A/N: This is my first shot at writing Harry Potter. This was a plot bunny that got into my head and just wouldn't let go.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I did Harry and Hermione would be together and Sirius would still be alive.
Chapter 1
Harry's shoulders slumped as he strode up the stairs of Gryffindor tower. He took at deep breath as he approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, he knew without a doubt what he would face once he stepped into the common room. All he had wanted was a quiet year to hang out with his friends and be a normal student for once. Of course, as usual nothing went to plan and the Goblet of Fire has spit his name out and now he had to compete in a tournament that was for of age wizards. He could already tell that no one believed he hadn't put his name in. What hurt the most was that his own best friend didn't believe him. Ron could be a jealous git at times, but this was low even for him.
He took a deep breath before he gave the password to the Fat Lady. It was better to just get this over with now than keep putting it off, it would only get worse. As he expected the whole house was in the common room, when he walked in all eyes turned to him. The twins had organized one of their infamous parties and butter beer was flowing freely. He took another deep breath as he was assaulted with an onslaught of questions.
"How'd you do it, mate?" Seamus asked.
"How'd you get around the age line?" Dean added in.
"I didn't I had nothing to do with my name coming out of the goblet. I swear I didn't put my name in and I have no idea how it got in there." Harry swore.
"You got into the tournament there is no need to keep lying about it. You should be bragging about how you managed to pull it off." Ron spoke up.
Harry took a deep breath and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "For the last bloody time I didn't put my name into that bloody flaming cup!"
Hermione hurriedly jumped between her friends before they could come to blows. "I think that's enough excitement for one night, it's time to head to bed." She rolled her eyes. Honestly she was over having to constantly mother those two boys.
"I was just saying I'm supposed to be his best mate and he won't even tell me how he did it and he didn't tell me that he was going to do it." Ron spat back.
"Since you can't take a hint," Hermione pulled Harry off to the side to ensure that he and Ron wouldn't get into it. "Go up to your dorm and then meet me back down here once every one is asleep. We need to write to Sirius and see what he thinks about this. You also need to tell him about those dreams you've been having."
Harry nodded his acceptance of that plan. "I'll sneak out once every one is asleep and then we can use the cloak to sneak to the owlery."
"It's a plan. I will see you soon. Tomorrow I will start research about the tournament." Hermione replied.
Harry nodded again and headed up to his dorm.
Hermione headed up to the girl's dorm. She drew the curtains closed around her bed to discourage any of her roommates from making conversation with her.
Two hours later Harry and Hermione regrouped in the common room. Harry held his cloak in one hand and his letter to Sirius in the other.
"Look at you, prepared for once." She gave him a small smile.
"I'm not as hopeless as you think I am." He chuckled softly.
She shot him a look and then rolled her eyes with a scoff. "I don't let you know how hopeless I think you are."
Harry threw his cloak around his shoulders and then gestured with Hermione to get under there with him. "You would never hold back your opinion."
Hermione got under the cloak with him without another word.
Harry led them out of the common room and out into the corridor.
"Harry, did you think to bring the map with you?" She asked.
"No, I thought we would be ok with just the cloak." He whispered back.
She rolled her eyes at him again. "This is why I do all the thinking for us."
"As long as we are quick and quiet about this we won't get caught." He didn't have to be looking at her to know that she had rolled her eyes at him. After being friends for the last four years he knew how she would react better than she did.
"Boys," She grumbled, but she kept walking along with him.
When they made it to the owlery they grabbed the first bird they could find that wasn't Hedwig. It was far too dangerous to send the snowy bird to wherever Sirius was. She was too easily recognized to risk using her. Harry attached his letter to the tawny owl's leg and he was surprised when his friend added a letter of her own.
Harry looked at her with a questioning gaze. "What is that?"
Hermione fought the urge to blush. "I spent some of the summer researching options on how to free Sirius. All I did was send him that information. With you being included in this tournament you need him now more than ever. And if I have things my way you will never spend another summer with those horrible relatives of yours."
"I really don't deserve you, Mione." He gave her a soft smile.
She took his hand and squeezed it. "If you are going to insist on getting us into these ridiculous situations, then I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that we have all the help we need."
He squeezed her hand back. "I'm glad that you're on my side and you never leave me no matter how stupid I am."
"It would be like kicking a wounded animal if I left your side. I don't know that you would survive without me." She felt her heart quicken when her friend gave her a smile. "Come on, let's get back to the dorm before you think of something that can get us killed or worse expelled." She didn't have to look at him to know that he saw her wink.
Sirius looked around cautiously when he heard a noise outside the cave he was staying in. As far as he knew no one or nothing knew where he was. His only companion in his solitude was his fellow fugitive from justice Buckbeak the hippogriff. He quickly shifted into Padfoot just in case someone was there to do him harm. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the disturbance was only a post owl there to bring him a letter. He shifted back into his human form and untied the letter from its' leg.
"I'm sorry I don't have any treats to give you. I barely have any food for myself." Sirius spoke to the owl.
The owl hooted in response and looked at him as if to ask if he needed a reply.
"You can go. I have my own way of sending a message if I need to." He told the animal.
The owl flew off with another hoot.
He quickly read over the letter from Harry. He saw red he couldn't believe that Albus was insisting that his godson participate in a tournament that was meant for of age wizards. He was Albus bloody Dumbledore if he really wanted to get Harry out of the mess he now found himself in he would be able to do it. He was also worried about the visions that his godson was having that seemed to be linked to Voldemort. In the past he had trusted Dumbledore, but now he was beginning to question that trust. If the old man was going to continually let James and Lilly's son be placed in that kind of danger, then someone needed to do something about it.
Sirius laughed out loud after he read the letter that Hermione had written to him. "Just like James that one. He went and found the brightest witch he could to tie himself to even if he doesn't realize what he really feels for her yet." He spoke out to loud to himself. He found that he needed to hear the sound of a human voice every so often even if it was just his.
Once he got his wits about him Sirius sent a patronus message off to Remus if he was going to be of any help to Harry he needed his best friend's help. He next called for the house elf that Harry had instructed him that he could trust if he needed anything.
Dobby appeared in the cave with a small pop. "What can Dobby be doing for the great Harry Potter Sir's dogfather?"
Sirius threw back his head and laughed heartily. He remembered once upon a time making that same joke to James and Lilly. James had of course found it hilarious, but Lilly hadn't been amused. "Dobby, I need some parchment and a quill. Then I need to send you to Gringots for money to get food and other things I need. You can go get the money and food while I write a reply to Harry and wait for a reply from Moony." He instructed the elf.
"Dobby, not be letting the dogfather down, sir." Dobby popped away to Gringots bank after he got the quill and ink that Sirius had asked him for.
Sirius chuckled lightly. Dobby was an enthusiastic elf to say the least. He was nothing like the grumpy old elf who had served house Black while he was growing up. He was a little startled when Remus' wolf patronus showed up so quickly.
"Tell me where you are and I will come bring you to where I am." Remus' voice came from the wolf patronus.
Sirius fired off another message to Moony with his location. He would be safe anywhere else on the continent as long as he wasn't in wizarding Britain. The only reason he stayed so close to Hogwarts was to be there for Harry, but if he could make one of the options that Hermione had given him work then he owed it to his godson to try. He would be of even more help to him if he wasn't a fugitive.
A loud pop sounded and Remus appeared in the entrance to the cave. "Padfoot, stand down it's only me." The werewolf announced himself.
"Why did I become an animagus?" Sirius called back. He had been well trained by Moody and he wouldn't take the risk of letting his guard down even if the person before him looked like his only living best friend.
"To keep me company on the nights of the full moon." Remus replied.
Sirius opened his arms wide and welcomed his old friend into his current home. "Welcome to my humble abode." Even in his current situation his pureblood breeding was hard to ignore.
Remus walked in and gave his oldest friend a hug. "It's good to see you." He patted his friend's back while he hugged him.
"It's good to see you too, Moony. I took the risk of contacting you, because our pup needs our help. He was entered into the Triwizard tournament. Prongs and Lilly didn't die for his life to end because of a stupid competition that needed to stay dead and buried." Sirius held tight to his friend. It was nice to have some human contact after spending months on his own.
"Tell me how I can help." Remus would do whatever was in his power to protect Harry. He knew from teaching him last year that he had already let him down by not checking up on him. He would never allow that to happen again. He shuddered to think what would happen when he crossed over to the other side and had to face Lilly Potter and explain to her why Uncle Moony had failed her son for so many years.
Sirius didn't reply he gave him both Harry and Hermione's letters and let him read them before he spoke. "Our pup takes after his father and keeps company with the smartest witch at Hogwarts. Hermione has some ideas as to how to get me free. If we can make that happen then your job will be to coach Harry through this bloody tournament. According to the bylaws of Hogwarts students are allowed to hire their own tutors. If we can get you into that position, then we can help him make it out of this farce alive."
Remus nodded in agreement with the plan Sirius had. It shocked him that his friend had come up with something so well thought out. That wasn't like him at all normally he just charged in and consequences be damned. "I think you should write to Harry and get use of his cloak for us. We can meet with Dumbledore in the morning and then I think we should take Miss Granger's suggestion of heading to the states to have them get the ICW to force the ministry to give you a trial."
"I agree with you. I will write to Harry right now. When that house elf he sent to help me gets back I will have him take the letter to Harry. He should still be busy in my vault for awhile. That will give us both enough time to write to our nephew." Sirius replied.
"Let's do that now. That way we can have Harry meet us in the Headmaster's office in the morning and talk to him before we put this plan into play." Remus agreed with his friend.
Harry sat bolt upright on his bed when he felt the mattress shift under him. He reached for his glasses blindly and put them on. He wasn't in the least bit surprised to see Dobby standing in the middle of his bed. "What is it, Dobby?" he asked quietly.
Dobby grabbed his ears. "Master Harry Potter Sir, your Dogfather and your Uncle Wolfie, be needing your cloak to come in and speak to Headmaster Whiskers. They sent Dobby with a letter for you, but they wanted Dobby to tell you they needing the cloak."
Harry took Dobby's hands to keep him from worrying with his ears. "Dobby, get the cloak out of my trunk and take it to them. They only want to help me. I'm sure that they will get it back to me. Take the map that is under the cloak too they will need it."
"Yes sir, Master Harry Potter Sir, Dobby be doing what you says." Dobby got into his trunk and took the items he'd told him to out of it before popping away.
Harry took the letter from Sirius and Remus off his nightstand and read it. He then collected his wand from under his pillow. He gathered his clothes and headed off to take a shower. He wanted to be ready and waiting for Hermione when she got ready to head down to breakfast. She needed to see what was in the letter his godfather and uncle had sent him.
Hermione came down to the common room shortly after Harry got out of the shower. Harry quickly pulled her aside and showed her the letter Remus and Sirius had sent him.
"That looks promising. I'm glad that they were able to use my ideas. We should head down to breakfast and see what happens from there." Hermione told him.
"I agree. Between the two of us and the two of them we should have something that we can work with soon." Harry looped his arm through hers.
She gave him a reassuring smile. "You should know that I'm always right. Professor Lupin will be able to figure out more than we are able to. It's good to have him on our side in addition to Snuffles."
He walked out of the portrait hole with her. "You're right he's the most competent DADA teacher we've ever had. If anyone can figure out how to help me, it will be him."
She leaned against his side. "Harry, I want you to listen to me. When we go in there you know that Malfoy is going to try to bait you into a fight. I want you to ignore him and focus on me. We both know that you didn't put you name in the goblet what everyone else thinks doesn't matter."
"I will do my best, but if he pulls out his wand and points it at you I make no promises." He replied.
"With you that is as much as I can hope for." She wrapped her arm a little tighter around his. Maybe he would take this as a hint and figure out that she liked him as more than a friend.
When they entered the great hall everything went silent and all eyes turned to stare at Harry. The most hostile looks came from the Hufflepuff and Slytherin houses. There were some sympathetic looks from the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. As usual the school's opinion of Harry changed depending on what day it was.
"Ignore them and focus on me." Hermione whispered in his ear.
Harry nodded and gripped her hand tightly in his. If he were going to make it through this morning without hexing someone then he was going to need his strength and hers. For just a moment he let himself think about just how much he liked the way her hand felt in his. She was his best friend, though there was no way that she liked him in that way. "I will do my best." He promised her. More than anything he hated to break a promise to her or let her down.
The headmaster was noticeably absent from breakfast. It was unlike him not to be in the great hall for every meal if he were in the building. Harry and Hermione didn't even have time to take a seat before they were approached by their head of house.
Minerva McGonagall walked up to her pair of lion cubs with a stern look on her face. She didn't know what kind of trouble they had managed to find their way into this time, but she knew that they had more than likely done something. "The headmaster would like to see the both of you in his office now. I would advise that you not keep him waiting." She looked at the pair over the top of her glasses.
"Do you know what this is about?" Hermione asked politely.
"The headmaster didn't choose to share that with me. He just said that he wanted to see the lot of you in his office as soon as possible." McGonagall replied.
"We better go, Hermione. We don't want to keep the headmaster waiting." Harry spoke up before his friend could blast their professor with a bunch of questions.
"Right, let's go." Hermione readily agreed with him for once he made some sense.
Sirius and Remus had snuck into the headmaster's office under Harry's invisibility cloak early enough that they could intercept him before he went down to breakfast. It had been a tight fit, but with the aid of the Marauder's map they had made it work just like they had when they had been Hogwarts' students.
Dumbledore had jumped in shock when he came into his office from his chambers and found both his former students waiting for him. "Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, what can I do for you both this morning?" His eyes twinkled as he put on his grandfatherly persona.
"You can tell me just what the fuck you mean by letting my godson participate in this damn tournament. For Merlin's sake he's three years behind the rest of the contestants." Sirius was not in any mood to play nice. If the headmaster was going to play games with Harry's life, then he was going to blast him with everything he had.
Remus put his hand on Sirius' arm to calm him down. He didn't want his hotheaded friend to sink them before they had even started their quest. "What he wants is an explanation for how Harry got into this mess." He explained calmly.
Sirius jerked away from him. "Don't you translate for me, Moony. For Merlin's sake I damn well meant what I said and I wasn't trying to be polite." He bitched. Now wasn't the time to be nice. He needed answers.
"Sirius, my boy, you must understand that I did everything I could, but this is out of my control." Albus explained patiently.
"Albus, my old man, those cryptic non-answers aren't going to work for me anymore. My godson has gone through hell and back since that Halloween night. I'm not going to let that happen anymore. I'm going to make sure that I'm here for him in the way I should be. That starts with me getting my freedom and being able to finish raising him the way I was always meant to. I don't care if you like that or not you will not stop me from taking my rightful place in his life. His entrance into this tournament proves that someone wants him dead and I'm not about to let that happen. James and Lilly didn't die for him to join them this soon. I want Moony to be his tutor during this farce. You can't help him, but you can bring in outside help that can." Sirius was close to breathing fire like a dragon.
Remus knew that now was the time to back his friend up no matter how crazy he sounded. "I agree with Sirius. The rules be damned if I'm not allowed to be by Harry's side and coach him through this we will pull him out of this school the minute that Sirius clears his name. He lived eleven years without his magic I'm sure that it wouldn't bother him to live the rest of his life as a muggle if that is the cost of him being safe from this tournament and all the people who wish him dead."
Albus put his hands up in a calming motion. Even he could see when he was clearly beat. He had things that he had wanted to play close to the vest, but he could no longer do that. He didn't have to like it, but he had to share his information with these two. He could only hope that it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass. "We need to start with first things first. Sirius, how do you plan on clearing your name?"
"I'm going to the states. They refuse to extradite to Great Britain because we insist on using dementors. The plan is I will go there and then I will have them petition the ICW to force wizarding Britain to give me a trial." Sirius explained to him.
"I, of course, will be there with him to help him, but once I get him settled I can be back here to help Harry." Remus chimed in. He was very surprised that the headmaster was just going along with this.
Albus wrote down some names on a piece of parchment and handed it to Sirius. "How did you come up with this idea?"
"It would appear that Harry takes after James in more than just looks. He's fallen in with the smartest witch currently at Hogwarts and she sent me a letter of suggestions for ways that I can clear my name." Sirius answered him.
Albus chuckled and then sent a patronus message to Minerva to send Harry and Hermione to his office. "When the states bring this matter before the ICW as Supreme Mugwamp I will of course insist that the ministry finally give you the trial that you were denied years ago. I know that you are close with Madam Bones and it might do some good for you to talk to her before you head across the pond. It goes without saying that I approve of Mister Lupin being Mister Potter's tutor for the duration of this tournament. It will be good for him to have one of his uncles by his side while he goes through this."
"Albus, what exactly are you thinking making him go through this?" Remus questioned. He knew that he could get away with it.
"Someone clearly on the side of Lord Voldemort entered his name into the goblet. I want to draw them out and see if I can find out what their plans are. If I have you here working with Harry, then we can do our best to protect him and prepare him for what might come. I have a theory on how Tom survived the night the Potters were murdered and I don't want to share than until Harry is here to hear it. I told him some time ago that he was too young to hear it, but now circumstances being what they are I owe him these answers and maybe together we can come up with a solution I haven't thought of yet." Albus replied. He knew that he would have to let go of secrets he had been holding on to since the end of the war, but it was worth it if they could find a way to bring Tom down. He was entrusting his secrets to people he knew without a doubt he could trust and wouldn't betray him.
"What do you mean what might come?" Sirius demanded. He would be damned if he let this man play games with his godson's, no his son's life. Harry was his son in every way that mattered now. James and Lilly had left him in charge to raise their son and it was about time he rose to the occasion.
"I promise you that I will answer all your questions as soon as Harry and Miss Granger get here. With her mind for research we need her. And I know that whatever is said in this room she will find out anyway. Harry would never keep anything a secret from her." Albus tried his best to placate him.
Remus had to try to play peace maker as best he could. "Sirius, that makes sense. You've seen them together. One of them won't make a move without the other one present." He could sense that Albus had let his guard down some and he wasn't about to do anything that would make it go back up.
Sirius nodded at that. He wouldn't argue with Remus when things seemed to be going their way. "I can wait for those two to get here. I have no greater trust than for the two people who saved my life a few months ago." He knew when it was time to be reasonable and when it was time to fight.
A few minutes later Harry and Hermione entered the headmaster's office.
"Sirius!" Harry yelled and went running to his godfather.
Sirius stood up and he gathered the boy into his arms as soon as he reached him. "Pup," he hugged him tightly and kissed the top of his head.
Remus sniffed the air and arched his eyebrow at Hermione. Even if she and Harry didn't know it yet they were both part of his pack. He opened his arms wide to the girl. "Come here, Cub."
Hermione rushed into his arms and hugged his fiercely. "Professor Lupin,"
"None of that." Remus kissed her head. "You call me Uncle Moony."
Hermione buried her face in his chest. "Ok, Uncle Moony."
"Sirius, take our cub and give me our pup." Remus said after a moment.
Remus and Sirius traded off Harry and Hermione.
"Hi, Prongslet," Remus kissed the top of Harry's messy head.
Sirius tried his best to hug the life out of Hermione. "Hello, Pup, your Uncle Sirius is so happy to see you."
Harry and Hermione both lost themselves in the older men's embrace.
"Where's your other friend?" Sirius asked.
"Ron thinks that Harry entered himself into the tournament and won't believe him when he says he didn't want to be in it." Hermione mumbled into his chest.
Remus pulled back from Harry and held him by his shoulders. "Cub, you need to make it right with your friend. If it helps I will talk to him before I leave here today. You need him by your side. You don't want him to turn into Peter."
Harry looked up at him, his green eyes shining with tears. "I've tried, Uncle Moony, he just doesn't believe me."
"I will talk to him, no worries." Remus assured him. He was well versed in dealing with stubborn friends.
"Why does Remus call us cub and you call us pup?" Hermione asked.
"He's a wolf and I'm a dog that's why." Sirius chuckled. "But really, Harry is my pup and Remy's wolf recognizes you as his cub."
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Perhaps it's time to get to the reason for why we are here. I will allow you two to stay in the castle and have dinner with them later in private."
Remus righted himself. "Right, Harry needs us to be serious."
"I'm always Sirius." Sirius smirked.
Hermione had no choice, but to roll her eyes at him.
Albus ran his hand over his face, but pushed on. "Harry, your godfather and uncle are just as concerned as I am about you being in this tournament. They have a plan to help you in the present, but I have information that will help you in the future."
Harry looked over Hermione unsure of what to say. She just nodded her head and he knew what that mean. "What are their plans and what information do you have?" He asked.
"For the duration of the tournament Remus is going to be your tutor since he is unattached to this school and he can help you without breaking the rules. He will tutor you in whatever classes that you want him to and I'm sure that you will find a way to include Miss Granger in that." Albus answered.
"I'd like for Hermione, Ron, and Neville to be included if possible." Harry spoke up.
"I would be more than happy to tutor all of them once I talk some sense into Ron." Remus agreed to that. He would agree to whatever his nephew wanted within reason.
"And once I get myself freed your friends are more than welcome to come to our house over the breaks." Sirius did his best to give him hope that he would never have to return to his living situation again.
Harry hugged both Sirius and Remus gratefully.
"Headmaster, what do you know that could help in the future?" Hermione asked innocently.
Albus couldn't bear up under her intense gaze. "I know that Voldemort didn't die the night he attacked the Potters. He was merely vanished from his body and turned into a wraith. As we all know he's not truly dead and he's not dead because he created these soul jars known as Horocruxs. He split the pieces of his soul and that means he can stay alive after his body is killed. I think that one of those soul jars is behind Mister Potter's scar." He let out the full truth of what he had been holding back for years.
Sirius jumped up with his arms crossed over his chest looking like he was more than ready to do battle. "How do we get rid of it?" He demanded.
"Sirius, my boy, I hate to say this to you, but I'm not sure." Albus shrugged his shoulders.
"I will take Harry out of school one day when he won't be missed and I will take him to the goblins to examine. If anyone will have a way of getting rid of it, it will be them." Remus had already come up with a solution.
"That sounds fine to me. The more information we have on what is in his scar the better." Albus agreed.
"I will get to work on researching not only the spells he will need to know for the tournament, but also how to get the horocrux out of him." Hermione volunteered.
"While she is working on all of that I will be working on getting myself cleared of the crime I didn't commit. That is the best way that I can help Harry." Sirius chimed in.
"It seems to me that we have a good plan. We will meet next when the next steps are taken and we know where to go from here." Albus spoke with authority.
"Right, Sirius and I will be heading to America today, but not before I get a chance to talk to Ron. I will not let this friendship suffer and have someone turn into Peter if we can avoid it." Remus was not about to be left out.
"I will arrange for you to have the chance to speak to him. They are my golden trio who solve all my problems, I can't have them divided." Albus was being very helpful for a man who didn't like to let go of his secrets. This tournament had turned his plans to hell anyway. There was no way he could justify keeping Harry in the dark to protect his childhood when he was being forced to participate in a tournament that was meant for of age wizards.
A/N: Here is the first chapter I hope that you enjoyed it. Things are going to pick up quickly in the next chapter and keep going from there. I promise to do my best to keep things exciting. Until next time please review.