Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Such amazing responses to my last update! Thank you so much!

I would just like to point out something that has caused a bit of a split in the comments ^_^". While this is seen as a first loving family experience for Harry as well as a second try at a proper childhood, Sirius' punishment is NOT like the Dursley's, and is not unjustified.

Harry ran off without letting anyone know, went through the floo without supervision -reckless when in an emotional state and under the effects of the potion -and then ran in on Draco and started throwing things at him and called him a c***. THIS is why he was sent to his room and will subsequently be grounded. Sirius is actually providing Harry with a firm hand and teaching him a GOOD life lesson that bad actions will be met with consequences for said actions. It is NOT like the Dursley's who sought to punish Harry simply for existing.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

.

.

Harry stared up at the reflected lights on his ceiling, his mind still reeling from the day's events. By the time he could smell dinner downstairs, his anger had ebbed away a little, though the new memories kept replaying over and over in his head. He didn't feel guilty for what he had done before, by sending the patronus after Draco and the other Slytherin's. Quite frankly, he had felt threatened and had reacted to defend himself.

Much like Draco had done when Harry stormed into his room and yelled at him.

He cupped his hands over his face and groaned. He really should have let Ron drag him back out onto the fields by the Burrow and get his anger out through flying or dodging their practice bludger. Rushing back to Grimmauld place had fucked everything up.

He flinched and curled up onto his side.

He had been having such a great day, hanging out with his friends. It wasn't supposed to end like this, being sent to his room only to be disturbed when Remus came and brought him his dinner. A part of him had wanted to scream at the tall man, throw the food against the wall, but underneath his anger, he was starving. When he was sure Remus had retreated, he'd grabbed the food and went back into his room. He also wanted to scream at his Dad for defending a 'slimy Slytherin' but Sirius had yelled at him -for the first time he had properly yelled at Harry -and it had shaken him to his core.

Now that Harry had calmed down, he could grudgingly admit that he may see why his dad was so angry with him. He had been reckless and jumped into the floo before Molly could even blink, and he could have easily splinched himself with being so careless. Not to mention, the swearing. He felt like an alien wearing a skin that didn't fit right; even at the Dursley's as far as he could remember he hadn't called any of them that word. And they really were a bunch of … that word.

Curling in tighter, he took his glasses off and squeezed his eyes shut. He should have been calmer, should have tried to talk to Draco about what had actually happened. Maybe Draco was telling the truth; maybe he hadn't realised just how the dementor's had affected Harry. This Draco, the one he lived with for almost a year now, was sensible compared to when they'd been thirteen together.

Eurgh, everything was so fucked up.

A tentative knock on the door made his insides cramp.

The door opened and a pale flow illuminated the room. Shoving his glasses back on, Harry leaned up and squinted. Sirius' mass of curls cast long, spiralling shadows on the ceiling above. "Harry," he spoke calmly. "May I come in?"

Well, there was no avoiding this then. With a sigh, Harry hunched over his crossed legs and nodded.

Sirius stepped into the room, closing the door behind him, and then turned on the bedside lamp before sitting down in the rocking chair across from Harry's bed. Harry refused to look up at him, instead he picked at his nails. He could smell a soft aroma in the air and feel the shift in temperature with a breeze shifting through the room. Sirius probably had a bath to calm his nerves.

"I see you finished your dinner," Sirius said conversationally. "That's good. I was worried you would be too upset to eat."

Harry shrugged. "I like Remus' cooking."

Sirius gave a small smile. It quickly faltered as he set his wand down on the chest-of-drawers beside him. "Harry, I want to talk about what happened earlier," he kept his voice calm. The last thing he wanted to do right now was cause more upset. "I'm sorry that I shouted at you. You have to understand, I was scared."

"Scared?" Harry furrowed his brow. "Of what, me swearing?"

"No, Harry. You made me panic; all I had to go on was Molly's patronus saying you'd gone through the floo like a wild animal and when I got back here, I heard shouts and breaking things," he swept a hand through his curls. "I thought you were in danger. Until I heard the yelling at least."

Harry ducked his head back behind his fringe. "I shouldn't have used that word," he finally mumbled. "And -I am sorry for worrying you. I shouldn't have done it."

Sirius leaned forward in the chair and placed a firm, warm hand on Harry's knee. "You're home and you're safe, that's all that matters. But please promise me, that you won't do run off like that again?"

Harry looked up; his lips twisted into a frown. "What if it's an emergency?"

A shadow passed over Sirius' face. "I suppose it would depend on the emergency, he said, his voice somewhat distant. "But you must try to never go alone, do you hear me?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, dad. I'm sorry."

Sirius gave a nod before fixing his shrewd eyes back on Harry. "I also must say I do not approve of the language you used today. I've never known you to use such foul language, I'd I've used some pretty creative curses in my time! Mainly towards my mother but -well -that's for another time."

Harry blanched, looking chastened. "Is … Is Draco mad at me?"

"He's … calmer. Remus and I had a few words with him over dinner. It seems he was unaware of how the dementor's affected you and so we filled him in. I do not condone what he did, Harry, you need to understand that."

"I -I'm trying! It's just … It's difficult when they come out of nowhere."

"You're not a bad person, Harry. I don't think Draco ever was, either. You were both young, stupid teenagers thrown into something much bigger than either of you realised. You made mistakes," Sirius squeezed his knee again and Harry looked up into his dark grey eyes. "But from now on, we are a family. We are moving on from the war and being better for it."

"Should I go and apologise?" The idea rubbed Harry up the wrong way. He didn't want to apologise first, even though his actions were the most recent.

"I think … it would be best to leave it for tonight. Maybe try over breakfast."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. I think I can do that."

"And I'm sure, if you were to try and discuss these things with Draco, he would feel inclined to apologise to you too."

Harry hummed, not necessarily believing that the blonde git would apologise for anything. He certainly hadn't seemed sorry earlier.

"I know you must feel muddled right now, Harry. If you ever feel like that again, come to me, okay? Don't take it out on Draco."

"He started it!" Harry snapped, before reeling back. "I -I mean -when we were both thirteen …"

"I know what you meant, pup," Sirius smiled endearingly. "Like I said, you both did stupid things."

Harry pulled a face. "No worse than what you've done, I'm sure."

Sirius chuckled. "Maybe this weekend, I'll sit down and tell you some stories."

"Yeah, I never believe you when you say Remus was as bad as you, if not worse."

Sirius mock-gasped. "Harry! I am a showman! I perfected the art of getting caught!"

Harry rolled his eyes, the humour releasing some of the tension in his body. "I almost wish I were back at school, like before. It seems easier to handle, along with classes and homework somehow. Being here all the time … it feels a bit closed in."

"I'm sorry about that. Half-term is coming up at the end of May. Maybe we can look into going away somewhere?"

"Or maybe we could all stay up at the castle?"

"There would be students everywhere, Harry."

"Or … Hogsmeade?"

"We'll see. At the very least we can go there and explore. I'll talk to Moony about it tomorrow. I haven't been to the Shrieking Shack in a long time."

They lapsed into silence.

"Sirius?"

"Yes, pup?"

"Why do you defend Draco so much?" he peered up through his glasses, to see a confused expression on his godfather's face. "I'm not saying he deserves what he's got, I'm just -I don't know -trying to make sense of it all. No one else seemed to care, from what the Prophet said."

"Eurgh, don't read that bile, Harry!" Sirius wrinkled his nose. "But in answer to your question; Draco has been struggling. He hasn't had a therapist for a while now and I'm worried he may be withdrawing in some respects. I don't want a petty squabble to be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Sometimes we do stupid things that cause lasting damage."

There were so many hidden depths to his godfather. He really needed to start probing more, to fill in the blanks. Maybe this old house had some answers.

Harry chewed on his lip as another shadow passed over Sirius' face. It was hard for him to picture Draco struggling. He seemed to be gaining confidence by the day, any mishaps or accidents were almost indiscernible. At least, Harry thought so.

A floorboard creaked and then the mattress dipped as Sirius sat down in front of him. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ground you for the next two weeks, Harry," he said with a downward turn of his face. "I don't want you to leave the house unless one of us is with you and it's an errand, and I don't want you to go over to the Burrow on the weekends."

"What?!" Harry snapped. "What the hell, Dad, that's not fair! I already can't leave at all!"

"Harry, we've discussed this already. You have to accept the responsibility for your actions. Besides, if you were at school, you'd be given detention. This is hardly any different. Not to mention everyone has their exams over the next couple of weeks and then we have to deal with the full moon."

"Yeah, but I wanted to stay at the Burrow for that!"

Sirius frowned, leaning back from his godson. "Are you worried about being around Remus, Harry? I assure you he is perfectly docile when he takes his potions."

"No, it's not that!" Harry hissed defensively, "I just thought with Andromeda taking Teddy, Draco might go and stay at hers, and I could go and see my friends for longer than a couple of hours!"

"Well, how about you do that next month, then? When exams are all out of the way and you can all relax properly? Wouldn't that be better than watching your friends bent over textbooks and getting frazzled and snippy? Besides, they may not even be going to the Burrow over the next two weeks."

Groaning in defeat, Harry flopped back against his pillows, his arms snapping crossed over his chest. "Fine!" he groused. "I'll just skulk around here, bored out of my mind!"

"You can practice your charms with Remus," Sirius suggested in a placid voice. "Look, it's getting late. Try and get some rest. Andromeda's coming over tomorrow morning, so try to wear proper bottoms when you come down for breakfast."

Harry huffed, folding his arms across his chest.

"Oh, Harry?"

"Wha-a-a-t?" he gave an exasperated sigh.

"Next time you want to use that sort of language -make sure to put up a silencing charm first. Can't cause mayhem if you're always getting caught." With a wink and a kiss dropped onto his forehead, Sirius stood up from the bed and made his way to the door.

Harry blinked, feeling stunned. "Goodnight Dad."

.

The following morning, Harry woke up feeling a little foggy but ultimately much better than he had the night before. The tray and utensils brought up by Remus had been vanished at some point. Dragging on a pair of cotton pyjamas bottoms, Harry raced down the stairs to the kitchen, where the welcome smell of tea and crumpets coaxed him in. Teddy was already perched in his highchair, slurping away at his bowl of Weetabix and Andromeda was there in a muggle-style summer dress with a shawl around her shoulders.

"Good morning, Harry dear, I've left some crumpets in the toaster for you," she smiled up at him.

"Thanks."

He stepped down into the kitchen and frowned when he noticed that there were no other mugs of coffee or tea set out on the table and no other plates waiting for people. He glanced up at the clock. Sirius should already be at work, so where was Remus?

Noting his questioning silence, Andromeda announced, "Remus has gone in to teach for the day and Sirius and Draco have gone out."

Harry felt his stomach knot. Draco had gone? Fuck, was it because of last night? He hadn't even gotten a chance to talk to him about it.

"W-where have they gone?"

"To the Ministry of Magic."

"They can't do that! He was only protecting himself!" Harry floundered, raking a hand sharply through his hair. "Merlin, I was the one throwing shit at him! Aunt Andromeda, please take me there, I'll explain it! It wasn't his fault! Please, you have to take me there! They can't take away his wand, he's tried so hard, they just can't!"

"Woah, woah, woah, Harry, dear, calm down!" He was wrapped into her arms and cradled gently, her soothing magic touching against his own, soothing the erratic spikes until he felt his heartbeat drum a little slower, the white panic ebbing away. Andromeda brushed his fringe aside and kissed his forehead, before sitting down into a chair. She took both of his hands into her own and looked up into his piercing green eyes. "Draco has gone to sit his exams, dear. That's why he and Sirius have had to go to the Ministry. It isn't anything bad."

"R-really?"

Andromeda smiled gently. It was a beautiful smile and Harry relaxed almost instantly. "I promise you, dear, it really is just for him to sit for his exams. Nothing to worry about, as long as he keeps his nerve."

"Oh, thank Merlin," he rubbed a hand down his face, trying to dispel the last few dregs of his panic.

"Now then," Andromeda picked up her teacup and took a sip. She arched her eyebrow at Harry, "What's this about you two having a fight?"

Harry closed his eyes and groaned. He'd walked right into that one. Pouring himself a mug of tea, he sat down at the kitchen table across from her and did his best to explain what had happened the day before. His crumpets sat on his plate on the counter and were stone cold by the time he remembered them.

~0~

Draco was sweating nervously, his formal attire feeling starchy and uncomfortable against his skin. He hadn't worn these sorts of clothes for months now and it felt incredibly unnatural for him. He kept fiddling with his wand, slipping it in and out of his borrowed arm holster. Sirius sat beside him, glasses on his nose and reading a copy of the Quibbler. The bright colours and erratic advertisements would catch Draco's attention, but they simply weren't distracting enough. He was panicking. This was only the first of two sessions that he had to undertake at the ministry. This was the practical examination, where they would test all his skills, and in a few weeks' time he would come back to undertake the written theory exams.

Apparently, they had to inconvenience him that little bit more.

"Kid, if you're not careful, you're going to break your wand before you even get in there," Sirius observed without taking his eyes off the article open in his lap.

"I just know they're going to judge me even harsher than anyone at school," he replied bitterly.

"We can always contest it, if you feel wronged," Sirius explained. "Kingsley will be in there. He was at your trial. He's a fair man."

"Hmph."

They fell silent. The hustle and bustle of the Ministry around them continued, the steady rhythm of everyday life, mergers and acquisitions. A world Draco could never hope to be a part of again. He dropped his head forwards. Besides him, Sirius turned a page of his magazine and continued to read.

"Sirius? Can you tell me a story?"

Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "What kind of story?"

Taking pity on the teenager beside him, Sirius snapped the Quibbler closed and crossed on leg over the other. He hummed in thought, his mind racing at a hundred miles a minute. "Well, there was this one time we enchanted almost all the portraits in the school to look as though the people inside were wearing hula outfits."

Draco frowned. "What's a hula outfit?"

"A grassy skirt with a flower necklace and coconut bras," Sirius snickered. "At least that's what was on one of Remmy's postcards."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You guys were close, huh?"

"Very," Sirius grinned. Looking down, he nudged his leg against Draco's. "Our lives weren't too dissimilar, Draco. We were both in school with wars brewing on our doorsteps. I can imagine you and I had fairly similar upbringings."

Draco flinched. "Probably."

"You have to laugh in the face of danger. That was one of our many mantras as teenagers." He sniggered, "You know, we actually cursed all the toilets to randomly spout pink foam randomly throughout the days. By the time Filch cleared it up, it happened again!"

That got a smile out of the blonde.

"Tons of dumb pranks like that, but dear Merlin they were fun."

"And you never got caught?"

Sirius let out a bark of laughter, causing the heads of a few passers-by to turn in their direction. "Of course, we did! All the time! James, Peter and I, mostly. Not Remus though, he'd perfect the act of goody-two-shoes well into his first year."

"I don't know how he managed it."

"Honestly, neither did we. The man is almost invincible."

"To be fair, so are you," Draco gave him a cocky smile.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Eh, I was always too reckless. Too busy in detentions, practicing for Quidditch, squabbles with Mother Dearest, snogging girls and coming up with pranks."

"Girls?!" Draco balked, sitting up straight in his chair. "You snogged girls?!"

Sirius gave him a patronising look. "We all have to start somewhere, kid."

"Did you ever … k-kiss boys? At school?"

"Oh, it was heavily frowned upon, especially amongst the pureblood lot," Sirius twiddled his moustache. He watched Draco's shoulders sag somewhat, the gears grinding away in his head. "But … yes, I did. Remus, in fact."

Blonde eyebrows shot upward. "I bet there's a story behind that."

"Nothing glamorous. All very cloak and dagger," Sirius waved it off dismissively. "We were yelling at one another. Sixth year I think it was. I think we started wrestling and Remus always had an unfair advantage over me. I don't know what came over me, or why I went for it but -I just kissed him."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"And he didn't hit you?"

"I think he was too shocked. Hell, so was I. But then … he grabbed me by my shirt and kissed me back. We missed dinner that night, locked up in the dorm room. No one came looking for us, thankfully. By the time everyone came back, we'd straightened everything up and made up some lame excuse." He chuckled and shook his head ruefully, "I don't think Peter ever knew, not even after school, but James -yeah, I think he knew."

"So, was it a thing? Between you two?"

"There were no ground rules, no nothing. Sometimes we would go weeks without anything happening. Then, out of nowhere, he would pin me against a wall and snog my brains out. It's a wonder I passed my exams at all."

Draco snorted, feeling calmer already. "I never really got much of a chance to explore that side of things. I feel like I missed out."

"Oh, you definitely did," Sirius smirked. "Was there no one?"

"A brief thing with Pansy Parkinson but -have you ever seen her? She looks like a pug. Not something I want to look at for the rest of my life."

"And now you like boys?"

"I mean -I don't know. It's crossed my mind -I guess it always did -but then there was always something else to focus on. Never the time to have a crisis about it."

Sirius gave his shoulder a squeeze. "You know, I'm always going to be here to support you, Draco. Has there … has there been anyone that's been on your mind, specifically?"

At this, Draco paled. "Maybe."

"Want to tell me who?"

"I -no, no, not really. I think I'm good."

Sirius opened his mouth to probe a little further, the knowing glint in his eyes was almost too much for Draco to bear, when the door behind him opened up and a narrow, sharp looking woman stepped out, her heels clicking on the marble floor. Peering over her glasses, she nodded at them both.

"Mr. Malfoy, the exam board are ready for you." She snapped her eyes to Sirius. "Mr. Black, you're wanted inside, too, to answer some questions."

"Can I stay for moral support?"

Draco was glad Sirius had asked, because his tongue seemed to have stuck to the roof of his mouth.

The shrewd woman pursed her lips. "You may," she stressed. "However, we shall have to scan you and confiscate your wand for the duration of the exam."

"That's grand!" Sirius jumped to his feet, startling Draco. "Come on, Draco, the sooner the better."

On shaky legs, Draco followed them both in through the narrow door, feeling dread drag his stomach down into his shoes.

The room beyond was all dark tiled, like most of the Ministry. The dark mahogany desk loomed threateningly above him. On the small podium below, was a bland desk and a chair. Drawing in a deep breath, he caught Sirius' eye. The man inclined his head, the ghost of a smile on his lips. He could do this.

Kingsley was there, sat above the rest, as promised. "Mr. Malfoy thank you for joining us today. We are here to conduct your practical examinations of your N.E.W.T.s. As you can see before you, there is a desk and a chair. These shall be the tools of which you will demonstrate your knowledge on various Charms and Transfiguration spells, and we shall have Auror Buxley here," he indicated the man seated on his far right, that Draco hadn't noticed before. "Help you to demonstrate your knowledge on Defensive spells. Any questions?"

"Yes -I -what about my potions?"

"Professor Slughorn has submitted everything you have sent him, to us, even the extra curricula samples."

Ah, that was good then.

"Right, if there are no other questions, shall we begin?"

~0~

A tentative knock came from the office door. Remus swept his fringe out of his eyes and looked up with a wan smile to see Minerva standing in the doorway. "Good afternoon, Headmistress. What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just came to see how you were coping with the impromptu change in schedule today."

"I'm okay. I'm -coping. It's just been a hard couple of weeks." He gave a sheepish look.

Minerva gave an understanding smile. "How are the boys?"

"Teddy is fine, he's exploring everywhere and everything as soon as our backs are turned. Harry had some memories coming back and -it didn't go well," Remus grimaced. "He and Draco had a fight."

"I must say, I'm not surprised they're still fighting. I am surprised it took them this long since the incident," she replied, a wry smile on her lips. "And what about your other child?"

Remus smirked, "You mean, Sirius, the love of your life?"

She sniffed and shook her head. "Menaces the lot of you."

"And yet, here we are."

"Yes, here you are," she chuckled. She watched him for a while, at how at ease this grown man with all his troubles, was lounging so easily in one of the professor's offices. "Do you have a moment to spare before going home?"

Remus looked somewhat surprised but nodded and got to his feet. "I can always spare time for you, Minnie."

She swatted him upside the head as he passed.

They walked side-by-side through the corridors, side-stepping through groups of students milling to and fro in the limbo between their last lesson and dinner time. A few even tried to approach Remus to ask for some advice about the homework he'd set, or when the next after-school practice lessons were on, but he gently rebuffed them and said Sirius would be back tomorrow to answer all and any questions. He continued on at Minerva's side. They stopped at a stone archway just below where the Ravenclaw tower was.

Taking our her wand from her pocket, she moved it in an arc, following the pattern of the stonework arch they stood under. As if stepping through water, the air rippled around them, slowly exposing a beautiful new courtyard that had yet seen the ravages of another living soul. Beautiful flowers spilled over the flowerbeds and over the hexagonal arches. There were deep carved stone benches dotted in between the flowerbeds and in the centre, there was a water fountain in the shape of a phoenix. Remus' eyebrows rose in amusement, but he didn't comment.

Then there was the statue.

It was a large, fat obsidian drops, sitting on a squat podium against the wall of the castle. Sprouting up from the podium base, were white-blue crystalised drops reaching up the sky on thin tails. They were positioned somewhat randomly, yet it managed to look organise. Remus felt a lump in his throat. The number of white crystals represented the ones who had died at the battle of Hogwart's. Tears caught in his eyes. Underneath, carved into the base, were the words;

'Alenda Lux Ubi Orta Libertas'

'Let Light Be Nourished Where Liberty Has Arisen'

One of those drops was for Dora.

Minerva placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. "I shan't be unveiling this to the public until the end of the school year. For now, though, if you ever need to take a moment for yourself -I thought you might like to be here. I find it helps me to clear my head a little."

Turning wet, amber eyes to her, he barely whispered, "Thank you, Headmistress."

~0~

Later the following week, when he staggered in through the floo, he came home to find dinner just being served at the table and everyone in attendance. Things still looked a little tense between the two boys, but Teddy was happy to be scooped up for a kiss and a cuddle. Sirius beamed at him, and offered him a beer, which he accepted readily. He pecked Remus on the cheek, before taking Teddy and sliding the tot back into his highchair.

The boys started eating, not needing an invitation at this point. Remus cocked his head as Sirius took him to the cellar before he felt his stomach drop. "Oh Pads," he grimaced when Sirius held out a familiar phial towards him.

"I know it sucks, babe, but better to take it now than after dinner."

Remus wearily drunk the potion, shuddering violently at the bitter, smoky taste it left behind.

He was about to go up to dinner, when Sirius stopped him. He narrowed his eyes at the taller man before an understanding dance in them. "You went to the courtyard again, didn't you?"

Remus inclined his head. "It sounds dumb but … it finally feels nice to know that she's remembered, officially, you know?"

"I know," Sirius slid his arms around Remus, letting the man relax against him. "I'm sorry if the Moon is making it harder on you."

"I wouldn't be 'Moony' without it."

Sirius huffed a laugh at the poor joke. "Do you want the boys to go to Andromeda tonight?"

"No, no, Draco has managed fine before," Remus sighed. "They should be perfectly fine."

"What about if we get another noise complaint from the neighbours?" Sirius smirked.

"Then we'll send them a howler."

"Pretty sure they've heard you howling, hence the complaint."

Remus let out a small laugh. Sirius grinned triumphantly, before looping an arm around Remus' shoulders. "Come on, the food will be getting cold at this point."

"Ever thought to use, I don't know, magic?"

Sirius scoffed. He became serious and gripped the back of Remus' neck gently, their eyes locking on the step leading into the kitchen. "I'm not afraid to listen about it, you know?" he licked his lips. "She was my family too, Remmy. I'm here if you need to let it out."

Remus closed his eyes and leaned down, gently bumping their heads together. "You're wonderful," he murmured before pressing his mouth to Sirius'.

.

They ate dinner together as a proper little family, managing to keep to neutral topics and the two grown-ups tried to ignore the furtive glances that Harry and Draco kept shooting one another when they thought the others weren't looking. Sirius was just itching to intervene, as was his nature, but a swift kick to his shin under the table made him clamp his mouth shut and glower at Remus until it was time for dessert.

Remus was starting to get irritable, so he quickly hurried out into the back garden. As soon as he was outside, the pinkie skies giving him a false sense of calm and peace as he allowed the breeze to ruffle his hair. He drew in long, deep breaths of the fresh aromas all around him. It seemed to help.

His ears pricked at the sound of the back door sliding open and closed. He could smell Sirius before he heard his feet crossing over the grass.

"I've settled the boys down for the night," Sirius stated conversationally.

"Where?"

"Harry and Teddy are staying in his room and Draco is in his own room. Harry was watching TV downstairs when I left him."

"Good. I hope this doesn't trigger any bad memories for him."

A warm hand found his own through the gloomy dusk light. He squeezed back tightly, feeling his skin already beginning to prickle and burn.

"Already?" Sirius frowned, reluctantly taking a step back.

"Change! Please Pads!" Remus choked out as he lurched forward on all fours, barely glimpsing the full moon as it hovered like a fat sickle in the sky. A loud 'pop' resounded in the air as his jaw dislocated.

Sirius wasted no time in shrinking down into Padfoot, his black ears pricked, tail alert and poised ready for action.

From Sirius' perspective, even as a dog, the transformation was still bitterly gruelling and taxing on so many levels for Remus. He hated the smell of it most of all; like raw meat and hair and something very heady that he could never place a name to. He hated the sounds of the bones crunching and realigning themselves, as well as the human screams that crackle and choked into canine howls. It always made him want to cover his ears and back away, every instinct in his body told him to. However, he had learned years ago that his mere presence for Remus was what helped keep him sane, kept him safe from hurting himself.

He hadn't hurt himself in years.

It also helped that Remus remembered everything and was happy to play with Sirius in their canine shapes. It made them both feel almost carefree and young again, even as they both loped about on all-fours, snapping their jaws at moths and large buzzing bugs.

.

From his bedroom window, Harry had done his best to deal with the memories that had been creeping back all week. All about the grim being his godfather, Ron's rat being a person -Pettigrew of all people! -and his Defence professor was actually a werewolf. It had … been a lot. It had left him perpetually exhausted all week and had barely managed to muster the energy to practice his Patronus charm with Sirius. His nightmares of Remus ripping the flesh from his bones had made him feel violently ill. However, as he watched the gangly creature loping about with the big black dog in the back garden, he felt a weight lift off his chest.

This wasn't some dumb, brainless monster with a penchant for murdering kids in their beds. This was Remus! The man who had made his chocolate cake for his birthday, who encouraged his studies and imagination with a measured hand. This was the man who Sirius was in love with!

Smiling to himself, Harry decided that he might as well put his Gryffindor bravery to some use and deal with the other issue he'd been avoiding for over a week; apologising to Draco.

Walking down the hall, he took a deep breath as he hovered outside Draco's door. Taking a deep breath, he cautiously knocked on the door three times.

"Come in."

Draco didn't look up when Harry entered the room. He was hunched over his desk, scribbling away on several pieces of parchment. His hair was in disarray and he was wearing pyjamas and slippers. His hair kept falling into his eyes, and Harry had to dig his nails into his palms to keep himself from reaching out to touch it.

"What do you want, Potter?" he asked without looking up, or breaking his stride in writing.

"I uh … I just … I wanted to ask you something, but … um … I know we haven't really been talking and I just –"

"Spit it out, Potter. Can't you see I'm trying to revise?" This time he did stop writing, but it was only so that he could shoot a scathing look in Harry's direction.

The teen bristled but fought down his initial reaction. Trying to unclench his jaw, he hedged into the room, noticing how Draco straightened up even more in his chair. "I just … I wanted to ask if -did you really get attacked by a giant bird?"

"No," Draco bit out. "It was a hippogriff."

"Really?" Harry' eyes flew wide. "How the hell did that happen?"

Draco clicked his tongue. "If you must know, you annoyed the shit out of me that day. Besting everyone and everything the first time, without any training or skills!" he sniffed haughtily, making Harry's gut twist. "I just wanted to prove a point that it was just that. Luck. That it wasn't such a docile creature just because Hagrid said so."

"So, what? You did that to get him fired?"

"No, I was a prat. It took me by surprised, but I played it up a lot afterwards. I didn't need the bandages or the sling on my arm. Pomphrey healed me within twenty minutes, good as new. But it got me attention so …"

"So, you behaved like a prat?" Harry finished with a tentative smile.

Draco caught his eyes and allowed his own small smile in return. "Yes, so I acted like a prat. Not that you weren't one, of course."

Harry shrugged, the knot in his stomach unwinding. "Eh, so we were both prats. What can you do?"

Draco huffed a small smile.

The tension in the room seemed to lessen.

Harry bowed his head and took a deep breath. "I also just … I wanted to say that I'm sorry for throwing things at you last week. And hitting you and -and c-calling you a … a cunt."

Silence.

Peeking up through his fringe, Harry felt sick. Draco had his cold, blank mask on his face and the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped. The tension between them respawned threefold and it took all of Harry's remaining bravery to stand his ground as Draco's eyes looked right through him.

"Okay," was all he said, turning back in his chair. He deliberately dipped his quill into his inkwell, despite having a pot of biros on the desk.

Harry licked his lips, not wanting to be dismissed so easily. Not yet. He'd made Draco smile, that had to count for something right?

"Do you … er … need help with anything? I could quiz you!" he cringed at how hopeful he sounded.

"No, I'm good," Draco said.

Well, that was that then. There was nothing else for it.

Feeling worse than useless, Harry nodded to himself before turning to leave. As he was pulling the door to, he saw Draco turn to look at him with just the barest upward turn of his lips.

"Thanks though."

It wasn't forgiveness, Harry reasoned despite the relieved grin on his face. But it was a start.

A/N: Please leave some lovely reviews! I hope you liked the update! Feel free to ask some questions, I will answer them at the start of the next chapter in a note.

B x