Hello, again.

Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.

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Harry Potter stood in shock at the man before him.

Sirius Black.

Murderer.

He'd killed muggles for sport. He killed innocent people for his own amusement. He even tried to kill students last year.

How could Neville even talk to this man?

A flash of hatred coursed through Harry - a mass of anger from deep inside him swelled, his whole body filled with rage. He wanted vengeance. He wanted answers.

"I can see in your eyes that you hate me - I understand Harry, I really do. If I was in your position I'd feel exactly the same. I'd truly hoped we'd meet in different circumstances." Sirius spoke, his voice pleading through the fire. A strange look overtook Black. "You look so much like James."

Harry saw red. "Don't you dare use his name!" he shouted, his wand leveled at the other man. "My father was a great man - you don't have the right to talk about him!"

"Your father was my best friend once upon a time, Harry." said Sirius.

"No he wasn't! You're lying!" said Harry, breathing heavily.

"I'm telling the truth, Harry," spoke Sirius, maintaining composure despite Harry's rage. "Please, give me one chance to explain my side of the story. After that, you can run and tell Dumbledore if you wish. I'll even stay on the floo while you get him."

"One chance." Harry said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Thank you, Harry," Sirius said. "Now, you must realise, times were dark. Voldemort had set a black cloud all over us all. We were all afraid, Harry."

"And because you were afraid, killing defenseless muggles is okay?" Harry asked, his anger not stemmed.

"No, Harry, I don't. I've never, not once, ever, killed a muggle."

"Yet you hold his mark, Black."

Sirius Black's head disappeared from the fire, replaced by two arms. He pulled his left, then right, sleeve up to show clear, pale skin empty of magical ink. Not a mark in sight.

Confusion filled Harry. How could this be possible? Every eyewitness account of Black had said that he bore the mark on his arm. Moreover, the mark couldn't be glamoured or covered up in any way - even muggle makeup didn't stay upon the mark.

"I see you're confused by this, Harry," said Sirius, his head once again visible in the embers of the fire. "It seems Pettigrew's lie had everyone fooled."

"Pettigrew? Peter Pettigrew? You killed him, didn't you?" Harry asked, his minding unraveling more by the second.

Sirius scoffed at the accusation. "No - The rat framed me. I was his friend and he betrayed me. He betrayed us all. Peter sold his friend down the river so old Voldemort would spare him. We'd used the Fidellius Charm to protect ourselves - it was the one charm that can't be broken magically. All you needed was trust. We thought we were safe."

"We? Who's we?"

"The Order. The one group that stood up to Voldemort," said Sirius Black, a storm building in his voice. "Your parent's house was under the charm. The thing about the Fidellius was that it required a secret keeper. Think of the charm as a chain - the keeper allowed new links to be placed on the chain."

"And you chose Pettigrew?" Harry asked.

"We did. We all trusted him. Me, Remus and your father had been friends with him for our whole lives. The rest of the order had wanted me to be the secret keeper, me and your father were closer than anyone, but I knew I was too obvious - I'd made my opinion on the dark lord too public. The rat was a relative unknown. He was the perfect candidate. He was quiet. He kept his mouth shut," Sirius said, melancholy across his face. "He used to keep his mouth shut. Your mother was the charms prodigy, so when it came time for her to perform the spell, the rat and I switched places."

Harry could hear the truth in his words. In the anger burning in his voice. A lump had built in his throat, but he needed to know more. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry Harry."

"Sirius, what happened?" asked Harry once more, desperation in his every word.

"It was Halloween. We'd caught wind of an attack on the Longbottom's estate. There weren't that many of us in the Order, so we'd had to send nearly everyone to protect Alice and Frank. James and Lily were left alone taking care of you," Sirius said, his voice catching on every word. "By the time we'd found that the charm had fallen, it was too late. The death eaters had already been and gone. I'm so sorry Harry."

Harry felt numb.

He'd known that his parents had been murdered - Dumbledore had told him that his parents had died fighting against Voldemort - but he didn't know it was like this. He'd not wanted to know about their death; he'd much prefer to focus on their life. Their love. Their minds.

"I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you this, Harry," said Sirius. Harry's green eyes, usually so intense, looked lost. "I couldn't let the Rat escape. Not after that. Not after what he did to James and Lily - what he allowed to happen. He played me like a fool. He told me of his plan - how everyone would blame me, how everyone would suspect a Black to follow Voldemort. By the time I had my wits about me, I was already in the hands of the Aurors - the rat had blown up a street and scampered off into hiding."

"It's true what he's saying, Harry." Neville spoke, finally having awoken from the after-effects of the freezing charm. "Last year when he started 'targeting' Hogwarts, he was really going after Pettigrew. You know Scabbers, Ron's rat? You know how it was missing a toe?"

Harry nodded, though he looked in a daze. Neville continued. "And, after what happened to Pettigrew, what was the only thing they found?"

"Ron Weasley's rat was Peter Pettigrew?" queried Harry, weary at yet another revelation.

"We'd all became animagi together at Hogwarts. I could spot the rat from a mile away," Sirius explained. "One of the guards at Azkaban was reading the Prophet and one day I saw the Weasleys on the cover. I saw the rat on the boy's shoulder - and I just knew I had to get out. If the rest of the world wouldn't deliver justice to the rat, I would."

"That's where I met him." Said Neville.

Sirius nodded. "By the time I'd gotten to Britain, I was totally blinded by my obsession. I needed to find the rat and punish him for what he'd done. I was stupid. The first time I locked eyes with Pettigrew, I went berserk. I took Weasley, Neville and the rat and dragged them out to the Forbidden Forest. However, I had made a slight oversight - that being the horde of dementors trying to steal my soul -"

"-And he'd have been kissed if it wasn't for me." finished Neville, puffing his chest out jokingly.

At the mention of Dementors, Harry heard an all too familiar screaming reverberating in his mind. A silence followed, allowing Harry to consider what had happened.

"Whilst Neville was busy saving our lives, Pettigrew became a rat once more, running off into the night. I had no idea what to do, so I ran away to France, where I am now. French and English aurors have a frosty relationship, so I knew there'd be less chance of me getting caught here."

His world had become a great deal clearer, yet also a great deal stranger very recently. He looked into the fire, to the man that only a few hours ago had been nothing but a murderer in his eyes.

"Professor Lupin was friends with my dad?" he asked finally. Sirius laughed, his eyes losing the edge that they had held.

"We all were." Sirius replied, a kind smile upon his face that took years off of him.

"Then how is it that he never spoke to me about him?" Harry asked. "And how is it that it's only now that you've reached out to me? And only by accident?"

"Because when I met you for the first time, I wanted to be able to offer you a home, or a family, or a security that I can't offer you now. I didn't want to offer you something, in knowing me, that I can't give you," said Sirius, apologetic. "With Remus, it's very difficult. He's a reclusive man. He believes himself a burden upon everyone - when he saw that you were safe without him, he thought he might ruin your life by just simply being there." Said Sirius, a quiet sympathy in his dark eyes. "I can only apologise for not reaching to you earlier. I'd been running for so long and this conversation wasn't one I could have via owl, really. I'd planned to come and find you when I was finally free, and everything was over. I promise that. I wished our meeting was more opportune than this."

Harry nodded, understanding. You could hardly expect a man who you'd never met to risk his life to have a conversation, even if he was your dad's best friend.

"Does Dumbledore know about you?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore knows all, Harry," Sirius said. "Nothing happens at Hogwarts without him knowing about it. I had hoped he'd be able to help my case legally, but he had made it quite clear that without any evidence I'd be back where I started, and I know that his position in our world is invaluable."

Harry's head was swimming. How had Dumbledore known about this since the end of last term and not told him?

He'd have to talk to the Headmaster. The professor was the only connection, up until this evening, that he'd had to his parents and he couldn't believe that they hadn't talked about this. That he hadn't told him.

Neville looked at his watch then abruptly stood up. "I'm going to go to bed - the lads will be wondering where I am. Talk soon, Harry."

Harry thought've joining him, but he'd didn't know when he'd get this sort of opportunity ever again.

"I have to say Harry, you look exactly like your father - except for the eyes, of course," Sirius said. Harry smiled - he'd heard it before, but it was always comforting to hear nonetheless.

"Could you tell me about them please?" Harry said, suddenly feeling the child he suppose he still was.

"I fear James wouldn't be happy about anything I tell you," said Sirius, laughing in a manner that took years off of his face. "He was a bit of a prick. A berk. Blind. Stupid. Arrogant. Resilient to the point of idiocy. Brilliant at Transfiguration. Kind. Brave. The man who helped me when I needed him most. My brother."

Despite what he'd learned that evening, Harry Potter couldn't stop smiling.

Sirius continued. "I'd asked Neville about you, you know," he said. "I'd expected to hear wild stories about James Potter's son. He didn't really know anything about you. How can someone who'd spent 3 years sleeping in the same room as you know barely anything about you?"

Harry was entirely speechless. "I don't know. I just feel like I can't relate to anyone in my year. I feel so lost whenever I'm around other people."

Sympathy crossed Sirius' features. "I think I understand Harry. Believe me, my mum and dad were hardly in the running for parents of the year - I did run away from them, after all. When I came to Hogwarts, I had no idea what I was doing and I was worried about making friends. Then, some daft first year introduced themselves to me and it got a lot easier."

"It's not first year Sirius, and I think I'm a bit beyond that now."

"You are indeed, Harry. It's quite clear we're very different people. And far be it from me, a man that you've known for less than a day, to tell you what to do. However, from a man that cares for you, I found that all it takes is one connection and the world stops feeling so bewildering. It may not be your experience, but it has been mine."

"Thank you, Sirius," Harry said after a moments pause. "If I could ask, why were you talking to Neville tonight?"

"He didn't have anyone else he felt would understand, so he came to me. Many rumours are swirling around about the tournament being hosted at Hogwarts, Harry. Should any of these rumours be true, the consequences may ensnare Neville - as everything seems to. He'd rather it didn't."

Harry nodded. If he were Neville, he'd want the virtue of some quiet every once in a while too.

"Now, I fear we've been talking too long already - I've already put enough effort into getting out of Azkaban, I'd rather I didn't go back to Azkaban because Frankie-First-Year walked in on our conversation," Sirius continued. "Listen Harry, I'm currently in an unplottable location so you wont be able to reach me through normal owls and the like. However, I have an owl that I've charmed so that it can reach me. You can use it to talk to me if you have anything more you'd like to know. You shouldn't have to look too hard, she's…distinctive."

They said their goodbyes and Harry went to bed, laying on top of the covers for a while.

He thought on Sirius Black. There'd been talk of him all of last year, of what he'd done and what he would do when he returned to his master. Yet, all that fear had been for naught. Why was the wizarding world like this? It seemed that for all their powers and their virtues, they were truly no less easy to mislead than children. So much of the knowledge within the world was held in the tight grip of a select few.

Harry looked forward to his next conversation with Sirius Black. Before today, his grasp on his parents felt incredibly weak. Yet with Sirius now, he could finally discover who his parents truly were. Not the idealised version that he'd been given. Or the poisoned one that Snape had told him of. He wished simply to know the man and woman.

Neville Longbottom however had become even more peculiar after today. Harry had the grace to realise that it was chance, rather than talent, that had given him the upper hand when they'd crossed wands. However, he'd hoped that the situation wouldn't develop at all - that Longbottom would've told him about his father's best friend's innocence and not had to trade spells to begin with. Before today, he had no idea how Neville and he could ever see eye to eye. After all, Longbottom had friends that loved, and a Grandmother that loved him too. Today had changed his opinion.

He would talk to Neville, he decided. If only to see if there was anything he could do to repay him for saving Sirius' life.

Harry closed his eyes, as almost immediately sleep overtook him. It was a dream he'd had many times before, though tonight the green light seemed to take an altogether new shade, one that he had never seen before.

Even inside such an incredibly magical castle, the Headmaster's Office felt rather peculiar. The room was entirely circular in shape, its walls covered to the last inch with tome after tome of no doubt esoteric, yet wonderful magic. The prior occupants of the room had been known to leave the office devoid of any personal touches, likely in an attempt to create an aura of authority around them. Albus Dumbledore had no such histrionics however - every shelf, desk and chair seemed to hold within them the essence of the great sorcerer.

Harry Potter, however, wasn't interested in the inner workings of a room that had, at one time or another, played host to every great wizard of the past millennium. He'd walked into the room without a second thought of what surrounded him - after all, this wasn't the first time he'd been inside the office. He'd even failed to notice that the usually stalwart gargoyles that guarded the room's entrance had allowed him passage without giving the password.

"Your visit is, whilst a welcome occasion, unexpected Harry," spoke Dumbledore, his voice emanating from a small alcove containing what Harry had read was a Pensieve. "In truth, I'm rather glad for your appearance. I'd long since grown tired of reading ministry reports."

"Why didn't you tell me about Sirius Black?" asked Harry, ignoring the Headmaster's words. A rare look of surprise came upon Dumbledore's face. Try as he might to stay calm, anger had began to build within Harry.

In a weary gesture, Dumbledore removed his thin spectacles from his face, his shoulders slumping slightly. "So you have talked to Sirius, I take it?" Harry nodded as the professor walked over to his desk. "I also take that you've learned of his innocence, then?"

"He told me that you'd known about what really happened since the start of term."

Dumbledore's eyes were fixed to the table. "I'm sorry Harry."

"You of all people should know how much I'd love to have him in my life," Harry said, his knuckles white as he gripped the chair in front of him. "He - he knew my dad."

Something sombre crossed Albus Dumbledore's face. "I can only apologise - as I stand before you now, I realise I've made a mistake. I simply didn't want to put you in danger."

Harry thought on his words briefly. "I'd rather have danger." he murmured, his face downcast.

Dumbledore glanced at the window. "I forget in my old age what Sirius could have given you, to my shame. Alas, I have held back far too much with regards to Sirius Black from you, which I shall now attempt to rectify," said Dumbledore, falling heavily into his seat. "Please Harry, take a seat."

Harry faltered for a moment, before tentatively sitting into a soft, cushioned chair across from Dumbledore.

The professor waved his wand arm, sweeping across the office and lighting the candles that stood atop several bookcases. The headmaster continued. "Sirius Black is not only your father's closest friend Harry. Sirius Black is your Godfather."

A sharp intake of breath was Harry's response. His eyes were wide in shock. "My - my Godfather?"

"Indeed Harry, your godfather. Now, you may not be aware, but the title of Godfather is not simply a ceremonial one. In the event of no magical relative to take custody of a young wizard, the Godparent is treated as a next of kin within the magical community," said Dumbledore. Harry's anger grew anew. "However, should the godparent be incarcerated, custody of the child falls into the hands of the ministry. This is why the true relationship between you and Mr Black was a secret. A secret that only you, Sirius and I know."

"But how is that possible? How wouldn't the ministry know?" asked Harry.

"Harry I am not proud of this, but being the Supreme Mugwump has its advantages. One such advantage being that I am able to keep certain documents from the hands of the ministry and its magical sensors. They are not aware that you have a godfather, so they do not have custody of you. A loophole within the law, as is so often the case," said the headmaster, winking at Harry. "I could not allow the ministry control of you Harry - I would not wish to think where you may have ended up or with whom you would've ended up with under their jurisdiction. The Potter name is of high value after your grandfather Charlus' work in the Wizengamot and I wouldn't want a power-hungry politician robbing you of your childhood because of it."

Harry sat, contemplating. He would have to simply get used to have his entire worldview turn upon its head, he thought sarcastically.

"So, is this why I was forced to live with the Dursley's all these years? Because the alternative was the ministry?" Harry asked after a while. Dumbledore nodded, causing Harry's face to split open in a huge grin. "So, now that we know that Sirius is innocent, I can live with him!"

Dumbledore looked guilty. "I'm afraid not Harry. We have no evidence to support this claim, as true as it may be. Pensieve memories are not permissible in court. I am working to create a case to free Sirius, though it is proving difficult without any evidence of the true nature of Peter Pettigrew. Sirius knows this - that is why he hasn't searched for you sooner, so as not to rouse suspicion. I'm sorry that you were forced to live your first years in such a way, but truly it was the only option that I had. You simply had to go to your relatives."

Harry face fell, though his eyes were not without hope. "Will I ever leave the Dursleys?"

Dumbledore gave Harry a look that would even Alastor Moody would be calmed by. "Rest assured, Harry. Your Godfather will be free."

"Thank you for this Professor." Harry said, his voice overcome with gratitude.

"Of course, my boy. You know, not a day goes by without someone coming into this office and handing me some manuscript or new bill," the professor said, gesturing to the table in front of them, a desk without a single inch of free space. "I truly detest bureaucracy. I wish to teach, to help the world. I hardly want to spend my days locked in here counting the grammatical mistakes of Cornelius Fudge."

Harry smiled. "Then why do you have so many responsibilities?"

"Because, if I could be so bold, there's no one quite as competent as me. When they offered me the position of Chief Warlock, I knew no-one else could do quite as much good in that post as me. Then came the position of Supreme Mugwump. And so on. You know, my boy, some days I think what I'm doing is pointless - that the day I finally move on to the great beyond, the next person will come along and rip apart all that I've worked to achieve. Then I remember, if I had that attitude, the name of the person in this chair would be Gellert, not Albus."

Harry was perplexed. What had happened with Dumbledore and Grindelwald was something that they had never talked about.

"That may be true, but I think your powers are best spent outside of this office, sir." said Harry, his voice tentative.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Thank you for speaking freely, my boy. Many would disagree, you realise. Many would believe that it's my duty to carry the world upon my back."

"Those people are wrong." said Harry.

"So they may be, Harry. Yet, they will still make noise," Dumbledore said, his eyes glancing over a piece of parchment in front of him, spotting a mistake and making a note of it. "However, it does not fall to you to solve the issues of the world. So, have you made any friends, my boy?"

Harry suddenly felt like a first year all over again. "I've been busy with other things, professor. And now that Sirius has come about, I've had other things on my mind."

There was a hint of something more serious in Dumbledore's eyes. "Now more than ever, you will need others to help you. There are so many things that could happen with Sirius, and should they occur, you will need your friends to help you," spoke the headmaster, before his eyes suddenly brightened, the ever-present twinkle bright in the candlelight. "Now, my boy, it's past the time for you to be in bed. Tomorrow's a big day, with our friends from afar joining us. Who knows what might happen."

"Goodnight professor." said Harry, taking his leave, walking down the ancient steps from the magical office.

The walk from the headmaster's office to his dormitory served to clear his mind. Harry felt ever pleased with what he'd learned tonight, but that didn't change that his Godfather had been incarcerated. He'd have to send a letter to Sirius and see how he could help.

Hogwarts castle guided the boy to the tower, Harry somehow managing to not even catch the wand-light of a prefect patrol, let alone have to speak to one. The world around him became a seamless connection of corridors and paintings, none of it causing even a cursory thought in Harry's mind.

None of it mattered. He had a Godfather, and everything was going to be okay.

So, there it is.

Please review and tell me what you thought of it - once again, they're massively appreciated.

Thank you.