A/N: Thank you all for the great comments, suggestions and theories! Keep them coming - they sometimes inspire me to write something totally different than what I had planned ;)

Guest: You will have to wait a bit longer to get that resolved ;) But you can write me your guesses and I'll tell you if you are right or wrong :D Of course Ginny will try something. Remember she tried to reach Dumbles via the fireplace but he hasn't called her back yet.

randomplotbunny: That's what kids are for :D My dad is completely gray since I can remember but I'm also the last of four kids ;)

mizzrazz72: It's not that easy ;) There is still the part of Sirius being sent to prison in the first place...

Dixie.f.9: Jup. But don't worry there will still be Drama Baby DRAMA! :D

ThePhoenixandtheDragon: Yes me too. I really thought about it and those random attacks on muggles and muggleborn were too similar to me to all the terrorist attacks we had in Europe in the last years thats why I used such harsh words.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling - I just played a bit in her universe.

Thanks to miu-sama95 for prereading, betaing and helping with the storyline ;)

Chapter 32: Aurors and Eye Exams

Words: 3097

John Dawlish hated the night shift. It was not that he didn't like his work because he did! John was one of the best aurors they had. He had put his all into his job and climbed the ladder almost all the way to the top.

He had his own team of aurors to lead and it filled him with contentment to know that his team's case solving rate was the highest of the department. He was very good at what he did and others looked up to him for it. Still he hated the graveyard shift.

It was usually very quiet during weeknights which meant it was hard not to fall asleep. Having the night shift every six weeks was alright but having it two weeks in a row to cover for another team was a nuisance. Especially if the other team was not off the rota because of injuries.

The other team was Kingsley Shacklebolt's. Dawlish couldn't even hold a grudge against the team leader since it wasn't his fault.

On Wednesday afternoon the head of their department Amelia Bones had stormed into their office, snatched Kingsley and a junior auror and vanished. Nobody has seen them since and the only reason they hadn't started a search for them was the firecall they had gotten from Am later that day.

She had told John to take King's team of rotation and find another team to cover for them. He was the oldest in service since Alastor Moody had quit so he was left in charge.

Being the friendly wizard he was he had drawn straws with the other team leaders and still managed to draw the shortest one. At least his team would get extra pay for the night shifts.

His squad consisted of three fully trained aurors and two juniors so they were always able to pair up for searches. Right now they were all asleep in the cots they kept in a back room while he kept watch over the alert board. At least it gave him time to catch up on his paperwork.

Dawlish was ripped out of his thoughts by an incoming alert setting off an alarm. He quickly sent off a charm to wake his team while he got the details of the alert.

Only seconds later his team was ready and assembled in the transportation room. It would take far too long to get to the atrium so they had a special place where the wards didn't stop them from travelling in and out of the ministry.

John quickly gave them the coordinates and a short brief.

"Alright team! We have a code four alert! You all know what that means. Muggles are in danger somehow so be careful. These are the coordinates and it is in a muggle area. Everybody ready?"

After getting an affirmative from each wizard and witch in his team he apparated first with his team right behind him.

They all landed with their wands drawn and started scouring the area. Most noticeable was the burning building in front of them. There was only half of it standing anymore. The other half was scattered all around them in big chunks and debris.

Without making a sound they started working in pairs. Dawlish took one of the junior aurors and carefully moved closer to the building to check out the fire. Two of his senior aurors would check for wards and if there were none they would set up their own.

They had all noticed the small muggle town at the foot of the hill. It wouldn't do for them to notice the burning house if it were magical. The last pair - one senior and one junior - would search the vicinity for clues, evidence and people.

Just as John started casting spells to douse the fire there was a muffled curse behind him and when he turned he found his junior sprawled on the ground. He swore this wizard was even clumsier than Tonks and that meant something.

"You okay, Rick?"

"Yeah, boss. Just stumbled over some rock I couldn't see." The junior auror said embarrassed. He got back to his feet and moved to inspect the thing he had fallen over only to gasp and stumble back in surprise. "Sir!"

"What is it?" Dawlish had turned back and started casting again when Rick interrupted him a second time.

"It wasn't a rock I fell over. It was a person!"

That got the head aurors attention immediately and he quickly made his way over to the body.

All aurors had basic medical training so he was able to discern that the man was merely knocked out and not dead. His vitals were stable and there were no serious injuries, just some scratches.

"He must have been knocked out by the explosion that caused the fire. Otherwise he is mostly unharmed. Put him in recovery position and wait with him. Also look for a wand!" He ordered his junior before turning back to the fire.

It didn't take long for John to find out that it was a magical fire created through an explosion thus it couldn't be put out. It had to run it's course.

The aurors that had set up the wards had returned and quickly joined their boss in setting up containment wards for the fire. The building would be lost but if they could keep the fire from spreading at least the garden and forest would be saved. Once they had finished their task they joined the other three of the team and the unconscious wizard again.

"Anyone know who he is?" John asked them while casting a few more standard diagnostics.

They all shook their heads and mumbled no before Rick spoke up.

"I found a wand, boss."

"Right. Give it to me so I can check it." Mitch, the second in command said since John was still occupied.

After a few moments of silence the team leader's surprised exclamation caught their attention.

"Bloody hell!"

"What is it, John?"

"Uh oh." Mitch said quietly but still all eyes turned to him. "The wand does not seem to have been bought officially but the last spells that have been cast were the unforgivables and some other very dark ones."

"The guy is also a rat animagus. I need magic suppressing cuffs. Who knows how powerful he is." John explained.

The second junior auror quickly handed over his cuffs to secure the man.

"Alright. Let's wrap this up." Dawlish decided. He didn't like this one bit.

"Mitch, Alex you stay here and oversee the fire. Once it's out come back but be careful! Rick, Hera and Aria back to the Ministry with me."

After checking that they had everything the team of four apparated back to the auror office with their still knocked out suspect.

John and Rick got him situated in one of the healer rooms before they started on their reports.

Thankfully all beds in their small infirmary were equipped with a number of spells and charms. They would monitor the nameless one, alert the team if he woke up and hinder all magic.

A few hours before their shift was over the last two of their team returned and quickly set to work on their reports as well.

Dawlish, as team leader, had the wonderful job of reading all the reports, writing his own and putting them all together in a newly created file. He also had to fill out the form for unidentified people. At least they could check the animagus registry but that would only open at nine for regular office hours. He also had to write out a request to get the wand checked in the files and archives.

That was the downside to being a team leader - all the extra paperwork.

Just before the auror team that would relieve them arrived he finished and filed the annoying paperwork according to protocol. The original stayed on his desk so he could continue working on the case during his next shift but a copy went into the department head's office.

Since Amelia was still not back he put them in a special basket that would transport them to a similar basket on her home office desk. That way she would still get the files even if she didn't come in.

He also sent the unidentified person sheet to all aurors. If they were lucky someone would recognize the wizard before he woke up and they interviewed him.

After informing the next team about their guest John Dawlish and his team were done with their shift and finally able to head home.

Marvolo watched with satisfaction as his follower gawked at Slytherin Castle. He would have to find some way to thank his husband for it later today.

He had deliberately set the portkeys to land them on the lawn in front of the castle. The elves had been considerate enough to light nearly all lights on this side of the castle. It made for an impressive sight.

"Follow me, my faithful Death Eaters!" He commanded and made his way to the new meeting room. A quick glance at his watch told him that it was already half past one in the morning and he decided to keep the rest of the meeting short.

He waited on the newly erected platform until the doors to the big ballroom closed behind his last follower.

"Do you like the new headquarters?"

There were cheers all around the hall and Marvolo had to hold his hand up to get them to quiet down again.

"Good. I will keep this short since it is already late. Everyone has to get their lineage checked as soon as possible and claim any available seats on the Wizengamot. All other tasks will be distributed individually during the next weeks."

The Death Eaters looked surprised to not have anything else to do but the Dark Lord knew that there would be a lot more to do once they got organized.

"Fear not! There will be a lot more work to be done in the future! For now you are all dismissed! Inner Circle on standby for a meeting this afternoon!"

After making his last statement Marvolo swept out of the room, quickly followed by Lucius. They made their way to his office where Marvolo poured them each a finger of whiskey.

"Thank you , Marvolo." Lucius said after disposing of his robes and sitting down in front of the fireplace. "What do you think of the second and outer circle?"

"Hard to calculate. It was, after all, only the first full meeting. I will have to rewatch my memory of the meeting to analyse them."

"Too true. Why a meeting this afternoon? We just saw everybody."
"Ahhh. I want to get the reports on the tasks I set them on the first meeting. Those results are imperative to our future proceedings."

"I completely forgot about those. I believe this is a sure sign for me to head to bed." Lucius chuckled and stood up. "Thank you for the nightcap, Marvolo."

"Good night, Lucius."

Marvolo also finished his drink before checking the wards and apparating home as well.

He arrived in the entrance hall of Snake Pit with a quiet pop and quietly made his way upstairs. It was always fun to try and sneak up on his husband but right now he was sure that if he woke up the Potions Master he would get hexed.

Severus was a right git if he got woken up in the middle of the night. Much to his surprise he managed to get into bed without the other man even twitching a finger. Once he was settled Severus unconsciously snuggled into him and Marvolo fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Harry was woken up by the first rays of sunshine behind his eyelids. After grabbing blindly for his glasses he noticed that it was still really early so he had no reason to get up yet.

The teen called for a house elf to get a morning cup of tea and moved to the window seat to watch the world wake up. He loved the quiet of the morning. It looked like it would be another beautiful day in rainy Britain. Perfect for his first summer with a family and home. Awesome!

By the time he had slowly finished his cup of tea the manor had woken up a bit and he could hear at least one of his fathers in the shower. With a content smile on his face Harry left his window seat and went through his morning routine before making his way down to the breakfast table.

He was surprised to still be the first one downstairs. At least the food was already laid out so he was able to start feeding his complaining stomach.

Just as he had finished loading his plate with pancakes his Dad arrived and made a beeline for the coffee pot.

Only after he was halfway through his second cup he acknowledged Harry's presence at all.

"Good morning, son."

"Morning, Dad. Are you awake yet?" Harry asked innocently.

"Brat." The Potions Master answered with a smile. "Of course I am awake."

"Where are the others?"

"Well… Marvolo had a late night and is sleeping in and we both know that Sirius won't get up before there are two digits on the clock."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence while devouring their food. When they were both done Severus addressed their agenda for the day.

"Harry we should get your eyes checked today."

"Oh. Do we have to?"

"Yes. Your eyes need checking so you can have appropriate glasses."

"We are wizards! Why can't we use magic to cure it?" Harry muttered angrily.

"Actually there is a potion."

"What!?"

"There is an eye correcting potion but you can only take it when you are of age and had your second magical maturity."

"That's stupid."

"It sucks but it is not stupid, son." Severus appeased him. "It has more to do with your physical, mental and magical growth. You need to be fully grown otherwise your eyesight will worsen again."

"Still stupid." The teen sulked.

Severus sighed exasperated but on some level he could understand his son especially since the boy played so much quidditch.

"We will leave as soon as you are ready. We'll go to the oculist in Diagon Alley and I may be able to be persuaded to stop at the quidditch store afterwards."

That quickly got Harry's attention and he dashed back to his room for his shoes and the pouch with gold.

Five minutes later the two Prince-Slytherins made their way through the Alley. Thankfully there weren't many people out yet and they weren't forced to walk through crowds. They also got away with simple glamours on their hair and Harry's scar.

At the oculist's they checked in with the receptionist before settling down to wait.

After a short wait the door next to the reception desk opened and an old man stuck his head out.

"Prince-Slytherin?" He called.

"Yes." Severus said and stood up with Harry in tow.

"Please come in. My name is healer Jim Lovell but please call me Jim."

They entered the office/examination room and Harry was surprised to only find a few chairs and a wall with different letters in the examination part of the room. The healer offered him the chair facing the letter wall while Severus took one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"Alright, lad. Is this your first exam?"

"Yes, sir." Harry answered politely but nervously.

"Not to worry, lad. It is pretty easy. I'll just check your eyes first and then we'll double check with temporary glasses."

The teen tentatively nodded and the healer drew his wand and cast a diagnostic charm at his eyes.

After reading the results he took some weird looking glasses which he tapped with his wand before handing them to Harry.

"WOW!" The teen exclaimed once he put the glasses on his nose. "Everything is so sharp! Dad! This is awesome!"

Severus chuckled at his son's sudden enthusiasm. The healer checked the glasses and Harry's eyes a few more times before he was satisfied.

"Alright, lad. Over there is a display case with different forms of glasses. You can have each one in every colour except the one on the right. That is only available in magenta sapphire and onyx." The healer explained and pointed the teen to a corner shelf in the room.

Severus joined him and together they looked for new frames for Harry. After trying a few different styled the decided on a pair of square ones with slightly rounded edges in a natural brown colour that was softer on his face than his black ones were.

The healer spelled the glasses to have the right prescription and after Severus paid for his service they left the healer's office and made their way to the quidditch store.

"You have 15 minutes to find something." Severus told him once they entered the store.

Harry knew how much his Dad didn't want to be here so he quickly dashed off to the equipment section. It only took him ten minutes to decide on the newest practice snitch that had a setting called 'world cup difficulty' which amused Harry to no end.

Severus was grateful that his son was so quick in deciding and they were able to leave (flee) right after paying before the crowds came.

When they arrived home the other two were still not up so Harry and Severus decided to wake them up.

While Severus woke his husband with kisses and a surprise the teen decided the only way to wake up a marauder was to prank him.

He persuaded Mimsy to bring him a bucket of cold water which he floated into his godfather's room. Harry hid in Sirius' closet before levitating the bucket over the sleeping man on the bed. After making sure he was not visible he upended the bucket on the animagus.

Sirius shot up in bed with a surprised scream (he would deny that it sounded like a girl) before spluttering when he noticed he was dripping wet. Only one person in this house would dare doing this to him.

"Harry James Potter!" He raged and dashed out of his room to pursue his godson not even noticing the open closet door or the name he used.

In the closet Harry had tears streaming down his face he was laughing so hard.

TBC

Will Sirius get his revenge on Harry? How do you think they will find out that they have Pettigrew in their custody?

First posted on: 12. November 2017

Next update planned: 26. November 2017