Chapter 7 – Padfoot and Moony

Sirius Black closed his eyes wearily after the visitors left his room at St. Mungo's. Remus had taken him there immediately after Peter was captured and Sirius' own innocence proclaimed. The Healers wanted him to stay in hospital for the next two weeks to receive nutrient potions, as well as additional potions and therapy to restore the degradation to his muscles, bones and nerves from the years of Dementor exposure and meager meals.

Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Senior Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt had just left. They took his statement using Veritaserum and consented that the interrogation be under his Healer's supervision. As Madame Bones explained, "This is purely for the official record. Pettigrew already confessed to everything, but we want to be sure that nothing falls through the cracks again."

He had to smirk at the tall black auror who accompanied the DMLE Head. He and Shacklebolt had been in Auror training together before he was imprisoned, and he remembered him as tall and skinny. Now the burly man was an imposing Senior Auror. He shook his head at Bones' offer to reinstate him in the Auror program when he recovered if he was still interested. That had been a lifetime ago and he had other priorities these days.

"Thank you Madame Bones, but more than anything I want to find my godson. He's the most important thing in my life now that I know Pettigrew has been caught. I should have been there for him for the last twelve years and we have a lot of catching up to do."

He lay in the bed and pondered the other point she mentioned to him; that someone in the United States had just begun questioning his trial or lack thereof when everything had come out. Why would someone out of the country care about his imprisonment?

The door to his room opened and Sirius looked up expecting to see a Healer, but was surprised to see garishly bright robes and a long silver beard. Even in his Dementor-stressed mind, he could immediately recognize Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and leader of the Order of the Phoenix.

"Sirius, my dear boy, I am grateful to see you alive and on the road to recovery." His normally cheerful blue eyes appear somber as he continued, "I know you will never be able to forgive me, but please let me offer my deepest and most heart-felt apology for everything you endured. The idea that an innocent man suffered as you did shreds my conscience and keeps me awake at nights. There is no excuse that I can offer, but I hope that at some point you will find it in your heart to permit me to make some sort of restitution."

Sirius snorted and then a half smile tugged at his lips. "Fudge already offered 'restitution'. He promised one hundred thousand galleons for each year I was imprisoned. From what I read in the Daily Prophet, it was through 'dogged determination that he fought through layers of secrecy to find the truth.' Has the man always been that much of an arse?"

Albus gave a small smile and was diplomatic in responding. "He is a confirmed politician, I would say."

Sirius' grey eyes met the elderly wizard's blue ones. "If you really want to help Headmaster, you can bring my godson for a visit. I saw him for a few minutes this summer before he got on the Knight Bus, and waited for him to get home again, but haven't seen him since."

The blue eyes dropped and the Headmaster's shoulders dropped. "The one thing you ask of me, I can't grant."

"Why not? It doesn't even have to be during his classes! Just bring him after class."

"I'm sorry dear boy, there is nothing more that I would like than to bring Harry to see you, but the truth of the matter is that he didn't return to Hogwarts this term. He elected to attend another school."

Sirius blinked in shock. "Harry Potter not at Hogwarts? But…James and Lily would have a fit! Where is he? Why did he leave?"

"Mr. Potter had some difficulties in his first two years and decided it was in his best interest to attend another school. I have to admit that I contributed to his decision." The old man gave a heavy sigh. "After his parents died, I thought the best place for him would be with Lily's sister. I thought she would raise him as her own son, but it wasn't an ideal situation for him. In addition, after he arrived at Hogwarts, I forgot I had placed mail wards on him to protect him from remaining Death Eaters. When he discovered them, he was not pleased with me."

"Well, what school did he go to? Beauxbatons? Please don't tell me Durmstrang!" He would hate to think of James' son being taught the Dark Arts at Durmstrang.

"The boy chose not to release the name of his school, but based on clues he left, I think I can narrow it down to one of the schools in America. He mentioned both Muggle and Wizarding classes, and was interested in year-round classes."

Sirius sighed heavily and sunk deeper into his pillow. "So I guess I'm going to America to look for him when I get out of here."

Albus laid a reassuring hand on the exhausted man's shoulder. "You can reach him with a letter, dear boy. Considering your relationship, possibly he will give you more information that he gave me. You might be able to convince him to permit a visit; perhaps both you and Remus. I'm sure he would like to hear about his parents from their best friends. If at all possible, I would like to apologize to the child in person and make certain he knows he's always welcome back at Hogwarts."

Albus left soon after the discussion and Sirius fell into a troubled sleep. Later that night, he agonized over a letter. He needed to get in touch with his godson!

OoOoOoOo

Harry groaned as his mail box's flashing woke him up in the morning. Since the beginning of September, Mr. Stillman had intercepted more than a dozen letters with tracking charms, mostly from reporters asking for interviews about why he left Hogwarts. He had forwarded those to Anarosa, who had several plans for "managing the dissemination of information" about him. He thanked Merlin and Morgana regularly that Elias had such a wonderful cousin.

He heard hissing from Xolotl's cage about the muted flashing and stifled a chuckle. The lizard acted like it was royalty and they were all there to cater to him, especially Elias, whom he saw as a favored servant.

He glanced at his roommate's bed, but he appeared asleep with a pillow over his head. With a grin, Harry opened the incoming mail side of his box. He didn't recognize the hand-writing, but then he rarely did these days. He was slightly depressed that it still wasn't Ron's untidy scrawl on the envelope. With a sigh about his former best friend, he opened the latest envelope, wondering what the writer wanted.

Dear Harry,

I know you won't remember me, but your parents named me as your godfather. When you were a baby, you called me "Pa'foo" because my animagus form is a large black dog named Padfoot. You were smart even as a baby! James and Lily were so proud of you!

I know you must be wondering where I've been for the last twelve years. The truth is, another so-called friend of your father's betrayed them to the evil wizard who was responsible for your parents' deaths. When I figured out who betrayed them, I went after him. He cut off his finger and cast a Confringo that hit the street and then escaped in his rat animagus form. Remus thinks the Confringo must have hit a Muggle gas line, because half the street blew up and a dozen Muggles were killed. Since only his finger was found, they thought I had killed him as well as all of the Muggles. I was thrown in Azkaban for what the rat did. The truth finally came out and I am now a free man.

I'm in hospital at the moment recovering from Azkaban, but very much want to see you again. I saw Dumbledore and asked him to let you visit, but he said you left Hogwarts. Your parents designated me as your guardian, so I want to make sure you're all right and have everything you need. I also want to offer you a home for the summers and holidays.

Please let me know when I can come visit and to where. I would love to tell you all about your parents and learn all about you. Do you like to prank? Do you like to fly? Do you prefer to read? Your Mum loved Charms and Potions while your Dad loved Transfiguration and flying (when he wasn't pranking others).

Your Godfather,

Sirius Black (Padfoot)

P.S. Another friend of your father's would also like to see you. He used to call you "his cub" and you called him "Moo-ey" although his nickname was really Moony.

Harry sat back as thoughts danced across his mind at a furious pace. He knew about Sirius Black from Hermione and knew it wasn't the man's fault that he hadn't been part of Harry's life growing up. And yet here he was offering Harry a home when not at school when he was barely out of prison. All the youth had ever wanted was to be loved and to be part of a family!

He put the pillows behind his back and pulled out his notebook to write a response.

Dear Mr. Black,

Thank you for your letter. One of my friends told me about the traitor Peter Pettigrew being found at Hogwarts and I'm happy to know that you've been freed. I hope you are well on the road to recovery from that horrible experience.

At Hogwarts, I liked flying best. I was a Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team in my first year; the youngest Seeker in a century from what I was told. I liked Charms and Transfiguration OK, but hated Potions. That was mostly because of the professor though, because now I'm learning to like it. I have a very full schedule this year, including Battle Magics, Botany (Herbology), Charms, History, Latin, Mathematics, Music Appreciation, Physical Education, and Transfiguration. My classes can run sixty minutes, ninety minutes or two hours, depending on the class. They also start Arithmancy in First Year here, so I'm being tutored once a week to help me catch up in time for next year.

I haven't been much of a prankster, and certainly nothing like the Weasley twins at Hogwarts. They're wickedly brilliant that way. But my new Transfiguration teacher says every time you learn a new spell, you should try to think of half a dozen ways you could use it. Maybe I'll try to find a prank for one of my six ways. I would love to hear about some of the pranks you and my father played while at school, as well as what you did after completing your NEWTs.

Let me get back to you on when we could meet. I'll have to set something up. In the meantime, I hope you write again and look forward to meeting you.

Your godson,

Harry

Harry copied Black's original letter and his response for Anarosa, and asked for her recommendations on how to proceed. He heard Elias starting to move around in his bed, so quickly grabbed his clothes to get the shower before his roommate.

Meals were much noisier now that all of the seventh through ninth graders were back at Blair House. He selected waffles, sausages and orange juice from the menu and received it quickly along with the morning nutrient potion. He had one more week on two potions a day, then one month on the single potion and he would finally be done.

As he was eating, he heard a pop and then a high-pitched voice by his elbow ask "Mr. Harry Potter?" A small green house elf stood near him. He quickly swallowed and said, "Yes, I'm Harry Potter. Who are you?"

A broad smile lit the small face. "I am Trixie, sir. Master Healer Masuto asked me to give you this." She handed him a folded paper, bowed and popped out.

Harry opened the note curiously, aware that his table mates were watching him inquisitively. "Harry, please stop by the clinic after classes to discuss the blood work we started in July." He blinked in surprise. He had totally forgotten that the Healer had been interested in the mix of basilisk venom and phoenix tears.

"Healer Masuto is reminding me of a quick check-up after classes" he said to his curious table mates. He folded the note and returned to his breakfast as the others lost interest. They all knew that the Healer was relentless in following up on his charges.

At the end of the day, he walked into the Clinic and waited for the receptionist. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter and Healer Masuto asked to see me this afternoon." In just a few minutes, he was seated in the Healer's book-filled office.

The Healer's gentle smile was reassuring. "Good afternoon, Harry. How are you this fine day?"

"I'm good, sir," answered the young teen politely. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes and thank you for coming so promptly. When we first met, I was curious about the basilisk bite you suffered. You told me you survived because a phoenix cried on the wound, is that correct?"

"Yes sir, Fawkes saved me."

"I ran some tests myself and then had the results confirmed with blood specialists. Firstly, let me assure you that you are in no danger from the combination. In fact, from what we can tell, you may actually have benefitted from it."

Harry frowned in confusion. "Benefited, sir?"

"My original concern was that the basilisk venom might have damaged your veins or organs, but my exam indicated that all damage had been repaired by the phoenix tears. However, you are the only living person to survive a basilisk bite. It is one of the deadliest venoms in existence."

Harry nodded, he already knew that.

"What we believe though, is that the venom acted like an inoculation. Usually, an inoculation introduces a weakened form of a pathogen to help the body develop immunity. In your case, you received an influx of the most deadly venom. While our blood sample was too small for a comprehensive test, it does appear that you've developed an immunity to many venoms and poisons."

He leaned forward and said seriously, "Now I don't want you testing that Harry. We only assessed some of the most toxic strains, and it doesn't mean that you won't have other side effects. But you will likely survive something that would outright kill another person. If you would like, we can do more comprehensive testing. I know several of my colleagues were quite interested in following up."

Harry bit back a groan and shook his head rapidly. "Um, no thank you sir." At the man's surprised look, he added "I'm already known as the only person to survive the killing curse. I got mobbed for it the first time I entered the wizarding world. I really don't want to be known for even more freaky stuff. They would probably start calling me the Boy-Who-Refuses-To-Die or some other stupid name."

The Healer looked disappointed but nodded his understanding. "That's fine, Harry. It's totally up to you."

The young teen relented enough to say, "I'm hoping to take some Healing classes in the next year or two. Perhaps the research could be an independent study assignment then." Masuto chuckled and sent Harry off to dinner.

OoOoOoOo

Dear Harry,

I loved your letter, but please call me Sirius. Mr. Black is much too stuffy for me. Or call me Padfoot if you prefer.

Youngest Seeker in a century! Congratulations! Your father loved to fly as well. When we were in school, the four of us were great friends (before Pettigrew became a traitor). We were known as the Marauders and loved to play pranks. We were all Gryffindors, and although we pranked everyone, we particularly liked to prank Slytherins.

One April Fool's Day, the four of us held a 12-hour pranking contest. James spelled the door to the Great Hall so that everyone who passed through it skipped to their seats and then began speaking in a random teacher's voice. It was hilarious to hear delicate little girls speak like Slughorn or a big husky boy speaking like Flitwick! Peter spelled the suits of armor so that they each declared their undying love for a random student who passed by and followed them around all day, spouting love sonnets. Moony did something to the water in the rest rooms, so that when anyone washed their hands, an invisible dye was applied. The dye was multi-colored and only became visible after a few hours. It covered everything - hand, face, books, walls, homework - totally psychedelic. My prank didn't hit until lunch time. It wasn't anything big or flashy –everyone just turned into dancing kangaroos. Why kangaroos you ask? Well, it was either that or ant eaters, and I thought the kangaroos would be able to disco better. And it wasn't from the food which is what James thought; I had a timed-released spell on each chair, including all of the teachers. I had to swipe James invisibility cloak to do that in the middle of the night a few days before April 1st.

Your father and I both joined the Auror program when we graduated from Hogwarts. We also joined Dumbledore and his group in fighting Voldemort. Your mother was thinking of pursuing her Charms Mastery, but you came along before that could proceed. She was thrilled to have you though and never regretted postponing her Mastery.

I'm doing better, thank you. I still have to gain about four stone, but that will take a while. I hope I'll be able to see you soon.

Your Godfather,

Sirius

Anarosa Diaz placed a brief call to Principal Graham when she received the request Harry forwarded regarding a meeting with his godfather. "Mr. Potter's godfather would like to meet his godson and Mr. Potter is agreeable. However, as you are aware, Mr. Potter is a celebrity in Britain and there have been appeals for him to return to Britain and his former school. We would prefer to use one of the standard family meeting rooms on the Academy campus under the school's formidable wards to ensure that Mr. Potter will not be removed without his consent."

Principal Graham's voice was mildly surprised. "Are you concerned that an attempt will be made, Ms. Diaz?"

"No, but I am following the path of better safe than sorry. The school provides meeting rooms for multiple occasions, and port keys out of the campus are not permitted unless made by an approved staff member. While Harry wants to trust his godfather, I would also prefer to confirm that no compulsions are placed on him, and a supervised and secured setting will help ensure that."

"Very well, as you say we already permit our students to entertain family and friends in secure on-campus rooms. However, we will want a list of who will be attending, as well as confirmation that any visitors are harmless to our students and staff. While we permit the so-called dark creatures on campus, we still confirm that they are safe for the duration of their visit."

Once the meeting was approved, Ms. Diaz and Harry spent time going over questions regarding his parents, Black, and Black's role in the war against Voldemort and his subsequent incarceration before Harry wrote back to his godfather.

Dear Sirius,

Your April Fool's Day prank war with my Dad sounded like a lot of fun. I would have enjoyed seeing it. You blokes had great ideas. I'm sure the Weasley twins would love to meet you, especially as you could be a source of inspiration!

Now to the good news - you've been approved for a Saturday visit from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Please let me know what date works for you. Also, please let me know if you are coming alone or with additional visitors. If with visitors, we need confirmation that they aren't harmful to anyone on campus. For example, a vampire must come with his own blood supply, a werewolf should not visit during the full moon without Wolfsbane, and a Veela must be able to control their allure.

My Principal is going to provide you with an international port key to the school's receiving area as soon as you let me know the date.

I do have some pictures of my folks that Hagrid (Hogwarts Groundskeeper) assembled for me, but if you have others, I would really love to see them.

Sincerely,

Harry

A letter from an enthusiastic Sirius arrived the next morning.

Dear Harry,

I'm very excited about visiting! I will be out of the hospital in another week, so two Saturdays from now will work for me. I can't wait to see you; it's been so long! Well, actually I had a little peek after I escaped from Azkaban. I was in my animagus form and saw you get on the Knight Bus. I waited around until you returned later that day, but didn't see you again after that. But that wasn't a good look, just enough to see that you definitely still had James hair!

If you don't object, I will bring at least one other person. I mentioned Remus Lupin, or Moony, right? You seem to be a bit blasé about werewolves. Is that true? Because Remus was bitten as a child, but two Saturdays will be a week after the full moon, so he would be perfectly safe and you loved him as a baby.

I'll find and bring all of the pictures that I can.

Your excited Godfather,

Sirius

OoOoOoOo

Sirius did not want to enter the old Black family home in London when he left the hospital. He was sure it was not only a filthy mess, but filled with dark artifacts. He took a room at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade to be closer to Remus. It wasn't as busy as Diagon Alley and would let him get used to more people in a gradual manner. He was still struggling with finding the world too big and noisy after his years in Azkaban.

The Saturday they were to visit Harry found Sirius fidgeting all day. They wouldn't leave until early afternoon due to the time difference, but he found it difficult to be calm when he was finally going to see his godson after all these years. He kept checking his pocket to make sure the port key was there that Harry forwarded from his school Headmistress.

He was in the restaurant area of the Inn nursing a butterbeer when Remus finally entered. Sirius was on his feet in an instant and halfway across the room when another figure followed his friend in to the building.

"Albus, what are you doing here," he asked in confusion as he joined the two men. He glanced quickly at Remus, who gave him an apologetic shrug.

"Good afternoon, dear boy. You are looking much better than you were the last time I saw you," the older man said jovially.

"Yes, I have a long way to go, but it's getting better every day. It was good to see you again. I don't mean to be rude, but Remus and I need to be going."

"I understand dear boy, and that's why I asked to accompany Remus here. I would like to apologize to Harry in person for any wrongs I may have inadvertently caused him and make certain he knows he's always welcome back at Hogwarts. I certainly don't want to intrude upon your entire day, but wanted to ask to take just a few moments to make that apology."

Sirius frowned at the elderly wizard. "I'm don't know, Albus. I didn't talk to Harry about you; only about Moony coming."

"It would only be for a few moments and then I'll port key right back here. I owe it to the boy, Sirius. I made mistakes and owe him a personal apology." Sirius still hesitated and he added, "Please, Sirius. Let me do this."

With a sigh and a desire to get moving, Sirius reluctantly agreed. He brought out the parchment that Harry had sent him, and once they were all touching it, he said "St. Croix Academy". After the familiar jerk and a brief disorientation, the three men found themselves in a small windowless, but brightly lit room. A single wooden door was on one wall, but a sign flashed briefly getting his attention. "St. Croix Apparation Point". Below that another sign read "Students / Guests please wait for a guide before exiting." A faint hum sounded in the background as the international visitors were recorded.

A tall slender woman with copper colored skin and brown hair opened the door. She raised an eyebrow at seeing three figures. "Good morning gentlemen, I'm Christina Sadler, Mr. Potter's Residence Supervisor. I'm here to guide you to the meeting room as this apparation point is off the campus." She paused and then added, "I believe Mr. Potter is only expecting two men today. May I have your names?"

Sirius stepped forward and bowed, giving a rakish smile, "Sirius Black, I'm Harry's godfather. This is my friend, Remus Lupin, whom Harry is expecting. The other gentleman is Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Harry's former school. This morning he asked for just a couple minutes of Harry's time."

The woman nodded and then cast a Patronus. A silvery loon appeared and flew briefly around the room before returning to Ms. Sadler. "Go tell Ms. Diaz that Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore are here to see Harry Potter." The bird flew off through the wall.

She smiled and then said "Gentlemen, we prefer not to have to confiscate wands from our visitors, so please do not cast any spells without permission of your host, who is Mr. Potter. Now, if you'll follow me, I will lead you to your meeting room."

The silvery loon sped through the family meeting room of Blair House to Anarosa. Christina Sadler's clear voice announced not only Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, but Albus Dumbledore.

"Bloody hell," Harry exclaimed, "what is he doing here? Sirius never mentioned bringing him, only Remus Lupin."

"It would appear that your concern about his unusual interest in you was accurate," Anarosa said shaking her head. "However, this gives us the perfect opportunity to ask the questions about Sirius and Dumbledore's actions and inactions. It's just sooner than we anticipated." She tilted her head as she considered the situation. "Perhaps it will even be more beneficial to have him here to answer them in front of your godfather. The timing may actually be advantageous to us."

"I still don't like it," the young teen complained. "I didn't invite him and he's definitely not welcome. And it's just rude to intrude on my first meeting with Sirius." Even so, he reviewed the questions with Anarosa until a chime announced their visitors.

Harry stood and faced the door, his heart pounding slightly in anticipation. A tall thin man with black hair entered the room and immediately spotted Harry. He stepped forward and started to reach out and then dropped his arms. "Harry," his voice cracked and he had to swallow before continuing. "I'm so glad to see you. You look so much like your father." He hung his head slightly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you pup."

"Sirius," Harry began and then stopped and smiled. "Padfoot." Sirius' head snapped up and a grin started to form. "It's good to see you again." Harry held out his hand, which the older man grasped, only to pull the youth into a brief hug. He released the teen and wiped his eyes quickly.

"This," he said as he pointed to the second man with light brown hair flecked with grey, "is Remus Lupin, also known as Moony". The man's smile reached his amber eyes and he hesitantly held out a hand to shake. He was pleased when the young teen stepped up and shook it readily. "I'm very pleased to see you again, Harry."

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Moony", Harry said with an easy smile. "I've learned to say my N's since we last met."

A soft chuckle came from both men and Remus said, "that's right, you called me 'Moo-ey".

Harry's smile dropped and his face became neutral as he turned to the third man. "Good morning, Headmaster. I wasn't expecting you here today."

Albus had his most benevolent grandfatherly face on as he said, "I do apologize for encroaching on your reunion, my boy, but I asked Sirius to let me take just a couple of minutes to offer you a personal apology for any actions of mine that caused you pain. That was never my intention. I merely wanted to keep you safe in a dangerous time."

"Of course, Headmaster." He waved to the chairs in front of the room's fireplace where a small table held a tea service. "You've met my Residence Supervisor, Ms. Sadler, but please allow me to introduce Anarosa Diaz." He waved his hand vaguely in her direction. "Shall we be seated? May I offer you something to drink?" Albus seemed pleased to be included and quickly accepted a seat. Harry poured a cup for everyone, taking his time to force his nerves to settle.

Once everyone was sipping their tea, Harry took a deep breath and started the plan he had just reviewed with Anarosa. "Sirius, may I ask a couple of questions while Professor Dumbledore is still here? I would be interested in his comments."

"Sure, Pup." The former convict deliberately lounged in his chair, trying not to show the nervousness that he felt in front of his godson and the two strangers.

"I'm struggling to understand why you were imprisoned at all, much less for nearly a third of your life." Anarosa noticed that Albus flinched at the comment. "If I understood the history books correctly, the Headmaster was also the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, so I don't understand how the captured Death Eaters had trials, but you didn't."

Albus sighed heavily and Sirius turned in his direction, letting him answer. "I am afraid that I bear the burden of blame in that tragic event, my boy. I allowed the confusion and turmoil after the defeat of Voldemort to supersede ensuring justice was done. There is no excuse for it and I know I will never be able to repay Sirius for that injustice."

Harry glanced at his godfather and frowned as the gaunt man's eyes became haunted and pained. "Sirius, you mentioned in your letter that besides being an Auror, you were part of an organization actively working to defeat Voldemort, which Albus Dumbledore led. Is that right?"

Sirius nodded, confused about the direction of the questions. He wanted to know about Harry, how he grew up, and whether he would like to spend holidays with him, not regurgitate the past or talk about Dumbledore.

"Well, this is where I'm struggling, Sirius. I find it odd that a member of Professor Dumbledore's own organization didn't get a trial. If everyone in that group believed you guilty, wouldn't it make sense to question you under Veritaserum to see just how far your betrayal went? I mean, how did they know what secrets you shared, what plots and schemes you knew of?"

Remus' face showed dawning understanding of the questions and he turned to look at the elderly wizard with quizzical eyes.

Harry turned to the Headmaster. "Tell me Professor Dumbledore, did you ask the members of your vigilante group to take any loyalty oaths?" Anarosa pointed out those would have helped support Sirius' innocence.

"No Harry, we trusted one another. I understand that you're confused about what happened to your godfather, but there were no nefarious intentions behind it. It was a tragic and horrible mistake."

Harry nodded, but continued asking his questions. "When you suspected a leak, did you at least ask the members of your group to sign a magical contract not to betray the Order or one another?"

"Of course not Harry. If there had been a spy, that would have alerted them and it would have been disrespectful to the loyal members."

The teen finally rolled his eyes and asked, "I supposed asking them to roll up their sleeves was too much for you as well?" Both Sirius and Remus hung their heads at not having considered that with Wormtail.

Harry moved to the next topic. "Headmaster, back to your interest in me and your desire for me to return to Hogwarts, I have a question. Would you tell me whether there was a reason I was never treated for malnutrition while at Hogwarts?"

"Malnutrition!" Sirius was on his knees before Harry's chair in an instant, grasped his godson's arms and searched his face and looked over his slight frame. "Why were you malnourished?"

"Because I wasn't fed much in the ten years before I went to Hogwarts. Why wasn't I treated once I arrived there, Headmaster?"

The blue eyes were no longer cheery, but had darkened somewhat. "Obviously no one realized that you were malnourished, Harry. If we had, we would certainly have treated it."

"No one realized it? After all my trips to the Infirmary? Hmm. Interestingly, St. Croix Academy had me on nutrient potions my second day here."

Sirius' voice got louder, "Harry, why weren't you fed properly? Albus, what does he mean?" Remus' eyes turned more yellow as they stared at the Headmaster.

"Didn't you tell them the story Headmaster? How you left me on my relative's doorstep; relatives who hated magic only more than they hated me? That I lived in a cupboard – which incidentally is where my Hogwarts letter was addressed – and was kept ignorant of the wizarding world by your instructions? Or that I begged after First Year not to return home, but you not only sent me there, it was without any counseling after being involved in a professor's death? Or that I begged again following Second Year after being injured by and killing a basilisk and saving Ginny Weasley from Voldemort's ghost, but was again shuttled home without medical treatment or counseling? And you wonder why I sought another school?"

Remus' eyes turned an eerie yellow and his lips curled back in a snarl as Sirius stood to tower over Dumbledore in fury. "What did you do to my godson! Why was he involved in a professor's death? Why the bloody hell was a basilisk anywhere around him? And why didn't he have treatment!"

Dumbledore unfurled his aura and pushed Sirius out of his personal space. "Harry, I can honestly say that I never intended you harm with my actions. I sincerely believed that while Petunia wasn't appreciative of magic, her bond to family would ensure that she took care of you. I thought if you were brought into the wizarding world before Hogwarts that former followers of Voldemort would attempt to harm you. The mail ward was for the same reason, and after ten years I simply forgot about it." He sighed heavily and stood up, forcing Sirius to take a step back.

"Obviously my coming here today was a mistake. I only wanted to offer my apologies for whatever my part was in your decision to leave Hogwarts and assure you that you are always welcome back. However, my presence is taking away from meeting your father's good friends, so I will return to Hogwarts." He nodded once, "Ladies, gentlemen" and exited the room, quickly followed by Christina Sadler to show him the most direct route off campus.

Sirius looked at the young teen with desperate eyes. "I didn't know, Harry. I swear to Merlin I didn't know. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. My fault, it's all my fault." Emotion wracked the older man and both Harry and Remus helped him sit down.

Harry sent a panicked look at Anarosa who coolly produced a calming drought from her briefcase. She handed it to Remus who held it to Sirius' lips until he drank it. When Sirius was calmer, Harry said quietly, "The past is the past, Sirius. I don't blame you for it. I blame Dumbledore for quite a bit, but I don't blame you. And I would like to get to know you again."

The haunted eyes looked up quickly. "Really? I…I would like that Harry. I know I'm not well yet. I still have pretty dark days, but I'm getting better."

Remus interrupted gently, "You've only been out a few months Padfoot, and most of that was on the run. You were just released from the hospital two days ago. Don't push yourself so hard."

Harry smiled gratefully at the gentle man. At the smile, Remus looked thoughtful and then raised almost fearful eyes to the likeness of one of his former best friends. "Will you also allow me to get to know you, Harry?"

"As long as you don't try to force me back to Hogwarts, I would be happy to know one of my father's friends, Moony. I am curious though, I know why I didn't see Sirius while I was at the Dursleys, but why did you never visit or check up on me?"

"I wasn't permitted." He looked embarrassed as he continued, "Sirius mentioned that he wrote how I was bitten by a werewolf as a child. The wards around your house kept out 'dark creatures' as well as Death Eaters. My condition also prevented me from adopting or having guardianship of children."

Anarosa interjected, "You will find the laws and public opinion more lenient in the States, Mr. Lupin. As long as Harry doesn't mind, the government here certainly won't as long as you either take your Wolfsbane or are in a safe room during the full moon."

The weary man raised his eyes to Harry, awaiting his decision. To his surprise, the boy only said, "That's why you're called Moony? Good nickname. What was my Dad's nickname?"

Remus' mouth dropped opened in shock. Just like that? His condition was being accepted? The cub wasn't turning him away? He was willing to treat him normally?

Sirius chuckled weakly and used a finger to close his mouth. "Prongs, we called him Prongs because his animagus was a stag. I have pictures here somewhere." Sirius started looking through his pockets and then drew out a small book, which he promptly enlarged. Anarosa transfigured some of the chairs into a single couch, where Harry sat in the middle with a photo album on his knees while Sirius and Remus sat on either side, telling him about each picture.

It was a very good morning after all as three shattered hearts began to heal.

OoOoOoOo

Dear Hermione,

I hope you're doing well. How are your classes going? I'm enclosing a copy of my notes from Arithmancy tutoring sessions. Let me know whether it's similar to what you're learning.

Have I mentioned how much I'm enjoying my classes now? I get along with most of the kids in my class. There are two that I stay away from (Tony and Larry) because I think they're smoking something outside of class; they always smell a bit like oily herbs and are a bit odd. Other than that, Rich can be a bit pompous, but at least he's nothing like Malfoy. His father is in the diplomatic corps and he's had to attend a lot of big dinners, so learned how to talk with adults and it doesn't always come across well with kids our age.

I had the opportunity to meet Sirius Black and Remus Lupin this weekend. Believe it or not, Professor Dumbledore had the nerve to come with them uninvited! He said it was to apologize, but when confronted with everything he's done, he just said he never intended to cause me harm and then left.

Sirius and Remus, or Padfoot and Moony as they're also known, brought pictures of their time at Hogwarts and of my folks after they moved into Godric's Hollow. We spent hours talking about what my parents were like.

I feel terrible for Sirius, Azkaban damaged him badly. His emotions are all over the place, but I can see the man he used to be under the pain and anguish. I look forward to seeing him more as he heals. He's thinking of renting a house near my school once he's feeling better, to spend more time with me and also give me another place to go during the holidays. He likes to call me Pup (I think because he's a dog animagus) or Prongslet, because my Dad's animagus was a stag named Prongs. I like him a lot.

Remus Lupin seems nice. He was always soft-spoken and gentle until he got angry with Dumbledore for everything that happened to me. Then I wouldn't have wanted to face him in a dark alley! He could be right scary. What's he like as a teacher?

Oops, Elias is yelling that it's time for breakfast, so I better go.

Talk to you soon,

Harry