A/N: Just pretend that this is my disclaimer and let's get started.

Cataclysm

-tadsfa-

Chapter 3: By Wisdom and Courage

August 22nd 1995

"Harry?" said Tonks, looking bemused. "What are you doing?" She and Kingsley both glanced under the table in time to see the raccoon jump up into Harry's lap. Kingsley immediately stood up and pulled out his wand. Tonks just gaped. "That thing could have rabies! And you're cuddling it?"

"I am not cuddling it!" was Harry's indignant reply.

"It's not rabies I'm worried about," murmured Kingsley, as he pointed his wand at the now hissing coon.

"Don't point that at him," Harry jumped up from his seat, the raccoon clutched in his arms, which prompted Tonks to do the same. The slight ruckus brought Mad-Eye to the table and drew the attention of local patrons. Things looked like they were heading south.

"You like him?" Harry spun around to face the speaker. He was met with a twenty-something red-head in light blue robes, who was giving him a knowing look. "He must like you, to be acting so trusting." Her voice had a slight accent he couldn't place. She studied him for a moment. "You are Harry Potter, correct?" She hadn't once glanced at his scar so he could only assume that his Boy-Who-Lived reputation was such that he was recognizable by looks alone. He was about to answer when Moody stepped in. Obviously the reference to his charge's name unsettled him.

"And you would be, lass?" He limped forward until he stood by Harry's side. The raccoon in Harry's arms vibrated with a silent snarl. Mad-Eye kept his magical eye fixed on it while facing the strange witch.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Natalie." She dipped her head in a short bow, lips turned up in a small smile. "And you are Harry Potter?" she asked pressingly, eyes back on Harry.

"Well…yes, I suppose I am. You need something with me?" Whatever she may have answered was interrupted by the return of Remus and Sirius with the ice cream. The Marauders halted upon catching sight of the situation going down at their table.

Remus eyed the state of affairs and addressed the stranger. "Can we help you with something?" he asked, placing the ice cream he carried on the table and stepping up next to Mad-Eye. He glanced casually over to Harry, only to do a double-take at seeing the raccoon in his arms.

"Your name would be Remus Lupin?"

Lupin hesitated, obviously wondering how he was known by this woman. "It is."

"And those with you. You would vouch for them? Their silence and discretion?"

"That would depend on what you want with us," Remus brought the conversation back around to his question.

The red-head sighed and reached into her pocket. Mad-Eye tensed and leaned forward. "I was hoping I could do this in a more private setting," she said as her eyes darted to the patrons of Florean Fortescue's, many of whom had their eyes on the brewing trouble. "But I don't suppose I could convince you to come with me without some proof of good faith. Will this suffice?" She pulled a heavy ring of silver out of her pocket and took two steps forward to hand it to Remus. The werewolf curiously turned the ring over in his hands, only to suck in a surprised breath. Sirius came forward and took it from him. Studying it, his mouth dropped open.

"Is this…?" He too turned to the young woman. "Who are you? How did you get this?"

"Are those questions you really want answered in such a public place?" Natalie asked while making a small gesture to the raccoon, at which it leapt from Harry's arms into hers. Sirius jerked back, his face pale. "If not, I have a room rented in the Leaky Cauldron. With a few wards thrown up it should be secure enough for an open conversation." She gestured toward the inn, and began walking in that direction. "Care to join me?"

Sirius and Remus immediately followed, Sirius with the ring still tightly clutched in his hand. Harry sent a distrustful looking Moody a pleading glance, before receiving a grudging nod that sent him jogging after Sirius, the Aurors on his heels. Harry thought he heard Tonks mutter something about abandoned ice cream behind him.

"Can I see that ring?" Harry said. Sirius unclenched his fist enough to drop the ring into Harry's waiting hand; Harry studied it as they walked. A cobalt stone, oval in shape and set into the thick silver was the central focus. Embossed onto the stone was a silver crest made up of a large cat holding one paw in the air and standing on top a rising sun. Beneath was the phrase Consilio et Animis. Harry mouthed the words to himself, but could make no sense of them; he slipped the ring into his pocket. As they entered the Leaky Cauldron and followed Natalie up the stairs, Harry questioned Sirius about the ring.

"You don't recognize it?" Sirius asked, his voice low. "No, I suppose you wouldn't. Harry, that's a Potter family ring." Harry choked at that. His godfather nodded significantly at the woman holding a door open for them. "See why we're following her?" When they reached the door, Mad-Eye pushed passed them and entered first, after giving Natalie a suspicious look which she returned. Remus followed Moody and Sirius pulled Harry into the room after them with Tonks, Kingsley, and Natalie bringing up the rear. Inside was large space, with a bed, a couch, and two armchairs. Mad-Eye and Tonks lined up against the back wall, next to the bed. Kingsley leaned next to the door, halfway between Natalie and Harry. Natalie, under Mad-Eye's severe gaze, swept her wand about the room a few times, muttering under her breath. Anytime her wand tip came too close to being pointed in Harry's direction, Remus and Sirius on either side of him would tense. Done with her warding, she returned her wand to her pocket and gave her audience a solemn look, focusing mostly on Remus and Harry.

"You recognized the ring," she said quietly. "Therefore, you must know the significance." All was dead silent in the room. She took a breath and turned back to Lupin. "Before I go any farther, I must ask you once again if you can vouch for your companions. Or," she mused," I suppose Harry's word will do just as well." She glanced between them for a beat. "Will you give it?"

"Why the secrecy? If this is what I think it is," Lupin's voice roughened as his eyes darted to the raccoon incased in Natalie's arms, "why hide?"

"It's a fair question," Kingsley said softly from his position next to them.

Natalie ignored them both. "Your word," she insisted.

Lupin took a harsh breath but before he could give either answer, Sirius stepped forward.

"I can't pretend to understand your need for all this security," Sirius began honestly. Harry wondered if he was the only one who noticed his godfather was speaking to the raccoon and not the girl. "But if it's really important I'm willing to offer some assurance of my own. And maybe this is a trick but maybe it's not. I'm hoping you'll be willing to trust us and explain if I give you a reason." Something in his tone made Mad-Eye rumble a warning, 'be careful…', but it was too late. With a flick of his wand, Padfoot cancelled the charms disguising his appearance. Golden-brown hair turned black, yellow eyes turned bright blue mixed with grey, and his jaw sharpened. A few seconds was all it took to complete the reversal and reveal the convict, Sirius Black.

"Sirius, you fool," Tonks moaned in despair but her cousin stood firm and ignored her. Natalie and the raccoon stared.

"I am Sirius Black, a convicted criminal, wanted by the British Ministry for a crime I didn't commit. Remus Lupin is a good friend and Harry Potter is my godson." He gestured to the two and then jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "The young lady behind me is my cousin, Auror Nymphadora Tonks. Next to her is Alastor Moody, an ex-Auror and the man responsible for catching half the Death Eaters in Azkaban. The last man is Kingsley Shacklebolt, also an Auror and a good friend." Sirius waved his hand across the room. "They've never turned me in, never threatened me, and have in fact protected me from detection. I literally trust them with my life every day. So yes, I can say I vouch for them." He stared down the raccoon. "Is my word good enough for you, Daniel?"

Natalie sucked in a breath, but in the same moment the raccoon dropped out of her arms and onto the floor. Harry had been quietly expecting it, of course, since meeting the raccoon in the Alley. Yet as he watched the raccoon's form shudder into a man's, he still felt his heart jerk into his throat. Behind him, Harry heard Tonks stumble and trip in surprise as Daniel Potter stood up to face them.

He wore a faded black shirt under an equally faded and patched red jacket. His trousers were a pale grey. Battered black boots completed the ensemble. His hair, ragged as the fur of his animagus form, was also the same dark grey. And under smoky blue eyes he sported a contented smile.

"Your word, Sirius," he said, "is certainly good enough for me. I trust that despite the appalling rumors surrounding you, my brother's old friend would not betray me." He turned to the others in the room. "For those who don't know, my name is Daniel Potter, James's older brother. And this," he gestured to the young women at his side, "is my daughter." He nodded to the girl and she gave a small huff, before flicking her wand at herself. Red hair turned a deep chocolate and brown eyes melted to match her father's.

There was a stunned silence. Remus broke it. "She can't be your daughter. I mean she looks as old as Tonks! And in any case, James would have known if you had had a kid. We would have known."

"That's what you want to know? For Merlin's sake, Remus, the man's been missing for fourteen years and you're wondering about him having a kid?" Tonks's voice was incredulous as she pointed out this fact.

Daniel broke into a coughing laugh. "I can assure you Remus, she's mine." He glanced around the room, taking in everyone's expressions. "Maybe we should sit down. I can try to explain everything, but it might take awhile, so I hope you don't have anywhere to be anytime soon."

Sirius grimaced. "Actually we do. We were only supposed to be in Diagon for a short while for a quick bank trip. Stopping at the ice cream parlor was pushing it. We'll be expected back soon."

Kingsley shrugged himself away from the wall. "There is no need for me to be here any longer. I'll go back and inform them that all is well." He made as if to walk to the door, but Natalie was suddenly there, wand in hand.

"Going to leave? Planning on telling someone about all of this are you?" She jabbed her wand at him threateningly and Kingsley drew his own in response, although he kept it aimed at the floor. "You're an Auror, working for the Ministry. Sirius Black may trust you and my father may trust him, but so far I have no reason to trust either of you. So either rethink your leaving or give me some cause to let you go."

There was a slight pause. Mad-Eye was frowning and several times looked as if he wanted to step-in, but a sharp look from Remus kept him silent. "I'm willing to swear a vow stating that I will not tell anyone about either you or Daniel Potter without your leave," Kingsley offered finally. Natalie raised her eyebrows to her father across Shacklebolt's shoulder.

As the Auror's offer was contemplated, Harry marveled over the ease at which the group was accepting Daniel Potter's reappearance into their midst. Kingsley, Tonks and Mad-Eye were maybe understandable given the fact that they didn't know the man personally, but Sirius and Lupin were another matter. Harry had been expecting tears and screaming. Or at least some hugging. Not this calmly debated conversation about Kingsley's trustworthiness.

Harry himself felt wholly off-center. He stared at the man, his uncle (his uncle), comparing him mentally to pictures of James Potter, looking for similarities, noting differences. If things had turned out differently, would this have been the one to raise him, in place of the unfit Dursleys and his convict godfather?

Useless question. Almost as bad as asking himself how his life would have turned out if his parent's had survived. The only thing that mattered was the way things were now. And right now what mattered was finding out where his uncle Daniel had been all his life. And the part Dumbledore played.

Harry came out of his revere as Natalie accepted Kingsley's proposal. The Auror made his vow, stating that he would never knowingly reveal the existence of the two new Potters without their express permission on pain of magic, and was summarily released. As the door clicked shut behind him, the tension in the room shifted.

"Well," said Daniel cheerily, "shall we sit?"

Sirius snorted at his tone, but nonetheless they all found places to sit (except for Moody who stayed near the back of the room). Once all the shuffling had stopped they faced each other in silence. Remus broke it.

"Where have you been these last fourteen years?" he asked abruptly.

"Prison," was Daniel's equally clipped reply. "I assume you have all heard about the escape from Nurmengard?" He smiled grimly. "That was me." The group stared at him, Mad-Eye included, stunned.

"Wait," said Sirius suddenly, "I think I've heard this story before."

"I think you've lived this story before," was Tonks's rejoinder. Natalie and Daniel watched the byplay with interest. Something suddenly seemed to occur to Tonks. She blinked at Natalie. "You…you're the missing Auror! The one everyone thinks is dead!"

Natalie nodded shortly. "Yes, I am." She didn't elaborate.

Remus interrupted their conversation. "Prison," he said uncertainly, as if hoping to be corrected.

"Yes."

"But why?" Remus sported the look Harry fancied he wore upon learning that Sirius had been arrested: devastated and surprisingly young.

Daniel sighed and ran a hand through his hair, a gesture Harry recognized as one he himself often performed. He was strangely glad they had at least this one habit in common. It made him feel more connected to this stranger, beyond blood and bone.

"It's a long story, one I'm not sure can be entirely told within the time your friend gives us. But…I'll tell you what I can." He fiddled with his jacket a moment. "I'm not sure where to begin…" he said haltingly.

"Dumbledore," was Harry's answer and his uncle turned to face him as a human for the first time. It seemed incredible that they hadn't actually spoken directly to each other yet.

"Dumbledore?" Daniel's voice was dark. "Why?"

"You don't like him. You don't trust him either; you never have from what I've been told. I'd like to know why." Harry kept his voice firm but respectful. After all, he didn't want his uncle to think he was an impudent brat.

And it seemed to work. Said uncle wasn't dismissing his request and turning back to his brother's old friends. He eyed his nephew carefully as if determining whether or not the knowledge would go to waste. Looking for confirmation, he turned to Sirius and Remus to see blatant interest on their faces as well. With a huffing sigh, he began his explanation.

"I suppose the answer to that starts in my first year of Hogwarts. Seeing as I was the only son and heir of a wealthy pure-blood family, I was quickly befriended by those to whom such things are important. Many of these children had parents who went to school with the Dark Lord, then known as Tom Riddle. Their parents were the first generation of Death Eaters and through their children I heard rumors of the rise of a Dark Lord beyond the scale of Grindelwald." Daniel shook his head in remembrance. "When I was fourteen an older classmate of mine returned from Christmas break with a Dark Mark tattooed onto his arm. He began actively recruiting the pure-bloods and half-bloods of more prominent families with blood purity propaganda. He assured those he spoke with that behind his words was a great power backing the movement. It was obvious to any who spoke with him and kept up with the news that this New Lord was creating an army with the purpose of a vicious revolution. Those deemed as having inferior blood would have no place in the vision of the world this Lord planned on creating."

"We all know about Voldemort's rise to power," Sirius interrupted. "How does this have anything to do with your hatred of Dumbledore?"

"It's all part of the same story. Be patient," was Daniel's calm reply. "Now, hearing that a new Dark Lord was coming into prominence so soon after the last was put down, I decided to research the downfall of Dark Lords, in particular Grindelwald's, just in case Voldemort should attempt to bring his plans to fruition by main force."

He grimaced and rolled his shoulders. Harry noted he seemed to be favoring his right one slightly. "I found plenty of information about Dark Lords from other countries and British Lords centuries dead, but there was no information of worth about Grindelwald. Even scouring the Restricted section turned up little about either his early life or his fall. As the world grew darker and Voldemort gained in power, Grindelwald became my obsession. I questioned my professors relentlessly but the only thing they could tell me was what I already knew: he was a German wizard who became a Dark Lord and was defeated by Dumbledore. In my last year of schooling I decided to take my questions to Dumbledore himself."

"Let me guess," said Tonks sarcastically, "he was less then helpful."

Daniel chuckled. "Well, yes. The basic premise of his whole answer was that Grindelwald was dead and incapable of harming anyone anymore, so what did it matter how it came about? He scoffed away all my concerns about a new Dark Lord and quickly ushered me from his office."

He stretched his legs in front of him for a moment. Every eye in the room was on him, entranced by his story.

"Here's what I don't understand," Remus announced into the momentary silence. "Fawkes is a phoenix and no phoenix would ever consent to keep company with a dark wizard. So if Dumbledore is…is as…corrupt as you seem to be implying he is, than how can you explain Fawkes's presence at his side?"

"That's easily explained, if not easily done," Natalie said. She had spent most of the conversation sitting motionlessly by her father, eyes on Harry. Now as she spoke, she shifted forward in her seat and glanced away from her young cousin. "He used a binding ritual."

"A binding ritual? On a phoenix?" Remus' voice was doubtful. It was plain that he didn't believe her.

Natalie seemed to expect the skepticism. "Hard to believe, I know, but it's true. The ritual Dumbledore must have used is similar to the old marriage rituals pure-blood families would use to bind two unwilling participants together for life. To bind a phoenix you must have in your procession phoenix ash, powdered diamond, and a blade made of glass. You also have to know the words of binding, which are far from common knowledge. Finally you need an object for a focus, something to hold the binding in place and act as a medium between the phoenix's magic and the magic of bonded wizard. "

"And you think Dumbledore used this ritual to bind Fawkes to him?" Harry was not disbelieving, rather he was genuinely curious. He'd always heard that phoenixes were incredibly powerful magical creatures, capable of most anything. To hear that one could be brought low by base trickery was an eye opener.

Daniel smiled at his inquisitive tone. "The ritual can only be performed on a newly reborn phoenix. Provided he caught Fawkes in time, then yes, this is the only explanation that makes sense."

"We've gone a bit off track, I think," Mad-Eye sounded off from the back of the room. Everyone swiveled their heads around to stare at him; they'd all forgotten that he was even there.

Daniel started. "Oh, yes, of course. Although I do believe I've mostly answered your question, Harry." He caught his nephews' eye. "You had wanted to know why I hate Dumbledore so much." Harry nodded minutely. Daniel glanced around at everyone. "Does anyone have any other questions I should address or would you rather I continued as linearly as possible?"

"Linearly will work for now, I believe," said Remus.

"Well, conveniently enough what's been said so far is really the beginning of my story, so no time's been wasted. Now, where was I?" He ruffled his hair again. "Ah, yes. Well after my pointless conversation with the Headmaster, I was left still searching for answers. Happily for me an acquaintance of my fathers had offered me a job in the Department of Mysteries, pending on my NEWT scores. I decided to take him up on his offer for two reasons: number one was because the Department houses the most complete magical library in all of Great Britain and is one of the greatest in the entire magical world. I believed that it was the perfect place to continue my research. The second reason was the Dark Lord. I wanted to preemptively insert myself into a place where he would be sure to situate followers of his own on his rise to the top. The Department of Mysteries holds many artifacts that are not fully understood; some are powerful, most are dangerous. It was an obvious choice for a man like Voldemort to attempt to infiltrate."

"And you just decided to attempt to counter Voldemort's moves yourself?" Sirius looked almost mad.

"I did go to Dumbledore with my concerns," Daniel reminded them. "When he completely disregarded me I worried that there was going to be nothing to stop the emergence of another Dark Lord; at this point I still believed that, despite his misdirection regarding his defeat of Grindelwald, Dumbledore was the hero of the century and the best hope our world had."

"But you lost that belief in the Department." It was not a question.

Daniel nodded at Tonks. "That was where I learned about the phoenix binding ritual. Dumbledore having a phoenix for a companion bothered me too, so I made it a point to research that as well." A scowl. "The results weren't comforting."

"I could imagine," Remus remarked.

Harry frowned. "But Sirius and Remus said you quit working in the Department of Mysteries right before my dad started at Hogwarts. If it was such a great place to do research on Dumbledore and keep an eye on Voldemort why'd you leave?"

Daniel's scowl was melted away by a fond smile and his eyes grew very soft. "I fell in love and got married." It was simply said but there was a wealth of emotion behind the common words. Harry glanced at Natalie; in contrast to her father, she looked heart-wrenched.

Sirius blinked rapidly. "Wow. Er…well kinda obvious considering your kid…but still that's huge."

Remus stepped in when it became apparent that Sirius was fumbling for something to say. "Congratulations. Although I must ask, how come you never told anyone?"

Daniel laughed. "Who said I never told anyone? James knew he was present at the wedding; I had told Mother I was taking him to work with me for the day. And I assume he'd have told Lily after they were married." He shrugged.

"James knew? He never said anything." Remus and Sirius looked forlorn.

"Well I had told him to keep it as quiet as possible, so I imagine he felt he couldn't tell you without breaking my confidence."

Tonks seemed confused. "Why was it so important to you that no one knew you were married to…whoever it was? Who was she anyway?"

Natalie seemed irritated by this deviation in the story but Daniel answered Tonks anyway. "Her name was Samantha Archer and she was a muggle."

"How the hell did you manage to meet and marry a muggle," Sirius interjected. "You were as much of a sheltered pure-blood child as I was."

"Through my work," Daniel said. "See when I was working as an Unspeakable my superior was this wizard named Mordecai. One of his parents was a muggle and he had dreams of combining muggle technology and wizarding magic. Accordingly, he spent a lot of time in the muggle world and he had me do the same. When I was twenty-four I found myself on one of Mordecai's ordered excursions. I was strolling along a busy road and before I knew it I was almost run over by a man who had stolen a young women's purse. I held the thief until the owner arrived and introduced herself. After a local police man had taken the man away she invited me for a cup of tea as a sort of thank-you and well…" he trailed off, lost in the memory. He shook himself back to the present. "We were married a year later and two years after that, just before Natalie was born and James started school, I quit working as an Unspeakable and we started traveling."

Mad-Eye jumped in. "Well this is all lovely background information, but the only thing I think it's important for us to know now is how you ended up in prison. And how you escaped. I'm assuming it has something to do with Dumbledore?"

Daniel turned to Mad-Eye and opened his mouth, presumably to answer, but as he did a silver lynx flew through the wall and landed on the floor.

The lynx shook itself and stood up straight. It opened its jaw and from its throat emerged Kingsley's voice. 'Dumbledore has called a meeting of the Order. He will be here soon. Many Order members have arrived. Mundungus has already asked about you Sirius, but Arthur has put off his interest in your whereabouts for the most part. You have some time, but you must not delay.' And the lynx faded away. The group glanced at each other in frustration.

"Well I suppose we'll have to put a pain check on this conversation," was Tonks' glib response.

"But we will get the full story," said Remus firmly, holding Daniel's gaze.

"Of course," said the oldest Potter.

"Soon," Sirius insisted as he and Remus stood, pulling Harry up with them.

"As soon as can be safely arranged," was Daniel's amendment. Sirius nodded his agreement. They paused awkwardly for a moment. Sirius broke the impasse by engulfing Daniel in a hug. Laughing, Daniel pulled himself free and clasped Remus' shoulder. At last he turned to his nephew. Remus and Tonks were suddenly busy with taking down the wards and Sirius and Natalie apparently needed to say a protracted goodbye. Mad-Eye, the only one not interested in giving the long-lost family members some privacy, kept his magical eye on the pair.

Harry and Daniel stood in an uncomfortable silence for a second. Finally Daniel held out his hand with a self-conscious grin. Relived, Harry clasped it and they shook. Uncle regarded nephew with a contemplative look before quickly tugging him into a brief embrace.

Daniel released him after a moment but left one hand on Harry's shoulder momentarily. "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to speak privately Harry," he said softly. "There are many things that need to be said and the kind of discussion we could do with is the sort that can't be rushed. I have a lot to apologize for, but my greatest regret is my absence all these years from the lives of you and my daughter. When we finally get this all worked I hope you'll be willing to accept me as a part of your life."

Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Harry nodded shyly. Daniel gave him a quick smile and walked him to the door where the rest of the group was suddenly ready and waiting to go. Harry nodded uncertainly to Natalie and his cousin beamed back at him.

"Oh!" Remembering something, Harry stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the Potter ring. He held it out to his cousin. "Here, you wouldn't want to forget this."

Natalie shook her head. "Keep it, it's yours by right." She smiled at his bewildered look. "It's the Heir ring. It's supposed to be worn by the next in line Potter head, which is you."

Harry frowned. "You're older than I am. Shouldn't it be you?"

Sirius answered this one. "Traditionally, family titles can only be held by men since women, by custom, take their husband's surname upon marriage. Women only hold Head titles if there are no male children to assume the position."

Daniel nodded to back up Sirius's and his daughters words. "It's yours Harry. Index finger of your right hand. Wear it proudly."

Hesitantly, Harry slipped it onto the indicated finger. It immediately sized itself to fit. Harry rubbed the ring gently, a bubble of warmth pressing his throat closed. A thought popped into his head and he forced the words passed the lump in his throat. "What does it mean, this phrase?" He held his fist up and tapped the ring to clarify his meaning.

"Consilio et Animis?" Daniel asked. "It's the Potter family motto. It means 'By Wisdom and Courage' in Latin."

"A worthwhile belief for all to follow," Remus noted.

"Better than 'Always Pure," Sirius quoted in disgust. Daniel smiled slightly.

Mad-Eye huffed in irritation. "Yes, yes it's all so touching. We need to get back to headquarters pronto, unless you want Albus to come looking for us. I could only imagine how he would react to seeing Sirius walking about in broad daylight." He stumped his way out the door, Tonks behind him.

Daniel's head jerked up at this pronouncement and he inhaled deeply. "Be very careful," he said to those still remaining. "I know I didn't get a chance to finish telling you everything you need to know but you must trust me. Beyond hiding the truth about his defeat of Grindelwald and binding a phoenix against its will, Dumbledore is evil. He cannot be trusted in anything. Whether you believe me or not, you cannot tell him my whereabouts."

"Relax," Sirius soothed him. "We have no intentions of telling that meddler anything. We had already determined that Dumbledore wasn't entirely kosher before we spoke with you, so while your warning is appreciated, it's not necessary."

Daniel calmed and gave Sirius a look. "I'll trust you can keep your Auror friends to your promise?" He waited for confirmation before continuing. "And Sirius, I expect that when the time comes you and I will have a long talk about my brother's death and the rumors of your role in it?" Sirius shifted and signaled his agreement. Daniel nodded to him. "Good."

"You better get a move on," Natalie said. "We've taken up too much time."

"How will we meet up with you again?" Remus wanted to know.

"Look for an owl. I'll drop the mail-owl charm so you can respond. Now go!" Natalie pushed them out the door and, after one last round of hand-shakes and back-clapping, out they went. The lock clicked shut behind them. Sirius hurriedly re-charmed his appearance and they trooped down the stairs, meeting Moody and Tonks near the fireplace at the bottom.

With a cheerful wave at Tom the barkeep, Tonks hurled a handful of Floo powder into the flames. With a clear yet quiet declaration of 'Grimmauld Place' Tonks was whisked away in flickering green fire. Sirius followed leaving Harry, Remus and Mad-Eye to bring up the rear. After being waved forward, Harry took up a pinch of powder and cast himself into the fire.

"Grimmauld Place," he annunciated and was quickly twisted away in a blaze of heat. At the end of the connection he was shot out of the fireplace in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place. Waiting for him were Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Harry quickly pulled himself off the floor and out of the way, just in time for Remus and then Mad-Eye to step out of the grate.

"Almost everyone's in the kitchen right now," piped up Hermione immediately. "The meeting's supposed to begin as soon as Dumbledore arrives, which might be any minute now."

Remus and Mad-Eye promptly set out leaving Harry with his friends. For a moment there was silence.

"So, what happened? Why'd you all stay so late? And why'd Kingsley come back before the rest of you?" That was Ron, blunt as ever. Harry actually appreciated this direct approach more than he usually did.

Yet he hesitated to answer. By Ron's lack of knowledge it was obvious Kingsley's oath had held and the last thing Harry wanted was to accidentally let slip information his uncle was trying to keep quiet. However, he also didn't want to keep secrets from his friends. Torn, he finally settled on divulging the barest minimum for now. "I'll tell you what I can but…not here. People walk pass the door all the time and someone could be listening in, we'd never know. Better to talk somewhere more secure."

"Where, one of our rooms? The library?" Hermione's brow furrowed in thought; it was obvious she was trying to remember all the spots in Number 12 where they might have a conversation without being disturbed.

"The attic?" Ginny offered. "No one ever goes up there. If anyone's looking for us, that'd be the last place they check."

"There's nothing dangerous up there, right?" Harry said doubtfully. He wasn't sure how much cleaning the others had done before he'd arrived.

Ginny shook her head. "No, Sirius and Professor Lupin cleared it out about a week before you got here. I haven't gone up there yet but it's been cleaned."

"Good enough. Let's go." So saying, Harry eased open the drawing room door and glanced about. Seeing no one, he stepped out onto the landing and headed up the stairs silently, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione behind him. When they reached the top floor Ginny darted ahead of Harry and slapped a discolored portion of the wall. Immediately, the ceiling above them creaked, a section sliding open and a rickety staircase descended to their feet. A flutter of cold air followed. They shivered and stared at the dark hole above them.

Ron snorted. "This was a brilliant idea. Nice one, Ginny."

"Oh shut up, Ron. I didn't hear you making any suggestions."

"Will you two be quiet," Harry snapped. "We didn't want anyone to come looking for us, remember, and your fighting isn't helping."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm not going up there if I can't see anything. Anyone got a candle?"

"I'll do one better." Ginny turned to Harry. "Would this be something you mind Fred and George hearing?"

Harry weighed his answer. "No, I suppose not. I don't know if they'd be interested in this though. I'm not going to be able to tell you or them very much," he warned them.

"Considering they're not going to be able to learn anything otherwise, I think you're underestimating how interested they'll be." She turned back down the stairs. "Back in a sec."

And she was. Only a few moments later, creaking steps announced her return with twins in tow. Fred bounded up to Harry, beaming.

"Harry, old boy, our dear darling sister tells us you have some interesting news to share."

Harry rolled his eyes. "As long as you lot don't go spilling it to anyone. But actually we needed you two to give us some light up there." He jerked his head at the attic.

George clutched his chest dramatically. "Alas, my brother! Cast aside but for our magic!"

Fred blinked down at his twin from the top of the ladder. "Are you coming?" he asked, pulling himself the rest of the way into the attic; Harry and the rest followed.

Once inside with the attic door shut, Fred lit his wand and held it aloft so the group could examine the room. The air was stale but dry, and carried the faint scent of dust although the attic itself was clean. The floor and walls had been wiped down and all the old furniture and boxes had been shoved to the back in a disorderly manner.

"Lovely spot," George commented as he busied himself transforming several wooden crates and trunks into rough approximation of couches. Fred conjured some candles and holders, while Harry paced and planned out what he was going to say.

The twins finished quickly and everyone selected a seat, eyes attentively on The-Boy-Who-Lived, who had paused uncertainly in front of them.

"Can one of you cast an Imperturbable Charm?" he asked the legal aged wizards.

"Not as such," Fred said apologetically. "Otherwise we'd know how to get past the charm on the kitchen door."

"However," George interrupted, "we do know a spell that's almost as good. It won't stop anyone from hearing anything or coming in but it will warn us when someone trips the charm." George hopped up and kicked open the door. He slipped down the ladder and a moment later was back up, in his seat. "Piece of cake. If anyone trips the spell my wand'll vibrate giving us time to change the subject."

"Useful spell, that. Thanks," said Harry hurriedly, hoping to head off Hermione from interrogating the twins on their spell repertoire. He mentally ran through what he wanted to say. "You all know why I went to Diagon Alley today, right?" Nods all around; Harry ran a hand through his hair and took a seat in the chair behind his legs. "Well the goblin in charge of my vault, Goldblood, he couldn't tell us much. The only thing he could say for sure was that my uncle made his last withdrawal on August 5th, in Germany. Other than that he didn't know anything. He couldn't even tell us how to contact Daniel." A pause as Harry struggled to articulate his next thought.

"Sucks mate," said Ron after a moment of silence. Hermione rolled her eyes.

Harry smiled briefly at the two but continued his story. "When we realized we weren't going to get anything more from the goblin's we left and Sirius convinced Mad-Eye we should stop for ice cream. While I was waiting outside this raccoon came up to me…" Here Harry paused, acutely aware of the oath Kingsley had made and of his uncle's desire for discretion. Despite having given it a small amount of thought, Harry was still uncertain as to whether he should tell them everything or give a vague overview. He eyed his friends. He could trust them. He did trust them.

"If I tell you this, you can't tell anyone. Not your parents or your brothers or anyone in the Order or people at school. No one, but especially not Dumbledore or anyone who works for him." Harry gazed ferociously at Hermione who looked indignant at his lack of trust that Harry seemed to be showing. It was a mark of how far Dumbledore had lost esteem that Hermione didn't speak up on the Headmaster's behalf.

"We won't tell anyone," said George immediately. Fred nodded his agreement, which Ron and Ginny quickly seconded. Harry turned to Hermione.

She bit her lip. "Harry I'm not sure you hiding important information from Sirius is the best thing."

"Sirius knows everything already. Lupin, Tonks, and Mad-Eye too. They were there for it all. Kingsley knows some."

Hermione looked reassured. "As long as there's someone for you to talk to, then I'm not going to tell anyone. Now what exactly am I not telling anyone?"

Harry gave them all one last searching look. "It was Daniel," he said abruptly. Ginny's eyes widened and Hermione's mouth dropped open. In unison the twins eyebrows went up.

Ron, however, looked confused. "What was Daniel?"

"The raccoon," said Harry impatiently. "The one that came up to me in Diagon. It was my uncle the whole time. And he had a daughter…" he trailed off here, lost in thought.

"How'd you know the raccoon was your uncle?" Ginny wanted to know.

"Sirius had said before that Daniel was a raccoon animagus. But I knew because he showed us." He breathed out heavily. "His daughter was there. She introduced herself as Natalie and convinced us to come with her by showing Professor Lupin and Sirius this ring." He pulled it off his finger and handed it to Hermione, who examined it curiously. "It's the Potter family Heir ring. I guess seeing it made Sirius and Lupin curious enough to trust her. We went all the way back to the room she rented in the Leaky. That's' where the raccoon transformed into Daniel. He was the one who told us Natalie was his daughter."

"Natalie Potter," said Hermione softly. "Your cousin."

"Yeah, I suppose she is."

"Harry," said Fred, twisting the ring in his hand, "what'da these words mean?"

"The Potter family motto," said Harry with a touch of pride. "It means 'By Wisdom and Courage'." He accepted the ring back from George and slipped it onto its proper place.

"Nice," commented Ron.

Harry accepted Ron's assertion with a grin. "Right, so anyway. Um…Daniel turned back into a human and that's about when Kingsley left. Daniel said telling his story would take awhile so Kingsley came back to let everyone know we hadn't been attacked or anything just 'cause we were late."

"Yeah we heard that," Ron said. "Kingsley just said something came up and you guys might be gone much later than expected."

"I'm surprised your uncle let Kingsley leave just like that given his apparent desire for secrecy," Hermione said in surprise.

"Kingsley made an oath on his magic or something, that he wouldn't give away Uncle Daniel or Natalie without their okay. To be honest I didn't really understand that part. Really the whole conversation was a bit over my head. But the main point I got out of it was that Dumbledore is evil, just like we knew he was."

"We didn't know anything," was Hermione's weak defense. "And I bet your uncle didn't know for sure either. What was his proof?"

"Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix."

"Normally having a phoenix's favor is seen as a good thing," said Ginny lightly.

"Well normally the phoenix isn't bound against its will. Daniel thinks Dumbledore didn't some sort of Dark ritual to bind Fawkes's magic to his own or something. He said it's the only way Dumbledore would ever get a phoenix for a companion."

"That's an explanation, not proof of wrongdoing," Hermione said in frustration. "We can't accuse people of dark magic without any evidence. I can't imagine that you would blindly believe whatever a stranger told you even if it is your uncle. He's been gone for the past fourteen years of your life Harry. Did he have a good explanation for that?"

"He was in prison," said Harry stiffly. "He was innocent, just like Sirius, and he broke out." There was a pause as everyone assimilated this new information.

"He didn't happen to have come out of Germany, did he?" Fred asked casually.

Harry responded in the same even tone. "Why yes, actually, he did."

"And the missing Auror?"

"Natalie."

"Ah. So, not dead?"

"Apparently not."

"Excellent."

"Quite."

More might have been said but at this point George twisted and pulled out his wand which was very faintly humming.

"Someone's on their way up," he muttered. "We need a new conversation."

Ginny promptly turned to face Harry. "Did the twins tell you about their new line of joke products?"

"No," said Harry, playing along.

"Really," said George delightedly. Harry was sure most of his enthusiasm did not need to be faked. "Well we'd hate to leave anyone out."

Fred jumped in. "Our newest invention-"

"-still haven't got it quite worked out yet-"

"-the Skiving Snackbox. A treat that'll make you ill enough to get out of class-"

"-but not ill enough to warrant a trip to the Hospital Wing."

"We've got a whole range in the works. Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougats, Fainting Fancies…"

There was no telling how long the duo could have continued on this vein but they were cut off by a clatter of footsteps on the floor below. Groaning came from the rickety ladder and two sharp raps on the attic door told the group that their hideout had indeed been discovered. The trap door popped open and a spiky purple head poked itself through.

"There you lot are," Tonks announced with relief. She gazed about the room curiously. "Gods, what a place for a conversation. You kids looking to suffocate yourselves or something? Not that I care but if you do happen to die of asphyxiation Harry, I'd like your Firebolt."

"Need something Tonks?" Harry tried not to betray the irritation he was feeling. He genuinely liked the quirky Auror.

"Meetings over. Thought you'd lot might like dinner."

"Over already? That was a fast one. Normally they go on half the night."

"Well we didn't do much. Just a lot of talking."

"Oh yeah?" said Harry in interest. "About what?"

Tonks grimaced. "You know I can't tell you that. However," she said significantly, "I will say that our mutual new acquaintance was mentioned in general terms, in reference to his recent change of address. We were told that he might be unfavorable company to keep."

"That's what they said about Sirius," said Ginny decisively, "and now I'm living with the guy and more worried about going to school under the watch of a Headmaster who is starting to look more sinister every day."

Tonks hummed thoughtfully. "Well they tell us in the Auror Corps to never trust on appearances alone. I guess we were all taken in by Dumbledore's grandfatherly demeanor." She glanced down at the landing below her. "We can be philosophical later. Right now food is waiting and I want a lot of it."

"Hear, hear," chimed Ron enthusiastically. And with that the mood was broken. Tonks backed down the steps leaving room for the rest to follow. George was the last one down after extinguishing the candles his twin had conjured.

The short journey down the stairs was rather quiet; most were preoccupied with all they had learned throughout the day. As they reached the bottom floor, an unfamiliar man strolled into the entranceway from the direction of the kitchen. He was of average height and rather lean with a nose that looked as if had been broken recently and badly reset. He gazed at the young party curiously.

"'Ello there, Tonks," he called. "These the kids you were lookin' for?"

She raised a brow. "Are you expecting any other schoolchildren to be hiding in this waste-heap of a house?"

"Not my place to say, I just got here." He swept into an exaggerated bow. "The name is Isaak Rambert and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He straightened up and waited expectantly for a name exchange but Tonks ushered her charges pass the man and towards the kitchen.

"Shouldn't you be back at the Ministry by now?" she called back to Rambert. "I know you work the night shift." There was an unintelligible mutter from behind them but Tonks didn't stop to decipher it.

Hermione frowned at the Metamorphmagus. "What's the rush Tonks? Why'd you hurry us away from Rambert?"

She began slowly. "Some people, Hestia Jones and Elphias Doge for example, are impossible to turn away from their high view of Dumbledore. They've spent their entire lives believing that Dumbledore is the fount of all things Light and changing that belief after so long would mean an overhaul of their entire being. More people than you would think are willing to thoroughly lie to themselves if the truth makes them too uncomfortable."

"And Rambert?" Ginny questioned.

"Might very well be one of those people. He was a Hufflepuff a few years ahead of me and was a big Dumbledore worshipper." She stopped in front of the kitchen door. "His adoration might have tapered off since then but I doubt it considering the Headmaster played a key role in helping him get his job."

"So why does that make him dangerous to talk to?"

"Familiarity breeds complacency. You have secrets that need to be protected and I don't want there to be a chance of you getting chummy with someone who would jump on any piece of information you let slip just to use it against you."

"Well, there go my plans for becoming bosom buddies with Snape," Fred sighed pathetically.

"That," said Tonks, finally opening the kitchen door, "is something I would have suggested you abandon eons ago."

A/N: Whew… A chapter that's been a long time coming. Sorry for the wait. This one was a pain to write. It's mostly dialogue, which I always feel a little awkward writing. For some reason I find it hard to get the characters to say what I want, the way I want. I ended up writing a good portion of this, erased chunks of it, rewrote most of what was left, and then trashed the whole thing and started over. It still feels a little off and a bit rushed to me but I figured that if I couldn't get it right in almost 3 months than it would probably never work out the way I wanted it to. Still, over 8,000 words. I'm a bit proud of myself. This is considerable longer than my other chapters (which isn't saying much).

To those that put my story in their favorites or on their alerts, my thanks. I'm glad to see you enjoy it enough to care if I update or not. To those that reviewed, you also have my whole hearted appreciation (even He-Who-Did-Not-Want-To-Be-Named). Your reviews let me know what I'm doing wrong, what I'm doing right, and if I should stop writing altogether. I'm not going to promise my next chapter is going is going to come out faster than this one did, but that doesn't mean it's going to take as long either. Right now I have educational obligations that take up most of my time. So basically, take it as it comes.