Happily Ever After?

Of Rings, Confessions, and a Guy Named Bob

Severus Snape stared at them all. He was about to slam the door in their pitiful faces when Draco said, "Please, Professor Snape? We need your help."

Snape looked at him and then the rest of them and said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but what do you want?"

"Severus," Lily said pleadingly, "we need to contact Dumbledore. He'll know what to do."

"Professor Dumbledore is on extremely important business in Japan and cannot be contacted," Snape said.

"Please leave a message after the beep," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"I could have told you that," Sirius said. "But does anyone listen to me? No!"

"You think the whole 'I'm-A-Bastard-On-The-Run-From-The-Ministry act could have thrown some people off?" Snape snapped. There were many scowls.

"Look, Severus," Molly said, pushing her way to the front. "I'm not going to lie. I never liked you as a student, and you're a less than likable professor, too. But you're the only means we have to contact the Ministry."

"Ever think about your Muggle-loving husband?" Snape said coolly to his old professor.

"He's visiting my son in Egypt," Molly snapped. "And a certain respect for the Muggle community is necessary for there to be cooperation between the magical and non-magical worlds!"

"Molly, you're hyperventilating," Lily said. "Calm down. Deep breath... that's it..."

"Lily..." Molly said warningly. "Don't mess with me. From this point onward I am not responsible for my actions, because the Professor Molly who suspended someone from her own House is back. NOW HELP US, SEVERUS, OR ELSE!" Molly screamed.

Snape appeared to be - well, surprised doesn't really cover it. Snape was never surprised - or at least he didn't show it. "What," he enunciated, watching the smoke come out of Molly's ears bemusedly, "do you want? Other than the impossible?"

"If Dumbledore can't be contacted..." James trailed off. "Then, well, the Minister at least. Who is the Minister anyway?"

"Cornelius Fudge," Sirius spat.

Lily and James both held their mouths open. "Him?" James sputtered. "But - but - he's - "

" - the absolute worst thing that ever happened to the Ministry," Snape cut in. They all stared at him.

"Those," Draco proclaimed, "were the exact words I was looking for."

"And I'll be damned if anyone here thinks otherwise," Arabella grumbled.

"If we contact Fudge," Harry said, "all he's going to think is that some insane nutter - namely, me - conjured up some old ghosts and that I deserve to be locked up in Azkaban, because conjuring up ghosts is necromancy." Harry made a face of extreme distaste. "And that is the best-case scenario."

"He wouldn't go that far, would he?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowing.

"By Merlin, he would!" Ron exploded.

"Hermione, you READ those articles!" Harry exclaimed. "You HEARD what Fudge said at the end of third year! HE THINKS I BELONG IN SAINT MUNGO'S, BY MERLIN!"

"Hermione..." Lily said, looking at her not-actual-daughter-or-even-close-relation carefully, "never, I mean NEVER underestimate the power of a stupid person in a high position. Cornelius Fudge is the biggest idiot on the face of the earth."

"While I quite agree," Draco interrupted, "why is he such an idiot that even two people entirely cut off from all wizarding ties for fourteen years still know what an idiot he is?"

"Because, Draco," Sirius said abruptly, "because Cornelius Fudge was a Slytherin, and he was mingling with Voldemort doing his school years. He snapped out of it by his seventh year, or, more likely, he escaped right before Voldemort killed him, since even Voldemort wouldn't want such a stupid git for a follower, and old Voldie isn't that pitiful. On Halloween 1981, he thought he had something to do with weakening the Dark Lord enough for Harry to destroy him, and if he helped, well, that means there are no chances of him coming back, right? WRONG! Ever wonder why he's so arrogant, and why he refuses to believe that Voldemort's back? CORNELIUS FUDGE WAS THE ONE WHO HANDED ME OVER TO CROUCH!!!!!!!!!!" Sirius screamed hoarsely. "HE WAS THE ONE THAT CAUSED ME TO ESCAPE BY GIVING ME THAT PAPER! THAT RESULTED IN ME BREAKING RON'S LEG, WHICH MADE HARRY ALMOST KILL ME, WHICH MADE REMUS COME OUT, WHICH MADE US EXPLAIN THE WHOLE THING, WHICH MADE US STAY THERE UNTIL THE MOON ROSE, WHICH ALMOST MADE ALL OF US GET THE KISS, AND IT DID LET WORMTAIL GET AWAY!!!!!!!! IF IT WEREN'T FOR HIM, THE WHOLE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE!!!"

Draco looked genuinely frightened as Sirius screamed and frankly, Harry couldn't blame him. He had never seen Sirius this angry.

"Padfoot!" James and Remus exclaimed together, staring at their friend in astonishment.

"Come on, Sirius, breathe deep..." Lily said, checking his pulse. "That's it..."

"You see?" Arabella said angrily. "Fudge made Sirius hate him so much that he THOUGHT UP that speech!"

Molly just shook her head and tutted. Hermione and Ron looked purely and utterly horrified. Harry put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Sirius needs anger management," he whispered to them. They nodded weakly.

"It so seems," Snape said smoothly, "that the dementors do not educate their prisoners on anger control." This caused even Draco to scowl at the professor.

"The point of Sirius's rant," Harry said, "is that Fudge will not help us."

"That was the main idea, yes," Sirius snapped.

"Well, then, what do you propose we do?" James sighed. "It's obvious the Ministry's in havoc already, and the one man who can control it is out of contact!"

"And the one woman who can take that man's place is in America!" Lily sighed.

"And the one man who can take the place of the one woman who can take the one man who can control the Ministry's place is Snape," Harry said. "What luck! And Professor - since term hasn't officially started yet, you can't take points off Gryffindor."

Snape looked at them all coldly. "The obvious thing we need to do is ensure everyone's safety," he said coolly, "especially that of the Potters."

"Who, us?" Lily said in confusion.

"No, the other Lily Potter who's standing in front of me."

"Severus!" Narcissa said, cracking at last. She stepped out of the corner, where no one had noticed her for the last few minutes. Snape's eyes widened slightly at the look on Lucius Malfoy's former wife.

"Yes, it's me! Don't act surprised!" Narcissa yelled. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!! To tell the truth, I'm sick of your sarcasm, I'm sick of your coldness, and I am sick of your attitude! Now tell me what the hell you are talking about RIGHT NOW or SOMEONE'S going to regret it. Oh, and here's a hint: That SOMEONE has the initials S.S. and is a GREASY GIT WITH A BIG NOSE!"

Snape opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, opened it again and said, "Well - if you - come in I'll explain." Disgustedly, the whole lot of them walked into the dungeon room. Snape looked pained to see Gryffindors in his precious dungeons. "Sit," he demanded, conjuring up some chairs. They all sat while Snape paced in front of them.

"Now," he said, "obviously, Voldemort is out to get Harry Potter. All who don't know why should consult Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. Now, the Dark Lord is very - how shall I put this - self-confident. He doesn't like it when his so-called brilliant plans don't work out.

"Voldemort obviously had a reason for keeping Lily and James Potter alive. We don't know what that is, but chances are that he won't be happy when he sees his cleverness was thwarted. The Dark Lord has worse anger control than Black, and will seek to take his revenge on the Potters, therefore putting them all in danger.

"Now, as we all know, Voldemort has never had the nerve to attack Hogwarts - "

"That is a lie," Harry interrupted. "Twenty years ago he attempted, and succeeded, to break into Hogwarts. If he could do it then, he can do it now."

" - except for that one occasion," Snape finished, glaring at Harry.

"Oh, and just because he hasn't tried again makes Hogwarts safe!" exclaimed Ron, throwing his hands into the air. "What about the time he got in through Quirrell? What about the diary? What about my sister? What about sending Crouch in as Mad-Eye? And Dumbledore's not even here, for crying out loud! If we're safe here, then I'm Merlin!"

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Snape continued, "that I know that Hogwarts is not safe, and the construction going on in the school makes it even less safe. I would not suggest hiding in the Muggle world - that is far too obvious. No, another magical building is needed, one that is protected by wards, one that is so large that even if Voldemort were inside it, he would never find you. Suggestions?"

"Malfoy Manor," Harry said automatically. "Honestly, it might be larger than Hogwarts, you could die trying to find your way out."

"Sir Micas Harrington did in 1439," Draco said lazily. "We found his skeleton last summer."

Narcissa shuddered. "Don't talk about that, Draco," she said.

"Yes, Mum," Draco conceded. "But anyway, Professor, Malfoy Manor is quite large - "

"Understatement!" Harry objected.

"Fine. It's gigantic. Although Voldemort may suspect, he'll never know, and there are seventy-three wards set up around the grounds to keep him out, put up over the last five days. It would be perfect."

"And," Harry added cheerfully, "there are sixty-one bedrooms to spare."

"Are you wondering what my fist tastes like, Harry?" Draco asked innocently. "I'd be all to glad to show you."

Harry sighed. Snape said, "If it is approved by Mrs. Malfoy - "

"Harlem, Severus," Narcissa interrupted nastily. "And I'll thank you not to remind me of Lucius, unless you have a barf bag ready."

" - then it sounds like the perfect place."

"Is it okay with me?" Narcissa said loudly. "Is it okay with me??? I can't believe you have to - of course it - you had to - I can't believe you had to - Severus, I'll - of course I'll - ARGH!"

"That's Mum's way of saying, 'Sure, why not?'" Draco smirked.

"Translated into coherent English, of course," Remus grinned.

Narcissa looked at them angrily, but said, "Yes, I suppose it does. Although, Severus," there was a pause as Narcissa looked around at everyone staring at her, stopping at Lily, "I can't believe you had to ask."

And so it was arranged. Lily, James, and Harry were to stay at Malfoy Manor with Narcissa and Draco. Sirius, Remus, and Arabella would go with them to visit for a while - how long "a while" lasted depended on Dumbledore's reaction to the whole situation. Mrs. Weasley and Ron would go back to the Burrow because, well, that's where they lived, obviously. Only one detail was overlooked.

Only after Mrs. Weasley and Ron had left for home did Lily and Harry notice this.

"Wait a minute!" Lily exclaimed.

"What about Hermione?" Harry asked. Hermione had been silently watching the reunion and good-byes from the corner. She blushed.

"Oh - ah - I'll be fine," Hermione said quickly, turning away so that they wouldn't see the tears running down her cheeks. "I'll just - go to my grandparent's house - "

"Hermione!" Lily said loudly, stomping over to her and looking at her. "You know as well as I do that your only living grandparent is Grandma Sophie in California! Where do you plan to go, hmm? An orphanage?" Lily's expression softened slightly as she wiped Hermione's tears. She pulled Hermione into a tight embrace.

"I may not be your real mother," she whispered so that only Hermione could hear, "but I still love you." Hermione nodded slightly. Lily pulled away and looked down at the girl in concern. She didn't say a word as she just stared at her. Harry cleared his throat as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words.

There was silence. Everyone looked at each other uneasily. How could they have forgotten Hermione? They all knew her, or had at least heard of her, to varying degrees, Remus the most, having been her teacher. Hermione, the girl who knew the answer to every question. Hermione, Harry's best friend. Hermione, the orphan.

James studied her carefully. Sirius and Remus frowned. Arabella and Draco sighed. Narcissa cleared her throat.

"She could live at Malfoy Manor," Narcissa said quietly. "She and Draco aren't the best of friends, but they could manage, right? There are enough bedrooms for an army, and she - she doesn't have any other place to go, does she?"

Everyone stared at Narcissa and Hermione. "Oh, I couldn't, Miss - ah - Harlem," Hermione said bashfully. "I'll be fine on my own, honest."

"That's a load of hot air," Draco said. "You know you wouldn't, you just don't want to take charity, which would be respectable enough, if we were offering charity in the first place, which we aren't. We just want to help you, and if that's charity, I'm Merlin."

Hermione looked at her feet. "Thank you," she whispered, looking up slightly.

Harry looked Hermione in the eye and heard her thoughts run through his head. I'm so embarrassed; I can't believe I said yes, what am I supposed to do, LIVE in the same HOUSE as Draco Malfoy????????? Even if he HAS changed, I - I don't know if it's such a good idea...

Harry couldn't take any more. He put his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Draco has changed," he whispered in her ear. "He's a great friend - if you're a great friend back to him, that is."

Hermione looked at him. "You could pass for a mind reader, Harry," she whispered back.

"Oh, I have my ways," Harry smiled.

"Well, than, it's settled," Narcissa said, clapping her hands together. "Now all we need is Floo powder - and enough of it."

"We - as in, those of legal age - can Apparate," Sirius said, eyeing Draco and Harry.

"No way!" Lily exclaimed. "It's been years since I've Apparated! I'd splinch myself!"

"I can't," James said, frowned. "Remember?"

Remus and Sirius snorted. "Oh, how well we do," Remus said wistfully. "How many times did you fail the test, Prongs?"

"Three?" Sirius supplied.

"Nah, it must have been at least four - "

" - or five - "

" - or six - "

"Oh shut it," James grumbled.

"Well then we need - one, two, three - four pinched of Floo powder," Narcissa counted. "And - it pains me to say this - we have to go back to Severus to get it." Everyone groaned.

"To save everyone else unlimited suffering, I'll just go and bring some back," Draco said.

"My hero," Sirius said dramatically. "Oh but if I see the louse once more thus I die."

"That was - very melodramatic, Sirius," Lily observed.

"It's a gift."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll be back."

Don't hurry.

Oh shut it.

Lily smiled suddenly. "Well," she said, "it's all over. We're all going to be safe and sound, far from Voldemort."

"Lily, you're horribly mistaken," Remus said, studying his friend's face with a frown. "It's far from over. It's only just beginning."

When Draco returned, everyone was looking gloomy. Afraid to ask why, he grinned slightly. "Ready to go?" he asked, holding up a tiny box and opening it to show just enough Floo powder for five people.

"Right," Harry said, taking a deep breath. "Right, let's go."

"The five of you go first," Narcissa instructed. "It's 'Malfoy Manor,' simple enough. You should end up in the entrance hall, but if you don't, stay where you are, someone will come and find you. Okay? Okay. You first, Draco."

"Yes, Mum," Draco said monotonously. "Malfoy Manor." He was gone.

"Harry?"

Harry nodded and took a pinch of Floo powder. "Malfoy Manor!" he cried, stepping into the fire. With a whirl he was off.

When Harry stumbled out the other end, Draco was grinning. "Crash landing?"

"Hush it," Harry said. "Someone else will be coming any second, and I can't get out of their way if you don't move."

"Don't be so morbid, Harry," Draco said as he stepped aside. Harry moved out of the way just as Hermione came through the fireplace. She opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't speak as awe overtook her. Draco smirked.

"Too small?" he asked.

"This house," Hermione declared, "is WAY too big. I'd say you replaced Dobby in a heartbeat."

"Well," Draco sighed, "here's an improvement: while we used to have thirty house elves - " Hermione scowled in disapproval, " - now we only have one, Hubert. And he gets sick days, starting a few days ago, and he has clothes and gets paid a few Sickles a month. Mum's against having a house-elf, but she just can't keep up with the cleaning and cooking."

Hermione nodded in approval. "Only a few Sickles, though?"

"You're pushing it."

"Right."

James rocketed out of the fireplace. "Now I remember why I hate Floo powder," he groaned. "It's so - Floo-y."

"Is that a word?" Draco asked.

"Yes."

"Of course. How could I have been so naïve."

James grumbled something under his breath, but smiled. Momentarily, Lily came through the fireplace also.

"They're coming," she said shortly. Sure enough, Sirius, Remus, Narcissa, and Arabella appeared next to them.

"HOLY CRAP, THIS PLACE IS HUGE!" Arabella shouted.

"Honestly, Ara, get a hold on yourself!" Lily exclaimed.

"Quite honestly, Mrs. Potter, that is the standard reaction," Draco said smoothly.

Lily threw up her hands. "I surrender," she said. "This plce is pretty big."

"Yes, well, IT had a fine desire for the fancier things and life, and you what IT I mean," Narcissa scowled. Everyone nodded fearfully. "So," she said a bit more cheerily, "we have to find rooms for all of you, which will be quite easy, I assure you, but we don't want you to get lost, so - Draco, why don't you take Hermione, Harry, Arabella, and Remus up to your wing, and I'll take the rest of the lot to the north wing."

"No problem, Mum. Follow me," Draco said cheerily. "We've got a five minute walk ahead of us, people, so line up, single file."

"Don't mind him," Harry informed the rest of them. "It encourages him."

"And I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Harry," Draco said. "Come on." Hermione, Harry, Remus, and Arabella followed him. A few minutes later, they emerged in a familiar wing. "Pick a number, one to twenty-three," Draco told Hermione.

"Ah... sixteen?"

"Okay, remember that number. Arabella?"

"Three?"

"Taken."

"Six?"

"Remember that. Remus?"

"Ten?"

"Good. Harry, you can take your old one, and Hermione's right next to you, so take her to her room while I get these two set," Draco instructed.

"Yes, sir," Harry saluted. "Come on, Mione." Hermione walked with Harry to the end of the hallway.

"Are these barracks?" she hissed to Harry. Harry grinned.

"No, actually this place was a resort, but don't ask Draco that question or he'll give you the whole history of Malfoy Manor, from Macias Malfoy to the paneling in the third bathroom on the left hand side in the southwestern wing."

"Right..."

"So," Harry said. "This is your room," he gestured to the door with the sixteen plastered on it, "and that's my room." Harry pointed to room eighteen. "Do we have any questions so far?"

Hermione stifled a giggle while Harry continued.

"Malfoy Manor is, without a doubt, a whopper of a palace and arguably larger than Hogwarts. Apparently there is some kind of Befuddlement Charm for strangers, and it takes a while to get used to you, so you don't have a great sense of direction for a while. Personally, I can't see it wearing off for me in the near future, but anyway, enjoy your - well, I guess for you, permanent - stay at Malfoy Manor. If you have any other questions, please do not ask me as I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, but feel free to ask Draco. Have a nice day."

"That was - extremely strange and somewhat disturbing."

"Thank you. Is that an encore?"

"No."

"Fine, be that way," Harry said in a huff. Hermione laughed. Harry smiled. She is beautiful - or is it just that I see Laura in her? Harry frowned.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Harry said offhandedly. "Just thinking."

"What about?"

"Life."

"What aspects of life?"

"Girls. What else? I'm a teenage boy, and I - ah - my friend is having girl trouble. Therefore I am thinking about girls."

"Girl trouble? What kind of girl trouble?"

"Girl trouble that has to do with girls."

"That's like saying you want food for dinner."

"So?"

"Come on," Hermione said, pulling Harry into the room. "They can wait a few minutes." Harry sighed and allowed himself to be held hostage.

"What kind of girl trouble is your friend having, Harry?"

Harry sighed. "Nothing you could help with."

"Harry, I am a girl. Trust me. I can help."

Harry sighed and decided to take this to his advantage. He looked down at his hands and sat down on Hermione's bed. "Okay. But only if you swear to high heavens not to tell anyone."

"I promise," Hermione said. Harry took a deep breath.

"Well, I have a friend. Let's say his name is Bob. Bob is torn between two girls. Girl number one is the same age as him, really smart and really pretty, and Bob thinks he loves her, but he's not sure if she loves him back. Girl number two is, well, significantly older than him, and Bob thinks he loves her too. Bob knows she loves him back, but it's been a long time since he's seen her and he's not even sure she will remember him. What should Bob do?"

Hermione looked thoughtful. "Maybe Bob should open up his connections with girl number two and then decide."

"But what if he's too scared to talk to girl two?"

"Then she's obviously not the right one," Hermione said. "You should be able to share anything with them. So it's girl one."

"But what if girl one doesn't love him back?"

"What if she does?"

Harry was silent. "Let's say Bob has been really good friends with girl one for a long time, and doesn't want to break the friendship. What should Bob do?"

"Harry, love is just taking friendship to another level. It's not breaking the friendship."

Harry was silent a little longer. "Say both the girls look alike. What if Bob's not sure if he just sees girl two in girl one?"

"I thought we'd already established that it's got to be girl one because girl two isn't trustworthy."

"What if she is trustworthy but Bob's just embarrassed to talk to her?"

"Bob shouldn't be embarrassed in front of his lover. That's what love is all about."

Harry sighed. "Okay, well, what if Bob doesn't want to confront girl one directly until after he knows she loves him?"

"Bob could leave her a note somewhere really obvious where she'll find it. That way she knows and he's not embarrassed."

Harry looked at her thoughtfully. "Thanks, Hermione."

"Did that help at all?"

"Yes," Harry smiled. "Yes, it did. Bob will be so pleased. Now if you let me out of this prison of a bedroom the whole day will be perfect."

"Okay," Hermione laughed. They both got up. "One more thing, Harry - who is Bob?"

Harry paused. "I'll tell you when Bob has his troubles sorted out. Thanks to you, that may even be this week. Thanks. You'll never know how much you helped."

"Okay," Hermione smiled. "I hereby set you free from prison."

"Most appreciated," Harry said as he opened the door. Draco, Remus, and Arabella were standing at the door impatiently.

"What were you doing in there?" Remus asked suspiciously.

"Reading Harry his rights," Hermione smiled.

"That means don't ask," Harry said. "Really, don't ask. Dang, what time is it? It must be dinnertime - wait, before Draco ventures to answer, does anyone have a watch?"

"I do not appreciate that comment," Draco said unhappily.

"It's seven o'clock," Arabella said, ignoring Draco as she checked her watch.

"Then we should go down to the kitchen which I believe is - this way?" Harry asked, pointing left and looking expectantly at Draco.

"You're getting it, you're getting it!" Draco exclaimed, patting Harry on the back. "Of course, you only had a fifty-fifty chance, but still, you're getting it!"

Harry led the five of them down to the kitchen, with only two corrections from Draco. Harry was feeling quite smug about this. Draco rolled his eyes.

"It's nothing to brag about, Harry. All you did was find the kitchen."

"But I only made two mistakes!" Harry said childishly. "We should celebrate!"

"Mhmm..." Remus said. "Beaky, I'm just not going to ask..."

"Ditto," Hermione said under her breath.

"You are all insane," Arabella informed them. "Just thought I'd establish that fact."

"Where have you been?" said a voice from behind them. They twirled around and saw the speaker was Narcissa. Everyone else watched them expectantly.

"Well, you see, these two," Draco said, nodding towards Harry and Hermione, "were off doing Lord-knows-what, and when they finally came out, Harry decided to lead us here, so, naturally, these poor, innocent victims would have been desperately lost, had it not been for my adequate knowledge of the castle."

Harry mumbled something along the lines of "show-off," but did not reply.

"And what exactly does 'Lord-knows-what' mean?" James asked suspiciously.

"James!" Lily exclaimed as she slapped her husband.

"OUCH! Lily, I'm just saying - he's related to me, right?"

"Never say anything so - never say anything like that again or I'll - I'll - "

"You'll pass the walnuts?" James suggested, grinning in spite of his better judgment. Sirius patted him on the back.

"Now we know it's really you, Prongs," Sirius said. "Now we can be sure."

"Dad," Harry groaned, smiling slightly. "I'm not like that. Besides, Mione was just reading my rights, right?"

"That's right," Hermione smiled. "You see, Mr. Potter, Harry was being a very bad boy, and I thought he should be punished."

"Is that so?" James asked suspiciously. "Please continue."

"Therefore I held him hostage in my room for fifteen minutes. Little Harry seems to have learned his lesson."

"Oh yes," Harry said dramatically. "I have never been through such torture."

Liar. You would have enjoyed it.

Boa, if you say, think, or otherwise in any form communicate another word on that subject, I swear I'll give you a full-course meal in blood, pain, and my fist.

What is all this about? Harry, what are you - ?

"Nothing," Harry said quickly. "Nothing whatsoever."

"Are you three doing that psycho mumbo-jumbo again?" Sirius said. "Well, it's bloody annoying, let me tell you."

"Psycho mumbo-jumbo?" Arabella, Narcissa, and Hermione said blankly.

"Just forget it," Remus said to them. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Can we just eat?" Harry moaned.

"Hubert!" Narcissa called as an answer. The tiny house-elf ran up to her.

"Yes, miss?" he said squeakily.

"Is dinner ready, Hubert?" Narcissa asked. Hermione scowled.

"Yes, miss," Hubert said. "Dinner is ready."

"Would you mind bringing it up to the dining room, Hubert? We've got a lot of people."

"Not at all, miss, not at all," said the house-elf. He bowed and ran away. Hermione was clearly upset.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Lily asked.

"As you may know, Hermione has this thing for house-elves," Harry said. "It's kind of pathetic, really." Hermione slapped him lightly.

"Look who's talking, Mr. Let-the-House-Elves-Suffer!"

"Just because I'm not an active member of SPEW doesn't mean that - "

"Oh, you had to ask, Lily, you had to ask," Draco interrupted in a tone of long-suffering.

"Can we just go to the dining room and have everyone eat in one piece?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes, you know why? Because if I hear any more bickering, the people who cause me my irritation will be sorry," Lily said.

Needless to say, no one aggravated Lily again that night.

After many headaches, two bottles of aspirin, and a lot of laughing and babbling, Draco and Narcissa split everyone up and gave them the grand tour the best they could.

"Draco, you take James, Sirius, Remus, and Harry, and I'll take Hermione, Arabella, and Lily," Narcissa said. "And don't go into the Acromantula Chamber again, they've been restless, as they haven't had anything to eat since your Uncle Richard came."

"Yes, Mum," Draco said sweetly. "Come on, boys, time to start the grand tour!" Harry, Sirius, Remus, and James followed him.

"As you can see, this is the dining room. This is where we dine, hence the name, although we usually eat in the kitchen, which is our next destination. Please follow me, and don't touch the portraits, fingers are a delicacy for them." Harry, Remus, Sirius, and James exchanged looks as they continued on.

While Draco started droning on like a tour guide who was taking speech lessons from Professor Binns as they made their way to the kitchens, James pulled Remus back a little ways from Sirius and Harry. "Moony, I want to ask you something," James said quietly.

"Obviously, Prongs. What is it?" Remus whispered.

"Ah - I can see Sirius and Narcissa got back together but, er, whatever happened to... you know... her."

"Her? Wha - oh bloody hell," Remus said a little louder than he had intended. Draco, Harry, and Sirius turned around and looked at him.

"I am such an idiot... oh I am such an idiot... how could I forget... oh, what an idiot I am!" Remus cursed under his breath. "Ask Padfoot, James, I'll be right back," Remus said just before he Apparated away.

When Remus reappeared, he was on the Patil's doorstep. He knocked on the door urgently. This time Parvati answered the door. "Oh, hi Professor Lupin... Mum's in the kitchen," she said.

"Thank you, Parvati," Remus said. He walked into the kitchen and there was Patricia. "Patricia, there's, uh, something extremely important I wanted to talk to you about," he said.

"Hi Remus," Patricia smiled, kissing him on the cheek and putting down her wand. "What is it?"

"Well, ah, you see... hmm... you do remember Halloween 1981, right?"

"Of course I do, Remus."

"Forget it."

"What?"

"It never happened."

"Remus, yes it did."

"Oh, no it didn't. Patricia, Lily and James are alive."

Patricia froze. "S - say that again?"

"Patricia, Lily and James are alive. I mean it."

Patricia's jaw dropped. "But - but - but - "

"Yea, I know," Remus said quietly. "But it's true. There was some sort of Memory-Transfer Charm... they never really died. Lily thought she was Hermione's mum and James... well... the Muggles thought he was wacko, though I personally can't blame them, and locked him up, put the point is, they're alive. They're at Malfoy Manor now."

Patricia blinked. Suddenly she grabbed her wand. "GIRLS!" she yelled. Padma and Parvati rushed into the kitchen.

"What is it, Mum?" Padma asked.

"I'm going out," Patricia said. "To make a long story short, the Potters are alive. Don't blow up anything, I'll be gone a while, and overall, don't blow up anything. I realize I said that twice, but I thought it was worth mentioning twice. Be good! Where'd you say they were?" Patricia asked Remus.

"Malfoy Manor," Remus said.

Before the twins had a chance to say another word, they were gone.

When they reappeared, they were in the entrance hall to Malfoy Manor. "Yes, it is huge," Remus muttered as Patricia looked around in awe. "And I have absolutely no idea where anyone is. They're all off on the 'grand tour.'" Remus smiled slightly. "I wonder how they're holding up - or how their feet are holding up, more likely. Draco would have left the kitchens by now... which gives me absolutely no idea where they are."

"Don't talk so much," Patricia sighed. "It makes you seem older than you are."

"I am older than I am - wait, that's an oxymoron, isn't it? I kind of meant that I'm older than you think."

"Remus - we're the same age."

"Yes, but - never mind." Remus shook his head. "Just forget it." At that moment, conveniently enough, Harry, Sirius, Draco, and James entered from one of the side doors. In a blur, Patricia ran over to James and threw her arms around him.

"Don't scare me like that!" she exclaimed. "Never - die - again, do you understand?"

"Patricia?" James said.

"Oh, who did you think it was?" Patricia asked, frustrated.

"I wasn't sure... but, assuming that I asked Remus what had happened to you and a few minutes later he comes back with you... well, I made an assumption. Now, would you please get off me, as you're asphyxiating me."

"Like you know what that means," Patricia mumbled as she let go of him. "Still, I - I can't believe you're alive! After all that's happened... but that means that Sirius... oh, hi," she said, noticing him at last. "That means he's free... right?"

"I told you to trust me," Remus smiled. "Padfoot isn't a psychotic serial killer, he's just... psychotic."

"No one asked you, Moony," Sirius said. "Hi, Patricia. Did you miss me? Or at least my good looks?"

"Not particularly, but it's nice to see you again. Oh, and hello, Harry. Malfoy," she nodded curtly. Harry and Draco exchanged looks.

"Well, gee, it's nice to see you again too," Draco said sarcastically. "Harry... you think maybe we should..."

"I think so..." Harry said. "You see, ah, Miss Patil, twenty years ago we proved the not all Malfoys are stupid evil bastards, but, of course, you wouldn't remember, so we're just going to..." Harry and Draco raised their hands to her simultaneously. Patricia jumped a little, but Remus put a hand on her shoulder.

"Trust me," he whispered in her ear. Patricia nodded as Remus backed away.

"It won't hurt," Harry said.

"Well, technically (A/N: LOL Prongs and Padefoote), Harry, we don't know that, as no one's ever done it to us," Draco said.

"He's just trying to make you edgy," James said out loud. "You honestly won't feel a thing." Patricia looked at their hands and made a noise in her throat.

"Don't worry," Remus said. "Because if they hurt you, I'll have to bite their heads off, and then - "

Patricia laughed. "Don't start," she said.

"Ready, Draco?" Harry asked.

"When you are, Harry."

"One, two, three..."

"Etaivilbo!" Harry and Draco said together. Patricia stumbled a bit, but when she looked up she smiled knowingly.

"Hello, Draco," she said courteously.

"Hello, Patricia," Draco said in the same tone. "Glad to see you don't hate me anymore."

"Did I say that?"

"I assumed."

"Ah. Sorry about that."

"Mhmm."

"And I guess you want to see Lily..."

"Yes!" Patricia said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Remus grinned slyly.

OH LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOMEONE WANTS TO SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YOUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"DRACO!!!!!" Harry screamed. "I hate you. I'm going to - pass the walnuts."

Draco grinned. Draco, I'm going to kill you.

Not unless I get to him first, Mum.

That's not very polite, Lily, and I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Harry. I'm just saying... someone wants to see you, Lily.

You could have said so in the first place instead of trying to make me pass out!

Mum, stop. It encourages him.

Shut it, Harry. Lily, we're in the entrance hall, someone really wants to see you, but let Mum take you down here - you'll get lost by yourself.

But who -

Mum, just come.

"Are they coming?" Remus asked Harry.

"Yes... ouch... oh, Boa, I hate you... Accio Aspirin." One of Harry's many bottles of aspirin came flying to him. He dumped four in his mouth and swallowed. "Would you like walnuts with that?"

Patricia raised an eyebrow. "Don't ask," Remus muttered in her ear. "Trust me, you're better off not knowing." Patricia shook her head and sighed. One of the doors on the side of the hall opened. Lily walked in, followed by Hermione, Arabella, and Narcissa. "Oh, Draco, I hate you, here's some walnut juice for you... now who - " She cut off when Patricia marched up to her.

"Never," she started, "ever, ever, ever scare me like that again, or I'll kill you myself."

"Patricia?" Lily said. "Patricia Patil?"

"The one and only."

"God, it's been so long..." Tentatively, as though she was afraid Patricia might bite her head off, Lily hugged her. Patricia smiled and hugged her back. When they broke apart, Lily smiled.

"So... has Remus been a good boy?"

"Oh no, he's been a very bad boy," said Patricia teasingly. "In fact, I think I have to punish him right now..." Patricia turned and gave Remus a rough kiss on the lips. "How's that?"

"Oooh, that's my punishment? I ought to be bad more often."

Lily chuckled. "Oh James... don't you think I've been very naughty?"

"Oh yes, Lily, I believe you have," James scolded coming up to her and gazing at her lovingly. "I do believe you need to be punished also." He pulled Lily in for a kiss. At this, Sirius and Narcissa looked at each other, shrugged, and kissed each other too. Draco, Harry, Arabella, and Hermione stared at one another blankly.

"No," they all said as one.

Later that night, as everyone was climbing into bed, Sirius stared down at the box he had been holding in his hand for the last hour. Now? Should I do it now? God, what if she says no? I don't think I could bear it.

Of course she'll say no, said the devil voice in the back of his head. She let you down before, didn't she? She's just out to break your heart again.

I'm not listening to you. I'm not. I'm not.

Oh, they're all just humoring you, Sirius. They really think you're an idiot, don't you know? The way you always act, God, you are one.

I'm - I'm still not listening. No, they're not like that.

Narcissa wouldn't say yes to you even if you owned a mansion bigger than this one. I'm telling you, she's out to break your pathetic little heart.

She wouldn't.

She did before.

That wasn't her.

How do you know it wasn't her?

I - I - Sirius couldn't reply. Remus and James wouldn't let me fall into a trap like that.

They're in on it too. Did Remus ever believe you were innocent? That idiot Potter didn't have enough brains to break out of a Muggle hospital.

But they're my friends. Lily and Harry care about me too. They said so.

People lie, Sirius. People lie everyday. Harry tried to kill you, remember?

He - he didn't know...

Oh, that's what they want you to think.

Arabella would -

Arabella wouldn't give you a Knut if you were a beggar on the street.

Draco. Draco trusts me.

Oh no. He's a lycantort. He's Narcissa's son. Narcissa is the enemy. He's a Malfoy.

Sirius let a single tear slide down his cheek as he shoved the box into a drawer and flicked off the light.

The next morning, Narcissa gathered all the people from her wing and brought them down to the kitchen, which she magically expanded as they waited for Draco's wing to join them.

"Hey Padfoot," James said cheerfully, pulling up a chair next to Sirius. "How are you?"

"Mmm." Sirius said, not looking up.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Mmm."

James's brow furrowed. "Sirius, what's wrong?"

"Mmm."

"Okay, who are you, what have you done with the real Sirius, and how'd you get here so fast?"

"Mmm."

Sirius felt James's cold stare bore into him. He refused to look up. He heard James pull out the chair and get up. "Padfoot... if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here."

"Mmm."

"Right." James walked away, glancing back at his friend worriedly. He walked down to the end of the now full-length table and sat next to Lily.

"Lily, something's up with Padfoot," he muttered as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "He won't talk to me. It's not like him. He hasn't said a single thing all morning to anyone."

"Have you checked to see if his jaws are plastered together?"

"Lily!"

"I'm just saying, that's probably the only way you could get him to shut up!"

"Lily, he wouldn't even look at me!"

Lily raised an eyebrow and said, "Maybe I should talk to him."

"No, Lils, if anyone should talk to him, it's Nar. I'll be right back." James kissed her again quickly and moved a few seats down next to Narcissa, who was reading the Daily Prophet.

"What, James?" she said without looking up.

"It's Sirius."

Narcissa looked up. "What about him?"

"Look at him!" James exclaimed quietly. "He won't talk to anyone! It's - eerie."

"I'm sure he's fine," Narcissa said, but you could hear a slight tinge of worry in her voice.

"He wouldn't even look at me!" James hissed. "This is not like him. Not like the Sirius I remember. I could accept the fact that he grew up a bit, but he won't even look his best friend in the eye!"

Narcissa put down the Prophet and stood up. "I'll talk to him."

"I hoped you would," James sighed. "He'll listen to you."

Narcissa took a deep breath and walked over to Sirius and sat across from him. "Hey, Sirius," she said in a casual tone. He didn't move or even take any notice he heard her at all. He stared at the table.

"Sirius?"

He still didn't move. Narcissa sounded exasperated the next time she spoke.

"Sirius! Look at me!"

Reluctantly, Sirius looked up into her eyes. Narcissa felt her heart break into millions of tiny pieces. His eyes were gaunt and empty. "Sirius, why won't you talk to anyone?"

"Because I don't feel like it," Sirius said.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't feel like talking to anyone!" Sirius exclaimed. James and Lily looked their way. "If you have a problem with that then I suggest you get over it, Narcissa!"

Narcissa gaped at him. "But - "

"Just go away," Sirius said, shaking his head and looking at the table again. Narcissa, heartbroken, walked to the other end of the table.

Narcissa sat down in shock. Sirius had snubbed her. This - this was impossible. Just last night he had kissed her goodnight and said he loved her. How had he - why had he - how could he - she whimpered. At that exact moment, Draco, Harry, Hermione, Remus, Patricia, and Arabella entered. (Patricia had decided it was too much hassle to leave and just come back again, so she had sent an owl explaining to Parvati and Padma.) Remus was about to sit next to Sirius when James and Lily shook their heads furiously and beckoned all of them to the other side of the table.

"What's wrong?" Arabella hissed.

"It's Sirius," James said, gulping. "He won't talk to anyone. He wouldn't even look at me, and then when Narcissa tried to talk to him..." James trailed off. Narcissa's eyes filled with tears.

"We don't know what's wrong," Lily explained. "It's not like him to be quiet."

"You can say that again," Remus, Draco and Harry muttered as one.

"Do you think he'll be all right?" questioned Hermione worriedly.

"No, I don't," James said.

"He acts like he doesn't trust us anymore," Lily said, putting an arm around Narcissa. Harry went pale.

"You think?" he said, a little louder than he meant to. "You really think Sirius doesn't trust us?" Apparently Sirius heard, because he stood up and stormed out of the kitchen without eating anything, which was extremely unlike him. Slapping himself on the forehead, Harry ran out after him.

"Harry!" he heard Draco call after him.

I'll be fine! I have to figure out what's wrong!

"BE CAREFUL!" he heard Draco shout after him, even though he was halfway down the corridor now.

"I WON'T HAVE TO!" Harry yelled back. He ran up to the end of the corridor and saw a flash of black. "Sirius! Wait!"

Sirius turned around stared into Harry's eyes coldly. "What do you want, Potter?" he said.

"Sirius, what's wrong with you?" Harry said, dragging Sirius into the nearest room, which happened to be a guest bedroom. "Why are you snubbing everyone? Narcissa is still crying out there because of whatever you said to her!"

"Is it so wrong that I want to be alone?" Sirius exclaimed. "And I thought you were the reasonable one, Potter!"

"Sirius, I was right, wasn't I? You don't trust us! You don't trust me, your godson, you don't trust James, your best friend, and you don't even trust Narcissa, the woman you love! Why?"

"Because you're not worthy of my trust!" Sirius shouted. "God, I'd stay on the run forever if it meant I didn't have to show any of you that I need you when you're just using me!"

"USING you???" Harry exclaimed. "Sirius, how could you think such a thing?!?!?!?! We CARE about you!"

"No you don't, you're just out to break my heart again!!!" Sirius yelled. "God, why'd I ever trust you in the first place! You're just like your father!"

"Yes, you know what, I am, and I'm proud of that!" Harry said loudly. "He's a good friend, loyal, and brave! And you used to be like that too! What happened overnight?"

"I started to wonder why I hung around with such players!" Sirius said. "I should never have trusted you! You should talk about caring about me, YOU BLOODY TRIED TO KILL ME!!!!!"

Harry was silent for a moment. "Sirius - Padfoot - have you forgotten who gave you this?" Harry reached up to Sirius's neck and pulled out a chain with a ring on it.

"And if I did forget?" Sirius snapped. "It was a long time ago!"

"I GAVE IT TO YOU, SIRIUS!!!" Harry screamed. "GOD, I'VE STILL GOT THE MARKS ON MY HANDS FROM WHEN I TESTED IT!!! HOW COULD YOU NOT TRUST ME AFTER THAT??? YOU'RE MY GODFATHER, SIRIUS, AND I WOULD DIE FOR YOU, IF IT CAME TO THAT!!! WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME??? I ALMOST KILLED MYSELF BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WERE MAD AT ME!!!!!" Harry took a deep breath. "I don't know how this all started, but Sirius, we all love you. You're like a brother to us, like a second father to me. Like a first father to Draco, and Sirius, I know you want to be that to him. You want to marry Narcissa, Sirius, and that's awesome! You should want to, because she loves you, or at least she did, I can't say if she does anymore after you just shattered her heart into a million pieces! So why can't you go back to being the Sirius we all love?"

Sirius's mouth opened just a tiny bit as he stared at Harry. He looked down at the Clitoral Band and fiddled with it. "I," he said finally, looking down, "I am, without competition, the biggest idiot ever to walk the face of the earth."

"Well, even though you were being somewhat of an idiot," Harry mused, "that's not true either."

Sirius let the band fall around his neck once again and pulled a box out of his pocket. He opened it and took out a beautiful diamond ring. Harry's eyes widened as he watched it glitter in the morning sun.

"I was going to propose to her," Sirius said quietly, looking at the ring carefully. "Last night. That's when I went temporarily insane. Harry, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

Harry looked into his eyes. Oh God, no one's ever going to forgive me... now Nar really is going to say no... everyone hates me because I thought I hated them... I hate myself...

"I have five things to tell you, Sirius. One; they will forgive you, or at least I do. Two; I don't think Narcissa will say no because, as stated earlier, I think she will forgive you because, as also mentioned earlier, she loves you very much. Three; everyone does not hate you because Sirius, I know I for one could never hate you, and I think that goes for Moony and Dad too, and definitely Narcissa, even if she is mad at you. Four; you shouldn't hate yourself, Padfoot, because even if you were a bit of an idiot, okay a big idiot, and a prat too, and even though you really have no good excuse, you're sorry, and I believe you, and that's all that counts. Five; you have nothing to be sorry for."

"Harry, you're the best," Sirius said honestly, smiling at him. "Thank you."

"Yes, I know I'm the best, and you're welcome."

Sirius got up and glanced at the ring one more time before putting it away. "And I do trust you, Harry," he added quietly. "You're - you're like a son to me. You know that, right?"

"Yea," Harry smiled. "Ready to go tell them what an idiot you were?"

"If I must," Sirius sighed. "Thanks again, Beaky."

"Don't thank me, thank - well, I guess you should thank me. You're welcome, Padfoot.

Sirius beamed at him as they walked out of the room. "Now... which way's the kitchen again?" Sirius asked, genuinely confused.

"This way," Harry said, dragging him towards the kitchen. "And yes, I'm sure this time."

When Harry and Sirius entered the kitchen, everyone pretended to be busy and not notice them. You could see the hurt looks still on James and Narcissa's faces as they pretended to be active buttering toast and reading the paper. Remus, against his common sense, caught Sirius's eye with his sorrowful gaze. Sirius winced and Harry sat down next to Lily and jerked his head toward Narcissa and smiled at Sirius. Sirius closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "N - Narcissa?" Sirius said quietly. "Can I - talk to you?" Narcissa looked up and into his eyes.

"I - I guess," Narcissa choked. Draco glared at Sirius, but Harry kicked him under the table and smiled.

Go with it.

Everyone watched as Sirius and Narcissa walked out of the room. Sirius threw a backward glance at Harry and mouthed, "Thank you." Harry winked. Sirius sighed and led Narcissa to the nearest room which was, by unavoidable coincidence, the same one he and Harry had just left. He took a deep breath.

"Wait," Narcissa said. "Be - before you say anything, I want to say that I don't care what happens, but I will always love you, no matter how mad I am at you, I will always love you as the Sirius that loves me too, even if he's gone, but I really hope he's not gone." Narcissa took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm done. You can say something."

Sirius avidly avoided her eye. "I - I - I'm sorry. I - I don't know what came over me. I - I thought that - I don't know." Sirius sighed. "I wanted - I was - I was confused, and I was scared. It's - it's different, you know, to go from being on the run, sleeping on a cold cave floor, eating rats, to being in a mansion, my two best friends suddenly alive again, the woman I love loving me again, and freedom lies just inches away, and I'll have it as soon as we find time to get to the Ministry." Sirius let a breath out. "And I've never been more sorry for anything in my life, and I love you with everything I have, which may not be much, but it's the best I can do, and I wish I could do better, but I can't be more than I am. I'm sorry for every single thing I ever did wrong. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Remus all those years ago, I'm sorry I always act like an idiot, and most of all I'm sorry for every single time I ever hurt you. I would give my life for you in a heartbeat, because I love you. And - and I want to ask you something that I've been thinking about for a very long time, something that I've never been more sure of in my life. I'll - I'll understand if you say no, so just tell me the truth, because I've just been an inexcusable idiot to you and everyone else, too, but I just practically said I hated you, but I don't mean it, honestly, and I wouldn't ask you this if I wasn't a million percent sure it's what I wanted, and now that I can be free in a matter of days and that I actually have something to offer you, I want to ask you it, but I guess you won't be able to answer if I keep blabbering on like an idiot. Narcissa, will you marry me?" Sirius opened the box and went down on one knee. He stared at her pleadingly. Narcissa bit her lip.

"First of all, I love you. Second of all, I forgive you, because I love you. Third, I love you, and I realize I already said quite a few times that, but I love you so much I decided to say it twice. And last but not least, yes, Sirius, and this is the happiest moment of my life." Sirius kissed her hand lightly and slid the ring onto her finger.

"Sirius... it's beautiful," Narcissa breathed. Indeed it was. It was a perfectly round gold band with a single large diamond encrusted into it. "How did you...?"

"For you, I'd do anything," Sirius whispered. "God, Narcissa, I love you."

Love, be still.

Love, be sweet.

Don't you dare

Change a thing.

I want to photograph you with my mind.

To feel what I feel now for all of time.

Jewel - This Way

"I love you too, Sirius," Narcissa whispered. "I love you too."

Sirius smiled and kissed her gently on the lips. Narcissa loved the way he kissed her - it let her know that she was his, no one else's. She felt a bit selfish for thinking this, but that was okay as long as it was true.

When Sirius and Narcissa walked back into the kitchen holding hands and smiling at each other, everyone else was a bit confused to say the least. Lily, Hermione, Patricia, and Arabella gaped. Remus and James exchanged glances. Draco threw a strange look at Harry, who was grinning widely as he saw a glint of sunlight catch in the diamond on Narcissa's finger. Sirius beamed at Harry before looking at everyone else.

"There are, ah, two things I want to say. One; Prongs, no, strike that, everyone, I'm sorry for being more of a prat than usual this morning. Two; well..." he smiled at Narcissa, who cleared her throat.

"Sirius and I..." she began. "Well, we're getting married."

There was silence as everyone stared at them. Harry grinned even more as he said, "It's about bloody time."

"This isn't a joke, right?" Arabella said. Sirius and Narcissa shook their heads simultaneously. Then she broke into a grin.

"I second Harry's motion."

James stood up and patted Sirius on the back. "Welcome to the club, mate."

Lily hugged Narcissa, who was still smiling. "Oh my God, Narcissa! Finally!"

Patricia smiled at them both, not really finding any words. Hermione grinned just as widely as Harry.

"Best wishes, Mr. and Mrs. Black," she said. Sirius and Narcissa beamed at her.

Draco hugged his mother. "Mum," he said. He turned his eyes to Sirius. "Dad." This is when Sirius grinned the most of all and pulled Draco into a tight embrace. He didn't let go for a long time.

Remus grinned at them both when Draco finally sat down. "Congratulations, Padfoot, Nar. I knew it would happen. Oh, and Patricia, I believe you owe me thirty Galleons."

"No!" Patricia said. "I said Christmas!"

"Yes, but I said before Christmas, which is now, and therefore you owe me thirty Galleons," Remus grinned. Patricia, grumbling, pulled out her money bag.

"Don't tell me... Moony, you didn't..." Sirius said warningly.

"Weeeeeell... you've got to admit, Padfoot, it was bound to happen sometime..."

"Oh, Moony, I'm going to kill you. I don't care if that's impolite anymore because, Moony, you are so dead."

"It was his idea," Patricia said quickly. Remus glared at her.

"Gee, thanks."

"Which reminds me..." James said. "I believe Arabella owes me twenty Galleons." Arabella grumbled something about sore winners, and started counting out coins.

"That's it, you're both dead!" Sirius roared. "I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully, I'll pull your brain out your nose, I'll stab you with a knife and let you bleed for hours, you - are - so -DEAD!!!!!"

James shoved twenty Galleons into his pocket as he watched Sirius fearfully. "Think we should run now, Moony?"

"That would be a very wise thing to do, Prongs, yes," Remus said, backing away from Sirius.

"Sirius!" Narcissa scolded. "I forbid you to kill them!"

"Oh, but why?" Sirius said turning to her.

"Because I am!" she said.

"Run, Moony, run!" James cried.

One wild goose chase later, James and Remus collapsed onto the parlor sofa. "We surrender," Remus huffed as Sirius and Narcissa raced into the room. "Just - don't - kill us."

Sirius looked thoughtful. "Well..."

"Just leave them alone," Arabella panted as the rest of the group caught up to the four of them. "The rest of us are tired of chasing you."

"I second that!" Lily puffed.

"I third, fourth, fifth, and sixth that!" Hermione said, leaning against a wall.

"Welllllllll..........." Narcissa mused. She glanced at her fiancée, who shrugged. "Fine. But consider yourselves warned."

"We're warned, we're warned!" James exclaimed. "Just - let us - catch our breath..."

"Damn straight," Sirius said, glaring at his two friends. There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Now who could that be?" Narcissa pondered. "I'll get it... keep quiet all of you."

Narcissa walked out of the room into the entrance hall. She opened the front door and gasped.

There, headed by Cornelius Fudge, was a mob of at least a hundred reporters and Ministry officials.

"What are you doing here?" Narcissa said loudly.

"Madame, is it true that - "

"Are the Potters really here?"

"And how are you related to the Potters?"

"And Harry Potter's here too?"

"Yes, he's alive, isn't he?"

Narcissa, in shock, slammed the door in their faces. "JAMES!" she shouted, leaning all of her weight against the door. "ARABELLA! LILY! ANYONE! HELP!!!"

Everyone rushed into the room. "They're out there... hundreds of them... reporters... Fudge... Sirius! Get out of - "

But at that moment Narcissa's weight faied and she lurched forward as Fudge and at least thirty Ministry officials stumbled into the hall, slamming the door behind them.

"Sorry about this, Mrs. - ah, Miss Harlem," Fudge panted. "But - somehow it got out that - anyway, I had to come verify it legally... is it really true that -?" He stopped short as he saw who else was in the room.

"It - it is true," he muttered under his breath. "They're - they're alive - oh, hello, Harry, good to see you again, but who are these other pe - peo - people..." He faded out as his eyes fell on Sirius, who had frozen rigid to the spot, his mouth in an "o" of surprise.

"It's Sirius Black!" shouted one of the officials. "Sirius Black! He's here!"

"Seize him!" Fudge ordered. "Don't worry, my good people, you'll be perfectly safe..." Four men hurried and grabbed Sirius, who, in his state of shock, did not even resist.

James, Lily, Hermione, Arabella, Narcissa, Patricia, Remus, and Draco all made moves toward Fudge, but Harry got there first - SMACK!

"I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU BLOODY THINK YOU ARE!" Harry shouted. "MINISTER OR NOT, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER TO TAKE HIM ANYWHERE!"

"That's right!" James roared. "Don't you dare touch him!"

"Keep away from him!" Narcissa said, slapping every single man who was holding Sirius until he was free again. She hugged him and glared at Fudge.

"You BASTARD!" she cried. Sirius looked down at her, still shocked.

"Sirius is innocent!" Lily shrieked. "Aren't James and I living proof of that?"

"Yea!" said Arabella, Patricia, and Hermione.

Remus glared at him and said harshly, "You won't dare."

Draco started to shout. "Would you like to hear a story, Mr. Fudge? There was once a boy. His mother died and his father was a Death Eater. He didn't think he'd ever fit in at Hogwarts."

"But," Harry took up, "it turns out he did fit in. He made some of the best friends ever, and he fell in love." Harry threw a glance at Narcissa, who smiled sadly.

"The girl he loved left him - not purposely," James said, adding the last part with a glance at Narcissa. "But it still shattered him to pieces. One of his friends betrayed him. Two of them supposedly died. He went to AZKABAN even though he was INNOCENT for TWELVE BLOODY YEARS!!!"

"Then he escaped, and was on the run from you for two years," Remus said. "He didn't eat one decent meal for all those two years! And then, magically, the girl he loves comes out of a trance and loves him again! His two best friends are alive!"

"And if you want to spoil that lucky streak, you've got another thing coming!" Draco shouted.

"Because if you're going to put my godfather in Azkaban, it'll be over MY - DEAD - BODY!" Harry said, shouting loudest of all as he stomped his feet on the floor again.

Fudge stared at all of them and stumbled backward a little bit, holding his hand up to his cheek. "Black," he said. "St - step forward." Dusting himself off, Sirius took a few steps toward him. He stared Fudge in the eye. Fudge gulped.

"Is... is this true?"

Slowly, Sirius nodded. "Except for one thing."

"And what's that?" Fudge asked, backing up a bit more.

"That it won't be over Harry's dead body," Sirius said, turning his head to Harry slightly. "I don't give a damn what you do to me, but if Harry gets so much as a paper cut because of you, I'll have to strangle you."

"And he won't be doing it alone, either!" James said threateningly.

"I - I see," Fudge gulped again. "Ah... before - before I can legally - there is one condition that - that I hate doing to anyone..."

"And what's that?" Narcissa snapped.

"Veritaserum," Fudge whispered hoarsely, pulling out a bottle of the clear potion. Sirius looked unaffected.

"To - to enable me to - to legally believe you - you have to take - four drops."

"FOUR DROPS???" Lily, Hermione, Arabella, and Harry screamed.

Fudge nodded fearfully. "Who made it?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"Prof - Professor Snape was kind enough to refill our stock last week," Fudge stuttered.

It was only at this that Sirius seemed to become concerned. "But - "

"Sirius!" Draco snapped. "Snape may be quite a bastard, but he wouldn't dare do anything like that in front of the Ministry."

Sirius looked at Draco and nodded, feeling like he was going to throw up. Fudge handed the vial to one of his officials, and, leaning Sirius's head back, pinched four drops of the precious liquid into his mouth. Sirius closed his eyes and swallowed. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, staring at Fudge.

What's going on? Snape said three drops and you would be spilling out your innermost secrets!

But Sirius is a half-Bade, Harry.

Oh.

"Did you kill anyone on November 1^st, 1981?" Fudge asked more boldly.

"No."

"Did you kill anyone ever?"

"No."

"Do you, or have you ever, served You-Know-Who?"

"I have never served Voldemort in any way or form."

Some of the Ministry officials flinched, but Harry kept staring at Sirius. A bead of sweat was running down his face. He clenched his fists.

"Did you betray Lily and James Potter?"

"Never."

"Who did?"

"Peter Pettigrew," Sirius spat.

There was muttering in the room. "You mean to say that he's alive?"

"Yes. Peter Pettigrew is alive."

"Where is he?"

"I'm not sure."

"And he serves You-Know-Who?"

"Yes."

"How did he survive?"

"He never died. He is an Animagus; he can turn into a rat. We all are; that is, the three of us, Peter, James, and I. James is a stag and I'm a dog. He blew up the street behind his back while confronting me. He cut off his finger and transformed, running into the sewer. The Weasleys found him in his rat form and took him in as a pet."

There was more muttering at this, but Fudge seemed quite interested in this story.

"And why did the three of you become illegal Animagi?"

Sirius stared at this. "Because Remus is - is a - " He looked as if he were trying not to say it. Remus shook his head.

"Go ahead, Padfoot. Don't bother trying to fight it."

Sirius threw a glance at Remus and said, "Because Remus is a werewolf."

There were a few gasps and various people backed away from Remus, who hung his head. James patted him on the back while shooting glares at anyone who dared move. Patricia looked ready to kill anyone who dared blink.

"Oh?" Fudge said, his voice unchanging. "And is he registered?"

"I think so," Sirius said. "But it's not really any of my business. What am I supposed to say, 'Hey Remus, I know you turn into a big hairy beast once a month, but if you don't mind me asking, have you registered with the people who desperately want to kill you?'" There was a hint of anger in his voice. Fudge decided to move on to another topic.

"How did you escape?"

"Well, sir, you helped me." There were many gasps at this. Fudge widened his eyes a little.

"And how is that?"

"As you may very well remember, on one of your annual visits, you let me borrow your newspaper." Fudge nodded in recollection. "Well, on the front page was a picture of the Weasley family. Something about winning some contest or something, but that wasn't what caught my attention. It was the rat sitting on the youngest boy's shoulder. It looked familiar - you must remember that I saw Peter transform many, many times. And what do you know - it was missing a finger. The article had stated that the Weasley children went to Hogwarts, which meant that Peter would be going with them. Which meant that he would be close to Harry, something I couldn't let happen." Harry smiled sadly as he listened further. "I transformed into a dog and slipped through the bars - dementors can't see you know."

"And how did you keep your powers?"

"Well, I'm not really sure. I think it's because everything that occupied my mind was that I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought; it was an obsession. It kept me sane."

"I see. Go on."

"I swam to the mainland and spent most of the time in the Forbidden Forest. I only came out once in a while, in my dog form, mostly to watch Quidditch." James couldn't help but snigger here. "I watched Harry. He was amazing. And then, one day, in June I saw him. Peter, with the Weasley boy, another girl, that was Hermione, and Harry. I ran out and tried to get to Peter. I had to pull the Weasley boy - Ron, his name is - with me to get to him, and I believe you know the rest, Mr. Fudge, as Harry and Hermione told you, but you declared them Confunded, which they were not, by the way, and you tried to give me the Kiss for it afterwards."

"And how did you escape then?"

"I couldn't have done it without Harry and Hermione. They helped me escape on Buckbeak, a hippogriff that was supposed to be executed that day."

Fudge raised eyebrows at Harry and Hermione, who grinned sheepishly.

"And, as my last question - are you innocent of all crimes charged against you?"

"Yes."

Fudge sighed. "Then I suppose there's only one thing I can do, but first I need one other piece of evidence."

"And what's that?" Narcissa asked.

"Mr. Black, I need you to transform into your dog form."

"I can't, sir."

"Why not?"

"Because the Veritaserum potion renders the drinker unable to do magic, to prevent accidents."

"I can do it," James said, stepping forward. Sirius's eyes were full of concern, but James shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Padfoot," James said. With ease, James closed his eyes and a second, he wasn't there. In his place was a majestic stag, which stretched out its legs and whinnied.

"You - you can assume your human form," said Fudge faintly. A ruffled-looking James reappeared.

"And if you need a damned more bit of evidence, you will have WALNUTS passed to you!" James shouted. The entire room stared at him. Harry, Draco, Lily, Arabella, and Remus hid their sniggers with hacking coughs.

"I - I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?" Fudge said, sounding still very faint. Everyone, Narcissa in particular, shook their heads.

Sirius looked as if he were on the verge of fainting. Harry closed his eyes and willed him to be okay. Fudge gulped.

"By - by the power invested in my as - as Minister of Magic in the country of Great Britain, I - I hereby state that all crimes charged against Mr. Sirius Black are from this point on cleared, and that the Ministry is forever within Mr. Black's debt for not giving him the fair trial he deserved."

The entire room echoed with silence. Sirius passed out.

The first thing Sirius knew, he was being hugged/suffocated by Narcissa, who kept saying, "I don't believe it, I don't believe it!" He felt like he had hit his head on something very hard, and Narcissa wasn't helping much.

"Narcissa?" he said in a muffled voice. "Could you gerroff me?" Grudgingly, Narcissa got off of him and smiled at him with tears in her eyes.

"You're free, Sirius," she whispered. "Free." Sirius blinked suddenly it all came back to him. He glanced over Narcissa's shoulder and saw Remus, Draco, James, and Harry torn between slapping Fudge and hugging him. They suddenly noticed who was watching them and abandoned a horrified-looking Fudge to gather around him, along with everyone else. They were all beaming, some, namely, Harry, Draco, Lily, James, and Remus, with tears in their eyes.

"So," Sirius said, standing up. Everyone stared at him. "So," he repeated.

"So this is what we've been waiting for," James said. "All these years."

"And it - it actually happened. It actually happened," Remus whispered.

Harry sniffed and closed his eyes. "God, Sirius, this is too good to be true."

"I don't believe it," Draco said. "I don't believe it..."

"So," Sirius repeated, looking around at them all. "Thank you... all of you," he whispered.

"I promised you, didn't I?" Harry said quietly.

"Come on, Sirius, it was the least we could do," Lily said, giving Sirius a pat on the back.

Narcissa kissed him lightly. "I love you," she whispered.

"I know."

"So..." Hermione said.

"I guess," Sirius smiled, "I - I guess that I'm finally free. Wonder what good old Professor Dumbledore will think now."