Chapter Thirty: The House of Black

"I know for a fact that you shouldn't be here Harry," Sirius said as his Godson walked right into his quarters (without bothering to knock) and sat down on the comfy sofa.

"Yeah, well, I need to speak to someone, preferably not Professor Dumbledore." Harry covered his face with his hands, groaning inwardly about what he had heard, as well as trying to keep out the images that kept flashing through his mind of Voldemort laughing at him. "I know about the Prophecy, Sirius."

Sirius nodded. He knew Harry would want to speak to him about it. "I didn't feel it was right for Dumbledore to dictate what you should or should not know. He hoped to protect you from it, but I disagree. If it concerns you then you need to know. There are, I believe, some other things he has neglected to tell you and me, but you know the most important thing and that is what matters."

Harry nodded, leaning forward so that his chin rested in the palm of his right hand, his left arm draped across his legs. "I'm going to have to become a murderer, Sirius. I'm fourteen years old what am I suppose to do?"

"Nothing," said Sirius placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, smiling at him. "My job is to protect you, not to let you go off and fight crazed Dark Lord's who believes a mere fourteen-year-old could defeat him."

"But it's true!" Harry's voice raised and he stood up, anger erupting from him. He didn't know why he felt angry. Was it possibly because Dumbledore had kept this information from him for so long? "The prophecy said that neither can live while the other survives! I have to kill him, don't I?" His voice had lowered, but Harry still wanted the truth.

Sirius sighed. "You don't have to tread that path Harry. There are professional's out there who can kill Voldemort and that is exactly what they are trying to do! Fudge is trying to be a responsible leader to the Wizarding World and if the ten Aurors I had with me to come and rescue you hadn't said that Voldemort was back, Fudge would be making you out to be some kind of liar! Aurors are trained to fight people like Voldemort, not you. I'm not going to let that monster kill you like he did with James and Lily."

"And if I have to fight him?" Harry asked. There was a gut feeling in his stomach that told him he would have to. "The prophecy said as much."

"You won't." Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry, hugging him. "I won't – can't - let it happen. I'll die before you have to face Voldemort again."

Harry pulled away. "I don't think I have a choice. The prophecy means me. Dumbledore said that it has to be me! You can't prevent this Sirius, and if you try to…" he trailed off, tears nearly leaking from his eyes. "I might lose you and I don't want to. You're the only family I have left."

"Harry, listen to me." Sirius gripped his shoulders. "It may mean you but not at the moment. Just because someone made a prophecy doesn't mean that it can come true. Do you really think that all the other prophecies in the world have been fulfilled?"

"There are more?"

Sirius nodded. He was stepping into dangerous territory. "Yes. Not all prophecies have occurred. Harry, there is a fifty percent chance that you won't have to fight. You can choose not to. Voldemort used the prophecy as an excuse to go after you when you were a baby. That's why your parents died, trying to protect you from a future that they didn't want you to have. And there is still a chance that it might not be your future."

Harry frowned, obviously not liking what he was hearing. "If Voldemort works to prophecy then surely I will have to face him because he wants me to?"

"Possibly," said Sirius. "But he doesn't know the whole thing."

"He doesn't?" A look of surprise spread across Harry's face. "I would've thought he would have if he came after me because of it?"

"He knew some of the Prophecy," admitted Sirius. "Not all of it, otherwise he might have waited till you had grown up before attacking you."

Harry bit his lip. "He acted without knowing the full thing, so that means he could be mistaken?"

"Possibly," Sirius shrugged. He didn't want Harry to worry about the contents of the prophecy now. He hadn't expected his godson to take it so seriously either. All he had wanted was for Harry to know the truth: the truth of what his future may hold. He ran a hand through his black hair, feeling uncomfortable and a little guilty at having forced the headmaster to burden Harry with this. Perhaps he should have waited? "All I know for sure is that Voldemort is making it his mission to kill you now before you come of age. That's why we have to move to a more secure place."

Harry blinked. "Where are we going to live? I thought Godric's Hollow was safe."

"It was but Dumbledore doesn't think so anymore." Sirius stood, his hands tucked into his pockets, sighing as he paced his quarters. "We're going to stay at my childhood home, which by the way, I'm not happy with."

The subject of the prophecy seemed to have disappeared from Harry's consciousness. "Where you grew up?"

Sirius nodded with a frown on his face. "It's not what you think it is going to be either. I've offered my parent's house to Dumbledore for the Order."

"The Order? What's the Order?"

Oh shit.

"Sirius?" asked Harry a look of confusion on his face.

"Nothing," he hastily replied.

Harry glared at him. "You're keeping secrets from me, aren't you?"

Sirius sighed. "You're just like your mother. Always knew when I'm hiding something."

"It's quite obvious you know," Harry laughed.

"Well, I did give myself away, didn't I?"

Harry nodded, a smile pulling on his lips. "So, what is the Order?"

"It's a group of Witches and Wizards who fought against Voldemort before he fell. It was set up by Albus Dumbledore and, because Hogwarts is not a good place to base the Order, I've offered my parent's house that I have inherited from them. We'll be going straight there after term ends. It is not a nice place, believe me."

"Why not?" asked Harry, with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Wait and see."

Harry rolled his eyes: "Typical adults."

"I'm not a typical adult."

"I think everyone knows that Padfoot."

Both Harry and Sirius whirled round as they stared at the door, in which Remus Lupin was standing in front of. A grin was pulling at his lips.

"How long have you been standing there?" said Sirius, a mischievous smile plastered on his face.

"Oh…for about a minute or two," said Remus looked at his fingernails, a small laugh echoing across the room. "And telling Harry about the Order was the not the most sensible thing to do."

"It slipped out," defended Sirius.

Remus flopped himself down in a chair he had conjured with his wand.

"What brings you here?" questioned Harry.

"Oh, just a report I've made for Dumbledore. I'll be leaving again tonight. I'd stay if I could but I've got important things to do."

"With the Order?" Harry's voice was full of eagerness.

"Maybe," Remus replied. "Do you mind leaving us? I need to speak to Sirius."

Harry traded glances with Sirius, but at his Godfather's nod, said goodbye and left the room, leaving the two to talk alone.

"Sirius, please sit down." Dumbledore indicated a seat for which he could sit in. "What can I do for you?"

"First off, I think it might be prudent to hire a new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher," explained Sirius. "Secondly, I'm rejoining the Aurors. And finally, is it really necessary for Harry and me to move into Grimmauld Place?"

"You know it is Sirius," the headmaster replied gently. "It is for Harry's protection. I will be secret-keeper for the house. That way Voldemort will not be able to lay a hand upon Harry or you."

"And at Godric's Hollow, he can?" Sirius said, sarcasm filling his voice.

"He already knows that you and Harry live there during the holidays. According to reports from an Auror I had posted there, a few black-robed figures have been seen lurking around the place."

"You waited till now to tell me?" He was annoyed by the lack of information he had been given.

"I thought it would be quite obvious since Harry's escape from him that Voldemort would be looking into active ways to get hold of him during the summer," Dumbledore answered truthfully.

Sirius snorted, crossing his arms, "Wasn't that bloody obvious. So I've got to move back to my home in order to protect my Godson?" he clarified.

The headmaster nodded clasping his hands together. "Correct."

"I still think Godric's Hollow is a better and more secure place to live. Magical enchantments have been structured all around it. I made sure of that."

"Going to Grimmauld Place means that you will know exactly what is going on with Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "Communicating with you at Godric's Hollow will be harder, especially with Death Eaters watching the place."

"Fine," conceded Sirius. "I see your point. I just…"

"Don't want to go back home?"

Sirius nodded, feeling ashamed. "Sorry, I've just got too many memories of that place. Whole point of running away was to never return."

"I know Sirius," Dumbledore replied. "But it will help Harry and the Order if we have a base in London."

"Alright, though I'm doing this against my better judgement."

The beginning of the summer holidays arrived quickly. Harry bade his fellow Gryffindors farewell before departing with Sirius from Hogwarts via Portkey which took him and his Godfather to a back alley. As they emerged into the sunlight Harry could see a bunch of houses cluttered together. There was an indefinite smell in the air causing Harry to cough.

"This is where you grew up?"

"Unfortunately," responded Sirius. "Not a nice place."

Harry followed his Godfather as they approached two houses: eleven and thirteen.

"Which ones yours?" asked Harry.

"Number Twelve."

"But it's not there," Harry said as he looked along the row of houses. Only number twelve seemed to be missing.

Sirius smiled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment, thrusting it into Harry's hand. "The house is under the Fidelius Charm. Dumbledore is secret keeper and in order for you to know it, this is a note for you."

Harry read the words carefully, memorising them. The parchment then burst into flame. Looking at houses eleven and thirteen, Harry thought about number twelve and he saw to his astonishment a door beginning to form. The houses either side began to shake and within a minute a house had fully formed, but none of the occupants in eleven and thirteen had been disturbed. The house was old, dark and gloomy and gave off a sense of darkness that Harry had not expected, though he knew about his Godfather's evil family.

"Come on." Sirius led the way forward, up the stairs to stand just outside the door. He used his wand to unlock the door and stepped quietly inside. "Try to sneak past. Go up the stairs."

Harry thought this was a rather odd instruction but followed them and tiptoed up the stairs and stepped into the drawing room. He frowned as he looked round at the dark and black place. "You're definitely right about this place, Sirius."

"I never wanted to bring you here. It holds too many bad memories for me. Try not to make any noise as you come down the stairs and down to the basement. There's a portrait of my mother that you really don't want to meet."

"Okay."

"Right, I suppose I'd better take you to your room. You can have my old room."

He led Harry further up the stairs to the topmost floor of the house and opened a door that bore the name Sirius in gold letters. "I'll see if I can get my nameplate down and replace it with yours."

As Harry entered the room his eyes widened. "Very vivid," he grinned over his shoulder. The room was decorated in a silver-grey colour, but most of it was obscured by Wizarding photographs. There were several large Gryffindor banners that hung from the ceiling. To Harry's eyes they looked like they had once been faded in colour but had been restored to their original state.

"When did you do this?" Harry asked, as he continued to gaze round the spacious room.

"I took the liberty when I had any free time to come here and make this room more suitable for you. Like it?"

"Yeah, I do." Harry's eyes focused upon several Wizarding photographs, some of which he had never seen before.

"I had to take a few things down which were unsuitable for someone of your age," explained Sirius.

"Like what?"

"I thought it would be more convenient if you had photographs of your parents," avoided Sirius. "I couldn't bring your parents official wedding portrait though."

"That's alright," Harry responded. He moved up to look at the photographs. There was one which showed four boys laughing at the camera; another showed James and Lily dancing together on their wedding day. There were more but Harry chose to look at Sirius who was looking a bit uncomfortable. "Thanks for this. At least you've made this homely for me."

Sirius shrugged. "The rest of the house isn't so I do suggest you spend as much time up here as best you can. Oh, and watch out for Kreacher."

"Who's Kreacher?" asked Harry as Sirius made to leave the room.

"The house elf," Sirius replied. "He's a nasty piece of work. Trust me."

To be continued...