Author's Note: What a marvelous start to Spring Break; wrote a new chapter, went to bed early, slept in late, relaxed in the kitchen after I got up this morning and now have the wonderful smells from my slow-cooker floating into my room... life is good. I'm so excited to see how much I can get written this week!

Just to clarify, for those of you still asking... yes, this will eventually be a Harry/Viktor pairing, sorry-not-sorry if that isn't your cup of tea. There won't be anything graphic, but they will move beyond friendship at some point, that's always been the plan.

Now, enjoy your chapter, I'm going to check on my food and then get back to writing. Have to keep it up if I want another chapter posted by Monday! Besides, I'm excited to explore Hermione's character a little more in the next chapter...

Thanks for reading!

-Emmette

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Every muscle was tensed and at the ready as Harry waited for the signal to fly. He, Ibraim, and Viktor were side by side on their Firebolts (Ibraim having borrowed Emil's, a gift Viktor had insisted on which his best friend had yet to actually use), about to race around the lake. Emil would be shooting off the starter sparks, and Khaled had grudgingly been convinced to help judge as they returned to the finish line. The others, not to be excluded, had insisted on providing obstacles for the course. They were hidden around the lakeshore, waiting for the racers to approach.

Harry could practically feel his excitement bubbling in his veins. He hoped at some point that he and Viktor could fly together—just the two of them—in a more relaxed setting, but he knew his nerves were too frazzled for anything peaceful and leisurely today. Besides, he couldn't deny the idea of racing against such a famous Quidditch player was thrilling. He wasn't one to brag about his abilities, but the honest truth of the matter was that no one at Hogwarts could even hope to match him on a broomstick. He looked to the side, shyly making eye contact with Viktor as he wondered what it would be like to fly with someone so talented.

The corners of Viktor's eyes crinkled ever so slightly as he smiled back at the smaller seeker. Harry wanted to analyze the expression, try and decipher the emotion behind it, but not even a second later a jet of sparks fountained out of the end of Emil's wand accompanied by a shrill blast, somewhat akin to a steaming tea kettle. Harry shot off purely on instinct, his body flattened against the handle of his broom as he pelted out across the bank of the lake before he even thought to tear his eyes away from Viktor's.

From the moment their brooms took flight, it was clear that the competition was between Harry and the Bulgarian. For the first quarter stretch, one would pull ahead by mere feet only to be overtaken by the other a feet few later. They veered into each other's paths, swerved, ducked, and rolled wildly, anything to try and gain an edge over their opponent. By the time Lina leapt out of the forest-line into their path, Harry's laughter filled the skies, and his eyes sparkled in a care-free joy that he hadn't managed since Sirius went back on the run.

With no warning, Lina whipped her wand out towards the pair and had the two young men diving away from each other with simultaneous curses to avoid the long tendril of fire now crackling in the air where they had been only moments before.

"Whoa!" Harry gasped, heaving his weight suddenly to one side so that he was hanging upside down from his broom by his hands and ankles in order to avoid the flame a second time. He righted himself and quickly sped after Viktor, leaving Lina to turn her attention to Ibraim. As Harry started to pull even with the older seeker, he could finally hear the deep, throaty chuckles from the other man and his stomach flipped pleasantly at the sound, kind of like it did when Bill Weasley's shirt rode up over the summer. Luckily, there was no time for Harry to panic over his reaction, because Adriana had just stepped out and was quickly filling the air in front of them with a thick, swirling black smog.

Harry grinned wickedly at Viktor's back (the other man having pulled slightly ahead once more) before taking a huge breath of air and holding it just as he plunged into the smoke. Lupin had showed them this spell in Defense Against the Dark Arts the year before. Not only was the swirling darkness disorientating, but if breathed in it left you temporarily light-headed, which was sure to slow down a rider. When he broke free of the smoke a short while later, he momentarily lost a bit of speed as he gasped in much needed oxygen. Almost immediately he was back up to speed, though, and he grinned as he heard Viktor cursing several meters behind him, obviously having just broken out of the fog.

The final obstacle caught them both off guard, Rumen having snuck forward from the three-quarter mark to lay his trap much earlier than they would be expecting. An enormous net sprang suddenly from the trees, directly in their path. Harry swore as he made a nearly ninety degree angle turn towards the center of the lake, the only way to avoid the net. Viktor, who had still been tailing Harry when the net was thrown, had been able to make a less drastic turn and therefore had maintained more of his momentum. He shot Harry a triumphant smirk over his shoulder as he sped ahead…

…leaving just enough time for one of the Giant Squid's tentacles to rise out of the water in front of him unnoticed. Harry opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late. The tentacle slapped against the tail of Viktor's broom and sent him into a wild spiral towards the surface of the lake.

In a burst of speed Harry hadn't even realized he was capable of, he swooped under Viktor with just enough space to leave his sleeves trailing in the water. He grabbed the nose of Viktor's broom, pointing skyward once again, and dragged the other Firebolt along with him just long enough to stabilize the Bulgarian's flight before letting go. By now, the Squid was fully aware of the wizards zooming around and disturbing her lake, and she was actively attempting to stop them.

Harry let out a bark of laughter as he dove and darted between undulating tentacles, unable to contain the rush of joyful adrenaline. Viktor, who had shot straight up in the air until he had broken free of the Squid's reach, was now staring down at Harry's antics with a look that seemed torn between disbelief and admiration.

"You are crazy, Little Survivor," he shouted, trying to be heard over the angry splashing of tentacles and Harry's own hoots of glee. Finally, he took pity on the giant creature and shot up into the air, pulling even with Viktor and panting harshly from the exertion of his little cat-and-mouse game.

"Your friends are awesome!" Harry gushed, and Viktor could only shake his head.

"My friends quite probably just took great amusement in trying to kill us," he dead-panned.

"Yeah," Harry agreed easily, an almost dreamy look on his face as though such an attempt was the height of awesome as far as he was concerned. Viktor couldn't help it this time and threw his head back in laughter. It had been a long time since flying with someone had made him feel so alive.

"Oi, you still have a race to finish, you lunatics!" Rumen shouted from shore, and Harry and Viktor grinned at each other before shooting off across the lake neck in neck, pelting towards Khaled.

In the end, Harry lost by half a broom length, a feat which still left him blushing as Rumen, Lina, and Adriana all raved about his amazing skill. Ibraim, who had crashed into the lake while caught in Adriana's magical fog, was pouting as a tight-lipped Emil dried him with his wand. Harry had a moment of unease, wondering if the Ukrainian was going to resent him for besting the older boy in the race, but Ibraim made sure to smile and congratulate him when he noticed Harry's apprehension, and Harry allowed himself to relax. Viktor's friends weren't Ron; he could be himself—his whole self, without holding back—and they wouldn't reject him for it.

The only two who weren't joining in on the excitement were Khaled and Emil. Khal Harry wasn't worried about; the dark-skinned man had come up beside him and squeezed his shoulder gently, giving him the barest nod of approval before slipping back out of the circle of hyper teens. Harry couldn't help but grin, somehow feeling like that small bit of recognition had been more worthwhile than all the others' praise combined. Emil, on the other hand…

"Are you mad?" Harry asked quietly, when he had finally found made his way close enough to the slender boy to be heard over the all the shouting. Emil pursed his lips and waved his wand once more over Ibraim before ending his spell with a sharp flick of the wrist and turning to face Harry, eyes scanning him up and down critically.

"Those spells were dangerous—unnecessarily so. Viktor has been casting with them for years and would recognize most of their tricks, but you had no idea what to expect. They went too far without knowing your level of magical knowledge or even your flying skills. They could have done serious damage." The others had quieted down as Emil scolded; his voice never rose above a normal volume, but he managed to make most of them cringe guiltily anyway. Harry could see his point, but at the same time…

"Emil?" He asked hesitantly, waiting for the angry Bulgarian to reluctantly make eye contact with him. "I haven't felt that free or happy in months," Harry admitted quietly, and after a tense beat of silence, Emil sighed and shook his head in exasperation, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards despite his best intentions.

"And here I thought keeping Viktor out of trouble was hard work… you're going to be the death of me squirt." Harry scowled at the nickname, pouting when the others failed to hide their amusement at his expense. "Come on Harry, we'll walk you over to the Gryffindors; I think one life-threatening experience was enough for the day, I'll feel better seeing for myself that you don't run into another." Harry smiled hesitantly at him, still unsure if he and his new friends had been forgiven for their recklessness. Emil rolled his eyes. "And next time you and Viktor race, I'm approving all 'obstacles' before those morons start cursing you." At the subtle promise of more flying in the future, Harry smiled full-out, and willingly led the way back to the castle.

xXxXxXxXx

Harry grinned indulgently at the little elf hopping along by his feet, making sure the invisibility cloak continued to cover them both. True to his word, Emil had insisted that he and Viktor escort Harry all the way to Fred and George, who were saving him a place for dinner. As soon as the Durmstrangs left for the Slytherin table, Harry and the twins were surrounded by Lee, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie, all of them talking over each other in their excitement to hear what it was like to fly with the Viktor Krum. Apparently, a couple of Hufflepuffs had been studying outside and seen the race, and by now almost the entirety of the school had heard about it.

Harry wasn't exactly fond of being the center of attention, but it was worth it to find that at least some of his friends from Gryffindor were still on his side. Harry had fumbled for a moment after Katie Bell made an off-hand comment about Angelina entering her name in the Goblet. He had started to stammer out an apology only to be silenced by a sisterly hug from Angelina.

"We've been on a team together for three years, Harry; if anyone should know how much you hate the spotlight it's us. I know you didn't enter your name." She sat back down, but turned back to smile at him. "And besides; as long as someone from the team can show Diggory that Lions play to win, I'm satisfied."

Really, the only downside to the whole thing was that it left Harry no opportunity to sneak food away for Sirius. In the end, he had returned to Gryffindor tower with the rest of the team and then immediately snuck back out under his invisibility cloak to find the kitchens. When he had explained to Dobby (quietly, and out of earshot of the rest of the elves) that he needed to get food to a friend, but that no one could know they were here, Dobby had insisted on helping. He had sworn to protect Harry's secrets, and eventually Harry had relented and told Dobby about Sirius as they made their way slowly towards the secret passage-way. By the time Harry said the password at the statue of the one-eyed witch, the elf was nearly vibrating with excitement over meeting 'his Harry Potter's family.'

"Pup?" Sirius's voice was weary as he spoke from the shadows, and Harry heard the sigh of relief when he flung the invisibility cloak off of his shoulders. "Oh thank Merlin. I've been jumping at shadows for hours, worried that someone was going to come down to the tunnel and find me." Harry frowned. He felt badly that his godfather had been so stressed waiting for him, but more than that, he had hoped that Sirius would stay in the safety of the passageway for however long he planned to stay in the UK. Here, Harry could make sure he was fed, and no one would find him and turn him over to the Ministry. He explained his idea to Sirius, but the older man smiled sadly and shook his head.

"I know you're concerned, but I'll be alright, Harry. I can't stay here: I've been locked up for twelve years, I'm not ready for another prison, however well-intentioned a prison it may be." He ruffled Harry's hair when the Gryffindor looked away guiltily, not having thought through just what he had been asking of his Godfather. "Besides," Sirius said, determined to keep the conversation from getting to gloomy. "I've got Buckbeak to think about! I must admit, I've grown rather fond of the feather-brain."

"You still have Buckbeak with you?!" Harry asked incredulously, gaping at the older man in shock. "Sirius, what are you thinking! You're supposed to be in hiding, blending in—how are you supposed to do that with a sodding Hippogriff?!" To Harry's alarm and confusion, Sirius started to laugh.

"I'm sorry Harry," he choked out once he had managed to catch his breath. "You just sounded so much like your mum…" It was probably the only thing the man could have said to calm Harry down. Sirius, probably noticing the hungry look on Harry's face, brushed Harry's bangs to the side so that he had a clear view of his bright green eyes. "You have more than your mother's eyes, Harry. You're fiercely protective of your friends and family, just like Lily was. And you worry about all the possible ways a plan could go wrong; she had that in common with Remy. I think he was relieved when James finally got your mother's attention, if for no other reason than it meant he finally had someone to help him keep James and I under control." Harry saw the reminiscent smile, and couldn't help but smile back. His concerns hadn't been put completely to rest yet, though.

"I can't help that I want you safe and taken care of, Siri," he sighed. "I finally have a family; the thought of losing it…" Unconsciously, his hands tightened into nervous fists. Sirius noticed, and took one between his own hands, smoothing out the fingers and looking at Harry seriously.

"What about your Aunt and Uncle, Harry? You've lived with them for years, don't they count as family?" Harry wouldn't meet Sirius's eyes, and the older man's brow creased with worry. He looked ready to ask something else, but a quiet sneeze from a few feet down the tunnel interrupted him. Before Harry had even processed the sound, Sirius had swung him around, using his own body to shield Harry's, a small dagger clenched in his hand.

"Who's there?" he demanded, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"I is sorry Harry Potter sir! Dobby did not mean to interrupt Harry Potter and his Dogfather sir!" Harry snorted at the nickname, stepping out from behind his confused godfather, Sirius still searching the seemingly empty passageway for the owner of the squeaky voice.

"Put the knife away Siri, it's fine." With that, Harry groped out in front of him until he found the edge of his cloak, then swept it off to the side, revealing Dobby and a small mountain of food. He hadn't realized that the cloak had fallen around the little elf when he flung it off himself a few minutes before, and he guiltily realized that he had almost forgotten Dobby entirely in his worry over Sirius. "Hey Dobby, don't worry, you aren't interrupting. You came with me to help, remember? I'm sorry I haven't introduced you yet. Sirius?" He stepped to the side and turned so that Sirius could see the nervous elf beside him. "This is Dobby, my friend. Dobby, this is my Godfather Sirius Black." As Dobby bowed low, still somehow managing to keep his armload of food from toppling over, Sirius hesitantly slid his knife back into his robes and raised a questioning eyebrow at Harry.

"Just how many friends of yours are you planning on telling about your escaped-convict Godfather?" Harry blushed a little, but just gave a half-shrug in reply.

"I had to go to the kitchens to get some food for you, you obviously haven't been eating enough. I knew Dobby would help me out, and he's sworn not to tell a soul anything about you."

"And if his master requires an answer?" Sirius questioned cautiously, and to Harry's surprise it was the elf himself who replied.

"Dobby is a free elf sir! Dobby can make his own decisions, and keep his own secrets. Harry Potter saved Dobby sir, he set Dobby free and Dobby will never, ever betray him." For a moment, both of Sirius's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline, but then his face relaxed into a smile, and he knelt down and lifted the food out of the elf's arms before holding out a hand.

"It's wonderful to meet you Dobby; I'm glad my Godson has such a loyal friend." Dobby, predictably, burst into tears as he shook Sirius's hand, raving about what a great, kind wizard Sirius Black was. Harry noticed that his Godfather was grinning widely at the praise and could only roll his eyes fondly.

"Okay, now you've met; don't think I've forgotten that you are hiding out under the Ministry's nose with a convicted Hippogriff, Sirius! Remember, you're not the only one on the run from the law. And how are you managing to hide and care for Buckbeak anyway? You're hardly managing to care for yourself!" Sirius pouted at this.

"You know, I think I liked Dobby's opinion of me better…"

"Be serious!" Immediately, Sirius perked up and looked eager to point out the joke, but Harry held up a hand and raised his eyes heavenward in exasperation. "Yes, I know the pun, spare me." Sirius was back to pouting again, but his eyes were sparkling with amusement. Harry shook his head. "You need someone to look out for you, Siri," he said earnestly, and though the man smiled softly in return, almost an acknowledgement of the statement, he offered no solution, either.

Harry looked down at a gentle tugging on his robes, surprised to find Dobby biting his lip nervously as he tried to gain his attention. Immediately, Harry knelt down to be at the little elf's level.

"What is it Dobby?"

"Dobby can be going with Harry Potter's Dogfather, sir. Dobby can be taking care of him and the Hippygriffy." Harry's eyes widened at the offer.

"Dobby, you don't owe me anything, we've talked about this. You're a free elf; I want you to do whatever is going to make you happy. You deserve it," Harry said quietly, but Dobby had started to shake his head even before he finished speaking.

"This would make Dobby happy, sir! Dobby likes being free elf sir, wearing clothes and working for wages, but Dobby be missing having a wizard to care for. Dobby be thinking that if he goes with Harry Potter's Dogfather, maybe… maybe Dobby can be doing both? And… and maybe he be getting to visit Harry Potter, too?" Harry would have had to have been blind to miss the hopeful look in his little friend's eyes, and besides; he didn't really want to turn down the offer.

"Alright Dobby, I have a few conditions," Harry said, after catching his Godfather's eyes and receiving a nod to go ahead. Sirius was clearly surprised by the turn of events, but he appeared more than willing. Dobby nodded eagerly, clasping and un-clasping his hands as he waited. "First, I need you to tell me what your agreement with Dumbledore was." Dobby's ears drooped, but he dutifully answered the question anyway.

"Albus Dumbledore being paying Dobby one galleon a week, and letting him wear whatever clothing he be wanting to. Dobby be getting one weekend off a month, and…" he hesitated, but finally finished in a whisper, "…and Dumbledore be telling Dobby that he be free to have his own opinions, no matter what, sir. He be saying that Dobby can—can call him a 'barmy old codger,' if Dobby wants to. But Dobby would never want to do that, sir!" Dobby assured them hastily, even as Sirius let out a bark of laughter and muttered something about needing to remember that one. Harry smiled and nodded.

"Alright Dobby, here are my conditions: first of all, I will be paying you two galleons a week. Nuh-uh-uh, no arguing; when someone gets asked to leave their job for a new one, it is customary to expect a pay raise—this is not up for discussion." He waited a moment to see if Dobby would try to interrupt again, then continued. "You will still, of course, be able to wear whatever clothing you like, and I want you to purchase yourself a nice trunk with some of my money to keep your things in. I know what it's like not to have a place that's just your own, and it's important to me that you have this," Harry added, making sure that the elf wouldn't become too guilt-stricken over the 'extravagance.' "I need your word that you won't tell anyone about Sirius or Buckbeak, or that you work for me, but other than that you are your own person: that means you can disagree with Sirius or I, or get upset with us, or even lose your temper. You will never be punished—not by us, and not by yourself. Is that a deal?" Dobby's eyes were glimmering with tears, and he was looking up at Harry with adoration and disbelief.

"Oh, Harry Potter sir… You is being far too good to Dobby sir! You… I…" Harry smiled at the overwhelmed elf.

"You'll have to tell Dumbledore you've found another job, alright? You can thank him, and if he needs you to finish out the week that's alright, but you won't be able to tell him what you're doing for work now. You can mention that you'll be able to visit Hogwarts if it comes up, but I don't know what he'd think about Sirius being here, and I'd rather not risk it, okay?"

"Yes Harry Potter sir, Dobby be going to talk to him right away sir! Dobby be ready to go tonight with Harry Potter's Dogfather!" With that, Dobby snapped his fingers and popped away. Harry blinked in bemusement, then looked up to find Sirius watching him strangely.

"What?"

"I… thank you, Harry. No one but your father ever looked out for me like this. Although, I'm supposed to be the one looking out for you…" He frowned slightly, but Harry shrugged it off.

"You are. You've no idea how much it's helped knowing you're nearby and being able to talk things through with you—even if I have been worried.

"Yeah, well… I only wish I could do more. And I'll be the one paying the elf, by the way; the money your parents left you is for you, Harry." He shook his head when Harry looked ready to argue. "Really; I'm the last true Black—I'm rich." At Harry's skeptical glance at Sirius's torn clothing, the animagus actually blushed. "I haven't been able to get into my vault, only the one time I risked it as a dog, when I bought you your Firebolt. It's common for purebloods to do their banking via a house elf, though. With Dobby, I'll be able to access my money, send him out to purchase food and clothes… you really saved my arse with this, kiddo." Harry grinned, happy to hear that his Godfather would be better taken care of now.

Harry sat down, getting comfortable and urging Sirius to eat some of the food Dobby had brought. As the older man ate, Harry started telling him about his day; making friends with some of the Durmstrang students, finding out he had more support than he thought in Gryffindor, and, of course, the race with Viktor.

"You held your own in a race against the top professional seeker?" Sirius asked, making an impressed whistling sound. Harry's smile lit up his face.

"And it was awesome!" he confirmed, before launching into a detailed re-telling of the race as they waited for Dobby.

While Sirius ate his first full meal in weeks and listened to his excited Godson, he couldn't help but wonder if it was the race or the racer that had Harry more excited.