AN: I am aware that this chapter has at least one major flaw: Sirius already has learned about the horcrux in Harry's scar and he is told about it here like he has not heard about it...if I have more time I will try and come back and fix this...please excuse this error...and try and enjoy the story anyways...
From the previous chapter:
"Albus, I suppose you can explain why I was called out of a very important meeting to come to Hogwarts," said the head of the DMLE whose tone indicated quite clearly how irritated she was by this little disruption. "Urgent was the message my assistant was told. What could be so urgent at this school…" Her words trailed off as she noted that the mysterious Dark Hunter and his equally mysterious wife were standing in the middle of the room. Then her eyes looked upon the stunned and magically bound man on the middle of the floor.
Amelia Bones prided her self on her dignity and her emotional toughness. She even prided herself on her ability to not be surprised by events around her. The Aurors who had accompanied her were quite surprised as their leader's monocle clinked on the floor as she stared agape at the man who was lying in front of her, stunned, but clearly alive. The supposedly murdered Peter Pettigrew, post humous recipient of the Order of Merlin First Class.
One of the junior Aurors scrambled to the floor and picked up the monocle and handed back to their boss. Amelia slowly cleaned it with a wave of her wand before placing it back in her eye, never taking her eyes off of the scene in front of her. Without turning to face the headmaster she spoke to him slowly and clearly. "You better have a good explanation about this and I better not hear the phrase 'for the greater good' anywhere in what you are about to tell me."
~~~/— LE-DH 14.1—\\\~~~
Albus Dumbledore was speechless for a moment. His mind was working quickly on an explanation. If he dared to say that he had no idea that there was an animagus hiding out as a student's pet then he would be ridiculed for such lax security. If he tried to claim he was aware of the situation, then there would be too many questions about just why a grown man was allowed to sleep in the boys dorms for the past 3 years (or more as he recalled that Percy Weasley originally brought Scabbers to Hogwarts with him).
"There must be something wrong with the wards," he confessed, hoping that no one would call him on his bluff. "I will see to them immediately, there is no need to worry anyone about this."
"No need to worry?" asked the incredulous Director of the DMLE. "You refused to allow the minister to supply further security because you had it all under control. This is most definitely not under control." She let her words sink in for a moment before continuing her rant against the headmaster. "This man was supposedly murdered the day after You-Know-Who was defeated. You were one of the first people on the scene ad Godric's Hollow. If Sirius Black did not kill this man, then why was he put in Azkaban? You were the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot at the time of his arrest. Did you not oversee his trial?"
"I do not think that this is the place to have this conversation, Amelia," stated the headmaster.
Amelia Bones scanned the room briefly before replying. "Very well, we will move this conversation to your office now, or to my office in ten minutes."
As the group was about to leave, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge stumbled into the room. "What is going on here?" he demanded. "I heard that someone captured Sirius Black! Where is the murderer?" He looked around the room and then at the man in manacles lying on the floor. "And just who the bloody hell is that?"
Amelia Bones spoke calmly, "Minister, I do believe you should join us with the headmaster in his office as we try to determine just what is going on here and why the man who was supposedly murdered by Sirius Black per 12 years ago is alive and has been living in hiding for the past 12 years as a rat. Perhaps the awarding of the Order of Merlin, First Class to Peter Pettigrew was just a little bit premature."
She then turned to two of her Aurors. "Bring that man to a holding cell and do not leave him alone. If he wakes up, stun him or sedate him until we I return to the department to interrogate him personally. Until that happens, NO ONE speaks to him. And NO ONE speaks to the press yet either." The head of the DMLE then turned to face Django and Hildie. "I expect you to be joining us as there is much to be discussed."
A quiet voice called out from among the students. "Excuse me, ma'am," said Harry Potter as he looked at the monocled director, "but is this man here on the floor the one who actually betrayed my parents?"
Amelia's stern expression softened for a moment, and then she answered, choosing her words carefully, "That is something that we do not know as of yet, but we need to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible."
Harry started to feel a little braver at this time. "I would like to speak with that man when he wakes up. I would like to witness his interrogation."
"That would not be the best thing for you to do, Harry, my boy," commented Dumbledore trying to sound like a sage grandfather.
Django spoke up, "Headmaster, he is NOT your boy and I believe that he should be present for the interrogation. After all, it was his parents that were murdered by Voldemort. It was he who received the scar and became an orphan because someone close to his family betrayed them. Harry Potter has a right to be present at the interrogation. Harry Potter deserves to be present there, and neither you nor anyone else have any right to prevent him from being there. Unless of course there is something that you are trying to hide from the young man."
Harry spoke up again, "Watching an interrogation would be about the tamest thing I have ever done here."
Fudge was confused, "What do you mean by that Mr. Potter?"
"We don't need to go into any of that," interjected Albus.
"No, headmaster," snapped Django, "actually we do need to go into all of that. Everything that young man has experienced since coming back to the magical world, since coming to Hogwarts, is all related to everything that has happened since October 1981."
Amelia Bones could tell there was a lot more that needed to be discussed about this whole situation and the Gryffindor common room was the last place to have this conversation. And in the back of her mind the fantastic stories that her niece had told her might actually have some truth to them, especially if the indications from how much Dumbledore was trying to avoid this conversation counted for anything.
"Very well, then," commented the director, "we will meet in fifteen minutes in my office. I expect to see you there Albus." She turned to Django, "And the Pevensies better be there as well. I expect the minister will choose to join us." She then turned to the Gryffindor head of house. "Minerva, I trust that you can have young Mr. Potter there as well." Then she turned back to Dumbledore, "And that is not a request, but a direct order from the head of the DMLE."
~~~000~~~
Amelia Bones had actually changed plans slightly from the commands she had given when they were at Hogwarts. There would be several people attending this meeting, including the Minister for Magic, so she had decided it would be best to hold the meeting in a conference room near her office.
Once all of the interested parties arrived, Amelia began the meeting. "Now, let us start by reviewing what happened today. Why were you at the school, Mr. Pevensie?"
"I had received a tip that there would be some sort of clue about Mr. Sirius Black in possession of one of the students. However, madam director, I would like to make it clear that I cannot release where I received this information from, as it may compromise my ability to track down Mr. Black." Django appeared to be all to smug in his reply to the director of the DMLE. This was not sitting well with Madam Bones.
"We will get back to you later," commented Amelia.
She then turned to Professor Dumbledore, "Once again, Albus, I ask you just how the bloody hell a supposedly dead unregistered animagus came to be living at Hogwarts under the guise as a pet for one of your students."
Albus' eyes twinkled as he answered, "I have been asking that very question of myself, my dear Amelia, and so far I find that I do not have a satisfactory explanation. Perhaps if I could have a few moments to speak with Mr. Pettigrew…"
She cut him off instantly. "No, you may not. You may be the Headmaster of Hogwarts Academy of Wizardry and Witchcraft, you may be the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and even the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, but this is my jurisdiction here and you will not interfere with an investigation!"
"Now, Mr. Potter," she said as she calmed herself and turned to face the young student, "my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience this must be on you and your time, but I do believe that this whole situation somehow directly involves you. What can you tell me about this rat?"
"I had no idea that Scabbers was a person, ma'am," said Harry who was clearly a little intimidated by his surroundings. However, he relied on his Gryffindor courage and tried not to let his anxiety show. "I mean, Ron, that's Ronald Weasley, ma'am, he's had Scabbers as a pet since I first met him. Neither my owl, Hedwig, nor Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, ever seemed to like Scabbers. I guess we now know why. But why is here and alive? I thought people said he was murdered by the man who betrayed my parents."
"Things are not always what they first seem, Harry," commented Django, "as you well know from your many experiences over your first two years at school."
"I am sure that those events have no bearing on what is happening today," added Dumbledore.
"I don't know sir," protested Harry, still a little intimidated by the headmaster, "if Peter Pettigrew was the one who betrayed my parents to Voldemort, then my recent encounters with him and today's events may not be merely coincidence."
"Now, now, my boy," interrupted Fudge, "I am sure you are mistaken, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is dead, he died because of you that night twelve years ago. You could not have possibly had any encounters with You-Know-Who."
Harry blinked once as he stared at the minister. "No sire, no disrespect intended, but I most certainly did have run ins with Voldemort. Both when I was a first year and when I was a second year."
"Now Harry, my boy, you really shouldn't be talking about those things," warned Dumbledore.
"Why not, headmaster?" challenged Django. "Young Mr. Potter shouldn't have anything to hide. He speaks the truth, and you know it. You sound like someone with something to hide by trying to silence Harry today."
"We can't go on the ramblings of a young and frightened student," stated Fudge, who seemed to be growing uncomfortable with the idea that somehow Voldemort may have returned in some way.
"We can give him Veritas Serum, or have him make an oath that what he tells you is the truth," said Django, clearly not willing to let this matter go.
"Harry," said Madam Bones as she wanted to get his trust and his cooperation, "I need you to explain more about what you said about the Lord Voldemort and you need to understand that your comments must be truthful. We can either give you a potion that will make you say the truth or you can make an oath stating that what you have said is the truth after you tell us what happened."
"I am willing to do either, Madam," answered Harry.
Albus stood up as he tried to protest once more.
"That will be enough out of you, headmaster," snapped Amelia.
Then she turned back to Harry. "Please tell us what happened in your first and second years at school."
"Well, during my first year, there was an item that was hidden at the school," began Harry. "And one of the professors was trying to steal the item, because Voldemort wanted the item."
"That is nonsense," stated Fudge, "V - v - v the Dark Lord is dead."
"No sir," corrected Harry, "somehow some part of him is not dead. He possessed a teacher, Mr. Quirrel, who taught Defence Against the Dark Arts. When I tried to stop him from stealing the item, he attacked me. Then Voldemort revealed himself, he had been possessing Professor Quirrel and then he tried to attack me. But for some reason he could not touch me with his hands. Then Quirrel died and Voldemort's soul fled the castle."
Albus was holding his head as though he had a horrible migraine and Fudge was starting to turn red with anger. Amelia Bones wasn't sure whether she should just pick up the child and hug him or curse Dumbledore for letting those events happen and also for not telling her about the incident.
"Thank you, Harry," said Amelia as she tried to comfort the boy. She looked at the Auror who was taking notes on the meeting and cast him a look that clearly stated that he better be capturing all of this. Then she turned back to Harry. "Please go on and tell me about second year."
"Well, there was this problem with the students being petrified," Harry started to explain, but then Dumbledore tried to interrupt again.
"I really must protest, Madam Bones," he stated, "this was all just a simple matter that was handled completely within the school. There is no need to involve anyone else."
Amelia cast a silencing charm at him. "If you break that charm, or in any way try to disrupt this hearing one more time Albus you will not like the consequences."
Albus was surprised when he found that he could not speak. He had clearly underestimated the magical strength of the head of the DMLE.
She turned back to Harry, and sweetly stated, "Please go on with your story."
Harry looked back in forth between the silenced headmaster and the director of the DMLE. His mind quickly decided that if the director could actually silence Dumbledore than he better do as she asked.
"As I was saying, there were several students who were petrified but nobody seemed to understand how that was happening, even though it apparently happened about 50 years ago at the school. My friend Hermione, she finally figured it out, that it was a basilisk. However, she ended up getting petrified too, so she couldn't help me any more. There was a basilisk, and someone had let the basilisk loose which had led to people getting paralysed. Then Ron and I went to find the basilisk…"
"You did what?" exclaimed a shocked Madam Bones.
"I believe that he said he went to find the basilisk," said Django. "Please everyone, do pay attention, I would imagine that young Harry would not want to repeat any of this if he could help it."
"The basilisk, we went to find the basilisk," repeated Harry.
"Without anyone to help you?" interrupted the Minister for Magic.
"Well, we did bring Professor Lockhart, but he proved to be rather unhelpful, in fact he tried to obliviate us, but Ron's broken wand backfired and he obliviated himself."
"I always wondered what really happened," mused the head of the DMLE.
"Well, as it turned out, I was the only one who could get into the Chamber of Secrets," continued Harry as he ignored the shocked expressions of several of the people in the room. "Once I managed to get there I found that Ginny Weasley, who had been possessed somehow by Tom Riddle, who is really Lord Voldemort, was nearly dead. Tom was trying to take over her body and I tried to stop him."
"You faced Voldemort again?" gasped Fudge who was having a hard time believing all of this.
"Yes, I guess that makes three times in all," answered Harry. "So, Tom Riddle decided to send the giant basilisk after me. Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, came to help. He attacked the basilisk's eyes so it couldn't kill me or petrify me with its gaze. Then the Sorting Hat appeared as well, I guess Fawkes brought it, and the hat gave me a sword. When the basilisk tried to bite me I struck it inside it's mouth with the sword, which I guess killed it. But one of the fangs of the basilisk bit my arm. Tom Riddle then laughed at me as I lay there dying. But Fawkes, who I guess was the real hero, he cried and his tears fell into the wound in my arm and it stopped the venom from killing me."
Fudge felt that everything he had just heard was too much, "If you're going to make up a story, young Potter, you should at least make up one that is believable."
Harry Potter didn't know what to think or how to respond to the blustering of the minister. Django had more than enough of the plain stupidity of the man.
Django then spoke up again, "So, minister, you would find the story that Harry as a young child, an infant, was able to defeat the most dangerous dark wizard in a generation, or perhaps of all time, and do so without a wand as a more believable story than one where a 12 year old boy could kill a large basilisk?" He then turned to face his younger self, "How large did you say the basilisk was Harry?"
"It must have been at least sixty or seventy feet long, sir," replied Harry trying to be polite to this man who was a stranger to him.
"Harry, you really shouldn't be talking about such things," commented Dumbledore who was clearly unhappy with all of these revelations and had finally managed to break Amelia's silencing spell.
"Why shouldn't he?" asked Django. "Or are you trying to hide something here? Have you been helping Voldemort all along" he added, "because you seem to be doing a good job in preventing anyone from knowing that he is trying to come back and that he seems to be continuing to attack young Harry here."
Dumbledore was visibly shaken by the accusation. "I have in no way done anything to aid the Dark Lord, and I have already personally defeated a dark lord in the past."
Django decided to stop the antagonism of his former headmaster at this point, as he did not want to draw any more attention to himself and he didn't want to attract any more ire from the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot. But before he could say anything further, a junior Auror entered the conference room.
"Madame Bones, the prisoner is awake now," he said.
"Very well, I will go interrogate him personally," replied Amelia. Then she looked at Fudge and Dumbledore and directed her next comments to them. "If the two of you will swear to remain quiet while I question Mr. Pettigrew, I will permit you to observe and listen to his answers."
The two men quickly agreed to her terms, and followed her down the hall to the interrogation room. Upon arriving there, they planned to follow the head of the DMLE into the room, however she had taken a lesson from her muggle counterparts and created a magical version of a viewing window that allowed people outside of the room to see in and the people in the room to not see out.
"No, you two do not get to enter the room," she said scaldingly, "but observe, from the observation chamber through the door on your left." She indicated where they needed to go and one of the junior aurora escorted them in. Fudge was impressed with the facilities, but Dumbledore internally was irritated as he wanted to the chance to speak to Pettigrew himself, despite what he had agreed to in the conference room.
When Amelia walked into the interrogation room she found Pettigrew sitting in a chair, looking quite disheveled, and his hands in magic inhibiting manacles. Another Auror was standing guard in the room with is wand at the ready. Amelia calmly sat herself down in the chair immediately across from where Pettigrew was positioned. She could sense his fear as he was trembling and it smelled as if he had soiled his own clothes. Whatever happened that fateful night, this was not a man who would have ever have been capable of earning the Order of Merlin First Class.
Madam Bones then cast a quick charm on the parchment on the table and a legally bound transcription quill began to record the conversation. She then instructed the Auror in the room to administer a dose of Veritas Serum to the prisoner.
"Now sir," she began speaking to her prisoner, "would you please state your name and where your present locations is, and remember, this is being recorded by a legal transcription quill."
He stuttered as he began to speak and felt the influence of the Veritas Serum on his mind, preventing him from telling any of the various lies he had tried to come up with once he had awoken in custody. "My name is Peter Pettigrew, and I think I am being held somewhere by the DMLE."
"Now, Mr. Pettigrew, most of magical Britain believed you to be dead, supposedly having been killed by Sirius Black the day after the Lord Voldemort had been defeated by young Harry Potter. Can you tell us what happened when Sirius Black confronted you on the street corner?"
"Black came after me, because he had told the Potters to make me their secret keeper. He figured that no one would suspect me as being the secret keeper and that the Death Eaters would never find James and Lily and little Harry. But he didn't know I was already a Death Eater, because I was tired of being the weak one in the group. I was going to finally get power and respect by helping Lord Voldemort. When such a powerful wizard only needed to defeat a little baby, who could possibly stop him? But after James and Lily were killed, Black came after me for revenge. He figured out it was me who betrayed the Potters, but he felt guilty for convincing them to change secret keepers. He felt that he had betrayed them by having done that, so that was when I had a brilliant idea. He blasted the muggle gasoline to create the explosion right as Black proclaimed that his actions had killed the Potters. Then I cut off my finger to make it appear that I had died too, and transformed into my animagus form, that of a rat, and I escaped in the sewers that were now exposed after the explosion. I had heard that Black was arrested and placed in Azkaban, so I decided to remain in my rat form to avoid being seen by anyone. But I also knew that the Dark Lord wasn't truly dead, I just needed to wait for his return to help him again."
"Where were you waiting?" she asked, forcing herself not to react to the horrible narrative her captive had just given.
"I…I…I hid as a rat, eventually hiding with the Weasley family," stuttered the animagus whose human features betrayed his animal counterpart. His needy grey eyes darted around the room as he continued to expound upon his answer, "First with their son, Percy I think it was, and then with the boy Ronald. He's such a pig when he eats I could easily survive as a rat on what fell out of his mouth."
"What a pleasant thought," commented Amelia, the sarcasm dripping thickly off of her words. "Did Sirius Black ever work for the Dark Lord Voldemort?"
Pettigrew actually managed to laugh before he replied, "Never! He was too noble, too proud of his rebellion against his own family to ever serve the Dark Lord."
"I think I have heard more than enough for now," commented Madam Bones. "Place him in our secure holding cell, and do not let the press know anything about this yet." Her head started to throb with the thoughts of how much of a problem this could daily turn out to be, as she knew that her next meeting would be even less fun, for how does one tell the Minister for Magic that the ministry had imprisoned an innocent man, who is now escaped from prison and his the subject of a massive manhunt. Or at least a simple bounty hunter being hired to hunt down a possibly innocent man.
She stepped out into the hallway and turned into the observation room where Fudge and Dumbledore had been watching the interview. The look of shock on the minister's face was priceless; however, the simple grandfatherly smile with a twinkle in his eye on the headmaster's face was oddly disturbing and raised even more questions in her mind.
"Cornelius," she said as she stepped up the minister, "you have a problem."
~~~000~~~
Django and Hildie remained in the conference room with young Harry. Django looked at the time and then he looked over at Hildie. "I think we may have a problem," he said quietly, "our dog may be lost or wondering why we haven't been back home to see him."
Hildie understood the reference and smiled sweetly as she answered, "You're right. I'm sure he won't be too happy with having to wait for us, maybe I'll have to bring him some sort of toy, or maybe he has one for us."
Harry seemed a little confused by the conversation between the two people in the room with him. He sensed an odd familiarity with Django, but he was unsure what he was feeling about the woman. As he was trying to gauge his own thoughts about her he realised that he had been staring at here for over a minute.
Hildie had noticed the boy's intense stare and remembered how she had actually admired him from afar when she was a student. She decided to take a chance on increasing the intrigue as she spoke to him. "I have heard much about you, Mr. Potter."
Harry's shyness around adults was obvious as he seemed to try and hide in his chair as the stunning woman spoke to him. "Even the Slytherin girls have had their eyes on you," she added. This comment seemed to get his attention. "They're not all slimy snakes, as one of your friends would say," she continued, "and they're not all followers of Malfoy. You would do well to remember that."
Harry wasn't sure how to react to that statement, so he simply nodded to acknowledge that he had heard her.
Then Hildie turned and gave Django a chaste kiss as she got up to leave the room.
~~~000~~~
Hildie arrived in Hogsmeade and made her way towards the Shrieking Shack. She noted that there were no other footprints in the snow leading to or away from the shack. She briefly worried that Sirius may have had a problem getting back to the shack or worse, he had tried to leave on his own. Soon she made her way into the old building and found the first floor to be extremely quiet. She made her way to the room with the trap door, and it appeared to have been used recently. The dust patterns on the floor were more disturbed than when they had left Sirius here earlier in the day. She stood still to think about what she should do next, wondering where Black could have gone. Then she realised she heard an unusual noise. It seemed faint at first and then she noticed that it periodically would get louder. As she listened more carefully she determined that the sound was coming from upstairs. She made her way to the bottom of the rickety old staircase and the sound became much clearer. Snoring. She shook her head in dismay as she quietly walked up the stairs, considering what she would do when she found him. Sure enough, he was sleeping, and rather loudly at that, on the old bed in one of the two upstairs rooms.
"Freeze Black, you're under arrest!"
The words caused Sirius to awaken with a start and he nearly fell off the bed as he pulled the covers around him. He peeked out from under the sheets and saw a laughing Hildie pointing her wand at him.
"Bloody hell, woman!" he yelled at her. "Not only did you nearly scare the life out of me but you have your wand pointed at me!"
Hildie slowly lowered her wand, and then she explained as she controlled her laughter. "I didn't want to take the chance that you would hex me into next week when I screamed at you that you were under arrest."
Sirius started to glare at her and then he looked around and considered that here he was, a grown man, hiding under a sheet and cowering in front of the woman who happened to be one of his benefactors since he escaped from the hell that is Azkaban. The ridiculousness of his situation overcame his anger and he joined her in laughing at himself.
After several minutes of relaxing laughter Hildie spoke to him again. "Do you have the item?"
"Yes," he answered holding out the magically protected bag, "it was quite easy, too. I presume that you were successful in your hunt today."
She laughed brightly as she remembered the events of the day. "Once again, The Dark Hunter is able to successfully apprehend someone without even trying. The dashing Django managed to find and capture someone who was long thought dead and to have died a hero, but who is at this very moment in Ministry custody, finishing his interrogation by Madam Bones herself under the influence of Veritas Serum."
Tears started to form in Sirius' eyes. "You mean I'm a free man?"
"Not yet," she answered, feeling a little sad for him as she explained, "but hopefully soon. He has apparently been very talkative once he realised his situation and with the encouragement of ministry approved Veritas Serum. Hopefully it won't be long before you are 'captured' and brought to the ministry so they can address the wrongs they have committed against you."
"How can we be so sure that they'll be willing to do that?" asked a worried Sirius. "This is, after all, the same ministry that locked me away without so much as a trial. They sure wouldn't want to have to deal with my embarrassing them once the truth comes out, if they even let that happen."
"Oh, we have a plan for that already," she added with a smirk.
The gleam in her eye worried Sirius a little. "And what sort of plan is that?"
Sirius wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the answer.
"We will be leaking the story to the press," she explained further.
"The Daily Prophet won't print anything about the ministry making a mistake or my being wrongly imprisoned!" protested Sirius.
"Probably not," agreed Hildie. "But the Quibbler would love to run such a story. Don't fool yourself, there are people who read it and don't question it. Yes, many people feel its just a rag full of lies, but once people start talking about it, the ministry will have to deal with it. Once someone asks the Director of the DMLE what really happened, she will either tell the truth or be officially silenced by the ministry."
"And being silenced by the ministry," Sirius slowly stated as he realised the implications of this strategy.
"Would effectively confirm that the ministry is hiding something and that the article to be published in the Quibbler is, in fact, true!"
Sirius was speechless for once.
"I'll apparate us back to Peverell Manor," she stated as she let the enormity of the days events sink in to Sirius' sometimes thick head.
~~~/— LE-DH 14.2—\\\~~~
March 1994
The controversy over the article in the Quibbler stating that the escaped mass murderer Sirius Black had been the victim and had been wronged was not going away. First came the attacks against the paper and its publisher, Xenophilius Lovegood, stating that he must be nuttier than a fruitcake to publish such drivel. But then it was leaked from the Ministry that Sirius Black had been imprisoned without a trial. The public reaction to this news was actually quite mixed, as some felt that the man clearly deserved to be in Azkaban. Then there came more information that seemed to support the claims from the Quibbler article. Information that someone had been captured who knew the truth about the murders involving Sirius Black. Then there were the rumours about just who had been apprehended at Hogwarts when the Dark Hunter had gone throughout the school searching for evidence that would help him find Black.
The minister had been strangely silent on the whole issue. The Quibbler continued to publish editorials calling for the Minister for Magic to publicly address the whole issue about Black, his innocence or guilt and the identity of the mystery prisoner.
Finally in mid March, the Daily Prophet published an interview with a dark and mysterious bounty hunter.
The Dark Hunter Speaks!
An interview with Django Pevensie, by Rita Skeeter.
Dear readers, I am sure you are all eager to know the truth about the latest controversy in our world. Who killed twelve muggles and a wizard the night after The-Boy-Who-Lived defeated You-Know-Who? Who is the mysterious prisoner that the DMLE captured at Hogwarts with the help of Django Pevensie? Where is Sirius Black?
The stunning answers to these questions and more will be revealed in this exclusive interview which yours truly managed to arrange with the most popular bounty hunter in the magical world. Read on, my faithful, and learn the truth!
RS: Django, I may call you Django? Please, tell us, is it true that you always catch your man?
DP: I have rarely been hired to actually hunt down a criminal. In all actuality many of the people whom I have apprehended have been unplanned. I happen to be in the right place at the right time. Apparently my luck combined with my skill in catching many dangerous witches and wizards helped me earn my current reputation.
RS: How exactly did you join the hunt for Sirius Black?
DP: The Ministry of Magic contacted me via owl post, and asked me to meet with them. I have been hired to bring to justice Sirius Black, the only man known to escape from Azkaban Prison.
RS: Are you competing with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?
DP: No, not at all. I have met with and worked with Madam Bones. I have been hired to do one job, she still has all of the duties of the DMLE to oversee, no just trying to catch one fugitive.
RS: My, aren't we diplomatic. With all of these rumours about could Sirius Black actually be innocent, how does that affect your job? What to you think about Mr. Black?
DP: I am not being paid to have an opinion about Mr. Black. I am being paid to track him down and capture him and return him to the DMLE. If he is innocent, then he should let me bring him in so that he can clear his name. If he is guilty, then he should still let me bring him in and avoid the dangers of facing me in a duel or some back alley somewhere.
RS: Dark and mysterious. No wonder all of the ladies are falling for you Django. What can you tell us about the mysterious woman whom your are seen with so often.
DP: That is my wife. We have happily been married for many years. We expect to make this last in the past, the present and the future.
RS: What more can you say about her?
DP: Hildie is my one and only, we have been and we will be together. Nothing is more important to me than her.
RS: How romantic for you, but how horrible for all the witches in England and throughout all of Europe. Is it true that you learned magic from the Aborigines in Australia?
DP: (laughing) I haven't heard that one before. I did spend time growing up in Australia and the some time in the US and then Europe.
RS: Where is Sirius Black hiding?
DP: Probably under a bed somewhere. But I will find him. I will bring him to the Ministry of Magic and he will get his day in court. I can guarantee that will happen. No once stays hidden from me forever. No one.
RS: Is Sirius Black innocent?
DP: That is not for me to decide, but if he is, then the Ministry and the DMLE owe him and the rest of this country an explanation for what they did and they owe him for all of those years of wrongful imprisonment.
RS: And there you have it, gentle readers, straight from the Dark Hunter himself…
~~~000~~~
March 15, 1994
11:00 AM, Atrium of the Ministry of Magic
Several ministry employees were heading out for an early lunch. The Director of the DMLE was on her way towards her office after having just met with a group of merchants in Diagon Alley who were concerned about an increase in vandalism on some of the store fronts. Amelia Bones had a long morning and she was looking forward to getting back to her desk and nice cup of tea.
The air in the atrium cracked with sparks and smoke. A fog rolled out of the fountain of magical brethren. Then there was a sudden flash causing everyone to cover their eyes. When the smoke and fog and flash had cleared several people were lying on the ground after diving for safety. There were a couple of Aurors standing in the middle of the crowd with their wands drawn, looking for the source of the commotion. Madam Bones herself had her wand drawn and instinctively dropped into a combat ready crouch.
Everyone's eyes were then drawn to the figure standing in front of the fountain. A tall man with a dark goatee and dark robes was standing there, with another man in a grey and tattered robe with his hands in magic inhibiting manacles kneeling in front of him. When the man recognised the presence of the head of the DMLE, he spoke loudly enough for everyone in the atrium to hear.
"Madam Bones," declared the man, "I present to you the fugitive, Sirius Orion Black! I told you I would bring him in. However, from what I have read in the papers, it would seem that this man is in need of a trial which he never received before he was thrown into that prison you call Azkaban."
The Aurors were unsure of what to do next and looked to their boss for direction.
Madam Bones stood tall and looked at the two men in front of her. "Mr. Pevensie, while I appreciate that you have indeed apprehended the man who escaped from Azkaban, but your grand entrance was perhaps a touch over the top and entirely unnecessary."
Django grinned in response. "What? You think I should cut out the theatrics? But where would the fun be in all of this without theatrics? Very well, if you insist." Then with a simple wave of his hand the remaining smoke and fog vanished from the room. Then Django turned to the Aurors, "If you would please put away those wands. The man in front of me is quite securely bound and unable to cast any spells, and I do believe he is in desperate want of a shower and a fair trial."
The Aurors sheepishly put away their wands and then turned back to Madam Bones for their next instructions.
Then, almost as if on cue, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge came running into the Atrium. "What is all this then?" he screamed at his head of the DMLE. Then he turned and looked at Django and the man in front of him. The face was thinner than he remembered, but the sunken dark eyes and the matted hair were clearly the same as those that belonged to the prisoner who had asked for his copy of the Daily Prophet all those months ago, not long before he somehow managed to escape from the prison.
"Sirius Black?" he asked rhetorically. "You really have him?" Then after a brief pause he added, "Well its about bloody time!"
Django stepped forward with his captive walking in front of him after he was pulled up to his feet. "Minister," he said with a clear and serious tone, "I believe that you now owe me the pre-arranged fee." Then Django turned to the rest of the people in the atrium as he spoke loudly. "I look forward to seeing just what comes of this man's trial."
Sirius was taken to a holding cell and from there he was taken by the Aurors to an area where he could get cleaned up. It was only Madam Bones who wondered why the man who had just been apprehended and delivered to her staff was not appearing as thin or as disheveled as she would have expected for someone who spent about twelve years in prison and then another nine months or more on the run.
Soon she had called for a formal interrogation under Veritas Serum in the presence of the Minister for Magic, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Senior Auror (Rufus Scrimgeour) and a court appointed attorney. It took less than forty-five minutes of questioning that Sirius Black was to guilty of any of the charges against him, other than escaping from Azkaban, but the attorney had pointed out that he had been improperly (if not illegally) imprisoned without a trial or official sentencing. The fact that he was (is) a Lord of an Ancient and Most Noble House would definitely not look good for the ministry. Fudge was beginning to sweat as he realised that the ministry would definitely be coming out of this looking quite poorly.
Sirius Black was trying to comprehend the citation when the attorney, Arnold Becker, started to negotiate with the representatives of the ministry. "Minister Fudge, Madam Bones," he began, "it is quite clear at this time that my client was done a great disservice with his treatment at the hands of the Ministry and the DMLE. While we can concede that the circumstances of his arrest and the state of the entire magical world were during a time that was confusing at best, that cannot excuse the injustices which Lord Black has suffered."
Madam Bones simply nodded in agreement acknowledging the point, while Fudge was still sweating and visibly squirming in his seat.
"What would you have us do?" blurted out the minister. "I was not minister at that time! Amelia was not the head of the DMLE! You can't possibly hold us responsible!"
Sirius was starting to worry that his attorney might be getting him into some new sort of trouble.
Becker then held up his hand to try and ease the tensions of everyone in the room. "We are not trying to say that anyone in this room is responsible for the unfortunate treatment that my client received, however it is still true that the Ministry of Magic is responsible for what my client went through and should be liable for damages. Perhaps we could all come to an agreement here about just what kind of compensation would be most appropriate considering that the lost years to his life as well as the damage done to his reputation as a Lord and a leading Auror during the war as a result of his false imprisonment."
"Just what are we talking about?" asked Fudge who was starting to realise that with the right spin on this he might come out looking not too bad, or even looking pretty good.
"We would like to start with a formal apology, announced in the paper," began Arnold Becker. "Then we should consider awarding him damages, at a rate of 100,000 galleons per year he was incarcerated. Full reinstatement to the Wizengamot, and the return of all properties and rights and responsibilities that may have been stripped from him as a consequence of his being placed in Azkaban."
Fudge considered the offer for a moment, and looked to Amelia Bones and to Albus Dumbledore for advice on the situation.
"That actually sounds quite reasonable," commented the head of the DMLE. "The actual financial amount would not have to be announced to the public, though, would it?" she asked Becker.
"We would be open to that stipulation," agreed the attorney.
Dumbledore was quiet as he was considering just what this agreement would entail. He realised that now all eyes in the room were focused on him.
"Your thoughts Albus?" questioned the minister.
"Well, I think in principle it all sounds well and good, however I think that we should take some time to consider the ramifications of such a move," answered the headmaster thoughtfully.
Before anyone else could comment further, the attorney decided to make his offer a little more clear. "This offer is on the table now," stated Becker, "if it is not accepted now, then we will take our chances with bringing a formal suit against the Ministry of Magic, and see what Lord Black is awarded in that arena, including allowing the court of public opinion to sway the way the Wizengamot may decide to rule on such a situation."
Albus raised an eyebrow at the notion of not willing to wait on the decision and blindly rushing into such a decision. Fudge noted the concern on Dumbledore's face and then he looked to Bones and Scrimgeour.
"The agreement seems reasonable considering the apparent injustice to Lord Black," Scrimgeour offered simply.
Amelia Bones also contributed her thoughts, "There does not seem to be anything objectionable in the demands of Lord Black as presented by his counsel."
Fudge then turned to face Lord Black and the attorney. "Very well, we accept your deal. But I want it all in writing, including a promise to not bring any further legal action against the Ministry in the future."
"As long as we have in writing the concessions which we have requested from the Ministry," agreed Becker.
"Fine," conceded the minister, "we'll have the legal staff draw up the necessary documents straight away."
"Very well," smiled Becker. "Is there a room where I can confer with my client while these papers are drawn up?"
Amelia answered for Fudge, "Yes, we can provide you with that. I think it may be an hour before all of the papers are drawn up."
As Becker led Sirius out of the room and down the hall with Amelia Bones to the conference room they were going to use Albus shook his head wondering how things had changed so quickly, and if he was losing control of the situation.
~~~000~~~
Once they arrived in the conference room and the two men were on their own, Sirius looked at the attorney and then he spoke his mind. "What the bloody hell just happened? Who are you and can you explain what all of this means?"
Arnold Becker just grinned broadly and reached to shake Sirius' hand. "A certain acquaintance of yours pulled some strings to have me assigned as your appointed attorney. I was already given a fair amount of information about you from an anonymous source. This source specifically asked that I make the demands that were just made on the ministry. Personally, I couldn't believe they accepted everything so readily. Maybe they thought you would get more than 100,000 galleons per year if we had a hearing in front of a bunch of purebloods who didn't want to see the ministry taking advantage of one of their own."
Sirius just nodded in agreement. "So, you don't know who arranged for you to be my attorney?"
"No, everything was done through an anonymous owl post," replied Becker. "He did send a sealed envelope to be opened after an agreement had been reached." The attorney opened his brief case and pulled out a thick envelope. Becker slid it across the table to the former fugitive.
Sirius picked up the envelope and pulled out the top documents. He recognised the handwriting of the top letter as being that of Django Pevensie. "He could have told me ahead of time he was setting all of this up," he thought to himself. He then scanned over the letter.
Sirius,
If you are reading this then I presume that you are now a free man. Hopefully, Mr. Becker was able to get the ministry to agree to all of the stipulations we had put forth. While the sum of 1,200,000 galleons may not seem that much compared to what you will find in the Black Family vault, it will at least serve as a warning to the ministry that they should not mess with innocent men. I am not sure just what the clause about returning your property will net you, as you are the only one who has access to 12 Grimmauld Place already, but you may know of other family properties which you would prefer to stay at. The final part of the reparations that I expect that Mr Becker was able to successfully negotiate for was the reinstatement of any and all rights and responsibilities that may have been revoked on your being sent to Azkaban. There is one important clause that needs to be brought to the attention of the DMLE as soon as possible after this is in writing and marked with the seal of the ministry.
You need to claim guardianship for your godson, Harry Potter. All you need to know is that he has been living with his aunt and uncle since the night that his parents and your good friends were murdered. Also, his magical guardian has apparently been Albus Dumbledore. You need to claim this title as well, for Harry's benefit, and this needs to commence immediately. We will discuss the reasons for this in detail in person very soon.
Oh, by the way, Becker will be arranging a press conference to announce everything about your capture and your status as a free man. That should be happening within the next hour or two. Do not forget your inner Marauder self, and do act surprised at everything that is happening. Also, do not tell anyone where you will be going to live, only that you will be retreating to a family home to rest and recover, as long as that home is still habitable.
Congratulations on your freedom,
Your benefactor.
Sirius could tell that much of what was planned in arranging this agreement was meant as some sort of big prank on all of the wizarding world. He couldn't help but smile as he reviewed what Django had revealed. But perhaps the most important thing is that he would have his godson to raise. He shed a tear as he considered what the past 12 years must have been like for young Harry, but now he had the chance to start to make it up to him, if only Harry could find a way to forgive him for his recklessness that caused Harry to have to go live with Lily's sister. He didn't want to think just how bad that must have been for young Harry. Suffering the cruciatus curse repeatedly would probably be better than that.
Becker sat there silently while Sirius read the letter and reviewed the documents that outlined just what Sirius' assets were at this moment in time. He briefly wondered how Django had access to all of this information, but then he decided he would just be patient and enjoy this feeling of freedom. It was so refreshing not to feel that he and to hide or be fearful of dementors or Aurors or anything. He would have plenty of time to meet with Django and get answers.
A short while later, there was a knock on the office door and a young woman came in with a stack of parchments. "These are from the minister, they have been duly recorded and signed, they merely await the signature of Lord Black to make it all official."
"Why, thank you," stated Becker as he received the parchments from the young aide. "Well, take a few moments to review these and we'll let you know as soon as we are done."
The aide stepped out of the room and Becker began to quickly peruse the documents. Sirius could hear him muttering various words indicating that he found the various articles within the agreement to be satisfactory. Once he finished reviewing all of the parchments, he then slid them to Sirius.
"I think that you will find that everything is in order. The ministry has readily agreed to all of our stipulations and I find no loopholes or crafty wording that could be used against you in this document. If you are so inclined, we can sign these and then move on tot he next step."
Sirius raised an eyebrow, "You mean the press conference?"
"He mentioned that in his letter to you, did he? I can't say that I am surprised," commented Becker. "This benefactor of yours has certainly been most thorough."
"That he has," agreed Sirius.
~~~000~~~
Hogwarts
Hildie Pevensie had arrived at Hogwarts at about 11:30 that morning. She had waited long enough to be sure that the headmaster was no longer present. Then she made her way to the transfiguration classroom. She arrived just as a class for 4th year students was finishing and leaving.
"Professor McGonagall," called out Hildie, "may I have a word with you?"
The professor was slightly surprised. She immediately recognised the woman in front of her. "Mrs. Pevensie, is it? What brings you here?"
Hildie waited to be sure that all of the students had left and the door was closed before she answered. "I felt I need to let you know that my husband, Django, has just delivered Sirius Black to the ministry. He is in custody as we speak."
"Really? But I thought from everything we learned when you captured Pettigrew that Sirius Black was innocent." Minerva's expression betrayed her confusion.
"Yes, however, the minister had not yet called off the official arrest warrant for Lord Black. I do believe that they have a court appointed attorney for Mr. Black and he may be declared a free and innocent man shortly."
Remembering how she had liked Sirius and the other Marauders brought a slight smile to her normally stern face. "Well, that is good news, but why come to speak to me about it now? I suppose that I could have waited until the Daily Prophet announced this all in tomorrow's paper."
"Perhaps," agreed Hildie, "but I would think that you have one student who should very much need to be informed of this sooner rather than later. A student who has spent much of this year being told that the person who supposedly betrayed his parents had escaped from prison and was apparently going to hunt him down, when in truth the man had escaped to capture the true betrayer. This man who is about to be declared free and innocent is Harry Potter's godfather. You know that. Shouldn't Harry be given an opportunity to be reunited with the man who is the closest thing to family he has left? And do not think for even a moment that Lily's sister and her family are any semblance of family to poor Harry."
Minerva weighed her options silently as to what to do with Harry. "I suppose that he could possibly miss his next DADA class. I think that Professor Lupin would understand. In fact, I do believe that Professor Lupin may want to take Harry there to meet him."
Hildie understood how this wold be an important reunion for everyone involved. "That sounds like a good plan, professor."
"Perhaps you should come with me to find Professor Lupin and young Harry," suggested Minerva. "It may be more believable coming from you."
The two women made their war down to the Great Hall for lunch was being served. Sure enough, Remus was seated at the faculty table and Harry was sitting amongst his friends at the Gryffindor table. Many people stopped talking as the deputy headmistress and the wife of the Dark Hunter walked into the hall and made there way to the front of the room. They spoke directly with Professor Lupin and then the trio made their way to the Gryffindor table.
Daphne Greengrass was watching all of this unfold while carefully trying to not appear to care about what was going on. There were hushed whispers around the hall. Daphne wondered what this all could mean as she observed her DADA professor leave the hall with the woman who was the wife of the bounty hunter and Harry Potter. She did admit to herself that young Harry was kind of cute, in a roguish sort of way. She had found his emerald green eyes to be more than captivating, but living in the house of snakes she knew well enough to avoid letting any of her house mates know what she thought or felt about a lion. She noted that the transfiguration professor stood still beside the table which Potter had just vacated and watched the three people leave the hall. Once the doors had closed the deputy headmistress went to the front of the hall and made an announcement.
"I am sure you are all wondering what is going on, and you will all be reading about it in tomorrow's Daily Prophet, I am sure." She paused to allow the renewed murmurings to abate. "Django Pevensie, the Dark Hunter as he is called in the press, has recently captured the fugitive wizard, Sirius Black." There were various gasps as well as cheers from around the hall. She waved her hand to get the students to quiet down. "As you recall, Peter Pettigrew, whom was thought murdered by Black over 12 years ago was found alive and in hiding here at this school just last month. Apparently Mr. Black, or Lord Black, has been found innocent of all charges of murder and betrayal. Lord Black is now a free man. He is also the godfather of our very own Harry Potter. Professor Lupin is taking Harry to the ministry to meet the man who should legally and rightfully be his guardian. This is a difficult and emotional time for Mr. Potter, as well as for many who knew the Potters and Sirius Black. Professor Lupin's afternoon classes will be cancelled for today. Please be respectful to Mr. Potter when he returns to our school later today."
With that she finished her announcement and went to sit down at the faculty table, and she was immediately surrounded by the other professors who had many questions they wanted answered about what this all would mean.
~~~/— LE-DH 14.3—\\\~~~
April 1, 1994
Ministry of Magic
Django Pevensie had arrived to meet with the minister and the head of the DMLE. He was still waiting on the payment for the bounty for bringing in Sirius Black. As he had still not been paid by the ministry he had requested the meeting with Cornelius Fudge and Amelia Bones.
Fudge was as acting as pompous as ever after the Daily Prophet painted him as a type of hero for being honest about the mistakes the ministry had made with Lord Black and being willing to admit that they had made an error. He even convinced many people that it was his idea that reparations be made to the offended Lord Black. Why should he have to pay some bounty hunter for bringing in a man who wasn't really a criminal? His own thinking was that the ministry did not have to pay the bounty.
Django had arrived in his usual dark grey robes, his mere appearance was unsettling to the minister. But Fudge felt reassured that he would have Amelia Bones with him for he knew she was not so easily intimidated.
Django sat down and looked at the two people in the room with him. "So, I have several questions for you both," he began without even greeting them with as much as 'hello' or 'good day'.
Fudge responded immediately, "Now see here, you were contracted to bring in a criminal, but as we all know, Sirius Black was no a criminal."
Amelia Bones sighed and rolled her eyes at that comment.
Django did not react to the outburst, but produced a rolled parchment. "This is the contract which you signed to hire me to bring in Sirius Orion Black," he said as he placed the parchment on the table. "If you were to read it closely there is nothing about whether he was a criminal or not in the agreement. It simply stated that I would be paid if I captured and brought into custody Sirius Orion Black. I did that, and justifiably, I should be paid the agreed upon amount."
Fudge turned to the head of the DMLE. "Is that true? Why did you write up such a document?"
Amelia smiled thinly and then she replied. "Minister, you had your staff draw up this agreement without consulting anyone from my department."
Fudge glared at the woman sitting to his left and then he turned back to face Django.
"Very well, it seems that we may not have any choice in this matter," he said, the defeat evidenced in his voice.
Django considered that this was just too easy to manipulate this man. "Well, minister, if I find that my account at Gringotts has received the full payment by the end of next week, then I would consider our business here concluded."
Fudge seemed to relax a little at the comment. But then he became uneasy as he noticed that the Dark Hunter's gaze was fixed on the head of the DMLE.
"Madam Bones," he said politely, "could you do me the favour of answering a few questions for me? Or if not for me, then could you answer for the concerned magical populace."
Amelia was feeling put off by the tone of the man in front of her and Fudge relaxed as he was not the one about to be grilled by the bounty hunter.
"What questions do you have, Mr. Pevensie?" she asked, her tone was chilly.
"I was wondering, why would the DMLE have placed the saviour of the magical world with his muggle relatives after his parents were murdered? Wasn't his parents' will reviewed before an orphan was placed with people who were known by those within the magical community to despise all magic and anything to do with magic?"
"I am not sure," she answered truthfully, feeling a little concerned about where trying to answer these questions would lead.
"We now know that Harry Potter's parents' will had directed that he should have been placed with his godfather. If the will had been reviewed it would have indicated that the oath taken by Sirius Black would not have allowed him to betray Harry or Harry's parents." Django paused as he let his words sink in. "Who could have overridden a will? Why was that even allowed to happen?"
"I assure you that my staff will look into this matter," she said, fearing what she would discover. Only one person had known where Harry Potter had gone when he disappeared from the magical world after that fateful night. The fact that there was a will at Gringotts which was used to establish that Harry Potter should now be placed with his godfather, the recently exonerated Sirius Black, indicated to her that someone must have ignored the presence of that will back in November 1981. She also understood that once this information was released to the public, it would be embarrassing at best for the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, or possibly incriminating of improperly using his position of power.
"I think that the news of this investigation will be of great interest to the Daily Prophet and even the Quibbler," stated Django.
"Are you blackmailing us?" asked a stunned minister for magic.
"Blackmailing? That would imply that I was threatening you with revealing some information. And doing so for a price. The only monies we have discussed is monies which are rightfully owed to me. The only information I have is what was made available in the various stories in the press about Lord Black and his godson. I am simply asking questions that I believe the press will be asking you soon." With those comments, Django stood and excused himself from the room.
~~~/— LE-DH 14.4 —\\\~~~
June 1994
The school year ended rather uneventfully at Hogwarts. Hermione Granger was facing physical exhaustion from using the time turner to take all of the classes she had enrolled in for the year. She and Harry and Ron had used the time turner to help save the hippogriff, Buckbeak, from execution. Harry had received some sympathy from his few friends when they learned that he wouldn't have had to have been raised by his magic hating relatives if his godfather had never been imprisoned for something he never did.
As the group of friends were saying their goodbyes at platform 9 3/4, Harry was anxiously awaiting Sirius Black to pick him up. Hermione had given him a crushing hug before leaving with her parents and promising to write. Ron and the rest of the Weasley family had said their goodbyes as well. Molly had been hesitant to leave Harry alone at the station, but Professor Remus Lupin had reassured her as he stated that he was waiting with Harry until his godfather showed up.
"How irresponsible of that man," commented Molly. "If he is going to be taking care of my Harry, he needs to understand he can't keep the poor thing waiting."
Harry, out of his politeness, stopped himself from saying anything to her. Remus, however did speak up, "Molly, I am sure that you mean well, but I know that Sirius will be here shortly, and that he has his reasons."
Molly begrudgingly left Harry under the watchful eye of the DADA professor. After the Weasleys had left Harry noted another family making their way off of the platform towards the barrier that led to the muggle side of the train station. He recognised the blonde student and he assumed it was her younger sister and her parents that were with her. Harry noted that Daphne was keeping her eye on him as she walked by. He blushed slightly as he weakly said "Hi" to her as she passed by.
She apparently noted his blush and actually paused slightly as she passed him. "Have a nice summer, Potter," she said over her shoulder.
"You too, Daphne," he answered.
Daphne continued on with her family so that he wouldn't see the blush that was rising in her own face. As the Greengrass family passed through the barrier Astoria teased her sister, "Daphne has a crush on Harry Potter."
A minute later Sirius Black walked through the barrier. Sirius immediately walked up to Harry, his arms open and welcoming him in a hug. Harry ran up to him and hugged the man back.
"Its good to see you, pup," said Sirius as he held onto Harry with his eyes closed. "I know we barely know each other, having only met that afternoon I was freed. I'm still working on getting to know you and I know I need to make up to the 12 years you spent with the Dursleys, but I've got big plans for us for this summer, pup."
Harry slid out of the hug, "I know," he said, "I just know it will be brilliant. Anything has to be better than 4 Privet Drive."
"That sounds like faint praise, based on what you've told me in the letters and during that meeting we had," said Sirius. "And I think I have something that will be even more exciting than anything you could have imagined."
Remus' eyes lit up slightly at listening to his old friend.
"I had some help on this from a new friend," continued Sirius. "We're not going to be spending the summer at my family home."
Harry felt a little confused at this time.
"I just came here from your new home, pup," Sirius added, clearly excited. "You're going to be living at Potter Manor. Your family's ancestral home. We've just finished working on getting it repaired and ready for us to move in. Well, not exactly finished, you see, as it still needs some work, but that is in areas that we won't be needing to use for quite some time."
Harry was amazed. He had a family, and now he had a home. "I just know I'm going to love it," he said holding back tears of emotion.
The two Marauders then greeted each other with a hug. "Well, Moony, are you going to be joining us? There's plenty of room."
Remus wasn't sure how to respond.
Then Sirius added, "There is a special room in the basement, and I have arranged for a bountiful supply of wolf's bane potion. We'll be safe."
"Padfoot, I don't know what to say," said a tearful Remus.
"Just say 'yes' Moony," said Sirius with a big grin. "Harry hasn't had a family. Now he does. You haven't had friends or family. Now you do. Join us. It'll be great."
Remus looked torn.
Sirius grasped his friend by the arm as he encouraged him more, "It's not like you really have anywhere else to go right now. You said you quit your job at the school. Come stay with us. Do it for me. Do it for Harry. Do it for James and Lily. Hell, do it for yourself."
"All right," agreed Remus finally, "I'll join you. Someone has to keep you from getting Harry into too much trouble."
~~~000~~~
Harry was amazed when they arrived at Potter Manor. The mansion was impressive but not gaudy. He turned to Sirius, "So this is where my dad grew up?"
"Yes, pup," answered Sirius with a smile. "I even spent a few summers living here with your dad. That was about the time my family was ready to cast me out. As it turned out, they only threatened to kick me out of the family, and burned my name off of the family tapestry. But they never kicked me out of the family, or else I wouldn't be Lord Black right now."
As they walked up to the entrance, there heard the distinctive sound of apparition. The three men turned in the direction of the telltale pop. Harry realised that he recognised the couple, Django and Hildie. Django was carrying a package with him that was not much bigger than a loaf of bread. He handed it to Sirius as he greeted the group.
"A house warming present for you all," said the bounty hunter.
Harry looked at the man in confusion and then he looked to Sirius for an explanation.
Sirius caught the confusion in Harry's expression. "Ah, you're no doubt wondering just what the man who captured me and brought me to the ministry is doing here. Well, between you and me pup, he's the one who kept me safe since last summer."
Harry felt even more confused at that statement.
Django looked at his younger self and sighed internally. "Harry, there is more going ion here than you could ever imagine, but for right now, please know that Hildie and I will continue to do everything in our power to help you and Sirius in any way possible. And someday we may be able to make sense out of all of this, but for now, all I can say is that I can imagine what you must be feeling, better than you could guess. Let's go inside and get a tour of your new home, Lord Potter."
"Lord? I'm a Lord?" asked a now bewildered Harry.
"For most of your life people have tried to protect you by keeping you in the dark," stated Django. "I've talked a little with your godfather about this, and from this day on, we have every intention of putting an end to that."
"Yes, Harry," added Sirius, "I've been wanting to tell you this. Someone should have told you this before. As the last of the Potters, you can take up your title at age 13, you can be emancipated at age 15. And since this is the manor for an Ancient and Noble House, you can do all of the magic you want while you're here."
The five people walked into the entry way of the newly remodelled manor. Harry's eyes popped just like a little boy on Christmas morning. Sirius had to wipe tears from his eyes as he watched how everything was affecting his godson. Harry looked up the magnificent stairway that led to the second floor. Through the entryway he could see a large room which seemed to be a lounge or perhaps a ballroom. A quick tour showed them all the kitchen and dining area, the study and the library as well as a training room, all on the first floor. On the second floor was the master suite, which Harry initially thought would be Sirius' room.
"No pup," stated Sirius, "this is your room. You're the lord of this house. I'm merely your guardian."
Harry's room had its own private bathroom, and a walk in closet that was larger than Dudley's second bedroom which Harry was begrudgingly allowed to use for a couple of summers.
Django spoke up as Harry was staring at his room. "You know, young man, you'll have to fill up the closet with clothes befitting a young lord."
Hildie added, "And with clothes that are fitting for a teenager to have fun in."
Harry was amazed at everything he was looking at. "I can't believe this. It is all too amazing to comprehend."
The group headed back down stairs to the large room and then out into the garden.
"The old Quidditch pitch is still being renovated," commented Sirius as they looked out across the grounds.
Harry's mouth hung open, he never dreamed of having his own Quidditch pitch.
Then Django commented, "Perhaps you should open that present now."
Sirius smirked as he and a good idea what was hidden inside the packaging. Harry removed the outer wrapper which revealed a simple small box with the letters QQS on the outside. Carefully he opened the box and he was surprised as the contents seemed to pop out. Six brand new Firebolt brooms appeared on a broom stand.
Harry was speechless.
Django spoke up, "I figured if you had friends over, it would only be more fun to let several people fly at once."
Harry looked at Sirius, his eyes asking the question for him, could he fly now.
"Later pup," answered his godfather, "I think we best be having dinner now."
Over dinner Sirius filled Harry in on what he knew about Potter Manor and the grounds that were being finished. He even told his godson some stories of the fun that he and James would have years ago when they were similar in age to what Harry is now.
"You know Sirius," interjected Django, "your godson here as grown up completely outside of the magical world. He really needs to learn the traditions and ways of pure-blood society. He is a lord after all."
Sirius was initially taken aback by the comments, but then he considered that there would be benefits to Harry, even to the both of them, to make sure they knew as much as possible about how they would fit into this world of magic that they had both been absent from for so long.
Harry wasn't sure if he wanted classes over the summer, but Sirius looked at him with a smile as he said, "Hey pup, it could be fun. We both probably need to understand what it means to be a lord of an Ancient and Noble House. You never know when it might prove useful someday."
As dinner was finishing up, Harry once again asked about trying out the new brooms, and Sirius could no longer deny him the pleasure. Harry ran out to the garden and picked one of the brooms and was soon off flying around the manor grounds.
"So, how safe is this place?" asked Sirius.
Django grinned broadly. "It is unplottable. It is now under a fidelius charm, with you as the secret keeper. Harry is already keyed into the security here as Lord Potter. The Death Eaters will never find it again."
"That's good to know," sighed Sirius in relief.
The conversation moved to the lounge as they had Kreacher (who had been called for to help care for Sirius and Harry) brought them out some brandy. Django swirled the liquid in his glass for a moment and then looked at Sirius with a thoughtful eye.
"You need to know more about Harry," he stated flatly.
Sirius was surprised by this comment. "Of course I do, we have hardly met. But we have all of the summer hols together, and anytime he needs to talk, we can do it. James and I made this special mirrors."
"That's wonderful Sirius," replied Django dryly, "but there are more pressing matters you do need to be aware of. Harry's scar and the true nature of it for starters."
"What about that scar?" asked Sirius. Remus was now concerned as well.
"There is a reason it stays red and irritated, so many years after the attack," said Django. "You know about the items we have obtained over the past couple of years."
"The diadem, the cup, the ring and the locket," answered Sirius. Remus seemed a little confused at this point.
"Exactly," was Django's only comment.
There was a long silence as Sirius' worked out the puzzle in his mind and then his face grew dark with concern and Remus was merely more confused.
"No, not one of those horrid things in his scar!" exclaimed Sirius.
Neither Django nor Hildie argued with him.
"What are you all talking about?" asked Remus.
Sirius' face was now pale as he looked to his old friend. "Horcruxes, we're talking about horcruxes."
Remus was still confused.
"Bloody awful dark magic. A horcrux is a soul container, it holds a piece of a wizards soul, binding them to this plane of existence. As long as they have a horcrux then they can't be killed. Voldemort made a bunch of them." Sirius had a look of fear on his face as he explained this all to Remus.
Remus became horrified as he now understood what was being implied.
Django confirmed their fears when he stated, "Yes, there is a horcrux in Harry's scar."
After the long and awkward pause that followed his pronouncement, Django spoke again. "We need to not reveal this Harry just yet." He held his hand up to stay the protests from both Sirius and Remus. "I know all to well the problems with people keeping secrets from young Harry. We just need to have more of a plan of how to deal with this, and you two need to be able to protect yourselves from legillemency probes, even from the esteemed headmaster."
Remus and Sirius were both puzzled by this, so Django went on to explain further.
"Dumbledore suspects about the horcrux, and he has kept that information from Harry. We already know that Albus was the one who did nothing to free you from Azkaban and he allowed Harry to grow up in an abusive household." Django paused to let his words sink in. "Albus may mean well, deep down, but he trusts no one with any really useful information. I know that we can take care of this without his interference, and in a much safer way then the headmaster has devised."
"What do you mean? What has he devised for Harry and the horcrux?" Sirius' tone was clearly worried as he asked these questions.
Django shook his head slightly and then he looked directly Sirius directly in his eyes as he replied, "He plans to have Harry die to destroy the horcrux so that Tom Riddle can finally be defeated. But there may be another way."
Hildie then added, "Albus' plan could work, and maybe even allow Harry to survive somehow. But we'll have to discuss this in more detail later."
As she said this, Harry walked back into the room after putting away his broom. Sensing the tension in the air and the sadness among all of the adults he quipped, "Who died?"
~~~000~~~
AN: Another long chapter, and the last one was the longest I had published for any story to date.
This is the last chapter for probably about a month for this story. As November approaches I will be working on another Harry Potter fanfic for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). If that story is finished early then I will get right back onto this story. This story is NOT being abandoned and the next several chapters are already outlined. We will pick up where we left off. I had initially planned more of a cliff hanger here, but that would have required a couple thousand more words, and I wasn't sure how that scene would really play out in the grand scheme of this story, so I decided to end it with here. 3rd year is over, Harry has a family, Sirius is a free man, and the Quidditch World cup is jet around the corner. As is the tri-wizard tournament without a certain rat to help. And Daphne and Harry have at least said 'hi' to one another. I have not yet decided how I am going to deal with Draco, and he will need to be dealt with, especially if Harry becomes involved with a member of his house.
AN2: In response to an anonymous review - I have not forgotten Barty Crouch Junior. I never said that the dangers of the TriWizrard Tournament are being avoided - just that Wormtail will not be involved. There are still 2 Horcruxes left (Harry and Nagini). they will need to be dealt with, and they shall...
AN3: some more edits done, 5/2016