Disclaimer: I own the unfamiliar, the rest belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: Something off the top of my head. Hope you all like it.

~^-^~ = Parseltongue

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Changing Past Wrongs

Chapter Seven: Meet Sirius Black

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During the ten minutes the Auror was gone, no one had said much, or even moved. The other three Aurors had Pettigrew restrained, with an anti- animagus charm on him. Albus had summoned Severus Snape, with a fresh batch of Veritaserum. Severus came, and as his eyebrows rose, he looked at the three figures, hooded, and quietly asked the shortest of the three so that no one else could hear, "Harry?"

Harry smiled, nodded and said nothing. Remus heard, as his advanced hearing from a Werewolf allowed him to hear, and looked slightly astonished that Severus had figured it out so quickly. Severus smirked slightly and muttered, "Twenty Points to Slytherin."

Remus blinked slightly, he hadn't yet been told that Harry was in Slytherin, but that was his only reaction at the moment. He knew he couldn't react further without drawing unneeded attention. After that, Severus prepared the two doses silently. Just as he finished, the fire flared slightly green and three figures fell through it, two Aurors, and one half-awake, shady character.

Remus bit his lip slightly at the sight of Sirius, and Severus made a conscious effort not to bristle, or show a reaction. Harry merely studied his first glance at the man he knew was his godfather. Albus smiled and said, "Ah, welcome back Sirius. Now, Minister, if you wouldn't mind us administering the truth serums to both Mr. Black and Pettigrew?"

Fudge looked as though he'd just swallowed a rotten lemon, but nodded and muttered, "Yes, yes, get on with it then Dumbledore. I haven't got all day you know."

Albus nodded and said, "Severus? The potion?"

Severus nodded, walked to Pettigrew first and snarled, "Open your mouth, Pettigrew."

When Pettigrew wouldn't, one of the Aurors forced it open, and Severus administered three drops, forcing Pettigrew to swallow by pinching his nose. Without another look at the now spluttering man he moved towards Sirius Black and repeated the process, without the force as Sirius willingly opened his mouth for the Potions Master.

Dumbledore moved in front of Pettigrew and asked, "What is your full name?"

"Peter Allen Pettigrew."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"Yes."

"Who was Harry, Lily and James Potter's Secret Keeper?"

"I was."

"Why wasn't Sirius Black, as the public knew and believed him to be, the Secret Keeper?"

"Sirius thought it would be perfect. Everyone would think he was the Secret Keeper, so the Death Eaters would go after him, while I went into hiding. Sirius didn't know I was a Death Eater myself."

"What happened the day that Sirius supposedly murdered you, and thirteen Muggles?"

"I knew Sirius wouldn't let me get away with it. Not when it came to his precious godson. So I cut off my own finger, blew up the street with the wand I hid behind my back, and transformed into my animagus shape to flee through the sewers."

Albus nodded and moved over to Sirius Black and asked, "What is your full name?"

"Sirius Anton Black."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"No."

"Are you now, or have you ever been loyal to Voldemort?"

"No."

"Who was Harry, Lily, and James Potter's Secret Keeper?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"To your knowledge, is Peter Pettigrew an animagus?"

"Yes, in the form of a rat."

Albus nodded to Severus and said to the Minister, "I trust that is enough evidence, Minister Fudge?"

Fudge bristled slightly and said, "Now see here Dumbledore - "

One of the Aurors that had gone to Azkaban spoke in a deadly voice, "Do not presume, Minister, that any Auror present will listen to any order you give us ever again if you fail to release Sirius Black from Azkaban, fully pardoned, publicly announced as wrongly charged, and compensated for the work missed, emotional damage, physical damage, and any damage done to his godson - Harry Potter - who would have been within his care had we bothered to give the man a truth serum."

Cornelius Fudge looked trapped, and he knew he was. Albus smiled, his eyes twinkling, as he said, "Considering that the Ministry has no idea where his godson is, I'd reconsider stepping down from your office Cornelius. From what I remember of him as a student, Sirius Black doesn't take kindly to people who hurt his loved ones."

Albus nodded towards Severus and he said, "Severus, if you would give Mr. Black the anti-serum, and then have Poppy come up and tend to him. Thank you."

Severus nodded and gave Sirius the anti-serum. It had barely taken effect when Sirius asked, "Where is my godson?"

Albus smiled at Sirius and said, "As the Ministry saw fit to send you to Azkaban without a trial, and Remus was unsuitable as a guardian for him according to them due to his status as a Werewolf, he was sent to Lily's sister. He hadn't been there a year when he was kidnapped by an un-known Wizard who offered them a very small amount of money, posing as someone from the Ministry."

Sirius' eyes darkened as he glared at the Minister and demanded, "Did none of you think to ask that wench, Petunia, if she even wanted Harry? Remus could have raised him just fine - with another capable Wizard or Witch watching him on days of the Full Moon."

Harry barely resisted the urge to show himself and tell the man that he was just fine - Daniel and Melanie had seen to that. Cornelius muttered, "People would have panicked if he'd been given to a Werewolf."

One of the Aurors mentioned helpfully, "Minister, we should get Pettigrew to Azkaban, and you back to the Ministry. Someone needs to tell the Daily Prophet before they print a twisted version of this mess."

Cornelius glared at the young woman before saying, "Fine. You two - take Pettigrew. The rest of you come back with me to the Ministry. Albus I trust you can take care of Black?"

Albus nodded in response and Cornelius nodded before saying, "Good. Now, how did you find out about Pettigrew?"

Albus waved his hand in the general direction of Harry, Daniel and Melanie and said, "My student found through a few older students an old map that a group of students made. While looking at it, he wondered why a dead man was supposedly walking about Hogwarts as a rat. He brought it to my attention this morning, with the help of the older students, who already had the rat in a cage that restricted magic."

Cornelius beamed slightly towards Harry and asked, "Well then! Let's see who you are, the Ministry and the Daily Prophet will want to know so we can thank you."

Daniel and Melanie shared a look over Harry's head, and both lowered their hoods. Melanie spoke quietly, but in a tone that told them all she wasn't going to be negotiable, "My name is Melanie Watson, formerly Branstone. My husband, Daniel, was a student here at Hogwarts with me. Our son is the one who discovered this, but we will not allow you to publicly acknowledge that he did so."

Daniel nodded in agreement and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder before saying, "Failure to comply with our wishes will be met with fierce legal action, Minister. Our son will not be put in the spotlight."

Cornelius frowned and started to say something when Severus spoke up, "Minister, the boy is in Slytherin. Should you publicly announce he had anything to do with this, his life would become somewhat more difficult to ensure safety to. Many of my students are still fanatical about their relatives inside Azkaban."

Albus nodded in agreement, not at all confused as to why Melanie and Daniel didn't want Harry in any kind of limelight. He was with them in that regard, Harry could NOT be put in the public eye, it would risk someone finding out where Harry was, and just who he was. Cornelius finally agreed, and left with the Aurors, two of which left with Pettigrew towards Azkaban, while the rest went to the Ministry.

Once they left, Albus smiled and said, "Now, Sirius, I was not completely honest with you in regards to your godson's location. Please, be quiet and wait for me to finish Sirius. Now, as I was saying, Harry was taken by an Order Member, posing as a Ministry worker. Said member raised Harry as his own, eventually married and gave Harry two younger siblings."

Sirius nodded and asked, "Is he happy then? Is he here at Hogwarts?"

Albus nodded, a small twinkle in his eye as he said, "Yes, quite happy. And yes, he's here. Before you ask Sirius, yes you'll meet him, shortly. I have a few things I need to explain first. The Order Member who raised him was Charlie Weasley. However, not the Charlie you may or may not remember. Apparently young Harry's life with the Dursley family would have lead him to suicide, the return of Voldemort, and several other things that would have resulted in the Light Side eventually losing. Charlie used a time- turner illegally, and with the Order's protection so that history itself would only change without losing the Charlie that went back in time, or the Charlie that was there when Charlie arrived. He gave Harry a normal, healthy, happy childhood, and shortly after receiving his letter for school here, explained all of this to Harry himself - including why there was no alternative."

He paused slightly and then continued, "Charlie met a Witch, who married him with the full knowledge of whom she was marrying and who the boy she helped to raise was. Both could find no alternative other than waiting until Harry was safely with me at Hogwarts, before letting me know of your innocence. Charlie had been ordered to ensure Harry did not stay with the Dursley family, and even with you not being in Azkaban, there was a small chance he would have been sent to them regardless for his safety."

Sirius nodded in understanding, though you could tell he was slightly upset that it had taken so long for Charlie to come forward. Albus smiled and said, "Daniel, if you would take over, please."

Daniel nodded, pointed his wand at himself and said, "Finite Incanteum."

Harry and Melanie both watched, interested to see what he looked like. They were rather surprised when the only things that changed were his hair and eye color, his hair to that of a fiery red, but with a few threads of gray, and his eyes to a light brown. Melanie looked him over and said, "You look better. Makes you and Alex look more alike. Lana too. Course it also makes Harry look like the family oddball."

Daniel smiled and said, "Harry, take your hood off."

Harry didn't object, but took down the hood on the cloak, revealing his face. Sirius and Remus both smiled and looked over Harry, he looked like a blend of Lily and James. Sirius frowned and asked, "Didn't Snape just say he was in Slytherin though?"

Harry answered quickly, "Yes, Professor Snape did. Don't start with that Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry business, a Gryffindor was just arrested for being a Death Eater, betraying all of his friends, and killing innocent Muggles. I was raised to look beyond those rivalries."

Sirius chuckled and said, "Lily's temperament. How did you know about the map?"

Harry responded without thinking, "Dad told me about it."

Sirius' eyes darkened, as did Remus', so Harry explained, "I can't think of your friends as anything other than the people who gave me life - and kept me safe and loved while they were alive. But these two are my parents now."

Remus' eyes softened at that, and Melanie spoke gently, "We actually were wondering if both of you, Sirius and Remus, would be willing to either move in with us, or close to us, so that Harry doesn't have to choose between his siblings, and his godfather."

Sirius and Remus shared a look before Remus answered, "I think Sirius and I need to iron things out between us before we answer that."

Melanie and Daniel nodded in understanding and Albus said, "Well, I think Severus and myself will leave the five of you to get to know one another again - or better for that matter. You do not need to stay within the school grounds, though I would like to see all five of you, and perhaps little Alexander and Lana for dinner in the Great Hall later this evening. If that works for you?"

Melanie and Daniel nodded, along with Remus, and Sirius grinned before saying, "Like I'd miss a Feast at Hogwarts! Do they still serve that pudding for desert?"

Albus's eyes twinkled as he answered, "Of course they do. I'll have to ask the elves to prepare your favorites for you. I'm sure there are a few who still remember them. Now, I will be at the Ministry for a while, ensuring everything gets taken care of correctly. Severus, if you could tell Minerva for me?"

Severus nodded and left, after saying to Harry, "I'll get your assignments for you, however you'll need to meet me in my office so that we can discuss the work. Merlin knows no other Professor will explain things to Slytherins."

Harry just smiled and nodded. Melanie smiled at Harry and asked, "Well?"

Harry wrinkled his nose slightly and asked, "What?"

She pursed her lips slightly and asked, "Friends? Train Ride? How did everything go? Your sorting? Obviously you were placed in Slytherin - what did the Hat say?"

Harry grinned and said, "Draco Malfoy - good friend. I think I made an enemy with Ron Weasley - sorry Dad. But Fred and George are cool. Crabbe and Goyle are loyal to Draco and by default loyal to me. Everything went fine, the Hat mentioned I'd have done well in Gryffindor, like my parents and Dad, but that Slytherin would be better."

Melanie nodded in approval and Daniel snorted before saying, "Melanie, it's enough that you've raised him to be manipulative, completely untrusting in anyone, and calculative, do you need him to start his own little following as well?"

Melanie stuck her tongue out at Daniel and replied shortly, "Yes. It'll help when Snake-Face comes back."

Remus interrupted their rather childish display by asking, "Snake-Face?"

Harry rolled his eyes and answered, "Voldemort. Mum thinks making fun of his name will help me, Alex and Lana fear him less when he comes back. Where are Alex and Lana?"

Melanie smirked and said, "With Emily Madison, Baker had to stay home sick today and she said she could watch them for us."

Harry's eyes lit up as he asked, "Baker's sick? Or sulking?"

Daniel chuckled and said, "Sulking of course. You do remember how upset he was that he couldn't come with you to school? Emily and Frank have been begging us to find a way to get you home for a visit."

Remus smiled, remembering the boy from when he'd substituted for Tyler Murdock periodically the previous year and asked, "He's that boy you sat next to last spring, right?"

Harry nodded and beamed slightly before saying, "My best friend since Kindergarten. We're on the same football team."

Sirius smiled at that, at least Harry was happy with his life. Melanie frowned looking at him and said, "Right. Let's get you into some clean clothes, you need a shower, a shave, a haircut and then we can go out into the world. Daniel, Remus, get him cleaned up and we'll meet you at home. Harry and I will get Lana and Alex, and food for lunch. We'll eat out for dinner though. Alright?"

Harry piped up, "Mum I have to go get Nois before we go."

Sirius asked, "Your familiar?"

Harry nodded and Melanie smiled before saying, "Go get Nois, be careful not to let anyone else see him, and meet us oh, shall we take the Whomping Willow way out?"

Harry's eyes lit up with excitement and he nodded, smiling back at Melanie. Daniel chuckled slightly and said, "You don't want him to think about being an Auror, or a Dragon Tamer, but you're all over adventures with Trees that have minds of their own?"

Melanie nodded seriously and said, "He might need to know how to get out of here that way some day. He doesn't need to know how to tame a Dragon or defeat some odd Dark Lord or his followers."

Harry ignored his parents in favor for rushing out the door to get Nois, yelling over his shoulder, "Taming Dragons sounds like fun Mum! Maybe I'll start with taming Thestrals!"

Melanie let out a scream before shouting at Daniel, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Daniel rolled his eyes, shrugged helplessly at the other two men, who were watching the scene with vast amusement before saying, "She's worried about harmless Dragons and semi-controllable winged horses when the kid has a Dark Lord trailing after him. Honestly. Women."

Sirius chuckled, but before he could say anything, Melanie said, "It doesn't matter. You three had best get going. I'll be home with the kids in an hour."

The four adults made their way to the Whomping Willow, where Harry was waiting for them already with Nois. Sirius and Remus raised their eyebrows at the snake, but said nothing. Daniel used a stick to hit the knot to stop the tree from moving, and everyone made for the tunnel. Once inside the tunnel they made their way quickly to the shack, where Melanie pulled out a portkey for herself and Harry to take, and Sirius, Remus and Daniel apparated to the nearest shopping area.

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Responses to Reviews:

Sorry this took so long! It took forever to write the last few paragraphs. I wasn't sure how to write it in. I wanted to make sure Nois and the Parselmouth thing came up with Sirius and Remus, but wasn't sure how to do it. It'll be in the next chapter.

I also had major writers block, and finally managed to work on my Harry/Sirius 'After the War' fic. None of my stories will be effected by Order of the Phoenix for quite a while. Until I'm done with my current fictions, I will not write something that gives away anything from the 5th book. As it is - it's a good thing I've finished reading it because it would have been ruined for me had I even come onto Fanfiction.net while I was reading it - several people are writing fics about it, continuing where it left off, etc. If you're one of said Authors - I make a plea on behalf of those who haven't read it yet - STOP RUINING FOR THEM!!!

Aside from that, I've handed my story, 'Tiny Little Mistake' over to another Author. I tried to write even just one more chapter & simply couldn't get past the block. I'm confident she'll handle the story with just as much care as I had. She should be reposting the story itself, and an update relatively soon.

My other stories: Harsh Realities is nearly ready. I'm having issues wrapping up a chapter, but then it will be up. New Adventures is coming along nicely, but it just had an update so it isn't a priority right now. It will however, be updated soon. After the War is getting there too - and while not a massive priority, it's getting done fairly quickly. 'A Very, Very Tangled Web' is almost ready too, I had some kinks to iron out, and I still am, but it's coming along.

My own trilogy - the third & final story is about ready to be posted in it's entirety, however I will post it chapter by Chapter. It's a Sequel to the two stories - 'Order of the Phoenix' and 'Year of Changes'. Time Turners and Toddlers - I'm in a stump about ending the chapter, but have several others lined up after it, so when I figure that out, you'll have lots to read. 'New Powers' is coming along too, I'm having a lot of fun writing that one, so it should be done soon.

I think that covers it. Please review!!!

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