He awoke the next morning to the sun flooding into the room. Blinking a couple of times he carried on laying on the soft mattress only stretching to reach for his spectacles. The room he noticed had cream wallpaper with gold filigree, the bed he lay on had really soft beige colored sheets. Sitting up he got out of bed only to step onto a really plush brown carpet, wiggling his toes he couldn't stop but smile at how good it felt. Not seeing his trunk he walked upto the mahogany cupboard only to find it empty.

He looked around the room once more and spotted a set of robes laid out on a chair next to a door. The deep blue robes were made of the finest material he'd ever touched, it reminded him a lot of the invisibility cloak. Getting curious he opened the door only to see that it was a bathroom, a brand new set of toiletries were laid out for his use. Unsure of what to do, he decided to go look for his things.

"Does master be needing help?" An elf squeaked popping in before he could turn the handle of the bedroom door, startling him.

"Oh, hmm, hello. Yes, that would be great. Could you please get my trunk?"

The elf's ears immediately drooped "is Brandy doing something wrong? Master Harry be telling Brandy to dress yous up."

Not wanting to upset the elf Henry immediately tried to calm her down, thanking her for preparing everything for him, even though he was unsure of what to do. Sighing, he slid into the bathroom and jumped into the shower. Lathering up the soap he couldn't help but admire the creaminess of it, getting out of the shower he dried himself off with the fluffiest of towels that he'd ever used.

As he got dressed in the deep blue robes which not only felt amazing against his skin but also fit, Henry couldn't stop but think about how amazing everything was. Even though the Dursley's weren't poor, they never really bothered spending on him. He was given a bedroom and food, he wasn't allowed to take seconds or dessert like his cousin but he wasn't starved. Though everything else he owned was second hand, even the few toys he was given were the ones that Dudley had either thrown away or broken.

He left his room feeling beyond awkward as he tried to tame his hair. "Morning kiddo." Harry said, startling him once again. He walked back towards the door and found him sitting on a couch in what looked like a library.

He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves folded up and a pair of dark denim jeans. Harry's toned form was clearly outlined in the outfit, he was pretty sure that he was doing the perfect impression of Neville as he stood awkwardly at the door.

The casual calm smile that stayed on Harry's face helped him muster up the courage to walk in and sit on the couch. "How are you holding up kiddo? I bet you have a lot of questions."

"I-yeah."

Harry chuckled, "very eloquent." Henry blushed.

"Hermione would love this library." He blurted out taking in all the walls that were lined in books from ceiling to floor.

Harry chuckled again "this is half as big as the library in Black Valley but fortunately the books here are different." His tone suddenly turned serious "but no outsiders are allowed in here, there is certain knowledge that is best kept within the family." Henry swallowed audibly but nodded.

"I hope you don't mind the robe, figured it'd be the best fit. How about after breakfast we hit the shops?"

"You didn't have to."

Harry gave him a quizzical look "of course I did. You are my kid brother, it's my job to look out for you, even though I haven't been able to actively do it for most of your life. I'm here now and I'm here for you. Whenever you want to talk I'm here." Henry was surprised at how serious Harry could sound even though he was still smiling, he simply nodded in response.

"Great, come on then. I hear granddad and dad were great pranksters, how about we give it a shot?"

Henry grinned and followed his brother out, still marveling at how his greatest wish ever had been granted. He finally had a family. They walked into the living room and headed towards the door on the opposite end. "The elf's have really outdone themselves." Harry said as he opened the door.

Henry couldn't help but agree, gone was the gloomy wallpaper and the dirty carpets. Even the elf heads were missing from the wall. Now a polished wooden floor with white washed walls gave the place a breath of fresh air. Even the gaslights were gleaming silver.

They headed down to the kitchen where the rest of the inhabitants of the house seemed to be, stopping at the door Harry winked at Henry. He opened the door and they both stepped in. Molly who'd been grumbling about getting poisoned by crazy elf's and Hermione who'd been lecturing a bored Sirius all shut up. Even Ron had stopped mid bite.

"Is this a prank Padfoot?" Remus asked, being the first one to break the silence as he shook his head trying to get rid of whatever hallucigen that Sirius had sneaked into their food.

"You must be uncle Moony." Harry said with a smile as he strolled into the kitchen.

"Ha-Harry?" Remus stuttered wide eyed.

"It's good to see you again." Chaos broke out in the kitchen as everyone tried talking over each other.

"One by one." Harry said letting a blast go off from the end of his wand.

"Where have you been? What have you been doing? Why didn't you come to Hogwarts? How did you just perform magic? It's against the rules, you know, we could get into trouble with the ministry."

"Ah you must be Ms Granger." He said in an unimpressed voice "I was living with my grandfather Arcturus Black who found Hogwarts new curriculum lacking, so my return was postponed. As for the magic, my wand is untraceable."

The rest of breakfast was spent with Harry answering questions, which he mostly gave vague replies to. He found the nosiness of these people a tad bit annoying.

"I thought you boys would sleep in today." Sirius said eventually noting the irritation that now marred his godson's tone.

"Where'd you sleep last night? We were waiting for you in our room." Ron cut in.

"Uh, in another room." Henry replied awkwardly, not meeting his friend's gaze.

"He slept in his own room." A baritone voice said from the door. "Honestly, no blood of mine should have to share a room, there are enough rooms in the house to accommodate everyone. As for Harry, he's accustomed to waking up early."

"Yeah, I'm used to waking up at 4 but today I did sleep in a bit and woke up at 5." He said sheepishly.

Ron and Ginny cursed but everyone's attention was drawn to Molly who'd just dropped a pot of coffee that she'd wrangled out of an elf's hands "oh, honestly Sirius, I can cook and the children can help me clean. There's really no need for the elf's, it's just creating much unneeded chaos."

Arcturus took his seat at the head of the table "I think it would be prudent for you to take this time off from your daily chores to maybe concentrate on your younger ones. The boy's doing below average at best and the girl is scraping passing marks."

"That is an excellent suggestion Baron Black." Arthur immediately replied.

"But…" Molly tried to say only to be cut mid sentence.

"Of course you are welcome to go back to the Burrow where things go your way."

"But it's barbaric to have slaves...sir, Mr Black." Hermione said, looking slightly put off.

"That's Baron Black to you, young lady. And it looks like my sources were right about you." He said in a disappointed tone making her look even more flustered "I don't have the patience for this. Maybe Professor Lupin can fill you in on the symbiotic relationship between wizards and house elves."

After that breakfast was a quiet affair.

"Come on, let's hit the shops." Harry said to Henry with a grin.

"And where do you think you are going, young men? Nobody is allowed to leave this house."

Harry turned to look at the glum expressions of the Weasley brood. "Are you seriously going to keep them all locked up for the entire summer?"

"It's dangerous. You could get attacked by deatheaters, Mrs Weasley is simply looking out for us." Hermione said in a condescending tone.

"Right. Well we are off, see you lot around." Before anyone could stop them they both left.

"You know, we are going to be in major trouble when we get back."

"Why would you think that?" Harry asked him as he hailed a cab.

"Because we weren't allowed to leave."

"One. It's our house, they can't order us around in our own home. Two. If I let some second class deatheater get the upper hand on me then Arcturus has failed. And three. It's summer, we are supposed to be out and about during summer."

In all honesty Henry was really looking forward to spending the day out, he'd never really experienced freedom in his life, spending the day with his brother going wherever they pleased did sound like a dream come true.

Not before long they found themselves standing in Diagon Alley and Henry was surprised to find himself being dragged into Knockturn alley. Not wanting to ruin the mood he let his brother guide him, surprised as the questionable inhabitants of the alley jumped aside as soon as they saw Harry.

Harry ushered him into a wandmakers shop "we need to get you a wand without a trace, can't keep on having the ministry pester you now can we."

The shop looked like a replica of Ollivander's, "Ah, Mr Black 11 and a ¼ inches Blackthorn and thestral hair." A short plump woman said as she approached them.

"Yes ma'am, now we are here for my kid brother."

Unlike Ollivanders the woman didn't start measuring him, instead she looked at him with piercing eyes. He was sure that she was looking right into his soul. "I think I have just the one for you."

With a wave of her hand a box materialized on the dusty counter "10 and a ½ inches cherry and griffin claw". Henry picked up the wand and immediately felt a humm as warmth enveloped him, he gave it a flick and smiled as a plethora of stars burst from its tip.

Harry dropped 15 galleons and both boys walked out of the shop. "I'll give you back the money."

"Don't be silly. That's what big brothers are for, besides, consider this your birthday present."

They then headed to Madam Malkin's, where Harry ordered a bunch of robes for Henry and added some Hogwarts robes for both of them. They spent some time in the book store where Harry found some interesting reads."

"Harry, wait." Henry said stopping in front of the pet store "I need to get you a present as well, how about an owl or a pet or something. Hogwarts allows us to take a pet."

"I have an owl to deliver mail but a pet does sound nice." He said with his relaxed smile and followed Henry into the crowded pet store. Cages and tanks were randomly placed around the store, they walked around the store looking through the various displays when a yip followed by a whine caught their attention.

Walking towards a cage at the back they found two Crup puppies looking at them with sorrowful eyes. They were both desperately trying to climb out of the cage to get to them.

"Those two have been a handful, I swear their minds are linked somehow. Though you two might be looking for something a little more easier to look after. Crup's require a lot more work than other pets and for the first year they do require constant attention."

"What do you mean by linked?" Henry asked.

"Unlike mundane dogs, Crup's usually have one puppy. It is rare for twins to be born. But as expected the mother died not being able to take the stress, hence why I have them here so young. They are barely a month old, usually they stay with their mothers for a year."

"We'll take them both." Henry quipped up.

Harry wanted to object but the puppies were adorable and he didn't mind more work.

Twenty minutes later the boys each walked out with a puppy in their arms who were happily licking their faces. They stopped by the bookstore again to pick up books on Crup's before heading back out to London to hail a cab and head back home for lunch.

It had been an awkward trip back home as the adorable Crup's had growled and nipped at every passerby that remarked on how cute they were. Both boys made sure to keep their forked tails hidden and breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived at Grimmauld place.

They followed the elf that met them at the entrance to a formal dining room that was located in the east wing. Both boys stopped in their rooms to leave their shopping, the Crup's happily followed them around, nipping at Harry's shoelaces and tugging at Henry's robe.

They found the family seated and awaiting their arrival. Andromeda's lecture on tardiness turned into "aww Cissy look, don't you remember how we would beg father for one."

Needless to say, the family lunch turned into an informal affair. Where all three women couldn't stop oohing and aahing over the pups. Sirius even introduced them to Padfoot, making them squeal and hide for cover behind Arcturus.

"And what have you named these buggers?" Arcturus asked, scooping them up.

"Apollo." Henry said.

"The Greek and Roman god who protected the young. Remus was telling me how intelligent Hedwig is, the little guy has a big name to live up to."

"What about you Harry?" Tonks asked.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly "Woof."

Arcturus burst out laughing "he hasn't always been the most creative with names. His owl is called Squawk." That had the rest of the family in laughs.

The only person, Harry noticed, who was acting distant was Draconian Malfoy. He was clearly out of his element in the current gathering and there seemed to be an undercurrent of coldness between him and Henry.

Lunch was spent with the sisters catching up while Dora talked about some of her funniest cases. Arcturus shared stories about his and Charlus' time at Hogwarts, which Henry drank up hungrily.

Before they knew it both Ted and Dora had to go back to work. Arcturus pulled Narcissa aside for a private conversation and the boys followed Andromeda, Lupin and Sirius to the library.

"Today we'll be testing the three of you in core subjects. Just to see what areas need improvement. After that Andromeda will hand you a list of monthly readings. You will be tested on what you've read on a monthly basis, these books will help you better understand your duties as Lords so when at 17 you accept your respective titles, you'll be ready."

Draco wore a mask of arrogance but Henry looked a little worried. Harry ruffled his hair before taking a seat and looking at the stack of papers in front of him.

They spent the next four hours furiously scribbling. There was a paper each on Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, Herbology, Potions and History of Magic.

Once done they asked the boys to demonstrate a variety of spellwork. Henry had some issues with transfiguration but he was decent in his charms work and he surprised Harry with his grasp on Defence, especially when he produced a silvery stag that cantered around the library when Andromeda asked him if he wanted to earn extra credit.

Draco on the other hand was generally good with most of his spellwork. But he didn't seem to favor one branch of magic over another. "Very good Draco, is there anything that you'd like to do for extra credit?" Remus asked him kindly.

"I am excellent at potions. Would I earn extra credit if I cut down the brewing time or made my brew more potent?"

Henry had to stop himself from passing a derogatory remark, it wasn't hard to do since Draco for the first time sounded genuine, his usual sneer missing.

"How good are you at potions? I mean, when I took my OWL's I too was excellent at the art of brewing. So yes, I did earn extra credit by not only cutting the time by half but I also did make it more potent. Snape, however, being a prodigy, simultaneously brewed both the poison and the antidote." Andromeda answered.

"Hmm, I think I could cut down the time and improve on the base." Draco said.

Finally Harry completed all the tasks. "Well, silent casting will get you extra credit but what more can you do?"

Harry grinned and transformed into his animagus form, a black wolf with bright green eyes. Sirius exclaimed in glee, as he transformed back into himself. "You are not registered!" Andromeda exclaimed, appalled at the idea, throwing a glare at her cousin.

"I am registered, not here but on the continent." Harry replied.

"Damn the old man really does know how to work around the system. Maybe we should have thought of it."

Harry smirked "he had you and James registered as well, I believe grandma Dorea had informed him that a mutt and a stag were running around the Potter estate traumatizing her thestrals."

"Oh" was all Sirius could say.

For charms he created a mini tornado that spun on his palm and for defence, like his brother he cast a Patronus. In his case it was a Raven that flew around the room.

"Well" Remus and Andromeda said, looking up from the tests. "Henry you've mostly gotten a mixture of A's and EE's, except for Defence where you can easily score an O and History where you've gotten a T." Remus said with a wince.

"Draco you are currently averaging an EE, but potions and history seem to be your forte where you can easily get an O."

"And Harry, I can see that grandfather didn't care much for goblin wars or gardening. Apart from that you are a well rounded O student, especially with the answers that you've added for extra credit." Andromeda added.

"Excellent!" Sirius said, clapping his hands. "We'll be starting your training tomorrow. From 9 am till lunch we will work on the areas that require betterment. After lunch you'll be free to enjoy your summer holidays as you please." Harry was the only one who didn't seem to mind waking up early, judging from their expressions.

Andromeda gave them a list of books and left. Remus and Sirius too left for a meeting, leaving the three boys. Draco found the first book and went to his bedroom leaving Harry and Henry in the library.

"You look irate." Harry noted.

Henry let out a frustrated breath running a hand through his hair. "I suppose I'm just confused, that's all." He muttered scowling at the grin that his brother now wore.

"About Draco I presume, you don't understand why he isn't baiting you the way he usually does…" at Henry's questioning look Harry simply ruffled his hair "just because I wasn't around doesn't mean I didn't keep tabs on you kiddo. Arcturus might have taken me but he always kept an eye on you and when I was old enough I started to as well. As for Draco, aunt Cissy finally showed him some home truths, I suppose he has a lot of thinking to do. Look" Harry said becoming serious "I don't expect both of you to become super chummy. I know there's a lot of history there, but for the sake of family I will ask you to be civil to each other. We have enough enemies as it is, if we want to survive this war we need to show a united front."

Henry gave his brother a weak smile. Clearly he had some thinking to do. "Umm, Harry. Could you help me with my potions essay? I still have to complete my holiday homework, err, the Dursley's didn't really want me to do anything Hogwarts related under their roof."

"How about we do it all together? It'll give me a chance to see how Hogwarts works."

While the boys got to work, Sirius and Remus walked into the kitchen to find an extremely smug looking Molly.

"Ai, lad. What is this we hear about Henry's twin?" Moody asked, his magical eye spinning like crazy, clearly trying to locate the boy.

"Sirius, my boy. I need to meet him immediately. Ever since he's arrived there seems to be a problem with the Fidelius, it won't allow entry to Mundungus or Severus." Dumbledore quickly added.

"Harry has returned. Last I checked this was my house, it has been decided that those two aren't welcome."

While the table broke out in murmurs about the news on Harry, Dumbledore gave Sirius a disappointed look. "You need to put your personal grudges aside, for Henry. Don't you care about his safety?"

"Alaistair, give that eye of yours some rest old man. You won't be able to locate him in these walls." Everyone turned to look at Arcturus who'd just arrived "as for Fletcher, he is currently indisposed as he's busy retrieving every single item that he stole from this house. Snape will only be allowed entrance if he makes an unbreakable vow to me."

Dumbledore had lost all color and for the first time everyone saw the look of fear in their leader's eyes. Moody let out an uncharacteristic laugh "only you Black. Let me guess we've been rallying for the wrong boy while you had your laugh." He stood up and shook the man's hand, still grinning.

"I'm sure you can see how important it is for us to stand united." Dumbledore said, gathering himself from his initial shock.

"What I see is a pathetic old man trying to relive his days of falsified glory. Were I to share certain stories, do you think this little group of yours would be kissing the ground you walk on?"

Dumbledore seemed to go even paler, the constant twinkle in his eyes being put out for good.

Ignoring him Arcturus addressed the group "the artifact you idiots are guarding can only be retrieved by two people. Harry and Voldemort, Harry has better things to do but which one of you sees yourself being able to fend off Voldemort in an isolated corridor were he to show up?" Quite a few members flinched at Voldemort's name.

"Pathetic, the lot of you."

"Dumbledore would never!" Molly said, appalled.

Moody, however, growled and banged a fist on the table. "What are you playing at Albus? I was doing an old friend a favor, if I wanted to follow a madman I would have joined Voldemort."

"No, you don't understand it is vital for us to stop Voldemort from getting his hands on this information."

"No, what I understand is that you've been holding out on us." Moody said walking towards the kitchen door "I'll make an unbreakable vow if the boy requires assistance." He said to Arcturus before leaving.

"You don't expect a boy to fight, he's just a child." Molly exclaimed, all worked up.

"It is his fight. Always has been. Or did you think that the old goat here was going to be fighting? Didn't he tell you that he expected Henry to fight while he played the role of leader?"

Molly turned to look at Dumbledore only to be disappointed by the look of resignation that now marred his face.

"You can carry on with your Order but the Blacks will be making our own little powerhouse."

"Surely we can work together, our goal is the same after all."

A predatory smile now rested on Arcturus' face. "Of course we can, after all our goals are the same. Get rid of the same proclaimed Lord, but seeing how this affects my family the only way I'll be working with you is if you swear a vow on your life and magic. A vow where you promise to share every shred of information that we may consider essential to win this fight."

Anger flashed across Dumbledore's face as he found himself masterfully manipulated "you know I can't do that, there are things that I cannot share…"

"Not even for the greater good? That was your motto wasn't it?" Arcturus all but purred, his eyes sharp as a hawk. "I suggest you leave immediately, I have already contacted Minerva to let her know that Harry will be enrolling this year."

Albus inclined his head knowing that Arcturus had destroyed him. Even if a few people still believed in him, the damage was done, no one would follow Albus Dumbledore in the fight against Lord Voldemort. "I wish you all the best." He said before walking towards the floo.

"What are the rest of you awaiting? An invitation?" He barked, forcing everyone to jump into action. Several chairs skidded across the floor as people scurried to leave.

Remus watched as the haunted look from his best friend's eyes was slowly disappearing. He had still been grieving Dorea and Charlus' demise when James and Harry died and Pettigrew played him, getting him arrested. Even after his escape he was still that 20 year old, who had always looked to his adoptive parents or his brother for advice. Now with Arcturus resurrected his friend had found a guide that would help him grow into the man that he so needed to become.

Remus was pulled out from his musings by the quiet argument that was taking place between Arthur and Molly.

"We should move back to the Burrow, Molly, with no more Order meetings it doesn't make sense for us to carry on staying here."

"But Henry, that poor boy needs someone to look after him. Sirius is hardly capable of looking after himself and that man" she said, sending a glare towards Arcturus "is only looking out for that Harry boy."

Remus felt a growl deep within his chest. He knew that Molly had a good heart but she didn't know how to control her prejudice. The fact that she hadn't even bothered mentioning him simply fortified his belief.

"I'm starving," Ron said, walking in, followed by a curious group of teenagers.

It didn't take long for Henry to show up followed by Harry and Draco.

"What is the snake doing here!" Ron spat in anger before anyone else could even react. His wand was already in his hand.

"Put that away, idiot boy." Arcturus snapped.

"But-but he's a death eater."

"Ron!" Arthur said authoritatively but the doubt in his eyes betrayed him.

"Draco is family and he isn't marked." Harry said.

"But he's a snake." Ginny snapped, backing her brother.

"And Pettigrew was a Lion, apparently. I don't see how a school house defines a person." Harry retorted in a bored voice.

Ginny gaped at him, desperately trying to come up with an answer but it was Ron that worried him, he was looking at Henry like he'd betrayed him. Hermione for some reason looked hurt as well, but there was a more calculating look in her eyes.

"Maybe after dinner it would be best for your family and guest to go back home." Arcturus declared getting a nod from Arthur.

Dinner was a quiet affair, after which Arcturus informed Arthur that the elf's had taken the liberty to pack their things. Understanding the underlying message clearly, Arthur ushered his group out post haste.

"You alright?" Harry asked Henry knocking on his bedroom door. Henry looked up from where he was sitting on his bed staring at his hands.

"I suppose so…"

When he didn't say anything more Harry made to leave but stopped "Ron looked mad and Hermione looked hurt… I don't know if you'll understand this but they were my very first friends. My only friends really…"

"You should get some sleep." Harry said with a comforting smile before shutting the door.

The next morning Harry walked into the house with Woof snuggled in his arms.

"Where are you coming from?" Sirius asked with a pout as he walked out of the kitchen cradling his morning coffee.

"I went out to start my daily warm up. Thought Woof would enjoy the run but he clearly prefers play over exercise."

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I thought you said that we'd be starting at 9." Harry said, alarmed, quickly casting a tempus and sighing in relief when a 6:00 appeared.

Sirius rolled his eyes "That's just for bettering your understanding in theory."

"Well I could wake you up tomorrow if you like. Though maybe we should work on a disguise…"

"Already done!" Sirius said with a lopsided grin showing Harry the hoodie. "So, what do you do now?"

A mischievous glint sparkled in the green orbs as he signaled for Sirius to follow him. They took the steps down to the basement, entering the training room that Harry had set up for himself. "Now I'd usually either box freestyle or practice sword fighting for an hour, then I'd practice any new spell that I picked up and end it with a mock duel. But we can do something light to start with maybe a friendly duel?"

"Don't go easy on me Harry" he said ruffling his hair as he walked over to a stand that had different types of swords hanging on it. "I can't say I've tried boxing but you can't be a Black without knowing how to handle sharp objects. Though maybe we should start with the wooden ones, at least till I've gotten my mojo back."

It only took Harry 10 minutes to end their sword fight. "Do you yield?" He asked with the wooden sword placed on his opponent's back. Panting Sirius muttered "I yield." Half an hour later Sirius was lying on his back complaining about a muscle pull. They took a 10 minute break before moving onto wand work.

A shy knock made them both turn to see Henry standing at the doorway in his pajamas. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"Never." Harry said with his trademark casual smile.

"I- I just thought it'd be cool to join you… I- maybe, but I think I'll just get breakfast." He muttered upon seeing Sirius, suddenly feeling very self conscious.

"Not so fast kiddo." Harry said crossing the room and placing his arm around his brother "I think it'd be awesome if you join. It can be the thing that our family does, you know like some families go hiking, others go fishing… we'll make this our thing."

Henry shot Sirius an unsure look but the man was beaming at the two of them.

"Okay, so I usually start by trying out any new spell that I may have found. Today I was thinking of practicing a spell that I have created, obviously I need to work out the kinks."

"How about you do that whilst Henry and I get our basics in order. I mean being locked up for 12 years hasn't really kept me in great shape, what do you say pup, are you willing to help this mutt out?"

A warmth filled Henry up at Sirius' words. He'd always been really kind to him but there was a certain sadness that was always present in his eyes whenever he looked at him. Now, however, he genuinely made Henry feel like family.

Harry started working out the kinks of his spell as Sirius and Henry got to work on perfecting their basics. An hour later they found themselves sitting on the sidelines as they watched Harry duel a practice dummy.

The practice dummy had special runes drawn on it making it a formidable opponent, not only was it shooting back lethal spells it was moving with a swiftness and agility that would put a ballerina to shame.

Harry was no slouch either, his hand was a blur as different colored beams shot out of his wand. Some left holes in his opponent, others conjured objects or brought up shields and others created distractions. Henry was beyond awed at his brother's technique.

When Harry finally managed to chop off the dummy's head Sirius stood up applauding "not bad at all, you would have given me a run for my money when I was at my peak."

Harry laughed. "Your modesty clearly is your best trait."

"Christmas! Give me until Christmas and then we duel." He said, stubbornly.

"Done, now come on, there is another dummy there with your name on it." He pointed at a dummy without ruins and sat down to watch Sirius, giving pointers wherever he thought necessary, then they both helped Henry better his dueling technique.

On the whole at 8 an exhausted but satisfied trio headed for the shower, taking Remus by surprise who was walking down to the kitchen.

At 9 they found themselves seated in the library.

"These are my notes right up to my NEWT's on history."

"You took history for NEWT's? Why?" Henry exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"Because Andy here has a love for all things dead. I suppose we can thank our lucky stars that Ted shared the obsession else we might have ended up with Binns for a brother-in-law." Sirius said cheekily, getting a scowl from her.

"Anyway, I've made copies so the three of you can study from those, sadly history is not a subject that gets updated frequently at Hogwarts."

"And here's a copy of my cheat guide, luckily Remus had his copy. It is a list of the 50 questions that will most probably be asked. We were given 4 out of 5 of those." At Andromeda's glare he quickly added "what! It wasn't easy work, I had to go over a hundred years worth of history of magic OWL exam papers to figure out the pattern. But of course, you all should study from her notes and keep this just in case."

"With that out of the way, the three of us will split up and start tutoring the three of you, starting with your weakest subjects. Now Sirius was a prodigy in DADA and thanks to James he got very good at Transfiguration as well. Andy was gifted in both History and Potions and I myself was pretty good at Charms and I always enjoyed Herbology. So This week I'll be giving you, Harry, a crash course in Herbology and we can maybe work on some Charms theory as well. I know it's useless, but you need to be able to cite examples in the written portion of your exam. Let's go to the garden."

Harry followed Remus out.

"And you young man shall be coming with me to the kitchen, we are going to start with potion brewing basics." Henry followed Andromeda out, feeling uneasy, he didn't fancy facing Arcturus' wrath if he blew the kitchen up.

"I guess that leaves us, let's split our time between Defence and Transfiguration."

"Why are you doing this?" Draco blurted out.

"Doing what?" Sirius asked even though he already knew what Draco was referring to.

"Being nice to me. You hate snakes, hell, you hate my father."

Sirius sighed, taking a seat in front of the boy. "I didn't hate snakes, I adored Andy and Cissy and they were snakes, I just wanted to rebel against my family I suppose and during that time Voldemort had reached his peak and it's true that a lot of his recruits were from that house so it just made it easier for me to rebel in general. You know, I asked grandfather the same question, after everyone had left I confronted him telling him how allowing you into the fold was a big mistake."

A pained expression came across his face as he thought back to the row that he'd had. "He showed me a memory taken from Kreacher and reminded me that maybe had I given him a chance I might have been able to save my brother..."

"Mother showed it to me as well. I didn't understand why she had suddenly abandoned father, but after seeing the memory I understood, well kind of. Father was hoping that I'd take the mark, I didn't see anything wrong with it, but then she called Artemis and ordered me to kill him." His fists clenched in anger "Artemis was my very first friend, a kneazle I found in the garden when I was four. We sort of grew up together, he's always looked out for me and she wanted me to murder him. She said that if the Dark Lord ordered father to kill us he'd do it in a heartbeat, that he had nearly done it 14 years ago when mother had turned down getting marked. It was only because of Henry's… I mean Harry's victory that father didn't poison us. Dobby, our previous elf, warned mother after getting released."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes "I'm scared. I'm scared that I will have to take the mark and do terrible things, I'm scared that mother will get hurt, I'm just…" he felt Sirius squeeze his shoulder as he reigned in his emotions.