A/N: Ok, I am so sorry about the format on the last chapter. I went back
and fixed it, but I'm not entirely sure how it happened in the first place.
If it happens again, I would be much obliged if someone could tell me what
I'm doing wrong.
Harry Potter's Sixth Year
Chapter 2: Sirius' Will
Harry spent the next few days playing Quidditch and wizard chess, finishing his homework, and just trying to keep himself busy, as he had been doing all summer. He didn't want to give himself time to think about Sirius. Thinking about him caused Harry's heart to ache and made him feel like he was going to throw up. At the Dursley's house, he had done chores without being asked, helped cook, and reread some of his books for lack of something else to occupy his mind. It was better now, with his friends to distract him.
He had noticed, however, that Neville seemed to be doing the same thing- never just sitting doing nothing for more than a moment at a time, always offering to help out and keep himself busy. It made Harry feel better to know someone else was going through the same thing he was, losing someone he loved. He only wished it was someone who hadn't already lost some of his close family members.
Remus Lupin was, if anything, in worse shape. He, Sirius, and Harry's father James had been best friends at Hogwarts and part of a group of pranksters who dubbed themselves the Marauders. The fourth member of the group was Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail. He had become a Death Eater and was responsible for the death of Harry's parents. Remus was now the last of the Marauders.
He had come over for dinner the night before and seemed to barely be holding himself together. He looked sicker than usual, which was saying something. Though only in his mid-thirties, he had looked older than his age for as long as Harry had known him. He now looked as if he had gained another four or five years since Harry had seen him last, when school got out a month and a half ago. Lupin hadn't talked much while he was at the Weasley's, and it was all Harry could do not to tell him that everything would be okay, even though he himself was not at all sure that was true.
Harry went down to breakfast one morning about a week after his arrival to find the whole Weasley family (except Percy), Hermione, and Neville already in the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley bustled over to him and handed him a letter.
"Harry, dear, here's your Hogwarts letter. It looks like we'll be heading to Diagon Alley soon. You all need some new books, and Ginny could do with some new robes, hers are getting to short." She walked back over to the stove as Harry sat down at the table and opened his letter. Inside he found the book list, which was very short again, along with a few other notes. Before he could read them, he heard Hermione let out a squeal of excitement.
"Our O.W.L.s!" she cried looking at the boys excitedly. She read her results very quickly. "I got all O's! Well, except Astronomy, but that thing with McGonagall wasn't something I could have prepared for. How did you three do?" Harry found his results and pulled them out of the envelope as Ron read his scores.
"I did pretty well," he replied after a minute. "I passed everything except Divination. I even got a few O's."
Neville went next. "I got an A in Potions! I thought I was going to fail that class! And I got two O's- Herbology, of course, and Defense Against the Dark Arts! Thanks for your help, Harry. I would have never been able to do this without you."
"No problem," Harry said, finally looking over his own scores. "Hey, I did pretty well. I mean, I failed Divination and History of Magic, but that wasn't my fault. I got a couple O's and I- I got an E in Potions. Dumbledore must have talked to Snape, or something."
Just then, Ginny shrieked happily.
" I got the badge! I'm a prefect!"
Harry looked over and saw Hermione beaming at her friend. Ginny's mother hurried over and gave her a hug.
"Oh Ginny, congratulations, your father and I are so proud."
"Yes, well done Ginny. We were afraid Fred and George might have had too much of an influence on you, but I'm happy to see you've become a prefect after all," Mr. Weasley said.
"Hey," George said. "We resent that comment."
Fred added, "Yeah. We're glad we weren't prefects. Hey," he said, turning to Harry. "What's that other paper you got?"
Harry suddenly realized he had forgotten about the other part of his letter. He started to read it, knowing that everyone else in the room was watching him curiously. It was from Dumbledore:
Dear Harry,
I hope your summer is going well. I know you miss Sirius, but remember
he is with your parents again. He should be happy now.
I would like to inform you that the reading of Sirius' will is taking
place this Thursday at 10:00a.m. The reading will be at the McDonald
Wizarding Law Office in Diagon Alley. I am sure Mr. and Mrs. Weasley
will show you where it is. Mr. Longbottom's presence is also required.
I shall see you then.
Harry sighed. He had been dreading something like this. He figured
Dumbledore would eventually be writing to him about Sirius. All summer
he had avoided thinking about his godfather and now Dumbledore was
asking him to come and finally have to face the truth- that Sirius was
actually dead? He didn't know if he could do it.
Also, as Voldemort seems to be coming back to power, and you must play
such an important role in his defeat, I must ask you if you would join
the Order of the Phoenix. It will be dangerous, of course, but
probably no more than your life already is. We will talk more about it
when you arrive at Grimmauld Place on Friday. It would not be wise to
say more in a letter.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Harry reread the letter in shock. Now Dumbledore wanted him in the Order? Last year he would have done anything to be allowed in, but everyone said he was too young. He looked up at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but before Harry could say anything he felt someone move behind him to read the letter. After a moment, Fred exclaimed, "How come Harry gets to join the Order? George and I already left school and we were only allowed to join a few months ago. He's only fifteen and he's getting in!"
Harry glanced at the twins before looking back to their parents. He was surprised to see Mr. Weasley sigh and nod.
"Dumbledore already told us. I don't know what made him change his mind though," Harry had reckoned that Dumbledore had told everyone in the Order about the prophecy, but he realized suddenly he must be wrong. He looked at Mrs. Weasley and saw that she obviously disapproved of Dumbledore's decision but wasn't about to argue with him.
Harry passed the letter to Ron. Hermione, Neville, and Ginny leaned over to read it too. Ron looked back up at Harry and said, "That's lucky, mate. Now we'll have an easier time figuring out what's going on in the meetings. I mean," he continued after a look from his mother, "You'll be able to tell us what's going on. Or at least some of it. Whatever's not confidential," he finished lamely, making sure his mother was satisfied. Hermione and Ginny nodded. Neville looked up confused.
"Why do I need to come to Sirius' will? My Gran's will was right before I came here, so it can't be that.."
Harry shrugged, realizing he hadn't even noticed Neville's name in the letter. Now that he thought about it, though, he didn't know why Neville needed to come either. He sat down to breakfast still thinking about the letter, vaguely aware of Mr. Weasley telling him that he and Molly would also be going to the reading.
************
Harry awoke very early on Thursday morning. It took him a few minutes to realize why he felt so depressed. Then he remembered. Sirius' will was being read today. His spirits sunk even further. He lay in bed for a while trying not to think about it. Eventually he got dressed and went outside. The cool morning air felt nice as he sat down on the low garden wall.
How could Sirius do this to him? He finally had someone, an adult, who cared about and could tell him about his parents, and he died. Harry hadn't even gotten a real chance to get to know him, and now he never would. He wished he had someone to talk to about Sirius, someone who had really known him. Lupin would have been his first choice, but Lupin was so close to falling apart himself. And he didn't know who else to go to. Lots of his teachers and other members of the Order had known Sirius- and his parents, for that matter- but not the way Lupin did.
Not long after he came downstairs, Mrs. Weasley came outside looking for him.
"Oh, Harry dear, there you are, I was getting worried. Come on in and have some breakfast; we'd best leave for Diagon Alley soon if you want to be there on time."
"Sorry Mrs. Weasley. I didn't mean to worry you. I'll come inside a minute," Harry replied as he watched Mrs. Weasley disappear back into the house. He sat there for another minute before getting up and going inside himself.
Forty-five minutes later, Harry, Hermione, Neville, and the Weasleys arrived in Diagon Alley. After telling their children and Hermione to meet them at noon in the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley led Harry and Neville to the McDonald Wizarding Law Office. When they reached the door, Harry took a deep breath and walked inside.
Dumbledore, Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy, and Severus Snape were already there. They hadn't been there long when Remus Lupin arrived and Kenton McDonald, who would be presenting the will, called them back to start the reading.
Dumbledore and Tonks each gave Harry a reassuring smile as the group walked to the back room. He looked over at Neville, who was looking very unsure as to why he was there, and felt sorry for him knowing he had been to his Gran's will reading only a few weeks before.
When they had all seated themselves in the back room, Mr. McDonald stood up and placed a book on the table.
"This is Mr. Black's will," he said, starting to flip through the book. "Once I find the right page, it will start running orally. Ah, here we are." He stopped about halfway through the book and a miniature, ghost Sirius emerged from the page.
"First, I would like to apologize to most of the people gathered here. If you are hearing this, I must be dead. I'm sorry, but don't worry. Harry, Tonks, Moony- no matter what happened, do not blame yourselves in any way. You know I wouldn't want you to depress yourselves over me. Besides, I'm with Lily and James again. Never forget Remus, Marauders forever- Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs will be together again.
"Now, for the splitting of my possessions. First to my cousin Narcissa. I would like to bestow upon you my mother's portrait, already mounted on a square of wall cut out of my house. She always preferred your company over mine."
Narcissa Malfoy opened and closed her mouth a few times, furious that she would be getting none of Sirius' money. Sirius' shadowy form simply smiled at her knowingly before turning towards Snape.
"Next to Severus Snape. I have a few things to say to you. Firstly, I would like to die in peace, and I'm not sure that's possible, but I'm going to try. Please forgive me for all the pranks my friends and I have played on you over the years. Also, there are many hard-to-find potions ingredients in the House of Black left there by my mother. They are now yours. However much I hate to admit it, you are the best potions brewer I know."
It was Snape's turn to be surprised. For a moment he just looked around the table with disbelief. He turned back to the magical book, the usually scowl returning to his face. Harry looked over at Lupin, who looked just as surprised as Snape, but seemed pleased that his friend had finally given up a grudge that had lasted for decades.
"To the wonderful Weasleys, I bequeath to you one of the shares of my vaults in Gringotts. Dumbledore, you and I have already discussed what you are getting from me, so you are already aware I would prefer not to review it here.
"Now, Neville Longbottom. I am not sure if you knew this, but the rest of the Marauders and I were friends with your parents when we were in school. They left me with a few things that belonged to them, and I would like to pass them on to you."
Harry glanced at Neville. He was staring open-mouthed at Sirius, who had obviously surprised. Neville saw Harry watching him and gave him a weak smile that Harry returned the best he could.
"Nymphadora Tonks, your mother and you were always my favorite cousins. Thank you for following your mother's ideas, instead of those of the rest of our family. I'm leaving you another share of the Black fortune, along with my collection of Auror materials from when I was your age. My hippogriff Buckbeak is also your now.
"Remus Lupin and Harry Potter. I want to tell you both how sorry I am again. You are the two people in the world who mean the most to me and I don't want to see either of you hurt. Please don't do anything stupid.
To Harry I leave my mother's house. May it be kept for its current use. To Remus I leave my house in Hogsmeade. Though it hasn't been used in years, it should still be intact. For the two of you to split equally, I leave the rest of my Gringotts vaults and all my other worldly possessions. Please know I'll miss you both." Harry watched sadly as Sirius disappeared back into the book, wishing he could stay a little longer. He looked around and saw that everyone else was getting up to leave. He got up and followed Neville, who also seemed lost in thought, and the Weasleys out of the building.
Author's Note: Ok, I hope you liked the chapter. Please review. Up next: Diagon Alley and the twin's joke shop.
Now, first thing first: credit where credit is due. 1. To my good friend Gypsy, who gave me the idea of an oral will, instead of having the person in charge of the will read it. 2. Giving Sirius' mother's picture and the wall behind it to the Malfoys wasn't my idea- I read it in a story but don't remember who's idea it was If its you and you want more credit I can make that happen.
Next order of business: My friend was reading this and started laughing very hard when she saw the lawyer guy's last name was McDonald. That name is really in the book- Natalie McDonald was sorted into Gryffindor during Harry's fourth year. I didn't just pick the name out of the air. And believe me, it was verrrrrry tempting to make the guy's name Ronald, but I refrained, thinking that might be a bit much.
Again, visit my website and sign the guestbook. ( www.freewebs.com/phoenix_core Thank you to anyone who already did.
Also, thanks to the people who reviewed: Antoniaeast and Mr.Virial (I'm sorry about the format; I went back and fixed it. What do you think of the story itself?).
Harry Potter's Sixth Year
Chapter 2: Sirius' Will
Harry spent the next few days playing Quidditch and wizard chess, finishing his homework, and just trying to keep himself busy, as he had been doing all summer. He didn't want to give himself time to think about Sirius. Thinking about him caused Harry's heart to ache and made him feel like he was going to throw up. At the Dursley's house, he had done chores without being asked, helped cook, and reread some of his books for lack of something else to occupy his mind. It was better now, with his friends to distract him.
He had noticed, however, that Neville seemed to be doing the same thing- never just sitting doing nothing for more than a moment at a time, always offering to help out and keep himself busy. It made Harry feel better to know someone else was going through the same thing he was, losing someone he loved. He only wished it was someone who hadn't already lost some of his close family members.
Remus Lupin was, if anything, in worse shape. He, Sirius, and Harry's father James had been best friends at Hogwarts and part of a group of pranksters who dubbed themselves the Marauders. The fourth member of the group was Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail. He had become a Death Eater and was responsible for the death of Harry's parents. Remus was now the last of the Marauders.
He had come over for dinner the night before and seemed to barely be holding himself together. He looked sicker than usual, which was saying something. Though only in his mid-thirties, he had looked older than his age for as long as Harry had known him. He now looked as if he had gained another four or five years since Harry had seen him last, when school got out a month and a half ago. Lupin hadn't talked much while he was at the Weasley's, and it was all Harry could do not to tell him that everything would be okay, even though he himself was not at all sure that was true.
Harry went down to breakfast one morning about a week after his arrival to find the whole Weasley family (except Percy), Hermione, and Neville already in the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley bustled over to him and handed him a letter.
"Harry, dear, here's your Hogwarts letter. It looks like we'll be heading to Diagon Alley soon. You all need some new books, and Ginny could do with some new robes, hers are getting to short." She walked back over to the stove as Harry sat down at the table and opened his letter. Inside he found the book list, which was very short again, along with a few other notes. Before he could read them, he heard Hermione let out a squeal of excitement.
"Our O.W.L.s!" she cried looking at the boys excitedly. She read her results very quickly. "I got all O's! Well, except Astronomy, but that thing with McGonagall wasn't something I could have prepared for. How did you three do?" Harry found his results and pulled them out of the envelope as Ron read his scores.
"I did pretty well," he replied after a minute. "I passed everything except Divination. I even got a few O's."
Neville went next. "I got an A in Potions! I thought I was going to fail that class! And I got two O's- Herbology, of course, and Defense Against the Dark Arts! Thanks for your help, Harry. I would have never been able to do this without you."
"No problem," Harry said, finally looking over his own scores. "Hey, I did pretty well. I mean, I failed Divination and History of Magic, but that wasn't my fault. I got a couple O's and I- I got an E in Potions. Dumbledore must have talked to Snape, or something."
Just then, Ginny shrieked happily.
" I got the badge! I'm a prefect!"
Harry looked over and saw Hermione beaming at her friend. Ginny's mother hurried over and gave her a hug.
"Oh Ginny, congratulations, your father and I are so proud."
"Yes, well done Ginny. We were afraid Fred and George might have had too much of an influence on you, but I'm happy to see you've become a prefect after all," Mr. Weasley said.
"Hey," George said. "We resent that comment."
Fred added, "Yeah. We're glad we weren't prefects. Hey," he said, turning to Harry. "What's that other paper you got?"
Harry suddenly realized he had forgotten about the other part of his letter. He started to read it, knowing that everyone else in the room was watching him curiously. It was from Dumbledore:
Dear Harry,
I hope your summer is going well. I know you miss Sirius, but remember
he is with your parents again. He should be happy now.
I would like to inform you that the reading of Sirius' will is taking
place this Thursday at 10:00a.m. The reading will be at the McDonald
Wizarding Law Office in Diagon Alley. I am sure Mr. and Mrs. Weasley
will show you where it is. Mr. Longbottom's presence is also required.
I shall see you then.
Harry sighed. He had been dreading something like this. He figured
Dumbledore would eventually be writing to him about Sirius. All summer
he had avoided thinking about his godfather and now Dumbledore was
asking him to come and finally have to face the truth- that Sirius was
actually dead? He didn't know if he could do it.
Also, as Voldemort seems to be coming back to power, and you must play
such an important role in his defeat, I must ask you if you would join
the Order of the Phoenix. It will be dangerous, of course, but
probably no more than your life already is. We will talk more about it
when you arrive at Grimmauld Place on Friday. It would not be wise to
say more in a letter.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Harry reread the letter in shock. Now Dumbledore wanted him in the Order? Last year he would have done anything to be allowed in, but everyone said he was too young. He looked up at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but before Harry could say anything he felt someone move behind him to read the letter. After a moment, Fred exclaimed, "How come Harry gets to join the Order? George and I already left school and we were only allowed to join a few months ago. He's only fifteen and he's getting in!"
Harry glanced at the twins before looking back to their parents. He was surprised to see Mr. Weasley sigh and nod.
"Dumbledore already told us. I don't know what made him change his mind though," Harry had reckoned that Dumbledore had told everyone in the Order about the prophecy, but he realized suddenly he must be wrong. He looked at Mrs. Weasley and saw that she obviously disapproved of Dumbledore's decision but wasn't about to argue with him.
Harry passed the letter to Ron. Hermione, Neville, and Ginny leaned over to read it too. Ron looked back up at Harry and said, "That's lucky, mate. Now we'll have an easier time figuring out what's going on in the meetings. I mean," he continued after a look from his mother, "You'll be able to tell us what's going on. Or at least some of it. Whatever's not confidential," he finished lamely, making sure his mother was satisfied. Hermione and Ginny nodded. Neville looked up confused.
"Why do I need to come to Sirius' will? My Gran's will was right before I came here, so it can't be that.."
Harry shrugged, realizing he hadn't even noticed Neville's name in the letter. Now that he thought about it, though, he didn't know why Neville needed to come either. He sat down to breakfast still thinking about the letter, vaguely aware of Mr. Weasley telling him that he and Molly would also be going to the reading.
************
Harry awoke very early on Thursday morning. It took him a few minutes to realize why he felt so depressed. Then he remembered. Sirius' will was being read today. His spirits sunk even further. He lay in bed for a while trying not to think about it. Eventually he got dressed and went outside. The cool morning air felt nice as he sat down on the low garden wall.
How could Sirius do this to him? He finally had someone, an adult, who cared about and could tell him about his parents, and he died. Harry hadn't even gotten a real chance to get to know him, and now he never would. He wished he had someone to talk to about Sirius, someone who had really known him. Lupin would have been his first choice, but Lupin was so close to falling apart himself. And he didn't know who else to go to. Lots of his teachers and other members of the Order had known Sirius- and his parents, for that matter- but not the way Lupin did.
Not long after he came downstairs, Mrs. Weasley came outside looking for him.
"Oh, Harry dear, there you are, I was getting worried. Come on in and have some breakfast; we'd best leave for Diagon Alley soon if you want to be there on time."
"Sorry Mrs. Weasley. I didn't mean to worry you. I'll come inside a minute," Harry replied as he watched Mrs. Weasley disappear back into the house. He sat there for another minute before getting up and going inside himself.
Forty-five minutes later, Harry, Hermione, Neville, and the Weasleys arrived in Diagon Alley. After telling their children and Hermione to meet them at noon in the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley led Harry and Neville to the McDonald Wizarding Law Office. When they reached the door, Harry took a deep breath and walked inside.
Dumbledore, Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy, and Severus Snape were already there. They hadn't been there long when Remus Lupin arrived and Kenton McDonald, who would be presenting the will, called them back to start the reading.
Dumbledore and Tonks each gave Harry a reassuring smile as the group walked to the back room. He looked over at Neville, who was looking very unsure as to why he was there, and felt sorry for him knowing he had been to his Gran's will reading only a few weeks before.
When they had all seated themselves in the back room, Mr. McDonald stood up and placed a book on the table.
"This is Mr. Black's will," he said, starting to flip through the book. "Once I find the right page, it will start running orally. Ah, here we are." He stopped about halfway through the book and a miniature, ghost Sirius emerged from the page.
"First, I would like to apologize to most of the people gathered here. If you are hearing this, I must be dead. I'm sorry, but don't worry. Harry, Tonks, Moony- no matter what happened, do not blame yourselves in any way. You know I wouldn't want you to depress yourselves over me. Besides, I'm with Lily and James again. Never forget Remus, Marauders forever- Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs will be together again.
"Now, for the splitting of my possessions. First to my cousin Narcissa. I would like to bestow upon you my mother's portrait, already mounted on a square of wall cut out of my house. She always preferred your company over mine."
Narcissa Malfoy opened and closed her mouth a few times, furious that she would be getting none of Sirius' money. Sirius' shadowy form simply smiled at her knowingly before turning towards Snape.
"Next to Severus Snape. I have a few things to say to you. Firstly, I would like to die in peace, and I'm not sure that's possible, but I'm going to try. Please forgive me for all the pranks my friends and I have played on you over the years. Also, there are many hard-to-find potions ingredients in the House of Black left there by my mother. They are now yours. However much I hate to admit it, you are the best potions brewer I know."
It was Snape's turn to be surprised. For a moment he just looked around the table with disbelief. He turned back to the magical book, the usually scowl returning to his face. Harry looked over at Lupin, who looked just as surprised as Snape, but seemed pleased that his friend had finally given up a grudge that had lasted for decades.
"To the wonderful Weasleys, I bequeath to you one of the shares of my vaults in Gringotts. Dumbledore, you and I have already discussed what you are getting from me, so you are already aware I would prefer not to review it here.
"Now, Neville Longbottom. I am not sure if you knew this, but the rest of the Marauders and I were friends with your parents when we were in school. They left me with a few things that belonged to them, and I would like to pass them on to you."
Harry glanced at Neville. He was staring open-mouthed at Sirius, who had obviously surprised. Neville saw Harry watching him and gave him a weak smile that Harry returned the best he could.
"Nymphadora Tonks, your mother and you were always my favorite cousins. Thank you for following your mother's ideas, instead of those of the rest of our family. I'm leaving you another share of the Black fortune, along with my collection of Auror materials from when I was your age. My hippogriff Buckbeak is also your now.
"Remus Lupin and Harry Potter. I want to tell you both how sorry I am again. You are the two people in the world who mean the most to me and I don't want to see either of you hurt. Please don't do anything stupid.
To Harry I leave my mother's house. May it be kept for its current use. To Remus I leave my house in Hogsmeade. Though it hasn't been used in years, it should still be intact. For the two of you to split equally, I leave the rest of my Gringotts vaults and all my other worldly possessions. Please know I'll miss you both." Harry watched sadly as Sirius disappeared back into the book, wishing he could stay a little longer. He looked around and saw that everyone else was getting up to leave. He got up and followed Neville, who also seemed lost in thought, and the Weasleys out of the building.
Author's Note: Ok, I hope you liked the chapter. Please review. Up next: Diagon Alley and the twin's joke shop.
Now, first thing first: credit where credit is due. 1. To my good friend Gypsy, who gave me the idea of an oral will, instead of having the person in charge of the will read it. 2. Giving Sirius' mother's picture and the wall behind it to the Malfoys wasn't my idea- I read it in a story but don't remember who's idea it was If its you and you want more credit I can make that happen.
Next order of business: My friend was reading this and started laughing very hard when she saw the lawyer guy's last name was McDonald. That name is really in the book- Natalie McDonald was sorted into Gryffindor during Harry's fourth year. I didn't just pick the name out of the air. And believe me, it was verrrrrry tempting to make the guy's name Ronald, but I refrained, thinking that might be a bit much.
Again, visit my website and sign the guestbook. ( www.freewebs.com/phoenix_core Thank you to anyone who already did.
Also, thanks to the people who reviewed: Antoniaeast and Mr.Virial (I'm sorry about the format; I went back and fixed it. What do you think of the story itself?).