A/N: Welcome back to A New Path. I hope you all are well in this strange time. This chapter gets its name from The Who's "I'm Free."

"Alright Sirius, you mangy mutt!" Harry called up the stairwell. "It's time to go, I'm sure your hair looks fine."

"No need to worry Harry," Sirius replied as he walked down. "My hair is always fabulous." He said with a hair flip.

"The image of your matted mop when we first met begs to differ." Harry mockingly sneered, causing Sirius to gasp. Dora chuckled as she entered from the kitchen, telling them that they were leaving.

"I know. I was just waiting for the star of the show to finish up." Harry said, smirking as Sirius laughed at his name pun. Dora wouldn't give even a hint of laughter, as not to encourage such behavior, and drug the two boys into the living room where they flooed to Bones' office.

As Sirius came out of the floo, he fell face first onto the tiled floor. "Still graceful as ever Sirius." Amelia said, having a laugh the expense of her old colleague.

"I remember specifically that you were the one to trip on a dead Death Eater on a mission and gave away our position." Sirius responded, laughing hyperbolically loud, still on the floor.

After his childish act was over, Sirius stood, saluted Amelia with much exaggeration, "So, what's the deal? What do I have to do? Can I be disillusioned in the chair? It would make for a good prank Amy." He asked.

"Well, you are the focal point of this, so yes you will be in the 'chair' at the beginning so you being disillusioned can be arranged, and you'll only have to answer a few questions under Veritaserum." Amelia responded, then addressed the group. "I presume you can lead them to the courtroom Trainee Tonks?" At Dora's nod, Bones waved her hand in a gesture of dismissal, then mentally prepared herself for what would be a trial to remember.

oooo

The Tonkses and Harry sat anxiously in the visitor's section, waiting as the last Wizengamot members trickled in. When the last took his seat, Amelia stood to address the chamber.

"Greeting fellow Wizengamot members, we are gathered here at this emergency session to rectify a gross miscarriage of justice. One that fell through the cracks of a war-weary and punch-drunk country, just trying to move past the dark times. Here begins the trial of Lord Sirius Orion Black, charged with thirteen counts of murder." She sat down, 'Three, two, one.' She thought, then as if on cue the chamber descended into madness. She sat and gave everyone a minute to yell their lungs out, then slammed her gavel on the stand and all the members became silent. She spoke again.

"There, now that all of you have had time to voice your displeasures, Auror Shacklebolt will bring forth the accused." At this Albus Dumbledore stood up.

"Madam Bones, what is the meaning of this? Sirius Black was sentenced twelve years ago, there is no reason to retry him." He asked.

"It was brought to my attention that Sirius Orion Black was sent to Azkaban without trial and I felt that the evidence in his favor demands a trial." When Albus looked like he was going to inquire further, she shut him down. "That evidence will be shown later Albus, sit down." He obeyed. Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room, and tapped his wand on Sirius head, removing the charm. Sirius sat, storm grey eyes staring around the room at the members.

"Hello, it appears that it is time for me to make my case." He paused. "Well, I Sirius Orion Black, plead not guilty and agree to take Veritaserum and give testimony on the events of the night of November first, 1981." He opened his mouth and Kingsley dripped three drops of truth serum. Kingsley waited a moment then began his questioning.

"State your name for the record."

"Sirius Orion Black."

"What was your occupation prior to your incarceration?"

"Auror. I lead Bravo team."

"What role did you have in the demise of the Potters?"

"I persuaded James and Lily to make Peter the secret keeper, then Peter betrayed them." There were mummers amongst the members.

"Were you a spy for Voldemort or a Death Eater?"

"No. I would have died before joining them." The mummers became a low rumble.

"Did you kill the people you are accused of?"

"No. Peter Pettigrew killed the twelve muggles, then sliced off his finger and transformed into his rat Animagus form and vanished." The quiet rumble became a roar from various member of the Wizengamot. Amelia slammed her gavel down multiple times before the yelling subsided.

"I have no further questions. We now call Peter Pettigrew to the stand." Kingsley spoke and another Auror led Sirius from the room. Dumbledore once again jumped up to make a statement.

"That cannot be! Peter Pettigrew was pronounced dead! He received an Order of Merlin, there must be a mistake!" He asked.

"There is no mistake Albus, now sit down or you'll be sent from the courtroom." Amelia scolded as Kingsley brought forth Peter's cage. He took the rat out of the cage and set it on the chair.

"Here is Peter Pettigrew." Kingsley spoke as he reversed the Animagus transformation. Gasps rang through the crowd, one witch had fainted. He revived Pettigrew.

The man looked around wildly. "Where is he? You've got to help me; Black will kill me!" He shouted.

Kingsley responded. "You are before the Wizengamot. Will you accept Veritiserum?" Pettigrew, mind still foggy from his years as a rat, forgot what Veritiserum was and nodded. Kingsley dripped the serum and begun his questioning.

"What is your name?"

"Peter Patrick Pettigrew."

"What was your occupation prior to November of 1981?"

"I was an assistant at Flourish and Blott's."

"Were you ever, a Death Eater or a spy for Voldemort?"

"Yes. I am a Death Eater." More gasps.

"Who betrayed the Potters?"

"I did. I was the secret keeper and gave the Dark Lord the location of their safehouse."

"Alright last question. Is it possible to involuntarily take the Dark Mark?"

"No. The magic within the Mark must be freely accepted." Gasps rang out, many turned to Lucius Malfoy, who had become whiter than a sheet.

"No more questions." Kingsley said as he dragged Pettigrew from the chair and the room.

Madam Bones cleared her throat to gain the attention of the chamber members. "I believe we have heard enough evidence. I move for a vote." Someone seconded. "Alright all those in favor of clearing the defendant of all charges?" Eighty of the one hundred members raised their wands. "Those against?" The remaining twenty raised theirs.

"The defendant is cleared of all charges and will receive reparations" She banged her gavel. "Now, for the matter of Peter Pettigrew I propose we sentence him to the Veil. Any objections?" None were raised. "Alright, all in favor?" It was unanimous. "Excellent. That is all the business we have tonight, you are all dismissed." She banged her gavel and the room emptied within the minute, most trying to sell the story to the Daily Prophet.

Amelia ran into the Tonkses on the way back to her office. "Trainee Tonks." She said, gaining the attention of the group. "Pettigrew has been sentenced to the Veil; would you like to watch?" Sirius' eyes lit up.

"Can I send him threw?" He asked, eyes glistening with malice.

"Why do you think I asked?" She replied and waved a hand for them to follow her as she led them down to the Department of Mysteries.

As they opened the door, they were met by a man in grey robes with a hood that obscured his face. "Director Bones, I assume you are here for the execution?" Amelia nodded, and the man turned and walked towards one of the doors in the circular room beckoning them to follow. They entered a dark room with the only structure being a large obsidian archway. They approached the arch, where Shacklebolt and a small group of Aurors stood with Pettigrew in chains.

Amelia took Pettigrew and led him in front of the Veil. "Peter Patrick Pettigrew, you have been sentenced to death by the Veil. As part of his reparation Sirius Black will be executing the prisoner." Pettigrew visibly paled at that. The gathered Aurors were taken aback by the break in protocol, but if the Director wanted it that way then so be it.

Sirius stepped forward. "Well Wormtail, it has been a while. How was your tenure as a pet?" He laughed. "Better than your time as a Death Eater I suppose." He mused as he locked eyes with his once best friend, eyes that no longer held the warmth that he once showed Peter. "We brought you in Peter, we protected you from bullies, we were your best friends Peter. And yet you still betrayed us. I am not happy with what I'm about to do, I wish it wasn't necessary. But since it is, I must do this. For Lily, for Harry, and most importantly..." Sirius stalked up to the kneeling Pettigrew, he let out a barbaric roar, "FOR JAMES!" as he kicked the rat and sent him into the whispering grey mist between the arches. Job done; Sirius plopped down on the ground and wept.

"Come along Aurors, our job is done here. Unspeakable, could you stay here with Mr. Black and his party and show him the exit after he collects himself." The Unspeakable nodded at Amelia and she led the Aurors out of the chamber.

Harry and Andromeda sat on each side of Sirius and hugged him. "James would be proud to of you for the courage you've displayed. It takes a brave man to break out of the inescapable and an even braver to confront the man who sold his own family to the devil. What James wouldn't want would be for you to wallow in sadness over something that happened twelve years ago. He would want you to be happy with what and who you have." Andromeda told him.

"It's just that I'm alone now. James is dead, Peter died a long time ago, and Remus is Merlin knows where. I'm the last of the Marauders, alone in a world that has long forgotten me. I-" Sirius was cut off by Andromeda slapping him.

"You are wallowing, what did I say about wallowing? You say you're alone, but why would Harry, Dora, Ted, and I be doing here unless we were here to support you. You'll never be alone Sirius, everyone here cares about you, and James is in here." Andromeda finished, tapping on the left side of his chest.

"You're right Andi." Sirius said. "Can we go back to your house now? It's been a long day." Andi nodded and Harry helped Sirius up. The group followed the Unspeakable out of the Department.

When they reached the exit, the Unspeakable turned to Sirius. "If I may Lord Black, I would suggest a vacation to clear your head, relax, and enjoy life."

Sirius was shocked. "I-I'll keep that in Unspeakable." He hurried out of the Department to catch up to the others. He found the Tonkses plus Harry waiting by a fireplace. Immediately after arriving at the Tonks residence, he bade them all goodnight and retired to the guest room. As Sirius drifted off to sleep that night, the advice from the Unspeakable kept repeating in his mind.

"Take a vacation. Enjoy life."

oooo

The following morning Harry was shaken awake his girlfriend. "Wake up sleepyhead. You promised to come work out with me." Harry processed her words and looked at the clock, then to Dora, then back to the clock. He sighed and shook his head to fully wake up. He grudgingly got out of bed and threw on the nearest pair of clothes that would function for working out in.

"Tut-tut Mr. Potter, those will simply not do." Dora said in an awful McGonagall impression as she transfigured Harry's clothes into a tracksuit. "That's better. Now we better get started because I have a lot planned." She said with a devilish smile that sent a shiver down his spine.

The pair walked back into the house three hours later, well Dora walked, and Harry limped. Ted was in the kitchen making breakfast when he heard Dora and Harry come in. "Good workout Dora?" He asked, not turning around.

"Yeah Dad, it was good. I'm a bit sore but not nearly as bad as Harry here is." She said chuckling. Ted turned around and burst out laughing at the sorry state of the boy. Harry was a mess. His shirt was thoroughly soaked with sweat; his hair was matted in some places and others just stuck out at weird angles, and his postured clued that at any moment he might pass out.

"All in all, Harry, you look the best out of anyone I've ever seen whose worked out with Dora. I even heard a rumor is going around that 'no mortal man' can survive a full workout with Dora. So, the fact that you are conscious enough to eat means that you are better than most." Ted said as he set the eggs and bacon on the table. He started to make more when the two kids took all the food onto their plates. He did have to feed Sirius, Andi and himself too.

The couple ate quietly and soon they had finished their food. They adjourned to the upstairs where, they took turns showering, much to Dora's annoyance. Harry entered his room, intent on taking a good long nap, only to be jumped by his overzealous girlfriend. Harry did get his nap, eventually.

oooo

Sirius awoke, feeling rested for the first time in many years. He hopped out of bed, stretched, and made his way to the bathroom for his morning routine. After a shower, shave and a haircut he strolled out of the bathroom with his head held high and a wide smile plastered on his face. He conjured some sweats and followed the smell of bacon downstairs. He walked into the kitchen, sat down and helped himself to some eggs and bacon. He looked up at Andi's gaping expression. "What?" He asked playfully, having a hunch about what it was.

"Siri, your hair!" She gasped. "What happened? Did Dora sneak in and cut it?"

"I felt with my newfound freedom I should change it up. So, I cut it, but left my awesome moustache." Sirius chuckled.

Andi looked at her now mustached cousin, his once shoulder length black locks now trimmed to about an inch length and combed back on the sides and a bit longer on the top with a wild look. He looked like James so much that they could be twins. His eyes had regained the glint that was ever present before Azkaban. "Well, you look good Sirius. How did you come up with that look?" She asked.

"When I was on my way to Surrey, I stumbled upon a newspaper clipping from the New York Times about a Lieutenant Gordon who looked absolutely smashing with this look and decided that if he can pull it off then so can I." Sirius said, looking proud of himself.

"Well, I think it looks good." Ted said. "Now, what will Britain's newest and most eligible bachelor do with himself?" He asked.

Sirius sat for a moment, "I think I'll go on an adventure, my family has properties on every continent, and I have the money to, so I'm going to go see the world." Sirius replied.

Andi looked pensive, then asked. "What about Harry? You just came into his life, now you're leaving! I can't-" Sirius cut her off.

"Andi, I plan on taking Harry with me. If he does not want to come with, then he can go to Hogwarts this year and I'll come back for Christmas. Should he decide to come along, I will instruct him in his coursework will we're away. He can come sit his exams in the spring. You two and Dora are more than welcome to connect up with us when you are on holiday." He answered. Andi was shocked. Sirius had never seemed so free, yet here he was.

"I think that it's an admirable idea Sirius, but before we discuss any itineraries, we should talk this over with Harry. He's taking a nap right now after Dora put him through the wringer this morning." Ted put in. Sirius agreed, then got up to make a floo call.

Sirius went to the fireplace then called out Madame Bones' office. He waited to be accepted, then walked through. He sat down at her desk and shot her a toothy grin. "I have two requests to complete your government's reparations for my imprisonment. One, I will be granted an international portkey that never loses power and I can change the destination as I see fit. Two, you will remove the Trace from my godson's wand. You can come over to the Tonks residence at your earliest convenience with the portkey and to remove the Trace. Are these acceptable terms?" Madame Bones nodded, then she sent a parchment airplane off to get the portkey prepared. She and Sirius had a short conversation about how the world and the Department had changed over the last twelve years.

After their chat, Sirius made his way to the fireplace, he turned to his old friend and ex-partner. "Amelia, thank you for giving me a trial and helping me gain my freedom. You have done good with the Department, maybe you should go find someone, settle down, and have a couple of cousins for Susan." He then stepped through the fire and left a wistful Amelia sitting at her desk wondering what could have been.

oooo

Sirius stepped back into the Tonks residence to find the other members of the house sitting around the drawing room, presumably waiting for him to return. He took a seat on the armchair across from the couch. He motioned for the others to sit. They obliged and he began. "Well Harry, I have a question for you about this upcoming school year." Harry nodded in recognition and Sirius continued. "You may not know this, but our family is very wealthy and owns many properties around the world. This year I plan on traveling the globe, to check on the properties, but also to see what the world outside of Britain holds. I am asking you to accompany me on this adventure." He finished, looking at Harry hopefully.

Harry sat there for a moment. "What about my friends, schoolwork and the Tonkses?" He asked.

Sirius laughed. "Well, if you'll have me, I would be your instructor, I will teach you this year's curriculum and then you could sit your exams in June with your classmates. I have already asked the Tonkses to meet up with us when they are available. As for your friends, you can of course write, and we can come back for Hogsmeade visits if you would like. I already plan on coming back for Yule, so we can visit them then. How does that sound?"

"So, you're telling me that I can travel the world with my godfather and can still see my friends and girlfriend when I can, while still learning without being in the school that has put me in deadly situations both of my two years there? Of course I'll go with you, this is going to be awesome!" He jumped up and hugged Sirius tightly.

"So Harry, where would you like to go first?" Sirius asked.

"Egypt sounds like a blast, how about there?" Harry replied.

"I was thinking the same thing." Sirius smiled widely. He looked to the Tonkses, who were seated on the couch. "Will you be joining us? We'll probably be there a month or so." He asked.

"Well, it will soon be a slow time at the firm, and we could probably take a week off." Ted answered.

"I think I should be able to get some time off as a reward for bringing you in, so I'll be there too." Dora added, making Sirius laugh. "Sirius, when did you cut your hair?" Dora asked.

"This morning, I've had long hair for the longest time, and I felt like change would do me good." He replied then ruffled his godson's hair. "Now I could pass as a family member to Harry here when we're traveling." They all laughed at that.

"Sirius, if you are going to be leaving the country, we should get you both some new clothes and muggle world papers." Andi put in.

"Well, it sounds like a trip to Diagon is in order. Let's go tomorrow, make a day of it." Sirius responded and the group nodded. Just then the fireplace glowed green and in stepped Amelia Bones.

"Hello Tonkses, sorry I didn't knock, but Sirius told me to come through when I was done at the Ministry. Here you are Sirius, one rechargeable international portkey. The activation phrase is 'lava pineapple' and the phrase to set the destination is 'Captain Jack says' and state the location you want to go to. I also took the liberty of ensuring that you are Harry's sole guardian as Albus was his magical guardian while you were incarcerated. Now, if Harry would present me with his wand, I will remove the trace from it." Amelia said, gesturing to the table. Harry obliged and the Director waved her wand over it several times and mumbled a few phrases. Soon she was done, and Harry had his wand back in its holster.

"Are there any questions from you two?" She asked. Harry and Sirius shook their heads. "Well, I thank you for allowing me this visit and wish you a good holiday, Merlin knows you deserve it." Amelia said and she disappeared in the floo.

"Sirius, what was that?" Andi asked, confused.

"Simple Andi, the rest of my reparations from the Ministry." Sirius replied. "Now Harry can practice magic and not get in trouble." Ted and Andi nodded and went into the kitchen to start preparing supper the children played a board game. Sirius wondered. "Harry, what sort of 'deadly situations' have you encountered at Hogwarts?" He asked, although not prepared for the answers he would receive.

oooo

Harry was awakened the next morning by Dora who insisted they go to the gym before shopping. Despite being sore to begin with, he felt less terrible than the day before after their workout. He still ate a large breakfast, but instead of taking a nap, he wrote a letter to Ron and Hermione, telling them that he wouldn't be at Hogwarts this year, but instead would be traveling with Sirius. He included that he would be back for every break and Hogsmeade visit, but he knew that Ron would not like it. Hermione would understand prefer he was at the castle but accept that it was his choice and she would be happy if he was. It probably helped his case with her that he would bring back books for her from countries he visited. He sent them off with Hedwig and changed out of his workout clothes and into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He met the others downstairs and they left for Diagon.

They entered the Alley, which appeared rather deserted for a Sunday morning. Their first stop was Gringotts to collect some spending money for the day. Sirius and Harry approached the counter. "Hello Master Goblin, could you find Master Ripclaw and tell him that Lord Black would like to meet?" The goblin nodded and disappeared behind the desk. He returned a moment later and waved for them to follow him. The party found its way to a large office off the main floor.

The goblin at the desk stood, "Ah Lord Black, I was wondering when I would see you. For the not Lord Black among you, I am Ripclaw, manager for the Black and Potter accounts. Have a seat, we have a fair amount to discuss." The group sat in the armchairs in front of the desk. Ripclaw took his seat and spoke again. "First, I want to give you your Head of House ring Sirius." He handed a small ornate black box to Sirius. He opened and removed the ring from inside. As he placed it on his index finger the ring glowed faintly. Sirius smiled widely as the ring accepted him and resize to fit snuggly.

"Good, now that is out of the way I assume you would like to visit your vaults?" Ripclaw asked. Sirius nodded but spoke, "I do, but while we are at the vaults, could you have the forms to designate my Heir as Harry, the forms to bring the Tonkses back into the family, and the forms to strike both the Malfoys and LeStranges from the family brought up and filled out?" The goblin had a devious smile on his face and nodded. He ushered them towards the carts and ordered another goblin to collect the paperwork requested.

The ride in the cart was as wild as ever, more entertaining than normal for Dora due to Sirius sticking his head out the side and Harry treating it as a roller coaster, it was enlightening to say the least. When they got to the first vault, the Black family vault. Sirius hopped out of the cart and strutted up to the door. He promptly slapped the Black family crest and felt the door hum, then the door unlatched.

Sirius turned around to face the group. "My friends, I give you the Black Fortune." He said as he kicked the vault door and it swung open, much like the mouths of his friends.

Andi recovered first. "Always had a taste for the dramatics eh Siri?" She walked in and patted him on the head. "Glad some things never change." The rest laughed and walked in. Sirius walked up to a suit of armor and drew an imaginary sword to challenge it to a fight. He yelped when it poked a finger at his stomach. The others laughed and Sirius remembered why they were there. "Ripclaw, is there any way to take large amounts of money without carrying around all the coin?"

Ripclaw nodded. "Yes, we have a pouch that you can call any sum of coin to as long as you have the some in you vault. We also have debit cards, so you don't have to worry about money exchanges."

"Excellent, we'll take three. One for Harry, another for me, and one for the Tonkses." He could feel a rebuttal coming from Andi. "Andi I won't hear it. The family cast you out without so much as a goodbye, this is the least I could do, you don't even have to use it. It's so in case you need it, you have it."

Andi sighed and accepted the pouch. "Fine." Sirius could tell that his group wanted to head out, he offered the Tonkses to head up and do their part of the paperwork while he and Harry explored the Potter vault. They hopped in the cart and along with Ripclaw went down to the vault. Harry looked upon the door with awe. He found a place that every Potter ever had been, he found a place that he could connect with his family. He stood for a while, basking in the history of the door before Sirius coughed and Harry came back to reality.

Harry walked up to the door. 'So, I just put my hand on the door, and it will open?" Ripclaw and Sirius nodded. Harry steadied himself and placed his hand of the crest on the door. It hummed like the Black vault did with Sirius, but a moment later the door unlocked and opened. The group walked in but Sirius and Ripclaw stayed by the entrance and allowed Harry some time to wander the large room.

As Harry walked over to a row of benches with boxes on them. He walked along reading labels, his heart stopped when he read the label Journals. He tossed the lid off and reached in and grabbed the first one he saw, Lily Potter Spells and Research, Harry pocketed it to read later and grabbed the largest one in the box, The Potter Grimore. "Sirius! Come check this out." Harry called, and soon the other two were there in a second.

Sirius smiled widely upon seeing the book. "Ah yes. The family grimore, every Lord Potter has written something in it at one point, but we can look at books later. I want to show you something, if it's here that is." He said, dragging Harry away from the book box and over to the clothes rack. He scanned the rack for a moment before grabbing a leather jacket which he handed to Harry. "Put it on."

Harry slipped in on his shoulders, he felt a warm sensation run over his torso. "What is this?" He asked. Sirius just smiled. "That Harry is a Basilisk hide jacket with about every enchantment we could figure out and apply to it. It senses what your ideal temperature is and either heats or cools you depending along with featherlight and flexibility enchantments. Basilisk hide is already very magic resistant and thick, but when imbued each individual scale with unbreakable charms and created a web by tying them together so it'll stop everything but multiple killing curses. It will automatically change to any size to fit the wearer, but it will also change to probably any form of clothing you can think of." Sirius finished and laughed at his godson's gob smacked look. "I also have one, I slipped it on in the other vault. Now you have that, you only need the bracers, your father's ring, and your mother's chainmail then we can head out." He made to move but Harry and Ripclaw stopped him.

"How in the blazes did you get this? Basilisks are practically unkillable and the last one was killed more than two centuries ago." Ripclaw demanded.

"Well actually, Harry here slayed a millenia old one two months ago, as for the one James and I killed was but a fledgling, only a half century old. We were in the mountains of Russia and heard tale of a serpent that had been causing a ruckus, so we went and found its cave. It was asleep so James and I conjured a lot of spears and sent them all at its head. It was only ten or so feet, and we split the usable hide in two and made our two trench coats." Ripclaw was in awe of his two clients, both had killed the believed unkillable at young ages.

"Harry, where is the Basilisk you killed? If it is in any condition at all, you could be a much wealthier man." Ripclaw asked.

"It's in the Chamber of Secrets Ripclaw, the entrance is in Moaning myrtle's bathroom on the second floor. You have to say open in parseltongue and a large pipe is revealed." Harry replied.

"Alright Harry, I will have a crew go and render it for you. I assume you would like some of the parts like the venom and hide?" Harry nodded. "Grand, I'll have ten percent of both placed in your vault. I believe we should get up to the surface soon." RIpclaw added and walked to the cart.

Harry made to follow but Sirius dragged him over to a chest in the corner furthest from the door. He opened it. He took out two rings, gave to Harry and put the other on himself. "Harry these are special rings I created for your parents and I during the war. They charge energy from your surroundings and can function as a secondary power source for your spells." Harry nodded and put it on, his ring had a golden band with a square cut emerald inlaid while Sirius' appeared to be an obsidian band with a moonstone inlaid.

"Your ring was your mother's; your father's is here but I think the emerald fits you better than the topaz of James'." Harry nodded and Sirius dug back in and brought a pair of arm bracers each with a large gemstone inlaid. He handed the one with a ruby inlay and kept the sapphire for himself.

"These bracers have the same charge function as the ring, but it allows you to use its stores directly in the form of a shield, allowing you to cast spells with your wand at the same time. I never made on for Lily because she was more of a researcher type than the fighters your dad and I were. They are also invisible unless you want them to be, both your ring and bracer." He said somberly before looking back through the chest before bringing a silvery mail out and handed it to Harry. Harry's eyes widened for a moment but waited for Sirius to explain.

"I see you have an inkling of what this is, and you are probably correct. This is Mithril mail, unbreakable and unpiercable to begin with but I also poured most of my core along with all three of the rings at full charge into making it magically resistant. Your parents and I all shot killing curses at the same point of the mail and it didn't show any signs of wear. I suggest giving it to Dora as you don't need the added protection and she is vulnerable as an Auror. There are more things in here, but I wanted to get these few things because when I instruct you, they will be of benefit." Sirius told him smiling. He motioned for them to adjourn to the cart, but before he followed, he reached in the chest and grabbed a chain with an hourglass on it. The ride was as fun for the two as ever and the paperwork was swiftly taken care of. The group soon bade Ripclaw farewell and left him to handle the Basilisk rendering.

Dora demanded they grab something to eat first so they found a small fish and chips shop in one of the side alleys. Appetite sated, she dragged them all to Madame Malkin's. While Sirius and Harry were measured, Dora and Andi walked around the store and picked out clothes for them to try on. Poor Ted was the mule who had to carry the mountainous pile.

Andi would hand Sirius clothes to try while Dora brought Harry's pile with her into his changing room. Whenever one of the boys chose to keep a piece of clothing that needed to be tailored Andi would give it to Madame Malkin for adjustment. After two hours of changing into and out of clothes the boys had enough and refused to try on anymore clothes. Harry and Sirius kept only a third of the clothes the girls had picked out for them, but that third included clothes for every possible weather they might encounter on their trip, formal wear for both the magical and muggle worlds and a collection of day wear of varying formality. Since they waited till the end of their shopping to choose what colors for their dress robes and suits, Madame Malkin still had work to do on them. Andi shrunk their bags and put them in her purse which she gave to Ted since it was heavy. They meandered the Alley until Sirius spotted the broom on display of Quality Quidditch supplies.

"Harry, I know you have a broom, but I think we'll try to play for some of the local teams we encounter on our trip and to do that we'll need fast brooms." Sirius and Harry went in and came out a few minutes later grinning madly. Dora was nervous because of the glint in her boyfriend's eye but assumed whatever it was it would be in good fun, so it didn't matter to her. They walked along until Andi pointed out Turgor's Trunks and suggested they get a pair for their trip. Sirius shrugged and went into the shop.

"Hello there, I am Terrance Turgor. What can I get for you today?" The proprietor asked the group.

"Well, my godson and I are going on a long holiday and we are in need of two trunks that will be able to carry our belongings." Sirius told Terrance.

"I have several models that could serve your needs." The man disappeared behind a wall for a minute and returned with the trunks floating behind him. He set them on the counter. He patted the first trunk. "This is our base model expandable compartmented trunk. It has six compartments that can extend for a long distance. Perfect for wardrobes and storing boxes." He then moved to the next trunk. "This is the trunk that I think fits your needs best, this trunk has four compartments to hold belongings." Terrance opened then opened the lid of the trunk. "But this trunk has a special feature, a password protected room that has a few options for it such as bookshelves and closet space along the walls with an armchair and a fireplace. The other trunk is a bit overkill for most customers, and this is my only one left, but that trunk has an entire apartment contained with it. I you want to go in either of the trunks you may." Terrance finished his sales pitch.

"We'll take two of the second trunks with setting of the bookshelves and closet space with fireplace. We'll find our own armchairs. I assume you want my vault number or would you like coin directly?" Sirius asked reaching for his pouch.

"Yes, a vault number would suffice, and you can take these two with you as that is their default setting. Thank you for your patronage." Terrance said as he floated another trunk out of the back. Sirius scribbled his vault number down and the group left the shop. They collected the remainder of their clothes from Malkin's and apparated back to the Tonkses. Harry and Dora went to go organize HArry's trunk and Sirius planned on the same while Andi and Ted decided to order pizza from the local place instead of cooking.

Harry and Dora had brought were in his new trunk and were putting his clothes away and putting his old trunk's contents away on bookshelves. Harry was organizing his books when he remembered his gift for Dora. "Hey Dora, I have something for you." He said, walking over to her by one of the closets.

She turned to him. "Oh, really Harry? Something for lil old me?" She asked saucily.

"Yes, I do and you're not old Dora." He retorted. "Sirius and I found this in my family's vault today and he suggested that since I don't need it and your job is so dangerous that I should give it to you." He handed her the chainmail.

"Harry, I don't think you understand what this is. This is-" Harry put a finger on her lips.

"I know exactly what this is Dora. It is Mithril, and I also know that Sirius put an extremely powerful enchantment on it that it took multiple killing curses to the same spot and did not tarnish. I love you, and I don't want to lose you. I already have something like it, but I would be greedy to keep this for myself. You can wear it under anything, and it even has a hood thing that becomes invisible if you want it to be. My jacket was made by Sirius for my dad and has an enchantment almost as strong as this one. It was my mothers and I want you to have it." He removed his finger from Dora's lips and she immediately pounced on him. It wasn't until a while later that Ted knocked on the lid of the trunk to tell them that supper was here.

oooo

Later that night Hedwig returned with letters from his two friends. He was nervous about Ron's reaction, so he opened Hermione's and went to sit by Dora on the couch. She laid her head on his shoulder to read it with him.

Dear Harry,

I am glad that your godfather was proven innocent, and I'm pretty sure you expected me to lecture you on responsibility for choosing to go on this 'adventure' with your godfather, but I am not. I know our first two years at Hogwarts have been difficult, and I respect your ability to make choices and if Tonks is going to be there sometimes too, then you can't get into that much trouble, right? Oh who am I kidding, just do me a favour and don't get pinched. I will hold you to coming to at least two Hogsmeade visits and Christmas, my parents asked if you could come over this year. If you could bring back an interesting book or two on your travels, I would consider forgiving you for leaving me alone with Ronald for a whole year. It's going to be very different this year, both without you and with electives it will be a change for sure. I hope Ronald doesn't treat you poorly because of this trip. Also, don't let me not being there with you be an excuse for not paying attention to your studies, I do have expectations for you Harry. There, aren't you proud that I left schoolwork to the end of the letter? Please write when you can, I hope you have a good trip

Love,

Hermione

"I think our friend Hermione has a crush on you Harry dear." Dora stated.

"Well, too little to late I suppose, I am a in a relationship now." He replied with mock sadness.

Dora smirked and whispered in his ear. "I wouldn't be opposed to sharing now and again Harry." She left a slack jawed Harry on the couch and grabbed Ron's letter. "She opened it and handed it to Harry, who had recovered and resumed her place on his shoulder to read Ron's hopefully not angry letter.

Hi Harry,

Nice that your godfather got out of prison ain't it? It'll be good for you to get away from the muggles mate, but how could you not come to school this year? I get not doing schoolwork, but what about Quidditch? What'll Gryffindor do without you? More importantly, how could you leave with Hermione for a whole year? I'll die within the first week! I don't get it mate.

See you sometime,

Ron

"That was significantly better than I expected." Dora deadpanned.

"He's angrier than he writes. He was always bad at putting his feelings into words." Harry responded. "I think I'll write him back that if he doesn't want to hang out with Hermione then he could just not and hang out with Seamus and Neville instead. I think I'll also send a note to Hermione asking if I can stop over before I leave, to say goodbye. I know she'd appreciate it. Maybe I'll suggest she study with Katie or maybe Hannah Abbot, she could expand her horizons a bit instead of only being around Susan and Ernie."

"Sounds like a good idea Harry. Now you write and I'll wait for you upstairs." Dora said with a wink.

'What did I do to deserve this?' Harry thought as he wrote his notes to his friends, excited for his journey with Sirius.

A/N: And that's a wrap for this chapter! I hope to keep up the length without sacrificing quality. I ask again for any ideas for characters to make an appearance and maybe teach Harry something or another. I already have Lara Croft, James Bond (Sean Connery), and Danny Ocean in the works, but am always open to suggestions.