Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot. The original concepts belong to JKR and Warner Brothers. Any concepts brought from other fictions are either coincidental or will be used in their own way, and no plagiarism is meant.

A/n: So something I never thought to ask was what are your preferences on physical interactions between characters in terms of romance. Obviously this will not be a smut fiction, but were you all wanting a few more heated scenes? Let me know in the comments!

As for this chapter, it won't be heavily detailed as it is mostly a final pass-over of the summer month.

Chapter 27: August

July 31st, 1994

Potter Cottage

Katie hadn't lied. After they each showered, she found him for a twenty minute make out session. It made sleeping rather easy, if a little uncomfortable. The morning at Longbottom Hall went rather well though, but everyone decided to return home before lunch, bar Katie and Harry, who ate before traveling to Potter Cottage. Of course, Sirius couldn't help but comment. "Already bringing girls home, eh?"

"Of course he is. And let me tell you-" Katie started cheekily, only to be cut off by Sirius.

"NO! Lalalala." The man yelled childishly. "I don't want to know that about you two… just… keep your pants on around each other, and try not to let me see anything. I'll spare you both the same courtesy in return. That's all I ask."

Despite the reddening of his cheeks, Harry only laughed. "Easily done, Pads. We haven't gone that far, and besides, we aren't dating. Just friends that kiss on occasion."

"Oh… okay." He muttered. "What's the plan for you two?"

"Relaxing." Harry replied.

"Well, behave yourselves. I've got a few meetings to attend despite it being a Sunday. Remember how I called in some defaulted loans, well, they don't have the money to pay up, so now, I've got to deal with it." Sirius grumbled, "It's not fun, but it's necessary."

"Well good luck." Harry said cheerfully.

"Bloody cheerful bugger." Sirius grumbled, standing and walking up to him, before kissing the top of his head. It was a little odd, but a comforting display of affection between godfather and son. "Happy Birthday Harry. I'll see you both this evening."

Once Sirius was gone, flooing to who knew where, Harry took Katie on a tour of the house, seeing as it was likely for her to stay for the next two nights. While she was speaking to his grandparents, he did some math and knew that tomorrow was another ritual. This one would be for his familiar bonds. Ironically, it didn't actually create any bonds, but it would send out an unnoticeable-to-humans pulse of magic, and if a creature formed a bond with him, the creature would know and work on finding him. Of course, it was also a painless ritual according to Salazar, but it was something worth doing.

Serny appearing pulled him from his thoughts, leaving a sizable package on the desk in front of him. "Happy Birthday, Harry."

He reached forward with the three watching, only to find a very nice Basilisk hide cloak inside.

"I hope you don't mind. Serny said there was plenty of hide to spare, and a cloak can always be expanded. It seemed like something useful to give you." Charles said, watching Harry's expression. He quickly unfolded it, before wrapping it around his neck and pulling the hood up. It almost caught on the floor, hanging an inch or two lower than a traditional cloak.

Katie whistled, "It looked great. What is it made of?"

"Basilisk hide, child." Dorea said softly, looking at Harry questioningly, "Have you not told your friends of your life, Harry?"

"Not any of the details in that nature." Harry said, looking at a confused Katie, "The monster in the Chamber of secrets was a sixtyish foot long basilisk. As I was the one to kill it, its corpse was mine to do with as I pleased."

"You killed a sixty foot long basilisk in defense of the school?" She asked weakly. "By Morgana. You probably saved everyone's life."

Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "Possibly. We will never know because it never got the chance to attack in-masse."

She just stared at him, causing the three others to chuckle. "Harry does this quite a lot, making people speechless."

Harry gave a flat stare to his grandmother within the portrait, before being impacted by the brunette as the girl muttered into his neck, "Thank you. It must have been terrifying, and it certainly wasn't your problem to solve, but thank you."

"Of course." Harry replied quietly, patting her back.

"Why don't you two find something to busy yourselves with, and we'll be here if you need anything." Charles said smoothly. The two agreed, disappearing from the room. "I have no doubt they are more than friends."

"Of course they are dear. It will be good for Harry, even if it doesn't last." Dorea replied softly. Their words would never be heard by the two, as they had already begun practicing magic in the backyard.

It made the rest of the day pass smoothly in their opinion. Katie had mentioned her interest in dueling, so Harry began teaching her some of the basics once he made her aware of her ability to use magic at the cottage. Sirius appeared just after they began eating at six, talking about the boringness of dealing with people and paperwork, especially since the goblins were involved.

It was late in the evening when Sirius was ready to resign himself to sleep when he asked a curious question, "So where does the lovely Miss Bell plan on sleeping? The spare bedroom is currently filled with boxes and things, and it doesn't seem like either of you planned for her to return home."

Harry blushed, realizing what Sirius was saying, and also realizing the small issue he had forgotten that was the filled spare room. "She can have my bed and I'll sleep on the-"

"Nonsense. We can share your bed or I can return home." Katie replied, "I'm not kicking you from your own bed though."

Harry nodded dumbly, and just when they were set on the arrangement, Dobby appeared, "Miss can sleep in spare bedroom. Dobby has spare bedroom cleaneds now."

"Hem. Right, thank you Dobby." Harry said uneasily. Katie let out a small pout, making Harry wonder just what her intentions were.

"Right. Could've thought of that one myself. Well you two behave, and have a good night." Sirius said after a moment.

The two agreed on showers first, but quickly met back up afterwards to talk some more, mostly Katie wanted to know about the Chamber of Secrets, though she took a great amount of amusement in what happened to Lockhart. It wasn't surprising though, that they ended up sharing a bed that night. And while Harry could happily say nothing untoward happened, he could also say he enjoyed his birthday present very much…

Even if he wasn't allowed to touch them yet.

August 7th, 1994

Potter Cottage

It had been four days since Katie had returned home, and Sirius was still taking the mickey from him. Of course, perhaps making out in the living room had been a bit bold, but it was Harry's house. Besides, Harry knew Sirius had little room to talk considering his school time activities.

He was also given a second talking to by Charles and Dorea though on the makings of heirs and to absolutely not multiply. It was another thing he could have done without, but he supposed he deserved it between getting caught and sharing a bed.

It never occurred to him that most children are never given so much leeway.

"Are you ready for some big news?" Sirius asked excitedly.

Harry nodded slowly. He had just returned from training with Salazar and he was tired and hungry, so he was more focused on the platter of eggs and ham in front of him before turning back time and going to sleep than he was on Sirius. He planned on turning back six hours and getting some sleep, but it seemed like that wasn't quite on the table when Sirius spoke again.

"After the Wizengamot meeting today, I'll be arranging for us a portkey to Italy. My family owns a beach house on the Mediterranean Sea, and I thought that both of us could do with two weeks away from home."

Harry frowned. He had a ritual on the sixteenth that had to be done. "Alright, I'll need to figure some things out though."

"Well get them figured out. We will be leaving on the twelfth and we won't be back until the twenty sixth." Sirius said happily, "You'll love Rome, I promise. Besides, you have earned a vacation with all of the hard work you've been doing."

Harry smiled at the praise, something he was getting more and more used to. Of course, once Sirius was gone, Harry apparated back to Salazar's quarters. "Back again my heir? Did you miss me?"

"Bite me. I'm still exhausted from that bloody exercise you had me do." Harry snapped. In his opinion, attempting to control a dozen objects to make them float around him was not considered fun.

"Oh, someone is grumpy. I'd guess you haven't used the turner yet?" He asked. Harry shook his head. "Foolish child. What was so important then?"

"Sirius has, quite unexpectedly, set up a vacation to Italy. I'll be leaving on the twelfth and I won't be back until the twenty sixth, and I know I have a ritual to do on the sixteenth. What can be done about it?" Harry asked.

"Oh… Well that is certainly an issue." The portrait muttered. "It is impossible, even with Pepperup potions, for you to apparate that far of a distance, not counting the Apparation net. And we cannot make you a portkey for it either."

"I figured as much. No doubt there are restrictions and ways they prevent unauthorized portkey travel internationally." Harry said, collapsing into the couch. "What are the chances of me doing this one alone and away from here?"

"Hm. I planned on having you do the Ritual of the Eye. It sounds ominous, but it really is only to help focus your mind and increase your awareness of things surrounding you." Salazar replied thoughtfully, "Open up the book we've been using, and find the diagram."

Harry looked it over. It was not too difficult, but also not super simple either. "A hundred and seventeen runes, though it seems to only be composed of twenty four different runes. Nine of them are used seven times from what it looks to be. And the rest are repeated in the center."

"Yes. The more annoying part though is the complicated chant in Old Gaelic." Salazar replied. "We can certainly practice this before you leave, but there will be a larger risk to doing this without my supervision."

"The negative outcomes?" Harry asked tiredly, looking over the pages in the book.

"If you were to slightly misdraw a rune, without completely changing it, then it would likely only weaken the ritual or cause it to not activate. Anything worse cannot be predicted, but most outcomes are terrible." Salazar said flatly. "I've taught you this already. You know the risks."

"I know I know." Harry grumbled. "It's just a complication in what was a perfectly relaxing month."

"Relaxing month." Salazar snorted. "I've not seen masters work as hard as you are as a student."

"I've got bigger problems than most masters." Harry replied sarcastically.

"You're getting grumpy. Go home and sleep, and I will see you tomorrow." Salazar instructed. His tone brokered no argument, so Harry obliged.

Break…

August 16th, 1994

The Black Beach House

Siracusa, Italy

Italy was everything Harry imagined, and more.

The air was extremely pleasant, especially when they sat on the private beach, and in the several days they had been there, the only unpleasantness was the portkey and dealing with the Italian Ministry. The former was due to the incredible nausea and dizziness from how far it traveled, while the latter was due to him being famous in several manners.

After that though, it was all relaxation. Sirius had quickly taught him how to swim in the shallows of the sea, which was warm and rather pleasant, even if the sand was slightly annoying sometimes. The food too was amazing, and some of the old tourist locations were to die for.

The canals of Venice were odd, yet it was a relaxing experience, while some of the old magical libraries in Florence and Rome were things that would've had Hermione drooling over. Of course, Sirius had to drag him from the buildings after six hours as well.

That wasn't to forget the old Coliseum that Sirius had said was his favorite. Sirius dragged him there in the evening, showing off his knowledge of the structure and his love of the old architecture. Harry almost couldn't believe that Sirius was such a nerd for something.

Almost

Though apparently, it was for another reason. The Blacks came from Rome, back when they were known as the family Grim, and left in the early 700's. This place was their home before France where their name became Black, though they left France after only a hundred years, moving to the British Isles in the late 800's.

Hence, Sirius had a love for the country and its history, much as the rest of the Black family had. Sirius was knowledgeable in more than just the history publicly known to muggles, as the magical world was influential in dozens of ways, especially in warding, where some of the founding principles had been discovered.

The coliseum was clearly Sirius' favorite once they had visited it twice, though Harry was hoping it wasn't just for the old battles fought within. He was happy to be dragged around it a second time, listening to the same facts and some new ones mixed in. It was nice seeing his godfather so carefree after the time they had over the past year, and after everything he had suffered in the past fifteen years, between the loss of friends and family and Azkaban.

Harry knew anyone lesser wouldn't have survived so well from it.

He focused, drawing his mind from the memories of the past four days and back to the present. It was late evening, and time for the ritual he had practiced over and over again, both in drawings, and in the incantation. He had convinced Sirius to allow him some alone time, and after managing to get that from the man, he had moved himself to the basement of the vacation home. Harry had snuck his trunk down as well, and with a sigh, he walked over, popping it open and preparing the ingredients.

While the ritual they had planned was rather simple in execution, it required two things besides the chalk and his blood. Specifically, this one needed powdered silver, which had to be properly mixed into the chalk, and Ginger Root, which was also grounded into powder and mixed with the chalk. The first signified purity while the latter signified clarity. This had, of course, been mixed under supervision and kept under preservation due to the Ginger Root.

It was straightforward otherwise. Having practiced drawing the runes over a dozen times, and having said the incantation nearly a hundred times correctly in a row, much to Harry's charigan, he expected little issues. Only on the safe side did he redo six of the runes, striving for perfection.

Once he was sure, he bled on the appropriate spots and spoke softly, the activation words - which were quite literally just words in Gaelic- rolling smoothly off of his tongue, "Tiodhlac nàdair nam inntinn. Soilleireachd, Fòcas, Mothachadh."

He felt the pain start instantly, his head aching more than anywhere else. As the minutes progressed, he could also feel small points of pain around his ears, eyes, and a dull ache around his body as the ritual took effect.

At eleven minutes, almost perfectly eleven minutes, the runes flickered before fading, leaving only a ghostly image on the floor. Unsteadily, he stood, grabbing his wand from the table just outside of the circle and vanishing what remained before stumbling back upstairs and to his bed.

Later, Sirius would be convinced that he had shagged a girl rotten, though the who would always puzzle him, as he never believed Harry's denial.

Break…

August 27th, 1994

Salazar's Quarters

"So my heir, any negative side effects?" Salazar asked.

"Nope. Ended only a second sooner than it should have, but everything feels fine." Harry replied flatly.

Truthfully, he had a headache for a week as his mind adjusted to the increased information, but once it passed, he had begun to adapt to it, even dodging two prank spells from behind from Sirius, baffling his godfather.

"Impressive. A second is nearly nothing, and as long as the headache and body aches have disappeared by now, then I doubt you will ever notice any ill side effects from it." The portrait nodded.

'About the best praise I will get from him.' Harry thought, "Thanks."

"Hm." Salazar huffed, "You have been off for nearly the whole month in dueling. Go to the training room so we can see how far you regressed."

Harry almost regretted visiting his ancestor by the time he left, but at the same time, he only wanted a meal and his bed.

August 28th, 1994

The Northern Star

Getting supplies for the new school year had sucked. It had been beyond busy in the alley, so Sirius suggested splitting apart. Harry took care of the potions ingredients and equipment, and then robes, while Sirius went for his books and supplies for Hedwig and Kraven, Sirius' new Eurasian Eagle Owl.

'Honestly, why he wanted one of the biggest species of owls I will never understand.' Harry mused, watching Sirius enter their rented dining room at The Northern Star. The restaurant was one of the higher class restaurants that most didn't eat at within the Diagon Market Center.

Apparently, and something that isn't generally explained, is that Diagon Alley is actually considered a large Market Center, consisting of not just Diagon Alley, but Knockturn Alley, Howard Alley, and Stenson Plaza. Between them all are over a hundred and fifty shops, stalls, and restaurants, along with residences for said sellers, five different inns, and residences for another thousand people.

How all of this was hidden in a small Alley in London, Sirius was never able to explain, but Harry took it for what it was, and planned on exploring much of it later on.

For now though, they were waiting on the Malfoy Family in one of the best magical restaurants in London, which was in Howard Alley. Harry had yet to glance at the menu, but judging by the fact that they brought out a sizable menu of wines at Sirius' request, along with him a wine that Charles always requested, meant the place was somewhere special.

"Not too much of that, Harry. It's only two in the afternoon." Sirius warned. Harry only rolled his eyes.

"I know, but it does taste rather good. Probably best paired with red meat if I had to guess."

Sirius only glanced at the bottle, "Yeah. One of your grandfather's favorites. And congratulations, you just spent half a month's salary of a normal ministry maintenance person on a bottle of wine. Or two hundred galleons."

"Yeah?" Harry asked, "What's the most expensive item on that menu?"

Sirius flipped through two pages, "1850 Belavone Red. A magical brew clearly, but four thousand for a bottle."

"My point exactly." Harry replied as a knock sounded on the door. It opened to reveal three blonde heads, and Sirius stood, Harry following his lead as they entered.

Once the formalities were done, they sat at the round table. "I must say, I am surprised, Cissa."

"Why is that?" She asked primly. Harry had to suppress a snort at her cocking an eyebrow like Petunia did occasionally.

"Well, I know you value family quite a bit, but convincing Lucius to go along with abandoning his somewhat dead lord? I'm impressed." Sirius' hands twitched.

"Yes. Well, we all make mistakes, and I have made many." Lucius spoke softly, "You might honestly decide to kill me when I say that I was responsible for Heir Black fighting a basilisk if the rumors are true."

There was a tense silence, not a person moving, but the pieces fell into place rapidly in Harry's mind. "The diary? You put it into Ginny Weasley's cauldron after the fight in Flourish and Blotts?"

"I did. Had I known what that cursed thing would do, I would have burned it long ago." Lucius said softly, "I never knew what it was going to do, it was just wanting in Hogwarts."

"And that should still stop me from killing you? Or handing you over to Madam Bones?" Sirius snapped out. "Do you even know how big the basilisk was that you unleashed?"

He shook his head silently.

"Sixty four feet, three and a quarter round by Gringotts final measurements before they rendered it down."

There was only the sounds of breathing, and for a moment, the chinking of glass as Harry took another sip of the wine, "Yeah, you should've seen my expression when it slid out to kill me at Riddle's orders."

"Riddle?" Lucius was pale and shaking, but at least his mind worked, "It belongs to the Dark Lord. He said the name on it was irrelevant."

Harry snorted, before drawing his wand, "Tom Marvalo Riddle, or I am Lord Voldemort. From what I found, he was a half-blood born from Merope Gaunt, hence his ability to speak to snakes, and a muggle named Thomas Riddle from the small town where they all lived. The muggle side of his family were killed in the early forties, around his sixth year, with his uncle Morfin taking the blame. His grandfather and uncle died in Azkaban. He grew up bullied in an orphanage until he fought back and harmed them with magic."

"But… he claimed to be a pureblood." Lucius whispered, horrified at the new realization.

"A blatant lie." Sirius said firmly. "But let's get back on track, shall we? Why are you wanting to realign yourself to House Black?"

"Siri. You know how the Black family is. The fact you brought Andi back in is a sign you still honor our ways." Narcissa said softly, "Besides, we have already disassociated ourselves with him. If he isn't dead, we need protection."

"The Malfoy family's wealth sits at nearly a million and half, and you need our protection?" Harry asked bemusedly.

"Our property in the mountains of Poland, Harry. Remember that safehouse that Casseiopa made?" Sirius said, seeing his cousin's eyes widen, "There is little that would actually stop Voldemort from killing them, but that property was warded by one of the best of the time with some of the darkest and most powerful wards House Black knows. Only Grimmauld Place and Black Manor are better, but they are too local."

"Ah." Harry nodded, now understanding the issue, "And newly casted wards take time to settle into the earth, at least ten years for the magic to truly hold, so the wards on a new property would be weaker and leave them more vulnerable should something happen."

"You know warding?" Lucius' shock was wearing off apparently.

"The basic principles. Warding a property means the wards need time to settle into the earth after the ward-stone is carved and powered. Meanwhile, warding or cursing an object just means that warder needs a lot of power and time, along with knowledge of runes, likewise for enchanting. It is how it differs from temporary warding and enchanting, which is what privacy wards or animation charms are"

"But… that's not taught at Hogwarts?" He asked, a frown on his face.

"Who said I learned it at Hogwarts? I like to read in the evenings after all." Harry replied, smirking. "So protection? Why should we?"

"Hm. They do make great allies within the Wizengamot, not to mention that Lucius here has half of the Minister's mind, not that I can't have him replaced if I didn't want to. They both know the current political landscape, and it's one less enemy to deal with." Sirius voiced aloud.

Sirius' eyes fell on Lucius again, "Killing you is still tempting though. You nearly killed several hundred children."

"Siri. Please." Narcissa asked. Harry took to watching Draco who hadn't spoken and only looked down as Narcissa spoke further, "He made, albeit an incredibly terrible, mistake."

"Hm." Sirius hummed after another fifteen minutes of debating and eating, the food having arrived in the middle of their debating, "Harry?"

"I say we hear Draco's opinion on the matter." Said boy's head snapped up from his pan-seared salmon, his gaze questioning, "So, are your parents' genuine in their request?"

His eyes flickered towards them both, before he nodded, "They are. I've not seen them like this before, fretting and worrying over this meeting."

"Hm." Sirius hummed again, "I think that we will come back to this topic of protection at Yule. In the meantime, we will rebuild bonds between us as family. If I see this as genuine, and that you aren't faking this regret, then I will agree. However, even so, I'd rather you both be kept in England as much as possible."

There was a profound expression of relief on their faces, something that surprised Harry. At least, though, it would ease their afternoon. Conversation began to flow smoothly, even if it was a little tense. After catching up on some minor things, Draco spent nearly half an hour talking about the Quidditch World Cup, including the Dark Mark being cast.

Of course, no one was arrested, but it did cause a small panic.

Everyone was ecstatic at the results. As Ron had written in his letter the previous day, Krum caught the snitch three hours in but Ireland had already gotten the score beyond the hundred and fifty point difference, leading Ireland to win with a 270-250.

Harry could only grin, "A shame I missed it then. I was on a beach in Siracusa."

"You visited our old family home?" Narcissa asked, with surprise on her face, "Siri, I thought you'd never go back!"

"The view and the calmness simply outdid my dislike of my mother."

"Was it nice there?" Draco asked politely, "Mum has told me how clean the air is and how comfortable it is to lay on the private beach, but well, we have never been."

"Incredibly nice. A nice difference compared to Hogwarts at the end of the year. It was liberating, what with the salty smell in the air and the peaceful sounds of the waves and birds." Harry answered, "It was comforting in a different manner."

"Lucky. We only go to beaches in France, though some of them are public and even top-" Draco was cut off by a smack to the back of his head, though Harry got the idea quite fine.

"Draco!" Narcissa warned. "Sorry. He forgets his manners sometimes."

"Eh." Sirius shrugged, "No different than some of the things Harry gets up to."

Harry felt his cheeks warm, "Thanks for telling people."

"I was thinking, Siri, about all of us getting together for dinner on the thirty first?" Narcissa asked, changing the direction of the conversation easily. "Andi, Ted, and Nymphadora, is it? Along with you two of course?"

"Just write to her this evening. Who should host though?"

"Grimmauld Place? I doubt they would feel comfortable at our manor, and it'll be the first time I've seen her in seven years." Narcissa said softly.

"Alright. I'll ask Kreature to begin preparations."

"Seven years?" Lucius asked with a frown, "I'm surprised you haven't met her more recently."

"She and I got into an argument over Siri the last time we saw each other. She believed him innocent, and I didn't quite agree with her." Narcissa replied.

By six, which was astounding that the meeting lasted so long, it felt like Harry had begun to know the Malfoys. He wasn't sure if they were putting on a mask or not, but he wasn't beyond believing this was their genuine personality. All of them wore too many emotions, and Lucius himself seemed to show regret at his actions…

Not that Harry was accepting of it too easily. It would take far more for him to believe that Lucius was truthful and remorseful.

It was good progress though, and as Sirius said, they were better as allies than as a dangerous enemy. Harry knew Lucius was capable with a wand and was no doubt knowledgeable in the proclaimed Dark Arts, while also one of the most politically knowledgeable couples due to their consistent donations and hosting of Balls and Galas.

"What do you think, Harry?" Sirius asked, sitting across from him in the Livingroom of Potter Cottage.

"I think that I need more convincing that Lucius is remorseful."

"Any ideas?" Sirius asked.

"At least donations to those who were harmed by the whole fiasco with the basilisk, anonymously of course." Harry answered, "As well as ensuring any other artifacts from Riddle that he possesses are destroyed by Fiendfyre. I'd also like an up-to-date list of known Death Eaters and those he believes sympathetic to their cause."

"Good calls." Sirius nodded, "I'd also request him to keep his mask of an extreme traditionalist for a while longer. I have no doubts that there are still a few Death Eaters willing to make an attempt on any traitors."

"Agreed." Harry muttered, "Why did you bring me? You had planned on doing this alone."

"For this reason exactly. For all that I am, I know that you have some creative ideas. While the latter two I had already thought of, I hadn't thought about restitution to those petrified." Sirius answered. "Plus, I wanted to see if you saw anything I missed."

"Besides Narcissa being a slight bit affectionate towards you, no." Harry replied.

"Cissa and I were close before Hogwarts, and even until our fourth year. We ended up distant after that." Sirius answered. "Nothing else of note then?"

"Nope. I wonder how Ron will take Draco and I being friends?" Harry mused.

"Friends?" Sirius asked.

"Perhaps a strong word, but yeah." Harry answered. "Wanna make a bet?"

Sirius' grin was answer enough, and Harry couldn't help but look forward to the coming year.

A/N: So the entire meeting was typed in the past two hours, mostly to get myself to finish up this part of the story. Truthfully, I am still on the fence about how to play out his fourth year, but I think I'm getting a decent rough on how I want it to go.

Until next time,

Buckeye