Chapter 9 Summer Goes Too Fast
A/N: Something shown all in bold is written. Thanks to all who have read and especially reviewed and as usual, special thanks to my excellent beta Shygui.
Rejoice as summer should…chase away sorrows by living. – Melissa Marr
Roxanne had really been enjoying the show that her eldest was putting on. After staying away from her boyfriend in the alley, she had played footsie with her flustered boyfriend in the restaurant and teased him while he was shopping for clothing in Harrods. She was hoping that she'd get some comeuppance for the latter but then she saw all of the exchanged glances in the swimwear department and watched to see if Daphne kept her word. She was slightly surprised when she did and was impressed by how calm she was letting her boyfriend see her in her suit even if she was employing Occlumency to achieve it.
As good as it was to see their relationship continue to develop, she couldn't help but feel some of her husband's reluctance to give up their little girl. She'd been raising her for moments like this but it still signalled an ending, well maybe not so much an ending but a transition. She'd lose one thing but gain another, she had to continue to look at it that way.
She had barely been able to beat Harry to paying for their swimwear, she had given him a look indicating she was serious and he backed down with grace. When her girls indicated a desire to look at dresses, Harry pretended reluctance but she didn't miss his curiosity about what Daphne might model next. However, Daphne decided to make her mind up in the dressing room and save the reveal for later, much to her boyfriend's chagrin. Finally, after a flurry of last minute purchases it was time to get to the cinema and she got them moving so they would have time to get seats and perhaps some treats to munch on.
She paused at the entrance to see the big displays about this 'Jurassic Park' movie they were going to see. She remembered the gist of how to do things in the cinema from her visits with Lily but Harry still managed to beat her to paying for the tickets so she accepted that but then she beat him to paying for the treats at the counter, chosen by her girls in consultation with Harry. Again, Daphne was sticking very close to Harry and she could tell she was nervous about the Muggles. She wished that Daphne could understand that they weren't that different except for magic but Daphne resisted changing her views on Muggles.
When they entered the viewing room, she honoured her agreement with Daphne and they did not all sit together but she still sat with Astoria just two rows behind Daphne and Harry. She still had to be in a position to keep an eye on things no matter what her eldest might think.
Despite her best intentions to stay alert to her surroundings, she soon found herself lost in the movie. Harry's explanation about how Muggles knew so much about animals that had not existed for millennia was bad enough but his explanation about 'computers' and how they could recreate images of such beasts had completely baffled her. She hadn't known what to expect but she was astonished by what she was seeing.
She had fleeting awareness of Astoria's reactions at some tense moments in the movie but it wasn't until the two dinosaurs were stalking the children in the kitchen that she was brought out of it completely when Astoria clutched at her in fright. She began to wonder if she might need to remove Astoria from this situation but then noticed that no matter how many times she hid her eyes, she would then look again. She might be frightened by some scenes but she was also fascinated. She seemed to be coping well enough so she relaxed.
That is when she decided to check up on Daphne and Harry and she was disconcerted by her first impression. Was Daphne sitting in Harry's lap? She was trying to get a better angle to determine what was going on up there but then noticed that her contortions were drawing Astoria's attention to them too so she sat back and pretended to relax. She decided that Daphne was only drawing reassurance from Harry much like Astoria was doing with her and Daphne was still in her seat after all, if just barely. All of her attention was soon sucked back into the film.
After successfully paying for his own clothing, he tried to see if he could treat the others for the bathing suits but was gently rebuffed by Roxanne. He didn't push as he didn't want to seem to be taking over the payments for her daughters. For the same reason, he didn't try anything in the girls department but when they got to the cinema, he figured the tickets were fair game as Roxanne seemed distracted. He kept his grin minimal when he handed her a ticket but she took advantage of his distraction while explaining the snacks to Daphne and Astoria to pay for the treats. He figured he had come out even on that and he reminded himself that the Greengrasses didn't consider him a burden, unlike the Dursleys.
He was slightly surprised when they split up to take seats as they could have been seated together. The smug grin from Daphne told him that his girlfriend had arranged this in advance so he just went with it. She sat a little closer to him than would be considered normal and avoided looking around at the people waiting for the movie. She was entranced by the previews and the beginning of the movie so he just let himself get immersed in it himself.
He became aware of her again when things started getting tense with the dinosaurs. She practically seemed to be glued to him and seemed to need some reassurance. As nice as it was to be close to her, he was a little concerned about her fear but the fact that her eyes remained fixed on the screen reassured him she was still enjoying the experience. Frankly, this movie was more intense that he had been expecting, not that he was complaining, this was turning out to be his most entertaining outing ever and the movie was just totally brilliant!
Later, at dinner Cyrus seemed a little overwhelmed by everyone telling him about the film they'd seen while Sirius seemed like a child who was being told about some new candy. Harry had to suppress a laugh when Sirius exclaimed, "I have got to see that film! How about it, Harry? Want to go see it again?"
He actually wouldn't mind seeing it again but it wouldn't be the same for him without Daphne there and he was NOT going to go with the two of them, Sirius would not be able to resist teasing them. In fact, that suggested the way he should approach his response.
"It's a great date film, Sirius. You should take Sami."
He really had wanted to appear earnest and not show his amusement but when Sirius gasped and then started to cough, he just couldn't hold it in. In fact, everyone else at the table joined in and when Sirius recovered he looked a little embarrassed and defensive.
With a serious tone Sirius declared, "I don't see why I'd want to bring my healer to the cinema."
Harry responded with his most sarcastic tone, perfected with the unwitting aid of his girlfriend as he observed how she did it. "Is that what they're calling girlfriends these days?"
Sirius affected a wounded tone that wasn't fully convincing to Harry. "Fine, you could have just said you didn't want to go with me."
He was taking it wrong so it was time for him to be more serious. "I didn't mean that but I would prefer to go with my girlfriend. I'm sure Sami knows about the cinema and I really think she'd be glad to go with you. Think about it."
Sirius gave him a measured gaze but then said no more and returned to his meal. Harry felt a little bad when Sirius was quiet at first and Daphne tried to lighten his mood. Things became calmer when Roxanne continued to talk about the film and prodded Harry to explain what he knew of how it had been made. By the end of dinner, everyone seemed to be in a good mood again.
Sirius' thoughts had been in turmoil ever since dinner the previous night. Why had advice from a thirteen-year-old boy put him in such disarray? He's an adult dammit! He has to become the Lord of the Black Family and all that entailed and here he was going over and over things he shouldn't be thinking about.
Actually, he eventually would have to think about it but it should be something for the future, the distant future, not now. Sami was his healer and she had enough to do without him complicating things, it wouldn't be fair to either of them, right? Then why was he plagued with the urge to get closer to Sami? He glanced at his ring and was tempted to blame the magic in the ring but if he was truthful with himself, this started before the ring so he didn't have an easy scapegoat; this quandary was coming from him and him alone.
He'd had trouble getting to sleep and had overslept as a result. The arrival of his breakfast courtesy of Mipsy had wakened him and he felt like he'd been trying to catch up ever since. Even Sami arriving had caught him off guard – wait – Sami?
He looked up and saw Sami looking at him with an amused expression on her face. He couldn't even remember what they had been discussing, this was SO embarrassing! "Uhm, what were we talking about again?"
She chuckled and he felt his face heating up but he tried to focus as he had obviously been wasting her time; he had to be better than this.
"We might be better off discussing what is on your mind, it's obviously important."
Merlin! That was the exact last thing he wanted to talk to her about! "It's really not that important…." He drifted to a stop as he was obviously not fooling her at all, her look at him made that clear. OK, maybe she had a point but this wasn't a good time and they had more important things to talk about. He'd tell her what had happened then they could laugh it off and get back to making him better.
"Harry and the Greengrass women went shopping and while they were out in the Muggle world, they went to the Cinema and saw a moving picture called 'Jurassic Park' or something like that. It's about dinosaurs and it sounded like something I would like to see too but when I suggested we go together, he said it's a great date movie. He said I should take a woman to see it instead." He carefully schooled his face as he had chickened out and not brought up her name at all, he really needed to grow a pair. Then he noticed that she seemed to be controlling her reaction as well, what was going on?
She cleared her throat before speaking but otherwise she seemed quite stoic. "Well, we did an outing to see your family home, I suppose we could do this too; you really should get out in the world and it would be safe after a couple of glamours on you. I'm fairly sure I've heard of that film, it's quite popular I believe."
She wanted to go? He hadn't expected that but he really did want to see the film and he really wouldn't mind going with her so he couldn't see a downside for this. "Well, that's good then. Sounds like a plan." Ugh. Real smooth there Casanova, way to sweep a bird off her feet. He used to have a lot more game than this, maybe he was a bigger mess than he had realized. On the other hand, the point now wasn't to sweep her off her feet so he should just drop this line of thought altogether.
She had deliberately Apparated them a few blocks from their destination just to evaluate his reaction to a heavily urban Muggle neighbourhood. She doubted that he'd had much chance to acclimate to this environment given what she knew of his history so it would be ideal for evaluating his anxiety level. To her surprise, his main reaction was curiosity, with no signs of nervousness. She had seen his signs of improvement but this was totally unexpected. She'd been wondering about the influence of his family ring on him and those thoughts came back to her as she considered his sudden improvement.
Things had progressed so well with the Muggle side of her training that she had barely used the magical side. First, she only used Legilimency as a last resort due to the invasive nature of it but she had never considered it with Sirius. She would have felt awkward about it with him plus he'd been so open in their discussions that the issues were out there for them both to see. The need for Legilimency or even Rapport had never been there but she had worked on Occlumency with him. He'd already had some training so that went quickly and productively.
Close encounters with distracted Muggles, honking horns and even squealing tires all just elicited no reaction at all or merely mild curiosity. This just didn't make sense to her given her Muggle training in Psychology but she knew that wizards and witches differed due to their magic so it wasn't shocking. That left magic as the cause and the primary suspect was that ring. She was glad that he was improving, she really was but she couldn't also help but think that their time together might be coming near to an end, at least as patient and healer.
She wanted to continue their association and she had no reason to doubt that he'd agree with her desire to continue as he seemed to enjoy his time with her when it wasn't too stressful. The thing is, neither of them had ever raised that subject and she hadn't worried as she'd felt there was plenty of time for that later. However, that no longer seemed to be the case and she wondered if she should bring it up. What gave her pause is that hardly seemed to be ethical given their current healer/patient relationship, it almost felt like she'd be taking advantage of the situation.
As his health and therefore appearance improved, he was regaining his roguish good looks and she noticed the glances that a few Muggle women were giving him although Sirius seemed oblivious to them. As if that wasn't enough, he was rich or at least his family had had that reputation. His casual withdrawal of a thousand galleons and open-ended orders to his elf to fix the place up certainly indicated no concerns about money. He was also the Lord of a Noble and Most Ancient House but more than that, his family was renowned for their power and leadership in the magical society as a whole. She realized that she was walking next to, theoretically at least, one of the most powerful men in the magical world of Britain.
It made her feel rather insignificant in comparison; she had little money or fame and her office in the basement of St. Mungo's accurately depicted the amount of power she held. Compared to Sirius, she was a nobody and not really worthy of his attention. She tried to shake off those depressing thoughts and concentrate on Sirius and their outing, she'd consider the matter again later.
His curiosity extended to the Muggle currency she used to buy their tickets. As she was gathering their drinks, a candy Sirius had been curious about and a large popcorn, he gave the popcorn a suspicious look as he grabbed the drinks and she felt a subtle movement in her pocket nearest Sirius. She gave him a questioning look but he just shrugged and smiled at her without saying a word as they ambled forward to look for seats. She knew he was up to something but she'd wait until they were seated to investigate.
She went near to the front for Sirius to get the maximum impact from the film and as they settled into their seats, she tried to subtly feel in her pocket and was surprised to find what felt like galleons. She gave him an annoyed look but he leaned over and whispered, "You've been doing a lot for me, let me treat you."
What she had felt was way more than what she had just spent and she was inclined to push back but another thought came to her. She saw this as an outing as part of his recovery, or at least that was what she had been telling herself, but did he see it as something else? Was this… a date? She was so flustered that the moment passed and they merely exchanged his candy for her drink as her mind continued to race.
She was amused and distracted as he enjoyed his candy and shared a sample with her. At this rate, he'd be out of his treat before the previews started but at least they had plenty of popcorn. Just before the previews started, he ate the last of his candy and amusingly peered into the box as if he might somehow find more. He looked over his shoulder as if pondering a return to the counter up front when the lights dimmed and he was distracted by what appeared on the screen in front of him. He was so much like a boy that she had to hide her grin, the fact that a man from such a prominent family could be such a boy amused her.
She noticed him glancing at the popcorn she was enjoying during a preview for film that didn't appeal to either of them. She offered the container to him and after a sceptical look, he finally took one kernel of corn. She had to work hard to suppress a snort of laughter, it was another example of the little boy in him to be so suspicious of a food he was unfamiliar with. She didn't hide the smirk when his face brightened and he then took a handful. He noted her reaction and gave her a sheepish look. He was such a boy.
They quickly became engrossed in the movie and it wasn't until the film characters were about to leave the island that she realized that she was leaning on Sirius. She did her best to control her reaction, she hadn't done this consciously but didn't want to seem to reject him by pulling away. She was still pondering what to do when Sirius shifted and she took the opportunity to sit up but she felt the loss of contact more than she had expected.
She tried to watch his reaction, if any, but his demeanour was very controlled and she had noted his greater proficiency and use of Occlumency already. He was giving her no hint of his reaction and she couldn't help but feel that he wasn't interested in her, there was too many reasons for him to avoid a more personal relationship with her.
Roxanne was amused by all of the last minute preparations for their departure. The girls were ecstatic and excited while Harry was more reserved and still a little uncertain. The most amusing reaction was Sirius' though as he cycled between quiet and enthusiastic himself, one might think he'd never been to the beach before. They had waited until his session with Sami was done so they could all leave together but she hadn't bothered with a class that morning, all of the children were just too distracted for it to be productive. She still had things to cover before they left though so they'd have to give up some of their free time before they left for Hogwarts.
Mipsy and Dobby transported their belongings for them so they only had to floo themselves through the private connection between their manor and the beach house. As usual, Harry took a spill and although the girls were amused but they didn't laugh and Daphne had moved quickly to help him up.
She was surprised to see that Sirius moved through smoothly and made a mental note to suggest that he give pointers to Harry. She saw that it was a sunny day and the wind wasn't too strong so it was a good time to head to the beach and that proclamation raised cheers all around although again, Harry's reaction was more modest than the rest of them.
Harry perused his reflected image in the mirror. He wasn't as small or scrawny anymore, in fact he could see some muscle definition, that was all to the good. What wasn't so good is that he looked as pale as a ghost so he might blind them with the reflected sunlight from him! The only cure for that though was to get some sun; he just wished he could do that privately before baring his pallor to the world. Well, not so much the world but his girlfriend as he knew she'd look gorgeous in her swimsuit but she probably would have to shade her eyes to look at him.
If there was a spell for this, he didn't know it so the only way forward is to hope for the best and get out his room before she wondered what was wrong. He grabbed his towel and made his way out towards the beach. He saw Astoria and Roxanne first; they seemed to be sunning themselves on lounge chairs. His eyes widened when he saw Roxanne, she looked incredible and Daphne took after her but then he averted his eyes quickly. She was like a mother to him and he shouldn't be looking at her like that but on the plus side, it gave him something to consider for how Daphne might look all grown up and it was a very enticing picture.
Then he stopped in his tracks when he not only saw her but heard Daphne as well. Sirius was with her as Padfoot and although he looked playful, she was having none of it. "I swear to you, lord or not, if you slobber on me I will get my wand and hex you so bad you'll be in bed for a week!"
Padfoot whined and tried to look pitiful but he wasn't fooling Daphne. "I mean it! You stay away from me!" She was even shaking her finger at the large dog and that made Harry laugh, which attracted her attention. She narrowed her eyes at him and demanded, "Think that's funny, Potter?"
Potter? Uh-oh, maybe he was in trouble now?
She turned back to the dog who was now looking at Harry and said, "If you want to slobber on someone, there's your godson, have fun!"
Wait! What? His girlfriend was throwing him under the bus? All he did was laugh…. Oh, he did not like that big grin on the dog and then suddenly Padfoot was running full tilt towards him! With his new glasses, he could not only see the evil grin on his girlfriend's face, he could see the drool dripping off the large tongue that was headed his way. If Padfoot was really just a dog, this wouldn't be so bad but that was his godfather! He wouldn't really… on second thought, he would and he'd enjoy it too.
The dog was coming fast and he was an imposingly big one too. This was not going to end well but Harry thought fast and came up with a plan. He pretended to brace for impact as he dropped his towel but just as the dog launched himself at Harry, he quickly stepped aside and all the dog could do is give him a startled look as he sailed past Harry.
Harry wasn't foolish enough to think this was over so he ran as quickly as he could directly at Daphne. He grinned as her smirk left her face and surprise and the some trepidation entered her visage. Her voice quavered slightly when she asked, "Harry?"
She didn't sound so smug now and his grin became bigger. Daphne's voice became a bit firmer as she spoke again. "Harry? What are you doing?"
Harry was distracted as he could now hear the dog had recovered and was running behind him and the sounds were coming closer. He knew he couldn't outrun Padfoot for long so he put all of his effort into running as fast as he could, it was his only chance for his plan to work. At the same time, Daphne was reacting too as she put her hands out as if to ward him off and started to back away from him.
"Harry! Don't you dare!" She was trying to sound intimidating but he could tell from her tone of voice that she wasn't sure of herself. A hint of alarm came to her face as he came closer and she was starting to turn to run herself but she was too late. On the other hand, Padfoot seemed to be right on his heels and this was going to be a near thing. A new complication came to the fore as he realized they were starting to enter the ocean, he was now running in a couple of inches of water and it was about to become deeper as a wave was approaching.
Everything seemed to happen at once, he had gotten as close to her as he dared before veering off and the wave and the dog hit him at the same time. Between the two of them, he had no chance to keep his balance and went face first into a maelstrom of sea water and sand. He should have known that the same trick wouldn't work twice as Padfoot may look like a dog but he had a human intelligence so he hadn't fooled Sirius into running into Daphne and Padfoot had gotten his intended target.
He was trying to struggle into a sitting position to clear his face of water when a big tongue slid up one of his cheeks. He grabbed for his glasses to keep them on his face as he tried to move away from the tongue at the same time. His glasses had remained firmly in place and he suddenly remembered that they were charmed to do that, which was reassuring. However, that was no help at all when a large dog – his godfather! - was keeping him down and was licking him wherever he could. Gross!
He did manage to get to one knee but the dog was relentless and he had to use both hands to keep him off of himself. He heard Daphne's tinkling laughter and realized that his glasses were still clear despite his recent plunge and he could see her laughing and pointing at him. So, she was enjoying his plight, was she? It was time to turn the tables!
He held the dog back with a double handful of loose skin and fur and said, "Excuse me, Padfoot. I have business to take care of with my girlfriend."
The dog managed to look startled but then it grinned and pulled away as if to watch. Harry stood and looked towards Daphne who quickly dropped her amusement and looked uncertain. "Harry?" Her voice had sounded very hesitant, good. His grin became bigger as he took a step towards her and she brought up her hands again and tried to sound firm. "Harry, don't!"
He accelerated towards her and she dropped all pretence of being able to stop him as she shrieked and turned away to run. She had no chance as he was on her before she could get up to speed and he tackled her down to the beach but not as gracefully as he'd hoped. The footing wasn't great and she was moving too but he did his best to control her descent and they ended up in a tangle in a few inches of water but fortunately, no wave as of yet.
She was giggling so he knew she wasn't truly worried or afraid and then he noticed that both Roxanne and Astoria were sitting up and watching. They were both amused but Astoria seemed to be enjoying it more than her mother as Roxanne seemed a bit more reflective. His attention was brought back to Daphne as she looked at him with a smile and asked, "Truce?"
Harry was just starting to nod affirmation when a wave hit them and they both started to laugh and splutter. Padfoot was barking and bounding around them, he seemed to be having the most fun of all of them.
Albus Dumbledore had just finished reading Filch's annual, rambling demands for the reinstatement of corporal punishment in Hogwarts when he was surprised that his floo flared to life and he heard a familiar voice. "Albus? Are you there?"
He answered quickly, "Yes!" and flicked his wand to bring the image from the fireplace up to in front of him over his desk to spare his old bones from getting up and going over to try to speak to her directly. He was then able to confirm his guess as to who it was as he greeted her. "Good afternoon, Arabella. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"
"I have news about the Dursleys, I wasn't sure if you would be interested since Harry isn't there but it was quite shocking news."
He suppressed a frown as he wondered what in the world was happening now. "I am indeed interested, please continue."
"Mr. Dursley was arrested today but I'm not certain what for. I have asked around and heard two different rumours but I know one is incorrect. One of the rumours was that it had to do with the disappearance of Harry, the neighbours have noticed his absence this summer but we know that isn't true, you said Harry left of his own accord. The other rumour is that he was caught doing something wrong at his work but opinions vary as to what it was."
"I see." Albus contemplated that development but after the way they must have treated their nephew, it wasn't shocking that they would get into some other sort of malfeasance. He was brought out of his musings at Arabella's hesitant question.
"I was just wondering, is there any chance that Harry will be returning here?"
He wondered why she asked but decided to satisfy her curiosity first. "Since we last talked, it has become clearer to me that he will not be returning. Why do you ask?"
"I was just hoping that I could live somewhere... quieter."
Ah, despite her reticence her desire to move was evident. "Some cottage in a village, perhaps?"
She looked quite hopeful. "Exactly."
"I shall see what I can arrange and I thank for your years of trying to watch out for young Mr. Potter. You have earned your chance to retire but in the meantime if there are further developments I would appreciate being alerted to them."
"Of course, Albus. It was my pleasure to help you out."
"Goodbye for now, Arabella."
"Goodbye, Albus"
He broke the connection and sat back to wonder about the timing of this, soon after Harry abandoned the household to stay with people who might seek vengeance for his previous treatment. He briefly considered a surreptitious investigation but decided the possibility of him being framed for something was very unlikely; if they were involved it would be simpler to have him found out for something he actually did.
He concluded that it was best to leave the Muggles to their own business and for once to let things proceed as they will without his interference. He had a feeling he'd have to become accustomed to doing that in the future. He was also not looking forward to an upcoming meeting with the new chairman of the board of governors.
The next morning was overcast and cooler so Harry had no objection to spending the morning learning as had become his habit this summer. However, Astoria was not happy about the history assignment she'd been given; Daphne, however, seemed very interested in what her mother had said would be an Arithmancy lesson. Harry was surprised when she approached with his mother's Arithmancy notebook and was very curious as to what she might reveal, had she figured it out?
He was disappointed at first that she was only going to go over what his mother had figured out and there was no breakthrough on overcoming this initial challenge of the Peverell Grimoire. Even though theory was not normally his strong suit, he was fascinated to follow the technical details and logic that his mother had used to get to where she had left her investigation.
Although he knew he would not be capable of doing what she had done at this time, it all made sense to him and he had followed along with all of it and learned a lot. Although Daphne's questions sometimes helped him, he felt that he could have answered some of them himself based on what he had learned that day.
It shocked him a bit that he was grasping this more quickly than his girlfriend but he knew that she was intelligent and most likely she'd be better at some things than he was and vice versa. Also, there was a tiny bit of him that was proud he was following in his mother's footsteps and he hoped one day that he could accomplish what she had but that was setting the bar high based on what he'd heard from others, especially McGonagall and Flitwick, and what he had seen in her journals. His mother had been an exceptional witch, perhaps akin to the 'Hermione' of her generation. He looked over at his girlfriend as she was pondering and thought that she was an exceptional witch as well, he'd do well to always remember that.
Once all of their questions were answered, Roxanne told them that they would close with a bit of news. Harry was puzzled when she presented them with a small newspaper clipping, especially since it was obviously from a Muggle newspaper. The importance of the news soon became clear as he and Daphne read the small article together.
Little Whinging, Surrey
The residents of this peaceful neighbourhood were surprised to witness a police raid on the home of one of their neighbours, one Vernon Dursley. Police were reluctant to release details regarding the arrest but they soon became available at the arraignment of Mr. Dursley. Mr. Dursley is a director at Grunnings Drills Pty Ltd, and has been charged with embezzlement of company funds. Not all of the details were released but based on some information in the indictment, it appeared that Mr. Dursley had a co-conspirator who may have cooperated with authorities in the investigation of Mr. Dursley.
Due to the perceived flight risk posed by Mr. Dursley and the amount of money he'd taken the judge acceded to the prosecutor's demand for a high bail, Mr. Dursley loudly and profanely declared the fact to everyone in the court that he would be unable to pay that sum and was remanded into custody, His barrister somehow managed to keep him from being found in contempt of court and further charged, which the magistrate threatened to do several times, such was the ire of Mr. Dursley. His trial promises to be entertaining so we will attempt to follow it as much as possible.
Despite what he had learned a few weeks ago, this was still a surprise to Harry but his uncle's behaviour was typical. His uncle was now in jail and although it was not directly due to him, it was partially a reprisal for his treatment of him, his nephew. He felt a little odd about this but reminded himself that his uncle had done this crime he was charged with and he just had to let justice be done. He glanced at Daphne when she had remained silent so he gave her a smile that made her smile back. He'd be fine and he swore to himself that he wouldn't brood; he was done with that especially for such a waste of space like his uncle.
Cyrus stared out the window as the weather became worse; it appeared their second day at the beach house would not be a pleasant one. He had done a little administrative work while the rest were busy with their studies but he eventually had to get out and be around his family, even if they were busy.
It was also getting close to lunchtime so he might relieve his wife of having to get Sirius for once as he'd be free soon. He again wondered why Sirius had chosen to stay alone at the manor but he suspected it was to give his family space. He also seemed to be preparing himself to live on his own and concentrate on his new role as the Lord Black and that was something Cyrus could well understand. Assuming this role was a big commitment and didn't allow for distractions or at least not at first. Later, distractions were quite welcome, not that he considered his family a distraction as they were precious to him, even the recent addition who was likely to someday be his son-in-bond.
He felt the notification from his wards that Sami had left so it was time. He nodded to his wife who appeared to have just shared the newspaper clipping with Harry and Daphne and he wondered if anyone had told Sirius yet. He could take care of that task as well when he brought Sirius back to the beach house.
He flooed to the manor and when he emerged outside he was pleased to see that the weather was better here although it was still overcast. He first saw Sirius as he sat in contemplation in one of the outside chairs. Perhaps a short chat here was in order so he sat down beside the pensive Lord Black, which finally brought the man back to the present.
He got a small smirk from Sirius before he asked, "Hello Cyrus. Did you draw the short straw to come get me today?"
Cyrus smiled back and countered with, "I actually volunteered believe it or not. Before we leave, I wondered if you'd heard the news about Harry's Uncle."
Sirius' smile increased but turned colder before he asked, "Finally been arrested then?"
"Indeed he was, yesterday morning apparently."
Sirius took on a more contented look. "Good, he deserves whatever they give him, probably more."
"I think we can both agree that Roxanne will not let him off lightly. I was a little surprised that she let the Muggle authorities have first crack at him."
Sirius' smile was cold yet satisfied as he agreed. "Roxy won't let him off easily, I know that and that is why I let her planned revenge proceed. There probably won't be much left of him when she's done." Then his visage took a more teasing look as he regarded Cyrus. "I assume you knew you what you were getting into when you married her."
It was Cyrus' turn to bark out a laugh this time. "I did and I made a mistake last year that nearly cost me a hexing; I have been much more careful to stay in her good books since then."
Sirius gave him a teasing look. "Pleasing our witches keeps wizards busy and probably out of some trouble."
He wanted to tease? Fine, two can play that game. "So who is going to be the witch you have to please?"
When he saw Sirius' face lose all amusement and indeed any indication of emotion at all so he realized he may have accidently overshot his mark. "I sometimes wonder if that is in my future or not. I'm not sure any witch would want me after everything I've been through."
Was he really that unaware? "I think we both know one witch who is interested."
Sirius remained quiet and looked away so Cyrus couldn't really tell how he might be taking his response. He gave him a while to see if he'd answer but it slowly became obvious no response would be coming anytime soon. He decided to see if there was something else that Sirius wanted to bring up. "What were you thinking so hard about when I arrived?" Cyrus was relieved to see him turn back with a thoughtful look on his face.
"I've been thinking ahead. Once I officially take my position as head of my family, one of my first duties will be to designate my heir as I'll be damned if I let that prat that Lucius and Narcissa managed to raise be my heir. I've heard plenty about how he is from Harry and Daphne, he's as big of a git as his father and will hopefully join him in Azkaban someday."
Cyrus tried to picture who the heir might be but his knowledge of the remaining Blacks was spotty other than his three female cousins. "Who might that be?"
He finally saw some amusement in Sirius' face again. "Harry."
Harry? But Harry wasn't a Black – but wait – wasn't his great-grandmother…? "Dorea Black! I had forgotten that connection! Your grandfather's sister, correct?"
Cyrus saw amusement dancing in Sirius' eyes as he responded, "Exactly!"
It made sense but Cyrus hoped that was temporary as Harry had quite enough to be getting on with, the political responsibilities would be immense. The Lord Black was a central figure in wizarding England politics, a real force in their whole culture, it was a heavy burden. He tried to keep his voice even as he asked, "Does Harry know?"
"No and I don't want to tell him yet. I do want to prepare him though, there are things he would have to know right away. I was hoping to talk to him today, probably with you as well. You are more current with the present political climate than I am. Between the two of us, I am sure we can cover everything we need to cover."
Cyrus still felt a little dubious but agreed the timing for a talk was probably good. "The weather on the coast isn't so good today and they won't be on the beach so Harry would be available for a talk today."
A slight frown formed on Sirius' face. "You disapprove?"
Ah, he caught that so the Lord Black was indeed astute, that was good. "Not disapprove, exactly. I was hoping that Harry being heir was temporary as he has quite enough to deal with already."
Sirius thought for a moment before he replied. "I agree but I'm not sure as I'm no seer. I would hope to have a Lady Black someday and to produce my own heir but I can't let things wait until then, the succession is too critical."
"I absolutely agree on that part."
"Good, so we can talk to Harry?"
"Certainly, shall we go?"
Sirius' smile seemed genuine as he gestured towards the manor and said, "Lead the way!"
They made short work of getting him through the wards and they flooed back to the beach house in time to join everyone else for lunch. Harry did not seem distracted to Sirius as he greeted his godfather and lunch was a pleasant affair. When Sirius suggested a private discussion between the three of them, he saw Harry exchange a glance with Daphne and she looked at her father as if expecting to be invited. However, they may have to speak quite frankly with Harry about some matters that were not Daphne's concern so her father subtly shook his head no and her look turned quickly to discontent.
Roxanne diverted the attention of their girls as the men headed for Cyrus' den in the beach house. It wasn't as big as the one in their manor but it was just as well warded, which was important for this conversation. As the other two sought chairs, Cyrus brought his chair from behind his desk so they could sit more as equals in this discussion. He pointedly looked to Sirius to start the conversation so Harry did the same.
Seeing their attention, Sirius sighed and gathered his thoughts then he looked at Harry and began. "The Blacks are a prominent family in England and even though there hasn't been a recognized Lord Black in a while, that hasn't changed. I'm going to have more attention than I care for and a lot of politics to be involved in as soon as I'm cleared about what happened to your parents and with Wormtail. Some of that attention could fall on you too."
Harry's face was clearly asking the question 'why?' so Sirius grinned and continued. "You're a Black too, didn't you know that?"
Harry looked like he had just told him he was a girl instead of a boy and Sirius couldn't help but chuckle. Then Harry looked over at Cyrus in surprise and asked, "My great-grandmother?"
Cyrus nodded and Harry turned back to Sirius and asked, "So I'm both a Potter and a Black?"
"In a matter of speaking, yes. Normally, you wouldn't be close to being the heir of Black since your link is three generations back and through a woman instead of a man. However, the Blacks have taken a lot of losses lately and because of that I'm the last male Black.
That means the lines through women become more meaningful and by the way, that includes one of your favourite classmates, Draco Malfoy." Harry's eyes were becoming bigger as he spoke. "When I am cleared and go public as Lord Black, some people may try to curry favour with me through you. It may be because they are aware we are distant cousins but it also could simply be the fact that they would know that I am your godfather. Do you understand how that could impact you?"
Harry huffed and closed his eyes before opening them again to look at Sirius. "Fantastic. I can just tell them to shove off though, right?"
Sirius chuckled before answering. "I would hope you would be a little more diplomatic than that but yes, you can refuse to be their conduit to me."
Harry shrugged and then said, "OK."
Sirius hid a grin because he knew there was more that Harry didn't realize yet. "Back on the subject of heirs, you are, of course, the sole heir for the Potter family. As such, you will be a prominent member of our society and a future lord of a Noble and Most Ancient house in your own right. For certain girls, you will be a very attractive target for matrimony and that will probably only increase as soon as they realize your link to me. You, Harry, are about to become very popular with the girls."
Harry's eyes grew again and he looked like he might break and run at any moment. Sirius wanted to reassure his godson, "Harry, this isn't really a bad thing, a lot of blokes your age – well, maybe a little older – would love to be in your shoes. I would just advise you to be careful. Don't sign anything unless you clear it with an adult, preferably Cyrus or I, and if you have any doubt about the girl at all, do not eat or drink anything she gives you."
Harry dropped his head into his hands and Sirius overheard a mumbled 'Bloody hell' from his godson. That was too much to resist and he chuckled, which earned him an annoyed look from his godson before Harry sighed and looked down in dejection.
"Why can't I just be a normal kid?"
Sirius lost all of his mirth and spoke earnestly to his godson. "Harry, you have never been just some kid. You were born to be the Heir of Potter and that alone made you special from as soon as you were born. All of this nonsense about the 'boy who lived' is just something you will have to endure until you make your own mark in this world. I know you will do that someday because the son of James and Lily would never be ordinary. Face it Harry, you were born for great things."
Harry's initial expression was disbelief when he looked at his godfather but slowly it morphed to pensive before he straightened up and looked back at him with newfound confidence. "Daphne has taught me the value of being the best you can be so yes, I do want to make my own mark in this world. I also understand your point about my birth right, I've been trying to come to terms with that in my talks with Cyrus and now you too. I will do the best with what I am given and I hope that I can someday follow in the footsteps of the previous Lords Potter and help lead this world with you both. I really appreciate you alerting me to these issues and I will also appreciate any help you can give me. Is there anything else I need to know?"
Sirius felt a proud smile growing on his face as he listened to Harry. After a rough start, he had really risen to the challenge he faced and he couldn't be prouder of his godson. He also resolved not to underestimate the influence of Daphne, and her father for that matter, on the Heir Potter. He really did feel that the future was bright for his godson, he just had that beast of a dark lord looming; they really had to conquer that issue somehow.
For now, there were some more immediate issues to cover. "There are some Black family issues that you should be aware of. Our reputation with some families, like the Bones family for example, that don't think highly of the Blacks. However, Bones shouldn't be an issue as the current acting head is someone I worked with and she has indicated to Cyrus that she personally has doubts about my guilt. There are other families that won't like us though but that will hopefully only be a minor issue."
Harry was giving him his full attention so he continued on in an informative manner. "The Blacks were not big on alliances, generally we preferred to keep any associations with other families brief and to play them against each other and that is one of the reasons some won't trust us. There was one exception to this rule though as we have a loose but long-standing alliance with the Selwyn family. Be careful of them though as they are dark and likely to agree with Voldemort regarding blood status and although they aren't as rich as the Blacks, they are a prominent, influential family. Despite their dark tendencies, they may see your association with me as a sign that you might be an ally, as strange as that might seem to you. Do you know of a Selwyn at Hogwarts?"
Harry had started looking unsettled but shook his head 'no' in response to his question. He then looked at Cyrus and asked, "Are there any Selwyns Harry should be aware of?"
As Cyrus responded, Harry looked startled. "The scion Sophronia Selwyn is attending Hogwarts, she is in Slytherin house and a prefect."
As Harry looked between them curiously, Sirius asked a question. "Where does she stand in the line of succession?"
"She is far down the line, her great-uncle is the current Lord and there are some men and even a few women ahead of her."
Sirius looked to Harry again and saw him looking pensive. "That makes her dangerous, Harry." That statement had Harry looking gobsmacked so he continued quickly. "She is a member of a Noble and Most Ancient house so that makes you peers of a sort. However, she has no realistic chance of being Lady Selwyn so she will be looking for an heir to become the Lady of his house. She could be looking right at you, Harry. This affiliation between the Blacks and Selwyns would make it seem even more logical to her."
Harry was beginning to look ill so Sirius decided to keep the conversation going as a distraction. "Cyrus, do you know what year she is in?"
"I'm pretty sure that she is in her seventh year but I can verify with Daphne, she'd know for certain."
It was a small relief to Sirius when he heard Harry interject, "Seventh year? But she is… err… old – I mean older."
On the other hand, what he had just said was rather amusing to Sirius. "First, a very important point Harry, never call a woman old, especially if she is."
Harry was blushing furiously as he replied. "That sort of slipped out. I know better than that, it was an accident."
"An accident that could get you hexed, Harry. Remember that." Harry nodded furiously so Sirius dropped that issue. "Four years may seem like a big gap now, Harry, but when you're an adult, it won't matter much."
Harry was recovering and now looked curious. "Even if the girl is older than the boy?"
"Yes, although that is the less common situation but it does happen."
Although Harry looked pensive, he also looked a bit uncomfortable so Sirius decided to provide another distraction. "There is another family affiliation you should be aware of, the Flints are almost a vassal family to the Blacks. It's not an official status but they do owe us a debt that they have not been able to repay. The Blacks have been holding that over them and that has created some resentment. Do you know of a Flint?"
Harry grimaced so the answer looked to be a 'yes'. "Yeah, Marcus Flint. He's on the Slytherin Quidditch team and is a right bastard who likes to cheat."
Sirius smiled as he replied, "That pretty much sums up the family, Harry. They are also prone to agree with Voldemort. The Selwyns were smart enough to keep their distance officially, the Flints were not. They took a hit at the end of the first war with Voldemort. They may be ancient and noble but they are relatively poor and don't have much influence as a family. This Marcus Flint should try to be nice to you due to their debt but he probably won't be that smart. You should expect some hostility from him when our association comes to light."
Harry's voice was subdued but sarcastic as he said, "Brilliant."
Sirius gave Harry a relatively stern look. "This next part has to be kept confidential. Cyrus has indirectly reached out to both families as to how they will respond to a Wizengamot vote regarding the Blacks. The Selwyn response was favourable, the Flint one was not. You should be ready for similar responses from the members of those families with you at Hogwarts. Also, you are not to conduct formal family business at Hogwarts, the penalty for doing so is expulsion. However, there is no reason for any of you to be conducting family business, it just might affect their behaviour, understand?"
His response was subdued but resolute, "Yes, I understand. Am I related to either of them?"
"The chances are good that in both cases, you are. I know my great-great-grandfather – the man who may be the most unpopular headmaster of Hogwarts for all time – married a Flint."
Harry sighed and shook his head. "That figures."
Albus found himself fiddling with the items on his desk and stopped himself, it was a clear sign of nervousness and he had enough of a disadvantage for this meeting without adding to it. He was about to face the man that undoubtedly had custody of Harry Potter and he had made a grievous error in regards to the welfare of that boy. He knew he had something to answer for and wasn't looking forward to it. He took a deep calming breath and used his Occlumency as well when he felt the notification that the board of governors' password had just been used on the gargoyle.
He knew that it would probably be useless in this case but he couldn't help himself, he said "Enter" before Lord Greengrass got the chance to knock. He studied the man as he entered, perfectly composed and completely unreadable yet that still told Albus something, this man had something to hide. He began to suspect that their conversation about Harry would not be as frank as he expected.
"Greetings, Lord Greengrass. Could I interest you in a Lemon Drop?"
He got no visible reaction to it as the man greeted him and sat down. "Greetings, Headmaster. No thank you, we have a lot to discuss." That was certainly was business-like but it wasn't particularly encouraging either.
Before Cyrus could direct the discussion in a different direction, he had to try to get one of his questions answered. "Certainly, might I take the time to enquire how Harry Potter is?"
"You can certainly enquire but I am curious to know why you are asking me."
He wasn't giving anything away, that much was clear. "I just thought that you might know, you have always seemed to be well informed."
He finally got a slight reaction but it wasn't one that he had hoped for. There was a dangerous look in Cyrus' eyes when he spoke next. "Do you really want to talk about Heir Potter?"
He thought he did but that look made him wonder if he'd like this discussion any better than the one he'd had with Croaker. He certainly didn't need another one of those but he still had a need to know. "I would appreciate anything you can offer about his current situation."
"Very well, I had planned on starting with school business but we can jump to that if you are so eager. What I want to discuss is in here." He withdrew a multipage document and put it on his desk, right in front of him. Of all the things he might have brought with him, he never expected it to be the Potter will. He felt a chill go down his spine as he realized that there was one thing he hadn't wanted to see in this will but he couldn't afford to take things at face value. There could be more going on here than he could guess.
"I am curious as to how you came upon a document that was sealed; I may need to start an inquiry."
That may have been a misstep, there wasn't much of a reaction but it didn't look good for him. "Really? I was about to suggest the same thing. The Wizengamot would be very interested in the last wishes of the lord of a Noble and Most Ancient House being ignored for the personal wishes of one man, whoever he might be."
He had a point, he must now step carefully but the authenticity of this document was yet to be established. "How am I to know that this is a true copy?"
"Check it yourself, it is a certified copy supplied by Gringotts."
Of course, he should have thought of that himself. His ruling would carry great weight with the Ministry but the goblins played by their own rules and his order would not impress them, they'd go by the wizard-goblin treaties and established wizarding traditions of the oldest families, which included the Potters – and the Greengrasses for that matter. He flicked his wand at the suspect document and was unsurprised but concerned when it came up as valid. Before he could think of anything to say, Lord Greengrass spoke again.
"The part you were so desperate to conceal is on page four, under the orders for their son's guardianship." He had to stifle all reaction, this man knew why he had sealed this document and this was going poorly but then things became worse when Lord Greengrass continued. "The part I wish to discuss is at the top of page 2, just after the legalese. Specifically where they clarify the truth of who their secret keeper was."
He frowned, he wondered how there could be any doubt about the secret keeper so this subject was quite unexpected. He was getting nothing from the man staring at him so he opened the document to the indicated page and scanned down to the part he referenced and froze when he read it.
This might be even worse than the dressing down he'd gotten from Croaker. This document was telling him that he'd allowed an innocent man to be sent to Azkaban and left to rot. He had known Sirius Black, had been shocked at what had happened but then had failed to question it. He would be ashamed of that in any case but the man had been helping him in his organization, at the moment he couldn't think of why he'd never questioned his guilt. He had been relieved to find the traitor but this was telling him he had the wrong man. Was Peter Pettigrew even dead?
"They deceived me." He hadn't meant for that to come out but the look of Lord Greengrass only hardened, he wasn't going to get any slack from this man.
"That may be true but as Chief Warlock it was your duty to see to it that everyone got a fair trial. He got none at all and he even worked for you yet you did nothing."
That last part was not generally known but still proved nothing, there were others alive who knew that and his knowing that wasn't probative. Unfortunately for him, it was also completely true so he deserved another humiliation. "I will immediately order the will to be unsealed, of course. Everyone must be aware of this. I trust that Mr. Black is safe for the moment?"
"I hope that is true."
He was still giving away nothing but he had to assume that Cyrus knew where he was and that was reassuring. He slid the document back towards Lord Greengrass and was relieved when he took it as that meant there was nothing more in that document to condemn him.
"Now we need to discuss the safety and proper treatment of the students in this school by all of the staff. My particular concerns are the caretaker, your potions professor and a ghost that wasn't even a good professor when he was alive."
He suppressed a sigh, so much for this meeting getting better.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Sirius regarded his godson with a mix of warmth and amusement. "The wolf will be glad to see Padfoot again, Moony would know. His wolf is always around, just quiet when it's not the full moon. Besides, I've done this for years and nothing ever happened plus it makes things easier for Moony and that's the most important thing."
"When will you be back?"
"Probably not until the next day after as I'm not going to get any sleep tonight." Harry looked uncomfortable again so he added as he clasped Harry's shoulder, "It's going to be fun for me, I get to let my inner dog out to play."
After a moment of contemplation Harry looked up at him again and asked, "You're still going to help me become an Animagus too?"
"Of course, Pup. I'm looking forward to it; it will be nice having an apprentice in the art of becoming a Marauder."
Harry rolled his eyes but grinned so Sirius decided that this was settled. Daphne was the only other one with them at the Apparition point although she had hung back to give them some privacy so he motioned his head in her direction as he said, "I think you have someone here who can keep you distracted while I'm gone."
Sirius hid a smirk when he saw his godson's cheeks turn a little pink, this was still a teasing goldmine but he didn't want to overwork that seam just yet and it was getting late anyway. He had to be there to settle in before they would transform. "See you later, Pup."
"See you, Padfoot."
He still saw a little concern in his godson's face but mostly he seemed content and that was probably the best he could hope for. He gathered himself for his first Apparition in years and although the crack was louder than he would normally like, he made it through in one piece. He was even facing the right way and started on his way towards the Lupin cottage that Remus had inherited. His long-time friend opened the door and gave him a small smirk as he approached, it was so good to have Moony back.
Remus' voice was a little rough as he said, "Welcome, Pads."
He looked his friend over and could see that the approaching full moon was already taking its toll. He just wished he'd thought of getting the Wolfsbane potion in time but it was too late now although he did have one gift so he held out the package to a now confused Moony. "It's good to see you as always, Moony."
Remus gave the package a suspicious look and didn't touch it. "What's this then?"
Did Moony really think that he'd prank him now? Well, actually he might do it as a distraction, OK that would totally be in character. He smirked and muttered "catch" as he tossed the package to Moony who quickly caught it and after looking at it again, he looked at Sirius and asked, "What is it?"
"A little gift to celebrate your new job."
After a momentary frown, Remus walked over to his table and began to open it after placing it on the table. He looked surprised to be looking at a new set of robes. He gave Sirius a look with a mix of concern and curiosity as he said, "I have robes."
"You have rags that used to be robes. A professor can't look scruffy, did you ever have a professor that looked scruffy?"
Remus looked puzzled and then unfolded the robes to get a better look and saw the Hogwarts crest on them. He turned back to Sirius with a hint of a scowl on his face and opened his mouth to say something but something in the determined look Sirius was giving him seemed to change his mind. After a small huff, he said, "Thanks Pads."
"You're welcome, Moony."
Sirius smiled at his friend as Moony finally loosened up and smiled back. What good was all the Black fortune if he couldn't use it to help his friends? He hoped he was finally convincing his friend that he wasn't imposing on him at all.
Cornelius Fudge's irate face appeared in the flames of the Headmaster's fireplace. "I don't know what you were thinking! Releasing that will after all these years! You dredged it all back up again and now people are questioning what happened with Black! It's a disaster and it's your fault!"
This was going so much worse than his lowest expectations, he couldn't even keep the minister on the subject at hand. "Cornelius, please calm down. What I wanted to discuss with you is putting the dementors around Hogwarts. It is completely unnecessary and a risk to all of the children here. I really must insist…."
"Unnecessary?! Are you mad?! He's a homicidal maniac and he'll be after Harry Potter, mark my words! Imagine the furore if he gets to Potter! It must be prevented at all costs!"
Once again he tried to be the voice of reason. "He was not the secret keeper! He did not betray the Potters…."
Cornelius was practically foaming at the mouth. "They could have changed their minds again after the will! Besides, even if he was after Pettigrew and he was the traitor, he still killed twelve Muggles! We can't just cover that up! Everyone tells me he's gone quite mad anyway! He's a danger to everyone in his state!"
"Cornelius, what if one of the children is hurt or worse yet kissed by a dementor? Do you realize the furore that would cause?"
"The dementors are under control, it's you that I'm worried about! I don't have time for this! You have no jurisdiction outside the walls of Hogwarts so I'll thank you to keep your nose out of ministry business!"
The floo connection abruptly closed. Albus was rather glad this hadn't been an in-person meeting as Cornelius' spittle would have been all over the place. He sighed and said, "Well, that was even worse than I had imagined."
Cyrus emerged from his place of concealment and responded, "I knew he was an idiot, I just didn't realize how much of one he was."
Albus turned to face the chairman. "As I recall, Cornelius does have a connection to the events of Sirius Black's arrest. He was the leader of the magical reversal squad dispatched to cover things up for the Muggles. I recollect some talk of his team being in too much in a hurry and destroying evidence so he's probably afraid this will come back to him."
"So he dispatches monsters around a school where one of the children could end up dead? That's a brilliant way to stay out of trouble."
He was tempted to smile at the sarcasm but resisted as he wasn't sure how Lord Greengrass would take it. "I quite agree, Lord Greengrass. Alas, Cornelius will not listen to reason on this. There will be dementors around the school whether we like it or not."
Cyrus sighed and murmured, "I will have to try to teach my daughters the Patronus charm. It should also be added to the lessons for DADA this year."
Albus nodded and added, "I will do what I can to fortify the wards around the school but it is difficult to keep dementors out for a long period. Wards strong enough for that might be a danger to the children as well."
Cyrus sighed and headed for the door. "I will leave you to that then, Headmaster."
After the door closed Albus sighed again. Cyrus was still not giving him an inch but at least this fiasco could not be laid at his door. He didn't want the dementors around any more than Cyrus did.
Roxanne came to the table where they did lessons carrying something and saw that Daphne and Harry were already there and more solemn than usual. They exchanged greetings and she wondered if it was just the end-of-summer blues or something else when Astoria appeared and even she seemed to have caught the serious mood. Instead of starting what she had intended to cover, she tried to find out what was going on.
"Why is everyone so down?"
Astoria grimaced and murmured, "A little nervous about school."
She nodded and made a note to approach Astoria again later. She then turned to the other two expectantly. She was slightly surprised when it was Harry who answered.
"We have to go back tonight."
"We can try to spend more time here next summer." When she got solemn nods back, she knew it was a bit more than that, they wouldn't be free to spend as much time together soon and she wished she had a solution.
"Before we work on the Patronus charm again….." She paused at a groan from Astoria who noticed her mother's attention and blushed in silence. "We have something to talk about and we have some protective amulets for you to wear this year. You can wear them under your uniforms if you wish."
She distributed two necklaces with delicate gold chains to the girls and a somewhat heavier built one to Harry, who looked at it curiously. "The stones are all Black Tourmaline and Muggles believe them to be able to protect you from negative energy and psychic attack but they are only partly right. This stone is actually good at holding spells that will protect you from such things. Like Occlumency, these will protect you from Legilimency but more importantly for this year, they will partially protect you from the despair that dementors can cause."
She watched all three react to that, suddenly much more interested in the amulets. She was pleased to see that but she had more to cover. "Don't depend on them to protect you from the dementors themselves, they can't do that, they only make it easier for you to resist the despair. You must try your best to learn the Patronus charm." Astoria squirmed in her seat as she hadn't accomplished anything with the charm yet while Harry and Daphne produced mist. They all had a ways to go but Astoria's was the longest road.
"We need to discuss one of your professors and although Harry and Daphne may know some of this already, I want all three of you aware of all that I am about to tell you. Before I begin, I want to emphasize that this is not to be discussed outside the family. I will not have you starting rumours, you girls know how I feel about that."
Harry looked on curiously as the girls both nodded. "Severus Snape and Lily Evans met before either of them went to Hogwarts and Astoria, if you have forgotten Lily was Harry's mother. They were friends until the end of fifth year although there was some strain in the friendship starting in their fourth year. He called Lily something that neither she nor I could forgive him for and that was the end of their friendship."
"I don't know much about Snape's early life but I know enough to know it was hard. I was able to find out that his pureblood mother, she was a Prince, married a wealthy Muggle named Snape. Somehow, he managed to squander his wealth and took his frustrations out on his wife and son. His mother died while he was in his seventh year and his father died the next summer. Whilst circumstances might have been suspicious to the Aurors, the Muggle police handled it and found nothing amiss."
"Sometime after he graduated, Severus Snape became a Death Eater." All three children reacted and as she suspected, Harry's reaction was the strongest.
"He was a Death Eater?!"
"Yes, but Dumbledore got him off at the end of the war saying that he had turned against Voldemort and worked for him. As far as I know, that is true. I also know that he was distraught after Lily's death so he still cared for her to some degree."
She had paused to let that sink in and noticed that Harry was troubled. "Do you have a question, Harry?"
"Why does he hate me?"
She tried to give Harry a supportive look but her own disquiet probably came through. "I can only speculate on that but that is what I was going to cover next. Your father, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew called themselves 'The Marauders' and enjoyed pranking and doing things they considered impressive. They were never quite outright bullies but they took an instant dislike to Snape and pranked him mercilessly."
"It was not one-sided as he would prank them back and not always alone, he had some allies in Slytherin House, especially in his later years. The important thing is that I think your father was jealous of Snape being friends with Lily while she, as you know, held a low opinion of him until the last two years. They never got to attempting permanent harm to each other but they both got a little vicious. Your resemblance to your father would be a negative influence on Snape."
"There is one incident that was mostly between Sirius and Snape that almost got out of control. What was meant to be a trick, accidently caused Snape to almost encounter Remus during a full moon. Your father saved Snape's life that night and Snape never forgave him, he didn't want to owe anything to his bitter rival. He never got to repay that debt so it is possible that Snape may feel some distant obligation to protect you, although that is hard to see from his behaviour towards you."
Harry huffed in annoyance but didn't say anything.
"Severus Snape seems to be a complex man. I am not sure how bad his childhood was nor how that might have shaped him. I can guess that Voldemort choosing to go after Lily might have induced Snape to change sides. I do know he is a brilliant potions master and a powerful wizard. I know he has anger issues and isn't a good teacher and might even hate children based on his behaviour."
"I do not trust him to do a good job of teaching nor of being fair to you, Harry. Remember what I have taught you about potions and keep up to date on the ingredients you will be encountering during your year in the reference book you all have. Be careful in potions class and if he ignores safety issues, tell your father."
She paused with a slight smirk and looked at Harry and said, "In your case, tell Cyrus about that and also any other issues you might have with him. Cyrus is in a position to do something about him now and we need to use that if necessary."
Harry's nod ended that issue. "OK, everyone, wands out and let's head outside, it's Patronus time again."
The two eldest looked determined while the youngest looked unenthusiastic. She'd have to push Astoria a little to do her best with a difficult charm. It wasn't really something she felt was fair to teach a first year but with the dementors at school this year it was too important to ignore.
Mipsy was very happy that Dobby had come into their lives. She couldn't have a mate that wasn't tied to her family in some way as it could create a conflict of interest between her and her mate, which would be disastrous for a house-elf. As soon as he had pledged to protect the Greengrasses as he protected his own master, it had been possible for them to be mated.
She liked Dobby despite his eccentric ways and she often found his exuberance amusing as well. However, she really had to work with him to learn to speak better as he could embarrass her masters in a public situation and she wanted to avoid that if at all possible. Thus, she found herself trying to drill him on pronouncing some important words correctly, like right this moment.
She spoke clearly towards Dobby, "Diagon Alley."
"DIagonallyly."
She resisted face-palming but only just. She patiently explained, "There is being two words: DIagon Alley. Try again."
"Dog Gone Alley."
"No, it is being Diagon then Alley."
"Diagonthenalley."
She sighed and supposed it was going to take longer than she had thought.
Harry was so distracted with his own thoughts that he was slightly startled when she took his hand. They had started the walk on the beach right after dinner as they were soon going to head back to the manor to be ready to go the Hogwarts the next day. He was not only lamenting losing the walks on the beach, he was considering the loss of any walks with her and even spending a lot of time with her. As much as he normally looked forward to going back to Hogwarts, he now felt like he didn't want to go at all.
He looked at her when she took his hand to see that she was regarding him with a look of concern. "What's wrong?"
He shrugged but also squeezed her hand to reassure her. "I was just thinking that this is not only our last walk on the beach, we won't be able to spend nearly as much time together at Hogwarts."
"I know, I'm not happy about that either but we got through last year OK. We can do it again this year."
The look she gave him made him feel funny and he decided to give in to an urge to hug her. She somehow managed to fit herself into him as if she had been made to be there and hugged him fiercely back. She looked up at him and whispered, "We'll just have to remember how much we care for each other and cherish what time we do have together. I think we'll be fine, I can feel that in my heart."
The way she was looking at him just seemed to draw him in and the next thing he knew, he was kissing her.
