A Ray of Hope

July 28,1988 Tokyo, Japan very early a.m.

Amelia Bones wasn't sleeping well. She wasn't sure if it was guilty conscience, from hiding her meeting with Sirius; or the fact she was disturbed by her observations of Albus. She had made sure she pulled duty while he was either in council sessions or during the actual congress debates and votes as this allowed her to observe how he actually handled the maneuvering.

She was shocked, in three days of watching he had trotted out the phrase "it's for the greater good of the wizarding world" at least fifteen times, and he had alternately looked disappointed or twinkled at delegates to persuade them to vote the way he wanted.

Two thirds of the delegates were swayed by his "I'm older wiser and only want what's best for the wizarding world" mien. The other third eyed him with disgust and distrust, and voted as their countries wanted. After pulling so many duty shifts, she didn't have to do anything until they port-keyed home on the thirtieth. She was currently debating contacting Sirius again. When she gave up trying to sleep, she pulled herself from her bed and padded over to the desk taking a parchment she wrote a note.

S.B.,

We need to meet. You set it up for your own security. I'm free all day, let me know where and when I'll be there.

A. B.

She summoned a house elf to deliver it to his hotel suite.

In the Imperial suite

Sirius was pacing like a wolf in a cage. He had to get home Harry was missing. Liana was in tears, because she had passed responsibility for Harry to someone else for the day to be with Siska. The President sympathized but a portkey couldn't be arranged until late morning at the very earliest. Plus Sirius would have to wait until a replacement could be arranged for himself. He looked at his watch it had been five hours. Suddenly a house elf appeared in front of him he almost ran it over. It gave him a note. He broke the seal and was about to read it when his phone rang.

"Sirius"

"Bapak Black, Harry is safe."

"Thank Merlin! Where was he? What happened?"

"I do not know. The boys were all but asleep on their feet. They were unharmed and wanted to go straight to bed. I let them."

"Alright. Have Harry call me when he wakes up."

"Yes I will do that."

"Liana, Thank you."

"You are welcome. Good night."

"Get some rest. I'll be back late tomorrow."

After Sirius hung up the phone, he paced a few more times to dispel his excess adrenaline. The pacing reminded him of the note. He read it, and smiled.

Surya came in. "You're smiling. Harry's been found, I take it."

"He turned up safe and sound. Not that his arse won't get a spanking for scaring the hell out of me." Surya grinned because everyone who knew them knew it was an idle threat.

"Thanks for taking my shift."

"Well it's not like I would have been able to sleep."

"I'll pass the word when the others wake up. You've been up twenty-seven hours head to bed."

"Wake me at noon," he waved the note in his hand. "I have a meeting to arrange by tonight."

Sirius awoke in a very good mood. He called down on the communication mirror to the concierge's desk to make arrangements for a meeting with Amelia.

"Concierge. Sango speaking."

"Sango, I need to arrange a dinner for two in a top notch restaurant that has private dinning salons, for this evening to start anytime between 7 to 9 p.m. Cuisine does not matter. Magical or muggle does not matter what matters is privacy. The reservation needs to be made in the name Duke de Sable and I realize that to get this done I will need to pay extra. I'm willing to spend fifty thousand yen above the cost of dinner to get this done."

"Hai. I will let you know when it is done."

"Thank you."

Forty minutes later Sango called him back. "Chez Mizuru, is expecting you and a guest at 9 p.m. They serve continental cuisine with a price fixe menu and eight courses. I only had to promise them thirty thousand to secure a private salon. As they are a wizarding establishment I have apparition coordinates."

"Splendid." His cell phone rang. "I have another call I need to answer. I will be down once I'm finished with that. Thank you Sango."

As the discussion about the previous day between the boys, Liana, Sirius and their parents wound down, Sirius inwardly shook his head again in amusement. It was something James and he would have done as kids but it would have come out much worse. Hadi and Johan had been very clear that Harry had tried to be a voice of reason, but that they had persuaded him. 

Harry had used his sharp intelligence to make their adventure have a good ending. The parents handed out their punishment: a month long grounding from almost everything including football, extra chores, and the five thousand lines of "I will not try to drive a car until I have a driver's license." The other boys protested the harshness, Harry merely looked downcast and nodded. As everyone else left, Harry shifted the phone from speaker to handset.

"Sirius?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"I'm sorry we worried you and Liana. I think I knew better, but Johan and Hadi said it would be an adventure. I thought about all your stories about the Marauders and I thought this would be my chance for an adventure. But you know what I decided this morning, adventures are exhausting and not all they're cracked up to be."

"Well I can hardly blame you, this something like your father and I would have done had we had the opportunity at your age. So tell you what, I'm going to adjust your punishment. You are grounded only as long as it takes you to write one thousand lines of "I will not drive until I have a driver's license." three thousand lines of "I will not give in to peer pressure." and three thousand lines of "I will keep my cell phone charged." However you still have to do the extra chores for a month to apologize to Liana."

Harry said, "Okay."

"I'll be back tomorrow, and we can talk some more. Love you kiddo."

"I love you too Sirius."

Sirius went down to the concierge desk, he greeted Sango and wrote a quick note to Amelia Bones.

A.B,

Dress up in very dressy robes and be ready for further instructions at two till 9 p.m.

S.B.

He then wrote three more notes. He used a color change spell on two envelops one to turn it blue, the other to turn it red. He handed Sango 3000 yen.

"I appreciate you setting up the restaurant for me. I need these notes delivered in a particular way. I this note to be delivered to Amelia Bones with the British delegation at her hotel at 8 p.m., this second note at two till 9 p.m. She will come here; if she is alone give her the blue envelope if she has anyone with her hand her the red. Do not give her both just one or the other."

"Blue for alone, red for in a group. Hai Black-san."

.....

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