A/N- Please be advised that I have been making some revisions and have not yet finished. The rest of the story (particularly chapters 20/21) may seem out of place/awkward. I plan/hope to have these revisions completed very soon and with an update to follow soon thereafter.


In an odd turn of events, Sirius found himself basking in the sun with his feet in the sand, watching Carina teach Harry and Caelum how to surf.

Between his niece and nephew, he would have guessed Caelum more likely to have tried the muggle activity. It wasn't that he thought of Carina as death eater material – he just thought she might prefer doing things at the expense of others, rather than normal things that are fun. Unfortunately, it was obvious to him that Harry had developed a bit of a crush on her. Judging by the attention she garnered from the males they passed on their short walk to the beach, he wasn't the only one.

"Have you given any thought to how you're going to get Harry's books?" Maliah asked from beside him. They'd been sitting in an almost companionable silence and he nearly jumped at the sound of her voice.

He realized he didn't know how Harry managed to get any of his supplies all these years. He suspected Molly Weasley had a lot to do with it and he loathed to think he would have to ask her for help after their last conversation.

"I suppose I'll place an order to Flourish and Blotts."

"I don't mind to order them from the bookstore we use in France. I've got to stop by there anyway," she offered.

He grimaced inwardly. Allowing her to get Harry's books was almost worse than asking Molly. But then, if they were making an effort to get along, refusing her help didn't seem like a good option.

"Well... if you're sure it isn't any trouble-"

"None at all," she confirmed, before turning her attention back to the surfing lesson going on in front of them.

Sirius' eyes lingered on his sister-in-law a moment longer. It wasn't the first time she'd stepped in to ensure Harry had everything he needed. And while he hated to think there could be an ulterior motive, he didn't want to be overly trusting where Harry was concerned either.

"You... seem to like Harry," he said, trying not to sound suspicious.

"Sure, he's a great kid."

"Yeah, he is... he reminds me of James."

Her mouth pinched though she elected not to comment on that assertion.

"You don't agree?"

She pushed her hair out of her face and seemed to choose her words carefully, "I was around ten years old the last time I properly spoke to James," she said diplomatically. "But his parents - Harry's grandparents - were some of my favorite people."

Sirius' eyes dropped to the sand between them. He recalled seeing her parents frequently talking to James's' and knew they'd been in many of the same social circles.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Mine too."


Regulus knew Olympe went to meet with the giants on Dumbledore's behalf, but he was still surprised by her appearance as she approached.

Her usual bearing was unexpectedly graceful, but today it was marred by a slight limp. There was a gash on her cheek and the skin that was visible around the neck of her satin robes revealed yellowing bruises.

"Are you okay?" he asked after their initial greeting, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Yes, of course," she waved him off stubbornly. "Nothing but minor injuries."

Whether the injuries were minor or not, it was obvious that walking was painful. On the pretense of it being a nice day, he suggested they sit outside.

He cast a furtive glance at her as they walked towards the nearest sitting area. He saw the bruises on her neck were linear and ran parallel. The most obvious thing that fit the description were fingers, though given the proportion, it would have had to have come from someone with massive hands.

Obviously, a giant fit that description – but then if she'd gotten into an altercation with a giant, he might have guessed her injuries to be more life-threatening if they had her by the neck. Recalling she was meant to have been with Hagrid, he glanced at her again and frowned.

He must not have been very subtle, as she looked down at him and hastily began to fidget with the neck of her robes in a futile effort to better cover up.

Regulus had intended to conjure a seat that would be more comfortable for her to sit on, but as they entered the clearing, she immediately went to the nearest bench and sat down as if she couldn't get off her feet fast enough. She sighed in relief.

He was fairly good with healing spells, but she was a prideful woman. There was little doubt she would be offended if he made an implication that he could help any of her injuries beyond what she had done already.

"Can I get you something?" he asked instead. "A tonic or…a portkey to the hospital?"

She fixed him with an irritated look, but the spark didn't last.

"Blishen's," she muttered.

Regulus nonverbally conjured two glasses of her preferred Firewhisky. He passed one to her and took the other with him to sit on a bench opposite of her. She took a drink and when she lowered the glass, a flood of emotions registered in her face, before quickly disappearing again.

He didn't ask. She wasn't known for her docile spirit, but he had seen her in a similar mood before. In his experience, her preference to sit in silence came when she'd either exhausted herself from venting her frustrations already, or more likely, it was something simply too private to share.

Several minutes passed and the clearing was silent apart from the sound of the old swing rocking in the breeze behind him. He might have been more eager to hear about the giants if not for being able to deduce from her mood that it hadn't gone well.

At long last, she seemed ready to talk. "I worried you would be gone when I got back."

He knew what she was going to ask. He thought he knew what his answer would be when the time came, but now he wasn't sure. Remaining at Beauxbatons was the comfortable decision, but that didn't mean it was the right one.

"Have you been to see the giants?" he asked, intentionally changing the subject.

She tensed at their mention and he recalled the article in the Daily Prophet over the winter that claimed Hagrid was half-giant. It couldn't have been easy for her to have been at Hogwarts for that.

"I had Kreacher do some spying," he explained. "He overheard that Dumbledore asked you and Hagrid to make contact with them."

She visibly relaxed though still didn't look too pleased with him. "You've got a way of stealing the excitement from a story," she complained.

"That's all I know," he insisted. "I hoped you were here to tell me about it."

"There is little more to tell. I did go with Hagrid to see the giants," she confirmed. "Dumbledore warned us we would likely be followed. He advised against using magic or doing anything that would draw more attention to ourselves than we naturally garner."

That explained what took so long then. Few cared where the giants were as long as it was out of the way. They were rumored to be in some mountains around Siberia the last he heard, but finding them without magic seemed unbelievably tedious.

"He suggested… we pretend we were going on holiday together," she continued, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

Regulus kept his expression politely curious. He had found little reason to interact with Hagrid in his school years, though when his housemates did, it often led to some memorable quotes getting circulated through the common room. While Olympe was considerably more refined than Hagrid's reputation, she didn't appear displeased by Dumbledore's suggestion.

"We soon realized Dumbledore had been right to think someone was following us. We came to France and acted like we were going to Beauxbatons. We got as far as Dijon."

Regulus was uncomfortably aware of how close they might have been to his house if they went to Beauxbatons by way of Dijon.

She gave him a knowing look, "We stayed there for a few days, plotting a diversion to enable us to sneak away.

"We then headed north and once we were sure no one was following us, we resumed using magic until we got to the Urals. We had to be careful then. Dumbledore warned there would likely be death eaters, and we didn't want to alarm the giants either."

Regulus listened intently as she told about their encounter with the giants. They met the Gurg and offered him gifts. They thought they might've been winning him over, only for him to be viciously killed in the night. The new Gurg wanted nothing to do with them, yet they kept trying.

He couldn't help but admire how casually she spoke of searching in caves, looking for giants and her efforts to convince Hagrid they were more than a match for two death eaters, despite Dumbledore's orders to avoid them.

When she finished telling her story she didn't look proud as he might've expected; it was like re-living it had drained her.

"I don't expect any of them will come to help," she finished.

"You did your best," he said, trying to sound comforting. "It was far more than most would have done."

Far more than he had done, he added silently.

"I suppose," she said, her eyes flitting away from his.

"Is there something else bothering you?"

She sighed, "No, I just worry about Hagrid, making it back."

"He didn't come back with you?"

"Well… yes, but the rest of the way."

He furrowed his brow, bemused. "You haven't met with Dumbledore since returning?"

"I've only just gotten back – do you think I would look like this if I hadn't?" She asked indignantly, indicating the state of her robes.

He elected not to comment on that. "If he made it to France, I expect the hard part is over… when are you going to see Dumbledore?"

"I may have been away for the summer, but I still have a school to run - I will get to him when I get time."

Regulus wasn't fooled. There was a reason she postponed her meeting with Dumbledore, though he couldn't guess what it was.

"Now you tell me, what have I missed?" she pressed.

'Deschamps gave my name and address to Dumbledore and now he knows I'm alive,' he complained inwardly and grimaced at how ludicrous it sounded. She'd spent her summer searching for giants, on behalf of people she barely knew, while he spent his break on holiday with his family.

"Nothing of consequence," he said.

"It has been pretty quiet here."

"I imagine you welcomed a quiet summer," she said carefully. "The start of term will be here before we know it… You are prepared to return, I hope?"

He studied the contents in his glass as if it was going to tell him the answers to life's problems. It had been little more than a month since Voldemort's rebirth. If he would have acted on instinct, his family would already be gone – off to Australia or New Zealand. If he would have left then, he wouldn't have reconnected with Sirius – something he hadn't realized how badly he wanted until after it happened. If he left Beauxbatons now, he wasn't sure he could leave everything behind.

"You belong at Beauxbatons," she asserted.

He wasn't sure he belonged anywhere. The French tolerated him because they didn't know his past. There was always speculation as to why his family had moved there, but by now, fewer people could remember a time when his family wasn't. He didn't fool himself to think whatever acceptance they gained over the years couldn't be revoked. There were some who remained wary of him, and as Voldemort would inevitably bring an increased level of suspicion of all things British, that would likely only become more apparent in the days to come. In truth, his decision regarding Beauxbatons may be between leaving respectfully and waiting to be forced out.

He sighed, "I can't tell you how much I appreciate the opportunity you gave me seven years ago," he began.

"Your place is here," she insisted.

He shook his head. "I think we both know it's time to for me to move on."


Surfing did not come easily to Harry. It wasn't like flying, where he felt in control. Instead, he was at the mercy of nature, and he didn't trust it.

Carina had taken to watching him and scrutinizing his movements to ensure he had the right technique. As he recovered his surfboard from his most recent failed attempt, he already knew what he'd done wrong.

"You looked down," she confirmed, as she met him.

"Yeah, well, I don't know how anyone doesn't," he snapped. If not for the slight lift of her eyebrow he could believe she was oblivious to his frustration.

"It takes practice," she said in her usual measured way of speaking.

What did she think he'd been doing all this time if not practicing? He lost track of how long they'd been out there, but it was long enough for Caelum to lose interest. He'd been laying on his board and simply floating for the past half hour or so. He thought Carina must enjoy watching him constantly get battered by the waves; he could think of no other reason she hadn't given up on him by now.

"Once you've done it enough, you won't even have to think about foot placement," she persisted. "You'll know it's right without having to look down."

He exhaled slowly and tried to expel some of his aggravation. She was obviously trying to help him learn and that was not the first time he had snapped at her for the effort. He tried to soften the way he was glaring at her. As much as he hated to quit before proving he could do it, his temper was only going to get shorter if he continued.

"I need a break," he decided.

"Alright," she agreed, positioning herself on her board so she could paddle towards Caelum. The younger boy had drifted away from them. Harry started to follow Carina, until he realized how tired he was. It was if the moment he'd been idle had allowed his exhaustion to set in and it would take all the energy he had to make it back to the beach.

He'd made it about halfway back when his head seared with pain. He gasped and momentarily stopped paddling to put a hand over his scar. The split second of distraction was nearly enough to make him lose his balance on the board, and when he regained his position, he saw he'd been pulled significantly farther away from the others. His eyes were streaming and the saltwater spraying in his face only made his visibility worse. He forced his aching arms to keep paddling.

When at last he could see the sand below the water, he climbed off his board and pushed it in front of him as he hopped, and then walked across the ocean floor towards the beach, giving his arms a much-needed rest. Despite his head start, Carina and Caelum were waiting for him when he got back.

"Everything alright?" Caelum asked as he and Carina fell into step on either side of him.

"Yeah," he answered, as he awkwardly tucked his surfboard under one arm and shook some of the water from his hair with the other. "I didn't realize how tired I was I guess."

"Hate to break it to you," Caelum said, "But we've got a bit of a hike – we drifted pretty far away from where we started."

"Thanks for trying to teach me to surf," he said to Carina as they walked.

She inclined her head slightly, "No one else ever wants to."

"Because it's boring," Caelum chimed in from the other side of him.

"When you can't do it, it probably is," she said to her brother before looking back at Harry and shrugging lightly. "It would be cool if you liked going."

"But expected if you don't," Caelum added.

Harry had bit his lip to keep from smiling at Carina's last comment but let it show after Caelum's. He wasn't sure if he liked surfing or not, but he knew he wanted to try again.

"Oh hey," Caelum said suddenly. "We've got tickets to the Quidditch Final. I mean, er- it's the French league, so you probably won't know anyone playing," he looked slightly embarrassed. "But we got you a ticket just in case. Do you want to go?"

"Definitely," Harry said, surprised he'd been included at all. Carina, he noticed, looked more pensive than excited.

"Normally, we would be supporting for Lyonnais," Caelum explained. "We grew up watching them." Harry recognized the name from the poster in Caelum's room. "But since Guyenne knocked them out of the tournament, we're obviously rooting for Brittany."

At that point, he leaned forward to better see Carina, "No matter what Andrae thinks about it, right?" he asked meaningfully.

The way he said the name seemed to indicate dislike for the boy in question.

"Obviously," she agreed, though looking baffled, "But what do you have against Andrae?"

"He supports Guyenne," Caelum said flatly.

"For the same reason you support Lyonnais. What a stupid reason to dislike someone." She looked at Harry as if expecting he would agree but he remained silent. He'd heard enough about Andrae to deduce he was probably Carina's boyfriend. Caelum's reason to dislike him was rational compared to his.

"They only beat Lyon on a technicality and they're a bunch of cheats," Caelum said, scowling at the memory. "I'd watch that if I were you."

She scoffed, "There is a big world outside of quidditch, Caelum."

"It's good you feel that way," Caelum answered, "Since I expect your team will be replacing you after they've seen you've barely flown all summer."

"So, you do play quidditch," Harry intervened, hoping to fend off their argument as he was stuck between them. He suspected she did, but as she was rarely forthcoming with anything about herself, it was difficult to tell.

"Of course," she said as if it was obvious, despite that he had never seen her on a broom.

"I've never seen you play," he pointed out.

"You've seemed so content beating an eleven-year-old, I wasn't sure if you would welcome a challenge."

Harry started to laugh at that but remembered Caelum.

"Really?" the younger boy said irritably. He increased his pace to walk ahead of them.

Harry might have tried to keep up with him, but he didn't have the energy just then, nor the motivation. Instead, he turned to Carina. "What position do you play?"

"I made the team as a Chaser in my third year. Last year, I moved to Seeker."

"I'm a Seeker," Harry said, glad to have something in common with her.

"Yeah, I know. Caelum has mentioned you... aren't bad."

Not bad, Harry thought dubiously. Could he not have described his ability as something a bit more impressive than "not bad".

He thought he might have heard Carina snigger just before indicating, "This is us." She then veered up the beach towards their towels. Caelum was already lounging in one of the beach chairs. Harry laid his surfboard on the sand and sat down beside him; Carina took the chair on the other side of Harry.

It was peaceful sitting there, listening to the waves while just out of reach from them. A collection of sea birds had gathered nearby; they were watching the water intently as if waiting for their next meal to be delivered.

"There's Sirius," Harry noticed, just before his godfather transformed into Padfoot. He took off running and barking at the birds, scaring them away and making Harry laugh.

"He's an animagus," Carina said, stunned.

"Yeah, him and my dad learned while they were at Hogwarts," Harry said, surprised they didn't already know that - at least about Sirius.

"That's incredible," Caelum said enthusiastically. "I wonder what animagi form I would have if I became one."

"Mine would be a stag," Harry said without giving it much thought. "At least I think it would be - that is the form my Patronus takes."

He was vaguely aware that Carina and Caelum were staring at him as Padfoot trotted towards them. He transformed back into his human form, and grinned. "How was surfing?" he asked him.

"Harder than it looks," Harry admitted.

"You'd get it with enough practice," Sirius said encouragingly. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

His head was aching, his arms were tired, and the rest of his body had an assortment of new injuries – but it was Sirius who asked.

"Sure," he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

They walked for a while in companionable silence, close enough to the water that the sand had been beaten flat and the waves intermittingly rose high enough to cover their feet and ankles. Occasionally, a decent seashell would skitter to the shore, and be left stranded, until the next wave carried it off again. Harry examined the better-looking ones that caught his attention. Most he merely glanced at and tossed back into the water, though occasionally he would find one interesting enough to keep and added it the growing collection in his pocket.

Harry's scar had not fully ceased hurting. A sharp pain nearly caused him to raise his hand to rub it, but he stopped himself halfway, dropping his arm at his side.

"Your scar has been bothering you," said Sirius. It was a statement rather than a question. For days now, Harry had been trying to downplay how much his scar prickled. It was obvious Sirius hadn't been fooled.

"A bit," he admitted morosely. "But not all the time. There'll be a sharp pain every once in a while, and…" he hesitated, not really wanting to admit he was bothered even in his sleep. "Sometimes I'll wake up with it hurting too. Usually, it's after a dream about the night in the graveyard."

Sirius nodded and Harry thought he must have already suspected as much. Considering he'd been talking in his sleep when Caelum came in that morning, there was no telling what Sirius would have overheard when sleeping downstairs with his dog-like hearing.

"How would you feel about letting a Healer look at it?" he asked pensively.

"It really isn't that bad," he insisted. "It's been happening less often lately, come to think of it."

"Uh huh," Sirius said wryly. His eyes flitted down the beach in the direction of the other Blacks and he looked conflicted.

He's probably thinking he should have warned them before bringing a freak like him to live in their house, Harry thought darkly.

"Regulus suggested Occlumency might help," Sirius said offhandedly.

Harry blanched. "You talked to him about it?"

"I only want to help you," he reminded him.

"And what did he say about it?" Harry asked.

"He suggested you might try Occlumency. It isn't dark magic. It's simply a means to protect your mind. Typically, its used to close one's mind from someone using Legilimency – but it can be used to close off things you don't want to think about as well… maybe it could keep you from having to relive the events of the graveyard every night."

"Right," Harry said, his brow furrowed. "And so, what is Legili – whatever you said?"

"Legilimency is an even more obscure bit of magic – a Legilimens can penetrate your mind."

"Meaning what… like they can read it?"

"Practitioners will get huffy if they hear it simplified to that, but it is one way you could think of it."

Harry was horrified to think anyone could read his mind.

"Who can do that?"

"Voldemort. I expect a fair amount of death eaters have tried to learn though most are too thick. Bellatrix used to do it all the time– I don't know what Azkaban will have done to her. And then, of course, Dumbledore and Snape," his lip curled as he said the last name. "It's how he can be a double agent. It requires eye contact… what's wrong?"

Harry was staring at him with widened eyes. "I've felt him doing that – I just didn't know what it was." He furrowed his brow. "I think Dumbledore has done it too."

"Well, I'm sure Dumbledore would justify his reasoning somehow, and Snape has no understanding of common decency, so that's not surprising. What about Regulus?" he asked curiously. "Have you felt that – sensation when he's been around?"

He thought about it for a moment. "No…" Considering what might cross his mind at any given moment, it was a good thing. "He can do it too?" he asked weakly.

"To some degree, yes, but he insists he doesn't do it unprompted. He has certainly never tried it on me."

"Well, now I know it's a thing, I don't want anyone in my head," Harry said emphatically.

"Voldemort and Bellatrix won't have access to you if I can help it, but do be sure to avoid eye contact with Snape until you're able to use other means to block him out. For one thing, he believes Regulus died fifteen years ago like a good little death eater. If he sees him in your memory – or anyone in his family, for that matter, that's going to raise some difficult questions. He knew Maliah in school and their kids look enough like them to piece together who they are," he added the last bit rather pointedly.

"You really think he would tell Voldemort?" he asked worriedly. What if he forgot and made eye contact with him? Would he have to be thinking about one of the Blacks at that moment for him to see them or could he just pull out anything he wanted from his thoughts?

"I wouldn't put it past him," Sirius said darkly. "Even if I did trust him, and you know I don't, he has to pass a certain amount of information to Voldemort to maintain his own believability as a spy. Announcing Regulus' survival would be nothing to him."

Harry made up his mind then that he would learn - whatever Occlumency entailed. He would not be the reason Voldemort discovered Regulus and his family was alive.