For Joe, whose appearance online always makes the day brighter, even in the middle of the night, with love from Chi.

Chapter Eleven: Explanations

One of the first things that Delia noticed about Mr. Gruthersford, or Gus, as he insisted she call him, that was different than all the other house-elves she'd come into contact with, was his carriage. While other house elves acted subservient and hunched over in the presence of humans, Gus stood tall, his chin out, with his ears twitching, as if striving to hear everything that was said.

His stunning announcement the moment before had made her move quickly towards the Gryffindor common room, where she hoped to spot the Potters and detain them before they left for supper. She knew that her friends were deeply worried about the man they saw as their grandfather, though none of them would say anything about it.

Suddenly, Delia had a thought. While all this time she'd been somewhat envious of the attention the Potters had been receiving (though she was too well trained to say anything), she hadn't realized that the Potters had it just as tough as anyone else, if not more so.

Jessica wasn't really a Potter- she was a Malfoy by birth, and sometimes Delia felt the insecurity that went with her odd position in life. Despite all of his faults, Draco Malfoy had been a powerful wizard, or so Delia's father told her… so Jessica was probably powerful, too.

James and Mick were expected to be brilliant because they were Harry's children… in most classes they didn't receive special treatment, but rather the opposite. Both boys were quick, but it still didn't seem quite right to Delia.

They neared the common room quickly, though by the end Gus was puffing a bit. Delia wondered if she could fix that, assuming she really was a Healer. A feeling of nervousness swept through her. If she really was a Healer, that meant there was little to no future for her in anything else. Healers were rare enough that they were in high demand, legally unable to do anything but practice their gift, unless they did it on the side.

Healing people involved opening herself up to other people in a way that she had never felt right in doing. She was only eleven, after all! She shouldn't have to worry about this. The unfairness of it all hit her square in the gut, just as the room air of the common room attempted to wash it all away.

Sure enough, the Four Musketeers, as Delia had taken to privately calling them, were still sitting in the corner, discussing in hushed tones a plan that would no doubt be brilliant, a plan that no doubt she would not be a part of.

"Jess, Jamie, Mick, Gareth… you have a guest," she said in her quiet voice that she had no idea demanded the four's complete attention. As one, they turned to look at her.

Gus shuffled his feet a bit. "M'name's Mr. Augustus Gruthersford, young Potters, Mr. Williams."

"Pleased to meet you," James said in his stiff formal tone.

"'Ello," Mick said, his eyes wandering in that deceptively simple way of his.

"Good evening, Mr. Gruthersford," Jessica said warmly, but not before she checked over Delia to make sure she was fine.

Gareth nodded. "Mr. Gruthersford."

James, the un-elected, but unanimously supported leader, walked to the head of the group. "What can we do for you, Mr. Gruthersford?"

Mr. Gruthersford grinned. "Your grandmother would have been proud of you, young master. She always enjoyed the company of polite young men, did Lily Potter. That is why, of course, she married your grandfather, who had no manners at all."

"You knew our grandparents?" Mick's green eyes lit up as he swept back a lock of his red hair. A mischievous grin covered his whole face, a cover for the uncertainty that he was feeling. "What were they like?"

"That is a conversation we must have another day, young master. I've come to talk to you about your father's godfather."

"Sirius?" Jessica rose to her feet, hopeful. Of all of them, she felt the most attachment to her father's longtime mentor.

"Wait a minute, Jess," James said firmly. "We don't know who this--" he paused briefly for a time to find the right term "—house-elf really is. We don't even know why we should trust him."

Mick turned to Gus, and the light in his eyes that had been soft until now turned sharp. The expression on his face was similar to one that Ron had worn more than once before. "Tell us, Mr. Gruthersford, how is it that you knew our grandparents?"

Delia felt a tug on her heart, but she quieted it. All this questioning seemed unnecessary to her, but then, they probably always had people claiming some sort of attachment to the family in hopes that they would get something.

"That's a long story, lad, and you've got to eat supper, and…"

James shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Gruthersford. We're quite well supplied here in the food department. Besides, if you can help Sirius, the rest of us can stand to miss a meal. Gareth, Delia, you don't have to stay if you don't want to."

"I'll keep you company, mate," Gareth announced easily and draped himself in a squashy armchair. Even though he was a year older, he found he had a great respect for the older Potter boy. He took charge easily, and was always confident. Besides which, his knowledge of Quidditch almost bordered on obsessive, so they always had something to talk about.

"Please, continue with your story," Mick said, the warmth returning to him quickly, as though it had never left.

"I was a much younger house elf when I departed Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, where I had been… working, for quite some time, to work for Mr. Harold Potter, your great-grandfather. His offer was tempting- a room to myself, in charge of his other household elves, and free access to the food and more importantly, the Butterbeer in his pantry. Besides which, the lad had always been respectful of me when he came down to the kitchen to sneak away with his snacks, a tradition that I see has carried on in the family.

"He fell in love with a beautiful red-haired girl in his class, Emily DeWinters. They were married shortly after Harold was settled in at his barrister's office, and when they returned from their honeymoon, Emily requested to speak with me.

"She said to me, 'Binky,' which was my name at the time, 'what do you want to do?'

"I'd honestly never thought of it before. I told her that I didn't know. She says to me, 'Binky, it's obvious that you're different than the rest of the house elves. You like to think for yourself, you take advantage of the benefits of your position, and you don't have a problem with telling my Harry that he's being a complete fool.'

"I turned completely red, thinking for sure that this was an official reprimand. I was going to be released, and I could never label myself a respectable house elf ever again. What happened next changed all that, anyway.

"She asked me if I'd like to take a more elevated position… that she and Mr. Potter would give me a new name, treat me like I was an equal. I was floored- this is not something a typical house elf wants, but I found that I did. My lady friend, Dory, who was later to become my wife, told me to accept it. With her blessing, I did.

"I became Mr. Potter's business assistant, handling his estate and other such matters that he couldn't handle. Both he and Mrs. Potter were exceptionally busy- Mr. Potter with his work as a barrister, Mrs. Potter with her herbs and plants.

"I requested the name Augustus, after the Roman emperor, and they gave it to me… I've been Augustus Gruthersford ever since, and I have the records to prove it. It's quite legal."

"That's all well and good. Why haven't you shown up sooner?" Jamie asked, his brow furrowed.

Gus sighed. "I couldn't really help your father, lad. I was… incapacitated while he was in school. That's a story for another time, though. The point is, I can help your godfather."

Delia blinked. The pride that was radiating from this little house-elf was almost overwhelming to her. As she focused on his emotions, the room began to fade in and out, and things became blurred, disproportionate.

Blinking, she tried to stop the process, but soon she was feeling what everyone else was… An overload of information was sent to her brain, and she sat down weakly. It wasn't long before she passed out.

**

Harry lectured himself sternly just outside of Sirius's door. He wasn't going to say anything to his godfather that might upset him. Nervously, he fingered the edge of his Cannons robe. Sirius was the only thing he had left, really, besides Remus. Remus had a family of his own now, and Sirius was more like a grandfather to his children than anything else.

"Harry, stop standing outside my door and come in already. You're making me nervous."

Chuckling, Harry pushed the door open to discover his godfather was sitting up, thumbing through an issue of what looked like Motorcycle Today.

"Is that interesting?" Harry asked as he sat down in a chair across from Sirius's bed.

"It's the first time I've read it," Sirius responded dryly. "Commander O'Reilly has been keeping me supplied. I think I might start playing with these toys again--" he gestured toward a picture of a Harley "--once I get out of this prison."

Harry grinned and looked over the picture with a masculine appreciation for all things mechanical. "I'm not sure my wife would like that. It does look fun, though."

Sirius threw his head back and laughed, albeit weakly. "James would always get that look on his face when he was plotting to do something Lily didn't approve of." Suddenly his face sobered. "Sometimes it's downright uncanny."

Harry cleared his throat uncertainly. "I would never do anything Ginny didn't approve of."

Sirius sneered. "I believe you. She's got you whipped, my boy."

"And what a wonderful feeling that is," a soft voice came from the doorway. Both Sirius and Harry turned to see a very tired looking Remus Lupin entering. Harry rose quickly.

"Have a seat, Remus."

Remus nodded and accepted the seat. "Hello, all."

"You look terrible," Sirius announced. "It's nice to see someone in this bloody hell hole who looks as bad as feel."

Remus chuckled. "Let it never be said that Sirius Black was dishonest."

Sirius shrugged. "It keeps you on your toes. Rough night?"

"Hmm. It gets harder and harder to do this as I get older," he muttered to himself.

"Don't say things like that. You'll make me feel old," Sirius protested.

"You are old," Harry threw back, conversationally as he leaned against the wall. "Let's see… we just celebrated your… which birthday was it?"

"Twenty-fifth," Sirius said firmly.

"How long are you going to be twenty-five?" Remus asked, a smile gracing his features.

"The rest of my life," Sirius said, and all the men in the room laughed.

"I've got some news that will really make you feel old," Harry said in the silence.

"Don't tell me. Let me guess." Sirius closed his eyes and leaned back into the pillow. "James and Mick have got their first detention. Don't worry, old man, it's all down hill from here."

Harry smiled. "Apparently they're much better at not getting caught than you were, Sirius. I haven't received any disciplinary notices from the school."

"It won't be long now," Sirius shot back confidently. " Just you wait. Then you'll have to pretend to not be amused."

"I look forward to it," Harry said. "However, you're not even close."

"I'm not?" Sirius bit his lip thoughtfully, for once forgetting the beeping sounds that normally drove him crazy, forgetting the pain that was spreading through his body. "You got a dog!"

"I have one of those. He spends the night at my house at least once a month," Harry said, referencing Sirius's tendency to spend a lot of time with the Potter children.

"Har har. Very funny. Out with it, man."

"Ginny's pregnant."

There was silence in the room, and then Remus and Sirius broke out laughing.

"I should have guessed it! You're not a rabbit, you know," Sirius told Harry, trying to be serious, though his eyes and wide smile gave him away.

"Anna's going to flip," Remus said. "She swore to me that you two were done. She thought that no two sane people would want any more children than you've got. Come to think of it… she owes me a back rub for that."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You know you've been married too long when you have to make bets to get your wife to touch you."

Remus narrowed his eyes in mock anger. "This from the man who has never settled down." He instantly regretted his words.

"I just haven't met the right woman yet. Being an old bachelor suits me," Sirius said, and stretched his hands above his head.

"Right," Harry murmured. "Oh, I have something for you."

From his robe, he drew out a piece of parchment that was addressed in royal blue ink.

"Who's it from?" Sirius asked, instantly curious.

"Jessica," Harry said with a smile. "Ginny and I checked to make sure it doesn't sing."

"Why didn't she just mail it directly to me?"

Harry grinned. "She lost the address."

"Sounds like her mother," Remus muttered.

"I agree, but don't tell her I said that," Harry whispered back.

Joy lit Sirius's face as he scanned the letter.

Dear Grandpa Sirius,

School so far has been just like you told me! Lots of opportunities for pranks, and we've already managed to pull a few good ones. I've made some new friends here, and being in Gryffindor is really amazing.

Uncle Ron's class is the best! We learn all sorts of neat things, and he's a lot different in the classroom than he is when we're at home. You know how he always looks sort of lost…? Well, here in class he knows exactly what he's doing. You don't even really notice his limp!

We almost got caught last night sneaking back from planting a dung bomb in Deputy Headmaster Snape's office last night. Fortunately, Uncle Ron was on patrol, and you can hear him from a million miles away… when he wants you to. The expression on his face at breakfast this morning makes us think that he knew what we were up to.

Told you he was awesome.

Now, you absolutely have to get better. I've got all sorts of things planned for the Christmas holiday, and I need your help. Your confidential help! No telling Mum or Dad. I guarantee you it will be Marauder-quality.

I've got to go now, class is about to start! I don't want Snape to take this letter so I'd have to rewrite it!

Love from your granddaughter,

Jessica Potter

"She's a chip off the old block, a few generations back," Sirius announced as he folded the precious letter. A piece of paper fell from the envelope, which was a shockingly accurate sketch of Snape's face. Sirius was guessing it was post-dung bomb incident. "Don't worry, little Jess. I'm getting better. I promise." 

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