Author's Note: I don't own the rights to Harry Potter or, sadly, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, wish I may and wish I might. However, I am pleased with the fact that I've managed to think of several ways for Sirius to escape death by Veil or by Rowling, in a logical manner in keeping with the rules of Potterverse. This story is the result of one of such idea. The premise is basically: 'What if Remus had managed to locate a time-turner that hadn't been destroyed by the attack on the Ministry?'.
This story does include Sirius/Remus slash, just so everyone's aware. Other than that I wish you all happy reading.
Remus Lupin sat in his room at Grimmauld Place wondering how best to keep Harry from going over the edge once he returned from school and at the same time keep himself from crumbling after losing Sirius a second time. It had only been a day and six hours, if the clock on the side table was to be believed, since the unfortunate incident at the Department of Mysteries. Not that Remus had spent much time in his room after moving in here, as he and Sirius had finally been to the point where they could share a bed again, having had the summer before to sort out past issues and talk about Peter. Remus had sorely missed teaching at Hogwarts and his quiet summer at home had been rather dull until Sirius had shown up on his doorstep. Seeing the animagus' shaggy state had jolted him into immediate action and he'd set about finding some spare robes for Sirius to wear and some moderately edible canned food for him to eat. It had taken the entirety of the summer for Sirius to finally relax a bit and he had started to look a little less worse for wear by the time they'd moved into Grimmauld Place. Even so, Remus had found himself wishing more than ever that he could have a time-turner in order to bring himself and Sirius back to the days when they'd been truly happy, before James and Lily had died and Harry had been taken away.
Remus shook his head to clear his thoughts, knowing they could only lead to much darker ones involving Peter's betrayal and the years he had spent living alone in the muggle world as his parents had died prior to the end of the war. No, it was useless to think of things he couldn't change. Even more so to think about objects like time-turners when they'd all been destroyed just the day before by the Death Eaters. If only Hermione had kept hers, now that would have...
'That's right! Hermione isn't the only student to have ever been granted the use of a time-turner,' Remus thought, hands shaking with the sudden revelation. 'It isn't out of place to assume that a particularly gifted Ravenclaw would be granted the same opportunity if they were deemed responsible enough.'
His fist was clenched at his side as his thoughts warred with one another. Remus knew that stealing a time-turner from a student was immoral and that it could very well cause that student to be in a great deal of trouble with the Ministry, provided they even remembered the student still had it in his or her possession in the aftermath of Voldemort's attack on the Ministry. The student in question would undoubtedly have an improbably full class schedule. They would be used to taking on a great deal of responsibility, something that would have proven to the Ministry that they wouldn't misuse what they'd been given, possibly a prefect or the captain of the quidditch team. This person would consider having a time-turner to be an honor and a privilege.
Remus considered the students he'd observed during his time at Hogwarts and a few names came to the forefront of his mind. Unfortunately for him it was likely that most of them would graduated by now. Although there had been one particular Ravenclaw in Harry's year whom Remus was quite confident would have made prefect by now and that was Morag McDougal. She was a stout girl with sharp wit, who'd seen fit to completely vanish the bogart Remus had used in his classes to another part of the school entirely when it became her turn to face it. This had surprised several members of the staff and Remus himself and he was sure that her considerable abilities had only increased during her last two years of schooling. Morag was one of the few, besides Hermione, whose application for the use of a time-turner would have been seriously considered by the Ministry.
This mean there was at least a chance that she had a time-turner in her possession that she'd yet to turn in, making Remus' plan even more risky. Although now that he considered it, breaking into Ravenclaw tower would be nearly impossible now that everyone new Voldemort had returned.
'That and if she's half as clever as Hermione, she'll have locked the time-turner away in a chest with wards to prevent anyone from tampering with it,' Remus mused, 'I'd be better off going to Hogwarts tomorrow under the premise of visiting Albus and risking a simple accio in the hallway.'
The werewolf sighed wearily. It would have to do and it would have to be a wandless incantation, otherwise someone would catch on immediately. He knew the possibility of a time-turner having survived the attack on the Ministry was almost nil, so if he wasn't able to locate one at Hogwarts then his dream of rescuing Sirius would remain just that.
It didn't help that visions of Sirius seemed to haunt him from every corner of the house now. Even his own bedside seemed to be padded with memories and blurred visions of a man with tired gray eyes and large black dog with mud soaked fur. Sirius had insisted on going outside in the small back yard at Grimmauld Place and racing through the puddles at every opportunity, just to be outside in the open air. After being locked away in Azkaban for nearly thirteen years, Remus knew his friend and newly reconciled boyfriend hadn't enjoyed being locked up once again. It wasn't something Remus had been completely on board with either, despite being able to keep Sirius safe and out of reach of the Ministry and the Dementors. This house had been the bane of Sirius' very existence as a child and he'd made no secret of it while at school. Remus had suggested to Dumbledore several times that they move Sirius to one of the Order's safe houses only to be denied and told that Sirius was the safest he could be at Grimmauld Place. Now it seemed liked he hadn't tried hard enough to get the headmaster to relent, because if he had then Sirius wouldn't be so far beyond his reach as he was now.
Remus held his right arm tightly in the grip of his left hand. An action that caused him a bit of pain as several of the injuries from the previous year, before Snape had begun giving him Wolfsbane again, had yet to heal properly. He knew that without the potion the next full moon would be worse after Sirius' sudden death. The wolf would want take revenge for the death of a pack member and the opportunity to rip apart the one who'd caused it. Namely Kreacher and any Death Eaters in the vicinity, up to and including Lucious Malfoy. The pain reminded him of that as well as the consequences of his actions should he be caught stealing a Ministry implement from a student. Truthfully he knew anything that helped Sirius and made Harry happy was worth a minor chafe on his personal set of morals. Even a lecture from Dumbledore on the proper usage of magical objects at his age would be preferable to keeping Harry in his current state of depression and leaving Sirius to his fate.
"I need the cloak" Remus said finally. "Brilliant. Now I'm stealing from Harry. God help me. At least I know Harry will forgive me if and when I manage to get Sirius back for both of us."
As expected, getting into Hogwarts was relatively simple, given that several members of the Order were already doing patrols there. Hagrid had let Remus in on the pretence of a meeting with Dumbledore later that afternoon. Remus had made sure his parent's house was ready in advance, because once he used the time-turner and rescued Sirius from the Ministry, he'd need a place to hide him until such time as the Remus of that time went back with the same purpose in mind. Dumbledore had long ago taught him that people who used time-turners often forgot the first cardinal rule of their use which was: 'you couldn't change the event that caused you to go back in time in the first place, without making it appear as though events had occurred in such a way that you thought you still needed to use the time-turner to reverse it.' It was the reason Harry and Hermione had been unable to prevent the events of that horrible night when Remus had transformed in front of everyone and Peter had escaped once again.
Hagrid had left Remus to go about his own business and returned to his hut after closing the school gates once more. The werewolf tensely made his way through the school and wandered around a bit before settling in the now empty third floor corridor with the trap door to wait for suppertime. He knew the Tower would be nearly empty by then, an opportune time to borrow James' invisibility cloak from Harry. After two hours of waiting, Remus heard students talking avidly as they made their way downstairs, while talking about that night's supper, which was apparently roast mutton with bread. He waited for the noise of tapping feet to ebb and the student's scent to grow less clear, before making his way slowly up to Griffindor Tower.
"Good evening" Remus greeted the Fat Lady "The password is Grub Neels."
"Such a good boy" the Fat Lady replied. "But I'm not sure I should let you in. What exactly are you here for anyway?"
"I was asked to ensure that Harry's things were properly inspected before he left Hogwarts. The Headmaster seemed to think that Voldemort might have used something of Harry's in order to spy on him" Remus lied calmly. "It might have been the reason Sirius died."
Yes, he knew he was laying it on a bit thick, but the ends justified the means in this case as far as he was concerned.
"You could be right, dear" the Fat Lady said rather mournfully. "I still hadn't forgiven him for what he did two years ago. Don't think I've forgotten the knife. But he did try to help the poor lad."
"Tonks is trying to get the Wizengamot to clear his name" Remus managed, blinking back several tears, a knot forming in his throat. "We all misjudged him."
The Fat Lady nodded and swung aside, allowing him access to the thankfully empty Griffindor Common Room. The fifth year boys dormitory was dark and quiet and Remus' sense of smell told him it was also completely empty. He knew Harry's friends had probably dragged him down to dinner in order to keep him from brooding about Sirius' death and his part in it. Remus hadn't blamed Harry in the slightest, knowing full well that it had been the machinations of Narcissa Malfoy, Kreacher, and Voldemort himself, that had caused the events leading up to his boyfriend's demise. It had been painful to listen to Dumbledore's recollection of the events leading up to the attack later that night. What made it all worse was the fact that half the blame could be placed on Dumbledore's shoulders as well as Snape's for not teaching Harry Occulmency properly. Yes Remus knew that Harry and Severus had an ongoing feud that rivaled the one Snape had had with James, but they were at war now and it was vital that Harry not give away pertinent information to Voldemort. He knew Harry would need to learn it eventually to keep his sanity from slipping and resolved then and there to find someone to teach him that wouldn't put the boy on edge.
Remus quickly shuffled through Harry's trunk and found the invisibility cloak there at the bottom as though it had barely been used that year. He also spotted the map lying beneath it and grabbed that as well. Having the map would it easier to find the person he was looking for without being detected. Then he folded the map and stuffed the cloak into the pocket of his robes, before, relocked the trunk and made his way out of the tower. It was time to find a place to wait near the Ravenclaw Common Room. He'd attempt to catch Morag out during her rounds that night.
The paintings made small comments as he passed, but otherwise didn't seem to care that he was there. Members of the Order had been in and out Hogwarts with great frequency since the day before, so it had ceased to be any cause for alarm amongst certain residents of the castle. Ravenclaw tower was in a particularly awkward section of the castle with fewer places to hide. Eventually Remus found himself hiding in the secret passage on the fourth floor that he and his friends had use to hide from Filch occasionally. It was close enough to the tower to allow him enough of a vantage point for when he finally emerged later that night.
The agonizing wait was enough to make Remus wish he'd brought a book, even knowing that it might distract him from the task at hand. He forced himself to stay focused by planning his next move, which was to find another target from Ravenclaw or one of the other houses, if this one failed. His absence at Grimmauld Place would only be noticed by Tonks and possibly Molly, while the rest would assume he'd gone off by himself to mourn the loss of Sirius. Arthur Weasley would calm Molly's fears and Kinsley would stop Tonks from coming after him, presumably to his house. Fortunately for Remus, if she did show up there it wouldn't hinder his plans any as they involved being at the Ministry during the attack the previous day.
"If it works, I'll tell Harry" Remus told himself. "Then we'll worry about everything thing else after that. I'll take him away from that house. I know he hated it. Harry too. After what happened with the Dementors last summer and Voldemort this time, we can't leave him with those people. But I can't take him if I don't have Sirius. Sirius is the only one with the right to do so."
The werewolf peered at the map sitting unfolded in his lap. It took two and a half hours for the feast to end and the Ravenclaws to make their way back to the tower. The prefects began their rounds a half an hour later. Morag McDougal made her way around the fourth floor, while another prefect joined her only to split off to patrol another corridor to the left. Once he knew Morag was alone, Remus began to make his way out of the passage an into the corridor, donning the invisibility cloak before stepping out.
Remus came within five feet of Morag before taking out his wand and silently casting accio.
Nothing happened.
The former professor drew in a shaky breath and whispered "Acio time-turner." Suddenly a golden chain whipped out from around Morag's neck and headed straight toward Remus, disappearing under the cloak. He grasped the object desperately and held tight to it. Thinking it strange to hear himself mentally thanking whatever omnipotent being rested in skies above.
Remus let out a sigh of relief before scrambling down the corridor toward the staircase. Morag was left standing behind him, stunned at the fact that her time-turner had mysteriously disappeared into thin air. Then he slowly walked through Hogwarts, taking each corner carefully, referring to the map as if it were his only lifeline. The castle gates opened before him at a single tap of his wand and then closed behind him just as quickly. Placing his wand and the map back in his pocket, he lifted the time-turner over his head and placed it securely around his neck. Remus apparated to London from Hogsmeade, to a place just outside the Ministry and, still safely under the cloak, he began to turn the time-turner back just the right amount of hours bringing him to the time right before the attack had occurred.
The time-turner spun and flicked and fluttered in an almost hypnotically repetitive pattern and Remus had to stop himself from looking too deeply at it and focus on the movement of his surroundings.
When it finally stopped Remus felt an odd sense of quiet for a moment. He took a deep shaky breath and stepped away from the corner. Skirting around people and pets, Remus made his way across the narrow street to the visitor's entrance, a small telephone box, with a still working phone attached. He dialed six-two-four-four-two, listened to the preliminary message given to all visitors about the security measures, and felt the floor slip slightly underneath his feet as the platform lowered itself.
"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening." Another nameless pre-charmed voice.
James had once commented that the random voices of people from the Ministry that rang out every time you entered were creepy, because he couldn't tell whose they were. Which was unusual as James and Sirius knew half the Ministry between them, because both of their fathers had significant influence there, although only Mr. Potter had actually been employed there. Lord Black, as he remembered from the three times he'd ever glimpsed Sirius' father, was an eerie individual that greatly resembled his niece Bellatrix in both looks and mannerism. He'd exerted his influence over various Ministry officials much in the same way Lucius Malfoy did, by buying favors and obliquely threatening anyone who got in his way.
Remus peered out into the dim light, careful to keep hold of the cloak so that it didn't slide off his tall thin frame, muttered "Quiccus" to dull the noise of his clomping feet and sighing breath to those around him. He couldn't have Harry and his friends detecting his presence, never mind the rest of the Order when they arrived later.
Wand in hand he cautiously examined the room. Nodding with satisfaction at its apparent desertion, Remus moved forward and edged past the trickling fountains that decorated the open front hall of the Ministry. The lifts were easy enough to locate and he purposely chose the one farthest down from the entryway, deducing that Harry and his friends would make use of whichever was closest. He knew the security measures in place had likely been cut off by the Death Eaters lurking in the Department of Mysteries. His prediction proved true when the lift immediately allowed him access to the place and he slowly stepped out, wand clutched in a steady fist.
Then he circumspectly strode down through the department, making sure to avoid the room where the globular prophesies and ominous foretellings were kept, knowing what was lurking there in the dark. He'd seen enough of Bellatrix Lestrange to last him a lifetime's worth of nightmares thank you very much. It didn't help that he wanted to cast a reducto straight at her oblivious skull right this moment for what she did to both Harry and Sirius. Lucius Malfoy's fate wouldn't be any better if Remus allowed himself to turn the bugger into a tree and then cast fiendfyre on him. No, no, tempting as it was to end Bellatrix's reign of insanity and rid them of Malfoy's constant string of interference, none of this would help him to save Sirius in the immediate future. Voldemort had shown up at the Ministry as well that night and Remus knew the odds of the Dark Lord killing Sirius just to torture Harry were high. The plan to lure Harry here had been well facilitated and the arrival of the Order had done little to stop Voldemort from nearly killing him once again. Dumbledore had managed to stop it, but only just. Remus knew that he couldn't change what had happened in that respect. If he interfered it wouldn't stop the fight from entering the Death Chamber and Remus knew that the chances of Sirius, and perhaps even Harry if things went wrong, entering the list of casualties was great. So he entered the Death Chamber with a clamoring heart, trembling slightly as he looked around, still seeing the images of the fight in his mind and Sirius' fall through the tattered curtain before him.
Treading on the smooth ageless stone resting beneath the soles of his feet, Remus approached the Veil and pulled back the curtain. Finding only a swirling mist and the feel of a cold, despairing wind fluttering over the decaying fabric in his hand, Remus breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that the spirits of Lily and James hadn't been there to greet him, it would have been almost too tempting to step over to the other side just to see them again. But not enough so that he'd have left Sirius to deal with Bellatrix alone. Remus knew that Sirius would soon have joined him behind the Veil and that he wouldn't have had very long to wait. His parents and James' would also have been waiting for him just beyond the slow swirl of that unearthly mist that stayed within the silver frame, much like an enchanted mirror from a muggle storybook was supposed to.
Remus positioned himself carefully next to the frame, just beneath the patched up curtain, making sure the cloak was tight around him before settling quietly to wait for Harry's arrival. Twenty minutes later he heard the sound of shattering glass and shouted but muffled discourse between the children and the Death Eaters. He had to grip the outer frame of the Veil to keep himself from harrowing off to their rescue. It didn't take more than five minutes for Harry and his friends to appear in the Death Chamber along with Lucius Malfoy. The sounds of other Death Eaters became inherent as more of them began to apparate in, no doubt summoned by the sharp burning of Dark Mark on their upper arms. He cast a shield charm on himself and stood silently at the edge of the frame as the fighting began.
Harry and his friends were quickly overwhelmed. The Death Eaters had taken full advantage of their inexperience, helped in no small way by Dolores Umbridge's inept teaching methods. Remus had to grip the silvery frame harder to keep himself from coming out, stunning Lucius Malfoy and casting a few nasty curses at Bellatrix. He knew the Order would arrive soon. They'd stop her from putting the Crutiatus curse on Neville again, and breaking Ginny's ankle, and keep the others from coming to any more harm.
His other self arrived a few moments later with Sirius, Tonks, Moody, and Kingsley. Malfoy was quickly stunned by Tonks and the tide quickly began to turn. Several of the Death Eaters present went down, including Goyle, as members of the Order began to duel those who remained standing.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius yelled, the sound bouncing around the room in a voluminous echo right before the second stunner hit him square in the chest. Remus heard and felt it rather than saw it and all breath left him as he saw Sirius' head fall through the curtain in front of him. Then his whole body fell through and Remus grabbed for him, feeling skin and fabric beneath his fingers. Gritting his teeth he pulled what he could of Sirius under the cloak as the mist seemed to extend and reach out to grab him. Feeling more than a little ill at ease, Remus apparated them both under the cloak, leaving nothing more behind than slight wind that rustled the tattered curtain. He barely heard himself and Harry arguing as he left the dais behind, hands firmly gripping Sirius' unconscious form.
Sirius regained consciousness several hours later and found himself lying on a bed in Remus' house. The darkness of the night sky was barely visible through the ages curtains covering the window beside him. He instinctively knew this was Remus' old room from when he was a child, having visited the Lupins several times while he was at Hogwarts. The years directly following his escape from the Black family manse were some of the happiest he could remember and being here served to sooth his nerves a little. Then he was struck by memories of his previous encounter with Bellatrix and Harry being absconded by Death Eaters at the Ministry.
"Remus?" Sirius called as he tried to bite back on some of his panic.
The door creaked at Remus opened it with a quick turn of the knob. He sighed as visible relief flooded his face.
"Bellatrix hit you with a stunner right in front of the Veil. Diagnostic spells suggest that you should still be fully functional" Remus answered as his mouth quirked uneasily.
"Good to know" Sirius said with a wag of his eyebrows. "We'll have to test that theory later."
Remus chuckled slightly, a light blush tinting his countenance.
"Did we win?" Sirius inquired as he drew an arm up and down his shoulder in an awkward gesture before rising to his feet and sidling up to Remus. He began running his fingers up and down the werewolf's still form, searching for any evidence of injury or bulging bandages.
"Barely" Remus replied shivering as the hands ran down his shoulders. "We nearly lost you to the Veil."
Sirius stared back, eyes widened in shock.
Then his expression curved into a frown as the shadows under the werewolf's eyes became more visible.
"What else don't I know, Moony? Why're we here instead of at Grimmauld Place?"
"You have to understand...I was desperate, Pads. You actually fell through the first time around" the werewolf answered, fist clenching in his robes. "You died today at the Ministry and I had to steal this" Remus hooked a finger around a chain hanging from his neck just beneath his shoddy robes and dragged it up into the light, "in order to bring you back. The Ministry's entire stock of time-turners were destroyed in the scuffle between Harry's group and the Death Eaters. We're lucky a Ravenclaw student still had one in her possession that was undisturbed."
Amber eyes met gray as an earnest look crossed his face.
"You got the time-turner to-Did something else happen to Harry?" Sirius asked, unnerved.
Remus shook his head.
"You would have been the only casualty, although Harry took a mental beating at Voldemort's hands both through your presumed death and the mind link he continues to share with Riddle" Remus explained running a hand through his tawny hair.
Sirius frowned upon hearing this.
"How did he even get into the Ministry in the first place?"
"The Death Eaters were there ahead of Harry and his friends. It was a setup to get Harry to retrieve the prophecy for Voldemort" Remus explained gravely. "They wanted to lure him once more into Voldemort's reach."
Sirius nodded, his face thoughtfully grim. After a long moment he sighed and looked up at Remus with a wistful smile.
"Moony, how the hell did you manage to sneak away with a time-turner right under old Moody's beady nose?" Sirius asked grinning. "I knew your Marauder side was still in there somewhere. "
"You've been a bad influence, Padfoot. I've found myself reverting a bit during the past couple of years" Remus answered with a light smile. "Before you ask, Harry is currently safe at Hogwarts."
"So we're playing the waiting game with your 'past' self until time catches up with us" Sirius mused. "Clever of you to think of that. I'd be willing to bet the Ministry hasn't the faintest clue where it's gone."
"Nor will they. I plan on keeping this on ice for the time being, since it's the last of its kind." Remus stated. "I'd rather the Death Eaters didn't discover its existence. Their ability to 'sneak' into the Ministry was rather impressive. I'd rather they didn't happen upon the object, were it returned."
"Sneak my arse" Sirius muttered. "Mulciber got them in with Malfoys help. Git's even more slimy than Snape. What'll you do if the student reports it missing, assuming you didn't obliviate her on the spot."
"I'm counting on the Ministry rebuffing her claims that it was stolen after their entire stock was devastated by Death Eaters" Remus explained, wrapping his arms around Sirius' waist and pulling him closer. "The officials will very likely assume that it was stolen by Death Eaters or that it was confiscated by a professor and returned without her knowledge before the attack."
"That's risky Moony."
"I was in a hurry to get you back" Remus defended. "I was very keen about the fact that I'd actually located a time-turner that was nice and whole. I couldn't bare losing you again, Sirius. You have to understand that. If I need to I'll go back and use the charm later."
"More than you know, Remus." Sirius answered blearily. "I take it we're waiting to tell Harry then."
Remus nodded.
"I thought about taking him aside at Kings Cross before his relatives come to collect him to let him know I'll be by later this summer, but I'm assuming Moody will be there as well. I trust Dumbledore, but he'll only lock you up in Grimmauld Place again this summer. I'd rather you were far away from that dreadful little house elf and your mother's portrait, they were beginning to drive you mad. We'll tell him in a few weeks maybe, after we've got something sorted out."
Sirius mumbled his agreement. Spending time in the house he'd grown up in was not what he'd considered conducive to peace and security. He felt much more relaxed in Moony's old house than he'd ever felt at the manse.
During the next couple of hours Remus set to work several new wards around his house and reinforced some of the older ones. Then he and Sirius performed the Fidelius charm on it that would allow Sirius to remain hidden for the time being. Remus was of course the secret keeper.
After that the two of them separated, Sirius going off to make dinner in the Lupin's kitchen, while Remus did some research on blood wards. The former professor felt it necessary to see exactly what these protections Dumbledore swore by truly entailed. He hadn't had much time to think last year before the dementor attack had occurred. Now more than ever Remus worried about Harry's safety. The Dursley's hadn't seemed very concerned about Harry or his wellbeing. Remus knew now that they would have abandoned Harry or even given him away if given the opportunity. In fact if someone like Peter or Lucius Malfoy had offered to buy Harry from his uncle, the man would likely have agreed.
Meanwhile Sirius admired his handiwork as he put the finishing touches on the final portion of their dinner. Cooking was something he was particularly skilled at. Making a meal was like fixing a motorcycle, you needed use a methodical approach mixed with a creative flare to in order to be successful at it. Nothing he didn't have already after years of planning elaborate pranks with James, Remus, and a certain wormtailed traitor.
He shook his head to banish the notion, the less he thought about Peter the better. It didn't do to dwell on it. He and Remus had attempted to locate him several times that summer and failed. At least they knew he wasn't creeping around near Remus' house unnoticed. The Fidelius charm would ensure that Peter was unable to locate the cottage or its occupants
Sirius walked out of the kitchen, clapping his hands together after having finally cleansed the kitchen and likewise himself, of cooking residue. He didn't make it more than a few steps however, before he was ambushed by an unusually spirited Remus. After being pushed against the nearby wall and well and thoroughly snogged, the werewolf released him.
"Been waiting to do that have you?" Sirius asked dazedly.
"You have no idea" Remus said breathing heavily. "Molly Weasley's been on me about Tonks ever since last summer. I couldn't exactly tell her the truth after we'd decided to keep quiet about us while we were at Grimmauld Place."
"As in my cousin Nymphadora Tonks? That's who she was trying to set you up with?" Sirius blanched. "I don't think she's your type, Moony.
"You think?"
"I mean it's a bit unbelievable that Molly would think to set the two of you up, but I'm sure you managed to put her off." Sirius mused.
"More or less" Remus said with a snort. "I managed to convince her that I could find my own distractions."
"Oh, do elaborate, Moony?"
Instead Remus closed the distance between them and pressed his nose into Sirius's soft dark hair, inhaling deeply as he took in the scent of him. Sirius smelled of bread and flour with just a tinge of chocolate to tease the werewolf's senses, and increasing his hunger. Remus then began to nip along Sirius' jawline down to a sensitive spot on his neck, causing the other man to shudder.
"What's...ohh...gotten into you...ahh...Moony?" Sirius inquired amidst the sensations Remus was incurring. "Not that I mind all that much...oh yes right there...but shouldn't you be getting back to Grimmauld Place straight after dinner?"
"Not for another two hours and I won't need nearly that long for what I have planned" Remus whispered against his neck, gristly stubble scratching against Sirius a bit as he moved. "I waited longer than that to find that time-turner just to have you back with me. You have no idea how long it felt. So please, just let me have you right now."
"You have me" Sirius answered, perfectly understanding the seeming despair that had made Remus so desperate for him. Sirius had spent twelve years in Azkaban pining for the werewolf and hoping for the chance to see him again to tell him the truth before his own demise. The life expectancy of detainees in the wizarding prison rarely went beyond two decades, because of the toll the dementors took on one's mental and physical health.
He found he was enjoying the feel of Remus's tongue against the pulse point behind his right ear. It brought about the most deliciously warm feeling. The animagus decided he'd ask Remus about Molly Weasley's meddling later, because right now he was in need of some intimate contact to satisfy all of that raw need. A need, Sirius was pleased to note, that only he could satisfy.
Sirius slyly slipped a hand down between them and deftly unfastened the button on Remus pants before undoing the zipper. Reaching inside he felt the his partner's warm length and stroked it slowly, just enough to give an edge of pleasure.
Remus lifted his head back with a moan that was almost a howl. He arched toward the dark haired wizard, wanting more.
"Sirius..."
"Like that, don't you" Sirius said with a salacious smile. He stroked lower and began to move his hand in a back and forth motion, digging his nails in slightly. Remus writhed desperately as Sirius's other hand gave his shirt a hard tug, which after a few seconds of shifting, Sirius managed to get it off completely. Then that wonderfully free left hand came down to tweak one of Remus' nipples. The sound he emitted was music to the Sirius's ears.
"Are you going to howl for me Remus?" the dark haired wizard breathed into the werewolf's ear. "What will it take to make you scream for me?"
Remus came out of his haze only to realize that Sirius had stopped pinching his nipple and moved lower. His partner was now kneeling on the ground in front of him with a mischievous expression on his face. The animagus slowly lowered Remus' trousers and undergarments enough to release the hot hard length from their confines. Sirius teasingly swiped it with his tongue, causing Remus to jump slightly in an attempt to thrust. Raising an eyebrow the dark haired wizard stood and maneuvered Remus into the nearby wall. The werewolf had regained enough of his senses right then to press a hand against Sirius's own erection beneath his pants, causing friction between the jeans and his arousal. The black haired animagus groaned at the touch, desiring more of that lovely heat Moony was bringing him. Then Sirius jolted, remembering his original intent and knelt in front of Remus once more.
Using his left hand to hold the anxious werewolf static against the wall, Sirius slipped the hard length into his mouth slowly, relishing the taste of rough warm skin that held a slight salty tang. The dark haired wizard reminded himself that this wasn't about his own pleasure, it was all about Moony. So that the stress of fight at the Ministry would be washed away and Remus' own feelings of desperation would be clouded by the feeling of release Sirius was driving him to with every playful curl of his tongue.
The werewolf's telltale movements and amorous whispers of praise only increased as he was brought closer to his climax.
"Sirius...oh...Sirius...yes...there!"
Remus continued to squirm in abject pleasure and simultaneous torment until Sirius clipped the slit at the very tip of his erection with the point of an eye tooth. That was what finally sent him over the edge. White blurred Remus' vision as he rode out his release. The golden haired wizard blinked as he slumped against the wall, lowering himself to the ground. He looked at Sirius' dripping mouth and whispered a wandless cleaning charm. Then he got a good look at the animagus who was now flushed and ragged, and put on a sly smile.
Sirius eyes closed as he felt deft fingers slip below the band of his sweatpants. Remus rubbed and stroked at the length carelessly, leaving his partner careening on the edge between frustration and satisfaction. Sirius barely managed to keep himself from whimpering in response to the deft ministrations. When Moony finally began to stroke harder and faster, guiding the desperate animagus toward his release, he moved to whisper in Sirius' ear.
"Come for me" he said, giving the lobe a sharp nip.
That breathy voice set off fireworks behind Sirius' eyes even before he came, making him recall again in the afterglow, why he'd longed for this so much while still in Azkaban.
Remus felt better than he had in months, after having to keep their relationship a secret, listening to Molly Weasley's attempts to set him up with women, and hours of being bombarded with haunting images of Sirius right before his death. He was still reasonably surprised that he'd kept his head long enough to devise a plan to get Sirius back. Although there was still a niggling worry in the back of his mind that the Ministry might believe Morag's story and attempt to retrieve to time-turner. It wasn't that Remus worried the Ministry were in any danger of successfully doing so, but that it would catch Dumbledore's attention.
"Now how about we give these victuals I've prepared the attention they deserve?" Sirius asked as his breathing evened out. "As for Harry I think you should wait until he's with his relatives then spirit him off. Serve Dumbledore right for keeping such important secrets from the rest of us."
Remus smiled as the two of them proceeded to make themselves presentable. Afterwards they lay side one of the two old couches set in the living room area of the cottage.
"It's probably for the best" he agreed. "God knows Harry won't care that he had to wait a bit once he sees you're actually alive."
"You think so?"
"Padfoot, he would have taken Potions everyday all day for the whole of next year just to have you back" Remus assured him. "And if I recall, sixth year Potions was ineffably complicated. Do you remember when Slughorn sprung Amortentia on us? The scent of it was everywhere."
"I remember that class. Sixth year was it?" Sirius remarked thoughtfully. "Frank Longbottom kept going on about cucumber sandwiches the whole time. The bloke didn't even notice half the girls were making eyes at him that day."
"I have very fond memories of the outcome of that day, Padfoot" Remus reminded him with a sly grin.
Sirius sighed, but his lips quirked into a wistful smile.
"You're never going to let me live that down are you?" he asked. Then he laughed and batted Remus' shoulder playfully. "Prongs never did either."
Eventually it was time for Remus to return to the Order and Hogwarts as the time of his excursion into the past had finally elapsed. He was sorry to leave Sirius alone again after such a short time, but it was a relief to know that his friend and lover was finally away from Grimmauld Place for the first time in nearly a year.
Upon his return to Hogwarts Remus was greeted with the news that, yes Harry was fine, Fred and George had left school two days prior, and Morag McDougal had apparently suffered a slight injury during Quidditch practice that very morning and was unable to remember an entire week's worth of events. Once she'd heard about the decimation of the Ministry time-turners she, with a bit of prodding from Remus, erroneously, believed that hers had been confiscated by the Dolores Umbridge two weeks prior and returned to the Department of Mysteries, only to be shattered during the attack on the Ministry. It pained Remus to take such advantage of a student's lapse of memory, but it was unfortunately necessary that he do so for Sirius' continued safety. That and he wasn't inclined to have the Ministry coming around to ask questions about it. One of them might be a skilled legilimens that could divulge the truth from Remus as his occlumency skills were subpar compared to most. The existence of the wolf had helped to deter others from attempting to read this thoughts in the past, particularly Dumbledore and Snape, but he wasn't willing to put it to the test where Ministry officials were involved. Fudge was just foolish enough to order some poor soul to read his mind anyway and he didn't want to be responsible for not only giving away his secret, but traumatizing whoever it was with his memories of years worth of transformations and fighting with Death Eaters.
Remus quietly returned Harry's cloak and the map to Griffindor Tower hoping Harry hadn't discovered they were missing.
The school year ended on an eerie note as any students who'd been in doubt about Voldemort's return soon discovered the unhappy truth. Both the Ministry and the Daily Prophet had at long last been forced to acknowledge the return of one of the darkest wizards of his time.
Harry boarded the Hogwarts express with the other students and Remus, along with several other members of the Order of the Phoenix, met him, the Weasley's, and Hermione at King's Cross. Remus stood next to Tonks as he watched the teenagers exit the train. He and the other members of the Order had planned to give the Dursley's a good talking to once they arrived to pick Harry up. Mad-Eye was particularly persistent in his desire to threaten Harry's relatives to ensure that the boy was kept safe and treated well while in their care.
'Not that it'll be particularly necessary as he'll be coming with me tomorrow,' Remus thought. 'There's no way I'm leaving him with those people again, relatives or not. Those dementors were able to find him quite easily last summer and I very much doubt this is the last we'll see of them. Sirius and I are more than capable of protecting him now. The Fidelius should keep out any unwanted visitors.'
It pained Remus to see Harry drive off with Vernon Durlsey, but he knew it was necessary that Harry go to his aunt and uncle's house for the time being. Even though he didn't want the boy within twenty miles of it ever again.
Two days later Remus was able to slip away again after a nightly patrol and visit Harry.
"Harry, Harry wake up."
Harry blinked up at him blearily. The boy's hair was even more askew that usual and his night things were the same worn down cast offs he's always worn.
"Who's'ere? Wha-Oh Remus" the teen asked rubbing his eyes. "Did Dumbledore send you to take me to Grimmauld Place again this summer?"
"Yes it's me Harry. No Dumbledore doesn't know I'm here as a matter of fact. I'd like you to come with me, because I'd like to show you something of Sirius'. Though it's not at the Black mansion, but my home in Dorset" Remus answered, feeling just a slight bit cheerful at the fact that Harry was coming with him at long last. "I'm afraid it's that I can't show the others quite yet, but I feel that you have more of a right than anyone. Can you keep it secret for me?"
Harry nodded, green eyes full of understanding. The teenager came to conclusion that this was about something or other that had belonged to Sirius, possibly one of those talking paintings like they had at Hogwarts, and resolved not to tell anyone about it until Remus decided to do it himself.
"Then read this for me and remember it" Lupin said pulling a slip of paper from his shoddy robes. He held it out for Harry to read:
Lupin Cottage
8 Heathrow Rd.
Delcombe Wood
Dorset County
England
The teenager read it carefully with a pensive expression on his face. Harry had clearly recognized that the cottage was under a Fidelius charm like Grimmauld Place and that Remus was telling him its location this way so it wouldn't be overheard.
Harry was a little wary of leaving the Dursley's without telling Dumbledore, but he trusted Remus enough to know he was safe with him. That is, if it was really him.
"Prof-Remus, would you mind proving it's you? The last time I thought I knew where someone was, it turned out they weren't there after all" Harry urged.
Remus nodded.
"I understand Harry and I'm glad you're taking this seriously and being more cautious" the werewolf said approvingly. "I once told you that the makers of the Marauder's Map would try to lure you out of the school, because they would have thought it was great fun."
Harry grinned at the memory. He hadn't known who the Marauders were then and that his father had been one of them, along with Remus and Sirius. Harry dropped his guard marginally at Lupin's answer, since he knew no one else had been present when Remus had said that to him. The map would have shown it if Peter Pettigrew had followed the two of them back to Remus' office. Although Harry almost wished it had shown just that and Pettigrew had been apprehended earlier and more securely during his third year. A rat on the floor of Professor Lupin's office would have been very hard to miss and after reading about werewolves, Harry had little doubt Remus' increased sense of smell would have allowed him to catch Peter's scent.
"Won't you get in trouble for this?" Harry inquired. "Not that I'm complaining. I'd rather be free of the Dursleys as soon as possible. I just don't want to get you in trouble with Dumbledore."
"Why don't you let me worry about that Harry. The headmaster can take it up with me if he has a problem with it" Remus replied reassuringly.
"I trust you" Harry said with a shrug. "Your house is probably safer after Umbridge managed to send the dementors after me last summer."
"My thoughts exactly" Remus intoned. "Is your trunk still packed? We'll need to be quick about this or risk waking your aunt and uncle. I don't want to worry Arabella Figg unnecessarily."
"Mostly" Harry answered. "I usually keep it that way now, after that time Ron and his brothers came to get me before second year."
"Yes, I heard about that as well as the reason for their actions. I'd like to apologize for not helping you as well Harry" Remus said guiltily. "I had no idea your relatives were mistreating you at the time."
"Sirius told me you had enough of your own problems to deal with at the time" Harry replied. "He said it was hard for you to find a job, because you're a werewolf. It seemed like you had it worse than I did sometimes. At least with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia I had a food, clothing, and a roof over my head, even if Dudley and his friends decided they liked using me as a punching bag."
"Still, I should have been there for you when you needed me most. Even if I couldn't have taken custody of you myself."
"You're here now after what's happened with Sirius" Harry pointed out, "and it makes a difference to me."
Remus put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. Then he said a charm to repack the few belongings Harry had about his room. Harry picked up Hedwig's cage from the side table next to his bed, after the owl glared at him for waking her but kept remarkably quiet, and waited. Lupin Harry's trunk up on his shoulder before walking out into the corridor and gesturing for Harry to follow him. The two of them quietly made their way to the Dusleys back garden and apparated out of sight toward the Lupin cottage.
"I'll go in first" Remus insisted once they appeared in front of the cottage with Harry's trunk in tow. "I need to deactivate a few of the traps on the front door."
Harry nodded and placed Hedwig's cage atop his trunk which had been laid on the front lawn of the Lupin cottage. The house, which was slightly larger than the Dursley's, was set snuggly atwixt a verdant field of bluebells and a grove of beech trees There was a shed ajacent, where Remus had obviously spent most of his full moons as an adolescent when he was not at Hogwarts. Harry eyed the old oaken front door warily as he watched Remus open it and use three wandless incantations to disarm the unseen alarms. Then the werewolf walked inside past the point where Harry could see him.
"It's safe to come in now" Remus called to him and Harry made his way inside dragging his trunk, with Hedwig's cage, behind him.
Harry was shocked by what he saw once he entered. The door shut itself behind him, but the teenager barely noticed. He set his trunk down, along with Hedwig's cage, which clattered causing her to screech her disapproval.
"So you have to go looking for your things like that every year?" Harry asked incredulously. "That's horrible. People shouldn't be treating you this way, Luna."
"Oh it's no trouble really. People can be strange at times. Anyway, the things we lose have a way of coming back to us. If not always in the way we expect." Luna replied with a offbeat smile before heading in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower.
Luna's words echoed in Harry's head as a very familiar black dog walked out from behind Remus and approached him tentatively. Then the dog became a man who enveloped Harry in a tight embrace similar to the one he'd received upon his arrival at Grimmauld Place the previous summer.
"Sirius!"
"The one and only, kid."
"Not that I'm not glad to see you. But, how did you get here?" Harry asked, clearly astounded after being shown that his godfather was actually alive. "Prof-Remus, you said that he was gone once he fell behind the Veil."
"He was Harry" Lupin replied. "I managed to find one of the remaining time-turners, subsequently in someone else's possession, and used it to go back and prevent Sirius' death."
"You stole it?" Harry blinked. "The Ministry is going to come after you to get it back. Dumbledore won't like it much either."
"The person who had it can't remember having it for other reasons which I will not specify" Remus answered vaguely. "It was the only way I could go back and wait behind the curtain for Sirius to fall through."
Harry's face took on a grave expression and he nodded.
"He didn't return it, because chances are it'll wind up in Malfoy's and consequently Voldemort's hands in the coming months" Sirius said stepping in to defend Remus' actions. "Everyone in the Order knows that the Ministry could fall to the Death Eaters once things really heat up."
Then he put a hand on Harry shoulder, a look of concern swirling in those gray eyes.
"It's why we're keeping my return a secret for now, until we can locate Peter" the animagus insisted.
"So you're saying it's only going to get worse from here" Harry said somberly. "More people are going to die aren't they? You said this is how it was before with Voldemort."
"It is" Sirius replied. "In some ways it's worse, because we've got fewer allies this time around."
"Moody, Kingsley and Sirius are the only aurors that are left who fought for the Order during the last war" Remus said moving to close the door to the cottage. "A far cry from the twelve we originally had on our side. Although Ms. Tonks is a welcome addition and has proved herself admirably. The Minister at the time was Millicent Bagnold and she was more likely to listen to Dumbledore's suggestions than Lucius Malfoy's."
"And that bloody Crouch's" Sirius growled.
Remus sighed. It was an unfortunate truth that Sirius had been imprisoned under Minister Bagnold's watch. She had allowed Bartimus Crouch Sr. too much authority when it came to capturing and trying Death Eaters and as a result the truth about Sirius and the Potter's deaths had never been revealed. Crouch had also engineered his own son's escape from Azkaban, all while Barty Crouch Jr. had been a properly convicted Death Eater guilty of helping to torture Longbottom's into insanity and injuring their infant son Neville.
"He was the worst kind of hypocrite" Remus agreed. "His actions endangered all of us, particularly Harry. Which is why we want you to stay with us, Harry. After what happened during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the dementor attack last summer, and Kreacher sneaking information about you to our enemies. We can't afford to have any mistakes."
"I'd love to stay for the summer" Harry piped up. "As long as Dumbledore doesn't come looking for me."
"He's already planned to have you escorted to the Burrow in late July" Remus informed him. "It's your choice of course, if you'd like to visit with Ron and Hermione later."
Harry wasn't stupid. He knew that the moment he showed up at the Burrow he'd be back on the Order's radar. That meant Dumbledore would question where he'd been all summer and how he'd managed to reach the Burrow on his own. The possibility that the headmaster might want Harry to spend more time at the Dursley's before going to Grimmauld Place was not one that he wanted to test. Ron and Hermione would be on the Hogwarts Express in September, so he'd be able to see them then. He didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to finally spend an entire summer with his father's friends.
"I'd like to, but not right now. I'll see them on the train to school anyway" Harry admitted. "Can I still write to them?"
Both Marauders looked thoughtful as they considered the ramifications of it.
"The Fidelius charm was cast to protect this house and its occupants directly" Sirius mused, "but it might not stop someone from guessing what area we're in by following Hedwig. All it would take is a simple tracking charm."
"What about someone who wasn't in touch with Dumbledore?" Harry reasoned. "I don't even think he knows we're friends really. Could I write to her and see if she'll send my post for me?"
"Oh, a girl?" Sirius grinned. "Is there something you're not telling us cub?"
Harry gave him a bland look and Remus rolled his eyes.
"Just someone I met last year. She's a year behind me in Ravenclaw" Harry answered. "Name's Luna."
"Surname?"
"Lovegood" Harry said giving his godfather a candid look.
Sirius grinned.
"I've heard worse puns before, Padfoot" Remus reminded him with an elbow to the rib. Vaguely remembering a short blonde Ravenclaw girl standing before a boggart that transmogrified itself into falling objects. "If you think your friend might be able to deliver your letters Harry, then give it a try. Unless you'd prefer to write solely to those not in contact with Dumbledore for now, which might be prudent considering our current situation."
"And keep your owl from being properly monitored." He amended.
"So are we going to stay here for the whole summer?"
"As it happens, no we aren't" Remus said. Harry couldn't hold back a look of surprise and even Sirius was mildly stunned by this announcement. "The two of you have been locked up for far too long. We'll only be going on a few daytrips mind you, but I think it's high time you actually enjoyed your summer break for once. I didn't put all that effort into getting you back just to confine you behind another set of wards, Padfoot."
The animagus beamed at him so widely it was hard for Remus not to blush slightly and return it.
"That means we're going to hit every major city in Europe at least once" Sirius affirmed. "Right Moony?"
"Whatever you wish my dear Padfoot, just so long as we aren't seen by anyone of importance" Remus replied.
"I've always wanted to see Paris" Harry hinted.
Sirius put one arm around his shoulders and another around Remus'.
"Then that, my dear Prongsling, is where we shall start."
Dear Harry,
I was quite surprised when I got your letter. It'd be no trouble to send your post for you. Dad seems to think you're in hiding after what happened at the end of the school year, because the Ministry is determined to root out anyone who knows the truth. I suspect nargles are involved. You must be afraid of your owl contracting sneeflues by sending it out, as she's very easy to recognize. The Ministry have been using them for years to track the movement of owls and intercept the post. That's why Dad keeps six owls and has them collect our messages using alternating routes. We have at least three places set up for them to roost at any given time. That's how we get the Quibbler delivered to so many different locations at once.
I've been talking with my aunt's kneazle, who knows some stray cats in Delcombe Wood. She explained that your godfather is alive and that Professor Lupin managed to help him. It was quite clever of him really to do such a thing right under Dumbledore's nose. Tell Professor Lupin to keep that time-turner safe as we've yet to discover what the Ministry did with the ensorcelled sand from the ones we accidentally destroyed. Don't worry about it though, I suspect we'll find most of it in Flourish and Blotts once we investigate it properly. It's all part of the Blank Back Conspiracy in order to keep us losing our books and having to repurchase them at full price.
I hope your summer is going well and the cursnarcles have left you with all of your toes. I'm a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to hunt for a crumple-horned snorkack this summer, but Dad says it's too dangerous to bring one back to Britain right now with You-Know-Who being back.
Luna
Dear Luna,
That's great, thank you. I knew you of all people would understand. I have been away for a bit and I don't really want the Ministry reading my mail or anyone else for that matter. Though I trust you with it and appreciate the warning. I can't really tell you where I'm staying or with whom, because of what's going on, but I don't want to worry anyone.
So your kneazle told you did she? And here I thought I'd been so secretive. I'm sure the others you're referring to belong to my aunt's neighbor Mrs. Figg. That is certainly a strange coincidence. Professor Lupin says hello, while my godfather keeps sitting there grinning, it's beginning to make me suspicious. He's very good at pranking people and I suspect he's planning something. Nothing for you to worry about though, until you meet him. I'm more than likely his next target since he's already gotten Remus this morning.
Anyway, when's your birthday Luna, I don't think I've asked you before.
Harry
One month later Albus Dumbledore found himself perplexed and more than slightly annoyed at the Harry's disappearance. Under normal circumstances he would have worried the wards at 4 Privet Drive had failed and that the boy had been kidnapped by Death Eaters. However, there had been no sign of a struggle in Harry's room and the spell residue left behind indicated that a packing charm had been used to organized the teenager's possessions before he accompanied another wizard, whom Albus now suspected was Sirius Black, in apparating from the Durlsey's back garden. This coupled by the fact that Albus had been unable to access Sirius Black's will, because the goblins insisted the man was still alive, not to mention the personal wards Sirius had placed on his room at Grimmauld Place were still active, meant that undoubtedly Sirius Black had somehow escaped death despite the fact that more than twenty witches and wizards had been there to witness his demise.
Suffice to say Harry Potter had no doubt been voluntarily kidnapped by his godfather in a misguided attempt to keep him safe. Kingsley's inquiry to the Department of Mysteries had turned up nothing. Leading Albus and the other members of the Order to suspect that Sirius had escaped death by other means. The man had been cleared of the fourteen counts of murder for which he'd been imprisoned after Tonks had petitioned the Wizengamot two weeks before. After pensieve memories and images recorded by security devices within the Department of Mysteries had shown Sirius' presence with the Order, his efforts to fight off the attacking Death Eaters including his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, and his apparent death while attempting to save Harry and his friends, the Wizengamot had decided to review Sirius' case and surreptitiously cleared his name. They'd also instated a vote of no confidence for the Cornelius Fudge, after it was found out that he'd hidden evidence of Voldemort's return and Sirius' possible innocence from them, which had ended in his removal as Minister of Magic. His successor Rufus Scrimgeour was sworn in immediately following Fudge's departure. Scrimgeour was quite a bit sharper than Fudge and a former member of the Auror department, so the Order was decidedly wary of the new Minister's agenda and whether or not there could be any collaboration between them.
Reflectively Albus had seen no reason to impede Tonks' cause at the time, though now he wished hadn't, as the Ministry now viewed Sirius as Harry's legal guardian. The former auror could simply claim that he'd escaped the Veil, since he'd clearly fallen through it, and the Wizengamot would follow through with its ruling and allow Sirius to resume his life as a private citizen. Had Sirius remained a fugitive for just a while longer, Albus could have convinced the Minister to send aurors after the pair of them.
It was also suggested by Molly Weasley that Sirius could still be alive inside the Veil. Something Severus Snape deemed impossible but replied that it was 'not unlike that bastard Black to cause unnecessary complications'.
Harry's friends seemed to be getting regular post from him, which was not directly traceable, as it was brought by three unfamiliar owls. Albus had been unable to locate Sirius and Harry for the past month and was growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress his search was making. Even involving Remus Lupin in the search hadn't helped any as Black seemed perfectly able to evade all of them.
It was reasonable that Sirius would feel a little put out about the manner of his death and the situation Harry had been lured into, but didn't he understand the danger he was putting the boy in by taking him away from his relatives? Albus knew it was imperative that he find Harry before the damage was done and the blood wards were rendered completely useless after the boy's prolonged absence at the end of the summer. Professor McGonagall had only looked at him in astonishment when he'd told her his conclusions on the matter and offered him some freshly steeped tea.
"Now Albus, surely the situation isn't nearly as dire as you think it is" Professor McGonagall assured him with a concerned look. "We have the best of the Order on the lookout for Mr. Black and Mr. Potter. It's only a matter of time before they're found."
Then she bid him goodnight and returned to her quarters. There she was surprised to find a familiar snowy owl scratching at her window. Minerva blinked once in surprise and then regained her composure, opening the window to allow the Hedwig inside. The owl then dropped a postcard with a picture of the Louvre on top of her desk.
"You will wait a moment until I've penned a reply" Professor McGonagall informed the bird, who cocked it's head slightly, but didn't make a sound.
The letter she wrote read simply:
Dear Mr. Black,
I'll expect Mr. Potter's NEWT class selections to me by the end of the month, regardless of where you've seen fit to take him. See to it that he arrives at King's Cross Station promptly on the 1st of September. Enclosed is the list of 6th year books for the subjects Mr. Potter has already taken including: Transfiguration, Divination, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and Herbology. Please inform me if there are any changes.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
She then folded the letter neatly into an envelope and sent Hedwig on her way with a satisfied nod.
News of the Wizengamot's ruling reached Sirius and Harry the moment Remus could slip away from Grimmauld Place after the Order meeting where Tonks had made the announcement, and it was met with much jubilance by the residents of Lupin cottage. This settled the matter, at least for them, where Harry would be staying during the holidays and next summer. Sirius planned to sign the papers to gain full guardianship of Harry, while Remus visited the Durlsey's to convince them to sign away their rights to custody of him, after Harry had left for school. After all, Sirius did have enough leverage with the Ministry for wrongfully convicting him to force through a petition for guardianship, particularly if he promised not to sue them. Being the head of the Black family definitely had its perks.
Remus did eventually explain to Harry that he'd borrowed both the map and the cloak to save Sirius, something which Harry immediately forgave him for since he'd only done it to save someone they both cared about. This also meant that the two Marauders, after displaying several subtle signs during the course of their time together, knew it was time to tell Harry the truth about their feelings toward one another.
"So you two were together-are together romantically?" Harry asked curiously.
"That's what we're saying" Sirius replied. He'd been slightly nervous about what Harry's reaction to his relationship with Remus would be.
"Oh" Harry said. "That makes an odd sort of sense."
Harry suspected this meant the two of them had been together back before Sirius' incarceration and would have felt a bit slighted at not knowing about their relationship, especially last summer, if he hadn't realized that it had probably taken them the majority of the year to rekindle that relationship. There had been a great deal of misunderstandings involving Peter Pettigrew to get through and it occurred to Harry that Sirius' near death and the aftermath may have prevented them from telling him much sooner. The confusion caused by Dumbledore's freeze on any and all messages being sent to Harry last summer probably hadn't helped either, particularly when his eventual arrival at Grimmauld Place had been heralded by a dementor attack. The endangerment of his and Dudley's souls was definiately something far more likely to distract everyone from their own internal issues. The fact that Sirius and Remus had eventually told him about their relationship in an honest, straightforward way, had helped. Another aspect that kept Harry from feeling left out, was that he suspected most of the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place still hadn't guessed the true nature of their relationship either.
"You're taking this rather well Harry" Remus leaning forward a bit on the couch he and Sirius where sitting on, opposite the one where Harry was seated.
"The Dursley's never liked gay people" Harry explained. "So I always figured they were alright anyway, because the Dursley's didn't like anything. It is your business after all. Your being together doesn't really change my opinion of either of you So you're really an auror?"
"I was an auror, yes" Sirius answered, marginally relieved at how well Harry was taking the revelation. "So was your father."
"Ace. That's why the Ministry couldn't seem to catch you" Harry said without missing a beat.
"That and my amazing ability to turn into Padfoot" Sirius replied with a wink.
"What about my mother?"
"Potions Mistress" Remus put in. "She helped develop the idea for the Wolfsbane Potion."
"That's really good to know actually." Harry asked seemingly satisfied with the explanations he'd been given. "So, where to now?"
"I don't think we've been to Bulgaria yet" Sirius mused. "We can show you where Grindelwald was arrested after Dumbledore kicked his arse."
"It was an important part of wizarding history" Remus commented. "I'd like to see it myself."
Harry shrugged.
"Works for me. We've only got all summer."