Chapter Twelve: The Grim and the Wolf

Harry hesitated outside the closed door. He was dressed in his amour; khaki shorts, combat boots, and a graphic t-shirt that read 'If You Can't Be A Good Example, Be a Warning'. Sensei stood at his side in quiet support, which Harry felt grateful for as well as incredibly guilty by.

"I'm sorry for leaning on you so much," Harry made a face and dug his hands deeper into the pocket of his shorts. "I don't think I can face another rejection."

Sensei did something he rarely did; he pulled Harry into a hug. Instead of just ruffling his hair in affection, Sensei held him tight. Tears welled in Harry's eyes and he hated it. Somewhere during the last couple of weeks, he'd gone from never showing vulnerability to an emotional wreck. For years, he'd ran on adrenaline. Now he'd crashed and crashed hard. There was no going back. He was a mess.

Instead of being self-sufficient, he now craved someone he could depend on, look up to. While he loved Neville, Ron, and Hermione, they weren't it. Even Neville, who had become something of an older brother to him, an older brother he could tell everything to and receive unwavering support from, it didn't feel right. He supposed he was looking for a parental figure? Was that it? It was obvious Remus wasn't that person, and he doubted Sirius would be either. But Sensei? Ikeda Morinozuka felt like family, something solid. Dependable. What did that mean? Could he depend on the feeling in his gut that told him to trust Sensei with more than his life?

It didn't matter. He was in no state to be throwing himself at people hoping they'd protect him from the world. That ship sailed the moment Voldemort attacked his family. He was doing okay. He had more than most, didn't he? He had the people at Potter Corporation, the goblins, and yes Sensei at his side. They were all oath bound to him and literally could not betray him. That was enough. Besides, a seer had told him he'd be happy. He would wait and be patient.

Harry stiffened in Sensei's arms and pulled away from the embrace to see Sensei staring down at him with serious, dark eyes.

"You're a good kid Harrison Potter. It would be easy to become what people expect, or what they're pushing you into becoming, but you're not. I know it's hard. I am proud of you for being strong enough to be you on your own terms."

Harry's eyes shined. "Thank you."

Taking a deep breath, Harry squared his shoulders and pushed open the door to the private hospital room. Sirius Black lounged across the sofa underneath a window talking animatedly to Remus Lupin. On the table before them were copies of the Daily Prophet, Witch's Weekly, and the Quibbler. The cover of the Daily Prophet had a picture of Harry in wizard robes while the headline read 'Lord Harrison Potter, the-Boy-Who-Lived, Turning His Back on a Hogwarts Education'. Both men looked up when the door opened. Sirius jerked upright upon seeing him. The man stared at him through sunken eye sockets as if he were a recovered alcoholic seeing his first bottle of fire whiskey in years. It felt weird for Harry to be under a gaze that intense.

Uncomfortable, Harry lifted his hand and waved. "Umm, hi. I'm Harry."

Sirius jumped up, raced across the room, and gathered him in his arms, hugging him hard. Harry returned the embrace startled at how emaciated Sirius was. The man looked like pictures he'd seen of recovering holocaust survivors.

"I'll let you two get reacquainted in peace," Remus rose from the chair he'd sat in, a sad smile on his face.

"You can stay," Harry said somewhat gruffly, swallowing his annoyance. It would be mean to make the man leave. Remus hadn't seen Sirius in years, but Harry still found it hard to trust the werewolf after what he done.

Remus smiled gratefully before sitting back down. Sirius let go of him and led him to the sitting area casting curious glances at Sensei.

"Sirius, Remus this is Ikeda Morinozuka, he's head of my personal security detail and one of my tutors. Morinozuka-sensei, these were two of my father's best friends Remus Lupin and my godfather Sirius Black."

Sensei bowed to them and went to stand by the door. After they exchanged greetings, Harry looked at Sirius with concern.

"How are you? I would've come sooner but I figured you'd need a few days to adjust and I was a little worried on how you'd take me." He shrugged. "People have some weird image of what I should be like in their head, and I'm never like what they'd expect."

Sirius and Remus exchanged dark looks before Sirius jumped up and sat beside Harry enfolding him in his arms as he whispered. 'I am sorry, I am sorry' over again and again.

"Why are you sorry?" Harry asked dumbfounded. This was not how he'd expected the visit to go.

"Harry, what do you know about dementors?" Sirius asked instead.

"They guard Azkaban."

"But do you know what they are?" Harry shook his head. "Dementors are dark creatures. The reason they're restricted to Azkaban is because they feed off the joy and happiness of humans until all you feel is depression, loneliness, and despair. Happy memories disappear and you're left with the worst moments in your life that cycle continuously in your mind. Most people die after their first year inside Azkaban. For me, one of my worst memories is not arguing with Hagrid. I should have stayed and fought Hagrid instead of running off to catch the traitor, but I assumed . . ." He paused and sighed. "In any case, it's a moment I've regretted every day. Even more since I've learned about the life you lived. I can never forgive myself for what happened in the past and only hope you'll forgive me enough to let me be a part of your life."

"I'd like that," Harry said softly.

Sirius beamed and hugged him again. "Thanks Harry, besides you're too serious and need some liveliness in your life."

Harry groaned. "Can you at least wait until you're out of the hospital and recovered before pranking people?"

"Of course Pup," Sirius bumped his shoulder playfully. "So tell me what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much," Harry began. Determined to keep the conversation light, he talked about the revising he'd done in preparation for his placement tests as well as the time he'd spent getting to know Neville. But, he mostly spoke of Castle Potter, Jouri, and how amazed he was by what Jouri had down with the estate. How Jouri had made the castle one of the top tourist attractions in the world and about all the Potter family history, he'd learned. He was reading his grandfather Charlus's journal now. He asked them about their memories of his grandparents and Potter Hall. He spoke of the renovations to the Hall and how wicked it had been to find the vehicles in his family's vault. Sirius was a fountain of information. He'd been fascinated by muggle transportation as a child and had spent a lot of time with around Granddad Charlus's collection. He knew a lot about the history of the collection and Granddad's favorites. Sirius helped him narrow down what to keep for his own amusement and what to use for the museum. With Sirius's help and the inventory sheet Harry had inside his backpack, they decided to focus the museum on the vehicular history in England while keeping the rest of the vehicles for himself.

Harry loved listening to Sirius. Now that he'd met the man, his worries of being neglected felt silly. He was just as his father had described him, loyal and fun. He had a wealth of information about Granddad Charlus who Sirius had idolized. Grandpa Charlus and Grandma Dorea had his dad when they were in their 50's and 40's respectfully, so granddad had been born in the first couple of years of the twentieth century at the beginning of the vehicular boom. From what Sirius had said, and from what Harry had learned so far from his journal, Grandpa Charlus had been as muggle crazy as Arthur Weasley. He used his obsession with muggles to fight in World War I, fight Gellert Grindelwald during World War II, and found Potter Corporation. Remus remained silent during their conversation only giving an occasional comment here and there, watching with a pleased smile on his face. After about two hours, Harry stretched and sat up.

"I better get going, I have lunch plans. If it's okay, can I come back in a couple days?"

Sirius hugged him. "Of course pup, I'll always want to see you."

Harry hugged him back, waved at Remus, and walked out the door frowning slightly when Sensei stayed put. Outside, he withdrew a piece of flesh colored string from his backpack and stuck it under the door. The string was part of the package of inventions the twins had sent him. Harry crowed in triumph when Sensei's voice magnified as if the man stood next to him. The twin chuckles he heard from across the hall let him know it was shift change for his guards.

"Lord Black, I hope you see now why it's imperative you stop whining about your long hospital stay and treatment so you can begin making a full recovery? As you saw, Harry is very fragile now and does not need half a man in his life."

Sirius sputtered. "Who has given you access—"

"My priority is to protect Harry, Lord Black. To ensure he grows up safely and happily," Sensei said cutting across Sirius. "A responsibility both of you failed at. I will not. Harry is a very forgiving person. I am not. Fail him again and I will rip you to shreds faster than you can say Marauder. Understood?"

"Scary," one of his guards quipped while the other grunted in agreement.

Harry pulled back the string and stood, a warmth stealing inside his heart. Maybe Sensei really did liked him. Maybe he didn't stick around because of the oath he took. Takashi did say Sensei had never brought another client to the compound. That was important, wasn't it? He wanted Sensei and the guards to like him for him and not because of their oaths. Luna was right; he had to get to know them. Deep in thought, Harry walked to the elevators concentrating on losing his Harry Potter persona and going for a random teenager on the street look. When the elevator slid shut, his hair was long, dark auburn, and held back in a ponytail with straight bangs covering his forehead despite having the scar removed. It was habit now.

"Are you coming to dinner Friday," he asked his men.

"Yes, my wife is excited."

"As is my son. With him being a squib it's good he feels included around magicals without being uncomfortable, so the dinner and camping trip are amazing ideas."

"Camping?"

"I think Boss Man meant it as a surprise, Chad."

"Really, it's on the calendar."

Curious, Harry retrieved his schedule and saw he was going on a seven-day hiking and camping trip along the West Highland Way, a ninety-six mile walking trail from Milngavie to Fort William in Scotland the day after he completed his testing. Harry beamed.

"This is awesome. Does the magical world have camping stores?"

Chad chuckled. "You're like my son. Yes, there are magical camping stores."

Harry looked at his watch and saw he had almost an hour before he needed to meet Tonks and Kingsley. He beamed.

"Okay guys come into reality so I don't look stupid talking to myself. We're going shopping!"

A second later a male around Bill's age with short blond hair in a military buzz cut and muscular build stood on his left while an older, bald gentleman who was lean and wirily with sharp gray eyes was on his right. He grinned.

"Sean," the man on his left nodded. "Chad," the man on his right did the same.

"Cool, let's go." Harry dragged them to the floo on the ground floor of St. Mungo's before he realized he had no idea where to go.

"The Leaky Cauldron has public floo access, we can start from there," Chad said.

Harry beamed and stepped in the floo. Fifteen minutes later, he stared wide eyed at the magical tents surrounding him. He goggled when he saw a ten-bedroom mansion complete with a garden. Who went camping in that? In the end, he picked a tent that would blend in with the muggle world, while still being completely magical. His tent, a brown and green nylon was in actuality a four bedroom flat complete with a master suite another full and half bath, a fully stocked chef's kitchen that came with a contract for food to appear in the fridge and pantry, and a large living room. Harry was in heaven. He also brought a backpack for hikers with expansion and lightweight charms on it, snacks, self-filling water bottles, first aid kit, two pairs of hiking boots that promised no blisters, walking shoes, rain gear, sunscreen, hats, and clothes.

"This is going to be great. Is your wife coming or will it be too much for her?"

Sean snorted. "She decided to spend the week at the spa. Rachel's a girly girl, not that much into camping, even of the magical variety."

"Do you think I got everything?" Harry fretted. "What did you and your son get?"

"You're fine. Rich and I camp a lot, so we're already equipped. America has some great sights and I own a motorhome. During my vacations, my son and I always spend a month driving around camping. In the states, schools get out at the end of May or the first week of June so we had two months of just him and me wandering across America before I moved here."

"That sounds awesome, where does your son go to school?"

"He goes to a boarding school for the arts in Michigan," Chad's voice was filled with pride. "He's back their now for an advanced musical theatre workshop. Rich is a drama major and very excited I'm here in England. One of the schools he wants to apply to next year is the Royal Academy. It's hard getting into though; they only accept twenty-eight students a year."

"Wow, he must be good."

"He is but I'm biased."

Harry paid for his purchases and walked out of the shop towards the café where he was due to meet Kingsley and Tonks. Sean and Chad went back to being invisible. He had just arrived when Kingsley and Tonks rounded the corner. They both stopped and gaped at him. Harry grinned, removed his ponytail holder, and shook his hair out grinning.

"Sexy, huh?"

They laughed and hugged him before sitting down and ordering their food.

"I see the transformation worked. What else have you been up to this week?" Kingsley asked.

"I'm going camping!" Harry literally bounced up and down in his seat with excitement. He explained about the trip and how much fun it was going to be despite the fact that Sensei was probably just testing his endurance. He showed them his purchases and gushed over every item.

"It sounds like fun," Kingsley said wistfully. "It's been years since I've been hiking, not since my father died."

"Wanna come? We're leaving Tuesday and will be back the following Monday. It'll probably be just Sensei and I in my tent and it has four bedrooms. Sean is staying with Chad and his son. I am not sure of the others, but you should come too! Tell Madame Bones, you'll be spying on my guards. Maybe you'll even get a paid vacation out of it."

Kingsley's laughter rumbled around the café. "Are you sure you weren't in Slytherin?"

"I was supposed to be but I was brainwashed into thinking Slytherin was evil so I convinced the sorting hat to place me somewhere else."

Tonks giggled. "Me too. Mum was in Slytherin, but I didn't want the hassle of being taunted for being the daughter of a supposed blood traitor."

"See that's why I think the house system is bogus."

"I saw your article, it was great Harry," Tonks said. "It's got everyone talking and thinking."

"But not Dumbledore. I don't think he'll ever admit he did wrong. He's going to get off, isn't he?" Harry asked resigned.

"Yes." Kingsley said. "He placed you with the Dursleys, but with the suspicions against Sirius and the fear of retaliation from other Death Eaters after the fall, it seemed reasonable for him to declare himself your magical guardian. He'll take a hit for not checking on you or notifying you of your place in the wizarding world. He's claiming he was so busy with the reconstruction and his other responsibilities that he regrettably allowed you to slip through the cracks. He says he assumed that with Petunia knowing about the wizarding world she would've kept you informed. She or Mrs. Figg, who is a squib he placed in your neighborhood to spy on you. As for what happened in Hogwarts, he's two slippery for that. How many times in the last two years has Dumbledore spoken directly to you, three, four?" Harry nodded and sat back in his seat with a scowl. "So he'll get a warning and the board will get a little more authority to sweep in make changes. Gringotts will bar him from the bank but the Wizengamot will see the withdrawals as reasonable if not ethical. What this will do is to stop everyone from seeing him as some icon whose orders they should blindly follow."

Harry sighed. "I suppose that's something." He glanced at Tonks. "Have you seen Sirius?"

Tonks snorted. "As if I could keep mother away. I've never seen so many Blacks in the same room together. It was epic. Mother, Narcissa Malfoy, and Sirius were snapping at each other with unparalleled skill. No shouting, just cold calculated jabs destined to flay the skin off us lesser mortals."

Harry frowned. "I thought you're mum got along with Sirius."

"She does, he's her favorite person in the world. Doesn't mean she's not pissed he was stupid enough to get himself if locked up for twelve years. Her words not mine." Tonks features morphed into a regal woman with black hair and an imperious manner and her voice became higher, colder as she began to screech making the other diners stare warily. "As a Black, you should've known better, Sirius Orion. Are you stupid? Did every lesson we had as children reach that rotten mass of muscle you call a brain? I know a lot of the pureblood bigotry was nonsense but that was only a small portion of what we were trained in, Sirius. Look at what your foolishness has cost the Black family. Thanks to you and Voldemort, we are nothing compared to what we were. And it's your fault, you reckless idiot." Tonks parroted in imitation of her mother, making Harry smile. Tonks returned to her normal self. "They fought because Mum and Aunt Narcissa demanded he take over the Black Lordship and he refused."

"Why not?"

"He didn't have a pleasant childhood. The Blacks were masters of dark magic and pureblood snobs. Memories of his family were bad even before he went to Hogwarts and had the misfortune of becoming a Gryffindor instead of a Slytherin. But I agree with Mum and Aunt Narcissa, he needs to take the reins for our family's protection."

Harry frowned thoughtfully. "Everything boils down to what house you get sorted into, it's ridiculous. Did they convince him to change? He can make new memories."

"Yes, she finally pounded sense into him. It helped that Remus was there. Mum says he was always able to make Sirius see reason." Harry flinched but Tonks caught the gesture. "Remus told me what happened with Dumbledore. I don't think he'll ever forgive himself. To him Dumbledore is the man who overlooked him being a werewolf and allowed him into Hogwarts. Then Dumbledore gave him a job when it was impossible for him to get one in the magical world."

Harry snorted. "That's crap. He could've walked into Potter Corporation and gotten a job anytime. My parents had tried to help him before they died and Jouri was under orders to hire him the moment he showed up."

Tonks sighed. "Remus is proud Harry. To him, James Potter was his friend not someone to mooch a job off of."

"Is that a stupid magical thing? In the muggle world, most people get their jobs from friend and family referrals. It doesn't guarantee you the job, but gets your foot in the door. His self-deprecation and lack of confidence in himself is annoying. He is a powerful wizard who aced his OWLS and NEWTS, own up to it." Harry's eyes lit up as he looked up at Tonks. "You have a crush don't you?'

Tonks hair turned bright red, Harry laughed.

"Well you're going to have to be the aggressor and be prepared for months of I'm a monster, I'm not good enough for you tripe."

Kingsley snorted and even Tonks smiled.

"Brat. By the way, Mum ordered me to tell you to come to dinner one night when Sirius is out of the hospital. Sirius made you his heir before he went into Azkaban and since he's now Lord Black, you're the Black Heir until Sirius has kids. He's going to stay with us until he figures out what's going on with the Black finances and properties."

"Wait, I'm the Black heir? How?"

"It's kind of murky. It's between you and Narcissa's son Draco. Draco has the more direct connection being the grandson of Mum and Narcissa's father who was heir to the secondary line, but you're claim is strong because despite being a woman, your grandmother was born into the secondary line ahead of Grandfather Cygnus and Sirius claimed you as his heir. A big hint that the family ring would pick you over Draco is you inherited Black family magic, while Draco to my knowledge hasn't. It's confusing, but it looks like you're stuck with us Blacks. So, shall I tell Mum, you said yes to dinner or would you like her to storm the castle to drag you there?"

Harry laughed. "I'll be there, just send me an owl."

After lunch, he looked at his two shadows. "Do you think Sensei likes men? Don't you think he and Kingsley would make a good couple?"

Laughter was his answer.

Harry and Sensei had developed a routine. Harry would help make dinner, which was always an awesome culinary experience. While they worked, Sensei would teach him a few words in Japanese and a little bit about the cuisine, customs, and culture. It was something Harry looked forward to at the end of the day. However, tonight, the moment he walked in the kitchen Sensei raised an eyebrow.

"Matchmaking?"

Harry shrugged. "He's cool, you're cool. Do you like men?"

Sensei sighed. "Either or, but I do tend to prefer my own gender."

"Awesome. You'll love Kingsley." Harry stopped and frowned. "Luna told me that I'm gay and I'll be married to a guy one day. Do you think she gave me a prophecy?"

Sensei shrugged. "Could be. Prophecy's are a woolly branch of magic. It's very imprecise, that's why seers have a higher chance of going crazy. Even seers who unlike Luna haven't had the misfortune of receiving their family's magic early. The best seers are constantly bombarded with images they have a hard time deciphering. No prophecy is straightforward. Depending on the seer, it's mostly poems, rhymes, or visual clues attached to certain meanings. Like red roses meaning a loved one is coming. From how Luna speaks, I bet her visions come in the form of imagery of magical creatures. Seers can also sense people travelling down many paths in life, not just one. We make the choices that help the seer interpret which path is the one to share with us. Take your prophecy with Voldemort for example. He choose to go after your family to make the prophecy between you and he truth. He chooses to keep coming after you, even now. If he had ignored the prophecy, it would just be another unfulfilled piece of nonsense. We create our own destiny, Harry. Don't let anyone, even a seer, tell you otherwise."

"So, I could not be gay and marry this guy who is going to love me and I'll love in return?"

"You could, but I'm sure she can see your future going down many paths. If you're still worried, ask her what other paths she's seen you take. I'd leave it alone though."

Harry slumped in a chair at the table. "How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That you liked men."

Sensei came around and sat down across from him. "For me, since I'm bisexual, it was always about the person. The type of person they are, the connection I have for them, or even how attracted I am to them. It varies, from person to person. You're still young Harry. Sometimes it can take years for someone to figure out and be comfortable with their sexual identity. You're only thirteen and you're overthinking it. It's not a concern now. You'll figure it out."

"What about you? Do you think you'll like Kingsley? I want you to. You need to have a life outside of this assignment."

"You're more than an assignment to me, Harry."

Harry beamed. "I love you too, Sensei. Now can I show you everything I bought for our trip?"

Sensei laughed. "After dinner, go wash your hands and come help."

"Spoilsport."

"Brat."

*I hope everyone had a good week. My internet was down for a few days last week. The horror! Apparently my internet provider turned it off because they forgot I was a customer and lived where I'm at. Of course, the didn't forget to not send me a bill which I received the day before they shut it off. And even though it was their mistake, it still took them several days to send someone out to turn my line back on and rectify the problem. As you probably noticed I was not a happy camper.

*On another note. I've noticed that I haven't been receiving my mail from fanfiction alerting me to new followers, and notices from stories I favorite or follow. Has anyone else noticed that? Or is it just me?

*On a happier note. The sequel is progressing slowly but surely. A little teaser is I was looking in on places for Harry and Haruhi to hang out and bond over and found out about this place in Japan that serves this weird sundae combination. It's homemade ice cream, over freshly fried potato chips and the whole thing is drizzled in chocolate. Okay, as I was reading about that, I thought, that sounded nasty and weird as all get out. Funnily enough. . . . A couple days later, I'm pulling out ice cream in my freezer and as I'm looking at it, I'm also looking at a bag of Lays potato chips sitting on my counter. I'm like what the heck. I pour the chips in my bowl, crunch them up, put the ice cream over that, then drizzle it in chocolate sauce. OMG! Where have I been all my life that I have never tasted something sooo divinely perfect. Try it seriously, especially when you get a perfect spoonful of the satiness of the chips, the sweetness of the icecream, and the richness of the chocolate. Perfect.

*Okay, I've rambled enough on things you don't give a crap about. I do not own Harry Potter or Ouran High School Host Club. I am self editing and all mistakes are my own.