Harry watched, stunned, as Garrick Ollivander walked toward the center of the room. Why on Earth had Professor Dumbledore asked him to come? He stole a glance at Hermione, who looked confused as well. The look did not suit her, and did nothing to calm the anxiety writhing in his stomach.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. Ollivander." said Professor Dumbledore. "I have here the wand which was taken from Peter Pettigrew, which was taken from him this evening. Can you confirm that it is the wand that you sold him as a boy?"
"This is ridiculous!" said Umbridge. "There's no way he could remember-"
"It is." said Ollivander, completely unbothered by Umbridge's outburst. "Cherry, unicorn hair, eight and one quarter inches."
"Hem, hem" said Umbridge. "As I was saying, the legend around Mister Ollivander's ability to recall every wand he has ever made is well known, but it is just that: a legend."
"What wand did you make for Undersecretary Umbridge?" said Dumbledore.
"Birch, dragon heartstring, eight inches."
Umbridge pursed her lips.
"For her mother?"
"Cypress, dragon heartstring, nine inches."
"For her mother's mother?"
"Dogwood, dragon heartstring, nine and one half inches."
Dumbledore turned to look at Umbridge. "Is that sufficient, Undersecretary Umbridge? I can have him continue."
"That will not be necessary." said Umbridge through clenched teeth.
"Now that we have established ownership of the wand, let us see what it has been up to." said Dumbledore. "Priori Incantato."
A wisp of smoke issued forth from the tip of the wand, quickly growing in size and turning into a massive ball of shadowy flames.
"A Blasting Charm." said Dumbledore. "The same spell used the night of the Potter's murder."
The smoke split into two separate pieces, which resolved into the forms of Sirius and Pettigrew, A glowing sphere slowly moved outward from Sirius' chest and entered into Pettigrew.
Dumbledore ended the spell, closed his eyes and said nothing for a long moment. Then he ended the spell, causing the image to vanish.
"That was the Fidelilus Charm." he said finally, opening his eyes. "It appears Mr. Pettigrew did indeed take on the role of Secret Keeper."
"No! NO!" screamed Pettigrew. "Please, you don't understand! I-"
Madam Bones pursed her lips. "Thank you Mister Ollivander. I call for a vote. All in favor of exonerating Sirius Black?"
Harry sighed and closed his eyes. There was no way enough people would vote to free Sirius. They would chuck him back in Azkaban and sweep the whole thing under the rug. Harry wished he could sleep, sleep forever…
He frowned and turned to look at the Dementors. They were still on the other side of the room. Why was he feeling so depressed, unless-
The walls in the room seemed to ripple and turn black. Harry realized what was happening and went for his wand just as Dementors erupted from the walls in every direction. Screams echoed, followed shortly by cries of "Expecto Patronum!" Bursts of silver mist sprang into being, but there were so many Dementors that they seemed to have no effect.
The screams in the room became distant and far away in Harry's mind, replaced by just one: his mother.
"No, not Harry, please!"
"Stand aside, you silly girl!"
Through blurred vision, Harry saw a group of the Dementors swarm around Sirius, and another group around the Auror guarding him, separating the two. The Auror summoned a Patronus, but it couldn't get to Sirius, who had collapsed to the ground.
There were simply too many Dementors and not enough Patronuses. Harry watched as one of the ones surrounding Sirius withdrew its hood and leaned over him.
Harry collapsed to his knees, gripped his wand tightly with both hands and pointed it straight up into the air. He gritted his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut, and focused on Sirius asking him to live with him.
No more Dursleys. he thought. No more Vernon, no more Dudley, no more Petunia.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" he screamed. "EXPECTO...PATRONUM!"
His wand vibrated in his hands, so much that he had to fight to keep control of it. Silver light overwhelmed his field of vision, even with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes to see an enormous, nearly blinding globe of silver light explode from the tip of his wand. It elongated, and four tendrils of light emerged from it as it quickly morphed into the form of a stag. It lowered its head and charged into the air, spearing the nearest Dementor on the end of its massive antlers.
"Prongs." whispered Harry as he watched the magnificent creature in action. It was soon joined by a phoenix, a lynx, and a doe. The Dementors began to fall back, forming a wall around Sirius.
"SIRIUS! SAVE SIRIUS!" Harry yelled. The stag seemed to understand him and charged the horde of Dementors around his godfather, followed by the other three Patronuses.
They tore a hole in the veil of death, and Harry saw that a Dementor had Sirius' mouth clenched in its jaws. The stag leapt at the foul creature, and the Dementor was blown back. A translucent stream of white still connected its mouth to Sirius' mouth, but as Harry watched it disconnected from the Dementor and Sirius seemed to inhale it.
The Patronuses gathered in a circle around Sirius, and the Dementors began to flee back through the walls. Harry bolted across the room to his godfather and knelt by his side.
Sirius was still unconscious, but he was breathing. Harry stood, unsteady on his feet, as Professor Dumbledore approached him.
"I will see that Sirius is taken care of, Harry. Why don't you sit down." Dumbledore said, summoning a squashy purple armchair with a flick of his wand. The chair appeared behind Harry and scooted itself up to him, bumping into the back of his knees, causing him to collapse back into it.
"S'good idea." Harry mumbled. The events of the night and the strain of casting such a powerful Patronus were catching up with him. His Patronus lay down next to the chair; he reached out to pet it before realizing that it was insubstantial.
"Thanks, Dad." he said to the deer, before sleep overcame him.
Harry awoke to find himself in the Hospital Wing. He groped for his glasses and found them on the small side table. He put them on and the crowd of blurry people in the room sharpened into focus.
Sirius was in the bed to his left and Ron was in the bed to his right. Sirius, it seemed, could not find peace even in sleep. He tossed and turned, muttering under his breath. Beside his bed sat Hermione.
"You're awake!" Hermione said.
Sirius awoke with a panicked shout at the noise. Hermione brandished a copy of The Daily Prophet.
Harry and Sirius both leaned forward to read the headline:
SIRIUS BLACK CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES
PETER PETTIGREW DISCOVERED ALIVE, SENTENCED TO LIFE IN AZKABAN
"I'm free." Sirius said, his voice barely a whisper. His upper lip began to quiver, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm...I don't have to...I never have to go back...back to…"
He closed his eyes, and his tears began to flow freely as his whole body shook. Harry felt lightheaded. If Sirius was free, what did that mean for him? Could he live with him?
Hermione cleared his throat. "I can give you a moment, if you-"
Sirius' eyes snapped open. "No." he said. "I've waited twelve years for this moment. I need to get up and get moving. I have things to attend to."
Madam Pomfrey walked out of the supply closet to stand by Sirius' bed. She ran her wand over him and nodded.
"Yes, I think that's for the best." she said.
Everyone, including Sirius, turned to stare at her.
"What?" she asked.
"I don't think I've ever heard you agree when one of your patients said that." Sirius said.
"Well-" said Madam Pomfrey with a sigh. "-when I heard that the Dementors were going to be at Hogwarts, I made it my mission to learn as much about them as I could. There's not much information available, of course, but I did find a case from 1437 of a witch that had been falsely imprisoned in Azkaban for eight years. She was prescribed rest but fell into a deep melancholy - what the Muggles call depression. She was never the same."
"Mmm, yes, let's avoid that." said Sirius, nodding.
"So the prevailing theory is that the treatment for prolonged Dementor exposure is twofold: one, to be exposed to things that will make the subject remember past happy memories - difficult in your case, Sirius, since those are tainted by tragedy - and two, the formation of new ones."
Sirius scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You know, now that you mention it-ever since I escaped, I haven't really been that tired, all things considering."
Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Exactly. You had an objective. Now that you've completed it, it will be important to find another one. Something that gives you a sense of purpose. I-"
She trailed off when she saw that Professor Dumbledore had entered the Hospital Wing.
"Apologies for interrupting you, Poppy." he said with a smile. "I wonder if I might have a word with Harry and Sirius?"
"Of course, Headmaster." She left with Hermione in tow.
Harry noticed that Dumbledore was not smiling, and his eyes did not have their usual twinkle. He looked old, which he of course was, but Harry could not recall him ever looking old before.
"Good evening." Dumbledore said, sitting down. "There is...much we need to discuss, and I fear most of it is unpleasant."
"How bad could it be?" Sirius said, frowning. "I'm a free man!"
"Indeed. However, most of our discussion tonight will center around Harry...and myself."
Sirius' frown deepened.
Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, have you ever wondered why you live with your aunt and uncle?"
Harry blinked in surprise. "Well... they're my closest living relatives." he said, unable to make himself say the word 'family'. "And Sirius was in prison, so…"
"Wait a moment." Sirius said. "Harry doesn't have any living aunts or uncles. Well, I mean unless you count Vernon and Petunia."
He chuckled, but his expression darkened when he saw the look on Harry's face.
"You can't be serious," he said.
Dumbledore nodded. Harry stared at the floor, wishing he could disappear.
"But...I don't understand. They hate our kind!"
Harry's face grew hot. He had never talked about the Dursleys much with his friends. Fred, George, and Ron had some idea of how bad it was since they had rescued him the summer before his second year. Luckily, Dumbledore saved him from having to answer.
"It is true that Harry's time with them has not been pleasant." Dumbledore said.
"Then he can live with me if he wants." Sirius said.
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. The thought of no longer having to live with the Dursleys was so amazing he almost couldn't comprehend it. He felt light headed. It was as if a great weight that he hadn't known he carried had been suddenly lifted.
"I am afraid that...would not be wise." said Dumbledore.
And just like that, the weight came crashing back. Harry's entire body felt heavy; he wanted to feel something - rage at Dumbledore, sadness at the hope that had been torn from him, anything - but he just felt numb.
It had been foolish to hope.
Sirius frowned. "Alright, maybe I don't have experience as a father - but I'm sure I could do better than them-"
"I regret to say that that cannot be my primary concern." said Dumbledore. "Let me explain. It was I who chose where Harry would live after his parents died, and I knew...I knew of his aunt and uncle's views regarding our world."
Sirius stared at Dumbledore in horror. "For Merlin's sake then, why them?" he said.
"Because my primary concern was for his safety. Many of Voldemort's supporters were still at large, and still are today. Also, it is inevitable that Voldemort himself will someday return to power."
Sirius looked like he was about to interrupt again, but Dumbledore held up a hand and he fell silent, though a dark expression remained on his face.
"When Lily gave her life to protect Harry, she invoked a powerful, ancient form of magic. I was able to capitalize on this by placing a charm on Harry. While he lives with a blood relative, he cannot be harmed by Voldemort there."
There was a long moment of silence while both Harry and Sirius processed this.
"So nine months of the year he's here, where You-Know-Who wouldn't dare attack him, and the other three months he's with...those people…"
Harry looked up for a moment, momentarily encouraged. "Professor Dumbledore, this last summer I spent three weeks living on Diagon Alley by myself. The summer before that I stayed with the Weasleys for a month…couldn't I-"
"Magic this powerful cannot be fooled." said Dumbledore. "During the times to which you refer, I monitored the charm I placed on you. It was in no danger of being broken, because during those times you did not consider the places you were staying to be your home. You knew the situations were temporary."
"What about Hogwarts? He's here most of the time - why didn't coming here break the charm?" Sirius said.
"I confess that I do not know for certain, but I suspect it is because he knows he will have to leave each summer."
Something burst inside of Harry.
"Sir, I don't care." Harry said quietly. "I don't want to live with those people any more. Even if it means Voldemort kills me."
Harry had never seen Dumbledore look shocked before. No, horrified was more like it. The look did not suit him in the least.
"Harry, your parents sacrificed their lives so that you would be safe. Sirius, they entrusted his safety to you in the event that-"
"I knew James and Lily far better than you did, Headmaster." Sirius said. "And I can say with confidence that this is not what they would have wanted for them. I grew up in a family that didn't want me, and I would have risked my life for a family that did."
He paused to look at Harry. Harry felt as if he wanted to hug Sirius, scream, and punch something all at the same time.
"There has to be some way to take advantage of the protection Professor Dumbledore gave you, and minimize the time you have to spend with those people."
A tiny flame of hope kindled within Harry.
"Madam Pomfrey said I needed an objective." Sirius said with a rueful grin. "I believe I've found it."
Dumbledore returned to his office and sat down in his chair with a sigh. He sat in silence, running through the night's events over and over, until he was interrupted.
"The best laid plans, eh Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore sighed. "Indeed."
"I would join you for a drink, if I could."
Dumbledore looked up to the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black, who had clearly been pretending to be asleep.
"How often do you feign sleep, Phineas?"
"Oh, often enough. Tonight, for instance."
"Then you know about Sirius."
"Mmm. Throws quite a kink into your plans, does it not?"
"Of course." Dumbledore replied. "Yet I am still grateful to see a grave injustice corrected."
"Oh of course, of course." Phineas said.
"Do I detect sarcasm?"
"Didn't you ever think it odd that Sirius Black, the thick headed Gryffindor, hater of all things Dark - including his own family - would turn traitor? Wasn't it more likely that it was Pettigrew?"
"I did not know the Potters had switched Secret Keepers."
"Never thought of it as a possibility?"
Dumbledore sighed. "What's your point, Phineas?
"You know what my point is."
"You seem to be implying that I should have learned the truth behind the Potter's death much sooner than tonight. If your intention is to criticize my intelligence-"
"Not at all, dear boy, not at all. My intention is to get you to confess."
The Headmaster frowned. "Confess what?"
"That the reason you didn't learn the truth is that you didn't want to learn the truth."
"And why would that be?"
"Because it would have meant that the Potter boy would have gone to live with Sirius instead of those Muggles, and you wouldn't have been able to protect him as easily."
Dumbledore stood up and crossed over to the window. For several moments he said nothing.
"You are correct." he said with a sigh. "Had I evidence Sirius was innocent, I would have produced it. But it was far easier to believe the scenario that Pettigrew concocted, which supported my plans rather well as far as Harry's safety was concerned."
"Hmph." said Phineas. "I was hoping for a lively debate on the subject."
"My apologies for disappointing you, old friend."
"What are you going to do now? Will you let the boy leave?"
"I have no authority to stop him."
"When has that stopped you?"
Phineas sat back in his chair and steepled his hands.
"For what it's worth, you have my full support, Dumbledore."
"Really?"
"I may disagree with his choices, but Sirius is still a Black. And the boy, while not a Pureblood, is still being forced to live with Muggles." Phineas spat the last word as though it was an obscenity.
"I am aware of your conversation with him in the Hospital Wing, thanks to a portrait of St. Mungo. He is at least willing to consider a compromise?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"Frankly, I'm shocked. Perhaps Azkaban knocked some sense into him." Phineas stood and began pacing within the confines of his frame. "Sirius is happiest when he is getting one over on his enemies - witness the foolish pranks he was responsible for during his time here." Phineas' eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Interesting. He certainly seems to view Harry's family as an enemy." Dumbledore pondered this for a moment before a mischievous smile began to expand across his face.
"However-" Phineas continued. "-it would be best if the idea did not come from an authority figure. Gryffindor's do have a way of ignoring them, even if it is not in their best interest."
"I believe I have the beginnings of an idea." Dumbledore said. "Could you find Remus Lupin and tell him I'd like a word?"