Sorry for the delay, life… well it's summer and I was busy. On a side note, I've got a couple of courses and a new job so won't be updating on a regular basis. I hope to update once a fortnight/ month.

More importantly, a big thank you to Ambush99 my wonderful beta for her great work and for making this fic possible.

Chapter 29

Fleamont paused for a moment, before raising his hand and lightly on knocking the door. It was ten o'clock, so not massively late but way later than Sirius usually slept to, if he slept at all. However, after Sirius had taken the Dreamless Sleep potion, it was to be expected. Upon hearing nothing, he quietly stepped into the room and found a smile. Sirius was lying flatout on his chest, a leg hanging haphazardly out of the bed. He was fast asleep. Finally, Fleamont thought. Yes, it may have been potion induced but he was still finally resting. He carefully put Sirius' leg back on the bed and recovered him with the blanket.

"That's it, Sirius, you sleep. Sleep as much as you like. We will be here when you wake up," Fleamont said gently, with a smile. He took one final look around the room, before quietly leaving.

"How is he?" Euphemia asked, as her husband wandered into the kitchen.

"Asleep."

"Good," Euphemia replied, not looking up from the pan she was stirring. "It was a fairly strong potion. I felt, with the trauma he has been through, coupled with how little he had been sleeping, it was needed. I hope you don't think it was wrong."

"No, I completely agree. He's needed this since, well, before Christmas. How much longer do you think he'll sleep for?"

"I'm not totally sure, but I think another couple of hours."

Fleamont nodded with a small smile. "Well, I will be in my office if he needs me."

"He seems more relaxed than before," Euphemia observed.

"He has had a dreamless sleep potion," Fleamont countered.

Euphemia shook her head. "No, it's more than that. What did you two talk about yesterday?"

"I can't say. Maybe one day I will be able to, but right now it's between me and Sirius."

Euphemia nodded. "Of course. Well, whatever you talked about it seems to have helped. He seems more at peace than before."

"I hope so. I can't say what he told me, but all I'll say is an adult shouldn't have to have gone through that in multiple lifetimes. I truly have no idea how he is alive." Fleamont stopped for a moment and rubbed his face. It was true, he really didn't know how Sirius had survived. How had Sirius escaped? The team of ten aurors who had been to the island and retrieved the locket were still in St Mungo's. They all had struggled to leave the cave. None of them could apparate. They had had to use fiendfyre to fight off the inferi. They had all barely escaped with their lives. They had all sustained injuries ranging from minor to severe. They had all been severely affected by the potion in the cave, but they had received the antidote within moments of consuming it. So how did Sirius, an injured, wandless, sixteen-year-old boy, manage to escape? "Darling I'm a bit behind with work. I'll be in my office if you or Sirius need me."

"I'll let him know," Euphemia replied smiling. She watched as her husband wandered distractedly towards his office. She knew, like herself, he wouldn't be able to get a lot of work done. Whilst Sirius was out of danger, they still worried about him. Physically he was getting there, but mentally he was nowhere close to 100%. Finding a sad smile, she busied herself with the latest potions journal.

Ooo

Sirius blinked his eyes several times as they slowly focussed. He frowned as he noticed sunlight shining through the crack in the curtains. What time was it? Glancing down at his watch, he frowned again. How was it eleven o'clock?! He couldn't remember the last time he had slept in this long. In fact, he couldn't remember ever sleeping in this late. As he slowly sat up, he rubbed his face as the memories of last night came back. Dreamless sleep potion. Ah, he thought, that would be why. Despite everything, yesterday had been one of the best days of his life. Remembering some of the stuff with Voldemort was terrifying, yet at the same time he felt a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Telling Mr Potter, the man he now called dad, was somehow reassuring, something he never thought he would ever feel from an adult. His parents had never been the loving type. To them he served a purpose; he was their heir; he would continue the Black line. He had been born for that sole purpose.

As his stomach rumbled, Sirius threw on some clothes and headed downstairs. He wasn't quite sure what to expect. Had dad told Mrs Potter what had happened. Had the aurors found the locket, or had he sent them on a wild goose chase?

"Hi," Sirius said quietly, as he slipped into the kitchen.

"Good morning darling," Euphemia replied, as she stepped across the kitchen and pulled Sirius into a hug. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

"That's good. Do you want anything to eat?"

"No, I can wait for lunch," Sirius lied, not wanting her to go to any trouble, just as his stomach rumbled again.

Euphemia raised her eyebrows. "Now sit down and let me fix you some food."

"Mu- Mrs Potter, please, I don't want you to go to any trouble," Sirius said quickly.

"You're not, Sirius. You are no trouble at all, and I never want you to think like that around me. You are recovering from being seriously ill and hurt. And, well, you are a sixteen-year-old boy. Of course, you are going to be hungry. You need to eat lots. You are still growing," Euphemia replied kindly, as she gently squeezed Sirius' shoulder. "Now, eat up," she finished, as she pushed a plateful of bacon sandwiches in front of Sirius.

"Thank you," Sirius replied smiling. He paused for a moment, as he considered his words. "Mrs Potter, do-do," he stopped again, and looked down. "Mrs Potter, do-do, do you mind if I call you mum?"

Euphemia paused for a moment before breaking into a massive grin. "Of course, I don't. I don't mind what you call me, but I would be honoured if you called me 'mum'."

"Thanks," Sirius replied, breaking into a broad grin, before looking down and diving into a bacon sandwich.

Fleamont sighed as he scribbled a signature on a piece of parchment. He was catching up on boring but necessary paperwork. The other reason he was doing this and not something else, was that it wasn't mentally taxing. His mind was on other things, mainly on Sirius and how he was coping with everything he had told him. Putting down the parchment, he wandered towards the kitchen.

"Good morning," Fleamont said with a large smile, as he watched Sirius wolfing down food. Finally, he thought. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Sirius managed between mouthfuls. "Really well, thanks." He looked up and tried to gauge his dad's expression. "Did you, do you know-"

"Yes," Fleamont replied, nodding. "Bring that with you, and let's go to my office."

"Okay," Sirius said slowly.

"There's nothing to worry about," Fleamont said, seeing Sirius' anxious face, as he draped a gentle arm around the boy's shoulders. "They got the locket, and they are all alive."

"But?" Sirius questioned, as he sat down hesitantly in Fleamont's office.

"They got the locket, but they had some trouble leaving the cave."

"Trouble?"

"They had to deal with inferi."

Sirius shivered as his memories returned. Their cold, dead fingers wrapping around his ankles and pulling at them, pulling him under water to their mucky depths. "Yeah," Sirius breathed. "But they are, okay?"

"They are in St. Mungo's," Fleamont started, but quickly held his hands up when he saw Sirius' panicked expression. "They're fine. They are a bit banged up and feeling the effects of the poison, but they will be fine. Because of you, they got the antidote moments after they had ingested the poison."

"I should have done it," Sirius said quietly.

"No," Fleamont said, shaking his head. "No Sirius. It is not your job. The aurors are trained for this, you are not. I know you want to help, and you have. But you are underage and not trained. You did your job. You escaped and you got the information to the aurors. You don't need to do anything else."

"But there's stuff. I can't remember it, but what if it's helpful?!"

"It'll come, but I don't want you to force it, okay? It's too much for you right now. In the last 48 hours you told me a lot, and you remembered a lot. I don't want you to be overwhelmed," Fleamont said gently, as he wrapped an arm around Sirius' shoulders.

"Okay, but dad, I just want to know how I escaped," Sirius said quietly, his head in his hands.

"Okay, okay we can do that, but nothing else today. Do you understand?"

Sirius slowly nodded. "What do I do?"

"I need you to relax as much as you can and close your eyes. Now hold my hand. You are safe and no one is going to hurt you. It's going to be tough. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I have to. I need to know how I escaped. I need to remember as much as I can about Voldemort."

"No," Fleamont said quickly. "No, you are not going to try and remember anything other than how you escaped. You have to promise, you are only going to try and remember how you escaped."

"I promise," Sirius replied earnestly.

"Okay, now just think back to the cave and remember you are safe."

From his slumped position Sirius watched as Voldemort turned his back on him, stepped into the boat and drifted out of sight. He was alone. He was so thirsty. His throat was so dry he could barely swallow. He crawled towards the water, just hoping for a small handful of water to ease his discomfort. He cupped his hand in the lake but, as soon as he did, a grey, dead hand emerged and moved around. Sirius jumped back. Inferi, he thought. God, it just got worse. The only other source of liquid was that potion. It hurt like hell when he drank it, but he was so thirsty. He crawled back to the basin and with a shaky hand, filled the goblet and drained it.

"Fuck!" he groaned, as he felt the potion make its way down his throat, burning him as it did. But what choice did he have? He had never really thought about how he was going to die, but now it was all he could think about. He was going to die here, alone. Would anyone notice he was gone? After what he had done at the end of last term, he doubted it. Taking a shaky breath, he filled the goblet and drained it again.

"You're fucked up, Sirius. I don't want anything to do with you!" James sneered.

"He thinks he's so great, but he's a selfish, useless twat," Peter joined in.

"Do you think so little of me, that you would allow me to attack Snape?! I'm done with you!" Remus finished.

Sirius' parents joined the memories and began to curse him. Their curses hit him. His body was consumed by pain and fear. He wanted this to be the end, but he had to continue. He didn't know why. His vision was swimming as he looked down at the basin. He could make out the locket. Reaching down he tried to grab it but, as soon as his hand reached around it, he heard a snap followed by all-consuming pain.

"Ahh!" Sirius screamed, as he collapsed, clutching his wrist. "Fuck!" he cried, as he cradled his wrist. "Fuck, fuck. Just, why?! Why me?!"

Sirius looked down at the water and the inferi crawled towards. "No, fuck no! Please, just leave me alone!" he cried, tears streaming down his face. He screwed his eyes shut. What could he do? He couldn't even stand. How could he defend himself against an army of inferi? Without a wand?

"Please!" Sirius sobbed, as he felt their cold, rubbery hands reach around his ankles and pull him towards the water. He tried to dig his fingers into the rock, but to no avail. His right hand was now useless. The jagged rock tore into his palms and fingers. What would become of him? Would he join the army of inferi? Would he murder any unsuspecting witch or wizard who stumbled across the cave? "No! Please!" Sirius closed his eyes as he felt himself being dragged under. He reluctantly opened his eyes to see the light from the surface slowly fading. This was it. He wasn't going to die; he was going to become an inferi. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a tug at his navel and he started spinning. He felt as though he was being squeezed through a tight tube and then there was nothing. He landed with a thud. He kept his eyes shut, not wanting to see what had happened or where he had ended up, but he knew he had to. Slowly he opened his eyes to be met by what looked like the cellar of the Three Broomsticks.

"It's okay Sirius, it's okay," Fleamont reassured, as he pulled the shaking boy to his chest. He hated this. He hated to see Sirius go through this. He would do anything to stop it, but part of him understood why Sirius was doing it. It didn't mean he had to like it. "Sirius, you are safe. You are in my office, in our home."

"What happened?" Sirius managed in a shaky voice; his head still buried in Fleamont's chest.

"You apparated."

"But I can't."

"Sometimes in extraordinary circumstances people can do amazing things," Fleamont explained. "I think it was your magic defending you. I think it was trying to save you."

"But, but," Sirius started hesitantly, as he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. "But you said the aurors couldn't apparate!"

"I don't know, Sirius. But I think it has something to do with you being underage. Underage magic has a slightly different signature. Sirius, you are an extraordinary person."

"But I still don't understand. How did I manage to apparate and aurors couldn't?!"

Fleamont let out a small sigh. "Sirius, I don't know. I know you probably don't want to hear that, but I can only guess. I think it's something to do with you being underage, but I don't know for sure."

Sirius exhaled. "No," he said slowly, as he took a breath. "No dad, it helps. At school they were all saying I was going to be fine, but I knew I wasn't going to be. I could feel myself slowly dying but they kept on saying I was going to be fine. But you never did. You never lied to me. And you aren't lying now and that helps."

"Sorry, I couldn't be of any help."

"You were. But what should I do?"

Fleamont frowned. "When?"

"I don't know. Please tell me what to do."

"Today, I don't want you to do anything."

Sirius nodded. "What about the rest of my life?"

"We can work that out."

"No, I need someone to tell me what to do, because I don't know what to do. I don't know if I want to go back to Hogwarts. I don't know if I want to continue doing magic."

Fleamont found a small, unhappy smile. "Okay Sirius, I don't want you to make any big decisions. If you want to stop doing magic, that's fine. If you want to leave Hogwarts, that's fine. But don't make any decisions right now. I reckon we go to the doctor, and she can check your wrist. Once the cast has been removed magic will be easier. If you don't want to do magic, we can change your grades and say you went to school abroad."

"Really?!"

"Yes," Fleamont replied, nodding. "I will support whatever decision you make, just don't make any big decisions right now. Just take things slowly."

"But what if I can't remember?!"

If someone walked into my office and emptied all the cabinets and threw all the paper on the floor, would the information still be there?'

"I guess so," Sirius replied, looking down. "How long do you reckon until I should go back to school?"

"That's up you. But we have the appointment with the doctor tomorrow. I reckon we see what she says about your wrist. Once the cast is off it will be tough for a bit, but it will be easier. I will help you with your magic if you want."

"You would?"

"Of course."

"I, I don't know what to do today?"

"I don't want you to do any magic or to remember. How about reading a book?" Fleamont asked. He watched Sirius shake his head. "Okay, how about you help me with this filing".

"Sure," Sirius replied with a broad grin. Truth be told, he really didn't want to be alone.

oo

Fleamont Potter took a moment to choose his words carefully as he eyed the two people in front of him. It wasn't that he was lost for words, it was more to do with the two individuals in front of him. One, he knew, was racked with guilt. Yes, he thought Minerva McGonagall should have done more to help Sirius, but that was in the past. Then there was Dumbledore, a wizard Fleamont truly respected, but Dumbledore was also a man who was more concerned with the greater good. Whilst Fleamont admired this, he felt Dumbledore often missed the small things, as he had done with Sirius.

"How is he?" Minerva asked, cutting through the silence.

"He's better. Not 100% yet, but a lot better," Fleamont replied.

"And his magic?"

"It's fine. He was struggling because of the poison and his broken wrist, coupled with the 'wand' he was given," Fleamont replied, biting back his anger. He had forgiven the school for not noticing Sirius had been hurt, he had forgiven them for not asking more about Sirius' home life (although Fleamont had not forgiven himself), but he was struggling to forgive them for the school's complete abandonment of Sirius when they realised he had been hurt and the fact the school had allowed the healers to give up on Sirius. To find it acceptable to basically allow Sirius to die, was completely and utterly unforgivable.

"Yes, that was unfortunate," Dumbledore said, speaking up for the first time.

"Unfortunate?" Fleamont replied, with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I guess that's one way to describe it. I trust Ollivander has checked the school wands."

"He's coming tomorrow."

"Good. I don't want another child to go through what Sirius experienced. Yes, there were other factors involved, but it was incredibly damaging to his self-esteem and confidence."

"I'm sure Sirius understood it wasn't his doing," Dumbledore started.

"No, he didn't. He was a scared sixteen-year boy who was in a lot of pain. He was never going to think logically." Fleamont sighed and thought back to a conversation he had had with Sirius a couple of weeks prior.

"I should start looking at Muggle schools," Sirius said quietly. "State schools are free, but I don't think any will accept me at this late stage. I won't know any of the subjects, but I guess some of my Hogwarts subjects could cross over to the Muggle world. Maybe I could come away with a handful of O-levels."

"Sirius?"

"A handful of qualifications would be better than nothing. I don't really understand the Muggle world, but I'll learn."

"Sirius, what are you talking about?" Fleamont asked gently.

"I'm a squib," Sirius sobbed out, his shoulders shaking.

"No Sirius, no you're not. You are struggling with your magic because you are hurt and ill."

"But my OWLs!? I've missed so much school."

"Your professors and I will write to the exam's boards, so they can consider recent events. Not that I think you'll need it, I think you'll be just fine."

"But my magic is useless," Sirius said, his head in his hands.

"Okay, I will concede this to you. Your magic isn't great at the moment, but why should it be when you can't move your wand arm? All spells require a wrist action, something you can't do at the moment. Once your wrist has healed your magic will flow. I reckon it will flow more now you've got your own wand," Fleamont said, as he gently squeezed Sirius' shoulder. "We will figure this out together. If you decide you don't want to go to Hogwarts anymore, that's fine, but don't make any major decisions now."

Minerva swallowed as she digested the latest piece of information. "I will personally observe Ollivander whilst he performs his tests. Any wands that don't meet his standards, I will personally dispose of."

"Thank you, Minerva," Fleamont replied, politely.

"Minerva, I'm sure Ollivander doesn't need your assistance. Whilst what happened with Mr Black was regrettable, you are needed elsewhere in the school."

"No Headmaster, Sirius is a child, a child we have all failed. We should have picked up on the warning signs that everything wasn't right at home years ago. But how the hell did none of us realise he was severely injured?! When he was distant and spaced out in class, he wasn't doing it for a laugh, or to get a reaction, he was in so much pain he couldn't concentrate. He was falling asleep in class because it took every part of him to perform the most basic of magic; he was exhausted. Then he couldn't sleep because of the nightmares. God, I struggled to sleep after what I learnt happened to him, and I didn't have to live through it. They buried him alive! Not once, but multiple times! He is never going back to that godforsaken family because, if he does, I'm certain they will murder him," Minerva replied hotly. She had temporarily forgotten who she was talking to, or maybe she didn't care. Maybe it was her guilt talking, her guilt for her inaction.

Dumbledore took a shocked step backwards at his colleague's sudden outburst. "Minerva!"

"No Dumbledore, we gave up on him. If it hadn't been for the Potters, Sirius would have died!"

Fleamont stepped forwards, holding his hands up. "Look, mistakes were made. We all made them, but let's move on from it. Just as long as we all learn from it. I'm here to discuss Sirius' return to Hogwarts and what measures are going to be put in place to help him."

"Of course," Dumbledore said calmly. "We have written to the exam board as you requested." He watched Fleamont nod in approval. "All the teachers are aware of his condition and have made allowances. He wouldn't have to catch up on the work he has missed this term."

"Good," Fleamont replied, nodding. "And if he needs to take a break mid lesson?"

"That can be accommodated."

"What about defensive magic?"

"He's still doing it?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"No, not for a while," Fleamont replied, shaking his head. "But he worries about it."

"Fleamont, we will look after him," Minerva said gently.

"Please do," Fleamont replied quietly. "He means a lot to Euphemia and me. He's still a bit fragile, but he wants to get back to Hogwarts. He wants to get his life back."

"Fleamont, we made mistakes in the past, but we will look after him. I promise," Dumbledore reassured.

"Thank you," Fleamont replied, with a slight nod. "Well, I better be headed back."

"You can use my floo," Minerva offered. There's a couple of things I need to talk to you about."

Fleamont nodded before taking Dumbledore's hand. "Thank you, Dumbledore," he said, before following Minerva out of the office. "Minerva?" He watched her tense, silent face as they made their way quietly to her office. When he headed into her office, Fleamont tried again. "Minerva, please don't blame him. He was so scared out of his mind; he had no idea what he was doing. Once he realised where he was, e was determined to come back straight away, but it was me who persuaded him otherwise. I needed to spend time with him. I needed to try and gain his trust; I don't think he trusts anyone right now; maybe my son, but that's about it. And who can blame him?"

"Is he okay?"

"No," Fleamont said, shaking his head. "He is not, but he's getting there. What happened with his parents, well, they obviously tortured and threatened him, but that's just the tip of the iceberg."

"What?! You think something else happened to him?" McGonagall said, quickly sitting down as her very breath caught in her throat.

"Yes," Fleamont said, nodding sadly. "The very thought, the very memory absolutely terrifies him. The defensive magic, how he struggled to perform magic, some of his injuries are all linked to that!"

"Do you know what happened to him?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me?"

Fleamont sighed and took a moment to consider his next words. He had spoken about it with Sirius earlier. Fleamont thought it would be helpful if someone at the school knew what had happened. He had thought it would help Sirius if someone at the school could understand what Sirius had been through. But Sirius hadn't been as sure. Any trust Sirius had in his professors had long since been lost. Finally, they had agreed on telling Minerva. "What I am about to tell you is confidential. You cannot tell anyone, including Dumbledore."

"Of course."

"Minerva, I need your word on this. Sirius wasn't sure he even wanted you to know, but I persuaded him it would be helpful if someone at school knew what had happened to him. Euphemia doesn't know. James doesn't know. The Aurors know what Sirius can remember, but only a handful know who the source is," Fleamont explained carefully.

"I swear on my life, I will not disclose this to anyone. I am happy to take an unbreakable vow," Minerva replied in a tense voice. Aurors, she thought, whatever she had thought had happened to Sirius suddenly took a more sinister, darker turn.

"On Christmas Eve, Sirius' parents sold him to Lord Voldemort."

Minerva felt her legs suddenly weaken and quickly sat down. She knew the Blacks' reputation of being associated with the dark arts. But to sell their own son to a wizard who was rumoured to have murdered countess muggles was, well, she was lost for words. "What? Why?"

"I don't know," Fleamont replied, shaking his head. "Sirius' memories of the events are hazy at best, and I don't want to push him. He's understandably severely traumatised by the whole situation."

"What does he remember?"

"Voldemort used him to clean the house and serve him food. Sirius did his best to avoid Voldemort as much as he could. But Voldemort needed Sirius for something. He took Sirius to a cave off the coast. Under the Imperius curse he forced Sirius to drink a potion. He needed Sirius to drink it so he could hide a locket, but Sirius fought off the curse. Voldemort then physically forced Sirius to drink the rest of the potion. Voldemort left, leaving Sirius on the island."

Tears streamed down Minvera's face as she thought of how terrified Sirius must have been. Whatever she had thought of Voldemort before was nothing compared to the hatred she felt for him now. She was going to bring him to justice if it was the last thing she ever did. "H-How, how did he escape?" she managed to stammer out.

"We can't be sure, but our theory, well, that is Sirius' and my theory, is he managed apparate."

"But he's underage. He hasn't been taught how to do it!"

"People can do extraordinary things in horrific circumstances. The last thing he remembers is being pulled into the lake by inferi, and the next thing he knew hewas in the pub.

"Oh Merlin!" Minerva exclaimed, clutching her chest. "Inferi! And then, after all of that he manages to escape only for us to punish him! I punished him. I told him to get out of my sight, when I should have comforted him. I should have got him help. I should have done everything other than what I did!"

"Minerva you weren't to know," Fleamont replied, in an attempt to reassure the now distraught woman in front of him.

"It would have taken me a couple of moments to notice something was wrong. I did suspect something was wrong, but I was too wrapped in my own thoughts. I was just thinking of that stupid transfiguration conference. I thought I could just talk to him in the morning, but I never saw him. What I should have done was to help him as soon as I saw him. I should have-"

"Minerva, we all should have done more, me included. What happened is in the past, there is nothing we can do about that now, however regrettable. We need to move forward and support Sirius."

"What can we do for him?"

"Be honest with him. He thought he was becoming a squib," Fleamont said sadly. "He told me he would try and get a place at Muggle state school. He hoped he would walk away with a handful of O-levels. But he is far more than that. He's an incredibly bright, mischievous, inquisitive child with a heart of gold. It is not his fault he was born into the wrong family. Yes, he made a mistake about Remus, but it was a terrified child who said those words, not Sirius. We all failed him."

"I know," McGonagall said, rubbing her eyes. "He was always quiet and subdued at the beginning of term and towards the end, but." She stopped and sighed. "I thought, I don't know what I was thinking. He is just a force of life; I never suspected something like this was happening to him. But when I look at it, all the signs were there. If I had-" Minerva stopped herself. All she could think of was Sirius being dragged underwater by inferi. His terrified face haunted her vision. She took a breath for a moment, as she considered her words. "Fleamont, you have my personal assurances that Sirius will be looked after. You are right, I cannot change the past but can help him now. I will make sure he isn't pushing himself. I know he doesn't trust me, and I don't blame him. But I will make sure he has somewhere safe where he can release his magic if he needs to."

"Thank you, Minerva. It will reassure Sirius. He is nervous about coming back, but he wants to. It's just, well he's still feeling very mixed up about everything at the moment. He's not 100% sure he wants to continue with magic at the moment," Fleamont explained sadly.

"What does he want to do?!" Minerva replied, not sure of how many shocks she could take.

"He's not sure. I've just told him not to make any major decisions at the moment. Not when he's feeling as mixed up as he is right now. Once things settle down, if he still wants to walk away from magic, I will support him. All the pain and fear he experienced was through magic, so it's quite understandable if he wants to walk away from it." Fleamont sighed heavily. Of course, he wanted Sirius to continue in the magical world. He wasn't sure how Sirius would bridge the gap and live in the muggle world, with all his friends and family in the magical world. But it was Sirius' choice. It was Sirius' life. Whatever Sirius decided, he would support that. "Well, I better get back. I promised Sirius I would teach him the Avenseguim charm."

Minerva raised her eyebrows. "That's an advanced spell."

"He's ready for it. I thought it would boost his confidence, and cheer him up a bit," Fleamont explained.

Minerva found a tight smile. "In that case, give him these." She handed over some notes. "He probably already knows how to do it, but he should have a laugh with it. And I am not going to have one of my Gryffindors learning more charms than transfigurations."

"What is it?" Fleamont asked cursedly.

"It's multicorfors."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Fleamont asked, biting back a laugh. "You know what my son and Sirius will do with that information."

"That's a risk I am prepared to take," Minerva said with a warm smile. She stepped forward and handed her pot of floo powder over. "And tell Sirius we are here and waiting for him when he's ready."

"Thank you," Fleamont replied as he took the powder and stepped towards the fireplace. "I'll let you know when he's ready." Without another word he threw the powder into the fire, watching it glow, and was gone in a flash.