The room before him was dark, hidden away from the rest of the house in its little corner, buried beneath stone and mortar. Despite the feeling of no one having passed through the heavy oak doorway in many years, the room appeared fresh and clean – nowhere he looked showed evidence of the passage of time. Indeed, even the stonework in the walls appeared newer than the rest of the house he had grown up in. Was it some kind of spell he had never heard of?
He felt Sirius gently place his hand on his left shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze. Even through the leather armour and the heavy wolfskin cloak, he could feel the strength of his godfather's fingers and the subtle back and forth of his thumb.
Arcturus passed him on his right as he stepped up to the large floor-to-ceiling mirror before them. The mirror was wide enough for perhaps two people to stand next to one-another, but the surface was so black and dull that it seemed a singularly pointless endeavour.
Like himself, both Sirius and Arcturus were in their armour, all three similar in its design, save for one small detail. While the gorgets of both Sirius's and Arcturus's had the snake of House Black, his own was adorned with the prowling wolf of House Potter.
As Arcturus approached the mirror, Remus closed the door behind them. He briefly turned his head over his shoulder to look back at the man. He grinned at the werewolf as he tucked his dark hair behind an ear.
Turning back to Arcturus, he was just in time to see the aged wizard place a hand on the oily looking stone before the glass came alive in a rainbow of colours. The room lit with reflection as the colours danced across one another like the waves of the ocean, always mixing and changing. Merlin, he loved magic.
Arcturus turned from the mirror and grinned. What did it do? Why was it so hidden within the house? Not even all of his and Neville's exploring over the years had revealed this room to them – not even when they'd talked Daphne into helping them.
He had grown up surrounded by magic. His grandfather was one of the more powerful wizards in the country. Yet he still struggled to grasp what was before him.
"What does it do?" he breathed; his eyes wide as they took in the sight before him. Sirius chuckled as he stepped forward a little, his hand still on his shoulder.
"This, Harry, is how we go home," the older man replied, his armour creaking ever so slightly as he knelt before him. "We have a little business to do when we get there, so I need you to stay close to me. Can you do that?"
Harry nodded mutely, eyes never leaving the mirror. "How?" he croaked, lifting a weak arm to point absently at the artifact.
"Oh, that's easy – you walk through it, of course," Sirius chuckled.
Remus snorted behind him. Ah yes, easy.
For the first time, Harry tore his eyes from the mirror… door… thing and narrowed his eyes at the man who had raised him. "Why do I not trust you?"
Sirius rocked back on his heels as if he had been physically struck, a hand clutching at his breast and his jaw hanging open. "You don't trust me? Why Harry, that's positively Marauder of you!"
Harry snorted and rolled his eyes.
"Are we going to stand here all day?" Arcturus called across the room, gesturing to the mirror. "Sirius, you're first."
Sirius winked at Harry before he stood and marched his way over to the mirror. He expected to hear a dull thud and the crack of Sirius' nose breaking. Instead, without breaking his stride, the man continued through the surface of the mirror as if it wasn't even there to begin with. A blink later, and the wave-like surface had swallowed him whole.
"Remus, you're next. I'll bring Harry," Arcturus commanded.
Remus clapped Harry on the shoulder and stepped around him with child-like glee before following in Sirius' footsteps.
Harry followed after him, pausing only long enough to allow Remus to step through as Arcturus joined him at his side. Compared to Harry's average height and nine years of age, Arcturus was practically a giant at six feet. Besides Sirius and Remus, there was nobody he felt safer with.
"Ready, lad?"
Harry blew out a quick sigh. "Does it hurt?" A completely valid question, he thought – though Arcturus' deep chuckles said otherwise.
"No, Harry. You won't even feel it. Come on," he replied after a moment, gently tugging on Harry's shoulder.
He winced and closed his eyes as the surface came up to meet him. Any second now, he was going to bounce off of the mirror, and Sirius and Remus were going to appear out of thin air laughing. He sucked in a deep breath and took another step.
It didn't hurt exactly, but it also wasn't entirely pleasant. The feeling of stepping through the surface was similar to stepping through a bubble. There was a moment of resistance and pressure, then there was nothing. He felt light and heavy at the same time. Colours swirled around him, and then they didn't.
Before he could take anything else in, they were through the other side and in a courtyard full of the mirror-like objects. A low mist hung around his knees, and the sky was an odd purple with unfamiliar star constellations. They were the only ones around.
"Where are we?" he asked, hearing his voice echo slightly – though it had nothing to do with the acoustics. His eyes darted around, taking in the various tile mosaics of silver serpents dotted throughout the area.
"This is the courtyard of the Ro'rim. From here, we can access any part of our domain," Arcturus replied, gesturing around him in a grand sweep of his free arm.
"Can't you just apparate or Floo?" he asked as they walked to where Sirius and Remus were already waiting. Remus looked positively giddy as his head turned this way and that.
Arcturus chuckled, "Not where we hold most of our power, pup. This entire courtyard is made from magic – there's no other way of getting here. You have to use the mirror in the manor."
The entire place was made of magic? That was unheard of from any of the books he'd read cover-to-cover over the years- and he'd read a lot of books. If they had something like this, did other families have something similar? Did they all go to the same place? He had so many questions!
"Do you want to go through first, Prongslet?" Sirius asked, pointing to the mirror beside him as they arrived.
This time, Harry didn't even hesitate as he stepped through and had the same experience of everything and nothing. When he arrived on the far side of whatever it was that he'd stepped through, he was atop a raised stone dais in a well-maintained courtyard.
All around him were gasps of shock as men, women and children stopped going about their tasks and stared at his arrival. An odd but short hum behind him announced the presence of the rest of his family.
Everyone in the courtyard knelt on one knee at the sight of Arcturus, their heads bowed. There was a beat of silence before his powerful voice called for them to stand.
As one, the courtyard rose, their hands clasped before them and their shoulders back. Just who were these people? Why were they bowing and kneeling to them?
Growing up in House Black, he knew they were a powerful and old family among magical society. They made sure he was loved and cared for, but also educated. He knew of the various families, their political stances, who was allied to whom, and what traditions each followed and why. What confused him though, was in none of those lessons had anyone been described as doing what he'd just witnessed. It was a scene from history played before his very eyes – the conquering lord returning to his castle and his loyal subjects.
"Lord Black, an honour to see you again," a middle-aged woman called as she performed a flawless curtsy. Her skin appeared tanned in a way that only working outdoors could provide, and her long blonde hair was braided elegantly and draped over her left shoulder. Her clothes, however, appeared to be taken straight out of history.
Her dress was simple in design, a straight light brown dress with a stripe of a darker brown running on either side of her front. Her arms were bare, while her shoulders were covered in a brown shawl that appeared a part of the dress, plunging toward her breasts where the ties of the dress were.
"It's good to be home. Tell me, is there anything I should be aware of?" Arcturus replied, shrugging his cloak off as he spoke and handing it to a man that darted forward to take it. Sirius and Remus followed the action silently, and Harry copied their response.
"No, Lord Black. Everything has been well in your absence."
Harry idly turned to peer back at the mirror and noticed for the first time that it had returned to its dull, grimy appearance that he'd first seen back in Blackwall. The calling of birds in the sky drew his attention to a small flock of the creatures gliding over the courtyard, only to land on a large square tower just beyond. Once he spotted the first tower, he began to notice the others, all with immaculate windows and banners flapping proudly in the wind.
The sigil displayed on the banners caused his mind to stall and grind to a halt. There, displayed proudly for all to see, was the silver serpent of House Black on a field of green and black. He had grown up reciting the various sigils of families under the instruction of Remus – there was no doubt that he was looking at the coat of arms of House Black.
Arcturus moved down the steps, his back straight and his shoulders squared. He looked every bit the lord from the stories he'd devoured in his evenings. For a brief moment, he thought of Aragorn from his favourite series, The Lord of the Rings.
Sirius and Remus each clapped a hand on his shoulders and gestured for him to follow the patriarch of the family. As they moved, his eyes never stopped their devouring of the scene before him. To his left, there was what appeared to be a stable – it seemed there were a number of horses housed there. On his right was what appeared to be a blacksmith's forge, though he did note that while the smith watched the goings on, the tools continued to work.
Carts laden with food and hay stood throughout the yard, the men and women working them paused in their duties to watch them. As each of them passed, the crowd would nod, bow or curtsy as they offered a quiet "Mi'lord."
Once inside, his breath was once again stolen. While the stone and woodwork outside had been dark and weather-beaten, the inside was white-washed stone and marble with silver gilded designs wrapping around large pillars or arching over alcoves. The ceilings were tall, vaulted things that he almost had to squint to see the highest point of.
Sirius chuckled behind him. "Enjoying yourself?"
"This place… it's like something out of a book!" Harry replied, his words whispered in awe.
"Aye, that's the truth of it. I was much the same when I first saw the place," Sirius replied, ruffling his shoulder-length hair slightly.
Harry tried not to scowl as he ran his fingers through it in an attempt to regain some semblance of control over it. Did Sirius not understand how much of a pain his hair was to make presentable?
They came to a halt in a large hall with a raised seat at the far end. The hall had an unassuming tiled floor, while the walls and ceiling were much the same as the others they had travelled through. There were a few differences, however.
From the rafters, above what appeared to be a high viewing gallery, were the banners of House Black – they hung high and proud, each one evenly spaced down the length of the hall and fluttering lightly back and forth in whatever air-current the room seemed to have.
The walls were adorned with large tapestries that appeared to depict specific events – he assumed it was the history of the house. Some showed large-scale battles, while others depicted men or women in either courtrooms, laboratories, or facing off against some magnificent creature.
While there were no clear windows in the room, the entire space was well lit with floating balls of white light, held aloft in little serpent sconces. None of it compared to the sight at the far end of the hall, however. There, upon a raised dais, was the most magnificent chair he had ever seen.
All along every surface, there was a carving of some sort – some was floral, others depicted warriors in combat, or great beasts. Throughout it all was the silver serpent. The wood of the chair- if it even was wood – appeared to be the same material that had made up the frame of the mirrors. It was black and shiny, almost oil-like in its appearance. The chair exuded an air of power that he hadn't felt in his life, nor did he expect he would for the remainder of it.
He came to a halt as Sirius and Remus did, and for the first time, he was aware of the crowd that had followed them through the rooms. Ahead of them, Arcturus marched up the few steps that led to the chair and sat down swiftly. Arcturus sat as still and stiff as a statue, his eyes closed. A second later, his eyes snapped open and glowed while a light mist trailed from them eerily. At the sight of this, everyone in the room bent the knee once more. Harry nervously followed a fraction later than everyone else.
"Rise," Arcturus commanded from his seat of power. As one, the hall stood again – all eyes were on the wizard. All around him, Harry could see the looks of awe and disbelief.
"I, Arcturus Black do reclaim the seat of House Black in magic and in blood. From this day, until the end of days."
There was a rush of power around him from each person in the room, as if a small gale had suddenly blown past. He noticed that everyone appeared a little paler than they had a few moments before. Closing his eyes, he focused on the magic that had rushed around him, and nearly gasped when he felt it slam into Arcturus.
The man grunted for a moment before slumping forward in his chair. Never in his life had Arcturus appeared so tired. There was an oppressive silence in the room until Arcturus gathered himself and stood proudly. What had happened?
"I thank you all for your loyalty and fealty. Curse those who would try to break that bond. You may all return to your duties."
Is that what had just happened? Had everyone just sworn loyalty and fealty? Why had nobody spoken any words? As everyone trickled from the room, he tugged on Sirius' sleeve.
"What just happened?"
Sirius smiled at him, his nose crinkling slightly in the action.
"All those in here have sworn loyalty to our house. In so doing, they are allowed to draw upon the Black family magic in times of need – but, to do so a trade is needed."
Sirius once more knelt before him.
"The family magic is not unlimited, Harry. It needs to replace that which is given. So, what you just witnessed was everyone in this room offering a little bit of their magic in exchange."
"They gave their magic?" he gasped, mouth falling open.
"They did. They'll never notice it gone, and it didn't hurt them. For as long as they are loyal and true to us, they will live a little longer, be healthier, and be provided for. It's old magic, Harry," Sirius smiled, lightly cupping his cheek in his hand.
"Will Grandfather be alright?" he asked after a moment, his eyes darting to Arcturus as he stumbled down the steps.
Sirius nodded, his curls bouncing ever so slightly from the movement.
"He'll be alright, pup. We should have come back sooner, but we wanted to wait for you. It's just taken a bit more out of him than he's used to. One day, it'll be me up there instead."
Sirius seemed to shiver at that thought slightly.
Harry nodded slowly; his brow creased in thought. "Why did you wait for me?"
"Well, that's the million-galleon question, isn't it?" Sirius grinned. "We need to take you before a few people, Harry. We have a few questions that only they can answer about you. But don't you worry, as soon as that's done, we'll have lots of fun."
Sirius winked as he stood and placed one hand on each of Harry's cheeks gently. There was a moment that he thought Sirius would say more, but a heartbeat later and the moment had gone. He watched Sirius blink hard and clear his throat.
"Sirius, come here," Arcturus called, gesturing with his hand for Sirius to approach. As Sirius left, Remus replaced him.
"What did you think, pup?" Remus asked with a small smile. Harry loved Remus – he knew so much! If ever Harry had a question, Moony knew the answer to it.
"It was strange. I'm not sure what I think," Harry shrugged, idly clasping his hands behind his back.
"Aye, I'm sure. I knew there were rumours, but to actually be here – it's just…"
"Magical?" Harry chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the old wolf impishly.
Remus chuckled and wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders in the way that was distinctly Moony.
"Aye, Harry. It's definitely magical."
The two stood there for a short time, simply content to be in the other's presence. While Sirius and Harry were like father and son, Remus had adopted the honoured position of favourite uncle. There were precious few adults in Harry's life that he felt completely at ease around. It seemed that whoever he met or was introduced to seemed to want something or another from him.
Some were simply after the political clout of claiming they were in the inner circle of The-Boy-Who-Lived. Others saw a young boy of nine and sought to use their wealth into bullying him into business deals and alliances unfairly. There were also those rare few that would sneer down their noses at him, as if he'd somehow insulted their ancestors simply by breathing.
No, there were precious few adults Harry trusted as he did Arcturus, Sirius and Remus. Though the term adult was a stretch for Sirius.
"Are we staying here all day?" Harry asked after a time, turning to look up at the man beside him.
"No, we'll be going to the capital shortly. It should only take a few hours to get there – a day at the most, I should think," Remus replied, shrugging.
"A few hours? How far away is it?" Harry gasped. His arse would be numb by the time they arrived!
"Oh, I'd say… forty or fifty miles?"
Harry must have heard him wrong. How would that take hours to get there? Remus must have seen the look on his face, because he started to snicker.
"Oh, we won't be travelling by broom, Harry. Brooms, Floos, and Apparating don't work here, I'm afraid. It'll be the good, old fashioned horse for us."
"A horse?" Harry moaned, though if anyone were to ask, he would deny it. Harry didn't moan; he was almost ten! And when he was ten, he'd get his letter to Hogwarts, just like his mother and father!
"Yes, Harry – a horse. It'll be fine, just like an adventure. How do you think you'll tell Neville and Daphne about riding a horse?"
"Oh, he'll have Daphne swooning quicker than he can blink!" Sirius chuckled as he returned to them. Arcturus departed in the opposite direction towards a small side-door.
Harry's cheeks were red before he could retort.
"Daphne wouldn't swoon," he muttered and grumpily toed the floor with his boot.
Sirius snorted quietly before leading them out the way they had come.
"Of course not, pup. She's more likely to punch you in the nose for even thinking she would."
"Does that mean I can tell her and watch her punch you?" Harry asked, perking up. Remus attempted to cover a chuckle with a cough – it was a good effort, he thought.
Sirius, who had looked back over his shoulder with narrowed eyes replied, "What's the first rule of being a Marauder?"
"If any mischief is being done, it had better be Marauder mischief," Harry replied immediately with a proud nod.
"No, no, the other first rule!" Sirius said, waving his hand absently.
"Don't cock-block a fellow Marauder?"
"No, not that one, the other one!"
"Don't be a snitch?"
"That's the one!" Sirius grinned, clapping his hands. It was then that they arrived back in the courtyard, though now it was full of activity.
Everywhere he looked, people went about their business. Hay unloaded itself, tools pounded away, guards patrolled the walls or stood to attention, and children ran back and forth playing their games.
Sirius led them around the throngs of people to the stables. Arcturus must have ordered their cloaks to be placed with their horses and supplied for a trip, as their beasts of burden were saddled and prepared by the time they had arrived.
The horses were huge creatures, with rippling muscle and shiny coats. Sirius leapt atop a black one – Harry had to keep from rolling his eyes at that - while Remus climbed atop a sand-coloured stallion. That left Harry with the deep brown horse that reminded him of chocolate.
How in the bloody hell was he supposed to get up there?
"Pup," Sirius called over to him as his horse moved to the side idly. "Look to your right… There're some steps."
Harry felt a little moronic. With pink-tinged cheeks, he scrambled for the steps and dragged them to the side of his – thankfully patient – horse.
With uneasy feet, Harry climbed the steps and put his left foot in what he assumed was a stirrup and swung his other leg over the seat. For a moment, he was sure he was going to tip over the far side until he managed to centre his balance.
Grasping the reins in his hand, he briefly started at just how good the quality leather felt in his fingers before looking down at the horse.
"Move. Go on, step over there," he commanded.
Belly laughs answered him from a few metres away. Harry scowled at his godfather and uncle. It wasn't his fault the horse was broken!
"What are you two laughing at?" he scowled, glaring at Sirius, who leaned back in the saddle, one hand on the reigns and the other clutching at his stomach.
"Harry," Remus chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. "Lightly apply pressure with the sides of your feet."
Grumbling as he did so, he gave a startled yelp when the beast below him began moving of its own volition. A panic-stricken Harry passed a howling Sirius and Remus at an easy walk.
"Don't you worry, pup! By the time this is all over, it'll be like you were born in the saddle!" Sirius chuckled as he trotted past him.
Now, Harry had been raised to be polite and courteous to everyone he met. Disarm them with your polite words, Arcturus had lectured countless times. In that moment, those lessons abandoned him as he petulantly stuck his tongue out at his godfathers back.
"Okay, I have to stop for a bit!" Harry called out, shifting awkwardly in his saddle. They had been riding for hours – most of the day, in fact if the sun was any indicator, and he hadn't had feeling in his arse for most of it. His back hurt, his arse was numb, and the inside of his thighs felt like they were on fire.
"Alright, Harry," Remus chuckled as he led his horse to the side of the cobblestone road. They had passed a number of people throughout the day – some walking, others on horses, and one couple appeared to be riding quite comfortably on the back of a donkey.
"We'll camp here for tonight – give you a night to recover."
"You're so kind," he grumbled as he guided his horse next to Remus's. A groan escaped his lips as he stood in the saddle to lift his leg over and dismount. Harry narrowed his eyes at Sirius as he quietly chuckled behind him.
With shaky knees, he stumbled backwards, while the ground below him shifted and moved beneath his feet as if he were standing on water. Sirius, the arse, appeared no worse for wear. He leapt from his mount with the grace of a cat before snatching the reins up and leading the horse to a nearby tree.
A handful of moments later, when Harry had successfully found a handy log to sit on and Sirius had secured the horses, Remus began to unload the saddlebags. They didn't appear large, or even particularly full as Remus lifted them effortlessly before separating the bags based on whose horse they came from.
"Come on, I may be your Steward, but you can set your own bloody tents," Moony grumbled with a grin.
With a wince of effort, Harry pushed himself off of the blanket of moss atop the log and knelt before his own pack. It was a dull tan leather bag with brass clasps that came undone with an easy flick of his fingers. Inside was a bundle of a coarse material and some ropes packed efficiently together.
Making quick work of emptying the bag, he quickly set about building his small shelter. Over the years, Sirius, Neville, and he had spent a number of nights on the Blackwall estate under the stars, listening as Sirius told them both stories of their parents.
Sirius would be the first to admit that he knew James and Lily Potter far better than Frank and Alice Longbottom, but he shared what he could. A small part of him felt guilty about his many more stories of his own parents, but a larger, more desperate part of him yearned for any little story Sirius or Moony could tell him.
When he was younger, Sirius had told him about his parents' academic achievements. Lily had been a prodigy at Charms, while Transfiguration had been his father's own specialty. Since that night under the stars, Harry had sought any and all information on magic like a crazed Hippogriff – he devoured books as he ate, in his free time, and before going to bed. He had to make his parents proud.
There had been many a night he had stared up at the canopy of his bed and wondered what his parents would think of him. He pondered how his mother's hugs would feel. Would she kiss him on the forehead or the cheek? What stories would his father tell him before bed? How often would he have to plead for his father to put him on his shoulders and run around the house?
It was those quiet nights, with nothing but the darkness of his room to comfort him, that he found himself drifting off to sleep with fresh tears on his cheeks. He would be the best son he could be, and wherever they were, they would look upon him and be proud of who he had become. Perhaps, one day, when they would meet again, they might just tell him themselves.
His tent was up in minutes, with the pegs firmly hammered into the dark soil and his bedroll rolled out easily. They could have brought wizard tents, with all the luxury they would entail, but it just wasn't the same. He enjoyed the breeze dancing across his skin, the sound of crickets chirping among the grass, and the damp blades of grass that would tickle his nose. There was something about camping in the traditional sense that just appealed to him.
Rocking back on his heels with his hands on his thighs, he nodded at the job he'd accomplished. Behind him, he could hear Sirius going through the same motions before the adult stood and began moving methodically around the area. He knew what he was doing – he'd done it every time they'd camped, even on the Blackwall Estate.
Sirius was fiercely protective of Harry, and a part of him would always feel warm at the thought. He loved Sirius dearly – and knowing his protective streak, he always expected the Wards he would place whenever they were out of the house for a night. If it made Sirius feel better, then it made him feel better. Besides, who would be dumb enough to try anything with Sirius and Moony?
He smiled over his shoulder at the sight of Sirius idly flicking his wand back and forth. A heartbeat later, the familiar warmth of Protection Wards flittered across his skin, securing them for the night against any threats. Even Harry knew they were not fool proof, however. A strong enough effort to break through would shatter them in seconds, and a determined enough foe could sneak through them – but they served their purpose of a first line of defence well enough.
Remus, in the middle of the trio of tents, appeared to be building a campfire. With precise wand-movements, he enlarged a small pebble into a fist-sized rock and placed it carefully into the ring. In no time at all, all that was missing were some branches to feed the fire.
"What are we eating tonight?" Harry asked, as he sat by the fire and watched Sirius and Remus continue to work.
"We'll find something, won't we Padfoot?" Remus replied, arching an eyebrow at Sirius. Sirius, on the other hand simply rolled his eyes before setting off towards the treeline they had set their tents against. Just as he was to disappear among the shadows, Harry watched with fascination as his Godfather casually turned into the large, Grim-like dog known as Padfoot.
While it was a common sight to see the transformation, it still took Harry's breath away. He knew the reason why his father and Sirius had become Animagi, but the feat itself still left him with no little bit of wonder.
What would it be like? To run on all-fours? To prowl the forest and pounce on his prey? To hunt with his family? He had decided as a small child that he would follow in his father's and Sirius's footsteps and become an Animagus.
It wouldn't be for years, he knew that. It had barely been safe when his father had attempted it. Harry knew his magic and body had to mature a lot before he'd be allowed to attempt it, but Merlin, did he want it.
"I'd expect it'll be rabbit tonight, pup," Remus smiled, breaking him from his thoughts.
Harry shrugged – he'd eaten rabbit plenty of times. It was damn near the only thing Sirius could catch, it seemed, though that didn't come as too much of a surprise. Sirius was, after all, just a dog – a big dog, but a dog, nonetheless.
It was an hour later when Sirius returned, a rabbit firmly clutched in his jaws. Remus and Harry shared a knowing smile as the twigs Remus had collected from the nearby trees crackled and snapped in the approaching dusk.
With a dull thud, the animal was dropped onto the grass – its lifeless eyes staring unblinking into the darkening sky. Sirius returned to his own body, spitting out blood onto the grassy floor.
"That never gets any better, you know," Sirius grumbled, snatching the offered waterskin from Remus with a scowl. "You'd think they'd never washed before."
Remus chuckled as he pulled out a knife and began the process of preparing their meal. The rip and tear of flesh always made him a little uncomfortable, though he knew it necessary for them to eat. Already, Harry's stomach groaned.
"It's a rabbit, I hardly think it has a sense of personal hygiene," Harry replied cheekily, grinning as Sirius threw a leaf in his direction.
"I hardly think Sirius has a sense of personal hygiene at times," Remus added in quietly, earning a cuff around the back of the head.
"I'll have you know I have a wonderful sense of personal hygiene, Moony. It's not my fault Padfoot looks like a mangy mongrel."
"You said it, not us," Harry chuckled, clutching his knees to his chest as he looked into the fire. The oranges and yellows of the flames flickered across the twigs in an elegant dance.
Sirius grumbled a protest before he unceremoniously fell backwards to lay down on the grass. "Anyone would be thankful I brought them food."
"I'd argue it's an appetiser, rather than a meal – but it'll do for tonight," Remus snickered as he withdrew his wand to vanish the unwanted remains. A few seconds later, and the skinned rabbit was hovering over the flame and rotating slowly – the eventual hiss of the juices dripping into the fire the only break in the ensuing silence.
"Please tell me it's done, I'm starved!" Harry moaned as his stomach rumbled once again sometime later.
Remus's appraising eye swept the meat before him for a moment before he nodded. Not a moment later, the meat was divvied up between them, and the three set about consuming their meal in silence.
Once satisfied, they continued their silence – happy to listen to the quiet call of owls in the night-sky and to gaze upon the new and unfamiliar constellations of stars above them.
"So, what's the Capital like?" Harry asked eventually, his hands behind his head and his cloak draped over his front.
"Big," Sirius chuckled quietly. Harry rolled his eyes.
"As big as London?"
"No, though I suppose it could seem that way," Sirius replied tiredly. "The Capital is home to half-a-million people, but it's like no city you'll have seen or read about in those books of yours."
"What do you mean?" He asked, the curiosity evident in his voice.
"That's all I'll say. I'm not ruining the surprise for you."
He could hear Remus' huff of protest. It was interesting that Remus seemed to know as little as he.
"I was wondering," He began slowly, ignoring the snort of amusement that came from Sirius. "why does it feel like this place is a secret? I've never heard of anything like this place in any of the books at Blackwall."
"Aye, you have the right of it, I suppose," Sirius sighed, sitting up on his elbows. "A long time ago, Magicals, like us, lived peacefully among Muggles. Over time, that changed, and we were hunted and shunned. Our leader at the time, a man that we all looked up to decided enough was enough."
Harry's attention was rapt – his eyes wide as he took in the tale Sirius was weaving. It seemed Remus too was just as focused, as he was also sitting up on his elbows.
Sirius was quiet for a moment, almost as if he were deciding on what to say.
"In the end, he and others created this place for us. There are similar places in other parts of the world, but they all started here."
"You mean there are other places like this?" Harry asked, pushing himself to his elbows and looking between Sirius and Remus. Sirius nodded.
"Aye, there are. This is the home of magic, Harry. Every person you meet here is a witch or wizard. Muggle-born are a thing only on, well – I suppose only on Earth."
"Earth? You mean we're on a different planet?" Harry gasped, looking around with a renewed vigour.
Sirius chuckled, shaking his head and waving a hand back and forth.
"No, no. We're still on Earth, Harry. The best way I can describe it is…" Sirius paused for a moment; his chin tilted into the air as he absently picked at the grass around him. "We're in a world within a world. To the outside, this place is no larger than an apple – but in here, it's almost endless. Does that make sense, Harry?"
He pursed his lips as the idea bounced around in his head slowly.
"I suppose so," he said slowly after a moment. "So, nobody can get in without those mirrors then?" he asked.
"The Ro'rim, Harry. There are… entrances, here and there, but they're tightly guarded. Some Muggle-born are given the opportunity to come here, though most prefer to stay where they were born," Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Travel back and forth is difficult without a Ro'rim. They were gifted to the old families a long time ago, and nobody knows how to make them anymore."
"But what about the Ministry?"
"The Ministry answers to the wizards and witches here, Harry. The Magical population of Britain is a colony. It's a complicated and convoluted system, but it's what we have. The knowledge of this place is the greatest secret most families carry – so secret in fact, some families have completely forgotten it exists."
Harry frowned. "But how could they forget? If this place is made of magic, it's the most wonderful place for us!"
"People die before they plan to, Harry," Remus said quietly before Sirius could respond. "I assume the knowledge is passed from Lord to Heir?"
Sirius nodded slowly, his eyes on the fire.
"Harry, if only two people in the family know a secret, what happens to that secret if those two people are killed in battle? Or they both die of disease before they can pass it on?" Remus asked gently.
"The secret is lost," he gasped, his eyes wide. "How many families don't know about this place?"
Sirius shrugged. "It's hard to say. Families go extinct or are absorbed into other families now and then. Others are the victims of war or plague. There used to be hundreds of families in Britain alone. Now, I'd hazard a guess that only a few dozen remember."
For some reason, despite not knowing any of those families himself, he found that inexplicably sad. How many would never be able to return, simply because they had no idea of what they had forgotten?
"I assume some family lines continue here?" Remus asked after a while, poking the fire with a stick idly.
Sirius nodded. "Aye, some remain – the Gryffindor family still remains here, for example."
The Gryffindors? The family that was responsible for Godric Gryffindor himself? Would they be anything like their famous relative? One of Harry's favourite books was a chronicle of Godric's life, from his birth in Godric's Hollow, to his death in battle at the hands of his son. Would he meet any of them? Why hadn't they returned to Britain?
"I think that's enough for tonight. Get some sleep, I'll take the first watch, Remus," Sirius grunted, making a shooing motion with his hands.
How was he supposed to sleep now? With a roll of his eyes, he stumbled to his feet and trudged his way to his bedroll, his cloak bundled up under his right arm. Unceremoniously, he flopped onto the thin material and dragged his cloak over him like a blanket.
With his eyes shut, thoughts raced through his mind. What other families could still exist if the Gryffindors were still around? What about House Ravenclaw? House Ruccall? House Goodridge? How much knowledge had the world lost because they hadn't returned?
He shuffled as he turned on his other side and blew out a harsh breath. How could Sirius just drop something like that on him just before going to bed? He and Remus knew Godric was his hero – the man who battled Dark Wizards, who helped found Hogwarts, who was crowned a king! It was too bloody much.
He remained in that fitful state for hours, trying in vain to quiet his mind. At some point, he heard Sirius and Remus trade their vigil over their small camp. It was as he lay on his back that he felt it.
It was a whisper at first, just beyond the edge of his hearing. Slowly, his eyes opened and he frowned up at his tent. The whisper grew stronger, almost like a voice on the wind, and a small tug at the back of his mind caused him to shift uncomfortably.
He pushed himself to his elbows as his leather armour creaked a little at the motion and his cloak pooled around his waist.
"Remus?" He called.
"Pup? Everything alright?" Remus asked a moment later as he knelt before the tent and ducked his head through the hanging flap.
"Yeah, everything's fine…" he mumbled, frowning.
The whisper returned.
"Can you hear that?" he asked, scrambling to the entrance of the tent. As he came to his feet, it appeared Sirius, too, had been woken by his voice.
"Hear what, pup?" Sirius asked, his wand shooting from its holster on his wrist and into his hand.
"That voice…" Harry replied softly, straining to hear it again. "It's sad."
If anyone had asked him, he wouldn't have been able to tell them how he knew that. It was a feeling, but he felt it as if it were his own. It was all very odd.
"We don't hear anything, Harry," Remus replied after a brief look with Sirius.
"It's coming from over here," Harry said, ignoring the two adults. Without waiting for them, he approached the inky blackness of the treeline, stepping around the log he had sat upon earlier.
The treeline was a wall of black, the trunks of the trees thick and strong, while the canopies blocked out any light that may have thought to trickle down from the stars. Along the edge, however, were a number of small bushes, and it was towards one of these that he went.
As he approached the bush, the voice got louder and louder – it was so loud he thought he was going deaf! Clutching his head tightly in his hands, he stumbled to a halt and collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
"Pup!" the distant voice of Sirius called, but something was tugging on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and almost leapt into the foliage before him.
He was reckless in his desperation to find the source of the noise. Perhaps, if he found it, he would be able to think again. A small trickle of something ran down the side of his face. He paused long enough to touch a finger to it, and when the finger was before his eyes, a hint of moonlight revealed it to be blood. Was he bleeding?
He dropped his right hand and looked back to the bush. His left hand was still holding back the branches in his search.
A pair of overly large, black, glossy eyes peered up at him from the darkness, the moon reflected in their depths. A small, stunted, and hooked beak was just below them.
The soft chirp of the creature greeted him curiously. Softly, with his right hand, he reached out with as much care as he could. The voice was strongest now – a deep, primal noise that drove him on.
The beak was hard as his fingers came in contact with it, and the creature's eyes blinked slowly. In the darkness, he noticed that the creature had no feathers to speak of – it was an ugly, tiny thing with little tufts of something sticking out at odd angles on its dirty pink skin.
It hopped into his palm without an ounce of hesitation, gently nipping at the still blood-slicked fingers.
It took a longer nip, once he brought it up to his chest, and for a moment, something tickled his blood-slicked digits.
There was a sudden sensation of something snapping in his mind, followed by a powerful booming thunder that echoed through the trees, before he was thrown a dozen meters behind him, landing among the remains of his tent. The cries of Sirius and Remus remained in the distance as blackness crept along the edges of his vision.
He awoke sometime later – the passage of time unclear besides the appearance of the sun above him. He groaned as he pushed himself up – everything felt stiff and uncomfortable.
"Harry!" Sirius shouted, rushing to his side in a short sprint. Sirius' hand came to rest at the nape of Harry's neck, tangled in his thick hair. "Are you okay?"
"M'fine…" he grumbled, pushing himself into a sitting position. He looked down when he heard an unfamiliar squawk of indignation.
There, in his lap, was the ugly little creature from before. It appeared a little healthier – less starved, its body having filled out a little. His confused expression must have been clear as the blue sky above them.
"Couldn't get that thing away from you. No matter where we put it, the second we turned back to you, it was on your chest," Remus grumbled, having joined Sirius at his side.
"What is it?" he asked eventually, his voice scratchy.
"Not a clue. It's been with you for the last few days."
"Days?" Harry demanded, his head snapping to the two adults beside him as his eyes grew wide. They nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry," he began, the apology spilling from his lips before Sirius shushed him.
"Hey, it's okay. We're just glad you're alright. You had us worried when you charged off to the bush," Sirius said in as soothing a voice as he could, gently stroking back his hair from his damp forehead.
"What happened, pup?" Remus asked, offering him a waterskin.
After a gulp, his throat felt much better. "I heard a voice, but I couldn't make out any words. It got louder and louder the closer I got to that…" Harry stalled as he saw the remains of a chunk of the treeline. It appeared blasted and scorched – like something from a nightmare.
"What in Merlin caused that?" he asked after a moment.
"You did."
"What?" Harry gasped, looking between the two adults. They both nodded slowly.
"When you were thrown back, there was a flash of light and everything around you burst into flames. Took us an hour to put it out once we knew you were okay," Sirius shrugged.
"Woah…" Harry breathed, looking down at the creature in his lap. Gently, he scratched it under its chin, eliciting a soft – almost musical cooing noise.
"What is this?" he asked after a moment.
"Not sure, but it's an ugly little thing. Damn near-" Sirius paused mid-sentence before looking between Harry, Remus and the blasted trees. "I think you just found your familiar, Harry," Sirius muttered dumbly, his eyes staring into the middle-distance somewhere as he said the words.
"My familiar? But I've not got my Hogwarts letter yet!"
"Not all familiars are found in shops, Harry. The events of that night and the events while you were asleep make more sense if this creature is indeed your familiar," Remus replied as Sirius continued standing there, his arms limp at his sides.
"So, I'm… bonded to this?" he asked eventually. Familiars were commonplace in their world, being used as companions and within rituals. The bond was deep and intimate, and it wasn't uncommon for the lifespan of a familiar to match that of its owner. There were exceptions, of course, with the more long-lived species, but all the books he'd read in the Black library went on to say that those that out-lived their human often went on to lead solitary lives afterwards.
"What is it?" he asked after Moony nodded.
"We're not sure. It appears to be a bird of some-kind. Whatever it is, it's obviously very young. It will be your responsibility now, Harry. You will feed it, you will train it, and if it should die, you shall bury it. Is that understood?" Remus asked seriously, placing a firm hand on his nearest shoulder. Harry nodded mutely.
"Is Sirius going to be okay?" he asked, the sounds of the birds in the surrounding trees echoing around them.
As if the question itself snapped him back to reality, Sirius shook himself like a dog and seemed to come to. He looked around for a moment, as if attempting to remember where he was, before his eyes fell on the creature in Harry's lap.
"Harry," Sirius breathed, with what Harry assumed was a proud smile on his face. "I'm so proud of you, pup. You beat your dear old dad by a mile," he grinned as he placed a hand on the back of Harry's neck and pressed their foreheads together. Remus had since stepped back to allow Sirius to kneel next to him again.
Harry grinned at that. "What about my dogfather?"
"Oh, it wasn't even a competition. I didn't find mine until my sixth year! Mine was prettier, though," Sirius chuckled, winking.
The two drew apart, and Harry pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. With both Sirius and Remus supporting his elbows, he looked down at the animal clutched to his chest and smiled.
There was something about this little creature that felt right. It felt as if a part of him that had been missing had finally clicked into place, making him whole. He couldn't wait to see what it grew into – was it an owl? A bird of prey? Whatever it was, he'd be sure to be the best wizard a familiar could ask for – that was a promise.
