6 Taller and Brighter

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...

When Harry awoke the next morning the sun was already high in the sky. He crawled out of bed and stumbled over to the dresser, where he poured some water from the pitcher into the porcelain basin and washed his face. He automatically reached out for his glasses, but was startled to realise that he had no need of them. He could see perfectly clearly.

The potion must have taken effect, he thought eagerly. He looked into the mirror and let out a small shout.

A different reflection stared back at him. For a moment Harry thought it was identical to the pictures he had seen of Sirius as a boy: he had the same aristocratic features and the same easy-to-manage hair. Then he noticed subtle differences. His eyes were bright blue, like Regina's. He thought he had her ears as well. His scar was gone. Harry was surprised to find he missed it.

Harry looked down and realised that he had filled out overnight. His shoulders were broader and there were a few inches of ankle showing beneath his pyjamas. He grinned. He hadn't realised the potion would make him taller.

'Blimey,' he whispered, and almost didn't recognise his own voice. It sounded just slightly different, perhaps a bit richer. He wondered if that came from Regina. He had learnt that she had a lovely singing voice.

Harry put on some ill-fitting robes and went downstairs to the dining room, where Mopsy was already setting the table for lunch. Mopsy had been instructed on what she should expect, so she gasped only once when she saw her young master's new appearance, and then bowed low.

'Good morning, Master Aries,' she greeted him. 'Mopsy trusts Master slept well.'

Harry nodded and grinned. 'I had a big night.'

Mopsy smiled. 'Mospy can see that. Master Aries is looking very fine.'

Harry laughed. 'Thanks, Mopsy.'

Once the table was set and Harry had sat down, Uncle Marius walked into the room. He laughed aloud when he saw Harry.

'You're certainly looking well this morning,' he said exuberantly. 'It looks as though everything has gone according to plan.'

'It looks that way,' Harry agreed.

'The real test is tomorrow when we head to the Ministry to file all your paperwork,' his uncle said, sitting down at the head of the table.

Harry shifted nervously. 'Do you think that's a good idea? What if they figure it out?'

'We have to do it,' his uncle explained. 'Otherwise you'll never truly belong in the wizarding world. We didn't bring you here just to hide you away like an escaped convict. We intend to give you a proper upbringing.'

Harry squirmed. 'Couldn't we hide in the Muggle world? Dumbledore would never think to look for us there.'

Uncle Marius frowned. 'You are a wizard, my boy, and you ought to be raised as such. I'd have given my right arm for even a pinch of magical talent. I'll be damned if I let you walk away from your gift.'

'And if they figure it out?'

'They won't,' Uncle Marius assured him, and definitively changed the subject. 'You'll have to show your new appearance to your mother and godparents after we eat. They'll be delighted.'

The next morning Aunt Clytemnestra returned, having finished arranging all the final details at their Muggle residence. She seemed happy enough when she came in the door, but gasped and burst into tears when she saw Harry's new appearance. Uncle Marius rushed to her side to comfort her, whispering in her ear. Harry felt awkward. After several tense minutes Aunt Clytemnestra calmed herself down. She walked over to Harry and laid her hand on his cheek.

'You look very well, Harry,' she said quietly. 'Or should I say Aries?'

'I'm sorry I made you cry,' Harry said timidly. 'What did I do wrong?'

His aunt smiled at him softly. 'You didn't do anything at all.' She paused. 'It's only that, when I saw you, it struck me how much you looked like someone I once knew, someone I loved very much.' She gave Harry a small hug. 'Don't worry. I shan't lose control again.'

That afternoon the three of them travelled to the Ministry of Magic, armed with a formidable collection of forged documents Uncle Marius had managed to procure. It took them a while to get through the lengthy queue, and there was an embarrassing moment when Uncle Marius had to explain exactly why he and Aunt Clytemnestra had no wands to be inspected, but eventually they got through and managed to find themselves sitting in front of an ugly witch with a bored expression on her face and a nasty attitude.

'What do you want?' she demanded.

'I am Marius Black,' the elderly Squib introduced himself. 'This is my wife Clytemnestra. We have recently taken custody of our great-nephew, Aries Black, and we should like to make sure that he is registered properly as our ward.'

'Why isn't he registered already?' the bureaucrat asked, annoyed that this fellow was wasting her time.

'My great-nephew was born in France,' Uncle Marius began to explain.

'Oho,' the ugly witch exclaimed. 'So he's not a British subject. You'll have to take him to Naturalisation.'

'But Aries is a British subject,' Aunt Clytemnestra insisted. 'His parents were both British.'

The witch grumbled and took the documents Uncle Marius offered her, flipping through them without really reading them.