Author's Note: So after years of swearing off the Harry Potter fanfic community, I'm back and trying this concept again. Only, it won't be a Reading the Books fic. More of a "watching events in Harry's Life" sort of deal. While most events will stay the same, some things will be different. Two things to keep in mind are that Dumbledore WILL NOT be favored in a positive light. As for Severus and the Marauders, I consider both sides guilty for different things. Sirius and James were bullies; Snape was a dick to Harry. Both sides have their good and bad points, which will be hammered home. Both will have a chance for redemption, however.

Warnings: Child Abuse/Neglect (implied and written); Dumbledore Bashing; Swearing; Alternate Universe. Spoilers for the series as a whole. Eventual Sirius/Remus among other relationships, (anything between two consenting adults/teenagers may or may not happen). Slight AU for the most part, massively AU after Order of the Phoenix.

Part One: The Sorcerer's Stone

Prologue

Harry Potter Defeats He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Again! Sirius Black is Innocent!?

"In a brief statement on Friday night, Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, announced that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had indeed returned to the Wizarding World and was active in secret. The key term being was. Though the details are still hazy, it has been confirmed by over twenty eye-witnesses that You-Know-Who and a select band of followers – Death Eaters – gained entry into the Ministry of Magic last Thursday Evening.

'After witnessing it for myself, I must confirm that the wizard stylizing himself Lord – well – you know who I mean – had been alive and among us for a whole year.' Said Fudge, looking tired and flustered as he addressed the press. 'In wanting to maintain the peace we have enjoyed for the last fifteen years, the Ministry rashly chose to lash out at those who were trying to warn us of impending danger. On behalf of the Ministry, I offer my most sincere apologies to Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. In the future, I hope that we will be more willing to endorse the truth – regardless of how difficult to accept.'

The minister then continued, 'While on the subject of truths that are hard to accept, it is with a heavy heart that I must announce a grave injustice done by the previous administration. At the end of the last war, the Ministry rushed to quickly put Death Eaters behind bars. While done only in the interest of serving and protecting the Wizarding population from further undue suffering, recent events have led me to realize the system used was less than ideal. While the efforts were vastly successful, an innocent man slipped through the cracks. We were deceived into believing Sirius Black murdered thirteen muggles and betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who, when the true culprit was a former friend by the name of Peter Pettigrew. In their haste to punish these heinous crimes, he was sentenced to life in Azkaban without trial. While no manner of apology can ever be enough to make things right, we will reach out to Sirius Black and negotiate some form of compensation.

Though the Ministry has made terrible mistakes both recently and in the past, it is my hope that we can now put our best foot forward. Let us strive for a new age of truth, transparancy and trustworthiness.'

The Minister's heartfelt speech was met with dismay, alarm, confusion and relief from the Wizarding Community, which, as recently as last Wednesday, was receiving Ministry assurances that there was 'no truth whatsoever in these persistent rumors that You-Know-Who is operating among us once more' and that 'Sirius Black, a deranged murderer, is the one behind these Death Eater activities'.

Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, member of the International Confederations and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, has been unavailable for comment. He has insisted over the past year that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was not dead and had been recruiting followers for a fresh attempt to seize power. Meanwhile, the Boy Who Lived -'

~()~

"There you are, Harry. I knew they'd drag you into it somehow." Hermione said, looking over the top of her paper at him. They were in the Hospital Wing, recovering from the aftermath of the Final Battle. Sirius sat on the end of Harry's bed, listening to her read the front page of the Sunday Prophet. Ginny, whose ankle had been quickly fixed by Madame Pomfrey, was curled up at the foot of Hermione's bed. Neville, who had also been swiftly healed by the matron, sat in a chair in front of Ron's bed; Remus stood at Harry's bedside, amber eyes darkening at the paper's mention of his cub. Luna, having dropped in for a visit, clutched the latest edition of The Quibbler upside down. She appeared to be reading and not taking in a word of what Hermione read.

"He's the 'Boy Who Lived' again now, isn't he?" Ron muttered darkly. "Not much of a deluded show-off anymore, eh?" He helped himself to a handful of chocolate frogs from the immense pile on his bedside cabinet, distributed a few to the others with help from Neville and ripped the wrapper off with his teeth. There were still deep welts on his forearms where the brain's tentacles had wrapped around him. According to Pomfrey, thoughts could leave deeper scars than anything else. However, thanks to generous amounts of Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Unction, Ron seemed to be making a little more progress each day.

"Yes they're very complimentary about you now, Harry." She agreed dryly, continuing down the article. " 'A lone voice of truth... perceived as unbalanced, yet never wavered in his story... forced to bear ridicule and slander...' Hmm..." She frowned, as though pondering something. "I notice they don't mention the fact that The Prophet was behind all the ridicule and slander." She winced slightly and put a hand to her ribs. The curse Dolohov had used on her, though less effective than it would have been cast verbally, caused quite enough damage as far as Pomfrey was concerned. Hermione was having to take ten different potions every day. Though a long way from healthy, she looked much better than the first night.

Sirius and Remus snarled at that. From what they'd heard, Harry had been pushed to the brink of a mental breakdown this year. Almost the entirety of Wizarding Britain had effectively abandoned their savior and assumed the worst, putting more and more strain upon Harry's cracking psyche. Then, when the truth had finally come out, had gone back to singing his praises and thrust him back into their good graces. With the injustice done to his godson in mind, Sirius cared little about the apologies heaped upon him.

"Well screw them!" Sirius snapped, his chocolate laying forgotten on the bed. "They can sod off for all I care!

They sat quiet for a few moments, contemplating the unfairness of it all – with the exception of one. Harry sat there on his bed, simply humbled by the fact that no one had died. He could still remember the feeling of cold dread that went through him as his godfather fell. Even now, he could still clearly see the fading of those brilliant gray eyes, the slackening of his roguish smile... that one moment when his laughter died, and Harry felt his entire world crumble around him. After that his memories of the battle were few and far between. He could barely recall going after Bellatrix, Voldemort appearing... and a strange golden light that had come from nowhere. He then recalled someone carrying him, flashes of light from cameras, and being shielded by Remus and Moody from unwanted onlookers. Harry still couldn't wrap his head around everything that happened, nor could he believe Voldemort was truly gone. After everything he'd endured from the Graveyard up until the Department of Mysteries, such a thing felt too good to be true.

Remus's eyes darted over to him, knowingly, and smiled. "Well, there is a bit of an upside."

"Yeah," Neville readily agreed. "At least V-V-Voldemort is gone for good."

Remus' smile grew wider. The fact Neville had been able to say the name was a testament to his growth. "Of course, but that is not what I meant." He glanced at Sirius meaningfully.

Angered by his godson's mistreatment, Sirius really hadn't put much thought into what capturing Wormtail at the Ministry had meant for him. However, he was free to think of it now. Sirius felt his breath hitch slightly, as the realization took hold. At long, long last, he had the chance to set things right and take Harry away from those God-awful Dursleys. There were no more obstacles to overcome – they could be a proper family. For the first time in two years, he felt a stirring of hope in his soul.

Harry, meanwhile, dared not believe what he was hearing. What if he were wrong? What if Remus was hinting at something else? He hadn't forgotten Third Year's disappointment or the price for leaving the way he did. He stiffened slightly, already dreading Uncle Vernon's wrath in regards to Dudley. Now that Voldemort was gone, Harry knew his existence no longer held meaning. His uncle could do anything and nobody would be the wiser. The thought left him with a horrid sinking feeling.

"Harry, you could live with me if you still wanted. Moony and I talked about it, and he would be staying with us too." Sirius spoke, excitement tempered with disbelief at his good fortune. Would Harry truly want to leave? There was always a chance he'd rather stay with his relatives...

"Me? You still want me? Even after you – even after what I – " Harry's eyes widened. The fearful trepidation in his godson's voice tore at Sirius' heartstrings, and he found himself embracing the boy at once. Because even though he had just saved the world, that's what Harry was. A boy. A teenage boy; one who had their entire life trampled upon by two old men with agendas of their own. Voldemort had already paid for this crime with his life, but Dumbledore still had much to answer for. Harry had saved his soul in every possible way. There was no repaying that, but he had to try.

"Of course I do." Sirius answered without a moments' hesitation. He was rewarded with a hug back. A smile crept over the Marauder's face as Remus joined in.

"We're here for you, Harry." The werewolf said. The others watched this warm, heartfelt moment, having been completely forgotten by the budding family. "Always."

After so many years of being a freak and a burden, Harry didn't want to believe anything different. It would only hurt too much when they discovered the truth and threw him out – or worse, sent him back to the Dursleys. Harry's stomach lurched at the notion. And yet, it was impossible to let the joy he felt die down. Hadn't this been the moment he'd always pray for as a small child in his cupboard? For a while, the young savior allowed himself to relax and enjoy the moment. Normally, such contact made him tense up. Yet there was something about the Black heir that was able to soothe the part of Harry that doubted and feared – just as Ron, Hermione and a precious few had done. Something felt different there, in the Hospital Ward. The tides were changing once again, and for the first time in his life, it could not be soured by Voldemort. At long last he could stop being the Boy Who Lived and be Harry. Just Harry.

Perhaps, if he proved himself worthy, Sirius and Remus wouldn't regret their decision.

The thought filled him with hope.

~()~

Later that night, the two Marauders wandered around the castle and found a few noteworthy changes. For instance, most of the secret passages had either collapsed or somehow became compromised. Another interesting change was the relocation of several classrooms – Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Muggle Studies primarily. There were also several new portraits hanging around including one of an obnoxious jester that shot out silly one-liners.

They visited the kitchens, roamed the hallways and visited the places they'd frequented as children. Eventually, they arrived at a blank stretch of wall on the seventh floor. Across from it was the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy All in all, it was an interesting excursion.

Sirius stifled a tired sigh, feeling both his age and the toll Azkaban had taken upon him. To think there had been a time when the four of them had roamed the halls together, without a care in the world. Well, no that wasn't quite true. Each of them had their own problems. Pet – Wormtail – and being the target of many a bully, Remus and his lycanthropy, James's parents declining health and Sirius' family stuck in their dark ways. In spite of these issues, they four of them managed to forge a powerful friendship that would last forever – or so they'd thought. With James dead and Wormtail headed toward life in Azkaban, the Marauders had been shattered and broken. Now, only half of them remained. Even more damning than all those memories was Harry, who had already become so much more than a godson.

And soon he would be legally, as well.

The thought made him feel uneasy.

"Just like old times, eh, Padfoot?" Remus inquired lightly.

"Yeah." Sirius murmured, leaning against the wall behind him. Remus frowned. That hollow, weary tone hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Are you alright?" He placed a hand upon Sirius' shoulder. "You've been a little off since this morning."

"I don't know. Relax, Moony. I'm not sick or hurt." He added upon seeing Remus' worried expression. "It's just... I don't know how Harry and I – I care for him, but we really don't know each other." Sirius sighed, his head drooping. "What if I mess up? What if I make him hate me?"

"Sirius, he won't hate you." Remus assured him kindly. "These things can't be rushed; if you are patient, I'm sure he will open up to you."

The ex-convict nodded. His friends words made perfect sense, but a single, crushing problem remained. Harry would be a man next year. Could they ever be a true family, given the awful events that had kept them apart for so long? Was he even fit to be a father?

I'm going to adopt him. I have to do it. I saw that look in his eyes. Harry wants this. He wants it bad. After all he's done for me, I can't just take that away – he's had it hard enough.

But I'm not James.

James should be with him – should've always been with him. I'm the one who should've died...

...but I'm here. And Harry needs me.

I just wish I knew more about him.

It was then that it happened. Sirius let out a cry of surprise, as the wall behind him suddenly vanished. Remus grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop the fall, but the effort was invain. Without any warning, they were both sucked in...