Life Reborn

Sirius’ POV

Sirius knew immediately what Voldemort’s return meant, and he was nowhere near ready to face the consequences of being an escaped prisoner. He knew Bellatrix would be after him, more so now than she ever was before her own escape from Azkaban. Her loyalty to Voldemort has made her insane, almost to the point of feral, and she would stop at nothing if it meant pleasing him. It was time to take action and have a plan in place if ever he needed one. The real question was, just who could he trust to help him with the follow through?

Harry was starting his 5th year at Hogwarts, not that Sirius was convinced it was a good idea for him to go back. With Voldemort’s return, and the rise in numbers of his followers, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the war truly began. He was only hoping that his idea would be fool-proof before they got to that point. He needed to start right away on procuring the ingredients for the potion he had designed, and start testing it immediately. He also needed to entrust someone, and soon, to help him – that has to be his first step.

Opening his home back up to the Order was important to him; now with the Weasley’s all bustling about during meetings, and Hermione staying with him for the summer, he knew it was only a matter of time before Harry joined them. He couldn’t wait to see his godson again, though he wished their reunion was under better circumstances. The meetings were getting more urgent, and no news on Voldemort’s front had everyone on edge. There was nothing they could do about Harry right now though. He never agreed that was where he should be – Harry should be with him – at 12 Grimmauld Place. But Dumbledore figures he knows what's best and for now, Sirius was in no position to argue with him over the safety of Harry.

Then it happens, Hermione comes to him worried about Harry, Harry’s letters have been getting more and more frequent. Sirius is ready to go and get Harry himself, but he knows that isn’t possible. Tomorrow during the meeting he will confront Albus and demand Harry be moved from the Dursley’s to his home. While he is planning just how to make that happen, he hears the chime of the floo. The commotion starts almost immediately. Arthur Weasley is yelling about Harry getting a notice from the Ministry and how Dumbledore had better clear it all up. Sirius quickly heads to the front room, ready to head out to get Harry at the first sign of any trouble.

Sirius quickly asks “Arthur, what’s going on, what happened to Harry?”

The rest of the Weasleys have now all flooed into his front room, and were staring at Arthur, waiting for his reply.

“He’s used magic in front of a muggle, he’s been expelled from Hogwarts and they intend to destroy his wand immediately.” Arthur replied quickly and informatively.

“This has to be a misunderstanding!” Hermione gasps as she walks down the stairs from her room to see what all the commotion is about.

“I’m afraid not, the Ministry is very strict and they wouldn’t have sent out this letter by accident. We just need to find out why he used magic, and who he was with.” Arthur replied, just as the floo chimed again.This time Albus Dumbledore entered the front room.

“Albus, what can we do? We must get Harry and bring him here,” Sirius demanded adamantly.

“Now, now, Sirius, there is nothing to worry about, I am heading right over to the Ministry to sort everything out; Harry is fine and he will continue to live with his Aunt and Uncle where he is safe.” Albus says with a sigh.

“No, he will not stay there any longer! The Dursleys cannot protect Harry if Voldemort was to attack, you and I both know this, he is coming home – even if I have to risk getting caught to bring him here,” yells Sirius.

“Sirius, I will go and get him. I agree he belongs with us,” Molly says cautiously.

“Do what you must now, but the boy will live with his aunt and uncle. I must go and clear this up at the office,” Dumbledore says as he steps back into the fireplace. “Ministry of Magic Atrium” he says and away he floos.

Molly quickly pulls Arthur and Sirius into the kitchen and they start to plan how just to get Harry out of the Dursleys, not knowing Hermione and Ron have followed them.

“We must get him away from the Dursleys, I can only begin to wonder why he felt he needed to use magic” Sirius frets.

“We agree with you Sirius, but we think he should come and live with us at the Burrow, he knows us and has gotten close to Ron. I am sure he will feel much more comfortable with us than here in this home.” Molly says.

“Not a chance Molly, he will come to live with me as James and Lily intended. I am his godfather and I intend to take that role VERY seriously,” Sirius says with a smirk.

Arthur and Molly exchange a glance and Sirius sits down at the kitchen table in a huff, knowing he won’t feel like Harry is safe without him under his care.

“Now Sirius, why don’t we let the boy decide once we have him here on who he wants to live with?” Arthur tries to mediate between his wife, and the man who should have been Harry’s guardian all this time.

“I guess we should allow him to choose, it is only fair after all he’s been through.” Molly says with an exasperated sigh.

“I will let him choose, but just know if I feel he’s no longer safe he will come to live with me no matter what.” Sirius reluctantly agrees, hoping his godson will join him. His only hope was that Harry would still agree to it, like he had after they saved him in their third year.

“Now, how do you suggest we go about getting Harry?” Arthur questions.

“One of us is just going to have to travel to the Dursleys and hope they will agree to letting him go with us,” Molly states matter of factly.

Arthur, Sirius and Molly sit around the table discussing the best method to get to Little Whinging, and to the Dursleys house without raising suspicions.

Meanwhile, outside in the hall, Hermione and Ron are having their own conversation about what to do to help Harry. Sirius of course has overheard everything – sometimes he's thankful he became an animagus – his hearing is far superior now.

“We can’t just let him stay at his aunt and uncle’s, Hermione, you know how they treat him. I am sure he used magic to defend himself from that brute cousin of his,” Ron blurts out.

“Hush Ron, I am trying to hear what your parents and Sirius are talking about, and you blurting out isn’t helping. Besides, do you really think Sirius will allow Harry to stay there now that something like this has happened?” Hermione shushed back at him.

“Well, what are they saying then, are they going to go and get him? Because if they aren’t I will, I’ve been there before I am sure I can sneak him out on my own.” Ron mutters a bit softer this time, not wanting to upset Hermione anymore.

“They are coming up with a plan on who is going to go and how they will get there, they want to do it as soon as possible so that he is back before Dumbledore returns from the Ministry.” Hermione replies after a few minutes of listening.

With that Ron quickly bursts into the kitchen startling his parents, but oddly enough not Sirius. “I want to go with you and get Harry from that horrid place, I’ve been there before I know what room he stays in, we can just sneak him out like before” He blurts out, but quickly blushes knowing his mum is still quite upset that himself and the twins went to get him several summers ago.

“Ronald Weasley you will NOT be going anywhere, you go upstairs with Hermione until we get back” Molly demands quite angrily.

“Mrs. Weasley, if I may say something,” Hermione chimes in.

“What is it my dear?” Molly asks, her tone much softer now.

“Well, Ron is right, he has been there before, and Harry will likely be locked up in his room again if his Aunt and Uncle have anything to do about it. We all know just how much they despise our world and anything from it. The letter and the owl will surely have made them quite upset.” Hermione states. “And also they may feel less threatened if I go and help you enter the house in a more muggle appropriate fashion.”

“Hermione, you are positively brilliant, why didn’t I think of that myself?” beams Sirius who is now grinning ear to ear; he thinks to himself he may have just found the right person to help him with his potion.

“They don’t call her the smartest witch of her age for nothing” Arthur chides.

Hermione’s POV

With that, Hermione, Molly, Arthur and Ron floo to The Leaky Cauldron with the intentions to take a cabbie from there to Privet Drive. As they get there, they run into Mundungus Fletcher, who was supposed to be keeping an eye on Harry according to Dumbledore.

“Mundungus, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be stationed at the Dursleys to watch over Harry?” Arthur questions as he firmly grabs him by the arm and pulls him into a corner with the others following.

Dung flickers his eyes to Arthur and stutters, “We…Well… Well see I had a business contract that I had to hold my end up on,” He skirts around the subject.

“So who is watching over Harry now?” Molly questions, getting more red in the face by the second.

“I am not sure, that crazy squib Mrs. Figg was watching me when I was there so I am sure she is looking after that lousy boy,” Dung spits out.

“Well you better hope she was! Harry had to use magic tonight and we are going to get him to take him back home with us” Ron bellows out in anger.

“RONALD!” Hermione gasps.

“What, Hermione?” Ron sighs, wondering what he did wrong now.

“You can’t say things like that in public places like this, who knows who is listening in,” Arthur calmly but sternly states.

“Well, you better get to the Figg house then if you want to get the boy,” Dung says, fear in his voice.

“Well, you are going to take us there Dung, and face the consequences Albus may have for you,” Molly says with a heat that would scare even Dumbledore himself.

“I can’t disapparate with all of youse” Dung says, “I can only take two of you” he adds sheepishly.

“You will take me and Hermione with you now and I will come back for Molly and Ron after we are sure you can’t take off again.” Arthur demands.

“Fine… fine. Let's go then” Dung says, and with that Hermione and Arthur disappear with Dung, leaving Molly and Ron to hope that he took them where he was supposed to and that it wasn’t a trap.

Arthur and Hermione land in the middle of a musty old room that smells strongly of tea and cats, and Hermione knows instantly that they are in the right place from stories Harry would tell of the times Mrs. Figg would babysit him. Mrs. Figg is in the corner crying hysterically, muttering what seems to be nonsense. She looks up long enough to see the visitors and then goes back to muttering and crying.

“Dung, you will sit on that chair and I will bind you to it until we can deal with you,” Arthur says forcefully.

“Y…Ye… Yes Arthur,” Dung stutters as he sits down and Arthur binds him with ropes.

“Hermione, you go ahead and let Mrs. Figg know what is going on, I will go and get Molly and Ron and we will head over to the Dursleys and get Harry,” Arthur says and disapparates in a hurry, just as Arabella realises who is in the room with her.

“MUNDUNGUS YOU TREACHEROUS RATTY LITTLE MAN I SHOULD THROTTLE YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW!” Arabella screams at Dung before she realises that Hermione is also there. “And you young lady, who might you be?” she asks a little more politely.

“I’m Hermione Granger, classmate of Harry’s and we are here because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are coming to take Harry back to a safe place until we can figure out what is going on.” Hermione explains.

“Oh deary it is a right mess it is, if Mundungus here wouldn’t have left none of this would ever have happened,” Arabella says softly, calming down slightly.

“Tell me what happened if you can,” Hermione says, hoping she can get the information out of her without her breaking down again.

“Dementors, that’s what happened, right here in Little Whinging, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen them myself. After Mundungus left I followed Harry, he ran into his cousin and they were about to fight. Then suddenly everything got so dreadfully cold, and the boys started running. I'm sure Harry knew what it was instantly but he tripped and lost hold of his wand. He got it back just in time to cast his Patronus – he saved that boy's life, and mine as well. I walked them back home and left because I didn’t want the Dursleys to know I am part of the wizarding world; Dumbledore gave me strict instructions to keep that part a secret. I came back here and let Dumbledore know immediately what happened, I’ve been waiting for an update ever since,” Arabella says, the tears lessening and her breathing calming down.

“Harry got a letter, he’s been expelled from Hogwarts and his wand is to be destroyed. Dumbledore is at the Ministry trying to fix things.” Hermione replies cautiously she is not sure she trusts everyone in the room.

Just then, Arthur, Molly, and Ron apparate in the living room. Arabella looks at Mundungus and grins – “Oh, I can’t wait to see what Dumbledore has in store for you,” she says with a laugh.

Arthur turns to Hermione, “Hermione, let’s go get Harry now and head back, we must move quickly.”

“Thank you Mrs. Figg for everything you’ve done, we will keep Harry safe now,” Hermione says to the old lady before walking towards the door to lead the Weasleys to 4 Privet Drive.