In which the proverbial shit hits the metaphorical fan
Harry quickly stuffed the last of his socks in his trunk and forced the lid shut. Sometime last year, the standard expansion charm that had come with the trunk had given out, and he had to lean most of his body weight on the lid to get it closed properly. Usually, it wouldn't matter, but he was packing all his belongings into the trunk this time. Most of it was things he probably could have left behind anyways, but he liked the idea of leaving nothing of his behind.
After all, Harry didn't plan to return to Privet Drive ever again.
Plan A was for Sirius to clear his name, and Harry could live with him at Aquarius House or another Black property.
If Sirius lost his case, Plan B still ended in Harry living with Sirius at Aquarius House. Harry knew Dumbledore, and probably a few others would have something to say about that, but he was beyond caring at this point.
It had been a few years since Harry tried running away, so he thought he'd be better at it this time.
Still, they were optimistic that Sirius would have custody of Harry legally. He hadn't met Nathaniel Burke, but Sirius had shared the various bits of correspondence that had gone between the two men all summer, and the latest letter had been reassurance that as soon as the trial concluded – if it went Sirius's way, he'd be filing the paperwork to grant Sirius guardianship of Harry.
Officially, Sirius had never lost custody – the revocation of guardianship would have been included in the process of convicting Sirius of his crimes and sending him to Azkaban. When this never happened, Sirius had been left as the guardian of record on most of Harry's paperwork. Mr. Burke had said that due to the chaos of the war ending so suddenly, the irregularities in Harry's paperwork must have been overlooked. So Mr. Burke would just be formalizing what was already on file and ensuring that Sirius could take custody of Harry immediately after the trial.
Of course, Harry wasn't planning on waiting until then to move into Aquarius House. He was going today – the afternoon before the trial was set to start.
Harry took one last glance around the room to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. With his admittedly meager possessions removed, the room looked even more depressing than usual. Hedwig had long since taken off to start the flight to Aquarius House, and he had pulled down the few small attempts he made to decorate the room so it looked barren and the dilapidated status of the furniture was even more apparent.
"BOY! Get down here immediately!" came a shout from downstairs.
Merlin, he's bloody loud. Can't wait to never have to hear that walrus ever again.
Figuring now was as good a time as any to leave, Harry double-checked beneath the loose floorboard and snagged the forgotten chocolate frog that must have been left behind last summer before shoving it in his pocket while grabbing the end of his trunk and heading down to the living room.
No longer caring about keeping the peace with his relatives, Harry didn't bother picking up the other end of his trunk and let it thump, thump, thump down the stairs.
He wondered how hard he'd have to stomp to cause the stairs to collapse and crash down into the closet underneath. If they remodeled, would they keep the cupboard under the stairs or just board it up? He thought perversely.
By the time Harry made it downstairs, dragging his trunk behind him, Vernon was practically steaming at both the delay in Harry's arrival and the loud noises he had made on the way down.
"What have I told you about making all that racket, boy?" spit Uncle Vernon.
Harry didn't answer. That question seemed rhetorical, which was proven when his uncle continued without waiting for a response.
"Just who do you think you are, telling your sort about our home address? After that nonsense with all the stamps last year, we told you we didn't want any of your kind contacting you here." He said with a sneer.
Harry was sure he looked confused, and with a shrug, he asked, "I haven't been giving out your address. Did someone send something?" Harry noticed for the first time that Uncle Vernon was clenching a white envelope in his meaty fist, causing the paper to crinkle.
"Someone is sending you mail, boy. And no one normal and decent would be trying to get in touch with the likes of you. It must be one of your lot."
Harry did agree that it was unlikely anyone muggle would be reaching out to him, but he also didn't know anyone who would send something through the muggle post to get in touch with him.
Unless – what if – Hermione?
Harry hadn't heard anything back from her or Ron after he sent off his letter. He assumed they had taken him at his word when he said don't bother to write if they weren't going to say anything useful. But maybe they had sent something the muggle way, and that's what had caused the wait.
Vernon had continued speaking while Harry thought this through, ranting about "freaks" and "madmen" showing up unannounced because Harry had made their address public and Harry had to hide an eye-roll at his uncle's antics.
Then, reminding himself he was about to leave this place, he did actually roll his eyes, making sure it was an extra exaggerated gesture that would be sure to catch Vernon's attention.
"Uncle Vernon, I haven't told anyone to contact me here. I don't know who sent that." Harry reached out his hand to take the letter, but Vernon jerked it out of his reach.
"Well, if you didn't ask anyone to write you, then why would you care about reading this." Vernon quickly pivoted from being angry at Harry for sharing their address to being smug about keeping something Harry wanted.
With another pronounced eye roll, Harry replied, "I may not know who it's from, but it's still my letter isn't it? You remember what happened the last time you tried to keep a letter from me? Isn't Dudley still terrified of anyone over six foot five, just in case they're going to give him a pig's tail again?"
Vernon's mustache was properly quivering with rage by the time Harry finished speaking, but Harry just smiled and waited with his hand outstretched.
"You better watch yourself, boy. Maybe it's time to lock up your ruddy bird and put those bars back on your window. How'd you like to be locked in your room until you can finally leave us in September." Vernon's voice got progressively louder as he spoke, and Harry saw Petunia, who must have overheard the argument and came to investigate, begin to hover in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Actually, Uncle Vernon, I'll be leaving today. For good." Harry saw surprise flicker on both of his relative's faces, which quickly changed into joy on Uncle Vernon's and wariness on Aunt Petunias, "My godfather – you know, the mass murderer – he's got a house and said he'll take me in."
"HA. You'll end up dead like your good-for-nothing parents, murdered by your so-called godfather. And good riddance" Harry wasn't positive about what Vernon was so thrilled about – Harry leaving for good or the idea of Harry being murdered.
Probably the latter.
On the other hand, Aunt Petunia now looked apprehensive. "And what do the rest of your sort think about this? They're pleased for you to go off and live with a criminal?"
Finally accepting he wasn't getting his letter just yet, Harry dropped his still outstretched hand and gave a one-shoulder shrug, "Wasn't really planning on asking for their permission. Sirius was supposed to be my guardian anyways. He's just taking custody a few years late."
"And when someone realizes you've left our home – the home we've graciously opened to you these last thirteen years, and comes to blame us for your running away, just what are we supposed to tell them? That you snuck away in the night?"
"Graciously?" Harry asked incredulously, "You'd call the way you treated me gracious? You never gave me enough to eat, never bought me clothes that fit – even secondhand, you gave me Dudley's cast-offs. My chores were never-ending. And don't forget – you made me sleep in a BLOODY CUPBOARD." He didn't even touch on the complete lack of emotional support or any kind of familial relations. Now that he was old enough, he fully understood the Dursleys failed to provide him the basic necessities that all children should be provided by their caregivers.
"You've had a roof over your head and food to eat. Just because we don't spoil you rotten as my vaunted sister would have, doesn't mean we haven't taken care of you." Petunia said as if to convince herself more than Harry.
His steadily rising flame of anger seemed to whoosh out at the mention of his mother. Harry was once again reminded that, hated as Aunt Petunia might be, she was still the closest thing to his mother other than him that was left on this earth – genetically at least. And this would likely be the last time he ever saw her.
With a slight shake of his head, Harry reminded himself that his grievances against his Aunt and Uncle were about not to matter.
"Either way, I'm leaving. Tell anyone who comes looking for me that I ran away. I don't care." Harry knew if the Order came looking for him, they'd probably be able to guess he was with Sirius, so it didn't matter if they heard it from his relatives. "May I have my letter, please?"
Vernon glanced at Petunia, who was still staring down Harry in anger over his accusations, before scoffing and saying, "If you had wanted me to give you things, you should have kept a polite tone when speaking to your Aunt. I think I'll be throwing this in the fire."
Harry spent approximately a half-second considering casting a quick accio to force the issue before deciding that, all in all, it wasn't worth it. Harry had waited weeks for information from Ron and Hermione. Now they could wait until he either had a chance to reach out and say he never got their (potential) letter, or he could follow up with them at school.
"Fine. Keep it then."
Harry reached down and firmly grasped the end of his trunk with one hand before reaching into his shirt with the other and pulling out the portkey necklace. Technically, it just had to be touching his skin for it to work, but Harry always felt a bit more secure and less like he would be flung out into nothing when he gripped the charm tightly.
With one last glance around the room, Harry looked at each of his relatives – Vernon, still smirking at his final cruelty against his nephew, Dudley peeking around the doorway from the hallway, through which Harry could just barely see the door to his old cupboard, and finally Petunia. Petunia who was staring at him in surprise, as if she didn't honestly believe he would ever leave. As Harry opened his mouth to speak the activation word, he would have sworn he saw something else appear on her face.
Not regret, but maybe something close to it.
By the time he registered the change in expression, the room had already begun to swirl together in a mix of colors, and Harry felt that distinctive hook around his middle that yanked him away from Privet Drive for the last time.
*
By the time the sun lightened his bedroom, Harry was already wide awake. After arriving at Aquarius House the day before and sharing a quiet and contemplative evening with Sirius, they both had retired to bed early, although he wasn't sure he had ever actually fallen asleep last night. His mind had been too full of the worst-case scenarios for today's trial.
What if Sirius isn't cleared? What if they somehow catch him and kill him immediately? What if they manage to pin more crimes on him? What if the Aurors somehow track Sirius to Aquarius House, and both of them are thrown in prison? Or worse – Sirius is tossed in Azkaban, and Harry is returned to the Dursleys?
Hundreds of scenarios had played out as Harry lay in his cozy bed, but as the sky turned from navy to a cool blue and then the rosy pink of dawn, Harry promised himself he'd not continue to think about the potential for failure today. If not for his own well-being, he'd stay positive for Sirius, who was surely also worried about the outcome of today.
Throwing back his blankets, Harry quickly rose and pulled out some clothes before heading to the ensuite for a quick shower. Sirius had taught him all the hygiene charms (that no one had bothered to explain to him before), but nothing topped a hot shower to relax the tension he'd held onto all night. And regardless of how much Sirius swore the tooth-cleaning charm was fool-proof, the familiar routine of using a toothbrush was what Harry needed today.
Twenty minutes after finally giving up on sleep, Harry left his room and started towards the kitchen. While neither of them was big on cooking – Sirius because of lack of experience, and Harry through preference – Sirius managed to stock Aquarius House with the basics through liberal usage of mail-ordered Polyjuice potion from the less reputable Apothecarys on Knockturn Alley. They'd add hair from random muggles that Harry would steal while on Privet Drive, and Sirius could go out in the muggle world easily. So Harry was able to pull together a quick breakfast of some toast and eggs. Based on the dishes left out on the counter and the missing kettle, Harry was betting Sirius had also slept poorly and would be waiting for him in the informal dining room that he and Sirius had been using for most meals.
Carrying his plate and an empty mug to the dining room down the hall, Harry found Sirius seated at the table, ignoring his breakfast in order to read some parchment. After a glance, Harry recognized it as the letter from Mr. Burke that had been delivered the previous evening. Based on the creasing, Harry assumed Sirius had been reading it near-constantly since it had been delivered.
Deciding that this would be the start of his "positivity only" plan for the day, Harry cleared his throat and smiled at his Godfather when Sirius looked up at the sound.
"Morning, Padfoot," Harry moved further into the room and took the seat across from the other man. Ignoring the bruises beneath Sirius' eyes, he asked, "Did you get some sleep last night?"
"Good morning, Harry. Some, how about you? Does the room feel any different now that you're here for good?"
Harry smiled wider at the reminder that his room in Aquarius House was his, and his forever. Not his cousin's second room that he was grudgingly allowed to use, not the room he shared with four other boys and would have to leave behind one day, and not a camp bed in his best friend's room – his.
"Yeah, I slept all right," Harry lied, "Did Mr. Burke write again?"
"Oh no, this is his letter from last night. Just taking another glance over things while I waited on you. Did you have any questions about how things are going to work today?" Sirius asked hopefully as he set aside Nathaniel's letter and focused on Harry.
Harry didn't have any questions; he had read every piece of correspondence the solicitor had sent and even pulled some of the books on legal proceedings from the library and tried to muddle his way through them. He might not know how the case would end, but he was sure he understood the proceedings as well as he could with only a few weeks to research.
Still, it seemed like Sirius wanted to talk through the process, and if it kept his godfather occupied with something that wasn't obsessively reading Mr. Burke's letter, then Harry was in favor of it.
"Sure. Walk me through it again?"
As they ate their breakfast, Sirius explained how he and Nathaniel intended the case to go. As the plaintiff, the burden of proof rested on Nathaniel to first prove Sirius was innocent of the various things he had been accused of. Once that was accepted as fact, it should be easy to confirm that the Minister and others had committed slander and libel. Nathaniel had a collection of pensieve memories that had been verified by three experts as authentic and submitted as evidence of Sirius's innocence. While most of the memories came from Sirius, Nathaniel had been able to collect memories from a few others (Remus and Harry voluntarily and by submitting subpoenas for the rest) to serve as secondary accounts of relevant events.
Harry was struck again by the simplicity of the plan, which basically boiled down to - give over memories, prove everyone who jumped to conclusions about Sirius was an idiot, and… that's it.
Harry knew if Sirius had just been given a trial fourteen years ago both of their lives would look completely different. Whether it was through negligence, the chaos of the immediate aftermath of Voldemort's defeat, just a clerical error, or likely some combination of all three – the Ministry's failure to give Sirius the day in court he was entitled to had done irreparable damage to the both of them.
By the time Sirius had talked through the outline of the day twice, Harry figured it must be nearly time for the trial to start. Harry took another moment to thank Merlin that due to pensieve memories and other magical methods of verifying statements, the plaintiff and defendant aren't actually required to be present for civil cases. If they were muggles, Sirius would have had to be present and likely would have been arrested as soon as he crossed the Ministry's threshold on the spot.
Hary suggested they move to the other room and looked away when Sirius had to take a moment to prepare himself before he agreed, and they both stood, heading over to another part of the House.
Harry followed Sirius through the doorway into the sitting room they had mainly left untouched since moving in. There was a lounge on the other side of the House with more comfortable sofas, and that room had a much better view of the sea, so they tended to gather there when they wanted to relax together. This sitting room still had a shut-up air to it, the furniture untouched and dust motes swirling through the air.
Most of the furniture was overshadowed by the room's newest addition. A towering mirror surrounded by a frame of smooth, white marble. The frame seemed to catch every ray of sun coming through the windows and reflected them straight into Harry's eyes, momentarily blinding him. At the top of the mirror, in veins of black that seemed to grow in the stone naturally, Harry could make out rough letters that spelled "Ytsenoh."
Thanks to his encounter with the Mirror of Erised back in his first year, he could guess the purpose of this mirror when Sirius had first shown it to him last night. Harry had still been surprised to hear that this mirror was part of a set similar to the small ones Sirius and he had used throughout summer. The pair to this mirror would sit in the courtroom, and Sirius would answer questions via the mirror. Both mirrors would emit soft smoke if a lie was knowingly spoken within fifty meters of either mirror.
In addition to providing Sirius insight into what was happening in the courtroom (and Harry, who would sit behind him hidden beneath his invisibility cloak), the built-in lie detector would provide a secondary way to demonstrate Sirius's innocence. Harry wasn't sure how much Sirius was paying Mr. Burke, but he was clearly worth every last knut.
Harry double-checked to ensure they were both still out of sight from the mirror before stopping and putting a hand on Sirius's shoulder. He knew once they moved in front of the mirror, any supportive gestures Harry could give would be limited.
Sirius turned to face him, and for a moment, they just looked at each other.
Despite the reassurances of the morning, Harry felt a bit like he couldn't breathe. Like he was on the precipice of a huge cliff – breathe in too much, and he might float away, losing the steady ground beneath him. Breathe too little, and he'd get dizzy and fall a great distance.
"Whatever happens, we're in it together now." Harry whispers, "You're stuck with me."
Sirius's worried expression changes into a rueful grin, and he seems to get back some of that devil-may-care attitude Harry remembers from pictures from his parent's wedding. "Nah. You got it the wrong way, Prongslet. You're stuck with me. Worst comes to worst, and I'll follow you around as Padfoot forever. You'll be known as The Boy With the Mangy Dog for the rest of your life."
"I wouldn't mind. Beats bringing a toad to Hogwarts." Harry said with a smile, sparing a thought for Neville's poor toad Trevor who seemed uninterested in everything except getting away to the closest body of water.
Sirius leans in and gives Harry a tight hug before pulling back and brushing nonexistent lint off Harry's shoulders and then began adjusting his own robes to make sure they lay straight.
Harry gave him a nod of approval before pulling out his invisibility cloak and tossing it over him. Relieved now that his face was hidden even from Sirius, Harry let the nerves and stress he had been trying his best to hide show on his face.
Across from him, Sirius straightened his posture and raised his chin, all emotion draining from his face, then turned sharply on his heel and walked directly to take the seat placed directly in front of the mirror. The quiet murmurings emanating from the mirror that Harry had been ignoring since they walked into the room swiftly increased to a roar as whoever was on the other side of the mirror reacted to seeing a perfectly calm, clean, and composed Sirius Black.
*
Afterwards, Harry couldn't quite say he remembered much of the trial itself. Just flashes.
He remembered scooting forward silently to press his toes against Sirius's foot when the memory of Sirius arriving at Peter Pettigrew's home to find it abandoned played for the court – the moment it clicked in Sirius's mind that something was wrong, and past Sirius uttered a soft "No, please no" before racing back out of the house, shrunk his motorcycle in a flash and apparated to Godric's Hollow. And the pressure back from Sirius's foot when he heard the deep inhale of Harry's breath upon first seeing the ruin of his previous home.
Harry could remember having to swallow down his rage as Mr. Burke outlined the various pieces of evidence he had uncovered via documents, memories, and statements that seemed to prove several people in the Ministry were well aware that Sirius had never received a trial and that the "proof" of his guilt was lacking anything substantial. It was easier than reopening the can of worms that was the Potter's betrayal and Pettigrew's death.
Harry could remember the pain in his hands as he gripped the armrests of his chair when the opposing lawyer spoke, slipping in little digs and insults toward Sirius wherever he could. Harry remembered by the end of the opposition speaking, he was having to swallow down his soft laughter at the near-constant "objections" and "Hearsay" that Sirius's lawyer was throwing out.
Harry thought he would never forget the hour or so spent waiting quietly while the jury deliberated or how tightly Sirius gripped his hand behind the chair while the rulings were read out.
Afterwards, when Sirius has returned from the DMLE, an official apology and previously seized wand in hand, and after Nathaniel sends a note that he successfully pushed the custody order through a suddenly very accommodating Ministry and that Sirius is now the proud guardian of a fifteen-year-old, Harry and Sirius sit comfortably in their favorite lounge, each sunk into their usual corners of their favorite couches, both reflecting on the day.
Harry wondered what it would be like to go to Hogwarts with a concerned p— adult. A concerned adult at home. Not a parent. Harry wasn't sure how often he should write home. Or should he even write home? Did you still do that when you were fifteen? And what about visits? Would Sirius come up and sit in the parents' section for Quidditch matches? Or swing by the Three Broomsticks during a Hogsmeade weekend to get a butterbeer with Harry and his friends?
His daydreams were interrupted by a sudden flash of flame. When the spots cleared from his eyes, Harry saw a single phoenix feather drifting slowly to land on Sirius's lap.
"Albus is calling an emergency meeting," Sirius told him with a roll of his eyes. "Probably wants to talk about what today means for the Order. I'm tempted to skip it, but I'm sure he'll just keep sending little notices until I show up. You'll be okay for a few hours?"
"Of course, if you see Ron and Hermione, could you ask if they sent me a letter through the muggle post? I wasn't able to read it before I left." Harry wasn't sure what they had said in the letter but figured he'd at least let them know that he wasn't purposefully ignoring them.
"On your way home, why don't you swing through somewhere and pick up something for dinner? To celebrate." Harry suggested as Sirius pushed himself off the couch and stretched.
Sirius blinked a few times at the idea of going into public without needing a disguise and cheered at the thought, "That'll make sitting through an Order meeting worth it, I think! Stay out of trouble while I'm gone! Or at least don't get into any trouble without me that I'd want to be a part of!"
With a wink, Sirius left, muttering about changing into something more comfortable before leaving for the meeting.
Harrys swung his legs up on the couch and settled back against the armrest before casting a quick summoning charm for the book he had been reading yesterday. Harry was sure that Arcane and Aerial Techniques for Battle was most likely purchased by some distant Black ancestor for its instructions for warfare conducted on a broom, but Harry found it surprisingly helpful when applied to Quidditch plays.
*
Sirius landed smoothly across the street from Grimmauld Place. Usually, he'd use a portkey to travel between Aquarius House and Grimmauld, but as of a few hours ago, Sirius no longer had to hide that he was leaving the safety of Grimmauld. He could waltz in and out of the front door the same way the rest of his summer house guests had been doing.
Quite pleased with this change in status, Sirius straightened his robes and walked cheerfully over to the front door of Number 12. He knew he had gained back some of his old swagger, and James and Lily were surely mocking him in the afterlife for the arrogant expression he was wearing.
But Sirius couldn't help it, he was just so pleased with everything, and he wanted the opportunity to say several – okay, probably more than several – "I told you so's" to everyone who gave him shit for trying to clear his name.
He didn't think anything Albus said during today's meeting could bring him down – he was free, he had a home that wasn't tainted with bad memories of his childhood, and he had Harry. Unless Albus had invited Voldemort himself to tea, no one was raining on Sirius's parade today.
Still chuckling at the image of Dumbledore and Voldemort sitting opposite each other and sharing a cuppa, Sirius threw open the door to Grimmauld.
Immediately after crossing the threshold, Kreacher popped up into existence further down the hallway. Kreacher and he had been tentatively feeling each other out all summer, and Sirius thought they had finally reached a cautious truce. Sirius didn't trust him or even particularly like the devious little thing, and he was sure Kreacher felt the same about him. But Kreacher's hateful mutterings had decreased significantly each time Sirius secreted Black Family heirlooms away rather than let them be chucked, and Sirius had tried to keep his orders to a minimum and just let Kreacher do whatever he felt like around the House.
Sirius also thought Kreacher was hoping that Sirius would bring his heir around Grimmauld so the elf could meet him, and so was trying to get on Sirius's good side.
"Master's guests being downstairs. The red-headed one has taken over Kreacher's kitchen. Master should kick her out, he should. Kreacher won't be making Master anything with the blood traitor in his kitchen." Kreacher croaked without pause, clearly hoping that this would be the day Sirius would march downstairs and immediately kick Molly Weasley out of the kitchen.
"Thank you, Kreacher. Please stay in your cupboard for the rest of the evening." The ongoing battle between Kreacher and Molly Weasley over the use of the kitchen was not something Sirius wanted to try and mediate tonight.
Sirius hung his cloak on the rack near the door before continuing downstairs. Looking around as he entered the room, it appeared he was one of the last to arrive. Albus was already down at the far end of the table, talking in hushed whispers to Snape and Moody seated beside him. Sirius spotted Remus about halfway down the room with an open seat next to him and quickly slipped into the chair.
"Any idea what this is about?" He whispered to his old friend.
"No, I assumed it was something to do with you. Congratulations, by the way. I'm so happy for you, and Harry." Remus replied, reaching over and squeezing Sirius's hand as he spoke with an easy smile.
Before Sirius could thank him, Albus cleared his throat, and the rest of the room quieted down.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I have…some very grave news to share with you all."
Once Dumbledore looked up from his lap, Sirius was taken aback to see that, for once, Albus seemed to wear every day of his hundred and some years. With a sudden sense of premonition, Sirius knew this meeting wouldn't be to discuss Sirius's trial.
"I know that many in this room care about him greatly, so I will first say that Harry's status is currently unknown. I do not yet know where he is, but I don't have reason to assume that he is harmed. However, last night at least one dementor visited Privet Drive. All three of Harry's relatives were kissed. His Aunt Petunia and his cousin Dudley are alive, although unresponsive. I believe his Uncle Vernon passed shortly after the attack."
As the group devolved into frantic shouts, Remus whipped his head to look at Sirius, who tried to subtly reassure him that Harry was perfectly safe at the moment and not either missing his soul or captured.
"There is no sign of a struggle, and as there was no record of underage magic, I believe Harry to have been out of the house when the dementor arrived. It's likely whoever sent them instructed the dementor to target Harry, but when the intended prey couldn't be found in the area, the dementor attacked whoever was closest. My guess is that this was an attempt to either distract from or cause a delay to Sirius's case while also silencing young Harry, but this is merely supposition on my part."
Molly Weasley, who had promptly burst into tears at Albus's pronouncement that Harry was missing, spoke loud enough to be heard over the rest of the group when she angrily asked Albus what was being done to find Harry and how this could have happened. As the headmaster began to list the numerous ways he had started searching for Harry, Sirius weighed staying silent.
On the one hand, Albus not knowing where Harry was would potentially mean the old man would leave the pair of them alone for a few weeks as he tried to track Harry down. On the other, it would be cruel of Sirius to leave everyone else who cared about Harry to worry about his safety.
Deciding to put everyone at ease before the Order went entirely to pieces, Sirius leaned forward and caught Albus's eye.
"Albus, I'm sorry for the stress that was unintentionally caused, but Harry is perfectly safe. He's in another Black family property. He came to stay a few days ago, wanting to be with me today."
Most of the group made thankful noises at his words, and Albus's eyes fluttered shut as he slumped in relief.
"Sirius, you're sure he's safe?" Molly asked anxiously
"Safe as he can be, Molly. I left him just a few minutes ago, and he asked me to pick up a celebratory dinner on my way back."
Snape, sat down at Dumbledore's right, had been silent with a blank expression up until this point but chose now to sneer down at him, "And you think you had the right to just take the boy? Without so much as letting anyone else know of your harebrained scheme? Typical."
It gave Sirius a great amount of joy to be able to respond, "Well, seeing as it was James and Lily's wish that Harry would have always been in my custody and as of about – oh, three hours ago, my guardianship was formalized by the ministry, I had every right to 'just take' him."
Snape opened his mouth to respond – something nasty, no doubt – but Albus interrupted before Snape could speak again, "Sirius, I'm delighted to hear that Harry is not harmed. Searching for him these last few hours has been a miserable experience." For the first time in weeks, Albus smiled at Sirius, twinkling back in full force. Sirius couldn't help himself and grinned back in response.
His smile quickly died as Albus continued speaking, "I'm sure you'll want to keep him with you for a few days, Sirius, but we should discuss how you'll return him to Privet Drive after his visit."
Luckily, Arthur Weasley asked what Sirius was about to ask himself, "Albus, why would he return to Privet Drive? If his relatives are…incapacitated, he should surely spend the rest of his summer break here? Molly and Sirius could watch over him, and his friends are here."
"What happened to the Dursleys is a true tragedy. I think Harry would welcome the chance to spend some time with the remaining family he has, even if they are not their usual selves. While Petunia won't be able to watch over Harry in the traditional sense, as long as she and her son are still living, the blood wards remain active."
Even Molly seemed taken aback at Dumbledore's plan. "But Albus, who will be taking care of Harry if he has to move back there?"
"The Order was already taking shifts keeping watch over Privet Drive, Molly. We'll adjust the responsibilities a bit, so the stationed individual takes a more hands-on approach. I think if you check in with him once or twice during a shift, that should be sufficient. Harry is very self-reliant." Albus looked pleased as punch at this, as if Harry was independent due to Albus's influence.
Sirius thought a horde of angry billywigs had taken residence in his chest as he stared in disbelief at Albus.
"Let me get this straight. You want to send Harry back into a home with two essentially brain-dead relatives, relatives who tormented and neglected him, I'll add," Sirius ignored Snape's scoff at this, "You want to leave him there, basically alone, for another month. All because of these sacred blood wards that you're touting as the best thing to protect him, even though they couldn't stop a bloody dementor last night? Absolutely not."
"Now, Sirius –"
"No Albus, Harry is officially in my custody. My solicitor has reams of parchment from the Ministry to document it. I have the final say on where Harry lives, what he does, and whom he does either with. At the end of the day, I am responsible for his safety. And by Merlin, there is no way that Privet Drive is more secure than where I've got him now. I won't be leaving him there alone. It's out of the question."
Dumbledore assessed him with a steely gaze, "What if you moved into the Dursley's residence with him for the remainder of summer, Sirius? Then you'd have plenty of time to spend together, and he would be under your supervision and protection."
"What is the benefit of that?" Sirius asked. He was sick and tired of hearing about these damned blood wards without getting any actual answers about them.
"Right now, Harry is safe behind wards that have been layered over the course of generations, in a property that has been hidden even from other members of the Black family. If you want me to bring Harry back to Privet Drive, convince me that your security measures are better than mine. What, exactly, do the wards keep out?"
Dumbledore paused for a long moment before eventually replying, "The wards are an incredibly complex working of magic that has been powered in part by the protection Harry's mother created when she sacrificed herself for her son. As long as Harry resides with blood relatives of Lily Potter, the protection is extended to encompass their entire residence."
"The one who sought to harm Harry, and whom his mother opposed with her life, cannot cross the blood wards. I have spent many hours researching these wards over the years and ensuring there is no way for Voldemort or any of his followers to break them. As long as Harry resides there, he is virtually unreachable to Voldemort."
Remus leaned forward almost before Dumbledore finished speaking and asked abruptly, "They only protect against Voldemort? What about the Death Eaters? Could they just walk in and haul Harry out of there?"
"We have taken measures to summer to ensure that does not occur. I have laid down additional protection spells, and we have taken up a rotation to guarantee Harry is not left unguarded." Albus replied calmly
Sirius was pleased to note he wasn't the only one who saw the issues with this statement. His cousin Tonks, who had been quiet in the corner until now, pointed out, "But Harry was left unguarded. Mundungus left, and a dementor was able to get through all the protections laid down on the house. Whatever additional spells you cast didn't keep out a dark creature, so a determined Death Eater could surely get through as well."
Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke up this time, "Mundungus has been spoken to. Going forward, he will not be tasked with guard duty or anything of this nature." Even as he said this, Sirius noted that Shacklebolt was eyeing Dumbledore with skepticism. The Mundungus issue might be resolved, but Kingsley clearly wasn't happy with Dumbledore's proposed plan.
"I'm unconvinced, Albus. It doesn't sound like anything is keeping a Death Eater or another dark creature from attacking the Dursleys' home. Or it could even be a more subtle attack - something to trick Harry out from behind the wards to somewhere he's more easily accessible." Sirius glared down at Albus, unwilling to let this continue much longer.
"We must keep the wards active, Sirius. Even if we disagree on their value, a secure location that specifically keeps Voldemort out is a benefit we should not thoughtlessly give up. Unfortunately, due to the injuries against Petunia and Harry's cousin, I fear the current hold of the wards is weakened. This is why I insist that Harry returns to Privet Drive for longer than normal this summer."
"Losing one secured location would be a lesser impact than potentially losing Harry. I don't care what other security measures you've implemented. They're not good enough. Harry won't be returning to Privet Drive, and that's my final decision."
Sirius could see the others in the room shifting nervously. Despite their own reservations against Dumbledore's plan, they were still uncomfortable with Sirius's outright insubordination and refusal to do as Dumbledore asked.
"What if you brought him here then?" Dumbledore offered, "He'd be with his friends and under the eyes of the entire Order, but you'd still be spending time with him."
Sirius shrugged. He was open to moving back to Grimmauld Place full-time, although he infinitely preferred Aquarius House for the privacy it granted, its cleanliness, and its general lack of gloom.
"I'll suggest it to Harry and see what he want's to do. He's had precious few decisions in his life regarding where he lives. I won't force him into anything if he wants the stay where we are. At the very least, we can come for visits."
"And will you share nothing more about your current residence? How are you sure its defenses are any better than Privet Drive or Grimmauld Place. If you are truly unwilling to move, Harry, I would be more comfortable if a few from the Order could review the current wards and perhaps contribute additional. We could also institute a rotation similar to the current one on Privet Drive."
Albus seemed desperate to get some sort of promise out of Sirius that he wouldn't just take Harry and disappear with him. "I'm very confident in our wards and do not require additional assistance with them. Furthermore, Harry would vehemently oppose anyone keeping guard over him."
Deciding that they'd just continue going in circles if he stayed any longer, Sirius stood from the table. "I'm going to give Harry as normal of a summer as I can before he returns to school. And I plan to spend as much time as possible with him to make up for the lost years. Unless there is an active and ongoing attack, please consider me an inactive member of The Order of the Phoenix. After September 1st, I'll reconsider my position with this group."
Sirius continued to speak over the outcry from others, "You may continue to use Grimmauld Place, and if Harry chooses to visit his friends here, I'll contact Molly or Arthur," He nodded to both of the Weasely parents, ignoring their shocked expressions.
Ignoring the many voices behind him, Sirius swept from the room in as dramatic a fashion as he could and slammed the kitchen door behind him, and cast a light locking spell. It wouldn't keep them in the room for long but would slow them down just enough if anyone tried to chase after him that he'd have enough of a headstart to get out of the house. Brushing some odd pale string out of his way - Merlin, Kreacher really is ignoring most of the mess here - Sirius continued to the front door, already thinking about what take-out would count as both a celebration and a "sorry the relatives you don't like got their souls sucked out" meal.