Bound

Justice

Sirius met them at the train station, wearing normal muggle clothes, yet he was still attracting attention. As a tall, handsome man with evident charisma he was eyed lustfully by many women and enviously by most men. He hugged Harry tightly, and shook hands with the others. “My house is ready now. I’d like you to come and visit.”

Jean smiled at him. “Don’t you think we should rather go home first, unpack our luggage and get organized before we can accept your invitation?”

“Oh, I didn’t intend you to come right at this moment. I just wanted you to know that you are really welcome at my house. You may reach it using the Floo. The address is 12 Grimmauld Place.”

“The Floo?”

“I’ll explain,” Hermione intervened, “But I’m not sure we are connected,” she said to Sirius.

“I’ve already taken care of that. You are connected but unlisted. Only those you give your address to would be able to use it, and there are also wards you may use to further screen visitors.”

“Well, it may take us a few hours to get organized, but we’ll be glad if you join us for dinner to tell us some more and also set the schedule for Harry and Hermione to start training with you,” Jean said.

“Fine! Let me just drive you home. I have my own car nearby.”

Sirius led them to the parking lot, where an elegant two-seater sports car was parked.

“How do you intend us all to cram in here?” Dave asked incredulously.

“How? By magic, of course.”

The car’s trunk was much larger than one could guess from its outside dimensions. Their luggage went in with room to spare. This was also true of the passenger compartment. Where normally only two people could sit with a handbag or two stowed behind the seats, this car had three rows of seats, accommodating seven passengers easily. Sirius waved them all in before taking the driver seat. He said the address out loud and the car started moving by itself. It stayed on the road the whole time, yet they reached home in just a few minutes. Dave seemed confused by the speed. Even driving that distance in the middle of the night, with no traffic and no red lights would have taken almost an hour, yet he didn’t ask. He already knew what the answer would be: magic.

Sirius helped Dave and Harry carry the luggage in and then departed, promising to come back for dinner.

Harry was glad to be back. Although he had only lived in this house a few weeks, it was already “home” much more than 4 Privet Drive had ever been. Just looking at all those books lining the walls, at Hermione’s clothes hanging in the wardrobe and at the bed where they became one for the first time filled his heart with a kind of happiness he had never known before. Hermione was sensing his feeling and she took his hand, caressing it lightly and enhancing his happiness.

Sirius wanted to see their purchases after dinner. Hermione and Harry invited him to their room. After some teasing directed at the young couple, Sirius looked through their purchases. He admired the wand holsters and the tent and was quite impressed by some of the clothing they bought in France.

Harry then told him of the two boxes he had received from Petunia and asked for his help sorting them out. While Harry was handling the first box, Sirius happened to see the Weasley photo from Egypt. He smiled seeing Ron wave at the camera and Ginny waving shyly as well. He was going to put it aside when he noticed the rat climbing on Ron’s shoulder.

“Harry, who are these?” he asked, barely keeping his voice calm.

“Oh, this is my friend Ron with his family. His father won some money in the lottery and they used it to visit Egypt, where his eldest brother is working for Gringotts as a curse breaker.”

“Ron Weasley?” Sirius asked, noticing the red hair on all heads.

“Sure. Do you know him?”

“I don’t know him, of course, but I knew his parents before...”

“He’s my best friend, apart from Hermione, that is.”

Harry was surprised that Sirius didn’t tease him at once.

“Is this his pet?” Sirius asked, pointing at the rat.

“Yes. It’s been in the family since his older brothers went to Hogwarts, about eleven years, I believe. Why?”

“I have a certain idea. Do you mind giving me this picture for a day or two? I promise to give it back intact.”

“Well, why not?”

Sirius left just a bit later. He called Albus as soon as he reached home.

“I believe I know where Peter is,” he told the headmaster without bothering with protocol.

“Are you sure?”

“As sure as I can be without seeing him myself. Do you know the Weasleys?”

“They were among the first to join the Order. Why?”

“Their son, Ron, has a pet. Have you seen it?”

“It’s just a ra...” He stopped in mid sentence. Peter escaped as a rat. Could it be?

“Have you seen anything special in that rat?” Sirius pressed on.

“I don’t remember ever seeing it close. Why?”

“Ron sent a family picture to Harry. The rat is also in the picture. He misses a finger, and according to Harry, this rat is eleven years old at least; much too old for a regular animal.”

Dumbledore didn’t need it to be spelled for him. “We should contact the Weasleys immediately,” he said.

“According to Harry, they are still in Egypt and will only return in a week. I suggest we prepare a trap for Peter. He will try to run away and hide as soon as he discovers that we found him. We should prevent this. I can get a team of aurors to secure the house, but it won’t help us if he manages to escape as a rat.”

“I can ward the house to stop any animagus from escaping or even to force him into his human form.”

Sirius thought for a bit. “I think we should better let them return first, before doing anything. It may alert the rat prematurely.”

The plan was ready a few days before the Weasleys returned home. Albus dropped for a visit that same evening, with Sirius waiting outside, heading a group of well-trained aurors.

After the pleasantries were over, he asked Ron “May I see your rat?”

“It’s in my room. I’ll bring it here.”

Ron found the rat sleeping on his bed. He took it as tenderly as he could in his hand, which was actually quite roughly, and headed downstairs. The rat was agitated and tried jumping out of Ron’s hand, yet Ron held it too tight to be able to really fight.

“Put it down on the table,” Dumbledore instructed Ron.

The rat felt trapped. It tried to run away, but invisible walls held it at the corner of the table, unable to move too much in any direction. Dumbledore’s wand moved in a tight circle as he whispered an incantation. The rat froze and started changing. A moment later there was a man sitting on the table.

“Hello, Peter. It’s been quite a long time since we last saw you,” the headmaster said. His tone was light, but his face looked dead serious and his wand continued pointing at the man. “Care to tell us why you’ve been hiding for so long?” Peter sat there trembling. He tried transforming a few times and found it impossible. He knew he was trapped, and having heard of Sirius rehabilitation he knew he had nothing good to look forward to.

Albus didn’t wait for Peter to respond. “Let the aurors in,” he told Arthur, whom he had briefed while Ron was upstairs. Peter was soon cuffed with anti-animagus cuffs and tied well. His wand was removed from his robes and he was taken to the holding cells at the ministry under heavy guard.

Harry and Hermione were not aware of these events. Hermione’s parents had decided it was time for Harry to meet the rest of their family: aunts, uncles, cousins and most important – Hermione’s grandparents.

Harry was quite reluctant at first, although he agreed to be presented as an orphan. He really was one, so there was no reason to deny it. Jean and Dave also wanted to announce their guardianship, but Harry wasn’t sure it was such a good idea. He knew they cared for him, yet he liked being independent, as he already was in the magical world. He preferred not to tell anything about it yet. Being an orphan and a good friend with Hermione was reason enough to spend the summer vacation with her family.

Dave’s parents proved to be quite as nice as their son. They accepted Harry warmly as just another member of the extended family. They showed a lot of interest in Hermione’s school life as they were aware of her special talents and rejoiced in them. Harry was almost tempted to tell them about the soul-bond. Only Hermione’s silent warning stopped him on time. ‘They would be appalled to know we are already paired for good. They had married relatively late, after having lived with several partners each, so being tied at our age would not be appreciated.’

Jean’s parents were a different story, though. ‘Remember, we are at a boarding school for the gifted. Don’t even mention magic. They don’t know about it and would probably react badly if they knew the truth’, Hermione warned him at the door.

Jean’s parents, as well as her sister and her brother-in-law, acted like higher-middle-class snobs. While they appreciated the Grangers’ education and even more – their income, they thought that their daughter deserved to live in a better neighborhood and to wear more fanciful clothing. The fact that Jean liked her life better this way didn’t even register. They were very polite with Harry, but showed him no warmth. He felt as if they were just an upgraded version of the Dursleys. Hermione didn’t like the comparison.

The Potters were brought back to reality by an owl from Ron, telling them of the loss of his rat and the capture of Peter. Sirius filled them in with the latest news the next morning, when they joined him for training.

Peter’s trial took place a few days later. During interrogation he spilled out the names of all death-Eaters that he knew, including their relative rank. Amelia didn’t wait too long to bring all of them into custody, a few of her aurors included. Despite all this, special security precautions were set for the trial: No weapon of any kind (wand, knife, sword, pistol, rifle, etc...) was allowed near the court hall; All members of the wizengamot as well as all spectators were scanned to enforce the “no weapon” policy; A special reinforced-glass-walled cage was erected for the accused, to protect him from curses, should one of the aurors or the judges prove untrustworthy.

The minister was fuming: many of his loyal supporters had been arrested, based on the suspect’s testimony, yet he could do nothing without becoming suspiciously involved as well. He preferred not to be involved at all, leaving the chief warlock in charge of the proceedings.

The case proved very simple, as far as the judicial part was considered. Peter confessed to being the Potter secret keeper and to have betrayed them to Voldemort. He also repeated the list of the Death Eaters he had known and their ranks, making it a field day for the press. Some judges just couldn’t accept this. “Lucius Malfoy had been acquitted as being under Imperius during that time,” one noted. “How can you know for sure that he wasn’t?”

“Lucius Malfoy was in the closest circle to the Dark Lord. To be there, one had to prove his loyalty to his master beyond any doubt. Those who were imperiused were only kept at the lowest rank,” Peter replied, still under Veritaserum.

Other names were also double checked with similar results.

Peter was sentenced for life in Azkaban, but the other implications of his trial were far-fetching, as prominent members of the magical society were either imprisoned or fled the country, not willing to stand justice.

Harry wasn’t involve in any of this. He only read about it in “The Daily Prophet” and Sirius told him the main points as well. He was just glad to put all this behind him.

The young couple continued training with Dave and with Sirius. Dave was a ruthless coach, forcing them to go a step beyond their assumed limits each time, making them fitter and stronger. The training was also enhancing their reflexes, making them react much faster and in a more precise way to any challenge.

Their improved fitness also proved beneficial with Sirius. He taught them standard dueling practices using traditional weapons like swords and knives, considering them just as essential as the magical dueling practices, which he also started working on, building their stamina and teaching them many new spells.

Harry was sure that by the end of the summer vacation, both would be physically and magically in much better shape than any of their class mates.