Harry woke to the feeling of Hermione's hair tickling his chin.
With a smile on his face he happily hummed before pulling the brunette closer against his bare body, eliciting a soft purr out of her mouth.
"Seems like somebody is awake." Hermione whispered and Harry didn't even have to open his eyes in order to see the playful glimmer dancing on her hazelnut discs.
"Thanks to someone's beautiful hair, yes." Harry countered and let his hands start wandering all across her side.
"I didn't mean to wake you. We both know you need all the sleep you can get." The brunette said, making the raven-haired wizard chuckle with an evil grin.
"I think I would have liked it more if you had meant to wake me – like a few hours ago." He announced with a suggestive tone and then felt Hermione shifting in his arms so that she could face him.
"I know.", She replied with an enticing tone, "Though now that you spoke of it, why don't we do it again?"
Harry didn't need another second to open his eyes and muster his girlfriend's stare of desire.
"How late is it? The sun's already up, so.."
"It's barely past eight. We have all the time in the world." Hermione whispered seductively and that was all her boyfriend needed to feel all his blood rushing south. The next second both teens started kissing, groping and claiming each other once again…
A while later the couple lay side by side, catching their breaths and gazing at the ceiling with idiotic grins of two freshly-shagged people.
"God, we're amazing..", Hermione sighed, "Far from perfect, yet so unbelievably great."
"Yeah, especially when we're kissing and you still can tell me all those dirty things thanks to this telepathy-thing we have.", Harry stressed his point by simply thinking about it, "You don't coincidentally know why we can do that, do you, pretty woman?"
"I'm not sure, but it could be related to "The power he knows not", you know? Our telepathy is a product of our love, so it might be another tool given to us and to you especially." Hermione replied in the same way before looking at her beau.
"And I think we should wash ourselves or my parents will smell what we were up to this night." She added with a giggle before swinging herself of the bed, making Harry's eyes instinctively follow her.
"Do you mean like.. together?" He asked without taking his eyes off of her bare rear as she quickly strode towards her wardrobe.
"If you aren't afraid of a naked woman, then yes." Hermione said as she already was pulling out adequate clothes for a new day.
"Um, how am I gonna get new clothes without having to nakedly run to the guest room? My trunk is still there." Harry admitted sheepishly with a blush on his face as he got up from the bed as well.
"You have a wand, Harry. Use it.", His girlfriend reminded him before smirking, "Actually, you've got two. And with one you're quite proficient."
"And which one is that?"
"I'll let you come up with that answer. See ya in the bathroom." Now clad in pyjamas, she left the room with a small wave at her boyfriend…
A while later the teens were showered and dressed for the day, so they headed downstairs for breakfast.
"Morning you two, slept well?" Daniel asked as he read the newspaper in front of his nose.
"Definitely. But it's nice to be up now, right Harry?" Hermione asked her beau as they took their places at the table and helped themselves to some cornflakes.
"Yup. Up and ready for the day." He remarked, something that had his girlfriend giggling.
"He rarely is this energetic in the morning when we're at school.", She remarked, "You wouldn't guess it, but he can be quite grumpy in the morning."
"Are you referring to your morning sport, dear?" Jane asked and her daughter nodded briefly.
"It's a curse and a blessing at the same time.", Harry remarked in between two spoons of cereal, "It robs you vital sleep but keeps you fit."
"And I also get to see your daughter in sports clothes.." He thought, making the brunette give him an eye-rolling glance.
"I can catch your thoughts now, remember?" Hermione replied non-verbally.
"Oh, right.. this is going to be interesting from now on.", Harry concluded, "Though do you think we should tell your parents about it?"
"Well, someday, yes. But they'd immediately know something must have happened between you and me, then, so.. let's wait with that for a bit. But I guess you should contact Sirius after breakfast. I bet he knows more." Hermione argued and Harry just silently nodded.
"So, tomorrow Daniel and I will return to work, so we won't see each other during the day a lot. Because of that we decided to have some dinner in the city today, if that is okay with you." Jane announced and Hermione's face fell a bit.
"Oh! I completely forgot about that! Well, at least it's just during the day. I'll take care of the house.", She exclaimed, "But your dinner plan sounds lovely, mum."
"I agree with your daughter.", Harry chuckled mildly as he rubbed his girlfriend's back, "And not just because she is my girlfriend."
Everybody except Hermione laughed at that…
After breakfast Harry and Hermione went back to the first floor, where Harry grabbed his two-way-mirror from his trunk and spoke his godfather's name.
"Everything all right, you two?", Sirius greeted the teens with a worried look, "I didn't expect a call so soon, to be honest."
"No, we're fine, thank you. We'd like to.. um, could we come over to Grimmauld Place for a bit? I think you could help us out with something.." Hermione explained with a mild blush that had the prankster raising his brow in suspicion.
"What happened since my very recent visit?", He asked with curiosity in his eyes, "But yes, sure, pay a visit to your elders if you like. Be warned though.. I'm renovating, so most of the place is messy."
"Okay, see you in a minute!" Harry quickly cut off the connection before sighing loudly.
"He'll put the pieces together eventually. We might as well be blunt about it." Hermione shrugged her shoulders before taking her beau's hand and guiding them down towards the fireplace.
"Mum, dad, we're paying Harry's godfather a visit, see you for lunch!" She exclaimed as they stopped by the kitchen.
"And how are you going to do that?" Her father asked with a puzzled expression.
"With magic?" Hermione replied, irritated.
"Oh, you're right. Sometimes I still forget about that..", He mumbled with a sheepish expression before turning towards his wife, "Isn't that wonderful, dear? Our daughter is a witch!"
"Well, that realization only took you like four years.", Jane giggled, "Send Sirius our regards, will you, honey?"
"'Course, mum!" Hermione said as they continued their journey to the fireplace.
"You still got enough floo powder from the summer?" Harry asked with a slightly surprised tone as his girlfriend grabbed a small pot with the magical powder inside from atop the fireplace.
"It's not like I've used it ever since the middle of August or so.", Hermione countered as she took a handful and stepped into the fireplace, "See you on the other side!"
With that she called aloud her destination and dropped the powder into the fire, her body vanishing in an emerald flame. Harry quickly followed her lead.
"Nice to see you again so soon, Harry." Sirius greeted his godson when he was free of ash and soot, a quick embrace soon following after that. Hermione already stood next to the prankster.
"'Good to have you back as well, Sirius.." He mumbled as he gazed around the room, finding a confirmation of his godfather's earlier assessment of the current level of tidiness in the house.
"Don't mind all of that, it's not important for now, is it?", Padfoot waved it off as he offered them both a chair at the grand table, "By the time you're here for Easter nothing of this mess will be here any more. And NOW I'd like to know what's brought you here.."
As the teens sat down in front of their host, they both shot each other a meaningful look.
"Can you go first?" Harry mentally asked his girlfriend, which caused her to laugh right back at him.
"So predictable."
"Well, to sum it up in one sentence: We found out that we're able to use telepathy and we thought you might know some more about it than we do." Hermione got straight to the point and it was apparent the older man tried his best not to burst out in laughter.
"Okay, I won't ask for specifics, but this happened after a certain copulation, am I right?" Sirius asked with all the seriousness he could muster in that moment, which still had the teens blushing intensely.
"Yes, it did." Harry replied curtly whilst not looking his godfather in the eyes.
"Well, first of all: Congratulations to that.", He said with a snickering undertone, "Secondly, I assume said copulation didn't hurt, right?"
"How do you.."
"No, it didn't hurt even a bit." Hermione cut off her boyfriend and Sirius scratched his chin for a moment.
"What do you remember about your first kiss? Anything.. odd about it?" He asked and for a moment there was silence as both teens recalled their memories about that magical moment.
"Yeah, your eyes were shimmering blue for a few seconds after we ended the kiss." Harry gasped and Hermione furrowed her brows.
"Really? Why did you never tell me?" She asked but the raven-haired wizard just shrugged his shoulders.
"It never appeared important to me. Besides, I thought I didn't know what I was seeing – I was a bit too drugged by other things during that moment, if you catch my drift." Harry chuckled and Sirius clapped his hands.
"And that's how one can easily miss the first sign of a soulbond." He revealed the news with a smirk, enjoying the gobsmacked faces of the youngsters in front of him.
"You mean like we share a soul?" Harry asked with big eyes and Sirius nodded.
"That seems to be the case from what you've just described."
"You really ARE my other part now..", Hermione eyed her soulmate with an affectionate sparkle in her eyes, "Wow, had I known all those years ago when we first met.. We share such an amazing journey, Harry."
Harry knew that she desperately wanted to kiss him right now, but luckily restrained herself from doing so as long as they were in the company of Sirius Black.
"What is even more amazing than your shared journey is your relationship. You were practically inseparable when we first met and now, well.. you're as close as two humans can possibly get.", Sirius rakishly laughed at the couple, "But then again.. actually, everybody should have known even before you became a couple. I think you're the best proof why a soulbond is everything but coincidental."
"Yeah, what do you know about soulbonds? I've read the term only once or twice in the family trees of the noble houses, but next to that I know very little about the subject. It's not something I thought to be of interest to me in the near future." Hermione explained and Sirius nodded with a warm smile.
"You see, being soulmates is a HUGE privilege and blessing that you'll be able to enjoy until the end of your lives. So first of all, I think I should congratulate you with everything I've got, because what you now have is TRULY the most amazing relationship two humans can have." With these words the prankster deeply bowed from his sitting position.
"So, what does a soulbond do to those, who share it? Well, when completed, a soulbond will cause a lot of things over time - yeah, they are a very gradual thing.", Sirius explained with a small chuckle, "Generally speaking however, soulmates experience a strong growth of their magical power and abilities. One of these abilities seems to be telepathy, in your case."
"How do you complete a soul bond? And what do you mean with "in your case", Sirius?" Harry asked, completely amazed by the topic.
"Well, the bonding process is started with a kiss and completed with a shag, to put it in a nutshell.", He answered with a snickering tone and watched both teens nervously shifting in their seats, "And when I said "in your case", I referred to the fact that every soulbond is different. All the abilities that you will discover in the future can be truly unique, but it's not impossible that another couple already possessed a power that you still have to learn. Being able to draw upon the magical power and energy of your soulmate for example is quite a common ability, common for an occurrence that happens like once in a decade."
"Soulbonds are this rare?" Harry asked with a gasp, his appreciation for the brunette girl next to him growing by the second.
"Look, for a soulbond to complete you need a lot of things to happen: Two parts of the same soul have to meet in this huge world, they have to fall in love, kiss and have sex.. Goddammit, what are you afraid of?!" Sirius groaned when Harry and Hermione again started acting all nervous.
"Maybe that you'll start teasing us, hm?!" Hermione countered and the prankster bit his lip for a second.
"Good point." He praised with a sheepish grin.
"So, from what you've just told us, the idea of an objectively-perfect partner is real?" Harry then asked as he took his girlfriend's hand in his as to stress his point.
"Yes, every person in this world has another half to find. You can imagine how incredible your luck is. You found the person you were made to be with, without a doubt now." Sirius said with a touch of emotion in his voice.
"But what about the millions of couples that are.. just boyfriend and girlfriend without the soulbond?" Hermione asked with curious eyes.
"Objectively, all those couples are not optimal, because they're not two parts of the same soul – which doesn't mean that they can't work, you know? Lily and James were not bound by soul and I tell you, these two were as happy as you are.", Sirius explained with a nostalgic smile, "Just because two people aren't soulmates doesn't mean they can't love each other, right?"
"But that's sad.. So many people will never meet their other half, die without even knowing them. I'd say that's depressing.." Harry said with a downcast voice.
"Not when your partner could just as well be your soulmate. Your parents would, without a doubt, agree with me on that." Sirius patted Harry's shoulder who smiled in return.
"So Harry and I are objectively-perfect partners because we share two parts of the same soul?" Hermione then asked and the animagus nodded shortly.
"Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of being Harry's other half, but.. why him and me? Why not somebody else?" She added and quickly squeezed her boyfriend's hand to stress her point.
"That's a question nobody has an answer to. We don't know who or what is splitting the souls in the eternal realm and plants these halves inside the bodies of unborn babies.", Sirius explained and then smiled proudly, "But we know that once two halves reunite, their powers start accumulating."
"And why is that?" Hermione asked with her typical tone of curiosity.
"Because a merged soul of two magical individuals causes their magical cores to merge as well.", Sirius answered, "Also, love has magical powers in the context of soulbonds. It's not entirely known how love translates to raw, magical power, but it's proven to be that way."
"So our skills will grow with our love for one another?!" Hermione exclaimed with a gasp and the prankster hummed in agreement.
"It is as true as it is awesome." Sirius chuckled mildly.
"So the more I shag you the stronger I'll become. Awesome!" Harry thought with a small grin directed at his soulmate, which earned him a stomp on his foot.
"This also could be the reason why soulmates feel more desire for their partner than regular couples do: It's as if life is urging them on to do what makes them stronger.", Sirius added with a chuckle, "That's also why the first time doesn't hurt: Nature WANTS two halves of the same soul to unite."
"But as beautiful as a soulbond is, it would be best if you two kept it a secret. As long as Voldemort and the ministry are kept in the dark about your bond, you have a huge advantage in a fight against the dark lord – even he can't communicate with his servants without words."
"And in general, if he finds out Hermione's status, then she's even more a target than me, I guess." Harry added with an apprehensive glance towards his beloved, who just shot him a warm smile in return.
"Nobody will lay a finger on me as long as you're with me. Remember, we can hurt him with our love.." Hermione calmly reminded him.
"Oh, wait a second.. The power he knows not – love. My love for you ended with us bonding, and our bond gives us a lot of new powers.. Do you think the prophecy explicitly alluded to our bond, then?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded with determination.
"Now that you spoke of it, I think the prophecy HAS to be read that way. Now we're really speaking of powers and a weapon that Voldemort will never have. His soul is incomplete, he'll never be able to bond with an incomplete soul."
"That indeed seems like a very plausible way to interpret your prophecy, Harry.", Sirius agreed as the door to the room swung open, "Remus, what are you doing here? Didn't you tell me you were on business until three o'clock?"
Indeed Remus Lupin strode into the room with big steps, coming to a stop in front of his best friend before embracing him for a second or two.
"I was on business, you're right about that – but just right now, Dumbledore has scheduled an emergency meeting for lunch. So you'll have a full house again, old friend."
"Emergency meeting?! What the hell happened?" Sirius almost barked as the werewolf said hello to Harry and Hermione.
"I don't know yet. But we'll know more very soon, it seems.", Remus calmly replied as he sat down next to the prankster, "By the way, will you be joining us for the meeting, you two? You are, after all, members of this order."
"If it's important, then there's no excuse to leave now." Hermione exclaimed, something that had the older men chuckling.
"That's the attitude I want the future wife of my godson to have. Well, in some cultures you'd already be his wife, so.." Sirius said with a cackle directed towards the brunette but was interrupted by his best friend.
"What do you mean, Sirius Black?!" Remus asked with knitted brows and the man known as Padfoot just shrugged his shoulders.
"Dunno, I once read about soulmates being legally married couples in the Arabic countries."
"You're kidding me, right?" Remus asked with big eyes as he gestured towards the two teens.
"Didn't you just tell us to keep it a secret?!" Harry loudly asked his godfather.
"C'mon, Remus doesn't count!" The prankster countered as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Sirius, don't evade the question.." Remus growled with a look that demanded an honest answer.
"Okay, the pup here and his girl turned up on my doorstep maybe an hour ago and after some talking we found out that they're bound by soul.", Sirius sighed, "You happy now?"
"More like overwhelmed.", The werewolf rubbed his temples for a moment, "Okay, the room will probably fill up within the next five minutes or so, so I'd say we save that story for later, right?"
"Good idea, Moony.", The heir of House Black praised with a smirk on his face, "You should see yourself, Remus. The face you're making is truly made of the stuff I'm living for."
"At least one of seems to be in a good mood." The werewolf remarked with a dry undertone.
"Nah, these two seem to be feeling great as well. Am I right?", Sirius asked the teens, the rakish gleam never leaving his eyes, "They've got a new hobby now, after all."
Instead of feeling uncomfortable because of the allusion, Hermione decided to fight fire with fire, trying to catch the animagus off-guard.
"A hobby you obviously do not indulge in, Sirius Orion Black." She countered and Harry and Remus burst out in laughter as Sirius hid his face behind his hands.
"Oh my god, that was so stupid of me..", He sighed with a chuckle of his own, "Well, I perfectly assisted you, it seems. Congrats, Hermione, there rarely comes a day where someone lands a hit this hard."
"Say goodbye to your manly pride, Padfoot.", Remus howled with laughter, "And once again you've proven why people call you "The Brightest Witch of Her Age", dear Hermione."
"I had to defend Harry and my own honour." The brunette tried to play it down as Harry patted her back.
"I know exactly why you're my soulmate." He said and as his girlfriend wanted to reply, the doors to the room swung open again.
"Ah, Harry, Miss Granger! I was wondering if you could join the meeting today.", Albus Dumbledore greeted the teens with his usual twinkle in his eyes, "And by the way, I already excused you two from lunch. The last thing I need right now is a pair of worried parents – we've got enough to spend our worries on for the moment, unfortunately.."
At the last sentence the light somewhat left his brilliant blue eyes, making Harry and Hermione exchange an intense look: If Dumbledore wasn't too chuffed, that could mean only one thing.
"Thank you, sir." Harry said when he realized that neither he nor his girlfriend had responded to their headmaster.
"Albus, why all the fuss? Remus here talked about an emergency meeting." Sirius asked the elderly wizard who then sat down at the head of the long table.
"Everything will be answered in due time, Sirius. Until then, please relax."
"Oh I've relaxed my fair share of time in this house.", Sirius snorted as Professor McGonagall and Mad-Eye Moody entered the hall, "And I will continue to do so until SOMEBODY legally pardons me!"
"It is not in my power to single-handedly free your name. I have submitted a request for your trial to the DMLE several months ago, a request that has been accepted to be processed. However, I cannot do more for you than to wait for the employees of the ministry to proceed with all the other necessary steps – and as you well know, they will take their dear time with this matter. Too much is at stake for the current government if the ministry grants you a fair trial." Dumbledore recapped his actions from the previous months, but that didn't seem to impress the Marauder.
"I should have been granted a trial the day they accused me of betraying my best friend, his wife and their son who is now sitting next to me as MY godson! Did it never cross your brilliant mind that I would never, EVER backstab the man that was my brother in everything but blood?! Did you seriously think that I would turn my back on this fine, young man?!" Sirius ranted with a raised voice as he grabbed Harry by the shoulder, his head a shade of purple that would have made Vernon Dursley a very proud man.
"The time we're speaking of was a most difficult one for all of us. Rumours of new betrayals seemed to spread every other day and people we thought to be safe were found dead in the streets and at their very own doorstep. I, for my part, did not see anything extraordinary in the public belief of you betraying James and Lily Potter – although it pained me immensely." Dumbledore replied with a weak smile but Sirius slammed his fist on the table with a face contorted by pain.
"You're a fool, you know that, Albus?", He declared with one final death glare before shooting his godson a most apologetic look, "Sorry for the outburst, Harry. 'Shouldn't have seen that."
"It's okay, Sirius..", Harry whispered back with an understanding tone, "I think I know exactly how you're feeling."
In return the heir of House Black just patted his godson's shoulder with a gaze that conveyed more than words ever could…
"It's kind of weird to conduct order business over a bowl of soup, don't you think?" Hermione mentally asked her soulmate when each and every member of the order sat at the conference table with a bowl of soup in front of their noses.
"Absolutely. Now it more feels like a bunch of old people having a chat over lunch." Harry told her with a humorous tone that had the brunette rolling her eyes.
"Don't forget this is an emergency meeting, love." She simply reminded him as Dumbledore rose from his seat at the head of the table.
"As time is of the essence, I think we shouldn't delay this meeting any longer.", He announced when the chatter around the table had died down, "But first of all I'd like to thank Molly Weasley for supplying our gathered members with one of her truly exquisite soups."
Indeed, the Weasley matron had started preparing lunch shortly after her arrival at Grimmauld Place and now received the proper applause for her efforts – a noble act deserved its reward.
"Now, as much as I would like to keep talking about the more enjoyable side of life, I see no reason to further keep up the illusion that this meeting was organized under happy circumstances. No, quite contrary.", The headmaster's gaze wandered across the room and met with everybody else's for a second before fixating on one certain member, "I think our dear Kingsley has some.. disturbing news to share with us all. I'd like you all to listen to his report as you eat, no matter how excellent you may find your lunch to be."
With these words the mighty wizard sat down just as Kingsley Shacklebolt rose from his seat.
"The following information has not been made public yet, so I advise caution to each and every member of this organization working within the ministry – under no circumstances can this intel be conversed about in public until it has been confirmed by the press. Otherwise the consequences would be truly ghastly.", The tall man explained with his deep and calm voice, "So, let us make this short and painless: In the early hours of the morning, the ministry registered a mass-breakout from Azkaban prison. Various high-security prisoners such as Sirius' cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange are confirmed missing from their cells. We can thereby safely assume that the dark lord controls at least parts of the hordes of dementors that once were under the ministry's control."
The news hit like a truck head-on, and untameable whispering could be heard all across the table, the atmosphere as chilly as the December air outside.
"How great! Now my lovely cousin is on the loose as well. Things certainly are getting better!" Sirius groaned before he shook his head like the dog he sometimes was.
"But doesn't that mean the ministry has to admit they're not in control of the dementors any more? Wouldn't that actually bring us closer to making them confirm Voldemort's return?" Harry asked aloud when the whispering had died down a bit.
"Only a fool would put his trust in such a naive belief, Potter." Professor Snape sneered from the other side of the table, making Professor McGonagall roll her eyes.
"Severus, must you always pick on the poor boy?!" She sighed with a scolding tone that had Sirius snorting.
"Snivellus is just too traumatized from his past to not see James in my godson. He deserved everything my best friend did to him back in the day." Sirius declared with fire in his eyes as he clapped Harry's back again.
"And here I thought twelve years in Azkaban left you with enough thinking time to realize the errors of your past." Snape spat back, much to the Marauder's enjoyment.
"Errors of the past?! Ha, I'd shut my hole if I were you, you filthy.."
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore bellowed from the head of the table, effectively making everybody stop his or her current conversation.
"Harry's point is one of logic, and as we all know that is something the ministry tries to avoid at all costs, these days. A functioning government would of course have to consider an argument similar to yours, but unfortunately Cornelius Fudge doesn't work this way. He is governed by and works with fear. That is why the minister accuses Sirius for the mass-breakout." Kingsley continued and at that, the Marauder slammed his fists into the table, visible rage etched into his face.
"We all know that you didn't help anybody to escape from Azkaban." Remus tried to calm his best friend, who only shot a murderous glance back at him.
"Yeah, not even one percent of the population thinks that." He mumbled before turning away from his old school companion.
"How skilled are these escapees in combat?" Hermione asked the people gathered with an apprehensive tone and for a moment nobody wanted to answer her. Then Mad-Eye Moody cleared his throat.
"Let's just say a few of them are responsible for one or the other scar on my body, Granger." He fixated both his normal and magical eye on the brunette who felt her throat becoming very dry.
"So they are at the very least capable of injuring somebody like Alastor Moody. That's.. unsettling." Hermione stated the obvious as she took her beau's hand under the table.
"That is actually a severe understatement, Granger. I bet most of our members wouldn't stand a chance in a duel with them." Snape commented with his usual voice of disinterest, something that had many people in the room shouting an angry retort.
"And of course you would be one of the few who's better than them, Snivellus!" Sirius laughed, not being able to resist a jab at his childhood rival.
"I'd definitely fare better than a dog locked up in a cage." The greasy professor sneered, but Sirius just shook his head with a grin on his face.
"That really hits hard when it's coming from a coward." He replied and then folded his hands behind his head.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore again restored order within the room before gesturing for Kingsley to continue.
"I've got the feeling half of the time he's just saying that one word." Harry mentally told Hermione as he tried to muffle his chuckling.
"Shush, Harry. I can't concentrate when you're jesting around here." The brunette replied with a mental giggle before lightly squeezing his hand.
"As much as I'd like the story to end here, I'm afraid it doesn't: Upon hearing about the mass-breakout, the minister decided to use the latest developments to further increase his power over Hogwarts. If I understood everything correctly, then the castle will be constantly patrolled by a force of aurors by the start of the new year – the official justification for this means of course is to "protect the student body of Hogwarts". Although we all know Fudge is just trying to push through his agenda more effectively by deploying his minions." Kingsley continued and Hermione groaned silently.
"That means those aurors will report to Umbridge, is that right?" She asked and the black man nodded slowly.
"Rumour also has it that she's trying to uncover a certain, illegal organization with the additional forces at school." He added with a knowing glance that had both Harry and Hermione blushing lightly.
"I couldn't be prouder of you two." Sirius whispered with a puffed chest and both teens relaxed at his words.
"So it is true, then..", Snape hissed from his seat as he bore his black eyes into Harry's green ones, "Potter and Granger are organizing illegal meetings at school. I knew from the first time I caught you two sneaking around the corridors in the evenings that I should probably put you into detention for it. And here I have the proof for it.."
"Severus, Harry and Miss Granger are leading an organization of students designed to teach its alumni the art of practical defence – something the current teacher fails to teach, as you no doubt know.", Dumbledore pointed a hand at the Master of Potions, "And if it wasn't for the ministry's propaganda, then their organization would be perfectly legal. If you should encounter these two or any other member of this organization during the evenings, then I order you to NOT deduct points and hand out detentions. In fact, I even want you to help these students should they find themselves in trouble with other members of the staff."
It did not have to be said that the headmaster especially referred to Dolores Umbridge. Snape in the meantime accepted his newest order with a snarl that amused the Marauders present quite a lot.
"Ah, Severus..", Remus clicked his tongue with a cheeky smirk on his face as he eyed his best friend, "There you have your revenge, Padfoot."
"'Was about time somebody put this git back into his place." He mumbled as Dumbledore got to his feet once again.
"If nobody has any questions left concerning the latest news, I think we can hereby conclude today's meeting. Thank you all for attending on such a short notice." The headmaster bowed his head lightly as to say thank you.
"Albus, don't you think it's time to stand up to Fudge and his nonsense by now? If there are aurors garrisoning Hogwarts, how long do you think will it take until he orders a forceful attack on the castle and those standing in his way?!" Professor McGonagall asked with outrage in her voice and the older man stroked his beard lightly.
"If Cornelius should indeed dare to cross such a line, then I'm afraid it will be the last decision he makes as Minister of Magic.", Dumbledore declared with a diamond-hard expression etched into his face, "I will not give up my principles without having a say in it."
"You mean like when Umbridge outplayed you by being appointed "High Inquisitor"? Well, what a fight you put up back then.", Sirius rolled his eyes, "Surely I'm not the only one concerned for the well-being of the students here."
"I can guarantee you that I will do everything in my power as headmaster to stop the ministry from taking over the school." Dumbledore declared with a voice that left no room for discussion.
"If that includes risking the safety of my godson and or his girlfriend, well, then go straight to hell with your tactics!", The animagus exclaimed with pure rage as he got up from the table and kicked his chair, "You will bitterly regret it should anything happen to Harry and Hermione because of your scheming!"
Before anybody could say anything to calm the house's owner, he stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut on the way out.
"He really has a bad temper.", Molly Weasley stated from her end of the table as she shook her head in disbelief, "Am I happy that the kids aren't here to witness his immaturity."
"Molly, I don't think anybody can understand Sirius well enough to judge him objectively." Remus defended his friend with a calm tone.
"I think Harry can." Hermione joined in and mustered her boyfriend's face for a few seconds.
"I think you should talk with Sirius, Harry." She said with shimmering eyes and the raven-haired wizard planted a soft kiss on top of her elegant, brunette tresses.
"Yeah, he really worries me quite a bit sometimes.." He said as he rose from his seat.
"What about the conversation we promised Remus earlier?" Harry then mentally asked her as he made his way out of the room in search for his godfather.
"I'll do it alone if you're alright with it.. By the way, I think we should also tell Dumbledore. I bet he has some useful knowledge for us." Hermione replied in the same fashion and Harry stopped in his tracks for a few seconds to come to a sensible decision.
"Okay, I'm on board with that. Just.. be careful around him, okay? I still don't really trust him and this meeting has shown exactly why I'm sceptical.", Harry agreed before sighing, "Well, good luck with your "talks", then. I'm gonna try to find my godfather now."
"If I'm not in the house any more by the time you've finished your conversation, I'll be waiting for you at my place. Just floo over, love." Hermione concluded before Harry felt their connection stopping due to the increased distance between the two.
As the raven-haired wizard stumbled through the house, a ton of boxes made of cardboard blocking his way here and there, he noticed that his godfather had removed all the heads of decapitated house-elves on the staircase.
"Hermione will love this.." He thought to himself with a small smile as he climbed up the staircase.
After having quite a good look at the upper floors and the state of renovation they were in, Harry finally found his godfather on the second floor, a bucket with meat in one hand as he fed a creature well-known to the Boy-Who-Lived.
"Ah, Harry! I guess I didn't miss anything important downstairs, right?" He greeted his godson with a weak smile before tossing a raw steak towards the hippogriff before him. Within a moment, the steak was devoured by Buckbeak.
"No, you didn't.", Harry confirmed before gazing at the proud hippogriff, "I can't believe he's still here, still locked up.."
"Yeah, he and I have more in common than I'd like to admit.", Sirius confessed, making Buckbeak shoot the prankster an insulted gaze, "Come on, you know I didn't mean it like that!"
Another raw steak flew through the air as Harry came to a stop next to his godfather.
"I'm a bit worried about you, Sirius." The raven-haired wizard said after a deep breath and the older man sighed as he looked at Harry with a soft glimmer in his eyes.
"I don't want you to worry about me, okay?", Sirius said and kept his eyes locked on Harry's, "I am an adult. My problems shouldn't be the problems of my godson."
"But I can see how troubled you are!", Harry countered with an urgent tone, "You've been through a ton and now you're locked up in a house where the sun can't even shine in properly. Everybody would go crazy in your situation!"
"You think I've become crazy?" Sirius asked with a calm yet earnest voice and Harry sighed.
"Look, I wouldn't call you crazy. But I can see you're restless and frustrated. I'd say I'm afraid that you'll do something crazy because of your predicament.", Harry glimpsed twice when he realized what this conversation was all about for him, "I'm afraid to lose you, Sirius. Ever since I started my fifth year at Hogwarts I thought about how you are rotting away here in Grimmauld Place. A part of me subconsciously is afraid to one day learn that you've done something stupid and ended up dead because of it."
Harry found himself struggling with sudden tears at the end of his last sentence and Sirius quickly dropped the bucket of raw meat before embracing his godson tightly. Harry gladly accepted the hug.
"You're right, Harry. I'm rotting away in this.. dung hole.", Sirius said as he patted Harry's shoulders, "And the only good thing about it is that it actually keeps me alive, so when the day comes where my name is cleared, I'll be able to start my life as free man. With you."
"It's your biggest wish to be declared innocent, right?" Harry asked as he stepped away from his godfather to take off his glasses before wiping away a few lone tears.
"No. My biggest wish is to be able to see you grow up, to end this war with you and finally see you marry the woman of your dreams. My innocence is a close second, though." Sirius declared with a hint of his usual humour.
"Then promise me you'll live to see these days.", Harry said with desperation in his voice, "Because I don't know what would happen with me if you died. You're the only family I ever had."
Tears crept up his face again and Harry hated himself a bit for being this emotional all out of the sudden. Sirius then got down on his knees and calmly put his hands atop of Harry's shoulders as he gazed at his godson with parental love.
"Since fourteen years I'm plagued by the death of your parents, Harry. There doesn't pass a day where I don't miss Lily, where I don't miss James.", He laughed weakly at the mentioning of his old best friend, "I promised them to watch over you should they be unable to do so. And I am planning to keep that promise until my very last breath, which won't happen until this man has grey hair and a wrinkly face."
"I was only able to meet you when you were thirteen. But fate had it THAT you and I met. Fate had it that you learnt the truth, travelled back in time and rescued me. Maybe you even subconsciously fell in love with your soulmate that night..", Sirius chuckled and Harry couldn't suppress a grin of his own, "So now tell me, what a shit joke would it be if fate took me away from you now, huh?"
At that both men laughed heartily. For one moment, both felt carefree.
"And even if I died, which I hereby promise not to, I have got one final thing to tell you: The people we love never really leave us. They remain.. in here." At his last words, Sirius moved his hands so they were situated above Harry's heart and the Marauder emphasized his point by pressing them against Harry's chest for a second. The older man then got up from his kneeling position.
"You already told me once.", Harry said with a smile as a few tears ran down his cheeks again, "On the night Hermione and I rescued you."
"Well then.. never forget these wise words again." Sirius chuckled before he hugged his godson once again.
"Wise words.. Now you've triggered a long-forgotten memory, Padfoot."
"And which one is that?"
"During the summer, before my first meeting as a member of the order.. You were teasing me about me and Hermione because we had flown on a hippogriff in order to rescue you.", Harry smiled brightly as he recalled the moment, "You were very proud of your allusion and when I denied that it meant anything you just told me that "I'll thank you for your wise words, one day.". Well, I guess you were right all along. So, thank you, Sirius."
"You're welcome, pup.", The prankster had a rakish gleam in his eyes as he as well recalled the situation, "I might not be your dad, but someone had to help you out with the ladies."
"You certainly pushed me into the right direction." Harry admitted as he broke the embrace and stepped away a few paces.
"And now you're bound by soul to a lady as fine as Hermione Granger. Life is never as bad as it seems.", Sirius stated with a grin, "And that's why you shouldn't worry about me from heron, alright?"
"Your words certainly eased my mind. But I will always worry about you a bit, you know?" Harry told him in a moment of vulnerability.
"Just as I will always be worried about you a bit, Harry James Potter." The heir of House Black cheekily countered. Then, a thought struck the raven-haired wizard abruptly.
"Back down at the meeting, you mentioned.. your cousin was one of the escapees who broke out of Azkaban. Do you think she'll try to claim the house for her master?" Harry asked with a concerned voice but Sirius shook his head adamantly.
"She knows perfectly fine that even Voldemort won't have access to this house as long as I and Dumbledore are alive. Kreacher is my house-elf and I bloody ordered him to never interact with anybody associated with the dark lord, so he can't backstab us. Grimmauld Place is safer than Hogwarts I daresay." He declared with conviction in his voice.
"Well, at least we have some safe havens..", Harry mumbled, "Judging from what Mad-Eye said downstairs, these escaped death eaters are really dangerous. Do you think you'd stand a chance against them in a fight?"
"Uh, that's hard to say.. I think some I'd be able to beat, but others.. not so much. My cousin for example, she's the most mental and deranged woman there is, but her madness has made her extremely powerful, or so it seems. I'd never be able to beat her in a fair fight, but that's why we play dirty, right?", Sirius lightly chuckled, "Though why are you asking, Harry?"
"I wanted to know if there was any truth behind Snape's words when he said that the least of you adults would stand a chance against these death eaters. Seems like we aren't as weak as Snape believes us to be." The raven-haired wizard declared with a hint of relief in his voice.
"One thing is certain, Harry: Should the day come where the order clashes with the death eaters, it will be a bloody tough fight for both sides."
Eventually, Sirius' assessment should turn out to be true…
Author's note: Another chapter I've been dying to write for quite some time now. Especially with all the build-up that happened prior.
For example, it wasn't coincidental when I casually wrote about Hermione's eyes shimmering with a blue light after the first kiss and I also dropped a breadcrumb when I wrote about Plato's concept of "Sphere People" in an earlier chapter - inserting a few allusions to the soulbond was really fun, I can tell you.
I also made it my task to give this chapter some massive development concerning the relationship between Harry and Sirius, since I think their relationship was one of the best things that ever happened in both the books and the movies - and it's cruel how little time both spent together! As you no doubt can tell, I'm trying to "fix" that :-)
If you're wondering why the upload took so long, I have an easy answer for you: I got sick shortly after Christmas and had to wait for my recovery. It sucks, but at least I'm here with the newest update now. I hope you enjoy it, I certainly had my fun writing it..
'Til the next time!
NewOrderFan05