Harry Potter and the Essence of Pure Magic

Jaw gaping open, Harry stared at the older man. "That is not funny, Remus! That is not funny at all!"

Harry stared at the older man, mouth gaping, until he noticed the slight twitch under his left eye. "Ah! You utter... Moony! Oh, I'm so going to get you for that!" Jumping out of his chair, Harry flung himself at the older man, who let out the laughter he'd been restraining. The two fell to the floor, and rolled about for a few minutes, Harry vainly trying to grab Lupin around the neck and put him in a headlock. Remus was focused on keeping himself out of this predicament, hindered largely by his inability to stop laughing but managing adequately none the less.

After a few minutes of this activity, they both rolled apart and lay on the floor, breathing rather heavily. A comfortable silence hung in the room, and Harry felt... safe. A feeling that was altogether uncommon in his life, especially over the last few years, and many of his earlier years with the Dursley's. He continued to lay there, basking in the feeling of security, his mind temporarily off the troubles he had just been reading through.

Is this what it would have been like? Is this what my life would have been like, if I wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived? If Voldemort... no, Riddle, hadn't gone Dark? If mum and dad had lived, if the Marauders had remained together? Would I have brothers and sisters? How much different would I be? Just normal. Nothing special, just someone living their life. Harry frowned a bit. Too bad that's going to remain a dream. Even if I after I defeat Riddle, I'll be even more famous. I wonder what my title would be...

Again Harry was pulled out of his own thoughts, this time ever more absurd titles that the Wizarding world might give him after Voldemort was gone, by Remus snapping his fingers in front of his eyes trying to get his attention. He looked up into the older man's eyes, and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Yes, Remus?"

Lupin held out his hand to Harry, who gripped it and used the leverage to get himself into a standing position. "Any decision, Harry? Or are you going to think it over some more?" he asked, as the two drifted back over to the chairs and sat down.

Leaning back into his chair, Harry slowly nodded. "I'm going to accept. Pass me the quill, would you?" Taking the quill, he dipped it in the inkwell and set it to the paper, quickly scratching out his signature. As he took the quill off the parchment, he felt a sharp pain on his index finger tip, and the whole letter glowed a golden colour before disappearing with a soft pop. Exclaiming from the sharp pain, Harry quickly looked at his finger. On the tip, a slight swelling of blood was appearing, and he stuck his finger in his mouth and sucked on it. "What the bloody hell was that?" he asked around his finger.

"Sometimes contracts require blood, particularly in contracts that relate to heirs and inheritance. It's one of the few blood magics that are still legal, and that's only because it cannot be replaced and cannot be easily subverted for dark purposes. It must always be entered into willingly, and cannot be forced." Remus told him in a loftily professorial tone.

Harry smirked slightly. "Yes, Professor Moony, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge of all things with me, a humble Prongs Junior. Now, excuse me while I go and find something to wrap my finger with to stop the bleeding." Somehow managing to say that, and all with extreme dignity, with a finger in his mouth, Harry now got up and went to search for a handkerchief or something similar. When he had his back turned to Lupin and heard the older man practically snicker, he turned back around. "What?"

Wand out and tapping into the palm of his other hand, it was now Lupin who was smirking. "Two words, Pronglet. Healing. Charm. Do you want one?" Harry began to blush slightly, and Lupin's smirk turned into a full-fledged grin. He quickly muttered an incantation, and watched as Harry sat back down, now slightly embarrassed.

Harry examined his finger for a second, and convinced that it was healed, picked up the parchments again. He quickly scanned through them all, not really understanding most of the content. After a minute of looking puzzled, he handed them over to Lupin, who skimmed his eyes over them briefly.

"Just standard forms for wills, they just say that you accept what has been bestowed to you and what has been given to others. I honestly don't know why they need to complicate it so much, who is really in the mood to decipher these things when they've just lost someone they love?" Lupin asked, disappearing off into a tangent. He handed them back to Harry who signed them, this time without the pricking of his finger. Pulling out the last sheet, he took one look at the first line, and took in a deep breath, eyes flicking over to Lupin to beg for support.

"I guess that's it then..." Lupin said, softly. "Sirius's will. Read it Harry. Get it out of the way." Getting up, he walked around behind Harry and grabbed his shoulders, giving Harry again a sense of security and protection. Taking a deep, calming breath, he looked down and began to read.

I, Sirius T. Black, of sound mind and body, do hereby declare my will regarding all my belongings, responsibilities and assets. I do so in front of these witnesses, Albus Perceival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, who hereby attest to the validity of this will.

To my old friend, Remus J. Lupin, I do bequeath the deed for Padfoot Manor. Yeah, I know, calling it a manor is a bit of a joke, but we did have some good times there after Hogwarts, the two of us living together. And I know you'd never accept Grimmauld Place. Also, I pass into your care Gringott's Vault Number 562, containing a sum that shall keep you in Wolfsbane potion until such a time as your eventual death, hopefully at an extremely old age.

To my cousin Andromeda, her husband Ted, and her daughter Nymphadora, I bequeath upon you your rightful share in the Black Trust. Just take it. Don't try and argue with a dead man.

To my other two cousins - One galleon a piece. That takes care of that. You will never receive another Knut from the Trust. And you cannot challenge it. The conditions have been met, long before I hope this ever comes into effect.

To the Weasley family, for taking such good care of my godson, Harry - Vault 1021, a little something I had Dumbledore put together for me. You helped Harry grow into the fine young man he is, when I couldn't help him. By the way, the twins get to go in first. I've left some things in there for them. They should like them.

To the last of the Potters, and now, the Blacks - my godson, Harry. To you, I bequeath the Black Trust, all relevant properties, responsibilities and assets within. I also bequeath unto you my personal vault, Number 561. Most of this won't be available to you until you turn seventeen, Harry, so don't worry about it. It's largely been in safe hands since I was in Azkaban, and can wait however it long it has to if I do die before you turn seventeen. Though, you're bound to get a bit of a shock when you see records for both families. I know your father got one when he came into his inheritance.

Written, Signed, and Witnessed On This Day.

Sirius T. Black

Albus Perceival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Minerva McGonagall

Harry looked over his shoulder at Lupin. "Ah... Remus? What does this mean?" His voice quivering with the barely repressed emotions he could feel building in himself, Harry shook the parchment he held in his hands. "Why did he leave everything to me?" Letting his index finger drag over the parchment, he ran it across the lines outlining what had come to him.

The hands on his shoulders gripped and released, massaging the tensed muscles that had come up. "You are his heir, Harry. Who else would he give it to? Under the conditions of the Trust, he had to give the majority to you, or risk Narcissa Malfoy challenging it. If Bellatrix wasn't an escaped convict, he'd have to worry about her now as well. He gave as much to us as possible. Also, he's probably left guidelines for you to go and spend it on people as soon as you get a chance to. We'll have to go down to the vaults and see." Lupin's voice calm voice settled down over Harry, and he felt himself relaxing again.

It's not the fact he left things to me, Harry thought to himself, but rather how much he left to me! I would never had dreamed it, how much I got... wait a second, did he say ALL his belongings! Does that include... the motorbike? Harry caught Lupin's eye. "Moony... what happened to his motorbike?"

A brief look of shock crossed the face above his, and Harry almost snickered. "Well, I do believe Sirius and that machine of his were re-united last year. I think it's in the house somewhere, but I couldn't be too sure about that. He might have had it sent to his vault for storage. Why?" The shock had disappeared, now a slightly curious, maybe even suspicious look had replaced it.

"Oh, nothing, nothing... just thought I'd like to actually see it... I mean, I don't really remember the last time I saw it, only as a kind of dream. Just thought it would be nice." Harry had widened his eyes innocently, but he got the impression that it hadn't fooled Lupin at all. His guess was confirmed with the next words out of his mouth.

"No, Harry, I will not let you ride it. Definitely not until you turn seventeen. But... I think we can have a search through the house for now. I can show you around all the changes, so you can see what's been done with the place. After all, it technically is your house now." Lupin stepped back from the chair, and came around towards the door. He'd reached for the door handle when he realised that Harry hadn't followed him, still sitting down in the chair, looking into space blankly. "Harry? Pronglet?"

Shaking his head, Harry levered himself out of the chair. "Oh, sorry Remus. Its just kind of... you know..." he said, waving his hand around the room. Nodding, Lupin opened the door and led him out.

The two stood outside the door of Harry's room, the door closing behind Harry as the two faced each other. "So, where do you want to start? Top or bottom of the house?" Lupin asked Harry, gesturing him towards the stairs. The two made their way over, and Harry answered the question by heading up. "Up it is then. Next stop, third floor!"

In the old Grimmauld Place, the third floor had largely been the master bedrooms, or at least those were all that Harry had ever seen. True, the rooms had been huge, but he didn't think they'd been that big, to occupy the top floor entirely. He now realised that there had been another door, which when Lupin led Harry inside, he discovered was an owlery. "Was this here before, Remus?" he asked, looking at the small collection of owls who were all asleep or blinking lazily at the pair in the door.

"Yes, it was, but the access was in the kitchen, from over there." Lupin pointed over to a small staircase which ran along the opposite side of the wall, and Harry guessed ran down to the first floor. "Completely sealed off and sound-proofed from the rest of the house. Well, it was until we tore down most of the charms and the part of the wall where the door is now. After all, no-one's going to be sleeping up here from now on" he finished cryptically. Harry looked at him quizzically, but no more information was coming, so he turned and went out the door in the direction of Sirius's mother's room.

His jaw dropped when he opened the door to the room up. It looked like the whole room, including the master's suite, had been turned into on gigantic room. Not even a hint that this giant space had been two separate large rooms remained. There wasn't even any hint that Buckbeak had once laired in Mrs. Black's room. The whole thing had been cleared out and cleaned.

"What... what goes on here now?" Harry asked, with his jaw still hanging slightly open. Lupin silently chuckled at his reaction. The change really was quite dramatic. Not only was it now one whole room, but it was also considerably brighter. There were a number of tables and chairs scattered around it, so it wasn't a completely empty space.

"It's the Order's formal meeting room. Whenever the whole Order of the Phoenix is convened, we all come up here. Most meetings are still held downstairs, so up here isn't used that often, just when there are going to be a lot of people here. That way, we aren't constantly using the kitchen to hold these important war meetings. Hardly befitting the dignity of a such a prestigious organization as ours." Lupin had drawn himself up and affected a snobby accent towards the end of his statement, drawing Harry's attention back to himself and away from the room. Looking at the ridiculous pose, Harry burst out laughing.

"Yes... very prestigious..." he chuckled, earning him a disapproving look, which set him off even more. Cuffing him about the back of the head, Lupin muttered for him to follow, and the two made their way back down the stairs.

Back on the second floor, Harry looked around. "What's new down here?" he asked, noticing several new doorways. Lupin shook his head.

"Not a lot really. Most of the rooms were just sealed up before, we can't understand why in most cases. A few of the old rooms were resized, just to give some more room to the drawing room and the library. Your old room, the one you shared with Ron, it's one of the ones that got sized down, but not much. You two could probably still share it easily enough. The twin's room, Ginny and Hermoine's, Molly and Arthur's, mine, they all remained the same. That pretty much covers everyone who was staying here last time, the rest of the guest rooms were a bit mixed in what happened with them. Sirius's room... well, that's still the same. We just left it like that, until you decide what to do with it."

Harry had been opening a few of the doors, seeing fairly ordinary rooms inside, when the last sentence sunk into his brain. Sirius's room! Why do I have to decide about it... I don't think I can do anything about it yet... Looking up, he saw Lupin's eyes had again filled with concern. "Don't worry, Remus... just don't think I'll be making any decisions about that room for a long time to come..."

Nodding sadly, Lupin gestured Harry over to him. "That's alright, cub. You don't have to do anything about it until you want to. Do you... want to go inside?" he asked, concern still in his voice. All Harry could manage was a shake of his head. He definitely did not want to go in there just yet. The whole of today had just been one long roller-coaster, a ride on a bucking broomstick, up, down and all around at a hundred miles an hour.

Looking towards the stairs, he flicked his head in its direction. "Come on, I want to finish the tour. What's been done on the ground floor? What about Mrs. Black?" Harry paused for a second, thinking about the horrid portrait of the dead woman. "Has anything happened to her?" He saw Lupin grimace slightly. "Ah, I guess not then."

The two were halfway down the stairs, Lupin going through the changes to the first floor of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. "Overall, not much. Most of the rooms are now clean, and actually look liveable. The main dining room is actually available now, we couldn't even let you lot in there last summer it was that bad. The kitchen... well, it just seems worlds better than the dreary thing it was earlier. Actually looks like a good meal can come from it now, instead of dodgy ones." Lupin grinned wickedly at this, which puzzled Harry slightly. Hadn't Mrs. Weasley cooked most of the meals when he'd been here during the summer? Then he remembered that she'd gone back to the Burrow largely after Hogwarts had started, and after the Christmas holidays. Well... might be something to hear behind that...

"The family dining room is the same, bright instead of dreary. That's basically the only change on this floor. Two rooms opened up, the rest actually look like they can be lived in rather then dens of wild animals." Lupin said, lowering his voice as they walked past the covered portrait of Mrs. Black.

"So, nothing new here. Can we just go straight to the kitchen? I'm feeling like I could have a bit of a feed." Harry whispered to Lupin. Nodding, he steered their way to the kitchen, going through the dining room first. And, like he'd said, the room looked different, but wasn't actually all that different. The only thing that looked to have changed was a large map hanging up on one wall, with the local neighbourhood on it, little dots moving around it's surface.

They opened the door to the kitchen, and saw Moody and Tonks sitting down and chatting with Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was picking at a plate of sandwiches laying on the kitchen counter. Harry waved at them all, and went and grabbed a plate. He put some of the sandwiches on it, and started to head back out the door. "Sorry to grab the food and run, but I want to get used to my room some more. Hello, goodbye!" he finished, waving over his shoulders as he exited the kitchen back into the main hallway, the greetings from the two Aurors and retired one drifting along behind him.