CHAPTER :: Second summer break

Remus' pov

I was fired today. Sigh! Another job lost. Now I will have to look for one to pay my rents due this month. What a mess! Being a werewolf was no life. Well I used to enjoy it during my school years and after, when my friends were there with me in their animagus forms just to keep me company. But now that they are all gone, I am left alone in my misery. What was worse was that I was unable to contact the only child of James and Lily, Harry Potter. I was injured fighting in a death eaters' raid in a wizarding colony when simultaneous attack happened on the Potters. I went into a coma, and my colleagues who knew about my situation had to keep me away from public to keep me being a werewolf a secret. It was two years before I woke again, and by then, no one knew where Harry lived. I even tried finding address of Lily's sister Petunia Dursely, but to no avail.

I had a feeling that Sirius was innocent; he was the most loyal guy to be around, but I had no resources or sources to prove his innocence. So here I was locked away in meager jobs, just surviving by. I had just come out of the shower in my dingy flat when a snowy white owl flapped to my window. She was beautiful, and holding a letter.

I shakily reached for the letter; it has been so long since I had contacted the wizarding world. Harry must have completed his second year by now. I have been sending a few too many owls during his school years, but they all came back undelivered. Someone must have cast a strong protection on him for him to be inaccessible. I opened the letter.

Hey Remus,

It's Harry here. Remember me? Well, I am sorry for contacting you so late, but I did not know what happened to you after the attack; if you were even around. I learnt a lot about you from my parents' letters and the few from you that you wrote for my birthdays. But for all the love you showed me, you never contacted me. I am sorry to say I assumed that you were no more. Only recently did I learn that my mother had cast a protection even overcoming the headmaster's protections; one that would allow no one not approved by my aunt to contact me. I told my aunt yesterday to just try and approve of you (she does not know you, so she was wary), and lo behold, I got total of seven undelivered letters. By reading them, I get the impression that you've written more; they must have returned back to you. I am sorry Uncle Moony.

Please do come to visit me this summer break any time you wish. I am enclosing a note with the address written. Do destroy it as usual after reading it. You might be pleased to note that I am fighting for the release of Sirius after he has a trial, for I do not believe him guilty. Moral support from you would be nice too. The rest we can talk when you come here; I am hoping you would. I have even enclosed some money to make your payments and travel arrangements. Please do not consider this a charity. Did you know that my papa and Sirius had opened an account with yearly deposits for you? It would have taken just my signature for you to live comfortably (Papa said in letters that a life of werewolf is very difficult when alone.). But it did not because of my ignorance. I am sorry for all the hardships you might have faced till now.

Please come, at least once, so I could at least meet a beloved part of my past, and hopefully make it my present.

Yours lovingly,

Harry James Potter

Alias, your little cub

I had to wipe away my tears repeatedly to finish the letter. Harry was alright. Harry did not forget me. Harry still wanted to know me.

These thoughts brought me to my knees, crying in joy. The owl hooted in question and I immediately rushed to give her some bread and water as I wrote my reply. After sending the post, I started gathering whatever meager possessions I had. I was going to meet Harry.

I know I never visited this place ever, it was a complete muggle downtown after all, but as I approached the house in Privet Drive, it felt like I was coming home to family. It may as well be; Harry was one of the two I considered family anyway. I knocked on the door and Petunia Robins opened the door for me.

"Mister Lupin?" she asked for confirmation. I nodded.

"Please come in. Harry has been jumping off the walls ever since you wrote to him that you are coming."

I smiled with giddy excitement I have not felt in a long time. There were a line of photos on the wall showing both Harry and his cousin. I saw him literally jumping on and off the couch with his cousin, and a… damn! My werewolf instincts growled as I deadly snake slither towards Harry, but before I could act, Harry saw me a gave a loud whoop.

"Uncle Moony!"

He ran fast into my arms, which I had spread without even realizing, forcing me to take a few steps back to balance myself. I held him for a long while, feeling his heartbeat against mine. Then I pushed him back and looked at him in my arms, connecting to the young three year old I last saw. He looked healthy, had a happy smile, content in his eyes and confidence in his demeanor. Petunia had raised him well.

"Thank you Petunia." I told her, "thank you for taking care of my little cub when I could not. You did a fantastic job. Thank you!"

She smiled at me, "He is my nephew, Remus. He was a darling to raise."

Harry dragged me around introducing to his family, even the snake. I was not comfortable with Paladin until Harry shared his ability with me. Only then I realized that this snake had a soft spot for this family. We spent the whole morning with him updating me with every major incident in his life, even the adventures he had at Hogwarts. I laughed, cried, grieved and felt happy at his narrations; I felt alive after a long time.

I was invited to stay with them. I hesitated. But Harry would have none of it. It was surprising how easy it was for him to convince me with a few simple arguments.

"Don't you want to stay with me? We'll even sleep in the same room and share more stories!"

"Of course I would love to stay with you, but …"

"Don't you feel comfortable around me anymore? Am I not the same Harry cub anymore?"

"You are, Harry."

"Do you have a home to go to? Not a hotel or a rental. A home where people would welcome you?"

"No." I sighed.

"Do you think we are faking our enthusiasm to have you with us?"

"No, I don't."

"Then you are staying here aren't you? You did say that you will stand with me to welcome Sirius home."

And I was sold. After all his questions, even I got thinking why I was rejecting in the first place.

A few days had passed by happily when Charlie Weasley came to visit. I had known him a little when he was a kid. When I learned he grew into a strong boy fascinated with dragons, I was not surprised; he was always the active kid among the Weasley kids.

"Hey Harry!" He slumped into the seat on the couch where Harry was seriously working on his summer work. He immediately closed the book and turned to his friend. I observed their interaction closely. Something was different.

"So Harry, I got a surprise for you." He produced a closed box with a small hole in it. Harry's eyes widened.

"Is this who I think it is?" Charlie nodded happily. Harry immediately jumped into Charlie's arms, which opened on reflex and kissed him on his cheek, "You are the best, Charlie. You'll never let me consider otherwise." He cuddled into him and Charlie instinctively draped his arms around his shoulders. I noticed the blush on Charlie's face, as well as the familiarity with which Harry was cuddling into him. Almost like they were… lovers? But then my attention diverted to the smug face with which Harry was looking at me.

"What?" I asked.

Harry stood up in his seat, "Presenting to you, the sneakiest bastard, the cheating expert, the one with a dirty tail and missing finger…" My eyes widened. Was it…, "the one and only stinkiest rat in the world. Wormtail aka Peter Pettigrew."

The wolf in me snarled. That bastard was indeed alive. My suspicions were true; how could he die with just a finger remaining? I jumped from my seat to snatch the box to tear the rat apart with my claws. But Charlie caught me mid-jump and Harry shouted at me, "Calm down! Calm down Moony. Do you want to see your friend released or not? Don't condemn Sirius to Azkaban forever. Calm down!"

It took a moment, but I regained my senses and slumped down in my seat. Harry immediately sat down in front of me on his knees and looked into my eyes.

"Remus! Moony! Listen to me. We are going to hand him over in the ministry and get Sirius released. Hold your patience until then, okay?"

I sighed, put my head in my palms and nodded. I can do that.

"I need your help, both of yours actually. How many tracking charms do you both know?"

We looked at him in interest as he laid out his plan to us. This boy was a sneaky and clever one himself. We agreed to his plans. And so the next day, we were at the ministry with this box. Our first visit was at Head of Defense Amelia Bones Office. I remember her; she was a year senior and a very strict prefect and head girl. We were surprised to see Severus Snape at her desk. Harry began to giggle and Snape shot him a warning look, "Let this leak out and you will be serving more detentions than classes for your stay at Hogwarts Potter." But it did not stop his giggles; they became full blown laughter instead. Severus rolled his eyes and bid farewell to us. Amelia Bones winked at Harry and let us in immediately. She called for a witness, an officer named Hanard Drasken. When she performed the necessary charms to check the identity of the rat, her eyes widened.

"This seals it. The ministry is full of bigots and idiots who cannot think a simple logic or follow a simple rule. You have my support, Mister Potter. I will petition for a trial immediately."

She told Mister Drasken to collect the box and told him for which trial it should be presented. We had cast necessary tracking, warning charms and teleportation charms on Wormtail if he ever managed to escape. Knowing the incompetent ones and the vile ones in the ministry, he more than likely would.

The emergency trial was held in two days; Amelia Bones was persistent about it. As soon as we registered our entrance into the trial, I conjured a hat and sunglasses for Harry, hiding his identity. He said he had not yet confirmed a trustworthy proxy for the Potter's seat, and had given the day off for the previous one. He did not trust the one appointed by the Headmaster, as he would cast votes on the headmaster's direction only. Since we were early, there were not many people around, so no one noticed me walking with Harry to his seat. After situating him, I went up to the audience gallery to sit with Charlie.

Soon the seats started filling. I was surprised at how the influence of Potters had faded, for no one greeted or even bothered with Harry. When Charlus Potter, James father was in the seat, his word was given a lot of weightage, and he never let his opinion waver for threats, manipulations or majority.

The minister of magic, Cornelius Fudge, entered at last and took his seat as the President of this meet. With one look around, he tapped his gravel to call the meeting to order.

"I commence the emergency trial for Sirius Black to prove his guilt or innocence. It has come to our notice that he was not given a proper trial during the war before being sentenced to Azkaban. This trial has been promoted by the chair of Potter. Please bring in the accused."

The doors opened and two guards came in holding a thin and frail man; my friend Sirius Black. He looked nothing like the strong mischievous persona he was during his school and later his auror days. This Sirius looked weak, tired, beaten down and haunted. Tears rolled down my eyes as I looked at him, and I nodded in gratitude when Charlie held my trembling hand in his.

Sirius was seated in the chair of accused, which had chains tied to it to subdue any resistance. Thankfully they did not bind him.

"Please state the charges against the accused." Fudge said. The man who would note down the meeting as it proceeded, called Quiller, stood up, "The accused is charged of giving away information to he-who-must-not-be-named which led to the deaths of James Potter and his wife, Lily Potter. He is also accused of the death of Peter Pettigrew and 15 muggles through an explosion spell cast in a muggle locality in view of muggles."

"The defense may introduce themselves and begin. How does it answer the charges?"

We never appointed a lawyer, but one stood up anyway. I saw Harry curl his hand into a fist. This made him angry, I could tell.

"I am Jack Smithson, attorney in favor of Sirius Black. I plead Not Guilty." His voice was not strong nor was his confidence. He had been placed to lose.

Another lawyer stood up to counter him, "I am Louis Sector, lawyer against Sirius Black. Please state your defense."

"Sirius Black's wand did not have any spell that caused the explosion. He was also one of our reputed aurors and had fought for the Ministry in his term. He could not have been with he-who-must-not-be-named. Also, Peter Pettigrew was one of his best friends. Why would he kill him?"

Sirius gave a weak defeated chuckle from his chair. He understood what was happening. I wish I had the right to argue there.

"He could have used another wand and destroyed it. Even if he used it, we cannot trust that his dark family did not have means to erase previous spells. Ministry have been deceived my many during that time. And maybe his loyalty to dark lord was stronger than his friendship. Your argument holds no ground. Please present if you have any facts and proofs."

"I was given a box of proof, though I do not know its contents. I wish for it to be presented."

"Approved!" Fudge declared and the box that we submitted to Miss Bones was brought to court. But when they opened it, there was nothing in it. Charlie sighed beside me and squeezed my arm reassuringly. It seems Harry's doubts were right and I prayed our precautions have been enough and Peter is in his grasp.

Sector snorted in his seat, "Please show your proof."

Smithson shook his head, "I did not know what this box contained, and certainly did not know it was empty. I rest my case."

Fudge nodded, "Do anyone have anything to add to this trial?" he did not wait for an answer, "If not, then I declare…"

"You did not even wait for anyone to say something, Minister." Harry interrupted him in a loud voice, "I have lot of things to add."

"Please identify yourself." Fudge's voice wavered.

"Harry James Potter." Sirius's head snapped up at that name. His once tired eyes now looked at Harry with love as Harry walked down the aisle into the court. Harry smiled at him briefly when their eyes connected and I could see his godfather's eyes fill with tears. He stood in front of us.

"I plead Madam Amelia Bones to the court please. I also plead Mister Drasken to the court."

"Approved."

They both came into the court and took their seats. Harry questioned them.

"Miss Bones, Did you or did you not perform necessary charms to validate the identity of the proof."

"I did."

"Mister Drasken, did you or did you not witness her spell casting and the proof."

Drasken gulped, "I did."

"Miss Bones, Did you or did you not give him the proof for safekeeping?"

"I did."

"Mister Drasken, is it or is it not true?"

"It is true."

"Then please pray tell me why is it missing?"

Drasken was sweating now, "I don't know. I had handed over the box in the Department where the proofs are kept. I do not know the name of the officer whom I gave it to. He is the one who always is in that office."

"Thank you for accepting your inability to do your work properly. You may leave."

Drasken hung his head and left. Harry then called for another,

"I plead Mister Smithson into the court please."

The said lawyer stood up in his seat, "I am the lawyer appointed in favor of Mister Black. You cannot call me into the court. You are but a child, however famous you are. Don't use your fame on me you inso…"

"WATCH YOUR TONGUE Mister Smithson! Younger or not, you are talking to the Lord of house Potter, and you will speak with the respect that is due. Did you or did you not rest your case in terms of Sirius Black?"

Smithson hesitated, in shock at being reprimanded by a kid, and a person of higher authority at the same time, "I did because…"

"Then you are no longer the lawyer of this case. Come forth here, or be charged for your part in the false judgment."

He tried again, "There was no false judgment. Mister Black…"

Harry said to him in a very serious angry voice, "You are only increasing your mistakes, Mister Smithson. That would be Lord Black for you. Now I am asking you for the last time to come into the court."

Smithson hung his head and came into the court. The audience to this debate was speechless at the turn of events and the command of Harry.

"Who appointed you as the lawyer?"

"I received a letter from someone unknown. It was sure case so I took it up."

"You were sure that Lord Black is guilty?"

"Well, there must have been a reason that he was put in Azkaban."

"And yet you take up a case in favor of him not being guilty?"

Smithson gulped; no answer.

"Did you or did you not research the case Mister Smithson?"

"I did."

"Then how come you do not even know what evidence you have to prove his innocence?"

He said in a low voice, "It was in the letter."

Harry turned to the minister, "Mister Smithson showed his incapability in taking up a case given by an unknown letter with some unknown evidence, and to argue something quite opposite of what he believed. I plead you to ignore whatever arguments he presented."

Fudge could not do anything else but agree; especially when Harry seemed not to hesitate in pointing out people's stupidities.

"Now, I am going to present you the proof, Mister Sector."

He took out another box from his pocket and presented it before everyone.

"Madam Bones, I request you to take an oath of validity for the spells you cast in this session. Then I want you to validate the proof in the same way as you did in the office."

Harry was leaving no stones unturned. Miss Bones took the oath as requested and opened the box to show the rat to everyone. When he saw the rat, Sirius snarled "Wormtail!" from his seat and got up to get the rat. The chains immediately came alive and bound him to the seat.

Miss Bones performed the necessary spells aloud in succession to show that the rat was alive, that it was an animagus, that the name of the animagus was Peter Pettigrew and finally to restore him to his human form. In front of us was Peter Pettigrew, pudgy, dirty and breathing alive.

"Peter Pettigrew is not dead as everyone believed. I do not even understand how the aurors believed a single finger to mean his death when they could even count the bodies of number of dead muggles around."

Sector got up from his seat, "That does not prove his innocence, Mister… err Lord Potter."

"Of course, I plead giving him veritaserum to know the truth."

Sector rose from his seat, "Veritaserum is a dangerous truth potion which causes fatigue to anyone who takes it for more than five minutes and is fatal when overdosed, Mister Potter. It is used only in very important cases, and never with the one part of the case."

"Thank you for explaining the properties of the potion, Mister Smithson. And that is the precise reason why I have requested its use. Mister Pettigrew is not a part, he is the evidence, and is innocence of Lord of the most ancient and most noble house Black not an important case Mister Smithcase? He is a person of prestigious honor and it would be crime to commit him for a crime he is innocent of. If he is indeed guilty as you seem to believe, at least our audience will be assured that the ministry did no wrong in his case."

I had to control my snicker at the minister's expression. He was shaking his head in the beginning and had raised his gravel, most likely to deny the request. But now he was in fix. He could not deny any of Harry's statements.

"Approved!"

Peter was seated in another chair with chains and enervated. As soon as he woke up, he looked around and panicked; he tried to get out of his seat only be chained again. He was immediately dosed with three drops of veritaserum and his vision became unfocussed.

"What is your name?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"How old are you?"

"33 years."

The officer who dosed him nodded and stepped back. Then Harry came forward.

"Did or did not Sirius Black betray James and Lily Potter?"

"Did not."

"Who leaked their location?"

"I did." A few people gasped.

"Were you or were you not willingly working for Voldemort when you betrayed them?" This time even more people gasped on hearing his name.

"I was."

"Did or did not Sirius Black cast the spell which caused the explosion among muggles? How did explosion occur?"

"Did not. I cast a fire at the nearby petrol bunk."

Harry was doing good, leaving no loopholes in the questioning for escape.

"Was or was not Sirius Black the secret keeper for the Fidelius charm cast on Potter's location?"

"Was not."

"Who was the secret keeper for the Fidelius charm cast on Potter's location?"

"I was."

"Who cast the…"

Harry was interrupted by Headmaster Dumbledore, "Is it not enough my boy? I am sure Sirius Black has been effectively proven innocent. I don't think Mister Pettigrew can stand the potion much longer."

Harry nodded and stepped back for the antidote to be given. I was confused. Harry was going on so well. Why did he step back at the most important question? We would have known who cast the Fidelius charm. Maybe he was in the crime too…

I growled when I understood. Charlie asked me why, "He knows. Dumbledore knows who cast the Fidelius charm, or he may have cast the charm himself. He knew who the secret keeper was and he kept silent till now. That old coot!"

Harry looked at the Minister, "Sir, I have presented my case. Anyone is now free to question any more doubts regarding his innocence. Otherwise, I plead for him to be released a free man."

I looked around for any questions, but no one raised their hand. But after maybe a minute, just as the minister opened his mouth to speak, a voice came from the side.

"Hem Hem! I have a few questions Mister Potter." A woman spoke in a sickly sweet voice. It grated on my nerves.

"May I know your name madam?"

"Of course. I am Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Mister of Magic. My question is…"

Harry cut her off, "As per the rules of the Ministry, you are supposed to come down into the court in front of everyone for any participation in the case."

"I am the Senior Undersecretary. I do not…"

"You must know the rules very well then, and I presume that you do not consider yourself greater than the law."

She huffed and walked her stubby self down to the court, "I have come as per your request Mister…"

"You have ceded the law madam. Please state your statements truthfully."

She huffed again.

"Hem hem! You seem to like cutting people off in their speech Mister Potter. If this is how you decide to convince the court, then I should like to tell you that I am above your manipulations."

Harry looked ahead and kept silent, not rising to her bait.

"Nothing to say Mister Potter?"

"You are free to assume whatever you want to Madam Umbridge, for assumptions don't make the truth. Even the ministry assumed and placed an innocent man in Azkaban. So please assume to your heart's content and place your inquiry." He answered in a straight voice, again dispelling any doubt that might have risen among the audience.

"Hem Hem! What are you studying, Mister Potter?"

"I am about to start my third year this year at Hogwarts."

"How did you get your Lordship at this young an age? It is not heard of."

"As per the rules of course. May I assume you already know them all?"

She fumbled, "Hem hem… of course. So my question regarding the case is this; why is it assumed that Sirius Black is the betrayer when he is not the secret keeper?'

"As you said, people assumed. It was not told who is the secret keeper and people assumed him to be."

"But why? Is it because he belongs to a dark family?"

"Of course not, it is because he was a very good friend of the Potters."

"Then why did they not make him the secret keeper?"

Harry smiled at her, "Intelligent person as you seem to be, you must have already deduced. I thank you for bringing this point to the audience. They did not make him the secret keeper because people would assume that he is and try to hunt him down. They would never assume that it is Peter Pettigrew, so that assumption would keep people from assuming it is him, and then he will remain safe and so will the Potters. Thanks a lot madam for making me clarify this reasoning. Can I assume that you already assumed his innocence even before the case started?"

Charlie started to snicker beside me, so I clasped a hand on his mouth while trying to holding in my laughter too. Harry has cornered her fair and square. She looked around for a minute, taking her time to understand the situation and then stepped back, "Of course Mister Potter, you may… assume that. Thank you."

The minister waited another minute before declaring Sirius free. He was to be returned all his titles and rights, and he was also given a heavy fine as a compensation and apology from the Ministry. But I did not listen to all that. My eyes were on one of my best friends; hope shining in his eyes and a smile brightening his pale face. He was free. He was back with us again.

Sirius' pov

My trial happened? It actually finally happened! I am free? I am free!

This was the thought that kept running through my mind as I watched the minister announce me free. I heard only the first sentence, the one I was waiting for since the first day I was chucked into Azkaban.

Oomph!

The rest of my thoughts were blocked as a nearly thirteen year old Lord ran into me to give me a long awaited hug. I hugged him back with whatever strength I had, wishing that this was not another dream and I won't wake up in that cold cell again.

"Hey godfather!" Harry pulled back and said that, looking straight into my eyes. His eyes had happy tears which he let them flow. "Let's get out. There is another pair of eyes waiting for you."

I tried to stand, but my weak legs gave out. Immediately, a pair of arms caught me and balanced me. It was Harry, my godson, my friends' beloved son. He gave me support and together we limped out of the court. Just outside the doors, Harry stopped, "Man, you are heavy. Oi, I am just a small kid. Mind relieving me of the luggage instead of just standing there wide eyed?" he joked.

I looked up to see a redhead, definitely a Weasley, and Moony standing there. They snapped out of their daze and came forward to me to support me and let Harry go.

"Hey Moony! Nice to see ya'."

"Nice to see your dog face too, Padfoot! It is looking even more like a dog now." He sniffed, "Man, you reek like a dog too."

I snickered, he snickered and then we both burst into gales of laughter; Laughter that had greeted me after a very long time.

We checked out of the Ministry as soon as possible, with only one pause when Miss Bones came to greet us. I watched Harry transform from a kid to a Lord, as he thanked her politely yet sincerely, and then back to a kid when he asked her about a professor's visit. I let it be. I had a lot to catch up and lot of time to do so. I was free!

I was taken to his aunt's house, where I freshened up and was fed. Then we sat down and they told me the complete story till now. Then, for the next few days, I spent my time with them, recovering. Paladin did not surprise me; I was only one who had seen him talk to a baby snake when he was but three years old. What surprised me was his ability to share his talent with me. It was heartening to see him grow into a strong person.

There was one very very difficult task assigned to us adults; which we were all postponing. Charlie got us all together before he left for his reserve.

"I know this sounds odd coming from me, but I need one help from you. It's more like your duty anyway. Duddley and Harry are growing up; they still seem unaware of 'The Talk'." He said with hands raised in quotes. Petunia coughed and hid her smile. "Please give it to them. Not only the general one, but one related to the magical world too."

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"Because I can see one witch interested in Duddley and many people, of both genders, interested in Harry. He needs to know so as not to be caught unawares."

This time her eyes widened "Both genders?"

We adult males were not opening our mouths from the beginning. Charlie gave a low chuckle.

"Yes madam. You need to know that it is very much common in magical world. Both marriage of same genders and also having more than one spouse."

Petunia put her face in her hands, trying to control her laughter. Remus threw a stone, "You are one of those many, aren't you."

Charlie smiled and looked straight at him as he got up, "Undoubtedly. Good day. See you next time." And he left, leaving us males red faced. We did not want to do that job.

Dudley's pov

Harry and I were returning from our chocolate shopping (I had to roll my eyes at his obsession with them) when we saw Charlie leaving.

"Hey Charlie! Leaving us for your dragon-kind?"

"Who else?" he winked at us and said his farewell. When we entered the house, my papa, Sirius and Remus were red faced and not looking at each other.

"Um, hi, we are back? What happened?"

My father and Sirius immediately welcomed us and literally ran out of the room. Mama laughed at them and walked away. Remus looked like a deer caught in headlights, but before he could run away too we both caught him.

"No, not without telling us what happened." Harry shook his head.

"I did nothing. Just…. Expect some talks in the near future, whenever they get the courage anyway, from your father figures."

We were gobsmaked and fell in the sofa. What the hell! We are just kids. It was sickening enough watching Mama and Papa kiss and flirt with each other; we didn't need to know about all THAT!

"I need more chocolate… lots and lots of chocolate." Harry groaned beside me. For once, I agreed.

Then onwards, there was a tension between the males in the house. Many a times, Papa would open his mouth to talk to us, and then he would hurry out of the room. Sirius and Remus acted even funnier. When they were in the room with us, they would keep signaling each other silently, but none of them would talk or leave. It got to the point that Harry and I stuck to each other and went out of the house whenever we could. All this amused Mama very much.

One day we were sitting in my room doing our respective homework when Papa knocked at our door.

"May I come in kids?"

We tensed, "Sure."

He came in and sat down on the bed, "Doing your summer work?"

"Yes papa!"

"Well there is something I have to talk to you."

"Yes?"

"You see, you are boys, right?"

We braved our hearts and nodded.

"Yes well…. Boys do… You boys should… perform well in your class. Only then you will get good jobs. Do your work. Bye"

He retreated hastily, leaving us with blank faces. We looked at each other and doubled up laughing.

Another time, we were eating our breakfast, after which we had planned to go to a movie. Sirius and Remus sat in front of us.

"Hey kids! All set for a movie?"

"Yeah, I am excited. This one has been a hit." Harry replied.

"Good. Will you bring back something for me?"

"Um sure, what would you like?"

"Anything from the theatre. I hear theatres have very good items on sale."

"They have snacks and such, that's it."

"Yes, pretty yummy snacks… ouch!" Remus had kicked him under the table. Sirius kicked his leg back and cleared his throat.

"Okay, you know that there are girls and boys in the theatre right?"

We tensed again. Will we miss the movie?

"Yes."

"Yes, well. Give them respect, okay? Remus also wanted to tell you something. Hey! Looks like there is no sauce on the table. I'll go search for it." He walked away from the table in a hurry. We sat there in silent humor, for I was holding the sauce up in my hand ready to pour it. Remus looked at us and smiled awkwardly. He opened his mouth, then thought for a bit, the drank a glass of water and wished us a good day before leaving. We sighed in relief at their departure.

Finally, after many many trials like these, Papa and Sirius teamed up and came to my room. Harry and I were playing a game of chess.

"Boys" papa said, "We have something very important to tell you."

"Yes, very important." Sirius nodded.

"But we don't know how to tell you the basics before giving the talk."

"No, we don't." Sirius nodded.

"So we have decided to give you this book to read on the topic."

"Yes, we have." Sirius nodded again. Papa rolled his eyes at him, "Sirius!"

"What? Yes, okay, right, so… ahem… read it in next two days and we will talk."

Both of them left the room. The book they had given had no title and was not much thick a volume. But the moment we opened it, we turned beet red. There was the title page inside with a picture of naked man and woman. I immediately pushed the book far away from us. We did not even dare to touch it.

Neither did we touch it the next day.

The last day before our deadline, I was looking for my music cd when my eyes fell on the book. I looked around, no one was there. Curiosity won and I picked up and opened the book, just to look at the picture that was on the first page.

"Hey Duddley, did you find… oh! Ummm… I'll come later."

"No wait, Harry, please."

"What?"

"Come on, I cannot do this alone. Today is the last day."

Harry hesitated, but nodded at last, "Okay, let's read it."

We both locked the doors and sat down on the bed side by side. Harry looked at me.

"Okay, we will read it very much clinically. We will be objective about facts."

"Yes, these are just male and female humans, they are around everywhere."

"Uh hun! Every adult knows these things."

"Yeah! Even we know the basics from our biology lessons."

"Yes, so we should stop procrastinating."

"and stop wasting time."

"and…." Harry buried his head in his arms before looking up and opening the book. There was that picture again. I did try to look at it clinically. There was a man with his dick, (gulp), I mean penis hanging out. There was a female with no panties (gulp gulp), there was a V there, and she was wearing no top either. There were two mounds hanging there. (gulp gulp gulp)

"Harry, please turn the page. I cannot look at them anymore."

Thus went our session. Oh, we did read the book completely. As much as we did not want to, we could not stop ourselves once we started. Neither could we stop shifting in our positions trying to adjust ourselves. This was not just a biology book. I don't know where they found it, but it talked about a whole lot of things like masturbation, what was a turn on, what could cause a turn on, controlling your turn on by various thoughts, attraction, lust and many more things, both from a female as well as male perspective. By the time we finished, our mouths were dry and our pants tight. Harry ran to his room in a hurry.

The next day, Papa and Sirius made us sit at the dining table along with Mom and Remus. We gulped and sat down. Papa started.

"Now, did you read the book?"

We nodded.

"Well, these were some things we could not explain to you effectively without biting our own tongues, so we compiled the information instead."

Sirius picked up from there, "But those are the 'how' part. What we want to talk today is the 'why' part."

Papa said next, "Now, you know you will have the urges from time to time as you continue maturing, there is nothing wrong with that. You attention will turn to girls, guys or things in that way, there is nothing wrong in that too. It happens to everyone. What is important is how you proceed with those urges and feelings. Self-satisfying, everyone does that and you need not be ashamed about it. But don't let your thoughts be consumed by these things. It is just a part of life and not your whole life. There are other things you need to concentrate on, like studies, friends and other activities."

Sirius then continued, "The second thing is the source of these urges. Never ever disrespect these people. You may feel like getting close to them or talking with them, but give respect to their wishes. It is not wrong to flirt with someone, but when it seems like they are not interested, do not turn flirting into harassment. Be in your boundaries. Being with you should be fun to them, whether they are interested or not, not a torture. I'll give you an example. Harry, your father was attracted to your mother. When he pursued her, she rejected him. But he did not give up. He used to step back when she refused his request, and then try again a few days later. This did not irritate your mother; she simply was not interested in the beginning. On the other hand, if he had followed her day and night, do you think she would have fallen for him later? You both understand, right?"

We nodded. Then it was papa's turn, "the third thing is someone pursuing you. Never, I mean Never, do anything against your wishes. As much as you respect others, expect the same back from them too. Do not hesitate to report harassment, and never bend down to peer pressure to do something. You are your own person and you have the right to your own choices. Okay?"

We nodded again.

"Now the last topic" Sirius said, "Harry, this especially pertains to you as you would be associated with the magical world. Duddley, hear this as you are connected to it too. You know about adoptions, right?"

"Yes. Taking someone else's kid as our own."

"In the magical world, it goes a step further. A family head decides the primary heir to his family title. It need not necessarily be the eldest child. Yes, even woman can inherit a family title. And two kids of a family can be declared heirs to different family titles, or in reverse, a single kid can be heir to multiple titles."

"Why are titles so important in your world?"

"Because of our association with magic. Every family has their own specialties, and in many cases, the family head has access to certain benefits that others of the family do not. For this declaration of an heir, the head has to transfer his power and rights magically through some oaths and declarations. I will tell about that when you grow up."

"What does that have to do with adoption?"

"See, that's the matter. Some families with no kids of their own usually adopt another kid as their heir. This is valid. And that's why, in our world, it is not looked down upon union of two males or females."

"You mean there are gay couples?"

"In muggle world, this may not be prominent, but in wizarding world, that is completely normal and not looked at weirdly. Think about it, you spend your time with a person you like, and can have an heir to each of your separate family lines."

"Oh" Harry wondered, "But why are you telling us about that? I am not against such unions even in this world."

"Both of you may have your own preferences. But your preferences aside, understand that you have a reputation Harry and that both of you are good looking and successful bachelors. People of both genders will pursue you. It is up to you whom you chose. All I wanted for you was to know this, and that you should not insult a pursuer. Reject them if you don't want to be with them, but never insult."

We both understood and nodded. At least, this talk has nothing embarrassing.

Sirius sighed, "Phew! Now that it is over, tell me, which side are you on? Do you like girls or boys?"

I spoke too soon!

A month before our schools reopened, Sirius was healthy enough, at least physically. He had mental scars and nightmares, but those would take time. What happened was that Remus received a letter from the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He sat still after reading it. Mama came and sat with him in the sofa. We too muted the TV we all were watching.

"What is the matter?" Mama asked.

"Petunia, how did a letter from Albus reached here? This place was supposed to be protected!"

Mama shook her head, "Lily wrote about that in her letter. Letters or people cannot reach us through the wards if I do not allow them, but mails can reach the others. The protections are such that the said letters should not have any tracking or location charms or any harmful objects in them. I thought it unnecessary to block your mail, so I allowed it. Should I not have done so?"

"No, it's okay. I was worried, that's all."

"Thank you. What is the letter about, if you don't mind?"

"This is from Albus. He is inviting me for teaching the Defense Against Dark Arts at Hogwarts."

"Will you accept?"

"Are you kidding? I just got my best friend back; I am not going to abandon him now. He is not even fully healed from that prison yet."

"Oi! I am right here." Sirius barked from the side, but he was ignored. Instead, Remus turned to Harry, "Harry! I am sorry I won't be able to spend time at Hogwarts with you, but Sirius…"

Harry shook his head, "I do not want you to leave him either, Remus. That DADA post becomes empty every year; you will get another chance if you wish so. But right now, I would be indebted to you if you keep my godfather company, while I cannot." Harry hung his head.

"I am still here, and I am alright." Sirius was again ignored.

Remus shook his head too, "There is no debt here Harry. You are still a student; go, learn and enjoy yourself. Leave looking after this dog to me."

Sirius sat straight in his seat and spoke loudly, "Attention please!" everybody turned to him, so he relaxed, "Thank you. Now, I thank you Remus for staying with me. As good as the job is, I do not want you in Dumbledore's clutches right now. You have just returned from living alone, you need to recover too. Another thing, I think we should move to Black manor as soon as possible."

"Why?" papa asked, "are you not comfortable here?"

Sirius smiled at him, "You have given me comfort both physically and mentally, Mr. Robin. Now that I am recovering well, I need to go back and look into the matters of my concern. As much as I hated my parents, Black family is a prestigious family in its own right, and many will be waving many concerns and pursuits at my desk. Also, I think Remus concern is right. As much strong protections Lily should have placed, there are geniuses out there who will be able to find loopholes in them. Let us not give them that chance. Moreover, you are welcome in my house anytime anyway, now that you have a floo connection. We will not really be miles apart or anything."

My parents agreed to his reasons and Sirius and Remus left in two days. They asked for at least a month's time before any visit, for they have to clean the place first. It seems that there would be many infestations from various dangerous bug-type creatures during the absence of anyone there. So after they left, Mama and Papa planned a visit to a beach resort for the weekend as a trip for the vacation. We agreed enthusiastically.

The visit went very well, except for one issue. It was a beach resort, means there was beach there and everyone visited it; in their shorts and bikinis, including us. The recent Talk was still fresh in our minds. One time, we were sitting side by side under an umbrella, wearing just our shorts too; we were uneasy looking around.

"Okay!" I finally said, "let us look at the people clinically and objectively."

Harry nodded, "Okay. Now we are males, so we are in shorts. Females cannot expose their breasts, so they wear bikinis." We blushed. I shook my head.

"Exactly! Objectively, that girl is wearing bigger size bra than that one," my member twitched, "and that guy's member looks a bit bigger than that guy's." Harry groaned beside me in embarrassment and I too closed my eyes and tilted my head back.

"Harry!"

"Hmm?"

"I observed two things…"

"What?"

"We both are studying in boarding schools… with no parental supervision."

"Yes… and?"

"Umm… all your friends are really good looking."

Harry hit me on my shoulder, "Thanks! I won't be able to look at them in the eye again." Then his expression turned mischievous, "You know, I noticed one thing too."

I gulped. "What?"

"Hannah writes a lot to you… and she has pretty good… assets on her. I consider her a sister, so it's okay for me. But you on the other hand…" He trailed off. My mind immediately flashed a picture of her and her assets. I hit Harry on his head, "get lost!"

Just as our playful banter was about to start, our attention was caught by someone greeting us.

"Hey boys!"

It was two women passing by us. They waved and winked at us, and walked on. Both of us covered our members simultaneously with the books in our hands, looked at each other and ended up laughing. God knows what wreck our hormones would cause from now on. This year was going to be an interesting one.