Friend Since Birth

*****
Harry really didn’t want to go. He was having too much fun with his sister and their little family at Badger’s Den. Spending the rest of the summer at Grimmauld Place to keep up appearances was not his cup of tea and he’d made it well known. But today was the day and he was not excited. Much like he never was on his birthday. But at least this year, he’d had someone actually acknowledge it. Arianna had thrown a huge party, inviting all the people under the Fidelius, and they’d all stayed up late last night in order to bring in his birthday properly at the stroke of midnight. Instead of his usual drawn cake, they’d devoured a wonderous chocolate monstrosity and Harry had enjoyed it so much, Arianna promised to put the leftovers in stasis and send him a piece at school every now and then.

But now he had to get ready to go. Sirius was picking him up and taking him over, as he was the secret keeper and no one else could let him into the Black townhouse. Harry had to admit, he liked the escort more than what Dumbledore had planned, which included a lot of people invading the Dursleys and whisking him away in the night on brooms, according to Remus. And involved bullying Sirius into writing the secret location down on a piece of parchment that could have been discovered and allowed anyone access to the safehouse. Being walked in the door by a single wizard he trusted? Much better plan.

It still required him to leave his sister, though. And he was not a fan of that plan.

He trudged down the stair, having delayed as long as he could. He couldn’t honestly take any more time packing, though…. Even storing all the new clothing Twilfitt and Tatting’s had delivered just that week didn’t take long with his new wand. It was still an adjustment, being able to choose from so many options that all fit perfectly and didn’t smell faintly of Dudley. Or the spices Madam Malkin used for her teas that never seemed to go away on the robes she sold. He’d been surprised the high-end tailor had carried Muggle clothing, but he would not protest the comfortable leather jacket he’d picked up or begrudge the jeans that were more comfortable than any sweatpants he’d ever owned and looked more stylish than he’d thought possible.

And had enough room in the expanded pockets for the shrunken trunk and a number of other goodies Arianna had supplied him with, including all his school things and extra potion ingredients. If Sirius and Remus had snuck a few prank items in, well, no one was going to protest. She’d also insisted on getting him a new trunk, with expanded spaces in it that she promised were tested. Uncle Newt suggested he may have had a hand in a few of the charms involved and Harry was itching to take a look. There’d not been time since he’d opened the gift last night.

He entered the kitchen and smiled at the house elves busy at work. The pair of kitchen elves were happily cooking up a huge spread for breakfast and Harry smiled at them in thanks, truly aware of how happy they were to be working but unable to treat them as servants. Arianna promised to bond all the elves she could to herself and make arrangements for him to bond his own as soon as possible and hopefully before the school term started. They’d not had time when they’d gone to Diagon and he couldn’t exactly fault the plan. It would at least get him out of the clutches of Molly for a full day sometime over the next few weeks and he silently hoped it took longer than that to bond all the elves he suddenly had. They’d figure out just how many over the next few weeks while Arianna worked through his accounts. He honestly couldn’t remember if they’d gotten all the elves when he’d done the preliminary bond before.

In order to help with the accounts and as one of the last things they’d done while at Gringotts, they’d signed papers that named the other as either proxy or Heir to any and all accounts possible. Arianna maintained that she was not doing anything without him and she’d be damned if anyone tried to send him back to the Dursleys because he was ‘too young’. If he was an adult enough to participate in the TriWizard, he was old enough to make decisions for himself and that included his holdings.

He never loved her more than when she’d said that.

He was halfway through his plate of eggs and bacon when Arianna joined him, looking half dead and immensely grateful for the cup of coffee one of the elves pressed into her hands.

“Thank you, Olive,” she praised, patting the elf’s head gently and receiving a beaming nod back. “Harry, I’ve another present for you,” she said, reaching into her robes for a delicately wrapped parcel. “I didn’t want to give it you last night because I only have the pair at the moment and I didn’t want anyone getting jealous while I work on making more. Or asking for yours to ‘do the most good’.”

When he unwrapped the thing, he saw a small mirror and looked at her curiously.

“It’s a two-way mirror,” she explained, still not quite awake. “Da and Pads used to use them when they were in separate detentions. I’ve managed to duplicate the process, based off the Marauder journal of Da’s I found, but I haven’t been able to make more than the two. I’ve got the other and I want you to use it as often as you need. I’m not going to wait on owls to talk to you, even if Hedwig is so bloody fast she may as well apparate…”

Hedwig preened at that from where she was nibbling on a small plate of bacon.

Harry stared at the mirror in shock then quickly pushed himself away from his spot at the table to go and hug his sister.

“Thankyousomuch,” he rambled in one breath, squeezing her tightly and ignoring the glare he got for spilling some of her coffee.

“I’m serious, Harry,” she warned when she managed to dislodge him. “Call. I don’t care what time it is or if you think you’re inconveniencing me or you think I won’t care. The sibling bond will let me know when you’re injured physically, but I care about all of you and I won’t leave you on your own.”

Harry felt his emotions swing towards tears again and pushed it aside in favor of nodding and going back to his breakfast, taking care to tuck the mirror gently in his pocket.

“Oh, and you can repair it with the standard spell if it breaks, so no need to worry it’s irreplaceable. I’ve charmed it to only allow you to see the person on the other end, unless you say otherwise, so you also won’t have to be concerned about someone figuring it out.”

Harry nodded but kept his focus on his place. He should not be this touched by such a simple present and he was unwilling to allow the tears to fall. Arianna seemed to sense that and said nothing, only nuzzling her coffee and purring to make him laugh.

Over the next hour, the rest of the mansion trickled in for breakfast, with a frazzled Remus dragging a whining Sirius arriving only twenty minutes before they were scheduled to depart for Grimmauld. Remus just growled at the Black lord, thrust a steaming cup of coffee into the man’s hand, and stalked away to eat his breakfast with a threat to his friend to drink the coffee or he’d hex him. Sirius started to protest but the look on Remus’ face must have been enough of a warning how serious the man was because Sirius nodded obediently and set to drinking the liquid quickly, as if to say, see, I’m doing it.

Harry hadn’t laughed harder since he’d been at school last.

Then it was time to say goodbye and his good mood evaporated.

“Remember, it’s only for a little while, then we’ll start fixing this mess in earnest,” Arianna promised as she hugged him tightly. He tried not to bruise her with how tightly he was hugging back, his face buried in her hair and a few traitorous tears escaping. “Hey, now, none of that,” she protested when a tear hit her cheek. “Oh, that’s it,” she growled. “Screw the plan. You’re obviously not ready for this and I’m not putting up with anyone making you cry.”

“No, sis,” he denied, pulling away and wiping his wet cheeks. “I’m fine. It’s only temporary, as you said, and I’ll be back at school with my friends before I know it. I can do this.”

She studied him shrewdly for a moment but seemed to see what she was looking for because she nodded and wiped at his face for a moment.

“Alright, you self-sacrificing idiot,” she muttered. “But the second I get wind of you in trouble or anyone trying to make you feel bad, I’m storming the castle. And if Dumbledore even tries to get you alone, I want you to call me with the gift I gave you and find the nearest professor to go with you if you can’t make some excuse to stay away. McGonagall if at all possible as your head of House, but Sprout is a good egg too.”

He promised and then backed away, feeling his godfather’s arms hug him gently and apparate them away. The last he saw of Badger’s Den was his sister smiling at him and he hoped it wasn’t the last he’d see of her.

*****
Sirius really hated coming back here. He’d forgotten the dreadful state the place was in while he was staying at the Den…. With the Den available and Regulus safe there, he’d tasked Kreacher to helping the goblins track down all the items Molly had thrown out while he’d been absent and the elf had jumped into the task. He’d forgotten that assigning the elf to another task would leave the house in the sorry state it had existed in for years, even with Molly apparently tasking the children to help her clean a few rooms.

Did he feel bad about it? Not really, since it led to the Twins and Ron having ample opportunity to blame their pranks on various objects they found as they were cleaning. But he did admit he was embarrassed to bring Harry here and when they apparated onto the step before quickly entering, he winced at the dark entry. And the curtain that was stubbornly shut.

“Welcome to Grimmauld,” he muttered softly, steering Harry quickly down the stairs to the kitchen before they woke his mother’s portrait.

He’d have to get the goblins to take a look at it at some point since he was sure there had to be a way to remove it. He was just glad he’d thought to warn Harry about the need to be quiet until he said or he’d wake the whole house. He should have known the house would already be awake, as the kitchen was full of the Weasleys and a few Order members despite the early hour.

“Sirius!” Molly exclaimed, bustling to swat at him. “Where have you been? We’d started to worry the Aurors had found you! If Kingsley hadn’t kept us updated that you weren’t in Ministry hands, we’d never know otherwise.”

“If you’d bothered to ask Remus, you would have known I’ve been traveling with him to visit werewolf packs,” Sirius growled, unable to hide his dislike. He did not appreciate the stories Remus shared of the woman seemingly unable to see him as more than his wolf, displaying worrying prejudice.

“Well, you’re here now and you’ve brought Harry!” she cried excitedly, finally acknowledging Harry where he hid behind Sirius. Sirius couldn’t fault the kid, either, since Molly was a bit overwhelming and Harry had just said good-bye to his sister for at least a few weeks.

“Molly, let the man breathe,” Kingsley Shacklebolt admonished with a nod to Sirius.

Sirius had always liked the Auror and he was glad the man had stuck to the DMLE. Since he was one of the only ones to maintain that there was no way Sirius could have betrayed the Potters, Sirius was just a bit bias. Remus assured him, though, that his desire to include the chocolate skinned wizard in their secret was not a problem and they were hoping to talk to the man.

“No, I want to know where the man has been and why he thought it acceptable to leave us to cleaning up his mess of a house and why he’s brought Harry, who we’ve been looking for since Albus discovered him missing from his relatives,” she demanded hotly.

“Mum, peace,” Percy said with a glare, unfazed by the glare she sent him. “If you’d let the man speak, he might actually provide information and as he said, we should have just asked Remus. The man always knows where Mr. Black is.”

Sirius gave a bemused smile to the yet unknown Weasley. He was a bit in awe that the boy was standing up to his mother, as all told, he’d figured the third oldest to be a bit of a mother’s child. He’d worried they’d have to stupify him in order to test him. But it appeared the boy had a backbone, even if he was potioned and it made Sirius wonder if he was either suspicious of his mother already or on a lighter dose. The twins had been on a higher dose than Charlie and Ron had been on a higher dose than the twins, leading them to believe Molly had gotten more controlling with her children as she went when the older ones continued to defy her. It was making him more concerned for little Ginny. He’d have to test her as soon as possible.

“Right you are, young Percy,” Sirius said with a smile, steering Harry around the table and to the nearest exit to the space that didn’t involve a ridiculously prejudice portrait of his insane mother. “I’ll just get Harry settled and be right back.”

And it really didn’t take long. He ushered Harry up to the Heir suite, ignoring Molly’s shrill calls for him to room with Ron, and then made his way to the study to check on the twins while Harry unpacked. He found the hidden Lord’s study immaculate, if nothing else. All the furniture had been carefully pushed to the edges of the room if possible and a large table had been placed in the center. It was positively groaning under the weight of all of the equipment and books piled on and Sirius was quick to cast some re-enforcement charms on the wood. He laughed when he noticed the experiments the twins had running, but it took a good long minute for him to spot the pair in the mess. They were curled around each other on an enlarged cot in the back corner, hidden behind the main desk and sound asleep. He chuckled softly at that but left them to sleep, scribbling a quick note that Harry was finally in residence before he headed back out.

“Sirius?” Harry called when he passed the door to his new room.

“Yeah, pup?” Sirius asked, popping his head in.

“Do you think Reg would want any of this?” he asked softly, gesturing to the room’s contents.

Sirius startled. He’d honestly forgotten Regulus would have been moved into the rooms when Sirius was kicked out. Even if Orion hadn’t officially disowned him, he would have wanted the appearance of distance and would have done everything to show the world how little he cared for his ‘white sheep’. And Walburga would have pushed hard for her darling to take up the Heir ring as soon as possible.

“We can certainly ask, pup,” Sirius muttered when he recovered from his shock and anger at himself. “Why don’t you box it all up in your spare trunk and we’ll have someone take it to the Den when we get a chance?”

Harry nodded and Sirius was about to head on his way when he remembered the pair of redheads he’d left to sleep. A few quick instructions to his godson and Harry promised he’d check on them in the hidden study once he was done. Sirius smiled, secretly excited for the day those three stopped dancing around and accepted their fate. Granted, that would mean he’d have to accept the news his little Prongslette had dropped on them around the same time…. He wasn’t sure he was ready to think of one of his best friends like that. No matter how much the wolf flirted or how much he’d hoped for the same over the years. Kissing was one thing, but he kissed a lot of people and he wasn’t really sure if he felt the same way about it as others. Either way, it would just have to wait.

When he finally returned to the kitchen, it was to Molly’s stern glare and Kingsley shaking his head in exasperation. The rest had cleared out, since no meeting was called for today, thankfully. Then Albus Dumbledore had to go and ruin his day.

The floo sparked, flashing the sign that the caller was trusted and before Sirius could ask who it was, to implement the safety protocols they’d agreed on when he’d set up the Fidelius, Albus stepped gracefully through the green flames.

“Ah, Sirius, my boy,” he greeted genially. Sirius gritted his teeth but kept silent. He’d never liked being called boy and he’d told the bastard multiple times to knock it off. Kingsley sat straighter when he noticed.

“Albus,” Sirius ground out.

“It’s good to have you back, my boy,” Dumbledore said, ignoring Sirius’ growing anger. “Perhaps you would care to tell us where you’ve been?”

Sirius felt the prod of a mind trying to read his surface thoughts and he viciously pushed the intruder out. Even if his goblin mind-healer was not set up for wizards, she had been enough to help him rebuild his shields, even throwing in a few Goblin defensive tricks, and he was not even going to pretend to let the Headmaster read his mind.

Arianna had agreed and only suggested he have a legitimate excuse. After all, she maintained she was not going to force anyone to do anything. If he wanted to run to America, she’d make plans to get him away safely, then figure out a way to make the move still work for their advantage. If Sirius wanted people out of his head, she’d support it and provide ironclad excuses for why he was suddenly protesting. And if the excuse also cast doubt on Dumbledore’s motives, all the better. After all, what self-respecting wizard would trust a man that entered a supporter’s mind without permission or knowledge?

“I would ask you stay out of my head, Albus,” he snarled. “I’ve enough trouble with my own thoughts after the Dementors. I’m afraid anyone else will have me backsliding.”

“Come now, my boy, surely you know this old man wouldn’t harm you,” Albus soothed. “I’m merely looking out for you. The prolonged effects of Dementors has never been well-documented and I fear you may be a danger to young Harry if untreated.”

Kingsley was watching the pair and Sirius decided to risk a little. “If having dementors guarding Azkaban for the last few centuries hasn’t allowed researchers to determine long-term exposure dangers, then I’m not sure our researchers are up to snuff. And if you were so worried about my mental well-being, why is it only now that you’re expressing said concern? Surely you would have said something over the last two years you’ve known I’ve been out of Azkaban. Or arranged for a trusted mind-healer to assess me.”

Kingsley jumped on the news but Sirius waved him off, his eyes begging for patience.

“Sirius,” Albus admonished. “I am surprised at you. You are a fugitive. You cannot expect me to arrange for a mind-healer to assess a fugitive.”

“And yet, I’m the secret keeper for this safe-house, the home of the Order, and no one has even once questioned my guilt in betraying the Potters. I can be trusted will the safety of the whole Order but no one’s tried to see why I couldn’t be with the Potters? Two of my best friends and my godson?”

“What do you mean, Sirius?” Kingsley asked, suddenly incensed by the implications of Sirius’ little rant.

“Sirius, I urge you to stop,” Albus said. “It will do no good to get your hopes up.”

“What he’s trying to say, Kings, is that he doesn’t want me expecting a trial.”

Kingsley froze. Then looked to Albus glaring at Sirius and Sirius glaring right back.

“I had told you I was working on it,” Albus said, voice dripping with the well-practiced disappointed grandfather.

“And I told you I was tired of waiting,” Sirius seethed. “I can’t afford to now. Not with Harry upstairs and the boy in need of an alternative for the summers. I asked you after his third year to help and, while I know the Wizengamot is slow, you should have been making some progress. Yet there is no news and no rumors of a trial. I need this cleared up by next summer as I will not have the boy go back to those monsters.”

“Oh, please tell me you don’t believe the boy’s lies,” Molly chided, bustling about with what Sirius could only image was dinner. He’d have to request Arianna loan them an elf or two to cook them separate meals. He was not touching a spec of food that woman cooked. Maybe have the twins say the elf was on loan until they graduated or something.

“They’re not lies, Mum,” Ron denied hotly, stomping down the last of the stairs and glaring at his mother.

“Hush, Ronald, the adults are talking at the moment,” she said, causally dismissing the boy.

Sirius prayed to Merlin that he would be able to reign in his temper for the next month and be a good example for Harry on how to keep his tongue. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about the boys letting slip any information about Dumbledore’s manipulations or Arianna’s existence. He’d have to watch himself carefully for those, since he was already dangerously close to admitting Kingsley without anyone else’s agreement. They might need to up the secret keeper to two just so he could have a better handle on his words and his famous Black temper wouldn’t out them before they were ready. If the goblins were able to adjust the spell enough to make it mobile and allow him to add people away from their hall in Gringotts, surely it would be possible to adjust the Keeper.

“Was there a reason you decided to visit when there is no Order meeting scheduled?” Sirius finally ground out, turning to the Headmaster.

“I was hoping to speak with Harry, as I do need to understand why he left the safety of his relatives. I’ve spoken with the Dursleys and they assure me there is still a place for him yet this summer.”

“Never,” he snarled. “If what my godchild has told me is even partially true, I’ll be pushing to press charges against that filth.”

“I feel I must point out, yet again, that you are a fugitive, Sirius. You cannot press charges without getting arrested yourself,” Albus pointed out, obviously getting frustrated that Sirius was not backing down.

“Then so be it,” he snapped.

“Now, Albus, Sirius, I do believe you’re both forgetting one crucial piece of information,” Kingsley said, garnering the attention of the room as he rose calmly from his seat. “Sirius may not be able to press charges, but as an Auror, I certainly can. Shall I look into the matter?”

“Yes,” Sirius said instantly, grateful for the distraction and somewhat amused by Dumbles’ quickly hidden anger. “Harry’s still a bit hesitant to talk about it, but I can see if he’d be willing to talk to you, if only as a way to prevent his need to testify. You could use the memory of the interview as evidence. They still use courtroom pensives, correct?”

At Kingsley’s nod, Sirius had a brilliant flash of insight. They used courtroom pensives. The core group had been struggling to find a way to get the wizarding world to believe Harry about Voldemort, but with the Prophet spouting lies, they’d been at a loss. He could kick himself for forgetting one of the best tools at an Auror’s disposal when such a situation presented itself.

“Then let’s meet up in a few days to give him some time to settle in. It’s been a long summer already and I’d like him to get a chance to breathe for a bit.”

Kingsley agreed, and with his farce of an excuse to visit gone, Albus flooed away in a huff. Sirius decided to ignore the mother and son glaring daggers at each other and wandered away before he lost his temper fully.