I do not own Harry Potter or Big Trouble in Little China

Chapter 13

Two weeks later

At the age of 13, Harry was your typical teenage boy. Waiting until the last minute, as always, he was finishing packing what he needed to take right up until time to go. He had his photo albums, of course, one showing him growing up with Gracie and Jack and one that he had gotten from his godfather - with images of his real parents.

Admittedly, he had wanted to refuse it at first. But then when he saw a picture of his real dad holding him, with his mother kissing his baby hands, seeing the honest to goodness love they had for him, he changed his mind. Their love touched him deep in his soul and it made him cry. For the first time in a long time, he had cried.

Confusion stilled the party atmosphere as the birthday boy started sobbing for no reason, but when Gracie saw the album, she understood. She and Jack just hugged him and let him cry. Harry was too young to remember these two people, but the feelings they evoked within him were most definitely still there.

~*~

While Harry packed, Li Lei hissed her irritation at being in a cage. She had allowed her master's honorary uncle to shrink her down and put her in a cage where she could still move around, but the snake was not pleased to be packed away so soon.

"I know, but Uncle Moony had to. We are lucky that Uncle Padfoot thought ahead Li Lei. He left a week ago to set up a room and enclosure for you at this Grimmauld Place."

Ssstilll don't like it. Want out now. The definite female hiss replied in agitation. Her scales were a little dull, showing she was not happy at all.

"You will...tonight when we get there, Li Lei, I'll let you out....or would it be tomorrow?"

Her irritation is briefly ignored as Harry finished up packing the last of the things most precious to him. In his attempts to close his suitcase, he failed to notice his mother walk in.

"Having trouble?"

Harry turned with a yelp of surprise, as he was not expecting his mother so soon. Gracie let out a low chuckle and gestured for him to sit on the overstuffed case. With a few muttered curses, and a little bit of struggle, Gracie forced the zip closed. Harry pauses before jumping down as he catches the look on his mother's face.

"Mom?"

Bending down to see him face to face, Gracie can not help but smile with love. "Promise me you will write. I want at least one letter a month."

"I promise. I will even try for one letter a week if Fawkes will let me."

"That damn bird better." Gracie chuckled softly. Her hands playing with his hair and cheeks as a mother would. She pulls him into a tight hug only seconds later. "I will miss you Harry. I will miss you so much."

"Gracie...let Harry breathe." Jack said with amusement as walked into the room. His wife, noticing a red faced Harry struggling to breathe, releases him right then and there. The 13-year-old looked to his dad gratefully.

"Dad..."

"Hey, got something for you."

With curiosity in his bright green eyes, Harry takes the old Swiss Army knife from his dad's hand. Seeing the age and wear and tear on it, he almost protests. But the older man simply shakes his head. "It brought me luck son. And as I always say...."

"If someone offers you a gift, you say thank you." Harry finishes brightly. Getting up, he hugs the man who has raised him as best he could since he was 2. "Thanks, dad."

"No problem son. Come on I will get the suitcase, you get Li Lei. It's time to go."

With a grin on his face, Harry pockets the old knife, grabs the cage and heads out the door after his mother. At the door, the young boy can not help but stop to look back at the room.

"Harry?"

"It's nothing, dad." The young teen replied warmly. "I was just stocking up on the memories. Say, why aren't we going to stay with the Changs again? I kind of forgot to ask before Uncle Padfoot left." Harry wondered.

"Because son as I always say, you don't want to wear out your welcome too soon." He chuckled. "Besides, your Godfather has a big house apparently, and it would be wrong to not let him provide for you." The older man replied. "He missed out on a lot of your life Harry. A life that he was supposed to be a part of apparently...."

"I see."

"Harry he wants a chance to protect you. He wants to prove to not just us that he can, but to you and especially himself." Remus replied softly as he approached alongside Gracie. "He needs to know that he did not fail in keeping his promise."

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England

A week prior

Sirius Black had never been more irritated as he had been at this very moment. Having just now gotten all that was his back recently, he had half expected one thing to be gone.

To be honest he was more or less hoping it would be. But who was he kidding? After spending 12 years in Azkaban he should have expected this to happen.

Kreacher was still alive. Great....NOT!

Regardless of the presence of the vile elf, Number 12 was a place that had so many wards over it that it could give Hogwarts, or even the ministry, a run for its money. His family was that old in the Wizarding world and they knew how to flaunt it.

Unfortunately, to look at this place now, you'd never guess they'd been the crème of the pureblood crop.

Sirius would need a lot of help. And only one person who was still enough of a drill sergeant came to mind in handling matters such as this. Heading back out, the wizard immediately headed for the Leaky Cauldron so he could use their floo, his mind set on charming, or better yet, convincing one Molly Weasley to help him clean up his house by any means necessary.

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Now...

Molly Weasley was indeed more than up for the task. She was one of the few who, although she had thought him guilty in the beginning, still had doubts of it deep in her heart. She was normally an excellent judge of character and having known both him and James for as long as she did in the Order, something just didn't add up.

Still, with everyone saying he did it, he had to be guilty, so she went with the flow. To find out he was, as she thought deep down inside, innocent was a blessing and a mixed one at best, for it made her feel guilty for ever doubting him.

She and her husband had known the Potters, and they were good people. Lily was a smart young woman and her husband was always willing to play and entertain her children during the order meetings.

Between him and Sirius Black, she theorized that it was them who helped get Fred and George into pulling pranks in the first place. So despite her irritation with them over that, she felt she owed the other man for being there to help her when she had needed help in managing her children.

Taking all five of her children still at home to help, she left a note for Arthur that first day on where to go. Sirius had agreed to house them along with the Changs who were also willing to help clean and prepare.

Two rooms were taken care of by Sirius himself. It was like that Muggle show, her son's friend Seamus was telling him about. That Extreme Home Makeover thing, nobody was allowed in and nobody could see what he was doing. When asked, he simply said it was a surprise for a special person coming to stay with him.

This had indeed puzzled many as word spread of his work and occasional crash in these two rooms. Only the Changs really knew, and even then they weren't talking. The five Weasley children, of course, had tried harassing Cho and Jin, but neither one of them was talking. Their parents had made them swear on their magic to keep quiet.

"FINALLY I'M DONE! I hope they like it." The Black head murmured to himself with a tired grin.

At the sound of his voice, Ginny and the twins, who had been working on adjacent rooms, came out to see. Of course, when Sirius saw them coming, he hastily shut the doors and called for the old house elf.

"KREACHER!"

Muttering about blood traitors and things as usual, the elf appeared. "What is it Master Sirius."

"Guard these two rooms until I say so."

"As you wish Master." The Elf replied, much to the vexation of the three curious Weasleys. Their faces took on a definite perturbed look, and the twins could be seen contemplating ways to get around the elf.

"And Kreacher?"

"Yes Master."

"Do place wards around the rooms when you are not there."

Grumbling as he always does, he accepts the orders with bad grace, wards the room as commanded and pops off. Because of the fact that he was the Black family house elf, any direct orders from Sirius must be obeyed. It would be nigh unto impossible for anyone to break through the magic of the little elf.

Sirius well remembered the twins' mischievousness from those times he entertained them, as well as the playful nature of Molly and Arthur from their younger days. He can bet that until Harry arrives, the Twins would be trying to get past the wards. It should actually prove to be entertaining; actually, both boys were very much like himself and James from long ago - persistent and stubborn to a fault when they want to know something.

Humming a Muggle song he had heard that had a bit of a catchy tune, he promptly went to go aide the young girl Ginny in cleaning up the large room she had been assigned. It seems it was infested with enough dust to give her a fit of the sneezes.

Casting bubblehead charms on them both with the new wand he had procured from Ollivander the minute he had returned, the two set to work. In only a few hours, a boy that meant the world to him was coming to stay.