A/N Hey everyone! Thanks for taking the time to review! They really help with fleshing out the story. I meant to answer the last time that Sirius' fire call to Remus was to imply that he asked for help in getting out the shell for Ron. This chapter, while it does incorporate the Cup, is more to establish a future plotline than anything else. Hope it's not too boring!
jogger and curlybean, as always, your suggestions and comments are extremely helpful. Hope you enjoy today's chapter!
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Sirius watched in amusement as his godson trudged slowly down the stairs. His eyes were bleary from sleep and, for someone who should be jumping with excitement, he looked decidedly cross. Smirking, the older man inwardly thought how much alike father and son were. James had never been a morning person either.
"Ugh, why do we have to be up so early?" the boy groaned, shifting his backpack a little. It already felt like it weighed a ton and one of the shoulder straps was being difficult about staying fastened.
"Because, you are the one that insisted we travel with the Weasleys," Sirius reminded him as he ruffled the disgruntled child's messy hair.
"I've changed my mind. Let's just meet them there," Harry grunted as he stumbled over to the parlor sofa and crashed down onto it. Throwing his backpack on the floor, he laid down resting his head on one of the throw pillows and resolutely closed his eyes.
Sirius rolled his eyes before going over to pull the boy back up.
"Oh no, you don't. We went to a lot of trouble to do this your way," he scolded gently.
Harry scowled, but he allowed his godfather to tug him by the hands back up into a standing position. Sirius bent down and helped refasten the backpack to the slumped shoulders.
"Alright young man, what is the number one rule about being at the match?" Sirius asked very firmly.
Harry groaned again. "I am not to even think about leaving your or Remus' sight the entire time or you will lock me in my room until I'm fifty," he chanted like a little annoyed drone.
"Excellent," Sirius nodded approvingly. He was completely on edge about the large number of attendees for the Cup. What made matters worse was the fact that all the Ministry aurors would be on duty for the entire match so he had not been able to secure any extra help other than Remus to look after Harry.
Harry rubbed his head irritably as he stood waiting while Sirius fussed with the uncooperative backpack strap threatening to fall off of Harry's right shoulder. Feeling cheeky, he decided to tease his godfather.
"You know, Sirius. That kind of threat is pretty mean. The Dursleys use to lock me in my room all of the time," he said in a fake hurt voice, his mouth positioned in a pout.
Sirius paled and dropped the strap as he exhaled sharply. He didn't catch the mocking tone in his godson's voice.
"Oh, Harry. I am so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking," he apologized profusely, feeling all of about two inches tall. What had possessed him to threaten Harry, even in jest, with a reminder of the cruel treatment he received from those horrible Muggles?
Harry realized that his godfather wasn't getting the joke and rolled his eyes. "Sirius, I was just kidding." He paused, thinking. "Well, I mean I wasn't kidding. I mean...they did do that to me...oh, never mind," he gave up on trying to provide any humor at that ungodly hour of the morning. "Forget it."
Recovering, Sirius finally realized that his godson was just trying to take the mickey. Cocking one eyebrow, he decided that two could play at that game.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I would never actually lock you in your room. However, if I do catch you wandering off, I will start making you hold my hand every time we leave the house until you are of age," he said very seriously.
Harry started for a second and then saw the small smirk on his godfather's face. He gave the man a glare. "Ha, ha."
Sirius snorted for a moment and then grew silent again. He took Harry by the shoulders and looked at him very pointedly. "All joking aside, Harry. There will be no mucking about today. I'll try not to hover, but I want you near me at all times, okay? Don't test me on this, because I will bring you straight home if you don't obey me."
Harry saw the stern look and knew that Sirius was not kidding around this time. He nodded. "I won't, Sirius," he promised. They had already discussed Sirius' security concerns and, although Harry didn't like them, he understood them. He was glad to be going at all.
Smiling, Sirius gave Harry a quick squeeze, checking the backpack strap one more time. "Ready?" he asked brightly.
Harry yawned and nodded. "Where's Remus? Isn't he meeting us here?"
Sirius shook his head as he grabbed his own shoulder bag. "No, he stayed at the campsite. With any luck, he will be making you some breakfast."
Harry's ears perked up at the mention of food. Remus, Sirius and Arthur had set up camp for them the previous evening a few hundred yards away from the stadium. Harry had not been allowed to go and had spent several disgruntled hours under house arrest in the library reading under the watchful eyes of Dobby. His stomach audibly growled. Sirius smirked and dug into his bag to retrieve a banana to hand to the always hungry teen.
"You might want to wait a second until we are done apparating to eat that," he advised. Harry, remembering how the feeling made him a bit sick, took the yellow fruit gratefully and nodded. Sirius held out his arm and Harry obediently grabbed on to it, yawning widely as Sirius turned on the spot.
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The landed with a small thump at the top of a hill. The purple veil of night was just beginning to lift slightly and Harry could see dawn threatening to peek out. Sirius rubbed Harry's back briefly, ascertaining that the boy was feeling okay from the constriction of the apparition tube. Harry gave him a small look, as if to say that he was indeed fine and his godfather relaxed as the boy dropped to the ground and began to peel the skin off of the banana and idly munch on it.
"The Weasleys should be here soon, I think. They're walking. Too many kids to apparate with," Sirius informed Harry who had started to look around the emptiness with bit of concern. A few moments passed and they saw two approaching figures. As they got closer, Harry recognized Cedric Diggory, Seeker for Hufflepuff House. He assumed that the older man with him was his father.
The older boy waved congenially as they got closer. "Hey, Harry!" Harry waved back, happy to see a familiar face. "Hey Cedric. Good summer?"
Cedric nodded and smiled. "Yeah, great. You?" The words got to Harry. Cedric would have no idea how great Harry's summer had been this year.
"Yep." He motioned to Sirius. "Cedric, this is my godfather, Sirius Black. Sirius, this is Cedric Diggory. He plays seeker for Hufflepuff."
Sirius held out his hand genially and Cedric shook it. "Hello, Cedric. It's nice to meet you," he greeted. Cedric nodded. "It's nice to meet you too, sir. This is my father Amos," he informed them as he turned to the older man who was striding forward with his hand held out.
They greeted each other, Amos being a little intimidated by meeting the wizard that had been thought to be murderous and dark for so many years. He turned his gaze onto Harry when his son introduced his schoolmate.
"Harry Potter?" he asked. "You're the seeker for Gryffindor," he stated matter of factly. Harry nodded. "Yes, sir. I am." Amos elbowed his son in the ribs.
"Didn't you beat Harry in a match last year, Ced?" he asked proudly. Cedric's face went red at the memory. "Dad, Harry fell off of his broom because of the Dementors," he reminded his father, completely embarrassed by the older man's prideful boasting. Amos didn't seem to think it mattered.
"Well, yes, but you stayed on yours. No question who was the better flyer was there, Ced? Something to tell your grandkids someday. You beat Harry Potter at Quidditch," he said smugly.
Cedric's face was a dark shade of red and he looked apologetically at Harry, who smiled and waved it off. Sirius was about to make a rather rude retort when they heard a large group of people approaching them.
"Morning all!" called Arthur Weasley. Very timely as it turned out. Amos Diggory had no idea exactly how close he came to being the target of the wrath of a Marauder and godfather.
Trudging along behind Arthur came the twins, Ron, Hermione (who was still barely speaking to Ron) and Ginny. All the children looked just as tired and haggard as Harry did. The sun was starting to rise and, at Arthur's instruction, they all scattered to look for the manky old boot that would serve as the portkey for the journey. With minutes to spare, they found it. Having never travelled by portkey before, Harry looked at it a little nervously until his godfather gave him a small wink and an encouraging smile as he put his finger on the boot. Harry copied him and, seconds later, he found himself hurtling through the air.
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Through the utter chaos of the campsites, they trudged tiredly as they made their way to where their tents were set up. Harry had been awestruck by the sheer number of little huts and wizarding families. The Ministry employees looked even more exhausted than their own small party as they ran around trying to persuade the attendees to rein in their desires to use magic in front of the few muggles that were running the campground. Arthur clucked disapprovingly at some of the more ostentatious tents.
"What are they thinking, showing off like that? Of course, that's the way it always is when a large group of us get together. Always trying to out do the others."
When they finally arrived, Harry looked at the three small pup tents that were meant to be their accommodations for the night a little disconcerted. Giving his godson an impish smile, Sirius just jerked his head towards one and indicated that Harry go inside.
Opening the flap and ducking inside, he was amazed to see that the tent was enormous. There was a large sitting room with plenty of cushy chairs and a sofa. A large table off to the right was set with plates and cutlery for the whole party. In the back he could see a kitchen where Remus was busy at the stove, a heavenly scent of bacon wafting across the room. There were two bedrooms with bunk-beds and a full small bath. Harry looked back at his godfather who had followed him in and was grinning like a madman.
"Not so bad, huh?" he asked, teasing the boy. Harry shook his head with a small snort and headed over to Remus who greeted him and handed him large platters of food to bring over to the table.
With many compliments to the werewolf chef, the little party ate until they almost groaned in discomfort. Feeling decidedly more energetic, they began to animatedly discuss the upcoming match. Harry watched as Hermione shot death glares over the table at Ron and realized that he would have to intervene at some point during the day and assure her that he wasn't upset at their best friend. At Arthur's and Sirius' instructions, the kids cleaned up and Harry asked Sirius if they could go walk around for a while.
With Sirius and Remus tagging along behind them, Harry, Hermione and Ron left the tent to explore the grounds. On the way out, Arthur introduced them to Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He was dressed oddly in an ill fitting Quidditch uniform of yellow with black stripes and Arthur quietly explained that Ludo had been a beater for the Wimbourne Wasps back in the day. As they walked away, Harry saw the Weasley twins give what looked to be a large sack of gold to Ludo.
Although Sirius had arranged tickets and accommodations for all of Harry's party guests, most of his friends had come to the match with their own families. The Cup being held in Britain was a very big deal and most of the wizarding families with Hogwarts students were attending. As they walked around the campsite, they met up with Seamus and Dean who were staying in the Irish section. Seamus' family had grown shamrocks on their tent like most of the other rabid Ireland fans. Sirius just shook his head mirthfully at the sight. They also came across Oliver Wood and the girls. Sirius reminded them that they were all welcome in the private box he had secured. It was one of the largest and would seat many. Harry felt bad that Neville was not allowed to join them. His grandmother had taken him out of the country to visit with his great uncle.
As the five of them strolled amongst the many vendors, Ron's eyes went wide at all of the memorabilia that was for sale. He had been saving his pocket money all summer for the match and purchased a dancing shamrock hat and a large green rosette. He also bought a small figure of Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker and pop celebrity in the Quidditch world. The miniature Krum walked backward and forward over Ron's hand, scowling up at the green rosette above him.
Harry also had a decent amount of gold with him as well. Sirius had been giving him a five galleon a week allowance all summer and he had saved it all. When they reached the concession selling Omnioculars, the fabulously detailed wizard binoculars, Ron groaned.
"I've spent all my money already. Wish I had known these would be here," he said a little dejectedly.
Harry was about to purchase sets for himself and his friends when Sirius stepped over and admired them. He stopped Harry with a wave and proceeded to order a dozen of the amazing little glasses. Knowing how Ron felt about his financial straits, Sirius merely reminded Ron and Hermione that they and their parents had been giving gifts to Harry for three years and it was time that Sirius reciprocated. His easy going manner smoothed over what could have been an awkward situation and all three teens smiled happily as he passed one set to each of them. Seeing Hermione admire the fancy purple velvet programs, Sirius purchased a dozen of them as well and they slowly made their way back to the tents.
When they arrived, they saw that Bill, Charlie and Percy had finally made it to the campsite. They were sitting around the table chatting companionably with Arthur and Ginny. The twins were looking at Ron's Omnioculars sadly. Sirius, who had heard them bet all of their gold with Ludo, handed them each a pair of their own as well as a program and they brightened up significantly. He also handed them out to the rest of the Weasleys and then, upon his godson's not so subtle claims of being hungry again, he started to pull a large quantity of sandwiches and crisps out of his shoulder bag.
After eating, everyone got settled in their rooms. Sirius and Remus were sharing one room in the main tent with Harry and Ron in the other room with the twins. Ginny and Hermione had the small middle tent to themselves and Arthur and his three older boys were sharing the one farthest to the right. Before they knew it, it was time to go.
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Harry had never seen anything like it. As they all climbed the purple covered stairs up to a top box, he drank in all of the sights and sounds with utter amazement. On the stairs, they met the Malfoy family. Draco sneered at them, boasting loudly about having a place in the Minister's box. Harry and Ron glowered right back at him until the festively dressed usher gave them directions to their own box which was right next to the Minister's, just as large and just as grand. Harry smirked at the scowling blond and Ron snorted when Ginny childishly stuck her tongue out at the pompous little Slytherin.
In their box, they got comfortable on the plush purple and gold chairs. Dobby and Bicky were already there waiting for them, large trays of snacks and drinks in their hands. Sirius patiently endured a few minutes of Hermione's protests against elvish enslavement before very firmly, but kindly, reminding her that he treated his house elves very well and was more than willing to free them whenever they wanted to go. Bicky started to squeal in horror at the idea of clothes and Hermione found herself having to calm down the distraught elf. She gritted her teeth, but thought better of bringing the subject up again.
The teams mascots were introduced. Bulgaria had brought a group of veela with them and the boys stared awestruck at the inhumanly beautiful women gyrating on the field. Laughing to themselves, Sirius and Remus grabbed Harry and Ron by the backs of their shirts as the two entranced boys threatened to jump over the side of the box in support of Bulgaria. Arthur grabbed Ron's shamrock hat from his hand when it was in danger of being shredded.
"He'll want this later," he smirked to the two other men.
Hermione merely sat back in her chair, arms crossed with a look of annoyance on her face. "Boys," she said, disgusted with her friends' behavior.
After the veelas, a large green cloud made its way across the sky. Looking carefully, the crowd was awed to see a large contingent of leprechauns swooping around the stadium, showering the attendees with gold coins. Elated, Ron grabbed them by the handful until Sirius bent down and whispered to him that it was fake gold and not to bother. Ron scowled at the rotten luck, but just for a moment as they heard the thunderous voice announcing the start of the match.
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Elated, but exhausted, the group had made their way back to tents. Harry had never enjoyed himself so much in his life. Ireland had won 170 - 160 after Krum caught the snitch. Patiently, he had tried to explain why a seeker would catch a snitch when his team had no chance of winning. Pointing out that Bulgaria would never recover Ireland's lead, the skilled seeker ended the game on his own terms. Sirius grinned at the sound of hero worship in his godson's voice. Krum had pulled off an amazing Wronski Feint and the slightly sick godfather was now living in fear of the moment that his boy would try to emulate the move.
Sirius let Harry stay up for quite some time celebrating before seeing the boy's eyes start to droop.
"Harry, I think it's time for bed, don't you?" he suggested kindly, but firmly. That was Arthur's cue as well. Ginny had almost fallen asleep over her cup of cocoa. They dispersed and went to their respective bedrooms. After changing into his pajamas, Harry went to the room being shared by Sirius and Remus. He knew that Sirius wouldn't embarrass him by "tucking him in" in front of Ron and the twins, but it didn't mean that Harry didn't want the affection. Tactfully excusing himself, Remus went out into the sitting room. Sitting on the bed, Sirius patted the place next to him and Harry sat down.
"Did you have a good time today?" Sirius asked, loving the look of joy in Harry's eyes.
Harry nodded and leaned tiredly against his godfather's side. "It was brilliant. Thanks for everything." Sirius put his arms around the half asleep boy and gave him a tight squeeze.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Do your old godfather a favor and never try that feint though, okay?" he teased. Harry turned his face up and gave Sirius a small glare. Defeated, Sirius sighed and held him tighter.
"Okay. Just don't do it when I'm around," he pleaded. Harry snorted and nodded his head.
"Alright, go on. Bedtime," Sirius ordered. He leaned over and kissed the top of Harry's head before pushing him up off the bed and giving his bottom a playful swat. Harry rubbed his eyes again and gave a small wave as he returned to his room and tumbled into his bed.
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Dimly, Harry thought he heard the sounds of screams. Scrunching up his eyes, in his sleep induced haze, he wasn't sure if he was awake or dreaming. The situation became much more clear when he felt himself being shaken awake by his godfather. Sirius was leaning over him, his face a mask of anxiety.
"Harry! Come on, little one. Wake up," he commanded, stress evident in his voice. Bleary eyed, Harry saw that Remus was also in the room attempting to rouse the twins.
"Wha..what's the matter?" he asked sleepily. Sirius was grabbing him by the arms and pulling him into a sitting position.
"We have to go. Grab your wand and put some shoes on." Sirius stood up and started to shake Ron.
Harry rubbed his eyes and fumbled for his glasses. The twins were slowly waking up and he saw that Remus' face was just as worried as Sirius' had been. His godfather began to lose his patience.
"Boys!" he yelled sharply. "We need to go now! Wands and shoes, right this minute."
Still disoriented and confused, the four teens nevertheless managed to grab said items and allowed themselves to be herded into the sitting room. Harry grabbed his godfather's sleeve. He was beginning to panic.
"Sirius, what is going on?"
Sirius looked down at him, troubled. "Death Eaters, Harry. They're here."
Harry's eyes went wide. The three redheads paled as well. Sirius and Remus pushed them outside the tent and they all stared terrified at the sight.
Everything was utter chaos. People were running and screaming in all directions. Several tents were on fire and, in the distance, they could see a large group of masked people in black robes. Arthur had the girls in his arms in front of their tent and Harry watched as Bill, Charlie and Percy drew their wands and ran in the direction of the black robed mob.
Sirius grabbed Harry and Ron by the wrists and shouted to Arthur. "We need to get the children someplace safe! Let's get back to the apparition point and take them to my house!"
Arthur nodded curtly and took the girls by the hand. Behind them, Remus was pushing the twins forward as the whole group ran into the woods beyond the campsite. They pounded into the clearing beyond the trees, half choking on the thick acrid smoke from the multiple fires. Too nervous to speak, Harry allowed himself to be tugged behind Sirius. He felt secure that, as long as his godfather was with him, they were safe. He could hear Ginny sobbing quietly, Hermione trying to soothe her and failing miserably due to the quiver in her own voice.
Once they reached a clear spot at a large boulder, Sirius dropped Harry's and Ron's wrists and yelled to Remus and Arthur. "I'll go first. You won't be able to apparate on the grounds unless I authorize it." With that, he grabbed Harry and Ron firmly by the waist and turned on the spot. Harry was too tense to be put off by the constriction of the travel and he was still clinging fiercely to his godfather when they landed hard on the front lawn of Celestial Court. Sirius released the boys and grabbed his wand, wordlessly authorizing the wards to allow the incoming familiar signatures. Within moments, Arthur had apparated with the girls and Remus with the twins. The men pushed the teens into the house, the guards sweeping aside respectfully as the doors flew open. Panting and heaving, the kids collapsed onto the furniture in the left parlor.
Harry saw Arthur conjure a silver weasel patronus and it darted off into the night. Still unnerved, he didn't even protest when Sirius put his arms around him. It wasn't until he heard his godfather say that he was leaving that he started to panic.
"Wait, you're going back?" he asked incredulously. Sirius took him by the shoulders and nodded.
"Yes, I am. So are Arthur and Remus. We need to try and help." Scowling, Harry pulled out his wand. "Then, so am I. I want to help fight."
Sirius' face flashed with anger. "You will do no such thing! You are going to stay right here. Arthur has sent word to Molly. She'll be here in a moment to stay with you all."
Harry panicked. He didn't want Sirius to leave. Sirius could be killed and what would he do without his godfather?
"Sirius, please don't go. Please stay here. I don't want you to go," he pleaded, real fear in his voice. Sirius' heart broke at the despondent look in his godson's eyes. Quickly, he tried to reassure Harry as the boy desperately grabbed at his robes.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. We need to help them. The aurors are horribly outnumbered and the Death Eaters are going after the muggles. It's bad, Harry. Really bad. They need assistance."
"But, but why you? Why can't you stay here with me?" Harry begged, practically in tears over the worry that he could lose another parent to the Dark. Sirius pulled Harry into a tighter embrace trying to console the boy.
"Because I'm a fully trained and qualified auror, Harry. They need help. Please don't worry. It will all be okay."
Harry wasn't convinced, but he didn't want anyone to see him cry like a child. He held tightly to his godfather, barely noticing the floo roar green and Mrs. Weasley come barreling into the room, her nightgown vivid in color, her red hair in curlers. Clucking like a mother hen, she worriedly check over all the children. Seeing her arrive, Sirius damned the potential embarrassment of his godson and kissed the top of Harry's head, hugging him close.
"I'll be back soon. Behave yourself and mind Mrs. Weasley," he ordered.
"Yes, sir," Harry muttered into his chest. He didn't want to let go. Finally, Sirius had to push him away gently. He gave Harry a quick wink and then, meeting the eyes of the other men, they each vanished.
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Trying to keep herself and the children calm, Molly herded them into the kitchen where Lolly, the elf on night duty, provided them with a tray of cocoa and biscuits. No one had much of an appetite regardless of the stream of happy conversation that Molly was trying to keep up. After an hour of futile attempts, she finally asked Lolly to arrange beds for the night for the group.
Worried, but unable to fight sleep off any longer, the twins and Ginny were shown to new guest rooms as Ron and Hermione made themselves as comfortable as they could in the rooms that had been given to them as theirs during their visit for Harry's birthday. Only Harry refused to go up. He curled up in Sirius' favorite chair in the study, trying to comfort himself with the lingering scent of his godfather's aftershave embedded in the plush fabric. Although he had promised Sirius that he would mind Molly, he steadfastly refused all of her efforts to get him to go to bed. He wanted to be awake to greet his godfather when he came home. Molly had finally given in and covered him with a small blanket.
The hours passed slowly and still, no word. Harry's eyes had grown leaden and he was struggling to keep them open. Horrific images of his godfather's torture and death came flying unbidden into his mind. A cold grip of panic engulfed him as his nerves wandered into an uneasy train of thought that he would, once again, lose a parent. The idea of him having to bury his godfather and go back to the Dursley's drowned him and he bit down on a wad of his T-shirt to keep from crying. Finally, emotionally and physically exhausted, he fell into a fitful sleep.
Pulled from the nightmarish images of life back on Privet Drive, Harry was barely aware of the comforting feeling of long fingers stroking his hair. Almost afraid to open his eyes, he forced himself to peek and was greeted by the sight of his godfather, tired, dirty and bruised, staring kindly at him as he gently carded his fingers through Harry's black mop.
"Hey there," he greeted quietly. "What are you doing down here? You should be in bed."
Engulfed with relief, Harry launched himself at Sirius, clinging tightly around his middle. Sirius held him, trying to soothe the worry. He hadn't wanted to leave Harry, but he needed to do what he could to help. At home, Harry was safe from harm, but the poor innocents at the Cup were powerless and Sirius had training and skill.
"I thought I would lose you too," Harry mumbled into his godfather's shoulder. Sirius' breath hitched.
Idiot!, he cursed himself. He hadn't even thought what his actions might mean to his godson's feeling of security. Of course, after all Harry had been through, he would worry about Sirius not coming home at all. He pulled Harry closer.
"I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to make you worry like that," he apologized, rubbing the boy's back. "I'm home, now. Let's get you into bed."
Harry nodded and allowed himself to be led upstairs. Sirius pulled his covers back and Harry climbed in, dropping with exhaustion now that his godfather was back safely. He was asleep almost immediately. Sirius pulled up the chair and settled himself to stay with Harry for a while, just in case.
He watched his godson sleep, peacefully he hoped, and realized that Harry's reaction to his helping at the Cup just made the decision he had been grappling with for the past few days so much harder.
What would Harry's reaction be to the job offer he had received?