Chapter 5: Farewell

Harry had been quiet since they left Headmaster Scythe's office. It was only him, Sirius, and Agni. They had left the Headmaster's office shortly after the tale of Sirius' release had been told. Dumbledore had been irritated by Harry's lack of response to him when he'd attempted to speak with him and Scythe had dismissed him from the Academy, stating that if and when Harry wanted to speak with him, he would be welcome back. Sirius still had every intention of meeting with Healer Michael later on to see what the man could do to help him, especially after he had seen the Healer's findings on Harry and the evidence of the hard work Michael had put into studying his craft, but Sirius had more important matters on his mind first.

Harry had taken his current Headmaster's advice to lead Sirius somewhere that they could have a private conversation. There were many secluded places on the isle, after all, and even if there weren't, Harry could take his godfather into the newly constructed library portion of his trunk. The storage compartment hadn't been completed yet, Harry was still working on carving it out, but the library had finished its week-long curing process and been accepted into the oak base. Harry had only been into the library once before, to check that all of the shelves, his desk, and the sleeping nook that he had carved out had settled correctly, as well as to get measurements for the curtains and mattress pad he needed for the sleeping nook. He luckily didn't need to worry about any other furnishings as Johnny had gifted him a set of two chairs and a couch that he'd made for his first trunk, which Harry had situated around the firepit of his library.

Harry led Sirius to one of the palm trees near the shore that he often sat under in the evenings and pulled the half completed trunk from his pocket.

"It's not finished yet," Harry said as the trunk grew to full size in front of them. "But we'll be able to talk in private." Harry led the way into the trunk, climbing down a ladder that seemed both too long and not long enough at the same time. He'd tried to do stairs, like Johnny's, but the enchantment hadn't worked right so Harry settled for simpler means. Agni was still small enough that he could carry the pup down with him, at least for now.

"You made this?" Sirius asked, astounded. He knew of magically expanded trunks, of course, but he'd never thought that a ten year old could make one, without a wand at that.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied. "Once you get the carving spells down, it's really not that hard. I have another compartment to add to the trunk, but it's taking longer to carve than this one did. I have to be very specific and keep in mind what I might need to store in it down the line."

"Impressive," Sirius whistled, looking around at the shelves that were built into the wall on all sides but one. The ladder was tucked into the corner of the room, tall bookshelves on either side of it. Only a quarter of the shelves had books on them, separated by subject as far as Sirius could tell. Harry had even carved the name of each subject onto the designated shelf, and had left some blank. In the center of the room, a firepit was buried into the floor. A warm, smokeless fire bathed the room in comfortable light, a couch, two chairs, and a desk placed at equal intervals. There was just enough of a gap between the chairs and the desk that Sirius could see thick, black curtains over one wall. "You made all of this by hand?"

"Just the permanent features: the shelves and desk and such. My friend Johnny gave me the bigger pieces of furniture and I traded an older student my firepit design for the curtains. They're charmed to keep out the light of the fire, which will burn as long as I'm in the room."

"Very well done, Harry." Sirius offered the boy a smile. "You've got some talent. I could never have imagined creating something like this at your age."

"I like Crafting, it's fun." Harry shrugged off the praise, unused to it. He led Sirius over to the firepit, taking a seat in one of the two chairs around the firepit. Sirius wondered if there were other sources of charmed light around as it was easily bright enough in the room to see, read, and study. They remained there, sitting in somewhat awkward silence for a few minutes until Sirius cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry I abandoned you, Harry. It was never my intention to leave you on your own and I know that that doesn't erase what has happened." Sirius sighed heavily, leaning forward to hang his head in his hands. Harry wasn't sure how to react to the sight of a grown man crying in front of him and Agni, sensing Harry's own distress at the situation, whined softly.

"I won't say that it's okay," Harry said after a moment of stroking Agni's warm fur. "But I can understand why you did what you did. I know you didn't mean to abandon me."

"I didn't, I swear." Sirius said adamantly. "I'd never have let Hagrid take you if I knew what was going to happen."

"Nothing can change the past," Harry said softly. "But we can make a better future."

Sirius smiled slightly as he lifted his hand. "You sound just like your mother, you know," he said. Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"I do?"

"She was always trying to settle things around her, wanting us to talk things out and be better instead of jumping into fights. I was more of a hex first, ask questions later type of guy, and so was James until our 7th year at Hogwarts. The war had really picked up by then and he matured so much that year."

"Can you tell me more about them?" Harry asked eagerly, resettling in his chair so that he could lean against the arm comfortably. Agni jumped from his lap and went over to the couch, curling up so that he looked like a fluffy, black pillow on the corner cushion.

"Of course," Sirius sat up again, more relieved than he could verbalize at getting the chance to talk to Harry about his parents. "What would you like to know?"

Harry offered Sirius a small smile. "Everything."

"Well, I met James on September 1st, on the Hogwarts Express…" Sirius began, Harry listening eagerly as Sirius told the tale of how he and James met on the train, then were sorted into the same house, and became fast friends. James was brilliant, Sirius said, a great wizard with a great sense of humor. He never looked down on Sirius for having a Dark family or for knowing what most thought was Dark magic.

"Dark magic?" Harry asked. They'd been talking for several hours now, long enough that Harry had had to remind Sirius that he was meant to meet with Healer Michael before dinner and they relocated to sit beneath the palm tree outside of Harry's half-finished trunk. "I thought that magic was magic."

"It is, for the most part," Sirius said. "But some spells have a bad connotation to them and were labeled Dark, even if they were invented for good reason and then twisted later on."

"Why would someone make good magic Dark?"

"To help themselves, or others, for protection, for any number of reasons, really." Sirius shrugged slightly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry tensed beneath his touch and Sirius let go quickly, noting the way that Harry wouldn't meet his eye but pressing ahead. "One of the few things that I ever agreed with my family on is the idea that Dark and Light magic labels are kind of ridiculous, but you'll find out - especially when you get to Hogwarts - that some parts of the Wizarding World are rather set in their ways. Some people will always believe that magic is separated into two portions and that is how it will always be. Even some of the classes that you can study here are considered Dark Magic by Wizarding Britain."

"Like what?"

"Blood magic, for sure," Sirius said. "I saw that on the list of available classes when your parents were explaining your placement here. There might be others that are taught here that I don't know about."

Harry was quiet for a moment, watching Agni play in the surf of the low tide before them.

"What did my parents think about Light and Dark Magic?"

"James was initially a stickler for the separation but even he could see the shades of grey eventually. It was pointed out to the both of us several times as we got older that we were even using Light spells to do bad things. The levitation charm is considered light magic, but if you use the charm to keep a first year from picking up the book he dropped and or to make a Slytherin's cauldron explode by dropping an extra ingredient in…"

"Did you do things like that?" Harry asked, a glint in his eye that reminded Sirius of Lily, especially when they were young.

"I did." Sirius confirmed. He had plenty of time to ruminate on his actions and while he didn't exactly regret them, he can understand how they were wrong now. "I'm not proud of them, I was a right prat for a long time. I hope that I can be better now."

"I hope so, too." Harry said. He whistled for Agni and the pup came bounding up to him, the water on his body turning to steam as it dried. "We should get to the Healer's Hut now, dinner will start soon."

Sirius stood and walked with Harry to the Healer's Hut, remaining there with Healer Michael while Harry went off to the Commons. Sirius had a feeling that the conversation he'd just had with Harry was only the beginning of the struggle that was to come with learning about a boy that he should have known for the past ten years, not to mention all that Sirius needed to overcome on his own in order to be the godfather that Harry deserved. It was certainly going to be a difficult time.

After leaving Sirius at the Healer's Hut, Harry made his way to the Commons. He wanted to eat his dinner quickly and then check in with Headmaster Scythe. His Headmaster had asked that Harry return to the office after he spent some time getting to know Sirius. Truthfully, Harry didn't know what to think of his apparent godfather.

He could tell that Sirius cared for him, and that he did seem to feel genuinely guilty for abandoning Harry all those years ago, but Harry still didn't feel entirely comfortable with him. There was an emptiness in his eyes, but his attitude and the way that he talked about Harry's parents and the things that they had done at school reminded Harry of Johnny. It was disconcerting, the disconnect that seemed to exist in Sirius. Harry only hoped that Healer Michael would be able to help him. Harry's thoughts on the matter were interrupted by a sudden presence at his table, a second tray settling across from him as a familiar but not exactly welcome presence joined him.

"Is it true?" Draco asked without preamble. Harry looked up at him in confusion.

"Is what true?"

"This." Draco pushed a newspaper in front of Harry's face. Harry took it from him, reading the headline once he had moved it far enough away from his eyes that he could focus on the letters.

'Sirius Black: Released from Azkaban

A startling discovery was made deep in the bowels of the Ministry earlier this month when a routine check of Ministerial records revealed that Sirius Black, one of the most notorious criminals of the Wizarding War, was still awaiting trial. Sirius Black has been a resident of Azkaban since his original capture soon after the fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

The Wizengamot was quick to make corrective action, under the guidance of esteemed Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. The ensuing trial, however, turned out to be an even greater surprise as Sirius Black was, unbelievably, proven innocent.'

The article went on to detail what the public was allowed to know about the trial, though Harry had learned quite a bit more from his conversation with Sirius and the two Headmasters when they'd first arrived.

"What's it matter to you?" Harry asked, looking up at Draco curiously.

"Sirius Black is my cousin, on my mother's side," Draco explained haughtily. "Though they never got on well. It's well known that Sirius was close with your parents. My father wrote to me that he suspected Sirius might make an appearance here to see you. I would like to meet him, if he is here."

"That's up to him." Harry shrugged. "I don't know how long he's going to stay or if he's staying at all. He just got here today."

"Well, if you see him again…" Draco trailed off. Harry nodded.

"I'll pass the message along." Harry watched as Draco moved away from his table without so much as a 'thank you' to Harry. It was an odd encounter, though Harry had a funny feeling that it was just the beginning of the time he'd be spending with Draco now. He was sure that Draco was up to something, or had been put up to something by his father based on whatever that letter must have said, but Harry didn't have a clue what it could be.

Putting it out of his mind for now, Harry fed the last few bits of meat on his plate to Agni, the pup happily licking his fingers clean, and then cleaned up his area before leaving to meet with Headmaster Scythe again. The Headmaster's office was once again empty but for Scythe himself, looking over some paperwork on his desk. Harry knocked on the partially opened door and waited until Scythe looked up at him.

"Ah, Harry, come in please." Scythe set the paperwork to the side as Harry came in and claimed his normal seat. Agni sniffed at the carpet and then walked in a circle three times before he laid down with his nose perched on Harry's foot. "I trust you and Sirius were able to spend some time together?"

"Yes, sir." Harry confirmed. "He was very impressed with my library build."

"As he should be, it is very well done. Especially for a first construct." Scythe offered Harry a kind smile. "How are you feeling about all of this?"

"It's been…a lot." Harry admitted. He wasn't sure how to feel. He was glad that Sirius was now free and that they would have a chance to get to know one another a bit before Harry went to Hogwarts, but now Harry had to contend with the strange mix of emotions that came with meeting someone who had known Harry when he was just a baby.

"I'm sure that's an understatement." Scythe said sympathetically.

"I just, I don't know how to interact with Sirius. I know that he's my godfather and that he was supposed to have been raising me for the past ten years, but I don't know him. Not as a person. And he only knew me as a one-year-old, not who I am now." Harry frowned, looking down at Agni asleep on his foot. The pup had been a comforting presence ever since Harry had been allowed to take him from his den and Harry was grateful that the hellhound had chosen to bond with him. He didn't know how he would have gotten through all of these moments without his familiar.

"Harry, it is not your responsibility to overcome the shortcomings of other people, especially adults. Sirius will need to learn who you are now just as you will need to learn who he is. If you want my advice," Scythe chuckled slightly when Harry eagerly nodded his head. "Do exactly what you did today. Spend time with Sirius, talk with him about whatever you feel like and if it ever gets to be too much, you can always walk away. My door is always open to you and I'm sure that Johnny would say the same."

"Thank you, sir." Harry said softly.

"Now, how are your projects coming along? Professor Beck mentioned that you had started a new one?"

Harry pulled the collar he had made for Agni out of his schoolbag and showed the stitched runes to Headmaster Scythe, explaining the purpose of each one as he turned the collar around. "I just have to finish stitching his name in and then make sure the growth charm settles before I can put the collar on Agni."

"Another very well done project, Harry." Scythe said approvingly. "You showed an aptitude for Magical Crafting, correct?"

"Yes, sir. And Charms, Legilimency, Blood Magic, and Fire Magic."

"A potent combination." Scythe said. "And a dangerous one, if not properly trained."

"I don't really know what any of those are, except for Charms. Sirius mentioned something about Blood Magic earlier, though."

"What did he say?"

"That it's considered Dark Magic by magical Britain." Harry said. "I've never heard anything about dark and light magic before."

"That's because it's not an idea that we subscribe to here at Ignis, but it is fairly prevalent in most magical communities. Africa is the only place that doesn't really have restrictions on magic and that is mostly because each magical country is independent from each other and the International Confederation of Wizards has no jurisdiction over definitions of magical intent." Scythe explained.

"I guess that makes sense." Harry said. They'd spent a full three weeks talking about how magic was shaped by intent during Magical Theory last semester. It was crucial that they all understood why intent and concentration mattered as they were both essential tools when it came to harvesting from plants and animals and Crafting. "Does that mean I won't be able to talk about Ignis when I go to Hogwarts?"

"No, you can share whatever you wish about your education here. Your fellow students at Hogwarts might hesitate to believe you, or encourage you to think more like they do, but you haven't begun to study anything that they might have a real issue with. Ignis Academy does have an unfavorable reputation in Wizarding Britain, but I believe you'll be able to prove the value of what you have learned here with your performance in class."

"How did Malfoy get here, then?" Harry asked. "I mean, if the Academy had a bad reputation that would mean that not many people attend. Malfoy seemed surprised to see me here and he's the only other British student that I've met here, even with the older kids."

"Attending Ignis Academy for at least one year seems to be a Malfoy family tradition. I don't know much about the current pureblood families, I'm afraid, so I can't speak as to why the Malfoy family attends while no other families do. Perhaps Sirius will know more than I about that."

"Malfoy did say that Sirius is his cousin. He asked if he'd be able to meet Sirius while he was here."

"If he stays to work with Healer Michael, I'm certain that young Mr. Malfoy will get a chance to meet his cousin." Scythe looked to the side as a piece of parchment appeared on his desk, a message. He read the note quickly. "It seems my presence has been requested at the Healer's Hut. If you'll excuse me, Harry."

"Of course. Sir." Harry stood, calling for Agni at his feet to stand up and begin following him out.

"Oh, one more thing before I forget," Scythe said as he followed Harry out. "You'll need permission from Headmaster Dumbledore to bring Agni to school with you. I'm certain that you'll be granted acceptance but it is something that I cannot request for you. If you write the letter to Professor Dumbledore, I will ensure it is delivered."

"I will, sir. Thank you."

Harry left his headmaster's office with his familiar at his heels and feeling much more certain that the odd barrier he thought existed between him and Sirius would be able to come down, brick by brick.

Sirius had, perhaps inevitably, decided to stay at Ignis Academy for the next year or so in order to fully participate in the plan that Healer Michael had developed for him. Sirius was given a place to stay in one of the unused Staff Huts, where his neighbor was apparently Madam Beck.

"She's part of my healing plan too." Sirius explained when Harry found him waiting outside the door for the Magical Crafting class which Madam Beck was in charge of. Harry was surprised to see his godfather as they had gotten into the habit of meeting up with one another in the hours between Harry's last class and dinner. "I went without using magic for so long, except for the Animagus transformation, that my magical core has been damaged and I need to slowly work up to the power that I had before. Matilda is giving me rudimentary magic lessons."

"Oh, that makes sense." Harry said, though it was weird to hear Madam Beck addressed by her given name instead of her surname. He supposed there were different rules for adult students.

"I'll see you after your Animagus class," Sirius said as the last of the students cleared out of the classroom. "You're alright with Draco joining us?"

"It's fine." Harry shrugged. He didn't mind Draco all that much most of the time. He'd calmed down significantly since Christmas and doubly so since he met Sirius the week after he arrived at Ignis. Harry was fairly certain that Draco was playing at something, though he couldn't figure out what it was. He'd ask Sirius about it the next time they were alone.

Harry went to his Animagus class and practiced the specific meditation method that allowed him to connect with his inner animal. Harry had yet to discover his animagus form despite his several attempts at doing so. The potion that they had taken for the first meditation only proved that Harry did have an animagus form - something that he'd been half afraid he wouldn't be able to manage - and that it was some kind of four-legged animal. His form was fast and strong but couldn't fly and didn't seem to be magical, though having a magical animagus form was supposed to be very rare.

Harry had gotten a few glimpses at his Animagus self in his meditation, but nothing that told him what kind of animal he was. He had black fur, sleek and shiny, and green eyes, but he knew that that would have applied to almost any animal as they matched his natural hair and eye colors. Harry hoped that he made progress before the final exam for the Animagus class, only six weeks away. The exam was the easiest one in all of his classes: a one question test where he only had to say what his animagus form was. No one in the history of Ignis Academy had ever failed the final exam and Harry was determined that he would not be the first.

"Your father had a similar problem." Sirius told Harry that evening. He, Draco, and Sirius were sitting together under a palm tree near the beach. Agni was splashing around in the surf. Harry and Draco both had their latest projects for Crafting in their hands. Draco was stitching featherlight and expansion runes into a finely made black bag with silver trim. Harry was working on a similar bag, though he had gone with a simple dark brown color and his rune design was slightly different. Harry had spent the majority of his childhood having everything that he'd ever wanted taken away from him and so he added a range of security runes that made it so he was the only one who could access the inside of his bag.

"My dad was an Animagus?" Harry asked, eager for any new information about his parents. "Was my mom one too?"

"If she was, she never told me." Sirius said. "But your father and I learned the transformation together so we could help our friend Remus with something. It took your father months to find his form, but he did manage it."

"What was it?"

"A stag." Sirius smiled at the memory of running all around Hogwarts at night with his friends. "That's how he got his nickname, Prongs. And mine is a large black dog; he called me Padfoot."

"And Remus?"

"Moony." Sirius said. "But I'll leave it to him to tell you why."

"You learned the animagus transformation on your own?" Draco broke into the conversation. He was looking at Sirius with surprise in his eyes. Harry wondered what Draco knew of Sirius from before. He knew they were cousins but from what he'd learned, that was true for nearly every Pureblood family in Wizarding Britain now. Even Harry and Sirius had a distant relation to each other.

"We did. We were never the most studious group, except for Moony, but if there was something we could use for pranks or our own personal enjoyment, we would practice and practice until we could do it right. Anything that also helped in class was simply a happy coincidence."

"How did my dad figure it out?"

"I don't actually know." Sirius frowned slightly as Harry's hopeful expression dropped. "He struggled with it in the beginning and then one day he came inside from the Forbidden Forest and announced that he'd found his Animagus form. He was the first of us to transform too maybe half a year later, despite being the last to know his form."

"I wish I could ask him." Harry said mournfully. Sirius hesitated and then set his hand on Harry's shoulder, squeezing softly in comfort. Draco's expression shifted and he looked away. Harry was grateful for that as it gave him time to compose himself. While he had grown used to Draco's presence, they weren't exactly friends and Harry definitely didn't trust him enough to cry around him.

After a few moments of silent support, Sirius pulled back, Harry focused on the runes he was stitching into his bag. Draco asked Sirius to tell them another story from his years at Hogwarts and Sirius did so gladly, filling the air with tales of triumph and happiness and an ever-increasing sense of nostalgia. The stories filled each of them with a deep sense of longing, Sirius for the freeness of his old school days, Harry for the family he never got to experience, and Draco for the peace of knowing exactly where you belong.

They remained under the palm tree until just before dinner time when Sirius excused himself to make his evening visit to the Healer's Hut. Harry and Draco put their projects away in silence, Agni rolling in the sand near Harry's feet until he lay on his pack, his paws up in the air.

"How'd you bond with a hellhound, anyway?" Draco asked suddenly, looking at the puppy happily playing in the sand.

"Johnny showed me where they were denning right after the holidays and I went up there almost every day for nearly two months. All of the pups let me play with them but Agni seemed to like me the most. One day, he wouldn't let me leave without him and since I had the feeling that his mother approved, I carried him down from the den." Harry left out the emotional turmoil of reading the letter left to him by his parents. Draco had no need to know about that.

"He seems to make a good familiar."

"He does." Harry smiled and reached down to ruffle Agni's fur. "Have you found anything that you think might be your familiar?"

"I'm not sure." Draco shrugged. Together, they began to walk towards the Commons for dinner. "I think there's been some kind of creature following me around, but I don't know what it is. It's not one that we've studied in class."

"That just means it doesn't have an application in Crafting." Harry said. All the animals they studied in Animal Handling had something that they gave to crafting. Hellhounds had similar properties to fire horses. "Have you gotten a good look at it?"

"It's some kind of cat, I think. Not large but maybe that's because it's young. Pale fur, pointed ears, and I think it has a short tail."

"Have you looked in the library? I'm sure you could match the description to one in one of the books."

"Haven't had much time for that." Draco said. "I've been working on finishing all of my crafting projects. I have no clue how you worked in four projects, and completed all of them. I can barely get a bag and a trunk done."

"I just like crafting." Harry shrugged. "And since I should finish my bag by the end of the week, I'll have time to help you research."

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"Uh, because I want to?" Harry was bewildered by Draco's confusion. "Because that's what friends do for each other?"

"We aren't friends."

"No. But maybe we could be. We still have over a month before we leave here and then another month before we'll get to Hogwarts. I've heard you say that your parents want to have dinner with Sirius sometime and since I'll be staying with Sirius all of August, I assumed that means we'd be seeing each other around."

"Perhaps. But that doesn't explain why you'd want to be friends with me." Draco said. "We probably won't be around each other all that much once we get to Hogwarts anyway."

"Why not?" Harry asked. "I mean, yeah, we might be in different Houses, but we'll still be in the same school."

"House rivalries are not a joke at Hogwarts." Draco said haughtily. Harry could see some of the personality that Draco had held for the entire first semester creeping back in. He didn't realize how much Draco had mellowed in the last month since he began spending time with Sirius and, by extension, Harry. "A Slytherin and Gryffindor can't be friends. Anyone who's tried has been ridiculed."

"Who says I'm going to be a Gryffindor? Or that you'll be in Slytherin?"

"You're the Boy-Who-Lived. You're a hero. Gryffindor is where you belong. And there's never been a Malfoy who wasn't in Slytherin." Draco shook his head ruefully. "That's just how it's always been."

Draco swept away from Harry once they reached the Commons, going to sit with his own bunkmates. For the first time, Harry noticed how separate Draco seemed from the rest of his group. Draco sat at the very edge of the table and rather than joining what seemed to be a lively conversation, he pulled a book from his bag and set it up to read as he ate. Harry wondered what it was that made Draco seem so separate. He'd heard a few snippets of conversation between Draco and Sirius that had seemed to be important but Harry hadn't paid enough attention to remember what it was about. Still, obviously alone despite the crowded room, Harry decided that he'd help Draco research anyway. Maybe with a familiar, Draco wouldn't feel as lonely.

As the last month of his time at Ignis Academy began, Harry spent his time reading, studying, playing with and training Agni, and trying to figure out what creature could possibly be following Draco around. The description Draco had given him had been vague and applied to many different animals, though the assumption that it was a cat of some kind did narrow down the options for what it could be. After a week of searching on his own, Harry asked Sirius to help. Sirius had much more free time than Harry did since he didn't have anything to study or anything else to do when he finished his morning treatments.

"I didn't expect you to be so gung ho about helping Draco." Sirius commented as Harry handed him a small stack of books to begin reading through. Harry shrugged.

"He just seemed lonely, that's all. He wanted to reach out to you because his parents told him to."

"Really?" Sirius sounded surprised. Harry nodded in confirmation.

"I just know what it's like to be alone. That's all that I've ever been." Harry didn't say that even now after nearly a year of school, he still felt like he was alone most of the time. The friends that he had made at Ignis were great but everyone was always so wrapped up in their own projects and studies that it was hard to form bonds outside of school work. "Having a familiar won't magically fix anything, but it might help. It did for me."

Sirius didn't say anything but he did pick up the first book in the pile and began to read.

The last week of instruction, Harry completed his end of year exams. Harry was only an orange belt since he'd spent the first semester doing yoga instead, but his instructor was happy with his progress and presented Harry with a workout program to get him through the school year. If all went well, Harry would be able to advance up to the next belt the next summer. Harry had also made progress in Occlumency, though he only had the most basic of shields and rudimentary mind map. He would need to keep practicing and they would review his progress at the beginning of the next summer.

Harry passed Crafting with flying colors, having been the student that completed the most projects throughout the semester. Though none of his creations were particularly ground-breaking, they were all of good quality and he had done both of his trunk compartments so well that he'd be able to remove and reuse them later on if he so wished. When it came time for the Animagus final, Harry was nervous. He had one last meditation session to connect with his inner animal. If he failed, Harry would be the first student in Ignis Academy history to have to take a rudimentary Animagus class.

Harry was determined to not be that person.

The evening before his Animagus final, Harry left his hut and climbed up the side of the volcano until he reached a spot close to where the hellhounds were denning. Agni followed him, laying quietly at Harry's side as he sank into his meditative trance. Harry put all his energy into searching for and connecting with the animal hidden inside himself. He considered the power that animal would hold, the strength of its body and mind. He knew it would reflect his own power and ambition. His desire to do better, for himself and for the people around him.

Harry had no idea how long he was meditating. He only knew that when he came back to himself, he was smiling. He had finally reached that part inside himself and he couldn't be happier. When the instructor called Harry into his office to ask what his form was, Harry proudly stated that once he completed the Animagus transformation, he would be running around the isle as a midnight black panther.

"That's great, Harry!" Sirius exclaimed when Harry announced his success. He, Sirius, and Draco were enjoying their last evening on the isle. In the morning, the three of them would take a portkey to the Leaky Cauldron where Draco's parents would pick up their son, and then Harry and Sirius would go to the muggle flat Sirius had rented out for the last month of summer. There was no way they'd be able to stay in Grimmauld Place, even if Sirius wanted to go back there. "Suits you. What's your form, Draco? I don't think you've ever told us before."

"A wolf." Draco said, his chest puffing with pride. "Quite the opposite of my familiar."

Harry grinned, looking to the low-cut grass where Agni was rolling around with the as-of-yet-unnamed New Moon Kitten. The cat-like creatures were the opposite of moon calves in attitude, though they shared the same pale fur. Draco had finally discovered the creature barely three days before when he had walked into his bedroom and found the kitten nosing against his pillow. Draco had at first been worried that the animal had been hurt and had taken it to the Healer's Hut, where Healer Michael had done a quick examination and notified Draco that the cat had chosen him to bond with. It wasn't uncommon for a familiar to seek out their owner, especially with animals as graceful and elegant as new moon cats.

"Have you informed your parents of this new development?" Sirius asked. He didn't know Narcissa all that well anymore and he'd never been fond of Lucious to begin with but he assumed that neither of them would be too happy about Draco's new pet.

"No, but Father said there was a chance that I'd find a familiar while I was here. He had wanted to find one when he came, but he never did."

"I didn't realize your father came here."

"It's a family tradition." Draco shrugged. "He only came for one year. Don't know why he didn't continue."

"Well, you both better go and get packed." Sirius said to the boys as the sun began to disappear over the horizon. "The portkey is scheduled to leave rather early."

Harry and Draco called their familiars to their sides, Agni bounding over happily while Draco's kitten strolled gracefully up to him and wove between his legs.

"Have you thought of a name for her?" Harry asked as they walked to their huts, leaving Sirius to make his way to the Staff Housing on the other side of the Commons.

"Nebula." Draco paused in his walk and kneeled down to pick her up. She cuddled against his shoulder. "I wish I had found her earlier so I could have a collar done already."

"I can make you a copy of the notes for the collar I made for Agni, cut down on some of your work." Harry offered. "I'm working a leash too; one that will let him wander pretty far but will call him back if I pull on it. I haven't started making it yet but the notes are done. I can share those too."

"Thanks."

They parted ways for the evening, both taking their own familiar and wondering what the next year at Hogwarts would bring for them.

In the morning, Harry duplicated the two sets of notes, shrunk his trunk down, and placed it and all of his other projects into his satchel. Agni trotted beside him with the concealment runes on his collar activated for the first time. He looked like a regular black lab, eerily similar to the way Sirius looked when he was Padfoot, though much smaller. He rolled the notes up and held them in his free hand as he walked to meet Sirius and Draco at the docks. Harry saw Headmaster Scythe there as well and he smiled warmly at the man as he handed the rolled parchment to Draco.

"I do hope you will both be returning for the summer sessions." Scythe said to the two young boys. "Remember to keep up with your Occlumency and Animagus practice. You will be tested on both when you return. And try not to fall behind on your workouts either."

"Yes, sir." Harry and Draco replied in unison.

"Good, good." Scythe turned his attention to Sirius. "I will see you on September 1st, Mr. Black."

"Thank you, Headmaster." Sirius shook the man's hand and then stepped to the side. He took both of the boys' satchels from them, shrinking them down with his wand and then giving them back so they could focus on holding their familiars.

"Have a good school year, boys. And happy birthday, Harry."

"Thank you, sir." Harry smiled at his Headmaster. He would be forever grateful that Scythe was a man of his word and had come to get Harry nearly ten years after he promised he would.

Draco held Nebula close to his side and Harry gripped Agni's collar with one hand, the other ready to grab the portkey that would take them back to England. Sirius made sure that both boys had a good grip on their familiars and the portkey. Assured that they wouldn't lose anything on the trip, Sirius spoke the word to activate the portkey and the three of them disappeared from Vulcan's Isle.