26 From Azkaban to France

The dog that was Sirius Black sat on his haunches, howling at the window of his cell, just as he did every day. His canine thoughts raced incessantly.

Harry was dead. James was dead. Lily was dead. Sirius was stuck in this miserable hellhole. Peter had betrayed them all.

Harry was dead. James was dead. Lily was dead. Sirius was stuck in this miserable hellhole. Peter had betrayed them all.

Harry was dead. James was dead. Lily...

The dark cloud of the Dementors lifted a bit, and the dog stopped howling. He heard footsteps outside the door of his cell and transformed. The door swung open, revealing an Auror.

'Come with me, Mr Black,' the Auror commanded. Sirius followed him meekly through the winding corridors of the prison, until they finally came out in a brightly lit waiting room, where another Auror was standing alongside an elderly witch Sirius had not seen in many years.

'Aunt Cassie?' he said in confusion. 'What are you doing here?'

The witch said nothing, but the second Auror stepped forward and unrolled a scroll.

'Sirius Orion Black,' he read. 'At ten-thirty this morning the Wizengamot voted on procedural grounds to clear you of all charges and order your immediate release from Azkaban. All your rights are hereby restored.'

'The Ministry of Magic will deposit fifty thousand Galleons in your Gringotts vault, with their apologies, on the condition that you sign a waiver promising never to bring a lawsuit against the Ministry or any past or present Ministry officials over this matter. Do you agree to the waiver?'

Sirius was stunned. He thought he must be dreaming.

'Do you agree to the waiver?' the Auror repeated. Sirius nodded dumbly, and signed the parchment the Auror held out to him. His hand shook terribly. 'On behalf of the Ministry of Magic,' the Auror continued, 'allow me to express our sincerest apologies for the mistakes made in your arrest and incarceration, and to wish you all the best in your future endeavours.'

'Congratulations, Sirius,' Aunt Cassie said, and motioned for Sirius to go with her.

They stepped into another room with a single large fireplace and Flooed directly to the Ministry. At the other end a couple of Aurors asked for their papers. Aunt Cassie handed over a roll of parchment, and the Aurors let them leave.

Aunt Cassie led Sirius to a discreet fireplace that was used only for the departure of released convicts, and they Flooed to a familiar flat. It was the flat Sirius had inherited from Uncle Alphard and shared with James after they finished Hogwarts.

'Welcome home, Sirius,' Aunt Cassie said, and Sirius broke down in tears. The old witch showed him little sympathy. 'For Merlin's sake, calm yourself, Sirius.' He continued to weep. Cassiopeia rolled her eyes. 'There is no time for this, Sirius. You have your godson to think of, after all.'

'Harry's dead,' Sirius said bitterly.

'No, he isn't,' Aunt Cassie replied crisply.

Sirius stopped crying and looked at her hopefully. 'He isn't? Where is he? What happened?'

Aunt Cassie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Harry Potter is well for the time being. If you value his life, you must listen carefully to me and do exactly as I say.'

Sirius looked his great-aunt firmly in the eyes. 'I'm listening.'

.....

A month later, in the south of France, the Black household was making preparations for Harry's upcoming birthday. The entire extended Black and Malfoy families were coming, as had become their tradition over the years. For Harry and Draco, this year's celebration was particularly significant, as Aunt Cassie had agreed to take them both back to England on August 2, in order to buy their wands.

For several days leading up to the celebration, the house was in an uproar. Granny spent all her time in the kitchen with Roquefort, her skilled house elf, making preparations for an enormous feast. Mopsy came over from England to decorate the chateau, filling every room with fresh flowers and streamers.

The guests came over a few at a time. Uncle Marius and Aunt Clytemnestra came first, followed the next day by the Malfoys. Pollux and Irma came the day before Harry's birthday, along with a teenage witch with pink hair.

'Dora!' Harry exclaimed. 'It's been ages.' Pollux had fulfilled his promise to take Harry and Draco to meet their cousin Nymphadora Tonks a couple of years before, but they hadn't seen each other very often since then. Family tensions still ran high. 'I thought your mum and dad didn't want you to come.'

Dora shrugged. 'They didn't. But I'm seventeen now, so I can do what I like.'

'We're glad to have you, dear,' Melania said.

On August 1, Harry's birthday dinner began promptly at noon, with mountains of food and plenty of laughter. Halfway through there was a flash, and Aunt Cassie appeared, clutching a hairbrush together with a tall man with shoulder-length black hair.

'Happy birthday, Aries,' Aunt Cassie said. 'I apologise for our tardiness.' She gestured towards the stranger. 'I've brought someone you should meet.'

Harry looked at the man for what seemed an eternity before he recognised him. The man's robes were elegant, and his hair and beard were neatly trimmed and well kept. But he was very thin, and his grey eyes bore a sunken, haunted look.

He looked different, but Harry had seen him in plenty of pictures and heard countless stories about him. It was his godfather and supposed father: Sirius Black. Harry began to panic. Everything was going to be ruined. He looked at Uncle Marius anxiously, but the Squib smiled at Harry reassuringly, and nodded slightly. Harry swallowed hard.

'I know you,' he said quietly. 'You're my dad. You're Sirius Black.' Draco and Dora gasped, but none of the adults seemed surprised.

Harry waited for the confused look, the loud denial, the angry rejection, but they never came. Sirius only smiled a bit nervously and nodded.

'That's right, Aries,' he said sheepishly. 'And I'd know you anywhere, even if I haven't seen you since you were a baby.' He looked at Harry meaningfully. 'You look just like your dad. Except for the eyes. You have your mother's eyes.' He winked at Harry imperceptibly, and in that instant the boy understood. Somehow Sirius knew everything that had happened, but he still wanted Harry.

Harry suddenly felt an inexpressible warmth wash over him. Sirius was free, he knew who Harry really was, and he still wanted him. Sirius held his arms wide and gave Harry a tentative look, as though frightened that Harry might not want him in return. The tears burst forth unbidden as Harry ran to Sirius and hugged him tightly, never wanting to let go, savouring his (god)father's affectionate embrace.

'Happy birthday, son,' Sirius whispered into his ear, and roughly kissed the top of Harry's head.

'Thanks, Dad,' Harry murmured through his tears.

.....

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