Chapter 79:
"Harrison really is a remarkable boy. Not only to have survived and flourish with his relatives growing up, but to have the sense of mind to hire such accomplished law wizard. You should be proud."
Remus spared Sirius a sly glance. "We are," the wolf said. He was not completely comfortable being with Lucius as he still remembered duelling against him in the last war, however he was willing to keep his concerns buried as both Harry and Sirius seemed willing to forgive him. It helped that he didn't smell any deceit or harm coming from the blond aristocrat; the second he did he would not be responsible for his actions. He had lost his pack once and he would not do so again.
"We have a meeting tomorrow with Dodge to go over everything that could be thrown at us, but I feel confident," Sirius said.
Lucius nodded. "Good. And might I just say I also appreciate the time Harrison has taken to get to know Draco; I know my son and I feared the people he would associate with. Harrison is a wonderful friend for him, I will help in any way I can during the trial," Lucius said, looking fondly at Draco and noticing that Harrison clearly held court amongst his friends. The boy was a natural leader, he noticeably took control and others followed without question. The boy, when he was older, could easily become somebody great. He would gladly help him now, for he knew the boy's future would be boundless.
"Harry does seem to pick great friends," Remus said, looking at the small group.
"Thank you," Sirius said, acknowledging his fellow Lord's offer of aid, before he continued, "I'm glad. From what I know about his past, he didn't have any friends or, well, anybody really, to confide in. His friends - including Draco - are important to him."
"I know you said the newspaper reports were true last night, but perhaps you would be willing to share?" Lucius asked. He was quite curious about the boy. Harrison didn't act like a typically abused child, instead he was quietly confident. He walked with his head held high and a self-assurance that was remarkable for any twelve-year-old, let alone one who grew up like he had.
Sirius looked at Harry for a moment. He knew Harry said it was fine for the world to know, and Lucius would be voting in the custody trial as a Lord and member of the Wizengamot anyway, but he still had reservations. Deciding it would be okay, as long as he didn't go into specifics, Sirius replied, "They would hurt him when he used magic growing up. You've probably noticed Harry is rather magical for a child and, well, whenever it came out accidently he would be punished for it. They also didn't feed him properly." Lucius gave a small sneer. "And they wonder why we dislike muggles," he muttered quietly but the two men heard.
After lunch, Harry and his friends decided to go and look at the animals. Harry questioned if he should out himself as a parselmouth - he doubted the duelling club incident would occur as they would be no Chamber of Secrets fiasco this year - but he wasn't sure if he should risk it. However, if he outs himself then he would be able to control the way people perceived it - or so he hoped.