How to tame a Basilisk

Albus is on a mission. The ongoing Auror investigation concerning Sirius Black's alleged involvement in Bellatrix Lestrange's escape is making no progress and it is inevitable that one of these days it will have to be closed for good, meaning Sirius' trial is soon to happen.

Having one more member of the Order of the Phoenix free to fight against Lord Voldemort, when he would re-emerge -and Albus was sure that that was only a matter of time- would surely help Albus' cause. But what worries the old man is the connection the Black heir carries with Harry Potter. So he's used his various contacts at the Ministry, as well as his position as Chief Warlock, to arrange a meeting with the currently incarcerated.

As Albus arrives at the hallway off the level two, which contains the holding cells, he approaches the Auror on Guard duty, Dawlish.

''Albus Dumbledore, here to visit prisoner Sirius Black.'' he nods with a smile at the man.

Of course he needn't have introduced himself, his reputation as the Greatest Wizard alive precedes him after all. But it is rather nice to see the awe-struck faces of the people he comes in contact with, at being addressed as an equal by him, Albus Dumbledore. Albus also finds that other wizards and witches appreciate what they perceive as humility, so he really doesn't mind introducing himself to wixen who already know who he is.

''Of course, welcome Mr. Dumbledore, sir.'' Dawlish puffs out his chest, clearly priding himself on speaking to the great Albus Dumbledore, and guides Albus towards the back of the hallway. Most of the cells they pass on their way are empty, but a few hold a wizard or witch waiting for trial or to be shipped off to Azkaban.

They stop in front of the last cell, where Dawlish informs Albus that the door must stay locked, but that he is free to talk to the prisoner through the bars. Albus nods his thanks and the Auror disappears back to the front of the corridor.

Inside the holding cell is a man Albus knows since said man was just a boy. The sole red and gold exception to the notoriously Slytherin ancient House of Black, young Sirius had caught Albus' attention right as he'd been sorted into Gryffindor. Despite Albus' great hopes for his lion living in a snake's home, the boy sadly turned out useless as a spy for the light side, after he'd run away from home at age 16.

The man lying on the cot in the holding cell Albus is facing right now has almost nothing in common with the lively, mischievous boy from 20 odd years ago. While Sirius doesn't look as emaciated as he did when he was fresh out of Azkaban, his cheeks are still hollow and his frame too thin. The usual liveliness he displayed as a teenager is all but gone and he is staring into nothingness when Albus clears his throat.

''Sirius, my boy. How are you faring so far?'' he enquires gently.

Sirius jerks up as if startled out of a trance and stares at Albus. ''Pro- Professor Dumbledore?'' his voice sounds like it's gone ages without use

''Yes my dear boy,'' Albus twinkles genially, ''I am here.'' he assures the broken man in front of him.

Sirius seems miles away, but then he pulls himself together and asks ''Albus! Are there any news about my trial? Is something happening? Is Harry okay?''

Albs raises a reassuring hand, ''Everything is fine my dear boy.'' he assures Sirius, ''I reckon your trial should begin soon enough. I just came here to keep you company for a while.''

Sirius relaxes visibly. ''Oh, so I take it that the investigation isn't going so well?'' he smiles tightly.

''You could say that, '' Albus chuckles. ''But enough about that. It is going to resolve itself sooner rather than later. How are you holding up, Sirius?'' Albus enquires once again, anxious to get to the point of his visit.

Sirius smiles tensely ''As good as one could hope for, I guess.'' He answers, ''I just wish I was out of here already. I miss Harry.''

''Oh,'' this is news to Albus, proving his fears to be justified ''You still miss Harry after almost eleven years?'' He asks casually.

''He visited my during his Easter holidays last term.'' Sirius smiles serenely.

This is news to Albus, but he tries not to let it show.

''He has grown so much, can you believe it? I mean I guess you can, you must see him everyday after all.'' the other man adds dejectedly. ''I just wish I could have been there for him. If I hadn't been that stupid to go after Peter, none of this would have happened.'' he gazes off into the distance once again.

''Nobody can blame you for the way you acted, my boy.'' Albus tries to reassure his former pupil. ''And whatever happened in the past, now you get a new chance, isn't that right?'' he asks surreptitiously.

At that, Sirius grins widely ''Oh yes, I am so glad that Harry doesn't seem to be afraid of me. A convict godfather doesn't exactly generate trust, you know? But Harry, great boy that Harry, just told me how glad he is that justice is about to be served and that he completely believes in me.'' the inmate recounts happily, ''Just like Lily, he is. So prone to justice. It's remarkable, isn't it, Albus?''

Albus hides his displeasure at the news that Harry Potter visited Sirius without his knowledge. ''Oh yes, he is quite the character, our Harry.'' he says instead. ''So, what do you plan on doing with your freedom Sirius? I imagine it is only a question of time until you will finally be able to call yourself a free man again.''

Sirius gets all excited at that question, ''Oh you don't even know Albus! I have so many things I'd like to do! But first of all I think I am going to ask Harry if he may want to live with me.'' he smiles at the thought. ''You know his relatives, do you think there is a possibility that Harry might prefer to come live with his godfather?'' Sirius looks hopeful.

This is exactly what Albus feared. Actually it is one of the reasons he didn't demand a trial for Sirius eleven years ago. The possibility of the man providing a loving home for the boy-who-lived is just too big a danger to Albus' plans. What if Harry felt so secure and happy that he wouldn't be ready do to what needs to be done and die for the greater good?

''I can't promise you anything, my boy.'' Albus declares apologetically. ''But I will see what I can do, so you might be able to take Harry into your care. How does that sound?'' he gives Sirius his most well-meaning smile, eye-twinkle and all.

Sirius immediately latches on to the offered hope. ''Oh, that would be great, Albus! I'd be so thankful, really! All I want is to give Harry the childhood he deserves.'' he exclaims excitedly

''And to make Lily and James proud. If they could see me now, I hope they know how much I care about their boy.'' he mumbles, lost in thought.

''I will see to that immediately. I have a scheduled meeting with Minister Fudge right after our conversation.''

Sirius jumps from his cot. ''Oh thank you Albus! Truly, I can not tell you how much that means to me!'' tears glisten in the man's eyes.

''But of course, my boy. Anything for a fellow Gryffindor, right?'' he winks.

Then they say their goodbyes and Albus makes his way to the Minister's office. Playing Fudge should be even easier than playing Sirius, he thinks, grinning to himself.

When Albus arrives at the Minister's doors, he is greeted by Mathilda, Fudge's secretary. The woman quickly checks in with her boss, then beckons Albus to enter.

He finds Fudge sitting at his desk, enveloped in some reports, probably from the Auror department suggesting that they have no grounds on what to hold Sirius Black any longer without a trial. The Minister is looking harried, combing through several stacks of paper, before he recognizes his visitor.

''Albus.'' he states, frowning, ''To what do I owe the pleasure?''

''Cornelius.'' Albus answers alike. ''I am merely here to secure our shared interests concerning Sirius Black's upcoming trial.'' he states cordially

Cornelius Fudge immediately splutters after being confronted with what must be his least favourite topic at the moment. ''I assure you, Albus. Everything is happening according to procedure!'' he promptly tries to justify himself.

Albus once again holds up a reassuring hand ''I have no doubt Minister.'' he smiles placatingly, ''But am I right in assuming that you won't be able to hold off the trial much longer as there is no evidence to be found that Mr. Black helped Bellatrix Lestrange escape?''
Cornelius grudgingly mutters an affirmation and Albus continues ''That's what I thought.'' he has to tread carefully, as to not give away his real aim in the matter ''The thing is, Cornelius, I am worried.'' he shakes his head regretfully, the Minister perking up at the admission ''I worry about Sirius. He seems to be... out of sorts, if you get my saying. He has expressed his desire to take on guardianship for his godson, Harry Potter. I simply do not believe him capable of providing a stable home in his current situation.'' he frowns as if in thought. ''Maybe we can come to an agreement regarding his sentence. I believe you have to exonerate him from all of his previous charges, as all the evidence points to Peter Pettigrew being the offending party, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has to be freed without further terms, does it?'' Albus carefully suggests. ''Perhaps it would be possible to give him some sort of probation, so that he can take care of himself first before trying to gain custody over Harry. And if, after all, evidence should resurface of Sirius being guilty of freeing Bellatrix, it would be much easier to send him back to Azkaban, wouldn't it?''

Cornelius seems to contemplate the suggestion, as he mumbles, clearly to himself, ''It would make it impossible for black to sue the Ministry, or Merlin forbid, me, for keeping him locked up without a trial...''

That's what Albus has been counting on. Cornelius Fudge's topmost priority has always been saving his own skin. So it comes as no surprise that in giving him the opportunity to remain mostly scot free, he would be further inclined to listen to Albus' suggestions. He obviously doesn't want to risk losing his post as Minister of Magic, so after a short contemplation he agrees to Albus proposition.

The trial starts only a few days after Albus' conversations with both Sirius and Cornelius. As expected the Ministry's representatives Fudge and his under-secretary Dolores Umbridge seem inclined to keep Sirius from being pronounced innocent. While the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the DMLE, Amelia Bones, is obviously in favour of Sirius' freedom, Fudge and his staff manage to impose certain conditions.

In the end Sirius Black is cleared of all of his previous charges, but he remains on indefinite probation, should it turn out he was in any way involved with Lestrange's escape. He will be able to return home, but the probation prohibits him from taking up any official positions, as well as guardianship over a minor. He will have to stay in London as well, which suits Albus just fine, as it means that Sirius won't be able to visit Harry in Scotland, so the boy will mostly stay unaware of his godfather's interest in him. He is further expected to come into the Ministry twice a month for check ins.

Albus watches as Sirius Black receives the sentence. His relief as well as his disappointment over not being able to take care of his godson. He watches as Remus Lupin, the only other remaining member of the 'Marauders', envelops Sirius in a big hug. He watches as the two men gaze at each other fondly, tears glistening in their eyes. And Albus watches as Sirius finds Albus' gaze and nods to him in thanks, assuring the headmaster that at least the allegiance of the former Gryffindor to the Order and by hat to Albus himself, is not lost.

He can work with that.

***

Dear Harry,

My trial is over! I am a free man! Well, mostly free. I have been sentenced to probation, but as long as I stay in London I can move around on my own and let me tell you, anything is better than Azkaban with it's Dementors! The only downside to this is that I won't be able to take on guardianship of you. But the probation should not last forever, they are just trying to figure out how exactly my cousin Bellatrix managed to escape, and once they do I should be completely free.

I am currently staying at Remus flat. I'm told you know where that is? Let me tell you, I was surprised, but very pleased at learning that you two have been in contact while I was still being kept at the Ministry.

I wanted to ask you if you'd maybe like to spend Christmas with Remus and me? We are currently trying to fix up my old family home and while it probably won't be anywhere near done til the holidays, I would be extremely happy to welcome you there!

Only if you want to of course! Don't feel pressured on behalf of this old man.

I also wanted to tell you how much it meant to me to see on Easter you after more than 10 years, and how relieved I was that you never hesitated to believe in me. I wish I could officially take you into my care, as that is what your parents would have wanted, but for now we shall just wait. Eventually everything's gonna sort itself out, I'm sure of it!

As I said, don't feel pressured, but if you'd like to spend Christmas with us, let me know so that I can arrange it with Professor Dumbledore.

Love, Sirius Black (free man!!!)

Harry puts down the letter. Even though he doesn't want to think about it, Malfoy's words still ring in his head as he contemplates how to best approach the matter of Christmas at Sirius. Maybe it would be better to just pretend he's going to spend the holidays at one of his friends' houses. It's not that Harry really believes that Dumbledore might have ulterior motives, but better safe than sorry, right? And of course, the headmaster would probably disapprove simply because of Sirius' probation, he is fond of rules after all. The uneasiness Harry is feeling certainly must come from that, not because he might suspect Dumbledore of doing anything sinister.

Harry still can't get those memories out of his mind. Neither the ones about his childhood, nor the ones he saw in Malfoy's mind, and it's slowly but surely driving him crazy. He also isn't sure how to approach the Slytherin after their confrontation in the Room of Requirement. After all, Harry is still angry over the crossed boundaries. Sure, the first time Malfoy cast Legilimens, Harry had given his consent. But after that jarring experience Malfoy just plunged back into his mind without warning, just like Snape had done all those years ago. At the same time Harry feels kinda guilty for seeing Malfoy's memories. The blond clearly didn't want him to know anything about his preferences or experiences with Nott.

And that's not even taking into account Harry's own feelings on the matter. Before Warrington's scandal with the Puddlemere seeker, he had never heard of any gay wizards before. Sure, there had been the rumours about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, back when Skeeter published that ridiculous book. But nothing like that had ever been confirmed. Maybe Harry just didn't know where to look, as he only figured out his less than straight sexuality after Voldemort was dead and he had a little more capacity to think about his life than before, when he had been constantly on high alert in case some kind of assassination attempt on him would suddenly take place.

Maybe he could ask Hermione about queer history in the wizarding world? If there's anybody that knows anything about that, it certainly would be her. But then he'd have to explain his sudden interest, and he's just not ready for that yet. Maybe he could ask Malfoy? He let's out a short bark of laughter at that idea. No, that would just be too ridiculous. And no matter their history, he really doesn't want to make the blond even more uncomfortable than he already appears to be. And talking to him about his sexuality almost guarantees to do just that. So for now, Harry will just have to wait and keep an eye out on the news, maybe look for some books about sexuality in the library. And if all else fails, he'll be able to ask Sirius about some of that stuff, when he visits him during Christmas hols.

Satisfied with that plan, Harry grabs a quill and starts writing out his affirmative answer regarding Christmas break, warning Sirius not to talk to anyone but Remus about that, in case anyone (like Dumbledore) would see Sirius' probation as ground for prohibiting their shared holiday.

***

Draco puts down the morning paper.

Mass-Murderer declared innocent! Sirius Black sentenced to probation

the title reads.

He is still angry at Potter for forcing himself into his mind, but at the same time he feels conflicted about what he learned about Potter's childhood. He'd had no idea! Draco'd always assumed that Potter grew up spoilt just like himself, never in a million years would he have imagined the horrors the boy faced at home. At least Draco himself had a mostly happy childhood, with everything going downhill after his 5^th year, of course.

He doesn't know how to act, now that he has seen Potter's memories and the Gryffindor has seen Draco's. On the one hand Draco feels embarrassed about the type of memories Potter saw, as well as angry that he saw them in the first place. On the other hand, he feels guilty for giving Potter so much shit during their adolescence when the prat had his work cut out for him with being bullied and abused by his own family. He thought Potter to be spoilt and attention-hungry, but he can see now that neither was the case.

Potter has been looking increasingly sad and distracted over the past few days, and Draco thinks it must be because of the probation sentence, which technically means that the Gryffindor will have to go back to his abusive relatives. Pulling himself together, he decides to approach Potter, wanting to make sure the Gryffindor isn't faring too bad. After that memory of a tiny Potter thinking about not wanting to live anymore, Draco thinks he has every right to worry.

He is kind of scared that Potter might be disgusted with him now that he knows that Draco's gay. After all, the brat has ignored Draco ever since their Occlumency lesson and even back in the room Potter didn't say anything after having learnt Draco's deepest secret.

But right now, Draco pushes the thought away, Potter must be devastated at the prospect of going back to those Muggles, and he really wants to talk to him. He catches the Gryffindor outside of the Great Hall, when his friends are walking further up ahead. Potter's first instinct is to stab his wand at his attacker, even though all Draco did was pull him into an alcove. Okay, he admits to himself, after a war that might be a perfectly understandable reaction.

At least to his favour, when Potter recognizes Draco he immediately lowers his wand, a faint blush grazing his cheeks.

''Malfoy, wha-what is it?'' he stutters, seemingly nervous.

Draco realizes that maybe pulling the Gryffindor into a small alcove isn't the best approach after Potter learned about him being gay. He can't even begrudge the brat his nervousness at their sudden proximity. After all, Draco's heart is beating extremely fast due to Potter's closeness.

''Um, ''Draco clears his throat. ''Meet me in the room today after dinner?'' he asks, voice breaking mid-way through the sentence.

Potter scrutinizes him for a moment, before he nods and without a word turns around and leaves Malfoy and his traitorous heart alone I the cosy alcove.

In the evening, after dinner, Draco waits impatiently in the room. When Potter enters at a quarter past seven, he is mildly agitated and his nerves are like a bare wire.

Draco takes a deep breath and tentatively approaches Potter, ''Um, hey.'' he starts awkwardly. ''So, I um, I read about the probation. How are you holding up?'' he asks without looking directly into Potter's eyes.

The Gryffindor looks at him as if he's trying to solve a puzzle, then just shrugs and kind of deflates. ''I don't know. I really expected Sirius to be freed, you know?'' he murmurs.

Draco understands that. He himself would have bet on his mother's cousin going free after the overwhelming evidence of an alive Peter Pettigrew, but apparently the Ministry had other plans.

''So, does that mean...' he starts hesitantly, 'Do you have to go back to your aunt and uncle?'' Draco whispers.

Potter screws his eyes shut and nods stiffly. He looks utterly defeated, so Draco decides against bringing up the topic of Albus Dumbledore once more. He can't imagine Potter is in any position to accept his thoughts. But the flinch jerking through Potter's body at the mention of his relatives doesn't evade him.

Draco can't help but get angry at that, though he does his best not to show it, not wanting to scare off Potter. He wants to make those Muggles hurt, and he wants to do the same to Dumbledore, for all that those people did to Potter. Draco feels pretty protective over the Gryffindor brat.

But what Potter seems to need right now is support and distraction, so Draco tries to find something to occupy their thoughts.

''So, how do you feel about unmask Goldylocks Lockhart during the first start of the duelling club? Wouldn't that be funny, besting him at the thing he always brags about?'' he suggests mischievously.

At that Potter looks up at Draco, and he gives a small, grateful smile. ''But didn't he only do that because of the chamber of secrets last time?'' he asks.

''Oh yeah, I thought so too, but we had a notice on our board in the Slytherin common room this morning. I guess the old fraud can't help but try to gain more attention, active danger or not.'' Draco shrugs, smiling himself.

Potter's mile has widened and he nods in agreement. ''You know what, yeah, let's do it!'' he laughs. ''We should probably disguise it with a duel, so no-one can pin anything on us, though.'' he seems thoughtful.

While they start hatching out a plan, Draco can't help but be glad that all of their previous argument seems to be forgotten. Sure, they didn't really talk about it, but he feels like they have come to a mutual conclusion of just forgetting anything happened, and Draco is just fine with that.