A/N: Well here it is the first of the big changes. I hope you enjoy it.
"Excuse me, would you be Sirius Black?" John asked the chained man.
The tattered man started to chuckle. "Who's asking?" This was new. He hadn't left his cell in near eight years. He was going to stretch this out as long as he could, and perhaps have a little fun with these investigators. He had no idea what they could want with him but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. At least here the effect of the dementors had lessened quite a bit. While it would probably still be hitting these newcomers quite hard it almost felt as if it was almost entirely gone for Sirius.
John was glad he thought of a way to judge the mans guilt before they came and was very glad Emily was able to come. She was always able to read people."Would you please give us some time alone with Mr. Black?" John asked Ms. Bones. She looked a little wary but as they were muggles and Black was chained securely she didn't see the harm."
"Very well but be careful. Just knock on the door when you are finished." Amelia told the trio. With a nod John turned back to the prisoner as Amelia shut the door. Maria and Emily quietly took the two seats and began watching Mr. Black. Soon John's show would begin and then they would know everything they needed.
"My name is Jonathan Ashwood." John said introducing himself.
All Sirius could think was 'Oh fantastic some old pureblood came to poke fun at the last Black.' "Oh, well Mr. Ashwood I would shake your hand and offer you a drink, however," Sirius said in a mocking tone while gesturing around with his hands as his arms were chained tightly to the chair. "My current accommodations won't allow such niceties." Sirius added giving this Mr. Ashwood a mischievous smirk from behind his mop of hair.
John watched all this and had to fight to keep a smile from his face. He had read that most people go mad after a couple of years. In fact John didn't think that the man in front of him would be sane after all these years. John went to psychiatrists during the months leading up to this visit in order to pick their brains on how to recognize if someone is unbalanced. Apparently everything is conditional and determining if someone is sane is dependent on their unique situation. When John gave the psychiatrists a hypothetical problem that was rather like Azkaban he was told only that the psychiatrists didn't think anyone would remain sane after a seven year period. However it should be very obvious one way or the other. If the way Mr. Black was acting was any indication he was somehow still sane. Now for the bit he wasn't looking forward to. Time to see if he was indeed correct about this man. So with a deep breath John put his plan into action. "Mr. Black as you may or may not know it was the wish of Lily and James Potter that you become the guardian of one Harry James Potter upon their deaths." John paused for a second to make sure both Emily and Maria could get a good read. "However as you were incarcerated almost immediately after their deaths you were unable to fulfill that wish." John wished he could see Sirius's face but his job was to keep his attention and appear to be a bureaucrat simply doing his duty. "Now it is my duty to inform you of the death of one Harry James Potter."
"WHAT! NO!" Sirius screamed. He started thrashing against the chains. In a flash Emily and Maria were up and restraining Sirius so he wouldn't hurt himself. It was a good thing he was so weak from being starved otherwise the two girls might not have been able to restrain him.
John hated to continue but it needed to be done. "I am surprised that you actually care after you ratted both Lily and James out to you-know-who." John said in a calm voice to a heavily restrained but seething Sirius Black.
"I love Harry! And I never betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort!" Sirius yelled as he started to struggle harder against the chains and the two girls.
Maria was now having a rather hard time keeping the man still and knew they weren't going to win this one by only restraining him. She quickly got her arm around the man's neck and pulled tight. It only took a few seconds before the man's screaming and thrashing stopped and he slumped in the chair unconscious. "Well that went well." Maria said while catching her breath. Wrestling with Sirius had been tiring even though he was chained to a chair.
John let out his smile. "Yes I would say it has. I mean apart from you knocking him out. How long do we have before he comes around?"
"Oh I'd say about ten minutes." Emily said while checking Sirius's heartbeat. "Oh and nice one by the way." She added to Maria who chuckled.
"So what do you two think? Did he betray the Potters?" John asked. This is why the two ladies came along after all. Emily and Maria were supposed to watch Sirius's reactions to what John was saying and find out how he actually felt. They both had interrogated many criminals after all and were quite good at it.
"Well I think he is innocent. He reacted rather violently to the news of Harry's death, which would suggest that he truly cares for the boy. When you added in the bit about ratting out the Potters he tensed. I wouldn't have even noticed had it not been for the fact that we were restraining him and so was able to feel it. Now normally I would say that is a sign of guilt but instead of shutting up he became enraged. That sort of reaction while easy to fake is very difficult to fake well and with how difficult it was to keep hold of him after that I can tell you he wasn't faking." Emily told John while Maria nodded agreeing with the assessment.
"That's good to hear. Well that at least confirms my suspicions, however he was also charged with the mass murder of thirteen muggles and one wizard by the name of Peter Pettigrew." John said. "So now we need to talk to him again. I hated doing that to him but it seemed to be the best way to determine his innocence or guilt. Now lets get him up so that we can set him straight. I hope he feels forgiving." John said as they got ready to wake the man. "Here goes nothing." He said as they started to slap him lightly to wake him up. Sirius started shifting and after a few moans his head came up.
"Ugh, what happened?" asked Sirius who was still out of it. John quickly got in front of him and grabbed the man's shoulders to make sure that he had Sirius's attention.
"Harry is alive and well! Do you understand? Harry is alive and well!" John yelled at Sirius. Sirius looked at John with anger and hope. Before Sirius could allow his mind to start working well enough to really think about what had happened John started talking to keep Sirius's mind occupied. John needed to explain everything before Sirius could think enough to doubt him.
"Let me get this straight. You adopted Harry after his relatives were sent to jail. Found out about the wizarding world. Went to Gringotts and found a letter in Harry's vault. And that letter lead you to me. You then decided to determine my innocence by telling me Harry was dead. Is that about the gist of it?" Sirius asked the three.
"Yes. I hope your are not too upset but before we did anything we needed to make sure that my hunch was correct. Now before we talk anymore you need to eat." John said as he dug out a bar of chocolate and held it in front of Sirius's mouth so that he could eat as his arms were bound to the chair. "Sorry but all we have is chocolate. While it should help with the dementors I am afraid that it is not very nutritious. Now don't eat to fast or too much. It looks like they starve you." John said with disgust.
"Well they do." Sirius told them after swallowing a small mouthful of chocolate. The effect of the chocolate was immediate Sirius felt a warmth consume his body. "That has to be the best thing I've ever had. But then when you have had only gruel for the past seven years anything would taste amazing. Thank you." Sirius got out before taking another bite.
"Well I'm sorry that the only think I brought was chocolate. I promise something a lot more appetizing on my next visit." John said as Sirius was chewing and letting the chocolate melt wonderfully in his mouth. "But I am afraid I am curious about a few things can you..." John was interrupted by the sound of a knock on the door. "Damn, I was hoping for more time. Alright here just let it melt and swallow it slowly over time. We will be back as soon as possible." John told Sirius quickly as he shoveled a few pieces of chocolate in Sirius's mouth. He barely finished and got back across the room when the door opened.
"I hope you got what you needed as your time is up. We need to leave now." Amelia said to the group.
"I am afraid not. I will need to put in another visitation request as soon as we get back to the Ministry." John told her. While John was occupying Ms. Bones, Emily shot the raggedy man a warm smile and mouthed 'Hang in there.' Sirius responded with a goofy grin that made Emily giggle. Maria, who had noticed that particular exchange, was giving her friend a 'What was that?' look. Emily simply mouthed 'Later'.
The trip back to the Ministry was uneventful "So what do I need to do to schedule another visit?" John asked Ms. Bones.
"The same things you did to get this one." She replied looking at him as if he was a little slow.
"Oh, really? I thought once you were in the system it would be different." John said trying to explain his reasoning.
"Nope. Just fill out the same papers you did for this meeting." Amelia told him. "Have a good evening." With that Amelia escorted the visitors to the lift.
Everyone kept quiet as they exited the Ministry. John hailed a taxi as the two women started talking. John wasn't paying much attention, his mind was on everything he had learned tonight. First and foremost Sirius was innocent of the charges when it came to the Potters. He still didn't know about Pettigrew however. He would need to find out during his next visit. He was hoping that if the man was innocent that he could bring Harry along but until he found out more about the charges regarding Peter Pettigrew, Harry would be staying at home.
While John was lost in his thoughts the two women were in a deep conversation. "So are you alright? I mean with all of this." Maria asked gesturing all around herself.
"You mean the taxi? Sure it's not like I've never taken a taxi before." Emily responded hiding her smile as she played with her friend. Maria deserved it for keeping the whole 'our children are wizards, wizards and witches exist, Harry's godfather is a convicted murderer, oh and lets not forget that we have known this for months'. Yes Maria definitely deserved this.
"What? No! I mean with the whole..." Maria started but was interrupted by a rather loud cough from John who had apparently come out of his thoughts.
"Later." He said in a low voice. The rest of the ride had a lot of quiet tension between Emily and Maria. John just sat there hoping that the two women could at least make it to the Leaky Cauldron. In fact they did, although they looked like they were going to pop the moment they crossed the threshold. "Why don't you two grab a booth and I'll fetch us a couple of drinks." John said as he headed to the bar. 'Honestly what is going on with those two. They get like this every once in a while, but it had been so long since then I thought they grew past whatever it was. If I remember correctly the last time those two were like this was when...No. No it couldn't be. But who it seemed to start when...Oh dear God.' John thought to himself as he went up to Tom the barman. "Hello Tom."
"John, it's good to see you." Tom replied. "Please take a seat and let me know what I can get you."
"Actually I'm here with my wife and family friend. We are seated right over..." John paused as he turned around looking for the ladies, "there. I'm not really sure what she wants so why don't you just bring over three firewhiskeys, a butterbeer, and some Bungbarrel Spiced Mead. She will be able to try a little of each." John said to Tom. "It's a good thing she is a heavy drinker." John muttered under his breath as he rejoined the girls. When he got there the two were in giggling like schoolgirls. Oh no.
While John was at the bar the two women found a booth and had barely been seated for a second before Maria started again. "You know I wasn't talking about the taxi. I meant the whole wizarding world thing!" Emily couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing.
"Alright, alright!" Emily barely got out over her laughter. After a few minutes she got it under control. "Sorry I just couldn't help myself after keeping everything from me for so long." Emily explained narrowing her eyes at Maria.
"I'm sorry but it wasn't because we didn't want to. It was because it is against the law. Well the magical law anyway. Between the law, Sirius, and the whole wizarding world we were run ragged. I'm sorry Em. In fact we might get into quite a bit of trouble for cluing you in so keep your mouth shut about it alright. I mean the worst that will likely happen is that the Ministry sends an obliviator and wipe out your memories." Maria apologized and explained leaving a serious look on her friends face. She really did mean it and she had missed her best friend over the past few months.
"It's fine. I might be a little hurt about you not telling me for all these months but you finally did. Besides you gave me one hell of an adventure tonight, not to mention as much of John's chocolate as I can eat." Emily told her friend. "And who can forget that rather dashing prisoner." She whispered leaning towards Maria conspiratorially. Maria's eyes bulged.
"I knew it!" Maria quietly exclaimed. "But what on earth? Why?"
"Oh come on Maria. I know you've been married for a while but you should still be able to recognize a handsome man when you see one." Emily jibbed playfully. "And besides didn't you notice how strong he was even after being starved. And the way he fought when he heard that Harry was dead, that kind of love is actually quite romantic. God the guy is the whole package, too bad he's locked up." Emily started going on her voice becoming dreamier by the second but looked down with disappointment at the end.
Maria was astounded, Emily had always been a bit of a tomboy. Never seeming to like romance or anything that was considered girly for that matter. In fact her last relationship ended over four years ago when she decided that she didn't like being the man in the relationship. Since then no man had been brave enough to even try. Maria couldn't stop the giggles that came now. "I can't believe it. For a woman who has sworn off men to fall for a convicted mass murderer!"
"Hey! Didn't we just prove that he is innocent! And besides I only swore off of pathetic men and you took the only non pathetic man that I know. Well...knew." Emily said excitedly trying to keep her smile from splitting her face in two. "Can you really blame me. And besides aren't we going to prove his innocence and get him out of there. We are getting him out right?" Emily asked with a bit of anxiety. First and foremost this was Harry's godfather. Second he was innocent. And third he was cute!
"Well we still need to see about the mass murder charge. But if he is innocent of that as well then absolutely we will do our best to get him out." Maria said aghast that Emily would think that there was even a possibility they would leave an innocent man in prison. "At the very least we would get him out so you can finally get a date." Maria joked as both girls burst into giggles just as John sat down next to them.
"Alright, please tell me that I'm reading this wrong." John begged. Maria and Emily just giggled harder. A few moments later the drinks arrived ending the girls giggles.
"Well there is quite a lot of booze John. Are we throwing a party?" Emily asked eyes wide.
"Actually I wasn't sure what you would like so I covered my bases. Consider it an apology for not keeping you in the loop for the past few months." John answered. He did actually feel bad forgetting about her but with everything going on Emily took a back seat. Time to fix his mistake.
"First all the chocolate I can eat, and now showering me with alcohol. It is a good start." Emily said as she picked up the butterbeer and gave it a sip. It was good. Really good. She quickly downed the drink ready to try the next one.
"And don't forget we just got through introducing you to your future husband." Maria added. 'I knew it. Somehow I just knew it.' John thought as his head dropped.
"Alright, your forgiven...once you hand over the rest of that chocolate. And what is this?" She asked putting down her now empty butterbeer.
"That would be butterbeer." John said as he passed the bag full of chocolate over to Emily.
"It is my new favorite drink. Now what are these?" She asked accepting the bag.
"Well this one is spiced mead, and the other is firewhiskey." Maria told her friend taking a sip of her own firewhiskey. Emily picked up the mead and gave it a little sip. It wasn't bad but she liked her drinks with a bit more of a kick. She just put it back down and picked up the firewhiskey. The instant she sipped the golden liquid she felt a burning sensation going down her throat and then a warmth spread out over her entire body. Now this was a drink!
"Whoa! Now this I like! You're paying right John?" Emily asked and got a nod in return. With a wry smile she got up and went over to the bar. When she came back she had two bottles of the firewhiskey. John simply lowered his face into his hands as he shook his head.
"Alright I think it's about time to head back home." John said as he watched Emily put the two bottles in the bag with the chocolate. "Maria why don't you and Emily floo home while I pay the bill. I'll be home soon." He told his wife giving her a peck on the cheek.
The next few months seemed to fly by. The kids homeschooling was going extremely well. Maria had taken over the basic classes like math and science so that John had more time to study the subjects of potions and magic. Now as it turned out creating potions is basically just cooking with magical ingredients. Although if you screw up then the concoction might explode rather than just have a bad taste. A lesson John learned the hard way. Fortunately the cauldron only melted instead of blowing up. From then on it was determined that all potion making would be done outside. After that first unfortunate accident John had taken to potions like a fish to water. There were of course a few hiccups here and there, but the largest problem that John ran into were his prankster sons. Since all of the potions that he would be working on were relatively harmless Harry and Merlyn thought they would be the perfect tools for pranks. After the pink and purple hair indecent John and Maria decided they needed to have a talk with the kids.
"Boys come down stairs we need to have a talk!" Maria shouted up the stairway. The kids knew they were in trouble. Their mom doesn't really get mad but when she does you need to run. "Now kids we haven't punished you before for your pranks, but that is about to change." The two brothers eyes went wide. They loved their pranking. "Now here are the new rules. No prank can have effects that last longer than half an hour. We cannot catch you performing the prank. And finally you are not allowed to use any of your fathers potions." With each new rule the boys mouths dropped more and more. This is not what they were expecting. Maria looked at her two boys and smiled, all her anger gone. She really did love her kids, their pranks were always funny. The only reason she came down on them this time was because the potion that they chose to use permanently changed her hair color to pink. John was currently in the back yard, with his purple hair, trying to find a way to turn their hair back.
That was life for the Ashwoods. Soon the date for their next visit to Azkaban arrived. "John do you have everything? You know that they will be here soon."
"I know. Everything is ready to go once Minerva and Emily get here." John called out from the kitchen. This time he wasn't only taking chocolate. He had also made a nutrient potion the other day just for Sirius, and yesterday he cooked a chicken for him. After reading up on how to help people with anorexia and bulimia. He wanted to know what was needed for people who's stomach had shrunk due to the fact that Sirius's had because of starvation. So no starch. Meat and veggies only. Right as he was finishing his packing the doorbell rang.
The trip to Azkaban went just as it did the first time. This time however it was not Ms. Bones that took them to Azkaban but a Mr. Brown. He was quiet for the entire boat ride and didn't even create a patronus until after they landed on the island. Needless to say a decent amount of chocolate was consumed on the boat. When they asked if they could be alone with the prisoner he allowed it. You know it is amazing what you can get away with when you are a muggle in the wizarding world. No one ever expects you to do anything or rather they don't expect you to be able to do anything. Not that they were complaining.
"Well you look like shit." Emily said with a grin.
"Well that's a pity. Will it ruin our date then?" Sirius asked playfully back. His eyebrows raised when he heard a few clinks coming from John's bag. "You brought me a present? Oh, you shouldn't have." He made a show of looking around the room as if just noticing the horrid conditions. "But then again..." he let out with a chuckle.
"Oh shut up and eat. We only have a half hour. I swear six hours of paperwork for only a half hour visit is ridiculous." John complained as he pulled out the chicken. "Now how are we going to do this?" John asked wondering just how Sirius was going to eat the chicken. He obviously knew what he would do but he wanted Sirius to be able to at least choose how he was going to be fed.
"Well you could always sit on my lap and feed me." Sirius suggested with grin. However the grin left his face immediately when Emily grabbed the chicken and plopped onto his lap.
"Alrighty big boy time for you to eat your dinner." Emily said as she sat on his lap and started to tear off a piece of chicken. Sirius was about to say something but the moment his mouth opened to speak Emily shoved a piece of chicken in. "No, no, no, eat now talk later. Got it?" Sirius's answer was to open his mouth for another piece of chicken. Just as he was about to take the next piece Emily decided to have some fun and wiggled her butt on Sirius's lap. His eyes went up to hers and when she gave him a flirtatious smile Sirius gave her a mischievous grin letting her know he was not going to loose this little game.
With all the flirting it took a little longer to finish the chicken then John would have liked. "Alright, alright that is enough. You two can go at it again next week we are currently running out of time." John said admonishing the two in front of him. Emily slowly got off of Sirius, which Sirius seemed to enjoy. "Sirius before we do anything else I need you to tell us what happened with Pettigrew and all those muggles you were accused of killing." Sirius's winks and smiles went away in the blink of an eye.
"Well that's simple Peter was Lily and James's secret keeper." Sirius said as if that should of explained everything. For John it did but Maria and Emily were lost so Sirius continued. "He was the only one who could have sold out the Potters to Voldemort." A look of understanding showed on Maria and Emily's faces. "So I hunted him down and attempted to kill him. But he had used brains that I never knew he had. The moment I backed him into a corner he shouted out how I betrayed Lily and James. He then pointed his wand from behind his back and blew up the street killing all those people. He cut off his finger and turned into a rat." At the others surprised looks Sirius explained. "Some wizards can become animals at will. It is a lengthy process and to long and complicated to go into now. But the Ministry makes you register if you become an animagus. Lets just say Peter never did. And I have no idea where he is or I wouldn't be in here now." This news made John smile. Finally he knew that Harry's godfather was entirely innocent.
"Thank you. Now I don't know how much time we have left so quickly swallow this." John said pulling out one of the vials of potion. "It's a nutrients potion." Sirius gulped down the potion with a grimace.
"You would think that after all these centuries we could make potions taste better." Sirius complained. "Thank you." Sirius said. He hadn't received treatment like this in over seven years. "Can I ask you for a favor?" John nodded. "I'd like to see my godson." Sirius said pleadingly.
"Well I was actually planning on bringing him next week but I have to tell you the guy who brought us here this time only cast a patronus once we reached the island. I believe that you are innocent and I want Harry to meet his godfather but what kind of father would I be if I brought him here and let him relive his worst memories." John explained. Sirius looked disappointed but not only did he understand, he agreed with John. "However if we can arrange for Ms. Bones to be our escort then I'll bring him." Sirius's face lit up. He was going to see his godson again. "Now before we leave we need to hide these on you." John said becoming serious as he pulled out four more tubes of nutrient potions. "Do they search you before you go back to your cell?"
"They didn't last time. I think it's because you are muggles. Wizarding arrogance if you ask me but I'm not about to complain." Sirius said while shaking his head.
"Good. Then we can give you some chocolate as well. Don't eat it all at once. We will be back next week so make sure to take that potion once a day. Don't let them see the vials, just keep them hidden and we can switch them out during our next visit." Not long after they got everything situated there came a knock. It was time to go. "See you in a week."
"Don't I get a kiss?" Sirius asked, flirting one last time with Emily.
"Nope, you're not my type. Too skinny. You know you should eat more." She flirted back. Giving his hand one last squeeze she headed toward the door.
The weeks seemed to fly by. When it came to schooling, Harry and Merlyn began to throw themselves into their studying, well at least when it came to their magic and potions classes. After all they weren't allowed to use their dad's potions in their pranks anymore, and potions made pranks so much better. When it came to Sirius, John tried to request Ms. Bones as their escort but no matter which way he worded the request or whatever forms he filled out it never happened. Eventually John got fed up with the ministry paperwork and decided to write directly to Ms. Bones to ask that she meet him at the Leaky Cauldron. So now we find John sitting at the bar in the Leaky Cauldron waiting for Ms. Bones to arrive. He was a little early so wasn't disappointed that Ms. Bones was not there yet. Right when the clock on the wall chimed John saw Ms. Bones come out of a bright green fire. He immediately got up and went over to her with two glasses of firewhiskey.
"Ms. Bones thank you for meeting with me." John greeted gesturing towards a booth.
"It's quite alright. I must admit a was a little surprised at your letter. What can I do for you?"
"Well there a couple of matters that I wish to discuss with you. First of which is my next visit to Azkaban. You see all of our visits apart from our first with you have been rather nasty due to the fact that our escorts don't cast a patronus until we reach the island, and I must say that because of that the boat rides to the island have been horrid."
"I can understand your feelings Mr. Ashwood but your escorts are following protocol. They are only required to use a patronus while on the island, so I do not see what I can do." Amelia said trying not to just blow Mr. Ashwood off, but really what did he expect her to do? After all visits to Azkaban are rare and before Mr. Ashwood no one had made so many regular visits to the prison.
"Well normally I wouldn't mind a little discomfort but I wish to take my son on our next visit." John said shocking Amelia. Merlin's beard, why would anyone want to take a child to that place? "You see my son's godfather is there." John told her.
It took a few minutes for Amelia to shake off her shock. "Sirius Black?" John nodded. "I was unaware you had named him your son's godfather. But I must ask why did you? I mean he is a mass murderer!?"
John smiled and shook his head. "No Ms. Bones he is not. Also I was not the one who named him as my son's godfather. My son's biological parent's did before they were murdered."
"Just who is your son?"
"His name is Harry Potter." This shocked the hell out of Amelia but John simply continued. "Although we haven't brought it up with him yet. That is why we have been visiting Mr. Black regularly. I am quite convinced that Mr. Black is completely innocent of the charges for which he was incarcerated."
Amelia just shook her head at the muggle. "And how, may I ask, did you come to that conclusion?"
"Well in fact I had no knowledge of him until a short while after we adopted Harry. When we were introduced to the wizarding world we went to Gringotts and found that Harry had a vault. When we visited the vault I found a letter written by the Potter's addressed to their son in case of their demise. After reading the letter I set out to find Mr. Black to find out how he could have given Harry to those horrible relatives of his." Amelia had a perplexed look on her face as John continued. "When I found out what had become of Mr. Black and why he was incarcerated I went back to the letter and found that something wasn't sitting right with me. So I went to go and talk with Sirius at Azkaban." John then continued to explain what had occurred during his first and subsequent visits. As he continued Amelia's look of shock became more and more pronounced. "We have been trying to find evidence that would exonerate him. Now while we found the transcripts of his trial and realized that at the very least we could get a retrial based on the way his first one was carried out it would do no good as everyone believes him guilty and we haven't been able to find enough evidence to potentially change the verdict." John finished a little depressed.
"What do you mean? How was the original trial conducted?" Amelia asked. Now she had heard many people claim that their friends or relatives were innocent but none had actually tried to do anything about it apart from making complaints. The fact that she believed John to be an intelligent man added to her curiosity.
"Well first off Sirius was not even present for the trial. In addition there was no defense offered for him. In fact the only things that were brought forward were the few witness statements from muggles." Amelia was shocked, John wasn't kidding when he said that he could get a retrial for Sirius. "Honestly it is sad but all we have at this point is Sirius's testimony and lack of any motive. Well in the case of Pettigrew he has plenty of motive but he also says that Pettigrew is still alive so no case of murder exists. You know it is a shame that there isn't a spell or potion that could verify he is telling the truth."
Amelia didn't know what to say. There were of course a few ways to verify a statement. One was of course veritaserum, another was by the use of a pensieve. Both were rather hard to come by. Pensieves were simply a rarity and quite expensive if you were able to find one. Veritaserum was a restricted potion, only a handful of people actually knew how to make it and then it was always kept under lock and key. Finding someone who had a pensieve and would willingly let it be used by another while unlikely was the best way to go. The Ministry would never allow the use of its stock of veritaserum on a convicted murderer. It was only used to determine guilt in extreme circumstances. "There are a few ways. One is a potion called veritaserum, and the other is to use a device known as a pensieve, it is used to view memories.
"What!?" John exclaimed. "Why haven't I heard about these before? I mean I understand the pensieve as I've only been looking into spells and potions but what about veritaserum?"
"The Ministry has labeled veritaserum as a restricted potion and so knowledge of it isn't widely known. Any book containing information about it is also restricted. So you wouldn't find it in Flourish and Blotts. Now can you tell me what made you think Mr. Black was innocent in the first place?"
"Well I only had a feeling he was innocent of betraying the Potters. I didn't know about the mass murder but I figured that if he was innocent of one he would be innocent of the other." John then told Amelia about the contents of the letter, just the parts mentioning Sirius. "So you see if Sirius was going to betray the Potters then why would he have put the letter in the vault. No one else knew of the letter so if it was missing it wouldn't of mattered. There would have literally been no point to going to the Potter vault. Then of course if he was intending to betray the Potters then going to their vault a few days before they died would have raised suspicion if he had been able to get away." Amelia had to admit that John made valid points.
"I need to see to a few things but if everything pans out I can arrange to be your escort from now on." She didn't want to mention that if what she had in mind worked then Sirius would be a free man. That is of course he was innocent.
"Thank you. I guess that we will see you this weekend." John said his goodbye and walked to the fireplace.
"Thank you for meeting with me Dumbledore." Amelia said as she stood motioning to the chair on the other side of her desk.
"No trouble of course. Although I am interested in why you asked me to bring my pensieve." Dumbledore said as he took the offered seat.
"I believe that there may have been a miscarriage of justice. I either needed a pensieve or veritaserum and to be honest this was the easier route." At Dumbledore's nod she continued. "I believe that a Mr. Black has been unjustly sentenced to Azkaban." This took Dumbledore by surprise. He after all was a witness at his trial and spoke against him. Sirius was after all the Potter's secret keeper. But he knew Amelia Bones well, she was not stupid so there must be a reason she believes this. "Would you come with me to hear his statement?"
"Very well. But I must admit that I don't believe this will change anything." Dumbledore noted.
"I understand and I must admit that I wouldn't even be considering this if it wasn't for an interesting conversation I had the other day with a Mr. Ashwood." Dumbledore was now fully attentive as Amelia informed him about everything that Mr. Ashwood had told her at the Leaky Cauldron. "So as you can see this is a new point of view that I believe is at least worth looking into." Dumbledore was astounded. This didn't make since at all. James was adamant about Sirius being his secret keeper. But if this was true then why didn't the Potters inform him. He was the head of the order after all and even offered himself to be their secret keeper. Did they not trust him? No thoughts like that were for later. Now was the time to either confirm what he believed to be the truth or to find what truly happened.
"Lead the way Ms. Bones."
A mere half hour later both Amelia and Albus were opening the door to the interrogation room to find a chained Sirius Black. The moment the door started to open they heard Sirius's voice. "Ah I knew you couldn't stay away." His voice was jolly as was the look on his face, that is until he spotted who his visitors were. He immediately became quiet and withdrawn. "Ah, I'm sorry I was expecting someone else. So what can I do for my jailer today?" Sirius asked with a sneer. This turned from a pleasant surprise to an unwelcome one in an instant.
"Mr. Black some information has been brought to my attention that you may well be innocent of the charges you were incarcerated for. We are here today to give you a chance to prove your innocence." Sirius was stunned. This had John written all over it but why didn't he ever tell him that he was working on a way to free him? "Albus Dumbledore has consented to the use of his pensieve during this interrogation. Now all we need are certain memories from you. Do you consent to us viewing your memories using this pensieve?" Sirius nodded. It was not like they could do anything worse as they had already sentenced him. "Very well. We will now extract any memories you wish to give regarding the fidelius charm used on the Potters as well as any that have to do with their choice of secret keeper." The process took a few minutes. "Now we will extract your memories regarding the charges of mass murder and Peter Pettigrew." Once again the process took some time. Extracting ones own memories was not difficult however extracting someone else's needed to be done with care. It could not be done with an unwilling subject but accidents are more likely to happen. Soon enough the pensieve had all the memories. "Thank you for your cooperation. If you will please wait while we examine your memories." Amelia said as she leaned over the pensieve with Dumbledore doing so moments later.
Amelia felt like she was falling into another world. What an interesting sensation. When she looked up she found Dumbledore right beside her. They nodded to one another and watched the scene unfold in front of them.
A much younger Sirius Black was currently walking up to a house in Godric's Hollow. Once he arrived and knocked on the door it opened to see a rather run down looking James Potter. "Sirius!" James whispered happily. "What are you doing here you know the charm wont be ready to cast until tomorrow?"
"I know. That is what I wanted to talk to you about." Sirius said seriously.
"Well don't stand there come on in but please be quiet. Harry just fell asleep." James said. Sirius followed James inside and locked the door. "Well don't just keep quiet is something the matter?"
"I think you should use Peter." Sirius told his best friend. As James was about to object Sirius cut him off. "Look I know you want me to be the secret keeper and I'm honored but I have been doing a lot of thinking. Everyone expects you to choose me. Now I will gladly give up my life to keep you safe and you know it but Voldemort has many ways of extracting information. And when they get their hands on me he will do whatever his twisted mind can think of to get the information. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if he had a potions master make him some veritaserum." At this James looked thoughtful. It was a logical argument. But Voldemort could do the same with any secret keeper and he told Sirius as much. "I know don't you think I've thought of that? Look I think it would be better to use Peter because no one would ever think you would use him. If we keep who your secret keeper is a secret then they won't be able to get the person who can tell them in the first place."
James sat down and poured them each a drink as he thought about Sirius's plan. He couldn't fault it. True Peter was his good friend but he trusted Sirius more than anyone. "You really think this is the best way to go?" James asked his eyes glued to his drink.
"Yes." Sirius said not taking his eye's off his own.
"Alright. I'll let Lily know when she wakes up. She's currently sleeping with Harry."
The memory faded as a new one took its place. Albus and Amelia are once again outside watching Sirius Black standing across the street from a few houses. However the Potters house was no where to be seen. The fidelius charm had obviously been cast. This at least proved that Sirius was not the secret keeper. After a couple of moments Peter Pettigrew appeared out of thin air and walked over to Sirius. Peter walked right up to Sirius and started to whisper in his ear. As soon as Pettigrew pulled away the Potter's cottage seemed to push the other two properties out of the way as it sprung into existence. The memory then faded. "Well I believe that confirms that Sirius Black was not the Potter's secret keeper." Amelia said and Dumbledore couldn't help but agree.
A new memory faded into existence. They were standing in the middle of a muggle town. They saw a scared looking Peter Pettigrew running away from a furious Sirius. "You're not getting away from me you bloody rat!" Sirius cornered Peter and began to stride menacingly towards him. "I've got you now you piece of filth!" Sirius said softly.
Just as Sirius was a few meters away Peter started shouting "Sirius how could you betray Lily and James!" As he was shouting he pointed his wand behind his back and uttered a spell that tore up the street and killed a bunch of muggles. Amelia couldn't take her eye's off of what was occurring right in front of her and it was a good thing she didn't as she saw Peter cut off his own finger and transform into a rat which ran into the sewers.
"I think it is time to leave." Amelia blinked and when she opened her eyes she was back in the interrogation room. "Dumbledore I know this is sudden but as chief warlock you do have the authority to call an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot."
Dumbledore nodded and began to leave before turning back to a still angry Sirius. "I know that I do not deserve any forgiveness from you Sirius. But I am sorry."
"You have a lot to answer for Dumbledore." Stated Sirius. "Not for this. John told me what you did to my godson. You may not need forgiveness for this as you truly believed I was the secret keeper but for what you did to Harry there is no forgiveness." Sirius told the chief warlock coldly.
"Yes I have no doubt I will be making a good many apologies this week."
"Mr. Black I wish to convey to you my apologies for this serious miscarriage of justice. Now the Wizengamot will not be able to meet until tomorrow but for now I have the authority to at least move you to a holding cell at the Ministry.
A few days later we find John, Maria, and Harry walking into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. John looked for Ms. Bones but couldn't see her anywhere. He walked up to who appeared to be a secretary. "Excuse me we are here to meet with Ms. Bones."
"Oh, you must be the Ashwoods." At a nod from John she continued. "I am sorry but Ms. Bones is currently unavailable. She did say that she was expecting you and if she had not returned to allow you to wait in her office." The secretary finished gesturing to a door with a placard that read 'Amelia Bones'.
"Thank you." John said as he took his family into the office. The family all took a seat as they anxiously waited for Madame Bones. The long minutes turned into an hour. Harry was beginning to feel a little uneasy. Earlier his parents had sat both Merlyn and him down and explained about Sirius. Harry was very nervous about meeting his godfather. His father told him that the only reason he was in prison and that Sirius loved him very much but it didn't really help all that much. Merlyn really wanted to come but they only had three visitor passes. Finally the door opened and in came Ms. Bones and to the surprise of the Ashwood patriarchs, Sirius.
Once everyone had settled down Amelia began to explain what had occurred after her meeting with John at the Leaky Cauldron. She had indeed gotten Sirius a retrial on the basis that his original one had been irregular to say the least. The new trial had lasted two days and had only just ended. John and Maria were both shocked that Dumbledore was involved and even more so that he was the reason Sirius was found innocent. Dumbledore hadn't exactly made the best impression on them so far. Harry was starring at his godfather the entire time and Sirius was starring right back. John and Maria were very glad at that moment they had smuggled in food and nutrient potions to Sirius. He had put on some weight, although not back to his former glory he looked a damn sight better than he had on their first visit. After the explanations were over Sirius got up and went to his godson. "Hello Harry. Do you know who I am?"
"You're my godfather, Sirius Black." Harry answered shyly. He didn't really know what to do or what to say.
"That's right." Sirius said as he knelt down in front of Harry. "The last time I saw you, you were only a year old. I've missed you Harry." Sirius said trying to keep talking but was having trouble finding the words. Right here in front of him was his godson, a boy he loved as much as if he was his own. "I would like for us to get to know each other. Would that be alright?" Sirius asked more nervous in that moment then he thought he had ever been in his entire life. Harry couldn't find his voice and just nodded toward the man.
During all of this John and Maria were sharing the same thought, 'What do we do now?' "Um Sirius do you have a place to stay?" Maria asked tentatively.
"Not exactly. There is the old family home but no one has been there for a long time. A lot longer than I was in Azkaban. But I've got money so for now I will take a room at the Leaky Cauldron." Sirius told them still not entirely believing this was all happening.
"Nonsense." John stated. "You can stay with us." Maria's and Sirius's mouths dropped. John quickly continued, "It will be easier than you getting a room and it will give you and Harry more time to get reacquainted. Are you alright with that Harry?" Harry wasn't sure. He didn't remember the man at all but he trusted his parents so he nodded still not able to find his voice. The group soon left the Ministry and headed home. The trip home was exciting at least for Sirius and Harry. John and Maria weren't sure what to say so they opted to stay silent in the cab. Over the last few months John and Maria had filled him in on Harry's life so far but he still had many questions. It didn't take long for the two to start reconnecting. A few questions here, a few jokes there and Harry was smiling and laughing right alongside his godfather. By the time they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron Harry was very happy that Sirius was coming to live with them. "Harry why don't you floo home and let your brother and Emily know about what happened. We need to talk to Sirius for a moment and will floo home soon." Harry nodded and headed toward the fireplace but stopped before he stepped in and turned around. He ran over to Sirius and gave him a hug. Sirius was stunned and doing his best not to cry as he returned the tight hug. After Harry flooed home John turned to Sirius. He was about to ask Sirius a question but was interrupted by a hug from said man.
"Thank you. For getting me out. I know it was Bones and Dumbledore that did the deed but I also know they wouldn't have done any of it had you not talked to Amelia in the first place."
John chuckled once he regained his wits. "It was nothing Sirius. But there is something I wanted to talk to you about." John said as he led Sirius and Maria to a table. "What do you plan to do about Harry? I know you are his godfather but he is my son and, as good a man as I think you are, I will not give up my son without a fight." John said in a tone that showed just how serious he was.
Sirius looked thoughtful. He often imagined getting out and being a true godfather to Harry but could he really in good conscious take Harry away from these people. After all not only did they save him from Azkaban but more importantly saved Harry from the Dursleys and gave him a loving family. No, he couldn't. "As much as I wish I could be his father he already has a damn good one so no. I won't try to take him away from you. But after I get back on my feet I hope that you will still let me visit him."
John could not find a single fault in the man. Over the past few months as he has been visiting Sirius in Azkaban he found that he rather liked the man. Now he knew just how much he cared for his son. John decided to have a little fun with his son's godfather. He looked right at Sirius with his most serious face and said "If you so much as stay away for longer than three days we will have a problem. You will always be welcome at our house." Towards the end he couldn't help but smile and Sirius grinned right along with him happy to know that he would always have access to his godson. "Now that that is taken care of lets go home. I have a feeling we shouldn't wait to much longer or Emily will be rather cross." At the mention of Emily Sirius perked up.
"Emily is waiting? Tell you what I think I'll stick around in Diagon Alley for a little bit and floo over in about an hour. Do you think I've filled out enough?" Sirius asked.
Maria laughed as she watched the free man looking himself over. It was like he was getting ready for his first date. Which he just might be now that she thought of it. "I don't know but you better not take to long." The moment she finished Sirius gave a salute and ran to the alley to do some shopping. "Come on lets go home. I think Emily will be going stir crazy by now."
When Maria and John walked out of the fireplace they found their kids waiting for them. But funnily enough no Emily. "Where is Auntie Em?" Maria asked.
"She said she was going to take a shower." Lynn said.
Almost an hour later Emily was waiting in the living room while the rest of the family was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Well the boys were, Maria just watched. They wanted to give Emily and Sirius some time to themselves. Over the past few months Emily and Sirius had grown rather close. She even filled out the paperwork so that she could visit more often. Lately she had been going twice a week in addition to going with John and Maria. Nothing more than flirting ever happened. Most of the time she and Sirius just talked until she was forced to leave. Maria would claim that this was the most she had ever dated a man and that in order to get it the man had to be chained to a chair. What shocked Maria the most was that Emily would never rise to the bait.
Sirius was now back in the Leaky Cauldron checking over his appearance. 'Well it is now or never.' Sirius thought as he stepped into the fireplace. A flash of green fire later and he was walking into the Ashwoods living room. The moment Sirius emerged in the Ashwoods living room he saw Emily standing right in front of him. Before he could even utter a single word Emily wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed his lips to hers. Sirius's world exploded. He reciprocated with all the passion that had been building up ever since he met her all those months ago. It took a couple of minutes before the two ended the kiss so they could breathe but staying in each others arms. "If that is the welcome I will always receive I think I might just go back to Azkaban for a while just so I can get released again."
Emily moved her hand to the back of his head and grabbed Sirius's hair. "Don't you dare." Emily breathed out as she brought his head down and into another passionate kiss.
"Yes ma'am." Sirius breathed still dizzy after that kiss. "I take it I've filled out enough for you then?" Sirius asked giving her a roguish grin.
"No. You simply are taking to long." Emily quipped right back as she laid her head on his chest and held him. "But I'm not too worried about it. Spend a few weeks eating John's food and you should look passable."
"I think we can arrange that." Said a voice coming from the kitchen doorway. "You know this isn't exactly what I pictured when you said you wanted to welcome Sirius. I thought you would have beaten him to a pulp for taking so long to get out." John said laughing.
"Oh don't worry about that. He'll get his beating later." Emily said before giving Sirius a quick peck on the cheek.
"Well come on you two dinner is ready." John told them.
"We'll be there in a second." Emily told him before turning back to Sirius.
"So I take it that I don't get to take you out to dinner tonight. That is disappointing after all the work I did to make myself presentable for you." Sirius said with that roguish grin still plastered on his face.
"Well if you play your cards right I might just take you out for some dessert." Emily said in a soft sultry voice. Sirius was ready for dinner to be over. Emily grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen. "You better eat plenty by the way."
The dinner started off quiet but quickly turned into a roaring party. Everyone was having a great time. Merlyn wasn't sure what to think of Sirius. He of course was told about what happened by his brother but still wasn't sure. It didn't take long for him to warm up to Sirius once he started sharing some stories about Hogwarts. Most of the stories seemed to stem around the Marauders and their pranks but he also threw in a couple of James's attempts to woo Lily. By the time the party came to an end it was the wee hours in the morning. The kids had already fallen asleep and were carried up to their room. At the end of the evening Emily took Sirius's arm and led him to the door before telling her friends that she would return him tomorrow.
The next few weeks seemed to fly by for the Ashwoods. John continued teaching the kids potions and magical theory but Sirius started joining in after the first few days. He started actually teaching the kids magic as well as giving them some ideas for pranks. As Sirius loved to play practical jokes almost as much as the kids they soon soared to new heights in pranking. Apparently John had misunderstood a small bit about the trace. Apparently the trace was activated once a witch or wizard was born but all children under the age of eleven were exempt. It didn't change anything but John resolved to be more attentive when reading about the wizarding laws. Who knows when a small thing like this will give him a loophole to exploit. It didn't take long for Sirius to suggest that Harry and Merlyn should go on ahead and get their wands. While it was normally difficult to perform wandless magic Merlyn seemed to be able to do it quite easily and while Harry could do it wandless magic seemed to take a lot out of him. Their trip to Diagon Alley to get the kids wands was a bit of an adventure in itself. When they got to Ollivander's Harry went first and it took him trying almost ever wand in the shop before he found his match. It came as quiet a shock to everyone when Ollivander revealed that the Voldemort's wand shared a core with his. Merlyn took even longer as not a single wand seemed to 'Choose' him as Ollivander put it. In the end Ollivander, who for some reason was overjoyed that not a single wand worked, said that he would have to make Merlyn's from scratch. It took almost an hour for Ollivander to get all the measurements he needed not to mention a small blood sample so that he could find the correct core. He told them to come back in a few days and the wand should be ready. When they returned a few days later they found Ollivander practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation. He didn't even say a word as he held the newly crafted wand out for Merlyn. When Merlyn grasped the wand he felt a tingling sensation running up his arm and engulf his body. The tip of the wand began emitting profound amounts of dense grey smoke. The smoke then began to flow down and surround Merlyn's feet. At this point Ollivander was jumping around in celebration.
"YES! I knew it. I knew it." Ollivander shouted as he ran around Merlyn examining the smoke.
"What is it?" A rather disgruntled John asked. The man gave him the creeps and he didn't really think this sort of reaction from the man could bode well.
"This is incredible! Twelve inch English oak. Fantastic." Ollivander continued on. Sirius noticed that he never said what the core was.
"So what was the core?" Sirius asked a little curious himself.
"Nothing!" Ollivander shouted with glee. "There is no core. Young Merlyn's blood didn't resonate with any known core. Fascinating." Ollivander continued. "I must say this is a first for me." He said finally seeming to regain his composure but only just. "Wands haven't been made out of solid wood in centuries! I am amazed. There is some old blood in you I'd wager." He told a confused Merlyn. John and Sirius were stunned. After they left the shop they figured that it didn't matter as long as it worked and with Ollivander's assurance that this was indeed the wand for Merlyn it seemed to be fine. When they returned home John remembered who Merlyn's vault belonged to. Old magic indeed. John didn't want to say anything until he did a bit more research.
The wands ended up making quite a large impact on the Ashwood family as they made the kids magic flourish. It was so much easier for them to do magic. Sirius started teaching them the first year Hogwarts curriculum. The two boys took to it like water, Sirius attributed their prodigal talent to John's lessons. Over the next year they continued to learn and progress. John had, with help from Sirius, had progressed to NEWT level potions. The two kids of course were still on their level one curriculum. The teaching there went a little slow as they still had their normal classes with Maria. Sirius was now living with Emily and had promptly got their house put on the floo network. Although one would wonder why as both he and Emily had come to practically live at the Ashwood's residence. On Harry's next birthday Sirius had surprised both Harry and Merlyn with their very own brooms. John and Maria were a little hesitant about letting the kids fly around but Sirius said it would be a crime if James and Lily's son wasn't allowed to fly. Sirius had put up a few wards around an acre in their back yard so that the muggles wouldn't see them as well as adding some cushioning charms, just in case. Harry of course was a natural. Merlyn on the other hand was a bit more hesitant to go flying around on a broom. It took some coaxing from Harry but he did eventually give it a try. Merlyn soon fell in love with flying. While he wasn't a natural he was still pretty good for a nine year old. Sirius assured him that with practice he would be just as good as Harry. In fact seeing how much their kids liked to fly it wasn't long afterwards that John, Maria, and Emily each had a broom of their own.
The next two years went by in a flash. It was Harry's eleventh birthday that we find everyone sitting around the living room watching the two little wizards in a mock duel each trying to turn the others clothes pink. As soon as the kids created this little game television soon became a thing of the past. A knock at the door broke their concentration and both failed to dodge the others color changing charm. Maria quickly got up and answered the door. She returned a short while later with a cheerful Minerva on her heels. A loud cry of 'Aunt Minerva' preceded the two eleven year old's tackled her.
"And how are my two favorite young wizards doing today?"
"We're great Aunt Minerva!"
"Well I just stopped by to drop off your Hogwarts letters." She said handing both of them their letters. "Now I expect great things from you at school, understand."
"Yes ma'am." Came their reply.
"How about you Minerva? Are you ready for these two to be unleashed on Hogwarts?" Maria asked with a laugh.
"Oh I think I can handle them." Minerva said with a smile that made Harry and Merlyn shiver. They would have to be very careful when they pulled pranks at school. Especially considering they have yet to get anything by their aunt. "Do the two of you know what houses you want to be in yet?"
Merlyn was the first to answer, "Yep but I don't want to jinx it."
"I don't suppose there is any chance that it is Gryffindor?" Minerva asked and was slightly disappointment when Merlyn shook his head. She never pushed the two but secretly she was hoping that they would end up in her old house. "Well how about you Harry?"
"I just want to be in the same house as Lynn. Besides all the houses sound great. Gryffindor is for the brave, Ravenclaw is for the intelligent, Hufflepuff is for the loyal, and Slytherin is for the cunning." Harry said. John and Maria were looking at Harry with pride.
"Well no matter what houses you two get sorted into we will be extremely proud." John said.
"Well said!" Sirius chimed in. But let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like "Gryffindor". Emily slapped him playfully on the shoulder while everyone else chuckled.
"You know I have never thought to ask before but where do you think we would be placed?" Maria asked Minerva. Everyone became very attentive.
Minerva sat there giving it some thought. She had never thought about this before. Everyone was silent waiting for her answer. After a few minutes Minerva answered, "I think Emily would be in Gryffindor considering her chosen occupation. Maria I would place in either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. And John, you would most definitely be in Slytherin." Everyone was nodding at her assessment. The evening then progressed into a full blown party. Sirius kept on trying to get Merlyn to give out what house he wanted to go into while dropping not so subtle hints about what he thought about Gryffindor.
At the end of the evening John got everyone gathered in the living room. He pulled out an envelope that had 'To Harry' written on the front. Sirius recognized the letter immediately and became very still, "Son there is something your parents wanted you to have on your eleventh birthday." Everyone became deathly quiet. Everyone in the room save the kids knew what was going to happen. John pulled out an envelope and handed it to Harry. Harry was stunned. Something from his parents. He opened the envelope gingerly and slowly unfolded the letter. By the end of the letter tears were freely falling from most everyone but none more so than Harry.
"Mom, Dad." Harry whispered through the tears. Soon his new mom, dad, and brother had him in a comforting hug.
"Son I want you to know that we love you so much. Just as much as your parents. And we always will." John said soothingly. Those words pushed Harry over the edge and he began sobbing. He knew that his new family loved him. Now he knew his parents did as well. He returned their hug.
After a few minutes the hug broke apart and Harry wiped away his tears. "I love you all to." He said trying to hold back the sobs but couldn't stop a few hiccups from coming out. "And you two mom and dad." He added holding his letter against his chest. He knew his mom and dad were looking down on him from where ever they were and silently promised that he would make them proud.
The next month passed swiftly and soon it was time for Harry and Merlyn to head to Kings Cross. That morning at the Ashwood household was hectic to say the least. Everyone was running around to make sure that everything was ready. Eventually everyone piled into the car. It was rather roomy thanks to Sirius casting an undetectable extension charm in it. The station was packed when they arrived making sure they had plenty of time. They were glad Sirius could make it even though Emily had to be at the office. She said the only way she would retire was if someone would put a ring on her finger. Honestly Maria couldn't understand why Sirius hadn't asked her to marry him yet. They were an amazing couple. Sirius simply said that it wasn't the right time yet. No one understood why he was being so stupid the two obviously loved each other more than life itself. One time John took Sirius aside and asked what the hold up was. Sirius made him swear not to tell anyone but he wanted to spend as much time with Harry without feeling guilty about it. Well, he did feel guilty about not spending all his time with his girlfriend but he would have felt worse if she was his wife. Now that Harry was off to school he figured he better hurry up and get that ring out. He had bought it almost a year ago now. He had never felt this way about any other woman and she was quite the woman, smart, scary, sweet, gentle 'Well, she could be gentle when she wanted to be.' he thought to himself.
Right now Harry and Merlyn were pushing their trolleys through the crowded platform making their way to the wall that leads to platform 9¾. "Hey Harry I'll race you to the platform."
"You're on!" Harry shouted as he took off.
"Hey get back here you cheat!" Merlyn yelled after his brother with a smile on his face. Sirius always said a fair fight was a fight you don't want to be in. He quickly took off after his brother. He was running as fast as he could when his cart hit a bump and turned over with Merlyn tumbling to the ground. Merlyn lay there for a few seconds before sitting up and clutching his knee. Harry, who heard his brother's cart crash, turned around and ran to help him.
"Lynn are you okay?!" Harry asked as he knelt down next to his brother.
"Yea, I guess I should have paid more attention to where I was going." Lynn answered as he got up and put everything back on his cart. "Sorry Kasper." he apologized to his owl who hooted in acceptance. "Come on lets get to the platform." He told his brother as he began pushing his cart toward the hidden entrance.
Once they entered the platform they found their family. "What took you two so long?" Maria asked in concern.
"Well we decided to race and I maybe, kinda, sorta crashed." Merlyn explained to his parents who were now running their eyes all over their son to make sure he was alright.
"Are you okay?" John asked and received a nod from his son. "Well be more careful next time alright." He told his son with a smile to show that he wasn't upset. He was just glad that his son wasn't hurt. His son smiled right back at him and nodded. "Good now I think you two should find a compartment on the train." Harry and Merlyn nodded and hurriedly boarded the train and found an empty compartment.
The two were struggling to lift their trunks into the storage compartment when they saw two tall red heads pass by. Merlyn quickly went to the compartment door and called to them. "Um, excuse me could you help us with our trunks?" Merlyn asked gesturing towards his and his brothers trunks. The two twins, as that is what they had to be, beamed at him.
"Hey look George another ickle firstie. Sure we can help you with that." And with that the two quickly got the two trunks stowed securely.
"Thanks." Harry and Merlyn said together. "I'm Merlyn by the way, Merlyn Ashwood."
"And I'm his brother Harry, Harry Potter." Harry introduced himself after his brother shocking the two twins.
"Wait you're Harry Potter?" The twin on the right asked still a little shocked.
"Yea he is. He even has the scar!" The other twin nearly shouted in excitement. "My apologies you have introduced yourself and here we are just gawking. I'm Fred-"
"Wait I thought I was Fred." The other twin interjected.
"Oh well I guess that would make me his much more handsome brother George." The first twin said.
"Wait a minute I remember now I am George and you are Fred." The second twin bantered back. Causing the two first years to gawk. It wasn't long after that Harry and Merlyn were laughing their asses off.
"Um I don't suppose you could watch our stuff while we say bye to our parents could you? Please." Harry asked trying to fight off the laughter unsuccessfully.
The twins got a real mischievous look between them and then seemed to start conversing with one another. "Well what do you think oh brother of mine?"
"I don't know maybe we-"
"Should just go on-"
"Our way. Okay-"
"You have five-"
"Minutes. Now hurry up-"
"Ickle firsties." At that last one the two first years ran out.
"That was creepy. How did they do that?" Harry asked.
"Magic." Merlyn answered with an unsure shrug. As they ran off to find their parents. It didn't take long to find their parents and dogfather.
"So any trouble pups?" Sirius asked as he saw Harry and Merlyn emerge from the Hogwarts express.
"Nope we got a compartment all to ourselves." Harry answered with a smile as a warning toot came from the express.
"Well it looks like you two better get back on board. I think the train is about ready to set off." Sirius told them as he ruffled their hair.
Maria quickly pulled her children into a tight hug. "Now I want the two of you to look out for each other. And remember we don't care what house you're in or anything like that. We are so proud of both of you and that will never change." A tearful Maria told them as she gave them an extra tight squeeze before letting them go so that John could take her place.
"Now you two remember everything we taught you alright?" He told them getting two nods in response. "I know you are sad that your Auntie Em couldn't be here today but an emergency came up and she wanted me to tell you to give them hell." This caused both of his boys to sprout mischievous grins. "Now, be good, write often, and show everyone just what you two are made of!" John said ending his goodbye with a tight hug for his two boys. "Now get going."
The two managed to make it back to their compartment just as the train started to pull out of the station. The moment that they closed the door their compartment exploded. When the smoke cleared the brothers saw that the entire compartment including themselves were covered in paint. One quick look at their cages and they were very happy they let Kasper and Hedwig fly to Hogwarts.
"Harry!" "Lynn!" The brothers yelled out at the same time. "I didn't do it." came each reply once again at the same time.
"But then" Harry started.
"Who?" Merlyn finished. And that is what let them know exactly who did this.
"Okay. Lynn this is what we do." And they began to plan.
Meanwhile down the hall two identical redheads were clutching their sides in pain from all the laughter. They didn't even notice two first years they pranked walk past them without a single spec of paint on them. It took a while but they were able to regain their composure and head back to their compartment. The instant the doors closed behind them their entire compartment filled with pearl white smoke. Coughing and wheezing The two pranksters quickly opened their compartment door again and got out into the hallway. All the coughing and wheezing had people poking their heads into the hallway to see what all the commotion was. What they found were a pair of clowns gasping for breath, one happy and one sad. At that moment the entire train car started laughing at the galloping gasping clowns.
"That was the funniest thing I have ever seen." Merlyn said as he caught his breath. "I can't wait to see what the other one will do." He said holding up a white egg in his hand. "Unfortunately we have to wait for the feast. Sirius said we could only use that one and that this one had to be broken at the feast.
"I know. I can't wait!" Harry replied. "Well since the compartment is already the colors of the rainbow. Up for a few rounds." Merlyn gave a smile in response as he pulled out his wand.
A/N: Well there you have it. For those of you who have read my other story you will have noticed that Dumbledore is not back at Hogwarts and the meeting with Ginny didn't happen this time around. Don't worry Ginny will definitely be a part of this story. Although she probably won't show up until their second year. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
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