Hello again lovelies, I hope you all had a great week. Thank you SO much for all the kind reviews, I greatly enjoy reading all your comments and thoughts on this story.
Also a massive thanks again to my bèta's.

About this chapter, I realise that I slightly altered the timeline of events without knowing it. I could swear that the Quidditch World cup was somewhere in July and that Harry spent the rest at the Weasleys in the books, but it appears that that event was canonically only at the 25th of August, so really shortly before the school year would start. For the sake of this story, please note that in this version the World cup already took place at the 17th of July, otherwise Barty would not have been able to be there previously at all. - And we wouldn't want to miss Barty, would we?-

Enjoy!

Chapter fifteen - a homely home

The morning of Harry's departure flew by. Between packing, hurriedly reading the notebook and making breakfast, Harry tried to cram in everything he'd still wanted to do. In the meantime, Voldemort strengthened his amulet -and what a rush that had given-, Hedwig pretended that she was still mad at him but in the end perched on his shoulder, hooting happily. And just like that, with a last wave and a conspiratorial promise from Barty that they'd see each other much sooner than Harry could suspect, he was off.

The day was a dreary one, with rain slating down, turning the run-down bus stop into a pool of mud. While Voldemort was right in that it would be less suspicious to first travel by Muggle transport elsewhere instead of calling the Knight's bus instantly, it didn't mean that Harry liked it. When he arrived somewhere north of London, he'd had enough of the boring ride next to sweaty people. Getting out, he hid behind a tree on a lonely part of road and stuck out his wand. The only positive thing about the bus' neck-breaking speed was that he didn't need to avoid Stan's and Ernie's curiosity for long until the Burrow came into view. His heart jolted a bit at the familiar sight. Walking up to the house, he slowed down his pace as he noticed that it wouldn't be necessary to knock: Ginny and Ron were both busy trying to sweep the front garden as fast as possible while making it look like they actually cleaned. They cried out upon noticing him, dropping their tools in favour of tackling him.

''Harry? Merlin's ruddy socks, that really you? What happened? You could have been a tad more detailed in your letters!''Ron huffed. ''And you missed the World Cup in favour of touring some French chick around? Was she at least hot? Wouldn't blame you so much if so- OW, GINNY!''

Harry tried to cover a large grin at Ginny's sugar-sweet smile which appeared instantly after stomping her brother's arm. Flashing eyes told Harry that she perhaps wasn't quite as much over her crush on him as he'd hoped. ''Um, hi to you too,'' he spoke, scratching his head sheepishly. ''Sorry for dropping in so suddenly and for being so vague before. One never knows who reads letters that are sent out from the middle-of-nowhere by a flashy white owl.''

''Speaking of which!'' Ginny exclaimed. ''What was up with you just dropping off Peter Pettigrew at the Auror's office the same day that you disappeared? We all thought you'd been kidnapped or something until you finally bothered to write weeks after. You'll definitely be getting an earful from my parents and Dumbledore.''

''And Hermione,'' Ron muttered. ''She was besides herself. You just missed her by the way, she was here until a week ago, wanted to spend the rest of the holiday with her parents.''

''Oh... that's a shame,'' Harry said. ''About Wormtail, that was a bad coincidence. Dudley used the fact that I came home late to get away with beating me. Then I had enough and fled the house for the evening to cool off, where Dixie found me. I.. err.. kind of dropped everything at the chance to leave, which I later regretted majorly because I didn't pack anything apart from my wand and some money, not even my cloak or extra clothes. That made for some.. awkward situations when travelling,'' he laughed, actually becoming red at the thought of the encounters the notebook had described. Barty sure had had fun coming up with a detailed background story. ''At least Hedwig could still travel with me, she'd been out hunting.'' A fact that had heightened the difficulty of travel just now with Muggle bus, but his owl was thankfully smart enough to follow his instructions of flying above it.

''That was so reckless!'' Ginny reprimanded him. From the way she looked at him, Harry didn't exactly get the feeling of being scolded however. It looked more like she was mad that she hadn't had such an adventure.

He grinned at her. ''Worth it. So, what actually happened with Wormtail?'' He could barely believe that this was one topic he'd never actually discussed with either Barty or Voldemort despite Pettigrew being the reason why he'd found Riddle house in the first place. Now he thought of it, surely Barty should have known since he'd left regularly to do one thing or another for his Lord. ''I didn't have a chance to keep track of news of our world since Dixie and I mainly checked out Muggle places,'' he explained as he received surprised looks.

''Well,'' Ron said, awkwardly. ''No-one actually knows.''

''What?''

''Thing is, he never got to have a trial. Through some friends, dad found out that Wormtail confessed before already, spilled all the beans to the Aurors. Then they left him alone in a room with only security spells for a while before wanting to move him. And then, when someone came to check up on him he was already kind of... empty. It looked like he'd had the Kiss, y'know? Which can't be, since there weren't any Dementors near. I heard my parents talk about it, they got some more information from Dumbledore, but he also seems to be at a loss. They said something about that Wormtail didn't have a Mark. You-Know-Who tattoos his closest followers, did you know that?'' Ron shuddered. ''Dumbledore was somehow convinced that Wormtail would have gotten one but his arm was empty.'' Harry frowned, not entirely sure of whether Voldemort would have marked the rat. Considering the fact that it gave a sort of link, it would certainly have been useful. Maybe the Dark Lord considered Wormtail to be too much beneath that honour despite Pettigrew aiding in his revival in a way?

''At least he already confessed,'' Harry said, unsure.

''While true, it wasn't in front of any official judges,'' Ginny cut in. ''I'm sorry, Ron told me about Sirius Black... I somehow don't think he can use this much to go free now Pettigrew cannot make any official statement. I think they are still debating whether one of the Aurors can put in a memory as testimony but it is usually not allowed since they can be influenced and changed...''

''A memory?'' Harry asked, wondering how one could show that to others. Of course, he'd seen Voldemort's memories but only since he'd been in the man's head at that point. Legilimency then?

''There are ways to extract memories or something, I'm not sure how,'' Ron shrugged. ''Anyhow, we don't know what happened with Scabbers - Wormtail, I mean. Man, it's so weird still to think that he was my pet! Dumbledore seems to think it has something to do with You-Know-Who but that can't be, right Harry? He was a ghost-thing last time you saw him right?''

''Yeah,'' Harry agreed, his mind not reflecting his outer calm. Had Voldemort cursed Pettigrew somehow to not reveal too much? How was that possible with Voldemort being ill back then? Why had he not asked anything about Pettigrew before?

He let himself be brought inside by his now impatient friends where he was instantly crushed in Mrs. Weasley's arms. When she at last released him, Harry breathed in the warm, homely Burrow, feeling absolutely at ease. Now he knew how Dark magic felt, the difference was staggering. While enchantments were all around, he barely noticed them as they didn't weigh heavy on him at all. Easy, comforting and fleeting spells, a stark contrast to the streams of grinding rock and lava that had flushed his veins whenever he came close to Voldemort.

With a happy sigh he slouched down on a chair. As much as he had enjoyed those last days -even if he often had not wanted to admit that-, he certainly hadn't been able to relax much, always having to be careful of what he did or said. The easygoing nature of the Weasleys was absolutely great. The teen accepted the instantly offered piece of freshly-baked apple and cinnamon roll and gave it a nostalgic look before biting into the soft cake. The smell and taste would now forever remind him of his birthday. He put the rest down and poked it around on his plate a bit. Who would cook now that he was gone? With Barty botching up even cooking rice with instructions, he highly doubted that Voldemort would allow the Death Eater in the kitchen again. The thought of the Dark Lord himself baking an omelette drifted through his head and he stuffed his mouth with cake again to avoid grinning like a fool.

As Ron's mother came in again, he couldn't help but ask: ''Mrs. Weasley, I was curious... do you celebrate things like the harvest festival?'' Ron and Ginny both blinked at him and Mrs. Weasley looked confused by the out-of-the-blue question.

''Well dearie, I suppose we do a bit, just some superstitious old nostalgia. It's the only day of the year where we feed the gnomes by giving them some grain. It's not a big thing as it's mainly connected with families like the Blacks and Rosiers and such. You know...'' she hesitated. ''Since they kind of claimed it first, we don't commemorate a feast too much that is celebrated by that kind of bad people.''

''My godfather happens to be a Black,'' Harry said, a tad frosty. The woman flushed.

''I didn't mean to insinuate... Sirius was always a bit further away from his family. I mean, we didn't know until recently, but Dumbledore has assured us that he has only the best intentions in mind.''

Harry's hands clenched at yet another mention of the Headmaster meddling again in Sirius' affairs. ''But you celebrate Christmas and Easter and such, at Hogwarts we do as well. Plenty of bad Muggles have a good time on those days too. Wouldn't it make more sense to commemorate our own feasts so they are not forgotten?''

''What brought this all up?'' she laughed, slightly uncomfortable. The others just stared at him with curiosity.

''I heard some good things about it,'' he mumbled. ''I never thought much of it before, but due to Dixie I got to know more about magical beliefs and traditions. In France, magicians only celebrate Muggle holidays if they have Muggle relatives, as those are the only people who have roots in those religions and traditions. It looks a bit... inappropriate for purebloods to partake in Muggle festivities without even knowing what they are for, and at the same time neglect to honour their own history.''

''I never thought much of it like that,'' Mrs. Weasley contemplated, finally taking a seat herself too. ''Since the sabbats have had dark ties for centuries, my own ancestors have stuck to the Muggle side of things for ages, so you could say that those really are my own traditions. It gives a feeling of unity and solidarity with the non-magical folk too. We have magic, but that doesn't make us so different. It is nice to be able to connect with them a bit.'' Harry nodded slowly, the arguments of both sides understandable. If Voldemort would succeed though, magicians would mostly live in another dimension altogether. Those who wanted Muggle contact, to feel 'just like everyone else' might find that disagreeable. The man's words of losing jobs and freedom shot through his head and Harry lowered his eyes. The Weasleys would indeed be pretty hard-pressed to find any sort of positivity in the Dark lord's plans. It was a good thing that they most likely still had years to go, perhaps he could still try. It was better than giving up on those he held dear from the start to leave them to their own fates.

''I take it that you participated in the harvest then?' 'the woman gently smiled. ''Ron hasn't been very forthcoming on what you were up to'' she shot her youngest son a stern glare, who pulled a face

''Ah, I was travelling the country a bit with one of the students of Beauxbatons.''

''The French?'' Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline. ''Are you can sure you can trust this person?''

''It's a hot girl mum, Harry will be just fine,'' Ron smirked.

''You don't even know how she looks!'' Ginny interjected, eyes shooting fire.

''I've got pictures, actually. Judge for yourselves.'' Taking out the notebook, he carefully extracted a few of the photos, well aware of that it wouldn't be a good idea to show them any of the rest of the contents.

Ron grabbed them and whistled: ''A blonde! Nice Harry!''

''It's not like that,'' he protested hurriedly, the narrowed eyes of both Ginny and her mother on him for different reasons. ''Besides, she's seventeen already, doubt she'd be interested in me like that, she just felt a need to protect me when she saw the state I was in.''

''And what state would that be?'' Mrs. Weasley spoke, her voice a bit shrill.

Harry shrugged. ''Dudley had beaten me up pretty good. No worries, I'm fine now. Dixie healed me right away.''

''Those Muggles!'' she exclaimed. ''If there were ever a pair of awful ones, then those.'' All thoughts on Muggle sympathy were apparently off her mind at the mention of the Dursleys. ''Bars on your window, no food, beatings, how can Dumbledore still let this go on? Since last summer I've written him letters about it and tried to breach the topic a hundred times! I understand there are some special wards in place but really, we wouldn't mind turning our house into a fortress each summer if it would mean that you'd be safe from them. Oh you poor boy!'' Harry lowered the pictures and stared at the way that Mrs. Weasley got so worked up on his behalf. He wasn't entirely sure what to do or say, trying to keep himself from doing something ridiculous like choking up. To know that she cared so much was... wonderful. ''I wished that he would at least... oh I don't know, intimidate them a bit or so with magic so they would treat you better!''

''I honestly think that would make it worse,'' Harry sombrely spoke. ''At least it will be first time they notice no-one actually checks up on me.''

''But that cannot be!'' she frowned. ''Surely the Headmaster has put someone in place to watch over you.''

''Not as far as I know,'' Harry shrugged. ''And even if, maybe only to protect me from Voldemort-'' he ignored the gasps and squeaks, ''- and not from anything my family does.'' She frowned again at him at those words.

''Well... we cannot have that! Ron, go prepare your room with another bed. Ginny, check on Fred and George will you? I do not want them assaulting our guest with their horrid experiments.''

''Oh, I can handle horrid experiments, trust me,'' Harry dryly said. ''I'll help you with the room Ron, it's my fault for appearing without so much as a warning.'' They disappeared upstairs, with Ron hounding him about any scrap of information Harry would give on Dixie and their travels, which was a bit of a challenge considering he'd never even met the woman. Or 'hot chick' as his best friend kept calling her, which was a nickname that Harry seriously hoped Ron would drop when they were back at Hogwarts and this Dixie Étourneau would actually be there. The Twins showed up at one point, talking enthusiastically about all the hiding spots they were putting a product they'd been inventing: candies that could change physical appearance and affect one's health. Harry thought it was rather genius, Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to agree. The only one who didn't show himself much was Percy, who had -according to the rest of the children- been a right git all summer. The Twins told him that their brother had gotten his nose permanently stuck in the air ever since he became junior assistant to some Ministry employee whose name was apparently banned in the house.

All in all, the day was quite easy-going and Harry settled right in, just as he had done the year before. He'd forgotten how comfortable it was in the bright and cosy Burrow. He also finally had the opportunity to meet Bill and Charlie, who had been staying over since the Quidditch World Cup. Harry found both of them to be absolutely fascinating, but they usually hung out either with each other or with the Twins so he didn't want to interrupt. It was only when evening fell that a slight tension was in the air, Mr. Weasley being incredibly nervous about something and shooting glances at his wife, who gave him some stern looks until Mr Weasley finally approached Harry.

''Ah, Harry! It's really great to have you back here. My wife told me that your luggage is still at your family's home?''

''Unfortunately,'' Harry said. ''Most of it can be replaced when I go to Diagon alley though.''But not your Firebolt, or the Marauder's map, or the invisibility cloak, he thought with a pang of loss. He really should have prepared better when leaving...

''So... these Muggles... do they use fireplaces then?'' Harry blinked, taking in Mr. Weasley's half-excited, half-nerve-wracked face in fully now.

''Not exactly,'' he spoke slowly. ''They still have a chimney but it's boarded shut since they got an electrical fire.''

Mr. Weasleys face lit up for a moment and Harry was certain he'd start to ask a bunch of questions about sockets and power plugs if his wife had not shot him another glare. ''Right, erhm, so what would the normal way of visiting Muggles be?''

''By Muggle transport?'' he said, not knowing what the man was getting at. ''You know, trains or buses or cars.'' He cringed, remembering why the Weasleys didn't have a car anymore. ''I am still so sorry about the Ford Anglia,'' he spoke quickly. ''It was such an incredibly stupid idea back then.''

''No worries, that's all in the past,'' Mr. Weasley hurried to say. ''So theoretically, how would one go at getting on a bus?''

''Oh bloody get on with it!'' Ron's mother exclaimed, hands at her hips. ''Muggle ways are obviously not going to work, just apparate to little Whinging already!''

''Wait, what?'' Harry said, spinning around. ''You don't mean to say that you want me togo back to the Dursleys?''

''Not you dearie,'' she huffed. ''I can fully well understand you not wanting to see them anymore. Arthur, go and get the Twins! And make sure that when you check them for candies you do not remove all of those.''

''But Molly! Those could be dangerous, you banned them from the house, surely they don't have those anymore-''

''Last time I checked, there was an entire sack hidden behind the loose board next to the third stairway, a few stuffed down the gnome holes and little bags sewn to the inside of their briefs. Do not tell me that my own destructive children gave up on carrying those things around just because I said so.''

Left both impressed and slightly terrified, Harry asked: ''But why would you not want Mr. Weasley to remove all of them?''

''So they can leave some for your awful relatives of course! No Arthur, don't give me that look, I will have no mercy for those people even if they are Muggles, they starved him! And to not let Fred and George get away with too much, I can't have them think that they were allowed to do it, so make sure you remove most and overlook the candies they're sure to have in their shoes and folds of clothing. I will expect you back here soon, so chop chop!'' A fond smile curved on her lips as she watched Arthur run out hurriedly to the front garden, where the Twins had gone to set off some fireworks. Harry almost wished that he could see the results of their sweets. Almost, but not quite enough to actually face the Dursleys again.

Still, he waited in anticipation for their return, getting a feeling of deep satisfaction when hearing of how that Dudley had grabbed all of the stuff they had 'accidentally' spilled and not picked up again, of how Harry's cousin's tongue had increased so much in size that Mr. Weasley had had to resort to a shrinking charm, as risky as that was on sensitive human body parts. Harry couldn't care less about Duddykins' sensitivity. The twins shut up very quickly, wearing guilty faces as their mother came marching out, at whom Harry only grinned victoriously and got a secretive, indulgent smile back from.

Ron and he hauled the heavy trunk up the wonky stairs and Harry instantly started digging in for some robes that he hadn't worn for one and a half month straight with only an occasional hand wash. In the meantime, his friend spoke of the Quidditch World Cup as much as he could, detailing the formations and how the players had been, in particular Krum, the Seeker of the Bulgarian team who'd pulled off a Wronski feint during the match. Only at the end he became a bit more sombre. ''And well, afterwards, the victory celebrations were interrupted by them and mass panic broke out.. It was one of the reasons why mum and dad got so upset about you running around the country unprotected.''

''Them? Mass panic?'' Harry asked. Ron stared at him.

''Merlin, you really didn't keep track of any news at all did you? I'm talking about the followers of You-Know-Who!'' Harry sucked in a breath, an icy shiver running down his back. Had Voldemort contacted his Death Eaters again after all? Had all the talk of not gathering them to avoid a war been a lie? The instant after that, he relaxed again at the realisation that the World Cup had taken place during the time that Voldemort had been ill still. In fact, hadn't Barty broken free during the World Cup and muttered angrily about this exact thing? If Harry recalled correctly, he'd said something along the lines of 'a wanna-be bunch of snobs who caused a ruckus during the World Cup' when talking about the unreliable, cowardly followers of the Dark Lord.

Ron continued with his story, speaking of the Dark Mark that had appeared in the sky all of a sudden, upon which the Death eaters had oddly fled. Apparently Ron's dad had a theory about them being more afraid of Voldemort's return than anyone else as they had renounced his name. Harry couldn't agree more with that they should fear it indeed. His friend then elaborated on how hectic the Ministry was at the moment, since the Daily Prophet had brought out articles about the lax security, explaining why Mr. Weasley had had to break off his holiday and had long days at work now, only home today because it was weekend. Not much else was said upon the topic once Ron finished his tale. Harry didn't wish to slip up on his thoughts of Voldemort, nor did Ron seem willing to think much further about a group of murderers running wild in the country, hiding behind masks. They instead spent the day with chores - which Harry didn't really mind helping with even if he didn't have to -, playing games and talking to the Twins in hushed tones about their products.

At dinnertime, Percy finally showed himself and sat down without lifting a finger.

''Hey Perc, how wonderful of you to grace us with your presence! I wouldn't touch the food if I were you, we don't want that greasy attitude to rub off on the chicken,'' Fred smirked.

''Yeah!'' George chimed in. ''Isn't your dear boss sick of your love letters yet?''

Percy reddened and puffed up, obviously trying hard not to take the bait. Honestly a bit curious about what Percy did exactly, Harry was unwise enough to sit down opposite of him and ask.

''I work as a personal assistant to the Head of International Magical Cooperation,'' he spoke in a tone that sounded as if he considered it to be a job on the level of being the Minister of Magic himself. ''A very busy job, you must understand, and the department has a much higher standing than.. ahum.. other branches.'' He pointedly looked at his father, who ignored the stare but poked a fork into his baked potatoes with a bit more force than Harry was used to from the usually so calm man. ''It is also of the utmost importance that I keep up with all the news that goes around in the world, most people have such a narrow view of their surroundings. It's Britain this and that, and while it is of course important to have pride for our country, that means nothing if we cannot compare ourselves to others, isn't that right?'' Harry just nodded mutedly, already regretting this conversation now. It didn't help that when George walked past to bring out a plate, he whispered 'you brought this upon yourself' in Harry's ear. Bill and Charlie threw Harry some pitiful glances but kept eating without further comment.

''So, I write daily reports of anything I come across that might be relevant to my department. Up until now, I've had excellent feedback, Mr Crouch told me that-''

''Crouch?'' Harry sharply said before he could help himself. Percy looked a bit disturbed at being interrupted.

''Yes, Bartemius Crouch, the head of my department. Have you heard of him?''

''A bit,'' Harry admitted hesitantly. ''Not sure what to think of him.''

''Don't believe any of those rumours you heard Harry, Mr Crouch is an upstanding citizen who has a strict moral compass and a high regards for the rules,'' Percy fondly said. ''In fact, just this Friday he said to me: Weasley, this country needs more people who are earnest and respect the law. So many-''

''Oh, he's finally learned your name, has he?'' Fred threw in. ''Last time we met him it was 'Weatherby' and he hardly gave you a glance before handing you that cup of tea back. I'm surprised he can remember anything with how paranoid and distracted that guy is. One would think that having a stick up the arse would at least keep his thoughts straight too.'' Percy really did blow up now, slamming his hands down on the table as he threw daggers at his brother, making the tableware rattle dangerously. Harry thought that the Twins could be glad that their mother had disappeared into the kitchen again to prepare dessert.

''You are exactly the kind of rule-breaking scum that Mr Crouch fears will cost us dearly! No regard for rules, no respect for elders, not obeying anyone if only out of spite!''

''Oh no!'' Fred spoke, throwing his hands up dramatically. ''Whatever would we do in the face of Holy Sir Crouch! Would he throw us in Azkaban too if we dare to offer him a fake wand?''

''I've had enough,'' Percy bit, shoving his chair back forcefully. ''Father, I shall be up in my room if you need me and leave for the office at six in the morning. Bid mother good night from me. Ron, Ginny, I do hope that you will not follow the example of these two, else you will never get respectable careers. Harry, I apologise that you had to see that display, I appreciate you taking the time to inquire about my work, no-one else here seems to care.'' With that, he swept from the room with as much dignity as he could still muster. Ron and Ginny both burst out into nervous giggles at the slamming of the door.

''I'm so glad I don't have to live with him anymore,'' Charlie said, rolling his eyes. ''Dragons are much more pleasant company.''

''Boys, you really went a bit far this time,'' Arthur spoke wearily, taking off his glasses and cleaning them slowly with a slip of his robe.

''But dad, he all but insulted you personally with his 'important department' talk! Now who hasn't got any respect? I don't understand how you tolerate the git! Is he like this at work too?''

''I don't have much to do with Percy at work, he's on a different floor,'' Arthur stiffly replied. ''And it still does not give you the right to rile him up so much, I am happy that he was able to get into such a high position as he wanted to. Both Bill and Charlie here had much more trouble finding employment after school. Your mother and I do not have the best contacts or the finances to secure a place for you.'' The pain in his voice at that admittance was audible, muting the children, including Harry. ''Fred, George, you will be out of school too and haven't performed to the best of your abilities. I know you have some plan about a shop but really, I strongly recommend not searching self-employment. I've seen so many shops pop up and vanish again... Having a business is hard, especially when you are doing something so... out of the ordinary.''

''But Zonko's also runs well!'' Fred said.

''Zonko's is right next to a school full of children, who are their only customers,'' Bill reminded them. ''They will not be waiting for competition in Hogsmeade. I'm personally not against your idea but you should definitely plan it out well.''

''Exactly,'' Mr. Weasley agreed, then looked confused and threw Bill a look. ''Or no, not exactly, I am still very much against the idea entirely, just like your mother is.''

''We've got a plan, just trust us a bit dad.'' George begged. With a final sigh, Mr. Weasley put his horn-rimmed glasses on again.

''I'll have no choice but to do so, have I? Try to not mention it to Molly too much, she worries even more than I.''

The Twins fell into dark muttering and stuck their heads together after that, quickly gulping down the dessert when Mrs. Weasley brought it in before rushing upstairs. Ginny followed them, possibly to help. Harry thought of his previous conversation with Mrs. Weasley and really wanted to continue it but didn't know how. There was no easily explainable reason for why he would suddenly have such an interest in Pureblood traditions and such. Travelling with that French woman was not going to be a plausible excuse for wanting to talk about views on dark magic either. Still, while he could talk to Ron, Ginny and even the Twins at school and perhaps strike up some careful conversations throughout the year, their parents were another matter as Harry hardly ever saw them. Considering the fact that Voldemort had been certain of that they would contact Dumbledore, he wondered if they were part of the Order of the Phoenix already, or if they would be once Dumbledore revived that group. Harry unfortunately couldn't think of a good enough reason to talk about such topics and retreated upstairs with Ron too.

The next few days weren't much different: He spent them with games, Quidditch and light conversation. The main theme seemed to be the speculation about who their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would be, at which Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shared knowing smiles, causing them to be hounded with questions by their children after. It felt very odd to not have anyone around who was brooding about the fate of the world. That didn't mean that Harry didn't enjoy his time, for he certainly did, but there was something... missing. He knew that only a few hundred miles away, Voldemort and Barty were deciding on plans that would soon affect all magicians in the country. They were probably having duelling sessions and learning more. Did he ever come up in their talks? Had he made the right decisions?

''Harry!'' Mrs. Weasley yelled from downstairs, sounding excited. ''You have a guest!'' He and Ron exchanged confused glances over their collection of cards, which they'd been trading at that moment. They quickly concluded their deal: Harry's Roland Kegg and Xavier Rastrick against a rare card of Ron of the wizard Quong Po, who was famous for his studies on Chinese fireball dragons. While Ron had completed his own base collection last year when finally getting his hands on Agrippa, he was building up a spare one to increase trading in Hogwarts and keep the collection of cards alive. His friend had lamented the fact that the other collections of cards - a line of creatures- was not obtainable in chocolate frogs, instead needing to be bought separately or acquired at events.

He went down carefully, wondering who it could be. Surely Dumbledore would not show up personally to interrogate him, would he? Or had the compulsion spells on Dixie Étourneau been a tad too strong and did she now stand in the Weasley's living room? Was it maybe Barty in disguise to check if Harry wasn't doing anything stupid? He gasped in surprise and joy when seeing who was there to greet him. Harry took in the black, tousled hair that fell just past the man's shoulders, the thin, still worn-out face that was lifted up by a brilliant smile.

''Sirius!'' he exclaimed, rushing into the man's open arms. Maybe it was odd for him to be so trusting and open, he'd only met the man a couple of times after all, but just like with the Troll in his first year, there were some things that you could not go through without forming a strong bond. Freeing someone from Azkaban, a werewolf and a flock of Dementors was one of those.

''It's so good to see you again!'' Sirius spoke fondly, hugging him tightly. ''Wow, I almost forgot again how much you look like James. And what have I heard? Escaping from your family to trek the country? Good one kiddo, that gave me an amazing laugh.''

''Mr. Black, really now!'' Ron's mother huffed. ''That was a very dangerous and reckless thing to do.''

Sirius ignored her, crouching down in front of Harry, still smiling, and whispered, so that only Harry could hear: ''Good on you for running, I would have done the same. Hell, I did do the same at your age. Such spirit!'' With a pat on Harry's shoulder, Sirius rose again and looked around. ''Also great to see you again, I know we were briefly introduced by Dumbledore but never met in such an informal setting so... just call me Sirius, none of that Mr. Black or Sir. The latter is already in my name anyways so no need to repeat yourselves for me. I hope you have taken good care of my godson or else I will really need to blow some people up! Kidding, kidding,'' he added hastily at the looks he got. Harry had the feeling that he would get along swell with the Twins. ''Could we maybe..'' he said, gesturing at Harry and himself. ''Get a private word?''

''Oh, naturally!'' Mrs Weasley agreed, looking none too happy about leaving Harry alone with someone who had been branded a dangerous criminal for the past thirteen years. ''I sure hope that my blasted children will finish those listening devices soon,'' he heard her mutter as she left the room, guiding Ron out again too. Harry had the feeling that, if the Twins' idea of a joke shop were to succeed, they would have at least one anonymous bulk-buyer. Sirius sighed and rolled his shoulders, sitting down on the armrest of one of the comfortable, bulky armchairs in the sitting room.

''How have you been?'' Harry instantly asked.

''A lot better, mostly thanks to you. Harry... I cannot express how much it meant to me that you caught Peter. I don't know how it happened, and am pissed about that in the end he didn't get a trial but the fact that you went out of your way for me is.. is...'' he cleared his throat. ''What I meant to say is, I'm in your debt kiddo. I wouldn't be able to walk around at all if not for you, having to hide away on some faraway islands, or worse, in my own house.''

''Why'd you flee from your own house?''

''Because it is a dreadful place, full of curses and bad memories, which are possibly even worse than any dark magic. Would you return to the Dursleys' place even when they were absent?''

''No,'' Harry admitted, understanding Sirius well.

''As to what I've been doing... not so much, some jobs for Dumbledore, he was the one who orchestrated the whole plot to get me free after all.'' Harry's nails dug into the palms of his hand. Could he risk talking about this with Sirius already? Was it wise to show any animosity towards the Headmaster? Then again, wouldn't it be stranger if he went along with it now and later 'changed his mind'?

''I've thought a lot about Dumbledore,'' he spoke, sitting down himself too. ''I wanted to see if I could get some confirmation of you.''

Sirius cocked his head. ''Sure thing, anything you need.''

''Is it true that Dumbledore was the creator of the Fidelius charm on my parents' house?''

The man nodded, making Harry's stomach sink. ''And were you ever the secret keeper?'' If they had switched the keeper after the wards had already been in place, then perhaps Dumbledore hadn't known.

''No, James and Lily wanted me to be but I voiced that it would have been too obvious.'' sorrow filled his eyes. ''I shouldn't have done that, it was stupid of me to suggest Peter when knowing it was likely that someone in our close vicinity could be linked to You-Know-Who.''

''But then...'' Harry hesitated, not knowing how to break such an important fact. ''Then Dumbledore knew that Wormtail was the secret keeper, not you.'' Withered hands fell away from Sirius' face, which had been cradled in them before.

''I... I suppose so,'' he spoke with cracking voice. ''Merlin, I never thought about that, but from what I know of that ward, the secret keeper needs to be specifically keyed in. Then how come that Dumbledore didn't know?'' The lost look and unwavering faith in Dumbledore broke Harry's heart, but he had to push through.

''He did Sirius, he did know who really betrayed my parents. He was the caster and not a man to be lightly controlled or fooled by confounding magic or anything like that which may have tampered with his memory.''

''No,'' his godfather protested, frowning. ''That cannot be, it was Dumbledore who instantly offered his help to me after I explained the facts to him! What value would he have in keeping the truth from anyone about my innocence if he had known?'' then, his face fell. ''Though I could understand... I mean, I really did think that I had succeeded in murdering Peter, the main reason why I was shipped off to Azkaban was because everyone thought I had killed Peter and those thirteen Muggles he blew up with himself. Even if professor Dumbledore would have stood up for me and confirmed that I did not betray Lily and James nor was a Death Eater, there's a high chance that I would have gotten lifelong on charge of murder. Without a body, no-one could have checked anymore if Peter was a Death Eater or not.''

''It would have made every difference,'' Harry angrily argued. ''Perhaps not for your sentence, but to the public, to me it would have mattered! Because I would have known that you avenged my parents' death instead of being a traitor yourself, I would have known that it wouldn't have been likely that you killed those Muggles along with him. You would have become a martyr instead of a traitor and murderer. Do you want to know why Dumbledore kept his lips sealed on your at least partial innocence that he knew of? Because he wanted to put me with the Dursleys from the start, because it would make me look up to him and make me easy to control when I finally attended Hogwarts, having no knowledge of the Wizarding World before. He couldn't have my godfather there to take care of me!'' He saw red now and wasn't able to stop the flow of words, which increased in audibility a tad too much. ''He took everything from me and you both, only so I could be manipulated without him telling me one damned thing of importance!''

''Harry...'' Sirius weakly spoke. ''Harry, be quiet...''

''NO, I SHALL NOT BE QUIET ON THIS. I WAS BEATEN AND STARVED JUST SO DUMBLEDORE COULD PLAY ME FOR A FOOL!''

Arms were around him again and all of Harry's frustrations washed away with his stinging tears that dripped on his godfather's robes. ''Harry, shh, it's okay now, I'm here now.'' After a few long minutes, during which the Weasleys miraculously did not appear again, Sirius held Harry at an arm's length and gave him a taxing look. ''You really do have Lily's temper. By Morgana, I had no idea that you could blow up like that. Good thing I cast a privacy ward before, it is not wise to speak ill of Dumbledore in a house like this. The Weasleys owe that man quite a lot and wouldn't be happy about this, true or not.''

''So you believe me?'' he pleaded.

Sirius carded his hand through his wild hair. ''Kiddo, this is all a bit much. I agree on that he must have known about Peter but that doesn't instantly validate all of your accusations about his motivations. Before that fateful day, no-one even knew that you were going to become so important, it wouldn't make sense for Dumbledore to have some kind of great plan about you. How did you even come up with all of this?''

Harry chewed on his lips. He'd hoped that Sirius would realise just as quickly as he had what Dumbledore's role had been in this. -Though hadn't he also been more hesitant at the start-? ''I can't say,'' he admitted, dropping his gaze to the floor. As much as he would love to indulge everything that had happened this summer to Sirius, he had to be certain first that the man wouldn't go to Dumbledore. Harry hadn't forgotten that the man had been part of the Order and cast away his dark family.

''You can talk to me about anything,'' Sirius muttered. ''Look, I'm not judging you about your doubts with Dumbledore, it does sound fishy and I know how his grand schemes can be sometimes.''

It was so tempting, confiding in his godfather... but Harry couldn't. Not yet. So instead, he said: ''I'd actually love to hear some more stories of what my parents were like. When I caught Peter he kept babbling on about them to perhaps please me or something, but I didn't want to hear it from him. Still, one thing caught my attention: were my mum and Snape really friends?'' Sirius barked out a laugh at that.

''Oh my, yes they were. Childhood friends from even before Hogwarts actually. Then the slimy git got sorted into Slytherin and hung out with the wrong sort of people. He was one of those kids who... I don't know a good metaphor. You know how lots of guys think all girls are nasty and bully them apart from 'the one more perfect girl' and expecting that one to be then all grateful for them making an exception? Sevvy was like that but then with blood purity. All Mudbloods were trash apart from her in his mind.'' Sirius growled. ''Then he had the audacity to be mad when she didn't want to hang out with him and his little friends who wanted to see all the rest of her kind dead. But oh, it was fine of course, because she would be spared. I just cannot believe that he is allowed to teach children.''

''Dumbledore spared him from Azkaban,'' Harry helpfully reminded. He instantly regretted his words when Sirius curled a bit in on himself. The prison was obviously a sore point. ''I don't get it either,'' he hurriedly added. ''Snape's a horrid teacher too, not only nasty personality-wise but also really bad at teaching anything! So... do you think you could tell me more about mum and dad?''

Sirius smiled indulgently. ''Sure kiddo, I'll go get the others back in the room though, I cannot take up this space for just us all the time, it is their sitting room we're occupying.'' As soon as the privacy wards were cancelled, half of the family bustled in. As he chatted on with his godfather, Mrs. Weasley kept shooting Sirius suspicious glances. Time flew again, and at the chime of five, the woman suddenly jumped up. ''Oh! Arthur and Percy will be home soon. I am sorry Mr... Sirius. You'll have to leave now. I didn't dare tell Percy about you, he is devoted to the Ministry and your name isn't completely cleared.''

''Oh? What does he do?''

Mrs. Weasley's face twitched nervously. ''He's the personal assistant to.. well... Mr. Crouch.'' The reaction was instantaneous. Sirius' face hardened, deep lines of suffering appearing on his face at the mention of the man. It was then that Harry realised that Crouch must have been the one to send him to Azkaban too.

''I see,'' Sirius whispered. ''I must go then. Stay tight Harry, keep in touch this time. That one flimsy letter I got from you all summer wasn't nearly enough. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, so at least try to stay away from anything that could most definitely get you killed. Everything else is up to your own level of courage.'' With a roguish grin, he was off, apparating as soon as he stepped outside.

''He didn't even apologise for my leg!'' Ron muttered.

So, I hope that you all liked seeing a bit more of the Weasleys and Sirius :)
Please read and review!
xx GeMerope