Chapter 29
12 Grimmauld Place, London, 27th December 2011
Harry woke up in the stuffy room at Grimmauld Place. He groaned and put his glasses on. He yawned and sat up, scratching his head. The room was littered with his possessions, strewn across the floor. Books and parchment lay in a messy pile beside his trunk. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted under the old worn door. His stomach started to rumble, and he went to open the door with a sense of excitement.
This was the second morning waking in Grimmauld Place, and Harry was still dumbfounded. Sirius was alive. The first day, he kept staring at his godfather, a thrill of excitement in his bones. He kept feeling like he would blink, and Sirius would be gone. The months of grief evaporated as he saw his Godfather again. He couldn't believe what had happened. It changed everything. It was a shining light for him in the darkness of the last few years. Could this be the end of his time with the Dursleys? He hoped so.
He hesitated in the doorway for a moment. To another, it may have looked like he was in a trance. It probably was partly the truth. Since Christmas Day it felt like he was in a dream, one he did not want to wake up from. Could life be so cruel to take it away from him again? Since his third year, He often imagined getting away from the Dursleys and living with Sirius. Of course, it wasn't good to dwell on it. In his fourth year, Sirius was on the run, and in his fifth, he was locked up in this very house. The idea was fraught with complications, but he dared to hope. He wanted to walk around in Diagon Alley with him, to go to all the magical places that Sirius told him was on his bucket list. The way the Wizarding World was at the moment though, it wasn't safe. Despite his posthumous pardon, Sirius would probably be kidnapped by Death Eaters or the corrupt Ministry in a heartbeat.
Christmas Day seemed to pass with less merriment than usual. Even though Harry was over the moon ecstatic about Sirius being back, his sudden appearance with John Winchester had thrown a wrench in Mrs Weasley's plans for Christmas dinner. Most of the day was spent filling in Sam and Dean's father. After a quick discussion with Professor Dumbledore, it was decided that Harry and his friends go to Number 12 Grimmauld Place for what remained of the Christmas break.
"Sweet Merlin, Molly…" He heard Sirius grumble from downstairs. "You have this house stocked to the rafters… I can't find a thing in here."
"Oh, relax Sirius," Mrs Weasley chided. "I have it all organized."
"Accio flour," Sirius said as Harry entered the room. A bag of flour zoomed from the pantry and into his hand, a small poof of white coming from the bag as he caught it.
"See? It's not that hard Sirius."
"Oh, morning Harry," she smiled, noticing him
"Good morning, Mrs Weasley," Harry greeted
"Are the others up?" Sirius asked as Mrs Weasley started mixing batter.
"I don't think so," Harry replied. "Can I help with anything?"
Mrs Weasley shooed him away. "No, Sirius and I have everything under control. Thank you. Go get the others up, would you, dear?"
"Sure."
A few moments later, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting at the kitchen table. Ron was trying to get Hermione to agree to a game of wizard's chess. Sirius pointed his wand at the cooker. The dial turned, and he non-verbally cast Incendio, causing the burner to ignite and start to burn. A pot of baked beans landed gently on top. Harry smiled at the sight, realizing what he had missed out on all these years.
Soon, everyone was gathered for breakfast. Lupin, Tonks and the Weasley family sat, sans Percy, who was still avoiding his family due to his involvement with the Ministry. Even though Mrs Weasley welcomed him back with open arms he still felt like he was alienated from them. Mrs Weasley and Sirius never completely saw eye to eye. She often accused him of reckless behaviour. Especially at the expense of her son's Fred and George. Ever since Sirius had informed them, he was one of the Marauders, they seemed to idolize him and followed him everywhere. They were even more surprised at the fact Lupin was the famous 'Moony', cursing themselves that they never made the connection. Fred and George both rounded on Harry, demanding, no, whining, about why they were not informed his father was Prongs.
"I didn't know until recently." Harry defended himself.
"Sure…" they replied simultaneously.
Harry rolled his eyes and shared a smirk with Sirius and Lupin.
"This looks fantastic Molly," Tonks smiled. Her hair was once again a brilliant pink. She seemed so much brighter in the last few days. "You'll have to show me your recipe for this gravy. I'd love to make it next year."
"Of course, dear," Mrs Weasley smiled, glad to have another woman around. She waved her wand and the last of the plates settled on the table.
Sirius looked up at the clock on the wall. "They're late." He frowned.
"Who is, Sirius?" Fred looked at him. Ron smirked. The twins were idolizing Sirius, much like how once he had idolized Viktor Krum. He was never gonna let them live this down.
Especially because he was in on the secret.
"I invited the Winchesters. When I spoke to John. He said they were looking forward to it." Sirius replied, absently scratching behind his ear.
"That's a nice idea," Mrs Weasley smiled.
"I wonder how they're getting on with their father…" Hermione mused. "It seemed tense before.
"A bit…. The guy was intimidating…" Ron frowned. "Bloody hell, he never stopped glaring at everyone."
"Glaring' is a bit of a strong word," Ginny protested.
"You weren't there," Ron argued. "Gives 'if looks could kill' a literal meaning."
"Don't be dramatic Ronald," Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I think I agree with you Ron, dear." Mrs Weasley passed him a plate of food. "The way they were arguing with each other…"
"They were raised differently Molly," Mr Weasley reminded her with a small smile. "I think Sam and Dean can take care of themselves."
"John told me a bit about it," Sirius spoke up. "Wouldn't go into it much. He's not one for touchy-feely conversations. There is a lot more going on with the three of them than we will ever know. He loves his kids. They'll work it out."
"I hope they're not lost. Should we go try to find them?" Tonks looked at Lupin worriedly."
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Charlie dear, would you mind getting the door?" Mrs Weasley looked at her eldest son.
"Sure Mum," Charlie replied.
"Remember to warn them…" Mrs Weasley added.
"Please don't forget. I really don't want to deal with my mother right now," Sirius grimaced.
"Bill, you're a curse breaker," Ron began. "Isn't there a way to get her picture off the wall?"
"I'll look into it," Bill replied as the three Winchesters entered the room.
Sirius smiled at them as he stood up. "Welcome John, Sam, Dean. It's great to see you all again."
"Hey Sirius," John replied. "Thanks for having us."
"Sorry, we're late." Dean smiled apologetically, "Sammy here couldn't decide what to wear."
The youngest Winchester glared at his brother.
"I think you look smart, dear." Mrs Weasley smiled at Sam. "Very smart." Sam's cheeks went a subtle pink.
"Just adorable," Dean added.
John smacked Dean on the back of the head. Dean's expression hardened, but he stopped himself from snapping back at his father.
"Come down here, we've made room." Mr Weasley waved them down to his end of the table. John and his sons took their seats.
"John, I don't think you've met my eldest sons. This is my eldest, Bill, and his fiancée Fleur. And Charlie is down beside George." As Mr Weasley introduced them, they nodded to the newcomers.
"Nice to meet you," John greeted.
"How's the wedding planning going?" Sam asked Bill and Fleur.
"It eez difficult," Fleur frowned. "With the war. But we love each other." She hugged Bill's arm closer, smiling up at him.
"We're moving it to next year," Bill told them. "We'd rather wait until it's safer."
"There is no guarantee that this will be over then," Lupin said to no one in particular.
"Let's not ruin a perfectly good meal with a lot of talk." Mrs Weasley's friendly tone was marred by the serious set of her mouth as she dared anyone else to speak.
Sam and Dean nodded.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Thanks for the sweaters, Mrs Weasley," Sam spoke after a moment.
"Of course, dears!" Mrs Weasley blushed. "It was the least I could do."
"You didn't have to get us anything, but we still love them," Dean assured her with a grin. "England is freezing at this time of year."
John snorted. "It reminds me of that vamp case in Maine."
"I remember that" Dean frowned.
"It was about 4 below outside I think." John mused as he decided to tell the story to the small group. "Dean had just turned 13 I think, right?" Dean nodded. "You were bound and determined to help me on that case."
"The vamp shoved me headfirst into a frozen lake. I was lucky I didn't get trapped under the ice," Dean continued.
Hermione gasped. "That's absolutely barbaric…."
"That's a vampire for you." Dean shrugged. "They won't take it easy on you just because you're kids."
"I remember from class," Hermione nodded.
"What have you been learning about in class?" John looked at her, trying not to look 'stern' as Sam explained to him.
"Angels, Demons, Wraiths, Wendigos, loads of stuff," Ron shrugged.
"Wow, covering everything, huh?"
"Pretty much," Sam nodded.
"Good, you need to know how to defend yourself." John smiled.
Dean frowned, knowing John was playing the nice guy for the moment. Though Sam did ask him to behave around the kids. The breakfast continued on without much incident. Bill and Fleur left first after she insisted on going to check on her parents and her little sister.
The others left soon after that after Sirius had to practically shove Molly out the door after she wanted to help clean the dishes. Sirius and Harry were left in the living room.
"So, Harry," Sirius began as he settled into his chair. "Term starts next week. Are you ready?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded.
"Good, good." Sirius nodded. There was a short silence. Neither man didn't know what to say.
"Look I will understand if you-"
"I wanted to talk to you-"
Both of them laughed a little as they started talking at the same time. "Why don't you start first?" Sirius motioned to Harry.
"Okay, uh…" Harry began. "I'm glad to have you back Sirius…"
"It's good to be back." Sirius smiled. "I realize the last few years were not the easiest for you, and I couldn't really help you much. I'm sorry about that."
"You were locked up in Azkaban. That wasn't your fault. I understand." Harry smiled.
"So, I have a lot to catch up on." Sirius smiled. "The twins are hanging out of my sleeve after you told them who I was." He barked a laugh.
"They idolize you." Harry agreed, laughing with him. "The Marauders helped them a lot with their pranking."
"It's good to see the next generation carrying on the traditions we started in school," Sirius grinned.
"I can see why Mrs Weasley calls you a bad influence," Harry laughed.
"Molly does have strong opinions. She reminds me a lot of Lily," he smiled sadly. "She took no-nonsense."
"From what I've heard, I can see that," Harry smiled.
"So, what have I missed?" Sirius asked.
"Where to begin…? Ah…" Harry rubbed his hands on his legs. He explained what happened since the battle at the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry.
"Wow," Sirius muttered. "James would be proud."
"It's been uneventful."
"Are you joking, Harry? You're having private lessons with Dumbledore." Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm so proud of you."
"It's really not a big of a deal," Harry shrugged it off, his ears turning slightly pink. "It's just some defensive spells and stuff, just in case Voldemort tries to do me in again."
Sirius frowned slightly, deciding to get off the subject. He suddenly chuckled. "So, what about you and Miss Granger?" He wiggled his eyebrows.
"What?" Harry spluttered on his pumpkin juice.
"I have eyes, Harry." Sirius rolled them for emphasis. "Besides, I saw how Ginny couldn't keep hers off of you this morning. Ladykiller just like your father."
"No, Sirius," Harry protested. His glasses were starting to fog up slightly from the heat coming off his face. "It isn't like that at all."
"Sure it isn't…" Sirius sipped his Firewhiskey with a smile on his face. He was rather enjoying Harry's flustered look. At this point, Lupin and Mrs Weasley would have stepped in and told Sirius to leave him alone
"I'm just messing around," Sirius grinned, ruffling his Godson's hair. "You've got plenty of time."
"Sirius…" Harry began. "What was it like, wherever you were…?"
Sirius sighed, putting down his cup. He looked Harry in the eyes. "I don't want to frighten you, Harry,"
"You won't," Harry replied. "I think after all the crap Voldemort has done over the last few years; I can handle this."
Sirius nodded, "It was a terrible place. There was no rhyme or reason to the order there. Constant killings of creatures. Any monster you could think of all-in-one place."
"Sounds horrible…" Harry mumbled.
"It's okay Harry, we got out," Sirius smiled.
"Thanks to Mr Winchester." Harry nodded. He thought back to his reaction to the hunter after the initial shock of seeing Sirius again. Seeing elements of John in both of his son's. No one could deny the tense atmosphere John had with his sons. Obviously, some bridges had been burned.
"Yes, what do you really think of him?" Harry asked. "He seems difficult to get along with."
"John has a few issues to sort out, most of them being with his children. He wouldn't tell me much"
"Dean and Sam don't mention him much in class," Harry told him. "Just they use his hunting journal from time to time."
Silence hung in the air. Part of Harry was lost for words.
"There is something I wanted to ask you, Harry." Sirius began.
"Of course, Sirius," Harry replied.
"I was wondering if you would consider staying here with me," Sirius said. "You know after the term ends. I know we spoke about this during your third year but… I think James and Lily would want the two of us to stick together."
"Sirius, I-" Harry interrupted.
"It wouldn't be an imposition, Harry," Sirius cut him off as well. "I want you here. You're family. When Lupin told me about you living with Lily's sister…. Those awful people." His expression turned hard like he very much wanted to say something stronger about Vernon and Petunia Dursley. "They have mistreated you for 16 years."
"I have to go back with them, at least for a couple of months," Harry explained, wishing it didn't have to be so complicated.
"After everything they've done?" Sirius asked.
"I know what they're like," Harry replied. "But I have to stay, at least until my birthday." He explained further at Sirius's confused look. "Dumbledore said it has something to do with Petunia and Dudley being my blood relatives. It's like how Mum's love shielded me from Voldemort when I was a baby."
"What?" Sirius frowned.
"When Voldemort killed Mum and Dad," Harry paused as he saw Sirius wince. "Mum tried to stop him from getting to me. When he killed her, it put some sort of protection on me."
"So, your safety lies in the hands of Petunia Dursley?" Sirius's question was marred by his sceptical frown.
"It means I have to go back to the Dursleys because I'm around blood relatives. Just until the Trace is broken when I'm seventeen." Harry's voice was bitter as he spoke.
"I see…" He looked down. "If that's what Albus thinks is best…" He sighed and continued in a bitter mumble. "He always gets what he wants."
"At least I only have a few more months." Harry offered hopefully. Sirius nodded, but still looked annoyed.
"They never treated you like their own," he said furiously. His knuckles were stark white under the tattoos from clenching them so tightly.
"They treat me as well as they can. Although, it did get a little better after I blew up my aunt." Harry grinned.
Sirius grinned. "Ron told me about that once. Brilliant! Marjorie was a horrid woman, I met her once when I had to pick James up from Lily's house."
"Really?" Harry's eyes went wide.
Sirius's grimace turned into a slightly rueful smile. "There may or may not have been a slight incident with a feral dog and her precious bulldogs…."
"Sirius… you didn't…"
"Damn right I did." Sirius chuckled. "I didn't hurt it. Just roughed him up a bit."
"Oh, Merlin…" Harry sighed, caught between sympathy for the dogs and amusement at the image of Marge's reaction in his mind.
Sirius chuckled a little. They started talking about subjects in school. A few minutes into the discussion, Lupin popped his head around the door.
"Moony," Sirius smiled. "Come join us." Lupin nodded and smiled. He pulled up a chair.
"Is Tonks with you?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah," Lupin nodded. "She's having a chat with Molly."
"Molly should have left by now, sweet Merlin…" Sirius sighed dramatically. "I know how to keep a household just fine…."
"Oh, leave her be. I think she feels bad for how harsh she used to be with you," Lupin smiled easily. Sirius frowned. "Sure, she's not cleaning your house from top to bottom…"
"One thing I did not miss was your grumpiness," Lupin rolled his eyes. "It must be the fleas…"
"Oh, go howl at the moon," Sirius shot back with a grin. Harry smiled. "I'm happy for you mate. Make sure you take care of my cousin."
"I will try, but you know how Nymphadora is. She's stubborn."
"Oh, I know," Sirius laughed. "We're all a little mad." There was a slight downturn in his lips at that, not liking to bring up the insanity of his family.
"True." Lupin nodded. "So, Harry, How are your classes going?"
"Good," Harry shrugged. "Really well."
"How's the Demonology classes?" Lupin asked Harry.
"It's interesting." Harry tried not to make a face. "I'm learning a lot."
"I can't believe Dumbledore got Muggles to teach at Hogwarts. I mean, they seem like nice people, but who thought it'd ever happen?" Sirius snorted.
"He did hire a Werewolf for a teacher." Lupin smiled.
"True," Sirius shrugged. "What are they like? John was very closed off about them."
Harry shrugged. "They're very private. I'm surprised they let us stay when they were talking to their father. I guess they knew that there was no way to avoid it."
"That's probably true," Sirius agreed.
"Dean is a bit more of a prankster, Sam is more serious."
"Who does that remind you of?" Lupin smirked at Sirius. "You know, your name is really quite ironic."
"Like I haven't heard that one before Moony," Sirius shook his head. "Haha," he added sarcastically.
"If James could see us now." Lupin's smile turned bitter. Sirius smiled sadly.
"Well, we still have Harry." Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder and smiled down at him.
