Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: I really appreciate all the reviews and adds! They make me so happy!

Harry went back to his quarters while Snape went out to look for Pettigrew. Harry hated to think it but he doubted that Pettigrew was still around. He's probably on his way to Voldemort right now, Harry though miserably as he entered his room. He picked Nova up from the glass home and settled onto the bed. Nova slithered up Harry's arm, coiling itself around like a bracelet. Harry glanced around. "Have you ssseen Crookshanksss?"

"No, not sssince lassst night." Nova answered. "What hasss been going on?"

Harry quickly explained the events of last night and suddenly he remembered that Crookshanks had been there at the Whomping Willow. What if he had gotten hurt? Harry worried. After all, Crookshanks usually always came back. With everything going on Harry had completely forgotten about him. The last thing he wanted was to have to tell Hermione that something bad had happened to her familiar. Plus Harry had grown fond of the orange, flat faced cat. "I need to go look for him." He told Nova.

Harry went to leave but stopped right before he got to the door. He could search the castle for Crookshanks but he couldn't go outside and look. He sighed. He wanted to check outside in case Crookshanks did in fact get hurt but he wasn't about to break a rule again. He'd have to ask Snape to look for him or maybe he would go with him. No, I doubt I'll be allowed out of the castle until Pettigrew is caught or at least believed not to be on the grounds, Harry thought dejectedly. Well, he could at least search the castle. Glancing at Nova still on his arm he decided to leave his snake here. He didn't want to risk losing one of his familiars as well. He turned to leave a note for Snape as well as put Nova back in his room but a knock on the door interrupted him.

Harry opened it. "Sirius?"

"Hey pup. I hoped you would be here." Sirius said with an apprehensive smile. "Is Sniv, um, is Snape around?"

"No he is out looking for Pettigrew." Harry answered. "Did you want to come in?"

"Yeah thanks." Sirius looked around as he entered. Hmm, it appeared like normal quarters. "So did Snape clear the cobwebs and bats before you moved in?" He joked.

Harry rolled his eyes and grinned. "Nope. This is how it has always been."

"Huh." Sirius looked around again and then his gray eyes settled on the snake on Harry's arm. "Did you know that you are wearing a live snake?"

Harry laughed. "This is one of my familiars, Nova. I also have an owl named Hedwig."

"A snake huh?" Sirius gazed curiously at Nova. "Hello Nova, I'm Sirius, Harry's godfather."

Nova made a hissing sound and Sirius's eyebrows raised in slight alarm.

"Nova says it is nice to meet you." Harry grinned.

Sirius's gray eyes snapped to Harry's. "You understand snakes?" He asked in shock.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'm a Parselmouth." He confirmed. He eyed his godfather. "You aren't scared of me now or anything are you?" Thoughts of last year and how his fellow peers had treated him flowed through his mind.

Sirius laughed. "No, I'm not scared of you. I'm surprised though." He looked thoughtful. "That specific ability is, um, rare." He said carefully.

"Dumbledore thinks when the killing curse backfired that I got some of Voldemort's abilities." Harry shrugged.

Sirius looked concerned for a moment and then smiled. "Having a pet snake you can talk to is pretty brilliant I bet."

"Yeah, Nova is great." Harry gently patted Nova's head. He looked at Sirius curiously. "So um, did you want something?"

Sirius cleared his throat nervously. "I wanted to talk to you. I'm sorry for our disagreement earlier. I didn't mean to say anything that would hurt you. And I just, I can't stand what happened to you. With your relative's I mean. It's my fault."

Harry looked surprised. "No it isn't."

"It is." Sirius insisted. "I was supposed to take care of you. I should have stayed with you that night but instead I let Hagrid take you and I went after Pettigrew. You were right, I didn't honor James and Lily by letting my anger take over. I acted impulsively."

Like I did last night, Harry thought ruefully. It must be the Gryffindor in them. "I don't blame you for wanting to confront Pettigrew." He said softly.

"Still, I shouldn't have." Sirius said unhappily. "I would have raised you and your blasted relatives would never have hurt you."

Harry couldn't say anything to that. After all, it would have been nice to be raised by someone who cared about him but at least he had that now. "It's okay Sirius. I never have to return to them again and now you are free."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah I'm free." He brightened.

"So what are you going to do now?" Harry asked curiously.

Sirius laughed. "I have no idea! Before everything happened I had been looking into being an Auror but then I joined the fight against Voldemort with your Dad and Remus. I have the house I grew up in, not that there are any happy memories there and I still have my vault so I'm pretty much set money wise." He shrugged. "James and I had talked about maybe becoming Aurors one day. It will be weird to do without him."

Harry smiled sadly at the dejected look on Sirius's face. "You must really miss him."

"He was like a brother to me, Mooney too. I miss James every day." Sirius admitted. "You remind me of him. I mean, you look so much like him and I hear you get into mischief like he did too!"

"Trouble just finds me." Harry protested with a laugh.

Sirius snickered. "Yeah, it found us too." He paused. "Okay, we might have helped it find us." He grinned.

Harry grinned back. "Yeah, I know how that goes."

"So I know you are quite the flyer, like your Dad." Sirius said proudly. "I saw you during that game. You were great! Well, until the Dementors showed up."

Harry winced. "That game did not end well for me. Or my broom."

"I know." Sirius frowned. His godson had been through too much. "I'm sorry the Firebolt got taken away from you. I didn't even think that anyone would be suspicious of it."

"How did you obtain it?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh, Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but wrote down to take the money from my own vault." Sirius answered.

"He did?" Harry gave a start. "Oh, I need to go! Crookshanks is missing. He was out there last night and helped up get past the Whomping Willow and I haven't seen him since."

Sirius looked concerned. "I hope he is okay. He is quite a smart cat. He understood right away that something was off about that rat."

"I'm going to go look for him." Harry said. "Do you want to search with me? I can't go outside but-"

"Of course you can go outside." Sirius scoffed. "We'll check the Whomping Willow first since that is where you last saw him."

Harry bit his lip. "Okay, let's go." After all, it wasn't like he was going outside alone or anything. And it wasn't to look for Pettigrew, though Harry would be keeping an eye out for him. Plus, he had a duty to look for Crookshanks as he was Harry's responsibility. Harry put Nova back into his room and then left with his godfather.

HPHPHPHP

"Where do you think you are going?" Snape asked in a dangerous voice as he stopped Harry and Sirius just as they were about to walk out of the castle. He looked sternly at Harry. "You are to stay inside."

"I know, but Crookshanks is missing! He was out there last night and he could be hurt." Harry explained in a worried tone.

"I'm with him." Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. "I'll protect Harry."

Snape glared. "Forgive me if that does not make me feel better. Do you have a wand Black?"

Sirius frowned. "Not yet. Harry has his though." Dumbledore had promised to look into obtaining his wand, which has been held at the ministry since he had been arrested.

Snape closed his eyes for a moment. "I will go back out and look for the cat."

"No Pettigrew yet?" Harry asked dejectedly.

"No."

"He got away didn't he?" Harry sighed.

"We don't know that for certain." Snape tried to sound reassuring. "As a rat, he could hide anywhere on the grounds. You will stay inside until we know for sure."

"What about me?" Sirius asked indignantly.

"What about you?" Snape asked impatiently.

"Harry would be safe with me!" Sirius pointed out again. "We can go look for Crookshanks together."

Snape just stared at him.

"What?" Sirius asked, crossing his arms. "I can handle whatever comes our way. If Pettigrew comes at us and tries anything I'll-"

Suddenly Sirius flew back inside the castle and crumpled into a heap on the floor. He got up and glared at Snape. "Stop doing that!"

"I thought you said you could handle anything." Snape said innocently.

Harry looked warily between them, not wanting a fight to break out. "I'll stay inside." He promised. "Maybe Crookshanks is somewhere in the castle."

"You may search the castle as long as someone capable is with you, an adult or your friends. I don't want you alone." Snape instructed.

"I'll search with you Harry." Sirius offered as he brushed off some dirt from his sleeve.

"I said someone capable." Snape muttered.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Go make yourself useful and turn into a bat or whatever you do and find Pettigrew."

"Okay, let's start looking." Harry said quickly when he saw the murderous look on Snape's face.

"You better not teach him any bad habits." Snape warned Sirius. "No slobbering, drooling, chasing sticks, digging through the trash…"

"Let's go!" Harry pulled on Sirius's arm before things could escalate.

"How do you put up with that bat?" Sirius grumbled as they began walking. "He's evil!"

"I used to think so. My first year I was sure of it." Harry admitted as they walked. He told Sirius about the Sorcerer's Stone and how he and his friends had been sure Snape had been trying to steal it. He told of how instead, Snape had been keeping an eye on Quirrell and had also saved him from falling off his broom during his first match.

"Hmm." Sirius mused. "It was probably because James saved his life sixth year." He said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, Dumbledore mentioned something about that." Harry perked up. "What did my Dad save him from?"

They turned a corner and headed to the stairs that led to the Gryffindor common room. Harry wanted to check if Crookshanks had gone into there as that is where he usually lived.

The Fat Lady glared at Sirius as Harry said the password. "You dare come back here after what you did?" She demanded.

Sirius bowed. "My humble apologies my Lady. I never meant to cause you harm. I simply was trying to catch a dangerous murderer who resided in here." He stood straight and gave her a charming grin.

The Fat Lady smiled a little. "Oh yes, I heard about that. Frightening that he was here the whole time."

"I do hope you can forgive me?" Sirius asked with a flirtatious smile.

The Fat Lady giggled a little. "Yes, I suppose I can."

"Thank you my beauty." Sirius said grandly, giving her a wink. After the portrait had closed behind them Harry eyed Sirius.

"You're obviously used to getting out of trouble." He grinned.

Sirius laughed. "Yeah a bit."

Walking further in, Harry called out for Ron and when there was no answer he figured Ron was with Draco and Daphne. "So? How did my Dad save Severus?"

"Well," Sirius hesitated. He didn't want to tell the whole story as he and Harry had already been at odds. "Sniv-er Snape had been following us, wanting to get us into trouble. He ended up at the Shrieking Shack when Remus was a werewolf and James got him out of the way before he could be hurt."

Harry's mouth dropped open. "He was almost attacked by Professor Lupin?"

"Yeah." Sirius sighed. "It was a stupid idea but he shouldn't have been trying to find out where Remus went every full moon. It was only supposed to be a joke but James and Remus were so mad at me."

Harry paused. "Wait, why would they be mad at you?" He asked suspiciously.

Sirius sighed. "I told Snape how to get past the Whomping Willow and that he could find out what Remus had been up to. James found out and grabbed him before he had made it down the tunnel but Snape saw Remus in his werewolf form. He was instructed by Dumbledore not to tell anyone."

Harry gaped at him. "That's, how could, I mean…that's mental! Why would you do that?"

"It was a joke. And Snape should have kept big his nose out of our business. He was too curious for his own good; I didn't force him to the shack." Sirius defended himself, realizing it sounded lame. "I didn't think about anyone actually getting hurt, I just thought Snape would get a scare. Which he did." Sirius smirked a little at the memory of Snape's paler than usual face. He saw the disapproving look on Harry's face and his smirk faded. "Pup, I was young and foolish. I could have gotten Remus into major trouble if he had ended up hurting Snape. Both he and James were furious with me over it."

Harry had turned away, a sick feeling in his stomach. He continued calling for Crookshanks hoping the orange cat would come trotting down the stairs. He didn't want to think about what he had just learned from Sirius. Geez, no wonder Snape had hated him so much! He had been bullied by Harry's father and almost killed by Harry's godfather! "Did you ever apologize?" He asked, turning back to his godfather.

"Of course I did!" Sirius nodded. "I begged James and Remus to forgive me. And I apologized to Professor Dumbledore as well."

Harry stared at him. "No, I mean did you apologize to Severus? After it happened?"

Sirius looked surprised. "Well, no." He said slowly. "But he never apologized for following us and trying to get us into trouble." He closed his eyes at the weak statement.

"Whatever he did, he didn't deserve to almost die or be bitten for it." Harry said softly.

"I know pup." Sirius ran a hand through his long shaggy hair. "I do know it was wrong okay?"

Harry cleared his throat, wanting to change the conversation for now. "Um, Crookshanks isn't here. I say we walk the hallways and call for him."

Sirius regarded Harry for a moment, feeling guilty for disappointing his godson. I'll make it up to him, Sirius told himself as they left the Gryffindor Tower. I'll…try to be nicer to Snape. He grimaced at the thought but was willing to try for Harry. All he had now was Remus and Harry. He didn't want to lose his godson just because he couldn't act mature around someone he detested.

HPHPHPHP

After almost an hour of searching the castle Harry was beginning to get very worried. There was no sign of Crookshanks.

"Maybe he is back in Snape's quarters?" Sirius suggested.

"I hope so." Harry said as they began to walk to the dungeons. He wondered if Snape had found any sign of the cat outside. He wished he could go out there and look himself.

While they walked, Sirius and Harry ran into Draco, Daphne and Ron. They looked happy to see Harry but a little nervous to see Sirius.

"Hello Mr. Black." Daphne said cautiously.

Sirius laughed. "Please don't call me that. Sirius is fine." He looked at Ron. "How is your leg?"

"Oh, it feels fine now." Ron answered with a shrug.

"I'm really sorry you got hurt." Sirius said sincerely. "My focus was on getting Pettigrew."

"Don't blame you for that." Ron made a face. He couldn't believe that a murderer had been Scabbers all along. His mother was going to go metal.

"Sirius, this is Daphne Greengrass and Draco Malfoy." Harry said, realizing he hadn't really met them yet.

"Malfoy and Greengrass?" Sirius looked at them spectively. He remembered how protective they had been of Harry in the Shrieking Shack and wondered how many of his preconceptions were going to be ruined. "It's nice to officially meet all of you." He said with a smile. "Sorry if last night I seemed…"

"Bonkers?" Draco asked. He glared when Harry pushed him and Daphne scowled at him. Ron just snickered.

"Yeah, bonkers." Sirius grinned ruefully. A silvery Phoenix flew by him suddenly and he gave a start and then his eyes brightened. "Professor Dumbledore has my wand." He said giddily. "I'm going to go get it and then I will search outside for Pettigrew and Crookshanks."

"What happened to Crookshanks?" Daphne asked after Sirius had left them.

"He's missing. He was at the Whomping Willow last night, remember?" Harry said. "I haven't seen him since."

"Oh, I hope he is okay." Daphne said with concern.

"Me too." Harry sighed. They began discussing the chances of Pettigrew being caught when they heard a shout.

"Harry!"

Hermione, Tracey and Theo were hurrying over to them.

"What are you guys doing here? Breaks not over for a few more days!" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

"We heard about what happened!" Hermione said tearfully as she first hugged Harry. "I can't believe Sirius Black was innocent all this time! And Ron, you were hurt!" She hugged Ron quickly before pulling back. Both teenagers were blushing.

"Daphne sent us each a letter early this morning. The three of us quickly got in contact with each other and made plans to return early." Tracey explained. "We're glad each of you are okay."

"So Pettigrew was your rat?" Theo shuddered. "Creepy."

"Tell me about it." Ron shook his head. "I just hope they catch him."

"They still haven't found him?" Hermione asked. She bit her lip. "Well, I suppose he could be hiding anywhere."

"Let's face it, he probably got away." Harry said flatly. "Pettigrew will find Voldemort and help him return to full power and then another war will start."

"So much for optimism." Daphne said exasperatedly. "We don't know that will happen. Not only are the Aurors looking for him but very powerful wizards like the Headmaster and Professor Snape."

"But it will be my fault if it happens!" Harry argued.

"How do you figure that?" Draco asked with a frown.

"Professor Lupin and Sirius and even Severus were ready to kill him. I stopped them." Harry said in frustration.

"You did the right thing. It is better for him to be brought to justice." Hermione nodded.

"But now he has escaped!" Harry exploded.

"Harry calm down." Daphne urged. "Hermione's right, you did the right thing."

Harry shook his head and looked away. "I wish I could help look for him but we I'm not allowed out of the castle." I could use my cloak, he mused. He saw Hermione glaring at him and realized she knew what he was thinking.

"Don't even think about it Harry." Hermione warned.

"Fine." Harry muttered. His eyes widened. "Hermione, Crookshanks." He whispered as he remembered.

"What about Crookshanks?" Hermione asked. She turned to Ron. "Did you hurt my cat?"

"No! Besides, your cat was right to be after Scabb-er Pettigrew." Ron sighed.

"Crookshanks was outside when everything happened. I haven't seen him since." Harry said guiltily. "He had been helping Sirius when he was in his Animagus form. In fact, Sirius said Crookshanks helped him deliver the note to get the Firebolt for me. Sirius and I have been looking for him and Severus said he would look outside."

"No wonder he would disappear all the time." Hermione mused. "I hope he is okay." She said worriedly.

"I'm sorry Hermione." Harry shook his head.

"Stop being so hard on yourself, you did have a lot going on." Daphne told Harry.

"Wait, so Black sent you a Firebolt?" Theo suddenly asked with interest.

"I got it a couple days before Christmas only there was no note with it. So the Professors' said it had to be checked for curses and jinxes before I could use it." Harry explained. "They suspected that Sirius had sent it to harm me in some way. But now that we know the truth, McGonagall said I could have it back."

"Brilliant." Theo's eyes gleamed.

"So I have a question." Tracey cut in. "If Sirius is your godfather, is he going to be your guardian now?"

Harry shook his head. "No. He wants to be but I'm happy with how things are you know? I already see Severus as my parent, as my Dad so-"

Ron cleared his throat pointedly and Harry followed his gaze to where Sirius was standing behind them. From the look on his face, Sirius had heard what Harry had said and he wasn't happy about it.

TBC: This story is almost done but I am starting a draft for a sequel, which will take place in fifth year. Also, is there anything you would like to see for the fifth year? Pairings? Snape dealing with Umbridge? Someone else helping Voldemort return? Sirius teaching a subject (which would totally make Snape happy LOL) Let me know! =)