Doing something, anything!

The dying flames in the fireplace reflected in Harry's eyes.

Sirius' mind was blown. So much had happened in the last few hours! First, he was able to contact Harry, his favourite and only godson thanks to the communication mirror he gave him, mirror which Harry didn't use as he should've. Then, said godson came to Grimmauld Place dishevelled and glaring. The kid then proceeded to make unintentional Sirius puns, which was hilarious to hear and see.

And, of course, it was a mess asking an almost-of-age boy if he accepted to be Blood adopted by the most wanted criminal in Britain.

That is why it was so great when Harry agreed to become not only his son, but his blood one. It also meant a lot when Harry said all that mattered to him was if he was happy, either it is with a girl, a harem, or even Voldemort.

And Sirius was over the moon (ha!) when the teen said he didn't mind being Blood adopted by Remus as well.

Everything was perfect. Not.

Because Sirius had forgotten one important detail. No, seriously, Sirius shouldn't have forgotten that. At the same time, it was so Sirius of him to forget it.

Blood Magic is traceable.

Yes, indeed, Blood Magic can be traced. Easily. The trace can overrun the protection of the Fidelius Charm and all types of wards. It always was, because Blood Magic it just that: Blood. This means that any Blood Magic is tied to the blood of the caster, and only the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has access to Blood Charts, which glows red and makes sound when Blood Magic is used. Of course, no one can access the blood, charms prevent it.

His mother probably told him many times that should he do Blood Magic to do it in a lost corner in the woods, put up wards to hide the Magical signature, and disapparate immediately after the ritual is finished so to not get caught, but he was probably too occupied playing pranks for those instructions to engrave in his mind.

So, one second he was finishing the Blood Adoption ritual, and the next, Aurors were bursting through the floo and into the drawing room, the Blood magic telling the Head of the DMLE the emplacement of his ancestral home.

Sirius was immediately attacked by the law enforcers, and he didn't have time to dodge the diffindo to his side, nor did he escape the multiple stunners.

Next time he opened his eyes, he was being levitated into a cell in what he recognized as the lower levels of the Ministry of Magic.

Next time he was conscious, he was lying on the cot in the cell with a large bump at the back of his head.

"Damn," Sirius swore. It hurt. He had probably been knocked out. Oh god, thought Sirius. I was knocked out.

Sirius got up, and just like an animal would, he started pacing around in the small space, exploring the territory. It was obvious to any onlooker that the escapee was more Padfoot than Sirius: his tongue was lolling out of his mouth, his knees and back were bent, and he was sniffling non-stop.

His ears twitched, having heard sounds from near his cell. Sirius straightened up with a smirk plastered on his face. Time to rile up guards.

"Is it guard change yet?" he bellowed mock-innocently. "Who is it looking after lil' old me? Do you know the guy who gave me this awful bump? It really hurts, you know. Why did he do it? Was it an ancient shag of mine that was frustrated, one that I had before my sixth year? But then, if so, the guy would have to be a gall 'cause-"

"SHUT UP, BLACK!" cried a stoic female voice, cutting off Sirius. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending from where you stood, that was all it took to set Sirius off, whose back was leaning casually against the cell bars.

"Ahh, Millie Penline! Hufflepuff, a few years younger, right?"

"That isn't my name and I was a Ravenclaw!"

"Oh, do pardon me, Jessica Newland! I believe Azkaban has left more marks on my person than I thought. I think that's why I got caught at Grimmauld Place. I mean, honestly, how could I have forgotten the basic rules of Blood Magic? I can practically hear my dear old mother screeching them in my ear." Sirius cleared his throat, and then continued in a poor imitation of his mother, his voice high and grating. "'Always choose a place in the middle of nowhere.' 'Get your arse quickly away from where the ritual took place.' 'Don't get caught: you are the heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. Just imagine the shame it would bring on our family should you get busted.' Merlin, she was such a kill-joy."

The prankster sighed dramatically while his hand came up to rest against his heart. "But alas, such words are in the past, but her joy-killing mood isn't, for she put a permanent sticking charm on her portrait. Remus and I still weren't able to get it down. Speaking of," Sirius turned around and gripped the bars. "How are they? How are Harry and Remus?"

There was silence at the other end.

"I'm really worried about them, you know."

Silence.

"Are you going to tell me of their whereabouts?" Still silence.

"Nothing? Not even just a teensy-weensy, itty-bitty piece of information?" he cooed with a pout on his lips and pleading puppy eyes. His right index and thumb were so close they nearly touched.

Nope, still nothing. The guard hadn't even moved.

"Pff, figures," sneered Sirius. He walked to his cot and slumped down into it, resting his head against the wall.

This was going to be a long day, he thought as he started counting the cracks in the ceiling.


271... 272… 273... 275... No, no 274. Now 275. Or is it 276? Nan. Now, it's 276. 277... 288… Wait, what? 288? Is it 288? So if that one was 275… or was it 274? Let's go back to 271. That is 271, that is 272, but is 273 the weird swirly one, or is it the one that looks like those Muggle signs… the Peace hates Love thingy? Or is it Peace and Love?

Bah. Where was I? Oh, yeah, 292.

Nope, wrong number. It's 273 I was searching for. Where are the cracks? I can't find the cracks! Quick, find 271!

"Raahhhh!" screamed Sirius, hitting the wall on his right with his hand.

"What has the poor wall done to get you so angry at him, Mr. Black?" mocked a voice.

Sirius jumped up, startled. On the other side of the cell was none other than the woman his godson had contacted, Amelia Bones. He stared at her.

"Not going to answer my question?" she asked after a certain time. "Oh, well." She turned to the dozen of Aurors behind her and barked an order that he didn't hear.

Aurors entered his cell, and then he suddenly found half his face pressed uncomfortably into the wall. Four hands were holding his shoulders and head while another pair crossed his hands and cuffed them.

He was turned around to face Amelia Bones.

"What is happening?" snarled Sirius while trying to shake off the Aurors' grip on him.

"Didn't anyone tell you?" Bones seemed genuinely surprised. Turning to her men, she asked, "Didn't anyone tell him? Didn't anyone check on him? I thought I had ordered to make sure he came to before 24 hours had passed."

No one answered her. "Was he unconscious all this time?"

"What do you mean by that? I woke up a good few hours earlier with a nasty bump on the head. And I still don't know who gave it to me-"

"Black, you do not understand-"

"Of course I do! So-"

"Black...-"

"-I was supposed to wake-"

"Black, no-"

"-up earlier than I have, big deal! And now, you are-"

"Sirius, please listen-"

"-probably planning on giving me the kiss-"

"What? No!"

"-so be assured that-"

"Silencio," snapped Bones, pinching her nose. She then sighed. "Thank god you shut up!"

Sirius glared.

"Listen Black, you won't be given the kiss. At least, not right now," she added when Sirius' face adopted an incredulous expression. "It will all depend on your trial. And yes, Black, you heard correctly. I was able to convince Minister Fudge to give you a trial as soon as possible."

The escapee snorted, though no sound came out of his mouth, and rolled his eyes.

"You were supposed to be woken up at the latest a day after you were installed in the cell, but apparently, my Aurors have decided it's let's-ignore-the-boss'-orders month. Anyway, any questions before we lead you to the courtroom?"

Sirius his mouth as an answer, and a faint colour graced Bones' cheeks. She ended the spell with a simple finite, and Sirius nodded his thanks.

"Tell me, what day is it? How long have I been here? And how are Harry and Remus?" Another half-dozen of questions were jumping around in his head, but the animagus only blurted out the most important ones.

"Black, it is July third today. You've been here for four days, all of which were spent unconscious, apparently. Misters Potter and Lupin are well, albeit worried. They will be present in the courtroom today, so you will be able to see for yourself."

Sirius nodded, and then asked, "How come the trial is so soon?"

Bones smirked, the answered in a mock-professional voice. "Well, Mr. Black, if you must know, Fudge made the decision by himself, just like a good Minister would after receiving all the facts. Anything else?"

"No, it can wait," Sirius said shaking his head.

Bones nodded. "Very well. Bring him along," she ordered before leaving the cell.

Sirius was guided through the hallways by the Aurors who all had their wands out with a spell on their lips, ready to shoot him at the smallest hint of attempt to escape. Each of his arms was held by an Auror, and Madam Bones was walking a few feet in front of him, leading the way.

Not before long, Sirius was standing in front of a grimy dark door with an immense iron lock. He took a deep breath as Madam Bones turned the handle.


Harry was bored. Remus' arms were still around him. Dumbledore had arrived earlier, maybe an hour after Sirius' capture, but he hasn't been able to make Remus let go of him.

Dumbledore has been saying variations of "Remus, let Harry go," for the past two hours, but Remus didn't relent. Neither did Dumbledore.

The Headmaster sighed. Dealing with panicked werewolf was no piece of cake. Cake? Hmm.

"Remus, don't you think you would feel much better with some chocolate in your system?" Remus only tightened his arms around Harry.

Harry locked eyes with Dumbledore, and his expression all but said, "Nope, Headmaster. Won't work. Gotta try harder."

"I think you would have more energy to protect Harry and rescue Sirius if you did."

Remus' eyebrows frowned. They were getting somewhere!

Remus gruffly nodded towards the stairs, and rubbed his cheek against Harry's head, as if to say, "I'm not leaving him, but if you want me so much to eat chocolate, you can go get it."

"And with all that sitting," Dumbledore coaxed on, "if someone attacks again, you'll be all stiff and unable to fight."

Remus leaned back and his grip loosened on Harry, contemplating the "wise" words. The teen kept still, not wanting to ruin his chance to get out of the overprotective grip - even though it was justified.

Slowly - very slowly - Remus got up, his gaze not leaving Dumbledore's blue orbs as he gradually let go of his cub.

The moment Remus was engaged in the staircase and out of sight, the two people left in the room sighed loudly.

It was Dumbledore who spoke first. "How are you doing, my boy?"

Harry just shrugged. "I'm fine, Sir. A bit sore, but I hear that is expected after you get Blood adopted."

"Ah, yes, your adoption. Congratulations, my boy. You must be happy."

"Yeah," Harry sighed, a small, peaceful smile toying on his lips. "I am."

Dumbledore frowned. "You do not seem troubled. Are you not worried about Sirius?"

The peaceful smile turned into an indulgent one. "A bit, but I'm mostly worried about Prof-Remus. He doesn't have all the information about Sirius' situation, and I'm afraid it's too late to tell him."

"Harry, it is never too late to give information."

"Isn't it, Professor?" Harry asked rhetorically, lifting an eyebrow.

Dumbledore sighed and bowed his head. This clearly wasn't going as he wanted. "Harry, I understand where you come from, and I am truly sorry, my boy. That is why I ask you to not repeat my mistakes."

Harry bit his lip, feeling a bit guilty at how his words seemed to affect his Headmaster, who suddenly looked so old.

"Do not feel guilty, Harry. Your words were justified, and I do not deny that I have gravely wronged you. I only hope that you will find it within you to forgive this old man."

Harry nodded, his eyes slightly watery. He looked away from Dumbledore and fixed his gaze on the tapestry.

Harry let his eyes wander over the names he had already traced over, some ringing more bells than others. He glided over to Sirius', knowing that there would only be a burnt circle, but still wanting to observe it.

"Merlin," whispered Harry. He slowly got up and stumbled to the wall, putting his hand on Sirius' name. Then, he traced the line going from his godfather's name to see another one.

Harry Black-Potter.

The Family magic accepted him enough to include him on the family tree. A nice, giddy feeling settled in his chest, and suddenly Harry was grinning like a fool, his eyes bright with adoration. I love magic.

At that moment, Remus entered the room, now calmer, only to see his cub looking like he was on ecstasy. "What happened while I was gone?" he asked, making Harry jump.

"Pr-Remus! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm great! Look at this!" Reaching for Remus' hand he brought him closer to the wall, and pointed at his name. "I'm now on the family tree. But why aren't you? You adopted me, and Sirius and you are together, so shouldn't you show up?"

Chuckling slightly at Harry's enthusiasm, he responded, "No, I wouldn't be on this tapestry, because Sirius and I aren't officially together."

"What do you mean by that?"

Remus blushed and tried to answer, but no sound came out of his mouth when he opened it. Behind them, Dumbledore chuckled, making Harry and Remus turn around to face him.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"What Remus meant to say, is that they are not officially together."

"Officially? What do you- Oh!" Harry understood. They weren't married. And how could they be? After all, Remus is a werewolf, and Sirius was stuck in Azkaban for 12 years, and even now, he was a wanted criminal. There was no way he could get married.

Harry tried not to, but it was really difficult for him not to pity Remus. His life had been so miserable, just because of one person. His face darkened at the mere thought of the rat, and his previously happy feelings faded until almost only anger was left.

Next time Harry saw Pettigrew, he wasn't going to be as merciful.


The next few days passed without almost any hitch. The few bumps they encountered were when they received the Daily Prophet of the next day, June 30, with the announcement of Sirius Black's capture orning the front page. The picture of Sirius used was one of him lying on a cot in one of the Ministry cells. Luckily, there were no clues that gave away which cell number Sirius had, or on what floor he was.

The other main bump had been the summon to Sirius' trial they received on the morning of July first. It had said nothing save the courtroom number and the time they had to be there.

Remus, Harry, and other people from the order had gone through law books to see if there were any loopholes that they could manipulate to give even more chances for their friend to be sentenced not guilty.

During the afternoon of that day, Harry had received a letter saying simply:

Tom Marvolo Riddle.

I am Lord Voldemort.

-AB

Harry had smiled. Amelia finally figured it out. Probably the reason why Sirius' trial is so soon.

On July second, the people summoned at the trial got another letter, this one containing more details, such as "since you are too close to the person on trial, you cannot defend him."

Then there was the big problem: the Blood adoption. Because of it, Harry had been in pain almost every minute of the day since the ritual took place, and it didn't look like it was going to end soon.

Now, at dawn the morning of July third, the morning of the trial, Harry was lying in bed, shivering and with a fever. His head was in Remus' lap who was dabbing his skin with a lukewarm cloth.

"You don't have to come to the trial. You are underage: it is not required for you to be there," murmured Remus.

"I h-have to be there, R-Remus. If I don't go, it's practically s-saying 'Go ahead, lock him in Azkaban, I don't b-believe him as I'm not there.'"

Remus sighed, "You are not well, Harry. Your body is still changing and adapting to the new genetics in you."

Sitting up, Harry shook his head. "N-no, I'm fine, Remus. I'll just go take a s-shower, I'll feel better afterwards. T-then, we can go see S-Sirius."

Harry left his room and entered the bathroom. He put a towel over the mirror. He didn't want to see what he looked like until his two adopters were there by his side to comment on the changes, and also until said changes were done.

He turned the shower on, and then proceeded to get out of his sweaty clothes. He stepped into the bath, under the water, and adjusted the temperature. The teen scrubbed himself clean and washed himself, and got out of the shower after maybe ten minutes.

Harry dried himself with a towel, and bent to pick up the clothes he wanted to wear today, only to realise that only his dirty ones were there. Wrapping the towel around his waist, Harry went to his room quickly.

He was smartly dressed in his new heir clothing, which would be perfect for today's event. His open robes were plum coloured, with the trimmings and cufflinks a light grey. His trousers were black, and his button-up shirt was the same grey as his trimmings. His feet were snuggled in black dragon hide boots, with his trousers tucked in them. For the first time in his life, Harry thought he looked good. The only thing he needed to do now was to get rid of his glasses.

Going down the stairs, he met with Remus in front of the fireplace; they were going to floo.

"Ready?" asked Remus while observing Harry from head to toes. "You look good."

"Thanks, Remus. You don't look too bad either. And yeah, I'm ready," added Harry as an afterthought.

Remus had indeed cleaned up. He was wearing open sapphire robes with silver trimmings and cufflinks, with a black button-up shirt and silver trousers inside green dragon hide boots.

He chuckled lightly, and then said, "Alright. The floo address is 'Ministry Atrium', and we meet up by the fountain. You go first, so I know your destination in case you say it wrong."

Harry nodded, took a handful of floo-powder from the pot and threw it in the flames had had conjured earlier and walked into the now emerald ones. He loudly and clearly said, "Ministry Atrium", and Harry was suddenly highly reminded why he hated using the floo as he saw the dizzying blurs and colours. He finally landed face first into the Atrium floor, and he got up quickly before anyone looked his way.

He walked to the fountain to wait for Remus, but didn't have to wait long. Remus approached him after a minute of waiting, and asked Harry, "What were the first words you heard me say?"

Ooohh, trick question. "You said in a hoarse voice, 'Quiet! Stay where you are.'"

Remus nodded and took Harry's arm. "Come on; let's go down to Courtroom Ten."

They went towards a lift and got in it. Remus and Harry waited for the voice in the lift to announce their floor. Five minutes later, it did.

The people in the lift looked at them weirdly, and for good reason: it is not every day you see a poor looking man along with a teenager go into the Department of Mysteries.

As they approached the room where all will be decided, Harry got more and more nervous, and feeble waves of pain coursed through his body; not hurtful enough to make him burn up just like this morning, but enough to make his hands shake.

They now stood outside a grimy wooden door with an immense iron lock. Pushing the door open, Remus dragged Harry with him as they went to sit at their assigned seats. They were really close to the chair in which Sirius would soon sit.

They looked at each other, and the both of them thought the same thing.

And now, we wait.


3650

16/10/17

Thank you so much for continuing to read this story, it means a lot to me! Also, I would really like to point out how big my number of followers has gotten since the last time I updated. Special thanks to those who left a review!

So, I have come up with an agenda to follow, and on that note, I should update Through the Veil and back every 15th of the month, and I should update De retour du Voile every last day of the month. Of course, sometimes (like this time), the chapter will be a day late, but not more.

If you have comments, questions, suggestions, don't be shy and write them! As for the lemon, I have started it (aka, the first five lines are written) Xp.

See you next month!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K Rowling.