Harry Potter and the Order of Ashrien

Chapter Three

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The persistent sound of tapping against the windowpane slowly penetrated the very sleep laden senses of the young man currently lying on the smallest bed in the smallest bedroom at Number 4 Privet Drive. Harry Potter yawned loudly and carefully stretched his growing limbs before finally rubbing the vestiges of sleep out of his eyes with his right hand. Pushing his body to an upright position, the bed groaned audibly as Harry's weight shifted upon it. As Harry put on his well-worn glasses, he then looked over at the window to see the nature of the tapping sound which had awakened him.

It was a rather bright morning outside the small window, there were just a few clouds scattered in the sky overhead trying to break up the streaming sunlight trying to reach the ground. The wind from the previous night's storm had done a fairly good job of messing up the yard with leaves and branches from the trees along with various bits of garbage. Harry already knew what his job for the day was going to be and it would be to clean up the mess the storm had left last night. Finally focusing his eyes, Harry could see that it was an owl which had finally woken him up from the first full night's sleep he'd had in a very long time, but it was not Hedwig's familiar snowy outline as she was currently observing this new visitor from her perch, but instead a rather large, imposing looking tawny colored owl which was waiting patiently for someone to open the window to allow him to deliver the rather thick letter attached to its leg.

Standing up, Harry walked the three short steps to the window and opened it, noting the slight, but unusual chill to the air for a July morning and allowed the owl into his bedroom. After a moment, the owl dropped its letter onto Harry's desk and fluttered back out the window, giving Hedwig a short greeting as it left. Curious, all vestiges of sleep now gone from him, Harry sat down at the desk and examined the envelope, noticing for the first time that it was from the Ministry of Magic. Nervous, as all his previous dealings with the Ministry had been nothing but trouble in one way or the other, Harry opened the letter quickly, pulling out several sheets of thick, cream-colored folded parchment.

Opening the first parchment, Harry took a moment to read what it said

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that as of midnight, July 31^st, you will have reached the age of maturity in the Wizarding World and will no longer be bound by the Decree for the Restriction of Under aged Wizardry. You will be free to practice Magic as you wish as long as you abide by the rules for the Secrecy Act --Using Magic in the presence of the Muggle World.

Additionally, in the light of recently discovered evidence, that evidence being Peter Pettigrew's capture two weeks ago and witnessed confession, we are posthumously declaring Sirius Black's innocence. Please accept our very belated condolences in regards to the loss Mr. Black. Enclosed with this letter, is a certified copy of his will and the official copy of the declaration of Sirius Black's innocence along with the release of all his assets, including the Black family fortune. In order to claim these assets, please come to Gringott's Wizarding Bank on Tuesday, August 14^th for the final reading of the will. We also advise you to bring the copy of the declaration of his innocence, the copy of his will and an adult you trust to act as your advisor in this matter as well.

Please sign and return the last parchment which states that you have received, this letter, the copy of the will, the declaration of innocence and the notice for the final reading by owl no later than Wednesday August 8^th.

Thank you

Sincerely

Stephanie McAllister

Ministry of Magic

Legal Affairs Liaison Office

Harry quickly unfolded the remaining sheets of parchment, taking great care in handling the papers with Sirius' pardon on them and the copy of his will. Even though Sirius was gone, it had been just over two years now, it still felt good to have his name finally cleared and to have Pettigrew in custody was an added bonus. Harry wondered who had finally captured Peter and why no one had contacted him about Pettigrew's capture.

Taking care to make as little noise as possible, Harry unlocked his school trunk and placed the papers inside, tucking them safely between his folded school robes. Taking a quick look around his 'room', Harry quickly removed the few personal items that he had and stowed them in the safety of his trunk, taking extra care with the album that Hagrid had given him and his broom, the Firebolt, which had been a gift from his godfather, Sirius. Given the significant rise in Death Eater attacks over the past few weeks, the Ministry had given all of the incoming seventh year Hogwarts students permission to do limited magic outside of the school setting, provided it fell within certain guidelines; a) their life, or the lives of their family were in immediate danger or b) spells cast were of the most basic in nature and not done in the view of Muggles. Given the radical mood swings from his uncle lately, Harry withdrew his wand and locked the trunk with a locking spell and then cast a protective charm over it. The items which were kept within his trunk were too precious to Harry to take the chance of his uncle destroying them. Harry was careful to leave a few items of clothing out that he could easily change into for the next couple of days until he turned 17. His birthday was only a few hours away and Harry planned on celebrating it by moving out of the Dursley's a minute after midnight.

After a great deal of pleading, threats by both Harry and the Weasley family, especially Molly Weasley, Dumbledore had finally relented and told Harry that he could leave the stifling confines of Privet Drive after his 17^th birthday. Harry reasoned with Dumbledore at length, that with all of the wizards living at the Burrow, especially since both Charlie and Bill had moved back home, he would be better protected than he would be at Privet Drive any longer. Due to Voldemort's increasing strength and his continued thefts of dangerous dark arts artifacts and after relating the details of a couple of very vivid dreams of Death Eater attacks moving closer and closer to Privet Drive, Dumbledore had finally consented.

Uncle Vernon had been growing increasingly more violent towards Harry, not that he had ever been truly nice to him, often coming after him in a drunken rage. Harry suspected the recent changes had something to do with the problems that his uncle's drill company was having and Dudley's most recent school report from Smeltings. The problems that Harry had with his uncle stepped up several notches in intensity two days after he had arrived home after the end of his sixth year at Hogwarts.

While in his room, his first full day back at Privet Drive, Harry overheard a conversation, not intentionally, but he had heard it nonetheless. The conversation was more like a shouting match between his uncle and Dudley, who had just barely managed to pass the last semester at Smeltings. And, even though Harry wasn't anywhere near Dudley's school, Harry was blamed once again for Dudley's poor academic scores and his troubles with his teachers. Additionally, Vernon was convinced that the negative reports both he and Petunia had received about Dudley and his crowd bullying other students were also caused by something that Harry had done to Dudley before he had left for school.

In addition, Harry also believed that his uncle had somehow managed to find out about the inheritance that his parents had left him at Gringott's and was trying to bully Harry into giving him access to the vault. Harry believed that one of Voldemort's Death Eaters had sent his uncle an anonymous note about Harry's inheritance, which could have only added to Vernon's anger. 'It's only a few hours now til my birthday. I just need to hold out for a few more hours, and I am done with this place for good', Harry thought to himself. As Harry made his way to the desk, he walked by the small mirror above the dresser and his eyes were drawn to the chain and pendant hanging around his neck. 'So it wasn't a dream. Last night actually did happen. I've got to owl Professor Dumbledore. He'll want to know about this right away.'

Just as Harry sat down to write the note to Dumbledore; he was startled by a pounding on the bedroom door.

"BOY! Get down here this instant. Your Aunt and I need to have words with you!" bellowed Uncle Vernon

Harry was careful to moderate his voice before he replied in a calm, non-aggressive tone.

"I will be right down, Uncle Vernon. Just a moment, please."

Quickly putting the parchment and quill away, Harry made his way downstairs quickly, taking care to make as little noise as possible as he came down the stairs. Anything could set his uncle off these days and Harry wanted to avoid any unnecessary confrontations until he left Privet Drive for good this evening.

Harry entered the kitchen quickly, noting the rather tense atmosphere permeating the room and quietly sat down in his seat at the kitchen table without a sound, refraining from putting anything onto his plate until he was given permission. Taking a quick look around the table, he noticed that his cousin Dudley was currently in the middle of a large plate of sausages, eggs, fried potatoes and waffles, quite obviously on a holiday from his diet, his Aunt Petunia was slowly nibbling at her plate, not looking at anyone and Uncle Vernon was currently reading the morning paper. His aunt and cousin had avoided him most of the summer and Vernon was barely around, spending most of his time at Grunnings Drills, trying to bring the company out of its sales slump. Harry waited patiently until Vernon finished reading the paper before speaking, remembering to keep his voice calm and neutral.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon? You and Aunt Petunia had some things that you wished to discuss with me?"

Vernon peered at Harry through the glasses that were perched precariously on the end of his fat nose. He looked at his nephew with undisguised hate, his face purplish and splotchy as he replied;

"Yes boy, we do have quite a bit to discuss. It has come to my attention that you have been hiding something from us for quite some time."

A sinking feeling began to rapidly develop in Harry's stomach, but Harry was careful to not let it show on his face as he waited for his uncle to continue. Weakness was not something Harry ever allowed Vernon to notice about him, no matter how much he was hurting from one of Vernon or Dudley's beatings. Harry also noticed his aunt's nervousness as she fiddled with the frying pan while she removed the last of the sausages and potatoes, setting a small portion of each on Harry's plate. Harry's eyes, despite the glasses he'd worn since the age of three, picked up on the faint outlines of some rather ugly bruises carefully hidden underneath some makeup on his aunt's cheek.

"It is our understanding that you will be 17 in just a few more hours, is that correct?" Uncle Vernon said his voice unusually calm, as he fiddled with the paper on the table beside him, which only served to worry Harry further.

"That is correct, Uncle Vernon." Harry replied, his voice still calm, but inwardly very nervous.

"What happened here last night was the last straw for you in my home. I'm rather surprised that the neighbors haven't said anything about it yet, but I am sure that they will at some point. You have embarrassed us and this neighborhood for the last time. I have had enough of your unnatural 'kind' in my house. Never again will I tolerate that rotten bird of yours, your screams in the middle of the night, or what you and your kind did to my Dudders. I've not forgotten that little 'incident' with the tail or that blasted candy. You will remove yourself for good from this house this very evening. I've also had enough of supporting your miserable hide for sixteen long years. But, before that joyous event, which I plan on celebrating to the fullest, I expect payment in full for your upkeep for sixteen years. Oh yes, you insolent, violent, ungrateful brat, I finally KNOW about the inheritance your parents left you, the inheritance which should have been mine to oversee. Whatever money you have inherited from your parents should be enough payment for your upkeep all of these years. Boy, I expect you to make payment to me immediately, you will take me to this vault of yours, wherever it is, or you'll not live long enough to get to your freak academy." Vernon stated, the last phrase uttered in a low, menacing tone.

Harry looked at his uncle, his face betraying no emotion, taking a cue from his potions master, and despite the rapidly building fear in his stomach, there was something else building rapidly in there as well, and it was anger. After Vernon's little statement, and even before it, Harry had absolutely no intention of taking his uncle to Gringott's Bank, empty out the vault and give the money to Vernon. Harry's parents had left that money to him, not Vernon and Harry was not going to let his uncle anywhere near it. As he considered his reply, his stomach was turning in knots, his fear now fighting with his anger and he watched a sickly smile crease his uncle's fat, bloated face, as his hand casually dropped down from his face to his neck, somehow catching on the necklace resting there in the hollow of his throat. Harry felt a brief burst of warmth and strength seep through him, strengthening his resolve as he replied carefully modulating his voice;

"You are correct in the fact that I will turn 17 in less than ten hours. You are also correct in that I will be leaving this house for good tonight as well. But, you are absolutely wrong in your assumption that I will be giving you one pence of what my parents left me. In the sixteen years that I have lived here, the only thing you have given me freely is your complete intolerance, the occasional beating along with your hatred and stupidity." Harry replied, his anger finally overwhelming his fear and his voice took on a hardened edge as he continued;

"I slept in a cupboard for nearly ten years; you put a TWO YEAR OLD boy in a CUPBOARD for Merlin's sake! And the last five years that I've come back here, I have been 'graciously given' a used mattress to sleep on in the smallest room in this house on a bed that was meant to support a toddler's weight at best. I was 'given' Dudley's second hand clothes which were more than five sizes too large for me, shoes that didn't fit, a room to sleep in that was either too hot or too cold and food to eat that even I wouldn't feed to Lucius Malfoy. If anything I should be demanding payment from YOU, for the past sixteen years not the other way around."

Harry pinned his uncle with a deadly glare, having picked it up from a certain professor at school, as his voice dropped into a deeper growl as he ignored the shocked looks on his aunt and cousin's faces.

"Don't even think of trying to harm me, Vernon Dursley. I can see that you've been beating on Aunt Petunia for some warped reason; probably just for her being my mom's sister and I'm guessing you've been doing it for quite some time now. It's no wonder that Dudley has turned out the way he has, starting with his repulsive eating habits and trying to be the big bully on the block. Dudley is trying to emulate you, although why he would want to, I'll never know. Believe this Vernon Dursley, I've been attacked by far worse than you, I've lived through things that would have killed you in a heartbeat. I am done here Uncle Vernon, I am done with your threats, done with your beatings, your verbal abuses, I am done with all of it. I will be gone from here in less than two days and you can rest assured that I will never step foot in this house ever again."

Vernon Dursley's face turned dark purple with rage as he suddenly heaved his large frame out of the chair, ignoring the loud thud the chair made as it hit the floor. Petunia watched all of this, momentarily numb from the viciousness of the argument and who it was directed at, while Dudley did his best to continue to clean the table of all the food placed upon it. Vernon blindly seized the first heavy object his hands could find which happened to be a rolling pin laying on the countertop and started to bring it down in a vicious, lethal arc towards his nephew's head as he roared;

"YOU INHUMAN FREAK, YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THOSE ABOMINATIONS THAT WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT ON THE TELLY IN THE STATES. I SHOULD HAVE DISPOSED OF YOU SIXTEEN YEARS AGO. YOUR LIFE IS OVER, POTTER!!!!!"

Just as Vernon was about to connect with Harry's head, he found that his hand was gripped firmly in an iron fist. Vernon, who in his rage, hadn't noticed Harry sliding out of his seat with the speed of six years as a seeker, nor did he see that it was Harry who had caught his wrist as it came downward. One benefit of having to wear Dudley's cast off clothing had hidden six long years of muscle gain and agility from Quidditch practice, and fighting off Voldemort's Death Eaters, so one enraged uncle didn't bother him any more. Vernon's large, beefy face turned slowly toward his immobile wrist, and the rage coursing through him intensified as he recognized who had stopped him. Seething, Vernon attempted to pull his arm free, his face even more puffy and purplish, but found his hand firmly locked in his nephew's iron grip. More enraged than before, Vernon bellowed right into his nephew's face;

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME, YOU ABNORMALITY. YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED WITH YOUR ROTTEN, MISERABLE PARENTS."

Almost as soon as he had said that, Vernon instantly regretted it, upon seeing the look now in Harry's eyes. Somewhere deep inside, beyond the rage and hatred he had harbored for Harry since his arrival, Vernon knew that he had finally crossed that line he had treaded so heavily upon for nearly sixteen years. The look Harry was giving him right now was nothing short of murderous and even Vernon could feel the magic rapidly building in the room, Harry was that enraged. Vernon watched terrified and immobile as Harry slowly drew his right hand back, his wand now firmly grasped within it, the tip of the wand was glowing with an ominous reddish color. Just as Harry was about to hex him, a voice Harry recognized from last night called out from the hallway door.

"Hello, Harry. Is there a problem?"

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Arthur Weasley was not only a fairly exhausted man, but a very worried man as well and had every right to feel that way. He worried not only for his own family, but his 'adopted' son, and the wizarding world as a whole. He had been working late last night when the alarm wards at Privet Drive had gone off and managed to go with the auror team sent to Privet Drive to clean up the mess that was left there the previous night and had only just gotten back to the Ministry a few hours ago. Arthur had managed to keep the auror team away from Harry for the most part, even though they were part of the Order, taking the chance to interview Harry himself. After Harry's previous encounters with the Ministry's officials, knowing that the ministry had many followers of Voldemort in their ranks and there were still supporters of Cornelius Fudge as well, he didn't want to give them the chance to harm Harry without any kind of backup for him.

Signing the last of the paperwork from the cleanup, Arthur filed only the necessary paperwork, taking great care to keep as much of the information as possible out of the hands of the spies for the Daily Prophet. Arthur knew how the Prophet's reporters prowled the Ministry offices daily for anything even slightly newsworthy that they could sensationalize, and how they would do anything to get something on Harry Potter. Harry was front page news anytime that something happened, whether it was good or bad news and they just couldn't leave the boy alone. 'I am glad that Molly has finally convinced Albus to let Harry come to the Burrow for the summer. The boy could certainly use a break from those awful muggles, I'll bet. I'll check in with her when I get home. She'll want to know what happened. ' Arthur thought. After locking away the rest of the paperwork in his desk, sealing it with a security charm, Arthur prepared to floo home, but just as he was about to drop the floo powder in the fireplace, a voice from the door stopped him.

"Arthur, do you have a minute?"

Sighing, Arthur replaced the floo powder and motioned for the visitor to come into his office. Normally, he would have excused himself, but this person was different and a member of the Order as well.

"Ah, come in my friend. What can I do for you Remus? You look positively awful."

Remus Lupin was a very exhausted man and not just in the physical sense of the word. It had been only two days since the full moon had waned and despite the Wolfsbane potion, the rather painful post transformation effects had taken their toll on his body once again, leaving him quite irritable and weak.

"It's been a rough couple of days, that's all. Is everything all-right with Harry, Arthur? I now just heard what happened last night."

Arthur quickly walked over to the door and helped Remus sink into an overstuffed armchair. Without asking, he could tell that Remus' recent transformation had been rather bad and he felt sorry for the reluctant werewolf. He stuck his head out the door, making sure there was no one in the corridor and quickly closed his office door. Taking out his wand, Arthur cast several powerful silencing charms around the room and he temporarily locked out his office fireplace from the Floo Network. Remus noticed with some concern the level of security spells that Arthur was casting and raised an eyebrow, but remained silent until Arthur was finished. Nodding to Remus, Arthur replaced his wand in his robes and took the chair opposite Remus', sitting down heavily in it.

"What's happened, Arthur? Is it Harry? Is he all-right?" Remus asked his voice hoarse and frightened.

"Harry's all-right, he's safe Remus. But, something did happen last night at Privet Drive and I was lucky enough that the auror team that was sent was made up of all Order members. I was stuck here late doing some paperwork when the alarms sounded and I went with them."

Remus looked at Arthur, his expression both curious and concerned at the same time. He gratefully accepted a cup of tea and sipped at it impatiently as he waited for Arthur to continue.

"You're not going to like this, Remus, not at all . I know that I certainly don't and Molly, well she will be absolutely furious when I tell her, if she doesn't know already. Apparently, Voldemort has acquired a new 'associate' over the summer and he has been using this to his advantage. As you may or may not know, there has been a very sharp rise in Death Eater attacks over the past several weeks and it has prompted Amos to lift the ban on under aged wizardry to an extent. In short, if a student is threatened in any way, they are to do what they have to in order to protect themselves, and he's made several statements in the Prophet. Apparently this new 'associate' of Voldemort's is a very powerful one, perhaps more powerful than Dumbledore at that and rumor has it is more dangerous than Voldemort himself. Not very pleasant news now, is it? Did you see the Prophet headlines about three weeks ago?"

Remus shook his head in a negative fashion and replied;

"I was out of the country on an assignment for Dumbledore for the past month and I just got back two days before the full moon which was cutting it rather close, especially for me. Why, what happened three weeks ago? Is it related to Harry in any way?"

"Last night, in yet another attempt of Voldemort's to get Harry, this 'associate', created a storm which somehow lowered the strength of the wards around Privet Drive long enough to allow thirteen Death Eaters to apparate there."

Remus' eyes widened in shock and he made a move to leave, but was restrained by Arthur.

"Calm down, Remus, Harry is fine. He's safe for the moment and we finally got Albus to let him come to the Burrow for the rest of the summer. Apparently, last night someone else intervened and they left only one Death Eater was left to get away, presumably to deliver a message to Voldemort. "

"Twelve Death Eaters are dead? You're telling me Harry has to worry about something else besides Voldemort now? How is that possible? No witch or wizard has ever managed that feat. Who intervened on Harry's behalf?"

"Hey Remus, can you try asking me just one question at a time, okay? I kept that copy of the Prophet for you; I'll let you borrow it before you leave. Albus said it was important to keep it, so I did. Apparently he has a few more details on that incident that the Prophet doesn't have. And before you ask, no he didn't tell me any of them. I really wish I knew for certain who it was, Remus, but I don't, at least not yet. All Harry could or would tell me is that they just showed up while he was eating dinner during the storm. One of them stayed inside with Harry while the other one dealt with the Death Eaters. Harry said that the person, who stayed with him, threatened the Dursleys, specifically Vernon and then gave him a gift."

A puzzled look crossed the former professor's face. Rubbing his forehead, Remus silently counted to ten and replied;

"Who was this person? What was the gift and how were the Dursley's threatened?"

Despite his own exhaustion, Arthur knew that Remus wouldn't drop the issue until he was certain that Harry was safe. And Arthur could not fault Remus for his concern over Harry's well-being. He loved Harry like one of his own children and took any threat to his safety seriously.

"I didn't get the chance to talk to either of them, Remus. They were both long gone before we got there. Harry didn't get a really good look at them, but he said that he trusted them completely and Remus, that's good enough for me."

"What about the gift you mentioned, Arthur?"

"Oh yes, Merlin help me, I almost forgot, the necklace. I only got a glimpse of it, as Harry was wearing it, but from what I saw, it was beautiful, Remus. Definitely male oriented in design, almost like it was crafted just for Harry. It was a simple, yet elegantly designed chain. And the charm that was attached was like nothing I've ever seen before. Harry then told me that he was told the necklace and charm served several purposes. One, it was an extremely powerful protection ward. It not only would protect him from magical attacks but physical attacks as well. Second, it would allow him to deal with the visions and nightmares he gets. And lastly, if his uncle were to do something completely stupid, the charm would act as alarm and he would be picked up and taken to safety."

"Take Harry where, exactly? And what does this charm look like?"

"I didn't get a good look the charm, but I could feel the power radiating from it, Remus. I believe that Harry is rather well protected with that charm. And as for exactly where they would take Harry, should the need arise, I don't know, but Hogwarts is a safe bet, or perhaps the Burrow. I was finally able to get Bill and Charlie to come home and help me with the extra warding and then Molly was able to convince Albus to allow Harry to come and stay there for the rest of the summer. Harry looked absolutely miserable whenever that blasted Muggle looked at him. Now Remus, get that look off your face. As satisfying as it would be for either of us to hex Dursley into next year, it would only hurt Harry. Does it matter to you who it was that helped him Remus, or is it just better knowing that Harry is safe and actually feels safe for a change? Harry trusts these people and I think we should too."

Remus' face took on a resigned look as he replied;

"All-right, Arthur. I don't like it, not knowing who helped him, but if Harry really trusts them, I guess I can too. He does seem to have a sense about people, so I'll trust in that. I'm the last of the Marauders now, Arthur. The last one who can tell Harry anything about James and Lily. I love Harry dearly; I'd do anything for him, including killing someone if need be, Arthur and you also know that I'd take Harry in a heartbeat if it wasn't for the Ministry's bloody 'policies'. But I do feel better now, knowing that he'll be spending the summer with your family. At least I can visit Harry often."

Just as Arthur was about to reply, a high-pitched sound coming from the clock on the wall caught his attention. The clock that had caught Arthur's attention was a smaller version of the family clock back at the Burrow. After the events of Ron and Harry's fourth year, Molly had made two extra hands for each clock, one hand was for Hermione and the other hand had Harry's picture on it. He had brought in the second set of hands and charmed them to work on the clock in his office. Harry's hand had moved from its position at 'safe' to 'under extreme stress'. Arthur turned to address Remus, only to find the werewolf standing directly next to him, staring at Harry's clock hand.

"Let's go, Arthur. Ministry rules be damned this time. Harry is all of James and Lily that I have left. I'm not staying behind this time."

Nodding his head in ascent, Arthur wordlessly followed Remus out of his office where they both apparated to Privet Drive, both of them unsure of what they would find there.

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"You're serious, aren't you? You actually plan to bring someone back from the dead?" Minerva McGonagall asked, surprise in her voice.

Marelle whirled around to face Minerva, her robes swirling around her in a graceful arc, pinning Minerva to her seat with a stare and when she spoke, her voice was clear and cold.

"What I have planned is something I NEVER joke about. Now, Professor, Headmaster, please point me to your largest outdoor area. And bring along the professors that you involved in the summoning spell. "

"Is there anything else that will you require, Marelle?" Professor Dumbledore asked, trying to diffuse the tension in the room.

With a bit of an effort, Marelle turned her attention from Professor McGonagall to Headmaster Dumbledore. Taking a deep breath, Marelle replied, her voice once again calm and serene.

"A decision on who you wish brought back would be helpful, preferably someone rather close to Harry, since this is being done solely for his benefit. In addition, I will need a picture of the person and a personal component for the spell. Hmm, an example would be a sample of their hair, clothing, perhaps their wand or something similar. The more personal the item it is, the easier this will be."

Albus and Minerva looked at each other for a moment, and then they both turned to Marelle and replied;

"Sirius Black. He was Harry's godfather and he has just been posthumously declared innocent of the crimes he was convicted of. The real criminal, Peter Pettigrew was caught just over two weeks ago and made a full confession."

Albus and Minerva both failed to notice the wry grin that crossed Marelle's features as they continued:

"I'm sure that Harry has received the notification from the Ministry by now. It probably gave him some comfort to have Sirius' name finally cleared. And if Sirius IS able to be brought back it will also help his friend Remus, who has also been devastated by his loss as well. "

"Very well, then. If you would please get the items that I mentioned, and the professors you used, even former Minister Fudge, then we can proceed. I think that your Quidditch pitch should be acceptable for this. Headmaster, I'll wait for you all out there. "

Without a word Marelle just was gone from the room, leaving Albus and Minerva to stare blankly at the space where she had just stood. Looking at his former student, Albus said;

"Minerva, please assemble the professors while I get the items requested."

Both professors nodded to each other and quickly strode out of the office, leaving Fawkes trilling amusedly on his perch.

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Harry whirled around at the sound of the voice calling to him from the kitchen doorway. With the kitchen lights on, Harry finally got a real good look at his rescuer from last night. His anger at his uncle momentarily forgotten, Harry took in the vision now leaning casually against the kitchen doorframe, looking back at him. She was incredibly beautiful. His rescuer had long, curly flame-red hair, which oddly turned to black at the ends, piercing blue-green eyes and a figure that any woman would kill for. She was wearing a skin tight pair of blue jeans and a short sleeved dark blue sweater, with a pair of short black boots on her feet. But the power he sensed from her was phenomenal, and under very tight control.

Harry watched as she calmly strolled into the kitchen, casually taking in the scene before her, and watched her finally come to a stop in front of Vernon, who was so enraged by Harry's defiance, he was beyond words by this point. Harry watched as she grasped his uncle by the collar of his expensive shirt and looked at him, nodding to him that he could release Vernon's wrist.

Looking at Vernon, she spoke, her voice was so cold and hard that Harry believed she could scare Snape:

"I do recall warning your fat, sorry ass last night what would happen if you tried to harm Harry again, didn't I? I think I'm really going to enjoy this, so take a seat over there until I'm ready for you, fatso. Now, for the moment, it's your wife's turn..."

Harry's eyes widened in amazement as he watched his uncle being bodily tossed across the kitchen like a rag doll, finally landing on the sofa in the den, with the sofa making a noise like it was about to break as Vernon's weight dropped on it.

"How...How did you do that?" Harry asked his voice full of surprise.

"I'll explain in a minute, Harry. First, I need to deal with your Aunt Petunia."

Turning back around, Harry's rescuer faced Aunt Petunia and his cousin Dudley, a rather sour expression on her face.

"Petunia Dursley, you are the absolutely sorriest excuse for a mother that I've ever seen. The way you coddle that obesity you call a son of yours is sickening and is just going to lead him to an early grave. I won't even go into what you've put Harry through; I can see the stink of it on you. If you weren't the only parent Dudley was going to have for awhile after tonight, well... "

Petunia stood silently by the kitchen counter, her mouth hanging wide open in shock as Dudley continued to feed his face, concentrating solely on the food in front of him, seemingly unconcerned with the rather strange turn of events in the kitchen. It only took a moment for Petunia to recover as she finally understood what Kim had just said to her and she made good use of her raspy, grating voice.

"Just who do you think you are, threatening my husband like that, you freak. I'll bet your parents are ashamed of you. They are probably losers just like you are. Are you one of those 'things' we've heard about on the telly? It wouldn't surprise me if you were one those 'abominations'. Only a loser would try to save that pathetic brat my sister had. We didn't ask for this, ask for him, he was just dropped on us. And my Dudley is NOT fat, he's big boned, you tramp. Why..."

Petunia didn't get to finish her sentence, when a voice boomed from the doorway, sending Petunia cowering into the corner of the kitchen.

"BE SILENT, MORTAL. Don't ever insult my wife or her parents. Her parents are more than you will ever be and she is NOT a tramp, you horse-faced cow."

Harry watched as a smile light up the face of the girl currently standing in front of his Aunt Petunia. She quickly dropped the hand that was within a hair's breadth of striking his aunt, instead she walked over to the young man who was now standing in the kitchen doorway. Harry watched the girl reach up with both hands and give the strange young man a searing kiss on the lips.

"Nicky, I thought you were waiting outside. I can handle this, quite well you know."

'So,' Harry thought as he watched the interaction between the two of them. 'That must be the name of the guy standing there, but who is the girl?'

"Kimmy, you know I trust you love. But I will not tolerate ANYONE talking like that about you or your mom and dad. "

"Umm, excuse me, but what is going on here?" Harry asked tentatively, finally finding his voice.

Both Nicky and Kimmy turned to face Harry, momentarily forgetting Vernon, who was sprawled half on and half off of the sofa in a daze; Petunia who was just staring at everyone in stony silence and lastly Dudley who was still eating, despite everything that was going on around him.

"Sorry about that, Harry. We both tend to forget to introduce ourselves sometimes. My name is Kimberly, Kimmy for short and this is my husband Nicholas, or Nicky for short."

"You were here last night, weren't you? I remember your voice now and what you said to Uncle Vernon. Were you here last night, Nicky?"

"I was nearby watching the show, and it was a good one mind you, but you were perfectly safe with Kimmy here and Mum outside. Now, we need to deal with the business..."

Nicky paused for a moment, quickly closing and opening his eyes. Harry noticed that Kimmy didn't seem to be upset at this, so he remained silent as well as he waited for Nicky to continue.

"Well then, Harry. We'll be having a couple of visitors shortly; I think you know them actually. In fact, here they come now."

Harry watched as two people he knew very well, suddenly apparate into the small den, which was still partially occupied by the bloated form of his uncle, who was finally trying to struggle to his feet. Remus Lupin and Arthur Weasley popped into existence with a loud bang, both their wands were already drawn and their wand tips glowing. Harry noticed the confused look on both their faces as they saw no Death Eaters threatening him and they slowly lowered their wands. Remus strode forward and enveloped Harry in a fierce hug, only letting him go once Harry started to cough and gasp.

"Sorry, Harry. I tend to forget my own strength, especially after the full moon. What in Merlin's name is going on here? Who are those two kids over in the doorway?"

Harry smiled up at Moony, and then replied;

"It's all right, Moony. They're my friends; they are the ones who helped me last night. Mr. Weasley, Remus, I'd like you to meet Nicholas and Kimberly."

Arthur and Remus both shook the hands of the two young adults standing before them, noting the way that they handled themselves with confidence and ease. Being rather curious, Arthur stepped closer to the two teenagers and said;

"Who exactly are you two kids? While I am grateful to you both for helping Harry, I must admit that I'm rather confused at the moment."

Nicholas choked back a laugh as Kimberly replied;

"Mr. Weasley, to put it simply, the charm that we gave Harry last night activated and so we're here. Apparently Mr. Dursley didn't take the hint Kim gave him, which doesn't surprise me in the least. Vernon, being the greedy bastard that he is, had somehow found out about Harry's Gringott's vault balance, the one he had inheritance from his parents. He wanted Harry to turn over the entire contents of the vault to him immediately or he threatened to kill Harry and take it anyway."

Remus whirled around, a low growl coming from his throat and attempted to lunge at Vernon who was just now cowering on the floor near the back door. He knew that his lycanthropy gave him extra strength, far beyond most humans and just as he was about to tear into the quivering bulk lying half on and off of the sofa, he was quickly and easily restrained with one hand by Kimberly. Carefully setting Remus back down in one of the kitchen chairs, Kimberly looked at Nicky who nodded at her, with a smile on his face. Remus watched Kimmy walk over to Vernon, extend one of her hands and lift Vernon high into the air, holding the very overweight man with apparent ease. If that alone didn't convince Remus and now Arthur of their sincerity, what came out of Kimmy's mouth next chilled him to the bone. Her voice was colder and harder than anything either of them had heard before and the entire atmosphere of the room changed as well;

"I warned you once Vernon Dursley what would happen, if you were to ever threaten Harry again. And now, I intend to finish what I started.... "

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The sun was just beginning to set in the late, warm summer afternoon as a gentle breeze kept the banners high above the pitch waving softly. The scattered clouds in the skies above reflected the last of the sun's rays in a rich kaleidoscope of reds and yellows and various shades of pink, orange and purple across the Quidditch pitch. A scent of pine was in the air as the late summer afternoon's breeze wafted gently through the nearby trees. As Dumbledore and McGonagall slowly walked to the center of the pitch, they found their new benefactor patiently awaiting them at the center. The mysterious mage known as Marelle simply looked at them with an almost mischievous smile as they approached.

"Professors, I see that you are punctual, which is a good thing. We will get started as soon as the rest of your group arrives and I trust you brought the personal items that I requested?"

After handing over the aforementioned items, Albus looked once more at Marelle, attempting to fathom her expression and being quite unable to do so. He felt almost as a child in her presence and was vaguely aware that in fact, he was. He sensed intuitively that this person was much older than even Hogwarts, possibly even older than England itself and briefly imagined how powerful he'd be if he had been studying and practicing for that amount of time. Albus could not think of anything to say at the moment so simply nodded in agreement, pondering this question and many others while quietly standing where Marelle gestured.

"Oh, Professor Dumbledore, you might like to know that the Dursleys have been causing some more err....issues with young Mister Potter. Not to worry, my son and daughter in law have gone to deal with the matter. They should be here after they are finished, but they will probably not make it for the proceedings. I have told them to bring Harry with them."

Albus considered this, mildly worried that if the other mages harmed Harry's aunt, it could disrupt the carefully laid, yet tenuous protections that he and the other wizards had placed on Harry's only true safe sanctuary.

"While I appreciate your intervention on young Harry's behalf. I hope that his aunt at least is not harmed. Should anything happen to her, their home will no longer be safe for him and it is the only place now which is truly a safe area for him to be in. Even the school can be dangerous for him, a point which has been proven out rather severely on several occasions."

"Do not worry about that Professor; we have placed significantly more potent protections both on Harry himself and on that residence as I had informed you of earlier. He should be safe pretty much anywhere he decides to live now, just as long as he is wearing the charm we have given him, but I seriously doubt he will need to go back there after the end of this school year, as he has reached your legal age of maturity. I expect he should be able to live where he chooses, by the end of the school year. Ah, I see that the rest of your brethren have arrived."

Marelle looked beyond Dumbledore and Minerva, who had remained respectfully silent in the Mage's presence, over to the northern entrance of the quidditch pitch. Dumbledore turned to look and saw several people slowly walking in their direction, the darkness of their robes a stark contrast to the sunset behind them. In a few moments as the figures drew closer, Albus could make out the faces of the wizards who had assisted him in summoning the mage's assistance, just over three weeks ago. First to join them was Professor Sprout, his professor of herbology, then followed by Professor Snape, and finally Professors Sinistra and Flitwick. Last to arrive as usual, and as Albus noted, not very happy looking at the moment, was the former minister of magic himself, Cornelius Fudge. He, unfortuantely had happened to be at the school when they had performed the ritual and insisted on being made a part of it, if only to disprove something to Dumbledore and the others. It was the latter who spoke first as they formed a small group at the center of the pitch.

"Albus, this had better be really important. I was half asleep when that ruddy Phoenix of yours came through my window and started pecking me on the head until I woke up. Then he drops this letter saying to meet you here immediately and that it was of paramount importance to be here. Not to mention what he did to my pillow before he flew out again. It will take a week to get the stain out."

Marelle chuckled at this as Albus replied and Minerva coughed nervously.

"Cornelius, you can rest assured that it is of paramount importance having your presence here, or else I would not have sent Fawkes to deliver the note to you. You may remember that several weeks ago I gathered you all together to perform a very old ritual in response to the rash of attacks we have recently experienced. You all know what that ritual was for and..."

Albus was rudely cut off again by Fudge who was getting more impatient by the moment.

"Yes, yes Albus, we all know what the bloody ritual was for, and just where did some of those 'ingredients' come from now, hmm? You're just lucky that I happened to be here when you did that ritual. You could get into a lot of trouble there, for what you did and you still can. Rubbish, I tell you now and as I said before, that spell would never work. The rituals in that moldy book were probably a list of every spell that has never worked, probably written by some crackpot old drunken fool. There was no blinding flash, no deafening roar, nothing; there was no mystical mage creature appearing to save us from this imagined evil you seem so fixated upon. You and Diggory are both cracked if you think He Who Must Not Be Named is back and causing all of this. And if you think for one minute I am going to go through that bloody ritual again now, and deal with the upset stomach and headache again, you have another thing coming."

Albus opened his mouth to speak, a spark of unaccustomed rage filling him, but Marelle placed a calming hand on his shoulder and replied instead.

"Actually Mr. Fudge, your spell, weak as the signal was, in fact, did work. It just took a bit of time for me to localize exactly where the cry for help came from. You happened to be here because you want Dumbledore's help in trying to get your job back, that's all. As for your constant interruptions while Professor Dumbledore is speaking, is both rude and inconsiderate considering he is far more wise and powerful than you and should be treated with the respect he deserves.

"And just who are you young lady? You should show respect to your elders, missy. Are you one of Albus' new teachers or a new student?"

"Actually, I am the person you summoned Fudge, my name is Marelle, I am a Prime Mage."

Marelle had drawn herself up to her full height and despite her slender frame and purely female stature; it was a supremely powerful gesture. Fudge realized immediately that she was not making an idle boast. Despite this little show however, he still doubted her ability to do the wondrous things which Albus had previously credited to the order of Mages.

From his vantage point, Severus observed the contest of wills with great interest, hiding his amusement at Fudge's blatant stupidity and instinctively knowing just who would win this battle of wills. After returning from the latest meeting with Voldemort just this afternoon, Severus had been anxious to see the person who had caused Voldemort and the 'Master' so much grief last night. As a young child, Severus had studied the ancient legends of the mages and was familiar with the stories about their abilities, developing a very healthy respect for their powers. He could sense the immense power that radiated from Marelle and knew in that instant she could not only defeat Voldemort handily, but the 'Master' as well. During the meeting, Severus had made some careful observations about the 'Master', intending to relay them to Dumbledore, but decided that he needed to relate those developments to Marelle as well.

"So you claim to be a Mage, so what? I don't see much special about you myself. No fire in the eyes, lightning from the hair, or anything remarkable and a woman to boot. Why should we believe you are any more powerful than we are?"

"That Mr. Fudge is exactly what I am here to show to you. You should feel quite privileged, you all should. We normally do not engage in these rather blatant theatrics, or public demonstrations of our power, it is simply not our way. However, in this instance, with time as such an overriding factor and your blatant stupidity; I feel it is the best way to get the preliminaries out of the way expeditiously. Now, if you will all form a circle in the center of the pitch, we will get started." Marelle replied, her voice not wavering in pitch.

With that, Marelle simply moved to the exact center of the pitch and motioned each person where she wished them to stand. Fudge seemed neither impressed nor mollified, but decided that he should cooperate for now, if only to get back home to his warm bed more quickly. The others in the group remained silent. Professor Snape merely took his place as he was directed to and silently observed with keen interest. Albus and Minerva stood side by side and awaited instructions, both feeling a certain sympathy for their own students in the more difficult classes. Sprout silently took her place between Snape and Fudge and also awaited orders.

Marelle looked each of the group over and smiled slightly as she spoke her voice calm and composed once more.

"What you will see here, in this circle, stays here. There will be no interviews with the press about what happens this night, this is private thing and I WILL know if you violate that trust. Should any of you attempt this spell on your own, the results would be catastrophic for you and possibly others. With this particular spell, I will be tapping into energies which, if uncontrolled, could cause untold destruction on this world. I want each of you to blank your minds now and simply observe this spell. I will be doing the working part of this ritual. You are to do absolutely nothing, say nothing and do not move an inch from your positions. If anyone breaks these rules, I will be forced to deal with you quickly and precisely, and well it won't be pleasant."

Most of the group was unsure of what Marelle meant by that last comment, but none of them seemed inclined to find out.

"Alright, now if you all understand the ground rules, we will begin. I have asked Hagrid to make sure no one comes anywhere near this place until told otherwise. All right, let's get started."

With that, Marelle removed the small piece of fur, once belonging to Sirius Black from her robe. She placed it carefully at her feet and raised her arms to the sky. She mumbled three words and it had begun.

"Turellis, Alreannao, Mortalim!"

The group was not sure what to expect, but they instantly could feel the power welling up all around them. More power than they had ever conceived before seemed to stream from the Lei Lines beneath their feet, the same channels of power that fed the school's insatiable appetite for magical energy. The same lines which were the reason for the school's being situated here to begin with. It was at the same time excruciating and rapturous. They could sense and feel magical strings pulling and twisting around and through them as they never had before. Albus now began to understand a small part of just what a Mage was capable of and was in awe of the power they held.

As they watched transfixed, wispy fingers of energy came from the ground, gradually intensifying into a web of energy which enfolded the Mage who stood silently looking at the sky.

The group looked up to the heavens and saw something they could only barely comprehend. It seemed as if the sky itself was folding in upon itself. The light from the rapidly fading sun was forming a high arch, like a golden rainbow above them. Bright blue clouds glowed and began to swirl about overhead. Soon the clouds formed circles above Marelle, spinning around faster and faster until a great blue ring floated in the sky above. She made several gestures with her slender hands, seemingly in total control and with the confidence of a task that had been performed often and perfectly. The rings began to descend to the ground, intensifying as they came down. The golden rainbow seemed to shrink as well and then attached itself to the ring and soon both were floating a mere inch or so off the ground. The light radiating from the center of the circle was intense, and Albus found himself barely able to look at it, as did the others gathered with him.

The howling wind that had begun with her first incantation seemed to intensify now; normal clouds hovered above, rolling together madly as they seemed on the verge of collapsing into chaos.

Marelle looked ever upward as she began to sing a haunting melody of the purest sound that any of the group had ever heard. Albus was not sure how, but it seemed that she was using the strange mystical notes of unearthly song to control the incredible display before them.

As the song and the storm above them reached a crescendo, the howling wind was no longer audible over the beautiful song of life, there was a great torrent of power which almost made Albus and the others present collapse in its wake. Marelle seemed unconcerned and continued to the final notes, somehow blending them into and incredible chorus of beauty and simplicity.

As the last note rang out form Marelle's lips, the blue ring on the ground, now impossible to look at, condensed and the golden portal flared with unthinkable brilliance.

When Albus regained his vision a few moments later, he looked about him, as did the others. The sky was preternaturally still, seemingly in perfect harmony with everything around him. All of the observers present in the circle were suffused with an inner calm they had never before experienced. Albus found the whole experience to be incredibly intoxicating and looked down to where the circle once was.

Marelle stood serenely at the center, a warm smile on her face. At her feet, lay the form of an enormous black dog, slowly and shakily rising to its feet.

Marelle breathed a deep sigh and looked down at the animal as it quickly transformed into a man Albus knew quite well.

Marelle looked at the observers briefly as she helped the man to remain steady, and spoke;

"I always did like resurrections. Giving life is so much more satisfying than having to destroy it."

As the man steadied he slowly turned and looked into Marelle's beautiful face, at a loss for words.

Marelle smiled, knowing the effect she seemed to have on the male of the species.

"Remain calm my friend, you will probably be a bit wobbly for a few minutes more. Welcome back to the land of the living, Sirius Black."

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"Just what did you do to my uncle, Kim?" Harry asked, sipping on a butterbeer in one of the private parlors at the Leaky Cauldron.

After Nicholas had helped Harry gather his belongings together for the last time, they had waited impatiently outside the house for several minutes with Arthur and Remus before Kimberly had finally emerged, a rather satisfying grin on her face

Kimberly looked at Nick for a moment before replying, then back at Harry and said;

"Let's just say that your uncle has a whole new perspective on life at the moment."

Harry looked worried for a moment and then asked;

"What about my aunt, Kimberly? She doesn't work and as much as I despise them for everything they did to me, I don't want them to be out on the street."

Nicholas stifled a laugh as he watched his wife's discomfort as she replied;

"Let's just say, it's not 'permanent' but he will be looking at life with a whole new perspective for quite awhile, up until the time I decide to release him in fact. I've left your aunt enough money to take care of all the expenses for quite some time. How would you like a new pet for a while, Harry?"

Both Remus and Arthur nearly choked on their butterbeers as Kimberly casually set a small, clear plastic carrier on the table. Inside the carrier was a frantically squirming, oozing creature that neither one of them could easily identify. Nicholas looked at Kimberly with a look that said 'We'll talk later', but continued drinking his butterbeer as Harry finally began to relax. Looking over at Arthur briefly, Remus turned his attentions to Nicholas and Kimberly. Remembering to modulate his voice, he asked;

"Now that we're away from the Dursleys, can you tell us a bit more about yourselves? I consider myself to be Harry's second godfather, although not legally and I fear for his safety."

"All-right then, I'll explain a bit to you, but afterwards, we need to go to Hogwarts. My mum is waiting for us there, okay?"

Harry nodded his head quickly and took another long drink of his butterbeer as Nicholas settled down to explain.

"Tell me Harry, do you know anything about mages? Not what you might have read about in novels, but true mages."

"I don't know a thing, really. I wasn't allowed to read much at the Dursleys, especially anything having to do with magic or fantasy. What is a mage, actually?"

Both Arthur and Remus' eyes widened in disbelief as they stared at the two relatively normal looking teenaged kids sitting on the bench next to Harry. Mages were legendary in the wizarding world and only rumored to exist even then. The powers that the mages commanded went far beyond those of any wizard and to hear these two kids talk about being mages just baffled them. The astonishment that they felt, showed in their voices as Remus asked;

"M...Mages? Actual, living breathing mages? I didn't think your order existed anymore."

Kim and Nick looked at each other a bit warily, before Nicholas replied;

"Yes, Mr. Weasley, we do still exist, although it is a very long story. You have two actual living, breathing mages, sitting right here. My wife here is a Grandmaster Mage, while I am an Arch Mage. Both of us are battle mages which means we are trained in all the combat and healing arts along with weapons and miscellaneous other kinds of training. My wife here, has yet to take the trial to achieve her Archmage ranking, although I suspect it will be soon, if mum has anything to say about it."

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you two been, eh, um, married? You don't look that old to be married for very long."

"That is a bit difficult to explain. Do you mean how long we've been married, or life bonded?" Kimberly replied

Remus looked at Arthur, his eyes widening a bit, before turning his attention back to Kimberly and Nicholas.

"Both of them actually. I've heard the term life bond, but what exactly does it mean and how did it happen to the two of you?"

"We've been married for four years, but life bonded for ten. I think my mum should explain about that, since she knows a lot more about it than we do. Simply put, life bonding is where the life forces of two individuals become attuned to one another. In effect, these two people become permanently and irrevocably attached to each other. There are a few advantages to this, primarily, it is impossible to kill one completely, without killing both of them. We can also tell what each other is feeling with a very high degree of accuracy. It is very intimate and personal and takes a bit of getting used to. Kim and I became life-bonded accidentally at a very young age. We were performing a spell together and well; we managed to get in a bit over our heads. The place we were performing the spell sat atop, or rather below, a large intersection of some of the largest lei-lines on the planet. When the spell was cast, it tapped much more energy than we expected; more energy than either of us had ever used before for that matter. We almost lost control of the spell, but barely hung on. When it was all over, the spell had worked and the only side affect was that we had been life force matched. A few years later, we decided to make it official and get properly hand fasted. Mum was encouraging as long as we promised not to get into any heavy petting exercises until we were older."

Remus and Arthur looked at each other knowledgeably, while Harry looked a bit confused. Suppressing a grin, Arthur turned to Nick and asked;

"Your mum? And just why do we need to go to Hogwarts?"

Nick looked at Kim, a smile finding its way onto his face as he replied;

"Let's just say, my mum had an interview with Headmaster Dumbledore for the DADA position that's currently vacant and since I know her so well, she did something rather spectacular for her interview. Oh, and Mr. Weasley, you might want to send a note to your son Ron and Ms. Granger to meet us there. Shall we go then? Mum hates it when we're late."

Nick looked at Kim for a second, motioning for the two adults and Harry to join them in the corner of the room. Once they were there, Nick took Harry's hand, while Kim took Arthur and Remus'.

"We're going to teleport from here. It's much safer and faster than apparating and nowhere near as hard on the system." Nick continued

Soundlessly nodding in agreement, the group disappeared from the Leaky Cauldron and to their next destination---Hogwarts

************************************************************************************

"I suggest that you relax for a bit, Sirius. It's been two years since the events in the Department of Mysteries." Dumbledore said, placing a calming hand on the agitated man sitting in front of him.

"I know that Headmaster, I bloody well know that. From where I 'was', I could 'see' things that went on here, especially where Harry was concerned, but I couldn't do a damned thing about them. Some kind of godfather I am." Sirius replied, a bit of anger tingeing his voice.

"And I agree with Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Black. And I can understand your anger as well, a lot more than you realize. While you are in perfect physical shape now, it doesn't mean that you are ready to go out and fight anyone though. Your mind and your body must readjust to being back on the mortal plane again. Here, drink the tea; it will help calm you down for the moment." Marelle replied, taking a seat on the opposite side of Dumbledore, after handing the man a cup of tea.

Sirius looked at the woman sitting across from him in wonderment, his mind running in a thousand different directions. He felt the immense power of the spell that she had used to bring him back to life; he had felt the pull all the way across the 'veil' and was grateful that she was on their side. He couldn't begin to thank her for what she had done for him, but before he could express his gratitude for her gift to him, he was primarily concerned about his godson, Harry. He could see his concern mirrored in Dumbledore's eyes and in the eyes of those around him. After giving up on organizing his thoughts, Sirius turned to Marelle and said, his voice tinged with worry;

"I can't even begin to thank you for what you've done, but my main concern is Harry and his well-being. He's all I've been able to think about while I was in that place. I do seriously hope that I've not offended you or anything like that, because I really am grateful. I can only imagine how Harry's felt since that day in the Ministry. I've heard his anguish, his grief for the past two years and it's driven me nuts not being able to do anything about it."

Marelle looked at the man carefully, knowing this would probably be his reaction and had expected it.

"Relax, Sirius. Please, I would like it if you just called me by my name, Marelle; I am not one for titles most of the time. And you can relax; you haven't offended me in the least. I would probably be feeling the same thing if I was in your position. Arthur, Remus and Harry will be here shortly along with my son and daughter in law."

Minerva and Albus exchanged glances and then turned back to Marelle. Most of the other professors had left Dumbledore's office already, so there was just Albus, Minerva, Professor Snape, Minister Fudge and Sirius Black sitting there quietly, talking amongst each other. Marelle noted the surprised expressions on the professors faces when she made mention of Nick and Kim and waited for the questions to start.

"You have a son...and daughter-in-law?" Snape asked, careful to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Yes, I do Professor Snape. My son Nicholas and his wife Kimberly. Kim was with me last night at Harry's and Nicholas was watching from close by in case we needed a hand." Marelle replied, a hint of pride crossing her features as she mentioned her son.

"I assume that this is one of those 'details' that you mentioned earlier, Marelle? I believe it's safe for me to assume that you would like for them to join the students as well for this year?" Albus asked, settling down in his chair with a second cup of tea.

"Yes, they are Headmaster. And I would like for them to join Harry and his friends in Gryffindor. They are of the same age and can give him added protection for his last year. My son, Nicholas is an Archmage, while Kim currently holds the rank of Grandmaster. Both of them are trained as battle mages which means they have extensive training in all of our combat arts as well as all of our healing arts. Kim has yet to take her Archmage testing, although she is ready for it and I suspect she's been trying to avoid it for awhile."

"And why is that?" Cornelius asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm, despite what had just recently happened at the quidditch pitch; "I thought you mages were all so tough. It can't be too bad..."

"Shut up, Fudge. You obviously have no grasp of exactly who or what mages are truly capable of, even after the events at the pitch. It's a wonder that you lasted as long as you did as Minister of Magic, you incompetent oaf. I suggest you quiet yourself, or Black over there is liable to do something to you." Snape said, his voice tinged with anger.

Marelle looked at Snape in surprise for a moment, and then continued;

"To put it simply, when a mage is capable and ready for testing for their next rank, it means they test against someone of higher rank, most often someone who holds the rank they are trying to achieve, or sometimes someone of higher rank. The spells that are used in these trials, are those of incredible power. It is a full combat situation for the testing and nothing is held back. The Guild maintains an arena outside the main guild hall for the trials and often both participants take some time to recover from the testing. "

"Excuse me, but how long before Harry gets here? "

Marelle smiled at Sirius, and then replied;

"Within five minutes, if I know the two of them. They probably stopped off to catch a bite to eat first and then they'll show up."

Less than five minutes later, a small commotion at the back of the room drew the attention of the room's occupants. Dumbledore stood up as the door to his office swung open, admitting five people into the Headmaster's office. Two of which he did not know and three people, who he knew very well. Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin were flanking Harry Potter and on either side of them stood two people, one male and one female, which Dumbledore took to be Nicholas and Kimberly. Sirius leapt to his feet and turned around at the sound of the commotion, unable to stay away from his godson any longer. His voice broke as he took in the sight of his godson, Harry. Sirius took two steps towards his friend and godson, his hands outstretched and shaking, his eyes locked onto both Harry and Remus and said;

"Hello, Harry."

End of Chapter Three

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