Harry Potter: Hydrus Black

The stuff from the Black vault was Dark; there were no ifs, ands or buts about it. Harry made sure to scan each and every item before he touched it, all the while thanking Hermione for teaching him the spells when they were on the run. Anything that was too Dark, he had Kreacher sell in Knockturn Alley. The rest he set aside to look at later as they might be useful. He did find a letter addressed to him with a vial of blood. The letter read:

Hey Pup,

I left this to you in case I didn't make it. The vial of blood is to be used with a potion to make you a closer member of the Black family. You can find the receipt for the potion in the book titled 'Blood Magic, Make It Work For You', which is in Grimmauld Place's Library. You'd still be a Potter, but since your grandmother was a Black this'll bring your heritage closer to be the head of the Black family, so you will be more of a brother or first cousin. I don't want the Malfoys to inherit the family name. So take the vial and use it. I was going to explain all of this to you this summer, but since you're reading this that didn't happen.

Talk to Moony, he'll know my plans and help you make the adoption potion. I know your grades in that subject (probably Snivellus' fault) and you're going to need help. Do this as quickly as you can, so that you don't lose the inheritance.

If you decide not to do this, I'm declaring the Black name dead. It is stipulated in my will; the Malfoys will try and fight for the name either way. I hope you do the adoption and not let my family name die. The choice is yours.

I hope that I went out with a bang, but I am sorry to have left you alone. Take care, Pup, and remember the good times.

Padfoot

Well, that didn't work. But, I think this will help my plans nicely, Harry thought as he reread the short letter. He still missed his godfather, and now reading this he realized just how much that man was doing behind the scenes. The teen vowed to do this request as soon as he could get the ingredients. Maybe he'd have Kreacher buy them in Knockturn Alley. It was a good thing that the goblins made him clear out the vault before the Malfoys could recover their place in society and try and take it from him. He doubted they would fight for the name now that there was no money attached to it, though there was still power behind it. Who knows, Harry didn't care either way, he would do this because it was the last wish of his godfather.

The Potter vault yielded things from past Potters, like journals and old schoolbooks, some with notes in the margins. Harry had spent a few mournful days reading the diaries. He learned a lot about his parents and their school days. He was pissed that such a great family was now fallen. He was the last Potter and felt he had let his family down. He had been tempted to call the shades of his parents to apologize to them. However, he was worried they might berate him for letting the family name be ruined, even if they had praised him the last time he summoned them.

A few days later, Harry was spending the last of his Muggle money at a bookstore. He was on his way home and was just completing his Disapparition when he was hit with a killing curse. His body landed right outside the house. Kreacher seeing his Master's corpse quickly levitated it into the parlor. The poor house elf grieved over his kind Master. No one since Master Regulus had ever treated Kreacher with kindness, until this teen came along. It was the destruction of the horcrux that brought the two to an understanding. Now Kreacher was alone again.

Harry, meanwhile, was in an empty grey space. He had the feeling that he was dead and was remorseful that he couldn't carry out his plans to make the wizarding world pay or help those loved ones that he could. He was wondering why he wasn't moving on, when a dark cloaked being appeared. The figure in front of Harry wore a black hooded cloak that covered all but his face and hands, as it was the hood of the cloak cast shadow on that very gaunt and pale face. Its hands were ghostly white and very thin. It was tall, very tall, and skinny. Harry was kind of glad it wasn't the skeletal being that was depicted in the books—just a very dead looking man, like a centuries old vampire.

"Master," the cloaked man rasped, "I was not expecting to see you so soon." The entity waved his hand and two chairs appeared.

"Let me guess, you're Death," Harry said calmly, "and I'm dead. I do have to wonder if it was a Death Eater or one of the wizarding sheep bent on destroying the new Dark Lord. I guess it really doesn't matter, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I was hoping for later, but, here I am, maybe I can finally rest. Don't you have a book or something that tells you when people are going to die?" He took one of the chairs and waited for the being to explain.