When it came time to sign up for the winter holiday, Harry exchanged letters with Sirius who insisted that his godson come to Grimmauld Place for the holiday. The house was still filled with the Order of the Phoenix, but Sirius promised several surprises for Harry. Professor Hilliard protected his list of students leaving and remaining over the holiday from nosey headmasters with help of the Deputy Headmistress. Harry made his escape from Hogwarts with all the other students that morning and Dumbledore was none the wiser until he saw Harry at Grimmauld Place that night before a meeting of the Order of Phoenix.
On the train, the children seemed to be in good spirits, especially because Professor Hilliard and Professor Carter patrolled the train during most of the trip. The Slytherin students might not socialize with the muggle-born but now they were polite and avoided confrontations that were usually caused by teenage boys who wanted to create trouble. There was a detention compartment where several students (Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley among them) were stuck to their seats for more than two hours at a time.
The only problem in Harry's mind was with how quiet Hermione remained during the trip. She remained within the compartment except for trips to the loo and she read only muggle books. Harry wondered if there was something wrong when he loaded her trunk in the overhead compartment – it was extremely light as if there wasn't a complete library of books loaded inside. But Hermione's hugs were the same as she wished him Happy Christmas several times, made vague assurances about Boxing Day visits, and asked about his plans for his essays for Charms and Transfiguration due in January.
CHANGE SCENE && Protect HermioneAt the train station, there was some excitement with Mr. Weasley, Remus, and some witch named Emmaline Vance there to apparate the Weasley children and Harry Potter to Grimmauld Place. Arthur decided to bring Hermione along, but the girl backed away, and only calmed down when Harry stood between the wizards and his friend, with his wand in his hand and the tip glowing.
"Keep your hands off Hermione," Harry growled. "Vance, you're an Auror, yeah?"
"I am," the witch replied icily.
Harry grinned and Remus recognized the face of James Potter when he was plotting mischief, when he asked, "How long will your career last if I yell kidnapping in a crowded train station?"
"You're just a kid," she said, dismissing the teenager, thinking about how she could get her hands on the girl.
"No, you blind bint, I'm Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived," Harry reminded all three of the adults. "Want me to give an interview to the Daily Prophet naming three wizards who are kidnapping young, defenseless witches from Kings Cross Station?"
Remus and Emmaline scowled, stepped back, and apparated away without transporting any Weasley or Harry Potter. Miffed, Arthur asked, "What do we do now?"
"Let me get Hermione to her parents and we can work something out," Harry replied.
"Potter, you gotta make everything about you, don't you?" complained Ron.
Shrinking the trunks of his four children and leaving Harry and Hermione's at full size, Arthur muttered about muggles and led his children into the receiving room where they used the floo to depart. George and Fred fussed with their father, but Ron sneered. Ginny kept her attention on her father and ignored everyone else. With multiple adults around him using magic, Harry turned to their trunks and with a charm from Flitwick's fourth-year class, he miniaturized and decorated them with Christmas lights as a light-hearted touch.
"Harry, I'm sorry," Hermione said in a small voice when she realized they'd been deserted.
Grinning at his friend, Harry slipped his trunk into his pocket and Hermione's into her hand as he replied, "Just my people-saving thing, yeah?"
Outside Platform 9¾, Hermione was reunited with her parents who held her and cried for many minutes. Mr. Granger shook Harry's hand for bringing Hermione out of the 'nut house' and the teenager received one more rib bruising crush from his friend before the Grangers left.
That night, while reviewing his memories as part of his Occlumency lessons before sleeping, he noticed the Grangers went toward the other tracks instead of the car park. He wouldn't think about that again until after the first of the year.
CHANGE SCENE && Conversation with Kreacher'Now, how do I get to Grimmauld Place? I know the secret but how do I get there?'
Thinking about everyone living in the house, Harry hurried back through the portal to Platform 9¾ and checked that he was alone. Then he called for Kreacher, the unpleasant elf that supposedly worked at Grimmauld Place. There was a loud pop and the elf appeared and burped, loudly.
"What does mud-blood bastard of blood traitor, godson of stupid disappointment son want from Kreacher?" asked the elf, almost drunk it seemed.
Immediately deciding he'd never trust this elf with his trunk, let alone his life, Harry knelt on one knee and said, "Kreacher. You loved your master Regulus Black, didn't you?"
"How does Godson know about good master Regulus?" asked the stooped-over house elf.
"I know he stole a great treasure from the false lord who called himself Flees-From-Death. Your master died trying to destroy the treasure," Harry explained.
"How knows you this?"
"You have the treasure safe at Grimmauld Place, don't you?"
Kreacher nodded and Harry said, "I am working with Hogwarts to destroy the soul jars."
"Youse just a boy and mudblood," Kreacher argued, waving a hand to dismiss the claim. "Youse will fail."
"I've already destroyed one of the soul jars. Maybe I'll destroy the locket you protect."
"Locket? How youse know it a locket?"
"I know, Kreacher. Now go back to Grimmauld and protect the locket," Harry ordered. "I'll call you when I want to destroy it."
"Yes, Mudblood bastard godson," the elf replied before popping away.
CHANGE SCENE && PieHarry hurried to the tubes below the station and figured out the route to Islington using the underground. He traveled muggle style and came back above ground only two blocks from the house. He stopped at a bakery and bought a lemon meringue pie that he carefully carried the rest of the walk to Grimmauld Place. He found the door because he'd seen the secret in August and let himself inside. There were loud voices in the kitchen shouting about losing Harry, leaving Harry, and Harry running away.
Taking the pie from the box, Harry balanced it in one hand and opened the door with the other.
"Who says I got lost?" he demanded to know. "I'm here and brought pie."
"Pie?" asked every voice in the room.
"Yeah, pie," Harry replied. "Want some?"
"Sure? Is that a muggle pie? It looks good! Is it safe to eat? I want some! What kind is it?"
"Here!" shouted Harry before he threw the pie, whipped out his wand, and duplicated it fifteen times. Every person in the room was hit in the face by a lemon meringue pie.
"Brilliant!" shouted George, Fred, and Sirius who laughed in delight at the prank.
Arthur, Molly, Remus, Emmaline, Dora Tonks, Moody, and Ginny frowned or grumbled but didn't say anything. Ron yelled about wasting good pie. Dumbledore standing near the fireplace was disappointed that his robes were covered with lemon sauce, Severus Snape was incandescent with rage that Potter had thrown a pie at him, and Kingsley Shacklebolt wasn't disturbed until he discovered he couldn't banish the pie from his robes.
Minerva McGonagall, with lemon and meringue in her hair, forced herself to remember a time when Lily Potter pulled the same prank on the marauders when they wouldn't be quiet when Harry had been a baby. She'd used chocolate pie but used the same duplication spell taught in fourth-year charms. The pie faded away in five minutes leaving the original pie on the table for dessert.
While McGonagall shook her finger at Harry in a good-natured manner, she told the tale of the chocolate pie, and told the frantic witches and wizards to wait five minutes. After five minutes, the splattered pies did disappear, and the original pie appeared on the kitchen table with a server knife, plates, and forks.
"Say, can't a growing teenager get supper in this house?" Harry asked as the others lined up to share slices of the pie. A place setting with a meal of chicken, potatoes, and peas appeared at the table for Harry with a glass of milk.
"This pie ain't big enough for everyone," Ron said, thinking he could eat the entire plate himself.
Molly, Remus, Vance, Moody, and Shacklebolt declined to sample the muggle dessert, but Minerva cut the pie into slices for herself, Ginny, Arthur, George, Fred, Ron, Dumbledore, and Harry. When she placed her plate with Harry's dessert beside his plate, she sat down and found a tea service appearing on the table. After pouring herself a cup, the Deputy Headmistress proceeded to tell Harry about his mother's chocolate pie prank in detail and two other stories about his mother and father.
At a pause in the animated conversation, Molly moved closer to Harry and Minerva.
"Harry, why did you run off from the station?" asked Mrs. Weasley in a calm manner that didn't offer any criticism, so the teenager explained.
"The grown-ups were talking about kidnapping Hermione…not letting her visit with her parents for Christmas," Harry explained. "I threatened to make a stink in public and use my fame for the first time if they tried. She was scared and really wanted to see her parents."
Molly smiled at Harry. "Of course, she wanted to see her parents. They love her like any other parent – muggle or magical. You did the right thing."
Then Mrs. Weasley turned her attention to the 'adults' who scared a child and then ran away from their responsibilities. Vance and Lupin were embarrassed but kept quiet, and Arthur Weasley was silent as his wife pointed out his poor example for their children.
"You left Harry alone at the train station!" she declared. "What if Malfoy had been there?"
Mr. Weasley replied, "The boy's fine. He made it here on his own."
Shaking her head and sending the children out of the kitchen, Molly prepared for the meeting as the last members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived. She didn't offer tea or biscuits tonight. When prompted by Sturgis Padmore about refreshments, Molly replied, "Harry brought pie earlier."
CHANGE SCENE && Discussions with SiriusDuring the first two days of the Christmas vacation, Harry never had an opportunity to talk with Sirius without a Weasley or other member of the Order of the Phoenix present. The teenager was on the outs with Ron and his parents because of the incident at the train station, and because Harry refused to share a room with Ron.
"I'll sleep on the sofa in the lounge," Harry said when he was told there weren't any other rooms available. Molly had more patience than her husband or son for once and she decided to let Harry spend the night on the sofa which was full of doxies and loose springs. Unknown to anyone, Sirius came for Harry at about 10:30 and took him up two flights of stairs to a deserted family hallway.
"Here you go Harry," Sirius said as he ushered his godson into a surprisingly clean bedroom with an ensuite. "This was my brother's room and…"
"It's great, Sirius. Thanks."
"Now, no one can come up the stairs – they can't even see them. Moody's magic eye might know you're in the building, but he can't get to you. I tested it. Even Remus's nose can't figure out where you're at."
"How does he get to stay here the whole of the break?" Harry asked.
What do you mean?
He's a professor at Hogwarts for the rest of the year but he's here for the holiday. None of the others can be gone for the entire holiday.
Sirius shrugged. "I guess he's here to help out."
Harry figured Remus was here to help keep track of him but didn't say anything else about the professor. He did ask, "Can we talk tomorrow? Just the two of us without everyone else around?"
"Sure. Anything wrong?"
Harry looked Sirius in the eye and said, "I'm not saying anything else until you swear to not tell, write, or share the memory of our conversation with anyone – Remus, Dumbledore, and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix."
"Wow, kid…that's pretty intense."
Grinning now, Harry's features reminded Sirius of James Potter so strongly that the wizard felt the pain of loss again. "Okay, Harry. Whatever you want."
"It's important but I need your advice and help before I say anything to anyone."
It was still two more days before Sirius dodged Remus and Tonks, and Harry escaped from Ron and Ginny's company. Sirius slipped up the stairs where Harry was already waiting in his room while throughout the house, Ron shouted for Harry to come out of hiding. (Kreacher bribed Ron to be silent with a lemon meringue pie and spoon.) The pie contained a mild sleeping potion, and the entire house was grateful for the silence.
"Okay, we're alone and you can talk about anything with me," Sirius stated. "Is it a girl? Are you a kleptomaniac? That would be better than a necro…never mind."
Harry sat on his bed and said, "Today's 17 December."
Sirius nodded and waited for Harry to continue, who did. "This Order of the Phoenix is protecting something in the Department of Mysteries."
"Maybe," replied Sirius. "How do you know this?"
"Remember Dumbledore telling you about me having visions?"
Sirius nodded and sat forward as Harry explained, "I've seen that on 19 December, Mr. Weasley will be on guard duty in the DoM and he will be attacked by a giant viper that Voldie-pants thinks is his familiar. The viper is a Maledictus; she's trapped and miserable. She wants someone to cut off her head and free her."
The godfather stared at his godson for a moment and then replied, "Arthur does have guard duty in the DoM late night on 19 December. Have you had other visions lately?"
Shaking his head, Harry pointed toward his scar and said, "He's been really quiet like he's hurting or scared. But there's something in the DoM…probably the prophecy about me and Voldie-face."
Now Sirius asked, "How do you know about the prophecy?"
This started a conversation about Professor Hilliard and Professor McGonagall yelling at Dumbledore and then Hilliard telling them that the diary from the second year was a Horcrux.
"You fought against the Dark Lord's Horcrux?" Sirius asked. "The nut job made Horcruxes?"
"Yeah, and I kicked his butt with a basilisk fang," bragged Harry not able to help himself.
It was very quiet for a moment before Sirius asked, "Where'd you get a basilisk fang?
"Uh…it's a long story," stammered Harry, thinking about how to change the subject.
"We've got nothing else to do this afternoon," Sirius replied.
A very nice tea tray appeared, and Harry said, "Thanks Kreacher."
"You've defeated a Horcrux and gotten in good with the elf? What magic do you know that I missed out on?" observed Sirius.
The pair remained in the room for the rest of the afternoon and ate supper (compliments of Kreacher again) in the room. Harry explained his adventures in his first and second years in more detail than Sirius had heard before.
"How have you survived Hogwarts? It's a death trap! Want to go somewhere else? France, America? There's a school in Brazil I think."
Hugging his godfather – a first for Harry to initiate a hug with an adult – and said, "No, thanks. I have a plan."
"You have a plan? With who?"
"The castle is giving me lots of information and I'm on a Horcrux hunt already."
"A hunt? Can Remus help? He's got a good nose," Sirius commented, trying to lighten the mood.
"That's stuck up Dumbledore's…he listens to Dumbledore too much, Sirius to be much help."
"Okay, I'll make certain Dumbles knows you've had a vision about 19 December, and I'll insist that someone go with Arthur that night," agreed Sirius. "Now, tell me about your plan."
"Hogwarts gave me a list of all of Nut-Job's Horcruxes," Harry said before he listed them all but one. "Now, there's one more that I'll tell you about after I do this."
Harry proceeded to cast the spells that took his godfather's wand and wrapped him in magical ropes. The Animagus looked very unhappy, not about what had been done, but at the severity of the forthcoming news about the final Horcrux. Pointing at his scar, Harry said, "This is some sort of Horcrux that was made accidentally when Voldie-nut killed my mum and tried to kill me."
"Are you sure?"
"It makes sense, and the castle lists my scar with all the others."
Sirius asked about headaches, visions, and parseltongue. Then the Animagus asked, "Does Dumbledore know?"
Harry shrugged but immediately said, "I don't know and don't care. I won't depend on him for anything. Hogwarts is helping me – who needs Dumbledore when you got a thousand-year-old magical castle in your corner?"
"What do you need me to do?"
"Two things – test my Occlumency shields and help me get my hands on a few liters of Holy Water."
"What's Holy Water?" asked Sirius.
CHANGE SCENE && VisionsWhile Sirius kept control of his temper, Dumbledore and the adults in the Order of the Phoenix experienced several pranks that week. When the order met to discuss the schedule for guarding the DoM, Sirius revealed that Harry'd had a vision of a giant viper attacking him on the night of 19 December. Shacklebolt agreed to go with Arthur on guard duty that night.
Molly worried herself sick that night and was only able to calm herself when her husband returned with the Auror after dispatching the viper.
"The Unspeakables gathered up the carcass and disappeared with it before my bosses even knew we were there. We saw Lucius Malfoy fleeing toward the atrium, but he couldn't be caught," Arthur explained.
"We weren't supposed to be there either," the Auror reminded the man.
CHANGE SCENE && OcclumencyThe next evening, trouble began in the Order of the Phoenix. About halfway through the meeting, when Molly's biscuits had run out, Dumbledore sighed and expressed the opinion that Harry's mind was too open through his connection to the Dark Lord.
"The boy already knows terrible secrets and if the Dark Lord hears them through the…connection," the headmaster said, trying to draw his audience in.
Not willing to let the wizard control this conversation, Sirius said, "Go ahead and call it what it is, Dumbledore."
"What do you mean?"
"Harry's figured out that he's Horcrux and you're a bastard for hiding this secret for years."
The members of the Order of the Phoenix were not as supportive of the headmaster as he thought they should be – only Remus really defended Dumbledore. Minerva took sides with Sirius and the Weasleys remained silent. Shacklebolt and the other Aurors were concerned when they heard the word 'Horcrux' but would research the term at the DMLE and DoM rather than in conversation where the headmaster controlled much of the conversation.
"What can be done, Albus?" asked Molly Weasley.
The headmaster shook his head and replied, "I don't know. But we must keep this secret. As the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, I order…insist that everyone keep this secret."
Minerva smiled inside as she thought of Professor Hilliard working on the problem. Emmaline Vance frowned and complained, "Headmaster, I know there's stuff in our library at the DMLE about these things. And the Department of Mysteries will have information. What about the goblins?"
"No!" Dumbledore insisted. "We mustn't talk about this with anyone!"
After he assumed his minions would follow his orders, Dumbledore returned to his original idea. He said, "Now, I think Harry needs to learn Occlumency and I have asked Severus to teach him next term."
"No," Sirius immediately replied. Snape sneered and prepared to launch a diatribe against the Animagus but remained silent when the werewolf castigated Black for arguing with the headmaster.
"Sirius, you've done nothing but doubt the headmaster since Harry got here!" Remus argued. "You know he's got our best interest…Harry's best interest is at the forefront of his thoughts. This is the best course. Severus is an accomplished practitioner of the mind arts."
Undeterred, Sirius asked, "What do you know about Occlumency, Lupin?"
"I never read much about it," Remus replied. "Werewolves don't need it."
"When you are learning Occlumency, you have to trust your teacher more than any person you've ever known. That's why it was so hard for me to learn from…" Sirius stopped and changed his topic. "Harry has some shields in place. Something that's just developed."
"Just developed?" asked Dumbledore, suddenly concerned. "Has the Dark Lord taken control of Harry?"
Molly slammed her hand against the tabletop and shouted, "Shut it, Dumbledore! There's nothing dark or evil in that boy even if you did leave a Horcrux in his scar for the last fourteen years! Harry's vision saved my Arthur just the other night and cost the Dark Lord his familiar. Don't you dare try and make anyone believe that You-Know-Who has control of Harry!"
"There's an easy way to find out," Auror Shacklebolt said. "Bring him down here and let Snape, me, or Dumbledore test his mind."
"But Voldemort might listen in. He might figure out…"
"And if Snape is teaching the boy for weeks and months, Voldemort won't listen in then?" asked Sirius, using the dreaded name to not let Dumbledore grab the power of the word for himself.
In short order, Sirius went above stairs (where no one could see him) and returned with harry. The other children gathered on the stairs and while Ron complained about Harry getting special attention, George, Fred, and Ginny told their brother to shut it. A small plate of biscuits appeared within reach of the three Weasley children, but when Ron made a grab for the plate, it swung out of the way and Ron tumbled down the stairs, bruising his head and posterior.
In the kitchens, Dumbledore explained the problem without looking at Harry, who was not the least concerned by the absence of the twinkling eyes of the headmaster.
"Now Harry, we're worried about your connection to Voldemort through your scar."
Rather than make any comment to correct the headmaster about the 'Horcrux' in his scar, Harry remained silent. This seemed to concern Albus who began talking about respect for his authority and experience.
But finally, Sirius explained, "Dumbledore, I asked Harry to not respond to your disrespectful address or comments tonight. I understand that both Professor McGonagall and Professor Hilliard have spoken forcefully with you about referring to my godson as 'Mr. Potter' on several occasions."
Sighing mournfully, Dumbledore continued with the idea of Professor Snape teaching Harry Potter the mind art of Occlumency. Harry did speak up at that point, "Thank you just the same, but I don't think Professor Snape is someone who should teach me Occlumency."
"Arrogant brat!"
Now it was Sirius who had to restrain his temper, but Harry smiled at his godfather before turning back to Dumbledore and Snape. He taunted Snape saying, "Why don't you try out my shields, Snivelous?"
"You arrogant, snot-nosed brat!" yelled Severus. He leaped to his feet, drew his wand, and shouted, "Legilimens."
The potion professor's spell flew across the kitchen table but then Severus Snape flew backward into the other members of the Order of the Phoenix seated behind him. They quickly righted themselves, but Severus remained limp on the floor.
"What just happened?" asked Remus.
"Snape attacked Harry Potter's mind but got kicked out," explained McGonagall.
Dumbledore demanded, "Harry, what did you do?"
Frowning, Harry said, "I protected my mind. That wasn't a probe of my thoughts. That was a full assault by one wizard on another."
"Are you so out of control that you'll hurt everyone?" inquired Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, no one is supposed to be reading the mind of an underage wizard in the first place," replied Auror Vance while Shacklebolt examined Snape. "Does someone try to read their minds at Hogwarts?"
Vance stepped closer to Dumbledore and Potter facing off across the kitchen table and she asked, "Sirius Black, as Potter's godfather, do I have your permission to skim over his Occlumency shields?"
Sirius glanced at Harry who nodded. The Auror pulled her wand and cast a mild Legilimens often used when questioning several witnesses at one time. Her spell brushed across Harry's outermost defenses and retreated. The Auror turned to Dumbledore and said, "It'd take a team of Aurors to get inside his mind. Ask permission and have a look if you want, but Potter's mind is protected."
But Albus couldn't imagine asking for permission, so he never ventured into Harry's mind that night. He turned his attention to helping get Severus levitated. Auror Shacklebolt insisted that the wizard be taken immediately to Saint Mungo's.
"Nonsense, Poppy will have him on his feet tomorrow," Dumbledore stated.
Now McGonagall interrupted and said, "But Healer Mycroft will immediately send Severus to Saint Mungo's. Poppy is a medi-witch and Mycroft is a healer who doesn't answer to you. Shacklebolt is right. Snape needs to go to Saint Mungo's."
The meeting ended as the various members sleeping elsewhere departed. When Dumbledore wanted to leave the fire in the floo burning, Sirius pulled rank as the homeowner and refused.
"But Sirius what if someone needs shelter in the middle of the night?"
"They can floo to the ministry atrium or Saint Mungo's casualty department. Those floos burn all night."
With some regret, Dumbledore realized he'd lost Molly's instantaneous agreement with any of his statements – the mind healer for her daughter fussed about waiting so long to seek help and Molly blamed herself for listening to Dumbledore in 1993, but also blamed the headmaster for trying to cover up the presence of the Horcrux in the school for an entire year.
CHANGE SCENE && ShoppingAfter breakfast the next morning, while Molly directed her four children to bring their schoolbooks to the kitchen and work on their winter homework while she knitted, Sirius and Harry returned to the hidden floor. There Sirius changed into completely muggle clothes, shaved off his beard and mustache, changed his hair color, and put on large glasses (with plain glass). The glasses were ditched when Harry said they didn't really look like the glasses a muggle man would wear.
"We'll find some in London."
"But how do we get out? Remus is guarding the front door like a watchdog."
"Remus doesn't know everything about this house," Sirius said as he removed all the tracking charms from himself and Harry before moving his onto his wizard's robes and Harry's onto his school trunk. Then he opened a hidden panel in the hallway and removed a huge stack of Pound notes. Descending a narrow back staircase, Sirius led Harry in a narrow tunnel for some distance.
"My family is always prepared for disaster. Dad kept about £100,000 here for emergencies. Our wardrobes are definitely emergencies!" Sirius stated. "Now, this tunnel is actually built into the foundations of a whole row of houses in Grimmauld Place. The Blacks own everything around here. We're underneath a shopping mall right this minute."
Flipping open a door with his wand, Sirius said, "And this is the staircase to freedom."
It was a straight but narrow staircase leading up into a hallway in the shopping mall. There were loos further down the hall and so it didn't look strange for the man and teenager to exit into the crowds shopping for Christmas. First, they found an optometrist shop where Harry got his eyes examined and new glasses in only an hour. Sirius spent the entire time trying on forty pairs of sunglasses and buying ten different pairs.
Then they went for lunch in the food court where Harry reintroduced his godfather to pizza – something Lily had fed the marauders more than once. Fizzy drinks had no appeal to either wizard, so they settled for juice and tea. After the meal, Sirius led Harry from the mall into a high-end clothing store where they shopped for three hours, spent over £5,000, and had a huge number of bags and parcels. Harry managed to pack the clothing into six large bags and once they were out of sight of the store, Sirius shrank them to fit inside the pockets of their new coats. As they headed back toward the mall where they'd find the staircase, Harry stopped at a red box public pay telephone and called Hermione's home telephone number. Sirius watched the boy's face drop just a bit before hanging up the receiver.
"What did she say?"
Harry sighed and replied, "The phone's been disconnected."
"Well, maybe it'll be reconnected tomorrow."
"No, in muggle land, your telephone is always connected to the system. When you move, it gets disconnected."
"I'm sure there's some other explanation. We'll check again, yeah?"
Nodding Harry joined Sirius in the walk back to the mall before the older wizard pulled his godson into one more store – shoes. His godson got plenty of socks in different colors, materials, and thicknesses (wool for the winter at Hogwarts), and then three pairs of trainers and three pairs of boots to wear in the castle with his robes or casual clothing.
Harry grinned ear to ear and thanked Sirius for the best Christmas in his life. His voice was sincere when he revealed, "I've never had a pair of shoes – new shoes – in my whole life."
Wearing a pair of black trainers on his feet, Harry slipped more shrunken packages into his pockets and followed a teary-eyed Sirius back to the stairs and tunnel underneath the row of houses. Once they were back in Harry's room (worn out from climbing all the stairs), Harry asked for a tea tray. The tea appeared with Kreacher delivering it this time.
Glancing at Sirius who was tight-lipped but silent, Kreacher asked if he could put away the purchases. Harry smiled and thanked the elf who set to work unshrinking, removing tags, boxes, and paper before placing sweaters, underclothes, t-shirts, and all the other items in drawers or the closet. Once the elf popped away with the empty tea tray, Sirius confessed, "Harry, I am very sorry that my thoughtless decisions left you with those…with Lily's sister all those years."
"It's the past, Sirius. I'm trying hard to forget it."
"If the Dementors hadn't gotten 'em first, I would be tempted to finish them off."
"But they were Dumbledore's minions too," Harry argued. "They were afraid and didn't want me. He forced them to take me in and keep me."
At supper that evening, Remus smelled all the new clothing, and everyone noticed the change in the appearance of the clean-shaven Sirius Black with his new glasses.
Molly was guarded when she asked, "Sirius, where did you get those glasses? Where did Harry get those clothes?"
"And shoes!" Ron complained. "He's got new shoes too."
Before Sirius or Harry could say anything, Kreacher popped into the room, hacked up a load of phlegm to spit onto Arthur's robes. Then the elf declared, "Sirius Black and his worthless godson needs new clothes. Does youse think a good elf will let worthless master spent a day in stupid muggle store? No, Kreacher buys…must go back and forth fifty times to find something that pleases boy and then five hundred times to find eye spectacles that satisfy worthless master…Kreacher very tired!"
The house elf popped away rather loudly as though he'd been greatly insulted, and Molly hurried to the oven to ensure her dessert for the evening didn't fall – some special cake.
CHANGE SCENE && Holy WaterDespite Sirius's idea to prank the priests in different churches around Kensington, Harry was adamant that they approach the priest in each church and make a donation in exchange for the Holy Water. They were rejected by a couple of men, but in two very nice houses of worship, the priest allowed them to have Holy Water from the baptismal font. Harry explained he needed to banish an evil spirit and each priest asked a lot of questions. One priest provided a reference for professional help with exorcisms.
Sirius read one card and said, "Hey, I went to school with this guy's son. We need to call him."
"Perhaps his nephew," the priest explained. "Father Frank is a devout priest and never married."
"Oops. My mistake," Sirius said as a way of an apology. After Harry had four one-liter bottles of Holy Water, Sirius handed the priest £1,000 and the two wizards made their way out of the church.
Harry snickered at his godfather before hugging him. "That was smooth Padfoot. 'My mistake'? Is that all you could think of to say?"
"Muggle religion is confusing. Do those guys never get married? I don't understand."
CHANGE SCENE && Horcrux Bites the Dust X 2The pair of wizards spoke about destroying the Horcrux in Harry's scar that evening but then Harry suggested they do it in front of witnesses. Curious Sirius asked, "Why? Why in front of witnesses?"
"I don't want Dumbledore to claim it isn't gone."
"Then we should do it in front of him."
"He'll interfere."
Sirius cleared his throat and explained, "Harry, you're going to dispel some of the worse magic ever done by a wizard with a simple bucket of muggle water.
"Cleopatra's book said that the water…"
"Yeah, but how do you know it'll work?"
Aggravated, Harry replied, "There's another Horcrux we can test it on."
"Where?"
"Uh…in your house."
"What? In Grimmauld Place?"
Harry took time to explain how Regulus turned against the Dark Lord and died while retrieving a Horcrux. He added, "Kreacher has tried to destroy the Horcrux for years."
"Kreacher!" commanded Sirius, the magic evident in his voice. The elf popped into the room with the Horcrux on a chain that he held up for Sirius and Harry to see.
"That's the same as the drawing at Hogwarts," Harry confirmed.
"My brother turned away from that charlatan," Sirius said, his voice thick with emotion now. "Regulus. Poor Reggie."
Harry asked the elf to bring a bucket or deep bowl.
"Silver, Kreacher," Sirius ordered. "The silver punch bowl will work."
The bowl was placed on the floor, the locket placed inside and while Harry poured Holy Water from one bottle into the bowl, he hissed, "Open up Tommy! Open up and die!"
Kreacher watched fearfully and Sirius knelt down beside his godson as the Holy Water met the open locket and burned away the evil red eyes that tried to hide inside. There was a scream and smoke, but another part of the Dark Lord's soul crumbled away. When the excitement was over, Kreacher sighed and banished the water. He lifted the locket out of bowl and handed it to Harry.
"Mr. Harry Potters destroyed Mr. Regulus Black's bad locket. Thanks you, Mr. Harry Potter."
CHANGE SCENE && Horcrux Bites the Dust X 2In the kitchen, before time for the next Order of the Phoenix meeting, Sirius announced that Harry had a way to destroy Horcruxes that was fast and easy. Everyone voiced doubt until Harry pulled the locket from his pocket and passed it around. Alastor Moody cast a dozen spells on the locket and then cast them a second time.
"Well, it had something terrible and dark in it just a short time ago," the retired Auror explained. "But whatever it was it's gone now. Almost like it never existed."
"And now Harry's going to do the same ritual to get rid of the Horcrux in his scar."
No!" Remus shouted. "Harry's a kid! He can't perform any ritual. You're magic must be mature before you perform a ritual!"
The werewolf stepped to the floo and frantically called Dumbledore. Alastor Moody nodded and said, "Lupin is correct. The boy is too young."
While a flustered and half-dressed Dumbledore tumbled through the floo, Sirius grinned and admitted, "Maybe I misspoke. Harry destroyed the first Horcrux and it wasn't a magical ritual."
How is this safe?
"Stop! Harry Potter will not be destroying any Horcrux! They have to be studied and we have to…I must decide on the best method of destroying them," Dumbledore stated, attempting to sound wise and all-knowing.
"Bullocks," spit Alastor. "You don't study a Horcrux!"
The formidable Auror moved to stand where his wand was aimed directly at Albus, and he could watch Potter and the headmaster at the same time.
"Go on. Do it," Alastor commanded while Dumbledore tried to order them to stand down, but as soon as the headmaster saw what the boy was going to do, the headmaster relaxed, convinced nothing would come of this bruhaha.
Harry poured water from a plastic liter bottle into three small silver cups. Without any words, incantation, or use of magic, the teenager picked up the first cup and poured it on his scar. The water flowed over his scar, face, and jumper before dripping to the floor.
"Well, we can all settle down…" Dumbledore began to share with everyone, while the teenager poured the second cup over his scar. This time there was smoke and a whistle like steam beginning to burst out of a kettle on the stove. The third cup quickly followed the second and the smoke and scream poured forth for less than five seconds.
Sirius grabbed Harry who grinned and said, "It's gone. The pain and connection are gone!"
"What is that liquid? Where did you get it? I must have Snape analyze this!" Dumbledore exclaimed though few ears heard his words. Harry Potter had just destroyed two of the Dark Lord's terrible artifacts with simple water.
While Remus helped the headmaster to a seat, Sirius explained that his godson had used simple Holy Water, available from any muggle place of worship.
Harry was too happy to try and explain the differences in the different religions the muggles followed – he wasn't too sure of them himself. What he was certain of however was that his head felt much lighter, and the scar was already closing up, healing after thirteen years.
Dumbledore attempted to make much of a new danger and how guards must be increased around Harry Potter for the rest of the holiday. However, Sirius would hear none of that and when Dumbledore attempted to insist, Sirius ordered everyone out of his house by 9:00AM the next morning or he'd invoke the wards. So, on Christmas Eve, the Weasleys went back to the Burrow, Remus returned to the castle, and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix missed out on Christmas dinners Molly had planned to cook.
End Chapter