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Chapter Seven: The Black Side

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It was with a weary sigh that Sirius sat down at the breakfast table in his Family House.

No one had heard anything from Dumbledore or Shacklebolt since yesterday morning. Tonks had repeatedly told everyone all she knew.

Dumbledore had messaged them via Patronus to be ready to inform the Wizengamot that it had been their Patronuses cast that night. She said they had waited nearly thirty minutes, during which what seemed like the entire Wizengamot entered the room, chatting excitedly about the summons from a new Lord.

She reported that after around five minutes Shacklebolt and over 20 other Senior Aurors were summoned by Madame Bones to guard the doors, and, after a while, an emergency signal came and more Aurors were called in, with five Aurors guarding the doors. Tonks recalled hearing screams and shouts from within the courtroom, but she had not been able to see much before her fellow Aurors closed the doors.

Many within the Order seemed to forget that, as an Auror, Tonks was trained to quickly and thoroughly observe and recall minute details, and they tried to squeeze more information out of her. After repeating the same information and answers several times, Tonks stormed off in frustration, leaving the Order to hours of fruitless speculation.

I should have just taken Prongs Jr. and disappeared. Why on Earth did I listen to Dumbledore… again?

Sirius had asked himself the same thing many times this summer. As Harry's magical godfather, it was his duty to care for Harry. And twice, he had stupidly allowed Dumbledore to impose on his guardianship. The first time Sirius gave Harry to Hagrid who was following "Dumbledore's orders" and then again Sirius listened to the old goat after Voldemort's return.

"It is imperative that Harry returns to his relatives to charge the Blood wards. I'm sorry, Sirius, but I can't let him come to Headquarters until late summer." Dumbledore had said to him in a sympathetic voice nearly two months ago.

It almost as if he doesn't care about Harry as a person rather just as a means to end Voldemort.

Fortunately, it was not only Sirius who saw it so. Early in the summer, just as the new Order members had been inducted, Sirius had walked in on Remus and Bill Weasley having a rather heated discussion with Snivell- Severus regarding Harry, Dumbledore and the Prophecy.

"If anyone gets hurt on this silly mission, I plan on resigning from the Order immediately!" Bill Weasley's voice was muffled by the sitting room's door.

"William…"

"No, Remus. I only joined because I thought we would be actively fighting against You-Know-Who, not 'guarding' weapons!"

"Don't you dare call Harry that! Dumbledore truly cares for him as if he were his own family."

"What makes you think I was referring to Harry?" Bill said, smiling in victory.

Remus ducked his head slightly. "I know what everyone is saying about Dumbledore leaving Harry with his relatives. But it is in his best interests! And Albus has seen to it that-."

A derisive snort met the rather enthusiastic praise of Dumbledore. "Remus, I've come to respect you greatly over the past weeks, but you are unfortunately so far in Dumbledore's pocket that you've seemed to have lost your grasp of reality."

"It is the beast in him." A snarky Snape had said.

The impromptu meeting continued with Severus providing an illuminating summary of Harry's previous years at Hogwarts, Dumbledore's negligence of Harry, his Lordship and his position as Harry's magical guardian.

Sirius jumped into the conversation then. He and Remus had ranted and raged at Snape for not doing enough to protect Harry before the man cut the two of them down rather effectively.

"And where were you?" Severus snarled furiously at the two. "Licking your paws and wallowing piteously in self-loathing, grief and remorse? I, at least, honored Lily's memory by trying to save the brat and discipline him into an upright person."

Despite the fact that the four decided to watch Dumbledore's actions and protect Harry as much as possible if needed. Sirius was still smarting from the vicious truth many days afterward.

Remus had taken it especially hard. While Sirius had been incarcerated, Remus had had no such excuse for never having taken an active interest in Harry's well-being. Sirius caught him piss drunk and asleep in his room days after their first meeting. He made a mental note to talk to Remus about it, he knew how depressed Moony could get.

"Beating up porridge, grand-nephew? And I thought our Family could stoop no lower." A sharp voice said, yanking him abruptly out of his thoughts in the gloomy kitchen.

Sirius floundered in shock and his bowl crashed to the ground.

In the kitchen door frame stood Cassiopeia Black, looking as intimidating as she had been twenty years prior when she stared down Sirius' father for disinheriting him. Her face had thinned and aged quite a bit since then, but her demeanor and posture remained outstanding even by Black standards.

"Aunt Cassie? Wh-How?" Sirius' befuddled mind tried to comprehend how the woman was standing before him.

But the Fidelius charm… Maybe Family Magik did confuse it despite Dumbledore's reassurance.

She stood behind the seat she chose strategically and carefully, opposite of Sirius but with a clear view of the room and waited patiently for his manners to kick in. The etiquette Sirius had learned at his grandfather Lord Arcturus Black's knee, from Lord Black to the Lord Apparent, forced him up onto his feet. Almost instantly, he seated his Aunt properly.

"Kreacher! Tea!" He called as he vanished the mess his porridge bowl had made.

The nasty elf appeared with a sparkling silver tea set. "The blood traitor calls Kreacher, but Kreacher only answers because of Lady Black's presence."

His aunt jolted in her seat. "Bite your tongue, elf!" His aunt growled snapping off a rather violent stinging curse that caused Kreacher to sink to his knees in agony. "You dare speak such bile in the presence of your Masters! The years here alone with my dear niece's abominable portrait must have stripped you of your sense!"

"I look at this fusty hovel, once a powerful symbol of our House, and wonder how you dare to neglect your duties and spit on our generosity to your ancestors. You ought to be dismembered and forced to clean with your foul tongue. Consider this my only warning, beast, now be gone!"

The shaken elf's eyes widened comically before he disappeared with a small snap.

Sirius chuckled while serving the tea. "I must say, your tongue hasn't lost its venom, not one ounce."

A grim smile cracked the old woman's face. When he passed her the tea he had made just as she preferred it from memory as he had done numerous times in his youth, she grabbed his hands. "My dear Sirius, it does my tired heart good to see you outside of that horrible place."

A warm feeling grew in his chest.

Between Narcissa's routine visits to her sister and stops to gloat at him, only Aunt Cassie and his grandfather, Lord Arcturus Black III, had stopped by to visit him. His grandfather had been so sickened and ailed by the state of the Family that he only managed to stop by twice before sickness prevented him. Sirius' animagus transformations, his innocence and Aunt Cassie's yearly visits as Lady Regnant were the only things that kept him sane.

"What brings you, Aunt?" A brief chill went down his back. "You can't be seen! Dumbledore-."

She held up a hand that silenced him immediately. "Worry not. Not only have I placed a Black ward on the door to confound any who come to the dining hall to feel the need to get more sleep, but the esteemed Headmaster will be occupied for quite some time trying, like many others, to get an audience with Lord Potter."

Lord Potter? That could only be-.

"Harry," He gasped, spilling his tea. Is Harry Lord Potter? How in Merlin's sack hair did that happen?

His Aunt gave a true smile, something Sirius had only seen rarely. "He turned the Wizengamot on their heads!"

She spent the next few minutes giving Sirius a brief but excellent overview of the very memorable and historic session. "I expect you will be able to read it in more detail in the special morning edition of the Prophet."

"H-he died?" He asked shaken. Harry's survival of yet another death curse overshadowed the knowledge of his innocence being declared.

She nodded. "If only briefly." As if that did much to comfort him!

"And Malfoy?" He growled.

The vicious smile that crossed her face was her trademark, the one that sent her victi- enemies scurrying in fear.

"I will leave that as a surprise for you. I believe you, as a Black, will enjoy the retribution."

Sirius may have hated the Dark side of his Family, but righteous revenge was something he could get behind.

With a gulp of pure elegance, his aunt emptied her cup and stood. "Unfortunately, or fortunately, due to Lord Potter's coming to power and Lord Malfoy's cowardly homicide, I will have to reconsider the actions of the previous Lord Blacks in disowning so many born Blacks. I will be spending the next weeks reestablishing the Family. You will hear from me soon, dear nephew."

Sirius stood to escort her to the Floo. "Are you realigning the Family as well?"

She took his arm with a firm grasp. "I cannot head the family for much longer. I am more suited for subtle, shadow politicking. I grow tired of the meetings, the squabbles, and the rigorous routine... I will need my peace. I have been unable to head the Family to the standards of some of our forefathers. Therefore, I would prefer to return to my research and books." She sighed. "With such a powerful Heir Black and a recovering Lord Apparent both with Light and Grey affiliations, what else can House Black do to survive?"

As they left the quiet kitchen into the equally quiet corridor, Sirius was confronted with his own internal conflict. The last thing he wanted to do was head the Family that once represented all that he despised since he was a kid.

As she released his arm with a gentle pat and grabbed some Floo powder, she turned to Sirius and sighed. "I know the Family has done you more injustice than good, but think of all the changes the combined strength of House Potter and House Black can achieve if truly joined…"

With Voldemort back, we might have no choice, he completed for her.

Sirius gave a nod of understanding before a small ruckus from upstairs caused him to flinch.

"And do try to keep the riffraff from destroying and stealing too many of our Family heirlooms." She cast a mournful look in the direction of a few piles of Black regalia and books near the fireplace. "The knowledge within and value of many of these could be powerful in the right hands and very dangerous in the wrong."

With a rush of green flames and a call of "Black Manor", she was gone.

Sirius cast a disgusted look at the piles she referred to, noting with some apprehension that his aunt had been right. Throwing these away could do us more harm than good. Especially if Death Eaters got a hold of them.

"Kreacher!"

The elf appeared before him and Sirius was taken aback by his changed appearance. Gone were the dirty, worn rags and loincloth. In their place was a starched toga with the Black Emblem proudly displayed on the chest. The little elf even seemed to stand a bit taller, prouder.

"Master called." The elf executed a shaky but passable bow.

"Move all items of value and… of darker preferences to the Family vault in Gringotts." It was pure luck that they had only just recently begun piling the junk together to be destroyed.

Kreacher bit his lip. "Kreacher cannot, master. Many items been taken already." He said fearfully.

Sirius' full attention snapped to him. "Who dares steal from m-us!" Family Magik rose like a dark, invisible thunder cloud around them. It wouldn't have mattered to him if someone took things after asking, but no one had talked to him.

The elf looked at Sirius in awe. "The muggle-loving headmaster, the smelly thief and the fat, blood-traitor bitch."

Sirius translated the Kreacher-speech into Mundungus Fletcher and Molly Weasley. "What did they take? No one asked me if they could have anything."

Kreacher grabbed his ears roughly. "The muggle lover took many books and Master Regulus' locket." The elf cried. Sirius wondered briefly what locket since his brother abhorred wearing jewelry. "The smelly thief took many pieces of jewelry and all he could fit in his pockets."

"And Molly?" Kreacher gave a confused look. "The... fat, blood-traitor bi- You know!"

"The Tiaras." Kreacher said fearfully. "She taked the Tiaras."

Sirius may have growled, but he couldn't tell as blood rushed to his ears. He learned the story behind the Tiaras at his grandfather's knee.

The Blacks and the Prewitts had fought for years over three Goblin-made tiaras made for three Black-Prewitt unions many centuries ago. One Black daughter was to marry a Prewitt son per generation for three generations in celebration of a successful trading pact. The Tiaras were the bride price, considered priceless due to the Goblin-mined jewels, precious metals and infused magic.

The business had turned sour as the Prewitts reneged on their part of the trade due to financial difficulties, causing both families to suffer. The newlywed Prewitt husband was found beating his Black wife in a drunken rage and was cursed lame by her brother. The two remaining marriage contracts were annulled, and the then Lord Black demanded the return of the Tiaras but was denied by his financially down counterpart.

It was only through trickery that the Blacks received the Tiaras nearly a hundred years later in the 16th century as the then Prewitt Lord found himself facing hard financial turmoil. With the promise of quick funds during a Goblin rebellion, the Prewitt Lord did not think to have the jewelry properly appraised. The Tiaras were bought back by the Blacks at a 1000th of their value. It was only after the return of the Tiaras that the Blacks publicly released how much the Tiaras were truly worth, much to the fury of the Prewitts. Since then, the Prewitts had all but declared a Blood Feud, opposing the Blacks whenever and wherever they could.

Thank Merlin Aunt Cassie didn't know about Molly and her children staying in the house. She might have ordered Kreacher to strangle them in their sleep.

He shuddered at the thought of what she would have done if she knew about the theft of the Tiaras.

"Why didn't you stop them?"

"Bad Master ordered Kreacher not to interfere and to stay out of the way." Kreacher snarled before banging his head against the wall in self-punishment.

"Stop, Kreacher." He commanded deep in thought. "I want you to retrieve everything stolen from us... as you clean the house," He paused and cleared his throat, "by any means necessary."

A smile most evil grew on the elf's face. He bowed lower than Sirius thought possible at his age and disappeared with a pop and a small look of adoration.

Almost immediately, Sirius heard shrieks and yelling from upstairs. He couldn't resist a small grin, maybe being cooped up in this old house won't be so bad after all.

It was a full cup of tea later that the kitchen started filling with rudely awakened Weasleys, Remus and Harry's friend Hermione.

"Sirius, you have to do something about that elf!" Molly harped as she began making breakfast for her brood. "He threw all of us out of our beds, randomly locked the doors to the bathrooms and started rummaged through our things."

Sirius bit back a grin and gave a thoroughly confused, innocent look that convinced all but Remus, who narrowed his eyes at him.

"Spending so much time with my mother's portrait unhinged the deranged elf."

Harry's muggleborn friend glared at Sirius and Molly. "He can't do anything about what he has been enslaved into doing. The poor thing."

Sirius chuckled softly but did not respond.

Lily had said something similar about the elves at Hogwarts until James left a few books from his Family Library on her dorm bed about the Curse of Elderon and the history of house elves. The current house elves were the descendants of a small band of proud elves who lived in a stretch of forest and had violently betrayed the owner of the land, a warlock named Elderon. With his last strength, Elderon cursed and enslaved them and their descendants for their misdeeds. This was a story usually known only to purebloods who were taught such history by their families. Muggleborns and half-bloods were, as usual, at a disadvantage.

Maybe I should recommend something similar to Harry. Maybe we could have another muggleborn Lady Potter? Lily did stop hating James after that since she was convinced that he was "cured of his arrogance" even though she began advocating for freeing the elves of the curse.

His mind now solely revolving around getting the two teenagers together, he missed the girl calling his name.

They would even have the same initials! It'd be perfect!

"Sirius!"

Sirius was ripped from his mental matchmaking. "Whaa?"

"Have you heard anything about Harry?

"No. Nothing." He said sadly. Remus' eyes narrowed at him suspiciously again.

Sirius shook his head subtly, to which his werewolf friend nodded slowly. They would talk after breakfast.

"I wish he would have just written me; I would have been able to talk him out of this." She said more to herself than to the table at large.

"You would deprive him of contact with the blood relatives he has on his father's side?" Sirius asked the bushy-haired teenager blandly.

Realizing how loud she had spoken, Hermione cleared her throat with a tinge of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"Well, I mean… I wish he had informed us before running off-."

"Which he did," Sirius said simply. "If he hadn't been left in the dark by the rest of us, I believe he would have reacted differently to the letter."

The bushy-haired girl blushed and guiltily went quiet as did the entire table.

Remus made a small noise with his throat to cover the silence at the table and to keep Sirius in check.

"What confuses me is that he has been in the wizarding world for the last four years, and no one told him a thing about his family. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was a conspiracy."

The red that crept into Harry's redheaded friend's face as he shoved food around on his plate and the slight widening of Molly's eyes was all the answer he needed. He growled mentally, wondering who was in on the little conspiracy to keep the orphaned Heir Potter ignorant of his rights and responsibilities.

Merlin, Severus was right. Molly will have a lot to answer for when Harry returns.

The confusion on Hermione's face convinced Sirius to pull her to the side soon and bring the rather intelligent girl up to date.

"Are you sure, Sirius?" She began. "Who wou-."

The very early arrival of the morning post owls cut her off her question.

Remus cast a confused glance at his worn watch, giving Sirius an idea for a good Christmas present.

Remembering his aunt's hints about the morning edition, Sirius tried to play nonchalant as Remus and Arthur took the paper. Harry's two friends seemed to be deep in whispered conversation.

"Dear Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed. A glance at Remus told Sirius that the man had gone into one of his patented, shocked reading modes.

"What is it?" Molly asked frightened. Sirius had a brief flashback to the previous war with Voldemort where Molly had apparently developed a phobia for the newspaper after her twin brothers and countless other loved ones were murdered and reported on daily.

Arthur laid the paper down with shaking hands. His mind seemed to disbelieve what his eyes were seeing.

Sirius leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the huge, flashing headlines.

The Boy Who Lived TWICE: Who Conspired to Destroy House Potter?

The Boy-Who-Lived becomes the Lord-Who-Triumphed: How Lord Potter's Ascension Changes the Make-up of the Wizengamot

Trial of the Century: How the Ministry Falsely Detained, Accused and Nearly Convicted an Innocent Lord Potter

Death Eaters in the Ministry: Wizengamot Convicts Death Eaters of Treason

Sirius Black Found Innocent in Absentia: The Conspiracy and Cover-up Against Lord Potter's Magical Guardian

Minister Fudge Ousted in Shame: Who will be the next Minister of Magic?

Sirius was unable to read more as Harry's bushy-haired future wife - at least in his mind - snatched the paper with a gasp and speed-read the fairly thick special edition.

It was a shocked Sirius that felt Remus wrap him in a tight manly hug. "You're free, Padfoot. I'm going to go frame this." Remus said shaking slightly, excusing himself from the room taking the paper with him.

"Harry is a Lord?" Hermione gasped, not lifting her eyes from the newspaper.

"Of course he is. His family is pretty old, rich, and have pretty much everything." The redhead grumbled. Sirius bit his tongue.

"Except their lives, Ron! And you know Harry would rather have a family over riches any day!"

"Well, now he has both!" The redhead snarled back, and Sirius winced as he had a flashback to Wormtail and his jealousy of Sirius and James. Something else to talk to Harry about. Molly quickly shushed her son as Arthur read a passage out loud.

"Albus! Thank goodness you're here! What on Earth is this about? Where is Harry? How-."

Sirius turned slightly at Molly's exclamation to see the tired looking, silver-haired Headmaster entering the kitchen. He sat at the opposite side of the table. As far away from me as possible, Sirius noted with some satisfaction.

"Would it be too much to ask for a cup of tea, Molly? The strongest you have." He had the tone of a downtrodden man.

"Albus. What in Merlin's name happened at the trial?" Arthur asked gesturing to the paper that his sons and daughter were pouring over.

Molly sat a large, steaming cup of black tea in front of the Headmaster before a crash from upstairs caused her to excuse herself from the room. Sirius anxiously awaited her response to Kreacher's retrieval of the Tiaras.

"Young Harry and his Family solicitor brought the current administration to their knees. The repercussions of his actions will be hard to counter. I've summoned the rest of the Order. There is much to be discussed."

"Indeed, Headmaster Dumbledore." Sirius heard his own neck crack as he turned to the door.

Harry stood, looking all the bit a young Lord and a bit older than his 15 years. He wore casual, tailored and expensive looking robes that accentuated his body. The unhealthy skin toned, scrawny, malnourished and underdeveloped boy Sirius had met a year ago was replaced by a lean, handsome young man of medium height with a healthy glow.

Sirius had never been known for beating only one side of the bludger. And despite the fact he was looking at his own godson, Sirius felt a, definitely forbidden, sexual heat spread through him.

"HARRY!" His muggleborn friend yelled catapulting through the mass of redheads into Harry's arms.

"Mione. We saw each other just weeks ago." Harry said with a charming and warm smile. Sirius noted mentally that the two were about the same height. Now to have Kreacher clean the broom closet on the third floor. No, the one on the first floor is better, more room for other positions.

The bushy-haired teenager suddenly burst out into tears and began hitting his godson furiously with the newspaper in her hands.

"How dare you leave me worried? I thought you were kidnapped or d-dead! Then I read that you actually died yesterday, and are a Lord, and are on the Wizengamot and that you were under Veritaserum, and-."

"Maybe," Sirius interrupted, "It would be better if Harry explained what happened before you beat him to death with the Prophet."

"It certainly would like to hear how you managed to accomplish all that you did last night, my boy. As well as gain entry to this house." Dumbledore said with heavy suspicion from across the table. His wand steady in his hand.

Harry pulled Hermione protectively to his side and out of the way as he faced the Headmaster's legendary wand fearlessly.

"'Even Death shan't part an Heir from his Lord', as you know, Headmaster," Harry said simply, quoting the Potter version of Olde Form.

Most Noble and Ancient Houses had versions of the same sayings that told the stories of their Magical prowess or general limitations of magic. Sirius instantly recalled the Blacks' version, 'Nought but cold, brutal death could keep a Lord from his Heir'. So cheery and uplifting.

Dumbledore paled suddenly.

"Ah, you've noticed finally that your precious Headquarters is comprised? History has shown that the Fidelius Charm is not infallible." He chided gravely referring to either his parents or other incidents. "You should be grateful that Bellatrix Lestrange is currently locked away, and Draco is too inept, otherwise you'd be having your morning tea with old Voldy right now."

Sirius turned to Dumbledore, still furious at the old man for the oversight even though he already considered the loophole. "I thought you said the Fidelius Charm confused Family Magik!"

Other members of the Order had begun arriving. Some stared at Harry as though he were Merlin incarnate, many clutching a special edition of the Prophet in their hands. If the atmosphere in the room were not as tense, they probably would have sprung on him with questions.

"Eh, why do you have your wand pointed at Harry, Albus?" Remus said, re-entering the room and greeting Harry with a warm hug.

Dumbledore quickly stowed his wand in embarrassment. "Apparently, my research overlooked this point, Sirius."

Harry snorted. "You've been overlooking a lot these past few years."

He met the disgruntled and angry babble of the Order members in the rapidly filling room with a calm look of disdain.

"Show some respect!"

"How dare you speak to the Headmaster like that, young man!" Molly yelled reentering the room.

Sirius leaned back in his chair as Harry whispered to his bushy-haired friend - future wife. She looked at him in shock, went red in the face, and beamed at him before removing herself from his embrace. She went back to speed-reading the article while remaining near him.

Sirius and Remus shared a knowing smile as they remembered James doing something similar to appease Lily countless times.

"Mrs. Weasley, I dare speak to this man in whatever manner I wish, since he has taken it upon himself to ruin any chance I had at a normal life. He disregarded my parent's Will, kidnapped and imprisoned me with abusive relatives, attempted to mold me into a perfect, dumb weapon, and kept me hidden from caring family. To me, he is nothing but a conniving old man who abuses his countless positions."

"I did what I could to protect you," Dumbledore said sagely. Sirius noted a bit of magic in the air.

"You did what best fit your master plans, sir." Harry waved a hand dispassionately. "It's no matter anymore. My family has taken care of everything."

Harry returned to Molly with a withering and wintry look. "The marriage contract between Ginny and I has been nullified since Dumbledore had no right in creating it." Molly paled and slumped in her seat as many at the table looked at her in shock. "I assume this was the reason for your charity these past few years?" Molly winced, and Ginny seemed to disappear behind her hands in shock.

Sirius looked at Remus in shock. Arthur looked more than a bit confused and angry.

Before she could speak, Harry moved on. "My solicitors will be contacting you, Mr. Weasley, about this over the next few days. Hopefully, you will have time to get to the bottom of this." The balding man nodded slowly in shock.

"Anything else to destroy our family, Lord Potter?" Ron spat.

Harry gave him a wounded look. "Yes. You will return all money provided by the Headmaster from my trust vault for your devoted friendship."

A pin drop could be heard. The redhead and his father were both struck speechless and seemed more confused by the allegation than furious.

Sirius had his grandfather's wand pointed at the red-headed family before anyone could respond. "Arthur, I think it's best if your family went back to the Burrow for a few days. I do not believe I will be able to be a good host under current conditions."

With a snap, Kreacher appeared next to his master, causing a few eyebrows to raise at his new appearance and demeanor. "Master, Kreacher has found all of the stolen Family treasures. The Tiaras are now in the vault."

Molly exploded and lunged at Sirius. "THOSE BELONG TO THE PREWITTS! YOU NO GOOD CRIMINAL!"

Arthur and his eldest son jumped as Sirius silenced and petrified his wife.

"I will escort you to the Floo, Arthur, and explain the thievery of your wife in the meantime." Sirius looked every bit the Lord of his House and brooked no argument. "Kreacher, please bring their possessions."

"Sirius, this is not the time for petty power plays. Voldemort will not take the news of Harry's exploits at the Ministry well. He might push his plans forward to gain access to the Ministry-." Dumbledore stopped abruptly as if just noticing that there were non-members in the room.

Harry gave a small laugh. "The master manipulator at his best. Carry on, Sirius. Dumbledore merely wants to ensnare me by offering bits of information to grab my interest and forcing me into his hand for the answers." Sirius glared at the now expression-less Headmaster.

He nodded to Harry and escorted the Weasleys out with Arthur floating his furious wife in front of him.

"I'll bite." Harry took Sirius' seat, which was his right as Heir when the Lord Apparent was not present, "What is so important to Voldemort in the Ministry?"

There was a bit of nervous shifting. This was not Harry the gullible teenager. This was the Potter who had shown the world that he could topple a government in a day if he so desired.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Potter, this information is only for those of age and in this Order," Dumbledore said sorrowfully yet with a cold tinge that most didn't seem to notice.

Harry, looking much like Sirius before him, leaned back amused. "By not addressing me either as Lord Potter or Heir Black shows that you do not believe I'm worthy of such titles. By mentioning that I'm not of age, you are warning the members of your group here that I'm just a child not able to handle information, and that they should not reveal anything to me… What are you hiding, Headmaster?" A few people had to hide their smiles at the looks that briefly flitted over Dumbledore's face.

Harry gave the man three slow claps, "Bravo, sir. You have proven to me that you do not take me seriously and -."

"Take you seriously, ha! You are but a boy playing adult. Why don't you go upstairs and play with your toys?" One of the female members said cutting him off with oozing condescension.

Dumbledore fingered his wand as dark and heavy magic threw Emmeline Vance across the room.

"I am Lord Henry James Potter, the Potter, and Heir Black by the honor of my Family's Magik. You dare interrupt me in my house." The fury in his cold green eyes bespoke his Black heritage. "Being wary of your tongue or lose it."

"Harry, what has happened to you? Attacking people, condemning innocents to death and turning your back on your friends… Tom's hold on you is strong." Dumbledore's wand was pointed back at Harry.

Harry gave a small snort. "Your self-righteousness is rather annoying, sir. Please put Gellert's wand away before you accidentally poke someone with it."

Despite his decades strong Occlumency, Dumbledore lost control of his wand, and it dropped to the table. Several members began whispering amongst themselves, edging away from the wand.

"How- Who-?" Dumbledore murmured, pale.

The tension in the room released, and Harry gave a deep belly laugh. "Maybe if you stopped being an old ass, I would tell you."

"MR. POTTER!" Harry rolled his eyes but acknowledged that he had crossed a line and gave a placating gesture to his fuming transfiguration professor.

"Now, back to Voldemort and the Ministry…" Once again no one spoke.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, tell the lad," Moody growled. "Maybe he has better ideas than lurking in corridors."

"I agree," Remus said. A few other murmured in agreement before Dumbledore silenced most with a hand.

He sighed in deep disappointment and took off his glasses and if he were weary of the world.

"This information is confidential. It could mean the difference between a Voldemort-ruled world and his demise."

Harry smiled encouragingly despite the theatrics. "A brief synopsis would suffice."

It was obvious in the pause that followed that Dumbledore was mentally preparing a synopsis with the least amount of information in it.

"Bloody hell, Albus, just spit it out! I would like to eat my breakfast soon!" Snape said.

"Harry, a prophecy was made about you and Voldemort. The Ministry holds a copy of it, and we think he will try to retrieve it soon." Sirius said from the door-frame.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" Dumbledore yelled furiously.

A normal man would have crumbled under Dumbledore's fury. Sirius merely shrugged.

While the "adults" yelled at Sirius, at Dumbledore and at one another - for some reason - Sirius watched the black-haired teen pull out a leather pouch from his robes pocket and toss it on the table nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you just say so? There is your precious prophecy." He said, his voice cutting through the noise. "... 'The one with the power to vanquish' and all that jazz. It wasn't much trouble to retrieve. Whoever was monitoring it yesterday didn't do a good job…"

Dumbledore emptied the pouch with shaking hands, and the bits of broken glass fell onto the table.

The silence was broken by Moody's guffaw and Sirius' booming laugh.

"Why didn't you retrieve it, sir? Your name was also on the prophecy." Harry asked, curious.

Dumbledore looked at the glass shards and then at Harry. Slowly, a brilliant smile spread on his aged face. He realized that he had been had. "I was worried that Tom would use the mental connection in your scar to get you to do it. I wanted to lure him into revealing himself to the Ministry, and hoped to protect you from harm, Lord Potter."

Harry nodded, appreciative of the honest answer and the use of his proper title.

"We, that is to say, my Australian cousins and I, assumed as much."

Dumbledore's smile grew, and he leaned forward. "This shouldn't be necessary now since you've alerted the Wizengamot to his return, without him knowing that they know." The man's blue eyes seemed to glow as he finally grasped the depth of Harry's strategic maneuvering. "You've also removed any chance Tom has of gaining a footing in the Ministry by removing his supporters."

Harry merely smiled. "My family did most of the work."

Sirius had never been so proud of his godson. Harry could have gloated or raged at Dumbledore for being a manipulative old goat, but he merely asked for breakfast which Kreacher happily provided for the table.

As breakfast was being served, Harry answered, directly or evasively, questions about his summer. His friend must have smelled the interrogation because she came out of her reading stupor just as it began to get answers to some of her questions.

Harry confessed to Potter Magik being the cause of his physical changes. Sirius assumed Time Travel. He remembered Prongs Sr. mentioning how one ancestor had tampered with time and somehow merged Time Magic into the Potter Line, at the cost of his own life. Harry's girlfriend asked about the funeral service of his relatives. Harry pulled out a planner - a gift from the girl, judging by the sparkling of her eyes - and made a note to himself.

He asked how his owl was. Hermione mentioned she had been using Hedwig to mail her parents more frequently. Sirius was somewhat confused by the awe on Harry's face at that confession.

"Send Hedwig with a letter to me, please," Harry said remorsefully. "I think she's been avoiding me since I returned two days ago for leaving her here when I went to see my family. I will have to get some healing potions ready for when she punishes me." Those familiar with Hedwig's attitude shared a small laugh at his expense.

Dumbledore watched the young man with what Sirius believed was appreciation and something else shining in his eyes. Sirius, who had taken a seat next to his godson not bothering to take back the head seat, watched Dumbledore subtly. He was finding it harder and harder to trust the man he once had never questioned.

Towards the end of the meal, and after a few not so clever comments about Harry, Vance jumped up from her seat and quickly excused herself from the room.

Sirius winced as he noticed the blue tinge of her eggs. Kreacher's laxative pranks were well-known back when he was younger. No one ate at the Blacks and insulted the Family.

Harry cleared his throat suddenly. "I must return to my Uncle Virgil and cousins. We are finalizing the last of our plans for Voldemort and his Munchers, which I have to present to the Ministry in two days." Snape visibly shuddered across the table though Sirius wasn't sure if it was due to Harry using snakeface's name, his nickname for the Death Eaters, or that Harry had more plans in the works. "I hope to be back soon. If it is OK with you, I shall bring a few people with me."

Dumbledore nodded solemnly yet he made no attempt to hold Harry. Sirius knew, as did the others, that any previous guardianship over Harry was rendered null and void by his Lordship. "What do you have planned?"

Harry's departing smile lit up the room. "We are going to crush the bastard. Completely and utterly." With his bushy-haired friend on his arm, Harry swept from the room.

Sirius sipped his tea contently as everyone chatted excitedly. A feeling of hope had settled in the room. Harry's female friend returned to the room, her nose buried in a huge tome, though Sirius had not missed her lingering glance at his godson's arse in the fitted robes as they departed together moments before.

I definitely didn't look, he thought with conviction.

However, if he hadn't been staring at his godson's arse, he would have noticed Bill Weasley, the only remaining Weasley in the room, staring at him in absence of his French girlfriend's allure. He would have also noticed Remus staring longingly at his cousin Nymphadora or Kreacher sprinkling the prophecy's glass shards cleaned from the table onto Emmeline Vance's seat with a small cackle of evil delight.

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Here's a small treat as thanks for the positive response to the story!


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Two men dressed in midnight black appeared out of nowhere before the Little Whinging Cemetery. The son of the caretaker, Robert Hess, blinked in surprise, shook his head before putting down his beer.

He followed the two men at a distance. Normally people did not come to the cemetery during this part of the day.

The two men stopped at the three freshest graves. Hess felt a cold bead of sweat run down his back. The mysterious death of the Dursleys had been determined to be caused by a gas pipe leakage. One of their neighbors, however, swore she had heard awful screams and pleas for mercy.

Many neighbors assumed it had something to do with the delinquent nephew that Vernon Dursley always ranted about.

Hess, who had only been 19 at that time, decided to go get his father since he was sure that the men were here to vandalize. He made to turn when one of the men waved a stick and a bottle of water appeared in his hands like magic. Hess' blood ran cold.

He had heard stories about the devilish delinquent, and how he managed to do unnatural things like appearing on top of buildings and changing people's hair colors.

Hess' assumption was proven accurate as one of the men lowered his hood. The wicked, wild raven hair and unnaturally green eyes were not to be overlooked. No one truly believed those stories since magic obviously did not exist.

The young man poured the bottle of water over the three graves and said with a small sigh, "I always keep my promises."*

The two men then disappeared with a small crack. Hess promptly fainted and was revived by his angry father.

Fifteen years and much counseling later, Hess sang a small canticle as he finished preparing a grave for an elderly woman who passed and met her Lord the day before when he noticed a weirdly dressed family of four stop before the Dursley graves. The teenager in the group was toying with a glowing, clear ball and ignoring his surroundings.

"Papa, why do we have to come here every year?"

The man, whose eyes and hair had not changed a bit over the years, smiled down at the child holding his hand. "Papa made a promise."

The bonny looking woman, Hess assumed was the formerly little Devil's wife, waved a stick and a bottle of water appeared out of nowhere. This small wonder did not seem to surprise anyone in the small family.

Hess felt as if the Earth shook beneath his feet. So many therapists had told him he had dreamed up the weird ritual in the graveyard all those years ago, linking the dream to excessive alcoholism, working in the graveyard at too young an age and to the premature death of his mother. He gave up drinking, took up carpentry and then married a beautiful Londoner a year ago.

Today, his father managed to hurt his hip so Robert was shoveling in his stead.

The wild-haired man poured the contents of the bottle onto the three graves before the bottle disappeared into thin air. He looked around the graveyard before he spotted Hess. With a short wave to the pale caretaker, the green-eyed man disappeared with a small pop, taking his family with him.

After a few minutes alone, Hess threw down his shovel. "Fuck this shite!" He needed his first beer in many years.

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AN: To answer a few questions:

How did Harry get so "lordy"? No, this did not happen overnight. Nor is he being lordy for lordy's sake. It might seem like a chapter is missing between 4 and 5, because it is. This chapter, however, was too detailed and boring. I decided to break it down and introduce the reader to the "Transformation" of Harry over next few chapters, so by Chapter 12 - where shit gets real - you have the information you need to properly process "The Betrayal" :P small teaser there.

Super powerful, indestructible, unflappable, god-like, etc. Harry? Nope, been there, done that: i.e. in my story In the Midst of it All. Even there, I tried to make Harry a tragic hero from Greek Mythology and nearly failed as I got to the sequel. It's rather overdone and few manage to keep it tolerable when they do this... In this story, Harry will get hurt, will be human(e), will be a fighter who learns from his mistakes and gets a lot of help from his family.

Potter History and Traditions: I realized when trying to finish another story that JKR never really allowed Harry to research or find his family. And this background was missing in my own stories. I spent three months envisioning the Potter History: love, betrayal, hurt, duty, jobs, marriages, deaths, etc. At the end of this story - in, oh, twelve chapters - I will issue a challenge to fellow authors to use my rather thorough history of the Potter Family and have fun with it. I have two stories on the back-burner: one where Harry is taken in early on by the French side of his family - because one is a seer and saw a horrible, possible future for Harry (which is my other story One with Magic) - and one where Henriette is sent to Hogwarts.

* Harry made a promise to the Dursleys in chapter two.

Betaed by Marc the Unruly