They walked through the forest and Sirius began to relate some stories of James to Harry. He had told one particularly funny story and they had to stop walking because they were laughing so hard. Finally Sirius decided they were far enough away and late enough in the afternoon to risk flying. He pulled out the two brooms and enlarged them. Handing one to Harry he started to go over the instructions for flying. Harry didn't hear a word of it though because he was already fifty feet in the air.
"Wait up." Sirius yelled mounting his broom and pushing off. He quickly caught up to the boy, "I guess you don't need instructions on how to fly?"
"No we had flying lessons last year at school." Harry responded, "The teacher kept calling me a natural but never would explain what she meant by that. Ok so the place we're looking for is a three story house right?"
"Not just a house but an Estate." Sirius said, "Larger than the normal home."
"Like that one?" Harry asked pointing at a large manor.
"Yes very similar." Sirius said, "I think we need to go more north. I seem to remember he said they had closer neighbors to the south of the house."
They flew for a little while longer before Harry spotted another house, "How about that one?"
"I don't see anything so that must be it." Sirius said, "Since you can't tell me the address we'll try and see if you can take me in. If I can't make it past the boundary, come back to me and I'll land as close as I can and wait for you there."
Harry reached out for Sirius and he pulled him through the barrier. Once through Sirius could see the house. He grinned and let go and they descended towards the house. They landed on the Quidditch pitch and Sirius shrunk the brooms and put them back in his pocket. Walking towards the house Sirius started pointing out places where something fun had happened.
"See that tree there, your Dad crashed into it his first time on a broom." Sirius grinned, "And that fountain there is where your Dad proposed to your Mum. He fell into the water when she said yes. Later I'll show you the black marks on the roof where I nearly crashed the first time I used the flying charm on my motorcycle."
They reached the back door and opened it. Once inside Harry took a deep breath, "Smells like chocolate chip cookies."
"Bitty are you making biscuits?" Sirius called out.
"Yes sir mister Sirius." the female elf answered, "I knows you have a nose for them. Master James always loved them so I is hoping Master Harry will too."
"Are the others still here?" he asked.
"Only one other is left." Bitty answered sadly, "Most of them died shortly after Master James and Mistress Lily. But I knows Master Harry going to need us some day so I held on and so did Dab."
"I'm glad you're still here." Sirius said and hugged the elf, "I can't think of anyone to take better care of Harry than you two."
"Thanks you mister Sirius." Bitty said pulling out a fresh batch of biscuits, "We be ready for Master Harry and his Aunt Bella along with you and mister Remus."
"Great!" Harry exclaimed, "Now all I need to know is the address so I can share the secret."
"It's in the Marauder Vault in Master James' room." Bitty said, "Dab will meet you by the stairs and show young Master the way."
"Thanks Bitty." Harry called as Sirius and he each took a biscuit on their way past.
They walked out of the kitchen and down a hallway that ended in the entrance hall for the house. A grand front door and the window above it let natural light into the entry. The room was fairly large and had several doors as well as halls leading from it. The ceiling was far above them with a huge chandelier hanging down. Harry was sure when it was lit it would be beautiful but he didn't think anything could look as beautiful and it did right then. The light from the window was hitting the crystals and throwing multi colored rainbows all over the walls and gleaming floors. Opposite the front doors was a grand staircase that led up to the next floor. At the foot of the stairs was another elf waiting patiently.
"You must be Dab." Harry smiled, "Can you show us the way to the Marauder Vault?"
"This way Master Harry." the elf nodded, "It is on the third floor. Mister Sirius it is good to see you again."
"Likewise Dab." Sirius replied, "I miss being here."
"Well you be home now sir." Dab said as they headed up the stairs.
They kept up the conversation until they reached the third floor room that used to belong to James Potter. Sirius opened the door but didn't move. Harry looked up at him to find him misty eyed. He didn't say anything for several minutes as Sirius stood there but he finally decided to get him moving.
"Sirius, are we going in?" Harry asked.
"What?" Sirius looked down at the boy and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yes we're going in."
Sirius took a deep breath but still didn't seem able to move. Harry squeezed past him and stepped into the room hoping it would break Sirius out of what ever had a hold on him. He looked in wonder around the room. It had Gryffindor pennants and banners on the walls, pictures in frames on the furniture. The bed was covered in red and gold that matched the curtains. The floor was wood with a few red and gold rugs spread around it. Finally Sirius was able to move and followed Harry into the room.
"Where's the vault?" Harry asked hoping to keep him moving and out of the sad thoughts.
"Over here in the closet." Sirius replied crossing the room and pulling open a door. Harry followed him, "Now you get initiated into the Marauders. Tap your wand here and say I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
"Why would I want to be up to no good?" Harry asked.
"It means you're ready to pull a prank." Sirius said, "Go on now."
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Harry repeated and tapped the spot.
A door swung open and revealed a very full compartment, "I should have known it would be too full to find right away. Oh well let's just levitate this to the bed and have a look see."
"What is all that?" Harry was filled with wonder at the stacks of paper and bags of stuff that made its way out of the small vault.
"This is our notes, some joke products and let's see… Oh some of Moony's chocolate." Sirius pulled out a chocolate frog, opened it and popped it into his mouth then he handed one to Harry, "They only have one good jump in them, but they taste great."
"Why are we eating Moony's chocolate?" Harry had more questions as he ate the frog.
"Moony is nice and shares." Sirius answered, "Sometimes he doesn't know how nice he is."
"In other words you just take his chocolate and then say thank you." Harry laughed.
"Something like that." Sirius grinned, "Now we need to look through this stuff to find the address."
They sorted through the pile for nearly half an hour before Harry held it up, "Here we are. Potter Hall rests at 1615 Potter Hill Road, Skye, Scotland."
"That's the place." Sirius said.
"So when I thought I saw water when we were flying I probably did." Harry commented, "And I guess I should be a fan of the Pride of Portree since they are locals."
"That was your Dad's favorite team." Sirius nodded, "I personally like the Harpies best."
"I bet that's because they are all girls." Harry shuddered.
"They are?" Sirius faked surprise, "I just think they're spectacular."
"Whatever you say Paddy." Harry turned away from his grinning Godfather.
"You'll be changing teams soon enough." Sirius patted him on the back, "But for now we need to get back before Bella loses her patience and hexes us from afar."
"At least we'll be able to come back." Harry shrugged, "Do we need to put this all away?"
"No let's just go get Bella and come back." Sirius stood and stretched, "Dab can we apparate in and out?"
"You can apparate in and out. But Ms. Bella cannot apparate in until she has been approved." Dab commented, "Bring her to Bitty and she'll let you know if she can move about freely or not."
The two left Harry's new home and returned to Hogwarts. They showed Remus, Bella, Mad-Eye, Tonks and Albus the address and the coordinates for apparation and then the four who were to live at Potter Hall left. As soon as they were inside Bella and Remus both made suggestions to the house elves.
"Block anyone trying to enter the house in an animagus form." Bella instructed, "Except for Sirius."
"Dark marks are not allowed either." Remus said, "Is the floo connected?"
"No mister Remus." Dab replied, "Master James turned them all off."
"Maybe we should have one just outside the secrecy charm." Harry suggested, "My friend at school said his uncle is an Auror and he has a free standing fireplace just outside his wards so people can floo over without going right into his house."
"Why don't they just apparate?" Sirius asked.
"My friend is too young to apparate." Harry said, "Not everyone is willing to side along their children. Besides this way we won't have to give the coordinates of the house out to everyone. They floo to the address and walk up to the front door but only if they have the address."
"It also gives us a quick way out if we need it." Bella said, "I like the idea."
"Yes Miss." Dab replied, "Please allow me to show you to your rooms."
Dab showed Bella to her room and then proceeded down the hall to show Harry to his. Bella went to follow but Sirius stopped her, "Bell, I know how you were taught to treat elves but in this house they are family."
"Oh, right." she nodded in agreement, "I hadn't even thought of that. Generally it's Harry who reminds me I'm not that person anymore when I slip."
"You've been fine so far I just wanted to warn you." Sirius grinned.
"Don't worry, if I'm not perfectly nice Harry will tell me. He's done it before." Bella shook her head, "I remember once after getting angry at one of his teachers he pulled me to the side and said thanks for standing up for me but you're scaring her to death. He understands I still let it get away from me now and then."
"You have surprised me Bell." Sirius hugged her, "Come on I'll take you to Harry's room."
"Is it too difficult for you to call me Bella?" she asked as they left her room.
"No, I'm just trying to find a nickname that fits." Sirius grinned steering her down the hall, "I already tossed out Trixi."
"I'm glad of that." she responded before answering Harry's call to come look at his room, "Wow this is nice, who did the decorating?"
"I don't know but it's perfect." Harry called from beside his bed where he was looking out the window, "Look I've got a poster for Pride of Portree. And there are snitches, quaffles and bludgers flying around the walls. I can see the pitch from my window and Dab said there are a few old brooms in the shed that should still be able to fly."
"Brilliant." she deadpanned, "Now you're getting help to kill yourself on a broom."
"No Miss we take broom safety very seriously." Dab said pointing out the window, "New rules since Master James ran into that tree. He must pass our test before he can ever get on one and an adult or either Bitty or I have to be with young Master when he flies. Once he becomes school aged and if he is proficient the rules will change to be less restrictive."
"Fine." Bella said, "I guess I can live with that. Do we have any other rules we should know about?"
"No you passed the test so everything else is fine." Dab stated.
"What test?" she asked.
"They test to see your intentions on Potters." Sirius shrugged, "If you weren't trying to protect him you wouldn't have gotten past the kitchen."
"Well that's good to know." she replied.
"No one can get into the house that has any ill intentions towards any Potter." Sirius said, "His Great Grandfather set that up when Grindlewald was coming into power."
The next morning they woke to a different world within the house. Without realizing it Christmas was upon them and the elves had decorated the entire house. Bella and Sirius were in a panic now with just a little over a week until the holiday.
"I don't have any presents for him." Bella hissed, "I need to get him some things."
"You can't go to the Alley." Sirius replied, "Just tell me what you want to get him."
"I don't know what to get him." she whined, "I need to shop."
"Aunt Bella." Harry yawned as he entered the room, "I need no other presents than your presence in my life. The fact that we are all together as a family, safe from harm and in England is nothing short of a Christmas miracle anyway. I never dreamed I'd be able to have you and Sirius in my life at the same time."
"I still want to get you some presents." Bella pouted.
"How about I make a list and you can pick something off of it." Harry grinned, "Then Sirius can pick it up for you. It's almost like shopping."
"It's the best option you're going to get." Sirius grinned, "Mad-eye isn't letting you out of the house. It is the safest thing for you and for Harry."
"I know." she sighed, "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
After breakfast Harry sat down and made a list of things he'd like to have. Number one on the list was a broom which made Bella cringe and Sirius grin madly. They each picked out several things along with Remus before they smuggled the list out to Albus. Bella was still grumbling about the unfairness of it all as Sirius left to go shopping.
The week passed quickly and Christmas morning Sirius decided to wake Harry early. He snuck into his room only to find it empty. For a moment he was in panic before he remembered the house elves and all the protections. Quietly he called for Dab who told him where to find Harry. Sirius padded quietly down the stairs and found the boy asleep on the floor by the tree. Dab had covered him with a blanket. Sirius just sat in a chair and watched the boy sleep. The scene was more special than anything he ever thought he would see. Several times he caught himself on the brink of tears without really understanding why. A few hours later Bella and Remus came running into the room and found the two asleep in the room.
"Sirius." Remus shook him, "What are you doing down here?"
"Hmmm?" Sirius woke slowly, "Oh I was going to wake Harry real early and then come wake you two up. But he wasn't in his room. Dab told me he was down here so I was going to do the same but I just didn't have the heart to wake him."
"I thought you two had started without us." Bella snickered, "I was ready to skin you alive."
Sirius just shrugged and turned as Harry woke up abruptly, "Is it time to open presents?"
Nearly six months later Bella had her day in court. The Aurors had been able to clean up the Ministry with Bella's help. At her trial the opposition listed every crime they thought she had done. She had wondered where they had gotten some of the information until she caught a slip on their part.
"Ask them to bare their arms." Bella whispered to her solicitor, "They would only know that if they were there."
When it was time for the defense to call witnesses he deviated from their original plan, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot. It occurs to me that we have left something out of today's trial. You have asked my client to bare her arms which she did without objection. You have recently been asked to bare your arms as well which again you did without objection. Well at least those of you still here did." he smiled at the group, "However, no one has asked me to bare my arms. I will do so now and I call upon our prosecutors to do the same."
"What?" one of the men stood, "That is preposterous."
"Are you better than the rest of us here?" Bella covered her smile as her solicitor pinned him, "Everyone else has done so why shouldn't you?"
"I do hope you are leading somewhere with this." Amelia Bones was the one to ask.
"Certainly." he replied, "I'll explain as soon as they bare their arms."
"I refuse to be treated as a miscreant." the man who had spoken before started to leave the courtroom.
"Auror Shacklebolt please restrain him." Amelia called, "Sir you have a choice to bare your arms or be arrested for contempt of court and then we will forcefully bare your arms."
He still refused so he was arrested and his sleeves removed to show the dark mark. The rest of the prosecution team voluntarily bared their arms which were clear.
"Mrs. Lestrange doesn't dispute the charges against her conduct." her solicitor explained gracefully, "She was merely concerned that another participant in that event was going unpunished. She told me that they were not allowed to speak of it after the event the man had to have taken part."
"That will be investigated." Amelia stated, "Now do you have anything relevant to the current case?"
"I do Madam Bones." the man said, "I call Auror Alistor Moody."
The trial continued for several days with witnesses being examined and cross-examined. The deliberation afterwards took even longer. Every day during the trial the paper had been covered with the details of the case. Everyone in the wizarding world was waiting for the verdict. It was without a doubt the highest publicized trial ever seen in the wizarding world. The morning of Harry's tenth birthday Bella was called back into court.
"Before we hand down our verdict I have one question of you." Amelia stated, "Why did you save Harry Potter."
"I don't know if anyone knows this but I had a child around the same time as Lily Potter." Bella was fighting the tears, "I was called away to participate in an event when he was just six months old. I was not allowed to skip this event. Rodolphus was not part of it and he was to stay with Polaris. When I returned two days later I found Rodolphus and his brother asleep in the den with many empty bottles of fire whiskey. I went to check on Polaris and he was dead." she sobbed and held her hands to her heart, "At first this event made me meaner. I wanted everyone to bare the same hurt I had felt. But then the Dark Lord handed me Harry and told me to kill him painfully. I went to do just that but… I found I could not do it."
Amelia turned to her colleagues, "Any descent from our earlier decision?" When no one objected she turned back to Bella, "Bellatrix Lestrange, we of the Wizengamot find you guilt on all counts. For your crimes the sentence would be life in Azkaban." Bella only nodded her acquiescence, "However, when we take into consideration what you have been doing for the last nine years we find ourselves unwilling to give you this sentence. You have also provided invaluable information to our Aurors which enabled them to cut corruption from our midst. If you were to be sent to Azkaban now it is doubtful you would live more than a week. We are also unwilling to let you go with no punishment. Our decision is this. Nine years house arrest and community service followed by six years probation. We believe the nine years of house arrest and community service have been served. Report to the Aurors to find your probation officer. And please tell Mr. Potter thank you for his kind letter and I will be returning the pictures to him shortly."
Bella was stunned. Harry had written a letter. He had written a letter to Amelia Bones. He had included pictures. As her solicitor led her out of the room she couldn't help but wonder which pictures he had sent.