Chapter Twenty-One

Discourses

It was actually a good bit amusing to me to see them twitch, thought Minerva McGonagall. Most of the group standing inside the gates was on tenterhooks or at the least looked uneasy. The preceding lecture had gotten everyone's attention, but it wasn't anything that she had said. Philo had cautioned everyone there about the proper way to interact with Tessaies, which boiled down to one obvious thing.

Don't make her mad, which made plenty of sense to all in the group.

Several doubtful glances were sent the Unspeakable's way, whose hood merely tilted a couple of times. There was no real indication of whether this was agreement or amusement or anything, really. Other glances were of the other hooded figure, who didn't seem to have been cognizant of any of the speculation the Unspeakable didn't get.

Such glances and other things occupied the minds of some of the group and they missed the actions of Philo McClermont. He found a curious Hufflepuff that had watched the procession approach and had waved at him. The boy waved back and approached.

"Hello, Owen. Have you seen Dan and Emma Granger? Hermione Granger's parents?"

"Sure, Uncle Philo, what about them?"

"Can you find them as quick as you can, and send them to the Mother Eminence's Quarters? Be sure to tell them who I am and what I do, okay? I think they're going to be needed, if some of what she's said means anything? Give them this."

The young boy looked up at Professor McGonagall, who nodded. When he looked back at his uncle, Philo had conjured a business card and held it out for him to take.

"Sure. She's kinda scary, Uncle Philo, but reminds me of mum a bit."

Philo chuckled.

"Well, she is a mum herself. Mums do that kind of thing when they have to and she's been doing it a long time. Hurry now."

The Hufflepuff streaked off, and Philo watched him for a moment. It had crossed his mind to ask if Owen was referring to Tessaies or Professor McGonagall but in the interests of his personal safety (as he was in arm's reach of said Professor,) decided not to. There were a few things he'd done at Hogwarts that he didn't want to see if she remembered, just in case she decided to call him onto the carpet. He wasn't sure that there was anything like statutes of limitations and he didn't want to find out.

Amelia Bones watched the boy dash off and murmured to him, "Oh, to be that young again and have that much energy."

"Tell me about it. Less aches and pains, too."

Both hooded figures snorted in amusement, but it was hard to tell which was more amused. Professor McGonagall was her usual stern self, but she seemed to be in general agreement.

They retraced their steps, deviating a bit around an impromptu football game that some of the Gryffindors had started up with some of the Ravenclaws. The ball had some odd coloration – instead of the black leather pentagons, it had purple, pink, blue, orange, and green polygons that shifted from pentagons to hexagons to octagons all the way up tetradecagons every time someone kicked the ball. The colors shifted as well. Each polygon's shift was distracting, to say the least, and more than one Ravenclaw found themselves entranced by the patterns generated by the spinning. They wanted to compare them to things they had read about natural patterns in crystals.

This didn't help with their gameplay, and the Gryffindors were well on the way to wiping them out if the makeshift scoring board meant anything. The fact that the ball was the creation of one of the Lions intent on playing to the 'Claws weakness never came up. The adults walking by were entertained at this but as much as they wanted to stay and watch, they had an appointment with a dragon to keep.

Tessaies could be seen as they made the turn around the corner to approach the Dragon Quarters. She seemed to be conversing with a Goblin and one of the Slytherin students. The student had a textbook open and was obviously referring to something within while asking a question of the pair.

"I never thought I'd see the day that a dragon would be reading over someone's shoulder," the Unspeakable said. The voice, although androgynous enough to confuse the listeners, had a distinct tone of amazement that the others shared. They hadn't thought that they would've seen that either, and agreed with the sentiment.

They watched as the student held the book out and Tessaies carefully flipped a page. She looked at whatever it was that the Slytherin had pointed out carefully, squinting through one eye.

"She's rolling her eyes now. Dragons can do that?" Madam Bones asked.

"It sure seems like it. What do you want to bet that's a Care of Magical Creatures textbook?" Philo asked. He knew she could roll her eyes but they didn't.

"No bet." They couldn't see from this distance but it seemed quite plausible.

They watched as the student was gently turned to face the mother dragon. She told him something they couldn't hear that had him nodding thoughtfully. The Goblin said something as well, but the Slytherin was apparently deep in thought and didn't hear. Tessaies did and nodded at the Goblin.

The Slytherin apparently had finished his thought and bowed to the mother dragon, who returned the bow. The Goblin clapped the boy on the shoulder and obviously said something encouraging, since he got a grin from the student. He could be seen writing something down on a scrap of something, possibly a parchment, and handing it to the boy.

"Wonder what she said?" McGonagall murmured.

"No telling. I'm wondering what he said? I thought Goblins didn't like to deal with us much," the Unspeakable said.

"They usually don't. I'm wondering what he wrote down, myself," Madam Bones mused.

The student set off back toward the castle with his textbook in hand. He was moving fairly quick.

"I do believe I'll have to thank the Mother Eminence for encouraging a student to study," McGonagall mused. "The dragon lectures have been very popular."

"Dragon lectures?" The person wearing the baby blue cloak spoke up in definite surprise. He'd been silent before now and his voice was rough.

"There are various dragons that spend their weekends here giving lectures on various things. I never thought dragons had interests in education, but they do, and the results have been very interesting. Exam scores have been rising somewhat in those students that have been attending lectures given by dragons. They tend to give their students a different perspective that they tend to apply to their magical studies. They also tend to motivate them, too."

Madam Bones nodded thoughtfully. "I'd be interested in seeing what dragons lecture about. I've heard about the translation charm, but didn't know that it worked that well."

She looked at the Unspeakable.

"I imagine your department would be interested in learning more too, but it'll have to be out here in the open, at Hogwarts. Founder-level charms are rooted at the castle, to take advantage of the ley lines."

The hood concealed the grimace that they all knew the Unspeakable had.

"True, but it would be something to think about, at least. Weekend lectures, is it? What's on for next weekend, Professor McGonagall?"

"The last that I'd heard, there was going to be a lecture on healing, one on navigation, and one on draconic accounting. There are slots for more, but sometimes they don't have the whole schedule ready until Friday mornings and sometimes there isn't a complete 'day.' That's usually due to unforeseen circumstances, since the various dragon reserves are still in disbelief over the whole thing and get a bit upset when 'their' dragons leave for a while."

"What do they do if it's just a few lectures and not the whole timetable?"

Professor McGonagall snorted.

"On those days, the dragons like to either tell stories or treat the day at Hogwarts as a vacation day."

Mental images of dragons suntanning around the Black Lake, snapping photos of Hogwarts or taking tourist tours lead by the Professors made some of them laugh. The Unspeakable was thinking about something McGonagall had said a moment ago.

"Accounting, you said? Dragons do that?"

"Apparently. Don't ask me how it applies to our version of accounting. We use base-10 in our numbers. As you are aware we have ten fingers for counting and things like that, but depending on the dragon species they use a different base. It works for them, but it's a little confusing to me."

"I suppose I'll have to attend the lecture to find out."

"Most likely. I'm not, since I have enough headaches keeping Hogwarts' books straight without another numbering system adding to them."

No other comments were spoken as Tessaies heard them approach and looked up. The golden eyes focused onto each new member of the group, and each thought privately to themselves that they were being cataloged and assessed in certain ways. The stance that she took didn't change much, aside from standing more upright and curling her tail around herself.

The Goblin decided to lean against the stone walls of the Quarters and watch.

Philo strode forward and bowed to her.

"Mother Eminence, I present to you your visitors."

"Oh, cut the formality, Philo. We're all adults here."

Steelarse snickered to himself.

"Shut up, Steelarse. Nobody asked you. I didn't mean you anyway."

"As my lady commands," and he bowed extravagantly, still snickering.

Tessaies moaned to herself. Tendrils of smoke found their way upward.

"I ask for Goblin help and I get a smartarsed one. I haven't forgotten about that golden egg!"

Steelarse grinned at her aggrieved tone.

"Oh, well, we'll get into that later, Mother Eminence. I'm sure of it."

"Golden egg?" The murmur was heard in the group, possibly from one of the hooded heads.

"Later," McGonagall said. "Part of the Tournament." They all nodded.

Tessaies looked back at the group, having speared the snickering Goblin with a look that promised payback.

"Everyone, we will be holding our meeting at the Lectern. We will be more comfortable."

"Better than inside her Quarters. No cushions on the rock chairs. She keeps burning them up by mistake. It's a little dim in there, too," Steelarse confided in a loud stage whisper.

"Steelarse!"

She puffed smoke at him and no one could tell if he was coughing from that or because he was too busy laughing at his joke. They traded glances with each other, although a few uncertain chuckles could be heard from the one in the baby blue cloak.

The Horntail narrowed her eyes at the unrepentant Goblin and set off toward the Lectern. The others looked at each other for a moment and shrugged before following. There was plenty of distance between them and the spikes on her tail, which was wobbling from side to side as she marched with a purpose.

She did look to be less than happy at the moment.

"Did he have to wind her up?" The hesitant question came from the blue-hooded member of the group, and Madam Bones sighed.

"Most likely. Goblin humor. If it makes things harder for us and more entertaining for them…"

"He's standing right there, you know."

A motion was made to the grinning Goblin.

"He knows. I've said it to his face and he didn't disagree. In fact, he pointed out a few things that they found particularly funny."

"Well, okay, but an upset dragon isn't a fun idea."

Nothing more was said. Adults they might all be, but Tessaies was still a dragon and they had all still grown up staying far away from dragons if given the choice. Some, like Philo and Steelarse had jobs that involved dragons in some way but the others didn't.

Tessaies made her way to the area around the Lectern. Quiangya was there, waiting. Annika was off in the distance, doing that strange thing that looked like she was suffering extreme tremors or acute stomach pains.

"What is Annika doing… never mind. I don't want to know."

"I didn't either, but there you are. That's what's she doing. Rhiain will be here in a moment."

"Good."

Everyone could see that Tessaies heaved a sigh as she looked at the silvery dragon. There was a loud hiss from the big black dragon that none of the visitors could understand and that the translation charm didn't process. Annika stopped that odd behavior and approached, but stopped to take a sniff of the area. She sat down with an odd look on her face.

"Annika?" Tessaies asked.

"Later. Something's odd here."

That particular statement coming from the Short-Snout meant that something really was odd. She didn't seem upset or worried in any great manner, just confused, so Tessaies resolved to wait and see what happened. As much as the younger dragon made her want to pull her scales out more than she wanted to admit, Tessaies knew that Annika had sharp instincts that was best listened to.

The knowledge was borne out when Annika chose a spot close to Madam Bones and the hooded person in the blue cloak. Tessaies was sure it was a male, from the scent. She stopped for a moment and her eyes narrowed. She was focused on the man so intently that she didn't notice the arrival of either Rhiain or the Grangers.

"I know who this is," the mother Horntail said slowly. The subject of her unblinking regard shrunk away a bit.

Madam Bones agreed.

"True, but he's here for a reason. We both are here under Seal of Hogwarts in addition to the meeting you received notice of."

Tessaies sat up and thought about that. The soothing magics of the Castle confirmed that to her – that there was no danger to anyone. She knew all her children and everyone on the grounds was playing nicely.

"Very well. You are all therefore under my protection and my rules as we work. There will be no arguing or fighting. Understand?"

"Of course, Mother Eminence," Philo spoke before anyone could.

The golden eyes stared hard at the man for several minutes, who shifted where he stood and looked nervous. There was a noise of someone else approaching the group but no one wanted to look away as they wondered who the man was and how it was going to affect what they'd come here today to do.

Tessaies snorted to herself.

"Oh, relax and take down your hood. I'm not going to eat you, Sirius Black."

|:-:|

Elsewhere on the grounds near the Black Lake, Charlie Weasley was finding himself in a pickle. He had three pairs of feminine eyes welding a stare upon him, evaluating and examining him. That one of those pairs belonged to a puckish smaller dragon, didn't help. It also didn't help that another was one of the female dragon handlers that he'd thought was posted in Ukraine.

Kirsa's brown eyes gazed upon him. That was another thing, he thought. Wasn't her eyes red the last time I saw her? And blue before that? What's going on?

He put that thought and the one that concluded that she was up to something he might not enjoy out of his mind. If he'd learned anything over the years it was that dragons did things their own way. It didn't have to make sense to humans or well, anyone, really.

The second pair of eyes was oddly, Professor Sprout. He didn't have a clue why she was there and examining him like a rose bush with a canker on it. It didn't make him very comfortable and the ever-present amusement in Kirsa's eyes didn't make him feel any better. If anything, it was worse than that time he'd messed up and killed Professor Sprout's bonsai tree by misreading the directions. She hadn't been very happy with him over that.

The third pair drew him in and captivated every mental thought process he'd been having to try to figure out was was going on here. That pair of brown eyes brought up some memories. Those memories dragged up some fantasies, too, of the lithe body that had stood up from its reclining position on the ground upon his arrival.

He was looking at someone that he didn't think he'd ever get a chance to see again.

"Stefaniya Tymofiyivna Shapovalova," he breathed. Unbidden, his hand reached out in her direction.

"Charles Archibald Weasley," she cooed in return as she stood up. She minced her way over to him and pressed a light kiss on his cheek. She ran her hands over his chest and squeezed his shoulders before returning to where she'd been resting.

Okay. This was new.

Whatever was going on, Charlie was both interested and confused. He gaped at her forwardness as she faced away from him to find her grassy spot. There was a hint of a wiggle or two in her movements.

Kirsa watched and gave a dragon grin, which the third member of their group matched.

"Now that he's suitably distracted, let's reel him in," Professor Sprout said with a small laugh to herself. "He still owes me a bonsai."

"I'm sure when Stefaniya reminds him, you'll have all you want. Besides, Tessaies said he needs some distraction, so to speak. I decided to help her out in that respect. I've been watching both of them individually for a while. Tessaies approved of this suggestion of mine, so I flew with it."

"They know each other, then? You orchestrated more than this meeting, didn't you?"

The sparkle in Kirsa's eyes grew. It looked clearly like the little dragon was up to something and had approval to be just that. The Herbology Professor had seen that look on certain faces more than once.

"You could say that. She had filled in at the Romanian reserve a few times and they caught each other's eyes – or so the rumors went that I overheard, anyway. Never mind the ones that I started, of course."

"Of course," Sprout agreed.

Charlie heard nothing about any bonsai trees or rumors or distractions at all. Neither did Stefaniya. The other two regarded this with no small amount of delight.

"Say, let's go look at some flowers I found the last time I was here. I think they would make for some interesting dyes. I doubt they'll notice we're gone."

"Yes, let's," the professor snorted with an amused glance at the others. A flight of dragons could have breezed though belching fire everywhere and they wouldn't have noticed.

"Think I made a good choice?" Kirsa smirked. "Both seem to match well."

"Time will tell, of course, but I think so. Now about those flowers?"

"This way, Professor."

|:-:|

Harry frowned suddenly. Lavender noticed.

"What is it, Harry?"

"Somebody's up to something. I can sense it."

She grinned at the others, gathered around the common room and pretending not to listen.

"Good or bad?"

"Not bad – I think."

"Hermione?"

"No, not her. I can't explain it. Something's going on and I can feel it. Don't ask me to explain it."

"Maybe you're just paranoid. It would make sense, considering everything you go through every year."

He looked at her and she blushed.

"Okay, Harry, I admit that I could have been a little more supportive this year."

"Not just this year…" he muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing, Lavender. You can't feel it?"

"No, but I'm not paranoid, either."

"Gee, thanks a lot."

Harry didn't want to admit that she might have a point. What was that old saying? Something about he wasn't actually paranoid if somebody really was out to get him? Harry sighed and went back to the assignment on frog spleens, the uses in pain relief potions and salves, and suitable substitutions. The conversation buzzed around him and he tried to ignore it but the Twins' actions of charming the candelabras to duel around books, furniture and various transfigured obstacles didn't help. The witty repartee (or so Fred and George thought) between the erstwhile fixtures turned out to be too distracting.

With another sigh, he put away the essay and gave up for now. Hermione was probably in the library, but he didn't want to go there. If he did, he'd be pulled into studying something and his mind wasn't up to that right now. He needed something to distract him. Harry chuckled to himself.

"I could use something different right about now. It's a quiet day. What could possibly be worse than what I've dealt with so far?"

The chime on the bulletin board that all Houses and the library had went off, and a parchment appeared. It pushed all others to the side and covered itself with a clear film after molding into the board. Attention was drawn to it, as it didn't chime often. Everyone knew that when the chime came from the board, there was something appearing that would be on the other five boards. It was an automated process, as someone – usually Professor McGonagall in her role as Deputy Headmistress – wrote the text of the announcement and charmed it to appear at a set time and date.

Harry thudded his head. This was going to be the reason why he felt so paranoid. Well, one reason among several.

ATTENTION

As part of your purchase list for this year, you will have been notified of the need for dress robes. This is due to the hosting of the Yule Ball, at Hogwarts, as a part of the Triwizard Tournament. This is a traditional formal event attached to all Tournaments and requires adherence to accepted form, including formal comportment, dancing, and dining.

Accordingly, the Triwizard Champions will open the Ball with their dates, after which all others will join them on the dance floor in celebration of Yule. Proper manners are required at all times, as you are representing your school in all respects of international cooperation.

First and second year students will be not be allowed to attend the whole of the Yule Ball due to age and curfew restraints. Third year students must be accompanied by a higher year student and be subject to the above adherence to form.

Any further information will be handled by your Heads of House in House Meetings.

Date: 25 December

Time: Seven O'Clock in the Evening until Midnight

School Rules and Discipline apply to this event.

Harry stared at the board, not noticing the looks of the others at him. He gulped, after a moment.

What in the world was he going to do now?

|:-:|

Dan Granger wondered what had happened, as he lead Emma, Robbie, and Félicité to the Lectern. He had heard Tessaies say something to the group of people that looked a bit gobsmacked as a result. Quiangya looked amused.

"Er… Quiangya, right?"

The Fireball nodded.

"What happened here?"

"A surprise visitor. It should make for interesting meeting times."

"Surprise? Well, who is it?"

"Somebody named Sirius Black."

Emma tried to hold in her shriek and mostly succeeded. Dan flicked a fast look at her.

"Later, Dan, but watch him closely! Remember who he is to Harry!"

The look on Robbie's face was in turns shocked and angry, but with four dragons and the head of the magical cops around Dan decided to do just that and watch closely.

|:-:|

The hood came down. No one noticed that it was shaking a bit since they were too focused on the face it had hidden. Sirius Black stared at the dragon with more than a bit of trepidation. The grey eyes were affixed on the dragon, who was looking back at him with a regard that made his bowels want to loosen. Never mind what she said about eating him since it was the principle of the thing, or at least the idea itself.

Madam Bones stepped forward.

"I remind all present of the oath that I took before coming to this meeting. Sirius Black is not a threat and is not subject to apprehension. Should any of you try, I will cut you down and move to the next person. There are things about Mister Black that you don't know about – that I recently found out about – and I intend to reveal that here."

Tessaies raised an eyebrow at being included in the statement, and mentally gave the woman points for brass. The revelation of unknown information had stopped the Unspeakable from drawing his wand, and she blew a puff of smoke in his direction to remind him.

The others either stifled squeaks of fear or confusion.

The presence of Dan and the others were noticed and introductions all around were made. Tessaies noticed that Dan stared deep into Sirius Black's eyes for a moment as they shook hands, as did Emma. The other two were very reserved upon meeting someone that they considered to be a serial killer but managed to get through it with Madam Bones' exhortation in mind.

There were several thumps nearby, and they turned to see Rhiain landing with several barrels of something bound up in a net clutched in one set of talons. It had made for a less-than-graceful landing, which no one felt the need to comment on. The distraction from the unease of the meeting thus far was welcome.

"Oh, good. You've brought refreshments," Quiangya noted. "Finally."

"Refreshments?" Madam Bones asked to no one in particular. General helpless head-shaking answered her, and Tessaies didn't hear the low question. She had turned to the Dragonborne Treaties and Treatises representative.

"Philo?"

He was shaking his head at her.

"You really did it. I thought you was pulling my leg."

"Would I do that?"

He snorted.

"In a heartbeat, if it tickled your fancy."

He had smoke puffed at him for his honesty. Philo waved it away and withdrew a tap from his bag of holding after digging around for a moment. Tessaies regarded him as he did it. She shifted around to try to see into the bag.

"What else have you got in there?"

"Don't ask. I'm married. I made the mistake of showing my wife this bag and now I have my stuff and her stuff in here, too."

"You didn't get her one for herself?"

"I tried." He sounded resigned.

"What happened?" The dragon was interested in the answer and now so was everyone else.

"She didn't want it, since that meant that she'd have to carry it instead of her pack mule named Philo."

Muffled snorts were heard, one of those coming from Quiangya.

Philo had a put-upon expression on his face but made his way over to one of the barrels. He looked at it for a moment and his voice, when he found it, was past surprised.

"Scotch? Where did you find this? And how?" He stared up at Tessaies, the tap in his hand forgotten.

"I have my ways. We are in Scotland and it seemed appropriate. It's rather weak to us, so perhaps you humans will find it more motivating. We must be good hosts, correct?"

Professor McGonagall looked at the aged casks and wondered how the dragons had done this. It turned out that there was enough for one drink for everyone plus a bit, including the dragons, for whom half a barrel was a dragon-sized shot.

Annika spluttered through hers, as did Rhiain. Quiangya and Tessaies had no problems. The others wondered what such a flammable liquid did to the natural dragonfire that they possessed and decided that it wasn't that important. Several hoped that it didn't give them gas.

"Now," Tessaies said, once the humans had tossed back their shots with appreciation. "Down to business."

She was interrupted by the sound of a furious shout in the distance. Everyone looked that way to see a Ravenclaw chasing a Hufflepuff, who was running away as fast as she could with a book. There was a blue bookmark fluttering away in the breeze in the book tucked under her arm. They could see the glinting of the bookmark's metallic accents in the sunlight.

The eyes of the Hogwarts graduates turned to Amelia Bones, the lone Hufflepuff in the group. She glared at them.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Robbie Russell said. There was a bit of sympathetic outrage in his voice. "It's practically a capital crime to steal a Ravenclaw's books. We were all wondering what you was going to do to prevent a murder."

For some reason, most of the dragons found that funny. Everyone had to wait until they calmed down.

She sniffed.

"I'm a Hufflepuff. We have ways to calm everyone down."

No one remarked on the fact that the female Hufflepuff was running toward the covered bridge with the male Ravenclaw in pursuit. After all, they'd done the same sort of thing themselves at that age. No one expected the subject of why the book was stolen in the first place to be the subject under discussion whenever she allowed herself to be caught. However, the general unspoken consensus was that the Hufflepuff was wearing the Ravenclaw out a bit first.

Tessaies shook her head.

"Humans. Young humans, at that. Enough of that distraction. We are here to discuss the well-being of my ward. Philo, would you be so kind as to educate our guests on the Treaty of Shelleche Notch?"

He did so, detailing the history and the times that a dragon adopted a non-dragon ward. The reasons why were given. There was several minutes of silent thought after that.

"So, wait a minute," Sirius said. "You're telling me that dragons can make sure that humans are taken care of?"

"Under the terms of the Treaty, yes," Philo noted. "For obvious reasons, it's not often done."

"Harry?" Sirius looked around. "Where is Harry, anyway? This concerns him – shouldn't he be here? From what I know, the Dursleys didn't give him any… well, any love and very little care. That's wrong. James and Lily wouldn't have wanted that for him and I completely doubt that they wanted him to go to them in the first place."

Amelia Bones looked up at that statement from the man she'd thought for the longest time had betrayed the Potters. Her eyes narrowed in speculation as some pieces fell into place with her investigator's mind and she missed the mirrored look at herself from Annika.

"He is in class. As part of my duties, I will see that he is educated and that means class time," Tessaies noted. "I will see that he is here later, but I've already explained that I expect to see best effort in his studies, or there will be discipline."

Sirius started to say something, but the look in her eyes stopped him.

"Harry is not the first human child I've guided to adulthood, Mister Black. I recognize the bond Magic has placed upon the two of you as well. I can see it."

"Bond?" the Unspeakable asked. The promise of new magical knowledge elicited a note of tantalized interest that the DOM robes couldn't hide. Everyone was fairly sure by now that the Unspeakable was male.

"Yes." The regard turned his way. "There are certain intersections of magic between species, Unspeakable. Your calling is not unknown to dragonkind as we have something similar, and because of that, I can speak of it. The dragon versions of Unspeakables research magic just as you do and have decided that Magic is Magic, no matter who wields it. There are differences, of course. My draconic magic is not something that you would easily be able to handle, except for the intersections where both can come together, so to speak. We just tend to have a deeper reservoir of magic to draw upon."

"Fascinating!"

Everyone got the impression that an eyebrow had risen inside the hood.

"Stay behind after this business is completed and we will talk more."

"Of course, Mother Eminence."

She turned her attention back to Sirius.

"I can see your Godfather bond. I can also see the damages it has endured due to your circumstances. It will recover with time spent with Harry…"

"But, er, didn't he betray the Potters and try to kill young Harry?"

The sudden question interrupted the Horntail. It came from Robbie Russell. Quiangya addressed him before Tessaies could.

"And who exactly are you to question her?"

The surgeon had a sudden urge to tuck in his shirt and comb his hair at her words. It wasn't what she said so much as how she said it, and it reminded him of a stern governess he'd had once. He stood up straight and looked her in the eye, which took some doing.

"Madam, I am Doctor Robert Russell. I have qualifications in Magical Healing and Muggle Medicine, and I was asked here by my friends Daniel and Emma Granger to volunteer my services to evaluate their daughter's friend Harry Potter in a medical manner for unspecified reasons."

He was hoping that he wasn't asked specifics about his qualifications, since he didn't know how he was going to explain what he did and he really didn't know how he was going to justify his presence for what he assumed was an abused child. Apparently there was a lot more about Harry Potter than anyone had ever thought was going on.

Robbie had connected the dots about Hermione's boyfriend rather quickly, in between talking to Dan and Emma and finding out why he'd been asked to visit. He was already thinking that there was more information that he didn't have and wondered what else he was going to learn.

For her part, Quiangya eyed him carefully. She noticed the carefully hidden gulp but ignored that.

"Hmmph. It seems you are bereft of information, observation, and quite possibly some sense."

Ouch, he thought.

"Now, Quiangya. Considering the things we've been hearing while here that it seems he hasn't also heard, it's only to be expected," Tessaies noted.

Double ouch. He looked at his wife, who shrugged helplessly.

"You know, she's got a point," Dan mumbled in his ear.

"Thanks a lot, Danny. You couldn't mention that before?"

"Sorry, I didn't think about it."

"So, about Mister Black? What's going on here?"

Annika overheard and spoke up.

"Why don't we ask him? He looks cuddly enough. I'll stand over here by him and listen. He smells yummy, too. Is this that cologne I've been hearing about?"

From the look on Sirius Black's face, he wasn't too sure about that statement and from the looks on the faces of the others, they weren't either but glad it wasn't them. Annika moved around to sit behind him and knocked over several rock benches with her tail. She regarded them critically as they lay spread around.

"I could swear I fit between them yesterday."

"I could swear that she's been enjoyed too many of the house-elves' giant chocolate cakes lately, too," Quiangya muttered to Tessaies, who motioned for her to shut up.

There was general unspoken consensus between some of the others, but they looked at Sirius with an expectant look.

"Er, right. Um, Doctor Russell, the reason that I have a Godfather bond is because I took the Godfather Oath on the day of Harry's birth, after James recovered and Lily was ready."

Robbie was confused and his face showed it.

"After James… don't you have them mixed up? Wouldn't the mother have to recover from childbirth?"

"I meant what I said. James fainted twice. Lily nearly broke my hand the second time but bounced back a little quicker than he did."

"Oh, well. Okay."

Rhiain murmured to Annika, "So this James didn't have the fire to see his child born?"

"I'm sure he would in other circumstances, but males aren't the strong ones in that setting. We are."

"True."

Sirius continued on, trying his best to ignore the draconic peanut gallery. They weren't particularly quiet about it.

"There should be an attachment in Harry's St. Mungo's patient records listing me as Godfather. Right behind James and Lily as parents. I remember signing it."

Madam Bones asked him, "Why did this not come out in your trial?" She suspected, already, but said nothing else aside from the question.

"Trial? What trial? I got no trial at all. No attorneys ever visited me, either. For that matter, I didn't get any visitors. I wasn't allowed."

Robbie stared at him, aghast. The others were doing that as well, except for the dragons. They were waiting to see what happened next.

"Wait, Mister Black. You're telling me that you've spent all these years in Azkaban, locked up alone with Dementors, without trial or representation?"

The surgeon's voice was tensing up with the question.

"I swear, on my life and my magic."

The pulse of magic answered that. Everyone stared at him.

"As a Healer, I'd be releasing a newly made orphan to his next-of-kin or Godparent. If that record was there in his files, you should have had custody! Especially since you'd be made quite dead from the magical betrayal! There's no way you betrayed the Potters!" Robbie spluttered. He was getting wound up.

"Sure isn't," Sirius agreed, with a wary look at Annika. She grinned at him and he shuddered.

"And I'm assuming that Harry hasn't had the best of circumstances with these… who did you say, Dursleys?"

"Yes," Sirius growled from deep in his throat, making the dragons look at him in varying speculative ranges.

"And they're who?"

"Petunia Dursley is Lily's sister. She's the most horse-faced, ugly, prissy bi…"

"Sirius Black!" Madam Bones admonished. He jumped as her sharp voice cut across what he was saying.

"Sorry, Amy."

Amy? Several people mouthed at each other. There wasn't time for anything else as he went on.

"She and Lily didn't have a good relationship at the end of Lily's life, and it upset her greatly – Lily, I mean. Because of that, she didn't want Harry to go to Petunia should something happen to her and James. Why he's there now, I don't know. He should have gone to either me or Alice Longbottom, his Godmother. She did the same thing I did, but a week later."

He chuckled, lost in memory.

"The moment she saw Harry… She wanted to have another baby that looked just like Harry to have a brother for her own baby. Neville. He was born the day before Harry."

There was a period of silence before Madam Bones broke it up.

"So, regardless of past history – and I'm going to be looking that up, believe me – we're off the track. Mother Eminence," she addressed the Horntail, "you should have various information for me to review."

"I don't. I wasn't notified until yesterday that I was to expect you today."

Sirius leaned toward the nearest person, who happened to be Félicité, and muttered, "Government efficiency. I know all about it."

Madam Bones ignored the byplay.

"Then there's no parchmentwork for me to look over as requested by this letter?"

"Considering that I only received it yesterday, no."

The DMLE Head frowned.

"That's not right. You should have been given two weeks."

"Is that so?" The Horntail's expression was not happy.

"Yes. What's going on here?"

|:-:|

As Madam Bones asked that question, there was a group of people that entered the grounds through the gate. They looked to be the usual Ministry workers, outfitted in the standard grey-and-brown robes of the run-of-the-mill employees that hadn't promoted high enough to have relaxed clothing standards. It didn't look terribly comfortable to be wearing those, and to be honest, it was a bit warm. There had been some kind of cost-cutting measure for the fabrics used to produce Ministry robes in the last few years, and the lower ranks was still suffering through the use of this strange '100% polyester.'

Whatever that was it couldn't beat a cotton robe, most of the group thought.

"Where are they?" One asked another.

"Shut up and let me see. Point me target."

The wand spun around and pointed toward the named target, which was a charmed wad of gum that one of them had skittered under the heel of one of the group with Madam Bones with more luck than skill. Luck, since the person hadn't noticed. It was a risk, since that person could always have stopped and peeled it off.

Apparently, it was still in place as the wand indicated its proximity.

"That way. Move."

They headed that way even as it was pointed out.

|:-:|

"Hey, Nev."

Neville didn't notice Harry's whisper until he got poked in the side, since he was concentrating on a Herbology text.

"What?"

"Do you get the feeling something's about to happen?" He motioned down to the gleaming dragon badge and Neville's hand runes.

"No, but I don't have your luck, either."

Harry couldn't really argue about that.

"Well, no, but seriously. Do you?"

Neville sighed and closed the book.

"Should you be asking Ron these kind of questions before you get into trouble?"

"He's still too busy pouting over being proven wrong, the Cannons losing, and the plush spider somebody left on his pillow a few days ago. It jumps and giggles. Weirdest thing I've ever seen. Especially when it started singing something about Slytherins being salacious."

Neville snorted.

"I found that on the last Hogsmeade visit and been holding to it for the perfect time."

Harry stared at him.

"So you're the culprit! The way he screamed woke me up and nearly made me shite myself! I'm pretty sure he did."

Neville chuckled, with every bit of unrepentant humor he could muster.

"We've got a bit of a break. Want to go check with the dragons and see if they can sense something? It might put your mind to ease so you'll stop poking me."

Harry regarded him for a moment.

"That actually sounds feasible. Let's go."

|:-:|

It had taken a few minutes, but it was reasoned out that somebody hadn't done their due diligence. Plus, what the former Azkaban prisoner told them of his observations of Harry as compared to his memories of James Potter didn't sit well either. That had left Madam Bones muttering a few choice epithets that had the dragons perking up their ears, as she remembered James Potter herself. Sirius Black was looking at her strangely, and the others couldn't hear what she was saying but could see the reactions of the others that could.

Dan and Emma decided that now would be a good time to break their daughter's confidence and relate what she'd noticed and written home about. That, plus their own observations, had twinged the professional training that they had. That didn't help the mood of the DMLE Head.

"Okay," Madam Bones muttered. "Doctor and Doctor Granger, I can see what you're concerned about from the things your daughter has confided in you. Doctor Russell, you haven't had time with young Mister Potter, so you couldn't have anything to relate but you do have a good personal and professional relationship with the Grangers; therefore, you'd have no reason not to believe what they have to say."

"Right," Robbie agreed.

"I'll have the two weeks you should have had reinstated and I'll have a strong word with whoever didn't do their work. In fact, I shouldn't be the one to be doing this as it's not my department."

"I was wondering about that, Madam Bones, but I thought maybe there was a major shortage in staff today. It's not unheard of," Philo noted. He'd been quiet as he stood observing, whispering things that he saw to Tessaies when he could.

They had agreed that there was something very strange here.

"Not to my knowledge and that's suspicious," she answered him. Everyone could see that her eyes had narrowed.

"Harry would appreciate knowing that something is being done for him anyway," Sirius said. His tone was sober and everyone glanced his way. "His current home situation isn't fun. Mine wasn't, and I recognize a lot of the same signs."

"We should go find him and talk to him while we're here, really," Emma submitted thoughtfully. "I mean, we're all here, right?"

Sirius grinned. The moment's sobriety was forgotten as a thought danced across his mind.

"Sure! I haven't seen my godson in a while! I want to get the scoop on what he's doing with your daughter!"

Dan grimaced.

"Sorry, Dan, didn't mean it like that," Sirius apologized. He didn't look particularly sorry. "But I claim first round of godson embarrassing!"

"He would," Madam Bones muttered, to which the Unspeakable seemed to find amusing. It was hard to tell for sure.

"Well, to be fair, I would too."

"You're not helping."

Tessaies stood up and sniffed.

"You'll have the opportunity to do just that very soon. Harry's scent is on the breeze and getting stronger." She looked at Rhiain. "I do believe the Speaker is arriving with Sturdy Grower, as well."

The Welsh Green looked pleased.

"Speaker? Sturdy Grower?" Emma asked Dan.

"Don't ask me. I have no idea."

For his part, the Unspeakable leaned toward Madam Bones.

"Is it me or does that green dragon look happy to know this 'Sturdy Grower' is coming?"

"It's not you. I gather that 'Speaker' is Harry Potter, although why I don't know."

"Dragons apparently have different naming methods."

"Something to find out when you're studying those intersections of magic."

Further discussion was cut off by Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom coming into sight and approaching. They seemed very surprised to see Sirius in the presence of Madam Bones and nothing happening.

"Sirius? What's going on? Why are you here?"

"Well, pup, it's a long story. When a boy wizard and a girl witch…"

"Not that! I mean why are you standing here?"

This time Madam Bones leaned toward the Unspeakable.

"He got dad jokes. Terrible jokes, too."

"He wasn't the brains of the Marauders, remember."

"True, and speaking of that wonder where Remus Lupin is?"

"Overseas, last I heard. He can't help now, as much as he needs it."

Sirius was explaining, ignoring the other two.

"… and the dragons have extended their protection for this meeting."

Harry turned to Tessaies and stared at her. She nudged him.

~~ Truly, Speaker. I know that he's important to you and I hate mysteries that make no sense.~~

The Dragontongue wasn't translated by the charm, and this raised eyebrows. Neville regarded the Horntail with a raised eyebrow, but Harry didn't notice the language that the reassurance had been spoken in.

~~ Thank you, Tessaies. ~~

Sirius poked at Harry. He was staring at his godson with a raised eyebrow.

"Parseltongue, Harry?"

Harry blinked at him for a moment, not realizing right away that the mother Horntail hadn't been using the charm. "Oh, sorry. She was saying that she knew you were important to me. Also that she hates mysteries that make no sense."

"That makes two of us, kid," Madam Bones muttered, too softly for anyone but the Unspeakable to hear. He nodded in agreement.

Sirius looked at Neville. His eyes were sad as he took in the boy's features.

"You look so much like Frank. You must be Neville. Right?"

Neville nodded, a bit wary.

"I haven't seen you since you and Harry were in nappies together. Frank tried to get me to change your nappies when Alice was out with Lily. I told him that wasn't in my Godfather contract."

"But… I thought James Potter was my Godfather," Neville replied with his face screwed up in befuddlement.

"Exactly! I didn't have a leg to stand on where Harry was concerned, and by the way, pup," he looked at Harry. "you stank."

"Hey!" Harry squawked.

"Sorry, but it's true. While I'm thinking about it…"

Whatever Sirius had been thinking about was cut off by dragons suddenly hissing in fury and a hail of curses raining down on them.

Author's Note:

Sometime in the Acheronian hours of one of the nights between the last chapter and this one, when the shadows steal across the ground in ever-lengthening crawls to get away from the questing of darkness-extinguishing dragon fire, this story broke a thousand FFN follows and stealthily continued to approach 500 AO3 kudos. I won't list all the metrics here, since anyone with the links to the story pages can do that for themselves.

Thank you.