Author's Note:

I'd like to thank Mitch for all her awesome Beta-ing. Seriously could not have made this half-way readable without her.

Two: It seems that the plot got away from me a bit here. So technically, there is more emphasis on bonding and Sirius growing up as a parental figure than anything else. There is spanking, it's just long and drawn out and a wee bit clumsy.

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Harry threw Sirius's two-way mirror to the ground, letting out a frustrated sob. He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. It was time to accept the harsh facts. Sirius was dead. He was gone. Forever.

Harry's shoulders shook so hard that he barely registered the flutter of wings. A little brown owl from Hogsmeade post fluttered about his head, and Harry made a grab at it. Once he secured the letter, the owl took off.

The note was brief, signed with Fred Weasley's distinct scrawl.

Filch has a confiscated time-turner.

Blind with pent-up rage, desperate hope and grief, Harry sprinted out of the dorms. He sent up a silent prayer in thanks for all the time the twins had spent cooped up in Filch's office. He should be going to see his classmates in hospital, but now was not the time.

And hour later, he was on the back of a thestral, leaning into the wind. "Come on! Come on!" A few moments after that, he was descending down the visitor's entrance of the Ministry of Magic. "Come on!" he begged, practically hopping from one foot to the other. He had no idea what time frame he was in, he hadn't bothered to keep track last night. Any moment now and Ron could be attacked by a brain, or Neville's nose broken or Sirius-

Well, hopefully that hadn't happened yet.

He bolted out the door as soon as the door would let him. He ran so fast he almost lost his footing more than once, but kept on until he recognized the pathway. From ahead, he could see robes fluttering down the corridor, Sirius's voice in the distance. Harry picked up his already uncontrollable pace.

By the time he came into the room, the battle was in full swing. In the middle of the room, he saw himself and Sirius near the Veil, battling Death Eaters. Harry trained his eye on Bellatrix, who shot her curse with a cackle.

Harry barely had time to think as he aimed his wand. "PROTEGO!" he shouted.

Sirius took the blow to the chest but bounded off the shield placed between himself and the Veil. He stood off-balance for a moment, and Harry was afraid that Sirius would fall through again, but it was just enough. Sirius fell to the side, shaken but still fighting, taking out a Death Eater that had started in on Neville.

Harry, from his spot at the entrance, sighed in relief. Sirius wasn't dead. Turning the corner out of the room, he closed his eyes, letting a few happy tears leak out.

When he opened them again, he stood face-to-face with Remus Lupin.

------------------------

In the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, Number Twelve, Remus Lupin had a bit of a problem. In the wee morning hours after a battle at the Ministry of Magic, he was drinking tea with an convicted murderer, discussing said convict's godson, who happened to be an orphaned former student of Lupin's. What's more, this particular former student had, for the second time in his life, broken several very important laws of time travel. When he heard the shielding spell roared from the other side of the room in an all-too-familiar voice, he was stunned at the audacity that Harry would have to bend time-travel laws yet again. Granted, both incidents involved saving the livelihood of his godfather, but there were consequences to these things that made it very hard to ignore.

As a former teacher, Lupin understood the balance between being a friend and being a disciplinarian. It was a very fine, very important balance that set expectations, reinforced rules and boundaries and garnered a great deal of responsibility. It was a hard balance to master, but never, ever, did he expect such resistance on such a simple concept.

"He did nothing wrong, Remus!"

Lifting his hand to his forehead, Lupin began to massage his temples. "Sirius-" he muttered, "he broke several laws. He meddled with time. Again! Not to mention the fact that he completely ignored Dumbledore by not employing Occlumency, knowing full well that he was seeing Voldemort's thoughts, knowing that Voldemort might try to lure him out! He was told to stay put and he did not listen!"

"He did it to save my life!"

"He shouldn't have left!"

Sirius rose up from his chair. "Are you saying that I should have died?!"

Remus removed his hand from his face, eyeing the half-mad wizard. "Don't be ridiculous, Sirius," he said in a very even tone. "I am as glad as anyone that you are alive and well, but consider Harry. That's what this is about."

Sirius took hold of his cup of tea and sat back down. "I'm sorry, Moony," Sirius said, running his finger along the rim of the cup. "I just- I owe the kid so much. I'm out of his life for 12 years and he accepts me- us in and all. He saved me from dementors, death… If it weren't for him-"

Lupin nodded sagely. "I understand how you feel, but you're also his godfather. It's your job to make sure he's healthy and staying out of trouble."

Sirius snorted. "Are you kidding me? Are we talking about the same boy? James's son? Stay out of trouble?" Sirius laughed. "I might as well strike up a friendship with Snivellus with all the success I'll have." He glanced at Remus, flashing him a hopeful smile that was met stone-faced. "C'mon!" Sirius said, smile drooping when he realized that Remus did not share the joke. "What do you want me to do?"

"Exert some authority, for one."

Sirius's face fell. "'Exert authority'. You can't be serious."

Lupin nodded. "James isn't here. Lily isn't here. His aunt and uncle don't care either way. That leaves you."

Sirius leaned in. "Why can't you do it? You were his teacher!"

"You are his godfather."

Sirius let out a defeated huff. "Fine. I'll take away his broom. No quidditch for the rest of the year."

"The season is over. Besides, Umbridge had already banned him for beating up Draco Malfoy."

Sirius tried to cover his amused smile with his teacup, but was met with little success. "Fine then. He's grounded. No Hogsmeade for the rest of the year."

"There are no more trips. How about taking away James's cloak from him?"

Sirius paled. "Absolutely not. It's the only thing of his dad's that he owns. We're talking of punishments, not cruelty." He thought for a moment. "Besides, Dumbledore wants him to keep it around. Now that Voldemort's back, he's in more danger than ever."

"Then you agree with me that the less chances he takes, the better."

"I-"

Sirius was cut off by a small creak in the floorboards. A flash of Harry's worn-out trainers disappeared around the corner.

Lupin leaned in, hushing his voice as to not be overheard. "He needs a firm hand, Padfoot. He needs to know that you care enough about his safety to give him some boundaries."

"He's not going to like that."

This time Remus let out the amused snort. "That is, more or less, the whole point." He dropped back into a serious tone. "His stunts last night could have cost him his life. It nearly cost you yours and that of several other underage witches and wizards. I know it's hard, but he needs to know that it's not acceptable."

Sirius put a hand over his eyes. "I can't ground him! I can't ban him from quidditch!" He slapped a hand on the table in frustration. "Arthur and Molly have seven children! How on earth do they manage it?"

Remus did not respond. Bringing his cup to his lips, he arched one eyebrow knowingly.

Realization dawned on Sirius in a matter of seconds. His eyes grew wide. "No! Absolutely not!"

"He's going back to Hogwarts today and then his aunt's at the end of this week-"

"No, no, no, no, NO!"

"-and it would be over and done with in a matter of minutes-"

"I AM NOT GOING TO SPANK MY GODSON!"

All went silent except for the scuffle of trainers on the stairs. Something on a string, quite resembling an ear, lifted out of sight from the stairwell.

Sirius fell back into his chair, swearing softly. He glared at Lupin, who had not lowered his teacup. "There has to be another option."

"Maybe there is," he replied, setting down his tea, "but there is a time limit here. I doubt much else can be done before we return him to school this afternoon. Besides," he said as Sirius opened his mouth to reply "I remember, as a boy, that I was just grateful that my punishments would be over quickly, knowing that it was taken care of and that my dad and I could just go back to normal after. How long have we let Harry stew over what's going to happen to him tonight? On top of everything that's happened in the last day? The last year?"

He stopped there, letting Sirius mulling over his words.

Sirius shot him a glowering look. "You're going to make me do this, aren't you?"

"I can't make you do anything. This is solely your decision and you can refuse to do it if you want. You can decide to not discipline him, let him run rampant and get someone killed. Or you can show him that you care enough about his welfare to make him take responsibility for his actions in a loving, safe way. Your call."

"Wanker," Sirius spat under his breath. He shoved himself up from the table and made his way to the stairs.

-------------------

Harry threw the covers over his body, hastily pulling his glasses from his face to set them on the bed-side table. He missed, sending the glasses clattering to the ground. There was no time to fix this mistake as Sirius's footsteps came closer. He shut his eyes tight, forcing himself to breathe deep as the footsteps stopped right at his door.

"Harry?" said Sirius quietly. He knocked. "Harry? It's Sirius." He knocked again. "We need to talk."

Harry let out a loud, theatric snore. Normally, he cherished any time alone he had with Sirius, but even without the Extendable Ears, he would have heard Sirius's protests. And the likelihood of Professor Lupin winning this particular argument, unfortunately, was pretty high. Maybe if he avoided any time alone with Sirius until the afternoon, they could overlook any need for any physical punishment.

Harry could handle lectures and detentions. Spanking though, was completely different territory.

Sirius knocked again, this time opening the door slowly. "Harry?"

Harry snorted and rolled over, feigning sleep.

For a moment, nothing happened. Harry felt Sirius's eyes on him but he neither came closer or left the room. Then he heard a shuffled movement and then a pause, as if Sirius was second-guessing himself, then the door closed.

Harry almost sat up, but was stopped as he heard Sirius walking towards the bed. "I know you're awake, Harry," Sirius said, trying to put some authority in his voice. Harry stirred, giving an extra loud snore. "You're a terrible actor, Harry. Just like your father."

Harry rolled over, opening his eyes. He expected Sirius to be angry, but he was smiling fondly at Harry. Reaching over, Sirius brushed down a tuft of hair that stuck up stubbornly. "I remember one time, when we were in our first year, we got horribly lost looking for one of our classes and James told Professor McGonagall that a leprechaun asked us for directions to the kitchens. Of course, she saw through that straight off. We got detention for it. It was the first of many."

Running a quick hand through Harry's disheveled hair, Sirius bent down and grabbing at Harry's glasses on the floor. Holding them out to Harry, Harry sat up and took them, putting them on. "Look, Sirius. What happened tonight-"

Sirius held up a hand, quieting Harry. "I know. Look, I know that I'm not your dad or anything, but-" That's when Sirius noticed how intent Harry was looking at his hand. "You were eavesdropping, weren't you?" Harry's eyes shifted from his godfather's hand to his face.

"I- Well-Tha-"

The boy looked torn between denying the obvious and trying to find a plausible lie, and Sirius fought with every inch of his resolve not to laugh outright. Harry's face began to flush, his hands beginning to fly away from him, but nothing seemed to be coming to his mind.

While watching Harry battle with himself was amusing, Sirius decided it was time to stop torturing the poor boy. "Harry, don't bother. Eavesdropping or not, we still need to talk about what happened at the Ministry."

Harry's hands dropped. "Yes, sir."

It would be a lie to say that Sirius wasn't surprised by the sudden new title. Had their relationship ever required that formality before? Sirius took in a deep breath. "Harry, what you did was brave. Remarkably brave. But it was also reckless."

Harry snorted. "You're one to talk about being reckless. Getting yourself arrested just after Voldemort's attack?"

Sirius's face turned grim. Gripping Harry by the chin, he forced him to look him directly in the eye. "And I paid for that, didn't I? I'm still paying for it. It cost me 12 years in Azkaban. It cost me my freedom."

Harry jerked away, his jaw set. "Never mind," he said, looking away. That was something else Sirius had forgotten about being a teenager- the moodiness.

"Harry- the thing was- well, I was in shock. My family had long-since rejected me. Your grandparents were no longer alive and your dad and mum… well, along with Remus and that traitor Peter, they were the only friends I had! And news hadn't come back that you had survived- I didn't know what to do with myself. I was so scared and angry that I felt sick. And when I found out that it had been one of our own friends who turned you in-

"Harry- the point is, I was young and upset and could only think about getting back at Peter. I didn't think about the fact that you would be turned over to those muggles if something happened to me and I'm sorry. I thought I had to avenge you and your mum and dad. I never would have gotten arrested if I knew you were still alive. I know that doesn't change anything, but-

"Look, we all make mistakes, Harry. But sometimes those mistakes can come back and haunt us for the rest of our lives. What if one of your friends had died? What if you had died?"

"But Sirius! I went to save you!"

"Don't you see, Harry?" Sirius said. "That's the point! Voldemort can plant these images in your head! You know that! But my life is not worth risking yours! That's what Voldemort wants! Is to lure you out, and he will play dirty. And we won't even go into your complete abandonment of wizarding law about time-travel and the consequences that would come of that! You risked enough trying to save me in your 3rd year, and I will not see you going to Azkaban, Harry!" Sirius blinked, taken aback his outburst. As was Harry, by the looks of it. Sirius took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "The how's and the whys don't matter, but just know that if you were to die because of something stupid like this, it would be like your parents' death all over again."

Sirius watched as Harry sat in silence for a moment, staring at his trainers in thought. "You're everything to me, Harry. If you died because of me and I lived, I don't know if I could live through it."

Harry kept his gaze down, but the sorry, dry little sniffle told Sirius all he needed to know. Taking a hold of Harry's chin again, Sirius forced his godson to look him in the eye. Harry's face was still flushed and his eyes were misty, but his cheeks were dry.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," he said quietly. "I just- I couldn't help it. I know you're always here, but I can never talk to you. Umbridge was watching too closely and you're here and I'm away at school all the time and I can't stay with you during the summer holidays! And I thought I was turning into Voldemort and I can't sleep and I messed up with Cho and I got sacked from quidditch and no one believes me about him coming back and then I found out about my dad bullying Snape and I saw Mr. Weasley's attack and then I think I see you being tortured and you're all I have left and-"

"You're rambling, but I'm going to stop you right there, young man. I am NOT, by any means, all you have left. You have Molly and Arthur. You have Remus. You have Ron and Hermione. You have the Longbottom boy and that Lovegood girl. You have Dumbledore and rest of the Order standing with you. You have that defense class you taught (which, by the way, is astounding. I couldn't be more proud). Not to mention the hundreds of witches and wizards that you have never met who are standing behind you. We are all together in this and many people look up to you. And one day, all the people that call you wrong or crazy are going to eat their words. I promise you. If there is one person in the world who has no one left, it is Voldemort. In the end, he will stand alone while everyone is standing behind you. He is the one who should be scared."

In a great burst of energy, Harry leapt on Sirius. For a moment, Sirius was startled but then felt Harry's thin arms wrap around him, his godson's nose buried deep in his neck. "You're alive," Harry said, his words muffled. "Thank god you're alive."

Sirius held onto Harry tightly while the boy got his fill. This, more than anything, disturbed Sirius. When Harry had told him early all that had happened with the time-turner and Bellatrix's spell, it hadn't really hit Sirius how close he had been to really dying. In fact, Harry had seen too much death in his young life. Too much pain and suffering. There were obvious problems, but life was going by too fast to pay attention to Harry's true, basic needs. The first thing Sirius would do this summer, after Harry spent his required time at the Dursleys, would be to spend more quality time getting to know his godson. The boy was not James, would never be James. He was Harry. And he needed Sirius.

Sirius felt Harry relax against him. How long had it been since Harry had allowed himself to be touched? The press of Harry's thin body to his was comforting, but also grounded Sirius on the lesson that he dreaded, but still planned on carrying out.

"Harry-" Sirius said, hesitantly pulling Harry away from him. "We're both ok, and that's great. But we still need to discuss your- uh. Your punishment."

Harry paled. "My what?"

Sirius was tempted to leave the room, letting the lecture be the final word. He braced himself, forcing himself to press on. "Your punishment, Harry. This talk is good, but I don't think I've done my duty if you risk several lives, break the law and only walk away with nothing more than a heart-to-heart lecture."

Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, the blush creeping back over his cheeks. "You can't be serious."

Sirius fought very hard not to follow through with the obvious and over-used pun. Now, if ever, was the time to be stern. "I mean it, Harry. You overheard what Remus and I were talking about and I think that it's on the right track. I'm happy to be alive and to know that you care so much about me, but I'm not happy at all that you risked your life like you did. Voldemort and his followers should not be undertaken by a group of teenagers, no matter how skilled."

"It's not like I asked them to come with me!" Harry said, jumping up from the bed. Sirius noted how much distance Harry was putting between them. Discreetly, Sirius kept his wand close just in case Harry decided to bolt. He loved Harry ferociously, and was not about to chase him around the house over the issue of a spanking. "I told Neville, Ginny and Luna not to come but they insisted!"

"But what about Ron and Hermione? You might not have forced them to go, but if you had listened to reason, you would have realized that Miss Granger was right and none of this would be an issue." Sirius shot back. He kept his voice even, though what he wanted was to raise his voice to battle Harry's defense. "Besides. It's up to their parents and guardians to come up with a fitting punishment for them."

"You know what?" Harry said, his voice rising. "This isn't fair. None of this is fair!" There it was again, that blasted teenager moodiness. "I'm out there as Voldemort's bloody target and somehow this is all my fault! I didn't ask for Voldemort to invade my mind! I didn't ask for Wormtail to be Ron's rat! I didn't ask for Cedric to die! I didn't know that the trophy was a portkey! And now you're going to beat me because I'm the one to blame for all this!"

"Who said anything about beating?"

"Beating! Spanking! Same bloody difference!"

And before Sirius could open his mouth to correct him, Harry made a dash for it.

Sirius panicked and shot the first spell that came to mind. A moment later, Harry's wobbly legs collapsed out from under him, wriggling helplessly on the ground.

"Excuse me," Sirius muttered hotly as he jumped over Harry's jelly-jinxed body and walked out the door.

---------------------------

Remus heard Harry yelling. Really now, how long did a spanking take? Abandoning his book, he dashed to the stairwell to investigate. To his surprise, Sirius was sitting on the top step, wand drawn and looking utterly lost.

"I can't do it, Remus." Sirius watched as his childhood friend climbed up the stairs. "I tried talking to him. I lectured him, I tried to put my foot down and he ran. I jinxed him."

Remus looked over Sirius shoulder into Harry's room. Slowly and surely, Harry was gaining control of his legs. Leaning against the furniture, his eyes caught Remus's in a look of shock and anger.

"I'll go talk with him. Wait here, Padfoot."

At a loss of what to do, Sirius nodded dumbly. Remus passed him, entering Harry's room and closing the door with a click.

Sirius heaved out a heavy sigh. He blew it. Harry would never take him seriously. Any authority, any respect that he hoped to gain was gone. Leaning his forehead against the railing, all he could do was wait.

------------------------

Remus strode into the room, passing Harry completely. The boy watched as his beloved 3rd year defense teacher made a direct beeline for Harry's small pile of belongings and began to shove them into a duffle bag from the closet.

"Hey! What are you-"

Remus cast a quick counter-spell at Harry, whose legs immediately righted themselves. "Make your bed. Brush your teeth. Do whatever you have to do to be out of here in five minutes."

Harry blinked in shock, watching in horror as Professor Lupin plowed through his things without the least bit of respect for his privacy. "I thought I wasn't going back until this afternoon."

"You thought wrong. Make your bed."

"Wait a minute!" Harry tore the duffle bag out of Lupin's hand, disbelief written all over his face. "What's going on?"

"You, Harry." Now that the duffle bag was out of his hands, Remus began to make the bed himself. "You decided that you want Sirius as a godfather as long as he's fun and willing to offer you advice, but you don't want to obey his rules." He gave the sheets a vicious tug. "So naturally, if it's too much of a hardship to be a man and accept your punishments, then you don't need to be under his roof. Go brush your teeth."

Harry's face rose in color. "But I don't want to go!"

"Too bad. You've already made your decision."

Harry let out a heavy sigh as he sat down on the bed that Remus was working on. Teenage moodiness was, once again, rearing its ugly head. Remus took a step back.

"You're making this too hard for yourself, Harry. Sirius loves you and wants to protect you. The rules he lays down are meant for your safety, and when you break these rules, you need to be punished. Punishment isn't fun and sometimes it's scary, but it's part of growing up."

"You mean- if I let Sirius spank me-"

"Make no mistake, Harry. If I had the power to discipline you, I would have done it right in the hall at the Ministry. But if he doesn't do it today, I guarantee you I'm more than willing to take over and spank you myself. And I won't be as lenient either."

Harry sucked in a harsh breath, shifting on the bed nervously. "But I-"

Remus made for the door. "I'm going to send Sirius in one moment. Be ready to accept his punishment. Or if you'd rather leave, I will be delivering one hell of a spanking as soon as you step onto platform 9 ¾." Harry gasped. The mental image of Remus taking him over his knee right in the middle of a public station was almost too embarrassing for words. Remus was almost out the door when he gave a short pause. "Oh. And before I forget-" With a flick of his wand, the Extendable Ear resting on Harry's nightstand was transfigured into a hefty hairbrush.

And with that, he was out the door.

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Sirius had just about convinced himself that he was the worst godfather that had ever existed when Remus came out of Harry's room. "Ok, Padfoot. He's ready for you."

"Ready for me? You mean-"

"Yes. Ready for you. Come on. Get up and see."

With that, Sirius got to his feet, his head spinning. Remus gave him a gentle nudge towards Harry's door. Sirius gave a look back at his friend and opened it. Harry was on the bed, staring at a hairbrush that was sitting on the nightstand.

"Harry has something he's like you say to you, Sirius."

Harry looked between Remus and his godfather, eyes wide. Then he suddenly cast his eyes down. "I'm sorry I tried to run."

"-and…." Remus prompted.

"And I know that you mean the best for me."

"-and…"

Harry choked. "I didn't do the right thing tonight and I deserve a- a spanking."

"-for…"

"Ah! C'mon!" Harry snapped. "Isn't that enough?"

Sirius looked over his shoulder. At Harry's words, Remus shot the boy a look that made even Sirius's bottom twinge in fear.

Harry immediately corrected his attitude. "For putting myself and my friends in danger and for going back in time and breaking several ministry laws that are meant for my safety."

"Good. Now, I'm going to leave you two alone." Remus clapped Sirius on the shoulder. "I'll be downstairs if you need me," he added, loudly enough for Harry to hear.

The door closed, leaving Sirius and Harry in the room. Alone.

Sirius took in and released a heavy breath. "Right. Harry, get up." Harry hesitated only for a moment, then almost tripped over himself, scrambling to obey. The boy looked nervous, but not nearly as nervous as Sirius felt. There was no going back on this now. He approached Harry warily, trying to figure out how best to go about spanking his godson. He didn't want to do it over his lap. That would be too awkward, no matter how traditional. The bed was too low to drape Harry over the end. Sirius looked over his shoulder. The desk was too cluttered and he didn't want to have to spend more time on this than strictly necessary. The desk chair, however…

"Right then, Harry. Drop your trousers. No, no. Leave your shorts up. I don't think that's necessary." Sirius took the chair from the desk and set it in the middle of the room. "Lean over the back of this chair and grip the armrests. That's a good lad."

Harry shook as a tremendous pulse raked over his body. "Sirius?"

"Yes?" he replied, running a soothing hand over his godson's upper back.

"You're not going to use the brush, are you?" His voice sounded small, almost childlike.

To be honest, Sirius had barely noticed that the brush was there. But Harry did not need to know that. "We'll see, Harry. Now-" Sirius paused for a moment, doing some quick math. "I think six per friend will do to begin with." Sirius thought for a moment. "That will be 30 for your friends. I want you to say their names aloud as we go. Ready?"

Harry nodded.

Sirius took in a deep breath and began.

The first spank was barely anything stronger than a love tap. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin from nerves, barely registering how weak the stroke actually was. The next spank, however, was more forceful.

"Who am I spanking you for right now, Harry?" Sirius said quietly, emphasizing his question with a stinging, but barely painful third slap.

"R-ron."

The fourth, fifth and sixth slaps slowly began to burn on Harry's skin. Sirius braced his will, attempting to put more force into the blows. Harry brought forth another name by the eighth.

"Hermione."

As the 30 progressed, Sirius got into rhythm, setting his mind forward, keeping tabs on the names that Harry gave them. Ginny, Neville and Luna. These were the people who had stood by his side. These were the people who cared enough about Harry to care about Sirius. But still the boy felt that he had to take on the responsibility, felt that he was alone in this. Only Harry could be so loved and never notice that he wasn't alone.

Harry twitched away from Sirius as the final set was dealt. Sirius took a moment to consider his godson, who was clinging onto the chair.

"How are you doing, Harry?" Sirius asked, letting Harry have a moment to process.

Harry didn't reply right off, but the answer was obvious anyway. Never the less, Sirius waited for Harry to speak.

"Sirius?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Are we done?"

"No. But you're doing very well."

Harry let out a deep breath. "Can we just- get it over with?"

Sirius took his position again behind Harry. "Ok, Harry. Remember, I love you."

Harry nodded, bracing himself.

"Right. For ignoring Dumbledore's warnings and quitting Occlumency, six."

At this, Harry let out a choked protest. "But Snape-"

Sirius felt his temper flare, but kept his voice even and stern. "From what I understand, not only did not do your homework for those sessions, but peeked into his private thoughts as well and got yourself kicked out. I may not like the greasy git either, but how would you like it if someone intruded on your most private memories without even a warning?"

Harry bit back his retort, largely because he was the one straddling a chair to receive punishment. Besides, the edge in Sirius's tone would not do well for his sitting habits over the next few days.

"Besides, Harry, if you had applied yourself a bit better, then Voldemort would not have invaded your mind and we wouldn't have this problem." Sirius glanced at Harry, who looked ready to fight the accusation.

At first, Sirius felt sorry for Harry. The boy had been through a lot and Sirius had not been available (emotionally and physically) to guide him through. But the more Sirius though about it, the more he realized that Harry wasn't a child, but 15. In fact, almost 16. He was old enough to listen and obey true authority. He had dealt with Voldemort enough to know a trick when he saw it. He was old enough to listen to reason when it was given to him. He was old enough to accept his punishment like a man.

"And since you don't seem to understand just how serious this situation is, Harry, I think we should take up the Occlumency issue to a round dozen. And when you return to the school this afternoon, the first thing you will do is go and apologize to Sniv-Professor Snape and ask him to resume classes with you." Harry squawked in protest, which Sirius extinguished with a meaningful smack. "And for almost blowing the secrecy of the Order by way of Umbridge, one dozen. Breaking the law, one dozen." Sirius paused a moment as Harry shot him a mixed glance of worry and anger. "We have one down, so that makes 35 with the hand to go."

Harry's eyes widened. "'With the hand?' but you said-"

"I said 'we'll see'. And I see that it might be necessary to have a round dozen applied since you decided to run out on me earlier. I tried to be nice, I tried to make it easy, but you ran. Every step of the way, countless people have tried to help you and you decide that they do not know as well as you do, or that they don't have a good reason behind their actions. I see how it is now. And you need to know that when someone you trust lays down rules and consequences, no matter how unpleasant, they mean it for your safety as well as others. Maybe the hairbrush will help drive in this point. Don't you think, Harry?"

Harry clenched his jaw. "Yes, sir."

Sirius nodded. "I love you, Harry. I do." Sirius swallowed hard, shocked by his own stern level. The words that he was about to say clung in his throat. They reminded him too much of his own father. "But if a little tough love will help you make the right decisions- maybe even save your life- then so be it."

Harry huffed out an indignant breath, gripping the armrests with white knuckles, determined with his whole body to block out the punishment. The pent-up anger that had been skipping across the surface the entire year made itself painfully obvious, but Sirius was past caring. Hormones and other teenage woes aside, the sooner the spanking ended, the better. The longer he prolonged it, the more torture the both of them would go through.

Sirius gave no warning. He simple drew back his arm and began to spank. Harry took the spanking quietly as each smack grew louder in their ears. At the second dozen, Harry began to twitch. The chair scratched over the floor as Harry's body made involuntary jerks and shifts. Sirius stole a glance at Harry's face as he headed towards the third dozen. Harry's bottom lip was caught between his teeth, raw and wet. Tears were beginning to gather in the corners of his tightly shut eyes.

For a moment, his heart gave a violent tug and Sirius considered stopping. If Harry was beginning to cry, then it should end. But then an odd little voice (strangely enough, one that sounded a lot like Remus's), began to nag him. 'You're almost done' it reminded him. 'Harry is supposed to hate this. But when it's done, it's over and things will be better off for it.'

The third dozen was applied soundly and swiftly. Sirius backed away from his godson, taking it in. Harry shivered over the chair, head bent and barely moving. Bringing his hand a mere quarter inch from the surface of Harry's shorts, Sirius felt the dull heat radiating. Sirius's anger had dissipated through the hand-spanking, but Remus's words still drove him forward. Of all things missing from the boy's life, he lacked consistency. Sirius made a promise to spank him with the brush, and though it pained him to do it, Harry had to know that what his godfather said, his godfather meant.

Walking toward the bed, Sirius took hold of the hairbrush. Holding it in his hand, he inspected it. It was a handsome brush, all things considered. Deep in a cherry wood hue, it was heavy, the handle grooved as to not slip out of the owner's hand. Testing it, Sirius whacked his palm with the flat side of the brush. The level of pain was unexpected, causing Sirius to hiss and shake out the sting.

Harry gasped from the chair and Sirius looked up. Harry's eyes were wide, wet. "Sirius- I"

"Face forward," Sirius said. Harry did not seem to hear him. "Harry, face forward," Sirius repeated, this time, more forcefully.

Harry's eyes and posture were pleading with him. "Sirius. I'll be good. I swear I'll be good. You don't have to spank me with that. I'll be good, I promise I won't risk my life anyone. I'll apologize to Snape and I'll study really hard. I'll do what I'm told and I'll be nice! Even to Malfoy! Please Sirius!"

Sirius fought the urge to snicker at Harry's uncharacteristic cowardice. Harry looked so young and frightened over a little piece of wood. But then it struck Sirius that Harry was looking a little too frightened, a little too childish.

"Get up, Harry."

Harry blinked and looked back at Sirius curiously as if he expected to be hit for his outburst. Sirius nodded towards the bed and Harry straightened up. He padded over to Sirius slowly, his pants still pooled around his ankles. Sirius sat down on the bed and motioned for Harry to do the same. Harry did so gingerly, giving himself ample room and a slight wince as his freshly-spanked rear met with the bedcovers.

Sirius set the hairbrush on the bed. "Harry, I want you to be honest with me. Completely honest." Harry nodded. "Has anyone ever punished you- physically- before?"

"Uh- Umbridge had me use a quill that carved lines into my hands. And Snape has had me clean cauldrons and other nasty things…"

"No, not that way-" Sirius shook his head. "I mean, did anyone ever beat you? Kick you around? Whip you? Use a stick or other implements? Really injure you?"

Harry looked down at the bed covers.

"Who, Harry?"

"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia. Dudley- Some of the other boys in school before I came to Hogwarts… Couple of the teachers still liked to use the ruler now and then."

"And does this still go on?"

Harry shook his head. "No. They're too afraid I'll turn them into toads or blow them up or something. And-" Harry added sheepishly "I kind of told them that my godfather was a convicted murderer."

The mood broke. Sirius cracked a smile, urging Harry to do the same. Then, as Sirius thought of Harry flippantly mentioning that his godfather was a convict, complete with boyish offhanded gestures, Sirius fell back onto the covers, laughing.

Harry arched an eyebrow. He had half expected Sirius to lecture him, half expecting to be hit. He sat in shock as his godfather went mad with giggles.

"Oh, Harry," Sirius laughed, propping himself up. "Your dad would have done the same thing. Except he would have had fun pointing out people on the street all day proclaiming 'THERE HE IS!' and give them a right proper scare." He ruffled Harry's hair. "He enjoyed a bit of mischief, I'll tell you that."

Harry shook himself out of his surprise. "Did he ever get in trouble for it?"

Sirius snorted, shaking his head. "Are you daft? Of course he did! I told you before about him lying to Minerva. Your grandparents knew early on what sort of boy James was and it didn't take long for the other teachers to catch on to him. But they only got him for about half of the things he did. If it hadn't been for that invisibility cloak, your dad never would have had the time to sit, let alone play quidditch or try to have a go at your mum." Sirius let out a choked cough, smiling. "At one point, I suggested that he quit school and just play assistant to Peeves."

In spite of himself, Harry laughed, imagining his father underneath the invisibility cloak, handing dung bombs and other nasty tricks up to Peeves with one visible levitating arm. Sirius clasped a hand on Harry's shoulder, making the boy tense, but his godfather didn't seem to notice. Instead, Sirius just laughed.

Harry felt himself relax, momentarily forgetting the spanking he had just been given. However, he didn't forget the hairbrush and what that meant for him. Casually, very casually, Harry flipped the bedcovers over the brush as Sirius was distracted. Success! Sirius didn't seem to notice! Maybe if he could just keep the brush out of sight, they could forego the reminder of Harry's punishment.

When Sirius laughed himself out, he wiped his eyes. Tears of mirth were still evident on his face as he let out a huff to regain his breath. "Oh, Harry," he said, once he had himself under control. "Your father was a wonderful, crazy prat. But he was a troublemaker through and through." He leaned forward, ruffling Harry's hair. "But you're so serious. Not that you don't have a valid reason to be, but still." Sirius sobered up, taking Harry's hand in his. "Now, I think it's time that I properly met your aunt and uncle. Now don't argue with me. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Molly have all talked to me about their shoddy treatment of you. It's my responsibility to make sure that you're taken care of properly, and obviously they aren't going to understand that without some- persuasion."

"You mean you're going to-"

"Whatever you're thinking is probably tempting and fitting, but no. I'm still a wanted 'murderer' and you've gotten in enough trouble with the Ministry for underage magic. It would draw too much unwanted attention. No. All I'm going to do is talk." He shrugged his shoulders. "But if these muggles are just as paranoid as Arthur says, then an idle threat or two wouldn't be totally out of place."

Harry gave a very Slytherin, predatory grin. One very similar to what James would have given.

Sirius drove that thought out of his head as he looked at clock. He had not forgotten about the punishment.

He gave a little cough. "All right, Harry. I think we've done enough reminiscing for now." Leaning over, he flipped back the covers and grabbed the hairbrush. Harry's eyes widened at the sight, but he didn't dare say anything. "Yes, Harry, I did see that. Now look at me."

Harry looked back at his godfather guiltily, keeping his eyes down-cast.

"I'm going to do it, Harry." Sirius put his hands on Harry's shoulders. "I don't know what the muggles have done to you, or how extreme they did it, but believe me when I say that it hurts me to have to punish you this way. But I said one dozen and I mean one dozen. No more, no less. I want you happy and healthy and once it's done, it's done. You'll have a nap or we'll have some tea or just talk. Whatever you want, but we have to get through this first. Understood?"

Harry bit his lip, then nodded. "I- I trust you. But-"

"You're scared."

Harry looked at his godfather, then nodded hesitantly.

"It's ok to be scared, Harry. I'm scared too. But there are things that sometimes you just have to do. But we don't have to do these things alone."

Harry nodded, resigned to his fate. "Do you want me back over the chair?"

Sirius looked at his godson for a moment. Thinking. "Not particularly. No," he said slowly. He cocked his head, contemplating. Finally, Sirius got up from the bed. "Hand me your glasses and lay down on your stomach. There's no need to be uncomfortable, now is there?"

The smile Sirius gave was weak, but Harry passed over his spectacles and laid down. He fumbled for a moment with his hands, unsure of where to put them.

"Just relax," Sirius prompted. "Lay like you normally would."

"I usually sleep on my back," Harry replied.

Sirius fought the urge to laugh. "Well, that would hardly do," he said, unable to keep the amusement from his voice.

Harry, from a mix of nerves and irony, laughed and settled his hands on either side of his head. The laughter died quickly as he felt the bed dip as Sirius sat down. Sirius lifted Harry's shirt, pulling it away from his target and folding it over. The small of Harry's back laid exposed, and Sirius settled a hand in the dip. Harry let out a nervous twitch, muscles tensing under Sirius's gentle touch.

"Relax, Harry."

Harry nodded, grabbing a hold of the bed sheets in anticipation.

Sirius grabbed the hairbrush and aimed carefully. Biting his lip, he swung down.

Harry let out a muffled whimper and clenched his buttocks. He clutched the bed sheets tighter.

Sirius swung again, this time centering on the other cheek. Harry gave a slight twist of his hips and another muffled whimper, but did not bother to lift his head.

Sirius kept the tally in his head as they went. Somewhere around the 7th spank, Harry went silent, causing Sirius to pause in fear. One moment passed, then two, until he noted Harry's stiff shaking. With a silent sigh of relief, Sirius continued.

'Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve,' Sirius counted. It was about time. Harry's knuckles were white, the shaking in his shoulders even more fierce.

Throwing down the brush, Sirius put his hand back on the small of Harry's back, rubbing gently. "It's over, Harry," he said, fighting the urge to lift away Harry's shorts and inspect the damage. "We're done."

For a moment, Harry didn't move, letting himself be caressed by Sirius's gentle rubbing. Then he lifted himself up. His eyes were red, the pillow wet with tears and snot. "I'm so sorry," he kept saying over and over. "I wasn't thinking, Sirius. I'm sorry."

He flung his arms around his godfather as he broke out in a fresh wave of sobs.

Sirius fell back onto the bed under Harry's weight. Harry clutched the godfather's shirt and cried. The spanking hadn't been that bad. The brush had stung like hell, but it was no worse than any other injuries he had before. No. It was the unbelievable quality to the whole situation that brought Harry to this point. Sirius had died, but now lived. And where Uncle Vernon had punished him with starvation, Dudley with his fists, Snape with humiliation, they all did it with a sense of sadistic pleasure and victory. Sirius did it with reassurance and patience, hating would he had to do rather than enjoying causing Harry pain. Harry never felt so loved while he was in pain.

Which made Harry all that more sorry, all the more miserable.

As Harry clung to his shirts, Sirius felt dampness seeping through as Harry burrowed his face in Sirius's chest.

Rubbing his hand over Harry's back, Sirius shushed him but Harry just clung tighter.

Resigned to the fact that Harry pretty much had him pinned, Sirius let Harry cry it out. Slowly but surely, the tears faded. The fears, worries and anxieties that teen made kept bottled up for so long bled out until Harry was completely drained, just resting on Sirius's chest.

Sirius let Harry rest a moment, then shifted, feeling the dampness squish against him.

"Harry?"

The boy didn't stir.

He took a hold of the boy's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. "Harry?"

Harry turned his head and sighed, resting his hand on Sirius's arm. His eyes were closed, his hair a mess and his face smeared with tears and snot. He was peacefully sleeping on Sirius, the first time since he was an infant. And if Sirius remembered correctly, the last time Harry fell asleep on him as an infant, it had also involved weird and gross bodily fluids.

Sirius smiled. Just as it was all those years ago, he just didn't have the heart to wake him.

Pulling out his wand as carefully as he could, he quickly whispered "nox", allowing the room to go dark. Tucking away the wand, he reached for the blanket and covered them both as well as he could. Harry shifted but was in too deep of a sleep to wake. It struck Sirius that Harry probably hadn't slept in well over a day and was probably exhausted.

For that matter, Sirius was tired too. Placing his hand on Harry's back, he let his eyes drift shut.

-------------------------------

Remus had just finished the crossword when he looked at his watch. He shot a glance towards the stairs, perking his ears for any sound of Sirius or Harry.

There was none.

Remus shook his head fondly and headed for the kitchen. Preparing a tray with two mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of biscuits, he ascended the stairs. He came to Harry's door and set the tray down on the foyer table in the hall. Heading to the door, he tilted his head to listen, then gave a small knock.

"Harry? Padfoot?" Remus waited for a moment before he reached for the knob and opened the door a crack.

The room was dark, so Remus lit a candle by the entrance. Letting his eyes adjust, he sighed as he made out the image on the bed. Sirius was asleep with Harry laying against his chest, the boy looking much younger than 15. And Sirius looked like he never wanted to let go.

Remus, once again, shook his head fondly. Casting a few quick cleaning spells, the desk was clear and he brought in the tray of chocolate and biscuits, casting a spell to keep the dishes pleasantly warm. Padding over to the sleeping pair, he noted the state of room and Sirius's shirt. He transfigured the hairbrush back into an Extendable Ear, put the chair back in its spot and cast a quick cleaning spell on the wetness on Sirius's chest. Sirius sighed gratefully, wrapping his arm around Harry that much more tightly.

Remus adjusted the blanket, finished tidying and headed for the door, half-way turning to look at the sleeping forms on the bed.

"Oh, James; Lily," he sighed wistfully. "I wish you could have seen this."

He gazed for a moment longer, then, as if the scene suddenly became too much for him to bear, he closed the door and let them sleep.