I wouldn't go with Lily's blood status being questionable, because that just opens up a cliche trap. Too many people have done the Lily Potter was actually a pure-blood bit and I have yet to see anyone pull it off with believably.

So you've to options: Harry's true identity is secret, second is that his identity is known.

The first solves the question of the Black's standing among the Death Eaters who avoided prison, but comes with its own hiccups. The question remains why Arcturus would accept a half-blood, but you add on the questions of how he secrets Harry away, how he conceals Harry's identity (another cliche trap waiting to happen - blood adoption comes to mind...soon followed by spittle about magical cores and blah, blah, blah), and, lastly, how you retain Harry Potter within [first name] Black (because if you don't keep some of Harry, you might as well be writing about an OC).

As for the second option, you can take care of Harry's custody in a clean and clear cut fashion, have Harry retain his identity to an extent that you won't risk the reader feeling like they're practically reading about an OC, yet the question of Arcturus's acceptance of a half-blood remains, as does the question of the Black's standing among the Death Eaters.

What I will point out here is that the Blacks, outside of Regulus and Bellatrix, were not active supporters of the Death Eaters. They may have believed that Voldemort had the right idea, but that was as far as their support went, or so Sirius made it seem in OotP.

Then there is the political climate at the time to consider. With Voldemort dead, anyone that had anything to do with Voldemort would have been trying to save their skins and distance themselves from Voldemort as much as possible.

As the Arcturus Black wasn't an 'active' and loyal supporter of Voldemort, yet two members of his family were, it is very possible to claim that Arcturus didn't only accept Harry into the family because he needed an heir, but to use Harry to solidify his family's standing in a post-Voldemort world.

What better way to bounce back from folly than than to act the concerned 'grandfather' and bring the Boy-Who-Lived into his family and provide for the child with all that the boy could want?

You, of course, ultimately have to decide how you want to play it.

 

Cliche traps are everywhere as you mentioned.

I am leaning towards the first option in a scenario where Arcturus lies to both his family and Harry about having some obscure knowledge of his mother's true origin. Both the reader and Arcturus know the truth, but perhaps Harry and his family are duped? Harry is passed off as a pureblood under the guise of some other Black family relative.

Or is it possible that Arcturus never reveals harry's true identity, not even to the boy? However, I couldn't imagine Arcturus being foolish enough to do so. Then again, its risky either away...allowing Harry to know his true identity or concealing it. I suppose if Harry feels like part of the family and understands he could be endangered by revealing his identity, it could work.

I suppose the half blood issue could be resolved to some degree through blood adoption, but that's where the cliche trap comes in. So that should he avoided.

In the end, it seems that Arcturus could adopt him, lie to Harry and his family about his mother, and then pass him off in public as as an heir born in secret during the war. He wouldn't have to keep Harry's identity from him, and later on Harry could find out the truth...which would either cause him to turn on the ideas he was brought up on or continue to hide his mother's origins as Arcturus did.

One problem in all this is how the Blacks legally adopt Harry while keeping his identity a secret. Although I'm sure a number of scenarios could probably be worked out here.

On second thought though, Arcturus could do the exact same thing by adopting Harry Potter as Harry Potter. The problem here would be the death eaters...but like you said, the political climate would really put any real issues regarding such a matter on the back burner.

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This could certainly be done as well, and this would really be the only way (or one of the only ways) in which Bellatrix raises him with any maternal feelings later on. I'm sort of torn between this idea and the idea of Arcturus adopting him after the events of Godric's Hollow play out as they did in canon. It would certainly be entertaining to write either. Thank you for this.

 

I would definitely love to read something similar to what Pers mentioned. SamWinchester!Harry sounds like a fucking awesome idea!