April 16, 1994

"Of course, it is completely up to you Sirius, but I do believe it will be a beneficial skill for Harry to learn now, rather than later," Dumbledore explained.

Sirius nodded, his head in his hands. He had run the gamut on emotions that night. He had been elated after the quidditch match, concerned when he saw Dumbledore waiting for them, outraged when he heard his proposal, and now resigned. He wasn't happy, not at all, but he was resolved that this was something that would help keep Harry safe. He glanced up at the clock.

"I don't mean to be rude, Albus, but Harry will be back soon, and if he sees you, he's going to ask questions. I will talk to him about it, but not tonight. Let him have one night of celebration before I drop this on him," Sirius explained, his voice heavy with dread.

Dumbledore set his teacup on Remus's coffee table and stood up. "I understand and agree. I will use your floo Remus if you do not mind."

Remus shook his head. "Of course not."

Dumbledore walked over to the floo, but turned around when he heard Sirius call his name once again.

"You've spoken to Sn- Severus? I will not have him abusing that child, Albus," Sirius reminded his former headmaster.

"Of course," Dumbledore agreed, "and you'll speak to Harry about respecting Professor Snape?"

Sirius sighed but nodded. "I will."

Once Dumbledore was gone, Remus offered Sirius, who was still sitting with his head in his hands, a glass of firewhiskey.

"Thanks," Sirius said wearily, taking the glass.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" Remus asked, sitting in the armchair across from his oldest friend.

Sirius sat up and sighed. He was quiet for a minute, then spoke. "I agree that Harry needs to do this. I'm not particularly happy about it, but I can live with it. I'm just worried about how he is going to react."

Remus nodded. "I don't mean to sound discouraging, but you better be prepared for a fight."

Sirius looked at him. "WE better be prepared for a fight, Moony. And I am. I want him to fight me on it."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Sirius took another sip of firewhiskey, then began to explain. "It's something Healer Williams told me about. She says it's like there are two Harrys right now. She calls the first one 'Harry, the Boy Who Lived.' That's the one that lies about getting threatening notes and fights basilisks and doesn't think at all about his own safety. He thinks it's his responsibility to be the Savior of the wizarding world, and he doesn't trust anyone, especially adults, to help him do that. Then there's the other Harry. She calls him 'the true Harry.' That Harry is a lot more like James. He's kind, adventurous, cheeky, and mischievous. In other words, he is a normal teenager. That's the Harry we want to see more and more of."

Remus thought over Sirius's words. He crossed his legs. "Well, I don't think either Harry is going to be too happy about having to take occlumency lessons with his least favorite professor all summer."

Sirius set his glass on the coffee table and leaned back. "True, but I actually hope he is upset. I kind of hope he yells and fights me on this. Let him throw a regular tantrum for all I care. Because that would be the real Harry. He wouldn't be thinking of defeating Voldemort or saving the world. He'd just be Harry. But if he accepts this without a fight, accepts that this is just something else he has to do in the fight for the light, well I think that would be worse."

Remus nodded. "I see what you mean. But if Harry wasn't 'The Boy Who Lived,' he wouldn't have to worry about any of this." He sounded disgusted.

Sirius sighed. "And that's the problem. We have to find the balance between teaching Harry to keep himself safe while keeping him from shouldering the responsibility for everyone's safety. But I think the more we see the 'true Harry,' the better."

"Why don't you wait until after exams are over to tell him? Let him focus on his schoolwork for now," Remus suggested.

Sirius looked at him. "That's not really a bad idea. As long as there are no more incidents, I think that's what I will do."

…..

The party in the common room was unlike Harry had ever seen. Fred and George Weasley had snuck out and returned with Butterbeers and snacks from Honeydukes. People were chatting, music was playing, and everyone joined in the celebration.

"Harry? Didn't Sirius say you had to be back by 7?" Hermione asked. Even she had left her homework for the evening to celebrate the Gryffindor victory.

"Yeah. What time is it?" Harry asked.

"7:15."

"Damn," Harry muttered, "Here." He handed his glass of Butterbeer to Ron, grabbed his discarded quidditch robe from the nearby sofa, and said, "I've got to go," before hurrying through the portrait hole.

He sprinted as fast as he could back to Remus's quarters. He half expected Sirius to be waiting outside the tower for him, but he passed no one as he rushed back. Finally reaching Remus's suite, he threw the door open quickly and ran through. He almost immediately apologized, but he decided to test his luck, just in case Sirius hadn't realized what time it was.

"How was the party?" Sirius asked him casually. A little too casually Harry thought to himself.

"Fine," Harry answered. He studied Sirius and Remus for a moment. Something was definitely up, but he seemed to have escaped further trouble, so he dismissed it. "A lot of fun actually. I wish I could have stayed longer," he said as he plopped down on the couch near Sirius.

Sirius let out a soft "hmm," but didn't otherwise respond.

"Have you had dinner?" Remus asked him.

Harry shook his head. "Not really, but there was a lot of food at the party. I'm fine."

"What kind of food?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry shrugged. "Chocolate Frogs, Peppermint Toads, Acid Pops, that sort of stuff. And Butterbeer."

Remus chuckled. "I'm not going to ask how you all acquired those things."

Harry held up his hands. "It wasn't me."

Sirius smiled and nudged him. "It better not have been. But as delicious as all of that sounds, that's not much in the way of a dinner. How about a turkey sandwich?"

Harry nodded. "Ok."

"I'll get it," Remus said, standing and heading to the kitchen.

"Thanks," Harry called after him. He stretched and leaned against the arm of the couch, twisting his body to prop his feet on Sirius with a smirk.

"Well, make yourself comfortable."

"I am, thanks," Harry answered cheekily. Sirius smiled and began tickling the bottom of Harry's feet. "Hey, stop that!" Harry called out between giggles. Sirius tickled a couple more times before resting his hand on Harry's ankles. Harry stretched again, moving his neck awkwardly.

Sirius frowned. "Are you hurt?" he inquired.

Harry rubbed his own neck. "No, just sore. It was a pretty brutal match."

Sirius nodded. "That it was. It reminded me of the quidditch final our fifth year. You remember that one, Moony?"

"I certainly do," Remus answered as he walked back over to them. He handed Harry his plate and sat down in the arm chair. "One of the beaters took a cheap shot at your dad and broke his arm, but he refused to come out of the game. He scored four more goals after that."

Harry smiled. "I caught the snitch last year with a broken arm. I guess my dad and I have that in common," he said before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Sirius smiled. "You are like him in a lot more ways than that," he said, patting Harry's shins gently. "Although, I must say Harry, I loved your dad dearly, but your inherited propensity for trouble and injuries is going to turn me grey," he added.

Harry smiled at that. Feeling the ache in his back, he stretched again.

Sirius looked at him with concern. "You sure you're ok, Pup? I can have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you."

"No!" Harry answered quickly. "I'm really fine Sirius."

Sirius relented. "Ok, but you'll take a pain potion before bed tonight."

Harry grimaced. "Or I could not do that."

Sirius gave him a pointed look. "How about this? You take the potion without complaining, and I'll forget that you were nearly 20 minutes late."

Harry winced. "I didn't think you noticed."

Sirius smirked. "I did, I was just a little lost in thought."

"Yeah I noticed that. Is something going on? Am I in trouble again?" Harry asked, looking between the two of them.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a look.

Sirius sighed. "No you're not in any trouble. Professor Dumbledore came by to discuss some things with us before you arrived. Order business, sort of. It's a long explanation, and I will tell you, Harry. I promise. But I need you to let it go for right now, ok?" he tried to explain.

Harry thought about arguing, but he rarely saw Sirius so weary, so he decided to let it go. "Ok," he nodded. "But you'll tell me later?"

"I will, at the right time. A time I decide, understand?" He raised an eyebrow at Harry. He didn't want to be particularly stern, but he also didn't want Harry to pressure him.

"Yes, sir. I understand," Harry said, but he really did want to argue more. He was already grounded though, and didn't feel much like pushing his luck.

Sirius searched for a change in subjects. "Dobby made you a cake."

Harry looked toward the kitchen. "He did?"

"Yeah, a way of congratulating 'the great and powerful and kind Harry Potter,'" Sirius answered, his voice imitating Dobby's. "It sounds like you've had enough sugar for one night, but I'm willing to overlook it if you slice me a piece too."

"Me too," Remus added.

Harry laughed. He hurried into the kitchen, and cut three slices. It had golden icing on top, no doubt to resemble a snitch, but the inside was rich chocolate. He poured himself a glass of milk, then turned to carry the plates, but Sirius and Remus had already summoned theirs. When he returned to the sofa, he tucked his legs under him and said, "So tell me some more quidditch stories about my dad," as he took a bite of cake.

April 19, 1994

Remus walked into his kitchen, where Sirius was already seated at the small table with a Prophet and cup of coffee.

"Morning," Remus muttered. He and Harry shared similar feelings about early mornings, but Sirius was his normal jolly self.

"Good morning, Moony," he said in a voice that Remus recognized all too well.

"What did you do?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, lowering his paper.

"You've got that look." When Sirius only raised an eyebrow in return, he continued, "That 'I'm up to something' look."

"I don't know what you mean," Sirius said innocently as he took another sip of his coffee.

Before Remus could respond, Harry walked slowly out of his room, still half asleep, and waved half-heartedly at the two of them before heading into the bathroom.

Remus looked at Sirius and raised his eyebrow again. "Really Padfoot? I understand grounding him, but must you torture him too?"

Sirius pretended to be offended. "Torture? My jokes are not torture Moony."

Remus scoffed. "You're going to regret it when the James in him kicks in and he starts to retaliate."

Sirius smirked. He didn't have a chance to reply before Harry came barreling out of the bathroom without a shirt on. He had apparently already begun to get ready to shower before he looked in the mirror.

"SIRIUS! Turn it back!" Harry's hair was bright pink.

Sirius was laughing hysterically. Remus tried his best to stifle his own chuckles. "It's a good look for you Pup," Sirius said once he had better composed himself.

"Turn it back!" Harry demanded.

"What's the magic word?" Sirius said sweetly.

"Sirius!" Harry said again, this time his tone almost whining.

"Alright, alright," Sirius answered and waved his wand. Harry's hair instantly turned back to it's natural black.

Harry pulled a strand down in front of his eyes so he could confirm the color change. When he saw it was back to normal, he gave his father one last glare before turning back towards the bathroom.

"What? I don't get a thank you?" Sirius called out.

"No!" Harry called back before closing the bathroom door.

Remus and Sirius sipped their morning coffee together for a while until Harry came out. His uniform top was untucked and his tie was draped around his neck, untied. He also was still barefoot. He picked up his Astronomy book from the coffee table and stuffed it down in his bag. He looked up at Remus.

"Is my hair still its normal color?" he asked as he began to tuck in his shirt.

Sirius rolled his eyes while Remus chuckled. He held up one hand. "I solemnly swear on my Marauders' honor, it's still black." He put his hand down and smirked at Harry. "But you should know Harry, the Marauders didn't have much honor."

"But your hair is still black," Sirius added.

Harry rolled his eyes.

Remus looked at the clock then back at Harry. "We better get going, Harry." Harry met his eyes to nod, but he noticed Remus winking at him. Confused he looked around, only to notice that Sirius, who was back to reading his Prophet, had bright green hair. Harry suppressed a laugh as he put on his socks and shoes.

"Have a good day, Pup. I'll see you after class," Sirius called out to Harry as he and Remus headed towards the door.

"You've got to teach me how to do that," Harry whispered conspiratorially to Remus as they walked out.

Remus smiled and patted Harry's back. "I'll show you Thursday."

….

Harry had been trying to catch Cho between classes as often as he could, but she seemed to be avoiding him. Finally on Tuesday, knowing she had a free period after her Transfigurations class while he was in History of Magic, he waited outside McGonagall's classroom for her. She caught his eye as soon as she exited, and to his immense pleasure, smiled.

"Hi Harry!" she greeted him.

"Hi. Can we talk?" Harry asked.

Cho furrowed her brow. "Sure, but don't you have History?"

"Yeah, but I can be late. Binns probably won't even notice."

Cho smiled. "Ok, want to take a walk outside?"

"Sure, let's go sit by the lake," Harry suggested as he offered her his hand.

She nodded, took his hand, and walked with him out of the castle. Harry made sure to make as little noise as possible as he passed Remus's classroom and prayed that Remus didn't see him. It wasn't long before they were out of the castle and seated watching the giant squid.

"So, what's up?" Cho asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you and make sure we are ok. You've barely spoken to me since I got grounded."

Cho blushed slightly. "I'm sorry. I guess I was just upset. What did you get grounded for anyway? And how did you get grounded here?"

It struck Harry just how little he and Cho actually knew about each other. "Well, Professor Lupin is my godfather, so I have to stay with him, although Sirius is staying here too. They've been best friends since they went to school here. And I lied to Sirius. That's why I'm grounded."

"What did you lie about?" Cho asked, looking concerned.

Harry really didn't want to get Cho involved in all of that. "Something stupid. I guess I'm still getting used to having a father that looks out for me. I should've been honest with him," he explained, hoping that was enough for her. "Anyway, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mess things up between us."

Cho smiled at him. "It's ok. I understand. I've…" she hesitated slightly before saying, "I've missed you."

Harry smiled. "I've missed you too." Without thinking further, he leaned over and kissed her. She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her waist and they stayed together just like that, lost in one another. Everything was right in their world.

At least it was, until they heard, "Harry James Potter!"

Horrified, Harry looked up to see Sirius walking with Hagrid. They had apparently been meeting to discuss Buckbeak's case.

"Umm, Cho. I may be grounded a bit longer," he told her nervously.

She couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "That's ok. I'll be here when you're free."

He smiled at her and kissed her cheek before hurrying over to Sirius. He tried his best to look repentant, but he just couldn't wipe the goofy smile off his face. Even if Sirius killed him, he would die happy.

A few hours later, Remus entered his quarters after supervising dinner, threw his briefcase down, and saw Sirius sitting on his couch.

"Good evening Padfoot. Where's Harry?"

Sirius closed the book he was reading. "In his room," he answered plainly.

Remus raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "Because?"

Sirius propped his feet up on the coffee table, put his hands behind his head, and smiled. "Well, let's just say I got a glimpse of the real Harry today."

….

That night, Sirius sent Harry to bed promptly at nine. Harry had protested, but Sirius had warned him that he could make an early bedtime a permanent part of being grounded, and Harry wisely closed his mouth. Remus had made Harry's day by arguing with Sirius that Harry skipping class was a school infraction, and if Sirius hadn't been staying here, he would never have known since Hogwarts did not make it a practice of informing parents when a student was caught skipping class. Therefore, Remus told him, he should let a school punishment be enough. Sirius knew Remus was just being the cool godfather, but he relented in the end and did not ground Harry for any longer, though he did say that Harry would have to eat all his meals in the quarters now, not just dinner. Remus took ten points from Gryffindor and the matter was settled. Even though Sirius had acted strict when he was scolding Harry for his afternoon adventure, he was secretly excited that Harry was acting more and more like a normal teenager.

Unfortunately that excitement was short lived. Around midnight, Sirius awoke to a sound that made his heart nearly jump out of his chest. Harry was screaming in pain. Sirius ran to his room as fast as he could, Remus right on his heels.

"Harry! Are you ok?" but instantly he knew his son was not. Harry was leaned over, clutching his scar in absolute agony.

"No...scar...hurts," Harry said, his words coming, pained, between breaths.

"I'll get a pain potion," Remus said, rushing out of the bedroom.

Sirius summoned a cloth and wet it with his wand. "Here, try holding this to it," he suggested desperately.

Harry had barely taken the rag when his eyes went wide. "Gonna...be...sick." He tried to climb out of bed, but Sirius summoned a trash can and handed it to him instead. He had barely taken it in his arms before throwing up violently into it.

Remus ran back into the room and surveyed the scene. "A stomach soother too, then," he said and exited again.

Once Harry was sure he was finished throwing up, Sirius banished the contents of the trash can and helped Harry take the potions. Harry was already feeling better, though he was still sweaty and hadn't completely caught his breath.

"Do you want to take a warm bath?" Sirius suggested.

Harry shook his head slowly. "I'd rather just go back to sleep if that's ok."

Sirius nodded. "Of course it is." He looked up at Remus. "Do you have any Dreamless Sleep?" he asked as he settled Harry back into bed.

"Not here, but I'm sure the hospital wing has some. I'll go get it."

Harry looked up. "You don't have to do that. I'll be fine."

"It's not a problem, Harry, really," and Remus walked out again before Harry could argue further. Sirius rubbed circles on Harry's back while they waited on him to return.

"I'm sorry I woke you," Harry said softly.

Sirius looked at him with sad eyes. "You don't ever have to apologize for that Harry."

Remus returned a short time later and handed the potion to Harry, who took it without argument.

"What's your first class tomorrow?" Sirius asked before the potion could kick in.

"Defense," Harry answered sleepily with a smile towards Remus.

"You're absolutely excused from that one," Remus told him with a smile back.

Sirius nodded. "Don't try to wake up early for class. Just get enough sleep."

Harry nodded and nestled into his pillow. Remus and Sirius both refused to leave until they were sure Harry was sleeping peacefully. As they walked quietly out of the room and closed the door gently behind them, Remus looked at Sirius gloomily.

"I'm afraid you're going to have that talk with Harry sooner than we had hoped."

Sirius sighed. "Yeah, I'm afraid so."