A/N: Hello Friends! It has been some time, I hope you all had a good time during the Holidays and New Years. I have spent some time writing this chapter out essentially from scratch, without pre-writing anything, and that's why it has taken so long. Enjoy chapter 13!

Chapter 13

September 1st, 1995

Sirius gazed after the crimson engine departing the station. Flashbacks to when Harry first left for Ilvermorny four years ago flashing through his mind, except this time, he was entering unknown territory without any backup. He was disrupted from his thoughts and turned to look at Remus, who was smiling sadly at him. "I'd always thought it'd be James and Lily standing here sending him off to Hogwarts. Even when we were in America it wasn't the same as it feels right now."

The werewolf nodded, "I know Padfoot, but life never works out the way you plan it. I have had to deal with that my whole life since that night." They shared a smile, and Sirius then motioned Remus to follow him. They left the station and apparated back to the cottage.

They settled down in the den and Sirius spoke first, "Now that Harry is off to Hogwarts, we can start the next stage of our plan, dealing with the Dark Lord."

Remus nodded, "Dumbledore reformed the Order of the Phoenix after Alastor died and is actively recruiting. He wanted me to ask if you were going to join again now that you have returned."

Sirius grimaced, "As loathe as I am to him right now, he is one of the best wizards out there who knows the truth. The order was almost gone at the end of the last war, who's left?"

Remus frowned, "With Mad-Eye dead, that leaves me, Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus, Emmeline Vance, Hagrid, Sturgis Podmore and Elphias Doge left as main members. Mundungus Fletcher, Dedalus Diggle, and Arabella Figg are all that's left of the informants."

Sirius puzzled over that for a second, "What about Frank and Alice? They were still in hiding." Remus put his head in his hands, eyes sad.

"Only two days after you disappeared, they were attacked by the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Jr. They were tortured into insanity, leaving their son Neville to survive unharmed. They are currently in the Janus Thickey ward of St. Mungo's." Sirius lowered his head, Alice was Harry's Godmother, and a good friend. Frank was one of Sirius's mentors from the Aurors, and a strong ally.

"I never told Harry about Alice, or the Longbottoms in general." Sirius said, "I will tell him some day, but I would like to see them first."

Moony patted him on the shoulder, "We can go see them tomorrow." He agreed before continuing. "Albus has already recruited some new members from some of his new allies, Arthur and Molly Weasley, as well as their oldest son Bill have joined, Molly was Fabian and Gideon's sister, and Arthur is your cousin I believe."

Sirius laughed, "As much as mother wanted that not to be the truth, he is my cousin through my Great-Aunt Cedrella."

Remus continued, "Bill is a curse-breaker from Gringotts and is handy with a wand. Minerva finally joined, instead of working with the Ministry this time around, he's also got a few more fighters from the Ministry: Kingsley Shacklebolt, if you remember from the Aurors, Hestia Jones, a Hit-Witch, and Snape."

Sirius was nodding along as Remus listed the different recruits but stiffened at Snape's name. "Snivellous? He recruited Snivellous into the Order? I thought he was a Death Eater, we fought him at the same battle that killed Benjy Fenwick!"

Remus nodded, "He is apparently a spy and has been since '81. He was the one that gave us the information that aided in capturing Dolohov and Mulciber."

Sirius was stunned, "How in the hell did that happen?"

Remus shrugged, "Albus says that Snape has repented for his crimes and defended him when Severus was outed as a Death Eater during Karkaroff's trial. He has provided good information over the years, and his position as Slytherin Head of House keeps him connected with the remaining Death Eater families." Sirius was in disbelief, and couldn't wrap his head around it.

Deciding to change the subject, he asked Remus another question: "So what are we doing now?"

Remus sighed, "Not much, the Dark Lord's forces are laying low. As most of them still have high positions in the Ministry, or are strongly connected, they don't want to oust themselves, and are subtly trying to move their people into power. The Dark Lord is also looking for something in the Department of Mysteries, something he didn't have last time. Albus is working against him, as he believes he knows what the bastard is looking for. He's having several members of the order in the Ministry scoping out the entrance. So far we've had no interactions with them yet."

He sighed and continued, "It is becoming clear that Albus is focusing on reacting instead of being proactive in our approach to stopping the Dark Lord from gaining power. The position of the Ministry that he hasn't returned and Dumbledore's blatant claims that he has doesn't help." Sirius frowned, stood up and stared out the window into the forest outside. "It feels like we are losing. Without Voldy in the open, we are ineffective. Our intelligence is lacking, even with a spy, Snape can only say so much, as we know that a Death Eater is more afraid of their master than of us. If we know too much, he'll know there is a spy among them, and will destroy them. We also need to make sure he isn't playing both sides and spying on us."

Remus grunted, "I agree with you, but he holds Albus's complete trust, at least according to the old Headmaster, so for now we have to trust his information."

Sirius turned and looked at Remus, "It's not just that, it's his attitude towards the Death Eaters, like they're wayward students who've been caught out of bounds, his pacifist strategy he tried to use during the war almost killed many of us until, the Prewetts and Alastor put their foot down."

"They aren't here anymore to temper his desire for redemption this time around."

Remus patted him on the shoulder, "Emmaline and Kingsley are the most vocal towards taking action, with Bill being the other. I will have to agree with them, after how poorly the last war was going, we need to do more."

Sirius frowned, "The last thing we want to do is cause a division among allies, we are all fighting for the same thing, just differently…" he trailed off, and was silent for a few minutes, Remus simply let him think while he sipped his tea. "That's it!" Sirius exclaimed, he turned to look at Remus and grinned, "We don't cause a division, we simply have a separate group of order members who are going to be a combative force for the Order. Those of us who choose to fight the way we choose without Dumbledore interfering. We ask Kingsley to head it, he is the most qualified since Mad-Eye is dead."

Remus grinned back at him but frowned after another second. "That won't end well for us Padfoot. There are many in the order now who'd be against that approach, Molly Weasley especially. Diggle and Doge will probably side with Albus, Doge due to loyalty, and Diggle out of his inability to be combative. Aberforth will most likely side with us, as will Sturgis. Hestia and Minerva are unknowns, Minerva is normally on Albus's side, but she was once part of the DMLE, so who knows. Hestia is a Hit-Witch but would rather find a peaceful solution to conflicts than fight."

Sirius nodded, "Regardless Moony, we need to get Kingsley on board, but inform the Order the next time they meet that I'll be returning."

Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore stood at the window of his office, staring out across the Black Lake and Forbidden Forest. His mind wandered to the new year that was going to begin later that evening. Most importantly he was thinking about the transfer student joining them this year, Harrison Black. What puzzled the wizened Headmaster was the mystery behind the boy. According to Kingsley, along with most of his staff, it's reported he looked like a Black, only with the Emerald Eyes of only one person they could think of, Lily Evans. Which was impossible! Lily Evans married James Potter, who was only related to the Blacks through his mother… Albus's eyes widened, he immediately moved over to where his pensieve sat. He pressed his wand to his temple and withdrew a grey strand from his head. Lowering it into the pensieve, Dumbledore followed it in. He landed in the sitting room of Potter Manor, where he found himself sitting on a seat facing a gaunt looking James and a worried Lily Potter, holding a bundle in her arms.

September 17th, 1980

"Lily, James, I'm sorry for the late call, but I grow concerned now that with your parents dead, Voldemort will now grow more aggressive with his search for you. He fears the prophecy and knows the location of this place. I urge you to consider moving into a safe house before it is too late." Albus observed the couple sitting across from his memory, not listening further to the conversation, but instead focusing on the child in Lily's arms. While only a few months old currently, Harry James Potter's black, messy hair was unmistakable. When the child's eyes opened, that is when Albus's suspicions were confirmed: The same Emerald eyes he saw in Harry James Potter, reflected in the eyes of Harrison Black.

September 1st, 1995

Albus emerged from his pensieve and moved back over to the window. His heart swelled with hope. There was a possibility Tom Riddle could be stopped. Albus was powerful, but he was smart enough to know that he has passed his prime long ago. During the last war, he could've dueled Tom to a standstill alone, and with the Elder Wand, he could win. However, now he was old, by wizard standards, and wouldn't be able to keep up with Tom. Delay him? Yes, absolutely. But defeat him? Impossible now. Albus knew hope lied in the next generation. He originally hoped Neville Longbottom would become as powerful as he potentially could have been, had the prophecy been considered. The boy was magically weak, or so his teachers said, and his timid personality was blamed on the strong parenting of his grandmother. Maybe, just maybe however, Harrison Black could be the solution to Albus's problems. He moved over to his desk and wrote a note to Sirius, as if summoned, Fawkes the phoenix flamed into his office and landed on his perch. Dumbledore turned to his faithful companion, "Would you be so kind as to take this letter to Sirius Black, Fawkes?" The phoenix trilled and snatched the note before flaming away.

Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton

"Crucio!" the screaming and twitching of Barty Crouch Jr. echoed through the large room. Lucius Malfoy stood off to the side, his face a mask as he gazed down at the prone man. "You said that Moody would be enough Barty, you told me that other than Dumbledore, Moody is our greatest threat."

The man on the ground whimpered and struggled the rise, The Dark Lord turned away from him and sat down on his throne. He twirled his wand in his hand, "You promised me we wouldn't be interrupted. However, that Durmstrang boy almost ruined it, your incompetence almost killed me, and Wormtail was captured. Do not fail me again Barty, or you will not live to see the next day." With that dismissal, the shaking man departed the room, leaving Voldemort alone. Something happened that night at the graveyard, Krum wasn't supposed to be there, but it seemed Barty forgot to reset the portkey on the Tri-Wizard Cup when they decided that they weren't going to go with that plan once they'd captured Moody. He'll have to be punished for that oversight. He was a loyal follower and Voldemort was a benevolent master, he'd allow the fool to recover. Voldemort sat on his throne and focused on his connection to his followers, summoning a pair. After a few minutes the door to his chamber opened and two cloaked figures entered. The kneeled at the foot of the steps to his throne.

"Rise." They did so and removed their masks. The faces of Lucius Malfoy and Corbin Yaxley emerged and gazed back at their lord. "Lucius, Yaxley, I have a task for you." The two men bowed, "How may we be of service my lord," Lucius said smoothly.

The Dark Lord gazed down on the bowed figures, "Find me everything you know about Sirius and Harrison Black."

Auror Office, Ministry of Magic

Thomas walked into the main office area and found John Dawlish and Cara Proudfoot waiting for him by his desk.

"Can I help you?" Thomas asked, he draped his outer cloak over his chair and leaned against his desk.

"Shacklebolt as looking for you Black, said he'd be at his desk." Thanking the two of them, he headed over to where the Senior Aurors had their desks. He found a group had already formed, among the group was Kingsley Shacklebolt himself, his lovely girlfriend Dora Tonks, her friend Hestia Jones, a Hit-Witch, and Penelope Clearwater, who worked for the Department of Mysteries.

"You called Kings?" that earned an eyeroll from Dora and Hestia giggled.

Kingsley brushed it off and asked, "You busy Black?"

Thomas shook his head, "Nah, I'm done with desk work, but Robards hasn't assigned me a partner for field work yet, so I have time." The Auror gestured for him to sit. Thomas plopped into a seat next to Dora, who gave him a smile.

Once they were all settled, Kingsley began talking, "I've been observing you all over the last few days, and I feel like you all share similar thoughts on the current stance of the Ministry. That they are wrong about denying the return of the Dark Lord." He looked around at each of them. "I'm part of an organization that acknowledges the danger of his return and are working to gather intelligence and counter his attempts to gain power again." Thomas gazed at everyone around him. Hestia, who was standing with Kingsley, clearly was already in the know. Dora looked interested, and Clearwater looked bored.

Kingsley kept speaking, "I believe Dumbledore's claim that he has returned, I was there when Krum returned with Alastor's body, analysis at the time shown he was subjected to Unforgivables and what looked like a ritualistic cut on his arm. The evidence was convincing enough for me, and when I was approached by Albus Dumbledore, I joined his Order of the Phoenix." Thomas's eyes widened slightly, Sirius had told him about the Order from the first war, and that Dumbledore was reforming the order. However, if they were actively recruiting fighters, the threat of the Dark Lord was worse than they originally imagined.

"What is this Order you're speaking of Shack?" Thomas's thoughts were disrupted by his girlfriend's question.

"The Order of the Phoenix was a resistance force formed by Albus Dumbledore to combat the rising danger of the Death Eaters led by the Dark Lord. They were able to operate outside of the Ministries jurisdiction and were doing so with the blessing of the Ministers at the time, Harold Minchum and Millicent Bagnold. Think of them as an intelligence organization that could do things the Aurors and Hit-Wizards couldn't, due to the laws in place, at least before Minchum authorized more violent force against them." He looked into everyone's eyes, "I don't want to see us subjugated due to incompetence of our Ministry, so I fight. What say you?"

Hestia Jones decided to speak up: "I've already joined. I lost a good part of my family during the first war. I have no intention to lose any more if I have the ability to prevent it."

Thomas and Tonks shared a look and then stood, "I'm in, I probably would've been asked to join eventually, my connection to Sirius and all."

His girlfriend nodded, "Same, and I lost my mentor to this Dark Lord, it's time that I paid him back for that."

Kingsley smiled at them, and then looked at the quiet Penelope, "And you Miss Clearwater?"

The Unspeakable looked up at him, and then stood, "It is the official position of the Department of Mysteries that we stand with the Ministry in their stance." She grinned at them, "however, Director Croaker is not a total imbecile, and is already making contingencies to prevent the Department from being infiltrated or betrayed as it was by Augustus Rookwood back in the 70's. Director Croaker has anticipated this sort of meeting and therefore," she gestured to the side where a grey-cloaked man shimmered into view.

The hood was lowered to show an older man with greying hair and a trimmed beard, "The Department of Mysteries will work with the Order to ensure the Ministry doesn't fall to the Dark Lord; however, our involvement will be strictly done so through Miss Clearwater, and done secretly, we do not want an enraged Dark Lord clamoring to destroy our department." Croaker paused and lifted his hood, disguising his features, "I'd suggest informing Madam Bones, she is a fair woman and will most likely turn a blind eye to any suspicious activity you conduct while under the guise of your Auror duties. She is more perceptive than you think." With that the man shimmered from view, leaving a grinning Penelope and several astonished faces.

Kingsley was the first to right himself, "Well then, Albus will be pleased to hear about the Department's stance, and in fact, Miss Clearwater, I'll like to discuss something with you afterwards, I am of the opinion it may be of interest to you."

The girl nodded before standing and donning her own grey cloak. "I look forward to hearing more about this Shacklebolt, however I do not have the time to dally. I will find you when we are ready to hear this information." She began leaving the office and shimmered just like Croaker had earlier. Thomas rolled his eyes at Tonks who giggled and began outright laughing when Hestia muttered something that sounded close to 'overdramatic windbags'.

Kingsley sighed, a smile on his face and gazed at the two remaining people sitting there. "Be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior in the department and keep me informed of anything you find, relay it through Tonks who'll talk to me directly. Now then, I have a meeting to make with Madam Bones, and make sure that my job isn't at risk anymore. Be on the lookout for information to your first meeting, and welcome to the Order of the Phoenix." He left the office, and the rest of them began to separate, Hestia and Penelope left the area, most likely heading back to their own spaces, whilst Dora dragged Thomas towards her space next to Kingsley's. She shoved him into her chair and straddled him.

Rising his eyebrows, he smirked at her, "Why Miss Tonks, you seem to have me at your mercy, whatever shall I do?" His hot girlfriend smiled at him, before crashing her lips to his. His hands moved immediately to her waist, squeezing as their tongues began to fight for dominance. Dora moaned slightly as Thomas's hands moved downwards to roughly grasp her ass. She began to grind slightly against him as they kissed, Thomas feeling his body react to her movements, pulled away. They gazed at each other, breathing heavily, "As much as I'd love to make you scream right now, this isn't exactly the most appropriate place." He lifted her up onto her desk, hands still grasping her tight ass. He then let go and adjusted his robes.

Dora pouted at him, the bruising of her lips making it extra enticing to attack her with his lips again, "Do you not want me, Tommy?"

Thomas laughed and kissed her fiercely, "The things I want to do to you Dora can't be said in our place of work. Find me after work however, and I'll be sure to accommodate."

She smiled at him, pecking his lips, before straightening herself, "I'll hold you to that Black, now leave my office, I have paperwork to do." He grinned gave her ass one last squeeze and left, heading for his own cubicle.

He was stopped by Dawlish on his way over, "Robards wants to see you Black, seems he has an assignment for you, come with me." Thomas followed the senior Auror to Robards' office. He knocked on the door, and after the curt 'enter!' was called, he stepped inside. He saluted Gawain Robards who was sitting at his desk and waited to be addressed. The Head Trainer looked up from his paperwork and gestured for Thomas to sit.

When he was settled, the Senior Auror spoke up, "Now that you've been cleared for Field Duty, you'll be patrolling Hogsmeade. You'll be part of a rotation with Savage and Tonks. With the amount of disappearance cases starting to pop up, we can't take any chances of anything happening to the citizens of our only magical town, and the students on the weekends. You'll be patrolling for 4 days, and every 2 days you rotate partners, and we've reserved a room in the Three Broomsticks for you all. You start with Tonks tomorrow, don't disappoint us Black." Thomas saluted, privately cheering as he'd have private time with Tonks, and departed the office. He paused, looking at the missing person's board. 'Things are only going to get worse, and we can't do anything about it.' He headed towards his desk but paused as he watched as Kingsley left Amelia's office.

He followed him and called out to him, "Everything alright Shack?" The tall man stopped and turned to look at him.

He cast a few privacy spells around them and then spoke, "She wasn't happy but understands our position. With Fudge making the Ministry's position difficult for her to do anything, she has 'unofficially'," he uses air-quotes for unofficially, "has given her approval for us in the department to be involved in the Order, as long as we, in her own words, don't get caught."

Thomas laughed, "Looks like we have our work cut out for us, but Tonks should be fine."

Laughing as well, the older man patted him on the shoulder, "Lets' just hope that this is the right choice, because if we get caught, Amelia won't be able to help us without losing her own position, so we'll be on our own." With that foreboding statement, Kingsley and Thomas went their separate ways.

A/N: A string of events occurring as Harry makes his way to Hogwarts. I'm unsure if I want to do more chapters like this, or just stick to Harry's perspective, so let me know what y'all think.

As for the future, I've gotten a good chunk of chapters 14 and some of 15 written out, so 14 will come out next month.

I'll see y'all then.

Rei