Harry Potter nervously looked at the goblin in front of him, his heart beating furiously in his chest as he tried to figure out how to answer the goblin's question. Swallowing, he turned his head to look at Sirius. His Godfather didn't appear to be fazed by the question. He wondered how his Godfather did it. Staying calm while a fierce goblin sits across from you. He turned his head back to the goblin and opened his mouth to say something, anything to fix this when Sirius spoke up.
"Are you going to contact the DMLE?" he intoned.
The goblin raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips together as if contemplating this question. "Are you a criminal, Mr. Black?"
"Hardly," Sirius quipped, never breaking eye contact. "I am, in fact, innocent. I didn't kill James and Lily Potter, nor did I kill Peter Pettigrew."
"And yet they threw you in Azkaban…." the goblin said, remembering what happened over a decade ago.
"Without a trial," Sirius answered.
The goblin snarled and narrowed his eyes. Harry tried to scoot further back into his comfortable chair, but met with resistance. He had faced a lot of things in his four years in the Wizarding world, but an irate goblin was something to behold. Harry could place a blind basilisk in the running, though. He would have to ask Hermione about Goblins when they returned to Grimmauld Place. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sirius sitting there calmly.
He was going to ask his godfather how he did it.
"Thus the sneaking around in Diagon Alley to get to Gringotts," the goblin concluded after several minutes of silent swearing. "What can Gringotts do for you, Mr. Black?"
"Well…." Sirius paused, frowning. "I'm sorry we don't know your name."
"Axekill, I am the latest Black Family Account Manager."
"Well, Axekill, there are several things I'd like to do today. I know the Ministry has deemed me a fugitive and criminal, but I want to take the Black ring today, if possible." Sirius said calmly.
"Then we will see what we can do," Axekill said, snapping his fingers. A large ledger and an ornate black wooden box appeared on his desk. Harry sat in a bit of wonder of Goblin magic. Maybe he needed to pay more attention in History of Magic. If he asked Hermione, she would probably find him a book on the subject.
Axekill reached over and waited for Sirius to open the box. Harry scooted closer and peeked inside. Inside the box was a platinum ring encumbered by snakes that wrapped themselves around an oval black agate stone. Harry wondered about the snakes, but remembered that Sirius said most of his family was Slytherin. It made him wonder what his family's ring looked like.
"This ring is the Black family ring. Your grandfather Arcturus died a few years ago, and this ring has been sitting here waiting on you," Axekill explained.
"All this time, I thought I'd been disowned," Sirius whispered, looking at the ring.
"Apparently not," Axekill replied, placing his hands on the ledger.
Harry watched as Sirius rose unsteadily on two feet and reached into the box. Sirius lifted the ring between two fingers, taking a large breath before sliding it on his left pinky finger. Magic swirled around him as the temperature dropped a few degrees. Sirius stood still as he refused to let the magic of his ancestors defeat him. With a shuddering breath, his knees nearly buckled as the magic shimmered away and the room warmed again.
Harry was afraid to move as he watched Sirius sat down shakily and refused to look at anyone for a minute. When he did, Harry could tell something had changed about him, but he couldn't pinpoint what. The young wizard wondered if all Family rituals were like that.
"It seems the Black family magic accepted you as it's newest Head. Congratulations Lord Black," Axekil nodded his head and flipped open the ledger, waiting on instructions from Sirius.
"Ri—right," Sirius sputtered before regaining himself. "First things first, I want an audit on the family vault immediately. Then, I need to make a will making Harry my heir ..."
"Sirius, you don't…," Harry protested.
"I love you, Harry. I should have been there from the start, but I am here now and I am going to do everything I can to protect you, OK? This is step two of my plan," Sirius said with a small plea in his voice. Harry nodded his acceptance and sat back in his chair.
Sirius turned his full attention back to Axekill, "I want to disown Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and his brother. I want to reinstate Andromeda Tonks, her daughter and her husband back into the Black Family. My father should have never kicked Andy out in the first place."
Axekill nodded his head as he wrote furiously, "What of Narcissa Malfoy? Do you wish to disown her as well?"
"You mean Draco is related to you?" Harry asked, aghast as he turned to look at his Godfather in horror.
"You're related to him too, Harry," Sirius said, much to Harry's continuing horror. "Your grandmother, Dorea, was a Black. She married Charlus, your grandfather. They had your dad."
It was hard to keep a straight face at Harry's expression. Sirius turned away from his catatonic son and continued his discussion with Axekill, "Let me think about it. I want to see where Lucius sits these days. I will let you know by the end of the week."
"Very good, Lord Black. Anything else today?" Axekill asked.
Sirius turned to look at him. Harry was back to normal again. The shock of knowing something related him to Malfoy wore off, and he was normal again. Sirius could see a question in Harry's eyes. He was wondering if Harry wanted to speak to his own Account Manager. Harry gave a silent nod to Sirius. "Yes, we need to speak to the Potter Account Manager."
Axekill nodded his head before snapping his fingers. The large door opened as another goblin hurried in carrying several large tomes. Harry watched as the younger goblin struggled with the books before placing them loudly on the desk. Harry looked at Axekill, who was conversing with the younger looking goblin. Turning his head to look at his Godfather, Sirius was busy looking at the signet ring that made him Lord Black, despite the Ministry wanting to capture him.
With another snap of his fingers, a tea set and two plates of finger sandwiches appeared on a small table between Harry and Sirius. Harry's stomach growled as he reached for a ham and mustard sandwich and unceremoniously stuffed it in his mouth. He was ravenous. The two days of light eating were finally taking their toll on him.
As he chewed slowly on the sandwich, Harry fixed his tea with one sugar and a splash of milk. The warmth from the tea seeped through the china and warmed his icy fingers. He was colder than usual because of the lack of food. It wasn't the first time during the hot summers he felt a chill. Taking a small sip of the hot tea, Harry looked to Sirius, who finally realized there was food in front of him.
"Since your former Account Manager lost his head because of the lack of care of the Potter Family, I am asking you if you trust me to handle your account, Mr. Potter?" Axekill inquired, looking over his glasses at Harry.
Wide-eyed, Harry looked at Sirius, who nodded his head at the young wizard. "Yes, that will be fine." He said before taking another bite of his sandwich. He hoped he didn't regret this later.
Axekill nodded his head at the young wizard. Harry watched as the Goblin grabbed the first ledger and opened it up. Harry couldn't see what was written, but the Goblin's eyes narrowed the longer Axekill read. He reached for another sandwich, this time eating slower than his emerald eyes continued to watch the Goblin.
"Mr. Potter," Axekill said, five minutes later, interrupting Harry's eating. "There seems to be some discrepancies with your ledger."
That sentence snapped Sirius from his woolgathering. Harry paused his bite into his sandwich and looked at Axekill expectantly. Lowering the sandwich on the plate, Harry felt uneasiness roll around in his stomach. Axekill flipped a few sheets in the same ledger and scanned over the contents before looking back at Harry.
"It says here that you are supposed to be given a small allowance every month since you stepped foot into Hogwarts. Before that, your relatives were supposed to give it to you. Have you received such monies?"
Harry's eyes widened a fraction before he shook his head vigorously. "I get a small bag filled at the beginning of the year and hope it lasts me for the school year. That's not including my school things. I have never received an allowance from my relatives, ever!"
Harry was of mixed feeling over this information. If his relatives knew Harry received an allowance, they would have taken it and gave it to Dudley. To say the Boy-who-Lived was shocked was an understatement. He whipped his head around to see darkness clouding around Sirius's eyes. He could tell his Godfather was angry.
"Harry," his godfather hissed as he tried to contain his anger. "Does the money bag last you all year?"
"Not always. First and second year the money lasted until April. These past two years, I've run out at the beginning of February."
"Hogsmeade trips?"
"No, I hardly spend money at Hogsmeade unless I need to buy things."
"What about your school uniforms?"
Harry blushed and lowered his head, "I haven't shopped for them since second year."
Harry kept his head lowered. He didn't want to see the anger on Sirius's face, nor the darkening of Axekill's face. It was true that he hadn't shopped for his school supplies since the second year. He was used to going for years with castoffs and wearing clothes that became too short for him wasn't unusual. Plus, he gave Mrs. Weasley his vault key and now he was regretting it. He saw her as an adult who could monitor things like that. It just never occurred to him she would be neglectful towards him.
"Who has your vault key for your trust fund?" Axekill asked, pausing his writing.
Harry lifted his head slowly and looked at Sirius, who placed a comforting hand on his arm. He gave Sirius a weak smile, feeling the small squeeze. "Um, Mrs Weasley has it." The young wizard panicked, seeing the anger on both Axekill's and Sirius's faces.
"I gave it to her because she's an adult. I figured she could keep it safe for me," he confessed softly.
Axekill nodded his head thoughtfully. The young wizard across from him couldn't be faulted for his belief that someone could take care of something important like this for him. An inexperienced youth with no knowledge of his Wizarding roots would see the first magical adult as someone he could trust.
"Have you checked on your balance for your vault lately?" He asked more gently this time. Axekill knew he couldn't be mad at the boy's godfather for this either.
Harry shook his head again. He felt like he was in trouble. When he asked Dumbledore who he could trust with his vault key, the old man quickly offered Mrs. Weasley. Harry, not knowing any better, handed the key off to her.
"They removed five thousand galleons from your vault around Yule. Then another in April. Did you allow Mrs. Weasley to remove funds? Did this money go to you?"
Harry felt panic and slither through him as he sat up in his chair. Anger that rolled around in his gut quickly replaced it. He remembered taking out a hundred galleons for the entire year. Twenty of it had gone missing around February, and Harry chalked it up to overspending at Yule.
"N-no sir, I didn't. I just asked her to hold on to it for me and then asked her again before the term began. I paid for my dress robes, books, and supplies and then gave it back to her for safekeeping."
"Axekill," Sirius drawled, his face darkened with anger. "Do you mean to tell me that the Weaselys have been stealing from Harry and no one has ever noticed this?"
Axekill had the gall to glare at Sirius, which angered Harry. He went to open his mouth, but snapped it shut with one look from his godfather. It was an unusual feeling, having someone care that much for you they would fight your battles. Harry sat there and waited to see what Axekill would do.
Axekill opened the ledger again to the front page and retrieved a small envelope. Unwinding the cord around the button, he flipped it over and a small piece of parchment fell out. Handing it to Sirius, Harry leaned over to read.
I give permission for Mrs. Molly Weasley to use my vault key to make purchases for me while I am at Hogwarts.
Harry Potter
"I did not write that!" Harry exclaimed, leaning back in shock. There wasn't anyway he'd ever sign such a parchment. Snatching it from Sirius's hand, he ignored the cry of agitation and re-read the note. When he got to his name, his eyes widened. It was his signature. Rubbing his finger over the signature, he felt his own magical one. Screwing his face in anger, he tossed the parchment back toward the desk.
Running his fingers through his inky locks, he stood quickly and walked away from the desk. As he paced in front of the unlit fireplace, he thought. How could he have signed something without reading it? Was he that stupid? He grew up in the Muggle world. He knew better than to sign anything without reading it. Uncle Vernon would have his head for this, and for once Harry knew he would deserve it.
Harry never noticed Sirius and Axekill watching him pace back and forth. He could only imagine what his friends were going to say when he explained to them how Mrs. Weasley had access to his vault. Briefly, he stopped for a second and wondered if Ron and Ginny knew about it. Harry frantically thought back over the past few years, hoping to find something that proved Ron and Ginny knew.
Then how come he ran out of money the past couple of years so easily. He remembered having to bum off Hermione for a set of quills when he ran out. She said nothing, but he was sure she wondered why he would have to ask for someone to buy supplies for him when he had a trust fund. Come to think of it, Ron had a surplus of candy from Honeydukes last year.
It was also right before the second task when his money bag dried up. Could Ron have taken the galleons from him without him knowing? Harry was lax with protecting his trunk, letting anyone inside it when he wasn't looking. If he confronted Ron about the missing galleons, Ron would become defensive and say Harry had plenty of money.
Maybe he needed to add a layer of protection this year.
But what about Ginny? She rarely spoke to him but conversed with Hermione. Every time Ginny was near him, she would clam up and blush beet red. It was cute the first few times, but it became old the longer she refused to speak to him. He could ask Hermione if she noticed Ginny acting strange or in possession of money. He couldn't wait to get out of here and ask her.
Finally, his thoughts ran out of steam and he flopped into his chair and looked at Sirius and Axekill. It surprised him they were quietly watching him, without interruption.
"How do we fix this?" Harry asked sullenly.
"First, Mr. Potter, you need to retrieve your vault key from Mrs. Weasley. Keep it on you at all times or give it to your Godfather. While the parchment has your magical signature, we can file this as signed under duress." Harry looked at Axekill in confusion. "That means this contract is void now."
"It means Harry," Sirius spoke up, catching his son's attention. "The paper you apparently signed is not legally valid."
Harry nodded his head slowly. While he wasn't an idiot, it took him a moment to catch on sometimes. It was why Hermione would have been perfect to sit with them.
"What do we do now?" Harry reiterated.
"We do an audit of your accounts over the past thirteen years and see how much money they stole from you. As a representative of Gringotts, we will void any fees and replace what they took from you. You have our sincerest apologies." Axekill informed him. The goblin knew he would have to take this to Ragnok about this. He feared for himself when he informed the Director.
Harry nodded at him again, sitting up in his chair. The ledger stayed open, so Harry figured they were not done. Reaching for his tea, he took a sip, relishing in the warmth it provided. He hoped Hermione and Cassie were having a better day than he was.
"Since the Ministry of Magic considers you a fugitive," Axekill sneered the words. "You are going to have to prove your innocence somehow."
"Yea, I was trying to figure out a way to do that," Sirius replied.
"Might I make a suggestion?" Axekill asked, leaning back into his soft leather chair. At their insistence, Harry smirked as the goblin bared his teeth as if he were smiling. "It would be best if you deliver the memories to the DMLE."
"But can't memories be tampered with in a penesive?" Sirius questioned, setting his teacup down, contemplating.
"They shouldn't be able too unless those memories are false."
"How can they be false?" Harry asked curiously.
"Someone who is powerful enough could use a Memory Charm to either hide or erase a person's memory, then replace it with a fresh memory," Axekill explained to the young wizard.
Harry paled at the implication of Axekill's words. While the Magical world wasn't new to him, finding out something this sinister made his brain hurt. Every day he would learn something new about this world that chipped away the awe of it. Some days he would learn something that made him keep believing in magic and it's uses. Reaching for his cup with shaky hands, it surprised him he didn't spill the contents. He felt cold to the bone and hoped the warmth would help.
He watched as Axekill opened a side desk drawer and removed four pewter lid glass vials. Harry could see a shimmer of magic around the vials, telling him Goblins enchanted them from breaking when dropped. Axekill placed the four vials on the edge of the desk with a quiet thump. The Account Manager leaned back and closed the desk drawer. Harry was curious how they were going to get Sirius memories and place them in the vials.
"Lord Black, do you know how to remove your memories?"
Sirius nodded hesitantly, "I used too. I haven't done it since before they threw in me Azkaban."
The goblin nodded his head and folded his hands in front of him, "If you take a wand and press it against your temple and think clearly of the memory you wish to extract, pull it from your temple and we'll drop them in the vial. We can use them in a penesive."
Sirius nodded his head and patted his pockets, looking for a wand that he no longer possessed. Grinning sheepishly at Axekill and Harry, he opened his mouth to say something when Harry placed his own wand in Sirius's hands. Looking at his godson, he asked a silent question. When Harry nodded back at him, he sighed and pulled the first memory from his mind.
Harry watched in fascination as Sirius placed his holly wand at his godfather's temple. Within seconds, Sirius pulled a silvery strand from the side of Padfoot's head. Quickly, as if the memory strand would disappear, Harry uncorked a vial and handed it to Sirius. With a flick of the holly wand, Sirius dropped the first memory in before handing it back to Harry, who corked it for him and gave him another one.
The process took five minutes to do, and they filled each vial with one memory to help exonerate him for a crime he didn't commit. Padfoot handed the holly wand back to Harry, who pocketed it in his robes. The vials looked eerily enchanting. Each glowing silver against the orangey glow of the wall scones. It amazed him that memories took on that shape and color.
"Now we give these to Remus, who can take them to the Ministry for us. I'm sure he won't have a problem giving them to the DMLE," Sirius said, taking a deep breath.
"What if he has problems?"
Sirius sighed, placing his hands on his thighs, "Then we have a problem. We will have to get someone else to do it."
"Like who?" Harry pressed.
"Not sure. Everyone I know is dead or doesn't trust me," Sirius replied, his silver eyes darkened.
"Before you ask, Mr. Potter, we Goblins cannot take it to the Ministry," Axekill spoke up as Harry turned his head to look at the Goblin.
Nodding dejectedly, Harry hoped that Remus would have a simple time getting into the Ministry and speaking to the head of the DMLE. Whoever it was, he hoped they would listen to reason and watch the memories. Looking at Sirius from the corner of his eye, he hoped they exonerated his Godfather. If not for himself, then for Harry and Cassie.
"Now we need to see the will of James and Lily Potter," Sirius said, eyeing the goblin before him.
Remus Lupin followed the small crowd of teens through Diagon Alley. The weather was nice enough that the Alley was busy during the early lunch hours. He thought nothing could go wrong, but one never knows what the followers of Voldemort would strike. Hoping he was enough to defend the three teens, he kept his senses alert.
After Madam Longbottom left, he pushed the teens to the Alley where Cassie and Neville wanted to run off to spend alone time, but Remus insisted they all stay together. With Voldemort supposedly returning from the abyss, Remus wasn't taking chances now that he knew Cassie was Sirius's daughter. Sirius would have his hide and more if something happened to one of his kids.
With much grumbling as he would allow Cassie to do, he stayed behind and followed the teens in front of him. As they passed Flourish and Blotts, Hermione perked up, eyeing the bookstore. Being a fellow bookworm himself, he suggested the venture into the building. Cassie didn't argue, apparently Hermione's love of reading rubbed off on his niece. He could tell Neville was happy to follow Cassie anywhere as long as he wasn't at Longbottom Hall.
Entering the musty bookstore, Remus heaved a large breath, inhaling the scent of old books before pushing the kids further inside. Before they parted over an hour ago, Sirius gave him a small money bag for the kids to spend. The money bag jingled on his hip each time he moved. He wasn't eager to spend Sirius's money, but he agreed anyway. He knew Sirius would just give Hermione the money, but Remus was the adult.
Shaking his head from his thoughts, he looked around to see the kids abandoned him. He chuckled and wandered around the store, his eyes flicking over titles quickly as he passed. With his sensitive ears he could hear a quiet giggle from Cassie and a soft hum from Hermione as she passed by him, already carrying five books. Sirius would get a kick that most of his money went to books.
Half an hour later, he watched as Hermione stacked eight books on the counter while Cassie and Neville added another four. Raising his eyebrow at the stack of the books, he eyed the brunette witch who had the grace to blush. Turning his head to Mr. Blotts, the half owner, Remus pulled the money bag from his hip and counted out the exact price for the books. Hermione snatched her books and shoved them in her feather light endless bottom bag and headed out the door.
Cassie and Neville followed her, eyeing their friend. Remus wondered if the relationship affected Hermione. He smiled briefly, thinking back to when he first met her and Harry. He thought they were a couple until he asked Harry about it. Exiting Flourish and Blotts, he turned to the teens, who were waiting on him.
"Where to next?" he asked the teens, looking around the alley.
"Can we stop by Madam Malkins?" Cassie asked, twisting her fingers. "I want to see the summer robes."
"We can," Remus agreed, motioning in the shop's direction.
Letting the teens go ahead of him, Remus monitored them. The Alley became busier since they stepped into Flourish and Blotts. As they weaved through the crowd of magicals, the four slipped into the quiet shop of Madam Malkins. The shelves were stocked with different colored fabrics. Racks of pre-made robes hung, tempting young witches to check out the merchandise.
Madam Malkin bustled from the back of the store, seeing her customers. Giving them a smile, she hid her frown from seeing Remus. His werewolf status was well known, and she wondered who would let him be around kids. Shaking herself, she approached them.
"How may I help everyone?"
"I'm looking for a summer robe," Cassie answered for everyone. "I am not sure about everyone else."
Remus wandered off from the teens while they spoke to Madam Malkin. Neville grabbed a pair of dragonhide gloves while Hermione looked at the scarves. A minute later, the doorbell jingled as someone else walked in.
A few minutes later, as Remus was inspecting a set of summer robes, he turned to see Hermione tugging on his arm. Looking at her, he saw the worry etched on her face. Her eyes darted toward the front of the store. Spinning around, he saw the reason. Standing across the room stood Neville and Draco Malfoy at near wand point.
Frowning, the werewolf set the grey dress shirt down and walked over to the two boys, Hermione following close behind him. He stopped before the two boys and looked each of them over. Behind Neville, Cassie stood holding her wrist. His intelligent mind put the story together quickly. Draco must have grabbed Cassie and Neville is defending her.
"Do we have a problem, gentlemen?" Remus asked, moving his head to look at both boys.
"The Squib needs a werewolf to come save him," Draco sneered, his grey eyes never leaving Neville.
Remus arched an eyebrow at the blonde's attitude. Turning to Neville, he could tell the younger boy was fearful of a confrontation. "Neville, what happened?"
"Malfoy came in and saw Cassie standing by the robes alone. I was across the room when he came up to her. I didn't hear what they said, but I watched as Malfoy grabbed her wrist and twisted it then I rushed over here and pushed her aside." Neville explained, but didn't lower his wand.
"Mr. Malfoy, do we need to have the conversation replayed?"
He saw Draco's jaw tighten as the boy grit his teeth and a huff of air expelled from his nose before Draco shook his head vehemently. A second later, Malfoy lowered his wand and sneered at Neville before turning a disgusted face to Remus. Without another word, Malfoy pranced out of Madam Malkins. Neville finally lowered his wand, anger flashing over his youthful face. Apparently, he didn't like it when someone accosted Cassie. Patting Neville on the shoulder, Remus walked over to his niece.
"Let me look at your wrist, please?" he asked gently. She flushed, trying to hide the pain she was in.
Taking her arm gently, he waved his wand, running a diagnostic spell over it. He smiled seeing it wasn't broken, just bruised. "Good news is that it's not broken. It's bruised and will need a better healer than me to take care of it." he paused, letting go of her wrist. "Do you want to tell me what Mr. Malfoy said?"
Cassie shook her head no at him. He wouldn't press the issue, but he would have to bring it up to Sirius later that evening. He knew Sirius would blow his top when he was told. Shaking his head, he figured he would sit down with the new father with a bottle of Ogden's. From the corner of his eye, he saw Neville sneak past him to wind his arm around Cassie's waist.
"Are we ready to go?" Remus asked, looking around the shop and seeing Hermione waiting for them. She was glaring at the front door of the shop, like she was trying to curse Malfoy with her mind.
Everyone nodded, and they approached the front counter with their purchases. Counting out the correct coins, Remus stood back as the teens grabbed their things to head back out into the alley. Before they could fully immerse themselves back into the hum of the alley, a silvery Grim Patronus appeared.
"Remus, I need you lot to come to Gringotts, like right now." Sirius's voice was clear as a bell. Raising an eyebrow as the Patronus disappeared, he turned to his charges who were watching the scene in fascination. The werewolf knew that all three of them knew what a Patronus was courtesy of Harry.
"Shall we go to Gringotts?" he asked them and saw them nod.
"I didn't know Patronus's could do that," Hermione spoke up while the other two nodded.
"Ah, yes, they can. It's a lot safer to send messages. Can't be forged," Remus said, giving them the short version. They would learn about the messages as they leveled up in their Hogwarts years.
Minding their way through the Alley, they could see the pristine white marble bank standing ahead of them like a beacon. A beacon that called to them.
As they passed a tiny shop that sold magical knickknacks right beside Florean's, there was a loud , Remus waved his arms around, trying to gather the three teens close to him. Florean ran out of his shop to wave down customers to hide inside the ice cream shop. Seeing this, Remus hurriedly pushed the teens toward the haphazard building. Debris flew around them as another building exploded.
As he pushed the kids inside, Remus turned around wand ready to fire curses. Seeing four black robed Death Eaters strolling down the Alley. Sickly yellow and blue curses flew from their wands as they continued their path. Ducking behind a table, Remus aimed his wand at the closest Death Eater. Quietly, he cast a Reducto, as the dark red spell flew toward the Death Eater, taking off the arm.
The surrounding screams continued as the three remaining Death Eaters turned their wand toward Remus. The fourth, that had fallen, disappeared in a flash as a portkey was activated. Pushing the chair back as the three Death Eaters came toward him, Remus stood up and fired off two more Reducto's in quick succession before ducking as another sickly yellow color spell flew over his head.
"Confringo!" A Death Eater, clearly female, screeched, aiming her wand above Remus to the entrance canopy.
Rolling to his left, Remus missed the falling debris by inches. Coming to his feet, he ducked again, hearing Crucio aimed at him. Behind him, he heard a round of curses and spells fired off. Turning his head slightly, he saw two Aurors battling the irate Death Eaters. Standing in their dark red robes and black dragonhide boots, Remus waited to see if the Aurors needed help. When the Death Eaters passed him, he snuck around to get behind them.
He knew the Aurors would want at least one alive to interrogate. Raising his wand again, he cast Stupefy on the injured Death Eater. He smirked as the robed terrorist fell to the ground. He didn't have time to gloat when Death Eater number three turned around and saw his comrade on the ground.
Before the Death Eater could revive his comrade, Remus aimed his wand with a sharp jab, "Expelliarmus!" he cried out, cursing softly as the Death Eater deflected the spell.
"Protego!" he called out as another spell came toward him. He sighed in relief when the spell bounced off his shield.
Before he could fire off another curse, the Death Eater in front of him fell to his knees. Remus watched the man fall, but looked up, seeing the two Aurors lowering their wands and coming to inspect the three Death Eaters.
"One got away by portkey," he told one Auror, who nodded his head at him. Remus looked at the man carefully and frowned, thinking he recognized the person. Shaking it off, the werewolf turned around and headed back to Florean's collecting the kids. Stepping over debris, Remus nearly tripped over a large stone.
Stopping in front of the once green door, the werewolf stepped through to see inside the parlor. There were chairs scattered everywhere with several tables overturned. He saw puddles of different colored ice cream on the walls and floor. Inching his way slowly around the puddles of ice cream and pushing chairs away to clear a path, he palmed his wand and cast Lumos.
"Cassie, Neville, Hermione! It's all clear now!" Remus called out, pushing a chair aside as he walked behind the bar.
"Remus!" Hermione shouted from under the floor. "We're in the cellar and no one can open the hatch!"
"Where is it at, Hermione?" Remus yelled loudly through the wooden floor.
"Over by the door frame that leads to the kitchen!" Hermione replied just as loudly.
"Got it. Hang on," Remus said quickly, moving toward the kitchen of the ice cream parlor. Seeing the problem, he flicked his wand, removing the large crate that landed on top of the cellar door. Pocketing his wand, he reached down and grasped the handle. Giving it a healthy jerk, it loosened and Remus opened it up. Using a quick Sticking Charm, he made sure it would stay open. "You're free to go!" he shouted in the dark cellar. A cheer erupted from inside.
A few minutes later, Remus was plowed over by two sobbing girls. Neville was behind them, giving Remus a grim smile. With his lupine senses, he could smell the fear floating from the cellar. He knew the teens were frightened. Giving the girls a tight squeeze, he held them until they ceased sobbing. Releasing them, he looked at Cassie first, then Hermione. Giving them a small, grim smile, he nudged them toward the back door.
Stepping out into the alley behind the stores, Remus nodded his head into a narrower alleyway. "Follow me, please. We have to get to Gringotts."
"What happened Remus?" Cassie asked quietly.
"Four Death Eaters showed up. I took down one before she escaped. I stupefied another one. The two Aurors took the last two down. I don't know who was killed or injured," he reported to the teens. No use lying to them, the Prophet would write about it.
Stepping out in the bright alleyway, Remus led the kids toward Gringotts. People were running around, wands out, trying to help those who were injured or scared. Maneuvering the kids around they crossed the busy street and stopped in front of the white marble building. Two goblins stood there with axes in their hands. Giving them a nod, Remus pushed the kids in front of him as they passed through both doors and stepped into the bright lobby of Gringotts.
A sharply dressed goblin, that stood no higher than Remus's waist, stood waiting on them. The goblin peered up at him over his glasses. Remus opened his mouth to give a goblin greeting when the goblin glared at him.
"Are you Remus Lupin?" the goblin barked.
"I am."
"I am going to ask you a question to verify your identity. What is Lord Black's animagus?"
Remus raised an eyebrow at Sirius's new title, "He's a grim."
"Good. Now these are for you," the goblin said, handing over three small clear vials. Each contained a silvery swirl of a memory. "He wants you to take this to DMLE and make the Director watch them. He would like to have his name cleared before the end of the day."
The werewolf dropped his mouth open and stared at the goblin. Nodding his head dumbly, Remus pocketed the three vials before turning back to the kids. Giving them a grim smile, he knew this task was almost impossible. He was a werewolf tasked to help free his best friend. His support was three teens who hadn't passed their OWLS yet. Gesturing toward the double doors, he turned back to see the goblin standing there watching him.
As they exited Gringotts, Remus stopped and looked around before rubbing his face in his hands. He was going to kill Sirius if they pulled this off. It was like doing a one man prank. He had the tools, but now he needed to accomplish his mission. Pushing out a harsh breath, he looked at the kids. He could see a determination in their eyes that didn't surprise him. Rubbing his hands together, "Now we need a plan."
"A plan?" Cassie asked, looking at him, then at Neville and Hermione, who nodded.
"Yes," Remus answered. "Best laid plan is to walk into the Ministry and ask to talk to Amelia Bones, she's the Director."
"What if she won't see us?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Then we make her see us," Remus explained vaguely.
"We're not doing something illegal or getting us arrested?" the smartest witch asked warily.
Remus hid his smile and shook his head at her, "No, we're not. We're going to demand to see her."
"How?" all three chorused.
"Neville can demand to see her. Not only is Neville the last of the Longbottoms, he's also a Pureblood. She will have to make time or he can make a big stink about it." Remus said confidently as Neville paled.
"I-I'm not sure I can do this, Mr. Lupin," Neville stammered, looking fearful.
"I think you can do it," Remus assured him, giving the nervous boy a smile.
Neville nodded nervously, trying to keep a smile on his face. A tight hand squeeze from Cassie gave him more confidence. Nodding to each of the teens, Remus led them to the brick entrance into the Leaky Cauldron.
Inside it was rather warm, with a small fire going in the gigantic fireplace. Many of the tables were full of wizards and witches on a lunch break. The smell of Butterbeer and beef stew hung in the air as the quartet made their way through. Walking over to the ancient fireplace, Remus saw a small hanging pot fill with Floor powder.
"Everyone has used Floo travel, yes?" He asked, seeing them nod. "Right. You need to say 'Ministry of Magic Atrium'. I will go first," he said, grabbing a handful of floo powder and stepping into the now unlit fireplace.
Clearly stating where he wanted to go, Remus dropped the powder and disappeared into a flash of bright green flames. Closing his eyes, he moved from fireplace to fireplace until he stumbled out into the Ministry Atrium. Brushing the soot off him, he waited patiently for the three teens to arrive.
Once they arrived, stumbling and coughing, Remus waved his wand to clean them before looking around the inside of the atrium. The place was crowded and teeming with magicals traveling to and from. Fireplaces roared with bright green flames, letting more people enter the Atrium.
For the three teens it was fascinating to watch the other magicals moving about. They walked down a long black brick tunnel that opened up to a cavern of sorts filled with buildings brightly lit as people worked. In the middle of the Atrium was a massive golden statue of different species of magicals, including a house-elf, goblin, centaur and a wizard. Further on, they could see an enormous statue of what could be a depiction of Merlin.
A project banner showed Cornelius Fudge representing the Ministry. A swarm of something flew above their heads. As Remus led the teens to the lifts, they pushed past a large gathering of incoming Aurors.
Ushering the teens into the lifts, after checking their wands, five others and a goblin joined them. Telling the young man they needed to go level two. The doors closed, and the lift moved. Down the lift went as they descended into the bowels of the ministry.
With a sharp ding, the lift came to a halt on level two. Aurors swarmed the largest department, moving back and forth from offices to desks. Making sure the teens stayed with him, they kept on until they found the office of the head of the department.
A witch in her mid-twenties sat behind a desk, biting into a sandwich, when they stepped inside. Placing her sandwich down, she glared at them. Remus gave her a genial smile as he placed his hands behind his back.
"Can I help you?" she asked with a fake politeness that always irritated the wolf.
"We need to speak with Amelia Bones," Remus spoke up, casting his eye toward Neville. The poor boy was pale, but holding steady.
"I'm sorry, sir, but Madam Bones is busy right now. You'll have to make an appointment."
"Excuse me," Neville piped up. "We need to speak with Director Bones."
The girl looked him over with disdain, "And she is busy."
Neville, now annoyed, pushed past Hermione and Cassie to stand in front of the secretary. Placing his hands on the desk, he peered at her. "You tell Director Bones that Neville Longbottom is here to see her and it's an emergency."
"Scion Longbottom, my mistake," the girl gasped quietly. "I'll see what she says." The witch toppled the chair over, standing up too quickly. Rushing from their sight, she knocked, then entered the office.
"Merlin, that was hot," Remus overheard Cassie exclaimed. It startled him as his niece pulled Neville into a serious kiss.
Giving an amused look at Hermione, who shook her head at her friend's antics, they waited for several minutes before the door opened again to reveal the secretary. "She says you can come in."
Giving her a warm smile, Remus ushered the teens into the room. Inside the office was spartan with two chairs, a large bookshelf and a smaller sized desk stacked with parchment and folders. Behind the desk sat a middle-aged witch with blonde hair. She was wearing robes similar to Aurors and wore a monocle. She marred her features as she scowled at them. Remus could tell they had interrupted her day, but he found he couldn't care less if he did.
"Take a seat, please," Amelia said, flicking her wand and three more chairs appeared.
Everyone took a seat and with a quiet knock, the secretary came back in carrying a tea service tray. Remus perked up, smelling the tea. When the cups were handed out and everyone had taken their first sip, Remus watched Amelia squirm a little in her chair. She must hate necessities.
"So Miranda said the meeting was an emergency. Care to explain?" she narrowed her eyes at them.
Remus cleared his throat, showing he would take the lead on the conversation. Hearing this story from an adult seemed far more believable than three teens telling it. Setting his tea down, Remus slipped his hand into the pocket of his robes and fingered the vials of Sirius's memories.
"Madam Bones, I know you're a very busy person, but I have something here that could help one of your cases." Remus began, catching the Director's attention. Pulling the vials out, he gently placed them on her desk in front of her. He saw the hungry look in her eyes like she found a tasty prey.
"In these vials are memories of one of your convicts," he said, leaning back into the uncomfortable chair.
"Which one?" she demanded, her voice never rising.
"Sirius Black."
He winced when she whipped her head up to look at him with incredulous eyes. She was slack jaw, but he could detect a hint of determination in them. "You know where he is?"
Remus nodded his head at her, "I do and no, I will not tell you where he is. I couldn't even if I tried."
"Fidelis, I suppose?"
He nodded once again.
"Did he tell you what's in these?"
"He did not. He asked us to bring them to you."
Amelia nodded her head shortly and turned to rummage through a normally locked drawer and pulled out a stone basin. Setting on her desk, she flicked her wand and a stack of folders moved to the floor. She couldn't remember the last time she saw her desk. Reaching for one vial, she kept her eye on her guests. Pouring one in, she looked at the group, "Are you following?"
"I think this is for your eyes," Remus replied for everyone. Taking a breath, Amelia Bones poked her finger into the silvery substances and disappeared.
Five minutes later, Amelia was thrown out of the memory. Tears streaked her face as she held her hand over her mouth. It looked as if she screamed during the few minutes she was in Sirius's memory. Grabbing her wand, she removed the first memory, placing it lovingly back into the vial before taking the next one and pouring it in.
When she finished several minutes later, Amelia was sitting behind her desk and wishing she could pull out her bottle of Ogden's. To think that Sirius Black didn't have a trial and sent to Azkaban without a trial! Looking across at the quartet, she saw a hint of smugness from all four of them. That irritated her. They knew that Sirius Black was innocent the entire time. She would have to double check to make sure that he didn't receive a trial first.
Pressing a button on the desk, it sent a buzzer to Miranda. When the door opened a minute later, she gave the younger witch a smile, "Please run down and see if Sirius Black received a trial." Miranda nodded and disappeared.
Holding her hand up to stop the imminent protesting, "This is part of my job. I know you have evidence with you and it's quite welcomed, but I need to make sure that he didn't have a trial before I take this to Fudge."
Ten minutes later, the door opened revealing a harried Miranda. As she walked into the room, she carried a file and placed it on Amelia's desk. Giving her a nod of thanks, Amelia waited until Miranda left. Opening the file, she gasped, seeing the initial crime scene report and nothing else. Flipping the parchment over, she frowned, seeing what was written.
The Auror on duty reported that Sirius Black kept repeating, 'It's my fault. It's my fault.' but never gave the man an interrogation or a trial. She could see the harm that it would do to Fudge's reputation if word got out that a Pureblood was sent to Azkaban without a trial.
"I'm not sure what you want me to do here," she began slowly, eyeing the quartet.
"Sirius wants his name cleared. He knows he is innocent and would like everyone else to know that he didn't kill James and Lily Potter," Remus replied, scratching under his eye.
"We can take this to Fudge, but I don't know what he will be like?" Amelia sighed, frowning again. "Give me half an hour and I will check back with you." she said, getting up from her chair and slipping the vials into her robes. Shrinking the penesive a second later, she strode from the office, hoping to set Sirius Black free.
Over half an hour later, Amelia walked back into her office grinning. She accomplished something this year. In her hands was the signed pardon from Fudge. Tucked under her arm was a long box that contained Sirius's wand. He would need it now. She just hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid. Once she showed him the memories and all her evidence, he was quick to say it would ruin him, but skillfully she placed the blame on the former administration and that Fudge would look good to do this for Sirius Black. Good press was his addiction, so he signed it.
Giving the file to Remus a minute later, she smirked as the quartet left her office in a hurry. Sitting back in her chair, she took a moment to celebrate. Tonight she would have a drink for James and Lily, who died bravely protecting their son. It crossed her mind that Harry Potter wasn't with them, but the Director didn't know of his summer plans or if he was part of this.
After a few moments, Amelia Bones sighed and spun her chair around and picked up another file. There was still more work to be done.