They Shook Hands: Year Four (Original Version)

They Shook Hands : Year Four

An alternate (but realistic!) universe Harry Potter fic
by Dethryl

Chapter Twenty-Two - Who Do You Call Family?

The couples thing had made travel on the train more complicated than ever. While they had once been able to squeeze nine Slytherins in a single compartment, in first year, they had all grown considerably. Now that they were adding in boyfriends and girlfriends from other houses, things would have been quite cramped indeed had everyone remained one big group. A split was necessary.

Tim and Blaise were unaccounted for. Nobody knew where they had chosen to sit, nor even if they'd gotten on the train. Jenna was sitting with Warrington and the sixth years, much to the envy of the younger girls. Goyle and Pansy had gone off with some Ravenclaws. Mandy, Terry, Su Li, and Anthony Goldstein had claimed a compartment and invited the two Slytherins to join them.

With their girlfriends not going home for the Easter holiday, Harry and Draco joined Crabbe and Millie for the train ride. It was nice to spend time with just the pair without the rest. Switching up groups didn't happen often.

They played Snap, Gin, and Rummy, all of the Exploding variety. Millie cursed and swore just as fiercely as the boys when the cards exploded in her hands. She wiped the soot on her robes, which were old and grubby. She was almost aggressively casual, declaring, "I'm on vacation. I'm going to be comfortable."

They put away the cards as the train approached King's Cross station. Harry was near to bursting with eagerness to arrive. He still wasn't used to the idea of someone waiting for him, of being happy he was coming. He wondered if Remus would be there too. He might be working at the book shop today.

Harry barely waited for the train to stop before jumping on to the platform. He had his trunk in his pocket under a Shrinking Charm. Sirius had taught him how to do that. He hoped he wouldn't have to wait long for Sirius to arrive.

Millie took a sharp left, and Harry heard her mum going in to hysterics over the shabby state of her appearance. Crabbe's father walked over stoically. He nodded politely to Harry before silently bustling his son away.

"I'll see you later, Harry. I've got to have a leak."

"Well, you are Welsh."

"Har har," Draco said snootily, strutting away with his nose in the air.

Harry wondered if he should begin to wander the platform in search of Sirius. He might be staying in one place so that Harry could find him.

"Hey, Harry."

Harry turned and found himself standing next to Ginny Weasley. She had a crooked smirk on her face, and Harry could see laughter in her eyes.

"Hey, Ginny."

"Better scram before my three brothers come along. You're not their favourite person since that Quodpot match."

"It's been far longer than that."

Ginny smiled. "Yes, that is true."

"I'm used to it."

"It won't be any fun at all for Easter," Ginny noted with a sigh. "Percy's going to Lynn's parents' again, so I'll be all alone against the family."

"I'm really sorry you don't get along with your brothers. I can't even imagine."

"It's not just them. Mum and Dad don't understand me either. Maybe I should introduce them to you."

"To me? Why me?"

"Because you saved me in the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry felt a sudden chill at her matter-of-fact statement. He wanted to panic. What on Earth would her parents say to him?

"They hear a lot about you from Ron. It's all horribly exaggerated. Apparently you all breathe fire and have horns."

"Those would be Hagrid's Skrewts."

Ginny giggled. "So I hear. Glad I'm not in that class."

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley was a short, plump witch with shoulder-length red hair. She was sensibly dressed, wearing a plain brown skirt and a tan sweater that looked hand-knit. "Where are your brothers?"

"Getting in trouble," Ginny said promptly.

"They'd better not be. Hello, dear, I'm Molly Weasley." She held out her hand to Harry, who politely took it.

"Hello. Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you."

Mrs. Weasley's eyes didn't flick up to his scar, for which Harry was grateful. But they did narrow a bit, and Harry uneasily wondered how blistering her opinion of him would be.

"Nice to meet you. I've heard a great many things about you from all of my children."

Harry winced. Ron -- he would have to use given names to keep them all straight -- had undoubtedly told his mum highly colourful exaggerations of the times he'd been the victim of Slytherin pranking. On the other hand, he had saved Ginny's life.

"I find second-hand accounts to be rather inaccurate," Harry said mildly. "It's no secret Ron and I don't play nicely together. Percy, though, is quite upstanding, and Ginny is one of the nicest people I know. I'm glad I was able to help her two years ago."

Mrs. Weasley seemed slightly distracted by that. "Yes, Ginny told us it was you. I was amazed that a twelve year old boy could-" She bit her lip and shook her head. "But it was all tied up with You-Know-Who, and so we just let it go. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for saving my little girl. She's the light in my eyes."

"Mum," Ginny said, blushing a vivid red.

"You're welcome," Harry said. He started to relax a bit. Mrs. Weasley seemed not to hate him, which was a good thing.

"And now you've gotten mixed up in that awful tournament. I read all about it in the Daily Prophet. I hope you're being safe."

"As much as possible."

"I wish I had some way to help you. Madness, letting a mere boy compete, but do they ask the mothers? No, they just carry on with their little games."

"You're very kind," Harry said with a smile. "I see where Ginny gets it from. I don't know if you remember, but we met once before, on the platform on the other side. You showed me how to get through the barrier."

"Oh my goodness, yes!" she gasped. "I'd absolutely forgotten."

"And after everyone found out about the Muggles I was living with, you sent me food. Pot roast," he suddenly remembered. "It was really good."

Mrs. Weasley frowned slightly. "The very idea that a child not be given food is disgusting. Muggles who do that sort of thing give the rest a bad name."

"I'm afraid I knew a lot of Muggles who were pretty brutal," Harry said, thinking of Dudley's gang of delinquents. Bash-the-Harry was one of their favourite games. "But I don't live there anymore."

"Yes, you've moved in with your godfather, I hear. That's wonderful. I hope things are going well."

"They are. Would you like to meet him? He's right over there."

Now that the crowd had thinned somewhat, Harry had spotted Sirius and Remus leaning up against one of the pillars. As Harry walked over, Sirius met him halfway. Harry hugged his godfather tightly. He never got tired of the warm feeling he felt at times like this. Somehow he just knew that everything would be okay. He felt protected; safe.

"I've brought the motorbike," Sirius said after a few moments. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Harry released Sirius and cleared his throat. "Hi, Remus."

"Hello, Harry. You're looking well."

"I feel well. Sirius, Remus, this is Missus Weasley."

"Molly," she said, offering her hand.

"Sirius Black."

"Remus Lupin."

"Mister Black, I am pleased that your reputation has been restored."

"It's nice to be vindicated."

"Mister Lupin, I heard rave reviews about your classes. Such a shame that you were forced to resign."

Lupin scratched at his moustache. "I'm used to anti-werewolf prejudice."

"My husband works in the Centaur Office, and he's done a lot of research in to the relations wizards have with other magical species. Did you know at one time Muggle werewolves were deceived about the nature of the magical world? They weren't told about the existence of witches and wizards until a few decades ago."

"That's not surprising. Half the time, I'm amazed they let me carry a wand at all."

"If certain people had their way," she said, not completing the sentence.

"Speaking of those people," Sirius interjected, indicating with his head.

Approaching at a leisurely walk was Mr. Malfoy. His snake-headed cane tapped with every other step. His long blond hair was pulled back by a black ribbon, and his dark blue robes looked very expensive.

"I think I'll be leaving, then," Mrs. Weasley said primly. "I have no desire to be abused by him today. Besides, I see the rest of mine have finally decided to get off the train."

"Good day, Missus Weasley," Sirius said.

"Good day, gentlemen. Come along, Ginny."

"Bye, Ginny."

"Bye, Harry."

As the Weasleys departed, Harry waved Mr. Malfoy over.

"Harry, so good to see you again. Hello, cousin. Lupin."

Sirius looked like he wanted to chew nails and spit iron filings.

"Hello, Lucius."

"Did you have plans for Easter, cousin?"

"Yes, we were going to have a meal at home."

Mr. Malfoy clucked his tongue. "You will join us at Malfoy Manor," he said, in a tone that did not invite discussion.

"Why, thank you, Lucius," Remus said appreciatively. "I should be fully recovered from my transformation by Sunday."

Mr. Malfoy looked like he'd swallowed a slug. "So long as you do not bite anything except the ham, I believe there will be no need for alarm."

"My, you have mellowed."

Mr. Malfoy ignored that. "Dinner will be served promptly at one."

"We'll be there," Harry said, eager to disrupt this awkward moment. He didn't understand what was so hard about getting along that these adults couldn't seem to accomplish it.

"Good. Now I must go locate my youngest."

The ride back to Grimmauld Place was uneventful and short. Harry clung to Sirius as they zoomed through the streets. They didn't quite go directly, for which Harry was grateful. After parking the motorbike in the shed, they ascended to the sitting room.

Kreacher served tea on a simple china service. He attentively poured for his master first, then Harry, then Remus. He laid out a plate of scones with clotted cream and retreated with a low bow.

They talked idly about the train ride. Sirius asked after Padma, and Harry endured much good-natured teasing about where and how often he was going snogging. After finishing the last of his biscuits, Harry was eager to change the subject; he wanted to show off his progress with his Animagus form.

Harry cleared his mind and reached in to his soul. The now-familiar alien presence flooded his senses, but this time Harry opened his eyes. The floor seemed so very close. He looked down at his paws and then around in amazement.

Two pairs of feet were nearby, connected to very tall legs. Two grinning humans sat in chairs. The black one smelled like forest flowers, and the other- Harry froze in place, his muscles tensing instantly. The fur on the back of his neck was sticking straight up, and his tail lay flat. He began to chatter loudly as he backed away slowly. The dangerous one spoke.

"Harry."

With a crushing crunch of pain, Harry reverted back to his human body. He drew a shuddering breath and began to sob. It hurt. Every fibre of his body, every bone of his skeleton, and every inch of muscle wrapped around them was in agony. It was torment to draw breath, and worse torment to let it out. Yet if he tried to hold his breath, his tears choked him.

Then Padfoot was there, holding him tightly, rocking him slowly, whispering soft reassurances and words of pride. Harry took comfort in the strength of his godfather's embrace. Slowly, ever so slowly, the white haze in Harry's brain receded.

"You did good," Padfoot said assuringly. "Real good, Harry. You held it for a firm ten seconds. That's outstanding. Well done."

Harry couldn't respond. In the throes of his pain, he'd bitten his tongue.

When he'd had a cool drink of water and a minor Healing Charm, Harry felt able to talk again. The first thing he said was, "I'm ready to go again."

Padfoot snorted. "You're as stubborn as your father. Do you really feel like going through all that again?"

"Yes. I've got to get this thing right. The third task is coming up soon."

"One more try," Padfoot said firmly. "That's it. You can try again tomorrow."

Harry wasted no time arguing. He had his chance now. Clearing his mind, he tried to draw that alien perception again.

He took a deep breath. The scent of danger was back again, and he bolted for the open door.

"Harry!" shouted the dark one.

Harry didn't stop. He scampered up the hall and transformed back in mid-bound. He lay on the floor and curled up in pain.

"What's wrong?" Padfoot asked, emerging from the sitting room.

"I smell Moony, and I get scared," Harry admitted sheepishly.

Padfoot laughed. "Yes, I suppose there's that. Peter used to have that problem. It's because the animal knows it's prey for bigger creatures, like the wolf. You'll get it under control eventually."

"Let's go again."

"No, that was enough."

"I can keep going."

"You're done."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I won't!"

"You will! And I don't know enough about Healing to put you back together again. Saint Mungo's will ask too many questions."

"You didn't let that stop you!"

"We took very risky chances."

"Padfoot, knock it off," Moony said mildly, joining them in the hall. "You sound like a grown-up."

"I have to be a grown-up, Moony."

"You don't have to be so square about it. Harry's doing extremely well."

Harry felt a rush of pride at Moony's words.

"I know. So there's no need to rush."

"If Prongs could see you now."

"If Lily could see me now," Padfoot retorted. "She'd thank me very much for looking after her son's best interests."

Moony turned to Harry. "And with that, he wins the argument. You could seriously hurt yourself, Harry, so let's go easy."

Invoking his mum wasn't really fair, in Harry's opinion. He didn't want to think she might be ashamed of or disappointed in him, and so any guilt trip involving her made him cave immediately.

"I'm sorry, Padfoot," he said. "I just want to be able to do it like you and Dad did."

"I'm sorry too, Harry. You'll get there. I'm eager too."

"But I want it now."

Padfoot laughed. "Patience, Harry. You must be patient. Keep in mind that you've gotten further in nine months than your father and I got in nearly two years."

Harry nodded. "I'll try."

"So let me change the subject. Do you remember me mentioning my cousin Andromeda?"

"Yes. That's Missus Malfoy's sister."

"She was disowned for marrying a Muggleborn man named Ted Tonks. She was always my favourite cousin, and in my long hours between bouts of worrying about you, I've been writing to her. We've been invited to dinner tonight. She says I'm not allowed to keep you to myself anymore."

Harry felt himself start to turn red, though he had no idea why. "I suppose we can do that. What should I wear? I'll want to look smart and make a good impression."

The two Marauders offered a great deal of outrageous advice in that regard, and despite their efforts to help, Harry managed to find suitable raiment that was proper for either a formal or informal dinner. If black tie and tails were required, he would be underdressed, but the odds of that were nil.

They arrived at the Tonks house promptly at half-six. Ted was a fair-haired, big-bellied man with a mellow and pleasant voice. "Hello! Welcome! Let me take your cloaks. 'Dromeda! They're here!"

Mrs. Tonks's hair was a light, soft brown, and her eyes were wide and kind. She emerged from the kitchen, and a very genuine smile made fine lines around her eyes crinkle. She didn't look that much like her sister Narcissa at all. "Sirius! At last!"

"Andromeda! You haven't changed a bit."

"Liar," she said fondly, laying one hand on his shoulder. "Who's the friend?"

"Remus Lupin. He was with me and James in school."

"Ah, I remember. Well, I've been at it for hours, so we'll have plenty of food. Any friend of yours is a friend of ours. And this must be Harry."

Harry's proffered hand was ignored as he was wrapped in a tight hug. His breath was squeezed from him, and he swore he heard a rib crack. "Nice to meet you," he croaked.

"Dora!" she called out. "Company!"

With a crash, several thumps, and more than a few swear words, a young woman with brilliant pink hair came down the stairs. She managed to trip over the last step and sprawled on the floor in a tangle of arms and legs.

Mrs. Tonks shook her head slightly. "My daughter," she said fondly. "How she made it through the Auror program, I never will understand."

"Thanks, Mum." She stood up and offered her hand. "Call me Tonks."

"Her name is Nymphadora."

The girl who wanted to be addressed by her surname made a horrible face. "Call me Tonks," she repeated. "Please."

"Sirius, Harry, and Remus," Sirius said, pointing to each in turn.

Tonks shook hands with her cousin and Harry, but when greeting Remus, she seemed to be very distracted. She couldn't seem to look away from him and just kept shaking hands. Sirius coughed politely, and Tonks flushed and looked away.

Sirius winked at Harry, and Harry grinned back. There would be loads of teasing for Remus to endure later.

"Dinner will be ready in just a moment," Mrs. Tonks said. "Can I offer you all a drink?"

While Mrs. Tonks got drinks, Mr. Tonks ushered everyone in to the sitting room. Sirius was shown to the best chair, while Remus and Harry shared a comfortable sofa. Tonks sat nearby, leaning towards them slightly.

"Auror, huh?" Harry said to her. "Caught any Dark wizards?"

"Not yet. I've only been in the field for about six months."

"Professor Moody has told us all kinds of stories about his service. He's retired now."

Tonks giggled. "I think it's hilarious that he couldn't even have a few months off before he got called to another duty."

"Do you know him?"

"I certainly do. I was his apprentice. The last one, supposedly."

"Really? Cool. He's a really great teacher."

"Yeah. If he's giving you chaps the same sort of treatment we got, you should be well-served."

"He's made a habit of ambushing the N.E.W.T. students."

"He loves to do that with new recruits. You know his motto, of course."

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Tonks giggled again. "You have been paying attention."

"He doesn't like it if your mind wanders during his class."

Tonks had been in the Auror program for three years, only out since the start of last summer. She'd gone in fresh out of Hogwarts, where she'd been in Hufflepuff like her dad. Harry did some quick arithmetic and determined she'd finished the year before he'd started.

Dinner was a savory meatloaf with a thick sauce that tasted like heaven. Harry took a large second helping, ignoring his vegetables growing cold in the small dish.

Conversation at the table was light and consisted largely of catching each other up on life-stories. Mrs. Tonks was a Healer over at St. Mungo's, and Harry wondered if she'd be willing to quietly fix him up if he should push too far in his Animagus transformation. Mr. Tonks was a part of the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad, and he helped them fit in with Muggle society when they had to go out in public.

Sirius and Mrs. Tonks spent most of dinner reminiscing about old times. It seemed like they'd had lots of run-ins with the other Black siblings. Whether it was planting frogs in Narcissa's clothing drawer or slipping a potion in Bellatrix's pumpkin juice that made her hair turn Gryffindor red and gold, they roared with laughter as the impressions became more and more outrageous. Harry couldn't even take offense at the pranking of a Slytherin, because Andromeda Tonks had once worn green and silver herself.

They talked about old times and new. Harry had to recount both of the tasks he'd endured. Almost before he realized it, the hour had grown quite late, and it was time to say good night. Warm goodbyes were said, with promises to write very soon. Andromeda ruffled Harry's hair as he was about to enter the Floo.

"Good luck in the rest of the tournament, Harry. Up Slytherin!"

"Up Slytherin."

* * *

Though he practised twice every day, holding his form a little longer each time, Harry was still not ready by the time of the full moon on Friday. He accompanied the two friends as they descended to the special room in the basement. Massive iron bars were one of the precautions, against escape; padded walls were another, against injury. Harry looked in to the cell regretfully.

"I'm sorry, Moony. I wanted to be better by now."

"No worries, Harry. I'm quite impressed with your facility to date. Your father would be proud."

"I know you want to join us," Padfoot said, "but it's not time yet. You can barely sit still and hold the form. The instant you felt any pain, you'd revert, and then you'll be in a world of trouble. Maybe next time, and that's a huge maybe."

"Next full moon, I'm in school. The one after, too."

"Well, that maybe doesn't look so remote, now, does it, Harry?" Moony asked positively.

"No, not really. Have we figured out what I am, yet?"

"I'm still looking through that encyclopaedia I borrowed from the library," Moony said. "I'm up to Eff."

"He needs his own name," Padfoot decided abruptly. "What do you think about Prods?"

"Prods?" Harry asked, unable to stop himself.

"Son of Prongs."

"I don't look anything like a stag. I don't even have antlers. I'm pretty quick. I'm brown and furry. Nothing's coming to mind."

"These things take time," Padfoot said. "It will come when it's ready, and it will be readily apparent.

"Speaking of time," Moony said, drawing a shuddering breath. "I'd better get in there now."

"Right. We'll see you later, Harry."

"Have fun."

Moony snorted. "Fun, he says. He's definitely picked up your sense of humour, Padfoot."

"Me? That's Prongs through and through."

The door clanked shut, and Padfoot locked both it and the magicks that reinforced it. Harry stared at it, wishing he were able to hold his form. It was so frustrating that he hadn't fully mastered his transformation. With aimless footsteps, he wandered upstairs to his room.

The night was a bit unnerving. The noises from the basement were truly horrific. But they settled down after a bit, and Harry was able to put it aside and pay it no notice. He considered trying the transformation again, but he didn't want to have to lie if Sirius asked him point-blank.

Harry pulled out a few pieces of parchment and finished off his Charms essay. It wasn't great, but it would scrub an E at least. He sprinkled sand to dry the ink and put it aside. Now what?

He opened a desk drawer and rummaged for a music crystal by Wand Smasher. Placing it in the crystal port of the wizards wireless, he began to tap his fingers to the beat. He really wanted to go lift weights, but he knew he shouldn't. It wasn't smart to lift alone. Maybe he could get Kreacher to watch over him and make sure he didn't drop a barbell across his throat.

Harry reached for a fresh piece of parchment and began to scribble a mash note to Padma. He hadn't kissed her in nearly a week, and she was sure to have missed him. She was always a bit tetchy when she hadn't talked to him for awhile. He handed the letter to Regal, opened the window, and went to brush his teeth.

He changed in to pyjamas and got in to bed. He lay awake for a long time in the dark, just listening to the music. It was very soothing, even though it was fast-paced. The howls from the basement added a strange element to the chords.

On Saturday morning at breakfast, Harry unfolded his Daily Prophet to read the headline: Magical Child Protection Act Active!

The legislation authorizing the removal of Muggleborn children from the Muggle world for adoption by wizard families had been passed two years ago. Nothing further had happened, because the apparatus hadn't been established to handle the kids. Now the Home For Magical Children had been built and the first children had been taken during the night.

Harry wished it wasn't needed. Muggles were too fearful of magic to properly deal with magical children for things to continue on as they were.

"It sounds like something my family would come up with," Sirius said darkly. "I don't see how anyone can defend taking children away from their parents."

"No wizard should be raised by Muggles," Harry replied. "They don't understand."

"Those Muggles didn't understand. They're not all like that. Do you really believe children should be taken from their parents? Should those children be deprived of their family just like you were?"

"Should they be knocked around like I was? If even one witch is punished because she can't explain accidental magic, that's too many."

"And that's something that should be dealt with. But I think there ought to be some proof of abuse before the children are taken away. The wizarding world is not nearly so concerned as it ought to be about proof."

"That would involve checking in on magical kids," Harry said. "I don't think the Ministry does that."

"No, they don't. And they ought to."

"Yeah. But Dumbledore was keeping me hidden away, wasn't he? The Ministry wouldn't have checked on me."

Sirius did not answer.

"Muggles are barbaric even without considering their fear of magic. It wasn't just mum's sister and her husband. It was my cousin, and he was the leader of the wretched little gang of hooligans who took their cues from him and made my life miserable. Nobody wanted to be my friend because Dudley learned from his daddy that I was different and difference is to be hated. Vernon hated me for being abnormal. Petunia hated my mum for being magical when she wasn't. Muggles are bad people."

"I know you've had some pretty rough encounters with Muggles. I'll admit, the Dursleys are the worst of the lot. But you can't judge billions of people by the example of three and a dozen."

Harry shrugged. "We have a Statute of Secrecy for a reason, Sirius. If Muggles could be trusted, we would trust them."

Sirius scowled for a moment. "I can't deny that. A select few Muggles know about us, but not many. Do you hate them?"

"The Dursleys?" Harry felt a bit caught off-guard by the sudden question. "Absolutely. The way they treated me would be called neglect if you were being very kind and abuse if you're being honest. They'd punish me when I did accidental magic, but I knew something had actually happened, so I couldn't tell anyone like you're supposed to when a grown-up hits you."

"It was wrong of them, and it's okay to be angry with them for it. But it's not okay to project their crimes on to all Muggles."

"No, they all have their own crimes."

Sirius exchanged a long look with Remus. Mercifully, he let the subject drop. Harry hated arguing with Sirius. His godfather could be high-minded as much as he wanted, but Harry had experienced Muggle brutality firsthand.

The day was spent working on his assignments. He took breaks from that to try holding his Animagus form steady. He was getting stronger, little by little.

On Easter Sunday, Harry, Sirius and Remus dressed in nice robes and took the Floo to Malfoy Manor. The adults sat at one end of the dinner table, further discussing the Magical Child Protection Act. Elan sat with Draco and Harry at the other end, still near the adults, but far enough away to carry on their own conversation, which was largely Draco talking about the Quodpot match again.

"Taking children away from the parents isn't right, Lucius!" Sirius shouted suddenly.

Harry winced. He hated it when Sirius and Mr. Malfoy argued, and they argued whenever they had a conversation that lasted longer than two minutes. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Maybe it's not right!" Mr. Malfoy said. "But it's not right for wizards to be raised by ignorant Muggles! It's not right that they abuse wizards for the fortunate accident of their birth. As one who professes to want what is best for the children, I would think you would want to see them raised by parents who understand their accidental magic and respond with love and joy rather than anger, fear, and distrust."

"None of you snooty purebloods is going to bring these Muggleborn children in to your homes. They won't get love and affection! They're going to rot in the orphanage, just as deprived!"

"The Home is not some rathole. The children will be quite comfortable while waiting for adoption."

"I say again, who is going to adopt these kids? And more to the point, who is going to be allowed to adopt under this fascist policy?"

"Any family who is willing to raise the child as a pureblood, keeping all knowledge of the Muggle parents to themselves. It wouldn't do for the child to try to seek out the Muggles, after all."

"Yes, that would defeat the whole purpose of this atrocity you call justice. You're taking away who they are."

"They are witches and wizards. That is what is important. What they become will be what they will make of themselves with their natural gifts, just as it is with us."

"You also have a vault full of gold to help you become what you want. These children will have nothing. How are they supposed to succeed if they don't get adopted?"

"I am quite sure that a handful of children won't prove burdensome to place."

"So when are you going to adopt some of these darling children?" Sirius demanded bitingly. "Your pretty words mean nothing, Lucius."

"I wouldn't mind a baby girl," Mrs. Malfoy interjected. "The boys were wonderful, but I never got to dress them up."

"And thank Merlin for that," Draco muttered.

"Really, Narcissa?" Sirius sounded sceptical.

"Yes. Why do you think I've gotten involved?"

Mr. Malfoy smiled in a satisfied manner. "It only took two years to get the Home up and running. Government is moving quickly, which is quite surprising."

"Only because the wives are involved," Mrs. Malfoy remarked.

"The Ministry can move quickly when it wants to," Remus added.

The shouting seemed to have stopped, for which Harry was grateful. The adults continued talking, but he was able to tune them out. The meal continued, but they did not linger when it was over. After dessert, Sirius and Remus collected Harry for the return to Grimmauld Place.

As they were about to enter the Floo, Mrs. Malfoy placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Thank you for coming, cousin. It means a lot to me that we can bring together what little of the family remains. With Reg dead and you in that place, Bella there as well, and Andromeda estranged, I have been lonely."

"Have you reached out to her?"

Mrs. Malfoy made a wan half-smile. "She did not return my letter. Perhaps I will send her another."

"You should. If you want me to seriously entertain the idea that you and Lucius are trustworthy, I want to see you make up with your sister. I want to see you invite her husband to your home. Then I might start to believe all this jabber."

She paled. "The rift between us is vast. Many angry words still echo. But if it will help you and I as well, I will try."

to be continued...