XXX. Rewarding
Providing satisfaction; gratifying.
Jayla rests in her hospital bed again, explaining everything to Ron, who takes it pretty well so far, but the next moment, Madam Pomfrey comes striding back out of her office. "Did I hear the Headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?" She asks, in a horrible mood. Harry and Jayla think it best to comply, quietly taking their share of chocolate. Madam Pomfrey stands over them, making sure they eat it. But Harry can hardly swallow as they wait and listen, their nerves jangling. He looks over at Jayla, who seems deep in thought, and wonders what about as his mind returns to them celebrating in the rain moments before. And then, as they take another piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, they hear a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them, and Harry can't help the smirk spreading across his face. "What was that?" Madam Pomfrey wonders in alarm. Now, they can hear angry voices growing louder and louder. The school nurse stares at the door in befuddlement at the loud voices approaching them. "Really - they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?" Harry tries to hear the voices, but it's difficult because they're so far away, and they become apparent when they draw nearer.
"He must have Disapparated, Severus, we should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out -." Fudge says, getting to the door as the occupants of the hospital wing can hear them clearly.
"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roars, now very close to the door. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS - HAS - SOMETHING - TO - DO WITH - POTTER AND DARKMORE!"
"Severus - be reasonable - Harry and Jayla have been locked up -," Dumbledore tells him when the hospital wing door bursts open with a loud bam! Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore come striding into the ward. The Headmaster alone looks calm; he even looks like he's enjoying himself. Fudge appears angry. But Snape is beside himself.
"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" Snape bellows. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
"Professor Snape!" Madam Pomfrey shrieks. "Control yourself!"
"See here, Snape, be reasonable," Fudge says calmly, though he is just as angry with tonight's events. "This door's been locked, we just saw -."
"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howls, pointing at Harry and Jayla. His face twisting, spit flying from his mouth.
"Calm down, man!" He barks. "You're talking nonsense!"
"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" The Potion Master shrieks. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT -!"
"That will do, Severus," Dumbledore says quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?" He turns to her, who looks shocked at the question.
"Of course not!" Madam Pomfrey answers, bristling. "I've been with them ever since you left!"
"Well, there you have it, Severus," He says calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and jayla are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further." Snape stands there, seething with anger, staring from Fudge, who looks thoroughly shocked at his behaviour, to Dumbledore, whose eyes twinkle behind his glasses. Snape whirls around, robes swishing behind him and storming out of the ward.
"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," Fudge comments, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him, if I were you, Dumbledore."
"Oh, he's not unbalanced," The Headmaster replies quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."
"He's not the only one!" He puffs. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that Hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughing stock! Well… I'd better go and notify the Ministry…"
"And the Dementors?" Dumbledore questions. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"
"Oh, yes, they'll have to go," The Minister sighs, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy… completely out of control… No, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight. Perhaps we should think about Dragons at the school entrance…"
"Hagrid would like that," He remarks, smiling swiftly at Harry and Jayla. As he and Fudge leave the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey hurries to the door and locks it again. Muttering angrily to herself, heading back to her office.
"He really needs to get a hold of his anger," Ron comments, making his friends look at him.
"Tell me about it," Harry agrees, helping himself to some more chocolate.
"Shh! I'm trying to sleep," Jayla grumbles, moving to get herself comfortable on the hospital bed.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Around noon the next day, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Jayla leave the hospital wing to find an almost deserted castle. The sweltering heat and the end of the exams mean that everyone is taking full advantage of another Hogsmeade visit. Neither Ron, Jayla, nor Hermione feel like going, however, so the Golden Quartet wander into the grounds, still talking about the extraordinary events of the previous night and wondering where Sirius and Buckbeak are now. "I know where they are," Jayla smirks as they sit near the lake, watching the giant squid waving its tentacles lazily above the water.
"Where?" Ron asks, looking at her as she removes her trainers and socks before rolling the bottoms of her jeans up and letting her feet dip into the cool water.
"Home," She tells them, surprising them when a shadow falls across them, making them look up to see a very bleary-eyed Hagrid, mopping his sweaty face with a tablecloth-sized handkerchief and beaming down at them.
"Know I shouldn' feel happy after wha' happened las' night," Hagrid remarks. "I mean, Black escapin' again an' everythin' - but guess what?"
"What?" The Golden Quarter asks, pretending to look curious at the friendly half-giant.
"Beaky! He escaped! He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!" He cheers, looking at the teens with a beaming smile.
"That 's wonderful!" Hermione replies, smiling and giving Ron a reproving look because he looks close to breaking into laughter.
"Yeah… can't've tied him up properly," The Groundskeeper muses, gazing happily out over the grounds. "I was worried this mornin', mind… thought he mighta met Professor Lupin in the grounds, but Lupin says he never ate anythin' las' night…"
"What?" Jayla asks quickly, looking at him in concern.
"Blimey, haven' yeh heard? Hagrid questions, his smile fading a little. He lowers his voice, even though they're alone. "Er - Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'... thought everyone'd know by now… Professor Lupin's a Werewolf, see. An' he was loose in the grounds las' night. He's packin' now, o' course."
"He's packing?" Harry says in alarm. "Why?"
"Leavin', isn' he?" He replies, looking surprised that Harry asked. "Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can' risk it happenin' again." Harry scrambles to his feet.
"I'm going to see him," Potter declares, looking at his friends.
"But if he's resigned -?" Hermione reasons.
"- doesn't sound like there's anything we can do -." Ron argues.
"I don't care. I still want to see him. I'll meet you back here," Harry replies, walking back to the castle.
"Harry! Tell him to come see us over the summer!" Jayla shouts after him.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The door of Lupin's office is open when Harry arrives to find him having already packed most of his things. The Grindylow's empty tank stands next to his battered old suitcase, which is open and nearly full. Lupin is bending over something on his desk and only looks up when Harry knocks on the door. "I saw you coming," Lupin says, smiling. He points to the parchment he is pouring over. It is the Marauder's Map.
"I just saw Hagrid," Harry informs him. "And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?"
"I'm afraid it is," He replies, opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.
"Why?" Potter questions, not seeing what's so wrong about the kind man teaching them still, even if he is a Werewolf every Full Moon. "The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?" Lupin crosses to the door and closes it behind Harry to make sure no one overhears them.
"No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives," Remus sighs. "That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he - er - accidentally let slip that I am a Werewolf this morning at breakfast."
"You're not leaving just because of that!" Harry exclaims, making Lupin give him a wry smile.
"This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents - they will not want a Werewolf teaching their children, Harry. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you… that must never happen again." Lupin tells him, feeling the guilt of last night weighing on him.
"You're the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" He argues, not wanting to see him go. "Don't go!" Lupin shakes his head but doesn't speak. He carries on emptying his drawers. Then, Harry tries to think of a good argument to make Remus stay.
"From what the Headmaster told me this morning, you saved a lot of lives last night, Harry. If I'm proud of anything, it's how much you've learned. Tell me about your Patronus." Lupin tells him. "And Jayla, too, of course. She reminds me of Dee sometimes. She was a bright Witch, too."
"How d'you know about that?" The ravenette asks, distracted.
"What else could have driven the Dementors back?" He reasons, and Harry tells him what happened. When he finishes, Remus smiles again. "Yes, your Father was always a stag when he transformed," He muses. "You guessed right… that's why we called him Prongs." He throws his last few books into his case, closing the desk drawers and turning to look at Harry. "Here - I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night," He hands Harry back the invisibility Cloak. "And…" He hesitates, then holds out the Marauder's Map, too. "I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you this back as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you, Ron, Jayla and Hermione will find uses for it." Harry takes the map and grins.
"You told me Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs would've wanted to lure me out of school… you said they'd have thought it was funny," Harry muses, looking at him.
"And so we would have done," Lupin agrees, now reaching down to close his case. "I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his Son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle." There is a knock on the door. Harry hastily stuffs the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak into his pocket, and luckily it's Professor Dumbledore. He doesn't look surprised to see the boy there.
"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," Dumbledore informs the former teacher.
"Thank you, Headmaster," He replies, picking up his old suitcase and the empty Grindylow tank. "Well - goodbye, Harry." He smiles at the young Potter boy. "It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage…" Harry has the impression that Lupin wants to leave as quickly as possible.
"Goodbye, then, Remus," The Headmaster says soberly. Lupin shifts the Grindylow tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore can shake hands. Then, he leaves the office with a final nod to Harry and a swift smile. Harry rushes to the open door quickly, watching Lupin leave the classroom.
"Professor, Jayla said to visit the Darkmore Manor over the Summer!" Harry informs Lupin, almost forgetting to tell him about what she told him as he was leaving. Lupin turns slightly with a fond smile and a nod before going out the door. Harry moves to the vacated chair and sits, staring glumly at the floor when he hears the door close. He looks up to see Dumbledore still there.
"Why so miserable, Harry?" Dumbledore asks quietly. "You should be very proud of yourself after last night."
"It didn't make any difference," Harry grumbles bitterly. "Pettigrew got away."
"Didn't make any difference?" He repeats quietly. "It made all the difference in the world, Harry. You helped uncover the truth. You saved an innocent man from a terrible fate." Something stirs in Harry's memory at the word 'terrible'. Then, he remembers Professor Trelawney's prediction from the day before.
"Professor Dumbledore - yesterday, when I was having my Divination exam, Professor Trelawney went very - very strange." Potter informs him.
"Indeed?" The Headmaster questions. "Er - stranger than usual, you mean?"
"Yes…" Harry replies, "Her voice went all deep, and her eyes rolled, and she said… she said Voldemort's servant was going to set out to return to him before midnight… she said the servant would help him come back to power." He stares up at Dumbledore. "And then she sort of became normal again, and she couldn't remember anything she'd said. Was it - was she making a real prediction?" Dumbledore looks mildly impressed.
"Do you know, Harry, I think she might have been," Dumbledore answers thoughtfully. "Who'd have thought it? That brings her total of real predictions up to two. I should offer her a pay rise…"
"But -," Harry mutters. "How can Dumbledore take this so calmly?" He looks at him, aghast. "But - I stopped Sirius and Professor Lupin killing Pettigrew! That makes it my fault if Voldemort comes back!"
"It does not," He assures the boy quietly. "Hasn't your experience with the Time-Tuner taught you anything, Harry? The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed… Professor Trelawney, bless her, is living proof of that. You did a very noble thing in saving Pettigrew's life."
"But if he helps Voldemort back to power -!" Harry argues.
"Pettigrew owes his life to you. You have sent Voldemort, a deputy who is in your debt. When one Wizard saves another Wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them… and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in the debt of Harry Potter." Dumbledore tells him.
"I don't want a bond with Pettigrew!" He snaps. "He betrayed my parents!"
"This is Magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me… the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life." The Headmaster says calmly, but Harry can't imagine when that will be. Dumbledore looks as though he knows what Harry is thinking. "I knew your Father very well, both at Hogwarts and later, Harry." He says gently. "He would have saved Pettigrew too, I am sure of it." The teen looks up at him. Dumbledore won't laugh - he can tell him…
"Last night… I thought it was my Dad who'd conjured my Patronus. I mean, when I saw myself across the lake… I thought I was seeing him." Harry confesses.
"An easy mistake to make," Dumbledore says softly. "I expect you're tired of hearing it, but you do look extraordinarily like James. Except for your eyes… you have your Mother's eyes." Harry shakes his head.
"It was stupid, thinking it was him," He mutters. "I mean, I knew he was dead."
"You think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your Father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself most plainly when you have need of him. How else could you produce that particular Patronus? Prongs rode again last night." It takes a moment for Harry to realise what Dumbledore just said. "Sirius told me all about how they became Animagi last night," The Headmaster informs the teenage boy, smiling. "An extraordinary achievement - not least, keeping it quiet from me. And then I remembered the most unusual form your Patronus took when it charged Mr Malfoy down at your Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. So you did see your Father last night, Harry… you found him inside yourself." And Dumbledore leaves the office, leaving Harry to his perplexed thoughts. As so much has happened in the last few days, he feels dread for the end of the year as his hopes of never seeing the Dursleys again are crushed.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Nobody at Hogwarts knows the truth of what happened the night that Sirius, Buckbeak and Pettigrew vanished except Harry, Ron, Jayla, Hermione and Professor Dumbledore, till today when the Darkmore Heiress comes running into the Great Hall at the approaching end of term. Harry wasn't expecting it as he'd heard many different theories about what really happened, but none were close to the truth. Malfoy is furious about Buckbeak escaping 'justice' for his cousin and is convinced that Hagrid found a way of smuggling the Hippogriff to safety. Meanwhile, Percy has something to say about Sirius's escape. "If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about Magical Law Enforcement!" He tells the only person who will listen - his girlfriend, Penelope.
"HARRY!" Jayla shouts as she runs into the Great Hall during dinner with something in her hand and waves it around above her head. "I HAVE AMAZING NEWS!"
"Miss Darkmore! Please, no more shouting!" Professor McGonagall yells, looking at the girl.
"But Professor, I just got this from my parents!" She announces, unfolding the paper to see the front page of the Daily Prophet. "SIRIUS BLACK FOUND INNOCENT!" There is an uproar in the Great Hall; some, mainly the Golden Quartet, are happy, others are confused, and the rest, mainly Snape, are outraged.
"Let me see, Miss Darkmore," Dumbledore requests, and the young Heiress happily skips towards the teacher's table, handing over the paper. He reads the article carefully with a hanging silence over the Great Hall. "It seems the Magical Law Enforcement Office received a recording of a confession of the living Peter Pettigrew. And Sirius Black finally had his trial and was found innocent with a manhunt for Pettigrew is on the way." After announcing Sirius's innocence, Harry drags Jayla out of the Hall and into the Entrance Hall with Hermione and Ron behind her.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
"How did that happen, and why did you get the newspaper?" Harry asks her, folding his arm at her.
"I may have had an idea of what was going to happen thanks to my Mum sending me a message that morning with a recorder. I had it on the whole time," Jayla informs them with a grin.
"When you sent your Patronus?" He asks, looking at her.
"I asked Gin to grab my blazer from Hagrid's cabin with the recorder inside the pocket and send it to my parents. I used Hedwig, by the way. Sorry," She says and looks at her friends. "My parents sent me the newspaper when they got it. Sirius has been with them since he escaped. And Buckbeak is enjoying the Darkmore Forest very much." She waves into the Great Hall, seeing Hagrid walking past. "And guess what, Harry!" She turns to him again. "Sirius is going to be staying at the Darkmore Manor for the foreseeable future as his old house is 'disgusting' as my Mum worded it, and until it's livable you and Sirius are staying with us."
"Wait? Me?" The raven-haired teen questions, looking at her, and she nods.
"You. As Sirius is your legal Godfather and guardian. He is within his rights to take care of you. Apparently, Fudge nearly fainted when my Dad informed him of that." The Darkmore Heiress laughs. "You don't have to live with the Dursleys any more." A big, bright smile breaks across Harry's face, and he jumps around, unable to conceal his happiness as his friends watch, glad to see him so happy.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The weather is perfect, creating a cheerful atmosphere. With Sirius being set free and found innocent, Harry has never approached the end of the school year in better spirits. The thought of telling the Dursleys he was leaving for good was the best feeling in the world. But it is different when they are in Defence Against the Dark Arts class without Professor Lupin, and the others are as miserable about his resignation. "Wonder what they'll give us next year?" Seamus asks gloomily, leaning his head on the desk.
"Maybe a Vampire," Dean suggests hopefully.
"That would be so cool," Jayla jokes, reading a book as they pass the time. Harry's mind is preoccupied with thoughts of Professor Lupin's departure and Professor Trelawney's prediction. He wonders where Pettigrew is now, whether he has sought sanctuary with Voldemort yet. He knows there is a manhunt for Pettigrew, but he still can't help but worry.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The exam results come out on the last day of term. The Golden Quartet passes every subject. Harry is amazed that he got through Potions. He has a shrewd suspicion that Dumbledore stepped in to stop Snape from failing him on purpose. Snape's behaviour toward Harry over the past week has been quite alarming. Harry didn't think it possible that Snape's dislike for him could increase, but it certainly did. A muscle twitches unpleasantly at the corner of Snape's thin mouth every time he looks at Harry, and he constantly flexes his fingers as though itching to place them around the boy's throat. Percy boasts about his top-grade N.E. ; Fred and George scrape a handful of O. each.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Gryffindor House, meanwhile, largely thanks to their spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, won the House Championship for the third year running. This means that the end-of-term feast takes place in decorations of scarlet and gold, and the Gryffindor table is the noisiest of the lot as everybody celebrates. Even Harry manages to forget about the manhunt for Pettigrew as he eats, drinks, talks and laughs with the rest. Though he does notice Jayla is missing and wonders where she is before he goes to look for her, she appears, wiping tears from her eyes as she sits back down next to Hermione. "Hey, you okay?" Hermione mutters over the noise.
"Yeah," Jayla whispers, wiping the tears from her eyes and looking over at the Hufflepuff table to see Cedric return to his friends, who ask him what is going on, but he shakes his head, not looking as close to tears as he did outside.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
As the Hogwarts Express pulls out of the station the following day, Hermione gives her friends some surprising news. "I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."
"But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty percent!" Ron exclaims in disbelief.
"I know," She signs, "but I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal timetable again."
"I still can't believe you didn't tell us about it," He grumbles. "We're supposed to be your friends."
"We promised we wouldn't tell anyone," Jayla defends herself and Hermione. She looks at Harry, who is watching Hogwarts disappear from view behind a mountain.
"Oh, cheer up, Harry!" Hermione says, smiling.
"I'm okay," Harry assures them quickly. "Just thinking about the holidays."
"Yeah, I've been thinking about them, too," Ron agrees. "Harry, you've got to come and stay with us. I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a felly tone now -."
"A telephone, Ron," Hermione sighs.
"I hate ours. It's really old. Dad refuses to get a newer one because he says it won't work otherwise." Jayla groans.
"Honestly, you should take Muggle Studies next year…" She looks at Ron, who ignores the bushy-haired brunette.
"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, Harry? Come and stay, and we'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work. Sirius might like that," Ron suggests, and the proposal cheers Harry up much more.
"Yeah… I can't wait to see the Dursleys when I tell them I'm moving out… especially after what I did to Aunt Marge…" Harry replies, smiling.
"Hey, I need to talk to you, cousin," Draco says, coming into the compartment and making the four Gryffindors look at him.
"Yeah, sure," Jayla agrees, moving out into the corridor and closing the door behind them. "What is it?"
"I didn't get the chance to say well done for freeing Sirius," Draco says, fidgeting with his fingers. "Mum and I are going to see you over the summer. Mum wants to spend time with Sirius."
"I see. I'm looking forward to it. But you should know, Harry will be there, too." She warns him. "Try not to kill each other, please."
"I promise," He assures her. "I wanted to ask you about last night. I saw you crying… what happened between you and Diggory?"
"Who?" The Darkmore Heiress feigns ignorance.
"Don't lie to me, cousin," Malfoy snaps and sees the tears forming in her eyes.
"He broke up with me," Jayla cries, furiously wiping the tears that fall down her face. "He said someone told him about me kissing Harry and called me a cheat. I tried to explain what happened, but he wouldn't listen."
"I see. But you did kiss Potter?" Draco asks, earning a slap from her.
"Sort of. We were looking for Pettigrew one night and I kissed him so Snape wouldn't ask us what we were doing." She argues.
"Got it." He nods. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Harry likes you a lot. It's pretty obvious. And I think he'd be good for you." He looks around. "If you tell anyone I said that I will deny it."
"Thanks," The dual-haired teen says, smiling at her cousin.
While the cousins talk outside, Hermione, Ron and Harry watch them from inside the train compartment, playing Exploding Snap to pass the time. Harry looks over again, seeing Jayla crying, and he tries to go to her, but Ron and Hermione stop him. "Leave them alone, it must be about her and her ex-boyfriend," Hermione informs the boys, making them look at her in surprise.
"Ex?!" The boys exclaim, but before they can get an answer, Jayla comes back into the compartment, closing the door behind her. Soon, the Witch with the Tea Trolley arrives, and they treat themselves to lunch, though none of them have chocolate, having their fill of it for now.
It's late afternoon before the thing that makes him truly happy turns up, confirming nothing in the last few weeks has been a dream. "Harry," Hermione says suddenly, peering over his shoulder. "What's that thing outside your window?" Harry turns to look outside. Something tiny and grey bobbing in and out of sight beyond the glass. He stands up for a better look and sees that it's a little owl carrying a letter that is much too big for it. The owl is so tiny, in fact, that it keeps tumbling over in the air, buffeting this way and that in the train's slipstream. Harry quickly pulls down the window, stretching out his arm and catches it. It feels like a very fluffy Snitch. He brings it carefully inside. The owl drops the letter onto Harry's seat and begins zooming around their compartment, apparently very pleased with itself for accomplishing its task. Hedwig clicks her beak with a dignified disapproval.
"Shh! Careful!" Hedwig warns the little owl, who keeps cheering above Jayla's head.
"I did it!" The owl keeps cheering. Crookshanks sits up in his seat, following the owl with his great yellow eyes. Ron, noticing this, snatches the owl safely out of harm's way. Harry picks up the letter, seeing it's addressed to him.
He rips it open and shouts, "It's from Sirius!"
"What?" The others yell excitedly. "Read it aloud!"
Dear Harry,
I hope this finds you before you reach the station. I don't know if this will, but I hope so. Buckbeak and I are safe, and I am sure that you have seen the Daily Prophet. I wanted to write to you beforehand, but Daniel wanted it to be a surprise and sent the newspaper to Jayla. I have some doubts about the owl's reliability, but he is the best I could find on short notice. Sophia wouldn't let me use Ryder, saying he was busy. But I think she was lying. - joking -. There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt -
"Ha!" Hermione exclaims triumphantly. "See! I told you it was from him!"
"Yes, but he hadn't jinked it, had he?" Ron retorts. "Ouch!" The tiny owl, hooting happily in his hand, nibbles one of his fingers in what it seems to think is an affectionate way.
"Leave them to their couples squabble. Finish the letter, Harry," Jayla tells him, pulling Hades into her lap, who happily snuggles into her owner's chest. Harry goes back to finishing Sirius's letter.
Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from Gringotts vault number seven hundred and eleven - my own. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your Godfather. I would also like to apologise for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your Uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you. I am going to give you something else which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable.
Can't wait to see you all again.
Sirius
Harry looks at his friends eagerly and can't wait to get to the station for the first time since starting Hogwarts. He rereads the letter and notices something. "Hang on, there's a PS… I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat." Ron's eyes widened. The miniature owl is still hooting excitedly.
"Keep him?" Ron questions uncertainty. He looks closely at the owl for a moment, then, to Harry, Jayla and Hermione's great surprise, holding him out for Crookshanks to sniff. "What d'you reckon?" He asks the cat. "Definitely an owl?" Crookshanks purrs. "That's good enough for me," He smiles happily. "He's mine." He takes out a sleeping Fee from his jacket pocket. "Say hello, Fee." Harry reads and rereads the letter from Sirius all the way back into King's Cross Station.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Harry still clutches the letter tightly as they step back through the barrier of platform nine and three-quarters. Harry spots Uncle Vernon immediately, and his stomach drops as he sees him standing a reasonable distance from Mr and Mrs Weasley, eyeing them suspiciously. When Mrs Weasley hugs Harry in greeting, his worst suspicions about them seem to be confirmed. "I'll call about the World Cup!" Ron yells after Harry as he bids him and Hermione goodbye, then wheels the trolley bearing his trunk and Hedwig's cage towards Uncle Vernon, who greets him in his usual fashion.
"What's that?" Vernon snarls, staring at the envelope Harry clutches in his hand. "If it's another form for me to sign, you've got another -."
"It's not," Harry replies cheerfully. "It's a letter from my Godfather."
"Godfather?!" He splutters. "You haven't got a Godfather!"
"Yes, he does," A familiar voice answers, making the pair turn to see Sirius Black but completely different, his long hair now cut and styled nicely, and his beard now trimmed. He's wearing a nice black suit with a coat. Harry can't help but marvel at how much he's changed since the last time he saw him before he escaped on Buckbeak's back.
"And who are you?" Vernon demands, eyeing the man.
"I'm Sirius Black. Harry's Godfather," Sirius answers, growing annoyed with the man. "And Harry will be coming home with me."
"Harry!" Jayla calls after him, waving as she stands with her parents and siblings. "Come on, we're heading to the car!" Harry smiles and looks at Uncle Vernon for the last time.
"Thanks for everything," Harry says before speeding off to join the Darkmores as Sirius talks to Vernon, who doesn't seem all that bothered about Harry leaving.
"What's Uncle Siri doing?" Yazmin asks, clinging to her Mother.
"He's telling Harry's Uncle that he's going to be living with us from now on." Daniel explains, smiling, glad to see Sirius free.
"Are we going to be celebrating again now Harry and Jayjay are here?" Mason asks, looking at Harry.
"Wait, you celebrated without us?" Jayla exclaims, faking a gasp as they start heading out of the station and making her siblings and Harry giggle.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Harry buzzes in his seat after entering the Darkmore car on their way to the Manor; he still feels like it's a dream as they come closer as it gets darker. Yazmin has since fallen asleep from the car drive. Harry and Sirius talk, catching up as Jayla talks with her parents about what happened. "We've opened up the other guest room for you, Harry," Sophia suddenly says as they grow closer to the Manor. "We only had the one at Christmas because we were redecorating the other three for Sirius, Remus and you."
"Did you foresee this?" Harry asks, looking at the Darkmore Mother.
"I did. I wanted it to be a surprise. But I did warn Jayla to keep an eye on you," She confirms, and Harry glances at the Darkmore Heiress.
"She means well. Sophia since she got her gift has always had the best intentions. She even warned your Father once when she was Head Girl about being caught by Filch," Sirius defends her.
"Why didn't you let him get caught?" Harry asks, looking at her to see a fond smile.
"It was too funny. He changed all the soap in one of the bathrooms to dye. Everyone who used it ended up with green hands," Sophia laughs, then turns to her son. "You do anything like that. You warn your friends and Sister, we agreed."
"A little prankster in the making," Sirius grins at Mason, who beams back at him.
"Yep! We've been coming up with new pranks for once I come to Hogwarts in September," Mason tells Harry, who grows a little worried about there being three known pranksters in Hogwarts simultaneously.
"Oh, great," Jayla groans dramatically, falling with her arms around Mason, making him laugh at her antics.
"You seem in higher spirits than before. What happened, Little Baby Girl?" Daniel asks, turning serious. Jayla avoids his eyes, looking out the window and pretending she didn't hear her Dad. "What happened, Harry?" He turns to the raven-haired teen, who looks like a stag in headlights.
"Uh… well, she was crying on the train after talking with Draco, but I think it was about something that happened at the end-of-year feast," Harry explains and sees the look of betrayal on Jayla's face. "She said it was about an ex?"
"Ex? Who were you dating? I thought you were dating Harry?" Sirius questions, looking and pointing between the teens, who blush at the thought.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
They finally arrive at the Darkmore Manor to the smell of dinner. "Dinner then bed," Sophia informs the children.
"What?!" Sirius grumbles, earning strange looks from the others. "Oh, right. I'm an adult." He grins.
"Well done, Uncle Siri," Yazmin smiles, running off as she takes off her coat with Sophia chasing her inside.
"Yazmin, coat and shoes!" Sophia calls after her as they go into the dining room.
"Home sweet home, make yourself at home, Harry," Daniel tells him, placing the coats in the cupboard with the rest.
"Home…" Harry smiles and looks at Sirius, who doesn't seem as comfortable either but happy nonetheless to be there because he has a fresh start with his Godfather.