Chapter 18:

Saying goodbye to summer

The next days the tension slowly evaporated as it seemed both Draco and Narcissa kept to themselves and the garden Pavilion. Only occasionally did Narcissa come to talk to her sister and Sirius. Draco however didn't take Sirius's offer to duel with Harry, to Harry's relief.

It was the 31st of August, the last day of the summer holidays and they were having a barbeque in the garden, only this time it was for lunch as both Harry and Sirius wanted to enjoy their evening together at the Den. The commotion and the laughter drew Draco out of seclusion. The boy was still struggling with his choice and he kept away mostly so that he wouldn't be tempted to insult Potter. But he was curious, especially about Sirius Black. The man didn't seem to fit with Draco's notion of a Lord of a Noble and Most Ancient house. Hell he didn't even fit the notion of a pure blooded wizard, definitely not wearing an apron and turning sausages on the grill. What in Merlin's name was the man doing? That was servants' work and the guy had five house elves at his beck and call. Said house elves were sitting on the grass not ten feet away from their lord and master sipping lemonade and watching Potter fly. It was madness.

'Hello Draco. How do you like your stake done?' Sirius turned to him and asked.

'Why are you preparing the food?'

'Because it's lunch time.'

'I know that, but why are YOU preparing it?'

'Why not? It's fun.'

'But it's the work of House elves.'

'I find it relaxes me. And even house elves need a break every once in a while. So, rare, medium or well done?'

'Well done.'

'OK, take a seat somewhere and I'll let you know when you can come and pick yours up.'

Draco joined his mother and his aunt where the two women were discussing a new law Fudge was trying to push through while eating their share of the grill.

'Draco, you came out.' Andy smiled at him. 'Good for you, Sirius doesn't cook all that often, which is a pity for us really.'

'Why is he cooking in the first place?'

'He wants to, I imagine.' Andy shrugged.

'TIME!' yelled Hughes 'Sirius you have guests. The usual kind.' The American added.

Sirius sighed and performed a freeze charm on the barbeque before going back inside the manor. A few minutes later he returned followed by Remus Lupin and Mad Eye Moody. Their barbeque only grew larger when Kingsley Shacklebolt and Amelia Bones joined them.

'Merlin I missed your cooking.' Said Remus as they all settled around tables on the terrace.

'Don't think I'll make a habit of throwing barbeques every weekend, Moony.' Sirius said taking off the slightly greasy apron and sitting down between Remus and Amelia. Harry was at another table talking with Hughes and two other Swiss mages that were not on duty, Hedge and Trots.

'Was it wise to invite Malfoy?' asked Amelia

'Narcissa and Draco are under the house of Black protection and they swore oaths of loyalty for said protection.'

'Why?'

'Narcissa is a survivor. She weight her options and found the Black family had a much better chance of surviving this coming war than Voldemort.'

'You're one family, Black. My brother told me what you said.'

'He's still thinking what to do then.'

'He is. The last war took Edgar away from us. Richard doesn't want to risk putting Susan in harm's way.'

'He's not the only one who is still thinking Amelia. I don't hold it against him.'

'But are there some who chose?'

'Surprisingly yes, two families actually chose neutrality.'

'Let me guess, Smith and Ogden.' She snorted.

'No, not quite. Smith yes, and he was the first. But the second neutrality took me a bit by surprise.'

'Who?'

'Nott.'

'No, but he's one of the oldest supporters Voldemort has.' Amelia's eyes grew big.

'He can still further Voldemort's agenda in the Wizengamon.'

'But neutrality means he won't fight as a Death Eater anymore.' Said Remus

'Every bit counts.' Sirius shrugged.

'And the rest?'

'Augusta conditioned her aid on a favour. I'll deal with that after I send Harry to school.'

'Please don't tell me you'll be executing Bellatrix.'

'No, that won't happen.'

'Thank Merlin.'

'This is all well and good.' Said Kingsley 'But Fudge will still remain a problem. And Lucius may have lost his seat in the Wizengamon, but he still influences Cornelius.'

'Dear old Lucy.' Sirius smirked his eyes shifting towards where Narcissa and Andromeda were talking. 'His agenda and by extension Cornelius's will soon find itself effectively blocked thanks to Cissy. We can discuss this further after the kids leave for school.' He turned to Amelia.

'I thought you had no interest in politics, lord Black.' Amelia frowned.

'I don't, but this is about stopping Voldemort gaining a firmer grip on the ministry, I'll use politics if I have to, and now that I have two rather capable and politically savvy women playing the game, all I need to do is be the front man.'

'You would trust Narcissa with this?'

'No, I trust her sense of self-preservation and her ambitions. Did you know she wanted to be the head of International Magical Cooperation?'

'Crouch's former job?' asked Moody.

'Yes, after all this is over and done with, I'll expect her to get involved.'

'We've never had a woman in that position.' Amelia pondered.

'I'm not sure yet about what changes she'll want to make, but I can tell you now, she would be equal to the task, especially with her perfect pure blood upbringing. She won't insult any of the foreign Magical Ministries, and she does know about 20 international and magical languages. Not as impressive as Crouch's 90 or so, but enough to get by.'

'So you would support her in this?' asked Remus.

'Maybe, I'm not sure yet. I'm concentrating on Voldemort now, further political shenanigans can wait.'

That evening at the Den Harry felt for the first time that he really wanted his holiday to last a little bit more. He dragged his feet getting his trunk ready. And after the fifth time he went back and forth between the Livingroom and his own bedroom to gather his stuff, by hand, Sirius had to say something.

'You know, a simple summoning charm would get you done quickly and efficiently.' The older man was drinking a pint of butter beer on the terrace since the weather was still warm, the huge double glass doors towards the living room were wide open as he watched Harry move about the Den.

'It's just…should I be going back to school? I mean Voldemort is out there and you need help, and I can help, don't look at me like that. I know you said I still needed to learn, but you taught me so many things during the summer you can't say I'm not ready to fight.'

'Harry, we talked about this. You're still a minor.'

'That won't stop Voldemort from coming after me.'

'No, but there's a difference between defending yourself and attacking. When you attack you put yourself in danger.'

'But it would be my choice to attack. And didn't you say attacking is the best defence?'

'Not when you're still a kid. Don't glare, you are. It's not that you're not capable, but you need to think this through, the consequences of you fighting.'

'I'll have to fight either way.'

'But are you prepared for it? Not the skills, I don't mean the skills. Are you prepared to see people dying?'

'I can protect them.'

'You can only try, but a battle isn't something you can fully control. There's the element of surprise, luck is more a factor in deciding duels than skill is. Trust me, I've been an Auror for 4 years before being chunked into Azkaban.'

'And if I stay safely hidden at Hogwarts? Will I have more control then?'

'No, but you won't be directly responsible for anything happening outside the school walls.'

'And that's supposed to comfort me?'

'It should. Aside from the castle's own defences you being there will also mean the Swiss Mages will be nearby at all times.'

'You mean I'll still have the escort?'

'Naturally. But they will stay outside the school grounds. Your presence there will keep students safer. And if Voldemort does attack you will know how to defend yourself and others until help comes. Harry, it's important for you to be at Hogwarts and have a normal life.'

'Why? I never had it before.'

'Do you like the abnormality then?'

'NO!' Harry almost shouted 'It's just…if it's inevitable that I will have to fight, I don't see the point in hiding.'

'You're not hiding. You'll be at Hogwarts, everyone will know where you are. And nothing is inevitable.' Sirius set a hand on Harry shoulder before continuing 'I won't keep you from fighting if you truly believe that is what you want. But I will ask you to please consider it carefully. You saw what can happen, you saw Cedric die in an instant, and can you shoulder that again? Do you want to see that again? Because Harry, you joining the fight will likely mean Ron and Hermione will follow. Are your friends really ready for something like this?'

'I'll talk to them, tell them to stay out of it.'

'And will they listen?'

Harry frowned. He wanted to say yes, but he knew Ron and Hermione, and they both cared about him, as he cared about them.

'You should also consider if you are ready to take a life.'

'What?'

'Duelling with Death Eaters isn't the same as duelling with me. One stupefy shot at a man at the edge of a balcony can send that man falling to his death. Can you shoulder that burden?'

'I…'

'Self-defence is a good excuse we tell ourselves in a courtroom, but every Death Eater that I have killed is still vivid in my mind, their faces, their names and I'm not entirely sure that some of those weren't under the Imperius curse.'

'But if you hadn't killed them, they would have killed you.'

'Maybe, I'll never know, I was quicker, luckier, in the end the question you're left with is this: was your life more important than theirs? I hope you never have to ask yourself that question.'

'But, they were Death Eaters.'

'Yes, they were, but they were people too. Maybe some had families that depended on them, maybe some chose to follow Voldemort out of fear, maybe some had huge businesses that sustained the lives of thousands of workers that would suddenly find themselves without an income. Back then I was a celibate young man, with no one to morn my passing except a handful of friends, no lives depended on mine except my own, I was reckless and convinced I was doing the right thing, until the people I killed started to weigh on my soul.'

'Sirius, you were an Auror doing your duty and they were self-defence.'

'I know, and I wouldn't do things differently. Merlin knows, those Death Eaters could have gone on to kill and torture other people. But then again, maybe not. I stand by my decisions, for me back then and even now, they were the decisions I chose, good or bad. But you can't stop but wonder…'

It was a short silent moment until Harry answered. 'All right, I'll think it through and I won't ask to fight until I come of age, unless I have to, in defence of my friends and my family. But you'll have to promise me that if I choose to fight, you will let me.'

'I promise. Now go finish packing, I want to talk to you about something before you go to bed.'

It took Harry less than ten minutes to finish packing his trunk and return to Sirius's side on the terrace.

'Ok, so what's this about?' Harry asked taking the second pint of butter beer Sirius had summoned for him from the fridge.

'I was thinking about telling you this for a while now, but I didn't know how to start. Our talk about fighting Voldemort tonight, well, let's just say it brought the topic back to the forefront of my mind. And you did say you would think about it, so, you might as well get all the facts, or at least the ones I know of.'

'Go on.' Harry didn't know how he felt knowing Sirius had kept something from him, but then again, there was a lot Harry didn't know, and most of it wasn't Sirius's fault, in fact the man had told him more about the war than any of the other adults did.

'How much do you know about why Voldemort attacked you that night on Halloween?'

'Not much, I asked Dumbledore, but he said he'd tell me when I was older. That was in my first year after Quirrel.'

'Well, your dad told me a bit, and Dumbledore a bit more after I cornered him this summer, but I still don't know the whole picture. That's why I didn't want to tell you yet.'

'So I should take this with a grain of salt.'

'A bit more than a grain.' Sirius smiled and continued 'There was a prophecy before you were born about a baby born at the end of July to parents that defied Voldemort 3 times that would have the power to defeat him.'

'I…'

'Before you think it, no, it doesn't necessarily refer to you.'

'What?'

'Neville fits that description just as well.'

'But then…'

'I don't know more than this. Dumbledore knows the whole Prophecy, Trelawney made it to him, she of course doesn't remember a thing, but Dumbledore was rather cagy about the rest of it. You see, what I just told you was the only part that Voldemort knows, the rest he's still trying to find out.'

'Can he? I mean if Dumbledore is the only one who knows…'

'There's a record of the prophecy in the DOM at the ministry but it's being guarded by the Order.'

'Can I hear it?'

'Do you want to?'

Harry wanted to say of course, but something stopped him. 'You're saying this prophecy is the reason my parents lost their lives.'

'They were Voldemort's targets long before the prophecy. They lost their lives because they put their trust in the wrong person.'

'Still, if … doesn't this mean I have a duty to fight?'

Sirius looked at Harry carefully, the boy was starting to panic.

'And I don't have the power to stop him, Sirius, I'm a normal boy, I …'

'Calm down, I didn't tell you this for you to pick up your wand tomorrow and challenge Voldemort to a duel.'

'But…'

'Harry, you've been studying divination for two years now. How much of that crap actually happens.'

'But if it was a real prophecy…merlin, she had another one, the night Pettigrew escaped, she said the servant would return and help Voldemort regain his body. And it happened, Sirius, what if…'

'Stop!' Harry had been up and pacing and it took the older man's hands on his shoulders to make Harry stop. 'First of, do you know how many of the prophecies in the DOM have come true?'

Harry shook his head 'Less than half.' Sirius continued. 'Yes, Trelawney might not be a complete fraud, but that doesn't mean that Seers are always right. Mostly they see possibilities, not realities. And I didn't tell you this to make you want to fight. I told you this because Voldemort might try to get you to bring him the damn prophecy.'

'What? Why?'

'Only the ones the prophecy was made about can take it out of the DOM. Snape's reports before I left the Order were about Voldemort's obsession about knowing the whole thing.'

'But he can take it himself, can't he?'

'He can, but he doesn't want to expose himself when the ministry is still in denial. Also, he doesn't know that sending others to remove the orb doesn't work.'

'Oh…'

'Which buys us a bit of time. Now I know most people will believe DOM prophecies, but I'm not one of those. My choices define my future, I've lived by that creed since I was old enough to understand what a choice is.'

'So we're saying to just ignore the prophecy.'

'No, unfortunately we can't. Because Voldemort believes it, and he will come for you.'

'Why me and not Neville?'

'I don't know, but you see what I mean. Voldemort can be fixed on the wrong person, he doesn't care, interpreting a prophecy is also tricky, the power to stop Voldemort can mean a lot of things, not necessarily that you have to kill the guy. My point is, you don't have to do anything you don't want to and certainly not because of some prophecy.'

'But Voldemort will act because of the prophecy.'

'And that is where you need to be careful.'

'Can I listen to all of it?'

'If you listened to it, what would you do after?'

'I don't know, why do you ask?'

'Because I don't want you to make choices based on it. People make dumb choices when they think they know the future.'

'So I shouldn't hear the rest of it, then?'

'That's not what I'm saying, I just want you to grow up a bit more until you do hear it all.'

'Meaning that I should wait.'

Sirius nodded 'Until you're of age.'

'And if Voldemort manages to hear it before then? I'll be left in the dark.'

'If he manages to hear it until then I'll take you to the DOM myself or make Albus tell you the damn thing at wand point if I have to.'

'I don't like not knowing.'

'Two more years. They'll go by fast.' There was a note of pleading in Sirius's voice and Harry found himself agreeing with the older man. He did promise to stay out of the fight until he was of age.

'Sirius.' Harry finally spoke after a long while when the two just sipped their butter beers.

'Yes.'

'About the Horcruxes.'

'Narcissa told me two days ago that the diary had been indeed a Horcrux and that Bella bragged about an object of great importance the Dark Lord intrusted to her.'

'So there is one at the Lestrange house.'

'Maybe. I don't know. I'll have to see about getting access to their home and for that I'll need to retrieve the marriage contract between Lestrange and Bella, maybe there is something there that can grant me access to their property.'

'Just be careful.'

'I will.'

'We still don't know for sure how many he made.'

'If Regulus did his homework right, Voldemort was obsessed with the number 7.'

'7 bloody Horcruxes.'

'6, the 7th part would still have to be in his body.'

'But I was one too.'

'You're an accident.'

'So 6. One diary, one locket, one cup and one ring, maybe and two unknown.'

'One of the unknown may be the snake you encountered in the graveyard.'

'Why would you say that?'

'Well, I was thinking about your recollection of your dreams last summer. You saw Voldemort not from his eyes but from a lower perspective, from what I could see in your memories while we were meditating, it could have been the snake's eyes.'

'But why would I see through the snake's eyes if the connection I had was with Voldemort.'

'Unless there's a part of Voldemort inside the snake.' Sirius finished Harry's train of thoughts.

'You're right. It has to be the snake. That just leaves one unknown.'

'I'll continue to sort through Reg's stuff and we'll find out the last Horcurx as well. But you can help me there too.'

'How?'

'You'll have to be discrete, but look around Hogwarts for clues. There may be an old house elf that may know something or, maybe inside the chamber of secrets.'

'He might have left a horcurx there.' Harry chimed.

'Maybe, just be careful.'

'The basilisk is dead. But it couldn't hurt to take out a few fangs, basilisk venom did destroy the diary.'

'It is one of the things that can destroy Horcruxes, and you are not to use fiend fire no matter what. It's too unpredictable.'

Harry grinned feeling better knowing Sirius wasn't just keeping him safe, but actually trusting him with this job.

'I'll have to go at it alone, won't I?'

'I'm not saying not to trust your friends, but…'

'But you would rather I go at this alone.'

'No, no matter what, you need your friends beside you. I don't want you to alienate yourself from them. But this could put them in danger.'

'What if I tell them just that I want to learn more about Voldemort?'

'That could work.'

Harry nodded 'This way they can help gather information but they won't know enough to be targets.'

'And you'll have your mirror and cloak with you all the time.'

'They are with me now in the satchel you gave me.'

'Good. If you go out at night take the marauders' map with you too.'

'Of course.'

'And don't go into the forbidden forest.'

'Really?'

'Yes really. That place isn't protected by Hogwarts. And you are to keep training yourself.'

'I won't have anyone to spar with.'

'You have the list of exercises from Margot, use it.'

'Yes sir.' Harry saluted.

'You're too cheeky for your own good.'

'I know. I've decided on my Animagus form.'

'Oh?'

'Yes, I will be an owl.'

'A snow white one?'

'No, you'd confuse me with Hedwig and send me to deliver your mail.'

Sirius laughed 'It's a good form, how come you decided on the Owl?'

Harry shrugged 'It made sense for me to want to be a bird, what with me loving to fly and all. And then with everything dark that happened to me I don't feel scared of the night, it made sense to choose a bird that can see in the darkness though, since I'll probably need it.'

Sirius nodded 'If I may give some advice, chose a nondescript plumage. This way you can blend in more.'

'Somehow I think the feathers will be dark in colour and a bit ruffled.' He passed his fingers through his hair the way James used to do.

'You'll probably have green eyes.'

'That won't be nondescript.' Harry pointed out.

'You can't choose everything about your form.'

'Should I register?'

'Let's first see you through the transformation. Which you won't be trying without supervision. So no funny business until Christmas, ok?'

'But.'

'No buts, I had James to take care of stuff if something went wrong, and he had me.'

'And that was enough?'

'We could both teach Transfigurations by the time we started on the transformation. You're still not quite there yet.'

'Fine.' Harry conceded. 'What about if Hermione helps me?'

Sirius frowned but didn't say anything. Still Harry knew the man well enough, there was something about Hermione that Sirius wasn't happy with.

'What did she do?'

'Nothing.'

'Sirius!'

'Maybe you should talk to her.'

'That doesn't sound ominous at all.'

'I know she means well.' At this Harry's smile faded.

'So she did do something.'

'It would be best if you just talked to her.'

'NO, you're telling me now. I will talk to her, but I want to know what this is about. She's my best friend.'

'She is, and that is why she isn't subjected to the stringent confidentiality vows.'

'But I told her not to tell anyone what she sees or hears at the manor.' Harry realized where this was going. 'How do you know she told?'

'A breach of confidentiality spell. She spoke of things she shouldn't have four times.'

'With whom?' if it was with Ron, Harry could forgive her that.

'Twice with Ron, once with Molly and once with Dumbledore.'

'Do you know what exactly?'

'No. It's not a spell that listens in on conversations. It just tells who the snitch is and who the information was told to.'

'Can it be wrong?'

'I'm afraid not, it's linked to the person's feeling of guilt and betrayal.'

Harry frowned 'Why would she do this? I mean you are keeping both her and her parents safe. She saw how well guarded the manor is. She saw the people that stay here, Tonks and Andy and Ted, why would she tell, well Dumbledore I understand, she considers him a better leader maybe, but Mrs. Weasley?'

'Harry, you should talk to her. Find out her side of the story. Maybe she didn't feel safe in the manor.'

'Why wouldn't she?'

'I don't know. Just talk to her, she is your friend, and she didn't tell Death Eaters our secrets, just Order people. Remus and Moody, they are still in the Order and they know more than Hermione does about what happens at the Manor.'

'So then why the secrecy towards the rest?'

'Because I don't know the rest of them as well. And when the war finally breaks out of the shadows there may be some decisions that I will make that won't be 100% to their liking.'

'What do you mean?'

'I will summon defences rooted in my family's magic. Defences that are rooted in borderline dark magic.'

'You would use those?'

'If it means that innocent lives will be spared, then yes. I will use anything and everything at my disposal to take Voldemort down.'

'But wouldn't that get you sentenced back to Azkaban?'

'Don't worry about that.'

'You can't spring this on me and tell me not to worry, Sirius!'

'Harry, those will be last resort only. And because of the war status this whole fight will take after the meeting in September I will be able to bend rules. The only real issue appears if someone dies, someone that is an innocent in all of this. But that's what I hope to stop.'

'Just promise me you won't use this magic unless absolutely necessary and only to save lives.' Harry said 'and you will leave as much of the fighting as possible to Hughes and the cadre.'

'I am a trained Auror, and I have been able to regain my skills in the past months.'

'I know, but I only have you, so please, for me if not for anything else, stay alive.'

Sirius nodded and Harry's concern slowly melted, but a shadow still remained.

'It's almost midnight, we should go to sleep.'

'How are we reaching the Platform tomorrow?'

'Aparating, I'll guide you to where the cadre is stationed and then we'll walk a few hundred meters.'

'With the trunk and Hedwig?'

'Just Hedwig, the trunk will be shrunk to pocket size. Now off to bed with you.'

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, sorry it took a while to update guys, I have been busy and trying to concentrate on the Black Lord –where I seem to have a lot of ideas but nothing clear on how to continue with the next chapter. If you are wondering: it has snowed, for about 5 minutes and I could count the snowflakes on my fingers and toes :[ And we are having 100km/h winds which is not normal. I guess what I am trying to say is climate change sucks and we're to blame for it. Anyway, hope you liked the little heart to heart between Siri and Harry and I hope you have a nice week.