Chapter 1: Exit Stage Dursley

Had a snowball fight with James and Sirius. In the middle of summer. Obviously learning to control my powers is going spectacularly. Sarcasm aside, the books Remus gave me aren't really helpful (mostly because they're in another language). From what I could read, apparently this is something all Elementalists go through at some point in their lives. One of two outcomes is possible: either they come out more powerful or their power consumes them and they die. Here's hoping I get the first outcome.

The sun climbed steadily lower over the horizon, casting shadows on the houses of Privet Drive as the first stars of night began to peek out. In one house, two boys sat at a kitchen table, both blonde of hair and grey of eyes. You would think the two were brothers. But, though the two were related, they did not share the same parents.

Draco Malfoy was one of the boys, his eyes and hair much paler than the other boy's, and his expression one of mild boredom. Draco was a pure-blooded wizard who had lived his entire life either in a mansion or in a castle and felt quite out of place among the Muggle dwellings around them. The boy across from him did not.

Leo Black, with his bright blonde hair, blue-grey eyes, and broad shoulders was quite used to being surrounded by Muggles, having lived with them most of his life. Privet Drive was most familiar to him, as he had spent close to ten years of his life living on this street with his cousin, Harry Potter. Harry still lived with their aunt and uncle, the Dursleys. Not so coincidentally, they lived right next door to them.

A knock sounded at the front door and they both turned in their seats, tightly gripping their wands. A man exited the living room across from them, dressed in shabby clothes and his light brown hair flecked with grey. He paused at the door before making a gesture at the two boys to lower their wands before opening the door and letting the person in.

A skinny, black-haired, bespectacled boy with bright green eyes stepped into the kitchen, looking at the two blondes awkwardly. Leo grinned broadly and pulled a chair out next to him, which the boy – Harry – sunk into gratefully. They heard the clack of claws on the floor and the sound of paws running down the stairs before a giant black dog appeared in the kitchen, wagging his tail at the sight of them all.

"Hiya, Sirius," Harry grinned.

The dog transformed into a man with black hair, grey eyes, and a smattering of stubble on his face. He was grinning back just as happily as he waved his wand, conjuring up chairs for him and the other man – Remus Lupin – to sit in while they waited at the table.

"So, er, why are we here?" Harry finally asked. "Not that I'm complaining. I'd rather be here than the Dursleys -"

"'Fraid I can't answer that, Harry," Sirius frowned. "Cas hasn't told us anything. Just said he wanted his family here for something important -"

"Maybe it has to do with Voldemort!" Leo gasped excitedly. "Maybe we're going to be allowed to go after him -"

"Don't be daft, Black," Draco rolled his eyes. "You may be mad, but I would hope that your father isn't. He wouldn't let a bunch of teenagers to go off and fight the Dark Lord... would he?"

He looked at the two adults, unsure.

"Ordinarily, I would say not," Remus frowned slightly. "But he's been feral for almost fifteen years so..."

"His brain might be a bit addled," Sirius chuckled as the front door opened at that moment.

A youngish man with short black hair, blue-grey eyes, and a light beard on his face walked through the hall and into the kitchen. He looked a lot different from the last time Leo had seen him. Less homeless and more... all right, he reminds me of a pirate. Not a bad look, though. He acknowledged, taking in the black and the leather.

"Thought you were at the Ministry, not a rock concert," Leo snorted.

"Intimidation can go a long way toward getting what you want," the man replied before flicking the back of Sirius's head. "And my brains are not addled. Yours are, and it's giving me a headache."

The others chuckled as Sirius pouted.

"Remind me again why I missed you?"

"Because I'm an absolute joy to be around," the man responded, removing his jacket and tossing it over the back of a chair before looking at the teens. "You lot enjoying your first day out of school?"

Harry and Draco gave a shrug while Leo suppressed the urge to bounce excitedly in his chair.

"I'd enjoy it a lot more if I knew what you had planned for us," he eventually said.

The man grinned at him as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Leo was surprised to see that he had a tattoo on his left arm. He tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better look at it. Seeming to read his mind, the man twisted his arm, and Leo was able to see that it was a black Chinese dragon wound around his arm.

"My parents wanted me to get the Mark," the man explained. "I didn't want to, so I rebelled a bit and got something else and had it put where the Mark would go. Needless to say, my parents were less than thrilled."

"What happened?" Leo asked curiously.

The man didn't answer for a moment.

"Hey, Siri, is the ballroom still frozen?"

"It was when we were at Grimmauld a few years ago, Cas," Sirius shrugged.

"There's your answer," Cas replied, sitting in his seat. "Now, there's a number of things that need doing, but I'll just focus on the part that concerns you three for now. How would you feel about breaking the law and becoming illegal Animagi?"

Harry and Draco stared at him while Leo gave a shriek of delight and nodded his head vigorously. Sirius grinned broadly, but Remus appeared a bit concerned.

"Are you sure that's wise, Cas?" he asked. "They could get in a lot of trouble if they were found out -"

"They're being hunted by Voldemort, Remy. There may come a day when none of us will be there to protect them. Their Animagus forms can keep them hidden – safe," Cas responded swiftly before turning to Harry and Draco. "I can handle most of the preparation – the potion and such – there're only a few steps you lot need to take. So, Harry, Draco, are you two in? Judging by the ringing in my ears, I'd say Leo's pretty gung-ho about it."

"Er, isn't becoming an Animagus supposed to be dangerous?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yes," Cas nodded. "If you try to go into it half-cocked and only half-knowing what to do, you can royally mess it up. Fortunately for you lot, not only have I gone through it myself, but I helped two of my friends and a rat through it -"

"Whatever did happen to Pettigrew?" Leo frowned.

"Saving him for a rainy day," Cas winked, patting his pocket. "Now, what say you?"

"I'm in," Draco said at once, any concerns he had about it were wiped away upon knowing that Cas had experience.

"Yeah, me too," Harry nodded eagerly.

"Great, here's what you have to do..."

He informed them that, starting on the first full moon – which was on the twelfth – they would have to hold a mandrake leaf in their mouths until the next full moon – August tenth. After which, they would each spit their leaves into a phial under the light of the full moon and add one of their hairs to it. Cas told them that there were other ingredients that had to be added, but he'd take care of them.

Once that was done, they had to wait for the next electrical storm before they could drink the potion, during which time they must point their wands to their heart and recite 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus' at sunrise and sundown every day without fail. When the lightning storm finally hit, they were to recite the incantation a final time before drinking the potion.

Leo thought it sounded like a lot of work, but it would be worth it if he got to turn into a dragon or something. Cas told them that they would be doing most of the Animagus work at the Den – spitting out their leaves and waiting for the storm to hit. Once his explanation was through, Cas shooed them from the room so he could talk to Sirius and Remus. For a moment, Leo hoped he'd be able to eavesdrop, but a wall of ice blocked off the room and cut off all sound.

He pouted as threw himself down on the couch between Draco and Harry. His expression then brightened immensely when he recalled they were going to learn how to become Animagi.

"So, what do you think you two are gonna be? I think Harry should be a mongoose since they kill snakes and all – or maybe a cat -"

"McGonagall's a cat. Don't think I'm anything like her, to be perfectly honest," Harry snorted.

"I'm hoping for something big but unassuming. Don't want to be traipsing down the road as a leopard," Draco rolled his eyes. "Maybe a dog or a large bird -"

"I'm hoping for a dragon or a phoenix – something made of fire," Leo bounced excitedly.

The three chatted about what they wanted their forms to be before settling down and trying to seriously guess what sounded like them. Draco thought that Leo should be a peacock since he liked showing off for attention. He was swiftly tackled to the ground and held in a headlock until Harry tried to intervene and was pulled into the tussle. The three wrestled on the ground for a bit, not noticing that the wall of ice was gone or that the three adults were standing there, watching them in amusement.

Leo was the first to eventually spot them, jumping to his feet and plastering on an expression of wide-eyed innocence. The other two scrambled to their feet beside him, panting heavily.

"Draco, Remus will be taking you off to headquarters now. I'll come and bring you your leaf at eight o'clock on the twelfth," Cas informed him. "I need to head to the Den and make sure I can find everything that we need and to... process some things."

Leo was suddenly reminded that his father had not been back to their house since before his mother had died. He felt a pang of sympathy for the man, whose face twitched slightly before he turned to Leo.

"Sirius will stay here with you unless he gets called away on a mission. You might not see me too often, since I'm still wrestling with the Ministry as well as researching other... things," he held up a hand to forestall any questions. "I don't want to disclose it or give false hope. You'll know when I've got everything sorted."

Leo folded his arms over his chest and pouted.

July passed by without too much incident. Harry and Leo received their mandrake leaves on the night of the twelfth and were expressly warned not to rip them or spit them out before it was time. The leaves were very bitter, and he and Harry had trouble finding a place to put them in their mouths that would still enable them to talk. Sirius suggested keeping them on one side of their mouths and talking with the other. It worked somewhat, though they looked like they had some sort of disorder. Leo was just upset because chocolate tasted awful now.

Cas was still making slow but steady progress with the Ministry. A witch had visited the day before Leo's birthday to check out the house while Cas was away. Luckily, Sirius was attending an Order meeting at the time so when the squat witch appeared asking questions, he wasn't around to get caught. Leo mainly sat in the living room, reading through an old comic book of his father's while the witch sniffed around, trying to find anything. She eventually joined him in the living room and sat in an armchair, smiling widely at him as though he was a fly she wanted to eat.

"I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me, Leo," she said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Shoot," he shrugged.

"I was wondering if you could tell me where Draco Malfoy is," she smiled. "I was informed that your father had obtained custody of him, but I see no sign of his presence in this house -"

"Oh, he's staying with his Aunt Andy for the first half of the summer," Leo waved a dismissive hand as he flipped a page. "He wanted to get to know other people in his family so when she extended an invite, he accepted."

"I see," she mumbled, scribbling something down on her clipboard. "How has it been, having your father back? Is he nice? Mean? Secretive?"

"He just... is," Leo shrugged again, eyes narrowing slightly. "He treats me like an equal – which is more than I can say about most adults."

"Has he told you where he's been?" she persisted. "Has he told you about your uncle? Has he said where he is -"

"Off sipping mai tais in the Bahamas," Leo replied sarcastically, lowering his book and staring at her. "Who did you say you were again?"

The witch drew herself up.

"Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary for the Minister of Magic -"

"Then why are you here?" he cut across her. "This is a matter for the Department of Child Services – not the Minister's glorified secretary."

"Harry Potter is a very special case that the Minister of Magic has a vested interest in. We want to ensure the Boy-Who-Lived is in the best care possible -"

"Bollocks," Leo snapped, reaching over to the coffee table and pulling out a newspaper, thrusting it at her. "You lot don't give a damn about Harry's safety – you're trying to discredit him. You didn't come here to make sure this would be a proper home for him, you came to ferret out information in the hopes of chucking my uncle and – possibly – my dad into Azkaban."

"Leo, I can assure you -"

"Make all the assurances you like, I still don't believe you," he stated. "So, unless you have any actual questions pertaining to the adoption case, I'll ask you to kindly get the hell out of my house."

Umbridge had looked quite affronted at this before she drew herself up and stormed out of the house. It was only after she had left that Leo began to worry that he may very well have cost his father the chance to take Harry in. His worries proved to be unfounded that night when his father came home, grinning broadly and saying that the Minister was no longer directly involved in the proceedings, so everything should proceed much more smoothly and he should be able to get the papers he needed any day now.

They celebrated this along with Harry and Leo's birthday the next day, where they were both made cakes and received a mountain of presents each. Most of them came from Cas, who admitted that he felt bad about missing their birthdays and Christmases for almost fifteen years and wanted to make up for it. Leo couldn't help but draw comparisons to Sirius buying him and Harry Firebolts in their third year.

The next day found the pair wandering about the neighborhood by themselves. Sirius was at an Order meeting and Cas was back at the Ministry once more, leaving the duo to their own devices. They vaulted over the locked park gate and set off across the parched grass. The park was as empty as the surrounding streets. When they reached the swings, Leo let Harry take the only one that Dudley and his friends had not yet managed to break. He preferred to stand and look around their surroundings warily, keeping an eye out for signs of danger.

The two discussed a variety of topics – after double-checking that they were alone, of course – that ranged from discussing their Animagus forms to what Voldemort was up to now. Leo liked to make silly and absurd predictions such as getting plastic surgery to regain his nose or opening up a café for snakes. He was saying that Voldemort was the newest snake exhibit at the zoo when the sound of voices interrupted him. He narrowed his eyes, prepared to draw his wand.

The streetlamps from the surrounding roads were casting a misty glow strong enough to silhouette a group of people making their way across the park. One of them was singing a loud, crude song. The others were laughing. A soft ticking noise came from several expensive racing bikes that they were wheeling along. Leo relaxed, rolling his eyes and looking at Harry. It was just their dumbarse cousin Dudley and his gang of morons. Dudley's gang's voices died; they were out of sight, heading along Magnolia Road. Leo stared down the road before grinning at Harry.

"Fancy a bit of fun?"

Harry grinned back in response before getting to his feet and stretching. The two set off, climbing over the gate as they made their way down Magnolia Road. They walked quickly so that halfway along Magnolia Road Dudley's gang came into view again; they were saying their farewells at the entrance to Magnolia Crescent. Harry pulled Leo to the side and out of view, waiting for Dudley to be on his own.

"... squealed like a pig, didn't he?" Malcolm was saying, to guffaws from the others.

"Nice right hook, Big D," said Piers.

"Same time tomorrow?" said Dudley.

"Round at my place, my parents are out," said Gordon.

"See you then," said Dudley.

"Bye Dud!"

"See ya, Big D!"

Leo muffled his snort of laughter as they watched Dudley's friends depart. When their voices had faded once more they headed around the corner into Magnolia Crescent and by walking very quickly they soon came within hailing distance of Dudley, who was strolling along at his ease, humming tunelessly. Harry was the first to call out.

"Hey, Big D!"

Dudley turned.

"Oh," he grunted. "It's you two."

"How long have you been 'Big D' then?" said Harry.

"Wonder if they call him that because they've seen his 'Big D'?" Leo tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Doubtful, otherwise he'd be called 'Little D' or 'Nonexistent D' -"

"Shut it," snarled Dudley, turning away again.

"It's a cool name," said Harry, grinning at Leo as they fell into step beside Dudley. "But he'll always be Ickle Diddykins to me."

"My personal favorite is still Dinky Duddydums," Leo informed him conversationally. "Always been fond of that one."

"I said, SHUT IT!" said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists.

But Leo and Harry continued on as though they hadn't heard him.

"Personally, I also liked Dud -"

"Oh, yeah, very descriptive. Suits him quite well -"

"I'm also still surprised the bike hasn't collapsed under him by now -"

"I'm still surprised we have chairs at the house -"

"Shut your faces," Dudley growled.

Leo placed a hand over his heart and gave an expression of mock hurt.

"That is without a doubt the most creative and intelligent insult I've ever heard," he said sarcastically. "You wound me, Dud. Think I might faint – you'll have to carry me, Harry -"

"I'm not carrying you," Harry snorted, shoving Leo away as he tried to lean on his shoulder. "Who do you think he's been beating up tonight?"

"Probably another ten-year-old, since that's all he can handle," Leo rolled his eyes, wrinkling his nose in mild disgust. "We know he did Mark Evans two nights ago —"

"He was asking for it," snarled Dudley.

"Don't think anyone asks to get beat up by a sumo wrestler," Leo remarked as Harry chuckled. "So why did ya do it, Dud?"

"He cheeked me."

"Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? 'Cause, that's not cheek, Dud, that's true..."

Leo roared with laughter before high-fiving Harry as they turned right down the narrow alleyway that formed a shortcut between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. It was empty and much darker than the streets it linked because there were no streetlamps. Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a high fence on the other.

"Think you're both so tough carrying those things, don't you?" Dudley said after a few seconds.

"These 'things' are called muscles, Dud. They happen when you actually exercise once in a while," Leo rolled his eyes as Harry snorted.

"You know what I'm talking about, Black," Dudley growled. "Those things you're hiding."

Harry grinned again.

"Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud? But I s'pose if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time..."

Harry pulled out his wand and Dudley looked sideways at it. Leo gave him a warning look before shaking his head. There was no use in threatening Dudley when they couldn't back it up.

"You're not allowed," Dudley said at once. "I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to."

"I won't," Leo reminded him. "My record's clean so far."

"Dunno about that, Leo. Aren't you under investigation after putting one of our professors in a coma?" Harry asked in an innocent tone, giving him a subtle wink.

Leo caught on at once.

"Oh yeah, that's right," he frowned in mock thought. "There's also those people I set on fire, the cameraman I assaulted – twice – that time I assaulted that reporter, threatening the Minister of Magic, that teacher I set on fire -"

"You're mad," Dudley whispered, staring at him wide-eyed. "You didn't actually do any of that."

"The sad part is, all of that actually happened," Harry shook his head.

"What do you mean 'sad'? I think it's bloody hilarious how much I've gotten away with," Leo laughed. "And that's just the stuff they know about."

"Why haven't you been chucked in prison then?" Dudley demanded.

"Dunno," Leo shrugged. "Probably afraid my uncle or my dad will find them and murder them in their sleep or something if they do. I like having terrifying relatives – makes me feel warm and safe."

Harry snorted, laughing loudly before stopping abruptly as both he and Leo looked up, a feeling of cold sweeping over them. Something had happened to the night. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch black and lightless — the stars, the moon, the misty streetlamps at either end of the alley had vanished. The distant rumble of cars and the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.

"Leo -" Harry began.

"Wands out," the blonde ordered, flicking his own out as he looked around.

He turned his head this way and that, trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on his eyes like a weightless veil. Dudley's terrified voice broke in Leo's ear.

"W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!"

"We haven't done anything – now shut it. I'm trying to listen."

"I c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I —"

"Dudley, so help me God, if you get me killed I will come back from the dead and haunt you for the rest of eternity. Now, shut the hell up," Leo snarled.

Leo stood stock-still, turning his sightless eyes left and right. The cold was so intense that he was shivering all over; goosebumps had erupted up his arms, and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up — he opened his eyes to their fullest extent, staring blankly around, unseeing...

"Leo, please tell me this is your dad and not what I think it is," Harry whispered.

"It wouldn't be this cold if it was him," Leo frowned, tightening his grip on his wand. "We know what it is – stay sharp."

"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered. "W-where are you? What are you d-do — ?"

"Will you shut up?" Harry hissed, "We're trying to lis —"

Leo placed a hand over Harry's mouth, eyes narrowing as he heard a sound. There was something in the alleyway apart from themselves, something that was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths. Dementors. He snarled.

"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you, I swear I will!"

"One more word, Dudley -"

A fist flew, socking Leo in the side of the head and sending him to the ground. He was about to spit out the blood that had accumulated within his mouth when he recalled he still had the mandrake leaf in his mouth. I swear, if that damaged the leaf, I'm going to kill him. He groaned, rising to his feet with Harry's help.

"I'm smothering Dudley in his sleep tonight – wanna help?" he grumbled.

"Optimistic of you to think we'll -" Harry cut off abruptly as they heard Dudley blundering away, hitting the alley fence, stumbling. "DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT!"

There was a horrible squealing yell, and Dudley's footsteps stopped. At the same moment, Leo felt a creeping chill behind him that could mean only one thing. There was more than one.

"Help Dudley, I'll handle this one," Leo barked as he whirled around.

Harry's footsteps faded away as Leo raised his wand, focusing on the memory of himself, Harry, and Draco scuffling around in the living room almost a month ago.

"Expecto patronum!"

An enormous silver wolf burst forth from his wand, illuminating the alley and bathing it in warm light. Behind him, he heard Harry shout the same spell and didn't have to turn his head to know he had produced a stag. Leo's wolf – Knight, as he liked to call him – lifted his head and gave a soundless howl. Waves of warmth and light pulsed from his jaws, pushing the dementor back and sending it flying away, a second one joining it mere moments later.

Moon, stars, and streetlamps burst back into life. A warm breeze swept the alleyway. Trees rustled in neighboring gardens and the mundane rumble of cars in Magnolia Crescent filled the air again. Leo turned, running over to Harry and Dudley and looking them over, relaxing when he saw they both had their souls intact.

"What were dementors doing here?" Harry panted.

"Not sure," Leo frowned, looking around. "Could be Voldemort or it could be someone sent them."

"But - who? Why?"

"Dunno if you noticed, Harry, but we're not exactly the most popular people in the wizarding world," Leo remarked in a dry tone, glancing down at Dudley. "C'mon, we need to get him back. Help me -"

With an enormous effort, they managed to hoist Dudley to his feet. Dudley seemed to be on the point of fainting: His small eyes were rolling in their sockets and sweat was beading his face; the moment Leo let go of him he swayed dangerously and Harry almost collapsed under his weight. He quickly grabbed onto him again, slinging one of Dudley's massive arms over his shoulders as they basically dragged him down the road.

They reached Privet Drive, both panting and sweating under Dudley's enormous weight. The hall light was on. Leo retracted his wand, rang the bell, and watched Petunia's outline grow larger and larger, oddly distorted by the rippling glass in the front door.

"Diddy! About time too, I was getting quite — quite — Diddy, what's the matter?"

Harry and Leo looked sideways at Dudley and ducked out from under his arms just in time. Dudley swayed for a moment on the spot, his face pale green, then he opened his mouth at last and vomited all over the doormat. Leo was relieved that none managed to splatter onto his shoes.

"DIDDY! Diddy, what's the matter with you? Vernon? VERNON!"

Vernon came galumphing out of the living room, walrus mustache blowing hither and thither as it always did when he was agitated. He hurried forward to help Petunia negotiate a weak-kneed Dudley over the threshold while avoiding stepping in the pool of sick.

"He's ill, Vernon!"

"What is it, son? What's happened? Did Mrs. Polkiss give you something foreign for tea?"

Leo longed to make a comment but was hushed by Harry's warning look.

"Why are you all covered in dirt, darling? Have you been lying on the ground?"

"Hang on — you haven't been mugged, have you, son?"

Petunia screamed.

"Phone the police, Vernon! Phone the police! Diddy, darling, speak to Mummy! What did they do to you?"

Leo and Harry exchanged a look before they slipped inside and began to move carefully and quietly up the stairs. Ordinarily, Leo would've headed home, but he wanted to discuss what had happened with Harry further and he couldn't exactly do that when he was in a separate house.

"Who did it, son? Give us names. We'll get them, don't worry."

"Shh! He's trying to say something, Vernon! What is it, Diddy? Tell Mummy!"

"Them."

Not entirely inaccurate. The dementors were most likely after us. Leo conceded with a tilt of his head.

"BOYS! COME HERE!"

Leo and Harry exchanged exasperated looks as they made their way back down the stairs and turned to follow the Dursleys. The scrupulously clean kitchen had an oddly unreal glitter after the darkness outside. Petunia was ushering Dudley into a chair; he was still very green and clammy looking. Vernon was standing in front of the draining board, glaring at Leo and Harry through tiny, narrowed eyes.

"What have you done to my son?" he said in a menacing growl.

"Saved his life," Leo replied in a dry tone, knowing they wouldn't believe him regardless.

"What did they do to you, Diddy?" Petunia said in a quavering voice, now sponging sick from the front of Dudley's leather jacket. "Was it — was it you-know-what, darling? Did they use — their thing?"

"You really need to come up with a better word," Leo informed them, raising an eyebrow. "Otherwise that sentence could be horribly misconstrued -"

He cut off as Dudley nodded. Again, it wasn't exactly an untrue statement.

"We didn't!" Harry said sharply, as Petunia let out a wail and Vernon raised his fists. "We didn't do anything to him, it wasn't us, it was —"

But at that precise moment, two screech owls swooped in through the kitchen window. Narrowly missing the top of Vernon's head, they soared across the kitchen, dropped the large parchment envelope they were each carrying in their beaks at Harry and Leo's feet and turned gracefully, the tips of their wings just brushing the top of the fridge, then zoomed outside again and off across the garden.

"OWLS!" bellowed Vernon, the well-worn vein in his temple pulsing angrily as he slammed the kitchen window shut. "OWLS AGAIN! I WILL NOT HAVE ANY MORE OWLS IN MY HOUSE!"

Leo ignored him, opening the letter with his name on it and raising an eyebrow at the contents:

Dear Mr. Black,

We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at twenty-three minutes past nine this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle.

The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.

As there have been numerous complaints cited against you including assault and destruction of property, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 a.m. on August 12th.

Hoping you are well,

Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE

Ministry of Magic

He leaned over to see Harry had received a similar letter, also citing that his wand would be destroyed and he would need to attend a hearing on the same date as him. Guess they're going for the two-for-one special. He mused, ignoring the Dursleys talking in the background. Most people – like Harry – would've been terrified at receiving a letter like this, but Leo had no intention of surrendering his or Harry's wands without a fight.

He flicked out his wand before grabbing Harry by the wrist and proceeding to lead the dazed boy from the room.

"Where d'you think you're going?" yelled Vernon. When they didn't reply, he pounded across the kitchen to block the doorway into the hall. "I haven't finished with you two!"

"Yeah, well, we've finished with you," Leo snapped, pointing his wand at Vernon's face. "So, I suggest you move unless you want a pumpkin for a head."

"You can't pull that one on me!" snarled Vernon. "I know you're not allowed to use it outside that madhouse you call a school!"

"The madhouse has chucked us out," said Harry. "So we can do whatever we like. You've got three seconds. One — two —"

A resounding CRACK filled the kitchen; Petunia screamed, Vernon yelled and ducked, and Leo whirled around, looking for the source of the noise. He spotted it at once: A dazed and ruffled-looking barn owl was sitting outside on the kitchen sill, having just collided with the closed window.

Ignoring Uncle Vernon's anguished yell of "OWLS!" Harry crossed the room at a run and wrenched the window open again. The owl stuck out its leg, to which a small roll of parchment was tied, shook its feathers, and took off the moment Harry had pulled off the letter. Harry brought it over to Leo, who unfurled it to read:

Harry, Leo —

Dumbledore's just arrived at the Ministry, and he's trying to sort it all out. Castor is on his way to you as we speak. UNTIL THEN, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE'S HOUSE. DO NOT DO ANY MORE MAGIC. DO NOT SURRENDER YOUR WANDS.

Arthur Weasley

No sooner had Leo finished the letter than the doorbell rang and everyone jumped. Leo held his wand aloft, prepared to fight whoever came through the front door as Vernon crossed over to the door, looked through the peephole, and opened it. Castor Black pushed his way past him, ignoring Vernon's angry yell as he walked into the kitchen. He stopped for a moment, staring at Petunia who had gone pale at his presence before looking at Harry and Leo and grinning widely.

"Hear you two've gotten yourselves into a spot of trouble," he stated, raising an eyebrow at the pair. "Can't leave you two alone for one night before you start Patronus dueling -"

"Patronus dueling?" Leo questioned, eyes widening in curiosity.

"There were dementors, Uncle Cas," Harry said at once. "They came after us and we had to fight them off -"

"How many?" Cas demanded, frowning slightly.

"Two - they almost got Dudley," Harry informed him.

"I see..."

Cas was quiet and pensive for a moment, staring down at the tile floor in thought as Vernon waddled back into the room. For a second, it looked as though he was about to start yelling, but Petunia shook her head wildly and he refrained from doing so. He walked over to stand next to his wife and his movement seemed to stir Cas out of his thoughts.

"Right, onto business then," he stated, walking over to Petunia, pulling a few papers out of the inside of his jacket and handing them to her. "You're going to sign these."

"And why the ruddy hell should we -" Vernon growled, reaching out to grab the papers when his hand was smacked by Cas.

"Her, not you," Cas corrected him before turning back to Petunia. "You're signing custody of Harry over to me."

"What - you got the papers?" Leo exclaimed.

"Aye, just before the notice came in about you two casting spells. Lucky they did too, reckon they'd've never given me the papers then -" Cas sighed.

"So, after fourteen years of watching the boy, you're just going to take him?" Vernon demanded as Petunia read over the papers. "We deserve some ruddy compensation -"

"The only thing you deserve is a good hard kick in the -"

"Leo," Cas said reproachfully before turning to Vernon, his expression inscrutable. "You want compensation, eh? How's this for compensation: your wife signs the papers and I take Harry with me and leave you unscathed. After the way you've treated my family..." He paused before shaking his head. "You get to live, how's that for compensation?"

Vernon opened his mouth to speak but was hushed by Petunia, who was digging through a drawer, looking for a pen. She found one, placing the papers on the counter and signing them one by one before handing them over to Cas without a word.

"Thank you, Tuney," Cas stated with a small smile, stuffing the papers back in his jacket. "Now, we just need to wait for one more thing before we can leave – ah, here they come now."

Two owls swooped through the open window, depositing official-looking letters that Cas swept off the table and opened as they left. He read through them both, nodding in satisfaction before turning to Leo and Harry.

"Change of plans, boys. Your hearing on the twelfth will decide whether or not you get to keep your wands and whether or not you get expelled. Not to worry," he added as he noticed Harry's panicked expression. "Since you're both still minors, I'm required to attend as your legal guardian. Mark my words, you'll get to keep your wands and continue to attend Hogwarts."

"Dad, that's two days after the full moon," Leo frowned. "Will they be able to -?"

"No," he shook his head. "You can't tell with me or Siri, so they won't be able to tell with you." He turned to Harry. "Get your stuff packed, we'll head over to headquarters tonight."