While Harry and Ron were going up the stairs to join Hermione, Harry was thinking about what he would write. He thought instead of writing about himself, he'd do a type of eulogy on Cedric, like Sirius suggested. He would tell of how great of a guy the teen was and how he didn't deserve to be forgotten by the public. How he lived, what a great seeker he was, how good he did in the tournament, and how he died. Hopefully, that might be enough for people to remember the first casualty of this, so far, silent war. If they could just realize that Cedric's death meant something, he'd be happier.
"What are you think of so hard? Ways to get Hermione to see our point?" Ron asked, in a desperate jest.
"No, something else. However, we do need to suss out what to say to her. I mean, she's a bit hardheaded about some stuff," Harry replied, shaking his thoughts on Cedric's death to the side for a moment.
"I think we should be brutally honest," the redhead stated, shoving his hands in his pocket as they topped the stairs. "It's the only way she'll listen. We can't pussyfoot around it. She needs to understand that she's not right about this. We can't back down like we did with S.P.E.W."
"Yeah," was all Harry said as they came to the door to his room. Hermione was a great friend, and he loved her dearly, but sometimes…
They opened the door and went inside. The room was still green and a bit dark. Hermione was sitting on a chair reading the book Sirius gave her, a look of horrified distaste on her face. She heard them come in and slammed the book shut as if it would take away the horror she just read.
"I though Sirius suggested you not read that at night," Harry said bluntly as he came in and closed the door. He headed to the only other chair in the room.
"I guess I didn't believe him," she whispered, a bit of whimper in her voice, probably from what she just read.
"Put it away, yeah," Ron suggested, kicking off his shoes and sitting on the bed, one leg up and the other swinging off the side.
She did without comment, but with a look of relief, and took a few deep breaths and sighed. She dropped her hands to her lap and lifted her chin, as if preparing for a fight. She knew the boys didn't agree with her on many things, but usually she could talk them around. However, Harry was still very angry over how many treated him this summer, herself included, so she was bracing herself for that.
"Hermione, you shouldn't chastise Sirius the way you do. It's what got Mum kicked out of the house. I know you said your parents are out of the country, so you have nowhere to go if you get booted," Ron said, starting what he felt was going to be a rough conversation.
"I, for one, don't want to see you on the streets," Harry added, keeping his voice calm.
"He's talking of blackmailing people. Not only is that illegal, it is morally repugnant," she stated defensively. Her arms folded across her chest and her nose lifted in an offended air.
"Wait, didn't you blackmail Skeeter?" Harry asked, a bit confused.
"That's different, I'm not making her do anything illegal," she sniffed, shoulders tight with tension.
"No, but still it's blackmail," Ron added his thoughts.
"What's I've read of this book is not just something that can be taken lightly. If Skeeter messes up, her whole life won't be over. She would just have to pay the fine," Hermione insisted, sticking to her virtues. Skeeter was only annoying; Sirius was talking about blackmailing government officials. It was completely different.
"No, there's a prison sentence with that," Ron rebutted, scooting closer to the edge of the bed.
"Besides, no one will listen to me anyway, my threats to her are hot air," the bushy-haired girl stated. "What Sirius is thinking is immoral," she huffed, folding her arms and sitting back in her chair.
"Yeah, but he's an adult and rich. If he can get his names cleared, I say let him. I don't care if it's immoral, or illegal," Harry said a bit in his tone. "Besides, you don't treat other adults that way. So why Sirius?" he asked, leaning forward a bit as if to say listen to me.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't treat Sirius different," she said, though a look of guilt crossed her face.
"Yeah, you do," Ron argued, his brow furrowed thinking maybe she truly believed what she was saying.
"Yeah, Ron's right. Sirius and I have kept in contact this last week, and he said, you pretty much just blow him off. It's like you have no respect for him at all. What has he done to offend you, that others have not?" Harry added, really wanting to know. As far as he knew Sirius had only been kind and helpful to the teens.
"He hasn't done anything to offend me, besides owning house elves. It's just…I don't know," she admitted reluctantly. "There's just something about his personality that makes me just want to correct him all the time. It's a bit like he never grew up and is now pretending to be a man," she confessed in a soft voice.
She wasn't sure herself why her reactions to Sirius were so… blasé. He was a nice man, and funny. He was letting her and the Weasleys stay here. That and he really helped Harry, and was there for him, and she was grateful for that. Merlin knows the boy needed an adult to stand up for him. However, there was just something that made her want to dismiss Sirius as unimportant.
"I think your letting Mrs. Weasley do your thinking there," Harry said, tapping his chin with his finger.
"How do you figure that?" she asked, taking a good look at her actions.
"Think about what you just did," Harry said, waving to the book in her lap. "You read a book he suggested you not read before bedtime. Here it is, going on nine, and you were reading it. Hermione, you are going to have to do some serious thinking." He peered at her through his bangs, keeping his head down so she wouldn't see just how angry he was. In his eyes, it really wasn't her fault, she was raised to respect authority, but…
"Yeah, take my word for it, you keep going like you are, and you're going to wind up as bad as Mum," Ron added desperately as if hoping that she took his words to heart and changed her ways.
"Ron, don't talk about your mum that way," she said aghast, putting her hand to heart as if deeply affronted for Mrs. Weasley.
"See, that right there is what we're talking about. You are making demands like you're our mum. Hermione, it's his mum, if he wants to acknowledge that she's pushy, it is his right," Harry exclaimed, pointing his finger at her accusingly.
"He shouldn't talk about her so horridly," she huffed, thumping back in her chair.
"It's not your right to correct him," he snapped back. "You are not his sister, or mother, or related in any way. You are not his girlfriend, wife or lover," he added, making both the teens blush and look at each other, only to look away.
"Um," Ron mumbled.
"You're his friends," Harry continued, ignoring their byplay, "and while that does mean you can have your own opinion, it doesn't mean you can correct him. Instead you should have said, something along the lines that you don't agree," he stated firmly. He really hoped that they could talk her around. He liked Hermione. She was always there for him. However, he could do without a big sister and would love to have a good friend.
"Aren't you demanding that I change my ways?" she asked, not really believing that, but wanting to get the point across that he was being forceful right now.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so… pushy. However, like I said, I like you. Ron likes you. I just want you to understand that you can come off as bossy. Overbearingly so. The only reason I'm being so blunt is because you've not listened to me in the past. That and we want you have other friends as well. So far you have not endeared yourself to anyone else. I mean, do you get along with others in Gryffindor?" Harry asked, hoping that he wasn't being too much of an arse.
"Well, no… not really…" she answered, trailing off in thought. She had a hard time associating with the other girls. They came off as a bit vapid, flighty, and not at all like they enjoyed school. She was a diehard bibliophile, and she took her studies seriously. She liked Neville well enough, but he was a painfully shy boy. Still, she did consider him a friend. She was also on good terms with Ginny, and the twins. "Ginny, Neville, and the twins," she said, hoping that that would make them see that others liked her.
"I can tell you that my siblings think you're alright, bossy, but alright," Ron said, nodding his head to Harry that it was true.
"Neville has confided in me that he thinks your scary, not Snape scary, but still…" Harry said, tapping his chin again.
"Really? I didn't know that," she said, a bit downhearted.
"He likes you well enough, but like I've been trying to say, he thinks you're too pushy," Harry stated, trying not to come off as an arse.
"Yeah, Hermione, I get that we will disagree, but one overbearing woman in my life is enough, thanks," Ron added his two knuts worth the blush fading from his face.
"You think I'm overbearing?" she asked in a small voice.
"Yes," they both said, one kindly, the other firmly.
"Yes," Harry said again, softer this time. "I hate to say this, because I do love you as a friend, but everyone we've ever spoken to, even those we've just mentioned, has asked us how we put up with your condescending ways. Right, Ron?" he asked turning to his friend.
"He's right, Hermione. I told you this in first year. Remember, it's what got you stuck in the bathroom with the troll. I know you were just trying to help, and I went about it all wrong, and I apologize for that, but we both could have handled that differently. Where no one would have left upset or angry," the redhead said, leaning forward a bit. "We're not eleven anymore. We should be more mature about things."
"We're only trying to help," Harry added quickly.
"Maybe you're right," she said slowly, still thinking that she messed up somewhere if they, and everyone else it seemed, thought she was overbearing. She never knew they thought that. All she ever wanted was for them to succeed in life. She just knew that they were a lot smarter than they let on, and if miffed her that they didn't push themselves to their full potential. But if they were seeing her a bossy, then she was doing the right thing the wrong way.
"Then the whole thing about house elves," Harry added, wanting to make a point, making her pay attention.
She opened her mouth to argue, but he raised his hand to stop her.
"You found out about them and then- Bam! -there was suddenly a crusade to free them," he stated, making and blowing up motion with his hands. "You came to us and demanded that we be part of it. Hermione, we didn't want to. Ron thought you were straight up barmy, and I didn't know enough about them to form an opinion. Now that you've hopefully talked to the ones here, I'm sure you understand that what you were trying to do was wrong." He held her gaze to make sure that she was listening.
"No, you're right, I have talked to them and they are happy the way they are. I think I'll try for better treatment of them instead," she said thoughtfully, her face then fell a bit. "I guess I can be overly ambitious. I am only trying to make you…" was a far as she got.
"No, don't you see, you can't make us do anything," Harry interrupted softly. He didn't want to make it seem that he was telling her she was a bad person, just a bit… well, he hoped she was listening. "You can't make us behave. You can't make us do our homework. You can't make us join your crusades. It's not your place. You can suggest, you can bribe, you can even simply ask. However, you can't force us. You are going to have to accept that we can say no to you."
"Yeah, Harry says no to me all the time. The only person who can demand things of me is my mum, well, Dad too," Ron added, nodding his head in agreement.
"And for me it's my relatives, though I still tell them no all the time. I don't respect them. I do however respect you. But, that's not my point," he said, waving away the questions he could see forming. They knew his life; he didn't need to repeat it. "My point is, you are not our mum. You're our friend," Harry corrected. He put his hand on her knee and gave a squeeze to show he did care but meant every word.
"What about Dumbledore," she tried to rally.
"That is completely different. He is in charge of the school we go to. That's it. He isn't family either. So, you don't have that to fall back on," Ron stated, looking at Harry for confirmation. "And I'm sorry, Harry, I shouldn't have listened him, but Mum…"
"I get that, I really do, but, well, we'll talk about that later. How about it, Hermione, work with us here," Harry said, giving her and encouraging smile.
"I'll try," she promised. "I'll try to be more of a friend and less of a mum." She grabbed his hand and reached for Ron's, who stood up and took it, making the other two to stand, so that they all faced each other. "Friends, I think I'd like that."
"Friends," the boys said, and they all fell into a group hug. Things were going to be okay.
Hphphp
Meanwhile, Sirius remembered that Arthur might want to remember where his kids were. Well, Molly too, but he wasn't going to tell her. Arthur could come and see for himself they were fine or take them home if he felt the need.
Getting up, he went straight to the Floo and called the man, and it was a good thing too. Arthur and his wife were completely worried that they had forgotten where their kids were. They knew they were with Sirius, and that bugged Molly, but they couldn't remember the address. He went through the Floo, after being invited, to give Arthur the address.
"Arthur," he said, ignoring the glares Molly was giving him. He handed the address to the man, and then when he was sure he had it, he snatched it back. "You can come by every day to check on the kids," he said, still ignoring the fuming woman.
"Are you okay there by yourself?" the redhead asked, glancing at his wife. "I mean, my children can be quite a handful," he added.
"I'll ask someone to come and help with them. I have a few females in the family that can do that," Sirius stated, already thinking on who he was going to write. He hoped that would placate the kids' mum.
She did deflate a bit, but still glared at him.
He didn't want anything to come back and bite him. Like have underage girls in his house without chaperone. He was trying to get his name cleared, not muddy it up again. Perhaps, Andi or Tonks could stay for a few weeks.
"I keep in touch every day, or you can have one of the twins call me and let me know everything is okay. Thanks for keeping an eye on them," Arthur said, putting his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Tell the twins that I'll be home after six every evening," he asked, glaring at Molly to keep her quiet. "Or they can report to Molly. She's agreed that the children are best left under the Fidelius," he added, standing back and putting an arm around his wife.
Whether to comfort her or hold her back, Sirius didn't know. "Sure, not a problem," the dogman said, nodding to Molly and Flooing home.
He decided to write Ted about the Dementors, just so there'd be a written history of it. There was no proof they could take anywhere, but he was going to make sure Harry recorded everything he felt was an attempt on his life.
Remus would get a letter telling him to meet him tomorrow afternoon, so he could share the secret. He wanted his friend here to help with the kids and to keep track of any repercussions Dumbledore might do.
He knew Albus was going to do everything in his power to get Harry back. Speaking of which he needed to add to Ted's letter that Harry was not kidnapped but rescued. Maybe he'd get the man to investigate the Dursleys, that way there would be a paper trail on the abuse. Still, he wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to make such accusations. He needed to nip that in the bud, fast.
With those thoughts in mind, he took himself to a desk and started writing to the people who he felt needed to know. Halfway through Ted's letter he got up and Flooed the Tonks' house. He held a quick conversation with both Ted and Andi and arrangements were made. Remus, he would still write.
After he finished owling Remus' letter, he decided to check on the kids. They would need to head to bed soon. He went up the stairs, still marveling on how clean they were. It was a breath of freshness that made him feel like the house was more a home than it had ever been.
He reached his destination and knocked.
Harry popped his head out and smiled when he saw who was there. "Sirius, what's up?" he asked, opening the door all the way and letting his godfather in.
"Just checking on you guys. I didn't hear any yelling, so I figured you were okay. Work everything out, did you?" the dogman asked, settling on the bed next to Ron, who swung his legs off to make room.
"Yeah, it's a work in progress, but I feel we'll be just fine," Harry answered, retaking his seat.
Hermione blushed, she knew that it was going to take a lot of discipline on her part, so she spoke to the man she wronged. "I'm going to work harder on being a friend," she said firmly with a decisive nod. "The boys pointed out that I was turning into Mrs. Weasley, and while I feel she is right about some things, she is a bit of a shrew," she added, glancing at Ron to see if he was going to get angry.
"Don't look at me," the boy said, holding his hands in the air. "I have always felt that way. She's my mum, and I love her, but her voice could break glass once she gets going."
Everyone chuckled and nodded.
"Well, I'm glad you worked it out. I like you Hermione. You're a great friend to Harry, but if you had been older, I would have made you leave days ago," Sirius said, seriously, his eyes narrowed a bit in that adult way that meant business.
"I know," she said softly. "I want to apologize; I have been letting the other adults dictate how I react to you. And I'm sorry," she said, looking at his face with wide eyes.
"I sorta guessed that's what was happening, so I let it slide. However, you need to start respecting me a bit. Just from the way you act towards others, I know your mum taught you manners," the older man stated, looking at the girl in slight reprimand. "Speaking of your mum, do you want to go to a payphone and call them? Make sure they are okay?" he asked, thinking of all the letters that never left the house.
"Oh, didn't I tell you? They're overseas this summer. I was supposed to go with them but then Mrs. Weasley showed up and told them I might be in danger. She didn't even wait for them to say it was okay. She just packed my stuff and told them I would be safe. Which, by the way, I don't appreciate," she said, looking at Ron, who held his hands up again.
The three men in the room shared looks. They felt bad for her, that Mrs. Weasley was so heavy-handed to the girl's parents.
"Sorry," Ron mumbled, feeling the need to apologize to her.
"It's not your fault, Ron, but I appreciate the gesture. Anyway, like I said, she told them I'd be safer here. They told me, before I left, that they couldn't change plans, and that they would see me next summer," she finished, hanging her head a bit as if upset that she was denied a fun summer with her parents.
"Oh, okay. I'm glad to hear that. I tried to write them but was denied by the Order. I'm glad they are safely out of the country. You should write them and see if they can extend their vacation until this whole business is over," Sirius suggested, hoping that they Grangers did just that.
"I will. I'll have to tell them something, probably the truth, but I will warn them," the bushy-haired girl replied, already thinking about what she needed to write.
"What happened with Dumbledore?" Ron asked, changing the subject, turning and facing Harry's godfather.
"I made him leave," was the only answer that Sirius gave.
"Why?" Hermione asked, more of an inquiry than a demand for answers. She was still upset about how he lied about Harry. How he had told her, and Ron, that Harry was okay, when obviously he wasn't.
"He wanted to take control. Kept demanding that I let people I don't like in my house. I took exception," Sirius stated, as if it were a foregone conclusion to begin with.
"Oh," was all she said, though her face took a thoughtful look.
"Why don't you guys head to bed? I'm going to check on the rest of the Weasleys. I've asked for either Andi or Tonks to come and play chaperone. So, that the girls will have a female about. I would have asked your parents, Hermione, but you said they were on holiday," Sirius said, standing and giving Ron room to get by him.
The room wasn't small, but it was cramped with furniture.
"Oh, I like Tonks," Hermione stated, getting up herself.
"Who's Tonks?" Harry asked as he watched everyone get ready to leave.
Ron picked up his shoes and decided to carry them. He was only going down one floor. He was glad he had a room to himself. He spent enough time with roommates at school. He shrugged in answer to Harry's question, and looked at Sirius.
"Andi's daughter," Sirius answered. "She doesn't like her first name, and prefers to be called Tonks, which is their last name." He escorted the other two teens to the door.
"Oh, okay, I'll keep that in mind. Night, all," Harry called as they left.
"Night, Harry," came the reply of the other three.
With that the door closed and Harry for the first time, since he got there, was alone with his thoughts. It had been a hard night, but a lot had been done. So, he, for one, was glad that Sirius brought him here. He settled at the desk on the far wall and started to write the eulogy. He made sure to keep it about Cedric, and the injustice of his death.
He didn't state anything about Voldemort, he knew that would distract from his point. He only told of how they were kidnapped during the final task and how the boy was cut down without warning. It was unfair that he was thought of as a spare. He stated that the kidnappers were after him and because Harry tried to be fair, Cedric died. He made sure to add how sad that made him feel.
Tears were pouring down his face when he finished, but he finally felt a sense of closure. Like Cedric could finally rest in peace.
He folded the letter and placed it on the desk, leaving the tear marks, and settled into the amazingly comfortable bed. Sleep, for the first time in ages, came to him quickly and his dreams were not bad. Harry's heart was calm, and he felt, for the first time since he found out he was a wizard, that the world didn't rest on his shoulders.
That's a lot of first times for one night, but they were all warranted. He loved that Sirius could make him feel good about himself. Either by just being there, or by suggesting things that helped.