Chapter 3: Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place

"Harry, now that your magical guardian is already cleared, you no longer need to be a ward of the Ministry." Cornelius Fudge told the Boy-Who-Lived. "He'd take you home but he wanted to prepare it. Dumbledore will take you there."

"Okay."

Dumbledore apparated to Grimmauld Place with Harry side-alonging with him. "Headmaster, where does Sirius live?" Harry asked.

"The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place." Dumbledore calmly explained.

"What does it have…" Harry was asking until he saw a house suddenly appear between two others and push them apart. Nobody seemed to have noticed anything. "Sirius Black's home is under fidelius with me as the Secret-Keeper. We chose it as the Headquarters because it already had several natural protections left behind by his ancestors."

As they entered the home, Harry was quickly hugged by Molly Weasley. "Thank goodness you're here!" She said. "I can't take it anymore. Sirius Black's partying mood is unbearable."

"The man spent twelve years in Azkaban and later two as a fugitive for crimes he didn't commit, Molly." Dumbledore said with his Grandfatherly tone. "Surely…"

"If at least that was the only thing he wanted to celebrate." Molly interrupted. "I made a party banner saying WELCOME HOME, SIRIUS and he changed it to SNIVELLUS IS NO LONGER TEACHING!"

"Snivellus?" A confused Harry asked.

"It's the way your Dad and your Godfather called Severus back when all of us were students, Harry." Remus Lupin explained.

"Professor Lupin?"

"I'm no longer a professor, Harry." Remus replied. "You can call me Remus now."

"Okay… Remus." Harry said. "What's the Order of the Phoenix?"

"During the First Wizarding War, Dumbledore believed the Ministry's efforts against Voldemort to be enough so he reunited others who thought the same way and founded the Order of the Phoenix." Remus explained. "We disbanded when Voldemort failed to kill you but now he's back we felt it needed to recreate the order."

Before Harry thought about anything to say about this, he noticed another known face. "Professor Moody?"

"I don't know so much about 'Professor'," growled the voice, "never got round to much teaching, did I? Get down here; we want to see you properly."

Harry then approached Moody until the former auror pointed his wand at him. Mad-Eye Moody, who had long grizzled grey hair and a large chunk missing from his nose, was squinting suspiciously at Harry through his mismatched eyes. One eye was small, dark and beady, the other large, round and electric blue - the magical eye that could see through walls, doors and the back of Moody's own head. "Are you quite sure it's him, Lupin?" he growled. "It'd be a nice lookout if we bring back some Death Eater impersonating him. We ought to ask him something only the real Potter would know. Unless anyone brought any Veritaserum?"

"Harry, what form does your Patronus take?" Lupin asked.

"A stag," said Harry nervously.

"That's him, Mad-Eye," said Lupin.

"The Potter brat's similarities to his father are unmistakable, Moody." A voice Harry expected not to hear at Sirius' house said.

"As if I'd trust you, Death Eater scum." Moody growled in reply. "Dumbledore might trust you and the others might have blind trust on his judgment but I'm keeping my mad eye on you."

"What is he doing here?" Harry angrily asked.

"For some reason I can't fathom, Dumbledore trusts the greasy git." Sirius replied. "I'd rather give him my former Azkaban cell."

"And I'd rather be in the presence of a dementor than yours, Black." Snape replied with his usual sneering.

"Sirius, Severus, it's about time you put your differences aside." Dumbledore sternly said.

"Easy for you to say since you're not the one he almost caused a werewolf to kill." Snape replied. Dumbledore's look was enough to make Snape stop.

"Headmaster, I'm trying to rid this house of dark artifacts but it's hard even without being worried Snivellus might get some of them for Voldemort." Sirius said.

"You shouldn't treat our family's precious heirlooms like that, cousin." A woman said. Harry realized, to his horror, that the woman is Draco Malfoy's mother.

"What are you doing here?" Harry angrily asked. "And why did you call Sirius 'cousin'?"

Sirius then gave a sheepish smile. "Harry, let me introduce you to my cousin Narcissa Malfoy née Black."

"You're related to the Malfoys?" A shocked Harry asked.

"Unfortunately." Sirius replied. "The old families are connected somehow. I can show my family tree if you want details."

"Later on, Sirius." Harry answered, not wanting to think at his Godfather being related to the Malfoys. "But why are they here?"

"The Aurors raided Malfoy Manor and…"

"Was Lucius Malfoy captured?" Harry eagerly asked.

"Even better. He was killed!"

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! AREN'T YOU ASHAMED OF YOURSELF FOR SAYING THIS?" An enraged Molly Weasley asked.

"What's the matter? Didn't you hate him as well?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, but his son is at the house." Molly reminded Sirius.

Harry then wanted a change of subject. "Does anyone here have any idea of who the new Potions Master is?"

"No, but I hope it's someone like Horace Slughorn." Sirius answered.

"Who?"

"Professor Slughorn was the Potions Master and the Head of Slytherin back when your parents and I were students, Prongslet." Sirius Black explained.

"Wait a minute, brother." Fred asked upon overhearing the conversation.

"Did Sirius Black call our Harry 'Prongslet'?" George asked.

"Didn't Harry tell you?" Sirius eagerly replied. "His Dad was Prongs."

"You were…"

"…a Marauder's son?" The twins asked in shock.

"I must have forgotten to tell." Harry sheepishly said.

"Do you know who the other Marauders were?" Gred and Forge asked in unison.

"Sirius here is Padfoot."

"Are you serious?" The twins asked.

"No, he is." Harry replied, pointing to Sirius, who was now laughing at the pun.

"What about the other Marauders?"

"Professor Lupin is Moony."

"Our fifth year Defense teacher was a Marauder?"

"Yes."

"What about Wormtail?"

"Don't mention him in this house!" Sirius angrily replied.

Harry whispered to the twins. "You guys know Wormtail as Scabbers."

The twins fainted. The noise attracted more people's attentions. "Harry, what happen… Harry?" A happily surprised Hermione asked.

"Hi, Hermione. Hi, Ron." Harry calmly replied.

"Harry, while you were at the Ministry, have you heard anything about arresting Snape?" Ron asked.

"No." Harry sadly said. "It seems we're going to settle for no longer having him at Hogwarts."

"I hope the new Potions Master is better than Snape." Ron wished.

"Well, it's not difficult." Harry replied.

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