"It is very nice to meet you, Mr. Rossi," Sirius told Harry's grandfather bowing formally, his tone respectful.
"It's very nice to meet you as well, Mr. Black," Dave said returning the bow.
"There's no need to be so formal, feel free to call me Sirius, as Mr. Black was my father," Sirius offered politely.
"Dave," Dave said smiling a little.
"Shall we take seats in the parlor?" Sirius suggested.
"Lead the way," Dave said.
Sirius led the way to the parlor, that had recently been cleaned by house-elves.
"Would you like some tea?" Sirius asked.
"That sounds nice," Dave said and Sirius called for Fizzy and ordered tea politely.
Once the house-elf had disappeared Sirius turned back to his guest. "I wanted to thank you for helping to free me from Azkaban."
"I really didn't have anything to do with it Sirius," Dave said. "That was mostly Dumbledore and the minister with Harry's encouragement."
"My parents had written into their will that you weren't the Secret-Keeper and justice was ignored by the ministry of the time. It's really no wonder I'm totally disgusted by the way things are done in this country and while it might have been partly Dumbledore's fault, the minister at the time and also the head of Magical Law Enforcement are equally as guilty. Dumbledore at least felt guilty when he realized that he'd never forced to trial because he truly believed you were guilty."
"You still should've gotten one though," Dave said and Sirius nodded in grim agreement.
"Don't think I don't agree because I do," Sirius said the anger in his eyes was justified as far as the other two people were concerned. "There was so many things that could have been done to verify whether I was guilty or not and instead justice was just thrown by the wayside. I'm thinking about leaving Britain entirely after the war is over of course. I'll stay here and fight, as I could do no less, but be there for Harry, who will need as many able-bodied fighters as he can get, those that knew how to fight and I was an Auror before I was thrown into that hellhole. However, after Voldemort is truly gone I don't know that I'll be sticking around, as really England holds nothing but bad memories for me."
"This I can understand," Dave said, nodding with respect in his silver eyes. "I have plenty of bad memories myself, though not of the same kind I'm sure. However, everybody alive, except perhaps a small child has emotional baggage of some sort, some just have worse then others."
"I might just come with you, though that hasn't been decided," Harry said. "I can't really decide what my future plans are, as just an 11-year-old. Who knows I might meet someone like my mother did and want to settle down right here in Britain."
"There's always Ireland, which should be far enough away, if you want to stay in this general area. I would've said Scotland, but that's where Hogwarts is and a little to close to a certain headmaster," Sirius said.
"Scotland would be fine so long as nobody knew where we lived unless we wanted them to," said Harry. "That's possible considering what granddad has been teaching me about wards. Sídhe wards are totally different from those done by wand waving magic. Apparently most people don't even know they're there and the ones that do can't really break through them at least not easily," Harry explained.
"There's no point of worrying about such things like that right now as we still have the evil wizard to defeat. As for taking down sídhe wards, it would take a lot of power and likely more than one magical to do so depending on how powerful they are. Most witches and wizards wouldn't be able to do so without a lot of help and by the time the Harry learns about warding at Hogwarts breaking into a place he owns is going to be impossible, except by betrayal. Trying to take down any wards done by an expert would also drain that person or persons to the point that they certainly wouldn't be able to win any magical duel, unless the opponent was totally incompetent, something Harry isn't," Dave said. "Sídhe wards are totally different to the wards they teach at Hogwarts at least according to what my daughter told me before she was murdered."
"Something I'll regret for the rest of my life," Sirius said his expression extremely heartbreaking.
"That's something we can all agree on," Dave said fighting to keep back the tears. He still missed his lovely daughter so much and he had loved James too and he knew that the two of them would've had a long life together filled with many children, which he and his partner would've spoiled outrageously.
"Sídhe never really get over the loss of someone like a child, especially if that child is their own and they will seek out whoever's guilty of ending their lives depending on the circumstances," Harry explained to his godfather.
"While Dumbledore is partly responsible, because he insisted that my daughter and son-in-law go under an obscure charm, Voldemort is more responsible. Also, it's partly Lily and James fault, because they could have hidden in my realm and been perfectly safe until it was time to return," Dave said. "I would have been perfectly happy to give them and Harry shelter for a time. If only I had known of their predicament I would have insisted on it."
The Gryffindor in Sirius wanted to protest that it could have been James and Lily's fault at all, but he also saw Dave's point of view. If only they had taken more precautions let certain people know that they were going to change in the Secret-Keepers then he never would have ended up in prison, but he and James at least had been so caught up in their own cleverness that they had not done so. It didn't help that they had trusted Dumbledore implicitly. But no more.
"They might've been presumed dead for awhile, but with no bodies there would also be no proof. When they showed up alive people would've been so happy to see them that they probably wouldn't've questioned too closely how they had escaped, at least at first," Dave added.
"Except for Dumbledore who would have barely given them time to recover before questioning them excessively," said Sirius cynically. "If there's one thing I know about the headmaster it's he has to know everything, though he certainly doesn't share information, even when it's important for people to know."
"I have to agree, as Harry and I have studied everything possible about Albus Dumbledore," Dave said. "I wanted my grandson to be prepared, because we know that Dumbledore wanted him for some supposedly greater purpose. I wasn't about to let my grandson be manipulated by an old man that certainly doesn't care about his well-being, at least not enough to make him stop, because he's so caught up in his Machiavellian schemes."
"I can actually see the headmaster trying to prevent me from learning something he doesn't approve of," Harry said. "For example if I had been left at the Dursleys I either would've committed suicide because of the abuse or if I had lived I can see myself not being interested in doing more than the bare minimum because my uncle beat me to a pulp if I did better than their son."
Sirius winced at that.
"He was told from a young age that he was a freak and that he wasn't supposed to use his brains. He's an intelligent lad and while Dudley's not stupid, he's not on the same level as Harry, so has to work harder to get good grades. His parents didn't exactly encourage their son to get good grades though, so if Dudley got a 50 on his schoolwork then Harry had to get lower which means that he would fail. Anything less then a 70 is failing and 70 is a D- which is the lowest grade you can get and still barely pass your classes. By the time he would've gone to Hogwarts studying hard and getting good grades likely would've been beaten out of him by the abuse."
"I know I probably would have made friends with the first person that was nice to me whether they had my best interest in mind or not," Harry explained. "In fact, there is this boy that is my age whose family's really close to Dumbledore by the name of Weasley. Now, while I wouldn't mind being friends with him from all we could find out about him is he is extremely lazy and interested in getting to know the Boy Who Lived instead of Harry Potter. Now, what do you think the likely outcome would've been if Ron had latched onto me as his best friend after I had been raised by my relatives?"
"You likely would've remained friends, even after he proved himself lazy at the very least," Sirius said. "He probably would've tried to drag you down to his level."
"And since I never would've had a friend before due to my relatives I would've clung to that friendship, even knowing it really wasn't one. From all we could discover about the youngest Weasley male his only interests are chess and Quidditch. Now we might very well be wrong and once he gets to Hogwarts he'll work hard, but we watched the Weasley family from that pool I told you about and considering that all Ron did was complain about doing his chores I don't think that granddad and I are wrong about him. Now part of that is probably immaturity, but I think he has a true lazy nature and will take the easiest courses he can and do the bare minimum to pass. I won't be surprised if he tried to get another student to do his homework for him for example."
"If we're right, Harry doesn't have to make friends with him, as Harry wouldn't want to be dragged down to his level," Dave said.
"That doesn't sound like any Weasleys I know as I do know the parents at least from the Order of the Phoenix," Sirius said.
"The rest of them seem alright, at least from what little we studied them," Harry commented. "I suppose every family has their slackers and with seven children they're lucky that they only have one, although I don't know much about their only daughter Ginny."
"I'd watch out for her regardless," Dave warned his grandson. "Young girls are known for getting crushes on famous figures and she's only a year younger than you are. Now if you want to date her when you are older than that would be fine with me, but I would just be cautious around her until you're sure of her intentions. For all you know her parents might have read her some of those Boy Who Lived books that are so popular here in England."
Harry snorted at that. "Something Dumbledore didn't prevent and likely encouraged to to make me into a bigger hero."
"You really hate the headmaster, don't you?" Sirius asked his godson looking at him speculatively.
"Hate's a little strong," Harry said. "I certainly don't like him and I definitely don't trust him. As I told you earlier, I certainly won't be sorry when he's dead. Let's just say, I don't like interfering old meddlers that mess things up more than they do things right, which is what happened with me. How many other people's lives has he messed up because he meddles in things that he has no right too? He denied you your legal right to raise me without a qualm. He didn't bother to check to see if my supposed relatives would treat me well before placing me with them. Well, there's no need to repeat myself, as you know why I dislike the headmaster so much. Yes, I'm bitter, I have every right to be, but I don't really hate him, mostly because that sort of dark emotion can lead you down a very bad path, which is hard to get off once you're on it."
"Hate will eat you up from the inside," Dave told Sirius. "It's very hard change once you go down that road. That's not to say you don't have the right to your feelings, just if you have those sorts of emotion to everyone that has done you wrong, no matter how slight, that's all you'll ever feel and it will slowly fester and change you for the worst. Some people can hold grudges until they die over every little thing, but they don't lead very happy lives if they do. Now, I don't like Dumbledore anymore then you two do, but I also don't really hate him, just intensely dislike him. That's not to say I can't learn to hate him if I find out more than I know now about how he has ruined peoples lives, especially if it involves children."
"Children truly are defenseless. They don't know enough about the world to watch out for people like Dumbledore and most of them take everything at face value unless raised to look for a more sinister meaning underneath supposed benevolence by their parents or guardians. Most people don't really have suspicious natures, though I know some do for different reasons," Harry explained.
"I think I understand," Sirius said slowly.
"I believe you partly do, but you'll learn that us sídhe don't like to be manipulated and are far more cynical and suspicious of people's motives then most humans or magicals are. Of course, we also have more experience than humans do, since they live such a short amount of time," said Dave.
The three continued to chat as Dave and Harry got to know the man they had rescued from that horrible prison.
"If Harry wants to stay here for the rest of the summer then that's okay with me," Dave assured Sirius. "You can see him onto the Express when it's time for him to go to Hogwarts."
"Thank you. I missed out on so much time with Harry due to the machination of certain people and my own temper that I want to spend as much time with him as I can, even if that's only a few weeks before he boards the Hogwarts Express for the first time," Sirius said gratefully.
"There's always Christmas, Easter and the summer," Harry assured Sirius who was beginning to look healthier then he had when he had originally been released from Azkaban. It would take awhile for him to gain all the weight he had lost, but still, he looked much better then he had previously.
Sirius perked up at that and Dave and Harry could see that idea made him very happy.
"I wish we've been able to get you free sooner, but really we had no idea where you were or why you didn't take me in. We didn't know what had happened to you until I read my parents will. Granddad said he doubted anyone that his daughter assigned to look after me would abandon their duties and that something had likely happened to the person that was written into the will that was supposed to look after me."
"Something, I was unfortunately, right about," Dave said unable to hide his deep disgust.
When Sirius looked at him in confusion Dave tried to explain what he was thinking. "For a group of people who supposedly believe in justice to throw someone into Azkaban with no questioning or a trial is deeply disturbing to a sídh. That's not to say we don't have our bad people to, just that we always have a fair trial with plenty of witnesses before we mete out justice. Anyone who just throws someone into prison without determining their guilt or innocence deeply disturbs me, just as it would all light sídhe.
"That's something we agree on," Sirius said. "If someone from an Noble and Most Ancient House can be thrown into prison without even being questioned then that reeks of conspiracy to me."
"We also believe in equality, something that is lacking here in Britain," Dave added. "Everybody gets treated the same and it doesn't matter what kind of influence you have or what kind of blood flows in your veins."
"That's something that needs to change," Harry said and the two men agreed.
"It is, but the ministry is terribly corrupt," Sirius said. "That's not to say that there aren't good people working there, just that the bad people outnumber the good I fear or at least the bad people are in positions of power. Changing the way the ministry is run is going to take years and there is nothing we can do until after Voldemort is defeated. Also, I hate to say this, Harry, but you'll have a lot of influence, more than you have is the Boy Who Lived, once you take down the Dark Lord."
"That would require me to stick around after Voldemort's death," Harry said making a face.
"If you want changes made then you'll have to," Dave told his grandson not unsympathetically. "Even without you being the Boy Who Lived the Potters are well respected within the community and you would be listened to by most people."
"I'll think about it," Harry sighed.
"There's no need to make a decision right now as you're only about to start your first year of Hogwarts. You have plenty of time to just be a child, make friends and just concentrate on going to school and getting good grades," Sirius said. "It's not really fair to put so much pressure on someone so young, even if you are willing to accept it."
"I have to agree with your godfather," Dave told his grandson with a nod of respect for Sirius. "You know how to contact me if you need me and I'll be happy to spend at least part of the summer with the two of you, but we don't need to make plans this soon."
"Let's just concentrate on getting you on the Hogwarts Express in a few weeks," Sirius suggested.
"If you need me to help deal with the headmaster or any other problem then you can contact me," Dave told his grandson. "No, trying to handle it yourself. If I've learned you've put yourself in deliberate danger when you didn't have to you will be punished."
"Yes granddad," Harry said wincing, as he remembered a couple of times he had been punished for disobeying and got himself in trouble. Harry knew he hadn't been punished as much as he could have been, because his infractions had been minor and he had also still been really young at the time. He was older now though and he knew that his punishment would be harsher due to his supposed majority level if he messed up in a major way.
"You'll also be punished by me unless there was no other way, but for you to get involved, so that means you'll be punished doubly. I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to try something so you be on your guard," Sirius added.
"I have to agree about the headmaster," Dave said. "Even though he gave his word not to interfere in your life or those of your friends that doesn't mean that he won't try."
"Believe me, I will be," Harry promised. "I don't trust the headmaster anymore then the two of you, as you're well aware."
"I'll take care of Dumbledore if he steps over the very harsh line we're taking with him," Dave promised. "He'll regret breaking his word I promise you."
"Him giving a magical oath would've been easier," Sirius said.
"While that's true, Harry and I wanted to give the headmaster a chance to prove that he's just misguided instead of being totally evil. Hopefully, we've managed to knock it into his skull that trying to manipulate people is wrong and while I have my doubts that what we did will work for long, he deserves one chance to prove that he can change. If he reverts back to his old ways though, I promise you I'll take care of the situation."
"Yes, I can see that," Sirius said considering Dave words carefully. "You're likely the only one that could have threatened him like that and gotten away with it. Everyone else respects him too much. Even if they didn't, nothing would come of it, because Dumbledore is too well connected. However, thanks to you being sídh you could drag him off to your realm never to release him if he steps out of line. You didn't grow up with the inbuilt reverence of Dumbledore for his many accomplishments like most of the wizarding world do. Also, the families like mine certainly have no respect for Dumbledore, but everybody else, bar the Muggle-born and the ones that are likely to be Slytherins are going to listen to whatever that old man tells them."
"I doubt even my yelling at him or Granddad's threats will work for long, because he's too arrogant to believe that he can do wrong. Granddad was even kind enough to take him on a trip to show him how much the Muggle world has changed since he was a child. We both told him that wizarding folks are starting to stick out more and more and if things don't change then we're going to be discovered just because we don't know how to blend in. Muggles aren't stupid despite what a lot of magicals seem to believe, mostly the purebloods I admit, but still you get what I mean," Harry said.
"I do," Sirius agreed soberly. "James and Lily took me on some Muggle outings before they had to go into hiding. It was safer to celebrate in the Muggle world after graduation because of Voldemort and his Death Eaters anyway. Unfortunately, we didn't get to take many of these outings before they had to go into hiding, but the ones we did take were rather eyeopening for someone like me who was raised in a pureblood environment. I was taught from the time I could walk that Muggles were beneath me and while I didn't really absorb these lessons my little brother did and ended up paying the price. Still, I never did agree with my family ideals that they tried to ram into my thick skull."
"There's no reason that you can't take Harry on some of those outings during the summer," Dave suggested.
"I still don't know as much about the Muggle world as I should, as there was no time to learn considering what happened," Sirius sighed. "Still, I have this friend that was kind of an honorary uncle to you that I just need to locate. He knows much more about the Muggle world than I do since he's a half blood."
"You're talking about Remus Lupin, aren't you?" Harry asked and Sirius stared at his godson in surprised. Harry couldn't imagine his godfather have another friend with that name.
"Yes I am, so what?" Sirius asked.
"He was in my parents will," Harry explained. "He was left quite a large amount of money, but the will was never executed due to one Albus Dumbledore. It has now been executed, except those things left to the Order of the Phoenix or to Dumbledore himself. Those in Order of the Phoenix, except Remus and yourself might get their bequests once I determine how much they were involved with what happened to me. At the very least they didn't ask after me or if they did they believed Dumbledore's lies. Of course some of them are dead, so they can't get their bequests anyway."
"Dumbledore might have Memory Charmed them into forgetting asking after you," Sirius said. "I never would have believed he was capable of something so against the law before, but now that recent events have come to light I can't help but see him differently. Considering what I've discovered recently, like how I never got a trial due at least partially to him, well, my faith in the headmaster has taken a serious plunge. If he's capable of leaving an innocent man in Azkaban or at least never forcing a trial then he's certainly capable of far worse.
"There is also your abuse at the hands of Petunia and Vernon Dursleys to consider. While they are now paying for their crimes thanks to Dave that doesn't mean that Dumbledore isn't completely guilty of placing you there and then not fulfilling his role as guardian. After all, it was a role he forced the Wizengamot into letting him fulfill and sealed your parents wills so that nobody would ever discover who your real guardians were supposed to be.
"To do that to someone of an Noble and Most Ancient House is a serious crime, but since he's Albus Dumbledore, he got away with it. I guarantee you almost anybody else would have found themselves in serious trouble unless they put down quite a lot of bribe money and even then it would be a chancy thing to try. Well, it would if you didn't have the backing of the current minister."
"Unfortunately, Dumbledore has a lot of influence, which also helped him get away with such a serious crime," Dave said.
"That too," Sirius agreed soberly. "I never saw Dumbledore for what he really was before, not until I was thrown into Azkaban without a trial. It's not like I had a lot else to do but think. I couldn't help thinking that the Aurors would come back and question me properly, that my trial was just being arranged, but weeks and then months passed and everybody seemed to forgotten about me."
"You were only what? 22 or so when you were thrown in Azkaban?" Harry asked.
"About that," Sirius agreed.
"I believe my grandson's point is that you were still incredibly young and even though you come from a dark family, most people wouldn't have seen Dumbledore for what he really was. Dumbledore's not evil he just has so much on his shoulders that he ignored individuals unless they're important to him."
"I, for one, have no doubt that he left you in prison, because you were my godfather and that means that you would have had automatic custody of me. I also know I have a godmother Alice Longbottom, but I have no idea at present what happened or her husband Lord Francis Longbottom."
"Frank and Alice were still healthy before I was thrown into Azkaban," Sirius said. "I'll have to check quietly around to see what happened to my old friends. We were all very close when we went to school together, as Frank and Alice were in Gryffindor just like your parents and I were. Frank and Alice were a couple years older then the three of us, but still, we remained good friends at Hogwarts and out of it. There's no way that they wouldn't have taken you in, since Alice is your godmother, as your parents never would have made them your guardians if anything should happen to them if they weren't agreeable. I know that you and their son Neville played together when you were just a few months old."
"Let me know if you find anything," Harry requested and Sirius nodded.
"I will," Sirius promised. "Alice and Frank would have fought for custody of you in the Wizengamot, if they had been capable of doing so. They never would have allowed Dumbledore to place you with the Dursleys. I have no doubt that something happened to them whether they're dead or it's something else I don't know. I'll do some investigating once you're off to Hogwarts. Right now though, I want to spend as much time with you as I can because I won't see you until Christmas."
"I'm not likely to object to that," Harry grinned.
"Of course not, considering that you should've grown up with Alice and Frank Longbottom while Sirius played a major role in your upbringing," Dave said.
"The Longbottoms were listed first for my care," Harry explained Sirius who nodded. "It does make sense for them to be listed first when you think about it, because they were already married and had a son my age. Neville is also my godbrother thanks to his mother being my godmother. If not for Dumbledore's meddling I would've grown up with a brother and instead he placed me in an extremely abusive environment and I have the scars to prove it. Now, since you're sure something has happened to the Longbottoms, Neville must be staying with another of his relatives and I'm sure they could have taken me in as well."
"Likely his grandmother, Lady Augusta Longbottom," Sirius mused. "There is no way that she'd allow Dumbledore to interfere with Neville's upbringing or yours if you had been placed in Frank and Alice's care like you should've been. If something had happened to Frank and Alice then she would've taken you in as well as her grandson. She's a tough old bird and will take no nonsense from anyone, including the supposed leader of the light.
"She would've had his guts for garters if he had tried anything, which is likely why you didn't end up with her, because Dumbledore knows what she's like. I suspect that's one of the major reasons he had the Potters will sealed, because if Frank and Alice were allowed to raise you and then something happened to them you and Neville both automatically would have gone to her and she'll take no nonsense from anyone. Me, on the other hand, if I didn't have the experience of being thrown in prison for crime I didn't commit I likely would have allowed him access to you, because until being thrown in prison I trusted the old man."
"I think I'd like this Augusta Longbottom," Dave snickered. "I like strong women that knows how to stand up for themselves and those they love, which is really something you don't find much of in wizarding England where Dumbledore has almost everyone dancing to his tune," Dave explained.
After Dave had explained his reasoning Harry and Sirius had to agree with it.
"She is a very prim and proper lady," Sirius said. "She was raised old school, I believe it's called. Even Dumbledore doesn't like to tangle with her because she's not going to give in to his demands, even if they're worded as requests. She's not going to fall for his particular brand of malarkey either."
"You can say bullshit Sirius," Harry snarked. "It's not like I didn't hear worse from my aunt and uncle or even from granddad occasionally, though he usually cursed in ancient Gaelic, so I couldn't understand a word of what he said."
"There wasn't really enough time to teach him ancient Gaelic or Latin," Dave said. "He was only in the otherworld five years and we had too much else that he needed to learn that learning a new language kind of fell by the wayside.
"There's plenty of time for me to pick it up once Voldemort is dealt with," Harry pointed out. "Remember, sídhe live a lot longer than any other species, even half sídhe."
"What Harry says is true, there is time to teach him Gaelic and Latin, as he has too much on his plate as it is," Dave said.
Sirius agreed with a nod and the three of them went back to discussing the situation and the prophecy, trying to come up with a plan and plenty of contingencies.
~~~Dave and Harry~~~