Note: People wondered why Bellatrix Lestrange and other Azkaban escapees aren't in the story...remember, they escaped in January ́96, this story takes place in December ́95 so they are still in Azkaban.
Chapter 2
After they finally had breakfast under disguise, as even though Sirius had been cleared of all charges they still felt it would be wise to keep travelling incognito on this holiday, Remus produced a large list of houses across Britain. It seemed the two of them had already narrowed down a list of possible houses to what could apply to them so Harry didn't have to go over a whole bookwork of houses, only to learn over half of them were not anticipating their needs and desires. Which made Harry curious to some of their standards while narrowing it down.
"So why are we going for a free standing house again? Not that I disagree with it but I am curious."
"Because we'd need a safe place for Moony to transform away from nosy and curious eyes and a patch of secure land where he ́ll be able to run around on. I also assumed you would want to be able to play Quidditch so we'd need the land for that, too. And on top of that I think we would all rather appreciate our peace and privacy, right?"
"Right." Harry agreed as he stared at his copy of the list that he had placed on the breakfast table in the small hotel they were staying in.
"What wishes do you have for a house?" Sirius asked as he looked at his own copy.
"Erm...a Quidditch pitch would be nice yeah and... two bathrooms?" He asked.
Sirius and Remus nodded. "Smart one, we could manage between the three of us but once you'll be bringing friends over it would make more sense to have two."
"I can bring friends over?" Harry asked surprised. Sirius had just said they would appreciate their privacy. Having possible friends over would undermine that privacy, wouldn't it?
"Why wouldn't you?" Sirius asked without looking up from his list.
"I thought you would want the peace and quiet of a free standing house?"
"I do...what does that have to do with you having friends over?" Sirius asked curious as he looked up from his list.
"Wouldn't that kind of ruin your privacy and peace? We'd make noise and bother you and Remus...it wouldn't really be peaceful and quiet would it be?"
Sirius snorted before leaning over to ruffle Harry's hair. "There is a difference between having unwanted people nosing in on us and having people we ourselves invited over. I am not going to keep you away from your friends, Harry. Friends are one of the most important things that you will ever have in your life and I will never deny you the happiness that friendship brings. I might ban some of the parents away if they open their big yap, but your friends will always be welcome as long as they treat you well."
Harry slapped at Sirius' hand and tried to smooth over his hair before simply giving up on it ever behaving as his two companions chuckled at his attempt. He stuck out his tongue at Sirius, who simply rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to his list, making Harry smile.
Sirius looked over a few lines on his paper before he crossed off a few of the choices, as he did that Harry's list crossed the same choices off as Sirius had done on its own and from Remus' agreeing hum he suspected the same thing happened to his own list.
Harry stared at his list for a moment before looking up to Sirius again.
"I thought we wouldn't use magic?" Harry asked quietly, so no one would overhear them, in an attempt to change the subject before he'd cry of happiness. Besides wanting him Sirius also wanted him to have friends.
Sirius glanced at him before looking at the list and smiling. "Oh, this is special paper. It might look completely Muggle but it acts as a message spreader between the people who hold onto a copy of it. What one of us writes on one of the lists, appears on the other copies, too. I'm not actively using magic on this."
"So if I were to...draw on this..."
"We'd see it." Remus answered.
"Handy."
"Thanks" Sirius said with a pleased smile.
"You invented this?" Harry asked with a glance at his smile.
"James and I did. After we finished the mirrors James decided we should come up with a similar way to share ideas without being seen talking and pass it to the other two." Sirius answered.
"Mirrors?"
"Something I will explain to you once we get back to London. Help remind me, will you?"
"Sure, Siri." Harry agreed readily, knowing his godfather's memory was not always as reliable on some things yet. While he was getting much better and remembering more and more things at high speed, some things didn't stay planted in his mind to remember clearly. Especially little everyday things like remembering to get groceries or to take out the garbage were things his godfather had trouble with. Sirius wasn't completely used to everyday actions like Harry and Remus were, not having done them for fourteen years. In Azkaban he hadn't been able to do anything all day except to remember his worst nightmares and pray to not catch the attention of bored guards. While on the run the only thing he had to be focused on was to not get caught and when he was finally in a house, he was too busy fighting off his demons while dealing with being locked up to think about things like groceries and trash days. Well, they were wizards so trash probably wasn't a problem but it was just an example in his own mind so he could get away with it without being teased. The point was that Sirius needed to be reminded of simple things sometimes and Harry was more than happy to help him with those small things, knowing he was responsible for helping to train his godfather's mind.
Sirius smiled before he glanced back at his list.
"What about the one in Somerset?" Remus asked as he tapped a house on the list for the other two to see which he was talking about.
"Much too close to Devon." Sirius commented immediately without even looking at the one Remus had pointed out.
Both Remus and Harry stared at him for a long moment as they tried to figure out what was in Devon before Remus snorted and Harry chuckled at Sirius' apologizing look.
"No offence pup."
"None taken. I like the Weasleys, but I would prefer not to live quite so close to Mrs. Weasley, too."
They all quietly chuckled before debating between the rest of the list until they eventually had a list of ten potential properties they wanted to actually visit to check them out and went on their way to the first one after checking out of the hotel they had spent the night in.
The first three on the list were quickly crossed off as one of them was a Manor in Little Hangleton which had Harry hyperventilating and turned out to be the former hideout of Voldemort and his lackeys. They quickly Apparated away from there and spent a good amount of time at an ice cream parlour eating chocolate ice cream while talking about happy things before continuing on to the rest and deeming the other two too large for their tastes.
It was the sixth on the list that showed the first true potential as it was a large cottage a couple of miles from the beach and they Apparated to the location to get a better look.
Harry bit back a burp as his stomach unrolled from the Side-Along Apparition with Sirius but didn't get the chance to turn around to look at the surroundings as he was roughly shoved aside, seconds before a red beam flashed past him and he heard screaming like he'd only heard in his nightmares.
He landed hard on the ground while a second voice screamed "Accio" and he was suddenly slammed backwards as a big rock folded itself around him from all sides, clearly meant to protect him as it didn't slam into him.
Harry blinked, not immediately understanding what had happened and quite dazzled from being shoved so roughly when he realised just who it was who was screaming.
"Sirius!" He called out, trying to break through the rocks surrounding him by hitting them, frantically trying to get to Sirius and get him as far away from what was making him scream unlike he had ever heard him scream. Not even when awakening from nightmares did he scream like that and Harry felt bile rise in this mouth as various red beams flashed again and again past the slight split between the rocks and he realised just what was happening to his godfather.
How had they run into wizards...presumably Death Eaters while being on house hunting? Had they been somehow followed, despite Sirius' tendency to Apparate to different locations before making his stop where he had to be to shake any possible followers from his trail? It was something that annoyed Harry because he disliked Apparition but he understood the reasoning behind it. When not caught in a fit of desperate rage, Sirius took many precautions in what he did and Remus agreed, even if the other man didn't like Apparition very much either.
"Remus, let me out!" he screamed, knowing Sirius couldn't possible have locked him in there between pushing him aside of the Cruciatus Curse and being hit by it. But there was no answer outside unrecognisable voices screaming curses and shots of lights. Harry cursed loudly, slamming his hands against the rocks as he was helplessly forced to listen to his godfather's screaming, which didn't seem to lessen at all. Whoever was torturing him clearly had no intention of giving him the chance to get up and retaliate. He could only hope that Remus could reach Sirius, if his surrogate uncle was still alive to do so. Immediately Harry berated himself for the thought. If Sirius was being tortured and Remus dead, then who was still fighting? Harry didn't think they had landed in a fight, from what they had told him Voldemort was keeping a low profile to keep his return hidden. So why would they act now all of a sudden...unless...the paper!
His return had been made official that morning, so he had no reason to stay hidden any more and could attack all he wanted. Had they accidentally landed in a fight without meaning too (- to)?
It sounded like something that would happen to them with their luck. But if so, then who were the ones fighting, and why now.
Harry cursed again as he tried to glance through the split in the rocks to see anything. He caught a glimpse of several Death Eaters lying motionless on the ground and a tall man with a vicious face came into view, making Harry pull back in shock.
Was that ... A quick glance confirmed to Harry he had been right. Greyback.
The man was only familiar to Harry because Remus had told him about him. It had been Greyback who had bitten Remus, having crawled into his bedroom when he had been five years old after having been offended by Remus' father. He had bitten Remus as revenge and the only reason he wasn't dead now was because Remus' father had managed to curse him out of the house. When Harry had heard the story, he had been angry, but when Sirius had drawn a picture of the man that had caused Remus so much pain and suffering, he couldn't have denied the fear that had clenched at his heart at the sight.
Greyback looked every bit like the monster that most people always claimed werewolves were. Could they have accidentally run into Greyback's pack? But no, the werewolves didn't generally posses magic like Remus did and it were definitely spells being thrown around out there. So he must have been among Death Eaters. Sirius had said that Greyback was an ally of Voldemort and that if he ever for whatever reason saw him, he should get the hell out of there by whatever means necessary because that monster didn't need the full moon to try and rip someone apart.
Harry hadn't had the need to remember spotting those specific outstanding scars on Sirius' back and leg to know that Sirius had run into Greyback before but had managed to get away without being infected. Though he had confessed that Remus had accidentally bitten him once before, too, while not transformed and that outside a new preference for rare steak nothing else had truly changed.
It was then that Harry was pulled out of his shock and realised he couldn't hear Sirius screaming any more.
Was he...
No!
"Sirius...SIRIUS!" He screamed as he renewed his efforts to get out from his stony prison, not giving a damn about the vicious werewolf walking around outside.
"What do we have here...?" A new voice said and Harry felt a chill run down his spine as soulless blue eyes came into view, framed in a vicious face, and pointy yellow teeth smirked at him.
Almost immediately Harry realised he should have cared as Greyback stared at him and he had no way to escape. In his attempt to protect Harry, Remus had effectively locked Harry in a cage. One that a werewolf would be easily capable of opening with their bare hands due to their superior strength. Something Sirius always grumbled about when he couldn't open the jar of jam while Remus could without any effort.
He shifted as far away from the small opening as he could; leaning back on his heels the way Sirius had taught him to ready himself for a fight and suddenly remembered the existence of his wand. Cursing himself for having forgotten he was a wizard, he quickly grabbed it out of his sleeve where Sirius made him keep it and raised it in defence, determined to go down in a fight and take a few chunks out of Greyback for what he'd done to his family.
Greyback smirked as he looked at the rock in front of him and easily tossed it aside before turning back to Harry.
"Harry Potter." he rasped, widening Harry's eyes. When leaving the hotel that morning they had been sporting a disguise to hide their identities. The only way those would be lifted was if Sirius was unconscious or when he'd taken it off deliberately. But why would he deliberately take it off, especially in the presence of Death Eaters. The only explanation for Greyback to see him for who he truly was would be for Sirius to be out of the fight somehow.
"Sirius..." He whispered in fear for his godfather ́s fate.
"Your annoying friend won't help you any more Potter." Greyback growled. "He's taking a nap."
He moved closer to block Harry's only exit and Harry shifted backwards as much as he could as Greyback's long yellowish nails reached out to touch him. But as they came close within touching range, he was suddenly tossed backwards as a shield appeared around Harry. Harry let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, recognizing the magic in the Protego charm as Sirius' signature and almost staggered in relief upon realizing his godfather was still alive or the charm wouldn't have activated.
He had objected to the charm when Sirius had first drawn the protective rune on him before their vacation, claiming he wasn't helpless, but Sirius had asked him to humour him and now Harry was more relieved than anything that Sirius had taken the precaution, even if it only worked a limited amount of time and only against certain things. Including hostile and unwanted touches.
"You!" Greyback had recovered from the blast and was on his feet again, charging towards him and Harry braced himself when suddenly a shadow appeared behind Greyback.
"Avada Kedavra."
Harry stared as Greyback's eyes widened in shock as the spell was cast and he realised he was trapped before going down with the expression frozen on his face. Harry gaped in shock but didn't let himself falter. He immediately raised his wand again, even as Greyback was still falling, to the person who was behind him.
"Good reaction." A hoarse familiar voice commented and Harry lowered his wand as he realised who it was that had taken down Greyback.
"Sirius!" he exclaimed in relief. For even if he had known the man was still alive, he hadn't known how he was. He quickly glanced over his godfather's frame, taking in the torn and ripped clothing and the various bleeding cuts.
"Are you..."
"Stay behind me." Sirius interrupted him sharply as he turned away from him and Harry, realizing they weren't safe yet, immediately did as he was told. He might not like being treated like a child but even he was smart enough to accept that these guys were far above his current magical level if they had managed to hurt Sirius like that.
"Where is Remus?"
"Taking out the last of the werewolves so they can't harm us."
"There was more than only Greyback?" Harry asked as he glanced around to see various bodies littering the ground around them, most clearly dead.
"A dozen or so. He couldn't fight Greyback but he could do all he could to protect us from the others."
"Why..."
"Later, we've taken out most of the Death Eaters that attacked us but the Anti-Apparition shields are still active so there are more in hiding."
"What happened?"
"We Apparated in the middle of a Death Eater gathering. It is lucky most of them were shocked at our sudden appearance or we'd have been dead." Remus voice answered him as he joined them. From Sirius' lack of reaction Harry understood his godfather had already sensed him approaching. A quick glance at Remus informed Harry that he was relatively unharmed.
"You were hit by a Cruciatus though, I heard your screams," Harry said, feeling his temper rise at realizing he had been caught unaware. If he had paid more attention to their surroundings Sirius might not have had to push him out of the way and would have gained the upper hand without having been harmed. Though, as he glanced around he realised the two Marauders seemed to have the upper hand anyway.
"You shall hear more of those in due time, Harry Potter."
Harry stopped dead in his tracks as out of nowhere several Death Eaters appeared and before them stood none other than Voldemort himself.
They hadn't run into a Death Eater gathering at all, they had Apparated directly into the hole of the snake and his gang.
A single movement from Sirius had Harry blocked between him and Remus. Both Marauders had their wands raised and Harry too raised his wand, knowing they might get away if he could just distract Voldemort long enough.
"Do not even bother to think about Apparating, you shall not succeed."
"We don't plan to run from snake bullies, Tommie." Sirius answered with a sneer on his face and such venom in his voice that Harry was almost compelled to check if he had poison spitting out of his mouth. But he resisted and even managed to resist looking surprised that Sirius knew Voldemort's real name.
"Such bravery, but yet so foolish. Shall you hand the boy over to me now or shall I have to step over your corpse first?"
"How about you try to get past me in the first place," Sirius shot back as he shifted before Harry.
"Sirius, no," Harry whispered but Sirius either ignored or didn't hear him as he took a step forward.
"I believe you challenged Harry to a duel last year, wanting to do things...properly. Shall we... extend the same courtesy now too, Tom?"
"Very well. You are but a bug in my way to take the boy out once and for all," Voldemort answered as he broke loose from his circle of Death Eaters. Harry was caught by a strong feeling of déjà vu as he watched Sirius step away from himself and the Death Eaters began to encircle them all and wanted to move forward to aid his godfather. But he was prevented from taking a single step by Remus' strong arms wrapping around him and a bluish white barrier appearing around the two of them that Harry was sure Sirius had cast silently, but seemed unlike any Protego he had ever seen.
"You do not need to try and uselessly protect the boy during our short duel. He shall not be touched before he's seen you been ripped apart."
"It is not you who I am concerned about, but your circle of bugs who might try to aid you when they feel their queen is going to lose."
During the uproar that Sirius' words caused among the watching Death Eaters, Remus whispered a warning into Harry's ear.
"Don't touch the barrier. It is a combination of the highest protection spells known by the Black family. The only thing capable of stopping a killing curse as they first need to use enough power to break through the barrier before they can cast spells directly at us. If they touch it personally, they will vaporize."
Harry shifted and gave a small nod to indicate he had heard Remus but refused to move his eyes from Sirius. He was amazed that the other man seemed so calm while faced by a circle of Voldemort's Death Eaters, presumable his strongest, and the snake bastard himself who were all out for his blood.
"Will he be all right?"
"If we don't get in his way, he might. Your father and he were two of the most brilliant and powerful duellists of our time. They defied Voldemort and his followers several times, even when all the odds were against them."
Harry swallowed as he watched while Voldemort took a duelling stance and waited as Sirius got ready, too.
"Shall you bow before me before we begin?"Voldemort asked and Sirius snorted.
"I don't bow willingly before anyone unworthy of my respect. And the leech that you are has certainly not earned my respect."
"You should always respect your betters, Black."
"If so then you should be kissing the ground that I walk on, Riddle." Sirius shot back at him with a smirk.
"How dare you."
"What? You haven't told your little troop of parasites that their esteemed leader is nothing more than a fraud? That your hatred for all those Muggles and Half- Bloods stems from being born to a Muggle father who was unwillingly enslaved and raped by your mother and wanted to have nothing to do with the product of his enslavement once he got released. Or that your mother did not care enough about you to try and stay alive for the sake of her son once the object of her desire had broken free and left her with his spawn, meaning you share the same blood as those so-called filthy Muggles you hate so much. Which in your own twisted beliefs means that you are not even worthy of kissing the hem of my Pure-Blooded robes."
Voldemort seemed beyond rage at Sirius' words, unable to utter a word, and even Harry looked at his godfather in surprise. How did he know all of this? It had never occurred to Harry to tell his godfather about what he had learned about Voldemort during their face-off's. So how did Sirius know that.
"You dare…"
"You'd be surprised what I dare, Riddle. I might never have liked my family and their obsession with bloodlines but at least they made sure I knew every little aspect of the Wizarding world's families. I know that Riddle is not a Wizarding surname, so after a surprisingly little amount of digging I found out about the Gaunt family's daughter. I must say…even with their famed instability…you took their insanity to whole new levels."
"Don't bait him, Siri." Remus muttered and Harry couldn't help but to agree with him as he watched Voldemort's face contort into hatred and anger.
"Crucio!" Voldemort screamed and Harry gasped as Sirius only rolled out of the way at the last possible second. Something for which the reason apparently became clear when Voldemort's robes suddenly caught fire. He had extinguished them within seconds though and from then on the two shot spells back and forth with such speed that Harry could only see blurs of movement, though he kept his eyes firmly on Sirius, who for all intents and purposes seemed to be performing a dance as he moved fluently around Voldemort while avoiding everything Voldemort threw at him and never stopping with throwing back silent spells himself.
If he hadn't been so terrified for his godfather he might even have been awed by the power the two displayed.
"I've never seen Sirius display so much power before," he muttered softly to Remus who was looking at the two as well. While his godfather had displayed an impressive amount of power at Hogwarts, it was nowhere near the level of what he was displaying now.
"Sirius has always been powerful; training his skills alongside James since they were eleven. And after you informed us that Voldemort had been resurrected and he got his hands on a wand again, he's been training endlessly. Started from scratch to rebuild his power reserves to what they once were and beyond that. In the first war, Sirius was one of the very few Voldemort wanted dead more than anything. He wasn't an Auror but he took down more Death Eaters than most Aurors managed combined. Usually paired with James, they were a team unlike any other. They combined their natural power with their knowledge of pranks and Muggle fighting styles to remain unpredictable. If you separate a wizard from his wand they are usually powerless. Well, not the few capable of wandless magic and Voldemort, but most as you've seen displayed at Hogwarts. Anyway, they made sure to learn as many fighting styles as they could, so that even if they lost their wands they wouldn't be rendered powerless. I've seen him take down a Death Eater with a couple of well aimed kicks once."
"Voldemort feared him?"
"He feared the team that James and Sirius formed together. There were few who managed to stand before him and escape with their lives, especially when they weren't highly trained Aurors. For two young men at their teens to do that not once but repeatedly made them a danger to his power."
"So Sirius can win this." Harry said.
"I believe he just might as long as you are what is at stake."
"Me? Why me?"
"Because you are all Sirius has left and he'd sooner die than fail you."
"He has you, too."
"That is not the same, Harry. He swore to himself that he would keep you safe. That he wouldn't lose you like he's lost James. You are the most precious thing in his life, Harry. And not just because you are the son of the ones he loved so much. But because for him you are his son, too. And nothing is more important to him than you are. If it means my death will keep you safe, then it is not even a hesitation for him. And that is the way it should be," Remus said firmly.
Harry broke his gaze from the blurs in front of them to stare at Remus for a long moment, only now realizing the older man was still holding him pressed against his chest with one arm while the other had his wand raised in defence. Truly ready to defend him at the cost of his own life if needed, and Harry felt his stomach twist at the thought.
"I don't want you to die either," He whispered once he found his voice again.
"I know," Remus replied in the same tone of voice. "And neither does Sirius, but we both agree. If either of our deaths means that you will be safe then we will both gladly lay down our lives for that to happen."
"If you are both so hell-bent on protecting me then who would protect me if you were both dead?!"
"Sirius threw the same accusation at your father once when he got hurt while trying to protect Sirius after your godfather had been seriously hurt during an ambush by Slytherins at Hogwarts. Because he wants to keep protecting you, he is fighting with all he has to stay alive so he can keep doing that. And he is counting on me to keep you out of harm's way while he does so."
Remus glanced down into Harry's eyes. "I failed Sirius once; I will not fail him ever again."
Harry stared back into Remus' determined eyes and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he nodded.
"Avada...!"
Harry felt his heart shoot into his throat as he berated himself for losing his focus on the battle and it took him a long moment to locate Sirius as the man had jumped out of the way of the Killing Curse at the last moment, it hitting the Death Eater behind him instead.
"Start acting like a wizard and fight like the Pure-Blood blood-traitor that you are." Voldemort called out between curses that Sirius easily ducked.
"Then why don't you act like the cockroach I know you are!" Sirius shot back, annoyance visible on his face.
The moment Sirius uttered those words, Harry was suddenly forcefully reminded of the story about his father turning into a bird and with a sudden clarity of what was about to happen he called out to Sirius.
"Sirius! Step forward!"
It spoke for Sirius' unwavering trust in him that he didn't even hesitate or question the words and swiftly stepped forward even as Voldemort suddenly disappeared from where he had been standing.
A loud crushing sound was heard underneath his feet and time seemed to freeze for a long moment in which Sirius stared at his shoes confused before seemingly to realise just what had happened and immediately turned around to cast a strong spell at the few Death Eaters who hadn't been hit by wayward spells and were staring at him in bewilderment, shock and confusion.
They were immediately immobilized at the same time that the barrier around Harry and Remus lifted.
"What do you want to do with them before they unfreeze?" Sirius said hurriedly by way of greeting as they moved towards him. "I tried to take out as many as I could while fighting Riddle but I couldn't get in the way of all of them."
"Should we deliver them to the Aurors in their Master's style?" Harry suggested as he refrained himself from either berating Sirius for endangering himself or hugging him senseless because he was so glad he was still alive. This was not the moment to lose focus.
The two men glanced at one another before they simultaneously waved their wands over the Death Eaters, turning them into a variety of cockroaches which Remus banned into a large jar he quickly conjured.
Harry closed the lid after all the unconscious and killed Death Eaters transfigured into bugs had been collected, among them the body of Greyback.
"Now what?"
"We have a look at the bug queen?" Sirius suggested.
Remus made a disgusted face. "I cannot believe that you changed him into an actual cockroach."
"I didn't exactly do it on purpose. How did you know what was going to happen anyway, pup?" Sirius directed at Harry, who was still staring at the jar in disgust.
"Because you were annoyed with him and I suddenly remembered that story you told me where you changed Dad into a bird when he truly annoyed you. And I just knew what was going to happen."
"So you had me ruin my perfectly fine shoes by having me step onto that thing?" Sirius said with disgust in his voice.
"Had to prevent him from realizing what had happened and get away."
"You made me step on the ugliest bug I've ever seen." Sirius said dryly.
"I'll buy you new shoes." Harry offered.
Sirius stared at him for a long second before he pulled Harry into a brief one-armed hug. "Well played, pup."
He turned back to where the crushed cockroach was and waved his wand over it, concentrating for a moment before the dishevelled and broken form of Voldemort reappeared. His body was mangled and broken, his limbs lying in awkward positions around him as his red eyes stared forward unseeingly from a broken and bloody face.
"Are you absolutely sure he is dead? Cockroaches are known to survive lots of things." Remus asked a bit uncertainly.
Sirius stared at the body before him before he looked at Remus with a calculating look in his eyes.
"I know you dislike killing but seeing as that he's already technically dead anyway...would you do the honours?"
"Me?...okay...Avada Kedavra." A blinding flash of green light shot out of Remus' wand and hit the unmoving body lying on the ground before them.
"Now he certainly is dead." Sirius said cockily.
"He survived a rebound of the curse before. Maybe he has some way to stay alive?" Remus asked, despite having been the one to cast the curse.
"We already destroyed all his Horcruxes this summer, including the part he attached to Harry and his body hasn't disappeared upon casting the Killing Curse, so I think we are good this time."
"Just wanting to be sure," Remus remarked.
"I know," Sirius said with a small smile as he turned to Harry.
"What do you think about delivering this trash to the Ministry before getting a long hot bath somewhere and then resuming our search for a house in a more...safe environment?"
Harry snorted. "Yeah sure. I didn't really like this option all that much anyway with all the bugs around. Are you all right though? You look like hell," he said as he carefully touched one of the slashes in Sirius' side, making his godfather wince slightly.
"I could do with a nice bath, some clean clothes and perhaps a little sleep. But I'm fine."
"But you were hit with the Cruciatus curse repeatedly and from the looks of it by several people, too." Harry exclaimed disbelievingly.
Sirius shrugged. "I admit that I'm pretty sore but you forget that I've gotten fairly used to being put under that spell over the years, so even though it hurts like hell it is nothing I couldn't handle. I promise I will take it easy for a few days, all right?"
"You swear?"
"I solemnly swear, pup. And besides, most of the curses he threw at me ended up hitting his own followers."
"That was a smart move of you, I must admit. You tried to take them out so that if you should fail to stop Voldemort we would have an easier time to get away, didn't you." Remus more stated than asked before he frowned."What I don't understand is why they didn't try to get out of the way once you jumped out of the way of the spells, they aren't exactly stupid or they would never have survived that long without getting caught."
Sirius grinned. "Well, piss off the Queen to get him mad enough and the subjects will usually get absorbed into the ongoing fight without actually joining themselves, oblivious to their surroundings as they are so focused on their master's anger. And by insulting Voldy with anything I could think of he was completely focused on me and didn't pay attention or cared where his spells ended up as he desired to kill me so badly. And as long as I stayed clear of coming near you two while doing so there was little chance of either of you getting hit by a wayward spell accidentally or being in the focus of any Death Eaters as they were so occupied."
"You..." Harry started, understanding the brilliance of Sirius' actions even if he didn't like the realisation he had put himself into more danger on purpose.
Remus didn't speak as he pulled Sirius into a short hug before hitting him in the shoulder without much force.
"Ow, what is that for?" Sirius pouted.
"For being an insufferable smart idiot and for Immobilizing me like that once again without warning...and..." Remus trailed off; pulled Sirius back into a hug, a bone crushing one this time.
"And that is for killing Greyback," he choked. "Thank you..." He muttered as Sirius held him close for a long moment, too.
"Any time, Rem, we protect each other after all," Sirius said softly, making Remus smile despite his tears.
Harry looked at Sirius. "Are you going to explain now why Remus couldn't fight Greyback?"
Sirius and Remus let each other go again as Remus cleared his throat and wiped away the last traces of his tears. "Greyback was the one who bit me, you know that, right?"
"Yeah."
"There is a curse werewolves fall under that they cannot escape no matter how much many would want to."
"Besides the transformation one?"
"Yes, a werewolf cannot go against his...maker. Meaning that when they find out who's infected them, they cannot take revenge by killing or attacking him or her. No matter what ways they think up, they simply cannot go up against the one who bit them. Even magic will not work against them in that situation."
"So you were powerless against Greyback. When he attacked me..."
"I would have been helpless to stop him as I couldn't cause him harm."
"But Sirius was bitten by him before, too..."
"The curse only works when the werewolf is transformed when biting someone. And even if it had worked like that, then Remus still was the one who bit me first."
"So you would have been unable to hit Remus then?"
"Precisely." Sirius turned back to Remus and hit his arm. "Ow!"
"And seeing as that I can clearly hurt him I am not affected by that curse."
"You killed Greyback with the Killing Curse...and Remus used it against Voldemort, too. Will you two get into trouble for that?" fear arose inside him at the possibility he'd lose his godfather just after he'd finally gotten cleared. Not to mention Remus.
"Not likely, as it saved your life and took down two of the most dangerous monsters alive. Besides, they rather owe me something after locking me up without a trial."
He turned once more to the mauled form of Voldemort.
"How are we going to transport him without raising a tremendous scene?" "
By use of a Portkey?" Remus suggested.
"Uh, can we truly dump him at the Ministry without warning like that?" Harry asked.
"I might have an idea." Sirius said after a few moments of silence and waved his wand over a small rock that he lifted to rest on Voldemort's corpse.
"Portos. Dobby!"
A loud pop announced their House elf friend's arrival. "Master Sirius called?"
Sirius smiled. "Hello Dobby. Would you please keep an eye on this here until the Portkey activates in half an hour?"
Dobby glanced down at what Sirius was gesturing to and his large eyes almost bulged out of their sockets before they settled again as he accepted what he saw without a comment. Harry suppressed a chuckle at the elf's ability to adapt to unusual situations since meeting them and instead smiled at the small elf as he hesitantly looked up to Sirius again.
"Dobby could bring him where you want him to go, sir."
"Thank you, but there is no need for you to dirty your hands on such a vile thing."
Big tears appeared in Dobby's round eyes. "Master too kind. Dobby promises to keep two eyes on the vile thing."
"Thank you, Dobby. After he has disappeared would you please be so kind as to secretly check this list to see if the locations are safe to visit? You are not allowed to endanger yourself for any reason, though. If you see anything suspicious you are to get to safety immediately and leave a message on the paper so we'll know that you are safe."
"Dobby will, sir, and thank you. Do Masters want Dobby to clean master's clothes and treat wounds to best of Dobby's abilities?"
Sirius looked from Dobby to his clothing and then glanced at the other two. "Yeah, that would be very nice, smart idea, Dobby."
Dobby beamed at the praise before snapping his fingers and their clothing immediately got fixed. Their cuts and bruises didn't get fully healed but from the slight change in Sirius' and Remus' posture Harry knew they did feel the relief of whatever Dobby had done with his own magic. Harry's gaze fell upon Sirius' shoes and he thanked Dobby wholeheartedly as they were completely clean again, which in turn made the other two snicker and Dobby to be confused but grateful for the appreciation.
"We should go if we want to have enough time to alert Bones to his arrival. Thank you Dobby. We will probably be returning to Grimmauld Place tomorrow night, so take it easy until then, all right. If the plans change we will let you know in time," Sirius put his hand around Remus' arm and gestured for Harry to do the same, which he did with slight confusion.
Normally Sirius Apparated them wherever they went but one look at Sirius' slightly pale face told Harry he was rather tired and indeed very sore from having been hit by the Cruciatus Curse repeatedly. Remus didn't comment as he had probably come to the same conclusion and simply tightened Sirius' hand securely between his arm and side and did the same with Harry's.
"Dobby shall, Master Sirius."
With a small wave the three of them Apparated away and appeared in front of the Ministry. Sirius manoeuvred Harry to walk in front of him while Remus moved so that he could walk beside Sirius.
"Why do you always make me walk before you when we're in public?" Harry asked.
"So I can push you aside if I spot or sense any danger," Sirius answered easily.
"I'd almost think that you don't trust me to take care of myself." Harry teased, not having forgotten what had happened merely half an hour ago and thus not really being offended by Sirius' precaution this time.
"I'd rather apologize than be sorry if something happened to you," Sirius said, a hint of apology in his voice.
Harry nodded. "I understand. Even though I am fifteen it is deeply ingrained in you to protect me and you will always keep doing so, even if I'll turn fifty or so."
Sirius smiled. "And I wouldn't have it any other way, pup."
Harry stuck out his tongue at Sirius before he let himself be led into the Ministry and through the many hallways and an elevator to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the second level.
Sirius walked purposely to one of the divisions without hesitation and stopped before the desk with a young woman sitting behind it.
"We would like to speak to Amelia Bones immediately," Sirius said.
"I am afraid that Madam Bones is unable to attend to visitors at the moment. Could I pass her a message?"
"Tell her that Sirius Black and company are here to deliver something," Remus interrupted before Sirius could answer.
"L...Lord Black?" The girl at the desk more or less squealed, making various others look up at the words in curiosity.
"Make it quick, will you. I haven't got all day," Sirius said sounding bored, though he winked at Harry who suppressed a smile at the action.
"Right away, sir." The girl jumped up and almost ran out of the office.
"If I didn't know you I would think you were a true Pure-Blood," Remus said with a sigh.
"Are you calling me a fake?" Sirius asked with a hurt expression on his face, though a grin betrayed his amusement.
Harry glanced at his godfather, who was dressed in dark blue Muggle jeans and a black coat over a thick darker blue sweater. His clothing and posture screamed Muggle, though his voice betrayed a well drilled-in etiquette right now that could only belong to a Pure-Blood or royalty as Harry doubted it could be faked that convincingly while sounding as uninterested as Sirius did right then.
"I wouldn't dare. I'd call you purely Muggle if it weren't for the wand I happen to know is hidden in your sleeve and knowing your surname," Remus said with a smile.
"Which is why we were travelling under the cover of fake names, my dear Moony."
"Incognito wouldn't have gotten that girl running, dear," Remus shot back.
"Touché," Sirius admitted easily enough and Harry chuckled at their antics. Trust the two Marauders to play around after what had just happened.
Though Harry was a bit surprised at their unconcerned attitude towards what had happened, he quickly understood that both of them had lived through a war in which, with their personalities, they both fought in actively.
And having to deal with Sirius' precaution and knowing how Moody usually acted as well, he knew that neither Marauder would ever be truly able to get out of that war's consequences. For them fights like this would have been normal occurrences, things that didn't make them bat their eyes any more.
And it surprised Harry that he himself was much less effected by what had happened than he would have been less than half a year ago with the Graveyard events. Either he had seen too much already or Sirius and Remus had rubbed off on him more thoroughly than he had thought already.
"Madam Bones is ready to see you now." They turned to see the girl approaching.
"Good, lead the way," they easily followed the girl's quicker than necessary paces, like Remus had said, Sirius' name had truly sent her running, and entered the open door when indicated.
"Lord Black...Mr. Potter and...Mr. Lupin I presume?" The slightly familiar voice of Amelia Bones greeted them, surprising Harry momentarily in knowing who Remus was before he remembered that the article of that morning had mentioned Remus being with Sirius when he came to Hogwarts. She looked exactly like Harry remembered her from his hearing that summer, though slightly more tired. Between Voldemort's return and everything surrounding Sirius she must have had a lot of work.
"Good afternoon, Madam Bones." Sirius greeted her formally and Harry repeated the words when Remus did.
They all sat down when indicated and Madam Bones looked at the three of them for a long moment before starting to open her mouth when Sirius interrupted.
"We came across some trash today and my godson suggested that we'd deliver it to the Aurors," he said and Remus placed the jar filled with cockroaches on her desk.
"Are those..." Madam Bones said with a disgusted look on her face upon seeing the contents of the jar.
"A couple dozen of Death Eaters. Some of whom escaped being punished and others who were never even tried. There is some other fry in there, too, such as Fenrir Greyback, but they are unmarked and not all of them are in living conditions any more."
Sirius paused to let the words sink in.
"In a few minutes their vile leader will be arriving into your holding cells by the means of a slightly illegal Portkey. My sincere apologies for that, but we agreed that it would cause an uproar if we were to bring him in with us. He is a bit ... ruffled though. He was accidentally stepped on," Sirius continued calmly as if he was talking about the weather and Harry had to stifle a chuckle at Madam Bones' confused and shocked expression. That was sure to get her full attention.
"There are transfigured Death Eaters in that jar?" she asked rather dumbfounded.
"And presumably some unmarked followers."
"And by their vile leader you mean..."
"Yes."
"Into our holding cells?"
"That would be right."
"Ruffled?"
"Ruffled and pretty much dead actually."
"Dead?!"
"Affirmative."
"How..."
"He didn't take into account an annoyed godfather, a cleverer than him godson and an angry uncle," Sirius answered cheekily and Harry bit his lip hard enough to draw blood to keep himself from laughing at the way their conversation was going and Madam Bones unguarded expression.
"You-Know-Who...is dead. Stepped on by..." Amelia Bones' expression had gone from shock to horror, back to shock and absolutely perplexed in the matter of moments.
"That depends...what is in it for the one who did him in?" Sirius leaned slightly forward in attention and Harry frowned at Sirius' words. Why didn't he just say he'd killed him? Wouldn't they be able to verify that easily enough with Veritaserum?
"A big reward, an Order of Merlin first class and some other things," Madam Bones answered and Harry wondered if she was answering automatically because she still looked rather shocked.
"He'd be a hero right? All sorts of privileges and stuff like that, eternal glory and being publicly recognized for his services to the Wizarding World?"
"Basically, yes."
"Well then...Remus Lupin finished him off."
"I did not! Sirius, you were the one who stepped on him," Remus objected immediately as his head almost snapped with how quickly he had whipped it around to glare at Sirius while Harry looked confused between them for a long moment.
"Ah, but you made sure he was dead. So the honour goes to you." Sirius' smile was just a little too devilish to be completely healthy.
"Y...you made sure that I was the one who used that curse so that if they'd want proof they would know my wand was the one that cast it," Remus said as realisation came to him and he got a stubborn expression on his face. "You set this up...you...I won't take the credit for something I didn't do, Sirius."
Harry looked back and forth between the two before noticing Amelia Bones did the same before a glint appeared in her eyes as she seemed to understand what was going on and took delight in what she saw.
"Oh shush, Rem. You saved our lives. You know you really should learn to take credit for what you've done," Sirius said without looking at Remus. "I assume this will rather change everything...won't it?" Sirius aimed a smile towards Madam Bones.
"It would. Prejudiced as the Wizarding World is, even they cannot get around the fact that it was a werewolf who ultimately took down the most feared Dark Lord ever known and several of his servants. When the news comes out it will change everything for their kind."
"How so." Harry still didn't fully understand what they were playing at but realised that Madam Bones was playing along with Sirius' game happily even if Remus didn't seem to like it.
"Werewolves are being shunned and treated horribly by the Wizarding society. It is unlikely that anything will ever truly change for them despite our best efforts," Sirius said. "But...were they to learn that the person who took out Voldemort, the man most fear so greatly they do not even dare say his name, were to be taken down by a werewolf...and that the live of their precious Boy Who Lived was saved by the same werewolf..."
"Not to mention Lord Black's life," Madam Bones interrupted and Sirius nodded.
"That too. Then they cannot possibly keep shunning said werewolves as they do now. And if one werewolf is recognized for what he's done, the other werewolves will come to realise that they, too, can make a life for themselves and wizards will start to become more open to werewolves once they realise that the hero of the Wizarding world, whom they will probably all want to see, even if it is just to glance at the presumable monster...is Remus. Children will recognise their favourite ever teacher for Defence. Parents will remember the stories told to them about this fantastic teacher and others will remember the kind and quiet boy they went to Hogwarts with. And they will start thinking about how it is unfair that such a hero and likeable guy is a werewolf and how it is not at all how they always thought werewolves to be. And most likely many will change their views over werewolves in general as time passes when they learn that most of the werewolves are in fact not at all the monsters society thinks them to be. After all...Remus Lupin cannot be the only exception among the scary creatures...right? And he's absolutely, undeniably human so, what are the others like if one of them is so innocent and likeable."
Harry stared at his godfather in thought as he understood what he meant. By letting Remus take the credit of killing Voldemort he might actually get a chance at a normal life. A life without having to hide and be ashamed of who and what he was. It was a direct and probably quick solution for making Remus' life happier and in the long run it would change the lives of many other werewolves who were, like Remus, only wishing for a peaceful existence.
"That's brilliant," he exclaimed and Sirius smiled while Remus growled.
"I cannot let you do this, Sirius. I didn't fight him, you did. You took all the risks and took out all those Death Eaters. I cannot take the credit for your actions."
Sirius turned to Remus and looked into his eyes. "You were the one who protected Harry the moment we arrived and I couldn't. You protected us with danger to your own life from the only thing that could have truly threatened us. You did that. And then you protected Harry, despite your own desires to fight. You protected him because you knew I wanted you to do so or you would have been there right at my side. But you didn't because you knew there was something more important than fighting on the line. The life of our own kid, and you stood on the defence to protect him. And by using the Killing Curse on the Darkest Lord to have ever existed you are now being given the chance to make a difference. Not only for yourself but also for every other good-willed werewolf out there. You can make a change for all those desperate and hopeless souls out there now. For any supposedly creature out there that is hoping and dreaming of a better future one day. Will you really let this chance, this thing you've dreamed of since you were bitten slide over the stupid credits of who took the shot?"
Remus bit his lip as he stared into Sirius' grey eyes for several moments before he took a deep breath and slowly nodded his consent. And though Harry knew that he still wasn't happy about taking the credit from Sirius, he knew that Sirius was right. They all knew.
"Good. So where were we?" Sirius turned back to Amelia Bones with a bright smile, who as Harry noted, was sitting patiently and staring at her nails while Sirius and Remus had their argument.
"You just revealed to me that it was Remus Lupin who took down You-Know-Who," she said calmly and Harry felt his respect for the woman rise tremendously upon realising she was ignoring the fact that Remus had ever spoken up against Sirius' words. The fact that she knew the truth and was going along with their story not only spoke about her character but also spoke volumes about how she thought about werewolves and other creatures.
" Shall we go down to the holding cells to await his arrival so I can verify your story, presuming that you do not wish to let me use Veritaserum or a Pensieve?"
"Veritaserum doesn't work properly on werewolves unfortunately. I could show you the memory but that would defeat my purposes if it ever got misplaced nor do we have the time before the body will arrive. So for now you will have to believe us on our word and the evidence we presented before you, Madam Bones," Sirius said with a smile and even Remus let out a snort now at his clever set-up.
"An easy feat, Lord Black, though I would like to see the memory personally some day. For now, shall we go verify your story? And please call me Amelia."
"Then you may call me Sirius." He officially shook her hand and handed her the jar.
"It might be wiser to let them out inside the charmed holding cells, too. Their wands have been separated from them but I don't know if any of them possesses wandless magical skills."
"A smart move. Do you have their wands?" Amelia swallowed as Sirius placed a large bundle of wands on her desk. Harry noted there must be over thirty wands in there and felt a surge of respect for the power the two men beside him possessed for not only having taken out Voldemort himself but also at least a couple of dozen of his followers with just the two of them.
"How did you run into this...bunch if I may ask?"
"A very unfortunately timed Apparition," Sirius answered and Harry let out a chuckle this time. That was one way to put it.
"Where did you run into them?"
"A small town in Norfolk where we wanted to check out a house. We can give you the exact location later as I gave our address list to our House elf to have him check the rest of the locations for safety reasons. We wouldn't want a repeat of today after all." Sirius answered as they entered the elevator. Harry restrained himself from glancing at Sirius, knowing both he and Remus still held a copy of that list. But he understood why his godfather would want to keep that specific list secret with the paper's special abilities. He suspected that they would rewrite the list for her on normal parchment before sending it over.
"Although I understand your sentiments I must say that if your story checks out I am rather thankful that you did have that untimely Apparition. It saved my Department a lot of trouble. I would like to have the exact location to be send to me as soon as possible though, to verify the location and the spells used there."
She turned to Sirius fully. "Seeing your unconcerned presence here I assume you are already aware of your reinstatement and declared freedom?"
"I was, thank you for catching that traitor."
"You are more than welcome. Were you also aware that the Ministry asked you to stop by to speak about your reinstatement?"
"Yes, but seeing as that I waited fourteen years for the Ministry to listen to me, I figured they could wait a few more days while my godson had his school vacation so that we could spend some quality time as a family."
"That is indeed only reasonable." Amelia nodded with a glance towards Harry and Remus. "I was going to send an owl out after the Christmas holidays had ended. My niece Susan assured me that if I send hers that it would be able to find you, unlike the owls the Ministry sent out in an attempt to track you."
"Susan was right. We ensured that Susan's owl would be able to pass through our wards while...visiting Hogwarts." Remus answered.
They exited the elevator and walked to the holding cells. A slight shift in Sirius' movements, one that most wouldn't have even noticed, caught Harry's attention and with a glance to the holding cells looming up before them he understood the tiny faltering in his godfather's step upon seeing them.
He held in his own step on purpose so that Sirius almost walked into him and was forced to place a hand onto his shoulder to keep himself from doing so.
Taking the opportunity to take a hold of Sirius' arm, Harry manoeuvred himself so that he walked besides him. To anyone looking it would seem like Harry was nervous about entering the holding cells and though it was a slight blow to his ego, he would happily make that small sacrifice if it meant giving Sirius a slight comfort.
Sirius' other hand squeezed his shoulder and Harry smiled up to Sirius as he knew the man had understood the real reason behind his action and appreciated it.
"When would he be arriving?" Amelia asked right before several screams were heard and the sound of running feet.
"I think he just did," Remus commented dryly while Sirius wrapped a full arm around Harry and pulled him off to the side mere moments before several Aurors came running down the hall past them.
"He...He...here...Madam..." One of them wheezed before realising who was with Amelia and he quickly backed off before promptly running off with the others.
"When did the Aurors become such a bunch of cowards?" Sirius raised a surprised eyebrow, disgust on his face.
"Not everyone can be like Moody and your cousin, Sirius," Remus commented.
"Sirius! You-Know-Who is here. He's dead!" They all turned around to see Tonks quickly walking up to them. Though she was pale, she wasn't running away like the others had been.
"Why are you telling me this?" Sirius asked confused.
"Because I know that you were the one responsible for his arrival," Tonks said with a glare that made Harry chuckle.
"Wotcher Harry."
"Hi Tonks. Why do you think Sirius is the one who did this?"
Remus groaned at their words. "You two shouldn't greet each other like that in public. Especially not you Tonks," he berated them all.
"Why not, Remus?" Tonks asked confused.
"Because you aren't supposed to know Harry or me well enough to be on first name terms with us and you shouldn't be so comfortable around Sirius, who you especially couldn't possibly be close to since he only got freed today and you are an Auror."
Tonks, Sirius and Harry all blinked before glancing at each other in alarm and then turning to Amelia. "Whoops?" Tonks and Sirius said at the same time, making Remus groan again and Harry snicker.
"Madam Bones...I..." Tonks looked at her nervously.
"I'm sorry Auror Tonks; I didn't quite catch what it was what you said. Could you repeat what you said about You-Know-Who?" Amelia asked calmly and Harry marvelled at the ease with which she basically held a hand over her Auror's actions, which should be against the laws that she stood for. But yet, even though he had gotten the impression of a stern and law-abiding woman, she surprised him by not only letting Sirius tell her a half-truth and accepting it despite knowing the truth, but she was now also giving Tonks a way out, denying she had heard one of her Aurors greet a man, who only a day earlier had been one of the most wanted criminals in the country, like a good friend. Which would indicate they were in close contact and thus Tonks could have been arrested for not reporting Sirius' whereabouts and their communication to her boss. And yet she let it all slide for some reason. Harry couldn't understand why she did so, but Sirius didn't seem overly concerned about her motives so Harry decided he'd just see where it would go.
"I...ah...I said that You-Know-Who appeared in the holding cell down the hall, he appears to be dead. There...was a note attached to him." Tonks stammered for a moment before seemingly getting a hold of herself and standing straight before the presence of her boss.
"What did it say?"
"Delivery to Amelia Bones, have fun with the vile thing. Kind regards, The Marauders." Tonks said as she passed the note to Amelia, who took it and glanced at it.
"Are you positive it is him?" she asked and Tonks nodded.
"As reliable as identification spells are. The results came back as Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as You-Know-Who." Tonks handed over another slip of paper, presumably with the results of the spells she had mentioned and Amelia looked at it.
"And he is dead?"
"Absolutely. It looks like a giant walked over him and then a troll smashed up his remains," Tonks said and Amelia shot a quick glance at Sirius, who listened to his cousin's words interested and radiated the picture of innocence.
"All right, let's see for ourselves," Amelia uttered before she walked to the holding cell where Kingsley was standing guard and Harry swallowed a greeting before he'd get Kingsley into trouble. He didn't know how much Amelia would let slide after all.
"Madam Bones," Kingsley greeted before he glanced at the rest.
"Lord Black, Mr. Potter, Remus," He greeted formally in his deep voice.
"Good afternoon," they chorused. Amelia gave them a quick glance and Harry had the impression she was aware of their true familiarity but she didn't speak up as she stepped into the holding cell.
"Amazing." Amelia breathed out as her gaze fell upon the corpse lying before her.
She handed the jar she was still holding to Kingsley, who took it with confusion, before casting her own diagnostic spells upon the body and nodded when the results confirmed what Tonks had said.
"Madam Bones, what am I holding?" Kingsley asked as he had seen what was in the jar. "A jar filled with transfigured Death Eaters and other sympathizers of the Dark Lord that these gentlemen beside me brought in with them."
"That...such as?" Kingsley's voice was just a pitch higher than normal as he stared at the jar in shock.
"Erm...Jugson and Greyback. I have to admit my memory is a bit rusty on the identities of those around. I was more focused on other things. Oh, I did recognize Lucius Malfoy and I am sure I recognised at least two dozen more from seeing them around my relatives...social gatherings, though I cannot remember their names right now...did either of your recognise anyone else," Sirius asked as he turned to Harry and Remus.
"I'm positive that I recognized Nott, indeed Malfoy, The Carrow siblings, Rowle, Yaxley, Crabbe and Goyle but that should be easily confirmed once you take the spell off the jar and return them to their original forms," Remus answered while Harry shook his head. He hadn't exactly seen anyone before Sirius had taken care of Greyback and after that he'd been too occupied with trying to follow Sirius' movements to pay attention to his surroundings.
"Seems like the git had a day off though, I would have loved to have seen him as a cockroach," Sirius commented.
"Maybe he finally took a moment to wash his hair?" Harry commented, making Sirius, Remus and Tonks laugh while Amelia looked at them interested and Kingsley suppressed a smile but mostly failed in doing so. Besides Amelia they all knew immediately who they were talking about.
"What git?" Amelia asked.
"You would have to ask Dumbledore for information about his pet Death Eater. He is the one who claims he's a good guy after all," Sirius said.
"You caught all those Death Eaters and You-Know-Who, with just the three of you?" Tonks asked surprised as she looked at them in shock, clearly not having expected that of them.
"Never piss of a Marauder," Harry said.
"Noted," Tonks said with an amazed but bemused smile.
"Remus did the hard work; we just dealt with the small fry."
"I hardly call Greyback small fry, Siri," Remus muttered.
"All right, big ugly fry then."
Sirius turned to Amelia. "Now that we have delivered our trash and given our statement, could we leave the rest to your Aurors? We really have more to do today than to hang around here."
"There is a reward on the heads of most of the ones you just mentioned being in that jar."
"Deposit it all into the vaults of Remus here."
"Siri..."
"Shush Rem. You will just have to treat us for dinner some time."
"I will make sure it happens. Thank you, Mister Lupin, for the great service you have performed for us today. I shall send you an owl to go over the details of your reward soon." Then she turned to Sirius. "Lord Black, the Ministry owes you an enormous apology for the crimes committed against you and I promise you I will make sure all those involved will be facing charges, including the Minister for failing to take action. A compensation for the time you've been unrighteously accused and held prisoner will be deposited into your vaults. This included the time you've been on the run because even though you were technically not in our hands any more, the ministry still hunted you down even if Kingsley never managed to ...catch you," Amelia said with a glance at Kingsley who shrugged slightly.
"He kept eluding us with fake trails, Madam."
"He sure is clever enough to elude my best Aurors like that," Amelia answered with a small smile that made Harry bit his lip as he realised she indeed knew the truth but didn't call them upon it. She turned to Sirius again.
"We have already begun to undo the damage that your reputation has gone through by our faults even though it will probably take some time." She took a deep breath. "If there is anything we can do for you then I will do everything within my power to make it happen."
Sirius looked at her. "There is one thing..." He trailed off.
"Name it."
"I want official custody of my godson. The one that means no one can ever try to interfere and take him from me again."
"If you walk with me we can fill those out immediately."
"I'd rather have you send them over to me; there is a certain eager woman who'd skin me alive if I signed anything without giving her the privilege of being witness."
"Consider it done. I shall have the papers send to you before the day is over," Amelia said with a pleased nod. "Anything else?"
"Yes...please make sure the story we told you comes out the way it should."
"I already plan to and I shall add to it that Lord Black informed me that after his wrongful imprisonment the only things he desired from us were the custody of his godson and the promise of the ...truth being revealed concerning the death of You-Know-Who and the credit given to the one who deserves it."
"Thank you," Sirius said with a smile as he turned to Harry and Remus. "You two have any wishes?"
"A hot bath."
"Something to eat and sit down on." Remus and Harry answered at the same time.
"Let's go find our rest stop for tonight then, shall we?" Sirius said cheerfully and the other two nodded to him.
"Will you two join Mister Lupin when he is summoned to continue this conversation?"
"Of course." Sirius and Harry nodded.
"Then I shall see you soon."
They easily said goodbye and left the three Ministry workers to deal with the mess they left behind as they walked back to the entrance calmly, ignoring the many stares and whispers that followed them.
"Where did you want to go?" Harry asked once they found a secluded area away from prying eyes. "Why don't you pick a location? I picked one yesterday and Remus the day before that."
"We shouldn't go too far if an owl is to be send out to us today. So how about we crash in my old house for the night and let you decide a location tomorrow?" Remus suggested.
"Fine by me," Harry agreed before letting Remus Apparate them to their new location.
"A cottage?" he asked as they arrived and his eyes fell upon the small building a few meters away.
"It is not much and the landlady isn't very happy with me being here but I've always loved it," Remus said with a small smile.
"I love it, too." Harry smiled back. "It is nice and quiet and looks homey to me. Who cares that it isn't a Manor as long as it's home."
Sirius glanced at the two of them before looking at the cottage and then around him.
"Say...this is pretty far from prying eyes, isn't it?"
"Yes," Remus answered. "The closest neighbour is three hours away."
"And we are pretty handy with our magic...aren't we?" Sirius asked.
"Yes..." Remus trailed off questioningly.
"Then why don't we buy this cottage you are renting along with a few miles for a Quidditch pitch and just extent this cottage to what we'd want if all three of us love this place?"
Both stared at him for a long moment before Remus blinked and looked around.
"That is actually not a bad idea. What do you think, Harry?"
Harry looked from the cottage and the surrounding land to Sirius and Remus. "Where are we anyway?"
"South Yorkshire," Remus answered.
"South Yorkshire?" Sirius asked confused as he turned to Remus again.
"Yes...you didn't know?" Remus asked with amusement and a hint of surprise.
"No, I thought you lived in Durham."
"My parents lived there. After Hogwarts I lived with you and after your imprisonment I moved here as I didn't want to stay in the apartment. How on earth did you find me last year if you didn't know where I lived? Didn't Dumbledore tell you?" Remus asked incredulously.
"Dumbledore never mentioned where you live, he just told me to lay low at your place so once I left I followed your magical signature and eventually your scent until I had found you."
"You followed his magical signature and scent?" Harry asked confused.
"Yes, as Padfoot I can sense people's magical signature and if familiar enough with it I can follow it across the entire world if truly needed. James and I often experimented with it. He'd leave me in some town and then travel elsewhere by Apparition and I had to locate him. It sometimes took a while but I always found him by simply following his magical signature and once close enough to pick up his scent I followed that."
"That's amazing!" Harry exclaimed and Sirius frowned.
"How else did you think I found you at the Dursleys before meeting you properly?" he asked.
"I don't know, having asked directions?"
"As a fugitive?"
"Forgot about that. But how did you know my magical signature or my scent after twelve years?"
Sirius snorted. "Like I'd ever forget either of your scents or the feel of your magical signatures no matter how much time passes. I admit that it took me a few days to get a good feel for your signature since it was hidden behind crappy wards half of the time, but I managed and set off to catch a glimpse of you. I didn't know where you lived as it was a secret and though I heard talks of wizards about the Boy Who Lived, your residence was never mentioned and I had to rely on Padfoot's skill to find you."
"That's just amazing. To be able to pick up our magical signature after so much time and finding us like that. Are all Animagi able to do that?" Harry asked, feeling awed at his godfather's ability to locate him and Remus like that, despite having lived in hell for so long. And it cemented for him once more just how much Sirius cared for the two of them.
"As far as our research discovered it is mostly cats and dogs that have that instinct. Some birds can find their way like that too, but we never found out how that worked. Neither Prongs or Wormtail ever had the ability to find Sirius like that," Remus answered.
Harry nodded. "If you managed to find me and Remus through our magical signature, then why couldn't you find Pettigrew like that?"
"I'm not sure. I tried after escaping but I couldn't pick up his magical signature at all, I managed to confirm he had stayed at your dorm while the Gryffindors had their Halloween meal and tried to reach him then but failed, and Ron woke up before I could stab him some time later. But after he faked his own death I couldn't locate him any more besides the fact that he was still near Hogwarts. Of course I didn't count on the fact that he'd be smart enough to hide at Hagrid's Hut."
"Why smart enough?"
"Because there are so many different smells in and around that house that I couldn't distinguish one from the other and wouldn't have ever found him there," Sirius said with disgust in his voice.
Harry nodded, realizing that even canines had a limit of how much they could distinguish smells, even if Padfoot was a magical one. He looked at his surroundings again, knowing he needed to change the subject if he didn't want Sirius to become truly upset.
"So...South Yorkshire...That is pretty far from London and Devon, right?"
"On the other side of the country actually," Remus answered with a small amused smile at the clear change of subject, and even Sirius chuckled.
"Then I am all for your plan," Harry said happily while trying to suppress a small blush, to the amusement of the other two.
"Presuming that we will be able to actually buy the cottage from the old hag that owns it," Remus said, going along with the change of subject.
"Is she a Muggle or a witch?" Sirius asked.
"A witch. Why?"
"No specific reason, I'll go have a chat with her tomorrow or would you prefer to close this deal before the news comes out about Riddle and she'll become difficult?"
"I would prefer now, but don't you dare put it in my name, Sirius," Remus threatened, but Sirius only smiled.
"I have an idea for that, why don't you pass me her address then the two of you head inside, take a shower or bath and start on something to eat and I'll deal with the landlady and be back in a hour or so."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Harry asked as Remus wrote down the landlady's address for Sirius, not completely comfortable with Sirius going off on his own so soon after having been attacked by Death Eaters.
Sirius hesitated visibly for a moment before he nodded. "If you want to you can come along. It will be pretty boring though."
"I don't care, you will be fine here, right Remus?"
"Of course. I'll key Harry into the wards so that you can Apparate directly to the front step upon returning."
"That would be nice thanks. See you in a bit." With that Sirius Apparated him and Harry away.
"You know... I don't think I will ever truly get used to Apparition," Harry complained as he and Sirius appeared in a small town.
"Don't worry, once you've learned how to do it on your own it will be much better."
"And when will that be?"
"When you turn seventeen you can take the exam."
"That is two more years. I really have to Side-Along Apparate with you guys like that for two more years?"
"I said you can take the exam in two years, I didn't say you wouldn't learn it before then." Sirius said with a wink.
Harry chuckled. "Say...you said that you wanted to teach me how to fight...but are you still going to do that now that Voldemort is gone?"
"Of course. Just because the snake is gone doesn't mean there aren't going to be other threats. I sincerely doubt that the Aurors will catch all the small fry soon. And even if they did, I still want you to learn how to defend yourself in case of an emergency."
Harry nodded, happy to know he wasn't going to be kept in the dark now that everything was presumably in peace again.
"I guess you were right by the way."
"About what, pup?"
"About Divination being worthless. According to the Prophecy I was supposed to be the one who defeated Voldemort. But I didn't do anything. You finished him off...sorry, Remus did." He corrected himself as Sirius came to a hold and stared at him with a thoughtful expression.
"Well, you were the one who told me to step forward, so in a way you are the one responsible for his demise since I didn't know what I'd done until I stepped on him."
"But then what was the power that he knows not?"
"The power of a shoe and a quick mind?" Sirius suggested with a chuckle as he resumed walking. Harry shook his head fondly as he laughed and quickened his pace to catch up with Sirius again.
"Truthfully, I don't know, Harry. I've never believed in Divination in the first place, so I truly am the wrong person to ask why the prophecy involving you didn't come to pass but honestly, I can't say that I truly care. I said before that I'd be damned if I let you do the fighting and don't be offended but you are fifteen years old and you have already had too little of a childhood as it is. What I want from you most of all is to be a child and have fun. You shouldn't have had to worry about all this stuff and I cannot change the fact that you had to, but I can make sure you don't have to from now on."
"You do realise I am going to worry anyway, right?"
"I know, but a godfather can hope, can't he?" Sirius said with a smile before he came to a stop before a large house and rang the bell before Harry could answer.
"Yes?" An older woman with grey hair and cold blue eyes opened. Sirius looked at her shocked for a moment before his expression settled in a pleasant, but to Harry's idea, fake smile.
"We were informed that you are the landlady of several properties, including a small run down cottage in Yorkshire in the middle of nowhere. Is this information correct?"
"Yes, why do you wish to know?"
"I'm looking around for some real estate to buy and was interested to see what the costs for the cottage would be."
"More than you can afford, lad." The woman said sneeringly with a glance at Sirius' and Harry's Muggle outfits.
"I merely asked for a price, Miss Montgomery. There is no need to become hostile or point your wand at my kid from behind your door. I don't take kindly to threats to him and I can assure you I will retaliate at the slightest attempt."
Upon his words the woman, Montgomery blinked and looked at Sirius more clearly before bringing her wand into sight and changing its aim from Harry to Sirius.
"Who are you?"
"How about I tell you that once you tell me a price for the cottage?"
"I give you that you are relentless. But the cottage is not cheap for sale. There is a patch of land belonging to it that is not at all cheap and you will have to kick the current renter out yourself."
"You wish to sell me the land where the cottage is placed upon?" Sirius asked and his voice changed from forced pleasant to stone cold in mere seconds. Harry glanced at Sirius confused but refused to let his emotions be seen on his face like Sirius had taught him. Why was Sirius becoming mad about that, they wanted the land, didn't they?
"Yes. It will be seven thousand galleons for the land and the cottage," Montgomery said with a decided look.
"So you are really sure you want to sell me the land on which the cottage is placed?" Sirius repeated without a single emotion in his voice.
"Yes."
"Absolutely sure?"
"Yes, I do not sell it separately."
"Then so it will be. I shall be taking the documents for the cottage from your hands as you have forsaken your rights to it," Sirius said as he stood up straight and stared Montgomery down.
"What?"
"My name is Lord Black; I am the rightful owner of that patch of land. My family extended to you the rights to build upon the land and let you use it for a small rental price. The terms of your contract clearly stated that under no terms you were allowed to sell the land you rented from the Black family and that if you did all your rights to the land and any properties you had build upon them would be claimed by the Black family. I asked you three times if you wanted to sell me the land, you said yes, thus breaking the contract. I shall be taking those papers now, Miss Montgomery." Sirius said with an expression on his face that Harry could only describe as aristocratic.
Montgomery stared at him flabbergasted for a few moments before she sneered. "Fine, but you get to kick off the filthy half-breed that I was forced to rent out to because your own contract stated that I wasn't allowed to refuse any appliers who had no criminal record."
"And with that you broke the second half of the contract." Sirius said with a smirk.
"What second part?"
"The part where you were forbidden from being prejudiced or unfair against the tenants. You see, I wrote that contract myself and I specifically stated that the landlords were not allowed to be prejudiced or unfair against any of their tenants. I am sure the papers will show that you have unrighteously raised the rent repeatedly after your current tenant came to live there while other residents paid a much lower rent. That makes it an unfair action and means that you have to pay back all the rent he has ever paid you for the Black family would not stand for dishonourable behaviour like that."
"You can't do that!"
"You signed the contract and now you have broken it. I shall inform your tenants of the change of landlord once I have found a proper and reliable one."
Sirius held out his hand and a bundle of documents appeared in his hands. He skimmed through them for a moment before taking out a contract.
"It is all in the fine print. So thank you for your co-operation and I hope I shall never see you again." Sirius said as he put his hand on Harry's back to turn him around and led him off the steps while the woman still stared at them in shock.
"Oh, before I forget... Obliviate." Sirius turned on the spot and raised his wand at the woman. "You won't remember the contract you signed with my family nor will you remember any of your tenants as is also stated in the contract. Good day."
Harry let Sirius push him on until they were out of sight of the house and then turned to Sirius. "You already owned the land? Why didn't you just tell Remus that?"
"Because I didn't know. It wasn't until I saw the old hag that I suddenly remembered signing a contract with her. My uncle Alphard had left me with quite a bit of money and several patches of land upon his death. I rented several of them out to various people, both to make money out of them and to give people like Remus a chance to start a life for themselves. Remus never complains but he did mention now and then that his rent kept rising, not that he could do much about it without losing his living space. That's when I knew I could break her out of the contract and just claim the cottage."
"What are we going to tell Remus?"
"The truth. I don't want secrets, especially not between friends and family."
Harry nodded, knowing just how much Sirius had lost due to secrecy.
"So...how are you going to keep your promise to not put the cottage on Remus' name?" Harry asked in a teasing voice and Sirius snorted before he stopped walking.
"Hold this, will you?" Giving the bundle of documents to Harry and taking out two pieces of paper that he quickly and magically filled out before tapping one of the two with his wand twice before it disappeared.
"What did you just do?"
"Signed a contract in Remus' name to buy the house we are going to live in."
'But you promised you wouldn't."
"I used Moony's name."
"You..." Harry snorted. "You know he is not going to be happy with you, right?"
"He will get over it." Sirius winked. "He loves that cottage so it should be his even if we will live in it with the three of us for who knows how long it will take you to get tired of us and get your own place and for him to kick me out."
"That will never happen."
"Then we can become three very old men living together while herding sheep."
"Why sheep?" Harry asked curiously.
"Because we already have a wolf and a dog to herd them with."
They stared at each other for a moment before they both burst out in laughter.
"That's lame even for you, Siri."
"I know, now let's go home and tell Remus the good news so that we can start planning on remodelling our house, shall we?"
Harry grinned and held out his hand for his godfather to Apparate them back to the cottage, but instead of taking it Sirius let out a muttered curse that made Harry frown. But before he could ask him what was wrong his godfather spoke up.
"Hey pup, remind me to pick up something nice for Dobby will you?"
"Why?"
"Because I asked him to check the rest of our list for safety precautions. Knowing him he probably put a lot of time and effort into checking them and now we aren't even going to look at them any more."
"So you want to give him something nice as an apology?" Harry asked, happy that his godfather was so fond of the little House Elf. And agreed to his reasoning, having completely forgotten Sirius had asked that of their friend.
"And as a thank you. He's already got tons of socks, so maybe some material to make himself a coat? He refused to let me buy one for him so maybe he'll accept the material to make one himself?"
"If he doesn't then you are probably sneaky enough to trick him into accepting it anyway."
"I wouldn't force it upon him. I could simply give it to him as an extra belated Christmas present. Buy you and Remus something small too to cover the real intent up. Oh, I could make it new year's presents or maybe welcome to our new home present."
"I'm sure you'll think of something, Siri. Can we go home now, I'm starting to get hungry," Harry said with a chuckle at Sirius' ideas. Sirius smiled as he ruffled his hair and held out his hand once more, which Harry gladly took. "Let's go home."
