Harry was thrilled to be spending time at the Burrow. Even Sprig enjoyed herself immensely. Mrs. Weasly was a bit...subdued when she found out about Sprig, but when the dragonet spoke and asked about how to cook certain types of food, she opened right up. The two hit it off, with Sprig being Mrs. Weasly's unofficial taste-tester for new concoctions. She even amused everyone by pranking the twins regularly.

When it came to de-gnoming the garden, however, she was considered a target. The main goal was to get it past her, which made the twins concentrate more than usual. They were having so much fun it took them a while to realize there were no more gnomes left to throw. Sprig sat outside the window while Mrs. Weasly fed her a few extra helpings. That evening, she watched Harry and Sprig work on their flight exercises. It was obvious to everyone they needed to work on them more.

Percy got a nasty surprise when he looked at a nearby mirror and saw Sirus' face looking at him, amused. His insuing yelp brought everyone back inside to see what was going on. Harry took one look at the mirror and started laughing with Sirus.

"Harry, why is Sirus in our hallway mirror?" asked Ron.

"Sorry Ron. I forgot to mention he's been talking to me through mirrors all summer."

"How is it you get his letters and not ours?"

"He didn't bother with the letters. Besides, a house-elf was nicking my letters before I could see them anyway."

'Quite true. As for me, I preferred a more direct approach. Please tell me you've been keeping up with your excercises, Ron...'

"Harry, can he hear what we're saying through the glass?" asked Ron, concerned.

They could see Sirus laughing his head off.

'No I can't hear you unless Harry activates the audio. But I do know how to read lips, Ron! lol'

Another face appeared in the mirror; a man about forty, but easily looked thirtyish. His eyes danced as merrily as Mr. Weasly's when faced with a new muggle invention. His constantly amused look immediately won him over with Weasly sr.

'Ah...I see the Doctor finally decided to see what I was up to. Everyone, meet the Doctor. I'll see if we can stop by after we save New New York from a plague of zombies with no minds. Keep an eye out for the blue box!'

Sirus disappeared after that, and Mr. Weasly looked at Harry.

"I don't know how he does it," said Harry.

"What I'd love to know is what he meant to look for a blue box..." said Ron.

The next morning had everyone up early as they were awoken by a loud grinding sound. It continued for a full minute, and practically everyone was outside in an instant. Harry and Ron looked in shock as what appeared to be a police telephone box from the 50's slowly materialyzed on the lawn. When it was fully settled, a familiar face popped out from the open door, his eyes laughing.

Soon the twins started laughing as well, congratulating Sirus for the best prank yet. The minute Arther Weasly saw the Doctor, the two hit it off easily. Mrs. Weasly shook her head in dismay as she went in to start breakfast.

"So that's what you meant! Why didn't you tell us you'd be showing up in the morning mate?!" grumbled Ron.

"And ruin the fun? Besides, I had to stop by Misteria to get supplies for the Doctor. After he saw my mirrorway phone, he had to have one. And don't gripe, or you won't get any presents."

"Presents?"

"Didn't Harry mention that I picked up several souvenirs while away?"

They went inside to find the Doctor and Mr. Weasly discussing the ingenuity of muggles. Sirus grinned when the Doctor pulled out his beloved sonic screwdriver and laughed when the twins gave him a cupcake which turned him into a canary for a full minute. The Doctor seemed equally amused as he gave the twins suggestions for pranks. He cracked up when Mrs. Weasly insisted on feeding the man, who Sirus knew full well was over 900 years old!

"I must admit, I'm glad you talked me into coming here Sirius," said the Doctor after eating thirds.

"Sirius?"

"My birthname. I don't know how the hell he found THAT out, but he won't call me by my nickname at all!" laughed Sirus.

"What'll your Mum say when she finds out you're back?" asked Harry.

"I'll say you're late, young man. I expected you three days ago!" said a voice from the fireplace.

"Ack! I really shouldn't have stopped by Misteria. No doubt she found out from them when I popped up."

"Where is your mother, Sirius?" asked the Doctor.

"Her head's in the fireplace, Doctor. She's using the Floo to berate me."

The Doctor went to talk to her for a bit, and Sirus turned to everyone in the kitchen.

"Now, who wants the stuff I picked up while away?"

The twins both ended up with sonic screwdrivers, Ron got glasses that could see through anything from invisibility cloaks to walls. Harry got a strange device which would take him back in time. Sirus had Hermione's gift with him.

As they all headed to Diagon Alley, Arthur and the Doctor got into a serious debate on the point of lawyers. Sirus grinned as they went into Gringotts, and he filled up his sack full of Galleons. He had a second sack filled with Sickles and knuts as he went outside to wait. Harry came out with him and they did a minor bit of shopping before the others realized they were gone. When they got back, Harry had a large mirror in his pocket. (It had been shrunk by the helpful witch who sold it to him.)

They all went to Flourish and Blotts and bought their books. Sirus even bought a book full of time-travel magic which didn't work for the Doctor, who was thrilled. Sirus also stopped by a shop which sold magical luggage and bought an Auror-type. He wasn't going to let Snape steal any Misterian book twice. He put all his things in there and began to carry it on his shoulder.

When they got to the Apothecary, Sirus was warmly greeted by the staff, who laughed when he told them his mother was the one who kept them away. They all got a discount as they refilled their potions ingredients. Sirus also bought some ingredients for the Polyjuice potion, which was on sale. His liquid luck ingredients had been in for a week and he picked those up as well.

When they headed to Madam Malkin's, they ran into Hermione. The Doctor seemed delighted to meet her, while she was surprised he took her seriously for a change. Sirus handed her gift, and she flushed. It was a book that would write itself as you read it, which meant it didn't have an ending until you wanted it to.

"Thought you'd enjoy that. Write what you want to read, and it'll create a story for you. Cost me a bundle to get it though."

"Thanks..."

As they headed outside, Hermione's eyes widened at the sight of the TARDIS.

"No, Doctor. If you want a good traveling companion I'll send Hotaru. But leave Hermione alone," said Sirus quietly. Evidently the Doctor heard him, as he shrugged.

Sirus headed back to his house, with the Doctor in tow. The other three spent the day catching up and finishing last minute homework.

OoOoOo

"Why didn't you come home sooner, aniki?"

"Because Mum wouldn't let me. I don't want my cauldron and ingredients locked up for two months! By the way Doctor, this is my sister, Hotaru."

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Hey sis, if Mum decides you need a summer project, I'm sure the Doctor would be willing to let you travel with him. It's a blast!"

"Actually I only did that to see how it would turn out. Now that I know you can handle yourself responsibly, you both can expect a summer project until you leave Hogwarts," said his mother from the kitchen.

Both Sirus and Hotaru winced visibly.

O-O-O-O

"So explain to me again why your both cutting up potatoes?"

"Mum wants me to keep in practice. Basic surivival skill one oh one. Don't waste rescources and make it last. Three years of taking that class had that lesson branded into my skull. Still, it was better than taking Colonies one oh five."

"Colonies one oh five?"

"Misterians sometimes colonize uninhabited planets. Some of us actually do that for a living. Most just go for Survival for five years. First year is mandatory and the others are electives."

"What's survival like?"

"Well, every year you're partnered with at least either a Hunter or a Healer. If you're lucky you get both. I kept getting stuck with Hunters."

"Hunters?"

"Remember the muggle movie called Predator versus Aliens? Well they came to our world and tried to breed their prey, only it didn't take. We kept turning into Mist, and the embryo would fall out to die. When the Hunters came to hunt, we captured them and waited until Queen Kiri spoke to them. Later on we formed an alliance, which stated we would join them on hunts and they wouldn't try to breed the game on us or our allies. Which is why we have to learn their language as one of the tongues we're required to speak."

"How many do you have to learn?"

"Misterian, English, Japanese, Linyaari and Hunter," replied Hotaru.

"Five?!"

"Pretty much. We also have to translate their writing. But since we learn this stuff from the age of three, it's a lot easier. But for those who can't learn it as well, we use the Linyaari's LAAYNE to teach the basics. Either that or they buy a translator and pick it up the hard way."

"Who are the Linyaari?"

"Healers."

"Aren't you done yet?! If you don't hurry up I'll ask Kreacher to 'assist' you!"

The two hurried up and finished before the ancient house elf could appear.

"Who is Kreacher?"

"The house elf that belongs to the 'noble house of Black'. If it weren't for the fact that we tend not to throw things away until their use is up, we wouldn't have trouble with him. He's not right in the head in some ways, but he's a part of the family. Like a crazy uncle, you might say."

The house elf appeared, and Sirus handed him a small basket of vegetables. He carried the larger one as Hotaru carried yet another basket. They carried it to the kitchen, where his mother had started the fire.

"Kreacher, could you retrieve the beef and stock? Hotaru, you get the butterbeer."

"Yes, mon capitan," said Hotaru with a salute.

"What was that about?"

"She likes to joke about the fact that I rule the kitchen and not Mum. Since I'm the potions-maker of the family, they leave the cooking to me."

They sat down to a truly epic dinner as the table groaned in protest.

"Cheers," said Hotaru as they clinked the bottles. Sirus and the Doctor grinned.

O-O-O-O

Sirus waved goodbye as the Doctor boarded the TARDIS and left for a while. Then he headed to the Burrow to test Ron and Harry's alchemy skills. Harry had improved immensly while Ron still needed work.

Sirus helped Ron work at his alchemy, while Harry relaxed with Sprig. Then Sirus turned to Harry and the other boy knew he wasn't going to like it.

"I have a pretty good hunch you two haven't been flying as regularly as I said. I know your uncle is an arse, but you should have been flying more often!"

"I couldn't. Uncle Vernon put bars on my windows!"

"It's true."

"And yet Sprig says she was gone for over a week flying. Care to explain that?"

"I let her and Hedwig out. I knew she'd come back and I didn't fuss."

"Fine. Just to let you know, Hagrid is already flying short distances with StarGazer."

"I've been practicing as much as I can."

"We'll do more at Hogwarts, where you can fly without worry. In the meantime, I want Sprig to fly from here to Japan and back within two days. The less time it takes, the more food you get."

"YES SIR!"

Sprig went up like a shot. In less than three hours, she returned with a branch of pink flowers. Sirus looked both amused and shocked.

"Well done! Full marks! Clearly SHE kept training. Now as your reward..." Sirus pulled out a magically expanded cauldron, which held at least two tons of cooked stew. The Weasly family sat outside and ate like it was a picnic, while Sprig had the rest to herself. She was thrilled and full to the brim for the next two days. She slept like a log for a day and a half.

OoOoOo

They were almost late to King's cross, but barely made it. Ron and Harry were last, and when they attempted to go through the barrier, they crashed! Sirus held back a laugh...until he noticed the time.

"Crap. We missed the regular train."

"What do you mean, regular?" asked Ron, who groaned as he got up.

"Come on, we'll have to take the 11:30 one. Hopefully it won't be too full..." mumbled Sirus.

Harry got up as he and Ron followed Sirus. The other boy stopped in front of a large faded ad for Coke. Sirus slipped behind and motioned for them to do the same. They followed reluctantly and were greeted by several people with horns.

"Sirus...what is this...?" started Harry.

"Welcome to the Myst Express. Linked to the Hogwarts train, we can slip through the glass on the compartment Hermione is in and board that way. Ron, you'll have to hold on tight to Harry when we slip through, otherwise you'll get stuck."

They boarded the train and left their trunks in the usual spot. Then Sirus systematically looked through each glass to find Hermione and Neville. He found them on the second to last compartment. He breathed on the glass, then wrote, "Can you see me clearly?"

Hermione's eyes widened as she saw Sirus looking at her. She opened the door and looked out, but he wasn't there! She closed it, and she could still see him.

'Good, so you can see me. Listen, I have Harry and Ron here with me. The passage to the train was blocked, and they couldn't get through. Whatever you do, don't stand in front of the glass!'

Harry and Ron could be seen behind him, and he motioned for them to stand in front of the glass. Harry gripped Ron tightly, and Sirus pushed them into the reflection. The crystal glowed a violent green as they fell through.

"Activate Audio."

"Ron, Harry, do try to stay out of trouble on the train. And save me some frogs. I'll be joining you soon."

An hour later, Sirus came through the glass. He grinned, and sat down next to a nervous Neville.

"While I would like to know why that barrier closed up, I'm relieved to see that you two haven't gotten into trouble. So how was your summer, Hermione and Nev?"

As they compared summers, (Harry's being the worst until Ron rescued him,) Hermione looked like she was about to burst.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" Sirus said finally.

"How did you get Harry and Ron through?! And how did you speak through the glass?!"

"First off, I only sent them through with Harry's help. His crystal allowed him to use the mirrorway onto the train. Secondly, my crystal has an audio option, which allows you to hear my voice. Harry's is a basic model, so he can't do that...yet. Before I forget, here's your souvenior Nev."

Nev looked surprised that Sirus had remembered him, but he accepted the box anyway. When he opened it, his eyes widened. Inside was a headband with strange markings. It even seemed to beep occasionally.

"Put it on. It allows the wearer to 'float' around the world. You can experience Japan, Egypt, even heal minds if you know how. I thought you'd enjoy being able to help others."

Sirus whispered to Neville, "I heard about your parents. Maybe this will help bring them back. It's no guarantee that this will work, but it's the best I could find to help them."

"Thank you."

"Considering it was a several-times removed aunt who did that to them, it's the least I could do. I'll show you the mind ability later, when we're not moving."

Neville nodded, as they sat down in silence.

"I can't believe we missed you two on the train," said Fred.

"I can. We had to use another method to board."

George leaned close to Sirus and said "Don't forget the bet."

"I haven't. Are you two prepared for the prank contest?"

"What prank contest?" asked Ron.

"We having a contest to see who can out prank Malfoy and his cronies. Snape is fair game only if he interferes. They've had all summer to think up ways, and I've been off-world for two months. Let the war begin!"

Malfoy's year started out normally...until Crabbe and Goyle both simultaniously turned into giant canaries! Then they started passing gas all night, which annoyed him to no end.

The next day, they started saying random things for no reason. After that, both did a jig in the middle of the hall. To end it all, they were both found in a girl's bathroom with nothing but their briefs on!

OoOoOo

"Please tell me that's not the best you can do," said Sirus. The twins looked affronted. Clearly they were waiting for him to do his opening gambit. Sirus grinned.

OoOoOo

A full week of hell. That was all the Slytherin three had to say about it. Never mind the fact that a bludger somehow got in their dorm and managed to destroy practically everything. Or that all their clothes somehow acquired a large amount of itching powder...or that their beds were wet every night. What really irked him was that every time he went into a classroom, a bucket full of foul smelling liquids would inexplicably drop on his head! What made it hell was that no one could tell how the pranks were done! Neither of the Weasly twins were alone for that week, nor was Sirus Black, their only rival. What irked him was the fact that Black openly mocked him, as if he knew who was doing this!
Then a muggleborn was attacked. He was the only one who was wasn't worried. Even Black wasn't concerned, as if he knew what it was doing the attacks!

OoOoOo

"Well boys, who is the winner of round one?" said Sirus.

"While it irks us to admit it..."

"Too true, brother of mine,"

"It would appear we must conscend to you."

"I had you from the moment I let that bludger loose, didn't I?"

"Nah...it was the itching powder that had us beat. Though how did you keep those beds wet for a week straight?"

"Easy. I asked the Myst house to douse the beds before they lay in them for the night. They were more than happy to when I told them of my victims."

"So what now?"

"We wait a month, then we start round two. You may choose the victim for this round."

"Snape."

"Thought so. Remember, one month. Free-for-all pranking is now allowed boys. Just leave Snape alone until round two."

"Fine."

O-O-O-O

"I can't believe Mrs. Norris and Colin were petrified."

"I can. And I have a pretty good idea what did it too. I just hope for Jormund's sake I'm wrong."

"Jormund?"

"Myst house's unofficial mascot. His mum was a basilisk turned human and his dad is a mythological serpent from Norse mythology. He lives in the Forbidden Forest with his sister, so he can keep an eye on Hogwarts. He pops inside from time to time, as its unofficial guardian."

"He's a snake?!" said Ron incredulously.

"A serpent, actually. He hates being called a snake. Serpents generally have powers while snakes are mindless beasts."

"Anyway, what are we going to do about Snape? He seems really ticked off about the targeting of his house," said Ron.

"Just wait until next month. He'll be livid when we're through with him," snickered Sirus.

"Do I even want to know..." muttered Ron.

"Not if you don't want to get detention. Snape can read your thoughts, so I can't tell you the details."

O-O-O-O

After the incident with the pixies, Sirus dreaded DADA. Finally, he could take it no more. He went to McGonagall and asked, "Can we get another Defense teacher? Professor Lockhart has absolutely no idea what he's doing!"

"What makes you say that, Mr. Black?"

"All he does is go on and on about how great he is. He's not teaching us anything!"

"Unfortunately there are no replacements who are willing to take the job."

"If I can find one, can Professor Lockhart be let go?"

"I'll have to ask the Headmaster, but we'll see."

OoOoOo

"What is it, Sirus?"

"Can we have Professor Lockhart replaced sir? All he's taught us is how to handle a cornish pixie attack. If I could bring someone to teach us, could we...?"

"It will be a secondary class, if anything."

"That's fine."

OoOoOo

'So a fraud is teaching DADA. What's that got to do with me?'

'Don't be like that. Students have been attacked, and that utter fake hasn't taught us squat besides how to defend ourselves from cornish pixies!'

'Attacked? Describe it to me.'

'Petrified. Mrs. Norris as well, but most students don't care about that.'

'Is that why you want me to teach?'

'That, and it'll make it easier for you. I know you miss Jormund since he's been living in the Forest.'

'Alright. But if they annoy me too much I get to eat them!'

'Fair enough. Leave the Weaslys alone though.'

OoOoOo

"Professor, I found someone who's willing to teach us. She'll be here within the week."

"And where is she coming from?"

"Hogsmeade. She's Jormund's mother."

"Ah yes, the unofficial guardian of Hogwarts. How is he, by the way?"

"He doing better since the Centaur herd finally accepted him as a friend."

"Good to hear."

"I'd best be going Headmaster."

OoOoOo

Harry and Ron looked up from their textbooks when they noticed that someone was coming up to the school gates.

"Who's that?"

"Don't know. I don't recognize her. Maybe she's a teacher?"

"I don't remember seeing her at the professor's table."

Sirus walked up to the woman and greeted her warmly. She smiled as he led her inside the castle.

"What was that all about?"

o-o-o-o

"Welcome, Professor Rin."

"Hello, Headmaster. I see you haven't changed since my son attended."

"Indeed. As you know, Sirus came to me to lodge a complaint about Professor Lockhart. Your class will be an elective, of course, but it is still under Ministry purview. So please, try not to strangle the students."

"Oh all right. So what classroom will I be teaching in?"

"The empty room next to Transfiguration."

"Very well. Do you have a sylabus for the past year or so? I'd like to know where the students are at," said Professor Rin.

-----

"Students, I would like to introduce Professor Rin, who will be teaching an elective Defense class. Those who wish to join her should speak to their head of house. That is all."

-----

"Sirus, who was that woman?"

"Remember Jormund? That's his Mum. I asked Professor Dumbledore if she could teach a proper Defense class."

"You're kiddin'!"

"Nope."