Harry did not know when was the last time that he had slept as well as he did that night. There was no nightmare, no uncomfortable mattress, no night terror that caused him to wake up screaming, no Dursleys waking him up at the crack of dawn to start him on his mountain of chores, nothing. And the room he was in was not that bad.
It was about a third of the size of his dorm at Hogwarts, which made it a decent size since his dorm was made to house five boys at once. While the room could have used a splash of color, it was a nice shade of green on the walls with a few pictures here and there. There was also a Slytherin rug that was somehow still soft to the touch. The bed was also very comfortable with blankets as smooth and soft as silk. It was a canopy bed with a king-sized mattress. They also had a Slytherin color scheme to them, but Harry had actually always liked the color silver. There was also a big desk, a large wardrobe, and even two bookshelves. Harry figured whoever this room used to belong to was probably quite the good student in his days.
While most of the colors and decor he would want to change, Harry was sure that Sirius would let him. Even if he wanted the room to be entirely pink.
Sirius was the only adult that Harry knew that he could trust with anything and everything. The one adult that never let him down. He sent him letters even when Dumbledore ordered a mail/information block on him. He told him stories about his parents when no one else in his life even attempted to. He gave him the first-ever bit of family love that he had ever felt. He treated him as just Harry Potter, his godson, and not as Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived. And most of all, he listened when he would talk to him. Most others he met would just be pretending to listen and then just force their own opinions down his throat without even trying to listen to what he thinks himself. Sirius never pretended. He actually listened to his opinions and anything else he had to say and was actually interested in what he had to say.
Harry was also now very glad to not only be away from the Dursleys but also finally be getting some information out of people. Olivia seemed like a good person that actually wanted to do something against Voldemort. She also talked about demons and he really wanted to ask her about them. They sounded dangerous and since he was Harry Potter, that usually meant that they would endanger his life at some point. It seemed that was usually the natural order of things when it came to his life.
And this whole thing about her being a mystic soul also sounded really intriguing. He didn't know what they were, but they sounded very interesting. Olivia described herself as a time mage, so he wondered if other mystic souls were like her or were different.
Out of curiosity, he opened the wardrobe. He was shocked by the nice clothing inside of it. There were a few Slytherin robes, which he expected given the carpet. There were also silk shirts, velvet coats, nice pants, and a variety of amazing cloaks. There were even some dress shoes and dragonhide boots on the floor of the wardrobe. Whoever this room belonged to before, he had some very expensive tastes in clothing.
There was a knock on his door as he was looking inside the wardrobe.
"Come in," Harry said.
"Hey, pup," Sirius smiled as he came in.
"Morning, Sirius," Harry smiled back.
"Had a good sleep, I hope," Sirius said.
"First time in months, actually," Harry sighed. "How have you been, Sirius?"
"I am much better now that you're here," Sirius smiled at Harry.
"Is Olivia still here," Harry asked. "I wanted to ask her some questions."
"She had to go back to Greece," Sirius answered. "She will be back, maybe with one of her cousins, but she still has responsibilities as a council member."
"She can just pop back and forth between here and Greece just like that," Harry was curious.
"Portal creation is part of her powers," Sirius tells Harry. "While she mostly does portals to different time periods, she can use them for teleportation as well."
"I really want to learn more about being a mystic soul," Harry was very intrigued by her powers.
Sirius called that a very good step toward their plan to unlock Harry's powers. Sirius did not want to force Harry to be what he did not want to be. If he did not want to be a mystic soul, then he would not force the unlocking of his powers. But it also wasn't like they knew what his powers would be anyway. They could be powerful or even something non-violent. But what mattered most to him was that he did only what he knew that Harry would want and what would make him happy.
Sirius then noticed that Harry had been looking in the wardrobe.
"You seem to have taken a liking to my brother's clothes," Sirius says, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"You have a brother," Harry was shocked.
"Had," Sirius corrected, a little sad. "Regulus joined Voldemort right out of Hogwarts, certainly making my parents proud. All I know is that he died while in service to him. I don't know if he made Voldemort mad or he was just on a dangerous mission, but he died because of Voldemort and that's all I know."
"I'm sorry," Harry sits next to Sirius. "I didn't know."
"I didn't expect you to," Sirius comforted his godson. "Regulus was my little brother and as much as I loved him, our parents were not the nicest people and would never have let both of their sons not take the dark mark."
"Your mother is that large portrait above the stairs, right," Harry asked.
"Unfortunately," Sirius sighed. "I warn you that when anything wakes her up, she screams louder than a banshee."
"I feel a headache forming already," Harry chuckled.
"Trust me, you will get one," Sirius said, he then went over to the wardrobe. "You know, you would look really good in these."
"In your brother's clothes," Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Kreacher used to be Regulus' nanny elf," Sirius says. "He has an almost obsession with my brother. So all his clothes are still as nice as the day they were originally bought."
"Would he mind," Harry asked.
"He probably will, but he is still a nanny elf at heart and I don't think he could stand seeing you in those rags you currently call clothing," Sirius said.
"They're Dudley's," Harry rolled his eyes. "I think the Dursley's would literally rather die than actually buy me something new."
"Remind me why you keep telling me not to go over and kill those worthless muggles," Sirius clenched his fists tight.
"Because killing people is wrong and I am not going to let you be sent back to Azkaban," Harry tried not to give in to the temptation to sic his godfather on his relatives. "Besides, we both know that karma will come after them at some point."
"Karma can not work fast enough," Sirius stated.
Harry then started looking through the wardrobe.
"So, was anything planned for today," he asked his godfather.
"Molly, as usual, will be having most of the others cleaning after breakfast," Sirius tells him.
"Did she even ask if you wanted them to clean the house," Harry did not like that Mrs.Weasley seemed to think she could rule over this house like she did at the Burrow.
"She didn't, but it wasn't like Kreacher was doing any cleaning before I let the Order use this place," Sirius shrugged.
"My guess is that Winky would be very territorial if you allowed her to be known," Harry chuckled.
Sirius and Harry both knew that it was better to keep Winky and Dobby a secret until they had no other choice than to show they had house-elves. Both were mostly doing it mostly because they did not want to deal with any rants about "house-elf slavery" from Hermione, Mrs.Weasley, or anyone else that was ignorant about house-eld magic.
In truth, house-elves need to be bound to a wizard or a wizard family in order to stay as sane and stable as they could. Dobby might not currently be the most sane of house-elves, but he was definitely a loyal one. But most house-elves start to slowly go insane and lose control of their magic if they remain free for too long. And if they are not bound soon, then their loss of magical control would kill them.
But people like Hermione, despite her reputation as the so-called brightest witch of her generation, never even thought about that. She never bothered to do any research into the bonds that elves have with their masters or families. She never even thought that the elves would need to be bound in order to stay alive. She believed that something was a problem and decided to do something about it without even trying to see if it was actually a real problem or not. In Harry's point of view, he would look into something to help with abused house-elves. That way they can happily be bound and not just bound to stay alive. What use was living for over a hundred years if you're miserable and abused the entire time. Everyone deserves a happy life or things will go south for them.
"Do you think it would be a good idea to let Winky start doing work around here," Sirius asked him. "She loves working and really has only been delivering letters for me."
"Ask her," Harry shrugged. "Besides, I will love seeing the looks on Hermione and Mrs.Weasley's faces when they see that you have another house-elf. One that you bound yourself, I add."
"They would probably lose it even more if they ever find you with Dobby," Sirius chuckled.
"We will probably both need some headache potions," Harry snickered.
Sirius then got up and pulled out some things from the wardrobe. He gave them to Harry.
"Try these on, pup," he smiled. "I think it's time for you to finally dress in clothes that fit you."
"Thanks, Padfoot," Harry smiled back, going into the bathroom to change.
It took a few minutes for Harry to come back out after he changed and got ready for the day. Sirius had chosen a nice silver silk shirt with navy green pants that matched with it. He also wore black shoes with it.
"For a Gryffindor, you sure chose a very Slytherin outfit for me," Harry chuckled.
"Most of my brother's clothes are silver and green," Sirius laughed. "But we will get you some new clothes that you can pick out yourself at some point."
"Could it be with Olivia," Harry requested. "I want to ask more about mystic souls."
"Let's go to the library, then," Sirius offered. "The family library is on this floor and I am sure there must be something on mystic souls in there."
Harry actually perked up at the sound of a library. Throughout his time at Hogwarts, Harry has always made himself appear dumber than he actually is. Part of his act was because he suspected that an independent and smart boy was not what the people would want in their "Boy-Who-Lived." Plus, there was also how he did not want to lose his friends and both Ron and Hermione affected his grades in their own ways. With Ron, he never cared about his grades or schoolwork and would goof off the entire time. And with Hermione, she prided herself at always being the smartest person in the room with the best grades. Both of them he had feared he would lose if he showed how smart he was.
But since they chose their side and it wasn't his, he no longer cared if his good grades would upset them. It was really their own fault for their lack of loyalty, anyway.
Sirius happily showed Harry to the library. It was just down the hall and around another corner. The library was not exactly hidden considering the large wooden doors with a bunch of runes carved on them. The doors also had large ring handles made out of silver that is pulled in order to open the doors.
He pulled them open and showed Harry inside. Harry almost gasped as he saw the large library. The room definitely showed that it could be accessed on both top floors considering that two different sets of spiral staircases that lead to the second level of the library. The walls were lined with many bookcases as well as other cases that were not on the walls. There were so many that the library could almost be considered a maze of bookshelves. There was also a nice sitting area with a burning fireplace. Perfect for reading a book with a comforting fire and a cup of hot chocolate.
"Hermione would be so jealous," Harry smirked as he looked around at the family library.
"I do have to warn you, pup," Sirius says. "As this is the Black family library, some of these books can contain some very dangerous information. The only reason you can even come in here is because you have Black blood in your veins."
"Okay, Sirius," Harry knew that Sirius would know more about this place than him.
"But this thing might help you," Sirius directed Harry over to a metal stand thing that looked like what could hold up music sheets for a singer or band member. "This stand is enchanted to act almost like a magical version of Google."
"You know that Google is," Harry raised an eyebrow, looking at his pureblood godfather.
"Your mother wanted to have a computer when she and James moved in together," Sirius smiled as he remembered. "So she did teach your father and me how to use it."
"Wouldn't being near magic cause the computer to explode or something," Harry asked.
"Your mother learned that when magic is used directly on it that it would, but just being in a magical household would not mess with the technology," Sirius said. "She definitely was the smartest witch of her generation."
Harry chuckled as that was probably a jab at Hermione. His mother definitely seemed to fit that title more than the bushy-haired know-it-all did even when they come from different generations.
"So, I take it that you can ask this stand for a book and it summons it from the library," Harry guessed.
"Correct, pup," Sirius said. "It can be a specific book or even a number of books that mention the subject that you request. Try it."
"Cool," Harry went up to the stand. "Mystic souls."
He requested it as he placed his hand on the stand. It took a few seconds, but multiple books lit up on their shelves and floated toward the stand. About a dozen books in total landed near or on the stand. Harry picked up the nearest book to him.
"Mystic Souls Around The World," he read the title. "Sounds like just the book I need."
"Olivia and her cousins are only from Greece," Sirius smiled at his godson's curiosity. "So that book can give you an insight to mystic soul communities outside of their home."
Harry smiled as he went over to the sitting area with a few of the books and sat down by the fire. It may be summer, but reading by the fire was just so comforting. Sirius grabbed a few books and sat down as well.
"You were the one that brought Olivia here, weren't you," Harry suddenly asked after a few minutes of quiet reading.
"What was that, pup," Sirius looked up from his book.
"Olivia," Harry repeated. "She was only here because you got her here, didn't you?"
Sirius smiled. "You always have been able to read me, pup. Yes, I was the one that originally invited Olivia here. As a pureblood, I knew that mystic souls existed, so I went to the only two that I knew about. Olivia's aunt and uncle. I did not know that they had passed on, so my letter ended up with their son instead. Krinos was the one that got me into contact with Olivia. I think we both know that she will be a lot more helpful than Dumbledore."
"I couldn't agree more," Harry said. "Plus, it was nice to finally meet a person in politics that wasn't just a corrupt and money-hungry moron."
"You just described every British politician to a 'T,' pup," Sirius laughed.
Harry went back to reading his book. He started at the chapter about Greek mystic souls in order to learn about Olivia and Krinos' culture. He was amazed by the pictures that were included of Crystal Rose Academy, the school for mystic souls in Greece. He read about how the place was known as the top mystic souls school in the world and that students came from all over the globe in order to attend. The school itself was hidden from muggles and was outside of Athens. The school was disguised as the ruins of an old Greek castle and anyone that tried to go near it were immediately sent away as the wards would make them think they had a date, or doctor's appointment, or that they left their bathtub running, anything that would make them turn around. The wards spread for miles, so there wasn't a muggle anywhere near a hundred miles from the school.
"Their school looks incredible," Harry says. "And the name itself, Crystal Rose, is beautiful."
"Quite the coincidence given what Krinos's own powers are," Sirius chuckled. "When I met him, he showed me that he could control nature."
"Guess a school with a name like that would be perfect for him," Harry grinned.
"You will learn a lot about mystic souls, pup," Sirius says. "Some of it good, but those in magical Britain are known to hate them. The way they all reacted to Olivia at last night's meeting spoke volumes about how they felt even without saying it."
Sirius was going to tell Harry about his Wild Dog magic at some point, but he was going to wait for the right time. He trusted his godson, but he was hoping for more when he was able to use his own powers to help Harry train with his when they were unlocked.
"Why are wizards here so prejudice," Harry asked. "Dark families hate muggleborns, light families hate 'dark' families and Slytherins, and now everyone hates mystic souls. We all have magic and that should be the only thing that matters regardless of where it comes from and what type it is."
"I wish everyone thought like you, pup," Sirius sighed. "My own family has been known as dark for centuries. We certainly have plenty of Death Eaters in our tree."
"I guess you would be considered the white sheep in the Black family," Harry joked.
Sirius laughed. "You have no idea. I was the first to be sorted into Gryffindor in centuries. Not to mention that I befriended muggleborns, half-bloods, and purebloods alike in my time at Hogwarts. My mother blasted me off our family tapestry when I ran away the summer after fifth year to live with your father and his parents."
"You knew my grandparents," Harry had heard nothing about them before.
"Dorea and Charlus Potter," Sirius smiled as he remembered the two. "They were more my parents than my birth ones ever were. Charlus was an Auror and probably considered to be the best that there ever was. During Grindelwald's reign of terror, he once took out twenty of his followers before he was too injured to continue and was forced to get medical attention. Good thing that Dorea was a healer and still has a plaque up at St.Mungo's to honor how many lives that she had saved. They died of Dragon Pox a few months before you were born."
"They sound like wonderful people," Harry smiled, a little sad that he would never be able to know them.
"They were," Sirius wiped a tear from his eye. "You could never meet any kinder people than them."
"I'm sorry," Harry apologized. "I shouldn't have asked."
"It's alright, pup," Sirius said, comforting him. "You deserve to know about them just as much as you deserve to know about your parents. They're your family."
"So are you, Padfoot," Harry smiled at his godfather.
Sirius gave his hand a squeeze, showing that he felt that way as well.