A/N: It's been a while, I know. I'm very sorry and can only say stuff happened. I've been sick for the past two weeks but decided that posting this, finally, might help motivate me to work on the rest.

I can only hope that anyone that was reading this is still interested. If so, please consider leaving a review to let me know you're out there!

WARNING: Dead animals mentioned and handled

Chapter Seventeen: Of Mice and Men. Or Women.

The next few days were a drudgery of routine, despite anyone's best efforts. All six Gelfling shared one room with one bed as that was all they had available so far that was cleaned. Molly kept a close eye on the group and on her own children, Harry and Hermione included. The only chance they had to talk was during meals and a quick word in the hallways when passing by. There was nothing Molly could do about the Gelfling speaking their native tongue though, nor could she stop Harry from joining in.

Because of that incident, Molly had expressly forbidden the Gelfling from dreamfasting with any humans. She had also warned her children and their friends not to dreamfast with them as there could be unknown effects. Harry had been watched closely since and now knew what Ron meant when he called his mother smothering.

The Weasley matriarch kept them with her or escorted them places as often as she could. It grated on all of them. Sirius tried to help where he could, but the way Molly went about things left him feeling like he was in the doghouse instead of being the master of the house.

On the tenth of August, Sirius finally managed to rescue them as he was going by with a sack.

"What have you got in there?" Brea asked, walking over to poke the rough hessian sack.

"Dead mice and rats," Sirius replied with a shrug.

Brea recoiled, pulling her finger back with some haste. "Oh," she murmured, eyes wide. She didn't know what mice and rats were, but a sack full of dead anything was not a pleasant prospect.

Naia stepped closer as the Vapran princess stepped back. "What are they for?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Never you mind, now come along," Molly gently chided, trying to get them moving with some shooing hand motions.

Sirius held in a sigh. "Now, Molly, I think it would be a great idea to introduce them to Buckbeak! I'll be supervising, so you head back to the kitchen and I'll give our guests a little Care of Magical Creatures lesson. Fill in some time with some practical education and all that. Now, do any of you know what a hippogriff is?" he asked happily, shuffling away and hiding a grin as the group of Gelfling eagerly followed, answering negatively.

"Thanks," Rian said with a snort once Molly was out of range. The grin he was wearing took away any sting his words might have held.

"You looked like you needed a rescue," the wizard said, shrugging as he led them up a flight of stairs. "I'm happy to help. Now we can talk for a while too. You deserve a chance to ask your questions and get some answers."

"So what is a hippogriff?" Brea asked.

Sirius only grinned. "I have one named Buckbeak. Sadly, he needs to hide too, so he has to stay shut up in a room instead of roaming free. Hippogriffs are half bird, half horse and very proud creatures. Before you get close, you'll have to follow some instructions, got it?"

"What's a horse?" Kylan asked, trying to picture something that was half bird, half something else. His mind flashed to the Skeksis, but he forcefully pushed that image out of his head. He really, truly hoped there was no Skeksis shut up in a room ahead.

"A large, four legged animal with hooves that people can ride," came the answer.

Kylan's thoughts of a possible Skeksis meeting were erased. "Oh, something like a landstrider," he commented.

"Never heard of a landstrider before," said Sirius, frowning lightly as he stopped before a door. "Now, the way to deal with a hippogriff is to look it in the eye. Once he looks back, try not to blink much or at all if you can help it. When you know his attention is on you, bow to him without breaking eye contact. If he bows back then you can get close and even pet him if you want to. If he doesn't bow to you, back away and stay out of the room. Everybody clear?"

When all six answered in the affirmative, Sirius slowly opened the door. He went first, Buckbeak quickly bowing back and eyeing the sack. He waved the Gelfling in and the group bowed as one when the majestic animal focused on them. After several tense moments, the hippogriff bowed again. Then the sack became the centre of the animal's world once more as it dismissed the little beings as a threat. The door clicked shut.

Kylan and Brea were the first to move closer, wanting a better look at the unusual animal.

The front half really did resemble a very large, very predatory bird. It was covered in a mass of glossy feathers, with a large hooked beak and clawed feet with scarily big talons. Massive feathered wings concealed much of the rest of the animal, but the way it was laying on the ruined bed hid much of the back half from view anyway.

From what Kylan could see, the back half didn't look overmuch like a landstrider at all. He supposed what a Gelfling would consider able to be ridden would differ to that of a human. That, mixed with the fact that each side knew nothing about certain things each found common. Speaking of which…

"Sirius…" he started gingerly, "have you ever heard of a place called Thra?"

The others instantly came alert, ready to hear the answer. Even with Harry able to speak their language, they hadn't had the chance to ask about Thra. Every time they tried to converse across the table, Molly would interrupt as much as she could. It was maddening, so this opportunity was incredibly welcome.

Sirius pulled a couple of small, furry dead things from the sack and threw them to Buckbeak, who snapped them out of the air eagerly. "Thra? No, can't say I do. Never learned much about places outside the old homeland though. Is that where you're from? Which country is Thra in?"

"What's a country? Brea asked softly. Her eyes darted from one friend to another.

Sirius paused after throwing more food. "Er," he said eloquently.

Rian walked over to Sirius, stuck his arm in the sack, and grabbed the tail of a dead mouse. He threw it at the hippogriff and watched it disappear from the air. "Thra is a planet and yes, it's where we are from."

"A planet…?" Sirius repeated shakily, not noticing when Rian took over feeding Buckbeak.

Kylan sighed and halted his attempts to reach Buckbeak. "What is this planet called?" he asked, throwing the dreaded question out there.

"Earth," the wizard answered absently. He seemed to snap out of it as he exclaimed, "Are you saying you're from another planet?!"

Rian threw another rodent. "We were really hoping we weren't, but you just confirmed that we are," he said grimly.

Sirius finally reached into the sack again, casually tossing whatever he grabbed. "How are you going to get home then? We thought we'd just be able to transport you as far as we could manage, but another planet isn't something any of us can help with," he said apologetically. His eyebrows were drawn down and his eyes appeared shadowed. The corners of his mouth were down-turned and his posture slumped.

The Stonewood stood there and held the sack open. "We have to find and rescue Deet before anything else," he said firmly.

When the sack was empty, Kylan resumed his quest and edged closer to the hippogriff. He reached out and his fingers encountered feathers that felt far smoother than they looked. The Spriton stroked them softly, earning a content sounding squawk.

This encouraged Brea to follow Kylan's lead and she found a different patch of feathers to pay attention to, showing the same level of care.

Buckbeak blithely accepted the attention, seeming quite happy. He lowered his beak, staring straight at Kylan, and made a little noise in the back of his throat.

Kylan cautiously reached out and let his fingers touch the lethal looking beak. He gave it a few soft strokes, smiling as Buckbeak lowered his head for easier access.

Deet would've loved this, thought Rian. The persistent ache in his heart, that had been there since she walked away from Stone-in-the-Wood, gave a pang. If they were stuck in this house for much longer then Rian felt he would start tearing at the walls to get out.

"I'll see what I can get out of Snape for you if you can't corner him yourselves," Sirius offered as he rolled the sack up and folded it messily into a pocket. "One thing at a time, right?"

"Thank you," Seladon said graciously. She was still near the door, having decided to keep well back from the dangerous looking beast her little sister was currently petting.

The wizard's shoulders fell as he sighed. "I wish helping Harry was that easy."

"What's wrong with Harry?" Rian asked. The adolescent boy with messy black hair and green eyes had seemed fine whenever they saw each other.

Sirius explained about the upcoming trial at the Ministry, along with everything that had led to the trial and what tricks he expected the Ministry would pull on his godson. He would put nothing past Cornelius Fudge, who was far too fond of his position as Minister, and the prestige it brought him, to not try anything underhanded to get his way. Harry saying Voldemort was back would all but ruin Fudge's career as the man was actually useless when it came to doing things that did not involve bribes and words in the right ears.

The Gelfling got Sirius to describe the trial process as best he could. They decided they would help Harry prepare as well, even if the way things were done were a little different. It would be a lot easier if Harry could go to his clan's maudra and plead his case there first, but these humans had many more factions and leaders and sub-leaders. It made the whole process so much more of a hassle than it could be, especially with the human's version of an All-Maudra being a main force against Harry.

The night time meal was as lively as ever. The food was as delicious as it always was, even if the Gelfling still had trouble identifying a good deal of the foods they were served. There were several conversations carrying on, at varying volumes.

"Harry, we have heard that you are soon to attend a trial, is that correct?" Seladon asked in English, seemingly out of the blue.

Harry blinked before nodding slowly, a frown taking over his face as he was reminded that, in the very near future, he may be expelled from Hogwarts and have his wand snapped. "That's right," he answered heavily. "Why do you ask?"

"We," Seladon said, gesturing to herself and the others from Thra, "feel that we have some experience and advice to offer you that may be of assistance."

Molly gave a small sigh, her expression unhappy. "I'm not entirely sure if the way your people go about things will be similar to the way things are done at the Ministry. Your offer is certainly appreciated, but I don't think any knowledge or experience you have will help. The Ministry is very particular after all."

Rian grit his teeth and hunched over a bit, wondering how long it would take for the others to not bother holding him back any longer.

"Surely there are some similarities," Brea said in a reasonable tone. "It can't hurt to offer what we know and then Harry can use whatever is helpful," she continued, her tone turning happier as she smiled at the young wizard in question.

"You're all too young for such things. Leave it to the adults, especially Albus Dumbledore. I'm sure he'll sort something out," Molly said stubbornly.

Rian straightened in his chair and looked at Molly, trying very hard not to glare. "Why do you say we are too young? You never asked us how old we are, you're just assuming and treating us like helpless childings!" he said sternly.

Seladon pointed a pale finger at Harry. "How old are you? How many trine?" she barked out.

Harry looked confused. "I don't know what a trine is, but I'm fifteen," he said somewhat slowly.

"Fifteen trine? Plenty old enough," Gurjin said. His tone was casual, but there was a hint of challenge in his eyes that dared the matriarch to disagree. She did not disappoint.

"Fifteen is still a child! Harry is not even of age in our world!" Molly countered loudly.

Gurjin snorted. "Rian and I were younger than that when we started training as castle guards."

"I was much younger when I started training to take over my mother's duties as All-Maudra," Seladon said with narrowed eyes. "What of you, Drenchen maudra's daughter?"

"Likewise," said Naia, voice flat as she suppressed her anger.

Seladon stood up on her chair, with slow and calculated movements. She straightened to her full height, which was a little under three feet tall. "We are tired of you treating us like childlings, Molly Weasley. Do not presume to shelter us like childlings, hide information or make decisions on our behalf any longer. We will help Harry and you will let us as you have no authority over us."

Molly looked both shocked and angry, but the anger won out as she puffed herself up. "I don't know how your culture works, but you're in the wizarding world now. You don't know how things work here, so it's only logical that you listen to those that do. I'm only trying to help! It's for your own good!"

"We are not in the wizarding world," Rian said with barely restrained anger in reply. "We are stuck here in this one building with only a dozen others, at best, to interact with. I hardly call that a world."

The All-Maudra turned back to Harry. "Does this woman have any official authority over you and your actions?"

Harry gulped as he felt Mrs Weasley's gaze settle on him like a heavy cloak. "Uh...no?" he replied gingerly, averting his eyes and ducking his head. He did not want to offend the woman. She was the closest thing to a surrogate mother he had ever experienced as she had always treated him like another of her boys.

"There you have it then," Seladon announced. "Let's find a nice quiet place to see what can be done to help." She got down from the chair, leading her fellow Gelfling to the kitchen doorway. She turned around and gestured to Harry, who hastily scrambled from his chair to join them.

The other Hogwarts students made to follow, but Molly yelled at them to stay where they were.

"But Mum, we're of age," Fred said as calmly as he could.

Molly pinned him with an angry look. "I am still your mother and you live with me, so don't argue."

The twins scowled, but they knew where to draw the line. This was not a battle they would win this day, but perhaps later they could try.

Hermione fidgeted in her chair. She really, really wanted to follow Harry and be a part of whatever the Gelfling were planning with her friend, but she didn't want to push Mrs Weasley any further. She bit her lip as Molly's eyes swept over her and decided not to throw any more fuel on that particular fire. The bushy haired girl did not budge except to give the Weasley children a weak, commiserating smile.

Harry breathed a sigh and sank onto the floor in the Gelfling's room, his back pressed up against the wall across from the bed. He watched curiously as the smaller beings arranged themselves in a circle, much like they had done at the table when they first met. His eyes flicked from one small, triangular face to another, feeling unaccountably nervous.

Seladon moved until she was right in front of him. "I have much I can impart to you. I don't know how much of it will be useful to you in any way. Do you want my experience?" she offered, holding up a hand in invitation. She planned to share wonderful examples of court-like dealings her mother had done, along with examples of the Skeksis with their manipulative ways and sweet talk before it all crumbled into pure demands for obedience. He would need that if anyone from the Ministry tried to talk slick circles around him.

This was the moment Harry realised that no one else in Grimmauld Place, bar Hermione's mutterings of research, had actually offered to help him with his upcoming trial. Even Hermione's research had not done much to help or boost his confidence, as his friend spoke of her findings in a scattered manner that conveyed little belief of his success, despite her words that they couldn't possibly convict him.

"I'd love any help you can offer," he said truthfully. Fears and doubts about the trial niggled at the back of his mind. There was no way he was going to turn away an offer of help, so he raised his hand and extended it, moistening the inside of his mouth just before their hands met.

The others reflected on their own experiences they were willing to share or just talked quietly, trying very hard not to be loud enough to disturbed the dreamfast. It was a long dreamfast. The All-Maudra must be sharing a lot of memories. They could only hope it would be worth it.

When Seladon finally pulled back it left Harry gasping and leaning forward, his shoulders shaking.

"Are you all right?" Naia asked in concern.

"Yeah," Harry gasped. "Yeah, I'm fine." He quickly got his breathing under control and sat up, leaning back against the wall.

The female Drenchen observed him with the skill of a healer. "Do you want to take a break?" she asked.

The teenage wizard shook his head. "No, I'm good to keep going. I don't want to stop," he admitted ruefully.

After several moments Naia just nodded and replaced Seladon. She held up her hand and waited patiently. When Harry's hand met hers, Naia started the dreamfast as gently as she could, being slow and careful as she shared memory after memory of her mother's dealings with any problems, eventually showing her own dealings with others as an envoy for Mother Aughra and the maudra's daughter.

Harry weathered the second dreamfast much better. Whether it was the content shared, the fact that the experience was shorter or because Naia focused on being gentle, he couldn't say. He saw Naia look him up and down before nodding and moving away. Rian took her place, looking just as determined as Harry felt. He grinned tightly before their hands touched.

Rian showed many memories of the Skeksis; both as Lords of the Crystal and after he became a fugitive. He held back a shudder as he showed the carriage ride as the Chamberlain's captive and the insidious words that skekSil had uttered. He'd been so close to giving up, but his friends pulled him from the depths. Figuratively and literally. Harry could not give up, he just needed to rely on those that were on his side if he could no longer stand on his own two feet alone.

Harry did not return to his own room to sleep for a long time.

A/N: I'm sure there's a reader or two that has been waiting for someone to speak up against Molly about her smothering habits. -eyes one on ao3 warily- I hope you enjoyed her finally being talked back to lol

My friend I live with and I got ourselves a new dog a month ago. We adopted her from a shelter and were the first people to look at her. Poor thing was timid and nervous and had to be half dragged, half pushed by the shelter workers to even enter the yard to play the day before. The nice shelter lady brought her out to the gate and let her off the lead after warning us to be patient. The dog, a year old pup, pelted across the yard straight to me and happily accepted pats and cuddles. Shelter lady was stunned lol

She made sure that things happened for us and we adopted her barely an hour later. We brought her home the next day and she's opened up so much, you'd swear she was a different dog. We are happy to be her forever home. Now if only the cats would quit hissing and swiping her... Guys, it's been a month, come on.