I won't bore you with the reasons for my absence since they're personal. I've kept you waiting long enough so on with the show…story…

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter Thirty Six

By Rosa241

Sirius POV:

It takes everything I've got not to growl as I watch Vernon Dursley step out into the garden. My hatred of the man has only grown as I've watched him these last two days. Every single thing he does makes my blood boil and my rage grow. Remus had been half convinced I was going to explode with the amount of anger I was carrying around. Thankfully another visit with Harry had pushed all of that anger away. I've seen more of him over the last couple of weeks than I ever thought would be possible. All of those nights in that dreaded place my only saving thought was of my godson. Hoping, praying, that he was healthy and happy and loved. Seeing him smiling and laughing with his friends over the holidays was enough to soothe the darkness that place had left on my soul.

The way that his eyes had lit up when he'd seen the Christmas present from us. It didn't feel like much, after all these years it felt like it wasn't enough at all but Remus had pointed out that giving him too much too soon would be sending the wrong message. We didn't want him to think we were trying to buy his love. In the end we'd settled on getting him far more chocolate than one child needed (Remus' idea of course) as well as a small photo album filled with copies of pictures of James and Lily. We'd sent him some after his first letter of course but knowing he didn't have any was heart breaking. Knowing that the few we'd sent were the only ones that he had broke me. A child needed to know what his parents were like. Thankfully Remus was a sentimental old fool and had never been able to get rid of anything. Whilst none of us had been big on photographs he'd always ensured that plenty got taken. He'd not been able to bring himself to get rid of them so they'd simply sat in boxes in storage until we'd been looking for something for Harry.

There'd been tears and laughter as we'd looked over the photographs, as well as far too much joy in burning (and possibly blowing up) any that contained the traitor. It was more soothing that it ought to have been but hey! He stole twelve years of my life from me I'm allowed to be a little vindictive.

"Honestly Petunia will you stop worrying. She knows nothing!" Listening to the fat man's bellow brought me from my thoughts. Focusing back on the house in front of me I shook my head. The spell had been Remus' idea and I couldn't thank him enough.

Any half decent Witch or Wizard would have spotted the spell as soon as they walked into the house but these were muggles. The spell was an old one that most didn't use these days. Hogwarts had put a ban on the spell during our forth year after a group of kids tried using it to spy on McGonagall's classroom to get the answers to an upcoming test. Thankfully Remus still remembered how to use it, we'd used it ourselves to help with the planning of pranks of course but that was years ago. It meant that I could hear into the room they were in but they'd couldn't hear me. So long as I was close by of course.

"Vernon that girl was here again. More questions, more digging. She's looking for something I know it." I couldn't help feeling pleased at the obvious worry in her tone. Clearly Miss Montgomery wasn't letting this one go. I'd gotten the feeling when I first met her that she wasn't the type to give up easily. Evidentially she thought that she knew something.

Unfortunately I have a feeling about what that something might be.

"She can't know anything. And…and even if she did what would she know? That we took in that nephew of yours, that after your sister and her good for nothing husband got themselves killed we took him in and raised him. She knows that. There's nothing more."

Good for nothing…

Hearing those words about James was almost enough for me to snap. Feeling the anger beginning to take over I shook my head and pushed myself up to my feet. I'd spent enough time as a dog to know that running on all fours was faster than my own two feet so I resisted the urge to shift back and sped off. I'd spent enough time at that house today, enough to get my blood boiling again but for now there was another thought.

They were hiding something.

They were hiding something about Harry and I plan on finding out what.

Jennet POV:

"Thank you Abigail. You've gone above and beyond with this one that's for sure." Looking at her you wouldn't think she was happy about her efforts. Deep down she was I know that but right now she's more focused on the fact that this boy isn't being treated right. She won't be happy until we've gotten to the bottom of this.

"As soon as that kids out of that house the better. There's more going on there Jennet I can feel it." You and me both.

"I know. Unfortunately we don't have anything concrete and most likely won't until we speak to the boy himself and his friends." Half of me wants to go to that house tonight and speak to the boy myself but I know that's the wrong move. I need a bigger picture here before I speak to him.

"I'm assuming you still want to put off speaking to him until he's back at Hogwarts?" And then there was that. The last thing I wanted was for the Aunt and Uncle to get worried when our fears came to light and whip the boy off somewhere. Once he's back at Hogwarts under Minerva's watchful eyes I won't have so much to worry about. She'll not let him come to harm whilst he's there.

"Yes. Until then though there are a few people I want to speak to. His teachers. We'll speak to them all first and once the boys back at school we'll speak to him and those friends of his."

I'll get to the bottom of this.

For your sake Harry I will.

Percy POV:

"Wait, you want to what?" Rolling my eyes I hand him another plate which he takes with a frown.

"Look I'm just saying that if you ever wanted a bit of help with your homework or anything then you're always welcome to just ask." He gives me an odd look.

"Why would I want to spend more time on homework than I already do?" The way he scrunches his nose up in disgust has me laughing. "What?"

"Sorry you just look so much like Fred and George when I said the same thing to them." I remember the offer but neither of them ever really did. Once or twice when they'd left something until the absolute last minute and couldn't figure it out.

"Did they ever ask you?"

"No, not really. You know those two, more focused on having fun and pulling pranks than on school work. Drives mum mad." That's a low blow but a true one. Mum goes mad at those two for the lack of effort they put into everything school related, of course they'll be fine but that doesn't stop her from worrying so much now. The one thing I know about Ron is that he hates the thought of upsetting mum.

"Does it?" Turning back to the sink I put the cloth down and turn back to him.

"Yeah, I mean don't me wrong not everyone's an academic I know that and so does mum. It's not like she suddenly expects them to be top of the class or anything but…" I don't like making him feel like thing but I don't think he ever really got it. To be honest I don't think we ever did either.

"But what?"

"Well look Mum wouldn't mind if they were bottom of everything if they were putting in the effort. The problem is that they don't. If those two put in half as much effort as they could they'd get on a lot better in class. That's what mum wants. Not for everyone to be as big a bookworm as me, just for them to try. A bit of effort goes a long way."

We finish the dishes in silence and I can tell that he's thinking over my words. It's not just that I want to get him to open up it's more than that. Ron's never felt like he was enough, like he was never quite doing the right thing. It's like there was always something he was trying to get to but it was always just out of reach.

Confidence.

He was always missing confidence. Confidence in his abilities, confidence in his knowledge of the world, confidence in himself…he's never really had that. He needs it.

It's only as we finish washing up that he speaks again.

"Well maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing if you did help me with my homework sometimes."

"I'm sure it wouldn't."

Yes!

I hope you enjoyed this part, it's more of a set up for the return to Hogwarts that's coming up in the next chapter.

Until next time,

Bye x