Disclaimer: Anything familiar to JKR's books probably comes from there and is hers not mine. Also, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, the Wizarding World, and anything else that has to do with it belongs to the lovely JK Rowling, not me. I'm just playing in her sandbox and building my own Hogwarts in it.

Chapter Thirty-Five

The rest of break sped by, and before anyone knew it, the school was back. Everyone had a laugh at the twins, who were still pranked as McGonagall and Snape had decided not to help them this year. It took three weeks for it to finally wear off.

Everyone fell back into classes, and Harry and Draco told the others not to worry about keeping an eye out for Black as they would watch for him themselves. This confused the others, but they shrugged and agreed, albeit reluctantly on Tracey's part.

Nothing interesting happened until a couple of weeks after the school returned when Harry was watching the Map as he sat outside in the courtyard with Draco. They had decided to make a few stashes of snowballs as it was quite common for random snowball fights at this time of year.

"Draco!" Harry called as he stared at the Map, unwilling to look away in case the dot disappeared.

"Yeah?" he replied as he stood up and walked towards Harry.

"Sirius," was all Harry said as he stood up and took off running, Draco following just as fast.

Finally, Harry came to a stop not far from the Whomping Willow, the Map still in his hand. Draco caught up to him and stood beside him, both of them breathing heavily as they looked straight at the tree. Harry was the first to see the black dog looking out from a hole at the bottom of the tree, and his eyes widened as he figured it all out.

"He's an Animagus," he whispered to Draco quietly before walking forward a few steps and kneeling in the snow.

"Sirius?" he called to the dog. "Can you come out please, Sirius?"

The dog whimpered, and Harry saw him shake his head. Harry could only smile slightly.

"Sirius, what if I told you that we know where Peter Pettigrew is?" Harry asked. "What if I told you that we know you're innocent and that you were framed by Pettigrew?"

Both boys watched with bated breath as a black paw reached out of the tree and pressed down on a knot carefully. The tree froze and Sirius Black pulled himself out of the hole in the tree and carefully walked over to the two Slytherins. Once he was out of range of the tree, the dog stopped and suddenly a man was in his place.

As Sirius stood up, Harry saw that he was in rags, he needed a shave, his hair was covered in grime and full of tangles, but he had a smile on his face that made his eyes shine. Sirius rushed over to Harry and hugged him tightly, surprising him.

"You both really know where he is?" Sirius asked in a rushed voice, as if he couldn't believe it as he let Harry go.

"We know where he is, but we don't know how he's there unnoticed," Draco replied softly.

"He's an Animagus as well," Sirius told them both. "His form is a rat. Fits, if you ask me." Sirius spat at the ground, but Harry and Draco weren't looking at him anymore.

"Ron has a pet rat…" Harry muttered as everything began to make sense suddenly.

"And the rat is always by Ron or in his dorm…" Draco added softly.

"The twins!" Harry exclaimed. "They'll be able to get Pettigrew from Ron without any trouble!"

"That's it!" Draco agreed loudly in his happiness.

Before Sirius could say a word, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out his Journal. He quickly activated it and wasn't surprised to see that the twins weren't on at the moment. Poking both of their names, Harry formed a group with only the two of them in it.

Fred: Yes Harry?

George: What can we do for our pranking friend?

Harry: Your brother's rat, can you get it for me?

George: Why do you need Scabbers?

Harry: Just… Please, get the rat and Stun it for me?

Fred: Sure thing, Harry, but where are you?

Harry: Whomping Willow. You'll understand soon enough. For now I just need the rat, please. And hurry.

Harry signed off without waiting for a reply, slipped his Journal back into his pocket, and looked up to see that Sirius was looking at him in confusion.

"They're Journals, and they allow anyone who has one to talk to someone else who has one," he said in explanation.

"So you were talking to these twins to get the rat?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Yes, he was," Draco replied. "Their younger brother, Ron, is the one who owns the rat. Pettigrew is his pet."

"So you're getting the older brothers to steal him as that's something older brothers do," Sirius said as he figured it out, a mischievous smile growing on his face. "You both could be Marauders with the way you think."

"What do you know about the Marauders?" Harry demanded sharply as he looked at Sirius more closely.

"Your father and I were among them, Harry."

"You, dad, Professor Lupin, and Pettigrew," Harry gasped as he figured it out, everything Lupin had been telling him suddenly making sense. "You four made up the Marauders and pranked people under the name."

Before anyone could say anything, Draco spotted the twins and made Sirius turn back into his dog form, telling them to call him Snuffles if they had to come up with a name.

"Here's Scabbers," Fred panted as he held out the Stunned rat to Harry, who grabbed him.

"Thanks," he told the twins as he glared at the rat. Pulling out his dagger from the sheath on his leg that was only noticeable to his friends who were also training with the daggers, he put the tip of it on Pettigrew's neck.

"Are you going to tell us what this is about?" George asked.

"You'll find out by tomorrow, I'm betting," Draco informed the redheads as he too glared at the rat, his wand in hand.

"Come, Snuffles, let's go inside," Harry called to the dog as the four began walking towards the castle, and Sirius followed.

"Where'd you find the dog?" Fred demanded.

"He was hiding in the snow. We thought he'd like to come inside to the warmth," Harry said, keeping a straight face as he made up a story off the top of his head.

The group was silent the rest of the way to the castle, where the twins went off to find Lee Jordan while Harry, Draco, and Sirius made their way to Dumbledore's office. When they got there, they couldn't figure out the password, so they were stuck.

"I'll go find a professor – tell them it's an emergency," Draco said as he walked down the hall, leaving Harry and Sirius alone.

Harry sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. He placed Pettigrew on the floor in front of him and pulled out his wand, using it in his left hand as his right was still keeping the dagger on the rat. Sirius settled down next to the Slytherin and poked the hand with the dagger in it with his nose.

"You want to know why I have a dagger with me?" Harry asked Sirius. The dog nodded. "We've been training with them, to be able to fight. Voldemort is going to come back, and we need to be ready or we'll be hurt."

Sirius barked once in agreement and then settled down.

They both waited until Draco came back with Professor McGonagall a few minutes later. She was obviously shocked to see Harry with a dagger pointed at a rat with a black dog next to him, but it probably made whatever excuse Draco had used more believable as she whispered a password and the gargoyle moved out of the way.

Both boys thanked their professor before hurrying onto the spiral staircase with Sirius, leaving her behind as they rushed to talk to Dumbledore.

…

"Enter."

Harry, Draco, and Sirius walked into the office, with only Draco looking around the room as he had never seen it before.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, is there something I can do for you?" Dumbledore asked, and Harry thought he could see a flicker of surprise in the Headmaster's eyes.

"You can tell us if this," he placed Pettigrew onto the desk, his wand and dagger still pointed at him, "is an Animagus."

Dumbledore's eyes widened momentarily before he pulled out his wand. He picked up the rat and placed him on the floor in the middle of his office before hitting him with a spell. Before their very eyes, the rat turned into a Stunned, fat, short, balding man.

"Peter Pettigrew," Dumbledore asked, obviously shocked by the sight. He then turned to the two smug boys, who were sharing proud and happy looks. "Did you know about this?"

"We guessed it would be him," Draco admitted while Harry murmured in agreement. "We had some hints and clues, but we still had to check to be sure."

"Sir, does this mean that Sirius Black will be cleared of all charges?" Harry asked in a rush.

He could tell that his question surprised everyone in the room including Sirius, mostly because of how he had asked it. The thing was, no one could really understand how much having Sirius would mean to him. His parents' old friend, his godfather, and the person who could be closest as a father to him since his own father was gone. Tracey's parents were brilliant, but he wanted someone to be there for him and him alone, just for once.

"If we can find Sirius Black and find out his side of the story, which I believe will include Peter Pettigrew as the spy instead of him, then yes, he will be cleared of all charges," Dumbledore said with a small smile.

"Sir, my father said that Peter Pettigrew was the traitor and spy, but you can't tell anyone about that," Draco admitted, but it was obvious it was only because he wanted Dumbledore to believe that Sirius was innocent.

"Very well, but we still need Sirius Black," Dumbledore stated.

Harry knelt down next to Sirius and rubbed a hand through his dirty fur, not caring at all about how dirty it was. This dog was his godfather, and he wanted everyone to know that he was innocent. He looked Sirius in the eye and saw that he was willing to show himself to Dumbledore.

"Sirius Black is right here, Sir," Harry said as he continued to look at Sirius. "Can you transform, please, Sirius?"

Sirius moved away from Harry and then transformed back into a human, standing up to face his old Headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore," he said as he inclined his head toward the older man.

"Sirius Black," Dumbledore queried, obviously still surprised by everything going on. "Is what Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter have said all true?"

"Yes, Professor. Peter was the Secret Keeper, not me. I convinced James to change at the last moment, and Peter told Voldemort where they were. When I found out, I chased Peter, and he cut off his own finger before transforming and running away as a rat. He killed those twelve people."

"Very well." Dumbledore seemed to have decided something as he nodded to himself. "If you'd be willing to wait here in this form, I'm going to go collect Madam Bones so that she can hear your story."

Without even waiting for a response, Dumbledore walked into the Floo and disappeared with a whispered destination.

"He's going to bring her here? When I'm human?" Sirius demanded, obviously worried.

"Don't worry, Madam Bones listens before she acts," Harry said knowledgably, having been to Susan's house while her aunt was there a few times.

Before another word could be said, Dumbledore was back and Amelia Bones followed him through the fireplace. She got one look at Sirius and her eyes widened, but she didn't attack him just yet, probably knowing that Dumbledore wouldn't have brought her here otherwise. That was when she saw Peter. Her mouth opened and closed for a full minute before she looked up at Dumbledore.

"WHAT is going on here?" she demanded.

"Draco and I brought a rat up here and asked Professor Dumbledore if he could see if the rat was a human," Harry said quickly before anyone else could talk. "We had a hunch that the rat was Pettigrew, and it was! Before that, though, we had found Sirius, so we brought him with us and he came into the office after Draco and I had gotten Professor Dumbledore to change Pettigrew back into a human, and Professor Dumbledore went to go get you after hearing Sirius' side of the story."

"And what would Mr. Black's side of the story be?" she asked Sirius.

"I convinced James and Lily to make Peter the Secret Keeper instead of me as everyone would think it would be me, not him. We continued to make people think that I was the Secret Keeper, and all the while, Peter was telling Voldemort where the Potters were. When I found out, I chased after Peter, and he cut off his own finger, blasted the road, and turned into a rat to disappear."

Everyone looked at Peter's hand and saw that he was indeed missing a finger, which just made Sirius' claim all the more believable.

"Thank you, Harry, Draco, for bringing Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black to my office," Professor Dumbledore finally said. "I believe Amelia and I can work to fix a wrong. You may go back to your friends."

Harry and Draco knew it was a dismissal and left.

…

SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT!

PETER PETTIGREW ONE TO KILL THE TWELVE MUGGLES!

SIRIUS BLACK CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES!

PETTIGREW IN AZKABAN FOR LIFE!

In an amazing announcement, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, announced that Sirius Black had been framed by Peter Pettigrew, who has been in hiding sine November 1981. Sirius Black has been cleared of all charges and is now allowed to live his own life. He was unavailable for comment.

Turn to page 2, 3, 4, and 7 for more on Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.

"This makes it all worth it," Harry sighed as he put down the issue of the Evening Prophet.

"Harry," Tracey whispered, catching his attention and leading him away from the rest of their friends, who were being told the story again by Draco.

"Yeah, Trace?"

"You do know what this means, right?" Tracey looked Harry in the eye, but he was confused. "Sirius is your godfather and the guardian chosen by you parents. Remember the deal with my parents that Dumbledore made? You have to choose between Sirius and my parents for the guardianship!"

Harry stared at Tracey as he realized what she was saying. He would have to choose between the two, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to, but he knew who he would choose.

"I know who you're going to choose, Harry, so I want you to remember something. If anything ever happens, you'll always have a place at my house."

Harry smiled at his almost-twin. "Trace, I think I'll be spending as much time at your house as I will at Sirius', you know that, right?"

"I had a good guess," she replied with a smile before they headed back to their friends.

…

"Thank you, for watching over Harry when I couldn't," Sirius told Samuel and Daniella Davis as he sat in their kitchen, freshly cleaned and dressed.

"It was our pleasure," Samuel replied. "He's a good kid. A light wizard all the way, yet a Slytherin; it was a first and surprised a lot of people."

"I noticed that he seemed to be quite different from the Slytherins back when I went to Hogwarts," Sirius admitted.

"Harry is changing all of Hogwarts, really," Daniella said. "Ask him about it, and I think you'll be surprised."

"I bet I will be," Sirius muttered.

"You came here to discuss the guardianship of Harry, didn't you?" Samuel asked, wanting to get straight to the point. "Well, in this case, it's all Harry's decision. When we became his guardians, there was something added so that he could choose which of us to live with if you were ever found to be innocent."

"I see," Sirius said with a small grin.

"Truthfully, we're expecting him to choose you, knowing him, but he knows he'll always be welcomed here," Daniella admitted quietly. "Plus, I expect he'll be here almost as often as he's with you."

"Most likely," Sirius laughed. "So, is there any reason my godson feels he needs to know how to fight?"

Samuel and Daniella shared looks and Samuel turned back to Sirius. The conversation took a very serious turn from there.

…

"I'll help," Sirius declared just over an hour later. "The Black library will be a huge asset, and I'm going to help my godson however I can. Tell Daniel I'm in when it comes to finding those Horcruxes."

…

"Bloody hell, this place is a disaster," Sirius muttered under his breath as he walked through his childhood home.

Kreacher, the Black family house-elf, appeared out of nowhere, and Sirius ordered him to stay out of his way unless he was willing to help clean up the house. Kreacher left him alone.

He spent weeks getting rid of dark creatures, using magic to remove dust, mold, and dirt, and throwing out anything he didn't like. Samuel, Daniel, Daniella, and Elaine all helped him clean up his old house, knowing that while he might not end up living there forever, having a home would be better than nothing. They even managed to tear down the wall with his mother's portrait on it and replace the wall.

Sirius bought new furniture, painted the house in all of the Hogwarts colors, got normal doorknobs put in, and replaced everything in the kitchen with new supplies. Kreacher stole some of the things he was trashing, but Sirius decided to let the elf take what he wanted as long as Kreacher agreed to keep them in his room, which was agreed to.

It wasn't until Sirius was cleaning out a cupboard in the drawing room that Kreacher reacted strongly about anything.

"You cannot be taking Master Regulus' locket!" he shrieked as Sirius made to throw out the locket with a snake on it.

"Regulus' locket?" Sirius asked. "Tell me what you know about this locket, Kreacher."

"Master Regulus is making Kreacher take him to the cave and then to the island where the Dark Lord took him. Master Regulus is ordering Kreacher to go with the Dark Lord before and then to come home, so Kreacher did. Master Regulus was drinking a potion on the island, and Master Regulus is making Kreacher give it to him. Master told Kreacher to exchange the Dark Lord's locket with Master's locket when the potion was gone, so Kreacher did. Master Regulus was pulled into the lake and he did not come back. Kreacher was to destroy the locket!"

Kreacher burst into tears at that, and Sirius looked at the locket in a new light as he realized the locket might just be one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. If this was true, it meant his brother had died defying Voldemort in the end.

"Kreacher, what if I told you I know someone who can destroy this locket?" Sirius said, finally realizing that his old elf might not be as bad as he seemed.

"Master can have it destroyed?" Kreacher asked as he looked up at Sirius.

"The people who have been helping me clean the house will have to look at the locket, but if it's what I think it is, I know exactly how to destroy it," Sirius told Kreacher with a grin.

"Please, Master Sirius, finish Master Regulus' work! Please!" Kreacher exclaimed, showing that destroying the locket and being kind to the elf would truly change him.

…

Hedwig brought Harry the same box as he had gotten months before about two months after Sirius had been cleared of all charges. He opened the note after giving her bacon again.

Harry,

Your godfather found this in his family home. Turns out his brother switched sides in the end and had their elf bring this home. If you could, call out for Kreacher and allow him to watch you destroy the locket for good. He tried for years and now wants to see it break. He will not interfere or try to help; he just wants justice, and I believe he should get it. Otherwise, you know what to do.

Samuel.

…

"Kreacher?"

A loud CRACK was heard in the Room of Requirement and a very old house-elf appeared next to Harry.

"Master Harry?" the elf croaked.

"That's me. Are you Kreacher?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Master, I am Kreacher."

"Well, then, Kreacher, it's time to see Master Regulus' locket destroyed."

Harry placed the locket on the rock in the middle of the room and pulled out Slytherin's Dagger. He placed the tip right over the center of the snake carved onto the outside of the locket.

When he tried to stab the locket, the Dagger bounced off of it, and Harry frowned. He thought about why that might be happening, and then it hit him. Of course Tom Riddle would be sure that the locket couldn't be destroyed that easily.

With a sigh, Harry hissed "Open," in Parseltongue, and the locket opened. He stared at it for a moment, but once the frames started glowing red, he knew he had to stab it, so he did. Again, the locket screamed and the Horcrux was destroyed.

"It's gone, Kreacher," Harry said quietly as he picked up the locket and put it into the box again, sheathing the Dagger.

"You destroyed it Master Harry?" Harry looked at the elf to see he had a hopeful look on his face.

"Yes, I destroyed it."

"Oh, thank you Master Harry!" Kreacher croaked happily as he hugged Harry around the waist. "Is there anything Kreacher can do, or should he go back to Master Sirius?" he asked once he had let go.

"Can you take this box and a note back to Sirius for me?" Harry asked, holding up the box containing the locket while he found some parchment and a pencil.

Sirius, Samuel, and Daniel,

It's destroyed. Kreacher watched. Don't ask him how I destroyed it, or I'll have to erase your memories.

Harry

PS: Can you send the broken things back by way of Kreacher sometime? I think the girls would love to see them.

"Please bring this to Sirius, and can you not tell him how I destroyed the locket, even if he asks," Harry requested.

"Of course, Master Harry, Kreacher will keep it a secret." Kreacher bowed and disappeared with another loud CRACK.

Three down, three to go.

It's just barely after six in the morning. My laptop has a virus and is out of commission, but luckily I've had the chapters saved all over the place. XD Anyway, I'm just gunna post this now before I have to run off to that nightmare known as school. Hope you enjoyed it! Don't really have much to say anyway. Leave a review? :)

Posted: 4/6/11