SIRIUS NEEDED TO ESCAPE the Grimmauld Place and in order to do so, he would volunteer to leave and snoop around Diagon Alley for the latest news. With Petunia's blessing to take Harry away from the Dursleys, he figured they didn't really need to hide anymore, but Charlus wanted to be cautious. After all, it wasn't Petunia that Charlus feared to retaliate, it was Dumbledore. Perhaps Sirius didn't analyze the situation as much as his husband did, but he didn't think there was anything Dumbledore could do anymore. But Charlus wasn't one to leave things to chance, he had to cover all of his bases before proceeding.

And just an hour in Diagon Alley, in his animagus form, Sirius learned that Dumbledore had been served papers to appear in Wizengamot court. Rita Skeeter's article was everywhere, and witches and wizards all over were whispering the gossip. Word had gotten out that Dumbledore had been aware of Harry's harmful living situation and had done nothing about it. The people of the wizarding world were furious because even as a child, Harry was considered a saviour to the people as The-Boy-Who-Lived.

Unaware of the sacrificial protection that had been cast by Lily's life, people naturally assumed that even as a toddler, Harry had been strong enough to defeat Voldemort. So why would Dumbledore allow The-Boy-Who-Lived to be harmed knowingly? Suddenly, theories and rumours were spreading like wildfire with some people boldly assuming that Dumbledore was involved in working with Voldemort somehow.

"When were you going to tell me that you were going to take Dumbledore to court?" Sirius asked Charlus after he returned. He dropped the copy of the Daily Prophet onto the table where Charlus was sitting.

Glancing over the paper, Charlus pushed it aside. "We're not taking Dumbledore to court," he said. "It's just a precaution. I wrote to Amelia Bones a few days ago, explaining the situation. She serves on Wizengamot, I read one of her interviews in the Daily Prophet after I woke up. She was working to pass laws that would further help muggle-borns and their families get a better understanding of the wizarding world, instead of waiting until they were supposed to attend Hogwarts. She thought it would help improve the lives of the children...."

"What does that have to do with our situation?" Sirius asked.

"Clearly, she's a strong advocate for children and their wellbeing," Charlus told him, "naturally, she would act if she learned that a child was in a harmful environment. Especially, a child that was prone to accidental magic that was also endangering muggles. I might have stretched a thing or two here to build the urgency, but it clearly got her attention. Enough that Dumbledore is going to stand trial."

"But you just said that we're not taking Dumbledore to court!"

Growing slightly annoyed, Charlus sighed. "And we're not! There is no point in bringing Dumbledore to court because he'll win regardless. According to Rita, he has enough members serving on Wizengamot that would be willing to side with him regardless of what he has done. He is the Supreme Mugwump, which means he is the head of International Confederation of Wizards. In order to be named for the position, you need to have a majority vote from Wizengamot. I'm not looking to win against him in that sense."

"Look, I'm not exactly a mastermind here, Charlus, so could you stop talking in circles and just tell me how this is all connected? If we're not going to pursue Dumbledore in court, then what is the point?"

"The point is, at the same time that Dumbledore is scheduled for his trial, we will be meeting with Petunia. I scheduled it all to happen on the same date, at the same time so that Dumbledore would not interfere with our plans. Wizengamot will keep him occupied while Petunia terminates her rights as guardian and transfers over custody to us. Do you understand now?"

Slumping onto the bench across from Charlus, Sirius sat in awe. Immediately, the irritation he felt over being kept out of the loop vanished and he was just left to marvel at the plan.

"As much as I want to take Dumbledore down completely, I know it would never fully happen, " Charlus said, " he has too many connections in too many places. Even if he doesn't have legal grounds over Harry, it doesn't mean he's not going to try and hold on for as long as possible. I'm sure he has people all around, watching and waiting to hear something about us. We can't move until he is occupied and by then, it won't matter what we do, because he'll be stuck."

"And you think this will all work?"

"Regardless if we don't show up to present our case against him, the word is already out in the wizarding world. We may not be there to interrogate him, but I bet you anything Amelia Bones will not let him off so easily. If anything, we may not get everything we wanted, but it's enough to tarnish his reputation. And just like Fudge, he will have to tread carefully afterwards, or the people will come for him."

Sirius reached out and grabbed Charlus' hand, a small gesture of an apology for getting frustrated earlier. "You scare me sometimes, you know that?"

Charlus let out a chuckle. "I scare myself sometimes. I don't want to do all of this, but it needs to be done. I am willing to do anything for you and Harry, and anyone who gets in my way, well, it's not going to end well for them."

"So, Mr Mastermind, what happens after all of this? What happens once we get custody of Harry officially?"

"We live happily ever after."

All the while as Charlus kept a strong face for everyone around him and worked to make sure that everything would work out, he was growing tired. It wasn't physical exhaustion anymore, it was mentally. Having to keep Sirius and Walburga from arguing with one another, making sure Harry was comfortable, taking care of legal matters with Maeve, it was never-ending. He did his best to hide all of his stress behind a calm exterior. And Maeve could call him stubborn all she wanted, but he wasn't about to ask for help again.

Simply because there was nothing anyone could do until everything was legally settled. Once they met in court and everything was made official, Charlus knew he would rest easier. But even having Sirius at his side in bed at night, wasn't enough to lull him to sleep. Maeve's draughts could force him to sleep, but he didn't feel like he was getting any real rest. And even though Remus, Lyall, Maeve, and Sirius offered to help in any way possible, it was all in Charlus' head.

Thankfully, Sirius was able to see past the mask of calmness that Charlus showed everyone. He knew something was wrong when he woke up from his own sleep, listening to Charlus talking in his sleep. Sometimes crying and apologising that he wasn't doing enough.  And when Sirius asked Charlus how he slept the next morning, Charlus would always reply with the same answer.

He was just fine.

Knowing Charlus didn't like confrontation or asking for help in that matter, Sirius thought he could help cheer up his husband, by using Harry to help. When Charlus walked into the living room that afternoon, Harry and Sirius were talking about Quidditch, and the discussion of James came up as Sirius told him that James had been a star Quidditch player back in school.

Harry turned to Charlus with a smile. "Is that true? Did my dad play Quidditch?"

"Yes, he did," Charlus said, joining them where they were sitting. "He was an excellent player, very dedicated as a Chaser."

"Chaser," Harry repeated, " that's the one who uses the quattle?"

"Quaffle," Sirius corrected with a laugh, " and yes, Chasers are in charge of scoring with the Quaffle."

"Uncle Charlus, can we go to a Quidditch match one day? Uncle Sirius was telling me about them and I want to see one!"

"Of course we can," Charlus answered, " but before that, we need to get you some glasses or you won't be able to see anything. And if you like Quidditch enough, maybe you can see an Aingingein match as well. Your father absolutely loved that."

"What's that?!"

"Well, it's like Quidditch, but instead of a quaffle, the players carry a large rock and race through these barrels that were on fire until they reach the end where they score. You have to do it in the fastest time without catching on fire to win. When we were in Hogwarts, my parents took your father to see it as a Christmas gift."

Harry scrunched up his face with a curious tilt of his head. " How come you didn't go?"

"Your uncle doesn't like Quidditch," Sirius whispered, " he thinks it's boring."

With a little gasp, Harry looked taken back by such a statement. "Boring?! But you can fly in the air! That's amazing!"

Sometimes it was hard for Harry to understand that magic wasn't as amazing to those that had been exposed to it since they were around his age and younger. Flying on a broomstick wasn't a big deal to Charlus because it was a regular form of transportation within the wizarding world, and Quidditch had never been very exciting to him. Perhaps when he was really little and Fleamont had taken them to their first match, but after a while, Charlus lost interest.

"Well, maybe you'll change my mind," Charlus said, " maybe you'll become a Quidditch player like your father and your grandfather."

"Can you tell me more about my grandparents?"

Subjects changed from one second to another with Harry, as soon as he heard something that piqued his interest, the former topic was forgotten. But Charlus didn't have any issue talking about his parents.

"Let's see, your grandfather was Fleamont Potter, he was an amazing inventor. He made a hair potion that everyone loved, except it doesn't work on Potters hair," Charlus said, ruffling Harry's hair. "He was also an excellent dueller. He was fast and strong. He was one of my best friend's growing up, I could talk to him about anything. He taught me everything I know about potions and he inspired me to invent spells that I use every day.  He loved to laugh and sing, he couldn't dance, but he still loved to dance with your grandmother whenever he could."

He paused for a second, his parents had died before Harry's birth, and even talking about them years later, for Charlus, it felt like they had died yesterday. He took a deep breath to swallow the lump in his throat before Harry urged him to continue.

"And what about my grandmother?"

"Your grandmother was....she...was....she was..."

Remus and Maeve had been listening in on Charlus' conversation with Harry, along with Lyall, when they heard Charlus' voice fade. Thinking that Charlus had become upset talking about his late parents, Maeve and Remus went to venture into the room, only to see Sirius looking awfully concerned as his hand settled on Charlus' back. Charlus, on the other hand, looked beyond confused. He wasn't looking at Harry anymore, instead, his gaze was distant as his eyes darted from left to right as if he was looking for something.

Suddenly, he pushed himself up and left the room, leaving Harry to look worried that he had done something wrong. Remus hurried over, telling him that Charlus wasn't feeling well and that Maeve and Sirius were going to go check on him.

Charlus entered the kitchen, his breathing erratic and his eyes glazed over with panic. He was pacing like an anxious dog as he started pulling at his hair. Lyall rose from his chair slowly, cautiously going for his wand in case it was needed. And Maeve and Sirius entered, closing the door behind them to keep any commotion private.

"Charlus, what's wrong?" Sirius asked him. "What-"

"I can't remember her name!" Charlus cried out, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't remember her name! I can't remember my mother's own name! What's happening to me?!"