Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. I don't own Harry Potter, M*A*S*H, or Cheers, though I did visit Cheers in Boston back in '08 :-)
Chapter 11: Sirius
"Hello Harry. I'm Sirius Black, your godfather."
"Hello Mr. Black," replied Harry.
Sirius shook his head violently, holding up his hands. "Call me Sirius or Padfoot, please! Whenever someone calls me Mr. Black I expect to see old McGonagall talking to me."
Harry just grinned as he had seen that very person walk up behind Sirius. "That's usually because you Marauders were up to no good, Mr. Black," said McGonagall with a smirk. Sirius yelped and spun around, red-faced. "I'm glad to see you as a free man Sirius. I would say innocent, but we both know that isn't exactly true, now is it? Still, I'm ashamed to admit that until I was shown Lily and James' will I did believe that you had done the deed, though I didn't know that you hadn't received a trial. I just naively believed Albus when he said you were guilty."
"That's alright Professor, it's not your fault." He turned to Sherman. "I thought Harry was the last Potter."
"Of the British branch of the family he is. My great grandfather was the younger brother of Harry's great-great-great-great grandfather." He held out his hand. "Sherman Potter."
Sirius shook his hand, saying, "A pleasure to meet you Mr. Potter. I'm glad Harry didn't end up with Lily's sister. I never met a bigger shrew of a woman." He looked to McGonagall. "Unless you need to get Harry back to Hogwarts right away I'd like a chance to get reacquainted with my godson and get to know Mr. Potter."
McGonagall was about to give her permission but was interrupted by Dumbledore. "Unfortunately Mr. Potter does need to get back to Hogwarts immediately, as he does not have permission to be out of school. He will be serving a detention with me for leaving school grounds without permission…"
McGonagall cut him off saying, "And I am canceling that detention Albus. As both Deputy Headmistress and his Head of House I both gave him permission and quite obviously escorted him while off school grounds, so you have no grounds for issuing Mr. Potter a detention." She turned her back on Dumbledore and addressed Sirius and Sherman. "I would like to invite you both to Hogwarts so the two of you can get to know each other and Sirius can get reacquainted with Harry." Harry looked so excited at the prospect that Sirius and Sherman readily accepted Minerva's offer. Dumbledore tried to intervene but was thwarted by Fudge and Bones.
McGonagall led them to the Portkey point in the Ministry Atrium and the four of them Portkeyed away, reappearing just outside the main gates of the school. They walked up the path as Sirius told Harry and Sherman the story of how he met James, Remus and the rat on the Hogwarts Express. As they entered the Entrance Hall Minerva looked at the permanent Tempus spell over the doors to the Great Hall and realized that they were just in time for the start of lunch. She asked Sirius and the Potters if they would prefer to have lunch in her office or in the Great Hall. Sirius and Sherman just looked at Harry and asked him which he would prefer.
Harry thought for a minute and looked to see if any of his dorm mates were in the hall. He saw that all four of them were sitting at the Gryffindor table, as well as the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan just a few feet down. "Here, I think. I've told my dorm mates about Pappy and as long as he's here I'd like to introduce him to them." They started for where Harry's dorm mates were sitting. He also saw Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil seated nearby. "And Lavender and Parvati are two of the biggest gossips I've ever met, so you can be sure the news about your innocence, Padfoot." This last was spoken just as they past Fred and George, who immediately put their heads together and began a furious whispered conversation. Harry, Sirius and Sherman took seats across from Dean and Seamus, while Neville and Ron slid apart. He introduced Sherman and Sirius to his friends.
As the group ate, Sirius regaled them with stories of his days as a Gryffindor, focusing on the pranks that he and his fellow Marauders played, mainly on Slytherin. Sherman compared them to two of the officers he served with as CO of the 4077th in Korea, 'Hawkeye' Pierce and BJ Hunnicut. Sirius was in the middle of a story about a particularly funny prank they had played on Severus Snape.
"…Prongs was hiding under his cloak with a camera…" He was interrupted by George clearing his throat behind him.
"We're sorry to interrupt, but if you're really Padfoot, then you would know what to do with this." He held out a seemingly blank piece of parchment. Sirius's eyes widened as he took the parchment and set it on the table.
"I'll need to borrow a wand from someone. I'm afraid mine was snapped when I was sent to Azkaban…
"Without a trial," inserted Harry.
"Yes, without a trial, and I haven't had a chance to get a new one yet." Harry just pulled out his wand and handed it to Sirius without further comment. "Thanks, Harry." He touched the tip to the parchment saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Immediately ink lines began spreading across the parchment, some of them forming the words 'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs proudly present The Marauders Map'. Fred and George dropped to their knees, bowing and chanting, "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!" Most of the hall began laughing at the twins antics.
"Oh, do get up," said Sirius. "I haven't seen this in a dog's age. Last I knew, Filch had caught the rat with it and confiscated." He eyed Fred and George. "Let me guess, you boys nicked it from Filch's office, didn't you?" The twins nodded. "Then I applaud your sneakiness and bravery. I can't call it stealing since it didn't belong to Filch in the first place and while I'm assuming that you put it to good use, it's time that it passed to a rightful heir of the Marauders. But first, a small change needs to be made." He touched the tip of Harry's wand to Wormtail's name and said, "Mr. Padfoot hearby removes Mr. Wormtail from the rolls of the Marauders for his betrayal of Prong to the tosser who called himself Lord Voldemort. May he be replaced by Pronglet, only son of Prongs, a true Marauder. So mote it be!" The map glowed briefly and Wormtail's name erased itself and the words reordered themselves to read 'Messrs. Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and Pronglet proudly present the Marauders Map'. He handed Harry his wand and the map, saying, "Here you go, Pronglet. To clear it just tap it with your wand and say 'Mischief Managed'. Use it in good health."
Fred and George's eyes widened as they realized the implications of what Sirius had just said. "James Potter was Prongs?" asked Fred. Harry nodded as he put his wand away. The twins resumed their bowing and chanting, only this time they directed it at Harry instead of Sirius.
Sherman laughed and said, "If Pierce and Hunnicut weren't still alive I would swear that they had been reincarnated as these two."
"So Potter, you turn down friendship with a proper pureblood to associate with blood traitors and Mudbloods?"
Harry turned to see Malfoy sneering at them, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. He surreptitiously flicked a finger at them, casting the same hex he had used on the Express. A moment later all three of them gave a rather wet sounding fart. "I told you on the train Malformed, I don't associate with filth." Malfoy's face went red with fury and he drew his wand, a curse on his lips. Before he could cast his wand was summoned by McGonagall, who had started down from the head table as soon as she saw Malfoy heading for the Gryffindor table.
"Ten points from Slytherin for drawing your wand on another student and another five points and a detention with Mr. Filch for your language Mr. Malfoy. Now explain yourself!"
"Potter hexed us!"
"Mr. Potter's wand is not out but yours was Mr. Malfoy."
Harry drew his wand and held it out handle first to McGonagall. "Feel free to check my wand Professor, even though I doubt Malfoy will believe even that."
"Very well Mr. Potter." She cast Priori Incantatum on Harry's wand and found that the last spell cast was a tooth cleaning charm that she assumed Harry had used that morning. "Even if he had cast that on you, a tooth cleaning charm would hardly be considered grounds for drawing your wand on him." She handed him his wand and ordered him and his bookends back to the Slytherin table. She looked at Harry knowingly. "After lunch you might want to show your grandfather around the school, Mr. Potter." She leaned down and whispered in Harry's ear. "I'm pretty sure that you did do something to Mr. Malfoy, results of the test on your wand not withstanding. Five points for not getting caught." With that she returned to her place at the head table.
After lunch, Harry did as McGonagall suggested and gave Sherman a tour of the castle and grounds, liberally assisted by Sirius who knew quite a bit more about the castle than Harry did, as well as the map. They paid a visit to Hagrid, who told Sirius that he never believed that he had betrayed Harry's parents. Hagrid's boarhound Fang was a bit leery of Sirius until he transformed into Padfoot and the two of them chased Harry around for a few minutes while Hagrid and Sherman stood and laughed.
"So glad you're amused at me getting ganged up on," he said with a mock pout, which just caused them to laugh even harder. Sirius transformed back and joined in the laughter.
"You know it's all in good fun, pup," he said, ruffling Harry's hair. "C'mon, let's go show your granddad the Common Room.
"Have you found a place to practice yet Harry?" asked Sherman.
"Practice?" asked Sirius.
"I play the piano," said Harry. "I usually play in the Common Room. Most people don't mind when I do, and sometimes Fred and George's roommate Lee Jordan even joins me for a duet." The three of them reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, who immediately recognized Sirius from his days at Hogwarts and once Harry explained that Sirius was innocent of betraying his parents and that Sherman was a member of his family she accepted the password from him and swung open to let them in. He saw Lee in a chair by the fireplace talking to Fred and George. He asked him if he'd mind doing another duet with him for Sirius and Sherman. Lee agreed and the two of them ran up to their respective dorms to grab their instruments.
Harry enlarged his piano and conferred with Lee on what they were going to do. They made a decision and Lee conjured a stool for himself to sit on while Harry settled in front of his piano. He cracked his knuckles and started to play.
"Making your way in the world today takes everything you got…"
Sherman smiled as he heard it opening to one of his favorite shows and started singing along. He wondered why Lee wasn't playing yet, but his answer came a few moments later as Harry came to the refrain of the song.
"Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name."
They finished to applause and cheers from the few students that were present and after Harry shrunk his piano and returned it to his dorm he pulled Dean and Seamus into a game of poker, as well as Sirius and Sherman. They played for about an hour before Sherman said he needed to get going as he wanted to find a place to stay in London now that he was Harry's proxy on the Wizengamot. Sirius told him not to worry too much as he could always stay with him at the Black family home a Number 12 Grimmauld Place, though he wasn't sure how well it had been maintained since his parents death. Sherman took him up on his offer as it would allow the two of them to get to know each other and would save Sherman the trouble of finding a suitable place in the London real estate market. They said their goodbyes to Harry and his friends in the Entrance Hall and left to make the walk to Hogsmeade to use the Floo in the Three Broomsticks while Harry and his friends went to have dinner in the Great Hall.
None of them could have foreseen the events that were to come in less than three days.
A/N: Another chapter down… 50 points to whoever can guess what event I'm referring to at the end.