By Request.

"You're sure you can handle this?"

Sirius had tried not to be offended when he had been asked the question for what seemed like the thousandth time.

He hadn't missed Ginny amusingly rolling her eyes behind her husband. It had made Sirius feel a bit better about the situation knowing that at least one of them didn't doubt his capability.

Deep down he knew that Harry didn't either. He knew that his godson knew that he was more than capable of looking after his grandchildren for a week.

When Ginny had gotten notice that her old Quidditch team wanted her to come on a tour with them for a week she was beyond thrilled. When Sirius offered to take the children for the week she was elated. It had been years since she and Harry had a proper vacation and despite the fact that she was touring, she knew that there would still be plenty of time for her husband.

Harry had been the one who had been resistant. He had floo called Sirius at least once a day with another reminder or concern. Sirius had bit his tongue numerous times. He knew that it wasn't that Harry didn't think he was capable after all he had raised him. He knew how hard it was to leave your child for a night let alone a week. He was constantly reminding himself of that when Harry stopped by with another outrageous concern.

Now here he was on day three with the children feeling very victorious.

So far the three of them had been perfect angels. They had played nicely together and kept themselves out of mischief.

Of course their father had threatened them within an inch of their lives to behave but Sirius liked to think that they were behaving because they respected him rather than feared punishment. After all, Sirius had never so much as raised his voice at one of them he was sure that they didn't for a moment believe he would ever punish them. He never planned to either. As far as he was concerned there was nothing they could do wrong enough to make him do so.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Lily asked with a big yawn.

Sirius smiled softly as he pulled the quilt up around her shoulders. "I was thinking that we may just need to pay a trip to Florean Fortescue's."

Lily smiled brightly. "Can I get peppermint ice cream?"

"I think that could be arranged," Sirius answered with a chuckle.

"Did you know that daddy says that muggles can only get peppermint ice cream when it's in season?"

Sirius made an exaggerated shocked face. "Oh that sounds horrible."

Lily giggled slightly before yawning once more.

"Alright to bed with you before you fall asleep mid conversation," Sirius instructed in a mock stern voice.

Lily giggled once more before she placed a single kiss on his nose. "Night grandpa, love you."

"To the moon and back Lil," Sirius said softly as he kissed her forehead. It was their special ritual and Sirius absolutely loved it. He had a special relationship with each of his grandchildren but if anyone had him wrapped around their finger it was Lily.

He stood up and waved his hand causing the lights in the room which were already dim to extinguish completely.

"Leave the door open a crack," Lily instructed in a half asleep voice.

"Of course," Sirius replied softly. It was her normal request. Although if asked she would deny her fear of the dark until she was blue in the face but she simply couldn't sleep without the light from the hall gently shining into the room.

He made sure her request was met before making his way down the hall to the room the boys were sharing. It wasn't quiet their bedtime yet but he wanted to make sure that they were playing nicely and that they weren't into any mischief. He had learned with Harry that when there was more than one child and it was too quiet, something mischievous could be in the works.

He knocked once on his godson's old bedroom door before slowly pushing it open. Sirius wasn't shocked to find Al lying on the bed reading, he was a bit taken back however to see that James wasn't in the room at all.

"Is your brother downstairs?" Sirius asked.

The moment the words left his mouth he saw a look of worry sweep across Albus' face. The boy remained silent his face still buried in his book.

"In the bathroom?" Sirius questioned. He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was very wrong.

Albus gave his grandfather a desperate look. "Please don't make me tell you," the words came out in a whisper.

Sirius was in the bedroom in a second's time. He took the four steps across the room and crouched next to Albus' bed. "If he isn't in this house I need to know," Sirius said in a gentle tone. He prayed his worry wasn't carrying in his voice. He also prayed that he was jumping to conclusions and James was just downstairs getting an after supper snack.

"I promised I wouldn't tell," Albus replied. "He'll never trust me again."

Sirius mulled over these words for a moment before replying. "I'll never tell that you were the one who told me. He doesn't have to know that anyone told at all."

Albus gave his grandfather a skeptical look. "Promise?"

"Cross my heart," Sirius replied with a small forced smile. He knew that he could have likely raised his voice and gotten the information he needed immediately. He didn't want to take that route though. Not with his grandchildren.

"He rode his broom to his friend Samuel's house," Albus informed him in an uncertain voice. "He left about an hour ago."

Sirius resisted the urge to scold Albus. True, the child should have told him the moment his brother left the house but Sirius knew what it was like to cover for your siblings. He also knew Albus and he knew that James likely manipulated him into doing so.

"Where does Samuel live?" Sirius asked. The worry was now more than evident in his voice.

"I don't know," Albus answered quickly. "Close, closer than he does to us."

Sirius stood up running a hand down his face as he tried to weigh his options. How on earth was he going to find James if he didn't know where he had gone?

"Do you know Samuel's last name?" Sirius asked. He prayed that he knew the surname and by some chance the boy's parents or grandparents.

Albus shook his head. "No," he answered honestly. "He's James' friend from school; I've never met him."

Sirius racked his brain trying to think of a friend who had a child named Samuel around James' age but he came up short.

"I'm sorry grandpa," Albus offered in a soft voice. "I should have told you. I know I should have but James said that it wouldn't be cool to tell you he said that-"

"I understand," Sirius replied kindly. He paused for a moment. Although he had absolutely no intention of punishing Albus he quickly decided that he couldn't allow him to think that it was okay to keep such important information to himself either. "In the future I expect you to tell me something like this immediately," Sirius continued in a voice he hoped wasn't too stern.

Albus nodded seriously a bit taken back by his grandfather's unusually solemn voice. His father often told them stories about how strict his grandfather could be but it wasn't until now that Albus ever considered the fact that they might be true.

"I think maybe you should go to bed a bit early tonight," Sirius said in a much gentler voice.

Albus immediately complied handing the book which was still in his hands over to his grandfather. He quickly climbed under his covers and lay down. Sirius suspected that his instant obedience had a lot to do with the face that if this same situation had played out with Harry and Ginny he likely would have been in much more trouble for covering for his brother.

"Goodnight," Sirius whispered before leaning over and placing a kiss on his grandson's forehead. "Sleep well."

"Love you," Albus replied.

"I love you too Al," Sirius smiled as he stood up straight once more.

Sirius left the room shutting the door tightly behind him. Unlike his younger sister Albus absolutely could not sleep unless he had complete darkness.

Sirius quickly hurried down the stairs. His worry over James had fully sunk in now. For a split second he considered running back upstairs and waking Lily to see if she knew anything. He quickly decided against it though. Chances were if Al didn't know who Samuel was Lily wouldn't either.

Sirius nearly ran to the kitchen closet where the brooms were kept. Perhaps Albus had been wrong. Perhaps James had lied to his brother to impress him but in reality hadn't gone anywhere. Reality hit Sirius hard as he pulled open the closet door to find James broom gone.

He quickly weighed his options as he began pacing the living room. He could contact Harry and Ginny but then he didn't want them to have to rush home to deal with their misbehaving son. He could contact Ron and Hermione and see if they knew of this Samuel boy or see if they could sit with the other two children while he went out looking for James. He didn't know where to start looking though and he certainly didn't want to pull them from their house at such an hour.

He could feel his heart hitting his rib cage and his palms sweating. His mind quickly reminded him that Harry had done this year's prior. He couldn't remember feeling quite so nerve stricken over the situation but he was sure he had been. He could also recall James and himself pulling the same stunt one summer with James' parents. The outcome in both situations had unfortunately been the same.

Sirius' heart began to beat even faster as the realization of what he was going to have to do hit him. He had watched James roughly one hundred times in the boy's life and he had somehow managed to never so much as raise his voice to him. Of course over the years James had misbehaved but it was always minor enough to let him off with a disapproving look and a ruffle of his hair.

This was so very different.

Sirius was suddenly reminded of the first time that Harry had purposefully misbehaved in his care. The last thing he had wanted to do was punish his godson but he knew in that moment that if he didn't he would never have control; he would never have been able to keep his godson as safe as he had.

It was day three of eight with his grandchildren. The understanding suddenly swept over him that if he let James get away with this he would likely do something much worse the next time.

Sirius felt his stomach turn at the very thought.

He wasn't sure he could do it.

He knew that Harry and Ginny believed in taking their children over their knee when necessary. Harry actually warned his children every time they were left with Sirius that they were to behave as their grandfather wouldn't hesitate to punish them if needed. The children usually rolled their eyes and giggled at the threat. It had never been an issue until now. Sirius had never in a million years imagined they would give him a reason to do so.

He looked up at the old clock on the kitchen wall it was nearly ten at night. It was beginning to get dark out and he found himself wondering if James was thick enough to think that flying home in darkness was a wise idea.

His heart rate hadn't slowed at all in the past fifteen minutes and his worry was starting to escalate into panic.

What if something had happened to the child? What if he was lying hurt somewhere? What if he had been kidnapped by someone?

Sirius felt his dinner sloshing around in his stomach.

The sun was setting quickly now, the sky swiftly changing from a light blue to a dark black.

Sirius continued to pace as he made the silent decision that if James didn't walk through the door in the next five minutes he would contact someone, anyone for help.

He was trying to decide who he should contact first when the back door creaked open.

Sirius stood silently as he watched James back through the doorway. Unaware that his grandfather was behind him he slowly opened the closet door and placed his broom inside. After carefully pushing the door shut he turned on his heel, a surprised look taking over his face as he saw Sirius standing there.

"Grandpa," James said in a shocked voice. "I was just-"

"Flying," Sirius supplied for him. "I was outside looking for you not a moment ago and didn't see you in the yard. Quite peculiar don't you think?"

Sirius was using every ounce of self-discipline he processed to keep his voice calm. He wanted nothing more than to rush over to James and hug him until his heart was content. He was so pleased that the boy was home and safe. In the next breath, he wanted nothing more than to turn him over his knee and wallop his backside until he couldn't sit for a month for putting him through such worry. He wouldn't do either yet though. He needed James to confess first.

James was silent for a moment holding his grandfather's stare, weighing his options.

After a moment he finally decided that the odds of his grandfather punishing him were slim and that the man really didn't deserve to be lied to.

"I rode my broom to my friend's house, he's only a little ways away," James confessed. "I didn't think it would be a big deal."

"Is that why you didn't ask or bother to tell me that you were leaving?" Sirius asked in a stern voice. "Because you didn't think it would be a big deal?"

James was silent once more, a look of regret on his face.

"I think the opposite is much more truthful," Sirius continued. "I think you knew very well that I wouldn't allow you to fly on your own clear across town so you snuck out in hopes that I would never know."

James gaze dropped some, the tablecloth on the kitchen table suddenly becoming very interesting.

"Have you any idea how worried I was when I couldn't find you?"

"I'm sorry," James said in a soft voice looking up at his grandfather once more. "I never meant to worry you grandpa, honest."

Sirius didn't acknowledge the apology instead he chose to continue with his brief lecture. "I also can't help but think that you would never do something so blatantly against the rules at your own house under your parents care."

James shook his head sadly in agreement. Although he was the most mischievous of his parent's children he knew better than to do anything too outrageous.

"I can only assume that that is because your parents would punish you," Sirius went on.

A silent nod from James. He had never seen his grandfather so cross before and he was starting to become concerned about the direction that this conversation was headed.

"I'm sure that when you made the decision to break the rules tonight you never thought that you would be punished, even if you were caught. For that I apologize James because although I know this is going to be a shock to you, you will absolutely be punished."

James felt a small panic erupt in the pit of his stomach. His grandfather's words were absolutely true. When the idea had entered his mind to sneak out he never thought he would be caught but he had rationalized with himself that even if he was he wouldn't get into trouble for it.

"But grandpa I-"

"I thought about grounding you for the remainder of the week," Sirius cut the boy off before he could spout off any excuses. "However I promised Lily that we would go for ice cream tomorrow and after tonight I obviously can't trust you to stay home alone."

As Sirius spoke he took a step towards the kitchen table. He hoped that James couldn't see how much his hand was shaking as he grabbed ahold of one of the wooden straight back chairs and pulled it from its spot. In one quick movement he had placed it a good five feet from the table.

"But grandpa you can't," James tried in a nervous voice.

"I assure you that I can," Sirius replied. "However if you would like to contact your parents and ask them what they feel an appropriate punishment is we can certainly do that."

James quickly shook his head as he watched his grandfather sit down in the chair. He quickly decided that there was no way his grandpa could do anything worse than his mum could with her wooden spoon.

"I'm sorry," James said. The tears were already rimming his eyelids threatening to fall at any second.

"I'm sure you are," Sirius replied in a tender voice. "I have often found that most children in your position are and I appreciate your apology however that will not change your punishment. Now come here please, let's get this over with."

Sirius was shocked at how even he was managing to make his voice sound and he was thankful that James didn't seem to realize how nervous he actually was. His heart was still beating a mile a minute, his stomach was doing back flips, and his hands were shaking slightly with apprehension.

James stayed rooted to his spot. The first of his tears were now rolling down his cheeks causing Sirius to keep mentally reminding himself that this was justified. He could have easily reached out, took ahold of James, and pulled him close ending this whole charade. He had never had to do so with Harry though and he didn't want to have to with his grandson. He wanted James to accept his fate.

A little push in the right direction never hurt though.

"James," Sirius said in a solemn tone. "You have but a moment to walk yourself to me or I will be forced to contact your parents and tell them that not only have you misbehaved but you are fighting me on your punishment."

Sirius hoped the boy wouldn't call his bluff. The last thing he wanted was for Ginny to come thundering through his fireplace.

Sirius' worry only lasted for a moment as James instantly walked the few short steps to his grandfather.

Sirius wasted no time guiding the child over his lap. James took a handful of his grandfather's jeans in his hand, clutching them tightly.

Sirius positioned the child and then paused as he looked down at the small jean clad backside. Could he really do this? He knew that Harry wouldn't object nor would Ginny. If anything she would have used her wooden spoon for such a serious infraction.

Sirius took a deep breath before raising his hand and bringing it down smartly on James' backside.

James yelped as his body shook with tears.

Sirius felt his heart hurt at the boy's actions. For a moment he considered righting James and forgetting this whole incident ever happened, he quickly pushed the idea from his mind though. He knew that doing so would be disastrous not only for James but for his other grandchildren as well. He was sure that word of this would eventually get back to Al and Lily and if James could be an example for them to behave better while in his care it certainly wouldn't be a bad thing.

Before he could change his mind Sirius raised his hand once more and began spanking in earnest.

He didn't lecture, he had never done so with Harry and in his own experience as a child he knew that James was in no position to listen and comprehend anything.

When his hand fell for the fifth time James' feet began kicking on their own accord and by the eighth his vocal chords had been awakened.

"I'm sorry," he said through his tears. "I'll listen."

Sirius' hand rapidly fell twice more before he began to gently rub the boy's back. Unlike Harry who would have stayed in that position until he was forced to move, James rushed to his feet and then threw himself into his grandfather's arms.

Sirius hugged him tightly to his chest as the child sobbed.

"Alright Love," Sirius said softly as he gently rubbed the boy's back. "It's all over now."

He hadn't felt that he had been hard enough on the child to produce such tears but then again he hadn't been on the receiving end of it.

"I hated that," Sirius said suddenly. He wasn't sure it was the right thing to say but he unanticipatedly felt the need to be honest with the boy.

"Me too," James sniffed, his tears finally calming down.

Under normal circumstances Sirius probably would have chuckled at his grandson's response but instead he gently pulled James from his chest. "I don't ever want to have to do that again," Sirius said in a solemn voice. "But if you ever do something so foolish again I won't hesitate to do so."

"I won't," James promised. "It was dumb and I really am sorry."

"I forgive you," Sirius replied softly. "It's late now. I think you should go on up and get into bed. I'll come up in a moment and we can talk some more then."

James nodded in agreement. He gave his grandfather one more tight hug before he released him, turned, and walked out of the room.

Sirius sat in the chair for a moment shaking the tension out of his right hand. His nerves were still a wreck. Despite the fact that he knew he had done the right thing he couldn't help but hate the idea that he was ever put in the position in the first place.

But then that was the thing about children, it wasn't always fun and games. Sometimes lessons had to be learned. Sirius only hoped that his days as a teacher ended tonight.