Bound

Rehabilitation

Albus had a dilemma He didn’t know how to feel. He had always been glad when injustices were corrected, and now a severe injustice was going to hopefully be reversed, yet he was one of those who caused that same injustice to happen. Would letting the truth surface benefit his image, or will the grave mistake that had been made almost twelve years earlier tarnish his image severely? He couldn’t honestly say he didn’t care, but he knew he would try his best to do the right thing and do whatever damage control was needed afterward.

Sirius’s trial didn’t get much publicity beforehand. Admitting to such grave errors was not something any administration would like to do and the current ministry was no exception. Yet there were a few reporters present, as always, making the outcome quite public.

Amelia could not be seen anywhere. She was in a turmoil, hoping Sirius would be acquitted, hoping their relationship could be renewed and yet feeling afraid to face him, to stand the chance of being accused by him as being less than what a good friend should have been, much less than an almost fiancée should have been.

It went quite smoothly, though. Dumbledore presented the case, stating the initial findings on the spot and Sirius’s incriminating behavior. Mr. Crouch, the head of the DMLE at that time gave a testimony to that effect. Dumbledore then proceeded to the Potter will, reading it out loud and presenting the authorized copy, continuing with interrogating Sirius under veritaserum and finishing by projecting Sirius’s memory of the confrontation.

Siruis was unanimously declared “not guilty” and all his privileges and honors were officially restored. He was also offered monetary compensation for his years in prison, which he promptly donated to an orphanage. When he was finally leaving the courtroom as a free man he was almost run down by Amelia, who started kissing and hugging him, barely letting him breathe.

Amelia offered Sirius to stay at her manor and recuperate while her house-elves, along with Kreacher – the only house elf remaining in the Black house, took care of his house and made it appropriate for living after so many years of neglect. Sirius accepted gratefully.

Sirius only had one question on his mind throughout his ordeal. “What happened to Harry?”

Amelia started telling him about Harry’s childhood, not knowing much herself. Sirius was appalled at hearing that the Dursleys raised Harry, yet knowing that the will had stayed hidden all that time, he could understand why this had happened.

Albus let Sirius recuperate for a few more days before he visited him.

“I want to meet Harry,” Sirius told him as soon as they met.

“Are you sure? Harry doesn’t know you and he only knows that you were his parents’ friend and his godfather and that you were accused of their betrayal, although incorrectly. Otherwise – you are a complete stranger to him.”

“That’s what I want to change. I want to get to know him and let him get to know me; I want to give him the fatherly influence that I’m sure he lacked; I want to reclaim his guardianship, as I’m sure the Dursleys were no good at the job.”

“Well, there is a slight problem with guardianship, you must know,” Albus said, quite reluctantly.

“What is it? I’ll fight the Dursleys with all my fortunes if I need to! I’ll...”

Albus raised his hand to stop Sirius’s rattling. “It’s nothing of the sort. To say it bluntly – Harry doesn’t need a guardian anymore. He is legally emancipated.”

Sirius seemed shocked. “He’s only twelve! You can’t be serious.”

Albus couldn’t refrain from replying. “I’m not. You are Sirius,” which made Sirius grimace with frustration. “Harry was soul bound with his girlfriend just a few weeks ago, a few days before you were brought back to London. This bond made them a married couple and emancipated them. Then, as Lord Potter, he was allowed into his vault and his parents’ will was discovered, leading to your release.”

Sirius was really shocked now. He sat down, trying to comprehend. “So... Harry is soul-bound to this girl...” It took him another moment to start questioning again. “Is she worthy of him?”

Albus smiled. “I believe she is the smartest witch of her generation, much like Lilly. She is also muggle-born, like her, and she has been Harry’s best friend almost since they started Hogwarts.”

Sirius seemed to relax a bit. “How are they now? Where are they now?”

“They are spending the vacation with her parents. They could not be separated after the bond and the Dursleys...”

“You don’t need to say anything about them. Lilly would be so furious once we meet again in the afterlife...”

Sirius was quiet for a few minutes. “When can I meet him?” he finally asked.

“I intend to visit there this evening. I don’t think they would mind if I bring you along.”

Sirius’s reaction was almost comical. He became extremely agitated, wanting to look his best and make a good impression. He checked through his still limited wardrobe for the best looking garments and then took a shower, combed and trimmed his beard and his hair, used a liberal amount of manly perfume and then put on his clothes and checked himself several times in the mirror. “Will they accept me?” he asked nervously.

“The Grangers are very open-minded people. Be yourself and everything will be fine,” Albus told him.

Sirius left Amelia a note, telling her he was visiting Harry and would return later. Albus smiled internally. The old Sirius would not have thought about leaving a note. He seemed to have finally grown up, somewhat.

They apparated to a deserted alley near the Granger residence. Albus led the way and rang the door bell on arrival.

“Good evening, Professor. My parents are due any moment now. Would you like to wait for them?”

“Yes, that would be fine. I also brought somebody with me. Will that be OK?”

The girl scanned Sirius attentively. “Yes, I see no problem,” she said, moving aside and letting them in.

Sirius was reminded of Lilly. This girl didn’t have her fiery hair, but she seemed to be just as smart and acted just as Lilly would have. As they went in he heard her call “Harry, we have guests.”

“I’ll heat some water and join you,” he heard the boy’s voice.

Hermione led them to the living room, where Harry joined them a minute later.

Albus made the introduction. “I’m sure you’re both wondering who this young man is,” he said, gesturing towards Sirius.

“Do you remember the will reading? It first stated that Sirius was not their secret keeper. Well, Sirius was believed to be and he spent eleven, almost twelve years in jail, but now, once the truth was revealed, he would really like to get to know his godson.”

“So, you are Sirius?” Hermione asked. She didn’t wait for his replay before adding “I’m Hermione, Harry’s friend and now... his wife?” She seemed to be unsure of her title.

Sirius chuckled. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Potter.” He shook the offered hand and turned to Harry, who was watching him as if in trance. “And you must be Harry, I presume.”

Harry was still dazed. “Sirius?...” He then shook himself back to normal. “I mean, pleased to meet you, sir.”

Sirius smiled. “You may both call me Sirius or any nickname you want. I can’t tell you how much I’m excited to finally meet you, Harry. I should have acted wiser at the time and made sure to be able to raise you, like Lilly wanted. I’m sorry to have failed you.”

“I’m sorry you had to suffer so long for somebody else’s crimes, but it’s not your failure really.”

“I’m glad you think so but I still feel awful for not being able to raise you the way your parents hoped I would.”

Harry didn’t want to dwell on the past that could not be changed. He wanted to learn some more about his parents, though, and he wanted to get to know Sirius, who had been one of his parents’ closest friends.

Albus watched as Sirius and the young Potters were slowly building a new friendship. He knew how important that was for both Harry and Sirius and hoped this relationship, along with the bond, would help give Harry what he had missed during his childhood with the Dursleys.

He introduced Sirius to the Grangers as soon as they came home. Soon the whole group was having dinner together.

“Mr. Black, I understand that you need to rebuild your ties with Harry just as we want to build ours, as he’s now our son-in-law. Would you like to join us for our vacation in France? We’re going to stay a week at the riviera and then travel a bit, ending the journey in Paris, before taking the train home.”

“I’d love that, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. I wouldn’t trust myself near all those gorgeous ladies on the beach, not after spending twelve years in solitary confinement, hardly seeing anybody at all. I also need to rebuild my relationship with my girlfriend, well – lady-friend. She wouldn’t trust me alone on the French Riviera either. Justly, I may add.”

Both Hermione and Jean chuckled. Sirius was clearly a charming man and was very aware of this.

“Well, if you say so...” Jean replied. “You are still welcome here whenever you choose to visit.”

“Thank you, kind lady. I’ll also be glad to invite you to my house once it is ready. After so many years of neglect, it needs a serious make-over to be livable again.”

They were already in the sitting room, enjoying their after-dinner chat, when Albus requested their attention again. “Harry, as you seem to attract trouble, I’d like you to start training in all kinds of defensive arts that you can. I know there are some forms of muggle combat arts – learn as much as you can during your vacations. Sirius will also help you learn some of the magical ways and I will try to teach you as well. I want to meet you twice a week after you return from France, and we shall continue during term.”

“Don’t you think Hermione should learn this as well?” asked Harry.

“Everything concerning one of you is concerning the other just as much. You should both train and learn all that you can, so that whenever you meet your foe again you’ll be able not only to survive but also to finish him for good,” Albus explained.

“Do you mean they should kill somebody?” Jean asked with some disapproval in her voice.

Albus sighed. “I wish there was another way, and yet – this would not be the first time.”

Jean looked at Harry very suspiciously. “Would you mind to elaborate?”

Harry felt uncomfortable. “When we went to rescue the Philosopher’s Stone, I was facing Quirrel alone in the last room. He tried to touch me and got burnt at the touch. This was probably my mother’s blood protection, as Professor Dumbledore told me. Quirrel didn’t want to touch me again, but Voldemort forced him to try and strangle me, despite his pain. All I could do was try to protect myself by pushing his head back with both my hands. It caused his face to disintegrate and soon there was nothing left of him, Voldemort fled his body with a scream, similar to the one we heard when we bonded.”

Hermione felt her emotions overflow. “Oh, Harry! Why didn’t you tell me? It’s awful!”

Harry just shrugged. “I was in the hospital wing first, and then there was the farewell feast and we didn’t talk about it anymore.”

“There’s also the Basilisk that you killed,” Albus reminded him.

“Well, yes. It was the day we got the bond. Ginny, Ron’s little sister, was taken into the chamber of secrets and her life threatened. We couldn’t let her die. Eventually I had to face a Basilisk. Fawkes brought the sword to me and I pushed it into the ceiling of its mouth when it tried to bite me again.”

“Again?” both Grangers asked.

“Well, it had bitten me once before, but Fawkes healed it with his tears.”

“Who is Fawkes?” Jean asked.

“My pet Phoenix,” Albus said.

Sirius was shocked. He could never imagine such dangers lurking at Hogwarts and he could now understand how special that little boy was. Few full-blown wizards could fight a Basilisk and live to tell about it. He also knew he would have a very long conversation with Albus. Something was very wrong if the old man couldn’t get rid of these dangers on time.

They were all silent for a few moments, and then Dave spoke. “I can teach you Judo. It’s more of a sport than a combat art, but we can start immediately and build your endurance and your discipline even during vacation. You can then get some Karate lessons when we return. We’ll have to check what can be done during the school year.”

“I used to be a good dueler in my time, although I may be a bit rusty right now. I can teach you when you return. By then, my house should be ready and it has a room for practice, which should suit us fine,” Sirius added.

“Well, I’m glad this is settled. When are you leaving for France?” Albus asked.

“We’re taking the plane to Nice the coming weekend and we’ll be back fifteen days later.”

“Good. I’ll see you then.”

Albus and Sirius took their leave soon and the others retired for the night.

Harry didn’t think much of Dave’s offer to train him, but he was reminded of it the next morning, when Dave knocked on their door. “Hurry up! We can’t spend the whole day waiting!” he urged them.

Two hours later, when Dave finally let them return to their room and shower, Harry felt like he needed another night’s rest to recover and was quite surprised that Hermione didn’t look as tired.