AN: This is literally my first fanfiction. Don't expect high quality content because I certainly don't. In the future I will probably read this and think it is a piece of garbage. But right now, I am proud of it. Therefore, advice is not only allowed but encouraged. I shall also warn you, I am going to change most canon events, so don't expect the timeline to be precise.
On a happier note, please join the Haphne server! Link: discord dot gg/pKSdvJQvhU
We do several weekly activities such as a discussion club, Care of Magical Creatures lessons and our own movie/anime club!
27th of June 1994, Courtroom Nº4, Ministry of Magic
Harry was witnessing Sirius' and Pettigrew's trial. Due to the unconventional situation, it had been considered more proper to have a double trial for them.
Harry had never witnessed any trial before (he had never been allowed to watch the TV) and he was quite surprised by how it worked. Madame Bones was the 'prosecutor' asking the questions. Madame Marchbanks, a veteran Ministry official, acted as the judge. There were no lawyers, because no one had wanted to take such a case.
Both of the accused answered through Veritaserum. It wasn't common, but Sirius gave his permission, so they could use it for him. As for Pettigrew, since he was still technically dead, he had no civil rights, so he had been forced to drink it as well.
Harry had been asked questions too. As a witness to Pettigrew's reveal, he had talked for several minutes, corroborating Sirius' side of the story. There had been several tense moments, for example when Pettigrew showed his Dark Mark again.
In addition, it turned out they still had Sirius' old wand, and the detection spells casted against it showed that no explosive spells had been cast in the last dozen of spells used.
In the end, the amount of evidence made itself felt. After more than two hours of trial, Madame Marchbanks said:
"Peter Pettigrew. You are declared guilty of murder of fifteen muggles, accessory of the murder of the Potter family, along with the framing of Sirius Black. I hereby sentence you to the dementor's kiss." Harry looked at Remus, smiling.
"As for Mr. Black, I declare you innocent of all charges you have been accused for, even being an illegal animagus. You are a free man, and you will receive compensation for what you have been through."
Sirius was about to stand up, but Madame Bones stopped him.
"Before you leave, one last question if you could?"
Sirius was still under Veritaserum, so he asked:
"Am I forced to answer?"
"No, Mr. Black. The question is: Were you the one who changed the Hufflepuff common room colour to dark blue in October 1972?"
"No Madame Bones! It was Remus Lupin!" Sirius answered truly.
"Good! I was never sure, but I know who to blame now…" She said, glaring at the other man.
It took a while for Harry and Remus to reach Sirius. Since the Blacks were such a prominent family, almost everyone wanted to congratulate him. Harry saw Lucius Malfoy next to a blonde woman, and both of them were glaring at his godfather.
Finally reaching Sirius, they saw he was busy losing his breath. There was a woman with brown curly hair taking the air out of him.
"I knew you didn't do it! You are not capable of doing that! You were always my favourite relative for a reason!"
"Andromeda… can't … breathe!" Sirius tried.
"Sorry! I am very happy for you though!" She stepped back and saw Remus and Harry. "It seems that I am not the only one. Make sure to call this week, we need to catch up!"
After that, Andromeda left, not before taking a pink haired auror with her.
"Who was that Sirius?" Harry asked curiously.
"That was my cousin Andromeda, with her daughter. Along with my Uncle Alphard, she was the only relative I got along with. It has been too long…" He lamented.
"It has been. But now you have time to catch up! Harry, did you take everything away from the Dursley's?" Remus asked.
"Everything I may need is in the trunk you shrunk before. We can leave whenever you want!"
"Good!" Sirius said. "It is time to see what happened to my old house…"
Approximately an hour later, Nº12 Grimmauld Place
The house was in a deplorable situation. After Sirius' mother's death, everything had fallen in a state of disrepair. Dust had invaded the house, and several pests had also taken residence in the Black household. After a yelling session involving Kreacher (the Black's old house elf) the portrait of Sirius' mother, and Sirius himself, no room could be declared safe.
For that reason, Remus had gone to Diagon Alley, and quickly returned with a camping tent, where they would be staying until the house was deemed 'secure'.
"Honestly, what am I going to do with this place? It is full of junk, and everything seems to want to kill us in here…" Sirius moaned.
"We should get rid of the pests first." Remus suggested. "Once they are gone, we should do a general clean up, and then choose what do you want to keep. When we have finally gotten rid of everything, then we can start redecorating."
"Yeah…" Sirius accepted. "It is going to take a while though. I doubt we will be done this summer…"
"We have more than enough free time to fix this Sirius." Remus assured. "Right now, we should make camp, and tomorrow we will be able to look at everything differently."
And with that, they had dinner together, and Sirius told them about his family. Harry quickly understood that his family mainly consisted of criminals, corrupt politicians, or pureblood bigots. No wonder Sirius left the first chance he got. Harry hated the Dursleys, but even they wouldn't resort to the ways the Blacks had followed.
Harry was intrigued about what mysteries waited for him at the old house, but he knew it would still be miles better than anything that could have happened at Privet Drive.
28th of June 1994, Nº12 Grimmauld Place
Today was the beginning of the 'rebuilding' of Grimmauld Place. Harry had woken up because of Sirius' moaning, and his complaints about how much work they had to do. His rant was still ongoing, and he was now complaining about Kreacher:
"Stupid old house elf! He could not do anything useful! He was probably busy fantasizing about my mother's resurrection or Cissy's return… And now we have to deal with his mess!"
"Come on, Sirius! It is not as if you must do it on your own! We are three people able to do magic here!"
Harry perked up at this last statement from Remus. He could do magic here? This was paradise!
"But it is not only the three of us Remus! You forgot about Dobby!"
"Dobby?" Both adults asked. "Who's Dobby?"
CRACK!
"Master Harry Potter Sir has called Dobby!"
"YOU HAVE AN ELF?!" Sirius yelled. "Why didn't you say that before? Do you know how much simpler everything has become now?"
Sirius looked at Dobby like a child looks at candy. It seemed as if his complaints had suddenly disappeared, and his optimism started showing.
"Seeing that we have another pair of hands, we can get going! Today we will be tackling the dining room!"
2nd of July 1994, Grimmauld Place
They had been cleansing the dining room for the last three days. Today, after another exhausting extermination (the doxies in the curtains were being particularly stubborn) the dining room was finally declared habitable.
They would no longer need to eat inside the tent, and Harry was quite happy with that. The tent was comfortable, sure, but it was not something designed for literally living there. They could only cook basic food, and they were getting tired of it.
Harry had to thank himself for getting Dobby as his house elf. He didn't know how slow they would go without him. The enthusiastic elf had tackled most of the work himself, while the three of them spent the time getting rid of stuff or replacing furniture.
After today's session, they were sitting again in the tent, and Harry was getting to know the adults better. It was a good change to have someone care about your welfare, and seeing someone interested in what he liked, how his life was…
He had never gotten to experience that before (his friends cared, he knew that, but sometimes you need adults) and he was glad to have it now. Even though it could be quite embarrassing sometimes, like it was happening now.
They were talking about Sirius' year in the run (Harry wanted to know how he had managed to buy his Firebolt) and eventually, they got to the point where Harry started helping 'his dog'.
"The food the elves gave me was the best I had eaten in twelve years!" Sirius praised. "Which made me remember… We still need to talk about a very important thing, Harry." Sirius announced.
"What is it Sirius?"
"James should have been the one to do this, but I shall fill in the gap. How is it going with the ladies?"
"What?" Harry replied, blushing slightly.
"Come on Harry. There has to be at least one you have looked at! Unless you are… gay?"
"I completely straight, thank you very much!" Harry replied.
"But what happened to that girl then? I thought there was something going on there?" His godfather asked.
"Who are you talking about?" Harry asked confused. Remus looked interested on where the conversation was going too.
"Yeah, that blonde I saw you with after Quidditch!"
"Aaaah! You are talking about Miss Greengrass!" Remus intervened.
"There is nothing going on between her and me!" Harry proclaimed.
"Are you sure? You seemed quite chubby to me…"
"I am sure. Can we switch topic now?" Harry asked pleadingly.
"No!" Sirius denied. "We still need to have a talk."
"I know how babies are made Sirius. We do not need that conversation." Harry warned.
"Yeah, but you still need to know how to please a lady!"
"Sirius I am not even fourteen!" Harry yelled, blushing madly.
"So what? It is better to learn now, so you know what to do when the time comes!" He looked at his friend, and then added: "Remus, I need you to bring me the diagrams!"
6th of July 1994, Grimmauld place
They would be having guests today. Sirius had informed him that Andromeda and her family would be coming for dinner tonight. The dining room and the kitchen were functional and no longer infested, so they could have people over.
Soon after the table had been set (Harry had done it, because Dobby was busy with the cooking) someone rang the doorbell.
"TRAITORS TO THE FAMILY! TRAITORS TO THE HOUSE OF BLACK ARE TRYING TO ENTER!"
Harry quickly silenced Walburga again (It was the most useful spell Remus had taught him this summer by far) and went to open the door.
"Wotcher Harry! How is it going?" A young woman with pink hair asked.
"Quite good… thanks. Enter please, we will eat in the dining room. I wouldn't touch anything else though, we don't know if anything's cursed…"
CRASH!
"Nymphadora! How can you be so clumsy! How bad of an impression you have made to young Harry!" Andromeda berated.
"How many times have I said it… DON'T CALL ME NYMPHADORA!"
"Good evening Nymphadora!" Sirius greeted from behind Harry.
"Not you too!" She groaned.
"Come on in! Don't be shy Ted, join us as well!"
A while later…
Dinner with the Tonks was being quite enjoyable. Harry had learned exactly why Andromeda was the only relative Sirius got along with. She was more open minded and had far better character than the rest of his family.
Ted was totally an easy-going chap. Harry learned that he was sorted into Hufflepuff when he was eleven, and that he had met Andromeda during their sixth year. Andromeda had left the family in order to marry him, so Harry knew that they truly loved each other.
Their daughter, Nympha… Tonks was quite an individual. She is what is known as a metamorph and could willingly change attributes of her body at will. The hair colour and her nose could give the most impressive results.
But with that power also came great discoordination. Harry was forced to admit that he had never seen someone as clumsy as her in all of his life. Apart from her initial trip on the troll leg, Harry found out that she could be clumsy in the table as well.
Which brought them to the actual topic of conversation:
"You should work harder to avoid these mistakes, daughter."
"I have been trying for years mom! There is nothing I can do to improve!"
The older woman didn't seem to be deterred by that.
"There is one thing left! But you always refused to do that!" Andromeda insisted.
"And I told you that it won't help in anything!"
"Dancing is very helpful in coordination! There are plenty of places you can practice!"
"Sure mom, sure… But you seem to forget most of these places require me to bring a partner! And I definitely don't have one now!"
"Hem, hem! If I may interrupt!" Sirius joined them.
"What do you want Sirius?" Andromeda asked.
"I know where you can find a partner!"
"Oh, really?" Andromeda's interest piqued at that.
"Harry doesn't know how to dance either!"
PFFFFFFFFFFT!
Harry had just spat the butterbeer that he was drinking.
"What? Why me? She is your cousin!" Harry said.
"Yeah, but as you said, you don't have a lady friend! Therefore, you can join her no problem! It can even help you make a move on your 'rival'!" He added to Harry's consternation.
"As much as I hate to agree with Mr. Flirty over there, he is right." Andromeda said.
"I have never seen a girl complain about a boy being able to dance. And it could help you that way too, daughter. Merlin knows you will find a young man eventually, and I expect to dance with you at your wedding as well." Ted assured.
Two shouts of "Fine!" were heard in the room.
31st of July 1994, Grimmauld Place
Today was Harry's birthday. Something that had been reminded to the boy as soon as he woke up. Because there was a big black dog barking at him to wake up. Despite Harry's pillow hitting him in the head, the dog continued barking until Harry stood up.
Harry went down to the kitchen to find a giant banner that said "Happy birthday Harry!".
Remus was wearing a party hat, and Sirius (who had become a human again) was wearing one too. Harry suspected they had chosen the most hideous ones on purpose.
There was a big chocolate cake on the table as well. It also said, "Happy birthday Harry!" and had fourteen candles on top. Harry had never been able to truly celebrate his birthday before, and he loved it.
After having one of the best breakfasts in his life, it was now the time to open his presents. There was a nice amount of them, from his friends and 'family'.
Harry began with one from Hermione, which had a rectangular shape. After opening it, Harry saw that it was a notebook to organise homework. 'Of course, Hermione would think about homework during the holidays!'
The Weasley's had bought him an Ireland Quidditch jersey and a set of omniculars. Harry thought it was nice, but he didn't get the reason they had gifted this to him. He didn't notice Sirius and Remus grinning.
Now it was the turn for the Greengrass sisters' presents. Deciding to open Daphne's present first (much to his godfather's amusement) he had received a new pair of Quidditch gloves, made specially for Seekers. It had a note attached:
I saw that your current ones are pretty worn-off.
You will need these ones to catch the snitch.
Daphne
Huh. So that was her 'vengeance' for the present he had sent her… He had given her a book on seeker tactics, so this had to be her 'retaliation'.
Remembering that he had two presents left, Harry decided to open the one from Astoria. It turned out to be a book, but not the normal type.
"Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to charm witches"
Harry's face turned red quite quickly at that. Sirius' hysterical laughter was not helping either. Realising it also had a note attached, Harry read it quickly:
This is to set the ball rolling with We-Know-Who.
Did you think I wouldn't notice? She won't be waiting forever!
Good luck,
Astoria
Harry hid the book and the note quickly, decided not to open either in Sirius' or Remus' vicinity. Considering there was now only one present left, Harry directed his attention to the present from the men living with him.
Harry opened the envelope, to see three tickets for the Quidditch World Cup finals, and judging by the golden shine on them, they had to be some of the best seats.
"Happy birthday Harry!" Both men cheered.
"Arthur got tickets for his family a while ago, so we decided to go together!" Remus said.
"You had never seen a pro game, and it has been too long since I saw one too!" Sirius looked at Harry, and asked:
"So, what do you think?"
Harry didn't bother trying to express it with words. He stood up, and hugged his godfather as if there was no one else in the world.
5th of August 1994, Robinson's Dance Academy
Harry was dancing with Tonks once again. It had been a long and arduous path, with blood tears and sweat. Which happened to be Harry's.
Because despite not having any idea about dancing either, Tonks had almost killed his feet several times. For the first few lessons, even the teacher was impressed by Tonks' clumsiness, and named her 'The most infamous rookie'.
The worst part of it: Harry was actually competent. The boy was quite surprised at first, but from what Mrs. Robinson had said:
"Good athletes already have coordination; they simply lack the technique!"
He couldn't complain about his partner's attitude during classes though. She had made sure to apologise for every time she had hurt Harry, and her comments had made him laugh more than once.
Tonks was trying to claim his attention once again. She had black hair and brown eyes and looked similar enough to him so they could pass as brother and sister. It had been the best idea they had so they couldn't accuse her of being a cradle-robber.
Harry didn't think this style suited her. It was too plain. The true Tonks had bright multicoloured hair, and wore baggy T-shirts with provocative slogans. She couldn't morph either, since they were at a muggle academy…
8th of August 1994, Grimmauld Place
The renovation of Grimmauld Place was marching smoothly. The ground floor had been cleared, and the only thing left to do there was removing Walburga's portrait, and paint everything with less depressing colours. Sirius said they would do that during the year, so it could be a nice Christmas present for Harry.
Now they were struggling with the rooms. Kreacher hadn't bothered to clean up Sirius' old room ("Completely unexpected!" Sirius said). But the rest of the rooms weren't doing well either. Harry had been tasked with the last one, at the end of the corridor.
This is the room of Regulus Arcturus Black
With a quick Alohomora, Harry was able to break into the bedroom. And it was a pleasant surprise. There was no dust anywhere on the room, and it seemed as if it was prepared for someone to sleep in tonight.
Inspecting the walls, Harry found it to be full of newspaper articles about Death Eater attacks. Whoever slept here, was clearly a Voldemort fan. Harry read several articles, such as the raid on the Mckinnon's, or an attack on Birmingham.
But it was not all articles. There was also a picture hanging on the wall, of a Slytherin Quidditch team. After looking at it closely, Harry found a boy that looked very similar to Sirius, on the seeker position.
Harry opened the closet in the room, and found several things in there. There were a few robes, formal and daily use. There was also a nice kit of Slytherin merchandise, with a scarf and gloves, along with the Slytherin Quidditch equipment. And last but not least, there was a locket.
Examining it closely, Harry found a big S on it, that resembled a snake ready for an attack. He felt compelled to wear it, but Harry also felt that he shouldn't. ´
Before doing anything, Harry cast a couple charms Remus had taught him. They were designed to catch most dark artifacts, something useful in this house. Nothing came out of it. Harry decided to touch it, but keep it in the closet. Harry touched the golden chain, and that is when he noticed the familiar feeling. The feeling of the diary.
"The half-blooded menace will not touch Master Regulus' locket!" Kreacher warned.
"Kreacher, you don't understand! It is vital I have it now!"
"Kreacher can't! He promised he would take care of it!" He yelled, trying to deter Harry.
"I am sorry Kreacher, but it has to be destroyed!" Harry said.
At that statement, the elf froze. He looked attentively at Harry and broke down crying.
"The half-blood can't do it! Kreacher tried for years! More than a decade trying to follow Master Regulus' last order, but he couldn't! It can't be destroyed!"
"It can be destroyed." Harry assured. "There was a diary that felt just like this, and I destroyed it two years ago. You just don't have what you need to do it!
An hour later…
Albus Dumbledore entered the old Black household. Just by the smell, he could see the place was undergoing serious reform. Old elements combined with brand new ones, as well as bare walls, waiting for paint.
He was not here to observe the rebuilding, but to deal with something important. From what Sirius had told him through the floo, it was something of vital importance.
He suspected what it could be. Harry had told him about the scar on his forehead, and Albus had an idea of the real meaning of said scar. Would his fears be confirmed today? He would need to tread carefully. Not hurt Harry unless strictly necessary.
He looked around to see Remus, sitting on an armchair in the living room. This seemed to be the best-preserved room in the house, and the bookshelves seemed to have stood the pass of time.
"Where is young Harry? Is he okay?" He asked the werewolf.
"He is doing fine. He says he has something for you, and it is related to the end of second year. Go upstairs to the end of the hallway. I don't know what he found, but he has allowed no one to enter the room."
He then returned to his reading, but Albus was still able to see his worried expression.
The headmaster followed Remus' instructions, and opened the door of the room named R.A.B. He was soon met with Harry, who looked quite worried.
"Professor, you are finally here! I need your help; it is very important."
"What happened Harry, what did you encounter?" He asked worriedly.
"I believe I found another diary Professor Dumbledore."
"And where is it?"
"It is in that closet over there. The golden locket with the big S." He added.
Albus opened the door to find exactly what Harry had described. He analysed it with several spells and came out blank for dark curses of any kind. Seeing that there was no danger in merely touching it, he grabbed it, and held it in his hand.
It felt exactly like Tom Riddle's diary. Not exactly though. This one felt more powerful since it had not been destroyed yet. Harry had done well not to hold it for long. He did not want anyone to suffer like young Ms. Weasley had.
"I fear you are absolutely right, Harry. It will be destroyed in the future."
"What do you mean? Can't we destroy it today?" Harry asked.
"No, we can't." The headmaster replied. He could not avoid looking at Harry's scar, before saying:
"I need it for something else before that."
Turns out that Regulus was Sirius' younger brother. He had joined the Death Eaters shortly after finishing school, and supposedly disappeared on a mission, never to come back.
Kreacher explained what actually happened on that mission, and it left them all shocked. He had sacrificed himself to kill Voldemort, and made sure to keep Kreacher alive so he could destroy the locket.
Sirius was the one most surprised by it. He had come to peace with his brother's death long ago, but this had just reopened the wound. He refused to speak with anyone for the rest of the day, and Harry called Dobby to bring him something to eat.
The following morning, Harry found a new picture above the fireplace. It had an old picture of Sirius, along with his brother and Andromeda.
There was also an inscription on the frame, that read The good Blacks.
25th of August 1994, the Burrow
Harry had arrived at the Burrow, Ron's house. Despite being a large family, the Weasley's had more than enough space to avoid being crammed in the house.
And it had mostly been built by Mr. Weasley himself! Even with magic, that was quite an impressive feat. The house defied the laws of physics, but it had held itself together for over a decade.
Admiring the house was not the reason Harry was here. They had decided to meet here in order to go to the Quidditch World Cup. They would sleep the night in a tent and go back tomorrow. Unless the match was still ongoing.
Because the last Quidditch final went on for more than a week. Ron was excited about this, and he expected a match to remember. Hermione was not that impressed.
"Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley called. "Can you go upstairs and call Ginny? I believe she was busy with her friends!"
Harry went to Ginny's room and knocked the door. Best to give her a warning.
"Ginny, are you here? Your mother needs you!"
"Okay, I am coming down!"
The girl opened the door, and Harry was met with her friends. There was Astoria with her snake, and a blonde girl with an airy look.
"Hi Harry! How is summer going?" The youngest Greengrass asked.
"Quite well, actually. I've been living with my godfather." Harry's gaze fell again on the blonde girl, one Harry hadn't seen before:
"I don't think we have been introduced. My name is Harry, and you are?"
"Luna, Luna Lovegood. Nice to meet you, Harry Potter. Your nargle infestation has decreased significantly since I first saw you!"
"I am glad to hear it…" Harry replied. 'What the hell are nargles?'
"Glad to see you get along!" Ginny interrupted. "I am sorry girls, but I think you will have to leave now. Astoria, I am sure your father wants you to go to the Quidditch cup with him. Luna, I know you don't like Quidditch, but your father wants you back for lunch so…"
"Don't worry Ginny! We can see each other again next week, and there is always Hogwarts!"
The Weasleys seemed to behave exactly as they behaved at Hogwarts. Fred and George always seemed to be causing mayhem, and the explosions in their room were considered normal.
Mrs. Weasley's cooking was truly exceptional. Harry had learned a lot of things during his stay at the Dursley's, but Ron's mother could work as a professional chef if she really wanted.
After eating rations for more than a decade, Sirius appreciated it as well.
Mr. Weasley was a quiet man. He seemed to only talk when referred to, but he occasionally contributed to the conversation. Harry was chatting with Ron and Hermione, who had arrived a week before. She wasn't as excited as them, but she couldn't say no to such an opportunity either.
Once lunch was finished, they all made their way to the top of the hill next to Ottery St. Catchpole, which was the closest village to the Burrow. They were looking for the portkey, when a familiar voice called to Harry:
"The portkey is here! It goes in ten minutes!"
Cedric Diggory was the one talking to him, and behind him there was a man, who Harry assumed was his father.
After calling the Weasley's over, Harry and Cedric began conversating about the upcoming match. The twins were also there to add their opinions, and soon enough, Ron and Ginny joined in as well. Their conversation was cut short, however, when Cedric's father yelled:
"Portkey leaving in thirty seconds! Make sure to touch the boot!"
They rushed to the boot, and all of them managed to touch it with their fingers. Harry had never been on a portkey before but hoped it would be better than the floo.
Several hours later…
The match had been amazing. Despite his ability at Quidditch, Harry had found it hard to keep up most of the time. The Gryffindor chasers were good, but the Irish ones were truly exceptional. Bulgaria could do nothing against them.
And Viktor Krum knew this. He wasn't able to give the win to his team by catching the snitch, but he was able to save them from further humiliation. In the end, Harry enjoyed himself a lot. It set the bar high for any future games he might watch, but it was worth it.
After the trophy was given to the Irish, Harry and company left the stadium back to their tents. They had dinner together and commented the match between them. The Veelas quickly became the most important topic of conversation. Harry had to admit they were beautiful, but after an initial dizziness in his body, he was able to counter their 'allure'.
Ron hadn't been so lucky. He had to be dragged back to his seat by an irate Hermione. Harry suspected the boy was planning on jumping off the standings, but he wasn't sure.
Suddenly, screams could be heard from outside. Before anyone could say anything, Mr. Weasley left the tent, only to return soon after.
"Pick up everything, quick! There is a Death Eater attack!"