Chapter 49: Finally

He was surprised that Aunt Andi was at the house that evening. He was glad she was there. He missed her. A lot. Even though he was probably closer to Aunt Cissy, Aunt Andi was the first family member he had ever met. He hadn't seen her hardly any this summer.

"Aunt Andi," he said hugging her something he still wasn't quite used to doing except for a select group of people.

"Harry," she said. "You've gotten taller."

He rolled his eyes though he knew he had grown a couple of inches even since the beginning of the summer. He was taller than Draco now. Hermione said he'd probably be one of the taller boys if not tallest in his year if he went back to that place. Something he was not used to for sure.

He was the shortest one there last year.

"Do you mind me asking why you're here?" He asked. It wasn't a holiday. And no one had a birthday coming up. Not that he was complaining. It had been a long time. He wondered how Uncle Ted was doing.

"I wanted to see you obviously," she said. "And your dad wanted my help with something."

"Help with what?"

"What we talked about yesterday," a very pale looking Claire said coming into the room. "Right on time, Andi. Not that I'm surprised."

He was surprised with how informal she was towards Aunt Andromeda. He had thought they had never met.

Claire didn't look as composed as she normally looked. She was wearing what Harry assumed was an old quidditch jersey of his father's that went down to her knees and a pair of yoga pants, her blonde hair was tied back in a loose and she wore no makeup. She looked ridiculously young.

"Are you okay?" He asked not used to seeing her this way.

"A little under the weather, baby." She said with a smile. "Nothing to worry about."

He rolled his eyes. He still suspected she was pregnant even though they denied it. Why else would they get engaged this soon?

"Where's Dad?"

"He's finishing up a floo call," Claire's eyes turned almost the same color as Aunt Andi's if only for a second.

Andromeda sighed. "I think I know what it's about."

Harry was about to ask why as his father entered the room. He wasn't dressed as casually as he normally was and had business robes on. He raised an eyebrow.

"I had meetings I had to attend to," He said holding something in his hands.

"Is that a pensieve?" Harry asked.

"Indeed, it's the family pensieve" his father said. "All old families have one."

"I did the privacy charms," Claire said.

He glared at her. "I would've done them. You don't need to stress yourself."

"I'm fine, Siri."

"Privacy charms won't kill her," Aunt Andi said eyes before turning to Harry, "Have you ever heard of the Fidelius charm, Harry?"

"Obviously," He said looking at his father. He knew that he was accused of being the Potters secret keeper. That he had been illegally put into prison because of it. It was something he had only recently found out.

His father had been a bit embarrassed to tell him about it.

"Why?" Harry said. "What do you have to be embarrassed about?"

"I was foolish," he said. "I should've never gone after Peter. I should've demanded my rights earlier. I left you with those people to rot, Harry."

It was the first time he acknowledged the Dursleys. They really hadn't talked about them, even though he knew that his father knew. He knew everyone knew. There was a reason he was forced to take nutrition potions for the past nine months after all.

"I don't blame you," Harry said.

"You should." He said, "You were mistreated because I wasn't responsible."

"You didn't know I'd be sent to them," he said. "You didn't even know I was your son."

"I was your godfather or Harry Potter's godfather. I should've been more responsible. I should've fought them. I failed you and it's something that won't happen again."

As much as Harry tried to rationalize with him, his father wouldn't and couldn't forgive himself for what had happened to him.

"Good, then you know sort of how it works." Aunt Andromeda said pulling him out of his thoughts, "I'm going to be the secret keeper for the conversation that we're having in this room. No one can know about it. Normally, if you're occlumency shields were fully developed such measures wouldn't be necessary but…."

Harry nodded having heard that his shields were still weak as Aunt Andi began performing the charm. Once she was done his father turned to him. "We have a pensive set up with what we want to show you. But Claire and I both are going to swear to you first with an unbreakable vow with what you're going to watch is true. Do you understand?"

He nodded wondering what they had to show him. Unbreakable vows were some serious business.

Needless to say, he was shocked what he saw when he looked into the pensive. His mother was alive.

He saw her somehow surviving what had happened to her. He hadn't known she and Aunt Petunia had shared the same cell. He had only recently found out that his mother was in prison and it was from Draco of all people when he ranted about his crazy Aunt Bella. He remembered asking his father about it.

"You have to realize your mother wasn't in her right mind."

"But it's true though she was in that prison for hurting all those people?"

His father nodded. "Yes, it's true. But like I said she wasn't in her right mind. Don't believe everything you hear about your mother, Harry."

"Mummy…" He found himself saying to Claire….no, it was his mum. His mum hadn't died. She had almost been killed by Aunt Petunia. And she wasn't crazy. Not anymore.

"Baby," She said giving him the biggest hug he had ever gotten. He wasn't much of a hugger but somehow it felt right.

"Mummy." He said again. Merlin, he was crying like a baby. But he didn't care. His mum was alive. Was alive and here this entire time.

"I'm here, baby, I'm here." She said holding him close. He still didn't understand why she looked the way she did even though he saw the memories. Claire was his mum. All this time….

"I…I thought you were gone."

"We all did," His father said in a soft voice. "But she's here, son. We're both here."

And finally, for the first time, his family was together again.

Bella couldn't help but cling on to her son as he called her Mummy for the first time. As his eyes looked at her for who she was.

"How? He asked.

She grimaced they had left out some of the grisly details in the memories he saw. "Are you talking about my new face?"

He nodded.

"The fire destroyed the old me," She said. "It was thought a fresh start was good for everyone. Your dad told you about my past, right?"

He nodded. "That you….that you hurt people. He said your mind wasn't in the right place."

"It wasn't," She said. "And after the fire the ministry offered me a new face. A new life. To forget everything I did. And I took it. I thought we all needed a fresh start. I…I became Claire. I didn't remember my old life."

"You chose to forget me and dad?"

She had a similar talk with Sirius not that long ago.

"You thought I'd be better off thinking you were dead?"

"Yes," she said. It was the truth as painful as it was. "You know what sort of monster I've become."

"You were…"

"I still did those things." She said, "You, Cissy, and Andi. You deserved not to be tainted by me."

"And what about Harry?"

"Lucius didn't tell me about Harry," She said. "You know that. If he did I…"

She stopped herself and said, "I'm sorry, Siri. Please, forgive me. I did what I thought was best. I wasn't thinking."

"I wasn't thinking right." She said repeating what she told Siri, "But it was pretty much my only option at the time. I hope I'm not that hideous."

Harry laughed. "You're hardly hideous, Mum. I can't believe it's really you."

"It is," She said. "And I'm so, so, glad I can finally tell you."

He fell asleep in her arms for the first time that night for the first time in twelve years. He hadn't wanted to leave her side since finding out. Not that she could blame him. She hadn't wanted to let go either.

She couldn't help but stare at him as she kept stroking his hair. She kept seeing bits and pieces of the old her in him and Sirius.

"He looks like you," Sirius said in a soft voice.

She shook her head in disagreement. She personally thought he took more after Siri. His smile looked just like his and his mannerisms were eerily like his as well. But he did have her eyes, well, her old eyes and he was tall like she used to be. Well, to be fair both of them were tall.

"He took the news relatively well. I'm sort of surprised."

Sirus nodded. "I am but I'm not. He has a surprising way about being nonchalant about things that should shock him.

She knew he was talking about their imprisonment. Both of their imprisonments.

Sirius had mentioned he had told him about both of their times behind bars already when she mentioned she didn't know how to explain to her son that she was the Dark Lord's whore—though she would just say lieutenant at least to Harry.

"He already knows." He told her.

She gave him a weird look.

"Draco," He said. "He has a bit of a mouth. Somehow he was complaining about you."

"About me?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Who knows with that kid. I think it had something to do with his suspension earlier this year. You do realize he and Neville Longbottom got in a fight right around the time you died.

She cringed like she usually did when the Longbottoms were mentioned. It was probably one of her worst moments—and there were many. She knew now she was ramped high on potions that night. In addition to that concoction that made her lose her mind, he was prone to giving her anti-pain, love, and aggression potions and they were a particular toxic combination together.

"It wasn't your fault," Sirius said.

She shook her head. She knew it wasn't but…well, it was still her wand that turned that boy's parents into mindless drones in St. Mungo's.

"And Neville shouldn't be tormenting Draco," He said.

"That's one of the reasons why you, Cissy, and Andi, decided not to have me listed as his mother." She said point blank.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

"You don't need to say anything, Siri, I understand. I would've done the same thing."

"No one remembers we were together," he said. "It just seemed easier saying that Harry was the product from a romp with someone I had on the continent."

"I understand," she said and she did but couldn't help but feel a little hurt.

"I plan on having Ted draft adoption papers once we're married." He said to her. "So, you'll have your rights no matter what name is legally yours."

"Yet, another reason for us to get married sooner than later."

He nodded as he put his hand on her stomach.

"Indeed."

It was still hard to believe she was pregnant even though the morning sickness had now come with a vengeance and her breasts were usually throbbing. While she certainly didn't need maternity clothes anytime soon, she'd probably have to get some new bras sooner than later. Not that Sirius seemed to mind given the way he had been playing with her boobs whenever she was in the mood, which was a lot of the time when she wasn't throwing up.

Lord, she could now understand Cissy's libido the last few weeks she was here. She'd admitted she was a lot more sexual she was in the past since becoming a veela, but it was a little ridiculous how much it was amplified with pregnancy. She wanted him all the time now. It probably should've been her first clue that she was pregnant rather than Andromeda performing diagnosis spell on her.

However, sex was the last thing on her mind that night as she looked at her beautiful baby boy who had fallen asleep with both of them on their bed.

"I don't want him going back to that school," She said still remembering what Sirius had told her last night."

Sirius sighed, "Neither do I, but Ted thinks we're going to have no choice for the next few months."

She grimaced.

"It will be okay," he said pulling her close to him. She still fit so well next to him, even though her body had completely changed. "I have my interview tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes she still couldn't believe her husband was going to apply to be a teacher at that school of all places.

"It's too bad you can't apply to teach DADA." He said, "You've done a great job with teaching Harry this summer."

"Like you, the only people I wish to teach are my own kids."

Albus Dumbledore was surprised when Sirius Black appeared in his floo the next morning with how serious the man had appeared or for that matter how he was dressed. The man in the elegant silk robes with the Black family crest on it, didn't resemble the jovial student he had known years ago.

"Sirius," he said. "Lemon drop?"

The man rolled his dark grey eyes. "No thank you, headmaster."

He was surprised at how well Sirius had looked. He knew a little bit about the resort he was staying with, still he was impressed with how healthy he seemed. The place had literally took years off of him and except for the slightly haunted look you wouldn't have thought the man had spent a decade in Azkaban. No. The man in front of him looked like he was one of Lucius Malfoy's rich pureblood peers and just as if not more handsome.

"You requested this meeting," Albus said since it seemed clear the man didn't want to be here.

"I did because of an asinine law that was passed to try to pad your incompetency." He stated he sounded almost as acidic as his ancestors now. It was sad to see that Azkaban had clearly hardened him.

"Are you talking about the enrollment laws, my boy?"

"I am in my thirties," Sirius sniffed. "I'm hardly a boy. You should be referring to me as your grace if anything since the Blacks technically hold a dukedom. Not that you ever cared about anything like that."

He was right. He didn't. And he didn't think Sirius did either, but clearly he had changed.

Twelve years in Azkaban would do that to a person. Still, he had never said anything about the dukedom in the past. He wondered if he'd start attending winegamot sections soon. Probably would be his guess. He knew Ted Tonks had been acting as the family proxy as of late since Lucius and Narcissa's marriage had been annulled.

He decided to take a more direct approach. "Who is Henry Black?"

"My son. You know I liked to get around before Azkaban."

Oh, he knew. Sirius's exploits with women were sort of infamous. Still, he was surprised he hadn't seen the child for enrollment earlier. The registry indicated he was a second year.

"He was being tutored privately after my paramour's death." Sirius said answering his unasked question. "His core is unstable because of the incident that led to her death."

Albus grimaced. "Accommodations can be made, my…your grace."

"At least," Sirius stated. "Though I am planning on getting said laws overturned. A mastery in each subject, Albus. Really?"

"Enrollment has dropped tremendously." Dumbledore said. "Something had to be done after Harry's…."

"Don't you dare speak his name." Sirius said. "My attorney told me what happened last year. How your incompetence led to his death. You should be glad I didn't slap you with a wrongful death lawsuit."

"I…"

"You never reached out since I got of prison. Clearly, you cared a lot."

Albus gulped.

"I didn't think you were in a place for company," He tried to lie. Honestly, he hadn't wanted to deal with Sirius's wrath, which he was sure he would've after what had happened to his godson.

"You didn't want to deal with me," Sirius said. "Let's be frank about it, Dumbledore. And quite frankly I wouldn't want to be dealing with you if it wasn't for Henry."

"Your son," He said. "I'm surprised you're not going the private tutor route. It is an option, my…your grace."

"A little short on notice to find someone with a mastery in ever subject. Which I've heard you've been having issues with. Finding a qualified Transfiguration professor that is."

"Are you offering your services, my boy?" He asked his eyes slightly twinkling. Both Sirius and James had been once in a generation talent when it came to the subject matter. Both of them had the highest NEWT scores in the subject matter since Tom Riddle in that particular area.

Sirius grimaced. "It's your grace. And considering that my son has special needs and needs to be monitored. I am reluctantly."

"You know we need a new head of house for Gryffindor too…"

Sirius grimaced. "I will not be staying on campus overnight. Isn't that a requirement for the head of house?"

"No, no, it's not." Albus lied. He was desperate to fulfill the position. No one wanted to be head of Gryffindor house after last year and he couldn't blame them.

"I'll do it within reason," Sirius said.

Albus couldn't but grin.

He felt like he had pulled a prank again. And in a way he guessed he did. He in no way wanted to teach Transfiguration and be head of Gryffindor house, yet he had gotten the job with very little effort.

His wife raised an eyebrow when he came through the floo.

"I take it you got the job, Grimmauld?"

He raised eyebrow with her calling him by the house's ducal name. It was a thing that really hadn't been acknowledged in years—the dukedom even though all ancient and noble houses were technically actually dukedoms that is. His father was occasionally called Grimmauld now that he thought about it.

"You've never referred to be as Grimmauld before."

"You weren't Grimmauld until Orion died and we were both in prison then," she said.

"I oddly like you calling me it," He said.

He was surprised to see she was dressed in actual clothes. Lately, she had mostly been wearing lounge wear or his quidditch jersey—not that he minded seeing in her that much. But today, she was wearing some rather skimpy looking silver colored dress robes that looked like it was painted on her and emphasized her enlarged breasts. In fact, she looked like she was ready for a night on the town between the dress, the full face of makeup, and her hair. She curled her hair. It almost, just almost reminded him of her old hair except it was now blonde of course.

He was tempted to pull off that dress right now.

"I thought we could go out tonight," she said, "To celebrate."

"You feel up to it?"

She nodded, "The kids are going with Remus for the night. I thought it might be nice for the two of us to have a date. We haven't been on one since I became me again and with you leaving soon…well, I didn't put on this dress just to eat room service tonight."

"Let's go." He said not knowing that that evening would be the last happy one they'd have in a while.

Chapter 50 Preview: It's the Calm Before the Storm