Author's Note: I will admit that my beta has not looked at this yet, so any mistakes that are in the chapter are wholly my fault. Thank you to everyone who is reading, I do appreciate it. MNF

Chapter 3:

Potions and Problems

"What in the world is going on out here?" Poppy Pomfrey asked as she exited the small area off the hospital wing, which constituted her private rooms. "Why is there a dog in my hospital? Mr Potter, what are you doing here? We've been looking for you all night!"

"Poppy, Harry needs a full going over," Remus said, walking across the room toward her. "I'm quite certain he's going to need a few potions as well as some Dittany on his head and arm. After that, I'm going to go get Albus. Please, until we return, don't let anyone else into the Hospital Wing. It is for Harry's safety."

"Are you certain, Remus?" she asked.

"Poppy, we have known one another a long time," he said, coming to stand by her. "Do you trust me?"

She considered his face and the grave nature of his tone before curtly nodding her head.

"Sirius," he said softly, and Padfoot was no more. Poppy shrieked at the sight of him.

"Remember, you trust me," Remus said. "He never betrayed James and Lily. He didn't put Harry in danger. He's innocent, and if I can make Moody believe me, then I think that you can agree I wouldn't lie to you."

Poppy considered all she knew of Remus and the hours she had spent healing the man since he was little more than a child. "If you say so, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I seem to have misplaced my wand, so it will need potions and poultices, Mr Potter. Come on, you know the drill, pyjamas on." Harry stood, Sirius keeping close, and Harry took the set of hospital garments the matron had taken from a shelf and stepped behind the screen. Moody, Moony and Sirius agreed that no one else should know Harry still had his wand just yet.

Remus left the hospital wing, and Poppy locked the door behind him. He moved along little-used corridors and passageways that he'd learned as a student when creating the Marauder's Map until he reached the gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office. Remus found it alarming that it wasn't shut, considering the hour of the morning. The screen that greeted him was shocking.

The headmaster's office was filled with the heads of house all gathered around the still body of Albus Dumbledore. Minerva was nearly undone in her grief as she leaned against the desk. Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick were holding onto the other.

"What's happened?" Remus asked.

"Albus is dead," Minerva said flatly. "We don't know what happened, but I found him this way. I summoned the others, but Severus hadn't arrived. I have no idea what to do." Remus went to her and gave her a warm hug.

"I know you were close," he whispered. Remus, too, was nearly overcome with grief; only his worry for Harry overrode his impulse to sit down and weep. "But we must push forward. So much has happened, and the school is going to need you." He pushed away from her.

"Whatever do you mean, Remus?"

"Harry's back, and he has quite a tale to tell. I need you to come with me."

"Where is he?"

"Poppy is checking him over. We need some Veritaserum as well." Remus was attempting to remain calm, but the wolf part of his brain enjoyed panic and confusion. His humanity needed to conquer the animal.

"Why do you need truth serum?" Minerva was beginning to panic.

"Minerva, I can't tell you now, but you will understand if you come with me," he said firmly. "Filius, can you get some of the truth serum from Severus's stores. I'm sure he keeps some if some of the other things he regularly brews are any indication."

The little wizard nodded. "You'd know, of course," Filius said absentmindedly. "Sorry, that came out wrong. I'll meet you in a few minutes." He promptly left.

"What shall I do?" Pomona asked. "I must have left my wand in my rooms; that's odd," she muttered as she patted the pockets of her gardening smock.

"Harry said there's chaos in the entrance area and Great Hall. Perhaps you can get everyone gathered and started on their breakfasts?" Remus suggested the most apparent need the students would have.

"Yes, yes, that's good," she said before heading down the stairs. "I'll not tell them about Dumbledore."

"Yes, we can make that announcement later," Remus said, feeling odd at being the one to give the directions. "Minerva, we need to leave him for now. Hogwarts will take care of him and the office. Harry needs you," Remus said gently, knowing she was in for a shock when she heard what the young wizard would say. With one last backward glance, Minerva let her former colleague lead her away.

Filius Flitwick wasn't an easily excitable wizard. His half-goblin nature made him relatively unflappable but stepping into Severus Snape's inner sanctum and finding no indication of where the man was disturbed him. It was most unusual. Generally, if Severus wasn't in these rooms, they were locked to everyone. Not wanting to take a fortunate turn of events lightly, Filius went to work looking for a phial of Veritaserum. He located it quickly enough; Severus's habit of alphabetizing the finished products made it more accessible. Still, he now knew why Severus kept his rooms locked – there were enough poisons here to kill half the student population. He would assuredly need a word with the headmaster or now, headmistress, regarding this.

While Filius could use a wand and knew how to perform magic with one, the half-goblin didn't need to do so. Goblins did magic wandlessly, and before leaving the Potions Master's office, he locked it so only he, Filius, would be able to undo the spell. He wanted to know why Severus needed some of the things he'd seen.

When he arrived at the hospital wing, he found the door lock engaged and knocked. Stating his name allowed him access, and while he was surprised to find Sirius Black standing there. He'd long suspected that Remus had been in contact with the fugitive. Nothing added up when Sirius had been arrested, but his vaults had not been confiscated or even sealed, which is what usually happened when a witch or wizard was guilty of murder. But, of course, if the right amount of money changed hands, such things could be diverted. Lucius Malfoy had been able to keep the Lestrange vault from being taken by the goblins by giving them obscene amounts of gold. That was business. Most wizarding folks never paid mind to the fine print in their Gringotts contracts; only the richest bothered.

Filius was surprised last year when he'd enquired about Black's vaults and found them not only without any lien against them. That he'd also been made head of the Black family while incarcerated confirmed what Filius had suspected; Sirius wasn't at fault for James and Lily's deaths. Men guilty of murder were not recognized as heads of house by the usual goblin magic that protected the bank. It was something few outside of the goblin nation understood. The bank itself knew of someone's legal status, even if paperwork stating something different was housed within the Ministry.

"Sirius, I'm assuming this is for you?" Filius said upon entering.

"Yes," Black said emphatically. "Moony, how much?"

"I'll do the administering, Black," Alastor said, standing and taking the phial from Filius. "Three drops, and you'll be singing like a lark."

"Gladly, I have nothing to hide."

"You're innocent of betraying the Potters, Padfoot, but I wouldn't go so far as to say there's nothing to hide," Remus said softly as Moody administered the three drops onto his tongue.

"Ask him something only he'd know, Remus," Moody directed.

"Who was the first girl you brought up to our room to snog?"

"Stacey Summerville," Sirius said with a smile. "She was in third, and I was in second year. She had a truly talented tongue –"

"That's enough," Remus stopped him. "It's true, I found them; that's how I know. He'd missed his bed and was sitting on mine with Stacey and his tongue down her throat. Ask him anything you need to."

"Did you give up James and Lily to Voldemort?" Moody asked.

"No. I would rather have died than do that."

"Were you their secret keeper?"

"No, at the last minute, we changed people. I was afraid I was too obvious."

"Who was it then?"

"Peter Pettigrew. Wormtail."

"Did you kill him in the street, along with all those Muggles?"

"I did not. Peter blew up the street and then disappeared down the sewers."

"How did he do that?"

"He's an unregistered Animagus. He becomes a rat."

"Is that true?" Moody asked Remus.

"It is," Moony answered. "They, my roommates, became Animagi to be with me when I changed. James was a stag; Sirius is a black grim-like dog, and Peter is a rat. Little did we know just what sort of rat he was."

"Sirius, are you now, or were you ever a Death Eater?" Minerva quietly asked.

"No," Sirius said just as gently. "I hated their agenda and the means they were using to achieve them. My family aligned themselves with Voldemort, but I wanted to be different."

"I know, dear boy," she said softly. "I never believe it."

"Sirius, were you ever given a trial?" Moody asked.

"No," Sirius answered. "Dumbledore was supposed to arrange it, and he didn't. So I rotted away in there for years."

"What made you finally decide to escape?" Moody growled at the apparent miscarriage of justice.

"I know that," Harry said before Sirius could answer. "He saw the picture of the Weasleys in Egypt after they won that big prize. Wormtail was with Ron in the picture, and Sirius knew I was in danger. So, he escaped to come to help me."

"Because you are my godson and the most important person in the world to me." Harry felt warm inside; no one had ever called him the most important person in their world. Harry doubted he had ever been that important to anyone. Harry knew it wasn't a lie; under the serum, Sirius couldn't lie. Harry wanted to cry from happiness. Sirius sat down on Harry's bed and put his arm around his shoulders. "Now, where is Albus?"

"I'm afraid I have some rather horrible news on that front," Minerva said, nearly choking on her words. "Albus had died rather suddenly during the night. I found him in his office this morning."

"Could that be my fault too?" Harry asked Sirius.

"None of this is your fault," Sirius gently rebuked. "It's just a consequence. But, Minerva, Filius, I think you need to hear what Harry has to say, and then we need to make some plans."

Harry told his story, beginning with him and Cedric taking the cup together and ending with Harry putting the cooling charm on the Quidditch changing room and locking the now dead Seeker inside.

Occasionally Sirius would interrupt with some statement he had to get off his chest, like taking the same Stacey what's-her-name to the Quidditch change rooms to have her get him off. It wasn't his fault; the reversal potion for Veritaserum available, so they just had to let it wear off.

When Harry was finished, there was an elongated pause before Filius spoke. "We need to get you and your wand out of this castle. Without Dumbledore, I don't know how long the wards will hold, and any of HIS followers who didn't show up at the graveyard will be after you. I can get you out of here, but I don't know where to send you, other than Gringotts."

"You said I was the head of the Black family; we could go to my parent's home in London," Sirius suggested.

"Sirius, how old is the house?" Filius asked.

"It was built around eighteen-fifty," he answered. "Magically expanded and unplottable."

"The enchantments probably need to be renewed, but you have no wand."

"I could use Harry's?" Harry reached into his waistband and removed the wand. When Sirius attempted to make sparks with it, one lonely grey wisp came out. "You try it," Sirius suggested. "Maybe it was damaged." Harry did as asked and blew out a window.

"It isn't the wand, Sirius."

"I have a house, it's in Avebury, it's a Muggle home, and the wards are strong," Remus said.

"Hermione lives in Avebury, can she come with us? Her parents might be quite helpful in this situation."

"Yes, I would think that a Muggleborn would be helpful," Filius said. "I'll go get her; you lot remain here. Minerva, we need to say something to the students."

"Yes, yes," she said gently. "I will be in touch, Harry. But, please, stay safe." Filius and Minerva left, and Moody made to follow. "I'm going to see Amelia. The Ministry is liable to be a mess, but she can cancel the "Kill On Sight" order that's out for you. I'd get to Gringotts soon, you lot; it sounds like they'll be your allies. Remus, where's that house of yours?"

Remus scribbled the address down for Moody, and he too left. Poppy went to her supply closet and came back with potions, poultices, and creams in a small box. "Use the Dittany and Bruise Cream sparingly, and this will be enough. Take the potions with every meal for a few days; your magical core is quite overcharged. This will help it regulate. I'll head down and deal with Mr Diggory. Remus, I'll see you at the full moon."

"So, we're going to all live in your two-bedroom cottage, eh?" Sirius said.

"I don't need much room," Harry said. "Anything would be larger than the cupboard under the stairs." The two men looked at him in shock.

"You will explain that comment to us when we've had some food, and things have calmed down a bit," Sirius said sternly. "I don't even want to imagine what your comment means." Harry looked down and nodded.

An elf popped in with three bowls of porridge, cups of tea, and a flagon of Pumpkin Juice. They ate without discussing the events of the night before and anxiously watched the door for Professor Flitwick to return. Unfortunately, the door crashed open with Hermione carrying a large duffel bag and a broken china saucer.

"I don't know what you did, but Professors Flitwick and McGonagall told me we need to leave now," she said. The quartet took hold of the small dish, and Hermione activated the Portkey.