Harry Potter: Eclipse.-Chapter 65:

Later that evening, Harry waited with Remus while Sirius went to collect his wand and sign the custody papers. He had taken out a blank book and was planning his days before the trial:

He needed to go out a get Neville a birthday present, and would be busy on the 30th seeing his friends.

His own birthday was the 31st, so he should probably expect Sirius and Remus to do something, and the Malfoy's had also mentioned dinner, so that would most likely occur then.

On the 1st of August he needed to be in the alley to meet his friends, but more importantly he needed the diary. He hoped Lucius planned on sabotaging Arthur again, he had heard about the raids so he knew the Weasley patriarch was acting as he had in his last life.

The custody trial was on the 3rd, so they had to be prepared for that.

Thinking about all of this made Harry want to groan and he bemoaned his fate; he half-heartedly considered if it was worth maintaining his friendships, but he knew that he would regret breaking them off. Not only would they be useful in the future, but all the kids he had befriended were genuinely nice - and Neville, well, Harry couldn't do that to the blond boy. He enjoyed their company, so he knew he wouldn't deliberately end any of his friendships.

"What are you writing now?" Remus asked, not surprised anymore to find Harry with a book; he was always either reading or writing. He couldn't believe anybody who spent more than five minutes with Harry would doubt the small boy belonged in Ravenclaw.

"Just a plan for my next few days. I need to go shopping for Nev's birthday present," he said.

"This is Neville Longbottom?" Remus asked. "Yeah, Neville's my best friend," Harry told the wolf.

"What's he like? I knew his parents. They were great people," Remus said, his voice sad as he thought about the couple's fate.

Harry spared him a sad smile. "Neville is great. He's in Gryffindor - when we first met he didn't think he was brave enough for the lion house, but almost immediately he stood up for me against some busybody muggleborn girl. He's not a loud boy, more brave when it counts. He also loves Herbology and cannot even look at a potion without it failing somehow," Harry said.

Remus smiled, "He sounds like a nice boy." "He really is. I don't think he had many friends growing up, he seemed kind of lonely. He also doesn't care that I'm Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. To him, I'm just Harry. He doesn't expect me to be anything or anybody I'm not," Harry said.

Remus frowned as he remembered how the clerk at the ministry had acted. "Does that happen a lot - people acting weird around you?" he asked. He hadn't realised Harry would dislike the fame, but thinking about it, he thought it obvious.

Harry shrugged. "Sometimes there's this awful boy, Ron - Ronald Weasley, who I think is actually stalking me. He insists I'm a traitor because I'm in Ravenclaw and not Gryffindor. He says I'm supposed to be a hero and a Light wizard who hates everything Dark and Slytherin," Harry said with a sneer.

Remus frowned. He knew the Weasleys, he had gotten along very well with Arthur during the last war. He hadn't seen Molly as much as she had been home with her young children, but he didn't like the idea of their son making Harry's life miserable.

"Well, you know to ignore him right? You are exactly who you are supposed to be, Harry," Remus said.

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Remy."

Sirius returned then and smiled when he took in the relaxed atmosphere. "Tomorrow I want to visit Grimmauld Place; I want to see how the goblins have been getting on. Not that I haven't enjoyed the Leaky Cauldron, but I think it's time I started proving I can look after you," he said.

Harry internally cheered when he thought about the Black library - finally, he would be able to get back to looking. He had been scouring his books, but he just had a feeling about the library; he knew the answer was in there. There was also the added bonus of getting hold of the locket as well - he would just have to persuade Kreacher.

"It would be good to actually have a house," Harry said. Sirius smiled. "I wouldn't get your hopes up yet, pup. The house I grew up in wasn't the best and it might be a few days before we can move in."

"I don't mind. I need to go shopping for birthday presents anyway," Harry said.

"Speaking of birthdays, what do you want to do for yours?" Remus asked.

Harry smirked. "Well, I guess cursing Dumbledore bald doesn't count," he said. "Honestly, I don't know; I've never celebrated it before. Can't we just have cake and stuff?"

The two men exchanged dark looks, realising all Harry had missed out on. "We'll think promised.

~

of

something,"

they

Entering Grimmauld Place the next day, Harry saw the goblins had done great work; they could probably move in that day. The walls were spotless, with fresh plaster and paint. The floors had been fixed and the wards Harry felt actually intimidated him - they truly were forces to be reckoned with.

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Sirius looked just as shocked. "Wow...," the dog animagus said.

Even the portrait of Walburga was silent, the curtains closed. "Your goblin friends sure do work fast," Remus said, walking around the house.

Entering the kitchen, Harry was shocked to see the improvement; it had been modernized slightly and actually sparkled in places. The drawing room, which held the family tree, had been almost remade. The family tree itself was remastered: Harry saw that Sirius was no longer blasted off and a branch now came from him with Harrison James Potter-Black engraved into the weave.

"So, I think we can move in," Sirius said slowly. The furniture had obviously either been transfigured or replaced as everything was new. There were still a lot of the original items (coffee tables, ornaments, book shelves, etc.), but there were new elements mixed in, making the home unrecognizable. Even Harry, who hadn't been gone that long in comparison as he had lived in the remains of the home in his last life before returning, couldn't recognize the house they now stood in.

Re-entering the kitchen, Remus and Sirius startled when Kreacher appeared with a pop.

Harry felt a tug on his magic when he saw the elf, startling him. The elf looked between Harry and Sirius in confusion.

"Which one is Master? Both boy and stain on family have bond - oh, what to do Mistress would have known," the elf muttered, distress clear. Sirius looked shocked and took a step towards the elf. Harry, seeing this, ran and put himself between the two. He knew their relationship was terrible but he had truly bonded with the elf in his last life.

Sirius, startled by Harry's sudden movement, stopped. "Kreacher, how are you still alive?" he asked

The elf, who was staring at Harry with shocked eyes, turned back to Sirius. "Kreacher lives - oh, how he lives. Great Master Regulus is gone, even Mistress is gone, but still Kreacher lives," the elf wailed. "Kreacher felt it when the stain became Lord Black. Kreacher never thought he would serve such a man. Sending nasty goblins in to clean and bringing with him a wolf and a boy is also Master."

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