FATW Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: At Black Castle:

The rest of the school year went by for Harry in a blur of studying, meeting with the committee in charge of the World Quidditch cup and getting to know his Godfather. He found his godfather a good and noble man who had a very good since of humor. He could be a bit immature Harry thought and he would tell him so every once and a while. Sirius would look at him wide-eyed and Remus would pretend to tear up as he told Harry he was so like his mother. One of the times Harry had stated he needed to grow up was after Sirius had tried to prank Harry and Severus Snape had heard that. He had awarded Gryffindor five points leaving Harry shocked and Sirius sputtering in confusion.

The last prank of the year had been the best and no-one suspected Hermione helping pull this off at all. On the leaving feast as the students were enjoying the meal and Ravenclaw was enjoying their narrow win of the Inner House cup over Gryffindor the prank went off. One moment the walls were their normal gray stone the next they were a lovely shade of pink. The only thing that did not turn pink were the Ravenclaw banners and the head table. Even the tables and benches turned pink and the headmaster's eyes were twinkling merrily. Severus was glaring at the Weasley twins who looked confused at who had bested them for this was not their work at all! They looked over at Hermione in awe.

"Fred dear brother I think we have a master prankster among us." George said.

"Yes, a genius sitting here with us lowly mortals." Fred replied. "How did you manage this Hermione?" "I had some help, Luna and Ginny helped." Hermione said, "you owe me now."

"We do at that brother dearest." Fred replied, "we do at that."

"This is the best prank we have seen in a long time." George replied.

"Yea Snape is about to burst a blood vessel." Harry said smirking.

It was only too true Severus looked as if he was going to have an aneurysm as he glared for all he was worth at the students at the Gryffindor table most notably at two twin boys. He would never be able to prove that they had anything to do with this of course. Right by him Remus had covered his mouth refusing to laugh as he knew Severus would kill him right then and there. This was the kind prank that was very funny and one that Remus was enjoying very much. He did his best not to show it and concentrated on his rare steak refusing to look up at the very pink great room. It was a great send off to the year he thought to himself.

So much had happened over the past year, he had helped rid the world of several evil people, found a new friend, and had helped free an old one and imprison the guilty one in Azkaban. Harry was doing much better now, he was happy and Remus made sure to make the young teen feel loved and wanted and he knew Sirius did the same. Being with Harry helped Sirius heal more than anything else as Sirius had had a very hard life starting with evil parents who beat him then tried to kill him as a teen when he refused to accept their evil ways. Then he had been betrayed and sent to Azkaban without a trial to suffer unimaginable horrors and he had come out mostly unharmed.

Remus had finally calmed down enough to make a promised visit to the Dursleys with Sirius. They had fun with what they did, Vernon and Petunia thought they got off light, the boy not ever coming back that was a dream to them! They would find out their reputation was shattered when Remus "helpfully" told the neighbors he taught at Harry's school, that it was a school for the gifted, that the Potters had worked for the government and had been murdered. He was careful to not harm Dudley as part of Justin's work was to help make something of the boys at Smeltings. No he was learning his lessons and would be rewarded while his parents were punished for what they had done. He was not too hopeful that they would learn any lesson out of this at all.

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Twenty Four hours later Harry was flying over the countryside of England on the back of his godfather's motorbike. Sirius had created quite the stir coming to pick him up in biker gear, though his jacket and heavy black buckled boots were dragon skin the rest of his outfit was muggle down to his jeans and black tee shirt. He walked onto platform 9 and ¾ and students grinned at him noting how cool he looked while many parents were scandalized at his very muggle attire. The most put out were the Malfoys, mostly Narcissa who walked up to him and took in his muggle attire coldly. She was a tall stately woman with long honey blond hair piled up on her head, creamy white skin and steel gray eyes. She was clad in sweeping robes of deep green and Sirius bowed to her taking her hand and kissing it gently.

"Lady Malfoy it is an honor to see you after so many years." He said refusing to show anything but courtesy to her, he was head of an ancient and noble house after all. "You are more lovely than the last time I saw you."

"You on the other hand look like a muggle." Narcissa said coldly.

"No not really, can't fly my motorbike in robes after all." Sirius said grinning at the horrified look on her face. "Don't worry I updated the silencing charms and invisibility charms too."

"Ah if it is not Mr. Potter." Lucius said as Harry walked up to stand by his godfather his trunk already shrunk and put in his satchel.

"That is lord Potter to you!" Harry snapped at Lucius then he turned to Narcissa and bowed taking her hand and lightly kissing it. "It is an honor to meet you lady Malfoy. Words cannot describe your beauty, the sun weeps and the stars dim in jealousy at your beauty."

"That was very kind of you Lord Potter." Narcissa said.

"We must be going, it was good to see you Narcissa." Sirius said steering Harry away, "Lucy, see you later."

With that they left an amused Narcissa and enraged Lucius behind to walk through the barrier to where Sirius had parked the bike. He had Harry let Hedwig out of her cage then he shrunk the cage and Harry's broom putting them into a saddlebag on his bike. He put on a helmet then handed one to Harry and once Harry had his helmet on and was on the bike they were off. They rode down a side street and then Sirius make them and the bike invisible and with a push of a button they were off into the clouds. Harry loved flying this way, he loved the bike and he remembered being on it once so long ago but knew he had not been with Sirius at that time. It had been Hagrid who brought him to his aunt and uncle but now he was not going to them he was going home with his godfather to a place he was wanted and loved.

Sirius was not taking him to Grimmauld place, he could not live in such a dark place that held nothing but bad memories for him. He had gone back with several Aurors and Remus to clean out the place before he sold it along with all of Grimmauld square to St. Mungos. It was Remus who had found the locket and when Kreacher acted upset by this he had asked him what the locket meant to him. Kreacher had told him, Sirius was there and realized that Kreacher was a good elf and that he had been broken by the loss of Regulus, the only family member (besides Narcissa) who had showed love to the little elf. It had changed Sirius's views on house elves and he saw them now as having feelings and cares just as acute as any human. He asked Kreacher what he wanted most truthfully and Kreacher had asked only to be allowed to serve Narcissa, it was something Sirius was willing to allow as long as Kreacher did promise not to say a word about the locket to her or anyone else.

Now as head of the ancient House of Black he landed with Harry outside of black castle half a mile from the outer walls and the small cluster of homes that made up a small magical hamlet. Harry followed Sirius through the gatehouse and into the large courtyard and took in the emerald green grass and elder tree pruned carefully so it did not overshadow the courtyard. Flowers bordered the well tended path and a fountain fed a coy pond. The castle itself had on the main floor the large entry hall, two story high great hall, dining room, parlor, two story high library, kitchen, buttery, pantry, servants quarters, armory and guard house. The second level above this had a three sitting rooms, exercise chamber, solar and two bedrooms complete with bathrooms. The third and highest level had the remainder of the bedrooms complete with bathrooms of their own that had been converted from the antechambers left over from the middle ages. The dungeons were below the castle and these Sirius was having cleared out of dark and evil things.

"So what do you think?" Sirius asked as Harry looked around the oak paneled entry hall with the stairs twenty feet in front of him flanked by suits of armor, portraits of the Black family on the walls. "I know it is large but I could not take you to Grimmauld place, too many bad memories."

"I love it, it's brilliant!" Harry said grinning then he hugged his godfather, something he loved to do and Sirius loved to receive. "Thank you Siri."

"Sirius is very kind, he is letting me stay too." Remus said from the doorway to the large yet comfortable Parlor with its green sofas, large carved marble fireplace, pale green papered walls and grand piano. "This is an amazing castle."

"Much better than the place I grew up, the former lord Black was a right bastard but he was not as horrid to me as my parents. He at least did not disown me as my parents tried to do, though my mum did blast me off the family tapestry in anger. Not much else she could do after that, now if my father had become lord Black well let's just say that snake face would have had a powerful backer."

"Snake face? Is that what we are calling him?" Harry asked "I was thinking of calling him…."

"No swearing Harry." Remus said sternly.

Harry grinned at him and followed his godfather up the stairs to what was called the solar which to his surprise was a right cheerful room with walls papered in light yellow and honey colored wainscoting. A table was laid for tea and Harry realized how hungry he was as he took a seat at the table after his godfather did. He wanted Remus to sit before him but knew that etiquette did not allow for that. Remus was a commoner and though Harry hated the class distinction he had to uphold it even here, Remus refused to let him off the hook. Tea was a simple but filling affair with roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, good dark bread with real butter red wine for the adults and coke™ for Harry as he liked it. At the end of the tea a large treacle tart with a side of whipped cream appeared on the table along with tea.

"Now as you are no longer with your relations and I am you legal guardian there are a few rules you must follow." Sirius said as they ate dessert. "Nothing too bad but I know Remus went over the blood wards on your aunt and uncles home?"

"Yes sir he did, so I have to stay in the castle all summer?" Harry asked looking a bit unhappy.

"No you can fly with in the walls of the estate, just do not go beyond them and you will be fine." Sirius replied, "you will of course be allowed to have friends here and of course keep up on your studies."

"I got you this, well it was your mothers and I just charmed it as a portkey." Remus said handing a pendent that had an angel on it holding a ruby heart. "All you need to say is there is no place like home followed by portus and it will take you to the infirmary at Hogwarts."

"Why there?" Harry asked.

"Well you will have lots of people around you at all times to protect you and you are getting good at defense but well if you have to use this you could have been hurt." Remus replied, "well I did not charm it, professor Flitwick did and he insisted on that."

"I will have to thank him." Harry said thinking, "will I get to go to the world Quidditch cup? It is on my lands after all."

"I don't see any reason why not." Sirius said grinning. "Now let's show you your very own personalized rooms shall we?"

The look on Harry's face was priceless to Sirius and so he helpfully took a picture and vanished the camera before Harry could respond. He laughed at the glare Harry gave him for the photo then took Harry to his rooms wondering if he would have to pick Harry's jaw off the floor. The bedroom had deep purple curtains around the large dark oak four poster bed and windows and they were tied back with dark green tiebacks. The dark wood floor had a green rug trimmed in red with the Potter crest on it and the same crest was over the fireplace. A desk and wardrobe stood near the door to the bathroom complete with toilet and deep tub. The grin on Harry's face and the hug he gave his godfather told Sirius how grateful Harry was.

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So the revenge that Remus and Sirius did to the Dursleys might seem strange however what they did was far worse than hexing them or cursing them. Loss of reputation for people like them would hurt them far worse in the long run. I just had to give Sirius a castle and lands of his own, he is after all lord Black now! As the blood wards have fallen Harry cannot go as many places as he wants but I wanted him to have some freedom here to fly and have friends over he trusts.

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