Chapter 15: Being Yourself

I do not own Harry Potter

Author's Notes:

I'm back! The story was not abandoned, and hopefully won't ever be. I've been reading and replying to reviews, but just hadn't had the time to write. Hoping to get a good stretch done from here on.

EDIT: Its not a well written chapter, that much is clear to me. But this specific chapter had been going on for like 2 months, and I really just wanted to be done with it and move ahead. Maybe I'll come back and rewrite this portion in the future. Hope the 'big' moments (which admittedly aren't too big, save Sirius' introduction) are enough to compensate for the other flaws. To state the obvious, he'll be more involved in the future.

Next chapter starts at Kings Cross! I know I could've done more in this summer setting, but it would have taken too long and/or started too many things at once, so I'm ending it here, where it seems to be a good place.

As always, lemme know any shortcomings present or improvements/changes you'd like to see, more often than not I end up incorporating them in some form!

I'll try to include more of the 'golden trio' in the scenes from here on.

Btw,

Here's how my version of the Wizengamot works - It isn't necessary that there be only 1 session each month. The Wizengamot can convene any number of times in a month, with there being the necessity that there not be a gap of more than 1 month between two meets. You can imagine how the frequency and attendance of meets changes depending on the times.

Open to recommendations on the title

Enjoy!

THE DAILY PROPHET

PAGE 1

The-Boy-Who-Shocked-The-System

by Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Correspondent

*insert picture*

Harry Potter, left, sporting a new look, accompanied by newly appointed proxy Andromeda Tonks (nee Black)

On August 8, 1993, the Wizengamot convened for its landmark 3900th, and one of modern history's most memorable sessions.

Harry Potter, aged 13 exited the Potter Family from the Albus Dumbledore-led 'Unity' bloc, and formally aligned itself with the Neutrals! That's right dear readers, The House of Potter, one of Britain's 8 'Ancient' families, has left the Liberal faction for the first time since aligning to it back in the 1930s. What was even more surprising was his choice of proxy, Andromeda Tonks - estranged member of the Black Family and cousin of the notorious Sirius Black! Even more ominously, reports suggest she has been in contact with the man, and could possibly be sheltering him! This of course, lines up with the theory that her marriage with Healer Edward Tonks was nothing more than a cover, much like the one Black himself was under. For the sake of Mr Potter and our society, we at the Daily Prophet sincerely hope we're wrong, and urge the DMLE to investigate the matter.

Those present report that the move was so out of the blue that even Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock and former proxy to the Potter seat seemed to be unaware of the ambitions of the young heir, who recently received an award for 'Special Services' to Hogwarts last year.

Readers of course may be wondering how exactly was the Boy-Who-Lived, still a minor able to make such a change?

The answer is - he isn't technically a minor anymore. That's right, Harry Potter is now emancipated. The obvious question is when exactly did he attain that status, which is unknown, but yours truly sought to explore the more important question - why?

Since yesterday, your faithful journalist has been working tirelessly to get some sort of explanation for yesterday's surprising events, and she is pleased to say that her efforts have paid off. A source, wishing to remain anonymous out of concerns for her safety intimated that Mr. Potter felt 'increasingly suffocated with each passing day' by Dumbledore's 'dictatorial' tendencies and his refusal to 'consult or accommodate in any way' the rightful owner of HIS 3 invaluable votes. He also explained how the move was 'a long time in the making' with there having been several verbal spats between the two, with Dumbledore 'grossly disrespecting and undermining' the Boy-Who-Lived.

Is this confirmation that Albus Dumbledore, a staple in British politics for decades has finally been exposed as the tyrant and manipulator that he is? Has his ruse of projecting himself as this kind grandfather to the media finally been busted? Will Harry Potter file for damages against his Headmaster? Only time will tell. Before moving on, I would like to pass on my heartfelt thanks to my anonymous source, a common person who risked her life in giving any sort of negative account relating to Dumbledore. I also once again plead the honorable Ministry of Magic to investigate Dumbledore on the charges of intimidation and extortion, as the author has reported several times. She looks forward to the day our politics is free from the clutches of a delusional old dingbat.

Albus P.W.B Dumbledore declined to comment, and reportedly stormed out of the session as soon as it was adjourned. His time at the top seems to be limited, or at least the people hope it is. But it is now time to talk about the boy who's time has just begun, Harry Potter.

PAGE 2

It was widely expected Harry Potter, the vanquisher of You-Who-Know would become the leading member of the Liberals one day. In fact, his friendship with Robert Weasley, youngest son of Ministry worker Arnold Weasley, who is known to be a staunch supporter of the Liberal ideology, would also have indicated the same. But it seems all is not right between the two. Perhaps, that is for the best. Numerous students, including Draco Malfoy, son of Lord Lucius Malfoy, who won a second term to the Wizengamot with an historic margin, have commented how the Weasleys were always a bad influence on Harry, and are glad if Britain's favorite son has come to his senses and distanced himself from them. In her opening speech, Madam Tonks stated how 'the faction colloquially known as the 'Greys' best represent the Potter family's interests and young Harry's in particular' and that 'we are excited to begin this new chapter in the Potters' legacy, a family that has served Wizarding Britain for centuries and endeavors to continue doing so'. She also stated how 'there are no hard feelings between Harry Potter and Dumbledore' and that 'this move is not a divorce from any sort of collaboration with the Liberal faction'. Though evidence suggests the last statement is a mere formality.

While it could truly just be the young Potter's beliefs at play, there is another damning conclusion we can reach - Could it just be a matter of ego for Harry Potter? Did he just to reintroduce himself to the limelight after the pomp around his return to the wizarding world died down? Is there a sinister secret behind those radiant green eyes - could leaving Dumbledore's leadership be his first step in establishing a one-man government, with himself at the center? It is no secret he holds the popularity, and now apparently the intellect (his or otherwise) for the same. Once again, we fervently hope we are incorrect about our theory.

There are also several other questions, is there any connection between yesterday and Harry Potter's suspected involvement in student petrifications the past year at Hogwarts? Was the Special Services award an attempt at pacification by Dumbledore? What role did Andromeda Tonks, a smalltime politician who has never even sat in a single Wizengamot meeting, play in this? Is Ms. Tonks manipulating the Boy-Who-Lived for her own ambitions? Could Harry Potter possibly be under the imperious curse? Is this a step in gradually shifting the Potters to the Traditionalists? What does this mean for the Neutrals? Are they simply being used as stepping stone? How bad was Albus Dumbledore's rumored 'good' relationship with Harry Potter in reality, that it forced the boy to cut himself off from decades long allies? Is there friction between the Ancient families of Potter and Longbottom, another Liberal voter (though one not part of the Unity alliance)? Augusta Longbottom, Regent of House Longbottom was 'unavailable' for comment on the matter. How will Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, heir to House Longbottom and fellow Gryffindor cope with the former's snub of the informal but known to be deep friendship?

So many questions dear readers, but worry not, Rita Skeeter will uncover the truth !

for reactions of the Wizengamot members, keep reading on pg 3

for more on Albus Dumbledore's control issues read pg 7

for more on Harry Potter, known parselmouth's controversies in the previous school-year, read pg 8

for more on the friendship and informal alliance between James Potter and Augusta/Frank Longbottom, read pg 12

for more on Andromeda Tonks, read pg 13

for more on child-emancipation, read pg 18

'Merlin, Skeeter's had a field day with this.' Sirius Black, Britain's most wanted man, scoffed inwardly.

This morning, he was intrigued by the unusually long line at the newspaper vendors', though of course being a known criminal meant he couldn't just walk up and buy a paper. He kept a watch for any pedestrian that might throw their newspaper in a nearby dustbin after reading, and luckily that did happen just a few minutes later. In his 'Padfoot' form, a large black dog, Sirius quickly scooped the paper and sprinted to a secluded location, where he could read in peace.

He was surprised when he was greeted by a picture of his godson, Harry Potter and his cousin Andromeda Tonks in the chambers of the Wizengamot. Harry was dressed up in a muggle formal suit, and was sporting dyed golden-brown hair instead of his natural jet black. He quickly read through the story, which occupied almost the entire front page and a large chunk of the second page.

'So this is where Harry is these days' he murmured to himself

Sirius had elected to serve his sentence in guilt - after all he was the one responsible for James and Lily's deaths, wasn't he? Then why shouldn't he pay for his crime, for his utter stupidity?

But then the new Minister came along for the inspection, and brought with him THAT newspaper. Pettigrew was at Hogwarts. Sirius wanted revenge on Pettigrew for framing him, yes, but that wasn't the first, or even the second reason. Second on his list was avenging the Potters' deaths, avenging his best friend's death. But it was something else that was his chief motivation to escape - Harry Potter. Or more specifically, his safety. Harry was almost certainly a Gryffindor, and all Weasleys were Gryffindors too - as the paper had said - this meant Pettigrew was just a few feet away from Harry. The thought that Pettigrew could one day transform and silently kill Harry in his sleep gave him shivers - and he lived in Azkaban by the way. For the next god knows how many hours, possibly because of the dementors, all he could see was Wormtail sneaking up on Harry and stabbing him in the back. It was driving him crazy. Ultimately, he really didn't have a choice, he would end his self-exile; he'd figured out a way to escape years ago, it was now time to use it. And he did.

There was no time to waste once he washed up at that beach in St. Andrews. He dared not transform into a human, besides, it was better being a dog anyways; people were much more sympathetic towards seemingly abandoned pets than they were towards beggars, and Sirius went to sleep on a decently filled stomach each night.

After waiting in the muggle world for a couple of days, and getting a long overdue shower and change of clothes in an empty house, he made his way to the 'magical' part of St. Andrews, where he had started to catch up on the last 12 years, starting with the most important part - Harry. It wasn't too hard to find out either, all he had to do was hit the local pubs, after all people wouldn't be expecting a shaved and tidily dressed man, would they? He'd even managed to nick an all important item - a wand. Dragon heartstring and oak or beechwood probably, wandlore wasn't his area of expertise. It wasn't an ideal match, but he wasn't complaining.

As for what he discovered, apparently, Dumbledore, in his infinite wisdom, had had Harry sent to Lily's horse of a sister. Anybody who knew the Potters well enough could tell you that that was a bad decision. Petunia, and her walrus of a husband both positively hated magic. Petunia hadn't even attended her only sister's wedding. In fact, Lily and Petunia had not spoken since the former's 18th birthday at her parents' house, which as one might have guessed, ended in a bitter argument fueled by the elder sister's jealousy.

But there was a silver lining - he knew where Harry was. Unless they moved him away out of safety concerns. They could also possibly have set a trap for him there...

Sirius mulled over the decision at length, his rational side conflicting with his sentimental one. Ultimately the latter won. As long as he would be careful, he could meet Harry, or at least see if he's ok. Hell, if he got lucky, he might even get a chance to explain everything to the boy. And for just a moment, he let himself get lost in his imagination, where he envisioned a tearful reunion between the two...

And that possibility alone, as slim as it was, was enough for him to make his way over to Surrey, where he recalled the Dursleys living. Hopefully they were still there.

As Sirius would find out, the Dursleys did indeed still live in Surrey, and a few discrete inquiries after charming his clothes to a three piece suit (his face hadn't been disclosed on muggle news, thank Merlin for that blessing) took him to Privet Drive.

Here was where things got interesting though. Padfoot watched the Dursleys for almost 2 full days, but he didn't find a single clue suggesting Harry Potter lived there. He recognized Petunia, how could he not? Never in his life had he seen a person with that much neck. It seems this was nature's way of compensating for the fact that her enormous husband had no neck. Seriously, that man was obese to the point where it was hard to guess where his chest ended and where his chin began. And The son was somehow even worse. Dursley Junior seemed to be in equally bad, if not worse shape for his age. He was seriously threatening to become wider than he was tall. The final occupant in the house was who if he had to guess, would be Vernon's sister. It really wasn't hard to be fair, she was just Vernon with a shave and a wig.

It was so comical that it was almost suspicious. Sirius wanted to walk up to the house and just ask for Harry Potter, but the people in the house seemed to be so absurdly harmless and pathetic that it looked like it was a trap. Arrogant and deadly Sirius Black would see this ridiculous collection of filthy muggles and walk straight in, maybe even fire a couple of Crucios while he was at it.

It was bait.

'Nice try aurors, but ya overdid it' giving a smug smile at having evaded the auror's trap, Sirius walked away, trying to think of his next move.

He considered Diagon Alley. The hub of magical england, or at least a good portion of it, and more importantly - full of idiots. Sure he would have to stay as a dog most of the time, but he COULD hide there, and also easily keep up with the happenings of the world. He contemplated visiting Gringotts, but decided against it. From what he'd gathered, the world still believed the Malfoys to get hold of the Black fortune, and most likely, so did Grimjaw. There was just too much evidence to suggest he did. While Gringotts didn't NEED to hand over outlaws of wizarding Britain, the problem was Grimjaw would WANT to. Hell, the goblin would probably mutilate him then and there in his office. It was too risky. There really wasn't much to do in Diagon Alley, and so Sirius started making his way back north.

And that brings us to the present day, Sirius reading this newspaper somewhere near Birmingham. He was relieved to see Harry was okay, and healthy too. When had he met Andi though? Well he wasn't going to argue, she was a kind and caring woman, and would definitely take care of Harry. Speaking of the boy, shame he had dyed his hair brown, he would've looked just like James with the black hair.

Although maybe that was the point?

Sirius contemplated trying to find out where the Tonks' lived, but decided to let that idea go. After all, it wasn't mentioned that Harry was living with them... maybe he could try talking to the Tonks'?

No. Stupid idea. There were so many ways that that could go wrong. It was too risky. In fact, confronting ANYONE seemed stupid, after all, what proof did he have that he was innocent?

Sirius arrived at a decision soon enough, and sooner than he expected.

He would go to Hogwarts.

Pettigrew was guaranteed to be there.

If he goes about it smartly, he could capture Pettigrew and reveal him to the world - that would go miles in establishing his innocence. But infiltrating Hogwarts wasn't exactly easy, and getting into a dormitory was next to impossible.

But it was his best shot.

He'd done the impossible once before, why couldn't he do it again?

With a new direction, both literally and abstractly, Sirius got started on his long trek north.

"Thank you for inviting us for lunch, Lord Greengrass" Andromeda said giving a small bow, simultaneously giving the boy next to her a discreet tap with her shoes.

Taking the cue, Harry stated equally formally "Lord Greengrass, pleasure to meet you" though he did not bow. Ancient families did not bow to anyone, or as was protocol anyways.

"Mr Potter, Madam Tonks" replied Benedict Greengrass with a curt bow, before adding "... So can we drop the formalities and titles now?" in a bored voice

That extracted a small chuckle from Harry, though he didn't answer, deciding to leave that up to Andi. Goodness could that woman be obsessive over protocol and customs sometimes. Thankfully, she seemed to be equally as amused "Sure, Ben"

"Thank you!" Benedict continued in exaggerated exasperation "just unnecessarily lengthens a sentence doesn't it!" he continued before looking directly at Harry "feel free to call me Ben, seeing that we're going to be colleagues"

"I'm Harry, then" said Harry, extending his arm out. Greengrass accepted it readily. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited by the potential your move holds. There's a lot we stand to accomplish... but first, lunch! This way please!" he finished jovially, leading the guests to the dining area.

Maintaining a neutral face, Harry started to follow Greengrass. Speaking of Greengrass, he had to compliment him. The way he effortlessly modulated his voice between sounding solemn to almost kiddish in the flash of an eye, the way he carried himself, how he dressed, how he went about making his first impression - giving an ambitious vibe but not making it look like he only wanted to use the other... this was a seasoned orator.

The Greengrass' lived in Cambridge in exactly the kind of house you'd expect an old-money family to live in - a giant manor. Their home, with its lush interior and elegant wallpapers screamed money, but the place did just about enough to seem homely.

"Ah, here we are. Harry, Andromeda, this is my wife Elizabeth and my elder daughter Daphne. Girls, Andromeda Tonks, you've already met her, and this of course is Harry Potter, the 'anonymous friend' who gave us the cure for Astoria"

The casual, almost insignificant way in which Benedict ended the sentence meant it took the crowd a couple of seconds to fully process what he'd just said.

"WHAT?!" screamed Daphne and her mother together, while Harry's expression shifted comically from his attempt at a poker face.

Andromeda shifted slightly, but otherwise gave no outward reaction. She decided to speak up, seeing the Greengrass' questioning glance thrown at Harry, who wordlessly signaled he'd delegated giving a response to her, as they'd practiced. Though she didn't think they'd need it this quickly. Turning to a smirking Benedict, she answered "So, how did you know?"

"I didn't" he answered simply, smiling even more widely

"Huh?" blurted Harry eloquently

"I had a hunch, which you just confirmed... You've slowed down in your old age Andromeda" If Greengrass attempted to make his smile any wider, he would tear his lips.

"I suppose I should've seen through that" she drawled, sounding more defensive than she intended "but no crying over spilt milk" she added, changing her pace "So, how did you... guess?"

"Wait" spoke Elizabeth, before walking across the table and wrapping Harry into a tight hug. "You've no idea what you've given us" she spoke, seemingly out of breath... Harry really hoped she didn't start crying, because he had no idea what to do in a situation like that.

He stood still for a couple of seconds, his hands awkwardly wrapped around the woman, before they broke apart. Harry looked and saw - no tears - GREAT. But saying nothing would seem condescending... in a eureka moment for him, he decided to go with a joke... ya know, cut the tension and all, or at least that's what Mr Weasley thought about humor... and well... he wasn't exactly the gold standard of elite class etiquette... oh well, wouldn't be the biggest risk he's taken "You know, protocol says you should bow in a situation like this!"

In a moment that seemed too long, everyone looked at him, perplexed. But then, much to his relief, everyone laughed out in genuine amusement.

"I'll be sure to re-educate my wife on traditions... or I suppose she can join you in Andi's class!... But genuinely, House Greengrass will always be in your debt for what you did... and while this doesn't even come close to repaying that debt, for there is no greater treasure than family, please accept this ancient relic, housed by our family since 1568." At that moment, and Harry really wasn't sure who did the magic (maybe an elf?), a pair of golden, intricately carved goblets appeared on the table, one each in front of him and Benedict. "Traditionally, these are brought out when there has been an important business deal or partnership, and the Head of House has a drink with his counter-part. I hope you will give me that same pleasure, and then accept these as a humble gesture from our family."

"I- woah, uh thanks Lord Greengrass, I appreciate the gesture, and I defi - wait - I thank you for you kind gesture and accept this gift with the same humbleness as it was offered" he said the last part in an almost monotonous tone, having had it drilled into him by Andi

"Smooth Harry... guess I know what we're practicing next"

Once the "mini-ceremony" was finished, it was Daphne that spoke up "Potter... thank you so much. I hope I can do something to repay the debt in the future" she said in an almost dogmatically formal voice.

"Well given the trouble I get into, I guess you'll have your chance soon enough!" replied Harry in a mix of awkwardness and humor. Though it seems to have worked, he extracted what seemed to be genuine guffaw from Daphne. Speaking of the girl, she was experiencing some very conflicting emotions about the sole Gryffindor in the room. there seemed to be this stubborn narrative in her mind that Harry Potter couldn't possibly be a good person, that his fame and (grudgingly admitted) skill meant he was supposed to be fake and arrogant. He was supposed to be hate-able. Daphne was having a hard time seeing him as he REALLY was, rather than from the lens she was used to. Was it jealously? Maybe be a little bit, but that was just her very competitive nature, and hating being outdone at anything. No, what was bothersome about this was how irritatingly good of a person he seemed to be to her, justifying the hero worship one act at a time, and making it harder and harder to hate him every time they spoke. It was hard to describe this feeling, of having this feeling of appreciation (she dared not use the word liking) when you really don't want to. And it was positively infuriating being this conflicted.

A somewhat loud chuckle from her father brought Daphne back into the real world. How long had she been lost in her own thoughts? It was hard to tell, considering the number of times the same few things revolved in her head. What did she miss? She had no idea what was going on, though she did infer shortly when Benedict spoke -

"Oh, dear old Malfoy has no idea what he's headed for"

| The Leaky Cauldron| Diagon Alley| August 27th 1993|

"I believe congratulations are in order, Harry" remarked Mr. Weasley

Currently, the Weasleys, The Grangers and Harry were seated in a private parlor in the Leaky Caldron. This was the first time he'd seen them since that episode at Kings Cross back in June. And boy did that seem like a lifetime ago. He'd changed a lot since then. For starters was his height - 5"4 - comfortably over the British average of about 5"2 for his age. It was even more of a noticeable change considering he had gone from amongst the shortest to amongst the tallest. Then there were his dyed hair, something he could tell was polarizing to say the least, and finally his almost imperceptibly paler texture and deeper eye color. Almost. Hermione and Ron had noticed. Oh and him firing Dumbledore might've had something to do with the furtive glances he was getting. It was only a matter of time before this topic was breached. Now it was up to him to keep it from escalating too much.

Well good luck with that.

"uh yeah, thanks Mr. Weasley"

"Congratulations on our behalf too...Hermione wanted a subscription to the Daily Prophet and we started reading as well" commented Mr. Granger

"...Hmm... oh yes I do recall Harry being mentioned in a column somewhere... hmm can't seem to remember the date" Viola added sarcastically

"Did his head get bigger from all the press George?"

"Oh now, that's just his bad haircut" replied Fred

"Jokes aside, I am sorry for you Harry" said Mrs. Granger sympathetically

"Huh?" blurted out Ron, who had been quiet on the topic so far "He's been all over the papers for days! I'd give anything for that!" there were splashes of cluelessness and (to an extent) jealousy in his voice.

"You can't possibly be so thick, can you Ronald?" Hermione retorted angrily

"Manners Hermione" chastised Stephen "Well Ronald you see while yes Harry has been in the papers a lot... they've really been just been using him. You see Harry is one of if not the most famous figure in the country - and no I won't let you refute me on that Harry - and what this means is Harry sells copies. What he does matters to the common people. Look at me for instance, I don't think I would've read the Daily Prophet as much as I did had it not been for me getting news on Harry. Sure my reasons can be because I know him, or at least my daughter does, but you get the point right? Harry getting featured means more sales. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Well yeah they always follow him, what's so wrong about it?" said Ron defensively

"What it means is they'll write anything about him, whether or not its true" explained Hermione "All sorts of wild stories like him having arguments with Dumbledore or him being under someone's control or secretly being evil. Tell me Ronald, would you like to see such things written about you? And did you know they constantly had cameras filming outside his house?"

Ron did seem to finally see the light. "Wait, how did you know about the cameras?"

"Harry told me?"

Ron turned to Harry and said in an accusatory tone "What's this about mate? You didn't tell me but you told Hermione!?"

Harry, his pledge to keep things from escalating forgotten, replied equally harshly "You didn't ask Ron"

"What do you mean I didn't ask?" he replied defensively

"It means you didn't ask! Hermione wrote to me if I was ok and if the media were giving me trouble, and I told her about the cameras outside. You didn't ask, so I didn't tell you!"

"Boys, calm down" Mr. Weasley said urgently. "Enough, it's not that big of an issue Ronald Weasley, let it go. And Harry, I apologize on his behalf. Let's move on, we're meeting after so long and we don't need to fight" he said sternly

"Well for what its worth I do applaud your decision, Harry" Mrs. Granger remarked kindly

"Well I don't agree with it" Mrs. Weasley budged in, her patience having exhausted "you're much too young to deal with this sort of thing Harry" she commented, though it was out of concern rather than malice. "And I don't think it was the nicest thing to replace Professor Dumbledore like that". And there was the main source of her displeasure.

"Yeah mate, what's this about you sacking Dumbledore?" inquired Ron, all traces of their brief argument gone

"Guys I didn't just randomly fire him like the papers said. I wrote to him days ago that I wanted to do that, and he gave me his blessing" That seemed to put Mrs. Weasley in particular slightly more at peace "We just don't agree on some things - like that vote on the law decreasing parameters to use magic in the muggle world. He was for it, I was against it. Besides, we'll still be together on the big votes like Malfoy and the conservatives bring. It's just... me finding some space to be myself that's all."

That explanation seemed to do the trick, at least for the time being, and Fred quickly moved the talk to Quidditch, which the non-magical Mr. Granger had also become an avid fan of.

Some time later

Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking a few paces behind the others, so as to have a private conversation

"Mate" said Ron, drawing the green-eyed boy's attention to him "I'm... sorry, ya know about the... I didn't-"

"'-think" finished Harry "Don't worry about it. I'm used to you being stupid!" said Harry with a laugh, which Ron returned.

"You know, I was confused at first, but I really am happy for you." Hermione said out of the blue

"Umm...thanks? Context Hermione?"

"Well I never doubted you, it's just that I thought that the Tonks were forcing you to do it or something" she explained "you know, to have more prestige or control or whatever, but I think its just you trying to be yourself. I've heard you complain so many times about being type-casted or not being seen as something or someone else, and this was just you doing something about it. But... just don't forget us, okay?"

"Stop being stupid Hermione! I'll always need you... both of you, come on, you know me! I would never do that to you guys!"

"Thanks Harry, yes I know... it's just that"

"If you say you read something about something in a book that relates to this I will punch you" said Harry in faux seriousness

"I do think that covers 90% of everything she says anyways" quipped Ron

"Prats! Oh guys... that reminds me - I read that because Black is still a threat Hogwarts is stationing Dementors around the grounds this year. They're the - "

"-guards of Azkaban, big scary ghosts that literally suck your soul? Yeah Andi told me"

"Dementors?" asked a confused Ron

A short explanation later and Ron looked like he was going to throw up "What loon thought it was a good idea to do that?! What if accidentally gets a student?!"

"Well the ministry says they're fully under their control, so as long as we're a little careful-"

"Guys" Harry said with some urgency

"Yes, Harry"

He'd been contemplating this for a while, and he decided to let the gang in on some of what was going on

"You know I went to Gringotts the other day last year?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I didn't tell you everything because I was asked to keep it quiet, but things have changed. Also, I really didn't like to keep things secret, by the way, it was a forced decision. Here goes - Sirius Black..."

End notes : I just think it's too unrealistic for him to hide EVERYTHING from his two closest and most trusted friends, so he's gonna tell them about Black, now that there's no scope of him getting a trial in the near future. No horcrux revelation just yet.