"Our only confusions were why they were targeted, why they were tortured, what accellerant was used as it left no organic trace, such as petroleum... or, as you call it over the 'pond', gasoline... and whether or not the Dursleys were the actual target.
"That you are now looking into the nephew leads us to believe it was the nephew who was the target. And that the Dursleys were tortured so the torturers could try to discover the location of that nephew. Care to shed any light on that?"
"We believe you're probably right?" she replied.
He smiled in amusement.
Not being an information-gathering or -security specialist, she was an astrophysicist, Carter was not an expert at dissembling her answers to keep the cover on the information.
It was getting on time for dinner when Sirius's floo chimed again. Again being careful he warily approached the welcoming room with its floo.
"It's me again, Sirius," he heard Luna call.
"Password?" he barked.
"Sirius knows Harry lives!" she immediately returned. As he stepped into the room, Sirius said, "Luna knows Longbottom is not the Chosen One."
She smiled and said, "I need to bring someone through the floo."
"Who?" he immediately demanded.
"It's the surprise I mentioned when you gave me the five hundred pounds," she returned. Then she turned a pleading look on him and said, "Please, Sirius. You'll want to meet this person. I swear, they mean you no harm."
He frowned in annoyance and stepped towards her raising her wand. Just before he was about to cast, he said, "First; I'll check you for mind altering charms and potions."
She nodded, as if expecting it.
After Sirius cast his charms he lowered his wand and said, "Fine. However, no more than one, though." It spoke to the trust he had in her that he even allowed that. She nodded back and said, "Of course." Then disappeared out through the floo again, back to the Leaky Cauldron.
As soon as the flames were out from the disconnected call, Sirius immediately opened the floo to allow only one person with an unrecorded magical signature through and then quickly transfigured up a one-person granite 'redoubt' in which to stand to defend himself from anyone coming in via the fireplace.
He'd just finished it when Luna stepped back out. Instead of giving the password, she grinned and stepped to the side.
A moment later, out stepped a man who held his hands up in the surrender gesture to show his hands without a wand in them.
Sirius looked at him in confusion as he saw Luna look at the newcomer and raise her wand to him. "Finite!" she firmly and verbally incanted. The glamour, as it was clear to Sirius that is what it was, faded away to leave a young man standing there wearing a flat-black muggle T-shirt, plain green muggle combat pants with the hems tucked into semi-polished black muggle combat boots.
However, even then you had to look hard to see Harry; or as he remembered him to be. The black hair had faded a little, showing an underlying redness from his mother; but he still had the messy locks of a Potter. He was also deeply tanned, showing he'd spent a lot of time out in the harsh sun. The scar couldn't even be seen, even at the somewhat close distance that separated them. And he'd definitely filled out with muscles clearly rippling under the surface of that tanned skin on his arms; his torso showing the flatness of well-toned musculature beneath that T-shirt. Most apparent of all, though, no glasses! Harry didn't move. Instead, he was staring at Sirius with a grin.
It took Sirius a few moments to figure out what... or, rather, who... he was looking at. Then his jaw dropped open and his eyes widened in frozen shock.
After Luna had dispelled his glamour, Harry watched as his godfather clearly puzzled out who he was. Then saw when the man had figured it out.
He laughed as he lowered his hands.
Sirius was so fast in wanting to reach his godson, for that was who it clearly was, the redoubt hadn't been dispelled fast enough before he was already moving forward. He tripped over what was left of the wall and landed with a thump on the floor, trying to scramble back to his feet again.
Harry had already stepped forward and helped him up, whilst still chuckling. A moment later, he was encased in such a tight bear-hug he couldn't breathe.
Luna watched in amusement and gave Sirius about five seconds of tightly hugging his godson before she firmly said, "Sirius; release him! He can't breathe!"
Startled, Sirius flung his arms away and stepped back. And Harry bent forward, putting his hands on his knees and gasping a little.
A moment later, he said, "Whoa! That hug would easily put Molly Weasley's to shame!"
As Harry straightened back up again, Sirius again stepped forward and wrapped him in another hug. However, this time it was a great deal gentler.
Sirius stood there with his godson in his arms as tears he didn't even know he was crying began to slide down his cheeks. After Sirius had finally released his godson and wiped his tears away, he croaked. "Dobby!"
When the elf popped in he only had time to point at Harry before the little elf apparated the three feet separating them and had Harry's left thigh in such a tight grip Harry began to lose sensation in his leg.
"Oh, Master Harry!" the elf bawled. "Missy Luna sez you bes back. But, Dobby be 'shamed he not truly believe. Dobby is a bad Dobby for not believesing Missy Luna! Wherez you been?"
When the elf finally released Harry leg, Harry had to stand on his right leg and lightly move his left about as he replied, "Thatis a long story in the telling. However, I will tell it soon."
"Dobby," said Luna.
When the elf looked to her she'd said, "How about you make a start on cooking dinner? It's been a long day and Master Harry will be hungry. All three of us are."
"Yes, Missy Luna!" Dobby exclaimed before he'd disappeared with an almost silent pop.
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