I hope you like the story so far!
.
A lone bead of sweat formed on the nape of Severus Snape. Being in the presence of the Dark Lord as the sole focus of his attention after twelve years shook him to the core. Yet he kept his face impassive, his hands clasped behind his back, head lowered, knees on the cold stone floor, silent.
"Twelve years it's been, Severus," Voldemort began, "yet your head bows before me as it did all those years past." He approached Snape. "I wonder… is it out of your worship for me….or your fear….or your revulsion?"
"My lord…"
"Rise."
Snape rose to his feet slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the floor.
"Tell me, Severus. You shudder in my presence, I am of the conclusion that it is out of horror. Come… show me. Show me the proof that you are still one of my loyal servants…. Severus…"
Then before Professor Snape's very eyes, his handsome features morphed into those of the devil… white skin, spindly hands and glowing crimson eyes. Snape had to admit that the aura of the dark magic made his fingers tremble. Yet he tried not to show his fear.
He slowly rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, baring his forearm. There, starkly contrasting with his pale unblemished skin was a black shape.
.
Voldemort traced the mark's outline with the tip of his yew wand lightly. Snape held still.
"Enlighten me, Severus. What do you feel when you see this mark? Does it make you proud or ashamed?"
"My lord, my loyalty has always been with you…"
In a fast movement, the dark wizard was behind the potions master. "Is that so? Yet, twelve years ago, when I was… incapacitated… you did not try to find me… you remained here, as Dumbledore's pet spy. Even now, when I have risen again, you do not respond to me with the same reverence you held for me then, Severus…"
A silence pervaded the classroom, broken only by the soft swish-swish of Voldemort's robes as he circled Snape. His pale thin hands caressed his wand. "Answer me… who are you truly loyal to, Severus? Being an accomplished Occlumens you can hide many things from me. Is your disloyalty to me one of the secrets you hold? I sense…. You are no longer a faithful Death Eater. Lord Voldemort does not take betrayal lightly."
"My lord, my lord, I am loyal to you… I believed you were gone… I remained at Hogwarts out of fear for my life…"
"Such lies, Severus!"
"My lord…"
"Crucio!"
Snape dropped to the floor, writhing in pain, letting out stifled whimpers. It was a full ten or fifteen minutes before the Dark Lord stopped the torture. "That was your punishment for daring to lie to me." He observed the other who was by now attempting to ease himself off the ground. "I feel that my Death Eaters have lost faith in me. You are such an example. On that fateful night, when all thought I had been vanquished, I survived!" His voice dropped chillingly. "Do you think me weak since the rumors say I was thwarted by a mere infant?" He circled the trembling professor again. "Years ago, I achieved feats that even the strongest wizards deemed impossible. Do not even entertain the notion for a single moment that my younger appearance means my power or patience has dwindled!"
Snape kept his head down knowing that it would probably stay on his neck for longer that way.
"I find that I am feeling merciful today, Severus," Voldemort continued after a short pause. "But do not test my ire again… the consequences will not be pleasant."
And with that ominous warning, Lord Voldemort changed back into Tom Riddle and swept out, leaving one confused, alarmed Potions master behind.
.
After escaping the potions classroom – suspecting that Professor Snape was in for a nasty time – Harry caught up with his friends. "Hey," he panted, falling into step with Ron and Hermione.
"Hey Harry. I say, that was horrible of Snape! The greasy git! I bet he didn't even check what happened, just started hurling abuse at you," Ron started ranting.
Harry looked between his friends, at Ron's irate face and Hermione's worried one, instantly understanding that Ron had filled her in on the incident at breakfast.
"It's alright, he's always badmouthing me, nothing new. At least I'll get a good grade for today's potion."
"Oh yeah, I noticed you were with that Slytherin. How awkward was it? I bet you were itching to hex him!"
"Actually, Ron, you don't want to know," Harry muttered, "The only good thing is that he's great at potions."
"That's lucky, Harry!" Hermione spoke up. "Neville would certainly have blown up today's potion too, if I hadn't scooped out the shells he popped in!"
Harry just smiled half-heartedly. His mind was still on Tom.
On the way, Ron spotted Lupin standing in the corridor. He greeted him enthusiastically.
"Good day to you too, Ron and Hermione. I'm afraid I'm going to have to borrow Harry for a while."
Hermione cast curious looks from Remus to Harry. "Uhm, sure, Professor. Harry, we'll see you later?"
"Yeah." Harry turned and followed Lupin through the corridor filled with students to his office. Once they reached Lupin's rooms, he spelled the doors locked and turned to Harry with a pleased face. "I've a surprise for you, Harry," he revealed. "But you've got to keep this a secret, all right?" When Harry nodded, he went on. "I've talked to Dumbledore and we've decided that you should get a chance to see Sirius as he's your godfather, after all."
"That's brilliant!" Harry said excitedly, after a speechless moment. "When can I go?"
"Right now, Harry," Remus said. He gestured towards the fireplace in the room. "Have you travelled by Floo before?"
Harry nodded. "Once."
"Well, this is slightly different to what you're probably used to. Remember what I told you about, well…Sirius' house being under the Fidelius Charm? The house has been shut off from the outside world completely, and this is the one and only way to access the house, besides the front door. You can Floo into and out of the house, but from the house you can't reach anywhere except my office."
Harry's brow wrinkled. "Is that safe, sir? I mean, what if someone manages to sneak inside your office and floo to the house? Sirius would be in danger!"
"Don't worry, Dumbledore has taken care of that." Remus pointed to the fireplace again. "Anyone can use the Floo to travel anywhere, but Dumbledore fixed it so that the only people who are able to reach Sirius will be Dumbledore, me and you, Harry."
"But…" Harry frowned. "That should be impossible. If the place is under the Fidelius Charm, I shouldn't be able to enter, since the Secret Keeper hasn't revealed the address to me!"
Remus looked a bit surprised. "I wasn't aware you had any knowledge on this charm."
Harry gave a minuscule shrug. "I did some reading because I got curious."
Remus shook his head. "This is a very complex piece of magic that Dumbledore weaved, Harry. Just rest assured that Sirius is completely safe, and you will be able to go to him, but only through this floo connection. When you're brought to the house by the Secret Keeper, you can come and go at your choice, and through the front door, not the fireplace.
Harry turned to the fireplace. "Are we leaving now, sir?"
"Yes, Harry, you can leave your things here. The Floo powder's there by the poker. Say this clearly – Phoenix Nest. I'll be right behind you."
"Phoenix nest?" Harry repeated doubtfully.
Remus smiled reassuringly. "You'll be informed soon, I'm sure. Go ahead."
Harry stepped into the fireplace with a fistful of Floo powder. "Phoenix Nest!" he proclaimed, and with a swirl of green flames, he was transported to another place.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't travel by floo ever again.
Flames and soot spiraled around him as he was sucked through the fireplace, and he clenched his eyes shut.
He stumbled out of a hearth into an unfamiliar room with a very familiar man sprawled on the couch and reading a newspaper. He looked up as Harry sputtered and coughed and tried to regain his balance, and his eyes lit up.
"Harry!" Sirius exclaimed in delight. "Harry!" He steadied Harry with one hand and brushed soot off him with the other.
For a moment, Harry stood still, drinking him all in, this man – his godfather! His very own family!
"Sirius!" Harry gasped, his voice blocked by the lump in his throat. He hugged the man tightly, and felt like he was going to burst with joy when a pair of strong arms wrapped around him and hugged him back just as fiercely. At that moment in time and space, Harry felt as if he had come home.
Behind them, the fire flared green again and Remus Lupin stepped through.
"Moony!" Sirius looked absolutely gleeful at the sight of one of his best friends. "I didn't know you two would be over today!"
Remus laughed and hugged Sirius. "It's called a surprise. How are you doing?"
"Fine, though I'm going to start hexing myself out of boredom."
Harry laughed. "Are you alone here?" he asked.
"No, actually, there's a house elf here, and Buckbeak was in the attic till the day before yesterday," Sirius answered with a grin.
"Buckbeak was in the attic?!"
"We had to keep him out of sight, and the Heamaster decided to keep him here for a few days. He had been sentenced to death, I understand," Remus paused, "Sirius, I can't stay, but I'll be back in two hours for Harry. Classes. Goodbye, you two, and try not to break down the house."
"Ah, Remus, you don't have to spoil our fun!" Sirius teased. Remus rolled his eyes, stepped into the fireplace and disappeared.
"Well now, come on, Harry, and tell me what you've been up to." Sirius sat down with Harry beside him.
Sinking down on the couch next to Sirius, however, he couldn't do anything other than gaze and gaze at his godfather. This was what he had longed for and craved, all his life, each time he spied on Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia plant kisses on Dudley's forehead, each time he had watched Ron's mother ruffle her sons' hair, each time he heard Hermione speaking about her doting parents…
He wanted parents, a family, and now…he had his godfather with him against all odds. Alive, breathing, and caring for him.
"Harry…" Sirius said in a low voice, cupping his chin. "Harry, what's wrong?" And it was then that he realized the lower rims of his eyelids were damp.
Before he could mutter out an excuse like how all the soot got into his eyes, and clumsily wipe away the evidence of his sorrow, Sirius's strong hands covered his shoulders, and his grey eyes looked deep into his own tear–filled green ones. He didn't have to say anything. Because Sirius knew.
Sirius drew him into a warm hug, and Harry – not used to affectionate physical gestures, rather the opposite actually – stiffened for only a second before he melted into Sirius's embrace and clutched at his shirt, feeling safe, warm, and loved.
After he had discreetly rubbed away his tear tracks, he tilted his face up from where it was pressed into Sirius's chest, and said something that he felt he should absolutely say.
"I'm so glad you're here, Sirius."
And if Sirius held him a little tighter, neither mentioned it.
.
Clearing his throat, Harry flushed in embarrassment when he thought back. He'd sobbed on his godfather and clutched his shirt like a teenage girl!
"So…er…news." He cleared his throat again after they returned to normal positions. He scoured his mind to think about something Sirius would find interesting.
"Not much, actually," he said at last. He briefly wondered whether he could tell Sirius about Vodemort at Hogwarts as Tom, but decided against it. If Sirius noticed his short pause, he didn't comment on it. "Everything's back to normal."
"And you still have quite a few months for the year to end, don't you? How are your studies going? How's Snape treating you?"
"Pretty much the same," Harry snorted, "Still hates Gryffindors." Seeing Sirius' scowl he quickly added, "But he did risk his life to protect us that day…"
Sirius shrugged, squeezing Harry's shoulder. "Personally I hate the man. Oh well, what can I do?" He looked at Harry with an air of heavy guilt about him. "I'm you're godfather, and I didn't even come to see you until a decade of your life passed. You were supposed to live with me!"
Harry gazed at him hopefully. "Is there any chance of it? Can I come and live with you?"
Sirius sighed and shook his head regretfully. "I'm afraid not, Harry. I'm a criminal on the run. You wouldn't be safe."
"But you're staying here… Isn't it safe?"
"Yes and no. I don't know whether I should tell you this, but this house is also the headquarters of…. Well, a secret society founded by Dumbledore. Members come and go, but we've not had any meetings for a long time now. Nevertheless, it's not very safe for you unless you know about the society and its members."
"Oh… are you a member too, Sirius?" Harry asked curiously.
Sirius nodded. "Yes, I am, but that's all I can say on the subject. But Harry, aren't you happy with your aunt and uncle? That night, you jumped at the idea of staying with me even though you'd known me only for a little over an hour. Do the Dursleys treat you well?"
Harry swallowed. What in Merlin's name am I going to say? "Uh… of course they treat me well…. It's just…. they're not that used to magic… it makes them….uncomfortable. Besides, I feel, just, you're my family, you and Professor Lupin were my dad's best friends…"
Sirius smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way, Harry. I spent twelve years in Azkaban, and the only things that kept me sane were thoughts of J-James and Lily and Remus and you."
Harry paused and took a deep breath before asking his next question.
"Sirius, what really happened twelve years ago? I don't want to ask anyone except you because no one else knows the whole truth."
Sirius went still.
Then, "Are you sure you want to know, Harry?"
He gave a determined nod. Yes, I do.
Leaning back, Sirius started the story.
"Years ago, James, Remus…Peter–" he spat the name out, "and I were together in Gryffindor. We were a good team, played countless tricks and pranks, and never got caught except for a couple of times." A small smile stretched his lips. "We even came up with a few good inventions. The map you have, for instance."
Harry's eyes widened. "The map of Hogwarts? The Marauders' Map? You made it?"
Sirius smirked. "Compliments of Padfoot, Prongs, Moony and Wormtail. Guess who's who."
Harry went through the names in his mind. "You're Padfoot, possibly because of your animagus form? Moony…I'm guessing that it's Professor Lupin, named for his lycanthropy brought on by the full moon." He peeked at Sirius who was looking gobsmacked and a wee bit proud. He grinned to himself and went on. "Wormtail…Pettigrew. Fits him." Traitorous coward. "Then Prongs was my dad? Why the name?"
"Your patronas is a stag." Harry nodded. "Your father's was the same."
He shared a patronas with his father… Harry felt a sense of lightness envelope him whole. To hear that he resembled his father in one other way…he couldn't be happier.
"The antlers!" He laughed out loud. "Prongs!"
"Brilliant deductions, and take fifty points for Gryffindor, Prongslet!"
Harry grinned even wider. "Prongslet?"
Sirius bared his teeth in an identical grin – teeth that were more hygienically pleasing than last time. "Little Prongs!"
Harry laughed again, feeling full and content, a very rare emotion for him. But his good feeling disappeared as Sirius took up the story from where he had left off.
"We were quite clever students, you know. Your father and I were brilliant at Transfiguration and Moony was good at Charms and Ancient Runes. The Marauders' Map was one of the best things we came up with. Keep it safe, Harry." He paused, and then spoke again. "Snape was on the receiving end of many of our pranks, that was one of the reasons for our animosity. And… in seventh year, one of our pranks nearly got him killed."
"What?!" Harry was horrified.
Sirius looked sheepish. "Remus was a werewolf even back then. And well, on full moon nights he'd go down to the Shrieking Shack to transform. You know, that's why the rest of us decided to become Animagi. To keep him company on those nights. Anyhow, one night, I tricked Snape into going down to the Shrieking Shack when Moony had transformed." He sighed. "I don't know what I was thinking. Moony was going to rip him apart – the wolf in him was fierce. Fortunately, James and I were able to pull them apart. From that day onwards, Snape swore to get revenge. And that's what he's after though it's been years."
"I know he hated my dad. He hates me too, because I look like my dad."
"The bastard." Sirius said with feeling. "Anyway, you know our Animagus forms? Your dad was a stag – like your Patronus – and I was a big black dog, well, you saw me, and Wormtail was a rat."
"Scabbers," Harry murmured to himself.
"Your dad was very much in love with your mother Lily. She, unfortunately, thought him a prat. Nothing he did would change her mind, until he showed that though a prankster, he was a good man underneath. They fell in love, and after leaving Hogwarts, they married. They were the happiest couple ever, only happier when you were on the way."
"They lived at Godric's Hollow?"
"Yes. That's when everything began to go wrong. Badly wrong."
"What happened?" Harry whispered, a chill running along his spine.
"All four of us entered the Auror program after leaving Hogwarts. About eight months after you were born, we got information that Lily and James were in danger of being hunted down by Voldemort. Immediately they went into hiding – they couldn't risk you to fight. Godric's Hollow was put under the Fidelius Charm, and we appointed a Secret Keeper. Near that… that Halloween…" Sirius swallowed – Harry recognized the emotion in his eyes, it was difficult for him to recount this. "James was anxious and feared for yours and Lily's lives. We knew Dumbledore had a spy among the Death Eaters who passed information to him. But all the same, James and I decided to change the Secret Keeper – me. We figured that the Death Eaters would come after me, while the real Secret Keeper was Peter. How I regretted that decision! How different would everything be! Like fools, we entrusted Peter with the location, and we didn't even tell anyone, not even Lily and Moony. We were paranoid. That mistake, that decision is what landed us and you in this mess."
He abruptly got up and faced the wall, and Harry distinctly got the feeling that he was blinking back tears.
"On Halloween night, I went to see Peter, but he wasn't home. I suddenly got this…. pit in my chest, like I knew something was terribly, horribly wrong, out of place… I rushed to Godric's Hollow. But it was too late, I was too late. It was over. The house had exploded… and… and…. James and Lily were dead! Gone! I …. I lost control. Something snapped inside me, and I went mad. Nothing made any impact on me, the only thing I could think of was Peter's blood. I wanted to kill him, tear him to bits! I went after him like a maniac. When I confronted him, it was in a street full of Muggles. I was beyond all rational thought." His hands clenched. "He started yelling at me – that I had betrayed James and Lily! He screamed at me, and then, he blew up the street. The little rat! He was a Death Eater, he betrayed your parents to Voldemort, and accused me of being responsible for their murder! He was more cunning than we gave him credit for. When I was in shock in that street, his wand was behind him. He exploded the place, killing a dozen Muggles, transformed into a rat, cut off his own finger as proof of his death, and escaped. I was left in the ruins with Muggle corpses around me, and laughing like a madman. I really went insane. The aurors turned up, and I was thrown into Azkaban without a trial, charged with the crime of betraying James and Lily to Voldemort. I was also blamed for the Muggle deaths and killing Peter even though I didn't even have my wand out!"
"That's why he yelled at you. To make sure that the people around would think that you were the traitor." Harry's voice came out strained.
"Yes, he was clever. Very clever," Sirius said bitterly. "Everyone thought I was a Death Eater, Voldemort's right hand man, even though I didn't have the Dark Mark. All these years I spent in prison, I..." He trailed off. His shoulders were tense and his whole body was strung up tighter than a bow string. "There was some sort of inspection. Fudge turned up, and I managed to get the newspaper he was holding." His fingers clenched and unclenched repeatedly. "Right there, on the front page, were the Weasleys, and I spotted the rat your friend had. I recognized Peter, of course… In the end, it was thoughts of revenge on what he had done to us that spurred me to escape."
"How exactly did you manage it, Sirius?" Harry hadn't really any idea of how Sirius had done it.
Sirius let out a breathy laugh. "Oh, it was so clever, Harry, so ingenious…I starved myself."
"You what?!"
"I transformed into my animgus form. Dementors don't have as much of an influence on animals compared to humans. Animals don't have complex emotions and memories like ours. I was able to somewhat calm my mind and lie low. I stopped eating and waited till I was thin enough to slip through the bars."
Harry sat back. His mind was whirling. That had to be the least plotted, cleverest, most resourceful, foolhardy plan he had ever heard.
"Yes!" Sirius grinned, apparently reading Harry's stunned expression well. "It was fantastic. I squeezed out through the bars and gave the dementors the slip. After that it was just a matter of crossing the sea."
Harry frowned, bringing up what he had researched of Azkaban. "How did you cross the sea?"
"I swam." Sirius shrugged. "Almost killed me, but I made it. I had to stop and rest a while though."
"Merlin, Sirius! That….just…Merlin!"
"I wanted to see you first though." Here, Sirius turned serious. "Immediately after Voldemort was destroyed, there were many other prisoners brought to Azkaban. Both convicted and suspected Death Eaters were imprisoned. Some of them talked. Their spirits hadn't broken yet." He inhaled. "They talked of you, Harry."
"Of me?"
"About how you had defeated Voldemort. Killed him, vanquished him, made him go poof." Sirius waved a hand. "I don't know whether they were more relieved, shocked, or angry. They spoke of you a lot those first days. Harry Potter. The Boy–Who–Lived. Voldemort's downfall. A savior."
"I was only one year old!" Harry protested.
"Didn't matter. Voldemort had been defeated by you. Half of them thought you were the next Merlin. The other half…well, they had more negative opinions. They kept screaming out that Voldemort wasn't gone. That he would return and strike you down." He wrapped his arms around himself. "I sat silently in my cell, surrounded by Death Eaters, verbally branded as one, and listened." After a few seconds of quiet, Sirius shook out of his stupor. "So after breaking out of Azkaban, I came to see you."
"Privet Drive. I remember, you came out of the bushes right in front of the park. I didn't know who you were. And then the Knight Bus came, and you were gone." Harry remembered.
"I couldn't be seen by anyone. I came to Hogwarts. There I saw Peter as your friend's pet rat. I was seized by a desire to avenge James' and Lily's deaths. You know the rest." He turned, and his face softened. It was then Harry became aware of the distressed expression on his own face. He straightened it immediately.
"You've had a hard life, Sirius. Punished for something that you weren't even guilty of," Harry stood up and reached out to touch Sirius' shoulder.
"Your life has been crazy too," Sirius half–smiled. "You defeated Voldemort when you were only one year old!"
Harry shook his head. "It wasn't me. Dumbledore said that my mother's protection made the Killing curse rebound onto him."
"The people don't say that, do they?" Sirius grinned. "You're a savior to them."
"I don't care. I don't want the fame. All I want is to live without having to look over my shoulder for Voldemort."
Sirius turned sharply. "What do you mean, Harry? 'Look over your shoulder for Voldemort?'" When Harry hesitated, Sirius gasped. "Dumbledore told me that Voldemort wasn't gone for good like everyone believed. He said he was already rising again. Harry, what happened? Did he come after you?"
Harry sank back into the couch. "Actually, he didn't come after me, I sort of went after him."
"What?!"
Sighing, Harry rubbed his eyes. "It was in first year. The DADA professor, Quirell was sort of bound to Voldemort. Like he was possessed, but still able to think and speak for himself. Voldemort was… at the back of Quirell's head, hidden by a turban. Nobody knew. But then Gringotts was broken into, and we – Hermione, Ron and I – discovered that the Philosopher's Stone was hidden in Hogwarts. We thought Snape was going to steal it for Voldemort. Dumbledore was away and we couldn't reach him. So we decided to stop Snape from getting the Stone ourselves."
"Harry! Do you have any idea of how dangerous that could have been?" Sirius nearly yelled.
"We couldn't let Voldemort get it! If he did, he could use the Elixir of Life to return! We went down the trapdoor – it was guarded by a giant three-headed dog. But someone had gotten past it before us. The Stone was guarded by several obstacles besides the dog; Devil's Snare, winged keys, and a chess game. I think there were more, but they had already been disabled."
"Merlin, Harry, how did you get past them?" Sirius asked in wonder. "Surely it must have been Dumbledore who set up the obstacles, how could you get past them?"
Harry grinned. "Hermione's knowledge of Herbology got us out of the Devil's Snare. The winged keys, well, one of them was the key to the door leading towards the Stone, and there was a broom, I knew how to fly. The chess was exactly like Wizard's Chess. Ron's a brilliant player. He played the game, sacrificing his piece in the end. So I went on to the Stone alone. Only, I wasn't quite alone. Quirell was there, and so was the mirror of Erised. We were mistaken about Snape, by the way. He made me look into the Mirror, and I saw myself holding the Stone. And the next thing I knew, the Stone was in my pocket!"
"How did it get there?"
"Dumbledore later said that he had fixed the Stone's security in a way that only a person who wanted to find the Stone and not use it could get it. Somehow, when Quirell tried to strangle me, my touch burned him… it turned him into ash, and Voldemort escaped in a swirl of dust. Quirell was… well, he was gone." Or dead, more accurately.
Sirius collapsed onto the couch next to Harry. "For Godric's sake, you must have been only eleven years old! What were you thinking! What was Dumbledore thinking! You went to face Voldemort! Alone! You could have been hurt!" he groaned.
"Sirius, don't be upset. I couldn't let Voldemort get the Stone if I could do anything to stop it," Harry protested.
Sirius sighed. "I know. What you did was very brave. Your parents would have been proud. Alarmed, but proud."
Harry ducked his head to hide his blush. Seeing this, his godfather laughed and ruffled his hair. "Come on, Prongslet, I'll show you around the house."
.
After a somewhat disorganized tour during which Sirius kept Harry away from certain areas of the house, Harry and Sirius entered the kitchen. There was an old, crabby looking house elf preparing lunch. "Master Sirius Black has come to shame the noble House of Black," he grumbled. "Nasty Master has bought another nasty guest…"
"Kreacher, you can go. Leave the lunch on the table," Sirius ordered, and Kreacher obeyed, still muttering under his breath.
"Kreacher must obey the nasty shameful Master Sirius. Kreacher lives to serve the noble House of Black…"
"Cheerful, isn't he?" Harry remarked.
Sirius chuckled. "He's a bad-tempered old thing. Been in the Black family for a very long time, even when my mother was the mistress of the house. When I inherited the house, I inherited him too. He works, but he hates me, like everyone else in my family."
"Why?" Harry asked, before biting his lips and shaking his head. "No, sorry, I shouldn't have asked that, it's personal…"
"It's alright. I'll explain everything to you, but on another day, not today. Sit down, you must be hungry. Kreacher hasn't poisoned any of this, I promise, I forbade him to." At Harry's alarmed face, he chortled. "Relax, I was joking."
Harry visibly sagged in relief. "Why don't you set him free of his servitude if he dislikes you so much?" he asked.
"I wanted to, but he knows too much about the Headquarters. He'll probably go straight to another Black, and spill all our secrets."
While they ate, Harry told Sirius about Dobby and how he had freed him from the Malfoys. At the end of the story, Sirius laughed out long and loud. "Oh Harry, Harry, you'll be giving us Marauders a run for our money! The things you get up to!"
.
After lunch, Sirius led Harry back to the library. "Moony will be here soon. You must go back before someone notices you're gone," he said. As if on cue, Lupin's head emerged from green flames in the fireplace.
"Ah, ready to go, Harry?" he asked.
Harry nodded, before turning and hugging his godfather tightly. "I'll come again soon, Sirius."
See that you do, Prongslet."
Harry stepped into the fireplace and flooed to Hogwarts. The last thing he glimpsed before the green flames wrapped around him was Sirius's tormented grey eyes fixed on him longingly.
.
Leave reviews!
