Chapter : 93 : Flames of Redemption part - 2

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Sirius frowned and didn't answer.

"You wrote in your letter that you wouldn't wish lycanthropy on even your worst enemy. Were you lying?" Harry pushed his point.

"No, I wasn't." Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "You're right, okay? I'll talk to Snape. I'll even be polite. Now can we stop talking about this?"

"Right, sure," Harry said hastily. "Sorry."

They sat in silence for several long minutes until the doorbell rang, at which point they both jumped to their feet, grateful for the distraction. They hurried downstairs to greet Remus and began exchanging news, helping him off with his coat, and offering cups of tea. By the time they'd all settled down at the kitchen table with a plate of scones in front of them, the tension between Harry and Sirius had disappeared. The three wizards chattered aimlessly for a while, with Sirius talking about his job at the Ministry and Harry complaining about Footswitch, when Remus mentioned that he'd spoken with Caspian Wilkes, the Werewolf Sirius had almost arrested a few weeks ago.

"Yeah, about that…" Sirius began, before launching into a long description of his plans to help the Werewolves. He told Remus about his idea to use the house in Godric's Hollow and talked about ways to find Werewolves jobs so that they wouldn't be forced to rely on charity. He even touched on the possibility of setting up an informal school for young children, as well adults who had never been allowed an education. Harry noticed Sirius made no mention of the Wolfsbane potion, but decided he probably didn't want to raise Remus' hopes. Taking his cue from Sirius, Harry didn't bring it up and instead stayed silent as Sirius outlined his plans.

"So what do you think?" Sirius at last paused for breath, looking worried by Remus' unresponsiveness.

"I… I think it's… amazing." Remus reached out to touch Sirius' shoulder. "Even if it doesn't work out… just, thank you. Really."

Harry grinned and Sirius let out a relieved laugh. "You're welcome. I'm sure there are lots of other things we should do - you probably have a few ideas, since you know a lot of the people we want to help. So?"

"Just having a safe place to stay will make a huge difference to a lot of us," Remus said frankly. "That's really the main thing. Jobs and education would be welcome too, of course, though they'd be harder to achieve. Werewolves aren't usually allowed wands, you know. I have one because Dumbledore agreed to sponsor me, but most of us aren't that lucky and can't cast spells without one. Any job in the Wizarding World requires magic, and according to the Statute of Secrecy magical creatures aren't allowed to work in the Muggle World. We're literally stuck."

Harry had never realised that the law against non-humans carrying wands applied to Werewolves. He remembered back to Winky's panic at being caught with a wand at the Quidditch World cup and Amos Diggory's harsh questioning. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, too busy wondering about the Dark Mark in the sky, but now the memory made him frown. He also recalled Crabbe's dismissive attitude to losing his wand at the beginning of the school year, and was forcibly struck by how unfair it all was.

"Bloody ministry." Harry scowled and aimed a kick at one of the table legs.

Remus glanced at Harry uncertainly and then turned towards his friend. "Sirius, are you sure Orion should be bothered with all this? He's rather young…"

"Not to worry." Sirius waved away his concerns. "I know what I'm doing when it comes to this parenting thing. And Orion's very mature. Aren't you, Orion?"

"Very." Harry nodded emphatically.

Remus still looked hesitant, but apparently wasn't willing to continue questioning Sirius' parenting abilities. "All right. Um, back to your ideas for Godric's Hollow, Sirius. How come you've got control over the property?"

Harry tensed as a dark look passed across Sirius' face as it always did when bad memories were brought up. "I was named Harry's guardian in James and Lily's will," Sirius said, his voice hoarse. "With little Harry… well, with Harry gone, I inherited everything."

"Of course," Remus murmured.

Harry fidgeted awkwardly and was relieved when the subject moved back to Sirius' plans. They discussed logistics for a while, with Remus giving his opinion on how many Werewolves were in need of help and how to get them to accept it. Sirius conjured up a quill and parchment, and began taking notes in an uncharacteristic show of studiousness. The discussion even continued over lunch, only ending when the plates were cleared away and Remus pulled out a battered old pocket watch.

"Sirius, it's three o'clock," he said. "We should leave now if you want to have time to get ready for your Samhain party later this evening."

Sirius nodded and stood up from his seat. Harry was confused. "Where're you going?" He watched as the other two wizards exchanged glances, silently arguing over what to say. "C'mon, it's not a secret, is it?"

Sirius began pulling on his travelling cloak, not meeting Harry's eyes. "We're going to visit Lily and James' grave," he said.

Harry didn't know how to respond. He should have expected it really, since October 31st was the night the Potters had died. It made sense for their two oldest friends to visit their graves on the anniversary of that night, especially since it would be the first time Sirius was free to do so.

"Little Harry was buried there as well. You know, I think you two would've got on well if you'd ever met. Maybe you'd like to join us, Orion?" Remus offered, not understanding the undercurrents of the conversation.

Harry shook his head. "No, that's… that's all right." He cleared his throat. "Thanks for asking." He'd already visited his parents' graves back in his old world. The Lily and James buried here weren't his parents. Harry had to remember that.

With a nod to Harry, Sirius quickly ushered Remus out of the kitchen. Harry heard the front door open and close before silence descended on the house. Dobby was off somewhere else and in any case Harry didn't feel up to talking to anyone, so he drifted towards the library and settled down with a book on curses. He purposefully lost himself in its pages, not moving until it was time to dress for the evening.

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