AN: I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. This chapter's formatting went wonky in the upload. I'm not sure what's happening. But if I missed a fix somewhere and this is bothering you, please head over to AO3 and read there. Otherwise Happy reading! #nobetawedielikemen

Chapter 16 - Hop, Skip, Jump

The nerves Harry had been experiencing the night before, came back full force the next morning. He opted to skip breakfast in favour of a morning fly around the moor.

Instead of putting himself through the paces, Harry flew lazily, just above the tree line. He flew eastward until the sun had risen enough to hinder his eyesight, before turning and making his way back. All the while trying to sort his feelings.

Harry touched down and stowed his broom. He still hadn't felt Hermione enter the wards so he took to pacing. Just at the edge of the back patio, back and forth. This is where Sirius found him.

"You wanna talk about it pup?"

Harry startled and looked up to see Sirius leaning on the wall just outside the door. He grumbled briefly about needing to put a bell on Sirius. When Sirius did not rise to the bait, Harry sighed.

"I'm not sure what's wrong," Harry mumbled simply.

Moving forward, Sirius pulled a chair from one of the nearby tables and sat down in front of Harry.

"Do you think something will go wrong at the meeting?" Sirius asked gently.

Harry shook his head. "No, that's just it, anytime I really think about it, I'm completely okay with what we're doing. I believe we can trust Madame Bones. I know this is important and it's what I want to do…but if I'm not focused on exactly what we're doing I just feel…I don't know, anxious?" He looked up to Sirius with a face full of questions.

"It's okay to have some reservations or be anxious, nervous, or scared. And, you can tell me about those times anytime you want and I won't judge you for it. We all get those feelings."

Sirius watched as Harry's eyes dropped to his wringing hands, and thought about what Harry had said.

"Just to clarify, are you trying to say your feelings don't match how you think you should be feeling, or your feelings are more foreign or mismatched? "

Harry tilted his head to the side as he considered the question. "I don't think they match my thoughts. Like the anxiousness feels outside my body? Like when someone puts their hand too close to your back and it tickles even though they haven't touched you. You know?"

Sirius wasn't sure he did know the feeling Harry was describing but had an idea and asked, "Harry, do you feel those feelings right now?"

He nodded. "Yes, on and off since we agreed to meet Madame Bones."

"I want you to try to practise raising your occlumency shield. Go through the exercises like we practised."

Sirius watched him closely as he closed his eyes and slowly relaxed. All the tension he was holding in his shoulders seemed to ease as his hands fell limply to his sides.

When Harry reopened his eyes he smiled at his godfather. "I feel better!" Harry's brow immediately furrowed, "but why did that work? I thought that was to keep people from reading or tampering with my mind?"

"Not to alarm you, but I think It might be your connection with Hermione. She was quite upset she couldn't accompany you today. The occlumency helped you sort your feelings from the ones you are getting from your link with her. I could be wrong, but Firecrest did say this was a possibility."

"Hermione was sad she couldn't go with us, sure. But she understood why we couldn't take her."

Sirius smiled gently. Harry had a lot to learn about women. "Just because she understood, doesn't mean she isn't going to worry herself silly. By the sound of it, it makes her nervous about being left behind, but that is a talk you should have with her. I don't want to speak for her."

"I suppose. She'll probably want to know I might be…" Harry trailed off with a sigh. "I don't even know how to explain what's been happening."

"Just stick to the truth about how you were feeling and the conclusion we came to. She's a smart girl. If either of you have questions, we can ask Firecrest or Master Sun at the upcoming campfire. They may know more."

"I'll do that. Thanks Sirius, I feel much better."

"Anytime pup. Now there's still some brekky on the table. You better hop to it if you want to get some before Remus wolfs it all down."

Harry chuckled at the joke and followed Sirius inside.

It turned out, there wasn't much of an opportunity for Harry to have that conversion with Hermione before he and Remus had to leave for London. Hermione was running a few minutes behind that morning, after not having slept well the night before. When she failed to arrive at her normal time, Remus suggested he and Harry wait for her at the gates, so they could leave as soon as they had her portkey.

Hermione apologised profusely for the delay, which Harry and Remus both waved off, they would still make it in time, after all.

Harry gave her a reassuring smile, and she, in turn, gave him a tight hug. "'S'all right. We'll be back soon. You should run and catch up to Master Sun. I saw him outside his tent when I was out back earlier. I'm pretty sure he still expects you out there."

Hermione nodded and slipped her home portkey off her wrist, handing it to Remus. "Okay. Be safe."

Remus and Harry nodded, both touching the portkey and disappearing in a swirl of colour.

Hermione sighed and watched the spot they'd left from, for a long moment. Shaking herself, she rushed inside to collect Neville and head out back.

Master Sun was in fact waiting for her, and greeted them as they approached.

"Good morning. Ready to warm up?" At Hermione and Neville's nod, he waited until they took their usual places and began walking them through their stretches. When they were done, they did their run and returned.

However, when Neville made to take his seat on the grass, Master Sun waved him over. "If you are up for it, Mister Longbottom, you can work on your form with Hermione today. We can see what you've learned so far."

Neville looked hesitant at Hermione who smiled encouragingly. Looking back to Master Sun Neville retook his place beside Hermione. "Thank you, Sir. I'd like that."

"Good. If all goes well today as it has been, we will start learning your next form possibly tomorrow. Right, without me, show me what you remember."

The kids dropped into their stand and began the slow movements. Neville moved a bit slower than Hermione, in an effort to do his best to balance. His deep concentration showed as he moved through the steps his friends taught him.

"Very good. You're close to your manifestation Hermione. You still overthink it. This is what you feel, not think." Hermione nodded, chewing her lip slightly at the instruction.

"Mister Longbottom, you are picking this up just as quickly, but you got your arm patterns reversed, do it again, with me." Neville and Hermione both picked up the form with Master Sun, following his movements. Neville was proud he hadn't lost balance once that time.

"Very good. Again, without me. Last time. Relax, feel the energy. Feel the magic. Good. left hand up. Good, good." Master Sun watched as they moved in tandem, deep focus on their young faces. In the final few movements he could just catch Longbottom's magic begin to manifest. Interestingly enough, it gathered around his feet and up his legs, rather than at his hands.

Hermione was still struggling to get more than flashes. He could tell this was of great frustration for her. He knew when she finally found what she was missing, she would be a force to be reckoned with.

"You both are doing excellent. I mean that. I do not praise those that have not rightfully earned it. I can see you both making your connections to magic. I don't think it will be long before you will be able to see it as we can see Harry's. Now, I do not wish to start new material while Harry is away, but we still have time left in our lesson. Why don't you both go for your cool down run and meet me back here. I can give a short lecture on healing. I seem to remember that being a request." Master Sun looked at Hermione, who nodded excitedly.

"Yes! That would be great, Sir!"

They gave each other the gesture/bow of respect and the kids ran for the pond. Neville, stumbling to keep up with Hermione's sudden exuberance, trailed after her slightly.

Remus and Harry repeated their trip to The Leaky Cauldron just as they had before. Portkey to Hermione's home. Put the invisibility cloak on Harry. Make the quick hop to London, near the entrance to the pub. Make sure the cloak hadn't been dislodged in transit. Then head inside, going directly to the stairs that would lead them to the crooked hallway and back to Room two.

Remus cast his spell again, nodded, and stepped up to the door, knocking as he had last time.

The door opened a sliver. "Am I to presume he's under the cloak again?"

Remus nodded stiffly and Madame Bones opened the door, ushering them inside. She gave a brief look into the hallway before closing the door and waving her wand over it. After it flashed over with a fog that quickly dissipated, she turned to face them.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet again." she gestured to the chairs so they could all sit.

Harry pulled off his cloak and sat. "Thank you for being willing to listen."

Madame Bones wasted no time, skipping further pleasantries, she got straight to the point as they took their seats. "I looked over everything you sent, and pulled some records to verify what you'd told me. It was a lot to sort though. The end of the last war was not handled well. To put it frankly, our side was losing, and if You-Know-Who had not been stopped that Halloween, he would have taken the ministry within the month. People were scared to come to work, and even more scared to do their jobs. When he disappeared, and the attacks slowed and eventually stopped, the aurors were finally able to get a foothold to start getting the people that were still causing problems behind bars. Including offering deals to 'nonviolent' Deatheaters. If they gave us names, they would get a lesser sentence."

Madame Bones paused to take a sip of her water. Placing the glass back on the table she continued, "It quickly became chaos. There were days of trials from the people that had been caught, but there were also cases being closed due to people claiming they had only done 'his' bidding while under the influence of the Imperius curse."

She sighed in annoyance, and though Harry wasn't sure what that curse was, he gathered that it means guilty people got away with their crimes because of it. "We had so many claiming they were innocent and being unable to really question them with veritas serum, that, I think, when Sirius came in, screaming like a mad man, and crying about how he was to blame, the aurors noted it in his file and locked him up."

Seeing Harry's immediate outrage, Madame Bones held up her hand to stall him. "I know. I am not saying it was right. Everyone should have their day in court. He should have been scheduled for trial. The problem was, because the person handling his report noted he had confessed to the crimes, instead of passing it off to a senior auror who would normally conduct a proper questioning and fill out the arrest and trial paperwork, his file was sent straight to be filed with the ones of the people that had been convicted and were set for Azkaban. In the chaos and workload, the person that processed him didn't check to confirm he had a trial."

"I spent the time since our last meeting tracking down the paper trail and talking to the few people that are still around that handled things during that time. To be completely honest, I can't even be sure if it was handled this way by accident, or if someone really wanted Sirius in jail, in place of Peter."

Harry's emotions were all over the place. He wanted to yell and cry at the injustice. He felt rage and loss and pity. "Okay. So now what? Does that mean Sirius is free? That the man hunt is over? Are they going to apologise for stealing my Godfather from me? For robbing him of ten years…a..a decade of his life?" Harry was practically shouting by the time he finished. Remus placed a comforting hand on his back but said nothing. He too looked outraged and seemed to agree with Harry's words. Harry was unsure when he had stood from his seat, but with a shuddering breath he dropped back into it.

She waited calmly as he ran out of steam and fell back into his chair. "I took my findings to the minister directly. I made it appear that these things surfaced because of the new search for Sirius. He was…hesitant to believe such an error could be made. He seemed to believe the lack of conviction to be a trivial matter to be remedied once Sirius is recaptured."

"So that's it? He's not even going to consider-"

"Not at first. But if you'd let me finish, I can tell you what I did next. I know this isn't easy to hear. Let me assure you that I didn't call you here to give you bad news." She gave Harry a stern but sympathetic look as he took another breath to settle himself.

Remus replaced his hand on Harry's shoulder and bid her to continue.

"I wanted to exonerate Sirius completely, with reparations made for improper imprisonment. I've come to know the minister's way of doing things. He is a bit spineless and often seeks advice from a collection of individuals when he is unsure. I knew that any threat to the ideas of those select few could spur the minister in the correct direction. So I remade my proposal and came at him from a different angle."

"Instead of righting a miscarriage of justice, I told him we needed to fix a mistake from the previous administration. One that threw the head of house to an old pureblood family in jail without a trial. Without proper questioning. What if the public were to find out we were putting wizards in Azkaban without confirming their guilt as our laws dictate. They may lose faith in our system. Or may choose to elect someone who promises to fix the problem."

"Worse still if the chair holders on the Wizengamot were to find out we were capable of locking anyone of them up just because we decided they were guilty. Their status in society means nothing as they are thrown into Azkaban. I see you look doubtful at this approach but it worked. I've never seen the blood drain from someone's face faster than I did at that meeting."

Remus nodded carefully. "I can see the implications, especially to those that used their positions to worm their way out of prison. Not to mention the public opinion, next year is a voting year after all. I assume the mention of the voters really had him reconsidering."

"So he agreed to, what? Clear Sirius? Have a trial? I mean, what happens now?" Harry asked, exasperated. He didn't care much about all the meetings and how-tos, he just wanted to know the bottom line and what needed to be done next.

"The minister rescinded the kiss on site orders from the Dementors and recalled them to Azkaban. He authorised a special tribunal to expedite Sirius's trial. If Sirius agrees to come in and be questioned under veritas serum, we have the power to clear or convict him based on those statements without calling in the whole Wizengamot. I know you had some…misgivings about Dumbledore. As he leads the Wizengamot, I thought this was a rather clever way to circumvent him."

"So if you question him, and he says he didn't do what he was accused of, the ministry will announce him innocent and he'll be free?"

"Yes. I also got the minister to approve reparations in the event Sirius is cleared of all charges." She gave Harry her first true smile as one of his own spread across his face.

"This tribunal, when Sirius is cleared, can you also have him legally named my guardian? Will they have the power to get that in writing? I'm worried to be seen in public, like I'm going to get snatched and put into the system and sent to live with some random wizarding family 'for my own good'."

"Harry, this meeting is off record. I'm already in hot water for not taking you into custody when I called off the search for you. I have a stack of paperwork that needs to be filled out about your custody and such. Now, I read your parent's will, and I know you seem to want Sirius to take on the duty your parents bestowed on him, but I have some reservations. For starters, Azkaban is not a forgiving place. The Dementor's drain…I just worry about his ability to provide you the care a child needs."

Harry stared at her for a long moment. Trying to settle his feelings and put his thoughts together.

Remus broke the silence first. "Madame Bones, I understand your worry. I do. I had reservations too. I told Harry how hellish the prison was and what Sirius must have endured in that place. But Sirius held onto his sanity because of the knowledge that he was innocent. He said because it wasn't a happy thought, the dementors couldn't take it from him. He is still recovering, but I believe you will find no one better for Harry."

Madame Bones sighed. "To be honest and answer your question. Yes, I believe the tribunal will have the power to make him your guardian, as he is your godfather and was the first named in your parents' will. That right should have been his all along. But I hesitate to use the power to do so. I hear what you're saying Remus, but you can't tell me that a man that was locked up at 22 years old and who spent 10 years in prison knows anything about raising a child."

Remus made to speak to defend Sirius when Harry cut him off, "Um, Moony, can you give us a second please? Just a couple minutes, please."

Confused, and thrown off by Harry's use of his nickname, Remus nodded hesitantly and stood. "Of course, if you'd like. I'll be right outside the door if you need me."

Madame Bones also looked confused but she hid it well as they waited for Remus to exit and for Madame Bones to reapply her charm to the door. As the fog around the door rose and settled once more, she looked at Harry and waited for him to speak.

"Thank you. For not bringing me in and putting me in the system. It sounds like you think that'd be best and I just want to say I'm glad you haven't"

"I know being assigned a guardian sounds like a bad scary thing, but with your parents' will I could easily have you placed with Laura Bones. Susan's mother is a wonderful woman. I think you would like her," she said softly, a look of kind understanding taking over her more harsh, take-no-nonsense, demeanor.

"I'm sure she is. But she doesn't know me. She only knows this 'Boy-Who-Lived' stuff the papers write about."

"And you think Sirius does?"

"I do. He's different. He actually listens when I say stuff. He..he comforts me when I'm upset, and gives me advice when I don't know what to do. Good advice." Harry's voice wasn't much over a whisper as emotion began to overtake him. The thought of being taken from Sirius when he just started to make a real connection with him was painful. "Please don't take away the first adult that actually seems to care about me."

Though Harry said this while staring down at his trainers, trying to will away the tears that threatened to fill his eyes, Madame Bones felt pierced by his words. Her heart broke for this boy.

"I'm not saying no, but have you considered that Sirius can be a part of your life even if he isn't your guardian?"

"It's not the same," Harry quickly wiped his cheek and looked up at her. "What if you could be sure he was mentally sound enough before the tribunal. Would that help? Would you be more willing then?"

Madame Bones considered this and answered slowly, "I suppose..That's not a poor idea. I would be going against my job by meeting with him beforehand and not bringing him in, but it would make me more comfortable knowing you are safe and being cared for."

Harry nodded excitedly. "I trust you. I can show you where I'm staying and you can meet Sirius! We can call a campfire and have you join our team and everything."

"Whoa, slow down. Okay. I'm glad I seem to have earned your trust. But Harry, I need you to make a deal with me. If I determine Sirius unfit, or where you're staying unsafe, then you'll agree to come with me and be placed with a guardian without any fuss."

Harry's excitement was dampened, but he just knew that if she could see the moor and meet Sirius, that she would agree. Then they could get Sirius cleared and named his guardian and then Harry wouldn't have to worry about Dubmledore stealing him away again.

Harry held his hand out. "You have a deal." Madame Bones reached out and shook his hand.

Harry stood to recollect Remus.

As soon as the door reclosed and the spell reformed, Harry quickly filled Remus in on what he had agreed to.

"And so you see, it's perfect!"

Remus gave Harry a long look, unsure of how to proceed so as to not dampen his obvious enthusiasm. Seeing no way around that, he sighed and pulled Harry to the far side of the room, furthest from Madame Bones. "Sorry, Amelia, just a moment." He waved his wand and took a knee in front of Harry.

"Look, I see you're really excited about this plan, but I wish you hadn't asked me to step away. I don't think you realise what you've just agreed to. You really should have talked to one of us first."

"What do you mean? As soon as she sees everything is okay, it fixes everything."

"No, Harry. That's the best case scenario. You didn't stop to weigh the possible consequences. Yes, Sirius is better, but what if she happens to come when he's having a bad minute? It's only been a short time."

Seeing Harry begin to shrink a bit, Remus put his hand on his shoulder. "And it's fine you didn't think of it. I love that you're focused on the best outcome. But that's what you have us adults for, for making sure all the bases are covered before we do something. By making this deal, we could lose you again and there would be nothing more we could do. Avoiding Dumbledore indefinitely is one thing, fighting the whole government AND Dumbledore is entirely another."

"I guess I just didn't see it that way."

"I know. We will do our best to make sure everything goes right. I just want you to realise you don't have to make these adult decisions, and you don't have to solve everything alone."

Harry nodded slowly, unable to look Remus in the eye. Remus in turn moved beside Harry and put a comforting arm around him briefly before standing. Waving his wand once more and cancelling his spell.

Madame Bones wiggled a finger in her ear. "Ah, thank you. Useful spell, that. I couldn't hear anything other than a slight buzzing sound."

Remus smiled. "Something from my school days. Now, to business, is there a timeline on when the tribunal is to meet?"

"I have already selected and approved the members, as well as processed the evidence from his arrest. It's my job to secure an agreement from Sirius. He must agree to a two hour holding period to make sure his system is clear of any other potions and then we may apply the veritas and commence the questioning. He will have an opportunity to view the questions prior to the serum being given. Now, he may decline, but if he does so, he will be scheduled for a full trial, and forfeit the tribunal. That said, in order to expedite the process, all members are at the ready. They can be assembled during the two hour waiting period, which can start as soon as Sirius is available."

"Really? So soon?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Indeed. I do not dottle on justice, Mr. Potter. I have not been idle since we last spoke."

Harry returned her small smile and turned to Remus, who also seemed surprised by the timeline.

He recovered quickly. "Right, well, you said you would like to come to see where Harry is staying and evaluate Sirius. Do you think you could take a day off tomorrow? I think you should spend the day. Sirius has something planned for tomorrow evening anyway that I think you should be a part of."

"I can move a few things around. How would you like to do this?"

Harry tapped the bracelet in Remus's pocket once.

Catching his meaning Remus answered, "I can collect you here in the morning if you'd like."

She nodded. "That works. How early do you lot start your days?"

"First lesson is at 7am. If you'd like breakfast I suggest 6:30."

This seemed to surprise her, but she once more hid her expression. They went back and forth a bit as Madame Bones had one early morning meeting she knew she wouldn't be able to move. They finally decided Remus would collect her at 6:50 so she could be there just before lessons started.

Having settled on a time, they bid their polite goodbyes and made to leave. Just as before, they let Madame Bones leave first, before taking Harry's portkey to transport them directly from the room.

It was a quiet walk back to the manor. Harry was worried Remus was mad at him, and worse, he was going to tell Sirius, and Sirius was going to be mad at him. Each step closer to the manor began to fill him with dread, until his vision began to blur around the edges as his legs continued to carry him forward of their own accord.
Remus could tell there was something off with Harry, but had assumed the portkey travel hadn't sat well and he would talk when he was ready. It wasn't until Hermione came sprinting full speed toward them that Remus realised how wrong he was.
Hermione got to them just in time to catch Harry in a hug. He shook in her embrace. She turned a shocked look to Remus. "What happened? Did it not go well? Did she not believe you?"

Remus looked bemused. "No, she did. It was good news actually. Great news. We have a way to clear Sirius and circumvent Dumbledore in the process. It was more than we hoped for to be honest."

"Then why does it feel like you're about to hand Sirius over to the Dementors? Harry's scared. Like so much fear and worry about letting Sirius down. Why is that the case if it went well?" Hermione demanded as she tried to keep Harry on his feet.

"I..I don't know. I…things went well! Hang on, how do you know what's wrong with him? Are you sure it isn't another magic attack?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. I just know. It's as real as if I was feeling it myself. I was out finishing up with Master Sun when I just had this overwhelming sense of dread and I just knew Harry needed me."

"We can discuss the implications of that later, how can I help right now?"

Hermione's almost accusatory gaze softened. "Why don't you head to the house and find Sirius. If we arent there in the next five minutes, bring him to us?"

Remus nodded reluctantly and hurried to the house to find Sirius. As soon as he was out of earshot, Hermione shuffled them down to the grass to sit. She was surprised to see no tears on Harry's face as she pulled back to look at him. She kept a firm grip of his hand as he sat shaking slightly beside her. "It's going to be okay, Harry. I'm right here. Can you feel my hand?" She gave his hand a squeeze. "Can you hear my voice? You're safe. Sirius is safe. No one is mad."

It took another minute or two of Hermione talking to him before he was able to acknowledge her. "I'm sorry, Mi. I just…"

"I know. It's okay. You don't have to explain that right now. Do you think talking to Sirius will help?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Probably. I messed up today. I'm pretty sure Remus is mad and so now Sirius is gonna be mad and I don't know what that means for me."

"Were things really bad when the Dursleys were upset at you?"

"Yeah. Mostly they would tell me how much of a burden I was for them and then if they were mad I'd get locked in the cupboard all alone. I'm just scared Sirius will think the same and leave me."

Hermione hugged his side. "I don't think he would ever do that. You're a kid, we're supposed to mess up. He'll understand."
"What if this is one thing too many? What if he realises I'm too hard to take care of? What if I messed up and Bones takes me away and I lose him for good?"

"Oh, Harry. You won't lose him. Not ever. He broke out of some scary wizard prison just at the mention you could have been hurt. Sounds like he'll move mountains for you. I know you're worried, but trust that Sirius will still love you."

Harry didn't know what to say to that. Did Sirius love him? Harry wasn't sure he would be able to tell if someone loved him without them saying so, and he had never said so. Harry was sure of that. He would remember if he had. But Hermione knew better about those kinds of things, so if she said it, it was probably true. How could he be sure? Is that something you could ask someone? Harry immediately decided it was not. He would feel foolish having to ask someone if they loved him. Not to mention the fear of having to face Sirius tell him no.
Hermione waited as Harry grew contemplative. She could feel him calm a bit but he still felt very…anxious to her. She gave him a quiet minute before giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "It's going to be okay. Let's go talk to Sirius. If Remus hasn't already, you can tell him what Madame Bones told you. Plus I'd love to hear how it went myself."

Harry gave her a small smile as she stood and gave his hand a pull to urge him to his feet. Heaven forbid he delay her quest for answers. He was still worried, but he trusted Hermione. She tucked her arm around his and set an even pace.

As they caught sight of the front door, they saw Sirius transform into Padfoot and begin to bound toward them. Seeing they were making their way to the manor, he quickly transformed back and waited for them to reach him; all the while studying Harry carefully.

Harry kept his eyes down and allowed Hermione to pull him along, staying close to her side.

"Let's head to the family room," Hermione said simply, as they passed Sirius and Remus in turn, making their way inside.
Both men followed quickly behind them. Sirius looked to Remus who could only return a shrug and confused expression.

Hermione called for Kylix. "Can you please tell Neville to meet us down in the family room. I don't want him to worry."

"Of course, Miss." He disappeared with a pop and a moment later they heard footfalls on the stairs.

Everyone settled into the various cosy seating and Dria appeared a moment later with drinks for them.

"Before we get into the meeting stuff, are you okay, Harry? Remus gave me the bare minimum and said you were upset. Do you want to talk about that first?" Sirius asked calmly.

Harry shook his head. "Maybe after. I'm not sure. We can explain as it comes up." He sighed, annoyed with himself. He did want to tell Sirius the good news. "Remus? Why don't you explain what she said? I couldn't follow everything she talked about in the beginning."

Remus sat forward. "Of course. The short of it is, she believed us and has been very busy since we last spoke." He went on to explain everything she had revealed. Hermione and Neville both seemed outraged at the same parts Harry had been. When he got to the part about the tribunal and what her plan was, Harry began to fidget in his seat.

"So she's ready to do this right away? Why didn't you bring her back with you?" Sirius asked

Harry looked up. "Well I was really excited she was ready to do this. And I asked her if the tribunal would be able to also name you my legal guardian while they were at it. You know? Make everything official?"

Sirius's look softened. "That's a great idea Harry. Two solutions at once. What did she say?"

"She said," Harry used air quotes, "'she technically will have the power, but hesitates to do so.' Remus and I both said you were the best thing for me but she didn't seem to believe us. And I…" Harry trailed off and took a steadying breath, unable to continue.

"Harry made a deal with her. She will be spending the day with us tomorrow. She's going to observe lessons, sit in on tomorrow's campfire, and evaluate Sirius. If she deems this place safe and Sirius of sound mind, then she has agreed to name him Harry's guardian during the tribunal; which can also happen tomorrow evening if there is time, otherwise we can possibly do it Thursday morning." Remus finished.

Sirius looked between Remus and Harry and tried to figure out what he was missing. It did seem like a good solution but.."Okay, but you said he made a deal, so what happens if she finds fault in something here?"

Harry and Remus both found the rug suddenly very interesting. However Remus answered slowly. "If she finds you unfit, or the Moor unsafe, Harry will be placed with, most likely, Laura Bones."

"She can't just take you away!" Hermione blurted out.

"She can. I was so excited about how everything could work out and it all seemed to be lining up that I didn't think there was any way she wouldn't agree with me. I agreed to go without a fuss if she thinks I should." Harry said. His voice thick with emotion he continued, "I'm sorry Sirius. I should have waited and talked to you about it. Given you a choice or.."

Sirius was out of his chair as Harry trailed off, and Hermione, understanding his goal, slid out of the way so he could sit beside Harry and wrap him in a one armed hug. "Why don't you guys head to the library, we'll catch up."

Hermione reluctantly stood and followed the other two out, closing the small door behind her.

"Can you tell me if you are worried about the outcome of Bones' visit or is there something more?"

Harry leaned into Sirius's embrace, not trusting his voice he just shook his head.

"You said you should have given me a choice, but there is no need. I will always choose you. I'm so sorry that I didn't ten years ago. I should have held you tight and ran to safety, instead of seeking revenge on the traitor. I can't change my poor decision then, but I can promise you that from here on out, I will choose you. I am not upset you asked her to make my being your guardian official. You were right that it makes sense to have her do it while she has the authority because it makes it harder for Dumbledore to interfere. I see why you did what you did." Sirius spoke more gently then he thought he ever had before.

When it came to Harry being upset, he just said the things he wished someone had said to him. When he wished someone would understand and just calm his fears and worries. Someone to make it better. Sirius didn't have much of that growing up. Though, he did for a short time from the Potters. He hoped it was the right thing. He wasn't sure how to make Harry feel better if he didn't know the real reason he was upset; however with each word he spoke Harry seemed to sag in relief. He must have got something right.

"Thanks Sirius," he mumbled into his shirt before pulling away and righting himself. "Remus seemed upset and I didn't want you upset or to be a burden. I was just trying to help."

"I'm sorry Remus upset you. I'm sure that wasn't his intention. He isn't mad at you. He's worried about you. He was always the worrier in our group. He had to think of how everything we did could go wrong. Now as school children, this meant we didn't get caught as often or we could get off on technicalities. But as an adult, it seems he still worries about everything. Try not to let it get you down. Let him and I worry about the details. You just keep being you. It's okay to act your age and not have all the answers or to get it wrong. It doesn't make you a burden. I promise."

Harry nodded. Sirius could tell he was still weary of being touched, the way he had froze up when Sirius had sat beside him at first. He thought it was progress that Harry had leaned into him as everyone left. Seeing that they seemed to be done with the heavy stuff, Sirius moved slowly so Harry could anticipate his movement and hugged him once more. Harry didn't freeze this time and hugged him back.

Sirius patted his back and stood, "Well, it sounds like we have some plans to make. If you're feeling up to it. If you would rather lie down for a bit, you can always join us later?"

"I think I'm okay. I'll just go wash up a little and meet you lot in the library."

Sirius nodded and started toward the door. Softly Harry called after him, "and Sirius? Thanks."

He flashed Harry a grin and a wink to raise his spirits, and strode from the room.

Hermione kept a watchful eye on Harry for the rest of lessons that day after he finally rejoined them. She and Neville stuck close to his side. This reminded Harry that he still had to speak with Hermione about the new consequences of his magical fit. Feeling each other's emotions. It wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to.

Charms and Transfiguration lessons that day were kept light. They were just finishing up recapping the spells they had learned from Hogwarts, deciding to wait to start new things until next week to give Harry some time to get in tune with his magic again. He was still over or under powering spells at times. Neville was doing well, but Hermione noticed he seemed to be struggling too. Like he was trying to force the magic with brute concentration. His eyes pinched and mouth formed a hard line. His knuckles nearly white with how tight he was gripping his wand.

They were finished with Transfiguration and working with Sirius on Occlumency. Harry was practising what Sirius had taught him the other day out on the veranda. Hermione was sitting with her eyes closed, attempting to clear and organise her mind. Neville was working with Sirius, trying to feel his first Legilimency probe.

Neville was progressing surprisingly fast with this portion of their lessons. He managed the meditation and mind space very quickly. Sirius estimated he may even master this before Harry, who was not far behind him.

Hermione was still struggling to find the right meditation method, though today Sirius had given her a different book with a new technique for her to try. She was trying not to be discouraged as the boys progressed while she essentially started over. Sirius assured her this was advanced, and many people never mastered it. He promised to continue to work with her until it was second nature for her.

After the following etiquette lesson with Kylix, Neville excused himself to write a quick letter to his gran, since he promised her a few updates a week.

Hermione tucked herself into one of the cosy armchairs on the far end of the library, waiting for Harry who took the chair opposite her.
"You ready to talk about today? If not, we can wait, but it sounds as if tomorrow might be a busy day."
Harry nodded slowly. "I had meant to talk to you this morning, but we didn't have time. I was feeling oddly nervous and after talking with Sirius we realised I was feeling your nervousness, not mine."

"I was really worried about it. I'm sorry. It's hard for me not to when I can't be there and know what's happening," Hermione admitted.

"No, it's okay. I get that. I didn't realise just how worried you were. I thought we were on the same page, that's why I was so confused. Took talking to Sirius to figure out what was happening, but hearing you say it now I get it. I was nervous about you leaving to go get Remus and handle the bank stuff when they had to make me sleep." Harry gave a half shrug. "Not because I didn't trust you could do it, but because I couldn't be by your side to help if there was trouble."

Hermione sighed. "So what do we do about it? How do we sort whose feelings are who's? Today when you got back, that feeling of dread felt as real as if it were mine."

He didn't respond right away, instead pulling his feet up onto the chair so he could rest his chin on his knees. "Sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. How did you figure out it was mine?"

"Really; it's okay. Your magic called to me. Then it didn't matter how I knew, I just knew you needed me, and something was wrong."

"Thank you, by the way. I don't know if I said that earlier, but you really helped out there," Harry said, quietly returning the small smile Hermione gave him.
Clearing his throat he continued, "Sirius said Occlumency would help. It did help this morning. He said it's just a wait and see kinda thing though, like Master Sun said."

Hermione groaned. "Of course occlumency would be the solution. The thing I'm completely struggling to do. Ugh. I'm never going to make it to the animagus stuff if I can't get past step one of meditation. How do you just turn your thoughts off?"

"I don't really. I had trouble just, not thinking, like Remus suggested. I usually start by picturing the quidditch pitch at Hogwarts. And once all my other thoughts kinda focus on being in that space I just…slowly let go of the picture. And any thoughts that pop up I just let them pass without jumping on them." Harry explained.

"But that's not what he said to do, we were supposed to be clearing away all the thoughts."

He shrugged again. "Right, and I do. I just have to focus on something first. Sometimes I think of the breathing stuff Master Sun was teaching you to try and get in tune with your magic. Or I think of the steps of our form. Remus said to clear our mind..he didn't really say how."
"So you focus on something so that you can focus on nothing?"
"Pretty much. Yeah."

As Hermione mulled this over, Harry caught sight of the clock that sat on the mantle and sighed. "We better get you to the gates. Your parents will be expecting you soon."

Hermione stood and Harry followed her out of the library. Out in the foyer they spotted Neville at the top of the stairs, and waited for him to join them. Then, together, they made their way outside.

"You guys give any more thought to your animagus form?" Neville asked.

Harry grinned. "I think I'm settled on a bird, I just haven't picked which one yet. Sirius said we had a book on just birds he would let me look through."

"I can hardly coordinate on land, let alone in the air, I leave the wings to you. What about you, Hermione?"

She shook her head. "No, in fact I feel less sure than when we started. I'm worried I'll choose the wrong thing."

Neville smiled sympathetically. "Me too. I know Sirius said he would help me, but I could hardly transform the matches into needles today and we covered that ages ago in class. I'm not sure transfiguring myself into anything is going to be possible."

"You seemed really tense during that lesson. Was everything okay?" Hermione asked.

Neville hesitated and Harry turned to look at him.

"Don't let us force you into this stuff. If you want to spend your summer just hanging out with us, that's completely fine too. But if you want help on anything, or want to talk, we're here for you, mate," Harry reassured him.

"No, I want to learn. I want to get better. I just…You guys remember when Master Sun checked me over?" They both nodded, and Neville continued, "Well after he saw my magic was fine, he had me cast a spell. He said my magic was great, but that my wand was…that it…it isn't a good fit for me. He said it was a badly matched focus or something. But this was my dad's wand, and My grad wants me to do him proud by doing great magic with it. I know she'd never listen if I asked her for a new one, or worse, she'd be disappointed in me more than she already is."

Neville had hardly finished before Hermione had thrown her arms around him in a hug. He seemed to deflate further and accepted her hug.

Harry put his hand on Neville's shoulder and gave him a light squeeze. "I'm sorry. That's a rotten position to be in. Mr. Ollivander told me that the wand chooses the wizard. I went through loads of wands before we got to this one. Some of them did nothing at all and some made stuff explode. I can't even begin to explain the rightness of finally holding a wand that 'chose me'."

Hermione stood back, releasing Neville from her hug. "It's true. I had a particularly bad reaction to all the wands made from chestnut. I accidentally set fire to Mr. Ollivander's desk when he handed me a chestnut and phoenix feather. Harry's right, that's a tough spot, but it's not fair to limit yourself and be expected to live up to expectation."

"Is there anything we can do? I can buy you a new wand if your gran won't. Once stuff is settled with Madame Bones we can make a trip to Diagonally. Or we can send Remus to talk to her. You know, grown up to grown up or whatever."

Neville's eyes went wide. "Wands are expensive, Harry! I could never ask you for that."

Harry waved it off. "You aren't asking. I'm offering, I can pay for your wand out of my trust vault and still pay for all 6 years at Hogwarts, easy. Firecrest showed me the numbers. Plus, it's not like it would be a waste of money, it's something you need. If it makes you uncomfortable though, we can try the Remus route first."

"There's more than one way to make them proud, Neville," Hermione added quietly.

Neville sighed. "Thanks. You guys are right. I know she won't listen to me, but she did seem to like Remus. If he's okay with it, we can give it a try."
They agreed to bring it up with him soon. The boys bid good night to Hermione, and made their way back to the Manor for dinner.

After dinner, Harry talked Neville into taking the brooms out for a low fly around the pond while they still had some light out. Neville still was unsure about being high up, but was slowly gaining more confidence on a broom. He reluctantly agreed, after making sure they would remain close to the ground.

Neville could see just how much Harry liked being in the air. As the sun began to hang low and they finished their last lap around the pond, Neville looked over at his friend. "Alright, let's see then. You have to be itching to fly around a bit. Go for it. I'll watch," he said with a laugh.

Harry's face lit up, "you sure you don't mind? I came out to fly with you." Seeing Neville's approval, Harry was off like a shot. Flying much higher than Neville was comfortable with and doing various barrel rolls and banking maneuvers, before climbing high and going into a steep dive. Harry pulled up at the last moment, his toes brushing the lush grass, before coming to a stop beside Neville.

Neville couldn't help but laugh. "Feel better?"

"Yeah, thanks, mate." Harry beamed, putting the boom over his shoulder and walking the last few steps to the patio.

As they approached, they saw Sirius and Remus sitting at one of the tables, enjoying a drink. The men must have been watching, as Sirius began to applaud Harry. "That still scares the life outta me but you're brilliant on a broom. A natural."

The boys joined the table as two mugs of hot chocolate appeared before them. Neville watched as Harry's smile seemed to fade and he grew contemplative. Nudging his friend slightly with a look that asked you okay?

Harry shook himself a bit and nodded to Neville before turning to the others, both of whom had caught the small exchange. Harry quickly changed the subject before they could comment on it, "Hey, I know we are going to be really busy for the next few days, but, Remus, do you think you'd be able to speak with Madame Longbottom again? We found out Neville's wand isn't the right fit and it's making it to where his magic isn't working as well as it could. She was pretty set on him using his dad's wand…but do you think you could convince her to let him have one of his own?"

Remus thought this over. "And you do not think she would allow you to get a new one if you brought this up?" he asked Neville.

Neville shook his head. "When she gave it to me last year, she said I would make her and dad proud. I feel like I'm letting her down, but I don't know how else to fix it."

"I understand. I will take care of it after the weekend, if that's okay. After we figure out all this tribunal stuff, I will owl her to set up a time to talk." Remus said delicately.

Seeing an opening, Harry asked, "What about tomorrow. Are we ready for Madame Bones? Are we doing things as normal or are we taking it easy, or…what?"

"I think we do things mostly normal. I don't think you should mention the animagus lessons, just because I don't think you want the ministry with that information," Remus answered. The, because it might make Sirius look bad, went unsaid.
Harry nodded his understanding. "While she's here, do you think she would be willing to look over the red table letters?"

Sirius and Remus exchanged a confused look. "What red table letters?"

Harry realised he had not mentioned his mail issue and the sorting system the elves had decided on. "Um, Some of the mail I've been getting was flagged by the elves as unsafe to open. I was going to ask Remus about it ages ago but, honestly, I forgot."

"Unsafe how?" Sirius asked, his tone darkening.

Harry shrank slightly at the tone. "I'm not sure. I think if they detected any type of magic on the letters or packages, they set it there. Since I don't know the magic for detecting or dispelling dangerous stuff, I had them sort it aside for me. The green table is for people on my list of friends and the white tables are everything else. Anything from someone not on my list and not magical."

"I've only been in the mail room once, I didn't even register how much mail you had been getting, let alone dangerous stuff. Remus and I can look it over, some of it may just be charmed ink or paper. Anything truly dangerous we can ask Amelia about. She might be able to press charges on the senders."

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unsure how his next bit of news would land. "Um, also. I saw a couple letters from Dumbledore on the red table."

Sirius saw how uncomfortable Harry was and took a moment to get his temper under control. As much as he wanted to shout, he didn't want Harry to think the anger he was feeling was directed at him. "We will check them. They may be a simple tracking charm, set to activate once you touched it. It will be easy enough to dispel now that we know it's there."

"I know a fair number of detection spells; shouldn't be an issue," Remus agreed.

"How are we going to tell Madame Bones everything? Probably better to jump in and bring her up to speed before the tribunal. I can't be late to Master Sun's lessons, but I'm sure she'll have questions about him and everything we're doing. I might be able to-"

"Harry," Sirius interrupted, "Remus and I will take care of Bones. We can fill her in as much as you're comfortable with and answer her questions. Focus on your lessons, we got this."
Remus offered a reassuring smile. "Sirius is right. I know this is important to you, but you can trust us to handle it."

"I'm okay with her knowing everything, but maybe not about the parseltongue bit, especially since we are leaving the animagus training out too."

"We'll take care of it," Sirius reassured again.

The boys both offered their thanks and finished their hot chocolates, before excusing themselves from the table and heading inside.

POST AN: Life has been crazy but this story is not abandoned. I may post about things I've cut or info on this and other projects on my tiktok. Follow me there if you're interested. Screen name is Kaystar742, just like here. Thanks for reading!