"Ah Sirius. You are here." Dumbledore said, slightly surprised as the man in question had shown up early. He himself had been busy trying to make anything of the disguises they had used, but unfortunately most marks had valid excuses that could not be exploited and with so many safely excused, the rest were dismissed. The only remaining upside was that only loose hairs left behind would still point the goblins at their marks.
"Remus just went out to cart Harry and his girls to Hermione's home. So we have time for what you have on my brother." In a silent reply Dumbledore slid a letter over to Sirius who picked it up and started to read it. As he read further into the letter how wider his eyes became.
"He… he turned against the Dark Lord." Sirius said in a disbelieving tone even as a few tears escaped his eyes. "He did indeed. Although I am sad to say he inadvertently also stymied our work." Dumbledore said gravely. "What can I do?" Sirius demanded straight away. If his brother had sacrificed his life he'd damn well finish the job for him. A small smile came upon Dumbledore's face. "I hope to speak with any house elves still in Grimmauld Place. And that I can search it from top to bottom if needed."
Sirius nodded. "Yes. If Reggie had something like that he would have brought it there to destroy it. Do you know what it is?" In reply a locket was presented to Sirius. "I suspect that Lord Voldemort has used the Locket of Salazar Slytherin for his Horcrux. Your brother left a good replica that would pass visual inspection."
"Only 'visual' inspection?" Sirius asked with a frown. "Voldemort thought he was clever with a poison that could only be removed by drinking it before you could remove the horcrux." Sirius was nearly bowled over by the full blast of the twinkling eyes he received from Dumbledore. "A small muggle hand pump attached to a hose also counts as 'drinking' by the magics he used to protect the entire assembly."
"You… you circumvented the Dark Lord's protections with a simple muggle item." Sirius asked in confirmation. Disbelief was thick in his voice that the feared Dark Lord would make such an oversight. The moment Dumbledore nodded Sirius nearly fell out of his seat laughing. "Thank you. I needed that… now we also know what happened to Regulus…" he said morosely after he recovered.
"Yes. I am afraid the poison would have slowly killed him, if not the divine punishment for interfering with the then still active prophecy." Dumbledore agreed. It was clear he was saddened a man had to redeem himself in death. "Do… do you have his body… or his bones?"
"No. I am afraid his body was either converted into the horde of inferi waiting in the lake below or he was torn apart by them. Moody and I had to make a quick escape. We plan to later destroy the horde once Tom has been dealt with. I am sorry." Sirius bit his lip but nodded. He would drag up the other Black's he'd agree with and hold a small private vigil in Regulus honour.
"So what do you need from me? I went through the house with the unspeakables and the aurors and we found plenty of hidden stuff. We found enough poison to lay down a goblin rebellion and just enough antidote to prevent a quarter of them from dying. And I donated all of that to the aurors."
"I'd wish to go over everything myself if possible. I also want to know if there are any paintings or house elves I could talk with." Dumbledore replied somberly. "I don't think Reggie had a portrait. But we can ask Kreacher, the crazy Black house elf for both at the same time. I destroyed my insane mother's painting." He winced at the thought he might have ruined his brother's attempt at becoming a better man.
"Then that shall suffice. Shall we go now?" "Yes. We should have a couple of hours while Harry is off. I don't want him to be involved." The animagus made no attempt to hide he would not be swayed from that. "I agree." Dumbledore assured him. "Without the divines hindering us, the problem is for our generation to solve."
"Damn right it is." Sirius agreed with a nod as he rose from his seat. Dumbledore snatched up the replica and handed a handful of floo powder to the falsely convicted man. A quick floo later and the pair were in Grimmauld Place. "I see you have improved the decor." Dumbledore noted agreeingly. "I wouldn't have brought Harry here if it was still the dark depressing place my insane mother would have loved." he took a deep breath. "Kreacher!" he belted.
"What does the nasty muggle loving master want?" A raspy voice insulted. Sirius ignored the insult. "Kreacher, you are to answer all of Albus Dumbledore's questions as honestly as you can." The elf grumbled something in response. "Kreacher!" Sirius snapped. "Yes master." The elf groused in reply with clear reluctance.
"Thank you." Sirius noted snappishly. "Kreacher was it." Dumbledore took over in a far kinder tone. "Do you remember Regulus Black?" The elf stiffened and its orb-like eyes focused fully at Dumbledore. "I do." the tone was cautious which immediately grabbed Sirius's interest. "When was the last time you saw him?" "In a cave." the Elf replied evasively. "And did he give you any orders in that cave?"
The elf looked mulish for a second before the order from Sirius kicked in. With a grimace Kreacher answered. "He told me to destroy something." "It is a hunch, but would this 'something' look like this?" he presented the locket he had retrieved in that cursed cave. "How?" The elf demanded with wide eyes as it saw the locket his beloved previous master had left behind.
"I will take that as a yes. Did you succeed in destroying the object?" Dumbledore asked in the same kind and patient tone. Sirius was silently impressed how Dumbledore did not give away anything that he was close to his objective. Kreacher crumpled into himself and pulled his long ears. "Kreacher is a bad elf, Kreacher failed to destroy the bad locket."
"I am afraid the magic on that locket is beyond your ability to destroy." the elf calmed down at the assuring tone Dumbledore gave him. "Fawkes." The phoenix appeared instantly at the silent call and landed on the old wizard's shoulder. "Could you do me a favor and fetch that unpleasant stand you object so much to?" The phoenix's song held a strong note of objection. "I understand my rightful companion. But there is one of the dark objects I seek to destroy and I rather not attempt to sneakily steal the sword of Gryffindor from Harry. So I need to use that."
Sirius couldn't believe he would ever see a phoenix look disgruntled. With a warble the mythical bird jumped off Dumbledore's shoulder and flamed away. A minute later it reappeared and deposited a fleshy sack upheld by a small string in a framework of a cube. With an insulted cry the phoenix disappeared again before Dumbledore could thank him. "What is that?" Sirius asked.
"That my boy, is the venom sack of the basilisk that I harvested myself from the beast Harry has slain in his second year." Dumbledore replied gravely. "Thanks to Fawkes knowing the location I could circumvent the protections around the chamber of secrets." he turned towards Kreacher. "If you could fetch the locket, then you can finish the task by gently depositing the locket into it. Perhaps only the killing curse and the dementor's kiss has the ability to truly harm these items aside from the venom."
The elf popped away and soon returned holding the locket. With a wave of his wand Dumbledore opened the sack. With an almost reverent look on his face Kreacher did as he instructed and venom started to bubble. With another wave of his wand the sack closed again and it started to wobble as the acid like venom set to work.
The sack suddenly bulged and a muffled unearthly shriek was heard. A dark vapor somehow escaped as the sack returned to its original proportions. The elf gave Dumbledore a pleading look. "Yes. That was the destruction of the locket. Thank you for holding into it and staying true to the task you were given." Kreacher bowed and disappeared without further words.
Dumbledore carefully inspected the sack and its holder for any damage before carefully picking it up. "I shall leave you to your memories. I trust you censor the… sensitive parts when you share this with the Tonks family." "Sure…" Sirius croaked in reply as he was lost in his fonder memories for his little brother. A brother he had thought was lost to the darkness. Yet now he had just helped complete the self assigned objective his brother had taken up to reject Voldemort and what he stood for.
He had recovered before Remus returned with Harry and his girls in tow. A few days later he held a private moment of mourning with Andromeda. Were the two reminiscenced of happier and innocent days. At the end they bade the soul of Regulus Arcturus Black a better life in the next adventure.
Harry had not given his own birthday much thought so he was surprised to see Sirius had gone all out with the decorations. For a moment he expected all the important persona in the magical world to start rolling in through to the floo but the fire burning in the fireplace remained the normal colour.
"Don't worry pup." Remus assured him as Cressida ignored all the decorations to make a beeline for the coffee. "I kept a tight leash on Sirius's invitation list. Only the Weasleys, Grangers and Tonks families will come." "Tonks family?" Harry asked curiously. "They are connected through your grandmother. And they are the only family worth talking to." Sirius replied firmly.
Harry tilted his head in confusion before shrugging. "Okay." After breakfast Remus hurried off to fetch the Grangers. The floo lit up letting in an amiable looking man, a stern looking witch and a younger one with purple hair of all things in relaxed muggle clothing. "Wotcher Sirius!" the purple haired one exclaimed.
"Nymphadora! How are you!" Sirius replied with a shit eating grin and ducked under the stinging hex Nymphadora launched the moment he called out her name. "You mangy mutt!" she growled as she expertly ignored the older witch's disappointed look. Sirius bolted and Nymphadora gave chase, launching spells as she went.
"Should we do something?" Mia asked in the silence that followed while the man grinned. "Ted Tonks. And don't worry. Sirius seems to relish riling up Nymphadora." "Andromeda Tonks. Don't encourage them Ted. They are supposed to be adults." The older watch said disapprovingly. "Harry Potter, and I am afraid that is a lost case with Sirius." he introduced himself.
Cressida and Mia followed his lead. Meanwhile sounds of the energetic chase, sometimes interspersed with braying laughter that was usually preceded by a thump of someone falling, haunted the house. "I think I am going to have a stern conversation with my cousin and daughter." Andromeda said after listening to the carnage for half a minute.
"They are coming down right now." Harry noted as he heard the familiar sound of Sirius charging down the stairs in his animagus form. The large black grim appeared and ran straight for Harry. Shifting back to human form in an instant Sirius instantly dived behind his godson for cover as Nymphadora wheeled into room and fired a brace of stinging hexes.
One of which impacted Harry's chest to no effect.
Mia glanced towards Harry and saw that he didn't seem particularly annoyed by the attack while Ted and Andromeda drew in their breaths. Nymphadora paled and her purple hair whitened. "Really Sirius?" Harry asked with a sigh as the man peeked over his shoulder and broke into a loud laughter right into his ear.
Harry turned around and whacked the man over his head. Sirius dramatically went down with a yelp of pain. "S...sorry." Nymphadora stuttered. "It's alright. It is not the first time Sirius ducks behind me after pissing off someone." Harry said dryly. "I am not going to start swinging my sword for a spell that wouldn't harm me anyways."
The sigh of relief from the Tonks family was audible. "Geez, I told you before." Sirius complained. "Harry is Harry first, lover of three woman second and Campione third." The animagus expertly ignored the glare Harry gave him. "Oh my. Does Hermione know?" Mia asked innocently.
"If Hermione walks in right now I am going to hex your bits off Sirius. And since I am doing it no healer will be willing to reattach them." Harry declared as he closed his eyes and tried to stave off the incoming headache. He opened his eyes again and saw that Remus did not have horrible timing. He was still tempted to hex Sirius and Mia. "I am afraid Harry has not made any moves on my person Sirius." Cressida noted dryly.
"You sound disappointed." Nymphadora couldn't help but point out. "His Campione twin has some very interesting stories surrounding his exploits of the carnal sort." she received her reply in the same tone. "Well he is the elder sibling. I am sure Harry will learn his secrets soon enough." Sirius said with a big grin.
Harry was very tempted to bodily toss the man into the hallway when the door was filled by Hermione's form. The young lady took a second to track her target and turned into a bushy-haired missile homing in on Harry. With a quick jab of his elbow he forced Sirius back with a loud grunt before catching his girlfriend.
Her target entrapped in a strong hug Hermione proceeded to snog the daylight out of her boyfriend. Even the wolf whistles from the pair of marauders did not faze her. "Happy birthday Harry!" "Thank you Hermione." Harry replied with a big blush as he was well aware of the stink eye her father was giving him from the doorway.
The Weasley family rolled in soon after and there was a moment of awkwardness as Harry and Hermione greeted Ron. 'We really have drifted apart.' Harry noted as Ron scurried away and the twins apparently tried to do something his innate magical resistance negated. "So what should have happened?" Harry asked curiously as he saw Hermione was unaffected as well.
"It would have made you a lot more colorful." Fred answered with a pout. His brother George was equally disappointed and tried something blatantly, only for the spell to fizzle as well. "Dang, nothing sticks to you now does it?" the redhead noted. "For my own safety I will not tell you what would work. You should do some research." Harry said and quickly regretted it immediately. The twins were crazy enough to try and kiss him for a prank to work just for the infamy of pranking a Campione.
"I am not sure if Madam Pince will thank you for suggesting the twins to search the Hogwarts library." Hermione noted as she saw the two thoughtful looks on the prankster's faces. "Well Padfoot and Moony are getting unoriginal." His grin was poorly hidden as the twins suddenly had their full attention focused on him. "You know who Padfoot and Moony are?!"
"I have been living with those two second-rate jokers since the start of the summer." Harry blatantly hinted and the twins dashed off to tackle Sirius. Ignoring that the man was currently talking to their mother who predictably took offence to their actions. "Well that is one way to get them out of your hair." A large red headed man noted.
"You must be Bill Weasley?" Harry guessed. It was the only Weasley he hadn't met before. "I am, Gringotts Curse Breaker at your service." he said with a mock bow. "The goblins asked me to be subtle, but that isn't my thing with friends and family." he was well aware that Harry tensed at the mention of his employer's interests. "So I will be blunt instead. Do you plan to attack the goblin nation again?"
"I never planned to attack them in the first place." Harry replied with some heat. "As long as they leave me and mine alone I have no quarrel with the ugly buggers." "Language Harry." Hermione chided halfheartedly. "Just because they were the paragons of rudeness, there is no need to descend to their level."
Harry rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's comment. "So if they do not try anything I am perfectly fine to tolerate their rudeness and just get what I need from my vaults." he finished explaining for Bill.
Bill gave him a roguish grin. "Clear and without any vagueness. Thanks for the paid day off and I will let them know." Harry processed that for a moment and couldn't help but snort in laughter. Bill chuckled as well. "It certainly beats skulking around like some wannabe spy." "If you do not mind me asking, what is going on in Gringotts?" Harry asked as the subject had been cut anyways.
"For the outside world it is 'business as usual'. Inside however it is a mad scramble as expeditions are cancelled. Most of the workforce outside the bank has been recalled and the entire defence network is being rebuilt up from the ground. They are not making much noise about it but the successful theft from one of the high security vaults has shaken them more than your battle did." Bill explained easily. 'I am not getting paid enough to keep secrets from Campione.' he mentally told his employers.
The cursebreaker sighed. "I am one of the lucky ones. A few other humans got fired and there is a general hiring ban until they sort themselves out. Not to mention they are bracing for the fines coming from the ministry once the bureaucrats figure out what Treaty was broken and which weren't."
"Sounds like a right mess." Harry commented neutrally. "Well you did single handedly trigger the biggest change of leadership in the past five hundred years or so." Bill pointed out. "And that one happened as a massive plague outbreak rampaged through their tunnels."
Harry bit off the first two replies that came to mind as he was well aware that Bill had done nothing to him. "Well it was unintended on my part." "Well the current leadership won't thank you for it. But I doubt they'll complain too loudly. For all their bluster they know trouble beyond their ability to handle was invited." Bill replied easily. "I would not be surprised if a few laws got changed that the previous leadership swore up and down would not."
Harry nodded a touch pleased. "At least they are not getting away with it." "Absolutely not. By the time things have shaken out I expect the goblins to be in a pretty poor place. Thankfully my job skills are easily transferable." Bill agreed completely. "Well if you excuse me." Harry was not really surprised as he made a beeline for Nymphadora. He exchanged a few pleasantries with Percy who unsubtly tried to curry his favor. Harry was grateful that Cressida swooped in and distracted him.
The cake was brought out and Harry had the honour to cut it, after he had Hermione check it for any pranks. Sirius acted insulted but most could see he took the suspicion in good humour. Gifts were handed out and Harry was happy to have them. As he fished out pieces of the enormous cake Sirius had somehow managed to scrounge up, Harry was pleased to see everyone mingling.
The party wound to an end before Harry really realised it. And as the families left through the door or the floo he was left blinking. "You look lost Harry. Were you hoping you could unwrap your girlfriend as another present?" The deadpan glare Sirius got in reply was enough of an answer for the unrepentant prankster.