Chapter 30- You are my dad

"Miracle none of them died …"

"Both of the men are confined?" Harry felt too week to open his eyes, but he cringed as he recognized Snape's voice.

"Yes, but as I have told Cornelius, there is no longer a need to treat Sirius like a murderer."

"Now see here Dumbledore! Black is a convicted man guilty of one of the most evil crimes our world has ever known," the Minister yelled.

"Then how do you explain the fact that a man he was supposed to have killed was found fainted beside him?"

"Obviously he'd been in hiding from Black all this time."

"He's been hiding from a man who was already locked away in Azkaban? You really believe that would be a reason for an innocent man to spend twelve years as a rat?"

But Fudge was proving again how thick headed he was.

"I don't see how you can believe that three of your students were Animagi by the time they were fifteen. Obviously Black made up that story."

"I was told about Sirius, James, and Pettigrew being Animagi months ago-"

"By a wer-"

Harry was about to shout at Fudge to not even say such a thing, but Dumbledore saved him the trouble.

"By a man who would give his own life to keep his son safe and give him a future," he said evenly. "You have questioned Sirius yourself under Veritasserum. You have to admit the truth, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to make a habit of keeping innocent men in Azkaban."

Harry kept his eyes closed knowing if he let them know he was awake they wouldn't speak freely in front of him.

"I admit there may be a slight chance of Black being innocent. But there will have to be a trial. I can't just release a convicted murderer."

"The fact that no less that five people besides Sirius, Harry, and his friends saw Pettigrew alive tonight should be enough to prove Sirius is not a murderer. If you won't trust the word of the students, I'm sure you will at least trust the word of my staff. They saw him being brought into the castle. And if my memory serves me, you had no trouble putting Sirius in Azkaban without a trial."

Fudge had no answer to the last statement. All he answered was "He'll get his trial and be released. It's the best I can do." He sounded like he regretted having to admit his mistake and couldn't care less that Sirius was innocent.

"And I'm sure you will have the trial arranged for immediately, and it will be fair trial?"

"The Ministry is very busy at the moment. I can have the trial set for next week at the soonest."

"What happens in the meantime?" Harry asked, finally letting the others know he was awake.

"Black will be sent to Azkaban to await trial of course," Snape said in a tone that anyone else would have taken as a warning to keep quiet.

"There is no reason for him to have Dementors surrounding him day and night," Dumbledore said.

"Black has already proven himself an escape risk-" Snape started to say

"Because he knew Wormtail was here. He was only trying to catch the real traitor."

Snape was looking murderous, but Pomfrey chose that moment to come in.

"That's enough. I won't have you upsetting one of my patients. Here I kept his friend out because I was worried about her bothering him and you lot are worse than any child. Out! Out!"

Fudge decided to act as if leaving were his own idea.

"I had better question Pettigrew anyway."

"Just be sure to be careful so he doesn't slip past you as a rat," Harry warned.

"Are you suggesting I can't do my job properly?"

Harry was tempted to say yes, but Pomfrey grabbed the Minister by the arm and actually started dragging him out the door.

"And don't give me any of that high talk about being Minister. I don't care what your rank is. You are leaving." Then she turned to Harry.

"Seeing as you're awake, eat this." she handed him the largest block of chocolate he had ever seen. He took a bite and asked

"What happened to the others?"

"Later. You need to rest now."

"I can't rest until I know the others are safe. Please just tell me and then I'll rest. I promise."

She sighed.

"Every bit as stubborn as your father." Harry didn't know whether she meant his first dad, Remus, or both. "I suppose you won't rest unless you know. Snape found all of you except your dad out on the grounds. The rest of you were passed out and Black- I mean Sirius- was still trying to cast a Patronus. He was just about passed out himself. That man has more determination- Well anyway, Snape cast his Patronus to join the other two," Harry suddenly remembered the silver doe joining the wolf and dog, "and then sent for help to get you all to the castle. Pettigrew hasn't regained consciousness yet that I'm aware of. Sirius explained about him and Dumbledore had Pettigrew locked in one of the rooms. Snape made sure Sirius was locked away as well, and then the Minister was sent for."

That was a relief knowing Wormtail hadn't woken up and escaped, but at the moment he was angrier at Snape and Fudge for having Sirius kept locked up.

"What about my dad and Ron? Are they all right?"

Pomfrey had a sad look on her face.

"Your father is still in the Shrieking Shack feeling the effects of the moon, I'm afraid. Mr. Weasley will be fine. I had him put in the next ward so you wouldn't get talking. He only has a broken leg, but he'll need chocolate when he wakes up after being around so many Dementors."

Harry looked at the clock and say it wasn't even midnight yet. The full moon wouldn't set for a few more hours.

Wait- midnight.

Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master.

"Madame Pomfrey, go tell them not to open that door to see Pettigrew. He'll slip past them. I know it!" Normally he would never have paid attention to what Trelawney had said, but the way she had said it, he couldn't help wondering if it had been a real prediction. A moment later he got his answer when he heard the yelling voices of people walking past the door.

"I don't believe it! The little devil transformed right in front of me and slipped right past as a rat."

Harry groaned. That could only mean one thing. Wormtail had escaped.

The first person Harry saw when he woke up in the morning was his dad sitting beside him. Remus had several cuts and bruises where he had bitten and scratched himself and looked completely exhausted, but there was something else wrong. Harry had seen him after the full moon before and he had never looked this bad.

"Dad, everything's going to be all right isn't it? I mean loads of people saw Wormtail, so Sirius will still be free won't he?"

Remus nodded, but didn't meet Harry's eyes.

"Yes, he'll be freed. They won't release him without trial, but that will only be a formality. Dumbledore has persuaded the Ministry that Sirius can be kept here until the trial as long as Aurors are guarding him." He took a deep breath and after a long pause said "Harry, I was wondering-just wondering- since Sirius is your godfather after all and since it's certain he'll be free- if maybe you wanted to go stay with him. If I hadn't gotten custody of you he would have every right to take you anyway and-"

"What!" Harry sounded halfway between hurt and angry. "Why would I do that? I mean I can tell already he's a great person, but why would I ever want to leave you? Anyway, I somehow imagined he'd be moving in with us."

Remus' voice was hoarse when he spoke and sounded half strangled. Harry could tell that wasn't just because he'd spent the night howling. He looked ready to cry, and he didn't cry often.

"Harry, if you hadn't reminded me it was the full moon last night, I would have been out there with you and the others when I transformed. I wouldn't even have known who you were. I could have bitten you- or worse."

"But that didn't even come close to happening!"

"It was too close," Remus said. "That must never happen again."

"It's never happened before," Harry pointed out. "You always made sure I was safe during the full moon even before you could take the Wolfsbane potion. What happened last night isn't going to happen again. And stop talking like you're just someone who has custody of me. You're my dad. In every sense of the word that matters. I'm not going to loose you, especially not just because of something that happens once a month."

Remus was startled at his son's words.

"Harry, it isn't that I want to shove you away or use Sirius as an excuse. You mean too much to me for me to let you get hurt. If anything happened to you-"

"It won't," Harry said firmly. "You don't get it do you, Dad? You say if I hadn't reminded you, you would have been near me when you transformed last night. But I did remind you and I'll be able to keep reminding you. And I'm not going to let you use Sirius as an excuse to spend the rest of your life alone. You didn't leave me alone when I was a baby at the Dursleys."

"I couldn't leave you with people like them.'

"So you're saying if they'd been decent to me, you'd have left me with them?"

"Harry!" Remus definitely sounded hurt. "I would have loved you just as much as I do now, but loving someone means wanting what's best for them." He sighed. "Even if that means you can't be with them."

"Well, I know what's best for me is to be with you." He picked up his wand from beside his bed.

"Expecto Patronum."

The silver wolf appeared again, and Remus knew what Harry was trying to say. That Harry had more than complete trust in him. That he was the person Harry looked to for protection and guidance. That Harry wasn't the slightest bit afraid of what could happen because he happened to have a werewolf for a father.

"And I'm glad Sirius will be free and I look forward to having him around. But remember what you told me? That every person is unique and nobody could replace anyone else. Nobody could replace you. So I guess you're just stuck with me."

Remus gave his son a smile. "When did you get to be so smart?"

Harry grinned. "Well, see, my dad is this brilliant professor."

AN: I know it sucks that Wormtail escaped. I had to have that happen for the rest of the story to take place. Don't worry, our ratlike friend is not going to be happy in later chapters. I have some things in mind for him that Umbridge probably wouldn't think of.