Clapping his hands together, the old wizard declared, "We can now get started on making your wand!"

"What is the first step?" Harry asked, curious to know how the process worked.

"Well, the first step is always the blueprint," the wandmaker answered as he got himself a blank parchment and spread it before himself. "I will need to draft a design on the model of your wand."

"Of course," Harry nodded his head, listening to him continue.

"Then there is the fashioning of the wand itself which would take days on end. I shall set aside everything else and focus on your wand for now. Come back here in a week's time and you shall have your new wand ready at hand!"

"Excellent, now how much?" Harry asked about the price.

Smiling, the old man rested his hand on his shoulder and lead him to the front of the shop, "Let's head out front and we can discuss that."

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Leaving the shop with a much much emptier pocket, Harry was a bit crestfallen at the exuberant price he had to pay. His new wand alone costed as much as a 100 new wands all by itself. It was a very steep price to pay, but in all honesty, it was a fair one he noted.

There would be many rare materials used in the creation of his new wand and they all cost a pretty penny to procure. So it was fair though it did hurt his pockets, not by much or even at all but it mentally hurt him.

"Why do you look so downcast as if your child has been stolen?" Tonks asked him as they headed out of Diagon alley with their duties concluded for today.

"You have no idea," Harry shook his head.

"Come on, cheer up," Tonks elbowed him. "You have me for the whole day," she whispered.

Turning to look at her with a grin splitting his face after making sure that her squad mates weren't paying attention to them, he whispered back. "You are right. I have missed you dearly. And we have the rest of the day left to do so so very much..."

Harry realized there was something good in all of this; having people follow his ever shadow wasn't very comforting, but at least he had a very sexy and willing Auror at his beck and call.

"Then we best hurry back," Tonks answered breathlessly as he saw how hot and bothered she must have been after being apart for him for quite a while now.

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Walking up in the middle of the night, Harry groggily got up and looked around to see what awakened him this late into the night.

Looking to his night stand where the sound was originating from, Harry saw that his Mirror Phone was the cause of the racket.

Picking up the magic phone, he wondered who was calling him this late an hour and cursed them a bit for waking him up.

When he saw the Caller ID on the Mirror Phone, Harry paused this was the one call he was both dreading and glad of.

Answering the phone, Harry spoke into the phone, "Hey, Sirius! Why the late phone call? You do know I have school tomorrow morning."

"Sorry, pup," the Black family head answered, "I was just formalizing the final touches of the term of surrounded from my cousin."

Recalling Sirius's cousin, Amaryllis Mort who he had casus belli against, Harry smiled while shaking his head in wry amusement. "So what did Lady Mort offer you to leave her alone?"

"Well, she gave back everything she stoled, paid a very hefty fee including estates, galleons, resources, her daughter, spells, treasures, and magical items...."

"Wait what?" Harry caught him off as he really wasn't sure what he just heard him say.

"Yes?" Sirius asked as he stopped mid sentence.

"Could you repeat what you just said?" Harry inquired still unsure if he caught his godfather just say what he did.

"The treasures and magical items? Yea, there are some really good fines, I could send you the entering and useful ones."

"No, not that, before," Harry said as he shook his head.

"Spells? If that what you are interested then..."

"NO," Harry shouted, "did you just say your cousin offered you her daughter?"

"Ohhh, that," Sirius said, "Yes, she should be in the same year as you if I remember correctly. Slytherin of course like always. What was her name Belva, Beliva, or something..."

"Belvina Mort," Harry corrected. He knew her very well, she was after all the second contender for Ice Princess of Slytherin, coming in close to Daphne in terms of beauty, smarts, and cunning.

"So she really offered you her daughter just like that as some sort of prize?" Harry asked as there was no hiding his disbelief. He knew it was the practice of Noble families to do these sort of things, but to see it in actuality was a whole other thing.

"Who me?" Sirius barked out in laughter. "What no! Amelia would have me strung up by my balls if I accepted a little girl as some peace consolation."

"I don't follow then," Harry spoke into the phone as confusion was written on his face. "If not you... then who?!"

"Well you of course," Sirius answered with wry amusement. "You shall be Lord Mort in the future and make sure that the Mort line stays in line and close to us, especially in these times," his godfather emphasized. "An Earl house, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, is something we can not let slip away to the enemy's camp."

Harry sat there on his bed drawing a blank. He knew Sirius made a really good point, but he did not know how to feel about one day marrying somebody he did not know at all. He prided himself in being better than his noble counterparts, and promising himself in not falling into their own pit traps.

However, now he was doing exactly what they did, not marrying for love but political reasons.

It was Sirius's right as his adoptive father to make betrothal contracts on his behalf and he saw no problem in the least bit because he knew that Sirius had his best interest in hearts. But he felt so many different emotions, he just did not know how to express himself.

Sirius seem to sense his complicated emotions and whispered, "I am sorry, pup, for not telling you. This is what I wanted to talk to you about today and much more."

"It's alright," Harry said shaking his head. He knew he needed all the allies he could get for this coming war, and if he had to stoop so low as to political convenience then so be it.

"I left a clause allowing you to back out of the arrangement if you wish, just tell me and I will break the betrothal," Sirius voiced.

"No go ahead," Harry said, "if this is what it takes to secure House Mort's support then so be it." He can handle an extra person in his ever growing harem if it got him the military arms and gold of an Earl household.

Silence greeted them as the two of them were each contemplating their own thoughts. Until they both broke into speaking at the same time.

"How are you doing..." Harry and Sirius asked each other at the same time.

"Never mind me, how are you?" Sirius asked seriously.

"I'm fine," Harry answered with a sigh.

"Well, that doesn't really sound like fine," Sirius pointed out.

"It's just...." Harry tried to say, then stopped, "you read the daily Prophet already so you know."

"Yea, the Triwizard Tournament," Sirius said, "I have been reading that Skeeter woman's article."

"Yep, and this year I just thought, you know, that I wouldn't have to deal with any bullshit. But...." Before he could stop himself, Harry was talking more than he'd talked in days — about how his name had entered into the tournament, his many issues, and so much more.

It felt good getting it all off his chest, much better than keeping it all in like he has been doing these past few days.

"Feels good, huh?" Sirius asked, voicing his thought once he was done with giving his piece.

"Mhmm," Harry nodded his head.

"Good, now you need your head in the game," Sirius voiced. "You have a winning chance here. You might see yourself as the underdog here, but I see you as the reigning champion. So you need to act like it. No more complaining or making up a fuss. You understand?" Sirius asked.

"Yea, it's time to put my game face on," Harry agreed.

"Now the first thing you need to do is find out about the first trial. I have seen in the newspapers this is going to be a mystery trial, but that isn't the case. Dumbledore the goody two shoes he is won't tell you what it is like the other schoolmasters would do for their champions, so it is up to you to find out."

"What — they will do that?" Harry remarked in surprise.

"You are too innocent, pup, winning is everything to the schools. Not for the gold, but for the glory. For a whole decade, you are the reigning champion. It might be childish and all, but that's us wizards for you."

"I will do my best," Harry nodded his head.

"Now," Sirius said, "It was Moody or should I say, Barty Jr. who put your name in the goblet."

"Yep, but no one wants to admit that to themselves. Everyone is denying to themselves the obvious question in front of their face staring at them, who sent him? There was no way Barty Jr. would have snuck into the school with the orders of someone. And that could only be one person and one person alone."

"But they do not wish to admit it to themselves," Sirius sighed.

"Yes, and I am worried about that, Sirius. Voldermort has a ritual planned involving me, which isn't any good."

"Don't worry," Sirius said, "I will be arriving at Hogwarts in a couple of days. So I will have your back."

"How?" Harry asked, "guests are not to arrive for at least another 2 weeks."

Harry could hear the amusement in the older wizard's tone as he answered mysteriously, "Don't worry about it. See you soon!"

As the phone call ended, Harry looked at his phone in confusion.

"Who were you talking to?" Tonks asked as she got up and sat in the bed forgetting to or most likely not caring about showing all her naked glory as she stared at him.

"Just Sirius," Harry answered. "Everything is alright, you can go back to sleep."

"Why do that, when the night is still young?" Tonks smiled at him.

"Mmm, I guess you are right, we are already up and it is best to make use of our time."

At that comment from him, Tonks jumped him as they both fell to the bed and laughter filled the air which was soon replaced by obscene noises.

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Coming down to the Great Hall the next morning, Harry didn't even know the surprise he was in for today. It was same as usual as chatter filled the air with the countless voices of students talking mixing together.

Then Albus Dumbledore had got to his feet which had heads turning. Clearing his throat, he called out, "If I could have your attention please."

Everyone turned their head to face him including the foreign students who were filling the Great Hall.

Looking up at the old coot, Harry saw that he was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. "I have an important announcement to make!" he said.

"It gives me great pleasure to introduce you all to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."

Harry wondered who would be filling the cursed role after Barty Jr. had been found out, everyone had gone on without a real Defence Against the Dark Arts for the past 2 weeks with different Professors filling the role from time to time.

Harry clapped mildly along with the rest of the students, and for some inexplicable reason he thought of his Godfather, Sirius Black, probably napping on his couch right now, if Harry had to guess.

He had said that he would like getting out and about now his name had been clear and maybe look for something to fill his step besides managing his family estates and holding.

"Please join me in welcoming Professor Sirius Black," Dumbledore pronounced.

"Whattttt?!" Harry said as his mind just couldn't process what it was hearing. Turning to his friends he asked, "Did he just say what I think he did?"

Some else also couldn't believe what he was hearing as Harry heard Snape called out in a shrill voice. "Whattttt?!"

At Dumbledore's announcement, the doors to the Great Hall swung open and a man stood in the doorway, one he knew very well, Sirius. He had his usual grin on his face as he walked into the Great Hall.

Harry waited for the jeering to begin, even though Sirius's name has been cleared there is still the stigma that is attached to his name. For years he had been known as Voldermort's right-hand man, and the most vile traitor, at the time of his arrest people were calling for the Dementor's kiss right away.

That is something that takes time to go away, all that anger and hate.

But Harry was absolutely shocked and pleasantly surprised when the hall was filled with a huge round of applause. The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws looked genuinely happy while the Slytherins didn't look all that pleased.

Oh well, it's not like he or Sirius cared about what they thought.

Harry looked around the table and say some boys looked at the black family head with looks of admiration because in his hay day he and his father were some sort of national icon. They were well known for being in the forefront of the war and were seen as heroes, he was sure by now most of them were aware that he was an extremely skillful Auror nad leader.

The female population of Hogwarts, on the otherhand swooned as they stared with dreamy eyes at their new professor who had the looks of a super model with his dark locks and grey mysterious eyes.

It didn't help that Sirius smiled and waved which had even more girls giggling.

"That old sly dog," Harry muttered to himself as she shook his head, he still couldn't believe that his godfather got the teacher post.

And as if he could sense Harry's gaze, Sirius turned his eyes to Harry and wagged his eyebrows with a smile on his face. Harry gave him a bewildered face which clearly stated, why didn't you say anything?

Sirius just grinned and gave him an affectionate wink.

Coming up to the podium he greeted the staff and shook hands with Dumdldore before he took his seat.

Dumbledore held his hand out, and began to speak again, but Harry wasn't listening to him anymore, he was watching Snape, Sirius's arch enemy who was sending Sirius such a murderous glare that Harry started to worry for Sirius's life.

Sirius noticed the hateful glares coming his way and simply returned the gesture with a grin of sorts really it was more like a snarl something he would expect from his godfather.

Shaking his head, Harry thought to himself this year just keeps on getting interesting. He wondered what else was in store.