Tonks reached over and plucked the book from Neville, her face scrunched up at the next chapter title as she read it aloud.

"I've heard of plenty of two-faced people so far," Remus said sullenly.

Sirius was trying to put himself back into some kind of good mood at least, his nightmare wasn't coming true and neither Snape nor Voldemort were going to be murdering his godson in this future, but then who was in there? Dumbledore? Some student?

Well, he definitely didn't see that coming.

"I should just hang that auror dream up now," Tonks groaned at herself as she smacked the book into her forehead. "I was so duped!"

"Oh don't beat yourself up so much," Remus kindly tried to correct.

"Yeah Tonks, I mean, apparently no one saw this coming," Charlie agreed with a disgruntled look.

"I think it makes perfect sense though," Arthur sighed. "Those weak-willed are the easiest pray to You-Know-Who, Quirrell is certainly a candidate for that from what we've heard.

Dumbledore tapped his thumbs together but kept to himself he'd in fact been suspecting something like this for quite some time now. It was the logical leap, but it was always good to have his suspicions confirmed. Now the true question was, what to do? If he turned Quirrell away from the job now, what would Voldemort do instead to get his hands on the Stone? Should he not in fact still enact this idea and nip this in the bud where he had much better control of the situation?

He sighed deeply as he saw Sirius and Arthur still looked very uneasy that though a member of the Hogwarts staff were still responsible for this in some way, and knew they'd certainly have some things to say about this. He was not so certain anymore he could simply do without their, ah, kicking up a fuss no matter his assurances.

"That's, odd," Tonks' ire was growing at herself more with every word. He wasn't acting like the fool he had been all year apparently, leaving Arthur's remark less likely and something else could be possibly going on!

They were all feeling it now, how duped they'd been. Remus and Sirius at least felt semi-less foolish than Arthur and Charlie though, as Snape hadn't exactly made himself seem innocent in the meantime, as vile as he'd been to Harry.

"Most useful thing Snape's ever done I'm sure, be a stooge, even an unintentional one," Sirius sneered, ignoring Dumbeldores' unhappy frown.

He'd been hoping Sirius would in fact apologize, perhaps even show some humbleness and forgiveness. He would keep Severus' secret as promised, but if Sirius was going to remain in Harry's life, the last thing the boy needed was further antagonism towards his Potions teacher from his own godfather.

"Sorry Harry," Tonks seemed to genuinely mean it. "I was honestly hoping it was Snape just to see him fired! Now we don't even have that."

Sirius snapped to attention, easily shoving away his vivid imagination of punching old Snivilus in the face for being a prat to Harry for this much more important matter. He could deck Snape any old time, but Quirrell would have to die much sooner.

Hermione's mouth was hanging open, even a little tinge of pink came back as she remembered that, but then pride and defiance quickly settled across her features promising she'd set him on fire next, and possibly not remove the flame if he hurt Harry.

Sirius would have dropped Harry if they weren't sitting. What was this now?

A feeling Sirius never in his life would have thought could exist regarding Snape blossomed to life in his chest as he held Harry. Gratitude. Severus, had saved Harry's life, while his useless arse had been rotting away in Azkaban. He didn't understand, how did this line up with the same slimeball who had so dismissed Lily when she'd been the only person to ever show him a shred a decency he hadn't deserved? How was this the same adult who continued belittling a child who'd done nothing to deserve it? Severus, Snape, had saved, Harry, Potter?

It was not his mind finally snapping though, and he'd just have to learn to live with this fact. Maybe even, Merlin forbid, start to forgive the wanker himself if he had it in him to finally do the right thing after all these years.

Sirius snarled so deep in his chest Harry wondered for a moment if the vibrations were the very room shaking. He curled his fingers tightly into his shirt and tried very hard not to let the idea of being murdered, again, make his stomach heave.

Sirius would have got on his knees and thanked Severus on the spot if he'd show up and save Harry's life again! It was not a nightmare he could live through, if he was pitched back to Azkaban with this in his head!

Remus moved, shifted to the side so that Harry was blocked from sight in here, no matter how irrational. Great, he could do wandless magic! He was competent, and they'd been worse fools than it was possible to be. Not again.

"Probably because they've got the same brains," Ron snapped.

"Stolen Ron's idea," Hermione huffed. "It doesn't seem he has many original thoughts."

"Merlin, hindsight really is fifty-fifty," Charlie groaned. Tonks was so distracted from reading in a temper she didn't even correct him.

'Mirror?' The little blip in their minds trying to change the subject was hard-pressed to mean anything they were all so enraged, either at themselves or Quirrell, but Dumbledore sat up a little straighter in his seat for this. Time to hear of one theory being put to the test at least.

"Wow," Neville breathed as he wondered at the odds of Harry having run across that thing twice now where he never should have been.

He wasn't the only one, but the others were biting their tongue against demanding such a thing of a man who either couldn't, or wouldn't answer. Most likely the second, and they could deal with that later.

Sirius opened his mouth to tell Harry he wanted him to be doing the opposite, but then Harry met his eyes with a set little pucker in place. He was already down there, risking his life to stop this, and he also would never be again, so Sirius held it in.

Tonks had stuttered for a moment before saying You-Know-Who like most everyone, but then she analyzed that with surprise. She'd been under the impression even his own Death Eaters didn't call him that. Quirrell really was something, but she was sure Moody would get plenty more interesting things out of him when she hauled him off.

"Oh, but that's brilliant sir!" Charlie grinned as he looked at Dumbledore. It finally explained why Quirrell hadn't even left to go fetch the Stone already. "If all he ever sees is what he wants to do with it, he'll never see where it actually is."

"Thank you Mr. Weasley, I did find it one of my more brilliant moments," Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.

"I'll take that," Sirius whispered quietly so only Remus and Harry could hear. Sirius couldn't even say he'd say the same, he'd certainly wanted to kill Snape on a number of occasions. When he'd threatened to reveal Moony's secret to the school and Dumbledore had actually threatened to expel him. When he'd called Lily that foul word, and he hadn't even liked her much himself at the time, he'd just seen how cruel that was he'd called his own supposed best friend that. Nearly every time he'd seen Snape hanging out with Regulus in school.

Now though, he felt all of that melt away, and those were memories he let slip loose without fighting to keep them.

"In-inside Hogwarts!" Arthur gasped, looking nearly faint.

"You-Know-Who can't ever get in there," Ron laughed at the absurdity of this.

Tonks' mouth went uncomfortably dry, but she didn't see how else Quirrell could mean that. She wasn't even sure how she kept going, it didn't even feel like she could swallow anymore.

"Merlin, please tell me he's being metaphorical," Charlie said to the ceiling.

Dumbledore however analyzed the phrasing of that very carefully, and schooled himself not to glance at Harry. Was he, in fact, about to receive proof of more than one theory today?

"Ah yes, thinking for yourself. The first thing Voldemort eradicates," Remus sneered.

There was not one person in here who didn't feel the deepest of disgust for that kind of world view.

'Hope it hurt,' Sirius barely restrained himself from saying aloud, but whatever had been done was not retribution enough for what he'd tried to do to Harry, not until he was pitched off his own broom hundreds of feet in the air.

"I swear they could have put this guy on the cover of the book and we still wouldn't have figured it out," Ron groused.

Arthur rubbed his back in comfort, quietly reminding them none of them had either. Ron did feel marginally better for that.

No comforting chuckle rose from Dumebldore this time to put them all at ease. If Quirrell did not get what he'd come down there for, he may well return to Voldemort with another prize, a trussed up Boy Who Lived.

"Thank Merlin for that," Remus shivered, hoping that lasted for eternity.

There hadn't been much hope to begin with, but now Charlie was all the more worried this madman hadn't been metaphorical. Who was he talking to!?

"Who? Malfoy? Dudley?" Ron tried in vain for some last ignorance that he knew wouldn't last, but Harry tried to shoot him a grin all the same even if he couldn't see it.

Harry wanted to shiver right along with Sirius, but his godfather's arms were too secure around him for him to so much as twitch in unease.

Sirius was worried he was going to barf all over Harry. If he saw James in that mirror again, eyes watching as Harry went through this alone while Sirius let him down again doing nothing...

Well Harry certainly didn't feel like doing that right now, so hopefully that mirror was about to do something good.

That hadn't exactly been what he meant.

Sirius went so stiff and cold beneath him, Harry reached up and patted his neck just to keep his attention. He didn't need to ask why of course, he'd just wanted to keep the Stone away from Quirrell, but it ending up in his pocket maybe wasn't the best way to go about that.

Tonks wasn't stopping regardless of if he still had a pulse or not, only Voldemort himself showing up now would have stopped her reading.

"That was, a very good lie Harry," Neville's quavering voice could have been spoken at his eulogy, but Harry appreciated it all the same.

'Yes, please do,' Remus wanted to plead, but what would that only make it worse?

Tonks was nearly hyperventilating and Sirius' lips were turning blue. Dumbledore wished that he could take the book from the poor girl and spare her this anxiety they all felt, but frankly he would be no better by now, his own voice would tremble and reveal that which he could not.

"Nope, no, no, no," Charlie started muttering psychopathically, wishing he could sick a dragon on You-Know-Who already and be done with this. Hermione looked liked she'd been petrified.

All ten of them gasped as one, maybe some came out slightly more like screams. There was no other reaction that could be had to that. Remus made a noise of deep frustration when her thoughts stayed short-circuited too long, and Tonks finally kicked her butt back awake. She couldn't let shock freeze her up like that! To keep her mind in check as she took in a breath to keep going, she abstractly wondered if she could even get her body to do that, but now wasn't the time to try, and it certainly wasn't worth a laugh to attempt later. Okay, she was breathing now, she could concentrate and find out how Harry got out of this!

There were many things that needed to be discussed, many of which were grotesque but necessary, about what Voldemort had just said.

'He knew.' It was the only thought they cared about, Harry had to get away.

Powerful leglimens he was, of course he knew, and it was going to be the death of Sirius as surely as Harry.

Fire finally chased away the chill in Sirius' veins, action sprung him to his feet while he still kept his grip on Harry. He would have broken Voldemort's jaw while carrying his godson to safety that second if his target had only been in sight.

Tonks startled at the quick motion but refused to let herself be distracted again, focusing only on her target, this print, as her mind absently noticed out of the corner of her eye Remus grabbing Sirius and pulling him back to the couch with a hissed assurance Harry would know better now.

Harry had his hands balled into little fists like he would have shouted that now as well, and Sirius had never been more proud. He would never believe such a thing about his dad!

"Because he has none of his own, always getting others to do his dirty work," Remus was muttering under his breath.

All three flinched so hard, the couch nearly jolted back a whole foot. Nobody had exactly been begging for details of this!

Harry finally released the tears he'd been holding in for so long. Sirius did not try to stop him, on the contrary, he rubbed his back but hoped the poor boy stayed distracted in this way, finally getting the chance to cry properly over what he'd lost and not hear the rest of this. It was the only conceivable way Sirius could think to shield Harry from this.

"No such thing as long as you keep living," Sirius breathed into his ear. Harry was already rubbing at his streaming eyes and offering up a smile again, he wouldn't miss a word.

Remus had to fight hard against his instinct of pulling Harry away from that, he'd be lucky to escape this with his life and the vibrantly colored burn marks. He knew that from experience, if a different kind of mark.

If Sirius wasn't shielding every part of Harry before, nothing in the world could have stopped him doing it now. That's monster's hands would never lay a finger on Harry.

Ron released a hiss of air that was probably supposed to be some noise of jubilation, but it didn't come out quite right.

"As much as he deserves," Sirius snarled in a barely human voice.

"Too bad it only seems to happen to Quirrell," Remus agreed, thinking the Dursleys deserved a few blister marks of their own.

Harry startled at the idea, his legs starting to twitch now like he'd kick his way free of the same being done, but Sirius' hold loosening on him for just one second sent an even more wild panic through him as he merely tightened his hands harder into Sirius shirt, probably strangling him a bit with the material, and his godfather held him back just as close. His heart still thundering in Harry's ear.

Charlie could hardly believe his luck his own desire had somehow come through in all this, now he just needed to finish burning the rest of this cretin.

If Sirius wasn't holding onto Harry like his life depended on it, then he would have been cowering in the corner and covering his ears to somehow get away from those words ever being spoken. Never again.

Tonks nearly did freeze up again at the torturous thought, but she would not let herself. She kicked herself to keep going, trying to instill a new instinct.

"Good instincts," Arthur agreed in a shaky voice, hoping with everything he had it would work.

Harry's shivering was increasing with every word Tonks spoke, amplified by Sirius' he was sure, but some tiny part of him felt relief it was finally over. If that was how he died, at least he could hope his parents would be proud he'd gone the same way as them.

Then he felt the tiny little trickles of water slipping down the back of his oversized shirt and knew them to be Sirius' tears at the same thought. Of course Harry didn't want this either, to leave Sirius and his new friends. He'd do whatever he could to stop this happening just so Sirius would never cry for him again.

"Quidditch should always be your first, and last thought of the day," Sirius whispered into Harry's ear, "James would be so proud."

Neither of them were really sure what was happening, what more was there to say? Yet Tonks kept reading, and Sirius would never again hesitate telling Harry something so important.

"Oh!" The gasp of relief could have blown down the walls around them if not for the magic holding them in. He was alive! Remus finally collapsed back in his seat proper, half on top of Sirius and Harry and both just laughed as Sirius, very gently, nudged him enough so that Harry could squirm enough he was now sitting more in his lap than pressed to his chest.

.

"Oh," Ron tried his best to sound sincerely sarcastic and grin at his best friend properly again now that he wasn't being shielded from sight. "Here I thought you had sleep walked onto the Quidditch pitch."

Harry laughed like he wanted, while Charlie tried to hide a grimace as he wondered how long Harry had been out. No matter the time, Madam Pomfrey would never let him out to play in the Cup, so that was lost this year, which was a shame, after You-Know-Who nearly making a return, something nice would have been a miracle to listen to.

"Can't say he doesn't know the important things," Arthur smiled.

"A very real threat," Remus muttered, never having seen it in his youth, but one he still firmly believed. He may go up there first chance he got and ask her how now.

"Almost worth being killed, I'm sure- ouch!" Ron quickly apologized to his dad for the glib comment, though Arthur was still breathing easier than he had moments ago. Harry hadn't noticed Ron in there with him, but Dumbledore was doing something as casual as chatting and smiling with Harry, which surely meant none of his students had come to any permanent harm.

Tonks wasn't disagreeing with that logic. Mostly she was making a face for still referring to him as Professor. Once you had You-Know-Who sticking out of any part of you, the title became rather null and void to her.

The Weasley boys laughed hardest of all, but they all found themselves laughing near hysterically regardless. Oh, how they'd needed that.

"I'm sure it wasn't a used one," Tonks batted her eyes innocently.

"I honestly believe they conjured up a toilet solely for this, but you'd have a chore convincing Madam Pomfrey of this," Remus grinned at her.

"And left the rest in Quirrell's office," Sirius muttered hopefully.

Sirius flinched, but hopefully for the last time. It was done, this was over with, they would stop this from happening and Harry wouldn't even get a scratch in any of his time at school.

Arthur and Charlie still finally released their last breath. They'd been sure before, but it was still nice to hear it confirmed Ron was already out and about.

"Which has its pros and cons really," Tonks huffed, blowing a pink strand of hair out of her eyes before continuing.

"Don't encourage him," Sirius sneered at Dumebldore, still fully intending to have a private, sound proofed conversation about this, but then he caught himself and glanced down at Harry's determined little frown again. "That's my job," he finished with a grin, which seemed to soothe Harry enough.

"I thought it was the other way around," Neville muttered, not liking the mental image regardless.

Harry made a little oof noise as Sirius pulled him back to his chest too fast, but his godfather shook himself and released the tight grip almost as fast. Harry was fine! Dumbledore had saved him! Though if the Headmaster had been the one to put him in said danger to begin with, forgiveness would not be as forthcoming.

"Damn, really?" Charlie blurted. "After all that?"

"Better than trying to keep it hidden there any longer," Arthur shook his head.

The four kids beamed at each other, not exactly ignorant of all the suspicious looks thrown Dumebldore's way for his comment, but content enough with themselves at least someone wasn't going to start shouting again right now.

Harry certainly didn't feel amazed now, he just leaned back into Sirius and thought about his parents again, how they may have technically chosen death but he still wished he could give them an Elixer to fix all this.

Sirius did his best to hide his quiet sniffling and Remus fought hard not to loudly clear his throat. They couldn't see it the same way now for their losses, but maybe they finally could let themselves grieve after all these years rather than torturing themselves for their past mistakes. They did at least finally have something new, and purely good, to look forward to.

Sirius beamed at Harry, but told him honestly, "I can't judge you for whichever you use."

Harry smiled up at him, but was sure enough in his answer. "Voldemort."

Tonks was honestly starting to consider the same thing. She was becoming an Auror because she wouldn't just stand around and be afraid of the future. Her mother had turned her back on her dark past, but even she still accidentally referred to him as the Dark Lord a few times before correcting herself to You-Know-Who.

She glanced up and saw Charlie biting his lip and Arthur already preemptively flinching again. Not everyone would always see it the same way, but she took a deep breath, and actually said Voldemort's name, with some stuttering, the rest of the chapter.

Remus and Sirius beamed at her every time as much as they just had Harry.

Sirius savored that sweet irony and justice he wouldn't get to feel again, because this wasn't happening again. With any luck Voldemort would die with Quirrell's body next time, and that would be even sweeter, but he wasn't betting on that one.

Then Sirius wondered for the very first time in here, what had happened to Regulus? Last he'd heard, his little brother had been one of Voldemort's exact followers. He wondered if there was some way to track this information down, and then his eyes lit curiously on Tonks. Dromeda had always been sympathetic to him those last two years before...well maybe she might have heard something. Then it occurred to him for the first time, did Tonks even know they were related? Sirius had certainly never said a word about it, but he'd been rather busy with everything else going on.

Sirius and Remus glanced at each other, and it truly was like old times again. They could have already started shooting ideas at each other, to talk and find a way to make this idea a plan. James would still be missing, now and forever, but they'd find a way to do it for his son.

"I get the feeling it would be easier to pull a werewolf's teeth," Remus muttered, but listened intently regardless in hopes he was wrong.

Remus and Sirius exchanged another look, trying to decide how much they'd believe that. The man had a good tongue for hiding answers among truths.

Harry breathed in and out the pain of those words, but it was a feeling he clung to regardless how much it welled up in him. It was still better than the non-existent answer he'd had all these long ten years.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a rather startled look, that had not been a question they'd been able to ask during the original hectic mess of it all. It had just seemed like the inevitable at the time, being so tied into the public and Order as they were.

Harry's godfather was not going to let such a thing be held over his head though, and he opened his mouth to say as much, before closing it gingerly. He wanted to demand the answer now, Harry had a right to know as much as him if Dumebldore really did know that...but on some level Sirius forced himself to acknowledge Dumebldroe was right about this one thing. Harry was still very young, and surely James wouldn't begrudge him helping Harry hold onto that innocence a while longer.

"I can't imagine," Ron shook his head, he certainly would have.

Hermione bit her tongue as she wondered the same, she couldn't imagine arguing with a teacher, but to have an answer just withheld like that, rather than just lacking the knowledge, it would drive her nuts.

Harry had cried himself out in here amongst the mayhem, and if Sirius shifted his shoulder behind Remus' to hide the evidence of this then nobody was going to say anything about it. Instead Harry smiled for the first time, holding tight to the pain again. It would morph eventually, to acceptance, until he could hear this one day and truly smile with love of his own for every part of his parent's story.

"When did he do that?" Sirius wasn't even truly angry at Dumbledore, though one could have mistaken such a thing from his tone. He was just, confused, and it came out belligerent. James had never told him this, and one glance over showed Remus had been just as ignorant of this fact.

It did make Remus feel just the smallest, most selfish bit better at Sirius' reaction though. He wasn't the only one secrets had been kept from.

"After I moved them into Godric's Hollow," Dumbledore replied calmly. "When I'd explained they would not be able to leave the home or their exposure would render their protection useless, James handed it to me and said I would find more use for it."

Harry watched as they seemed to be struggling to absorb this new information, but not as if they didn't believe him; but it was a sad realization all the same to know something irrevocable must have changed before his dad's death.

Sirius forced himself back to here and now, bouncing his knee to get Harry to snicker in surprise to reinforce his own laugh he'd released. He had forgotten that too, of all things, but the degraded memories could be replenished. He could not change the past, but he would make Prongs proud now.

It took the greatest effort yet for Sirius not to snort with humor, but instead lean down and whisper into Harry's ear, "yes, Professor."

Harry glanced up at him, almost affronted as he'd been the most vocal of his hatred of Snape, but there wasn't a doubt in his godfather's eye. Harry didn't understand the change, but some part of him glowed that he could ask later, and he would actually get an answer.

"What?" Harry demanded in surprise.

Remus and Sirius exchanged a very unhappy look, that was still a very vivid memory to Sirius of course because it had involved the worst fight the Marauders ever had during school. It did not shine a good light on Sirius, and so neither were exactly eager to share this bit of history with him, meanwhile it also incriminating Remus in this room while he'd also been victim.

No, Dumbeldore agreed as they told Harry, this was something that would also be explained when he was older. Harry did not agree, and sighed in disappointment, but it was still worlds better than Aunt Petunia snapping at him not to ask questions all together.

"Yeah, but Harry would never save Malfoy's life," Ron laughed, "so at least we don't have to worry about that history repeating itself."

Harry laughed while Arthur sighed and pinched at his nose. Honestly, where had his son gotten such a dark sense of humor?

Sirius' face twitched in disgust at that thought. He was going to come out of this the bigger person and apologize to Snape, sincerely and mean it, after all these years. Even if Snape never had to be in the circumstances again of actually trying to save Harry's life from Quirrell, Sirus would always know he'd done it. If Snape continued treating Harry like garbage in class though, well, they'd have words about that certainly. Harry was not James. Forgiveness was not a blank slate in his book.

"Can't even blame you mate," Ron sighed. Adults were weird, he was happy staying his age a while longer if these weird, backwards conversations were in his future.

"Oh, but Harry, didn't you work that out?" Hermione began in surprise. "I thought for sure you would have, as you-"

"Hermione," Tonks patiently cut in, and she stopped to realize Harry's abashed face no he really hadn't amongst everything else going on, so she sheepishly stopped. She was even surprised to see most of the others didn't seem to either.

"Oh yes, because that's so obvious," Ron sighed, but Hermione looked rather pleased she'd worked all that out herself.

Dumbledore sighed for this misfortune, and it really was his tiny little defeated noise at something so minor as a bean besting him that set everyone into a laughing fit again, which felt just as good as before after such heavy topics. Dumbledore smiled to himself at his expense and watched them all fondly.

"Finally!" Ron burst out of his seat in excitement, he'd been oddly missing hearing about himself.

Harry only hesitated a moment, but one glance up showed he'd be welcomed back to Sirius' side any time he'd ever like to, so he burst off to the couch with his best friend. Tonks only just had time to get to her feet before the two boys slammed into her spot, nearly on top of Hermione and Neville, and she fell to the floor more in surprise than anything, giving everyone else a nice little giggle.

She huffed theatrically at the four as she waved the book around grandly, nearly smacking Neville in the head with it the gesture went too wide. "Oh I see! Well I didn't want to sit with you lot anyways!"

She tried to flounce back over to Charlie, her foot caught on nothing, and she ended up sprawled out beside him instead, only making the kids laugh harder.

Charlie waited patiently as she used his broad shoulder to pull herself back up into a dignified position and everyone kept going with light smiles.

She did not reciprocate that feeling as she shoved Ron's arm just a bit farther away from her, giving the boys aggrieved looks while Neville had to wiggle his arm just to get it free to reach over and pat Harry on the back with a mock sympathetic face, only causing further laughter.

"I'm sure even the twins couldn't have come up with such a tale as this," Charlie agreed.

'Though Rita Skeeter might' Arthur kept to himself.

"Does that make us not a very good audience?" Tonks pouted, as nobody had managed the breath for that.

"I mean, yes," Harry grinned, "but, also, I didn't either, so, I'm not even a good audience to my own story."

Sirius let out a sharp bark of laughter, quite startling to all but two in here who had never heard it properly before, but now Harry was beaming at his godfather as he grinned at him for the cheeky comment and Harry swore he wanted to see him laugh like that more.

"Ronald," Arthur sighed.

"What, he wasn't actually there when I said it that time," Ron shrugged, while Dumebldore chuckled calmly.

Sirius set his teeth on edge again, but he would not do this in front of Harry. This required two very different conversations, one where he got through Harry's head just how proud he was of him but never wanted this to happen again, and one involving Dumebldore's head on a spike if this were true.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at Harry, he did not like that one bit, Harry shouldn't be taking any threat to his life lightly!

Harry wiggled in his seat, and for the first time wondered just what kind of disciplinarian Sirius was. His first thoughts went to the Dursleys, but Sirius had been so angry when he heard what they'd done. He couldn't imagine Sirius doing anything worse, but what other kinds of punishments even were there? He'd heard of things like no dessert and no telly (from what little TV he'd seen) so maybe that?

Sirius was back to glaring at Dumebldore and didn't seem aware of these troubling thoughts, Harry would know his feelings on this soon enough.

Sirius looked likely to breathe fire very soon if this were true, only Harry's very worried face restrained him, so it was quite the surprise when Arthur Weasley burst out angrily.

"Surely that's not true though!" The red headed patriarch was watching Dumebldore in disbelief he wasn't dissuading Harry of these thoughts. "You'd never do something to put these kids in danger, you would have stopped them if you truly knew!" He had not at all forgotten his own worry while listening to those 'trials' guarding the Stone.

"I'd be remise to tell a child's imagination it had no validity," Dumbledore said sanguinely.

The kids exchanged amused looks, while those older once again felt like this was no true answer at all.

Arthur didn't even look away to scold his youngest son for that again, Charlie almost wanted to get up and either high five him or shield him from this coming madness.

Harry gasped in shock. Despite the Snitch having just been mentioned, that hadn't even occurred to him! Quidditch had been the one thing he'd been so easily able to bond with Sirius and Remus over, he didn't even know what else he could talk to them about! What if Sirius rescinded his offer because-

"Hey, relax Harry," Sirius grinned easily at him, not a trace of worry on his face like the comment hadn't even registered until Harry's stricken face. "I said it should be in your thoughts, not your life obsession. James lost a few games of his own, and had a fair few times of having missed some." Nobody noticed him imperceptibly leaning towards Remus as if this indicated an answer, he'd just been doing that frequently. "There's always next year."

Harry blinked slowly before smiling again, he liked the sound of that.

"It only took you fifteen minutes to tell them all that?" Tonks sighed. "Why couldn't we have gotten the short version too?"

"As if you could live without these details," Charlie was only half teasing, that Queen knocking his kid brother out was still replaying in his head. He didn't know how Ron was ever going to look at a chess set again without flinching, he was sure he couldn't.

"At least he hasn't tried to eat all of those in one night yet," Remus said mildly.

Harry just smiled again, he knew how to savor what little sweets he'd managed to get his hands on.

"That's because you haven't been to one with my family around yet," Ron chuckled, not seeming to realize he was agreeing with the matron about not going as he told Harry, "you should have been there this one time my Uncle Bilius got up on this table and started pulling flowers out of his-"

"Ron, that's definitely a story for another time," Arthur swiftly interrupted.

"Oooh," Hermione cooed, hoping she had at least given him a hug.

None of them really had any ill will towards Hagrid for his slip of the tongue, once those kids had decided they were going that had been that. They'd have gone to Fluffy with some cock-and-bull plan, seen the harp, and one of them would have put two and two together. Certainly they all felt a stir for the man reduced to tears.

"It was his animal to tell about," Charlie said calmly, like he'd argue with anyone who said otherwise.

That part they could have lived without, but in retrospect, it had been the most mild chapter of the whole book. Certainly the least amount of heart failure or other trauma.

"Now that's just cruel and unusual punishment," Tonks shook her head, though she did wonder absently if that was some sort of legal punishment.

"I'll give him credit for those priorities," Sirius mumbled.

"Tonks, must you!" Charlie groaned, starting to look rather green from hearing this repeated so much lately.

"Sorry Charlie," she said in a sing song voice, quite proud of herself for not even stuttering that time, and so not sounding very sorry at all.

Neville looked like he should have excused himself to the bathroom with how much his legs kept jolting and Arthur seemed as if he were developing a nervous tick, but even their reactions were growing more mild with each time.

"Is that all it takes," Remus said under his breath. "We should start a booth."

Sirius snorted softly, but the exchange went unnoticed except for Dumbledore, and the two grinned at each other again like they were in the back of class.

"It's good the man can laugh at himself," Tonks smirked at her best friend. Charlie still wasn't laughing.

"Wow," Harry uttered, his mind not even able to comprehend such riches, more than any gold he could ever inherit.

Remus and Sirius felt that old feeling again, like kicking themselves was just the start for what they deserved Harry didn't have this and more, but they definitely pushed past that and refused to wallow anymore. Hagrid would not be the first to bestow Harry this gift.

Tonks and Charlie sighed miserably, they'd spent far too many end of year feasts with that. It had already been confirmed their last would be as well.

"Maybe should have brought that invisibility cloak and slipped in," Neville muttered, which Harry definitely agreed with.

The four all smiled just a bit at that, Hermione most of all. It was nice to think they were walking in with just a bit of a head start over other first years, and they weren't going to be forgetting a thing, even the lessons.

Charlie was forcing himself to be mature here and not encourage his little brother to ask one of the twins for a dungbomb under their table when this happened again.

Tonks stopped in surprise, Charlie even leaned over her shoulder for a moment and got a peek before she pushed his face back away and kept going loudly. His grin told them all why she was smiling though.

Ron at least got a laugh for seeing the opposite done in here, even his dad was grinning faintly at the idea of his old house winning the Cup one more time.

When Ron seemed to be lacking that same kind of embarrassment, Arthur quickly said, "now young man-"

"I promise I won't be doing this again just to win the House Cup," Ron said at once.

Arthur frowned, that was not a promise not to be doing this again at all, but Tonks was wiggling impatiently and read over the unneeded worry. Dumbledore wasn't foolish enough to pull this stunt again, or it wasn't Ron Arthur would be having words with.

Ron forced himself not to look too pleased with his dad's eye still on him, but it was very hard going.

And then he lost the fight altogether. Percy had never complimented him before! Even Charlie was chuckling affectionately, and Ron honestly felt like this was the best day ever!

Hermione hadn't made that leap! She went scarlet in surprise and began stammering her thanks to the headmaster, who merely grinned in delight at the girl.

Harry smiled at her, imagining she probably would have done the same in here if this audience was any bigger, she already looked on the verge of it.

Sirius was mastering some nerves of steel by forcing himself to keep breathing evenly, Arthur and Remus were biting their tounges. They were proud of these kids, and they'd know as much, but rewarding them for this definitely felt like taking it too far.

"A select few honestly," Tonks told them with a straight face, which the kids didn't quite understand yet, but her eyes were lingering on Neville in an odd way, and they all suddenly began whispering excitedly amongst themselves as she loudly kept going.

"Yes!" All four jumped from the sofa, sending it back a few feet as they jumped around in excitement, hugging and high-fiving each other. They let them scream themselves hoarse over this victory, hoping it would happen for them again, even if not like this and after all they'd been through nobody had the heart to force them to stop until they'd calmed themselves back down.

Sirius found he wasn't quite so mature yet he still didn't release just a tiny little smirk at that, barely noticeable, honestly.

And then it bloomed into full view for everyone to see, and Harry snickered at the expression, though his confusion doubled over all this.

"It had better," they all muttered, because they probably weren't going to get a magical intervention about that.

Harry beamed at his godfather, resisting the urge to go over into his arms once more, it was still such a new idea to him. Even if all of that did happen again, he already had the best memory of his life right in here.

"It's not that surprising," Charlie said fairly, "you spent half the year in the library!" The kids got another laugh out of that.

"I'd bloody hope so, I can't imagine two people getting perfect marks in everything," Ron rolled his eyes.

"What would even happen if they did?" Neville asked with a twitching smile.

"The two would duel to death," Ron said with a straight face. Harry burst out laughing while Hermione rolled her eyes at them.

"If only he didn't have such a biased Head of House in his favor," Tonks grumbled, "he could have at least been held back a year."

"We all do," Charlie's grin was still rather sympathetic even if he preened that no longer applied to him.

It wasn't until Tonks got all that out though that her smile began slipping, and nobody needed to ask why. Harry only hesitated a moment before jogging back to Sirius, and he didn't hesitate for a moment before pulling Harry up so that he was sitting between them both again. His stomach curled at the thought of going back there again, not now when he had something so much better to look forward to.

Ron at least got one last laugh out of that, though he doubted the Muggles noticed enough they'd even bother seeing such a thing. He could probably drive Dad's car there and back and they wouldn't even notice.

"Permanently," Arthur said none too quietly. Sirius fought back a shiver and held Harry tighter, making Arthur feel guilty, but Sirius nodded he wouldn't fight him on that. While Harry caught Mr. Weasley's eye and gave him an awkward smile. While he finally understood and cherished the fact he was not going back to the Dursleys, he still didn't quite know what to make of that.

Harry sighed as he tried to imagine himself back in that small, dark cupboard. Even this enclosed room felt more welcoming. He laid his head against Sirius' chest again, feeling the reassuring thuds of his heart beat through his ribcage once more.

"Nice to know who her new favorite brother's going to be," Ron rolled his eyes.

"In so many words," Tonks snorted.

Harry had almost forgotten about that in the midst of that Mirror, and Ron caught his eye with a very reassuring smile. "Mum's going to love you," Ron assured before Harry could even fully process all of this.

Harry fought back a flinch at the idea of Uncle Vernon yelling all the way home about what an inconvenience it must have been to drive up there and get Harry, but it was easier than he ever would have believed to ignore the idea while grinning up at his godfather, who was absent mindedly messing Harry's hair up and muttering about what color Harry would want his room to be.

'That's already some improvement,' Harry thought morbidly, but kept to himself. Some part of him still didn't quite believe any of this would come to pass, that somehow when they left here it would all go sideways and he'd have his godfather wrenched from him for good and the Weasley's would never take him in.

He'd still find a way to get to Hogwarts though, he'd walk to King's Cross the day the Dursleys' let him out of his cupboard and sleep on a bench until September first if he had to. Then this part at least would still happen, he'd make it work. He looked up and around one more time though and smiled, for the first time in his life really believing, he may not have to do it all alone once he got there.

Sirius made such a deep throated scathing noise, it sounded like it hurt.

"Never to be seen again," Remus muttered, and Harry's hopes managed to shoot up even more.

"I wish for that feeling back," Hermione huffed, crossing her arms as she realized over herself just how unpleasant that man could be.

Tonks roared with laughter, and threw the book into the air as if it were her Hogwarts hat at the end of the feast. It hit the low ceiling and thunked back to the floor without anyone noticing as everyone broke out into conversation.