CHAPTER ONE
Living Arrangements
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius shouted, ducking a jet of light from Bellatrix's wand. The second jet of red light hit him squarely in the chest. The laughter had not yet died from his face, but Harry saw the mingled look of fear and shock on his godfather's wasted, once handsome face. It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall, body curving gracefully back towards the veil.
With a vehement cry, Harry left his duel and flung himself at his godfather, pushing him to the side. Sirius's limp form tumbled down the stairs, and Harry raced to his side.
"Ennervate," murmured Harry, aiming some hexes and jinxes behind him in case Bellatrix Lestrange came back and cast the killing curse upon his godfather.
It registered dimly in his mind that Dumbledore had come, and Harry turned around, relief washing over instantaneously with the fear of what was to come next. The benign twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was gone, replaced by cool fury. His wand was raised, and a moment later Bellatrix was immobile on the floor, bound and gagged. Several of the other Death Eaters made to escape, but sparks emitted from the headmaster's wand and they, too, joined Bellatrix on the floor.
Sirius stirred, groping around for his wand. Blood trickled freely from a nasty looking cut on his head, and he raised a hand to his chest, wincing. He shook back his dark hair, rising to his feet and surveying the scene.
Mad-Eye Moody lay unconscious on the floor, face bloodied and magical eye dislodged, finally having rolled to a stop on the ground several feet away. Tonks was stirring on the floor, groaning softly. Kingsley standing by Dumbledore's side, Bellatrix -
"Good one, Bella," Sirius said mockingly, watching her glare at him, unable to do more than struggle against her binds. Shrieks were muffled by the gag, though he had a good idea of what she was trying to say.
Lupin was watching Sirius carefully, approaching him cautiously.
"Sirius?" Harry asked tentatively. "Are you okay?"
With a grin that belied how he actually felt, Sirius replied, "Sure. Just got stunned, that's all. Actually, I'm perfect, if you look at Moody and Tonks."
"Sirius, get away from me!" shouted Harry suddenly, leaping away as though he'd been burned. Bewildered, his godfather stared back at him.
"Voldemort -" gasped Harry.
Sirius whipped his head around, and saw a tall, slender figure cloaked in black robes, pallid hand extended from his robes, grasping a wand.
Voldemort looked scornfully over his Death Eaters, motionless on the ground. With conviction, Sirius saw Bellatrix avert her gaze away from her master's eyes.
"What is the meaning of this?" said the high pitched voice, bidding the hairs on Harry's neck to rise and goose bumps to sprout over his skin. "I am disappointed, to say the least ..ah, Dumbledore."
"Hello, Tom," said Dumbledore coolly. Harry started forward, but Dumbledore shouted, "NO, Harry! Stay back!"
"Defending your favorite boy, Dumbledore?" said Voldemort, twirling his wand around his fingers. A split second later, the wand was firmly in his hand again. "Dear me, Potter, I'm afraid even Dumbledore can't help you now .."
Harry gritted his teeth. "Maybe not, but your Death Eaters can't help you now either. Having a bit of trouble, stuck on the floor like that, aren't they?"
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry ducked the jet of green light from Voldemort's wand.
A statue jumped to life in front of Harry, taking the deadly curse and shattering. Another stone figure leapt to guard Harry, who made to go around it, but the bewitched statue wouldn't let him pass. Glancing over his shoulder, Harry caught sight of Lupin restraining Sirius, who clearly wanted to come to his godson's aid.
Dumbledore muttered an incantation. Although the room was deathly quiet, the words used to complete the spell were lost on Harry, who'd never heard them before. A jet of light streaked towards Voldemort, but he had put up a magical shield which surrounded his figure like a ghostly bubble. When Dumbledore's spell hit it, the shield splintered and faded away, Voldemort with it.
Harry looked wildly around to see where Voldemort, formerly Tom Riddle had reappeared. He never had -but with a shock, Harry realized that Bellatrix Lestrange had disappeared as well, the other Death Eaters left on the floor.
For the second time, the door to the room burst open. This time, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, and five Aurors entered the room. Fudge's lime green bowler hat was nowhere to be seen, and he looked frantic, a maniacal glint in his eye.
"Did you see -did you see him? Him, in the Ministry of all places! He took a woman and disappeared -"
"About time you caught on," snarled Sirius, before Lupin clapped a hand over his friend's mouth.
"No," whispered Lupin urgently. "Don't put yourself in any more trouble .."
Fudge had just caught sight of Dumbledore.
"D-Dumbledore! And Sirius Black!" Looking positively bewildered and frazzled, the Minister looked as though he wanted nothing more than to sit down and cry. "Dawlish -arrest Black!"
One of the Aurors moved forward, wand raised, but Dumbledore shouted, "NO!" once again, and the man called Dawlish stepped back, blinking.
"And what authority do you have to order my Aurors around?" snapped Fudge testily.
Dumbledore paid him no mind, but touched one of the pieces of the shattered stone guard, and said softly, "Portus."
"Now Dumbledore, that's an unauthorized Portkey and I -" began Fudge. He was silenced when Dumbledore turned to look at him slowly, eyes still lacking their usual twinkle. Then the headmaster of Hogwarts refocused his attention on Harry.
"Harry, take this Portkey back to Hogwarts with Sirius, Remus, and Moody -go straight to Madam Pomfrey."
Harry nodded, and felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Sirius, standing protectively by his side. They each put a finger on the statue while Lupin hoisted Moody to his feet, gingerly slipping the ex-Auror's magical eye into his pocket. Then, one hand pressing Moody's own to the Portkey, the other touching it for himself, Lupin nodded to Dumbledore.
"Ready then? One ..two ..three," said Dumbledore.
Harry felt the familiar jerk behind his navel and the rushing sensation of hurling forward through space in a whirlwind of sound and color, and then -
"Oomph!" Rising quickly to his feet, Harry looked around. They were in Dumbledore's office. Lupin and Sirius were still standing, though visibly shaken, and Moody was just beginning to stir, a low groan escaping his lips. His hand moved vaguely around, then Lupin hurried forward and produced Moody's magical eye, placing it in its respective owner's hand. Only Harry saw the slight look of revolt Lupin gave the slippery eye.
"To the hospital wing, Harry," said Sirius.
"No way -I'm fine -it's you who needs to go! Well, and Moody -"
"I want to make sure you're fine," said Sirius firmly. "Let's go."
Sighing, Harry followed his godfather to the hospital wing, while Lupin helped Moody unsteadily to his feet.
Once they got there, Madam Pomfrey was all over them, pushing Harry down onto a cot, then forcing Sirius down onto the one alongside.
Harry didn't fight her, but lay down peacefully. He was tired after the night's events. He dimly heard Madam Pomfrey gasp.
"Alastor -Remus, what happened?"
"Death Eater work," Harry heard Lupin say.
Tsking, Madam Pomfrey bustled around, getting potions and antidotes ready. She leaned over Harry, forcing a cup of liquid into his hands.
"Drink this -it'll make you feel better."
"I'm fine," said Harry. "It's Sirius you need to see -he got a Stunning spell to the chest -"
"Drink," repeated Madam Pomfrey, before leaving Harry's side to check on Sirius and Moody.
Harry heard an awful squelching sound as Moody's magical eye was popped back in to his head. He tentatively took a sip of the potion. Harry grimaced. It tasted awful. And then he lost consciousness, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When he awoke, Harry sat up with a start, fumbling around for his glasses so he could see what happened to the others. Lupin was dozing in a chair off in the corner, snoring softly. Moody was asleep two bunks down, his face was no longer bloodstained, but clean and peaceful. There was heavy bandaging wrapped around his head. Sirius appeared to be sleeping, too. Like Moody, his head was bandaged.
Madam Pomfrey made her way quickly to Harry's side, though very quietly.
"Ah! You're awake! How are you feeling?"
"Fine," said Harry. "How are the others?"
Madam Pomfrey glanced at Moody and Sirius. "Alastor is lucky, the biggest head injury was sustained behind his left ear, but he'll be fine in a week or so."
"And Sirius?"
"He'll live," said Madam Pomfrey. "He's very fortunate ..a well placed Stunning spell to the chest can stop the heart, but the one that hit him just scraped by. He has a concussion, he's going nowhere for a week, and he's not leaving for another half week after that."
Harry looked worriedly at Sirius. It sounded serious, but he trusted Madam Pomfrey's healing abilities. He started to lie back down, but Sirius sat up, grinning at Harry.
"Sirius!" said Harry in a low whisper. "Are you okay? Madam Pomfrey said -"
"I heard."
"It sounded serious .."
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Sirius said confidently. "Dueling with my cousin was a right change from being locked in my parents' house with a nutter house elf."
Harry looked skeptical, though he smiled slightly at Sirius's mention of Kreacher.
"Wretched elf," muttered Sirius darkly. Harry didn't need to ask at what he meant -Kreacher had lied to Harry, sending Sirius's godson into danger in the Department of Mysteries.
"So when d'you reckon he gets beheaded and stuck up on the wall?" asked Harry, smiling faintly.
"Hmm ..good question," said Sirius, pretending to ponder it. "As soon as we get home?"
A change came over Harry, and he looked at his godfather rather sullenly. "Do you really think he deserves to die?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes," said Sirius coolly. "A house elf that does what Kreacher's done has no excuses."
Just then, the door opened, and Dumbledore swept in, smiling pleasantly at Harry and Sirius.
"I trust you are feeling better today?" asked the headmaster.
"Yes," said Harry and Sirius together.
Sirius let out his usual barklike laugh. "What else did Fudge say? Was he begging for forgiveness?" Harry noticed how hard his godfather's voice sounded.
"Not quite," said Dumbledore. "But nevertheless, the Death Eaters are in Azkaban ..which is not a thought of much comfort," he added. "The dementors are rejoining Voldemort -putting his most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who would rejoin him the instant he asks them to has always seemed foolish to me."
Harry nodded slowly, mulling over what Dumbledore had just said.
"I have come, Harry, to discuss your living arrangement." Dumbledore fixed his gaze on Harry now, who also felt Sirius's eyes on him. "After last summer's events, I no longer feel Privet Drive is a suitable place for you. I thought the protection there would be enough ..but it seems I've made yet another mistake. If two dementors were able to come after you, then Death Eaters would also be able to.
If it's all right with Sirius, I plan to move you to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters permanently. It's the safest place for you right now. It's Unplottable, and with my charms and protections, no one can find it unless I personally write them a note. Even the Ministry doesn't know where it is."
Harry's heart leapt. "L-leave the Dursleys? Live with Sirius?"
"Of course, Dumbledore," said Sirius, looking more gratified and pleased than Harry had ever seen him. "I want what's best for Harry."
"Dumbledore? I've been meaning to ask you for a while now .." Harry turned to the old wizard. "After the Triwizard Tournament, after I told you and Sirius how Voldemort took some of my blood, you looked ..almost ..triumphant. Why?"
Dumbledore smiled serenely. "Immortality is now beyond Voldemort's reach," he said. "By using your blood, and you being human ..mortal blood will always flow through his veins, so he can always be defeated. It was a mistake I'm not sure eve he has realized yet, but yes, it was a terrible mistake for him."
"So ..it's good for us?" asked Harry, with a suspicion of where this conversation was going to turn.
"You remember the prophecy, Harry?" Dumbledore asked the fifteen year old. Harry nodded. "Yes, it's good."
A random thought occurred to Harry. "Since no one can find Sirius's house ..could I, you know, do magic over the summer?"
Dumbledore sighed. "No, Harry ..only for emergencies. If, somehow, in the future, the Ministry found out you'd been doing unnecessary magic, they could put you on trial. The last thing we need is for you to get in trouble with the Ministry, do you understand?"
Harry nodded, slightly disappointed, but not devastated. After all, he'd lived eleven years of his life as a Muggle, not even knowing magic existed. He'd be fine for two months every summer.
Looking over to his right, Harry glanced at Sirius, who looked thrilled. He couldn't really blame him. As he thought back on the times that past year when Hermione had said things that irked him, the grin slipped from his face.
"But sometimes I think Mrs. Weasley is right, and Sirius gets confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry."
"So you think he's touched in the head?"
"No ..I just think he's been very lonely for a long time."
"Harry?" said a voice. "Is something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh ..right." Harry plastered a grin back on his face for Sirius, who was gazing at him concernedly.
"Dumbledore left."
"He did?" Startled, Harry looked around. Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen. He hadn't been reminiscing for that long, had he?
"Look, Harry ..I'm really glad you're coming to stay," said Sirius.
"Me too," replied Harry, flopping back down onto his pillows.
"We'll have lots of fun," promised Sirius. "It'll be like old times."
"Old times?"
"Er ..last winter," said Sirius quickly.
Harry frowned slightly, staring hard at his godfather. "What were you going to say, Sirius?"
"Nothing, just ..last winter."
An unpleasant sensation was taking over Harry, though his loyalty to Sirius outweighed all of the new thoughts prickling his mind. He wished he hadn't overheard Mrs. Weasley and Sirius's rows the summer before ..for his godfather's last comment made Harry wonder if Hermione and Ron's mum were right, and Sirius really did get confused about who Harry was. Entertaining this thought was extremely uncomfortable to Harry, and he didn't know what to say.
Harry opened his mouth slightly, hesitated, then plunged on. "Who d'you think I am?" He watched his godfather cautiously.
Sirius looked highly affronted. "What do you mean, Harry?"
"Do you -do you really know who I am, or do you think I'm my dad?" asked Harry quietly.
"I'm perfectly clear who you are," said Sirius coolly. "You don't think I know you?" Already Harry could sense that his godfather was distancing himself.
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
"Don't be," said Sirius moodily.
Harry decided to change the subject. "Does Lupin live at your house, too?"
"Yeah," said Sirius, "but he didn't always. He just came last summer, when Dumbledore recalled the Order."
Another nagging suspicion was bothering Harry ..the previous winter, when Mr. Weasley had been attacked, Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny arrived at Grimmauld Place in the dead of the night, greeted by an unshaven Sirius still in his day clothes ..and there had been more, Harry remembered. He'd shrugged it off at the time, but Sirius had had a slightly Mundungus-like whiff of stale drink about him ..
Harry bristled again, more uncomfortably than before. He made up excuses for Sirius. He must've just been depressed, he told himself firmly. You wouldn't want to be shut up in that old house with Kreacher either. But drinking? Harry had never known Sirius to indulge in liquor to escape reality. He vowed to himself to try to keep Sirius as happy as possible, so his godfather wouldn't have to turn to alcohol.
Or he could be reading too far into this, piped up the side of his mind which loved Sirius and would do anything to defend him.
"Harry?" said Sirius again.
When Harry reluctantly met his godfather's eyes, all his worries vanished. Just being stupid, he told himself. He'll have me, he won't be lonely anymore.
Living Arrangements
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius shouted, ducking a jet of light from Bellatrix's wand. The second jet of red light hit him squarely in the chest. The laughter had not yet died from his face, but Harry saw the mingled look of fear and shock on his godfather's wasted, once handsome face. It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall, body curving gracefully back towards the veil.
With a vehement cry, Harry left his duel and flung himself at his godfather, pushing him to the side. Sirius's limp form tumbled down the stairs, and Harry raced to his side.
"Ennervate," murmured Harry, aiming some hexes and jinxes behind him in case Bellatrix Lestrange came back and cast the killing curse upon his godfather.
It registered dimly in his mind that Dumbledore had come, and Harry turned around, relief washing over instantaneously with the fear of what was to come next. The benign twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was gone, replaced by cool fury. His wand was raised, and a moment later Bellatrix was immobile on the floor, bound and gagged. Several of the other Death Eaters made to escape, but sparks emitted from the headmaster's wand and they, too, joined Bellatrix on the floor.
Sirius stirred, groping around for his wand. Blood trickled freely from a nasty looking cut on his head, and he raised a hand to his chest, wincing. He shook back his dark hair, rising to his feet and surveying the scene.
Mad-Eye Moody lay unconscious on the floor, face bloodied and magical eye dislodged, finally having rolled to a stop on the ground several feet away. Tonks was stirring on the floor, groaning softly. Kingsley standing by Dumbledore's side, Bellatrix -
"Good one, Bella," Sirius said mockingly, watching her glare at him, unable to do more than struggle against her binds. Shrieks were muffled by the gag, though he had a good idea of what she was trying to say.
Lupin was watching Sirius carefully, approaching him cautiously.
"Sirius?" Harry asked tentatively. "Are you okay?"
With a grin that belied how he actually felt, Sirius replied, "Sure. Just got stunned, that's all. Actually, I'm perfect, if you look at Moody and Tonks."
"Sirius, get away from me!" shouted Harry suddenly, leaping away as though he'd been burned. Bewildered, his godfather stared back at him.
"Voldemort -" gasped Harry.
Sirius whipped his head around, and saw a tall, slender figure cloaked in black robes, pallid hand extended from his robes, grasping a wand.
Voldemort looked scornfully over his Death Eaters, motionless on the ground. With conviction, Sirius saw Bellatrix avert her gaze away from her master's eyes.
"What is the meaning of this?" said the high pitched voice, bidding the hairs on Harry's neck to rise and goose bumps to sprout over his skin. "I am disappointed, to say the least ..ah, Dumbledore."
"Hello, Tom," said Dumbledore coolly. Harry started forward, but Dumbledore shouted, "NO, Harry! Stay back!"
"Defending your favorite boy, Dumbledore?" said Voldemort, twirling his wand around his fingers. A split second later, the wand was firmly in his hand again. "Dear me, Potter, I'm afraid even Dumbledore can't help you now .."
Harry gritted his teeth. "Maybe not, but your Death Eaters can't help you now either. Having a bit of trouble, stuck on the floor like that, aren't they?"
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry ducked the jet of green light from Voldemort's wand.
A statue jumped to life in front of Harry, taking the deadly curse and shattering. Another stone figure leapt to guard Harry, who made to go around it, but the bewitched statue wouldn't let him pass. Glancing over his shoulder, Harry caught sight of Lupin restraining Sirius, who clearly wanted to come to his godson's aid.
Dumbledore muttered an incantation. Although the room was deathly quiet, the words used to complete the spell were lost on Harry, who'd never heard them before. A jet of light streaked towards Voldemort, but he had put up a magical shield which surrounded his figure like a ghostly bubble. When Dumbledore's spell hit it, the shield splintered and faded away, Voldemort with it.
Harry looked wildly around to see where Voldemort, formerly Tom Riddle had reappeared. He never had -but with a shock, Harry realized that Bellatrix Lestrange had disappeared as well, the other Death Eaters left on the floor.
For the second time, the door to the room burst open. This time, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, and five Aurors entered the room. Fudge's lime green bowler hat was nowhere to be seen, and he looked frantic, a maniacal glint in his eye.
"Did you see -did you see him? Him, in the Ministry of all places! He took a woman and disappeared -"
"About time you caught on," snarled Sirius, before Lupin clapped a hand over his friend's mouth.
"No," whispered Lupin urgently. "Don't put yourself in any more trouble .."
Fudge had just caught sight of Dumbledore.
"D-Dumbledore! And Sirius Black!" Looking positively bewildered and frazzled, the Minister looked as though he wanted nothing more than to sit down and cry. "Dawlish -arrest Black!"
One of the Aurors moved forward, wand raised, but Dumbledore shouted, "NO!" once again, and the man called Dawlish stepped back, blinking.
"And what authority do you have to order my Aurors around?" snapped Fudge testily.
Dumbledore paid him no mind, but touched one of the pieces of the shattered stone guard, and said softly, "Portus."
"Now Dumbledore, that's an unauthorized Portkey and I -" began Fudge. He was silenced when Dumbledore turned to look at him slowly, eyes still lacking their usual twinkle. Then the headmaster of Hogwarts refocused his attention on Harry.
"Harry, take this Portkey back to Hogwarts with Sirius, Remus, and Moody -go straight to Madam Pomfrey."
Harry nodded, and felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Sirius, standing protectively by his side. They each put a finger on the statue while Lupin hoisted Moody to his feet, gingerly slipping the ex-Auror's magical eye into his pocket. Then, one hand pressing Moody's own to the Portkey, the other touching it for himself, Lupin nodded to Dumbledore.
"Ready then? One ..two ..three," said Dumbledore.
Harry felt the familiar jerk behind his navel and the rushing sensation of hurling forward through space in a whirlwind of sound and color, and then -
"Oomph!" Rising quickly to his feet, Harry looked around. They were in Dumbledore's office. Lupin and Sirius were still standing, though visibly shaken, and Moody was just beginning to stir, a low groan escaping his lips. His hand moved vaguely around, then Lupin hurried forward and produced Moody's magical eye, placing it in its respective owner's hand. Only Harry saw the slight look of revolt Lupin gave the slippery eye.
"To the hospital wing, Harry," said Sirius.
"No way -I'm fine -it's you who needs to go! Well, and Moody -"
"I want to make sure you're fine," said Sirius firmly. "Let's go."
Sighing, Harry followed his godfather to the hospital wing, while Lupin helped Moody unsteadily to his feet.
Once they got there, Madam Pomfrey was all over them, pushing Harry down onto a cot, then forcing Sirius down onto the one alongside.
Harry didn't fight her, but lay down peacefully. He was tired after the night's events. He dimly heard Madam Pomfrey gasp.
"Alastor -Remus, what happened?"
"Death Eater work," Harry heard Lupin say.
Tsking, Madam Pomfrey bustled around, getting potions and antidotes ready. She leaned over Harry, forcing a cup of liquid into his hands.
"Drink this -it'll make you feel better."
"I'm fine," said Harry. "It's Sirius you need to see -he got a Stunning spell to the chest -"
"Drink," repeated Madam Pomfrey, before leaving Harry's side to check on Sirius and Moody.
Harry heard an awful squelching sound as Moody's magical eye was popped back in to his head. He tentatively took a sip of the potion. Harry grimaced. It tasted awful. And then he lost consciousness, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When he awoke, Harry sat up with a start, fumbling around for his glasses so he could see what happened to the others. Lupin was dozing in a chair off in the corner, snoring softly. Moody was asleep two bunks down, his face was no longer bloodstained, but clean and peaceful. There was heavy bandaging wrapped around his head. Sirius appeared to be sleeping, too. Like Moody, his head was bandaged.
Madam Pomfrey made her way quickly to Harry's side, though very quietly.
"Ah! You're awake! How are you feeling?"
"Fine," said Harry. "How are the others?"
Madam Pomfrey glanced at Moody and Sirius. "Alastor is lucky, the biggest head injury was sustained behind his left ear, but he'll be fine in a week or so."
"And Sirius?"
"He'll live," said Madam Pomfrey. "He's very fortunate ..a well placed Stunning spell to the chest can stop the heart, but the one that hit him just scraped by. He has a concussion, he's going nowhere for a week, and he's not leaving for another half week after that."
Harry looked worriedly at Sirius. It sounded serious, but he trusted Madam Pomfrey's healing abilities. He started to lie back down, but Sirius sat up, grinning at Harry.
"Sirius!" said Harry in a low whisper. "Are you okay? Madam Pomfrey said -"
"I heard."
"It sounded serious .."
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Sirius said confidently. "Dueling with my cousin was a right change from being locked in my parents' house with a nutter house elf."
Harry looked skeptical, though he smiled slightly at Sirius's mention of Kreacher.
"Wretched elf," muttered Sirius darkly. Harry didn't need to ask at what he meant -Kreacher had lied to Harry, sending Sirius's godson into danger in the Department of Mysteries.
"So when d'you reckon he gets beheaded and stuck up on the wall?" asked Harry, smiling faintly.
"Hmm ..good question," said Sirius, pretending to ponder it. "As soon as we get home?"
A change came over Harry, and he looked at his godfather rather sullenly. "Do you really think he deserves to die?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes," said Sirius coolly. "A house elf that does what Kreacher's done has no excuses."
Just then, the door opened, and Dumbledore swept in, smiling pleasantly at Harry and Sirius.
"I trust you are feeling better today?" asked the headmaster.
"Yes," said Harry and Sirius together.
Sirius let out his usual barklike laugh. "What else did Fudge say? Was he begging for forgiveness?" Harry noticed how hard his godfather's voice sounded.
"Not quite," said Dumbledore. "But nevertheless, the Death Eaters are in Azkaban ..which is not a thought of much comfort," he added. "The dementors are rejoining Voldemort -putting his most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who would rejoin him the instant he asks them to has always seemed foolish to me."
Harry nodded slowly, mulling over what Dumbledore had just said.
"I have come, Harry, to discuss your living arrangement." Dumbledore fixed his gaze on Harry now, who also felt Sirius's eyes on him. "After last summer's events, I no longer feel Privet Drive is a suitable place for you. I thought the protection there would be enough ..but it seems I've made yet another mistake. If two dementors were able to come after you, then Death Eaters would also be able to.
If it's all right with Sirius, I plan to move you to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters permanently. It's the safest place for you right now. It's Unplottable, and with my charms and protections, no one can find it unless I personally write them a note. Even the Ministry doesn't know where it is."
Harry's heart leapt. "L-leave the Dursleys? Live with Sirius?"
"Of course, Dumbledore," said Sirius, looking more gratified and pleased than Harry had ever seen him. "I want what's best for Harry."
"Dumbledore? I've been meaning to ask you for a while now .." Harry turned to the old wizard. "After the Triwizard Tournament, after I told you and Sirius how Voldemort took some of my blood, you looked ..almost ..triumphant. Why?"
Dumbledore smiled serenely. "Immortality is now beyond Voldemort's reach," he said. "By using your blood, and you being human ..mortal blood will always flow through his veins, so he can always be defeated. It was a mistake I'm not sure eve he has realized yet, but yes, it was a terrible mistake for him."
"So ..it's good for us?" asked Harry, with a suspicion of where this conversation was going to turn.
"You remember the prophecy, Harry?" Dumbledore asked the fifteen year old. Harry nodded. "Yes, it's good."
A random thought occurred to Harry. "Since no one can find Sirius's house ..could I, you know, do magic over the summer?"
Dumbledore sighed. "No, Harry ..only for emergencies. If, somehow, in the future, the Ministry found out you'd been doing unnecessary magic, they could put you on trial. The last thing we need is for you to get in trouble with the Ministry, do you understand?"
Harry nodded, slightly disappointed, but not devastated. After all, he'd lived eleven years of his life as a Muggle, not even knowing magic existed. He'd be fine for two months every summer.
Looking over to his right, Harry glanced at Sirius, who looked thrilled. He couldn't really blame him. As he thought back on the times that past year when Hermione had said things that irked him, the grin slipped from his face.
"But sometimes I think Mrs. Weasley is right, and Sirius gets confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry."
"So you think he's touched in the head?"
"No ..I just think he's been very lonely for a long time."
"Harry?" said a voice. "Is something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh ..right." Harry plastered a grin back on his face for Sirius, who was gazing at him concernedly.
"Dumbledore left."
"He did?" Startled, Harry looked around. Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen. He hadn't been reminiscing for that long, had he?
"Look, Harry ..I'm really glad you're coming to stay," said Sirius.
"Me too," replied Harry, flopping back down onto his pillows.
"We'll have lots of fun," promised Sirius. "It'll be like old times."
"Old times?"
"Er ..last winter," said Sirius quickly.
Harry frowned slightly, staring hard at his godfather. "What were you going to say, Sirius?"
"Nothing, just ..last winter."
An unpleasant sensation was taking over Harry, though his loyalty to Sirius outweighed all of the new thoughts prickling his mind. He wished he hadn't overheard Mrs. Weasley and Sirius's rows the summer before ..for his godfather's last comment made Harry wonder if Hermione and Ron's mum were right, and Sirius really did get confused about who Harry was. Entertaining this thought was extremely uncomfortable to Harry, and he didn't know what to say.
Harry opened his mouth slightly, hesitated, then plunged on. "Who d'you think I am?" He watched his godfather cautiously.
Sirius looked highly affronted. "What do you mean, Harry?"
"Do you -do you really know who I am, or do you think I'm my dad?" asked Harry quietly.
"I'm perfectly clear who you are," said Sirius coolly. "You don't think I know you?" Already Harry could sense that his godfather was distancing himself.
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
"Don't be," said Sirius moodily.
Harry decided to change the subject. "Does Lupin live at your house, too?"
"Yeah," said Sirius, "but he didn't always. He just came last summer, when Dumbledore recalled the Order."
Another nagging suspicion was bothering Harry ..the previous winter, when Mr. Weasley had been attacked, Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny arrived at Grimmauld Place in the dead of the night, greeted by an unshaven Sirius still in his day clothes ..and there had been more, Harry remembered. He'd shrugged it off at the time, but Sirius had had a slightly Mundungus-like whiff of stale drink about him ..
Harry bristled again, more uncomfortably than before. He made up excuses for Sirius. He must've just been depressed, he told himself firmly. You wouldn't want to be shut up in that old house with Kreacher either. But drinking? Harry had never known Sirius to indulge in liquor to escape reality. He vowed to himself to try to keep Sirius as happy as possible, so his godfather wouldn't have to turn to alcohol.
Or he could be reading too far into this, piped up the side of his mind which loved Sirius and would do anything to defend him.
"Harry?" said Sirius again.
When Harry reluctantly met his godfather's eyes, all his worries vanished. Just being stupid, he told himself. He'll have me, he won't be lonely anymore.