The Betrothal

“Well, you’ve upended up world view far too many times tonight. So I’m off to bed.” Sirius finally walks into the room, over to Harry and gives the teenager a kiss on the head. “Good night Harry.”

Sirius walks back to the door and starts closing it. It’s almost all the way shut when Sirius hears, “Goodnight Padfoot.”

The nickname makes him smile as the door shuts. Sirius then turns back towards the library, knowing the Remus is still in there. They have a some stuff they need to talk about.

#####

Sirius’ POV

When Sirius makes it back into the library, he finds Remus still sitting in the chair they’d left him in. He’s lent forwards now, head in his hands as he seemingly tries to wrap his head around everything Harry has and hadn’t said tonight. Sirius is right there with him, feeling both emotionally and physically drained. All Sirius wants to do now is go to bed and sleep, but he can’t. He’s an adult and he has to find a way to help Harry and to do that, he needs to talk to his best friend.

“Would you like some fire whiskey?” Sirius inquires as he retakes his seat.

“God, yes please.” Remus chuckles, but the noise sounds hollow and empty.

“Kreacher.” Sirius calls.

“Kreacher answers no good master.” The elf says when it pops into the room.

“Could you please bring me the fire whiskey and two glasses…and could you also bring Harry something to eat.” Sirius instructs.

“Heir Black has already asked for supper. Should I bring him more food?” Kreacher asks.

“No, thank you Kreacher.” Sirius says.

He’s watching the elf speculatively, he can’t help it. After everything Harry said about elves and how to treat Kreacher, all Sirius wants to do is observe the little creature and see if he’s right. It’s because of Harry’s words and Sirius’ gaze that he notices Kreacher’s little snarl at being asked and thanked. Oh my god, it really is a smile. Unaware of his masters current shock, Kreacher snaps his fingers and the whiskey plus two glasses appear on the table next to Sirius.

“Good work, Kreacher. You may leave now.” Sirius manages to croak.

Kreacher’s hunched form stands straight and proud before he promptly disappears.

“You okay there?” Remus questions.

“I’m fine.” Sirius chuckles dryly. “Harry has just spent most of the night upending my world view.”

Sirius pours out two fingers of whiskey into each glass before handing one over to Remus.

“Yeah, he’s good that way.” Remus huffs a laugh.

They both take a sip of their drinks before groaning simultaneously at the way the liquid burns. Sirius looks down into his drink, at his little reflection in the liquid.

“We failed him.” Sirius states.

“We couldn’t have known.” Remus tries but they both know it’s a lie.

“We knew how Lily felt about her sister and brother-in-law. We knew the way they treated her, why on earth did we think they’d treat Harry better?” Sirius asks.

“We didn’t, you were in prison, you didn’t know where Harry was for years. I did know, I should have known better. I should have checked up on him no matter what Dumbledore said…” Remus slouches in his chair.

“They wouldn’t have let you take him.” Sirius reminds.

“They wouldn’t have been able to stop me.” Remus growls.

“I’m not talking about the Dursley’s, Remus. I’m talking about the Ministry and, hell, even Dumbledore. They wouldn’t have allowed it.” Sirius states.

“Yesterday I would have disagreed with you about Dumbledore, but today…” Remus trails off.

“How often do you think Dumbledore has lied about Harry?” Sirius inquires before continuing, “it has to have been a lot right, I mean Harry is really angry at him.”

“He hates him.” Remus informs. “I could smell the hatred rolling off of Harry every time Dumbledore’s name was brought up.”

Sirius sighs, “I…I honestly can’t blame him. Every single year, Harry has asked to live somewhere else and every single year, Dumbledore says no. And now he’s lying about getting Harry to see a mind healer and telling us not to contact him. The whole thing just leaves me wondering-”

“-What else has Dumbledore lied about all these years.” Remus nods.

“We’re supposed to be able to trust those we’re fighting with and instead Molly is putting potions in Harry’s food, Tonks may be helping her and Dumbledore is lying to us.” Sirius scoffs before taking another sip.

“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it.” Remus says, not needing to finish the sentence.

And he doesn’t need to finish the sentence because Sirius knows. They had this thought many times during the first war, it was something they as a group talked about constantly, was anyone really the bad guy. If everyone is fighting for what they believe to be right, then who is actually in the wrong? Sirius had always said that the death eaters were in the wrong, the name really says it all, except then he started getting letters from his brother about some of the underhanded and downright horrendous things the so called light side had done in the name of the greater good.

That had Sirius questioning things. But he was young and dumb and instead of sitting back and watching, trying to find evidence of their apparent wrong doings. He’d instead confronted Dumbledore and Moody with his brother’s letters. They’d denied it of course, they denied everything. Sirius was going to send a letter to his brother, demanding proof. He never got that far as he soon got word that his brother was dead, body burned, unrecoverable. Sirius wasn’t sure and still isn’t sure, but part of him has always wondered, was Dumbledore responsible for his brother’s death.

Did Sirius get his brother killed?

“We need to figure out a way to get Harry away from the Dursley’s, permanently.” Remus states, bringing Sirius out of his thoughts.

“And how do we do that Moony? Neither of us would be allowed to take him in.” Sirius points out.

“I don’t know Padfoot, I don’t know.” Remus admits.

#####

Harry’s POV

When Harry woke up, it was the next morning and he still felt full from the meal Kreacher had made him the night before. When Harry had asked Kreacher for some dinner, he’d expected something small. He was used to being served small portions at the Dursley’s, if he was served any food at all. And Dobby knew not to give him too much food or he’d gain weight and tip off his relatives that something was going on.

Kreacher had no knowledge of Harry’s eating habits however and brought Harry enough food for three people. The elf had been grumbling about Harry being the Black heir and a growing boy and needing to get big and strong. The elf had said something about Harry being too small for his age and while Harry knew Kreacher was right, he still didn’t like being viewed as small.

So Harry had eaten and eaten and eaten until he ate so much he felt sick. Then he’d put the tray of food down, laid back and promptly fallen into a food coma. As a result, he didn’t brush his teeth the night before and currently his mouth feels disgusting. Harry shuffled out of bed and into the bathroom where he promptly brushed his teeth, washed his face and attempted to comb his hair.

His hair had grown out a lot over the summer, he hadn’t allowed his aunt to come anywhere near him with those scissors. As a result, Harry’s usual birds nest is surprisingly tame, if a bit difficult to get a brush through. As Harry looked in the mirror at his new look, he couldn’t help but wonder what he’d look like if his hair was just slightly longer. Just a touch, maybe shoulder length. Well the only way to know would be to wait and see.

Once Harry is finished in the bathroom, he goes to find some clothes to wear. He pulls out some jeans, socks, underwear and finally a too large T-shirt. He’d been using the baggy T-shits to hide the fact he’d resized his trousers from his relatives. But he’s no longer with them so… Harry pulls out his wand and resizes his shirt so it fits him. Then he puts on his clothes. When they’re on, Harry feels like a new person, new hair, fitting clothes. It’s an excellent feeling.

He wishes the clothes were his own though, not just hand offs from his cousin. Maybe he can find a way to be allowed to go to Diagon Alley. He needs a new school robe anyway and books for this years classes and stationary…he’ll ask Remus about it at breakfast. Speaking of which, when is breakfast and also what is the time? Harry casts a quick tempus and finds that whilst it’s early it’s not nearly as early as he thought it was. Harry puts his wand back in his trunk.

He really needs to find a way to store his wand somewhere on him. Sirius had a thing around his wrist yesterday, didn’t he? He’ll ask about it at breakfast too. With that sorted Harry opens the door and walks out into the hallway. Part of Harry wants to go back into the library but he has a feeling that Sirius wouldn’t like him going in there without him. So instead Harry carries on down the stairs to the next floor, through the hallway and down the next set of stairs, down and down he goes until he eventually makes it to the ground floor and into the dining room.

It seems that most of the people staying in the house are up, except for Sirius and Remus…that’s annoying. Harry looks around the at the empty seats, smiling when he finds one between the twins and across from Hermione. Quickly, before anyone even thinks of snatching it up, Harry walks over to it.

“Harry! Mate, where were you? You didn’t come back to the room last night and when I woke up all your stuff was gone.” Ron says, food still in his mouth.

“Ronald, no speaking when you’re chewing.” Mrs Weasley admonishes before turning that same look on Harry. “Harry dear, we were really worried, you can’t just…”

“Mrs Weasley,” Harry cuts in before she can make him angry, he’s trying to have a good day, “I truly am sorry if I made you worry. I slept in a bedroom on the third floor last night.”

“What happened to staying with me?” Ron asks.

“You have yet to apologise for your actions or lack there of. Until you do, I don’t feel comfortable staying alone in a room with you.” Harry informs.

“I have nothing to apologise for!” Ron exclaims.

“Well done…” Fred starts.

“…for proving his point…” George continues.

“…Ronald.” They both finish.

“Will you both stop it.” Molly huffs before once again turning to Harry. “Harry, I’m sure that whatever is going on between you and Ronald can be fixed given time and…”

“Space. I completely agree. Thank you for being so understanding Mrs Weasley.” Harry smiles at her all innocently.

“Yes, well…I…I…” Mrs Weasley stutters.

Mr Weasley coming out of the kitchen makes Molly’s whole demeanor change. Where she was slowly growing annoyed, hands on her hips and a pinched frown resting on her face, she’s suddenly all smiles, sunshine and rainbows.

“Let me just go get the rest of the breakfast finished.” She chuckles warmly.

And seeing how quickly she changed up her behaviour makes Harry feel nauseous. Are any of her emotions real? When she’s been kind to him in the past has that always been just acting? Where is the line between Molly and whoever Molly is trying to please?

“You noticed it too huh?” George whispers.

“Has she always been like that?” Harry asks, just as quietly.

“Only every damn day of our lives.” Fred huffs. “Come on, lets eat something before Ron takes it all.”

Harry does as suggested, but after such a large meal last night, he’s not feeling like having more than jam on toast and some fruit. All of which is free from any kind of potions, thank god. Harry eats slowly as he listens to the conversations around him. He’s hoping that he’ll be able to eat with Remus and Sirius when they arrive. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen, as they only come down after Harry has taken the last bite of his food five minutes before.

“Good morning.” Harry greets them.

“Good morning Harry.” They both reply at the same time.

He goes to ask them about shopping trips and wand holsters, but finds he can’t as the moment he opens his mouth, Molly is back in the room.

“All right kids, time to get back to work.” Molly instructs.

Everyone at the table grumbles.

“Um…?” Harry looks at Hermione confused.

“We’ve been spending each day cleaning up the house.” She answers his unspoken question.

Oh, Harry thinks and then he thinks some more.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Harry asks.

His words seem to bring everyone up short except for Sirius.

“Yes it is, and I’ve told Molly repeatedly that she shouldn’t be making you kids do it.” Sirius sighs.

“Well someone has to clean this house, it’s not safe for the kids to be around all these dark objects.” Molly huffs.

“So your solution is to have the kids clean up the dark objects?” Harry questions.

“Well, I…” Molly stammers.

“Wait, the kids have been cleaning up dark objects?” a new voice asks.

Harry looks over and finds the black gentleman that helped pick him up, standing in the doorway. He’s having a hard time remembering his name though.

“Yes Kingsley, that is exactly what has been happening.” Sirius nods.

“Molly, I understand wanting the place to be clean for the children but having them cleaning up dark objects is dangerous. There has to be a better way.” The man lightly scolds.

“Why don’t we ask Kreacher?” Harry suggests.

“Heir Black has job for Kreacher?” the new voice makes everyone look towards Harry.

Harry turns to his left and finds Kreacher looking up at him with barely concealed joy.

“Yes Kreacher. Are there any empty rooms on the third floor?” Harry inquires.

“Yes, heir Black.” Kreacher nods.

“Okay, I would like for you to find any and all dark or cursed objects in the house and place them in the empty room, then I would like for you to tell Sirius which room you’ve placed them in.” Harry instructs.

“Kreacher,” Sirius jumps in quickly. “Leave everything in the library alone.”

“Kreacher can do that.” The elf nods.

“Thank you Kreacher.” Harry smiles down at the elf, the elf snarls back before disappearing.

“Harry!” Hermione admonishes. “I thought we both agreed that the way wizards treat house elves was horrendous. How could you?”

“Heir Black?” Tonks mutters, sharing a look with Molly.

Harry picks up on it and so does Sirius and Remus if the way their faces change means anything. Harry decides to ignore it however and focus on his enraged best friend.

“And I do and did agree with you Hermione. I think house elves deserve to be treated with respect. But I also learnt some stuff about house elves that changed my stance slightly.” Harry informs.

“Like what?” Hermione inquires.

“Like the fact that without a bond to a member of wixen society they slowly die.” Harry explains.

“What?!” Hermione exclaims.

“I’m sure that’s not true, Harry.” Molly says.

“Of course it is.” Kingsley corrects. “Every pureblood family knows that, including yours Molly.”

That shuts Mrs Weasley up.

“Oh god, everyone at Hogwarts probably thinks I’m an idiot.” Hermione gasps.

“No.” Harry denies before thinking about it.

Though, all the purebloods and upper class half-bloods did laugh when they heard about S.P.E.W, so maybe.

“They don’t think you’re an idiot Hermione.” Fred starts.

“Just a misinformed muggleborn.” George continues.

“They were actually all more surprised that Harry hadn’t corrected you sooner.” Fred says.

“None of them believe us when we tell them that Harry wasn’t raised in opulence.” George shakes his head.

“Wait what?” Harry questions.

“For years, before you came to school…” The twins start but stop quickly once their mum starts talking over them.

“That’s enough, if you aren’t going to be cleaning the house today then you should all go and make sure you’ve completed your summer projects.” Mrs Weasley states.

“Oh course, Mrs Weasley. Harry do you want me to help you?” Hermione inquires, a touch condescending but considering Harry’s past with homework, understandable.

“I wouldn’t mind you reading over them.” Harry admits.

He knows more know that he’s read the beginners books he was never given before. And with all of the notes from his mums journals but Hermione is the smartest in their classes, so any help would be great.

“You’ve already completed them?” Hermione asks shocked.

“Did your relatives let you keep for school books this year?” Ron adds.

“No they did not…And yes I have. They left me alone while they went on holiday this year. Managed to pick the lock.” Harry lies.

“They left you while they went on holiday?” Kingsley asks, frowning.

“Right, I forgot you’re new. My relatives suck.” Harry smiles winningly at the man.

That statement makes several people at the table snort and mutter things like, ‘understatement’ ‘no duh’ and ‘abusive assholes’.

Kingsley just raises an eyebrow at the mutterings. Harry watches the man look over at Sirius and Remus who are both glaring daggers at the table.

“Right.” Kingsley nods and then moves to sit with Remus and Sirius.

Harry gets the feeling that Kingsley is one of the few people within the order that actually cares about what’s right and wrong. He has no proof to back him up though. So for now he’s going to treat the man with the same caution he’s treating everyone else in the order with. Don’t trust until proven otherwise. Although from the way Sirius and Remus are looking at each other, they may trust the man enough to get his help. Which may get in the way of his plans…oh well, he’ll handle it as it comes up.

“So homework.” Harry states.

“Yes.” Mrs Weasley coughs. “Get to it children.”

They all stand and start moving around the table towards the door.

“I’ll need to head up to the third floor first to grab them.” Harry informs.

“That’s fine, I’ll start on Ron’s homework first. You know, make sure he’s actually doing it.” Hermione hums.

“Hey!” Ron huffs.

#####

After Harry had gotten his homework and brought it down for Hermione to go over, he’d sat in the room he was supposed to be staying in with Ron.

Harry can’t help but watch Hermione’s face as she goes through his work. It’s really amusing to hear her muttering as she goes through everything, while her face goes from surprised to suspicious to incredulous and back to surprised again.

“Harry, I hate to even have to ask this, but it was you who wrote this, right?” Hermione tentatively asks.

“Yes Hermione. I found out shortly before the end of last year that I was never given the beginners books. You know the ones given to muggleborns so they understand the basics. I’m guessing there was some type of mix up.” Harry lies as he seethes on the inside.

He’s not angry with Hermione, she’s right that his homework has improved leaps and bounds from where it was. No he’s angry at Dumbledore and every single teacher he’s had since for not picking up on the fact that he was missing the basics.

“So I read through them this summer and it was like my brain clicked and everything that didn’t make sense before was suddenly obvious.” Harry finishes.

“The teacher that picked you up didn’t bring them with them?” Hermione asks horrified.

“The person that picked me up was Hagrid and the only thing he brought with him was a smashed cake.” Harry informs.

“That’s…Harry, that’s awful. No wonder you’ve struggled so hard in the past. If I’d have known I would have given you my set.” Hermione says apologetically.

“It’s not your fault Hermione. Now, is my homework so different that it’s not obvious I wrote it? I don’t want to have to deal with the professors saying that I’m cheating or something.” Harry inquires.

“No, it’s obvious that you wrote it from your hand writing.” Hermione admits.

“Because it’s still terrible. I still have no idea how to fix that.” Harry huffs.

“Well…oh god Harry!” Hermione suddenly exclaims.

“What?” Harry frowns in confusion.

“If you didn’t get the basics on magic then you also wouldn’t have gotten the basics on quill care.” Hermione sighs. “I always thought it was weird you didn’t come to any of those beginner classes but I just assumed you had a different period block than me.”

“There were classes on quill care?” Harry mutters.

“Yes. But it’s fine. I’ll teach you.” Hermione promises.

“What’s the big deal?” Ron suddenly pipes up, reminding them that he was there too.

“The big deal Ronald, is that Harry has been sorely let down by his teachers. I mean, did any of them even talk to you about the fact you were obviously missing important information?” Hermione huffs.

“No. Not a single one.” Harry answers.

“God Harry…and with everything you’ve been through too. It’s honestly really lucky that you’re still alive.” Hermione admits.

“Can we get back to homework please? I need help.” Ron asks before muttering, “I can’t believe I just said that.”

And so they do, they go over both his and Ron’s homework. They even go over Hermione’s when she realises that Harry has written some beginner points she missed. They all ended up redoing their homework, during which Hermione gave Harry pointers on how to best take care of and use his quill. When they’d finished, Harry was astonished at just how much better his writing looked.

After that, Harry took his homework back up to his room and for the first time since Sirius showed him the room, Harry had a look around. He found a cupboard full of wizarding clothing and that reminded him that he needed some of his own, he really needs to go on a shopping trip, which means he needs to talk to Remus. But first, Harry sits down at the desk and goes over the contract his lawyers sent him.

As he’s reading through it, he finds a couple things he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t want to sign something he doesn’t understand and he doesn’t want to ask anyone about it. He does not need Dumbledore finding out about his lawyer before he has one. And Harry just realised that he really should get this signed before his trial if he wants his lawyer to be there. So how should he figure this out…the library!

Harry leaves the room, contract in hand and goes looking for Sirius. He does not have to go far though, because as he’s descending the stairs, Sirius is ascending them.

“Hey, I was just looking for you.” Harry greets.

“Well, you found me. What do you need?” Sirius inquires.

“I need to look some stuff up in the library. Had a feeling you wouldn’t want me in there without you.” Harry informs.

“Right you are. Some of those books are very dark. What are you looking for exactly? Homework stuff?” Sirius asks as he gestures for Harry to follow him back up the stairs.

Harry kind of freezes, not sure what to say. He trusts Sirius, he truly does, but this needs to stay quiet until the trial happens.

“Can you keep a secret?” Harry asks.

“Sure, but it’s best you tell me when we’re in the library. The third floor may be off limits but those extendable ears the twins came up with are ingenious and I have no idea if the wards will stop them.” Sirius admits.

Harry nods and stays silent until they enter the library and Sirius closes the door behind them.

“Okay, what are we keeping secret?” Sirius questions.

“There’s this contract I need to sign, but I didn’t want to sign it until I’d read through it.” Harry starts.

“Smart.” Sirius nods, not even asking what the contract is about, which Harry’s thankful for.

“The problem is, is the fact that I don’t understand all the wording. I was hoping there would be a book or something in here, that would help translate.” Harry finishes.

“There are several books in here, but I can help if you like. My father made sure I knew how to read contracts and to not sign anything that would harm me.” Sirius informs.

Harry thinks it over. Sirius has already promised to keep this all a secret, so what does it matter if Sirius read the contract? Hesitantly, Harry hands over the contract. Sirius takes it and moves over to the chairs to read it. Meanwhile Harry decides to look around the room.

#####

Harry has found several books that appear to be bound in human skin, during his search through the library. Which is, you know, horrifying and Harry doesn’t want to know anything about those books so the moment he’d found them he’d turned in the opposite direction and walked off. That is how he found himself in one of the very corners of the room staring at a massive tapestry. It’s beautiful, or at least it would be if it weren’t for the fact that it’s obviously been damaged and left to build up dust.

The tapestry is made of all the different faces and names that once made up the Black family. The amount of history on the wall is amazing. Harry can’t help but follow from the very top of the tapestry to all the names at the bottom. He notices several things in doing so. One) a lot of cousins married each other. Two) Harry isn’t on it despite having Black blood. Three) neither is Tonks, who is Sirius’ cousin. Four) Sirius has a brother called Regulus.

“Harry!” Sirius calls out.

Harry gets up from where he was sitting on the floor in front of the tapestry and walks back through the library towards the chairs. When he reaches them he finds Sirius holding the contract in his hands. His godfather is looking over him with some slight worry.

“I didn’t touch any of the books.” Harry assures and Sirius’ tense shoulders relax.

“Good. Now, I’ve read through the contract, and everything is in order. I just need to check something before you sign. What is the purpose of having a lawyer?” Sirius inquires.

“I have many purposes. A lot has happened to me or about me that I had no control or knowledge of. Having a lawyer to help with that would be great, especially someone who is living in the wixen world at all times and can get a jump on things before I eventually learn of them. Plus I need a lawyer for my trial, so I really need to get that signed and sent.” Harry informs.

“You realise how short notice it is for your lawyer right? Your trial is tomorrow.” Sirius teases.

“It’s fine, I just need them present. A show of strength if you will.” Harry shrugs.

“Okay, then you should sign these now and get then sent immediately. You still need my help with an anti-tracking spell for Hedwig?” Sirius questions.

“Yes.” Harry nods as he takes the contract and the quill Sirius set on the table. His godfather had apparently been taking notes whilst going over the contract.

Harry signs when something else comes to mind.

“Sirius…?” Harry says.

“Yes Harry.” Sirius replies.

“Let’s say, hypothetically, over the summer someone went to the bank and found out some information that was important for you to know. Would you yell at the person for going to the bank or would you just be happy they told you the information?” Harry asks.

“Depends on the information I suppose.” Sirius says, eyebrow raised and a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Hypothetically, I spoke to the Potter accounts manager. And they gave me a message for you from the Black accounts manager.” Harry informs.

“And what is this message?” Sirius asks, previous playful demeanor gone.

“You’re hemorrhaging money.” Harry answers.

“No, that’s not…that’s not possible. No one should even have access to the accounts anymore.” Sirius stammers.

“What about your brother?” Harry asks.

Sirius looks startled and pained at that.

“I saw the tapestry.” Harry answers the unspoken question.

“My brother is dead.” Sirius states, sadly.

“But the tapestry…” Harry gestures towards where the thing is hung up.

“The magic broke after my mother blasted so many of us from the thing.” Sirius explains. “How do you even know about the money in the accounts?”

“I have the right to check how much money is in the accounts are heir Black. You have less money than the Potter account.” Harry admits.

“I need to find a way to get to the bank.” Sirius sighs.

“We’ll all need to leave the house at some point to get our new school supplies.” Harry informs.

“I won’t be able to go with you though, not even in dog form.” Sirius reminds.

“No, but I am your heir and if Remus comes with us then you could theoretically appoint him at intermediate between you and the bank. Write a letter or something. Maybe sign with a blood quill so they can now that it’s you giving the instructions.” Harry suggests.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to Remus about it. Thank you Harry.” Sirius smiles tiredly at him.

“No problem.” Harry says and the room goes quiet.

Harry enjoys the silence as he lets his brain think. He hadn’t been completely honest with Sirius about not picking up any books. He’d picked up one on the after effects of being around a Dementor and read through it. It said a lot about how hard it is for most to be even half as mentally aware as Sirius is. It also suggested that one way for someone to heal faster and better is to give them tasks, things for them to solve. That gives Harry an idea.

“Hey, Sirius, have you ever thought about trying to fix the tapestry?” Harry inquires.

“No I haven’t. I’m not sure I even could.” Sirius admits.

“I think you could. I mean, you had to have been pretty smart to come up with the map and actually get it working.” Harry says.

“Group effort.” Sirius dismisses.

“Fine, if you don’t think you can do it.” Harry teases.

“I’m sure I could work it out if I had time.” Sirius defends.

“Oh yes, and you are just so busy nowadays.” Harry nods mockingly.

“I’ll show you, I’ll have the thing fixed before you come back for winter break.” Sirius challenges. “You’ll be on it and everything.”

“I’m coming back for winter break?” Harry can’t help but ask. “I’ll be on it?”

“Of course you are. And of course you will be. Your grandmother was a Black and I’m your godfather, blood adopted you and everything.” Sirius smiles at him. “Now, let’s get this contract sent and then I believe it’s time for lunch.”