When We Stand Together
Chapter 3
Grimmauld Place
To say that Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts was interesting is a real understatement. Even though it ended with the return of Voldemort, Harry was pleased with his fourth year as a whole. Sure he had been entered into the dangerous Tri-Wizard Tournament but the year proved to be a good one nonetheless. Harry was able to tell his friends that he was gay, as well as telling the boy he loved; Cedric Diggory how he really felt. However the best thing that came about at the end of Harry's fourth year was that his godfather, Sirius Black was now a free man.
At the present time, Harry and his fellow students were all on the Hogwarts Express heading back to London for their summer holiday. In the very last compartment was Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Cedric Diggory. Ron and Hermione were busy talking about all that had happened during the year while Harry was resting his head on Cedric's shoulder.
Hermione decided to take a break from the constant tri-wizard tournament talk and took out her copy of that day's daily prophet. On the front page was a picture of Sirius shaking hands with Fudge under the headline: SIRIUS BLACK PARDONED BY MINISTER OF MAGIC.
"Glad that Sirius is now free?" Cedric asked as he ran his fingers through Harry's messy raven locks.
Harry opened his eyes and looked up into his boyfriend's grey ones as he said, "Very glad Ced, now that Sirius has been cleared I can finally move out of my Aunt and Uncles."
The rest of the journey back to King's Cross went by in absolute normality. Harry and Cedric enjoyed a game of Exploding Snap together while Ron challenged Hermione to a game of Wizard's chess.
When the train pulled into Platform 9 ¾ Harry and his friends waited till most of the students got off the train before they gathered their trunks and animals before they got off the train. Cedric went and got trolleys for them all and even helped Harry heave his own onto one of them.
Saying their good-byes, Ron and Hermione went their separate ways to meet up with their family leaving Harry and Cedric standing on the platform. Harry bit his bottom lip and looked up at Cedric as he said "If Sirius isn't out there waiting could I perhaps come home with you until he was ready?"
"Of course you can Harry, I don't want you going back to your aunt and uncle's anymore then you do" Cedric says as he pulled Harry into an embrace.
Harry took a few minutes as he nuzzled against Cedric's chest as the elder boy held him close. A few minutes later Harry and Cedric walked through the barrier and into Muggle King's Cross. Automatically, Harry saw his godfather Sirius waiting for him. Harry also saw Cedric's father a little ways away. Cedric gave Harry a kiss on his cheek before he walked over to his father. Cedric wanting to give Harry a few minutes alone with his godfather.
"Hello Pup" Sirius said as Harry walked over and hugged him tightly.
"Is this really happening?" Harry asked, his voice muffled against Sirius's chest.
Sirius pulled back and moved onto his knees in front of Harry. "Harry this is really happening, I at first thought Fudge wouldn't keep his word, but he did, from now on when you return from Hogwarts you will not be going to your aunt and uncle's but to our home now."
Harry's eyes started to fill with tears as he learned that he would never have to return to the Dursley's again.
"Sirius can Cedric come over with me?" Harry asked as he wiped the tears away.
"Of course he can, let's go see if it's alright with his father" Sirius said and together Harry and his godfather walked over to where Cedric and his father were standing and talking.
A half hour later, Sirius was leading Harry and Cedric up a set of stone steps up to an emerald green door. There was a bronze 12 on the door and as Sirius grabbed the door handle and opened it he said, "Harry, Cedric, welcome to number 12 Grimmauld Place."
"This was my parent's house when I was growing up" Sirius explained as they walked inside.
"This was your parent's house?" Harry asked his eyes wide as he looked around the hallway.
"Yes but they were all mad with their pure-blood mania that I ran away when I was sixteen. I went to your dad's place; I was always welcome at the Potter's." Sirius says as he led Harry and Cedric down the long hallway to the kitchen.
"Did your parents support Voldemort?" Harry asked as they sat down at the scrubbed wooden kitchen table.
"No but they believed in his ideals and everything, now are both of you hungry?" Sirius asked as he rolled his sleeves up.
The following hour passed with Harry and Sirius and Cedric talking while Sirius made them dinner. The conversations were mostly of what happened during their school years. Mostly Sirius talked about all the pranks he and Harry's father would do during their school time. After a dinner consisting of cheeseburgers and fries, Sirius left having to go to a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. The headquarters for the secret organization that fought against Voldemort last time was none other than the Burrow.
With Sirius gone, it left Harry and Cedric a chance to explore the house. Walking out of the kitchen the young couple began climbing the stairs. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Harry and Cedric saw a hallway branching off and leading to different rooms. Harry walked up to one of the doors that had a plaque that read Sirius's Room.
"Do you want to see his room Harry?" Cedric asked as he watches Harry run his fingers over the plaque.
"Yes" Harry said as he reached down and grasped the doorknob before turning it and pushing the door open.
Automatically Harry and Cedric saw a large four-poster bed in the middle of the room. Decorating the walls were Gryffindor colored flags and pendants. However Harry's attention was brought back to the bed where a large creature was sitting. This creature had the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle. While it had the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse. The creature also had bright orange eyes. It was Buckbeak the hippogriff from Harry's third year at Hogwarts.
"Hey Buckbeak" Harry said as he bowed low. As he did, Buckbeak also bowed which allowed Harry to walk over and pat his beak.
"Is that the hippogriff that attacked Malfoy in your third year?" Cedric asked, his grey eyes going back and forth between Harry and Buckbeak.
"Yeah after finding out that Sirius was innocent and it was another friend who had betrayed my parents, Hermione and I went back in time using her time-turner which was how she was getting to her classes that year, and rescued him from being executed." Harry explained.
Later that night, Harry and Cedric were laying in bed. Sirius having made up the room when he returned from the meeting with the order. The last thought that Harry had before sleep took him as his head rested on Cedric's chest was 'I'm Home'
A/N: End of Chapter 3! Please Read and Review!