Chapter 55: Padfoot

"Sirius Black!" shouted Albus in astonishment, reaching immediately for his wand, only to find himself disarmed by his potion's master.

"Sit down, Albus. We might as well hear him out," stated Severus, motioning the dirty man into a chair before calling a house-elf and ordering tea.

"Start from the beginning and go to the end," said Severus, eyeing one of his childhood bullies.

"Isn't that a version of some line from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?" asked Sirius Black in a hoarse voice.

"It is, how did you...?" catching the other man's eye, he sighed, "Lily."

"Lily thought it was a shame that I'd read Babbity Rabbity but otherwise had not read many stories for children. I suppose the beginning is school. James, Remus, Peter, and I were inseparable and cruel through most of school. We studied to become animagi in order to keep Remus company during the full moon. James was a stag, I am a dog, and Peter is a rat. We thought it would keep James and Lily safest if the world thought I was the Secret Keeper. They switched to Peter, figuring it would be safest. I suggested Remus but the Order poisoned everyone against him for being a dark creature. It was not until Halloween when I realized Peter was the leak. I went after him but he showed a level of cunning I was not aware he possessed. He cut off his finger, blew up the street behind him and transformed into the rat he truly is, disappearing into the sewer."

"If Peter is the culprit, why were you found at the scene laughing at the scene of mass murder? Did they not test your wand?" questioned Severus.

"I was not given a trial. As far as I know, they snapped my wand without casting Priori Incantatem. Knowing I was innocent helped me fight the dementors. Plus, animals do not broadcast their emotions in the same ways as people so I spent a lot of time as Padfoot. The dementors could not suck my sanity away as long as I stayed in a non-human form."

Sirius paused in his story and finished his tea.

"How did you escape?" asked Albus, joining the conversation.

"I slipped past the dementors when they opened my cell and swam to shore. I did not dare apparate or use any wizard forms of travel so I hopped onto trains and traveled as a dog until I reached here. Snape let me in the gates not long ago and I went to Hagrid first before he brought me here. Can you help me with the Ministry?"

"I will call Kingsley Shacklebolt, he is the Auror in charge of the search for you but is level-headed and will listen. He will question you under veritaserum," said Albus, looking tired.

A tall Auror stepped out of the fireplace in response to Albus' call to the Ministry.

"Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Hagrid, Sirius Black!" greeted Kingsley in his deep voice.

"Kingsley, I do hope you brought veritaserum and a recorder. Mr. Black has the most extraordinary story to tell you," said Albus, gesturing to the worried man in front of him.

Kingsley administered the veritaserum, started the recording device, and listened as Sirius Black recounted his story.

"It is your belief Peter is alive and possibly living in his rat-form?" questioned the Auror.

"Don't the Weasleys have a rat that is quite old and missing a toe?" interrupted Hagrid.

Albus nodded and suggested Kingsley join himself, Sirius, and Severus on a trip to the Burrow.

They apparated to the Burrow and startled Mrs. Weasley when they knocked on the door.

"Oh! Albus, Harry's still down at the river, shall I fetch him?"

"There's no need Molly, we're looking for Ron's rat, Scabbers. Do you know where he is?" asked Albus.

"I'll fetch him. Come in and take a seat, I'll be but a moment," said Molly as she rushed upstairs.

She returned with a sleepy rat that immediately began struggling upon seeing the other people in the room. Kingsley stunned and bound the rat before exiting the house and taking the animal plus the testimony back to the Ministry.

The next morning the Daily Prophet headline blared,

Sirius Black Cleared of All Charges! Peter Pettigrew Alive!

The Weasley's breakfast table was silent as Albus told them the story and introduced them all to Sirius Black.

Harry was worried. Remembering Professor Snape's advice, he asked to speak with Albus when they returned to Hogwarts after breakfast.

"He's my godfather, right? Will I have to live with him? I don't even know him? What if he's like Uncle Vernon? Professor Snape said he was a bully, is he going to be mean to me because I look like my father but don't act like him?" asked Harry, the moment he and Albus were alone.

"Slow down, Harry. Sirius Black is your godfather and he would like to get to know you. He wants it to be your choice whether or not to live with him even though the Ministry would not challenge his guardianship claim. Sirius wants to spend time healing after spending more than a decade in prison. He is not a cruel man and will not be mean to you because you are not similar enough to your father. Now, Professor Snape will be here after lunch to collect you for a few hours. I believe he wants to show you something in the castle. He suggested that you take a moment to reflect and draw a bit this morning," said Albus. "Also, you will no longer being seeing Jeff multiple times per week. You will meet one time per week until school starts. If you continue to do well, he will switch to every other week then to an as needed basis."

"Oh. Do you know what Professor Snape wants to show me?" asked Harry.

"Yes. But I will not be telling you. Go now," said Albus, waving him off.

Harry went to his room and put his things away. He settled in the window sill with his drawing pad and pencil and thought about the past few days. He did not pay attention to what his pencil was doing. He raised his head in response to a knock and met his potion's professor's gaze. Glancing down at his paper, he was surprised to see the Hogwarts' grounds spread across the page, complete with the giant squid on the surface of the lake. He set the pad aside and followed the professor out of the room and through the halls. Stepping through a door he never knew existed, his jaw dropped.

"Hogwarts has a pool?" asked Harry.

"Yes. And this year it will be open for student use multiple days per week. Your lessons with the twins went well?" asked Professor Snape, turning to look at him.

"Yes. I can float and tread water a bit," answered Harry.

"Excellent. I will continue to teach you until term starts. We will meet every evening, an hour after dinner. Tell me about your drawing, you seemed quite absorbed."

"I was thinking about everything from the past few days and just left my pencil go. I feel really calm and I think I understand now why you keep trying to get me to draw. I thought you were trying to distract me but I think you knew it would be a way for me to think about everything without getting upset," explained Harry.

"Why did you think I asked you to draw when you were upset?"

"I thought you wanted me to stop thinking about whatever was upsetting me and focus on drawing something specific. But I couldn't focus at those times and always gave up, frustrated and annoyed."

"And now?"

"I realized today that you never asked me to draw something specific and maybe you just wanted to give me a way to calm down under my own power. Albus said Jeff won't be coming as often, does that mean I'm getting better?"

"Yes but it also means that you have now proved that you will ask for help when you really need it. Albus told you more about Sirius Black?"

"Yes. He said I could choose to live with him sometime in the future, once I get to know him. What do you think?"

"I think you should see how your first term of this year goes and not make any decisions until you experience fewer sessions with Jeff and coping on your own. Help is always there but making lots of big changes all at once is not very intelligent."

"You think I should live with him?"

"I think you might enjoy living with someone who knew both of your parents and is better able to keep up with your energy. Think it over, Harry, no one is asking you for a decision."