The Darkening of Your Soul

Chapter 39

“It’s not that funny,” Sirius said with an obvious pout in his voice, while Harry took his time getting his laughter under control. “I need him back, Harry. You have to release him back to me.”

That sobered Harry right up and he sat upright at once, blinking at Sirius while inhaling a few deep breaths to regain control of his emotions. “Why? You hate him and he hates you. I think for everyone’s sake it’s a better idea to just let Kreacher be my elf.”

“Yeah, we don’t get along,” Sirius agreed with a quick nod. “But at Black Manor I only have Vivi, an ancient elf who was already getting on in her years when my grandfather was born, and I need Kreacher at Grimmauld Place, especially now that Dumbledore is going to use it.”

Any hilarity Harry had felt previously was washed away as though someone had just dumped a bucket of ice-water over his head. For a brief moment Harry seriously wondered if he’d fallen asleep at some point that evening and this was all just a nightmare. “Wait…why is Dumbledore suddenly using Grimmauld Place?”

Sirius looked vaguely apologetic. “The Order of the Phoenix needed headquarters now that Voldemort is back, and Dumbledore asked to use Grimmauld Place earlier this evening when he informed us you’d disappeared.”

Harry sighed, and then sighed again, even deeper. “Sirius, listen very carefully,” Harry said, narrowing his eyes as he glared at his godfather through the mirror. “I never disappeared, I went to my holiday destination as approved by my legal guardian. Voldemort hasn’t returned, because Thomas Gaunt isn’t Voldemort, plain and simple. And Dumbledore is the person who saw you sentenced to Azkaban for life without a trial, so why on earth are you even talking to that man?”

Sirius swallowed and looked away briefly. “I wasn’t planning on talking to him ever again, but he floo-called and said you were in trouble and –”

“HE LIED!” Harry bellowed, so fucking fed up with Sirius’ inability to think for himself for one fucking second, and even after everything Dumbledore had put his godfather through, still believing a word that old goat said.

Sirius blinked at Harry’s suddenly loud response. “Yeah, all right, I get that now.”

“So what you should do now is write Dumbledore a very polite note in which you take back your offer of giving him Grimmauld Place and telling him you want nothing to do with him ever again,” Harry said with a very strained smile that hurt his entire face. “As you should have done from the beginning, for Merlin’s sake, Sirius.”

“But Voldemort –”

“Is gone!” Harry leaned forward, glaring at the mirror again. “Please just get that through your head, that Dumbledore is manipulating you and everyone else who will listen with the idea of Voldemort returning while there is no evidence to say that he actually has.”

Sirius narrowed his eyes while Lupin hovered in the background. “But how can you be sure of that, Harry?” Lupin asked, leaning over Sirius’ shoulder to join the conversation.

“Oh for…” Harry jumped up and with the mirror in his hand marched out of his bedroom and down the hall to the next door. “Thomas, open up.” Harry banged on the door while Sirius sputtered something in the mirror. “Oh, man who is Voldemort according to my imbecile godfather and his bestest friend, open the door, but please be decent.” Harry added that last bit because he well remembered his own response when he’d seen Tom naked and wet and he didn’t want a repeat of that in front of his godfather.