Chapter Twenty Seven; All For You

'EXPECTO PATRONUM!'

In a dazzling burst of light, Harry's Patronus erupted into being; the silver stag charging straight at the Dementors, running on air.

Recoiling from the light, the Dementors were driven back. The stag lowered its antlers, lunging at the tall, sinister creature that held Sirius in its clutches.  It released its prey with a spine-shivering shriek, fleeing from the Patronus. The stag sprang over Sirius as he slumped to the floor, completely still.

The penetrating cold left with the Dementors as the beautiful animal herded them back outside, leaving a floating silver mist in its wake.

The moment the last of them had vanished into the lingering cloud of dust, Harry ran to his godfather's side.

Sirius lay motionless. It didn't look like he was breathing. Harry frantically felt his wrist and then his neck, searching for a pulse. His skin was as cold as ice.  Harry could have wept with relief as he felt the throb of pulse. It was faint, but it was there.

Hermione and Ron dropped down beside them, both of them as pale as death. Harry quickly waved his wand up and down the length of Sirius' body, chanting a healing spell. A soft pink dust floated down from the wand tip, glowing faintly as it was absorbed into his body. Harry watched anxiously, his breathing fast and shallow.

When nothing happened he tried it again. And again.

Hermione took hold of Harry's arm.

'Harry-'

He shook her off angrily, repeating the spell loudly, willing it to work.  How long did it take for a Dementor to suck somebody's soul?  A few seconds?  A minute?  Five?   Sirius' lack of response was scaring Harry to the point where he could barely draw breath, desperately repeating the only healing spell he knew.

Hermione looked helplessly over at Ron who was rummaging frantically through his pockets.

'Harry, here, try this,' he said.

Harry tore his eyes away from Sirius. Ron held out his hand. Resting in his palm, was a rose quartz, the one Ginny had given Harry on his birthday. Harry stared at it.

'Would that be strong enough?' he asked breathlessly, a faint spark of hope kindling in his eyes.

'Maybe,' said Ron, 'if we were to use it together…'

The three of them each laid a hand on the rose quartz, holding it over Sirius.

'Concentrate,' said Ron, closing his eyes. 'You've got to clear your mind of all negative thoughts … think of anything happy, that'll trigger the stone's power…'

Harry shut his eyes tight. Hard as it was, he focused on blocking out the fear … the pain … the doubts…

He opened his eyes a little. Ron and Hermione both had their eyes closed but nothing was happening.

No. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be! Harry squeezed his eyes shut again. Sirius can't have lost his soul. He can't have. This wasn't fair! He was the only family Harry had. If Sirius … well, who else was there in Harry's life that truly cared about him in the way that Sirius did? Like a parent.

The look on Sirius' face when Harry told him that he wanted to move in with him after they'd first met. That wonderful smile and the joyous look in his eyes…

The letters that passed between them during that summer. Each one gave Harry an indescribable feeling as he opened them … to know that he had a family out there who truly cared about what happened to him … who loved him.

Last year Sirius had risked being captured just so that he would be close enough to help Harry if he was needed.

'What're you doing here, Sirius?'

'Fulfilling my duty as godfather.'

Harry's first birthday party. The first thing he could remember was Sirius giving him a hug the moment he'd entered the room, wishing him a happy fifteenth birthday.

And what about the wish? Harry's birthday wish. If Sirius left Harry now then that wish would never have a chance of coming true.

You can't leave me Sirius. I made a wish. I wished that you would be proved innocent one day, that you'd never go back to Azkaban. That you'd be allowed to take care of me like you wanted. If you leave me now, it can never happen. You can't go Sirius. I won't let you!

Gripping the rose quartz tightly he felt a sudden rush of heat. He opened his eyes. The quartz was glowing with an inner light, getting brighter all the time.

Ron and Hermione gasped in amazement. The three of them held on as the light poured out of the stone in a shimmering cascade of colour, covering Sirius completely. The light turned a blinding white - Harry looked away as it flared, filling the entire Hall -

Then it was gone.

Harry put a hand over his eyes; he could hardly see a thing, just a few shadows awash with light. He rubbed them, blinking hard, feeling extremely light-headed.

'Harry?'

Harry turned to the sound of his name. A dim shadow swam into his hazy vision, right in front of him.

Two strong arms wrapped around his thin frame, pulling him close. Harry reached up, practically falling over as relief, joy and a hundred other emotions passed in an instant between godfather and godson.

'I thought you'd gone,' Harry whispered, so quietly he wasn't sure if he'd said it out loud.

Sirius laughed softly in his ear. 'I'm not going anywhere, Harry. I'd never leave you, I promise.'

For the first time in a long while, Harry smiled, blissfully content in his godfather's arms.

*

Some time later, the entire group was confined to the Hospital Wing; gratefully resting while Madam Pomfrey fussed over them all. All the staff had been woken and released from their dungeon prison. As none had been seriously hurt they'd immediately taken control of the situation; something the Gryffindors were only too happy to hand over.

Professor Dumbledore had allowed Madam Pomfrey to check him over and was soon declared fit and well. The attack had left him with no permanent damage, much to everyone's relief. He and the rest of the staff were now proceeding to check on the other students, notify families and the Ministry, and evaluate the damage done to the castle and grounds.

On one side of the ward, Luke was shifting restlessly in his bed, complaining that he was too worked up to go to sleep. Phoebe was busy braiding Ginny's hair. Neville was in the bed opposite, right next to Fred and George who were re-enacting some of their attacks on Nagini although with much more dramatic flare than the battle had warranted. George kept insisting that he'd meant to get three broken ribs trying to ensnare the serpent. Fred rolled his eyes repeatedly behind his twin's back, Katie and Alicia giggling behind them.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were sat together on another of the beds talking while Madam Pomfrey was busy checking Sirius over further up the ward. Next to Sirius, Remus lay curled up on his bed, his left foreleg bound up in a temporary splint. When the moon set and he transformed back to human, the bone would heal as best it could, then Madam Pomfrey would be able to heal it properly.

'Harry, I still don't quite understand what happened,' said Ron. 'I mean, I do understand you using Parseltongue to stop that bloody great snake from biting our heads off, but what was with you turning into the Dark Lord?'

Harry laughed.

'I didn't 'turn into' Voldemort, it was just an illusion.  As far as Nagini was concerned, I looked like her master and I spoke Parseltongue, therefore she would do whatever I asked of her.'

'You told her to attack the Dark Lord?'

'No, all I did was suggest that she didn't take orders from someone who didn't ask politely,' said Harry slyly.  'It's not my fault she took that as 'Go eat him'.'

'I'm not complaining Harry, I'm just thinking it's a shame she didn't swallow him whole.'

'But where did you learn how to do something like that?' asked Hermione.

'What?  You didn't think I'd read that book you gave me for my birthday?  Illusions made Easy?  Very good book.'

Hermione's expression changed from confusion to surprise.

'Well, it's just that you never said anything about it.'

'I need more practise, none of them last very long.  I wasn't sure if I could manage a really good one.  I started reading up on them after we broke into Professor Torr's office and found that mirror illusion.'

Ron shifted uncomfortably.

'So … what's going to happen to her now?  Whoever she is.'

They glanced up the ward.  Their professor was sat on the edge of her bed at the very end of the ward, her head bowed, her hands twisting in her lap.  Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore slowly approached.  She gave a start as Madam Pomfrey laid a hand on her shoulder.  Dumbledore sat down on the bed opposite, speaking softly to the scared young woman.

From across the room, Sirius lay watching them.

Hermione looked at Harry's sombre face.

'Harry, just go talk to him,' she said gently.

Slowly, Harry got off the bed, gave Hermione a small smile of thanks and set off across the ward.

'Do you think Sirius still likes her?' asked Ron.

Hermione shrugged.

'No idea.  It's hard to tell what people really feel.  They don't always mean what they say or do.' She avoided Ron's eyes as she spoke.

Ron hesitated, took a deep breath, then said quietly, 'Hermione, about when I kissed you.  I know it was probably that perfume stuff going straight to my head, but - '

'No, no,' said Hermione hastily, her eyes downcast.  'I understand.  If you didn't mean to then it doesn't matter.  That's fine.  It's not like you knew what you were doing.'

Ron stared at her, speechless.  Hermione blinked furiously, her long hair falling down around her face.

Slowly, Ron reached over and took hold of her hand.

'Hermione?  Will you let me finish?'

She raised her head, gazing at him with watery eyes.  Ron gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

'Hermione, maybe it was the perfume talking the first time and I know I should have said something about it, but … I don't think that it … meant nothing.  And … er … I'm not under the influence of anything right now, so …'

Ron leaned over and kissed a very surprised Hermione on the cheek.

'You don't know how long I've been wanting to do that,' he mumbled quickly with a shaky smile.

Hermione stared at him, her eyes wide.  Ron nervously cleared his throat.

'There's one more Hogsmeade weekend before the end of term, you know.  D'you want to … er … I dunno … come have some ice cream or something with me?'

He felt his cheeks burn as Hermione suddenly leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, her face glowing as she moved up to sit beside him.

'I'd love to.'

On the other side of the ward, Harry cautiously approached his godfather.  He didn't have any idea of what he was going to say.  Sirius turned as he sensed Harry standing there.  He didn't say a word; he simply got off the bed and wrapped his arms around his godson.  Harry happily returned the hug.

When they broke apart, they both cast a glance across the room.  Allison was watching them, her dark eyes hollow and expressionless.  Dumbledore, who was quietly explaining something to her, diverted her attention.

'Harry, I owe you an apology,' said Sirius softly.

'No, you don't.' said Harry, knowing what Sirius was going to apologise for.  'You didn't know what you were doing.'

Sirius' eyes were reproachful.

'Yes, I do,' he said firmly.  'Madam Pomfrey gave me a memory revival potion; I can remember everything that I did … and exactly what I said to you.  I don't have an excuse for how I treated you, Harry, and I don't want you to act like none of it mattered to you.'

Harry looked into Sirius' face, not liking the bitter sound of his voice.

'I broke my promise to you – I didn't act like I cared about you at all.  I wasn't there when you needed me.  I made the terrible mistake of allowing someone else to come between us and that should never have happened.  You have done nothing to deserve that kind of negligence … especially from someone who swore they'd do their best to take care of you.'

Sirius sounded so ashamed and angry that Harry felt his stomach clench.

'And to top it off, you knew about Allie and tried to warn me … and I didn't believe you.  I didn't trust my own godson.'

Sirius closed his eyes.

'Harry, I more than owe you an apology … you deserve someone who is capable of being a suitable guardian, someone who can fulfil a promise … because it certainly isn't me,' he whispered bitterly.

Harry's jaw fell open in horror.

'Don't say that, Sirius,' he said, his voice wavering.  'You don't mean that.'

'Don't I?' Sirius didn't look at him.  'When have I ever shown that I could be a decent parent?'

Harry couldn't believe he was hearing this.  For a few seconds he said nothing.  Then,

'You did everything you could to protect me and my parents when Voldemort was after us,' he said softly.  'After they were killed you gave Hagrid your motorbike to get me to safety after arguing with him, trying to convince him to let you take me.  You broke out of Azkaban when you knew I was in danger.  Even though you could have been captured or given a Dementors Kiss, you still came just to watch me play Quidditch before I even knew you were innocent.  You sent me a wonderful gift that I cherish when you're not around.  You could have stayed abroad where it's sunny and warm but you came back and lived off rats for God knows how long, sleeping in a dank cave for months, just so that you could be close to where I was.  You came to my birthday party and even though you're still wanted by the Ministry; you've never hesitated to risk your life and your freedom … all because of me.

'You say you made a mistake – big deal, so does everybody else.  No one has ever shown me how much they care about me the way you have.'

Sirius was staring at Harry, utterly speechless.  Harry could feel tears stinging his eyes but made no effort to stop them from falling.

'I think you're a wonderful parent, Sirius.  I don't want anybody else.'

For a few moments neither of them said a word.  Then Sirius gently drew Harry close and held him like he never intended to let him go. 

It was a long time before they finally drew apart.  Sirius' face was wet with tears but his face shone with a blissful smile.

It was a few seconds before they both noticed that Professor Dumbledore had come over.

'I thought that you might appreciate knowing what has been arranged for Miss DeVice,' he said.

'What's going to happen to her?' asked Harry.

'She is to be committed to St. Mungo's, where she will receive treatment and care, and hopefully be rehabilitated.'

'She's mentally ill, Harry,' said Sirius sadly.  He looked over at Allison.  She was gazing blankly at the wall, sitting perfectly still.  'I hope she'll be okay,' he added quietly.

Harry decided to ask the question that had been dogging him for a long time.

'Sirius?  Do you really love her?  Love spells aside, I mean.'

Sirius sighed, shaking his head.

'I'm not sure what I feel, Harry, to be honest.  I know I used to feel something for her, when we were younger.  I really cared about her but she started taking it too far.  I suppose Moony told you what happened?'

Harry nodded.

'Then you know why we broke up in the first place.  But I guess even after all this time she still can't accept the truth, that I don't think of her that way anymore.  That's not to say I don't care what happens to her, but it's hard to fully comprehend why anyone would think it's okay to force someone into a relationship.  She deliberately lied and tried to keep me away from everyone I really cared about … just like she did before.'

'She must have really loved you,' said Harry quietly.

'I don't know if love is the word to use for what she feels.  Allison took it beyond obsession and she needs some help.'

Harry agreed.

'Don't blame her for not wanting to share, though,' he said, smiling up at his godfather.  'And she did help save your life and fight Nagini … I think that earns her a few points in my book.'

'You think so?'

Harry nodded.

'Her methods were pretty twisted, but I guess when it came down to it, she cared enough to help us.'

Dumbledore smiled.

'She'll have the best doctors at St Mungo's helping her.  She is by no means a lost cause.  She may find redemption yet.'

Allison once again drew Sirius' gaze.  She was watching him and his godson, her face streaked with dry tears.  An expression of bitter jealousy tainted her pretty features, her eyes full of longing.  Though it pained him to do so, Sirius turned away, refusing to acknowledge her.

The sooner she accepts the truth, the better he thought firmly.  It's not fair on either of us if she believes we can still be together.

Harry happened to look back over his shoulder at that moment and his face spilt into a grin.

'I knew it,' he said, sounding very satisfied.

'Knew what?'

Harry nodded in the direction of Ron and Hermione.  Sirius took a quick glance and smiled.

'I knew there was something going on,' said Harry.  'They've been acting weird around each other for ages.  I was starting to think they'd never get together.'

'Best of luck to them, I say,' said Sirius, almost wistfully.

At that moment, Professor Dumbledore called everyone's attention.  He proceeded to inform them all that most of the Death Eaters had fled, eluding capture; the Dementors had vanished and, of course, the Dark Lord himself was no where to be found.

'However, we have rounded up all the Death Eaters that you were able to apprehend,' said Dumbledore. 'The Ministry has been notified and are on their way.'

Harry spoke up.

'But what about Sirius? If they find him here -'

'I can assure you Mr Potter that none of the Ministry officials will be permitted to step foot inside the Hospital Wing. They will not know he's here.'

'I should think not,' said Madam Pomfrey briskly, striding up the ward to Ron and Hermione.  She firmly directed Ron to the next bed, gesturing for Hermione to stay where she was and lay down.  Reluctantly, they separated.  'I will not have anyone disturbing my patients.  They need peace and quiet.'

'Yes, of course, Poppy. I'll not keep them much longer.'

He turned to look round at them all.

'I must express my eternal gratitude to you all. Each of you has shown courage and loyalty that is above and beyond anything that could be expected of you.

'You worked together as a team, depending on one another for support, both moral and magical.' His blue eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles. 'Young as you are, I feel that it would be improper if I did not present you with this opportunity.'

The Gryffindors exchanged blank looks, leaning forward with interest to listen. Harry looked over his shoulder at Sirius but his godfather's face told him nothing. He turned back to Dumbledore.

'As you have seen for yourselves, the Dark Order has indeed been gathering strength, determined to seize control of the magical community in any way that it can.

'But ever since the initial rise of the Dark Lord, there has been a resistance. A group of witches and wizards who, like yourselves, have risked their lives again and again to slow the spread of the Dark … to stop Voldemort from fulfilling his plans.

'I have been responsible for this group's activities ever since it came into being. We are known as the Order of the Phoenix, a society of those of who have allied themselves against the Dark forces that threaten to engulf our world and that of the Muggle world … people who stand up for what they believe in and to help in any way that they can as practitioners of Light Magic.

'Under normal circumstances, we do not tend to allow those who are under the age of eighteen to join us, but these are not normal circumstances. So I will offer each and every one of you the opportunity to be a part of the Order. You do not have to join us if you do not desire to do so or believe that perhaps you are not quite ready for it, nor do you have to decide this very minute.'

He smiled at them all.

'I do not wish to pressurise you into making a decision. The choice is your own.'

There was silence in which the Gryffindors looked to each other in turn, a silent understanding passing between them.

Harry stood up and looked Dumbledore straight in the eye.

'Sir, if I may, I'd like to join the fight. I want to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix.'

Dumbledore smiled.

'I expected nothing less from you, Mr Potter,' he said softly.

Ron scrambled to his feet. 'Me too,' he said firmly, 'I want to join the Order.'

Hermione also voiced her answer in the affirmative, as did the entire group, all declaring their answer firmly in a torrent of eager voices.

'Very well,' said Dumbledore, his eyes sparkling. 'If that is your decision,'

'Yes!' they all cried.

'Very well, then. But perhaps you would like to be dressed in something a little more appropriate.'

With that, he waved his wand over the Death Eater robes that the group still wore. In a swirl of light, the black faded away, the robes transforming into stunning garments of red and gold with a small emblem of a phoenix rising from a burning fire on the chest.

'There we are,' said Dumbledore, sounding most satisfied. 'Much more fitting for our new members, wouldn't you agree, Sirius?'

'Definitely,' he said, grinning at Harry who turned sharply to face him.

'What? You - you're a member of the Order?' he asked incredulously. 'Why didn't you say?'

Sirius raised his hands in mock surrender. 'Sorry, I was sworn to secrecy. Besides, I didn't want to influence your decision when the time came.'

Harry sat down on the bed beside him. 'You knew about this? That I'd be asked?'

'Had to happen sooner or later. But then I knew you wouldn't give any other answer.' He said, fondly brushing Harry's fringe out of his eyes. 'Well, pretty eventful day it's been, hasn't it?'

Harry gave a tired smile. 'Yeah, think I'll have to sleep for a week to get over it,'

'Oh, you don't want to do that,' said Ron, coming over. He was grinning with Hermione bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet beside him. They both looked over at Remus who lifted his head, wagging his tail excitedly.

Harry and Sirius both looked blankly at them.

'Why? What's going on?' Harry asked, cautiously.

Ron reached deep into his pocket and drew out a small box covered in a blue silk cloth. He placed it on the bed and stepped back.

'Little present for you both,' he said.

'Go on! Open it!' said Hermione impatiently when neither of them reached for it. Remus gave a low bark of encouragement, watching eagerly.

Sirius nudged Harry gently so he reached for it. Taking a corner of the cloth he pulled it off with a quick tug.

There was a sharp intake of breath behind him. Harry's green eyes widened in shock.

It was a small cage. A cage containing one unconscious, scrawny grey rat with a silver paw.

'Since the Ministry are already on their way I guess we can get this traitorous little pile of filth of your hands pretty soon,' said Hermione happily.

Harry and Sirius both stared at the rat, then at each other. Screaming with delight Harry leapt into Sirius arms, both of them laughing and crying with joy.

'Ah, I see you've broken the news to them,' said Dumbledore, coming up behind Ron and Hermione. 'Now, Sirius, it may take a few days to get this through the courts and made official but I think the evidence speaks for itself really.'

Sirius nodded, deliriously happy.

Harry, surrounded by friends and family, was beyond happy. Feeling elated Harry felt that the future had never looked better. And whatever it had to bring, he was ready for it.

~Finis~

Please review

Any final comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated

Authors Notes

Lil Lupin – *Picks up Lil Lupin's eyes and hands them back*  Yes, I have five fics planned, which does include the SF, that Ginny songfic I meant to write ages ago and the Peter fic.  I just keep getting lots of ideas.  ^_^  I can't write them down fast enough sometimes.  But SF is taking priority of course; there are still another six chapters to be done. 

Werepup – Ah ha!  A Lord of the Rings fan, I take it?  Thank you so much for reading.

Christy – Me?  Cruel?  Never.  *sniggers*  I couldn't resist!  ^_^  And you're right; it is fun!

Evol norgara – I love snakes, they're very cool.  I couldn't bring myself to kill him – I'm weak-willed, and I doubt I'd be on anyone's fav list if I so heartlessly killed off a favourite character.  ^_^  *holds Sirius close*  Hee hee, all mine!  My preciousss … *looks about nervously as St Mungo's mental ward doctors come to take Voltora home*

Evil spapple pie – *squints*  Hhhm, can't see a pitchfork, can I?  *looks suspicious*  All right, I'll let you off.  ^_^  Glad you liked the fic.  Hope to see you around.

Melissa Lupin – ^_^  Thank you!

Von – Sorry, no 'tearing' of the Dementors here I'm afraid.  But you know, that's not a bad idea.  I wonder what does happen to the souls they suck – are they lost forever or is there a chance that they could be retrieved?  Hhm, I'll have to think about that.  ^_^  Hope you liked the ending.

Elbereth94 – Really??  Five times??  I'm honoured that you'd think about it twice, or even keep count!  ^_^  I can't not include a cliffhanger – they're great fun.  Hope you liked the ending.

X13 -  Hi there!  Thanks for your comments! ^_^

Thank you all for reading.  Hope you all enjoyed it!

On a final note, I have already written and posted a sequel. It's a short fic, which takes place over the summer following the events of Tell No Lies;

Take It Back

A Death Eater is sent back into the past, back to the MWPP era.  His mission; Assassination.  The target; No one knows. Can Harry stop him from altering the past … or succumb to the deadly temptation to do the same? 

I also happen to have a third fic in this series planned, although I have yet to start work on it. 

In the meantime I'm working on a twenty-chapter long Sirius fic (as anyone who's been reading all the author's notes will guess ^_^ )  I haven't quite finished writing it yet, I'm aiming for an end of May, early June posting.  It will be at least a PG-13 due to content; touching on the subject of child abuse (not sexual) based on Sirius' home life at the age of sixteen.  Includes the rest of the Marauders, Lily, and several new characters.   It has yet to be given a title but if anyone would like an e-mail alert for when it starts going up please let me know, and I'll be happy to oblige.  ^_^

~Voltora~