Authors Note- Sorry about the wait. I've had so many ideas for this story and have just wanted to get them written. But I haven't been doing much editing. I've written out to chapter 23 and hope to get a few chapters posted this week. Thank you all for the Favorites, Follows and Comments. Hope you enjoy the chapter. :)

Chapter 18

Tough Decisions

Severus knocked on the headmaster's office door. Albus had sent a patronus a few minutes ago asking him to come to a meeting. He hoped that someone had found the boy. He and Lupin had walked every place they could think of, and he didn't think his feet could take another day of aimless walking.

"Come in Severus." Albus voice called.

When he entered, he wasn't surprised to see Minerva was also in the office. He was surprised there wasn't a moping werewolf there as well. Perhaps this wasn't about the boy. He made his way over to Albus desk and took a seat in one of the chairs.

"Good morning, Minerva." Severus greeted.

"Good morning." Minerva replied.

"Albus." Severus said in way of greeting with a nod to the headmaster.

"What's going on Albus?" Minerva asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not sure. Remus sent a message this morning asking for this meeting. He should be here shortly. I asked for you two to join me a little early so that I might bring Severus up to date about our recent conversation." Albus said to Minerva.

Severus raised an eyebrow at that.

Why would Lupin have called a meeting in the headmaster's office? Perhaps he had heard from the boy? And what was this about bringing him up to date?

Severus waved his hand in a 'get on with it' manner.

"I have recently become aware of some of my gaps in judgement." Albus said solemnly.

Perhaps the old man had finally seen his own faults. That would be a surprise, Severus thought.

"I would like you and Minerva to be…" Albus cut himself off and looked to Minerva clearly lost for words.

"Albus has realized he can't run the war by himself. He also can't gather information and refuse to share it with anyone. He would like to use us as a sort of sounding board. In exchange we would get all the information that Albus is using to make these decisions." Minerva stated with a little heat.

Severus was surprised by that. He doubted Albus would actually fully inform them. Old habits die hard. However, things would definitely be easier if he didn't always feel as if he were being kept in the dark.

"And what information is it that you wish to give us Albus?" Severus drawled. He knew better then to seem too eager for information. Even if his excitement came from the potential that the information may lead to the end of the Dark Lord and Merlin willing, his own survival.

"I would like to wait until term begins. I'd like time to gather my notes and thoughts. I have a mission I had planned to take at the end of the summer. However, I am second guessing the wisdom of that. I think perhaps I will have one of you to accompany me after we have had a chance to all talk." Albus said.

Severus' interest was piqued. He didn't like the idea of waiting the whole summer. However, at the moment he was rather busy chasing the Potter brat.

"Very well Albus." Severus said curtly.

Just then the floo in Albus office flared to life.

Severus watched as Lupin stepped out and brushed the soot from his robes. Severus took in his appearance. He looked almost happy. Maybe he had found the boy.

"Good morning, Remus." Albus greeted.

Severus and Minerva settled for nods.

"You look like you're in a good mood. Were you able to locate Mr. Potter?" Albus asked.

Severus watched as Remus expression pinched and he shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid I haven't. However, I did find someone." Remus said gesturing to the floo as it flamed green again.

Severus was shocked and utterly confused as he saw Black step from the fireplace. He gave them all a little smirk and wave.

"Hello." Sirius said.

Sirius smirked at the gob-smacked looks on the occupants of the room. He gave a half wave.

"Hello" Sirius said.

Remus reached out and took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. They had discussed how they wanted this meeting to go. Sirius was very anxious that Albus would lock him away in Grimmauld again and that they wouldn't be able to go looking for Harry.

Sirius squeezed Remus hand back.

Albus stood from his desk and made his way to where they were standing. Minerva and Severus remained seated. Minerva looked like she was going to cry. Severus looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"This is quite the surprise." Albus said a little choked up.

Sirius was actually surprised by that. He didn't think that Albus would really be all that affected by his death.

Sirius just nodded.

"I think some tea." Albus said.

Sirius watched as albus summoned a house elf and ordered tea. He then conjured another pair of armchairs and gestured for them to take a seat.

Once everyone was seated and held a cup of tea an awkward silence began to stretch out.

"So where have you been hiding. Lupin's quite the actor if you've been holed up in whatever hovel he usually occupies." Severus sneered.

Sirius took a deep breath. He had promised Remus he would keep civil with Snape.

"Only last night." Sirius said neutrally.

"We thought you had fallen through the veil my boy. How are you alive?" Albus asked. He still looked genuinely shocked.

Sirius cleared his throat and explained how he had been attempting to apparate when Bellatrix's spell had hit him. He tried to explain where he had ended up and how disoriented he was upon waking up.

"You let us believe you were dead." Minerva chided.

"No, I didn't know. I swear I figured you all thought I'd run out of the fight. Or maybe been captured. I figured Snape would dispel any suggestion that I was captured." Sirius replied.

Severus snorted.

"Why didn't you return sooner?" Albus asked.

Sirius set down his cup and squared his shoulders. This was going to be the make-or-break moment. He wouldn't back down and he would fight or flee if necessary. He would not let Albus manipulate him or the situation again. He set his jaw and met Albus eye.

It had been a tough decision to stay away after he had woken up. It had been even more difficult to come back. Now he was potentially going to lose Albus Dumbledore as an ally. He hoped he would not make an enemy. He would do all of that though to keep Harry safe. Unfortunately, these were the decisions that had to be made for that to happen.

"I was unwilling to be locked away in Grimmauld again. Peter has been arrested. There's no reason that I shouldn't be able to get a pardon. I was waiting to see what would come of the arrests made at the Ministry" Sirius said stiffly.

"I would appreciate your help in securing my freedom. However, if you aren't willing to help me. I will pursue my freedom on my own. Then we will be leaving the country, and I will be taking my godson with me." Sirius continued.

Sirius saw something flash in Albus' eyes. He thought it might be fear. Perhaps the thought of he and Remus leaving the Order and the country. However, Sirius didn't think so. He thought it had more to do with Harry. He had long suspected that the old man was using Harry. He wasn't really sure how or why, but something seemed off.

He would not allow Albus to keep Harry from him any longer. He and Remus had talked and agreed that Harry needed help. They had watched his decline all year and were becoming alarmed. It was just a matter of time before something really went wrong. He wouldn't allow the headmaster to manipulate his godson anymore.

"Of course, I'll help you, my boy. I've been in regular contact with Madam Bones. I think she would be willing to help us correct the injustice you have faced. I apologize that you felt trapped in Grimmauld. It was not my intention to reimprison you. I…I thought I was doing the right thing. I was trying to keep you safe. Please forgive me Sirius." Albus said earnestly.

Sirius felt a little wrong footed. He had come here expecting a fight. Instead, he had his feelings validated, and apology and what sounded like confirmation of Albus assistance. He still thought he was hiding something. Something important. Something to do with Harry. However, the best way to protect Harry would be to get his own name cleared and then get custody.

Sirius nodded.

"Have you been in contact with Harry?" Minerva asked, breaking the silence.

Sirius shook his head.

"No, I haven't been in contact with anyone. Remus and I discussed a few ideas that haven't been looked into yet." Sirius said calmly.

"You don't seem to be concerned about the boy. Lupin has been practically beside himself. As have his friends." Severus said snidely.

"Harry is a smart kid. I'm sure he's okay. I think we still need to find him but I'm not worried." Sirius said firmly.

Harry was a survivor. Sirius had heard about some of his school adventures, and he imagined he'd had plenty of others.

Severus snorted at that.

"The boy's intelligence is debatable. Regardless, we are in a war and Harry Potter is an untrained wizarding child and at the top of the Dark Lords list. He was at risk the moment he left the safety of his relative's home."

Sirius snorted this time.

Sirius didn't know the details, but he knew Harry wasn't safe in that house. The way Harry behaved, the things he said and the things he didn't. Sirius had given him a few hugs over this last year, and it was like hugging a mannequin. Harry would go stiff as a board. He had watched the way Harry would hold himself away from people, even his own friends. There was something wrong with his godson. He and Remus had avoided directly asking him. They hoped if they built a good foundation that he would eventually feel comfortable confiding in them.

"The wards were keeping him safe from the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters. The wards have now fallen, and his relatives have left the country. The boy is somewhere as someone or something and you're not concerned that he might be in trouble?" Severus spat.

Remus had explained about the relative's hasty exit of the country. He wasn't sure what to make of that. He wondered if it was just saving their own skin. Who cares if a teenager is left on his own. They hadn't even reported him missing.

"How about we just focus on locating Mr. Potter for the time being, shall we?" Minerva cut in hoping to avoid the two from hexing one another.

Sirius just nodded.

"Sirius we can contact Amelia after we are done here. See what we can do. Am I right in assuming you are staying with Remus for the time being?" Albus asked.

"Yes, and The Order is welcome to continue using Grimmauld." Sirius said with a nod.

"Very well, what kind of idea's do you have as far as locating Mr. Potter?" Albus asked.

Harry wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He and Mary had been working in the garden all morning. Now the sun was getting high, and the day was really starting to heat up. He was reminded of long summers spent burning in the sun, and dehydrated at the Dursleys. However, unlike there, Mary had them stop frequently for drinks and short rests. She had given him juice and plenty of water. The breaks without fear of punishment were as refreshing as the cool drinks.

"Max why don't we head in the house for a while. I'll make us some lunch." Mary's voice called from the patio were she was working at a table planting some pots with colorful annuals.

Harry didn't feel hungry at all. He looked down at his clothing and realize he was absolutely filthy. He wouldn't go in her house like this. His aunt and uncle would have punished him severely if he dared to enter their house looking like this. However, it would seem suspicious to do a cleaning charm.

"I'm all right. I'd like to keep working." Harry said with a shrug.

Mary looked like she was going to protest but then just nodded. She dusted herself off and pulled off her gardening gloves. Then made her way in the house. Harry turned back to his work.

He had finished the weeding today. Then dug some holes and planted some ornamental trees, and small shrubs. Now he was trimming back some bushes along the back fence. His body ached both from the work today and the road rash covering the side of his body. He had taken his vial of Dreamless sleep last night. He had tried to sleep as Akela but that hadn't helped his pain.

He'd found it difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep. Every twinge had him seeing that car speeding towards the little boy. His body felt jumpy like he needed to run out to the boy again. Then it started to meld with the feeling of running towards Sirius. He had begun to feel overwhelmed. His back hurting the way it was also brought up a lot of memories of the Dursleys and he knew if he had managed to get to sleep, he would have ended up awake again with nightmares. He had held on to the dose of dreamless sleep for a night he was really in need. With no pain potion he decided tonight was the night he needed it.

He had taken some of the muggle pain killers he'd been given after the incident at the pet shop. But like always they didn't seem to do much. Harry wondered if it was just a him thing or if it had to do with being a wizard. He'd have to look in his healing books. He hadn't done as much studying in them as he had planned. He had told McGonagall last year that he wanted to be an auror, but he thought he might actually have a passion for Healing. He had begun to do his own self-study in potions this last year and had found the subject rather interesting. He just wished he didn't have to fight Snape to learn it in class.

He knew that the wizarding world expected him to be an auror. Harry snapped the pruners a little aggressively at that thought. He wasn't going to get to grow up to be anything. He was going to fight to save a world and then never get to really be a part of it.

Harry sighed.

It wasn't worth getting worked up about.

Harry set the pruners down and made his way to the patio and took a long drink of his water. He was startled when he heard the door open behind him. Harry turned quickly to find Mary standing there with two plates piled with sandwiches and crisps.

Harry took a breath. He was fine. Although confused.

"I've noticed you don't much like things being dirty. Figured you might just not want to come in the house. So, I thought we'd go sit at the little table under the tree and have lunch." Mary said with a smile.

Harry felt his heart swell. He felt understood and seen maybe for the first time ever. Ron often gave him a hard time about his cleaning habits. He didn't understand. Harry couldn't really explain either, so he just took the ribbing with a smile and let it drop.

"Thank you." Harry said with a wide grin.

He pulled of the work gloves and set them on the potting table next to his water. He went to the hose and used the water to wash his hands. He wished he had some soap, but this would be ok. He was scrubbing at his hands with his nails when he heard a throat clear next to him.

Mary smiled at him and handed him a bar of soap and a brush for his hands.

"Thank you." Harry whispered as his face blushed red.

When his hands were spotless and a little red, he made his way to the small wrought iron table under the tree. He had trimmed the tree earlier and cleaned the table. It was a nice little sitting area.

"Thank you, ma'am." Harry said a little shyly.

It was nice to feel seen and taken care of, but he also wasn't sure how to manage the attention. He had always felt invisible. Even in the wizarding world everyone saw and talked about 'The Boy-Who-Lived.' The closest he ever felt to being seen was with Sirius and Remus and sometimes Fred and George. But the problem with both was that he intentionally put on a mask. He wanted Sirius and Remus to see him as worthy of being James' son. He didn't want them to see him as weak or a freak. With Fred and George, it was always trying to keep things light even when things really weren't ok. He felt guilty that they worried about him. He had long wished he could have avoided them ever finding out anything. With Ron and Hermione, it was a variation of 'The Boy-who-Lived.' He was more himself, but he put on a layer of confidence that he did not have.

In Cokeworth he had just been himself. Being seen as just himself felt good. He wasn't anything to these people other than some runaway kid.

"You've done an excellent job today, Max. I know the garden is a mess. I think when you're done with the bushes, we should probably stop for the day. I'd still like to have you look at the roof if you're sure your comfortable going up." Mary said casually.

Harry had a mouth full of sandwich when she had finished speaking. His cheeks flushed a little and he nodded as he finished chewing.

"That would be fine ma'am. I won't be able to start as early tomorrow. I have an errand to run." Harry said.

He had been thinking about his trip to London. He was worried he was taking too big of a risk going. However, he just couldn't let it go. Every time he caught sight of himself in the mirror and saw the aura that was twisted into his scar, he felt sick. Maybe if a curse breaker could do something with the cup or locket, they could get the curse out of his scar. The only other thing he could think of was to return to the chamber of secrets and stab them with a basilisk fang. However, he couldn't stab himself in the forehead with a basilisk fang. He could remember the pain of basilisk venom in his veins. In the end he may not survive his encounter with Voldemort, but he doubted anything he could do would be as painful as basilisk venom.

"Where are you off too?" Mary asked.

Harry felt a little uncomfortable with the question. He'd have to lie. He couldn't say he was going to London. There was no way by muggle means that he'd make the trip and be back by noon.

"A friend that lives nearby asked for some help." Harry said vaguely.

Mary just hummed. He didn't think he'd gotten away with the lie, but Mary didn't seem to be pushing it.

"Thank you for lunch, it was delicious. I'll get back to the bushes. Then will get a look at the roof." Harry said, raising from the chair.

"Ok. I'm glad to see your face is looking better. The black eye is mostly faded. I'm sorry you scraped it all up. Did you get something on it? I've got some cream that will help it heal." Mary said, looking at his face critically.

"I'm alright." Harry said with a tight smile.

Harry had wished last night for a pain potion and some healing salve. It was something else on his shopping list for tomorrow. He'd be alright for another night. Despite his comfortability with Mary he still felt weary of excepting things from her. Or anyone really. He'd be fine. It was hardly the worst injury he'd ever had to heal the hard way.

Mary nodded and Harry headed back to work.

Harry stood under the spray of the hot water in the shower. He had stayed at Mary's longer then he'd planned but they had completed the yard and looked over the roof.

Harry laughed a little at the worried look he had seen on Mary's face when he had been climbing around on the roof. He hadn't been worried at all. It was a little refreshing actually. He really missed flying over the summers. He had even considered a disillusionment charm on himself and maybe his cloak too just to go flying. He decided it wasn't worth the risk. Maybe He could go to Ernie's at some point and go for a fly. He'd seen a pitch when he'd been there last time.

He quickly shot that idea down. It was frivolous. He really didn't need it and going there was already a risk. He didn't want to risk their safety. The reason he was on the run was to keep his friends safe. It would be stupid to put them in danger for something as unnecessary as going flying. He was stupid, he mentally berated himself.

He turned off the water and gently probed at his side. The road rash looked rough. Especially since he still had some fading bruises from Vernon underneath it.

Harry sighed. He dried himself off and pulled on his large pajamas. He hated these clothes. They were gross and embarrassing. He didn't feel like he deserved better, but it would be nice to have slightly nicer cast-offs. The Weasley's all wore hand-me-downs. But none of them ever looked as bad as Harry. Maybe he could find a thrift store and get a few things. They didn't need to be new, just maybe less full of holes. Harry thought as he fingered a large rip along the hem of his shirt.

Harry laid carefully down so as not to aggravate his back. He had decided to forgo studying tonight. He had completed all his homework, and he hadn't had any luck yet in figuring out what the magic in the cup and locket was. He just needed access to more books. He had read and took notes on the defense books he had, and he had poked around the healing book. He wanted more books.

He decided that after his business at Gringotts he would get a new trunk and more books before he returned. As well as restocking his potions. He thought he should have time. He wanted to get to Mary's by noonish to start working on the roof. Luckily it only needed some patching. It would still take a while to get to all the places that needed to be addressed. Harry worried if it wasn't addressed before the next storm, she may end up with more water damage.

Harry sighed. He had everything packed in his trunk except his cloak. He would leave early tomorrow. He hadn't been given a time, but he hoped Ernie's parents weren't there when he arrived.

Harry closed his eyes and hoped he wasn't making a mistake. He needed to go to Gringotts. This was too sensitive to inquire about over owl. Hopefully, he'd make the trip and be allowed to return to his happy little life in Cokeworth.

He tossed and turned a little and finally just transformed into Akela. He always slept better in this form. The transformation pulled a little at his wounds. Last night it had been too painful to stay in that form. Tonight, though he was able to settle. He knew it wasn't probably the best coping skill but it's what he had.