Stand Off, Trade Off

As emerald eyes surveyed word done by calloused hands, they could not become alight with joy as they should have been at the sight of the beautiful garden. Harry sighed and slowly pushed himself to his feet, dusting his hands off on a pair of Dudley's too-large jeans as he went.

It was August 5^th, just five, really six, days after his sixteenth birthday. It wasn't a bad birthday, but grief was too fresh in his mind for him to really enjoy it. He had received plenty of presents though.

A book, naturally, from Hermione. A broom cleaning kit from Ron. A box of gags from Fred and George with a note saying, 'Share the wealth with the family.' Although he knew if placed somewhere properly, the small box of normal looking chocolates would most definitely be consumed, he didn't give in to his desires and hid the box under his bed. Mrs. Weasley had sent him a pair of knitted six as a sweater would have been too hot. Hagrid sent him some homemade cakes. Dumbledore sent him a letter explaining how proud he was of Harry and also reminding him not to leave Privet Drive until the Weasleys retrieved him two weeks before September. Remus Lupin had sent a card that made Harry grin when he saw Tonks' looping handwriting at the bottom.

But the best present came from an unexpected source--Ginny Weasley. She had drawn Sirius, it had to have been him, in his animagus form. Harry was surprised. He didn't know Ginny could draw so well. And even more surprising had been her card. It was a poem. It had started off in a traditional rhyming verse but ending in a contemporary free verse.

Friends forever

Friends no more

When friends go knocking

On Death's door

But friendship keeps the flame alight

As eyes go looking to the starry night

The Dog Star shines

The Dog Star fades

But friendship has grown into love

It shall not fall

Love shall stay strong in the heart

Never Forgotten

Her note written to him after the poem was also surprising.

Hello Harry! Happy sixteenth! I can't believe I forgot about this picture! I drew it last summer before you came. Bet you didn't know I could draw, did you? Well, here's your proof. I think this goes rightfully to you. Love, Ginny. P.S. I think my poetry has gotten better, don't you think?

When he closed his eyes, he could still see Sirius grinning at him and then changing into that big black dog that Ginny had drawn so well. He didn't think she knew how much this truly meant to him.

"Harry!"

The raven-haired teen jumped. He was supposed to be alone. The Dursleys had gone to the fair for the afternoon and as far as he knew, no one was supposed to stop by.

"Harry!"

Whoever was calling him was inside the house. That was truly odd. All the windows and doors except the back door leading to the porch were locked. No one could have gotten in without him seeing.

"Harry! Har-oh Harry! There you are! Ron! 'Mione! I found him! We're out back!"

Harry's jaw dropped when he saw the red haired blur bolt out the back door towards him. He dropped the garden tools that had been in his hands as Ginny crashed into him.

"Oh Harry!"

As his arms wrapped around her he felt a muscle in his jaw tick. She sounded like she was crying. He couldn't take another sorrowful thing happening right now.

"Oh Harry...it's so wonderful!"

Well there went that.

When Ginny pulled back Harry saw she had been crying, but she was also grinning. He looked up as the porch screen door slammed shut and Ron and Hermione ran out. They were both grinning and laughing.

"What on earth is going on?" Harry asked.

"Harry, mate! I can't believe it!" Ron said, slightly out of breath.

"Well, I'm sure I wouldn't either if someone would tell me what happened." He snapped.

"Forgive Ron, Harry. He's just a little out of sorts. We all are actually." Hermione said grinning at him. "How was your birthday by the way? Did you like the book I sent you?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"Sod the birthday...out of sorts about what?" Harry asked frantically. It couldn't be too serious. Remus or Tonks or Dumbledore would have come to get him if it was. He noticed Ron had a torn shoe in his hand and figured they must have arrived by portkey.

"They caught her mate! Can you believe it! The bloody Order actually caught her!" Ron crowed.

Harry's face scrunched in confusion. He looked to Hermione but she was trying to get Ron to quiet down so he looked to Ginny who was still standing next to him.

"What are they talking about?" He asked again.

Ginny turned her cinnamon eyes to his emerald ones and grinned. "The Order caught Bellatrix Lestrange, Harry. They caught her."

~*~*~*~*~*~

He thought his legs would fail him, but they held him fine.

Those words weren't infused into his brain yet. They couldn't have been, because if they were, he would have been crowing right along with Ron. He quietly turned to Ginny who was waiting for his reaction.

"What are they going to do with her? Where is she?"

"She's at the headquarters, spelled into a room there. And there's actually a huge debate going on about whether she should be turned over to the Ministry."

Harry's jaw dropped.

"The Ministry doesn't even know?!"

"Not a clue. The capture was pure Order. You actually get to decide what happens to her." Ron announced gleefully.

This time Harry's legs did fail him and he sat down heavily on the grass.

"I get to decide?" He asked weakly.

Hermione glared at Ron and knelt down beside Harry.

"Not really, but you'll play a big part in it. Did you know you own 12 Grimmauld Place now?"

He shook his head slowly and took a deep breath. He then shook his head a little faster to shake him out of his trance.

"Wait, so you all came to announce this to me and leave?" He looked at the hand stuck in his face and then back at its owner. He grabbed it and allowed Ron to pull him back up to his feet as the red head snorted.

"Like we'd leave you in the dust, mate. We've come to collect you. We need to do it right bloody fast, too. Only got a few minutes left before the portkey activates again. But don't worry, Dumbledore says it's okay for you to leave early. He was going to send Lupin or Tonks but Lupin had to watch Lestrange and Tonks had to go get her mum."

Harry turned his head sharply at Ron's last words. "Her mum?"

"Honestly, Harry. Tonks' mother Andromeda is Bellatrix's younger sister. Pay attention!" Hermione admonished.

"Hate to break this little knowledge fest up, but unless some of us want to be left here while the rest of us spit in Lestrange's face, everyone grab on." Ron held out the shoe and Hermione, Ginny, and Harry all clutched the shoe and as Harry felt the tug behind his navel, he turned to Hermione and grinned.

"I did have a good birthday."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Fortunately, Harry landed on his feet and was lucky enough to help right the swaying Hermione. He turned his eyes over to the familiar black door with the silver knocker across the dirty street and couldn't help but grin. For the first time since Sirius'...death, he could actually grin and not feel guilty.

The group of four and quickly ran inside and Harry was led down the stairs to the basement acting as the kitchen. There weren't as many people gathered there as Harry would have guessed, but he knew security must had been extra tight.

He did see one bright face, though. Molly Weasley turned around and squealed when she saw him and grabbed him in a ferocious hug.

"Oh Harry dear, how are you. I trust these three delivered the good news...hmm? Yes, well...it IS simply marvelous." She turned back to her cooking and was about to start talking when everyone heard a familiar screech.

"INGRATES! FILTH! SCUM! YOU WERE NOT TO BE ALLOWED BACK! GOING AGAINST THE FAMILY! TRAITOROUS!"

Harry and Ron exchanged a look and they were about to go back up the stairs to close the curtains around the portrait of Mrs. Black when another yell caught them off guard.

"OH SHUT UP YOU OLD BLOODY COW! FAMILY MY ARSE! I'LL SHOW YOU FAMILY! JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL FIRE REACHES YOUR CANVAS THEN WE'LL SEE HOW WELL YOU FLAP THOSE LIPS!"

"MOTHER!"

Harry and Ron's jaw dropped and they, once again, exchanged a look, but this was quite different. They looked to the stairs when they heard footsteps coming down them. Harry heard a familiar voice in the middle of a heated, one-sided conversation with a person.

"...don't know you very well and this is the first impression! Threatening your aunt!"

When the group turned to see Tonks in her bubble-gum colored hair glory, they couldn't help but also be drawn to the tall woman walking in front of her.

"Nymphadora Tonks, do NOT chastise me. That old bat has had that coming for a long time. And threatening my aunt indeed. She'll do well to remember that threat. If only Cissa were here, then there would be real threats."

Harry observed the woman and decided he thought Andromeda Tonks looked much like Sirius. Long black hair with dark eyes. Her skin was pale, but it complimented her. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were red. She had on a set of deep blue robes and was currently taking off matching gloves.

"As a matter of fact, Aunt Narcissa is on her way here. Dumbledore owled her earlier today." Tonks replied, crossing her arms. Andromeda froze and started to turn around slowly, sending a look of horrid disbelief towards her daughter that quickly shifter towards the stairs.

Remus Lupin, Mundungus Fletcher, Kingsley Shaklebolt, and Albus Dumbledore decided to walk down to the kitchen at that exact moment. Upon seeing Mrs. Tonks' looks, the first three tried to walk back up the stairs.

"You. Did. What?" She asked crisply. Dumbledore took a step forward and politely bowed towards the looming woman in the kitchen.

"Narcissa Malfoy is on her way with her son, Draco. She was owled this morning."

There was a tense moment when nothing was said and no one moved.

Then Andromeda threw her head back and laughed. Loudly.

"Oh, Dumbledore, you fool."

Many people bristled at their professor being called a fool but none were given time to comment on it as Andromeda went on.

"Narcissa is going to tear this place up. Did you not hear? When word reached her of Sirius' death she was enraged. She went through Lucius' library, tore out every page even mentioning Bella's name, took them out to the back yard and torched them all. Have you any idea of how large Lucius library is? Tens of thousands of books. Bringing her here? And people think I'm insane half the time." Andromeda snorted. "You let Cissa within ten feet of Bella and there will be a dead witch in the room. I guarantee it."

Harry decided that he definitely did NOT like the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes when a crash came from above them.

~*~*~*~*~*~

End Part One