More Important Than Any Broomstick [Harmione]

10. A New Life

"I promised James and Lily I'd look after him, and now I finally can keep that promise," said Sirius.

"So, what did you do after you met Harry?" asked Marissa.

"Well, a few minutes after I left Harry, Dumbledore called me to his office."

"What did he want?" asked Harry, frowning. He could guess what the meeting was about.

"He wanted to talk me out of taking Harry away from the Dursleys."

"What?" asked Adam and Marissa at the same time with horrified expressions on their faces.

"Yeah, even after I told him about how the Dursleys treat Harry! He tried to tell me how Harry's safer there and I lost my temper. I yelled at him about how he should have put Harry anywhere but with those people! There were literally hundreds of families lined up ready to take in the 'Boy-Who-Lived!' It might not have been good for him to be raised with fame, but it would have been better than the Dursleys!"

"I know that's true!" said Harry, fuming at that thought, which had never occurred to him before.

Before anyone could say anything more, an owl started tapping at the window nearest the dining room. Mrs. Granger got up and let the owl, which was carrying a copy of the evening edition of the Daily Prophet, into the house. It flew straight to Sirius, who relieved it of the paper and gave it a coin.

"What's in the news?" asked Hermione.

"Let me find out," said Sirius, as he unrolled the paper. "What? That imbecile Fudge!"

"What's happened?" asked Harry, with a worried look on his face that was shared by his girlfriend.

"Pettigrew's escaped! Some idiot let him loose for a second before putting him in a cell. He transformed into a rat and got away!"

Marissa looked concerned. "Do you think he'll go after Harry?"

Sirius got a hungry expression on his face. "I hope he does," he said calmly. "I'm cleared now, so I don't need to keep that murderer alive, especially since the ministry can't keep that rat prisoner. But I doubt he'll do that. He'll probably just find some other wizarding family to take him in as a pet." Then Sirius' face turned grim. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" asked Hermione.

"Unless he tries to find his master," said Sirius.

Everyone at the table was silent until Harry decided to change the subject. "So Hermione, have you figured out an Arithmancy study schedule for me, yet?"

Hermione smiled. "Of course Harry! You'll have to learn a chapter a day to make sure we have time to test you before Professor Vector does. You'll need to read chapter one tonight and then again tomorrow before I come over at noon to discuss it and test you, and then we'll keep doing that with every chapter until we finish chapter twenty. Then I'll start making up exams for you to take every day until your test." Harry's eyes were bulging out more and more as she spoke, but he nodded his head in ascent anyway, knowing that he would need to work hard to get out of Divination.

"I don't think you need to go there every day, dear," said Hermione's mum. "Harry, why don't you come here every other day?"

"Sure," said Harry.

"Of course it doesn't matter where we meet at, just as long as meet every day," said Hermione.

"Then it's settled," said Sirius. "I'd also like to invite all of you to dinner at our house tomorrow. I can apparate at about noon to pick Hermione up, and you all can come over at five. I'd also like to see about putting you on the Potter floo network." Sirius turned to Harry. "I seem to remember something about being able to set up fireplaces that could floo to and from Potter Manor and nowhere else. I'd like to ask that painting, Joseph or Joshua or..."