A/N: Hello, people!

I don't own Harry Potter.

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The backlash of Sirius Black's trial was known all over Magical Britain. The Daily Prophet was the first to report on it, taking something as simple as a trial and blowing it up with add ins of Dumbledore's actions and the Potter Will. Everyone in Magical Britain now knew that Harry Potter had lived with magic hating Muggles because Dumbledore illegally sealed his parents' Will and took him from his godfather. Everyone also had a word for word play of the Will, as there were reporters in the courtroom for the trial.

Albus Dumbledore, whom many had looked up to since his defeat of the Dark Lord Grindelwald, had been shoved into the chair and put on trial right after Lord Black. With Amelia Bones presiding over the trial as the new Chief Witch as Magic had done as Lily Potter had cursed and stripped Dumbledore of all of his titles and they needed a new Chief.

Dumbledore, who was revealed to be in severe pain, tried to maneuver his way around the questions, but with several facts already in his face, he couldn't keep up with the harsh questioning while trying to ignore the pain he was in.

He admitted to sealing the Will, which was punishable by up to five years in Azkaban. He admitted to taking Harry Potter from Sirius Black and leaving him on a doorstep in the middle of the night. Another five years in Azkaban for child endangerment and kidnapping. His actions went directly against the Will he sealed up, giving him ten more years in Azkaban. And then Minerva McGonagall of all people bought forth the information about him deliberately hiring Lockhart and Quirrell, suspecting them to be Dark Wizards with ulterior motives and compromising the school and children all so he could flush them out.

Consistent meddling with the education of the school students, child endangerment, withholding evidence from the Ministry, allowing dangerous creatures to get inside the school - troll and cerberus - and overall being inattentive to his duties as the Headmaster of the only magical school in Britain.

Dumbledore's Trial was just as famous as Lord Black's if not worse.

While Lord Black walked away with over a million Galleons in restitution, as well as free medical care at St. Mungo's courtesy of the Ministry, and three favors that could be called in from the Ministry at any time, Dumbledore was led away in chains with a weak magical core, no more titles to call upon, and a sentence of forty years in Azkaban.

Sirius was immediately taken to the hospital where Healers of all sorts rushed to help him.

Gerandal, the name of the Healer who would be working on his mind, asked him a series of questions that to him, made no sense, but the conclusion was surprising.

"What is your favorite kind of ice cream?"

Sirius frowned at that, but had to think it over. It had been a long time since he'd had ice cream.

"I like Muggle ice cream and just their Chocolate, nothing added."

"How do you feel about your mother?"

Well that was a jump.

"I hate her."

"Why?"

Sirius flashed a dark smirk. "Walburga was a little too free with the Cruciatus Curse. Instead of bowing to her every whim like my little brother and father, I formed opinions of my own. I refused to be indoctrinated into the now obscured Slytherin viewpoint or to follow the upstart known as Voldemort!" he spat, slightly enjoying the flinching he received.

The man nodded, his quill marking everything Sirius had said, on the parchment.

"What was your favorite subject in school?"

Hm…

"Transfiguration," Sirius said with a smile. Learning to become an Animagus with his friends, minus Pettigrew.

"Why?"

"Secret between the Marauders, sorry."

"Okay then. What do you fear most?"

That bought his up short. What did he fear? To be honest he couldn't think of anything remotely terrifying. Dementors induced horrible feelings, but they didn't scare him so much as they made him tired. Sirius didn't often get visits from Dementors because he didn't try to make himself happy while in Azkaban. Dementors come when they sense happiness so they can feed off of it. Sirius thought of his ultimate betrayal. Of Lily and James and Harry. Those weren't happy thoughts. So he didn't feel the effects of the Dementors as much as others did.

He wasn't scared of Voldemort himself. He was worried of what the man could accomplish. He was amazingly powerful, that he could respect. But the man himself didn't garner any fear from Sirius.

What did Sirius Orion Black fear the most?

It hit him then. Harry.

"My godson qualified for a fairy godparent," said Sirius with an expression of pure loathing. "What if those muggles Dumbledore left him with, hurt him?"

His nails dug into the meat of his hand. His teeth ground together.

"Calm, " the Healer murmured, raising a hand.

Sirius practiced some breathing exercises he had learned from Lily back in his Auror days. They helped him clear his mind so he wouldn't be 'impulsive'.

"Well done," commented the Healer as he looked over his parchment.

"Who did you look up to when you were a teenager?"

Sirius sniffed a bit.

"Great-Aunt Dorea and Uncle Alphard."

"Why?"

"Dorea and Charlus Potter took me in when I ran away. She treated me like I had always wished my mother would treat me. I slipped up and called her mum once and she let me continue to do so. Alphard took a lot of money from the Main Black Vault and gave it to me so I could support myself. He didn't gain permission before doing that and Arcturus disowned him as punishment when Walburga wouldn't shut up about it, though not without setting up a small vault on the side for him.

Dorea and Alphard are some of the Blacks who proved strong in the face of adversity and wouldn't allow themselves to be swept in among the demands of the rest of the family. They stood up for themselves. I guess since Arcturus never disowned me or Dorea, he was okay with my leaving and living with her."

He could remember Orion and Walburga singing Voldemort praises and his grandfather being skeptical of it all. No record of him anywhere. Nothing to know. But he was a Parselmouth and that meant that he was part of the Slytherin Line. Supposedly.

Even when the war was at its peak, Arcturus had been wary of Voldemort. He allowed his family members to serve the fool, but he had never made any pledge toward the Dark Lord.

Hm…

"What would make you happy in this moment?" came the Healer's voice, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Uhh… verifying that my godson is healthy and happy. Doing my duty to him like James and Lily wanted me to. Reconciling with an old friend whom I had thought the worst of at the wrong moment."

Gerandal looked him over for a moment, before nodding.

"Lord Black-"

"Just Sirius, I'm not used to the whole title thing yet."

"Okay… Sirius, you have parental issues. Since both of your parents were rather lackluster in their raising of you, and you didn't receive the proper rearing until you were nearly an adult, you don't have a proper understanding of what is required to raise a child. This could possibly hinder your relationship with your godson, who is turning thirteen soon."

Sirius paled. "What?"

"You rebelled from your family's way of thinking and sought out things that would anger them, hence your need to state that you preferred Muggle ice cream even though there isn't a difference in how it's made. So while you were taught a specific line of teaching, you don't believe in it, leaving you confused on where you stand."

Sirius had no idea where this was going.

"You are remarkably well composed for twelve years in Azkaban, can you explain how this is possible? No one has ever been like this, even after only a year."

"I'm awesome."

"Sirius, please give me something to work with."

The Animagus sighed. "Do you have to write it down?"

"No."

"Do you have to tell anybody about these sessions?"

"No. I am sworn to secrecy especially since you are a Lord to a Most Ancient and Noble House."

"I want a Wizard's Oath that you won't tell anyone in any way. No talking, writing, thinking, hinting, signing, or any other possible way."

Gerandal sighed, but lifted his wand and made the vow.

"Okay!"

Sirius jumped up from his seat, ignoring the other wizard's flinch.

He then walked a few paces, before turning around so the Healer could see.

He began to shrink in height but his body stretched in length.

Gerandal gasped and Sirius let out a loud bark.

"You're a Grim Animagus."

Sirius shifted back. "I'm not an idiot. Dementors can't feel animals. And whenever they came around where Aurors were near, I would shift back and think of depressing things so they would ignore me. I learned quickly not to think happy thoughts."

"That's amazing," Healer Gerandal remarked. "It also explains your sanity. Overall, your mental issues aren't caused by Azkaban. They're childhood traumas that you will need to learn to deal with. I suggest writing a journal about what happened in your childhood and concentrating on whether or not your would treat your godson that way. And then I want you to write all the ways where your various punishments could have been handled properly, without using the Cruciatus Curse. I want you to focus on how to right those wrongs."

Sirius nodded.

"Now, on your interest in Muggle things…"

Varix had been sipping tea when Harry came running into the dining hall.

"Varix! Dorea just told me that I can do magic here and the Ministry would never know!"

She actually dropped her cup, watching it break when it hit the table. With a snap of the fingers, it repaired itself and the tea dried up into nothingness.

"Harry, take a seat and try to understand what I'm about to tell you."

Harry's former joy died down when he saw how serious she was. He sat down and waited.

"Alright, so the whole you can't use magic during your summer vacation isn't because they're trying to protect the magical world from being discovered by the Muggles. Tell me, did your friends grow a lot over the summer last year?"

Harry frowned and thought back on it.

"Yeah, Hermione and Ron were already taller than me, but both seemed to grow like five inches or even more!"

"They didn't grow that much. It just seems that way because you're short and hadn't seen them in a while."

Harry bristled. He wasn't short!

"Kid, you're short. I'm going to tell you why.

The Muggles not feeding you forced your magical core to try to heal you. You see, for you magical humans, the body doesn't grow while you're at Hogwarts. Ten months, your magical core is focused on expanding and memorizing your spellwork. The two months at home during summertime, allow your core to focus on your body and not your wand."

"Huh?"

"Your magic was active a lot during your childhood in order to keep you relatively healthy and to keep you from dying of malnourishment. You didn't grow much because of that. When you aren't actively using your magic in spells and potions, your magic fills your body and speeds up the process of your growth. That's why everyone seems so much larger when coming back to school, because they were forced through a small, but sudden growth spurt."

"So then, we grow because our magic makes us?"

"Essentially, yeah. If you don't want to stunt your growth or make your inheritance painful when you come of age, you allow your magic to help your body and you don't use it during the summer. When you reach majority at seventeen, you're core will strengthen to where it is supposed to be. It may double or even triple. If your body isn't fully matured by then, your inheritance from reaching your majority will be painful."

"So then, why does the Ministry tell us it's against the law?"

"To scare you into behaving. Although I think the truth is infinitely more terrifying, but that's just me."

"So I shouldn't use magic?"

"No."

Harry sighed, "Fine."

Varix crumpled on the table. "Thank you! I was worried you'd think badly of me!"

"Why?"

"'Cause you just found out that the Ministry wouldn't catch you if you did magic here and then were told not to use said magic. Duh!"

"Give me some credit. I spent most of my life without magic. I'm not going to suddenly suffer without it. I can work just fine. And besides, no one is here to bully me and make me want to defend myself with magic."

That reminded him.

"What about the Dursleys?"

"What about 'em?"

"Wasn't Vernon waiting at King's Cross?"

"Yes," she answered simply.

"So... you didn't tell him that I wouldn't be coming back?"

"Nope," she popped the P.

"Why?"

"Because the letter Dumbledore left with you, had a threat to keep you with them or else and without you there, they are left in a state of panic, thinking someone from the magical world is going to come after them for not having you. Payback for how they treated you."

"You're kind of bloodthirsty."

"Yep!"

A week before Harry's birthday, Varix took him to Diagon Alley again, so they could explore a bit. He also had to get Hedwig some treats. She'd been making all sorts of trips during the summer and she deserved some pampering.

So she joined them in the shop and Harry allowed her to choose which treats she preferred.

Hedwig chose her treats well and ended up making friends with a rather hideous looking cat. Kneazle, according to the witch as the desk.

His name was Crookshanks and while he looked like he'd run headlong into a wall and had long, orange fur, he seemed to really like Hedwig and cuddled right up to her. Hedwig in turn, allowed the feline creature to rub all over her feathers.

Harry didn't really want a cat or something that was the equivalent of Mrs. Norris, but he could think of something better. To keep both happy and ensure a long friendship, he purchased the Kneazle and all supplies required and intended to give Crookshanks to Hermione in return for never getting her a birthday present.

That also gave him an idea. He never got to celebrate Ron's birthday either. Ron always wanted an owl of his own, because his family's owl, Errol, was getting on in years and couldn't see well enough to make it to a window, usually slamming into the house instead. Ron also lost his only pet. He needed a new one.

Harry bought Ron an Eagle Owl. It was spotted with colors of brown, black, white, tawney, and silver. A large female, with bright, citrine eyes.

Acquiring the bird was interesting. She wouldn't let him go near her and Hedwig, taking pity on him, ended up being the mediator.

Literally, she flew between them and proceeded to bark and make wing gestures to Harry. Two pairs of yellows eyes turned to him. Hedwig's Aureolin were imploring and the Eagle Owl's Citrine looked accusing.

"Do you… want me to ask for permission?" he asked, seeing that as the only reason that the owl wouldn't want to be touched.

Hedwig turned to the owl and barked.

Harry was certain the owl nodded, so he asked. "May I touch you, my lady?"

The owl's eyes narrowed and Hedwig barked at him sharply. She slapped the sign under the owl's perch, covering the word 'female'. That was it. Hedwig was too intelligent to be a normal owl.

"You are a girl though."

If it was possible, he was sure he'd be on fire. That owl glared like it was about to peck his head off.

"You don't feel like a girl owl?" he asked, taking a step back just as a precaution.

A great shake of the head.

"So… you're a boy owl in the body of a girl owl?"

He received a sharp nod and a hoot.

"My… lord?"

He knew everything was okay the moment when the spread wings and glaring immediately settled down. Hedwig flew back to Crookshanks and Harry was left to stare at the owl that was watching him closely.

"May I touch you… sir?"

Nod.

Okay.

He approached with caution, because there was no way he was going to get attacked because of a strange owl.

On the other side of the shop, Varix was too busy laughing at him to do anything like helping him.

"You just nearly got your eyes pecked out by a transgender owl!" she chortled. "I have never seen something like this before!"

"Yeah, don't help me or anything!"

"Nah, Hedwig had your back! You didn't need me!"

So after finally purchasing the demented owl from hell, Varix was kind enough to take him to Hermione's with a wish.

He knocked on the door and smiled when he saw Mrs. Granger open the door.

"Hello, Harry!"

"Hi, Mrs. Granger, is Hermione here?"

"She sure is dear, come on in!"

Harry carried Crookshanks inside and waited by the door as Hermione was called down.

When the brunette turned the corner of the stairs and saw Harry, she squealed and ran toward him, throwing her arms around him while being mindful of the feline.

"What are you doing here?"

"I figured I'd give you a birthday gift early, because I never got to get you anything. And Hedwig made friends with him and I couldn't bring myself to separate them."

Hermione took the feline in her arms and cooed over him.

Harry removed the bag of toys and the booklet on how to care for Kneazles from his pocket, magically expanded of course.

"Some toys, a brush, and how to care for him instructions. Kneazles apparently know how to spot evil and untrustworthy people. He can go outside on his own and will come back if you call him. His name is Crookshanks and he's been in the shop for a while because he usually doesn't get on with people, but apparently he likes us."

"Thank you, Harry! He's gorgeous!"

Crookshanks preened under the praise, his purring becoming louder.

"I got Ron a gift too."

Varix, who was his 'watch', snorted unattractively. Harry scowled.

"Apparently, the owl I chose is transgendered?"

"Yep!"

"That's possible?" Hermione asked, getting a look of severe concentration.

"Apparently."

"I wonder if this is just magical animals or maybe it happens with normal ones too. And maybe they-"

"Maybe you'll find a book on it," Harry suggested, cutting her off.

"That too. You do know that Ron is in Egypt, right? His father won the Daily Prophet Draw and they all decided to visit Bill."

"I know. I asked Varix and she said we can visit him for a week. Can't stay too long because she's making me read all of my school books ahead of time."

"It'll help your retention!"

"I know. I'd just like to do some other fun stuff besides Diagon Alley and flying around the Manor."

Harry stayed with Hermione for an hour and wished her good luck on her trip to France. He'd caught her a day before they were to leave, luckily enough.

Once back at the Manor, Harry packed a quick bag and grabbed Ron's new owl.

Varix's dress was more tan colored now, with her hair up in a bun.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, grab my hand, because we're traveling quite the distance."

This method of travel, he found out, was worse than Flooing or Portkeying.

He found himself in a very Gringotts like building, however.

"This is the Egyptian Branch of Gringotts," Varix told him.

That explained it.

"Entering their country must be done here, the same as any other country. The Ma'at, the Egyptian Aurors, have a small office here, where they give foreign magicals passes to spend time in the magical side of Egypt. It costs a different amount depending on how long you plan to stay."

She guided him to a large office of workers all wearing brown robes and strange red hats with tassels on their heads.

Varix spoke in Egyptian to the nearest wizard and gestured to Harry. She handed over a small bundle of Galleons and received two pieces of plastic in return.

"Wear this openly, you stand out as a foreigner. This will make sure that other Ma'at don't try to pull you aside," she explained, handing him a necklace with the card on it. He slipped it on quickly.

"Good, now I haven't been to Egypt in a while so they may have updated some things. Last time I was here, they had only four inns in the bazaar. They may have better ones now."

She guided him from the bank and out into a very sunny, sandy, and hot market place. Stalls lined the way, all of them filled with clothing of all sorts.

A large building up ahead, had him interested.

"They keep the animals and food in there. It's too hot outside and the sun would constantly challenge cooling charms. The shade of the building lets the magic of the charms last longer.

Now, there are from what I can tell, nine hotels/inns. Pick one."

"The best one," he said immediately.

"Looking for high class?"

"No. More like I want trustworthy service, and a place with nice bedding and clean bathrooms, and maybe room service."

"I get the bedding and the bathroom struggles, and maybe the trustworthy staffing, but why room service?"

"I don't want to go into the heat for food?"

"Cooling charm."

"I'm lazy," he finally admitted.

"That's my boy!" she grinned. "That's the way to go! Come on!"

Sefkhat Alexandria was the name of the hotel. A Magical hotel that put the British Ministry of Magic to shame, or so Varix claimed.

But really, it was all marble, like Gringotts, with golden handles for their doors. The lift went in every direction and it too was made of gold. There were ten floors and the inside of the building was magically expanded do to runes. That pretty much made Harry want to study more on runes. Maybe he'd learn some more while here.

"Why doesn't Diagon Alley have a hotel?" he asked as they settled into their large suite with adjoining rooms.

"Britain is behind the times. Like, five centuries behind. Think of it like this, Australia has already learned how to mix magic and technology without problems."

"Really!?"

"Yep."

"Can we go to Australia next year?"

She snorted. "Sure."

They left the hotel in search of the Weasley family. Since most of the people around them were dark skinned and had brown hair, searching for the cluster of red shouldn't be too difficult.

The owl of doom, clutched his fingers like a vice. He was heavy too.

Varix, being the taller of them, spotted the nearest Weasley first. Mrs. Weasley, who was looking at an assortment of cloths.

He bounced up beside her and said, "Hi, Mrs. Weasley!"

She jumped a bit, but upon noticing him, she smiled widely and wrapped him in a big, warm hug. "Harry, dear! I wasn't expecting to see you in Egypt!"

"Varix said we could come for a week. I had bought Hermione a belated birthday present when I realized I hadn't gotten Ron one and I wanted to be there when he saw it, so Varix brought me here!"

Mrs. Weasley smiled at the fairy. "Good to see you, dear."

"Hello, Molly."

"Just let me get some of this cloth, dear. And then we can go to the others. Ron will be so happy to see you!"

Mrs. Weasley bought a large roll of royal blue cloth and linked hands with Harry in order to pull him safely through the large crowd of people.

The reunion of Harry Potter and the Weasley family was like none of them had seen him in years. Fred and George shook his free hand enthusiastically and welcomed him to Egypt. Percy was extra pompous, more so than usual. He'd been made Head Boy and was already wearing the badge proudly. Ginny squeaked when she saw him and turned around. Ron however, looked relieved.

"Harry!"

Harry presented Ron with the demon owl. "This owl is male. No matter what anyone tells you, he is male. He may not seem it at first, but don't allow physical gender to rule your thought process. The owl insists it is male and a male name it shall have. Happy birthday."

Ron's blue eyes bulged at the sight of his new Eagle Owl and he accepted the large glove Harry handed him. The talons were very sharp and he'd been nicked once already.

"Thanks, Harry! I'll call him, Gideon. Mum had two brothers, Fabian and Gideon. They died fighting Death Eaters. Took on five at once and killed four before the Dolohov bloke got 'em."

Gideon the owl, shifted a bit, chest puffing out at the name he'd been given.

"Gideon means 'mighty warrior', or at least something close to it," Varix clarified.

How the owl even knew that, Harry didn't want to know.

"How long will you be here?" Ron asked as they began walking.

"About a week. What have you been doing for fun?"

That had Ron starting on a whole explanation on how his brother Bill had taken the family through one of the smaller tombs on the outside of the pyramids. How Fred and George locked Percy in a sarcophagus.

Harry met Bill Weasley, who was in his personal opinion, everything cool should be.

Shoulder length red hair, an earring in one ear - dragon fang he was told - with a lot of leather. He was thin and tall. And when he smiled, Harry could see that his teeth were straight and white.

And he winked at Harry!

Varix teased him well into the evening about his 'second crush' and how 'Tom had competition'.

Charlie Weasley was very muscular. Not tall like Bill. In fact, he was a little shorter then the twins, but his muscles were enormous! Though supposed they had to be if he was handling dragons all the time. Hid red hair was spiky and his face was covered in freckles that completely outdid Ron's freckles.

He was nice too.

On his birthday, Harry learned that Varix had booked them a month instead of a week. A birthday present. Hanging out with his best friend in another country.

He also woke to find his bed covered in gifts.

Ron got him a Sneakoscope. It was supposed to glow and make noise when someone or something untrustworthy was around. The twins gave him a box of Egyptian Chocolate. Percy gave him a book on Egyptian laws. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley sent him a box of mince pies and an amulet that was supposed to protect him from mental intrusion. Legilimency, or so Varix explained. Ginny gave him a new quill. Hermione sent him a Broomstick Servicing Kit, which he loved! Hagrid sent him a demented book that tried to eat his hand.

Varix knew about it though and all she did to calm it was to stroke its spine. It began to purr.

Finally, he received the best gift, from Sirius Black, whom he had yet to actually meet. But still, he considered it the best gift because he'd seen it in the shop windows and he had wanted it. But even he wasn't going to spend so much on a broom. It was three times the price of his Nimbus 2001!

But now he didn't have to lament over not having it. Because Sirius bought him it!

The Firebolt. The fastest broom in the world with an acceleration of 150 miles an hour in ten seconds. It also had the best of the best braking charms and had the best balance of all racing brooms.

And he was now the proud owner of his one!

When he brought it to Varix, practically bouncing from excitement, she simply cocked a brow at it.

"I still think Egypt is cooler than a piece of wood, but whatever."

"Are you jealous?"

"No!"

Harry sighed.

"I like your gift too. It's just… I really wanted this and didn't think I'd get it, whereas I knew I'd at least get to be here for a bit."

He gave her the puppy eyes.

"Okay, okay! I get it. Go write your thank you letters, midget."

Harry beamed and rushed back to his room, clutching the broom like it was a lifeline.

Varix glared at the doorway. "So that's how you wanna play, huh Black? I can top that!"

A/N: Another one is done.

-Varix is feeling competitive with Sirius. Both of them are Harry's godparents and now that he's free, he'll be in Harry's life more. Compared to the Dursleys, Varix is obviously awesome, but now she has an equally childish Sirius to compete with. Who is Harry's favorite guardian and all that.

-Yes, I made Gideon the owl, transgender. I couldn't help it! :)

-Hedwig is the great mediator between owl and man!

-Please stop complaining about the length of my chapters. Each chapter has been at least 5,000 words long and I'm updating every two to three days.

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See ya! :D

CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. THE LINK IS ON MY PROFILE. I FOLLOW BACK.