Home.

(3.4) Harry

The next day we cleaned. And cleaned. And cleaned. From boggarts to doxies to puffskeins, we emptied the house one room at a time.

Percy couldn't do much, so he volunteered to do the muggle cleaning. Scrubbing floors and washing dishes and the sorts. Pretty much washing anything since he could control the water.

Nothing eventful happened. Well, Mrs Weasley was yelling at others and the twins were concocting a prank box and Percy looked ready to both apologise to Kreacher and punch him in the face. He got a rundown of what a house elf was, but he also called Hermione a Mudblood, which I told him was a derogatory slur. All in all, it was an eventful morning.

***

After lunch, Sirius took me to a room I hadn't seen before. There was a large tree with faces on it, but some were scorched out. There were burn marks on the faces of Sirius and Andromeda while Tonks and the Weasleys didn't even make the tree. It was interesting, but it was only a means of distracting myself from the upcoming hearing.

'Don't worry. I'm sure they'll clear you. There has to be something in the International Statute of Secrecy about being allowed to use magic to save a life, your own or otherwise.'

Sirius had been watching the gears turn in my head, no doubt. He read my troubles like a book.

'But what if I am expelled? What then?'

'Maybe...' he started off hesitantly, 'you could come live with me. Here. Not just if you're expelled, but maybe permanently. We could keep each other company.'

My heart was twisted into knots. How was I supposed to explain to the man who only wanted a family that I didn't want to stay with him over the summers. I liked my life in America. I loved my Aunt and Uncle and cousin. It was home.

I'm not sure I could ever see the old Black house with its cobweb chandeliers and its dark magic infested artefacts as home. But I couldn't crush my godfather's dreams so easily. And part of me did want to stay with him. He knew my parents. He cared for me deeply, I could tell. And he understood the magical world I wanted to make a life in. So in a very Percy like fashion, I deflected the offer.

'I want to... to get to know you the way my dad did. Could you... could you tell me more about him?'

Sirius knew full well what I was doing. But he wouldn't call me out on it over sharing stories of him and my dad.

'James was so brave. Just like you. He stood up for me all the time. A true brother in what matters. If he could see you now,' Sirius paused to look at me directly, 'he'd be so proud. So immensely proud.'

I couldn't help the warmth bubbling inside me. I reached out to hug him and he quickly brought me closer. We stood there a while until footsteps advanced down the stairs.

'HARRY! YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THERE WAS A HIPPOGRIFF HERE!!'

Sirius begrudgingly separated from me as I chuckled and pulled away to speak.

'That's Buckbeak. He was cared for by Hagrid until recently', I explained.

'The half-giant you told me about?'

'Yes. He's the Care of Magical Creatures professor.'

Sirius was barely keeping calm at the interruption. He, er, didn't care for Percy that much.

'I'll catch you later, Harry', said Sirius. 'Think about my offer, will you?'

'I will. I promise.'

Once Sirius retreated, Percy dragged me up to Buckbeak for yet another introduction. Except this time Percy could do it himself since he was able to speak to the half-horse creature.

They were speaking for a while, which confused me since I could only hear Percy's side of the conversation.

'Oh, I bet', he uttered as he crossed his arms. 'A less colourful vocabulary is quite refreshing, I'll tell you.'

'They had the guts to do that to you!' the son of Poseidon questioned disbelievingly at some point.

Or weirdest of all, 'I don't know. You could be a distant cousin. Not sure how all that works. But Blackjack would love to meet you.'

A few more bizarre statements later and we were saying goodbye and joining the others for supper. We had only a few more days until the eighteenth, the day of the hearing. Before long, I was anxiously waiting in my best dress outside of a public toilet.

***

'You'll be fine. I'll be right there with you', Percy whispered as we stood in front of the stall doors.

He looked very apprehensive at the mode of transportation. Flushing yourself down a toilet was not something you'd do on an every day basis.

Percy looked very smart as he eyed the door in front of him. He wore a dark blue Italian suit with a green-grey tie over a plain white dress shirt. His shoes were black Italian leather and well shined.

When I asked why he looked so nice, he told me it was to offset his trouble maker smile. That and he needed to make use of a gift.

Apparently, he helped someone get a pay raise to satisfy their obsession with Italian suits. Come Christmas, he got one under the tree. It was magic, so it was always perfectly tailored as he grew up.

Whoever sent it knew their stuff. It made Percy look five years older than he was. More mature and respectable. Not someone who drowned their morning pancakes in syrup just an hour before.

After an unsettling trip, we checked in and got our wands scanned. Then we made our way to a dizzying elevator. Percy paled slightly but held his composure well.

We took a few detours before landing in front of the courtroom doors. Percy squeezed my shoulder as Mr Weasley wished me luck. I swallowed hard, turned the heavy iron door handle, and stepped inside the courtroom, Percy right behind me.