Sirius the Black

Chapter Three

Harry was walking toward the front gate of Hogwarts when he saw me leaning against a tree just outside of it. I saw him say something to his friends who were walking on each side of him then they all picked up their pace and jogged over to me.

My godson surprised me again and just hugged me. He had no idea how much I needed that. I gave as much as I got though. He then decided to introduce his friends since we didn't do that when I was in the castle for my first visit.

"Sirius, this is Hermione Granger and this is Ron Weasley," he said gesturing to his friends. "Hermione, Ron, this is my godfather, Sirius Black."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ron," I told him as I shook his hand. "I know your parents."

"It's good to meet you too, Sirius, er I mean, Lord Black."

"No. You had it right the first time. Feel free to call me Sirius and that goes for you too, Hermione," I said turning to her and taking her hand. I then raised it to my lips and kissed the back of it. "It's a pleasure to meet such a charming witch as yourself, my dear."

Hermione blushed and looked down at her hand before she realized she hadn't said anything.

"Oh, it's very nice to meet Harry's godfather," she told me.

"Shall we visit Hogsmeade?" I asked them excitedly.

"If you want to just hang out with Harry then we understand," said Hermione. "Ron and I can keep ourselves busy on our own. We don't mind."

Harry looked over at me for guidance.

"No, I think Harry and I would prefer if the two of you hung out with us. That is if you want to. I'll understand if you don't."

"That'd be great!" Ron chimed in.

"Sure," agreed Hermione with a smile.

"Now, where to kiddos?"

"It's our first time here, Sirius, so we have no idea where we need to go," Harry told me.

"That's easy then! We go everywhere! Today you need to see all the stores and get familiar with the town. Then we can eat lunch at the Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosmerta cooks up some good food. Come on! It's not my first time. I'll show you all the good stuff!" I urged them forward.

So, I became their tour guide for Hogsmeade, explaining about all the stores and what they carried. Ron wanted to stop at Zonko's Joke Shop and Honeydukes Sweetshop, while Hermione wanted to stop at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. She needed a new quill.

They all, including me, bought candy at Honeydukes. I just bought a couple of items while Hermione showed restraint, but Ron and Harry bought two bags each to tide them over until the next shopping trip. I made sure I paid for all of it when I paid for mine.

After the tour we went to the Three Broomsticks where Rosmerta created a stir by giving me a bone crushing hug. I believe many of the teenage boys were envious of me that day.

"That's weird," Ron was saying as we found a table. "I've heard stories all my life about Hogsmeade and, especially, Madam Rosmerta. She's like a legend around these parts, according to my brothers anyway. Not once have I ever heard of her coming out from behind her bar to give someone a hug."

I looked over at Ron and smiled at him. He looked a little confused.

"Well, Ron," I told him, "some people have favorites and James Potter and myself happen to be on her list, although I'd be willing to bet that James was a bit higher than me on that list."

"How did you become one of her favorites?" asked Hermione.

"James and I lived to make people laugh. We pulled so many pranks we lost count and we were always goofing around. Even in here we would do some funny stuff, you know, just harmless things to get a reaction. Rosmerta really enjoyed it too and would crack up with the best of them. She grew fond of us, especially James. He just had this way about him, you know? You couldn't help but like him. …Well, unless your name was Snape, of course."

"Snape?" asked Ron and I noticed the other two perked up at the name.

"Yes, Severus Snape, whom we called Snivellus, was in the same year as myself and Harry's dad. He was in Slytherin and we were in Gryffindor. He and James had a rivalry against each other from the first day at Hogwarts when they were both 11."

"I've got one with Draco Malfoy for some reason and I don't even know why," Harry told me.

"Slytherin, right?" I asked.

They all nodded.

"He gives Slytherin a bad name," Harry added. "I've got classes with some of the other Slytherins and the rest of them don't act like him and constantly insult me."

"Well, I may have made it worse for you, Harry. When my name was cleared I took up my duties at the Wizengamot. Lucius Malfoy was using the Black seat for his own ends until I took it back."

"How can a Malfoy use a Black seat?" asked Hermione.

"His wife, Narcissa, is my cousin. She's a Black. They took the seat after my grandfather died and while I was locked up. Lucius was not happy when I took it back. He was even more upset when I told him I made Harry here my heir. This means that Draco will not inherit the Black seat and Lucius wanted that power so badly."

"So now Draco is even more mad at me because I'm going to inherit the Black seat and he won't?"

"Exactly."

"But I don't know anything about that stuff, Sirius."

"Not to worry, Harry. I'm going to be training you as my heir. However, if I get lucky and meet a good witch to marry and we have children then I will have to name one of my children as the Black heir instead of you."

"That's not a problem, Sirius," he assured me. "I hope you do find someone nice and have kids."

"Well, if that happens, you will still need that training, Harry. You are a Potter, after all, and you will have the Potter fortune and family name to manage. Then as you have children and make sure the Potter name continues, you'll know what to do because you were trained properly. Sadly, not by your father as is normally done, but by your duly appointed godfather who will step in for James and fulfill his duties for him."

"What do you mean, Potter fortune?"

"That's what you got from all of that?" I asked him confused.

"Sirius, my small vault has a lot of coins in it but I'm not sure you can call it a fortune."

"Are you talking about your student vault?" I asked curiously.

"It's the only vault I have."

"It better not be!" I said excitedly. "If it is then heads will roll!" I then calmed down realizing I drew some attention from many in the room. I also realized Harry didn't know. "Harry, you should have a Potter family vault. That's the vault that feeds your small student vault, keeping it at a set amount every year on your birthday. Whatever you spend through the year, is replaced from the Potter family vault to bring your student vault back up to its original amount. I don't know how much was decided on for your student vault, but given how rich the Potters are, it was likely substantial."

"How do I find out about this? You're the first person to mention to me that I have a family vault. No one has said a single thing and I barely know anything about my family," Harry said a little heatedly.

"Harry, those are just some of the problems I'm going to fix. Kurlig is supposed to be your family account manager. Bonecrusher is mine for the Blacks. I'll check for you at Gringotts and let you know. At Christmas break, I'll take you to the bank so you can see for yourself." I looked at his baggy and ripped clothes then added some more. "We have to go clothes shopping for you anyway and buy gifts for Christmas. We might as well make a day of it."

"I get new clothes?"

"Of course! As heir to the Potters and the Blacks, you must dress appropriately. There'll be no more of your whale of a cousin's castoffs. Just wear your school uniform while at Hogwarts and on the train home for Christmas. As soon as I pick you up at King's Cross, I'll take you shopping for proper clothes, both in Diagon Alley and in Muggle London."

"Thanks, Sirius!"

"If you happen to need regular clothes before then, let me know. I can send an elf to take your measurements and then buy some for you. Better yet, you should call a Potter house elf to you once you get back to the castle."

"I have a house elf?"

"No. You have several. It takes a bunch of 'em to keep that large Potter Manor in working order."

"I have a manor?"

"I'm starting to get a much clearer picture of your life, Harry, and what you haven't been told. …It's astounding. What I don't know is if this has been deliberate or if everyone has assumed you already knew because someone else must have told you. I still don't understand why Kurlig didn't insist on talking to you before your first year here. That could be the problem. I'll find out for you, though."

"You mentioned a house elf?" he asked getting me back on track.

"Try calling Mattie. She was head elf at Potter Place when I was there with your father. She'll take care of you or assign one of the other elves to help you when you need it. If you need anything quickly then call your elf because they can get things for you in a hurry."

"Will she be able to get through the wards?" asked Harry worriedly.

"It won't be a problem. You are an heir of two very important houses. Heirs are allowed to call a house elf if they have a need."

"I'll give that a try. Thanks, Sirius."

"There are many other things I will be teaching you or providing teachers for you. One very important thing will be protecting your mind. With all the knowledge you will gain of Potter family business and secrets, not to mention Black family secrets, your mind will need to be protected so no one can steal that information right out of it."

"There are people who can do that?" asked Hermione in shock.

"Yes. There are at least two at Hogwarts that can, maybe more," I told all three of them. "Dumbledore and Snape are very proficient at it. Voldemort is known to be a master at it too. Most purebloods have a good working knowledge of protecting their minds while some can also invade someone's mind. It's two different disciplines and skills. Occlumency is the name for shielding your mind while Legilimency is the name for invading someone's mind."

"How would I learn?" asked Harry.

"You need a good teacher to start with and the Blacks are well known for their mastery of the mind arts. So, I'll be the one teaching you. I'll send you a good book or two to read up on the two disciplines, then on Christmas holidays I'll get you started on learning Occlumency first. It usually takes a good bit of work but I believe you will be good at it. Your parents, James and Lily, were very skilled in both disciplines."

"Really?"

"You bet they were. After all, your father was an important pureblood and your mother was just wicked smart."

Harry smiled real big back at me as he took another bite.

His friends kept busy, for the most part, eating their lunches as Harry and I chatted while we ate, not wanting to interfere with the conversation we were having. It was nice of them to let us cover some things without interruption. I was sure Harry was feeling different after learning just that little bit. I couldn't wait to get him home and share everything with him.

I went ahead and left them after paying for lunch. I wanted to get started and find out about Harry's vaults, make sure there wasn't a major problem. I told him I would send Artemis as soon I had it all figured out.

When I left, I apparated straight to Diagon Alley.


"Bonecrusher, as you know, Harry Potter is my heir and my godson of which I have custody. He is also the Potter heir. I met with him today and he has not been told anything about his Potter family accounts. He didn't even know he had a Potter Family vault. He thought his student vault was the only one, for Merlin's sake. By the way, where is Kurlig? Why didn't he ask to speak to Harry when he came into the bank before his first year at Hogwarts?"

"Kurlig died a few months before Mr. Potter came to the bank for the first time. He was very old. No other manager was appointed to the Potter accounts since then, as Gringotts could not ascertain where Mr. Potter was. Even his mail came back to us undelivered. He never asked to see his manager so no goblin was appointed to replace Kurlig."

"Would you take over the account for him and manage it alongside the Blacks?"

"It would be my honor! To have two big accounts such as yours and the Potters, it will elevate me among my peers. Thank you."

"Well, you do an excellent job expanding the Black fortune. I just need you to do the same for the Potter fortune."

"It will be done."

Bonecrusher pulled out a form and handed it to me.

"Have Mr. Potter sign this to make it official that I will be the one to manage the Potter fortune. After that, I can get started."

"I'll get that to him today. Once you are given access to his account, I want you to send all his bank correspondence to me and I'll make sure he gets it. Meanwhile, I'll start looking into his mail ward to see if I can find out who set that up. I already have an idea of who to talk to."

"Very good. Is there anything else I can help you with today, Sirius?"

"Oh, I never did ask you. How did Narcissa and Bella take the news?"

"My understanding is they were not very happy."

"I suspect not. On the other hand, Andromeda and Ted Tonks were quite delighted at the news I shared with them."

"I expect they were, Sirius."

We both smiled together. Bonecrusher's smile was very toothy though.


Harry was in the Great Hall for dinner when Artemis landed in front of him with a letter from Sirius. It explained what happened to the Potter account manager and why a new one was not assigned. It then recommended Bonecrusher and pointed to the included Gringotts form Harry needed to sign and send to Bonecrusher at Gringotts.

Harry read through it and signed it. Artemis had already left so he was going to go to the owlery after dinner and send Hedwig with it. However, she landed in front of him by the time he had the form read and signed.

"You always know, don't you girl?" Harry said as he tied it to her leg.

Hedwig nipped at his fingers and rubbed her head against Harry's hand as he tied on the form.

"Alright, Hedwig. I need you to take this form to Bonecrusher at Gringotts. Be safe girl!"

Hedwig looked at him for a second before nodding her head and taking flight.

After dinner, Harry excused himself from his friends and told them he had something he needed to do alone. Ron and Hermione understood so watched him leave the table and head out the doors.

Harry looked for an old empty classroom out of the way where he would not be disturbed. Once he found one that had a bunch of chairs and desks shoved up against the walls out of the way he concentrated for a second and tried calling his house elf. It felt weird talking to empty space.

"Mattie? This is Harry Potter. Can you come see me please?"

A couple of seconds later he heard a pop and there stood a very well dressed house elf with the Potter crest on the left breast area of her uniform.

"Master Harry?" she asked with a big smile.

"Mattie?" he asked.

"Mattie has missed the young master so much," she said smiling to beat the band. "What can I do for you Master Harry?"

"First of all Mattie, is it okay that I called you? I don't want to disturb you if you're busy."

"Master Harry will never have to worry about that," she insisted. "Mattie will always come when you call her."

"But being head elf must keep you busy, Mattie. Do you need to assign a different elf to help me when I need it?"

"Master Harry is the last of the Potters so he is the lord and master of all that is Potter. The head house elf always takes care of the head of the Potters. I assign other elves to take care of guests at the manor or other family members as needed."

"I see. I apologize but I'm new to all this. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mattie."

"Oh, young master was too young when I saw you last. I even changed your nappy a few times when you were just a tiny baby," she told him then hugged his legs.

Harry patted her gently on the back.

"Now that we are reacquainted, Master Harry," she said stepping back, "what can I do for the young master? It will please me greatly to serve a Potter again."

"Very well, Mattie. Here goes. My home life is not ideal. I never get any new clothes from my relatives, only my overly large cousin's castoffs. The only nice clothes I have are my Hogwarts uniforms. Since I'm a third year student now, we get to go to Hogsmeade a few times and usually everyone dresses in their regular clothes instead of our Hogwarts uniform, except mine are horrid. Can you measure me and go buy me some decent clothes to wear?"

"I would be delighted to do that for you, Master Harry. In fact, I will insist. It's very important that young Master Harry dress appropriately as a Potter. The Potter family is an ancient and most noble family, so it is important that you represent them properly."

"Thanks, Mattie. I can give you my Gringotts key so you can buy the clothes. I just need a few. Sirius is going to take care of me from now on and he said he would take me shopping this Christmas for clothes. I just need some now for Hogsmeade visits."

"No need, Master Harry. I have a budget for household needs and can buy your clothes with that. I will then make sure they are all placed in your trunk and are ready for you."

"Great! What do you need me to do?"

"Just remove your robe and I will take your measurements."

Harry did that and Mattie had him measured six ways to Sunday before she was done. She insisted that he call her for anything at all from now on. When she popped away to get him some clothes, Harry left the old classroom and headed back to his common room with a smile on his face.


I set Helga Hufflepuff's cup on the desk in front of Albus and waited for his questions.

"Is that another founders item? Helga Hufflepuff's cup?"

"Yes. It was found in my cousin Bella's vault, cleansed and handed over to me. Since it is once again a founder's heirloom, I thought the school should have it."

"I believe Voldemort stole it from Hepzibah Smith, a descendent of Hufflepuff, and then had the murder blamed on the house elf. I'll check to see if the remaining Smith family want it returned or have it remain at the castle where it will be better protected."

"I'll leave that up to you, Albus. Now, I sense a pattern. We have two items from the founders. What's to say that he did not go after more for this purpose. I mean who would want to destroy a founder's heirloom?"

"As I recall, Tom was fascinated with the founders while here at Hogwarts and spent a good bit of time researching them. He especially researched Slytherin since he's a direct descendent."

"What other heirlooms from the founders do you know about?"

"I know that all of Gryffindor's heirlooms are accounted for so we can dismiss any of his. Since we have one of Salazar's and one of Hufflepuff's then that leaves—"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Yes, Ravenclaw. As I recall she had a diadem but it was lost back during the days of the founders. As far as I know it was never found."

"Who might know for sure?" I asked.

"Filius. He has always been Ravenclaw through and through. If it was found, I'm sure he has heard about it. I'll see if he can join us."

Albus rose from his chair and went to his fireplace. He threw in a little floo powder and called for Professor Flitwick's office. Flitwick came over to the fireplace so he could answer.

"Yes, Albus? How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you could step through and answer a question for us, Filius. It shouldn't take too long."

"Oh? Who's with you?"

"Sirius Black."

"Coming through, Albus."

Albus stepped away from the floo and returned to his desk as Filius stepped into his office from the fireplace. He was the only professor that didn't have to duck.

"Hello, Professor," I greeted.

"Lord Black," he responded.

"Please call me Sirius."

"Then please call me Filius," he replied nodding. "Now what can I help you with? I appreciate a break from grading papers but I suppose I have to get it done sooner rather than later."

"Thanks for coming, Filius," Albus greeted him. He then pointed to the locket and cup on his desk "Now take a look at these two items that Sirius has brought to the school after finding them."

"Is that… ? Hufflepuff's cup and …Slytherin's locket?"

"Yes, Filius. That is exactly what those are. We already have Gryffindor's sword and hat. Now we have the locket and the cup. The question is about Ravenclaw's diadem. Have you heard if it was ever found?"

"No. I have not. However, I am not the best person to answer that question."

"Who should we question then?" I asked.

"The Ravenclaw ghost, Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw. She was the one that stole the diadem from her mother and took it somewhere and hid it. If anyone knows where that diadem is, she would be the one."

"I can call for her," said Albus.

"You can, but Helena is not a happy spirit," Filius told him. "She does not like to talk about what happened so she's difficult to have a conversation with, especially when it comes to what she did and how she died."

"I see. Well, I guess Sirius and I will need to approach her carefully. Thanks for your help, Filius."

"Not a problem. I enjoyed the break. See you, Sirius," he said getting back into the floo.

"Bye, Filius." I then turned back to the headmaster. "How do you wish to handle this, Albus?"

"Leave it to me. I'll see if I can have a chat with our petulant ghost and find out more information about the diadem. If she has never told anyone where it was hidden then it was likely never found by Voldemort."

"Sounds good. I have one more thing. Did you put up a ward on Harry's mail?"

"Yes, I did. In fact, I did it when he was a baby and was left with his family. I was afraid someone would send him dangerous mail to get even. That actually did happen by the way but it was caught by the ward. I've had to exclude some of his friends once he started at Hogwarts so they could communicate outside of school."

"There's an exclusion you missed."

"Oh?"

"Gringotts. Harry has not been getting his statements or any mail sent to him by Gringotts. I had to tell them to send it to me and I'll make sure he gets it."

"Sorry about that. Would you prefer I remove the mail ward completely or just add exclusions as needed?"

"I think removing it completely will be best. I'll put my own ward up if it becomes necessary and of course I'll get input from Harry so he has some say in the matter. It will be best if I'm in control of his safety moving forward."

"Then I'll remove it today."

"Thanks! See you next time then, Albus."


The next morning after Harry asked Mattie to get him new clothes was a Sunday. Harry was looking in his trunk for clothes to wear and was not only shocked at what he found but also what he didn't find. First, not a single thread of Dudley's old clothes were anywhere to be found in his trunk. They had all been removed, including the ratty old underwear, socks, and shoes he was given by his so-called loving family.

All of it was replaced.

On top of it all sat a light jacket and a heavy one with a warm scarf to keep out the cold. Underneath the coats, he had a dozen new boxers and socks to wear that were not part of his school clothes. He found trainers and black dragon hide boots to go with the three new sets of clothes for everyday wear she bought him. He also had two new sets of school robes and uniforms that looked a lot nicer than the ones he bought.

Plus, Mattie included two nice robes, one in black and the other in a very dark blood-red with the Potter emblem on it.

Since it was Sunday, he didn't have to wear his uniform. Instead, Harry dressed in a set of his new clothes that included black jeans and a light-green pullover, long-sleeve shirt. He also wore his new black dragon hide boots to keep his feet warm in the drafty castle.

He was accustomed to a lot of stares since he re-entered the magical world, but the looks he was getting that day in his new clothes was quite different. Many of the girls his age and older were smiling at him and saying hello like they were all his good friends. He just said hello back and kept walking and wondering what in the world was going on. He wasn't aware that his confidence had increased since he was no longer wearing horrid clothes and he found out he came from an important family that had lots of money. His confidence was seen by others though.

Mattie mentioned that he was to represent the Potter family in how he dressed so he figured he should also port himself in a manner that was befitting a Potter. He did the best he could and was nice to everyone that spoke to him.

Of course, it also helped that he knew he wasn't going back to the Dursleys and he had a godfather who loved him and wanted to make him happy. It seems Mattie wanted that too.

Definitely, things were looking up.


I was waiting at King's Cross with the Weasleys and the Grangers. Molly and I helped Hermione's parents through the portal so they could see their daughter when she got off the train. I, of course, was waiting for my godson. We had a shopping trip planned.

When Harry disembarked from the train, I was surprised at how well he was dressed. I wasn't able to make the other Hogsmeade visit due to my schedule but I remember Harry informing me that Mattie bought him some clothes. He looked really good and I bet many of the girls noticed.

Hermione was surprised and ran happily to greet her parents. Molly grabbed Harry in a bear hug before I could even get to him. He seemed to soak it up though. He grabbed me next and squeezed hard. I figure he was learning from Molly.

Hermione hugged me as soon as Harry was done. Her parents told her how they got on the platform so she was thankful for that. She then hugged Harry and Ron before taking her parents back through the portal so they could drive home.

We all said our goodbyes as they left.

I ended up shaking Ron, Fred, and George's hands as they met up with us. I had to kiss Ginny's hand much like I did Hermione's when we were introduced. She seemed to have a lot on the ball for one so young and was more mature than her age implies. I would have to keep my eye on that one.

She also gave Harry several glances as we were all standing around before departing. She must like how he looks in his nice clothes, I surmised. A little young but given her maturity, perhaps not.

Then my godson did something completely unexpected.

I watched as he put his arm around Ginny's shoulders and walked her with him several feet away and spoke in low tones to her so no one else could hear. Once it looked like he was done speaking, Ginny grabbed him in a big hug before letting go and heading back to her mother.

Harry calmly walked up to me.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"You bet. Let's do some shopping and visit your new account manager at Gringotts," I told him.

"How are we getting there?"

"Have you ever travelled by side-along apparition?"

"No."

"Like most magical travel, it isn't very comfortable but it is over quickly. That's the whole advantage of magical travel. It shortens the time greatly. Some complain about how uncomfortable it is though. My best advice is try to relax and realize it will only be a second or two before it's all over.

"You might even hold your breath for it. If that doesn't help then try something else next time. Basically, there is a squeezing sensation like your whole body is going through a tight place to get where you are going. Just don't panic. That will definitely make it worse. Eventually, you get accustomed to it."

"Alright, what do I need to do?"

"Just grab my arm and I will take us there. Once you get used to doing this you can start adding your own magic and basically you are just following the one with the destination in mind instead of just using that one person's magic to get you both there. Understand?"

"I think so."

"Grab on and we'll go."

Harry placed his hand on my arm so I looked at him and mouthed "here we go."