The door behind Harry fell shut and he was surrounded by darkness. Walking up the narrow steps he mused whether he should have said all of this. But seeing Sirius again reminded him of another problem. Bellatrix Lestrange wouldn't be in Askaban forever. But the Order members most likely already knew that Voldemort would try to break his followers out of Azkaban. They wouldn't be able to prevent that anyway. The portraits in the entrance hall shot Harry some looks but didn't say a thing. He was somehow thankful for their lack of comments. Harry continued to climb the creaking steps till he had reached the floor in which he shared a room with Ron.
The dementors would change sides, Harry was certain of that. Dumbledore surely suspected it, but the ministry wouldn't remove them from Azkaban. That was equal to admitting that they didn't have them under control anymore and the attack on Harry would only support this statement.
Just when Harry had stepped into the old bedroom, the door behind him slammed shut on its own and he felt Death's presence materializing behind him.
Harry sucked in a mouthful of air. In comparison to Death accompanying him as a snake, this form - whatever he had chosen - felt much more like something one would associate with Death.
A cold shiver went down Harry's spine, his limbs tingling as his presence rolled over his body like a wave.
Almost as if it was contracting again, the presence pulled back and Harry knew that Death was standing right behind him. A soft touch pulled him out of his thoughts and then there were long fingers carding through Harry's hair once again. Warmth bloomed in Harry's chest, spreading outwards down his limbs and he felt the indefinable urge to press into the touch. Instead, he forced himself to turn around.
Harry felt a blush creeping up his collar when Death didn't stop but instead pushed some dark strands of hair out of his face. It was weird, but he couldn't find it in himself to pull away. It was rather the opposite. It was as if a part within him urged him to get as close to the being as possible, needy and possessive at once. Trying to save himself from the embarrassment of going through with that notion, Harry stared at Death. "Why do you look like me?" he blurted out, the first thing that came to mind.
Death stared down at him. Apparently, the creature had really made itself a tiny bit taller. "I like this form," the creature said, "But I can change it if you want."
"Oh. Um no," Harry said, awkwardly shifting under the affection the being placed upon him, while at the same time trying not to lean into the touch too much. "You can look however you want."
"You don't have to worry about me," the creature suddenly began, "No mortal weapon can harm me. I am Death. I can't be killed."
That statement managed to return Harry to a more coherent state of mind and he became aware of the oddness of this interaction. He took a step back. Harry cleared his throat. "Well, in hindsight catching a knife so that it doesn't stab you sounds kinda silly," he said and carded a hand through his hair where he could still feel the lingering tingles of where Death had touched him.
The creature smirked widely. Harry huffed, "I guess we all learned something. If you insist, I'll let you get impaled next time," he added with a shrug. He wanted to turn away but Death's intense stare pinned him in place.
Harry felt oddly exposed. "I-" Death began after a long pause, almost hesitant - "liked it."
"What?"
Death had tilted his head, almost as if he was confused, trying to figure out how to express what it had felt. "You didn't want me to get hurt. That was ...nice."
Harry stared at the creature in front of him. Death had to be so unbelievably old and yet stumbled to express the most ordinary human feelings. It was almost as if it had never experienced thankfulness. It was oddly endearing and Harry tried to drive away, the spark of fondness that rose in his chest. He bit his lip to keep himself from smiling.
Now finally finding the strength to turn away, Harry had a hard time not feeling disappointed but it helped that he was suddenly reminded of something he hadn't even thought about until now.
Cursing under his breath he began to pace through the room. Vaguely he was aware that Death was observing him curiously.
The dementor attack. Harry's younger self had used a Patronus charm to defend himself and Dudley. He'd almost forgotten about it until now. Harry would have a trial. He frowned as he recalled the events of this time. Pigwidgeon chirped loudly and fluttered excitedly through the room. Hedwig on the other hand gracefully turned her head and ruffled her feathers on top of the wardrobe. When Death extended an arm - more elegant than Harry ever could have managed himself - the little owl happily settled inside its palm.
Harry paused for a moment, watching intrigued before the urgency of the matter at hand returned to the forefront of his mind.
Last time when he'd had his trial, the ministry had changed time and location of his hearing. At least this time he was prepared for that.
Besides, when he'd been an Auror, he had witnessed the one or other trial - a fact which could only play out to his advantage.
While he had never really cared about politics, he should be doing well enough. After years working in the ministry and visiting many of their official events, he knew how to handle these people.
From what he remembered of his trial, Dumbledore had acted in his favour by naming Arabella Figgs as a witness. The headmaster would certainly do this a second time. But Harry would be damned if he would let Dumbledore take this matter in hand.
Unwittingly Harry's eyes were drawn to Death. Apparently, the creature had even started to pet the small owl. Harry didn't even notice that he'd begun to smile, but then Death raised his head to look at him and he felt his breath catching in his throat. He didn't quite know why.
Pigwidgeon fluttered back up the wardrobe next to the empty portrait and while Death was still staring at Harry, the notion that someone was coming up the stairs grew more insistent within his head.
Not able to shake the feeling off, Harry pulled back and switched off the lights before he slipped under the covers of his bed.
And really - barely three seconds later, Harry could hear someone approaching.
The muffled voices of Ginny, the twins, Ron and Hermione reached him through the wall. He pretended to be asleep when Ron entered. Harry heard a bit of shifting and he knew that he was being stared at. Ron locked the door and Harry remembered, that Kreacher possessed the creepy habit to walk into your room at night if you didn't lock it. He listened to how Ron went to bed, quite loudly though, probably hoping that Harry would wake up, but he didn't move.
The redhead still rustled with his blankets for quite some time but finally, his breathing evened out, telling Harry, that Ron had fallen asleep.
Harry laid in the dark, eyes open and not tired at all. The energy entering his body after he'd dropped more or less dead earlier this day in the entry hall was still coursing through his body.
Death materialized and Harry gasped when the air was pressed out of his lungs as the creature simply appeared atop of him, straddling his stomach. Death grinned at him, his black hair blurring with the darkness of the room as he leaned closer.
"And how was your day?" Death asked leaning forward. Harry was reminded once more, that Death really didn't seem to know the concept of personal space. Harry strangely found that he didn't mind it as much as he should have.
Harry tilted his head as he looked at Death, something unknown flaring within his chest.
"It was strange to see everyone again," Harry eventually began, "They are so much younger than they used to be and ...different."
"They are still the same as they were then," Death stated and Harry threw a look in Ron's direction. The boy was sleeping soundly.
"Maybe..." Harry turned to look at Death again. "It's me who is different, perhaps older. But it's not like I can tell them, can I?"
"It's your decision," Death said and then grinned. "We could always kill them afterwards," the creature suggested. Despite the macabre offer Harry laughed.
"That's true I suppose. But wouldn't it be a bit suspicious, if people around me just began to drop dead?" Harry said smirking. Strangely enough, he even considered it for a moment.
"What are they going to do about it?" Death replied, "They cannot harm you and I won't let them if you don't want them to, Master." Death came even closer and bared his teeth provocatively. Harry wondered if he ever blinked. Although there was no visible pupil, Harry always knew when Death looked at him. It was odd. "Besides," the creature continued in that strange voice - not quite a whisper but also never too loud, "I could always do it for you."
"That... is nice of you to offer," Harry replied not knowing if he should be disturbed or flattered. Yet the notion of killing someone didn't seem that hard a barrier to overstep anymore. A deep rumble, almost a purr seemed to emit from Death's throat. Harry could feel the vibrations echo through the air. It drew an unwitting smile onto his face. Ron groaned in his sleep and turned to the other side.
"Harrryy..." Death began, when Harry kept silent. He pressed a pale palm with fingers too long and too slender to really match Harry's against Harry's ribcage. "Can you feel it now? Your soul has accepted us."
Death almost sounded excited and Harry frowned. The memory of waking in the entrance hall flashed through his mind but then all thoughts were wiped away when a sensation grew under the creature's palm. A warmth inside him surfaced, reacting to Death's touch. A strange feeling rose in his chest and he felt a tugging towards the being in front of him. It wasn't unpleasant, and Harry gasped when he suddenly felt a link to the being atop of him. The part he had been missing, that had been ripped out of him after he had been drained by the wards was suddenly whole. His magic swirled over and through them in pleasant waves. Death grinned and the air surrounding seemed to darken even more. Harry noticed fascinated the pulsing of life, that surrounded the two owls and Ron, who was still sleeping. Even the portrait on the wall had a similar glow to it.
Suddenly everything was too much. The glow, the magic, the overwhelming sensation of his own feelings being linked to something that was so much more! He stared into the darkness and countless eyes seemed to stare back. Harry arched into the touch and at the same time, he had to pull back. Then the hand on his chest disappeared.
The magic surrounding them faded away and Harry was breathing heavily. It was still there, in the corner of his eye and yet seemed to disappear when he tried to catch a better look.
The thoughts in Harry's mind tumbled like a churning river. Something significant had happened after he had woken in the entrance hall. Something that had changed him in more than one manner
"Why don't I feel tired?" Harry asked suspiciously, the question only the tip of the iceberg peaking out of the water.
"You can sleep if you want to," Death replied lightly.
"But I don't need to, that's what you are saying?" Harry replied.
"Death doesn't need to sleep, to eat or rest."
"And that includes me?" Harry asked and he pushed himself up on his elbows, but Death didn't pull back as he expected.
"Yessss," Death replied, the longest strands of his hair tickling Harry's forehead. The creaking on the other side of the room alerted Harry. Ron had sat up in his bed.
"Did you say somethin' 'arry?" the red-head asked groggily. Death smirked dangerously. It was probably too dark for Ron to see the being, but still...
"Nothing, I was just dreaming. Go back to sleep Ron," Harry said, hoping that Ron wouldn't question him.
"If you say so...," Ron yawned and laid back down again, "G'night."
"Night," Harry said and glared at Death who only smirked.
"Why didn't you warn me?!" Harry hissed when Ron's breathing started to even out once more.
"I was going to show you something," Death said instead and then he leaned forward, forcing Harry to lay down again. The creature intertwined his pale fingers with Harry's next to his head, and just like this, Harry felt a strange pulling. It was like he was melting away. Right in front of his eyes, he saw Death dissolving into the strange dark fog and then his own body started to dissolve as well. Panicked Harry watched, but while he was melting away, he realized that it wasn't fog, it was shadows.
He felt like he was floating for a moment and then he could suddenly feel his body again.
Harry found himself at the foot of narrow stairs, in front of the door that led to the Kitchen.
He could sense something, almost like an invisible bubble shielding the door.
Probably an imperturbable charm. Nothing would pass through it. Death stood next to him.
"Make yourself invisible..."
Harry curiously did as he was told, calling upon the power of a familiar cloak. "Watch," Death said, and he intertwined their fingers once more, his other hand pressing against the solid wood of the door...
Nothing should have been able to touch it or even pass through, but once again, Harry saw, how Death turned into fog, but not to the extent, he normally would. Only the parts of Death's body that were touching the door disappeared. First the fingertips and the palm of the hand all the way up to his elbow. And then Harry was pulled with him. Death guided him through the door as if it was made out of thin air.
Standing on the other side, Harry was met with the sight of some order members gathered around the table. Holding his breath he looked at Death and then back at the table. No one saw them. Not even Death. The creature simply grinned.
"We are connected, Master. You can see me when they cannot," Death rasped.
Only the adults were still seated at the table. Mrs Weasley was still very pale and Mr Weasley cleaned his glasses, but he listened attentively to the conversation taking place. Mundungus was nowhere to be seen.
Mrs Weasley had most likely thrown him out as soon as the kids had gone to bed. Harry imagined she wouldn't be very keen on having him around for the night.
But Tonks was still there, absentmindedly letting a sickle wander over her knuckles. Remus seemed deep in thought, the parallel scars in his face prominent in the dim lightening of the fire, which now had almost burned down. He sat next to Sirius who was lounging in his chair, his dark hair falling into his face, hiding his expression as he was listening to Bill who had everyone's attention. "-could he write to?" the oldest Weasley-boy just announced, "There aren't many people who know what Voldemort is planning to do. Even Dumbledore is mostly guessing."
Mrs Weasley opened her mouth but Tonks spoke before her. "It is fairly obvious that he does have the means to contact people. He pointed it out himself," the metamorphmagus said gesturing, the sickle in her hand flashing silvery.
Bill scratched his jaw." But Harry is fifteen. It would be quite impressive if he managed to find some informants on his own," he said and Mr Weasley hummed in agreement. Tonks tilted her head thoughtfully, the sickle flashing silvery in her hand.
"He has changed over the summer," Remus said in a low voice. Everyone turned to face him with the same sombre expressions. Sirius though didn't appear to be struck by the same mood.
"Of course, he's changed!" Sirius announced loudly and his chair creaked as he abruptly leaned forward. "He saw how a schoolmate of him was killed and how Voldemort came back." Some of the people around the table seemed to shrink back a bit. Sirius turned to Lupin, who was the only one who didn't seem too affected by that statement.
"You misunderstand me, Sirius," Remus said, "Of course this has to be taken into consideration. But I don't mean that. Have you seen the way he walks and looks at things? He's very... aware-" A strangled noise escaped Sirius and Remus shot him a look -"conscious of his surroundings," Lupin added more pointedly but the silent exchange went past most of the people around the table
Bill shrugged. "A couple of dementors tried to suck out his soul barely a week ago. Everyone would be a bit jumpy after that."
"And considering he was almost killed by the wards when he entered this house I wouldn't blame him for it," Mrs Weasley voiced and her brown eyes fell onto Sirius judgementally. The man only scoffed.
"But is he 'jumpy'?" Remus put the question in the room. "He doesn't appear high-strung like someone who expects to be attacked any second, does he?"
"He kinda reminds me of Mad-Eye," Tonks interjected.
"Mad-Eye?" Mr Weasley asked and he put his glasses back on and the others seemed similarly intrigued by her comparison.
"Yeah. I mean now that you guys mentioned it. The guarded walk, the way his eyes scan a room-" Tonks began but Sirius' muttering caused her to stop.
"...ror.."
"What did you say?" Bill asked, leaning over the table.
"He acts like someone, who has fought in a battle. Like an Auror would," Sirius said slowly as if he was only now comprehending his thoughts but gaining more confidence in his words as he spoke them out loud.
"But that is ridiculous!" Molly Weasley said, breaking her silence. "He is just a boy."
"I don't know Molly, is it?" Mr Weasley turned to her.
"He is just as old as Ron. He shouldn't-" Mrs. Weasley sobbed - "he shouldn't have to live like that." Mr. Weasley patted her back reassuringly. Sirius looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but he restrained himself when another sob shook her.
"But do you really think that he knows something or that he's bluffing?" Tonks asked curiously, reviving the earlier topic.
"We've already been over this," Remus said.
"Yeah, but I don't know," Tonks said and she turned to Sirius."It appeared like he was very informed. Why would he have left the room if that weren't the case. It almost was as if he didn't care about the information you were offering."
Sirius seemed to mull it over. "Well it's not really common knowledge what Voldemort is planning. But Dumbledore is only guessing either. Perhaps Harry has figured some things out for himself."
"Or at least thinks he has," Remus added.
"Harry has talked to you-know-who himself, hasn't he?" Bill intervened. "Who knows what they were talking about. Apart from the Death Eaters, Harry was the only one there."
Remus hummed thoughtfully, a shadow falling over his face.
Sirius suddenly perked up and he shot Remus a meaningful look. Tonks watched their exchange curiously and Harry was once more reminded, that despite her clumsiness, she was an Auror.
Lupin seemed to have gotten the hint, because he turned to all of the people. "It's been a long day. Perhaps we should call this a close and continue tomorrow."
"Yes, I think Remus is right," Mrs. Weasley agreed with a sigh. "We've got enough work ahead of us tomorrow." Mr. Weasley nodded and helped her up.
"Let's just clean-" Mrs. Weasley started when her eyes fell onto the dirty dishes on the table.
"No, Molly. It's alright. Sirius and I can tidy everything up," Lupin said and she shot him a grateful look.
"If you are certain, Remus..."
"Yeah, Molly."
"Goodnight then," Mrs. Weasley said to Lupin, and with a look at the others she added, "Tonks; Sirius. Don't stay up too long Bill. You need your sleep." A few more 'goodnights' echoed through the room before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley headed for the door. Harry had to step aside to make place for them, watching, still fascinated, that no one appeared to realize that he and Death had been listening the whole time.
"Finite," Mr. Weasley murmured and swished his wand to end the charm Mrs. Weasley had put on the door earlier this evening.
When Harry turned to look at the table again, he noticed that Remus' eyes lingered on the space he had just occupied a moment before. But then, the werewolf shook his head and turned away.
"I think, I'll head home too," Tonks said and yawned. She stood up. "Goodnight Remus. And Sirius I look what I can do. I'm sure that Mum kept some of your old records," she nodded towards the long haired Weasley, "'night Bill"
"I've a meeting with the Goblins tomorrow morning," Bill said. "It's probably better if I head out too."
"Goblins... right", Remus said, not looking up but smiling.
"Are you sure, Bill, that it is only the Goblins? Isn't Miss Delacour working tomorrow?" Sirius added grinning.
"Shut up," Bill said and a faint blush spread on his cheeks. He made a gesture towards Sirius and Remus, that Mrs. Weasley would've hardly approved of. "Fuck both of you," Bill said, but now he was grinning too.
He followed Tonks through the door and left. With mirthful expressions Sirius and Remus watched him leave. Silence took hold. After a while Sirius looked at the ceiling as if to detect if Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had already reached the ground floor.
All of a sudden, they could hear a familiar and distant 'clonk'. Harry grinned at the way Sirius flinched and Remus sighed. Tonks had once more encountered the umbrella stand. But the expected shouting didn't come. His godfather shook his head with a disbelieving grin.
"I'll have to thank Harry for that. Never had I thought that beating her with her own weapons would be the solution," he said silently laughing.
"Well, what is it, that you wanted to tell me?" Remus asked instead of giving an answer. A serious expression appeared on Sirius' face as he turned to Lupin.
"Kingsley. Harry mentioned Kingsley earlier. That he is the one responsible for my capture. You didn't tell him, did you?"
Remus frowned. "No, and I don't think I heard somebody else mentioning it to him. The children don't know either. So, Ron and Hermione couldn't have told him. Only the order and people working in the ministry could've known."
"So he really wasn't bluffing. He knows some things," Sirius said. A smirk flashed over his face. "Tonks was right after all."
"We know that he knows something. That doesn't mean, that he knows things about Voldemort or about his plans in the ministry," Remus countered.
"But he knows something," Sirius replied and then suddenly he smiled. "You know, Harry was right. We both could use some fun."
"You don't think about leaving right now, do you?" Remus asked, his eyes widening.
"No. At least not now. I'm not stupid," Sirius answered and stood up.
"I never said that," Remus said.
"Well you thought it often enough," Sirius shot back, as he walked over to a shelf. He pulled out one of the dusty bottles filled with a golden liquid and two cut crystal glasses.
"Never without having my reasons," Remus said. "You remember the one time in our sixth year? James dared you to swim in the lake butt-naked..."
"I did it, didn't I?" Sirius replied grinning.
"It was January Padfoot!"
"Well yes. And all it took was a blasting spell and the ice was gone," Sirius said as he sat down. Remus was laughing quietly and shook his head, while Sirius put the glasses in front of them.
"At least he didn't specify that you had to do it as a human. If you hadn't been able to change when McGonagall arrived..."
"I would've done it for less than the five Galleons he bet me." Sirius grinned as he leaned back in his chair.
Harry was quite fascinated by their behaviour. He had never really seen how they had acted around each other when they were on their own.
"And after all, I warmed up quite nicely afterwards," Sirius added and shot Lupin a look. To Harry's interest, Remus stayed suspiciously quiet and his eyes didn't meet Sirius'. Padfoot side-eyed his friend but he didn't push the topic.
"My father would turn in his grave, if he knew that I drank his good Whiskey," Sirius voiced instead and poured some of the liquid in the glasses. "He complained often enough about Muggles, but he always liked their taste in alcohol. It's already open but it should still be good."
"Cheers," Remus said and downed his in one go. Sirius followed but he pulled a face.
"You could always hold your liquor better than me or James," Sirius said, but he filled their glasses once again. They sat in silence for some time, sipping on their drinks while the only sound was the crackling fire that slowly burned down..
"It was wrong of Molly to say these things to you," Remus said. Sirius only grumbled. "You know, I thought Harry was James the first time I saw him after, well..." Lupin didn't finish the sentence. "It was the year you escaped from Azkaban. Dumbledore was kind enough to let me teach defence against the dark arts in Hogwarts. It just seemed right to me, to take the train. I fell asleep, the moon had just passed and I didn't notice when they entered. Dementors caused the train to stop and I woke up and the first thing I see is a boy with wild black hair and glasses."
"I know," Sirius began, "I know Harry is his own person, really. But there are these days when I forget that they are dead. That I was in Azkaban. And then, just for a second he looks like James. The way he turns his head or how he laughs. It only ever lasts a few seconds and it's gotten less, the more that I get to know him..." Sirius paused and took a sip. He waited a moment before he continued. "Harry is very different from James. He reminds me of my brother sometimes..."
Harry stared at his godfather surprised. He hadn't known that. Vaguely he sensed Death approaching him from behind and then a weight appeared on his shoulder. But he was too caught up in the conversation taking place to pay it much mind.
"In a way, Regulus was very similar to him I think," Sirius continued and took big sip of his Whiskey. The somber mood seem to fall off of him when he shook his head and then he snorted. "Here we are, deciding to have some fun and yet we're sitting on this table and sulking."
"Well, that's true. But there isn't much to talk about, besides Voldemort and this house," Remus added and also took a sip.
"I think little Nymphadora may have come to like you," Sirius said wriggling his eyebrows.
"What Tonks?" Remus spluttered. "She is at least ten years younger than me!"
"And?" Sirius said, "I don't think that age is a problem," Sirius looked at his glass and then at Remus again. "Do you like her?" he asked casually and yet. Intrigued Harry noticed that his magic contracted tensely as he waited for an answer.
"You don't really think that she has a crush on me?" Remus asked instead of answering.
"Well, why wouldn't she?" Sirius replied in a strange voice and he finished his glass before he filled it again. Remus ogled him curiously.
"Does she know that..." The werewolf trailed off.
"What? That we were a thing back then?" Sirius snapped, "I certainly didn't tell her. I don't even think that anyone here knows. Dumbledore probably. The man seems to know everything and Minnie. Hell, we didn't even tell James officially until seventh year."
This was something Harry really hadn't expected. He'd always thought that Remus had gotten together with Tonks this late, because Lupin was under the impression that he was way to old for her and because he was a werewolf. But now it seemed that he'd had other reasons too.
"Hmm," Remus hummed and looked at Sirius, who didn't meet his eye and instead nursed his glass of whiskey. "I do like her, but not in this way," Remus said and watched Sirius closely.
"But you could," Sirius added. He licked over his chapped lips, but didn't look up.
"Perhaps... Under different circumstances," Remus replied slowly.
"Ah." Sirius' eyes were still fixated on his glass, but Harry could see how his magic had settled and lost a bit of its tension.
"But what exactly did she say, to have you think this way?" Remus asked, honest curiosity in his voice. His amber eyes were focused on Sirius while he took a sip.
"Well, she thinks the beard makes you look handsome," Sirius said with some reluctance.
"But Sirius," Remus laughed,"That doesn't mean that she has a crush on me."
"And the likes your laugh," Sirius cut him off and Remus blushed. If only faintly. Sirius raised his head and stared at his friend when there was no answer. Suddenly he spoke up, "I think it looks kind of ridiculous. The moustache."
Lupin almost seemed offended, but Harry could tell that he was amused too. "You rather fancied Freddie Mercury if I remember correctly. And you thought he looked good."
Sirius finally met Remus gaze. His eyebrows were raised. "That was Freddy Mercury! And the thing, that you call beard-"
"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?" Remus asked, but he smiled.
Sirius raised his hands in defeat. "Well if you insist on that choice of fashion, I won't stop you," he said grinning.
"I think, I'll need more alcohol," Remus said and he filled his almost empty glass. "Fashion tips from Sirius Black. I didn't have to put up with this since our last year in Hogwarts." Now it was Sirius' time to look offended.
"Put up with?!" Sirius said. "You should feel honoured to get to know my admirable sense of style!"
"Sense of style?" Remus eyed Sirius' outfit. "If that isn't the same shirt you've worn for the past week, I'm a Puffskein." The werewolf leaned closer to Sirius, inhaling. "Smells like it too," he added with a smirk.
"Hey you don't have room to talk, Mr. I-wear-a-sweater every day," Sirius retorted, playfully shoving the other man away.
"At least I change my clothes," Remus said with a grin and he leaned back into his chair, "And wash them," he added with a pointed look at Sirius' shirt.
"Ever heard of a cleaning charm?" Sirius replied leaning forward. By doing so, he spilled most of his whiskey.
"And have you ever used one on this shirt?" Remus asked, "I doubt that." Sirius pulled his wand out of his pocket and made a quick movement. A few stains on the shirt disappeared.
"I have now," he said smugly.
"You are unbelievable," Remus laughed. Sirius grinned and wanted to take a sip of his glass. As he noticed that half its contents had vanished, he turned to the bottle to refill it. But it was empty.
"Well, I think that was the sign for us to head upstairs," Remus said and with a swish of his wand, the plates and goblets floated towards the sink.
"We could always open another one," Sirius said, "And you didn't even finish yours."
"Molly is going to wake us early enough tomorrow."
"Don't remind me," Sirius groaned.
"Come on," Remus said smiling and he pulled Sirius up.
"Carry meee," Sirius said and let himself fall against Remus dramatically.
"Sure," Remus said, "Your crown - should I carry it too, or can you manage oh mighty king?"
"Well," Sirius said brushing imaginary dust from his clothes, "I may walk on my own tonight, but only because you asked so nicely, my handmaiden." Remus laughed when Sirius winked at him. They put out the few burning candles and the dishes in the sink stopped to clean themselves and floated back into the shelves. Remus let the empty bottle vanish and then they left the room, leaving Harry alone with Death.