Author's Note: Hello and welcome to all the new readers. Thank you so much Old Crow for sending folks over. Brava to my beta for getting this back so quickly. I've had a horrible flu this week and I wasn't sure I was going to get the chapter written. I did, but it was late yesterday and she quickly fixed things for me. I know there are lots of questions about how things are going in the wider wizarding world, but I tend to write more intimate stories, and that will be the centre for this as well. Thank you all for taking time to read. I haven't had hit counts this large in years. MNF

Chapter 7:

June 28, 1995

"Mr Black, Mr Lupin, I wanted to have a few moments with you before I bring Harry in to discuss my findings," the doctor said. Remus had been able to get an appointment with a local paediatrician surprisingly quickly with the help of the doctors Granger. Harry had just undergone a thorough examination, including x-rays of several bones and his cranium, as well as blood and urine exams, which were being sent out. The doctor was about the same age as the men, although she looked younger. Then again, Sirius and Remus both looked old for their age. "I understand that you recently became Harry's guardians, correct?"

"Yes," Sirius answered. "Harry's parents were murdered when he was an infant, and there were complications which saw him go to his mother's sister rather than stay with me, which is what his parents wanted."

"Well, the people who have been his caregivers should be brought up on charges of child abuse," she said bluntly. "Harry is in the bottom tenth percentile for height and the bottom fifth for weight. He has eight poorly healed broken bones, including two former skull fractures. We can't do anything about them, as they've healed, but arthritis will be an issue as he ages." The men were horrified as she went through each of the fractures and some other suspicious healed wounds she found as she examined him.

"What can we do to help him?" Sirius asked.

"Feed him," she said gently. "Let him eat whatever he wants, within reason, and make sure he receives healthy meals at regular times. I will also prescribe several vitamins for him to take to strengthen his immune system and his bones. I want him to do regular exercises, too – build up his muscles. He has a rather scrappy build now; I'd like to see him with at least twenty more pounds on him by the time he comes back in three months. Does he play any sports?"

"He's on his house team at boarding school," Remus quickly answered.

"Good, good, have him practice and maybe do some running this summer. That said, Harry also has a fair bit of anxiety. It's hard to be a teenager, so give him some time to relax while he's out of school."

"We plan to," Sirius said. "We also thought we'd get him some talk therapy." His terminology let her know he'd likely been in therapy in the seventies. Of course, the jargon changed through the decades.

"Excellent plan," she said with a smile. "It would appear that you and your partner are on the right track in giving Harry a stable home."

"We aren't partners," Sirius said very quickly. "We've just been friends since our first day at school when we were eleven. Remus roomed with Harry's dad and me."

"I see, well, do those things we talked about, and Harry should be on his way to becoming healthier in every way possible. Now, I need to ask about the scar on his head. How did he come by such a scar and when?" she asked, and Remus and Sirius looked at each other hesitantly.

"Harry was present the night his parents were murdered. He was hurt in the mele. He's carried that scar since he was fifteen months old."

"And it's never healed in all that time? That's fourteen years he's had it, and no one thought to question why it's open and weeping? Harry wouldn't talk about it, except to say that it bled on the twenty-fourth of this month. If you look here at the x-ray, you'll see that there's a mass behind it, and given its position, I think it's putting pressure on his optic nerve. I would like to have Harry see a surgeon about removing the tumour, for lack of a better word."

"It won't affect his brain, will it? Harry is a smart boy and doing well at school," Remus mused aloud. Sirius was too shaken to say anything.

"It's fully encapsulated and on the outer side of his skull, so his brain is protected from it. Honestly, it shouldn't take very long to remove it and have Harry up and around shortly afterward. Would it be alright if we brought Harry in and discussed these things with him?" she asked.

"Can we not talk about the tumour?" Sirius asked. "Dealing with the subject of his scar is something I'd like to do at home with his best friend there to support him. It's a rather touchy subject with him, due to how he received it."

"That's fine, and I understand."

Harry entered and had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his trousers, shoulders hunched and head down. Sirius thought he looked defeated and as if he was trying to be smaller than he already was. But, instead, the doctor began going over her findings, and with each mention of a broken bone or statistic, Harry shrunk a bit more.

"Legally, you have grounds to bring charges against your former caregivers," the doctor said, and Harry's head popped up.

"I don't want to do that." The firmness in Harry's voice surprised the three adults.

"Pup, they hurt you," Sirius said gently.

"They did that and worse, but I just want them gone from my life. Can we please leave it?"

"What do you mean worse, Harry?" the doctor asked.

"I just, I er, it's nothing," he said before bowing his head and shrinking down again. The physician didn't like leaving it, but it was apparent Harry didn't want to discuss it, so she made a notation in her chart to come back to the issue and went on to discuss the changes to his menu and the vitamins she wanted him to take.

When they arrived home from the appointment, Harry wanted to run upstairs and be left alone, but several parcels were awaiting them.

"Ah, good, our dress robes have arrived, Sirius said, delivering into a huge parcel with his name on it and a return postage mark from Milan. "This is where all my school robes came from, so we'll order yours in August from here as well."

"Your school robes came from Italy?" Harry asked incredulously.

"My mother was a snob of the highest order. She didn't like even Twilfitt and Tatting's as they used domestic wool, and mother thought the Italian wool was superior."

"You should have seen his clothes," Remus said with a smirk. "Silk lining on his robes and cashmere for his jumpers. If I didn't know him better, I would have thought him rather soft. But, of course, after his third year, Sirius was out of his robes and in jeans and tee shirts as often as possible."

"Sirius, I am not having silk linings on my robes. Madame Malkins is fine for me," Harry said with a laugh.

"We'll see if she's making robes," Sirius replied. "Without a wand, it might be difficult."

"So, you think at this shop in Milan they still have wands?" Harry asked. "Can we order new ones for you guys?"

"Harry, even with all your money, I would never do something like mail-order a wand. I'm sure there are shops in the US or Australia that have wands, but they will be going for astronomical prices, and we'd have no way of knowing if they'd work when they arrive," Remus explained. "Not to mention the danger of us having wands when no one else does."

"I have my wand still," Harry said

"Yes," Sirius said, "and Moody told you to tell no one outside of the four professors at Hogwarts, the two of us, Madame Bones and Hermione, that you have it. There are ten of us who know, and only ten of us will know until wands are back in many more people's hands. That's why we've locked yours up, and it is only my blood that can open the lock."

"What are we going to do about magic, then? There's only so much wandless stuff you gents can do," Harry asked, surprised by the situation.

"Don't worry about magic lessons, Harry. There is great deal more magic out there than what is taught at school," Remus said. "I'm working something for you and Hermione and anyone else, like Neville, that you want to invite along."

"What kind of magic? Will it be duelling? I think I need to know how to duel."

"I'll be teaching you some magical spells to defend yourself with," Remus said, "but—"

"I'm going to teach you something more useful, which is hand-to-hand combat," Sirius interrupted. "Death Eaters in the first war relied solely on magical spells; they couldn't take a punch at all and had no clue how to defend against one."

Amelia Bones moved through the Ministry with Alastor Moody acting as her bodyguard. He was going to pull Kingsley in on the duty, too, as he was sending Tonks out to be with Harry to protect him. The Ministry was in chaos, and people were yelling at Amelia as she prepared to leave the building. Yet, she had a remarkable ability to ignore them. It was nearing six in the evening, and she needed to see her niece. But first, there was a happy task to attend to.

"Ah, Miss Tonks, so glad you could join us," she said to the young Auror who's hair was a relatively bright pink, which clashed with her standard red robes. "You do know you're allowed to wear Muggle clothes on this assignment?"

"I do, but I thought I should appear professional for this meeting," Tonks said. "Also, I know the two of you trust my mother's cousin, but I'm not sure I do. I want to be prepared, and these robes have a thousand pockets in them."

"Good point, lass, but I've seen Black's memories, as well as those from young Potter and Miss Granger, and he's innocent. Plus, he cares for the boy and wouldn't do anything to disrupt that," Moody said, and Tonks nodded. Madame Bones was happy she'd purchased a thousand pounds of Floo Powder and was having metered doses sold in the Atrium. It would keep the Floos at the Ministry functioning and allow people to move from place to place.

The average person used thirty to thirty-five grains, or a pinch, to use a Floo. There are roughly seven-thousand grains per pound, which meant one pound produced two-hundred-ten to two-hundred-fifteen Floo trips. So one person could purchase up to ten Floo trips per week. Those on Ministry business were only the Aurors, and Hit Wizards were provided Floo powder. The Unspeakables were working, but where they were and what they were doing was a highly guarded secret.

The trio Flooed to Remus's cottage and happily delivered Sirius's papers of apology from the Ministry as well as a reparations accounting of what had been transferred into his vault. Sirius went through them quickly, noticing a deed included, but the other set of papers he was given made him cast the first aside. The trio had delivered the documents saying that Sirius was Harry's legal guardian.

Amelia included a set of adoption papers, which weren't necessary, but if Harry wanted Sirius to adopt him, she was prepared to sign them to make it official.

"So, you'd be my dad?" Harry asked as they all sat around the living room. He was eyeing Tonks up rather suspiciously but decided to let it go, as he trusted Moody, Remus, and Sirius, and they all were okay with the woman and her strange hair. Tonks caught Harry looking at her and changed the hue to purple, which caused Harry's eye to go wide. Sirius turned his head and looked at his cousin, and laughed.

"Harry, before you have an aneurism, Nymphie dear is a Metamorphmagus. She can change her looks at will," Sirius said with a laugh.

"Don't call me Nymphie," she snarled, turning her hair a flaming mass of red and orange. "You called me that when I was a toddler."

"I did, and since you're still the daughter of my favourite cousin, I'm going to continue calling you that. Unfortunately, I cannot call you by your last name," Sirius said with both a finality to the discussion and a hint of amusement.

"Fine, call me Dora like mum does, but don't call me Nymphie ever again," she relented and changed her hair to a soft brown, so she looked exactly like her mother. Sirius cocked his lip to one side and laughed.

"As to your question, Harry," he said, turning back to the boy, "legally, I would be your father. You already have a dad, though, and I would never want to replace him. Your mum and dad loved you fiercely." Harry considered what Sirius had said and what his mum and dad had said in the graveyard. They would always love him, and they'd wanted Sirius to raise him.

"I know they did," Harry said after a few moments of retrospection, "but they're not here, and I've never had anyone be my parent before. If you're agreeable, I think I'd like to have one." Sirius couldn't believe what Harry was saying. His heart was beating too fast and felt like it would burst out of his chest.

"If I'm agreeable? Nothing would please me more," the old dog said before he stood and went to hug his godson.

"You're the only person who has ever put me first," Harry said quietly into the other man's shoulder. "That's what a parent does, right?" Harry honestly didn't know what a parent did, but he suspected it was that. At least the good parents he'd met – like the Weasleys and the Grangers – acted that way.

"That's right, Harry. You will always be my first priority."

"Then I say we sign those papers and make this legal," Harry said, and the others clapped.

"Not yet; there are some others who need to witness this. Call Hermione and see if her family can drive over for supper tonight. Remus, can you contact the Longbottoms? Neville should be here."

"Sure. Are you still frightened of Old Lady Longbottom?" Remus asked with a smirk.

"Yes, and I will be until the end of my life." Everyone laughed and set about contacting the rest of the people who were important to Harry to share in his celebration. "That night with Frank and his bachelor party…the stuff of nightmares."

"Would you mind if I contacted Susan and had her come over?" Amelia asked. "She's currently home with the house-elves, much to her chagrin."

"She's more than welcome," Harry said kindly.

"Thank you," Amelia Bones said to the boy, feeling the happiness in the room and relishing it since she'd been around so much misery in the last few days. She looked at Sirius, and for a moment, felt something she'd not felt since October of nineteen-eighty-one niggled in her. He looked up and smiled at her softly, and she quickly looked away and turned those emotions off.

Arthur Weasley arrived home with a spring in his step. First, he could purchase some Floo powder, which would allow his family to call Charlie and see how he was fairing. There wasn't a great deal, but it was enough. Second, Arthur was coming home with full-time employment again. He could also employ his son if he chose, which he planned to do.

"You look chipper," Molly said after he'd kissed her hello.

"I have a job again," he said proudly.

"They re-opened your office?"

"No. Madame Bones has created a welfare office within the Ministry. We are to go to wizarding households and check to make sure the witches and wizards are faring okay. We're starting with the elderly who live alone." Molly threw herself at Arthur.

"Oh, this is wonderful," she said after she shared a second kiss. "I was wondering how we were going to make it."

"My pay isn't quite as high as it was before the wands disappeared, but it is better than half. I also need an assistant, and I thought Percy would be perfect for it." Molly nodded in agreement.

"I have another surprise," he said, pulling the small pouch of Floo powder from the pocket of his robes. "Floo powder, so you can speak with Charlie."

"Great! I can call Harry!" Ron said from behind them.

"Do you know where he's staying?" Arthur asked. Ginny had received a letter from Hermione, and she knew where Harry was but hadn't shared it with anyone else. Arthur had spoken to Amelia about it, and she'd confided that he was safe with Sirius and Remus. So, while Arthur was concerned about Sirius Black, when Amelia said he was innocent and she had proof, he felt better about it.

"Make Ginny tell me," Ron answered. "I know she knows."

"What Ginny knows or doesn't know is her business, and it was shared with her in confidence. I will not force her to tell you anything," Arthur said firmly.

"Da-ad!" Ron whinged.

"Ronald Billius Weasley, your father came back from the Ministry with good news," Molly interrupted her son's tirade. "He's the head of a new…what is it again?"

"A welfare department."

"What does that mean?" Ron said grumpily.

"It means I will go to the homes of the elderly witches and wizards to ensure they have food to eat and water to drink. Then, if they are in need, we will supply them with a few days' groceries and then help them find family or friends who can take them in," Arthur explained.

"Does that mean you can get us food? I've been starving lately."

"No, Ronald, it does not!" Molly said roughly. "They are for the less fortunate."

"We're less fortunate than we were," he complained. "All those vegetables we're eating," he said while cringing.

"Those vegetables are free, Ron. Now go and chuck the garden gnomes out of the patch."

"Aren't you going to make the twins or Ginny help?" the boy continued to whine.

"No. The twins washed all the dirty dishes earlier, and your sister has been doing the laundry with me. So, it's time you pulled your weight." Ron made a sort of growling noise but knew he'd never win a test of wills with his mother and went out the back door.