Faery Heroes

Chapter 16: Reunion

This is mostly a transition chapter, so it's kind of... meh. The last scene's pretty fun, though.

Disclaimer: Did everyone let Molly get away with how she treated Sirius in book 5, while she was a guest in his home? If so, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise; it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Warner Bros., and whoever else she sold the rights to.
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Sirius Black was done arguing with these people. "ENOUGH!"

"But Sirius, you know what Dumbledore said —"

His voice was uncharacteristically harsh as he interrupted Molly. "Yes, I know what Dumbledore said. I also don't care; if he has a problem with it, he can take his lemon drops and sanctimonious attitude somewhere else to host the Order." He turned to Remus, who was standing between him and the door. "Moony, you heard what Arthur said. Harry, my godson, could be in that house, his soul ripped out by Dementors, and you want me to sit here and do nothing? I'm going to make sure he's okay, and no one — not Dumbledore, not the Aurors, not even you — is going to stop me. You have until the count of three before I curse you out of my way. One —"

"Wait, just wait," Remus said with his hands up. "If you go charging in, the Aurors will catch you, and you'll be the one getting a closer look at a Dementor. How about, instead of a notorious mass-murderer, the visitor is an old family friend who just happened to bring along his pet?" Sirius glared for a moment but sheathed his wand; five minutes later, a man in shabby robes and a dog arrived on the streets of Little Whinging.

He immediately leapt from Remus's arms and sniffed along the ground, searching for any sign of the boy he cared for as his own flesh and blood. Catching a scent, he raced ahead, his best living friend on his heels.

Fine, maybe Moony was right, after all. The house was absolutely crawling with wizards and witches draped in red cloaks; literally, in fact, as he could spot one walking straight up the wall. The stench from the gliding nightmares was stronger here, a clue they had become excited as they closed in on their prey. He laid his head on his paws with a whimper, for once in his life praying to any being he could think of for his godson's safety. He had already plead to Merlin, Morgana, the Old Gods of the Isle, the Fae Queen, and was about to start on the Greek Pantheon when he heard a surprising but welcome voice.

"Snuffles? What are you doing here, boy?"

His head popped up to stare at Harry — who looked tired but thankfully not de-souled — and he pounced on the boy, licking every square inch of his face in lieu of hugging the stuffing out of him. Harry protested feebly, but only at the beginning; by the end, he was laughing at the mutt like he used to do as an infant. "Okay, okay, let me up; you're too heavy to be sitting on me. Lupin's been feeding you too many sweets again, hasn't he?"

Padfoot ignored the internal sigh at how Harry addressed Remus; he had never called the older man anything else in his letters, so it was foolish to expect a change now. What was more important was how healthy the boy looked. No longer was he short and scrawny; it looked like he had gained a stone or more in weight, and he had definitely shot up a few inches. Add the new glasses and fitting clothes, and he was barely recognizable.

Before he could shower his godson with more doggy affection, a stern, gray-haired woman wearing a monocle approached the trio. "Mr. Potter, I am pleased to see you unharmed. I am Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Harry stiffened, worrying the old dog. "And why would the head of the DMLE be in Little Whinging?"

"The investigators from the Misuse of Magic office called the Aurors when they arrived here, and they then requested I come personally due to the circumstances. If you will accompany me inside the house, I can explain in more detail."