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Chapter Text

The teen sleeping on the rickety single bed slowly blinked his eyes open and stared across the small room he was in. He blinked again and said slowly, “What the fuck?”

Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and looked around the room frowning. Then at his beat-down nightstand, where he found some black, round glasses which he put on and looked around again.

“What the FUCK!”

Rustling came from an open cage sitting on an ugly brown dresser.

“Hedwig?”

The white owl blinked her big yellow eyes and bobbed her head.

The boy rushed to her and started babbling, “You're alive? What happened? Why am I here? Am I still sleeping?” he carefully stroked the soft feathers.

The bird nipped his finger.

“Ouch!”

The bird looked at him as if saying, “Well?”

“Shit!”

He was awake! 

The bird clacked her beak and managed to look worried.

“Hedwig, I am freaking twenty-eight years old! And I haven’t lived at fucking Privet Drive for a decade!”

The teen looked down at himself, at his hands, his clothes, and sighed, “I sometimes hate magic! How did this happen? I remember celebrating my birthday at the Weasleys and going home alone. Ginny tried to come, but I managed to escape. I went to sleep and then there was some disturbance at the wards. Someone who was allowed to enter came in, I think. Ron? And he brought Ginny? It’s kind of hazy. And they threw something at me? Some powder? Sand? And were chanting something? Fuck! Did they send my consciousness back in time? How? Why?”

The owl had no answer.

Harry, for this was the boy’s name, looked around and asked, “So, what year is it? It’s summer, early in the morning if I remember the layout of the house correctly. – There is some ripped wrapping paper. So my birthday was recently? What else, it’s early morning, and there are Daily Prophets. I got a subscription before my fifth year and then only read the headlines if I remember correctly. So, it’s either 1995, 1996, or 1997? No. Not 1997. And not 1996. I was at the Burrow for those birthdays, I think… 1995 was my last birthday at the Dursleys. Idiot, just look at the dates of the papers on top. Ah, there, the last one is from July 31 st 1995. So, it’s probably August 1 st or 2 nd .”

Harry tried to remember what had happened at that time and flinched. The Dementors! Fuck! He couldn’t remember the exact date of the day they had come. Just that it had been shortly after his birthday… And the Order had picked him up about a week later. So, did he and Dudley encounter them already? 

He looked at his desk, which was full of letters, and looked through them. There was none from the Ministry or Arthur.

“Okay. I don’t remember what I did with those letters back then, so it’s probably before their appearance. Fuck! What now? Was that time-turner sand? Hermione does work at the DoM, after all. But she hadn’t been part of this clusterfuck, had she? What the fuck did they try to accomplish anyway?”

Harry couldn’t fathom any reason for sending him back… what? 13 years? If this really was the case that was. Even with Hedwig's nip, he couldn’t quite believe it. But his mind was in problem-solving mode, ignoring all the repercussions and heartache an actual time travel entailed.

“Hermione probably left her shit lying around again and they mistakenly took it, thinking it to be something else… But the only powder that they… Shit!”

Harry rubbed his face (nearly dislodging the glasses he wasn’t used to anymore). There was a ritual to subjugate someone to someone else’s will. Basically turning them into slaves. It was old and as the main ingredient – some sand-like powder – couldn’t be sourced anymore, because the creature supplying it was extinct, it wasn’t even illegal to perform it anymore. Harry and Ron had learned about it during their Auror training. 

“Fucking idiots!” Harry whisper-yelled. It was a wonder the Dursleys hadn’t complained yet...if he really was where all his senses were telling him he was.

“Br’ck!”

“Sorry, Hedwig. I'll try to stop swearing so much. But I just realised that I cannot return to my time if they used time-turner sand. I have to go through time once again. And this is my teenage body. Not my adult one… So, it’s different from a time-turner, right? But that means, Riddle lives and so many others do, too… Like Sirius, Fred, you...”

Harry stared unseeingly out of the window.

“Well, at least I know where the fu… Horcruxes are.”

Another pause.

“But I can’t do magic at the moment. First order of business, I need to get rid of the trace.”

Hedwig blinked.

“Yeah. You see, I am an Auror, and I know how that shit works. I just need to get to a place with a high enough density of magic and I can get rid of it.”

Harry looked out the window again and remembered that people watched his house to ‘protect’ him and keep him ignorant. He remembered his anger at being kept in the dark. His friends and godfather doing everything Albus fucking Dumbledore wanted them to. Damn, he was back in the era of two competing personality cults of Riddle and Dumbledore.

Ok, first order of business, get out, get to the Alley, and get rid of the trace. And the Horcrux in his scar. Fuck. 

Harry looked around again and packed his most important stuff into a messenger bag that Dudley couldn’t use anymore (the strap was too short, and it always slid down his round shoulder), his wand and his photo album. He would be using his invisibility cloak, so it didn’t join the rest.

He said, “Hedwig, I’ll come back soon, but why don’t you rest somewhere outside? I just don’t trust what they will do when I am gone and not cooking their breakfast. Hm, I better write a note, or the Order will be informed very quickly by the ruckus they will make.”

Harry scrawled a note with,

Aunt Petunia, sorry for leaving without notice. The m. world unexpectedly came calling. I’ll be back this evening, I hope. Harry

Harry then got ready for the day, pulled his invisibility cloak on, and let Hedwig fly out of the small window. He then snuck to the kitchen, left the note, and quietly exited through the backdoor. He just hoped Moody wasn’t on duty at the moment. That eye could see through the enchantments of a Deathly Hallow for some reason. 

Harry frowned while walking towards the train station. How was that even possible? Maybe he needed to check the cloak for tampering. It didn’t make sense otherwise, and the artefact had been in Dumbledore’s hands for a long time. Maybe the man had found a way to enchant it somehow.

At least, no one seemed to follow Harry. But he couldn’t be sure, could he?

He had decided to use Muggle transportation to leave no magical trail and easily lose any tail from the wizarding world.

Chapter Text

Everything went without a hitch, and an hour and a half later Harry snuck into Diagon with no one the wiser.

Harry thought about it for one last time and then walked to the backdoor of Gringotts which he - as an Auror - knew about. People who didn’t want to be seen publicly went to this entrance and could enter even under spells or with artefacts hiding their identity. And Aurors couldn’t stake out this area, much to their annoyance; too many goblin enchantments were covering it.

Harry rapped on the door which opened immediately and let him in.

When inside, Harry went to one of the cubicles that indicated they had no customers at the moment and entered, still under the cloak.

Inside, a goblin sat behind his desk and was writing into a huge ledger, while his left hand was flipping the beets on an abacus very quickly. The goblin, whose name plate said Manager Grobhook, barked, “Take off your disguise and sit.”

Harry took off his cloak and quietly sat down, waiting for the goblin to finish.

He had to sit there for about five minutes but didn’t complain. He didn’t have an appointment after all.

When the goblin looked up at last, he didn’t show any surprise. At least, Harry couldn’t detect any.

“Mr Potter, what can Gringotts do for you? But first, answer the question, how did you know about this entrance?”

Harry had decided to take a chance and tell the truth and trust the goblins, rather than the Ministry or Dumbledore. Even if the name Grob hook made him doubt his decision.

He explained his predicament and the goblin nodded, “It is not the first time this mistake was made. That future you come from is now gone. Eradicated. No way to return.”

Harry nodded, feeling deep sadness wash over him. He had come to the same conclusion, but he had managed to suppress the emotional impact until now, so hearing it spoken out loud was quite painful.

“Gringotts will help you, for a fee.”

Harry nodded, “Thank you. My first question would be, what are your policies regarding Horcruxes?”

“Did you make any?” the goblin barked, looking at Harry with narrowed eyes and a sneering mouth.

“Certainly not.”

“Good. Gringotts abhors them. They are against magic and nature. Forbidden. What your kind does above ground is not of our concern. But within Gringotts walls, they are destroyed.”

Harry gulped, “Is there a way to destroy the Horcrux without harming the vessel?”

“Vessel?” the goblin narrowed his eyes even more. “There is a way.”

“Even if the vessel is alive?”

There was a moment of silence and then the goblin simply answered, “Yes.”

Harry slumped in relief, “Thank god!”

“Who is the vessel?”

“Me.”

“Then follow me, we will get rid of it now. It will hurt.”

“I don’t care.”

“Good.”

The goblin brought Harry into a huge cave-like room and started talking to a fellow goblin in light-brown robes. Harry had a vision of Master Yoda flash through his mind but that was gone again quickly when he was led to a stone slab, and chained to it with iron shackles.

“It is in his scar,” one of the gathering goblins commented.

“We could try cutting it out,” another said grinning.

“No. That would have worked at the beginning. Now it’s intertwined with the boy’s magical core. We need to do this the hard way. You may scream, Mr Potter. It will not disturb the ritual.”

And scream he did. It took some unknown amount of time of Cruciatus-like pain to perform the ritual, but in the end, a black cloud erupted from Harry’s scar and dissolved into nothing. At least, that was what the goblins later told Harry. He had his eyes squeezed shut at that moment, panting and whimpering.

He then felt soothing magic wash over him and relaxed as the pain left him and he was cleaned throughout with another wave of magic washing over him.

“It is gone now.”

“Let’s never do that again,” Harry croaked weakly, and the goblins laughed viciously and freed him.

“Now, you need more healing. Come,” the Yoda-like goblin led Harry to a small, rather low bed and asked him to lie down.

Harry was too groggy to disagree and just followed the instructions after he was told the price they would extract from his vaults for this service.

His glasses were snatched off his nose again, and diagnostic magic was cast throughout while he dozed a little.

After a while, he heard, “Drink.” 

Harry felt something nudging his lips. A vial? He drank and smiled, “That tastes so much better than what Madame Pomfrey or the Ministry healers ever gave me.”

A goblin laughed, “It tastes vile to us.”

“Maybe we should switch?”

Barking laughter could be heard all around.

“I wish we could. Our potion ingredients grow underground and are much easier to source. And cheaper.”

“Okay, that explains a lot,” Harry nodded. Expensive medicine didn’t work for many after all.

Five tasty potions later Harry fell asleep for about two hours, and when he woke, he was fed a delicious lunch that a little house-elf brought to him.

After he had finished the Yoda-like goblin healer sat on a little stool next to Harry’s bed and said, “There was much wrong with you. There was abuse during your childhood, breaks, malnutrition, bad eye-sight–”

“Woah, my eyes! When did that happen?”

“During your sleep.”

“Great! Thank you. I thought my eyes could only be fixed after I had fully grown.”

“Not with goblin-made potions.”

“Fantastic! I had gotten used to being able to see without glasses. Do you still have the frames? I don’t want anyone to know about it yet.”

“Here,” the goblin handed Harry his glasses.

“Thanks. Sorry for interrupting. You were listing what was wrong with me and what you have healed?”

“Yes. Eyesight, the wound on your forehead, all the dark magic residue from various sources. What we didn’t touch were the Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears. They have neutralised one another but cannot be extracted fully. They changed how you are reacting to potions, though. That was probably the reason why goblin-made potions work for you so well. Wizard-made potions still work too but are not as effective anymore. You come to us for healing and regular healing scans now,” the goblin ordered.

“That would explain some things. I believe someone tried to give me love potions at some point, but they didn’t work. At least not really. There was some infatuation, but nothing lasting.”

“In your lost future?”

“Oh yes, sorry. Not as of yet, I think.”

“Read the scan results later. If you get infatuated again, come and get a scan to see if it is real. You also need to re-establish the rule that all Potters need to get a scan before marrying. It has fallen to the wayside.”

 “Oh, okay. I didn’t know.”

“Speak to Grobhook. He is investigating the Potter accounts at this moment. We had been wondering about them and because you came in via the backdoor, we can look at your finances and how they are handled now.”

“Yes. Someone had bled them nearly dry by the time I turned twenty-one,” Harry kept quiet about his standing with Gringotts in the “lost future”, as the goblin had so aptly named it. It hadn’t been very good.

The goblin-healer barked something in gobbledygook. Harry knew he was cussing quite badly. Having learned some from Bill in his future. Lost future. LF. Yeah, let’s call it LF, Harry decided.

“You will grow during the next couple of months. Eat enough. Not like a Muggle. Like a wizard.”

Harry nodded, he had learned that magic needed quite a lot of fuel and good, filling food. No wonder the Hogwarts elves cooked as plentiful as they did. “So, eat lots and come to you for healing. Anything else?” he asked.

“No, that is it for now. You go back to Grobhook now. A guard will bring you. Here take this with you. It’s your scan results.”

Harry took the roll of parchment and said, “Thanks, Healer… would you tell me your name?”

“It is Healer Yordam. Some of the humans call me Healer Yoda for some reason. You can call me that as well if you want.”

Harry bit the insides of his cheeks and nodded wide-eyed, squeaking a “Thanks!”

The goblin laughed his barking cackles, and Harry was led back to Manager Grobhook’s cubicle.

Chapter Text

After Harry had settled in his chair again, the goblin behind the desk looked at Harry and said, “Much better.”

“Yes, definitely. Thanks for arranging this. Before we start, could you re-establish the rule that any Potter about to marry needs to have a health-scan first? Especially for love potions?”

“Yes, I will do that. The other Potter family rules can be looked over later. We have many matters of more immediate concern to address. Tell me, did you solely come because of the Horcrux in your scar?”

“No. That was just the absolute first thing I wanted to be taken care of.”

“Understandable. What else?”

“I need the trace removed off my person and wand.”

“Already done, we removed a lot. I will tell you later.”

“Oh? Great. From my wand as well?”

“I believe so. Show it to me, to make sure.”

Harry opened the messenger bag he had carried everywhere he had gone to today, took out his wand, and held it out to Grobhook.

“Put it on my desk.”

Harry did so, and it glowed for a few seconds after Grobhook had held his long-fingered hands over the wand for a minute.

The goblin removed his hands and said, “The trace is now fully removed. Don’t tell anyone Gringotts did this. We only could do so because of your special circumstances.”

“Thanks, I will keep mum about it. It is quite necessary to make sure it is gone as the Ministry is looking to hamstring me. An expulsion from Hogwarts and the breaking of this wand would be right up their alley right now,” Harry took his trusted wand back and re-packed it, being careful not to cast any spells at Gringotts. He added, “well, as that is taken care of, the next point of order would be to inform you that there is another Horcrux in a vault of your bank”

Half an hour later, Grobhook had sent a phalanx of goblins to collect Hufflepuff’s Cup from the Lestrange vault, ordered a copy to be made and placed in the vault, and had the original cleansed and put into Harry’s family vault (with the costs for the copy extracted). 

Meanwhile, Harry had been tasked to write down anything else he knew about any Horcruxes he knew about, which he did. Spending most of his time writing about the Gaunt family ring and Nagini. He ended his recollection with a list of all of Riddle’s Horcruxes that he had written about: 

Diary – destroyed
Hufflepuff’s Cup – destroyed
Scar – destroyed
Slytherin’s Locket – Harry
Ravenclaw’s Diadem – Harry
Gaunt Ring – Gringotts?
Riddle’s Snake Nagini – Gringotts?

When Grobhook returned, he read through Harry’s writings and nodded, “Gringotts will handle the last two. The first should be easy, and the snake could meet its end at the Department of Mysteries if it is sent to investigate there, shortly before Yule at the latest. We can make it look like an accident or a defence by the DoM with no one the wiser. We will look for her before that at Malfoy Manor as well.”

“That would be perfect. Riddle doesn’t do anything obviously bad before Yule. At least he didn’t in my LF.”

“LF?”

“Lost future.”

“Ah. Things will change now. They always do. No reason to try to keep things happening as expected. Some tiny thing differs and a whole event changes so much, it becomes unrecognisable.”

Harry nodded, “At least he cannot make any more Horcruxes. At least that’s what Hermione Granger in my LF concluded.”

“Was the diary his first?”

“We thought so.”

“Then it makes sense. More than six shouldn’t have been possible. Only because exactly half of his soul had been destroyed had he been able to make one more, would be my guess.”

“Yes! That’s what she said, just in many more words. – Now, I can get the other two within one month, I think. Do I need to bring them here or could I do something else?”

“Like what?”

“I always wanted to try casting an Avada Kedavra on a Horcrux and see if it worked in my later LF.”

“Ha! That is the quick-and-dirty way to handle a Horcrux. Ask any curse breaker working in Egypt.”

“Fu…,” Harry coughed, “So, Bill Weasley would have known if we had just asked him?”

“Most certainly. He had a run-in with a Horcrux at a dig site on his first day in Egypt not long ago.”

Harry gritted his teeth but then took a deep breath. That future was gone and only real in his memories.  He started to wonder, “How come you don’t want to know any hints about what the future will bring? Financially, I mean. You must be dabbling in the Muggle stock market.”

“We are. But we learned the hard way not to depend on such knowledge.”

“I see. Hm. You are right. But if you decide to invest my money, do place some in IT companies, like Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. Just a conservative amount. Would that be possible?”

“Yes. Was this all on your side?”

“I don’t know. The most urgent matters are addressed and I haven’t really come to terms with my arrival here, but I think I need advice about my godfather Sirius Black.”

“The escaped convict?”

“You see, that is the problem. He never was convicted. He is innocent and the truth would have emerged at his trial. Now my question would be, can Gringotts do anything about it? But be warned, the Minister will fight it. His reputation hinges on this whole case. He was the Hit Wizard who arrested Sirius and he built his whole campaign around that fact. Well, he wasn’t really a Hit Wizard. Only a temporary one, I think. Due to the dark times back then. They needed all hands on deck,” Harry rambled wanting the goblin to understand.

Manager Grobhook nodded thoughtfully, “We wondered about Sirius Black's incarceration. But as neither his Head of Family nor the Leader of his resistance group protested, we let it go. Human politics don’t interest us much.”

Harry nodded agreeably, “I thought so.”

“But we certainly can do something. You just need to hire us. We will request the records of Lord Black’s trial and conviction and see what happens. We can sue the Ministry for quite some money if they don’t comply. It’s in our treaties that Gringotts gets the documentation of any criminal conviction of our clients. We did for all the other criminals, as far as I know.”

“Good idea. Madame Bones – the current head of the DMLE – was supposed to be impartial. But she did play the game, too. Hm, she was known to be fair and honest. Feel yourself hired for the standard fee.”

“Very well. We will see to it. It will come to her desk. Sign this.”

Harry did and then said, “Thanks. Let’s see what happens. Fair warning, I have the feeling that the Minister isn’t alone in wanting Sirius on the run.”

“Who else?”

“Albus Dumbledore. But I don’t have any proof.”

“That man might have a good reason for wanting your magical guardian in conflict with the law. He is the one bleeding you dry.”

“F… right. Can you stop it?”

“Yes.”

“Please do. Could you leave me out of it, though? Maybe an audit and inventory, the Potters do every 100 years?”

Manager Grobhook cackled and said, “I like the way you think. Yes, we can do that. Maybe make it a Potter rule? Then it wouldn’t even be a lie. We just don’t say how old the rule is.”

“Perfect! But please document everything and recover any money you can. I hate cheaters and thieves!”

“As do we.”

“How is it even possible that he was able to do so?”

Manager Grobhook bared his teeth and snarled, “My nephew, Griphook, betrayed his family, you, and Gringotts. He is in goblin custody and will face trial as soon as we have all the facts.

Harry winced; he knew Griphook from his first visit to Gringotts and later in the LF.

“He was my account manager?”

“Yes, that honour was his until recently. The Hook family always was the Potter family’s financial advisor. It is a great dishonour to find a traitor in our midst. If you want another family to take over, we will not fight you.”

Harry nodded and looked at the goblin in front of him for a while. That admission and offer couldn’t have been an easy one to make. He then asked, “For how long has your family worked with mine? And how often did such a thing happen?”

“1678 years, and this was the first time. There were two mediocre managers, but they were replaced quickly and found professions better suited for them.”

Harry’s eyes bulged, “Whoa! That’s a long time! I wish to keep working with the Hook family for now. Let’s revisit this in, let’s say, ten years.”

“Good. I agree. At that time, you will know if we handled the problem to your satisfaction.”

Harry nodded and said, “Do I want to know how much he stole?”

“We need to look at the ongoing withdrawals first, I would say. Here is a list.”

Harry took the parchment and swore internally.

500 Galleons per month to magical guardian Albus Dumbledore, since 1981-12-1 – 82.500 g
250 Galleons per month to Muggle guardian Petunia Dursley, since 1981-12-1 –  41.250 g
50 Galleons per month to Molly Weasley (future mother-in-law), since 1991-10-1 – 2.300 g
250 Galleons per month to Order of the Phoenix (Safety of H.J.P.), since 1995-7-1 – 500 g

-> 126.550 Galleons by 1995-8-1

Harry couldn’t believe his eyes, “This is nuts. This is fucking nuts. I don’t know where to even start!”

“I’ll ask. Did you know Albus Dumbledore named himself your magical guardian?”

“No.”

“Did you receive any care that would warrant his monthly stipend?”

“Not to my knowledge, no.” Harry fell into the mindset of getting interrogated. It helped him not to explode.

“Did you ever receive anything from Albus Dumbledore? Money, presents, instructions for example?”

“He gave me my father’s invisibility cloak, in Yule 1991.”

“Nothing else?”

“No.”

“Would you say the 82.500 Galleons were reasonable for covering your care since December 1981?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Moving on to the next point. You lived with the family of Petunia Dursley after the death of your parents?”

“Yes.”

“Did you receive the necessary care they got the monthly stipend for?”

“No.”

There was a slight pause and then, “Please elaborate.”

“Well, regarding housing, they made me sleep in the cupboard under their stairs ‘till the age of 11. Afterwards I was moved to Dudley’s second bedroom that they furnished from things bought at a Charity shop. Aunt Petunia bragged that they had spent less than 20£ on me that day. I never got anything else in terms of accommodations. Regarding my care, I was fed very little. Much too little for even a Muggle child. Maybe worth 15 – 20£ per month? I don’t know.”

“So less than 500£ overall? Please go on.”

“Well, I never received any new clothing, and all medical stuff was taken care of by the NHS, like my glasses.”

“The clothing you received were hand-me-downs?”

“Correct. Even shoes and underwear.”

“Can you think of anything else?”

“I got some lunch money when I was in primary school. Well, Dudley did. That’s my fat cousin, who never shared the money with me.”

“Did your guardians know?”

“Not officially, but Uncle Vernon always winked at Dudley when he handed him the money. And they could have applied for money from the state, I guess. Not sure about it. But what would the neighbours say?”

“Did they receive money from the state for your care?”

“I don’t know, doesn’t everyone? Or just the oldest child? I’m not sure.”

“Did child services ever visit your home?”

“No. The first school nurse told me she would call them, but soon after, she got transferred to another school. And the new one didn’t care. She was very spaced out. Anyway, I wanted to add that I did earn my keep there. With cooking, cleaning, gardening, and any other housekeeping task they could think of.”

Harry was asked to elaborate on many details about his tasks at the Dursleys and about Dudley’s non-existent ones. He got the impression Grobhook would add the value of Harry’s labour to the amount of money they had received when he  made hismove against the Dursleys. 

Harry felt rather vindictive about all of it. Poor Diddy-poo wouldn’t get spoiled as much in the future. Even if his cousin and he had come to some kind of understanding in the LF, Harry still felt rather salty about the treatment he received at the hands of all three of the Dursleys. And who knew how Dudley would turn out, now that he might not have an encounter with the Dementors. That experience had been a turning point for Harry’s cousin. Hm…

“We will thoroughly investigate this. But let’s move on for now. Molly Weasley received 50 Galleons per month, 2300 in total. Did you know about this?”

“No.”

“Are you betrothed to her daughter Ginny Weasley?”

“Whoa! No! Not that I know of.”

“Gringotts has no documentation about this, either. Your parents didn’t sign any marriage contacts, this is certain.”

“That is a relief. So, it was Dumbledore?”

“That would be my guess, but we don’t know.”

“Is it legal?”

“No. Only your legal magical guardian could have signed a contract and you would need to agree.”

“A Potter rule?”

“Indeed.”

“So far I like my family’s rules.”

“They are quite sensible. So, Molly Weasley has no claim to your money?”

“Not as a future mother-in-law. I lived with them for a few weeks in the summers of… uhm… 1992 and 1994, I think. They took me in and fed me. So, I don’t begrudge them taking that money too much, to be honest. At that time, they were very decent to me. Even if neither Molly nor Arthur Weasley did anything about my living conditions at the Dursleys, now that I think of it. Dumbledore was probably telling them that I exaggerated,” Harry scowled.

Manager Grobhook nodded and said, “The newest monthly payment is to the Order of the Phoenix. It started last month. Do you know what they mean about the safety concerns?”

“Yes. Dumbledore has multiple people watching the Dursley house to make sure I don’t get attacked or disappear. I learned that in my LF, but it is happening right now.”

The goblin grinned toothily, “Didn’t you say Dumbledore returned your father’s invisibility cloak?”

“He did,” Harry grinned back.

“Did anyone inform you of the guard?”

“No. As I said, I learned about it later in the LF.”

“So, no one asked you to pay for your security?”

“No. But the Ministry did send two Dementors after me, but the guard had disappeared to do some business at that time.”

“When did that happen in your LF?”

“Either tomorrow or the day after I think.”

“We will guard the neighbourhood.”

“For a small fee?”

“One Knut only. We do this as reparation to compensate for the damage done to your vaults by our family. Taking care of the Horcruxes was and will be part of it as well.”

Harry looked at the goblin and nodded seriously, “I accept.” It would help to balance the power dynamic between them. They needed to become equals, but with the current situation the Hook family was beholden to Harry, and that would not do him any favours in the long run.

“I better stay home tomorrow and the day after, anyway. The wards should keep me safe. – Right, the wards. Could you please have someone check them? I was told they are blood wards or something like that and that I need to call that house my home and stay there for about a month each year for them to work, but I never found any reference to them even in the Black Library. Anyway, Tom Riddle a.k.a. Lord Voldemort took my blood during his resurrection ritual, so I doubt the protection works, and Dumbledore knows it. Why else would he guard me now?”

“We will examine any ward on the property. I also want to know what those so-called blood wards are. Now, back to the monthly payments. How do you want to proceed?”

“The payments for this month have just gone out already, right?”

“Yes, today. It is August 1st.”

“Hm, to distance my person from any suspicion, it would be best if the monthly payments stop in … no. If they stopped in September, it still could have been me to stop them. And I don’t want you to pay even more money after this month. Okay, to keep the peace this summer, stop the payments for the first of September and leave the ones for this month. I want them all stopped for September. But only the ones to Dumbledore and the Dursleys returned to my coffers. The ones to Molly and the Order can be written off. That way, I will not feel beholden to her or the Order in the future.”

“Good. We will start the audits today. Should we recall anything that was taken from the Potter family without consent?”

“You can do that? Then yes! But please do that in September, after I am back at Hogwarts.”

“We need your authorization to do so. Here is the form, but be warned, it needs to be signed with a Black Quill in blood. Do you know of these highly regulated artefacts?”

“Oh, yes. I encountered them in the LF. Dolores Umbridge had some students at Hogwarts write with them during detention.”

The goblin gaped at Harry. 

Harry had never seen such a sight.

“The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic had children use a Black Quill for detention? This is beyond the pale. We will investigate her at once. Even the possession of such a device outside of Gringotts is forbidden! That is a serious breach of the treaties!”

“Do tell Fudge that if he tries to interfere, but please don’t go and rebel, okay? Not with Riddle still at large.”

“We will see,” Grobhook growled.

“But taking her out wouldn’t be bad, I guess. She is the one who authorised the Dementors to attack me in the LF.”

Grobhook narrowed his eyes dangerously and then nodded, “We will thoroughly investigate her.”

Harry grinned quite viciously, “It couldn’t happen to anyone more worthy.”

Grobhook grinned back just as nastily and then returned to the matters at hand, “Very well. We can even say the request for Sirius Black’s trial records is due to an audit we are conducting just now. We don’t have to tell which client we are auditing.”

Harry nodded, “That fits the narrative. Sirius is my legal magical guardian, after all. It would be negligent not to have the complete parchment work regarding a minor client of a family Gringotts had very long-term dealings with.”

“It would and was.”

Harry nodded, “Now, I believe there is much parchment work to sign?”

“Oh yes,” the goblin grinned toothily, pushing his heartache to the back of his mind to deal with it later. The Hook clan had always been so proud to be trusted by the Potter family and were normally very loyal to this client.

Harry signed many forms. The first one made Grobhook the account manager for his estate for the next decade. The next one was the authorization to recall all of his family’s unlawfully taken things. Another was the re-implementation and amendments to the Potter family rules. Harry then commissioned Gringotts to check his wards and keep his neighbourhood free of Dementors officially. They also set up a contract for Gringotts to hunt and destroy Horcruxes for Harry. Namely the Gaunt ring and Nagini, but more if the need arose. Harry thought that would help if the prophecy was legit. 

Harry stretched and said, “I think we need to call it a day. Or my disappearance will surely get noticed. At least I can Apparate to a close-by spot, now. But, should my disappearance today have been discovered they will try to take my cloak and I can’t let that happen. Hm, do you have any bag or satchel for me that cannot be taken or opened by anyone but me? Like a mokeskin bag?”

“Yes. We have the Gringotts wallets. They are nearly bottomless. They always return to their owner and can only be opened by them. If cursed objects are put inside, they cannot influence the outside, anymore. If more than one object is in it, there will be no interference with one another. You can even put a Horcrux inside without any negative repercussions. At least with the more expensive kind. We have one version, which looks like a plain, black Muggle wallet without any identifier like a Gringotts’ emblem and it has the extensive enchantments. It can even be used as a wallet for Muggle money. But that money can get stolen, so my suggestion would be to only put some coins into it. Interested?”

“Definitely.”

“Anything else?”

“An invisible wand holster?”

“There might be some in your vault, but Gringotts doesn’t sell those.”

“Understandable. Well, I could put the wand into the wallet when I am close to the house and there is any commotion.”

Harry got the wallet, which he was handed immediately, and repacked his things.

“Please read the scroll Healer Yordam gave you. We didn’t talk about the scan results as of yet and you need to know.”

“I think I know most of it, but better make sure.”

“Right, your lost future.”

“Exactly. I might come by on the fourth of August. Would that be okay for you?”

“Certainly. Maybe we'll know more about the wards and the Dementors then. Just ask for me in the Backdoor Entrance Hall while still under the cloak. I will come and get you.”

“Thank you. Good day, Account Manager Grobhook.”

Chapter Text

Harry changed his glasses to plain window glass, put them on his nose, and Apparated to Little Whinging under his cloak. Luckily, he was powerful enough to do that without making nearly any noise. 

He cast a silencing and notice-me-not on his person and walked up to Privet Drive.

Harry stopped in front of No. 2 and listened for a moment. 

All was quiet.

Harry studied the surrounding area, looking for the best places for a stakeout. 

In a small patch of grass was a dent in the vegetation the size of a human butt and two smaller ones in front. It was quite obvious someone was sitting there, maybe cross-legged. Well, it wasn’t Moody, that was for sure. Probably Tonks. Or Remus...

Sloppy, he thought, and tried not to let his sadness for the death of the couple in the LF distract him. It then hit him that he had also forgotten about Teddy in all the surprising events today. Would he come to exist in this timeline? Harry hoped so but determinedly turned his attention back to the Dursley home. Now was not the time to mourn his LF.

He cast some detection spells and found a few common wards against magical enemies and creatures but not magical beings, like house-elves. There also was a detection enchantment reporting to its caster if magic had been cast within the house and by whom. There was no exception woven in for Harry. So, the caster knew of every time Harry performed any magic within. Damn, that wouldn’t do. 

The next enchantment told the caster about Harry’s health status.

Fuck. Someone knew about Harry’s life there and hadn’t interfered. That made them an enemy in his mind. He just hoped the goblins would discover the identity of the caster. He had a good idea but needed to be sure. But right now, these enchantments wouldn’t do. Harry was much healthier now, which would raise some questions. And he certainly wanted to use magic.

Another enchantment was covering the whole neighbourhood. It was set to make the Muggles ignore Harry’s condition, appearance, and treatment by the Dursleys and increase distrust and dislike of him.

Shit, I never had a chance! This explains so much, Harry thought but pushed the anger and grief for his lost childhood away for now too. Now is not the time , he told himself, and put his mind to the other two enchantments. The monitors for magic and his health.

Luckily, he knew of a very obscure and undetectable charm that put any unwanted enchantment on a person’s home into stasis without alerting the caster. Harry had found it in the Black Library in his LF and had looked it up quietly at the Ministry. It was not illegal but labelled Dark and was therefore frowned upon. Luckily it could only be cast by someone living at the house, or it would have made any ward obsolete. 

Harry cast it and sighed in relief. 

What he hadn’t found were any blood-related wards. Well, maybe the goblins were more successful. Or the healing Harry had received broke them? But then, there would be much more activity around the house now as Dumbledore certainly would have known about it, right?

Well, nothing to it, he thought and walked to the back and snuck into the empty kitchen, where Harry took off the cloak and looked around.

The note on the table was gone and Harry wondered where everyone was.

Maybe they went to eat at a restaurant because their in-house cook was gone? 

It wasn’t as if Aunt Petunia couldn’t cook, but he knew she didn’t like to. As for Harry, he didn’t mind cooking at all. He just liked to eat the meals he had prepared, afterwards. 

Maybe they could reach a compromise, he thought while he took out some food and prepared a healthy and plentiful dinner for himself alone.

He did it without magic, the familiar tasks soothing his busy and whirling mind.

I need to meditate, he thought, or my head will explode. And amp up my Occlumency skills; Dumbledore and Riddle are masters in Legilimency, after all.

He thought, if it was up to me, I would hide for a year and work on coming to terms with being thrust into the past right before it got really ugly. But I need to hit the ground running. Like always. And I need to familiarise myself with the fact that I will meet many dead people. 

“Fuck.”

If Harry didn’t come in contact with the Dementors, would Dumbledore even have the Order get him in about a week? Or was he to rot at the Dursleys for the whole summer? 

But Harry wanted to avoid that encounter, even if it was unclear what the toad would try then, and Dudley wouldn’t get shocked into becoming a decent human being.

And Dumbledore usually “rewarded” Harry with at least two weeks at the Burrow, so they probably would get Harry in a few weeks.

Which was for the best, wasn’t it? A couple of weeks to come to terms with the unexpected turn of events was better than nothing.

Another thought hit him. He would not only meet the people who died in his LF but also the ones that had been alive. Like Molly, Ron, and Ginny. And Hermione. That was another loaded gun to go off.

“Bugger!”

Maybe he could do as before and be angry at them, but not forgive them like last time? 

Harry nodded to himself, cleaned the kitchen quickly, and went up to his room.

He opened the window wide, hoping that some of the heat that had accumulated in his room would… “Am I a wizard or what?” Harry huffed and cast a cooling charm onto his ceiling. It would hold for a while. 

Quickly, the temperature in the room was much more comfortable and Harry sighed in relief. 

Ok. The first order of business was safety. 

Harry cast a rather ingenious spell onto his body that would turn his skin iron-hard for the moment when hit with malicious intent, regardless of the blood status of the one doing the punching. Muggle, Pure-blood, or even house-elf (not that they ever would). 

He might carry a wand, but the Dursleys were three against one and they had absolutely no qualms to injure another human being as he had learned.

When he read about this spell Harry immediately thought of the Dursleys back in the LF. It was a spell that needed time to be cast, so it was only useful if a physical altercation could be predicted to possibly happen during the next twelve hours. 

Harry would need to recast the spell every morning and evening as long as he stayed at the Dursley abode, he decided. 

He then took off his glasses and studied them. They could come in handy. Maybe a permanent human revealing Spell? At least, as long as he was at Privet Drive?

He nodded and cast the spell on the glasses.

He had the suspicion that Dumbledore had that spell in his glasses too. Or maybe a mage-sight enchantment? 

Harry huffed and dispelled the spell he had just cast and practised a little, so only the lower third of his glasses would show any magic in his vicinity. That way, he just would push the glasses up, tilt his head back a little, and would see all the magic surrounding him. He now was very glad to not have basked in his fame, as Ron had, but had actually learned all the stuff expected at his Auror training and more.

Let’s test it, he decided and went to Dudley’s room and looked out of the window. He didn’t try to hide. Let the Order see him, that would assure them that he had been at his home for the day.

Ah, there was a blob of high magical density sitting cross-legged on the ground and the person was... reading? 

Huh? Must be one of the women. It looked like Tonks. And she hadn’t even noticed him!

Harry laughed and turned to go back to his room, but his eyes caught sight of Dudley’s old plushie through his pushed-up glasses. 

It glowed with magic!

A few detection spells later and Harry cursed loudly, “Fucking manipulative arsehole!”

He so wanted to blast that horrible bear apart but caught himself and instead cast a duplication charm.

He magically transferred the scent of the original bear to the copy and packed the original one into his wallet. Magic was amazing! Even if the opening of the wallet was much too small, the teddy fit in easily.

Harry decided to check the rest of the house and found some more items personalised to each of the Dursleys to negatively influence their feelings about Harry. Even Marge had one. A small porcelain dog sitting innocently on a shelf in the rather floral guestroom.

Harry duplicated all the items he had found and exchanged them. Gringotts could investigate and record. Harry was much too angry about the whole thing to rationally do anything else.

He wondered how quickly the Dursleys would change. Or if they would at all. Their behaviour had to be ingrained by now. But that Dudley had changed even with that plushie next to his bed after the Dementor attack... That spoke for the teen. And he had a chance to slim down a little, now. The enchantments hadn’t given Dudley one, before.

Harry went back into his room and sank onto the old rug into his meditation pose and closed his eyes. For the next ten minutes, he just breathed – in and out – trying to calm his mind.

He started meditating on his and his cousin’s lost childhood. At least his personality hadn’t been changed so fundamentally, but Dudley needed to learn who he was once again now. Harry just hoped it wasn’t too late.

The enchanted items had made his relatives into caricatures of themselves and had deprived Petunia of the possibility of getting pregnant again.

The caster probably thought they were just Muggles and irrelevant and forgot all about them as soon as he saw that his fucking plan had worked. Damn. – In and out – Harry tried to calm his breathing once more.

 After half an hour he had relaxed enough to start sorting his memories methodically.  And felt much more like himself after. His mind was used to all of this, but his physical brain wasn’t, so it took longer than it normally did.

Just when he had finished, he heard the Dursley’s car doors slam shut and waited until they were in the living room and Petunia had time to close both sets of her curtains. 

Slowly he walked down the stairs and into the living room with his wand out.

“Boy! Where were you? You can’t just leave! And put that stick away!” Uncle Vernon bellowed.

Harry, who had cast a silent Muffliato answered calmly, “I was out. And I won’t put my wand away, I don’t feel safe around you.”

Vernon laboriously hauled himself out of his armchair and walked menacingly toward Harry. Dudley was watching gleefully and obviously waited for Harry to get beaten to a pulp. But he didn’t get his wish. When Vernon swung his meaty fist to bash it into Harry’s stomach, he got a surprise. 

Harry was not the one howling in pain. No, it was his uncle. Vernon fell to his knees and clutched his hand to his stomach while cursing quite badly.

 Dudley came thundering towards Harry and tried the same. Soon the two of them were kneeling in front of Harry and cradling their right hands while Aunt Petunia was screeching in the background. 

Harry looked coolly at her and asked, “What? No frying pan?” which shocked her into silence.

“Boy, you cannot do magic in our home. Your kind doesn’t allow it,” Vernon gritted out.

“Well, that has changed. I can do magic now,” Harry answered and waved his wand over Dudley’s hand, healing it. 

Dudley didn’t seem to know how to react. Hit Harry again? Thank him? Cover his fat bottom? He went with sitting on the floor and staring at his hand.

Meanwhile, Harry waved the wand over his uncle’s hand and said, “This is the final warning. I will not heal your hands again.

Uncle Vernon nodded dumbly. Hitting the freak had been his only way to keep him reigned in. He was very afraid of what was to come now.

“Could we all take a seat and talk for a moment?” Harry asked.

The Dursleys exchanged looks but it seemed they saw no other option but to comply. 

Soon all sat at their usual seats with Harry in the one for guests. Petunia huffed but kept quiet.

“I would like to spend the rest of this summer in peace for as long as I have to stay here. My guess is I will be allowed to leave in about two weeks at the latest. I will not do any more menial tasks. I did my share for the summer, I think. And don’t tell me how much I cost you or I will contact child services and tell them about my time here, understood?”

Petunia growled and Vernon blustered, “Now listen to me, boy–”

But Harry went on talking, “I don’t care what you have to say. I will get enough food for a magical child during that time.”

“And I have to cook it?” Petunia sneered.

Harry tilted his head to the side and said thoughtfully, “I like cooking dinner. What would you say we share cooking duties as long as I am here? You do breakfast and lunch, and I will make dinner. I can even eat in my room if you want me to. I don’t mind. I am not part of this family, anyway.” 

“Agreed!” Petunia said quickly. 

Vernon looked rather unhappy about it but said nothing and Dudley just watched the changed power dynamics with a stupid look on his face.

“Very well, then I wish you good night. And don’t bother to enter my room. I warded it against you,” Harry bluffed and jumped up to leave and go back to his room.

Once there, he did ward the room for the night, charmed the mattress to be less lumpy and more comfortable, and went to bed. 

Chapter Text

The next day went rather quietly. The Dursleys left Harry alone and he spent the hot summer day in his cool room, doing his summer homework.

Luckily his handwriting hadn’t changed much over time, but he did some writing exercises to explain the small improvements he had made and now that the bones in his right hand had been reset and healed too, his writing had a chance to get better. 

The homework itself was laughingly easy and Harry had to force himself to dumb it down. He even read a few of his old homework assignments to get a feeling for his level of knowledge and intelligence at that time. He would need to slowly increase his learning curve, or Dumbledore would smell the rat and recast the enchantments he had on Harry. 

He also studied the parchment with the scans Healer Yoda had done. There was the same stuff he had known about. 

Recklessness
Decreased intellect
Lowered mind barriers

But also 

Low-level love potions keyed to Ginny
Loyalty potions keyed to Dumbledore, the Weasleys, and Gryffindor
Hatred-increasing potions keyed to Snape and Slytherin

Well, shit. So, they had used even more personality-changing means than he had known about. The potions must have left his system when he got checked during his Auror training in the LF. Or whoever kept dosing him made sure he was clean of any potions for the scan but didn’t know about the enchantments on his person? What astounded him was that they had started with the love potions this early. He hadn’t felt a thing for her at that time, had he? For him, it started in his sixth year. They probably had gotten frustrated and amped up the dose, Harry thought scowling.

Harry made a note to ask Grobhook about a possible defence against getting potioned against his will. 

But wait, hadn’t there been a ring in his vaults that did exactly that and Ron had discouraged Harry to use it?

“Damn!”

Maybe he needed some kind of decoy enchantments that read like he was still under their control? Also, he wanted the goblin to wait with going after the Dursleys until they had a chance to adjust to the personality-altering influence being gone after he had gotten rid of them and see what happened first.

He also read the Prophet and scoffed at the obvious digs at him. That paper needed a readjustment for fuck's sake. Maybe he could task Sirius with developing something. That man was brilliant. If he sold it as a prank… hm.

Harry looked at his newly repaired alarm clock and decided to start cooking dinner. 

In the kitchen, the first thing he did was cast the cooling charm at the ceiling and then he started cooking up a storm. 

The result and the cool kitchen were greatly appreciated when he put the food-filled bowls and platter on the table. He wordlessly took his very full plate up to his room and enjoyed it with gusto. Since Healer Yoda had healed him, Harry’s stomach seemed to be a bottomless pit. 

After he had finished, he returned his plate and served the pudding from which he took some for himself as well and left again. The Dursleys ignored him.

While he cleaned his trunk he idly wondered if the Dementors had been apprehended already but soon returned his mind to the task at hand. Damn, how much waste can one teenager collect? Harry vanished the heap of broken quills, single socks, and quite a bit of other rubbish, cast a cleaning charm on his empty trunk, and started repacking it manually. Taking every item he owned into his hands and deciding if he still would need it or if it could be chucked. He kept one set of Dudley’s castoffs and started to transfigure the rest into more fitting clothes and changed all their colour to black. In the end, he applied the enchantment that would make the changes permanent and not dispellable by anyone but him. 

Let’s go through a goth phase now, he decided. I am fifteen years old, so it’s expected.

Maybe I should get an earring and a tattoo, he thought and sniggered at the vision of the look on Molly Weasley’s face that popped into his mind.

The next day went like the day before. Homework, Prophet, meditation, and dinner.

 No Dementors showed up and the Dursleys spent most of their day in the cool kitchen until Dudley broke and asked Harry if he could magic the rest of the house cool, too. Harry agreed at once and told his relatives that he wouldn’t be there tomorrow, but he would return in time to cook dinner.

Chapter Text

On August 4 th , Harry returned to Gringotts as planned. He Apparated under his cloak once more when he saw that Tonks had a shift again and had walked the appropriate distance to keep the noise of his departure hidden. So far, he had identified Tonks, Fletcher, Arthur Weasley, and Diggle on guard duty. And Mrs Figg walked by quite often too. But they weren’t really on the lookout. Tonks read, Fletcher slept or disappeared for hours, Arthur wandered off to look at Muggle things, and Diggle napped or read, like Tonks.

Harry stood in the backdoor entrance hall of the bank and said into thin air, “I would like to see my Account Manager Grobhook,” and was immediately led to a new office deep inside the bank.

He was quite amazed they let him wear the cloak in their hallways. That showed much more trust than he had ever earned in the LF with the goblins. 

After the door had closed behind him, he took off his disguise and said, “Good day, Account Manager Grobhook, I hope you are well.”

“So-so. Sit. There is much to discuss. I will start.”

“Please.”

“First off, the Dementors came to Little Whinging in search of Harry Potter in the evening two days ago. We managed to communicate with them and got it on record that they had been sent by Dolores Umbridge to eliminate you. Or at least make you defend yourself magically. 

“We documented this and then sent an emergency note to Bones, who took care of the Dementors quickly. Efficient woman, that. We handed a copy of our documentation to her and told her of our suspicion that the woman had some Black Quills in direct violation of the treaties.

“We got permission to search Umbridge’s home, while Bones searched Umbridge’s office. The Head of the DMLE agreed to keep quiet about the Dementors for the time being, because your location should stay secret, as Umbridge’s deeds proved quite clearly.”

“Good thinking.”

“The Undersecretary had three Black Quills at her home, and she tried to murder one of us, so she will stand trial at Gringotts and not the Wizengamot.”

“I couldn’t think of anyone more suited to receive your kind of justice.”

Grobhook barked a laugh and answered, “Yes. We told Bones she certainly could talk about the quills and the treaties.”

“Perfect.”

“Next are the wards on your relatives' property. There were the more common ones against enemies and creatures and some uncommon ones keyed to you.”

“Alerts about me casting magic and my health, as well as an area-wide enchantment covering the whole neighbourhood, to turn a blind eye to my plight but increased distrust and dislike of me?”

“Those. You found them.”

“I did. But not who cast them.”

“Albus Dumbledore. We have found and documented his magical signature.”

Harry nodded. Who else? But it still was harrowing to learn. The enchantments on his body had been done with more stealth and the signature had been masked. “I did put the health and magic alerts in stasis.”

“We saw. You would have been discovered quickly otherwise.”

“Yes. I thought that the stasis spell was undetectable.”

“Not for Gringotts.”

“Ah. But it is for wizards.”

“Indeed.”

“And the so-called blood wards?”

“There are none. We found some attempts to set something like that up keyed to the protective magic cast by your mother, but it never worked as intended and failed completely a couple of months ago. It’s an active enchantment and needs to be powered by magical residue close by. Your aunt and cousin aren’t enough to power this non-working ward. There is an alert keyed to the magical levels of this non-working enchantment. That might be why you have to return once a year.”

“Does he know it is broken?”

“If he didn’t check on it personally, no. The alert wasn’t affected. It only measures its magic level, not its state of functionality.”

“Typical. He is sure he couldn’t have failed in casting it.”

“That was our conclusion. But it doesn’t harm you, as it is powered by the ambient magic you shed.”

“Now I feel like a cat shedding hair.”

“You said it.”

Harry sniggered and said, “So, we leave all of them? Or would it be possible to at least dampen the area-affecting one? Or is it keyed to alert him, as well?”

“No, it isn’t. We could slowly erode it so no one would be any the wiser and think it just faded in time.”

“Good idea, please do that.”

“We will. By next summer it will be gone.”

“Perfect. I have something to add before we go on with the rest. I found four personalised items keyed to each one of the Dursleys,” Harry told the goblin and went on to explain what he had done to hide his ‘theft’.

Soon, a teddy bear, an antique hairbrush of his grandmother, an old Smelting stick, and a porcelain dog sat on Grobhook’s desk.

“We will examine these items and report back to you.”

Harry nodded, “Thanks. Please extract the fee for it from my vault.”

“I will do so.”

“And maybe treat the Dursleys according to your findings. They shouldn’t keep the money they got, but I don’t want them ruined if they couldn’t have helped themselves but had to be the worst versions of themselves that they could be.”

“Understood. But we still go after Dumbledore?”

“Head on. I want him and his reputation ruined,” Harry said with emphasis.

“Very good. The audit of your vaults and holdings is still ongoing. Your investments are in shambles and Dumbledore is using your properties to house his cronies free of charge.”

“That’s why they were so run down? Fuck. Evict them when the summer is over.”

“We will. And we will ask for compensation.”

“Good. And if they say Albus as my magical guardian allowed it, ask for the legal documentation.”

“With pleasure. They are squatters, nothing else.”

“Oh, but if children are involved, handle it more humanely. The Potter rules probably contain something like this, or we will establish a new one.”

“No children.”

“That's a relief. Hm, I should establish a foundation or something that helps children who live in poverty…”

“There was one. The Peverell Foundation. Dumbledore stopped it. It will get reinstated as soon as the audit is done. Next week at the latest.”

“Unbelievable! He, the headmaster of the most prestigious school in Britain, stopped a foundation helping poor children? That is disgusting! Please calculate any back payments and help those kids. Even the ones that are grown-ups now. But make sure the parents can’t squander the money away if they are so inclined.”

“We will. This will be good for our economy.”

“But why is it called that and not Potter Foundation?”

“Would you want to go to school with children that feel they need to be grateful because you essentially pay for their education?”

“Whoa, no! Good point.”

“Your forefathers thought so. And the Peverells did marry into the Potter line and are extinct.”

“Right, makes sense. Anyway, all money you collect from Dumbledore’s cronies, which is not used to fix up my properties again, can go to that foundation.”

“So noted.”

“We covered the wards, the Dementors, the audit. Anything else? The Horcruxes?”

“We found the Gaunt Shack yesterday, August 3 rd . The information you provided was more than enough. It took us about an hour to enter the hut without disturbing the wards. We then opened the small case sitting under the floorboard, stepped back, and one of our human curse-breakers cast the killing curse on the ring in that case. We left after setting everything back to as it had been with no one the wiser.”

“Perfect.” 

“There have been no sightings of the snake as of yet.”

“So, you are staking out Malfoy Manor?”

“We are.”

“If Riddle is there, Peter Pettigrew isn’t far. He is an Animagus. A common house rat. So, you might want to warn your colleagues of that.”

“We will watch out for him. Do you want him caught?”

“Very much so. It would be perfect to catch him alive.”

“We will try.”

“Is there a goblin way to stop him from transforming?”

“We have iron collars that do that. We can use those for Pettigrew. But only Gringotts can operate those.”

“Perfect.”

“But we would need a contract for finding, catching, and collaring him.”

“Sure, I am the aggrieved party, so that would work. Could you keep my identity secret?”

“Yes.”

They wrote up the contract that Harry signed three Xs with a Black Quill to make it legal and assure he actually had been the aggrieved party. Otherwise, the contract wouldn’t have been legit, but now it would hold up in court.

“Good. That is done. We sent the request for Sirius Black’s trial records and conviction notice to the DMLE but haven’t heard back yet. But Bones was made aware to expect them.”

“Good. You have been quite busy in the last three days.”

“Yes. Gringotts could use the wake-up call. We had a Horcrux in one of our vaults, and we didn’t notice. One of our vault managers was embezzling funds with the help of a wizard, and again we didn’t notice. You can imagine what these discoveries did to our leaders. Heads will roll. Literally. Keep that information to yourself. We will deny everything.”

“Understood,” Harry nodded. And he would honour that request. These were internal goblin problems, and he was sure they would establish a failsafe for every issue they had discovered, now. That was all he needed to know.

“Are there any issues you like to take care of today, Mr Potter?”

“Hm, yes. I need to go to the family vault later to look for a ring I remember seeing there, which warns the wearer about potions, and I wanted to look for a wand-holster and get some money. But first I wanted to ask if Gringotts could craft an item or spell that imitates the enchantments I had on my person but that doesn’t actually affect me.”

Grobhook looked thoughtful for a moment and nodded, “I think we can forge something like that. It will be sent to you tomorrow if you buy a Gringotts mailbox. Or there might be one in the vaults. You should look there first.”

Harry nodded, “Very good. Thanks.” He didn’t care much about the cost. Such an item was necessary and therefore he would buy it. Goblins didn’t haggle anyway.

“Would it be possible to commission a trinket that disguises me as a 28-year-old man? Maybe blonde and blue-eyed? Just looking very much unlike myself?”

“Were you that age, at the time you left your lost future?”

“Yes.”

“Then yes. But only for you, due to your special circumstances. A loophole in our treaties with the Ministry.”

Harry grinned, “Perfect. Then no one will expect it. What about mage sight? Can it detect the artefacts I am wearing?”

“Not if you commission an anti-mage-sight enchantment for them. But fair warning, a magical being with true mage sight can still detect them. Nothing can ward against that. But to our knowledge, there isn’t anyone like that at Hogwarts at the moment.”

“There might be, I think, but she can be trusted.”

Grobhook’s eyes shone, “It gladdens me to learn this. We feared that ability to be lost to your kind.”

“It isn’t. But no one is instructing her, so she interprets things she sees quite strangely. Could Gringotts teach her?” Harry had never thought about the possibility to help Luna with her plight via Gringotts and wondered why she had never come to the attention of the goblins.

“We certainly can and will. We will send an instructor to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Would that work?”

“I think so. I will ask her and come back to you via the mailbox. I just wonder why she never came to your attention in my LF. Why would she avoid you?”

“There are old tales of goblins imprisoning people with this ability. We never did. But some we instructed then gained independence from their head of the family, parents, and spouses and left to work for us. The ones that were left retaliated by spreading rumours. And untaught beings with mage-sight avoid magical sites as best as they can. They try to surround themselves with nature and magical creatures and steer clear of Diagon Alley as a whole.”

Harry nodded. This sounded like Luna, “I will ask her.”

“Good. Tell her we will send only one goblin and that she is safe with us. The Nargles will assure her of that if she listens.”

“She wears a butterbeer cork necklace to ward them off.”

“Understandable. They are said to be quite the chatterboxes.”

“Huh, okay, we always thought she was just strange. But Nargles do exist? Wow, it must be so strange to see stuff no one else does.”

“So my wife tells me. She will probably be the one to instruct your friend.”

“Perfect. I will tell her once I have actually met her.”

“It must be strange. To know people you haven’t met yet.”

“Yes. And people who had died in my LF. I am not looking forward to that. And seeing the people who betrayed me. That might be the hardest.”

Grobhook nodded and said, “Do you want to go to your family vault now?”

“Yes, please.”

“Follow me.”

Chapter Text

One fun ride later, Harry entered the vault and stopped short. There was much more money in it than he remembered. Maybe Gringotts had fined him for the damages they had caused with the dragon? Or Griphook had become much greedier. Or both. But either way, Harry was filthy rich now, it seemed. Being the Potter account manager must be rather prestigious. At least now it was, he mused. 

Harry walked to the huge shelves full of jewellery chests and opened the inventory on the stand in front of it. He called for all the rings with enchantments that detected potions in food and drink and quickly found the one he had wanted to take in his LF. It was a plain-looking ring made out of silver or something similar. 

“It goes on the right-hand middle finger.”

“Appropriate.”

“Indeed. It’s close to any nourishment taken but doesn’t hinder the use of a wand.”

“That too."

Grobhook looked a little baffled but let it go, “Wand holsters should be over at those shelves. They do contain miscellaneous items. If the Potters own a mailbox, it should be there as well.”

They walked over to the huge shelves at the back of the cave, which were full of strange things and Harry went straight to the inventory again. 

He quickly found a holster and put it on right away. It was invisible when worn and warded against disarming and mage-sight and could be personalised so only Harry could use it. It had belonged to his Great-grandfather Charlus Potter in the past, the inventory said. It felt immediately like it belonged on his arm, not like the scratchy Auror-issued one in his LF.

A mailbox was found as well and Harry keyed it to his person with a drop of blood, like the holster, and Grobhook showed him how to link it to his account manager’s box.

“How come I can use the items now even if they had been keyed to someone else? Is it because the person is dead?” Harry asked while putting the box into his wallet.

“That, too. But this vault’s rules state that items returned to it have to get de-keyed.”

“That's a word?”

“It is here.”

Harry chuckled and studied the items on the shelves. He wanted to investigate some more, but he didn’t have the time, he thought mournfully.

“I would suggest you take the Potter family Grimoire.”

“Huh,” Harry blinked, he had no idea he owned such a thing. 

Grobhook led Harry to a stand even further in the back, but it was empty.

“Someone took it,” Harry growled.

“A great crime. It will return when we recall your things in September.”

“Good. September will get quite uncomfortable for someone. With the payments stopped, the squatters evicted, and the stolen items gone.”

The two grinned evilly at one another.

“Can he even read it?”

“He shouldn’t be able to, but who knows.”

“Bastard.”

“Indeed.”

Harry walked to the bookshelves and collected quite a few books and put them into his wallet, “Some light reading. But I better go now.”

“After you took some money.”

“Huh, right. I forgot for a moment,” Harry walked to the piles of money and stuffed quite a bit into his wallet. Into the space reserved for money, to be exact. It wasn’t like he dropped everything into it like into a black box. No, there were compartments within, that he could access. He had absolutely no idea how it worked, but it did. He just understood there wasn’t a pile of stuff at the bottom to be forgotten about, but a much more orderly system and he became aware of its contents when he opened the wallet. 

“Could I exchange some into Muggle currency?”

“Certainly. But there is a chest with current banknotes on this shelf here. No need to pay exchange rates.”

“Perfect,” Harry opened the box and took out a wad of fifty-pound notes worth 5.000£. “Well, fuck me,” he muttered and placed the wad in his wallet after taking one note and putting it into the decoy pocket of it.

Soon they were back in the goblins office and Harry removed the cowl of the cloak he had worn on the way and said, “Well, I think that was it for now. It was great doing business with you again, Account Manager Grobhook.”

“And with you, Mr. Potter. A guard will lead you to the backdoor. Have a good day.”

“Good day to you, too.”

Back at the Dursleys, no one had noticed Harry’s disappearance and Harry wondered again when they would come to collect him now that no hearing at the Ministry had to be scheduled.

Chapter Text

He spent the next few days finishing his homework, meditating, taking walks, cooking, and reading his books.

He also went shopping after he had received the disguise pendant from Gringotts. He just had to tap it with his finger and have the intention to change his looks or to look like Harry again. 

The pendant only changed his face a little. Aged it and turned him into a blonde. So, he looked like a lanky, gangly 28-year-old when he activated it. At first, he hadn’t understood why that was, but it became quite helpful when buying clothes. 

He stayed with the black colour scheme (hurray for cooling charms). It made shopping much easier. He could understand Snape much better now and no one would notice if he had one or ten sets of clothing. And it beautifully would distract from his changed new healthy looks, he thought, amused.

He also saw a piercing studio but decided against an earring at the moment. It wasn’t such a lifelong decision as it was in the Muggle world, but he didn’t care for the hassle it would cause. Even if it would work well with his planned rebellious phase.

What confused him a bit was that none of the guards were ever any the wiser. Most treated their times watching him more like downtime than sentry duty. They also didn’t seem to have a clear objective on what to actually watch out for. Maybe Dumbledore didn’t explicitly tell them they needed to know about his whereabouts at all times, just to watch out for dangers approaching the house and felt safe under their flimsy cloak? Because he never found any wards monitoring him cast by them. 

The only one who seemed to take his job seriously was Moody, but Harry only saw the outline of the Auror twice. At least he guessed it was the man, as he seemed to have conjured a chair or brought one with him and sat there under his invisibility cloak, watching the house. Those two days Harry didn’t dare to leave and checked the vicinity for spells very thoroughly after the old Aurer had left.

But the others were a joke and clearly had no idea what they were doing. Not even Tonks, who really should know better.

During this time, he got two letters. One short and inconsequential one written by Ron, and a very long, rambling one that still managed to contain nothing of consequence by Hermione. In most of her letters she was admonishing him to do his homework and keep his head down. She didn’t sound like a friend, more like a stuck-up parental advisor he thought.

He didn’t bother to answer. 

All he had gotten for his birthday had been some chocolate from Honeydukes that his younger self had chucked into the bin which he then hadn’t bothered to empty, it seemed. They did know how he was treated by the Dursleys, didn’t they? And no one else had sent food, this time either. Neither Molly nor Hagrid. At least there was no evidence of it. And they didn’t know he got enough food now, did they? (He made sure to eat less those times Moody was on duty.) But maybe they sent him some? Harry couldn’t remember his fifteenth birthday very clearly. To him, it had been 13 years ago. 

Why 13 years exactly was anybody’s guess. Maybe the amount of time-turner sand they used? Well, he could never ask them now. That future was done and gone.

Harry scowled.

Fucking arseholes, trying to enslave him! At least Hermione didn’t seem to have been part of this idiotic scheme. She never would have made such a blunder using the wrong main ingredient and slavery was abhorrent to her.

He wrote a note to Grobhook and asked what could be done to prevent getting thrust back in time again.

The answer was disheartening: Nothing but an instant vanishing charm on the sand.

Well fuck. 

Harry spent an hour a day learning to cast that charm wandless and silent from then on. He concentrated on casting the spell with his left hand.

On Saturday the 19 th of August, the Dursleys got quite excited because they got invited to the prize-giving of the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition in London proper. They were short-listed to win it!

“I didn’t even know such a competition existed!” Petunia exclaimed.

Harry, who was eating breakfast with his much-mellowed relatives, said, “It could be a hoax by some magical people who need you to be out of the house and think it’s funny, I am sorry to say. They probably want to come and collect me.”

Aunt Petunia looked rather disheartened, so Harry added, “But it would be best to leave if you don’t want to meet them, anyway. Maybe make reservations at that restaurant you wanted to try, so should this really be a “prank” you have an alternative?”

Dudley scowled and said, “We could prank them back. You could come, too. Let them eat their ‘prank’.”

Harry sniggered and said, “That would be great! Would you mind?” He looked at the adults.

Uncle Vernon, who now turned into a rather jovial and friendly man chuckled and said, “I like that idea. Pet?”

Petunia looked a little worried, “But what would they do then? Come to the restaurant? Make a scene?”

Harry slumped, “Probably. I better stay here, then. Most have no idea how to behave in the Muggle world. And who knows how many will come?”

Dudley pouted, “Man, I would have loved to see their faces. And who will run with me in the morning if you're gone?”

Harry and his cousin had just started to ‘run’ a week ago. Not that Dudley came very far. It was more like a brisk walk, but it helped. The teen had decided for himself to get fitter for the next boxing competition and worked diligently to reach that goal by exercising and trying to eat healthy.

“Hogwarts starts in two weeks, so you would have had to find someone else then too,” Harry reminded him.

“I’ll walk with you, son. I need to lose some weight as well.”

Dudley nodded, feeling a little appeased. He had liked the walks with Harry. His cousin had become much more likeable in the last few weeks, but his dad would do for now.  

“Oh, and I need to take down the cooling charms in the house. I don’t want them to know I did magic.”

“Oh no! That is the best magic there is! But at least the heatwave has mostly ended, now. But say, Harry, did you do anything to us or yourself to make you more likeable?” his aunt asked haltingly.

Harry, who had expected that question, answered honestly, “Not exactly. Someone else did something 14 years ago and I took that down. I can’t tell you more, but you should know that the people you are now are your real selves.”

Petunia blinked and looked at her husband and Dudley, “he made us hate you.”

“And more.”

“But, why?”

“I can only guess. To keep me downtrodden? Make me love the magical world? Become malleable? I don’t know.”

Petunia started crying, “I feel like a puppet strung along and made to do horrible things.”

Dudley grunted, “me, too.”

“He made you into the most horrible versions of yourselves. And you had no chance of fighting against it. If you want to, I can commission the goblin nation to watch you and your home and get rid of any enchantments that are malicious or not in your best interests in the future. They are honourable. They also are investigating the items that changed your personalities. I will not let this stand.”

Vernon and Petunia looked at each other and Vernon answered, “Can we get back to you tomorrow?”

“Sure. You also need to know that the goblins are my financial advisors and handle my money. They will come to you and ask for receipts that warrant the monthly payment of 1.250£ per month and probably will ask for most of it back as I didn’t get much of anything but was made to work extensively for my ‘care’.”

Dudley looked at Harry in horror, “But… 1.250£ per month? That is…”

“More than 200.000 £ plus any child benefit you received for me over time.”

Petunia and Vernon looked very pale now.

“And that money came from your accounts?”

“Yes. To be honest, if I hadn’t found the mind-altering enchantments keyed to you, I would have the goblins come down at you like a ton of bricks. Asking for all that money back immediately. Now that I found that all of our lives have been manipulated, I won’t.”

“Thank god!” Petunia sighed.

“Harry, I am sorry for what we did. Looking back, I just cannot fathom my behaviour. It was despicable. We will do our best to pay you back quickly,” his uncle added.

“My account manager will contact you and he knows I don’t want you to suffer in any form now. Oh, and fair warning. I stopped the payments from September onwards. Should I need to stay next summer we can come to an agreement about my expenses then, I am sure. So, do you want the goblins to watch out for you? You should decide soon. Remember, I might not be here the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes. Have your manager contact us. We will handle that directly and pay for their services. I just would like you to check us and our home next summer, too.”

“Can do. I will ask him for a method or item that helps you to keep it secret that you know all of this. That headmaster of mine can read minds and he has no qualms in doing so.”

“The magical world doesn’t endear itself to me, Harry.”

“Nor to me. It is a backward and corrupt place that I don’t like much either. But magic has its perks, as you learned with the cooling charm.”

“Yes. It’s not magic that is at fault, it’s the people,” Vernon agreed rather insightfully. “And people with power become corrupt. Our worlds aren’t so different in that regard, it seems.”

Harry nodded thoughtfully, “That is true. And their backwardness could be explained by their longevity. The headmaster is over a hundred years old, and his formative years were spent in the 19 th century.”

“Isn’t it your world too?” Dudley asked wide-eyed.

“Not really. I am more like a Muggle who happens to have magic. I feel like a tourist there for the most part.”

“That’s what Lily said one time, too,” Petunia said and then stared at Harry. It hit her that this was her little sister’s son. Whom she had treated like vermin. Even when he was a little toddler, she had…

Petunia sobbed, jumped up with her chair clattering to the ground, and ran to the bathroom with her hand over her mouth.

Vernon got up as quickly as his heavy body allowed him and went looking for his wife, while Harry and Dudley stared cluelessly at one another.

“What just happened?” Dudley asked.

Harry was just as baffled, “No idea.”

“At least it’s not morning. You know? We learned about morning sickness and stuff last year.”

“Ugh. Yeah. But… uh oh.”

“What?”

“Erm, one of the enchantments that aren’t active anymore was… like… a contraceptive?”

Dudley stared at Harry in horror, “I don’t want to think about my parents doing that!”

“Me neither!”

“Oh god! She might be…”

“Psst. I’d rather not talk about it with them,” neither 15-year-old nor 28-year-old Harry wanted that.

“Right!”

The boys put on blank faces when Petunia and Vernon returned. Vernon narrowed his eyes at them but kept quiet and helped Petunia to sit down again.

Petunia had red-rimmed eyes that she looked at Harry with, “I just realised that…,” sob “Lily…,” sob, “your mother… my sister,” she blew her nose, “Sorry, Harry. We should talk later when I have,” sob, “pulled myself together again.”

Harry nodded big-eyed. His aunt seemed to have realised something. Likely their relation. How absurd was that?

“Maybe you could tell me about her and my grandparents some time next summer?”

“I will. Gladly. And show you the pictures if you want.”

“Yes, very much so.”

The two smiled haltingly at one another and something within Harry tentatively started repairing itself.

After a moment he went back to the matters at hand, “so, let me recap. You will leave the house tomorrow evening to go to the prize-giving or a restaurant, while I will take down the charms on the ceilings and probably leave. I will have my account manager contact you, Uncle Vernon. I also will tell you in a timely manner if I come to stay for the summer and we will talk about expenses then. Did I forget anything?”

“I don’t think so, Son,” Uncle Vernon answered thoughtfully.

Harry blinked. His uncle had never called him that before. He felt warmth blossom in his chest. That was what he had always wished for, and even at the age of 28, it somehow pleased him to no end. Not that he had overcome his traumatic childhood, that would be incredibly absurd too. But it was a start at least, right?

“You wanted to get us something that helps us keep all this secret,” Dudley reminded Harry.

“Right! I will do that as soon as we have cleared the table. I think we have finished breakfast by now, don’t you agree?”

“I’ll help Mum. You go and write to the goblin... Huh, never thought I would ever say something like that.”

Harry sniggered and jumped up, “Thanks! See you,” and rushed to his room upstairs.

He wrote a quick missive to Grobhook asking for secret-keeping help for his Muggle relatives and to contact his uncle about financial settlements, but not to make his relatives hurt monetarily. 

Luckily Hedwig was out, so he could use her new archenemy – the mailing box – to deliver the missive without any hassle.

Chapter Text

After going for his last walk/run with Dudley for the summer, Harry spent the Sunday taking down the enchantments in his room and on all the ceilings in the house. Mad-eye had certainly been with the group that collected him in the LF. And the charms would be visible if he had a mage-sight enchantment on his fake eye. Even if Harry had no idea how the man managed to function with all the crazy stuff the eye must be showing him at all times. Like a second point of view. Crazy colours whirling because of mage-sight (if he had it) His own brain? Naked people? Organs? Skeletons? Ugh! Harry only found the thought of naked people interesting but then the image of a naked Headmaster Dumbledore talking to an equally naked Professor Sprout popped into his mind and he was cured of any envy.

(He just wondered why his dorm mates and him hadn’t spent their 4 th year discussing if Moody could look through clothes. It was rather obvious now, wasn’t it? Seamus would have loved the thought and maybe would have tried to recreate something like it instead of creating alcohol.)

After lunch, Harry spent time with his relatives and did some meditation on the mindset he wanted to portray and the fact that he wasn’t supposed to know many of the people he was to meet tomorrow and the others only in passing as a professor. Like Remus . NO! ‘Professor Lupin, Professor Moody, Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley’ he practised in his mind. And his young self didn’t know Tonks, Kingsley, Fletcher, etc., at all.

Best he kept quiet and scowled angrily, he decided.

In the evening, his relatives got dressed to the nines. By now they were quite sure it just had been a hoax, but had decided a nice dinner would be great too. They had reserved a table for three, close to the place the award show was said to be happening.

They said their goodbyes and left, curious to find out what was awaiting them.

Harry and Dudley had agreed to write to each other when they were back at school. Harry would send Hedwig to start them off.

After they had left, Harry checked who was on duty and found no one was watching the house at the moment.

“Sloppy. I could have used that time to walk off,” he told Hedwig who looked at him with her amber eyes and Harry remembered her looking reproachfully at him with a frog in her beak. Huh? Right, he had sent her to Grimmauld Place quite rudely, with demands for answers after the attack in the  LF, hadn't he?

Another memory surfaced and he waved his wand and locked himself in. 

But the Dursleys wouldn’t have locked his door if the Dementor attack hadn’t happened, right? 

“Ugh,” he unlocked the door again and looked around the room. Did he put everything from his vault into his wallet? 

Yes, he did. Except for the holster. Damn. Better put it in there, too. At least for tonight. Later, I can make Sirius give it to me or something. 

He looked down at his clothes and grinned. He was dressed all in black as was his new normal. He loved it. Even if he didn't really look like a goth, he was the picture of a sullen teen now.

“We both are rather without colour except for your amber and my green eyes, aren’t we?” he asked Hedwig who managed to look amused.

“We do make such a striking picture, though. The moody, teenage ‘goth’ and his beautiful snowy owl.”

The owl preened.

He looked around his room if anything showed up in his mage-sight and found nothing. Luckily the mage-sight spell wasn’t visible with all the Oculus Reparo and Impervius charms his glasses had seen.

Everything was in order. His room looked like a teenager’s den, messy and slightly dirty and no books that shouldn’t belong to him lay around anywhere.

He flopped down on his bed and read today’s Prophet. Wow, they really had it in it for him and Dumbledore. But there was also an article about the arrest of one Dolores Umbridge. Hah. Couldn’t keep it under wraps, could you, Minister? Harry thought gleefully.

According to the paper, Umbridge was charged with breaking one of the major agreements in the latest treaty Gringotts and the Ministry had signed after the last goblin war. The writer of the article tried to thread the needle with their reporting. It was obvious they didn’t want to antagonise either Gringotts or the Ministry.

Harry knew she had already faced her trial at the goblin court and been sentenced to 30 years of working in the mines. But the Prophet didn’t seem to know that, as they speculated when her trial would be.

They just need to ask the goblins, but no one’s had that rather far-fetched idea yet, Harry thought cynically.

Griphook’s trial had been on the 10 th , four days before Umbridge’s. He had been interrogated and executed. His crimes of theft, corruption, and colluding with a wizard were the worst a goblin could commit. At least, in their understanding. 

Dumbledore really had done it here. He had managed to make a whole nation declare him to be their archenemy. (And the man wouldn't be able to hide in Harry’s wallet like Harry’s mailbox did.)

Harry looked at his alarm clock. They really did take their time with this. It was 11 pm already. How long did they think the Dursleys would be gone if the invitation was made up?

Harry listened to the quiet outside until he heard a crash coming from the kitchens. 

Klutzes. He remembered now how afraid he had been, thinking burglars had broken in.

Voices could be heard, and Harry decided to change the events a little. He turned off the light and quietly waited next to his door. He heard a few people come up the stairs. At least they didn’t all come up to stare at him and his room.

When the door opened at last, he stuck out his foot and someone promptly fell over it. He quickly turned on the light and pointed his wand at Remus, who stood in his doorframe, looking down at Tonks in surprise, who lay there with her face squished in one of Harry’s dirty socks.

Harry bit the inside of his cheeks and then yelled, “Who are you? What do you want here? Get out! Help! Police!”

“Harry! Harry! It’s me, Remus. Shhh.”

“As if! Professor Lupin wouldn’t have come here without a warning. Who are you? Did you take Polyjuice? Is the Professor alright?” Harry spat at the man.

Remus winced, while Tonks got up carefully trying to appease Harry, “Wotcher, Harry. It’s really us. We are coming to get you. Hermione and Ron are there, as well, waiting for you.”

“You captured them, too? Who are you? Death Eaters?” Harry pressed his back to the wall and pointed his shaking wand at the two confused-looking people.

“This isn’t going like I thought it would,” Remus muttered.

“We didn’t capture your friends! They live at your godfather’s house at the moment, and we want to take you to them.”

 “In the middle of the night when my relatives are away? Right,” Harry said sarcastically.

“Yes! We thought it would be safer, don’t you see? We lured the Dursleys away, telling them they were short-listed to win the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. We sent them a letter inviting them to the prize-giving,” Tonks beamed at Harry.

Harry hardened his heart and face and said, “Muggle-baiting. I see.”

“What? No! …I thought you would find it funny.”

“Haha, I am in stitches,” Harry said glumly.

They heard thumping steps coming up the stairs and a gruff voice calling out, “What’s taking you? Get the boy and come down. We need to go! And you lot stay downstairs. This isn’t an exhibition!”

Remus winced, Tonks frowned, and Harry inched away from the door some more with his back still pressed to the wall.

“How many people are here? See, this isn’t an escort to Sirius’s home. Who needs more than two people for that? It’s not like we would fly there with our brooms. That would be stupid.”

Remus winced again and Moody came thumping into Harry’s small room, “Whom are you calling stupid, boy?” he barked.

Harry flinched. He didn’t even need to pretend.

“Alastor don’t scare him even more. Wait outside,” Remus said with some authority and Moody actually complied while muttering, “what a clusterfuck.” 

They heard him thump down the stairs again and bark, “Show is over. Go back to the headquarters. There has been a change of plans. We will Apparate.”

Some whining could be heard but then people were leaving.

Remus rubbed his face and sighed, “I am sorry, Harry. They all wanted to come and meet you. But they're gone now. It’s really me and this is Tonks. Dumbledore sent us to get you to Sirius’s home.”

“And no one thought to warn me? Okay… Uhm, tell me, what was in the aquarium in your office when I first visited you and what day was that?”

“Good questions. It was the first Hogsmeade weekend of that school year. I don’t remember the date. And there were Grindylows in the aquarium. Satisfied?”

“I guess,” Harry answered mulishly. Inside he was quite amused by the events of the evening, even if seeing all the dead people come alive again was very strange and unsettling. Fortunately, he had meditated on that fact quite a bit.

“May I magically pack your stuff, Harry?” Remus asked.

“Sure...”

Remus waved his wand and Harry’s things packed themselves, while Tonks muttered, “I wish I could do it this neatly.”

“What about Hedwig?” Harry asked.

“Let her fly. Owls hate Apparition,” Remus answered.

“Uh, ok. Hear that, girl? Fly to… uh... where are we going?”

“Just tell her to fly in the direction of London. She will sense you there soon enough.”

“Heard that, Hedwig? See you soon.”

Hedwig flew out of the window, which Harry then closed, and the three of them walked downstairs. Carrying Harry’s trunk and Hedwig’s empty cage. No one seemed to notice the seven locks that still adorned his door. 

They walked through the hallway and Harry saw some pictures on the wall missing and said, “So you were burglars after all. Looks like people took some stuff. What else did they take?”

He went into the living room and the kitchen and saw some more of the decoration missing. And smashed plates on the kitchen floor.

He baulked, “I don’t believe you are who you say you are. Your people steal and damage stuff in a stranger’s home. Good people don’t do that. Not even a repair charm was cast by anyone.”

Remus quickly waved his wand to repair the plates, but the damage was done. Harry mistrusted them again.

“Tonks, go back and collect the stuff they stole. Harry is right. This is Muggle-baiting and theft. If we want to be the good guys, we can’t do stuff like that.”

Tonks nodded, her hair fiery red, “Sorry about the plates,” she mumbled and walked outside to get the stolen goods. It had started being so much fun, but now… not so much. 

“Did her hair just change colours?” Harry asked after they heard a cracking sound.

“She is a metamorphmagus. Her hair often changes with her mood.”

“She's like a human mood ring?”

Remus laughed, surprised. “Exactly. I am sorry Harry. We really should have thought this through with your perspective in mind.”

Harry nodded. “So, the whole thing was a prank? There is no one there where you sent the Dursleys? Or is some other event going on there?”

“Yes. It was a prank. A mean one.”

Harry shrugged, “I wonder where they are. That place is only 45 minutes away, Uncle Vernon said. They must have gone to a restaurant after making a big fuss. I mean, they left at about seven.”

“Oh dear. That means they could return at any moment?”

“Yep. Fantastic planning for how many adults?”

“I think we were eight.”

“For one scrawny boy.”

“They wanted to meet you.”

“Oh, fans,” Harry said derisively. “Would they have stared at me like the children do at Hogwarts?”

“I hope not.”

“They should get tickets to the zoo. There they can stare at the exhibits and leave me alone.”

Remus flinched. Harry sounded so disdainful and world-weary, “I am sure they meant well.”

“Whatever.”

They waited for a while, not talking.

Remus then said, “But you believe, I am me?”

Harry nodded, glaring at the floor.

“Good. I hope Tonks returns soon.”

It was like she had heard him because a cracking sound could be heard and then Tonks came stumbling through the backdoor and would have fallen if Remus hadn’t caught her.

Harry sneered at her, and she blushed while emptying her pockets carelessly, breaking some of the porcelain figurines and glass in the picture frames in the process.

“Oops, sorry!” She grinned sheepishly at Harry, who glared back at her.

Meanwhile, Remus cast another repairing charm at the broken items and said, “Could you put them back, Harry? You know where they go.”

Harry nodded and gathered some of the items.

“I’ll help,” Tonks announced cheerfully. She wanted to show the two that she wasn’t always such a klutz. 

“Don’t,” Harry barked over his shoulder and went into the living room to return the things he had taken while Remus levitated the rest into the room for Harry to pick out of the air and put back.

Tonks felt very bad about the whole thing, now. She had lit a fire under the thieves’ feet verbally while Sirius had cheered her on. The poor man had been devastated that they all had returned without Harry and then had learned that they had treated Harry’s home like a free-for-all souvenir shop.

And then she had to break some of the things they had taken! – Remus just flustered her so much that her brain disconnected sometimes.

When the two returned, she asked, “Did they give everything back?”

Harry shook his head, “One picture of the family in front of the house is missing, and a little brass figurine of a cat. I think it belonged to my grandmother.”

“Merlin!” Tonks yelped, “An heirloom and your location!”

“Yep.”

“Let’s go back and get them. Will you come now?” 

“Yes. How will we travel? Will we Apparate?”

“Yes. You are an old hand at it, I am sure.”

“Nope. Never done it.”

“But Harry! All those books!”

“Fiction. Can we go now?”

Tonks gaped at Harry while Remus took the trunk and Harry the cage.

“Tonks, come,” Remus called out and she scrambled to follow. Luckily, she didn’t break anything this time.

“This will feel weird and slightly painful but it will be over quickly,” Remus warned, took Harry’s arm with his free hand, and without further ado Apparated them to the little park near Grimmauld Place.

Harry didn’t need to pretend to feel ill. Side-along Apparition was new to his young body.

When he looked up, he learned that the secret of a Fidelius Charm carried through time. He could see Grimmauld Place No. 12. But he dutifully read the paper slip Remus handed to him and pretended to be a little bit in awe of the magical appearance of the hidden house.

“Come, it’s late,” Remus said, just as the church bells started announcing the arrival of the new day. It was midnight.

Harry followed him and was let into the dimly lit hallway where Tonks predictably stumbled over the umbrella stand and Mrs Black’s portrait started screeching.

“Wakey-wakey,” Harry muttered and earned a confused look from Remus. But his prediction came true as doors opened all over the house and pyjama- and nightshift-clad people started coming down the stairs to – predictably – stare at Harry. 

Only Sirius and some of Harry’s schoolmates reacted normally to the sight of him. Sirius jumped to the portrait and pulled the curtains over it while yelling back at it, and Hermione rushed toward Harry screeching, “Harry!”

But Harry stepped behind Remus and said, “leave me alone.”

“What? Why? Harry! You don’t mean that! I am your friend!”

“Debatable,” Harry muttered and walked to Sirius, trying hard not to start bawling. “Hey.”

“Hello, cub! Welcome to my humble abode! Follow me, I have a room prepared for you!” Sirius snatched Harry’s trunk out of Remus’s unresisting hand and led the way, squeezing past the watching audience.

Huh? This was new. A curious but outwardly scowling Harry followed and ignored the silently watching wizards and witches, leaving Hermione standing speechlessly in the front hall.

Sirius led Harry to the door close to his room and opened it dramatically, “Your rooms, good sir.”

Harry sniggered and entered. It was one of the guest rooms, but Sirius had done quite the work to make it liveable and cosy. In a way, at least.

“Do you like it? Remus thought it was a little over the top. But you are a Gryffindor, so I thought…,” Sirius babbled.

“Uh. Maybe it is just a bit over the top,” Harry hedged.

“You think? To be honest, Remus said it looks like the inside of a brothel.”

Harry snorted and answered, “I wouldn’t know, right?”

“Ugh. Sorry. Right. Not age-appropriate?”

“After four years of living in a dorm with four other teenage boys?” 

“Right,” Sirius looked a little lost. 

“The colours of the first sparks of my wand were green and gold. So maybe a light green colour? Not Slytherin green. More like the first green in spring?” Harry offered.

Sirius nodded and waved his wand to change the walls to neon green. 

“Too bright!” Harry yelped, covering his eyes.

Another wave and the colours were more like Harry had envisioned. The gold didn’t look too tacky now, he decided and nodded, “This room I can sleep in.”

“I was afraid you wanted me to turn the walls black like your clothes.”

“Heh, that’s an idea.”

“No! Forget what I said! Anyway, there is a bathroom attached to this room, so no need to brave the hallways. And no one can Apparate into this room and anyone, but you and I, has to be invited in. Molly wants you to share with Ron. You can decide what you want tomorrow.”

“I like my own room during the holidays, to be honest,” Harry answered while wondering where Molly had been when he arrived.

“That’s what I thought. Oh, and Molly doesn’t let her lot cast any magic, but the trace doesn’t work in areas with a high magical density, like this house. So, you can cast magic to your heart’s content.”

“Never give up my guardianship, okay?” Harry declared.

Sirius laughed, “I won’t, don’t worry. I will not give you up.”

“Thanks! And fair warning, I am very angry with my so-called friends. How long did they live here, anyway?”

“The Weasley family from the start of their holidays and Hermione three weeks later. Sometime during July.”

“And no one cared to write anything of note for eight weeks?”

“I did, Harry. But the letters were destroyed. I am a prisoner here. Just with better food and hygiene than in Azkaban.”

“And no Dementors.”

“A plus.”

“Ok, I forgive you. But not the others.”

“Albus told them not to write anything of any importance to you for safety reasons,” Sirius explained.

“Right. And they listened. Would you have, at the age of fifteen, if Dumbledore had told you not to write to James for safety reasons?”

“Well, I would have found a safe way to contact him, I’m sure.”

“Exactly. Like the Muggle mail. It’s not like Hermione doesn’t know how it works. And I'm sure Mr Weasley would have been delighted to throw it into a public letterbox.”

“Or Tonks. Her dad is a Muggle-born, and she wouldn’t have taken the box apart first.”

Harry grinned and nodded, “True.”

“Alright then, pup. The kitchen is in the basement, for when you get hungry tomorrow morning.”

“Okay. Oh, and Sirius?”.

“Yes?”

“Could you cast a privacy ward, please?”

“Huh? Okay,” Sirius waved his wand. “There you go. What did you want to talk about?”

“How is your Occlumency?”

“Bad. But I wear a ring keeping everyone out of my mind. I don’t trust Snivellus.”

“Ugh. Please call him Snape or Severus. This schoolyard bullying is beneath you.”

Sirius frowned and then nodded resignedly, “Okay, but only because it's you who asked. Now, why don’t you tell me what I need to keep to myself?” 

“I might have managed to get a Potter family wand holster and might need a believable excuse for having it. Could we say you got it for me? It’s not recognizable as a Potter heirloom when worn.”

“Invisible?”

“Yep.”

“Sure. Let’s say I saw you carrying your wand in your back pocket like you did when we met before, and I immediately did the responsible thing and summoned a holster for you. Let’s rub Molly’s nose in the fact that her brood carries their wands that way all the time.”

“Sure, go for it,” Harry said, yawning. “But only if they notice it in the first place.”

“Alright. Good night, pup. I am glad you were finally allowed to come!”

“Me too! G’night, Sirius.”

Chapter Text

Early the next morning, Harry lay in bed and thought about the locket. 

Should he wait? Nah. He decided to go for it and sat up to cast a locking and silencing spell at his door. Then he called out, “Kreacher!”

The old elf popped in and looked at Harry in confusion, “Master-not-Master called for Kreacher?” he asked in his bullfrog-like voice.

“Yes, sorry. I cannot tell you about the strange half-bond between us, but what I can tell you is that I want to destroy Master Regulus’s locket.”

Harry had decided to blurt out the most important thing right away. Kreacher had no patience for hedging and long-winded explanations that were slowly leading up to a point.

The elf stood stock still, “Master-not-Master wants to destroy it for Kreacher?”

“Yes. And for Regulus, and for me and the wizarding world.”

“Kreacher will go get it,” with that the elf popped away.

“Huh, that went easier than expected.”

5 seconds later Kreacher stood there with the locket in his hands and asked suspiciously, “How does Kreacher know Kreacher can trust Master-not-Master?”

“Hm. I would need to cast the killing curse at the opened locket. I will open it with parseltongue. So, you can put it over there and stand out of the way and I will cast it from here,” Harry pointed to three different points in the room. “So, I don’t need to hold it and technically it will never leave your possession.

Kreacher nodded, “Kreacher is no parselmouth and couldn’t open it.” He went over and laid the locket in front of the bathroom door and went to stand in another part of the room Harry had indicated earlier.

“Just one question. Are there wards that can detect a killing curse being cast in this house?”

“There are.”

Harry slumped, but perked up again when Kreacher went on, “But they only tell the Head of the Black family. There is no head right now. And the bee didn’t cast any wards of that kind. Neither did the crazy-eye.”

“Good, and it will not be recorded, right?”

“No.”

“And Mad-Eye is not in the house?”

“No, Master-not-Master.”

“Very well. Open – Avada Kedavra .”

Harry had given the Horcrux no time to react. So, the only thing it did was screech and discharge some black vapour. Even though it didn’t open. Huh… Right… Not a parselmouth anymore. Idiot!

Harry then looked to Kreacher and found the elf standing stock-still, with his huge eyes bulging even more.

“It’s done, Kreacher. Your task has been completed.”

Kreacher slowly turned his head to stare at Harry in wonderment and croaked, “Thank you Master-not-Master,” and burst into horrible wrenching sobs that made Harry gather the little being in his arms and let him cry It out. 

Harry just held him. He didn’t say anything and didn’t pat the elf consolingly on the back, just letting him grieve for his beloved Master at last.

About five minutes later, the old elf stepped back and snapped his fingers to clean Harry and himself from his outburst.

“Kreacher thanks kind Master-not-Master,” he rasped. “What does Master-not-Master want to do with the locket?”

“Okay, I will answer that in a moment, but please call me Master Harry or just Harry. I don’t want anyone to know about our peculiar bond. Someone from the Black family could order you to tell them everything you know about it. Could you do that?”

“Kreacher can, Just Harry.”

Harry sniggered, “I walked right into that one, didn’t I? Anyway, do you want the locket to remember Regulus? If not, I will put it in my wallet and later into my vault.”

Kreacher thought about it and said, “Kreacher doesn’t want it. Kreacher hated it for so long. Kreacher has memories of Master Regulus, so Kreacher is happy.”

“Very well,” Harry waved his wand, and the locket flew into his left hand and soon disappeared into his wallet. “Will you be able to work again, now?”

Harry wasn’t bothered that Kreacher hadn’t wanted the locket like in his LF. The goblins had warned him that unexpected changes would happen, like his new room at Grimmauld Place. On the other hand, Kreacher had wanted the fake locket in the LF, not the real one, now that he thought about it. And Harry didn’t know if Sirius had fixed the room up for him last time too, but hadn’t said anything about it when Harry agreed to room with Ron. Those thoughts raced through his head in a second, but his attention moved back to Kreacher when the elf answered him excitedly (for him).

“Kreacher can and Kreacher will!”

“Better squirrel everything remotely Dark away, or Mrs. Weasley will throw it out.”

“Kreacher does so already.”

“Good. And watch out for Mundungus Fletcher, he takes everything he thinks he can sell.”

Kreacher nodded, “Kreacher will.”

“Maybe we should commission Gringotts to do a ritual of recall. That would return anything unlawfully taken or thrown out.”

“Kreacher would like that.”

Harry nodded and said, “Well, that was all. I’ll go looking for breakfast now.”

“Just Harry does that and Kreacher starts bringing order to the house,” he snapped his fingers and Harry’s bed made itself and the already tidy room looked cleaner somehow.

As soon as Harry was alone, he whined to no one in particular, “Why do house-elves always give me funny names?”

No one answered,not even Hedwig, who was sleeping on the bird stand. She must have returned during the night via the window Harry had left open before going to bed. Harry huffed and squared his shoulders. It was time to face the music.

He quietly left his room and snuck down to the basement. The door to the kitchen stood open, which made Harry decide to listen first before going in.

“Come on, Hermione, he didn’t mean it. He probably was tired and angry. You know how he can be,” Harry heard Ron say.

“But he said our friendship was debatable. Since when does he know and use words like that?”

Harry decided to just walk in and said, “wow, you really must think I'm an idiot.” He walked to Sirius and sat down next to the man, who drank his tea and looked blearily at Harry. 

“G’morning, pup.”

“Good morning, Sirius.”

Harry served himself some breakfast from the full platters on the table, but his full plate was pulled away just when he wanted to start eating.

“Hey!” he protested.

“You need something else,” Molly Weasley said decisively, put Harry’s plate next to Ron’s, filled up another one with food from the stove, and sat it in front of Harry.

“Here you go, dear.”

Harry stared at the food and then at Molly and said, “No thanks.” He got up and exchanged the plates next to Ron, who protested with a full-mouthed, “Hey.”

“You’ll live.” Harry sat down again and started eating his food. His ring was quiet with this one, but the stuff Molly had handed him had made his ring warn him strongly as soon as his hand came close to that plate.

Meanwhile, Ron had pulled Harry’s second plate close and put his left arm around it to keep it safe and just started eating from it when Molly screeched, “No! Don’t eat that!” and vanished the food from Ron’s second plate.

Ron complained loudly and Remus asked, “Why did you do that, Molly? You wanted Harry to eat that food, but not Ron?”

Molly huffed and answered annoyedly, “There were nutrition potions in it to help Harry. He always is so thin when returning from his relatives. Ron doesn’t need them.”

“But they wouldn’t have hurt him, either. No reason to waste perfectly good food,” Remus said and looked at Molly with some suspicion. This explanation just didn’t add up.

Sirius, who was much more awake now, waved his wand at the food on the stove and said, “There is more than one potion in this food.”

“Just things to help the boy!” she said, and vanished the food on the stove as well. “Harry, my dear, you don’t mind me taking care of you, right?”

Harry frowned and said, “I don’t want special treatment. And I don’t want people staring, stealing, and potioning me.”

Some of the people, who were eating at the table while ogling Harry, blushed and looked down at their food and then waved their wands over it to check it for potions.

Wow, that backfired on you, didn’t it, Molly? Harry thought, grinning internally but outwardly he was scowling.

“Don’t give any potions to my godson without my permission, Molly,” Sirius said, still frowning. “And you guys stop staring or get out!” he barked at some of the Order members who had returned to looking at Harry rather quickly.

“Doesn’t work. The kids at school don’t stop doing that either. It’s like I don’t warrant decent human behaviour,” Harry scowled.

“Fuck it. Get out. Anyone not living here for the summer, get out and look for something else to entertain you. Now!” Sirius barked at the now outraged-looking peanut gallery. But most huffed and left, much to Harry’s internal delight. 

“Sirius, you cannot throw the Order members out of the Order’s Headquarters!” Molly scolded.

“Watch me. There is no meeting scheduled today, they have their own homes. They don’t need to be in my house and eat my food.”

Soon some of them might need to, Harry thought vindictively.

“Your food?” Molly huffed.

“Yes. Or did you or the Order pay for it?”

Wow, Sirius really is showing some spine here. He’s not the pushover I remember. And what is my money for the Order for if not for food? Harry thought. Did he really pay them to guard me? Wouldn't put it past him. Well, they didn't really earn their money, did they?

Molly huffed and said, “It’s not right. I wish Albus was here to put you in your place.”

“Woah,” Harry yelped and stared at Molly as if seeing her for the first time. “Aren’t you a guest here too? Why do you talk to Sirius like that?”

“He doesn’t know how to raise you and shouldn't have a say in it. He is just an irresponsible drunkard, Harry. Don’t listen to him. And change into some other clothes. With some colour, like you wore before.”

“Like my cousin’s hand-me-downs?”

“What’s wrong with hand-me-downs, dear?”

“Nothing, as long as they fit.”

“But Harry–”

“Whatever. I chucked them. And I like my new clothes.”

“Harry, you can’t throw out perfectly good clothes!”

“I'm done eating. Do we need to stay in the kitchen, Sirius?”

“Nah, come. I’ll show you around. Remus, are you coming?”

The three got up quickly and as soon as they were out of the kitchen, it erupted into a chaos of noise. Everyone was talking over one another with Molly screeching over it, “Harry, stop! You need to help clean the house!” Just when the door fell shut behind them.

“Huh? I do?” Harry asked Sirius in the hallway while following the man up the stairs to the first floor.

“Nah. That’s her way to keep the kids busy. You don’t have to do anything she says. Now, come quickly.” 

“Sirius –” Remus started to say, but Mrs. Black had woken up, probably due to all the noises. She started screeching now too, so as soon as they were on the first floor,  Sirius and Remus wrestled the curtains close. Then they went to the drawing room on the same floor to catch their breath from all the excitement.

“Do all women screech like that? Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Aunt Petunia, even that portrait… Who was that anyway?”

Sirius chuckled and said, “you will find that in some cases, it’s great when women start screeching.”

“Sirius! – Harry, that’s a portrait of Sirius’s mother, Walburga Black.”

A haunted look settled on Sirius’s face, “That bitch. I hate her! I hate this house!”

“Sirius, language!”

“Why don’t you take the portrait down then?” Harry asked.

“Permanent sticking charm. And she somehow can operate the curtains. Silencing charms don’t work on it, either.”

“Huh. Now I have a possibly stupid question,” Harry said.

“Shoot,” Sirius perked up. He loved that phrase, which he had learned from Lily. And stupid questions often led to good fun.

“Couldn’t you, like, sew the curtains shut and nail their borders to the wall, or something, so they can’t be moved?”

Sirius sat up straight, “Yes! That would work! But you can’t silence them either.”

“Huh. Then nail another piece of cloth over it and silence that one?”

Sirius jumped up and ran out of the room. Probably to do just that.

“I hope this works. Good idea, Harry!”

“Thanks, Professor.”

“Woah, please call me Remus! I am not your professor anymore.”

“But you still sound like one.”

“Yes, Sirius kind of awakens that side in me.”

Harry sniggered and then looked around the room, while they waited a few minutes. 

The room had seen some “cleaning” and looked rather gutted, but not very homely.

“This house is a bit…”

Chapter Text

“It’s a dump,” Sirius said while entering the room again. He elegantly flopped down onto one of the armchairs looking like a suffering, dark, and unhealthy hero.

Harry looked around again and said, “Could I practise my cleaning and repairing charms?”

Remus sputtered, “Harry, you aren’t allowed to use magic during the summer.”

“Moony, that’s a lie. All children from Pure- and Half-blood households use magic, and you know it.”

“But…”

“No. Harry is allowed to. How Molly raises her brood is her prerogative. Harry is mine.”

Remus sighed and said, “You are right. And I don’t understand her reluctance either, to be honest. There are only two underage children left in her family and the pranksters aren’t them.”

“So, can I practise?”

“Sure, have at it,” Sirius waved his hand nonchalantly.

Harry chuckled and cast a repairing charm onto Sirius’s armchair. 

Sirius laughed while his seat righted itself slightly, gained its former bottle-green colour, and the wood looked like polished mahogany once again.

“Huh, that’s pretty!” Harry said, astonished. The chair hadn’t survived the twins in his LF.

Sirius preened, “Thank you.”

“Goof,” a chuckling Remus said and showed Harry some home-repair charms and decoration spells.

Sirius got pulled into it, and within 15 minutes the room looked amazing.

Except for one thing. 

The tapestry.

Harry cast a repair charm at it, but only some threads that were hanging out rewove themselves and some of the burn marks got a little smaller.

“Oh,” he said sorrowfully.

“Hm, maybe…” Remus said haltingly. “What do you think, Pads? An overpowered Reparo Maxima cast by all three of us at the same time? – We developed that one during school,” he told Harry.

Sirius tilted his head thoughtfully, “It might work. That tapestry is a great piece of magic, and to repair it would be a great prank on my dear departed mother. Let’s do it! Just point at the thing and push as much magic into the spell as possible,” was all the instruction Harry got.

The three gathered in front of the tapestry and brandished their wands. – Harry felt like one of the three Musketeers – and Sirius took command and cried, “On three! One. Two. Three! Reparo Maxima!”

The other two yelled the spell at the same time. The tapestry was hit with three bright beams of white magic, and it started to repair itself at once. All the weaving looked like on the first day of its making and the cloth looked nearly white now and not the yellowed colour it had before, while the burned patches repaired themselves like they never had happened, and some of them started branching out forming new names and pictures, like the one of Tonks and one of Harry?

Just when Harry wanted to ask about it, the door banged open and Molly rushed in, followed by the twins, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny.

“What did you do?” she screeched.

“Molly, could you please yell a little more quietly? My ears cannot stand much more of your screeching,” Remus begged her. “And we repaired the tapestry, see?” he stepped to the side.

“But half the house repaired itself! You can’t do that!”

Sirius huffed, annoyed, “I cannot repair my own house?”

“No! I need it to look like it did to keep the children busy! And why are you holding your wand, Harry? You cannot cast magic outside of Hogwarts!” she screeched again.

Harry said nothing. He just raised his eyebrows.

“Molly, please. Inside voice,” Remus begged her again.

The twins intervened, “Come on, Mum. Everyone knows you just forbid us to use magic because if all of us had done so in the past there would have been uncontrollable chaos at the Burrow during the summers,” one of them said.

“But we aren’t allowed to use our wands outside of Hogwarts!” Hermione exclaimed.

“Not true,” the other twin said, wincing a little. “In magical households, no one can distinguish who cast a spell. So, it’s an open secret. What do you think we do in our room all the time?”

Hermione rounded on Harry, “Did you know?”

“Hey! How is this my fault, now? And I just learned about this last night.” 

“You should have told me!” She screeched at Harry.

Remus winced once more and Sirius had enough, “Out. Discuss this in the kitchen. We don’t want the yelling in here!”

“But–” Molly tried to inject but was pulled out of the room by the twins, while Ginny pushed Hermione out.

After the door had banged shut (courtesy of Ron), silence settled over the room and the three wizards left in it slowly relaxed.

“Wow,” Harry said.

“Hurricane Molly Weasley,” Sirius sighed.

“My poor ears,” Remus whined.

The other two nodded.

“So…” Harry looked around. “We repaired half the house?”

“That is amazing! We should do the rest of it!” Sirius said excitedly. He felt much better in this room now. It didn’t feel as oppressive as it had during his childhood, and it certainly didn’t look like it anymore. He could live in this house if it was like this room, he decided.

“Maybe we wait until the hurricane has made landfall,” Harry said dryly.

The other two laughed and nodded.

“Sirius?”

“Yes, Harry?”

“Why is there a line from yours to my name and picture on the tapestry? Are you my…”

“Uh, not exactly. James is your dad, don’t worry! But I did blood-adopt you on your first birthday, so I'm your father too?”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Harry blinked, feeling choked up. Even if his mind was 28, his body sure wasn’t, and the feeling of loss knew no age limit anyway, that was for sure. 

Sirius carefully gathered the teen in his arms and hugged him for a long time while Harry buried his face in Sirius’s neck and Remus intently studied the tapestry to give them some space.

When Harry pulled away, sniffing, Sirius commented, “You have grown.”

“Yeah, it looks like I hit a growth spurt,” Harry rasped. He was quite thankful for the normal topic. It seemed even 28-old-him was still very sad about no one loving him during his childhood.

“Good. I thought I needed to squirrel you out of the house to go to the goblins. They have a backdoor entrance, did you know?”

“Did you go and get some healing done yourself?”

“No. I don’t see the need. Do you want to go?”

“I’m not the one who sat in Azkaban for over a decade. Please go there yourself. For me?” Harry turned his rarely used puppy-dog eyes on, and Sirius caved at once.

“I will, pup. I just need a good disguise,”  he still hedged a little.

“I’ll give you my invisibility cloak. You'll go tomorrow, ok?”

“Bloody hell, turn off those eyes! I’ll go! I promise!”

“Language, Sirius!”

Harry grinned at Remus, “See? That’s what I meant, Professor Lupin.”

Sirius fell over laughing, “Professor Moony! Hahaha.”

Remus huffed exaggeratedly, grinning himself as Sirius’s laughter was quite infectious and much better than the man’s usual brooding mood.

“Now tell me what this Order is that this house is the headquarters of?” Harry asked. “Are you fighting Voldemort and stuff?”

“… and stuff. No fighting or training. We would look very old against the Death Eaters,” Sirius huffed, looking quite… well… serious now.

Remus frowned at Sirius but answered Harry readily as well, “Our group is called the Order of the Phoenix and was formed by Albus Dumbledore during the height of the first war against You Know Who.”

“Why doesn’t anyone call Voldemort by his real name?” an exasperated Harry asked. 

“No one knows it, cub,” Remus explained earnestly. 

“Not true! I know it, the Headmaster knows it, and I am sure many others do too. His name is Tom Riddle, and he was a student at Hogwarts in the forties, I think. What?”

Harry looked to the gaping half of the Marauders. 

“H… His name is known? Albus knows it? Fuck!”

“Sirius!”

“Please stop that, uh, Remus. I cuss, too. Just not in the company of adults at the moment. But if we have to stop our talk every time you have to be professorly, we won’t get anywhere,” Harry complained.

Remus nodded slowly, but couldn’t help himself with correcting Harry, “That’s not a word, you do know that, right, Harry?”

“Yes, Professor.”

Sirius laughed.

“Back to this Tom Riddle. Are you sure?”

“Yep. I’ll tell you all about my second year at Hogwarts another time. We were talking about this Order who does stuff but is not fighting Riddle. So what are you doing?”

“We are exchanging information and Albus plans to protect something in the Ministry, I believe. But I don’t know what exactly. Just that it is in the Department of Mysteries,” Sirius told Harry and Remus nodded. They knew they weren’t supposed to tell Harry any of this, but what did it hurt?

“A weapon?”

“We suspect so. Or some information You Kn… I mean… Riddle shouldn’t learn,” Remus said.

“Riddle. That’s not a name in the Sacred Twenty-Eight,” Sirius realised, frowning.

Harry shook his head, “That’s some Pure-blood rot, right? He's a Half-blood. His mum was a witch, I think his spectre said. His dad was a Muggle.”

“Nooo!” Sirius looked disbelievingly at Harry, who just nodded. “Wait a second, you talked to his ghost?”

“In a way. That’s part of the 2nd-year story.”

“Damn!”

Harry and Sirius looked at Remus, who just sighed and waved them off..

“So, all the Pure-blood families are following a Half-blood?” Sirius cackled again. “That is amazing! Why does no one tell them?”

Harry blinked, “I don’t know. Maybe Riddle killed everyone who knew about it?”

“We should make it public!”

Harry nodded emphatically but Remus cautioned, “How? The Prophet is under the control of the Ministry and the Quibbler is much too out of it at the moment.”

“So, there is no such thing as an independent press in magical Britain? Isn’t that against the law?” Harry asked.

“It is. And another law is that the press isn’t allowed to tell lies and use innuendo.”

“Wow. But they do!”

“And everyone believes them, because of this law.”

“That’s horrible!”

“Yes! I so wish I could prank them!”

“Too bad we can’t spell their printing press to only print the truth as the reporter knows it. Or at least not to print any known lies and innuendo,” Harry mused.

Sirius perked up and exclaimed, “That would be amazing! It would have to be done in a way they can't find the enchantment or the runic array. But I will figure out how to enchant the printing press! Ha!”

The man rushed off, just calling out, “Library, here I come!”

Harry and Remus chuckled a little disbelievingly.

“It would be amazing if it worked though,” Harry said.

Remus nodded, “If anyone can figure it out, Sirius can.”

“Yeah! You guys were brilliant! The map is amazing. I wouldn’t even have an idea where to start to make such a thing. Either Hogwarts got much worse in teaching us this stuff, or the marauders were an exemption.”

“A bit of both, I think. Well, we weren’t an exemption, but an exception.”

“Uh, ok. So, will you help him?”

“Oh yes. This is a very worthy goal. And maybe you could think about hiding the enchantment, okay?”

“Okaaay… uh. Hm. Remus, I had another idea. What if we made the press print an additional page and write the articles ourselves for it? Or just write an article which squeezes itself between the others? But no. If it was noticed before they sell them, they can take the page out or blacken the article, or something...”

“Don’t throw ideas to the wayside at the beginning of a project. We learned that keeping an open mind leads to some amazing pranks,” a grinning Remus said. “I will add them to Sirius’s pile of ideas, which he surely has started to build by now. Come, I’ll show you the library. We somehow got distracted from our tour of the house.”

“True. But it was worth it, hopefully.”

“Oh yes. But first, let’s have a look at Sirius’s attempt at gagging his mum.”

“That sounds wrong somehow.”

Remus winced, “True. Come, cub.”

Walking out of the room showed a fixed-up hallway. It just needed some cleaning, but the interior, like the wallpaper and flooring, looked new. 

“Woah! This looks so much better!”

“It does!”

Just that moment Kreacher walked by, snapped his fingers and all of the dust disappeared.

“Masters repair the rest, Kreacher cleans. Masters don’t clean. Kreacher wants to clean!” The old house-elf ordered and walked on, snapping his fingers at regular intervals.

“Somehow this picture needs some underlying Spanish music. And the elf should move his hips a little,” Harry mused.

Remus burst out laughing, “You are truly your father’s son!”

Harry grinned and they walked to the front hall and started laughing again.

Sirius had used his Gryffindor flag to silence his mother. The flag was nailed onto the wall and bulged out a little. It even moved, as if the portrait tried to move the curtains under it. But to no avail. It was silent.

“Even if she manages to open her curtains, the silencing spell will hold, right?” Harry asked.

“Yes. It was a great idea! Much better than mine. I wanted to take down the wall.”

“Which is shared with the neighbouring house?”

“Exactly.”

“Is there a spell which hides a bulge under some cloth?” Harry asked thoughtfully. “There must be! Maybe Madam Malkin knows one.”

Remus nodded, “You're right! And I know it. I just didn’t think of using it for this.”

He waved his wand and the flag stretched itself and lay flat against the wall, no hint of the portrait could be seen.

“Perfect!” Harry exclaimed.

Remus looked around and said, “Our repair reached this far. It looks so much better now!”

“Just don’t clean it!” 

Remus laughed, “I won’t. Now come, I’ll show you the house.”

Some time later they met up with Sirius in the library, which was much further in the back of the huge house on the 2nd floor and had not profited from the repair work they had inadvertently done to another part of the house.  (Apparently Molly Weasley's assessment that they had repaired half the house had been a bit optimistic.)

Harry and Remus told the astounded Sirius about the snapping house-elf that had ordered repair work, but no cleaning, and then entertained Sirius with the vision of a flamenco-dancing Kreacher. 

They decided to cast the repair spell in the library after Sirius had to assure Harry that no books would get damaged due to the nature of the repair spell and the protections on the books. And so, the three got into position again, pointed their wands at one of the reading tables, and yelled “ Reparo Maxima ” once again.

They watched as the spell washed over the worn room and its furniture and repaired them, and a dusty but very handsome library was left in the spell’s wake.

“I don’t think this will ever get boring,” Harry commented in wonder and the other two nodded.

“Let’s do the rest of the house, alright?” Sirius said excitedly.

“Maybe just some parts? This spell is very tiring and there is no need for us to get too exhausted,” Remus cautioned.

“And it leaves some fun for tomorrow,” Harry added, nodding.

They repaired parts of the 3rd floor, where many of the guests slept, and the 5th which was the family floor that held the rooms of Remus, Sirius, Harry, and Buckbeak for some reason. Their last stop was the kitchen, which also was in the back of the house and looked the same as it had that morning. Molly and her brood must have been somewhere else when they repaired the tapestry then, Harry guessed distractedly.

Luckily for them, no one was in the kitchen at the moment and so, the three did their last Reparo Maxima for the day.

“Wow! This is nearly as amazing as the library was. Everything looks so new now!” Harry exclaimed after the spell had finished its work.

“Only a little cleaning left,” Sirius snapped his fingers and stomped his feet like a dancer.

“Yes, Master, Kreacher will see to it,” the elf said.

“Huh, where did you come from?”

“The sunroom. The Banshee and her litter are ‘cleaning’ it. Kreacher told them to repair and not clean, but they don’t listen.”

“Are they using their wands?” Harry asked, quite interested.

“No. And they are complaining about it.”

“Huh. Well, then you can clean it again, don’t you think? It still will make a huge difference,” Harry offered.

“Just Harry is right. Kreacher makes lunch now. Without potions. Sit.”

The three wizards obeyed, and the elf snapped his fingers a few times until the kitchen sparkled. Then Kreacher served them tea and scones ‘to tide them over’ and started to get busy making lunch for the three of them.

“Remus?”

“Yes, Harry?”

“Tomorrow, when Sirius is at Gringotts, could we train a little?”

Sirius huffed and Remus said, “Sure. But then we should repair the arms and duelling rooms first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Cool! Is there a potions lab somewhere, too?”

“Yes. But don’t work there alone. Also, we should ask Kreacher to remove all the ingredients in that room before we repair it. Or the duelling room, now that I think of it, because it is close by. And we should look through the stuff if it’s still fresh enough.”

Kreacher turned and said, “All is fresh. It’s in stasis. Kreacher will take the ingredients to the attic today.”

“Thank you!” Harry called out.

“Now, pup. Tell me why you only wear black clothes.”

“It’s easy. This way they all coordinate . No need to think about it. And I like it. You're wearing black too, aren't you?” Harry pointed at Sirius’s black robes.

“Huh, you're right. Wizards normally wear black. It’s just when I see Muggle clothes I think of colour.”

“That’s not quite right. Most Muggle men normally wear black or dark blue with light coloured shirts. At least in the more formal settings. It’s more the kids and girls who wear colours. And there's a whole group of teens that wear black and silver jewellery. 

“Really? In my mind, Muggles wear bell-bottom trousers and have long hair.”

“Uh, right. That was the seventies. No wonder you think Muggle clothes are much more colourful. That fashion is long gone! Wow, and you missed the eighties! The black-clothed teens did appear then, I think. But there are still plenty around. You can kind of wear anything you want now. Especially in London. You probably could walk around just in your underwear, and no one would bat an eye in some parts.”

“Really?” Sirius asked quite interested and Remus facepalmed.

“Yep,” Harry grinned.

“So, you really will make me go to Gringotts tomorrow?” Sirius whined. 

“Yes!” Remus and Harry answered together.

“Bloody hell.”

Harry sniggered and Remus facepalmed once more.

Chapter Text

The door to the kitchens opened and the twins entered and closed it behind them again, “Harry-kins!” they called out delightedly and pulled Harry off his chair to hug him together. Harry hugged them back hard. Especially the one he thought was Fred.

“Oh wow, did you miss us? Sorry for not welcoming you earlier. It didn’t seem to be the right time. Happy belated birthday! Mum intercepted our present for you and chucked it. It was a cake, without any pranks in it!” All was said in their usual twin speak, but Harry easily put it together into conclusive sentences in his mind.

Surprisingly Sirius and Remus seemed to be able to follow along, with Sirius muttering something like, “This reminds me of someone...”

“Thanks for the thought, guys. Sirius’s letters got intercepted as well.”

“Yeah. They could watch you, but they couldn’t deliver mail,” Fred scowled.

“What do you mean?” Harry pretended to be clueless like he had done so often today and yesterday.

“They did tell you that someone watched your house the whole summer, right?” George asked.

“No?”

“Cub…”

“Someone watched No. 4 Privet Drive the whole summer and didn’t tell me? Is that legal? Did you know about it?” Harry rounded on Sirius.

“I did know about it but spoke up against it. Or rather, against not telling you,” Sirius scowled.

“So, my legal magical guardian doesn’t want me ignorant, and his opinion is ignored? Did any of you participate?” Harry looked to the twins and Remus who looked down at the hands in his lap.

The twins shook their heads and said, “No one trusted us not to contact you. We even tried to Apparate to you in secret on your birthday, but Mum caught us. That woman is like a niffler, just for rule-breaking instead of gold.”

Harry looked to Remus, who nodded, “I did. I didn’t think it would be a problem for you. But I didn’t look at it from your perspective.”

“Like with yesterday’s mess?”

“Yes. That one opened my eyes. I’ll try to learn from it, that’s all I can do now, right?”

“Okay.”

Fred looked at Harry, “So what happened yesterday? We only got the part where you threw a tantrum.”

Harry huffed and told them about the events from his perspective. 

“Wow, this was no tantrum. That was quite understandable,” the twins said. “The Order made quite the bad first impression. No wonder they don’t seem to be the good guys.”

“I don’t think it is as simple as good versus evil. Okay, Voldemort is quite evil, but that doesn’t mean that Dumbledore is perfect, right? It’s more like two factions fighting, than good versus evil even if the other side is eviler than we are. Eviler? More evil? Huh. Do you get what I want to say?”

“It’s not all black and white?” a grinning Sirius offered.

Harry huffed, “Yeah, that.”

Remus nodded, “We do tend to take Albus’s words as gospel. That’s okay when one is a child, but not as an adult. Sorry, Padfoot, for not helping you contact Harry. That was wrong.”

“Okay, Moony, just don’t do it again,” Sirius said earnestly.

Harry, who was watching the twins, saw when the penny dropped and they realised who was sitting at the kitchen table with them.

“You… you… you are…” They even managed to stammer in twin speak.

“Are you alright, boys?” Remus asked them.

“You are Moony and Padfoot?” They blurred out.

“Yes?”

“Wow!” The twins stared at the two wizards in adoration, making Sirius and Remus squirm after a minute, and Harry fell off his chair because he was laughing so hard.

“Pup! Are you alright? What’s up with them? Help!”

Harry pulled himself up again and sat back down, “Their greatest heroes are the…” Harry did a drumroll with his finger on the edge of the table, “…Marauders!”

“Really?” Sirius looked delighted. “How do you know about us?”

“How do we know of the greatest pranksters of all time?” the twins cried out, “Our inspiration! Our idols! Our heroes!”

Sirius and Remus looked rather gob-smacked.

Harry chuckled and said, “They found a blank parchment in their second year while serving detention in Filch’s office. They pilfered it and learned that it insulted them. Then they figured out how it worked somehow and caused much mischief with it. Until they gave it to a boy who wasn’t allowed to visit Hogsmeade, because a killer was looking for him.”

“You found the map and made it tell you its code words! And then you gave it to Prongs' son! You are our true successors!” Sirius beamed at the twins.

But his words distracted them, “Prongs' son? James Potter was Prongs? Wow! And Wormtail?”

Harry answered darkly, “Scabbers.”

“Huh? Ron’s rat?”

“Yup. The three learned to become Animagi because of Moony. That way they could keep him company when he transformed.” Harry told them the whole sordid story while Kreacher served the five of them lunch.

Unfortunately, just as Harry reached the end of the story, the door banged open, and the rest came in. First the teens, then Molly.

Ron saw food and pulled the platter with sandwiches to him as he was sitting down and started munching one while grabbing the next with his other hand.

Harry frowned. He had been talking so much, he hadn’t finished eating yet and so looked mournfully at the last sandwiches on the platter in front of Ron.

Kreacher huffed and snapped his fingers, making the last two appear on Harry’s plate. He grabbed them quickly and started munching, too.

“Hey! He stole my food!” Ron complained loudly.

But even Hermione turned on him for that one, “You took theirs without asking. That was so rude! I am ashamed to call you my friend! And don’t speak with your mouth open! It’s disgusting!”

“Mum doesn’t mind.”

“It shows,” she snapped and ran out of the kitchen.

Ginny turned quite red, feeling ashamed for her brother, while the twins magicked their prototype of a puking pastil into Ron’s pockets in retaliation.

Molly just said, “That girl… so sensitive. Must be her age. Now, what did you do to my kitchen?” she put her fists into her. ample waist.

“Your kitchen?” Sirius asked.

“Yes. Mine. Put it back!”

You want it to look dirty and shabby again?” Harry asked incredulously.

Molly had no idea how to answer that one, so she huffed and pulled out ingredients to make some lunch.

But Sirius wasn’t deterred, “Molly. This is my kitchen and my house. I allowed you to move in for the summer, but that didn’t mean I gave it to you. You. Are. My. Guest .”

“Sirius Black! Stop behaving like a spoiled child,” she screeched and would have said more, but Sirius waved his wand and silenced her because Moony looked quite pained again.

“There will be no more screeching in my house, understood? Or I will withdraw my invitation. Nod if you agree to adhere to this rule.”

Wow, Harry thought. Sirius is standing up to her? So much has changed so quickly!

But Molly didn’t nod. She scowled and waved her wand at herself. Nothing happened, so she gestured to the twins who pretended not to understand her request and left the room. Ron really didn’t understand, and Ginny’s rather weak and lacklustre Finite didn’t do any good, either.

“Molly, a Finite will not dispel it. Do you agree with my rule for a non-screechy house?”

She turned her back and went on preparing lunch for her youngest children and herself. 

Sirius shrugged and said, “Have it your way,” and got up. “Are you coming, Harry and Remus?”

The three left to collect the twins and go to the drawing to listen to the finale of Harry’s story.

Not much later the five of them sat in the library and discussed the printing press of the Daily Prophet. The twins' creativity meshed perfectly with the Marauders' and Harry was somehow pulled in as well. It was great fun.

They also agreed to help Sirius leave the house under the cloak to go to Gringotts tomorrow and were delighted to learn that a potion lab and a duelling room were about to become habitable again tomorrow.

Sirius promised to include them in the wards of the lab, but not Molly. He also offered them a room that only they could enter to use as a storage room, which they happily took advantage of. Their mum wouldn’t be able to throw out their stuff anymore now!

They Disapparated to make use of the storage room and Harry asked, “Why can’t you just Apparate from within the house to Gringotts?”

Sirius frowned and said, “Because I'm stupid? Somehow I forgot it’s possible for me as the owner. Normally, it’s just not done, it’s considered to be very impolite.”

“Better than speaking with a full mouth,” Harry scowled. He still couldn’t believe Molly hadn’t scolded Ron for his uncouth behaviour. 

“Yes. I'm sorry to say, there's a reason some consider the Weasley family Blood Traitors. But the twins are different, they remind me of their uncles, Fabian and Gideon Prewett.”

“Bill and Charlie are great too,” Harry protested. “It’s just Percy, Ron, and Ginny who are annoying. I think they're the kids Mrs Weasley loves the most. And the twins are the least favoured ones.”

“Figures,” Sirius scowled. “And Arthur is just absolutely henpecked.”

The door to the library opened and Hermione walked in and stopped short, “What happened here? Did you damage my books? How could you! That was irresponsible of you!” Her volume had increased with every short sentence and the last one was screeched.

“What the fuck! Stop screeching! It hurts Remus! What’s up with you people? Can’t you understand that simple concept?” Sirius was at the end of his rope, but his language had shocked Hermione silent and she gaped at Sirius.

“You think they're your books?” Harry asked disbelievingly.

Hermione huffed and scolded Sirius, “Don’t use that language!”

“Don’t tell me what to do in my own home, girl. And get out of my library. You're not welcome here anymore,” Sirius was so done being a doormat.

Hermione blanched and ran out of that room.

“Maybe you should close the library to everyone but the five of us?” Harry suggested and Sirius nodded.

“Good idea, pup. There was some talk about purging all the Dark books from my library. As if that would help against Dark magic practitioners. I’ll do that right away.” 

Said and done. Not even Dumbledore would be able to enter now.

Chapter Text

Afterwards, Harry, who felt quite exhausted by now, told them he would take a nap and went to his room. But once there, he wrote a note to Grobhook before he forgot about it.

Honoured Account Manager Grobhook, 

I am happy to report that the next Horcrux has met its timely end. So, there are only two left now. 

I will get the one in Hogwarts soon, but I have a question: Would Dumbledore know if I cast the killing curse in his school? I learned that the Head of the Black family would have known in a Black family home. Maybe it would be better if I sent it to you via the mailing box.

Apropos Black family. Tomorrow, Sirius Black will come to your backdoor under my invisibility cloak and request healing. I strongarmed him into it. I am sure you can help him. 

Could you maybe convince him to do a Ritual of Recall in September? People are throwing his stuff away left and right. And might even be stealing some things.

Today, I learned that Sirius blood-adopted me on my first birthday. I don’t know if that means that I am his heir, but I thought you might want to know about it. Does something like an inheritance test exist?

Sincerely yours,

Harry Potter

Harry sent the letter via mailing box, much to Hedwig’s annoyance, and decided to do as he had said he would and took a nap.

Sirius woke him an hour later and showed Harry the secret garden on the roof that only he, Remus, and now Harry could enter. It was terribly overgrown but a great place to relax, with Kreacher serving them refreshments.

“He changed so much since you arrived,” Sirius said wonderingly.

“How was he before?”

“He wasn’t cleaning, cooking, or doing anything but sneak around and mutter insults under his breath.”

“Huh, strange. Maybe shutting up that portrait helped? Or our repairing charm?”

“Who knows? The house feels lighter now, that is true. And he was alone in this house for quite some time with only that crazy portrait for company. Maybe he had to get used to interacting with other living beings?”

“Maybe. He seems happy to clean and cook now.”

“Yes, and I foresee trouble in the kitchens when he dares to ‘intrude’ in ‘Molly’s kitchen’,” Sirius scowled.

“Why do they think it’s their kitchen and their books? Do you think someone told them so?”

“Possibly. I think Hermione’s parents didn’t want her to come and she needed an incentive to do her best to convince them.”

“Wow, did the Order really think you are such a pushover?”

Sirius was quiet for a while and then answered, “I kind of was, you know? I let them ride roughshod all over me.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Everything was just too much, being locked in this house. I drank quite a lot, to numb myself and to forget. Didn’t work. I stopped when I heard Molly and Albus talking about you. As if my guardianship of you didn’t matter, like they could decide everything without any of my input. I stopped drinking then and started lobbying for you to come to headquarters.”

“Thank you! I hope the goblins can help you a bit.”

“Yeah... Oh, I told the twins I didn’t need them to sneak me out because I would just Apparate.”

“Are you sure no one did cast additional wards on the house to prevent that?”

“Good question. No, I am not sure. One moment.”

Sirius waved his wand in the familiar patterns of the detection charms Harry had used on Privet Drive and soon held the parchment-like sheet with the results in his hands.

“What the fuck! That bastard!”

“Huh?”

“There is an enchantment that is keeping me depressed and mellow in this house!”

“Wow! Can you stop it without anyone noticing?”

Sirius narrowed his eyes in thought and then jumped up, “There is a spell that does that. I’ll have to look it up.”

“Uh, any other enchantments?”

Sirius looked through the report and shook his head, "No. He couldn’t mess with the existing wards concerning Apparition.”

“Who?”

“Dumbledore.”

“Woah. Keep wearing that ring! If Snape can read minds, so can he!”

“Quite right. Let’s go back to the library, alight?”

An hour later, the enchantment that kept Sirius in check was put into stasis, like the ones at Privet Drive, and Sirius visibly relaxed.

They decided not to talk to anyone about this and let it seem like Sirius had recovered from his depression. 

Harry was just happy his godfather/father would get a check-up tomorrow. Who knew if Sirius had been potioned, too?

“Is Mrs Weasley still silenced?” Harry asked when they entered the roof garden again.

“Yes. I think she is waiting for Arthur or Albus. No idea. She is too stubborn for her own good.”

“I just wonder what those potions she wanted to dose me with were. Any idea?” 

“Some, but they are all horrible. So, I better not try to guess. I wish you could come with me tomorrow.”

“We can’t both leave at the same time, even if I would like to go with you much more than staying here with the … how did the elf call them?”

“The Banshee and her litter?” 

Harry sniggered again, “Do Banshees even have litters of little baby-banshees?”

“Heh, I have absolutely no idea. Maybe?”

“What a strange thought.”

“It really is.”

Then they just basked in the sun and each other’s company for a while.

Chapter Text

Harry and Sirius heard the door-bell ring and then some faraway commotion downstairs and Sirius commented, “sounds like someone fell over the troll’s foot. Tonks must have arrived. Let’s go downstairs."

On their way down, Harry asked how they could possibly have heard anything from the first floor up on the garden and was told the bell opened something like a listening window for the Head, but Sirius had no idea why Harry had heard it too.

They arrived to find Tonks and Shacklebolt casting detection charms onto the Gryffindor flag and were actually trying to dismantle the whole setup.

“Hey! Stop that, you idiots! Do you want to hear her screeching again?” Sirius called out as they were rushing down the stairs.

“But we want to know how you did it!” Tonks exclaimed.

“You could just ask, you know? What is it with you people behaving like this isn't my house? Behave like the guests you are!”

Harry saw that the flag bulged a little again and scowled.

“What do you mean? I didn’t do anything wrong!” Tonks exclaimed.

Shacklebolt, on the other hand, looked much more thoughtful than annoyed now and said to no one in particular, “We kind of are treating this house like our Auror office. We call it Headquarters, but Sirius is right, we don’t treat it like his home,” he turned to Tonks, “What would your mum do if I came into her house and tried to figure out some of her enchantments by dismantling them? Without even greeting her. In her entryway?”

Tonks winced, “She would throw you out and tell you never to come back. Shit. I'm sorry, Sirius!”

Sirius nodded.

“So, how did you do it?” Tonks bounced right back to being her cheerful self.

“It was Harry’s idea. I sewed the curtains shut, nailed them to the wall, nailed the flag over all of it, and cast a silencing charm on it.”

“You better recast that one. And how did you make it look like it was flat on the wall?”

While Sirius recast the silencing spell, Harry answered, “Remus knew a charm that makes cloth hide bulges. It’s for clothing actually.”

“Wow. Ingenious! I can cast it again if you want.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Sirius said.

So the flag was put to rights, and Sirius pinned a note on it saying, 

If you want to know how we silenced her, ask. Don’t try dismantling it or you will get permanently banned from this house.
Sirius, Remus, and Harry

Meanwhile, Tonks looked around and asked, “Why does it look so good in here?”

“We developed an overpowered repairing charm during our time in Hogwarts and cast it around the house, and also Kreacher is cleaning now,” Sirius told her.

“It looks fantastic! Now, let’s go find some grub. I'm hungry.”

Harry scowled at her and said, “You are doing it again.”

“What?”

“Who do you think is paying for that ‘grub’?”

Tonks blinked and blushed badly, “Hell, I'm sorry!”

Sirius just nodded again but Harry warned the two Aurors, “Don’t be surprised when Mrs Weasley can’t talk. She was screeching a lot today and it really hurts Remus’s ears. She was asked repeatedly to stop until Sirius lost it and silenced her. He would have lifted the spell if she had just agreed to his demand of no screeching in his house.”

“Wow. And now she's stubborn and won't consent to it?”

“Yeah. – I hate how everyone is treating Sirius. He was in Azkaban for over a decade, and no one tried to help him. You all just look down on him. Mrs Weasley even called him an irresponsible drunkard in his own house.”

“It’s alright, pup. The people close to me do try to help, meaning Remus and you. Come, let’s go to the kitchen.”

Tonks looked gutted now. It was like Harry was holding up a mirror (again) and she didn’t like what she saw. 

Shacklebolt patted her shoulders and then pushed her toward the kitchens that Harry and Sirius had entered already.

There they found many people trying to dispel the charm on Molly, to no avail.

Sirius grabbed the bull by its horns and called out, “Good evening, folks. I see you found my punishment for her constant screeching. If she agrees to stop doing that in this house, the silencing spell will be lifted.”

A few people stepped back to consider the situation anew, like Bill and Fleur, but others rounded on Sirius full of accusations. Vance was one of them. 

“End the spell!” She ordered. “You can’t do that to someone in our headquarters.”

“No. – Why are you all here anyway? Is there a meeting scheduled?” Sirius asked.

“No,” Vance sneered, “We just came to meet for dinner and get to know The Boy Who Lived.”

Harry, who was already feeling the stares again, turned around and wordlessly walked out of the room again. He just couldn’t take it anymore. His younger self would have shyly endured, but he just couldn’t.

Chapter Text

Harry heard some commotion downstairs and felt bad for leaving Sirius to fend for himself, but it had been a long and emotional day in a hormone-ridden teenage body, so sue him! He threw himself onto his bed and just breathed for a while.

What a day. It hadn’t been hard to fall back into his teenage mindset. His brain physically was that of a 15-year-old, and he had learned in his LF that it was still developing at that age. A fact that was quite helpful to him now.

But he did have to watch his every word. He had thought about telling at least Sirius but wanted to wait for the man’s check-up at least. And would it be easier to juggle two groups of people? The ones in the know and the ones ignorant of his time travel? Well, Grobhook knew. But Harry could easily keep his account manager separate in his mind. At least the goblin didn’t live at Grimmauld.

Speaking of Grobhook, did he write back?

Harry pulled the mailing box out of his wallet and saw it was glowing faintly.

Inside he found a letter by Grobhook,

  Heir Potter,

With this letter, I confirm the appointment of Sirius Black for tomorrow August 22nd . Am I right to assume he doesn’t know about your circumstances?

In preparation for this check-up, we will have a pendant ready to be enchanted like yours as soon as we have his scan results and know how he wants his possible disguise to look. We will also suggest the Ritual of Recall for September. I will prepare the contract for him to sign.

Additionally, I can report that the snake is at Malfoy Manor, and we are devising a plan to make her death look natural. If all goes well, all the Horcruxes will be destroyed by mid-September. 

The rat hasn’t been seen yet. But we cannot catch it before the snake is dead, anyway, for fear the Dark One leaves if Pettigrew disappears. The Horcrux is more important.

Regarding your question about the killing curse getting noticed at Hogwarts, I must confess we don’t know. So, your idea to send the Horcrux via the mailing box is a good and advisable one.

The blood adoption was a surprise to me. I should have advised you to do an inheritance test the last time we met. We can do it the next time you visit Gringotts.

As you know, the audit has been completed and we are in the process of planning the retrieval of your funds and the reclaim of your properties, so we can strike quickly and with precision in September.

Your Uncle Vernon Dursley called us today and made an appointment for next week, August 29th . I will go to visit his abode under disguise as he cannot come to Diagon Alley. The Muggle-born operating our telephone noted that he was agreeable and reasonable.

Stay strong! 

Grobhook – Account Manager of Potter Estate

Wow. Harry sighed. There was so much going on. He was just so incredibly grateful that Grobhook was handling so much of the load. He had no idea how he would have managed it all by himself. Just muddle through, probably.

He packed the letter and the box in his wallet and relaxed again. Unfortunately, his stomach started growling, and he tried to decide what to do about it. He just couldn’t stand the idea of braving the kitchen again.

Luckily for him, there was a knock at his door, and he heard Sirius call out, “Food delivery!”

“Come in!” Harry jumped off his bed and rushed to the door, which had opened, and Sirius entered followed by levitating takeout boxes and Remus.

“Hope you don’t mind me letting Moony enter?”

“Not at all! You survived!”

“I did, by the skin of my teeth. Molly is still silenced and cooking dinner for the lot. But at least Tonks and Shacklebolt are on our side now. They kept the others from ganging up on Remus and me and we decided to do a strategic retreat. And I think Bill and Fleur weren’t too happy with Molly either.”

Harry nodded and helped Remus lay out the food on his small coffee table, which was enlarged by Sirius who also conjured some chairs to sit on while eating.

“Hope you like Indian food, cub.”

Harry nodded, “Yeah. But where did you get all of this so quickly?”

“When I arrived at the take-out restaurant there was a big hubbub because someone had cancelled a huge order for eight at the last moment and I offered to take it off their hands. So, this is a bit of a surprise dinner.”

“Cool!”

The next fifteen minutes were spent eating the delicious food with only a few grunts being exchanged when someone wanted a particular box.

When they had finished, Harry and Sirius leaned back feeling incredibly stuffed, while Remus cast some stasis charms on the still half-full boxes with some lazy wand movements.

“That was so good!” Harry sighed happily.

“It really was. We must remember the place and keep the bill with all the names of those dishes. Especially that beef one,” Sirius said.

“And the tandoori chicken. That was awesome,” Harry agreed.

They nodded.

“At least we will not go hungry when you go back to school!”

Remus looked around the room and said, “I like what you have done to the place. The light green goes well with the gold. Do you want me to make it look a little more burnished?”

“Sure, go for it,” Harry agreed. He had planned on doing the same but hadn’t managed to get to it yet.

A few waves of a wand later and the room looked even better.

“Cool! Thanks. So, did you decide on anything downstairs?”

“Nope, there were just some accusations and threads flying around. Nothing much. Bill and Fleur didn’t stay in the end, though. They seemed to be quite uncomfortable with the situation and Tonks really was on my side, trying to make them see reason. She stayed to keep at it, together with Shacklebolt.”

“That’s the other Auror, right?”

“Yeah. Sorry pup. I forgot that you don’t know these people, want me to introduce you next time?”

“Nah, they will start shaking my hand and not let it go, telling me what an honour it is to meet me. Been there, done that. But Tonks and this Shacklebolt should be okay. Now that they have seen the light, so to speak.”

Remus and Sirius chuckled.

“I wonder when they'll call Albus in?” Sirius mused.

“He's at a conference or a retreat in Italy somewhere, I believe. He left as soon as I told him that Harry had arrived safely at Grimmauld Place,” Remus said.

“Do you know how long for?” Harry asked.

“He planned on staying until August 31st. He authorised Minerva with finding a Defence teacher, as far as I know, and she has a hard time finding someone wanting to face the curse on the post.”

Harry nodded. That was right, they did have the same problem in his LF, and the Ministry had passed some educational decree and sent Umbridge, who was now working in the mines in this timeline. Which probably was quite fortunate for the students. Well, it depended on who would take her place now...

“Is that why the Hogwarts letters haven't arrived yet?” 

“Yes. I told her to just send them and leave the book for Defence class off the list and just get those books separately. But she would not budge. It has always been done this way I was told.”

Sirius huffed, “The letters have always gone out to the students in July too. What about that tradition?”

“More work for her?” Harry chimed in.

“Damn, pup. I think you're right,” Sirius scowled. “By the way, Hermione asked where your room was. But she looked quite irritated, so I blew her off.”

“Thanks. I guess I'll have to talk to her and Ron tomorrow. I have dodged them long enough.”

“Do you want to repair your friendships?”

“Not really. At least not with Ron. He was on his last chance after 4th-year. – I’ll tell you later. – As for Hermione... I'm unsure. She really changed. And so did I, I think.”

“It happens,” Remus said consolingly. “Not all schoolyard friendships survive puberty.”

“Yours did. But you're right. I've seen it happen in Gryffindor House quite often.”

“You will gain new friends. Just stay open to the possibility,” Remus advised, and Harry nodded.

He had already decided not to keep that friendship going, but somehow his 15-year-old self was still sad. Huh, what happened to that one anyways? Were there two Harrys in this body? Or did his 15-year-old self receive something like an update? Probably the latter, he guessed, or the goblins would have warned him, right?

“You need some more couches in this room if we do this again. I need to sit down somewhere I can lean back,” Sirius groaned.

“True. I’ll ask Kreacher if there are any.”

“Or we use the informal dining room and then go relax in the informal living room or the drawing room. They're all on the first and second floors. We will need to see if the first two need our powers in repair work, though.”

Harry and Remus chuckled and nodded. 

“We never ate in the kitchen anyway. It was just not done. It's house-elf territory.”

“Is that why the kitchen table looked like it came from the Burrow? It’s actually theirs?”

“Yes. And why the cupboards are at such a low level now, after our charm.”

“Huh, I didn’t really notice. You're right. So, we repaired the Weasley table, too?” Harry sniggered.

“Yes,” Sirius grinned. “And I think Kreacher wants to reclaim his kitchen. He made some noises about it.”

“Do Mr and Mrs Weasley plan to stay here after we leave? With ‘we’ I mean us Hogwarts students.”

“I don’t think so. I hope not.”

Remus answered, “They said they'll leave on the 1st.”

“Phew,” Sirius exhaled. “But you'll stay, right Moony?”

“Albus made noises last month about me going to the packs and asking them to join us.”

“Did they do so in the last war?” Harry asked.

“No. And their lives got even harder during peacetime with the Light side running most of the show. At least it looked like the Light was at the helm from the outside.”

“Sounds like a fool’s errand to me,” Harry remarked. “Why should they trust the Light side?”

“That’s the problem. The only thing Albus ever did was allow me to attend Hogwarts. But only me. So they think he only did that to gain the loyalty of a werewolf should he need someone to contact the packs,” Remus scowled.

“Huh, and why do you think he only allowed you to come then?”

Remus remained silent. What was there to say?

“Moony, I need you here. I just regained a little of my sense of self. If I have to stay alone in this house for too long, I don’t know if I won’t slide back into that mindset I had been in before Harry came. Please?” Sirius had some hardcore puppy dog eyes too, Harry noted. 

Remus huffed and answered, “Okay, I promise. But I will look for a job, alright?”

Sirius cheered and Harry felt relieved. Even without the enchantment on the house darkening Sirius’s mood, the man shouldn’t stay alone for too long. 

The rest of the evening was spent with lighter topics and digesting that huge meal they had. 

At some point, Kreacher came and collected the preserved food. He was told to keep it safe at all costs.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Sirius, Remus, and Harry met in front of the duelling room next to the armoury and the potions lab, which had been emptied of all ingredients to keep them safe.

The twins came by to help too. So, in the end, five wizards cast the repairing spell on the floor of the duelling room and watched the resulting beautification of the room with fascination. Afterwards, they looked into the other two rooms as well. Especially the potions Lab had been improved very drastically. It was light and airy, and after Kreacher – who was lurking close by – had cleaned it, it was the twins’ most favourite room in the house. They begged to be allowed to spend their last summer week in it.

“Have at it, boys,” Sirius said agreeably. “But wait for an hour or so, that way  Kreacher can return the ingredients.”

“Thank you!”

“Come on, boys, let’s go look for breakfast and leave Sirius to fend for himself,” Remus declared, but Sirius decided to join them. Saying he needed to offer Molly her voice back again before he left.

And it had been the right thing to do. Molly nodded when Sirius asked her if she agreed to stop screeching. Especially in the vicinity of Remus. 

Unfortunately, this didn’t stop her from scolding everyone and trying to convince Harry to change rooms.

“But why?” Harry asked sullenly.

“We might need the rooms should there be a big fight and we need to house people. Now, stop arguing and listen to me. You are like my son, Harry.”

Wow, manipulative much? And heavy-handed, he thought and answered, “No.”

“Hey, don’t talk to Mum like that! You share with me now, understood?”

“Whatever,” Harry said and got up to go to his room. Remus and Sirius looked at him a little strangely because he didn’t act like that when they were alone, but Harry just couldn’t pretend with them. He liked them too much to rebuff them like this.

“Come back here this instant, Harry!” Molly came close to screeching, but Harry was gone and soon back in his room, where Kreacher brought him his plate. At least Molly hadn’t potioned the food this morning and it was delicious like always.

Wow, that idea of using the dining room really had its merits. Was that the third or fourth time he had walked out of the kitchen now?

Hermione had also tried talking to Harry but didn’t stand a chance against Molly when that woman took charge of a room. Harry wasn’t really sad about that. 

In the LF Hermione had taken the side of the Weasley family and had started sounding like Molly, Harry remembered. And he had made sure she hadn’t been controlled by spells or potions. He had checked her after he had found the enchantments on himself in the LF. 

No. He didn’t want to go through that heartache again. He might be able to steer her to another path, but right now he had other things to do that seemed more important. So she needed to find that path all by herself. 

Maybe she would have at a later time in their LF, but the dice had been cast anew, so thinking about the “what-ifs” would just waste his time he decided and looked around the room for something to do.

Maybe I should go to the library or look for Remus. He promised a duelling practice. 

But was that a good idea?  Harry wasn’t sure he could hold back that much.

Damn. Better stay in my room and read one of the books from the Potter Vault. 

But he couldn’t concentrate. His mind always returned  to Sirius (who hopefully was getting healed at Gringotts right now) and to Remus. 

Should he tell them? 

Could he trust them? 

Would they be able to watch what they were saying at all times? 

Maybe a contract or an oath was needed to protect Harry, but also them. But who could know for certain that Sirius wouldn’t have to take Veritaserum if he ever had a trial, for example? Or that one of them got captured and interrogated in the future? 

Everyone broke at some point. 

Hm. Harry would too, now that he thought about it. He needed a way to keep his time-travelling a secret as well. 

Maybe with the Fidelius? I need to ask Grobhook if he has an idea, he thought and wrote a note to the goblin right away.

The answer came immediately, and he was told that the goblins could forge an amulet for Harry (and for everyone he chose to tell his secret to) to put on their respective necklaces. That the necklace then could only be taken off by Harry and Grobhook together, and they could enchant the amulet to hide the whole necklace and its pendants.

Damn, soon I will look like a decorated Christmas tree with all the bling, Harry huffed. But Grobhook had also written that it worked just like the Fidelius charm, only without a Secret-Keeper, and asked if Harry wanted to commission any.

Harry wanted to and ordered three amulets plus two necklaces but made certain the ones for Remus didn’t contain any silver.

Grobhook’s’ answer came quickly. He confirmed the order, said no silver would be used – the amulet would be werewolf friendly, and that Sirius Black was with the healers at the moment.

This cheered Harry up quite a bit and he was able to get into reading his book from the Potter vault he was currently working his way through.

At lunchtime, Harry had migrated to the garden on the roof and was sitting under one of the big trees in the shadow with his book, where Remus found him.

“There you are! Good hiding place. What are you reading?”

Harry pulled the now-closed book to his chest, hiding the front cover, and squeaked, “Nothing!”

Remus laughed and said, “Okay, keep it to yourself,” and winked at Harry.

Harry blushed. Damn hormones. And it wasn’t even a naughty book like Remus seemed to assume. Just one he shouldn't have had access to.

“I figured you had no head for duelling, am I right?”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“No problem, cub. It’s the summer holidays. You are allowed to relax.”

“Hmm, school will start soon, I guess. I wish I could stay here.”

“It’s your O.W.L. year, though.”

“Right... Say, do you know a good silencing charm that only dampens snoring and wanking?”

“Oh, the perils of a 5th-year boys' dorm,” Remus laughed. “But I do, actually. I had the same problem at that time in my life. The spell cancels out all human noises except speech and distress. Here, let me show you.”

Harry learned a few rather helpful spells and a scowling Kreacher served them lunch in between. 

Apparently, a kitchen war had broken out between him and Molly. And while Harry tried to cheer the house-elf up with the fact that the woman would be gone by September, he didn’t think that information helped very much.

At about two pm a loud crack sounded over the roofs of London and Sirius appeared, grinning brightly as soon as he saw his two most favourite people and bounded over to them.

“I'm back! And healed! And it didn’t hurt at all! I slept through most of it. Those goblins are amazing. Just look at me! Don’t I look ten years younger?”

And he did. The transformation was amazing. Sirius looked close to the pictures in Harry’s photo album.

“Wow! Yes, you do look amazing!” Harry exclaimed and Remus nodded, looking quite gobsmacked.

“Now Moony looks the oldest again,” Sirius crowed.

“Yes, more befitting our mental states,” Remus grumbled.

“Hey!” 

“Uh, how will you explain those changes to the rest?” Harry asked.

“The amazing goblins gave me a pendant on a silver chain to wear around my neck. I refuse to call it a necklace. Anyway, it has two disguise enchantments on it. Here, let me show you.”

Sirius tapped something under his robe and his looks returned to the ones from this morning.

“And it will slowly wear off, so in a year or so I’ll look like my true self. Actually, I better leave it active, or I’ll forget about it.”

“That’s amazing!” Harry was once again in awe of the goblins. “And the other disguise?”

“I'll show you at a later date,” Sirius hedged.

“You just want to prank us with it,” Remus growled, and Sirius beamed.

Harry sniggered and asked, “Will it help you to leave the house?”

“Yes! I freely walked from Gringotts to the Apparition point of the Alley in that disguise.”

“Wow. But when did you change? You arrived as young Sirius. Did anyone see you?”

“Damn, cub, you are sharp. No one saw me. I Apparated into my bedroom first and deactivated the disguise.  Kreacher told me where to find you two."

“Phew.”

Remus nodded and pointed to Harry, “What he said.”

Sirius conjured himself a sun chair, pulled off his robes, and flopped down, relaxing in his undershirt and black trousers. 

“Did anything else happen?” Harry asked.

Sirius nonchalantly waved his right hand and a ring appeared on his ring finger. “I might have taken up the Lordship for the Black family.”

Remus and Harry gaped at the man speechlessly, which Sirius enjoyed the sight of quite a bit.

”Uh, so you are Lord Black now?”

“Yes. And you are my heir, cub.”

“Me?” Harry squeaked. How hadn’t that come up in his LF?

“You. Who else? Narcissa’s child?”

“Who?” Harry pretended not to know whom Sirius meant.

“I’ll need to show you the tapestry again. Narcissa is my cousin, who married Lucius Malfoy.”

“He means Draco Malfoy,” Remus added, and Harry sneered.

“No love lost there?” Sirius asked, chuckling.

“None. He's a spoiled brat.”

“Like his father then,” Sirius nodded.

Harry looked to Remus and asked, “Do you know the spell for conjuring a chair like Sirius’?”

So Remus taught Harry the delicate differences in conjuring diverse kinds of furniture to relax on. In the end, the roof garden was filled with all different kinds of couches, lawn chairs, and beds.

Harry, now laying on his own sun chair, asked, “What does that Lordship mean? Do you have any privileges or duties now?”

So,  Sirius launched into an explanation that sent Harry’s head spinning. There was too fucking much to learn here. But it wasn’t much different than what nobility meant in the Muggle world. Noblesse oblige, power, riches, and a seat in the magical House of Lords, the Wizengamot.

“Do the Potters have a Lordship too?” Harry asked, quite worried now.

“No. I think they were offered one at one point but declined. The Potter family always tried to stay away from politics. James was a little of an outlier and we still had to convince him to join the Order.”

“Uh. And now a Potter is an heir to a Black. Please make babies, Sirius!”

Sirius nearly fell off his chair, he laughed so hard, “I’ll do my best, pup. At least I can leave the house under disguise and meet nice women now.”

“Woah! I take it back! Don’t impregnate a woman while in disguise!” Harry exclaimed much to Sirius’s delight.

A minute later Kreacher came and said, “The mudblood is making a ruckus, because she can’t enter the library.”

“Kreacher! Don’t call her that, please,” Harry exclaimed. “My mother was Muggle-born, and it hurts me.”

“Very well, Just Harry. Kreacher will stop saying that word.”

“Thanks,” Harry tilted his head, “So, she noticed she can’t enter? Took her long enough.”

“Nearly a whole day,” Sirius, who had led Harry to handle Kreacher, mused. “Strange.”

“The mu… Granger has many books from the library in her rooms and her trunk. She read those,” Kreacher said, sneering.

“Does she now? Well, they will not stay there for more than two weeks longer,” Sirius announced, looking mysteriously over the roofs of London.

“What did you do, Pads?” Moony asked. He knew by that look that his friend planned some mischief.

“Hmm. I signed a parchment. Nothing more.”

And no wheedling could make Sirius tell Remus anything else. Harry joined in a little, even though he knew what that must be about. 

“Come on, let’s save the books,” Harry got up from his chair.

“Must we?” Sirius complained but followed Harry nonetheless, with Remus tagging along.

When they arrived at the 2nd floor they found Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Vance, Diggle, and Doge barraging the door to the library with offensive spells. The walls close to the entrance as well as the door itself looked much worse to wear. There were burn marks and plaster that had been blasted off littering the floor.

“Stop this instant, you fucking morons!” Sirius bellowed.

“Language!” Hermione yelped.

“Shut the fuck up! Diggle, what’s going on here?”

“The door wouldn’t open, and Hermione needs to go inside.” The man blustered.

“And you decided to take down a wall with books on the other side? Are you fucking stupid? How did no one think to ask me but decided to destroy my home?”

“I couldn’t find you,” Hermione scowled. She hadn’t thought about the books that might get damaged and felt a little guilty about them, but Sirius was going too far!

“So what? You all decided that destroying my house would be the next best option? Who gave you the right?”

“The books should be accessible to anyone! I was told I would have a free run of the library here. And I'm sorry for not thinking about the books on the other side, but you can’t lock me out!”

“Wow, entitled much?” Harry muttered.

“Harry! Why are you so mean? These books belong to the public! All books should!”

“Hermione, this is a private library, and you are a guest in this house. You have no automatic rights to them,” Remus tried to explain calmly.

“I was promised a free run of the library and I will have it!” She declared loudly.

“By whom?” Harry asked.

“Professor McGonagall! My parents didn’t want to let me come here, but she promised me free access to the library in this house! So, I convinced my parents to let me come.”

“Minerva has no authority to promise such a thing,” Remus tried to explain.

“If you don’t let me in, I'll leave and go back to my parents!” Hermione threatened.

“No one is holding you back,” Sirius huffed.

“What? No! Harry! Don’t you want me to stay? I came here for you!”

“Not particularly. And you just told us you came for the books.”

Hermione gaped at Harry, “But we're friends!”

“Again, I find this highly debatable.”

“Harry! Don’t talk to her like that!” Ron yelled. He was at his wit’s end. Harry didn’t automatically drift toward him. All of the old camaraderie was gone. And Harry dressed strangely but in better clothes than Ron owned. 

“Whatever,” but this time Harry didn’t leave. He didn’t spare a glance for Ron either. He was staring at Hermione.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me!”

Harry ignored Ron.

Hermione fidgeted, “Harry, I did come because of you, too.”

“No, you didn’t. Or you would have been there for me at least a tiny bit.”

“Harry, Professor Dumbledore told us not to tell you anything of substance about the current state of affairs! For safety reasons! Owls can get intercepted.”

“And that’s the only way to correspond that you know?”

“There is no telephone in the wizarding world, Harry!”

“What about Muggle-mail? There are letterboxes all over London. And I'm sure you could have gotten some stamps.”

Hermione shrugged, “The Headmaster told us not to tell you anything. I had to listen to him, don’t you see?”

“So it was not about my safety, but about keeping me in the dark?”

“Harry, you know you do react without thinking. And with us not there keeping you in check, it was better you had no information,” Hermione explained as she would to a toddler.

“So, you see yourself as my minder?”

“Well, yes!”

“And as an incentive you get access to rare wizarding books? Wow. Some ‘friend’ you are. Please leave me alone from now on.”

“Harry! No! That’s not what I meant!”

“I think that is exactly what you meant, Miss Granger. Please leave my home,” Sirius said decisively. “Vance. Take her back to her parents. She is no longer welcome here. In an hour the wards will eject her.”

While a shocked Emmeline Vance led the now crying Hermione to the girl’s bedroom, Ron rounded on Harry again, “You can’t let him do that to her!”

“You want me to react without thinking and rush in to save her?” Harry asked coldly.

“Well, yeah!” Ron looked incredulously at his (former) friend. “That’s what you do!”

“Like with your sister, right?”

“Now you get it,” Ron huffed.

“No.”

“What?”

“Why should I rush to save someone whose main goal is to hinder me from rushing to save someone?”

“What? That doesn’t make sense!”

“Exactly.”

Ron stared at Harry dumbfounded but Ginny grabbed his arm and pulled him away. This was not the way to endear themselves to Harry, was it?

Meanwhile, Sirius looked to Diggle and Doge who had just watched the whole drama with great interest, and said, “And you two. If you ever think of damaging my house again, you're out too. No matter what Albus says. At this moment I am so close to recanting my invitation for the Order to use my home as a base.”

The two elderly wizards looked shocked and nodded hastily.

“Now leave. There is no meeting for the rest of the month scheduled so there is no reason to be here, is there? Shoo.”

Wow, Sirius is on a roll there, Harry thought and then looked to his godfather and said, “Good thinking to leave the disguise on. I would have forgotten all about it.”

“Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way during school. Back then it was necessary to always hide our Animagus-mishaps. I walked into the Great Hall with a dog’s tail once. It was wagging under my robes making my butt look very strange.”

Harry sniggered, “And you pretended it was a prank?”

“Naturally. But it was much too close for our taste so we swore to always wear a disguise in a building when one would be needed somewhere within.”

“Like hiding that tail even in your dorm because you might forget it when you left?” Harry nodded. “Good life lesson.”

“It really is. Now let’s repair this damage.” 

And so, they did. They also did some more parts of the house and in the end at least the lower three floors and the basement were fully repaired.

Afterwards, they agreed to meet in the informal dining room later and went to their rooms to rest.

Once there, Harry found a note from Grobhook that the secrecy amulets would be ready by tomorrow morning. This cheered him up quite a bit. He wanted to be able to talk to Sirius and Remus openly. 

They felt much closer to his age than his former friends did, with Harry being 28-years-old mentally and the two marauders 35. Sirius especially sometimes felt more like a brother than a parent.

Chapter Text

That evening in the informal dining room that was warded against intruders, Kreacher served the leftovers from the day before with some added dishes that went well with the Indian food. The twins had gotten invited as well and the five of them had a drama-free and enjoyable dinner, much to Harry’s delight.

The twins were gushing about the potions lab and were wishing they could pack it up and take it with them to Hogwarts. They had missed the scene at the library and weren’t sure if they should be happy or sad about it. So, they shared their emotions between them. Fred was sad, and George was happy.

They also got into a big discussion with Remus about taking their N.E.W.T.s and in the end, Sirius offered them access to the Marauder’s journal if they managed to earn 3 N.E.W.T.s each.

“But…” The two looked at each other. This was the best bribe ever. “Alright, we will do it! Damn you, Sirius Black!”

Sirius preened, “There is a second volume, too. The one that describes in detail how we made the map. But to get a copy of that one you would need two more N.E.W.T.s each…”

“But we only have three O.W.L.s!” George protested.

“In which subjects?”

“Herbology, Defence and Charms.”

“Not in Potions?” Sirius asked incredulously. The two seemed to be prodigies. 

“Uh, no. We botched that one.”

“On purpose?”

The two nodded a little shamefaced.

“Any other O.W.L. you wilfully botched?”

“Maybe?”

Harry was astonished. He had never thought to ask George about this. And he had been his favourite Weasley in his LF. 

Remus facepalmed, “Why did you do that?”

“Why bother? No one expected more of us and we have no academic aspirations. We want to be entrepreneurs and open a joke shop. What do we need that many O.W.L.s for? And Mum would force us to work at the Ministry or something.”

“Boys, wizards live a long life. Your life goals might change in the next 150 years,” Remus sighed.

“Huh, we didn’t think of that. But it’s too late now.”

“No, it isn’t. You can retake your O.W.L.s two times at the Ministry at any time and you can take as many new ones as you want, too. If you want to, I could make an appointment for you in a week. Just tell me which subjects you want to take the O.W.L.s in.”

“Uh…” the twins looked at each other discussing this without using words. 

“Alright. We will do it. I think we could both pass Potions and Transfiguration. George could do Arithmancy in his sleep and I wouldn’t have a problem with Ancient Runes. That would mean we could take Enchantments and Animation workshops respectively, couldn’t we?”

Remus nodded, “You could. And Alchemy and Warding if you want to.”

“Wow.”

“But you would need an Outstanding in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, and Ancient Runes or Arithmancy for Alchemy. So, the question would be, how did you do for your Herbology O.W.L.?”

“Oh, we got Os for the three subjects we decided to pass.”

“Wow!” Harry exclaimed, “I never knew! Wasn’t your Mum happy about that?”

The twins scowled, “She doesn’t know. She never asked. She just wanted to know how many O.W.L.s we passed.”

“But you're brilliant!”

“Thanks, Harry. You and Bill are the only ones to see it that way.”

“And now we do too,” Sirius said decisively. “So, do we have a deal, boys?”

The twins nodded, excited again, and both shook Sirius and Remus’s hands to make the agreement official.

“Very well, then I’ll make an appointment for you on the 30th of August,” Remus nodded, happy to have gotten his way.

“Thanks, Professor!” The twins singsonged and excused themselves to go study immediately.

“Wow, I wish we had a Professor at Hogwarts telling us all of this. And someone to help us decide which electives to take in 2nd year. I listened to Ron and took the easiest ones…”

“Which are?” Sirius asked.

“Care of Magical Creatures and Divination,” Harry said, still feeling a bit ashamed about it.

“Oh pup. I take it you have no interest in either?”

“None.”

They both looked at Remus in question.

Remus huffed and said, “What do you want to do when you are grown?”

Harry shrugged and answered, “No idea… Maybe curse breaking or warding?”

“Then you need to switch to Ancient Runes and Arithmancy right away.”

“But I cannot take my O.W.L.s in these subjects in just one year!”

“No, but in three. People do that all the time. They just write the O.W.L. in one other elective, like Divination and Care but don’t attend those classes anymore. Remember, you have three shots for each subject.”

“I bet he could easily pass Muggle Studies without studying for it at all.”

“Uh, but Hagrid will be sad if I don’t attend.”

“Hagrid is on a mission for Dumbledore and won’t teach at the beginning of the school year.”

“Oh! Well, then I want to switch! Could you write McGonagall, Sirius? Make it official?”

“Sure. So, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes in and Care and Divination out?”

“Yes!” Harry felt relieved. Even if he knew some of the material of the two new subjects, they would be mostly new and therefore he didn’t have to repeat all of his courses.

“I’ll write to her immediately. As the letters haven’t gone out, there is no reason to deny the change electives, luckily.”

“And the twins?”

“Good point, Remus?”

“I’ll write to Minerva and ask her. And also, to keep quiet about it. They are adults and there is no need to inform the parents, after all. It’s the twin’s decision whether to tell anyone and I’ll write just that. Ok, now I have two letters to write. Could I borrow Hedwig, Harry?”

“Gladly! She is bored out of her mind and a little annoyed about it.”

“Send the request to the Ministry first and wait for Hedwig’s return. That way she can take both of our letters to Minerva.”

“Alright,” Remus answered and went to write his letters while Sirius stayed with Harry.

Chapter Text

The next day at breakfast they learned from Kreacher that “the Granger” had left within the hour Sirius had given her yesterday while complaining loudly, together with Mrs Weasley, who had missed the whole thing. How that could be was anybody’s guess. The twins had an excuse at least, for they had silenced their lab during that time.

After they had finished eating, Harry nervously asked the two men to come to his room as he had something to tell them. The twins were curious, but wanted to go back to review the study materials and what could Harry possibly tell the two men anyway, right?

A lot, it seemed, as Remus and Sirius learned, after Harry had secured the room and they had agreed to wear the secrecy charms on their new necklaces. All three of them also thought it best to keep them invisible. That way they couldn't be seen with (artificial) mage-sight either.

Harry talked for a long time then. He had asked Remus and Sirius not to interrupt him as it was hard enough. They listened quietly, only sometimes grunting in surprise and sharing looks. Harry only shared the bullet points of his lost future life, really. There was just so much to cover.

After Harry had ended his long story the two sat there speechlessly for a while, until Sirius said haltingly, “So, you are 28 years old.”

“In my mind is, yes.”

“And we both were dead.”

“Yes.”

“And Voldemort had been defeated permanently.”

“Yes.”

“But at a high cost.”

“Yes.”

“And you returned because Ron and Ginny botched up an enslavement ritual by using time-turner sand instead of some lost ingredient.”

“Yes.”

“And after you returned, you went to the goblins, and they healed and helped you.”

“Yes.”

“And Albus is pulling all the strings in the background, controlling our fates.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Fuck.”

“That was my word for it too.” 

Remus, who had been studying Harry’s goblin-made, and therefore irrefutable scan results, looked up. He felt devastated. Even if his trust in Albus had been shaken a little, it had still existed on a  fundamental level. But now? Now, it had been broken irreparably. And no one could make up such a crazy story. Especially not one who grew up in the Muggle world for half their life.

Sirius, who had already lost most of his faith in the headmaster yesterday, and the day before, asked, “So, that idiot made Horcruxes? And Reggie found out and went and tried to destroy one, not knowing the idiot had made more than one?”

Harry nodded sadly.

“That’s why Kreacher changed so much!” Sirius realised.

“Yes.”

“Why not tell us earlier, cub, why now?”

“Honestly, I didn’t really want to tell anyone, except for my account manager. I had planned to alienate my former friends and not get close to both of you. But well…”

“You like us too much!” Sirius crowed.

“Yeah, that. I couldn’t stay away as soon as I arrived here. Even my interaction with Remus at the Dursleys showed me that it would become near impossible.”

Remus started laughing, “You played the indignant teenager perfectly while there. Making us jump through hoops and poking holes in our idiotic plan.”

Harry grinned and nodded, “Yes, that was fun. But you have to understand that I am in a strange place right now. My mind is that of an adult, but my body is that of a teenager, hormone-ridden and all. So, it’s not really hard to play the sullen teen.”

Remus nodded, “So, the opposite of Sirius here. With his teenage mind and adult body.”

“Hey!”

Harry laughed, “I hadn’t thought of it that way. Just that I am closer in age to you two than my former friends, but you are absolutely right!”

“Hey!”

They all laughed. Even Sirius.

“I had planned to wait to tell you both at least until the Riddle problem had been solved, to be exact. But when I wanted to go find Remus yesterday to train in the duelling room, I didn’t think I could dumb myself down enough not to raise any red flags with you.”

“You're that good?” Remus understood the reference. (Sirius translated ‘red flags’ into ‘red sparks’.)

“I've been a full-fledged Auror for more than six years.”

“Damn!” Sirius exclaimed.

“At least I don’t need to hold myself back from reining Sirius’s Language in, now,” Remus said.

“You're right! And I don’t have to rein my language in anymore, either!” Harry said cheerfully.

They chuckled.

“The amulets make so much more sense now. Thank you for getting them for us!” Remus noted.

“Yeah. That way, even a listening charm, Veritaserum, or an eavesdropping portrait would keep us from talking about my lost future, now.”

“Handy. And ‘lost future’ is a good way to call it.” Remus commented.

“Yeah, my goblin healer, Master Yoda, called it that. I normally just call it LF in my head.”

Remus choked, “Master Yoda?”

“You know Star Wars?”

“Yes! We saw the first two movies together. I went alone to watch the third part when it came out in ‘83. So, Sirius knows Master Yoda too.

“Yes, both of them. The goblin’s name is actually Healer Yordam, but he looks like Yoda, so he allows that name as well. I think he finds it incredibly funny. I met him yesterday, actually. He – Wait! There is a third movie? I need to see it!”

“You should. It should run in a theatre somewhere in London, right? And in a few years the films will get re-released, I think. Specially edited and theeen,” Harry looked to the two wizards on the edge of their seats, “… then there will be three more films in the next decade.”

“Yes! Are they as good as the first two?”

“Hm, I don’t think so. The special effects were amazing, but the characters weren’t as fun as the ones in the old ones. And the films play before the first three, making them Episodes I-III and the old ones IV-VI. Which is confusing as hell. But they are still worth watching,” Harry grinned at his excited-looking… friends? Uncles? Gah!

“So,” Remus went back to Harry’s time travelling, “What made you want to change your electives?”

“I don’t know much about Arithmancy and Ancient Runes and always regretted not taking them at Hogwarts. So now there are at least two new subjects to look forward to.”

“Makes sense.”

Sirius nodded as well, “So, much more time to play pranks then!”

Harry sniggered, “True! And I want to help the twins develop their products. They are brilliant and will be very successful, let me tell you that.”

“You better don’t make too many predictions, pup.”

“You're right. The goblins warned me against it. And it’s amazing how much things have changed already. You know, I came to Grimmauld much earlier because Dolores Umbridge sent two Dementors after me in Little Whinging.”

“You did? She did? Woah! And she got arrested by the goblins! Was that because of you?”

“Yup. I also told them she had three Black Quills in her possession and had tortured schoolchildren during my fifth year in Hogwarts; made them write lines with it in detention in my LF.”

“Woah! Why would she even be at Hogwarts?”

“She was our Defence Professor.”

“No way!”

“Way.”

“Damn, Hogwarts must really be scraping at the bottom of the barrel, right?” Sirius asked, full of wonder. “Wasn’t that the bitch who pressed that werewolf decree through the Wizengamot that you told me about, Moony?”

“Yes,” Remus said. “So, she will stand trial at Gringotts’s court?”

“She already did, actually. Got 30 years in the mines. Officially only for the quills, but also for the Dementors. The Prophet just hasn’t caught up on it yet,” Harry explained.

“Good. It couldn’t have happened to anyone more deserving,” Remus announced.

Harry nodded, “My words exactly.”

“So, now what? We pretend that Harry is the 15-year-old he looks to be, and we wait for him and Gringotts to destroy the last two Horcruxes. And then what?” Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged, “Not sure. He'll try to lure me to the DoM for the prophecy at some time. Maybe I can get him there? Or someone else kills him?” Harry thought about that for a moment and then announced very  officially, “Everyone in Great Britain may act as my hand when it comes to destroying Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort!”

A flash of light went off starting from Harry’s chest and going outward sweeping through the whole room and probably outside as well.

“Damn, pup, what was that?”

Harry looked as amazed as Sirius and Remus and answered, “That was me working under the law of the prophecy I told you about? Hopefully, anyone can kill him now as soon as the Horcruxes are gone, but only he can kill me?”

“Wow. I wonder if the rest of the world got hit with this light, too?” Sirius said in wonderment.

“If so, Grobhook will tell me soon, I am sure!” Harry pulled out his mailing box and it started glowing right that moment. 

“Aha!”

Harry pulled out the short note and started laughing, “It just says, What did you do? – Let me write back to him  quickly and ask if it caused any problems and tell him what I did.”

A short while later the goblin answered, No problems, just uncertainty because it was unknown magic and unexpected. We took down the alarms again. Thanks for explaining. Gringotts congratulates you on that good idea. Stay strong! Grobhook

“The Ministry is in chaos now probably too. I just hope they don’t know it was caused by me, or I would get a hearing anyway,” Harry scowled.

“Nah. The goblins didn’t either. Your account manager just made an educated guess. The wards on this house will have scrambled your signature, even with magic this strong. Trust the warding done by the Black family. – But you are lucky you did it here. Everywhere else and the Ministry would have come down on you like a ton of boulders.”

“It’s ‘bricks’ in the Muggle world.”

“What?”

“Uh. Not important. I just know the saying as ‘coming down like a ton of bricks’.”

“Ah!”

They were silent for a minute until Sirius said, “Well, good that we talked about that,” and Harry sniggered.

He felt much better and less alone now that Sirius and Remus knew about his time-travelling. And he was really glad they had taken it so well and hadn’t insisted on telling Dumbledore.

“So, what do we do now?” Sirius asked.

“Let’s go duel,” Remus suggested and they all three jumped up. They all felt the need to move.

Chapter Text

At lunch, Remus received a short note via Hedwig from Minerva, saying that she would come by this evening.

The three decided to hang out on the roof again and Harry reminded Sirius of Buckbeak and so the Hippogriff, who had been housed in Walburga’s old room, was brought to the roof garden as well, much to the creature’s delight. 

“Can’t he stay up here?” Harry asked while they watched the creature prance about. Luckily, the practice furniture had dissolved by now as they hadn’t made most of it permanent.

“I think so. Let’s build him some kind of shelter should it rain, though.”

“Won’t the Muggles see him when he inadvertently takes flight?”

“Harry! Every magical creature we get our hands on gets a collar, ring, or something that grows with them and that has a notice-me-not charm on them targeted at Muggles and their technology. Don’t you know that?”

“Uh, I forgot. When we flew on that dragon from Gringotts, everyone could see us. I am still wary of repeating that. Apropos repeating. Don’t ever tell the goblins about that!”

“Hell no! They like you now. They wouldn’t if they learned of this, right Moony?”

Remus mimicked sewing his mouth shut.

Relieved, Harry started planning Buckbeak’s shelter and the three wizards spent an enjoyable afternoon building it. The Hippogriff was incredibly happy to be back in some form of nature at last.

That evening, Sirius, Remus, and Harry collected the twins to join forces and went down to the kitchen for dinner as they were expecting Minerva McGonagall to go there straight away and didn’t want Molly to poison her.

They found Arthur, as well as Ron and Ginny, sitting at the table waiting, while Molly was busy at the stove, with Kreacher standing a few feet away, scowling.

“Sirius! There you are! Tell your elf to leave my kitchen!”

“Good evening to you, too. Kreacher, you can be in my kitchen whenever you want to.”

“Sirius Orion Black! You listen to me!–”

“Mollywobbles, please! We talked about this,” Arthur tried to placate his wife. “This is Sirius’ home and–”

“Albus soon will set him right, Arthur, you will see! Now sit down and I’ll serve dinner. At least you won’t eat in that informal dining room again! So pretentious! Where is it anyway?” she asked while ladling food on plates.

No one answered her.

She turned around and asked, “Well?” and set a plate in front of Harry and Sirius each.

That action rang some alarm bells for Harry and Sirius as she normally first served Arthur and then Ron. So, while no one answered Molly’s question, Harry asked quietly, “What was that spell again?”

And Sirius showed Harry by clearly pronouncing the incantation and exaggerating the wand movements.

The food in front of Sirius lit up in different colours. 

Arthur asked, “Molly?” and Harry copied Sirius to a T with the same results.

“Are there spells that can detect what potions were used, too?”

“There certainly are, pup, it goes like this–”

“Sirius Black! Who do you think you are, teaching Harry magic at my table? Stop this instance!”

“Molly! Will you stop being so boorish!” Arthur exclaimed. “What did you put in their food?”

“Nothing. Just eat and shut up.” 

But as Sirius proceeded to explain the specialised detection charm to Harry, Molly once again vanished the food she had put on the table and just put the rest of it in big bowls and on platters.

“If you don’t want my help, you will eat what the rest is eating.”

“How is that a bad thing?” George asked his twin.

“Be quiet, Fred!”

“I am George!”

“No, you aren’t. Now eat.”

Arthur was looking at his wife like seeing her for the first time. Who was this woman? 

Much to Molly’s displeasure, now everyone was checking the food for hidden potions. But they found none. As if she would do that to her children!

They ate in silence. The food was amazing as always and Remus told Molly so. She just huffed and went to start on Harry again about his clothes and room when the door opened and Minerva arrived.

“Good evening, all! Great decoration in the front hall! How did you get rid of the portrait?”

“We didn’t. We just nailed the flag over it and cast a silencing and bulge-flattening charm,” Sirius told her.

Minerva gaped for a second and said, “How did you think of that?”

“It was Harry’s idea,” Sirius said proudly.

“Well done, Mr Potter. Now, I wish to talk to the twins first. Is there a place to do that?”

“What did they do now?”

“Nothing, Molly. They have a question about the courses they are taking. They want to–” 

“– talk to you about it in private,” Remus injected.

“Right. I am sorry, Messrs. Weasley.”

“It’s okay. Remus? Can you come, too?”

“Sure. I know a room where we can talk. Follow me.”

Molly tried to follow and was rebuffed by Fred.

“I am your mother!”

“That you are, but we are 17 and we don’t want your advice at this point. Sorry, Mum.” Fred quickly left after the others.

Molly didn’t know whether to cry or scream so Arthur, who knew his wife, led her to the table and tried to console her, “Molly, they are academically challenged, you know that. Maybe they don’t want to talk about their courses because they are ashamed.”

Sirius and Harry scowled and got up to leave. They didn’t want to listen to this.

“Where do you think you are going!”

“Molly…”

“No! They can’t just eat and disappear again! I need to talk to Harry about his clothes! And his room!”

“Thanks for dinner, Mrs Weasley, but I don’t want to get lectured for pudding,” Harry all but ran out of the room.

 The last thing he heard was, “what do I do with that boy?”

As soon as they were outside, they walked to the drawing room and knocked, and Remus led them in.

“So, you allow Mr Potter and Black to listen in, but not your mother, and want me to believe this is not a prank?”

“Yes, Minerva,” Remus said in exasperation. “Why is it so hard to believe that they are geniuses in their own right? They just didn’t see the sense to have more than 3 O.W.L.s, because no one believes in them anyway? You are an educator; don’t you want them to succeed?”

“I do, but I cannot see any way for them to accomplish this. The courses they wish to add are hard and they just cannot manage them in just one year. I am sorry boys.”

“So, no Alchemy, Enchanting, or Animation workshops?” George asked mournfully.

“I am sorry.”

The twins slumped.

“I’ll tell you what. If you actually manage to get an E or O in your Transfiguration O.W.L. I’ll let you attend my class. But I will not mark any homework you do.”

Harry had a hard time trying not to laugh at the oh-so-sad faces the twins were making for not being allowed to hand in homework.

“Thank you, Professor,” Fred said meekly with George nodding along earnestly.

“If you manage to pass the other O.W.L.s you plan on doing, you may ask the teachers of that subject to do the same, yourself. So, if you are participating in the appropriate classes, you will be allowed to join the workshops,” Minerva decided. She just had a heart for pranksters, it seemed.

“Thank you, Professor! We'll try not to disappoint you! Promise!”

Minerva nodded tiredly and said, “Now to you Mr Potter. I don’t think Albus will let you change electives. So, your request is being denied.”

Sirius frowned, “That wasn’t a request, Minerva. It is what will happen. Albus has no say in it.”

“What do you mean? Albus is Mr Potter’s magical guardian.”

“Show me the legal paperwork for that, Minerva. I never received a trial and was never convicted. I am still Harry’s legal guardian. Albus may have said that he is, but that is false.”

“That cannot be. He decided all of Mr Potter’s life. Where he grew up, what electives he was to take, and so on.”

“Well, that was certainly not legal. He basically kidnapped Harry back then.”

Minerva gaped, “But… but…”

Harry on the other hand had heard something else, “What do you mean, he selected my electives?”

“He said he called in Mr Weasley and told him. I thought you knew.”

“No. Ron sold it as his idea and I had no idea what to select, so I followed along.”

“Didn’t you hold an introduction class at the end of 2nd year as you did for us?” Remus asked. He had wondered about that since yesterday.

“No. That has fallen to the wayside sometime in the last decade…”

“Couldn’t we have that class with the Hufflepuffs if you were busy?” Harry frowned. 

“I didn’t think of that. It's just so much to do, you must understand. There is my teacher’s job, the Head of House duties, my tasks as the Deputy Headmistress, and the things I do to help Albus.”

Harry looked at her and asked, “Why did you agree to take them then? Do you need the money so badly?”

Minerva huffed, “What money? No. It is an honour to do these jobs.”

“I think you've been duped. It’s like with the House Points.”

“What do you mean?” George asked.

“I mean that winning the house cup doesn’t give us anything but bragging rights, like all the jobs Professor McGonagall does.”

Minerva sputtered.

The other wizards frowned thoughtfully.

“Why does it exist then?” Fred asked thoughtfully.

“Come on. To keep us in line. Remember how the house treated me when I lost us 50 points in 1st year?”

“Wasn’t that 150 points?” 

“Nah, Hermione, Neville, and I lost 50, each.”

“But we only shunned you.”

“Yeah. But that’s not what I am trying to say. The point system makes us regulate ourselves.”

“Oh!”

Sirius listened with disbelief, “How did you manage to lose 50 points in 1st year all at once?”

“Professor McGonagall caught us out of bed after curfew.”

“And?”

“Nothing. That was it.”

“What?” the twins, Remus and Sirius yelped and looked at McGonagall in question, who blushed at the sight of all the disbelieving faces.

“Well, Albus told me not to let them start doing any mischief.”

“We were trying to save Hagrid from getting arrested for hatching a baby dragon in his wooden hut. There was no mischief-making.”

“But… Why didn’t you say so?”

“In front of Malfoy? And you wouldn’t let us defend ourselves, anyway. You just took the points and sent us off.”

Minerva was speechless. How could she have blundered so much? Unfortunately for her, Harry was on a roll.

“And do you know what the punishment was for being out after curfew?” he told the others. “Having detention in the Forbidden Forest looking for a Unicorn-killer – after curfew.”

“WHAT?” All four adult wizards yelled and stared at Minerva incredulously.

“You sent… you… what? Why?” Sirius was actually speechless.

Minerva squared her shoulders and huffed, “Albus decided that.” As if that would make it right.

“Wow, are you his lapdog, or what?” Sirius asked viciously and then went on. “Never mind that, now. I will file an official complaint with the governors as soon as I am free. Harry will take 3rd-year Arithmancy and Ancient Runes and that is that.”

“Or what?” Minerva pursed her lips.

“Or I’ll take him out of Hogwarts. That might not be a bad idea anyway, with Riddle running around.”

“What? No! Who is Riddle? And Hogwarts is the safest place in magical Britain, Mr Potter has to come to stay safe.”

Harry started to list a few unsafe things he had encountered, “What about the troll, the baby dragon, the Cerberus, the Unicorn-killing monster, Voldemort possessing Quirrell just to name a few encounters in my 1st year? In my 2nd year there was a Dark artefact possessing a 1st-year student, rogue bludgers, a colony of Acromantula – some as big as cars, and a 1000-year-old Basilisk. Does that sound like the safest place to you? In 3rd year we discovered a Death Eater had slept in our dorm for years and we – sorry Remus –  encountered a transformed werewolf and about 100 Dementors. Do you want me to go on?”

“None of this is true, Mr Potter, what are you talking about?”

“The troll is not true?”

“Well, yes. But the rest –”

“Fluffy, Hagrid’s Cerberus?”

“Well, yes. But –”

“The Acromantula colony in the Forbidden Forest?”

“That one is pure fiction!”

Sirius shook his head, “No. Albus knows about them. We told him in the seventies.”

“We told him, too. And you, Professor, but you didn’t believe us.” Fred said.

Minerva just sat there shaking her head.

“You know, pup. Listening to all of that, I don’t think you should go back to Hogwarts.”

“But I need to go, Sirius,” Harry looked imploringly at his very reluctant godfather, “Tell you what. I’ll try it until Christmas and if it looks like it is dangerous once more, I’ll stay home.”

Sirius frowned and then remembered that Harry needed to get the Horcrux out of Hogwarts and sighed. “Very well, pup. As long as you can choose the electives. Glad you see Grimmauld as your home, though,” he beamed.

Minerva, who was horrified at the thought of telling Albus that Harry had left Hogwarts, nodded and said, “Very well. You can change your electives. Any idea which ones you will try to pass in your O.W.L.s without attending class?”

“Yep. Care and Muggle Studies.”

“Not Divination?” she looked pleased with that at least.

“Heavens, no!”

“Very well,” Minerva sighed again.

“Did you find a Defence teacher, Minerva?” Remus asked.

“No!” Minerva snapped and got up. “Good night,” and she rushed out of the room with George yelling after her, “Remember, this was a private conversation!”

bang

“The poor door,” Harry said dryly.

“You really must tell us of your time at Hogwarts in greater detail, cub,” Remus said, and the others nodded emphatically. Even the twins.

“Uh, ok. But not this evening, ok?”

“Alright, pup. – Wow, this was a strange conversation. Minnie really has too many jobs. You were right with your remark about bragging rights, Harry. Even though I think she only brags to herself. She needs to learn to say no. This can’t be healthy.”

“Yeah, but she is kind of a victim of Dumbledore, right? Of his cult?”

The twins started sniggering, “The cult of Dumbledore, haha. But you are right. Mum is a high priestess, too.”

“And Hermione. Why are women drawn into it so badly?” Harry asked.

“Uh, not only women. I was a member, too, until recently,” Remus said.

“And Diggle and Doge and many other men think the sun shines out of his arse,” Sirius said, scowling.

“Ok, you are right. Maybe it’s a coincidence that the women surrounding me are the most vocal about him,” Harry said agreeably.

“They do tend to have the shrillest voices, that’s for sure,” Remus frowned. “Well, not Minerva.”

“Oh, remember when we made her screech with that prank we played in third year, Moony?”

The rest of the evening was spent with great tales of pranks. It was like a prank war in story format,  Harry thought. With the twins and Marauders trying to one-up each other’s tales.

It was amazing, fun and no one interrupted.

(Unbeknownst to them, Kreacher had hidden the door to the drawing-room so Molly just couldn’t find them.)

Chapter Text

Harry spent the next week duelling the Marauders, relaxing on the roof, and repairing the rest of the house with Sirius and Remus while the twins buckled down.

Harry also drew Sirius and Remus into his meditation and started them working on their Occlumency. Both men promised to keep practising after Harry had left for Hogwarts. Mainly because they started feeling an improvement.  It was mostly on an emotional level for Sirius. Remus on the other hand said he and Moony seemed to get closer in a good way, now.

Together with the twins, they had stopped going to the kitchen altogether and had gotten better and better at dodging Molly, Ron, and Ginny.

Just Kreacher braved the kitchen and he apparently got good at claiming the kitchen for himself.

The rooms Harry and his lot spent their time in now were all set to private or hidden by Kreacher so the other inhabitants had little chance in finding them.

Harry, Sirius and Remus discussed whether they should catch Molly in the act and kick her out. It would be an easy thing to do, as she wasn't very sneaky. But Harry shrugged and said, “Hmpf, I have better things to do. She is just a minor nuisance and will leave the house in a week, right? And she is the Mum of the twins. Let's not force them to choose between us.”

Sirius and Remus nodded agreeably as they had alternatives regarding food and places to be, they had no problem with taking the easiest path.

“But I will never invite her into my home ever again,” Sirius said with some force. 

During the evenings the five met up in the informal living room and Harry told the others about his four eventful years at Hogwarts. It was hard to believe sometimes, but they didn’t doubt him. It also became quite clear that Harry was being led along some path, even to the twins. 

Harry also asked the twins where their mother kept disappearing to each day and they answered that she still took care of the Burrow’s livestock and gardens. Which made sense, Harry decided. The twins also added that as she didn't know about the potions lab in Grimmauld Place she returned to her home to brew some. At least that was what they thought she did. – Well, the less she is here the better, Harry decided laconically.

One more thing Harry did sometimes, was practising to learn to understand the mage-sight enchantments on his glasses. Trying to learn to discern the different colours and forms it showed him. Luckily, he found a book about it in the library. And he also kept on learning the vanishing spell wand- and wordless. 

On the 26th of August, the Prophet must have gotten wind of Umbridge’s fate and plastered it all over the front page:

Senior Undersecretary – 30 years in the Mines

And an article telling everyone that she had been in the possession of three Black Quills, which was illegal by itself, because it was a major point in the treaties with the goblins, and she had planned on torturing children with them. Additionally, she had tried to kill a goblin and there was some last undisclosed crime that also added to her sentence. The article once again tried to neither make the Ministry look bad, nor Gringotts. 

Remus and Harry were very cheerful that day. Even if they had known all of this beforehand.

That evening they all snuck out and went to see the first Star Wars film. Sirius and Harry even revealed their secret disguises for that. It was incredible fun and no one at Grimmauld Place was any the wiser. People had gotten used to the five spending their time somewhere else in the house after all.

The next day, the papers tried showing Fudge in a good light again. He was probably trying to distance himself from his undersecretary.

And then, on the 29th, Shacklebolt arrived at Grimmauld and asked for Sirius. He told his amazed audience, which included all inhabitants of Grimmauld Place, that Madame Bones had received a request from Gringotts to provide the trial records and proof of conviction and hadn’t been able to find any, much to her dismay. The only thing they had in evidence was Sirius’s wand, and the Reverse Spell had only provided a Stunning Spell, Apparitions, spells searching for a person, and a specialised healing charm for toddlers.

This led to everything getting questioned. Who had cast the fatal blasting curse then? Why would Sirius Black heal baby Harry (an assumption) when he was You-Know-Who’s right-hand man? They remembered the tales Hagrid told everyone when inebriated. Sirius Black had handed the child to him carefully and had given him his flying motorcycle because that form of transportation was safer for the baby and he had then gone off to chase Pettigrew. Kingsley had really poked the ant’s nest when he asked innocently how could they know for sure that Black had been the Secret Keeper? Maybe they had switched, and Black had only been the decoy? Another Auror then had said that they couldn’t know, as there had been no trial.

So, Sirius was asked to come to the Ministry at his earliest convenience. There would be an ad in the Prophet tomorrow, much to Fudge’s disgust.

“Hm. I’ll send a nondescript owl with a letter, telling them that I refuse to enter the Ministry. I don’t trust them. Especially not Fudge. He might hide a Dementor somewhere and get me kissed as soon as I arrive. Like he did with Barty Crouch Junior. I will propose a neutral meeting point. Like Gringotts. Or the ICW. That will show them that I believe I am innocent. I’ll even agree to Veritaserum,” Sirius said decisively.

Shacklebolt nodded. He had expected as much, “If you want to head off the ad, you could write now, and I’ll give it to her in private. I might get a warning when she realises we have been in contact, but I really should have told her a long time ago. I can’t put Albus’ orders above my job.”

Molly opened her mouth to defend Albus, but Shacklebolt said, “No Molly. I know you think he hung the moon. But he didn’t and it was not right of him to order me to keep quiet about it. It just wasn’t.”

“But it was for the Greater Good!”

“Do you even know whose motto that is?”

“Well, it’s Albus’ motto.”

“No Molly. It is Gellert Grindelwald’s. No idea why Albus likes to use it so much.”

That shut her up quite effectively and made the rest wonder about it, too. (Except for Harry.)

“Ok, I’ll go write something up. Want to help, Harry?”

“Sure.”

“But shouldn’t we wait for Albus?”

But Molly’s protest went unheard as Sirius and Harry had already left and 15 minutes later, Shacklebolt left with the letter.

In the informal dining room, Sirius stared into space.

It was just him, Harry, and Remus at the moment.

“Did you know this would happen,” Remus asked Sirius.

“The goblins made some noises that they had issued a formal request for those documents. But nothing definitive. And I didn’t expect the Ministry to connect the dots. It was a good thing Kinsley was able to throw in the idea about the change in Secret-Keepers.”

Harry and Remus nodded, but Harry kept quiet for now. He wanted them to be able to react naturally when shit really hit the fan in a few days.

Later that evening, Shacklebolt returned with an answer. It invited Sirius to come to Gringotts at ten the next morning to get officially questioned by the DMLE under the watch of the goblins, who had readily agreed to host that meeting (for a price, naturally).

“Wow! I might be a free man by this time, tomorrow!”

They all grinned at one another.

It’s just lucky Dumbledore is still in Italy at that retreat or conference or whatever where no owl can reach him, Harry thought. Why would he go there, though, at such uncertain times? Well, at least he cannot interfere, and Fudge can’t either, as the meeting is at a neutral place. I’d like to see him try getting a Dementor into Gringotts.

“Did you get in trouble?” Remus asked Shacklebolt.

“It was good I came forward myself. That way, I received a strong warning, but nothing else.”

They were all very relieved for Shacklebolt. Harry knew Bones could have suspended him without pay for this.

“And she will keep it to herself, which I am very thankful for. So, please don’t spread it around.”

They nodded and went to bed. 

Not that Sirius or Harry slept much.

Chapter Text

In the morning, there was a huge discussion between the three of them about who would go with Sirius. Harry really wanted to come, and Remus did, too. But in the end, it was decided that only Remus would escort Sirius to the hidden backdoor with Sirius under Harry’s cloak.

As the twins had already left for the Ministry to take their O.W.L.s (telling their Mum they were going to visit Lee for the day), Harry hid on the roof with Buckbeak and Hedwig, who had declared one of the trees her own sometime during the last week. Kreacher brought him refreshments and told Harry, the Banshee and her litter were looking for him. And that Kreacher had told them he was in the house, but not where.

“Thank you, Kreacher.”

“Just Harry is welcome.”

“Hehe, at least you don’t call me Harry the Just. That would sound like a comic superhero or a king of old.”

Kreacher looked at Harry like he was considering changing to “Harry the Just” and Harry facepalmed, “Please don’t!”

“Very well, Just Harry.”

“Phew.”

At twelve there was a crack, and a ginning Sirius appeared at the space they had designated as the Apparition spot on the roof.

“I'm free!” Sirius cheered. Throwing his arms in the air. He was wearing the ‘old Sirius disguise as he always did and beamed over his whole face, which made him look younger anyway.

“Hurray!” Harry cheered and beamed back. “So, how did it go?”

“Let’s wait for Remus. I still haven’t looked if I can side-along someone from outside, so he's taking the normal way in.”

“Okay.”

It didn’t take long at all for an equally beaming Remus to arrive and Kreacher appearing as well to serve Lunch.

“Now tell me!”

“Well, the goblins did an amazing job. I didn’t meet anyone until I was led into a huge room, where the questioning was to take place. A few Wizengamot members and the Minister had come as the Judges, but everyone who wanted to take part in the show, or watch it, had to hand over their wands outside the room. There were some reporters, too. No normal citizens, though. The whole shebang hadn’t been announced, it had been at very short notice. But a few human and goblin Gringotts employees were there, like Bill, for example.

“I was led to a normal chair and the Ministry’s Potions Master gave me some Veritaserum after the goblins checked the stuff and declared it legit. That man is much too correct to get corrupted, I think. Anyway, they also cast something like a one-way silencing ward around my chair only Amelia Bones could enter. Everyone could hear us, but no one could call out a question from outside of it to force me to answer, as I couldn’t hear them.”

“That is a relief. Maybe the Ministry should implement that.”

“Amelia was talking to the goblins about it when I left. Anyway, without any preliminary explanation to the folks listening in, she started questioning me. Making me retell the days from hell, from the point on where I started to get suspicious of Peter to the showdown on that street the next day and what happened right after. I was just lucky I had been potioned, so it wasn’t hard telling all of it like it normally would have been.

“She then asked how I escaped. So now my Animagus form is known, unfortunately. She then wanted to know why  I did target Hogwarts then if not for you, pup, and why I had left again at the end of that school year. I told her about Peter escaping and Fudge denying listening to anything outside his preconceived opinion. But I couldn’t tell her where I was hiding at the moment.

“She then asked if I was the Secret-Keeper of the Potters or a follower of Riddle and I said no, Peter was. And then she asked if I knew where Pettigrew was now, and I said, with Voldemort, aka Tom Marvolo Riddle. She stopped there and I was given the antidote.”

“Wow! There must have been a riot outside your bubble!”

Remus chuckled, “There was. Luckily that ward did increase the volume of the people talking inside to always be louder than the outside, so we heard everything, even if Fudge was yelling to stop the questions at one point. The goblins threatened to throw him out of the room after a while, so he stopped and was just sitting there, fuming. – The rest were just exclaiming in disbelief and gasping at the right moments.”

Sirius took up the thread of the story again and said, “The silencing ward was taken down then, and Bones told everyone what they had found at the Ministry, or rather, had not found. No records of a trial, no conviction notice, just the form that sent me to Azkaban, signed by Bagnold, Crouch, and Dumbledore, and my wand. She showed them the results of the Prior Incantato and said those made the Auror force question the known narrative. She didn’t tell them how she got in contact with me, but I think people will assume it was through Gringotts.”

Remus nodded, “They do.”

“I was led into an antechamber and the officials into another room where they could discuss my case. It didn’t take long. There was absolutely no evidence of any misconduct except for my unregistered Animagus form. But even that didn’t hold, as everyone agreed that it would have been idiotic to register during wartime. And I had been at Azkaban for much longer than this offence warranted. So in the end, I was let go. No charges. But an official apology will get issued and if I want to, I can sue the Ministry now.”

“Wow! That is awesome!” Harry beamed so much that his face started to hurt. “Did you talk to anyone?”

“No. Amelia advised me to lay low for a few days until people have gotten used to the fact that Sirius Black isn’t a mass-murdering Death Eater.”

“Sounds reasonable. I hope the Prophet doesn’t spin that whole story, though.”

“Oh, I heard the reporter complain to their photographer that they had to sign a form to only report the truth without innuendo or Gringotts would extract horrible penalties,” Remus remembered.

“Good. They did think of everything, it looks like. Did you talk to anyone except Bones, Sirius?” Harry said.

“No, I left immediately through another exit after I agreed to talk to Amelia again. About the whole Riddle-dung-bomb I dropped. Let’s wait and see.”

Remus added, “I think Fudge is in trouble now. His conduct didn’t show him in a favourable light, at all. No wonder he tried to stop the whole thing.”

“He did?”

“Yes. Even in the hall outside the room, where Sirius was questioned later. For all to hear.”

“Not the smartest move, in retrospect,” Harry chuckled.

They all grinned.

“Cheers to the goblins!” Sirius raised his glass of lemonade into the balmy summer air.

“Cheers!” The other two answered.

“We are lucky there is so much sun this summer,” Harry commented while relaxing in his sun chair.

“Very true. So, how do you guys think Albus will react when he returns tomorrow? Do you think he'll come by?”

“Most certainly,” Harry nodded. “He will be disappointed and mournful that you didn't trust him to handle your case.”

Sirius snorted, “Yes, I'm sure. And there never would have been time, right?”

“Yes. So sad.”

Remus shook his head at their antics, as the two had exaggeratedly sad faces now, “Goofs. Did you receive the Hogwarts letter at last, Harry?”

“Nope. Nothing.”

“So, Minerva didn’t find anyone.”

“I am just curious if the Ministry will jump in again with Umbridge gone and Fudge in such deep shit,” Harry wondered.

“They are still trying to defame you and Albus, so it’s a strong possibility.”

“Ugh, who would they send as a teacher, then? There are so many bad players at that institution.”

“Time will tell,” Remus said.

“Yeah, I'll know at the welcoming feast, at the latest I hope.”

“You must contact me immediately as soon as you know,” Sirius injected.

“I will. By the way, do you have access to those mirrors Dad and you had?”

An annoyed “B’rk!” could be heard coming out of one of the trees.

“I think so. But you will write too, right?” Sirius looked worriedly at the rustling leaves.

“Sure! Letters are the best!” Harry quickly agreed. “I need to remember to write to Dudley, too. I promised, and I want to know what the Dursleys agreed on with the goblins yesterday.

The tree stayed silent, and Harry hoped they had appeased Hedwig.

“So, Harry, did you finish your summer homework?” Remus asked.

“Yes. At the Dursleys after I returned. It was hard dumbing myself down to that level. I was a rather lacklustre student at that time.”

“Not in Defence Against the Dark Arts.”

“True. That subject is incredibly easy. Even with the decreased intellect Dumbledore cursed me with.”

The men scowled.

“You must be a prodigy at Defence Against the Dark Arts now,” Remus said.

“Well, not really, right? I have much more experience than anyone else at School now. But I probably would have been, without the curse. Like dad was a prodigy at Transfiguration and Mum at Potions and Charms.”

“True.”

“Apropos Potions, why didn’t Snape ever come by?”

“He did often enough,” Sirius scowled. “But that was before you arrived. We didn’t have an Order meeting, remember?”

“Right. I've only been here for about ten days. It feels so much longer!”

“It really does. So much changed in that time.”

The other two nodded and relaxed again, listening to the buzzing of the insects living in the roof garden. 

That evening they met the incredibly exhausted twins in the informal dining room.

“How did it go?” Harry asked.

“Unclear. We'll know by tomorrow morning. They grade quickly,” Fred answered while George started snoring. “They didn’t stop testing me in Potions and George in Arithmancy. No idea what that was about, but they asked much more complicated stuff than is O.W.L.-level.”

Remus had an idea but kept quiet.

“Maybe you will get an Outstanding Outstanding or something? An OO?” Harry offered.

The others (except George) chuckled. 

“Maybe. But never, ever sit three tests in one day, Harry! It’s horrible! And those old geezers from the Department of Education didn’t get tired, at all!” Fred huffed. “Oh, we asked them to keep the results private for the time being. McGonagall needs to be informed, but no one else. They agreed. We are adults and have that right.”

“Perfect! Congratulations, boys!” Remus called out a little too loudly and George fell off his chair.

They spent a relaxed and cheerful evening eating and later relaxing in the informal living room, telling about the hearing and the exams respectively. Harry just sat there and listened mostly, feeling incredibly happy.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Harry and the twins received their Hogwarts letters and the twins the results of their exams.

They opened the Hogwarts letters first. 

“They left the book for Defence Against the Dark Arts off the list. They haven’t found anyone yet. Wow, there is a note at the bottom, that the Defence Against the Dark Arts books will be handed out at Hogwarts and to expect to receive an invoice later. So, she went with Remus’ idea at the last possible moment,” Harry said astonished. “How stubborn must one be?”

The others nodded. 

“So, there is no badge, pup?” Sirius asked.

“Huh? Oh, you mean a prefect’s badge? Nope. I was lucky.”

“You were! Remus was our prefect, the poor sod. He had to do so many boring things! You really are lucky!”

The twins nodded emphatically and Remus facepalmed once again, “You probably are the only parent who is proud that their offspring didn’t receive a prefect badge.”

“Shows how stupid most parents are.”

They all sniggered.

“Well, open your exam results!” Harry all but ordered.

The twins did so carefully, and both their mouths dropped open. They exchanged the letters and their mouths dropped open again.

“Wow.”

“Wow.”

The other three waited until Harry huffed and snatched the parchment out of George’s unresisting hand with Remus doing the same with Fred’s and Sirius reading over Remus’s shoulder.

“Wow!”

“Wow!”

“Wow! – Congratulations, George. This is amazing! How did Fred do?”

Harry answered, “Two Os in Transfiguration and Ancient Runes and an O in Potions, but at N.E.W.T.-level!”

“Incredible! So, like George, but with N.E.W.T.-level O in Arithmancy and Os in Transfiguration and Potions.”

“Wow, again! You are amazing!” Harry exclaimed and the twins actually blushed. It was nice to hear that, for once.

“Well, you know what that means?” Sirius asked.

“Huh?” George asked back.

“That means you will get a third of the Marauders Journal tomorrow! I just need to copy it.”

The twins cheered. That was the best present they could receive, in their minds. 

“And from me, you get an empty journal to collect your own pranks and recipes!” Remus handed a handsome, leatherbound journal to Fred, who took it with a wide grin.

“There will be colouring charms for all materials in the part of our journal I’ll give you, so you can personalise this Journal of yours a bit,” Sirius suggested, and they all laughed. Dark brown wasn’t a colour that fit the twins, at all.

“Thank you! This is great! We really need to sort through our loose parchments and bring some order to them.”

“We had the same problem, which caused us to use the Journal. It’s like a grimoire but for pranks,” Remus explained.

“And you gave up its contents to us. This is so amazing!”

“Sure. The pranking must go on! And the first third is mostly from our fourth year and lower. So, the best parts are yet to come,” Sirius told them.

“And you really don’t want your parents to know about your exams?” Harry asked.

“Nah, they don’t care. They have many smart children, with Bill, Charlie, and Percy, so it would just be another non-amazing accomplishment. But you do care, so that’s great,” the twins said.

None of the other three had problems understanding twin-speak. To them, it was as if one person was talking.

“Even Ron is smart,” Harry said thoughtfully. “Just lazy.”

“Yup. He has it even harder, being the second youngest and the 6th boy. We're twins. So, that makes us unique, at least.”

“You are more than unique! I think you're awesome.”

“Thanks, Harry!”

Harry grinned at them and then said, “Hmm, we need to go shopping though. The Alley will be horrible today. If everyone got their letters at the last possible time and has to go today. Uh, what did they do about the firsties, anyway? They can’t ferry them through the Alley on the last day to get their wands and stuff,” Harry wondered.

“I didn’t think of them. Good question. But I could get your things if you want me to. Now that my affliction is known, people make space. Just give me your lists.”

They handed them over, thanking Remus.

“Does anyone need new robes?”

The twins shook their heads, no, but Harry nodded. He had grown like a weed after he had been healed and he wasn’t quite finished, he was sure. It was lucky that he did part of that growing up in Grimmauld so people wouldn't be too suspicious when meeting him again. 

“Stand in front of me, cub. I’ll do the measuring charm.”

Soon the measuring tape was dancing over Harry, and a quill wrote down the numbers.

“Uh, can you buy a few resizing ones? They can send them to me at Hogwarts and one that fits now to wear tomorrow?”

“Sure, Harry. I’ll go to Malkin’s, first.”

“Do measure the twins, too. I want to gift a set of robes to each of them,” Sirius decided and pushed the protesting Fred in front of Remus.

“Hm, maybe I could make you part of the Black family somehow. Your Grandmother was a Black, right?”

“She was?”

“I’ll find out later. This has time. But I am thinking about sponsoring you, so a set of robes is the least I can give you.”

“Uh, ok,” Fred let himself get measured and Remus took off to get the things for the three teens after Sirius had handed him a purse full of Galleons.

“Now what? Gred and Forge don’t have to study and–” Harry got interrupted by Kreacher, who brought the Prophet. 

Sirius had his own subscription (under a false name) now that they didn’t eat breakfast in the kitchen anymore.

SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT!

With a headline like that, everyone would buy a paper today. The article described yesterday’s events at Gringotts in detail and truthfully. The paper also printed a word-for-word recount of everything that was said at the meeting, so there was little wiggle room for Fudge & Co. 

But a few pages later, Rita Skeeter had published a much different article. It questioned everything. The integrity of the goblins, the identity of the man being questioned, if the people present had all been actors, and so on. Even if it was written as an opinion piece, Harry was sure the goblins wouldn’t let that stand. The Daily Prophet was in deep shit, now.

“We forgot about our idea about enchanting the printing press of the prophet, didn’t we?” Harry asked.

“We did. But they so courteously reminded us again, didn’t they?” Sirius asked, grinning viciously.

The four decided to go to the library, having a task for the day now.

On their way there, Molly caught up with them. And the woman was beaming. Huh?

“There you are, dears! Ronnie got the most amazing news! He was made Prefect! That’s all of my children, now!”

“And who are we? The next-door neighbours?” The twins huffed but were ignored.

“Harry, Fred, and George, you got your letters, right? Give them to me, I’ll buy your things together with Ron’s and Ginny’s. And Ron’s present. Oh, and I called all the Order members to celebrate. We will meet in the drawing room this evening.”

“Yes, we got our letter, Mum, but Remus already went to get our things. So, you only have to buy the stuff for Ron and Ginny. And shouldn’t you ask the homeowner first, before planning a party in his house?”

“Balderdash. But why did you let Remus go to buy your things? That isn’t right! Now we need to pay him back and he will buy new things.”

“Don’t worry, Molly. I’ll pay for them, this time,” Sirius tried to appease her.

“No. That isn’t right. We don’t need your charity!”

“Molly, this isn’t charity. I had to celebrate something too, and I decided to get the school things for the boys.”

“But not for my children,” she huffed again.

“Again, are we the next-door neighbours, or what?”

“And what do you have to celebrate anyway?”

All four gaped at her.

“What? It’s a reasonable question.”

“I was declared innocent yesterday. It is all over the Prophet, didn’t you see?”

“And you went to help him? Is that why you were gone the whole day?”

“No, we didn’t help him.”

“You lie!”

“Damn it, Molly. Cut them some slack and go buy the books for your underage children.”

“Don’t speak to me like that, Sirius Black!” she yelled.

“If you say one more word, I’ll throw you out of the house. Even if it’s the last day you're here anyway. Go.” Sirius said coolly, making it much more impressive and authoritative than her loud voice.

She huffed and stomped away.

They all were silent for a moment and then wordlessly walked on to reach the safety of the library where they fell into the armchairs they had grouped in one corner days ago.

“Woah,” was all that Harry said.

“Sometimes I wonder if she adopted us, or something,” Fred huffed.

“You certainly look like her and a bit like your uncles. So, probably not.”

“You knew them?” George asked.

“Did I know them, he asks. Yes! Let me tell you the story of our first meeting…”

The enchantment for the printing press was forgotten, once again.

At lunchtime, Remus returned with their books and equipment for school, looking exhausted. He flopped down on his chair in the dining room and said, “The Alley was packed! I was so glad I didn’t have to go to visit Gringotts. There was a queue long enough to reach the third shop next to the bank. But I got everything on the lists. I also saw Molly going into the used broom shop, for some reason, but she looked thunderous, so I let her be.

The others told of their encounter with Molly and Remus sighed. “So, she hadn’t seen the papers?”

“Nope,” Harry answered, “What was the word on the street, though?”

 “People were confused. First, the mass murderer is innocent, and then Skeeter questions everything. So, one of the authors must have lied. And that would be against the law, right? So, they started to question what was happening with the paper.”

“Impressive how ignorant people can be,” Harry muttered.

But I saw three very well-dressed goblins and their guards march to the office of the Daily Prophet. They didn’t look happy.”

“Uh oh,” Sirius said. “Let’s see what the paper says tomorrow.”

“Oh, the Quibbler did a recount of the trial too. Saying exactly what the first article in the Prophet said and that they had to agree only to tell the hard facts. No lies, no innuendo, no metaphysical stuff. The few who had read that started to turn the overall opinion against Skeeter, I noticed. People started questioning everything she ever wrote.”

“Perfect!” Harry grinned.

“Oh, and there were no firsties there that I could see. Minerva must have contacted them before. But still. Six years of students all at once…”

“Amazing what one decision of one single person can mean for so many people, right?”

“Wow, pup, you're getting philosophical.”

Harry stuck his tongue out.

“That’s better.”

They returned to the library to tackle the Prophet problem and Harry sighed, “I wish there was a spell we could cast on the name ‘Daily Prophet’ that would fact-check all current and past editions. Like making every lie blink red and every innuendo orange, or something.”

“Woah, pup, this is a totally different idea from what we are chasing at the moment. But I love it! It’s like a taboo but for written things. Wait a moment. I think I have a book on taboos,” and off he went to find it in the depths of the huge library.

Harry sighed and went to the inventory which Sirius seemed to forget about each and every time. Harry suspected Sirius just liked to hunt something down. Even if it was only a book. Harry asked for “taboo” and only the relevant books were listed. He tapped them, to make them light up on the shelves and looked for “linking spells to written texts” and found two books that he highlighted.

Remus and the twins watched, grinning, and waited for the yell of excitement from Sirius, who “found” the first book.

“There are four more,” Harry called out and got an, “Okay!”

Soon Sirius came and they started to research Harry’s new idea because it was awesome.

At five they had a feasible plan. It was still a little rough around the edges, but it should work after some polishing. And the best thing was that they wouldn't need to enchant the printing press at all.

Harry sat back and looked at the piles of books surrounding them. He had never worked with so many creative minds before this month and he loved it.

“The only problem I see is that we need the Ministry’s resources to pull this off,” Remus sighed.

“Do we?” Harry asked. “Who else has the means and, in opposition to the Ministry, has an interest in this?”

“Gringotts!” the others yelled.

“Should we ask them? We must protect our idea first, though.” 

This led to another hour of research, where they learned a lot about intellectual properties and patents and such. 

“Wow! We really need to know this,” George exclaimed. 

“Yes! I must spell all our prank ideas now and allow you four to use them before you get that copy.”

The rest nodded.

Kreacher entered the library and said scowling, “The party is starting in the drawing room. There are many people. Even the bee.”

“Fuck,” Harry and Sirius exclaimed, much to the twin’s delight and Remus’ sorrow.

Chapter Text

They got ready in their respective rooms and met up to enter the drawing room together.

Sirius went in first with much drama and fanfare and the twins flanking him who yelled, “Behold, the most innocent of all innocent members of the Black family!”

Remus and Harry slipped in unnoticed and went to Tonks and Shacklebolt in one corner, watching the three pranksters working the crowd.

“Wotcher, Harry, and Remus,” Tonks greeted them, and her formerly turquoise hair turned pink.

Aha! Harry thought. Mood ring indeed! He grinned at Remus, whom he hadn’t told he had been married in his LF. ‘Just’ that he had died.

Harry saw Dumbledore who was talked to by a wildly gesticulating Molly, with a resigned Arthur standing next to her. He saw Ron talking excitedly to Vance and Bill, who must have come without Fleur, and a harried-looking Minerva standing somewhere alone and watching the twins with disbelieving eyes. And, in a far-off corner, Harry even saw Snape leaning against the wall, sneering at Sirius. The man’s eyes went over the room then and widened slightly when they caught Harry`s.

Sirius had told Harry that he looked a bit less like a copy of his dad now as his facial structure was more resembling his Mum’s. Even if he still had the glasses and the black hair from his father. But the hair had grown and didn’t look like an exact copy of his dad’s head.

Harry liked the idea that he looked like a mashup of his parents, rather than a copy of his dad with his Mum’s eyes. 

Snape seemed to have noticed that, as well.

Harry blinked, nodded, and looked somewhere else again. 

Some people had noticed him and were watching him now, Harry sighed.

“What is it cub?”

“The staring has started again,” Harry sneered at them, and they looked away quickly, but not for long.

“Sorry, Harry. You are like a celebrity to them and their figurehead, I think,” Tonks said. “Oh, by the way, I retrieved the little cat and the last picture and sent them back to your relatives via Muggle mail. Hope that was okay. I even checked them for any magic but they were clean.”

“Thanks, I guess. Oh, look. Dumbledore is walking up to Sirius. Wanna listen in, Remus?”

“Sure, cub.” 

The two drifted toward Sirius and the headmaster and caught the end of Dumbledor’s starting argument.

“- have waited, my dear boy.”

“I bet. Did you have a nice vacation, Albus?”

Unfortunately for them (yes, even for Dumbledore) Molly had the same idea as Harry had and had listened in. But in contrast to Harry, she decided to ‘help’, “Don’t disregard the Headmaster’s words, Sirius! Who knows what plans you disturbed!”

Sirius turned his full attention to Molly, much to Dumbledore’s dismay. Not that he showed it. Harry just noted a small twitch in his left eye.

“How exactly did I disrespect the Headmaster, Molly?”

“Don’t play stupid with me, Sirius. You know exactly how you disrespected him.”

Albus started to say, “Thank you, Molly –” 

“And he will set you right now, with you taking away my right to cook and clean my house.”

“You have every right to cook and clean at the Burrow, Molly. When did I ever say you couldn’t?”

“I meant headquarters!”

Albus tried again, “Thank you, M –” 

“And you think that’s your house?”

“Yes! Albus said it was mine to do as I please!”

“I see. And how did he come into possession of my house?”

“You gave it to him!”

“I did? Albus?”

Sirius turned to Albus, whose eyes weren't twinkling anymore. And Molly turned red, noticing the spectacle she had made of herself and Albus.

Dumbledore answered kindly, “Only to use as headquarters. Molly must have misunderstood me slightly.”

“What? But Albus, you said –”

“THANK YOU, MOLLY,” Dumbledore thundered with much power in his voice. Making everyone flinch back. And then, with a slightly less overwhelming voice, “Please see to something else that needs your experienced hand, and let me talk to Sirius now, why don’t you?”

Molly turned, grabbed Ginny, and thrust her toward Harry, snarling, “Talk to each other!” And stomped off. Ginny, who was quite taken aback at first, blushed bright red and ran out of the room.

“Experienced hand, my ass,” Harry muttered quietly. 

But as everyone had watched the drama unfold everyone heard him, and so he huffed and stalked off to sulk in one of the armchairs.

He didn’t hear what Sirius and Dumbledore were talking about now as other people had started chattering, but he could see it wasn’t going well for Dumbledore. Sirius had his hackles up now and looked very standoffish. Giving Dumbledore no crack in his wall to sink his hooks in. Molly had made that impossible. 

“Trouble in paradise?” A silky voice sounded next to Harry. 

“It sure looks like it, doesn’t it?” Harry pointed to the two men.

“And between Miss Weasley and you?” the man asked, after a slight pause.

“Ugh. Just no. I don’t want a girlfriend that looks a bit like my mum and what if she becomes like her own mum?” Harry shivered.

“I was led to believe something else...”

“Wishful thinking? – Er, sorry. That sounded arrogant.”

“It did. But it just might have been wishful thinking in this case.”

Harry nodded.

“You changed.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Hormones?”

Snape snorted.

Harry grinned fleetingly. 

They watched the people milling about for a while, strangely at peace.

Harry then asked, “Did… no.”

“Ask.”

“You won't answer, but okay. Did Vol… he… take you back?”

“Yes.” With that, the man turned and walked off.

“Huh.”

Moody came by, giving Harry the photography of the Order of the Phoenix from the end of the seventies/beginning of the eighties, which he could appreciate much more now. Back in his LF, it had been very disheartening to get handed a picture full of people who had died while fighting Voldemort. 

He asked the man questions about every person in it, and Moody seemed glad to be able to talk about his lost friends. And they deserved to get remembered, Harry realised. 

“Where are the uncles of Fred and George? Fabian and Gideon? They died after the picture was taken, right?”

Moody twitched strangely and answered, “They did. I think they were babysitting Molly’s brood.

“Oh! That's right! She must have had the Burrow full of children back then! But she isn’t in this picture either, is she?”

“I don’t remember,” Moody barked and stamped off, much to Harry’s surprise.

Harry looked for Fred and George but saw them in deep discussion with Fletcher and let them be. Ron was now animatedly talking to someone else. Must be about his new broom, Harry guessed. It was interesting that Ron still had gotten the prefect job, even if he and Harry were estranged. But either Dumbledore didn’t know about that, or the whole thing was more a treat for Molly. Harry grinned internally. That woman had rained on Dumbledore’s parade like a pro today. She had been so happy that Sirius would be taken down a notch at last that she had jumped in much too early for Dumbledore to effectively scold Sirius and pull the disappointment card. 

This is boring, Harry thought after a few minutes. And they were staring again. Gah.

Well, he needed a bathroom break. At least, that was what he would tell people if they tried to stop him from leaving.

Harry got up and walked to the door without getting challenged. He looked like he was on a mission and not like he tried to sneak off.

As soon as he was in his room, he breathed out in relief and called Kreacher for some food. He hadn’t taken any of the finger food on the side table because it had always been crowded with the staring ones and he hadn’t wanted to brave them. Had they lain in wait, perhaps?

After he finished, he packed his trunk and cast a few charms on the old thing. 

He had forgotten to search for a better one in the Potters’ vault, but he carried his treasures in his wallet, anyway. So, the old thing would do. Just when he had finished, Harry huffed and unpacked everything again, and cast the best Reparo Maxima on the trunk he could manage by himself. It seemed to be quite a lot. The trunk looked much better now. Not new, but close and he wondered how the trunk hadn’t been repaired with the repair spell on their floor. Strange.

He packed everything a second time.

Chapter Text

Early on September 1st, the group of five met in the informal dining room for the last time this summer to share breakfast. They all felt some sadness. It was like an era was ending. Even if they had only come together as a group about ten days ago.

The papers arrived much earlier than yesterday morning and were full of apologies about Skeeter’s ‘unfortunate’ article and she was to be blacklisted for a month by all news outlets in magical Britain for going against the agreement to only publish the hard facts about the hearing of Sirius Black.

Another article was even more impressive. It recounted all of Fudge’s misdeeds regarding Sirius. How he had been the first (temporary) Hit-Wizard at the gruesome scene, how he hadn’t performed a Priori Incantatum as was standard procedure that even temporary staff had learned about and how he had very obviously jumped to conclusions. How he had been the one who triggered Sirius’ escape in the first place in ‘93, and how he had posted Dementors around a school full of children without the means to control the creatures as incidents on the train and the quidditch pitch clearly showed. And then, when he had been told by Harry Potter, of all people, who the real traitor of the Potters was, he disregarded the new witnesses but ordered a Kiss-on-sight for an innocent man. The article ended with a description of Fudge’s unprofessional conduct at the hearing.

There were no questions asking if the reader wanted to have a Minister of Magic like that at the helm of their world or how such a powerful man could go against the law like that without anyone stepping in, but people would ask themselves those questions, anyway.

“Hey! Don’t get decent now when we've nearly figured out our new spell!” Sirius yelled at the paper.

“Don’t worry, Pads, They will slip up soon. That spell is not in vain, I'm sure. And if it only highlights stuff in old editions, it was well worth it,” Remus said .

Sirius nodded, leaned back, and breathed out dramatically, “Alright. You are right.”

The teens sniggered.

“Have you packed your stuff, boys?” Remus asked.

“Yes, I have. Yesterday evening, after leaving that boring party.” Harry said nodding,

“We have, too. Last night. The trunks are in the storage room. In case Mum decides to check them at the last moment.”

“Good thinking,” Harry nodded.

“Very good. That way we can enjoy the time until half past nine. Alastor had planned to do a covert operation to get Harry to the station again, but I put my foot down. Remus will Apparate Harry, and I'll go, under the second disguise of my pendant, Apparating from inside of the house with Harry’s trunk. And the twins just Apparate themselves.”

“Great!” Harry nodded. “But better let the twins take my trunk or Moody will go nuts on the platform when a stranger hands me my trunk.”

“Oh. You're right. Can you manage that, Gred and Forge?”

“Naturally. We practised all summer.”

That was true. The twins had rarely gone one step in the house, except when they walked somewhere together with the others. And they had moved things all the time that way. It made so much more sense now to Harry.

“Good. I don’t think it's a good idea to have my first public appearance in a place that is full of schoolchildren. So, I'm a friend of Remus. Half-blood and homeschooled called… Do we use my alias Paddy White again?”

“If you want some of the Order members to connect the dots,” Harry cautioned.

“Yup. I want to see how many actually realise who I might be. It’s a great prank, isn’t it? Since I’m free now, the need for that disguise isn’t as desperate as it has been, and I can always have the goblins change it. Might be a good idea to do so anyway…” he said thoughtfully, and the others nodded.

“You're right. I would have spoken up against revealing such an asset, but you're right. That disguise shouldn’t be set in stone,” Harry nodded.

“Nah, it’s set in metal.”

Sniggers all around.

“Oh, Minerva told me yesterday that Hermione’s parents had wanted her to leave Hogwarts. They didn’t seem to be happy with the girl’s attitude. But she and Hermione managed to convince them on the grounds that this is Hermione’s O.W.L. year and she is nearly sixteen. The way Minerva hedged a little, I'm afraid she did some kind of magical ‘nudging’.”

“Wow, this doesn’t sound good. I'll ask Grobhook to check them discreetly,” Harry scowled.

“Good idea, pup. Minerva probably thinks these are desperate times and those allow for desperate measures.”

“Probably. And she doesn’t want a second lacklustre prefect, either. And I'm sure Hermione got that second prefect badge. I mean, whom would she choose if Hermione wasn’t there? Lavender? Can you imagine Ron and Lavender as the fifth-year prefects?”

They all laughed. Well, Sirius a little less so. He didn’t know the girl, but she had come up in Harry’s tales once or twice.

Harry added, “Though, there is the second girl dorm room with Eloise and the other three who always only hang out together, maybe one of them would do?”*

“Back to Minerva and Hermione, they are right about the fact that Hermione will turn sixteen this month,” Remus said thoughtfully, and the others nodded.

 “We will see what happens,” Sirius said decisively.

“What happened yesterday with Dumbledore, after Molly had messed up his opening gambit?” Harry asked Sirius.

“He tried to tell me that letting her run the house was in my best interest and that I should open all the rooms for the Order. Especially the library. I agree that it's a great asset, but I don’t trust anyone not to run roughshod over my property anymore. They can request Remus and I to research something if they need knowledge. He wasn’t happy at all and tried to argue Molly’s case, but I told him flat out that she would leave tomorrow and there was no reason to discuss it anymore. He wasn’t happy. And then he tried to scold me about Harry’s electives and deny their change. A comment made by me to take Harry out of Hogwarts nixed that one in the butt.”

“I think that saying goes a little differently,” Remus chuckled and added, “Albus has no hold on Sirius anymore. Now that he was declared innocent. Albus also tried to order me to go to the packs in the middle of the party and I told him I needed evidence that the Light did more for them than the Dark in the last decade and I needed concrete offers to bring forward. He backpedalled and tried reminding me that he had allowed me to come to Hogwarts, but he had nothing to say when I asked about all the other magical children with my affliction. He then was very disappointed in me,” Remus scoffed.

The others nodded, they had expected this, after all.

Remus had changed a lot in the last few days, too. He had grown closer to the wolf within and Moony didn’t like the headmaster. At all. And it bled over into Remus’ mindset now and he started to trust Moony’s assessment of people.

Harry then voiced the idea he had during this night, “Remus, I was thinking about a job you could do that would not get you fired because of the full moon.”

“Really cub? Do tell.”

“I think you could work as a freelancer or do self-employed stuff.”

“And what would that be?”

“Well, you could go to flea markets and buy old broken things and repair them at home and resell them for example.”

“We aren’t allowed to sell things that have been enchanted to Muggles. You know that.”

“But would it be an enchantment if you just repair the things with a Reparo Maxima?”

Remus frowned. “You're right. And there are ways to syphon any magical residue out of inanimate things. That idea has merit! I also could restore books or paintings after I made a name for myself.”

“You just need to act very secretive and mysterious saying those things were trade secrets and not tell anyone where your workshop actually is.”

“I like it! Unfortunately, summer is nearly over, and the flea-markets will dry up soon. But there are a lot of second-hand shops around. Muggle and magical,” Now that Remus’ mind had gotten engaged, it was firing on all cylinders. He turned to Sirius, “Would you be my silent partner for this enterprise?”**

“Nah.”

Remus’ face fell.

“But I certainly will be your loud partner if you’ll have me! But please first tell me what a flea market is. I gather you don’t buy actual fleas there?”

Harry and Remus laughed and explained to Sirius and the twins what that kind of market sold.

That was the birth of Marauders' Enterprises, with its founders consisting of Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, Sirius Black, and Fred and George Weasley, naturally.

“Great! I'll have all the documents written up by Gringotts and contact you again. But we need to go soon, and I wanted to give you the things you were promised!” Sirius said grandly and gave a familiar-looking package to Harry, who grinned and put it into his wallet, and a small book-shaped wrapped present to the twins, who took it excitedly and ripped the paper right off.

“Wow! Thank you, Padfoot! We didn’t expect to get this today after all the research we did about personal property and stuff!” The twins crowed.

“Remus and I stayed up late into the night to finish it. We can sleep later after everyone has left.”

“Thanks! This is great!” The twins started leafing through the pages and reading about the charms in the sturdy little book.

“Come in, boys. You can read that later,” Remus said grinning. “We need to get ready now. Get your trunks and meet us in the entrance hall.”

* When researching the number of students at Hogwarts I found many different points of view. So, I took one that fit this story.

** The idea that Remus just opens a repair shop for something comes from another story. I don’t remember which. I think he specialises in furniture in that story . It’s such a no-brainer thought, wouldn’t you say?

Chapter Text

And so, they did. They met up in front of the Gryffindor flag, which always made Sirius grin viciously every time he saw it.

Screeching could be heard on the 3rd floor and therefore they immediately piled out of the house where they were awaited by Tonks and Moody.

Sirius hugged Harry tightly and then proceeded to hug the twins, much to their surprise, and stepped back saying in a choked-up voice, “Have a good time at Hogwarts, boys! See you at Yule!” and he added, “I’ll tell Molly you left already. Not that she'll start searching for you three now.”

The others nodded and called out, “Bye, Sirius!”

The trunks were distributed, with Tonks taking Harry’s – after some protest by the twins – and they Apparated from the spot they had set up for this purpose. (Moody changed that spot every other day.)

They found the platform still half-empty, and Harry, Fred, and George immediately entered the train, to find a compartment.

As they walked through the small hallway, Harry saw Luna sitting by herself in one compartment reading the Quibbler upside down and immediately opened the door, much to the twins' surprise.

“Mind if we sit with you?” Harry asked and Luna looked up with her big blue eyes and answered, “Oh! OH! Yes !”

Harry grinned and wondered what she was seeing when looking at him, “Great! Come in Fred and George. Lee will fit, too.”

“Ok,” the twins entered a little confused, and they secured their trunks on the storage space, overhead. “Hi, Luna!”

“Hello Gred and Forge,” she answered after tearing her eyes off of Harry.

“We will go onto the Platform again, to say our goodbyes. See you in a few minutes,” Harry said, and the twins and he left again.

“Huh? There were other empty compartments. Why this one, Harry?”

“I think she needs friends, and she always looks like she could be fun to be around. Do you mind?”

“Not at all. Luna is cool. Just, she was Ginny’s friend, not ours, when they were little, but we always liked her and she us, we think.”

“Cool!” Harry jumped out of the train and went to Remus, who had been joined by a familiar-looking man, with light-brown hair and dark-brown eyes who was about as tall as Sirius was.

“Mr White! You came!” Harry called out.

“I promised, right?”

They heard stomping come closer and saw Moody walking toward them, his real eye examining Sirius in his disguise thoroughly. Meanwhile, his fake eye rotated like crazy, taking in everything of his surroundings.

“Who are you?” Moody barked.

“Oh, hello there, good man, I'm a friend of Lupin here. Name is Paddy White.” He stretched out his hand, offering a handshake.

Moody ignored it and barked, “How do you know Mr Potter?”

“We met before Harry’s third school year in his Muggle neighbourhood.”

Is that true, Potter?” The fake eye looked at Harry now.

“Huh? Yes! He surprised me back then. But I met him again later.”

“Is that so, Mr White? And you just happen to be a friend of Lupin, too?” The fake eye turned to Sirius now and scrutinised the man intensely.

A few seconds later Moody barked out a laugh. (He and Grobhook sound very much alike Harry thought quite randomly.)

“I see, Mr White . Well, carry on. We’ll talk later.”

Sirius whined, “What gave me away?”

“Except for the name? Your underwear, lad. You didn’t change it.”

Sirius, aka Paddy White, squeaked, “My underwear? You looked at my underwear?”

“Sure did. Best way to get the measure of a person.”

“Person? You look at women’s underwear, too?”

“Much more enjoyable, let me tell you.”

Sirius stared at Moody as if he saw him for the first time, “Fuck me!”

“No thanks, lad. Ah, there is Molly and the rest of her brood now,” Moody said and stomped off toward the motherly-looking woman.

Meanwhile, Sirius turned quickly toward the rest of them, meaning Harry, Remus, and the twins who all looked slightly uncomfortable and envious at the same time.

“Did you know about this?”

“That you are identifiable by your knickers?” Harry said grinning.

“Harry! I mean that he sees our undies!”

“I find it strange that you aren’t more worried that he can see through cloth and therefore through underwear, too.”

Now all four of them were gaping at Harry. Once again with rather mixed feelings.

“I mean, he can see through walls. And he must see his brain, anytime he looks to the back. So, he can probably see organs and skeletons, too. He should take up a medical profession now that I think of it.”

The others looked slightly green now and Sirius said faintly, “I find it disturbing that you thought about this.”

“And I that you didn’t think about this.”

 They stared at one another for a few seconds, when a familiar voice sounded next to Harry, “Harry, here you are! We need to go. The train will leave in eight minutes.”

“Huh? Why are you talking to me?”

“Harry, I'm your friend. Why shouldn’t I talk to you?” Hermione sounded a bit shrill.

Harry looked at the badge in her robes and said, “Miss Granger. Please go and look after some firsties and leave me be. I want to say goodbye to my family, and you are interrupting. Go. Away.”

“But Harry–”

“Shoo!”

Hermione looked understandably shocked and offended and turned around huffily to go to Ron to bully him into doing his job as a prefect.

“Huh? So, she thinks if she acts like nothing happened, all will be well?” Harry wondered and then turned to the two men, “Anyway, goodbye Remus! It was great getting to know you!”

“And you, cub. Have a good time at Hogwarts!” Remus pulled Harry into a hug and then the twins, who had found Lee too. “Now you better go and enter the train. Shoo.” Remus said playfully.

Chapter Text

The teens chuckled and got on the train once more to go back to their compartment where they found Neville sitting with Luna, holding a strange, pimpled cactus in his lap.

Oh, forgot about that one, Harry thought.

“Hi, Neville. Did Luna tell you that we're sitting here too?”

“Hi, Harry. Not in so many words, but I saw your trunk and two others, so it seemed that there was still some space left. Hope you don’t mind. I must say, though, your trunk looks much better now,” Neville rambled shyly.

“We don’t mind, right?” Harry looked at the twins.

No one minded.

“And yes, my trunk looks better now, right? My godfather and Remus – Professor Lupin – taught me a spell they developed that’s quite a powerful repairing charm. I tried it on this trunk.”

“Looks good. So, your godfather? You actually stayed with Sirius Black,” Neville spat the surname.

“Yeah, he's awesome. And he really was innocent. And a Gryffindor to boot. You believe me, right?” Harry looked imploringly at Neville.

The twins nodded emphatically, “He really is one of us! And an amazing prankster. He always said he is the white sheep in his family,” They grinned at Neville who visibly struggled with himself.

“But not all members of the Black family are innocent and fluffy!”

“Certainly not! You should have heard what that portrait of Sirius’ mum was spewing. Vile! We learned a lot, though. But our grandmother was Cedrella Black , we learned. And she gave birth to a man like our dad. A Muggle-fanatic. And she didn’t disown him.”

“Huh, okay,” Neville’s worldview shifted a little.

Harry then added thoughtfully, “If I remember the Black family tapestry right, there was a Calidora Black, who married a Harfang Longbottom… Any relations?”

Neville gaped at Harry, “Great-grandmother Callie? But… er. Ok. Grandmother must have left Great-grandmother Callie’s maiden name out when she taught me about our family!”

Harry nodded, “So, how was your summer, Neville? And yours, Miss…?”

Neville opened his mouth but then closed it again to look at Luna who answered, “Luna Lovegood. And you're Harry Potter. And we have and have not met already. It’s confusing.”

“Yeah. We have been friends but haven’t met yet. Strange huh?”

Luna’s face looked at him in wonder, “Friends?”

“Friends. We can get to know each other again and see if we want to try our hand at friendship once again.”

“Sure. I’d like to have a friend. I had one once, but then…”

“We always liked you, Luna. So, you can hang out with us too. If you want to,” the twins told her much to Lee’s surprise (but the whole conversation made little sense, so he just kept quiet.)

“Alright,” she nodded agreeably. To Harry’s surprise, she didn’t go back to reading the Quibbler, but looking at Neville now, “And your summer?”

“Huh? Right.” Neville proceeded to tell Luna and Harry, while the twins and Lee talked about their summers to each other. Many conversations were going on at once. Sometimes they all talked together, sometimes in smaller groups until the door banged open and Ron stood in it, Hermione behind him, and barked at Neville and Luna, “You two, out!”

Neville and Luna looked quite taken aback and then looked to Harry to see if he agreed.

Harry didn’t.

“What the hell? We don’t want you in here. Go somewhere else.”

“Language!”

“What are you on about, Harry? We're your friends. We always sit on the train together!”

Harry looked disbelievingly at the two newly minted prefects and answered, “Our friendships fell apart during the summer. Don’t pretend that never happened just because we're going back to Hogwarts. You were on your last chance, Ron, and you blew it. So, please go.”

“And what about me?” Hermione asked.

Harry looked at her incredulously, “You weren’t on your last chance before this summer, Hermione.” Hermione relaxed and a victorious smile started to appear on her face. “But you sure blew all of your chances for our friendship surviving out of the water this summer.” Hermione’s face fell again. “So, I’ll ask you again, please leave.”

“But we need to present a united front!” Hermione exclaimed.

“That would be ideal, but also a lie at this moment. Which isn’t what we are about, right? We don’t want to present a false image. Now, I’ll ask you one last time, please leave.”

“Stop talking like a ponce!” Ron had enough. “You will return to being my best mate. Dumbledore said so!”

“Did he now?”

“Ron, you shouldn’t talk–” Hermione tried to stop Ron but to no avail.

“Yes! He said we would be friends for all years in Hogwarts!”

“Oh? When did he say that?” Harry asked mildly.

“Before our first year even started! So, you see? It was all…” Ron trailed off, at last noticing what he was saying and more importantly whom he was saying it to.

“… planned?” Harry completed Ron’s sentence. “Thank you for clearing that up. Now, I asked you thrice to leave I believe, and it wouldn’t help to call for a prefect now, would it? So, bye!” Harry waved his wand and the two were pushed out of the door and it slammed shut and locked itself.

The ones inside the compartment watched as Ron and Hermione cast spells at their door and were heckled by Malfoy of all people, making them realise the big crowd that had witnessed the whole thing in the rather small train hallway. This made Hermione yell at them that the show was over and to go away. But her efforts were futile, and in the end, she and Ron stomped away.

“Good impression the new prefects are making there,” the twins said. “Really awe-inspiring and imitation-worthy.”

The rest chuckled, still a bit astonished by what Ron’s loss of brain-to-mouth filter had brought to light.

Outside, it looked like Malfoy was trying to decide if confronting Harry was a good idea right then as he normally would. But suprisingly, he walked away.

“Wow, you changed Harry! The golden trio broke up?” Neville asked, astonished.

“Yeah. They listened to Dumbledore first before being my friends and now I'm questioning the whole friendship with Ron from the beginning…”

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Neville seemed to really mean it.

“Thanks, Nev. You know, Ron was the first friend I ever had who was the same age as me. To learn it was all a lie is…”

“We're sorry, Harry. We didn’t know! But now that we think back on it, it was like Mum primed Ron and Ginny to want to be your friends. And even more so in Ginny’s case. Ugh! That makes us wonder what she manipulated us about?” they asked themselves in their usual twin-speak and stared at one another, frowning.

“Do you actually understand them when they talk like that?" Neville asked in wonderment and the sombre mood broke because they all had to laugh.

“Yup.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes,” were his answers from Lee, Luna, and Harry.

“Amazing. How do you manage that?”

Harry said thoughtfully, “The best way, in the beginning, is not to look at them and pretend one person is talking to you a little haltingly. It is in a way, you know? That’s what I think, anyway.”

“Oh, they are one soul in two bodies,” Luna told the astonished rest. “It’s a family trait.”

“That would explain so much,” the twins said thoughtfully.

Harry tilted his head. What did that mean? Were they each other’s Horcruxes? Ugh. But then George in his LF would have been right when he said that it felt like Fred was always with him. It might have been so, quite literally. Harry swore to himself he would do his best to protect both of his friends this time around.

Someone knocked at the door, and it looked like Cho Chang wanted to visit.

Harry waved his wand and as soon as the girl entered, his ring started warning him. So, he quickly cast an air-freshening and then a bubble-head charm at his head.

He then said in a slightly distorted voice, “There is some kind of mood-altering potion vapour in the hallway. You better all use a bubble-head charm! Are you okay, Cho? Did that vapour infect you somehow? Oh dear, how would you even know! Here, let me cast a charm that dispels all potions that might have attached themselves to you!” Harry waved his wand once more, and his ring stopped warning him. “Oh, your clothes must have been contaminated, Cho! It’s gone now.” Harry told the others who were trying to cast the bubble-head charm with varying successes.

Cho looked rather taken aback and seemed to have lost all of her courage to go on talking to Harry, so she sobbed and fled.

“Huh?”

“She must have used one of those expensive perfumes, which make a targeted person find the wearer attractive. And you dispelled it,” Neville explained, frowning. If that had been the case, it had been a very brazen attempt of line-theft.

“Oh! So, you were in no danger at all! That's good. But I find that highly offensive. It’s not as bad as a love potion, right? But still!”

“Huh? What’s bad about love potions?” the twins asked.

Harry looked at them in bafflement, “It’s like the Imperius curse? It makes an unwilling person sleep with you. That’s rape, isn’t it?”

 The others looked horrified, except for Luna, who nodded and said, “Cho’s parents want her to snag a wealthy and famous husband. They might have invested in such a perfume.”

“Wow. Now I feel sorry for her.”

“Feeling sorry for her losing Cedric Diggory is alright. But her parents let her choose and if she had snagged you, she would have stopped using the perfume after bearing an heir and your life would have been miserable.”

“Huh. Ok, good to know. Fortunately, there's a rule that I need to get checked for potions before I marry.”

Harry looked to the twins who were whispering with Lee about something quite vigorously. He thought that they might be discussing if they should chuck that particular product line. Good.

Neville was the one to speak up much to Harry’s surprise, “Heirs all need to wear a potions detection amulet on their body for this very reason and the ones of better quality can detect airborne potions. You need to get one of those out of your vault if you haven’t already, Harry.”

“Thanks, Neville!” Harry nodded. “Please tell me stuff like that. My Muggle relatives obviously couldn’t have taught me this.”

Neville sat a little straighter, “I will, Harry. I wondered, sometimes, why you did things the way you did. But as Ron never spoke up, I thought there was a reason for it.”

“Yeah. Looks like the reason was to keep me in the dark?” Harry scowled.

“But why?”

“My money? My fame? I don’t know.”

“Do you have someone watching out for you now?”

“Yeah, my godfather, who has no need for either; as well as my account manager at Gringotts.”

“That’s a relief!”

“But please keep quiet that I have contact with Gringotts for the moment, okay? We’re still working behind the scenes. But soon he‘ll make his move if he hasn’t already,” Harry grinned viciously.

Neville and Luna nodded earnestly, and the others hadn’t listened in, they had even cast a silencing bubble.

Seeing this, Harry went on, “Luna, I have an important message for you. Would you meet me in private tomorrow somewhere in the school?”

She tilted her head and said, “Neville may listen in. He’ll keep this a secret, whatever it is.”

“Er, okay. Well, the goblins don’t steal people with mage-sight.”

“They don’t?”

“No. But in the past, they taught witches and wizards how to use it and these people became independent and often worked for Gringotts then. Other people got upset about that and spread dark rumours.”

“Oh! That makes so much sense! It was probably mostly women with mage-sight.”

Harry shrugged, “I don’t know. But the wife of my account manager can teach you. They have a great interest that this ability isn’t lost to us. I don’t really know why. So she’ll come alone to the edge of the Forbidden Forest if you agree.”

“I do go there often to visit the Thestrals. Hm.”

“He said, the Nargles would tell you it was ok even if they are chatterboxes.”

She giggled, took off her butterbeer cork necklace, and spaced out for a moment.

Meanwhile, Neville looked at Luna in awe, “That ability was thought to be lost.”

Harry nodded, “But keep it quiet for now, okay? Who knows what people would do to get access to her? And with Voldemort back…”

“He’s really back?” Neville swallowed. “I hoped the papers… but it seems like they didn’t always tell the truth after all.”

Harry nodded. He wasn’t upset with Neville for still being disbelieving. “He is.”

“Okay. Dumbledore is working on it, right?”

“In a way? He's revived the Order of the Phoenix our parents were part of back in the day.”

Neville pulled out his wand and looked at it with sadness on his face.

“Nev?”

“This is my dad’s wand. He…”

“Moody told me what happened to your parents.”

“He did? Was he part of that group too?”

“Yes. He still is. He gave me a photograph of the Order with our parents on it. And many other people who are not alive anymore. It’s quite sad. If you want to, I’ll show it to you sometime.”

“I’ll think about it?”

“Sure.”

Luna was eying the wand Neville held in the meantime and said, “It yearns for its owner. It has no bond with you.”

“Huh? But my grandmother said…” Neville trailed off.

Harry wasn’t sure how to address it, but Luna helped, “Your grandmother can’t choose the wand for you. The wand chooses the wizard. And this one has chosen another one already.”

“Mr Ollivander said the same. I mean that the wand chooses the wizard. I was in his shop for hours until I found mine!”

The twins and Lee had taken down their bubble and heard the last few sentences and the twins said, “Sometimes the wands of dead family members work for you. Or if a family member got a new wand, like Charlie. But he had a family wand before, too. Now that I think about it.”

Neville looked at the wand in his hands again and whispered, “It still belongs to Dad. That’s why it doesn’t work right for me. I always thought I was weak.”

The older boys clearly wanted to ask why Neville’s dad didn’t use his wand himself if it was still bound to him, but Harry shook his head at them and fortunately, they complied. Harry was sure they would find him and ask about it later, but that was okay.

“But how do we get a new one for you now?” Harry mused.

“Grandmother will never allow me to buy one,” Neville said mournfully.

The twins scoffed, “Then don’t tell her. We can side-along you to Diagon Alley on the first Hogsmeade weekend and you buy one. Do you have 7 Galleons?”

Neville nodded, “I do. But is that allowed?”

“We never asked.”

“Uh, I don’t know…”

“Come on, Neville! Live a little!”

Neville looked dubious and Harry said, “Maybe sleep on it?”

The shy boy nodded thankfully.

The rest of the train ride went without any more excitement and soon they arrived at the station, and Harry saw the Thestrals again. They made him remember the flight to the Ministry of Magic in his first fifth year and the heartache that followed. It made him determined to bring Riddle and his lot down without unnecessary losses this time.

He was pulled out of those thoughts when he heard Hermione berate Ron, “I hope you paraphrased my essays at least. I can’t believe you didn’t do any of your homework! You said you had before Harry came to… headquarters!”

“Come on, ‘Mione! It was the summer holidays!” the fading voice of Ron whined.

Harry chuckled. Normally he had been the one nudging Ron to think of different ways to rephrase Hermione’s homework – making a game out of it. He wondered if Ron had done so without him and if he knew what “paraphrasing” even meant, as he climbed into one of the carriages with Luna and Neville.

He also wondered how things had played out with all the plans Grobhook and he had made that were going to be executed today.

Chapter Text

On their way to their House tables, Harry and Neville said their goodbyes to Luna and went to sit with the twins and Lee to watch the sorting.

A still very harried-looking McGonagall led a huge group of first-years into the Great Hall. They were followed by just as many older students, who looked around in as much wonder as the firsties had. Huh? That many poor ones getting in now, via Gringotts and the Foundation?

“Oh, the after-war baby boom. By 1984 people started to relax by then, it looks like,” the twins said, and they and their audience sniggered.

Oh. So, it’s probably both, the baby boom, and the foundation at work regarding the 1 st -years, Harry thought. It meant there were about eighty first-year students there and then the many older-looking ones lurking in the background.

While the very long sorting took place, Harry looked to the High Table and saw a new Dumbledore, who had never made an appearance before at mealtimes in Harry’s memory. There was nothing whimsical and benign about that man at the moment. He looked thunderous. Harry cackled inside his mind.

He looked to the place the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor usually sat and saw , oh damn! Fucking Dawlish “won” the post, it looked like. So the Ministry was trying to interfere after all.

Well, hopefully, he wasn’t as bad as Umbridge would have been.

Time will tell, he decided.

After the very long sorting had taken place and Gryffindor had gained at least twenty first-years, Dumbledore got up and tried to pull up his grandfatherly front, “Dear students, I’d like to announce that this year quite a few formerly home-schooled students decided to join us in these hallowed halls. Their knowledge was tested by the Ministry, and they will join the years where their current knowledge in the subjects placed them. Please welcome them into your House. Let the sorting  proceed!” He clapped his hands like he was excited.

He really wasn’t.

Harry clapped too. There were at least a hundred more students to sort there.

There was some fussing at the table because the children and teenagers were getting really hungry by now, but they had to wait until about 20 additional people had joined their House, with McGonagall calling out each name and year.

Other houses had gotten more new students, especially Hufflepuff House followed by Slytherin. Ravenclaw got the same amount as Gryffindor did. Probably. It wasn’t like Harry had kept count. He only knew for sure that their year had gotten 3 new students, 1 girl, and 2 boys, who sat at the other end of the table for now, so Harry didn’t get a close look at them. Therefore, to the 12 Gryffindors 3 more meant, they were now 15! Harry knew there had been another girl at the beginning, but her parents had moved to Canada, and she left after her first year. Now there would be 7 boys and 8 Girls. So, did that mean the boys would get a second dorm room now too? Like the girls had from the beginning? With Hermione sharing with Lavender and Parvati, and the other four having their own dorm. It was the rule that there was to be no dorm with more than 5 students per dorm. And that when more than one dorm was needed, the students would get divided into as equal numbers as possible. Like, there wouldn’t be two dorms for six persons, one with 4 and one with 2 people in it, but 3 and 3.

Harry just wondered how Hogwarts would cope with so many more students. Well, it wasn’t his problem to solve and so he put it out of his mind.

He knew the number of students had been at an all-time low which had been attributed to the first war with Voldemort and numbers had started to rise a little in recent years. There had been about 320 last year and with the new additions made possible by the Foundation, it was now approximately 460 which was an enormous increase in just one year!

Harry once again wondered why Dumbledore had stopped the Peverell Foundation. Hadn’t Hogwarts needed the funds more students brought in? Or had that been done by Griphook without Dumbledore’s knowledge? Or maybe more students just meant more teachers, and those cost money as well. But that was rather stupid thinking, wasn’t it? After all, no students meant one wouldn’t have to pay any teachers at all. That would be a little counterproductive, right?

The older ones of the new students were asked what made them change their or their parents’ minds to switch from home-schooling to Hogwarts and some said plainly that they hadn’t been able to afford the costs of Hogwarts before but that now an old Foundation had been reinstated that paid for them, as it had done so more than a decade ago.

People wondered if Voldemort had anything to do with the Foundation because it had stopped when Harry had defeated him as a toddler (as if) and now that he was said to have returned, it started paying again... Coincidence?

That idea was nixed immediately because it was made clear by the newcomers that most of the new students that the Foundation paid for were Half-bloods with a few Muggle-born and Pure-bloods sprinkled in.

Colin grew quite excited and asked around who was to contact as his dad had taken a huge loan for him and his brother to be able to attend Hogwarts, but it was very hard on the family.

All this was going on after Dumbledore had opened the feast, much to their stomachs’ immense relief.

After the feast, the Headmaster welcomed them to a new school year, and told them about the new Defence Professor the Ministry had so graciously sent. Dawlish just scowled at the long tables full of students, obviously not happy with his appointment. The other new teacher was introduced as a substitute for Hagrid – Professor Grubbly-Plank . Dumbledore then made some insinuations that dark times were ahead but didn’t elaborate and then sent them off to bed.

 As they all left the Great Hall, McGonagall walked next to Harry and said, “The headmaster wishes to see you in his office, Mr. Potter. Please follow me.”

“Now?” Harry asked incredulously, not changing direction. “What could he possibly need to see me for this evening? There’s a weekend coming. We can meet tomorrow, right? And I want my magical guardian present for it, Professor.”

“Mr Potter!”

“No, Professor McGonagall.” Harry stopped and went to the side a little to let the other students pass while casting a privacy ward. “I haven’t done anything to warrant an invitation to his office. I’m tired and stuffed with amazing food. If you insist, I'll call my guardian to take me out of Hogwarts if this continues.”

“This is blackmail!”

“Yes.” Harry walked on, breaking his ward, and left Professor McGonagall standing there, gaping after Harry.

Ok, I was an arrogant toerag just now , Harry huffed to himself while he walked quickly to catch up with his year mates. It just felt so wrong to get singled out right away. It also would have presented a united front to the rest of the school if Harry went to see Dumbledore the first evening. Harry didn’t want that, at all. Dumbledore probably wanted to scan Harry’s mind to find out if it had been him who was responsible for evicting Order members from their homes.

Chapter Text

Like the Great Hall, the Common room seemed to have stretched and sprouted more furniture, so all students fit in easily.

As soon as they had all entered, the 7th-year prefects called, “Please be quiet for a minute! As we have so many new students in all years, we decided on the rule that if additional dorm rooms were necessary, and there are many, the new students will be housed with the prefect of that year to help them get acclimated. You know them by the red and silver shields they are wearing on their robes. But please don’t hesitate to ask anyone in the beginning. This castle can be a little confusing in the beginning. Years 2-4 have no prefects so please, all of you, take the new ones under your wings. Those years gained most of the new students, after all, next to our twenty new 1st-years,” the female prefect beamed at the cluster of the tiny new students who smiled back shyly for the most part.

Her male counterpart added, “The staircases to the girls’ rooms are to the left and the ones to the boys’ dorms to the right. Your names are written next to the dorm room, under the year you're in. Now, I'll introduce the prefects of this year to all of you, so you know whom to ask and who is your dorm mate for the older ones. The 5th-year prefects are Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Please step forward and wave.”

The two did so proudly and there were some astonished murmurs running through the crowd. Many seemed to be quite disbelieving that Ron had been chosen and expressed that quite audibly.

Ron scowled and stomped off while the 7th-year Prefect continued introducing his fellow 6th-year prefects.

Harry heard someone murmur, “Great, we got the arse of that group. And we have to bunk with that moron, too.”

When Harry looked at the speaker he saw the two new 5th-year boys standing close by. So, he said quietly, “Hi, we’re the other four guys in our year. You can ask us, too. This is Dean, Seamus, Neville, and I'm Harry.”

Dean waved, Seamus frowned at Harry and then nodded to the two new classmates, and Neville shyly said, “Welcome to Hogwarts. And Harry is right. We’ll help you too.”

“Thanks! I'm John, and this is Rajiv.” The blond-haired, pale, and blue-eyed boy pointed to the brown-skinned, dark-haired one with big brown doe-eyes, who waved shyly. “Hi!”

“I'm sixteen and not very studious. And more into football than quidditch. And Rajiv here just got fifteen and probably could have joined the 6th-years if he had sat for the O.W.L. exams.”

Dean, who was immediately very interested in John, asked about his favourite club and soon the two were in deep discussion.

Harry grinned at Rajiv, “We’ve lost them now. Football is Dean’s thing, and he loves talking about it but no one else does. Until now. So, what are your favourite subjects? Mine’s Defence Against the Dark Arts. And Neville’s is Herbology and Seamus’ is Transfiguration. Especially liquids.”

Seamus had to laugh at that, “Especially water into rum. But I'm not the most studious of us.”

“Those would be your prefects, right?” Rajiv nodded to himself, “My favourite subject is Potions and Herbology.”

Neville who had slumped a little when hearing the first perked up with the second, “My uncle gave me a Mimbulus Mimbletonia this summer.”

“Wow! Really? Did you bring it? Can I see?” Rajiv transformed from shy to excited and was mirrored by Neville and the two of them also started to talk shop.

Seamus looked a little annoyed and turned to Harry, “Well, that leaves us. Do you have any idea whom we’ll share rooms with now?”

Harry shrugged, “No idea. It would be great to sleep without someone’s snoring, but I learned a new spell to only silence snoring and wanking. It was made for boys’ dorms.

Seamus snorted, “Perfect. Whoever shares it with Ron will need it.”

Dean who had caught the last sentence asked, “Need what?”

“The spell Harry knows that silences only snoring and wanking.”

Dean sniggered, “Please teach us!” he pulled Neville and his new friend into the group.

Harry laughed and brandished his wand, “That spell is protected at the moment, but I’m allowed to share it with my year mates. Wands out, the incantation is...” and he taught the other five the sleep-saving spell.

Afterwards, they went upstairs to see who they were sharing the room with and found their old dorm still held Neville, Dean, Seamus, and Harry, while Ron had been moved to the new dorm room with John and Rajiv.

Chapter Text

They parted ways with the two and entered their room to find that it held only four beds now and a frustrated Ron, who was trying to open Harry’s trunk!

“Hey!” Harry yelled. “What are you doing?”

Ron quickly turned around and nearly fell over in surprise and shock, “You scared me! Why can’t I open your trunk? I need the map!”

“There’s so much wrong with that statement,” Harry gaped at Ron.

“I'm a prefect, and we have to make rounds tonight. So, give it to me!”

“How about no ?”

“What? Why? Damnit, Harry, your temper tantrum has gone on long enough. Why don’t you apologise already, and we can be mates again?”

“Did your mother drop you on your head when you were little? Repeatedly?” Harry was so done with this. “Leave this dorm. That map is mine and you will not get it. Now leave!”

Ron, who planted his feet on the ground, answered stubbornly, “No! I need that map. Without it, I‘d have to walk all those corridors!”

“Tough. Now shoo!”

“Make me!”

“What’s going on here?” The annoyed voice of the 7th-year prefect could be heard coming from the hallway and soon, the young man stood in their door.

“That moron tried to break into my trunk to get an item that would help him find wayward students when he does his patrols.”

“He did? Weasley?”

“Yeah, I always could take Harry’s things. And now he locked his trunk somehow. Make him open it!”

“Weasley! Get out of this room and if I ever hear you pulling a stunt like that again, you won't be prefect any longer. Now go and do your job and introduce yourself to your dormmates and show them the ropes.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you idiot, you!”

Ron left in a huff and the older prefect sighed, “What did they think, making him a prefect? Any one of the four of you would have been a better choice...”

“I just feel sorry for Rajiv and John,” Neville said quietly.

“Right. I'll ask them in a couple of days how it’s working out for them,” the prefect said and left to listen in at the other 5th-year dorm door.

Harry inspected his trunk and sighed, “He didn’t get in,” and turned around to the other three, “Want me to teach you how to ward your trunks too?”

“Yes please!” Neville said and the others nodded.

“Is there a spell, which doesn’t let him inside except for an emergency?” Dean asked. “It seems silly since we shared a dorm for four years, but somehow...”

“Yeah,” Seamus nodded. “I always thought he was your best mate, Harry. But after last year, on the train today, and just now – that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.”

“Yeah. He’s jealous and entitled. I’ve had enough.”

“About time,” Dean huffed.

Harry went to his trunk, took out a book about wards, and flicked through it, “Here it is,” he waved his wand and added, “Now he only can enter in emergencies.”

Outside they heard loud voices and then a door banging and someone stomping off.

“What did Ron do now?” Neville sighed.

Seamus opened the door to the hallway and looked outside and found the 7th-year prefect, Seth, coming to their door followed by John and Rajiv. He stepped aside and let the three enter.

“Well,” Seth said, looking tired, “Ron Weasley isn’t an adequate roommate for your new classmates. I‘ve decided to change this immediately after listening to him blowing off any question John asked him. He even said something about Rajiv’s supposed place of birth.”

“That would be London proper,” Rajiv looked annoyed.

“So, two of you need to switch with John and Rajiv. They said they’d happily share with any one of you. Please try to decide for yourself or I’d need to decide for you.”

They all looked at one another. Not one of them wanted to room with Ron, right now. But when Dean and John drifted to one another, looking at the football posters Dean had started pinning to the wall, Seamus said, “Dean? I think it would be better if the two of us grasped that nettle. Ron always puts Nev down and he just tried to break into Harry’s trunk…”

Dean looked thoughtful and said, “You’re right. And we know that spell that allows us to sleep now. Ok, but Harry, please show me the spells to ward my trunk first.”

“Sure. No problem. But are you sure? I could share with him, too. I’d just ignore him.”

Seth nearly facepalmed, the decision to pick the youngest Weasley boy to become the newest prefect was such a bad one.

Dean and Seamus looked at one another and nodded, “Yeah, someone must, and we’ve lived four years in one dorm with him. It’s not that bad,” Dean said.

“Thanks, boys. I'll organise the elves to move your stuff while Harry teaches you that spell.”

Soon after, everything was done but the six stayed in the first dorm together for a while anyway.

“You can always come and seek refuge, if necessary, right?” Harry looked at his now former dorm mates who nodded.

“Thanks, Potter,” Seamus said.

Johns and Rajiv’s faces turned to Harry very quickly.

“Potter? As in Harry Potter? The Boy Who Lived? But you’re so normal!” John gasped and Rajiv nodded along, open-mouthed.

Harry whined, “Thanks, Finnigan! I had hoped they would get to know me first before realising I share a name with that fictional character!”

“So, you aren’t him?” Rajiv asked, confused. “That makes sense. You don’t have the scar, after all.”

“What?” Dean, Neville, and Seamus called out in surprise.

Harry chuckled sheepishly and then turned serious, “Ok, yes, I'm the Harry Potter whose parents were murdered on Halloween ’81. Yes, I survived that attack. But if it was the killing curse is debatable. Who was there to tell? Not me. I was 1 ¼ years old at that time. I just said my first word a couple of weeks before that event, nothing else. The media turned it into this idiotic tale of The Boy Who Lived. Then some enterprising fiction writer took that tale and turned it into children’s adventure books. Meanwhile, I grew up with my Muggle relatives away from all that hubbub. I learned about the wizarding world on my 11 th birthday. Nothing written in those books ever happened. – As for my scar, I had it healed this summer. You’re the first one to notice, Rajiv.”

“Oh!”

“You really didn’t know about our world?” Seamus asked. “But then, what was that? I mean, last year? You honestly didn’t want the attention?”

“Hell no! It just fit the tales much better at that moment that people were telling everyone. I really was entered against my will into that fucking Tournament!”

“Shit, sorry, Harry! I started to believe Ron and Skeeter. But even my Mum is doubting her and the Prophet by now.”

“And Ron wants the attention, so he decided Harry did too,” Dean nodded wisely.

Harry nodded and looked to the thoughtfully frowning John and still wide-eyed Rajiv, “Just think of me as Harry. Not Harry Potter, alright? Harry, your class- and dormmate.”

John nodded and Rajiv said, “Okay. It’s good I first got to know you as just ‘Harry’.”

Harry grinned, thinking of Kreacher.

“But” Rajiv added, “You do know more spells than your classmates, so the stories…”

“Oh no! That is due to my godfather. He’s the notorious one! You all heard about Sirius Black, right?”

“Whoa! That’s your godfather? Is he really innocent?” John exclaimed.

“Yup. He was the decoy. The real traitor was someone else. But I’ll tell you all about it another day, all right? I need to contact him now that I think of it.”

Harry readied himself for bed and after pulling the curtains close and casting a silencing spell (the normal kind) he called Sirius to tell him about his day and Dumbledore wanting to see him and they agreed to visit Dumbledore’s office tomorrow at ten. He also sent a short note to Grobhook that Luna had agreed to meet with the teacher for her mage-sight.

Chapter Text

The next day was a Saturday, so the four in Dorm 1 met up with two-thirds of Dorm 2 and went to the Great Hall slowly, showing John and Rajiv the castle and explaining some of its peculiarities on the way. Like the poltergeist, the step that trapped one’s foot, the moving staircases, and so on.

“So, where’s Ron?” Neville asked after a while.

“Still asleep. He came in late. Making rounds, I think,” Dean answered. “I don’t know if he even noticed he has new dormmates, yet.

Harry wondered fleetingly who would wake Ron now but forgot about it quickly again. Not his problem.

That should become his new mantra he mused, but then went on talking with his dorm mates. It might still be strange to play being a 15-year-old. But it was fun, too. At least for now.

After breakfast, Harry went to the Entrance Hall and soon was met by Sirius, who had come onto the grounds via the Shrieking Shack.

“Good morning, Sirius! Perfect timing. I’ve been summoned to the headmaster’s office at ten.”

“Then let’s go. And good morning to you, too.”

While they walked upstairs, they talked about inconsequential things. They had exchanged all necessary information last night via the mirrors after all.

Soon they knocked on the door to Dumbledore’s office and waited patiently in silence for about five minutes.

Does he want to listen in to what we are talking about? Fat chance! Harry thought and leaned against the wall, settling in.

“Enter.”

The two entered and found one chair sitting in front of the Headmaster’s desk. There also was Snape, lurking in one of the corners, scowling when seeing Sirius.

“Sirius! What are you doing here?” Dumbledore looked honestly surprised.

“Albus, you’re slipping. Didn’t the wards tell you I arrived?”

“I'm quite busy at the moment, my boy. New school year and all that. But you needn’t have come. I just want a short chat with Harry here.”

“With Sn… Snape there? Really?”

“Sirius, why the hostility still? You’re both grown men.”

“That’s not an answer to my question. Why do you need Snape present for a short chat with Harry?”

“He and I had a chat before, and he was still in the room. Now, Harry my–”

“Stop, Albus. First of all, if it was a prior appointment then again, why is he still here? If the meeting asks for him, alright. But then there should be more than one chair in front of the desk, shouldn’t there?”

Dumbledore frowned, “If so, you can also leave, Sirius. Why don’t the both of you do so now?”

“Albus, I'm Harry’s magical guardian as you well know. Snape is neither Harry’s guardian nor his Head of House. He’s his Potions Professor. So, I ask again. Is this meeting about Harry’s Potions class?”

“Sirius, stop being so boorish. Why don’t you take a seat,” Dumbledore conceded, waved his wand, and conjured a chair for Sirius. “I had taken on Harry’s guardianship, so I forgot. I'm sorry, my boy. Please sit,” he pointed to the chairs, but Sirius and Harry kept standing.

“That would be the second point, which needs addressing. Not that the first has been solved to my satisfaction. As you’re not Harry’s guardian – and never were – I ask you to address him as you do every other student. -- With his surname.”

“Sirius, please, don’t be ridiculous. Harry doesn’t mind, do you?”

Harry, who had been scrutinising the now uncomfortable-looking but silent Severus Snape, started and then answered, “To be honest, I have minded since year one. But you never asked. I don’t like getting singled out.”

“I'm sorry to hear, my boy. I'll try to do better,” Dumbledore looked sad. “Lemon drop?”

Harry looked wide-eyed at his Headmaster, “You know, at Muggle school we were warned about elderly men trying to establish familiarity and offering sweets!”

Snape snorted in surprise and Dumbledore looked curious, “Why ever would they do that?”

Now Snape and Harry looked at the Headmaster incredulously while Sirius and Dumbledore looked clueless. The two half-bloods exchanged astonished looks and Snape opened his mouth for the first time, “It’s the behaviour of a certain kind of predator. I’ll explain more later, Albus. Just refrain from doing it. Especially with Muggle-raised children.”

Sirius looked to Harry, who looked quite serious, and mouthed, “Later.”

“If you say so, my… I mean, Severus,” the old man answered after seeing Snape wince.

“Now, Ha… Mr. Potter, I wanted to talk to you about your electives. And please sit down.”

“Why? We talked about it in Grimmauld Place. Why do you need to once again?” Harry asked.

“It’s more comfortable to have our little chat in my office. Why else?”

“You want to talk about my electives because it is more comfortable?” Harry asked incredulously while still standing. “Are you feeling well?”

Snape looked to the side so they could only see his stringy black hair and Sirius sniggered.

“My dear –”

Sirius coughed loudly.

“Mr Potter, I meant… Anyway, yes. I believe you’d also be more comfortable continuing your old electives.”

“Do you talk to all students about it, when they want to change their electives?” Sirius asked, looking quite interested.

“If it’s necessary,” Dumbledore hedged.

“Why do you think it is necessary?” Harry asked.

 “Well, my… Mr Potter. Your previous performances in class weren’t stellar. I fear the electives you chose this year would be too hard for your meagre abilities.”

“Wow. Okay. I’ll give you that. I didn’t really try to do my best in recent years.”

Snape snorted.

Harry added, “But I'm happy to say, I chucked the dead weight holding me back. So, I don’t see any problems this year.”

“You did? How?” Dumbledore looked worried.

“Well, I broke with Ron and Hermione. They were massively holding me back.”

“What? No! How can you say that? Miss Granger is most accomplished!”

“Oh, she is.”

Dumbledore was getting whiplash from Harry agreeing and disagreeing with him every other sentence, “But you just said she was holding you back.”

“She did.”

“But…”

“Headmaster, she is accomplished and was holding me back. Her intellectual capabilities don’t translate into teaching abilities. It happens,” Harry did his best not to look at Snape. “And she wanted to be the one on top. So I let her, except for Defence Against the Dark Arts.”

Snape muttered something about arrogance.

“You're right, Professor Snape, that sounded arrogant! I don’t think I could have surpassed her, even if I had tried. That was the point I was trying to make. I didn’t try because of the minute possibility of being better than her.”

“And how was Mr Weasley holding you back, Harry?”

“Wow, you call him ‘Mr Weasley’ in the same sentence as you call me ‘Harry’.”

“I’m sorry, Mr Potter. Please forgive an old man for forgetting… Now back to my question.”

Harry let Dumbledore off the hook for now, “I don’t know if you noticed, but Ron Weasley has low self-esteem due to all his smart older brothers and he is inherently lazy. He wouldn’t have reacted well if I had gotten better grades than him. So, why bother.”

Sirius jumped in, “I told you and Minerva before that I stand by this decision. So, please let it go. You will not win this argument.”

“I cannot allow Mr Potter to change electives, Sirius,” the old wizard said with much dignity and benign wisdom.

But Sirius didn't fold, “Then we are at an impasse. I'll start the process of removing Harry from Hogwarts to home-school him.”

“Sirius!” Dumbledore thundered, losing his patience, but he was interrupted by his Floo, which lit up green. 

Molly Weasley stepped out, looking furious.

“Albus! Why did you stop your payment to me from Harry’s vaults?”

“My vaults?” Harry asked from behind her, making her nearly fall over, she turned around so quickly.

“Ha… Harry! I didn’t see you there.”

“That much was quite obvious,” Sirius said, frowning. “Now explain what you meant.”

“I… Albus!”

“Ha… I mean, Mr Potter, I had your vault pay a small stipend to Molly here for taking care of you during the summers.”

“Huh? So, it wasn’t out of friendship with Ron that I got invited?” Harry looked sad.

“What? No! Harry, you're like a son to me!” Molly protested.

“Whatever,” the sullen teenager was back.

“How much did you get, Molly?”

“I had them transfer 50 Galleons, Sirius.”

“Altogether?”

“No! Once a month!” Molly had gotten her energy back it seemed. “It is only proper for Harry’s future mother-in-law!”

“What?” Sirius yelped and turned to Harry. “You're betrothed to Ginny?”

Harry, who was gaping as well (but more because of Molly’s audacity), said, “No!”

Something in Dumbledore’s desk drawer must have gone up in flames as smoke came pouring out of it and Dumbledore quickly cast a fire-extinguishing charm at it.

Harry crowed internally. So Dumbledore had actually drawn up a contract, and his guardian’s ignorance and his denial had made it go up in flames. Literally. 

“What was that Albus? Did you write up a betrothal contract? Really? How could you! Every time I turn my back, you stab me and Harry in it, it looks like!” Sirius was incensed.

“Sirius…”

“And you paid her 50 Galleons a month? For how long?”

“That’s not important right –”

“It sure as hell is! Since when?”

No one answered.

“Well, we will find out soon enough,” Sirius said decisively.

A Patronus in the form of a lion flew into the office, saying in Arthur’s voice, “Molly, your pantry just caught fire and I couldn’t open it! I had to spray it with an Aguamenti. The fire was extinguished, but the pantry is gone. At least its contents are! What was in there? I hope nothing important.”

Molly shrieked and ran to the fireplace and disappeared in a puff of green.

Silence settled over the room. Snape still leaned against one wall, Harry and Sirius were standing by the door and Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk and was looking through the contents of his drawer, wincing.

But, as if all of this hadn’t been enough, a wave of Magic swept through the room, and about a third of the books on the shelves and the pensieve as well as some other trinkets disappeared.

“Nooo!” Dumbledore lost the rest of his composure.

“What just happened?” Harry asked (even if he knew exactly what had caused this and had a hard time containing his glee. Talk about perfect timing!)

“Did you know about this, boy?” The now-standing Headmaster thundered while staring down into Harry’s eyes directly. But he only saw images of the events in this office just now.

“Huh?” Harry looked to Sirius without any sign of being cowed.

“That looked like a Ritual of Recall. It seems Albus had things in his office, which didn’t belong to him or were lent to him by their owner and should have been returned a long time ago,” Sirius explained as if he hadn’t told Harry about signing the contract to do just that himself.

“Were those my things?” Harry asked the headmaster.

 Dumbledore said nothing. Telling the boy he was just keeping Harry’s thing safe might have worked without Sirius being present. Telling the boy to let the order members live in his properties might have worked, without Sirius there, too. So, when the fireplace turned green again and Elphias Doge’s face appeared in it, Dumbledore lost his composure and thundered for the third time since Harry had entered his office, “Out! All of you! Get out!”

While they quickly walked the few steps needed to the door, a second wave of magic moved through the room removing a few more books. Just two or three. 

But they didn’t halt their exit and soon Sirius, Snape, and Harry stood in front of the Gargoyle looking wide-eyed at one another.

“What kind of Ritual is that, Black?” Snape asked.

“The Ritual of Recall returns stolen property to the one doing the recall. Or have the goblins of Gringotts do it for them.”

“For a fee.”

“Yup.”

Snape turned and walked away without saying another word. But a few steps away from them he fell to his knees, clutching his left forearm.

Harry rushed to the man and said, “He is calling you. Shit. That Ritual… I don’t know what it did to him. Be careful!” while helping the dark man up to his feet again.

Snape sneered half-heartedly and looked at the Gargoyle, “I’ll not tell him right now. He’s too angry.”

“We will tell Moody, would that work?”

“Yes,” The man visibly pulled himself together, squared his shoulders, and rushed off without saying another word.

Sirius in the meantime called his Patronus up and told it, “Find Alastor Moody. When he is alone, tell him, ‘Snape was called. He went. Albus is in too bad a mood to be informed at the moment.’ If Moody isn’t alone, see if Kingsley Shacklebolt is and tell him instead.”

The spectre of Padfoot ran off.

“Now what?” Sirius said.

The two looked at each other and Harry said, “Come.” And led Sirius to an empty wall on the 7th floor.

Chapter Text

While Sirius studied the tapestry with the dancing trolls, Harry called up the Room of Forgotten Things, pulled Sirius into it, and led the now gaping man into the room.

“Woah! What’s this, Harry?”

“Hogwarts room for all things lost.”

Sirius ran from one thing to the next and pulled out his own Gringotts wallet to stuff it with things.

“This’ll start Remus’ business and Marauders' Enterprise, don’t you see?”

Harry blinked and nodded, “You're right! But let’s get the Horcrux first and the pilfer the room later, okay?”

“Spoilsport,” Sirius huffed but luckily listened and came to Harry to be led into the depths of the Room.

“Look for a white marble bust. The thing I'm looking for is close to it.”

An hour later, the Horcrux had been sent to Grobhook and their wallets were filled with paintings, books, some broken furniture, and jewellery. But Harry didn’t seem to be in a treasure hunt mood right now, so they soon left the Room of Forgotten Things.

But as soon as they were outside, Harry stopped and once again walked up and down the wall until another door appeared. It looked like one on Grimmauld Place’s second floor.

When they entered, it looked like they had been transported to the informal living room in that house.

Sirius looked around and asked, “Huh? Homesick?”

“Hm, maybe? I was asking for a place that guaranteed privacy. Grobhook sent a long letter that I didn’t want to read in between all that clutter. You don’t have to stay, but I thought…”

“Oh, I want to stay, pup. Go read your letter, I do what I do best. I’ll lounge,” Sirius draped himself elegantly over a fainting couch and Harry snorted in amusement.

“You can watch the map for Snape’s return. He might need medical help,” Harry said and handed the marauders map to his godfather.

“Shit, you're right,” Sirius took the map, activated it, and tapped it with his wand saying, “Show me Severus Snape.”

The map didn’t do anything and so the Animagus said, “He's not here yet. But as soon as he enters it will highlight him.”

“Good,” Harry nodded and opened Grobhook’s letter.

Heir Potter,
I'm happy to inform you that the snake is no more, and Peter Pettigrew is in custody. We sprang the trap for the snake Nagini very early this morning when she was out on her daily hunt for snacks. She ate some of the rodents we had stuffed with Muggle rat poison in capsules that would only dissolve when coming in contact with her own poison. It only gave her slight indigestion, but we didn’t expect her to die from it. Just make it look as if she did if someone investigated. So, as soon as we could be sure the capsules had dissolved entirely, she was hit with the killing curse, and the Horcrux within was destroyed.
We lay in wait for about two hours until we saw Peter Pettigrew leave Malfoy Manor and transform into a rat. He then started searching – carefully, as we assume he didn’t want to get too close to the snake in that form – and he soon found her dead body. He was stunned and we took him into our custody and most of us left with him.
As soon as you send the last Horcrux, we will have destroyed them all, and as anyone was declared to be your hand in this endeavour, Tom Riddle can get defeated now.
Furthermore, yesterday Gringotts started taking the actions we agreed on in August.
    1. We stopped all monthly payments implemented by Albus Dumbledore and the traitor Griphook.
    2. We ejected all squatters living on your properties. They were surprised and indignant, but when we asked for rental contracts, they couldn’t provide them, and they had not paid a Knut since living there. Therefore, all of them had to leave within the hour and were told to expect a bill for renovation work needed and retroactive rental payments. They all packed up and left to contact Albus Dumbledore, I believe.
    3. We returned the 82.500 Galleons, Albus Dumbledore had paid himself monthly, as well as all the other amounts of money he had removed from your vaults over the years, which add up to 162.300 Galleons. We also took what Griphook’s account didn’t yield, after we had removed what he had stolen. So, all in all, your vault is richer by 256.563 Galleons now.
    4. I got in contact with Vernon Dursley on the 29th and he paid more than half of their debt to you immediately. We agreed on a plan to refund the rest in the next 20 years that we all can live with. He also signed a contract with us for Gringotts warding his home and doing a health check for the family. We also provided amulets to the Dursleys that help them keep your secrets. Only they, you, and me together can remove them. You need to name proxies, should you not be available.
    5. The whole case with Dumbledore made us audit all vaults that had money transferred to his. Many Galleons have been returned. Often the magical folks aren’t aware they even own vaults. It was very cleverly and subtly done. Now Gringotts is having an AUDIT. No procedure will remain unquestioned, no vault will stay undisturbed, and no stone will be left unturned now.
    6. Dumbledore will get arrested by Gringotts for theft, fraud, and many other misdeeds. If he hasn’t come in by Sunday evening, we will come to Hogwarts. He was named ‘enemy of the nation’ yesterday.
    7. The Rituals of Recall for your godfather and you will happen later this morning. We hope it will bring Dumbledore to our doorstep, at last.
    8. Please tell the person with mage-sight to come to the edge of the Forbidden Forest at ten tomorrow morning.

Stay strong!
Grobhook – Account Manager of Potter Estate

Harry scrambled to pull out some writing utensils and wrote a quick note.

Grobhook, Dumbledore can call his Phoenix to transport him out of any detainment. I'll write more later. HJP

He quickly pulled out his mailing box, nearly threw the note inside, and closed it quickly.

“Hope he got this in time!” Harry fell back against the backrest of the couch he was sitting on.

Sirius looked at Harry, “What was that about?”

“The goblins are moving in on Dumbledore. They want to arrest him as soon as he enters their bank. Or Sunday evening at the latest here at Hogwarts. Whichever comes first. Anyway, I needed to warn them that he can call Fawkes and that the bird can transport him out of an arrest cell.”

“Oh. Well. Hm. It’s not even been two hours since we left his office. And I believe he won't leave the castle as long as I’m here.”

“True.  So what now? Do we wait for them to arrest him? I mean, you said you’d pull me out of Hogwarts – before Hurricane Molly arrived.”

Sirius scratched his head, “Hm. We do whatever you wish. If you want to leave, we leave. If you don’t, you stay.”

Harry nodded, “If Dumbledore stays at Hogwarts, I’ll leave for sure. He won't let this rest. But if he‘s in goblin custody, I think I want to finish my 5th year here. But not the next two. Not sure, though.”

“Okay. Hm… Then I believe I’ll write a letter to the governors. About the 50 points, the detention in the Forbidden Forest, about the Acromantula colony there. Hm, what else?”

“Well, you can’t write about the bullying running rampant in this school. Not with your past.”

“Oh, I think it’s the other way around. I'll tell them how lax bullying is treated here. As a reformed perpetrator I'm the perfect witness.”

“Huh, you’re right. No one will expect the bully to exaggerate when they tell their tale to an authority figure. They expect the bully to downplay their misdeeds.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, then we both write letters. You to the governors, me to Grobhook.”

Half an hour later, Sirius glanced at the open map again and said frowning, “Snape’s back. He’s just within the wards near the gates. But he’s not moving.”

“Fuck! Kreacher!” Harry hoped that elves could be called to the Room of Requirements.

They could.

“Master Harry is… Where are we? This is not Grimmauld Place.”

“I’ll tell you later. Look at the map Sirius has. The location where Severus Snape collapsed is shown on it. Please go and get him to the goblin healers. He’s close to the wards.”

Kreacher went to Sirius and studied the map.  Sirius pointed at Snape’s location on it and the elf nodded and popped off.

“Good thinking, pup. This way is much faster than running out ourselves and levitating him to Poppy.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. And the goblins have amazing healers.”

“Right. I wonder what happened, though.”

“Yeah, me too. Not that he’ll ever tell me,” Harry pointed at his hair and glasses.

“Hm. If you lost the glasses, he might. Your facial structure isn’t like James’ at all.”

“Yeah, you told me already. You're right. Did you know the glasses only contain window glass now?”

“No!”

Harry chuckled, “Yes, I didn’t want people asking too many questions and realising that the goblins healed me.”

“Oh! I didn’t know goblins could heal a teenager’s eyes! Yes, good idea not advertising them being healed. That would have made Albus check on his enchantments on you and so on and so forth.”

“Exactly. But now that we're talking about this, I realise I can chuck them as soon as Dumbledore is out of the picture. Even though…” Harry tilted his head back a little and turned his head a little bit, just to rip the glasses off his nose. “Fuck!”

“What is it?”

“I have mage-sight enchanted on the lower part of the glasses. Don’t use it in this room! It’s trippy. Like being on drugs trippy. I wonder how she could stand being in this room.”

“Who?”

“Uh, someone I knew who had mage-sight and she was in here in my lost future. Please don’t try to find out who I mean. I shouldn’t have said as much as I did. It’s not my secret to tell.”

“Alright. It’s good to learn that the ability isn’t dead though! But tell me, how does the rest of Hogwarts look with this enchantment?”

“There’s lots of magic everywhere, so I do my best to look through the upper part of the glasses. But it isn’t nearly as wild as this room. I had thought the ceiling of the Great Hall would be a riot of colours and forms with mage sight, but there is just one enchantment there. I admit it is a very complicated one, but it can be discerned. Oh, and Dumbledore has mage-sight on his glasses, too. That’s why he wears them lowered most of the time.”

“So, he knows you do too?”

“Nah, my glasses have been repaired, transfigured, and enchanted in other ways much too often to distinguish between the spells. And I'm wearing a pendant that makes it look as if the spells and potions on me are still active. Well, now I wonder why Moody didn’t comment on them?”

“He probably did, but not to us. Albus must have told him some rot about the Greater Good, would be my guess.”

“Possible. Or the stuff isn’t detectable with mage-sight. Only with the right spells… I think that was it. Dumbledore would have masked them somehow, wouldn’t he?”

“I can cast the mage-sight spell on some glasses myself and take a look at you. But not here.”

“Yeah. If it hasn’t come up during the last month, it probably isn’t too important.”

“Right. Now what?”

“Now we both go on with our day and see what happens.”

“Alright, pup. Does this room let me leave on another floor or make a door open onto the grounds? I don’t want to walk all those steps again!”

“Whiny baby! But look, there's another door appearing for you,” Harry laughed.

They parted ways with Sirius promising to contact Harry as soon as he was home safely. So Harry waited in the Room for about 20 minutes with the mirror out, until Sirius called him as he had promised.

Harry then asked the room for a door on the second floor and went to the Great Hall to eat lunch with no one the wiser.

Dumbledore wasn’t at the High Table.

Chapter Text

At dinnertime, Harry, his roommates, Dean, and Seamus, were joined by an exhausted-looking girl who hid behind John and whispered desperately, “Hide me!”

John puffed himself up and the others scooted a little, so the slim girl nearly disappeared just in time.

Harry even cast a Notice Me Not charm on her when he saw Hermione rush to the table and call out, “Where is she?”

“Who?” Seamus asked, looking clueless.

“Alberta! She is our new classmate, and it's my responsibility to take care of her!”

“Huh, when one hears you talking about her, she sounds like a pet, not a human being,” Dean said, frowning. “Did you treat her like that?”

“No!”

“I bet you did. No wonder Alberta ran away. I would too!” Seamus exclaimed.

“Did you even allow her to make new friends, Hermione? Or did you pull her all over the castle while talking her head off?” shy Neville added, and Harry saw Alberta nod vigorously.

“No! I didn’t! And where is Ron? He has to take care of you two!” she pointed at John and Rajiv.

John barked, “Woof.”

Dean patted his head and said in a childish voice, “There’s a good boy,” while Seamus answered Hermione, “They decided they wanted to hang out with us. Not Ron. So leave them be!”

“We'll see about that!” huffed Hermione and stalked toward the High Table to complain. But the teachers had watched the whole episode and had little pity for her plight. They just voiced it much more diplomatically. So in the end, a discouraged Hermione sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table close to the doors to lay in wait for Alberta.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Alberta let out a deep sigh of relief, “Thank you! All of you! She's a nightmare!”

“She is very single-minded, but she means well. I think she never learned how to have friends, actually. She always tries to manage every aspect of a person’s life she calls her friend, I think. Like she's their minder,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, that,” Alberta nodded. “I want to decide for myself!”

“You need to tell her ‘No’ in a very decisive, logical, and emotionless way. That works, I’ve found.” Once again Neville surprised everyone with his words. It looked like he had found some Gryffindor courage at last. Maybe, because Luna, the twins, and Harry had decided to help him with his wand problem?

Neville added, “We were a bit mean to her, just now. I just wish some adult would explain it to her!”

“Yeah, as if a grown-up at Hogwarts would care,” Dean huffed. He was rather disillusioned by now, being a Muggle-born.

Harry noticed that at the staff table, some teachers had listened in and were looking at one another and then at McGonagall who sat there with her lips pursed. He also noticed that Snape wasn’t sitting at the High Table, either. But that was normal for the weekends, so no one commented on it.

“You could always cast the Repello Hermione Granger on your person,” Rajiv said thoughtfully to Alberta. “My Mum uses that one to keep her next-door neighbour at bay. You just need to take care not to get too close to her or it‘ll fail.”

The teachers at the High Table winced. They didn’t teach that one at Hogwarts, or half the school would use it in some way or other. The Notice-Me-Not charm was a much weaker version that wore off quickly and therefore was much less intervening with life at school.

But it was too late and half the students at the Gryffindor table were practising that spell now and it was spreading to the other tables.

The students quickly learned that it only worked against one individual and not more than one prefect at once, for example. Even a Repello Prefectum didn’t work, much to their disappointment.

Rajiv explained that the charm only worked against non-magical groups like Muggles as a whole but wasn’t strong enough to distort the awareness of more than one magical person.

Harry shrugged and cast a Repello Tom Riddle on himself. Who knew what that would be good for? He just wondered how it would work. There must be more than one Hermione Granger, or Tom Riddle living in this world. Was it also about intent? It must be, he decided.

When Hermione was told by a gleeful housemate that people were casting a charm repelling her on themselves, she ran out of the Hall sobbing.

Fuck! Harry thought and warred with himself whether he should follow her. No one deserved that. Luckily, Professor Sprout decided that if her colleague didn’t do anything, she would and rushed after the girl.

At their table, Rajiv also told them about other uses of that spell. His older sister used it to repel her cheating ex-boyfriend who wanted to win her back, and a cousin of his used it to repel a stalker she couldn’t get rid of, but she knew who it was. Many of the older ones listened very interested in that. And Harry mourned that he couldn't repel all of his fans. Hmm, but maybe Rita Skeeter! Well, that was a thought.

“Does that spell still work if someone points out that person?” Harry asked.

“No, that is the downside. And it doesn’t make a person forget about you,” Rajiv answered.

“So, it works best for my next-door neighbour who isn’t really interested in me as a person and is living alone.”

“Yup.”

“Hmpf. Well, it’s better than nothing in a pickle,” Harry decided.

Chapter Text

Before Harry went to sleep, he once again cast a silencing charm on his drapes and called Sirius who looked wide awake.

“Good that you’re calling me, pup! Severus is here! There’s news!”

“Severus? You two are on a first-name basis now? That must be some news! Is he alright?”

“I am,” a deep voice said from somewhere outside of Harry’s limited view. He only saw –

“Sirius! Your disguise!” Harry whisper-yelled.

Sirius laughed, “Took you long enough!”

The deep voice of his Potions Professor said, “I have such a pendant to disguise my appearance now as well. Sirius assured me you would keep it quiet. I hope he was right, Mr Potter.”

“Sure. No one will know. So, the goblins helped you. That’s good to know!”

“They did indeed. Thank you for thinking of them when sending help.”

“You’re welcome! So, he was angry?”

“Yes, and he had Walden cast the Cruciatus Curse on me much to that man’s delight. Sirius and I were just trying to figure out what is wrong with him now. He has lost most or all of his power. He used the last of his magic to call me. It is like he had run dry. Would you care to take a guess as to why that is? We are stumped.”

“That’s why you're telling me! I wondered. Anyway, I  do have a guess. As you and Sirius now know, someone had the goblins cast a Ritual of Recall. Well, that was me.”

“So, when you asked Albus if they were your things, you knew?” Snape asked.

“Yup. Anyway, I don’t know if I or Dumbledore told you, but Riddle used my blood to resurrect himself. So, what would the Ritual of Recall have done to him if that stolen blood vanished from his veins?”

“Riddle is the Dark Lord? That name came up at your questioning, Sirius, didn’t it?”

“Yes, and yes.”

“Well, then it was due to the ritual today that he lost his power. It happened shortly before he called me that he – Riddle –  fainted momentarily out of the blue I was told. At the same time as part of Albus’ books disappeared. Or yours that is.”

“Well, fuck me!”

“Mr Potter.”

“Oops, sorry. Ahem. Okay, anyway that will work even better now. Everyone can kill him. The things anchoring him are gone so he will not be tethered to this realm anymore. That means, hasta la vista, baby.”

“Are you sure he's Harry Potter?” Snape asked Sirius.

Harry winced. He really should rein his adult self in a bit more.

“Yes, he is. There is a reason he sounds like this. But it is a protected secret. But it works in our favour.”

“I'm Harry Potter. Just a bit more than that. But I'm Lily Potter’s biological son, 100%, body, mind, and soul.”

“If you say so… So, you say he is vulnerable now?”

“Yes. And that magical wave two weeks ago was me making the prophecy irrelevant.”

“You know of the prophecy?” the deep voice sounded faint.

“Yes. And of your role in it too. But I didn’t tell anyone. It wasn’t your fault alone. Many people and events led to that tragic outcome.”

“What are you two talking about, pup?”

“Please let that topic go, Sirius. It hurts both of us.”

“If you say so…” Sirius said with great hesitation.

“Anyway, I gave the whole island permission to be my hand in killing him.”

“And then that magical light came out of his chest and moved all over Great Britain.”

“Well, that explains that. I had wondered. I thought the Department of Mysteries had done some experiment again.”

Sirius chuckled, “That’s what everyone thinks and the more they deny it, the more everyone believes it.”

“It must be exceptionally frustrating to them,” Snape remarked.

They all chuckled quietly.

“But there’s something else I wanted to tell you, pup. When we parted ways, I decided to go to Gringotts in the afternoon to ask if Severus was alright. I decided to use the main entrance because people need to get used to seeing me. So, while I was waiting in line, there was a big commotion outside and the doors opened and Albus got dragged in by the guards that were standing in front of the building, as I learned later. And he was yelling for Fawkes, but the bird didn’t come,” Sirius winked at Harry. “And one of the guards had Albus’ wand laying in his open palm, but it was broken or cut in half.”

“No!”

“Yes! And then they said he was under arrest, and they recited a long list of crimes and wronged persons and families and institutions like Hogwarts and Gringotts.”

Harry had a hard time listening, he was still stuck with the information of the Elder Wand being destroyed.

“Harry?”

“Yes, sorry. That shocked me. But go on.”

Sirius looked at him dubiously but complied, “They then put some handcuffs on him and dragged him away into the bank. All the present wizards and witches were just standing there in shock. Me included. It was just so outside of our experience. But after a while one wizard seemed to realise his family name had been included in that list and moved to one of the patiently waiting tellers. No one complained when he just ignored the queue in front of the goblin. It turned out the man had a vault he hadn’t known about that Dumbledore had kept hidden from him. That information changed the mood in the bank. Other people remembered hearing their surnames or their grandparents or whatever and rushed to the tellers, all lines and restraint forgotten. The guards had to establish some order again, but they were much gentler about it than with Albus.”

“Wow, it must be a real blow to Gringotts’s honour to have had the wool pulled over their eyes so thoroughly.”

“Yes. It will decrease trust in their institution quite a bit. And with all the money they have to return to the ones Albus stole it from, there might not be enough to cover the Galleons they lost with this.”

“Well, hopefully, they‘ll see it as their punishment for being complacent. They’ll probably get as paranoid as Moody now, would be my guess.”

“I thought you liked the goblins, pup?”

“I really do like my account manager and Healer Yoda, but the goblin nation as a whole… not so much. At least for now. Maybe that will change in time.”

“Huh, alright. Well, I like my account manager, too. And Healer Yoda.”

“It seems, the Jedi Master’s clone has seen to all of us,” the voice from the off commented, sounding amused.

Sirius’ head swivelled to the side, showing Harry the man’s profile, and gaped, “You know Star Wars?”

A chuckle, “Yes, indeed. I'm surprised that you do, though.”

Harry hummed the theme of the Imperial March and Sirius started laughing.

The next few minutes were spent assigning the characters of the films to their group. Harry was told he was Luke, Sirius took Han Solo and Snape complained that he wasn’t Harry’s father! Poor Remus got the role of  Chewbacca, and they were stumped about what to do about Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Princess. They all agreed that Dumbledore couldn’t be the Jedi Master and Snape said that Sirius should be Princess Leia since he was the prettiest and he, Snape could be Han Solo.

Harry nearly fell off his bed laughing at the indignant look on Sirius’ face and asked, “So we both have a crush on him? Nah.”

Now even Snape laughed, “That cast doesn’t fit us very well.”

“I don’t think I've ever heard you laugh,” Sirius said in wonderment, looking to the side once more.

“Don’t forget, he called you pretty,” Harry said grinning.

“What?” Sirius squeaked.

“Very debonair, my dear godfather.”

Sirius stuck out his tongue.

“So, back to Gringotts and Dumbledore. They arrested him. This was coming. I wonder how the Ministry and the press will react.”

“You knew they would do that?” Sirius asked. “Wow, you had more things going on than you told us.”

“I wanted you to react as naturally as possible, sorry.”

“It’s alright. Did you know about Molly receiving money from your vault?”

“Yes. It was only something over 2000 Galleons. Dumbledore himself stole about a quarter of a million for himself. So, Molly’s amount was nothing in comparison and I decided not to bother recalling it. I did with  Dumbledore, that's for sure. And I did sign a contract with them to do the Ritual of Recall and the goblins did something else. So, let me ask you, did you get any houseguests on September 1st?”

“How did you know? The poor fellows got ejected from their homes without notice. Some Pure-blood… wait. How do you know about that?”

“Well, the Potter family owns some properties,” Harry started.

“Oh no! Don’t tell me Dumbledore let them live there rent-free?”

“He sure did. No contract, no rent, no care in keeping the homes in good repair. At least, most of them. They were squatters. And as soon as school started, I had them removed. I didn’t want Dumbledore to find out I knew about it before September 1.”

“That would have made for one uncomfortable summer even with Albus in Italy.”

“Exactly.”

“Shit. And now they're squatting here.”

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault, pup. I think I’ll tell them they have until the end of the month to find new lodgings. I'm not a free-for-all hotel.”

“Sounds very nice. But I guess they might not have known they lived on someone else’s property which Dumbledore had appropriated.”

 “Every sane person would have asked for a legal document. Even from Albus,” Snape injected. “He might waffle about trusting him and all being well, but something like that needs a contract.”

“I agree,” Harry answered, “And I wouldn’t have wanted to be so beholden to someone else.”

“Indeed.”

“I only learned about stuff like that when I was still the heir of the Black family estate. How do you two know about this?” Sirius asked, astonished.

Harry looked at Sirius incredulously, “Doesn’t everyone know?”

Snape answered, “I don’t think so. I learned about it in the Muggle world, where it's common sense to ask for an agreement in writing if money is involved. Or a formal handshake in some cases, but that custom is dying out. Anyway, it's still tricky to ask family or friends for a contract when money is involved, but in the case of one’s home it’s more than okay to ask for one.”

Harry nodded.

 “You know about Muggle customs?” Sirius asked, confused.

“Black! I mean Sirius! Do you think I'm a Pure-blood?”

“Yes?”

“And how did you think I met Lily Evans before Hogwarts?”

“Uhm.”

“Unbelievable.”

“But you came to the platform with your mum, who was quite obviously a Pure-blood witch.”

“Yes. A Pure-blood witch in second-hand robes. A witch who had been disowned by her family for marrying a Muggle.”

“What? Second-hand? Who?”

“Ever heard of Eileen Prince?”

“Yes. That’s why we didn’t know about the Snape family!”

“How could you guys have been so brilliant on the one hand and so dumb on the other?” Harry asked with great interest.

“In what way were they brilliant?”

“They did invent some rather astonishing new magic. If that idiotic feud my dad started with you was good for one thing, sir, it was that it caused you all to think of new ways to use magic and invent new spells.”

“You know of the prophecy, you don’t wonder when I say I knew Lily before Hogwarts, you know about our enmity. How?”

“Uh, you already have one of those Gringotts necklaces, right?”

“Indeed.”

“I’ll commission a secrecy amulet from them. Then I'll tell you.”

“Are you sure, pup?”

“Yes. He's on our side 100%. Mum’s side. Now tell me, what happened after you watched Dumbledore getting dragged off?”

“Right, we got distracted somehow. Alright, where was I? Uh, I quietly asked after Severus’ health when it was my turn and was led to my account manager’s office. On the way I ran into a very young-looking Severus Snape, and we started talking. I asked him to come by after he had finished at Gringotts, and we parted ways.”

“How come you two didn’t snarl at one another as you usually do?”

“I think Sirius was too surprised by my looks and I was too out of it still. Therefore, it was the first real decent conversation we ever had.”

“Yes. Most of my hatred is gone. There were some potions in my system still, increasing my hatred for Slytherin and loyalty to Albus. After my checkup at Gringotts, I was going through the motions without any real incentive.”

“I had some very well-masked potions in my system as well. Hatred to Gryffindor, and one particularly keyed to James Potter. And one low-level love potion keyed to Lily.”

“Wow! That is heavy.”

“Indeed. Lily was my best friend, but not my love interest. That was artificial and explains so much.”

“Shit! Dumbledore really fucked up all of our lives, didn’t he?”

“Indeed.”

“Yes.”

“Now I wonder what he gave my parents!”

“Fuck!”

“Indeed.”

“I want the goblins to charge him with all the potioning he did. That must have been illegal!”

“Good idea, pup. I'll do the same.”

“So, what else happened then?”

“Well, I went to my account manager, and he showed me all the things they had recovered through the Ritual. Dung must’ve had quite the long fingers before I tasked Kreacher to watch him. There were also a lot of books. He told me they disposed of all the hair and blood people had taken without my knowledge and consent.”

“Wow!”

“That is why I asked them to do that ritual as well,” Snape added.

“That is disturbing! Is there a magical way to hinder people from taking such stuff in the first place?”

“Probably. I’ll look through my library, promise.”

“Thanks! So, then you went home, and Professor Snape came by later?”

“Yes. And we talked about us being potioned to hate one another and I apologised anyway and we kind of bonded.” Sirius shrugged.

“I'm glad to hear this. Oh, and Professor?”

“Yes?”

“Did you do an inheritance test, by any chance? The goblins forgot to do one with me after we found all the inconsistencies in my vaults and enchantments and potions in me.”

“I did indeed. That is another topic I need to talk to your dogfather about.”

Sirius barked a laugh.

“Ah, good. I just wondered. So, are you Lord Prince now?”

“I am, but please also keep it to yourself.”

“I will.”

“Good.”

“May I see you in your true form, Professor?”

Sirius frowned, “But... oh! You only see me!”

“Yes, my dear dogfather. I only see your pretty princess face.”

“Harry!”

“Sirius!”

“Good night, pup!”

Harry laughed, “Good night, Sirius.”

The mirror went dark.

Damn, now I didn’t get a look at Snape, Harry thought.

Chapter Text

The next morning – a Sunday - the six went down to get breakfast once more. Again, Ron wasn’t there, and Harry wondered where the boy had been during dinner and tried to remember if Ron knew about the kitchens already. Harry shrugged and forgot about it again.

At the Gryffindor table, they learned that prefects could call for house-elf service and apparently Ron – who was eating breakfast at the moment – had spent his Saturday lounging in bed and getting his food delivered. Hermione’s scolding made everyone aware of the fact. Even the other prefects and the teachers sitting at the High Table.

Dumbledore’s place was empty again, but Snape was there, looking as unpleasant and displeased as always.

Some of the teachers looked to McGonagall again who looked frazzled once more and determined to ignore her charges.

“Well, well, well, the weasel’s idea of being a prefect is to ignore the duties and enjoy the perks. Who would have thought,” Malfoy stood behind Ron and sneered down at the redhead in front of him.

Ron turned around and sprayed Malfoy with half-eaten food while yelling, “Shut up, you snake!”

“Oh, I'm a snake? So that means you're a parselmouth like your famous ‘mate’? But wait! He isn’t your friend anymore, isn’t that correct? Even he has learned better by now.”

Ron’s face turned tomato-red, and he tried to jump up, but Hermione held him by his arm in an amazing show of strength. So he only made a small funny hop on the bench.

“Let go of me! I’ll punch him in the face! That smirky snake-face!”

“20 points from Gryffindor for behaviour unbecoming of a prefect, Mr Weasley,” Snape had billowed into the fray.

Harry looked through the lower part of his glasses to see if there was an enchantment on the Potions Master’s robes. There wasn’t. Wow!

“What about him? He started it!”

“He will not lose points for stating the obvious, Mr Weasley.”

“What?”

“How is there still food in your mouth?” Malfoy looked at Ron in disgust. “Didn’t your mum teach you to chew, swallow, and then talk?”

“She didn’t,” Harry muttered to himself. 

Unfortunately, everyone heard him, much to the twins’ delight, who nodded and said, “Harry's right. Mum never even tried to instil the most basic human behaviour into him.”

Even Hermione nodded at that.

Ron was quite taken aback by all the proverbial knives in his back.

“This is too easy,” Malfoy whined and walked off to clean his robes and to complain to Pansy about Gryffindors being much too simple targets.

Snape stalked off again and Harry very quietly hummed the Imperial March again, much to John’s delight. But luckily only John, who was sitting next to Harry, heard and understood the reference.

“Who’s that anyway?” The new 5th-year asked.

“Our Potions Professor. Very tough and a Slytherin to boot. He’s the Head of Slytherin House, actually.” Harry explained.

“And who is our Head of House?”

“Professor McGonagall. She’s the one who called your names at the Sorting Ceremony.”

“Ah! I think she introduced herself, but there were too many of us new students and I was standing in the back so I missed it.”

There was a fluttering of many wings and a huge parliament of owls descended on them with mail and newspapers.

“More owls than is normal. The Prophet probably expects a high demand today,” Neville said thoughtfully.

Harry nodded and bought a Prophet from one of the owls, as did many others, and soon gasps and cries of outrage and glee could be heard.

McGonagall stood up so quickly that her chair fell backwards with a loud clatter. She was as white as a sheet. She then grabbed the paper and rushed out of the side-door the teachers often used.

Harry opened his own edition and blinked. The main article looked mostly normal, but there were colours of red and orange blinking at some side articles and the opinion column.

“What the hell?” he muttered and found an explanation for the colours on the top of the page, red stood for a lie, and orange for an insinuation/half-truth with the best wishes of a group of concerned readers.

They actually got it done and right on time! Harry thought excitedly and looked up to beam at the grinning twins.

People started chattering excitedly and he glimpsed at the main Headline at last.

Dumbledore Arrested by Gringotts
for Theft and Fraud

Yesterday Sirius Black was seen walking along the Alley for the first time since he was declared innocent. So, a reporter from the Prophet followed him [hoping for a comment by the notorious wizard]. Sirius Black went straight into Gringotts and did what every customer of the bank does, he joined a queue. Nothing much happened until a commotion could be heard outside…

[blinking orange]

The rest of the article described the same events Sirius had told Harry about yesterday. It also pointed out that on page 6 all the names and institutions that the goblins had named were listed and that everyone on it should come to the bank.

John gasped loudly next to him, “My family name is on the list! Wow! Do you think he stole from us, too?” he asked all of them. “Merlin!”

“Oh, he stole from my family as well,” Neville said surprised. “How come grandmother didn't notice?”

Harry couldn’t believe it. Well, no. He could. Maybe he should drag Neville to the goblins too. Hm. That was a thought. And before he looked for a wand.

“When’s the first Hogsmeade weekend?” he asked Fred, who blinked at him.

“Wow, that's a random question! I think it’s on the first weekend of October. I just remember because it is earlier than usual.”

“Thanks,” Harry went back to reading the papers and Fred shook his head and looked at the equally baffled George.

The adjusted taboo spell on the paper was working beautifully. Harry beamed internally and began grinning when people started to notice the new feature of the paper they were holding. Many exclamations and discussions started. I wonder how the paper will react to this. Did they even notice, before sending all those extra owls?

Behind him, Luna started talking, “Didn’t you need to tell me something, Harry Potter?”

Alberta, who was sitting close by choked, on her morning tea and started coughing violently.

“Will you tell her? Luna and I need to go somewhere, sorry!” Harry called out to his dormmates, took Luna's hand, and rushed outside.

Luckily no one followed them, and they slowed down as soon as they had left the Entrance Hall to go outside, where a slight drizzle was coming down.

Harry cast an umbrella charm and the two of them walked toward the forest.

“If you knew the meeting was now, why didn’t you just go?”

“I only knew you needed to tell me something now and I wouldn’t have wanted to go alone the first time.

“Oh! Good that you asked then.”

“The Nargles told me to. I take the necklace off once in a while, now that I know others can hear them too. It feels so good to know my dad and I aren’t the only ones that do.”

“I can imagine! So, your dad has mage-sight too, he never learned how to handle it?”

“Yes. He developed it when Mum died. Before only she had it. Her mother had taught her some ways to handle it, but Mummy never had a chance to teach me. It came after her death with me too.”

“That is a lot to handle for a little girl! Did someone help you two? The Weasleys? The Diggorys?”

“No, they kept away. I don’t know why.”

While they were talking, they walked toward the edge of the forest and a few steps inside where a goblin woman awaited them. Harry had always wondered what female goblins looked like and if he just wasn’t able to differentiate them. But now he knew he had never seen one before today. The being in front of him clearly was a goblin, but with more delicate features and with many earrings in her pointed ears. Also, a thick braid started on top of her head and nearly went to her waist. And it was pink and had golden metal bands in regular intervals! She also wore the same light brown robes as Healer Yoda did, and one could not really discern any bodily differences.

Harry bowed slightly and Luna curtsied a little. Both of them kept quiet but smiled at the goblin.

“Good morning, children. I'm Rhodochrosite. You must be Harry Potter, and who’s this?”

“Good morning. Are you Grobhook’s wife?”

“I am indeed.”

“Then may I introduce my friend Luna Lovegood?”

“Well met, Luna.”

“Well met, Rhodochrosite.”

The two beamed at each other.

Soon the two were talking inside a silencing bubble and Harry sat on a trunk of a fallen tree and waited patiently while leaning against a tree trunk and looking up into the leaves that held off all the rain. After a while, he began to ponder the incredibly busy last month he’d had. He had travelled 13 years back in time and changed so much in such a short period...

He remembered how he had awakened at the Dursleys and his absolute astonishment at finding himself there. Only the presence of Hedwig, whom he had desperately missed, as well as her painful nip, made him even consider the possibility of this actually happening to him.

In a way, he still felt like he was dreaming this new reality. At other times the LF felt rather dreamlike, especially now that he had changed so much.

Sitting up straighter, he made a list in his head of the most important alterations until now:

•   Dumbledore had gotten arrested by Gringotts.
•   Riddle was weakened without Harry’s blood in his new body, and he was without magic according to Snape.
•   All the Horcruxes had been destroyed.
•   Sirius had been exonerated and Pettigrew caught.
•   Remus had found his spine and together with Sirius was planning to run Marauders’ Enterprises
•   Harry had broken with some members of the Weasley family, mainly Molly, Ron and Ginny.
•   His friendship with Hermione was dead.
•   The twins were shaping up and finishing their education and had found a sponsor in Sirius.
•   The Dursleys were in a much better place now (note to self: write to Dudley).
•   Hogwarts was due to go through an extensive overhaul because of the additional students and Sirius coming complaint.
•   And Harry himself had been physically healed, had fixed his finances with the help of Gringotts, retaken his possessions and properties, and had a family in Sirius and Remus now.

 
He was sure there was much more, like Luna, Neville, his new classmates, etc.; but those were the first things coming to his mind when thinking about the last month. If he had to summarise it, he would say he had considerably weakened his enemies, found old and new family and friends, and had gotten rid of some dead weight.

Wow. Not bad for one month, right? Harry leaned his head against the trunk of the tree again and relaxed.

Even if he missed being an adult sometimes, he wouldn’t want to turn back time. Or forward. Or... gah. No, this was so much better now and so many more people had a chance of surviving.

After an undefined amount of time, Luna tapped his shoulder and said, “Let’s go back to the castle and have lunch.”

“Huh? Oh, you're finished? Where is Rodycros – what was her name again?”

Luna giggled, “Rhodochrosite, yes we are finished for today, and she has left already.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I missed her leaving, I got pulled in by memories.”

They walked toward the castle once more. At least it had stopped raining.

“So, can she teach you?”

“Yes! She can and she will. She’s amazing and taught me so much already,” Luna looked around, “I can dim my sight now or amp it up. It was not really hard to learn after I knew what to do. It’s strange seeing the world again as I did when I was younger.”

“Wow! I'm glad to hear that. So, will you two meet again?”

“Yes, we will. Every Sunday for now. Thank you for thinking of me. It makes such a difference already.”

“You're more than welcome. Will you need me to accompany you next Sunday?”

“Not really, but I wouldn’t say no either. It is nice to have to talk to someone while on the way forth and back.”

“I’ll try to make it happen. It’s nice to sit in the woods for a while to think and just be, I must say. I feel refreshed now.”

Luna smiled at Harry, “Will you tell me about your lost future sometime?”

“Huh, you know about it?”

“Yes. I saw it when we met in that train compartment. It was obvious even to my untrained eye.”

“It is a rather sad story. But we met in that train compartment in my lost future as well. So I made it happen again.”

Luna nodded, “Good.”

“It is. I just hope all the good things happening now will not cost a terrible price later.”

Luna looked at him and said thoughtfully, “I think it’s the other way around. The bad things happened first.”

“So, there is no dark and horrible future looming over me?”

“Not that I can see.”

“That’s a relief.”

Luna smiled.

Chapter Text

As Luna and Harry entered the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts, they heard someone screeching loudly. The voice seemed to come from somewhere above. Like the second or third floor.

“–them back! They were mine!”

Some indistinguishable mumbling could be heard answering.

Harry and Luna looked at each other and then inched closer as many other students seemed to have decided to do as well.

“No! You promised them to me! I took them fair and square!” the girl's voice Harry had identified as Hermione yelled. “All of this is useless! I lost the books. I cannot do my Prefect duty properly. Ron doesn’t do anything to help me. Everyone is casting that stupid charm to repel me! Harry hates me! And I cannot even go to Professor Dumbledore to complain about it all! He would have understood me!”

 Some mumbling answer was heard.

“What do you mean, ‘my petty woes don’t matter right now’? I'm the smartest witch of the century in Hogwarts! You need to help me! Go get my books back! Now!”

All the students looked wide-eyed at one another, wondering who she was talking to.

But they didn’t have to wonder for long as the answer could be heard loud and clear. And everyone recognised the now raised voice of Professor McGonagall, “Miss Granger! You're overstepping every possible boundary right now! Detention! And give me back the prefect badge! I’ve had enough of you two! What was Albus thinking?”

“Wow,” Harry whispered, as did many others.

“No! It’s mine! I earned it! You can’t take it!”

“Get a hold of yourself, Miss Granger! NOW!”

Harry looked around and saw even some staff members were listening in by now.

Snape looked quite gleeful, and Sprout had a mournful look on her face and was whispering, “I tried.“

They heard someone screeching loudly, and then a “Stupefy!” followed by a thump .

The stunned crowd was dead silent and waiting now. It had been McGonagall's voice that had cast the spell.

Soon the woman appeared on top of the stairs and looked down at them with resignation on her face, “Nothing to see, please go to lunch now. – Severus, Pomona, please accompany me to the Hospital Wing. I think Miss Granger is in need of medical attention,” with that she turned and went the other route leading to the said wing.

The two teachers went to her, and the students entered the Great Hall, talking loudly about what they had heard right now.

Harry heard, “Wow, she lost it there, huh?”, “Glad she isn’t a prefect any longer!”, “What a nightmare!”, and even a “She really is a mudblood, right?”

Fuck, the hyenas are closinging in on her, he thought. But what was that? Was she always this entitled and only lost it now because people were standing up to her for once?

“Hermione Granger needs help,” Luna remarked.

“She sure does. Damn.”

“Don’t feel guilty. This outburst was needed to put her on the path to recovery.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Harry sighed in relief and decided to trust Luna.

Harry spent the afternoon hiding in the Room of Requirement, writing to Dudley, and talking to Sirius via their mirrors where they mourned the fact that Sirius never had the opportunity to needle Molly about Harry’s wand holster.

When he was by himself again, Harry started to doubt he could stomach staying in school for months until Christmas.

Sirius hadn’t been any help with that decision, saying to Harry he could do whatever he wanted a few days ago.

So, what did he want?

The problem was that he wasn’t a 15-year-old boy, and even if his head told him that he needed to connect with his peers, he didn’t think he could pretend to be one 24/7.

Gah!

The most important to him at Hogwarts was the contact with a few people he figured. Like the twins, Luna, and Neville to a certain extent.

The twins would finish school this year. Luna ... he needed to ask her opinion, and Neville... Well, they weren’t that close, were they?

It looked like he had decided already, he thought. Especially as his identity had spread like wildfire in Gryffindor House and now all the new students were staring at him too. In addition to the old ones.

At least I didn’t defeat Riddle in front of everyone in the Great Hall this time. The constant attention that followed was unbearable, he remembered.

But if I leave, I'll stay this nebulous hero figure in their minds.

Harry called Sirius again and shared his thoughts with his godfather/friend/brother.

“Well, why not let them keep that image of a child hero and change your appearance? I mean, if you lost the glasses – that you don’t need anymore, anyway – and changed your hair some more, no one would connect you to that legend anymore, right? I mean, you’ve lost the scar already. Why not leave your forehead free? Or you do that in a few years when people have started to forget the actual person behind the legend...”

“You mean, disappear from sight and from their minds for a while, and then come back with changed looks?”

“Exactly.”

“But wouldn’t they immediately connect me to that child when they hear my name?”

“True. Hm.”

“I don’t want to hide. But I could use a different surname in public,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“Well, you are my son and heir.”

“Hmpf.”

Sirius cackled.

“So, I go as Harry Black and change my looks a bit? This way they might connect me to The Boy Who Lived but as I don’t fit the image everyone has in their heads, they'll leave me alone?”

“It's worth a try.”

“We would need to muzzle the Prophet, though.”

“Let Gringotts handle that.”

“Good idea!”

They were quiet for a moment.

“So, that’s it? I'm leaving Hogwarts?” Harry asked rhetorically.

“Sure looks like it, pup.”

“Well, then I need to tell the twins and McGonagall. And some other people. So, it might happen tomorrow, rather than today.”

“Just contact me when you're ready to leave, and I'll come get you.”

“Huh?”

“You can’t officially Apparate right?”

“Oops, true. Will do, or McGonagall will let me use her Floo.”

“If you come tomorrow, you can sleep in your bed at Hogwarts one last time.”

“Right, been there, done that... well... not really. Huh... I didn't return for my 7th year but finished school remotely after the war in my LF. Well, then. One official last night in my bed here sounds good,” Harry said grinning.

Sirius beamed back, “Now I just need to chuck out the squatters until tomorrow.”

“Oh dear. How many are there?”

“Seven. Some left already as no one cooks for them. Anyway, I’ll just tell them they saved rent money for many years so they could spend some on a room in the Leaky until they found a new abode.”

“Well, the goblins will charge them retroactively for that rent so...”

“How is that my problem?”

“True.”

“At least Albus cannot come by and badger me now.”

“Maybe...”

“What?”

“Maybe Grimmauld’s designation as headquarters for the Order has come to an end?”

“Oh! You're right. I'll send a notice to the members and tell them that I'm resigning from the Order and that they need to look for an alternative. That way I have a good reason to chuck them out. And the Fidelius should get broken then too.”

Harry started to snigger.

“What?”

“I just imagined those seven squatters moving into the Burrow and expecting service and food from Molly there. Let's see how she likes it then.”

Sirius laughed, “I'll suggest it to them as an alternative to the Leaky when they complain.”

“Who knows. She might even like it.”

“I can picture that. Well, they would deserve one another, right?”

“A match made in heaven.”

“Or hell.”

They laughed.

Chapter Text

When Harry entered the Great Hall at dinner time, he noticed a scowling Ron sitting at one end of the Gryffindor table without his prefect badge. This made Harry ignore all the staring and move to the other end, where he found his classmates and took a seat next to Rajiv.

“So, he lost his badge as well? Does that mean we have no 5th-year prefects in Gryffindor House anymore?” Harry asked while filling his plate.

“Seems that way,” Neville answered. “I wonder who McGonagall will choose now?”

“Where is she anyway? Still in the Hospital Wing?”

They all looked at the High Table where the headmaster’s throne and McGonagall’s chair were rather empty.

“I don’t think so,” Seamus answered. “She barged into our dorm room where Ron was just getting served an afternoon snack and ripped the badge off his chest. I think she even tore his robes a bit, and then she said that Ron was no Prefect anymore and took back all of his perks. He was really upset about that.”

“I bet,” John muttered. “What an entitled arse.”

“That’s why he isn’t wearing his school robes,” Harry realised. “Well, McGonagall will probably try to fit all the new students into a manageable schedule. I wonder how they plan to do that. I mean, there are more than a hundred fifty more students in this school than usual now. Can the teachers handle that?”

They all heard someone scoff at the close-by staff table but when they looked, no one seemed to be observing them.

Harry suspected it had been Snape but kept his mouth shut.

Just then the side door opened, and a very harried-looking McGonagall came rushing in and stood behind her chair, clearing her throat.

Everyone was waiting for some more news or maybe some more entertainment, so the Hall went quiet very quickly.

She cast a Sonorous and said, “Thank you. Due to the surprising fact that we have so many more students in this school, which is over the limit of 350, the Charter of Hogwarts demands that we double the number of teachers in this school as well as hire a teacher’s assistant for each subject before we can start teaching you.”

Cheers and boos branded up from the four student tables.

McGonagall cast a loud bang and said, “Quiet. This means you will have no school tomorrow, but Thursday there will be enough adults present at Hogwarts to start this year's education. Thank you. Finite .”

The students sitting close to the Head table heard her say, “There will be a mandatory staff meeting after dinner.”

Just then, at the end of the Gryffindor table, Ron jumped up and started vomiting on the student sitting next to him (whom Harry identified as Cormac McLaggen which made him laugh his arse off internally).

There was some quite understandable hubbub as a result but soon everyone was clean again and Ron had run out of the Hall with many jeers following him. The loudest hecklers were his brothers who also high-fived each other for a prank well carried out even if it had taken longer than expected to get sprung.

At the head table, McGonagall only facepalmed and went on eating, so no house points were lost.

“What does she mean, a surprising amount? Ok, it was sometime at the beginning of August that we sent the letter to Hogwarts, but they had some time to prepare, didn’t they?” John asked.

Rajiv nodded, “We sent my application as soon as the Foundation contacted us.”

Some other students who had listened in agreed wholeheartedly. They had done the same.

“Huh. I thought it was because of the many new students that we had to wait for our Hogwarts letter until the last possible moment,” Neville wondered. “I mean, the Alley was packed on August 31st.”

“Don’t remind me,” Seamus groaned. “Mum was impossible that day.”

Harry also wondered about this. He knew McGonagall had waited because of the DADA teacher post but hadn’t she known about that rule of teacher/student ratio? Probably not, he decided. I wonder if that was the reason Dumbledore stopped the Foundation. To get under that threshold of 350? He could save the money for additional teachers and teacher’s assistants that way, right?

Another thought entered his mind and made him stop short. What would it mean for the school if he left tomorrow after this announcement? Even the goblins wouldn’t be able to stop the Prophet from blaring it all over the front page.

“Hmpf.”

“What is it, Harry?” Neville asked, looking worried.

“I'm just annoyed with the incompetence of the administration of this school.”

There was another scoff from the High Table.

Harry narrowed his eyes at Snape who was busy cutting his meat.

“You're right. I wonder where the governors were in all of this,” Neville wondered.

“Isn't your grandmother one of them?” Harry had a vague memory of Neville and him  talking about that in his LF after leaving Hogwarts.

“No! Don’t remind me! Now I’ll have to write to her,” Neville scowled. “I had planned to play the clueless card.”

“Oh, sorry!”

“It’s alright. I should probably inform her anyway,” Neville said despondently.

“At least she has ‘til Christmas to get over it, right?”

At least that thought seemed to cheer Neville up even if Harry was still feeling rather gloomy.

Later, after Harry had gone to bed, he once again silenced his curtains and called Sirius to report this evening's news and his resulting decision to stay a bit longer.

The animagus was a bit sad but also relieved because getting all the people out of his house wasn’t an easy job.

Harry suggested he could tell them that Hogwarts was looking for personnel, at least temporarily, and that they should contact McGonagall.

This cheered Sirius up quite a bit and he rushed off to spread the news.

Chapter Text

The next day was spent lazing about, playing games, and showing the castle to the newcomers.

Students also watched as adults trickled into the castle and were quickly snatched up by a teacher or other and led away.

“Looks like some of them called their protégés for help,” Harry commented to the twins who were sitting with him, Lee and his dormmates under the tree by the Black Lake, late Monday afternoon.

All the heads turned, and they watched as Snape and Pomfrey greeted a couple of newcomers at the gates and each one led their new charge towards the gates of the castle.

“Some that arrived earlier today seemed to plan to move in fully. They had their whole household with them. At least it looked like it,” Lee added.

“Hmpf, first I can't attend Hogwarts because it’s too expensive and now that I'm able to come, my arrival is partly at fault for stopping the school from running. Talk about bad luck,” Rajiv groused.

“There, there,” John patted Rajiv’s head.

The rest laughed.

“I just wonder why the Charter didn’t protest that McGonagall had three full-time jobs before,” Harry wondered.

“Maybe Dumbledore did something to it?” one of the twins guessed.

“And maybe he planned to do something about this problem as well, but his arrest kept him from doing so?” the other one suggested.

“You know,” Harry mused. “You might actually be onto something. I mean, we would have heard about this otherwise from McGonagall during the summer, right?”

“Woah, you all saw her during your holidays?” Seamus exclaimed.

“Yeah, not by choice, believe me.” Harry scoffed. “She sometimes came to my godfather's place because they were meeting there because of Voldemort, you know?” Harry ignored the flinches.

Seamus frowned, “To be honest, I don’t know. No. Mum believed the Prophet at first but then started questioning the articles after the ones about Black and the inconsistencies. And now with the colouring spells on the paper... So he's really back?”

“Well, I saw his resurrection during the third task last year. So, something came back. And it called itself Lord Voldemort (flinches), but it didn’t look exactly human,” Harry hedged.

“But why didn’t the Aurors investigate this then?”

“Very good question. I mean, a student died, and all the Ministry did was drag me and Dumbledore through the mud.”

“Huh. Are you Dumbledore’s man then?”

“No. I can agree with him about one thing and not align myself with him, right? I mean, I can even agree with Voldemort (flinches) that the sun rises in the east and that the sky is blue.”

“Right,” Seamus grew quiet and thoughtful.

During their nightly chat, Sirius and Harry decided that Harry would leave school after the full moon, which was on September 9th this year. So they planned for Harry to return to Grimmauld Place on Sunday, September 10th.

This made Harry think about Remus, and he asked Sirius if the goblins would be able to help their friend.

“Hm. Not with the werewolf curse, I don't think. But maybe with his overall health?”

“I’ll write to Grobhook and ask.”

“I have a mailbox connected to my manager, too. Let me handle this, pup.”

“Ok. So, speaking of Remus. What did he say about all the junk you brought to him from the Room of Requirement?”

“Oh, he loves it! We had to expand the attic. And most of it isn't junk anymore. Even if some of the things needed an individual Reparo Maxima for some reason.”

“Like my trunk.”

“Huh? Well, Remus thinks that’s when the items were keyed to someone and that the bond hadn’t been fully broken even if the owner is already dead.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Harry exclaimed. “The goblins call it ‘de-keying’ an item, you know?”

Sirius chuckled, “And we de-decay items again!”

Harry groaned at the bad pun.

“Well, pup. As you're staying at Hogwarts for a few more days, why not ransack that awesome room some more?”

“You're right. The furniture too?”

“Yes! He's discovered quite the market for it in the Muggle world. And we hardly can sell magical books and paintings there.”

“True, um... Sirius?”

“Yes, pup?”

“If that spell can repair portraits, would it fix your Mum’s portrait's personality too?”

Sirius blinked, “I have no idea. Maybe?”

“Just a thought.”

“Well, Remus and I will try this idea tomorrow. That’s for sure,” Sirius decided.

“Ok, I'll get some more stuff for Marauders Enterprises, and you fix your Mum... That sounds nearly as bad as you gagging her...”

Sirius laughed at Harry’s disgusted face and, as it was growing late, they soon ended their call.

The next couple of days were quite fun for the students. They learned that no Hogwarts class was allowed to have more than 25 students in them according to this Charter, which was the reason for the additional teachers and teacher assistants apparently. And seeing an adult flounder about was always fun. At least the staff had managed to find a lot of temporary helpers, so often two were teaching one class until a true teacher could be found.

It also became apparent that no staff member could hold more than one post. So, Flitwick and Snape decided to let go of their Head of House duties and Harry heard through the grapevine that Snape planned to work as the Potions Supplier for Hogwarts once they found a sufficient replacement for him, and that until then Hogwarts had to buy the potions that were needed.

Sprout let go of her teaching duties to concentrate on Hufflepuff House and the Greenhouses. It seems she had found two real replacements easily who were former Hufflepuffs.

For History, McGonagall had hired the author of their book. A very old woman named Bathilda Bagshot. This was rather strange for Harry, who had only ever met her snake-animated corpse in his LF. Anyway, Penelope Clearwater had been hired full-time as the teacher's assistant for History, and there were rumours that Professor Bagshot believed that Penelope would easily make a better History teacher than Binns. People also whispered that the old Lady did have quite a row with the ghost about his teaching abilities and depth of knowledge.

The twins even started a betting pool on when the ghost would leave this plane of existence at last.

Harry also noted that quite a few Order members were busily trying to teach.

At least they don’t have any time to stare at me now and aren't loitering in Grimmauld Place, he groused internally.

What was rather unfortunate was that Molly Weasley had also come to ‘help’, much to her children's and Harry’s disgust. But she did a good job teaching the lower years in Charms and the kids seemed to like her.

Harry was just glad that she didn’t agree to become the Head of House for Gryffindor. Unfortunately, she came by once in a while anyway to give Doge – their new temporary Head of House – advice he didn’t want or need. The man had been a Gryffindor and had apparently gone to school with Dumbledore. Some time at the end of the last century. At least he knew some stuff the Gryffindors should know and taught them. Like how to call for assistance, or a healer, and so on.

McGonagall had decided that the school needed a Deputy more than a Transfiguration teacher and had tasked three former students of hers to teach her subject, which they did quite well.

The only problematic subject was DADA once again, as no one wanted to brave the curse and Dawlish seemed rather unmotivated. But this time Harry didn’t take up the slack and let the staff flounder. It wasn’t his job to run their school. At least it looked like one subject was allowed to be in dire straits temporarily.

At one point, Harry went to the library to check old issues of the Daily Prophet and see if the taboo was working on those, too. It seemed he wasn't the only one with the idea as he found many other students – mainly Ravenclaws – looking through old editions of the Prophet, reaching back to the founding of the Paper in 1743. It worked! Back to the times all of the first reporters had passed away for sure. So the taboo could stand the passage of time. That's quite powerful, isn't it?

It was now known that Gringotts was able to cast such a spell, even if they didn’t admit to casting it on the Prophet, and students were discussing if the unknown spell would work with other publications too. 

Right now they were discussing if the spell somehow knew if the author had knowingly lied or distorted the truth, or if only the absolute truth was accepted. That had led to the digging into old editions and they discovered it must be the former. 

One Ravenclaw said, “It’s better this way, I think. I mean, one could publish a book with things like ‘There is a God’, ‘Reincarnation is a fact’’, and other big questions of humanity and one would get a definite answer when the sentence either stayed colourless or blinked red.”

Harry went a bit pale at that. He was glad the students had figured out it depended on the author’s knowledge whether something was the truth or a lie. Man, that would have been a bit much for a spell that was only developed to fact-check a newspaper.

To distract himself, he looked for the articles Skeeter had written about the Triwizard Tournament and was highly entertained at the rather colourful issues he found.

Other students saw the papers he looked at and many commented that they were some of the most red-blinking ones they had seen so far.

Harry felt quite vindicated, that the whole world would now know that those articles were false.

Harry never found out what had happened with Hermione other than that she had returned to her parents, and they apparently had decided to move to another continent. Harry guessed that it was Australia again and wished Hermione good luck and that Luna had been right and she was getting better. He had Grobhook inform her parents about possible tampering with them and offer Gringotts help. But Grobhook kept their private business private, so Harry didn’t know what came of it.

As for Ron, Harry was sure that boy wished he was in Australia sometimes too, as his mother hounded him relentlessly after finding out about the lost prefect badge. It got even worse when it was discovered quite publicly that he had copied Hermione’s summer essays verbatim. The only time he had some peace was at the Gryffindor table and in his dorm room. Well, Ron liked to eat and sleep, so Harry had little sympathy for his former friend.

On Wednesday, Harry showed the Room of Requirements to the twins, but not the Room of Hidden Things. If they found that one by themselves, he was okay with it, but he wouldn’t make it too easy for them.

The twins were delighted by the possibilities, and it took them a while to calm down and have the talk that Harry wanted.

“So, Harry-kins, why did you bring us here? You said you wanted to talk?” they said and one – Fred? – waggled his eyebrows.

“Well, yes. You see, I'm planning to leave Hogwarts on Sunday and wanted to warn you.”

“What? No way! You can’t leave us all alone here!”

Harry chuckled, “Yeah, such a hardship. But even the new subjects bore me and... uhm, I'll tell you why when I have commissioned some secret-keeping amulets for you,” Harry decided spontaneously.

“Will you tell us why you've changed so much then?”

“Yes.”

“Hm. Okay. Well. Uhm. Okay.”

Harry blinked. It was rare that the two were at a loss for what to say.

Fred nodded and they said, “Well, we'll leave school then too after the workshops in October and November. Mum being here is quite a hindrance, so we’d rather start with our plans for WWW and home-school ourselves.”

Harry beamed, “Please come live at Grimmauld Place then. We'll have a blast!”

The two nodded thoughtfully. The Lab as well as the company was making this decision easy.

“Okay.”

Harry threw his fist in the air.

“But Harry, what about Neville's visit to Diagon Alley?”

“Well, you bring him, and we meet there? I do have a disguise that makes me look older and not like myself at all, remember?”

“Yes, when we went to that ci-ne-ma it was called, right? With the... film about Luke and him fighting the Dark,” the twins beamed at Harry, who decided maybe Laurel & Hardy or Charlie Chaplin would be better options for getting the Pure-bloods used to the world of cinema.

“So it's settled? On the first Hogsmeade weekend you bring Neville, and we meet on Diagon Alley in front of Ollivanders?”

“Agreed. And we go to Gringotts after. Sometimes Mum's words don’t add up. We want to do an inheritance test.”

“Good idea, I noticed that too. And Moody reacted funny when we talked about you as kids and your mum. That means I’ll wait to do mine then, I don’t expect any surprises anyway. – But wait! Neville should get scanned by the goblins first and healed if necessary. His wand should fit him better if we get it afterwards.”

“Right. So, we meet in front of Gringotts? What should we call you?”

“Um. How about Will Turner?”

“Good name. Inconspicuous.”

“You do know who William Turner is, right?”

“No? Who?”

“Huh. Ok. All the better.”

Harry then warned Grobhook about his upcoming withdrawal from Hogwarts and asked him to muzzle the Prophet. He also asked if the Grimoire had been recalled with the rest of his stuff and if he could send it to Grimmauld Place but was told he had to come himself to get it.

Then Harry went about his days for the rest of the week.

On Sunday morning he accompanied Luna to her meeting at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and waited for her by meditating, as he had been rather lax in that regard.

On their way back to the castle, Harry asked, “So, I plan to leave today. Will you be alright?”

Luna nodded, “Yes. Leaving is the right thing for you to do right now. You may return at one point in your life but not as a student.”

“Really?”

“Maybe. It’s not set in stone.”

“Ah good. I don’t like predetermined futures.”

“Understandable.”

“And you? Will you be alright?”

“Yes. I will be. I can tackle the bullying in my house now and we have an amazing new Head who watches out for outsiders like me.”

“That’s a relief. But if you ever need my help, contact me. Via house-elf, Patronus Charm, letter, the Floo.”

Luna giggled, “I will. And as long as the twins stay, I have a direct connection, right?”

Harry nodded as he had given his mirror to the twins just that morning.

“You better hurry if you want to catch McGonagall before lunch.”

“Right. Thanks!”

Harry hugged Luna quickly and rushed to his former Head’s office.

Once there he knocked and heard a frazzled, “Enter.” So, he opened the door and stepped in.

Chapter Text

Harry stepped out of the Floo at Grimmauld Place and bumped right into Sirius.

“Woah! Pup! You’re here!” 

Harry got an excited hug.

“Were you waiting?”

“Nah, just stretching my legs after breakfast.”

Remus, who was lounging on a couch, coughed, “Liar.”

Harry sniggered and said, “Remus! Hi. Wow, you look astoundingly good for the day after the full moon.”

The man nodded, looking quite pleased, “Yes, the goblins fixed me up some last week. It made a bit of a difference.”

“Now who’s the liar?” Sirius groused. “A bit. Pffft.”

 They laughed.

“Did you have any difficulties with Minerva?” Sirius asked.

“No. At first she was rather distracted because of Dumbledore's upcoming trial, and then just relieved when I told her that we had the Prophet handled. And after I handed her the official withdrawal signed by my magical guardian in blood, she couldn’t do anything anyway.”

“True. Well, you’re back! What should we do now?”

“Er, eat lunch?”

“But we just ate! But okay, let’s go eat lunch. Follow me, good sirs!”

Sirius’ good mood was infectious, so they spent an enjoyable and relaxed time with one another.

At one point Harry asked what had happened with the portrait of Sirius’ mum and the Reparo Maxima.

“Oh pup, that’s quite the story. You see, she was hidden and silenced behind the flag already when that part of the house was hit with the repair spell for the first time. 

“It repaired her quite a bit and she had no way to know what was happening. So, imagine my surprise when a sane but confused Walburga Black greeted me after I dismantled the whole setup.”

“No way! Why hadn’t we thought of that?”

“Because she always was like the first version of her that you met. I had no reason to think she had changed.”

“But she changed now?”

“Yeah. And we’re not sure why. Was it her portrait that we repaired so thoroughly, or had spells or potions somehow altered her while alive and it transferred to the portrait? We don’t know. And neither does she.”

“Wow! – Have you found something similar when repairing other wizarding portraits?” Harry asked Remus.

“Hm, they seem to be more clear-headed after. But that could be just the fact that they got woken up by me and got their minds together after a while.”

“Very strange. But why didn’t I – oh, right. I arrived via Floo. So, what kind of character does she have now?”

Sirius shrugged, “I would say that of a Pure-blood witch. She’s standoffish, judgemental and sneers at everything. But she’s reasonable and reserved. So, a huge improvement I would say. Oh, and she wants to meet you.”

“She does?”

“You’re the heir, aren’t you?”

“Oh dear.”

Sirius cackled, “Yes, there’ll be lessons for you in your future, that’s for sure.”

“After I sit my O.W.L.s!”

“I think she can agree to that. I’ll introduce you this evening.”

After eating, the three of them sat down in the drawing room and made a study plan for Harry. He decided to buckle down and sit his O.W.L.s as soon as he felt ready. Sirius and Remus promised to help him, and it would be more of a brush-up on all the subjects than learning them anew anyway. He didn’t even need the Hogwarts Library with the Black one at hand.

“So, all of us could tackle the rooftop garden. This should cover most of the more common magical plants that are native to this island, and those are the basis for that O.W.L.,” Remus suggested. “And it desperately needs attention anyway.”

“Good idea. For the rest of Herbology, I’ll just study the books again and recall the practical lessons from back then. Should be easy. Even if I didn’t really need any of this in my LF. Only in one case... Er, now that I think about it… that knowledge probably saved my life.”

“Yes, it's important to know this stuff, believe me,” Sirius added, looking rather earnest and Remus chuckled but didn’t elaborate.

 “Then we have the lab, where you can brew to your heart's content, but remember to always activate the alarm ward should you be in there alone. Better ask me to come along. I might be able to show you a thing or two.”

“I'm sure you can. Snape is a horrible teacher. I still have no idea why things are prepared the way they are, or what stirring a certain amount of times does for example. Not that they asked about it in the O.W.L.s, now that I think of it, or I would never have been able to achieve an E.E.”

Sirius blinked, “How can you not know those things? They’re basic knowledge... Okay... No one taught you the basics. But Muggle-born usually do know this stuff, right Moony?”

“Yes, I think so. Lily did for sure. But she was friends with Snape before coming to Hogwarts…hm…I must confess I never thought about it. Potions is the subject I hated the most, because of the fumes and my poor sensitive nose. Potion brewing is for my nose like Molly’s screeching is for my ears...”

The others winced. 

“Merlin, I'm glad to have escaped Hogwarts. She is a menace. I just hope she concentrates on Ron and forgets about me for a while,” Harry reflected.

“I think Minerva can invoke something so that the staff and students don’t talk about internal matters to outsiders, now that I think of it,” Remus said thoughtfully. 

“She can? Dumbledore could? Wow, that explains so much! Like the news of the death of Quirrell or the existence of the Basilisk never getting out,” Harry scowled. “Dumbledore is a gift that keeps on giving.”

“Well, at least in this regard it’d be helpful, wouldn’t you agree cub?”

“True. If she actually thinks of it.”

“Good point. I’ll contact her immediately,” Remus rushed out of the room.

“Ok. He might get her to put a lid on this, in time. I just left and aside from my friends, only my roommates know of this and they agreed to keep it quiet. Even if John and Rajiv were more occupied with splitting my just arrived new and old school robes between them,” Harry grinned remembering it. Those boys had absolutely no qualms with accepting hand-me-downs. And Molly had been right about that; one shouldn’t waste good clothes (as long as they were still good).

“Well, we can only hope. Now back to potion brewing. I'll accompany you for the next few weeks and give you those basics you missed. I probably have my old primer somewhere... Or better take Regulus’, now that I think of it. I might’ve hexed mine to make unfortunate noises.”

Harry sniggered, “If you say so.”

“Ahem. So, that’s Herbology and Potions. What else? Oh! Astronomy! That is my forte as a Black. We'll meet during the night on our roof, and we do have a room that shows the night sky of the northern and the southern hemispheres and its constellations. One can even look at the sky as it was on different dates, even thousands of years ago.”

“Wow! I never found that room. That sounds amazing.”

“Merlin, am I glad you travelled back in time to learn about things like this.”

“Not as much as I am, believe me.”

Sirius smiled at his (god-)son, “Now, what else? For History you can read the book and try to stuff the knowledge in your head. Remus and I can quiz you later.”

“I'm just sad I'll miss Bagshot’s lessons. But not enough to stay at school.”

“Would you even have had her?”

“Only one of the two lessons a week.”

“Wow, half Binns, half Bagshot?”

“Yup. It’s like two different subjects.”

“I can Imagine.”

The door then opened, and Remus returned, “What did I miss?”

“We covered Astronomy and History. The first one I'll handle, and the second one Harry self-studies and we quiz him.”

“Sounds good. I Floo-called Minerva and she’s already implemented a lockdown on the information that Harry left, so it shouldn’t get out.”

“With Molly at school it probably would have,” Harry scowled.

“You're a celebrity. More than one person would have informed the press, cub.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Sirius cackled, “You look so much like a sullen teenager right now.”

“I am a sullen teenager right now.”

The other two laughed and Remus moved the topic along, “I would advise you to takeMuggle Studies but not revise for it.”

“Sure, but I'll space the exams out. I don’t want to go through the same stress as the twins did.”

“Yes. Sensible. Okay. What else? Transfiguration. I would say Sirius should handle that one. It's more of a refresher, right?”

“Yeah, it should be quick.”

“Want to learn to become an Animagus, pup?”

“Yes! Wow. I tried once but I kept swallowing that Mandrake leaf...”

“Well, you could stick it magically to the inside of your cheek, buuuut...”

“Yeeees?”

“Well, we faced the same problem when we learned, so we decided to take the expensive route.”

“There is one?”

“Yup.”

“Damn.”

“I’ll get the ingredients and as soon as I deem you confident enough, we'll brew the potion.”

“Hear, hear! Padfoot is becoming an educator.”

“Oh, shut up you flea-bitten mongrel.”

“Oh dear. Talking about yourself now?”

Half an hour later, after both the drawing room and their looks had been put to rights again (necessary because a prank war had spontaneously erupted) they sat back down and Sirius commented, “Well, now you know why we developed our Reparo Maxima in the first place, pup.”

Harry, who was still laughing, just nodded.

“At this pace, we’ll never get through all the subjects,” Remus groused.

“And whose fault is that?”

“Yours, Pads.”

Harry intervened quickly before they could start again, “Okay, we covered Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Muggle Studies, Astronomy, and History. And I believe I can just brush up on Charms and DADA. And maybe on Care. Don’t know yet.”

“I can take you through Runes and Arithmancy if you want,” Remus offered. “And we can all always add some duelling practice.”

“Thanks! Well, that’s it. I probably could start with Muggle Studies right away, but l better wait a bit.”

Remus nodded, “I'll look into it. Maybe you can take the test while incognito. But I agree. You better wait for a bit.”

Sirius clapped his hands and said, “Well, that’s for the serious stuff, right? Let's go up to the roof. It might be one of the last warm days of the year.”

That evening, Harry got to meet Lady Black. He wasn't very impressed with her, but was relieved she had been fixed somehow. He agreed to learn what he had to know as a Head of the Black family and Sirius had been roped into attending those lectures as well. She didn’t trust he remembered everything and also didn’t trust her crazy self to have done an adequate job either.

Plan for studying the O.W.L. subjects:

Alone (only getting quizzed occasionally):

• DADA
• History
• Charms
• Maybe CoMC

With Remus:

• Runes
• Arithmancy

With Sirius: 

• Astronomy
• Transfigurations
• Potions

Together:

• Herbology
• Duelling

No studying:

• Muggle Studies

Chapter Text

Harry spent the next week studying alone or with Remus or Sirius. They also dueled, brewed potions, tended the rooftop garden, and studied the night sky on said rooftop or in the most impressive room of the house; the one that was like a planetarium on steroids, as Harry had called it. It was great and the only ‘thing’ Harry really missed was the twins and sometimes Luna.

Fortunately, all three called Harry regularly via the mirror so it wasn't too bad. On Monday, Luna apparently told the surprised twins that she would join them when they planned to call Harry in the Room of Requirements, so she did.

He learned from them that Neville and Eloise were fifth-year prefects now, that the unqualified teachers slowly got replaced with more competent ones, and that school was getting better every day. Only the headmaster's job wasn’t addressed at all. McGonagall probably wanted to await the result of the upcoming trial. But most importantly, no one seemed to miss Harry or seemed to realise he had actually left school. Neville, Seamus, Dean, Rajiv, and John just changed the topic, or something, the few times someone asked about him. This was made easier as the students didn’t take all classes together with all of their Housemates and a second House of the same year in the main subjects anymore. 

The total number of students of the same year of all four Houses was often randomly divided by three now, which led to rather mixed classes and one only ever saw part of their housemates. Harry just wondered how Ron hadn’t noticed his disappearance yet. That boy was just so incredibly obtuse sometimes. Well, he was also always on the run from his mother. Maybe that was why.

The next time they talked (two days later) Harry asked about those mixed classes in more detail, and George explained and began to pelt them with numbers.

The reason for the new class compositions was the unbreakable rule of a max of 25 students per class, and there were now sixty-six students on average each year. Therefore it made more sense to divide a year by three, which would yield twenty-two students per class so fewer teachers were needed. However, the sixth and seventh years could still work with the old model because they didn’t gain many new students and the lower ones had twenty-three students on average per house and year. Harry asked rather concerned if the poor kids now only ever saw their housemates in class, but Luna could ease his worries. The kids all got randomly assigned one of the four classes of a subject, so each class had students from each house, normally. 

“Now I understand why an extra teacher and a teacher’s assistant are necessary for each subject,” Harry marvelled. “And I don’t envy the ones trying to fit all of this into a master schedule for a school week.”

“True. Hopefully, they have some magical help,” George nodded.

“It also explains why Gryffindors so rarely shared classes with Hufflepuff. Those were the two biggest Houses in the past, right?” Fred said thoughtfully. “And that maximum of 25 would have often been breached.”

“And I always thought Dumbledore paired us with Slytherin because he liked to sow discord,” Harry said.

“It was probably just the lesser of two evils. I think Ravenclaws and Gryffindors can get extremely competitive but have very different priorities and Slytherins might push Hufflepuff to the back too badly,” Lune said thoughtfully. 

“You could be on to something, little Raven,” George grinned at Luna. “Not many pranksters in your House. And Slytherins don’t whine. They retaliate.”

“Except for Malfoy,” Harry muttered.

“That one isn’t very cunning, is he?” Fred said.

“He probably yelled at the hat that he needed to get into Slytherin, or else,” Harry mused.

“Ha, and I begged it not to put me there, but anywhere else,” Fred confessed.

“No! You too?” Harry gaped.

George started laughing, “So I'm the only true Gryffindor here?”

“Liar! The hat wanted you in Ravenclaw of all Houses!” Fred called out and got hit with a silencing spell by his twin.

“Quiet, you tattletale! That was my deepest darkest secret! The shame!”

Harry and Luna were highly entertained while the twins roughhoused about a bit. 

Luckily, Luna had saved the mirror and was holding it up so Harry could watch.

He asked her, grinning at the sight of the twins, casting prank spells at one another, “So, did anyone miss me yet?”

“Oh, yes. Ginny Weasley noticed that she hadn’t seen you for days and it was the talk in all the Houses, but the teachers, when asked, just said that you had decided to be homeschooled a while ago and that knowledge was protected by Hogwarts and couldn’t be shared with the outside.”

“Bet that went down well.”

“With most, it did when Neville, Dean and Seamus started reminding them how you hated being the centre of attention and that it hadn’t gotten any better over time. Many got quite thoughtful for a while and the rumours died down.”

“That's a relief! “

Harry realised only later that he had confessed his own secret about his sorting, and no one had blown a gasket. He wondered how Ron would have reacted. And when he took heart and confessed it to Sirius and Remus that evening, Sirius confessed that he had begged the hat in exactly the same way. ‘Not Slytherin!’

Remus, when asked about his sorting, smiled enigmatically, and kept his counsel much to Sirius’ disgust.

But Harry cheered the man up by stage-whispering to him, “I bet the hat wanted Remus in Hufflepuff and Moony rebelled.”

“How did you–,” Remus stopped talking abruptly and scowled at Harry. “He was a lone wolf then without a pack. No one to be loyal to,” he grumbled.

In the mornings they enjoyed reading the Daily Prophet which was slowly shaping up. The reporters and editors seemed to see it as a challenge to have as little colour appear in their papers as possible. Well except for the advertisements, naturally. But even those were adapting and started to only make true claims. And the reporters found so much legitimate dirt with just a little bit of digging that there was no lack of topics to fill their papers with. 

Especially Fudge’s and Dumbledore’s reputations were relentlessly pummelled with irrefutable facts. Even Dumbledore’s former relationship with Grindelwald became known thanks to an anonymous tip from a concerned reader.

And then, on the morning of the 21st day of September, Dumbledore's long-awaited trial date was announced for the 24th of the same month. This time it would be held by the goblins with the Wizengamot in attendance to bear witness.

“So, the exact opposite of my trial?” Sirius asked.

“I think the only similarity would be that it’ll also be held at Gringotts,” Remus said thoughtfully. “And that the press can only report the truth.”

“Can we watch it?” Harry asked.

“Yes. It'll be open to the public. I think that’s the only way they can handle a trial of such a high-profile and well-liked person.”

“Well-liked? Not so much anymore, right? Since his connection to Grindelwald got out, Remus,” Harry remarked and wondered, “Won’t they need me on the witness stand?”

“Probably not. My guess is they'll concentrate on the widespread theft and fraud, as well as the corruption of a member of the horde,” Sirius guessed.

“And maybe they’ll add all of Albus’ other misdeeds as an addendum,” Remus added.

“That would be preferable,” Harry nodded. “I’ll write to Grobhook and ask him later.”

“So, we'll all go, right?” Sirius asked.

“Yes! I certainly want to. Er, I could activate my disguise. Then no one would be any the wiser.”

“Just make sure you wear different underwear than you usually do,” Sirius scowled. “Moody will surely attend.”

They laughed.

Harry commissioned four more secret-keeping amulets with the necessary necklaces from Gringotts for the twins, Luna, and Snape. He wasn’t yet sure about the last one but wanted to have the option. And he had promised Snape during that nightly call with Sirius when Harry was in Hogwarts, hadn’t he? It had been the evening of the day Dumbledore had been arrested, he recalled. 

Not that he needed one with Luna. But she might appreciate the added safety, he figured.

But all of these conversations had to happen face-to-face anyway, so Harry put the topic out of his mind and the newly arrived pendants and necklaces in his wallet. 

Chapter Text

They met earlier at the breakfast table than was normal for them for a Sunday morning, but no one could sleep with the looming trial. So they quietly read the Prophet, which seemed rather excited about the upcoming trial.

They didn’t talk much but agreed that Remus and Sirius would ignore Harry who could easily Apparate to and from the Alley as there was no trace on his wand, as he reminded Remus.

Soon ‘Will Turner’ was sitting in the packed visitor stands of the huge courtroom of Gringotts. He counted himself lucky that the goblins seemed to have detected his disguise as goblin-made and let him through without any fuss. Many others weren’t so lucky and were therefore quite unhappy.

It really was the trial of the century. And Harry was incredibly glad that the press had prepared the public, so Dumbledore’s slate wasn’t so squeaky clean anymore as it had been in Harry’s LF where even Skeeter's book hadn’t been able to tarnish the man’s reputation for long, after the man's death.

The mass of people surrounding him was rather loud and Harry hoped he would be able to follow the proceedings but then he remembered how Remus had told him that Sirius’ voice had always been louder than the spectators.

It took some time, but after half an hour, the whole Wizengamot had found their places on a special stand reserved for them. Another stand held the goblin court that presided over the accused with one old goblin sitting on an impossibly high, pillar-like stand behind a small desk wielding a gavel.

In the middle of the arena-like room stood an empty chair with shackles that reminded Harry of his own ‘trial’ in his LF. The one he had avoided so easily this time around. But somehow the whole setting caused a feeling of déjà vu in Harry who was reminded of that saying, ‘History doesn’t repeat itself, it rhymes,’ or something similar.

But before he could sink deeper in his thoughts about time, history, fate and such, a small door to the side opened and Dumbledore was led in. He was wearing a simple brown robe and they had cut off his hair. Or better, they had shorn it! The beard too! The man was nearly unrecognisable.

Murmuring branded up all around Harry. People had a hard time connecting the picture they had in their heads  of the very colourful, long-haired and -bearded wise man who seemed to be larger than life, with this haggard-looking, lanky one with dead eyes that towered over his goblin guards but still managed to look frail. 

When Dumbledore saw that he had an audience he tried to stand straighter and pull some of his former authoritative aura around his person, but it didn’t work very well.

“We are all here for you, Albus!” a voice that Harry easily identified as Molly Weasley’s yelled from somewhere in the stands.

“I’m not!” a jokester added and soon many voices protested their supposed support.

There was quite the ruckus on the stands which was ignored, and Harry wondered if there was a one-way silencing spell on them. It would explain why Dumbledore hadn’t reacted to Molly’s call at all.

The old man was led to the chair without making any problems and pushed onto it, which seemed to hurt his sense of propriety. 

Harry started feeling bad for the lonely old man, chained to a chair sitting all by himself in the middle of his peers and the public that had looked up to him for so long. No one should be made into such a spectacle, right? Dumbledore had the betterment of the wizarding world as a goal, even if his methods were questionable.

But Harry’s compassion dwindled quickly when the judge read the long list of charges.

The residents of Grimmauld Place had guessed correctly. The trial was primarily about money. Harry hadn’t been the only one swindled out of his funds, possessions, and his properties. Overall, Dumbledore was accused of defrauding a staggering amount of more than two and a half million Galleons and in addition to that, possessions worth about the same amount. To achieve it he had used many different, mostly illegal means like mental and emotional manipulation. With witches and wizards, Muggles, and even  with some goblins, via spells or potions, as well as bribery, misuse of office, the list went on. For example, he was accused of stealing methodically from Muggle-born and -raised children and did everything he could to keep them in the dark about their heritage. The goblins naturally concentrated more on the effect this had on the economy than the plain moral wrongness of all this.

Harry was watching Dumbledore while the charges were read, and the man seemed to struggle to keep his cool. It did sound incredibly bad when the long list was read in such a dispassionate tone of voice. And those were only the things Gringotts could prove without a smidgen of any doubt. 

It wasn’t just the things of ‘what’ he had done, no, it also was the staggering number of repeat offences.

Even the few hardcore Dumbledore fans grew quiet after a while.

After the extremely long list was read, Dumbledore was asked, “How do you plead?”

And one could see that the man was struggling. He had obviously planned for an ‘not guilty’ but knew he had committed all those misdeeds and Gringotts would make a big spectacle of proving each and every one of them.

Another thing was that he had been told that if he pleaded ‘not guilty’, he would have to take Veritaserum or, if he declined that, the goblin equivalent that often was fatal to wizards and witches. 

As much as Dumbledore appreciated the drama of the idea of this happening, he wouldn’t want to die like this.

And if he took Veritaserum they might find out all of the other things he had done for the betterment of their world. 

“How do you plead, wizard?” the goblin snapped at Dumbledore.

“It was for the Greater Good!”

“One last time, guilty or not guilty?”

“Guilty.” Dumbledore sank into himself, looking much smaller than before.

Meanwhile, the stands were nearly rioting. People wanted to know more than this ‘Greater Good’ excuse. But the goblin guards quickly managed to ensure some form of decorum in the witches and wizards watching.

Harry decided to leave. No more answers except the sentencing would be forthcoming now, and he felt hollow. Somehow, he had expected more than this. Especially for his own peace of mind – for closure.

Later Sirius and Remus found him sitting on a couch in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place and staring at the ceiling.

“Pup? Are you alright?”

“Don’t know yet. What was the verdict, or better the sentence?”

“The mines for life. No possibility of parole. All of his money and possessions seized to first pay back the people he had stolen from, and should there be any left, it'll go to the Peverell Foundation that he had stopped in ‘81.”

“Good. So, he'll spend the rest of his days digging tunnels with the toad and the rat. Seems fitting,” Harry said in a detached voice.

“I think this calls for food from our favourite Indian place!” Sirius said ginning but still managed to eye Harry a little worriedly.

Remus nodded and asked, “Like our surprise dinner in August?”

Even Harry had to smile faintly at the memory and nodded.

“I’ll be back!” Remus called and disappeared.

Sirius sank onto another couch, “Is it just me, or was this somehow anticlimactic?”

“Yes.”

The Animagus chuckled, “The latter?”

“Yes! This was so unsatisfactory.”

“True. And I really would have liked to know the nitty-gritty stuff. For example, why did he pay so much money to your relatives after making them compliant with magic.”

“Oh. I thought about that. He didn’t really make them compliant, did he? He made them hate me. I'm pretty sure the money was meant as a two-way incentive for them,” Harry seemed to come back to himself a bit. “This much money must have kept them from getting rid of me via an orphanage or killing me. Both were real possibilities with them under the influence of such strong and negative enchantments.”

“And if they had killed you or sent you away, no more money... I see.”

“Yeah...”

“That is horrible.”

“And rather devious,” Harry nodded. “It does fit his manipulative nature though.”

For the rest of the evening, they put Dumbledore out of their minds and enjoyed the awesome food.

Chapter Text

It took Harry some time to get back into the groove. But after a few days, he had returned to the habit of studying for most of the day. 

And if he got bored, he worked on his new longtime project. Harry wanted to bring Tonks and Remus together again because he wanted Teddy back! So, Tonks got invited to Grimmauld Place quite often for duelling practice and dinner. The funny thing was that Sirius quickly caught on to Harry’s plan and helped it along quite a bit, but Remus stayed clueless.

And Tonks didn't seem averse to the idea of spending more time at Grimmauld Place either. So, she soon was a fixture in the house with access to the library, all the other rooms, and the rooftop garden. By now she really had understood that this was Sirius’ home and treated it accordingly, much to Harry’s relief. It was good to see that some people could change and learn. He had lost hope a couple of times with all of them in the beginning. But Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Shacklebolt and even Snape taught him otherwise.

A still disguised Snape visited the next Friday evening after the trial and they learned from him that Riddle was doing poorly, and more and more of his Death Eaters were abandoning him as he had no way to keep them subservient with no magic to hurt them via their Dark Marks. Already Malfoy and his goons Crabbe and Goyle had left him, and Nott Snr seemed to be close, Snape suspected, and others were whispering about jumping ship as well. 

“So you have seen him recently? How is he doing?” Harry asked his former Potions Professor.

Snape blinked as if realising that a teenager had listened in and said, “Will you tell me why you changed, Mr Potter?”

“Yup, you’ll get to know the reason why I behave like a grown-up, I promise.”

“Very well. To your question, yes, I have seen him. He looks even paler than before, if you can believe it and his skin is getting flaky. But most importantly, his magic didn’t return. He says it will and that he has plans to get it back. Unfortunately, he doesn’t elaborate on the ‘how’.”

“That would be too bad. Did you hear anything at all?”

“Only that he has access to the possessions of some of his incarcerated Death Eaters. But not whom or what.”

“Okay, that’s vague,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“He doesn’t really trust me.”

“Yeah, I get that. What did he say about Dumbledore?”

“He was of two minds. On the one hand, he was quite gleeful and on the other, he was angry it hadn’t been him to take him down, but some ‘dirty vermin’.

“What an arse.”

“Indeed.”

“Did he hurt you again?”

“Fortunately, no. He doesn't have many followers left, so he started being a bit more careful. It surprised me. I thought he was too far gone to consider such things.”

“Good. That was scary enough.”

Snape nodded.

“But is he a danger right now?” Sirius wanted to know.

“Not until he manages to get his magic back. If that ever happens.”

“Good. Now on another topic, Severus. How does Hogwarts make sure every student gets taught or at least has access to the basics in potions brewing?”

Snape looked confused, “They either get taught at home or get instructions by the visiting teacher and the beginners manual. Why do you ask?”

Harry facepalmed, “Hagrid did neither. No instructions and no manual.”

“I don’t understand. Hagrid isn’t approved to make first contact. What an absurd idea. Why...” Snape’s voice trailed off. “He didn't...”

“Yep.”

“No.”

“It really was Hagrid who visited me and my relatives – whom Dumbledore was influencing quite badly by the way – and told me about magic. He was also the one to escort me to Diagon Alley.

It was quite entertaining to watch how Snape tried to keep his cool.

“Are you saying you had no idea what I was talking about in your first Potions lesson?”

“Yup.” Harry popped the ‘p’.

Snape jumped up from his seat in the drawing room and quickly walked to the window where he stood for a while, looking outside.

The other three gave him some time to collect himself.

“I have been had,” the man muttered then.

“Like many,” Harry agreed.

Snape turned and stared at Harry, “It was wrong how I treated you. Even if my hatred was magnified artificially, my behaviour was inexcusable. I'm sorry.”

Harry was quite astonished by the point-blank apology, “Um, ok. I accept.”

“Just like that?”

“Well, yeah. You see, to me, it was quite some time ago... Hm. Maybe it’s time for my story. But to tell you, I need you to agree to wear this secret-keeping pendant.”

Harry explained its functions and Snape readily agreed to attach it to his necklace.

Harry had forgotten the man had one already. Sneaky goblins, selling me one anyways, he sniggered internally.

Soon, Snape listened attentively to Harry’s tale. Sirius and Remus did so, too. Even if they knew it already, they said hearing it just once wasn’t enough.

Harry ended with his description of the new timeline since waking up and the changes his deeds had wrought. “... and now Dumbledore works in the mines with Umbridge and Pettigrew.”

After he had stopped talking all four of them sat there for a while, letting the story sink in.

Severus found his voice first, “I'm glad you returned. The events you describe are nearly unfathomable, but I can picture them anyway.”

Harry nodded.

“I would say that Albus has much to answer for...”

“I'm pretty sure the goblins are working with Bones to get more information out of him. Unfortunately, he pled guilty, so there was no reason to interrogate him.”

“A pity.”

“Yeah. But at least I had some knowledge about the Horcruxes and I've incapacitated Riddle.”

“True. And my memories at the moment of my death...”

Harry nodded a bit unsure. What was there to say?

“We three were all dead, now that I think of it,” Sirius said earnestly.

“By the way, did you get anything back via the Ritual of Recall?” Harry quickly changed the topic.

“Yes, quite a bit. It seems Prince Manor stood empty for some time and some enterprising magical folks found a way through the wards. Long story short, nearly the whole inventory got stolen. Fortunately, the goblins do this ritual in a huge cavern. But they are still sorting through it and will return it as soon as the wards of the manor have been updated. I'm not sure it was worth the hassle, but at least some blood and hair were returned. The main reason I did the ritual in the first place. Who knew I would also get a massive household...”

The others winced. What a mess.

“Do you have any idea who took your blood without your consent?” Harry asked. It was the most powerful possession one could steal after all. 

“No idea. And there is no way to figure it out, unfortunately.”

“So, all of us had our blood taken. Well, I hope it was Albus,” Sirius mused. “At least he cannot do any more harm with any he still has stashed somewhere.”

“I wonder if there is a ritual that returns everything a person has stolen...” Harry said thoughtfully.

Sirius barked a laugh, “If there were, we could get back everything Dung ever took from anybody.”

“That would make any thieving profession rather redundant, wouldn’t it?” Snape said thoughtfully.

The others chuckled.

“Oh, before I forget. Did the governors of Hogwarts ever show their faces in the last month?” Sirius wanted to know.

Snape sneered, “Yes.”

“Merlin. That bad?” Sirius winced.

“They seem to try to make up for their exceedingly lax handling of their jobs in the last decades in just a week. Just when Albus is gone, and the Charter enforces compliance again.”

“Oh wow, too little too late, hm?”

“Exactly. NOW they want to monitor the points, the detentions, the bullying, and such. Two especially are on quite the rampage. Augusta Longbottom and Lucius Malfoy have joined forces, if you can believe it. It’s like both have something to prove. “

“They probably do,” Harry mused. “Malfoy needs to establish his standing as an upstanding member of the upper wizarding society with Riddle out and about, and Mrs Longbottom must have gotten a letter from Neville informing her of all that was wrong at Hogwarts in September, and she probably felt caught in the act of not acting. If that makes any sense.”

“It does. And now both are overcompensating. She even sits in my class, monitoring it. And I'll leave as soon as Rachel can take over. A student of mine who likes teaching for some reason.”

“And then you’ll only supply Hogwarts?” Harry asked curiously. “Will you stay living there?”

“Only as long as the Dark Lord exists. As soon as he is gone, I'll leave Hogwarts. I thought about buying a small cottage in Hogsmeade, but why bother? Floo travel makes me accessible everywhere on the island.”

“True,” Sirius nodded. “Oh, have you seen my potions lab? You could even move here.”

“You think it’s big enough for the twins and him together?” Harry asked big-eyed. 

Snape raised an eyebrow, “The Weasley twins? They’re going to move here?”

“Oh! That is right. Yes! They plan on homeschooling after November I believe. I forgot. Eh, but please keep that to yourself at Hogwarts. But the lab certainly is big enough,” Sirius said, looking quite excited.

Harry expected Snape to scoff, but the man looked thoughtful, “As strange as it may sound, I can actually see myself working along with them. Especially Fred Weasley. This school year, he shines in my class. And he has his... oh. Sorry. That is his information, and I don’t know if he shared it.”

“You mean he comes to Potions class even if he already has... Man, this is awkward, you're right. I think we all know about his exam results, but we don’t know if the other has the same information!”

“Exactly. Well anyway, Fred Weasley is a prodigy, and his brother isn’t far from being one either, so I can see it. But can they?”

“Yes,” Harry said with conviction. “They respect your expertise a lot and now that you’ve gotten nicer...”

Eyebrow.

Sirius grinned, “It’s like we are rebuilding the Order with only the ones I like.”

“I’m touched,” Snape said dryly.

“You should be! For now, we have the four of us, the twins, and Tonksie. Who else should we invite?”

Harry cautioned, “Do we really have to found a new Order? I would suggest we wait a bit. Maybe someone will take Riddle out.”

“I can say, as long as the Carrows and Yaxley are present whenever he ‘calls’ me, there is no way I can get to him. But I keep trying.”

“Can he still call you without magic?”

“No. They pretend he can and send an owl.”

Harry snorted. “I just don’t get why they still stay with him. Where does this utter devotion come from? It seems so unlikely.”

“It does. They are the dregs of his organisation. The sadists, who enjoy inflicting pain above all. And they see a chance that he'll regain his power and they then can act out their sick desires freely then.”

“Gah. That’s disgusting.”

“Indeed.”

The next week went like the others did since Harry’s return to Grimmauld. In his talk with the twins, he told them about the idea of Snape moving in as well,, and they were all for it. 

They planned their meeting in Diagon Alley for October the 8th as that was the Sunday and the teachers – scheduled to watch the students that weekend – were known to be much laxer in their task on Sundays so the three should be able to sneak off more easily.

The twins also told Harry how they were buckling down in all their chosen subjects and had been allowed to also attend the Alchemy workshop in November. The teachers were quite impressed but kept the twins' secrets. Lucky for them, their year didn’t need any of the new staff in their subjects, except for Transfiguration, and those decided to keep their mouths shut, it seemed. So their mum still had no idea about their accomplishments, but she was busy with the lower years and with hounding Ron. Even Ginny was forgotten for the moment. Not that the girl minded.

Sometimes their mother's wilful blindness was a blessing. The twins told Harry that their mum was still defending ‘Albus’ and believed he had pled guilty to save the wizarding world somehow. It didn’t make much sense to them.

Harry guessed she just didn’t want to face the fact that she might have been wrong about Dumbledore.

Chapter Text

Harry lazily got ready to meet the twins and Neville. He just hoped they would all manage to travel to London unnoticed. 

After a huge brunch he was on his way and at noon, a blond-haired, blue-eyed, quite lanky young man was waiting on the steps of Gringotts and was soon greeted by the Weasley twins and Neville Longbottom. With the latter being much more reserved in his greeting than the twins.

Only when the stranger whispered something to Neville did the boy start beaming and the twins began laughing.

“Come on, Will ,” one of the twins said and clapped the man’s shoulder.

“Let's go inside,” the other added and steered the slightly overwhelmed Neville up the steps.

Soon they were sitting in front of Grobhook who had been waiting for them.

“You understand, Heir Longbottom, that this is a grey area we are in? Normally your magical guardian would have to approve any medical attention you received from Gringotts. Only the fact that you're the last Longbottom by blood operating with full mental capacity makes this possible.”

Neville nodded glumly.

“And you, Messrs. Weasley are to go to the healer caves as well, according to my client. Do you agree?”

“Oh? We are? Sure. Why not.”

“Then all of you have to sign one of these three contracts.”

Harry was relieved the twins had agreed so readily. He had only thought of it this morning and therefore had just contacted Grobhook today, but not the twins. Who knew if they had been fed some unwanted potions as well, right?

“Please follow me,” Grobhook got up and went to his door, clearly expecting them to follow him which they did.

Soon the three were in the hands of Master Yordam, and after the twins first foray into the Star Wars Universe in August they were rather wide-eyed when meeting the little goblin who told them they also could call him Master Yoda. And even if the joke was lost on Neville, all three followed the healer obediently.

Grobhook turned to Harry when it was only the two of them, “We can do the inheritance test here if you wish. But fair warning. This test often leads to very unexpected surprises and great heartache.”

Harry shrugged, “I don’t think it will for me. I mean, what secrets I don’t know yet can possibly come up, right?”

Half an hour later he learned that he was wrong.

He was the son of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Potter née Evans, true. And the blood-adopted son of Sirius Black, also true. But what was new to him was that his mother had been under the influence of a love potion when she conceived him.

Harry nearly threw up. 

He needed to talk to Sirius now! So he sent a Patronus message to him to immediately come to the bank. Afterwards, he turned to Grobhook and gasped wide-eyed, “Shit, I'm sorry for casting a spell in Gringotts! I'm sorry!”

The goblin narrowed his eyes and answered, “I'll let it slide this once.” (What he didn’t tell his client was that the Patronus Charm was the only spell allowed to be cast at Gringotts by wizards and witches without asking first. It had become an exception after a witch had saved three goblins from a rogue Dementor in Gringotts in the 15th century.)

Grobhook added, “I'll go collect your godfather.”

Harry nodded and leaned against the wall, feeling rather faint.

Not ten minutes later Sirius was brought in and Grobhook brought them to a cubicle that he then silenced so nothing said within could be heard outside.

After they all had taken a seat, Sirius looked wild-eyed at Harry and asked, “What happened?”

Harry wordlessly handed the parchment with his inheritance test to Sirius and waited.

The man read it and nodded along but stopped very soon, “What? Oh shit! He didn’t!”

“So, you didn’t know?” Harry asked with a rather raspy voice.

“No! I mean, he joked about it once and I laughed half-heartedly. But I didn’t take it seriously and only said something like ‘That would be pathetic, right?’ and he agreed... Damn!”

Harry nodded and said, “I don’t want his name anymore! I want to be known as your son from now on.”

“Ok, pup. No problem. It would make me very happy. But I insist you sleep it over tonight.”

“Sure, whatever.”

Sirius turned to Grobhook, “Would he still be able to inherit the Potter estate?”

“Yes. As he would have been able to inherit the Black Estate as a Potter. Names change. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Good,” Harry said and rubbed his face, feeling quite tired. “I'll not vilify the whole Potter family for one member without further research. I mean those Potter rules are quite sensible and caring.”

Grobhook nodded.

“But please add another rule that not only the Potter, or Black if I follow that route, has to be scanned for potions and enchantments but the potential bride or groom as well.”

“Good thinking, pup. And make sure they also scan for airborne love potions. Now that I know of this, I'm sure James used those. And he never stopped using them after Lily became his girlfriend... Shit!” Sirius yelled the last quite loudly.

Harry just nodded, stunned, and Grobhook made a notation in the small notebook he carried everywhere.

Harry then said, “Cho Chang tried to use such a potion on me on the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. Luckily, I have had the ring since the beginning of August. And now that I think of it, she must have tried this in my LF as well, but the Basilisk venom/ Phoenix tears mixture must have dampened its effects considerably.” Harry rubbed his face.

“Cho Chang you said? Gringotts will watch out for her then.”

Harry nodded.

A small chime could be heard and Grobhook said, “I’ll look what they want,” and went outside of the cubicle.

Sirius sighed, “Well shit.”

“Yeah. Grobhook even warned me that there might be unexpected results in that test, and I laughed at him, what could possibly go wrong, right?” Harry laughed disparagingly at his innocent past self.

Sirius looked at the rest of the results again and frowned, “Did you look any further than the information about your parents?”

“No? ...Do I even want to?”

Sirius barked a surprised laugh, “No other bad surprises, I promise. Just a lot of people bequeathing money to you.”

“Maybe I should set up another foundation that has the goal of making the use of love potions anathema and illegal in the wizarding world with this money.”

“A worthy goal,” Grobhook said while entering the cubicle again. 

Sirius nodded, “And quite necessary, it seems.”

“The Weasley twins are done. They had a surprise as well.”

“What? They did the inheritance test already?” Harry asked.

“No, not yet. You better see for yourself. They asked for you.”

They left the cubicle and soon found two red-heads who only remotely resembled the twins. They weren’t as stocky, and the hair colour was more auburn than orange, for example.

“Er,” Harry said confused.

“It’s us,” they said. “Gred and Forge. We are as surprised as you two.”

“Ok, the voices and the twin-speak are the same,” Sirius blinked.

Harry blinked, “But you don’t resemble your Mum anymore and your Dad even less so.”

“Yup, so that inheritance test is rather necessary now, don’t you think?”

Harry and Sirius nodded.

Grobhook had them take the test and as they waited for the result, he said, “I have commissioned two amulets for your necklaces already that will disguise your new looks. 

“Good idea, that way they can investigate this and decide what to do first” Sirius praised the goblin.

The twins nodded a bit confused and then got distracted because Master Yoda came and handed them their health scan results and they read them immediately.

“Wow.”

“Ok.”

“Damn.”

“Well, shit.”

Harry and Sirius looked at each other and then at Grobhook, who shrugged. He was as clueless as they were.

Fortunately, the twins soon became a bit more talkative, “So there was an enchantment on us that made us resemble Charlie. We guess that is because he is her true son, and we are not. And some dampening spells as well that suppress family magic.”

“That’s some Dark shit,” Sirius commented.

“No potions?” Harry wondered.

“Nah, we needed a purging potion too often. All kids do at some point, don’t they?”

“Enchantments to make one resemble a family member are nearly undetectable and more often used in our world than you might think,” Sirius told them. “Especially in Pure-blood circles. But no one ever talks about it.”

“That’s why you warned me, Grobhook, that many people get nasty surprises when taking the inheritance test,” Harry realised.

“Yes.”

“Oh man, imagine the chaos we could cause in Hogwarts if we found a way to reverse those enchantments,” the twins grinned viciously.

“Please don’t. I see the humour, but there would be so much heartache,” Sirius cautioned them. “Even I would baulk at doing this prank. Man, you two need your own Moony to rein you in!”

“Yes, you're right. It was a stupid idea. And Harry can be our Moony, right?”

Harry blinked and nodded then.

“The tests are done,” Grobhook announced and handed the results to George and Fred.

“Phew,” was the first thing they said. “Still twins.”

Then they read on for a while.

“Ok, shit.”

“Fuck me.”

“Why would they do that?”

Harry and Sirius waited patiently again with Harry leaning against his dogfather. He was just glad Neville was still with the healers. Maybe they kept him until they were finished. He wouldn’t put it past the goblins.

“Well. Meet Fred and George Prewett, sons of Gideon Prewett and Marlene Prewett, née McKinnon.

Sirius gasped, “Marlene?”

“That’s what this scan says.”

“They married? Damn. Probably never told a soul for safety reasons.”

“It also says we are the heirs of the Prewett and the McKinnon family and the Fenwick family as well. Strange.”

“Hm, I might be able to shed some light on that. You see, the Prewett twins always said they were bi, but that they had divided it among each other. So, Gideon said he was straight and Fabian, well, he was very close to Benjy Fenwick if you get what I mean.”

“So they were like us?”

“Oh, okay. Well, yes. Right down to the twin-speak. And you look like a perfect mix of your true parents now. I just don’t understand how we didn’t know about you two.”

“Safety reasons?” Harry offered.

“Probably. The McKinnons were hunted down particularly viciously. And you two did survive, so there is that.”

“Other than our families. Shit. We just don’t understand why Mum... Molly never told us.”

 “Or Athur,” Sirius offered. “I don’t see him going along with this kind of illegal plot.”

“Yeah,” the twins nodded.

“Maybe you should drag him here too,” Harry suggested.

Grobhook nodded, “We'll have Curse-breaker Weasley bring his parents. We'll call it a routine check.”

“Good idea. A perfectly innocent reason,” Sirius agreed. “What about Bill? Why did she use Charlie's likeness?”

“We scan all new employees. I cannot tell you of the results obviously, only that nothing stood out that needed our attention or made him unfit to do his job.”

“Good,” the twins signed. “Just imagine Bill was the true son of Dumbledore or something.” They both mimicked gagging.

“That would have been quite the turn of events. Especially after the news about Grindelwald,” Harry sniggered faintly.

Damn, he had enough of receiving unexpected news for one day.

“We just wonder why she didn’t blood-adopt us. Wouldn't it have made us resemble them too?” The twins said, confused.

“Not always. Look at Harry here. I blood-adopted him when he was one year old and he has very little resemblance to me, wouldn’t you say?” Sirius explained.

“Hm, why don’t you take off your glasses for a moment, Mini-Moony?” the twins asked.

Harry did so and they scrutinised him intently. 

“He looks like you, Padfoot,” they said. “Quite a bit actually.”

“Oh? I thought that was his resemblance with Lily. But you're right. I’m there too.”

Harry beamed at Sirius, quite happy with this news at least. 

A goblin rushed to Grobhook and handed him two little boxes that looked like jewel cases.

“Good. The artificers worked quickly. These will be expensive, but they're pendants that hide your new looks. I believe my client has the necklaces for these.”

“Oh, right!” Harry pulled out his wallet and handed the necklaces he had commissioned for the twins to hold his secret-keeping charm to Grobhook. Those would come later.

“Wow! Thanks, Harry! Well, we have money now, right? We’ll pay for it all. Please show us.”

Harry decided not to get into a discussion about money right now. They could talk about it later. He was also quite grateful for the distraction the twins presented at the moment. 

Soon the twins looked like they had before their check-up again and Harry had promised to tell them about the reason for the necklace later.

Harry’s suspicion was proven right when as soon as the twins had finished their business, a slightly slimmer and healthy-looking Neville joined them. 

At least there don’t seem to be any surprises there, Harry thought relieved. But better to wait for the results of his health scan.

Neville was a bit surprised to find Sirius Black waiting for them but got distracted when Master Yordam handed him his scan results wordlessly.

“Oh!” was all Neville said, when reading the results. But he then looked up and said, “Dumbledore had spells on me.”

“Shit. Sorry to hear that mate. You're not the only one. That’s why I wanted you to come here. I had a gut feeling he did something to you too. But there were no potions?” Harry asked.

“The first purging potion as a kid would have gotten rid of those, right?” Neville said. “No, ‘only’ spells. Like Decreased intellect , lowered mind barriers , and increased timidness .” Neville growled the last words. “At least the latter was breaking down. But it would probably have been renewed at some point, right?”

“Shit! Sorry to hear that, mate! At least it seems like the hat could see past the enchantments and sort you right,” Harry said consolingly.

“What did you have?” Neville wanted to know.

“Uhm, the first two were the same. Lower intellect and an unprotected mind. My third one was recklessness .”

“This all explains so much!” Neville exclaimed and then turned decisively to Grobhook, “I want to charge Dumbledore for tampering with a Pure-blood heir and all other charges I can reasonably throw at him. Even if he was convicted already.”

“We'll add them to the new list,” Grobhook nodded and made another note in his little book.

“Well, this was quite a lot of discoveries when we only set out to get a wand for Neville today, wouldn’t you say?” the twins asked.

The rest chuckled, except for Neville, who asked, “You discovered things too?”

“Uh, yeah. Tell you later,” the twins said.

Harry kept mum about his own news. He didn’t feel like sharing it– maybe never.

“Well, it looks like my part is done, here. I need to get back to Moony now. Good meeting you again, my heirs in marauding, See you later pup, and good luck with finding your wand Mr. Longbottom,” Sirius said and rushed off while the others settled their bills and then left too.

Outside of Gringotts, the twins exclaimed, “Wow, it's after four already! We need to hurry!” 

Chapter Text

So, the four of them rushed to Ollivanders where Neville was chosen by a handsome wand made of a branch of an apple tree and with the extremely rare core of Devil's Snare fibre after a long time of hunting for it. Apparently, Ollivander had experimented with different wand cores in his youth. The aforementioned man was ranting quite viciously most of the time their search took about the stupidity of ‘Gus’ for forcing an already bonded Ash wand on her grandson. This did seem to cheer Neville up quite a bit, so the quest for his wand wasn’t a bore to him, much to Harry’s relief.

Even the twins were entertained by the wandmaker's antics.

When the shopkeeper and his customer were out of hearing range, the twins asked, “So why did Sirius rush off in such a hurry? What’s up with Moony?”

“Well, it's the night of the full moon tonight, right? Additionally, there is a partial lunar eclipse this evening. I think the moon will rise half-covered by Earth's shadow or something. So, Remus is a bit antsy. Apparently, such a thing is hard on him and Moony.”

“Oh wow! We never thought of that. But will he be alright?”

“Yeah, the goblins will heal him if not, I'm sure.”

“When is the moon supposed to rise tonight anyway?”

“Around half six, I think. In the evening.”

“Will they be at Grimmauld Place?”

“Nah, they have a place in the woods – warded to the nines –  where they'll stay for tonight. Tonks is keeping me company.”

The three of them then got distracted by a crowing Neville who had found his wand at least.

After buying it and Harry gifting them all with some quality wand holsters (not the most expensive, but good ones), they hurried outside for the twins and Neville to rush back to Hogsmeade. They were quite late already. Luckily, the streets were surprisingly empty, so they quickly covered some ground.

Unfortunately, they weren’t all alone in their part of the Alley, as they nearly ran into the back of a  person in Death Eater garb who was saying loudly, “Harry Potter is here somewhere, I'm sure, Master!”

“Fuck!” Harry cursed quietly and brandished his wand, which was quickly copied by the twins and Neville, and they slowly walked backwards away from the small group of Death Eaters in full garb huddled around a very weak-looking Riddle, who was heavily leaning on one of them.

Harry scanned the area, but everyone seemed to have fled, leaving the street eerily empty. 

“There!” one of the Death Eaters yelled. “He must be one of them! Maybe he’s in disguise,” the unknown perpetrator guessed quite correctly.

“Then start the chant! I need his blood! Enslave all three of them, we have enough of the powder,” the high voice of Riddle commanded weakly.

“Oh, for fucks sake, not again!” ‘Will Turner’ cursed and said hurriedly, “ Run! I’ll hold them. Now!”

“As if!” one of the twins said and took a duelling stance as did Neville.

“Shit! Okay, try not to hit one of us. Don’t hold back. Watch each other’s backs!” Harry yelped. There was no time to discuss this now as three of the Death Eaters were closing in on them.

“Dodge any green spell,” was the last Harry managed to say before the fight started. At least, the confusion of the Death Eaters about their Master's inability to count to four gave him time to get some basic instructions out.

Riddle, meanwhile, wondered where the fourth person had come from but was soon distracted.

At least Harry looked like an adult at the moment and so the enemies concentrated on taking him down first.

But they didn’t expect to find such a ferocious adversary in the blond, weedy young man and one of them paid for it dearly in the first few seconds of the fight, never to get up again.

While the remaining two Death Eaters fought the three students and the stranger, there was chanting to be heard in the background, so Harry manoeuvred his body slightly in front of the others, his left hand free to react quickly if needed.

This wasn’t very easy as the twins tried to protect him and were inching in front of him. So, Harry barked very commandingly, “Diamond formation. None of this chivalry shit now! Neville, watch our backs!”

Amazingly the twins and Neville followed his order, and the fight got more fluid for their side. Harry and one of the twins fought the two in front of them, and the second twin pelted the three in the back with prank spells and prank items, disrupting their chant quite often and making Riddle curse.

Harry saw through his glasses that major magics were being summoned and cast an overpowered piercing charm at one of the Death Eaters in front of them that felled the man, who was trying desperately to fend off the chaos that one of the twins hurled at him. 

Harry then quickly conjured a stone slab in front of the other twin when a killing curse was cast in that direction.

The last opponent left in front of them seemed to want some safety in numbers and fell back toward the chanting three who didn’t seem very happy about it but soon had to do their best to keep on chanting, fending off the barrage of spells coming for them, and keeping their magicless lord safe. 

So just when one of the three remaining ones went to their knees, trying to take their wand out of their lifeless right hand, Riddle commanded, “Now!” and the one on his other side strongly hurled some kind of sand in their direction.

But their opponents knew that something was coming. Harry cast the vanishing spell he had practised, one of the twins cast a strong ventilation spell a second later and the other one cast a shield charm, to keep any of the remaining sand from hitting them.

The most amazing one was Neville, though. He cast an overpowered pruning spell for Devil Snares at Riddle.

Cleaving him in half.

All of this resulted in a magical overload and the area where the ritual had been performed exploded, taking the two still alive Death Eaters with it.

Harry and his friend stood there shell-shocked for a second until George (?) said, “Eeew!” and broke the spell. “Why didn’t I hold that shield a bit longer?”

The four looked at one another and saw blood and gore covering each of them.

“Eeew indeed. Are you alright? Anyone hurt?” Harry asked. “No? As long as you can walk and are not bleeding out it doesn’t matter, anyway. We need to run to Gringotts before people arrive to investigate!”

They started to run, and Fred puffed, “I don’t think even the Marauders repair spell could put them back together again.”

Chapter Text

The four rushed toward the white building while Harry cast cleaning charms on all of them repeatedly which the twins soon joined in on it. Harry led them to the backdoor, because he guessed that people might have taken shelter in the main lobby, and therefore rushed his friends inside via the more unknown entrance, calling for assistance and private healing as soon as they were inside.

Goblins rushed to them and led them to the healing caves once again, where Master Yordam quickly checked them. Only Harry was found to be injured but it was taken care of in a minute with tasty potions. He hadn’t even noticed he had been bleeding. But he immediately ordered another Ritual of Recall, should someone collect his blood at the scene.

“We must return to Hogwarts! I don’t want to become a spectacle like Harry!” Fred exclaimed.

“Oh Merlin, you're right! I don’t want to become known as the one who cut You Know Who in half!” Neville gasped.

Harry suggested, “Ollivander might tell that you were there shortly before the explosion, so if someone asks you can always say it was all a guy named Will Turner whom you met at... er Zonko’s today. If you want to, that is. But please keep my name out!”

“Good idea, Harry-kins! We better get moving though.”

“My wife will bring you to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Follow me quickly!” Grobhook announced next to them.

No one was terribly surprised by the goblin's sudden arrival and the three were ushered off to ... somewhere.

The last thing Harry heard Neville say was, “I love my new wand. I wouldn’t have been able to do this with my old one.”

“Damn, he shouldn’t be alone when the rush of fighting for his life wears off,” Harry mourned.

“Then contact them and make sure no one is alone tonight,” Master Yoda suggested. “You're physically healthy. Will you be alright?”

“Yes. I won’t be alone this evening either, but I should rush back, or Tonks will connect the dots.”

“My assistant will bring you to the inhouse Apparition point, just this once.”

Back at Grimmauld, Harry found that his dogfather and Remus had left already and that Tonks hadn’t arrived yet. Perfect.

He quickly made it look like he had been here for quite some time and fell onto one of the couches in the drawing room, breathing out loudly.

That was much too close to getting sent back in time again. What a horrible thought! Once was hard enough but twice would be devastating. I don’t think I could do this again.

Harry tried to fathom it but couldn’t. But thinking about it made him start shaking hard and break into a cold sweat. 

This must be shock setting in, he thought clinically. I wonder why I didn’t react that way the first time when someone actually did manage to send me back...

He had something to lose now... Last time there was only something to gain. Except for Teddy, that was. But he was working on it.

Er. Thank you, brain, for providing the answer.

Kreacher entered the room, took one look at Harry, and snapped his long, spindly fingers. A second later, Harr got handed a Calming Draught and was ordered to drink it.

Harry obeyed readily. He was just glad Tonks wasn’t here yet. 

Hm, she might have been called in, he mused. 

“Just Harry is feeling better now?” Kreacher asked.

“Yes, thanks. Please keep this to yourself except for Sirius. Something happened this evening that I don’t want to be linked with.”

“Just Harry should turn off the disguise then,” Kreacher suggested laconically, and Harry yelped and did just that.

“Wow, thanks! Phew, that was close,” Harry sighed. “Will you tell me when Tonks enters the house should I not hear it? I don’t want to be surprised again tonight.”

“Kreacher will. Now Just Harry must come and eat.”

After he had eaten a bit, Harry thought, didn’t I need to do something? 

Yes! Neville and the twins!

Harry tapped the mirror that was stationed in the drawing room to request a call as soon as the twins saw this and he heard Fred’s voice rather quickly, “Harry? You okay?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to make sure none of you is alone this evening. And tell you that calming draughts are amazing.”

Harry heard someone huff in the background and saw Fred was grinning now, “Yes, we noticed. Neville has taken two by now. Gred and me one each. They really do help.”

“So, you're not alone? That’s good.”

“No, we aren’t. We went to The Room. Luna came too. She brought the potions.”

Harry felt cheered up. Luna was awesome.

“And you, Harry? Are you alone?”

“Not really. Kreacher made me take the potion and I'm waiting for Tonks. She probably was called in. So, was your disappearance noticed?”

“Nope. Not even Lee knows. He was on a date with Angie and is currently on cloud nine.”

“Oh? Didn’t you go to the Yule Ball with her?”

“As friends!”

 Harry blinked, right. He now remembered Fred’s confession from earlier.

“Oh, Harry! We didn't tell you what happened in the Forbidden Forest when we arrived,” George pulled the mirror towards him.

“Oh? What happened?”

“Our arrival didn’t get noticed but we saw many wizards and witches who were returning from their great fight against the Acromantula colony. When they saw us, they grabbed us and marched us to the castle. They thought we had been watching them.”

“That’s a great alibi.”

“We thought so, too.”

“So, did they get all the spiders?”

“Only the big ones. The Forest is still infested, and it'll take decades to clean it because they have no chance to get the really small ones. And it only takes one pair to start a colony, as was shown.”

“True. So, will this become a regular occurrence?”

“Yes. But this was the worst, they said. The next fight will be easier if they don’t wait another 50 years, they said.”

Fred added, “They were very proud to have come out of the fight victoriously. Must have been tough.”

“I bet,” Harry nodded.

Now they fell back into twin speech, “We might have dropped the information that you and even some students in the seventies told Dumbledore. And that we also told McG but she blew us off,” they started whistling like innocent bystanders.

Harry snorted, “Just like the upstanding citizens you are.”

“Yes! Exactly! – Well, that information made a group of those Ministry workers march to her office. She wasn’t at dinner.”

“Boohoo. Remember her saying that we were lying this summer?”

“Exactly. Oh, and the rest – mainly the Aurors – were called to some emergency on Diagon Alley.”

“Do tell,” Harry said dryly and even Neville laughed at that.

They chatted for a while until Neville fell asleep and they decided to return to their dorms while Harry waited for Tonks’s arrival which would probably take some time.

Harry had guessed right. Tonks only arrived at Grimmauld Place at 11 p.m. She looked exhausted.

“What happened?” Harry asked, cluelessly. “I expected you much earlier. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm alright. Didn’t fight, did I? –  At least not in the Alley. – You'll learn it from the Prophet tomorrow anyway,” she sighed and flopped onto another armchair in the library Harry had migrated to. “There was a fight in Diagon Alley this evening.”

“Oh? There was? When was that?”

“Sometime past 5 pm.”

“Who fought? Shop owners?” Harry chuckled. He was lucky he was so accomplished in pretending to be clueless by now.

“No! Death Eaters and You Know Who!”

“What? Oh my god, are you okay?” Harry sat up straight.

“What? Yes. We arrived after the fight. We are not sure who they even fought. No one saw the fight as everyone fled when they saw who came to the Alley. Most Flooed to Hogsmeade or a similar location or ran to Gringotts.”

“Sensible. So the Death Eaters and Voldemort fought someone, and then what? Did they flee again?

“Their opponents fled, but only after soundly defeating the five Death Eaters and You Know Who. I mean, they were all dead! All six of them. Some of them were literally blasted apart.”

“Oh my. Who could that possibly have been?”

“We have no clue. There was a magical explosion that destroyed all magical signatures. Only some particles of time-turner sand were left, according to the Unspeakables.”

“Whut?”

“Exactly.”

“But wait. Did you say they were ALL dead? Even Voldemort?”

Tonks flinched and nodded, “Yes! We identified the bodies of Corban Yaxley and Walden Macnair for sure, but the other four were harder to identify as they were in the centre of the explosion. But we are pretty sure they were the Carrow siblings, Avery Jr, and You Know Who. But the tiny body parts are still getting sorted and awaiting true identification.”

“Urgh.” 

“Yeah. It was not pretty.”

“So, the war might be over before it even begins?”

Tonks beamed, “Sure looks like it. And that without Albus’ help.” She said the last with a frown.

“Yeah, thanks to those unknown heroes. Phew. At least it was someone other than me this time. So people can treat another poor bugger like they did me and steal their family's possessions.”

Tonks winced, “Yup, maybe we shouldn't dig too hard... But it must have been an army that managed this. Fudge is getting mighty twitchy.”

Harry snorted, “How that one is still at the top of our government is such a riddle.”

Tonks began to hum the melody of the song from the musical Cabaret ‘Money makes the world go around, the world go around...’

“Right. Well, but this is good news.”

“It really is. And the only known free Death Eaters left are Malfoy and his goons, Nott Sr, and Severus. Everyone else is dead or in Azkaban.”

“Malfoy...” Harry mused. “Maybe I need to tip the Prophet off about him and our second year.... hmmm.”

Tonks stuffed her fingers in her ears, squeezed her eyes shut, and started humming again which made Harry cackle and he pulled her up and announced, “This calls for celebratory ice cream, wouldn’t you say?”

Tonks cheered.

Chapter Text

After breakfast the next day, Tonks had to leave for work to finish the paperwork about their fight with the Acromantula that she had been ‘forced’ to ignore because of the distress call from Diagon Alley that now needed some documentation as well. She was not a happy camper this Monday morning.

Harry sat in the informal dining room, waiting for his... For Sirius and Remus. He desperately wanted to tell them about yesterday’s events. He needed to talk it out!

The Daily Prophet arrived before them, blaring in fat letters about the death of You-Know-Who at the hand of an unknown army. (The taboo spell didn’t pick up a lie since the reporter truly believed it as the word ‘army’ wasn’t blinking orange or red, just like the Ravenclaws had deduced a month ago. Or could the word ‘army’ mean four people? Nah.) 

The Reporters had tracked down all shop owners and residents of the area where the explosion had happened. But everyone had fled. Even the cats, dogs, and toads had been taken to safety via Floo or Apparition. The reporters didn’t ask around much further than that. So, no one interviewed Mr Ollivander.

Harry smiled, relieved. Neville and the twins were incredibly lucky not to be the lauded heroes of the wizarding world by now.

At nine, Sirius Side-Apparated Remus to the room they had designated for Apparition purposes for family members like Harry and Sirius, and both men flopped down at the breakfast table in the sunroom where Harry was waiting.

Harry waited until they had inhaled some tea and food and asked, “So, how was the full moon?”

“The transformation was slow and painful. That’s why we're so late. We went to Gringotts first so I could see the healers. Yoda had me right as rain in a few minutes. With those potions tasting so bad, it's no wonder...”

“They taste good! But forget about that for a minute. If you were at the Alley, you know the news, right?”

“No? We arrived at the Apparition spot close to the backdoor. And inside Gringotts no one said anything. What news?” Sirius wanted to know.

Harry held up the papers with the front page plainly visible. 

“WHAT”

“HOW?”

“Hm, let's activate the secrecy feature on our pendants,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“But that would mean...” Sirius quickly did as Harry suggested, as did Remus.

Harry then told them of their visit to Ollivanders and their meeting with the group of Death Eaters and Voldemort. 

When he came to the part of what Riddle had said and the start of the ritual Sirius sputtered, “Did they try to enslave you? With THAT ritual? AGAIN?”

“Yes, can you believe it? According to Tonks the Unspeakables even found a few grains of time-turner sand.”

“Unbelievable. But please continue. So, three were in front of you and the three in the back were chanting.”

“Right, well I surprised the first one, so that one was down. It was either Yaxley or Macnair and...” Harry proceeded to tell the rest. Including their second visit to Gringotts, and the twins and Neville's run-in with the Ministry army in the Forbidden Forest that had terminated the Acromantula colony.

“Un-be-lievable!” Sirius said again. 

“What time was it that Riddle got killed?”

“A few minutes past 5 p.m. according to Tonks, why?”

“We should check with the Astronomy Room, but I believe that was the time the partial lunar Eclipse was at its peak.”

“Really? But the moon only rose at a quarter past six?” Sirius asked, confused.

“Yes. The peak was when the moon was still below the horizon.”

“Do you think that is relevant to the death of Riddle?”

“I’ve no idea. I just find it curious that Albus was tried and sentenced at a new moon and Riddle two weeks later at a full moon with a partial lunar eclipse.”

Harry gaped, “Okay, when you put it that way... One such event could be a coincidence, but two? And such polar opposite ones like the new and the full moon? And somehow, it’s like my adventure as a time traveller has come full circle too, right? I arrive via that ritual to a time where everything is about to go to hell and now most is resolved at the same time the same ritual is performed again, but it got botched this time. Ugh. That was a bit confusing. Did you understand what I wanted to say?”

“Your job is done now, and you can go on to enjoy the rest of your life?” Sirius summarised.

Harry laughed, “Yeah, that.”

Chapter Text

Secrets are shared

A week after Riddle's fall – the twins started calling it his ‘part-ing’ when Neville wasn’t around – Harry snuck into Hogwarts and handed the twins the secret-keeping pendants and Neville and Luna the same but with the accompanying necklaces. And they all set theirs to keep them to only telling their secrets to family and friends.

They then told Luna all about last week’s events after actually activating the pendants so no one could force them to confess their heroics.

When that was done, Harry told them about his time travelling under the same premise. – He had decided to include Neville as he had become a good friend again and Harry didn’t want to exclude him after their adventure last week, so he commissioned another pendant. – Amazingly, they did believe him readily. Partly because they had seen that ritual happening, even if it didn’t actually work, there was talk about time-turner sand as a mistaken ingredient for an enslavement ritual in the news, so that fit Harry’s story. And partly because they all remembered that confusing conversation Luna and Harry had when they entered the train compartment on September 1st. But mostly because they knew Harry and trusted him that he wouldn't pull their chain about something like this. He left out the hunt for Horcruxes and only told them in broad terms how horrible that future had been and only hinted that quite a few people had died. Luckily none thought to ask him if one of them had been among those dead.

Luna nodded then, and shared her own secret with the pendants active. She didn’t trust the Wizarding World enough to have her ability become common knowledge.

The twins didn’t want to be the only ones not telling a secret, so they shared theirs about their true heritage and showed the others how they really looked.

After that long sharing of hidden truths, the twins pounced on their Mini-Moony to bounce some of their pranking ideas off of him. They had thought hard about their past ‘jokes’ and had concluded that they had crossed the line into bullying quite a few times too often and didn’t want a repeat.

On the enslavement ritual

Investigations into the ritual – that had been performed by the Dark Side that October evening – showed that they had attempted to enslave someone via a ritual. One that wasn’t possible anymore because the main ingredient couldn’t be sourced anymore. 

They learned that Macnair, who had access to the possessions of his fellow Ministry worker, an incarcerated Death Eater, Unspeakable Rookwood, had found copious amounts of some highly magical sand and brought it to his master. Said master had then concluded that it was the sand-like material needed for the enslavement ritual only he knew about (or so he thought), and decided to perform it to enslave Harry Potter because he needed the boy’s blood for whatever reason and figured this was the easiest way to get it. ( Well, the idiot hijacked a Triwizard Tournament for nearly a year the first time he needed my blood, Harry thought. This method probably was like playing it quick and dirty in his mind… ) 

All this information came from Nott Sr who had warned his fellow Death Eaters of the folly of their plans. The old man shared this after he was promised immunity from the date of Voldemort's return onward. The man shrugged and said, “Didn’t do anything illegal anyway.” Not everyone believed him, but all really wanted to know his information.

Harry just hoped that the deadly explosion and the now widespread knowledge that time-turner sand was not the right ingredient for that ritual would prevent all future attempts to perform it from now on, and he hoped the lesson the Aurors-to-be received, where that ritual was cited as an example, was updated accordingly.

He also shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if Riddle had sent his own consciousness back in time. 

Just lucky I banished nearly all the sand before George used that ventilation charm… Fuck! Just thinking about that possibility made him feel queasy. He just hoped that was what had actually happened and they didn't send Riddle, the Carrow twins, and Avery Jr back in time…

Well, this timeline still exists. So either my spell caught enough of the sand and they are truly dead now, or their minds were transported to the past and then a new dimension or something was born? Hm. That would mean my old future would still exist somewhere and my mind left. Is my body there still alive then, like after a Dementor’s kiss?

But the goblins said there was no going back. That that future was gone, lost… 

Harry shrugged. He was just glad the reality he was in right now didn't disappear and didnt turn Dark after they had defeated Riddle.

The older Weasleys at Gringotts

A week after the second fall of Voldemort, just when Harry was meeting his friends in secret at Hogwarts, Bill Weasley brought his parents for a routine check-up. He found it a bit strange but went along with it because he had heard through the grapevine that the twins had initiated the whole thing and he couldn’t see any nefarious purposes behind it.

Molly Weasley was fussing quite a bit that she was all right and her husband was all right too; so Bill started to get a bit suspicious. She did protest a bit too much for his taste.

“Mum, it’s a free check-up. What’s there to complain about?”

“We're healthy! We don’t need it. I need to try sending a ho… I mean… a letter to Harry again and check Ron’s homework! This is such a waste of mo... time!”

“It would be a waste of time if we left now. Come on, Mum. Then we know for sure that you two are well.”

Molly Weasley huffed but saw no good reason to refuse. And her eldest son was getting suspicious. Even Arthur looked at her a bit funny.

When in the healing cave, she snapped at the goblin in light brown robes, who just looked ridiculous, “Well, get on with it!”

Bill facepalmed, but it was out of his hands now.

Master Yordam said, “Certainly,” and hit her with a sleeping spell. Making her fall backwards onto the low cot that stood behind her with a loud thump.

Arthur winced and quickly lay down on the next cot as a precaution, making the goblin bark a laugh.

***
Two hours later, Arthur woke up and felt great. He looked at the cot Molly had been on, but found it empty. They probably saw to her needs first, he thought and sat up. 

It was like the now upright position of his head made a wave of memories flood into his mind. 

He saw

-  himself, catching a very young Molly dosing his food with a potion, and him ending their relationship.

- himself, making plans to restore the Weasley name to its former glory by climbing up the career ladder in the Ministry with hard work and honesty.

- the Prewett twins, sitting Molly and him down about Gideon's sons and Molly and him agreeing to pretend they were theirs because Marlene’s family was being hunted viciously.

- a freshly wounded and hastily patched-up Moody, bringing the horrible news of Molly’s brothers’ deaths. Molly losing it and spewing vile vitriol about Marlene, the ‘scarlet woman’, being to blame. That her having children out of wedlock was the reason for her brothers' deaths. An uncomprehending Moody getting chased out of the Burrow with nasty spells and then --- the very strong need to ‘play with his Muggle plugs’.

Many more memories of that kind came and sorted themselves rather randomly among his other ones. 

Arthur fell back onto the cot and just breathed. Had his whole adult life been a lie? Him being led around while under the influence of love potions and memory charms?

Did she always dose him with love potions?

He didn’t think so. He could still feel a deep affection for her and an even deeper heartache now. The goblins had unlocked his memories. They surely had been able to flush any unwanted potion, right? So his feelings now must be his own, he concluded.

He rubbed his face and sighed. What a mess. But she had gone too far, hadn’t she? 

He just didn’t know anymore. 

He loved his children and even if the love between him and his wife had been a lie in the beginning, he would never regret his kids being born. All seven of them. Five. Oh Merlin! The twins were his wife’s nephews and she had made him believe they were his.

That was why he didn’t feel as deep a connection to them, even if he loved the educationally challenged, fun-loving pranksters dearly.

He heard steps and saw Bill coming towards him, some folded parchments in his hand.

Arthur sat up again and Bill pulled up a small stool to sit on, “Dad. How do you feel?”

“I don’t know. Very good physically. Mentally and emotionally... not so much.”

“Okay... Well, the goblins took Mum in for questioning and further evaluation. They are saying they found grievous irregularities with you. But not what exactly.”

“This stays between us for the time being, Son, alright? Your mother potioned me – at least in the beginning of our relationship – and obliviated me many times – planting suggestions in my mind, like ‘Go, play with your Muggle plugs’.”

Bill jumped up, the stool clattering onto the floor and yelped, “What?”

To distract his son, Artur asked, "What do you have there, Son?” Artur pointed to the forgotten parchment in Bill’s hand.

“What? Oh, your health scan results,” Bill handed them to Arthur while ranting, “That controlling, conniving woman. Everything has to go exactly like she wants it. But I never thought she would stoop so low as to Obliviate her husband!”

Arthur nodded and mumbled, “Me neither,” while studying the healer's results. 

He had been right. The love potions had left his system by the time Charlie was conceived, but the memory charms had kept coming. The goblins could even detect if a new impulse had been implanted in his mind. Just not what. Only that some had started to deteriorate.

Otherwise, he was in good health.

Bill was still ranting, and Arthur caught the last part, “... no wonder Charlie and I left home as soon as possible. What’s the deal with Percy though, why did he leave? He was always her favourite.”

“Oh, he left us because of me. He is ashamed of me, the laughingstock at the Ministry with a dead-end job.”

“Oh.”

“Right, but that’s mainly due to the suggestions she planted in my mind, too, now that I think of it... I just don’t understand why she did that. Why keep me in that job that makes us live in near-poverty? Why dampen all of my aspirations?”

“Do you think she wanted you for herself? Like, if you had risen in the ranks, you would have spent more time away from home and might have become more interesting to other women.”

“But she made me develop an obsession with Muggle items and I spent most of my time while at the Burrow in that shed!”

Bill’s face darkened, “Don’t you see? That way you were safely under control, but not underfoot.”

“I wish I could refute your conclusions, but these results say something else...” Arthur felt mentally extremely tired as if his mind had run a race. “I feel like my whole adult life has been a lie. And I had so many plans in my youth... Some of them do somehow align with the ones I have currently, but those are so... idiotic. Like plans of a small child. And Merlin, did I bumble about in the Muggle world,” Arthur winced when some memories of his blundering rose to the forefront of his mind.

“I always wondered how you could have been so brilliant at school and so well, you said it, bumbling as an adult.”

“The most idiotic thing is that I believe she fell in love with me because I was so smart back then. And then she did her best to dumb down that intellect...”

“Yes. And she could only make you interested in her with love potions,” Bill scowled.

“Well, my head was a bit in the clouds at that time. Chasing theories and obscure knowledge so I bet it was hard to get me to notice anyone. But how did you know it was back then that she dosed me?”

“Because I was conceived under the influence of it. It came up at my check-up before Gringotts employed me. And Mum never hid that knowledge from us.”

“Right... It never really sank in. But to be conceived under that influence means...”

“...that my ability to fall in love of the romantic kind is challenged....”

“Oh no!”

“That’s why Fleur and I fit so perfectly. We like, even love each other. Maybe not romantically exactly, but there is lots of attraction, believe me. Just none of that starry-eyed stuff. I'm okay, don’t worry.”

“Well, I'm rather unsure about romantic love right now, considering the circumstances.”

Bill nodded.

“So what now?” Arthur asked.

“Well, the goblins are questioning and evaluating her right now, but it looks like she never got over the shock of her brothers dying. It seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak. But she had strong obsessive tendencies before that already.”

“They told you all that?”

“Yes. I'm a Gringotts employee, and she is mentally unstable. So they could tell me. I was also the closest relative at hand that she didn’t influence with potions or mind magics.”

“Right.”

They sat there in silence for a while.

Arthur sighed, “I think I want two things. First, she gets the best help we can afford and second, I want a divorce.”

Bill nodded, “They'll keep her here for the time being. You can think it over for a few days if you want to.

Arthur certainly needed that, so he nodded, “Make sure they warn me before they release her. I don’t want her to appear at the Burrow unannounced.”

“I will.”

An hour later Arthur stood in front of the house he had lived in for his whole adult life. 

The house all of his children had been born in. 

The house Molly had so lovingly run and managed.

A random thought flitted through his mind, Must feed the chicken and the pigs. And water the plants... How do I manage that without Molly, the familiar thought ran along familiar neural pathways in his brain.

Then an old thought managed to fight his way up to his conscious mind, As Weasleys always do. House-elves.

“Ferdy!”

A wizened old house-elf appeared after a moment, “Master remembers Ferdy at last?” he asked weakly.

“Yes! Oh dear, I'm so sorry Ferdy. I was memory-charmed to forget about you! Please be welcome at this house! And you only need to obey my son Bill and I for the moment, alright?”

As soon as those words left Arthur's mouth, the elf seemed to regain some of his strength and he stood straighter, “Yes Master! May Ferdy work here?”

By the evening, the livestock was fed, the plants watered, and the house sparkling. 

That was how Bill found it when he and Fleur arrived at the Burrow to help his dad.

After they had been introduced to Ferdy, the humans sat down in the comfortable living room.

“Molly is a good homemaker...” Arthur sighed when he looked around.

“Yes.”

Arthur added, “But it feels like a fairy tale home now. As if she was living out a daydream.”

Fleur blinked and said, “Bill only told me his mozzer is unwell and you need help with ze household.”

“That’s not untrue, but not the whole truth. You're part of our family... What does she know about your conception, Bill?”

“All that I knew. You should know, Dad, that I had Charlie checked and they found he was conceived without any help of love potions, and you seemed happy, so I never told you.”

Arthur nodded, “Our world has very lax standards concerning love potions. They are seen as a trivial inconvenience at best.”

Fleur scowled, “Zey are rape-drugs! Many wizards try slipping zem in my food. Zey should be punish...able?” She looked to Bill.

“Their use should be punishable, that’s right,” He gently corrected. “And the wizards in question should get punished.”

“Exactement!”

Bill added, “I heard there is a Foundation in the making that has exactly that as a goal. To make the use of love potions anathema and punishable by law. I believe some rich client found they had been conceived under their influence as well and decided to do something about it.”

Fleur sat up straight, “I vill tell zem I'll help, however I can. And if it is only as the face of zis fondation, so be it.”

Arthur and Bill nodded, it was a good idea and a good cause.

“If they could use me, I'll gladly help as well,” Arthur added.

“Me too,” Bill nodded. “I’ll talk to my superiors.”

Arthur sighed, “On a different note, I also need to contact the twins. I’ll tell you why later. I need to talk to them first.”

“Okay. But you should know that it was them who initiated the check-ups for you and Mum.”

“They did?” Arthur frowned. “Do they know?”

“About the love potions?”

“Oh... no. There is something else that I remember now. But I really should talk to them first. They are good boys, even if they are not as smart as the rest of you.”

Bill started laughing and Fleur soon joined in with her tinkling laughter.

“You think... haha... you…,” *snort* “... that the twins are not as smart as us? Hahaha…”

Arthur blinked, “That’s what Molly...oh dear... So, they are not actually educationally challenged?”

Bill snorted again and said, “Hell no! Dad, think! How many wizards can create new spells and potions in this day and age? Even if they are for pranking reasons, they are still ingenious!”

Arthur blinked again. His son was right. They were geniuses, even if a bit morally ambiguous like their true father...

“Right... you're right,” Arthur nodded, “There are so many misconceptions and so much false information littering my mind... Fleur, my wife obliviated me multiple times during our marriage and planted new thoughts and impulses... The goblins seem to have restored all the memories... how that is possible I have no idea… Hm, I always thought, once obliviated, the memory is lost forever.”

“Zat is ‘orrible! Zat she made you forget. We vill ‘help you regain your sense of self, n'est-ce pas?” She looked at her fiancé.

Bill nodded, “Yes, we will. Do you want to stay at the Burrow, Dad? Or do you need some distance?”

“Hm. No. While it is mainly Molly’s house, it’s where you kids were all born and there are many good memories here,” Arthur looked around. “Maybe I’ll have Ferdy redecorate a bit and pack away some of Molly’s things, like her knitting.”

“Sounds good, Dad. I just wonder why Mum made you forget about him. She always complained about all the work she had to do, seems idiotic.”

“I thought about it and think that she needs to be needed and in control…well, and praise for how hard she is working…”

“Sounds about right,” Bill nodded thoughtfully.

“You could always ask ‘arry and his godfazer to come and repair ze ‘ouse to make it more your own?”

“That’s an idea! I might do that.” Arthur nodded to Fleur.

Chapter Text

Arthur visits the Twins

Arthur officially visited the twins at Hogwarts the next weekend.

When he arrived at school, he nearly ran into Minerva who seemed to await him at the castle gates.

“Good day, Arthur.”

“Good day, Minerva. I'm here to meet Fred and George. Did you need something?”

“Well, yes. Where is Molly? She disappeared last weekend and never returned. And I couldn’t reach her via owl or Floo.”

Arthur winced. He had forgotten to inform Hogwarts in all the emotional chaos. “I'm sorry, Minerva. I should have contacted you.”

She huffed, “Yes, you should have.”

“Well, you see, Molly had a health check-up and they found something was wrong with her. Old trauma leading back to her brothers’ deaths and such. So, no owls can reach her right now and I closed the Floo. I needed some time to myself.”

Minerva’s face softened a bit, “Oh, well, the oversight is more understandable then. We managed for the week, but will she be able to return?”

“I don’t know, and her healers don’t know either, I'm sorry to say.”

“I see. Are you alright, Arthur?”

“Yes. Bill and Fleur are helping out. Thank you for your concern.”

“Very well, let me show you to the meeting room the twins are waiting at. I need to find a new Charms teacher in addition to a new History teacher now...”

Arthur entered the room and found the twins counting money.

“Does this have anything to do with Minerva looking for a new History teacher?” he asked, chuckling.

The twins beamed at him and said innocently, “We have no idea what you're talking about.”

“I see,” Arthur sat down. “So, which one left?”

“Binns! Bagnold wore him down.”

“Well, that’s good then. He was such a sleeping potion.”

“Our thoughts exactly. So, Bill wrote to us that you and...Mum went to Gringotts to get a check-up last weekend. And Mum didn’t return. What’s going on?”

“Well, Molly was found to be mentally unstable and is still getting helped and I ... well, you seem to know already...”

“That she isn’t our Mum? Yeah.”

“I'm sorry, boys.”

“Did you know?”

“I did until your biological father died. We agreed to hide you two with our lot during the first war, telling everyone Molly had magically concealed you before that for safety reasons. She wasn’t happy with Gideon and Marlene having children out of wedlock but agreed to help anyway. And you two were just too cute to say no to.”

The twins chuckled but said, “They were married in secret, but because our real mum's family was hunted, they kept it quiet. Even from their sister/sister-in-law (each twin said one of the words at the same time).

“Oh Merlin. Well, to tell you the rest, after Moody informed us of the Prewett twins' death, Molly lost it. She chased Moody off the premises with some spells unknown to me and obliviated me, telling me you were my sons.”

“Wow, that’s harsh.”

“The healers believe that she never really recovered, and that her controlling tendencies got even worse over time.”

“That explains so much! And you, Dad/Uncle Arthur? Are you okay? Do you remember everything now?”

“Please call me Dad. You two are my sons in my heart, even if the family magic says otherwise. But yes. They restored my memories. And how would I know if I remember everything now?”

“Okay, that was a stupid question.”

Arthur chuckled, “I always wondered about questions like this. Like, when we arrived at Hogwarts as little firsties and Hagrid asked if we were all that were coming... How should we know?” 

“Haha, right! We asked back how many he was expecting, and he huffed and led us to the boats... Er... Maybe we should tell someone.”

“Good idea. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I listened to your... I mean... that I listened to Molly about your intellect. Bill set me straight. Said you were smarter than him, Percy, and Charlie together.” 

The twins grinned. 

“But I also wondered, why do you look so much like Charlie? I mean yes, Molly is your paternal aunt and Charlie takes after her, but...”

The twins looked at each other and then at the room, seeing no portrait and they had checked for listening charms already anyway. Luckily, they had set the secret-keeping pendant to allow them to tell their friends and family their locked-in secrets if they wanted to.

“You see, we went to Gringotts a couple of weeks ago and had a health scan like you and an inheritance test. They found M...Molly had cast spells on us, making us look close to Charlie for some reason.”

“Maybe she thought that she wanted more kids looking like they took after her side of the family with Bill and Percy looking more like me. Ron was too little to tell, back then.”

“Possible. So, the goblins gave us disguises. Do you want to see what we really look like?”

“Yes and no. No, I mean yes. Hmph! I want to see.”

The twins deactivated their disguise amulets and sat there looking at Arthur, who blinked away tears, “You look like the perfect mix of your real parents.”

“That’s what Sirius said, too, when he saw us at Gringotts.”

“Sirius was there?”

“Yes. For Harry. We don’t know why exactly. Harry wasn’t happy though. Must have learned something, too.”

Arthur’s now quick mind connected a few dots and frowned, it didn’t paint a pretty picture if his suspicion was true about who wanted to start up that new Foundation Bill told him about.

“Yes, some family secrets should stay just that, secrets. But what do you two want to do?”

The twins looked at each other, “We want to revive the Prewett name and maybe the McKinnon one too, later. So we would like to take on the Prewett name after we leave Hogwarts.”

Arthur nodded sadly, “If you think it best. Then in about half a year, give or take?”

“Weeell, about that.”

“What?”

“We decided to home-school after Yule. The workshops are done by then, and the rest of the lessons are a bit boring, to be honest.”

“The workshops? I didn’t know you applied to any.”

The twins told Arthur of their deal with Sirius and Remus, and he couldn’t believe it. They were prodigies and got an N.E.W.T. each after only reviewing for a week after their fifth year!

“I feel like I let you down, boys. No, don’t protest. Even if Molly is mainly to blame, I went along. Letting her handle raising you.”

“It’s, okay Dad/Uncle Arthur.”

Arthur chuckled, “That twin-speak comes in handy, sometimes, right?”

The twins beamed at him, and it was like seeing his old friends. 

It was a bit disconcerting.

Harry’s Ongoing Education

Harry sat his OWLs for the next few months and received 11 O.W.L.s by February. All Os. He took care not to seem too smart, to avoid getting tested for his N.E.W.T.s, too, like the twins had. He took the tests under his new name Harry Black, without the glasses and a different hairstyle that left his scarless forehead clear for all to see. No one recognized him. 

They probably assume Sirius blood-adopted some random Muggle-born kid to have an heir and did cast some of those secret enchantments that no one talks about, and now they are politely ignoring the elephant in the room, Harry guessed, quite correctly. And apparently, no one finds it strange he called that kid ‘Harry’ too. Idiots.

By the time Harry had finished writing his O.W.L.s, a few old and new housemates had moved in. The twins and Snape at the beginning of the Yule holidays, and Tonks officially moved in with Remus on January 15th, much to Harry and Sirius’ delight.

In February, the portrait of Walburga Black started to teach Harry and Severus (as they all called him by now) all about the sacred task of being the Head of an Ancient and Noble House. When she learned the twins would be the Heads of the Ancient and Noble House of Prewett, she was adamant that they needed to join the lessons too. 

This led to a huge portrait being hung in the drawing room, so she could move between the entrance hall and the drawing room, where she now taught her four pupils. 

It took years of an hourly lesson each day to impart all of her knowledge and when she got to the finer details, Sirius had to join in as well, much to his (hidden) disgust.

They never would figure out how the painting could have been repaired the way it was, as the painter's guild was extremely secretive. Well, as she had been mightily improved, no one cared all that much.

Then, after Sirius deemed Harry to be competent enough, they brewed the Animagus Revealing Potion, together with the twins and Severus, who also wanted to know their inner animals. Sirius didn’t mind. One or four potions, that expensive ingredient he had gotten for Harry would be enough for them all.

Harry – as expected – was a bird. A kestrel to be precise. The twins, even with their shared soul, were two different animals. A racoon(George) and a red squirrel (Fred). And, last but not least, there was Severus who learned that his Animagus form was also a bird, much to his surprise. A black raven with sleek black feathers and a huge beak. (“Explains the nose,” Sirius muttered.)

Soon they were learning to transform body parts and much hilarity ensued. All were happy they had some form of goblin disguise at hand to hide some of their mishaps quickly.

But by late spring they all could transform fully, and Harry and Severus went on long flights after practising on the roof garden for a while.

Luckily Buckbeak was intelligent enough to know none of them were prey and left them alone. He even defended Fred once when a buzzard zoned in on him.

Arthur

At the Ministry, Arthur surprised everyone with his regained competency and sharp wit. The one thing that hadn’t changed was that he was incorruptible. But the current administration was losing their hold on power quickly anyway after Malfoy went on a long journey when news about his conduct at Hogwarts 92/93 became known after a concerned reader’s letter caused a reporter to investigate.

The Ministry and the public also learned of Hogwarts’ way of keeping its secrets in-house, and issued a decree that only if the safety or privacy of a student was in danger was Hogwarts allowed to activate it. As it was what that feature had been about, before a line of corrupt headmasters had taken over, no one protested the new rule. (It worked perfectly for Harry.)

Now everyone knew about the possession and death of Quirinus Quirrell, the Basilisk scare (even if the possessed student’s name remained a secret), the Dementors on Hogwarts grounds and so much more.

Minerva McGonagall’s hold on her job as deputy headmistress became increasingly shaky while Fudge got voted out of office soon after Voldemort’s fall and Malfoy’s disappearance.

For Arthur, things started to look up. He was quickly promoted to the Head of the Improper Use of Magic Office, a Main Division of the DMLE, and not a subdivision like the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office had been. 

But more importantly, Percy started talking to his father again. It took them a while but after a month with his new job, Arthur invited Percy to visit the Burrow because he had some news.

There Percy learned of the divorce between Molly and Arthur and that his mother wasn’t allowed to enter the premises anymore, or she would be arrested. Arthur just knew she refused further help in healing and lived with her Aunt Muriel now. Arthur refused to start any legal proceedings against her, and Bill had raised a ward around the Burrow that caught Howlers.

It had been necessary was the only thing that Arthur said about that.

“But why, Dad?”

So, Arthur told his shocked son about the Obliviations.

“That is unbelievable and so scary, Dad!”

“It is. I established a rule that all Weasleys and their brides or grooms need to be checked before their wedding and later too.”

“Oh!”

Arthur blinked, “Do you plan to marry, Son?”

“Well, yes. Penny and I got engaged on New Year’s Eve.”

“Wonderful! I'm so happy for you.”

“Thank you. So, you don’t mind? Mum was a bit reserved about her, because she is Muggle-born.”

“I don’t mind at all! I didn’t lose all of my appreciation for Muggles, you know? But I respect and distrust them now, too.”

“Sensible. There's so much more of them than us.”

“Exactly, and some are incredibly smart and they develop their technology at a much faster pace than we do magically. So, if you want to save money for your wedding and marriage you're welcome to move back in. Ferdy, the old family house-elf, is looking after the house and grounds and cooks too. So you would have very little expenses.”

“Really? That would be amazing, Dad!”

“Really. You're always welcome.”

“Then I’ll give my notice for my flat in London as soon as I return there. But oh! Would Penny be welcome to visit from time to time, too?”

“Sure,” Arthur waited with inviting her to stay at the Burrow full-time until he got to know her a little. He had no problem with keeping propriety. They were adults and could decide for themselves what they wanted to do when in private.

Percy blinked. He seemed to be a bit overwhelmed, so he studied the room for real for the first time since his arrival.

“Oh! You've redecorated! And did you get repair work done?”

Arthur chuckled, “Yes, last week I had some visitors who know an awesome repair spell and are really powerful. They cast just one spell together and this was the result.”

“Amazing! Who are those people?”

“Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Sirius’ blood-adopted son, and Fred and George. They call themselves the Marauders' Enterprise.”

Percy gaped; he didn’t know where to start with all of his questions that popped up in his head.

After a minute he stuttered, “The twins? Aren’t they at Hogwarts?”

“No, they left to homeschool themselves.”

“The twins?” Percy squeaked.

Arthur chuckled, “Surprised me as well. But Hogwarts just bored them.”

Percy blinked and then looked thoughtful, “So I was right about them. They are so smart that normal education isn’t right for them. I tried to tell Mum when they started their third year...”

“Let me guess, she scoffed and convinced you they weren’t bored but stupid.”

“In a nutshell.”

“I'm sorry, son.” 

“Not your fault, Dad. So, do they know about what Mum did?”

“They were the ones to get the ball rolling, but that is not my story to tell.”

“Okaaay,” Percy stretched the last part of the word.

“Why don’t you figure out if you want to move in first and we invite the twins for dinner after you have decided.”

Percy nodded, “To be honest, my flat is a dump, and in a really bad area. I would move in today if I could.”

“Then get your things, son, and move in now.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Chapter Text

Harry

Harry relaxed in a sun chair on the roof garden, enjoying a warm spring day, and watching a red squirrel run up and down the trees. The little fellow was playing a strange version of hide-and-seek with Hedwig, who hid nuts somewhere in the trees and Chitter then went searching for them.

Harry was quite content with his life, his family and friends, and even his looks. No glasses, hair in a low ponytail, about a foot taller by now, and dressed in black Muggle clothes again. He didn't think he would ever change that. He imagined himself in Dumbledore-like clothes and snorted. 

The only thing that was… not really a problem, but an open question, had been addressed by Bill yesterday. Harry thought back to their conversation they had under a silencing charm. 

Bill had asked him point blank if one of his parents had been dosed with love potions. 

Harry had been quite taken aback at first until Bill told him about his and Fleur’s conversation with Arthur about love potions and the new foundation, who later heard from the twins that Harry had called for Sirius after an inheritance test at Gringotts because he had gotten bad news and soon after the new foundation was in the making. Arthur had put two and two together and told Bill of his suspicion, but only because his son was in the same boat.

Harry blinked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, people who are conceived while one of the parents is influenced by a love potion have a hard time feeling romantic love.”

Harry started. Did that apply to him, too? Dumbledore had said the same thing about Riddle in his LF, didn’t he? But he had...

“I see you need some time to think about it,” Bill had smiled reassuringly. “Just wanted to let you know I'm there for you, should you have questions.”

Harry had nodded, “Er, okay. Thanks for the heads-up. I really need to think about it.”

Bill had nodded too and walked over to the twins who were in deep discussion with Percy and Penny of all people.

Harry’s mind wandered to the part of the Weasley family he was in contact with, now.

The twins, naturally, but also Bill and Fleur, and most amazingly Arthur, who brought Percy and Penny.

Arthur, who now was much smarter and self-assured. The man had repeatedly been obliviated by his mentally unstable ex-wife. He had told the shocked inhabitants of Grimmauld Place a while ago when they had visited the Burrow. The twins had known this, but had kept their mouths shut. It wasn’t their story to tell.

All this had been brought to light when Arthur and Molly had gone to get that ‘mandatory check-up’ parents of human employees ‘had to get’.

Harry couldn’t really comprehend what Arthur must be going through. He’d thought being thrown back in time 13 years into his 15-year-old self was preferable to waking up in a 45-year-old body and just then remembering how one’s whole adult life had been manipulated and based on a lie.

On the other hand, my own childhood was like that until now... Well, maybe I have an inkling of what Arthur is going through. 

But I haven’t been raped via Love Potion, that’s a plus. Hmm, but not for any lack of trying...

Okay, his mind returned to that topic like a dog with a bone.

Did he have romantic feelings for anyone in his LF?

Well, there was Cho. He had found her attractive before she whammied him with that airborne potion, right? But did he feel like only she existed in this world? Like he couldn’t live without her? Like all the love songs suddenly made sense?

Nah. The songs had been as puzzling as before. 

Harry frowned. So, attraction yes, crush no?

Well, let’s look at the others.

Ginny was attractive too. And they did have sex a few times in his LF. But all-encompassing love? 

Nope. 

Even under the influence of love potions, as he now realised.

Maybe he was more attracted to... his mind had a hard time finishing that thought as the voice of Uncle Vernon of old started ranting about ‘fairies’ in his head.

Damn. He really needed to chuck that brainwashing of his childhood. 

Boys. Men. There. Easy.

Maybe he was more into them?

Some attractive faces went through his head, like Cedric, Oliver, the new Fred, and others.

Meh. The same as with girls. Attractive was attractive.

Well, duh.

Could he see himself in bed with a male?

Sure. It would be pleasurable, right? If it was the right one. Same as with girls.

“Well, fuck me.”

“No, thanks,” a male voice sounded behind him. “You could ask Fred though. He probably wouldn’t say no.”

Harry turned his head around quickly and saw George grinning down at him.

“Goof. Looking for your brother? He's somewhere in the trees.”

“Is Chitter playing with Hedwig again?”

“Bingo.”

“Hm, do you think Buckbeak would agree to play with Chatter?”

“I don't think he's here. Took flight a while ago. You know how he likes to make those days-long trips.”

“Hmpf. Then please conjure such an awesome sun chair for me too.” 

Harry lazily waved his wand and an orange sun chair with bright pink dots appeared on the other side of the little low table next to Harry.

“What were you thinking so hard about?” George asked while patting the chair appreciatively and then gingerly sat down on it. One never knew in this household after all. He was lucky, nothing happened.

“Something Bill said. Stuff. Private.”

“Oh, okay. Well, should you want to talk, we are here. We're not only about chit-chat you know?”

Harry snorted.

“By the way, Severus agreed to turn Sirius’ hair black again. There was much haggling going on beforehand.”

“Who knew Snape was so awesome at pranking?”

“Right?”

“That raven within probably brought it to the forefront. Ravens are not only smart but also mischievous.”

“True. Oh, apropos animagus forms, I looked up purring and racoons. It's not solely Chatter who can do it. No, it’s a thing with all of them.”

“Wow, strange. Who would have thought, right?”

A small red squirrel raced down a tree trunk and hopped onto Harry’s chair about 3 metres away from the ground. It carried a hazelnut between its sharp front teeth. 

As soon as it had found its balance it started to crack the nut.

“All praise the mighty hunter and his prey!”

Chitter chittered at George for a very short time and went back to his task.

Meanwhile, Harry decided to talk to Bill again.

Later that day, after dinner, Tonks announced to all of them that she and Remus were expecting a child and planned to marry this summer.

Harry probably was the happiest of the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place next to the future parents.

As it was Spring Break at the moment, Luna had been invited for a visit and was now sitting with Harry on the roof again. The others left them alone so they could spend some time alone.

Sirius had even waggled his eyebrows, the idiot.

Luna relaxed in the sun chair Harry had conjured for George a day before and happily closed her eyes, letting the sun shine on her face. She asked, “Why does Stubby think you and I are a thing?”

Harry sniggered at her name for Sirius and answered, “Because he likes to be a nuisance. He sees romantic entanglements everywhere.”

“Hm, maybe he needs a different target. You don't really tangle, right?”

“I'm starting to realise that.”

She turned her head and looked at him closely, “The drops of snake and bird are very slowly erasing the effects your parents’ love potion had on you. By the age of 33, it should be gone.”

“Oh, wow,” Harry perked up, “Does that mean, I have 17 years to fool around and then I can start looking for a partner for life?”

Luna nodded.

“Oh! Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

“Are you interested in anybody?”

“Yes. He just needs to learn to stand up to his grandmother then we'll become a couple and marry.”

“Neville?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, wow. And you see all of this with your mage-sight?”

Luna tilted her head a bit, “My sight is geared to the present and the future, so yes. I see it.”

“Amazing! I had cast the mage-sight spell on my glasses last summer and I saw enchantments and stuff like that. But no future, or Nargles.”

“Be glad, Harry. They are pests!”

“Except when they tell you that meeting Rhodochrosite at the edge of the Forbidden Forest is okay.”

“Except then,” Luna nodded agreeably.

“So how is Hogwarts? How are your classmates treating you? How are the teachers?”

 “Hogwarts is happy. She loves that her Charter is adhered to again and bullying is at an all-time low. My classmates are treating me much better, now that I keep what I see to myself, and the teachers are getting there. None are overworked anymore, and History and Potions have become well-liked.” 

Okay, one question at a time. Mine multiplied now, Harry thought and asked, “How are those two Americans holding up, running such an old-world institution like Hogwarts?”

“They're doing great. They're not in awe or were indoctrinated from early on, so they come with an outside view and find many things to improve.”

“That’s great!” 

“They said the Charter was reasonable, and that they can easily work within its limits. And they called an assembly and spoke to us about decent human behaviour and things like that. Like staring at other people was bad, table manners were expected, such as closing one's mouth when chewing and swallowing before speaking.”

Harry laughed, “I wonder who he possibly could have meant.”

Luna giggled.

Harry asked, “And Defence Against the Dark Arts?”

“The new administration contracted Gringotts to find the curse, but they said it was gone with the death of Voldemort.” Luna had no problem with saying that name, it seemed.

“That’s good, right?”

“It's still hard to find good teachers. I wish Remus would agree to come.”

“Nope, he’s very busy with our company Marauders’ Enterprise. He runs most of it and is earning bucket loads of money. He’s making a name in the Muggle world as well, who sees him as an eccentric genius in repairing the most delicate old paintings and books and such. They’re trying to strong-arm him into showing them his workplace but if they get too insistent, he declines the job and they have to go to another craftsman. He just tells them he has enough money and that he only does it for fun. So, his way or no way.”

“He needs to take care not to get too known in that world.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll tell him.”

“He should send an intermediate under goblin disguise so no one can recognize the person in either world.”

“Okay. That’s good advice. Thank you.”

Luna smiled and nodded.

“How are my former dormmates?”

“Good. Still in two rooms because they are six now. Neville and Rajiv hang out a lot and Dean, Seamus, and John are the new golden trio. Not really golden, but you get my meaning.”

Harry sniggered.

“Ron tried to join both groups but was so abrasive that they told him no. He hangs out alone most of the time and without anyone forcing him to do his homework he is slipping. He might not get more than one OWL if he doesn’t buckle down.”

“I’ll tell the twins. Maybe they want to alert their dad.”

“That would be good. Ron’s very lost right now.”

Harry nodded, “Yeah. But not my problem to solve.”

“No.”

Visiting the Dursley Home(s)

During the summer of ’96, Harry visited the Dursleys after an insistent letter from Dudley, and Harry at once understood why he had needed to come. The Dursleys were in the process of moving, it seemed. So when he arrived, he only found his cousin at home, packing boxes.

The now sixteen-year-old had slimmed down considerably thanks to a new diet, sport, and a watered-down potion that Master Yoda had prescribed, as Dudley told Harry sniggering. 

Well, that happened after Harry convinced Dudley that it really was him. After all, he had changed quite a bit, too.

They spent some time wondering if the little Jedi in the films had been ‘invented’ by a Muggle-born, but then Harry couldn’t help but ask about the move and the reason for it. 

Dudley told him quite gleefully that sometime during the Easter holiday the alarm-wards the goblins had installed had gone off and soon a group of disguised goblins had come to defend them as their contract demanded.

What they found was quite unbelievable.

Apparently, after being let go by Hogwarts when more competent teachers had been found, Vance* and Diggle decided to start an agency called Brass Cat Tours and they sold tickets to interested wizarding folks to look at the house the Boy Who Lived had grown up in. (Dudley had taken care to remember all the names because he wanted to tell Harry everything in detail.) The group of badly disguised wizards and witches masquerading as Muggles had tripped the wards, and they had started taking pictures with very old-fashioned cameras.

Harry gaped at Dudley, “They didn’t! Brass Cat Tours... The audacity! How many escaped?”

“None. Those wards trapped them. Not that they noticed in the beginning, they were too busy taking pictures.”

“Un-fucking-believable!”

“Right? So, anyway, the goblins collected them and carted them off. We were later told that they destroyed the films in their cameras and that everybody had been... erm... obliviated?”

“Exactly, which means they were memory-charmed – made to forget. Good. Diggle and Vance too?”

“Yup.”

“That’s all?”

“Nah, I think they had to pay a fee. Our location has been taken from their minds, but not that they took people to your childhood home for money.”

“Why didn’t you tell me in one of your letters?”

Dudley sniggered, “I wanted to see your face when you heard about that. Grobhook promised not to tell you, either.”

Harry grinned, he could understand that. “And now you're moving? Did any more come to ‘visit’?”

“Nope, but Mum doesn’t feel safe here anymore. And she says there are some bad memories connected to this house now, too. I feel the same. I want to get rid of that horrible bully I was. And to do that in a place where everyone knows who and what I have been is hard. They expect me to behave a certain way and I don’t want to. So we’re all frustrated.”

Harry nodded. He got that.

“But it's different at Smeltings, right?”

“Oh, yes. I have real friends there now. What is a bit annoying is that I'm like their model student. The reformed bully who also lost a ton of weight. All due to their awesome concept...”

Harry snorted, “Right. Well, good for them.”

“That’s what I thought.”

The two had migrated to the kitchen where the table with its four chairs still could be found and had sat down while talking. Dudley even served Harry some sugar-free lemonade without being asked.

“So, where are your parents?”

“They are at the new house measuring the windows for the curtains or something, I think.”

“Ah! And you were left to pack the rest?”

Dudley sighed, “Yeah. It's no fun, let me tell you.”

“Well...”

“What?”

Harry pulled out his wand, “Do you want me to speed this up a bit?”

“YES!”

Harry laughed, “Well then, we have to pack every electrical and electronic item by hand first and then I can do the rest in minutes.

So, they went and did just that. They put everything in boxes that had some electricity working in them and put the boxes in the back garden for the moment. 

Harry then made sure no Muggle could look inside the house and brandished his wand to pack. One room after the other with Dudley gleefully trailing him.

They had just sat back at the table when his Aunt and Uncle entered the house.

It was the second time that day that Harry gaped. His Aunt was pregnant!

“Harry! You came to visit us!” 

The once again standing boy was hugged tightly, which was strange with the belly and such.

“Er.”

Dudley howled with laughter at Harry’s befuddled face.

“Oh, yes. I'm pregnant. Surprise!”

“Uhm, congratulations?”

“Thank you. It was kind of planned, Harry. After Grobhook showed us the results of the items that Dumbledore had enchanted to influence us, I knew he had made me unable to conceive. Well. We decided to still leave off the contraceptives and sometime during Christmas it happened,” she said beaming.

“Wow, I'm happy for you. But isn't moving while pregnant a bit much?”

She huffed, “I’m not allowed to do anything with these two. It's terribly annoying and...,” She looked around. “Dudley! You finished already! How? Did you wave a magic w... oh!”

Vernon, who had kept standing while his wife greeted her nephew and told him their news, chuckled, and said, “Was that you, Harry? Thank you! That saved so much time. And welcome here! Do you want to visit us in our new home too and unpack in a couple of days?”

“Vernon!” Petunia hissed at her husband. 

But Harry waved her off and answered, “Sure, just say when. I can also repair anything that doesn’t run on electricity somehow. Just point me in the right direction. But fair warning, if I leave the house looking like new, the neighbours will surely talk. They do expect to see some work getting done, would be my guess.”

“Hm, that’s true. Too bad, though. Hmm, but maybe clean the gutters? The neighbours probably won't think of it and that would save quite a bit of money.”

“Sure,” Harry went outside and did just that. 

When he came back, Petunia asked him to sit, and they decided when it was a good time for Harry to visit.

The move was planned for tomorrow and they had thought they would need to pack into the night. But had two hotel rooms for the night. 

“The moving company said they'll be done by three in the afternoon if everything’s packed.”

“Why don’t I come at four then to help you unpack? And as the house is probably freshly renovated, no one will wonder when I improve it a bit more, right?”

“That would be great Harry, but you don’t have to.”

“I know, Aunt Petunia. But I love doing it, to be honest. We repaired my godfather's whole house, which is huge, and had so much fun! Also, if you want any other colours on the walls, just tell me. Wallpaper too. No problem.”

“That would be amazing. The new house has some wall-colours inside that I don't particularly like. But I wanted the move to happen quickly because of the pregnancy.”

“Understandable. I would need the address though.”

Dudley wrote it down for Harry and he put it into his wallet, “I won't share this with anyone magical, I promise. So that some idiot doesn't decide to make money again by selling tickets to gawk at my relatives...”

“Thank you. That was so incredibly rude.”

“It sure was. The whole wizarding world needs lessons in polite behaviour. But at least the students at Hogwarts are getting them now.”

“Good. So, Harry, tell us about your new looks. I see so much more of Lily in you now. And it looks like it was a good idea to let the hair grow. It’s not as unmanageable as it was before, right?”

“Exactly. Er, I also decided to take on my godfather's name. It's Harry U. Black now. He also adopted me.”

“Oh, congratulations, Harry! Are you happy?”

“Yes, I am. Very happy. You already know that I left Hogwarts. I just couldn’t stand it there anymore. It was Dumbledor's terrain and even with him gone, I still was this celebrity. You experienced their audacity yourself. Anyway, it was the right decision.”

“And new looks and a new name will differentiate you from that child hero.”

“Exactly.”

At six p.m. the next day, the same group of people sat in the living room of the new home the Dursleys had bought. It was about as far away but on the other side of Vernon’s workplace in a house, about as big as the old one, but with a bit more individuality. There were no rows and rows of the same model in every direction.

Apparently, Petunia didn’t dream the suburban dream of her youth anymore.

Harry, after arriving, had walked into the middle of the house on the ground floor and had pointed his wand to the floor and had yelled “ Reparo Maxima! ” and had done the same again with the wand pointed upward.

The Dursleys watched with amazement as the magic washed along the walls and everything else in its way, repairing it to make it look as if new. 

Harry grinned and bounded up the steps quickly followed by a curious Dudley, and soon Petunia and Vernon heard the spell being cast once again.

The two boys came down again, with Dudley gushing, “That’s so amazing! Everything looks so good now! I wonder how the outside looks now,” with that, he rushed outside.

“I did point my wand to the ceiling upstairs so the attic should be done as well. I just hope my adjustment for all electric wiring worked and I didn’t fry it. I practised yesterday evening in an abandoned building that is soon to be torn down. – Oh man, I should have warned you and asked if you wanted to take the risk!”

“Harry, relax. The goblins already warded the house  and made the wiring somehow magic-resistant,” Vernon tried to calm Harry down.

“They can do that? Wow, they amaze me more every day. – Well, Aunt Petunia, did you think about colours?”

So, while Harry and his Aunt discussed interior designs, Vernon tested the light switches and the oven and soon nodded to Harry. Everything still worked.

At six, Dudley ordered some food and Harry and Petunia were sitting in the perfectly decorated living room, with all the walls in the house the right colour, and nearly every box unpacked.

The Dursleys learned with amazement that even the contents of the boxes had been repaired.

Now Petunia was showing Harry some old photo albums while Dudley unpacked the boxes that had waited in his dad's car – the ones containing the electronic/electric stuff.

*I found no evidence that she was an Auror as one comment suggested, so in this story, she isn’t. 

Outlook

And thus, life went on. Harry stayed at Grimmauld and sat 10 N.E.W.T.s by Yule in 1997. 

His true identity had been figured out at some point, but he didn’t excite the masses all that much anymore. First of all, he wasn’t the one who had vanquished Voldemort in the end (as far as everyone knew) and secondly, people were a bit disillusioned with him since the ‘history books’ that told of his early life, which the children had loved to read for the last 1 1/2 decades, were now blinking red on every single page, and were therefore unreadable. This happened sometimes in the summer of ‘96. While people knew it wasn’t Harry’s fault, they still were miffed a bit about it. So Harry Black got accepted readily and without much fanfare and Harry Potter’s name disappeared into the real history books.

The publishing of the children's-‘history’-books was stopped soon after the taboo had been cast on them. Had they just changed their category on the blurb from ‘history’ to ‘fiction’ the books would have been fine again. Maybe even moving them into the fiction section might have worked. But no one informed them and they didn't think of it. So sad.

On September 29, 1996, Petunia gave birth to a healthy baby boy, and they named him Bradley Harry Dursley. (“Well, better than ‘Dudley’,” Harry’s cousin said laconically.) Harry became the baby’s godfather, which was good, as little Brad soon showed signs of being magical, much to the Dursley’s joy and trepidation. Luckily, they could get help from Harry and his lot, and also from Gringotts. Harry then had a fight with Vernon because Harry wanted to forgive the rest of the debt the Dursleys still owed him. Vernon protested vehemently. So, they agreed on a compromise both could live with. This reminded Harry of the reverse salary discussions he had with a house-elf which then led him to remember Winky and Dobby who soon got employed by Marauders’ Enterprises.

On Samhain, Tonks gave birth to a healthy baby girl, and they named her Zoe Cassiopeia Lupin. Sirius became little Zoe’s godfather and Harry was a bit confused. He had hoped for Teddy, but maybe the timing wasn’t right? Teddy had only been born in April 1998, after all. And Harry was right, as Edward Remus Lupin was born in that very month and year and Harry was convinced it was him. He knew it in his gut. When Remus and Dora asked him to become little Teddy’s godfather he was over the moon.

The children grew up together. Them, and those of Fleur and Bill. They all learned to live in the wizarding world as well as in the Muggle one. Winky helped. A lot.

The two Foundations Harry owned in secret, flourished. The Peverell Foundation indirectly kept the number of teachers up at Hogwarts with the number of recipients of money for education. It also now helped poor Muggle-born students, like the Creeveys, much more than it had in the past. The Charlotte Foundation really made an impact legally and in the minds of all wizarding folk over the coming years. Bill and Fleur were its official heads and quite open with their own experiences with the potions. The attractive couple managed to sway a lot of people with their stories alone. What also helped was that Hogwarts now taught critical thinking, ethics, and common decency. It made a huge difference over time. – The name Charlotte was of French origin, according to Fleur,  and meant  ‘free will’. The name apparently gained popularity in the 14th century and remains so.  Also, Fleur’s Grandmother’s name was Charlotte and there had been some bad history with love potions as well.  The name did fit perfectly, they all agreed. 

The twins opened a joke shop as part of Marauders’ Enterprise just like they had wanted to and called it 3P-Oh! short for Prewett’s Practical Pranks formerly known as Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. It was a huge success just like Harry had predicted.

Marauders’ Enterprises’ division of repair work flourished under Remus and became an internationally active company that restored uncountable historical treasures in both worlds. Even if Lupin never did make any appearances in the Muggle World himself again, heeding Luna’s warning. The new administration of Hogwarts tasked them to restore some of the more threadbare or faded antiques they had lying around. Like the Sorting Hat for example. The old headwear wasn’t recognizable after a Reparo Maxima and in a much more even temper.

There was also an anonymous writer publishing articles in the Prophet once in a while that all helped the Wizarding world to advance in the right direction. One article advised what rules a family should establish to avoid gold-diggers and forced marriages, and keep the fortunes safe by regular audits every century or so. Another advice was to do a Ritual of Recall to get any blood/hair back someone might have illegally collected, as well as stolen and forgotten things. Arthur Weasley, who did this right away, got the surprise of his life. He was a rich man, after the ritual, the elusive Lucius Malfoy not so much. Many thought the writer was a goblin, but no one ever guessed his true identity.

Marauders’ Enterprise hit a bit of a snag, when a lot of their stock that they had sourced in the Wizarding World started disappearing after it became popular to do that Ritual of Recall, but they didn't complain too much as they hadn’t come by a lot of the things quite legally. They just shrugged and donated half their earnings from selling things from the Room of Requirements to the Peverell Foundation.

Grimmauld Place stayed the home for the initial six wizards, their respective partners, and all the children that were born. 

So, when seven years after Voldemort's fall Harry read a children's story to the many small additions of Grimmauld Place, called The Tale of the Three Brothers, it made Harry remember the Deathly Hallows and especially the ring. 

This made him go on a quest to find it. 

He just hoped it was his last one that was connected to his LF.

A week later he stood alone in front of the Veil of Death in the Department of Mysteries and quite unceremoniously threw the still-closed box containing the ring through the veil. 

A minute later he heard an eerie voice say, “Thank you.” 

Harry started a bit. Is that Death? Oh Merlin! But his Gryffindor courage helped him answer, “No problem. I’m keeping the cloak till I die, though. You can have it when you come for me.”

The voice of Death answered, “Works for me.”

The end.

A/N: The last scene is a contribution by randomskittles. I had forgotten about the Hallows at that point and didn't really check my notes either. *g*

Edit 19/9/2023: Added 2 paragraphs to the Outlook.

If people wonder what happened to other characters, here a few bullet-points:

• Ron managed to get 3 O.W.L.s (after Arthur heard of his difficulties) and left Hogwarts after. He worked for the Chudley Cannons and was reasonably content, but never stood out in any way.
• Hermione and her parents moved to Australia, where she got a lot of mundane and magical help after her breakdown and she learned to be a nice and emphatic person with time. She had a happy life, even if she had a few regrets about her youth. About ten years after leaving the UK she visited London and met with Harry, whom she gave a heartfelt apology to. Harry accepted gladly and the two of them stayed friends for life.
• Ginny got her act together after Molly couldn't influence her anymore. She became good friends with Fleur’s sister and both had a good laugh about their respective childhood infatuations with The Boy Who Lived.
• Minerva was let go by the new administration and the governors after she got a health check and no outside manipulations had been found. Some of the reasons that were cited were the 50 Points three first years lost after being found during curfew and the fact that she had ignored warnings about the Acromantula infestation in the Forbidden Forest. She faded into obscurity and never really accepted that she had done anything wrong.
• Fawkes stayed at Hogwarts and bonded with the castle. He had enough of human bond-mates.
• Dolores survived 30 years in the goblin mines and got released by Gringotts, only to get bitten by a werewolf with a long-time grudge against her at the first full moon after her release. She became what she had always hated and feared the most.
• Molly had to live with Aunt Muriel for the rest of her life and got no visits from her children as she never apologised to Arthur (or, in Ron’s case, because there was no real benefit).
• Albus and Peter never left the mines alive.
• Harry was happy and led a long life full of fun adventures, freedom, and love.

The Potter and now Black rules that were mentioned or added in this story:

• Any Potter about to marry needs to have a health scan first. Especially for love potions. → re-established. Addition: Check the groom/bride as well.
• Audit and inventory, the Potters now do every 100 years – established by Harry. He later also established an Audit should be done when the Head of House dies and (if necessary) when a new one is named. → Gringotts copied this and now does an AUDIT every hundred years and one when there is a change in leadership.
• Only a legal magical guardian can sign a marriage contract and the child would need to agree. Harry later changed it, so that all contracts need the child’s agreement as soon as it is over 14 and contracts before 14 need Gringotts approval or aren’t allowed (tricky!)
• Children in need are to be helped by the Peverell Foundation