Author's Note: Hi to anyone who has stuck with me. I am trying to get back into a steady writing pattern again, so hopefully we will be back to weekly updates soon. Thanks for the reviews, I will get to answering them. MNF

Chapter 21:

Emotions

The next day dawned bright and clear, and it was obvious it was going to be a hot one. Harry was already up; he'd been awake most of the night after embarrassing himself after their success at the Wizengamot meeting – needing to be held by his father while he cried his eyes out was not his finest moment. Or at least Harry thought so. The reality he didn't or couldn't see was that their whole celebratory party had tears in their eyes too. Harry finally had someone who would shelter him, and it made the adults very happy. So happy that they were crying too. Harry didn't see it, and instead thought himself childish and an embarrassment. Sirius had been overwhelmed that his son had wanted to be held and had gone to bed the night before a very happy man.

"Good morning, Harry," Sirius said as he came in wearing only his boxer-briefs and scratching his hairy belly. Harry looked at him and groaned.

"I know you own a dressing gown," Harry said, "or even a pair of sleep shorts. What if Hermione were already here?"

"It's," Sirius started before he looked at the wall clock above the kitchen door. "Merlin, it's only eight-thirty! What the hell am I doing up?"

"Greeting the day," Harry said sarcastically. "Go, put something on. Hermione is coming over to have breakfast with me, and then we are starting on my third-year spells." Sirius began to say something, and Harry cut him off. "Yes, Remus will be with us." Sirius left the kitchen, this time scratching his bum.

"Amelia might love you, but I don't think Susan is ready to live with you," he muttered into the pan with the bacon in it. Neville came through the Floo at the same time Hermione arrived at the back door. The three teens were sitting down when Remus came in.

"Harry, is your dad up?" Remus asked as he too took his seat.

"Yeah, but he came down in his underwear. I made him go back up, lest he embarrass Hermione."

"Don't worry about it, my dad walks around in his boxers enough I wouldn't have thought a thing of it. What is it with old men and displaying their undergarments?" she asked.

"Be careful who you're calling old, dear girl," Remus said with mocking indignation, and they all laughed.

"Professor Lupin, you'd never walk about in your pants," Hermione stated. "It's an old man thing, not a distinguished gentleman thing." The quartet laughed, which is how Sirius found them, this time in jeans and a tee shirt, even on the hottest day they'd had that year wasn't enough for Sirius to wear short pants. Harry understood why Remus didn't, he'd seen the werewolf's legs, and they were covered in scars from years of his body being ripped apart. Sirius, however, had no such excuse.

"So, I have secured us a private box for the Quidditch World Cup," Sirius stated, and Harry jumped up from his chair to hug his father. "If I'd known you'd be this thrilled, I would have taken you to a match already."

"I was going to go with the Weasleys, but well that's not going to happen now," Harry explained. "Who is going with us?"

"Well, if Hermione or Neville would like to come, they are welcome. Amy, Susan, and Hannah Abbott will be with us. Is there anyone else you'd like to invite?"

"What do you say?" Harry asked, turning to look at his friends.

"I'd love to go," Neville said. "And since your dad and Professor Lupin will be there, Gran will say yes."

"I'm not much of a Quidditch fan," Hermione began but was interrupted by Sirius.

"I know you're not, but the international atmosphere will be something you enjoy. Plus, there will be stalls selling foods and books from around the world." He'd said her magic word, and Hermione began nodding.

"If there's space and you don't mind having me," she started again and was interrupted again.

"Dear girl, of all of Harry's friends, you and Neville are the least trouble ever," Remus said, and laughter again rang through the house.

"I'd say Cedric Diggory, but he's probably going with the Weasleys, since they're neighbours. He's nearly as crazy about the sport as you are," Neville said.

"I'm crazy to the extent that I'd like to win, I don't worry about any professional teams' stats or anything – I just like to play." Neville nodded.

"Anyone from the Quidditch team?" Hermione asked. "The Chasers or Oliver Wood?"

"Oliver is playing professionally now, so he might be going anyway. It would be fun to ask Angelina, Alicia, and Katie. Can we dad?" Harry asked Sirius who beamed at his son.

"We have the room, and who knows, you might learn something," he answered. Sirius was then about to ask about the teams Beaters, but he remembered it was the Weasley twins, who he had every intention to speak to with their father before he approached Harry about meeting with them. Remus and Arthur had spoken and the two were simply mortified at what their mother had done. They'd willingly left their home and went to live with their grandparents Weasley – Septimus and Cedrella. Cedrella was related to Sirius somehow, but he couldn't remember how. Andi would know. She was also part of the small sane bunch of Black's who had been thrown out of the family for being normal humans. Sirius shook his family out of his head, for right now the only ones he wanted to associate with were Andi, Ted, and Tonks. "I think Tonks will be there with us unless she needs to work. I can't believe she's training to be an Auror."

"It is a bit strange," Hermione said. "Although that metamorpha-whatever must be quite helpful."

"I'd say so," Harry said. "Come on, lets go out, I need to talk with Neville for a minute." Neville looked at him puzzled, but the three teens went out. Sensing this wasn't a conversation he was to be a part of, Remus chose to pour himself some tea and grab a triangle of toast and the jam pot.

"What do you think that's about?" Sirius asked as he buttered his own toast points and then made himself a bacon sandwich. "Harry cooks bacon perfectly," he announced after a big bite.

"I suspect it might have to do with Harry's behaviour when we arrived at the Longbottoms yesterday. He's probably self-conscious about his actions," Remus answered in a very professorial tone.

"What do you mean? I felt like crying, having all those people yelling at me and I'm much older than Harry and better versed in how to deal with it," Sirius said, thinking back to his lessons as a child where his parents beat into him and his brother that you should never show any outward emotion.

"But Harry isn't one to share his feelings. About the only one he shares them with is Hermione, maybe Neville but I doubt it. He's terribly guarded after what his family did to him. You didn't see him or speak to him last fall when he arrived at school. He spent more time looking at his shoes than at people. It was weeks before I realized his eyes were just like Lily's."

"He's going to therapy; do you think he needs to be on a potion?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"I trust that his therapist will let us know," Remus said gently. "Now, is there any of that expertly cooked bacon left? My cholesterol is not high, which Andi informed me yours is."

"What about healer/patient confidentiality?" Sirius incredulously asked.

"When your healer is convinced you won't take care of yourself, she confides in your permanent house guest to ensure you will," Remus answered, taking the last of the bacon from the platter. "After you're married, I'm sure she'll talk with Amy." Sirius reached over and gave his friend a gentle slap to the head.

Outside, the conversation was far less light-hearted. Harry had them sit in the warming grass and ran his hands down the front of his shorts several times and then opened his mouth to speak and stopped before he said anything.

"Harry, you're worrying me," Hermione said, taking his hand. "Just spit it out and then tell me about the Wizengamot meeting. As usual the Daily Prophet was less than informative."

"Yeah," Harry said before he blurted out "I'm-sorry-for-being-a-distraction-at-your-house."

"What?" Neville asked.

"How were you a distraction?" Hermione queried.

"You understood him?" Neville asked the girl.

"He does this a lot."

"I'm right here and yes, I'm sorry I made a scene." Harry interrupted their side conversation.

"I'd hardly call being upset at all those people yelling at you unworthy of a scene, which it wasn't, Harry. It was horrible and if we hadn't had Auror Shacklebolt and Professor Lupin with us, I would have felt more frightened than I did," Neville admitted.

"Start at the beginning and tell me all about yesterday," Hermione demanded. Harry and Neville told the story, supplementing each other so that Hermione had a clear picture of Sirius's legal wranglings, Amy's expert examinations and the ultimate dismissal of Fudge and his assistant.

"Why were they upset at you?" Hermione asked Harry.

"I suppose because it was my father bringing the issue forward because of my accident at the hands of the Dementors," Harry suggested.

"I wasn't just Sirius bringing the case," Neville corrected him. "It was the Blacks, Potters, Longbottoms, Bones…were the Abbotts and Shacklebolts part of it? I can't remember."

"I don't either," Harry admitted. "I just, I feel bad about just acting like a baby in your foyer."

"Harry, you weren't like a baby," Neville said softly. "People were yelling, and Malfoy was saying despicable things –"

"He was?" Harry interrupted.

"More at Sirius than you, but all the Malfoys weren't happy. The old man was glaring at you, the younger was cursing Sirius to the point that Gran hit him in the knee with her cane to make her stop and Draco was, well let's not discuss Draco."

"Wow. I didn't think Sirius becoming Lord meant that much," Hermione interjected. "He certainly doesn't act like it."

"Hermione, it's a huge thing. Sirius is," Harry paused. "Dumbledore had him thrown in Azkaban just to keep him from becoming Lord Black and having the authority over me. Draco had been told the position would be his one day, and now…well it's going to be ugly. He thinks he's entitled."

"He always thinks he's entitled," Neville shot back. "Git. I think the larger issue is the money. The Blacks are the richest wizarding family, and Malfoy thought he was going to get that money one day. Gran says that he's in debt from bribing Fudge. He stopped paying the people who work on his farm, so they've left. Several of them have started working for us in the old greenhouses, bringing them back and such."

"I didn't realize you had so many greenhouses, Nev," Harry said. "I didn't see them yesterday."

"They're down in the valley and a copse of trees hides them from the house. Mum was brilliant with plants, and after my mum and dad were…Gran feels the time is now to bring the Longbottom Nursery back to the fore."

"Interesting," Hermione said.

"Well, our largest trading partner had long been the Potter potions company. Now that someone is looking after the Potter holdings, Gran figures we will start trading again. Good thing Sirius has been cleared and can care for your fortune," Neville explained.

"You know, I don't give a frig about my fortune," Harry said after a moment's contemplation. "Sure, it's nice and all. I liked going to the shops and being able to buy whatever I wanted. I like having clothes that fit outside of my school uniform. But…Dad cares about ME." Harry stressed the last. "I haven't had anyone care for me since my mum and dad died." Harry gave a contemplative pause. "No one cared," Harry nearly screamed. "My family locked me in a cupboard and would forget to feed me. I was little more than a house elf, but not one of yours; I was treated like Dobby!"

"Harry, I didn't –" Neville muttered.

"No one cared. I was lost before Sirius. So, if I lost every Galleon I have, but was able to keep Sirius, I would live in a cave. I have parents finally. Sure, Sirius and Remus make a strange pair of them, but Dad loves me."

"I do, Harry," Sirius said, having heard the end of the exchange as he and Remus had come out to work with the teens. Hearing his father's voice, Harry arose and went to hug the man. "We wouldn't live in a cave, either. Remus's place is better than a cave." With that comment, Remus returned the playful slap to Sirius's head.

"Prat," the werewolf mumbled. "Ruined a perfectly good moment, too."

"Naw," Harry said, releasing Sirius. "It was still perfect."

"Well, let's start with your favourite spell, son," Sirius said. "Show me that Patronus." Before he cast the spell, all put their sunglasses on, and it was a good thing too, as they would have done damage to their corneas as the light was nearly blinding.

"Still need to work on spell modulation," Remus said, putting his professorial hat on.