Bit shorter today, I do apologize.
Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, they are very much appreciated!
Another letter
"Is it true that your great-great-great-grandfather owned a dragon? Kreacher told me he used it to guard his home."
Remus winced automatically at the mention of the house-elf, and threw a worried glance towards his friend. But luckily, Sirius managed to supress the disgust that usual found its way to his face whenever Kreacher was mentioned, and merely shrugged.
"Might have," he said, "Keeping dragons hasn't been illegal for that long. Can't have been a big one, though, if they kept it here."
"Actually, dragon breeding's been outlawed since 1709," Remus pointed out, glad to have avoided another fight. "So it might not be true at all."
"He got it from Russia. His uncle went there during some war, and took the egg home as a prize. But he died before it hatched, so Corvus got it." Harry seemed proud to possess knowledge that Sirius and Remus didn't, and Remus had to admit he was impressed. So far, he hadn't gotten the impression that Harry was particularly interested in history, but apparently Kreacher's tales had somehow sparked his interest.
"Which one? The Napoleonic War?" he asked, but Sirius was faster.
"I wouldn't listen to everything he says," he said, a grumpy expression on his face. "He wasn't even born back then, and he likes to exaggerate."
"He's not lying!" Harry defended the house-elf, looking annoyed. "He showed me a portrait of Corvus and his dragon. And it moved!"
Sirius' face darkened further. "Should never have given them to him," he muttered.
Remus decided that it was time to intervene. "Then I'm sure it's true. Do you want your pudding now or after you've done your homework?"
"After," Harry decided, and got up to clear away his plate. "Thank you for lunch, Remus." With that, he was gone, leaving a rather sullen silence.
As he got the dishes to wash themselves in the sink, Remus wondered if he should say something.
It was an odd truce that had been established in Grimmauld Place. Kreacher was no longer confined to the upper levels, but instead had permission to roam the house – with the expressed exception of their bedrooms, for which Remus was very grateful. He wasn't allowed to steal anything, family heirlooms or their own private belongings, but on Harry's insistence Sirius had granted him everything that he and Remus had been planning to throw away, including those portraits that didn't have a connection to the outside world and were deemed harmless.
They didn't see much of the elf. He had tried to cook breakfast for Harry once, but had been quickly driven out by Sirius. They knew he secretly cleaned some rooms – those that he thought Harry might want to use – but apart from that he kept to his own room, probably enjoying his newfound treasures. Harry visited him occasionally – too often, in Sirius eyes – but apart from that they largely ignored each other.
Remus wasn't quite sure what had happened the day after the full moon. Something must have, something bad. But Sirius hadn't wanted to talk about it, only that Harry now knew about the Black family and that he was apparently "friends" with Kreacher.
Remus hadn't asked Harry, having seen enough hints to figure some of it out for himself. The alcohol collection had been gone when he had next come down to the study. And, most tellingly, Sirius had asked him to take up the Occlumency lessons again.
Whatever Sirius has done, Harry is still fine. That's all that matters.
The full moon had been almost two weeks ago, and slowly normality had returned. Remus had still trouble with walking – and he refused to use the snake-engraved walking stick that Harry had dug up for him, probably with the help of Kreacher – but it wasn't like he had to do a great deal of walking anyway, given they were still stuck.
"Think it really was a dragon?" Sirius said after a while.
Remus couldn't help the smile creeping onto his face. "Maybe...Are you sure you're not distantly related to Hagrid?"
"That would explain my mother's looks..." The animagus did his best to keep the disgruntled expression on his face, but had to chuckle, too.
"Another round of practice? You almost had it last night."
It was true. Sirius had no great gift in Occlumency, and he himself being an amateur at best Remus wasn't exactly the most proficient teacher, but now that he was finally convinced of the necessity, Sirius tried a lot harder than during their previous, failed attempt. He often managed to block Remus' attacks, and the night before he had even started a counterattack of his own.
Of course, that was only the easy part. Their actual aim, using the skill to get rid of the lingering Dementor effects in Sirius mind, would be much harder. In fact, Remus had no clue how to go at it.
Or what to do about their increasing food shortage...
So far, they were still doing alright. No fresh vegetables, of course, but at least some frozen ones. Soon, however, they would have to start living from tin cans alone. And after that...
"Wow, that was way too easy. Stop being a gloomy prick and concentrate."
Remus flinched as he felt Sirius poking around in his mind, and quickly pushed him out. "Well done," he managed to force down his annoyance, "I told you you could get there."
As he worked on his math homework, Harry's mind couldn't help but wander. It had been an odd atmosphere in the house since the incident after the full moon. On the one hand, he felt relief at everything finally being out in the open, so that he didn't have to feel so terribly guilty anymore for lying to Sirius and Remus. And, even more important, he felt that Sirius was finally honest with him.
But this new-found openness came at a price. Despite his promise, it was obvious that Sirius did not like Kreacher the slightest. Sure, he certainly seemed to try, but Harry never missed the cold dislike that came into his eyes whenever he looked at Kreacher. It was unsettling seeing his godfather like this, when up until now Sirius had never been anything but kind and cheerful.
Not that Kreacher was any different, with the exception that he barely even bothered to hide his contempt for his master. He had stopped calling him or Remus names after Harry had repeatedly asked him to – at least he never did so anymore when Harry was around – but the snarky comments and murderous looks stayed.
Harry, who liked both of them – even though Kreacher could be rather creepy at times – ended up spending time with his godfather and the house elf separately. It was alright, even though it was a little disheartening to see how hostile both of them got when he mentioned the other one.
He had wondered if he should ask Remus for help, but he didn't know how the werewolf thought about Kreacher. Sure, he was friendly enough whenever he met the house-elf, but after all he was Sirius' best friend, and Kreacher treated him with the same contempt, if not worse.
His rumbling stomach distracted him from his pondering, and he winced. Sirius and Remus tried to hide it from him, but Harry knew that their food was running out. For once, it was hard to ignore how similar all their meals had become, and how none of them contained any of the fresh ingredients that Remus had insisted on in the earlier days. And Harry had also noticed how Sirius barely ever asked for a second or even third helping anymore, something that would have been unthinkable a month ago.
They didn't have to tell Harry for him to know that they were slowly but surely running out of food.
Harry himself had taken to copying his godfather, and asked for much smaller portions than he usually would have. It wasn't too bad – after all, hunger was something he had grown up with, and it was a lot easier to bear when he wasn't being locked up in a cupboard.
But he knew, of course, that it couldn't go on like this forever. However little, they had to eat something, and at some point they would run out. And then... the two scarlet figures were still perched in the square in front of their house every day, like looming statues. And somewhere, even though they couldn't see them, lingered the pirate or whoever else the Order had sent today.
It'll be alright. Sirius and Remus are smart, they will think of something.
Except it had been almost three weeks, and neither of them seemed to have any idea what to do. Harry wished he could do something, anything, but what would that be? He was just a child, a wizard maybe but a dreadfully clueless one. All the people he counted as his friends were in this house. All three...
Suddenly, Harry had an idea.
Albus stared at the piece of parchment on his desk, seeing the ink without really reading it. Months of silence. And now...
Distractedly, he wondered how they had managed to deliver it. The letter had been sitting on his desk when he had entered his office this morning. The windows were closed, so it couldn't have been sent by owl. Some spell? They had always been inventive with those... He stopped his musings, returning to the parchment in his hand.
Nice try. Not sure why you think this is "helping us", but I guess you've always played by different rules than the rest of us mere mortals.
He could practically hear the anger in the messy scrawl, the parchment punctuated by the quill in some places. It had been years since he had last seen this hand, but Albus knew immediately who it belonged to.
It won't stop us from going out, though. Feel free to continue wasting ministry resources with the stupid wards – I'll applaud that, actually – but I don't think the minister will be impressed. It's really rather pointless.
Albus felt a twinge of guilt at reading those words. He had long hesitated before asking minister Bagnold to implement the anti-apparition wards, knowing what it would mean for the three fugitives. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and he was nothing if not desperate.
I think we should just ignore you and your petty little attempts to lock Harry up again, but Remus insists we speak. Your office, Monday ten o'clock. If you sent us a Patronus swearing that he can come and go unimpeded. Try and trick us, and you will regret it. That's a promise.
Albus stared at the letter for a long time. A meeting...when he had sent the first Patronus, that was exactly what he had hoped for. But to have it dictated like this, without having any say in the matter...
Why should they trust you, though? You have done nothing to help them so far, quite the contrary.
He sighed, his gaze wandering over to where Phineas Nigellus sat perched in his chair, his head leaning on the edge of his frame. How Albus wished to gain an insight in what was going on in that house...
Finally, he straightened up and drew his wand. Whatever the circumstances, that meeting would be an opportunity for some much needed openness. It helped that it was Remus who would come to talk. Remus had always been the most level headed out of the four Marauders, the one most easily reasoned with. If Albus explained to him the facts – the full facts – surely he would understand, would see the need for Harry to return to his family.
"Expecto Patronum"
I give you my word.
As many of you already guessed way back: Yes, Kreacher can apparate out of there despite the wards, and yes, that is what Harry figures out in this chapter. I thought about elaborating on it a bit further, but really this seemed sufficient. Well done all of you for guessing my "clever" plan! (Note to self: Make future clever plans more clever)
Anyway, I promise the next chapter will be longer :)
