May 1990
"I think it's about time," Remus said, leaning back against the counter he and Sirius had just built.
"To open? Are you mad? We have no-" Sirius started before getting cut off.
"No, don't be daft," Remus interrupted his friend. "To speak with Dumbledore about Harry."
"I've been saying that since I got out of Azkaban!" Sirius fairly exploded, "What made you change your mind all of a sudden?"
Remus gestured around the shop. "You're proving you've recovered. The shop will be open soon, and more importantly, the summer break is coming up."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Sirius asked, lost by the apparent non-sequitur.
"I have a feeling it will be easier to deal with the muggle authorities if we managed to do this by taking him at the end of the school year than uprooting him in the middle," Remus explained. "I've looked into it, and the spring term for muggles ends in a fortnight. That gives us a week or so to discuss it with Dumbledore and another week to make sure the paperwork is in order."
"Let's go then," Sirius said, standing and blasting himself with a cleaning charm.
Remus nodded quickly: "But first, we'll need to be ready, so let's go to Grimmauld Place. We can get dressed and bring our bargaining chip."
Sirius nodded and with a pop was gone.
Twenty minutes later, the men were striding up to the Hogwarts gates. However, before they reached them a voice called to them:
"I was wonderin' when yeh lot would be comin' by. Expected it teh be long before now if I'm honest," Hagrid said
"If it was up to me, we would have been here the day I got out of Azkaban," Sirius responded with a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"It couldn't have been. You were unconscious for two days after you got out." Remus answered dryly.
"Well, then, the first day I was awake." Sirius was frustrated.
"I figured Dumbledore would appreciate it if Sirius could stand up under his own power long enough to get to the meeting," Remus answered Hagrid. "So I made him wait a bit."
The trio had begun walking up the path, discussing old times. About halfway through the halls to the headmaster's office, a bell rang, flooding the halls with children. To avoid being knocked around, Sirius and Remus ducked behind Hagrid's bulk, walking side by side as he continued to forge a path through the throng. The halls cleared a few minutes later, allowing the men to walk three abreast again.
"Is it always this crazy?" Sirius asked with a laugh.
"Yes," Remus and Hagrid answered together.
"And if you want to adopt Harry, you'd better prepare yourself," Remus continued. "You remember what his father was like? Especially a young James?"
Sirius' first reaction was a large smile, which faded as his face paled, and he realized what he was planning on putting himself through. Rather than speaking, he gulped rather loudly in response.
As they approached the gargoyle, it leapt to the side allowing them passage up the spiral staircase to the headmaster's office. Hagrid gestured up the stairs and left them.
"Ah, Sirius and Remus, how nice to see you here," Dumbledore said as they entered his office.
"Headmaster," Remus smiled.
"Sir," Sirius nodded his greeting, "I'd like to know where my godson is."
"He's quite safe, and behind some fairly powerful wards," Dumbledore answered quite calmly. "But how have you been? Recovering well? I must say I was pleased every day you didn't burst through my door, demanding to see Harry. Going through the recovery and preparation showed great restraint and maturity on your part."
Remus cleared his throat with a look to his friend before answering Dumbledore's question, "He's been recovering well. The portraits tell me he sleeps through the night without screaming or waking up most days, and we have been working on ensuring Harry will have a pleasant place to stay, assuming, of course, that he chooses to move in with Sirius."
Dumbledore's eyes grew wide at that last comment, "You wouldn't fight him if the boy chose to stay with his family?"
Sirius was about to protest when Remus stood on his foot. What Sirius said instead was, "Of course not. We want Harry to be happy. If he isn't happy, he could come to Grimmauld Place. If not, maybe we could work out a way for him to visit."
Remus nodded his agreement.
"How very mature of you," Dumbledore said, a twinkle evident in his eye. "I will happily help you get the paperwork in order, in case the boy would like to move in with you. Shall we plan on visiting Saturday morning?"
Remus and Sirius shared a look of startled surprise. "Just like that?" Remus asked incredulously. "You'll allow him to choose and possibly live with us?"
Albus smiled, though there seemed to be a hint of something else in his eyes as he answered, "Of course."
"Why?" Remus asked, suspicion clear on his face.
"Sirius showed responsibility and an ability to temper himself. You've always been a good moderating influence, which certainly helps-"
"Yes. But then why is Harry with muggles now? Muggles who Lily made clear time and again hate magic?"
"Blood wards," Dumbledore answered.
"Which he will lose if he's moved." Remus clarified.
"True, but the Black family has long been known for their extensive wards and security measures in general. I don't doubt the security would be adequate."
Sirius saw the flaw and took up the questioning, "There are plenty of security-conscious families, especially with the war on. Why send him to muggles?"
"Legally they were next of kin."
"According to wizarding law, Remus would have been just as available as an option," Sirius answered.
"When taking laws, Harry's protection, and logistics, the Dursleys were the best option," Dumbledore said with an air of finality. "That said, I believe joining the wizarding world sooner would be acceptable, especially now that you have shown that you are willing to take the time to properly recover. Hence why I will join you to visit their home and invite Harry, if he is amenable once the school year is done. I see no reason not to move him to Grimmauld Place."
That seemed to stop the protests he had been getting and an awkward silence descended.
"Now, you had something else to talk to me about?" Dumbledore asked.
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.
Dumbeldore pointed over to the side where a delicate looking silver instrument was spinning in a decidedly un-delicate matter, "It takes awfully dark magic to get that reaction. So, what else do we have to talk about?"
"Oh, yes. Right." Sirius began, "Remus?"
Remus rolled his eyes and pulled out a box, "This was found in Grimmauld Place while it was being cleaned. After some negotiations with Kreacher, we found that this was part of the reason Regulus was killed. We haven't been able to confirm what it is, but based on Regulus' story, I have a theory." As he finished he held the entire box to Dumbledore.
Once the box was on his desk, Dumbledore cast a few detection charms before paling. He looked to Remus, "Your theory?"
"Even with my Defense Against the Dark Arts Mastery I couldn't work out what this was, but the Black family library is extensive. Between the information there and Regulus' story I concluded that this likely holds a piece of Voldemort's soul, it's a Horcrux. Even in the darkest books I found there were barely references to them. As if they were so evil even masters of the dark arts were hesitant to deal in them."
"I fear that you are correct. And with this, we may be able to permanently rid the world of Voldemort."
"You think?" Remus asked, scepticism warring hope in his voice.
Dumbledore shrugged, "I should think so… Certainly one step closer, I hope you'll be amenable to allowing me to destroy this?"
"Certainly," Sirius answered instantly.
"How do you destroy it?" Remus asked.
"There are only a few ways to do that. Fiendfyre is the safest, I should think," Dumbledore answered altogether too calmly for his guests.
"The safest, you say?" Sirius asked with raised eyebrows.
Dumbledore merely nodded serenely, "There are a few rocky outcroppings in the north sea not suitable for much life where the fyre will be overtaken. Considering the only other way that I know of is basilisk venom…" He trailed off
The younger pair shared a look.
After an awkward pause, Sirius spoke, haltingly, "What is the procedure for a posthumous Order of Merlin?"
"For Regulus?" Dumbledore asked. At Sirius' nod, the older man continued, "What can you tell me of his death?"
Sirius slowly, and tearfully began to tell the story of his brother's fate. How he had turned against Voldemort in the end and sacrificed himself to try to ensure his former master was mortal. At the end of the story, Remus was holding his friend round the shoulders and Dumbledore looked on with a few tears falling.
"I will see what I can do. If nothing else we can clear his name, even if we can't get the award." Dumbledore said, flicking a tear from his cheek.
Sirius nodded and stood after he composed himself, "We'll meet you at the gates next Saturday at 10 AM."
Dumbledore nodded again and bade the men goodbye.
The trio Apparated to a quiet alley in Surrey, looking decidedly out of place. Dumbledore wore garish robes; Sirius was in a leather jacket with a t-shirt, and Lupin was wearing a suit that made him look like a professor from the 50s.
They walked in silence; nerves were keeping Sirius quiet, and Dumbledore too. They reached the end of a street that looked exactly like every other one around and, led by Dumbledore, they turned and nearly ran into the headmaster as he faltered, looking ahead a few houses.
The younger men's gaze followed the elder and saw a small boy on his hands and knees in the garden by himself, he didn't appear to be playing but pulling weeds. All three recognized the untidy hair, even from a distance.
As they approached, they heard a bellow, apparently directed at Harry, "Boy! Hurry up with that weeding, or lunch will be late!"
"Yes, sir," Harry returned. "Almost done."
"The tone of the yell left something to be desired, and it was still early for lunch, but…" Remus commented, trailing off as they turned up the walk to the home. Harry eyed them warily.
Dumbledore spoke first, "Hello, Harry." He smiled at the young boy. "May we speak with you and your aunt and uncle?"
The young boy seemed on edge, and perhaps a bit frightened, but shrugged and called through the window, "Uncle Vernon, there's some…men here to talk to you."
"What rubbish are you on about, boy?" the voice came through the window as he could be heard walking toward the front door. The door swung inwards, revealing the large figure of Vernon Dursley who continued yelling, "Who the ruddy hell-" his borderline purple face paled and he stopped talking as soon as he saw the odd group.
"Hello, Mr Dursely. I am Albus Dumbledore. I'm sure -"
"You! You left that boy here. Why are you coming here now?!" At this last yell, a horse-faced woman and a very round young boy tried to peek through the gaps around the yelling man.
"Well, I, along with my associates, would like to talk to you and Harry," Dumbledore answered, maintaining his calm, "and considering the occasion, it may be better to converse inside?"
The woman whispered, and while not all of it was understandable, Sirius heard the word "neighbours" in the comment.
"That said, if you insist, we can certainly stay out here, in full view of your neighbours," Dumbledore said, clearly taking his cue from the whisper.
Both of the adult muggles paled at that and quickly backed away from the door, beckoning the three men inside, along with their nephew, who seemed to waffle between excitement, curiosity, and fear.
Behind Dumbledore, Sirius and Remus shared a long look, seeing anger mirrored in the other's eyes before they allowed Harry to enter the house in front of them. Both of them, it seemed, had noticed how small Harry was, especially when compared to his cousin.
Upon entering the house, they nearly ran into the bloated Vernon Dursley standing resolutely in front of the hallway, gesturing them to the sitting room to his right. Dumbledore settled into a decidedly stiff-looking armchair with a hideous pattern. Petunia and her son were on the couch, and Harry was on the floor, even though there was room on the couch and another chair available.
Remus smiled at the young wizard, "Harry, why don't you take that chair?" He gestured to the open seat, "Sirius and I will stand."
The boy shook his head and looked past them at his uncle. Sirius and Remus shared another look.
Once Vernon settled his bulk onto the end of the sofa, next to his wife he glared at the trio. "Now, what do you want? You leave that freak here with nothing but a letter eight years ago and not another word. Now what?"
"Due to a regrettable series of events at the time, Sirius, Harry's godfather, was not available to take young Harry in. However, now, as you can see, he is both fit and available," Dumbledore explained. "He has spent the last six months or so preparing to bring Harry into his home."
"Why?" Vernon asked, gruffly.
"Well, I was quite fond of him as a baby, and I am his godfather," Sirius answered with a hint of a growl in his voice.
"No," Petunia stated. "I won't stand for it."
"Agreed," Vernon gestured between himself and his wife. "We agreed when we took him in that we would stamp out that dangerous and unnatural nonsense."
"Magic?" Remus asked. "You can't stamp out magic. And even if you succeeded, you would truly regret the consequences."
"Are you threatening me?!" Vernon yelled, and in the silence that followed, Harry spoke up.
"Magic?" Confusion was evident in his voice and face.
The three elder wizards nodded, clearly confused by the child's confusion. The silence stretched as the wizards shared a long look.
"You will not take that boy. You will not turn him into a freak like the rest of you lot," Vernon interrupted.
"Good sir!" Dumbledore's anger flared, "let me speak with Harry." Dumbledore turned his chair full to look at Harry. However, he turned at the sound of Vernon huffing, struggling to pull himself out of the sofa. "Sit down." And with a casual wave, Vernon was forced back into his seat.
"Harry," Dumbledore returned to his normal, softer tone of voice, "what do you know of your parents?"
Harry seemed to shrink back into the corner. "They were drunks who died in a car crash," his voice quavered.
"What?" came the exclamation from Sirius and Remus. Dumbledore merely looked lost, gazing at the floor for a moment.
"Harry," Dumbledore said, returning his attention to the young boy. "Please look at me. Would you like to come with us? Come live with Sirius and learn the truth about your parents?"
"No!" Vernon shouted again. "He will stay here and learn to be normal."
Sirius had been doing his best to keep his temper in check, but he couldn't stomach it any longer. "How dare you! You lie to him, keep him underfed while fattening your own child. All the while hiding the truth about his parents?! You are the ones who aren't normal."
While he was yelling Sirius had taken a few threatening steps toward the Dursley's.
"Sirius," Remus murmured, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. The two shared a look, and Sirius took a deep, calming breath.
"Sirius," Dumbledore spoke this time, "please keep those three where they are."
"How dare-" Vernon was cut off.
"Remus, please go call the muggle authorities," Dumbledore continued.
Sirius took one more step closer to the sofa, looking as intimidating as he could, Remus stole into the hallway for the phone and Dumbledore was speaking rapidly to Harry.
After a tense moment, Remus could be heard on the phone.
The Dursley's hadn't moved; however, there was a conversation Sirius couldn't be bothered to listen to as he continued wrangling his temper.
Behind him, Dumbledore called, "Sirius, would you please take Harry to collect his things? I will watch over the Dursleys."
When Harry silently walked to the hall and opened the cupboard under the stairs Sirius assumed he was fetching a trunk or bag. When he returned with a small pile of clothes that looked several sizes too large Sirius nearly lost the hold he had on his temper. He was apoplectic with rage. "Remus," He called as calmly as he could.
"Harry," Sirius lowered himself to look the boy in the eyes, "Is this your-?" he caught himself and forced the words out: "Is this your room?"
Harry nodded, sad and confused.
"Let's go outside and sit, eh?" Sirius asked as he had passed furious and fell into the pit of pure depression at the fate that his godson had been confined to due to Sirius' own reckless actions.
Remus heard Harry's answer and saw the scrawled, "Harry's Room" on the wall of the cupboard. Nearly losing his temper he relayed the information to Dumbledore.
Harry and Sirius were sitting on the front step in silence. After a few minutes, Sirius asked, "Do you want to move into my house? You don't have to if you don't want…" Sirius trailed off.
"Leave here?" Harry asked, confused.
"Of course. I live with Remus, and you could join us. We already have a room together for you, and if you want, we could go get you some proper clothes that fit you," Sirius tried to joke, but Harry was busy looking at the pile of oversized clothes on his lap with confusion and fear plain on his features.
A car with a flashing light pulled up to the house and a man in uniform began walking swiftly towards them, as he approached he called out, "There was a call of abuse, is this the boy?"
Sirius nodded saying, "You'll find your answers inside."
"And you are?"
"I'm his godfather, I came today to meet him and invite him to come to move in with me when we found out."
"Found out what? And who is we?"
"I'm part of the 'we.' I'm his solicitor," Dumbledore stated, appearing in the doorway wearing a muggle suit with his hair and beard tamed. "Along with his friend and business partner."
At that point, another identical car drove up and a younger woman in the same uniform bustled over to them.
"She'll stay with you two," the first officer said to Sirius and Harry. "Jenkins, I'm going to interview the witnesses inside; you stay here and interview these two."
The female officer nodded before lowering herself to Harry's level and reaching out her hand. "Hullo, I'm officer Jenkins, what's your name?"
Harry looked at the offered hand but didn't take it. It seemed to the adults that he closed in on himself. "I'm Harry," he whispered
"And you are?" Realizing she wouldn't get a handshake from the young boy, she pivoted to Sirius.
"I'm Sirius. I'm Harry's godfather," Sirius answered, shaking the younger woman's hand.
"Do we like Sirius?" Jenkins stage-whispered to Harry who turned to look carefully at his godfather.
"Yes. He seems nice," Harry answered quietly. Sirius' face was split in two with a huge smile.
"And what brought you here today, Sirius?" Jenkins turned back to him.
"Well, I came today to invite Harry to live with me." Sirius said, "His parents died when he was very young and I ended up being unable to bring him into my home, but circumstances have changed, and I've been working up to this for several months."
"Why were you unavailable?"
"I believe I could answer that," Dumbledore said, again appearing in the doorway.
"Thank you, sir. But I need to hear this from you both, separately. I'll just speak with Sirius here first," Jenkins answered with a note of steel in her voice.
"I'll be right back, Harry," Sirius said before walking a few steps away to speak quietly with the officer, luckily there had been a conversation on how to handle this question. Plus Sirius was sure an eavesdropping charm was placed on him.
"So, where have you been for the last several years?" Jenkins asked.
"It's a long story, but I was falsely accused of the murder of Harry's parents. I was framed, and six months ago I was exonerated. My solicitor has the paperwork to show it. Once I was released I waited six months, by my friend's advice, to make sure I was fully recovered."
"Smart," she said absent-mindedly jotting notes. "Some people take time to adjust, but you seem fairly calm and rational."
"Don't let it fool you. I'm truly enraged and saddened by how my godson was treated by his own flesh and blood. But it's as much my fault for my actions all those years ago."
"What do you mean? And what did they do to him?"
"It looks like they kept him in the cupboard under the stairs," Sirius growled, "and look how small he is. His cousin is as round as a pumpkin. Not to mention when we got here Harry was weeding the garden while the rest of the family sat on their arses watching telly." He was nearly yelling by the end and he caught himself. "I'm sorry, it's just upsetting."
She nodded. "I understand," she said as she continued writing notes. "However, you didn't answer my first question: you said it was 'as much your fault'. What did you?"
Sirius faltered, "I... " He paused to centre himself, "When I heard about the murder I went after the murderer rather than going to the authorities. The true murderer yelled that I had killed Harry's parents, then he caused an explosion and used it to fake his death. The witnesses heard his accusation and saw the explosion - it was presumed that I killed him to keep him quiet." He was pale by the end of his recounting.
Jenkins had stopped taking notes halfway through and had a look of pure compassion on her face, "That's terrible."
"I'd like to go sit with Harry. do you need anything else from me?"
"Not right now," she smiled. "Could you send your solicitor over?"
Sirius nodded, "Thank you for understanding."
As he turned, he noted Remus had exited the house and was speaking with Dumbledore and Harry.
"Dumbledore," Sirius got his elders attention. "Officer Jenkins would like to speak with you. I hope you brought all those papers with you. I think we'll need them a bit sooner than expected."
Dumbledore nodded as he stood and strode over to the young woman, pulling a small stack of papers from his jacket as he went.
"Harry, are you ok?" Remus asked from Harry's side.
When Sirius looked at his godson, Harry looked lost and terrified.
"I don't want to go to an orphanage!" he exclaimed. "They told me what happens there, and I don't want to go!"
"You don't have to," Remus answered, trying to soothe the panicking child. "Remember? We invited you to come live with us?"
Harry looked to Remus and Sirius in turn, distrust plain on his face. "Why?"
"What do you mean?" Remus seemed taken aback.
"They said no one would want a worthless freak like me." Harry's voice was hard and brittle. "Why do you want me?"
"We love you," Sirius answered with finality. "We haven't seen you in a long time, but we knew you as a baby. We loved you then and we loved your parents. We still do. You aren't a freak, and your parents weren't drunks or worthless. They saved many lives when they died."
Harry's eyes widened but the wariness never left his face.
"Would you like to see a picture of your parents?" Sirius asked. "I didn't notice any in there."
Over Harry's head, Remus mouthed, "Freeze it."
Harry turned his large, green eyes to Sirius, staring for a moment before nodding. Sirius pulled out a photo album and cast a silent spell to freeze the enclosed pictures, and he began flipping through, telling Harry about his parents. Remus went with Jenkins, and another man in a rather dishevelled muggle suit came and talked with Jenkins, Dumbledore, and Lupin all while Sirius and Harry sat, enraptured by the past.
After nearly an hour, Harry was called over by Jenkins and the rumpled man. Remus and Dumbledore walked and stood next to Sirius who looked up to them and stood.
Anger still simmered in the eyes of all three, and the younger two aimed theirs squarely at the elder, "How could you let this happen?" Sirius snarled.
Dumbledore seemed almost as lost as Harry had been, looking to his younger compatriots he spoke haltingly, "How… How could they… How could anyone treat a child like that? Let alone their… Their flesh and blood."
"If you had listened to me at the time," Remus growled, "I could have told you. I tried to tell you."
"Based on my conversations with the police officers and the children's services representative, it sounds like Harry won't be living here any longer. And his aunt and uncle will be going to their version of Azkaban for quite a while," Dumbledore started.
"Yes, but what of what he's been through?" Sirius said. "Did you see where he slept? How scared he was? How scared he is?" He wasn't about to let this go. "Who did you consult? Who else thought the idea was good? Or even acceptable?"
"I didn't think it was worth the risk," Dumbledore began.
"Yes, betrayal is possible, but you must trust," Remus almost yelled. "You saw what happens when you don't."
"And we all know what can happen if you do!" Dumbledore quietly thundered. "The trust you showed in Peter led to the death of Lily and James."
"It wasn't just the trust in him. It was our distrust of each other." Sirius cut in.
"Exactly. We can't turn on each other. Losing our faith and distrusting means the dark will always win. We must stand united," Remus said.
"This is a conversation for another time, I think," Dumbledore stated, looking resigned. "I gave them the paperwork showing your status and intention to adopt Harry. Hopefully, after an interview or two and some paperwork…"
"You'll need a second apartment," Remus said.
"Why?"
"Home visits. If they let you adopt Harry, they will follow up. Like any reasonable adult would do," Remus said, giving Dumbledore a scathing look at the end.
As the three men fell silent, the rumpled man walked over to them with Jenkins.
"Which one of you gentlemen is Mr Black?" The man asked with a very nasally voice.
"That would be me," Sirius turned fully to the man, extending his hand. "How do you do?"
"Well, it's been a difficult morning," The man replied as he shook Sirius' hand. "Jenkins here showed me the paperwork to adopt Harry. It was signed and dated a few days ago?"
Sirius nodded.
"And what brought this on?"
"I've always wanted to. I was in prison until about six months ago-"
"I know the story, no need to retread it."
"Well, I wanted to come to get him immediately once I was released. My friend here," At that he clapped Remus on the shoulder, ''Convinced me to wait until I was fully recovered. He determined about a week ago that we should get all the paperwork together before we came so that if Harry wanted to go we would be well on our way."
"And you are his godfather?"
"Yes."
"Well, he obviously won't be staying here. The Dursleys will likely be spending some time in prison, and will almost assuredly lose custody of their son even when they are released. We've contacted Mr Dursley's sister, as she is his next of kin. And you, obviously are Harry's," the man continued. "The only bit of good news I have is that both boys will be placed in more suitable homes almost immediately."
The whole group nodded at the sentiment.
"I can release Harry to you now; however, I need a phone number and address. I'll be following up with you, viewing the home and conducting a few follow-up appointments."
"Certainly," Dumbledore answered as he handed over some documentation. "I have that information here."
"Right. Well, here's my card if you have any questions, and I will be phoning you tomorrow to set up a home visit." At that, he nodded and turned to leave.
"Officer Jenkins, thank you for your help today," Sirius said, extending his hand.
"Thank you for calling us. Good luck. All of you." She shook Sirius's hand and left.
Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus collected Harry, along with his precious few things, and began walking down the street.