Harry stepped off the Hogwarts Express with a heavy heart. A single glance at his family reminded him that one of its members was permanently gone.
Remus, Sirius, and Tonks all awaited him with strained smiles and thinly veiled worry. Something else was wrong.
"Hi, Harry," said Remus, pulling in Harry for a hug. Sirius and Tonks both followed suit, glancing around Platform 9 ¾ with suspicion.
"What's going on?" asked Harry. "Why are you all acting weird?"
"We'll explain when we get home. But first, I need you to read and memorize something." Remus slipped a scrap of parchment into Harry's hands while Sirius and Tonks turned around, seemingly guarding him against the world.
"Our home is located at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place."
As soon as Harry had read the words, the parchment turned to ash. He peered up at Remus, puzzled.
"We'll explain when we're home. Sirius, you'll take his trunk…Dora, take Hedwig, and I'll take him." Sirius and Tonks took the trunk and Hedwig and ran through the barrier between platforms nine and ten, leaving Harry more confused than ever.
"We're going to wait a little while longer. Why don't you say goodbye to your friends?" said Remus quietly. Harry shrugged and walked over to his friends.
"Is it just me, or are they acting weirder than usual?" said Ron, glancing sideways at Remus. "It looked like Sirius and Tonks were guarding you."
"They handed me a piece of parchment that said—" Harry scratched his head, forgetting what the parchment said. He knew it was important, by the way Remus spoke of it, but it had also been trivial in the information it shared.
"Said what?" Hermione asked, standing on the other side of Ron.
"I can't remember, but then Sirius went off with my trunk and Tonks took Hedwig."
"Remus is talking to Dad." Ginny pointed to where Mr. Weasley and Remus stood, and Harry watched as a similar parchment turned to ash in Mr. Weasley's hand.
"That's what happened to mine, but…but I can't remember," Harry said, frustrated. "I'll go back and see if I remember."
Harry went back to Remus, but by then Mr. Weasley was back with his family. As soon as Harry locked eyes on Remus, he recalled what the parchment had said and turned on his heel to tell his friends.
"Bloody hell, I've forgotten again!" Harry said irritably, as soon as he was back with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "Never mind. Whatever was on that parchment must not be important."
"Or maybe it's enchanted so you can't tell anyone else?" Hermione said, growing excited. "I wonder what kind of magic that is!"
"Hermione, love, it's time to go," Mrs. Granger said kindly, nodding at Harry, Ron, and Ginny. "You'll see your friends soon."
"I will?"
Mrs. Granger smiled sheepishly and blinked rapidly at Hermione, which appeared to be a form of "we'll discuss this later," as she didn't ask any further questions.
A few more hugs goodbye later, and the Grangers were through the barrier. Mrs. Weasley had also stopped to talk to Remus, and Harry thought he saw the same burning parchment in her hands. He was growing worried that something was happening when Mrs. Weasley smiled too cheerily at him and gathered the rest of her children to go through the barrier.
Ginny promised to write, while Ron made no such promise, but Harry didn't mind. Ginny and Hermione had taken turns fussing over him in the wake of Lyall's death, but at least Ginny did so by flying with him and Ron.
When the Weasleys were gone, the platform was nearly empty. Harry walked back to Remus, remembering what was on the parchment.
"Why did I keep forgetting—"
"—we'll discuss it when we're home," Remus muttered. "Please be patient."
The last families left the platform, leaving Remus and Harry alone. They walked to the Floo, and Remus took Harry by the shoulder before he went in alone.
"I'm going with you, just in case."
"Just in case of what?" Harry's alarm grew with every pasting moment. He was sure something was wrong, as even Mrs. Granger had known something, but Remus refused to say anything.
Remus took Harry into the Floo, calling out their home address, and moments later they stepped out into the kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
"Will someone please tell me what's happening?" Harry said irritably, upon seeing Sirius and Tonks waiting for them in the kitchen.
"A lot's happened in the last few weeks," Sirius said, as he put plates on the table for dinner. "Lots to discuss."
Harry sat instantly, waiting impatiently for the others to sit. Kreacher served them a hearty steak and kidney pie, fresh rolls, and had a mouthwatering treacle tart waiting for them, too. It was all of Harry's favorite foods, which only increased his panic.
"Can someone just tell me already?"
"The house is under the Fidelius Charm now," Tonks said abruptly. "If you tried to tell your friends, you probably forgot what you read. Sirius is our Secret Keeper, as it's his family's house, but all of us and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley know."
"That's the special charm where people can't find us?"
"Exactly, Harry," said Sirius. "There's a good reason we did it – we believe Voldemort is back in the country."
"He is? How? Where?"
"We think he was trying to go to Little Hangleton, where the Riddles came from. Sirius and I were attacked by Wormtail, a huge snake, and another man," replied Remus. "Dumbledore thinks the snake might have been Voldemort himself possessing it. We followed their trail with Mad-Eye's help, which led us to an abandoned barn in northern Scotland."
"Then it took us to the sea and we lost the trail. We think they used an enchanted boat to get to one of the Northern Isles. He knows he's being pursued…and Wormtail knows who we are, so he knows it's us." Sirius grimaced and ran his hands through his glossy black hair.
"It means we're living under the Fidelius Charm for our safety and yours," Remus said grimly.
"Why can't you just go to all the Northern Isles and find him?" asked Harry.
"It's better to let him come to us. We don't know if he has other supporters with him, and even if we did kill what little we find, he's going to come back until all the horcruxes are gone," Sirius said. "We're slowly gathering information but it's a nightmare, because we can't have the Ministry raiding people's homes without a warrant."
"To get a warrant, you need evidence or probable cause," Tonks added. "Mad-Eye and I can only help when we're 'off-hours.' We're speculating, and that's the best we've got. We do have one thing working in our favor, though."
"Voldemort is relying on Wormtail and his other supporter, whoever they are, to live and move. He won't do anything out in the open if he's vulnerable, so we're still going to look for horcruxes, steal them if we can, and destroy them," explained Remus.
"It's a little like that Muggle game, keep-away. We're trying to keep Voldemort on the move while we take care of things, but it means all of us have to be on our toes," Sirius said, now sopping up the rest of his steak and kidney pie with a dinner roll. "That includes you."
"I'm stuck here for the summer, aren't I?" Harry said glumly, pushing the remains of his dinner around on his plate.
"Not quite, no," Remus replied, as he stood to clear the plates. "Molly and Arthur are aware of the situation, so they'll be adding some additional protections on their home. You should be able to visit Ron and Ginny in a week or two, when they've finished adding charms and wards."
"What about Hermione? Mrs. Granger said she'd be seeing us soon."
Remus, Sirius, and Tonks exchanged glances, seemingly having a conversation with their facial expressions, until Sirius sighed dramatically and flailed his hands in the air.
"I wanted to wait till it was closer to your birthday, but it seems I'm overruled. Go ahead, Moony."
"This is Sirius's idea, so thank your godfather," Reus began carefully. "Did you know that the Quidditch World Cup will be held in Britain in August?"
Harry cheered up instantly, hoping to hear that they would be going.
"Well, I bought us a private box," Sirius said, smiling broadly. "It's your birthday present, so don't ask for anything else from me."
"A whole box?" Harry said, dumbfounded. "How many people—"
"—all the Weasleys, us, my parents, Mad-Eye, and Hermione," Tonks said, her dark eyes glittering with joy.
"It was lucky we asked the Weasleys so early, as Arthur was almost given some tickets from a bloke called Bagman in exchange for—" Remus cleared his throat, stopping Sirius's speech, and redirected the conversation.
"It doesn't matter what Bagman may or may not have done," Remus dismissed. "What matters now is that we have box seats for all of us and plenty of guests for your birthday."
"Thank you, Sirius," Harry said, awestruck.
"Nothing but the best for my godson." Sirius's grin was infectious. Despite the looming threat of Voldemort – wherever he was – Harry still had Quidditch to look forward to.
…..
The first two weeks of Harry's summer holidays passed quickly. Much to his chagrin, it seemed that Remus and Sirius had come to an agreement with Molly Weasley, which meant that neither Harry nor any of the Weasleys could spend time together until their summer homework was finished. Harry suspected it was another way to keep him busy and safe, but it was irritating to have gone from taking his end of term examinations to summer homework without so much as a weekend's respite.
Needless to say, Harry was smug when his homework was reviewed by Sirius, Remus, and Tonks to find no major errors. He made the minor corrections, wrapped up his work, and prepared to enjoy the rest of his summer holidays.
He ran downstairs to find Remus, knowing it was his day off from the bookshop, to ask if he could visit the Weasleys for some much-needed flying.
Harry sighed dramatically when he saw that Remus wasn't alone. Sirius and Dumbledore were both in the kitchen. Experience had taught him that when the three of them were involved, he would be wrangled into either something very exciting or very dreadful.
The grim looks on their faces indicated he should expect something unpleasant.
"Harry, so good of you to join us," Dumbledore said evenly.
"I live here, so."
Remus chuckled uneasily while Sirius sat back, not bothering to hide his grin.
"I was hoping you could help me with something." Dumbledore's voice was calm as ever, and Harry sat in one of the kitchen chairs sullenly. "Remus and Sirius want you to know more about what's happening with Voldemort, and as they are your guardians, I will respect their wishes. Is this something you want to know?"
"Of course. I've got to know," Harry said adamantly. "Where is he? What is he doing?"
"We still aren't certain of his whereabouts, but a well-placed ear managed to learn that he's after you again."
Harry blinked slowly, unsure as to how this was any different than usual.
"He wants your blood. I believe he wants to use it in a ritual that would make it easier to touch you – if he shares your mother's blood, he would share in the same protection."
"What does that mean?" asked Harry. "Does it mean he could touch me and not crumble?"
"Yes, which means it would be easier to hurt you. This is why your home is under the Fidelius Charm now, and why your godfather will be joining the faculty of Hogwarts in September."
"You will?" Harry half-shouted, gaping at Sirius. "You'll be my professor, Sirius?"
"That's Professor Black to you, Mr. Potter." Sirius held his expressionless gaze for a fraction of a second before he burst into his raucous, bark-like laughter.
"He'll be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts," Dumbledore said, as Harry's jaw dropped, suddenly horrorstruck.
"He'll die! That's what happens to all of them! Grandad just died – you want to die?" Harry demanded, angry that Sirius would be so flippant with his life.
"I've signed a one-year contract," Sirius said, now sobering. "Not all previous Defense professors have died. You've had bad luck lately, and it'll be good for someone to keep an eye on you and your friends this term." Harry didn't think any part of Sirius becoming the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was good, but he decided to keep his opinion to himself, as the others seemed to think it was a sensible idea.
"I thought I had to have three people inside the house because Remus is a werewolf," blurted Harry, thinking he'd found a way to keep Sirius at home.
"About that," Sirius said. "I'm your godfather, which means that in our world, I have more rights than Remus does…that rule of three people only applied when Remus was your solitary guardian. Now that I'm here, it doesn't matter who I invite to live with me. Remus takes the Wolfsbane Potion anyway, for his health, but since I'm back in your life as your godfather we don't need to worry about that Ministry rule anymore."
"But if you die we will have to worry about it," Harry insisted. "You can't go!"
"There are good reasons I'm going to be teaching at Hogwarts this term," Sirius said exasperatedly. "I know you're worried for me, but I'll be fine."
Harry crossed his arms over his chest, fuming. There simply didn't seem to be a way for him to prevent anything from happening to his godfather.
"Let's get back to the matter of your mother's blood," Dumbledore said, after clearing his throat lightly. "I have a favor to ask of you, as there is one other person in Britain who also shares her blood."
"You mean Dudley?" Harry said, arching a brow at Dumbledore.
"Indeed. I fear that if Voldemort cannot get to you, he will be after your cousin's life."
"What am I going to do about it? It's not like he ever cared about me," Harry said flatly, recalling the many instances of his early childhood during which he spent hours being Dudley's target for any number of cruel games.
"I know you had your differences in the past," Dumbledore said slowly, "but I should hope that you don't wish death upon him."
Harry glanced up to the ceiling and exhaled slowly. He didn't wish death upon anyone – with the single exception of Voldemort – and he was not a killer. Even if Dudley had been a nasty bully, Harry didn't think it meant he deserved death.
"I don't want him to die…but I'm not how I'm supposed to help you."
"We thought of seeing them today, if you're willing," Remus said carefully, his forehead creasing with his concern.
"Them? You don't mean Dudley and Aunt Marge, do you?"
"Yes, but the three of us will be with you," Sirius said. "Unless you want Tonks to be there?"
Harry snorted, imagining Aunt Marge and Dudley reacting to Tonks and her colorful head of hair, or Sirius and his many tattoos.
"Tonks is working today?"
"She won't be home till later, but we can wait for another day," Remus replied. "What do you say?"
"I want to wait for Tonks to come home. I want to see the look on their faces when they see her hair…can my friends come?" Harry imagined approaching Marge and Dudley with many people at his side, including friends who Dudley said Harry would never have. The look on Dudley's face would be worth the visit, thought Harry.
"Do you want them there for support?" asked Sirius, meeting Remus's gaze. They nodded at each other slowly, and Sirius said, "We'll see what we can do."
"Can I see my friends today? I've finished all my homework."
Sirius and Remus's nods brightened Harry's mood, and he ran upstairs to get his broomstick, eager to fly with the Weasleys for the day.
…..
After spending another sunny afternoon at the Burrow, Harry took the stairs slowly, sore from the hours on his broomstick. He looked forward to a shower and whatever was available in the kitchen, when Remus stopped him. He had a peculiar expression in his eyes, and Harry stiffened instantly, wondering if it was time to visit the Dursleys, or if he'd discovered the evidence of his latest prank against Sirius.
"Harry, could you come here a moment?" asked Remus, standing in the doorway of the library. "I wanted to chat with you for a few minutes."
"If this is about the prank I'm playing, I'm not telling you anything," Harry said bluntly.
A corner of Remus's mouth twitched and he shook his head. He replied, "I won't spoil any of your pranks…and we should talk about the attitude you've been giving everyone lately, but that's not what I want to talk to you about now."
Harry followed Remus into the library, and the two sat down opposite each other. Harry clasped his hands together, wondering why he'd been asked to be there, when Remus finally cleared his throat.
"You know I've been seeing Dora for the last year, yes?" Harry nodded and Remus continued, shifting uncomfortably in his armchair. "I wanted to ask you…what would you think if I asked her to be a permanent member of our family?"
"You mean you want to adopt her? Wouldn't marrying her—" Harry shook his head, feeling stupid. "You could've just asked what I thought if you wanted to marry her instead of the permanent family bit."
"Right…well, what do you think? If I asked her to marry me, that is."
"I think it's brilliant," Harry said instantly. "Will you get married soon? Have you already asked her?"
"I haven't asked her yet, no. We discussed it briefly a few days ago, but I wanted to ask you what you thought."
"If you marry her, I'll still call her Tonks. I tried calling her Dora but that was too weird…calling her 'mum' would be even weirder."
"You don't call me or Sirius 'dad,' and if I know Dora, having you call her 'mum' would be a disaster. Calling her Tonks is what she prefers."
"Why haven't you asked her yet?"
"I want to be sure it's what she wants…and that you're all right with it. I know Sirius is your godfather, but you'll know by now that I consider you my son…and I love you like a son. I wouldn't want to make any big decisions without your input, especially if they'll change your life."
"How would you marrying Tonks change my life?" Harry asked, puzzled. "She already lives here."
"When you put it that way…I suppose not…though she'll always be a part of your life because she's a part of mine. I don't want you to feel as if I'm forgetting about you."
Harry lifted an eyebrow at Remus and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "I like Tonks. She makes you happy. Will she adopt me?"
Remus blinked several times, seemingly speechless. "Is…is that something you want?"
"If Sirius dies and you're my only guardian you'll have to find another adult, won't you?"
"That's true…although we're not planning on him dying anytime soon. I'll ask Dora if that's something she's interested in…but only if you are, Harry," he added quickly. "If you don't want her to be one of your guardians, you can say so."
Harry shrugged. Tonks was already one of the most important people in his life, and she'd been a good influence on Remus. He couldn't see any downside to having another person be his guardian, especially if something happened to Sirius or Remus. Neither of them knew how often Harry had seen them speak in hushed tones, whispering rapidly to each other, but Harry feared they were risking their lives unnecessarily for his sake.
"She can adopt me if she wants," Harry decided. "Will Andromeda and Ted be my grandparents?"
"I haven't thought that far," Remus said, as his lip curled downward. "I need to ask them if they're all right with me marrying their daughter."
"Why wouldn't they be? Don't they like you?"
"They do, but a werewolf is still a werewolf," Remus said lightly. "It's not something you need to worry about."
"You say that a lot." Harry set his lips into a thin line, aggravated that one of the most common things he heard from Remus, Sirius, and Tonks was to let others do the worrying for him. It didn't make sense to him; it's not as if they were the ones being personally pursued by Voldemort!
"Because it's the truth. You're just barely 14 years old. You don't need to have the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"Aren't I supposed to kill Voldemort?" Harry deadpanned. "Not you, or Sirius, or even Dumbledore?"
"We've discussed this many times. Prophecies are woolly." Remus hesitated, biting his lower lip slightly, and said, "Even if you do kill him, you won't be alone. Sirius and I are working hard to make it easier for you, if and when that time comes."
"Have you gotten any more horcruxes?"
"No, and I believe that's one of the many good reasons why Dumbledore wanted to hire Sirius as a professor. We think there's one in the castle, as you know, and having someone looking for it – not you, Harry! – will make it easier to defeat Voldemort."
"Will he get to keep the Marauders' Map?"
Remus nodded, and before Harry could protest, he said, "You'll still keep the Invisibility Cloak. That won't change – but Sirius is keeping the Map as another way to check on who's coming and going from the castle."
Harry stared at Remus incredulously. He knew there was something else going on that no one was telling him about, and it had to be more than Voldemort and his horcruxes.
"All right, Harry. I see it in your eyes. Just like your mum…I could always tell when she was cross with us. What is it?"
"You're not telling me something." Harry had his eyes narrowed at Remus, who looked as if his patience was waning with every passing moment.
"There are many things I don't tell you, but they're not all sinister."
"This one must be," Harry pressed. "What is it?"
Remus raised his eyes upwards and let out a long, dramatic sigh. "I can't tell you everything because it's something that will be announced when you're back at school. Without telling you too much, Hogwarts will be hosting some exchange students this term from a couple of magical schools in Europe."
Harry was taken aback. Exchange students seemed relatively harmless against Voldemort, unless—
"Do you think Voldemort is going to try to possess one of the exchange students?"
"It's possible." Remus frowned deeply and put his chin in his hand. "This is why Sirius will have the Map. If there are students coming and going, it will be good for him to know who's in the castle."
Harry wanted to ask why exchange students were coming to Hogwarts, having never heard of the phenomenon before, but his stomach growled loudly.
"You should shower and eat," said Remus. "Tonks will be home soon so you might be able to eat with her."
"I should call her 'mum' and see how she reacts." Harry grinned conspiratorially, wondering if he'd be able to catch her off-guard with the salutation.
"Maybe you should wait a little longer before you try something like that…wait until I ask her to marry me?"
"Will you do it soon?"
"We'll see. I need to talk to her parents, and if that goes well…"
"You'll be added to the family tree upstairs?"
Remus laughed darkly. "I think the tapestry itself would reject me. Now please go upstairs to shower. I underestimated how much you've grown and what that's done to your body odor."
Harry almost flapped his arms in Remus's face, until he realized that Remus's sense of smell was better than most people's. He spared him from the stench and ran up the stairs to shower.