Chapter 311
Dennis Travers had been sixteen years old when he'd taken the Dark Mark. He'd gone along with his father and his uncles. His family had little statusbut
they were comfortable financially thanks to good investments and his
grandfather's broom charms patent that had been bought by Nimbus. Hisfather had worked in the Department of Magical Transportation until his
incarceration in Azkaban in 'eighty-one. He could still remember the night theAurors had come for his Dad…
Rain battered down on the roof, filling the living room with a thunderous
pitter-patter. The room had been lit with oil lamps casting a gloomy orangelight and strange shadows against the walls. A fierce blaze had filled the
fireplace, warming the room. His mother, a slim pretty woman, sat besidetheWizarding Wireless, knitting as was her wont when she was anxious. He andhis father had been playing cards on a small felt table; twenty year old Denniswas winning.
"I wish you'd shut that thing off." His Dad said brusquely. "It's been nothingbut
bloody gossipy nonsense since Halloween."
"Igor was scheduled to appear before the Council of Magical Lawtoday." HisMum replied sharply. His Dad glanced over at her. "There's nothing to worry about it. Igor's
sentencing will be a straightforward affair. They have more than enoughevidence to convict him."
"And if he gives you up for a lighter sentence?" His mother asked pointedly.
"I would have heard something at the Ministry before I left if anything hadbeen said." His Dad said dismissively.
"I don't trust him." His mother said. "Foreign muck; we can't trust himtoremain faithful. Antonin is not much better either, fleeing abroad like he hasdone." His Dad rolled his eyes and winked at Dennis. "We'll be fine, Mabel. You'regetting yourself worried for…" he froze and suddenly his wand was in his hand.
"The wards! They're under attack!" His mother stood, dropping her knitting and wrapping her arms around herself. "I told you! I told you that Russian bastard wasn't to be trusted!"
"Travers!" Alastor Moody's gruff tone sounded loudly fromoutside. "We knowyou're in there! Leave your wand and come out with your hands visible!"
"What are we going to do?" His mother wailed. His Dad's lips firmed and he swung towards Dennis. "Forgive me, son. Imperius!"
It had all gotten blurry after that. Dennis had woken up in a small ward at St
Mungo's with his mother sat beside him. She had told himthat his father andshe had protected him; the Aurors believed that Dennis had been imperiusedinto taking the Mark by his father and she had been coerced by the threat of
physical violence. The truth was that Karkaroff had betrayed them; he'dgivenup Dennis's father for the murders of the blood traitors, the McKinnons. Hisfather would be going to Azkaban. And so it had happened. Luckily, his uncles had stepped in and taken careof
his mother and himself, ensuring that they had a home and that Dennis's
place in the Ministry was safe. He'd continued in the Department of
Transportation, following in his father's footsteps, honouring the man whohad protected him.
But now…now Dennis would be going to Azkaban himself. He wasn't botheredso much by that; he stood by the Dark Lord and he wouldn't deny himtosavehis own skin. No, he was more bothered about his stupidity in allowing
himself to be captured. He stared up at the ceiling of his Ministry cell and contemplated howvery
wrong the mission had gone. It had been idiotic in hindsight to continue whenthe stadium fire had happened. He should have realised that it would drawmore Aurors to the campsite. Travers had also been hampered because he'dhad to imperius Rowle who'd gotten cold feet – stupid bastard – otherwisehewould have gotten away. He frowned and rubbed his nose. Dennis hadn't exactly had a chance to read the Prophet since he'd been placedin his cell but he'd heard the Aurors talking and it looked like the small
operation he and his team had put together had somehow run amok of therogue who'd made death threats against Potter. He scowled.
It was supposed to have been his night, his opportunity to remind everyoneof
the Dark Lord, to remember and fear, to prove to the Dark Lord that he wasnot
forgotten and that there were those who upheld his ideals and welcomedhisreturn.
The pillock who'd attacked Potter had ruined everything. But he'd heard his guards exchanging gossip and the theory was that therogue had been acting in concert with Pettigrew since the Rat Squad hadbeenthere. Travers considered that in the quiet of his cell. If the idiot who'd spoiledhis party had been working in concert with Pettigrew, did that mean he wasworking under the orders of the Dark Lord himself? And if he was, had hisownoperation interfered with the Dark Lord's? Messed it up? Potter had stumbledinto MacNair and Jugson according to the chatter. The thought had him tense with anxiety. He remembered the meetings hisDad had taken him to and the screams of those who had failed in the DarkLord's service as they received their punishment. Well.
If he cocked up and the Dark Lord punished him, that was fair enough. Hadn't
Lucius warned them all that interfering ahead of the Dark Lord himself
contacting them could lead to this? Travers had simply wanted to showhisLord that he still followed him but he would acknowledge his mistake andtakehis lumps. A pop signalled the entry of a house elf with his supper – a bland affair of
watery broth and some stale bread bun that had seen better days. The elf
placed it on the floor and popped out again. Travers sighed and fetched it. He took off the warming lid and sniffed
suspiciously at the broth. He opened up the paper napkin to unwrap the
plastic spoon and froze; there was writing on the napkin. He carefully looked around his cell. There was nothing in the tiny roomthat
suggested he was under a surveillance charm. The cot was standard issue;
the magic bedpan stuffed under it just the same. The door was solid andlocked with only a viewing hole that was accessible from the other side. He'dbeen stripped of his robes and given a grey set of trousers and top to wear ina scratchy material. He carefully unravelled the napkin and made to place it on his lap as thoughit
had no value. He glanced down as he spooned up his broth and read the
words.
"Your attempt at pleasing the Dark Lord was pitiful but your silence andfaithfulness are recognised. Remain strong and take heart for you will soonreturn to his side." Dennis managed to control his expression but deep inside, he was smilingwith what he believed was justified satisfaction. The Dark Lord wasn't angrywith him; he'd been noticed for his faithfulness. He scooped up some moreof
the tasteless soup and hid his grin. He would do as the note said; he would remain strong even if it meant goingto Azkaban like his father. In time, he would be rewarded and he would havemore power than Lucius Malfoy could shake his cane at. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 312
The broth was soon gone. When the house elf came back for the tray, thenapkin was shredded like confetti into the bowl, and Dennis was asleepanddreaming of serving at the Dark Lord's side. o-O-o
Harry sat on the wooden picnic table and gazed out into the back gardenof
Griffin House. It was a cool day for the end of August – rainy more than sunny, overcast and grim. It suited his mood. Hedwig swooped down and he
automatically held out his arm to her. She landed in a rush of wind fromthebackwash of her wings. Harry leaned forward and let her nuzzle him, welcoming the comfort. He couldn't wait to fly with her as a raven; couldn't
wait for the freedom of his own wings… Hedwig gave a bark.
"Sorry, Hedwig," Harry said softly and reached into his pocket where he kept afew owl treats. "I guess I'm a little distracted. Sirius showed me his
grandfather's memories today." Sirius had confessed that he'd delayed showing Harry the memories –oncebecause of Simeon's visit and again because he'd wanted themto enjoy their
last weekend before Harry went back to Hogwarts together especially after
the World Cup shenanigans. Harry understood. Having seen the memories, heknew how painful they were for Sirius and what the implications for himself
were given the last memory with Ollivander.
Frankly, the wand maker freaked Harry out. But the knowledge that the oldwizard had of his craft had been impressive. The story of the family magicand the Hallows had entranced Harry. The story of the family magic
connected with something inside of him; something that told himit was thetruth. He remembered the warmth he'd felt in calling the Longbottombear. Siriushad cautioned him that they didn't know if the magic had responded becauseof Neville's fealty but Harry didn't think so. He had simply and instinctively
reached for and found the bear there waiting for him along with the surety that
the steadfastness and ferocity of the beast had been his to call upon. Theproblem was that he had no idea how to deliberately call upon all family magicand he had a feeling that it couldn't be done without the circumstances beingrather dire. He sighed. "What do you think, Hedwig? Do you think I could call all the familymagic to defeat him?" And what of the consequences? Merlin had called the magic and disappearedafterwards. Was that the price for using it? Giving his own life? But didn't it
make sense that it would incur such a cost? If he called all family magic andused it to wipe Voldemort from the face of the wizarding world, wouldn't heconsider his magic and his life to be fair payment?
He shivered. Hedwig barked and nuzzled him again.
Perhaps he didn't need to go so far…perhaps he only needed to call uponhisown family magic to assist him as presumably the Peverells had done inthedefeat of the Dark Wizard Severn. His ancestors must have brilliant mentohave invented the Hallows. Would they be disappointed in him? Maybe theymight have been before the Summer, Harry thought honestly, in the samewayhe believed his parents would probably have been disappointed with him–for
not trying his best and being lazy. Maybe he would invent something as
brilliant as the invisibility cloak for his descendants. Maybe. Of course he had no idea what he could invent that would help himdefeat
Voldemort and as for the Hallows themselves… He stroked Hedwig's feathers. "I don't know what to do, Hedwig. The
Headmaster is still keeping secrets."
It hurt. He had thought Dumbledore sincere in his apology at the beginning of theSummer. He had thought Dumbledore had been sincere in his offer to helpHarry…
The Headmaster clearly had some knowledge of the power of the Hallowssince he'd recognised the Resurrection Stone, had presumably looked over thecloak whilst it had been in his possession, and he held the Elder wand. Hadn't
it ever occurred to the Headmaster that they were 'the power he knows not'
alluded to in the prophecy? It seemed incomprehensible to Harry that
Dumbledore wouldn't consider that the Hallows could be a possibility. Andso, if he had an inkling they could be the power, why hadn't Dumbledore saidanything? To Sirius if not to Harry?
He took a deep breath and tried to think of all the lessons Sirius had givenhimregarding motivations. What was Dumbledore's motivation in keeping the secret?
The first answer was easy: Dumbledore wanted to keep the wand out of
Voldemort's hands. Harry could understand that, and he even agreed withit. The second motivation was probably related to Harry's protection and thesentimental thinking Dumbledore had always had about giving Harry a normal
childhood. Harry snorted and received a chiding look from Hedwig. Dumbledore had failed on every level to give Harry a normal childhood. Ashehad said to Neville, he had forgiven Dumbledore for placing himwith the
Dursleys but he would never forget it. He was prepared to admit at last that
not only had his treatment there been horrid to endure, it had been abusiveand abnormal. If taking the Dursleys to court wouldn't turn into a press circus, Harry might have been willing to see justice done.
After Voldemort and as soon as he turned seventeen, Harry promised himself. He'd buy Grunnings, fire Vernon and find a way to evict Petunia fromher
dream house. He didn't want any of them dead so they could remain in thehouse until Voldemort was dealt with but after that…all bets were off. There was a small part of him that argued against it, pointing out that didn't heowe them for taking him in at least, but when he remembered howgrudginglyhe'd been housed, fed and clothed, Harry had to admit that it wasn't right that
the Dursleys never had to face up to their actions in regards to what they'ddone to him. A large part of him still wanted to ignore it; to focus on the present and futureand forget his past with his hateful relatives. Harry sighed as Hedwig shuffled over to his shoulder and began to preenhishair. He had been thinking about Dumbledore's motivations about the wandnot the Dursleys, he reminded himself. So, Dumbledore had kept the secret to protect the wand fromVoldemort andto continue to protect Harry from the responsibility of it. That made sense. But for Dumbledore not to have simply told Sirius that he had the wand whenthe subject had come up over the stone…
It was possible that Dumbledore also felt the wand was his by rights
regardless of Harry's ancestral claim upon it. And Sirius and Remus hadbothconfirmed after they'd exited the memory that under the law, Dumbledorecould claim he had won the wand fairly after defeating Grindelwald. Legally, it
was all very grey and could go either way if Harry ever took it to court.
And it was all too possible that this was another of the Headmaster's
manipulations; that Dumbledore intended to reveal the secret but only whenhe wanted to reveal the secret – when Dumbledore deemed it was right andnecessary for the secret to be known. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 313
Harry scowled and Hedwig tugged on his hair.
"Ow!" He turned to glare at her and she glared right back. "It's just…why can't
he be straightforward and honest?" Hedwig barked her agreement.
It was what he hated about politics and strategy in general; the constant needto determine who needed information, what information could be used togainleverage and advantage. If everybody was just honest with each
other…possibly there would be a bloodbath but at the end of it everybody
would know where they stood. Harry sighed. What to do about Dumbledore?
Sirius had suggested they could confront him, ask him about the wand. But
what good would it do really? Because Harry had no problems Dumbledoreholding onto the wand. He didn't want it. Putting it in the family vault was anoption but Voldemort had already proven that he wasn't scared to attempt abreak-in at Gringotts with the Philosopher's stone. No, Dumbledore was right that it was better he kept hold of it. But what if Harry holding all three Hallows was the important thing? What if
Harry needed the Elder wand to discover some unknown power (althoughhereally didn't want to be known as the Master of Death)?
He wished the prophecy hadn't been so woolly. He wished that it had actuallyspecified in great detail just what the power was that he had that Voldemort
didn't. But, of course, he couldn't be that lucky. And he needed to do better
than he had at the World Cup. He knew he'd let his anger rule himand he
couldn't afford that. He needed to be sensible; responsible. He grimacedandpushed his glasses up his nose. Dobby popped onto the grass in front of him. "It bes about to rain, Harry Potter, sir." Harry nodded. Dobby was incredibly good at predicting the weather.
"Something troubles Harry Potter?" Dobby asked worriedly.
"Just…thinking, Dobby." Harry assured the house elf. Dobby pulled on his ear. "Perhaps Dobby can offer advice like Master Yoda?" Harry smiled. Dobby loved the original Star Wars trilogy. "What advice wouldyou give me then, Dobby?"
"Named your fear must be before banish it you can." Dobby said promptly.
"You may have a point." Harry mused. What was his fear? He was afraidthat
he'd never find the power to defeat Voldemort. He was scared of losing thepeople he loved like he had lost his parents. He was worried that the
Headmaster's habit of keeping secrets would lead to both those things. It
wasn't the wand that was the issue; it was the keeping secrets that the
Headmaster needed to be faced with.
"Thanks, Dobby." Dobby's ears flapped with pleasure. "Dobby will be making Harry Potter somehot chocolate." Harry got the message; he should go inside. He sent Hedwig aloft and madehis way back into the house. He knew Sirius had probably been watchinghimfrom the study and he made his way there.
Both Sirius and Remus sat at their respective desks. Both of themlookedupwhen Harry knocked softly on the open door.
"Hey." Harry saw the lines of worry bracketing Sirius's eyes and berated himself for
rushing off after seeing the memories. "Hey. Can I talk to you?"
"Always." Sirius pointed at the comfy visitor's chair and Harry hurried over toit. "I take it you've thought about the issue of the wand?" Harry nodded. Dobby popped in, handed him a mug of chocolate and poppedaway again. Remus looked enviously at the mug before gesturing impatiently at Harry. "And?"
"I think the wand is safest with Professor Dumbledore until we knowmoreabout the power the Hallows are supposed to have and how bringing themtogether is supposed to help defeat a Dark Lord if at all." Harry began. "TheHeadmaster's had it for years so I don't see the point of himgiving it tomeand arguably it is his wand legally anyway."
Remus and Sirius exchanged a quick look between them and Remus lookedsmug. Harry's eyes narrowed; had they bet on his reaction?
"That's a well thought out position." Remus praised him, folding his arms andsitting back in his chair.
"Well, the wand isn't really the problem, is it?" pointed out Harry. Remus frowned. "It's not?" Harry shook his head and took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Professor
Dumbledore's keeping secrets again. Well, not again so much as he's
continued keeping secrets even when he said he wouldn't. He must knowthat
the Hallows could be the power referred to in the prophecy." He sighed heavily. "I'm just tired of him making decisions about what he thinks I should andshouldn't know about things that are directly related to me. And if he's keepingthis a secret, what else is he keeping secret?" Sirius threw Remus a triumphant look before his eyes met Harry's. "What doyou want to do?"
"Unfortunately, I think someone needs to confront him." Harry said. "But I don't
know if it should be me, or you, or both of us."
"There is strength in numbers." Remus said immediately. "I don't think youshould talk with him alone at any rate, Harry."
"Neither do I." Sirius agreed. Harry fidgeted with the mug in his hand, stroking the rim idly. "I think maybeyou should talk with him without me." Sirius raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"I don't think having a row with him just before I go back to school is a goodidea." Harry admitted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 314
"I can see your point." Sirius said evenly. "And I assume you'd like me towait
until you're settled in for a couple of weeks before I have the discussionwithhim?"
"Don't deny that you'd more than likely use the threat of Harry not returningif
you did it sooner, Sirius." Remus said. Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Besides," Harry said brightly, "you can say more without me there and…andbemore direct about what you say."
"True." Remus agreed.
"You agree with him?" Sirius asked Remus bluntly.
"I do," Remus said simply. "Harry's right. The wand isn't the issue per se but
that he's withholding information – information that could be vital in our
defeating Voldemort. When you think about it the wand is not the only thinghehasn't confided. He might have told you there is a prophecy but he hasn't
offered you the details and you're Harry's father now – he should have toldyou. Maybe he's assumed you've gone to the DOM to hear it, maybe not. You're also the one he lied directly to about the wand whereas his not
informing Harry could be seen as a lie of omission. You're the leader of theWar Council; you're the leader of the political faction most likely to take full
control of the Wizengamot in the next session. You're the one who shouldface him with this."
"What he said." Harry motioned with his mug towards Remus. Sirius nodded and raised his hands in surrender. "I guess I volunteer?"
"Well done, Padfoot." Remus said dryly. Harry gave a chuckle at the incensed look on Sirius's face and figured a prankwar would break out as soon as he left for school.
"What about the rest of what was in the memories?" Sirius asked, turninghisattention back to Harry. "Are you OK with everything?" He gave a shrug with a brief lift of one shoulder. "I guess the stuff on the
family magic and the Hallows is interesting? But I just have more questionsreally."
"We need to track down the Lumiere source Ollivander spoke about." Remusagreed. "I have another couple of places to try before I approach Ollivander
himself."
"I think the family magic thing is right?" Harry offered uncertain howthey'drespond. "It feels right."
"Feels right?" Remus's keen gaze scoured Harry's face. Harry nodded. "I can't really explain it more than that." He sighed and rubbedhis temple. "But I don't know how I could call all the family magic, I just feel
like I could, but I…" he trailed away unsure how to explain further.
"But?" prompted Sirius gently.
"But I don't think there would be a way to use it without paying a price." Harry
said eventually, unable to think of another way of phrasing it. Sirius stilled; his entire being freezing in one position that was so unlike himthat Harry took a sharp intake of breath that he only released when Sirius
started moving again by lurching to his feet.
"A sacrifice of life and magic." Remus said out loud, sounding stunned. "I can't
believe we didn't think of it."
"Well, that definitely rules the family magic out as a possibility." Sirius statedfirmly, whirling around to point at Harry. "You are not sacrificing your life andmagic until you're very, very old, and grey, and wrinkly." Remus nodded absently. "So we focus on the Hallows." His eyes narrowed. "You know that might make more sense when you consider Morgana's wordsto you at the blessing. She did say something about you mastering Death." Harry pressed his lips together. He appreciated the sentiment, felt warmedbythe love and care of both his new father and honorary uncle, their want tokeep him alive and safe. But just as he knew deep in his bones that somehowit would come down to him and Voldemort in the end, he knew there wouldbea price – a balance to be kept. Even the Hallows suggested that magic, or
rather Death in the story, had exacted a price from each of the Peverells
eventually.
"All of which means I really do need to speak to Albus." Sirius slumped backinto his chair and regarded Harry with mischievous grey eyes. "And there's
nothing I can do to convince you that I should do that before you go back toschool?" Harry rolled his eyes. Remus sighed heavily at Sirius's antics. "Are you going to be alright withtheHeadmaster?"
"I think so," Harry said, "I'm not really angry with him just disappointed. I don't
think…I can't trust him to be upfront with me and that's sad." Sirius nodded sharply. "Do you have any other questions about the
memories?" Harry began to shake his head but stopped and frowned. "What happenedtothat woman who gave up your cover?"
"Kelp?" Sirius raised his eyebrows and smiled. "I don't honestly know. I don't
think she's still with the department."
"I looked her up after I saw the memory. She was held overnight for her part inwhat happened but was released from holding the day after. She got a noteof
censure in her file for not following protocol and endangering a fellowofficer
who was the Heir to an Ancient and Noble House and a son of another. It
most certainly would have hampered her future career. She got marriedinNovember nineteen-eighty to a muggleborn and they moved to the States
ostensibly to get away from the war." Remus offered.
"She didn't get charged?" Harry asked, angry. She'd almost gotten Sirius killed!
"It was war-time, Harry." Sirius said mildly. "We tried not to put our own sideinjail if we could help it. But her marriage and departure explains why she wasn't
around when I went back to work as a Hit Wizard in the January of
'eighty-one." He must have caught the curiosity in Harry's eyes. "Most of myinjuries had healed by the time you were born but I had months of physical
therapy because of the spinal injury that affected my walking. I could havegone back to desk duty in the October but Charlus, your grandfather, was sickand then in December he passed away and your Dad needed me."
"That was when Dad resigned as a Hit Wizard?" clarified Harry, rememberingthe memory with his mother and Arcturus at Christmas.
"Yeah, he had the Potter estates to manage and truthfully, he was hit hardbythe loss of your Granddad." Sirius said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 315
Harry sipped his chocolate as he took in the grief in Sirius's eyes and he
remembered his Mum had said Sirius had taken Charlus's death just as hard.
"What about you, Padfoot?" asked Harry quietly. "How are you after seeingthememories?"
He didn't notice that Remus beamed proudly at him for his compassion andcaring.
"It was weird the first time." Sirius admitted. "I never realised my…that
Grandfather honestly…cared for me. I'm very glad he was there for Lily and, despite his appalling decision not to get you away from the Dursleys, I
appreciate all his work to help us as much as he could." Harry thought Sirius might have just been reassuring him, but Sirius's eyesremained calm and there was a peace that glimmered there for a moment, suggesting that his words were more than bravado. Healer Allen was very good, Harry mused silently.
"By the way, we received a message from Amelia." Sirius said, changingthesubject in a blunt manner that had Remus sighing. "Since some of the
evidence is sensitive and will give away Tag the Death Eater, they've decidedon a tribunal approach for the Death Eaters who were caught. Albus will sit asthe principal judge, to be joined by two members of the Wizengamot. TheWizengamot members are being solicited for nominations. The tribunals will
take place on the Friday after the Wizengamot session on the Thursday."
"Who are we nominating?" asked Harry, interested. The u-turn he'd made
about his view on politics from the start of the Summer was remarkable, hemused to himself, but he was pleased because Sirius was delighted withhisresponse if the grin on his face was anything to go by.
Sirius leaned back in his chair. "Good question as I was going to discuss it
with you. My first nomination would be for Gideon Baron. He's newto theWizengamot, not entrenched in the alliances, neutral pretty much."
"And his legal background will be invaluable." Remus commented.
"Exactly." Sirius picked up a quill and started playing with it. "The problemcomes with the second nomination; someone from the Potter alliance wouldbe the obvious choice."
"Isn't there a conflict of interest?" Harry questioned, chewing his lip.
"There's nothing linking the Death Eaters that were caught with the attack onthe tent." Sirius explained.
"But for appearances' sake, it would probably be better to have someone not
directly affected by any of the attacks, even if it's not completely necessary." Remus answered.
"So we're looking for someone outside of the alliance but sympathetic?" Harrysighed, scratching his forehead. Sirius shifted in his seat and pointed the quill at Harry. "Daniel Greengrasswould be our best option. While we will be announcing the Potter and
Greengrass alliance at the next Wizengamot, it's pretty much an open secret
among the Ancient and Noble Houses so everyone knows. He's staunchly
neutral and has a reputation for fairness." He explained. "The other optionisNora Zabini but frankly…"
"Her reputation has more to do with husbands than politics." Remus saiddryly. "She'd be a wasted nomination." Harry felt his lips twitch but nodded in agreement. "I guess our vote goes toDan then? He was the nicest of that neutral bunch." Sirius nodded. "I thought that you had more of a connection with himthantheothers."
"He seemed genuinely interested in me rather than giving lip service." Harrysaid, remembering the dinner they'd had with Dan and the other neutral Headsof Houses. "He also asked me about my agenda rather than asking you."
"He did," Sirius said, waving the quill about, "which got brownie points withmetoo."
"So, Baron and Greengrass it is then." Remus said.
"Are we communicating our choice to anyone?" Harry checked. Neville wouldprobably owl him about the nominations.
Sirius smiled. "Augusta has already requested a brief meeting of the Potter
alliance tomorrow morning to discuss options. I have a feeling most of themwill also choose Gideon but there will be variation on the second choice." Hepaused and set the quill down. "I'm going to owl Malfoy and tell himI wouldhope one of his choices is Baron. I'll leave the other to his discretion. I suspect
Malfoy will pick up quite a few votes himself – most of the purebloods arelikely to ignore the fact that Narcissa was in the tent." Harry grimaced but said nothing. He and Draco had managed to maintaintheir
trust for the week and he hoped it would continue at Hogwarts but he wouldnever like Draco or his father. Narcissa was alright but she was better whenshe was with Andy as though her sister enabled her to be freer and showmore of her personality.
"Are you all prepared for school?" asked Remus. Harry gave him a grateful smile. "Yeah, just have to get packed." Sirius hadgone to Diagon Alley to do his school shopping after they had said goodbyetoSimeon, Anna and Jason. Sirius had suggested that the following Summer
they'd go to Australia and visit them which Harry thought sounded fantastic. Sirius peered at him with concern. "You don't sound all that enthusiastic."
"Just…" he shrugged and set his mug aside, "it feels like a long time sinceI
was at Hogwarts since we had the time in the States too, and…" he felt theheat of a blush across his cheeks, "well, I've never really had
something…family that I minded leaving behind before." He figured he wasabout the shade of a ripe tomato.
Sirius grinned at him though, and his look of delight made Harry's minor
embarrassment more than worth it. "We'll miss you too."
"We'll be seeing Harry every Wednesday evening." Remus said amused.
"It's not the same." Sirius and Harry said in concert. They both looked at each other and laughed. Sirius gestured at him. "It is going to be weird seeing you only once a weekbut
once you're back at Hogwarts you'll remember why you wanted to go backand you'll be fine." He smirked suddenly. "You know we should get your newMarauder name sorted before you go back." Harry cringed and shrank back into the armchair. "Please!" He said
dramatically. "Not this again!" Sirius had spent all of Sunday tossing namesat
him. All of which he'd turned down.
"I don't know what's wrong with Bran…" Remus teased, stretching and lookingfar too pleased with himself.
"Or Edgar!" Sirius jumped in. "I really liked Edgar! Or Poe!"