As sleet started to fall during the first week of December, Bronach found her time spent helping to build a shed that would shelter the horses. When she'd approached Gimli quietly about teaching her enough silversmithing to make her betrothal rings, the dwarf had smiled warmly at her and outright refused, informing her that if she thought he was going to pass up the chance to work his craft she was sorely mistaken.
Given that she still had a fair bit of work left to manage on the entire group's Yule Ball outfits, as well as her own, Bronach gladly left him to it with only a few regrets, sitting with him that evening to describe what she had in mind while she frantically embroidered. She'd been working on the garments once she had finished with their dress uniforms, and thankfully most of the construction was done, but the embroidery remained. If she kept up the pace, she'd just manage to have everything done in time, but it was cutting it somewhat close.
She also had to finish the project Thorin had set for each of them, which had meant plenty of time at the forge and consultations with just about everyone as to what the Yule Ball outfits would look like. At least with the weather turning poorly, they had more of their "lessons" inside, and Bilbo didn't mind if she worked during them.
Her younger self came down every few days to visit, sometimes with Hermione, sometimes with Ginny. From what Bronach managed to pick up, both from any of their visitors or from meals in the castle, Ron had managed to pull off a halfway decent apology the day after the First Task, though none of the girls had yet brought him down to the campsite. Something twisted inside Bronach at that: she had been very fond of Ron, her brother in all but blood, but Ron in the throes of puberty had been a nightmare to be around. She much preferred her memory of Ron as her Hermione's husband, Rose and Hugo's father, and George's shop assistant than she did of the current fourteen year old mess of hormones and jealousy.
Hermione was clearly bound and determined on her House Elf crusade, but thankfully she was at least listening to Kreacher, and S.P.E.W. seemed off to a far better start than it had in her memory. And if the hats made an appearance next year, Bronach was certain they'd look less like wooly bladders, since Hermione's visits to the campsite often turned into craft lessons, and Bronach had already decided that the girl's Christmas gift would be a lovely set of knitting needles and some excellent wool, given how quickly she was picking up the knitting Bronach and Bilbo were teaching her.
To her surprise, Luna was forging a much better bond with Hermione than the two had started out with during Bronach's memories, likely because Bilbo, Fili, and Kili often acted as a buffer, giving Luna's flights of fancy due consideration, forcing Hermione to come at things like nargles from a different direction. Bronach wasn't certain, but she suspected someone was waging war on Ravenclaw House, considering that Luna had only shown up to the campsite once or twice in awful weather while missing necessary garments. Who it was, Bronach didn't particularly care, knowing that any of their group might have the motive, and depending on the timing, the opportunity. She'd caught Legolas scaling the castle walls one morning just for fun, and suspected that the others were sufficiently skilled in stealth and whatever else they needed to enforce their anti-bullying ways.
Bronach reminded herself to drop a note to Professor Flitwick, not wanting the bullying to resume after they left. He'd been very impressed by her illusions, seeking her out one night after dinner to discuss them and ask for a few more demonstrations. She'd obliged, whimsically filling the Entrance Hall with scenes from her memories: Minas Tirith at dawn, the terrifying shadows of Carn Dum, the view from atop the monolithic statues of High King's Crossing, the depths of Fangorn…
He'd been highly impressed with her skills and asked if she'd sit in on one of his NEWT classes in January to give a demonstration, and she agreed. Mostly, they were waiting until just before the Third Task so she could collect all the horcruxes in a fell swoop and destroy them in the Little Hangleton graveyard before slipping a knife between Riddle's ribs. And, of course, developing a ritual that would remove a horcrux from a living being without harming the individual. In the meantime, there were letters to be written to certain individuals in the Ministry, unfortunate discoveries by the DMLE to engineer, and half a hundred other small things that she intended to set in motion so that by the time her younger self took her NEWTs, the political landscape of the British Wizarding World would be changing with all the dominoes she'd started tipping.
Plus there was Moody to monitor and contain. Once Hermione had reported that Winky was in residence, Bronach had visited the distraught elf and bound her to the Black Family, as a replacement for Kreacher, who she'd verified on their first day was not in Grimmauld as he should have been in 1994. Sirius would do much better with Winky, who was already far more stable bound to the family, and she'd make sure that she explained exactly how the house elf had come to the Black Family and why it was critical that he not dismiss her.
For the moment, Winky was dutifully shadowing her former master and ensuring that any mischief he attempted was contained. Bronach suspected he would be frustrated by his lack of access to her younger self, but wasn't willing to risk what he might do to ensure that she made it to the cup.
Her sewing, planning with Kreacher for the midwinter and Yule festivities, and overall plotting took up most of the month; before she knew it, her younger self, Hermione, and Ginny were traipsing down to the camp with the news of the Yule Ball.
"It makes sense," Bronach said from the corner where she'd hoarded all of her favorite cushions and the best light in the main room of the tent. She had miles of hemming to do, and while it could be done magically, the magic she intended to put into the hem was best achieved when done by hand. And that wasn't counting the dress she was making for midwinter, which she had realized a few days before that she might possibly want and therefore had to send Kreacher rummaging through her stores for fabric while she frantically plotted what she wanted the dress to look like and what she could achieve in the limited time available. "With all of us visitors present, they have to do something over the winter holidays."
"Oh yeah," Ginny said, looking thoughtful. "You can't go home, right?"
"Not until the end of the year," Legolas said, the note of melancholy she always associated with his sea-longing in his voice.
"Do you wish to sing for us?" Bronach asked him, knowing that songs of the far shores oft settled his spirit when he was agitated.
He smiled softly, and reached for his lute, which had been left in the main room from the night before. Resting back into a cushion, he picked out a familiar tune, but didn't pick up the lyrics where she knew they belonged. Seeing as he was content with that, Bronach left him to it, listening to the girls talk about the impending ball and try to sort out a date for her younger self.
To her surprise, Hermione came to find her early Saturday morning.
"I have a date to the Yule Ball and I can't tell anyone," she blurted out miserably as she dropped down onto a cushion next to Bronach.
At Bronach's startled glance, she clarified, waving a hand despondently as she accepted the cup of tea Kreacher passed her from the pot that was warming on the stove. "I mean, I can't tell any of the girls in school because they'll get mad at me. So would most of the boys, to be honest," Hermione tacked on wryly as an afterthought.
"But you think I won't be upset by your date, which is why you came to see me," Bronach clarified, rethreading her needle. "So, who is it?"
"Viktor Krum," Hermione half-mumbled into her teacup, glancing about the main room of the tent to be sure that none of the others were present. Bronach had a vague recollection of most of them saying they had things to work on at the forge, or were intending to muck out the stable and take the horses out for a run, leaving just her and Kreacher present.
"Oh?" Bronach said as she started a fresh line of stitches. "The Durmstrang Champion?"
"And a famous Quidditch player," Hermione said, with only a slight wrinkle of her nose. "But that's all they're going to care about."
"Did he say why he asked you?" Hermione had never told her before, not really, because it had been clear that Ron wouldn't stand for any conversation about him and Bronach had been awkwardly attempting to keep the peace.
"Because I don't fawn all over him like the other girls, and he said that he's seen me studying in the library so I must be intelligent," Hermione said, biting her lip. "Apparently he's rather fond of charmswork, but he didn't get a chance to show it during the task. We were talking for a few minutes in the library because I was in the Charms section, but then his fanclub came in and…"
"Well, I see why you're concerned," Bronach hummed, wondering how she could help her friend. She vividly remembered the snide comments of the entire school, let alone the cursed mail that Hermione had received after Skeeter's drivel. "You could always say no."
Hermione nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "I thought about it all afternoon," she confessed softly. "But...he sees me for me, not just the swot who has all the answers. He came and asked me and it seems as if he can have a conversation about something other than Quidditch, and it's my first dance and I just want...I just…"
"You want to spend it with someone who might like you, having fun, not with someone who asked you because you're female and breathing," Bronach said, feeling a pang of sadness. She remembered how awful the distance between Ron and Hermione had been, but had never considered how isolated Hermione must have felt, having chosen to chance a good experience at the Yule Ball and received that and all the negative attention that came with dating someone famous. Even though Bronach knew that she might be very happy with Ron later in life, she suspected that fifteen-year-old Hermione couldn't foresee that future with anyone right now.
And Bronach was mature enough now to admit that she hadn't been there for Hermione, trying awkwardly to bridge the gap between her two friends without compromising her recently restored friendship with Ron.
"Yeah," Hermione agreed, sounding wistful. "But they're not going to understand that. They're just going to think I jinxed him or something."
"Best not open anything if you don't recognize the sender," she advised, lifting her eyes from her hemming. "If there's pictures in any publication, the fan girls are going to be very toxic, and you don't need to read that. You're both students and all that's happening is that he asked you to be his date to a dance. If you hit it off there might be more, but if you find that it's not as interesting as either of you thought you can walk away without any penalty."
"Ginny's going to want his autograph," Hermione said, clearly changing the subject. Bronach let her; this was something that she couldn't really help with, only be here for the girl. "It's going to be so awkward."
"Tell her that if she wants it, she can ask him herself."
A chuckle escaped Hermione, and she looked a bit calmer. "She definitely would," the girl agreed, finishing her tea. "I better go up to dinner, she and Harry will be looking for me." Rising, she reached for her cloak, which she'd hung on the coatrack by the tent entrance. "Thanks for the tea, and for listening."
"Always," Bronach offered, knowing that she was absolutely going to skip dinner that night and work on her midwinter dress. "Let me know if there's anything I can do."
"Hey Hermione," Kili said as he bounded in, a cloth-wrapped parcel in his hands. "Leaving already?"
"I've got to get to dinner," Hermione said. "Are you guys eating here tonight?"
"Oh no," Kili said vigorously. "Kreacher's in a tizzy preparing for midwinter and Yule. We're trying to give him as much space as possible. Hey, speaking of midwinter, has anyone told you you're invited yet?"
"Not yet," Hermione looked surprised, glancing between the both of them. "You celebrate at Midwinter?"
"The tree-sha...Legolas, Glorfindel, Elladan, and Elrohir," he said, catching himself just in time at Bronach's warning glance, "celebrate at Midwinter. Thorin, Fili, Gimli, and I celebrate at Yule. I'm not sure about Bilbo and Bronach though?"
"Bilbo probably celebrates both, though he grew up celebrating at midwinter though it was called Yule," Bronach said, remembering a number of conversations with the hobbit members of the Fellowship. "I celebrate whatever the people around me are celebrating."
"It just means more holidays," Kili assured Hermione, who looked fascinated. "Technically, we celebrate Yule starting on Midwinter, but it's a full five days of celebration, not just one. You're invited for all of them, you and all your friends, but especially for Midwinter."
"The twenty-first," Bronach clarified.
"Yeah, that day," Kili said. "Sundown, Bronach?"
"That's when we'll start," she said slowly, seeing what he was doing. Somehow, Kili had been delegated to ensure all of her Hogwarts friends and family made it to her betrothal. It made her heart warm.
"Should we wear anything special?" Hermione asked.
"Something nice, but not too nice," Bronach answered. "We'll be outside, so warm, but we'll have a big fire going outside and there will be some environmental charms laid down so you don't need to worry. Plus we can always come inside if it gets too cold."
There were also warming charms, but she doubted Hermione or her younger self would be so comfortable with the idea of magic to remember that they were present.
"I'll let Harry and Ginny know, and have Ginny tell Luna," Hermione promised, darting out of the tent. Kili came over, passing her the cloth-wrapped package with a grin.
"How will these work?" he asked, before she could say anything, and Bronach set down her needle to accept it.
Unwrapping it, she found a pair of delicately wrought clasps. "These will be perfect," she said, nodding briskly. "We're presenting on Midwinter morn, right?"
"Yeah," Kili said, rewrapping the clasps. "I've got more to make, so I can't stay and chat, but if you like these I'll just follow the same style for the rest!" He bustled out of the tent, presumably to go back to the forge until someone dragged him out of it to attend dinner, and Bronach put the final few stitches in the hem she was sewing before packing her things up and retreating to her room to frantically work on her midwinter dress.
Hermione and Ginny convinced Harry to come with them to the second Hogsmeade visit of the year, since she'd skipped the first one, so she reluctantly donned her cloak and met them in the Entrance Hall after breakfast. To her surprise, Luna was also there, dressed warmly and with all the right layers on for once. Ron slouched behind her, looking anxiously around to make sure there was no sign of Fleur after the disaster that was his attempt to ask her to the Yule Ball the day before. Harry was glad he'd agreed to go with her since she'd quickly run out of options, but he very much seemed unenthused by the prospect, and they were still in rocky waters after the way he'd reacted to her being entered in the Tournament.
"Come on," Ginny said, heading for the door. "If we don't hurry, it's going to take forever for the carriages to make the loop, and we'll miss half the day."
Outside, a line of the black carriages Harry remembered from the start and end of every year waited, festively bedecked with wreaths and holly and looking very polished. There were a fair number of students milling about, but what caught her eye was a group arriving from the direction of the Tham Angol camp.
"Good morning!" Kili said, bounding through the snow. "Are you going down to the village too?"
Seeing Ron scowl and open his mouth, Harry cut in quickly: "Yeah, a bit of last minute shopping," she said, which was true. She'd decided to get small gifts for the Tham Angol delegation, and she still needed to pick up one or two. "Are you guys going?"
"We thought we'd take a day off and see the village," Glorfindel said as he followed more sedately. "I don't think I know your friend?"
"Ron, this is Headmaster nos Mallos of Tham Angol," Harry hurried to say, turning to Ron. She'd been given leave to call every member of Tham Angol by their given names, but she wasn't certain if Ron was allowed to or not. "Headmaster, this is Ron, one of Ginny's brothers."
"A pleasure to meet you," Glorfindel said with a smile. "Shall we share carriages? I believe they seat six, and there are enough of us for three?"
"Sure," Hermione said with a smile. "I've had a question for you but keep forgetting to ask it."
"Let's organize this!" Bilbo said as he came up alongside them. "Everyone choose their buddy!"
The Tham Angol group separated out slightly as Bilbo counted them off. "Fili, with Kili of course, Legolas and Gimli, twins, together or separate today?"
"All three of us today Bilbo," Elladan said, gesturing to his brother and Bronach. "We've got a few errands to run."
"I've got to see a man about a dog," Bronach said dryly, causing the Tham Angol group to chuckle, but Harry startled slightly. She knew Sirius was somewhere in Hogsmeade, but were the Tham Angol group aware? Would they turn him into the Ministry? Worried, she nearly missed Glorfindel announcing that he'd keep an eye on the three of them before Thorin placed himself firmly at Bilbo's side.
"Well, now that we've got that sorted, seating arrangements," Bilbo said as a carriage rolled up to them. "First carriage…"
"Us!" Fili and Kili chimed, opening the door.
"And us," their uncle rumbled warningly.
"Perhaps Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood would join us?" Bilbo said with a smile, and Ginny snickered as Kili bowed dramatically before helping her into the carriage. Luna, unbothered, let Fili hand her up before he followed her inside.
As the carriage rolled away, Legolas stepped up to meet the next one. "Perhaps Miss Potter and her friend wouldn't mind sharing with Gimli and I?" he said, opening its door.
"Sure," Harry said, grateful for the escape. Legolas and Gimli were the two more relaxed of the Tham Angol group, and unlike to irritate Ron. She suspected he still was angry at Fili and Kili for running interference after the First Task, and while she wasn't certain what his issue with any of the others might be, it was probably best to put him with the most reasonable members of the delegation.
Anything Ron might have said was quickly forgotten at the sound of French in the distance; he nearly dove into the carriage, leaving Harry to follow quickly. Legolas handed her up into the carriage, and then Gimli followed, while Legolas climbed in and shut the door.
Thankfully it was an uneventful ride, and they were soon down in the village. Fili and Kili were clearly planning on hitting up Zonkos, with their uncle and Bilbo following closely at their heels. Ginny and Luna were waiting for them, so after giving Legolas directions to the Three Broomsticks, Harry waited for Hermione to arrive, with Ron shifting uneasily next to her.
Glorfindel handed her down, and she waved goodbye to him as she walked over. "They've invited us to lunch at a place in town that Bronach has heard of," Hermione said distractedly. "She told me to meet her by Tomes and Scrolls around noon and we'll find it together."
"Ginny, you wanted to go to Spintwitches, right?" Harry said, knowing that there had to be more about the ride that had Hermione distracted, but also knowing that it wasn't worth pressing her friend. "Why don't we start there and see where we go once you're done?"
Wisely, they chose to hit Tomes and Scrolls right before lunch, so they had a good reason to drag Hermione out, but the other girl managed to get a quiet word with Ron and Harry in the depths of the Divination section where only the dusty books might hear.
"They know about Snuffles," Hermione muttered, pretending to browse the shelf of sad-looking astrology books.
"What?" Harry managed to keep her voice down, but only barely. "How?"
"I don't know, but they're not going to turn him in, so he's probably safe," Hermione bit her lip. "I trust them."
Thinking about it for a moment, Harry nodded. "So why did they tell you?"
"I guess I reacted when they mentioned looking for a big, black Newfoundled," Hermione admitted, blushing a bit. "They told me they knew he was innocent, and they just wanted to talk to him briefly. Bronach didn't say what about, but she promised they weren't going to turn him in."
Unease roiled in Harry's gut, but the entirety of Tham Angol had been nothing but honest and helpful to her. And if they knew about Sirius, then there was nothing stopping them from turning him in before this, without even telling Hermione about it. "So they're going to go find him?"
"Bronach thinks she knows where he's been hiding," Hermione said. "They're going after lunch, and we can come if we want."
"What about them?" Ron said, shoving his hands deeper in his pockets as he nodded towards the magazine section, where Ginny and Luna were loudly mocking something they had found.
"I don't know," Hermione whispered. "Do you...do you think we could tell them?"
Harry shrugged helplessly. She liked Ginny, and was coming to like Luna, but she didn't know if they'd believe Sirius, or if they'd just end up in more trouble. "Does anyone know if someone at Tham Angol knows how to use Lockheart's favorite spell?"
Hermione looked taken aback for a moment, and then bit her lip again. "I don't like it, but if we have to…"
The bell above the door jingled, and Glorfindel strode in, looking about in appreciation at the shelves crammed full of books. He spoke briefly with Luna and Ginny before looking around for Hermione.
"C'mon," Harry said, still not sure what her decision was, but knowing they were out of time. "We can come back later." She had nearly all of her shopping done, but just needed to find something for Thorin, who was awful to think of gifts for. Maybe she'd ask Hermione, but only if she hadn't thought of anything before they had to think about heading back.
They ate at a quiet restaurant a few streets back from the main street that Harry hadn't known existed. The hostess seemed to be expecting them, and showed them to a large table that seated all of them comfortably.
"I hope you don't mind, but we ordered a variety of dishes for a serve-yourself type of meal," Bronach said as they sat down. "It seemed easiest with such a large group."
"How come we didn't know this existed?" Ginny said, looking around with wide eyes. There were one or two tables that seemed to be seventh years, but the other patrons seemed to be adults or families with kids too young for Hogwarts.
"It's less of a student haunt and more of a place where the families who live in the village go to," Bronach explained as the table began filling with platters and serving dishes. "I know the tradition is to go to the Three Broomsticks, but it's usually too crowded for a group our size on a student visit from what I hear."
There was an attempt at conversation over the meal, but they were all too busy eating to make much of it. When they'd finished, Glorfindel settled their bill as Bronach shepherded the rest of them outside, managing to fall in with Harry as she did so.
"Are you going to tell them?" she murmured under the clatter of the bell above the door as they left.
"What if they don't believe us?" Harry mumbled, glancing at Ginny and Luna.
"They will," Bronach said, seeming well assured. "But if not, we'll have them take a vow."
"Not obliviate?"
"A vow is more secure," Bronach said as Glorfindel exited. "Obliviations can possibly be undone, if you've a good enough healer and motive to do so."
Briefly Harry wondered what that meant for Lockheart, but Bronach caught her attention again: "Are they coming with us?"
She looked at where Ginny and Luna were talking with Hermione a meter or two away, with Ron slouching moodily in the background. "Yeah, if you think they can be kept from telling."
Bronach nodded once, and then swept up their entire group, proclaiming that she wanted a bit of a walk after all that food. The others went along easily, and Harry lagged at the back, feeling worried, but also excited about seeing Sirius again. They hadn't had much time to talk when he broke in to use some random couple's fireplace, but maybe they could get a bit of time now…
She vaguely paid attention as Bronach led them up a trail on the outskirts of town, talking vaguely about how she'd read about it, which made all of them roll their eyes, having heard that far too frequently in the first few years of their friendship with Hermione. There was snow on the ground, but Bronach had gestured at all of their feet as they left the main road, and Harry was surprised to see that they left no footprints.
"So nobody can follow us," Elladan said quietly, falling back to walk alongside her. "Just in case someone wonders why a pack of students decided to come out here in December."
Nodding, Harry watched as they rounded a turn only to come face to face with a large black dog. It slunk back warily as she watched, ears back and tail low.
"Snuffles, it's me," Harry said, when nobody seemed to be willing to do anything. "It's okay, we're among friends."
He eyed her doubtfully, and retreated back into a cave in the rockface. With a shrug she followed, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cave.
To her surprise, Buckbeak was there, watching them warily, and Harry hurried to bow, noticing a mess of newspapers and rodent bones shoved in a corner. Guiltily, she thought of the lunch she'd just eaten, and the dinner that would be waiting for her at Hogwarts, and resolved to see if Dobby couldn't help her get food to Sirius. Or Kreacher, if Bronach agreed.
When she straightened, Sirius was standing, human again, in the shadows of the cave, watching their entire group warily. Harry realized that the Tham Angol group was waiting behind the Hogwarts group, and she realized that Bronach was specifically behind Ginny and Luna, ready to grab them if things went badly.
"You're Mr. Boardman, aren't you?" Luna said, blinking owlishly after she'd bowed to Buckbeak. "Lead singer for the Hobgoblins?"
Sirius barked out a startled laugh. "No...that's not me."
"You're Sirius Black," Ginny said, almost as pale as she had been in the Chamber, her wand out and pointing at him. "You're Sirius Black...and none of them are acting like this is strange," she finished, glancing at Hermione and Ron.
"He didn't betray my parents," Harry said, hearing her voice crack. "It was Pettigrew."
"He was Scabbers," Hermione said helpfully, and Harry almost laughed as Ginny grimaced in exactly the same way that Ron had when he had found out.
"That's so gross," Ginny gasped, looking disgusted. "I knew that rat was awful, but that's just weird."
"Tell me about it," Ron grumbled.
"Animagi?" Luna said, tilting her head to look at Sirius.
"Guilty," he admitted, shoulders lowering slightly now that Ginny's wand had lowered. "Peter's a rat, I'm a dog, and James...James was a stag."
"Only because they were trying to help Professor Lupin," Hermione chipped in helpfully. "Werewolves can't hurt animals."
"Huh," Ginny said, sizing up Sirius. "That makes a lot of sense, now that I think about it. Mum always said that it was so strange, you turning on the Potters like that, but she said it happened enough during the war that it was believable."
"We swapped Secret Keepers because I thought I was too obvious, only we were wrong," Sirius said, looking pained. "But what brings you up here? And who are they?" He nodded towards the Tham Angol group, who had remained quiet and still.
"We're about half of the Tham Angol delegation," Bronach said, her voice calm and disinterested. Harry glanced back at her, wondering why she sounded off, though suspecting nobody else noticed. "I heard about your innocence and that you were in the area."
"Did Albus send you?" Sirius asked curiously. "He's the one who suggested the caves."
"The Headmaster doesn't know we're here, and we'd prefer he not find out," Bronach said, her voice steely. "Let me introduce myself. I am called Bronach nos Arnor, but I am currently the magically recognized Head of the House of Black."
Ginny and Ron turned to stare at her, Sirius simply looked her up and down. Harry exchanged a confused glance with Hermione, who thankfully looked as lost as she felt.
"I thought you'd be...taller," Sirius said after a moment. "And...y'know...Black." He waved his hand vaguely at himself, which did absolutely nothing to clarify the situation.
"I am not of the direct bloodline, that's true," Bronach agreed, lips twitching up a hair. "But I am also possessing a slight metamorphmagus talent, though nothing compared to Andromeda's daughter."
"Alright," Sirius said, still sounding skeptical. "Prove it."
Bronach nodded, and called out: "Kreacher."
The house elf appeared, bowing low to the hippogriff. Sirius glanced at him in shock, but the house elf ignored him, looking to Bronach instead, who gave him a nod. He bowed again, and then disappeared in the way that house elves did.
"Well then," Sirius said, looking incredibly shocked. "That's certainly the family house elf, though how he's looking that young after all these years is beyond me. But Mother could have sold him," he said, a sneer curling up his face. "So that doesn't prove you're of the blood. Or Head."
Stepping forward, Bronach held out her hand, and a ring shimmered into view on her pinky. "You know the lore as well as I do," she said softly, and Sirius nodded, looking flabbergasted.
"So why seek me out now?" he asked, as the ring disappeared again and Bronach let her hand fall to her side.
"Amelia Bones is very interested in the fact that you never had a trial," Bronach said blandly. "I'm sure the Minister is getting an earful, or will be once she manages to pin him down."
Sirius chuckled grimly. "Heard she became head of the DMLE," he said roughly, leaning against the cave wall. "Why bring the kids though?"
"I've come to be friends with your goddaughter, and thought she might like to see you," Bronach said, the same queer tone to her voice. "And you her."
"Yeah," Sirius said, glancing over at Harry. "C'mere, if you don't mind that I haven't taken a proper bath since it got cold."
Nearly tripping over her feet, Harry hurried to give Sirius a hug. He held her for a moment before releasing her to an arms length away so he could look her up and down. "No damage from the dragon, and I think you might have grown a bit," he said briefly, though he was frowning a bit. "I think I remember James being taller at your age though."
Not knowing what to say, Harry just shrugged and bit her lip, holding back the urge to scuff her foot against the cave floor. Sirius seemed to sense her discomfort, and he looked up at Bronach. "So, you had to have some reason beyond this to seek me out."
"Isn't your goddaughter reason enough?" Bronach said, and Harry thought she heard a touch of frost in her voice, but it was gone when she spoke again. "I have an invitation for you."
Sirius's eyes narrowed. "What kind of invitation?"
"At minimum, we're celebrating Midwinter in two days, starting at sunset, and we'd like to invite you to be there," Bronach said briefly. "If you take the passage through the Shrieking Shack, you should be able to access the grounds without anyone being the wiser. Just steer clear of the lake and the carriage and you'll be fine."
"And at maximum?"
"A warm place to sleep the winter through, food you don't have to scrounge from bins, and front-row seats to the tournament. Plus access to your goddaughter." Bronach tacked on the last bit as if she had only just thought of it, sounding a bit contemplative. "Same deal: come through the Shack, head for our camp in the shelter of the castle walls, and we'll come out to greet you and lead you over the wardline."
"Wardline?" Hermione asked, seeming unable to help herself.
Bronach flashed her a brief smile. "Anti-animagus wards, among other things. Nobody heard it from me, but Rita Skeeter is an unregistered beetle animagus, so mind your surroundings."
Harry swallowed hard, remembering how awful the first articles about the tournament had been, even though Bronach had helped keep the reporter away from her. The thought of Skeeter having the ability to eavesdrop on any of her conversations…
"I'll consider it," Sirius said aloofly. "Might need to ask around a bit."
It was honestly terrifying how quickly Bronach's eyes went from neutral to chips of ice. "Speak a word of our conversation to Albus Dumbledore, or anyone not present here that isn't from Tham Angol, and you can consider the offer revoked."
She turned on her heel to leave the cave, the rest of Tham Angol moving to follow her, but paused briefly. "Think about this: Albus Dumbledore could have found a room for you in the castle where nobody would find you. He could have detailed a house elf to ensure that you didn't have to eat rats. He could have done a number of things, but instead he has you starving in a cave. Think about that."
Without another word, she left, her companions falling in behind her. Harry gave Sirius one last hug and darted off on their heels, not wanting to risk being lost in the mountains even for more time with her godfather. Ginny was shooting all of them sharp glances, and Harry was just glad that she wasn't asking the questions she had to be sitting on. Mostly because Harry didn't know how she could answer most of them, other than the ones pertaining to Sirius's innocence.
Watching Bronach's back as the woman headed down the mountain, Harry wondered how she seemed to just know things, without ever offering an explanation as to how. But she was reasonably certain that Bronach might explain at a later point in time, if she was in the right mood, given how willing Tham Angol had been to share information.