Harry Potter: Marauder at Howgarts

Bill set the parchment down on the table. He had a serious expression on his amiable face. The earring he wore glinted in the late evening sunlight streaming through the window. "Everything seems to be in order from a legal point of view." He said. "It's a generous offer but in order for me to know if it satisfies the debt, I'll need to know what exactly happened and how Ron got injured?"

"It's a fair question." Sirius said, stopping Arthur from dismissing his son's query. "Let's see, I guess you know the background context of me being innocent, Peter being the traitor hiding out disguised as your family's pet rat?"

Bill nodded.

"Well, I guess there are two incidents. The first one I merely scared Ron by breaking into the dorm and trying to get to the rat there. And the second one, I ambushed him on the Hogwarts grounds while he was carrying the rat and dragged him into a tunnel to the Shrieking Shack, accidentally breaking his leg in the process."

"You broke my son's leg?" Molly yelled loudly.

Arthur turned to her with a fierce expression. "Molly."

Molly glared at her husband and sat back with an angry huff.

"I was right as rain the next day, honest, Mum." Ron said tentatively.

"Well," Bill said, with a smile in Ron's direction, "I give my blessing to the proposal. I think as Sirius interrupted Ron's education this last year, paying for his future education is an acceptable payment." He paused. "But in fairness to the House of Black I think we should only agree on the basis of Ron maintaining Acceptable grades."

Ron grimaced.

"I agree." Arthur said. He looked at his youngest son. "We don't expect Outstandings across the board, but if you fail anything, we shouldn't expect Lord Black to continue paying for you."

Bill added the addendum and handed the contract back to Remus to review. Remus nodded at Sirius.

Sirius conjured a quill and signed the parchment, passing both over to Arthur so he could do the same.

"Yes!" Ron said gleefully.

"Remember this agreement is dependent on you getting good grades, Ron." Arthur said.

Molly nodded her agreement, her eyes narrowing on Sirius again. "At the same time, I'm not sure money can make up for harming a child." She said frostily.

Harry inched closer to Sirius, hearing the anger in Molly's voice.

"I agree with you," Sirius said simply, surprising everyone at the table, "although in my defence I wasn't quite sane at the time. Twelve years in Azkaban as an innocent man took its toll."

Molly had the grace to look discomforted but the glint in her eye told Harry she hadn't completely given up the fight. "And you're sane now? After only a week of healing?"

"Molly!" Arthur protested, his face burning as brightly red as his hair.

"Harry and I spent some time at the Valley clinic in the States." Sirius informed briskly. "As you may know it's located in a time bubble. We spent about two months there in the week we were gone in normal time."

Molly opened her mouth to speak again.

"However, that's beside the point," Sirius said before she could speak, "regardless of my questionable sanity, I know what I would do to anyone who broke Harry's leg even accidentally so yes, I agree with you that monetary compensation can't make up for what I did. And knowing that, I assure you the scholarship isn't an apology for that act; it's a thank you for not pressing legal charges so I could take guardianship of my godson."

Arthur placed a hand on Molly's arm. "I'm grateful that you can appreciate my wife's point of view. As Ron doesn't seem to hold a grudge and it was him that was harmed, I suggest we put it in the past and move on." His gaze rested on his wife's intently.

Molly gave a huff and nodded.

Sirius inclined his head. "Thank you."

"Ron," Arthur said, turning in his chair to face his son, "there's some additional business that I have with the House of Potter that you don't need to stay for, son. You can go and join your brothers and sister outside."

Ron looked as though he wanted to protest but he threw Harry a vaguely apologetic look and pushed his chair away from the table, swiftly departing the house.

Harry looked at Arthur confused, wondering what other business they could have to discuss.

"Harry," Arthur sighed and rubbed at his forehead, "I had discussed this previously with the Headmaster as at the time there was no regent or steward assigned to represent you but now you've claimed your ring and have Sirius and Remus here to advise you…"

"You wish to discuss the life debt your daughter owes Harry." Remus concluded.

Sirius raised an eyebrow questioningly at Remus as Harry shifted uncomfortably at Arthur's nod of agreement.

"It wasn't that hard to deduce, Padfoot." Remus defended quietly.

Harry knew from his discussions with Sirius about the life debt Sirius owed Hermione and himself that he couldn't say he didn't care about the life debt – he didn't but it wasn't good form to dismiss it as it was like saying he didn't care that he'd saved Ginny's life which was untrue.

"What life debt?" asked Bill, frowning at his father.

Arthur sighed and quickly explained about Ginny's possession, the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and the diary.

"Why didn't anybody tell me?" Bill asked, horror written clearly in his blue eyes.

Molly glared at him. "You were the one who chose to work abroad as a curse-breaker, William…"

"You spent most of last summer with me, Mum, I'm sure there was a chance to tell me." Bill rejoined. "No wonder Ginny spent so much time quizzing me about possessions!"

"Clearly," Arthur broke in as Molly bristled angrily beside him, "we should discuss this more in private after our guests have left but in the meantime, we do have the life debt to settle."

Sirius cleared his throat. "What did you propose to Albus Dumbledore when you spoke with him?"

Arthur shook his head. "It wasn't so much a proposal as a discussion. I did tentatively suggest that we'd be happy for Harry consider the Burrow a second home and to have him during the Summer instead of his going back to his relatives in the muggle world."

Harry could guess where the discussion was going.

"Let me guess; he shot down the suggestion." Sirius said sarcastically enough to get another disapproving frown from Molly.

"Albus thought Harry was too young to deal with responsibilities such as life debts…" Arthur replied mildly and Molly muttered her agreement, "and that Harry was safest at his muggle relatives."

Harry flushed in embarrassment and anger. He felt Sirius's hand on his shoulder but he stared at the table and took a deep breath; he really didn't want to lose control of his magic.

"Well, that was then and this is now," said Remus soothingly. "Obviously your first suggestion, while a wonderful idea at the time, is no longer needed given recent events."

"And I'm afraid that is where we come unstuck." Arthur admitted. "Ginny…Ginny is our only daughter and frankly one that was very much wanted. She holds a great deal of value in our eyes. A place in our family would have been equal to that value and paid the debt she incurred, but I'm not entirely certain what else I have to offer beyond the land that comes with the Burrow or my sworn service to the House of Potter."

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