By request.

Warning: Contains spanking.

August 1993

Diagon Alley was busy, as usual in the last week of August. The air was hot and stuffy at Flourish & Blotts, the smell of new books merged with the smell of the next person's sweaty armpit. Harry and Ron sat on the stairs leading up to the second level, squeezed in between piles of new schoolbooks, students and parents constantly pushing past them.

"How long can they possibly take?" Ron complained. "What is there to still talk about? I'm hungry, Harry. Maybe we could ask Mum and Sirius if we can go to Fortescue's."

The adults were taking forever, as usual. Sirius had promised them that they would be quick, but Harry and Ron felt like they'd been sitting on the stairs for hours already.

"I'm sure Sirius will say yes," Harry responded. His godfather almost never denied him a treat. And on a hot day like this, ice cream was basically essential for their survival. He got up, pushed his way down the stairs.

The line in front of the cash desk reached almost up to the entry. Harry spotted Sirius and Mrs. Weasley at the other end of the room. Sirius was leaning against a bookshelf, arms lazily crossed in front of his chest, nodding now and then as he pretended to listen to whatever Mrs. Weasley was telling him. He looked exhausted too, little droplets of sweat accumulating on his forehead. Harry smiled as Sirius spotted him, and waved. Sirius grinned back, then raised his eyebrows and shrugged ever-so-slightly. Harry knew Sirius wanted to go too.

"Can Ron and I go and get some ice cream?" he asked as soon as he'd reached his godfather.

"Ice cream?" Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrows high. "No. It'll be time for lunch soon."

Sirius made an apologetic face. "Sorry, pup. Later, maybe. We'll be done here soon anyway."

Harry's gaze went back to the line of people still waiting with books under their arms, most of them sporting an exhausted look of annoyance on their sweaty faces as their eyes darted to the clock on the wall every other minute. Waiting in line really was a challenge today, and it was taking forever. "Really," he remarked. "You already said that an hour ago!"

Sirius' eyebrows creased. "Yeah, well, it took a little longer than I expected. You're only gonna have to be patient for a few more minutes, I promise."

Mrs. Weasley was talking again, about nothing in particular, but she didn't seem in a hurry to go. Harry turned around, rolling his eyes as soon as he had turned his back at them, knowing they couldn't see it. He went back to Ron.

Ron didn't even have to ask, he could read the disappointment in Harry's face. "So what are we going to do now?"

"Let's just get out of here. We can wait outside," Harry grumbled. Sirius had said to wait for him, but he hadn't specified the exact spot. Outside of the bookstore should be good enough.

On the street again, the two boys looked around. There was a free spot in the shade, under the overhanging second story of the building, in between two ceramic flower tubs. They relaxed a bit, it was a relief to get a few breaths of fresh air. A gentle breeze carried the delicious scent of cotton candy right into their direction. Neville had told them that Fortescue's had new flavors, cotton candy, Orange Sherbet, and butterscotch.

"Aw, man," Ron moaned. He sat down on the edge of one of the flower tubs. "The things I would do for a scoop of ice cream…" He hid his face in his hands.

Harry agreed wholeheartedly. His stomach rumbled. If he had only thought of bringing his own money, then he wouldn't have had to ask Sirius. And then Sirius wouldn't have had the chance to say no.

Though it wasn't really Sirius' fault, Harry knew that. If it wasn't for Ron's mum, they'd have their cone of ice cream already, Harry was sure of it. He opened his mouth to let Ron know exactly how no-fun his mum could be, but then he closed his mouth again. She was Ron's mum, after all. And you didn't talk bad about your friends' parents.

On the other end of the street, he spotted Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. "Look who's there," he hissed at Ron.

Parkinson was laughing, standing suspiciously close to Malfoy. She twirled a strand of hair around her forefinger. The image instantly set the boys' imagination spinning.

Ron wrinkled his nose. He had similar thoughts. "Ew. Do you think Parkinson fancies him?"

Harry adjusted his glasses, squinted his eyes. No, they had to be wrong. Malfoy was a pretentious git, there was nothing redeemable about him. "Malfoy? No way!"

Malfoy senior appeared, and Draco fell in pace next to his father, waving a hasty goodbye at Parkinson. They disappeared into the mostly empty alleyway that led to Knockturn Alley.

"Of course they're going there," Ron scoffed. "Do you think they're up to something?"

Harry wasn't sure. But as far as Malfoy was concerned, he thought it best to always assume the worst. Malfoy was responsible for what had happened at school last year. Setting free the basilisk, almost killing Hermione and Ginny! Someone should be keeping a close eye on them - father and son. "Do you want to find out?"

Ron grinned. "Mom and Sirius aren't even waiting in line yet."

Harry grinned back. It was decided. They left their spot in the shade and pushed their way through the bustling crowd of people.

As soon as they entered Knockturn Alley, the sun disappeared; its rays brushed over the tops of the tallest buildings, but there was no part of the street where the sunlight reached the ground. As a result, it was almost chilly in the narrow alley, and dark - so dark that Harry almost wished for the old gas lights to start flickering.

"Man, it's actually quite enjoyable here," Ron joked, running his hand along a cool stone wall. The houses stood rowed like gray, tall gravestones, their dark, soulless windows eerily staring back at the boys. In comparison to Diagon Alley, it seemed like they had stepped into an almost forgotten part of the city that skipped the fiery colors of September and October and went straight to the gloominess of November.

Harry forced a smile. The sudden silence was stifling and pressed in on him; the only sound in his ears his own fastening heartbeat and the scuffing noise of their his feet as he stumbled down the cobblestone street. Suddenly, all the times Sirius had warned him about entering came back to his mind. He swallowed hard, then forced himself to push every thought of quickly going back from his mind. He wasn't a coward, and Knockturn Alley was almost empty, I mean, how likely was it that they'd suddenly get attacked out of nowhere?

Ron was already a few meters further into the alley, and Harry followed quickly. The stores were dark and deserted, the Georgian bowed shop windows protruded into the street like big rectangular portholes. The windowpanes were so dusty that the store's inside was hidden as if behind a semi-transparent gray veil.

Wind chimes made out of animal bones clanked against each other, emitting hollow sounds as a soft breeze got up. Harry scrunched up his nose. The bones looked like bird bones, which instantly reminded him of Hedwig. He'd never take his beautiful snow owl to this dreary place, he promised himself that. Why would anyone make wind chimes out of bones? Only for the reason of creeping people out? It was barbaric, and he knew Hermione would agree if she was here.

"Bloody hell, look, Harry, look," Ron exclaimed. He'd wiped a hand across a window. "A mummy! A real cat mummy!"

Harry's eyes widened. The mummy of the cat was lying in a sarcophagus, and the linen sheets it had been wrapped with lay around it in a mess. Suddenly, Harry jumped, and took a big step back. "It's breathing! It's breathing, Ron!"

Ron looked closer. Then, he jumped back too. "EW! Do you think it's still alive?"

"I don't know," Harry whispered.

He looked around. The alley was deserted. Where had Malfoy and his father gone? "Let's focus," he said to Ron. "We gotta find Malfoy."

Ron nodded quickly. With wide eyes, they hurried farther down the alley.

Through one of the shop windows, they spotted a handful of cloaked figures standing around a table, a green light shining between them. But they were all adults, much taller than Malfoy, so Harry and Ron quickly went past that store, shivers running down their spines at the thought of what they had just witnessed - something incomprehensibly evil was going on there; dark magic, so openly performed without any fear of being seen.

Suddenly they heard voices. The door to an obscure-looking bookshop opened, and a person dressed in a long, black cloak exited it, closed the door behind themself. Harry and Ron pressed their bodies against the wall, where, partly hidden behind a corner, they hoped the person would just walk past them.

The man - it was a man, Harry decided, judging by the width of his shoulders and the way he walked - headed in the direction of Diagon Alley. There was something familiar about him. Harry leaned forward, curious to catch a glimpse of the man's face.

When he did, Harry couldn't help but gasp. He quickly covered his mouth with his hands, but it was too late. The cloaked man looked up.

"Merlin's beard," Ron exclaimed loudly at the sight of Harry's uncle Regulus.

"Harry!" Regulus hissed, all blood draining from his face. "Ron! What, in Merlin's name, are you doing here?"

Harry felt his knees weaken. "We… we…"

"We followed Malfoy and his father," Ron whispered, quickly looking around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping on them. He leaned in as if they were a group of conspirators. "He's up to something, just like he was last year. We weren't going to enter the stores, though, promise."

Regulus looked from Harry to Ron and back. He motioned for them to come out of their hiding spot. "Let's go back, quick," he said, ushering the two boys back to Diagon Alley. He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they stepped back into the sunlight. "Where's Sirius?"

"At Flourish & Blott's," Harry responded quickly. "We were only gone for… ten or maybe only five minutes! He's still waiting in line."

Regulus nodded. Then, he groaned. "Shit, boys, you're putting me into a horrible position here!"

"How so?" Ron asked curiously.

"None of your business," Regulus responded harshly. He placed his hands on the boy's necks. "Let's get you back to where you're supposed to be."

As they pushed their way back through the crowd, Regulus couldn't help but berate them a little. "The two of you really are impossible," he chided. "You knew exactly how dangerous Knockturn Alley is, you knew it and you still went there! Of all the stupid things you could've done, why does it always have to be the most idiotic?"

Harry winced. It didn't happen often that Regulus talked to him in this tone. "Are you gonna tell Sirius?" He asked anxiously. "Please don't, Reg. He's gonna be so mad!"

Regulus paused, squared his shoulders. "No, I'm not gonna tell Sirius. You are."

Harry's face fell. That was even worse. Still, he wasn't going to give up so easily. "Please, Reg, please! I'll gonna do everything you want, just please don't tell him!"

It was only then that Ron fully realized that Regulus really planned on ratting them out. He nodded quickly. "We'll do whatever it takes - we can help Kreacher with the house, we'll clean the windows and sweep all the stairs and -"

"Are you insane?" Harry hissed at his friend. "You don't want to do that, believe me! Kreacher would make us scrub the kitchen floor with a toothbrush!"

Regulus hummed, a little amused now. "Even though that is an intriguing idea, Ronald, it's not up to me to decide that. Sorry, boys, but your butts are toast."

"Aw, but please," Harry whined.

They had reached Flourish & Blotts.

"Can we wait outside?" Harry begged.

"Absolutely not," Regulus said firmly. "The two of you will stay well within my sight." He entered the bookstore, and the two boys trailed after him reluctantly. It didn't take him long to spot Sirius, as his brother towered over the other customers. Sirius was standing at the very front of the line, happily flirting with the cashier.

Regulus grimaced. No, he didn't want to interrupt that. "Fine. Let's wait outside," he decided. He led the boys to a shadowy spot next to the entrance.

Ron looked absolutely miserable. "Mum's gonna go berserk," he moaned.

Sighing, Regulus ran a hand over his face. "Then I hope your little excursion was worth the trouble your gonna be in."

Harry shook his head. "Reg, you don't have to tell them," he tried once more. He knew Regulus hated it when Sirius punished him. And there had even been times in the past when Regulus had talked Sirius out of it.

"Tell who what?" Mrs. Weasley had just exited the store and stood right behind them. Ron couldn't help it, his ears turned bright red.

Sirius appeared behind her. "Hey Reg," he smiled at the sight of his brother. "You got everything? Who's looking forward to lunch?"

Regulus crossed his arms in front of his chest and pointedly looked at Harry and Ron. He hated having to spoil everyone's day, but then again, he didn't really have much of a choice. "Harry, Ron, don't you have something to you wanted to share?"

Regulus took his time as he trailed after his brother and Harry. After hearing Harry's confession, Mrs. Weasley had erupted like a volcano. He could still hear her yelling at Ron. Sirius, on the other hand, had grabbed the Harry by his arm without another word and dragged him back in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. Regulus knew what would be next. Harry was in deep trouble, and he was definitely going to be a very sorry boy, Sirius would make sure of that.

Still, he couldn't help to feel a little sorry for the child as he watched him stumble after Sirius and towards the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, past the tables at which, if the boys had only behaved, they would have sat down now and enjoyed a hearty lunch. Then the tone of Sirius' voice, "12 Grimmauld Place", spoken in such a hard tone that Regulus grimaced. Yes, Harry was so in for it.

But Regulus was going to keep out of this, at least as long as there was no yelling going on. He didn't really have anything to do with this other than he'd been in the unfortunate position to catch the two boys. On the other side, though, he was lucky that he had found them before they got hurt.

When he stepped through the fireplace into the basement, Harry had already disappeared. Regulus heard him scampering up the stairs towards his room.

Sirius was still in there, pacing up and down along the long table that stood in the middle of the room. Kreacher was in the kitchen nearby, muttering under his breath while doing the dishes.

"How could he have done this," Sirius began as soon as Regulus had stepped out of the fireplace. "How could he have disregarded every warning I ever gave out to him." He growled. "I can't fucking believe it!"

Regulus brushed the fireplace's dust off his robes. "He's a kid," he simply said. "He's found trouble and he knows it. Anger doesn't help, nor does yelling."

Sirius looked away in an almost guilty way. "I swatted him as soon as we got here."

Regulus raised his eyebrows. "What, do you expect me to be surprised?" Sirius had a short temper and was quick to dole out a swat or two. Harry was well aware of it, and he could count himself lucky that he hadn't gotten swatted in the middle of Diagon Alley. But a full spanking - that wasn't something that happed very often, and the mere thought of what Sirius had to do now cast a miserable shadow over the whole family.

Sirius grabbed a chair and sat down at the table. He hid his face in his hands, gave a muffed groan. "That boy is going to be the death of me. Imagine this, I just talked to him roughly fifteen minutes ago. Everything was perfectly fine then, he only wanted to have some ice cream and Molly said no. How should I have known that - that he'd bloody go to Knockturn Alley as soon as I turn my back?"

Regulus sat down next to him. "I'm hungry," he sighed. "I was really looking forward to Tom's Leaky, Leaky Soup."

Sirius looked up. "Did you even listen to a word I said?" he asked, bewildered that all Regulus seemed to think about was lunch.

"Sure. But Siri, kids sometimes get into trouble without really meaning to. I'm sure Harry is regretting his choices already."

"And he's gonna regret them a lot more!" Sirius exclaimed hotly.

Regulus knew that, despite the fact that he sounded incredibly angry, Sirius actually dreaded having to turn the child over his knee. In times like these, Regulus was glad that he was not the disciplinarian in the family. It had never been up to question who would deal with any misbehavior from Harry - it had been Sirius' job from the beginning on, and Regulus was thankful that his brother so readily claimed this as his responsibility. It's my job, not yours. I'm his godfather. In a different situation, Regulus would've been annoyed by that statement. He cared just as much about Harry as Sirius did. They had raised this child together. And it wasn't like Regulus wouldn't smack Harry if it was really necessary. But in his heart, he was glad that he didn't have to. It was hard enough having to listen to it, especially knowing how much it broke Sirius' heart to be so hard on Harry.

"What are you planning to do?" He asked.

Sirius massaged his temples. "It's gonna be the slipper on the bare."

That was as bad as it could get, and even worse than Regulus had expected. "The slipper? Do you really think that's necessary?"

"It's Knockturn Alley," Sirius said forcefully. "Reg, I'm still shaking at the mere thought of what could have happened. And I sure as hell won't let it happen again, so I gotta make a lasting impression on him."

Regulus understood that. Harry was thirteen years old, it was only natural that he wanted to spend some time alone with his friends at Diagon Alley. But Harry was no ordinary thirteen-year-old either. He was the boy who lived. Thus, if Sirius didn't want to hold Harry's hand at all times, he needed to be able to trust that he boy followed the rules.

"What were you doing there anyway?" Sirius asked suddenly.

Regulus grimaced. He'd known this question would come sooner or later. "You might not want to know."

Sirius groaned, leaned back in his chair. "Please tell me you didn't get yourself involved in anything."

"No," Regulus said forcefully. "Of course not!"

"Good."

"I needed some herbs," Regulus admitted.

"Herbs?!"

The younger man sighed. "Illegal ones."

Sirius made a disapproving face. "And then you can't send Kreacher or what?!" He hated it when Regulus went to Knockturn Alley, especially for nothings like this.

"Just be thankful I was there to catch Harry," Regulus shot back. He propped his feet up on the chair next to him. "Anyway, I don't think the slipper is necessary," he said. "Your hand hurts plenty. I mean, he confessed everything and left nothing out."

"Yeah, because you caught him red-handed." Sirius produced his wand and wordlessly summoned a glass of cool water. After taking a sip, he held it against his forehead. "All right," he said eventually. "Maybe you're right. But if it happens again, he's gonna get the slipper."

Regulus smiled. For a little while, they were silent. Regulus regarded his brother. Sirius looked tired, his eyebrows casting a dark shadow over the miserable expression in his eyes. Sirius, he was only thirty-two, but he'd carried so much responsibility already in his life. Raising him. Raising Harry. Regulus only hoped that Sirius knew how appreciated and loved he was, by both of them. "So where are your gray hairs, brother? The ones you're always claiming me and Harry are giving you."

"They're still in the making," Sirius said, a soft smile forming on his lips. "They're gonna be a brilliant white when it's time, only you wait."

When Sirius opened the door to Harry's room, he wasn't surprised to find the boy on his bed, curled up under his blanket. He was a little surprised however to spot Harry's favorite toy, a stuffed dog, next to him on the bed. A month ago, when he'd turned thirteen, Harry had banished most of his toys to the attic because he had deemed them too childish all of a sudden. Thus, Sirius almost smiled when he saw the toy. No, his Harry wasn't as grown up yet as he pretended.

Sirius quickly closed the door and crossed the room. He took a hold of the desk chair, carried it to the bed, then swung it around and straddled it.

Harry's attentive green eyes followed his every move.

Sirius rested his upper arms on the back of the chair. "Hey," he said.

Harry pushed the blanket down a little so his nose and mouth were visible. "Hi," he responded in a small voice.

Sirius regarded the child. Harry's eyes were only slightly reddened which meant he hadn't cried much yet. In other situations, the child had started crying as soon as he was sent to his room to wait for Sirius. But not today. "Got something to tell me?" Sirius prompted.

The boy wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry," he said.

Sirius couldn't help the sad smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I know, little one. But being sorry doesn't change the fact that you disobeyed me and put yourself in danger."

Harry's gaze dropped to the floor. "I know. It was stupid. We thought Malfoy was up to something, and we didn't even find out about it in the end."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "That's why you think it was stupid?"

Harry froze. "No… It's just worse because it was so pointless."

Sirius felt anger crawl beneath his skin. "If you had seen something that was not meant for your eyes and Malfoy senior had caught you, he wouldn't have hesitated a single second, he would've killed the two of you on the spot. The man's a Death Eater, Harry. And one never stops being a Death Eater, no matter what the ministry says."

Harry's bottom lip began to tremble at Sirius' sharp tone. "We didn't think of that…"

"Enlighten me then, please. What were you thinking? Or were you simply bored?"

Harry shrugged. "I - I don't know…"

"You know, however, that Knockturn Alley is strictly forbidden. Don't you?"

Harry nodded slowly.

"So, despite being aware of that, you chose to go there? Did you just weigh the possibility of getting caught against the adventure you thought you were going to have and decided it was worth the risk or what?"

Harry lowered his gaze, deciding that his hands were far more interesting to look at.

"Harry James, I asked you a question." Sirius' voice turned stern.

"Yes," Harry mumbled. "But it's Malfoy, Sirius. After what he did last year at Hogwarts, someone needs to keep an eye on him!"

"And that someone isn't you," Sirius said harshly. "You're gonna stay away from that man. As I said, he's highly dangerous, Harry."

Harry fidgeted a little.

"Am I understood? Harry?"

"Yes, Sir."

Sirius sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Get up, please."

"Siri, please…"

"Absolutely not, Harry."

With a sniff, Harry pushed his blanket off and sat on the edge of the bed. Sirius got up too, pulled the boy into a standing position and then sat down on the bed himself. He removed the rings from his fingers, then gently removed the boy's glasses and popped the button of his jeans open before pulling them down to the his ankles.

Harry's eyes were watering now. When Sirius motioned for him to get over his lap, the first tear sprung free from his eyes and rolled down his face. "But please… Siri!"

Sirius ignored Harry's soft pleas. The boy had known that it would come to this. Playing with fire meant burning oneself sooner or later, and with that came facing the consequences of one's actions. Sirius hoped that the boy understood that he was actually getting off easy by merely finding himself on the receiving end of a spanking - hadn't Regulus been there, Harry and Ron might have gotten seriously hurt - or worse.

Even more determined now, Sirius gently took hold of the boy's arm and guided him over his knees. Harry was small for his age, and Sirius' legs were so long that the boy's feet didn't even fully touch the ground. He watched Harry grab a handful of bedding and burying his face in it as well. Glad that the child submitted to his punishment without putting up a big struggle, Sirius rested a gentle hand on the child's back. "Alright, Harry, here it goes."

The first smack caused Harry to inhale sharply. Alternating cheeks, Sirius soon fell into an even rhythm, making sure to spread the spanks out evenly.

At first, Harry was crying almost stoically - no sound escaped the child's lips, and Sirius felt a little concerned about that, but then chose to keep going. He knew his child, and the boy would be wailing soon enough.

Soon the well-known jumps and wriggles began. Harry's little feet began to move, the tips of his toes drumming on the floor, his feet flexing and crossing at the ankle.

And eventually, little noises of distress escaped Harry's lips. Sirius was almost glad for it. He sped the swats up, concentrated them on the center of the boy's small backside.

When he heard the first sob, he paused, rested his hand on the small of Harry's back, taking a deep breath. Then, he hooked his fingers into the waistband of Harry's underwear and tugged it down as far as it had to go.

Harry sobbed again, his hand instinctively wandering to his side without permission. It was futile to reach back in an attempt to cover himself, but Sirius knew the boy couldn't help it. So he took the Harry's small hand into his much larger one, intertwined their fingers. "Almost done," he said.

"I'm sorry," Harry cried again, his fingers tightening around Sirius'.

"I know," Sirius said. "So are we going to have this conversation again, Harry?"

"Nnoo…"

"Visiting Diagon Alley was supposed to be a treat. Am I going to have to hold your hand every time we go there or can I trust you to follow the rules from now on?"

"I'll f-follow the rules," Harry responded quickly.

"All right. But if I ever find out that you disregarded my warnings again and went to Knockturn Alley - for whatever reason, Harry - then this here," he patted the boy's rosy backside, "is going to feel like a walk in the park in comparison to the slippering you're gonna get. Am I understood?"

"Yes!"

Sirius hardened his heart, then raised his hand and delivered a swift barrage of swats directly to the boy's sit spots, deepening the rosy blush already blooming there.

Harry was bawling when Sirius decided that the boy had had enough. He quickly replaced Harry's underwear to its rightful place, then rubbed the child's back without saying anything until his sobs had changed into soft sniffles. Then he lifted the him up and onto his lap.

Harry buried his wet face in Sirius' neck. "I'm sorry," he blubbered.

Sirius put his hand on Harry's neck. "I know, pup. It's all right now. It's all forgiven."

Harry sniveled for a few more minutes, then lifted his head, wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand and squinted his eyes. Sirius handed him his glasses. "Are you feeling better now?"

Harry nodded wordlessly as he put his glasses on. Then he turned his head again and rested the side of his face against Sirius' shoulder.

"Then what do you say, do you want some ice cream after lunch? I'm sure Reg will get us some from Fortescue's."

A soft smile formed on Harry's lips. "Strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice cream?"

Sirius smiled too, despite how heavy his heart felt. He used his thumb to wipe the last tear streaks from Harry's face. "Of course."