Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world belong to J. K. Rowling

Chapter 29:

Some time before, Harry had checked the amount of money that a foster parent would be paid in a year. There were different amounts for different ages of children, and it took some scratching of the head and a calculator to work out how many months he'd been with the Dursleys, how many as a young child, how many as an older child. It worked out to be a large sum, but he had ample to cover it. They were to have a trip to Coventry in the afternoon, and he planned to get his bank to transfer the money. Then he would be finished with them - forever. He had no intention of keeping in touch, whatever Petunia had said at the last.

He didn't tell Brandon and Sonia what he was doing; he thought they would say that the Dursleys should not be rewarded when they had done such a poor job. Partly, he agreed with them. There had been the influence exerted by Dumbledore, of course, but Dumbledore hadn't influenced Dudley to beat up his class mates, and he didn't think he would have influenced Petunia to be such a narrow-minded snob. How she could have been sister to his mother, he didn't know. No-one seemed to have a bad word to say about Lily Evans, Lily Potter as she became. So why was one sister popular and good-hearted, and one sister not? One sister ordinary and one magical?

A thought occurred to him, and his mouth opened as he thought about it. Could his mother's real father be a wizard? If so, who? Lily had been a redhead. But he shook his head when he wondered if he could possibly be related to the Weasleys. He just couldn't be. And Lily had been clever, or so he'd been told, while Ron was not clever, and Ginny seemed as if she had no brains at all. Petunia had no brains, and neither did Vernon nor Dudley. So maybe he was not actually related to Petunia and Dudley? Except that he had to be. Even if sisters Lily and Petunia had different fathers, their mother was the same, so there was still a relationship. Dumbledore's blood wards would never have been effective if there had been no kinship.

He seldom spoke to the Greaves about anything to do with Muggles as he hated the contempt with which he was convinced that they regarded them, even when it was always politely disguised. So it was Mick whom he finally asked, and Mick who told him that rape of a Muggle was common, usually referred to as 'Muggle-baiting.' "And some wizards," he said in a tone of disgust, "actually work the conception-promoting spell. It seems they like leaving cuckoos in the nest. So then they make the woman forget and she would have no reason to think that the child was anything other than her husband's. And that is why there are so many Muggle-borns."

"Is the 'Obliviate' spell difficult?"

"Tricky. Easier with Muggles than wizards, but all the same, some Muggles have been brain damaged by inept obliviation."

"And it's supposed to be strictly limited, isn't it?"

"Only authorised Ministry obliviators are permitted to use that spell."

"Thanks for telling me, Mick. A lot of people would think I was too young."

"If you're old enough to think to ask, then you're old enough to be told. There are nasty things in this world. I did the Auror training, did I ever tell you? But I quit only six months after I qualified. Too many things that just made me sick. There was one in particular..."

He shook his head and turned away. Harry decided not to ask. That Hermione, the one he cared for, was the result of some wizard raping her mother was an unpleasant shock. And that his own mother was the same - it was horrible to think of. So maybe he should make the same pretence as the rest of the world seemed to do - that the Muggle-born 'just happened.'

He counted over the Muggle-borns he knew of - Hermione, of course, Dean Thomas, who was dark, and Demelza Robbins, who was a redhead. Ian Randall, a friend of Charlie's, had spoken of TV, so could easily be a Muggle-born, and he was also a redhead. There were two other redheads he happened to know were Muggle-borns, Sally-Anne Perks and Gregory Collins, both in his year, though not Gryffindors. There was Justin Finch-Fletchley, not a redhead, and neither was Colin Creevey. After careful thought, he added two others to his list, one dark-skinned, plus a second Hufflepuff who was fair.

Most of the older students had learned to keep their mouths shut if they were not pure-blood, and he couldn't think of any more. But that was a high proportion of redheads among the Muggle-born. Could they all be related? How would it be if Ron, for instance, married Sally-Anne? He'd never met Ron's father, but Ron had said that the whole family had red hair, and most of their relatives. Ron's father worked at the Ministry, which might mean that he would know the obliviate spell. Could the Weasleys have close relatives at Hogwarts they didn't know were relatives? It was possible.

And himself, of course. His mother was the daughter of a wizard, almost for sure, and very likely a redheaded wizard. So he'd best not even consider marrying Ginny Weasley, whom he'd finally worked out was keen on him. Hermione? She looked nothing like anyone he knew. If he wanted to, he'd take the risk, he reckoned. But that was a long way away, and he should put it out of his mind. He was far too young to think of marrying anyone, though he smiled when he thought of it. He'd love to have a baby like little Susan Greaves. It would be so special to have a baby like that.

The issue was playing on his mind, but in the afternoon, there was the promised trip to Coventry, and he managed to forget about it. After all, there was not a thing he could do about it, though somehow the magical world had lost a little of its gloss.

They went to Coventry by car, as they had before. When they had gone to Diagon Alley, the children had been escorted wherever they went, but as Brandon said, the risk of interference by wizards in a Muggle city was minimal, and in any case, Dumbledore was said to be in Albania trying to find Voldemort, while Voldemort was said to be haunting Azkaban. Harry felt himself safe from those potential threats, and was not worrying about any other threats, such as Death Eaters trying to punish him. If there had been no sign of vengeful Death Eaters in the eighteen months he'd been in the wizarding world, there was no reason they should suddenly appear now.

Charlie and Connor were in a nearby shop when he went to the bank to arrange a transfer of money to the Dursleys. He'd been thinking of a cheque, but there were too many questions asked, authorisation from his guardians needed, and then they said that the government had to be advised of all transfers of such large amounts of money. At that, he snapped, "Don't worry about it then," and walked off. He reckoned Gringotts would be more cooperative. Maybe he could arrange it by letter, and if not, it could wait until he was next in London.

He put it out of his mind for the day, and had a good time in the busy city. There was no lunch at McDonalds this time, no restaurant, either. But there was a Christmas carnival, where they browsed colourful booths with colourful wares, were spun around in giant teacups, and tried their hand at rolling balls into the mouths of gaping clowns - all the usual joys of a carnival. But it was the first time that the Greaves with their pure-blood ethos had experienced that, and also the first time for Harry, who could clearly remember one long, cold day in winter when he was locked in his cupboard while Dudley was taken to a carnival.

It was all different now. It was not that any of the Greaves children were cuddled and coddled as Dudley had been, but that their parents could be relied upon. He was no longer feeling as if he might be thrown out for a misdemeanour.

xxx

The children did some visiting in the next days, Charlie to a friend's place for a day and a night, an 'overnighter' they called it, though Harry would have referred to it as a 'sleepover.' Annalise also had a sleepover with two of her friends, and Connor spent three days with Anton at Greaves Manor.

When an owl brought Harry an invitation to visit Sirius Black for a few days, he showed it to Brandon. "He says it's so he can get to know his godson, and so that I can find out a bit more about my parents. Professor Lupin is to be there as well, I think. He told me before the holidays."

Brandon read the formally worded invitation over carefully, but then shook his head. "I would not be confident of your safety with Mr. Black. I am sorry."

"I don't really want to stay that long," Harry said. "Just an afternoon maybe?"

Brandon looked at the invitation again, and finally said, "An afternoon then, as long as there's no objection if I come as well, and you promise not to stray from my sight."

Harry accepted gratefully, and so it was arranged, the first day that Brandon had available. Harry didn't like Sirius very much, though he felt guilty that he didn't. The man had suffered through a terrible experience. He had done well to have stayed sane. So he was owed courtesy, but also, he was very curious about his parents - what they had really been like. He knew so little.

On the day, Harry was greeted with a hug from Sirius that he tolerated, but a mere smile and handshake from Remus Lupin, to his relief. He didn't like people being too familiar. He'd only met Sirius that once at his 'Welcome Back' function, and there had been a few letters. And the man he was now supposed to call 'Remus' was Professor Lupin. It felt strange to relate to him as anything else.

Sirius turned to Brandon and said the courteous formal words of welcome, and then added, "Not that you needed to come, of course. I am entirely capable of looking after my godson."

Brandon said, "Of course you are, Mr. Black. But a good godfather would not think extra precautions unwelcome, I am sure. Not when Harry is a potential target."

Sirius turned away from him and instructed Harry to sit, and said that Brandon could stay or go, just as he chose. Brandon took an inconspicuous seat in a corner and Sirius raised his voice, "Dobby, refreshments."

A pair of house-elves appeared and placed some steaming hot treats on a table, and then started pouring glasses of wine. Brandon said firmly, "Water for Harry and I, please, elf. Or butter beer if you have it."

"Certainly sir, Mr. Brandon Greaves," and the female elf vanished with a quiet pop and within five minutes, was setting out a jug of butter beer and two more glasses.

Sirius said firmly, "That will do, Miffy," and then turned to Harry, totally ignoring Brandon, and quizzed him about school, especially about Quidditch. Harry answered, but then asked, "Professor Lupin said that my father was on the team?"

"So he was. He was a Gryffindor, of course. We were all Gryffindors, James and Remus and myself," and he grinned at Lupin, "Of course, we had to tease Remus something fierce when he became a prefect."

Lupin shook his head, "Not that I ever managed to influence you or James at all. I don't think I even tried, though I should have."

Sirius gave a loud laugh, "Remember James hoisting Snivellus upside down so he showed his undies?"

Harry frowned and glanced at Brandon, but he showed no indication of disapproval or anything else.

Remus said, "As I said, I should have tried to stop you."

"Yes, but you know what he was. No-one liked him. And he'd try and jinx us whenever he had the chance."

Sirius turned back to Harry. "What pranks have you pulled, Harry? Or pup? When you were little, I used to call you pup."

"You knew me when I was little?"

"Well, of course. I gave you your first broomstick. Lily was cross with me, but you loved it."

"Well, thank you."

"And are you a prankster? They called us the Marauders, you know, for our pranks."

"I haven't done any pranks."

"But Gyffindors always prank the Slytherins. It's what they're there for."

"The Sorting Hat has been lost. The House system is changing."

"It's tradition!" Sirius objected. "It puts people where they are most suited."

Harry remembered he had nearly been put in Slytherin, decided not to mention it, and asked, "Did my mother prank people?"

Sirius smiled and so did Lupin. "Lily was special. She was sweet and kind-hearted as well as beautiful. If James hadn't wanted her from the moment he saw her, I reckon I might have tried. A wonderful girl."

Lupin said, "I think everyone loved her. Remember when she raked down James that time?"

"When he turned everyone's hair purple? She was furious."

"How many times did he try and make a spell to make robes see-through?" and they were both laughing loudly, and Remus refilled glasses.

Harry glanced at Brandon again, but he merely sat in the corner, face expressionless, his glass of butter beer still nearly full.

The two men continued to reminisce and they continued to drink, especially Sirius. Every now and then, Harry tried to direct the conversation to those years of early adulthood, when his parents were freshly married. And he wanted to know more about his Potter grandparents, though he had a fair idea of the Evans grandparents. He'd sneaked a look at a photo album one time after Petunia had been showing Dudley.

But the men were more interested in school reminiscences, mischief, pranks, and boasting about top marks without ever needing to study. They made it sound as if they were the supremely popular toast of the school. Harry was losing respect for Professor Lupin even quicker than he was despising Sirius Black. He wondered if it was true when they laughed about leaving three Slytherins in the corridor, all suffering from the leg-locker jinx.

Lupin must have noticed his frown because he said, "Of course we were very young then. And they were Slytherins, and they did attack first."

Harry said, "You don't think it was cruel, to leave them like that?"

But Sirius gave a bark of laughter and said, "They were Slytherins."

Lupin said quietly, "We should not have done it, Harry. Even if they did attack first. But as I said, we were young."

Harry was beginning to wish to go, even when the house-elves returned with hot drinks on offer, and an assortment of sweet treats. There was one particular little tart that he thought the most delicious thing he'd ever eaten, and he told the elf so. She was thrilled and said proudly, "I made those, Master Harry Potter."

"What is your name?"

"I am Miffy, and my mate is Dobby."

"Then thank you, Miffy."

A loud clang sounded, and then a bang from another room. He hadn't even seen Brandon move, but he was suddenly standing right beside him, a hand on his shoulder.

But Sirius said casually, "That'll be Rita Skeeter again, that pushy reporter. She's always trying it on."

"You blocked her?"

"She's blocked from the floo system, and that was the sound of her being rejected. So right now, she's sitting on her rear end looking stupid."

Miffy glanced at Dobby, who was looking very alert. There was another bang, and Lupin said casually, "She's persistent."

Brandon asked, "Is the floo blocked against other unwanted visitors?"

"The normal wards, of course. Anyone who wishes harm are blocked, and that's standard."

"The normal wards are quite easily taken down, as repeatedly demonstrated during the war."

Sirius said impatiently, "Your foster son is quite safe here. And he should be with me since he's my godson, Not with you!"

Harry had learned from dealing with Vernon Dursley. He gave a sweet smile at Sirius and said, "If only I had not found a good home with my relatives, I am sure I would have been very happy here with you. Especially as your Miffy makes such wonderful sweets."

Sirius was distracted and said, "Of course she does. Will I call her? Would you like some more?"

"Just one more maybe if she has any more. And maybe some hot chocolate?"

Sirius called "Miffy," and the small elf appeared again, leaving Dobby to reinforce the wards, especially with Albus Dumbledore in mind.

Meantime, Dumbledore dabbed a bit more bright pink anti-bruising lotion on his bruised behind, and started thinking of a new plan to get at Harry Potter. The boy was his, and once he had him in his power again, he was sure his position in wizarding society would be somehow magically restored. The idea had become fixed in his mind, that it all depended on him having the boy.

Back at Black Manor, Miffy said to Dobby, "He's eating a lot, this Harry Potter."

"He likes your special tarts."

"It's a good thing you stopped the old man."

"Sirius Black sir doesn't think very well sometimes."

"And you think Lupin knew?"

"Hogwarts elf Vreya told me that Mr. Lupin met Dumbledore at Hogsmeade, and he was told what to do and then to forget. So he did."

"Very bad old man."

"Yes."

xxx

After Harry and Brandon flooed home, Harry said to Brandon, "Thank you for allowing me to go, and also, thank you for being there."

Brandon said, "No trouble, but I'm glad I went."

"I am too. I didn't feel safe. And they were getting drunk, Professor Lupin too. He shouldn't have been doing that."

"Some of your curiosity satisfied?"

"Yes, though I am not sure I liked all that I heard. James. They say I look a lot like him, but I don't think I'm really much like him. He was a bully. I hate bullies."

"Your mother sounds lovely, though."

"One of those stories Sirius told us, that the Slytherins called her 'Mudblood.' It must mean Muggle-born?"

"It is a very rude term for a Muggle-born."

"Was that sort of class consciousness a big thing when you were at school?"

"It is still a big thing. But it is not about class-consciousness so much, more that the Muggle-born are a threat to us. They are a threat to our secrecy, but also, our traditions and our culture are diluted."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Black, Lupin, Potter, Pettigrew. There were four of them, mischief-makers. Their talk today reminded me of something I'd forgotten. It was when I was a prefect, and four second-years had gone missing and were said to be in the Forbidden Forest. So all the teachers and prefects were searching, and it happened to be my group who found them. One had fallen from a tree and broken his leg, while the three others were surrounding him, all with wands drawn. None had gone for help, as they said they had to guard him from the dangerous beasts they knew were in the forest. So they might have been foolish, but they were loyal and they were brave. And later, in the war, they did their bit against Voldemort."

"So not just bullies?"

"Everyone has good and bad in them, but no, they were not just bullies. There is no need to idolise James Potter, but you can still be proud of your ancestry."

Harry smiled at him, "Thank you, Uncle Brandon."

And he suddenly added, "Uncle Brandon, can I ask a favour?"

"Of course. I will always listen, though I may not always do as you ask."

"It's the Dursleys, you see? The more distant I am from them, the more I want nothing to do with them, ever again. They seem worse in my memory than when I was with them, though it doesn't quite make sense."

"There is no need to think about them ever again."

"Yes, but I want to pay them the money they should have had for my keep. It is not much in wizard money, a lot more in Muggle money. But the Muggle bank refused to do it for me, and I don't know when I can get back to Gringotts."

"You think they deserve it?"

"Some was because of Dumbledore, remember? They would not have been so bad if not for him. But even if they did, it's a way of finalising it. So when that is done, I will put them from my mind - forever."

"I'll take you tomorrow afternoon? Will that suit?"

Harry beamed at him. "Thank you."

That night, Brandon told Sonia about the visit, and then said with satisfaction, "He trusts me now, I think. He spoke to me about the Dursleys, not much, but a bit."

"He thinks we look down on Muggles, but mostly, we look down on those Muggles."

Brandon said sceptically, "Really?"

"Well, mostly."

The quick visit to Gringotts was made the following afternoon, there was no problem and the matter was done.

There was one other small job for Harry that day, the courteous thank you to Sirius for the visit. He knew how important that was from his lessons with Sonia and also that Perenelle had explained it in one of her letters - 'It is the required courtesy whether the visit went well or otherwise. There are particular words you begin with, add a sentence or so to suit, and send it preferably the day after.' So he'd done so, exactly as she'd told him, even when he thought that Sirius had been rude to Brandon, and also, that they should absolutely not have been drinking so heavily.

xxx

Author s note. This was chapter 29. Mark this, because all of the rest of the story will be uploaded at once, and you are likely to lose your place. Chapter 30 next. :)