A School Year Begins
Remus Lupin was enraged. To think that Sirius Black would have gone as far as forging Lily's signature on a letter to frame Peter for his betrayal and would later take advantage of this to get involved in Harry's life. "And that's why we need you to re-approach Sirius so you could keep an eye on Harry and make sure Black won't harm him." Albus said. "Not to mention make sure Harry is taught the right ideas."
"Headmaster, you do understand that, in order to pull it off, I'll have to pretend I believe those lies he told during his trial, right? Even those regarding Peter Pettigrew."
"I understand if it's too much for you, Remus." Albus Dumbledore said. "I simply saw no other hope. We must save Harry from Black's influence."
"Can't we rescue him?"
"Unfortunately, Harry believes Sirius Black's lies." Dumbledore sadly replied. "He does believe Peter framed Black."
Remus couldn't believe it. Harry believed that his friend Peter Pettigrew, who gave his life to capture Sirius Black, was a Death Eater who faked his death. "Isn't there anything else I can do?" Remus pleaded. "Something that doesn't involve pretending Peter was a Death Eater?"
"Well, I could arrange a visit on school grounds so you could talk to him." Dumbledore suggested.
"Unless Black taught the brat to hate werewolves." Snape replied. Everyone except for Remus glared at the Potions Master for that snide remark. Remus was about to leave when somebody else entered. "Pardon my interruption, but I came here on Hogwarts business." The new man politely said.
"What brings you here, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked.
"Headmaster, with Harry Potter starting Hogwarts this year, the Board of Governors decided to take special safety measures." Lucius said, worrying everyone who knew him well enough to expect some catch. Hogwarts Governor Lucius Malfoy then noticed the presence of Remus Lupin. "Excuse me, is he a new faculty member?"
"No, Lucius." Dumbledore answered. "Mr. Lupin was just visiting us."
"Don't worry. I'll leave you alone so the measures will stay among Hogwarts people." Remus said.
"You may stay, since the measures won't need to stay secret, provided Dumbledore trusts you." At the Headmaster's nod, Lucius continued. "As one of those measures, Professor Severus Snape will not be allowed to have any contact with this year's first-year students." That got everyone shocked. "The Board has already got in contact with former Potions Master Horace Slughorn, who agreed to resume his job as a Hogwarts Professor as well as being Head of Slytherin for the first-year Slytherins." Lucius then handed the Headmaster a piece of parchment. "Here's the official document signed by all Governors to enforce the decision."
"You can't do that!" Severus Snape exclaimed.
"I had to." Lucius Malfoy replied. "Sirius Black was quite clear."
"Black!" All others asked in shock.
"Being afraid for his godchild's safety, Sirius Black didn't want Severus Snape to be anywhere near Harry." Governor Lucius Malfoy explained. "I'm sorry, Severus, but Sirius Black doesn't share Professor Dumbledore's belief on your regrets regarding being a Death Eater."
"Like he cares." Snape grumbled and the others nodded in agreement.
"Oh, he does care." Lucius replied. "He cares so much that, had this demand not been accepted, he'd have enrolled Harry into a school headed by a friend of his."
"He can't do that!" Professor McGonagall yelled.
"Of course he can." Lucius calmly replied. "Wizards and witches in England were always allowed to have their children study abroad."
Now Dumbledore was afraid Sirius was considering sending Harry to Durmstrang Institute of Magical Learning, headed by former Death Eater Igor Karkaroff. "Well, if that's the Board's decision, I'll accept it and welcome Horace back. You may tell them that, Lucius." Dumbledore said. Lucius then bid his goodbyes and left.
"Headmaster, can Sirius Black really send Harry to another school instead of Hogwarts?" Remus Lupin asked.
"Unfortunately, as Harry's magical guardian, Sirius can send Harry to any magical school he wants or even home-educate him." Dumbledore answered. "However, that gives me an idea of how you can get near Harry."
Meanwhile, Harry and Sirius were at Diagon Alley to buy school supplies. They'd still have to wait until July, 31st before buying Harry's wand but they agreed it was no excuse to delay the purchase of other stuff Harry will need. Their first stop was at Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. "Welcome to…" Madam Malkin started saying until she recognized Sirius. Then she scowled. "What do you want here, Black?"
Sirius pretended not to notice how she looked at him. "I'm here with my godson to buy his school robes, Madam Malkin." Sirius cheerfully said as he showed Harry.
"Oh, Merlin!" her reaction didn't disappoint the Marauder. "Is that Harry Potter!"
"In the flesh, as Muggles would say." Sirius answered. "Now, about his uniform."
"Oh, sure." She eagerly answered. "If your godson simply goes to that room, we'll get his measurements. There's just one other boy there."
"Good." Sirius replied. "Harry, go there and you'll soon get your uniforms." As soon as Harry left, Sirius looked at the man he assumed to be the other boy's father and then recognized him. "Hello, Arthur."
"Black, I cannot prevent you from buying Harry's school robes or doing any other parental thing you might do for him, but don't talk to me!" Arthur Weasley ordered.
"Still sore I prevented you from passing that bill against flying carpets, Weasley?" Sirius asked.
"You might have managed to bypass Professor Dumbledore's wards but I don't want you anywhere near my family." Arthur threatened.
"Innocent until proven guilty, Weasley." Sirius replied.
While Sirius and Arthur were arguing, Harry met the other boy. "Hello. Hogwarts too?" He asked Harry.
"Yes." Harry answered. "I'm starting my first year now. And you?"
"I'm starting my fifth year. I'm a Prefect for Gryffindor House. My name is Percy Weasley. Yours?"
"Harry Potter."
Skeptical, Percy looked for the scar. "Did you really have to stare?" Harry asked.
"Sorry about that, Harry." Percy replied.
"It's okay. My godfather told me people might react like that."
"Sirius Black!" A shocked Percy asked.
"Sure. He's my magical guardian after all." Harry answered like it was the most obvious thing on the world. "Haven't you read the Prophet?"
"Not everything Rita Skeeter writes is to be taken seriously, Harry." Percy replied.
"Fair enough." Harry conceded. "But Sirius Black is indeed helping my Uncle and my Aunt about raising me."
"But he's a Death Eater!" Percy exclaimed.
"No, he was accused of being a Death Eater and was acquitted." Harry replied.
"The Wizengamot just gave him the benefit of doubt because the Aurors who arrested him forgot to use the Priori Incantatum spell to prove that he caused the explosion that killed Peter Pettigrew and several Muggles." Percy said.
"Or prove that Pettigrew killed those Muggles and took advantage of the explosion to fake his death." Harry furiously replied. "And Crouch destroyed a letter that would have proven Pettigrew as the real traitor."
"It was a fake." Percy argued. "Sirius Black was lucky Mr. Crouch didn't go through the proper channels to prove it."
"Look, I've known my godfather for as long as I can remember and I've never had any reason not to trust him." Harry replied.
"Well, if you say so." Percy said. "Anyway,like I said, I am a Gryffindor Prefect, so I'll be able to guide you through your first year."
"If I get sorted into Gryffindor, you mean." Harry replied, shocking Percy.
"Of course you'll be a Gryffindor." Percy stated. "You're a Potter! It's your family's tradition!"
"It's a tradition of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black being sorted into Slytherin but it didn't keep my godfather from being a Gryffindor." Harry replied.
"Your parents were betrayed by a Gryffindor!" A shocked Percy asked.
"My godfather is innocent!" Harry sternly replied. "But Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor so, yes, a Gryffindor betrayed them."
"You're done, Mr. Potter." She said and Sirius Black then ordered two other sets just in case. Harry and Sirius then went to Flourish and Blotts Bookstore. Meanwhile, Molly Weasley, her Hogwarts age students (minus Percy) and her daughter were just leaving it. "Mum, why can't I have a new set of books?" Ron, the youngest boy, asked.
"Ron, you know we're short in cash." Molly scolded him. "We had to buy a new set of third year books so both twins would have them. Not to mention that, since the new Defense teacher has required different books, we had to buy them instead of using defense books from previous years."
"And even those we had to buy from the second-hand bin." Ron grumbled. "Why can't we have anything new? Percy got actual new robes."
"That's his reward for becoming a Prefect." She sternly replied.
"We should get rewarded for having to endure him constantly bragging about that." Ron commented.
"Amen to that, dear brother." The twins said.
Before their mother had any chance to scold them, she noticed Sirius Black approaching them. "Hide, children! It's Sirius Black!" The kids soon hid behind her. However, they were curious enough to take a look at the most notorious Death Eater to ever cheat justice. Then the little girl saw something that made her squeal. "Look! That's Harry Potter!"
Horrified, Molly Weasley realized Harry Potter was, indeed, following Sirius Black around. "What do you thinking you're doing with the Boy-Who-Lived, you Death Eater?" She angrily asked.
"I'm raising him as reported in the Daily Prophet." Sirius calmly answered.
"Do you mean Rita Skeeter was actually telling the truth?" A shocked Molly Weasley asked.
"I know, it's hard to believe she'd do it, but I have indeed been raising my godson through most of his life with his mother's relatives."
Not knowing what to think, Molly let the godfather/godson duo go. As they entered the bookshop, Sirius handed a clerk the list of required books. "My godson will need them for his first year at Hogwarts." He simply said.
While not sure of what to think about Sirius Black, the clerk was more than eager to be the one who handed the Boy-Who-Lived his books. "Mr. Potter, may I interest you in Gilderoy Lockhart's newest book 'Wanderings with Werewolves'?"
"No." With that, Harry and Sirius left the book store and looked for other materials.
Time skip to July, 31st, 1991
Sirius Black took Harry Potter to Ollivander's Wand Shop and was surprised to meet an acquaintance of theirs in there. "Narcissa?" Sirius asked.
"Hello, cousin." She replied. "What are you doing here?"
"I've brought my godson here to buy his wand. And you?"
"I'm buying my son a wand."
"Shouldn't Draco come here in person to look for a wand to choose him?" Sirius asked.
"Wands that choose a person might work as well for their children!"
"That's too much of a risk." Sirius replied. "And that's one thing I agree with my parents. Where are Lucius and Draco?"
"Draco is at Madam Malkin's having his school robes fitted and Lucius is buying books." She answered and then tried a wand. "Good, I'll take this one."
"If this is for your son, I must insist he comes here in person, Mrs. Malfoy." Ollivander replied.
"Fine, I'm fetching him. Sirius, Harry, I'll see the both of you at Harry's birthday party."
After she left, Harry started to experiment wands. Later on, Narcissa met Lucius and Draco. "Where's my wand, Mother?" Draco asked.
"Ollivander insisted you went there in person to pick it up, Draco."
"And you let him, Mother?"
"I didn't want to make a spectacle in front of Sirius Black and Harry Potter."
"Were they there?" Lucius asked with genuine interest. "We must go there before they leave!"
The Malfoys then went to Ollivander, just while Harry was about to try a wand made of holly wood and a phoenix feather core. "Fancy seeing you here, Sirius."
"Equally, Lucius." Sirius Black politely replied.
Draco Malfoy was finally chosen by a wand and then the Malfoys left. Harry then tested the holly wand, which chose him. "Curious. Very curious indeed."
"What's so curious about my godson's wand, Mr. Ollivander?"
"You see, the feather his wand's core was made of came from the same phoenix that gave the feather that was used to make the core of the wand of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Is there any special meaning that Harry's wand shares a core with Tom Riddle's wand?" Sirius asked with a glare.
"You know his real name?" An unusually shocked Ollivander asked.
"Yes. Now, about my question…"
"Oh, sure. If the two wands are ever forced to fight each other, all they'll do is regurgitating their last spells."
Sirius actually felt relieved that Harry would have an extra defense albeit he didn't understand why since he didn't believe they'd ever have to worry about that wand ever again. What Sirius didn't know was that Ollivander would soon tell Dumbledore about that. "Headmaster, are you sure Black is turning Harry into a Dark Wizard?" A worried Minerva McGonagall asked.
"Yes, Minerva. Ollivander told me the Malfoys are attending Harry's birthday party. Severus, you must discourage the friendship between Harry and Draco at any cost!"
"Headmaster, you know I can't oppose Lucius Malfoy's wishes that openly." Snape replied. "And besides, Black pulled the strings to keep me from interfering with the first-years."
"Well reminded, Severus." Dumbledore replied. "Horace, I'm afraid Harry might be sorted into Slytherin. If so, I'll need you to encourage him to ask for a resorting so he'll be free from your House's evil influences."
"What do you mean by that, Albus?"
"Horace, Slytherin House is full of children of Death Eaters." Dumbledore pleaded.
"Albus Dumbledore, those are just a part of Slytherin House." Slughorn sternly replied. "And I must remind you that it was a Gryffindor, be him Sirius or Peter, who betrayed James and Lily to You-Know-Who."
"Horace, surely you don't believe that lie Black told to avoid Azkaban."
"I sure do, Minerva." Horace replied. "At least that things might have happened like that."
Meanwhile, at Harry's birthday party, the only Light guests to attend were those old allies of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter. "Harry, did you have to invite Longbottom?" Draco Malfoy asked.
"Why not? The Potters and the Longbottoms have been allies for generations." Harry explained. "We need trusted allies to get by. It was, in part, with help from Neville's grandmother's help my godfather had a chance to explain he wasn't a real Death Eater but a frame-up victim."
"Actually, Harry." Neville timidly intervened. "Gran only helped out of principle. She might oppose the idea of someone rotting in prison without being allowed a trial but she isn't sure your godfather is innocent."
"Still, her help was more than my godfather could expect from the friends he cultivated outside proper wizarding circles." Harry replied. "Can you believe his cousin Andromeda Tonks refused to speak to him ever since his trial?"
"Are you talking about my Mum?" A girl suddenly asked.
"Oh, you must be Draco's cousin Nymphadora Tonks." Harry replied.
"DON'T CALL ME NYMPHADORA!" She angrily replied. "But yes, I am Draco's cousin Tonks."
"Cousin?" A doubtful Draco asked.
"Yes. Your Mum is sister of my Mum."
"Oh, right. Mother told me she had a sister named Andromeda who was cast off the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black for marrying a… person our grandparents didn't approve."
"Exactly." Tonks replied, pretending not to suspect Draco almost insulted her father.
"Well, I welcomed her back." Sirius replied.
"Well, Mum didn't want anything to do with you after you, er, were accused of betraying the Potters." Tonks replied back.
"Pettigrew was the real traitor and I'll catch him even if it's the last thing I do in my life!" Sirius exclaimed.
"He's really alive!" Tonks asked.
"Unless something happened to him after that day, yes." Sirius answered. "If something ''did'' happen, I hope it's something painful."
"Uncle Sirius, this is not the time to speak of unpleasant topics." Harry calmly commented.
Horace Slughorn then approached Sirius and Harry. "Sirius, thank you for inviting me to this party. I've already met some of my future students and recruited most of them to the Slug Club!"
"Future students?" Nymphadora asked, confused.
"Uncle Sirius didn't want Snape anywhere near me, so he pulled some strings to bring Professor Slughorn back from retirement." Harry explained.
"Cool! Hogwarts is Snape-free!" Tonks celebrated.
"Hold yourself, Dora." Sirius replied. "Only the first-years are free from Snape."
"Well, it's already something." She commented.
"Wait a minute, cousin." Draco asked. "If your mother still doesn't believe Sirius is innocent, what are you doing here?"
"I'm of age, Draco." She answered. "I don't need their permission to attend any parties and I don't need their money ever since I started my training as an Auror."
"You know, Ms. Tonks?" Slughorn asked. "I have contacts if you want another post at the Ministry."
Time skip to September, 1st, 1991
At King's Cross Station, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were waiting for their cronies/other friends. "Where are Crabbe and Goyle, Draco?" Harry moaned. "You don't think they'd miss the train, do you?"
"I'm afraid so… look, here they come!"
And, in fact, two boys appeared. "Are we all ready? I don't want to miss the train because of the two of you." Draco said and the four of them entered.
They soon found a compartment and started talking. "So, Harry, do you already know where you'll be sorted?" Vincent Crabbe asked.
"Either Gryffindor like my parents or Slytherin." Harry answered.
"No offense to your parents, Harry, but you've been showing too much Slytherin traits." Draco replied.
"I know. Sirius is worried I might need them to avoid being tricked by people like Pettigrew." Harry replied. "And besides, nobody actually knows before the Sorting Hat makes the choice. Either way, let's follow the example of Professor Slughorn: he's ambitious enough to seek connections beyond House limits."
"Spoken like a true Slytherin, Harry." Draco replied.
Their conversation remained uninterrupted until a woman showed up selling sweets. The four boys bought chocolate frogs. "Another Agrippa?" Harry moaned.
"I've got a Ptolemy." Greggory Goyle replied. "Wanna trade?" Harry agreed.
Eventually, they reached the boats. As Harry, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle entered, Harry tried to invite Neville to join them but Rubeus Hagrid, the groundskeeper, reminded them there couldn't be more than four kids on each boat. Hagrid seemed quite disappointed Harry would become friends with children of Death Eaters but didn't say anything. Later on, Minerva McGonagall explained to the students about the House System. As they entered the Great Hall and Professor McGonagall explained about how the sorting worked, they heard one of the Weasley boys complaining about one of his brothers saying something about wrestling a troll. The students were then called into the sorting.
I've decided to stop the chapter here. Please review.H