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"Excuse me, Prefect Weasley, do you have a minute?" Harry called. He was alone for once, Ron having heard he was going to the library and begged off.
"I do. How can I help you?" the redhead shifted his books to rest more securely on his hip.
"You're like me aren't you? You got the Black family gift of metamorphmagic"
"How did you...? I've been so careful not to shift outside of my dorm room"
"I woke up early one day and couldn't get back to sleep, so I was down in the common room. I was curled pretty tightly in the chair I was resting in so I'm not surprised you didn't notice me. But I saw you come down looking like me" Harry admitted, scuffing his shoe against the floor. After a moment, he relaxed his own morph, silver distributing itself equally around each pupil. He also felt his hair settle somewhat around his face. "You caught your reflection in something and then all of a sudden you were back to well, that appearance."
"Well, it wouldn't do to have a Weasley looking like a Black" Percy reported dully with a sniff before allowing his own form to relax. His cornflower blue eyes went silver and his facial features shifted to fit the Black cheekbones and nose. His hair also gained waves though it kept it's red hue for the most part, only darkening a shade or two. "I don't sleep like that because it takes too much energy, and Oliver says I'm far more attractive like this. He caught me going to the bathroom at night in first year. He told me I don't have to hold it for him. That I was free to stay myself."
"What do you mean by 'it wouldn't do'? Aren't your parents proud you got the gift?" Harry tilted his head in confusion.
"No. Mum is embarrassed by my Grand-mère. Dad doesn't notice. Half the time he calls me Bill, or Ron since we all take after the Weasley part of the family. Charlie and the twins have the Prewitt stockiness, which is the only reason he knows I'm not them. But when we were all little, it was a toss-up. As a baby, I luckily mimicked my parents since it was still wartime, and we were barely allowed to play in the orchard behind our house. I figured out I could shift after getting hurt falling from a tree and losing my hold in surprise at the pain. Mum didn't take it well. Told me to never take on the Black features, because they were an evil family. I was six at that point, and she couldn't deny my inheritance of the features as 'tricks of the light' or a result of my expressions. Of course, Oli helped me realize that my Black blood isn't a problem by introducing me to Tonks, a...cousin? Who also inherited the gift. Graduated last year though, so you'd not have met them. They helped me realize that not all the family is lost. Just half of it."
"Well to read my Mum and Dad's letters to me, my Papa wasn't lost. Regulus Black-Potter, he died before I was born. Went to try and weaken Voldemort and never returned. Mum and Dad felt his death in the family magic so they knew for certain he's gone. They left me letters and pictures so I knew all three of them and how much I was loved."
"I didn't realize your parents were a triad" Percy looked interested.
"Oh, yeah, most people don't. Papa's mother was a piece of work and he was trying to keep all of us safe by playing good son until he moved out. It's how he got the Dark Mark. Voldemort was....pleased to have a main line Black son in his forces. He didn't have to do initiation or any missions because just his potential political value was too valuable. Luckily his Grand-père was kind enough to bless the union, recognize me as an official Black son, and provide cover for Papa moving out. Unfortunately, he died before I re-entered the Wizarding World. But I'm proud to be Harry Potter-Black now that I know. Well, Harrison."
"Well then, it's good to meet you as a child of the family. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I won't be much help if you wanted to know about anything Black Family related beyond what everyone knows."
"Oh, I don't expect that. I just wanted to talk to someone else with the gift since I've mostly been doing trial and error up till now. What do your siblings think by the way? So I know if I can talk to Ron about it."
"Bill and Charlie know, they're the ones who encouraged me to keep my head down and stay in line until I'm 17 and can legally leave our parents. The twins suspect I believe. But Ron and Ginny don't know any of it. This is the first time either of them has been free from Mum's watch. When we can, the twins and I will talk to Ron about things, such as my ability and why Bill and Charlie left. Hopefully he takes it well. It'd kill me to hear that I failed him by not sheltering him more while I was home."
"Do you think it would help if I came as well? To show him I can do it too?"
"No. Maybe you can show him ahead of time so he doesn't associate it with the 'Evil' Black family though."
"Why would that help?"
"Harry....Ron would burn the world for you. Without hesitation. How do you...?" Percy put away his books to come crouch in front of the first year.
"Well, he's my first friend that's my own age. And it's not like I won't do it for him in return... I thought that was just a me thing though. Dudley never seems to care that much for his friends."
"Harry please tell me that just means your friends were a different year to you and not..."
"Well Hagrid's a grown-up. And it's not like my relatives wanted me to do anything to jeopardize their perfect family and the image they maintained. Actually, it was better for me to be their delinquent nephew that they could blame all of Dudley's offenses on, that's they're just trying 'oh so hard, sir, but you see, he doesn't appreciate it'. And no one listened to Mrs. Williams when she said I was perfectly well-behaved for my age and was in fact being bullied by my cousin."
"....Harry how would you feel if I set you up with the Tonks family as your direct magical relatives? Or asked Bill or Charlie to come back to Britain for you, me, and my siblings if that doesn't work?" Percy looked half-murderous.
"You'd do that?! That'd be brilliant! I've always wanted a family that would love me!" Harry brightened, his hair flashing red. "But wait, if you're asking your older brothers, I thought you were just going to keep your head down?"
"That is the plan. But if they can get you away from your quote-unquote relatives, then they can take all of us as well. Bill would probably win in Magic's eyes, since he cared for all of us until he was 17 and dipped. And by then Charlie and I also did our own share of the work. With all of us weighing in, we're guaranteed to gain custody if we were to plead to Her Grace. But that's plan B. And of course I'd do that. You wouldn't be the first or last I've done my share of the work to remove from a bad situation."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you" Harry collided with the taller boy, throwing his arms tight around the prefect. For his credit, Percy just did his best to hug back from where he was caught awkwardly in the embrace.