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oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 1

The morning after Harry saved Ginny from Tom Riddle, the nascent spirit of Lord Voldemort, was a rough one. Harry might have been saved from death by the Fawke’s the phoenix’s tears but he wasn’t saved from the aches and pains of having his body riddled with basilisk venom. The talk he had with Dumbledore about his adventures in the Chamber of Secrets had left his mind aching as much as the venom had left his body aching. Was Harry really like Voldemort? Or was Professor Dumbledore correct in saying Harry’s choices defined him as good, even if many of his characteristics matched those of the evil Dark Lord? Harry still wasn’t sure.

Ron had been allowed to return to the dorm, while Ginny had been taken to the infirmary by her fretful family. That’s how the twins found out the entire, somewhat overblown story. The dynamic duo decided to pay Harry a little visit to show their appreciation. It was a little after 2am when Harry was awoken by the sound of someone, or rather someones, calling his name.

“Harry.”

“Oh, Harrykins.”

“Harry, the hallowed savior of us all.”

“Harry, Harry, quite contrary.” The sound of the sing-song voice started to rouse Harry from his slumber. He rolled over, away from the annoying sound.

“HARRY!” The two voices whisper-yelled together. Harry woke with a start and sat up sharply. He tried to see who was looming over him but could only see two dark blurs in the barely lit hospital ward and without his glasses.

“Who is it?” Harry said, searching for his wand under his pillow, where he usually kept it.

“Looking for this?” One voice said, holding up what might have been his wand.

“Or these?” Said the other voice, holding up something oddly shaped and spindly.

“Ugh!” Harry growled, grabbing for both items and missing, falling from his bed in the process. The two beings jumped back to avoid becoming collateral damage to his unwieldy fall. They promptly started laughing at his predicament. That’s when Harry recognized them.

“Fred! George! Is that you?” Harry didn’t know why he’d bothered to ask. He knew it was them.

“Got it in one, Harrykins,” Fred, or maybe George, said.

“I reckon you’ll be needing these,” said the other twin, handing Harry his glasses. Harry shoved them on his face and blinked blearily at the two.

“What are you guys doing here? It’s the middle of the night!” Harry said, pointing out the obvious.

“We’ve come to thank you, oh, savior-of-us-all … or at least savior-of-Ginny,” said the grinning twin.

“That’s right. We wanted to hear the sordid tale from the horse’s mouth, and gift you with a precious present in return,” the other twin said, ending with a mocking bow.

“And you couldn’t’ve waited until morning?” Harry groused.

“We could.”

“But we never would.”

“We’ll be much too busy tomorrow.”

“We’ve a grand prank planned for the leaving feast.”

“Then, we’ll be on the train and much too busy for little second years, you see.”

“Ergo, now is the time, Harrykins, my dear boy.” The final twin finished the confusing back and forth conversation with another flourishing bow.

“Have you two been taking lessons on being a pompous git from Lockhart, or something?” Harry questioned.

The twins laughed again. “Not likely.”

“Especially not after the git was ready to leave our poor Ginny to rot.”

“Not that such a thing would happen with our little boy-wonder on the case!”

“Seriously...”

“If that’s possible …”

“Tell us what happened.”

Harry rolled his eyes but started the sordid tale from the moment Harry and Ron went to get Lockhart to the moment Lucius Malfoy ended up tale over tits in the hallway.

The twins were laughing so hard by the end of the sorry story that Harry was certain Madam Pomfrey would come bursting in at any moment.

“Quiet down, guys. You don’t want to get caught, do you?” Harry hissed at the pair of red heads.

They didn’t answer but they did cover their mouths and quiet their laughs down to snickers.

“So not only did you defeat a mythic monster,” said twin one.

“You also stole yourself a house-elf. Well done,” said twin two.

“I did not,” Harry nearly shouted. “I just set Dobby free. He isn’t mine.”

The twins looked at each other then shook their heads at Harry with mock pity.

“Silly little second year.”

“House elves can’t be freed.”

“At least not without killing the sorry little things.”

“Nope, you got yourself a new friend, itty little Harrykins.”

Surely not, Harry thought to himself. “Dobby said he was free,” Harry said stubbornly.

“Try it,” George said. Or maybe it was Fred.

“Call him.” Said Fred. Or maybe it was George.

“If he answers, you can ask him yourself.”

“Though if he answers, that’s pretty telling all in itself.”

Harry gave the twins a dirty look but decided it couldn’t hurt to try. If Harry suddenly owned another being, he thought he should know.

“Dobby,” Harry whispered into the darkened room. Barely a second passed before Harry’s summons was answered with a quiet pop.

“Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir? How can Dobby be helpings you?” the little elf answered.

Harry stared at the little elf in astonishment.

“See, we told you,” one twin said, a little smugly.

“Welcome to the wonderful world of house elf ownership,” the other twin said with a flourish.

“Dobby, tell these two dunderheads that I don’t own you,” Harry pleaded.

Dobby slowly shook his head. “But you do be owning Dobby, Master Harry Potter, sir,” Dobby answered, pulling slightly at his ears in anxiety.

Harry gasped. He was flabbergasted. Dobby looked ready to cry.

“Don’t yous be wanting Dobby?”

“No! I mean, yes! Just, I thought you were free now, Dobby? Do you want to be free?” Harry asked, trying not to set the little elf off on any head banging adventures.

“Yes! Dobby wants to be free from bad masters and Dobby is being. Dobby does nots want to be free from Master Harry Potter, sir. Please don’t give Dobby clothes!” The elf promptly burst into loud tears, exactly what Harry had been trying to avoid.

“Shhhh!” Harry said a little frantically. “Please! Stop crying! I want you, okay! Just be quiet!”

Dobby started sniffling but quieted his wails. “You want Dobby?” the elf asked, with still watering eyes.

“Yes, just, how did this happen?” Harry asked, a little exasperated.

“Yous be helping set Dobby free so Dobby becomes your elf, Master Harry Potter, sir. Unless yous don’t want me.”

“I want you!” Harry said, trying to cut off any more theatrics.

“Elves will die if they don’t have a master to draw magical energy from,” the twin closest to Harry said.

“That’s being right,” Dobby said, nodding his head and blowing his nose on his disgusting pillowcase.

Harry sat quietly for a minute. He couldn’t set Dobby free if he would die. He also couldn’t give Dobby to someone else when he couldn’t know for sure the little elf would be safe and happy.

“I don’t really know what work I can give you but I’ll think on it. Is that okay, Dobby?” Harry asked tentatively.

“Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir! Just be calling Dobby when you need him!”

“He’ll probably need you the day after tomorrow, Dobby,” one of the twins said.

“If our plan works,” the other twin finished.

“Yay!” Dobby said and popped away.

Harry looked perplexed and wary. “What plan?” he asked.

“Our gift to you, of course, Harrykins,” the closest twin said with a grin.

“We owe you for saving our sister.”

“All of the Weasleys owe you.”

“And we pay our debts.”

Harry’s head was spinning from the double talk but he was game to find out what the twins were up to. It had to be good.

“You’re not planning to prank my cousin again, are you?” Harry asked suspiciously. He was going to pay for that little bit of fun already, he just knew it. “My uncle isn’t going to be too happy with me, as it is.”

“No. We never repeat a prank.”

“It’s not how good pranking is done.”

“Ingenuity is the name of the game, Harrykins.”

“And if our plan works, you won’t be seeing your so-called family again.”

Harry sat up and paid attention at that. He’d love to never see the Dursleys again.

“How do you reckon? Dumbledore said I can’t stay here. I can probably come to your place for a visit again sometime but that won’t work for the whole summer.”

“No can do this summer, Harry.”

“We’re spending the summer in Egypt with Bill.”

“He came down as soon as he heard about Ginny.”

“He wants us to come stay with him, Loki bless him.”

“Dad won the sweeps, so we’ve got the funds for it and everything.”

“We’re leaving in three weeks and won’t be back until a week before classes start.”

Harry was supremely disappointed to hear it. The Weasleys were his only lifeline to the magical world. He slumped back on his bed.

“Don’t look so down and out, Harrykins.”

“We have a plan, remember?”

Harry perked back up, but only a little. He didn’t see how the twins could have a plan to keep him from his relatives, when even Dumbledore said he had to go.

“Bill’s going to help!” They said together with a flourish. Harry just blinked.

“Er, how is Bill going to help?” Harry asked.

“Bill’s going to meet you at the muggles’ and take you somewhere special. Don’t ask us where; we want it to be a surprise.”

“He’s going to stop by your relatives and check the place out, too.”

“We told him how to find the place.”

“He’s going to look for wards or anything that might tell old Dumbles if you don’t come back.”

“We’re guessing he can’t tell if you leave, though, or he would have known you came to the Burrow last summer.”

“Since he didn’t show up to scold you or us, we’re assuming he didn’t know.”

Harry thought for a few moments and then agreed.

“Yeah. I think you’re right. He must not have known I was gone. He never mentioned it. He told me I had to go back again this summer but that’s it.”

“That’s what we reckoned, too. Get some sleep, Harrykins.”

“Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day.”

“And the day after, you’ll get our gift.”

“Thank you guys. I would give anything to keep from going back to the Dursleys,” Harry said gratefully.

The twins looked at one another. They turned back to Harry with matching grins.

“Anything, Harrykins?”

Harry looked at them with trepidation. “Almost anything.” You never could tell what the twins would come up with.

“How would you like to get in on the ground level…”

“Bottom basement level …”

“Of a wonderful investment.”

“For the low price of 500 galleons,...”

“You could own a small …”

“Very small ….”

“Share in an up and coming business.”

“It will be very successful.”

“Stupendously successful.”

“Without rival.”

“In a league of its own.”

“A joke shop.”

“Owned by yours truly.”

Harry had to shake his head to end the dizziness caused by the twinspeak.

“Ummm, you guys are going to start a joke shop?” Harry asked.

“Yes, indeed, Harry our boy.”

“The best joke shop you have ever seen.”

“That trick we pulled on your cousin was a Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes original.”

“One of the first of our own and the best so far.”

Harry thought for a moment then agreed. “I’m in, on one condition.”

The twins grinned evilly. “Muwhahahaha.”

“I think what my brother meant to say was, on what condition?”

“You never use any of your products on me.”

The twins looked at one another then agreed.

“You have a deal, Harrykins. Shake on it?”

“Don’t you need a contract for a business deal?” Harry asked, skeptically.

“Right-o, our boy wonder. We certainly do. We’ll have Bill draw one up and bring it to you. Sound fair?”

“Sounds good,” Harry agreed, trying to shake one of the twins’ hands only to have both his hands shaken at the same time. Then the twins crossed his arms and shook the other one, too. Harry laughed and the twins grinned.

“Ta ta for now!” The twins said together and then they were off. Harry barely slept a wink for the rest of the night. His mind was too full of the possibilities.

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 2

The next day passed quickly. Ron and Harry were called to Dumbledore’s office. He gave them 200 points each and an award for special services to the school. The leaving feast was great fun, made even better, with the twins prank on the whole school. A potion must have been mixed in with the food or the drinks. A few minutes after everyone started eating, the whole school began a rousing rendition of “Up Where We Belong”. Who knew Snape had such a lovely baritone or that Dumbledore was such a gifted tenor?

The night passed quickly as everyone packed and stayed up in the common room until it was almost dawn. A quick breakfast and everyone was on the way home. Harry’s mind was preoccupied during the trip with thoughts of the “gift” from the twins and Bill. They wouldn’t tell him anything else. Instead, they just winked at him and nudged him at every opportunity. Ron was suspicious but Hermione thought it was just another prank. She advised Harry not to eat or drink anything they gave to him. She was still miffed about having her truly horrific singing voice put on display for the whole school to hear, not that anyone could really hear her over the din.

The train was soon pulling into the station. Harry said goodbye to his friends and hello to almost the entire Weasley clan at the train station. Even Bill was there. He didn’t say anything to Harry but did give him a little wink and a sly smile. Mrs. Weasley mothered him to death in the few minutes he saw her. Then, Harry was off to meet his aunt and uncle.

The ride back to Privett Drive was slow and tortious. The silence was heavy and thick. Harry could see his uncle gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white, a sure sign the man was angry. Harry tried to be as small and quiet as possible until they could get home and he could either escape to, or be locked into, the room they now called his when he was home.

To Harry’s surprise, Bill was waiting on the front stoop when they arrived.

“Who’s that?” Uncle Vernon murmured malevolently.

“I don’t know. He looks like some kind of ruffian,” Aunt Petunia said with excited alarm in her voice.

“You there! What are you doing in front of my house?” Vernon shouted through the window as he slammed the car into park. His girth didn’t allow him to jump out but he climbed out as quickly as he was able.

“Be careful, Vernon! He might be waiting to rob us!” Petunia shouted out the driver’s side window as she leaned over to lock the door after Uncle Vernon slammed it shut.

“That’s just Bill. He’s my friend Ron’s older brother. You remember Ron?” Harry asked. “He and his other brothers, Fred and George, came to get me last summer.”

Harry’s words didn’t really help. Vernon started to bellow.

“GET OFF MY PROPERTY! Your kind isn’t welcome here!” He rushed towards Bill with his fists clenched. Bill didn’t look perturbed. Instead, he grinned.

“You don’t want me to have to make you calm down, now do you, sir? I can, you know.” Bill slid his wand out of his pocket. Vernon stopped dead in his tracks. Petunia screamed. Harry covered his ears at the shrill sound.

The scream ended quickly and Harry jumped out of the car and hurried towards Bill and Vernon.

“What do you want?” Vernon asked through clenched teeth.

“I’m here to pick Harry up. He’s coming with me and likely won’t ever be back here again.”

Vernon looked conflicted. On one hand, he didn’t want Harry. On the other hand, Harry looked happy to be leaving. Vernon hated to see Harry happy and had spent a lifetime ruining the boy’s happiness every chance he got. A desire to see Harry gone from his life won out.

“Take him and get off my property. I don’t want to see either of you back here ever again.” Vernon blustered. He walked to the boot of the car and popped it open. Petunia screamed again.

“It’s all right, Pet. This pikey is here to take the boy off our hands. Says he’ll not be back. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.” Vernon aimed his last comment at Harry. Harry couldn’t help but flinch. Bill scowled at both Dursleys.

Petunia and Vernon didn’t wait to see Harry off. Vernon threw Harry’s stuff on the ground, slammed the boot shut, and hurried to the passenger side door. He helped Petunia out and made sure the doors were locked. Then, the surly couple hurried inside and slammed the door shut behind them. Bill glared at them both until the door was firmly closed behind them. Then, he turned to Harry.

“Come on, Harry. Let’s get your stuff and go around back. There’s a few things we need to do before we head out.”

Harry hurried to comply with Bill’s request. He grabbed Hedwig’s cage in one hand and one handle of his trunk in the other. Bill grabbed the other handle and they were off.

They made it to the back garden in just a few moments.

“Come here for a minute, Harry. We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Bill Weasley, older brother extraordinaire to Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, Charlie, and even to Percy, though sometimes I wonder if he was a foundling.”

Harry laughed at Bill’s comment. “I figured. The twins warned me that you’d be coming by. Nice to meet you, Bill. As you already know, I’m Harry.” Bill and Harry shook hands.

“I’d like to thank you for what you did for Ginny. If the story Ron and Ginny told is true, you saved her life and almost lost your own. Were you really bitten by a basilisk?”

Harry nodded. “Sure was.” He pulled back his sleeve and let Bill see the circle scar that went in one side and out the other side of his forearm. Bill whistled. “Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, saved me.”

“That is a doozy. I guess phoenix tears would have been about the only thing that could save you. Good thing, that. I can’t thank you enough for saving my sister. You’re a good man, Harry.”

Harry blushed at the praise, then tried to change the subject.

“Ron helped.”

“I heard. At length and with what I assume is great embellishment,” Bill said with a crooked smile.

“I’m going to help you, in return. The Weasleys owe you a life debt, and we always repay our debts.” Harry started to protest but Bill just held up his hand.

“Trust me, getting you away from those pillocks is the least I can do. It’s my pleasure. Before we can go, however, there are some things we need to do. Do you know anything about the wards on this place?” Bill asked.

“Not really. Dumbledore said I was better protected here than anywhere but Hogwarts but that’s it.” Harry shrugged.

Bill sighed. “There are blood wards on your Aunt and Uncle’s house, Harry. They’re an ancient protective magick that few people know about.”

“How do they work?” Harry asked.

“If a person sacrifices their life for another, the person is protected. If their blood is in close proximity to a blood relative of the person who sacrificed themselves. This can be accomplished easily enough if you marry one of the close blood kin or if you spend a few weeks each summer here. Or we can leave a vial of your blood buried on the property and a few bloodstones in strategic places around the property. I’m guessing you don’t want to stay here and you don’t want to marry your aunt or your cousin?” Bill asked. Harry was too busy overcoming the horror of the thought of being married to his aunt or his cousin to be able to answer right away.

“Er, no. Definitely not. Can we just leave the vial and the bloodstone thingies here instead? Marry my aunt or my cousin! Yuck!” Harry couldn’t help but add that at the end. Bill laughed.

“I wouldn't suggest that. Not even the wizarding world is that twisted. Yes, we can leave the vial and the bloodstones, if you want to leave here for good?” Bill asked with a raised eyebrow. He had heard stories of the bars on Harry’s windows and the cat flap and locks on the door. The twins had let slip the fact that his trunk was locked away in a cupboard under that stairs that just so happened to have a hand-drawn sign inside that proclaimed the dank space “Harry’s room”. Bill could see the kid was skinny and small for his age. No, he wouldn't be leaving Harry here if he could help it.

“Yes! I want to leave and never, ever come back,” Harry said emphatically. Bill nodded and took out a vial and his pocket knife.

“Alright then. Let’s fill this up and bury it. Cut your thumb, Harry. That should be enough to fill up the vial. We’ll need a drop on each bloodstone, as well.” While Harry cut his thumb and held it over the vial, Bill fished out the bloodstones. The work was quickly done. Bill looked around surreptitiously and then cast a few quick spells to seal the vial, clean the blade, and heal Harry’s small wound.

“There we go. Right as rain. Let’s leave your stuff here for a minute. We’ll need to walk back to the front to place the bloodstones. They’ve already got muggle repelling and notice-me-not charms on them. All we have to do is place them at the four corners of the property and bury the vial and we’ll be good to go.” Bill said with honest cheeriness. He couldn’t wait to put this horrid place behind him.

They walked quickly to the front garden and placed the stones before hurrying around back to do the same. They buried the vial under the pavers in front of the back door. Bill cast another set of concealment and muggle repelling charms on the vial, covered it with dirt, replaced the pavers, and it was done.

“Bob’s your uncle and we’re ready to go!” Bill picked up Harry’s trunk by one handle and turned to the boy.

“Where are we going?” Harry asked.

“First? To Gringotts. Then, I thought we’d grab some dinner and have a nice chat. I understand you have an elf? Is that right?” Bill inquired.

“Yeah. Dobby.” As soon as Harry said the little elf’s name, he popped into the garden beside them.

“Master Harry Potter sir bes needing Dobby?” The elf asked excitedly.

“No, not yet, Dobby.” Harry said uncomfortably.

“Actually, can you take Harry’s things to his room at the Leaky Cauldron?” Bill asked. He turned to Harry and spoke again. “I rented you a room for tonight. If all goes well, you’ll be well settled in your own accommodations by tomorrow night.”

Dobby agreed. He took Harry’s things and popped away, with a well pleased look on his face.

“We actually need to talk about Dobby for a moment before we go. What are your plans for him?” Bill asked.

Harry shrugged. “I don’t rightly know. I guess I can find something for him to do?” Harry asked more than told.

“He’ll need to stay with you at your new place. He can help you cook and clean and such. Mostly, he’ll need to keep watch over you and make sure you stay safe. Do you think he can do that?”

Harry winced. Dobby’s idea of keeping Harry safe was just as likely to get him killed. The rogue bludger from last year was still prominent in Harry’s mind.

“Yes?” Harry said, a little uncertainly. “He can definitely keep me company.” Bill nodded.

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll give him a few instructions. I also need to know if you’d be willing to hire me as a consultant. I need to make this formal if I’m going to be asking questions at Gringotts on your behalf.”

Harry blinked and then nodded. “Sure. I’d love to have you as a consultant, I guess. What does that mean?”

Bill laughed. “It means I’ll do stuff on your behalf and ask questions for you so people will listen. I’ll also be able to speak up for you when other people won’t listen.”

“That sounds good,” Harry said enthusiastically. Bill was already helping him. He was excited for a moment until he thought about something else.

“What will I need to pay you? I want your help but I’m not sure how much money I have,” Harry said uncomfortably.

Bill just stared at him for a moment before speaking slowly. “Harry, you’re one of the most wealthy wizards in Britain. Only the Black’s, the Greengrasses, and the Patil’s have more money than you.”

“Really?” Harry asked in surprise. “What about the Malfoy’s?” Draco acted like such a pompous git that Harry couldn’t believe he had more money than him. Come to think of it, of all the things Draco had bullied Harry about, money was never one of them. He saved all that chatter for Ron.

“Really,” Bill responded. “I’m not sure how much you have in your trust vault but we can ask when we get to Gringotts. I’ll charge you the standard Gringotts rate of 200 galleons per year for a retainer with an additional 50 galleons per hour for in-person representation and 25 galleons per hour for other forms of representation. You need help, Harry.” Bill hesitated before continuing.

“You might as well know I plan to petition the ministry for guardianship of you, as well. You need someone to watch out for you. You own quite a few businesses and have significant wealth to watch over. You won’t be ready to take over your estate management for several years, at least. If you ever want to take it over. Many in your position hire someone else to take care of that and pay for audits to make sure they’re doing a good job. It’s up to you but I wouldn’t want you to worry about any of that until you’re done with Hogwarts, at a minimum.”

Harry was quick to agree. He thought for a moment and asked, “Who are my guardians now? My aunt and uncle?”

Bill agreed. “Yes, your aunt and uncle are your physical guardians. No one is currently protecting you in the wizarding world, if the fiasco with Dobby last summer is anything to go by. Dumbledore is jumping in every now and then, but he isn’t your guardian, except when you’re at Hogwarts. Even then, he can’t touch your estate. If you agree to allow me to be your consultant and act as your representative, you’ll need to sign these.”

Bill took out a stack of papers and set them on the garden table for Harry to read. “Take your time and read them, if you want to,” Bill encouraged.

Harry looked at the thick stack with trepidation. “Can you just tell me if there’s anything else I need to know? I don’t really want to read all this right now,” Harry said while glancing through the stack of pages.

Bill laughed again. “Not really. It’s all standard language from Gringotts. They get 50% of the fees and provide one free annual audit, which is more to protect themselves but will also help protect you. Do you think your aunt and uncle would sign the custody papers?”

Harry sighed with relief and started signing. “Yes. They’d love to get rid of me, as you could see.”

“Sorry about that, mate. You’ll be free of them, soon enough. One last thing, the twins had me write this up for them. Are you really going to invest in their joke shop?”

Harry nodded. “Yup. They’re going to be rich. They’re brilliant jokesters. Plus, I want to help them the way they are helping me.”

Bill smiled at Harry. “Here you go then read over this one real quick and I’ll let you get to signing. Harry read it but shook his head.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

Bill looked disappointed for his brothers but agreed. “Yeah, it’s probably not a good idea for you to start investing right now.”

“No, that’s not it,” Harry replied. “I want to invest but I don’t want to invest 500 galleons. I want to invest 500 galleons each for the next five years, if you think I can afford it. I really want them to succeed.”

Bill grinned at Harry. “Fair enough. You can definitely afford it. I happen to agree with you. Fred and George are brilliant pranksters. They’re going to make it rich, if they can get off the ground. You’ll not regret this, Harry.” Harry knew he wouldn’t, even if they didn’t make it rich with their idea. Bill made the changes quickly and handed Harry the contract again. Harry looked it over and nodded.

“Looks good. Should I get to signing?”

“Yes. I’ll go talk to your relatives.”

Harry signed the first page and then yelped. He felt a sting on the back of his hand. He looked down to see the outline of his signature fading.

“Sorry, I forgot to warn you. These contracts need to be signed with a blood quill to make them binding. It’ll only sting for a second. Keep signing. I’ll be right back.”

Bill took out his wand and walked to the back door. He wasn’t taking any chances that the muggles wouldn’t sign. He’d threaten them if he had to. Luckily, the only thing he had to threaten them to do was to quit whining about the sting from the blood quill. They were glad to be rid of Harry. Their callous disregard for the boy infuriated Bill but he couldn’t really do anything about it. Well, other than the jinx he left on their ding room table.

He was laughing to himself when he made it back to Harry. Harry looked up from signing the last page to give Bill a questioning look.

“What are you laughing about?” Harry asked.

Bill grinned as he answered. “I got the papers signed. I may also have played a little prank on your relatives.”

“What did you do?” Harry asked eagerly.

“I set a jinx on the kitchen table. It’s used to help people control their weight. It’ll compel your aunt to keep eating until she reaches a healthy weight. It’ll also make your uncle and cousin poo their brains out anytime they overeat until they reach a healthy weight.” Bill grinned at Harry.

Harry laughed. “That’ll never happen. They’d rather poo themselves to death than stop eating.”

“Not with the kind of arsefire they’ll be shooting. I bet you by next summer, they’ll all be an ideal weight.”

“Aunt Petunia will hate that. She might look like a horse but she eats like a bird. Thinks she needs to keep her girlish figure or some such rot.”

“Good luck with that,” Bill chuckled.

“One more thing before we go to Gringotts. You’ll need to register Dobby as your house elf.” Bill paused. “Is there anything you’d like to add to your contract with him?” Bill asked carefully.

“Like what?” Harry asked.

“Well, things like if he’ll have an allowance that will be paid to him or if he’ll have any days off?” Bill asked cautiously. Bill was a strong believer in fair treatment of sentient non-humans. He wasn’t sure how Harry felt about such things.

“Yes. I want him to have both those things. What do you think would be fair?” Harry asked. “I’ve never owned a house elf before.”

“I’d say 5 galleons and two days off per month. I’d also add an additional 5 galleons per month for a clothes budget. Your elf could really use some new clothes. If you give him a budget to buy them himself, he won’t be freed by you giving him clothes.”

“That sounds fair to me,” Harry said.

Bill was pleased with Harry’s response. “You might have to order him to take the payment. He likely wouldn’t accept more but I would be firm about these amounts. It’s what the Hogwarts elves receive, except for the clothes budget. The Hogwarts elves make their own clothes. I wouldn’t let Dobby do that, if I were you. He might skimp. I also wouldn’t tell him he has to keep any part of the clothes budget he doesn’t spend. We’ll just write it into his contract, shall we?”

Harry agreed. Bill sat down and quickly wrote the contract. He handed it to Harry to sign and told him to call Dobby. Dobby came with a quick pop.

“Yes, Master Harry Potter,sir. What cans Dobby be doing for you?”

“I need you to er sign …” Bill interrupted.

“Actually, Harry, Dobby would need to give magic, not blood, to signify his agreement to become bonded to you. Dobby, just touch here and it’ll be done.”

“Right, do what Bill says. Actually, from now on, you can take orders from Bill just like you take them from me,” Harry instructed Dobby.

“Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir.” Dobby touched the paper and then looked back to Bill.

“Anything else, Mr. Weazy?”

“Thanks for giving your consent, Dobby. You just agreed to five galleons per month in allowance and two days off per month. You will also receive a five galleon per month clothing allowance. We expect you to spend as much of it as you can on yourself.”

“Oh no! Mr. Weazy, Dobby couldn’t. That’s being much too much for a house elf. I could nots be taking so much moneys or so many days off. Dobby will agree to one day off per year and one sickle per month, and no more.”

Bill gave Harry a significant look. Harry turned to Dobby.

“Dobby, I order you to take off two days per month and to accept the money Bill told you about. That’s an order, so I expect you to follow it.” Harry said the words in a firm and commanding tone. Dobby’s ears drooped momentarily at Harry’s harsh tone before he nodded.

“Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will bes obeying, even if Dobby is not liking to take so much.”

“Thank you, Dobby,” Harry said kindly. “Will you come to Gringotts with us to register?” Dobby agreed with grateful tears in his eyes. Harry really would be keeping him. Dobby was so happy.

With that done, the group was ready to head to Gringotts.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 3

Just a few minutes later, the group was walking down Diagon Alley towards Gringotts.

“We have an appointment with your account manager in fifteen minutes, which means we’re already late,” Bill said jovially.

“Late! But we’re early,” Harry exclaimed.

“Time is money at Gringotts. Fifteen minutes early is on time. By the time we wait for a teller to help us, we’ll be lucky if we aren’t late getting to Harnock, your account manager. He’s a hard nosed, but fair, goblin. He won’t cheat you, even if he might try to charge you exorbitant fees. Don’t worry, I’ll negotiate for you and make sure you get a fair price.”

“The goblins don’t like to waste time on anything. When we enter Harnock’s office, get straight to the point. Say, ‘Harry Potter here for his appointment. May your gold and enemies’ blood always flow.’ Say nothing else unless he asks you. I’ll do most of the talking. If you have a question, get my attention and whisper it to me. I’ll ask it for you. That’s my job as your consultant.”

Harry nodded at Bill’s instructions. He was glad he didn’t have to make small talk with the goblin. Harry wasn’t very good at small talk at the best of times.

“I sent Harnock a list of items we would want to take care of. First, we’ll establish myself as your consultant. Then, we’ll read your parents’ wills. Next, we’ll register Dobby. Finally, we’ll get a statement of your accounts. Do you know how to maintain the household ledgers, Dobby?”

Dobby shook his head in embarrassment. “Bad master wouldn’t let Dobby do the books.”

“We’ll have to arrange for Dobby to be trained by Gringotts, if that’s okay with you Harry. Dobby can teach you what he learns so you understand the books as well. Will that suit you?”

Harry quickly agreed. He had no idea how to keep a ledger, household or otherwise.

“Good. We have the paperwork signed by your guardians. I’ll file that with the ministry tomorrow. Dumbledore is out of town for two weeks at the annual ICW conference. By the time he gets back, it will all be said and done and there will be nothing he can legally do to change things.”

Harry didn’t ask why Dumbledore would want to change things. Harry had already noticed the extreme interest the man took in his life. He didn’t tell Hermione where she could live during the summers and he didn’t have chats with any other students in the hospital wing nor in his office, as far as Harry knew. He certainly never had with either Ron or Hermione.

They went quickly into Gringotts and got in a relatively short line in front of a teller with a sign over his desk stating “appointments”. When they got to the front, Bill spoke.

“Harry Potter here for his appointment with Harnock.”

The goblin looked down at his ledger and spoke. “You’re late.”

Harry glanced at the clock. They were still five minutes early. Bill didn’t acknowledge the claim; instead, he just continued to stare at the goblin. It humphed and called for one of the goblins standing in a line along the wall beside the desk. He said something in gobbledygook and the goblin stepped forward to guide them to Harnock’s office.

They followed the quickly moving goblin down a maze of corridors. They stopped before one of the many unmarked doorways in the hall. The goblin knocked once, then opened the door for them. Bill walked swiftly inside. Harry didn’t know what else to do, so he followed.

Bill walked to the center of the room and bowed to the goblin at the desk. The room had cold, grey stone walls and an opulent desk. It was large and u-shaped. A grouchy looking goblin sat in the center of the desk with stacks of folders all around him. Another goblin sat at a small secretariat off to the side. A final goblin stood behind the desk in front of a bank of file drawers that took up the entire wall. The goblin looked up at Bill in annoyance.

“Bill Weasley, consultant for Harry Potter, here for Harry Potter’s scheduled meeting. May your gold and your enemies’ blood always flow.” Bill turned to Harry.

“Er, Harry Potter here for his scheduled meeting. May your gold and enemies’ blood always flow.” Harry bowed awkwardly.

The goblin didn’t say anything. He waved his hands towards the seat and grunted. Bill and Harry moved to sit in the seats before the desk. Dobby hovered nervously behind them. Goblins always made Dobby nervous.

Bill spoke again. “You received my request for this meeting along with what I requested we speak about?”

The goblin grunted his assent and accepted a paper from the goblin standing before the filing cabinets. The goblin Harry assumed was Harnock began reading the paper.

“We have the signed and executed consultancy agreement here. It’s the standard Gringotts form,” Bill said, handing over the paperwork.

The goblin beside the filing cabinet stepped forward and accepted the forms. The goblin at the secretariat scribbled notes furiously as Bill spoke. Harnock looked over the forms and nodded. He placed his hands over the forms. A blue light surrounded them and two copies were made of the forms, one set of copies appearing to each side of the original. The goblin set the first copy in a file folder and handed the second copy back to Bill.

“Could we have an extra copy of each form, please. Harry will need a copy and so will I.” Harnock gave Bill a dirty look but repeated the process before handing Bill another copy. The goblin beside the filing cabinet took the originals and filed them away quickly.

“Next, we would like a reading of Harry’s parents’ wills,” Bill said, not wasting time by asking please. It would only have made Harnock angry to waste time on such frivolities. Harnock grunted again. The file goblin moved quickly to pull a document out of the filing cabinet that had flown open at his request.

“The fee for the extra copy is 4 sickles. The fee for the will reading is 15 galleons,” Harnock said in a gravelly voice that sounded as though it was hardly ever used.

“Three sickles for the copies and 10 galleons for the reading,” Bill said back in a hard voice.

“Three sickles for the copies and 13 galleons for the reading,” Harnock shot back. “And the boy will have to take an inheritance test to prove he truly is Harry Potter. Does he have his key?”

Bill looked at Harry doubtfully. Harry shook his head and whispered to Bill. “Last I saw it, Hagrid had it; though, I think your mum got it somehow. She took me shopping before second year. I don’t know who has it now.”

Harnock cackled. “Three sickles for the copies. Thirteen galleons for the will reading. Ten galleons for the inheritance test and 5 galleons for a replacement key.”

Bill looked at the goblin with bared teeth. “Free copies. Eleven galleons for the will reading. The long form inheritance test with the family tree for 10 galleons and 1 galleon for a replacement key.”

Harnock gave Bill a nasty grin. “Two sickles for the copies. Twelve galleons for the will reading. The long form inheritance test with the family tree for 12 galleons and 3 galleons for replacement key.”

Bill snorted. “Make it 2 galleons for the replacement key and you have a deal.”

Harnock grunted in agreement. The note-taking goblin's parchment was smoking slightly from the speedy writing. Bill gave Harry a grin. Harry could tell he enjoyed the cut-throat negotiations, though Harry felt slightly alarmed by the vicious sound in both combatants voices as they negotiated.

The file goblin started reading the will. Harry honestly didn’t understand much of the legalese that was spoken. He got the gist that basically everything had been left to Harry except for some provisions made for a few people - Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and a lady named Andromeda Tonks. They were each left some galleons and some personal items. Harry didn’t know where the stuff could be found. He hoped the goblins knew but he wasn’t sure they would. Bill gasped at something about a godfather ritual that involved Sirius Black and a fidelius charm that named Peter Pettigrew as the secret keeper. Harry didn’t pay much attention to the confusing words coming out of the goblin’s mouth until he got to the part about who should have custody of Harry.

First on the list was Sirius Black. Harry wondered why the man never came to take Harry home with him. He felt uncomfortable with being unwanted, even though he should have been used to it with the Dursleys as his guardians. Second was a lady named Alice Longbottom. Harry had never seen or heard of her. He wondered if she was related to Neville. Third was the most surprising. The third person on the list was the head of the Prewitt family. Bill sat bolt upright in his chair at that. Harry didn’t know any Prewitt’s but Bill must’ve. He didn’t interrupt the goblin reading the will but he looked like he wanted to.

“Shall I read the listing of holdings passed to Mr. Potter or would you prefer a written accounting,” the nasally voice of the goblin reading the will asked.

“An accounting will be fine,” Bill said in a rush before turning to Harry. “Harry, this is even better than I expected. I’m the head of the Prewitt family. My uncles, Gideon and Fabian passed away when I was just a little boy during the first war. I inherited the headship when I came of age. There’s no title and no real money or property, except my house, shell cottage, but this means I would be your guardian even if we didn’t have the signed guardianship papers!”

Harry was shocked but happy about the turn of events.

“Brilliant!” Harry exclaimed. “I really won’t ever have to go back!” Harry was ecstatic to be free from the Dursleys. Hopefully, for good.

Bill turned back to Harnock. “Please make an extra copy of the will and send it straight to Amelia Bones at the DMLE.” He got a distant look in his eyes. “I’ll have to see her before I leave, as well. Maybe she’ll have time the day after tomorrow. I’ll be too busy tomorrow to fit anything else in ….” He trailed off in thought.

Harnock just grunted in reply. He made the four copies of the will. He gave two copies to Bill, set one copy aside to owl to Amelia Bones, and gave the original back to the file goblin to replace in the giant cabinet behind him.

Harnock waited a moment and then barked, “Next!”

Bill jumped a little and snapped out of his ponderings. He shook his head and said, “Next, we need to register Harry’s elf.” Bill handed over the contract that Dobby and Harry had affirmed in the Dursleys’ back garden.

Harnock looked it over quickly and scoffed. “Paying a house elf. Ridiculous.”

Neither Harry nor Bill answered him, so he just shook his head and barked, “Elf. Step forward.”

Harnock took the form that the file goblin handed him and laid it on his desk. “Put your hand here to verify your magic.”

Dobby did as he was told. A golden glow surrounded the paper. Dobby stepped back behind Harry’s chair as soon as the glow faded.

“Sign the bill of sale,” Harnock sneered at Harry. Harry looked at Bill who nodded, then leaned forward to sign on the dotted line, so to speak. Harnock made the copies again and handed them off. The file goblin sniffed as he took the original copies.

Bill nodded and said, “Almost finished. We’d like two copies of Harry’s account holdings. Does he own any houses or land?”

Harnock took the small stack of sheets from the file goblin. He glanced at the pages before making the copies and handing them to Bill.

“Yes, he now owns two pieces of land. One is in Hogsmeade. It is 120 hectares in size. The second is the family seat in Wales. It is 200 hectares in size. The manor burned down in 1983, while the home was unoccupied. The main wards are still standing on both properties. Gringotts could supply additional wards, for a fee.”

“That won’t be necessary. I will be acting as the Gringotts representative to place the new wards. The fees have already been agreed upon as part of the consultancy.”

Harnock snarled at Bill. Bill just smirked in return. “Gringotts will receive my billable hours statement for payment.” He looked triumphant.

Harnock said something in gobbledygook that made Bill grin.

“Step forward, youngling,” Harnock said with a sour expression on his face. Harry stood and walked towards the desk. The goblin flicked a knife at Harry, causing him to rear back in fear. Harnock grinned at the response. “Cut your wrist over the bowl,” he said, waving his hand at a crystal bowl on the edge of his desk.

Bill piped up. “Just cut your thumb, Harry,” he said, giving the goblin a dirty look. Harnock didn’t say anything else so Harry did what Bill said.

The blood flowed for several seconds until a few centimeters of blood stood in the bottom of the bowl. Harry was starting to feel woozy from the blood loss when Harnock grunted and gestured for him to stop. Bill handed him a handkerchief.

“I’ll heal it as soon as we leave. You shouldn’t use your wand inside Gringotts. It’s considered a very rude and hostile act.”

Harnock grunted again in agreement. Harry wrapped his thumb in the handkerchief and sat down. He felt much more stable sitting than standing right now. The file goblin stepped forward and poured a violently green potion over the blood. It smoked for a moment before turning inky black. The goblin laid a large piece of expensive looking parchment on a table near the desk. He dipped a quill into the blood/potion mixture and set it on the parchment. It began writing immediately.

A golden key was dropped into the remainder of the mixture. It absorbed the inky black mixture like a thirsty child slurping through a straw. Not a drop was left when it was finished. The file goblin handed the key to Bill.

Bill pulled a leather thong out of his pocket. It looked like the one tying back his long red hair. He threaded the key through it and tied the ends together. He handed it to Harry.

“Don’t lose it and don’t give it to anyone else, not even my mother if she asks.” Bill turned back to Harnock.

“I have custody papers here signed by Harry’s relatives. I’d like Grigotts to keep a copy and file the other copy, along with a copy of the Potter will with the ministry. Please pay any relevant fees out of Harry’s family accounts. Is his trust account refilled annually or biannually?”

Harnock grunted his agreement. He accepted the papers, made the usual copies, plus one for the ministry, and handed them off. “Annually, on his birthday. Would you like us to invalidate all other keys?”

Bill thought for a minute and then shook his head. “No, leave the other keys active but limit the amount that can be withdrawn to 50 galleons per year. That should keep them off the trail for a little longer. We don’t want anyone to know Harry’s no longer with his relatives.”

“I don’t think mum plans on shopping for you again this year, since the family will be visiting me in Egypt for most of the summer but, just in case, we’ll leave 50 galleons in your vault. That should be plenty for all your school supplies,” Bill said to Harry before turning back to Harnock. “We’d like to withdraw the rest. What’s the balance currently?”

Harnock glanced down at a sheet of paper before answering, “10,765 galleons, 11 sickles, and 6 knuts.”

Harry gaped at the huge number. “How much is that in Muggle money?”

Bill thought for a moment, “There are about 10 pounds to a galleon, so about 105,766 pounds, I reckon.”

Harry almost fell out of his chair at the sum. “I get that much every year?” he asked with a squeak in his voice.

“No,” Harnock answered. “It increases by one thousand galleons every year. This year, you’ll receive 12,000 galleons.” Harry gaped at the goblin.

“We’d like to withdraw the full balance except 50 galleons. Convert 300 galleons into muggle money.” Bill turned to Harry, “You might want to go into the muggle world this summer and I want you to have plenty of funds, if you do. Your other fees will be taken out of your main account.” Harry nodded dumbly. That would be 3000 pounds! Harry had never seen that much money in his life!

“Would you like to purchase a bottomless bag to hold your funds? We also offer muggle wallets with expansion charms, as well.”

Bill looked at Harry, who nodded. Hancock and Bill negotiated fiercely over the price of the bag and wallet for a few minutes. Harry wasn’t even paying attention. His mind was too caught up on the veritable fortune he was about to withdraw. It wasn’t even all the money he had!

The file goblin took the withdrawal slip to the door and spoke to another goblin in gobbledygook.

“Your funds will arrive in a few moments. Anything else?” Harnock asked, impatiently. Bill thought for a moment then agreed nothing else was needed. The file goblin rolled up the family tree for Harry, after making a copy for the file, of course.

A few moments later a knock sounded on the door. The file goblin reached out, grabbed the wallet and the bag of gold. Bill handed both to Harry. He grabbed the files and stood up. Harry stood quickly, as well.

“May your gold and enemies’ blood always flow,” Bill said with a bow. He turned and walked towards the door. Harry repeated Bill’s actions. Harnock didn’t even look up. He was already working on his next assignment. He just grunted in reply as the wizards left his office.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 4

The two wizards and one little house elf made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

“We’re going to stay here tonight, if that’s alright with you, Harry?” Bill asked.

“Yeah,” Harry quickly agreed. “Sounds alright.”

“Do you mind if we eat in my room? I wanted to talk my plan over with you. Things went better than I expected at Gringotts. There shouldn’t be any problems with my guardianship now. Your parents must have been friends with my uncles, Fabian and Gideon. They died just a few months before your parents. They were killed by death eaters during the last war.”

“Yeah. I’m fine with eating in your room,” Harry replied. He wondered what else Bill’s plan entailed. He might have been only twelve, going on thirteen, but Harry was mature enough to realize not everything should be shared in the open. With the way his life had gone, he was well used to keeping secrets.

They walked in silence up to the Leaky. Bill placed an order for food for three to be sent up to his rooms then jollyed on up the staircase. Harry and Dobby followed him, glad to escape the stares and whispers that always seemed to follow Harry around.

They got settled in Bill’s room around the small table next to the window.

“Dobby, I expect you to keep your master’s secrets. You can’t tell anyone about what we say in this room. You can’t tell anyone where Harry is staying. Not anyone. You understand?”

Dobby nodded quickly. “Yes, Mr. Weazy, sir. Dobby wills not be telling anyone.”

Bill shook his head tiredly. “None of that nonsense. Call me Bill, or Mr. Bill if you must. Thank you for understanding Dobby. Harry, just in case, order Dobby not to tell anyone. That way there won’t be any accidents.”

“Yes, Mr. Bill, sir,” Dobby nodded emphatically.

Harry looked to Dobby. “Um, Dobby, I order you not to tell anyone anything about Bill’s plan or where I’m staying. Not anyone, okay?”

“Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir,” Dobby replied reverently. Harry winced.

“By chance, could you call me Mr. Harry, too?”

“Yes, Mr. Harry. If that’s what yous be wanting,” Dobby said, eager to please.

“Yes, I very much want. Thank you,” Harry replied with relief.

The food arrived a few moments later, while Bill was working to sort out the paperwork. He kept a copy for himself and put another copy in a large accordion file for Harry. Harry answered the door and let Tom the barkeep into the room so he could set the food on the table. It smelled hot and delicious. Harry’s stomach rumbled in anticipation. Bill laughed.

“Don’t wait on me. Go ahead. Dig in,” he said motioning the other two on to the food, while he finished the paperwork.

“Oh no! Dobby could nots be eating at the table with two such great wizards.” He shook his head so hard it gave Harry a headache just to see it.

“Please, Dobby. We want you to eat with us. Sit; eat,” Harry said, waving Dobby over to a chair. Dobby’s eyes filled with tears.

“Master Harry Potter, sir … I mean, Mr. Harry … is such a great wizard. He is being offering Dobby food from his own table,” the elf said with a sniffle. Harry looked embarrassed and just hoped the little elf wouldn’t beat his head against anything this time. He didn’t. He did take a few more minutes of coaxing from Harry before he sat down. By the time Dobby finally sat, Bill was done with the paperwork.

“I want you to keep this folder safe, Harry. Tomorrow you’ll have a safe place to put it but you need to keep it from prying eyes. No one can know about what’s happening; at least not if you want to be able to avoid your relatives.” Bill handed Harry the accordion file. Then, Bill sat down and tucked into his food.

“I’ll keep it safe. Where will I put it tomorrow?” Harry asked between bites of his shepherd’s pie. It was delicious. He didn’t want to take more time between bites than was necessary.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. My plan is to set you up on your family land. I suggest the plot in Wales. Hogsmeade is too close to the castle. You could be seen by one of the professors, or even worse, by Dumbledore himself.”

Harry didn’t need to be told twice. He didn’t want to end up shipped back to the Dursleys’.

“But there’s no house there. Where will I stay?” Harry wondered aloud.

“Tomorrow, we’ll go buy you a nice travel trunk. It’ll be more sturdy and safe from the weather than a tent.” Bill replied.

“Who will stay with me? Or will I be by myself?” Harry was a little excited and a little filled with a little trepidation about the prospect of being alone.

“Dobby will stay with you. He’ll keep you safe. You won’t be a prisoner though. That’s another reason why I would suggest Wales. Your family plot is a little North of Swansea. It’s a good sized town and hosts Wales’ only wizarding district. It’s not as big as Diagon Alley but it’s still a good size. Once the place is properly warded, you’ll even be able to play a spot of quidditch.”

Harry brightened at the thought of that. He’d be able to practice this summer and maybe try out some new moves.

“The place will also be warded enough that you’ll be able to practice magic, as well. You should learn as much as you can. You’re in danger, Harry. You know that, yeah?”

Harry deflated a bit at that reminder. “Yeah. Voldemort isn’t dead. He’s just without a body right now. I’ve fought him twice already.”

“Twice?” Bill asked. “Was that really Voldemort in the chamber? When was the other time?’

Harry quickly explained the end of his first year at Hogwarts and the situation with Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets.

“Tom Marvolo Riddle. I’ve never heard of him but it bears looking into. Do you happen to have that diary? I’d like to know how he managed that trick.”

Dobby perked up. “Dobby has the diary. Bad master threw it at Dobby. Dobby kept it. It helped set Dobby free from the bad masters.” The elf nodded in vindication. He hated his old masters.

“Could you get it for me after you eat, Dobby?” Bill asked politely. Dobby’s eyes welled with tears again.

“You ask Dobby instead of tell. Dobby is honored, Mr. Bill, sir. Dobby will be getting it for you.” He ate faster so he could get the item for the kind wizard who asked a lowly house elf instead of told.

“We’ll have a lot to do tomorrow. I’ve set up a few appointments for you. I’ll come with you, of course. We’ll need to see a solicitor and I’ve scheduled you a check up with a mediwizard. Being bitten by a basilisk can’t be healthy for you, not even if a phoenix shed tears on the wound. You’re lucky to be alive.

“Er,” Harry said, embarrassed by his brush with death. But it’s fine now. Fawkes healed me but good.”

“I’m sure he did, Harry, but you still need to be checked over.” Harry didn’t agree nor disagree. He knew he’d end up at the healer’s tomorrow either way.

“We’re going to do a spot of shopping as well, then head over to your family plot. It’ll take me a few hours to get it properly warded. I’ll stay with you tomorrow night to make sure all is well, then I’m back to Egypt the next night. I plan to squeeze in a quick chat with Amelia Bones. I can’t believe Black did the godfather ritual. And Pettigrew! Everyone blamed Black, but, well, if Pettigrew was the secret keeper ….” Bill was talking to himself by the end. Harry didn’t know who Black or Pettigrew were supposed to be.

“Anyway, you won’t be a prisoner on your family plot. You can go into the muggle or magical parts of Swansea. Dobby could take you anywhere else you want to go but I don’t advise going anywhere near London or Hogsmeade. Stick to Swansea, if you can.”

“I will,” Harry promised. He’d never really been allowed to go anywhere. It wouldn’t hurt him to stay put now.

“Dobby can pop out and get anything you need from Diagon or Hogsmeade. No one knows he belongs to you, except maybe Dumbledore. He doesn’t know you know that Dobby belongs to you, so that should still be fine.” Bill yawned loudly.

“We’ll talk about the rest tomorrow. We’ve a long, busy day planned. Try to get to sleep early. Your room is right next to mine. Off you pop.” With that, Bill walked Harry to his room and said goodnight. Harry couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow would bring.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 5

The next day Harry woke to Dobby poking him gently in the chest over and over again while saying “Mr. Harry, sir.” It took him a few tries to wake Harry, who was dead to the world. The beds at the Leaky Cauldron were like sleeping on clouds. The only bed he had ever felt that was more comfortable was his bed at Hogwarts. It was more comfortable because it felt like home.

“Wha-?” Harry asked as he drifted into consciousness.

“Mr. Bill says it’s being time to get up and get ready. He said to bring your things to his room when you is ready to go.”

Harry yawned and got out of bed. Now that he was awake, he was excited to get going. He didn’t know what a travel trunk was but from Bill’s description, it sounded like a tent sort of. Harry had always wanted to go camping. He hadn’t been allowed to join the Brotherhood of British Scouts with Dudley. Dudley had only gone on one camping trip before he quit the Scouts but Harry had been extremely jealous. He always wanted to try out roughing it.

He got ready hurriedly, packed up the few things he had unpacked, and hurried to Bill’s room.

“All ready, then?” Bill asked. Harry nodded the affirmative. Bill shrunk Harry’s things and put then in a bag, then into his pocket. They went down, had a quick bite to eat, and then they were off.

“The first place we’ll go is to the trunk shop. It might take them some time to get things ready after you place your order. Maybe we should order one for Black, too? If things go as I expect, he’ll be out and about soon.”

“Who’s Black?” Harry asked. Bill hesitated before answering.

“He’s your godfather, Harry. Sirius Black. He was put in prison for betraying your parents but that can’t be true. He did the godfather ritual. He literally couldn’t betray you and your parents. If their wills are right, he wasn’t even their secret keeper to begin with. According to their wills, Peter Petrigrew was the secret keeper. Black couldn’t have betrayed them.”

Harry didn’t know what a secret keeper was but he was shocked to learn he had a godfather.

“What’s a secret keeper? I have a godfather?”

“They lock a secret in their very souls with a spell. No one can learn the secret unless the person who is the secret keeper tells. The secret everyone thought Sirius Black held was the location where you and your parents were hiding. No one could find you unless the secret keeper told them where you were. But Sirius wasn’t your secret keeper. According to your parents’ wills, Peter Pettigrew was.”

“Do you think ….” Harry trailed off. Bill waited for him to continue and when he didn’t, he prodded him to go on.

“Think what, Harry?”

“Think he’d want me. To see me, that is?” Harry said in a small voice. Bill put his hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“I’m sure of it. Reckon we should get him a trunk, too? He might want to come visit. He could stay with you but I figure we should make sure you both have your own space. He’ll need somewhere to live once you go back to school, too. My guess is he’ll be set free, forthwith. The proof is pretty convincing. If he really did the godfather ritual, there’s just no way he’s guilty. Amelia Bones is a fair woman. She’ll find the truth and do the right thing.”

“Will he come stay with me?” Harry asked, getting a little excited about the thought of a godfather.

“It might take some time, but if you want him to, I bet he would. I’ll want to talk to him first. I plan to put the fidelius charm on your family plot. He’ll have to go through me if he wants to get to you. I plan to meet with Amelia tomorrow. I owled her last night and told her to expect the papers from Gringotts. She wrote back this morning and agreed to see me tomorrow. Getting you settled is the priority for now.”

“Is the travel trunk like my school trunk?” Harry asked.

“Yes and no. It’ll be about the size of your school trunk, maybe a little bigger. It will be like a house on the inside. I reckon we’ll even be able to get you a floo set up in it. It won’t work at Hogwarts, of course. Floo travel to the outside is blocked by the wards but, if you knew anyone else with a travel trunk, you could floo each other inside the wards. We might see about a few communication mirrors, too. That way you can reach me without anyone else knowing.”

Harry took that information in for a few moments.

“Do you reckon I could get one for Ron and Hermione, too? They’d love to have a private space and we could use our floos to visit each other at school!” Harry was getting excited about the thought of it. He also wanted to get one for Ron so he wouldn’t be jealous. Ron was Harry’s best mate but Harry knew his flaws. He would definitely be jealous if Harry had an awesome trunk with a house in it and Ron didn’t.

“I don’t know Harry. They can be a mite expensive. We can pay for your trunk as a part of your school expenses out of your family vault but I’m not sure if you could get away with paying for multiple trunks that way.”

“Please, Bill? I have plenty of extra galleons and much more coming in just a few weeks. Please let me? They’ll love it! I can get Hermione one with a library in it, and maybe one for Ron with a quidditch pitch! Is that possible?” Harry asked, desperately hoping it was.

Bill laughed at Harry’s enthusiasm. “Yes, you can but I’m not sure if you should. Ron would love it but it’s a big expense.”

“It’ll be his birthday and Christmas present! Please?” Harry begged.

Bill reluctantly agreed. “Alright. If you really want to but I insist on an efficiency trunk for both of them. You can add on the library and quidditch pitch. It shouldn’t be that much extra.”

Harry literally jumped for joy. “Yes! I just know they’ll love it! We’ll have a secret way to communicate, too!”

Bill smiled at the childish antics. He would have loved to have this kind of secret with his pals when he was young. Bill knew Ron would love the trunk. He couldn’t see any harm in letting Harry treat his friends a little.

They arrived at the “Trunk Bunk” a few minutes later. Diagon Alley was just starting to wake up. The shops were opening their doors but few people were on the streets this early. They stepped inside to a bell that sounded like a cow mooing. Bill shook his head at the absurdity.

“Welcome to the Trunk Bunk. What can I do for you gentlemen today?” The salesman looked at them and asked, “Come for a new Hogwarts trunk, maybe?”

Bill shook his head. “We’re here to buy a couple of travel trunks.”

The salesman perked up. He worked on a commission basis. Travel trunks were more expensive than regular old Hogwarts trunks, which is what the man mostly sold.

“Well, now. That is the ticket. Why don’t you tell me a little bit about what you’re looking for and we’ll see what we have for you.”

“We’ll need a three bedroom, two bath trunk with a full kitchen. At least a breakfast nook. A sitting room, of course. A library and a study. Servants quarters. A dueling room, warded for magical practice and, do you want a quidditch pitch, too, Harry?”

“If I can, yeah. I’d love that!” Harry said excitedly.

“Anything else you want?” Bill asked solicitously. This would be Harry’s home, after all. If Bill’s plan went well, it’d be the boy’s home during the summer for the next four or five years, at least.

“Could I get a pool? I’ve always wanted a pool!” Harry said, becoming ecstatic.

“Sure.” Bill turned back to the salesman. “A quidditch pitch and a pool, please, if you can do.”

“With a slide!” Harry practically yelled. Bill shook his head and smirked. The kid was getting into the spirit now. The salesman was salivating. This could make his month.

“That is how you do it right!” The salesman said enthusiastically. He led them over to a Maroon trunk with leaves and flowers carved into the leather covering the outside. Harry wrinkled his nose but didn’t say anything. The man opened the lid and stepped inside. Harry laughed at the man. He looked like the old vaudevillian actors who would pretend to walk down stairs for a laugh. Harry and Bill quickly followed the man inside only to realize there really were stairs.

“This is our deluxe model,” the man said as he led them to what looked like a front door, set in a small outdoor garden with flowers growing everywhere. The man opened the door and led them into a rather girly entryway that looked into an equally girly sitting room.

Harry didn’t like the decor but he was amazed at the size of the room. It was spacious. It had a settee, two armchairs, a large coffee table and an even larger fireplace. There were four doors leading off of the room. Two doors went into bedrooms that each had an en suite, though the room he called the guest room had a loo that opened into the sitting room. The final door led into a large kitchen that had two doors off of it. The kitchen was large, as well. It had a big table in one corner in front of a bay of windows that displayed a sunny garden scene. One of the doors led to the servant’s quarters, which was a little suite with a small sitting room, a serviceable bedroom that would be huge to Dobby, and a small bathroom. The other door led out into the back garden. It was a good size. It had a little vegetable garden and a bench under an arch with flowers growing all through it.

“What do you think?” The salesman asked excitedly. Bill turned to Harry.

“It’s alright but it’s awful girly. On the outside and the inside,” Harry said with a wrinkled nose.

Bill agreed. “Can you show us a model that’s a little more masculine? This model also lacks the library and study we hoped to have.”

“Of course,” the salesman asked, secretly pleased at the rejection. Now he could show them the premium model. If they bought one of those, the salesman could get a nice little bonus. They rarely sold the premium models.

He showed them out and took them to a larger trunk. It was black leather with silver fittings. “We can emboss your family crest on the top, free of charge, if you like.”

He opened the trunk with a flourish. They walked down the stairs and Harry immediately liked this one better. It still had a small front garden but it was free of flowers. Instead, it had two stately looking urns with huge ferns that tickled you as you walked by on either side of the door. The inside was pretty much the same, except all the rooms were a little bigger, including the servants quarters. There was a good sized library off the sitting room that connected to a brightly lit study that had a picture window looking out at a fountain sparkling in the sun. Harry liked it immediately.

“We can add on the quidditch pitch and place the pool where the fountain is, or add a separate room for the pool, if you like,” the salesman said as they stood outside in the back garden. It had a huge chaise lounge and a wrought iron table with four chairs outside. There was no vegetable garden but there were some flowering trees out by the chaise.

“I’d like a separate room for the pool, please,” Harry said. “I like the fountain. It’s peaceful.”

Bill was glad to agree. “Do you like this model, then?”

“Yes. It feels fancy.” Harry didn’t usually care about fancy things but he did relish the idea of having a fancy place to live that was all his own. He could even take it with him to Hogwarts. He was excited about the very thought of having a place he could get away from the stares and whispers when he wanted.

“Alright then. We’ll take this one. Do you think we should get the same model for your godfather?” Bill asked.

“I think he’d like this one, too. But maybe just a big garden for him. He probably won’t want to play quidditch.”

“Agreed. I also think no pool for him. He might like the peaceful fountain, though.” The salesman choked at Bill’s words.

“Y-you want t-two premium trunks?” The man was afraid to believe it. This could make his year!

“Yes. I’m assuming we’ll have to choose decorations and furniture. Is that right?” Bill asked, dreading the task of choosing so much stuff.

“Yes, you can choose your own. The furniture is included in the price.”

“Okay. Let’s get out and get started then.” They had already been at this for three quarters of an hour. Bill wanted to get a move on to their next stop.

“Wait! We need to get one for Ron and Hermione, too! You promised. And … I want to get one for the twins. Without their help, I’d still be stuck at the Dursleys’.”

“Harry, no. You’re going too far. The Twins don’t need a trunk, too.”

“Yes, they do! They need a laboratory where they can work on their joke products. I’m their partner. What kind of partner would I be if I didn’t help them?”

Bill sighed. “We’ll need to look at two efficiency travel trunks with an add-on of a large library in one and a quidditch pitch in the other. Do you have any used trunks for sale?”

The salesman was trying not to show his giddy excitement. Five trunks in one day.

“Yes, we have a small selection of used trunks. I think I have one that might be just the ticket. It used to be a living space and warehouse for a clock salesman. It had a laboratory and a potions lab attached.”

“Hmmm.” Bill said thinking to himself. “I guess a potions lab would be good to add to each of the trunks. The kids will need to practice and Harry’s godfather will probably need one, as well. He’ll probably need some healing potions for some time. Let’s add a potions lab and dueling room to each trunk.”

Harry grinned. He didn’t care much for potions himself but he knew he could use the practice. He was excited for a dueling room.

“Do the dueling rooms come with a practice dummy or are those sold separate?”

“They come with the addition,” the salesman said with glee.

The salesman showed them the used trunk he had in mind. It was plain mahogany with brass fittings. It had one bedroom, one bathroom, a sitting room with a comfy sofa and a small table and four chairs inside, and an efficiency kitchen. It had a room off the sitting room that was a huge warehouse with rows of sturdy shelves. A good sized laboratory was found through a door at the back of the warehouse room. It had a few sturdy tables and a couple of tall shelves. A potions lab could be seen through a glass partition with a sturdy wood door in between. Bill and Harry thought it was perfect.

The efficiency trunks were the simple yet still classy in Harry’s opinion. They had one bedroom, one bathroom, an efficiency kitchen, a decent sized study, and a sitting room. Each came equipped with a small back garden, surrounded by thick shrubs. Harry chose a grey leather casing with vines of pink and red flowers for Hermione and a Chudley Cannons orange casing for Ron.

They sat and spent the next hour choosing furniture and paint colors until Bill thought he’d go blind but it was finally done. Their order was placed and paid for. Bill decided to try to pay with Harry’s family vault, in order to preserve as much of Harry’s funds as possible. To his delight, the charge went through and everything was set.

“Come back at around 4pm and I’ll have everything ready for you,” the salesman said with a beaming smile on his face. He had earned more commission today than he had in the last six months combined. Looks like his wife would be getting that new kitchen after all.

Harry and Bill left the store in a hurry.

“We’re due at our next appointment at 10:30am. It’s 10:25am already. We’ll have to run.” With that, Bill took off at a jog. Harry raced along beside the tall man.

They were still late. They arrived at a plain brown building at 10:35am. It had a sign outside that said “Tonks and Tittle, Legal Advisors” and went right in. A short old lady who could barely see over the desk sat in the reception area. She looked up from her dictation as they came in.

“Pause,” she said to the quill that stopped moving and hovered over the page.

“Tonks and Tittle, what can I do for you?” she asked them professionally.

“Bill Weasley. I have an appointment.”

She looked disapprovingly at the young man. “You’re late.”

“We’re sorry, ma’am. Our last appointment ran over,” Bill said, contritely.

“Have a seat. Mr. Tonks will be right with you.”

A few minutes later, a heavy-set, jolly looking man in his mid-40’s walked into the room.

“Come in, Bill.” They followed the man into his office.

“I’m Mr. Tonks or Ted, if you please. Can I get either of you any tea or water, perhaps?” The man asked with a smile.

“Tea would be lovely, thank you,” Bill responded and then looked to Harry. “Harry?”

“Tea would be fine, thanks.”

The man touched a button on his desk and spoke into a glowing orange crystal. “Martha, could you bring us tea for three, please?”

The man settled in at his desk, took out a parchment and set a quill to it that stood up on its own. He leaned back and looked at the two wizards in front of him.

“What can I do for you, gentlemen?”

Before Harry or Bill could answer, the lady from the front desk bustled in and set a tea service on the desk. She gave Harry and Bill a stern look and the man a doting look, then turned and left the office. Ted’s grin followed her out.

“Don’t mind Martha. She’s a softy at heart.” He poured the tea and offered over the sugar and milk both of which Bill declined and Harry accepted.

“Now, on to business!” Ted said with another grin.

Bill smiled back and started talking. “It’s good to see you, again, Ted. I’d like to introduce you to Harry Potter.”

Ted sat up straight in his chair. It rocked precariously before settling back down under his girth. “Are you really, now?”

Harry noticed the man flick his gaze up to Harry’s scar. Then he held his hand out to shake Harry’s.

“It’s good to meet you, Mr. Potter. May I call you Harry?”

Harry reached tentatively out to shake the man’s hand. “Er, yeah. Sure. You can call me Harry, Mr. Tonks.”

“It’s Ted, please. If anyone deserves to call me by my first name, it’s you, Harry. I’d be pleased as punch if you did.” Harry thought the man was grinning before, but he was wrong. The man’s face was practically split in two.

“Ted, then,” Harry said with a grin. He couldn’t help but smile back at the friendly man.

Bill laughed. “Harry here and I have a few issues to discuss with you.”

Harry noticed the quill was writing as Bill spoke. Ted noticed him watching.

“It’s a dictaquill. It’ll just take some notes for us so I can focus on what you’re needing.” Ted winked at Harry as he spoke.

“What’s it you need help with? You know I’m always glad to oblige you.” Ted said to Bill.

“First, I’d like you to take a look at the custody agreement Harry’s relatives signed. It gives custody to me. Then, I’d like you to read Harry’s parents’ wills. It also supports me taking custody but there’s something else in there I’d like you to see.”

Bill handed Ted a few papers from his accordion file. Ted looked the first set of papers over and nodded. “Everything looks in order. Mind if I keep a copy of these? I’m guessing you wanted me to look it over in case there’s any trouble? Dumbledore won’t like it. He’s the one who placed the boy when he was a babe. Wouldn’t even tell Andromeda where so she could even send an owl once he was old enough. Shame, that.” Ted said shaking his head.

“Yes, Gringotts filed a copy of the custody papers and will for us last night. Dad said Dumbledore’s out of the country at the ICW for the next two weeks. I’m hoping the ink will be dry before he gets back. Feel free to keep a copy. Actually, as Harry’s consultant, I was hoping we could put you on retainer to represent him. There’s several things he’ll be needing sooner rather than later.”

“Certainly. I can get you the standard contract.” He turned to Harry. “I charge 300 galleons per year for a retainer. It’s an additional 60 galleons per in office hour and 75 galleons per hour for courtroom or other forms of outside the office representation.”

Harry looked to Bill who nodded. “It’s a good rate. You could find cheaper but you couldn’t find anyone better.”

“If Bill says it’s a good idea, it’s alright by me,” Harry agreed. Ted got out the paperwork and had Bill read it and sign. Harry signed, too, even though his signature wasn’t really necessary, seeing as Bill had authorization for this kind of thing as Harry’s consultant.

Ted was obviously pleased to be representing Harry.

“Well now, let me read your parents’ wills and we’ll see what else I can do for you, Harry.” Ted smiled at Harry, then turned back to the stack of papers.

He read for a few minutes then sat up straight in his chair again. He read for another minute before he gasped and stood up. “Godfather ritual!” He exclaimed. His eyes kept moving before he got to another part of the document that had him sitting down in his chair, hard. The chair squeaked and groaned in a way that made Harry fear the man was going to end up on the floor.

“I’m guessing you read the part about Pettigrew,” Bill said grimly. Ted nodded. He picked up the papers and read them through once again quickly.

“Then there’s no way Sirius … and Pettigrew! He must have … but everyone thought that he and that Sirius. Goodness me! This is all a quagmire, isn’t it?” Ted asked in befuddled wonder.

“That it is. I sent a copy of the will to Amelia Bones. I’m seeing her bright and early at 9am tomorrow. You game to come along?”

“Oh ho ho! I wouldn’t miss it! Andromeda will be appalled and thrilled to hear it! She never believed Sirius was capable of it. Not with James. You know, there was never even a trial. They just chucked him straight in.”

“He’s Harry’s godfather. Can you help him?” Bill asked, determinedly.

“Yes. Yes. I’ll be glad to. You shouldn’t have any trouble with custody either. How much do you want to bet that old Dumbledore knew about all of this?” Ted asked with a gleam of disapproval in his eye.

Harry couldn’t help but feel heartened by the fact that Ted would help Sirius. Harry was excited and hesitant to meet the man. What if he didn’t want Harry?

“I wouldn’t take a bet that I’d know I’ll lose. Dumbledore is also the one who had the wills sealed. He knew what was in them or I’ll eat my hat. They really didn’t give him a trial? They gave the LeStranges a trial but not him?”

“They certainly did and they certainly didn’t. It was a travesty and now it’s just plain criminal. I’m going to eat the ministry alive.”

“Don’t,” Bill said hurriedly. “They’ll just make a fuss then. I want to keep the fact that he’s been set free as quiet as possible. I’m hoping it will slip right under Dumbledore’s giant beak. Offer them a settlement instead. A small cash settlement and a notice in the back of the paper buried in the legal section. Hardly anyone actually reads that section.”

“But, then people won’t know he’s innocent. What if he’s seen? Someone could attack him,” Ted asked.

“We’ll make sure the first time he’s seen is at the ministry. It might cause a stir but word will get around that he’s out. I don’t plan for him to be seen for a long time. I figure he’ll go stay with Harry for the summer. He should go to a recovery hospital for at least six weeks.”

“You think he’ll be willing to stay out of sight? If he’s free, he might want to go back to his normal life.”

“I’m hoping his main priority will be Harry. It’s for Harry’s benefit that we keep this quiet. If Dumbledore doesn’t know Black’s free, he won’t try to tighten the net around Harry and won’t find out the rest.”

“I’m sure Harry would be his main priority,” Ted turned to look at Harry. “Sirius is my wife’s cousin. He brought you round to see us when he was babysitting, before your parents went into hiding. My daughter Dora loved to hold you. He loved you like you were his own,” Ted said to assure Harry. Harry smiled back at the man.

“I’m not sure if you’ll be able to keep it from Dumbledore. He keeps his ear to the ground,” Ted said wryly.

“I’m hoping to keep Dumbledore busy with something else,” Bill turned to Harry. “I understand you don’t like those children’s books about you, is that right?”

Harry grimaced. “Those stories aren’t real but people think they are. They expect me to be some kind of hero because of those books. I’m just Harry. I’ve never ridden a dragon or fought my way through an enchanted maze or any of that. I hate them.”

Bill smiled sympathetically. “I thought maybe we’d try to sue to get them taken off the shelf.” Bill turned back to Ted. “Gringotts gave us an accounting last night. They wouldn’t let Dumbledore touch Harry’s vaults but he found another way to make money off of the boy. Who do you think commissioned those books to be written?”

“He didn’t!” Ted said in shock.

“He did. Dumbledore had those books written and has been making a tidy profit off of the series. I’m guessing he’s behind the action figures and apparel, too.”

“That bastard!” Ted exclaimed, slamming his hand on the desk.

“Hold on,” Harry said, sitting forward in his chair. “You’re saying Dumbledore wrote those books.” Harry thought for a minute then shouted, “What apparel? You mean clothes? And ACTION FIGURES? OF ME?”

Bill winced. “Yes, Harry. I’m sorry there are action figures and T-shirts and Robes with your picture on them. Well, it isn’t really you. It’s just a fake drawing of someone that sort of looks like you but either way, it all says Harry Potter on the box.”

Harry flopped back in his chair, flabbergasted. He thought about all the whispers and pointing his first year at school. He remembered the way everyone was whispering about him last year. He remembered how Dumbledore refused to say anything to make them stop. Harry was furious.

“How could he?” Harry asked, angrily.

Bill put his hand on his shoulder and patted him. “Don’t worry, Harry. We’ll do everything we can to make it stop now.”

“And get you your profits. That will keep Dumbledore right busy, even if he never comes right out to defend them himself,” Ted said vindictively. Bill grinned wickedly and agreed.

“Is there anything else you’ll be needing help with? You’ve already given me a few doozies!” Ted said, sounding excited.

“Just one more minor thing. Harry here is going into business with my brothers.” Bill handed over a copy of the contract. “Really, you should have a copy of all of these.” Bill handed over the accordion file and let Ted make copies of the documents.

Ted read the contract and grinned. “This will be fun. Zonko could use a little competition. I see you put in here that they have to get at least 3 NEWTS each or the funding cuts off. Smart move, that,” Ted said with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Don’t want them getting any crazy ideas that will make mum angry,” Bill laughed in return.

“Right on that,” Ted agreed. He loved Molly Weasley but he wouldn’t want to cross her. Gideon and Fabian taught everything they knew to their little sister.

“I’ll be glad to help them stay on the legal side of things. I can help them with their patents, too. Wouldn’t want any of their ideas to be stolen, now would we? If they’re anything like Fabian and Gideon, they’re going to be brilliant.”

“Mom said the twins are just like her brothers. I think that’s what worries her,” Bill replied. Ted nodded.

“I could see that. Rest their souls,” he bowed his head for a moment in memory.

“Is that all for you gents?” Ted asked.

Bill nodded. “It’s all the business. I did have one more question to ask you. Are you busy for lunch? Harry has an appointment with Andromeda. I thought we’d invite you both to join.”

“Are you going to tell her about Sirius?” Ted asked. Bill nodded in affirmation.

“She has a right to know. I plan to let her read the wills.”

“I wouldn’t miss it, then. Just have Andy send me an owl when you all are ready for lunch. I’ll reserve us a room at Strega for lunch, if that works for you. My treat,” Ted offered. “Do you like Italian, Harry?”

Harry nodded his agreement. After his life with the Dursleys, he wasn’t picky about what he ate. He was just glad he got to eat, too.

“Alright, then. See you for lunch.”

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 6

Fifteen minutes later, the two wizards entered a Cozy looking healer’s office simply named “Diagon Alley Medical Office”. A nice young wizard in fresh white robes sat behind the counter.

“Please sign in over here,” said the young wizard wearing a nametag that read Tad.

Bill signed them in while Harry found a seat in the waiting area. There were only two other people waiting. A mom with her young daughter sat in a set of chairs near a giant tank holding a squid that was playing peekaboo with the little girl.

Bill came over and sat down beside Harry. Harry had been thinking hard about Sirius. He really hoped Ted could help the man. Harry was happy to have a guardian but he wouldn’t really be around. He was just keeping Harry safe and helping him get away from his awful relatives. Sirius would be able to stay with Harry.

“Bill, do you think Sirius will want to meet me?” Harry asked Bill quietly. Bill looked to the boy but Harry wouldn’t look away from his hands.

“Of course he’ll want to meet you, Harry. He was your godfather and your father’s best friend. He might need a little help first but then he’ll want to meet you right away.”

“Why will he need help first?” Harry wondered.

Bill sighed then answered, quietly. “Because he’s been in Azkaban prison, Harry. It’s bad enough to be in prison for 12 years. Azkaban just makes it that much worse. There are these creatures that guard the place. Dementors. They suck the life and happiness right out of you until you feel like you’ll never be happy again.” Bill paused. Harry felt awful at the thought of Sirius experiencing that.

Bill spoke slowly as he continued. “I won’t lie to you, Harry. Most people who are in Azkaban for so long go crazy. Sirius is going to need to go somewhere that he can get well before he sees you. I know you want to see him and he will want to see you right away but it might not be possible.”

Harry thought about it for a few minutes. The mother and daughter were taken back to the office. Bill and Harry were the only people in the room now.

“I just want him to get out of there,” Harry whispered. Bill quietly agreed. A few silent moments later, they were called back for Harry’s appointment.

Harry and Bill walked into the sterile white of the healer’s examining room. Tad left them in the room to wait for the healer. A few moments later, a woman in a pair of blue robes came into the room. She had black curly hair that fell halfway down her back. Her eyes were wide and grey. Her cheeks and eyebrows, high arched.

‘Bill! It’s good to see you again. How are you?” The woman said as she stepped forward and gave Bill a light hug.

“It’s good to see you, too, Andromeda. I’m doing well. How have you been?”

“Well. Ted keeps me laughing and Nymphadora keeps me busy. What brings you here, today?”

“That’s good to hear. I’m here with my ward, Harry. Have you met Harry Potter?” Bill said by way of introduction.

Andromeda froze for a moment, giving Harry a quick once over. Her eyes paused on his scar before a smile crossed her face.

“We’ve met before, though I doubt Harry remembers it. Last time I saw you, Harry, you had just turned a year old. It’s good to see you again. How are you?”

Harry blushed in both pleasure at the thought of meeting someone who knew him when he was a baby but also in embarrassment. “I’m good.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. What can I do for you both?” Andromeda asked, still smiling fondly at Harry.

Bill answered. “Harry here needs a full check up. I don’t know if he’s up to date on his vaccinations or not. I’d also like you to check his nutrition and growth levels.” He gave Harry a look when he said the last. Harry ducked his head. He didn’t want to think about that. He’d never have to see his relatives again.

Andromeda looked between them and then started casting diagnostic spells. She began to frown as she cast. Her look became fierce when she read the report that had begun writing itself with a quill and parchment he saw floating beside her.

Bill tried to wait patiently but it was difficult. The more her expression soured, the more desperately he wanted to know.

She picked up the completed report. She read it quietly to herself and then handed it to Bill.

“Harry shows signs of long term malnutrition. He is in the 22nd percentile of height and weight. He is small for his age. He shows signs of broken bones that didn’t heal properly and scarring from deep hematomas. Bruises that were very deep. His eyesight is terrible and his glasses are out of date. He’ll need to see an eye healer as soon as possible.”

Harry swallowed. Aunt Petunia had smacked him in the head with things from time to time. It didn’t do any real damage except maybe once. His eyesight had gone wonky for a few days after the incident with the frying pan. It was Dudley and his gang who did the real damage to Harry. Before he went to Hogwarts when they would go “Harry hunting”, they would beat the absolute crap out of him sometimes. The punches weren’t too bad, unless they held him down and punched his face, which they rarely did since Petunia got upset about blood. The kicks to his ribs were what really hurt him. Dudley and his gang didn’t realize their own strength. Vernon always yelled but he never hit. He was all terrifying bluster.

“That’s not the worst of it. Look here,” Andromeda said, pointing out a section to Bill. “There’s dark magic emanating from his scar. I can’t tell what it is. It’s like nothing I’ve seen before.”

“Harry, do you mind if I check you? Maybe I can recognize it.” Bill asked. Harry remembered that Bill was a cursebreaker. He agreed with trepidation. He wasn’t embarrassed about his small size or being beaten up anymore. Now he was worried about what was going on with his scar.

Bill started casting spells on Harry’s scar. He looked perturbed as he read the strange symbols and characters in different colors and sizes that began to fly around Harry’s head. Bill watched them for several minutes. Finally he looked to Harry with a grim expression.

“It’s a horcrux.”

Andromeda looked confused and concerned. “What’s a horcrux?” She asked.

“It’s ancient Egyptian soul magick. The soul is shattered into pieces by committing the murder of an innocent person. It’s also called the Curse of Matt in Egypt. The pieces can then be stored in soul containers. The soul containers act as anchors tying the spirit to the physical plane so it can be resurrected. It’s believed to be a bastardization of the process that causes ghosts.”

“That’s why Voldemort is still a wraith? What does that mean for me?” Harry asked. He had a piece of Voldemort’s soul inside his head. He felt dirty. No wonder Voldemort kept coming after him.

“If that’s what he is, then yes.”

“He possessed Professor Quirrell. I saw him. His face was coming out of the back of Quirrell’s head. It was disgusting.” Harry said emphatically.

Bill and Andromeda flinched at his name. “I believe you, Harry,” Bill said. “Ginny was possessed by a piece of him, too. The diary!” Bill nearly shouted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his shrunken trunk. He resized and opened the trunk. He rooted around inside for a few moments and then pulled out the diary Harry had destroyed in the Chamber.

Bill cast several spells on it and then stood up. “It has the residue of a horcrux on it as well. I think the diary was another horcrux.”

Bill’s head was reeling at the thought of Voldemort having multiple horcruxes. Bill had run across a few horcruxes in his time in Egypt. The goblins were too cheap to destroy the valuable artifacts that were infected with the vile things. They had searched until they found a way to cleanse the horcruxes from the items.

“There’s a way to cleanse you of it,” Bill said. “There’s a sarcophagus from the Khufu dynasty that can cleanse the evil things from an artifact that’s infected. I just hope it will work on a person, too. Harry, you’re going to have to come visit Egypt. We’ll have to wait until mom and the rest of the family return home. I’ll bring you here at the end of the summer and cleanse you, okay?” Bill was trying to sound calm and in control, even though he wasn’t feeling it.

“We have to wait that long?” Harry asked anxiously. He wanted to get rid of the vile thing as soon as he was able.

“You’ve been safe with it in you for almost 13 years, Harry,” Bill said, trying to be reassuring. “You’ll be safe for a few months more.” Bill fervently hoped that was true.

“I’ll want to see Harry once it’s done. I’ll want to verify his health is good after the use of the sarcophagus,” Andromeda said authoritatively.

Bill smiled and agreed.

Andromeda kept talking. “Harry will need to take four vaccinations. He can take two today and two when he returns after the sarcophagus. He had his shots as a baby, so he only needs his boosters. He’ll also need to take a nutrient potion for the next two weeks, twice per day. It will help catch Harry up to where he should be.” She sounded no nonsense when she spoke.

Harry grimaced but agreed. He was sure the nutrient potions would taste horrible.

She left the room for a few moments to get the vaccination potions for Harry to drink. Harry continued to ruminate on the idea of Voldemort’s soul being in his head. It explained so much. The pains Harry felt when Voldemort was around. The parseltongue. The way Harry was drawn to situations with Voldemort. He was scared.

“What if it takes me over? What if Voldemort possesses me?” Harry asked.

“I don’t think that would be possible. Didn’t you say you burned Quirrell to a crisp when he tried to touch you? And didn’t you say Voldemort’s spirit tried to possess you but couldn’t so it flew away? I think whatever protection saved you from being killed by Voldemort is saving you from becoming possessed now. It won’t be long and it will be gone. I promise,” Bill reassured Harry.

Andromeda returned. Harry saw a steaming lilac potion and a brilliant yellow potion. The lilac one actually tasted a little like bubblegum. The yellow one tasted like urine. If Andromeda had been anyone else, he would have wondered if he just got pranked.

When it was done, Bill brought up the offer of lunch with them. He hoped Andromeda would come so he could tell her about Black.

“What are you doing for lunch, Andromeda?” Bill asked. “We were going to have lunch with Ted. We wanted to know if you’d like to join us?”

“I’d be delighted,” Andromeda replied. “Where are we eating?”

“Strega’s,” Bill replied.

Andromeda looked at him. “What’s going on? Bill only takes me to Strega’s when he thinks I’m going to be upset.”

Bill chuckled. You’ll just have to wait and see. Shall we?”

The three headed out the door together for lunch.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 7

Lunch was delicious. The aftermath, not so much. Bill didn’t bring up what had happened to Sirius until the dessert plates had been cleared away. Then, he had handed the Potter wills to Andromeda and let her read.

Now, Andromeda was crying. Not the pretty tears that made someone look beautiful and vulnerable. She was ugly crying with snot, red face, and hiccuping. Her tears were angry tears. She wasn’t sad over the injustice done to Sirius. She was bloody angry.

“Those incompetent ninnies! They didn’t even give him a trial! Even if he did kill Peter Pettigrew, could you really blame him? Not that I believe he’s guilty of even that! Hiccup. One session with veritaserum would have cleared up this whole mess but no! They had to toss him in prison and throw away the key! Hiccup. I bet his awful wretch of a mother had something to do with this. She hated him. It would be just like her to pay to have him thrown away. Arrrrr! Hiccup.”

Ted tried to sooth her while Bill and Harry tried not to edge away. Harry had never seen someone in such a rage, and that was saying something for a person who grew up with Vernon Dursley in residence.

“Don’t worry, darling. I’m going to sort this all out. Bill and I are going tomorrow morning to speak with Amelia Bones. It’ll get sorted. I promise.” The big man practically cooed at his wife. He flinched with her every hiccup.

“I’m coming, too,” she said fiercely. She was starting to calm down. Her hiccups were coming fewer and farther between. Harry took that as a good sign.

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, sweetums. You might get upset,” Ted said, trying to discourage his wife gently. “What if we brought him straight to you, after. He’s bound to need medical attention. Bill and I were just saying this morning that he’ll likely need to go to a recovery center. We were thinking for six weeks.”

“Six weeks! After twelve years with the dementors? Ha! Try six months!” Andromeda fumed.

“Do you really think he’d agree to that long?” Bill asked.

Andromeda snorted. “Not bloody likely. He’ll be a stubborn arse about it, no doubt. We won’t get him to go at all unless he gets to see Harry first. Best plan on the lad waiting with me while you work to get him out.”

Harry perked up at that. He was excited to meet this Sirius Black, his godfather.

“I’d love to wait with Andromeda,” Harry perked up while making the statement. Even if she cried like a scary loon, he’d still be glad to wait with her if it meant he got to meet Sirius.

“I’m not sure,” Bill hedged. “We don’t know what kind of mental condition Black will be in. I don’t know if he’ll be dangerous….” Bill trailed off.

Andromeda scoffed again. “Dangerous towards Harry? Never. He loves the boy like his own. I tell you, he won’t be able to rest and heal until he has had a chance to see Harry.”

“She might be right,” Ted said to Bill. “It wouldn’t hurt to have him set up for a quick hello, now would it? Might even help him stay motivated to get well, I reckon.”

“Please?” Harry said quietly.

Bill looked at Harry then nodded. “Sure. It can’t hurt but we can’t know for sure when they’ll free him. If they’ll free him right away. We plan to offer them an attractive settlement that should speed things up but you never know. They might want to hold a trial or at least question him,” Bill said cautiously.

“Maybe we should send an owl when we expect to be on our way,” Ted suggested. “That way Harry could make his way to Andromeda. Sirius might want to clean up a tad before he receives visitors.”

“That sounds lovely,” Andromeda said. She had herself back under control. “We should probably reach out to Lupin. He’s Sirius’ last living friend.”

“We can do that,” Bill said. “It might be good for him to have someone who can visit him while he’s in the recovery center. I was thinking we could send him to the center in Milan. If you could help arrange things, Andromeda, he could leave right after he says hello to Harry.”

“I can do that,” Andromeda responded. “I can arrange for Lupin to stay with him as well. Lupin has … special needs … that would need to be taken into consideration but that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Sounds like we have a plan,” Bill said, satisfied with the outcome of the day.

“I have to run home to get the twins to sign off on the changes Harry made to their business contract. I’ll drop a copy off at Gringotts and get a portkey for Black, and Lupin if he’s willing. Then, I’ll meet you at your office, Ted. We can head to the ministry together.” Ted nodded his agreement.

“Can you send Lupin an owl, Andromeda? I don’t know the man and he might think it’s a might strange to receive that kind of message from me. Feel free to send him a copy of the Potters’ wills, if you like, as well. That might help convince him,” Bill said after a moment's thought.

Andromeda made a copy of the will, then handed the originals back to Bill.

“It might behoove us to make a small, political donation to Fudge, as well,” Ted said. “He’s a vain man. If we point out this mistake wasn’t under his administration and sweeten the honey pot with a few galleons, he might be more amenable to moving things along. If Death Eaters can buy their way out of prison, surely innocent men can, too.”

“I’d be glad to pay for it,” Harry piped up. “Whatever it takes to get my godfather out of that horrid place.”

Bill thought for a moment, then agreed. With their plans set, Bill and Harry said goodbye to the couple and headed out to finish their day.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

“We still have a lot to do,” Bill said as they started down Diagon Alley. “Let’s head over the magical optometrist first. It’ll make it easier for you to shop for the rest of the things you’ll be needing if you can see what you’re buying,” Bill said with a grin.

Harry agreed. They went to the shop. Bill handed over the order for new glasses from Andromeda. The magical optometrist cast a few spells of his own to perfect the prescription. Harry chose a new set of frames. They were still round but had gold wire rims. The glasses had an impervious and unbreakable charm built in. They also were charmed to always return to Harry’s hand when they were dropped. Harry was sure that would come in handy. They took the new glasses and headed out to finish their shopping.

“Now, let’s go to the “Odds and Ends” shop. I reckon you’ll need a Coire and maybe a Brighid’s Well. I’ll need to grab floo powder for the trunks, too.” Bill said, more to himself than to Harry.

“What’s a Coire or a Brighid’s Well?” Harry asked. Bill blinked.

“Sometimes I forget you’re not from the wizarding world. Coire, or the Dagda’s Cauldron, is the way wizards get food and raw materials. It’s also called the Cauldron of Plenty. It’s charmed to provide witches and wizards with raw materials such as yarn or lumber or bricks. It also provides them with the raw materials for food such as grains and chicken or even baked bread, though the baked goods are nowhere near as good as homemade.”

“That’s amazing!” Harry said. Bill laughed in agreement.

“It is pretty amazing, though it feels basic to me. I grew up with a Dagda’s Cauldron. It’s why mum always gives food and knitted things for birthdays and holidays. It doesn’t cost her anything to get the ingredients she needs to make them. A Brighid’s Well is kind of the same thing except it only gives drinks. You can only get non-alcoholic beverages from them but you can get any kind of juice or water that you like from it. Hogwarts actually has the largest of each in all of Britain in the kitchens.”

“Wow!” Harry exclaimed. That would really come in handy. “I’ve never been to the Hogwarts kitchens. We’ll need to get one of each for all of the trunks, then.” Harry said, matter-of-factly.

Bill sighed. He hated for Harry to spend so much of his money but Bill guessed he was right. There really wasn’t a way around it.

“You’ll have to get Fred and George to show you the kitchens sometime. They’re a sight to behold,” Bill responded.

The pair entered the Odds and Ends shop. Harry was amazed at the shelves upon shelves of strange looking contractions. While Bill went to get the Dagda’s Cauldrons and Brighid’s Wells, Harry looked around.

He didn’t see anything particularly interesting to him until he came upon a shelf that was stacked with all sizes of mirrors. Bill came over to see if Harry was ready while he was looking at them.

“These are communication mirrors,” Bill said.

“How do they work?” Harry asked.

“When you have a pair of them, you can talk to someone no matter the distance,” Bill responded. He picked up two small ones to demonstrate.

“Just say the person’s name. They’ll get a little vibration from the mirror and hear their name being whispered. Say the passphrase, which is written on the back of the mirror, and Bob’s your uncle!” Bill replied.

“Harry Potter,” Bill said clearly into the mirror. Harry felt his mirror buzz and heard his name being whispered. He flipped the mirror over and saw the passphrase written there - “flibbertigibbet”.

Harry said the passphrase and saw Bill’s face appear in his mirror.

“This is awesome!” Harry said and heard himself say from across the aisle.

“I’d like a set for me and you, for Ron and Hermione, for Sirius and one for Hermione’s parents. She’s always so sad that she can’t speak with her parents or show them Hogwarts. With these, she’ll be able to!”

“Are you sure, Harry? You’ve already gifted your friends quite a bit.”

“I’m sure. I want to be able to reach them and for them to reach me, in case of any emergencies. With Voldemort running around, you never know when it might help to be able to reach help in just a moment. Besides, you’re my consultant. How can we consult if you’re in Egypt without them?”’ Harry gave Bill a puppy dog look.

“Alright then. It’s your money, Harry. This will have to come out of the funds you have with you. There’s no way I can justify these as living or school expenses.”

Harry was glad to agree. Bill chose a series of small mirrors and ushered Harry towards the front of the store so they could pay and leave.

Harry saw one more thing that interested him. He glanced down an aisle that said “Estate sale” and noticed a box full of shrunken books. He stopped to gawk at the plethora of tiny books in the large box.

“Can I get these for Hermione’s library?” Harry asked Bill. “She has a huge library but no books to fill it up with.”

“You don’t even know what these books are, Harry. They could be anything.”

“It won’t matter to Hermione,” Harry said. “She’ll love them because they’re books.”

Bill looked at the tag on the box. It said, “Assorted books. 10 galleons.” It was a high price but Bill thought it couldn’t hurt any.

“I’ll agree on one condition,” Bill said sternly.

“Anything!” Harry said, ecstatic to find something so nice for one of his best friends. He just needed another gift for Ron to balance things out. He knew the boy was prone to jealousy. He’d want to make sure to keep things even between them. He had just the gift in mind, too. He would have to find a way to sneak so Bill wouldn’t know. He’d never agree to what Harry had in mind.

“You have to make a copy of every one of these books before you give them to Hermione. You have a library to fill up, too. I’ll teach you the spell tonight. You can work on it while I work on setting up your wards. Deal?”

Harry grimaced at the thought of copying all these books. There must be hundreds of them in the box but Harry agreed.

“How will I be able to do that? I’m not allowed to do magic outside of school.”

“Your trunk is well warded. No one will know you’re doing magic inside it. Besides. The law says you’re not allowed to do magic in front of nonrelated muggles outside of school, not that you can’t do magic at all. The teachers don’t make that little distinction clear because they don’t want any accidents, especially for the muggleborn, outside of school.”

“Do you have that in writing?” Harry asked quickly. “Hermione should know she can practice while she’s home with her parents but she won’t believe it unless she sees it in writing.”

Bill laughed. “We can stop by Flourish and Blotts before we leave the alley. I have a few other books I want you to work on this summer as well.”

“You’re giving me homework?” Harry asked in disbelief.

“Darn right I am. You need to work on becoming prepared, Harry. You should know after the last two years that you aren’t safe. You need to learn as much about protecting yourself as you can. I’ve seen how much you don’t know about the wizarding world. You need to learn.” Bill said this sternly. If he was going to be responsible for Harry, Bill planned to do the best job possible for preparing the boy for life in the wizarding world.

“What classes did you sign up for as electives next year?” Bill asked.

“Divination and Care of Magical Creatures,” Harry responded. Bill started shaking his head immediately.

“Those will never do. You can keep Care of Magical Creatures but you’ll need to take Runes and Arithmancy, as well. Divination is a waste of time. Trelawney is an old bat. I also suggest you take Wizarding Law and Customs.”

“But that’s four classes! I only have to take two,” Harry whined.

“Percy and myself took seven extra classes. I’m taking it easy on you. You could pass the Muggle Studies OWL without taking the class, and I suggest you do take the OWL test for it. There are many jobs that you won’t qualify for without it and it would be an easy O for a wizard raised in the muggle world. Divination is a waste of time, unless you’ve got the gift. Forgive me for assuming you don’t, Harry. It’s a rare talent.”

Bill looked at Harry who reluctantly shook his head. Bill nodded in response.

“As I expected,” Bill responded. “You could take Wizarding Home Economics. It’s an interesting class but you can honestly learn everything you need by just buying the textbook and reading it. It’s mostly cleaning and cooking spells. They do come in handy but you don’t need the class to practice them. We’ll get you the book today.”

Harry wondered how many classes Hermione was taking. He bet she was taking all of them.

“With four extra classes, you won’t even have to use a time turner. It sounds like a lark but it’s really a pain. There’s not too much homework in either Arithmancy or Wizarding Law and Customs. You do the homework in class for both of those subjects.”

“Do I really have to do all that extra work,” Harry said, forlornly.

“Harry, it’s my job to take care of you now. I want to make sure you’re well prepared for life in the wizarding world after Hogwarts. I hope you understand. I want you to write to McGonagall tonight and tell her about the class changes.”

Harry sighed but agreed. “I reckon I’ll have to tell Ron, too. He might want to switch as well.”

Bill snorted. “If he doesn’t, I’ll tell mum and she’ll make him. He needs to take at least one more class, even if he won’t switch out of Divination. He doesn’t need Wizarding Law and Custom. People raised in the wizarding world don’t need to take the class to pass the OWL, just like Muggleborn’s don’t need Muggle Studies. I’ll suggest he take Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, and Care of Magical Creatures. If he really wants to be an Auror, he’ll need both of them. Neither class has much homework. That will appeal to him, too.”

Harry agreed Ron would want to take the easiest classes with the least amount of homework.

“What are we doing next?” Harry asked.

“Clothes shopping, then shoes. One last stop at Flourish and Blotts and we can be off. Do you have everything you need for Hedwig?”

“Not really,” Harry responded. He thought quickly. He really wanted to get that present for Ron without Bill being present.

“Maybe you could run by Flourish and Blotts while I stop at Eelops and Quality Quidditch Supplies real quick. I wanted to get a quidditch set so I can play this summer,” Harry said with pleading eyes. Bill didn’t like the idea of splitting up but they really did have a lot left to do.

“Okay. That sounds fair. I need to run by Gringotts and pick up your trunks, as well. Let’s do the clothes shopping and then we can split up, but only for an hour. I want to get to your family lands before dark. It will take me a few hours to set up the wards,” he said anxiously. He was truly hoping to get the wards done before full dark. It was already 2pm. He hoped they would leave by no later than 4:30pm.

Harry enthusiastically agreed.

“I think Dobby should come clothes shopping with us,” Bill said. “You can’t give him clothes but you can give him money to buy clothes. Elves traditionally wear tea cozies but I’m betting Dobby would like wearing trousers and shirts more than tea cozies or towels. If he’s going to accompany you around Swansea, especially in the muggle world, he’s going to need some normal clothes. Whatever he can wear that isn’t that disgusting mess he’s wearing now will be fine by me.” Harry agreed with Bill and called for Dobby.

“What can Dobby bes doing for Mr. Harry and Mr. Bill?” Dobby said excitedly.

“We’re going clothes shopping Dobby. I thought you might like to spend your clothing allowance. I’ll give you the money and you can buy anything you like,” Harry told the little elf.

Dobby looked hesitant at first then agreed. “Dobby can be getting a new tea towel to wear?”

“No,” Harry said. Dobby looked disappointed. “I want you to get some real clothes. Bill said you can come with me out in the muggle world this summer. You’ll need proper clothes if we’re going to be able to do anything fun this summer.”

Dobby perked up at Harry’s explanation. Dobby had never been to the muggle world. He was excited to see it but he was most excited at the thought of being invited to have fun with Harry.

“Yes, Mr. Harry, sir! I would loves to be having fun with you.” Harry grinned in reply at the little elf.

“I’m hoping to shop quickly and head into the muggle world. I thought you’d like some clothes and games from there to help keep you occupied this summer. We’ll move quickly, if that’s okay with you both.”

Harry didn’t relish the thought of clothes shopping, though he did like the idea of having new clothes that actually fit of his very own.

They went into Twills and Tattings. Unlike Madam Malkins, they sold more than robes. The sales lady approached them upon entry.

“How can I help you?”

“We’re in kind of a hurry. We were hoping to get a whole new wardrobe for both of these two.” Bill replied.

The sales lady looked at Harry and Dobby. “We don’t sell towels or cozies but I’d be glad to see what we can do.”

Bill shook his head. “We were actually hoping to get normal clothes for Dobby. He’ll be escorting my ward into the muggle and wizarding worlds. I want him to be able to blend in, you see.”

The sales lady nodded in understanding. “I bet we’d have some things in the Toddler and Young Children’s sections to fit him. Mind if I start measuring?”

Harry and Dobby agreed. The tape measure jumped out of her hand and began measuring every inch of them with a vengeance.

A few minutes later, when the tape measure finally stopped invading their bodies, she led them over to the clothes. She took them to the boy’s section first.

“A full wardrobe usually consists of 10 shirts, 6 pairs of pants, 3 jumpers, 1 jacket, 3 pairs of pajamas, a robe, and 14 pairs of underwear, undershirts, and socks. Does that sound appropriate to you?” She asked Bill. He quickly agreed. He’d like to keep this moving.

“The cost of a full wardrobe for a teen is 18 galleons. For Toddler sizes, we offer the full fitting for 15 galleons. If you make any premium choices, that will increase the price.”

“Perfect,” Bill responded. “Harry, Dobby pick out what you like. Let me know if you need help.” He set them to it and took himself over to a bench for a sit down. He was getting tired already and there was still so much to do. He started making a list of the books he hoped to get for Harry at Flourish and Blotts. He assumed he should plan on getting a set for Hermione, as well since Harry was set on filling up her library as well.

Harry chose 8 pairs of comfortable trousers and denims and two pairs of slacks, just in case he needed them. He was embarrassed to choose underthings with the sales lady watching, so he threw those in the pile quickly and then covered them with his choices of shirts and jumpers. He did have one premium addition to his lot - he chose a dragonhide leather jacket for himself. He asked Dobby if he wanted one, too. The elf quickly agreed. He wanted to be just like his Mr. Harry. Harry chose a black dragon leather jacket. Dobby chose one in magenta. Harry winced at his choice but didn’t comment. They also got a pair of swimming trunks each.

“All done, then?” the lady asked them kindly. Harry and Dobby agreed.

“Right then,” said Bill, finishing up his list. “Let’s head on to our next stop. If you don’t mind to owl these to us when they’re done, we’ll be ready to leave then.”

“Owl delivery is an additional 5 sickles. Also, the premium addition of dragon leather jackets will be an additional 3 galleons per jacket.”

“Nice,” Bill said in approval. Harry handed Dobby the money for his purchases. Dobby paid and so did Harry, then they were off.

“Next stop, the cobblers. We’ll get you both some shoes very quickly, then we’ll head out the Leaky for muggle London. I’m hoping we can be just as quick there as we were here.” Bill said, anxiously. It was only 2:30pm but he wanted to hurry. If they could be back in Diagon by 3:30pm, he would be on track to leave by 4:30pm.

They walked quickly to the cobblers, which was just a few stores down.

“Dobby, I’d like you to get a pair of shoes, too. They’ll need to be custom made to fit your feet, which are a little, er, wide. You won’t be able to find any that fit you in muggle London.”

“Dobby gets shoes, too?” Dobby asked with tears in his eyes.

“Yes,” Bill said gently. “You’ll need shoes if you’re going to spend time with Harry in the muggle world.” Dobby sniffled at the kindness of his new master and his friend.

“Come on, Dobby,” Harry said, a little teary eyed himself. He’d never had new shoes in his life.

They entered the shop and a nice lady said hello from behind the counter.

“Hello there, dears! What can I get for you on this fine afternoon?” The lady asked.

“We’d like two custom pairs of shoes. I’d like them to have grow-with-me and impervious charms on both pairs, please,” Bill responded to the woman with a smile. She grinned in return.

“Right-o. This way then. Choose your style then we’ll get you all measured up, yeah?” She said, looking at Harry.

“One pair is for my friend, Dobby, ma’am.” Harry said politely, gesturing at Dobby, who beamed at being called Harry’s friend. The woman blinked for a moment then smiled gently at the little creature.

“My mistake. If you’ll each come with me, I’ll show you the options.” The group followed the woman to the back of the store where dozens of styles of shoes sat on shelves.

“The boy’s shoes are this way. I think that would apply to both of you?” She asked. Dobby and Harry nodded in the affirmative.

Dobby chose a pair of comfortable looking leather loafers. Harry couldn’t tell what kind of leather it was but he could tell it wasn’t dragon. He chose a pair of dragon hide boots that looked just like Bill’s except they were black and Bill’s were red. Bill grinned at Harry’s choice and winked. Harry grinned in return. Bill was quickly becoming Harry’s hero. Maybe Harry should ask him about what it takes to become a cursebreaker? It sounded like an exciting job.

“Good choices, you two. Let’s get you measured.” She led Harry and Dobby over to a set of chairs with small vats in front of them. She sat them down in the chairs and had them put their bare feet in the vats.

“Roll up your trousers,” she instructed. “That’s the ticket.” She said in approval as they complied. Then, she waved her wand over their feet and the vats began to fill up with a cool, grey substance.

“Ew! That’s squishy and cold!” Harry said, laughingly. “What is this stuff?”

The lady laughed. “It’s a mold to take the exact measurements of your feet. We want to get a good fit, don’t we?”

Harry guessed it was true, but it still felt odd to feel the squishy stuff between his toes. Dobby couldn’t stop giggling.

“There we are.” The lady said, waving her wand again. The squishy stuff disappeared, while an exact replica of their feet appeared next to the vats. “All done,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you, Ms.,” Bill replied. “Can you please owl the purchases to us?”

The lady agreed. “The cost is 12 galleons for both pairs. That includes shipping.”

Harry quickly paid for the shoes, and they headed out the door.

“Now,” Bill said with a tired smile. “Let’s head out for the Muggle world. There’s a Marks and Spencer a few blocks down from the Leaky. We can get everything we need there. Let’s go,” Bill said cheerfully before he stopped.

“Dobby, you can meet us later, if you’d like. You don’t have your clothes yet that you can wear in the muggle world. I’ve got your measurements here. We’ll get you a few more things, too. I’d like you to stay with Harry later when we split up for our final bit of shopping. We’ll call you when we get back to Diagon Alley.”

Dobby agreed. With a pop he was gone and Bill and Harry were on their way to Marks and Spencers.

The shopping in the muggle store was a little slower than shopping in the magical world. Shopkeepers didn’t pop up as soon as you entered, waiting to give you personal service. Bill did find one shop attendant to give them directions to the clothes, shoes, and toys department. Bill didn’t want Harry to be bored all summer. He also didn’t want him to be stuck with work all summer long. Summer was for fun and Bill intended for him to have some.

He also asked the shop attendant to help him convert Harry’s and Dobby’s measurements to muggle sizes. The shop attendant had to look on a conversion chart but they were soon set with a buggy and new sizes. They took off to hurry and make their purchases.

Bill insisted on a full new kit of clothes for each of them from Marks and Spencers.

“But how will I give the clothes to Dobby without setting him free?” Harry asked Bill.

“We’ll buy them as separate purchases. You can give Dobby the money to buy the clothes from you.” Harry agreed that would probably work and then they were off shopping again.

Harry bought himself and Dobby nice wool jackets this time instead of leather jackets. He also bought them both 6 pairs of denim trousers, so they could be comfortable in the muggle world. He bought himself two new pairs of trainers and a pair of shiny patent leather shoes. He noticed Dobby liked crazy patterns and colors in his socks so he bought him 14 full pairs of novelty socks with funny sayings and graphic pictures. He bought them both two packs of underroos with matching underwear and undershirts with popular muggle characters on them.

In the game section, Harry got a gameboy each for himself and Dobby so they could play together. He got a dozen games for them to try and a wallop of batteries, so they could play without running out. He bought another dozen board games and a few card games to boot. He topped his shopping off with a football and two dozen comic books. He had always wanted to read comics but his aunt and uncle refused to buy him even one. He got a free one once from school but Dudley ripped it to shreds before Harry could read it. It had broken Harry’s heart.

Harry finished out his shopping with a heaping pile of muggle sweets, crisps, and fizzy drinks. If he was going on a shopping spree, he was going to get some of all the things he’d always wanted to try but never had the chance.

They spent a whopping 456.72 pounds. Bill didn’t blink at the charges. It was only about 46 galleons, so Bill wouldn’t complain. The cheaper prices in the muggle world were why Bill knew about Marks and Spencer. His parents often shopped here for Bill and his siblings.

They snuck around the corner with their overflowing buggy. Bill shunk the entire lot, including the buggy and put it all in his pocket.

“Well done, Harry. We were only in there for 45 minutes. Let’s head back to Diagon. We’re right on schedule, he said looking at his pocket watch to see it was 3:24pm.

“I can’t believe we got all that stuff!” Harry said excitedly. He usually hated shopping but found it much more fun when he actually got something, too.

They headed back to the Alley and called for Dobby.

“We’ll meet at the apparition point at 4:30pm exactly. Do you have a watch, Harry?” Harry nodded. He had an old watch Dudley had thrown out because it didn’t tell time digitally. The band was worn and a little too big but Harry loved it. It was one of the few things he had been able to call his own.

“Great, I’ll see you at 4:30pm exactly,” he stressed to the young man then headed off. Bill needed to hurry if he was going to get everything done on time. He needed to check in at work and get his portkey to Egypt and Sirius’ portkey to the recovery center. He also needed to get Hanson to double check the ward schematics he drew up last night to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. He reminded himself to add the wards that would block underage magic from being detected. Best to be safe rather than sorry when it came to the ministry. He had to get the trunks and the books. He walked faster with the thought of everything he still needed to get done.

Harry grinned at Dobby. “First, Quality Quidditch Supplies,” Harry said fervently to the little elf. Dobby waggled his ears excitedly and agreed.

The pair walked to the shop and headed inside.

“Welcome to Quality Quidditch supplies,” the shopkeep boomed from the front of the shop. “I’ll be right with you.”

Harry and Dobby walked over to look at the brooms while the man checked out a few customers. Harry poured over the different models and their specifications. He wanted to find just the right model for Ron. Nothing too fancy so his friend wouldn’t balk at the “charity” of Harry’s gift yet perfect for a budding Keeper.

Harry thought either the Clean Sweep 11 or the Air Canon 1000 would be perfect for the boy.

“Can you fly, Dobby?” Harry asked the little elf curiously.

“Dobby can but Dobby has never been trying before, Mr. Harry. Dobby would love to try flying. The little birdies make it look so fun!” He said enthusiastically. Harry nodded. It was decided. He would get a broom for Dobby, too. It would definitely be more fun to play quidditch with a partner than by himself.

“Hello, what can I do you for?” The tall, thin salesman with the booming voice asked Harry.

“Hello, I’d like to buy a broom,” Harry replied. The man looked around.

“Are your parents or guardians with you? I’m afraid the brooms are a little expensive, my lad,” the salesman said loudly but gently.

“I have my own money and permission to make the purchase,” Harry lied. “I was between the Clean Sweep 11 and the Air Canon 1000. Which do you think is the better value for a Keeper?”

The man relaxed. These were some of his most economical brooms. The kid might actually have enough money to buy them. The man didn’t care about the permission, to be honest. He just cared about making the sale.

“That’s a good question. Both have their benefits and drawbacks but I suggest the Clean Sweep 11. The brand is more well known and stands up to use over time better. It’s also got a faster velocity change reaction than the Air Canon 1000. You’ve got to be able to change directions fast, as a Keeper. It’s a good all around broom for leisure flying, as well.” The man said. He didn’t mention it was also the more expensive of the two. He was hoping that wouldn’t matter.

“Right, then,” said Harry. “I’ll take two of them and two full quidditch ball sets a well.” The man did a double take.

“That’s going to cost you upwards of 200 galleons, kid. Do you have that much?”

Harry nodded and looked earnest. The man didn’t question him anymore. Instead he told the boy he’d get everything together and meet him at the front. Harry grabbed a couple of broom polishing kits and followed the man to the front of the store.

The man rang Harry up. He didn’t mention he rang Harry up for the most expensive set of quidditch balls he had available. The kid didn’t look rich but he must have had some money to be buying two brooms and not even questioning how much the quidditch balls would cost.

“That’ll be 265 galleons and 7 sickles,” the salesman said. Harry didn’t balk at the total. He simply paid and looked to his watch. He still had 15 minutes left until he had to meet Bill. Plenty of time for a quick stop to get anything Hedwig might need.

“Could you shrink my purchases, please?” Harry asked the salesman, who happily obliged him. The kid had just given him a nice little sale, it was the least he could do for him. Harry pocketed his purchases and headed back out to Diagon Alley.

They went quickly to the pet store. It was closer and Harry thought it would probably have everything he needed, as well.

They moved quickly through the pet shop. Harry didn’t expect to buy anything besides a big bag of owl treats and maybe a stand for Hedwig to perch on. He wondered if she’d like a few mice, figured she would, and bought those, too. He was done with his purchases in record time and headed out back onto the street. He checked his watch and saw he still had 10 minutes to spare.

The apothecary was right across the street. Harry decided to pop in and grab a new potions kit. If he was going to be practicing potions this summer, he would need proper ingredients. His own stores were almost bare.

The shop attendant didn’t greet him when he entered and instead gave Harry a sour glower. Harry thought to himself that all potions masters must have sour expressions and a distinct lack of patience for children. Harry didn’t care. Nothing could ruin his good mood. He went up to the counter.

“I’d like a potions kit, please,” Harry said. The man scoffed.

“A Hogwarts potions kit? If so, what year. A home potions kit? A deluxe potions kit? Or perhaps you’re looking for the premiere kit to set up as a potions master?” The man asked sarcastically. Harry ignored the impertinent tone and thought for a minute instead.

“A year three kit and a premium kit, should do,” Harry said in a barely civil tone. The man sniffed and scowled at him but started gathering ingredients, just the same. The man muttered under his breath as he worked, but Harry just ignored him. He decided to look around while he waited.

He found a cabinet with ingredients behind unbreakable glass. He thought to himself, these must be the rare or expensive ingredients. He noticed basilisk parts in the case and gaped at the prices for such small amounts of ingredients.

“Those aren’t for children,” the man said caustically. “We only sell those ingredients to reputable potions masters. Step away, before you get your dirty fingerprints on the glass.”

Harry backed away but couldn’t help but stare at the prices. Did basilisk parts really cost that much? Harry wondered about the basilisk under the school, just lying there, rotting away.

“That’ll be 65 galleons,” the shopkeep said smugly, as though he expected Harry to be unable to pay. Harry quickly took out the right amount and gathered up the bags with his purchase. He didn’t bother asking the man to shrink the packages for him. He knew the man would never do anything remotely thought of as kind.

Harry glanced at his watch and saw he only had 3 minutes to get to the apparition point.

“We’d better hurry,” Harry said to the little elf. Dobby agreed and started running. Harry hurried to keep up. They made it in record time.

“There you are,” Bill said with a smile. “Right on time. Looks like you’ve been to the apothecary. Good idea. I hope you didn’t buy too much. You didn’t buy potions kits for all the trunks, did you?” Bill said, sternly.

Harry looked stricken. “No, but I should have. I didn’t think.” He said fretfully. No matter, he decided to himself. He would owl order a premium kit for Sirius and the twins and a year three kit for Ron and Hermione tomorrow after Bill left.

“No, you did the right thing. You can’t take care of everything for everyone, Harry,” Bill said kindly. Harry didn’t agree but he also didn’t say anything.

“Take my hand and I’ll apparate us to your new home, Harry. Dobby, you can follow us, yeah?” Dobby agreed. Harry couldn’t help but grin at the thought of a home of his own. He took Bill’s hand. With a quick pop, they were away.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 8

A brief, nauseating moment later, Harry and Bill arrived at Harry’s family land north of Swansea, Wales. Harry could smell the sea air on the breeze. All around him was lush forest. He started to step forward when Bill put out a hand to stop him.

“Let me see what wards are left before you go any further,” Bill said. He waved his wand in a complicated pattern. A golden glow suddenly appeared in a huge dome in front of Harry and Bill. Harry couldn’t even see the edges or top of the dome, it spread so far in every direction. He could only see the curve of the sides. He stepped back quickly.

“The wards are in decent shape,” Bill said ponderously. He’d have to take that into account when he laid the new wards.

“Dobby?” Bill said to the air around him. Dobby popped quickly into place beside them. “Good. I wanted you to do a check of the wards as well to make sure I didn’t miss anything.” Bill might have been a cursebreaker but house elves were intimately linked to any land owned by their masters.

“I am detecting standard muggle repelling, notice-me-not, Level 7 defensive wards, blood wards, and climate control wards. Do you see anything else?”

Dobby looked at the wards. “I be seeing family wards to promote health and well being and family magic wards to detect liars, thieves, and those with harmful intentions, too, Mr. Bill.”

“Okay. Those should be easy enough to work around and handy to have, too.” Bill turned to Harry. “I’m going to need you to let a few drops of blood fall on the ground so we can get past the wards, Harry. Do you mind?” Harry shook his head that he didn’t mind. Bill handed Harry his pocket knife. Harry made the cut quickly as Bill had shown him and barely felt the sting. The drops bell on the ground and a glowing blue archway appeared before Harry.

“Wouldn’t this defeat the purpose of the wards?” Harry asked. “What if someone kidnapped a member of the family and cut them. Would that give just whoever access to the grounds?”

“Good question, Harry,” Bill said, ushering Harry and Dobby inside. After they all stepped through, the archway closed. The golden glow soared before them again before settling back into invisibility.

“The blood has to be freely given, while not under the influence of any spell or potion, or it won’t work,” Bill explained to Harry. Harry was glad to hear it.

Harry looked around and saw a stone path leading through the forest. They followed it and came to a clearing that opened up into a huge garden space surrounding a burned out ruin. The grounds were beautiful and the huge ruin was heartbreaking. Harry turned to look at Bill. Bill was looking around in confusion.

“These gardens look well kept. Dobby, can you search the area and see if anyone else is here?” Bill asked, gripping his wand tightly.

Dobby held his hands out before him. A gentle wind picked up around the little elf for a few moments. Dobby let his hands drop and turned to Bill. There is no people here but there is being a house elf. They is that way.” Dobby said, pointing to the ruin.

“Stay behind me,” Bill said to Harry. “Dobby, you stay by Harry. If anyone attacks us, get him out of here, you understand?” Bill said urgently.

Dobby nodded, looking serious and ready.

“Show me where they’re at,” Bill said quietly. Dobby directed the little group around the huge ruin towards the back of what used to be the house.

“Looks like the cellar is still intact,” Bill said, pointing to the doorway set into a small crevice in the ground.

“Come out!” Bill shouted. “We know you’re in there!”

Suddenly, the door burst outward. A tiny elf came running out, holding a curtain rod like a javelin and shrieking. Bill cast a spell and froze the tiny, little thing in its tracks. The little elf started sobbing.

“Please don’t be hurting Twinky. I is the only one being here. There is nothing left for you to take and is being no one left for you to hurt. PLEASE!” The elf named Twinky choked out between sobs.

“Who are you, elf,” Bill said in a mean voice. “Who do you belong to?”

“I is Twinky, the Potter elf. There is being no one here but me. Please. Let me go and leave me be!” The little elf continued to sob.

“Twinky. If you’re the Potter elf, you should know a Potter when you see one,” Bill said exasperatedly. Twinky slowed her sobs and looked at Bill.

“You is not being a Potter,” she said, her voice trembling.

“Not me,” Bill agreed. Twinky looked first to Dobby, looking confused. Then her gaze turned to Harry. She gasped.

“You is a Potter, but who? Master Jamie is being dead and gone but you look just like him. Your magic feels a little like him but, not. Who is you?”

“I’m Harry,” Harry said, not sure what else to say.

“Little Master Harry? You can’t be. He is just a baby… or was just a baby. Twinky loses track of time. Is you really Master Harry?”

“Mr. Harry, please. That’s what Dobby calls me.” She concentrated on the young man then gasped.

“You is! You is Master Harry come home! Twinky is so happy!” She started sobbing again. Harry noticed she was wearing a tea cozy that had seen better days. She was smaller than Dobby. Harry noticed she had burn scars all down one arm and one leg.

Bill unfroze the little elf. She flung herself at Harry and hugged him around the knees. Harry looked to Bill for help but Bill just grinned at him.

“Looks like you have two elves, Harry. That makes me feel even better. Two of them will definitely be able to keep you safe for me.”

“Two elves?” Twinky hiccuped in confusion. Then, she turned her gaze to Dobby. “You is a Potter elf, too?”

“Twinky,” Harry said. “This is my friend Dobby.”

Twinky looked up at Harry with wonder in her eyes. “Master Harry, yous be calling an elf friend?”

“Yes, Dobby is family, and I guess, so are you. Please call me Mr. Harry. That’s what Dobby calls me and I’d like you to call me that, too.”

She stared at Harry with hero worship in her eyes. “Yous is being a good master, Mr. Harry. Twinky can tell.”

“You is being a brave elf, Twinky. Dobby can tell,” Dobby said the words with stars in his eyes. Only a brave elf would risk their life in such a fire.

“Have you been here by yourself all these years, Twinky?” Bill asked with concern.

Twinky straightened up and let go of Harry’s legs. She fixed her tea cozy and wiped her eyes on the backs of her hands before nodding.

“I has been here alls by myself since Master Fleamont and Mistress Euphemia died. The house burned while Master Jamie and Mistress Lily were in hiding. I did all I could to be saving as many things as I could but the fire was so hot. I couldn’t be saving it all. I trieds to be putting the fire out but I could nots be doing it. It was being too hot.” She looked sad and dejected as she spoke.

“Is that how you got the scars?” Harry blurted out and then winced.

Her eyes filled with tears again. She nodded. “I could nots go back in again. Some of the wards be falling when Master Fleamont died. The fire suppression wards and the secret keeping wards fell. The house was being too big. I couldn’t put the fire out. Mistress Euphemia be ordering Twinky what to try to save if there was ever a fire but be saying the most important thing was for Twinky not to get hurt. I dids not mean to be getting hurt but I had to save the portraits. Mistress Euphemia be saying the portraits were the only things that could nots be being replaced.”

“She was right, Twinky. I’m glad you got out safely,” Harry said. “Who are Euphemia and Fleamont?” Harry asked Bill.

Bill looked sad when he answered, “They were your grandparents, Harry.”

Harry felt awful that he didn’t even know their names.

“I wish I could have met them,” he said wistfully. Twinky looked at him for a moment and then popped away. She was back in a flash with two portraits.

“Here they is, Mr. Harry. You can be meeting them now.” She held up the portraits who looked back at Harry curiously.

“And who are you, my lad? You look the spitting image of my Jamie,” the woman said.

“Except for the eyes,” the man agreed. “They’re bright green.... Are you? Are you Harry? I’d recognize Lily’s eyes anywhere. You had the same eyes as a baby,” the man said with delight.

“Yes, I. I mean, yeah. I’m Harry.” Harry was astonished. He was speaking to the portraits of his grandparents!

“Good to see you, son!” “My baby!” The man and woman exclaimed at the same time.

“You’ve come home,” the woman said, her eyes tearing up.

“I’m sorry it’s in such a sorry state but it is wonderful to see you, my boy!” The man said with enthusiasm.

“As sweet as this reunion is, we have to get busy,” Bill said with regret. “Twinky, Dobby, help me banish all this rubble and burnt bits. I’ll want to take it back down to the foundation stones. Harry, why don’t you come with us and help us where you can. You have your wand?”

Harry tore his eyes away from the portraits. His grandfather had the same wild and crazy hair Harry, and supposedly his dad, had. His grandmother had his nose and his chin. He nodded at Bill.

Bill put his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You can talk to them later, I promise. We need to get as much done before dark as we can. We’re lucky to have Twinky here to help us, too. Twinky, please put the portrait back until we’re ready to bring them into the trunk.”

Twinky obeyed immediately. Harry pulled out his wand and looked around.

“Do you know the banishing charm, Harry?” Bill asked. Harry shook his head.

“No matter. I can show you, quickly. You’ll only be able to banish small bits at first but that will still be helpful.”

Bill showed Harry how to do the spell. It was relatively simple, so Harry picked it up quickly. The two elves and two wizards worked quietly for the next hour or so to banish all the burnt and damaged pieces of building. A few cleaning charms from the elves later and a gleaming foundation of white stone was all that remained.

“This is where we’ll set up the trunks. Some of the wards that were on the house still remain. Let’s put them up over here by the stairs to the cellar,” Bill said, walking that way. “Do you know where the ward stone is, Twinky?”

“Yes, Mr. Bill. It is being in the cellar. Do you want Twinky to be showing you where it is?”

Bill nodded. “In just a second, Twinky. I want to get Harry inside with all his packages. He and Dobby can start putting things away while you and I talk about the wards. Will that work for you?”

Twinky agreed readily. Bill reached into his pocket and pulled out the small bag he had been putting Harry’s purchases into. He reached in and pulled out a small handful of miniaturized trunks. He found the right one by size and color and put the rest back inside the bag. He resized the trunk.

“Here we go! Home, sweet home, Harry,” he said looking to the boy with a smile. Harry grinned back and looked at the trunk.

“How do we get in? Do we open it or….”

“You can open it and climb in that way,” Bill replied. “Or you can put your finger on this mark here. It’s keyed to your blood, so no one else can open it or come inside unless you let them in. Just hold your finger here and say the name of the person who you want to let inside, followed by the phrase, so mote it be. For now, just let the four of us in. You can add other people later, though I suggest you keep the numbers slim, yeah?”

Harry agreed. He set the trunk to allow Bill, Dobby, and Twinky entrance.

“Just think about entering the trunk, and then you’ll be inside,” Bill encouraged.

Harry put his finger back on the symbol he didn’t yet know was a rune and then popped inside. He appeared outside the front door in his little front garden. A moment later, the other three joined him, one by one. Twinky cooed over the cute little garden.

Harry opened the door and led the others inside. It was exactly as he had ordered it. The walls were a deep burgundy color. The wood trim and the floors were a deep cherry wood, that set off the colors just right. The fixtures were all done in gleaming silver. His sofa and armchairs were made of squishy leather in a deep chocolate brown. A thick rug with black, burgundy, and silver swirls sat on the floor under the furniture. A fire was already burning cheerily in the hearth in front of the large cherrywood coffee table. A few matching bookshelves and tables were scattered around the room. The walls were bare but Harry figured he’d find stuff to hang on them in time. Decorations weren’t his highest priority. He knew the rest of the house would be equally perfect, just as he ordered it. He walked over to his sofa and sat down with a deep sigh of comfort. He was home.

Bill sat with him for a moment. He got out the bag of purchases and laid it on the coffee table. He sorted through it for a moment and pulled out the Brighid’s Well.

“Could you go to the kitchen and get us four cups, please, Dobby?” Bill asked. Dobby popped away without a reply. He was back in just a second.

Bill showed Harry how to work the Brighid’s Well. “You just put your finger on top and hold the container you wanted filled underneath. The drink you requested would come pouring out the spout on the top.”

Bill had some thick, black coffee. Harry and the elves had apple juice.

“Please, sit,” Bill said to Dobby and Twinky. They both sat gingerly, unused to sitting in the company of wizards.

“You’ll need to go through our purchases and put them away, Harry,” Bill said, sitting back tiredly in the comfortable armchair. “I’ll show you how to do the duplication charm so you can start putting up the books. Dobby can help you with the resizing and shrinking charms. Are there many things from the old house, Twinky?”

“Yes, Mr. Bill. There is being many portraits and books. I also was able to get Mistress Euphemia’s jewelry. There’s a little furniture, including Fleamont’s desk but there is not being too much. The family gold was still in the vault in the cellar, but I can be bringing it, too.”

Bill blinked at the thought of family gold being kept in a private vault in the cellar. He shook his head and got back to business.

“When you’re done helping me start on the wards, you can start bringing the stuff into Harry’s trunk. Put it all in the third bedroom. We’ll have to cast expansion charms, if there are many portraits.” He turned to Harry.

“Trust me, Harry. You’ll only want a few family portraits out where you’ll have to see them all the time. Too many and they get quite bossy and noisy. The Weasleys have a room for theirs. My suggestion is you keep one bedroom for guests and turn the other room into a portrait gallery. You might or might not want the extra furniture and stuff right now but you should keep it. You might want it someday.”

Harry agreed. Bill showed Harry how to do the duplication charm. Then, Bill gave a few more instructions to Dobby and Twinky about helping Harry. When he was done, he stood up and started for the door.

“Right then, I’m off. Twinky, come with me. Dobby and Harry, good luck.” With that, Bill was gone.

Harry and Dobby started resizing and storing all the purchases they’d made that day. They were about half way through when Twinky popped back into the room. She found the third bedroom and then began bringing in the items from the cellar.

When Harry and Dobby were done putting away their purchases from today’s shopping, they stepped into the third bedroom to see what they could do to help Twinky. Harry was amazed at the change that was made in what used to be a decent sized bedroom. The walls were now 8 meters long and 6 meters wide. The blue and grey color scheme had remained the same but gone was the full-sized four poster bed and side table. A fancy looking white and gold brocade settee and chair set sat in front of a marble table before the hearth that had grown to three times its original size. A few other pieces of antique looking furniture were scattered throughout the room. Every wall was covered in portraits.

There must have been over 50 of them in all. There were also a few fancy looking small statues and busts on little tables throughout the room. The rug had been expanded to cover the cherry wood floors almost from end to end. The blue, grey, and silver rug had always been beautiful but it was stunning at this size. The closet now had a vault door on it. Harry assumed the gold was inside.

“Wow!” Harry said looking around in wonder. “Who are all these portraits of?”

Twinky giggled. “They is being the Potters and their family, of course. Are there any portraits you’d be liking in the sitting room, your study or the library?”

“Er,” Harry said, unsure of how to answer. “How about my grandparents for now?” Harry froze suddenly. “Unless, unless. Are there portraits of my parents?” Harry asked, afraid to hope for such a boon.

“Of course. There is being a portrait of James and Lily on theys wedding day.” Twinky answered. Harry gasped.

“Where?” He asked hurriedly. Twinky showed him to two of the portraits closest to the door. They were Harry’s parents. His father was stood in black dress robes and his mother resplendent in her wedding dress. Harry felt tears come to his eyes.

“Mum, dad,” he choked out. The couple looked up from the cake they were cutting in a beautiful garden scene to look at him.

“Is that you, Harry?” Lily asked, dropping the knife and running to the front of the portrait. She smashed her face against it as if she were looking through glass.

James laughed and strolled up to stand beside her. “It must be. He has my handsome good looks and your beautiful eyes,” James said, putting his arm around Lily’s waist.

“My baby!” His mother shouted in an eerie repeat of what Euphemia had said when she first realized who Harry was.

“I can’t believe it’s really you,” Harry said with tears flowing down his cheeks. “I’ve wanted to meet you, to speak with you, for so long. I, I don’t know what to say.” Harry stepped forward and pressed his hands against the paint. It felt just like that, like paint. His heart twinged at the feel. How he wished it felt like skin on skin.

“Where have you been? We’ve been so worried.” Lily asked, tears streaming down her cheeks as well, though the most radiant smile covered her face.

“I didn’t know. I had no idea about this piece of land or about your portraits.”

“Sirius didn’t tell you?” James asked. “That old dog. Where is he? I’ve a mind to give him a good telling off for not telling you.” James looked around behind Harry, as though Sirius were standing just out of sight.

“It’s a long story. Do you mind if we take this to the sitting room. I’ll tell you everything I know.” James and LIly agreed. “Twinky, please bring Euphemia and Fleamont out, too. We’ll all have a good chat while I copy books.”

Harry wanted to talk to his parents but he knew that was no excuse to waste time. Bill might get angry if Harry wasn’t working on what he’d been told. Harry doubted he would be too upset but better to be safe than sorry, was Harry’s experience.

For the next two hours the portraits and boy laughed and cried and talked. The elves continued working to bring in the belongings from the cellar. When they were finished with that, they started supper for the hungry wizards and elves.

By the time Bill came in, Harry had told the whole sorry story, or at least the parts he knew.

“Bill, thank you so much for helping our boy,” Lily said with affection when Bill stumbled in and sat on the sofa. Three hours of ward building after a long day of shopping had tuckered the wizard right out.

Bill turned to Harry. “Is that who I think it is? James and Lily Potter?”

Harry grinned and nodded. “Yup, mum, dad, granddad, and grandmum, let me formally introduce you to my guardian, Bill Weasley. He’s the head of the Prewitt family now. He’s been helping me get away from Aunt Petunia and her lot. He’s also trying to keep me safe from Dumbledore.”

“It’s lovely to meet you all. Please, call me Bill. I’m so glad Harry has portraits of you all. It must be a great comfort to him.”

“And to us,” James answered. “Please, call us James and Lily.”

“And us Fleamont and Euphemia,” Euphemia chimed in. Bill nodded in assent. He glanced around the room and saw the piles of shrunken books.

“Almost finished?” Bill asked Harry. Harry nodded.

“Yes, we finished the books we bought today and now I’m making copies of the books Twinky was able to save. We must have copied hundreds of them in the last few hours,” Harry said tiredly. Talking had made the work go quickly but Harry was definitely ready for a break.

He called for Dobby. “Dobby could you take these books and put them in the library? I’m done with those. This box is almost finished and then I’ll be done.”

“Dobby cans be finishing for you, if you wish.”

Harry smiled tiredly at Dobby. “Thanks, Dobby. Let’s eat first. We can work on it together after supper.” Dobby agreed. He moved all the books and the remaining travel trunks to the library. Harry wanted to sneak his extra gifts inside while Bill was gone tomorrow. Harry had decided to gift his premium potions ingredients to the twins and his third year kit to Hermione. Hopefully, he’d have some time to get a new set after he saw Sirius tomorrow.

That reminded him. “Hey Bill, who owns the basilisk now that it’s dead?”

“You do, Harry. As the slayer of a dangerous beast, you own the carcass. Why?”

“I noticed how expensive the ingredients are in the apothecary today. I thought maybe I could sell it. I want to share some of the proceeds with the victims of the basilisk and the school.”

Bill smiled at Harry’s thoughtfulness. “That would be nice, Harry. I’m not going to let you give most of it away, however. If you do sell it, I won’t allow you to give away more than 30% of the proceeds.”

“It should be a lot, with the size of that thing shouldn’t it?”

“You killed a basilisk?” James asked in delight. Lily smacked him.

“How big was it?” She asked in trepidation.

“Around 20 meters long, I’d say. It was thicker than I am.”

Bill choked at the size of that thing. “Are you serious?”

“It might have been a little bigger. It was hard to tell in the dark.” Harry said with nonchalance.

Bill remembered the size of the scar on Harry’s arm and reckoned he was probably right. It probably was bigger.

“Yes, it should be worth a pretty penny. Gringotts can handle the sale for you. They’ll want a percentage but I’ll do my best to negotiate a fair price for you.”

“That’s great,” Harry said. “Ron will get a percentage as well. He helped me, after all. It’s only fair. I also want to keep 10% of the ingredients. You never know when I might need them.” Bill shook his head at Harry’s generous nature.

“That’s fine by me but I am still only allowing 30% of the proceeds to go to anyone but you. Let’s plan for 10% to the school and the remaining 20% to the victims. It should still be a pretty penny for each lot. You deserve the rest, Harry.”

Harry wasn’t sure he agreed but he was willing to agree. “Fine, but I won’t like it. I want to use some of my portion to buy the school new brooms for both flying lessons and for the quidditch teams. And Myrtle’s family counts as a victim, too.”

Bill grinned. “If you want to use some of your portion for that, it’s fine by me. Who’s Myrtle?”

“Moaning Myrtle. She was killed by the basilisk the first time it was released.” Harry sat up for a minute. “Also, you have to get Ted to help Hagrid clear his name. It’s not right that Tom Riddle got an award and Hagrid got expelled. He should be allowed to carry his wand with pride. Maybe he can finish his OWLs, too. I’d be glad to help him get a tutor.”

Bill smiled fondly at Harry. He really was a good kid. “Fine by me but you’ll have to do it all anonymously. I’m afraid if you got the credit, Dumbledore would get suspicious about who’s helping you.” Harry agreed quickly. He didn’t care about getting credit anyway.

“Dumbledore.” Lily said venomously. “He sent my Harry to live with Petunia. That bastard. He knew what was in our will. When we agreed to go stay at his stupid house, he made sure we filled one out. We would have been better off if we’d stayed here. The wards were strong and we wouldn’t have had to have a secret keeper. Then, Peter wouldn’t have been able to betray us,” Lily hissed.

“Now, Lily. The house still would have burned down,” Fleamont said reasonably.

“Would it? The only people with access were you two, Sirius, and Dumbledore. Who do you think burned it down? Magical houses don’t just spontaneously burst into flames so hot a house elf can’t put them out, now do they?”

“Dumbledore had access to this house?” Bill asked.

“Yes,” Euphemia replied. “I agree with Lily. We tried to talk Lily and James out of Dumbledore’s crazy idea of staying in his house. He wanted to be secret keeper, too. Remember? It was his idea to get Sirius to switch out with Peter. We would never want Sirius to go around spreading he was the secret keeper to draw away the danger. He was like a son to us, too.”

“I hate to say it but Dumbledore does have a lot to answer for,” James said slowly. “He knew Sirius wasn’t the secret keeper. He also knew we had a whole list of people who were supposed to get Harry if something happened to us. He knew good and well Petunia hated Lily, and really, that was his fault, too. Petunia’s a squib, not a muggle. She could have visited Hogwarts but he told her no. It made her bitter towards Lily. She was a bitter pill anyway but that really tied the knot.”

Bill sat quietly in thought for a few minutes.

“Did Harry tell you that I’m speaking with Amelia Bones tomorrow? We’re going to try to get Sirius out of Azkaban.”

“He told us,” James answered.

“Take us with you,” Lily urged.

“Yes, you should take us with you,” James supported. “We can tell Amelia the whole sorry tale.”

Bill thought about it for a few moments. “I don’t see what it could hurt. Magical Portraits can’t be tampered with. They’re like ghosts, lite. They know what they know and no one can make them forget it.”

“Dinner is being ready, Mr. Bill and Mr. Harry.”

“Can we eat in here?” Harry asked. “My parents can fill you in on all they know, in case Madam Bones won’t listen to them.”

Bill agreed. The house elves and the two wizards ate a hearty stew around the coffee table and talked.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 9

Bill woke Harry before he left the next morning. Harry was too wired with excitement to go back to sleep. He might get to meet his godfather today! He stayed up late the night before, finishing copying the books for Hermione. He wanted to be able to send her trunk to her today, since the twins and Ron would be getting theirs today from Bill. Harry had snuck into the trunk for the twins and Ron last night. He left a note in each trunk along with their extra gifts. Harry wished he could see Ron’s face when he saw his new Clean Sweep 11. The boy would be more gracious about the gifts without having to look Harry in the face while he received them.

Harry and the elves went into Hermione’s trunk and finished filling in her library. Harry left the books Bill had gotten for her out on her library table, as well. Harry didn’t look forward to reading six books over the summer but Bill was right. It was time Harry started taking his studies more seriously. He was learning the skills he’d need to stay alive and live in the wizarding world. Once they were done setting up Hermione’s library, Harry sat down to write the letter for her. He wrote the letter asking for the class changes to Professor McGonagall, too. Might as well let Hedwig kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Harry sent Hedwig on her way and went back inside his trunk. He took out his communication mirror and put it in his pocket, grabbed his and Dobby’s brooms and steeped back outside.

“Dobby, Twinky” Harry called. The little elves popped into being beside him. They both looked happy and refreshed, despite all the work they had done last night. Harry knew he probably still looked a little peaky but he didn’t care. He was too excited to spend the day lazing around. Harry was glad to see Dobby was wearing his new clothes, as was Harry.

“Twinky, I’d like you to take your measurements and write them down for me. Do you know how to make a mold of your foot?” Harry asked.

Twinky was confused. “Yes, Mr. Harry.”

“Good. I want to get you some clothes while I’m in Diagon Alley today. Is there any kind of patterns that you’d like?”

Twinky looked stricken. “Master is giving Twinky clothes? Please master, don’t! I’ll be doing better. I promise!” The little elf started to cry.

“No, no! Please Twinky! Don’t cry. I’m not setting you free. I just want you to have some nice clothes like Dobby. I expect I’ll have the same contract with you that I have with Dobby. He gets a clothes allowance. He got nice clothes so he can come to Muggle Swansea with me this summer. I thought you’d like to come with me, too. That’s all. Dobby gets a clothes allowance. I want to give you one, too.”

The little elf’s sobs turned into sniffles. “You want Twinky to have nice clothes like Dobby?” Twinky asked.

“Yes, Twinky. That’s all I want you to have some shoes and some clothes. Do you want a broom? I bought one for Dobby.”

“NO!” she practically screamed. “Twinky does not want to be flying! I bes hating heights. Please don’t make me go flying, Mr. Harry,” she begged.

“You don’t have to. I just don’t want you to be left out. Can you take your measurements for me? I’ll get you new clothes and shoes, like Dobby.”

Twinky’s eyes were still wet but she nodded to Harry.

“You’ll be getting 5 galleons per month as your allowance and 5 galleons per month as a clothes allowance. You’ll also be getting 2 days off per month,” Harry said, trying to cheer up the little elf.

She gasped. “That’s is too much, Mr. Harry! I cans not be taking all that.” She shook her head to emphasize her point.

“I order you to accept it, Twinky,” Harry said sternly, remembering that he had to do the same thing to get Dobby to accept. She nodded reluctantly.

“Good. Now, please go take your measurements for me. I’m not sure when Bill will contact me to let me know it’s time to meet Sirius.”

Twinky left and went back inside the trunk.

“Dobby, do you want to take a fly with me? I thought we’d take a look at my family land real quick?” Dobby was excited to give flying a try. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a natural.

Harry took the next hour and taught Dobby the basics of flying. No matter how many times he fell off the broom or crashed it into the ground, he never lost his enthusiasm. It didn’t take him long until he was zooming around the clearing with ease.

Twinky came back outside and gave Harry her measurements and the replica of her feet. Harry was pleased to see them. He had Dobby shrink them and then he put them in his pocket for later.

“Will yous be here for lunch, Mr. Harry?” Twinky asked.

“I’m not sure. I’m not sure when Bill ….” Harry trailed off as he felt the mirror buzzing in his pocket and heard his name being whispered.

“Hang on!” Harry said, jerking the mirror out of his pocket. He turned the mirror over to see what his passphrase was. He needed to memorize it and take the sticker off. He didn’t want anyone else to see it and be able to use his mirror.

“Bibble,” Harry said into the glass.

“Harry, it’s Ron,” a voice shouted. “Can you hear me, mate?”

Harry winced but grinned. “I can hear you, mate. Just talk normally. No need to shout.”

“Brilliant!” Ron crowed into the glass. Harry grinned.

“I wanted to say thanks for the amazing presents. I can’t believe you got me a new broom! I love it. And a travel trunk with my own quidditch pitch!” Ron practically squeed as he said the words.

Harry laughed. “My pleasure, mate. I want you to get good enough to join me on the team. Maybe Fred and George will practice with you.”

The mirror went wonky for a minute in what appeared to be a tug of war. Then, two new faces appeared. “Harrykins!” Said one twin.

“Our best business partner!” Said the other.

“Thanks for the new pad, boy wonder.”

“Mum won’t be able to stop us from working on our products now!” They cackled together.

“Thanks for the potions ingredients, too. We won’t let them go to waste.”

“We’re right glad we took you on, Harrykins.”

“Helping you has been an unexpectedly great help to us, too.”

“We can’t believe you upped the amount of our funding by so much!”

“You won’t regret it.”

“You’ll get 10 fold back in profits once we leave school.”

The image in the mirror went wonky again as Ron jerked the mirror back.

“Sorry about them, mate. I don’t know what they’re on about but I promise I’ll be quidditch ready by the time school starts back! Maybe I can make reserve team this year.”

“I’m sure you can mate. Maybe let Ginny practice with you some, too. She likes to fly.”

“How do you know?” Ron asked suspiciously.

“I saw her on the field last year. She’s good, too. Not as good as you,” Harry hurried to assure Ron, “but she’s good enough to throw quaffles at you, for sure.”

“Alright. I’ll sneak one of the family brooms into my travel trunk before we leave. Bill told mum they were regular trunks he bought for us at an estate auction. He gave Ginny and Percy books instead. Ha!”

Ron looked away from the mirror for a moment.

“Gotta go. Mum’s yelling for us. Thanks again, mate!”

Harry grinned at the mirror, which now showed his own face. Seeing his friend so happy was the only thanks he could ever ask for.

He started to put the mirror back in his pocket when it began vibrating again. Harry thought Ron must have forgotten something but it wasn’t Ron. It was Bill.

“Hey, Harry. Good news. They had Sirius waiting when we arrived this morning. Fudge had a conniption but when we paid him his political donation, he settled right down. After he saw the wills and spoke with James and Lily’s portrait, he was sweating bullets. He jumped at the settlement option Ted offered him. Slimy git. He just didn’t want his name in the paper … for this anyway. They’re letting Sirius go after lunch. Have Dobby bring you to Andromeda’s office at 1pm.”

“That’s wonderful news!” Harry said, enthusiastically. “Does he want to meet me?” Harry asked, a little insecure.

“He can’t wait to meet you. You’re the first thing he asked about when I saw him. I told him you were making sure we got him out. He’s so happy. His friend Remus Lupin is with him now. You remember Andromeda mentioning him?”

“Yes,” Harry replied.

“You’ll meet him, too, when you meet Sirius. Sirius is going to have to go away for a while to get well but he’s much better than I expected. The man must be very strong willed. He’s almost fine, as it is. I’m sure he’ll be with you in six weeks. Remus will come and stay with him, if that’s alright?”

Harry grinned at the idea of having his godfather with him. “Yeah, that’s fine by me.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon, Harry.” With that, the mirror went back to normal.

“I guess I will be here for lunch, Twinky” Harry said with a big smile.

“Twinky is so happy for you, Mr. Harry.” Twinky beamed as she spoke.

Dobby did a loop on his broom to show his joy and enthusiasm.

“Lunch will be ready in half an hour, Mr. Harry.” Harry promised he’d be inside when it was done. He and Dobby flew until the last moment, then took their brooms and went inside. Dobby took the brooms to store them in the shed on the quidditch pitch.

Harry went to the kitchen and sat at the table. His hair was even more of a mess than usual but he couldn’t have been happier. They had some delicious chicken salad sandwiches and crisps from Harry’s muggle stash. Dobby had a wonderful time telling Twinky all about his flying adventure. She was delighted and appalled to hear about the good time they’d had.

After they ate, Harry and Dobby went to get ready to go meet Sirius. Harry wasn’t sure what to wear so he chose his good wizarding slacks and one of his new jumpers. He chose the green one that matched his eyes. He topped it all off with his new boots and his dragon hide jacket. He felt like he looked good. He felt good in general. He laughed at Dobby as he came out. The little elf was also wearing his new magenta dragon hide jacket, his blue leather loafers, a pair of green pants and an orange t-shirt with a picture of Bart Simpson saying cowabunga on the front.

“You’re colorful today, Dobby,” Harry said cheerily. Dobby grinned and flapped his ears.

“Dobby looks good,” Twinky said with a wide smile. Dobby blushed and stood up straighter. Harry laughed at the pair of them.

“Any particular colors you like, Twinky? I would be glad to try to get you clothes in those colors, if you like.”

“Twinky likes pastel colors and flowers. I is not being picky otherwise.”

“Alright, then. We’ll be back soon.” Harry and Dobby went outside. Dobby took Harry’s hand and popped away.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

They arrived outside of Andromeda’s office a few seconds later. A sign on the door said “Closed” but Harry decided to knock anyway. Bill opened the door.

“Right on time. Sirius is in the back with Andromeda. We wanted to get him cleaned up before he saw you. Let’s head back and wait for them with Andromeda and Ted in Andromeda’s office.”

They walked back to the office together. Harry entered to hear Andromeda and Bill chatting with Remus and Harry’s parents’ portrait.

They all quieted when he walked in.

“Harry!” James said with excitement. “Come meet one of my best friends - Moony. Mr. Remus Lupin.”

Remus looked tired and worn but his smile was bright and welcoming.

“It’s nice to meet you, Harry. Please, call me Remus.” The man extended his hand for Harry to shake. Harry took the hand with a joyful grip.

“Nice to meet you, too, Remus.” Harry said looking around for his godfather. Remus noticed and smiled.

“Sirius will be out in just a few moments. That old dog needed a good wash before he was presentable enough to meet with you.”

James and Lily laughed. Remus winked.

“Tell me what happened,” Harry requested.

“Amelia Bones was appalled to read the Potters’ wills. She had Sirius brought to the DMLE office first thing this morning. She had Alastor Moody called in from retirement to help her interrogate him,” Bill started.

“They used veritaserum, too. Of course, it turned out the poor man was completely innocent,” Ted picked up the story.

“By the time Remus, Ted and I arrived this morning, there was already a big to do about the whole thing,” Bill picked up the story.

“Sirius had no idea it was you that started questioning the whole thing,” Remus continued.

“Fudge was in a flap by the time I started throwing possible sanctions around,” Ted continued. “We paid him off right quick and he settled down. Crooked politician.”

“He was quick to jump on your very attractive settlement offer. 500 galleons per year locked in Azkaban, Pettigrew’s order of merlin revoked, and his name put on the most wanted list right away. Top it off with a full paid trip to Milan for six weeks and it was done. Sirius would keep things quiet and the ministry would let him go right away,” Bill said, laughing all the while.

“Fudge even threw in an order of merlin, second class for Sirius, without anyone asking,” Remus added conspiratorially to Harry.

“That comes with an extra 5000 galleons and a shiny new medal for Sirius,” finished James.

“Best of all, I get to be here and meet you,” said a new voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to see a clean and well shaven man with gaunt cheekbones and haunted yet smiling eyes standing in the door.

“Padfoot!” James shouted. “Come say hello to your godson!” Harry stood and faced the doorway.

Sirius just stared at the boy for a few moments, his eyes filling with tears. “Harry,” the man said quietly. He opened his arms and gave Harry a nod. Harry ran into his arms and threw them around the man. They held onto each other for several minutes. Everyone had watery eyes and sniffles by the time they separated.

“Come here, pup. Let me have a good luck at you. My gods, Prongs. He looks just like you,” Sirius said with pride.

James gloated. “I know. He’s extremely handsome.”

“But hopefully not as big-headed,” Lily said, sarcastically. Everyone laughed.

“I hear you’re a great flyer, too, unlike your dad,” Sirius said, ribbing James.

“Hey!” James said. “I’ll have you know I was one of the best for my time.”

“Yeah, and I hear our Harry here is one of the best of all time,” Sirius retorted.

“I won’t argue with that,” Bill said mirthfully. “The youngest seeker in a century, if I remember Ron’s boasting correctly.”

Harry blushed. “Er, yeah. Something like that,” he said with a grin.

“That’s my boy!” James said proudly. Lily just rolled her eyes and smiled at their antics. This was the happiest she had seen James in a very long time.

“Bill says you’re going to come live with me when you get out of the recovery center?” Harry asked, hopefully.

“If you’ll have me and this old man, too,” Sirius said with a wink at Harry and a gesture at Remus.

“Yeah, of course. You’re both welcome. I’ve got a place all picked out for you and everything.”

Sirius’ eyes filled with tears again. “I can’t wait, pup.” The group chatted amicably for another 20 minutes or so before Bill brought it all to a close.

“I hate to rush you, but you have to be at the recovery center by 3pm, Milan time. Best get a move on.”

Sirius stood reluctantly and gave Harry another hug. “I’ll see you soon, pup,” he whispered into Harry’s hair.

“Here are your medical papers showing you’re of sound body, Sirius. They’ll want them before they’ll agree to check you in. Have Healer D’Ricci firecall me if there’s any problems.”

“Wait!” Harry exclaimed, turning to Bill. “Did you give him his mirror.”

“I certainly did. I’m sure Sirius will call you when he can.”

“I definitely will. Your dad and I used to have a pair of these when we were younger, didn’t we James. We pulled off some great pranks with them, too.”

“Don’t encourage my son to be a hooligan like you all were in school,” Lily warned playfully.

“If my twin brothers can’t turn him into a hooligan, no one can,” Bill joked in reply.

“It was good meeting you, Harry,” Remus said, holding his hand out for a shake again. Harry ignored it and hugged him instead. Remus gave him a small smile and returned the hug. “I’ll get this old dog back to you as soon as I can. I promise.” Harry nodded and stepped back.

“I can’t wait to see you both again.”

Sirius and Remus touched the portkey, said another round of goodbyes, and then they were gone.

“I guess I should get going, too,” Bill said. “Dobby, you’ll make sure Harry gets home, won’t you?”

“Dobby will be taking Mr. Harry back home, Mr. Bill, sir.”

“Good. Harry, I’ll call you tonight on your mirror. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. The family will be in Egypt in two weeks. It might take me a moment to answer once they’re around but you can always call Andromeda or Ted if you need help right away.”

“Please do, Harry. If you need anything, we’ll both be glad to help you,” Andromeda said, giving Harry a small hug.

“I will,” Harry promised.

“It was good seeing you, Lily and James. I’m sure we’ll meet again. Until then, take care of your boy there. He’s a good lad.”

“We’ll watch over him,” Lily promised. James nodded in affirmation.

“It was nice meeting you, Bill. You do your uncles proud.”

“Thank you, sir. Harry, we’ll deal with the basilisk when I come to get you for your trip to Egypt. See you soon,” Bill said. He gave his own round of goodbyes, activating his portkey, and was gone.

“Do you mind shrinking the portrait for me?” Harry asked Ted as the man stood to walk him out.

“Of course, my boy.” Ted shrunk the portrait and handed it to Harry. Ted and Andromeda said goodbye to one another. Harry said goodbye again to Andromeda, then let Ted walk him out to the street. They walked together back to Ted’s office.

“Be safe, Harry. Remember to call if you need anything. Send those business partners of yours my way so we can talk about their patents and intellectual property. See you soon, I hope.” With that, Ted went into his office.

Harry and Dobby walked down to Twills and Tattings to order clothes for Twinky. It only took a few minutes to pick out a few dresses, trousers, and shirts each. Dobby picked out her jumpers while Harry picked out a lovely lavender peacoat for her. Both Harry and Dobby refused to pick out her underthings. The sales lady laughed at them but agreed to do that part. Harry paid the charges with the money he had given to Twinky but that she had given back to him for her purchase.

They walked on to the cobblers and ordered her two pairs of shoes. A lovely pair of daisy yellow boats and a pair of pink loafers like Dobby’s. They made their final stop at the apothecary and then they were on their way.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 10

Harry was exhausted by the time they arrived back at the trunk. He went to take a nap in his luxurious four poster bed with a goose down tick over the mattress. It was like sleeping on a cloud. He woke from his nap and thought he might like to go swimming in his pool. He and Dobby both had swimming trunks. Harry had ordered a bathing suit for Twinky, as well. He went out to the sitting room to check in with the elves.

“Supper will be ready, soon, Mr. Harry,” Twinky said when Harry walked into the kitchen. It smelled heavenly. Harry grabbed a biscuit from the jar on the counter and sat at the kitchen table.

“Have your clothes arrived yet?” Harry asked her.

“Oh yes, Mr. Harry. I is being very pleased with them, too. My dresses are being so pretty. Is is never owning such pretty things in my life,” she told him with a grin.

“Glad you like them. Next time we go into the muggle world, we’ll get you some nice clothes from there, too. Dobby and I got a full kit from each and so should you.” Twinky blushed in pleasure at the thought of more pretty dresses and shirts.

“Do you want to go swimming with me after supper? I thought it might be fun to try out the pool.” Harry asked the little elf.

“Certainly, Mr. Harry. Will you be calling for Dobby. Supper is being ready.”

Harry called for Dobby, who popped into the room.

“Will you both eat with me? I don’t want to eat alone.” The two elves agreed. They were getting used to their new master’s strange ways of treating them like family.

“Dobby, Twinky and I are going swimming after we eat. Would you like to come with us?”

“Dobby would be loving to come swimming, Mr. Harry, sir. I will bes getting my swimming trunks out of my room after we eat.”

Harry looked at the little elves with concern. “Is there enough room for both of you in the servants’ quarters? If not, you can use the guest room.”

“Mr. Bill already be taking care of that for us last night. He be expanding our room and creating two rooms out of it. It’s being perfect for two little elves.”

“Dobby be choosing good furniture for the rooms, too, Mr. Harry. It’s being very pretty and comfortable for elves, too.” Dobby blushed at the praise.

“Twinky be setting the rooms up for us just right,” Dobby praised in return. “We is being very happy with our rooms,” Dobby assured Harry.

The three ate and chatted peacefully. Supper was soon finished. Harry went to change while the elves cleaned up. They’d change when they were finished and meet him at the pool.

The pool room looked like a huge outdoor courtyard with a pool in the middle. The pool was 3 meters deep at the deep end, and 1 meter deep at the shallow side. It had two water slides. One that was straight and tall and shot you out at high speed into the deep end of the pool. The other twisted like a corkscrew and shot you out in the center of the pool. There were several floating rafts and rings. A small diving board was set at the far end of the deep end of the pool. Harry was very pleased with it. Harry loved to swim.

The elves joined him a few minutes later. They spent the next hour playing in the pool, having a grand old time.

The two elves finally got out, claiming they had chores to do before bedtime. Harry kept floating on his back and staring up at the fake blue sky. It was already dark outside but Harry didn’t mind. He liked the warmth of the fake sun on his water cooled skin. He heard something vibrating and a sound like the whisper of his name. He realized what it was and paddled quickly over to where he had left his communication mirror.

“Hello?” Harry said into the mirror.

“Hey, Harry. It’s Bill. I wanted to check in on you and make sure you were okay? Everything going alright?”

“Everything is great, Bill. The elves and I just finished swimming in the pool. It’s great! I wish you had let me get you a travel trunk, too.”

Bill laughed. “I already have one. Gringotts provides one for all their employees who travel regularly for their jobs. It’s not as nice as yours, but it’s still pretty nice. I don’t have a pool but I do have a huge bathtub, so that’s almost as good,” Bill said with a grin.

“Make sure you study, too. I’ll want to check in with you every other day, at least during the summer. Keep me up to date on what your plans are. Don’t leave the trunk without letting me know, okay? I’ll be checking in on what you’re studying, so be prepared. I expect you to have fun but to also work hard.”

“I can do that,” Harry responded. “I was going to start reading the books you gave me after my bath.”

“Good. I won’t make you write essays, but I will be quizzing you. I’ve read all those books, so I’ll know if you don’t.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll read them,” Harry grumbled a little but he was secretly pleased that someone cared about what he was learning. It was a first for Harry.

“Alright, then. I won’t keep you any longer. Make sure you call me if you need anything.”

“Before you go, Bill. Would it be alright if the elves and I went to the cinema on Friday? I’ve never been and I’m sure they’ll love it, too.”

“Sure, Harry. Just make sure you’re back by dark, yeah? I’ll call and check in on you around 9pm that night.”

“Brilliant. Thanks, Bill!”

“My pleasure, Harry. Good night.”

“Night, Bill,” Harry said in return.

Harry got out of the pool and went to have a bath. He took his time and washed everywhere, including behind his ears. He got out and dressed in his satiny red pajamas and robe. He was feeling comfy when he went to his library, settled in a comfortable armchair near the fire, and settled in to read. Twinky popped in with some hot cocoa and biscuits a few minutes later, then left Harry in peace to read.

Harry was engrossed in a book about wizarding culture and customs when he heard his name being whispered. He jumped up to grab his mirror off of the table.

“Hello?” He said in the mirror.

“Harry?” he heard someone ask. “Is that really you? It is! Harry!”

Harry saw the face in the mirror and recognized Hermione.

“Hermione! You got your gifts! I’m so glad. How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you, Harry. How are you?”

“Good. Just enjoying my own travel trunk. How do you like yours?”

“I love it, Harry! Thank you so much. The library is beautiful. My parents were amazed to see the inside of it. Thank you so much for the mirrors, too! I can’t wait to show them Hogwarts! They’re so happy that they’ll be able to talk to me now. I wish I had known about these mirrors years ago.”

“Me, too, Hermione. I got one for Ron, too. I didn’t get one for his parents, in case he doesn’t want to talk to them during the school year. I love his mum but she can be a little overbearing.”

Herminoe laughed. “I can’t wait for you to get to talk to my mum and dad with me. You’ll love them Harry. I am so excited to read all these wonderful books! There are some really rare titles in here, too. Where did you get them?”

Harry sat back and told Hermione the full story about getting the trunks and other gifts for his friends. He left out the part about Bill being his new guardian but told her everything about finding Twinky and his parents portraits. He just didn’t mention where he found them. He told her all about Sirius and the injustice that was done to him. Before he knew it, over an hour had passed and he had run out of stories to share.

“Wow, Harry. A lot has happened in a very short period of time, hasn’t it! We’ve only been out of school for three days! I’m glad Bill helped you go shopping. I’m sure your trunk will make things much more comfortable at your relatives.”

Harry didn’t say anything about not being at his relatives. “I love my trunk. It really feels like home. With Dobby and Twinky to keep me company, I’m not even lonely.”

Hermione grimaced at the fact that Harry now owned two house elves but she chose not to mention it. “I’m glad you have someone to spend time with, Harry. I always worry about you when you’re at your awful relatives alone. My parents are taking me to Australia this year for our vacation. We’re leaving in two weeks.”

“Ron is going on vacation with his family, too, this year. They’re going to Egypt to visit Bill.”

“That will be fun and educational. I hope he has a good time,” Hermione said.

“I’m sure they will. You should come visit me if you have a chance before you leave.”

“I thought your relatives were against wizarding visitors? Not that they’d need to know I was a witch, of course, but I’d reckon they’d guess.”

“Er, they don’t have to know,” Harry said. “The fireplace in your sitting room is connected to the floo network. You just have to say “Pottermore Place” and you’ll come right to me. Your floo is called “Hermione’s Haven”. They’ll work when we’re in school, too, though only for your trunk, mine, and Ron’s. Oh, and for the twins’ as well. Ron’s is called “Ron’s Nook” and the twins’ is called “Wizarding Wheezes Lab””

“You got Ron a trunk, too? Does he also have a mirror? I’ll have to give me a call tomorrow. How wonderful. What an odd name for the twins’ trunk. Did they blackmail you into getting them one?”

“No, I wanted to pay the twins back for getting Bill to help me. It really means a lot, you know. You should definitely call Ron tomorrow. Maybe you can both come visit me before you leave.”

“We might just do that,” Hermione said with a smile. “Well, I’m off to read before bed.”

“Did you see the stack of books on your desk in the library? Those are from Bill. He’s going to call me on my mirror and quiz me about them. He says they’re really important to read for person’s who weren’t raised in the wizarding world.”

“Really? Maybe I’ll start with those. Can we really do magic inside our trunks?”

“Yeah, Bill said the rule isn’t actually that you can’t do magic outside of school but rather that you can’t do magic where non-related muggles might see you. He left a wizarding law book for you and marked the pages so you can read about it.”

“I’m so very excited. My parents will get to see me do magic! I’ll be able to properly prepare for classes for once, as well.” Hermione sounded downright giddy. “I’m going to practice some potions tomorrow morning with mum. She’s interested to see some of the healing salve we made last semester. I can’t wait to show her.”

Harry grinned at Hermione. “I’m sure she’ll love it. Have a good night, Hermione.”

“Good night, Harry.”

Harry read for a few more minutes before heading off to bed. Tomorrow was a new day, after all. Things were really starting to look up for the boy who lived.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

The rest of the week went by quickly. Harry fell into a routine of flying in the mornings after breakfast. He’d then work on his summer homework until lunch. He’d read the books Bill gave him and practice magic in the dueling room until supper time. Then, he and the elves would have a little fun for a few hours. Sometimes they went swimming; sometimes they would play games or just talk until Dobby and Twinky needed to do their bedtime chores. Hedwig would spend the night hours outside and sleep on her perch in Harry’s room during the day. It was peaceful, productive, and fun.

Friday was upon them before they knew it. Harry was excited to take his friends out to the cinema. He had never been himself and looked forward to the adventure. They left early so they could grab a bite to eat and do some shopping for Twinky.

Twinky picked her extra clothes out quickly and paid for it with her own money. Harry helped her understand the muggle currency when she paid for her things.

They ate pizza and ice cream at a new restaurant called Verdi’s in Knab Rock. They went to see what time the films started and decided to see Homeward Bound: The Journey as a matinee. They had about an hour until the movie started, so they headed over to the Marks and Spencer for a spot of shopping. Harry took a page out of Bill’s book and tracked down a shop attendant to help them convert the measurements taken of Twinky into muggle clothes sizes. She was an efficient shopper and found her outfits quickly.

They stopped by the toy section and decided to choose one item each. Twinky found a beautiful China doll in a red evening dress that she loved. Harry chose some new pool toys. Dobby chose two new board games for them to try out together. Everyone was happy with their purchases.

They went to the movie theater early. They took turns trying out new games in the arcade. It was hilarious to learn that Twinky was a crack shot. She killed all the ducks in the Duck Hunter game so fast that she drew a crowd of kids who wanted to watch her play. Dobby was the best at the dance game. He was light on his feet, and drew an equally large crowd to watch him show off his moves. Harry liked the games that let you win tickets to win prizes. He won them each a glow in the dark slinky before it was time to go get their snacks and find their seats.

They each got a large bucket of popcorn and a red slushy drink. They each also chose a different kind of candy to share with each other. The movie made all of them cry at one point or another. They talked about it as they walked to the corner alley, so they could pop home without drawing attention to themselves.

“Theys be finding their way home, at last,” sniffled Twinky.

“But they almost be dying!” Exclaimed Dobby.

“Some people don’t deserve pets,” Harry said bitterly. “But I guess it’s good they all found a good home in the end.”

“The cinema is being very exciting, Harry. Can we go again?”

“Sure,” Harry said. “Next time, I want to watch Jurassic Park. It’s about dinosaurs!”

“What is being dinosaurs?” Dobby asked.

“They’re like dragons but without wings,” Harry replied.

“Tomorrow, do you all want to go to the zoo? I’ve been once but I’d like to go again.” After Harry explained what a zoo was, the two elves agreed to go.

“Twinky might not go to see the dinosaur movie, if that’s okay, Mr. Harry. It sounds scary.”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Twinky. We’ll see something you’ll like the next time, yeah?”

“Okay, Mr. Harry.”

They all went into the trunk and Harry decided to read a little more before dinner. They all liked the pizza they ate at the restaurant. Twinky was determined to learn to make the treat so they could add it into the dinner rotation. Harry thought he might suggest she go watch the restaurant workers while he and Dobby watched Jurassic Park next week. He bet she’d like that.

Harry read for about an hour before Bill called.

“How was the cinema, Harry?” Bill asked.

Harry told him all about the movie.

“Sounds like a real tear jerker,” Bill said when Harry was done explaining the movie.

“It was but it was also really exciting. They almost died like 5 times before they made it home.”

“I’ll have to check it out sometime,” Bill said with a smile.

“Would it be okay if we go to Exmoor Zoo tomorrow?”

“Sure, Harry. Just make sure you’re back by dark. I’d like you to always try to be home by dark, if you can. Sirius and Remus will be there soon to take you anywhere you want to try after dark, okay?”

“That sounds fair. Thanks, Bill!”

“Let me quiz you now. Which book have you been reading?” Harry and Bill spent fifteen minutes or so talking about the books Harry was reading and about his summer homework.

“Sounds like you’re right on track. If you need help with anything or have any questions, let me know. I’ll do my best to answer them.”

“Will do. Thanks for, well, everything really. I’m really thankful that you’ve been helping me, Bill.”

Bill gave Harry a fond smile. “It’s my pleasure, kido. What are big brothers for?” Harry grinned at that.

They spoke for a few more minutes and then ended the call. Hermione called a few minutes later for their nightly chat before bed. Harry went to sleep that night thinking about how lucky he was to have such wonderful friends.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 11

The following Wednesday, Ron and Hermione decided to come for a visit. They arranged everything a few days ahead of time. Ron was grounded to his room for the day for sassing his mum. Hermione’s parents were gone for the day at work. They had to put in some extra hours to prepare for their six week vacation. Both families were leaving in three days for their respective vacations. Ron’s family would be gone for a full two months before they returned.

Bill was aware of the plan and said it should be fine as long as they stayed inside the trunk. Since Ron and Hermione believed the trunk was in Harry’s room at the Dursleys’, that shouldn’t be a problem.

“Ronald, you shouldn’t sass your mum. I’m not sure if you should be out visiting when you’re supposed to be on punishment,” Hermione said, a little bossily.

“It’s fine. The twins are covering for me. They promised to call me on Harry’s mirror if mum started up to my room,” Ron said, not getting the point at all.

“That’s not the point! You’re supposed to be thinking about what you did wrong.”

“I’ll just let you think about it for me, yeah?” Ron said.

Hermione huffed but didn’t further the argument. She knew she wouldn’t win.

“Let’s not fight today, guys. I want to have a little fun while we have the chance. Did you bring your swim things?” Harry asked the two of them.

They both responded that they had.

“Want to go swimming then? My trunk has a pool!” The trio agreed that swimming would be fun.

They took turns changing in Harry’s bathroom and then took some towels and went to the pool room.

“This is amazing, Harry!” Hermione said enthusiastically.

“I’m going down the slide,” Ron said, running to the chute slide that would spit you out in the deep end. Harry ran to follow him.

Hermione shook her head, “Boys,” she said derisively but then went chasing after them to join in the fun.

The trio played in the water for about two hours before heading inside for lunch. Twinky made pizzas for everyone to share.

“Ron, Hermione, this is Twinky. She was the last remaining of the Potter elves. She lives with me now and helps me with chores and cooking.” Harry didn’t mention that the chores and cooking were not for the Dursleys.

“Twinky, these are two of my best friends, Ron and Hermione.”

“Twinky is glad to be meeting yous both. If you need anything, please let Twinky know.”

“How did you get a house elf, mate?” Ron asked, watching Twinky bring over the food.

“He has two. Twinky and Dobby,” Hermione said, selecting a slice of pizza for herself.

“Dobby. I thought he was a free elf now,” Ron said, choosing two slices of pizza for himself.

“It turns out I took ownership of him when I set him free. It was news to me but Bill helped me figure it out when he helped me get my trunk and things. I guess you told him the story and he figured it out from there. He found Twinky and some of my parents’ things for me, too.”

“Sure wish he’d find a house elf for us. Not that mum would allow one in the house. She likes to do the cooking and cleaning herself. Or maybe she just likes finding reasons to punish us so we’ll do it,” Ron said, bitterly. “This pizza stuff is good,” Ron said, reaching for another slice.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron, before reaching for a second slice for herself. “House elf ownership is barbaric. No one should own another sentient creature.”

Harry winced at her words and shot an apologetic look at Twinky. “House elves need wizard magic to live. You’d kill them if you set them free.”

“Is that true?” Hermione asked in alarm.

“Yes, that is being true,” Twinky said, setting some fizzy drinks on the table for the teens. Ron took one and started to drink.

“Yum. These are good, too! You’re a great cook, Twinky,” Ron said in appreciation of the fine food. Twinky flushed in pleasure at the compliment. She served Ron an extra slice of the pizza. He accepted it appreciatively, even though it was his fourth piece.

“Then, how will we ever get house elves their freedom?” Hermione wailed.

“You won’t, Hermione. What we can do is try for better working conditions for house elves. Just because they need to be bound to wizards to live doesn’t mean they need to be slaves. Dobby and Twinky are part of my family. They do things around the house to help the family but so do I.”

“That is being true. Even though Dobby and Twinky is not wanting to, we take moneys for our work and we be getting days off every month.”

“That’s right. Dobby is even taking lessons from the goblins to learn to keep the books. He wanted to improve himself and learn a new skill so I helped him find a way to learn.”

“Mr. Harry helped Twinky learn a new skill when she be wanting to, too. He be helping Twinky learn to make pizzas. We all be enjoying eating them.”

“That’s right. Twinky loves to cook so I try to help her learn new recipes and four days out of the month, I cook dinner for them because I want them to enjoy their time off.”

Hermione thought for a few moments then nodded slowly. “I guess showing house elves human decency and kindness is the real goal. That and helping them escape abusive masters like the Malfoys.”

“They was bad masters to Dobby but the Potters have always been being good masters to Twinky,” the little elf said with a nod.

“I’ll have to change my approach, then,” Hermione said with a nod to herself.

The friend’s finished lunch then retired to the living room to play board games for a few hours. They eventually tired of Ron winning every game, no matter what it was, so they decided to do something else. Ron and Harry went to play quidditch for a few hours while Hermione brought a book out to the quidditch pitch to read.

“It’s almost dinner time. I need to head home,” Hermione was the first to say.

“I should go, too, mate,” Ron said. “It’s been fun but I know mom will be up to check on me soon. She’ll probably let me come down for supper. She usually does. It was good seeing you. It’s too bad we can’t do this again until I’m back from Egypt. I hope it’s fun.”

“I’m sure it will be, Ron,” Harry said encouragingly. “You’ll get to see Bill if nothing else. He’s a great guy. You’re lucky to have him as a brother.”

“Yeah, he is,” Ron said, feeling good about himself for having such a brilliant older brother. He was lucky they weren’t all like Percy.

“I’ll see you in six weeks, Harry,” Hermione said, giving Harry a fierce hug. Harry returned the hug with pleasure. Hermione sure smelled nice.

“It was great seeing you both. Call me sometime on your mirrors,” Harry said more for Ron’s benefit than for Hermione’s. Hermione called him almost every night, after all.

Harry watched his friend’s leave through the floo. When they were gone, he went to find Twinky and Dobby, his other friends. He couldn’t wait to tell them about his day over dinner.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

The next few weeks went by quickly as Harry settled into his routine. The only major change he made to his routine was adding in some physical exercise. The book Bill gave Harry about increasing magical strength talked about gaining magical endurance by gaining physical endurance. Harry ignored this at first, as he felt he got plenty of exercise from playing quidditch and flying, but when he read in a book about quidditch, it said the same thing. Become a better quidditch player by gaining in physical endurance. That sold Harry on the idea, so he started jogging around the pitch and doing some calisthenics in the mornings after breakfast.

It cut into his summer homework time a little but that was okay. He was almost finished with that anyway and had started reading ahead in his third year books instead. He found the complete set of third year books in the magical book store in Wales called “Hodolus Llyfr”. It was smaller than Flourish and Blotts but not by much. Next week, Harry planned to start practicing potions, something he was not looking forward to but knew he needed to practice.

One night during Harry’s call with Bill, Harry got some good news.

“Sirius is being released next Wednesday. If you’d like, he’ll come straight to you in Swansea. Is that okay with you?” Bill asked.

“Yes!” Harry exclaimed. “Is Remus coming with him?”

“If it’s alright with you, yes. They’ll both be coming. Can you get their trunk setup for them? Make sure they know they can use the floo, please. I’m sure Sirius will have business to take care of, when he gets settled.”

“Sure! Do they have clothes? If not, have them send me their measurements and I’ll go buy them some.” Harry was always conscious about clothes. It’s not that he cared what he looked like all that much but he did care about having clothes that were in good condition and that fit.

“Go ahead and ask them,” Bill encouraged. “You’ve been talking to Sirius and Remus through the communication mirrors, haven’t you?”

“Yes. They call on Sundays, usually. I mostly talk to Remus because Sirius is busy getting well but I usually get a chance to talk to both of them for a few minutes. Sirius accidentally called me James a few times. Do you think that means he’s not getting better?” Harry asked worriedly.

Bill laughed, “If that’s a sign of illness, my mum is very sick. She usually goes through 3 or 4 names before she gets the right one when she’s angry. I wouldn’t worry about it. You look so much like your dad, I’m sure he just slips up sometimes. Has he seemed well otherwise?”

“He does. He seems sad sometimes. When he’s very sad, he doesn’t talk much.”

“That’s to be expected. He’ll probably have some bad days, Harry. I want you to understand it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you. He just needs time to heal.”

Harry nodded but didn’t say anything. He knew Sirius was sick after all his time in Azkaban but it still hurt Harry on the days Sirius didn’t want to talk to him. Remus made up for it the best he could by being a good listener but Harry wanted his godfather. If Bill was like Harry’s big brother, Harry was hoping Sirius would be like a dad. Remus was already becoming like an uncle. Harry was happy to finally have people in his life who cared about him.

“Alright, let me know if you need any help setting up the trunk or with anything else, really,” Bill said with a crooked grin.

“I will,” Harry replied gratefully.

Harry was so excited, he decided to call Sirius and ask him if he wanted anything for his trunk right now. He took out his mirror and called Sirius’ name.

“Sirius Black” The mirror vibrated in Harry’s hands. Remus answered instead of Sirius.

“Hello, Harry,” Remus said with a smile.

“Hi, Remus. Is Sirius around?” Harry asked, not wanting to be rude but hoping to speak with his godfather.

“I’m afraid not. He’s having hydrotherapy right now. He’ll be back in about an hour, if you’d like to try back then.”

“No,” Harry said, a little disappointed. “That’s okay. I just heard he was getting out next week and wanted to see if you guys needed anything for your trunk? Do you guys have clothes?”

Remus smiled at Harry. “Sirius doesn’t have much, I’m afraid. Were you thinking of going shopping for him?”

“For both of you, if you’ll let me. Please let me. I want to be helpful.”

Remus looked a little uncomfortable at Harry’s words.

“Please. It’s almost my birthday, you know.”

“I did know,” Remus said with a smile. “Most people want to get presents, not give them, for their birthday.”

Harry grinned. “I want to do both.”

Remus grinned back, “I think Sirius has a surprise for you when he gets out and settled.”

Harry’s interest was piqued. “What is it?”

“It’s a surprise. You’ll just have to wait but I think you’ll like it.”

Harry gave Remus a mock pouty look. Remus laughed.

“Then at least let me buy you guys some clothes. Just take your measurements and imprints of your feet, if you can. What kind of clothes do you guys like?”

Remus sighed. Harry wasn’t going to let this go. Remus didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm, so he decided to humor him. An extra outfit or two would do both himself and Sirius some good, anyway.

“I like slacks and button up shirts. I like clothes in natural colors and loafer shoes. Sirius likes denims and sweatpants, honestly. He likes to be comfortable. He likes dark colored clothes and muggle t-shirts with band names on them. He loves biker boots. Will that do? I’ll send you our measurements later.”

“Yeah! That’s perfect. I’ll make sure to get something nice for you both! Is there anything else you might want? Anything at all!”

Remus grinned at Harry. The kid was so happy to have them coming. It was a nice change for Remus.

“Not that I can think of, but I’ll ask Sirius. If he wants anything else, I’ll write it down with the measurements, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Harry replied happily. Remus was glad to see the lad so joyful.

“I can’t wait to see you both. Bill wanted me to remind you that you can use the floo. My floo address is Pottermore Place. You can floo straight here. I already added you both to the wards. Bill gave you the secret, didn’t he?”

“He did. We’ll do just that. Sirius will be released around 11am. We have a portkey back to Andromeda’s office. She insisted on checking Sirius’ health again before she’d let him come to you. We should be through the floo by 11:30am or so. We’ll see you then. We’ll speak on Sunday, as well. Sirius is excited to see you and so am I.”

“I’m excited to see you, too. Goodbye Uncle Remus.” With those words, the mirror in Remus’ hands went back to normal. He stared at his own face in shock for a few moments, then smiled gently. It felt good to hear Harry call him uncle.

A few days later, Harry, Dobby, and Twinky headed out to Swansea again. They stopped by the Marks and Spencer to buy a full kit for both Remus and Sirius. The men didn’t ask for them but Harry also bought them some swim trunks, in case they wanted to come swimming with him and the elves. He also bought them each a pair of trainers. He was hoping they’d like to exercise with him, too. He didn’t want to pressure the men but he wanted to show them his life and make sure they knew they were invited to join in on anything they liked.

After they were done at Marks and Spencers, Harry and the elves went to the magical section of Swansea. They headed over to the clothing store, “Braf Dillad”. Harry bought them a full kit, like he had gotten for himself and the elves. He upgraded Sirius’ Jacket to a black dragon-hide leather jacket like his own and bought Remus a tweed jacket, since he seemed the type to enjoy it. He also got them a few sets of robes each, just in case they wanted or needed them. The cobbler's were the next stop. Harry got each man a pair of dragonhide leather boots; he got a brown pair that looked like fancy shoes for Remus and black biker style with silver buckles for Sirius. He also got Remus a pair of loafers, as he requested. He treated all of them, including the elves, to comfy new slippers to wear in the house. Harry considered buying them each a broom but decided not to. He didn’t know if the men liked to fly, but if they did, Harry was sure they could go shopping for them together.

Harry was so excited he could barely sleep the night before Sirius and Remus were to arrive. Harry had set up their trunk and their rooms for them. He wouldn’t even let the elves help. He wanted to do everything himself. He moved things around several times until he was sure everything was perfect.

When 11:30am on Wednesday, July 14, 1993, rolled around Harry was antsy. He paced in front of the fireplace, where he had been pacing for the last hour. The elves sat on the sofa watching him with dizzy interest. Harry wanted all of them to be waiting to greet their guests.

At 11:38am, the floo flared to life. Harry jumped to attention and stood on his tiptoes in excitement. They were coming!

“Honey, I’m home!” Sirius said as soon as the fireplace spit him out. Remus stepped out grinning behind him just a few moments later.

“Sirius! Remus!” Harry shouted and then ran forward to hug first Sirius and then Remus. “It’s so good to see you both!”

Sirius pulled Harry back to himself for another hug, that ended with a noogie. “It’s good to see you too, pup! Who are these two?” Sirius asked, looking at the strangely dressed elves. Sirius had never seen elves in real clothes before.

“These are my friends, Dobby and Twinky,” Harry said proudly.

“Twinky? Is that really you?” Sirius asked in awe. The little elf had been one of the Potter elves when Sirius lived with the Potters while he was still in school.

“It is being me, Twinky, Master Sirius. It is being good to see you,” the little elf said, jumping up to greet Sirius. Sirius pulled the little thing into a hug.

“I haven’t seen you in ages. You look good. I love the new clothes. Are you a free elf now?” Sirius asked in confusion.

“No, Twinky is still being a Potter elf. Mr. Harry likes for his elves to be wearing real clothes. He says we is being people, too, even if we is elves,” she answered shyly.

“Well, now. Harry is right. Please call me just Padfoot or Mr. Padfoot if you must. That’s the name I like best.” He grinned as he said the words.

“This is my best friend, Moony. You can call him Mr. Remus, if you like,” Sirius said absently, turning his attention to the room around him.

“So this is your place, huh? It’s nice. Is it really a trunk? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one as nice as this?” Sirius asked, looking around the place with appreciation.

“It is! Do you want a tour? Or better yet, I can take you to your trunk and show you around?” Harry enthused.

“Sure, pup. It’d be nice to get settled in a bit,” Sirius replied.

“We can take the floo over or go outside. Which do you want to do?” Harry asked, excited to show off the trunk he’d bought for Sirius.

“Let’s just take the floo for now. We can take a look at the outside later. I’d like to check on the wards,” Remus answered. Sirius agreed.

“Your floo address is “Sirius’ Stuff”.” Sirius laughed at the name.

“Serious stuff, huh? I love it. Plays on my name are always welcome,” Sirius said with a grin.

Harry laughed. “Bill named it but I think it’s funny. Come on let’s go.” Harry threw some floo powder in the fire and hurried over to the next trunk. He ended up sprawled on the floor for a second. Even though the floo was a short distance, Harry still hadn’t figured out how to make a graceful exit.

Sirius and Remus came through a second later.

“Woo hoo! This is nice.” Sirius said, looking around the room that had apple red walls, gold fixtures, and mahogany floors and trim. The sofa was a deep wine red with golden tan colored pillows and was flanked by two matching armchairs. The rug on the floor matched the sofa but had gold and tan threads running throughout the material. A large, oval mahogany coffee table sat atop it, facing the fireplace.

Sirius and Remus followed Harry from room to room as he showed off the new digs. Sirius’s bedroom matched the colors of the living room while Remus’ room was done up in soft blues and greys. Large windows showing scenes of the back garden were set into the wall across from the bed. Remus loved the library and study. Sirius loved the peaceful fountain in the back garden.

“You did good, pup. I love all of it.” Sirius said, ruffling Harry’s hair. “You did good with the clothes and shoes, too. I think I’ll go change right now. Wait for me?”

“Of course, Sirius.” Sirius went into the room to change out of the hospital clothes he was wearing.

“It really is a wonderful place, Harry,” Remus said with a gentle smile. “You didn’t need to get so many clothes for me. I really didn’t need all that. I appreciate it, just the same.”

Harry looked at the man’s shabby appearance and begged to differ. It seemed Remus did need the new clothes. His shoes were worn right through on the toe. Harry didn’t say anything though.

“If you want to go change, too, you can. I’ll wait here for you. I’d hate for Sirius to feel strange in his new things when you didn’t try any of yours,” Harry saidin a wheedling tone. He really wanted Remus to try his new stuff, too.

Remus saw right through Harry. He could tell the boy was excited about showing a warm welcome to his guests. Remus decided to humor Harry. Even though he was embarrassed to have a young child buying him new things, Remus realized he really did need them and he was not too proud to accept a thoughtful gift.

“I’ll do that. Be right back.”

Harry practically bounced around the room while he waited for the men to return.

A few minutes later, Sirius and Remus returned. Sirius was wearing a black White Snake t-shirt and blue jeans, along with his dragonhide boots. Remus came out where grey slacks, a light green button up shirt and a dark blue cardigan sweater, along with his loafers. Harry was happy to see the men enjoying the gifts he gave to them.

“Do you want to go back over to my trunk? Twinky will have lunch ready by now.” The men agreed and they were off.

Harry fell on his face again when he came through the floo. Remus saw him and grinned but helped the young man to his feet.

“The trick is to keep walking, even while you’re spinning. You’ll come right out the other side walking, too, if you can manage it.”

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to but I’ll try. Anything would be better than smashing into the floor every time,” Harry said, trying to still his dizzy head.

Sirius came out after them and they all took a quick tour of Harry’s trunk. Sirius was impressed with the quidditch pitch and Remus was enamored with the pool.

“Hydrotherapy is very good for sore muscles, Harry.” Remus said with a grin upon seeing the pool.

“Do you all like to fly? We could get you new brooms and go flying together!”

Remus and Sirius shared a secret glance with one another.

“I’m not much of a flyer myself, but Sirius likes to have a go,” Remus said with a sly grin.

“Maybe I can borrow the other broom I saw out there. Looked like a Clean Sweep, I reckon,” Sirius said with a smile.

“That’s Dobby’s broom. He likes to fly, too. He’s getting good as a fellow seeker. We practice together sometimes but usually we just fly,” Harry said nonchalantly. The two adults gave each other amazed looks.

“A flying house elf. This I’ve got to see,” Sirius said with a loud barking laugh.

“You treat your elves very kindly, Harry. That’s commendable,” Remus said with a grin.

“They’re my family. I just want them to be happy,” Harry said with a shrug.

The group entered the kitchen and took a seat. Twinky was bopping around behind the stove and counters, putting things together. Dobby was standing guard, ready to help whenever she’d let him. Harry noticed the two elves preferred working together. The glances and touches the two elves shared were lost on the boy but not on the adults in the room.

Soon, the soup and salad were served, along with fresh, crusty bread and fruit salad. Everyone tucked in hungrily.

“I thought we’d have pizza for dinner tonight,” Harry said between bites. “What toppings do you like?”

“I like all the meats, except anchovies,” Sirius replied.

“I like the same but with black olives,” Remus followed.

“I like just sausage and pepperoni,” Harry contributed.

“I bes liking only cheese,” Twinky piped in.

“I just bes liking pizza,” Dobby said, causing everyone to laugh.

Things fell into an easy camaraderie after that. Remus asked Harry about school, and Sirius asked if Harry had performed any pranks. Things turned serious as Harry spoke about the Chamber of Secrets and his first year encounter with Voldemort and the stone.

The group moved to the sitting room and the conversation continued.

“You were bitten by a 20 meter long basilisk and you’re alive?” Remus asked in alarm. Harry showed him the scar.

“I thought for sure I was a goner but then Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix showed up and cried on the wound. I was right as rain in just a few minutes.”

“Voldemort was really in the back of your professor’s head?” Sirius said in horrified disbelief.

“He was. It was disgusting. It looked so weird. He had red slits for eyes, holes for a nose and an ugly, gaping mouth. I don’t know how the professor could stand it. It doesn’t matter anymore because he’s dead.” The fact that Harry had to kill him hung in the silence of the room.

“We have to figure out how to keep you safe, cub,” Remus said, fiercely.

“It seems like that monster comes after you every year,” Sirius said thoughtfully. “That settles it; we have to come with you to school this year.”

“How do you think we’ll manage that, Padfoot?” Remus asked.

“I’m not sure but we’ll think of something,” Padfoot responded.

“Maybe you could tutor Hagrid! Ted is working to get his name cleared. If it works, Hagrid will be allowed to finish school so he can use his wand. I don’t imagine he’ll want to go to classes with the kids but he’ll need to at least take his OWLs if he wants to use his wand.”

“How is Hagrid’s name being cleared?” Sirius asked.

“He was accused of causing Moaning Myrtle’s death but he was innocent. Voldemort was behind it, when he was still called Tom Riddle. It was the basilisk that killed her, not the acromantula. I can prove it when the basilisk is removed from the Chamber. Bill already talked to Amelia Bones about it. She’s ready to see the proof, then she’ll clear Hagrid’s name.”

“He’ll be free,” Sirius said, with tears in his eyes. Everyone sat quietly for a moment.

“I think tutoring Hagrid would be a wonderful idea but it’s not a full time job,” Remus responded.

Sirius sat in thought for a moment then blurted out an idea. “Let’s open a book shop. In Hogsmeade.”

Remus stared at Sirius for a moment. “You don’t even like to read,” was all he could think to say.

“But you do. There’s no book shop in Hogsmeade. You can sell second hand books and make a killing. What do you say, Remus? My family owns a storefront in Hogsmeade that’s just going to waste. You’ll be your own boss. You’d be able to set your own hours,” he said significantly.

“You can copy my books! They were all second hand,” Harry said excitedly.

“You already have mountains of books, Moony,” Sirius reminded the man.

“Yes, but those are MY books. I’m not interested in selling them.”

“Hoarder,” Sirius snorted. Remus gave him a look.

“I don’t know. Let me think about it, please, Padfoot. I admit the idea is attractive but … I’m just not sure,” Remus said hesitantly.

Sirius took Remus’ hand and looked into his eyes. “Please, let me do this for you. For us. I want to be close to Harry in case he needs us. We can live in the trunk in Hogsmeade and travel back and forth to the shop. Hell, we could live in the trunk inside the shop for all I care! The Shrieking Shack is right there, too. Wouldn’t that be convenient?”

Remus sighed. “It would be convenient.” He gave Sirius’ hand a gentle squeeze, then let go. “Let me think about it, alright? If I decide to do this, we’ll have a lot of work to do making copies of all the books and filling out the proper forms so we have the rights to sell them.”

“I can help copy the books! I copied all my books for my friend Hermione’s library. She’s a book hoarder, too.” Remus laughed.

“Sounds like my kind of girl,” Remus said, lightly.

The rest of the evening was spent playing board games as they all got to know one another better.

A few days later it was Friday film night. Sirius and Remus decided to attend along with Harry, Dobby, and Twinky. They saw “Robinhood Men in Tights”. It was hilarious and irreverent. Harry, Dobby, and Sirius loved it. They quoted the movie all the way home from the cinema.

The next day, the group spent another day at Exmoor Zoo. Even though Dobby, Twinky, and Harry had been before, they loved seeing the animals and were glad to go again. The experience was novel and interesting for the two adults, who had never seen so many exotic animals in one place. Sirius was particularly enthusiastic.

“We should open a magical zoo! Hagrid could be one of our zookeepers, once his OWLs are finished. He’d be perfect for the job.”

Remus wasn’t so sure. “Hagrid tends to like dangerous animals, Padfoot. I’m not sure if that would be appropriate for magical people to be around.”

“That’s what the enclosures are for. The muggle animals are dangerous, too. I bet there are magical people working as zookeepers already. I bet they’d jump at the chance of working in a magical zoo,” Sirius said excitedly.

“You’re terribly entrepreneurial lately. What’s got you so interested in business?” Remus asked.

“Moony, I’m not that interested in business, I’m interested in being near you, Harry, and having fun. What’s so wrong with that?”

“Nothing, Padfoot. It’s actually good to see,” Remus said with a gentle smile at the other man. Sirius grinned in return.

“So you agree, I should open a magical zoo.” Remus rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything else.

“What do you want to do for your birthday, cub?” Remus asked to change the subject.

“I don’t rightly know. Maybe we could go see a professional quidditch match or something?” He asked, reaching for something he’d like to do. “Or we could go to a pleasure park or carnival for the day?”

“Why not do both? Your birthday is on a Saturday, after all. That’s adventure day, isn’t it?” Sirius asked with a grin. Harry agreed.

“The Caerphilly Catapults are bound to have a game that week. If we can get a box, the elves can come with us, too. How would you all like that?” Sirius asked.

“That woulds be fantastic, Mr. Padfoot, sir!” Dobby said, enthusiastically.

“I could bes packing a picnic for us to eat during the game,” Twinky offered.

“It’s settled then, we’ll root for the home team and celebrate Harry’s birthday. We’ll find a carnival to visit after the game. It’ll be a blast.”

And it was. The quidditch match was a home game. The team put on a good show and won 240 to 210. Twinky outdid herself with the picnic. She made a plethora of tasty finger foods and finished it all off with a giant cake. The group then went to the Grand Pier Funfair and had a blast. They rode all the rides, ate loads of junk food, and played arcade games late into the night. Sirius even won Harry a giant stuffed puppy dog with beedle black eyes. It was one of the best days of Harry’s life.

Possibly the best part was Harry’s present.

“Here you go, pup,” Sirius said enthusiastically, handing Harry a tiny box.

Harry shook the box and asked, “What is it?”

“It’s your birthday present. Go on. Open it up,” Sirius said with barely concealed excitement.

“It’s from both of us,” Sirius said, pointing to Remus as he spoke. Remus smiled and encouraged Harry to open his gift.

“Go on, Harry. See what you’ve got there.”

Harry tore at the paper and ripped open the box. He looked inside then looked up with confusion.

He turned the box over and a tiny broom fell out.

“You got me a toy broomstick?” He asked, sounding confused. He didn’t want to sound ungrateful but he was a little old for toys. He was 13 years old now and considered himself a man.

Sirius barked out a laugh. Remus grinned at the sound.

“No, silly. It’s shrunken,” Sirius replied. He unshrunk the broom and Harry gasped.

“You got me a Firebolt?” He exclaimed, his voice cracking. Sirius and Remus just grinned at one another.

“I got us both a Firebolt,” Sirius announced. “Didn’t want you to have an advantage when we’re on the pitch together,” the man said with a wink. Harry squeed and jumped up to hug first Sirius and then Remus. He ran into the quidditch pitch room, jumped on the broom and took off. Sirius laughed and chased after him. Remus just shook his head at their antics.

Not all the days were good, however.

“Where’s Sirius today. I haven’t seen him all day,” Harry asked Remus when Remus joined him for his magical practice in the dueling room.

“Sirius isn’t feeling very well, today, Harry,” Remus said gently.

“Is he sick? Maybe he should go see Andromeda, if he is,” Harry said worriedly.

“He’s not sick, cub. He’s just … some days he just needs to be alone. The sadness from Azkaban isn’t totally gone from him. Some days it just catches up with him,” Remus said, trying to gently explain the debilitating depression Sirius still suffered from sometimes. The man couldn’t get out of bed, today. So much of his life was lost while he was in Azkaban. His best friend and his wife were murdered. Sirius lost the only family he had when James, Lily, Euphemia, and Fleamont had died. Some days, it was all just too much.

Harry sat quietly for a few moments, then spoke. “He doesn’t want me anymore?”

“No, cub, that’s not it at all. Sirius loves you. He just needs to be alone today, that’s all. I’m sure he’ll feel better in a couple of days. Then, he’ll want to see you again. He loves you more than anything. You’re his family, now, too. Just let him rest. If he’s not better by the day after tomorrow, I’ll get Andromeda to come see him, alright?”

Harry nodded but he couldn’t get over the feeling that Sirius didn’t want him anymore. Harry’s heart just wasn’t into practicing magic today. He wanted to go curl up in his own bed and talk to Hermione. He couldn’t talk to her about Sirius but she alway made him feel better when he was feeling alone.

“Want to take a break from practicing?” Remus asked, sympathetically. Harry nodded and started to head off.

“Hey, do you want to go for a fly? I was hoping to check out the Potter land outside but I haven’t had a chance yet. Want to come with?” Harry perked up a little at that idea. He wouldn’t have to be alone but he wouldn’t have to talk for a while either.

“Yeah, sure. Let me go get the brooms,” Harry replied.

“Get your jacket, too. It’s a little chilly out today.”

Remus left to get his own jacket. They met outside and took off to the skies. They flew for a few hours at a lazy pace over the Potter land. They examined the entire estate from the skies without saying a word.

When they landed, night was just beginning to fall. Remus put a hand on Harry’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Harry turned to him with a much less burdened smile. He took the broom from Remus and walked to his trunk. Before he went inside, he turned back.

“Thanks, Uncle Remus,” he said quietly then disappeared inside. Remus smiled at the epitaph then went inside to check on Padfoot before dinner.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 12

The weeks flew by and before Harry knew it, Hermione was back from her vacation. She wanted to come visit Harry again, which he agreed to. Harry would be leaving with Bill for Egypt the next week. Harry was nervous about getting the soul shard removed from his scar but he wanted it done.

“Harry, are you free tomorrow for a visit? My parents are going back to work. I wanted to spend time with you and compare our summer homework. I can’t thank you enough for the travel trunk. My parents and I packed all our luggage inside. It was so easy to get through customs with just our backpacks full of emergency supplies.”

“I’m glad it worked out for you, Hermione,” Harry said, with true delight.

“I got to show them everything we’ve been learning at school. They were so impressed. Mum helped me practice potions and dad sat in the library with me every evening reading all he could learn about wizarding society and culture. He said it reminds him of the Victorian era.”

“I had never thought of it that way but it kind of does. I read about all the different types of bows and what they mean. Who thinks up this stuff?”

Hermione giggled. “Stuffy old wizards? I think it’s very romantic. Did you finish your summer homework?”

“Yes, I did. I have also read most of our textbooks for next year. I switched a few of my classes around, so I read those textbooks, too.”

“Oh. Did you, now? What did you change?”

“Bill gave me some advice on what to take. He suggested I drop Divination. He said it’s pointless to take, unless you have the gift of sight. I’ve never had a vision so we figured I don’t. He also said Muggle Studies is pointless to take if you were raised in the muggle world. He said I can take the OWL without the class. He highly suggested I do it, too. There are many jobs you won’t qualify for without an OWL in Muggle Studies.”

“Really? I thought Divination might be a waste of time but Bill thinks Muggles Studies is, too?

“He does. He also said Wizarding Home Economics is a waste of time. He said you can learn it all from reading the book. I plan to take Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Wizarding Law and Customs, and Care of Magical Creatures. What are you taking?”

Hermione was quiet for a few moments before she whispered, “All of them.”

“What do you mean, all of them?” Harry asked, confused.

“I mean all the classes. I got special permission to take all of them.” Hermione replied.

“Oh Hermione! Don’t do that. You’ll be so stressed out. Bill said he regretted taking all of the classes. He said he wished he had only taken 4 or 5 so he could have had a normal schedule. He said it wasn’t worth it.”

Hermione sat quietly for a few more minutes. “I’m not sure what to do,” she said quietly.

“Write Professor McGonagall and ask her. If we can really just read the book for Muggle Studies and Wizarding Home Economics and pass the OWL, then there’s no reason to take the class. We can just study those two together.”

Hermione’s eyes filled up with tears. “You’d really study them with me?”

Harry smiled softly in return. “Of course I would.”

“I’ll do it, then. I’ll write to Professor McGonagall and ask her opinion. If she agrees with Bill, then I’ll drop those three classes and just take four extra. I wasn’t sure about the responsibility of a time turner anyway.”

“What’s a time turner?” Harry asked.

Hermione waved his question away. “Nothing important. If it all works out, I won’t need it anyway.”

They spoke for a few more minutes about their plans for tomorrow then got off the mirrors. Harry decided to try calling Ron.

“Hey, mate. How’s things?” Harry asked when Ron answered.

“Good. Egypt is hot and dusty but it’s interesting to see the sights. I’ve been bored for the past two weeks. There are only so many dead pharaohs and tombs you can see before it gets old. Quidditch isn’t even popular here. They play Quodpot.”

That started the next quarter hour of conversation, which was all about the glory of Quidditch and why Quodpot could never hope to compare.

“I wanted to thank you again, mate for giving me this trunk. It’s been bloody useful. The twins, Ginny, and I have been playing Quidditch for a few hours every night after mum and dad pop off to bed. It’s been brilliant. Ginny’s so jealous. Ah, it’s good to be king,” Ron said with a smile.

Harry laughed. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I love the one I bought for myself, too. It made my summer.”

“I bet. How are the Dursleys treating you?”

“I never see them and that pleases all of us.”

“Too right.”

“Listen, has Bill talked to you about your classes for next year? He put a bug in my ear and convinced me to change mine.”

“Yeah, bloody wanker. He couldn’t convince me so he went to dad. Dad talked to mum and Bob’s your uncle. Instead of my easy O’s in Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, I’m now taking Muggle Studies, Arithmancy, and Care. At least Arithmancy doesn’t give out much homework,” Ron said looking dejected.

Harry grinned. “Yeah, he’s got me taking Arithmancy, Care, Ancient Runes, and Wizarding Law and Customs.”

“Four classes! You’re in for it, mate.”

“You should see Hermione. She was going to take all seven electives. I think I’ve got her convinced to drop down to four, as well. She’s going to write McGonagall about it.”

“She’s mental.”

“Don’t I know it,” Harry said in return. He couldn’t help but remember how nice she smells. “Have you finished your summer homework?”

“Now you sound like Hermione! I’ve barely started. Don’t tell me you’re done, too.”

“Afraid so, mate.”

“Ugh. I guess I should start mine then.” Ron turned and looked behind him for a moment. “The twins say hi. They’re going to call you tomorrow about some prank product or other. I couldn’t be bothered to listen to them. Gives me a headache to listen to all that doublespeak.” A pillow suddenly appeared hard over Ron’s face.

“Argh! I’m going to have to go mate. Got some brothers that need pummeling. Speak with you soon.”

Harry couldn’t help but grin at the antics of Ron and the twins. It must be nice to have so many brothers. Sometimes.

The next day Remus and Sirius made themselves scarce while Harry spent the day with Hermione. They spent the morning going over their homework together and comparing notes on what they’d read so far in their textbooks. Hermione had finished them all, of course. Harry was most of the way through. He’d finish before school started back in just a little over two weeks now.

The teens spent the afternoon playing in the pool and lazing on the quidditch pitch, reading. Harry knew he couldn’t keep Hermione from her books for the whole day. She might have some kind of fit. He couldn’t help but notice how much better Hermione was filling in her bathing suit this visit. He had never noticed how much of her warm mocha skin the suit showed off before. The hug she gave him had so much warm skin touching his own that he had to stay in the deep end of the pool to hide the effect it had on him. He was so embarrassed by the bazaar reaction he was having to one of his best friends.

She went home right before dinner. Harry spent the meal filling Sirius and Remus in on all things Hermione. The two adults shared an amused glance over how enthusiastic Harry was in describing the cute way Hermione’s nose crinkled up when she read something she didn’t like in her book.

The rest of the week went by quickly. Bill called on Thursday night.

“Mum and the rest of the family are going home tomorrow afternoon. I thought I’d swing by and pick you up on Monday to come to Egypt. You should only be here two days before I’ll take you back home. We’re going to do a ritual that you’ll need to be ritually cleansed before, then you’ll spend the night in the sarcophagus.”

“What? I have to sleep in a coffin?”

“A sarcophagus, Harry. I’ll be right there with you the whole night. You just have to sleep in it.”

“I don’t think there’s any way I’ll be able to sleep in a coffin,” Harry protested.

“You’ll be in a magically induced sleep. It’s necessary for the cleansing. You might have some crazy dreams, but it should end with you alone in your head,” Bill said significantly.

Harry slumped down.

“I’ll take you to see the sights for the day. We’ll sleep in my trunk for the night, then we’ll do the cleansing ritual, the finding ritual, and let you sleep it off in the sarcophagus. You should be right as rain by the time you wake up the next morning. We’ll do one more cleansing ritual and then I’ll pop you back to Swansea.”

“What’s a finding ritual?”

“The finding ritual will let us use the soul shard in your scar to find any other one’s. If there are two soul shards, there are bound to be more. The maximum stress a soul can withstand is being shattered into 7 soul shards and the main soul piece. I hope that loony bastard doesn’t have that many. Hopefully, he stopped at three. Either way, the finding ritual will help us see what houses the soul shard and the general location of it.”

Harry was disturbed to think there were that many pieces of Voldemort out there. No wonder his spirit is still around in wraith form.

“What’ll happen if we find and cleanse all the soul shards? Will Voldemort die then?”

“The theory is he will become a regular ghost, if he still refuses to pass on. He’ll just haunt wherever he’s at until he gives up the ghost, so to speak.”

“So, ghosts can move on or whatever?”

“Yup. We don’t know exactly what causes a ghost to move on but it seems to be a combination of finishing up their business or giving up on it and accepting movement to the other side. Who knows.”

“That’s weird,” Harry said in disgust.

“That it is,” Bill agreed.

“Will we go take care of the basilisk when you bring me back?”

“No, I’ve decided we’ll have to wait until school starts back. It would be too hard to sneak into the school without any students present. If we wait until school starts back, you’ll already be there. I can make up some reason to go see my brothers and we’ll be in easily. Also, I’ll need to see Snape before we start the rendering.”

“Why do you need to see him?”

“I’m going to hire him to render the basilisk down into usable parts. I’ve negotiated with Gringotts for you. They agreed to accept 5% of the sale price as payment for facilitating the sale and handling the regulatory compliance for the sale. It’s a fair price. I’m hoping we can convince Snape to do the rendering for 3% of the sale price, but I won’t pay him more than 5%. That’ll leave you with 60% of the price for yourself. It seems like a fair deal to me.”

Harry really couldn’t care that much. He would be glad to have the extra funds but he wasn’t hurting for money right now. He mostly just didn’t want the snake to go to waste. And he wanted to see his friends get a little money. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny would all be getting a little payday out of this. He knew they could each use the galleons.

“Sounds fine to me. I do wish you didn’t have to use Snape though. He’s a bastard.”

Bill laughed. “That he is, Harry, but he’s also one of the premier potioneers in the United Kingdom. He’s the only person who can easily get onto school grounds and into the Chamber.”

Harry guessed that was true.

“I’ll need to document the basilisk before it’s rendered. I’m hoping to get New Scamander to come in for that one. He’s getting on in years but he’s still one of the premiere experts on the subject of magical creatures. No one would doubt his word about the location, size, capabilities, and, most importantly, age of the beast. If we want to get Hagrid’s name cleared, we’ll need all those things.”

“When do you think Hagrid’s name will be cleared? I want to use some of the proceeds to pay for his tutor. He was a victim of that thing just as much as anyone else.”

Bill sighed. He was glad for Harry’s good heart but he wished the boy would think a little more about his own financial future and worry less about everyone else.

“If you must, Harry. But, that’s the last person you’re spending your money on. I won’t have you throwing away all of your financial benefits. Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know.”

Harry didn’t say anything. If there was someone else who needed his help, Harry would be sure to help them.

“I’m hoping we can get Hagrid’s name cleared within the first few weeks of the school year. If Newt Scamander will give testimony about the basilisk and about how an acromantula could never have been responsible, it should go pretty quickly. Ted and I have already spoken with Amelia. She’s amenable to hearing new evidence. She is a good woman. She believes in justice and not only in vengeance.”

Harry was glad to hear that.

They talked for a few more minutes about Bill’s family visit and what Harry had been practicing and reading before ending their call. Harry would be glad when this mess was over.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 13

The next morning, Harry woke with a start as Sirius screamed his name.

“Harry!” The man shouted, waving a copy of the daily prophet in front of Harry’s still sleep crusted eyes.

“It’s him. We have to get him. GET UP!” Sirius shouted.

Harry shrunk back in bed, afraid of the crazed look in Sirius’ eyes. Dobby popped in the room, took one look at Sirius and popped back out.

Sirius grabbed Harry’s arm and hauled him out of bed.

“Where’s Ron? Where are the Weasley’s? TELL ME!” Sirius said, unconsciously shaking Harry.

“PADFOOT! Get your hands off him NOW!” Remus roared when popped into the room with Dobby and saw Sirius shaking Harry. The man didn’t move fast enough for Remus’ liking so he cast a full body bind at the man.

“REMUS! It’s him. We have to find Ron. The traitor. It’s him!” Sirius bellowed from his frozen position.

“What are you talking about Padfoot? Ron is not the traitor. Peter is!”

“I know that, Moony. But the traitor is with the Weasleys!”

“You’re not making any sense, Sirius.” Remus was bewildered by Sirius’ rantings. He turned to Harry.

“Are you alright, Harry?” He said gently to the boy, checking him over for injuries.

Harry nodded, too shocked and frightened to speak.

“LOOK AT THE PAPER, DAMN YOU! It’s him!” Sirius shouted.

Remus saw the paper on the floor and shook his head. Sirius wasn’t making any sense.

“Just look, Moony, please!” Sirius said desperately.

Remus sighed but picked up the paper. His friend was acting mental. He looked at the paper and saw a picture of the Weasley family in Egypt. The article was about how Arthur Weasley won the sweeps and gained 1000 galleons, which he used to take his family on a two month vacation to Egypt to visit their oldest son, Bill.

“I don’t see anything but the Weasleys, Padfoot. I’m going to go call Andromeda. Harry, come with me,” Remus said, as he started to lead a shaken Harry from the room.

“The rat! Remus! On Ron’s shoulder,” Sirius said desperately.

Remus looked again and then fell back against the wall. “My god,” he said in a voice, barely above a whisper. Then he stood up straight, shaking with anger.

“Where is he, Harry? Where’s Ron? Is he still in Egypt?”

Harry backed away from Remus, scared and confused.

“Ye-yes. He’s not coming home until tonight.”

“Do you have your mirror?” Remus asked urgently.

“Yes,” Harry said, drawing out the word.

“Call Bill and tell him you need to speak with him alone. Give me the mirror once you’re sure he’s alone.” Remus said, handing Harry the mirror he found sitting on Harry’s nightstand.

“Why?”

“Please, Harry. Just do it. This is important.”

Harry did as Remus asked. “Bill?” Harry said once Bill answered, sounding scared. It was obvious he was in the middle of breakfast with his family.

“Harry?” Bill said in concern. “Is everything alright?”

“Can I speak to you, please? In private.” Bill quickly agreed and left the room to head somewhere private.

“Are you okay?” Harry just shook his head and handed the mirror to Remus.

Remus asked quietly, “Is the rat in the room with you? Ron’s pet?”

Bill looked around, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Please check and make sure,” Remus said quietly. “Cast a hominum revelo.”

Bill looked confused but did as was asked.

“I’m alone.”

“Good,” Remus said in relief. “Listen, we have a problem. Is your family still with you in Egypt?”

“Yes. They’re in the other room having breakfast now.”

“Good. I need you to find the rat and stun him. He’s not a rat. He’s an animagus. Peter Pettigrew, to be exact,” Remus said, grimly.

“But that’s impossible. The rat has been in our family for years ….”

“Twelve years, I’m guessing?” Remus said, knowingly. “That’s a little long lived for a common garden rat, now isn’t it?”

Bill paused in thought. “Bloody hell. Are you certain?”

“As certain as I can be. We need to get him and be sure. Can you get the rat and your father without causing any suspicion? We’ll wait.”

“I’ll try. Stay right there. I’ll be right back.”

Bill was gone for a few minutes before returning with the stunned rat and his father in tow.

“Rabies? You really think so, Bill? Was it really necessary to stun the thing? Ron's very upset, you know,” Arthur Weasley said, confused and concerned.

“We might have a bigger problem than rabies, dad. Do you know the spell to reverse an animagus transformation?” Bill asked.

“Yes, but why? What do we need that for?” Arthur froze at the obviousness of his own question. “You don’t think … do you?”

“Hold the mirror up, please. I need to see this for myself,” Remus said from the table off to the side.

“Yes, I do think. I’ve got your back. Go ahead.” Bill held the mirror so the occupant could see the rat.

Arthur cast the spell with trepidation. The rat began to transform, though he stayed stunned. Arthur and Bill gasped. A fat, balding man with rags for clothes appeared on the floor where a few moments before had been a rat.

“That’s him alright,” Remus said, grim as death. “Arthur, can you take him to Amelia Bones when you get back to England?”

“LET ME AT HIM!” Bellowed Sirius from where he was propped against Harry’s bed, still in a body bind.

“Sirius! Be quiet. You’ll wake him,” Remus admonished.

“I’ll kill him!” Sirius seethed. Remus was glad there were several countries between them right now or Sirius just might become guilty of the crime he’d been acquitted of.

“Put him under a sleeping spell,” Remus said urgently. Both Bill and Arthur cast one on him at the same time.

“Who is he?” Arthur asked, disturbed and angry. That rat had slept in bed with his children!

“Peter Pettigrew. Search him dad. If he wakes up, we don’t want him to have any weapons.”

Arthur cast a pocket turn-out spell he had perfected from use on the twins onto the sleeping, stunned man on the floor. Two wands and a rusted kitchen knife came tumbling out of the threadbare pockets. One wand was bone white and felt evil in his hand. He shuddered and pocketed them both before banishing the knife.

“Can you force him back into animagus form?” Remus asked. “It’ll be easier to transport him as a rat.”

“I can try,” Arthur said angrily. “Go get his cage from Ron, Bill.”

While Bill was gone, Arthur managed to turn Peter back into rat form. He cast the sleeping and stunning spells on him again, just to be safe.

Bill returned with the cage. Arthur put the man inside and locked the cage down with every unbreakable and locking charm he knew, which was considerable, considering he had seven children.

Arthur picked up the mirror. “I’ll get this taken care of. I’ll have Ron call Harry, so I can fill you in on what happened,” Arthur promised Remus.

“Thanks for letting us know. The pervert used to take baths with Percy and Ron. I’ll see him punished, but good,” Arthur promised, handing the mirror back to Bill.

“Dad will take care of it, Remus. I’m sure of it. He might be a softy to his family but he is hard on criminals. It comes with being an officer of the law.”

“I have no doubt. Sorry for disturbing your morning, Bill. It just couldn’t wait.”

“Too right it couldn’t. The bastard. I’ll speak with you soon, Harry.”

The call ended and Remus turned back to the room. Sirius was seething against the bed.

“You should have let me go to him. You should have let me KILL him, Remus. We could have done it together. He deserves it for what he did to James and Lily. He should have died protecting them! It’s what we would have done. It’s what we would have done for him!”

Remus turned to Harry. “Go call Andromeda, ask her to come here. She has the secret already. Bill gave it to her and Ted, in case of emergencies. You’ll have to let her into the wards. Tell her to bring her bag. Sirius is having an episode.”

Harry hurriedly left the room. Remus turned back to Sirius. “I know he should have Padfoot. You’re right. We all would have died to protect him. He’s a traitor. He’ll get what he deserves.”

“He should have been the one in Azkaban! He deserved it! I didn’t.” Sirius said, his voice breaking on a sob.

“You’re right Sirius. You didn’t deserve it. He’ll get what he deserves, I promise,” Remus said soothingly to the now sobbing man.

Harry came running back into the room. He stopped dead at the sight of a sobbing Sirius.

“He’s been in a dorm with Harry. In the Weasley house with him. He could have killed him! He could have killed them all!” Sirius screamed through his sobs.

“He could have but he didn’t, Pads. It’s okay now. Aruthur has him. He won’t let him get away.”

Andromeda and Ted came running into the room at that moment.

“What’s happened?” Andromeda said, rushing over to Sirius. She started casting spells quickly while Remus tried to explain.

“Why don’t you come with me, Harry?” Ted said gently to the distraught boy. “We’ll go make some tea for everyone, yeah?”

Harry reluctantly left the room with Ted. They walked quietly to the kitchen and sat at the table while Twinkly made the tea. She brought the tea service over to the table then turned back to start breakfast.

Harry fiddled with his cup but didn’t drink it. Ted watched him.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Ted asked gently.

Harry nodded but then didn’t say anything. Ted didn’t pry; instead, he just quietly sipped his tea and waited. A few minutes later Harry started telling the whole sordid tale from beginning to ending.

Ted took a deep breath. “That’s no way to start the day, is it?”

Harry gave a weak little chuckle but didn’t say anything else.

“I’ll go meet Arthur at Amelia’s office. I’m sure he could use the help. I’ll want to make sure the bastard gets what’s coming to him, too.” Ted said, viciously.

Harry grinned to hear it. “Stay for breakfast. The Weasleys portkey isn’t until 11am. That’s still about an hour from now. No reason to rush, I guess.” Harry said quietly.

Ted silently agreed. Twinky served breakfast a few minutes later. Ted was eating heartily, while Harry moved his food around his plate. Andromeda and Remus came into the room and sat down at the table.

“How is he?” Harry asked, anxiously.

“He’s fine, Harry,” Andromeda said, soothingly. She gave Harry’s arm a little pat and picked up the teapot to serve herself.

“He’s sleeping right now. He’ll probably sleep most of the day.” Remus said, reassuringly. “By the time he wakes up, I’m hoping this whole thing will be settled.” Remus said, looking at Ted.

“I’m going to leave in a few minutes. I’m going to go home, get changed, then meet Arthur at Amelia Bones’ office. I’ll make sure things are handled properly,” Ted said, sounding determined. Andromeda patted his arm as well.

“I’ll go home with you. Call me if Sirius needs more help when he wakes up,” Andromeda said to Remus. Remus nodded in response. They all ate quietly for a few moments before Ted wiped his mouth and stood.

“Ready, darling?” he asked Andromeda.

“As I’ll ever be,” she said with a small smile in return.

The couple left the room leaving only Harry and Remus to wait anxiously for the call to find out what happened.

It was almost 4pm before Harry heard his communication mirror whispering his name. He answered quickly and found Arthur on the other end of the connection.

“Could you get Remus for me, please, Harry?” Harry hurriedly agreed then ran to find Remus.

“Remus! It’s Mr. Weasley,” Harry said urgently. Remus hurriedly took the mirror from Harry. Harry hovered nearby so he could hear what was being said.

“Arthur, how did it go?” Remus asked the exhausted looking man.

“It went well. I got him to Amelia’s office without incident. Ted Tonks was waiting for me when I arrived. He helped speed up the prosecution.”

“What happened?” Remus asked anxiously.

“Fudge happened. Amelia and a few of her aurors questioned Pettigrew under veritaserum. He admitted to everything - killing the muggles, framing Sirius, betrying Lily and James. He was a death eater. He had the dark mark and everything,” Arthur said tiredly.

“When is the trial?” Remus asked. He wanted to see the bastard prosecuted.

“There won’t be any trial. Fudge caught wind of it. He heard about the confession and didn’t waste a minute. Pettigrew’s been kissed. Fudge didn’t want a kerfuffle in the paper, so he just took care of it himself. No one had a chance to stop him.”

Remus sat back in shock. “Kissed?” he asked faintly.

Arthur nodded. “There’ll be no proving it now but yes, the deed is done. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. I know Sirius has already been freed but now no one will hear the truth of what happened. Sirius will have a hard time anywhere in Britain, if he shows his face. If anyone even finds out he was innocent. Hell, I didn’t even know he’d been released and I work for the DMLE!” Arthur said in exasperation.

Remus shook his head. “At least it’s done. Sirius will be happy about that. I just hope there aren’t any problems in the future.” Remus thought of the bookshop he and Sirius were thinking of opening and of Sirius’ zoo. Would he be able to live in peace without proof that he was innocent being public knowledge? Remus shook his head. That was something to worry about later.

“Thank you for taking care of this, Arthur. I know that’s no way to come back from vacation but I’m glad it’s done.”

“My pleasure, Remus. I’m glad to help. I’m just glad that bastard is nowhere near my kids now.”

“Too right,” Remus remarked. He said his goodbyes and ended the call.

Remus turned to Harry, “Did you hear all that?”

Harry nodded, confused. “What did Mr. Weasley mean when he said Pettigrew was kissed?”

Remus sighed. “You know about the dementors?” Harry nodded.

“The dementors are vile creatures. When they get the chance, they feed on the soul of a person. They suck it right out, leaving the person a hollowed out husk that usually dies within a few days or weeks. They call this act the dementor’s kiss.”

Harry stared at Remus in horror. “Dementors eat souls?”

Remus nodded tiredly. “I know what Peter did was awful and he deserved to die but no one deserves that, Harry. Dementors are abominations that don’t deserve to exist. They’re pure evil.”

Harry couldn’t help but agree. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sirius came into the room.

“How long have I been asleep?” Sirius asked urgently. “What happened to Peter?”

Remus shook his head. He called for Twinky and asked for a tea service. He whispered something to her that Harry barely heard. Something about a calming draft.

Remus turned back to Sirius who was getting agitated.

“Tell me what happened, Remus! Where is Peter?” Sirius said, raising his voice as he spoke.

“Sit down and drink some tea and I’ll tell you,” Remus said sternly. Twinky popped back into the room and served them all.

“TELL ME NOW! Sirius shouted, slamming his fist onto the table and causing Harry to jump.

“Not a word until you drink your tea,” Remus said with steele in his voice.

Sirius huffed but drank the damn tea. Harry saw the man begin to visibly relax a little more with each sip. By the time he’d finished the cup, he was calm and rational again.

“Please, tell me, Remus. What happened?” Sirius asked desperately.

“Amelia questioned him. He confessed to everything.” Sirius grinned in vindication.

“When’s the trial. I want to go. I want to watch that bastard hang,” Sirius said, viciously.

Remus just shook his head.

“He’s been kissed, Sirius. Fudge found out he’d confessed and wanted to stop a trial from happening. He had Peter kissed before anyone could stop him.

Sirius sat in shock for a few minutes. Then, he started laughing hysterically. He couldn’t seem to stop. The laughter turned into sobs a few minutes later.

“Harry, why don’t you go to your room. Call Andromeda and have her come back first, please. Harry didn’t say anything. He just nodded and left the room. He heard Andromeda arrive a few minutes later. A few minutes after that he heard everyone leave by floo. Harry ate dinner alone that night and went to bed early, though he didn’t sleep much. His parents’ betrayer had been caught. He would never hurt anyone again. Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He was glad but … dementors are evil, rotten blights on humanity.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 14

A few days later, Bill arrived to take Harry to Egypt. Sirius had come out of hibernation that morning and joined Harry and Remus for breakfast. The man looked haggard and yet like a thousand ton weight had been lifted off his chest. He looked peaceful yet exhausted.

Sirius and Harry flew without speaking over the Potter lands for a few hours before Bill arrived. They were just sitting down to lunch when Bill popped in through the floo. He joined the elves and wizards for lunch and chatted amiably about work, keeping the conversation light. Harry appreciated the effort.

“Well, we’d best get a move on, Harry. We’ve got to get on our way to Gringotts. We’ll catch the portkey from there. This is technically a work trip, since I’m your Gringotts consultant. Any work I do towards cleansing these ghastly things will be at the behest of your hand and as part of my work for you. This will allow us to make full use of Gringotts resources for the endeavor.”

“Should I get the rest of this year's funds out of my Gringotts account while I’m there?” Harry asked.

“Sure, we can do that. Let’s go, buddy.”

Harry said goodbye to Remus and Sirius then they were on their way. A quick stop to withdraw Harry’s funds and they were taking the nauseating trip via international portkey to Egypt. They arrived in the Cairo branch of Gringotts. A quick floo trip and they were at Bill’s travel trunk. It was nice on the inside. Bill had relics from around the world hanging on his walls. It was an efficiency, so it only had one bedroom but it was still spacious and comfortable.

“You’ll have to kip on the sofa tonight, if that’s alright. I can transfigure you a bed if you prefer, but he sofa is pretty comfortable, if I do say so myself. I’ve fallen asleep on it plenty of times. It’s a nice place to rest.”

Harry looked at the long, deep, plush sofa with green fabric with little tan check marks and smiled.

“Looks fine to me,” Harry said, setting his overnight bag beside the comfortable looking sofa.

“Do you need a minute to rest or would you like to do a little sightseeing? I know you don’t have long in Egypt but I wanted to let you see the highlights, if you’re game.”

“I’m game. I’m ready to go when you are.” Harry said, pulling his rucksack out of his overnight bag.

“Good. Let’s go then. No time to waste!”

They spent the rest of the afternoon seeing the most famous monuments in Cairo. They visited the Great Sphinx, the Pyramid of Khafre, and of course the Great Pyramids of Giza. They took some time to wander through the magical bazaar, where Harry bought gifts for Sirius, Remus, Twinky, and Dobby. He bought a few small mementos for himself, too. They ate at a restaurant overlooking the Nile River. Then they returned to Bill’s place to sleep for the night.

“Do you need a sleeping draft?” Bill asked. “You need to try to get some rest tonight. Tomorrow will be exhausting for you.”

Harry agreed. He took the draft and passed out on Bill’s comfortable sofa. He didn’t move a muscle until morning.

Bill shook him awake around 10am.

“Time to get up, Harry. You’ll need to be fasting today, I’m afraid. You can have water but nothing else. Please only drink from the crystal pitcher on the table. It’s specially purified water. I left something out for you to wear in the loo. Get up, get ready, and get dressed. We’ll leave when you’re all set.”

“Should I take a shower?” Harry asked.

“No. You’ll be getting a ritual bath at the Pyramid of Menkaure complex. Just put on the robes I left for you and we’ll be off.”

Harry got up, drank a glass of water, and headed for the lavatory. He got ready quickly and dressed himself in the white linen robes left in the bathroom for him. They were kind of itchy but Harry guessed that didn’t matter.

Harry and Bill left quickly after Harry was dressed. They took the floo to the Ashram spiritual center at the pyramid. They were met by three priests, also dressed in white linen robes. They escorted Bill and Harry to a large room with a huge firepit in the front. They sat Harry in front of the fire pit. They threw bundles of herbs and chunks of myrrh onto the fire pit, then used huge fans to waft the smoke over Harry’s sitting form. They chanted and sang songs while they wafted the smoke over him. Harry felt dizzy from the energy raised by the priests.

They stood him up and helped him to the next room, which had a huge tub filled with water from the Nile river inside. It was filled with bubbles. Harry was told to strip down to his pants and get in the water. He did as he was told but blushed the entire time. He didn’t really want anyone to see him in his skivvies. The priests chanted and sang songs again. This time, they poured pitchers of cool water over his head as they worked.

Finally, they took Harry to the last room, where he was anointed with oil that had flecks of gold and smelled of frankincense. They were silent through this part of the ritualistic cleansing.

They helped Harry stand again. He was getting woozy from the magical energy.

They led him to a large table that was set by a smaller table. He was told to lie down on the table. A parchment was placed on the table next to him. They had him cross his arms over his chest and point his toes. They cut gently over the scar and captured a few drops of blood from the small cut. They mixed the blood with a bottle of golden ink and set a quill made from a feather Harry didn’t recognize inside. It soaked up all the ink.

They set the feather quill on the parchment and then began drawing symbols on Harry’s hands, feet, and head. They started chanting again. Harry felt like his head was spinning. A splitting headache made his vision blur. He thought he was screaming but then realized the sound was coming from his scar. The whole time, the quill was scribbling away.

After what felt like an eternity, the chanting and screaming stopped. One of the priests helped him sit up while another handed the dried parchment scroll to Bill. Bill rolled it up and put it in his jacket pocket.

The priest who helped Harry sit up led him over to the sarcophagus. Another priest handed him a crystal bowl filled with a sparkling potion that smelled clean. He held the potion up to Harry’s lips and helped him drink. The room began to spin nauseatingly. Harry feared he would throw up. The priest helped him lie down in the sarcophagus.

The priests began singing again, this time in a tone that sounded discordant to Harry. It made his ears hurt and made him want to get away but he couldn’t move. The priest slid the lid of the sarcophagus shut.

Bill was right and he was wrong. Harry wasn’t afraid to be in the sarcophagus but he also wasn’t asleep. He was in a trance. He didn’t dream but he also didn’t have visions. What he saw was too real for that.

First, he saw flashes of items he didn’t understand. A cup on a mountain of gold coins. A locket in a glass case. A snake slithering through underbrush in a forest. A ring in a dark box. A crown on an ugly bust in a room filled with junk. A faded book with a hole through the center. Then, finally, an image of himself.

He began to struggle with a version of himself that had red slits for eyes. He tussled with his doppleganger, trying to gain the upperhand. It felt like the fight lasted for an eternity. Finally, he managed to throw the evil looking Harry off. It turned into an ugly baby with burnt looking skin and slits for eyes and nose. The baby wailed but was washed away on a sea of darkness.

Harry was suddenly in a train station. He was the only person on the platform, at first. Then, a train pulled up and a red haired woman jumped off the train and ran to him.

“Harry!” She shouted with joy. “My baby, it’s so good to see you,” She gave him a bone crushing hug that lasted for several seconds. She stepped back and Harry noticed a second person was now on the platform.

At first, Harry thought it was another doppelganger but then he noticed the differences between them. This man was taller than Harry and a little bit thinner. He had hazel eyes, rather than green or the red slits of his other twin.

The man hugged Harry, too. He slapped Harry on the back as he pulled away.

“A seeker, huh? I’ve seen you fly. Chip off the old block, this one.” The man said proudly.

“You wish,” said the woman with a laugh. That’s when Harry recognized them. They were his mum and dad, Lily and James.

“Mum?” Harry asked, feeling as if he was caught in a waking dream. “Dad?”

“That’s right, son. It’s us. We’re so proud of you,” Lily said, squeezing Harry’s hand.

“It’s almost done. We’re so glad you chose this path. It’s much better than the path Dumbledore had planned for you,” James said, with confidence.

“Your hand will be strong and sure. It will be done soon,” Lily said, with a glowing smile.

“What do you mean, it’s almost over?”

“You’ll see. We don’t have much time,” Lily said.

“We love you son. Keep your generous heart and you’ll find your way to peace and happiness,” James said.

Lily hugged him and kissed his cheek. James slapped his back and grinned.

The train pulled away with a billow of smoke. As the smoke cleared, Harry realized that the lid to the sarcophagus was opening. It took a few seconds for his vision of the train platform to clear. He heard Bill calling his name softly and looked around to find him. He was right beside Harry.

“Harry. Can you hear me?” Bill asked gently.

Harry couldn’t speak yet but he could nod.

“Good. We’re going to help you sit up now, alright?”

Harry nodded again.

“We have to do the cleansing ritual again in reverse, okay? Drink this.”

Harry opened his mouth and let the sparkling potion slide down his throat. This time it didn’t make him nauseous. It made him feel rejuvenated instead.

The oils were next and they felt soothing and calmed his overactive nerve endings, especially on his head. The bath helped him feel warm and relaxed. Harry started to wake up. He felt empowered. The smoke cleared his head. He could think and take in the world again. The priests walked him out the same way they’d walked him in.

Bill helped him floo back to Bill’s trunk.

“You need to lie down for a while, alright, Harry? Try to sleep.”

Harry’s head was barely on the pillow before he was asleep.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 15

Harry woke around 3pm that afternoon. He gently drifted out of pleasant dreams of his parents and into the waking world. He sat up slowly and yawned. He looked over and saw Bill sitting at his table, sipping a cup of coffee.

“Morning, or should I say good afternoon?” Bill asked with a smile.

“How about just hello?” Harry returned with a sleepy smile.

“How are you feeling?” Bill asked, putting down the paper he had been reading and turning to Harry.

Harry thought for a minute then responded, “Good. Better than I think I can ever remember feeling.” Harry was surprised to realize it was true. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this good.

“Good to hear,” Bill said. “Would you like some breakfast?” Harry nodded.

He made a quick trip to the loo to do his business and brush his teeth, then returned to join Bill at the table.

Bill passed him a plate of scones and some jam. “Would you like some tea? Or some juice?”

“Juice, please.”

Bill poured him some juice. “The cleansing seemed to work successfully. You worried me nigh to death when you started screaming. I thought you were dying. You did die, for just a minute.”

Harry shook his head in confusion. “I wasn’t screaming. My scar was.”

Bill looked confused, then shook his head. “Whatever it was, it sounded like a dying banshee.”

Harry agreed. “You were right about the crazy dreams. I dreamed I met my parents. They said it was almost over and they were glad I was on this path instead of the one Dumbledore planned for me.” Harry paused for a moment. “Wait. I died?”

Bill pondered that for a moment. “Yeah. You did. The priests said it was normal for a living soul phylactory to die for a moment but still. Scared me pretty badly. I thought I’d lost you.” Bill said with a grateful look that his pseudo little brother was still alive.

“Huh. Maybe I really did see my parents, then,” Harry said in wonder.

Bill shrugged. “Could be. What else did you see?”

Harry told Bill about the strange images and the vicious fight with his doppelganger. Bill looked perturbed. He dug the parchment scroll out of the pocket of his jacket, hanging on the back of his chair. “Were these the items you saw?”

Harry gasped. “They are! How did you know?”

“I didn’t,” Bill responded. “These are the other soul containers. We have to find and cleanse these items before Voldemort can be stopped.”

Harry sat in puzzlement for a few moments. “How will we ever find them? I only had a glimpse of where they are.”

“We have some clues here on the parchment. I think I knew where a few of them are. Come on. Let’s get back to Sirius and Remus. I’m going to need their help if I’m to find the rest of them.”

Harry hurriedly finished his breakfast. He went to the bathroom to change into his own clothes and left the white robe behind. He packed up his things and met Bill back in the sitting room. They took the floo back to the bank and grabbed their portkey. In just a few minutes, they were back in Gringotts London branch.

“Hang on a second. I need to check something,” Bill said. Harry waited a few minutes for Bill to return. He looked grim.

“Let’s go.”

“Is everything okay?” Harry asked.

“Not here. Let’s talk about it when we get back to your place.”

They took the floo back to Harry’s travel trunk. Twinky met them at the floo.

“Mr. Harry! Twinky is being so glad to see you. Is you being okay?”

Harry gave Twinky a quick hug. “Yeah. I’m fine Twinky. Where are Sirius and Remus?”

“Mr. Remus is being in the library. Mr. Padfoot is outside playing doggie.”

“Playing doggie?” Harry asked. He shook his head and promised to ask later. “Could you go get Sirius for me? Have him meet us in the library. Bill needs to speak to us.”

“I cans be doing that, Mr. Harry,” Twinky said, bobbing her head before popping away.

Bill and Harry went to meet Remus in the library.

“Harry! It’s good to see you, cub. How are you feeling?” Remus asked, standing to give Harry a hug. He looked Harry over.

“I see it worked,” he said, knowingly.

“How can you tell?” Harry asked, surprised.

“Your scar. It’s faded almost to nothing,” Remus said, tapping Harry on the forehead.

“It is?” Harry asked, touching the scar. Bill nodded.

“I didn’t notice before but it is. It’s barely noticeable now.”

Harry pulled out his communication mirror and looked at himself in amazement. It really was almost gone.

“Admiring ourselves, are we?” Sirius said, jovially, as he entered the room. “It’s difficult being so beautiful, isn’t it, pup?”

Harry turned to Sirius in exasperation. “The only thing I’m admiring is my scar.”

“Oh, admiring our marks of valor, then? So be it,” Sirius said with a laugh, giving Harry a hug. He peered at the boy’s face when he pulled back. “Well, I’ll be. Your scar is faded. I’m guessing it worked, then?” Sirius asked, giving Bill a questioning look.

Bill nodded in the affirmative.

“Don’t keep us in suspense. Tell us everything,” Sirius said, loping his arm around Harry’s shoulders. The group went over to the table and had a seat. Bill filled them in on everything that happened.

“Harry died? Goodness, me!” Remus exclaimed.

“Can’t keep a good dog down!” Sirius crowed, giving Harry a quick noogie. Harry grinned in return.

“Apparently,” Bill said with humor.

“You think you know where some of these things are hidden?” Sirius asked, more seriously.

“I do,” Bill said with a grim look on his face. “I think I know where two of them are right now. Unfortunately, one of them is going to be very hard to get.”

Bill took out the parchment and laid it on the table, showing it to the men.

“This one,” he said pointing at the one that looked like a crown. “This one is at Hogwarts, I think. This looks like the Come and Go Room.”

Remus looked to Sirius, who shook his head. “I’ve never seen a room like that at Hogwarts.”

“It’s on the seventh floor. It disappears when it’s not needed. I found it during my second year. I lost my transfiguration book and the elves helped me find it. It had been thrown in this room, which is kind of like a lost and found. The room can turn into different things, depending on what you need,” Bill explained.

“Well, that would have come in handy. Too bad we never found it, eh Padfoot?” Remus asked.

“You got that right, Moony,” Sirius said, thinking of all the time he has spent with lovely lasses in broom closets.

Bill laughed, “Too bad for you. I thought I’d take a look when we go see about that basilisk, Harry. You can help me look for it.” Harry quickly agreed. He’d love to check out a room that could turn into anything.

Bill’s grin fell. “The other one is this one.” He pointed at a cup with a tiny badger on it. “This one is at Gringotts. See that little number on the door, there? That’s a Gringotts vault number.”

“Oh no,” Remus said. “Whose vault is it?”

“The vault belongs to Bellatrix and Rodolphus LeStrange. I have no idea how we’ll get in there. They’re locked away in Azkaban for life. Not like they’d help us, even if they were free. One of those sadistic bastards obviously hid it there to begin with,” Bill said dejectedly.

Sirius gave a bitter laugh. “I might be able to help you there.” Bill looked at Sirius quizzically. “I’m Lord Black, not that I want to be.”

Bill looked surprised but then slumped back in his seat. “That still won’t help us. Bellatrix might have been a Black but the Black’s have no rights to the LeStrange vault.”

“I would if I claimed the Lordship and annulled her marriage. I’d have grounds to do it, too. She never produced any heirs. I could reclaim her dowry. Then, I’d be able to go into the vault and claim any treasure I wanted, up to the amount of her dowry.”

“That’s perfect!” Bill exclaimed.

“Perfect except I don’t want to be Lord Black, or lord anything.” Sirius said with a huff.

They all sat quietly for a minute. Suddenly, Sirius perked up. He looked at Harry with a gleam in his eye.

“Unless … Unless I passed the lordship along to my heir,” Sirius said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“I could give the lordship to Harry, here. Harry has Black blood through his great grandmother, Dorea Black. Harry, you could absorb the Black lordship into your own. The Black name would die with me, as it should. No one would even have to know you absorbed it. You’d get it all. The properties, the money, and you’re already going to be a Lord. All I ask for is a generous allowance. You could even kick Bellatrix out of the family after you get the treasure back. Hell, kick Narcissa out, too.” He cackled at the thought of such a good joke being played on them all.

He started warming up to the idea. “I could take the Potter name. I could change my name to Padfoot Potter. No one would recognize me now and everyone thinks Sirius Black is in Azkaban for life. Or better yet, they’d think I died there.” He rubbed his hands together in glee.

“This could solve our problems, too, Moony. We would still be able to use the storefront my family owns in Hogsmeade but the stigma of the Black name wouldn’t ruin the place. Hell, Harry, you could even reinstate Andromeda, Ted, and Nymphadora. I bet they’d rather be Potters than Blacks anyway. My mother would turn in her grave!” He was full on laughing now.

Harry looked at Bill, uncertainly. Remus was grinning in agreement. Remus might be the mature and responsible one but he still loved a good joke.

“It might be a good plan,” Bill said, thinking as Harry’s advisor. It was all upside for Harry. He’d get more wealth, more seats on the Wizengamot, and more influence over their present predicament.

“I think the property in Hogsmeade, a reasonable allowance, and reinstating Sirius’ favorite cousin is a good trade for getting so much in return. I suggest deeding Sirius a house, as well. He might need somewhere to live in the future,” Bill replied.

Harry looked between the men. “If you think it’s a good idea, I’d love to have you as a Potter, Sirius.”

“Best get in the habit of calling me Padfoot, pup. Your long, lost cousin has returned,” he barked out a laugh at the thought. “James would love this.”

Harry grinned. “Cousin Padfoot it is, then. What do we need to do?”

Bill replied. “We’ll need to go to Gringotts. Padfoot will have to claim the lordship before he can abdicate it. I suggest Sirius be the one to annul Bellatrix’s marriage and throw her and Narcissa out of the family. Then, Sirius can abdicate and change his name. This will officially declare Sirius Black dead, by magic. We can even file everything nice and legal with the ministry. If the LeStrange’s or the Malfoy’s try to go after anyone, they’ll be going after a dead man. Padfoot here will be newly born as a Potter and untraceable. It’s a brilliant plan.”

“We’ll have to reclaim the dowry before I pass it along, too,” Padfoot warned. “We don’t want any records tying Harry to the exchange.”

Bill agreed. “Well, let’s get going. Daylight’s wasting.” With that, the group stood and headed for the floo.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

The group quickly arrived at Gringotts. Bill told the group to sit in the waiting area while he went to inform Harnock, the Potter account manager, and Agrott, the Black account manager, that they would need a meeting with both of them right away.

Bill shuddered at the thought of meeting with Agrott. Harnock was a typical goblin. He was a little bloodthirsty and greedy, but he would be fair to his clients. Agrott was a vicious monster. He liked to kill and loved to cheat and swindle whenever the opportunity presented itself. Agrott didn’t care who he screwed over as long as Agrott profited from the endeavor. Bill was looking forward to assisting Harnock with stealing one of Agrott’s most profitable accounts away from him.

It took almost a quarter of an hour for the group to be led into a conference room. Agrott and Harnock were already present, along with their respective file goblins and secretaries to take notes. The two rival groups were both armed to the hilt and looked more ready for battle than ready for banking. Bill was guessing this adventure would be both.

“What is the meaning of this?” Agrott asked, aggressively.

Bill acted as spokesperson for the group.

“May your gold and enemies' blood always flow, too, Harnock,” Bill said sarcastically. The goblin just sneered in return. “First, Sirius Black has business to conduct; then, Harry Potter will have business.”

Bill motioned to Sirius. “I’d like to claim my heir ring now. Then, I have business to conduct,” Sirius said, arrogantly.

Agrott waved at his file goblin. The file goblin didn’t turn his back on the group as he moved to the door and called for Sirius’ ring. It arrived a few minutes later.

“I, Sirius Orion Black, do hereby claim my ancestral right of lord. I will henceforth be known as Lord Sirius Orion Black.” A blood red glow encased first the ring, then the wizard, showcasing that the ring accepted his claim. Sirius signed a few papers, then turned back to Agrott.

“I’d like to annul the marriage between Bellatrix LeStrange nee Black and Rodolphus LeStrange.” Agrott gave Sirius a dirty look but waved to the file goblin. “I will be reclaiming her dowry, as well. Bill will go to the vaults and choose my payment.” Agrott banged his fist on the table.

“This wizard has no right to the LeStrange vault.”

“He doesn’t but I do,” Sirius hissed in return. Agrott growled but had no choice. Bill left the room and followed a goblin to the vaults. Sirius signed all the necessary forms. A killing curse green glow surrounded the marriage contract before it tore itself in half.

“Next, I’d like to remove Bellatrix Black, Narcissa Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy from the Black family.”

“Preposterous!” Agrott bellowed. “You suly the name of Black with your actions.”

“The name of Black is no concern of yours, goblin,” Sirius said in a bored voice. “Remove them.” Agrott gripped his weapons but Sirius remained unmoved. Agrott growled but waved to the file goblin.

“I would end the treaty that brings peace between our races by killing you. That is the only reason you still draw breath,” Agrott hissed at Sirius. Sirius laughed in his face and fingered his wand, menacingly.

“You always licked the boots of people like my mother. You’re a disgrace,” Sirius said to Agrott. Agrott stood angrily.

“You go too far wizard.” Neither wizard nor goblin noticed Harnock wave his file goblin over. He whispered the file goblin. The file goblin went to the door and whispered something outside. A few moments later, Bill returned.

Bill nodded to Sirius. Harry knew that Bill had the cup. Sirius signed the papers to disinherit Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Draco. Agrott growled and gnashed his teeth the entire time.

“What now, wizard? Or are you done disgracing your house?’

Sirius laughed. “Now, I’d like to update the heir to my lordship. Harry Potter will be my heir.”

“He has no Black blood,” Agrott shouted.

“He does,” Harnock growled into the room. He waved to his file goblin who pulled out a copy of Harry’s inheritance test and family tree.

“Here,” Harnock poinited. “His great grandmother was Dorea Black. He has a direct line to the Black family.”

“Draco Malfoy is the true heir, after this blood traitor disgrace!” Agrott yelled.

“Draco Malfoy has just been disinherited. He can no longer inherit anything,” Sirius said smugly.

Agrott screamed through clenched teeth, but waved to his file goblin. The papers were brought forth and signed.

“Are. You. Done?” Agrott growled.

“No, one more thing. I abdicate my lordship. Harry? Step forward please to claim your lordship,” Sirius said smugly.

Harry stepped forward, took the ring, and said the words Sirius said before. The papers were signed and Harry was suddenly Lord Black. Agrott was fuming.

“He’s too young to be Lord Black,” Agrott said petulantly.

“The ring accepted him, so it’s done. Oh, and by the way, Harry is absorbing the Black holdings under the Potter name. Harnock, if you’d help us see it done, please?” Sirius laughed at Agrott’s rage.

Agrott jumped over the table, ready to attack Sirius when a voice stopped him.

“STOP THIS INSTANT!” Bellowed a goblin that had just walked in the door, with a contingent of goblins who looked like they meant business.

“Ra-Ragnock,” Agrott stumbled out. “My King, what, ah, what are you doing here?” Agrott backed up a step. He was quickly surrounded by the goblin King’s guards.

“Harnock called for me. He said you were attempting to break the treaty. I see he was correct,” Ragnock hissed. “What is the meaning of this?”

“These wizards colluded with Harnock to steal my most profitable account. They sully the name of Black and intend to see it extinct.”

Ragnock looked unimpressed. “These are wizard matters that mean little to the goblin nation. Do they have the proper authority for these actions?”

“Yes,” Agrott ground out.

“Then, the goblin nation has no qualms with it. I will sign off on the extinction of the Black’s myself. Give me the papers,” Ragnock said mercilessly. Harnock’s file goblin moved to obey and provide the paperwork. The papers were quickly signed.

“Agrott, you have no further business here. If you wish to challenge Harnock, you can do so in the arena. The winner will oversee the Potter accounts,” Ragnock said, carelessly. “Leave,” Ragnock said to Agrott, harshly. Agrott grumbled but complied.

He pointed to Harnock from the doorway, “I will see you in the arena.”

“I welcome it. You will be no challenge,” Harnock said, scathingly.

With that Agrott, Ragnock, and Ragnock’s guards left the room. Sirius laughed.

“Well, that was exciting.”

“Too exciting, Harry said, warily.

Harnock chuckled. “All in a day’s work. Is there anything else I can do for you wizards?”

“Yes,” Bill replied. “Harry would like to reinstate Andromeda Tonks and her family into the Potter family. We’d also like to declare Sirius Orion Black dead and change his name to Padfoot Potter.”

“Long live Padfoot Potter,” Harnock said, genially. He was always in a better mood with a vicious fight to the death awaiting him.

The file goblin started preparing the papers. They set up Padfoot’s allowance and signed over the deeds to his childhood home and the storefront in Hogsmeade. They set up a stipend for Andromeda and Nymphadora, as well.

“Any other business, wizards?” Harnock asked. The wizards all looked to one another then shook their heads.

“I think that will do for now,” Bill replied. With that, Harnock and his goblin team left the conference room.

“I’m going to head out, guys. I’ll get this cup cleansed and then get it back to you, Harry. It’s yours now.”

“Let us know if you need anything, Bill,” Remus said with humor in his voice. “I think I’m ready to go home and get a spot of relaxing tea.” Padfoot laughed.

“This was the most excitement I’ve had in years!” Sirius exclaimed, excitedly. “I feel like a brand new man.”

Harry laughed at the lame joke. The group of wizards said goodbye to Bill and headed for the floo.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 16

Meanwhile, Albus Dumbledore sat in his office at Hogwarts, unaware of all that was taking place under his rather large nose. He was too exhausted from his legal fight over the profitable, imaginary, Harry Potter legacy. Lawyers had kept him very busy since his return from the ICW this summer. Somehow, he had been found out as the author of the slanderously untrue Harry Potter book series. His right to the profits from the books, apparel, and action figure line was in jeopardy. He was hoping to settle for 50% of the profits but he didn’t want to give up even that.

He hadn’t been able to ascertain who was suing on behalf of the boy but he knew Harry Potter wasn’t involved. The indicator for the blood wards showed the boy was still in the hellhole called his muggle relatives home. It was where he belonged. Dumbledore had complete control over him, as he felt was his right.

The boy was merely a pawn in the long game Dumbledore had been playing with Tom Riddle, otherwise known as Lord Voldemort. Soon, Dumbldore would start collecting and destroying Tom’s horcruxes. He would leave the boy for last. It would be a tragedy, of course, when the boy was possessed by the spirit of Tom Riddle. Dumbledore would, chivalrously, step in to end the boy and Tom Riddle in one fell swoop. Dumbledore could feel the well deserved accolades already.

It didn’t hurt that Dumbledore was set to inherit everything the Potters owned upon the boy’s death, either.

He just needed a new way to lure Tom Riddle’s spirit to the school again this year. He pondered this problem for several moments before smiling to himself. Of course. He didn’t need Tom Riddle’s wraith at the school. The diary horcrux had already proven that. All he needed was one of the horcruxes to release Voldemort’s spirit on the school once more. He knew just the place to look for one, too.

Dumbledore had been aware of the horcruxes since Regulus Black’s sixth year at school. The silly boy had approached Dumbledore with a crazy story involving his house elf, a locket, and a cave filled with inferi. Dumbledore had believed him but had refused to help the boy without proof. He was delighted to finally figure out what Tom Riddle’s plan was - horcruxes.

Regulus was a smart boy to figure out what Tom was up to. Dumbledore agreed to help the boy, if he brought him the locket. Unfortunately, the brat had died, supposedly killed by Voldemort himself, before Dumbledore could get his hands on what he assumed was Tom’s only horcrux. Dumbledore knew the locket was likely at the Balck House in London but he couldn’t get near the place with Walberga Black in residence. The woman had hated Dumbledore with a passion. Dumbledore hadn’t been in a hurry to get it, not when he thought it was the only one. Who would have thought the half-blood bastard would create more than one horcrux?

Dumbledore had known the instant he had seen the Potter infant that he was a horcrux. He could have killed the little brat right then and blamed Voldemort for his death but Dumbledore was never one to play his hand before his cards were due. If there were two horcruxes, who knew how many more there could be. Plus, there was the prophecy to consider.

Tom Riddle had to die at Harry Potter’s hand. That could be interpreted many different ways but Dumbledore liked to take the direct approach. He would let the boy destroy each horcrux, one by one. Then, when none were left except himself, Dumbledore would destroy him. It was all upside for the great leader of the light. He would even make sure Harry was known as a hero, a martyr who sacrificed himself for the good of the wizarding world. That’s why Dumbledore had started the book series. Everyone needed a hero. Dumbledore already owned that acclaim and would renew his claim to fame with Harry’s death.

Harry would need to die young, so he would be easy for Dumbledore to kill. Might as well kill two birds with one stone by letting the boy destroy another horcrux this year. Dumbledore knew there were 7 in all, the most powerful magical number. Unstable but filled with potential. That would appeal to Tom, wouldn’t it?

No matter. There were seven years of Harry’s education, seven years when Harry would be under Dumbledore’s thumb. Easy for him to manipulate the boy into doing his dirty work for him. Yes, the grand finale could come right before Harry would graduate. Of course, Dumbledore would have to let the wizarding world’s fear build until then. It would make his victory all the more sweet.

All he needed was a horcrux for this year’s adventure. The Gaunt shack, the childhood home of Tom’s inbred mother Merope Gaunt, would be the perfect place to look for one. Dumbledore grinned to himself at the thought of this year’s adventure. It would be a spine tingler for sure.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Before Harry knew it, the new school year was upon him. He had spent the last two weeks since his trip to Egypt studying hard for his first year at school. He had worked with Remus to practice all the potions for the year. He felt he had them all under his control. He had read all his coursebooks and taken good notes on the content. He had practiced all the spells in his spellbooks and plenty more defensive spells, with Remus and Padfoot’s help, and household charms, with Twinky and Dobby’s help. His body even felt stronger and as if his endurance was up. Exercising had been a great help to him. He was on top of his flying game. He felt like he was ready for school for the first time in his Hogwarts education.

Sirius and Remus had been working hard to prepare the bookshop for opening when the new school year started. They had been going round to estate sales and buying up as many books as they could. They’d also spent significant time copying all the books in both Remus and Harry’s library. To Hermione’s delight and Harry’s appreciation, Remus gave them each a full copy of his personal library for their own use.

The duo had decided to put their own travel trunk inside the Shrieking Shack. It had easy access to the school through the hidden tunnel under the Whomping Willow and was within the school wards, so the floo would work within the local network of Harry’s, Hermione’s, Ron’s, and the twins’ trunk. It made Harry feel safe to know his surrogate father and his uncle could reach him at any time. The family also made plans to spend Sundays together inside Harry’s trunk, when the bookshop would be closed.

The most exciting discovery Harry had made in the last few weeks was the discovery of the origin of Padfoot’s name. Padfoot was a dog animagus. Harry had never seen anything so amazing. He immediately wanted to learn to become one, too. The story of how Harry’s father and his friends had become animagi had inspired Harry deeply. He wanted to be just like them.

Remus and Padfoot agreed to teach Harry and his friends, but only after they learned to master occlumency. The mental discipline was required to keep your mind while transformed into an animal. Remus said if you lacked the skill, the animal instinct would take over and you might lose yourself forever. Remus and Padfoot promised to help Harry and his friends work on the skill on Sundays when they came to visit.

September 1st came and went with much activity and excitement. Harry and his friends spent the ride to Hogwarts inside Harry’s trunk, swimming in the pool. Ginny, Neville, and Luna joined them. Ron had warned Ginny and Luna to bring swim clothes and Neville was able to squeeze into a spare set of Harry’s trunks. They ate a pizza lunch, provided by the elves and had a grand old time on their adventure. When Draco Malfoy and his goons tried to harass Harry and his friends on the train, he was surprised when he couldn’t find them.

The first week of school went by quickly, and before Harry knew it, it was Sunday. He and his friends had breakfast in the Great Hall, then headed into Harry’s trunk to meet Padfoot and Remus for the first time.

“Padfoot? Remus?” Harry called out as he entered the trunk.

“We’re in here, Harry,” Harry heard Remus call from the library. Harry and his friends headed inside.

“Remus, Padfoot, I’d like you to meet my friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Ron, Hermione, these two gents are my Uncle Remus Lupin and my Cousin Padfoot Potter.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hermione said politely.

“Hello,” said Ron.

“It’s good to meet Harry’s friends,” Padfoot said, cheerily.

“Nice to meet you, too,” said Remus.

“So,” Padfoot said grinning at the teens, “Harry tells us you’d like to learn to become animagi?”

“Yes! It’s a brilliant skill,” Ron enthused. “I hope I’m a lion or a bear.”

“I heard it’s an automatic O on your NEWTS in Transfiguration if you can transform properly,” Hermione said, bouncing a little.

“That’s true. It’s how I scored my O,” Padfoot replied.

“Can we see?” Ron asked. Padfoot jumped out of his chair and happily complied. After he had transformed, he bounded around and licked Ron’s hands. He butted his head under Hermione’s hands to be scratched behind his ears.

“That’s amazing,” Hermione breathed. She had seen McGonagall transform once but only once. It seemed like such a wizarding trick to her, something straight out of The Sword in the Stone.

“Brilliant!” Ron enthused. Remus laughed at Padfoot’s antics.

“Did Harry tell you you’ll have to learn Occlumency first?” Remus asked.

“He did,” Hermione confirmed.

“Can we start today?” Harry asked, eagerly. He couldn’t wait to transform. He hoped he would become a stag, like his dad.

“Certainly. Have a seat and we’ll get started. The first step is learning to sort out your mind and your memories. Each of you will need to pick something that you like to keep organized, so you can use that as the basis for your mental sorting. Take a moment to think of something.”

The teens took a seat around the library table and thought.

“I like to keep my books organized. Thank you so much for a copy of your books, Remus! I love them and plan to read them all.”

Remus smiled at Hermione. “It’s my pleasure. It’s lovely to meet another bibliophile.”

Hermione giggled. “I can’t wait until we’re allowed to go to Hogsmeade so I can visit your shop.”

“I’ll be glad to have you,” Remus said, gallantly. “What about you, Ron? What do you like to keep organized?”

Ron thought for a moment. “I guess I like to keep my chocolate frog card collection organized. I have a specific cataloging system that helps me keep everything organized.” Ron nodded to himself at the thought of it. His chocolate frog collection was about all he kept organized.

“That’ll work just fine,” Remus praised. “And you, Harry?”

“I like to keep my time organized. It helps me get more things done. Maybe I could think of a calendar and a clock?”

“Very creative,” Remus encouraged. “Now, I want you to think about your week since you started Hogwarts. Close your eyes and organize your memories from this week according to your organization plan.”

The teens took a few moments to do as Remus asked. Then, they opened their eyes.

“Good. That’s the first step. I want you to do that everyday before you go to bed. If any other memories pop up, organize those, too. You need to know your own mind before you can protect it.”

“That sounds easy enough,” Ron said. The way Remus explained things really helped.

“It is easy, at first,” Padfoot encouraged. “It gets a little harder later on but I have some tricks I can share with you, too. Now, that’s enough work for now, let’s go have some fun. What would you like to do? Go swimming, go flying, play a game?”

“After lunch, I thought we’d practice magic for a while or I’d help you with your homework,” Remus told the group.

“Let’s go swimming,” Harry suggested. Everyone agreed. They took turns changing then had a fun time floating and playing games in the pool for a few hours. Soon enough, it was lunch time. Bill called shortly after they were done eating.

“Hey, Harry. How’s things?”

“Good. I’m here with Ron and Hermione, Padfoot and Remus.”

“Tell everyone I said hello. Listen, I won’t keep you long but I wanted to set up a time to come deal with the basilisk. Newt Scamander said he can come next Saturday, if that works for you? I think he’s as excited to see the thing as I am,” Bill said with mirth.

“That works for me. Do you want to floo into my trunk? I can take it with me into the chamber? No one would even have to know you’re here.”

“I can’t floo from outside the wards, remember?” Bill asked.

Padfoot piped up. “You could come to our place and floo. We’re staying in the Shrieking Shack. It’s within the wards but closer to Hogsmeade.”

“That’s a good idea,” Bill responded. “Let’s do that. Newt and I can meet at the Three Broomsticks and then come to your place.”

“Remus will be in the book shop but I’ll be home to meet you. I’d love to see the thing, myself. What time do you think you’ll come?”

“Would 11am work for you? I expect Newt’s work to take an hour or so. I’ll need to sneak down to speak with Snape about the rendering when we’re done.”

“You can borrow my invisibility cloak, Bill,” Harry offered. “It’ll let you get through the halls without anyone knowing.”

“That’s a good idea, too. I’ll need you to wait while I negotiate. You’ll have to sign off on the papers for the sale and the rendering.”

“I can do that,” Harry agreed.

“It sounds like we have a plan, then,” Bill responded.

“Did you get the cup cleansed?” Remus asked, without giving anything else away.

“I did. I’ll bring it to you on Saturday, Harry, unless you want me to put it in your Gringotts vault.”

“No, you can just bring it here. I’ll put it in the portrait room.”

“Right-o,” said Bill. “Well, I won’t keep you. It was good talking with you. Have a good Sunday, you all! Ron, call me later. Bye.”

Everyone said goodbye to Bill. Then, the kids went with Sirius and Remus to practice defensive spells in the duelling room. Their Defense teacher this year wasn’t a very good one, not that it surprised any of them.

“Could you teach us the patronus charm?” Harry asked. Ever since he had learned of the dementor’s kiss, he had been hankering for a way to defend himself from them. Remus agreed and they spent the rest of the afternoon working on the advanced charm.

Harry was the first to get a misted shield. He thought of the day he learned he would never have to go back to the Dursleys and would instead have his own home.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 17

The routine of school made the week pass quickly. Having four extra classes kept Harry very busy with homework. He was glad he had read ahead in his course books and had taken good notes. It made things much easier to just need to revise for his courses instead of trying to read and do homework. Harry was even doing much better at potions this year after practicing all the potions over the summer.

Ron was struggling with just three electives. He hadn’t read ahead at all for any of his classes. Harry and Hermione were glad to share their notes with him but nothing worked like reading the materials yourself. Hermione had decided to take the relaxed approach of just four electives rather than the full seven that were offered. She was handling the workload with grace.

Saturday arrived before Harry knew it. He was glad quidditch practice hadn’t started back up again yet or he wouldn’t have had Saturday afternoon free.

Harry was waiting in his trunk in the Chamber of Secrets when Padfoot, Newt, and Bill arrived a few minutes after 11am.

“Good morrow, my boy. Nice to meet you, I’m Newt Scamander. I understand you have a snake for me to look at?” Newt held out his hand for Harry to shake.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Harry Potter. I certainly do. It’s dead, I’m afraid but it should still be interesting to see.”

Newt looked sad for a moment then perked up. “Ah, well. I wish it was still alive but what can you do?” Bill grinned at the spry 90 something year old man. He reminded Bill of Hagrid, with his love for dangerous creatures. The man knew the snake was a basilisk and wished it was alive!

“Shall we go take a look?” Bill asked. He was carrying a camera and a magical tape measure.

Harry led the three men out of the trunk and into the Chamber. They looked around in amazement. The Chamber was as dank and dark as it had. Harry led the two men to the giant dead snake. Bill gasped.

“Harry! This thing has to be 30 meters long, at least! I can’t believe you survived!” Padfoot exclaimed.

“Isn’t it a beaut?” Newt said, practically cooing at the corpse.

The men spent the next hour crawling all over the dead snake, taking measurements, and testing samples. Newt took a scale, a bone, and one of the eyeteeth for the administrative record.

“Their teeth grow like tree trunks. You see the rings inside? A new one grows each year. This one was One … two … three …” Newt kept counting for several minutes before he stopped. “This one was 1058 years old. Such a long lived thing. Such shame it had to be put down. Ah, well. I guess it was a danger to the students.”

Padfoot, Bill, and Harry looked at one another. They were glad the snake was dead.

“Will you be able to testify that Hagrid couldn’t have been it’s keeper?” Bill asked, in concern.

“Certainly,” Newt responded. “Only a parselmouth could have controlled such an ancient beast, and even then it would have been a struggle. Basilisks are quite independent.”

“Good,” Bill said in relief. “Can you go see Ted with your findings?”

“Certainly, my boy. As soon as I have these pictures developed. Let’s get one with the slayer for posterity's sake,” Newt suggested. Harry reluctantly agreed. He stood inside the basilisks mouth, holding it open so you could see the hole left by the killing blow and the ruined eyes.

“Brilliant,” Newt finished. “I’ll get these cracking and go see Ted first thing Monday morning, if that works for you, Bill?”

“Sounds fine to me,” Bill responded.

Bill and Harry walked Newt and Padfoot back to the trunk and wished them farewell. Then, Harry shrunk his trunk, put it in his pocket, and headed back up with Bill. They used Harry and Dobby’s brooms to fly up, since Fawkes wasn’t there to give them a lift.

They made it back to Myrtle’s bathroom in short time. Harry shrunk the brooms and put them in his pocket, as well. Bill donned Harry’s invisibility cloak and they were off to the dungeons to see Snape.

They reached Snape’s door and stopped. Bill took off the cloak and passed it to Harry.

“Wait out here for me. I’ll call you in when we’re ready for you, alright?” Bill asked Harry. Harry agreed easily enough. Bill knocked on Snape’s office door. The dour man called, “Enter.” Bill flashed Harry a grin and went inside. Harry folded his invisibility cloak in his pocket, leaned against the wall, and settled in to wait.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Bill entered Snape’s office. Snape ignored him before looking up. It was obvious to see that Snape had been expecting a student, not an adult wizard.

“Weasley. What are you going here?” Snape said by way of greeting.

“Good to see you, too, Professor. Mind if I have a seat. I’ve come to negotiate with you on behalf of one of my Gringotts clients.”

Snape raised an eyebrow at him. He waved the man into a seat and said, “Go on.”

“I have a client who needs a basilisk rendered. It is rather large and might take some time. He is prepared to offer you 3% of the proceeds as payment,” Bill said, getting straight to the point.

“A basilisk, you say? There haven’t been fresh basilisk parts on the market for several years. The proceeds will be quite lucrative. 5% and 2% of the parts for my personal stores.”

Bill shook his head. “This basilisk is over 30 meters long and 3 meters wide. 3% and 1% of the parts for your personal stores.”

Snape stared at him for a moment then spat out, “Potter.”

Bill raised his eyebrows.

“I know the story the whelp has been spreading around. There’s no way the beast was that large. 4% and 2% of the parts for my personal stores.”

“I’ve seen it. It is that large. 4% and 1% for your personal stores. Another 1% of the parts for the school’s stores.”

Snape thought for a moment. The school's stores were his personal stores. He decided to agree. “Agreed. With the caveat that the brat helps me with the rendering. I’ll need someone to hold bottles and bags while I work.”

Bill thought for a moment then agreed. “Very well, as long as Harry agrees.”

Snape scoffed, “The boy will do as he’s told. He should have been expelled for destroying school property, not rewarded with proceeds for his destructive behavior.”

“You know the law as well as I do. The slayer is the owner. That’s just how it is.” Snape sneered at Bill’s words but didn’t argue.

“Harry,” Bill called. Harry opened the door and slipped inside. Bill removed the contracts and began filling in the relevant parts. “Harry, Snape has asked for you to help with the rendering. I hope you’ll agree. It’ll be a good learning experience.”

“What will I tell people I’m doing?” Harry asked, reluctant to agree to spending any more time than was necessary with Snape.

“You can tell them you have detention with me for destroying school property,” Snape said with a nasty smile.

Harry gave Bill a pleading look. Bill gave him a stern look in return. “Alright, I’ll do it.” Harry frowned as he replied. Snape ignored him.

They had just finished signing the documents when Snape’s floo flared to life.

“Severus! Come quickly. It’s the headmaster!” A distraught Poppy Pomfrey shouted into the room. She noticed Bill and said, “Please, come as well Bill. You might be able to help!”

Snape didn’t waste any time in rushing to the fireplace and running through. Bill was hot on his heels. Harry didn’t want to be left out, so he rushed after them and slid through the fireplace right before the connection closed. It was bedlam in the hospital wing.

Dumbledore was screaming, being held down on a hospital bed by Hagrid, who was sobbing. Poppy was shouting instructions at two house elves, who were trying desperately to help her. Severus was shouting to be heard over the din. Bill grabbed Poppy and shook her.

“Tell us what’s going on, Poppy. We can’t help if we don’t know what’s wrong.”

Poppy was trying to catch her breath and trying not to cry at the same time. She was barely coherent.

“The ring. Cursed. His hand. Don’t know. Can’t stop it. So much pain. Can’t help.” She lost her battle to keep her tears at bay.

Severus and Bill must have gotten enough out of that to understand some of what was happening. They both crowded around where a Dumbledore in pain was being held down by a wailing Hagrid.

They both started casting spells at once.

“A wasting curse,” Severus said.

“We’ll have to amputate,” Bill responded.

“I know a potion that might help but I’ll have to make it.”

“Go. I’ll hold it off as long as I can.”

With that Severus literally ran from the room.

“Poppy!” Bill shouted. “Come here. We have to amputate the arm.”

“Noooooo!” Wailed Dumbledore. “Not my wand arm!”

“We’ll have to stun him,” Bill said urgently. “There’s not much time. If it gets to his shoulder, he’s a goner.”

Dumbledore got a burst of strength from somewhere. He shoved Hagrid away and stood. He grabbed his wand from somewhere and brandished it at Bill.

“I WON’T LET YOU!” Bellowed Dumbledore. He started to move his wand to shoot off something nasty.

Harry wasn’t going to let anyone hurt Bill. Bill had done so much for him. He was like a brother to Harry. A beloved big brother.

Just as Bill sent off a stunner, Harry sent off an expelliarmus. Both spells hit the old man at the same time. He went flying back and his wand went flying out of his hand towards Harry. Harry caught the wand in midair. He felt a surge of magic as the wand heated in his arm and sent multicolored sparks flying out of the end.

There was no time to worry about what happened. Everyone else in the room was crouched over Dumbledore. Harry shoved the wand in his pocket with his cloak and moved forward.

“Help me get him back on the bed, Hagrid,” Bill said, hurriedly. Hagrid moved to comply.

“Get ready, Poppy. I’ll do the severing charm. You do the cauterization. At the same time. We have to stop the infected blood from flowing.”

The crying woman nodded. She took a deep breath to try to get herself under control. Despite her emotional state, her wand was steady.

“Move his arm so it’s held out straight, Hagrid. Don’t get in the way of these spells,” Bill warned.

“I don’t know. Dumbledore said …” Bill cut off the distraught man.

“If you want him to live, you’ll help us,” Bill said grimly. Hagrid didn’t hesitate any longer.

Harry stared in morbid fascination as Bill and Poppy cast their spells almost simultaneously. Dumbledore’s arm loped right off without a drop of blood being spilled.

Poppy started casting spells frantically. Hagrid burst out into renewed sobs. Dumbledore groaned despite the stunner. The black continued to spread up the severed arm.

“Harry,” Bill said urgently. Harry rushed forward. Bill picked up the severed arm. “I recognize this ring,” he whispered. “It’s one of the horcruxes. It won’t stop until it’s destroyed. Hurry. Take it to the chamber. Three drops of venom should do. You know how to milk a snake of it’s venom?”

Harry nodded. They had done this many times in potions class.

“Go, hurry. Three drops should do.” He grabbed Harry’s arm. “DON’T let the venom touch you. Go! Now!”

Harry grabbed the arm and ran. He ran so far so fast, he felt his lungs would explode. When he made it to Myrtle’s bathroom, he threw himself through the hole head first. He wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the breath to speak the word to open the Chamber.

The tunnel seemed to take forever to slide down. Harry landed with an oomph at the bottom. He jumped up and ran again. He slammed into the final door blocking the Chamber shut. He shouted the parseltongue words to open the Chamber and ran inside.

He skidded to a stop in front of the basilisk’s mouth. He forced it open and aimed well. Gently, he massaged the gums above one of the giant fangs and venom began to drip out. He adjusted his grip to make certain the drops fell on the ring. Holes opened up where the venom dripped on the rapidly cooling arm.

A horrific scream began to echo around the Chamber as the third drop fell on the ring. Harry had only heard anything like it once before in his life. It was in this very Chamber when Harry had stabbed the diary with the basilisk fang.

The sound seemed to go on forever; Harry just kept on dripping venom on the thing until the sound stopped. A huge crack appeared in the face of the stone set into the ring. When it finally did, Harry ran to the flowing water on the floor and dipped the arm in. It cleansed the venom off of the hand. Harry ripped the ring from the half dissolved finger and threw it in his pocket. He wasn’t sure if Bill would need it again.

He threw the dead arm on the ground and pulled his broom from his pocket. He resized the broom and jumped on it. He shoved his hand in his pocket and put the ring inside. It was the same pocket that held the wand and the cloak. Harry didn’t even notice the surge of magic nor the heat that emanated from the pocket, followed by a deathly cold. He was too busy focusing on getting back to the hospital wing.

Harry burst out of the opening to the Chamber. He barely paused to close it before speeding off down the hallway. He didn’t get off his broom. He took the corners and stairways at breakneck speed. Thankfully, he didn’t run into anyone. He slammed to a stop outside the hospital wing, jumped off the broom, and ran inside. He was just in time to see Snape force a sickly yellow potion down the Headmaster’s unresponsive throat.

“Did you do it?” Bill asked him. Harry nodded. He couldn't speak yet. He needed to catch his adrenaline fueled breath first.

“Good. It’s in fate’s hands now.”

They stood watching the headmaster for a few moments. Color returned to his checks. The black spider web pattern did not spread up what remained of his arm onto his chest. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Hagrid and Poppy stopped crying, though they were both still wiping their noses.

A half hour went by and the Headmaster’s condition didn’t change, which was a good sign.

“I think we stopped it in time,” Bill said calmly.

Severus agreed. “There’s nothing we can do now. Hagrid, stay with him. I shall return to check on him later.”

“I had better go, too,” Bill said. “Please keep me informed as to how he’s doing, Poppy.” The mediwitch nodded. “Harry?” Harry turned to Bill who motioned with his head for Harry to follow him.

“Well, that was exciting.” He said when they were alone again. “I hate to do it but we still need to get the diadem from the Come and Go Room.

Harry looked at Bill dubiously. “I know,” Bill said, sounding shaky. “I don’t want to worry about it right now either but I have to get back to Egypt and I need to take that thing with me. Come on. I’ll show you how the room works.”

Harry followed Bill up to the seventh floor. Now that Dumbledore knew he was here, Bill wasn’t trying to hide his presence anymore. They arrived at the blank stretch of wall across from the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy, teaching trolls ballet. Harry gave the portrait a strange look then turned his strange look onto Bill.

Bill was pacing in front of the blank wall. Suddenly, a door appeared. Harry gasped. There were many strange things at Hogwarts, but invisible rooms were a new one to him.

“You have to pace back and forth three times in front of this stretch of wall while thinking of what you want to find,” Bill said with a small grin. He opened the door with a flourish.

Inside was a giant room that went on as far as the eye could see. It was covered wall-to-wall with junk. Some of it was relatively nice stuff. Some of it was old and broken. Some of it was just plain old but it was still fascinating to see.

Bill looked out into the room a little dejectedly. “It’s bigger than I remembered. It’s going to take us forever to find the diadem in this.”

“What if we called Dobby and Twinky to help?” Harry suggested. The elves were great at finding things.

“Good idea, Harry. Do you mind calling them?”

Harry called for the elves. They immediately appeared. They looked around the room in wonder.

“What cans we be doing for you, sirs?” Dobby asked.

“Is we to be cleaning this room?” Twinky asked with a manic gleam in her eyes.

“No!” Harry said, emphatically. “We need you to help us find something. Bill can you show them?”

Bill nodded. He pulled the parchment out of his pocket. He showed the elves the image of the diadem on the ugly bust.

“We’re looking for this,” Bill said.

The elves nodded. “Yes, Mr. Bill. We cans be helping yous find it.”

With that, the four split up and started searching. It took almost two hours of searching before Dobby shouted.

“I thinks I be finding it, Mr. Bill. Please come see.” Dobby’s voice echoed in the cavern.

Bill shouted in the void. “Send up sparks, Dobby. We’ll all come to you.”

Dobby sent up blue sparks. Within 15 minutes, all of the group had assembled in front of an ugly bust on top of a broken looking cabinet. A tarnished bronze diadem with deep blue gems sat on top.

“That’s it!” Shouted Harry excitedly. He was so glad the searching was over. He was exhausted from the adrenaline crash from earlier. He just wanted to go back to his trunk and go to sleep.

“That it is,” Bill said just as excitedly. He carefully levitated it into a magic null bag and put it back in his pocket. He would be much more careful about touching the horcruxes after he saw what happened to Dumbledore’s arm.

“We can go now,” Bill said tiredly. Harry was already heading for the door when Twinky called out.

“Wait! If all this stuff is being junk no one wants, could Dobby and I be staying and going through it? There is being many used bookses in here. Mr. Remus asked Dobby and Twinky to always be on the lookout for used bookses.”

“Yes,” Dobby piped up. “There might be being other treasures that is being valuable in here, too. Goblinses is being teaching Dobby to always look for unwanted treasures for his master. Could we please?”

Bill laughed. “Have at it. No one wants the stuff in here. You can search to your heart’s content.”

“Is there being anything you wants Dobby and Twinky to be looking for for you, Mr. Bill?” Twinky asked, solicitous.

“If you come across any dragonhide clothes, I’d love those, but otherwise no.”

“This cabinet is being broken but it is a door that opens somewhere else. It is not being safe here in Hogywarts.” Twinky said wrinkling her nose at the cabinet the bust had been sitting on.

Bill blinked. “We can’t have that,” he said. He cast a quick blasting hex on the cabinet and it exploded into dust.

“There. Now, I’m heading out. Come on, Harry. I’ll walk you back to the tower and say hello to the kids.”

Bill and Harry walked back to Gryffindor tower. Bill popped in to say hello to his brothers and sister. Harry waited around to see him out. It only took a few minutes until Harry and Bill were back in Harry’s travel trunk, safely in Harry’s dorm room. Bill took the floo and left back for Padfoot and Remus’ place. Harry said a quick goodbye, then, as soon as Bill was gone, headed for his room.

He didn’t even think of the treasures in his pocket. Truth be told, he’d already forgotten completely about them. He left them in the pocket of his robe, which he threw in his bedroom floor.

Twinky found the robe the next morning. She moved the wand and the ring into the bottom drawer of Harry’s bedside table and put his invisibility cloak on the hook beside the door. The wand and the ring stayed forgotten about until well after Dumbledore got what was coming to him.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 18

Albus Dumbledore slept for three days before he awoke with a start. The trauma of being cursed by the blasted ring came rushing back to him. He reached over and felt his arm was gone. He sat up with a start. It really was gone.

He searched for his wand next. It was gone! The ring was gone, too! He had to find them. He was so close. He had recognized the ring for what it was the moment he had found it under the floorboard in the back bedroom of the Gaunt shack.

The stone in the ring was the resurrection stone. Dumbledore already owned the elder wand. He could easily get the cloak back from the Potter brat. Then, he would have finally accomplished his lifelong dream of becoming the lord of death. The deathly hallows were all three within his grasp but now he’d lost them.

He was still in the hospital wing. He shouted for Poppy. She came bustling over.

“Albus! Don’t stress yourself so. Let me check you over.” She didn’t wait for a by your leave. She just started casting. She sighed in relief.

“You’re alright, thank heavens. Are you in pain?” She asked him.

“No, you daft woman. I’m missing my arm. My wand arm. With my ring on it. My wand is also gone. Where are they? I want them back!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Albus. They’ve all been destroyed. Your wand must have still been in your hand when we amputated the arm. I’m so sorry,” she said with tears in her eyes. She had seen this before. People who were amputees needed to grieve their lost appendage. They often focused on unimportant details like jewelry or clothing. It was part of the shock of the loss.

“They couldn’t have. How did they destroy them? They were indestructible.”

“I’m not completely sure but they said they used some kind of venom. Basilisk, I think.”

“NO!” Albus cried out in grief. “Not basilisk venom. Call Severus. I must speak to him.”

In his distraught state, Albus couldn’t think of anyone who could have access to basilisk venom other than Severus. Albus had completely forgotten Bill was even present during his trauma. He never knew Harry was there at all.

Severus arrived a few short minutes later. Poppy let him in.

“It’s the trauma. He’s in shock. Just assure him it’s gone and there’s nothing we can do to bring it back. He needs to accept it so he can grieve and begin to heal,” she whispered to the cranky potions professor. He had been wrist deep in some of his new basilisk parts.”

“Do you have basilisk venom, Severus?” Dumbledoe asked urgently. He wasn’t thinking clearly through his panic.

Severus blinked. Severus assumed the man knew that Harry was selling off the parts to the basilisk he’d killed. “Yes,” Severus said slowly, drawing out the word.

“Is it gone? Is it really gone?” The man asked desperately.

Severus looked as sympathetic as he was capable of, which wasn’t very sympathetic at all. “Yes,” he said firmly, assuming the headmaster meant his arm.

“Can’t you get it back? It can’t be destroyed?” Dumbledore meant the ring and his wand but he wasn’t making much sense.

Severus thought Dumbledore meant his arm. “No. It’s gone. It was destroyed completely. We can’t get it back,” he said sternly.

“But Severus! My wand!”

Severus thought the man was complaining about using his nondominant hand to perform magic.

“It is a setback but you’ll just have to learn to use the other.”

Dumbledore thought the man meant his other wand. The wand he owned before he won the elder wand from Gellert.

“But it won’t be the same!” Dumbledore wailed.

“I think he needs a calming draft,” Poppy mumbled to herself. She was so distraught she accidentally grabbed dreamless sleep instead.

“No, it won’t be but you will adjust. You are a powerful wizard. You must learn to go on,” Severus said, without pity. If Alastor Moody could continue catching dark wizards with a peg leg, then Albus Dumbledore could learn to lead brats and politick without his wand arm.

Poppy shoved the dreamless sleep potion into Dumbledore’s gaping mouth. He wanted to argue more but he couldn’t. He passed out before he could say anymore.

“Oh, dear. I think I gave him the wrong one,” she said, worriedly. Severus just shook his head, turned on his heel, and left the hospital wing.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Ted Tonks was a happy man. He was proud of his family name but he was also proud to now be considered a Potter. Doors were opening for him that had been shut to a no-name muggleborn. One door that was easily opened for him now was the door to Amelia Bones.

Newt Scamander had contacted Ted two days ago saying he was ready to testify as to Hagrid’s innocence about the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. Rather than getting on the docket and waiting months for a trial date, Ted was now able to give Amelia a firecall and ask for a meeting.

That’s right, Amelia. Ted ws now on a first name basis with the head of the DMLE.

Amelia had cleared out her morning schedule after a very short two day wait and then Ted was in. Himself, Newt, and Hagrid had strolled right in for tea. Hagrid told the sorry tale of his railroading. Newt testified as to the nature and age of the basilisk, as well as the nature and age of the acromantula that supposedly petrified multiple students and killed another. Ted testified and provided proof of who Tom Riddle really was, namely Voldemort, and it was done. Fanny’s your aunt and Hagrid’s name and record were cleared before lunch. The lovable brute even got reparations in the sum total of 100 galleons.

He tried to pay Ted but Ted refused. He explained that he was on retainer for Harry Potter. Hagrid had burst into tears about good ole Harry, always doing what was right and good. Ted couldn’t help but agree.

He’d explained to Hagrid that Harry had already arranged for a tutor to help Hagrid achieve his OWLs. Once that was done, Hagrid would be a fully qualified wizard. He had the right to a wand right away, of course, but he wouldn’t be able to freely use it until he’d gained his OWL qualifications.

He’d treated Newt and Hagrid to lunch, where they had bonded over loving deadly creatures. Ted left them to it and headed back to the office to share the good news.

He firecalled his new favorite cousin, Padfoot, as soon as he got back to the office.

“Good news, Padfoot! Hagrid’s name is cleared. He’s ready to begin tutoring as soon as your Remus is ready to start training him. Good luck with that, I say,” Ted finished, cheerfully.

“Did you hear that, Remus?” Padfoot barked. “Hagrid’s in the clear! You can start training him up as soon as you like.”

Remus budged Padfoot over and sunk down next to the fire, as well.

“Is he truly? I would have expected it to take more time than that.”

“Newt Scamander’s testimony was accepted without question. Amelia took care of the whole thing personally. It’s a done deal,” Ted said with a grin.

“Glad the wheels of justice can turn quickly for someone,” Padfoot said, sarcastically.

Ted nodded in sympathy. “Too right, friend. I can’t stick around. Just wanted to let you know. You’ll let Bill and Harry know, won’t you?” Ted asked.

“We will,” Remus answered. “Thanks for letting us know. I”ll send Hagrid an owl to set things up.”

“You do that. I think he was going to go buy a new wand today,” Ted replied.

He said his goodbyes and whistled as he worked for the remainder of the day.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 19

Albus Dumbledore was furious. Things were getting out of hand. Not only had he lost 60% of the profits from his Harry Potter franchise, but he had also lost the rights to write anymore books or put out any more products.

To make matters even worse, he’d lost the deathly hallows when he’d been so close to reuniting them. He’d lost his plan to have Harry confront Voldemort this year. To top it all, he’d lost control of his gamekeeper. Somehow, while Dumbledore was sleeping off the loss of his arm, Hagrid’s name had been cleared and he’d been reinstated as a wizard in good standing.

The man had even managed to find himself a tutor and was working towards his OWLs as we speak! Charlie Weasley had already reached out to the man about a spot on the dragon preserve when he was through. There would be no stopping Hagrid now, Dumbledore fumed.

He had to get things back under his control. He needed a new way to put Harry in Tom Riddle’s path again this year. He had just the plan to do it, too.

He stared morosely at his plain, old pine wood and phoenix feather wand, held in his left hand. What he liked to call his sad hand. He’d have to learn many of his impressive magics all over again, now that he would need to do the wand movements backwards and without the powerful elder wand. He knew the wand was gone because he couldn’t feel any connection to it anymore. Of course, he didn’t know Harry Potter had won the wand’s allegiance by disarming him but it wouldn’t have mattered if he did. The wand was gone to him.

Instead, Dumbledore would have to focus on his new plan. He knew exactly where Slytherin’s locket, one of Voldemort’s remaining horcruxes, was located. It was at the Black house in London. It would be hard to get in, no doubt, but Dumbledore was determined. He knew just who he’d give it to, too. Susan Bones. Amelia needed to pay for stealing away Albus’ gamekeeper and loyal stooge.

Yes, all he needed to do was get the locket.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Bill Weasley was feeling pretty good about himself. He was doing great at his job, which was his life’s passion. He had been earning consultant fees out the wahoo. He had cracked one of the tombs at the Pyramid Complex of Unas. He had even gotten to watch the death match between Harnock and Agrott. Harnock won and was even well enough afterwards to celebrate the victory and keep working, a miracle in and of itself.

Best of all, Bill had just made a nice 2.5% commission, half of the 5% commission paid to Gringotts, off of the sale of the basilisk Harry had slain. 75,000 galleons richer looked good on Bill Weasley. Best of all, Gringotts was happy with him as an employee. That was rare for a wizard to achieve.

Bill looked at the time. It was 7pm in Scotland right now. He decided to call Harry and give him the good news.

“Hey, Harry!” Bill said, as soon as Harry answered. “How are things?”

Harry grinned at Bill’s good mood. “Good, Bill. But not as good as you, obviously. How are you?”

“I’m fantastic. I just left the basilisk auction. You are a very lucky man.”

Harry looked intrigued. “Oh really? How much did it go for?”

“Three million galleons. Your percentage is 1.5 million galleons, plus 10% of the basilisk parts, as requested.”

“No way! That’s amazing, Bill!” Harry said enthusiastically.

“What will Ron, Ginny, and Hermione get?”

“Well, with 7 victims, including Filch’s cat, Moaning Myrtle, and Ginny, and Ron as coconspirator they’ll get 75,000 galleons each.”

“I’ve got to tell Ron. He’ll flip!” Harry crowed.

Bill laughed. “That he will. I bet he’s never even dreamed of having that kind of money.”

“Well, maybe he’s dreamed of it, but now he’ll actually have it. When will the funds be available to them?”

“They already are. I set up vaults for each of the victims with their share in it. I’ll contact the rest of the victims this week. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione should get their keys tomorrow. Mum will probably make Ron and Ginny save most of theirs but that’s for the best.”

“Yeah, probably,” Harry agreed. “Will you help me order the brooms for the school?”

“Yeah, no problem. I’ll contact Nimbus for the quidditch brooms and Clean Sweep for the school brooms. How’s that sound? We can get Ted to present the brooms and the trust for the school as soon as the brooms are ready.”

“That’s perfect,” Harry said, grinning from ear to ear. He couldn’t wait to see the looks on everyone’s faces.

“Can you have him come during dinner? I want to see everyone’s faces.”

Bill laughed. “That shouldn’t be a problem. Snape will get his key tomorrow, too. Watch his face to see how he reacts. He’s getting 120,000 galleons. He might just quit.”

“That would be a dream come true,” Harry chuckled.

“How are things going with the,” Harry looked around to make sure no one was nearby, “horcrux hunting.”

“Stalled, I’m afraid. We only have two more to go. The snake and the locket. I’m not sure where the locket is and I’m not sure how to find the snake. All I know is it’s in Valbone forest in Albania. I’m not sure how to find it since I’m sure it’s moving around,” Bill sighed.

“Maybe I can help?” Harry asked. Bill looked at him questioningly.

“Hello,” Harry said sarcastically. “Parseltongue. Snakes like to gossip about other snakes. If we gave them some food and promised more food if they gave us good information, we’d probably have the thing in a week.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Bill said pensively. “Let’s try it. Can I steal you away from family time this Sunday? We could pop over and try it out, see what we can find.”

“Yeah, sure. Anything for you, Bill. You’re my big brother, afterall,” Harry said with a wink.

“You’re right about that. You’re almost as much trouble as the twins. Welcome to being an honorary Weasley,” Bill joked.

They chatted for a few more minutes, then ended their call. Harry wondered if he’d need a jacket in Albania.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Albus Dumbledore found himself to be a mastermind genius. Finding the Black house had been simple. Dumbledore had been to the home once before, and because it was not under a Fidelius Charm, it was easy to locate again.

There were wards on the home but it had not been inhabited by any wizards for some time, so they were well degraded. Albus relatively easily found his way in through the back door. The only obstacle inside the house was a half-crazed, elderly house elf. Dumbledore meant to stun the poor thing but it was resistant. A quick severing charm saw the little thing’s head fall right off its shoulders. Albus noticed a line of house elf heads on the wall, so he attached the head so his deed would be less noticable. A quick banishing charm on the rest of the remains and Dumbledore felt he was good to go.

He wasn’t sure exactly where to look for the locket. He hoped it was still in residence. The place looked pretty picked over. Little did Dumbledore know that Padfoot and Remus had gone through the home several times, removing anything of value. Padfoot’s dream was to burn the place down. As soon as he finished cleansing all the dark artifacts from the place, Padfoot intended to do exactly that. Padfoot had no idea there was a horcrux hidden inside the house.

Dumbledore searched for hours with no luck. He was almost ready to give up, when he had an idea. The house elf. It was too late to ask the thing if it knew where the locket was located but it wasn’t too late to search the elf’s hovel.

Dumbledore searched all the closets in the house. He hit pay dirt when he searched the closet in the back of a storage room behind the kitchen. The door was small and barely came to Dumbledore’s knees. It was hidden behind the broiler. Inside was a nest of old rags and ripped pillows. Under one of the pillows, Dumbledore found what he had been looking for - Slytherin’s locket.

He grinned to himself as he gingerly picked up the thing with one of the dank clothes that formed the nest. Dumbledore had learned his lesson about touching any of the horcruxes. He slipped the locket into his pocket and left the residence quickly.

A quick call to his phoenix, and Dumbledore was back in his office, lickety split.

Now all he needed to do was slip the locket to the Bones girl and his next plan for bringing Tom Riddle and Harry Potter into contact with one another would be underway.

The next morning at breakfast, Susan Bones received a package from a nondescript, brown barn owl. The package contained what was a truly ugly, gaudy necklace. Normally, the somewhat fashion conscious Susan would never have worn the piece of jewelry. However, a well placed compulsion charm had her slipping it over her neck without much thought. Once the necklace was on her neck, it had a will of its own to stay there.

Dumbledore saw the girl slip the locket around her head and smiled. The game was on.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 20

Sunday rolled around and Harry Potter was preparing for another adventure. He was waiting patiently at Padfoot and Remus’ travel trunk for his pseudo big brother to arrive and take him to Albania. They were going snake hunting.

Remus and Padfoot were planning to join the hunt. More wands were better when dealing with a potentially possessed snake. Bill arrived and the group was ready to head out to Gringotts to grab their international portkey. They arrived in Albania within the hour.

Bill cast a summoning charm and a few snakes appeared. They were spitting mad about being distrubed but Bill had a plan for that. He threw a couple of mice to each snake. Snakes are pretty food motivated, so they forgave him easily.

“What are they saying, Harry?” Remus asked about the clump of hissing and spitting snakes.

“They’re still grumbling about being disturbed. Best throw a few more mice out there, Bill. They won’t stick around for long unless you do.”

Bill complied. “Ask them about the snake. From the picture, it looked like an Adder. It will probably be larger than normal. They usually grow about 80 cm long. I’d guess it’s probably closer to 200 cm long.”

“Ssssssstupid humanssssssss. I almosssssst had a juicy rabbitssssss,” one snake complained.

“I had jussssssst found a mate. Now, he’ll be gone longsssssssss before I find my basssssssking rock again,” another snake griped.

“They had better give me sssssssome more micccccccccce or I’ll bite themsssssssss,” another snake threatened.

“Hey, guyssssssss,” Harry hissed. The female snake sat up, affronted. “Er, and ladiesssssss,” Harry quickly added. “Do you want some more food? We can get some rabbitssssss if you’ll help ussssss.” Harry said, trying to entice the snakes.

They looked up, interested.

“A sssssssspeaker,” one snake hissed.

“I’ve heard legendsssssss,” the female snake hissed, “but I didn’t believe themssssssss.”

“Rabbitsssssss?” A third snake asked, only interested in more food.

“Yesssssss, rabbitssssssss,” Harry promised. “Have you ssssssseeen an Adder that sssssseemsssssss ssssssstrange? It would be very large and very sssssssssmart?”

The snakes all reared back and began hissing angrily.

“That jerksssssssss.”

“I’ve ssssssseen himssssssss.”

“He won’t eat juiccccccy rabbitsssssssss.”

“No, he eatssssss only fellow sssssssnakessssss.”

“Have you come to killssssssss him?” Asked the female snake. “He atessssss all my nessssssstlingsssssss lassssssst sssssssseason.”

Harry looked at the other three wizards. “We’re getting somewhere.” He turned back to the snakes.

“Yessssssss. We will killsssssss him. Do you know where he isssssssss?”

The snakes whispered amongst themselves. A spokesperson spoke for the group.

“Yesssssss. We will ssssssshow you his den if you givesssssss us three juicccccccy rabbitssssss each,” the snake said shrewdly.

Harry turned to the wizards.

“They said they’ll show us the snake’s den if we give them three juiccccccy, sorry, juicy, rabbits each.”

The wizards looked at each other.

“Deal,” said Bill.

“He’s been making enemies. He only eats other snakes and ate an entire nest of nestlings last year.”

“Just goes to show, don’t turn on your own,” Padfoot said, thinking of Peter’s fate.

“Too right,” said Remus, thinking of the same.

Harry turned back to the snakes.

“Dealsssssss.”

The snakes did a strange wiggling little dance.

“Rabbitsssssss firssssssst,” said the spokesman.

“One rabbitsssssss now, two when you sssssssshow us hisssssss denssssss,” Harry negotiated.

The snakes conferred. “You only needssssss one of us to sssssssshow you the den.”

Harry thought for a moment then agreed.

“I’ll come withsssssss you to sssssssshow the den, the othersssssssss get their rabbitsssssss now. I get four rabbitsssssss when I sssssssshow you the den and one rabbitssssssss now.”

Harry quickly agreed.

“Give this one,” Harry said, pointing to the spokes snake, “one rabbit now. He’ll get four more after he shows us the den. The others get three now and then they get to leave.”

The other wizards agreed and began summoning rabbits. There were six snakes in total. The rabbit population of the woods was really going to take a hit.

It was a feeding frenzy for a few minutes. Once the snakes had eaten their fill, most of them could barely slither to the surrounding rocks for basking. Harry ignored them and approached the spokesman snake, who also just happened to be the biggest. Harry put his arm down and let the snake crawl up on him.

“We will fly to the densssssss,” he hissed at the snake. The wizards had all brought brooms. They didn’t want to tip off the possessed snake by letting it feel the vibrations of their approach. The wizards climbed on brooms and they were off. Harry was leading the pack.

They slowly flew for around a half an hour with Harry and the snake in the lead.

“Heressssssss” the snake shouted, pointing at a small cave. Harry slowed the broom to a stop.

“Here,” Harry whispered, pointing at the cave.

The three adult wizards landed softly and surrounded the cave.

“We’ll smoke him out,” Bill whispered. Bill, Padfoot, and Remus began casting smoke charms at the entrance.

A few minutes later, a giant Adder burst out of the opening of the cave. The wizards didn’t hesitate. They all began casting blasting and severing charms at the beast without giving quarter.

It only took a minute for the snake to explode into chunks. A horrid, unearthly scream filled the clearing. The snake on Harry’s arm jumped in fright and almost fell to the ground. Harry’s seeker skills saved it from a nasty fall.

“Thanksssssss,” the snake said, in relief.

“Don’t mention itssssssss,” Harry responded.

“You can come down now, Harry,” Remus called once Padfoot in dog form had verified the snake was truly dead. He might have chewed on the head for a moment, just to make sure.

Harry landed and let the snake down onto the ground. It did the funny little snake dance again.

“Yesssssssss. The menacccccccce is dead,” the snake said as it did the dance. “Now, for my rabbitsssssssssss.”

Harry turned to Bill and asked him to give the snake his four rabbits. Bill happily complied, while Remus began to banish the pieces of snake carcass. Padfoot helped by eating some of the pieces. It grossed Harry out to see it.

A few minutes later their business was done.

“Six down, one to go. All we have left is the locket,” Bill said happily. He showed the image of the locket to the other three wizards.

“Keep your eyes out for it. The only clue we have is this glass case and the number 12,” Bill said in confusion.

The other three wizards drew a blank but promised to keep thinking about it. With a quick portkey, they were back at Gringotts’ London branch. Bill said goodbye to the other three and headed back to Egypt. Remus, Padfoot, and Harry headed back to Hogsmeade to finish up their Sunday family funday. It was good to spend time with family before the start of the new week.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

On Wednesday, Harry had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. He was in a particularly good mood. Hermione had given him another hug in the pool yesterday. It made Harry’s day. It might make his week. He wasn’t sure what was going on but he was finding his best friend more interesting all the time.

Today, he was working with Susan Bones on repotting Leaping Toadstools. They were slippery things. It was easy to lose hold of them. That made it a fun assignment. Susan was a fun and friendly person. Harry was looking forward to working with her on the project.

Unfortunately, Susan didn’t seem to be herself today.

“Out of the way,” she snarled at Neville Longbottom, whom she was usually very friendly with.

She literally shoved Hannah Abbott, who was her best friend.

She stared coldly at Harry when she reached his pot. “Get the dirt, Potter,” she hissed. She never called him Potter. Harry moved to get the dirt with his eyebrows raised. He didn’t want to be jumped onto by the angry girl.

They didn’t talk while they worked. One toadstool leaped out of her hand. She caught it in midair and crushed it, growling all the while. Harry leaped back to avoid the splooge.

“What’s gotten into you today?” Harry asked Susan, concerned.

“Maybe being forced to work with half bloods like you is my problem,” Susan spat back at Harry.

Harry was shocked. Susan had never cared about blood status before.

She leaned over to pick up another pot of toadstools for repotting when the locket fell out of her robes. Harry recognized it immediately. It was too gaudy to miss.

“Where did you get that locket?” Harry asked urgently.

Susan shoved it back into her robes then shoved Harry. “None of your business, Potty. Do you get your kicks looking down girls’ robes?”

Harry didn’t say anything but he was in a panic. Susan might already be possessed by the vile horcrux. He had to get help!

As soon as class was over, Harry hurried over to the lake and called Bill. He didn’t care if he was late to his next class. It was History of Magic, so no one would care, really.

“Bill Weasley!” Harry shouted at the mirror.

It took a few minutes for Bill to answer. When he did, his face showed his concern. Harry could see a tomb in the background. Bill must have been working.

“Harry? What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be in class right now?” Bill asked both concerned and chidingly.

“I saw it, Bill. The locket! Susan Bones is wearing it. I think she’s possessed.”

Bill looked shocked. “Susan Bones? How on Earth did she get it? Stay away from her, Harry. I’ll get there as soon as I can.” With that, the call ended.

Harry walked slowly to History of Magic. How did Susan end up with the locket?

Bill didn’t arrive until dinnertime. He came bursting into the great hall followed by Madam Bones and three of her aurors. Harry watched with interest as they approached Susan.

Susan saw them coming and tried to run. Bill stunned her as Madam Bones screamed.

“DON’T HURT HER!”

Susan fell to the floor but was relatively unscathed. Madam Bones began casting spells on her and gasped.

“Get that necklace off of her. It’s dark magic!”

Bill moved to do the removal. He used a magic null bag to grip the thing then slipped it inside. Dumbledore came hurrying over. The success of his plan was all he could think of.

“What’s the meaning of this. Unhand my student!” He said, commandingly. He couldn’t let them find the locket.

“Your student? I think you mean my niece!” Madam Bones said snidely in return. She gently turned Susan over onto her back. The aurors had theirs wands out, pointed at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore noticed the locket was missing.

“Where’s the locket?” He blurted out before he could think better of it. He winced. He hoped no one had caught what he’d said. It was not his lucky day. Both Bill and Madam Bones had heard him, as had half the great hall.

“How did you know about the locket?” Madam Bones asked viciously. Bill had his wand out now, too. He was behind Dumbledore.

Dumbledore tried to play innocent. “What locket?”

“You’re under arrest for suspicion of using dark artifacts on a minor!” Madam Bones bellowed. The aurors tried to take Dumbeldore into custody but he was still a match for them. He had his wand out in his left hand before they could take a single step. Unfortunately for Dumbledore, Bill shot him in the back with a stunner before he could start casting spells. Dumbledore fell forward onto his large conk with a crack. Bill winced at the sound of breaking bone.

The aurors rushed forward and slapped one magic suppression cuff to Dumbledore’s only remaining wrist and removed his wand. They floated the man out of the Great Hall and disappeared.

Madam Bones floated Susan up and looked to the head table.

“Poppy? Can you come check her, please?” Madam Bones asked calmly. She was a seasoned officer of the law. She would not panic.

Poppy hurried over to follow Madam Bones to the hospital wing. Bill put his wand away. He went to speak with Professor McGonagall, then turned back to the students.

“Everyone,” Professor McGonagall said as she stood, “please finish your dinner and return to your common rooms.”

The students turned back to their food and began to gossip, mightily. None of them knew what was going on but it was exciting news anyway.

Bill went over to the Gryffindor table and sat between Harry and Ron. The twins and Percy came over to see what was happening. Ginny hurried over, too. She didn’t want to miss anything.

“Did you get it?” Harry asked urgently. Bill nodded, then tried to change the subject.

“How’s classes?”

Ginny squawked in indignation.

“You want to talk about classes? The Headmaster was just arrested! What happened?” Ginny asked loudly.

“Not here,” Bill said. “Let’s go to Harry’s trunk.”

The students were too excited to hear the news to keep eating. They all jumped up to follow Bill out of the hall. Even Ron only grabbed a few rolls, shoved them full of meat and cheese quickly, and followed the group. They made their way quickly to Gryffindor tower and up to Harry’s dorm room. In just a minute, they were in Harry’s trunk.

They all sat down around the kitchen table, where Twinky provided some nibblies and tea.

“Talk,” Ginny said imperiously.

“I’m not sure what the Headmaster has to do with anything but Susan Bones was possessed by a dark artifact. Harry here spotted it this morning and told me. I got Madam Bones and came here as soon as I could,” Bill revealed.

“What sort of dark artifact?” Percy asked.

“A dangerous one,” Bill said seriously.

“It sounded like the Headmaster …”

“Might have given it to her …”

“Or at least knew she had it.” Fred and George said finishing one another’s sentences.

“It looked like,” Harry agreed.

“I’ll be very interested to hear his part in all this,” Bill said, his suspicion was that the twins were correct. Dumbledore must know about the horcruxes. First, he had the ring. Then, the locket appeared right under his nose and apparently with his knowledge. Bill was feeling very suspicious of the man, indeed.

“Will Susan be okay?” Asked Hermione.

Bill sighed. “I hope so. I think she will be, once the item is cleansed of dark magic. I plan to take care of it tonight.”

“Why you?” Asked Ron.

“Because I’m an expert cursebreaker, punk,” Bill said in reply.

Ron laughed. “Oh yeah. I forget that sometimes.”

Bill shook his head.

They group talked for a few more minutes before they trundled out of Harry’s trunk. They walked Bill down to the door of the common room together and said their goodbye’s. Bill didn’t want to give away Harry’s floo capabilities to Percy. He loved the git but he knew he was definitely the type to tattle.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 21

Two weeks later was the date set for Albus Dumbledore’s trial. He had refused to answer any questions while in custody. Amelia Bones knew she would have to use veritaserum to get any answers out of the old coot but she also knew she’d only get permission to use it during a full trial. She was determined to get answers about how her niece had come into possession of such a dangerous and deadly dark artifact.

Bill got permission for Harry to attend the trial. They sat in the front row behind Ted Tonks, who was hired as the special prosecutor for the trial. He had had to pull several strings and call in favors to get the job. He was determined to get answers out of the old codger. Dumbledore played games with the lives and well being of children and Ted would see him held accountable.

Dumbledore was brought out and set into the defendant’s chair. The chains rattled but didn’t wrap around him. They were intent based and would only chain someone to the chair if they had the intent to flee or if they were ordered to do so by the head of the DMLE.

Madam Bones had to recuse herself from acting as prosecutor because she had a conflict of interest. She felt confident that Ted would do a good job trying the case. She sat merely as a voting member of the Wizengamot, instead of in her role as head of the DMLE.

“All Rise, the honorable Griselda Marchbanks presiding, as Chief Witch of the Wizengamot,” the bailiff called.

Everyone stood while Griselda slowly made her way into the chamber.

“You may be seated,” the bailiff called.

“We are here today to try the case against Albus Dumbledore, who is accused of knowingly using, or allowing to be used, a dark artifact on a minor child under his care. Mr. Tonks, please present your case.”

“Thank you, Madam Marchbanks. We are here today because a vaunted Headmaster abused his authority by allowing a dark artifact to enter the possession of a child under his care. Albus Dumbledore allowed an accursed locket, known as Slytherin’s Locket, to enter the possession of Susan Bones, a Hogwarts student. The locket was a horcrux, a dark magic soul shard phylactory, infected with a soul piece from an evil wizard.” Everyone gasped at this piece of news, including Dumbledore. He didn’t expect them to find out what type of dark magic had been infecting the locket. At least they didn’t seem to know the soul piece belonged to Voldemort.

“Susan Bones was possessed by the soul shard. She received extensive magical damage and remains in Saint Mungo’s to this day. While she is expected to recover, she has experienced a significant ordeal that caused her great pain and suffering. She is only 13 years old.”

The audience and the Wizengamot members became restless at this statement. Children were held as sacred in the Wizarding World. Harm to one of the young was considered a heinous crime.

“Albus Dumbledore was heard asking after the locket prior to the item becoming general knowledge in front of Madam Bones and three aurors, Bill Weasley, whom we will hear from later, and in front of the entire student body. Albus Dumbledore had no way of knowing that the locket was the dark artifact possessing Susan Bones, unless he had prior knowledge of Susan’s possession of the artifact. Our case will show that Albus Dumbledore knowingly allowed the item to enter Hogwarts and to fall into the possession of Susan Bones. He did nothing to help this poor child and instead allowed her to be harmed for reasons unknown.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tonks. Mr. Dumbledore, please give your opening statement,” said Griselda.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, friends and colleagues. I am but one man overseeing over 1000 students. The school wards should have alerted me to the entrance of such a dark artifact onto the school grounds, yet they did not. There are over 500 rooms in Hogwarts castle. Rooms filled with secrets even I do not know. It is possible the locket in question, an artifact known as Slytherin’s Locket, has been in residence within Hogwarts walls since the time of the founders. I am deeply saddened by the harm that came to Susan Bones but my case will show I had no foreknowledge of Susan’s possession of such a dark artifact, which seems to have appeared from parts unknown. Since Susan is unable to be with us here today, we might never know how she obtained the artifact. This is a sad fact that we will all have to accept. But there is light at the end of this dark tunnel. The artifact has been destroyed and Susan will recover. That is what we should be focused upon rather than this absurd attempt to cast blame where there is none.”

Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore. Prosecution, call your first witness.”

“The Prosecution calls Bill Weasley to the stand.”

Bill approached the witness stand and took a seat.

“Will you submit to questioning under veritaserum?”

“Yes, I will.” The veritaserum was administered.

“Could you tell us your expert opinion about the type of dark magic involved in the locket?”

“Certainly, I did several tests, of which I have a copy here.” Bill gave a copy of the test results to Ted. Ted waved his wand and distributed copies to all the wizengamot members. He also blew up a copy and attached it to the wall for everyone to see.

“As you can see, the results showed a level XX9 dark attachment to the locket. Items in this category are determined to be dark soul magic. I further performed the test below. It showed the item to be a horcrux.”

“Can you explain to us what a horcrux is?” Ted asked.

Bill replied, “A horcrux occurs when a wizard commits the willful murder of an innocent. The murder, when combined with a specific ritual, causes the soul of the castor to shatter. The soul piece that has broken off from the whole can then be placed in an phylactory for storage.”

“And what is the purpose of a soul phylactory?”

“The soul piece will anchor the dark wizard to this realm of existence after they die. They can then be resurrected with a necromantic ritual designed for that purpose.”

“Can you tell who the soul piece belongs to from the tests you performed?”

“No, I cannot.” Bill of course knew exactly who the soul piece belonged to; however, he did not come to that conclusion via the tests he performed. Ted had decided they would keep that information to themselves. People might not believe or want to believe that Lord Voldemort could return. This could seriously damage their case.

“Thank you, Bill. Finally, could you tell us what you saw and heard from Albus Dumbledore in relation to the locket today.”

Bill told the story from beginning to end, starting with when Harry contacted him and ending with Dumbledore asking about the locket when he should have had no knowledge of it.

“Mr. Dumbledore’s witness,” Ted said to the court.

“Mr. Dumbledore, would you like to cross examine the witness?”

“No, I have no questions for Bill. Thank you, Griselda,” Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. He was relying on his own testimony to save him.

“Next, I’d like to call Amelia Bones to the stand,” Ted said to Madam Marchbanks.

“You are dismissed, Mr. Weasley. Amelia Bones, please come to the witness stand,” Griselda said, officiously.

“Madam Bones, would you submit to questioning under Veritaserum?”

“Yes, I will.” The veritaserum was administered.

“You took sworn testimony from your niece about how she acquired the locket, did you not?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Could you tell us about the testimony you obtained?”

Dumbledore objected. “I object to this testimony on the grounds of hearsay. Susan Bones should be present to give her own testimony. She chose not to do so.”

Ted responded. “Madam Bones is an officer of the law. She took testimony under the procedures dictated by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.” He turned to Madam Bones.

“Was Susan’s testimony taken under the influence of veritaserum?”

“Yes, it was. Further, Susan did not choose not to attend these proceedings. She is still under the care of Healer Gershaw in Saint Mungo’s, where she is attempting to heal from her trying ordeal.” Madam Bones gave Dumbledore a vicious look.

“I’ll allow it,” Griselda ruled. “Please proceed, Mr. Tonks.”

Madam Bones provided a copy of the written and signed testimony from Susan while she was in her hospital bed. Ted distributed the copies.

“Please share the testimony with us.”

Madam Bones told the story exactly as it had been given to her by Susan.

Ted turned to the members of the Wizengamot, “As you can see, someone intentionally provided the locket to Susan. They either knew, or should have known, this accursed locket would cause Susan great harm. The person used a Hogwarts school owl to complete the delivery, and therefore must have been on the Hogwarts grounds. In your expert opinion, would you agree with this assessment, Madam Bones?”

“Yes, I would.”

“Thank you. Mr. Dumbledore, your witness.”

“Madam Bones, even if a Hogwarts school owl was utilized, and I highly doubt we can claim a nondescript, brown barn owl was Hogwarts’ own, isn’t it true anyone who was on the Hogwarts’ grounds could have sent the owl?”

Madam Bones gave Dumbledore a vicious smirk, “I didn’t state the owl was a ‘nondescript brown, barn owl’ during my testimony. However, you have accurately described the owl as Susan described it to me.”

Dumbledore froze. He hadn’t really been listening during Madam Bones’ testimony. He already knew what she was going to say. He’d been planning his own testimony instead. He snapped himself out of it.

“Could you please answer the question?”

“Yes, anyone on the Hogwarts ground could have sent the package.”

“Thank you, no further questions,” Dumbledore said. He didn’t show it on the outside but he was flustered.

“Next, I’d like to call Harry Potter to the stand,” Ted replied.

Hary approached the stand.

“Would you be willing to submit to questioning under veritaserum?”

“Yes, I would.”

Dumbledore objected. “Harry Potter does not have permission from his magical guardian to submit himself to questioning under veritaserum. As his magical guardian, I am afraid I will have to deny the request.” He tried not to sound smug but he failed.

Ted piped up, “Actually, I have signed, written permission from Harry Potter’s guardian, stating he may submit to questioning under veritaserum,” Ted said, providing a copy of the permission form to Madam Marchbanks.

“Harry’s guardian is a muggle, and therefore inappropriate to provide permission,” Dumbledore countered.

“Actually, this form states Mr. Bill Weasley is Harry’s physical and magical guardian,” Griselda replied.

“That’s impossible,” Dumbledore responded, becoming angry. “I have been acting as Harry’s magical guardian since I took possession of the boy after his parents’ death.”

Ted popped in, “‘Acting as’ is the key phrase there. You never had any legal authority to act as anything to Harry, nor did you have any authority to take possession of him, as you call it.”

“I am Albus Dumbledore,” he said imperiously. “I am the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Chief Mugwump of the ICW, and Headmaster of Hogwarts.”

“And none of that gave you authority to kidnap a child. I have here a copy of the Potters’ wills, a copy of the form signed by Harry’s relatives giving Bill Weasley custody of Harry, and a copy of the signed and ministry approved document granting magical and physical custody of Harry Potter to Bill Weasley, per the precepts in his parents’ wills.”

Ted provided the copies to Madam Marchbanks. Dumbledore was stunned. How had they gotten a copy of the Potters’ wills? Dumbledore had sealed the copies in the ministry himself. No one could open them but himself.

“How did you get a copy of the Potters’ wills?” Dumbledore asked, dumbfounded.

“From the gobins, I believe,” Ted said, in triumph. “Further,” Ted continued. “Albus Dumbledore did not do his duty as guardian. He did not check in on Harry, who was knowingly left with magic hating muggles. Harry was starved, beaten, locked in a cupboard, and locked in a room with bars on the windows and locks on the door.”

Andromeda Tonks stood up, “I can attest to these allegations. Harry was brought to me upon Bill gaining guardianship. I have a copy of my healer’s report right here.” She gave the copy to Ted, who distributed copies to the Wizengamot.

“This all looks to be in order,” Griselda said, after reviewing the documents. She had noticed Dumbledore’s signature as a witness to the Potters’ wills and felt it was bad form for him to try to go against the Potters’ wishes. She couldn’t believe he’d been so derelict in his duty to the boy. Such treatment of a magical child was shameful. “I’ll allow the testimony.”

Dumbledore was visibly fuming. He had lost control of Harry in a very public way. There would be no easy way to undo this mess with a few well placed memory and banishing charms. Everyone had heard the evidence and the court had pronounced Bill Harry’s guardian. Worse, everyone now knew he’d allowed the boy to be abused. It was for the greater good but the general public would never understand that. His reputation would be in tatters.

The veritaserum was administered.

“Harry, could you tell us about how you discovered the necklace?”

Harry told the story of Susan’s strange behavior in class. He followed up with how he saw the necklace and about how he’d contacted Bill. He didn’t mention he had been on the lookout for the horcrux, but then again, Ted didn’t ask.

“Can you tell us about what you saw in the great hall when Bill and Madam Bones arrived?”

Harry told about the scene of Susan’s capture and the removal of the locket. He explained that Bill had placed the locket in a magic null bag and then into his pocket, well before Dumbledore arrived on the scene. Finally, he recounted Dumbledore’s behavior and comments about the necklace.

“Your witness, Dumbledore,” Ted said, with venom.

Dumbledore decided to use the opportunity to try to repair his reputation, rather than ask about the locket.

“Harry, come now. Tell everyone that it wasn’t so bad with your relatives. They did the best they could by you, didn’t they?”

“If you call barely feeding me, dressing me in my fat cousin’s rags, and locking me in a small, dark place for most of my childhood while expecting me to do all the chores and ignoring the way their son beat me not that bad,” Harry said, glaring at the Headmaster.

“Certainly beating is too harsh of a word. You turned out well, didn’t you?” Dumbledore cajoled.

“Dudley Dursley, my cousin, and his friends broke my ribs multiple times while kicking me. They almost drowned me in a toilet by holding my head inside until I passed out. You can look at the report yourself. It shows all of it. I did turn out well, but it was in spite of my family, not because of them.”

The crowd in the Wizengamot seats began muttering mutinously as they read the healer’s report. It was all right there. The boy was abused and neglected. There was no denying that.

Dumbledore was desperate. He decided to try another tact, “I’d like Harry’s entire testimony stricken from the record and bound so no one can speak of it again. The boy is a horcrux! He’s been possessed and that’s why he can lie under veritaserum!”

The crowd gasped. Ted grinned. Dumbledore had messed up now.

“How would you know he’s a horcrux, Dumbledore?”

Dumbledore stood up imperiously, “Because I tested him myself when he was a baby. He’s been a horcrux since the night Voldemort attacked his family.”

The crowd flinched and cried out in fear from the name being spoken. Then, they began to grumble angrily. Fudge went beet red, stood up, and yelled.

“You lie, Dumbledore! Voldemort doesn’t have a horcrux. He’s dead and gone. There’s no way he can come back. You’re loony as a bat! Or, or, you’re trying to steal my job! I won’t have it!” Fudge said, slamming his fist down on the railing. The crowd angrily grumbled their agreement. None of them could accept that Voldemort could come back. It was beyond comprehension.

“Test him,” Ted said to the unspeakables in the third row. They looked to Madam Marchbanks, who nodded. The unspeakables moved to Harry and began casting spells. After a few moments, they stopped and shook their heads.

“He’s no horcrux,” Saul Croaker, the Head Unspeakable, stated.

“WHAT?” Dumbledore shouted. He rushed over and began casting his own spells. He stopped, his mouth hanging open in shock. “How can this be?”

Ted spoke. “I have no more questions for Harry. It seems Dumbledore is done creating a mockery of this court. I suggest we dismiss the witness and put Albus Dumbledore on the stand. He has much to answer for.”

“Harry, you’re dismissed,” Griselda said to the calm young man. Harry was gleeful on the inside. Dumbledore was certainly getting his.

“Albus Dumbledore, please take the stand,” Griselda said in a no nonsense tone of voice. She’d like to hear the man explain himself as well.

Dumbledore looked around and realized his goose was cooked. He had to get out of there before he ended up in Azkaban.

“Fawkes!” He called out. The phoenix appeared. He looked at Dumbledore and shook his head. He flew over and perched on Harry’s shoulder instead. The bird was tired of the machinations of his master. He had only stayed so long to help protect the chics in the school. He felt his master was losing his marbles and felt it was time to move on. He’d stay loyal to the school, not to the man, as he had done for over 1000 years.

Dumbledore starred, slack jawed. That wasted few precious seconds would be his undoing. The aurors were on him in a second. They removed his wand and shoved him into the defendant’s chair. This time, the chains did wrap around him. He had already attempted to escape once and had the intent to try again. At the direction of Madam Marchbanks, they forced veritaserum down his throat. He sang like the proverbial bird about all he’d done for the next hour or so.

He admitted to everything. To sending the locket to Susan, to allowing Harry to be abused, to stealing, and lying, and being Gellert Grindewald’s partner in every sense of the word (not that being gay was a crime but being in league with a dark lord and possibly killing his own sister certainly was).

The Wizengamot members conferred for a mere half an hour before they came back with a guilty verdict. Ted wasn’t done with his humiliation yet. He had plans for Dumbledore’s punishment.

“Your honor, if it would please the court, we ask for alternative sentencing in this case. We cannot forget the good Albus Dumbledore did during his life, nor his advanced age, in his sentencing. The prosecution asks that Albus Dumbledore’s magic be bound like a child who refused to come to Hogwarts. We suggest his wand be broken and his wealth be confiscated to pay reparations to his victims. Finally, we suggest that he be placed in a muggle care home for the remainder of his days,” Ted grinned viciously at the suggestions. He loved being a bloodthirsty lawyer.

“All agreed,” Griselda asked the Wizengamot. Almost all the wands in the room lit up. “So it is adjudged. We accept your suggestion for sentencing. Case closed.” She smacked her gavel down on the bench and Dumbledore was dragged away.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

Chapter Text

oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 22

Epilogue

June 3, 1994

Today was the last day of Harry Potter’s third year at Hogwarts. He had just one last event to attend, then he would be off to Hogsmeade. He decided not to ride the train back this year. There was no point, since he’d be moving to the Potter lands in Hogsmeade along with Remus, Padfoot, Twinky, and Dobby. Their family would live together in their travel trunks as they had the year before.

Harry just had the Hogwarts graduation ceremony to attend with Remus, Padfood, and the Weasley’s before he would get to go home. Hagrid had passed his OWLS in the six core subjects and Care of Magical. He got an A in each of the core subjects and an O+ in Care. The man was ecstatic at his achievement. Charlie Weasley, along with a glowing recommendation from Newt Scamander, meant Hagrid’s dream of working on the dragon sanctuary was becoming a reality.

Harry and his friends had a peaceful remainder of their school year. They had fun and they worked hard but they weren’t ever in danger.

McGonagall was an excellent headmistress and began making improvements right away. She fired Bins and hired a reputable, fun teacher for History of Magic. She found a new, competent teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts, or as it was now called, Defensive Magics. She even helped Snape out. He now only taught NEWT level students and spent the rest of his time working on research that the school would gain 50% ownership of. It turned out to be a very profitable endeavor.

At dinner the evening before, the school had been presented with the new brooms and a 300,000 galleon cash donation that Harry had planned from the basilisk proceeds. All the quidditch teams now had Nimbus 2001’s, and not just the Slytherins. The school had a complete new set of Clean Sweep 10’s for use for the Flying Classes and for the kids to use for fun. Kids had been jumping up and down, crying and laughing. It was a site to behold.

Harry stood in his room, looking for his cufflinks. Dress robes were encouraged for the graduation ceremony. He picked his invisibility cloak up off the floor to look under it. Then, Harry looked in his bottom bedside table drawer to look for them. He was surprised to see the ring and Dumbledore’s old wand. He held them both in one hand and held his cloak up with the other. He remembered all the trouble Voldemort had wrought in his life and was seriously thankful it was over.

“I’m so glad he’s truly dead.” Harry was surprised to feel all three items heat up and glow for just a moment. He shrugged it off and stuffed all three items back into the drawer.

Somewhere in Little Hangleton, a wraith that had been floating up through a graveyard towards a house called Riddle Manor suddenly solidified into a ghost. Now, the man called Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, would haunt those places forever.

Harry didn’t know this, though. All he knew was he felt suddenly free. He raced to finish getting ready and ran to meet his family to watch Hagrid and Percy Weasley graduate.