CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE –
"The Hunting of the Padded Foot, part 1"
Last Time on "Harry Potter and the Quantum Leap":
The meal was pleasant, the company divine and the conversation stimulating. Things were going well... until a house elf dashed into the room, wielding a small silver tray, a single sheet of parchment resting on top.
"Dippy?" Amelia turned away from her conversation, taking the parchment and reading quickly. "Oh, damn..." She muttered.
Harry looked up from his golfing conversation with Dan. "Madam Bones, is everything all right?"
"No..." Amelia let her monocle drop from her eye, before she began rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban."
Harry blinked. "How is that possible? I thought Azkaban was impenetrable."
Amelia nodded. "It's supposed to be. No-one's ever escaped from Azkaban." She stood up. "I hate to cut the evening short, but I need to get into the office. With a mass murderer on the loose, I have to co-ordinate searches for him. Sue, I want you to stay here. The wards here are more than sufficient. Lord Potter, will you require an escort?"
Slowly, Harry shook his head. "No, I don't believe that will be necessary."
"What about the Grangers' residence? I can arrange with some of our warding experts-"
"I've... already taken care of that." Harry said slowly. "I'll make certain that the defences are adequate. Thank you for your offer, Madam Bones."
Dan and Emma stayed silent. There was clearly more happening than they knew, but they were smart enough to realise that this wasn't the time to be asking questions. When Harry stood up, they quickly followed suit, taking their jackets from the little house elf.
While the Grangers were preparing to leave, Harry and Hermione hugged Susan goodbye. "Keep the mirror with you." Harry instructed gently. "If there's anything you want to talk about, or if you need anything, give us a call, and we'll do what we can."
"Thanks." Susan said, her voice thick with emotion. "I... Thanks."
"Not a problem." Hermione replied, pulling her friend into a hug. "You take care of yourself, Sue."
"You too, Hermione."
Leading the group to the Portkey Box, Harry quickly set the co-ordinates and dematerialised the ship. "You have questions." He said to the Grangers.
"Several." Dan said immediately. "First of all, who is Sirius Black?"
"According to the Ministry of Magic, he's a mass murderer. Back in 1981, he's charged with selling out my family to Voldemort, before he attacked and killed a wizard in Birmingham. There were twelve non-magical people killed in that attack, too. He was sent straight to Azkaban, the Wizarding prison, just off the Shetlands."
"He betrayed your family?" Emma asked, feeling her mother-sense tingle.
"From the scuttlebutt and rumours I've heard," Harry said, making certain that what he said was the truth... from a certain point of view, "Sirius was the Secret Keeper for my parents' Fidelius charm. As you know, only the Secret Keeper can reveal the protected address. It's why you couldn't see the door of my flat until I told you last Christmas."
"So... if he's been in prison, how's he got out?" Dan asked. "And why now?"
"Both good questions." Harry said. "Until Mr. Black is caught, there won't be good answers."
"Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice quiet.
"No." Harry said simply. "I'm not gonna go looking for him, Hermione. I know better than to chase after people." Even though I really wanna see the old dog again. "Right now, my goal is to head back to your place and upgrade the wards there... just in case."
"Do you think he'll be coming after us?" Emma asked.
"Well... it's well known that Hermione is my absolute best friend on this planet. Logically, that would make her a target to anyone after me. However, that's assuming that he is after me. He might be after the guy who sent him to prison. He could be after Dumbledore as the head of the Wizengamot... There's no way to tell for sure."
"How're you feeling?" Hermione asked, moving over to stand next to him and taking his hand supportively. "I mean..."
"You mean, 'how do I feel about my parents' betrayer being free?'" He sighed. Since the rat's been free for over decade, I'm annoyed. I wish I could just catch him and end it... unfortunately, it's not the right time. "I'm pissed, to be blunt. I don't like the idea of the man who sold out my parents being free to wander around. I want him caught and sent to prison." He caught the sad look on her face. "I appreciate your support, though. I love how caring you are." He leaned over and pressed a kiss on her cheek, making her blush furiously as her parents sighed and made a little 'aw!' noise. In the background, the noise of the engine changed to a wheezing/groaning sound.
"Moving on." Hermione said quickly. "What other wards are you going to erect?" As she was speaking, she slid the lever that opened the doors, leading the group back into the house.
"Well, there's wards you can use that measure a person's intent. It's a bit like Legilimency. If someone has hostile intent towards the residents of a property, they can have a spell triggered against them. It could be something simple, like a stunning charm, something a bit more nasty, like an asphyxiation curse, or even a full death ward. Personally, though, I prefer forced apparition spells. You can send them thousand of miles away in the blink of an eye. Best part is, a forced apparition will force the attacker to drain the magical core. It's brilliant."
"Are these the 'war-wards' you warned us about?" Dan asked.
"Yeah."
"And they're necessary?"
"Better safe than sorry."
Dan nodded. "Agreed. When can you set them up?"
"Tomorrow. I'm knackered at the moment, and setting up full-power wards like these will take quite a bit of energy." As if in confirmation, Harry yawned. "Sorry." He said sheepishly.
"Bed." Emma said, gesturing at the stairs. "We'll talk more in the morning."
"Yes..." Harry yawned again, "ma'am." He said, climbing the stairs tiredly. "Night."
As Harry awoke on Sunday morning, he stretched comfortably. He really enjoyed sleeping at the Grangers'. The bed was comfortable, and the company sublime. He hauled himself out of bed, staggering into the bathroom to perform his morning ritual.
Once showered and dressed, Harry quickly made his way down to the kitchen to start on breakfast. Placing and activating the combat wards would need all his strength, and a good, greasy fry-up would help bolster his energy. It was only a pity he couldn't tie the wards directly to the magireactor at the heart of the Portkey box, but the fact the Portkey would leave the premises stopped that from being effective.
Cracking an egg into a bowl, he froze as the existing outer wards triggered. Harry's small mirror flew to his hand automatically, turning on the reveal a figure he could happily do without seeing. "Snape..." He growled. "You greasy-haired son of a bitch..."
Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School, strode arrogantly down the street, not bothering to glance around at the houses. He was disgusted that he'd been forced to come to a Muggle neighbourhood in order to claim the remains of the basilisk from the Potter spawn.
He marched up to the address he'd gotten from the Hogwarts records, and drew his wand. If he had any respect for any of the occupants, he would have knocked and waited. But the only things that lived at that address was the Potter brat, a Mudblood and two Muggle animals.
A simple unlocking charm was cast at the door... and was the last thing Snape knew, before the world went black.
Hermione shot out of bed, her wand flying unconsciously to hand as something in the back of her mind tingled. Her eyes darted about as she grabbed her dressing gown, before flinging the door open. Less than a second later, the door to her parents' bedroom opened, revealing her Mum in her nightie, and her Dad in boxer shorts, clutching onto a baseball bat.
"What the hell's going on?" Dan demanded. "My brain feels like it's trying to crawl out of my ears."
"Sorry!" A voice shouted up the stairs. "That's my fault!"
"Harry?" Hermione was racing downstairs, her parents in close pursuit. "What the hell's going..." She trailed off as she spotted the most despised Hogwarts teacher laying unconscious on the hall carpet. "Why is that here?" She asked angrily.
Harry glanced up. "I'd guess he's here to try and steal my basilisk." He said simply. "The reason the wards triggered is that he came here with hostile intent and cast magic against the household. The standard wards I'd put up worked perfectly."
Dan growled. "Is that why my brain's on fire?"
With a grimace of apology, Harry nodded. "Yes... sorry. When I set the wards up, I had to make certain that the warning... well, it had to be something noticeable."
"I'll bloody say!" Dan snapped, before sighing. "Sorry, Harry. I don't mean to snap at you, but... damn, it's unpleasant!"
"I know." Harry replied. "The question is, what do we do with Snivellus here?"
"How long will he stay unconscious?" Emma asked, her voice hard.
Harry shrugged. "Long as you want."
"Then give us a few minutes to get dressed." She said, already moving back to the stairs. "Then we'll have a word with the git."
Twenty minutes, three showers and five cups of coffee later, the four residents gathered around Snape. Harry had briefly considered locking the man up inside the Portkey box, since he'd have no idea how to get out of a piece of technology, but the prospect of contaminating the box with Snape's essence... it was enough to make Harry shudder. Instead, they'd tied him to one of the garden chairs in the middle of the lawn. It was only a pity it wasn't raining. Or snowing. Or the middle of a monsoon.
Emma stared at the greasy man, and felt a shudder of disgust. Even in the middle of a warm garden, with soothing plants, grass and bright sunshine, the man just oozed darkness. It was almost as though he was sucking all the happiness out of the garden.
Dan felt an overwhelming urge to pulp the invader's overly large and greasy nose. Considering the wonders that they'd seen of the magical world, courtesy of Harry and his amazing Portkey Box, he couldn't understand why the man couldn't keep his hair clean. He'd also heard from both Harry and Hermione about how thoroughly unpleasant the man was in general.
Hermione stood back, watching Snape with an evil glare in her eye. She didn't like the man at the best of times, and watching him try to invade her home was simply the icing on the cake. Snivellus deserved punishment, and she was looking forward to seeing what Harry and she could come up with.
Of the four, Harry was the least surprised by the greasy bastard's visit, but by far the most annoyed. He'd known that Snape would come after him this summer; not only because he hated anyone named 'Potter' with a fiery vengeance, but also because Harry was sitting on a small fortune of potions ingredients. Even a tiny fraction of the massive serpent was worth some serious gold, and Snape felt that he deserved it. With a barely-concealed snarl, Harry brought his emotions under control. It wouldn't do to lose control and obliterate the man... yet.
"So... what do we do with him?" Emma asked, breaking the silence.
"That's a good question." Harry answered. "It's your home, Emma. He's technically guilty of breaking and entering... or rather, entering."
"What about your world's police?" Dan asked. "I mean... surely using magic to enter someone else's house is illegal."
"No, it's not." Hermione said bitterly. "Since you're not magical, breaking into our house isn't classed as a crime. You're just 'Muggles'."
"An attitude I heartily despise." Dan replied. "Okay, so we can't call Amelia to arrest him. What can we do?"
"We could always book him in for a visit into your surgery." Harry suggested. "Maybe remove all of his teeth and infect his gums so they can't be repaired."
The pair of dentists winced at that. "I don't think we could..." Emma said hesitantly.
"I know." Harry said. "But, it's a suitably macabre thought, isn't it? Something for the greasy-haired son of a bitch to ponder."
Hermione stared at him for a moment. "Would you really do that, Harry?"
To Harry's surprise, Hermione didn't sound repulsed, just... curious. He took a moment to decide the best way to answer. "To anyone else, Hermione, no. To him... I'd happily cut the son of a bitch to pieces with a rusty butter knife." Hermione again surprised Harry by just nodding amiably.
"So... while interesting and educational," Emma said cautiously, "that doesn't really answer the question of 'what do we do with him?'"
"We could use him as practice for oblivation." Harry suggested.
For a moment, Hermione frowned, and Harry could almost see her working on a rebuke... but considering the subject, she appeared to be having a lot more trouble than normal. "It's wrong..." She said slowly, "but then again, so's breaking and entering... I don't know..."
Harry just sighed. "We should just warn the greasy wanker away. Maybe a good slap for his... arrogance, but I don't think we could get away with ripping his nuts off."
Emma frowned. "Don't you have a spell to do that?"
This time, it was Hermione who was grinning evilly. "There's two, actually." Her grin became wider as Harry and Dan crossed their legs in perfect unison. "Both of them are a little... messy, though."
Dan cleared his throat. "Let's just warn the bastard off... again. In the meantime, let's leave all talk of emasculation alone."
"Seconded." Harry added instantly. "I think both Dan and I and in full turtle mode already."
Hermione summed up the ladies' reactions perfectly; "Ew..."
Snape's eyes opened slowly, then narrowed as he saw a face no-one should have to see when waking. "Potter!" He roared, before glancing down. "Release me immediately!"
"No." Harry said casually. "You're breaking and entering, Snivellus. At this precise moment in time, your greasy hide belongs to me, to do with as I please. You should remember you're completely at my mercy before you open that foul mouth."
"You obnoxious little shit!" Snape sneered. "Who the hell do you think you are? Do you have any idea of the trouble you will be in?"
Snape temporarily shut up when Harry's fist impacted beautifully with the greasy man's nose. To Harry's delight, Hermione didn't so much as flinch at the crunch.
"I know you're stupid, Snivelly, but didn't I just say you're at my mercy? You should know by now... that I don't have any for Death Eaters."
Before Snape could argue, all three Grangers flinched together. Harry, being far older and more inured to pain, managed to avoid any outward reaction, but like the Grangers, he could feel the wards screaming out in alarm as a wizard attempted to apparate directly into the garden.
"That's unpleasant!" Dan gasped, clutching his head. "What's that one mean?"
Harry glanced around, before turning to face south. "Warning ward. Someone's attempting to apparate here. Based on the power of the warning, it's Dumbledore, and he's attempting to force the issue." Harry's eyes glowed for a moment. "Do you want to let him in?"
Emma blinked as the warning died down slightly. "Let him in?" She asked. "Why would we want to do that?"
"Because I believe he's here to rescue Snivellus from my vile clutches."
"They're not that vile..." Hermione muttered to herself, making Harry smile slightly, while Snape sneered angrily, forcing himself to work through the pain of his now even more hooked nose.
"Potter, I swear you shall be in detention with me for the rest of your schooling! Release me at once!"
Ignoring the irritant, Harry asked, "Shall we get this unpleasant visit over and done with? If Dumbledore doesn't get his way, he'll no doubt try and rip his way through the wards."
"Can he?" Hermione asked, her wand appearing in hand, almost as though by magic.
"Short answer; yes." Harry replied. "The current ward scheme is for detection and warning. I've not set the active defences up yet."
Dan glanced at Emma, who nodded. "Let's be careful, Harry... but let's get it done."
Harry's eyes glowed again for a moment, as a streak of grey light appeared in the garden, resolving immediately into Dumbledore, wand in hand. "Harry, what are you doing?" He demanded, spotting Snape tied up almost instantly.
"Stopping an invader." Harry said coldly. "Put your wand away, old man, or I'll become... annoyed."
Ignoring the child, Dumbledore waved his wand at the bound Snape, a simple Finite on his lips as he dispelled the ropes... or tried to. Frowning slightly, he channelled more of his not-inconsiderable power into the finishing charm, he was again frustrated.
"Finished?" Harry asked. "You can't dispel those ropes, old man. Now, why are you here?"
Dumbledore immediately assumed control of the situation... or rather, he tried to. "Harry, I insist that you release Professor Snape immediately."
"No."
Shocked, Dumbledore raised his wand at Harry. "I must insist, Harry. He's your professor, and is entitled-"
"I said 'no'." Harry said. "At the moment, he's a greasy-haired Death Eater son of a bitch who's currently invading the home of a Hogwarts student."
"I'm not magical," Dan began, stepping forward and folding his arms across his chest, "but I'm fairly certain that he's abusing his position as a Hogwarts professor, by using his position to find out where my family lives, and then using his powers illegally against a Muggle family."
"Don't use that word." Harry moaned softly. "It's horrible and discriminatory. You're non-magical, not a 'Muggle'. One day, I'll tell you what it actually means." He turned back to Dumbledore. "And Mr. Granger is entirely right, Headmaster. Snape's employment in this situation is irrelevant. He is breaking and entering. What do you have to say about that?"
"Wait, let me guess." Hermione said, before her voice turned slightly wheezy in a poor parody of Dumbledore. "'Harry, you must get over this childish animosity with Professor Snape. He has only your best interests at heart, and as a Hogwarts professor, he must be respected.'"
Harry stared at his girlfriend in shock as she not only effortlessly parodied Dumbledore... but disrespected a person in authority. My god... her corruption to the Dark Side is nearly complete... Damn, I'm good! "Couldn't have said it any better myself." He said simply.
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Harry, Miss Granger, your disrespect is noted, but I must insist that Professor Snape be released immediately."
"And I said 'no'. I don't say things that I don't mean, Dumbledore. He'll stay there until I decide otherwise, with, of course, the full support of Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Your petulant demands will be ignored. And you didn't answer my question; I'd like to hear your thoughts about Snape trying to break into this house."
Slowly, Dumbledore turned to Snape. "What are you doing here, Severus?"
The greasy man somehow managed to look imperious, while sitting in a sunny garden, tied to a chair and bleeding freely from his nose. "I came here to collect the remains of the basilisk. It belonged to Slytherin, which makes it Hogwarts property, and as the duly-appointed Potions Master of Hogwarts, the carcass belongs to me."
Dumbledore faced Harry. "I must agree with that assessment, Harry. The basilisk was the property of Hogwarts and should be surrendered to Professor Snape."
Harry was cut off from answering by Hermione tugging on his sleeve. "Why isn't that Unbreakable Vow kicking in?" She whispered quickly.
"Because he's not trying to manipulate me." Harry whispered back. "This is a reasonable, if incorrect, request, so the vow doesn't kick in." He pressed a quick kiss to the tip of her nose before straightening up and facing the old manipulator. "You are wrong, old man. Section 4 of the charter for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures state that anyone who slays an X-4 or X-5 creature, as determined by the Ministry of Magic, is cleared to keep the remains, or sell them to the Ministry for a fixed price. Since I disposed of the dangerous creature, it's carcass is mine to do with as I will."
"No!" Snape roared. "You're just an arrogant little fool with delusions of adequacy! I demand you give me the basilisk now!"
"No." Harry replied calmly. "Besides, I've already rendered it down into ingredients. Now, I'm feeling uncharacteristically generous, so I'll allow you to go."
"Wait." Emma said, stepping forward and backhanding Snape with all the force she could muster... which was rather a lot. Snape whimpered as his head was thrust violently to one side, causing a rather nasty case of whiplash.
"My turn." Dan added, stepping forward and launching a solid gut-punch at the bound man, who began wheezing.
Suppressing a grin at watching the greasy one get beaten, Harry turned to Hermione. "You want a free shot?"
Hermione peered down her nose at Snape. "No... I don't want to contaminate myself with his vile stench."
Now chuckling, Harry waved his wand, releasing the ropes. "You're free to go, Snivellus... provided you leave immediately, and withoutopening your mouth. Dumbledore, do not attempt to return here. In less than two hours, I will have lethal protections on this property... and you can't beat me, old man! Do yourself a favour; don't try."
As the ropes released him, Snape was already hauling his battered body to its feet, and trying to draw his wand. Unfortunately for Snape, Harry had the battle instincts of an ancient warrior, and used those to his advantage. Instead of simply punching the man, he cast a Portkey enchantment from his fist, making the greasy bastard disappear quickly.
Dumbledore blinked as Harry punched Professor Snape so hard, he simply vanished. "What have you done?" He whispered.
"Sent him twenty feet beneath the surface of the Black Lake." Harry said. "Since I only seem to have bad luck, I bet the bastard'll be fine. Now, leave... before I become annoyed."
Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, Dumbledore apparated away... only to blink as his apparition field fell apart before he'd moved an inch. "Wha..."
"The anti-apparition defences are still in place." Harry said coolly.
"Please, Headmaster, feel free to use the gate." Dan added, pointing at said exit. "As the owner of this property, I am ordering you to never return."
Tail in between his legs, Dumbledore headed for the gate, glancing back over his shoulder at Harry, before closing the gate behind him.
"Harry?" Emma said.
"Hmm?"
"Do you need anything to set those defences up?"
Harry thought for a moment. "Wouldn't mind a Pepsi."
"I'll get you one." Emma said, heading straight into the house.
Two hours and fourteen minutes later, Harry slumped onto the couch, looking about five years older. His skin was white and clammy, and his hands were shaking slightly.
"Sweet Jesus..." Hermione breathed as she came and sat down next to him. "Are you okay?"
Harry nodded wearily. "Just a bit tired... those wards took a lot out of me."
Hermione, who'd been sitting in front of the window, had watched as Harry set up the defences, and had been overwhelmed by the amount of raw magical power pouring out of Harry as he'd set ward after spell after enchantment. She knew most of them, thanks to her advanced reading, not to mention the complete Hogwarts curriculum that Harry had provided to her as her Christmas present during first year, but some of the spells, not to mention the power which they were cast at, were beyond her. Even now, she could feel them tingling on the edge of her senses, providing a secure feeling.
"I... I can almost feel it." Emma said as she handed him another drink. "Like listening to a conversation in another room. You can almost hear the voices..."
"Wouldn't surprise me." Harry said, taking a long slug of his coke. "There's rather a large energy field out there right now. Might have a few side-effects, but nothing harmful."
"Side-effects?" Hermione asked instantly. "What sort of side-effects?"
Harry blinked as he realised someone was speaking to him. "Hmm? Oh, nothing bad. Your plants'll grow better, since the magic surrounding the house is protective in nature. It's designed to protect everything inside. You'll no doubt feel more comfortable in the house than you did before, since your subconscious knows that there's about fifty different spells protecting the house now. Stuff like that."
"Oh..." Emma smiled at Harry. "Thank you, Harry."
"My..." He trailed off as a yawn came over him, "pleasure..."
"Go. Sleep." Hermione commanded, pointing at the stairs. "You're knackered, Harry, and you..." She trailed off as a small snore answered her.
Snape paced around his lab, fuming at yet another defeat at the hands of the Potter spawn. His pride, always a delicate and weak thing, had taken another blow from Potter, and he'd had enough. Slowly, he began to plan how to destroy the brat in the most painful and humiliating way possible.
"Potter will die by my hands!" He swore to himself. "So mote it be!"
Unknown to anyone at that moment in time, Snape had just set himself on a course that could never be undone... but the ramifications would be some time in coming.
Waking up, Padfoot took a deep breath, searching for anything that could be used for breakfast. Quickly, he found a rabbit just a few dozen metres away. Retreating into the rear of Padfoot's mind, Sirius allowed the Grim's instincts to hunt the creature effectively. Slowly, the animal ghosted forward, making no sound as it approached the hapless little bunny...
Sitting by his small fire, Sirius stripped the juicy flesh from the rabbit's carcass and ate his 'd been making good time and was almost a third of the way towards Hogwarts. He still had over a month to complete the journey, before the Weasley boy and the ratwould be back in the school.
He'd avoided the magical areas, knowing that was a one-way ticket to the last kiss of his life, and he was too young, too good-looking and had entirely too many good-looking witches to satisfy before he began chasing cars in the great beyond.
While on his scavenging missions, he'd spotted poorly-concealed Aurors attempting to search some of the bigger Muggle towns for him. He'd always been able to spot them; any man wearing a spaghetti-strapped top and heels while wearing a kilt just screamed 'wizard!'. He'd avoided them, not knowing if anyone (Remus) had told them about his illegal Animagus form. Better to run and fight another day than get caught being stupid.
Taking a few moments to digest his meal, Sirius reaching into a pocket, pulling out a small collection of parchment. He opened the first, reading through the notes the mysterious 'Stripeclaw' had sent him. Unfortunately, he had no way of replying to the messages, since they'd always been delivered by Portkey and there was only a Marauder-type name on them.
I hope one day, I get a chance to thank whoever this person is. He thought, while reading through his most-read sentence: 'He is well, and protected for the moment'. Harry was safe and protected for moment. For the moment. Sirius had to protect Harry. Not only had he made the promise to James, just a few seconds after being introduced to the small, red, angry and wailing Harry, but to Harry and himself. He would protect the Potter family with every last ounce of his strength. He'd failed before, by not spotting Pettigrew being the traitor... but he wouldn't fail again.
Come rain or shine, hell or high water, Dementors, dragons... it didn't matter. The one with the Padded Foot, He-Who-Marauds-To-Prank, would protect Harry. Or die trying.
The subject of Sirius' musing was still dozing lightly on a couch in the Grangers' living room. Hermione hadn't really moved, only enough to gently pull Harry's head into her lap and allow her mother to place a blanket over the sleeping wizard.
Hermione knew it was inappropriate... but having Harry's head in her lap was certainly a stimulating thought. She knew that she was too young for... well, anything but some light petting, but Harry was just too adorable for her to avoid her fantasies.
"Hermione?"
Looking up, the bushy-haired witch spotted her mother looking at her with a rather... amused expression. "Yes, Mum?"
"You're looking entirely too innocent, Hermione. I know you're thinking rude thoughts."
Blushing beautifully, Hermione glanced down at Harry's sleepily-gorgeous face. "I'm..."
"Don't say you're not, Hermione Jane." Her mother scolded lightly. "I can read you like a book."
"Okay." Hermione sighed. "He's just so..."
"I know, sweetie." Emma chuckled at her daughter's blush, before turning onto slightly more serious matters. "Hermione, I know that, by now, you've read everything there is to know about this Sirius Black fellow."
Hermione nodded.
"What did you find out?"
"Sirius Black was one of James Potter's best friends while at Hogwarts." She began reciting. "Along with Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin, the four of them were considered some of the most notorious pranksters in Hogwarts thousand year history. When the Potters went into hiding in 1981, Black was the Secret-Keeper for the Fidelius charm. He betrayed them to Voldemort, who then went to Godric's Hollow and killed the elders, while trying to kill Harry. If Black hadn't given up the secret, Harry would have been raised with his parents."
Emma nodded as she assimilated the facts. "Okay... that basically covers what Harry told us, but in a bit more detail. Harry said that Black attacked another wizard?"
"Peter Pettigrew. On November 1st, 1981, Sirius Black attacked and killed Peter Pettigrew on Broad Street, in Peter's home town of Birmingham. During the attack, there was an explosion, killing twelve people and obliterating Pettigrew. The only thing they could find of him was a finger. He was promptly awarded the Order of Merlin posthumously."
"So, Black not only betrayed his best friends to Voldemort, but also killed another one of them himself." Emma said. "What about that fourth man? Lupin?"
"I don't know." Hermione said. "I couldn't find anything else about him in the books I read. I don't know what happened to him... hell, I don't even know if he's still alive."
"What about Black? How was he captured? He seems to be powerful if he can blow up a street."
"Again, there's limited information available." Hermione said. "When the Aurors arrived, under the leadership of Bartemius Crouch, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Black was simply stood in the street, staring at the devastation and laughing. He was captured with no resistance being offered. That's where the record ends."
Emma nodded, still looking thoughtful. "Since you've read the books, read through the lines, Hermione. What do you think happened?"
Hermione's eyes grew distant as her fine mind picked facts, discarded others, and finally, came up with a theory. "One possible scenario is that Black simply lost it. He betrayed his friends, made his allegiance known, and then his master was defeated by baby Harry. Some say that Pettigrew tried to track Black down and capture him, as vengeance for the Potters."
"That's certainly a plausible theory." Harry said, speaking into Hermione's stomach. Slowly, he hauled himself upright, the nap helping him slightly, but needing a couple of days of rest after his massive magical expenditure. Hermione let out a small 'eep' as Harry woke up, but pulled him into a hug as she realised that they were casually discussing the man who'd directly led to the murder of his parents.
"Thanks, Hermione." Harry said softly into her neck, before licking her slightly. With another 'eep', she let him go. Harry sat up straight, yawning and stretching. "Personally, I don't want to speculate about what happened. I want to speak to Black and get the skinny directly from his mouth. I wouldn't mind finding out more about Lupin, but that could be difficult. One thing I'm not going to do is leap to conclusions."
Slowly, Emma leaned forward. "Harry, you aren't planning on looking for Black, are you?"
Harry shook his head. "Looking for him? No, I'm not."
"Thank goodness." Emma replied, relaxing slightly.
"But I do firmly predict that he'll attempt to find me." Harry's bombshell made both ladies freeze. "If Hermione's theory's right, and Black did 'come out' on Voldemort's side, just as his attack rendered him powerless, he'll be coming for me, hoping to kill me. If Hermione's theory isn't right, and it's something else, there's still a good chance he'll be coming for me."
Emma stared at Harry, looking for something in his eyes. Evidently, she didn't find it. She shot to her feet, dashing into the kitchen, returning a few moments later, her communication mirror in hand. Jabbing her thumb on the rune, she barked, "Granger to Bones!"
It took a few seconds, but the mirror opened. "This is Susan Bones. Mrs. Granger?"
"Yes." Emma stared, hard, at the mirror. "Is your Aunt available, Susan?"
"Not at the moment, ma'am. She's been working rather long days ever since Black escaped."
"Any news on that?"
Susan's voice was tentative. "Er... I don't know, ma'am. Most of Auntie Amelia's work is secret, so there's a lot she can't tell me. She hasn't said anything about it, so I don't think so."
Emma looked up at Harry. "Will your box-thing get us to see her?"
Harry's eyebrow shot up. "It would get us to the Ministry, yes."
Grabbing her jacket, Emma glanced at the mirror. "Thank you, Susan. I'm sure Harry or Hermione will be in contact shortly." Without waiting for a response, Emma jabbed her thumb on the rune again, closing the channel. "Let's go."
Hermione glanced at Harry, before shrugging.
On a quiet street in London, a wheezing/groaning sound began to fill the air. Where there was once just a broken telephone box, a second box-shape filled in, before the wheezing/groaning sound reached a crescendo, and ended with a 'thud'. Seconds later, the door opened, revealing a witch, a wizard and a majorly pissed off non-magical.
Harry led them into the phone box, dialling 6-2-4-4-2 on the phone box.
"Visitors, welcome to the Ministry of Magic." A voice called out. "Please state your name and your reason for visiting the Ministry today."
"Harry Potter, rescue mission." He said, smiling grimly.
With a slight frown, Hermione leaned forward the handset. "Hermione Jane Granger... I'm with Harry."
"Emma Granger, and I'm here to tear strips off your Law Enforcement Director."
"Thank you. Please take your visitor's badge and attach it to your robes." Three small thuds sounded from the handset, prompting Harry to reach into the coin return and fish out three badges. He couldn't resist seeing what the silly automagic device had put on each of them. As he predicted, Harry's read 'Harry Potter: Rescue Mission' while Hermione's read 'Hermione Jane Granger: Harry's Girlfriend' which made the young man smile... although, not as much as the third badge, which simply read 'Emma Granger: Stripper'. Resisting the urge to snigger, he passed the badges around, pinning his to his jacket.
While pinning the badges on, the phone box they were stood in began to descend into the ground, turning the inside as black as night as they passed through the pavement.
Once the lift had descended, Emma shot out of the lift, stomping up to the security desk. The guard looked up sleepily, spotting a visitor.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Mag-"
"Save it!" Emma snapped. "I want to speak to Amelia Bones, right now."
Eric the guard looked up. "You need to register your wand, first."
"I don't have a wand." Emma snapped. "And I'm not in the mood for bureaucracy. I want to see her now."
As a non-magical person, Emma Granger was no match for even a weak and ill-trained wizard... but to Eric the Security Guard, she was terrifying. Without saying a word, he scribbled a note onto a piece of parchment and tapped it with his wand, sending it flying away. "I've just sent her a note telling her you're here."
"Thank you." Emma ground out.
Harry was stood a few feet back, thoroughly enjoying watching the scene. As a non-magically raised person, he knew just how intimidating a dentist could be.
Three minutes later, a glowing lion appeared in the atrium, heading straight for the security desk. It opened its mouth and said three words; "Let them pass."
Harry nodded at Eric, before linking arms with Emma and Hermione and walking towards the lift.
"Mrs. Granger?" Amelia looked up as a rather-irate woman burst into her office. "Is there a problem?"
Without waiting to be invited, Emma sat down in front of Amelia's desk, crossing her legs demurely. "I want to know what progress has been made in finding Sirius Black." She said bluntly.
"Unfortunately... none." Amelia replied, just as bluntly. "We know he's out, but we have no way of tracking him."
Harry stepped forward. "Good afternoon, Madam Bones."
"Hi, Harry."
"Do you mind if I ask what steps have been taken to find him?" He asked politely.
Amelia sighed. "We've got three full squads of Aurors, under Senior Auror Shacklebolt, patrolling as much of the British Isles as we can. We've sent a forensic team up to Azkaban and the tips of Scotland that he could have landed on, but there's nothing. No apparition traces, no Portkey residue. There were some faint traces in his cell, but they were all old."
Carefully controlling a flinch, Harry nodded. I didn't know they'd be able to detect my Portkey traces... damn... I didn't think that technique was discovered for another 34 years... "Portkey traces in his cell?"
"Yes... they were faded, but they seemed to indicate small, inert matter. Nothing magically-active passed through the walls into his cell."
Double damn... "What sorts of things could they be, then? I mean, I doubt a lock pick would work on the doors there, and from what I've heard, he was in maximum security."
"He was." Amelia confirmed with a sigh. "I honestly don't know how it worked. In centuries, no-one's ever escaped Azkaban. The Dementors are absolutely furious. According to the Azkaban liaison, they're talking about sending out their own hunting parties. Naturally, we've forbidden that."
Harry shuddered at the prospect of Dementors casually patrolling non-magical cities, looking for a particular wizard. Even though non-magicals couldn't see them, their soul-sucking, happiness-stealing powers would be devastating.
Emma, though, wasn't pleased. "What can be done, Amelia? I wanna keep my kids safe."
Hermione beamed at Harry at the description, causing him to blush slightly, but his grin was equally massive. Amelia, however, looked a little put out. "'Your' kids?"
"Yes." Emma replied firmly.
"You're not the only one who cares for them." Amelia said, just as firmly. "The way things are going, I think we're all gonna be getting closer..."
Harry smiled warmly. "I... appreciate it, from both of you. And I suspect that you're right. Things are getting tenser. The escape of Sirius Black is certainly a cause for concern." He smiled at Amelia, making her blush slightly, before giving the same smile to Emma... who blushed slightly.
"Behave." Hermione whispered to him, knowing that his boyish charm worked on the older ladies as well as her. "Honestly, Harry..."
Straightening up, Harry turned back to Amelia. "Is there anything that we can do to help you, Madam Bones?"
"No." She replied immediately. "Out of everyone in the magical world, Harry, I want you to stay away. Black will almost certainly be looking for you, and while I'm sure you can take care of yourself, I don't want you to put yourself into harm's way."
It's inevitable I'll end up in harm's way anyway... Harry groused to himself. "Very well, Madam. I've placed a package of defensive wards at the Grangers' house, so I'll stay there for most of the summer, with their permission?" Emma and Hermione were nodding emphatically. "Well... it appears I'll be staying there. Of course, I'll have the odd trip out, places like Diagon Alley, and maybe even a trip overseas for a holiday, but I'll stay out of sight."
Amelia nodded, sighing. "Good, Harry. Thank you. If I hear anything more, I'll be in touch."
"Thank you." Harry stood, extending his left arm for Hermione, and his right for Emma. "Ladies?" Once they'd linked their arms, Harry led them out of the office.
As the Portkey Box materialised in the Grangers' back yard, Emma was glancing around the interior. "Harry?"
Shutting down the gyroscope, Harry didn't look up. "Hmm?"
"Is it safe in here?"
"Yes." He replied, still not looking up. He noticed a small programming fault in the gyro response timer, so began correcting it.
"Wouldn't it be better to stay in here, then?"
"No." Finally looking up, he spotted the motherly concern on her face. "Emma, if we allow Sirius Black to control our lives..." He trailed off as his mind offered a slightly different response than the one he was gonna use, we'll all be pissed, poxed and happy... He cleared his throat, "Black is a threat, true, but I have no intention of allowing him to control my life. If allow the darkness to rule our lives, they've won, regardless of any battles that still need to be fought."
Emma nodded slowly. "I suppose... but I don't wanna see you get hurt, Harry."
"Neither do I." Harry replied, a cheeky little smile on his face. "It'll be okay, Emma. You'll see."
"Promise?" Hermione asked, her voice small and scared.
"Have I ever let you down?" Harry asked, staring intently at her, and breaking into a grin as she shook her head. "Trust me."
"I do."
When Dan returned from work that evening, he was quickly briefed by Emma about the events of the day. Like Emma, Dan was rather fond of Harry, especially when considering the effect he'd had on their baby girl. She'd grown as a person, becoming far more confident and in control... except when it came to Harry.
"You know... I've been thinking about this." Dan said, peering over his shoulder, making certain the 'children' weren't listening in. "Harry seems to be Hermione's weakness."
Emma nodded. "True... but, she's his weakness, Dan. Together, they seem to be complete, but if one is taken away..."
"Yeah..."
"So, we need to make certain that they stay together." Dan flinched. "Oh, stop it!" Emma scolded. "You and I both know they're too young for that."
"Are they?" Dan muttered.
In the sitting room, Hermione was staring at Harry intently. "Harry?"
"Hmm?" He looked up from his semi-dozing, spotting a rather intense look on Hermione's face. "You okay, My Only?"
"Yeah... I need to ask you something."
"Shoot."
"How good are you at defence? I mean really."
Harry stared for a moment. "I'm pretty good."
"Specifics, Harry. Third year? Fifth year?"
Sighing heavily, Harry shook his head. "I could probably pass my Defence Mastery exam right now, Hermione. It's probably the subject I've studied the most."
She nodded. "I want you to train me, Harry. Teach me how to fight. Teach me how to protect... people."
Harry wasn't thick. "Protect... people?"
"Teach me how to protect you, Harry. You've said yourself there's a storm coming. I want to be ready when it gets here. I want to be able to fight."
He wanted to say 'you won't need to fight' or 'you're too young', but he knew that would be the height of hypocrisy. This Hermione was shaping up to be even more determined than the original had been all those centuries ago. She'd shed that annoying 'authority figures are always right and must be respected' shtick she'd used originally and focussed on her friends. He nodded heavily. "I'll teach you."
Hermione clapped her hands together once. "Right... when do we begin?"
Harry thought for a moment. "We should probably get the others involved, shouldn't we?"
With a slight pout, Hermione shook her head. "Can we... can we include them tomorrow? I wouldn't mind some one-on-one time..."
"'One-on-one time', huh?" Harry asked with another of his heart-stoppingly cute grins. "Is this defence training or snuggle time?"
"I-I wouldn't mind both..." Hermione said, only to squeak as Harry pulled her into his arms, gently pulling her head onto his chest.
"Defence training tomorrow. Snuggle time now." Harry said, pressing a kiss to the top of Hermione's head.
"Mmkay..." Hermione sighed happily. "But we'll definitely do it tomorrow."
"I promise."