It was the first Sunday of July, and incidentally one of Harry's rest days, when Sirius announced at breakfast that they would be having visitors over for dinner. Harry's first thought was that it was probably someone from the Order of Pheonix, but then Sirius told him that it was his cousin.

It wasn't the first time Harry had heard about Sirius having cousins. He knew that Cousin Narcissa was Sirius' cousin, which meant that Cousin Narcissa's sister Bellatrix was his cousin too. It obviously wasn't Bellatrix, but Harry doubted that it was Cousin Narcissa either – otherwise Sirius would have just said that the Malfoys were coming over.

The only other option that Harry knew about was Auror Tonks who Mr. Weasley had said was Sirius' cousin. Harry had no idea how exactly Auror Tonks was Sirius' cousin, but Sirius' hadn't denied the relation.

"What do you know about what happens when a witch or wizard is disowned from their House, Harry?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"Well, they can only be disowned by the Head of House." Harry started. "Unless it is the witch or wizard disowning their house."

"Right." Sirius agreed.

"And there are different severities of disownment." Harry continued. "Someone can be disowned from their House and still be friends with their family, but if they are excommunicated then no one in the House that they were excommunicated from is allowed to acknowledge their existence. That is very rare though."

"It is." Sirius agreed. "But it still happens. When I was still in Hogwarts, my Grandfather, Lord Arcturus, excommunicated one of my first cousins."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really? Why?"

"She had been contracted to marry the Heir of a Most Ancient and Noble House, but she disowned our House and married a muggleborn wizard instead." Sirius answered. "Grandfather was furious and immediately excommunicated her."

Harry considered that. "Is she the one coming over for dinner?"

"Yes." Sirius nodded. "Her name is Andromeda Tonks, her husband is Ted and their daughter's name is Nymphadora."

"Is she an auror?" Harry asked.

"A trainee." Sirius corrected.

"Right. She was one of the aurors who taught me this year." Harry explained. "She was the best teacher we have ever had for DADA."

"Really?" Sirius grinned. "That's hard to believe. She seems a bit...clumsy."

Harry couldn't disagree. She had tripped over something in every lesson, sometimes it seemed as though she was tripping over air.

"Are all three of them coming for dinner?" Harry asked.

"They are." Sirius nodded. "I met with Andromeda earlier this week and offered to accept her back into the family."

"Can you do that?" Harry frowned in thought. "What about the marriage contract."

"It was fulfilled by her younger sister – Narcissa." Sirius answered.

Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I didn't know Cousin Narcissa had another sister."

"No, you wouldn't." Sirius frowned. "Andromeda was excommunicated, remember? Narcissa won't have spoken to, or about, her sister in decades."

Harry frowned in thought. "Last year, when Cousin Narcissa was taking me and Draco to the muggle world, she said that she had asked advice from someone she knew who had married a muggleborn. Do you think she was talking about Andromeda?"

Now it was Sirius' turn to look surprised. "Cissy said that? It might have been Andromeda that she was referring to, but it is unlikely."

Harry grinned in amusement at Sirius' name for Cousin Narcissa. It was just so informal. He couldn't imagine anyone actually calling her that to her face.

"Anyway," Sirius said. "Andromeda and her family have all agreed to be brought back into the House of Black so we will be taking care of the formalities tonight."

"Is there anything I need to do?" Harry asked.

"Not during the formalities." Sirius replied. "But they are traditional, so it would probably be a good idea for you to put everything Narcissa had been teaching about hosting to good use."

Harry looked at Sirius cautiously. Sirius didn't seem to hate traditionalism anymore, but he certainly wasn't traditional by any means. Why would Sirius care if his guests were traditional?

"Are you sure?"

Sirius nodded. "I am. Remus won't be there, he's still not feeling very well, which means that everyone present, other than me, will be traditional. Majority rules."

4-4-4

It was six in the evening when the doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of their guests. Harry and Sirius, both who were dressed in wine coloured robes that represented the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, waited in the formal sitting room for one of the elves to answer the door and bring the guests to them.

"Nervous?" Sirius asked quietly.

"No." Harry denied. "Are you?"

"A bit." Sirius admitted with a grimace. "I never was good at this traditional crap and Andromeda can be a bit terrifying all on her own."

As Sirius finished speaking the door swung open and three people walked into the room – all of whom were wearing formal closed robes, Harry was impressed.

"Merry meet, Lord Black, Heir Black." The older woman greeted with a curtsie.

"Merry meet." Sirius nodded in acknowledgement.

Harry nodded as well and looked their three guests over. He recognised Auror Tonks of course, though he had never seen her dressed so formally, or her hair, which was the same shade as her mother's light brown hair, such a normal colour.

"My lord," Andromeda started. "May I introduce my husband, Theodore Tonks,"

"Merry meet, Lord Black, Heir Black." Ted bowed.

"Merry meet." Sirius returned with a nod.

"And my daughter, Nymphadora." Andromeda continued.

Auror Tonks grimaced when her mother said her name, but then she curtsied politely. "Merry meet."

Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "This is my godson and heir, Harry Potter, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Black and Potter."

"Merry meet." Harry nodded politely.

"I thought that we would get the formalities out of the way first." Sirius told Andromeda.

"As you wish, my lord." Andromeda replied as she gracefully lowered herself to her knees in front of Sirius.

Harry watched as Sirius offered his hands, palms up, for her to place her own hands in.

"I, Sirius Orion Black, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, revoke the disownment of Andromeda Druella Tonks, nee Black, from the House of Black, as spoken by my ancestor, Lord Arcturus." Sirius intoned. "Furthermore, with the authority granted to me as the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, I welcome her back into the House of Black. So mote it be."

"So mote it be." Andromeda echoed. "I, Andromeda Druella Tonks, of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, do so swear obedience and fealty to the House of Black, its Lord and his Heir. I will be to Lord Black faithful and true. I will love all that he loves, and shun all that he shuns, according to the law of magic, and according to the world's principles, and never, by will nor by force, by word nor by work, do ought of what is loathful to him. So mote it be."

Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had been expecting a basic loyalty oath, not a fealty oath. Maybe the fealty oath was required when revoking a disownment.

"So mote it be." Sirius repeated. "I, Sirius Orion Black, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, accept the oath of fealty sworn to me by Andromeda Druella Tonks, nee Black, of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. As liege lord, I will be to Andromeda, and her family, fair and honourable, according to the law of magic, and according the world's principles, and never, by will nor by force, by word nor by work, do ought of what is permanently harmful or injurious to her, nor to her family. So mote it be."

"So mote it be." Andromeda agreed. "Lord Black, as a member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, I humbly ask for your blessing for my marriage to Edward Theodore Tonks."

"As Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, I, Sirius Orion, hereby give my blessing for the marriage of Edward Theodore Tonks and Andromeda Druella Tonks, of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. As Edward Theodore was begotten from a lesser House, I, with the authority granted to me as the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, do so receive him into the House of Black."

Harry watched in shock as Edward knelt beside his wife, albeit much less gracefully than Andromeda had, and repeated the same fealty oath that his wife had. Cousin Narcissa had taught him about ceremonies like this, but they were very rare and normally took place during a wedding.

Sirius's response was similar to the response he had given Andromeda, except that it included the right for Edward to claim the name Black as his surname.

"My lord," Edward spoke again. "My wife and I humbly ask for your blessing for our daughter Nymphadora Cassiopeia."

And then it was all repeated again, only this time between Sirius and Auror Tonks. Harry wondered whether he should maybe start calling her Nymphadora.

"…So mote it be." Sirius eventually finished.

"So mote it be." Andromeda, Edward and Nymphadora all repeated.

"Excellent!" Sirius grinned rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Welcome to the family."

"Thank you, my lord." Edward answered, climbing to his feet and then offering his hand to help his wife up,

"Call me Sirius." Sirius instructed them, gesturing towards the seats. "And have a seat. Your knees must be feeling a bit achy."

"A little." Andromeda admitted, as she and Edward sat on the two person couch.

Harry stepped forward. "Can I offer you a drink, Sirius? Cousins?"

"I'll have an elderberry wine, thank you, Harry." Sirius replied.

"Likewise." Andromeda agreed with a gentle smile.

"I'll have a butterbeer please, Heir Black." Edward agreed.

"Please, call me Harry." Harry smiled.

"Then you ought to call me Ted." Edward agreed.

Harry nodded and turned to Nymphadora. "Cousin Nymphadora?"

"I'll have a wine too, thanks, Harry." Nymphadora grinned. "And while we're on the subject of names, please don't call me Nymphadora."

Andromeda frowned disapprovingly and Harry couldn't help but be amused at how similar it was to Cousin Narcissa's disproving expressing.

"What would you rather we called you?" Sirius asked her.

Nymphadora gave him a cautious look, as though she was scared that she had upset him. Harry understood that. He'd given Sirius similar looks when he'd first moved in with him.

"Normally I go by Tonks, my lord." Nymphadora answered, as her mother's frown deepened.

"Really?" Sirius tilted his head to the side. "Not Dora? Or Cassie? Nymph? Nymphie?"

Nymphadora grimaced. "Nymphie?"

Sirius grinned. "Not to your liking then?"

Harry sat beside Sirius, before muttering his own preference for butterbeer under his breath. Less than a minute later, the appropriate drinks appeared on the small tables beside each of the seats.

Harry loved house elves.

4-4-4

The Tonks, or Blacks as they had decided to be known as, were great. Nymphadora, or Tonks, was brilliant. Harry had always thought that she was fun, but it turned out that she was even cooler when she wasn't his professor.

Andromeda was a more laidback version of Cousin Narcissa, but her husband was nothing like Lord Malfoy. It was weird to remember that Andromeda had been supposed to marry Lord Malfoy, Harry was glad that she hadn't – both witches seemed very happy with the husbands that they had.

The next day, Harry informed Cousin Narcissa and Draco about the dinner and, most importantly, the fact that Sirius had accepted Andromeda back into the family. Cousin Narcissa stared at him for a few seconds, before swiftly leaving the room. Harry watched her leave feeling disconcerted, he had never seen her lose her composure before.

Draco was excited to hear that he had another cousin and claimed that he had suspected it all along. Which wasn't too farfetched since Tonks was a Metamorphmagus and the House of Black was the only remaining House that claimed that blood trait.

4-4-4

Later that week, Harry received a letter from Healer Axecure requesting his presence at Gringotts. She instructed him to bring Sirius which Harry didn't exactly mind, except that it meant he would have to tell his godfather about the fact that he sometimes had visions of torturing someone. It wasn't as though Harry was scared of Sirius anymore, but he had no idea how his godfather would take the news.

Sirius took the news weirdly well, before admitting that Cousin Narcissa had already told him, but he seemed a bit perturbed to find out that Harry's healer was a Goblin. Still, he agreed to accompany Harry to the bank anyway. In fact, he seemed almost delighted to have been invited.

Bakrog met Harry and Sirius in Gringotts' Entrance Hall, before leading them through the bank towards Healer Axecure's rooms.

It was strange being back in the healing rooms, particularly when he considered that it was the first time he had been there without any bruises and welts. It was amazing to consider just how much his life had changed since the previous summer.

Harry greeted Healer Axecure in slightly stuttered Gobbledegook, before grinning inwardly when she rewarded him with a toothy smile.

"Up on the bed, Mr. Potter." Healer Axecure told him briskly.

"Yes, Healer." Harry agreed. "First though, may I introduce my Magical Guardian, Lord Sirius Black, of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black."

Healer Axecure nodded. "Yes, that was who I presumed he was."

"Sirius," Harry started. "This is Healer Axecure. She has been my healer since the summer before my first year."

Sirius didn't seem to know how to react. "Merry meet."

Healer Axecure nodded sharply and turned back to Harry. "Why aren't you on the bed?"

She started, as she always had in the past, with a full body scan, and Harry enjoyed knowing that she wouldn't find any bruises. Well, except the one on his leg from falling off his broomstick the day before. His Quidditch tutor had been teaching him a new kind of dive, which was amazing, but it had taken a Harry a few crashes to get it right.

After the scan, Healer Axecure led Harry and Sirius through a door and into a small room with four chairs, two of which were human sized. Already sitting on one of the smaller chairs was a goblin that Harry recognised as the healer that had helped Axecure study his scar the year before.

"Merry meet, Healer Benthog." Harry greeted him politely.

Healer Benthog nodded abruptly.

Harry sat down, before introducing Sirius to the new goblin.

"Right." Healer Axecure said, the moment the introductions were done. "We have discovered what is in your scar."

"Oh," Harry looked towards Sirius, he hadn't been expecting that. "What is it?"

"A horcrux." Healer Benthog said with a disgusted sneer.

Harry frowned. "Sorry?"

"A horcrux is a fragment of a soul," Healer Axecure started to explain.

Harry frowned, what did that even mean?

Axecure continued. "When a person dies, their soul leaves this plane of existence. However, if that soul has been split into pieces, it is unable to go until all the pieces have been destroyed. Some wizards deliberately split their soul in order to become immortal."

"And Harry has a part of someone's soul in his head?" Sirius asked with audible horror.

Harry felt sick. How was the possible?

"Yes," Healer Benthog said. "All the tests have been conclusive."

"Whose soul is it?" Harry asked, trying to ignore his increasingly nausea.

Healer Axecure sneered. "We believe the soul fragment to belong to the wizard who is now known as Voldemort."

Harry placed an arm across his stomach and tried not to retch. He had Voldemort's soul in his head? He couldn't imagine anything more horrifying.

"Here." Healer Axecure pressed a potion vial into his hand.

Harry tilted his head back and quickly swallowed the potion, sighing in relief when his nausea immediately began to lessen.

"How can you be sure?" Sirius asked, reaching out a hand and placing it on Harry's shoulder.

"We believe the fragment to have been deposited into Mr. Potter's scar the same night that it was created." Healer Axecure explained. "Additionally, we believe that Mr. Potter's visions of Voldemort's activities are a direct result of the connection granted to them by the horcrux."

Harry was sure that, without the potion, he would definitely have vomited at that news. His visions had been of Voldemort? He supposed that it made sense, but he had never really considered it.

"Can you get it out?" Sirius asked the goblins. "Without hurting Harry?"

"We can get it out, but it will hurt." Healer Benthog answered.

"But he'll recover?" Sirius asked.

"Yes." Healer Axecure promised. "We have practised the technique on two of Voldemort's other, non-living, horcruxes, and we are certain that it will work on Mr. Potter as well."

"Two other horcruxes?" Sirius exclaimed. "How many does the bastard have?"

"Six." Healer Benthog answered flatly.

Harry grimaced, the whole idea was just too horrible. "How did you know where to find them?"

"We didn't." Healer Axecure told him. "But horcruxes are a repugnant form of magic that we will not allow in our territory. Our King has commissioned teams to destroy them."

"So you've gotten half of them, then?" Harry asked. "If you include me?"

"We have." Healer Axecure nodded.

"Can we help?" Sirius asked.

"You have already helped, Lord Black." Healer Axecure told him. "The second horcrux was found in your home."

Sirius started in horror. "What?"

"I believe that it was discovered when one of our ward-breaking teams were commissioned to move a portrait in your home." Healer Axecure told him, not sounding even slightly apologetic.

Sirius looked shaken, something that Harry could understand. What had the horcrux been doing at 12 Grimmauld Place?

"So can you get it out today?" Harry asked.

"That is what we summoned you for." Healer Axecure stood. "Follow me."

4-4-4

It was a relieved and shaky Harry that left Gringotts several hours later, and Sirius wasn't much better. Removing the horcrux had hurt in ways Harry hadn't thought was possible, and the pain had just seemed to go on for hours. But, eventually, the pain had stopped and the Healers had informed him that the horcrux was dead and gone.

Harry thought that it made the pain completely worth it.

He didn't actually feel any different, well except for feeling weak and achy from all the pain, but it was wonderful to know that his scar was completely normal now. The scar even looked less bold and Healer Axecure had promised that it would become even fainter over time.

Once they got home, Sirius and Harry told Remus everything that had happened. Remus had been just as horrified as they had been, obviously, and his eyes had actually started to glow slightly which was weird.

Then they discussed what to do with the information. Sirius and Remus considered telling Dumbledore, but neither of them particularly wanted to. They were going to tell Lord Malfoy though, maybe as a spy he would have some ideas on where other horcruxes were.

4-4-4