All it Takes

Chapter Four (five… whatever… I'll fix it eventually.)

It was two thirty-three in the morning at Moody Manor and everyone was resting peacefully. Harry dozed peacefully in his bed, wrapped in a mountain of blankets. (Harry hadn't been used to having bedding, so once he was allowed to have it, he was addicted. It was common to see Harry with so many blankets that he was sweating.)

And two rooms over and across the hall, Mad-Eye slept as well. His magical eye spun around behind his closed eye lid. He was wary, and watching, even in his sleep.

Suddenly, he sat bolt upright. The look of shock on his face was enough evidence… Something was wrong. He slipped on his peg-leg and clomped over to the fireplace.

"Must Floo… Dumbledore…" he muttered, his voice all but shaking.

He threw a fistful of Floo Powder onto the fire. "Albus Dumbledore!" he said, and stuck his head into the roaring green flames.

"Albus!" he said, his head in the headmaster's office. "Albus!"

There was a scuffle of undergarments and he heard the Headmaster approach.

"Alastor? Is that you? What possessed you to firecall at this ungodly hour?" The Headmaster asked, rubbing his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

The Headmaster was wearing an electric blue night shirt. It had little candy canes and gum drops on it.

"Christmas is in two weeks!" Moody exclaimed.

"Alastor, if I needed a calendar-"Albus started.

"That's just it! I haven't gotten him anything!"

"Well in that case you'd better make a nice little trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow then. Enjoy the crowds." The headmaster said quickly.

"But Alb-" It was too late. Albus had ended the firecall.

Moody sighed. "I haven't the foggiest idea of what to get Harry… I knew I shouldn't have agreed to be his father…"

Moody laid back down in his bed and started to think. What could he get the child who saved the world for Christmas?

------------------------------------Meanwhile----------------------------

Back at Hogwarts, Albus sat down in his bed.

"I'll send someone over to babysit Harry tomorrow. And I'll make sure everyone gets him something… That boy needs to be spoiled more than any child I have ever met."

------------------------------------Meanwhile----------------------------

At exactly three AM, the Daily Prophet magical printing press roared to life. All the articles had been meticulously arranged, and the papers printed themselves by the hundreds. Every letter was printed, enchanted and every page was folded properly and rolled up. They were fastened with a length of string with a loop at the other end. Owls stuck their feet through the loops and the string tightened like a snare. Owls could usually carry as many as three news papers at a time, and had a coin purse attached to their other leg for the money.

The birds carried and delivered the papers to all of Wizarding Britan. By 5:00 AM sharp, every Witch or Wizard could expect to have been bothered at least once by an owl with the paper.

One particular bird was getting old. Rorre had been carrying papers all his life, and was starting to develop arthritis in his wings. Like many other owls, he was getting to the point where he would be retired and sent to the Elderly Owl Sanctuary in Sweden.

Tonight, Rorre was on one of the harder runs. He would be delivering papers to Azkaban. Though Dementors did not affect animals, it was still a difficult flight. But alas, three guards were on duty that night, and all three had ordered the paper.

Soon, the island prison came into view. Rorre adjusted his flight pattern and angled in through the open window into the break room. The guards had been smart and left payment on the table. With a practiced knack, Rorre pecked through the strings on his leg and put the Knuts into his purse one by one. The three papers were left on the table and Rorre flew off into the early morning light.

A few minutes later, a guard by the name of Alex walked into the break room. Two more hours until he was allowed to go home, and one of those hours was his break. He settled down at the table and cast a spell on the paper. A magic mouth read the paper to him, word for word while he ate his lunch. Most of the paper wasn't interesting to him, and he eventually got up and went to patrol the prison once more. His paper was under his arm.

"Excuse me." A raspy voice asked from one of the cells he passed. "Could I have your paper when you're finished with it?"

"I don't see why not." Alex said, passing the paper through the bars. "Pass it around to some of the other prisoners if they want it. It is Christmas after all."

"Will do." The man with the raspy voice promised. It had never occurred to Alex that the man he handed the paper to was a hardened felon: Sirius black.

Sirius eyed the paper, and scanned through articles. One caught his eye, and he read it.

The-Boy-Who-Lived: Adopted

After the tragic death of his Aunt and Uncle, (Muggles that he was living with) Harry Potter, savior of the Wizarding world was put up for adoption. After only a few short days, someone happened to stumble upon our savior, who was on his way to the Muggle Orphanage. The man immediately signed paperwork regarding the issue, and agreed to take care of Harry Potter for a few days to see if he would like to stay with him permanently.

Harry Potter agreed to this and stayed with him for the full two week trial run. Paperwork was signed, and Harry Potter was officially adopted. The man who adopted him? None other than Ex-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. Albus Dumbledore was available for comment on the matter and said that "Alastor has been alone for some time and needs some companionship, while Harry needs someone who can protect him and give him undivided attention. What fits that criteria better than a retired Dark Wizard Catcher? Alastor was known as one of the best and most powerful Aurors. If he can't keep Harry safe, nobody can."

Neither Harry, nor Alastor was available for comment, but an investigative reporter at the Ministry has discovered that there is a form in, signed by Harry Potter himself to Make Alastor Moody Harry's legal guardian. It is expected to pass without a hitch. More on the subject, see Adoption, Page A5.

Sirius smiled for the first time in four years. Tears of joy streamed down his face, as he thought of Harry, having his first shot at a normal life.