Chapter Three.
Remus, Sirius and Harry appeared in the alley about two or three blocks from the Leaky Cauldron breathing hard as the Apparition that they did was a hard and very long jump that they did. Sirius peeked out and took a check of the area.
"It's clear, Remus. Do you have the muggle clothes in your pocket?" asked Sirius, turning to him.
"Yes, I do. Here you go, Sirius. Sorry if they a bit tight, I wasn't planning on having you wearing them," Remus said, with a chuckle. He handed out some muggle clothes to Sirius, watching him pull on the light blue pair of pants and then the red and gold t-shirt. Harry looked like a muggle anyways as he didn't have a Wizard robe on. Remus just looked like an old man without any change of clothes.
They emerged from the alley and walked down the street towards the Leaky Cauldron where they walked through and to the back alley, they changed out of the muggle clothes for their Wizard clothes and then they slipped into Diagon Alley. Harry followed Remus and Sirius down the street to another street where they found the entrance to the Ministry and entered.
"Where's the adoption center?" Sirius asked, looking at the middle aged witch who sat at the desk.
"It's on the third floor, sweetie. Are ya' finalizing your adoption of this young man?" she asked, nodding towards Harry.
"Yes, I am," Sirius said, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm finally going to become what I should have became long time ago."
They headed towards the elevator to go up to the floor. They got onto the floor and walked down the hall to the office of Wizardry Adoption, adoption of orphaned, god wizards and witches. The brown haired witch looked up to see them entering the office.
"Hello Mr. Black, I was informed you would be here with young, Mr. Potter. It is a pleasure, Mr. Potter to see you. I must thank you for what you did when you were a wee babe. Thank you very much for getting rid of Voldemort. It was a very brave thing you did." The witch said.
"I don't even recall what I did, but you're welcome," Harry said, as he smiled.
"Come on, Harry, we can't be late," Sirius said, as they walked down the hall to an office which stated on the door; 'Legal Adoptions of Godchildren.' Sirius turned towards Harry and Remus and turned the handle opening the door. Several witches and wizards turned who were sitting in the waiting room with kids of their own. Sirius noticed three chairs were empty and pointed towards them as he went to the desk.
"What can I do for you, handsome?" asked the witch behind the desk.
"I'm here to formally adopt my Godson Harry Potter. I'm Sirius Black." Sirius said, as he pointed to Harry.
"Goodness gracious! DEVORRA! He's here! He's here! Come on, through, she told us to rush you in as soon as you got here," said the witch. "Go to room three Devorra Baso will finish the blood work and it'll be official."
"The blood work?" whispered Harry, looking at Remus.
"It is to see if you are related or not before the adoption happens. Seems that there was a son and Godfather who turned out to be son and father who didn't even know he was the boy's father. Quite surprising to the boy and the Godfather," spoke a black haired, caramel color skinned witch, who approached them.
"Hello Devorra," spoke Remus, a light red tint speckled his cheeks.
"Hello Remus. Been a while since we last saw each other…when was it the last full moon?" Devorra cooed. "We ran like wild wolves that night. It was the best night I ever had."
"Um…yes…it was. I think I best go. I'll meet you both in Diagon Alley," Remus turned and started to leave.
"Oh no you don't, Remus. I want you to be a part of this day," said Sirius grabbing his arm.
"All right, I'll stay." Remus said, as they went into the room and sat down.
Devorra spoke to Sirius and Harry about their decision before she cast a father son spell, they did not waiver from the fact that they wanted to become father and son by adoption. She sat back in her chair. "Now this next spell will cement the adoption. I need to have you both prick your finger as this will require a drop of both your blood to make it work."
Sirius poked his index finger with the small needle and then handed it over to Harry who did the same. Devorra watched with a smile as a drop of their blood appeared. She told them she needed a big drop for it to work. The drop became as big as she required as she whispered the spell as she held her wand towards Sirius and Harry.
The drop of blood vanished from their fingertip as they felt a warm sensation go over them. Sirius's hand was shaken by Devorra before a certificate was thrust into his hands.
The three Wizards walked into the Leaky Cauldron and ordered their meal. Sirius and Harry sat in the booth looking at the certificate that stated that they were now father and son by adoption.
"Sirius,"
"Harry," Sirius and Harry both laughed. "Go on Harry."
"Did you happen to feel that…" spoke Harry.
"Hi Harry! Hi Sirius!" yelled Hermione and Ron at the same time as they approached their table.
"Hi Hermione, Ron, what are you two doing here?" asked Harry, as they sat down.
"Hermione was visiting Ginny and my dad just told us the good news about you two and we came rushing over to congratulate you both," said Ron.
"Congratulate us for what?" asked Sirius.
"The adoption of Harry, of course, Sirius, it is on the front page of the morning edition of the Daily Prophet." Hermione said, showing the picture of Harry and Sirius with Devorra smiling.
Sirius looked at the picture and laughed. "At least, they got my good side!"
Harry looked over at Sirius and wondered about the feeling he got when the spell was cast. He really didn't want to ask in front of Hermione and Ron but maybe they might know if Sirius didn't. "Sirius, did you feel that warm sensation when Devorra cast the spell over us?"
"Yes, I did. It is to make us fully related by blood now." Sirius said, as he sipped his butterbeer.
"So you two are truly father and son?" asked Ron.
"Yeah, so are you two here just to see us or are you here for something else?" asked Sirius, noticing the letter in their hands.
"No, we're here getting school books. Hermione already got hers three days ago and is already studying," Ron said rolling his eyes.
"Well, I do like knowing what I'm going to be learning instead of reading about it during class. You might want to try that, Ron," Hermione said, with a little huff.
"So what is the books we must get this year around?" asked Harry.
"They happen to be quite expensive, Mom nearly died when she saw the book list. Gilderoy Lockhart's books are quite expensive and plus mum has a crush on him." Ron spoke, as Harry got up to go through the pub to the back where they went to Diagon Alley with Sirius and Remus behind them.
"Harry, I'm going to take Remus to Gringotts and get you some money to buy the books with and we be meeting you at Flourish and Blotts in about ten minutes, okay?" asked Sirius.
Harry and the others thread their way through a chattering throng of middle-aged ladies, all craning their necks for a view of Lockhart, who was sitting behind a desk signing books at the rear of the shop.
Ron looked over to Harry and whispered, "Mum fancies him. I don't see anything grand about him at all."
A short man with a camera bumped into Harry and Ron. "Sorry, please step out of the way! This is for The Daily Prophet!"
Instantly, Lockhart looked up, flashes a smile and saw standing in the crowd, he whispered loudly, "It can't be…Harry Potter?"
The crowd whispers excitedly as Lockhart motioned Harry forward, turned him toward the photographer as the camera light flashed.
Gilderoy Lockhart spoke, his smile huge, "Ladies and gentlemen! What an extraordinary moment this is! When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, Magical Me -- which incidentally is celebrating its twenty-seventh week atop The Daily Prophet's Bestseller List -- he had no idea that he would, in fact, be leaving with my entire collected works! Free of charge!"
As the crowd clapped happily, Lockhart catches the eye of a flunky and before Harry knew it, a towering stack of books was shoved into his arms.
Harry mumbled, "Thank you."
Harry slipped free from Lockhart and drift into the crowd, red with embarrassment. Harry got next to Ginny and he spoke as he handed the books over to her, "You can have these, Ginny. I'll buy my own…"
Draco saw the whole thing from the staircase. He walked towards them sneering. "Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter? The famous Harry Potter can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
Ginny snapped, standing next to Harry. "Leave him alone! He didn't want all that attention!"
Draco started to laugh, "Look, Potter. You've got yourself a girlfriend!"
Lucius Malfoy snapped, "Silence, Draco! Ah...Mr. Potter. I don't believe we've met." Lucius Malfoy extends his hand, as if offering to shake Harry's, but instead gently places his fingers over the fringe of Harry's scalp, revealing Harry's scar. At his touch, Harry withdraws, ever so slightly. Lucius spoke, "Forgive me, Mr. Potter. But your scar is legend. As, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you."
Harry snapped. "He was a murderer."
Lucius spoke, "Yes, he was but I am more curious that you yourself should escape with a mere flesh wound, curious, too, that you speak of him in the past. Surely, you don't think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is gone forever."
Harry snapped, "His name is Voldemort."
Those within earshot gasp as Harry utters the word.
Lucius Malfoy spoke, after a soft chuckle, "You must be very brave, Mr. Potter, to dare speak his name. Or foolish,"
Hermione spoke, "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."
Lucius Malfoy's eyes slide from Harry to find Hermione staring defiantly at him. Lucius Malfoy spoke, "You must be Miss Granger. Draco has told me all about you...and your parents. Muggles, aren't you?"
They nodded and quickly escorted Hermione out of the bookstore as Lucius watched them leave only to lay eyes upon Arthur Weasley standing in the doorway.
Lucius Malfoy spoke, "Busy time at the Ministry with all those raids, I hope they're paying you overtime." Malfoy reached into Ginny's cauldron, removes a very old, battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. "Obviously they do not. Dear me. What's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Mr. Weasley spoke, "We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of
Wizard, Lucius."
Lucius Malfoy glanced at the retreating back of the Grangers "Clearly. The company you keep, Weasley. And I thought your family could sink no lower."
Mr. Weasley moved to hit Lucius Malfoy. Sirius stepped forward to put a firm hand on his shoulder. The calm look from Sirius's face made him nod and back away.
Lucius Malfoy tosses Ginny's battered textbook back into her cauldron. He snapped, "Here, girl. Take your book. It's the best your father can give you."
Remus noticed something else was added into Ginny's cauldron. "Wait one moment, Lucius. You put something within her cauldron."
Lucius said in a calm voice. "I did nothing of the kind, just replacing her old book."
Remus knew differently as he walked over to Ginny's cauldron and lifted out a black diary. He flipped it over and little gold letters stating a name Tom Marvolo Riddle. Remus knew from his conversations with Dumbledore about Voldemort's real name. "Sirius, go gather the Aurors,"
"Why?" asked Sirius.
Remus whispered in his ear and Sirius moved immediately as he raced out of the store. Lucius was not very happy being stared at by a known werewolf with his wand held out at him. "I wouldn't move a muscle, Mr. Malfoy. I don't bite unless I'm forced to and I would be so sadden to have you foaming at the mouth when you see the full moon." Remus chuckled.
Lucius tried to figure a way to say something scathing towards the well known werewolf but nothing was coming out.
Arthur was watching him and noticed that Lucius's pants were getting a stain on them. He couldn't help it but to say something, "It looks to me that you cannot even keep yourself from staining your own pants, Lucius."
A few minutes later, the Aurors arrived and escorted Lucius Malfoy in magical restraints to the Ministry where he was formally charged with the possession of Dark Art materials. The Daily Prophet reporter stated, "A later search of Mr. Malfoy's residence proved to be very enlightening as he had many Dark Art items one was cataloged as a Death Eater mask and cloak. The year that Voldemort was slain, he came out and stated that he was under the Imperious curse which he has stated under Veritaserum that he was a Death Eater and was responsible for many muggles, witches and wizards' deaths."
It ended up proving to be a nightmare of a scandal for the Malfoys all but for Lucius that is. Draco stated to the reporter that his father was a disgrace to the Malfoy name and was disowned by his own family for what he did and that they didn't care if he rotted in Azkaban.
Later, at the home of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, Harry was escorted to his room and told to just relax and read his newly bought books for the new semester. Harry watched as the two grown Wizards walk out of his room and down the hall.
"Do you think we did well with the color in his room? Gold and red?" asked Sirius.
"Of course, he's a Gryffindor after all!" said Remus.
"Remus, how did you know that Lucius put that book in Ginny's cauldron?" asked Sirius.
"I was watching his hands and when he put her old book back within her cauldron there was another book behind it which was not there originally. It looked old and it smelled of evil. I almost ignored it but I knew that Lucius claimed to be brainwashed was nothing more than a lie to get him off the charges of being a Death Eater, when Voldemort was killed by Harry all those years ago. I never really trusted him," Remus said, as he poured some tea into two cups.
"Do you think Draco, his son is following his dark path?" asked Sirius.
"I do not know, Sirius. Draco probably will be going down his own path of his own choosing now."
"Hopefully, it is a path to the light," Sirius said.
Remus sat back holding the cup of tea in his hand as they looked up onto the mantle where the hands of the strange looking clock which had three hands pointed to Home. The three hands had on their faces was the image of Harry Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Around the face of the clock were the words Home, Work, School, Mortal Peril, Traveling, Hospital, Prison and Quidditch. The hands all pointed to Home, which made Remus smile knowing that they were all there.
TBC . . .