A/N:
Hi! New chapter.
Thank you to everyone who's been reading this fic so far, and to everyone who left such nice comments for me to read :)
Thanks as always to BingBong for helping me edit this chapter, and a reminder that I was inspired to write this story from a prompt that he came up with.
Dear Harry,
Have you found a date for the Yule Ball yet? You know you'll have to open it with a dance, right?
If you don't have anyone to ask, why not try Astoria? I saw her kiss you on the front page of the newspaper the other day, so I'm sure she'll say yes ;-)
Harry looked up from the letter he was reading and took another bite of toast. He was honestly surprised it had taken Sirius this long to mention the article. Shrugging and assuming his godfather must have just been busy lately, he continued reading.
Anyway, you better ask her soon! I already made an appointment for you and *someone else* to go get fitted at a fashion house in Hogsmeade this weekend – I'll leave directions below. You'll be taken care of by Sally, who used to be a good friend of mine. She does much better work than whatever you would've found at Malkin's or Twilfitt.
On that note, I have a few things to attend to and I won't be able to meet with you this week, for which I am sincerely sorry. I hope you can forgive me, and have a good time with whoever you choose to ask to accompany you to the ball.
Love,
-Padfoot
P.S. - I think you should ask Astoria!
P.P.S - She'll say yes!
P.P.P.S - Other girls might not say yes!
Harry's face fell as he read the part of the letter that mentioned Sirius' inability to meet with him that week. As it was, this was the first letter Sirius had sent him since the first task, and the thought of going another two weeks without seeing him made Harry feel rather lonely.
"Padfoot?" Ron asked, once Harry had finished reading and returned his attention to breakfast.
"Yup," Harry replied. "He wants me to ask Astoria to the ball."
"A bit late on that, isn't he?" Ron remarked.
"Yeah, well we didn't talk much this week," Harry said. "I didn't have the chance to tell him about me and Astoria yet…"
"You can tell him all about it this weekend, I suppose," offered Hermione.
"Unfortunately not. He said he has 'a few things to attend to', and wouldn't be able to meet me..."
Hermione frowned at that, and Harry understood her worry. Sirius shouldn't have much to attend to, considering he was in hiding and all.
"That's a shame," Ron said with a conciliatory frown. "Any other plans, then?"
"I think so. Padfoot said he made a reservation for me and Astoria to go get dress robes at some place called 'Bowles', have you heard of it?"
Ron shrugged. Hermione thought the name sounded familiar, but couldn't recall where she might've heard it, so she shook her head.
"Oh well," said Harry. "I'm not sure how necessary it is, but I'm sure I'll be able to find something better than what I picked up this summer, and I doubt Astoria has anything to wear yet."
"Wait!" shouted Ron, seeing an opportunity. "Does that mean you won't be wearing the robes you bought in Diagon Alley with us?"
"I guess not? At the time I didn't know what the robes were for so I just picked the cheapest black robe I could find-"
"Can I have it?" Ron asked excitedly.
Harry looked at his friend in surprise. "If you want," he shrugged. "I'm not sure if they'll fit you quite right though…"
Ron sighed in relief. "Trust me, no matter how badly they fit, they'll be better than what my mom sent me."
"What did your mom send you?" asked Hermione.
"You seriously don't want to know," he replied. "I would've been a total embarrassment to my date."
Harry looked at Ron oddly. "I didn't even know you had a date for the ball yet. Who did you ask?"
"Well," Ron started uncomfortably. "I haven't actually asked anyone yet…but I will soon!"
Harry made eye contact with Hermione, who just rolled her eyes at him.
"Why don't you just ask someone cool, who you already speak to?" Harry suggested. "You know, like as a friend?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry.
"Yeah, you're right," replied Ron thoughtfully. "That's not too bad of an idea."
"Alright, I'm off then!" Harry said as he got up to leave. "See you guys around."
As Harry walked away, Ron turned to Hermione.
"Hey Hermione! You're my friend. Want to go to the ball with me? You know, as friends?"
Hermione sighed. "Yes, Ronald. I'll go to the ball with you, as friends."
Bit of a cop-out, but at least having a date will get that creepy Viktor guy off my back, Hermione thought.
Harry tried to ignore the stares as he walked over to the far end of the Slytherin table, where a large group of girls sat eating, chatting, and laughing. His girlfriend was right in the center of it all, and when he approached, she turned to look at him with a big smile on her face.
"Um, may I borrow Astoria?" Harry asked the group at large.
"Now you ask?" called Tracey, grinning at him. "Shouldn't you have asked before you stole our little princess- Ouch!"
Tracey's joke was cut off as someone - likely Daphne, who was sitting next to her - stomped on her foot.
Harry blushed, and turned to face Astoria. "I mean, may I speak to you for a moment?"
"Of course Harry," she smiled playfully. "You know I'll never turn down a 'moment' with you- Ow, Daphne!"
Astoria shot her sister an accusatory look as she cradled her recently stomped foot.
Astoria got up off the bench, and Harry glanced awkwardly at Daphne. They had never actually spoken before, but she was in his year, and he was dating her little sister. Were they supposed to talk about that?
Daphne just maintained a silent glare in his direction, so Harry bashfully broke eye contact without a word and led Astoria out of the hall.
He was just grateful his feet were not in stomping range.
"Sorry for dragging you out here," Harry said as they exited into the hallway. "But your sister still scares me."
"Oh, don't worry about her," Astoria replied offhandedly. "She'll never admit it, but she approves of you."
"Really?"
Astoria shrugged. "Probably. I figure if she didn't approve of you she would've hexed you by now."
"That's a relief…I think?"
"Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"
"Oh right!" Harry exclaimed, remembering why he had asked for her in the first place. "Have you got a dress for the ball yet?"
"Not yet," she replied. "Honestly, I was planning on just begging my parents to send me something cute. Why?"
"My, er, family friend told me he has an acquaintance in Hogsmeade who could set us up with something, so I was wondering if you wanted to take him up on that?"
Astoria narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the mention of Harry's 'family friend'. It had been a recurring point of contention between them, as Astoria didn't understand his reticence to discuss the friend in question, and Harry didn't understand how to tell her that his godfather was a (wrongfully accused) mass murderer.
"I'd be happy to come, of course," Astoria said. "But you are going to introduce me to this friend eventually, right?"
"Um, yeah. For sure," Harry replied noncommittally.
His girlfriend sighed in disappointment.
I really have to find a way to explain Sirius soon, Harry thought.
Sirius arrived in Hogsmeade early that morning, before even the most opportunistic of townspeople were awake and starting their day. He figured the only way the Death Eaters could have tracked him down to Hogsmeade was by knowing of his association with Harry, and it then stood to reason that they would strike when Harry would next be in town. If he was wrong, he would have simply wasted a day that he could have spent with Harry, which while certainly not ideal, was not irredeemable. If he was right however, he'd have protected both Harry and himself, and taken out a few of Voldemort's followers while he was at it.
Either way, he'd covertly escort his godson to Sally's shop, where he would be safe; despite everything, Sally was a highly competent witch. In the meantime, Sirius would do some hunting of his own. He hadn't displayed any signs of noticing his stalker during his last visit to Hogsmeade, so he wasn't expecting the Death Eaters to be prepared for his own pre-emptive attack.
Been a while since I've had a good, old-fashioned stakeout, Sirius thought to himself as he got comfortable on the roof of a tall building near the center of town, omnioculars in hand. Just like old times, eh?
And then he waited.
Harry followed the directions from Sirius' letter, leading Astoria to a rather sleek looking store in an upscale part of the village. As they entered, they noticed a young girl and what appeared to be her mother already there, getting ready to leave.
"But maman! I wanted the red one, not the silver one!"
"Come now, Gabi," the woman said to her daughter. "The red one was far too distracting; this is not your time in the spotlight."
"It will never be my time!" Gabi whined.
"Do not be so sure," her mother said with a patient smile. "It may come sooner than you think."
Harry and Astoria watched as the pair left the shop, and turned their attention back to the interior of the store.
"Are we waiting for someone?" asked Astoria.
"I think so? Someone named Sally apparently-"
"Hello Darlings!"
A gaudily dressed woman with a neckline that plunged a little too low for Harry to be comfortable looking at swept towards them and clapped her hands together. The woman had a thin handsome face, glossy dark hair, and carried herself regally. Her exact age was hard to pin down, but Harry would've guessed she was somewhere in her mid thirties.
"You must be Harry Potter!" she said, grabbing his chin with her long fingers and twisting it around to get a better look at his face. "Despite what they say, I don't find you look much like your father."
"You knew my dad?" Harry asked, astonished.
"Of course I knew James." she replied, letting go of his face. "Never was my type though. Too…committed."
Harry was still reeling from that revelation when she turned to inspect Astoria. "Ah, and you must be Victoria!" she said with glee. "I've read all about you in the Prophet – I'm a big fan of yours."
"You're a fan of mine?" Astoria asked, bewildered. "What have I ever done to earn fans?"
"Oh, don't be so modest," the woman laughed. "Your work is inspiring; to have a famous wizard like Harry Potter wrapped around your finger at such a young age is no small feat!"
Astoria gave Harry an awkward smile and shrugged.
Harry sighed. He had long since given up trying to correct the misunderstandings that were born from Rita Skeeter's article.
"Now, on to business," she said, smiling widely. "I'm Sally, and I'll be helping you find your dress robes. Come with me!"
Harry and Astoria followed Sally through the shop, which let them have a good look at the clothes displayed on the countless racks and mannequins around them. Everything they saw exuded extravagance and meticulous attention to detail; the gowns were made of exquisite silks and satin, and the craftsmanship on display from the handcrafted suits was incredible.
"This place is amazing," Astoria whispered to him as she looked around in awe. "I've never seen clothes so beautiful!"
"It is impressive," Harry answered. He didn't know the first thing about fashion, but even he could tell this was no run-of-the-mill dress shop.
Astoria eventually remembered she was here to buy a dress, and turned to Harry sheepishly. "I think these dresses may be a little out of my budget though…" She had gotten a bit of extra money from Daphne today, but she knew in a store like this that paltry sum wouldn't even buy a button.
"Nonsense!" Sally said, whipping around to look at the two teens. They startled as she spoke, as they hadn't even known she was listening to their conversation.
"Our mutual friend," she said, winking at Harry, "has paid in advance. Don't worry about anything other than finding the perfect robes today."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise. Sally knows about Sirius? Is that even safe?
Noticing Harry's shock, Sally laughed. "Oh, he tried to put it under a fake name, but he can't fool me. Don't worry though, my lips are sealed," she said, closing an imaginary zipper on her lips.
She found him out that easily? Harry thought. I guess I have to remind Sirius to be more careful again…
Astoria looked over at him suspiciously. "I take it your 'mutual friend' is that mysterious family friend of yours?"
"Er, yeah."
Astoria frowned. "I appreciate their generosity, but I really would like to meet them, especially if they're going to spend that much money on me…"
"I know, I know," Harry said guiltily. "Just give me a bit more time, please?"
"Okay, Harry," Astoria sighed in resignation. "You'll tell them I say thank you though?"
"Of course."
Sally eventually led them to a closed room at the back of the shop with mirrors on every side.
"The fitting room," she said cheerfully, gesturing around her.
She took out her wand, and with a short flick, a measuring tape snapped to attention beside her. She turned her eyes to Harry and gave him a smirk.
"Now Harry, undress."
Harry looked at her, frightened. "What?"
She rolled her eyes. "Come on now, don't be shy. Off with your shirt! How else do you expect me to take your measurements?"
Harry turned to look at Astoria, who also seemed to be at a loss for words. He turned back to Sally. "Um, in front of her?"
"Tsk, tsk. I know what you kids get up to these days, it's nothing she hasn't seen before."
Harry was quite sure that 'you kids' were not, in fact, getting up to anything like this, at least not amongst the people he knew. He was definitely sure that neither he nor Astoria were, in any case.
After a moment to collect himself, he decided that being seen shirtless probably wasn't actually that big of a deal; he had changed in front of the Quidditch team in the locker rooms before, and it never bothered him then. With a deep breath he removed his shirt, only a little bit awkwardly, and hoped Astoria didn't stare.
Astoria stared.
She had obviously never seen Harry without a shirt on, but thanks to this wonderful 'Sally' woman, her boyfriend's bare torso was now on full display. Astoria's face flushed red, and she licked her lips unconsciously. She had never seen so much of Harry before…
"This is kind of embarrassing," Harry said into the silence.
"It shouldn't be!" replied Sally. "Sure, you're a bit on the slim side, and your skin is so pale it's almost translucent, but the way your girlfriend is staring at you means she doesn't mind!"
Astoria squeaked and turned away, flustered over being caught.
Harry blushed and tried to cover himself with his arms. He hoped Astoria was staring because she liked what she saw, and not because she was disgusted…
Sally looked at the awkward, blushing couple in surprise. "I guess you two are taking it slow then? You know, by the time I was your age-"
"Um, the measurement?" Harry asked.
"Right, right."
Over the next few minutes, Harry's measurements were taken, and Astoria managed to resist the urge to turn around until it was finished; it helped that since the room was made of mirrors, she was still able to peek occasionally.
"Now then," Sally said with a smile, putting the measuring tape away. "Let's dress you up, shall we?"
I wonder how things are going with Sally? Sirius wondered.
While neither of them had been aware of it, Harry and Astoria had been tailed by Sirius throughout their entire walk to the shop. He had done it just to be safe, but the lack of attackers had proven his suspicions likely correct – the Death Eaters were after him today, not Harry.
With his godson's safety assured, Sirius returned to his perch in the center of town, and continued looking for any irregular activity that would indicate Death Eater presence. It was regrettable, as he was originally planning on being much more involved with Harry's selection of robes for the Yule Ball, but he also trusted Sally's aesthetic judgment.
After all, there was a reason she was one of the wizarding world's top fashion designers. She wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect.
"Pretty good," Sally said, as Harry tried on what felt like the hundredth robe. "But we can do better."
"I agree," Astoria nodded sagely.
In the past thirty minutes of trying on every robe that caught either of the girls' eye, Harry had noticed a bond of camaraderie form between the two of them.
"What about this blue one?" Sally suggested.
"No, definitely not that one," Astoria replied. "He needs something darker. How about that maroon robe over there?"
Sally hummed. "You might be onto something…Harry! You know what to do."
Harry sighed and trudged back to the changing room, maroon robes in hand.
"Nope," the two women said immediately and simultaneously as Harry came back out.
This is going to be a long day, he thought.
Sirius was almost starting to suspect he had been wrong about the timing of the Death Eaters' attack when he spotted a group of seven men apparate into Hogsmeade by the gates through his omnioculars. While the men were dressed casually with their faces unconcealed, Sirius had been keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, and a group like this most certainly was.
Sure enough, the man at the head of the group gave a few short orders while pointing in various directions, and the men set off in three groups of two. The leader stayed where he was, leaning against a wall and pulling out a cigarette, presumably waiting for his 'scouts' to return.
I doubt they're searching for a tea shop, Sirius thought to himself. I wonder if they're looking for little old me?
Sirius clambered down the side of the building using his recently purchased Wizard's Climbing Shoes, and set off to find the first group of men.
After trying several more robes, Harry emerged in a simple black ensemble that while rather plain in design, fit perfectly and had an indescribable aura of power and elegance about it.
The two women stared at him for a moment, speechless, and the gleam in Astoria's eyes reminded him suspiciously of the way Hedwig looked at bacon.
"It's perfect!" Sally declared enthusiastically. "You'll be the talk of the ball, Darling!"
Astoria looked at her incredibly handsome boyfriend, completely lost for words. Was he always this…yummy? she thought.
"Astoria dear, you're drooling," Sally said.
Astoria wiped her mouth and turned to the woman. "Um, maybe we should pick something a little less nice? I have enough competition as it is…"
Sally laughed. "Oh, don't worry sweetheart. You won't have any competition once we've found your dress."
"So it's Astoria's turn now?" Harry asked, relieved that he wouldn't have to try on any more clothes.
"Yup! Follow me, Astoria. It's time to take your measurements."
Harry blushed as he followed them into the fitting room. Was Astoria going to have to take her shirt off like he did?
Am I ready for this? Harry took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. I mean, I'd like to see more of her, but I also want to take things slow- Actually, that's not what this is about at all. She's just getting measured, and it's not like I'm going to make things weird by looking at her or anything-
"Harry?" Sally said as she noticed Harry following them into the fitting room. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"
"What? I thought…"
Sally raised an eyebrow at him. "You thought what?"
"Well, Astoria was there when I got measured, so I just kind of thought, well…"
"Don't be a creep," Sally said. "You can wait in the store."
"A creep!?" Harry shouted indignantly.
"I mean, I don't really mind if Harry watches…" Astoria said, blushing and looking at the ground.
Sally shook her head furiously. "Absolutely not! Your dress will be a surprise, and he'll see it on the night of the ball and no sooner!"
Astoria felt a bit guilty, but was also a little relieved; she was trying to be fair, but ultimately knew she would've been pretty embarrassed to get measured in front of Harry.
"Sorry," she said, smiling up at him. "I guess you'll have to try a little harder if you want to see me out of my robes."
Harry blushed furiously. "Oh my gosh, I never said I wanted to! I just assumed that- You know what, forget it. I'll go wait outside."
Astoria giggled as he walked away. Sally turned to look at the girl, respect clear in her gaze.
"Not bad," she praised. "But I'll teach you a thing or two later that'll really knock his socks off…"
"Hello, friends!" Sirius said cheerfully as he stepped out of a shadow in an alleyway that he had created using some of his supply of Shadow Powder. "Were you looking for me?"
The two goons looked at each other in shock.
"It's him!" one of them yelled. "Kill-"
The man was cut off as Sirius tased him unconscious with a Zonko's Prank Party Popper that he had modified to pack a little more punch than it was supposed to.
Sirius pointed another Party Popper at the remaining goon. "Who sent you?" he asked.
"I'll never tell you!" the man shouted, raising his wand.
It was the last thing the man said before he fell to the ground, unconscious.
After Harry had changed out of his new dress robes and had them sent back to his room at Hogwarts, he snuck out of the back door and into the streets of Hogsmeade. He had been looking for an excuse to duck out today and find a Christmas present for Astoria, and being kicked out of the changing room when it was Astoria's turn to get fitted presented a good opportunity.
He had asked Hermione, being his only other female friend, what Astoria might like for Christmas. She told him that since it was still early, it was better to play it safe and get her something thoughtful but functional, like a scarf. It seemed a decent enough idea to him so he had done some research and found a clothing store of good repute on the other side of the town that would have a selection for him.
Now, just to get there and back before Astoria finishes up with Sally, he thought as he took off at a jog down the street.
"Hey, Tucker. What did they say Black looked like, in his dog form?"
"Er, I think they said, 'big, with black fur' or somethin' like that. Why you askin', Eddy?"
"You don't reckon that's him over there, do you?"
The two men looked over to where a large black dog was lying down, whimpering, at the end of a street.
"That's gotta be him!" Tucker said to Eddy. "And he's injured, one of the other teams musta hit him already!"
The two men went running down the street, and the dog, noticing them, got up slowly and started to limp around a corner.
"He's running!" Eddy said. "Don't lose him!"
As the two men turned the corner they had seen the dog disappear into, they were promptly sprayed in the face with a canister of Instant Sleep Gas.
Tucker and Eddy had a short moment to look at each other in surprise, before they slumped gracelessly to the ground.
"Not bad," a perfectly uninjured Sirius said as he looked down at the can in his hand. "I see why this stuff is illegal now."
Sirius shifted back into a dog before anyone turned up the street he was on and noticed him. With one last glance to make sure the men weren't getting up any time soon, he trotted away.
I know I'm a bit of a failure with fashion, but I hope she likes this scarf! Harry thought as he clutched the present he had purchased Astoria with both hands. He wasn't sure if she'd like it, but it was the same color of blue as her eyes, and he thought it would look nice on her.
Harry ran off towards the other side of town, where he was hoping he'd get back before Astoria was finished choosing her dress.
After capturing the remaining two men in a 'Resizable Cage For All Occasions' and casting a few silencing charms on them, Sirius loped back towards the Hogsmeade gates.
So it's just the leader left, eh? Sirius thought to himself as he walked. This group wasn't as competent as I was expecting. I guess the Death Eaters don't have the same resources they used to…
Soon enough, Sirius spotted the same man from before leaning against a building with a cigarette, but with a decidedly more concerned expression on his face.
I'm not taking any chances with you, Sirius thought as he snuck behind the building and shifted back into a man. I may not be great with a wand, but even I won't miss from a few feet away.
Avery watched from a short distance as Sirius took out the leader of the group he had hired with a stunning spell to the back.
He knew they would fail; it was all part of his plan.
Avery didn't expect for a moment that a band of thoughtless thugs would be able to kill Sirius Black, a mission that he and his fellow Death Eaters had tried and failed countless times to do during the first war. Granted, Black was rusty now, and considerably older than he had once been, but Avery had lived long enough to know never to trust anyone else with a job that needed to get done. So in the end, Avery had set up a hiding spot within viewing distance of the leader of the group, betting that eventually Sirius would make his way over to take him out.
Avery smiled as he watched Sirius transform back into a dog and take off down the street. It was now that he would be most vulnerable, with his guard let down. Avery wouldn't use an unforgivable curse - he couldn't take that kind of risk in case he got spotted - but he knew more than enough 'forgivable' spells that could kill a man when properly aimed.
Stepping out of his hiding spot, he pointed his wand at the dog's neck.
"Diffindo!"
On his way back to Sally's shop, Harry passed by the Hogsmeade gates. He was so focused on getting back in time that he almost missed the dog casually ambling down the sidewalk.
Sirius!? What is he doing here? I thought he had business to attend to today…
Harry realized that Sirius could be in Hogsmeade attending to business, but still – if Sirius was already there, couldn't he have taken at least a little bit of time to meet with him?
Harry was in the middle of wondering why his godfather didn't want to talk to him when he noticed the other man. One he didn't recognize, from behind Sirius, with his wand raised in the dog's direction.
"Diffindo!"
"PADFOOT!"
At Harry's shout Sirius spun around, causing Avery's cutting curse to hit his shoulder instead of his neck. He yelped in pain, and looked wildly between his godson and the Death Eater in panic.
Avery got over his initial surprise from seeing Harry rather quickly, and raised his wand towards the boy. While the Dark Lord had told him that Potter must remain alive, he didn't preclude maiming him.
"Confrin-"
"Expelliarmus!"
Harry hadn't survived his first three years at Hogwarts by being slow to react. The moment after he had yelled to Sirius, he had his wand out to disarm the man who tried to kill his godfather.
Avery looked down at his empty wand hand in shock. The little brat had disarmed him! No matter, he had a backup wand in his-
"Stupefy!"
The man fell to the ground, stunned. Satisfied that the threat had been dealt with, Harry looked around and noticed that their scene was starting to draw attention. Putting his wand in his pocket, he ran over to the injured Sirius and hauled him into his arms. Harry almost gagged at the amount of blood that matted his fur, and he felt himself start to panic as he heard Sirius' ragged breath.
"Don't shift yet," Harry said in a rush as the dog whimpered. "There are too many people around."
Harry ran through Hogsmeade carrying the large canine. His arms and legs burned from the exertion and he drew many strange looks, but he didn't care; the life of his only remaining family member was in danger.
"What happened here?" Officer Philippe, senior member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement said once he pushed through the crowd and arrived on the scene.
There was a large bloodstain on the ground, and a stunned but otherwise uninjured man laying prone some feet away.
"Officer, I saw the whole thing!" exclaimed a man from the gathered crowd. "It was Harry Potter!"
There was muttered assent from the group, backing up the man's claims.
Officer Philippe looked at the man questioningly. "What do you mean, civilian? Speak clearly."
"That man," said the villager, pointing at Avery, "tried to kill a stray dog, and then turned his wand on Harry Potter, probably to do the same! Potter disarmed and stunned him, and then ran off with the dog!"
Officer Philippe furrowed his brow. This wasn't the case he had been expecting when he was called in on the emergency line to Hogsmeade a few minutes earlier.
A stunned man, a stray dog, and the boy who lived, Philippe thought. How do these pieces fit together?
"Officer!" one of his junior agents called to him as he jogged over. "We have two unconscious men in an alley off High Street. Their profiles match the descriptions of known wanted criminals in the DMLE database!"
Philippe rubbed his temples. He had been an officer for over a decade, and knew from experience that this new complication was very likely to be connected with the scene in front of him. He just didn't know how.
"Understood," he said, before turning to another of his junior agents. "Don, call in backup. Let them know we'll need a full sweep of the village and extraction of at least three potential felons. When you're done with that, send a missive to Hogwarts – we're going to need to speak with Harry Potter."
Harry placed Sirius down as gently as his sore arms could manage on to the floor of the Shrieking Shack. Sirius shifted back into his human form, and gasped in pain as the wound on his shoulder transformed along with him.
Harry really did gag this time, as he saw the massive gash in Sirius' arm that traveled from the top of his shoulder to his elbow, revealing the bone underneath.
"Oh no, oh god, what do we do," Harry panicked as he grabbed the scarf he had just bought and used it to try to stop the profuse bleeding from Sirius' arm. "We have to get someone that can help. Damn it! We don't have enough time to get Madam Pomphrey-"
"Kreacher," Sirius croaked weakly.
With a soft pop, a weathered old house elf appeared beside him. "Master, what-" the elf stopped abruptly as he took in the damage done to Sirius' arm. "Oh! Oh dear, oh dear me."
With a snap the elf disappeared again, and Harry feared for a moment he had abandoned them, but a moment later he was back, his thin arms full of supplies.
"Drink this, master. It will help with the pain," Kreacher said as he lifted a vial to Sirius' lips. Sirius drank it down, shuddering, but his gasps of pain slowly subsided.
Harry watched as the elf applied lotions, salves, and powders to Sirius' wound, waving his hands over it with softly muttered expressions all the while. After a few minutes, Kreacher took out a roll of gauze and wrapped the arm tightly. By that point, a bit of color had returned to Sirius' face and he turned to look at his godson and his house elf.
"That makes the second time you've saved me, Harry," he said softly. "And thanks for coming, Kreacher. I'm surprised you didn't use the opportunity to finally get rid of me."
"You insult Kreacher. A house elf's duty is always to his master."
"Um, will Sirius be okay?" Harry asked nervously.
"Yes," the elf replied sharply. "The reckless, careless, thoughtless master who doesn't listen to Kreacher's warnings will be okay."
"Hey!" Sirius retorted, a little too loudly and devolving into a brief coughing fit. "The plan worked flawlessly until that pinhead Avery showed up…"
"Avery?" Harry questioned.
"The man you stunned," Sirius explained. "Good job on that by the way! He was one of Voldemort's Death Eaters in the first war, but he avoided Azkaban by making a few convenient donations to the right people."
"Oh," said Harry, trying to put all the pieces together in his head. "And what was the plan, exactly?"
"Harry?" Astoria said as she came out of the fitting room with Sally. She had found the perfect dress, and was positively ecstatic about it.
She wanted to show her boyfriend just how ecstatic she was, preferably using kisses, but he wasn't in the showroom of the store where they had left him.
"Huh," said Sally. "He disappeared."
Astoria narrowed her eyes. "So it seems."
"Does that happen often?"
"Occasionally."
Sally raised an eyebrow. "The dress will be sent directly to your room at Hogwarts. Do you need anything else?"
"No, that will be all," Astoria replied. "Thanks Sally, for everything. I need to go hunt for my boyfriend now."
Kreacher glared at Sirius as the man explained his plan to Harry. By the end of the story, Harry was glaring at him as well.
"Your plan was to take on a group of unknown size and skill, that already knew both your human and animagus identity, without help?" Harry said incredulously.
"Well," Sirius started. "When you put it like that, it sounds a bit rash…"
"No matter how you put it, master, it sounded rash. This is what I already told you last week," Kreacher scolded.
"I still don't understand," said Harry, shaking his head. "Why would you try to fight them? Why didn't you let someone know, let me know, and then just stay away from Hogsmeade?"
Sirius sighed, scratching his head, and he grimaced as the movement made intense pain shoot through his arm. "It was Pettigrew," he admitted. "The only way they would have known about my animagus form is if Pettigrew was informing them. I thought that maybe he'd show up today…"
"And you wanted revenge?" Harry suggested.
Sirius looked around the room, avoiding eye contact with his godson.
"Sirius," Harry began. "I already lost you for fourteen years because of Peter Pettigrew. Please promise me I won't lose you forever because of him as well."
Sirius winced. What was he supposed to say to that?
"Master Sirius, Master Harry is wise. You should listen to him, even if you don't listen to poor Kreacher."
"I know, I know," Sirius said with another sigh. "It was dumb. I wanted us to be safe, and I let my emotions get the better of me, again. I promise I'll be more careful in the future."
Harry turned to look at Kreacher. "Kreacher, can you make sure he follows through with that?"
"Yes, Master Harry," the elf nodded. "Today has taught Kreacher that a much firmer hand is needed with troublesome masters like Master Sirius."
"Have you seen Harry?" Astoria asked one of her friends once she had gotten back to the High Street without finding her boyfriend.
"Everyone's looking for Harry! Apparently he got in a fight with an adult wizard and then ran through town with a bleeding dog in his arms!"
Astoria's jaw dropped. What's he gotten himself into the middle of this time? She thought. I swear, these things only happen to Harry!
Astoria ran through Hogsmeade, asking everyone she could find if they knew where her boyfriend was. No one did, and her concern grew with every passing minute she didn't find him. Eventually, she came upon Luna, who was standing by herself, staring at the Shrieking Shack.
"Luna," she gasped, catching her breath. "Have you seen Harry?"
"Several times."
"Really?"
"He goes to school with us."
"Oh- Wait, what? I mean, do you know where he is now?"
Luna shrugged. "I was picking mushrooms over there when I saw him run into the Shrieking Shack. I'd try looking there, if I were you."
Astoria took off towards the Shrieking Shack before Luna had even finished her sentence.
"Master, we can't stay much longer," Kreacher said. "There are too many-"
"Harry!"
Sirius, Kreacher, and Harry all looked towards the door as it crashed open and a blonde girl ran in.
"Oh thank heavens," she said as she moved to Harry and wrapped him in a tight hug. "I thought you were hurt. Wait, are you hurt? Where did all this blood come from?"
"I'm not hurt," Harry replied, his brain working overtime to figure out what he was supposed to do in this situation. "It's, uh, his blood," he said, pointing towards Sirius.
"Oh," Astoria exhaled, relieved. While a bleeding stranger wasn't great, she figured it was still decidedly better than a bleeding Harry.
Astoria took another look at the man sitting on the floor with a bandaged arm, who was looking up at her in surprise. He looked awfully familiar for a stranger…
Oh right, she thought. He's been on wanted posters for the past year-
"Harry!" Astoria exclaimed in panic. "That's Sirius Black!"
Harry forced out a laugh and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Ah, yeah. Remember the family friend you wanted to meet?"
"...Yes?"
Harry gestured to Sirius. "This is my godfather."
Astoria looked up at Harry, her eyes wide and full of confusion. "Huh?"
"Er, it's a long story, but basically he's innocent and was framed for all of those crimes, and is actually my legal guardian."
"Not so legal at the moment!" Sirius chimed in. "They still think I killed all those people."
Astoria's face paled and Harry shot Sirius a glare for his poorly timed addendum. Realizing he had yet to make proper introductions, Harry gestured to Astoria.
"Sirius, this is my girlfriend, Astoria Greengrass."
"Girlfriend!?" Sirius exclaimed with a big smile. "It's nice to finally meet you Astoria, I've heard so much about you!"
Astoria looked at the man she had spent her entire life believing to be the wizarding world's most notorious mass murderer. "Hi? It's, um, nice to meet you too. I've, um, heard a lot about you as well..."
Sirius beamed.
"Master, we should really get going," Kreacher spoke up from the corner. "The ministry could be here at any moment."
Sighing, Sirius turned to Harry. "I'm sorry we didn't get much of a chance to speak today, but Kreacher is right – we caused too much of a stir to remain here for long. I'll send you a letter as soon as I can."
Harry nodded. "Okay Sirius. You'll stay safe?"
"I promise."
Kreacher grabbed on to Sirius' uninjured arm, and with a soft pop they disappeared.
They stood there in silence for a bit, Astoria recovering from the chaos that was her past half hour, and Harry wondering how he was going to deal with the inevitable ensuing fallout.
Eventually, Astoria composed herself and turned to look at Harry with her arms crossed. While normally he found her glares incredibly attractive, at the moment, he was just terrified.
"You have a lot of explaining to do," she said.
Sirius and Kreacher returned to 12 Grimmauld Place, their sudden entrance by apparition causing Max to bark in surprise.
Kreacher levitated Sirius over to the couch, where Max promptly jumped up to snuggle by his feet.
Sirius lay there, about to drift off to sleep, when a thought struck him. "Hey Kreacher, you don't suppose Harry's going to get trouble from the ministry for stunning that Death Eater, do you?"
"I imagine he will, master."
Sirius thought some more. "What about his girlfriend, for keeping my identity a secret from her for so long?"
"I imagine the girlfriend too, master."
"Oh dear."