Chapter 43: Harry's Scar

Summary: Harry has a dream about Voldemort.

Notes: I can't believe that this story is already one years old. Thank you all for reading and supporting me.

I hope you like the new chapter. Let me know what you think.

...

Harry jolted awake. His scar was burning and his breaths were coming out in sharp gasps. He looked about his room frantically and saw blue eyes shining in the dark. It took a moment for him to realize it was Padfoot. Sirius had taken to sleeping on his carpet in his animagus form a few days after Remus had left for his mission.

"Harry? Are you alright?" asked Sirius.

Harry blinked. He hadn't realized Sirius had changed back into human. "I had a dream. Voldemort was angry." he said, his voice raspy. "My scar hurts." he continued, rubbing at his forehead.

Sirius turned on the lights and handed him his glasses, his features drawn in worry. "Was it like the dreams you used to have, last year?"

Harry nodded. "He was angry at the Death Eaters. Something about Hogwarts and this woman he wanted to teach defense this year. But Dumbledore has hired somebody else." he explained, feeling calmer the more he talked about it. "What?" he asked when he saw Sirius' expression change.

Sirius smiled a little and sat on the edge of the bed. "I didn't want to say anything before because it wasn't one hundred percent but I'm going to be your new Professor." he said.

Harry felt his eyes widen. "Really?! You'll be our teacher? That'll be great!" he exclaimed.

"Dumbledore asked me a couple of days ago. I never thought I'd do something as boring as teaching and I don't really need to work with all the money my uncle has left me but I'd feel better if I can keep an eye on you during the school year." Sirius paused, a wistful look coming to his face. Harry knew that look. Whenever his godfather recalled something from the past he'd get that look. "It would be nice to be back at Hogwarts. I had the time of my life there when I was a student. Your father and I owned the school. If there was ever anything missing, it was a cool teacher. I suppose I could remedy that."

"Everyone's going to love you! We always get horrible teachers for defense, except for Remus. He was the best teacher we ever had."

Sirius snorted. "As much as I like Remus, he's always been a stick in the mud. My classes are actually going to be fun."

Harry grinned. He was already excited about the upcoming school year. When he was living with his aunt and uncle, he used to count the days until the summer was over but that was only because he was miserable at Private Drive. Harry liked living with Sirius, even though things hadn't worked out as he wanted.

Having Grimmauld Place turned to order's Headquarter this summer had been a mixed blessing. There were too many people coming and going at odd times. Most of them wouldn't even knock, they just walked through the front door or flooed right in. They had Sirius' permission of course and this was his house, but Harry had started to think of this place as his home, too and now everything had changed. At the beginning it used to be just him, Sirius and Remus, like a small family. Harry had yearned for a family like that since he could remember and he didn't want to let go of the image he had made in his mind.

It wasn't that he didn't like the order members. Kingsley was nice, Tonks was funny and Harry thought of the Weasleys as his second family. The redheads all liked him and Mrs. Weasley would cook whenever there was a meeting and leave them plenty of food in the ice box.

It also made Sirius happy to see everyone there. 'The old gang' he called them. He'd talk and joke around with them and it made him look young and vibrant. Harry had noticed that his godfather rarely left the house on his own. Every time he had an errand to run, he asked Remus to come along with him. It was odd, since Harry knew Sirius didn't like this house that much. He didn't like to stay inside but leaving made him nervous, especially when he had to go to the wizarding world. Sometimes, he turned to his dog form and went running around to get away and sometimes he'd go to a muggle pub or to see a movie with Remus. They took Harry with them, but not when they wanted to go drinking. 'I'll let you drink with us on your seventeenth birthday' Sirius had promised and Harry was already anticipating it.

"You feel like going back to sleep?" asked Sirius, bringing him out of his musings.

Harry shrugged. "I don't think I could even if I wanted to."

"Me neither." said Sirius. "Why don't you go wash up? I'll go make some breakfast."

Harry nodded. He lay in bed for a few more minutes imagining what it would be like to have Sirius as a teacher, his dream all but forgotten. Finally, his need to use the toilet put an end to his daydreaming. Once he had washed his face and brushed his teeth, he changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before going downstairs.

Sirius was sitting at the dining table with a cup of tea, writing a letter. There was a pile of breakfast divided into two plates in front of him.

Harry pulled his own plate closer and started eating with relish. "Are you writing to Remus?" he asked between bites.

"You know I can't write to him. The pack he's running with doesn't stay at one place for too long." answered Sirius, putting away his quill and rolling the parchment.

"You can borrow Hedwig. She's really smart, I bet she could find him."

"Thanks Harry, but I don't think that would be a good idea. It could blow Remus' cover." said Sirius and called his own owl. "He'll be home soon, anyways." he added, more to himself.

"Who's the letter for then?"

"It's for Dumbledore. I have to tell him about your dream."

"It's not like he could do anything about it." said Harry moodily, stabbing his eggs. Dumbledore had hardly talked to him since the holiday started. Not to mention they kept him in the dark about everything that was going on even though he was the one who had faced Voldemort three times. He didn't see why he had to tell the old Headmaster anything.

"Maybe not but he still needs to know." insisted Sirius and sent his owl out the window.

Harry didn't say anything. They ate in silence. That had been happening more and more often since Remus had left for his mission.

They had both emptied their plates when the owl came back with a response. "Dumbledore wants to see me in his office. He says there might be something we could do about those dreams." said Sirius, scanning the letter.

Harry nodded. He very much doubted it.

…..

Sirius had to wait a couple of hours after breakfast before apparating to the gates of Hogwarts. The gates opened for him and he crossed the grounds in long strides. He climbed the stairs and paused before the large wooden door. He grinned to himself, Hogwarts was going to be his new home. The Black manner had never felt like home, this castle was where he belonged.

He made his way to the Headmaster's office scanning the halls. Everything was as he remembered, the stone walls, the nosy portraits, the armors. It was like he had never left, like he hadn't spent year after year living the horror that was Azkaban, like his youth hadn't been stolen from him. He closed his eyes as he reached the gargoyle. He could hear laughter, feel the joy, like he did back then. The dementors had taken so much from him but a ghost of the happiness still lingered somewhere deep inside of him. The laughter was James', the brother he had chosen. He felt a dampness stinking his eyes. He swore and wiped away the tears. This was not the time. The tears were for late at night, when no one was there to see him and there was a bottle of firewhiskey on hand to wash away his sorrows.

When he was sure he had his emotions under control, Sirius took a deep breath and murmured the password. "Sherbet Lemon".

The gargoyle moved aside to give him entrance. Sirius climbed the stairs two at a time and opened the door without knocking.

Someone was standing in front of Dumbledore's desk, hissing at him in an almost inaudible tone.

"Hell, no." snarled Sirius as he recognized the figure. The pair turned to look at him. Sirius walked up to the dark potions Master. The man straightened and glared back at him. Snape had changed a lot from their school years. He stood tall and confident and his hair was not a greasy stringy curtain anymore, framing a sickly face. It was long and full and pulled back from the pale face with the purple strands standing out, making him attractive and innocent looking. It didn't fool Sirius however, the way it seemed to fool everyone else. He knew better.

He glared down at Snape, enjoying the fact that he was a bit taller. "Why is this slim ball here?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the man.

Snape's face twisted and he opened his mouth to retort something back but Dumbledore cut him off. "You're both here at my request. Please take a sit." he said in a no nonsense tone.

Sirius threw Snape a nasty look and received one in return, before sitting in the chair that the man had already claimed as his own.

"Severus, please sit down." ordered Dumbeldore.

Snape snatched the cloak he had draped over the back of the chair and finally sat down.

Dumbledore waited for a second to make sure he had both of their attentions before turning to him. "Before we start, Sirius. I'm going to tell you what I told Remus when he first started to teach here. As a teacher, I would expect you to respect every one of your colleagues."

Snape turned sharply to him. Sirius smirked smugly, enjoying the rage he saw in the man's eyes as he glared at Dumbledore. The Headmaster gave Snape a warning look before turning to Sirius again. "As I was saying, you're going to respect all of the employees including Severus. You'll keep a civil tongue in his presence and you don't talk harshly behind his back." he said slowly, as if willing every word to sink in.

Sirius frowned. He didn't like the Headmaster's tone. "Fine." he spat.

"You'll do well to remember that Severus is a senior staff member and a Head of House and he is treated as such." continued the old man. "Severus has been working here long enough to know that if he ever has an issue with any of the other school employees, he needs to talk to me about it and let me handle any problems that may arise. You, Sirius need to do the same. Is that clear?"

Sirius nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. He did not appreciate being treated like an errand boy.

Dumbledore stared at him for a moment longer before smiling in satisfaction. "Now, let's move on to the other reason I've asked you two here." he said. "I think Severus might be able to help with Harry's scar …"

"I told you! I can't tell if I could help him before I know what I'm dealing with."

"You're not getting near my godson!" snapped Sirius.

"Keep your voice down, Sirius. I won't ask you a second time." said Dumbledore, giving him that stare again. "As you know Severus has elf magic and is capable of doing things you and I are not. I haven't done anything about Harry's scar up until now, because I didn't know how to help him. Severus might be able to do something." the man raised a hand to halt his objections. "You know that the scare causes Harry pain and it'll only be a matter of time before Voldemort learns of their connection and nothing will stop him from using it to his advantage. You also know that it's not possible for Severus to cause Harry harm. I want him to examine Harry, to see if he can do something to heal him."

Sirius sat back in his chair. He hated to admit it but Dumbledore was right. He turned his gaze to Snape. He'd die before accepting help from someone like him, yet there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for Harry. "Don't think for a second that this changes anything." he snapped.

Snape snorted. "Far be it from me to expect you to do anything half decent like thanking someone for helping your godson."

"It's settled then!" announced Dumbledore cheerfully. "We can arrange something when Harry comes here at the start of the term. I'm sure you're anxious to get back home, Sirius. I'll see you at the staff meeting." he said in dismissal.

"See you Wednesday." said Sirius, raising to his feet.

Snape made to get up as well but Dumbledore stopped him. "I believe the two of us have more to talk about." he told the potions Master.

Sirius smirked as the man sat back down. He closed the door and stepped on the moving staircase, bracing himself before entering the corridor full of old memories.