-I'm just going to throw out a warning that this one has mentions of disciplinary spanking. I don't think I will actually ever write about that, but I wanted to throw in some conflict between Harry and Sirius because no relationship is ever perfect, and I feel that Harry would attempt to be defiant at some point. That's where this comes from and it probably won't be the last conflict I write about... I just doubt I'll go into detail on the discipline. Still deciding. But here we go! Also, I've found that either I write all day or don't write at all for a week. Oh well-

Sirius awoke to Harry's whimpering, although this didn't sound like his usual nightmare. Typically, if Sirius heard Harry thrashing around, he'd leave him to wake up and go downstairs to make hot chocolate for the two of them. He had a feeling Harry had come to expect this of him, and was happy to make his godson feel even a little better after a bad dream.

But this was not a bad dream. This was different… he sounds like he's in pain, Sirius thought, panic striking his features as he lept out of bed and ran towards the teen's room.

He opened the door gently and surveyed the surroundings. No one appeared to be in the room. He approached the boy's bed and frowned at what he saw. Harry was curled up into a ball, whimpering in pain. "Harry?" Sirius whispered, kneeling down beside the bed.

Harry's eyes shot open and he whimpered again. "Sorry - did I wake you?"

Sirius rubbed his hand against the boy's forehead and noted that he was burning up. "I couldn't sleep anyway, what's wrong with you, puppy?"

"I-I don't know." Harry mumbled, looking down and wincing from pain.

"I think you do know little prongs, and if you don't tell your godfather, I'll have to take matters into my own hands," Sirius replied, half-joking.

Harry shuddered, then met Sirius's eyes. "I think I might be catching a small cold. Nothing I can't handle or-" he was cut off when he whimpered at the pain again.

"This looks like more than a small cold, pup. Do you mind if I take your temperature? Also, please tell me where it hurts." Sirius got rid of his joking manner and concern immediately overtook him. He'd never cared for a sick child before, other than when Harry was little and he helped out James and Lily, so he wasn't sure exactly what to expect. He knew one thing, though, he wanted to take Harry's pain away.

Harry nodded and sat up slightly in bed. "Do you know how to use a thermometer?"

"A thermome-what? I can just do a diagnostic spell." Sirius said with a shrug. Harry had almost forgotten that he was no longer in the muggle world and smiled to himself, despite the pain.

"Go for it then," Harry said, turning to him. Sirius cast the spell and grimaced at the 101 degree fever and the diagnosis that went along with it.

"The flu…" Sirius mumbled, confused. "What's that?"

Harry chuckled at his godfather's oblivious facial expression, but the laughter hurt his dry throat and seemed to confuse Sirius more. "It's really not a laughing matter I suppose, but it's a type of muggle illness. Supposedly can make people pretty bad off if not treated. A trip to the drug store should help-"

"Nonsense, I'm sure we have potions here that will heal you right up. Too bad it's the night before the full moon, Moony is so much better healing. Oh well, you and I will figure it out. I'll get you some water, you get back to bed." Sirius said, gently pushing on Harry's shoulders.

Harry nodded and laid back down, chuckling as Sirius tried to tuck him in again. "What's funny now?" Sirius asked, also slightly amused now that he knew his godson wasn't in immediate danger.

"Well, you know, from all those mugshot pictures I saw of you, I'd never expect you to make a great mother hen." Harry said cheekily.

"You're lucky you're sick, otherwise you'd get what's coming to you." Sirius said, playfully poking Harry's side. Instead of giggling or yelping the way he normally did, though, Harry groaned. "What, did that hurt you?" Sirius asked, concern once again taking hold of him.

"It's nothing, Sirius. The flu causes bad body aches. That's all, I'm fine." Harry said, trying to make his godfather calm down a little.

Sirius nodded, though he seemed unconvinced. "Alright, I'll be back with the water and see if we have potions for the fever."

Harry thought Sirius might have stepped out of the room and apparated downstairs, considering he had returned within practically a minute. He tried to laugh again at Sirius's demeanor and over-protective tendencies, but he was getting weaker by the minute. Instead of the chuckle he wanted to produce, he whimpered, which caused Sirius to move quickly back to his bedside. "Here puppy, drink this." He said gently, tilting a dark blue potion against Harry's lips. The brew didn't taste good at all, but it was refreshing and instantly cooled his heated body down.

"Good lad," Sirius said, putting the empty vial down on the night stand and grabbing the glass of water. "Wash it down with this, I know it doesn't taste very good." Harry let him pour the water into his mouth and drank thirstily. Sirius then took the vial that the fever-reducing potion was in and transfigured it into a cot for himself. He sat down and then looked at Harry. "Go ahead and sleep Harry, I will be here for you when you wake up."

Harry grimaced to himself; he hated inconveniencing his guardians, especially since he had gone fourteen years without having anyone look out for him. He couldn't voice this though, he knew by now that it would either hurt Sirius's feelings or make him angry if he refused him. Besides, he did kind of like being cared for; it was a nice change.

A few days had passed and Sirius had taken to caring for both Harry and Remus, being that Remus had to endure the full moon a couple of nights prior. Harry was almost entirely better, but still significantly weak. Despite appreciating Sirius's care, he was getting tired of sitting in the same place for so long and wanted to visit his friends desperately. Sirius had turned him down gently that morning when he asked, saying that he preferred if Harry would wait a few more days. Harry wasn't sure what had overcame him when he got this response, but he snapped at Sirius. Expecting anger from Sirius, Harry was shocked to have seen hurt tear across his godfather's features. His Uncle Vernon always responded with rage when Harry was rude, and despite Harry knowing Sirius was different than his relatives, he was not at all aware of the inner torment he had inflicted on his godfather.

Embarrassed but still determined to leave the house and fly to the Burrow, Harry mumbled a quick apology and walked upstairs.

Remus looked at Sirius, bewildered. "You're going to let him get away with that?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? The poor kid's been sick all week, I can't blame him for wanting to see his friends." Sirius responded, still hurt that Harry, his normally sweet and kind godson, had responded so rashly.

Surprisingly, Remus chuckled. "He's just like James and you were. He has a very good heart, but also isn't afraid to risk his safety. Do you remember what would happen when James or you did something that would risk your safety?"

"Well, yeah. Mr. Potter threw us over his knee. But Remus, you expect me to do that to him for just talking back?" Sirius asked, now bewildered himself. "I mean, he's a teenage boy."

"So were you two, Charlus didn't have a problem tanning either of your hides. And no, I don't expect you to do that for that particular instance, Harry did seem remorseful. But he's been here a few weeks now, I think it's time to set boundaries and discipline him if need be." Remus said, smirking at his friend's look of shock.

Sirius cleared his throat. "It's not that I don't agree with you, I do, really. He is a bit defiant in certain circumstances, that's James coming out in him. But also, he was abused. You can't expect me to put him through more pain and humiliation, can you? He would never forgive me."

"Sirius, how do you remember Mr. Potter?" Remus asked.

"He was a very kind and good man. Fair, stuck with his morals, wise as well. I considered him to be my own father after I ran away." Sirius said, confused. "But what does that have to do with any of this?"

"Did you love him?" Remus asked again.

"Of course, you just heard me. He thought of me as his own!"

"Then Harry will forgive you if you discipline him. There's a difference between discipline and abuse. You were abused too Sirius-"

"Thanks for the reminder," Sirius huffed, but looked at his friend with an amused expression, realizing where this was going.

Remus smiled back at him. "You know what I'm saying. You don't think of Mr. Potter as a cruel man, you love him, despite all the times you were thrown over his knee. Knowing you, you probably got more wallopings than James did-"

"Oi!" Sirius said, feigning hurt.

"My point is, Sirius, Harry craves a father figure and he wants you to fulfill that role. You can't just be his friend, which you really are great at, if I might add. You have to also hold your own, but in a way that won't hurt Harry like the Dursley's did. If you discipline him the way Charlus disciplined you, there shouldn't be any problem. Granted, make sure he deserves it. I was tempted to do it myself last term when I found him wandering around the castle." Remus chuckled. "Anyway, I think Harry's testing you a bit. He loves and respects you, that's obvious, but I think he's still trying to grasp the idea that someone cares about him. He might even want you to discipline him."

At Sirius's confounded expression, Remus continued. "Think about it. He was neglected his entire childhood and unrightfully punished for various things. Whenever he raised his voice to talk back to his aunt and uncle, he was thrown in a cupboard and given a disgusted look, like he wasn't worth anything more than dirt or vile. But now, he's got you. And he wants to see if you care enough about him to discipline him, or if you're going to ignore his behavior and cast him away in the same way the Dursley's did. He wants to know that this is real, that he's loved and that he has someone who cares about whether or not he puts his life at risk unnecessarily."

Sirius nodded his understanding, but his head was spinning. "Well, I guess we can cross that bridge when we get to it. I'll leave him to his brooding for now and him and I can talk about rules and what not later this afternoon. Besides, he's still sick and was more than likely just cranky. Can't say I blame him, being locked up is not fun."

Remus put a supportive hand on his shoulder and smiled kindly at his friend. "You really are doing a great job with him."

"So are you, Moony!" Sirius said, surprised at the affection he heard in his friend's voice.

"Yeah yeah. Hey, I'm starving, does the mother hen want to go make me some food?" Remus said before promptly getting a pillow thrown at his face.

Harry wasn't quite sure why he was feeling so angry. He knew that Sirius didn't want him to leave because he was worried he would only get sicker, but he wanted to get out of the house desperately. Not to mention, he was a little ashamed. He didn't want to face his godfather after yelling at him the way he had. Sirius had done so much for him for weeks now, how could he look him in the eye after being so mean to one of the people he cared for most?

He was going to go to the Weasley's. He knew Ron would help him sort things out, and there house was a quick broom ride over the hill. He could be there in minutes. Making up his mind, he grabbed the broom out of his closet and headed up towards the top floor, when he heard his name.

"Harry? What… are you…" Harry turned around to see a shocked Sirius and, strangely, an amused Remus.

Harry looked down at his feet. "I-I'm…" The words wouldn't come to him, he didn't know what to say. He had been caught red-handed. However, Sirius didn't give him the chance to finish his sentence.

"Go to your room, Harry." Harry could see the anger that Sirius was so well known for in his features, but there was something else there… concern? Disappointment? Harry didn't stick around to figure it out though, and obediently placed the Firebolt against the wall and walked back to his room.

"Wow," Remus mumbled when Harry was out of earshot. "I expected an argument, kind of surprised actually. He clearly respects you a lot for him to just leave like that."

Sirius took a few calming breaths before meeting his friends eyes. "Respects me? Remus, he completely disregarded me telling him to stay here a few more days. That doesn't seem like respect to me."

"Remember what we just talked about Sirius. He's testing you. Go talk to him… also, I doubt you were considering it, but I wouldn't put him over your knee just yet. Talking will probably work best for this instance." Remus said with a small smile.

Sirius nodded, "Don't worry, I wasn't thinking about doing that. But I'm going to wait a few minutes before I go in there. I don't want to talk to him while I'm still angry. Not to mention, some time alone might do him good."

Harry laid on his bed and inwardly berated himself for his stupidity. Why was he behaving like this to Sirius? First yelling at him, then disobeying him… sure, Harry did it to his professors occasionally, but within good reason. The only time he ever misbehaved for no reason was at the Dursleys. So why was he now purposely hurting Sirius? He was so angry with himself, and wasn't sure what to do. Sirius had never looked that angry around him, and it had definitely never been directed towards him. An unwelcome idea crept into his mind: Sirius is realizing you're too much trouble. No wonder the Dursley's treated you the way they did. They were right, who would want you?

Harry bit back tears as he continued to brainstorm what his next move should be. Should he go apologize? Would Sirius even accept it? Should he hide in his room until term began? Maybe kiss robes a bit, cook breakfast every morning? He surely had to do something.

Harry didn't notice during his brooding, but Sirius had crept in the room. "Harry?" Sirius said, his voice stern.

Harry winced at the tone, and refused to turn around and meet his godfather's eyes. He didn't want to see the disappointment that would surely be there.

He felt the bed sink as Sirius sat down beside him. Harry gulped, preparing for the worst. He felt Sirius grab his chin and soon his eyes met his godfather's. Surprisingly, there was not any anger in his grey orbs - a little bit of hurt, yes, but no anger. That almost scared Harry more; he felt he deserved the anger, the rage, from his godfather. Instead of expressing all of this, he found himself choking out, "I'm sorry."

To his surprise, Sirius had pulled him into a gentle hug. For no good reason, Harry started crying. He didn't want to show weakness, but he also knew he didn't deserve his godfather's forgiveness.

"Shh, Harry, it's okay." Sirius mumbled into his ear while rubbing his back. "But we do need to talk."

Harry nodded, quieting his whimpers, and moved out of the embrace. He met his godfather's eyes again, and this time Sirius smiled at him. "Why are you misbehaving? You heard me tell you that you can see your friends in a few days."

"I-I know. I just… I guess I'm not used to being told what to do. My relatives never… well, I don't know." He finished, staring down at his feet.

"Listen, Harry, we need to lay some ground rules down. You've had a tough time and by no means do I want to deprive you from enjoying yourself. But I care a lot about you kid, and I can't have you risking your life for no reason. I couldn't live with myself if I lost you. Harry nodded and continued to stare at the floor. "What you did today wasn't that bad. A little attitude and disobedience, but no harm done… this time. But you need to know that next time I won't be as quick to look past it. I know you don't know much about your grandfather but he believed in discipline over punishment. And because he was the first real parent figure I had, I believe in it too."

Harry looked up, bewildered. "You're going to wallop me?"

Sirius couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. "Not today, as I said, what you did was not that bad. But I need you to understand that I am not your uncle, and I care about you far too much to just let you do whatever you please. I ask that you respect my wishes for you, and if you have a problem with it, you talk to me without raising your voice. I know I'm not exactly the best person to be lecturing on this, but I just want us to be able to continue on the way we are. I want us to be close, Harry, but I also need you to know that I think of you as a son and will not let you get away with reckless behavior. Understand?"

Harry nodded and grinned sheepishly at his godfather. "Yes, I do. I really am sorry, I'm not sure why I was so angry."

"You're forgiven, it's behind us now." Sirius said, patting his shoulder.

Sirius got up to leave the room, ruffling Harry's hair affectionately. "Oh, and Sirius?" Harry called.

"Yes?" Sirius said, turning around to face him.

"Thanks, for everything." Harry said.

Sirius smiled. "Oh, now you appreciate old mother hen, do you?"

They both laughed and Sirius walked back towards the kitchen, a new found confidence that they would be fine.