Chapter Nine

November 1985

Things had gone so well with the soul shards since the ill fated day when Padfoot had discovered one infected Harry. Including Harry, four soul shards were put paid right away. Only two remained and Sirius was sure they would be done and gone by the end of the month. He was seriously wrong.

Three years had passed with no luck finding a way to infiltrate either Malfoy Manor or Grimmauld Place. Padfoot couldn't exactly reach out to anyone from either house. Both believed him to be dead and buried. If they found out he wasn't, his family would be the most likely to make the fiction a reality.

On the upside, his little family was doing very well. Harry loved school and loved his best friend, 'Mione. They were inseparable at school. This meant both children spent a lot of time reading for Hermione's sake, and running around like wild beasts for Harry's sake. They both pulled the other out of their comfort zones and egged each on. The two overly intelligent toddlers found plenty of mischief to get into. It made Padfoot's heart swell with pride.

Aberforth was a regular at their household. He was Pops to Harry. The boy loved when his grandpops came to visit. Hermione wasn't able to come to the house as it would be hard to explain to her how they lived in a trunk in a shed. Not that the shed looked so shed like anymore. A few expansion charms and a house elf with good taste can do wonders. The shed now looked like a cross between a sitting room and a mud room. There were hooks and shelves near the entryway for coats and boots. There was a water closet with a sink and a comfy couch and chair in front of a fire. A coffee table and a few other trinkets and decorations rounded the place out. The trunk sat in pride of place against the far wall. If you didn't know better, you might think the room was just an informal sitting room.

When it was Hermione's turn to visit Harry, her parents usually dropped her off at the house. Then, the group would walk to the local park just down the street. It was just such a day when the dynamic of the little group changed.

Hermione and Harry were running around the monstrous slide set, with four slides and two levels. Padfoot would admit he wasn't paying exact attention to the five and six-year-old. He might have remained single but Sirius was not a celibate man. He enjoyed plenty of fines dates that ended back at the fine lady's place of residence. He was hoping for such a date from the lovely brunette sitting next to him on the benches when he heard the screaming start.

"Poooopy Faaaaaaace!" the little girl screeched as she stood near the little curling tube slide that she loved the best. Sirius would recognize that screech anywhere. It belonged to the lovely, sweet little girl who was his son's best friend.

Sirius jumped to his feet and started towards the children without so much as a by your leave. He could see Hermione squaring off to a giant beach ball of a boy and his tiny little rat-faced friend. Harry was lying face down at the bottom of the slide. Padfoot walked faster when he saw the boy wasn't moving.

It was only as he got a few feet away from the distressing scene that he saw Harry wasn't completely still. He was frozen in hard laughter, the kind that you can't even breathe through, let alone move through. The two boys who were facing Hermione were frozen in horror. Their faces completely covered in a thick layer of smelly excrement.

Sirius was shocked. "What happened here?" he asked the children.

The two boys didn't answer. They just looked at Sirius and then turned to run, screaming towards two women sitting together at the far end of the play park. Harry couldn't answer. He was still gasping for air and lying frozen in laughter on the ground. Sirius didn't waste any time. He gathered up a now-crying Hermione and a frozen Harry and quickly left the park.

They walked quickly back to Number 4. Sirius was usually too cautious to let Hermione into the shed but today he would make an exception. The last thing he wanted was for Petunia to see him carrying two children around the side of her house. He quickly shuffled the children into the house and then tried again.

"What happened out there?" he asked the still laughing and crying kids. What was he? In some parody of a comedy/tragedy mask skit?

Harry choked on a few more laughs and then started talking.

He laughed uproariously. "The big fat one, Dudley, he was waiting with his fist out," chortles and laughs, "when I came down the slide. He punched me in the head," Harry turned his head to show a big red mark on the side of his cheek, near his ear on the left. Sirius didn't know how he hadn't noticed it before. "'Mione came down the slide and saw me on the ground hurting." Louder laughs started coming. "Dudley tried to punch 'Mione too but she doesn't like to go fast so she came in slow and stopped in time." Harry had to pause here to catch his breath. "He wouldn't let her out and she got mad. Then she saw me hurt and she got extra mad. She kicked Dudley in the stomach and he let her out of the slide but he was mad and threatened to hit her. She was scared and so she," he started laughing so loud he couldn't speak anymore.

"Shut up!" Hermione yelled while crying harder. She was scared she was going to get in so much trouble.

Padfoot tried to calm the two children down with a "there, there" for Hermione and a "Breathe, pup" for Harry. Harry finally calmed enough to speak again.

"She called him a poopy face and he got poop all over his face!" Harry started rolling and choking again, he was laughing so hard. Hermione started crying all over again.

"I," she sobbed. "Didn't mean," hiccup, "toooooooo!" The little girl sobbed. Sirius rolled his eyes to the heavens. Gods have mercy on him. These children were going to be the death of him. It took several more minutes to calm them down.

"Where did you get the poop from, Hermione? Did you find it on the ground?" The idea grossed Sirius out.

"No," She said, still hiccupping, though thankfully no longer crying. "I just said it and then it was there. It was like magic!" She didn't sound happy about that fact. Sirius looked stunned at the pronouncement. Could she be?

"Harry, what did you see?" Padfoot asked. "Did you see where the poop came from?"

"Yes," Harry agreed, still giggling. "It comed from nowhere. It was magic, Pads! 'Mione is a witch."

Hermione started crying again. "No, I'm not. I'm a good," sob, "girl! I'm not a bad, mean old witch!" Harry laughed at her.

"Not all witches are mean and bad. Most witches are just regular, like you and me. Like Pads!" Harry tried to convince her.

"Witches are green and mean," Hermione declared, thinking of all the books she had read on the subject. "I don't want to turn green!"

"You won't," Harry said, trying to comfort her. He didn't look sure though. He looked at Padfoot for confirmation. "Right, Pads?"

Sirius was thinking quickly. Could Hermione really be a witch? "Right, Harry."

"Magic isn't real," Hermione said, sniffling.

"Yes, it is!" said Harry, hotly. "Tell her, Pads!" Harry looked at the man pleadingly. Padfoot didn't know what to say.

"Why don't we test it?" Padfoot said, walking slowly over to the trunk. He opened the lid and leaned inside, calling quietly for Nookie.

"Can you bring me Harry's training broom?" he asked the elf. In just a few seconds she was gone and back again with the little broom. It was made for children up to age six. Harry was almost too big for it already but Hermione was probably just the right size. Harry was a solid little lad and Hermione was a tiny slip of a thing.

Sirius turned back to the children. He looked at Harry for a moment before handing the broom to Hermione.

"If you're a witch," he began, "you'll be able to fly on a broom. Here, throw your leg over like that. Hold on with both hands like this. Now jump up!" Hermione followed his instructions like a champ. When she jumped at the end, the broom rose with her and hovered. Her toes dangled a few inches off the ground.

The little girl screamed in horror while the little boy gave a shout of delight. "You're like me, 'Mione!" Harry crowed. "You're magic-ical like me and Pads!"

Sirius just stared. This proved it. Harry's little bestie was a witch. Sirius helped the little girl off of the broom. He went back to the trunk and leaned back inside. He asked Winky for a few books and snacks. With the requested items sneakily popped into the room by Nookie, Padfoot was able to get the kids settled down at the coffee table for a few minutes.

He sat near them with a cup of tea, stunned. What were the odds of Harry's best muggle friend turning out to be not so muggle after all? He wasn't sure but he needed to come up with a plan. Her parents would need to know, the sooner, the better.

The adult Granger's arrived a short hour later and were unsurprised to find Sirius waiting outside for them. He usually was; the unusual thing was that the kids were not with him.

"Emma, Dan, good to see you. Would you like to come in for a moment?" Padfoot asked, a little nervously. The doctors Granger looked at one another. Padfoot had never asked them inside before. The man had stepped into their home for tea a time or two over the last few years but the hospitality had never been returned. The Grangers weren't upset about the lack of invitation, they assumed the man had his reasons. They could admit they were a little curious to see how the man lived.

"Is everything alright, Padfoot?" Dan Granger asked the other man.

"Are the children okay?" Emma asked in a more worried tone.

"Yes. Sorry, yes. Everything is fine. I just have something to … discuss… with you and thought it might be best to do so inside? If you've a few minutes?" he asked the couple. They quickly agreed and Sirius led them inside.

The couple was impressed with the homey little room he led them into. It had a nice family feel. Harry and Hermione were cuddled up together in a plush chair by the fire, taking turns reading a simple children's book. Harry struggled more than Hermione did but she was patient in helping him learn to sound out the words. Harry was very smart but Hermione was a little genius. The adults thought it was adorable.

Sirius got the Grangers settled on the couch with some tea things before he took a deep breath and stared at them.

"Something happened at the park today." Sirius began, seriously. "Some boys were picking on Harry and Hermione." Padfoot was watching the couple closely as he spoke. He saw them flinch at his words.

"We aren't sure how, exactly, but the boys ended up with, well, there's no easy way to say it. They ended up with poopy faces." The adult Granger's gave each other concerned looks.

"I don't think Hermione did it on purpose but I wanted to talk to you about it. Has anything … strange… ever happened around Hermione before this?" He watched intently as the doctors started to fidget.

"We're very sorry this happened," Emma said a little breathlessly.

"Err, it won't happen again," Dan responded.

"I'm sure Hermione didn't mean to … do … this. If you let us know the boys' parents, we will be glad to apologize." Emma said nervously.

"We are so sorry. We should probably go," Dan said putting his tea things down and standing up. Sirius rose as well.

"Whoa. No one's blaming Hermione and, honestly, the boys deserved what they got. I just think I've an explanation for what happened. I just didn't want to alarm you, if I tell you," Padfoot responded, holding his hands up in supplication.

The Grangers looked at one another again. Dan sat back down on the couch. The truth was, there had been other strange occurrences around Hermione in the past. Dan and Emma were afraid of what was happening but they felt they had nowhere to turn to look for answers.

"We," Dan started hesitantly, looking to his wife again quickly. "Yes. There have been other instances of strangeness." Dan said, diplomatically.

"There's nothing wrong with Hermione," Emma said quickly. "We just. Something is happening. Do you really have an idea of what it is?" Emma asked with tears in her eyes.

Sirius looked at the couple compassionately. He had no idea how scary it must be for muggles. Suddenly you have this gorgeous little baby that starts doing strange things that aren't supposed to be real. Who would you go to? The ministry really should send a welcome wagon at the first instance of accidental magic rather than at age 11.

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I think I know what's happening. If I'm right, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Hermione. She is something special, granted, but nothing is wrong." Dan and Emma took hands and looked at Padfoot expectantly.

"Your daughter is a witch," Padfoot said it like he was ripping a plaster off. Best to pull a bandage hard and fast to avoid the most amount of pain.

The Grangers just stared at him.

"I know what you must be thinking," Padfoot said quickly. "That witches and wizards, hell, that magic, isn't real but it is."

"Okay. Why do you think Hermione is a … witch?" Emma asked slowly, like she was speaking to a crazy person. Sirius sighed. Best to prove it then.

He didn't answer her question. Instead, he reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out his wand.

"This is my wand. I use it to perform magic," Sirius said slowly like he was talking to a toddler. The Grangers were staring at him like he was deranged now.

Sirius smirked and waved the wand at the couch. It rose a few feet off the ground. Emma shrieked and grabbed a hold of her husband. Dan looked shocked and grabbed hold of the couch. Padfoot laughed and gently floated the couch back to the floor.

The Grangers jumped to their feet.

"We do not appreciate being played with, Mr. Prongsworth!" Dan said angrily. Emma just looked hurt. They turned to gather Hermione and leave.

"I see you're going to need more dramatic proof then," Padfoot said with a grin. In the blink of an eye he had turned from a man into a giant black dog. Emma screamed. Sirius let out a bark that sounded like a laugh. The kids turned at the sound.

"You've got a dog and didn't tell me!?" Hermione yelled at Harry. Padfoot bounded over to the children. He jumped up and licked their faces, his whole body moving with the ecstatic waving of his tail. Padfoot jumped back down and ran over to the Grangers. He sat patiently in front of them and stared at them with laughing dog eyes and lolling tongue.

"Oh my god," Emma said, her hand moving to cover her mouth. She stared at Padfoot, unblinkingly. Dan looked like he had been petrified. He was frozen and unmoving beside his wife.

Sirius moved his doggy head forward and butted it against Emma's hand. She moved as if in a trance to pet his silky dog head. He tried to get Dan to do the same but the man could only stare. Sirius barked out a laugh, stepped back, and turned back into his human form. Emma and Dan plopped down hard back onto the couch.

"Is that proof enough for you?" Padfoot asked, laughing. The couple were silent for a few more minutes before the questions began.

"Why don't you stay for dinner? I'll answer all your questions, yeah?" Sirius offered, still laughing at the looks on their gobsmacked faces.

They quickly agreed. Sirius stood up and walked over to the trunk.

"Come on, Prongslet. Do you want to show Hermione your room?" Padfoot asked the excited children. They jumped up and down and ran over to Sirius.

"Show Hermione how to get in, Harry." Padfoot said.

Harry showed Hermione the little medallion on the front. "You just touch here and want to go inside and then you'll get inside," the little guy said with a shrug.

"Okay." Hermione said with some trepidation. She touched the spot at the same time as Harry and they both disappeared.

"Wha- where did they go?" Dan asked, a little panicky. Padfoot laughed in response.

"Touch this little medallion and want to go in. Then, you'll find out." Sirius said, laughing. He couldn't wait to see their faces when they saw the house.

-oooOOOoooOOOooo-

The Grangers visited a lot over the next few weeks. They had so many questions about magic and magical society. They soaked up the books Sirius let them borrow. He started them on modern history and culture but offered to let them borrow books on almost anything they liked. He wouldn't dare let them borrow any dark arts books, of course, but the rest of his library was open to their perusal.

They were shocked and delighted by the travel trunk Padfoot and Harry lived in. Emma begged Dan to get one for their family.

"Just imagine how easy it would be to travel! We could save so much money on rooms!" she had said.

The prankster in Sirius enjoyed showing the muggles all of the magical things in his life. The meeting between the muggles and Nookie was particularly hilarious. The dentists hadn't known what to think of the helpful little elf. She was part of the family, as far as Sirius was concerned. The Grangers warmed to her quickly when they sat down to eat Nookie's fine cooking. Her meals and treats were inarguably delicious.

Padfoot was so happy to have adults he could talk to who knew he was magical. It was difficult to live in isolation the way he had been doing since he had escaped Azkaban. He had muggle friends and acquaintances that he interacted with but none of them knew the real Sirius. All was going well until Padfoot was reminded of his mission in the most unusual way.

Padfoot got a request from Gringotts to come in for a meeting. Sirius was curious as to the reason for the meeting but knew the date and time on the request wasn't a request at all. It was an order to appear. He chuckled to himself at the antics of the goblins.

Padfoot decided to invite the Grangers along for the trip. They were eager to see more of the magical world. They were also eager to get some books of their own.

The trip was scheduled for a bright and early morning in early December. Sirius thought they should go as soon as the shops opened to avoid the Yuletide shopping rush that was bound to be present this close to the holiday. His appointment was for 10:30am. He thought he would pop over for his meeting while the Grangers and Harry looked around the bookstore. Padfoot knew he would have to drag them out whenever he came back, even if it was two hours later, not that he expected the meeting to take that long. The goblins believed time was money and they 'd never waste that much of either on a wizard.

The decorations in Diagon Alley were spectacular. There were glittering fairy lights and little singing snowmen on every corner. A huge tree covered in silver and gold ornaments stood in the center of the street. Live fairies played tiny harps in the branches. Sleighs moved by magic alone swept through the streets at a languid pace, hauling shoppers and revelers along their merry way.

The Grangers were fascinated by everything. They walked the street, gazing in shops and inside doorways. Sirius explained what each shop sold and how to get the best deals. He loved seeing people in love with magic, and the Grangers definitely were. The happy, adult couple smiled with the abandon of children at the fantastic items they saw in the shops.

The actual children jabbered nonstop about everything. This was Harry's moment to shine. It was his turn to know everything. He was taking advantage and had been answering Hermione's rapid-fire questions all morning. It was adorable and exhausting to see.

Before he knew it, it was time for him to head to the bank for his appointment. With an admonition to stay with the Grangers and 10 galleons pocket money, Sirius left Harry and the Grangers in the Flourish and Blotts bookstore for a few hours of browsing and shopping.

Padfoot was taken to see Harnock as soon as he entered the bank. The goblin was waiting for him in his large and imposing yet spartan office. It was not a welcoming place but it was certainly impressive.

"Hello, Account Manager Harnock. It is good to see you. May your gold flow and your enemies perish," Padfoot said with a bow to the diminutive goblin.

"Be welcome, Mr. Prongsworth. May your enemies shudder at your presence and may your gold ever increase in worth." The goblin gave a slight bow of the head in return. "Please, have a seat, Mr. Prongsworth. I have some news for you."

Padfoot sat and looked at the goblin in expectation. The goblin just stared in return for a moment, with hands folded on top of his desk.

"There is no delicate way to say this. Your mother is dead," the goblin said this all in a bland tone of voice. He had found most wizards to be extremely irrational about the death of their loved ones. The wizards often acted as though the very concept of death were foreign to them. They act shocked to realize all will taste the cold blade of death at some point during their lives. It was preposterous and unnecessarily emotional, in goblin opinion.

Sirius surprised the goblin. He was emotional, yes, just not the expected emotion.

"Whoo hoo! Are you serious? The old hag has finally bitten the dust? Praise the gods and feel sorry for them that she's in their plane of existence now." The wizard cackled as he spoke. His laughter was punctuated with occasional loud slaps of the knee.

The goblin sat in stony silence for just a moment before answering. He wasn't sure how to react to this reaction. He had been prepared to be silently scornful of the wailing wizard. He wasn't sure what to do now that the man was hysterical with hilarity instead.

"Yes," the goblin answered slowly. "She is truly dead."

Sirius just laughed louder. His guffaws filled the cavernous room and echoed disturbingly.

"Couldn't have happened to a better person. Please, tell me a Death Eater killed her." Sirius said when he could get enough breath to speak.

"No," the goblin replied, looking down to the papers on his desk. "It says here she got a papercut from a dark arts book with poisoned edges. She was alone other than an elf, whom she had forbidden to bother her for the rest of the day. By the time she was found, it was too late to save her." The goblin looked at the strange man as he spoke. He wasn't sure how the man would react to the news. He shouldn't have been surprised when the adult wizard started laughing so hard, he fell from his chair and started rolling around on the floor.

Harnock watched the man struggle with his hilarity for a few minutes. Harnock had hated a few people with enough ferocity to laugh at their deaths but he felt even he lacked the enmity to roll on the floor in laughter at the death of anyone, let alone his own vicious bitch of a mother. Then again, Harnock's mother was a saint compared to Walburga Black. He decided to try to encourage the man to regain control by offering something in return. He reached into his desk and pulled out his intended offering.

"May I offer a toast, to the death of your mother, Mr. Prongsworth?" the goblin said, while pouring a generous two fingers of fine goblin brandy each into a snifter.

Sirius climbed back into his chair, wiping his eyes and chortling to himself.

"Yes, please," he gasped as he struggled to regain control of himself.

The goblin offered him a glass and raised his own.

"To Walburga Black. We gladly wish you, rest in peace," the goblin toasted.

Padfoot snorted in response. "More like may she burn in Dubnos, the Celtic underworld, her rightful hell." Their glasses tinked together and both drank deeply of their cup.

"That was lovely news, Harnock. Thank you for calling me in to share it. Is there anything else? I've got guests to attend to," the man said with a bright grin. Harnock had made the former Sirius Black's day.

"Yes, well. There is one more thing. Your grandfather, Arcturus, knows you are alive. He cannot locate you but he wishes for a meeting. It seems he is concerned that the Black family will be left without an heir, unless he finds you," Harnock responded with a raised eyebrow.

Padfoot waved his hand dismissively. "Tell him to sod off. Or, even better, tell him nothing. Let the old goat wonder for the rest of his days. Serves him right for never reigning my mother in. He let her satellite branch of the family take over our family values. I hope the name goes dead without me." Sirius didn't hate his grandfather the way he had hated his mother but he still resented the old man for allowing her to run the family into Voldemort's arms.

"That is one option," the goblin replied. "There is another potential for allowing Arcturus Black a little latitude." Padfoot looked at the goblin quizzically.

"If you were to formally accept the heirship to the Black family, you would have a way to enter the Black family estates. You could seek out the soul shard that rests with them. If you play your cards right, you might even be able to use the heirship as a bargaining chip to access the soul shard at Malfoy Manor, as well." The goblin looked at the wizard with raised eyebrows. Sirius sat back in his chair, a contemplative look on his face.

"I haven't been able to come up with a plan that would get me into either place," Sirius responded, rubbing his chin.

"My suggestion is to accept the Heirship for the Black's. Ask your grandfather for the Black London house, Grimmauld Place, I believe, as a concession to your acceptance. Get the necklace so it can be destroyed. Then, you can make a deal with your cousin, Narcissa. She gives you the diary in exchange for making her little brat your heir for the Black's. When your grandfather dies, you can take all but 1/10th of the property and vault value. Turn that, Grimmauld Place, and the Black name over to the Malfoys and disappear. You will have everything that could be a danger or that is of significant value. They will get to be more pompous than ever. It's a win/win situation for everyone." Harnock felt this plan was easy to execute and would bring them that much closer to their ultimate goal of defeating Tom Riddle. Once the deed is done, it will be easy for Padfoot and Harry to hide in plain sight for the rest of their lives.

"Yeah," Sirius said, sitting up in his chair in excitement. "That might just work!" He sat back again, his eyes darting back and forth in excited thought. Sirius could feel it. This would work.

"Would you like me to make the arrangements?" Harnock asked. Sirius suddenly slumped in his seat.

"It won't work," he said glumly. "Grandfather Arcturus won't recognize me. Not by blood or by magic. Both have changed after the blood adoption! I won't even be able to swear on my life that I'm Sirius Black because that's not my name anymore. There's no use. He'll never believe me, and if he did, my secret identity would be shot. There's no point in doing any of this if I can't keep Harry safe when it's all said and done." Padfoot was heartbroken. He thought this plan might just work. Now they'd have to start over again.

"Not so, Mr. Prongsworth," the goblin responded, grinning in a terrifying show of many sharp teeth. "For a fee, Gringotts would be glad to assist you in creating a glamour using the identity proof paperwork we secured for you prior to your blood adoption. The identity proof paperwork can be used to create a glamour that looks and feels just like your prior form. It will have your old looks and your old magical signature. You can also make an oath on your magic that you are Arcturus' grandson without mentioning a specific name. The oath would be true, after all."

Sirius grinned at the idea of such a clever prank. He sat forward in his chair and said, "When do we get started."

-oooOOOoooOOOooo-