Both men looked shocked, Sirius also looking slightly ashamed. Reminding them about Dumbledore worked exactly how Harry had wanted it to and, although he was emotionally blackmailing them, it was for the greater good - a phrase that, even thinking it, made Harry cringe.
"He really helped you?" Sirius asked after a few moments of silence.
"Yes, he confirmed.
really
helped
me,"
Harry
Sirius and Remus seemed to share a look, before Remus spoke, "If you could contact him and ask him to brew it, I would be very grateful. Make sure to mention he will get paid market price." Remus had smelt Harry's emotions and he knew that the boy cared for him and was genuinely worried.
Harry nodded. "Thank you."
Sirius sat back down and Harry could hear him grumbling about Severus under his breath.
"I know you hated each other, but Siri, please, if you're willing to give Lucius a chance, why not Professor Snape?" Harry argued.
Sirius opened his mouth but didn't speak. Closing it, he ran his hand over his face. "I'm sorry," he said eventually. "It's hard for me - sorting out my feelings and emotions towards certain people."
Harry and Remus nodded. They too had found it difficult to control their emotions towards people after they had been magically cleansed.
30th July 1992
Like Narcissa had mentioned, an owl had arrived later in the week, inviting the three of them to dinner at Malfoy manor on Harry's birthday to celebrate. With that in mind, the two men were planning on going out and buying everything they needed to properly celebrate whilst Harry was at Neville's.
Flooing over with Sirius, as Remus was busy in planning mode, Harry was greeted by a stern faced Augusta Longbottom and a slightly embarrassed Neville.
Harry had rarely met the Longbottom matriarch, however he knew of her fearsome reputation in and out of the Wizengamot. The woman was surprisingly tall and her grey hair was up in an elaborate bun. Her robes when dark purple and expensive without being over the top. Looking around the room, Harry noted that was the general theme - it was clear the Longbottom family had money, but they didn't advertise the fact as sharply as other families, such as the Blacks (once upon a time) or the Malfoys.
Seeing as he was the adult with the greatest title in their party, Sirius stepped forward and bowed slightly, taking Augusta's hand and kissing the air above it.
"Thank you for having Harry today, Dowager Longbottom," he said formally.
Augusta's stern expression seemed to melt slightly as she released Sirius' hand. "None of that, now; you will call me Augusta. I've known you since you were a boy, for Merlin's sake! I never did believe you were guilty; I even wrote to the former minister about it, but got written off as a grieving mother - for shame! And as for this young lad, well, he's made my Neville very happy, really brought him out of his shell. I'm happy to have him."
Sirius
looked
shocked
and
pleased; knowing he had genuine support was heartening.
Seeing as Sirius looked slightly choked up, Harry took a step forward and took the dowager Lady's hand, "Thank you for having me, Dowager Longbottom. I'm very pleased to meet you - and happy birthday, Neville," Harry greeted, kissing the air above her hand before sending Neville a large smile.
"I'm very pleased to meet you too, young man, but you should call me Augusta or gran. I expect I'll be seeing a lot of you, so we shall forgo the formalities," the elderly lady said.
Harry nodded and sent the woman a smile. Neville shook his head lovingly and turned to his best friend. "Thanks, Harry. The girls aren't here yet, but we can go through and wait for them. My gran already knows Amelia, who's bringing them both."
~
After Sirius left and the girls arrived, Dowager Longbottom waved them off with Neville, saying she would send an elf when it was time for tea.
Neville lead them through the house and out into the garden. Seeing the manor for the first time from the outside, Harry saw it was a large Tudor manor. The gardens were extremely well maintained and Harry guessed that Neville had spent most of his time since returning from school out here.
Finding a quiet spot by a large pond, the four friends all sat down. As soon as they were settled, three sets of eyes turned to Harry and he gulped slightly.
"So…," he said, trailing off.
Susan huffed and reached over to lightly clip the back of his head. "You had better start talking or I will hex you. There's no aunt Amelia to watch me and I know Neville's wards will block the wand trace," she threatened.
Harry jokingly raised his arms. "Alright, alright, no need to resort to such violence," he said. He then explained what had happened, going into more detail than his letter had. Once he had finished his friends looked contemplative.
"My gran doesn't mention the war much. After what happened to my parents, I think she just wanted to forget - but she did say once that she didn't believe Sirius was guilty," Neville said. "If you're happy with him, then I don't mind that you kept it from us, and you know that I will support you anyway."
"It's the same with us," Hannah said, smiling at Harry.
"My aunt's been working night and day," Susan said, before whispering, "I don't think I'm supposed to know, but she didn't ward her office so I overheard her. Apparently, Dumbledore's been kicking up a fuss since your meeting, trying to get you back to your aunt and uncle. He's being sneaky about it but she knows it's him."
"He really needs to get over his obsession with me," Harry said, before adding in a sly voice, "I mean I know I'm fabulous, but I like my men a little less decrepit."
Neville choked and looked green while the girls giggled.
"Please don't talk about him like that! He's ancient, he even taught my gran," the blond boy wailed.
Susan, who was still giggling, calmed slightly. "So how do you like your men?"
"Tall, dark haired, and pale eyed," Harry said, remembering a sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle.
The three looked slightly shocked, but they didn't react negatively to Harry's confirmation about his sexuality. Hannah instead tilted her head and said, "Really, I prefer blonds myself." She dramatically looked over at Neville, who blushed and threw grass at her.
The group laughed again and Harry found himself relieved about their acceptance.
The next half an hour was spent talking about their summer plans. Neville was going away with his gran and his uncle Algie for the last week of the summer to visit distant family in the Netherlands, which he was excited about as they had a large botanical shop there which sold a variety of exotic plants and herbs. Susan was staying home as her aunt was too busy, but she had plans to visit the beach a few times for the day, and Hannah was leaving in a week to spend the remainder of the holiday until the last week in the USA visiting her cousins.
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