up hospitalized for the second time after trying to visit that same family. Since then, most people were convinced the house was cursed. Everyone began to keep their distance, watching warily whenever the Dursleys muttered nasty things about the poor single mother and her two little "angels"—children who, although mischievous, were really just a pair of energetic boys. They behaved well in public, were polite, and usually made friends easily.
Several people had also noticed that Sally's house now had a new resident: a beautiful woman with elegant bearing and refined manners who claimed to be her sister, come to help her take care of the children. The news spread quickly through the neighborhood, and more than one man—without much subtlety—gave her approving looks and a thumbs-up as she walked by.
Meanwhile, Harry wore a bright smile as he studied the new spell in his book. Finally, it wasn't another illusion. He was so focused that he barely paid attention to the shouting coming from the neighboring house, where voices were yelling things like:
"How do you lose a child?!" or "I should turn them into animals for losing my godson!"
But Harry couldn't care less. Holding the book eagerly, he lifted it above his head in triumph and declared,
"I got another spell! Awesome!"
Percy, on the other hand, was sprawled out on the floor with a weary expression, staring at the ceiling as if pondering the meaning of life. Unfortunately for him, earlier that morning his teacher had shown up unannounced to see if he was taking his training seriously. After confirming that he had improved, the teacher decided to "keep him grounded" by giving him a good beating before leaving with an ironic smile and the words, "Give my regards to your old master."
"Harry, bring your older brother some juice," Percy murmured tiredly, turning his head toward his younger sibling.
Harry glared at him.
"Of course not. And you're not my older brother."
"Ah, poor big brother Percy… his little brother doesn't respect him at all. And I remember when he was this small," Percy said in an exaggeratedly dramatic tone, holding his hand up as if measuring an invisible ball.
Annoyed, Harry grabbed his book and whack! smacked it right into his brother's face.
"Ah, damn it, Harry!" Percy yelped, clutching his nose, which turned slightly red from the impact. But by the time he stood up, his brother had already bolted toward the front door.
"Potter pig!" Percy shouted angrily.
"I'm not!" came the reply from outside.
Without a second thought, Percy snatched up the wooden sword lying nearby and dashed out the door, determined to finally challenge his brother to a duel and prove himself once and for all as the rightful "older brother."
Meanwhile, Harry stopped for a moment in the front yard. To his surprise, there were far more trucks than there had been that morning—practically every house on the block had one parked in front. The workers were unloading the last boxes, shaking hands, and leaving.
Of course, Harry couldn't help but be curious. Holding his magic tome to his chest, he tried to see who his new neighbors might be. But suddenly, a shout caught his attention.
"James!"
The voice came from the Dursleys' front yard. Harry turned his head, confused—that was his father's name, or at least that's what his grandfather had told him. Looking in that direction, he saw several people standing in front of the house with worried expressions, while the Dursleys themselves stood in the doorway looking horrified, as if trying to keep those people from coming in. Vernon stood in front of Petunia, and Dudley's frightened face peeked through the window.
Among the figures, one man stood out: he had long, neatly tied hair and wore a perfectly tailored black suit and tie—so immaculate it was almost excessive. He looked handsome, though clearly uncomfortable in such formal attire. He was the one who had shouted the name James.
Behind him stood a short elderly woman holding a cat in her arms and pushing a small wheeled basket. Harry recognized her as one of the old ladies who lived a few houses down. The last person was a strange man in a long coat, carrying a large staff, with a magical eye that spun wildly in every direction, pausing now and then to glance toward Harry's house. It made him look completely unhinged.
"He's the spitting image of James!" exclaimed the long-haired man, staring at Harry with a mix of astonishment and realization, as if piecing together a puzzle he barely understood.
"Harry! I challenge you to a duel! This time we'll see who's really the older one!" shouted Percy from the doorway, pointing his wooden sword dramatically at his brother.
Harry turned to look at him with utter disbelief as Percy struck a heroic pose.
"Harry!" the unknown man called again, moving forward with a smile that didn't inspire much confidence in Harry. "Harry Potter! It's you, Harry!"
The boy frowned as he saw the man approaching with his arms open. His instincts screamed that something wasn't right. Percy, who a moment ago had been eager to fight, changed his expression and ran to stand in front of his brother, raising his sword with a seriousness he rarely showed.
"Who are you?" Percy demanded, dropping his playful tone. The look he gave the man was firm—the look of someone ready to protect his family.
Harry, without taking his eyes off the stranger, slowly opened his magic tome. The new spell was still there, ready to be used.
"Are you a kidnapper?" asked Percy in a hard voice, ready to attack at the slightest sign of danger.
Sirius only looked at the boy who had stepped in front of him, his expression slightly mocking, though not truly interested. After all, he was far more concerned about his godson—who was supposed to be living with his relatives. But they knew nothing about the boy; he had never been in their home.
"Move," Sirius said, fixing Percy with a serious gaze as he tried to walk past him. He took a step forward.
"Careful with the brat," muttered Moody from behind, though he didn't make a move to intervene.
Sirius ignored him and, when he took another step, Percy moved. He was even faster than an adult man; he leapt forward, his wooden sword aimed straight at Sirius's face. It wasn't a real sword, so it couldn't do much harm, but Percy figured the fastest way to end the confrontation was to strike at the face.
Sirius, with his years of combat experience, widened his eyes. His wand was already in hand, prepared to cast a curse on the Dursleys. By reflex, he aimed it upward at Percy—but the boy didn't stop his attack.
"Frozen!" shouted Harry from behind Percy, his hand extended toward Sirius.
Suddenly, a large mass of ice formed around Sirius, trapping his limbs and even his wand. He could feel his flesh growing cold, as if freezing solid in an instant.
Then the strike from the other boy's sword hit him squarely in the face, shattering the ice and sending him flying two meters back, revealing the surprising strength that little one possessed.
Mad-Eye widened his magical eye in interest, studying the two kids who couldn't have been older than six. His enchanted eye began to whirl in every direction, scanning all the nearby houses.
Then he turned sharply, brow furrowed, his expression tense.
"Come on, Harry; we should go inside," said Percy, taking his brother's hand to get him to safety.
The two ran inside, and before the door closed, Harry took one last look at the man rubbing his face in pain as he stood up—casting one final glance at Harry, full of surprise, confusion, and… pride?
"Hahaha! Did you see that, Mad-Eye? He's James's son!" Sirius laughed joyfully, even while lying on the ground after being beaten by two children.
The Dursleys, who had already been terrified by the man's manic laughter, were now trembling. Petunia stared toward where Percy and Harry had gone, her expression a mix of shock, reason, and panic. Vernon looked the same—though his fear came more from having witnessed the sheer strength of those two brats he used to bully, just like his son did at school. It confirmed that they were never truly "normal"; seeing it in person was something else entirely.
"We should leave for now, Black," said Mad-Eye, gripping his staff tightly as his magical eye continued scanning the area.
"What are you talking about? Harry's right there; I have to introduce myself as his godfather!" said Sirius, getting to his feet. He looked up in confusion and saw dozens of red dots fixed on his chest. "What is this?" he asked, startled.
He could feel countless eyes watching him from the nearby houses, and faint lights glinting through the windows.
Moody focused on one house in particular; its door opened, and a man walked out calmly. His clothing resembled that of a muggle officer—almost military—and a sword hung from his belt.
Sirius seemed to recognize him; it was the same knight who had greeted the old man earlier.
Adrien walked to the edge of the street, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His gaze swept over Mad-Eye, then the woman, and finally stopped on Sirius.
"You're approaching a protected home. Given your intentions—and the fact that ministry wizards and an ex-convict are present—if your reasons aren't good, we'll open fire," he said in a grave tone.
Even though Sirius had handed over evidence to this man before, it wasn't as if he trusted him completely.
Meanwhile, Moody, thanks to his enchanted eye, could see a large group of armed men in position, ready to ambush them from the surrounding houses.
Vernon was pale and trembling as he noticed the red lights—something he recognized from movies or stories. He also saw the man's military uniform and realized that one of those laser sights was aimed directly at him.
"Wait! I'm not with them! I don't know these people—they came here and tried to kidnap a kid or something! I'm not a wizard; I'm normal! You have to protect us!" Vernon shouted quickly.
Adrien turned his gaze toward Vernon for a brief moment but ignored him, focusing instead on Moody, who seemed the greater threat.
Inside every house, at least one figure could be seen at a window, rifle trained on Sirius and the other wizards.
"We have the targets in sight. The children are inside and safe. Awaiting confirmation to fire," one of them reported over the radio.
"Stand by," said Adrien, adjusting the earpiece connected to his radio.
…
"They do seem trustworthy, those knights," said Mor, perched calmly on the roof with a relaxed smile. Beside her stood the goblin Einjard, frowning as he looked down, a golden sword hanging from his belt.
The one who had come to check on Percy hadn't done so to test him; he had learned that those two wizards would be coming to see the Boy Who Lived. He knew of Black's connection to Harry and everything that had happened during the trial.
Still, he wasn't entirely sure about the man's mental state after all that time in that dreadful place. Not that he'd expected the two kids to knock him down and leave him surrounded by muggle knights.
"Aren't you going to tell him he's the boy's godfather?" asked Einjard, glancing at Mor.
"Why should I? It's more fun this way. Besides, I'm his godmother; I have more right than he does," she said with a mischievous grin. "By the way, that eye… it looks familiar," she added, glancing toward Mad-Eye, who was hesitating on whether or not to attack.
"Attacking either of them could cause a major conflict between the wizarding world and the knights," said Einjard, though he didn't seem particularly concerned as he turned away.
"Well, lucky for them, their salvation just arrived," he said, looking down the street where a car was approaching—Sally's car, as she returned home from shopping.