Disclaimer that I own nothing to do with Harry Potter and all rights belong to JK Rowling.
Hey guys! I hope some people are still following this and will enjoy an update. This story has been dead for a couple months now, I lost track of it and thought I left it in an okay place for that. I've noticed this story still gets a fair amount of traffic and followers, and dove back into it a bit. I really love this story and the Harry and Sirius relationship in it.
I decided I wanted to add to it, and wrote this chapter. I think I'm going to add a few more chapters too and wrap things up to mark it as completed. There was a new story I posted a chapter of that was sort of sequel to this but it didn't get any interest so I ended up deleting it. Anyways, I'm babbling on now, I hope you enjoy this!
Also one last little note to those who are still sticking around from the beginning, I just wanted to offer a little fun fact. I've just finished stranger things (amazing show if you haven't seen it) and while watching, the upside down, is a really cool representation of what I was kind of imagining what happened when they traveled through the veil. No monsters, but the aspect of an alternative dimension. Just a little fun fact to understand that part of the story a little better.
Harry stood in front of the door of his bedroom, his hand frozen and suspended in mid air, as he hesitated about turning the handle. He dropped his arm, losing his nerve, and sighed in frustration with himself. He needed to get this over with, but he was dreading the conversation that lay beyond the door with Sirius.
He crossed the room to his bed and sat down on it, looking around at his room. He was home for summer holiday, and staying with Sirius in the house he had bought for them. He'd stayed at the Dursley's long enough to turn 17, for now he'd never go back to privet drive, because the magic his mother put upon him, had expired on his birthday as he was now an of age wizard.
He was legally able to apparate now, and use magic outside of Hogwarts without the ministry tracking him. There was just one year left at Hogwarts for him, but he knew he would not be returning for his seventh year. When he'd left the castle for summer holiday, he'd known it was the last time he would visit, for a long time, maybe even ever.
This brought him back to the present situation, that he had to inform Sirius about his plan to leave with Hermione and Ron. The Horcruxes were out in the world somewhere and he had to find them, Dumbledore left him a mission. Sirius knew about this already, but what he didn't know was that Harry had no intention of his godfather coming along.
Hermione and Ron thought it was odd he was so against Sirius's accompaniment. He was skilled wizard, more capable than them in many aspects, and he was of course and animagus too.
All these things were true, but Harry couldn't shake the instinct he had about doing this journey Dumbledore's way. Dumbledore had never even wanted Sirius to know anything about the Horcruxes at all, and he'd hinted that this journey was for Hermione, Ron, and Harry to take. Too many people getting involved was messy, and Sirius's animagus form was already well known by Death Eaters.
There was more than what Dumbledore wanted that played to Harry's choices, admittedly, he was being selfish. He wanted Sirius to be safe, and staying far away from Harry Potter seemed like the safest thing for him. After everything that had happened to get his godfather back, the last thing he wanted to do was take another gamble.
From the living room a loud laugh, that sounded remarkably like a bark, echoed through the hallway and into Harry's room. Well at least he will be in a good mood when I have to break the news to him, Harry thought to himself somewhat bitterly. Suddenly he stood up in his feet and strode towards the door, he didn't hesitate this time but pulled it open. No more stalling.
Striding through the hallway, Harry entered the living room to find Lupin and Sirius in a conversation about something they'd heard about someone they'd gone to Hogwarts with. Both their faces were lit up with amusement and laughter. Harry loved this about Sirius and Lupin, the wizarding war had taken a dark turn, but they always kept their spirits around each other.
"Hey, Lupin, do you think I could talk to Sirius for a moment, alone?" Harry asked, wringing his hands together. Lupin raised his eyebrows with curiosity but quickly composed himself.
"Sure thing, I've got to rung to Diagon Alley for a few things anyways. I'll see you both later." Lupin said standing up and grabbing his traveling cloak from a rack next to the door. Harry met Sirius's glance, his face was laced with concern now. He'd adjusted to being a parental figure so well. Guilt stabbed at Harry.
"Bill and Fleur's wedding is tomorrow, anything you need?" Lupin asked with his hand on the door knob.
"No, No I picked up our dress robes already and Mad Eye dropped off the Polyjuice potion with Molly weeks ago when we first found out." Sirius replied with an absent minded wave of his hand. His face was growing impatient. He wasn't one to be kept waiting when there was something he wanted to know.
"See you later." Lupin called and the door closed behind him. Leaving a silence between Sirius and Harry that was almost painful.
"I wanted to talk to you about the Horcruxes." Harry said sitting down in one of the chairs in front of the one Sirius was in.
"I had guessed as much when you asked to speak to me alone, go on." Sirius prompted, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together on his lap.
"Well Dumbledore left me a mission, but there's a part of that we haven't talked about entirely yet…. I think.. That I have to do this the way he wanted. Just Ron, Hermione, and myself are going to go off, after the wedding." Harry said, not meeting his godfathers eyes as he spoke.
"So you think I'm just going to let you run off on a suicide mission, with no help from a competent wizard?" Sirius demanded. Harry could tell he was trying to keep his voice calm but it was already laced with frustration.
"We're competent. Especially Hermione." Harry muttered but Sirius cut across him before he could say much more.
"Have any of you even passed your apparition test? Do you know where to start looking, or spells to conceal yourself safely when you need to stop and rest!? This isn't Hogwarts, Harry. This is the real deal. You're already sought after and if word is true, we are at risk of the ministry being taken over too!" Sirius exploded, his voice growing more and more angry. "Why are you making it so hard for me to help you? I knew it was odd that you were being so vague about what happened the night with Dumbledore, but this is insane."
Harry bowed his head, he regretted even telling him this. Hermione had told him to just take off but it hadn't felt right to do that to him after everything. Perhaps she had been right though.
"I just want you to be okay after everything. You've been so happy with Embry and Lupin. I don't know why Dumbledore wanted this to happen in a such a particular way but I have to trust him, he's always led me right in the end." Harry said in a quiet voice.
"Screw Albus Dumbledore. You've almost died countless times at his hand, has it ever occurred to you that maybe he doesn't have your best interests in mind? The way Rita Skeeter is hinting, it looks like Dumbledore had buried some serious dirt on his life. You've always been a pawn in his web of lies, and I'm sick of it." Sirius countered.
"Screw Dumbledore!? Screw Rita Skeeter! She's a damn liar." Harry cried out standing up and balling his fists at his side. He knew Sirius would be upset, but now he was just throwing low blows.
"Maybe not about this. He's left you with nothing Harry! What about yesterday when the new minister dropped off those items from Dumbledore's will while we were at The Burrow? Ron's item was maybe the most useful, but a damn book of nursery rhymes and an old snitch? He's sending you to fight Voldemort and this is all he gives you?" Sirius demanded slamming his fist on the coffee table.
"I don't like it either! What choice do I have though Sirius? We heard the prophecy and I'm fated to this whether we like it or not!" Harry cried out, Professor Trelawny's haunted voice echoing in his mind, one cannot live while the other survives.
"I know Harry, don't you see why this is why I have to help you. I've been a shit god father from the day your parents died, I'm trying to make up for it, I'm trying to save you. How do expect me to sit around while you put your neck on the line." Sirius said, his voice dropping to a softer tone. It almost felt worse than when he had yelled, Sirius wasn't one to beg but he was clearly desperate.
"My Dad always liked the risk though, right?" Harry asked with a look to the mantel where the Potter's wedding day photo sat. Sirius's head turned towards the photo too.
"Never alone, though." Sirius muttered.
"I have Ron and Hermione." Harry countered quickly but Sirius shook his head.
"Just think about this okay? I can help you, I mean shit Harry, I don't understand this even. You, Remus, the whole Order really, all follow Dumbledore blindly. I just want to help you, I need you to understand that. Dumbledore isn't here anymore, but I am." Sirius said his voice still pleading.
"It's always worked before, look, I won't leave after the wedding okay. Just give me sometime okay, I need to think about this." Harry said, surrendering.
"Give me your word. You won't take off at that wedding tomorrow." Sirius said, looking him in the eye with a dead serious expression.
"I give you my word, I promise." Harry said looking his godfather in the eye. He felt sick to his stomach as lied through his teeth to the one piece of family he had left. At least when Hermione, Ron, and himself disappeared after the wedding tomorrow, Sirius would understand where they had gone.