It was the end of a particularly trying day. Sirius was exhausted, and in the quiet basement kitchen he finished the last of his whiskey, knocking it back without a second thought. He longed to pour another, but he reminded himself that he was on his best behaviour right now.

He seriously doubted that Harry was asleep just yet, he hadn't exactly taken to being sent to bed. For both their sakes he hoped Harry had done as he was told. He wasn't a badly behaved kid, but he did tend to push the boundaries - and admittedly, Sirius wasn't much of a disciplinarian. He dreaded that one day it might fall to him to properly discipline him, and that he wouldn't have someone like Arthur or Molly from whom to gauge what was appropriate.

It was ten o'clock now, an early time to turn in. When activity was in full swing with the Order it wasn't unusual for his kitchen to be crowded until the wee hours of the morning, especially when Dung stopped by. But for the next few days at least that had been put to a stop, and he would be turning into bed at the same time as Harry. That was going to take some getting used to.

Feeling guilty that Harry was alone up there when he should have had someone watching over him, Sirius poured himself just a little more whiskey - one finger's worth, that was all. He had made a half hearted attempt to tidy his own mess in the kitchen, but he left the rest for Kreacher to do during the night. Merlin knew that House Elf needed something to do other than lurk around, especially while Harry was there.

Putting the stopper in the bottle of whiskey he stowed it in the very back of the pantry, disguising it as a bottle of olive oil. Harry was generally trustworthy, but he remembered all too well being fifteen years old and the mischief he and James would get up to, especially over the summer holidays. Mr and Mrs Potter were always a little too trusting, particularly when it came to the liquor cabinet in the sitting room. There was no reason to tempt fate. The last thing Sirius needed right now was a drunk fifteen year old godson. Lily would throttle him from the grave if he let that happen…

His guts swirled with bitterness at the thought of James and Lily, but he was used to this. The loss lingered still, the agony of being robbed of his best friends not getting easier with time. It was a persistent ache, a part of his life that would never be set right again. Still he set them into the back of his mind as he made his way upstairs to the second floor, knowing he had a job to do. For once had to meet his responsibilities to James and Lily's son.

He crept about when he let himself into the bedroom Harry occupied, sensing immediately that he was still awake, though his eyes were closed. By the light of the fireplace Sirius peered at him as he feigned sleep, wondering if maybe he should have put another blanket on the bed. He had made up this room himself, suspecting Kreacher might fall back on his old twisted habits. More than once growing up Sirius had found something dead and disgusting between his sheets, and though Regulus always claimed credit he suspected their demented House Elf, and Regulus never failed to defend him.

Taking a blanket from the vacant bed nearby Sirius shook it out and then draped it over Harry, but that alone would not be enough. He fussed around a little more, putting two fresh logs on the fire and using his wand to stoke the burning embers until bigger flames began to erupt. As he worked he wished for eyes in the back of the head, certain that Harry was still wide awake, but he didn't want to turn around as if to catch him out.

Before he too settled in for the night Sirius stuffed the gaping hole in the door with another blanket, making sure no draught would slip in. Not for the first time he chastised himself for removing every single door handle in the house before he had anything to replace them with. Again his guts swirled, but this time with shame and embarrassment.

He took the other bed and lay down, trying to resist the desire to transform. Even though he was no longer in Azkaban he preferred to sleep as Padfoot, a habit more than a decade old by now. As a dog it was easier to switch his mind off and relax, finding his thoughts were shallower and less burdensome than they were as himself. Falling asleep as himself was far more challenging, though he had tried more and more lately, and sometimes if the stars aligned and the whiskey had flowed freely enough he could manage it. Tonight though there was a lot on his mind.

The decisions made that day had not proven easy. When everything going on with Harry came to light Sirius had been nursing quite the hangover, having slept through to afternoon following a late night Order meeting with Mundungus Fletcher. When they eventually dragged themselves down to the kitchen he and Dung had enjoyed a medicinal glass of whiskey to ease their hangovers, both of them nursing sorry heads and queasy stomaches, then Sirius gave him the heave ho to get going back to his own place.

Fondly remembering the days when a morning drink and cigarette was all he needed to recover after a big night he started on the afternoon's work of preparing food for the Order, for there was to be a genuine Order meeting that evening. It wasn't anything of particular importance, just a general get together to make sure certain things were still on track, but occasionally people stayed the night, and most ate.

He was halfway through peeling potatoes, cigarette hanging from his lips, when Minerva appeared in the fireplace. Contact that was usually meant something urgent given the risk of her being caught in the Floo Network, and so he knew it could not be good news.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Harry had reached the moment that had been coming on for quite some time, a moment they had all dreaded. They'd seen this coming, certain of the possibility that one day he might no longer be able to cope with everything going on, but in truth none of them had been quite prepared to face it.

His school work had suffered this year, but had taken a noticeable decline in quality since Christmas. He'd been cutting class more than a few times, his homework either subpar or unfinished, and yet McGonagall had been lenient, hoping that this was just a short term lapse until things settled down again. But as the weeks wore on it became clear that was not the case, and that perhaps their leniency had only exacerbated the problem.

Sirius wasn't sure what to think. McGonagall was adamant that Harry was going to fail his exams in a few short months, whereas the more he learned the more certain he was that Harry wouldn't make it to his exams at all. He remembered his own O.W.L year was gruelling, but was it right to be worrying about Harry's schoolwork given all that was going on? On the other hand, could they really let him slip and impede his future?

The Quibbler article had been a single bright moment, one that surely must have given Harry autonomy and the power to control what was being said about him. And it had helped, Sirius saw that first hand through their conversations, but it hadn't been long before other pressure points overwhelmed the article's success. The search of Fudge's offices had set off a chain of events they barely managed to contain, resulting in Scrimgeour's public declaration that no one was under investigation for any of Harry's claims. That had to have been the catalyst, quickly followed by the loss of the DA and Dumbledore's firing, all of which was compounded by the stress of learning Occlumency.

Any hope they'd held for the Occlumency lessons had been dashed. Despite it being their best solution it had proven too soon to put Harry and Snape together - it was asking too much. For months Harry had suffered through every invasive lesson, forced to endure the torment of memories he couldn't yet deal with. And Sirius had done nothing but encourage him to keep going. He ought to have known. Instead of telling him to keep persevering he should have pushed back against Dumbledore, should have listened to his own instincts and demanded another solution.

Now Harry was more vulnerable than before he had started. If he couldn't defend himself against Snape he stood little chance of doing the same against Voldemort.

Last week's row with Snape culminated in his refusal to continue. Dumbledore had done nothing, expecting Harry would come around in a few days, while Snape took it as a personal affront. Instead of trying to work with him he demanded obedience under threat, foolish to think that Harry would ever respond to that. McGonagall had tried to help in her own way, but compounded with Umbridge who made his life a living hell Harry had finally been pushed over the edge.

By the time McGonagall deigned to inform Sirius that Harry was nowhere to be found he had been unaccounted for nearly three hours. Sirius had made his discontent with that quite clear, particularly given the relative ease of contacting his godson whenever he needed to. But his every effort to reach out to Harry with their mirrors went unacknowledged. Sirius's mirror remained steadfastly blank, showing only his own concerned reflection. He knew what that meant. Harry had promised to always carry the mirror with him. If he wasn't answering it was because he didn't want to.

Sirius was left feeling completely powerless. That afternoon he sat at the kitchen table opposite Molly and Arthur, while Snape lurked in the far corner of the room, probably sulking that Harry's defiance was not punishable by death. Dumbledore was the one who called them together, and at Sirius's invitation he occupied the head of the table.

Throughout most of the conversation he sat in grave silence, staring at his interlocked fingers while everyone else talked. Sirius knew his silence was not indifference, that beneath the surface there had to be an intense tug of war going on in Dumbledore's mind. Protect Harry at the cost of him losing his mind, or risk helping him and leave him vulnerable to Voldemort?

It wasn't often that something Dumbledore set into motion didn't go to plan, and Sirius got the feeling he didn't quite know what to do about it. Dumbledore was no longer at Hogwarts, the change representing a great loss of control - there was only so much he could do right now. He couldn't get rid of Umbridge, nor could he protect Harry from her, and nor could he see his life deteriorating. And so he sat in silence, listening as the three parties at the table talked and debated while he deliberated, listening to each of them.

It was Snape talking now, though it was more like whining. As recently as just three weeks ago they had been in this same position, Dumbledore uncompromising that Snape persist in teaching Harry and suggesting only that he try a different method. But of course Snape hadn't listened, adamant that Harry's small flickers of success were enough promise that they should keep persevering. Though he felt uneasy about it Sirius had allowed the whole mess to continue, oblivious to just how quickly it fell apart. And naturally Snape had turned, putting the blame squarely on Harry's undeserving shoulders.

'…despite flickers of success my efforts with Potter have become entirely unproductive, and his behaviour completely disproportionate,' he complained, still talking. 'One would think I had cancelled Christmas.'

'Oh do shut up with your whining,' Sirius snapped, glaring at him. As much as he hated himself for playing along and not defending Harry, so too did his hatred of Snape increase with every breath the bastard took. 'Harry's in this position because of you. What about the other method Albus told you to try - did you even bother, or did you just keep tormenting him for your own sick pleasure?'

'I made every effort to accommodate him,' Snape snarled. 'And yet he chooses not to try.'

Sirius began to rise from his chair, hand creeping towards his wand while sheer unadulterated hatred cheered him on, telling him to deal with this prick once and for all. But he paused, stalled by Arthur who had begun speaking. His confident and resolute tone of voice was enough to make Sirius stop and listen.

'Molly and I see quite a simple solution,' he began, sharing a glance with Molly before addressing Dumbledore directly. 'It won't take long for Minerva to find Harry, wherever he's wandered off to. I think it's likely he's slipped away to find some peace and quiet from the world. In that mind, I think it's exactly what should be offered to him. Perhaps a couple of days at home with Molly and I. Some rest for him to work things out. Albus?'

Dumbledore didn't give much of a response. 'Mmm,' he murmured. It was neither an agreement nor disagreement.

'Severus?'

Snape was lurking in the far corner of the kitchen again, sour faced after the being chastised by Sirius. 'Potter's behaviour should not go unaddressed.'

Molly's head whipped around at this comment, her eyes flashing. 'Nor should it be punished,' she swiftly said.

'I quite agree,' Arthur added, turning back to Dumbledore. 'Harry needs to be helped, not reprimanded.'

There was a pause now, one which Dumbledore used to take a deep breath. He sat up a little straighter, and he looked in Snape's general direction. 'I'm certain that was not what Severus was suggesting.'

Snape's upper lip twitched. 'No. Just a little discipline.'

Sirius couldn't help what he said next. 'A spot of the ol' Cruciatus, right Severus? Bring him back in line?'

'Enough,' Dumbledore said softly, halting them both in their tracks.

Another pause came to pass, Sirius and Molly sharing a pointed glance with one another. One of the few things they agreed on was their discomfort with Snape being the one to teach Harry Occlumency. Not many in the Order knew the depths of his involvement with Harry at Malfoy Manor, of the things he had done to maintain his cover. Most knew only superficial information such that he had covertly helped Harry and then facilitated his release, but over time Arthur and Molly had connected certain dots, and they too knew the full extent.

'Severus?'

Snape seemed to labour over his response, extending the silence again until he finally spoke. 'Potter remains intensely vulnerable to the Dark Lord's influence. He shares more and more of the Dark Lord's thoughts and yearnings despite efforts to prevent such intimate connection.'

When silence resumed Sirius exchanged a glance with the Weasleys, both of whom seemed impatient for a solution. Arthur cleared his throat and then spoke again, pressing both Snape and Dumbledore for a solution or agreement.

'Were we to take Harry home for a little while, what must we do to protect him?'

The wait was positively excruciating, for Snape continued to think through his answer, indecisive and uncertain. Meanwhile Dumbledore was of little assistance, merely sitting at the table looking at his fingertips. Sirius saw his eyes move only once, briefly making eye contact with Snape before looking away again. An entire conversation was held within that single glance.

'The boy will need to be supervised for his own safety, particularly as he sleeps. Supervised by someone who, in the event that the Dark Lord wages an attack, will recognise that he is not himself and take appropriate action.'

Arthur was nodding as he followed along, understanding. He turned to his wife. 'I'm sure we can make that work.'

Molly made an odd sound at the back of her throat. Her response made Arthur frown, for it seemed he had been expecting her enthusiastic agreement.

'Molly?'

'I agree that Harry is in much need of some rest,' she began slowly, choosing her words carefully. 'However, it ought to be here at Grimmauld Place. With Sirius.'

At these words Sirius's head jerked up so quickly he got a crick in his neck. He looked at Molly in astonishment, completely taken aback. 'Here,' he clarified. 'With me?'

'Is that so surprising?'

'Yes,' he said bluntly. 'You're not exactly my greatest fan.'

'No, I'm not,' she admitted as kindly as possible. 'However, in this case...' she trailed off, looking at Arthur apologetically. 'He won't open up to us, Arthur. We can give him space to collect himself, but I don't see that he'd let his guard down with us. Nor could we convince him to give Occlumency another try.'

Grimacing, Arthur reluctantly nodded. 'As close as he feels to our family, he has become particularly close with you, Sirius.'

Molly turned to Dumbledore, and upon hearing no outward protest she launched on Sirius. 'You'll have to make some changes,' she began lecturing as though it had been decided. 'For one, no more late nights with Mundungus Fletcher. And you'll have to stop tearing down the roof over your head. It's one thing for the Order to camp out in a demolition site, but not for Harry. And for that matter, Harry will be needing a parent,' she continued, emphasising her words now. 'Someone who will make sure he eats three square meals a day, that he goes to bed at a reasonable hour, that he catches u-'

'He's not a toddler, Molly,' Sirius sighed in exasperation.

It was the wrong thing to say, for her eyes narrowed, and in that moment he was sure he had lost her support.

'No. He's a fifteen year old boy who has reached his breaking point,' she said solidly. 'He needs parenting, not a friend. Albus?' she asked, finally consulting him directly.

Dumbledore was not particularly happy with the plan coming together, that much they could all tell. Taking Harry out of Hogwarts where he was safe and putting a pause on his Occlumency lessons went against everything he had mandated over the last three months. But what other choice did they have? Dumbledore had continually pushed as him edged closer and closer to this moment, and it had finally come. It was now up to Dumbledore to pick up the pieces.

Slowly he raised his gaze, looking from the Weasleys, to Snape who still lurked in the corner, and then finally to Sirius. His gaze was compelling, and it communicated a great deal before he even spoke. There was a sense of reluctant trust. Faith that hadn't quite been earned yet, but bolstered by hope and belief.

'Sirius. Am I to take it this plan has your consent?' he asked softly. 'That you are willing to accommodate Harry for a few days of respite, and to take Molly's wealth of experience under advisement?'

Sirius looked back at her again, still taken aback that he had her support in this way. He had already been fired up to demand Harry be allowed to leave and then stake his claim as the right person to take care of him. But he hadn't need to…Arthur raised the notion first, and Molly had made the argument on his behalf. And although Dumbledore didn't say so explicitly, it was clear that he supported Molly's terms.

'Of course.'

Dumbledore nodded, satisfied. 'A responsibility that I trust you'll take with utmost care and dedication,' he commented. 'Including safeguarding Harry while he is most vulnerable during sleep.'

'I'll look after him,' Sirius assured the room at large, convincing himself too. 'I'll get this place cleaned up. I'll-'

'Sober up?' Molly interjected, looking him in the eye.

He nodded meekly. 'Just give me a few hours to get the place ready. I'll even feed him,' he added, gesturing into the kitchen where he was halfway through cooking a meal for the Order.

Dumbledore nodded slowly, though on the whole he didn't seem particularly enthused. 'Who am I to argue a solid plan,' he commented pleasantly. He stood up from the kitchen table. 'I'll reach out to Minerva and request that she make immediate arrangements. Harry will return to Hogwarts on Sunday evening.'

'Thank you, Albus.'

'Severus. Shall we?'

Snape accompanied Dumbledore as he departed, and it seemed the two of them had more to talk about. When they were gone it was just Molly, Arthur and Sirius remaining, joined by an uncomfortable silence. Arthur was the first to speak, drinking the remainder of his tea as he too stood up from the table.

'I'd best get back to work. Fudge's office has a habit of dropping by unannounced, just to make sure I'm well.'

'I'm sure he doesn't mean anything by it,' Sirius said lightly, but the two of them shared a bitter smile.

Since the attack just before Christmas Arthur had come under a great deal more scrutiny at the Ministry, few believing he had been working late and simply took a wrong turn down to the Department of Mysteries. The blight to Arthur's reputation and perceived loyalty to the Ministry had been quite the blow for the Order's interests, and it had only worsened since Tonks and the Aurors were caught searching Fudge's offices…a search that included Percy's office.

To Sirius's surprise Molly lingered a little longer. She was looking around the kitchen, scrutinising the mess he had made, the potato peeling scattered over the floor.

'Thank you,' he began, meaning it. 'For what you said to Albus.'

Molly nodded politely, acknowledging his gratitude. 'It's not for you I said those things. It's for Harry.' She gave a long sigh now. 'As much as I'd prefer he come to the Burrow, we both know he won't open up to Arthur and I.'

Now it was Sirius returning her favour. 'It's not that he doesn't trust you, Molly. I think he'd see it as disappointing you. He wouldn't want to let you and Arthur down.'

'Let us down by opening up to us?' But the grimace on her face suggested that she understood what Sirius meant. 'We went through much the same process with Ginny.'

At this comment Sirius's interest was piqued. He knew the facts of what had happened to Ginny in her first year, the Lucius Malfoy had planted Voldemort's diary on her, that she had been forced to open the Chamber of Secrets. But as for the actual implications of it…well, he'd never asked. It had never occurred to him to ask, that there might be parallels between her and Harry.

'What happened with Ginny?'

Molly murmured something under her breath, and she took a sip of tea before speaking. 'She put on quite the performance after it all happened. Had Arthur and I convinced she was just fine. We even left her at school for the rest of term. Then three days into the summer George knocked over a pot of ink, and Ginny…' she trailed off, her expression tightening. 'Suffice to say the truth of it came out, much in the same way the truth has come out with Harry.'

'Right,' Sirius murmured, unsure of what to say next. He waited, hoping Molly would say something else, that there was some wisdom or a miraculous solution that would fix Harry just as it had fixed Ginny. But that seemed not to be the case.

'You'll do it all then? You'll get Harry back on track with school, and get him back to Occlumency?'

Sirius nodded, making the commitment. He had no idea how he was going to do it, but sure as hell he would try.

'You cannot send him back to Hogwarts even further behind than when he left.'

Sirius nodded in agreement, not minding that she was lecturing him. He needed this. He wanted her to keep going, to tell him what to do. He was no disciplinarian, and he reminded himself Harry wasn't coming here to be disciplined…but whatever it was he needed Sirius wasn't quite sure he knew how to give it to him.

He allowed Molly to continue, listening to and heeding her advice. Hearing it all was hard for him, because even now years later his first impulse was still to turn to his friends for help. Lily who always had a unique and balanced take on things. James who would tell him to get his shit together for the sake of his son. Remus who was level headed and thoughtful. Right now he had none of them.

Sometimes he couldn't help but think that Molly's chief criticism about him was right. That being appointed godfather more than a decade ago had no bearing on his ability to cafe for Harry now.

Sirius quickly gave up on falling asleep as himself, kicking the blankets off and transforming into Padfoot. The change was immediate, he felt himself relax as his mind settled. All thoughts of Molly's advice and Dumbledore's instructions faded from his mind, leaving him more at ease. Now he felt simply happy and content, glad that Harry was here with him where he belonged.

His suspicion that Harry was still awake was confirmed a few minutes later when he sat up and looked around. Sirius mentally scolded himself, or perhaps it was Padfoot he ought to be scolding…he never could stop that damn tail from wagging when he felt happy. It was a reflex as natural as breathing.

But his wagging tail didn't last long. It took only a few minutes for Padfoot to pick up on what was going on, to smell the stress and unease that lingered in the air, practically radiating from Harry. Padfoot's heart rate picked up, anxiety rising as the little canine voice in his head told him that something was wrong, that he needed to fix it.

Do something, do something, do something, the voice chanted, as persistent as a wagging tail.

Still maintaining his transformation Padfoot jumped down from the bed and paced around the room. Coming around to the other side of the bed he looked at Harry's face. His expression was plain and at ease, but Padfoot knew otherwise - he always knew these things. When he put his paws up on the side of the bed Harry's eyes burst open, revealing that he was wide awake, that all was not well. He could feel the stress emanating from him, and from then on there was no choice in it. Padfoot had to do something. It was a need that could not be ignored, sheer animal instinct.

He climbed up onto the bed and got settled, pawing at the blankets while Harry moved around to make room for him. When he lay down he nuzzled Harry's hand in hopes of a pat, because Merlin did Padfoot love a good scratch behind the ears. But what he got was a half hearted pat, reflecting Harry's poorly state of mind. In the end Padfoot settled on the bed beside him, and while he closed his eyes and pretended he was sleeping he was counting the minutes until he sensed Harry had nodded off.

The gravity of what they were facing was starting to hit home. Whatever happened next had the potential to truly break Harry, or help him. This wasn't something Sirius could get wrong. He owed it not just to Harry, but to Like and James. Regardless of where he was at now, they had entrusted their son to him, that was a choice they made, a belief that had in him…he'd already let them down once, he wouldn't do it again.

A/N I hope you enjoyed the Sirius POV chapter, and the insight into what went on earlier in the day with figuring out what to do with Harry. We've got another Sirius POV next chapter along with another character we haven't seen for a while.

If you enjoyed the chapter please leave a review - cheers!