Explorers, Lies, and an Irresponsible Godfather
Sirius raised an eyebrow as he looked at the kids: they were all dressed like little explorers, with backpacks on their shoulders and even wide-brimmed hats that looked straight out of an old movie. Even Red had a little pouch strapped to his back, which made him look, frankly, ridiculous.
"What's with the outfits?" Sirius asked, unable to hide his confusion.
"We're going on an adventure, aren't we? So we have to dress like adventurers," Daphne replied instantly, visibly excited.
Harry and Draco exchanged glances, both clearly uncomfortable with the clothes Daphne had forced them to wear—especially the absurd hats.
Sirius narrowed his eyes as he noticed something else. "And the whip?" he asked, pointing at the one hanging from Daphne's belt.
"Adventure," she replied, completely serious.
Even Sirius—who was usually pretty tolerant of chaos—couldn't quite understand how that girl's mind worked. But seeing how excited they all were, he smirked. Why not?
"Alright, kids. Time to head out. We'll use Apparition, so grab my arm."
"Wait a second," Hermione said, raising her hand. "At the end of the school year, we were told that our wands still had something called the Trace. It's supposed to prevent underage wizards from using magic outside Hogwarts, right?"
Sirius nodded with a sideways smile, like someone bracing for the logical question.
"Well," she continued, "from what I understand, it doesn't detect magic from the wand itself, but rather any spell cast near it. So… apparating might trigger it?"
"Don't worry, I know exactly how that little Ministry charm works. We tried breaking it all the time when we were kids… though we never managed it," Sirius said with a touch of nostalgia and pride. "But we did figure out that it only activates in Muggle areas. And since the house you're living in now is protected and filled with powerful magic, I sent a formal notice to the Ministry using my credentials as an associate member of the School Board."
He paused for a moment… maybe expecting applause. None came.
"My mum put up a magical barrier that blocks all forms of detection inside the house," Harry said casually. "Not even the most powerful magical objects can enter without her permission. So the Trace was disabled the moment we stepped inside."
"Wow," Daphne whispered in awe.
Draco nodded silently, clearly impressed.
"She's amazing," added Hermione with a smile.
Sirius remained quiet for a second, slightly frustrated that no one appreciated his bureaucratic efforts.
"Anyway… to adventure!" he said, placing his hand in the center for the others to grab.
One by one, they sighed and stepped forward, touching his arm.
The apparition was immediate. The feeling of being sucked in and spat out like toothpaste from a tube wasn't particularly pleasant. They hit the ground with mild dizziness.
"Ugh… godfather, you're terrible at apparition," Harry groaned, sitting on the ground and rubbing his head.
Draco lay flat on his back, staring blankly at the sky. Hermione was holding her stomach, trying not to throw up, and Daphne was down on all fours, silent.
Red, on the other hand, was perfectly fine. He looked around at everyone with curiosity, like a very satisfied tour guide.
Even Sirius looked a bit queasy.
"Sorry about that. I'm not used to bringing so many people along," he said, his voice slightly rough.
After a few minutes to recover, everyone stood up. Sirius took the lead.
"I apparated us into a nearby forest just in case there were any Muggles around. Better to avoid unwanted witnesses."
He looked around, assessing the surroundings.
"That way," he said, and they started walking.
Harry watched the forest with a frown. Something didn't feel right. Even Hermione, flipping through a pamphlet as she walked, looked a little confused.
"Didn't you say it was near Stonehenge?" she asked.
"Yep. We're in Grovely Woods," Sirius replied with a big grin.
"That's twenty-two kilometers from Stonehenge," Harry said, giving him a flat look.
"See? Close!" Sirius answered cheerfully.
Harry rolled his eyes in resignation.
They walked for quite a while under tall trees and over crunching branches.
"Are we there yet?" Daphne asked with a sigh.
"Almost," Sirius replied—for the fifteenth time in just thirty minutes. But this time, he added, "Ah, look… here we are."
Before them stood a large tree in the center of a clearing.
Sirius approached it with excitement, then turned dramatically toward the group.
"Have you heard the story of the Andsel Sisters?"
"Four women accused of witchcraft without trial, buried separately so they couldn't conspire even in death," Harry answered, pulling out a water bottle.
"Exactly. It's said that trees grew from their graves. But now, only three remain," Sirius said, his tone darker.
"Were they witches?" Daphne asked, intrigued.
"No," Sirius replied, his gaze turning grim. "They were Muggles. But the man who accused them was a wizard. A dark one. He used them as a cover while he was researching something… ancient. Very ancient."
"And how do you know that?" Draco asked, skeptical.
"I found his journal while cleaning my house. Apparently, my great-grandfather killed him and took his research—but never bothered to look for this place. Actually, it was Tonks who found it. She'd been investigating for a while until her mother found out and grounded her for putting herself in danger. She even asked a curse-breaker to help with the main entrance. But the place was full of traps, so they didn't get far."
"And you brought us here? Four students who just finished first year. While Tonks, a fully graduated witch, and her friend couldn't even get past the entrance," Harry said, fixing his godfather with a hard stare.
"Exciting, isn't it?" Sirius replied with a mischievous grin.
"Aah… I'm going home," Harry muttered, turning away.
"Wait, wait! Come on, pup, it'll be fun," said Sirius, grabbing his shoulder. "Your dad and I used to do stuff like this all the time. One time, we accidentally woke up a mummy in Egypt. It was epic!"
"How do you accidentally wake up a mummy?" Hermione asked, a mix of disbelief and resignation in her voice.
Harry sighed, lowered his gaze, and then spoke calmly but firmly.
"Godfather… I'm glad you want to spend time with me, really. And I understand that you miss my dad. But you need to accept that I'm not him. I'm younger. And I'm your godson. You're supposed to protect me. That's why I mess with you sometimes, or why the other adults still don't take you seriously."
Sirius blinked, as if he'd just been hit with a harsh truth. He fell silent, looking into Harry's eyes for a few seconds before scratching the back of his neck, guilt slowly creeping across his face.
"You're right," he said in a low voice. "I'm sorry. It's just… I don't know how to reach you. I'm supposed to be a father figure, but mine was awful. And when I finally had one in your grandfather… well, I knew he wasn't really my dad either. Honestly, I would've loved to have someone who took me on wild adventures now and then. But, you know… safely."
Harry stared at him in silence for a moment, then sighed.
"Alright. Let's investigate a bit. But if it gets too dangerous, we'll call Liz or Gris to get Mum."
Even though Harry often teased him and kept a cool demeanor around him, deep down he knew Sirius was the closest thing he had left to his father—flesh and blood. Remus counted too, of course… but his grandparents, much as he loved them, were just fragments of consciousness. They weren't really there. Sirius was. His dad's best friend. Someone who had loved him, who had shared his childhood… and who had suffered the most after his death.
Sirius's face lit up instantly.
"Then let's go!" he exclaimed with a genuine smile.
Harry looked at his friends. They offered him small smiles and followed close behind.
When they reached the tree, Sirius pushed on its side slightly. To their surprise, he slipped right through it. A second later, he popped his head back out, grinning.
"Come on!" he said, before vanishing again.
One by one, they followed. On the other side, they found a stone staircase descending underground. Sirius raised his wand with a "Lumos" and started down without hesitation.
The others followed. Harry pulled out his wand as well, with Red walking beside him like a tiny bodyguard.
After a long descent, they reached a wider chamber. Before them stood a massive stone door with a large carved circle in the center, radiating a sense of age and mystery.
"Oh… so that's what you meant by the Round Table symbol," Draco said. "Though to be honest, the Round Table didn't really have a logo or anything, so I was confused."
"Yeah, well… that was a little lie to catch your attention," Sirius admitted with a guilty smile.
"Two lies out of four, and we're just getting started," Hermione muttered, glancing around. The only things in sight were the stone walls, the grand door, and the stairs behind them.
"Look, this was a trap," Sirius explained, pointing to a stone on the ground. When he pressed it, it sank slightly like a button. "This triggers a trap that fires poisoned arrows from the corners."
"What the—?" Harry said, taking a step back.
"There were tons more on the stairs," Sirius added. "Tonks and her friend managed to disable most of them on the way down. There were… hundreds."
All four stared at him wide-eyed while Sirius kept pressing the button like a toy. They quickly stepped away and began looking around much more carefully, wands at the ready.
"Can you believe the curse-breaker took a whole month just to open the tree entrance?" Sirius said, shaking his head as Harry gently pushed him away from the button.
"And the door? Still sealed?" Hermione asked, inspecting the stonework.
"I searched all around, but didn't find any mechanism. And if I called in treasure hunters or tomb raiders, they'd demand most of the loot. So I thought—why not turn it into a fun little adventure for you lot, my little nerds?" he added, grinning again.
"It bothers me how you see the world, godfather," Harry muttered, putting on his glasses to examine the symbol and the runes more closely.
Hermione, meanwhile, knelt down and rummaged through her bag until she pulled out a massive reference book.
"You always carry books with you when you go out?" Sirius asked playfully, peeking over her shoulder.
"If you're heading into an unknown place, the least you can do is bring information about similar ones," she replied without looking up, flipping through the pages quickly and lighting them with her wand.
Draco was now feeling along the carvings on the door, tracing his fingers gently over the grooves, searching for something.
Daphne, on the other hand, was sitting on a nearby rock playing with Red, spinning him like a ballerina.
"I found something!" Harry said, catching everyone's attention. "That circle seems connected to the entire door. It might open with a specific keyword."
"Like in Aladdin?" Hermione asked with a hint of humor.
"Maybe," Harry replied, not smiling.
"But it could be thousands of words," Draco muttered.
"Maybe something spooky, since the place is kind of creepy," Daphne suggested, still spinning Red.
"Leave it to me," Sirius said confidently. He stood in front of the door and began: "Death. Azkaban. Dementor. Taxes."
"Wait—taxes?" Harry interrupted, staring at him in disbelief.
"Yeah. If you don't pay them, they're terrifying," Sirius replied with complete seriousness. Then he turned back to the door and added: "Wanda. Women."
The kids stared at him in silence.
"What? They're scary. Especially if they're your mums," he said defensively, raising his hands.