I'm sorry!!! I know this took way too long, but I was busy and lazy and writer's block and...well, the main point is I'm lazy. But, here it is. Chapter 8. Thanks to kehlencrow and johnnydicaprio for betaing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything. Do any of us? If you do, is it really in the best interests of humanity? Perhaps you should consider joining a commune. If you live in my home state of Texas, don't forget to vote in 2 weeks. If you live in Ohio...just...just stay home. You've caused enough trouble already.


Sitting with the Dog

The next morning found Remus and Sirius standing in the park across the street from number 12 Grimmauld Place. A light rain fell as the two stared quietly at the house where Sirius had spent the first sixteen years of his life.

"How much longer?" asked Sirius.

Remus glanced at his friend and shrugged. "It shouldn't be long. Harry said he and Bill would be here after breakfast with the Weasleys."


"Are you ready for this?" asked Bill as he swung his bottomless leather satchel over his shoulder.

Harry shook his head. "Not really. Are you?" he responded with a grin.

The idea that Bill was leaving, for what his family still thought to be an unspecified amount of time, would have already wound up Molly Weasley into a tizzy. Both of them stood in front of the main fireplace at Potter Manor, floo-powder in hand, mentally preparing themselves for the coming confrontation.

Harry motioned toward the flickering fire with his free hand. "After you, good sir."

"Right," responded Bill, who didn't spare a glance for the unusual formality. He had become used to some of Harry's eccentricities over the past month.

A minute later, the two of them stood in the Burrow as Molly helped them brush the ash from their robes.

"Bill! Stop fidgeting. You're getting soot all over the floor." She turned to Harry and paused a moment as her eyes flicked toward his scar before welcoming him as well. "You must be Harry. I admit I was a bit skeptical when Bill told me he was bringing you over for breakfast, but it looks like you're really here. Welcome to the Burrow. That's what we call our home, here. Why don't you go out front? I know Ron and Ginny are eager to meet you."

All of this was said as Molly brushed the last bits of soot out of his usual tangles of hair and gave him a gentle push toward the front door. Bill was held back, and the last thing Harry heard was Molly admonishing her son. "I can't believe you brought Harry Potter here! The house is a mess!"

Harry smiled and strode out the front door, stumbling at the sight of Ron and Ginny playing exploding snap at the picnic table. Ron was almost exactly as Harry remembered him from their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express. Visions of their first few years at school before his honorary brother began shooting up in height assaulted Harry. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the past roll over him.

A sudden silence distracted him enough to reopen them. He locked gazes with Ginny. Both of the Weasley children were staring at him, mouths hanging open. Ginny gaped at him for a moment, her gaze flickering between his forehead and his eyes. A moment of realization caused her to squeak and stare directly at the ground. Harry could only see her ears, but if they were the same shade of red as her face, it would be hard to tell where her hairline began.

Ron's reaction was so very Ron-like that Harry thought he was back in his old universe for a moment. After gaping for a moment longer than his sister, Ron quickly stood up and scampered toward him.

"Blimey! You're Harry Potter!" The redhead stopped an arms length away and had some trouble tearing his eyes from Harry's forehead. His childlike, high pitched voice almost made Harry snort with laughter.

"Yep, nice to meet you. You're Ron, right?" Harry held out his hand.

Ron seemed guided by instinct as he grabbed the offered appendage and shook it wildly. "Yeah! Ron Weasley. This is my sister, Ginny. She's not usually this shy. Ginny? Ginny!"

The younger girl finally looked up, her face as red as Harry had predicted. Her attempt at a smile didn't reach her eyes, which were darting back and forth as if searching for an avenue of escape. Harry smiled gently and walked over to her. Reaching down to shake her hand, their eyes met again and Harry saw hero worship warring with humiliation. His plan to try to get her over such awkwardness was about to be put to the test.

"It's really great to meet you two. Bill has been telling me all about your family. I've been wanting to meet you all for a while now." He released Ginny's hand and glanced around at the Burrow and the surrounding property. "This place is brilliant! Is that where you guys play Quidditch?" Harry asked, pointing toward the makeshift Quidditch pitch near the orchard.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Ron. "Do you play?"

"Yep. Bill's got my broom shrunken down in case you wanted to fly around a bit after breakfast."

Harry smiled at the look of pure joy on Ron's face. He knew that joy would increase exponentially when Bill pulled out the other shrunken brooms contained in his satchel.


"What's this?" asked Sirius, who was sitting on a bench in the park across from his, as of yet, unopened house.

"Coffee," Remus answered. He sat down heavily next to his friend and opened the plastic lid, taking a small sip.

They sat in silence for several minutes. Remus contemplated the effect that entering the old house would have on his friend a month removed from Azkaban. Sirius was staring at the cardboard cup pensively, and Remus assumed the former convict was having similar thoughts until he spoke.

"Moony?"

"Hmm?"

"How do you drink this? The only hole is too small to..."

Remus laughed, causing Sirius to scowl at him. He grabbed the cup from him and opened the small plastic flap, folding it over until there was an opening just large enough to sip from.

"Wow!" exclaimed Sirius. Remus handed him back the cup, but twisted and squeezed the top almost imperceptibly as Sirius took it back.

A few seconds later, as Remus was calmly taking a drink, he heard the results of his action.

"Ah! What the hell! Moony! What happened? Merlin that's hot!"

Remus glanced over and saw Sirius brushing the steaming coffee off of his cloak and pants, his face and hands already red from the hot liquid that had spilled all over him.

"It seems that the lid wasn't attached correctly... Do you want me to go get you another one?"

Sirius stood and stopped trying to get burning coffee off of himself and settled for wiping his face off before turning to a smirking Remus.

"You did this."

"Me?" Remus projected an air of confusion.

"Yes, you," Sirius pointed a dripping finger at him, causing a stray drop to land on Remus' pants leg. "Fix it."

"How?"

"Clean me!"

Remus sighed and retrieved his wand from his new wrist holster that Harry had insisted they wear at all times. A few moments and a scourgify later, Sirius' clothes were clean and other than some reddened skin and the pleasing aroma of gourmet coffee, there was no trace of the spilled drink other than the empty cup at their feet.

"It wasn't me Padfoot, sometimes these muggle drinks aren't put together right. That's what you get with a bunch of teenagers working there."

"Sorry, Moony. I'm just a little wound up right now."

"It's fine. Should I get another one? You can come with me and make sure the lid is on tight."

"No," mumbled Sirius as he sat back down. "I'm awake now. The coffee did it's job just fine," he said with a scowl.

He never saw the mischievous smile on Remus' face.


"Minister, Arthur Weasley to see you for your ten o'clock appointment."

"Thank you, Ms. Alton. Send him in." Amelia moved the stack of parchment she had been reading to the side and slid her monocle into her pocket. Arthur Weasley strode in a few seconds later. Amelia rose and walked around the desk to greet him, guiding him into one of her visitor chairs. She then took a seat in the one next to him, causing him to raise his eyebrows.

"Minister?"

"Arthur, please call me Amelia when we're alone. We've worked together for what, now? Fifteen years?"

"Alright, Amelia. What's going on?"

"Well, I'll get straight to the point. I have a proposition for you. We'd like you to head up our new Muggle Relations Department. It would come with an increase in salary, and all personnel and departmental decisions would be at your discretion. Within reason, of course. The only drawbacks are that your hours would certainly increase, as would the workload." She waited for his response.

Arthur stared at her for a moment, then watched as her face turned from serious to slightly amused at his non-reaction. Finally, he spoke.

"What?"

Amelia chuckled. "Arthur, your work for the Ministry has been outstanding since you first started. I think you're being woefully underutilized in your current position."

"Since when does the Ministry have a Muggle Relations Department?" he asked.

"Since now, if you accept the position. Some of my advisors believe that you are the best wizard for the job, and I'm inclined to agree with them." Amelia stood and walked around her desk, picking up a thin folder with several sheets of parchment inside, then walking back to Arthur and handing him the summery of what was expected from the new department. She sat down and waited for him to read the departmental summary.

Arthur opened the folder and flipped through the pages, glancing at some of them a bit longer than others, mumbling to himself.

"Increased participation...muggle/wizard relations...Ten Downing Street...Merlin! Official notification of Muggle government leaders? Amelia, is this real?"

"Indeed, Arthur. Did you read the last page, yet? I think that should be convincing. That is, if you're unsure about assuming the new position."

Arthur shook his head. "No, no. I'd be happy to take the position. Thrilled! I've been waiting for something like this since before I joined the Ministry. Never thought it would happen, of course. Why is it happening, by the way? If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind at all. Questions like that are one of the reasons we feel you'd do well in this position. So many wizards and witches lack the ability to ask the simple questions that would prevent pointless misunderstandings."

Arthur nodded in agreement, glancing down occasionally at the folder in poorly disguised desire to learn more.

Amelia continued. "With some knowledge of how Cornelius ran the Ministry, and the increasing number of Muggleborns and half-bloods that are entering wizarding society, we feel that it is in the best interests of both the magical and non-magical worlds to work together."

He was nodding, his fingers tapping the folder in his lap thoughtfully. "I agree with you, Amelia, but how are you getting this past the Wizengamot? Surely they won't approve such a department with so many pureblood advocates."

"That, Arthur, is one of the reasons we are doing this now. With my election so recent and, I say this with all possible modesty, overwhelming, I have some political capital to spend. At least that's what my advisors say," she finished with a grin.

"Do you know if you have the support you need?" he asked.

"Albus Dumbledore, as well as several prominent Wizengamot members, have already given me their support on this. I don't think we should have too much trouble pushing it through a vote. The fact is, we won't be sharing the full range of efforts that your department will be undertaking until after it's already been established."

Arthur's face changed from slightly shocked to an almost predatory grin. "That's very...Slytherin of you, Amelia. And you say Albus Dumbledore has approved this?"

"He has indeed. He's actually a strong proponent of it. So, do you have any questions? Need time to think this over? An explanation of your new salary and duties in on the bottom sheet in the folder."

He pulled that sheet out and read it through. His eyes widened and by the time he was finished, his head was shaking side to side, unconsciously.

"That much? Amelia, this is almost five times my current salary. I'm already a department head."

"No, Arthur. I don't think you quite understand. This isn't a new sub-department. This is a full department, equal to the DMLE, with sub-departments and offices to be created beneath it at your discretion. You'll also have an honorary seat on the Wizengamot, representing not only your department, but the Muggle government as well. If you agree to the terms, I'll have Ms. Alton bring you a full brief."

Amelia smiled widely at the shocked expression on her subordinate's face. After a few moments, he composed himself and took a breath.

"This sounds amazing. I need to talk it over with Molly, but I don't see any reason why I wouldn't take the position."

"Excellent." She stood and held out her hand to Arthur. He rose as well and took it, sealing his agreement with a shake. Amelia turned toward the door and waved for him to join her. "First things first. We should go visit the Muggle Prime Minister. He's expecting us around ten-thirty, I believe. I've been in contact with him for the past week, and I think by now he is almost comfortable with people walking out of his fireplace."


The rain had finally stopped and Remus had finished his coffee. Sirius, no longer distracted by the throbbing of his scalded hand, had reverted to brooding while staring at number 12 Grimmauld Place. Remus glanced at him occasionally out of the corner of his eye as he tried to come up with a way to distract his friend without injuring him. Again.

Suddenly, Sirius turned to him and spoke. "Don't you find this unbelievable?"

Remus started. "Huh?"

Sirius waved his hand in a circle. "This. All of this. Harry, time-travel, Voldemort?" He sat back and stared back at the house. "It just seems a little hard to...I don't know. It's too bizarre."

"You haven't seen the pensieve memories, yet. Trust me, it's all real. And does Harry act like a ten year old?"

"No," Sirius admitted. "It's still unbelievable, though," he grumbled.

Remus couldn't help but agree. Even Albus had said the same thing during one of their sessions of viewing Harry's memories. Sirius had only known the truth for a few days, and had been told very little about the future not to come.

"How did I escape Azkaban?"

Remus sighed. "I don't know. Harry doesn't really know. You...you died before you could really talk to him about it."

Sirius let out a sharp laugh, though there was little humor in it. "I can't believe Bellatrix killed me! What a miserable death."

"It's better than rotting away in Azkaban."

"Too true. Too true." They were silent for a moment as Sirius contemplated his time in the wizards prison. "Moony, how did I meet Harry?"

"Which time?" Remus asked.

"In his universe."

"The Ministry thought you had escaped to kill him, when you were going after the Rat. That's a memory you should have Albus show you. It was quite spectacular when Harry rescued the two of you with his Patronus."

"The two of us?"

"Fudge had ordered you kissed, and once Harry knew the truth he had to travel back in time with a time-turner to rescue you. I don't think I've ever seen a Patronus that strong. It was about three times bigger than Prongs."

"Prongs?" Sirius was confused.

"When I taught Harry the Patronus charm, it turned out to be a stag. Even before he knew about James' animagus form. It was amazing." Remus breathed out the last part, thoughts of their lost friend brining up his emotions as they always did.

"I don't remember a lot from the last month, Moony, but I remember a big cat. Not a stag."

Remus stared at him, eyes wide. "You're right. He didn't mention anything about that. Something must have happened after the final battle. We'll have to ask him when he gets here."

Sirius slumped back onto the bench. "Whenever that is. Breakfast doesn't usually take three hours, does it?"

"We'll have to take you to the Weasleys' when we get back to England. When Molly is cooking, you want it to last this long."


Four Nimbus Lightnings and their riders swooped to the ground as Molly Weasley clutched her chest. Ron and Harry were laughing in an adrenaline induced fit of giggles while Ginny jumped off of her own broom and ran into Bill's arms shouting "Thank you! Thank you!" over and over. Bill smiled hugely and picked his youngest sibling up and threw her over his shoulder. As the foursome walked up to the house they spotted Molly and started to slow. Bill placed his sister gently back on her feet.

The Weasley matriarch stalked over to her children and guest, a look of fear etched on her face. "William Arthur Weasley! I can't believe you let these children fly that recklessly! I almost had a heart attack watching you four diving around, almost crashing! What would Harry's parents th..." She clapped her hand over her mouth, a look of horror on her face. Ginny inhaled sharply as she looked over to the subject of her bedtime stories for as long as she could remember. Ron stood gaping at his mother, unable to connect the look of regret on her face with the howling rage from just seconds earlier.

Bill's expression went from shocked to angry to understanding in the space of a few seconds while Harry only held his breath and looked at the ground. He did his best not to smile or laugh at the woman he considered a second mother, knowing that she would be chastising herself for days.

The anger was forgotten. "I'm so sorry, Harry dear. I...I just worry."

"It's okay, Mrs. Weasley. Really." Harry looked at her and gave her his best carefree smile, hoping she wouldn't feel too much shame for her words. They were, after all, spoken with care toward a child she had just met. Harry was, once again, awed by the Weasley family's capacity for love.

"Mum, don't worry about it. Harry here is in good hands with Remus and Sirius. He understands."

"Oh, my boy," Molly gushed. "You are so well-mannered. You're welcome here anytime. Maybe you'll rub off on my children. Merlin knows they need some lessons."

"Mum!" Ron and Ginny shouted in consternation.

"Well, you do!" she responded with a small smile. "You two go clean up for lunch. Are you staying, Bill?"

"It's time for lunch?" asked Harry, locking eyes with Bill. They both grimaced and then started laughing at the same time. "Sirius is probably going spare right now. I wonder if they've started hexing each other yet."

"We need to get going, Mum. We're meeting Harry's guardians at Sirius' old house. Should have a while ago, actually." Bill shrunk his and Harry's brooms as the three of them quickly walked back to the Burrow, following the youngest Weasleys who sprinted up the stairs. Bill placed his siblings' brooms on the porch, propped up against the wall, and retrieved his satchel and pulled out six more Lightnings, making a line of eight. His mother gasped.

"What is this? Did you buy brooms for the whole family?"

Bill nodded. "Yep. Even Percy. And you and dad. Make sure the twins get these before you go to the station. And tell them to take care of them."

"Bill..." Molly looked unsure.

"Don't worry, Mum. Money isn't a problem anymore. Minister Bones offered me a new position in the Ministry, and I'm still going to have work with Gringotts. I'll probably be in England more often than not, too."

"Oh Bill!" Molly rushed to him and tried to squeeze the air from his lungs. Harry, standing behind Molly, smirked at his friend's face, which appeared to be turning purple. Bill glared at him. That look changed to a smug smirk as Molly turned and gave Harry the same treatment.

"I'm sorry again, Harry. And please, feel free to come by whenever you want. You're always welcome here."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley! I'd love to."

Ron and Ginny bounded down the stairs and saw Bill and Harry standing next to the fireplace, floo-powder jar in hand.

"You're leaving?" Ron asked.

"Yes, Ronald," answered Molly. "They're meeting Harry's guardians for lunch."

"Oh." Ron looked disappointed, as did Ginny. When Harry walked over to say goodbye, Ron shook his hand. Ginny blushed brightly, but didn't look down and gave him a hug then ran off into the kitchen.

Molly tried not to laugh at her daughter, while Bill coughed to cover his own laugh. A minute later, Harry and Bill flooed to The Leaky Cauldron. They needed to pick up a few things in Muggle London before heading over to Grimmauld Place.


"Moony. It's been almost four hours! Where are they?" Sirius whined.

Remus shrugged in response. "No idea, Sirius. You feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little hungry. Lunch?"

"I think there was a sandwich place next to the coffee shop. Do you want to come?"

"No, I'll stay. They might show up while you're gone." Sirius settled back and tried to find a comfortable position. The tingling feeling that told him his left buttock was asleep had been growing stronger for the past thirty minutes or so, but the thought of dealing with Muggles was a bit too much at the moment.


Prime Minister Samuel Winthrop was having what could only be described as the most bizarre week of his life. On Monday, a large brown owl had appeared at the window of his office at 10 Downing Street. It had pecked at the window incessantly for just over an hour, though he couldn't hear it due to the bulletproof glass. The next day, one of the portraits in his office had disappeared. The frame was still hanging on the wall, and the background was still intact, but the old, unidentified man that had glowered at him since he taken office had vanished.

Wednesday had been perfectly normal when he woke up. After making a pot of tea, Samuel sat on his back patio, enjoying the warm summer morning. The same owl which he had seen at his office then swooped down and perched itself on the chair next to him. His shout, as well as the crash of his chair falling backwards and his teacup shattering, had brought one of his bodyguards running. As he appeared on the patio, gun in hand, the Prime Minister's bodyguard Terrance had confirmed that nothing beyond an accidental chair tipping and tea spill had occurred before turning to the owl.

The owl and bodyguard had stared at each other for almost a minute, neither blinking, while Samuel picked himself up as fast as his sixty year old body would allow. He watched as the owl shook its leg at Terrance. There seemed to be something stuck to its leg. Samuel had a burst of thought relating to owls not normally being present during the day, but his musing was interrupted by Terrance.

"Owl for you, sir."

Samuel Winthrop was not a master orator. However, he was known as a Prime Minister who could think on his feet, hold his own with foreign leaders, and occasionally talk himself out of a political jam.

"Eh?" he asked, glancing between his bodyguard and the owl, which was now hopping along on the table, rattling the teapot.

Terrance walked up to the owl, slowly, and reached for its leg. The owl hooted once, seemed to ruffle its feathers a bit, then calmed down and allowed the younger man to grab the...thing...attached to its leg.

Terrance unrolled the parchment and noticed it was addressed to the Prime Minister. Handing it over, he thanked the owl.

"Are you waiting for a response?" he asked it.

The owl hooted once and, in a burst of brown motion, hurtled itself into the air.

Samuel looked at the envelope in his hands, rubbing his fingers over its rough texture that felt nothing like the bleached, paper cut inducing material they used in his office. Not that they used owls, either.

"What's going on?" he asked, bewildered.

"I can't say, sir. Perhaps the letter..." Terrance trailed off.

"Right. That should be all. Thank you, Terrance."

As his bodyguard left the terrace, Samuel opened the envelope and read the letter that appeared to be from some woman calling herself the 'Minister of Magic.' It stated that he should wait in his office until ten o'clock that evening to receive a message from this 'Amelia Bones.'

That night, he had spoken to a painting. That had been odd enough, but then his fireplace had burst to life with green flames, out of which stepped a woman dressed in some sort of robes and wearing a monocle. She looked to be about his age, maybe a bit younger, and had a small smile on her face.

"Prime Minister Winthrop. A pleasure to meet you. My name is Amelia Bones. I believe you received my owl this morning?"

He stared at her, and then at her outstretched hand, before nodding quietly. Her smiled widened a bit as she dropped her hand and stood in front of his desk. As the two of them sat, Amelia pulled out a small glass bottle of liquid that seemed to alternate between a golden brown and a dark red. It reminded him of cough syrup he used to give his children.

Their meeting had been quite informative. At first he had thought her insane, with stories of magic and a hidden community that existed within their everyday world. After she had pointed out her method of travel, and then demonstrated several minor feats of magic, he had thought himself insane. The 'firewhiskey' she'd brought seemed to help.

Thursday had brought a second visit by Minister Bones, who had instructed him the previous night to tell his staff not to disturb him between noon and two o'clock. During those two hours, she had given him a crash course in the structure of the wizarding government and a short history of the wizarding world. It was a bit much to take in.

The two days after that had brought shorter, if no less unbelievable, meetings between the two Ministers. She had explained her desire to create a department in her government to widen relations between the magical and non-magical worlds. Occasionally she used the word Muggle, which Samuel found somewhat insulting.

Now it was a week after his first encounter with the world of magic. Standing in front of his desk were two people. Amelia Bones, who he was still wary of, the other was a middle aged man with red, receding hair who was looking around the office in wonder, a beaming smile on his face.

"Prime Minister Winthrop, may I introduce Arthur Weasley. He will be the head of our Muggle Relations Department, hopefully starting tomorrow."

Having almost grown used to the wizarding term for what Samuel still considered the 'normal' world, the Prime Minister attempted to take this new development in stride.

"Mr. Weasley, a pleasure." Nodding his head enthusiastically, the red haired man held out his hand, which was taken into a firm shake before the three of them sat down.

"So, this 'Muggle Relations Department.' Do you know how you intend it to be run, Mr. Weasley?"

"Arthur, please."

Samuel nodded. Amelia answered his question for him. "Arthur was just made aware of the department's existence. He'll be hiring staff and organizing his offices for the next week or so. I just wanted the two of you to meet. He'll be our main contact with you and your government. You may think of him as my representative, if you'd like."

The three of them spoke for just under two hours. As Arthur questioned him on the structure of the non-magical government, interspersed with questions about the desktop computer, lamp, intercom and ball-point pens, Samuel grew more at ease. The man's natural geniality and inquisitiveness were hard to dislike, even if some of his inquiries and assumptions were a bit eccentric. His own feelings toward wizards changed from apprehension to curiosity, and he invited the new Director of Muggle Relations to stop by in the next few days so that they could exchange more knowledge.

After they left, Samuel wondered to himself about getting an owl.


Sirius belched loudly. The trio of pigeons that had been fighting over the bread-crumbs Remus had been tossing at them flew off noisily, startling them both.

"Merlin, Sirius. I think you rattled the windows down the street," said a voice from behind their bench.

The two Marauders turned to find the person who had just spoken and spotted Harry and Bill walking up to them.

"Dammit, Moony. I thought I just heard a beautiful woman. I guess it was just Harry. We'll have to get used to that until he hits puberty, huh?"

"I suppose so," said Remus. Harry scowled at Sirius while Bill grinned at the banter.

"So," said Bill. "Are we going to go get the Locket, or just sit around in the park all day? I can go get a picnic ready..."

Sirius stood up and stretched. "We've been waiting here for hours. Where have you been?"

Harry answered his growling godfather. "Playing. I'm a kid, remember?"

"Hard to forget with you being so short," Sirius shot back.

"Sirius..." Remus tried to calm his friend down. Harry grinned at both of them while Bill just shook his head at the sight of a werewolf trying to calm down an ex-convict who was being riled up by a ten year old. And he had thought working with goblins in ancient Egyptian tombs was odd.

The four of them headed across the street and walked up the cracked stairs to the front door of number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Do we need a key?" asked Harry.

"You don't know?" responded Sirius.

"Why would I know? It's your house."

"Well, you've done this before, right?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I wasn't with you...before. Maybe it'll open for you. You are the last Black, after all."

Sirius walked up to the snake styled door handle and pulled. Nothing happened.

"Got another plan?"

Remus spoke up. "Try your wand."

Sirius glanced around, making sure that no Muggles were watching them, before he tapped the handle with his wand. Yet again, nothing happened. He tried several unlocking spells without success before turning back to Harry.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We could call Kreacher. He should respond to you, even if he doesn't like it. You're his master now," said Harry, though he whispered the last part.

Sirius sighed. "Do you know how much I hate that elf?"

"We know, Sirius," said Remus.

"I hate him more than anything, except for my family. And Voldemort-"

"Riddle," interrupted Harry.

Sirius continued. "Riddle, the Rat..."

"Okay, that's enough people for you to hate, Padfoot. We understand you don't like him, but he's probably the only way we can get into the house," suggested Remus.

"Kreacher!" shouted Sirius. A flicker of a curtain from number 13 Grimmauld Place indicated he had yelled too loudly. The four of them waved with fake smiles pasted on their faces until the neighbor retreated. When the curtain closed, a quiet pop heralded the arrival of Kreacher. He looked worse than Harry remembered from his 'old life,' as he had started referring to it.

"Criminal Master calls Kreacher?" wheezed the filthy and stooped over elf.

"Kreacher, open the door so we can get inside."

"Master wishes to befoul his family's home with half-breeds, mudbloods and blood-traitors! Mistress will be ashamed. Such disappointment..."

After reviewing old memories of Kreacher, Harry wasn't surprised by his attitude, which was so different from the Kreacher who had served his own family for fifteen years. Sirius hadn't seen any of the memories of what Kreacher could become, and had only been told a small bit about Harry's future life. Because of this, the combination of a crazed and bigoted house elf and a recently dementor-free Sirius was not pleasant.

"I order you to open this door, Kreacher. Now!" Sirius hissed.

Grumbling under his breath, the elf obeyed his master. Once the five of them were inside, Bill closed the door behind him. When the latch closed, Sirius struck out. He kicked Kreacher with as much force as he could, sending the ancient elf down the musty and filthy hallway, where he crashed into the door of the kitchen with a thump.

"Sirius!" shouted Harry. "Stop!"

The look his godfather had on his face when he turned around was menacing. The three of them couldn't seem to meet his eyes.

"I lived with this miserable excuse for an elf for sixteen years. Every action he's taken, every word he's spoken, gives me good reason to do whatever I can to make him suffer."

Harry took a calming breath as Remus and Bill waited for him to speak. "Fine, Sirius. Just...just wait until we have you-know-what and then you can execute him if you really want to. Please give him a chance, though. He can't help the way he is."

Sirius didn't respond other than turning away and ignoring the elf that was stumbling back toward them with a limp.

"Harry," said Remus. "Where is it? Which room?"

"It's upstairs. Let's go."

They passed a set of curtains in the hallway. Kreacher sidled to their left and ducked underneath the dusty, moth eaten coverings. Harry heard him mumbling and knew that in a moment, things with Sirius were going to get even worse.

"Traitors! Half-breeds! Muggle filth! Who befouls the most noble and ancient House of Black!"

Harry groaned quietly as Bill tried to hold the curtains closed. The magic was too strong for him, though, and they ripped apart to show the portrait of Sirius' mother, Walburga Black. Sirius, somewhat similar to the curtains, was being held back by Remus. Despite his lyncathropically enhanced strength, he was also unable to hold Sirius back.

"My son! Disgrace to the family! You shame your family name by returning here with such foul beasts!"

"Hello, mother," whispered Sirius, dangerously. He raised his wand, readying a curse, before Bill grabbed his arm. Without altering his gaze, Sirius slowly lowered his arm and simply spat onto the portrait. This only caused the echo of his mother to scream louder.

"Come on, Sirius. Harry and I got something that should take care of her. Let's go get the Locket and we'll take care of it after." Bill gently guided him down the hall.

Kreacher had shuffled behind them during the confrontation with the portrait and Sirius turned to the elf as they reached the foot of the stairs. "Kreacher, I order you to stay here. Do not go anywhere. Don't even move. Just stay here."

The elf looked as if it were in pain as it responded. "Yes, master. Kreacher will stay."

"Good. Let's go."

Dust floated into the air as the four of them trudged up the dark staircase. Remus and Sirius illuminated the tips of their wands with a lumos while Harry and Bill kept an eye out for any uninvited guests in the house, be they creature or wizard. Sirius stalked forward in front as they reached the top of the stairs. Harry had to call to him that the room they were looking for was another floor up.

A few minutes later, the foursome arrived in a dank room with a ceiling covered in cobwebs.

"Bill, we should bring Ron here when we get back to England."

Bill was glancing around the room, searching for any sign of traps or defensive spells left by the late occupants. Finding nothing, he turned to Harry and grinned maniacally. "I think that's a splendid idea, Harry."

"What are you two on about?" asked Sirius in a flat tone that indicated he was still frustrated about how his return to his childhood home was proceeding.

"Pranking Ron," responded Harry.

Sirius didn't say anything else, but it seemed like the tension in the room had eased substantially.

Harry approached the drawer that contained Slytherin's Locket and cast a detection spell over it, just to make sure. When nothing registered, he slid it open slowly and motioned for Sirius to hold his lit wand over the various objects inside.

Sitting near the back, half hidden by what appeared to be a Muggle bow-tie, was the Locket. Harry's elation at having found the third Horcrux without difficulty caused him to drop his guard as he grabbed it and pulled it from the drawer, dangling it from his fingers as he turned around to present it to his companions. A grey blur put an end to his joy as Kreacher flew toward him, digging his fingers into Harry's face.

The sudden attack caused Remus and Sirius to pause in shock. Bill, who was used to such unanticipated reactions while removing treasure or relics, reacted immediately as he grabbed the elf around the neck and flung it across the room.

Harry dropped the locket and fell to his knees, clutching his face. Blood seeped between his fingers as Remus knelt down next to him, whispering gently and trying to cast temporary healing spells while simultaneously urging Harry to move his hands. All Sirius could hear was his godson moaning in pain as he turned to his house elf.

Kreacher slowly got to his feet, discolored bruises forming on various parts of his body from his flight across the room, as well as Sirius' earlier abuse. Bill and Sirius had both turned to face the elf, standing shoulder to shoulder, with Remus behind them seeing to Harry's injuries.

"The Locket..." Harry moaned through his pain.

Sirius, Bill and Kreacher all eyed the small golden ornament at the same time. Bill was the first to act, diving toward the Horcrux. Kreacher popped across the room at the same instant, a beat too slow as Bill's hand clutched the Locket in his fist. With a howl, Kreacher waved his hand and then snapped his fingers on both hands, sending Bill into flight across the room before he crashed onto the top of a cabinet, shattering the mirror that sat atop it.

With his back to his owner, Kreacher didn't notice Sirius bend over until his throat was wrapped in the infuriated man's hands. Squeezing as tightly as he could manage, Sirius tried to choke the elf, or break its neck, whichever came first. Kreacher didn't react other than to glare at his master with an equally strong hatred. After a moment of a hate filled staring contest, Kreacher popped away again, appearing at Bill's feet, where the curse-breaker was slowly attempting to steady himself.

The elf began to claw at Bill's pants, scratching at his legs and shredding the cloth that covered his left pocket. Sirius darted over and kicked Kreacher as hard as he could, aiming for his head, but hitting him in his small gut instead. He helped Bill stand, and the two of them backed up to where Remus was still treating Harry.

Bill attempted to cast various containment spells and charms at the house elf, to no effect. Sirius simply sent reducto after reductoat their attacker. Kreacher simply raised his hands, causing the curses to swarm around him, as if in orbit, before they dissipated.

After several minutes of the elf making their strongest attacks completely ineffective, Bill started to sag and sway from side to side. Harry, through his pain and the spell work being done on his face by Remus, recognized that his friend was beginning to suffer from magical exhaustion, which meant his godfather, still suffering from the after effects of more than a decade of constant exposure to dementors, wouldn't be far behind. He grasped Remus' wrist and attempted to stand.

"Help me up," he directed.

"Harry, you're injured..." said Remus, the concern plain on his face.

"I need to get up, help me."

With a sigh, Remus pulled Harry to his feet and helped steady him.

"Sirius," Harry attempted to yell at his godfather, but it came out only a bit louder than a whisper. Regardless, Sirius heard him and looked back for an instant.

"You okay, Harry?"

"Order him, Sirius. Order him!"

Sirius nodded, and with one final curse shouted at his house elf. "Kreacher, I order you to stop! Sit down, now!"

Kreacher had no intention of stopping, even as he knew the magic that bonded him to Sirius was quickly killing him because of his disobedience. However, the power of the order caused him to hesitate just long enough to Harry to cast the necessary spell.

"Deputo per haud misericordia!" he shouted with as much power as he could muster in his state. A glowing red spell that made the hair on the back of Sirius' neck stand straight up flowed from Harry's wand, catching Kreacher directly in the face. The elf shone with a sickly red radiance before he froze in place. With one final glare at the four humans in front of him, Kreacher's head fell from his narrow shoulders, followed by his arms. What was left of his body quickly separated from his legs and each fell in opposite directions. There was no blood.

After a moment, Bill fell to his knees and held himself up with his hands. Remus checked him quickly before confirming that Sirius was uninjured and then returned to Harry.

"We need to get you to St. Mungo's," he said quietly.

"Fine, fine. Bill needs to come too. Mrs. Weasley is going to be angry."

Bill glanced up and chuckled as he slowly, and with great effort, rolled himself onto his back. He reached into his pocket and handed the Locket to Sirius.

"I think you should take this to Albus. Remus can take us to Mungo's, just meet us there," said Bill, before closing his eyes and apparently losing consciousness.

Sirius nodded, put the locket into the pouch they had brought for the purpose and disapparated on the spot for Hogsmeade.

"Can you walk?" Remus asked Harry.

Harry nodded and wandered over to Bill, cast an ennervate, and offered his hand. With a grunt, the much taller Weasley pulled himself up with assistance from Harry and Remus and the three of them slowly made their way down the stairs.


A/N: Sorry for the random politics in the disclaimer. It's my passion :)

Also, this is NOT a Harry/Ginny fic. Really. She's 9, folks. NINE. Harry is not a pedophile. Really. There will likely be no romance for Harry in this story. I like Ginny, as I have a thing for redheads myself, but when two people's age combines to be 40, and one of them is 31, that's just not going to happen in my story.

And sorry if you like Kreacher. I enjoy his antics as well, but that's the way it is.

Don't forget to review!