I own nothing to do with Harry Potter, all rights belong to JK Rowling. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)
Harry's head was reeling, he felt anger coursing through his veins as Lupin stormed from the kitchen. Hermione chased after him but Harry knew it was no use, and soon the slamming of the door revealed this to be true. Ron was staring at him with his mouth open, his brows were knitted. Hermione came back into the kitchen and Harry saw that her eyes were full of tears. The happiness that had lit her face at the news of Tonk's pregnancy was extinguished.
"What the hell Harry!?" Ron demanded of him after seeing Hermione's tearful face, this seemed to be the last straw for him. "You shouldn't have said that stuff to Lupin!"
"Parents… shouldn't leave their kids unless they have to." Harry said in a quiet voice, his anger building at Ron's accusations. Ron just didn't understand it, he couldn't, and he never had. How could he? He had a mother and father who'd done everything for their children.
"Stop, just stop it right now. We've got to stick together, we can't let anger drive a wedge between us." Hermione pleaded but Ron merely snorted in response.
"Oh don't act so mighty Ron, like you haven't had your share of foul moods over the past few days." Hermione snapped, rounding on him.
Harry sat down in one of the chairs around the kitchen table and rested his head in one of his hands. Ron was right though, he had no right to treat Remus that way. He'd reduced Remus, who was a quiet and soft spoken man, to an anger he'd never thought possible from him. The best he could hope for is that it would drive him to go back to Tonk's, but he still felt sick with shame. It wasn't just his treatment of Remus that haunted his thoughts. It was what he'd done to his godfather too.
When Kingsley's patronus had brought it's message to Bill and Fleur's wedding it became clear what they had to do. Hermione, Ron, and Harry had taken the opportunity to take off for their journey. Harry had caught a glimpse of Sirius's face in the crowd of panicked people rushing to get away. His godfather's face had been full of fear as he searched for Harry. Right before they'd apparated away Harry chanced another glance over his shoulder and his eyes met with Sirius's. Harry saw the dawning look of realization of what Harry was doing, then the defeat that followed.
Harry had been so sure he'd been doing the right thing when he'd made the choice to leave Sirius's behind. His hope had been to keep him safe. He'd been so certain that what he said to Remus was what he needed to hear. Now as his two friends watched him differing expressions of anger and sadness, he wasn't so sure at all. He'd lied to Sirius, and been an asshole to Remus after everything they'd done for him. Hermione seemed to read his mind almost.
"Harry why are you pushing away the people who want to help you? First Sirius which I could understand after everything we'd done to get him back. Now Remus too though?" Hermione asked gently. There was no accusation in her question, it was merely a plea for understanding.
"Dumbledore. He wanted me to do this a certain way, he left these hints and I just feel like if I go against it I'll mess up. I'm already working with so little." Harry explained in a strange voice as he thought back to his headmaster. "I also want to keep them safe, Sirius mainly. Remus touched a nerve. It wasn't entire right what I said but it's got some truth."
"Dumbledore is gone though Harry, maybe it's time to utilize the people who are still around to help." Hermione said in a quiet voice. Harry felt like a child with Hermione coddling him and Ron staring down at him with a stern expression.
"So could Remus, or Sirius too though! They could be gone tomorrow just like Dumbledore. Nowhere is entirely safe anymore." Ron said, his voice still angry.
"Ron don't!" Hermione cried but Harry shook his head to stop her. He didn't want to continue the uncomfortability of this conversation anymore.
"No, Ron has a point. The thing is that I already thought Sirius was dead once, and the thought of it becoming true again after everything is… just awful." Harry finished lamely, Ron's expression softened slightly. "And what I said to Remus wasn't right, but he touched a nerve. There was some truth in the things I said and maybe now he will go back to Tonks. No one else needs to know about the horcruxes and what we're doing."
There was a silence between them now. It was full of uncertainty of what to say or do now. Ron's face was no longer red with anger, he seemed to think he'd gotten his point across. Hermione looked lost in thought as she picked at a stray piece of the wood on the heavily aged table that splintered up.
"I think that if I'm right in thinking that Remus will pass the information about where we are to Sirius, that he will be paying us a visit soon." Harry said thinking of his Godfather again. Half of him was hopeful to see him, because he hadn't talked to him since they'd fled the wedding. The other half dreaded being reunited. "He'll probably come to give me a proper telling off."
For as long as Harry could remember, there had been a tension between Hermione and Ron. When they were younger in their first couple years at Hogwarts, he'd simply thought that their personalities clashed against each other. This of course was true, but it was something more than that now. It had been for awhile now, he'd remembered seeing this around the Yule ball when Hermione had gone with Krum.
Ron and Hermione had feelings for each other, regardless of how confusing they may be between the two of them. Something about the long and dreary road that faced them ahead, had only amplified this. While at Hogwarts or with Ron's family, it didn't seem so apparent. But now that it was just them three stuck in Grimmauld place, it left Harry overly and awkwardly aware of this.
All three of them had shared the living room together while sleeping when they'd first arrived at Grimmauld place. They thought sticking together was best, for it felt as if Snape was about to burst in at any moment. Over a few days the newness of this wore off, and they began to settle in somewhat. This is when Harry had taken to sleeping in Sirius's bedroom on his own. He couldn't stand intruding upon whatever was happening between Ron and Hermione anymore. More than anything, It left him missing Ginny greatly, and desperate to contact her somehow.
Grimmauld place was hardly friendly to the eyes and dark magic lingered around every corner. Upstairs though, Harry had found the bedroom that had belonged to Sirius when he had lived here. The first time he'd opened the door to this room he'd been met with a happiness he hadn't felt in days. It was like opening a window in a dark room, and meeting a sunny day. It was like suddenly being flooded with light and warmth. For this room was nothing like the rest of Grimmauld place. It was an array of Gryffindor colors and flags. The mass of gold and red left Harry feeling comforted by a sense of familiarity. He'd taken to sleeping on his own in this room ever since.
So here Harry was, up in up in Sirius's old bedroom as usual. It was late in the evening but Harry's head was too full to think of sleep. He couldn't stop thinking of the look on Lupin's face before he'd fled in rage.
That's when the racket downstairs of someone arriving could be heard. Starting with the noise of Moody's trap and followed with the screams from the portrait of Sirius's mother. Harry grabbed his wand from his pocket just in case, but remained seated upon the bed. There were no shouts from Ron and Hermione, and Harry was already so sure of who it was that had arrived. He'd been waiting all day since Lupin left.
"SHUT UP YOU OLD HAG" roared a voice bellow him, Harry smirked as that voice confirmed that it was indeed Sirius who had arrived. He heard more shouting as Sirius silenced his mother's painting and then there was lull in noise. Waiting in anticipation Harry stood up, he wasn't going to go downstairs, he'd let Sirius come to him. Things between Ron and himself had been fine after their argument had blown over. Still, he didn't wish to have him watching when Sirius told him off.
Footsteps could be heard on the creaky old stairs moments later, Harry braced for the impact of an angry Sirius. The door swung open and his godfather swept into the room. Sirius looked healthy, far more so than when he'd broken out of Azkaban, or when Harry had saved him from the veil. He still showed signs of being worn down though. There were dark circles under his grey eyes, and his facial hair was unkempt and shaggy from how he usually wore it.
What Harry noticed most however, was the expression on Sirius's face. He held no trace of anger as Harry had expected, he merely looked relieved. Sirius rushed forward and pulled Harry into a hug, patting him roughly on the back several times.
"Thank Merlin. I was so relieved when Remus told me he'd seen you. Of all places! I was so thick in the head thinking of obscure places you might hide out, I'd never even thought of here." Sirius burst out pulling away and grabbing him by shoulders, before looking him up and down.
"I thought you'd come to shout at me." Harry said in a small voice, a smirk spreading across his face despite himself. After all the ill feelings of loneliness and frustration, a sense of relief was flooding through him to see his godfather.
"I'm not happy about how you lied to me, but I haven't come to have a go at you." Sirius said with a small smirk to match Harry's. He dropped his hands from Harry's shoulders and sat down on the old bed.
"I shouldn't have lied. There's a lot of things I should have done differently. How is… Remus?" Harry asked nervously as he searched Sirius's face for answers before he spoke.
"You've got to understand that Remus is his own worst enemy. When you or I look at Remus, we see a kind hearted man. Remus in contrast sees a monster. He's been shunned his whole life by a large portion of the wizarding community. Sometimes, like when he first got with Tonks, and now with the baby, he tries to pull away before he can be pushed away. You said exactly what he needed to hear, he left to talk with Tonks before I left to travel here." Sirius explained in a thoughtful voice as he looked around the room that once belonged to him.
"I still feel really awful about it. I shouldn't have been so hard on him. It's just been really hard here couped up with no information from the outside world, and he just hit a nerve." Harry said with a sigh as he plopped down on the bed next to Sirius.
"He wasn't happy when he arrived back at my place, but in the end he agreed that you were right. You've got enough to be dealing with, don't worry about Remus." Sirius said firmly. Harry nodded but still felt uncomfortable about it all.
"I feel bad about lying to you, more than anything." Harry said in a quiet voice, moving on the next uncomfortable topic. He didn't need to say it, Sirius wasn't angry with him, but he felt the urge to express this as he no longer wanted to lay awake with the worry of what he'd done.
"You don't need to worry about that either. I've had time to look at it from another perspective after I got over the initial frustration." Sirius said in a rough voice as he suddenly began digging in the pocket of his robes.
He pulled out a piece of red cloth and pushed it into Harry's hands. Looking down Harry realized it wasn't just cloth, but that there was something carefully wrapped within it. Gently he unraveled it and pulled out a chunk of mirror. It was broken but Sirius must have spent time sanding the edges rubbed smooth against his fingers.
"Do you still have your half?" Sirius asked hopefully, Harry quickly nodded.
"Yeah, I've got it in my pouch I carry. It's broken, like yours is, but I still have it. I never thought to use it, I didn't know you still had yours." Harry said feeling stupid now. Two times he'd failed to use this gift Sirius had given him when it would have proven to be most handy.
"Well Mundungus ransacked this place when I was first believed to be dead. Stole a bunch of good of course to pawn off for some cash. I reckon my half got smashed in the process, he seems to have taken the other half too, but the piece left will do." Sirius explained, a harshness to voice as he talked about Mundungus.
"I can't believe he nicked your stuff." Harry said in disbelief. There was an anger rising in him at the thought of Mundungus prowling around the house while Harry was in numb belief that Sirius was dead.
"That doesn't matter anymore, it's really not that surprising that Dung would do it. What matters is that we can communicate while you're on your Journey. The more people in your party, the more danger you're in while traveling. I can help you best from the outside, and if you need me use the mirror." Sirius explained, sounding pleased with himself.
Harry stared at Sirius sitting next to him and was suddenly hit with an overwhelming emotional rush of gratitude towards him. Sirius had made so many changes that he was almost unrecognizable from the man Harry had met in the shrieking shack.
"Oh pick your jaw back up, Harry. Is it that hard to believe that I'd make a rational decision?" Sirius said in fake annoyance, as a smile formed on his face. Harry laughed out loud, it felt like an enormous pressure release to give a genuine laugh after all the anger and sadness.
"Well maybe a little. What are you doing for the order right now?" Harry asked curiously as he handed the mirror back to Sirius who pocketed it.
"The house I bought has been set up as one of the safe locations. Embry and I take other order members in who need a safe spot for a period of time. Remus and I do a little bit of spy work here and there." Sirius explained. Harry felt slightly comforted, that wasn't as much trouble as he had suspected Sirius to be getting into.
"How is the Horcrux stuff coming along then?" Sirius asked suddenly, leaning forward. His face desperate for information as he looked to Harry for answers.
"Well I've been waiting to tell you about this actually, we think we know who RAB is." Harry started to say, as he had been eager to share this information with Sirius about his brother. All this time Sirius had thought his brother had been a death eater when it was looking more like he'd been more on their side then anyone had ever known. He wasn't sure how Sirius would take this news, but it was still a distraction from what Harry didn't want to admit. That he really wasn't too much closer to knowing anything about any of the other horcruxes, let alone where they might be.
"Well, who is it then? I can dig up some information on them for you." Sirius said looking eager for more information.
"Well… you already know him…" Harry said slowly as Sirius's eyebrows raised and his face grew impatient. "It's your brother Sirius, Regulus."
Sirius's face fixed with an expression of confusion as he looked at Harry in disbelief. This clearly hadn't been what he'd been expecting. Harry launched into a story about how when he'd first taken a look around the house he saw Regulus's name on one of the doors. How his initials had been right there, and things seemed to fit. Then about how they'd gained Kreatures trust and gotten the story from the house elf who was searching for Mundungus Fletcher who had taken the locket from Kreacher.
There was a silence between them after Harry finished talking. Harry patiently waited for Sirius to say something. News like what he'd just received took time, and Harry was going to give it to him. Sirius's eyes were bright, and full of emotion when he finally tilted his head and spoke.
"Here all this time I've been thinking Regulus was a coward, slandering his name at any chance I got." Sirius muttered quietly, running a hand through his long hair.
"You didn't know, there's no way you could have." Harry said quietly back to him. He wasn't sure what to say, he'd never had a brother. Briefly he tried to imagine what it would have been like if he found out Dudley had been working in his defense the whole time. The thought was too absurd and he gave up.
"He used to always try and chase your dad and I around in school. Always wanted to be like us whenever mum wasn't breathing down his neck to be a proper Black. Who knew the whole time he'd been on the right side and I hadn't even known." Sirius said in a strange voice.
"Well he'd done the right thing in the end that's for sure. Now we're just trying to locate the locket." Harry said trying to bring Sirius back to the present, for his grey eyes told Harry that he was far away in thought.
"Yes… Yes." Sirius said shaking his head and closing his eyes before looking back at Harry. "When Kreature returns, give me word okay, let me know where it's gone too and if I can be of assistance."
"I will. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to in general. Hermione, Ron, and myself haven't been getting on the best lately. It's been a little tense." Harry said with a sigh as he thought of his best friends downstairs.
"You need to stick close to them even when it's trying to do so. This journey you're on isn't an easy one but you can do it. Remember, the worst distance between people is a misunderstanding." Sirius said in a fierce voice, his eyes still bright. Harry nodded, aware of how Sirius's feeling's about his brother were being related back into their current conversation.
"I've got to be getting back soon, I told Embry I'd back back tonight as we have a meeting with a few order members on an update from all sides early in the morning. We don't see each other as much these days, we don't travel if we can avoid it." Sirius said standing up and smoothing his robes.
Harry stood too, only somewhat regretfully. After all the mess he'd made to keep Sirius away where he was safe, he suddenly found that he wanted nothing more than for him to stay. He'd missed him after all the time they'd spent together after Harry had saved him from the veil. It was a different relationship then what he shared with Ron and Hermione. It was one free from turmoil and judgment for Sirius had grown into the parental figure he'd always needed.
"Safe travels then." Harry said in a low voice and Sirius turned back on him with a smile.
"Thank you for what you found out about Regulus. For two, I just want you to know that you can do this. These hard times are for true gain for the greater good. My faith is with you." Sirius said firmly and he pulled Harry back into a quick hug before heading towards the door.
"Hope you enjoy the decor." He said with a smirk as he gestured at a picture on the wall of a blonde muggle girl in a bikini on the back of a motorcycle. Harry laughed out loud as his godfather swept from the room. There was renewed energy in him, a sense of purpose.