When Arcturus stepped out of the Floo into Gringotts, he was met by one of the bank guards. Holding his arms away from his sides, and palms away from him, he slightly inclined his head.
"I am to meet my grandson Sirius Black III for an appointment with Account Manager Krogund."
Acknowledging Arcturus had a valid appointment, the guard led the way to Krogund's office where Sirius was waiting.
"Grandfather," Sirius began, standing, "thank you for coming this morning. Krogund has been showing me some of the information that has raised concerns for the Potter accounts. I do have one or two questions."
Taking a seat in front of the desk, followed by Sirius, Arcturus raised a brow.
"What questions do you have, Heir Black?" Krogund asked.
"Two of the questions I have concerns Arabella Figg. If I am understanding this correctly, she is currently living in a house close to where my godson Harry Potter was living; a house which had been set aside for the parents of Lily Potter nee Evans, and there is no record of a payment of rent or mortgage in the time she has been living there. Why has she not been evicted from the house yet? How did she even come to be living there? I'm somewhat familiar with the woman, as we were both members of Albus Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix, but that's my only contact with her."
"We only have suppositions and educated guesses how she came to be living in that house, Heir Black; she began living there not long after Harry Potter was taken in by Vernon and Petunia Dursley, our guess being Albus Dumbledore sent her to live there to either watch the treatment Harry received, or to watch and report if any of Voldemort's followers had managed to locate the Potter scion. As for why she has not yet been evicted, Harry Potter is not aware of this information to be in a position to give those instructions, and you, as his magical guardian, and thus capable of giving those instructions in his stead, have been unavailable," Krogund answered dispassionately.
"I spoke with young Harry about Arabella Figg before coming to Gringotts," Arcturus interjected.
"How does Harry know Arabella?" Sirius asked.
"According to young Harry, his aunt and uncle would ask Arabella Figg to watch Harry in her home while the Dursleys took their son on outings. He told me he didn't like staying with her, that while she did give him something to eat while there, most of the time she would show him photographs of her many cats, and her house, to Harry, didn't smell good."
"I'm going to assume she was telling Dumbledore about how Harry was treated; is there any indication Arabella Figg tried to tell anyone else about Harry? Did she contact the DMLE, the muggle police, or even muggle or Wizarding Child Services about him?"
"We've been unable to find any evidence she had done so, Heir Black."
"Grandfather, does the House of Black own any properties in the muggle world? Properties that are rented to people as residences? I'm not sure I remember, and the law may be different in the Wizarding world about someone living in a property he or she neither rents nor owns without permission."
"I don't believe so, Sirius. But that is only due to the fact property meant for a business is more profitable for our family right now," Arcturus replied, a thoughtful look on his face.
"If I may," Krogund began, "the law is virtually identical in both worlds in this instance. I believe what you are referring to in regard to this situation Heir Black, is known as squatting."
"I don't think I know the term. Would you explain, please?" Sirius asked.
"Squatting is when someone deliberately enters property without permission and lives there, or intends to live there. It is sometimes known as 'adverse possession'." *
"If Arabella Figg is living in that house, it was certainly without permission; you are certain that Harry owns the development company that built the house, Krogund?"
"He cannot take control until his majority unless his guardian feels he can do so earlier, but yes, he is the owner of Garden Financial Group."
"Until that time, who has the authority to make decisions about this company and its assets? Would that be my Grandfather or myself?"
"Lord Black has been named Harry Potter's guardian ad litem in the muggle world by a Magistrate, although as I understand it, that was to be temporary as you were unavailable at the time of the hearing. I would recommend you make the decision jointly, as you both have the best interests of Mr. Potter in mind."
"What are the options in regard to the property? Arabella Figg is living in a house that, if I'm understanding correctly, was never supposed to be occupied at all, and if I'm right, she has been doing so as a spy for Dumbledore on Harry and those people he was living with; I refuse to call them his relatives or family, and there is no indication she did anything to try to report what was happening to anyone other than Dumbledore. Harry Potter is a child, she is an adult, and she did nothing when she saw the way he was being treated. When did she begin living there?" Arcturus asked.
Krogund flipped through the file a few moments before finding what he was looking for, and looked from Arcturus to Sirius and back again.
"It appears as though Arabella Figg began living in that house in December of 1981. Because it has been less than ten years, there is at least one, if not more options. You will need the services of a solicitor to do this, as well as verify what I am saying. Due to the fact I am not qualified as a solicitor in the muggle world, where this property is located, please do not take what I am saying as legal advice in the muggle world, but you can file what is called an Interim Possession Order and a Claim for Possession. However, if I understand correctly, if you want reparations for damages to the property, you cannot use an Interim Possession Order. A solicitor would be able to explain it more fully, as well as detailing what can be done to have her removed."
"I will contact both Brian Greengrass and young Harry's solicitor Kyle Stanton after our meeting and ask them for their assistance with this, Sirius. May I assume that you want this woman removed from the property?" Arcturus asked.
"I would likely have been willing to allow her to stay in the house, had she tried to help Harry, or even reported what she might have seen to authorities so the proper authorities could help him, but she didn't. Additionally, Grandfather, we both believe she was reporting to Dumbledore; that may not mean she was helping Dumbledore beyond basically spying on Harry, however, the fact is, she was living in a house that belongs to the company Harry owns, and has been doing so free of charge for years. That sounds like a reward to me, and I don't feel she's earned the reward of a free home to live in for that. I want her removed from the property."
"I'll inform the solicitors about our wishes in that matter then. You said you had other questions?" Arcturus asked encouragingly.
"Yes. Has the forensic accountant finished examining the financial records for the Dursleys? Also, the money that was given to them for Harry's care, can we demand that be reimbursed to the Potter accounts due to Harry receiving little or substandard care while living with the Dursleys? Next, what about heirlooms, artifacts and funds being removed from the accounts that Dumbledore may have taken; is it possible to get those items and funds back?"
"The forensic accountant has indeed finished her analysis of the financial records for the Dursleys, Heir Black. She is also able and willing to testify at their trial. As for Dumbledore, we have a list of everything that was taken, all we of Gringotts are waiting for is Dumbledore to step inside the bank. Once he does, he will be given an order to return the items taken and repay the funds. If he doesn't do so within the time frame set, then Gringotts will recall all items entailed to the Potter estate which are missing, regardless of where they may be located,and levy fines to his account to repay the funds," Krogund replied, voice low in anger by the time he finished speaking.
"My next question is in regard to the Dark residual magic found attached to Harry's scar," Sirius began, after glancing briefly at Arcturus, "of the two options given for treatment, how quickly could a ritual to remove the Dark residual magic take place? I'm not at all comfortable with the idea of draining my godson's core to remove it, even temporarily. The risk of Harry becoming a Squib as a result may be minimal, but it is a risk I'm not willing to take."
"As I believe Lord Black was told, performing that ritual would also require the permission of the Director of Gringotts. After the Director gives his permission, organizing the ritual would take approximately a week. I will submit the request to the Director for permission after our meeting."
"Mr. Potter's solicitor informed me about the seal on the Potter Wills being illegal. Do you have a suggestion for circumventing that without Albus Dumbledore becoming aware of it?" Arcturus inquired.
"My suggestion would be to leave it sealed until and unless you can get Dumbledore tried by the Wizengamot," Krogund answered, steepling his fingers in front of him.
"Why leave it sealed? James and Lily's Wills should have been read years ago," Sirius asked, perplexed.
"Heir Black, if Albus Dumbledore is put on trial, and being Dumbledore attempts to justify the treatment Mr. Potter received as something necessary, or claims he wasn't aware of it, and claims being Mr. Potter's magical guardian as justification for having the Wills sealed due to some alleged dangerous content within the Wills, how do you think the Wizengamot will react if, when the sealed Wills are brought before them, the only authorization seal on the file, giving permission for the sealing of the Wills themselves, is Albus Dumbledore?"
"Because most of the members of the Wizengamot are from Pureblood families, quite a few of them from the Sacred Twenty-Eight, they would more than likely think if Dumbledore could seal the Wills of James and Lily Potter without proper authorization, he could do the same to others," Sirius began, a look of comprehension lighting his face, "and they would then demand the Wills be brought to the Wizengamot and the seal removed, as a way to discover what Dumbledore believed was so dangerous about the contents. If there was nothing sensitive in the Wills, the charges of Will Tampering and Inheritance Interference could then be added to the list, if they aren't already."
"Gringotts has put forth request after request for the Potter Wills to be unsealed, so the reading of the Wills can take place. We have always been denied, being given the reason that the Wills were sealed for the safety of the Potter Heir. This is why, even though the information we are using to facilitate the investigation into Albus Dumbledore, as well as the removal of Arabella Figg from the property she is currently occupying, is listed in the Gringotts copy of the Wills, we are using other methods and means to obtain the same information. It protects Gringotts from an accusation of interfering in Wizarding affairs."
"It also makes it more likely the information will be accepted by the Wizengamot as genuine and accurate, as it doesn't come directly from Gringotts, only being verified by Gringotts," Arcturus added in satisfaction.
"Exactly, Lord Black. Heir Black, do you have any other questions or concerns?" Krogund asked.
"No, Krogund, I believe we've covered everything we needed to so far. Please let us know when the ritual to help my godson can take place; I don't feel comfortable leaving any kind of Dark magic attached to him, as I'm sure you can understand."
"Certainly, Heir Black, Lord Black."
OOO
Kyle Stanton opened one of the case files he had on his desk, making notations of things which still needed done for the client, before adding notes to a small piece of parchment and sticking it to the file and setting it aside. He only had three more files to update before he would be able to check the messages his assistant had placed in his tray that morning, assuring him none were particularly urgent, although they would need to be handled that day.
He had just finished with his notes for a client who wanted a Betrothal Contract evaluated before it was signed for his daughter when his assistant came to his slightly open door and knocked on the door frame.
"Yes, Deborah, what is it?" he asked, looking up from the file after closing it.
"Mr. Stanton, a messenger just brought a large envelope for you," she said, handing him the envelope.
Kyle glanced down at the envelope, noting that it was from the Constable he had spoken with about Albus Dumbledore, and turned the envelope over.
"Thank you, Deborah. Would you please see if Brian Greengrass is available? If he is, please let him know I'd like to speak to him."
"Right away, Mr. Stanton."
After watching to make certain his assistant closed the door to his office, Kyle opened the envelope, pulling out several sheets of paper. One glance at the top sheet told him it was the report on the sweet Albus Dumbledore had given the guard at the jail. Brian walked into his office just as he finished reading the cover sheet.
"What did you need to speak to me about, Kyle? I was in the middle of a case review before going to Lord Black's estate for a meeting."
"They finished analyzing the sweets Albus Dumbledore had with him the day he tried to get the Dursleys released from jail into his care the second time. I just got the report."
"So what are the conclusions? Were the sweets tainted with something?"
"That's the problem; I'm not sure", Kyle began, looking over each page of the report, "Potions wasn't one of my strong suits at Hogwarts. I only managed an 'Acceptable' in my O.W.L.s for that class. Care to take a look?" he asked, passing over the report.
Brian took the report and read through the pages, going back to reread a page or two before handing the report back to Kyle.
"Well, the first few ingredients don't seem very suspicious, but you're right, the last four ingredients that are listed separately, those are odd, and not what I would expect in a sweet. Also, where in the sweet they were found bears looking into as well."
"Brian, walk me through what you're seeing please. I want to see if our suspicions line up."
In answer, Brian opened the report to the first page of ingredients, and laid it on the desk to point to each.
Chromatography Report
Outer Shell:
Cream of Tartar
gel food coloring (yellow)
Lemon extract
sugar
water
citric acid**
Center of Sweet: (Liquid, thick)
Valerian
Calendula (pollen particles)
Peppermint
Kava Kava
Passionflower
water
"The first six things listed, the things that make up the outer shell, those all sound like something you would find in a housewife's recipe book for lemon flavored sweets, such as a lemon drop or a sherbet lemon. But you're right in thinking the other six items sound like a potion of some kind. Especially with it being a thick liquid. Unfortunately, it isn't one I'm familiar with, so I couldn't even begin to guess the effects. My recommendation is to ask a Potions Master to look at it, he or she may be able to make an educated guess what the potion is supposed to do."
"I'll contact the Constable to ask if any of the sweets, assuming there were more than just the ones Dumbledore gave to the Constable and allegedly ate in front of the guards at the jail, could be given to someone we know to be familiar with investigating things like this for an independent test. You know as well as I do that anything that a Muggle investigator found would be ignored by the Wizengamot at trial, if not thrown out completely as irrelevant, simply because it was a Muggle that found the information," Kyle groused, exhaling sharply.
"Would you like me to contact Lord Black and inform him about the report and its contents? I was retained to represent Lord Black and his grandson Sirius, after all."
"No, thank you Brian. As this indirectly relates to my young client, I should be the one to do it. I just need to duplicate the report for my files. I can pass on the original to Lord Black myself."
"Well, if you're sure, I'll leave you to it, unless of course you needed to discuss something else?"
Kyle shook his head, smiling in thanks, and Brian nodded once before walking out of his office. After Brian left, Kyle began studying the report further, to make certain he understood the contents, despite not knowing what potion might be in the center of the candies. After several minutes, he closed the report and called in his assistant.
"Deborah, please send a written request to the Constable who sent the report. If they are available, I need at least three of the sweets they took from their prisoner for independent testing. Please also let them know I appreciate the cooperation in this case."
"Certainly, Mr. Stanton. Will there be anything else?"
"I think that's all for now Deborah, thank you."
After his assistant left the office, Kyle began writing to Lord Black, requesting a meeting at his earliest convenience.
OOO
At the summer program center, the beginning swimming lesson had just finished, and the instructor had a few last words for the children in the class.
"You all did very well today, children. For those of you who were able to learn how to float on your back and stomach successfully, congratulations. For those who haven't quite learned how to float yet, don't worry, you'll be able to do it soon, and keep in mind that it's easier to do when you relax. We'll continue with what we practiced today at the next class, because I want everyone able to float before we move to the next step."
Arcturus watched the instructor speaking to the children, making note of the way he kept his voice calm and even toned. Glancing briefly at Harry's face, Arcturus was pleased to see the young boy didn't appear afraid or nervous, as he had before the lesson started. It bothered him the way Harry would shy away when he heard even the hint of a raised voice, and knowing the likely cause, it made him really regret at times that Muggle baiting was illegal.
"I see some of your parents and guardians outside the fence around the pool," continued the instructor, "so as the lesson is over, I'll ask you get out of the pool unless there is an adult inside the fence to supervise. Walk, don't run when you get out of the pool, since the edge of the pool will be slippery, and we don't want anyone to fall. You might only get a scraped knee, but it can still hurt a lot."
Watching as most of the children got out of the pool, Arcturus saw the parents of Harry's friend Hermione walk inside the fence and sit on one of the various benches inside the pool area. Glancing around, he walked to a bench not far from the Grangers and sat down. Hermione and Harry were the last two children to start to get out of the pool, and Hermione let out an excited squeal when she saw her parents.
"Mum, Dad! You're here early! Are you having lunch here today? They said lunch is fruit salad, sandwiches, and milk or juice today."
While Hermione had been talking to her parents, she stopped walking for just a few moments, and a small puddle of water started to form behind her as it dripped from her hair. Harry was almost at the top of the ladder leading out of the pool when she stopped, and had just stepped onto the pool's edge when she began walking again. What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion for everyone there, although it took less than a minute.
Harry had taken barely two steps away from the pool ladder when he stepped into the small puddle of water left by Hermione's hair and slipped. The combination of being thrown off balance as well as the slippery pavement around the pool itself caused Harry to begin to fall backward, and he let out a short scream of fright, bringing the attention of everyone there to Harry, and Hermione looked back to see her friend falling, and about to hit his head on the top of the pool ladder.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed, reaching out an arm to try to catch hold of his hand, but he was just out of reach. Just as she was about to scream again for help, Harry suddenly froze in mid fall; his body somehow held in position, and she lunged forward, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her, his weight causing both of them to land on their knees.
" Harry, are you okay? You scared me half to death!" Hermione asked, voice trembling.
Harry began shaking, his near accident finally registering. Before he could answer, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into the worried eyes of Arcturus.
"Harry, are you hurt anywhere? I saw you begin to fall, but wasn't able to reach you in time. Please, take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and answer my question. I need to know you're all right," Arcturus said, slowly and calmly, doing his best not to frighten Harry further.
"I-I don't think so, Sir. One minute I was falling, about to hit my head on the pool ladder, and the next it was like something was holding me still. That's when Hermione grabbed my hand and pulled me toward her. Sorry I made you fall, Hermione; I didn't mean to."
Hermione's mother, who had just knelt down to check Hermione for injuries from the fall, looked up, bewildered.
"You don't seem to be hurt Hermione, which is a relief. But I'm curious what your friend means. You felt like something was holding you still? The only person close enough to try was Hermione, and we all saw her try to catch you before you fell; she couldn't reach you until she moved forward," Mrs. Granger asked.
"I'm not sure, ma'am. But for a few seconds, I wasn't falling."
"Mum", Hermione began, looking down, "I don't know what happened, but when I couldn't reach Harry, I really wanted to be able to keep him from falling. And he just stopped falling, so I grabbed his hand to pull him away from the ladder. Honest, I don't know what happened."
"Hermione, are you sure? This seems a lot like your other 'I don't know what happened' stories when something odd takes place."
"Mrs. Granger, is Hermione in trouble? If she is in trouble, why?" Harry asked, looking at his friend's mother, head slightly tilted.
"Harry, I believe if Miss Granger were in trouble, her mother or father would have already said so. We are just concerned that the two of you weren't hurt, that's all," Arcturus assured the young boy.
"Do we have to leave now, then?" Harry asked, looking from Arcturus to Hermione and back again, "because we haven't had lunch yet, and if we leave now, the tutor will make me read something and write a report. I know I need to practice with the funny looking pen, Sir, but it gets boring with just me and the tutor, and he always says my writing doesn't look right when I use the funny pen."
"I'm sorry," Mr. Granger began, having been silently watching as the two children were checked for injury after Harry's near accident, "but I'm still waiting for Harry to answer my wife's question. What did you mean when you said it felt like something was 'holding you still'? Also, it's still summer break for the children, so why would Harry have a tutor? He seems like a bright boy, so I don't understand why he might need to have lessons during summer break."
"I just meant that when I stopped falling, it felt like something was holding me, almost like if you sit on a big pillow chair. I'm sorry if I can't say it better, but that's what it felt like to me, Mr. Granger," Harry answered quietly.
"I may be able to answer your second question, Mr. Granger," Arcturus said, standing straight now that he knew Harry was uninjured, "yes, Harry is a very bright boy. He is very gifted in some other ways as well. As such, he has a chance to attend a school for gifted children when he turns eleven. This school is one of the more exclusive schools in Great Britain, so has certain expectations for its students in the way they behave, such as social interactions with other students, their comportment, and the way they behave with adults in social situations. These students are held to a very high standard, and Harry's previous living situation left him unprepared should he be accepted to this school for the way he will be expected to behave. His tutor is not only filling in the gaps his previous schooling has left, he is also instructing Harry in what he will need to know if and when he is sent an invitation to this school to attend. In fact, given what I've been able to observe of Miss Granger, she might very well be a child they would consider as a possible student. She seems more than exceptionally bright. May I ask when she has her birthday? Students for this school receive their invitations to attend after they have reached the age of eleven."
"Hermione was born the nineteenth of September, nineteen seventy-nine. You say you think our daughter might be considered as a possible student of this school, and students that are accepted there aren't invited to attend until after they are eleven. Is there a reason for that? Also, how would this school have even been aware of Hermione? I don't recall anyone from other schools visiting her Primary school. If an exclusive school for gifted children has been considering our daughter as a possible student in the future, wouldn't my wife and I have been made aware of it by now?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, as I am not on the Board of Governors for the school, I cannot speak with true accuracy on the school's selection criteria regarding future students. I am however aware that Harry's late parents were both students of this school. This would have automatically placed Harry's name on their list as a prospective student. Someone who will receive an invitation to attend is usually informed on or around the child's eleventh birthday. It is my understanding that age was selected because a student who is younger than eleven is less likely to be able to sit still long enough to attend the various classes taught there."
"Beyond being very bright, if this is a school for the gifted, why would they consider inviting our daughter to attend? We brought her up to be polite and well mannered, but the way you describe the expectations for behavior, I'm not sure Hermione could fit in well enough," Mrs. Granger interjected.
"Harry has already said he finds the lessons with only himself and his tutor 'boring'. If you agree, I would be happy to ask his tutor to include Miss Granger in the lessons as well; perhaps then Harry might be able to focus on his lessons easier. As to your question about being gifted beyond being bright, Great Britain has an excellent example of a gifted writer in William Shakespeare, to the point he is commonly referred to as the Bard. Singing, dance, and other things beyond academics can also be things someone is gifted in doing. Even the ability to think well can be considered a gift."
"My wife and I will consider your offer of allowing Hermione to join Harry's tutoring and let you know our decision. How much in fees are the lessons? That will be one of the things we consider when deciding."
"Harry, why don't you and Miss Granger go ahead to the dining hall for lunch? Miss Granger's parents and I will be along momentarily," Arcturus suggested, giving Harry and Hermione a small smile, and watching as the two children walked ahead for a short distance before turning back to Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
"Mr. Granger, I sent the children ahead because I feel Harry at least, to be too young to hear about an adult's finances. However, in answer to your question, as I was the one who made the offer, you will not need to worry about the fees for the tutor, as I will handle that personally. Not only was it my idea to make the offer, it will also give Harry an opportunity to have lessons with a friend, rather than students his previous guardians and their son were able to intimidate into ignoring or bullying the child. Please let me know your decision soon, so I may tell the tutor if there is one student, or two."
OOO
After arriving back at the estate, Arcturus sent Harry to clean up and change, then went to his study to go over correspondence before that evening's dinner with Sirius. After reading several letters from business associates and noting what needed to be done next for each, he opened the package sent from Kyle Stanton, Harry's solicitor.
Well, this is interesting. Albus Dumbledore, self styled "Leader of the Light", tried to give a Muggle a potion laced sweet. He must be getting desperate to believe he wouldn't be caught. So do I give this to Amelia Bones NOW, or wait until the sweets have been tested by a Potions Master? Decisions, decisions.
After thinking it over, Arcturus decided to wait until Mr. Stanton had gotten the initial report on the potion before taking it to Madam Bones. He already knew she would want to have tests done on the sweets as well, just as a matter of due diligence for her case against Albus Dumbledore. He also needed to make certain that both Brian Greengrass and Kyle Stanton were aware of Sirius' and his wishes regarding Arabella Figg, so after setting aside his correspondence, he took both parchment and ink from his desk drawer.
He had several important letters to write.
OOO
Harry knew dinner tonight was supposed to be special somehow. Lord Black had asked him to dress nicely and asked Jilly to put his clothes for dinner on his bed. He was still getting used to changing for dinner, since he'd never had to do that when he lived with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, but Lord Black had told him it was a way to show that you respected the people you were sharing a meal with. But these clothes were somehow more fancy than he usually changed into.
After he had changed, Harry walked to the dining room and stopped in the doorway. There was someone standing with Lord Black near one of the windows, and even though the man seemed familiar somehow, Harry couldn't place why the man seemed familiar. Slowly, he walked further into the room. He must have made a small noise, because both Lord Black and the stranger turned toward him.
"Ah, young Harry. Please come here, lad. As you can see, our dinner guest has arrived. This is my grandson and Heir, Sirius Orion Black III. Sirius, I know you remember young Harry, but with the amount of time since you last saw each other, I felt it best to introduce you, as I can't be certain he would remember you. Please, let's sit everyone," Arcturus said smoothly, and walked to the dining table.
After dinner had been served, Harry looked over to the dinner guest curiously. He still couldn't figure out why the man would seem familiar to him. Sirius noticed the glance and smiled slightly.
"Still trying to place me, Pup?" Sirius asked, smiling, "You were just turned a year old when I saw you the last time. I used to visit you and your parents quite often when you were a baby."
"You knew my parents, Mr. Black? Can you tell me about them, please? Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon never told me anything except they died in a car crash."
"Your mum and dad were two of my best friends, Harry. I don't know why your aunt and uncle told you what they did, but your parents didn't die in a car crash. And before you ask, my grandfather has already told me that you are too young to hear that particular story, so no, I won't be telling you how your mum and dad died. What I can do however, is tell you stories about your parents from the time I met them until they died. Also, since they named me your Godfather, none of this 'Mr. Black' nonsense; call me Sirius, or Uncle Sirius if you feel more comfortable with that."
"Okay. The only uncle I ever knew was Uncle Vernon, and he wasn't nice, so I can call you Sirius."
"As we are going to be sharing family stories, Sirius, Harry, I may have one or two myself to tell," Arcturus commented, with a sideways glance at Sirius.
The look of absolute horror on Sirius' face, in Arcturus' opinion, was priceless.
OOO
After dinner was finished, Arcturus suggested they go into the informal lounge. Not only was the room decorated to be relaxing, it had several couches that Harry could lie down on if he got sleepy. After sitting in one of the armchairs where Harry could see him easily, Sirius took a deep breath.
"You wanted to know about your parents; well, I met your mum and dad on the Hogwarts Express back in our first year. It was obvious your dad like your mum from the start, but your mum wasn't very fond of your dad at first. All during that train ride, he kept telling her how pretty she was, asking her if he could hold her hand, and a lot of other things even before we got there. I could see your mum was annoyed, but your dad could only think about how much he liked your mum, and he wouldn't be quiet about it. It didn't help much that your mum was friends with someone who got on your dad's bad side right away. Eventually your mum and her friend found another compartment to sit in, and your dad, a couple of other boys we met on the train, and I all shared a compartment for the rest of the trip."
"Lord Black told me about Hogwarts. I got upset after the counselor I talk to about Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon left last week, and something in the room broke. He said it was accidental magic, and not my fault, then fixed it. Watching it be fixed was wicked; I never saw anything like that before. But then he told me Hogwarts was a place where I could learn how to not have accidents like that. Why didn't my dad like mum's friend?"
"There were a few things, I think. But top of the list, in my opinion, is your mum paid more attention to her friend than your dad when they met. But I could be wrong. Then when we got to Hogwarts, your mum's friend was in a different House than us, so your dad decided that must prove that he was a bad person for your mum to know. Your dad, our friends from the train and I found out we all liked a good prank, so we decided we would start playing pranks in the school," Sirius said slowly, considering his answer before speaking.
"Like what?" Harry asked excitedly.
"Well, in first year, we pulled a few pranks. One of them, we figured out how to change everyone's hair color to a bright pink for three days straight. And since the colors for the Houses are green and silver, red and gold, blue and bronze, and yellow and black, pink hair really stood out." Sirius grinned widely when he heard Harry giggling, so he thought of another prank the Marauders had played first year.
"Another prank we did that year, after learning how to make things float, was charmed all homework to float just out of reach every time someone tried to hand it in to a Professor. That one only lasted one class however, and earned us our first detention once the Professors figured out who did it. It's not fun having to help the caretaker clean the school, but that's what we had to do for detention. If I remember right, we also lost points for that."
"Sounds like the chores I had to do at the Dursleys."
"Well, it taught us that we had to be more careful if we didn't want to get caught. None of us liked helping Mr. Filch that night."
Seeing Harry giggle at his stories, Sirius began talking about pranks the Marauders pulled in other years at Hogwarts, and answering Harry's questions about his mum and dad.
"What about the friend you said my mum had? Who is it?"
"Oh, your mum's friend was named Severus Snape, but we, meaning your dad, our friends in our group, and I, all called him Snivellous. He was always trying to hang around and talk to Lily, and James, your dad, really didn't like him. I remember once in second year, every time we saw him in the halls we'd take turns casting a Tripping Jinx at him. He must have fallen flat on his face a dozen times in one day. When Snivellous tried to get back at us, we made his shoes stick to the floor. He had to take them off just to be able to go to lunch."
Harry stopped giggling and sat quietly, just listening to his godfather talk about things his dad, he, and their friends all did to a friend of his mum. Not sure of what to do, Harry began to fidget. Unfortunately, Sirius didn't notice how quiet Harry had gotten, so kept telling stories of pranks the Marauders had pulled. Finally, it sunk in for Sirius that Harry had stopped asking questions. Looking over to see if he had fallen asleep, Sirius was surprised to see an almost pensive look on his godson's face.
"Harry, what's wrong? You look upset."
"Why were you so mean to mum's friend and other people?"
"Harry, we weren't being mean, we were playing pranks. Pranks are like jokes; they're funny."
Shaking his head, Harry looked at Sirius, the beginnings of tears in his eyes.
"When I was living with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, my cousin Dudley and his friends would chase me and beat me up if they caught me. Dudley called it a game for him and his friends, and they named the game 'Harry Hunting'. Dudley and his friends would also be mean and pick on other kids in the neighborhood. Dudley and his friends called what they were doing 'just jokes', and thought it was funny, but me and the other kids they picked on didn't think it was funny. What they did was just mean, and when they beat me up, I would get hurt, and the other kids they picked on would cry because what Dudley and his friends did would hurt their feelings really bad. Maybe they didn't get hurt like I did, but the other kids got hurt by Dudley and his friends too. And they still called what they did jokes, thinking it was funny. But they were hurting other kids, and we didn't think it was funny, we thought it was mean. You keep telling stories about picking on mum's friend and other kids, and say it was funny. But if the other kids you picked on with the pranks you did at school were hurt, how was it funny?"
Sirius sat there a moment, speechless. He glanced over at Arcturus, unsure how to answer Harry's question.
"Harry, I know I said I would also tell some stories, but it looks like it's past your bedtime. I'll have Jilly tuck you in tonight if that's okay; there are a few things I need to talk over with your godfather," Arcturus said firmly.
After Jilly had put Harry to bed, Arcturus sat for a moment, watching Sirius' face. He knew the surprise and shock wouldn't last long, and by the time Arcturus had asked for tea to be brought, Sirius took a deep breath before beginning to speak.
"He looks so much like James, and then reminds me of Lily with what he just said. I remember Lily giving me a few dressing downs similar to that while we were in school; made me feel around two inches tall every time. How do I fix this, Grandfather? I don't want Harry thinking I'm nothing but a bully who doesn't care who gets hurt by what he does."
"What would have convinced you an adult was sorry for what he or she did at Harry's age? That may be a good place to begin. Then, you can let Harry see that you're sorry by the way you behave around him. You said he looks like his father James did, but I somehow think that the physical resemblance is likely the only similarity between them. He might be more like his mother in personality, especially given the fact he was living with his maternal aunt, and you need to keep that in mind."
"I think I know a good place to start for that; may I borrow some parchment and an envelope, Grandfather? I have an important letter to write."
OOO
Arcturus returned to his study after seeing Sirius to the Floo. He had just sat down behind his desk when Jilly popped into the study, an envelope in her hand.
"Master, this comes for you during dinner. Jilly knows Master likes to be undisturbed for meals, so Jilly kept it until now for Master," she said, handing him the envelope.
Opening it, he saw it was a notification of the date of the Dursleys' trial, as well as informing him that it was possible Harry would be called as a witness. It was also stated in the letter that a child advocate would be available to Harry during the trial.
Glancing over at his desk calendar, Arcturus noted the date; 25 August, 1989.
So, they've scheduled the trial for this coming Monday, on the twenty-eighth. That's fine. I'll make sure Sirius is aware of the trial date as well, as he'll likely want to be there for Harry.
He had already received the notice of the emergency Wizengamot session the next day, and knowing what it would likely have as the agenda, smiled slightly before extinguishing the lights in his study and going to bed. It was very possible the next day would be exhausting, so he intended to get as much rest as possible while he could.