-1Finally! drags across the floor like a dying woman Finally I finished the chapter. Blame the plot bunnies for this being so late. Even now they are clamoring for me to start writing again on Broken. Poor Pain has been left all alone. LOL. Here it is.

Don't own it, just play with it.

"How? How do we get Sirius out?" Harry immediately questioned.

"Simple, we use the assistance of our friendly feathered friend here. Flash in; flash out. That is, if Fawkes is amicable to this course of action?" Jag asked said bird.

Fawkes nodded his head, impressed by the sudden use of vocabulary.

"Do we have a place for him to stay?" Moone asked.

Harry smirked. He knew exactly where to put Sirius, where to put all of them actually. It would hae to be somewhere we he would have good memories and be comfortable; the only place that came to mind was Potter Manor. So, Potter Manor it would be.

"Potter Manor. That is were we can house him. It is still standing. The cottage at Godric's Hollow was burned to a crisp in the backlash of magic, but Potter Manor stands even in my time. He lived there for a time during his school days. I would say go to Grimauld Place, his ancestral home, but he hates it there. He never really belonged in the 'Ancient and Noble House of Black' He's entirely too carefree to be tied down to the strict rules that most Pureblood families live by. We have a place for him, now all we need is to retrieve him. Fawkes, could you get him, say, tomorrow evening? That should give us enough time to drop by the Manor and have the elves whip it into habitable shape," Harry said with enthusiasm

Fawkes trilled to show his agreement.

"Good. But, remember this, Fawkes, he is a dog Animagus and won't be in human form. If this causes a problem, we can work around it. Anyway, I'm full. What do you say to a walk around the Quiddich Pitch? Walk off our meal. By the time we get back it should be dinner time," Harry suggested with a gleam in his eye.

All three stood up at the same time in silent agreement, thanked the elves, and walked out of the kitchens, back towards the great hall, and out on the lawns.

"So, where are we going? Because, I know we're not going 'for a walk around the Quiddich Pitch," Moone asked slyly.

Harry grinned at his female friend for her intuitiveness.

"Very good. No, we're not going to walk around the Pitch. But, we are going to the edge of the wards that are in the direction of the Pitch. We're going to Potter Manor. I'm going to key all of you into the wards so we can all go there in times of danger. It is under Fidelis so no one will be able to find it without me telling or taking them there. Not even Dumbledore. He probably knows where it is because he was once keyed into the wards, but no longer. I don't trust him, he killed my parents. Because I don't trust him, the wards would kill him. Best part is, he knows nothing about it," Harry smiled wickedly.

◘You're scary sometimes, you know that?◘ Fawkes asked from his perch on Harry's shoulder.

Harry grinned up at the bird. "I know."

Fawkes shivered at the evil look and dug his talons into the shoulder beneath him as Harry reached out to grasp the hands of his two friends and Apparated to his ancestral home.

They had Apparated to the edge of the wards, which shone iridescent as a pool of oil; shifting from pink to blue to purple and back again.

"Welcome to Potter Manor. If you will please hold out your hands, or in Fawkes' case your beak, and I will key you into the wards so we can go inside. Its rather small for a manor, only fifteen bedrooms and thirty house elves, but its home," Harry said, voice in 'tour guide' mode.

All present did as asked and they walked inside.

As soon as Harry set foot inside the front door, a house elf popped in front of him.

"Welcome, Master. I's Tiffy and I's the head elf here. How may Tiffy serve Master?" the elf asked in the common, squeaky voice that all house elves seemed to have.

"Hello, Tiffy. My name is Harry, you are not to call me master. These two people with me are Jag and Moone, you will also not call them master or mistress. The phoenix is Fawkes and he is to be treated with the utmost respect. And, Tiffy, you are to speak properly. I'm sure my parents taught you to be articulate. How you speak with the other elves, is not my concern. But, when around me and my friends, you are to speak correctly. Now, how long has the Manor been empty?" Harry asked the elf.

"Understood, Sir. The Manor has been empty for three years, six months, and five days, Mas-Harry. Your parents went into hiding when you were six months old and left the elves with instructions to keep the Manor well kept because they would be back," the elf informed them.

Harry's eyes got misty at the mention of his parents and he knelt down to speak to the elf on her level.

"Could you tell me about my parents? They died when I was just little," he asked, voice rough with unshed tears.

The elf nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, Harry. I knew James and Lily well, and you too. I helped deliver you. Your parents were fine people. I'm sorry, Sir, for you loss. I am also sorry that my speaking was so bad when you arrived. Nearly four years without anyone to answer to, leaves an elf with very little social skills," the elf smiled apologetically.

"That is quite alright. I knew you could because you were in service to my parents and it really bothers me when elves speak like ignorant slaves. That reminds me, are you free?" Harry queried.

The elf's eyes got round as saucers and she shook her head violently 'no.'

"No, Sir! We aren't free! We don't want to be free. Please, Sir, don't throw us out!" the elf pleaded.

Harry smiled softly at the distraught elf and shook his head to show her that he wasn't throwing her out.

"Don't, worry, Tiffy. You aren't being thrown out. But, I would like to free you. You will be welcome stay and work for as long as you would like. I will offer you pay, but it is up to you to take it. You will be servants, I refuse to own slaves of any species. You can wear clothes if you prefer, or your pillow case. It doesn't matter. Your freeing items can be innocuous; a bracelet, a pair of earrings, a necklace for females and a watch or glasses for males. No one will know you are free unless they know what these trinkets stand for. Is that acceptable?" Harry asked.

Tiffy, though she was still shaking like an aspen leaf, nodded resolutely. Whatever master wanted, master got. No questions, no exceptions. The little elf squared her shoulders and looked him dead in the eye.

"Would you like me to get the rest of the elves?" she asked in a steely voice.

Harry, though he was shaking with suppressed laughter, nodded that this was okay.

She popped away and a few seconds later, thirty pops filled the room as all house elves arrived en masse. Every single one of them looked like they were being lead to the gallows.

"Okay, to keep this orderly, one at a time you will come forward. You will line up from youngest to oldest, retrieve your item, then you will be given the option to stay or to leave and find another master. I am sure that Tiffy explained that I refuse to keep slaves or any kind. I will allow you to stay as servants, but not slaves. If you choose to stay you will call me Harry or sir and I will call you by your respective name. Now, please come forward," Harry ordered.

One by one, every single house elf came forward, all thirty adults and, much to Harry's surprise, five infants carried by their parents. Every single one accepted the offer of jewelry as well as the offer to stay, but refused to keep the pay. Nothing more than Harry had expected.

Harry raised his hands to draw their attention.

"One more thing, if you would be so kind as to air out and clean a spare room for a guest that will be arriving sometime tomorrow evening, I would greatly appreciate it. A dark, quiet room should be appropriate, but changes could happen at a moments notice."

All elves present nodded their heads and popped away to do exactly as their….master?….lord?….whatever he was ordered them to.

After that harrowing ordeal, Harry turned back to his friends who had been sitting aside, waiting for Harry to finish introducing himself to the elves.

"How about I tell you about the house? We are standing, obviously in the Entrance Hall. Straight ahead, through the double doors under the stairs, is the dining room. Of in the East Wing is the library, study, a bathroom, and various other unused rooms. In the West Wing are the bedrooms. The Master of House's chambers and the Lady of the House's chambers are connected through a shared bathroom. The various other rooms each have one bathroom to each two rooms. So all in all, there are twelve other rooms and six bathrooms in that wing. To the left of the dining room, there are the kitchens and the house elf quarters. If you would like to go explore, go right ahead. Just, come back to me when you found a room that you would like so I can have the elves fix it up however you would like it. I'm sure they're simply ecstatic at having people live here again," Harry muttered.

Jag and Moone looked at each other with glee and scampered off like a couple of excited puppies.

Harry shook his head and looked at Fawkes.

"You going to explore, too?" he asked with a small smile.

The bird snorted.

◘What is there to explore? I know where I will sleep, wherever you sleep. I will eat where you eat. I can track them by scent, so if I need them I can flash to them in seconds. Flashing takes a whole lot less energy than flying. Why waste what little I have left so close to my Burning Day?◘ he asked wearily.

Harry looked at his friend a little more closely. He did seem a little duller. His plumage wasn't as bright, nor were his eyes. Harry smiled sadly at the plight of his friend. Though this was normal for a phoenix, that didn't mean that it was enjoyable.

"You have a point there, my friend. Out of curiosity, how long does it take you to get from new born to full adult again after a Burning Day?" the raven haired boy asked.

Fawkes tilted his head in thought and stayed that way for a few moments.

◘Hmm, I usually stay in new born form for twenty-four hours and it usually takes me six more days to reach full maturity again. Every four to six weeks I have a Burning Day. Now, if you would excuse me, I need a nap.◘

Harry nodded and wandered back to the master suite where Fawkes' perch and food were at.

Fawkes flew from Harry's shoulder to his perch and then promptly fell asleep.

Harry shook his head. "I hope you have enough strength to get Sirius out of that hell hole."

Harry left his friend to sleep and went off to find the other two. He didn't look far. They both were down the hall from him and had rooms next door to each other. Harry smiled knowingly.

"You know, I can join then them, or you can both share a room," he suggested.

Jag and Moone looked at each other and grinned. Turning back to Harry, they nodded.

"We'll share a room. That would be easier than go back and forth," Jag said with a sultry wink to Moone and got a smack on the arm for his efforts.

Harry shook his head at his two friends.

"Well, lets head back. Its getting about dinner time. We can Apparate back, Fawkes will follow when he wakes up," Harry suggested briskly. "The house elves will take care of your rooms."

At their nods, he grabbed their hands and Apparated to the edge of the wards.

The sun, while still in the sky, was sinking rapidly when they arrived so they aimed for the Great Hall and a good pace.

They had barely made it to the front doors when they were intercepted by Severus.

"Where the Hell have you been?" he hissed.

"We've been at my house," Harry answered simply.

Severus' first thought was how the hell did he manage that? And, the second thought was he had a house? And, where was he when he got said house?

"Potter Manor," Harry elaborated for his confused love.

The proverbial light went on as Severus realized that Potter Manor would still be standing and Harry would have access.

One question answered, Severus launched into a torrent of questions of how, when, why, and do you know how many school rules you broke?

Harry waited patiently for Severus to wind down on his tirade. He looked at Jag and Moone and nodded for them to go to the Great Hall and to make his excuses to all that mattered, he didn't think he would be there tonight. Harry looked back at a fuming and red faced Severus and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you done?" he said in a perfect imitation of Severus himself not too long ago.

Severus glared at his lover, but nodded.

"I went to Potter Manor to arrange things there so that you, Jag, Moone, and I would have a place to go if things heat up here. We have it scheduled that Fawkes will retrieve Sirius from Azkaban tomorrow evening and he will be staying at Potter Manor with us," Harry explained.

Severus blinked, blinked again. He hadn't been expecting that.

"I see," he said slowly.

Harry shook his head and laughed.

"Come on, you old bear. Lets go eat,"

Severus looked at him incredulously and mouthed 'old bear?'

Harry grinned. "Yes, you are a growling, grumpy old bear. Some would call you a bat, but you don't screech, or fly so that ones out. There is also rumors of your vampirism. But the fact that you are often seen outside while the suns up, that and don't have the fangs, rules that one out too. I decided to you a bear by your growling and surly demeanor a long time ago."

"You are a brat," Severus growled for effect before throwing the other man over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and took his squirming load into the school.

"Severus!" Dumbledore barked as soon as they entered the building. "please, put down my student!"

Severus smiled a toothy grin, because he knew it would infuriate Dumbledore, and tightened his hold on Harry.

"Headmaster, he may be your student, but he is my family," Severus said politely, stressing the word family due to the audience of students.

Dumbledore puffed up like an angry pigeon, but couldn't say anything to counteract the statement. He was the one, after all, who said they were family.

Dumbledore puckered his lips like he had been handed a particularly sour lemon.

"Then, please, leave the public displays of affection to a minimum in the halls," the headmaster said stiffly.

Severus nodded, but refused to relinquish his hold on Harry.

As the headmaster was turning to go, a flash of fire signaled Fawkes' return.

◘Finally kidnapped you, did he?◘ Fawkes asked with some amusement.

"Shut up, you overgrown chicken. Go take a nap. And, try not to look so ragged," Harry said in a disgruntled voice.

Fawkes trilled indignantly, but flashed off to his perch anyway.

Dumbledore's eyes blazed as he stalked back to his tower. He was going to get that boy, if it was the last thing he ever did.

"You know, this is not the most comfortable position, don't you?" Harry asked Severus calmly.

In response, Severus pulled him off his shoulder and swung him into a bridal carry.

"Better?" he asked in mock annoyance.

Harry snuggled into his lover's arms and sighed contentedly.

"Yes, this is much better. You know, I don't want to go face the Great Hall tonight. How about we eat dinner in your rooms tonight?" Harry suggested.

Harry smiled when Severus' chest gave a great rumble as he laughed at Harry's thinly veiled advance; though very few people would see it as such.

"You know, that sounds like a good idea. I don't particularly feel like eating around so many people either," Severus agreed.

Harry pointedly glared and squirmed in Severus arms, telling him that he would appreciate being allowed to walk.

With great reluctance, Severus lowered Harry to the ground so he could walk on his own two feet to the dungeons.

Harry turned to Severus and grinned.

"I know a quick way to the dungeons. Follow me," he whispered.

Severus raised an eyebrow in silent question, but followed anyway. With this one, you have to follow or be left behind.

They walked straight from the Entrance Hall to a blank wall. Harry walked up to it and said a couple words in Parseltongue to a mossy green brick. He looked back at Severus and gave him a sly smile. Before them was the door to Severus' personal rooms where the brick had been.

Severus turned to Harry with narrowed eyes and a suspicious gaze.

Harry grinned. "Did you honestly think that I could possibly spend so many years without finding things that no one else could know, if only because they didn't speak the right language? I found this at the end of my senior year. Though, at that time, I only asked for it to take me to Gryffindor Tower."

Muhaha. Tell me what you think! Do it! Do it NOW! Sorry, hyper and really, really, tired. Chapter ten in finished, chapter two of Broken is finished. Chapter twelve of Pain is almost finished, I'm getting there. Someday.