Author's Note:
Reviews and Comments: To CheesePuffQueen: You think Sirius' soul is missing and Harry will figure out how to restore it? Interesting. Ginny totally rocked her first game (as if we had any doubt)! Thank you! I'm glad to see people are enjoying it. To atrelis: Thank you! Ron is definitely such a great friend! Thank you! To shuweet: Thanks for enjoying Ginny's first match (it was so hard to write). Yes, the Hinny sexy times were mandatory really. Of course Theo made a comment about the second greatest thing he's ever put in his mouth lol. Thank you! To Mrs_Norway: Thank you. I like writing about how they're working to figure things out as to be honest, it helps me lol. The saving people complex is definitely so spot on for Harry's personality, but yes, magic can't always fix everything. Having Ginny and his friends to support him helps a lot and yes, of course Harry is there to support Ginny as well. Thank you! To abhinav_india_17: I read the "well, well, well" exactly like the Oogie Boogie song so thanks for that lol. Yes, Harry and Ginny needed some smut and sexy times as it is getting intense. Harry did need the blokes night just as much, even if he didn't want to admit it. You think Dean's situation has something to do with his father? Interesting. That is hands down the best description of Neville: "Introvert turned semi-hunk vibe." I completely agree. Seamus is always the bearer of good rum lol. You want to know if Sirius' soul can be retrieved from the Department of Mysteries? Interesting. As to the feel of hands dragging him into the earth… we will have to wait and see. Thank you so much!
To Belle: It was a needed breath of fresh air, thank you for noticing. Ginny being supported her friends and family is so important to her and her and Harry having their moments as well. Thank you for saying Harry trying to find ways to save both Sirius and Zee being so in sync with his personality, I agree. McGonagall is totally proud of Harry and yes, his name is her password lol. Thank you so much! To CorbanD17: Thank you! To MABK_Potter_Fan: Thanks for loving the Quidditch scene! Ha, yes, the before "kiss" and after game celebration was definitely great for Hinny. As to whether I am giving you bread crumbs to bringing both Zee and Sirius back or giving false hope — I'm not telling lol. Thank you very much! To NeroTheJoiner: Some memories are potentially coming back to Sirius, yes. As to what happens from there, you will have to wait and see. Theo is just a genuinely kind soul. Thank you for loving Ginny's first match. Bringing in Slughorn and a new professor to help seemed like a good idea. Thank you! To RiverFord: Ha, I'm sorry but also you're welcome for giving you anxiety in the best possible way lol. Thank you! To marauders_mowopapr: Thank you for enjoying my sports dialogue, I tried my best. As to Sirius and Zee, we will have to wait and see. Seamus and Dean, we will see more of here. Harry is proud of his girlfriend and so excited for her. He did enjoy McGonagall making his name her password. Thank you! To GABRIELAGP1988: Thank you! To Mackie919: Harry definitely found a way for Ginny to be more relaxed before her game lol. They're definitely so in love and adorable. Thank you very much! To AQuickRead91: It would be amazing to watch Quidditch play live. Thank you! To guest111: Thanks for loving my McGonagall appearances. Of course Harry surprised Ginny at her first match — nothing was going to stop him from being there. Theo and her family cheering for her was good too. You'll hate me is Dean and Seamus break up? Noted, lol. Harry wants to save people — it's who he is. We will see more of Mina and Leo as well as others. Thank you!
To JZVo: Ha, I completely understand the love and hate for me at the same time. LOL, I didn't misread your message about not killing Zee, I just went a different direction lol. As to what did Harry do to offend me, I like watching him get comforted lol. Thank you! As to the relationship tags mentioning Sirius/OC, you will have to wait and see. Thank you! To katelyn453: Thank you for enjoying the Hinny times as well as Harry's boys night. Thank you! To reginaphalange: Ginny is definitely rocking her new career, did we have any doubts? My heart is also broken for Harry, he's doing his best. Thank you! To neumann: Sirius does have to figure some things out for himself. We will have to wait and see what happens. Having Colt suggest something is interesting. Thank you very much! To Matt71478: Thank you for loving my Hinny. You're right, the magical world has shown that sometimes the impossible is possible so when it comes to Sirius, we will have to see. Thank you very much! To alix33: Slughorn is just Slughorn. It's part of who he is whether we like it or not. Molly definitely is very supportive, even if she doesn't fully understand it. Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To akshutalankar: I love the curiosity for Seamus and Dean! You think I will do fairytale stuff with Sirius and Zee with the true love's kiss? LOL. Well, no, but interesting. Aw, sorry you miss Dobby. Thank you!
To mike3308: It will definitely be hard for Harry to kill Sirius. Harry and Ginny deserved some them time, yes. Thank you! To kncharvi: Thank you very much! To AnonymousHufflepuffWriter: Ginny definitely would have an amazing first game! That is true, someone could visit Harry in a dream and warn him that Sirius was there and then he was gone. Thank you! To Sets: Ron is definitely great at keeping Harry where he needs to be (or filled with pints). LOL. Yes, there were multiple potions used in the graveyard scene. Nope, no wards have changed. Thank you! To Nuno Neves: Thank you for saying it was your favourite chapter of TTTC so far. Ginny did deserve a great first match and her and Harry deserved that time together. Harry knows exactly how hot his girlfriend his. Harry and Ginny do tease each other as they know each other so well. Thanks for loving the boys night and Ron putting Harry to bed. As to your second review, you think Dean and Seamus have broken up but Seamus didn't want to say anything, interesting. Thank you! To camazoz: Thank you very much! To CrazyWithABook: Thank you! To The cat with blue eyes: Thank you for loving the Quidditch match, thank you! To the Mandalorian terminator: Thank you very much for saying my writing is incredible. Ginny's match was so hard for me to write so thank you for saying it was an enjoyable read. Harry is devastated and confused over Sirius so of course he wants to everything he can to save him. We'll see Lupin's reaction soon. Thank you! To Jimbo: I actually talk about the dementors and souls later on. Thank you!
To EnigmaticEmperor: Slughorn is a good Potioneer so I wanted to bring him in, but of course he wiggles a favour out of Harry lol. As to Zee coming back, we will have to wait and see what happens. Thanks for liking the match and my Hinny sexy times. As to Dean and Seamus, something is definitely up. Thank you! To ITHersey: Harry does need to take care of himself better. Thank you! To Zarathos Morgenstern: Thank you! To ellyann13: We will have to wait to hear from Slughorn. Ginny definitely rocked her first game. Thank you! Don't remember if I said it already, but thank you for continuing to give long reviews as your reread ASC as well. Thank you! To Cristina: It's fair that you didn't expect ASC to end in a cliffhanger lol. Mostly the Greek gods connection is symbolic yes, as its a power element from an old powerful wizard believed to be a god. As to not understanding everything, all will be revealed. Thank you for saying it's like an Agatha Christie mystery — what a compliment! Molly was definitely the best with her sign! Thank you for loving my Quidditch match. Yes, the Hinny moments, you can feel how much more relaxed they both are with each other. They deserve it. As to Seamus and Dean, we will see. Thank you very much! To yunkol76: Thank you! To DudeOnMath: Yes, Ginny is definitely ready to kick butt in Quidditch. Thank you for loving my Hinny times. You're too kind for saying I should write for the HP series. Thank you!
To ascfan: Thank you! To Architect of Light 2: Thank you very much! To ThomasJAvery: Thank you for saying that I capture Slughorn very on point, I do try. Combining mythology and fantasy is just fun to me because I think it always opens up more possibilities. It would be pretty great if Zee could be revived and Sirius gets back to normal. We will have to see what happen. Harry is a stubborn little cabbage, but his friends are exactly what he needs. Thank you so much for saying I hit the nail on the head with the Quidditch match. I really wanted to show it as much as I could. Ginny is definitely doing awesome and having the whole Weasley clan there to support her was even more important! Of course Harry and Ron were swearing at the other team LOL. Yes, Harry wanted to make sure she was very relaxed before the game lol. Thanks for finding their smut so hot and steamy. LMAO, a DJ instead of a BJ, that's a new one lol. Yes, poor Harry is very confused and conflicted over the whole Sirius thing and they still don't know for sure if that's true. The catch up with the boys was fun to write and I think something they all needed. Thank you very much! To Gigi87: So glamorous, in Italy for your final dress fitting! How wonderful! I'm sorry you had a nasty flu to follow and hope you're feeling better. I'm glad you enjoyed the Druella bit and how Jin and Baxter weren't dealing with her shit lol. Definitely a magical cruise, no way would Druella go on a Muggle one. Theo and Bas not realizing they were living together was too fun to pass up and you're right, it is totally accurate for men lol. Theo is definitely very sassy and not ashamed at all to admit he was too busy pleasuring his boyfriend lol. Blaise is an ass, but yes, he is devoted to his friends. Yes, Sirius hasn't touched Belladonna and he won't. He knows it's dangerous even if he doesn't understand why. Ha, Zee is alive and I can't change your mind? LOL. Noted. Harry definitely needs to see Auden and it's helping him more than he knows. Thank you very much!
To Bellmel: Aw, thanks for feeling guilty over how much trouble I had writing the Quidditch bits lol, but I'm just happy you enjoyed it. The commentators was fun to show how she was doing as well as showing it through Harry's eyes (who is rather biased). Celtics definitely deserves the kudos for her assistance. I missed the boys too and it was fun to catch up with them. With fewer POVs than ASC, I have to catch up with them when I can. But yes, Harry does have a lot more support than he knows. Thanks for loving the Hinny scenes — fire was exactly what I was going for! Thank you!
My posting schedule: Weekly.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER SIX:
The One With the Tinsel
Seamus was feeling good when he left the pub, just a slight buzz. The cold air took away most of it as he tucked his hands in the pocket of his robes and decided to hoof it the two blocks back to the townhouse he shared with Dean in Brighton. He saw the light was on in Dean's studio and he scowled, staring up at the window for a long moment before he finally let himself into the house.
He kicked off his boots and hung up his cloak before he made his way up the stairs, standing in the doorway of the room that Dean was using as his art studio. His boyfriend was standing in front of a large easel, paint flecks all over the white tee shirt and blue jeans he was standing in. Some pink paint had even managed to make its way into his hair. Seamus couldn't see what he was painting, but the concentration line on his forehead was incredibly sexy and he shoved his attraction down, determined to not let his boyfriend's sexiness get him out of his mood.
The boys had noticed tonight that Dean wasn't present. They'd noticed his short answers too and Neville had pulled him aside when they left the pub to check in with him.
"Is everything okay between you and Dean?"
Seamus shrugged. "Of course."
Neville only stared in his calm way. "What happened to him tonight?"
"He had to work."
"Seamus…"
Seamus sighed and wrinkled his nose. "We got into a fight and he… he decided not to come, all right?"
"A fight?"
Seamus shrugged again. "Things have been… difficult since we moved in together."
"Why? You basically lived together for years."
"Yes and no," Seamus said. "I mean, sure we roomed together and slept together, but being at Hogwarts isn't the same as being in a house together. It's an adjustment and my training and hours are all over the place. I'm volunteering at the fire house with Grant and Dean's been spending a lot of time with his dad in between taking odd painting jobs. He's been restoring old portraits and doing commissions for portraits and I don't know… we haven't quite been on the same page for the last few weeks."
"Have you talked to him about it?"
Seamus rolled his eyes. "Come on, Nev. Dean's my best mate, if there was something bothering him he'd tell me."
"Like you told him that something's bothering you?"
Seamus made a rude hand gesture.
Neville squeezed his friend's shoulder. "Look, talk to Dean. Obviously you two are circling each other and you need to talk. Nothing's going to get better until you do."
Seamus watched him walk away, not sure if Neville's words were really something he wanted to hear. Now he stood in the doorway, his eyes on his boyfriend as he focused, music blaring from the wireless in the corner and completely entranced in his own world. He watched him for almost five minutes before Dean put down his brush and his attention caught him in the doorway.
"Hi. Did you just get home?"
"A little while ago," Seamus said. "You've been busy."
"Yeah," Dean said. "Tamara wants me to paint her nude next. Says her body's never looked this good. We're going to be doing concept sketches over the next week to find the right pose."
Seamus frowned. "Naked?"
"Nude," Dean corrected.
"Same thing."
Dean slipped his hand into his pockets as he stepped around the canvas. "It's my job, Seamus. I paint whatever people want me to paint and that sometimes includes nudes. She's paying me an insane amount of money to do so."
"She's beautiful."
"She is," Dean admitted. "And I'm going to show the world how much with my painting."
Seamus sighed and slumped back against the wall. "I'm being stupid. I know you're not going to stare at her big tits and suddenly decide to go back to witches. It's just… we live together, Dean, and we barely see each other."
Dean moved to stand in front of his boyfriend. "You're always at the academy."
"Not always."
"And if you're not there, you're volunteering shifts at the fire station."
"Grant's taken me under his wing to help give me experience."
"And that's great," Dean told him. "I'm proud of you for doing that, but it also eats up a lot of your free time, Seam."
Seamus wrinkled his nose. "The nights I am home, you're busy up here or out with Kellan."
"I like spending time with my dad. I'm getting to know him, Seamus. He has a lot of time to make up for and I'm letting him. He won't be back in England until January now and he's gotten me two more people interested in portraits for Christmas gifts."
"And when will you be painting these?"
"Whenever they have time to meet with me," Dean said. "Why are you being like this?"
"Like what? Do you want me to apologize for wanting to spend time with my boyfriend? You didn't even come to pub night tonight! The guys asked about you."
"You told me not to go!"
"No, I didn't!" Seamus shot back.
Dean scowled. "Oh, so you saying 'don't bother showing up' meant what then?"
Seamus' cheeks heated. "You make time for everyone else, Dean, but not for me. That's what I meant by that! If you would have shown up tonight I might have realized you're trying to make time for me, but you're not. It's all about your art and your dad and your clients and I'm just what? A roommate you see around and occasionally spoon?"
Dean stomped across the room to stand in front of Seamus. "Well, you haven't exactly been making an effort either! When's the last time that you made time for the two of us to do something? I get it, you're busy with the academy and trying to get a job, but in the meantime it's me who actually has a bloody job, Seam! If I wasn't painting these commissioned portraits, we wouldn't be able to pay rent."
"Fuck you!" Seamus hissed. "I'm the one who found this bloody place! I made sure you had a place to paint and I got us the furniture and…"
"And what?" Dean demanded.
Seamus' eyes narrowed. "And… nothing! Whatever. I'm going to bed."
Dean grabbed his arm before he could storm off. "No, we're finishing this."
"Finishing what?"
"This!" Dean exploded, his dark eyes flashing in anger. "Whatever the fuck this is that you have shoved up your arse!"
Seamus shoved his finger into Dean's face, almost poking him in the cheek. "You know what I don't have shoved up my arse? Fucking anything — because you haven't bloody touched me in weeks!"
Dean's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, you haven't bloody touched me either! It's a two way street, Seamus."
"I've tried," he hissed. "You're always too tired or mutter 'later' under your breath. Well, later's come and gone, Dean."
Dean's mouth opened in surprise and Seamus turned and walked away. He left Dean staring after him and made his way to the bathroom to take a shower. He took a moment to stand under the spray, resting his head against the cool tile and wondered what it was that was really bothering him.
A moment later the curtain parted and Dean stood there, naked and flecked in paint.
"Can I join you?"
Seamus didn't answer him, but he stepped inside anyway, closing the curtain behind him. Then Dean's hands rested on his hips and he leaned down and pressed his lips to his for a soft kiss.
"I'm sorry."
Seamus let out a long breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I'm sorry, too."
"I really love you, Seamus," Dean whispered against his lips. "Maybe I've been taking you for granted and I'm sorry for that. Moving out and living on our own has taken some adjustments and the two of us have to find our sync together."
"I really love you, too," he said, leaning his head against his boyfriend's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I just… I miss you. I miss you and it doesn't make sense because we live together."
Dean pressed his forehead against Seamus', his hand reaching down to cup Seamus' cock in his hand. "We live together and we're in love, but relationships take work, Seam, on both sides."
Seamus sighed as Dean's hand began to stroke him. "It didn't take work at Hogwarts."
Dean nibbled at his ear. "That's because we went to class and shagged. We didn't have anything else to do, to focus on."
"And now?" Seamus asked as Dean's hand brought his cock to life.
"And now we have to focus on us as much as everything else," Dean said. "I really love you and because I really love you, I think that we should set aside three nights a week where we make time for each other. We won't let our new jobs get in the way of us having time together."
Seamus leaned into Dean's hand, desperate for more friction. "Time together?"
"To talk," Dean said. "To have dates. To communicate, there I said it."
"And shag?"
Dean chuckled and lowered himself to his knees. "Oh, yeah, Seam, shagging is definitely going to be a big part of that."
Then he took his boyfriend's cock into his mouth and Seamus' head fell back against the tile.
"Mmm, fuck yeah…"
Dean sucked his fat cock deep into his throat as Seamus made desperate noises until Dean stood up, cupping his boyfriend's arse in his hands.
"Now, are we done being cross with each other?"
Seamus linked his arms around his neck. "That depends."
"On what?"
Seamus' lips curved. "On how fast you get inside of my arse."
Dean chuckled as he reached for the lube on the shelf by the wall. "Well, that might take a while because as you said, it's been a few weeks."
Seamus slid his hands down Dean's wet back to tease his crease. "Yes, and if you don't hurry up, I'm going to bend you over and shag you brainless."
"Promises, promises," Dean teased, pressing his lips to his as his finger began to circle his hole.
Seamus leaned into his boyfriend and thought maybe Neville had been right. It turned out the talking thing wasn't bad advice after all.
~ TTTC ~
After spending another day where they discovered nothing new about Lestrange, Brambilla, and Crouch nor anything new on the imposter Sirius, Harry was looking forward to going home. He was planning to spend an evening with Mina and Leo. He and Sorcha had worked out a schedule and three nights a week, he would make sure that he was there for the evening routine to help get the twins into bed so that she could work on her assignments for the paper. Colt and Flo helped out during the day when the twins weren't at nursery school so tonight it was just him and the twins.
He was rather looking forward to it.
Sorcha kissed his cheek and then kissed the twins goodnight before she hurried off, promising to be back by eleven. Harry shooed her off and made his way into the kitchen to make dinner for him and the twins. Mina and Leo were underfoot, following him around and wanting him to pick them up. Harry did so without question.
He knew that they were missing their mother. They were being extra clingy to those around them and he understood that. Merlin, he missed Zee more than he could express. She'd always been there for him and with her gone, his heart felt like something was missing. Zee was the only mother he'd ever known and losing her on top of Sirius was… it was a lot to handle. It had been over a month since she'd been "killed" and Mina and Leo didn't understand. They cried for their mother and only in the last week or so had stopped looking for her around every corner. Part of Harry wondered how much longer it would be until they didn't even remember her at all and it broke his heart because he understood that pain better than anyone.
"Don't worry, I'm going to make sure to always tell you about your mama and daddy, okay? I promise."
He kissed Mina and then Leo, smiling at their baby smell as he snuggled them close as he worked on making dinner, voting on a simple pasta with tomato sauce. He turned the wireless on, deciding to stop it on a station playing The Offspring. He danced and sang off key with Mina and Leo, making them laugh before he put them back on the ground to chop up onions and tomatoes. Once he had the sauce simmering, he found some noodles to boil.
Harry strapped each toddler into their highchairs and had just given them each their own bowl of pasta and a fork when Padfoot barked and then growled. He turned to shush the dog just as the backdoor opened and Sirius stepped inside of the kitchen. Harry grabbed his wand off of the counter and threw up a protective shield over himself, the twins, and the dog so quickly that Sirius whistled.
"Bloody impressive. Guess they weren't lying when they said you were all powerful and shit."
"Get out," Harry demanded, his voice deadly quiet and commanding a calm presence that he certainly didn't feel.
"Or what?" Sirius retorted, lifting an eyebrow. "This is my house, isn't it? I must say, it's a lot more quaint than I expected. Clearly has a woman's touch. Who are the munchkins?"
"I said get out," Harry repeated, his wand steady on Sirius. "I don't know who or what you are, but you do not belong here."
Sirius licked his bottom lip, leaning against the doorjamb as Padfoot barked, attempting to get through Harry's shield to attack Sirius. "You know who I am, Potter. The fact that I walked right into this house tells you exactly who I am."
"It's impossible," Harry whispered. "You're dead!"
"Was dead," Sirius corrected. "Past tense. My dear cousin Bella brought me back."
"It's impossible," Harry repeated.
Sirius cocked his head, those grey eyes giving Harry an amused look. "I don't think that word means what you think it means." He licked his lips, his eyes falling on Mina and Leo, curiously. "I'm not here to hurt you."
Harry's eyebrow rose. "How about you come with me to the DMLE then? We can chat there."
Sirius chuckled. "We both know that's not going to happen."
Harry flicked his wrist, intending to petrify the imposter before him, but Sirius was quicker. Harry's eyes widened in horror as he watched the man before him transform into a black German shepherd, his hind legs bent as he dove towards them. Padfoot jumped in front of Harry, barking furiously at the black dog who was unable to break through the protective shield that Harry had enacted, but Padfoot's teeth were bared as he barked ferociously in his attempt to make the Animagus, that almost mirrored Padfoot, back off.
The Animagus watched them for a moment before he transformed back into the man and Sirius winked.
"See you around, Potter. And next time, lock your doors."
He disappeared out the backdoor before Harry could even come to grips with what had just happened. He stood there frozen for a full minute, listening for any sounds before he sent a Patronus straight to Remus and to Ron. It was only a few minutes later before Remus and Ron both arrived at the cottage.
"Moo!" Mina exclaimed, clapping her hands at the sight of Remus coming into the kitchen. "Moo! Moo!"
Remus bent his head to kiss her cheek before doing the same to Leo. "Are you all right?"
Harry shook his head. "Uncle Moony, he walked right inside the house."
Ron's blue eyes met Harry's from the backdoor. "How did he get in?"
"He couldn't have," Harry whispered. "This place is guarded with everything imaginable. Uncle Siri and Uncle Moony made sure of that and… he just bloody walked in…"
Remus paled. "No, that's impossible."
Harry swallowed, finally letting it sink in as he realized that Baxter has been right.
This wasn't an imposter.
It wasn't someone else controlling his body.
There was only one way for that imposter to have gotten into Black Cottage without setting off any alarms or warnings and it was because he wasn't an imposter at all.
Sirius Black was back and Harry felt his whole world turn upside down.
~ TTTC ~
Harry was grateful to Ron as he checked out the property of Black Cottage and made sure all of the wards were in place. Remus helped him bath Mina and Leo before they put them both to bed and only then did Harry sit down with Ron and Remus and go over all of the security charms that were in place at the cottage.
"You used his blood, right?"
Remus nodded. "The Marauder Charm was part of both of us and… bloody hell, we never once considered that it could be used against us."
Harry tapped his fingers on his knee as he leaned forward on the chesterfield. "Even with his blood… he can't enter if he has an intent to harm."
"In theory," Remus began. "It's why Bellatrix Lestrange could never get past the Black warding, but Sirius built this one, Harry. He and I built the charm together. It's more than just his blood, but it was mixed with his magic on top of a strong protection magic he used to keep you safe here."
Harry's fingers continued to tap as he contemplated his father's words. "So, you're saying that because the charm is ingrained in his magic and in his blood, he can come and go as he pleases onto any property where he installed those charms?"
Remus hesitated before he nodded. "Yes."
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, leaning back in the chair. "How the fuck do we stop him from getting in?"
"There's only one way," Remus said, his golden eyes meeting Harry's. "And it's going to take a while to put it into place."
"What's that?" Ron asked.
"We have to remove every layer," Harry said, understanding. "We have to remove every layer of protection on this cottage and property step by step and then rebuild it back up."
"Bloody hell," Ron repeated. "How long will that take?"
"Hours," Remus said. "If we want to do it properly, a whole day at best. Black Cottage was built into the protection of the Black bloodline. Alphard Black made sure this place was secure and safe and ready to be protected from any and all who tried to get through. It's unplottable and entirely invisible from the Floo Network, from the Ministry of Magic, and from the public eye. It has a secure private Floo line and only Harry's lawyer would have access to the property information where the Ministry takes out taxes and such. To take it all apart and rebuild it… it's risky."
"But necessary," Harry said. "He walked right inside the bloody kitchen, Uncle Rem! He was only a metre away from the twins and he… what if I hadn't been here? What if it was Grandmama and… no, we have to make sure that he can't get back in."
"Question," Ron said, making Harry and Remus both turn to him. "If we do as you suggest and take everything apart only to rebuild the foundation and Sirius really is Sirius and… would he be able to get back inside?"
Harry frowned. "I don't understand."
"Mate, like you said, it's really him. He changed into his bloody Animagus form right in front of you! An imposter wouldn't be able to do that. It's really Sirius and he's fucking evil or soulless or whatever but — will he always be?"
"What's dead should stay dead," Remus whispered. "It might be Sirius, Ron. It might be his body and him, but without a soul… it's not the man that we knew."
"What about his soul?" Harry asked. "Where did it go, Uncle Rem? Is your soul destroyed when you die?"
Remus shook his head. "Harry, Sirius died. He might be back in some capacity, but it's not him. It's not the man we love. I know what you're thinking, but he can't be saved because he died almost three years ago. The Sirius they brought back is not the man that we buried."
Harry knew that Remus was right, but he also understood what Ron was saying. If they did this, if they rebuilt everything, Sirius would be completely blocked from entering the property without their permission and a small part of him, the part that hoped his father was truly back, hated that. His eyes fell on the photo of himself holding Mina and Leo with Zee on All Hallows Eve and he crushed those thoughts.
He had to protect Mina and Leo and right now that included keeping Sirius out. No matter what it took.
"All right," Harry said, looking at his father. "When do we start?"
~ TTTC ~
The next few weeks seemed to go by in a blur. Harry and Remus had sent Sorcha, Mina, and Leo to the Burrow for the day and the two of them had spent almost an entire day and half taking apart every security charm on Black Cottage and rebuilding it from the ground up before doing the same to Zee's old cottage where Colt and Flo lived, to Remus and Tonks' cottage in Wrexham, and to Clevedon Court. Once the main living areas were deemed safe, Harry worked on Grimmauld Place and then travelled with Basil and Kreacher to each of the Potter properties to do the same thing.
He spent an even longer amount of time trying to make Kreacher understand that if Sirius approached him, he could not take orders from him. It had taken much longer than he wanted to, but he was positive that in the end Kreacher understood what was at stake. The old elf was completely smitten by Mina and Leo and would do anything in his power to protect them from anyone and anything, including Sirius.
It took Harry almost a week to fully secure everything and in the meantime, Harry attended as many of Ginny's matches as he could, only missing one of her eight games. Holyhead was doing great having defeated the Tutshell Tornadoes, the Wigtown Wanderers, the Montrose Magpies, the Kenmare Kestrels, and the Ballycastle Bats, but had lost against Pride of Portree by fifty points and the Wimborne Wasps by thirty points. Despite the losses, six out of eight games was a great start for Holyhead and Ginny's name was rising as commentators and sports journalists spoke about her talent on a broom. Seeing her name appear in the sports section of the paper brought a smile to Harry's face each and every time.
Of course, his name was also coming up alongside of hers; especially when he didn't attend a match.
ARE WEASLEY AND POTTER BREAKING UP? THE REAL REASON POTTER DIDN'T APPEAR AT HOLYHEAD'S LATEST MATCH!
POTTER NO LONGER SUPPORTING WEASLEY'S HARPY LIFE!
But they were both doing their best to ignore that gossip.
Outside of the time he spent with Mina, Leo, and Teddy, watching Ginny play was the only time he truly felt himself smile. They missed each other more often than not as her busy schedule kept her at Hogwarts and the tiny glimpses they managed to get of each other on the mirrors, did little to stop Harry from missing her like he'd lost a limb. But he saw her at every match he could and after each match, and on the rare occasions when they had time, he dragged her to their bedroom at Clevedon Court to celebrate her win properly or to console her for a loss. He treasured each moment, holding her when she fell asleep and wishing he could have her in his bed every night.
The search for Lestrange, Brambilla, Crouch, and Sirius ended up taking a back burner to his daily life as an Auror as there had been no sightings of any of them since Sirius had walked into the kitchen of Black Cottage. This meant that Ginny was staying at Hogwarts every night as well because it meant proper rest for her and it made more sense, despite how much Harry wished she was with him. Work was keeping him so busy it was hard to dwell on it until he was alone in his big bed at night. In the meantime, Harry and Higgins worked on the case of the missing Death Eaters at least an hour every day to try to pick up leads, but with no new evidence or sightings, the trail kept growing colder by the day.
But life as an Auror still kept Harry very busy. He was up to his ears in the Fletcher Fleming investigation. Fletcher Fleming was a well known criminal in Knockturn Alley who had a slew of underground contacts. He was constantly skating around the DMLE as his advocatus somehow managed to weasel him out of all charges and nothing ever seemed to stick to him.
Harry had first heard his name while he'd been in training and shadowing Gawain Robards. His first interview as an Auror had been with a man named Murray Hughes who had been caught stealing cauldrons allegedly for his boss, Fletcher Fleming. The more Harry learned about him, the more he came to understand that while he might not be a dark wizard per say, he wasn't exactly good news either. He worked in trafficking from illegal potions and ingredients to magical creatures, yet every time his name came up in a case, he somehow escaped without so much as a smudge to his name.
"Hughes gave up another name," Higgins said, plopping a file down in front of Harry. "Mundungus Fletcher."
Harry's eyebrow rose as he looked at Higgins when he sat down across from him. "He was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts."
"Yup," Higgins said. "I told Hughes as much, but the wizard claims that Mundungus took contracts from Fleming all the time."
Harry opened the file to read what was there. "He was a known thief."
"A good one," Higgins added. "But he also worked as a confidential informant for over a decade. First to Moody and then to Robards. The man had sticky fingers and would have sold his own mother's wedding ring for a quick Knut, but knowing he had contact with Fleming gives us something."
"What exactly?" Harry asked. "Dung's dead. It's not like we can talk to him."
"True, but we can talk to his daughter."
Harry's eyebrow rose in surprise. "Dung had a daughter?"
Higgins grinned. "Oh, you have so much to learn, my young apprentice. Grab your cloak. We're going to Mousehole in Cornwall."
Ten minutes later, they were walking through the small village of Mousehole and entering the doors of a small tavern that had been hidden behind a potted plant situated between a tea shop and a men's clothing shop. The closer they moved to the plant, the smaller the plant seemed to get until a red sign popped out of the brick declaring them at the Cheesehole Tavern. They stepped into the dark pub and Higgins pointed to the dark haired woman behind the bar who was cleaning a glass with a rag.
"Manya Fletcher?"
The brunette turned and lifted a dark brow. She was quite pretty with bright red lips, surprising Harry who had always thought Mundungus rather looked like a Pekinese with dark orange hair.
"Who's asking?"
Higgins opened his robe to flash his badge and Harry did the same. "Aurors Higgins and Potter. We'd like to speak to you about your father."
"Nothing to say," Manya said. "He's dead."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Harry replied, making her turn to meet his eyes. "I knew him a little. He was an interesting character."
"Could say that," Manya said. "Wasn't exactly reliable, was he? What do you want?"
Higgins nodded at Harry so he cleared his throat, pleased that his partner was letting him take the lead. "Do you know a man named Fletcher Fleming?"
"Can't say I do."
"He was an acquaintance of your father's," Harry said.
Manya took her time cleaning the glass before she reached out to place it on the tray and grabbed another dirty one. "I was an acquaintance of my father's. Didn't even know I existed, he did, until I was past eighteen. Then he shows up, apologizing and giving me trinkets. Takes a lot more than a shoddy apology and some bloody trinkets to make up for not being around my whole bloody life, don't it?"
"I'm sorry for your loss all the same."
Manya stared at him for a long moment. "He wasn't the smartest man I'd ever met, but he was kind. But my dad he… he was like a niffler looking for the next shiny thing. I don't know this Fleming you speak of, but if he offered my father a chance at getting a shiny bauble, he probably took it."
"Did your father ever talk about his jobs?" Higgins asked. "Maybe mention a person or a place that he spent time with or in?"
"Sometimes," Manya admitted. "I know he always told me to stay away from London. He said it was full of miscreants, but as to people… no."
"You mentioned he gave you trinkets," Harry said. "What kind?"
Manya shrugged. "A necklace or a pair of earrings here and there. I reckon he probably stole them, but I kept them all the same. He gave me this one," she said, pulling a locket out of her shirt and showing it to them. "Told me it was special and made me promise to never take it off."
"Why?"
"Dunno, he never said."
Harry frowned as he leaned in to take a closer look. "May I?"
Manya shrugged again and took the locket off, placing it into Harry's palm.
Harry examined it closely, not really sure what he was looking for. When he flicked it open, a tiny key was carved into the inside. Harry brushed his thumb over it curiously before he touched his wand to the gold.
"Revelio."
The carving of the key popped out from the locket. He caught it with his quick reflexes from Quidditch. It was brass and had clearly been shrunken down.
"What does this key open?"
Manya was staring at him in amazement. "That was a real key in there?"
"Yes, so what does it open?"
"I got no bloody idea," Manya said. "I'm as surprised as you are."
Harry examined the key for a moment before he closed his hand around it. "Auror Higgins and I would like to examine this locket and key in more detail. I promise to return it to you."
Manya nodded, still looking rather surprised at Harry having found a key. Higgins asked her a couple more questions about when Mundungus had given her the locket and what he'd said about it before they thanked her for her time and headed outside. When they were back in the street, Higgins gestured for Harry to open his hand.
"Good work, Potter," Higgins said. "You think it leads somewhere?"
"A key that he gave to his daughter and told her not to take off? Yeah, I think it leads somewhere," Harry said. "I think Dung was more clever than we gave him credit for."
Higgins grinned. "Maybe we'll find a connection to Fleming just yet. Come on. Let's bring this to the AIU and see what they can tell us about the key. Then we'll check in with Baxter and Weasley about the missing house elf case."
"You still think the two cases are related?" Harry asked.
Higgins scratched his nose. "I hope they aren't, but considering Fleming's reputation, I don't think we can afford to not examine every aspect of it. After we talk to Baxter and Weasley, we'll know more. And Potter, you take lead with the AIU."
Harry couldn't help but smile at his partner's words as they Apparated back to the Ministry of Magic. Being an Auror was everything Harry had ever imagined it would be and despite the legwork and constant paperwork, he was truly enjoying every minute of it.
~ TTTC ~
Ron and Baxter didn't have much more for Harry and Higgins to go on. They had one missing house elf from Gloucestershire and almost no leads. The elf had last been seen in Diagon Alley purchasing potions ingredients before seemingly disappearing into thin air.
The problem was that one of the wizards seen inside of Slug and Jiggers Apothecary was a known smuggler and of nothing good.
"You're kidding?" Ron exclaimed when Baxter finished explaining what the wizard was known for smuggling in and out of the country. "Who the fuck uses body parts for potions?"
"Dark wizards usually," Baxter said. "The toe of a house elf or the tongue will sell for up to five hundred Galleons on the black market."
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. "People are mental."
"You can say that again," Baxter agreed. "And I hate to say it, but I'm starting to think Josie the elf might be a victim."
Ron wrinkled his nose at the chest they'd uncovered at the flat the wizard known as Harvey Jekyll had been squatting in when they'd arrested him.
"Please don't be body parts in here," Ron muttered. "Please don't be body parts."
It wasn't only body parts, but the pickled toe of an elf was found along with a tongue, an ear, a penis, and a pinky finger; all embalmed for preservation in glass jars. There was also a bag of six Galleons, two dragon teeth, a necklace made of Troll fingernails, and to Ron's disgust, a bag full of severed spider legs.
"If you're going to be sick, step away from the evidence first," Baxter warned as he recorded what was inside the chest in his notebook.
"I'm good," Ron said, swallowing back bile. "It's the spider legs… blimey, they creep me out!"
Baxter shot him an amused look. "Not a fan of the creepy crawlies, are we?"
"Not even a little," Ron admitted.
They'd just finished recording their findings and brought it down to the AIU to be thoroughly examined when they found Harry and Higgins. Harry was watching Auror Maddox King examine a gold locket on the table.
"Hey," Ron said, coming up to stand beside Harry. "Whaddya got?"
"A locket with a key inside. You?"
"Embalmed body parts in jars."
Harry grimaced. "Ew."
Ron chortled. "My thoughts exactly. Harvey Jekyll, kind of a madman."
"Jekyll?" Harry asked, looking up at Ron. "Fleming has a Howard Jekyll on his payroll."
"Nah, this is Harvey," Ron said.
"Any connection?" Harry asked.
"Brothers," Higgins said. "Howard's been coming up empty on our investigation as you know, Harry. Harvey is the one with the collection."
"House elf?" Higgins asked.
"Definitely," Baxter said. "We're hoping Maddy here can tell us if it's Josie or not."
"First, don't call me Maddy. Second, Potter brought me the locket first so you'll have to wait in line."
"Come on, Maddy! I thought we were besties!" Baxter whined.
Maddox rolled his eyes. "I know this is hard to believe, but down here we focus on more than just your cases. I have evidence to examine from Atwell, Savage, and Proudfoot on top of other unfinished cases."
Baxter shrugged. "But you like us better."
Maddox ignored him as he examined the locket and key more closely, using his wand to magnify it and turn each piece inside out, spreading it out around him in the air as if he'd cut it open and was examining each piece in minuet detail.
"It's not real gold, plated. But the key is brass, seventeenth century," Maddox said. "It looks like it probably opens a lockbox or a chest. I'll need time to find out the details, but top of my head, it looks like a banking box key from Gringotts. Not a vault, a box."
"That's a start," Higgins said. "How long until you know for certain?"
"When I know, you'll know," Maddox said. "Zane! Get over here!"
Skye Zane, A1 and partner to Maddox King, hurried over to the table. "Yes, Sir?"
"Start on the chest and talk me through what you're doing. Zane and I will have a preliminary report flown into your office by tomorrow afternoon."
Ron sighed as Harry, Higgins, and Baxter followed him out of the Auror Inquisitors Unit, shoving his hands into the pockets of his red Auror robe.
"So, now what?"
"Now," Baxter began. "We conference with Higgins and Potter to see if we really do have a connection and then we report to Atwell and Lupin. But first, head down to Ministry Munchies and get me a scone and a black coffee. Strawberry jam."
Ron tried not to roll his eyes at the request and when Higgins ordered Harry to get him food as well, they headed to the lifts together.
"What do you think?" Ron asked him.
Harry looked pensive for a moment and Ron had to admit, this job was made for his best friend. Harry had the intelligence and the mindset. He had instincts that Ron was jealous of and he'd heard Higgins praise him more than once on how quickly he picked up on things. Like this case with the locket and key, he knew that it was connected somehow to the chest they found and Ron was pretty sure that meant it involved Fletcher Fleming, the case that Harry had been assigned as a trainee.
But being an Auror was a lot more work than Ron had expected, but he loved every second of it. He liked moving around and constantly being on the go from doing work in the bullpen, to interviewing suspects or witnesses, to doing the legwork and figuring things out. Baxter was a great partner, but there was nothing quite like watching Harry work things out. It was why he looked over at his friend and waited for him to answer.
"I think if what you found leads us to Josie and this key proves to be a connection to Fleming that we're definitely on the right track," Harry said. "Let's get coffee for our partners and dig in. I want to reach out to Professor Kashif again on the runes used in Godric's Hollow."
"We'll figure it out, mate," Ron said. "It's just going to take time."
Harry's eyes met his and the emotion in them had Ron reaching out to grip his friend's shoulders.
"Sirius is back, Ron. I'm not sure if any time will ever be enough to process that."
Ron watched him head up to the counter to order Higgins' coffee and sighed. Harry had a point. Knowing Sirius was in fact back and alive had thrown them all for a loop, but the biggest thing was learning it was actually his best mate's godfather. It wasn't an imposter or an Inferius or a zombie or a controlled body by a necromancer, no, it was really Sirius Orion Black brought back from the dead.
No one could figure out how or why it had happened.
And the biggest question of all was how Sirius was here without his soul and what that really meant. Ron knew that Harry was afraid to find out as much as he wanted to know. It was a lot to deal with. It was why this smuggling case was easier to focus on for both of them.
They brought the coffees and scones upstairs to their partners and took a seat around Baxter's desk to talk over the case, but Ron kept his eyes on Harry, wondering what his best mate was really thinking about all of this and wondering how exactly they were going to help him figure it out.
It was definitely a shit show and not exactly the first big case that Ron had planned on working on once he'd become an Auror, but the three Undesirable Death Eaters on the loose were a lot more trouble than they'd anticipated.
And hunting them down was becoming a full time a job.
~ TTTC ~
After leaving work for the night, Harry stopped by to visit Teddy, talking over the case with Tonks to get her perspective. He asked Remus more questions about Professor Kashif, the new ancient Runes professor, who was helping them go over the runes and the mysterious spell used to return Sirius. Then he finally headed home feeling like he didn't have any more answers than he had when he'd arrived.
The last thing that he expected when he stepped into Clevedon Court that evening was to hear his two best friends arguing.
"What is wrong with you, Ron? You're doing it wrong!"
"There's no wrong way to do it, Hermione!"
"There is and you've achieved it!"
"Bloody hell woman — ow! Give that back!"
"No!" Hermione growled. "If you're not going to do it properly, I'm taking over."
"It's levi-osa all over again," Ron grumbled.
"What did you just say?"
"Er — nothing."
Harry peeked into the living room in time to see Hermione give Ron a nasty look. The living room was covered in boxes and to Harry's surprise, a tall fresh Christmas tree was situated in the corner of the living room drenched in silver tinsel. In fact, it rather looked like someone had vomited tinsel all over it. He cleared his throat loudly, making them both turn.
"Um, what's going on in here?"
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, her expression brightening. "We didn't expect you home yet!"
"Well, here I am," Harry said, tossing his red Auror coat over his arm. "You're decorating?"
"It was Hermione's idea," Ron said. "It's less than two weeks until Christmas and she thought it was time for us to make the place look festive."
"And to help take your mind off of everything," Hermione said, elbowing Ron in the ribs and making him wince. "I thought it would be a good idea to do something nice."
Harry let out a slow breath as he looked over at the tall tree in the corner. "It is nice, thank you. To be honest, I forgot all about the holiday entirely."
"We get it, mate," Ron said, holding up more tinsel. "Want to help us decorate?"
"As long as you promise not to add more tinsel," Harry said. "It looks like the tree is up chucking it everywhere."
"I told you!" Hermione exclaimed.
Ron shrugged. "Way to be on her side, mate."
Harry chuckled as Hermione began to instruct Ron on how to remove the tinsel from the tree. "I'm going to head upstairs and change and then I'll be back down to help."
He left his friends arguing about tinsel and went upstairs to change out of his Auror robes. He tossed on thick socks, grey sweats, and a long sleeved red Gryffindor shirt. He was just about to go downstairs when his mirror vibrated from the bed. Harry sat on the side to answer it and his smile widened when he recognized his girlfriend's face.
"Hey, Gin."
"Hey, Harry," she said, her lips curving. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"Perfect, actually," he said, stretching out on the bed. Ginny had her hair pinned up in a messy bun and her brown eyes popped with something to make her lashes look more voluminous. "Just got home. Ron and Hermione have decided we're decorating for Christmas."
"Oh, that's a great idea!"
"Yeah, they have a tree started. I left them arguing over Ron's unfortunate use of tinsel on the tree."
Ginny chuckled. "Ron's never had a great sense of style in that way. How was your day?"
"All right. Nothing new on Uncle Sirius or the others, but Ron and I did catch a lead with the Fleming case. We even got a chance to work on it together a bit today. You?"
"Classes were good. Luna and Colin say hi. I spoke to Colin about the paper and even got two Compass articles done before dinner."
"That's great, Gin," Harry said. "You have practice in the morning?"
"Bright and early. Gwenog wants to work on more Chaser passes in preparation for our game against Chudley."
Harry snorted. "You could all fly blindfolded and still come out on top."
"Don't give Gwenog any ideas," Ginny said with a laugh. "Do you think you'll make it to the match tomorrow night against Puddlemere?"
"I'm hoping to," he told her. "I'll miss the beginning, but if it lasts longer than an hour I'll be there if I get out of work on time. I hate that I've missed one already."
"It's all right," Ginny said. "I know you can't attend every single one. Having three to five matches a week is a lot to commit to."
"But you're doing brilliantly."
"Flatterer."
Harry smiled. "Is it everything you imagined it would be?"
"More," she said, her eyes dancing back at him in the mirror. "I'm exhausted, but I love it, Harry. I love being in the air and I love playing with this team and just getting to do what I love. My schoolwork is taking a back burner, but I'm doing what I can to get caught up before the holiday. Remus and McGonagall have been amazing at letting me do so much on my own and assigning me homework to do to make up for missing classes."
"I'm glad. You'll stay with me here for the holiday, right?"
"I promised Mum I'd spend the first night at home with her, but then I'm all yours, Potter."
He grinned. "Good. In between all of those matches and practices, I want to make time for just us."
"I'd like that," Ginny said. "But now I have to go and work on homework with Luna. I'll call you later?"
"Yes. I'll fill you in on how the decorating has gone. I love you."
"I love you," Ginny said.
She blew him a kiss that made him smile so wide it almost hurt his face before she disappeared from the mirror.
Harry knew how gruelling her schedule was. The fact that she'd managed to make as much time for him as she had was a miracle. With eighty-two matches in the season and practice six days a week, Ginny was lucky to even be going to her classes. He was well aware of how much McGonagall was giving her leeway in everything she was doing to make sure that she could be a Harpy.
But she was happy and nothing else really mattered to him. Seeing her smile made his entire day and now that he felt a little more positive, he stood up and stretched his arms over his head.
Maybe decorating for the holiday was a good idea after all.
