The more conscious Harry became, the more he wanted to fall back to sleep. His body ached, and his head was pounding. He started to open his eyes and closed them immediately, finding the onslaught of light too much.
He attempted to roll over to his side, and found he couldn't move his legs. He kicked hard. There was a whimper and at the same time, the excess weight lifted from him. He forced his eyes open again and saw a blur of black, transform into a person.
"Sorry," he muttered as he reached for his glasses.
"How do you feel?" Sirius asked, studying his face.
"Like I'm never going to drink anything stronger than butterbeer again."
Sirius smiled. "Do tell my brother that if you see him."
"Sure thing," he groaned, rubbing his forehead futilely.
"Here, drink this," Sirius said.
"I'm not drinking anything else you give me," Harry answered.
Sirius let out a bark of laughter, "It's not a trick, it'll help."
Harry regarded the murky substance in the cup with suspicion. If it tasted anything like it looked, there was no guarantee it would stay down. Noticing that his godfather was beginning to look genuinely concerned, he took the cup, tipped it back and forced it down his throat in one gulp.
Clearly it was the right decision as his headache immediately began to ebb.
Looking beyond Sirius for the first time he realized he'd never seen the room he was in before. It was around the same size as the one he'd shared with Ron, though not nearly as gloomy, and apart from the high ceiling, it didn't seem to match the rest of the house at all. The walls were a rich blue color and the flooring a thick-planked wood laid in a sort of diagonal pattern.
There were two large windows that allowed in so much light Harry was sure it would have woken him up much earlier on any other day. His eyes lingered on a poster hanging between them. It obviously represented a quidditch team, though it wasn't one he'd ever heard of.
"Is this – where are we?"
Sirius raised an eyebrow, "My brother's house, as per your request."
"Oh, right," Harry said, recalling Regulus had in fact been there the night before. He furrowed his brow, "You said if I see him…?"
"He's on holiday with his family right now." Sirius picked up a miniature basketball and turned it over in his hand as if it were a foreign object, or perhaps he was simply surprised by its presence in his brother's house. "They will be gone for a few weeks," he said, before tossing the ball towards the hoop hanging on the back of the door.
"We can go back to Grimmauld Place if you want. Ron and Hermione are there – I'm sure you'd rather be with them."
It was true he liked the idea of being at the Order's headquarters and with his friends, but even more than that, he didn't want Sirius to be miserable. He'd only returned to Britain to be near him, after all.
"Is it better for you... to be away from there?" he asked tentatively.
"That is irrelevant," Sirius said quickly.
Harry shook his head. "I'd still be at Privet Drive if not for you. To me, anywhere is better than there." He knew from their conversation the night before, Sirius felt the same way about Grimmauld Place.
Sirius was watching him with a skeptical look. "I don't suppose we have to decide right now," he said eventually.
"I'll just write to Ron and Hermione to let them know we're safe," Harry said, climbing out of bed. He went to a writing table in the corner where he thought he might find some spare parchment.
Sirius looked as if he wanted to say something but thought better of it. "I'll work on finding something for us to eat while you do that," he decided, leaving Harry alone.
Sirius had not bothered to contact anyone from The Order to let them know they'd left. For one thing, he assumed Harry would be ready to return to Grimmauld Place before anyone noticed their absence. Beyond that, it wasn't as if he could tell anyone where they had gone.
As it was evident they would not be returning before their absence was noticed, Sirius debated how best to let the others know Harry was safe. There were certainly faster means available than owl-post, but being out of the country complicated most of them. Reluctantly, he resigned himself to what could prove to be the quickest option.
"Kreacher," he called, half-expecting Regulus would have made it impossible.
The house elf appeared with a loud crack. He gave him a deep look of loathing. Sirius found he couldn't duplicate the sentiment. He'd never be Kreacher's biggest fan but seeing him in Regulus' memories might have slightly softened his hatred towards him.
"Go and find Professor Dumbledore – tell him…" what? "Just tell him Harry and I are safe."
The house elf tilted his head in agitation, "It would seem the headmaster already knows you are here."
It never even crossed his mind that Regulus would contact Dumbledore - that is how remote the likelihood of that happening was.
"What makes you say that?" he asked warily.
The house elf hesitated. "Kreacher came to investigate an encroachment on the wards. He found the headmaster snooping around - he is not far from here."
"Take me to him," he said.
Kreacher latched onto his arm and in the next moment Sirius was squinting in bright sunlight. As his eyes adjusted, he saw Dumbledore. They were on a narrow and overgrown lane that he could only presume was near Regulus' house. Kreacher was nowhere in sight.
"Sirius," Dumbledore greeted.
"Dumbledore," he said curtly.
"I was just admiring your brother's handiwork," he said with an amused glint in his eyes. Sirius followed his gaze and could only guess what he was talking about. Before them was a treacherous ravine surrounded by dense trees on either side.
"Harry came with you, I take it?"
"Of course," Sirius said defensively.
"It gave Molly quite a fright when she discovered him missing," Dumbledore said grimly. "She went upstairs to see if he was with you and found you were gone too. She's been worried sick."
Sirius was reminded of the many times he'd gotten in trouble at school. Dumbledore had always given him the opportunity to explain himself first, just as he seemed to be doing now.
"Convenient you knew where to find us," he said dryly. He was not yet over the feeling that Dumbledore betrayed him by not telling him about Regulus' survival when he found out.
"I knew you wouldn't have taken Harry away from a safe place without an equally safe place to go. There simply weren't many options. Now, I cannot condone you leaving in the middle of the night like you did, but it is good news that Regulus was willing to take you in. It implies he is a bit less... disinterested than what he portrays."
"Why does that matter to you?" Sirius asked warily.
"As I've told Regulus, I believe he would be an asset for us to have at Hogwarts."
Never mind that it would require him to expose his survival, and would likely put his family at risk. Whatever scheme Dumbledore was hatching, Sirius wanted no part in convincing his brother to participate. He had his own plans, after all.
"I want to tell Harry about the Prophecy," he said determinedly. "It is the top priority of the Order to guard it and it is about him. He deserves to know."
"He has quite enough on his mind right now without hearing of a rumored prophecy."
"Rumored? He spat. "What is the Order guarding if it doesn't exist? Why did James and Lily go into hiding?"
Dumbledore sighed resignedly, "A Prophecy was made. Voldemort believes it holds the key to his downfall. By having an Order member on guard in the Ministry, we are fueling his belief in its significance. We are distracting his focus from things more important. Recruitment, for example."
"What is the harm in Harry knowing that?"
"I shall answer your question with one of my own: what is the benefit of telling him? Rather than work himself up over the idea there is a Prophecy about him and Voldemort, would it not be better for him to take this time to recover from what he's just been through?"
"I'm not going to lie to him," he said stubbornly. If it was James he would have already told him.
Dumbledore fixed him with a piercing gaze, "I'm not asking you to lie to him, Sirius. I'm asking you to protect a fourteen-year-old boy from knowledge that will prevent him from having a normal life – from knowledge he can't unlearn once told."
Sirius thought about that. He knew Harry wanted nothing more than to have a normal life. He suddenly felt inept at the task of being Harry's guardian. How was he supposed to know what was right?
"In regards to you and Harry staying with your brother-" Dumbledore began.
"I don't need your permission," Sirius said sharply.
In truth, he didn't know if he even wanted to stay there, but he loathed being told what to do.
Dumbledore quietly observed him. Realizing he wasn't going away until he said his piece, Sirius asked, "What if we do want to stay here?"
"I simply request that you and Harry stay here - and when you come back to Grimmauld Place, that you do so carefully. I would recommend using your house elf as it appears to be entirely undetectable by the Ministry. All magical means are meant to be monitored when you are crossing an international border, do not forget."
Sirius desisted the urge to remind him he had been on the run for two years. He was quite aware he could not apparate into a different country without drawing attention to himself.
He nodded tersely rather than argue, though there was no way he was going to rely on Kreacher for transport if it could be avoided. "Anything else?"
"You must not take for granted that because you are in a different country you can go around in public as you please. Each day Voldemort's influence grows stronger."
"Fine, fine..." Sirius said. It wasn't as if there was anywhere to go. It seemed to him like Regulus must live in the middle of nowhere.
"I will inform the others that you and Harry are safe. What shall I tell them when they ask where you went?"
He thought about it a moment and concluded his grandfather's house would have been the next best protected after Grimmauld Place.
"My grandfather Arcturus' house," he concluded.
"Very well," Dumbledore said.
Sirius was surprised that he appeared to be ready to leave. "You don't want to see Harry?" he asked.
"That won't be necessary," Dumbledore said. "Everyone is anxious to know he is safe."
After he had gone, Sirius looked around, willing a house to appear. If not for Harry waiting for him he would have been tempted to find it on his own.
"Kreacher," he grumbled, prompting the house elf to reappear beside him. Sirius suspected he'd never left. "Take me back," he instructed him.
Kreacher left him in front of a substantial limestone house that was surrounded by distinctly muggle vegetation. Gabled dormers protruded from the slate roof providing windows into the upper level of the house. On the ground floor, the windows were wider and longer than usual, extending all the way to the ground.
As he was scrutinizing the property, doubting it was actually his brother's, subtle details revealed themselves. The landscaping was too meticulously kept to have been maintained by muggle-hand. A stone dovecote at the side of the house had been modified to accommodate a larger bird than the pigeons they traditionally housed… Owls. Thinking of them reminded him that Harry would be looking for him. No doubt he would have finished his letter by now.
Harry stepped into the hallway and blinked at the vast difference from Grimmauld Place. He could only assume the Black's penchant for grotesque extravagance had skipped this generation of brothers. The house was clearly less vertical than Grimmauld Place, as sunlight seemed to pour in from every direction. He was tempted to explore each of the rooms it came from, but when his stomach growled, he allowed his feet to carry him downstairs.
He was perplexed when he entered the kitchen and found it empty.
"Sirius?" he called.
There wasn't an answer.
He checked in the dining room but Sirius wasn't there, nor was he in the next room that Harry searched. He came to a sitting area with plush couches situated around a large stone fireplace. Harry started to turn back, as Sirius was not in there either, but pictures on a shelf over the fireplace caught his attention. He went to look at them.
Regulus was immediately recognizable in the first one, with his arm around an attractive woman, presumably his wife. She was slim with shiny, dark hair. As he was looking at her, she laughed, revealing very straight, white teeth.
In front of them stood a girl, who looked to be around his age, and a boy, a few years younger.
The kids resembled their parents, each with dark hair, pale skin and somewhat haughty bearing. The girl was obviously very pretty, with high cheekbones and long eyelashes. She seemed to be more of a blend between her parents compared to her brother, who resembled his father closely. Harry smiled slightly, realizing that he looked quite a lot like Sirius too.
"Sorry about that," Sirius said from behind him. Harry jumped slightly, not having heard him approach. "Dumbledore came to check on us, I was just out talking with him."
Harry looked past him, expecting he'd still be there. "Where is he?"
Sirius seemed pensive, "He had to get back."
Harry was disappointed he'd missed him. A small part of him was a bit hurt too that he came all this way and didn't at least say hello. It was ridiculous, of course. He knew Dumbledore had far more important things to do.
Sirius moved closer to better see what he was looking at. His expression was unreadable as his eyes scanned over the pictures.
"Have you met them?" Harry asked. It would have been a ridiculous question if not for Sirius only recently finding out Regulus was alive.
"His wife was at school when I was. I didn't know her well. She was in Slytherin, of course. I've briefly met his kids. I don't know much about them really," he admitted. His lips curled into a wry smile, "They'll go to Beauxbatons."
"Beauxbatons," Harry repeated dubiously. He'd assumed Regulus' kids were probably homeschooled, what with his supposed death and all.
"Regulus lives in France," Sirius said, gesturing with his hands to indicate where they were now. "I could have sworn we talked about that last night, just before we came here. Don't you remember?" he asked in a tone of seriousness though his eyes shone with fun.
"Oh, yeah, I just... forgot, I guess," Harry said weakly.
Sirius clapped him on the back and led him towards the kitchen. "Let's find something to eat and discuss whether to stay, shall we?"
"He's at our house," Carina repeated bemusedly. She glanced at Caelum and did a double take as the spoon he'd been attempting to levitate wobbled on the table. "Don't you think that you might be… overcompensating?" she suggested.
"Considering Sirius went to Azkaban when it probably should have been dad," Caelum muttered. He looked up to find everyone looking at him. "I mean… I just don't see why it's a big deal," he said sheepishly. "We're not even there."
"It does surprise me," Maliah said pensively, "that he would rather go there, instead of remaining with his friends."
Regulus shrugged, "According to Sirius, it was Harry who wanted to leave."
"Well, you can't expect him to want to stay among… commoners now," Carina said. "Not after winning the Triwizard tournament. Honestly, I don't see how our hovel could be big enough to suit him."
Regulus wasn't surprised by her resentment. The consensus at Beauxbatons was that Harry Potter was an arrogant berk who'd swindled his way into the Triwizard tournament for a bit of attention, and that was before the events of the final task...
"The rumors spread about him at school are grossly inaccurate."
"Well, I would hope so, seeing as it is going around that he is a murderer," Carina said dryly.
"Is it really?" said Maliah, visibly disturbed. "That poor boy has been through more than any one his age should ever have to. He should not have to deal with ignorant rumors on top of it."
Carina withheld the comment she had been about to make. Certainly, unwanted rumors were something she could relate to.
"As far as the tournament... you should know the Potter boy did not cheat his way into it," Regulus said after a moment. "His name was entered by a death eater and his victory assured so that he could witness the rebirth of Voldemort."
Caelum's spoon, which he'd just levitated successfully for the first time, clattered to the table. Carina's mouth fell open slightly.
"How?" she asked at the same time, Caelum said,
"Why? Just to traumatize him or…?" he trailed off.
"I don't know the details, though I cannot imagine it was intended for him to escape," Regulus answered.
Caelum looked deeply impressed. Carina's expression was, as always, more difficult to read.
"So... we have wizarding Britain's most wanted man, who recently kidnapped us, by the way... and a boy with a price on his head, currently living at our house," she clarified.
She glanced at her mother as if expecting she might pose some objection.
Regulus' eyes lingered on Maliah as well, unsure of what she would say. While not angry per se, he knew she was not thrilled with the arrangement.
"Sirius is your father's brother, and Harry is his godson..." she said slowly. "We should do what we can to help family when we are able to."
"I expect they will be ready to leave, before we are ready to go back," Regulus intoned.
As they were finishing breakfast (though it was admittedly closer to lunchtime due to Harry sleeping all morning), Regulus stopped by.
"Hello," Harry greeted him, at the same time Sirius said,
"Did your wife kick you out when she found out you brought us here?"
"Not yet... I just wanted to see how you two were getting along."
Harry felt rather embarrassed about the night before. "I'm sorry about the - carpet," he said, feeling himself flush.
To his surprise, Regulus let out a short laugh. "It was nothing a cleaning spell couldn't take care of. How are you feeling now?"
"Much better," he answered sheepishly.
"Incidentally, I doubt you will find any liquor here," he said more to Sirius than to him.
"You are trying to get rid of us then," Sirius remarked.
He shook his head vaguely. "The house would be sitting empty otherwise. You might as well stay, if you want to... I would just ask that you obviously don't tell anyone where you went or throw my name around when you're not here."
"Dumbledore is going to tell the Order we went to our grandfather Arcturus' house," Sirius informed him.
Regulus seemed satisfied by that answer.
"We only have the one guest room, of course," he said pensively. "Harry, the room you stayed in last night was my son's. We can come up something else if-"
"Oh no, it is fine. Please don't go to any more trouble," Harry insisted.
"If you're sure," he said. "Do you want any of your stuff brought here?"
"Regardless of where we are staying, I will be going to the Order meetings," Sirius answered. "Harry can go with me to see Ron and Hermione and we can collect whatever we might need then - if we decide to come back, that is."
Regulus quirked an eyebrow. "Can you think of anything you'll need in the meantime?"
"No," said Sirius.
Harry was less certain about that. He had left Grimmauld Place with only the clothes he was wearing; he didn't even have a toothbrush. He did not know how long it would be before the next Order meeting was called. However, Regulus had already gone out of his way to help him, more than once. He did not want to inconvenience him further. He supposed Sirius could teach him some cleaning spells to use on his clothes and his teeth in the meantime...
"There is nothing I need... except, well I wrote a letter to Ron and Hermione, and only just realized I've no way of sending it," he said.
"There will be an owl you can borrow in the owlery," Regulus offered. "I can show you when you're ready."
After giving them a brief tour of the property, while casually pointing out some places where his family sometimes practiced dueling, Regulus led Harry to a stone structure at the side of the house. As if he had been waiting for an assignment, a stocky owl with dark eyes hopped down from his perch.
"Zeus," Regulus said, as if slightly amused by the offer.
The barred owl studied Harry astutely while Regulus affixed the letter to his leg and sent him on his way.
"Thank you - for everything," Harry said, as they were walking back towards the house.
"You're welcome," he said simply.
Harry's eyes lingered on the man who looked so like his godfather. He had an aura of respectability and had been nothing but helpful towards him. He would never have guessed he could be a death eater, but he had been one. Harry wondered what would have changed his mind about Voldemort... and before that, what he would have done while loyal to him. Would he have killed anyone?
Curious, though he was, he didn't have the nerve to ask him about it now, and in looking at him, he suspected he never would.
Sirius, who had stayed behind to look through the assortment of broomsticks that were being stored in the pool house, met them on their way back.
"Do you mind if we borrow these?" he asked, holding up a Firebolt and Nimbus 2002 model.
"I don't," Regulus said with an unreadable expression.
He excused himself shortly after that, as he needed to get back to his family.
When Harry returned to the bedroom he was staying in that evening, wearing the same clothes he'd had on for two days, he was happily surprised to find his trunk waiting for him at the foot of his bed.
It was raining when Regulus returned to the house at the beach. Everyone else had disappeared to their bedrooms. He elected to sit outside on the covered veranda, listening to the rain.
It wasn't long before the door behind him slid open, admitting Maliah.
"I thought I heard you come in," she remarked. "Carina and Caelum got their supply lists while you were out."
"I suppose you'll want to go shopping soon," he answered, knowing how she loathed to wait until the last minute for anything.
"Mm," she said distractedly. "How was Harry when you checked on him?"
"He will be fine with Sirius," he said confidently. He estimated they had a couple of days before the novelty of being someplace that wasn't Grimmauld Place wore off in any case. "It might be good for them to have some time together."
"They could be together at your ancestral house," she pointed out.
"I know you aren't thrilled with Sirius being at our house-"
"It's nothing to do with that. How can he convince Dumbledore to tell him what the Prophecy entails when he's in France?"
"Everyone is suddenly so interested in divination," he said dryly.
"How are you not? All we know is that the child of the Prophecy was born at the end of July. I needn't remind you Carina's birth date meets that requirement when the appropriate time zone is taken into account."
He understood her concern. He shared it, though not because he believed the Prophecy was about Carina necessarily. He was more inclined to think that if Voldemort found out that the Prophecy could have been about her, he might seek to eliminate her to remove all doubt. Then again, if he found out about her existence in the first place, the outcome was likely the same. She was the daughter of a death eater who defected, after all.
"The Potter's went into hiding because Voldemort believed it was about Harry," he said gently.
"Did he know of all of the babies due that month?" Regulus pursed his lips. "Did the Prophecy specify gender?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "But as Harry made him go away the first time, I hardly see how it could be about anyone else."
She didn't immediately answer. In their silence, the sounds of the rain pounding on the roof picked up.
"Maybe that's all the Prophecy meant," she said after a while. "Harry did make him go away… Even if it wasn't forever – that's it. The Prophecy is fulfilled."
"It's possible," Regulus said thoughtfully. "From what Kreacher overheard, Dumbledore only established a guard on the Prophecy because he wants to validate Voldemort's belief in its significance."
"That's another thing. I cannot fathom why they are guarding the Prophecy. They can't possibly expect Voldemort to risk showing up at the Ministry of Magic."
"More likely it would be a death eater, or maybe an imperiused-" Seeing her expression, he stopped mid-sentence, realizing he was missing something. "Why would they have to expect Voldemort to go to the Ministry?"
"A Prophecy can only be retrieved by someone whom it is about," she said in a strained voice. "If he really wants it he'll have to either get it himself or… somehow manipulate Harry into getting it for him."
Regulus desisted the urge to ask her what else she knew about the Hall of Prophecies that would be helpful to know. She'd been an Unspeakable, but there were limits in what she could share.
If Voldemort didn't already know that only he or Harry could get the Prophecy, it was only a matter of time before he found out.
