AN: And another chappy for hungry eyes. :D This is now getting to crux, all hell is soon to break loose! So, enjoy and any reviews will be much loved. I am so happy with every single one I have so far...I honestly never expected to get so many when I started writing it. Thank you, thank you and thank you again! I am muchly happy! :D Hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing!

Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives. - C. S. Lewis

The end of May brought sunshine and the smells of summer to the Grounds of Hogwarts, Sirius stood on the top of the Astronomy tower and gazed out across the familiar scenery, he was smiling as he heard feet on the stair well.

"Sirius...?"

He turned and faced Harry. "Well, I didn't think you'd come."

"Of course I would, why wouldn't I? Where's Draco?"

"In the Hospital Wing with a case of horrific stomach cramps." Sirius giggled as he dragged Harry close and kissed him gently.

"You're poisoning him...aren't you?"

Sirius pulled away and shrugged. "It's not going to kill him."

"Sirius...that's..."

"Evil? Cruel? Harry...I can be extremely cruel when I want to be. But I am more than capable of kindness as well, I thought you knew me."

"So did I." Harry sighed and extracted himself from Sirius' fingers. "Hermione's been bugging me about this spell...she doesn't think it's a good idea to do it..."

"Hermione doesn't have to get involved." Sirius turned away and leaned on the parapet, pushing hair from his eyes as the cool breeze picked it up. "This is Dark Magic Harry, and it is addictive. Trust me..." He gazed down at the tiny figures of the other students. "You don't have to...if you're really uncomfortable with it..."

"Is this the only way to free you?"

"Yeah."

"Then...there's no choice." Harry took a shaky breath. "I-I'll do whatever it takes, Sirius. I want to free you."

Sirius smiled and turned around. "Then meet me in the room of requirement tonight, Draco won't have recovered by then. I can get hold of the stuff we will need and you only need to bring yourself. Just...don't tell anyone what we're doing, if we're caught..."

"Yeah, I know." Harry smiled nervously.

"It'll be fine, Harry. I...I've done this kind of thing before." His eyes darkened. "Trust me."

"I do...although I have no idea why."

That evening Harry found himself outside the stretch of blank wall opposite the tapestry of the Trolls, who watched him curiously as he paced back and forth before the wall. When he stopped after the third turn he saw a large door appear, he opened it and stepped into a huge empty space. Candles floated near the ceiling and he saw Sirius standing in the middle of the room, his hair falling elegantly into his steel coloured eyes and a small, almost cruel smile on his lips. "Before we begin, are you sure about this, Harry?"

"As sure as I'll ever be." Harry replied nervously. He looked around and saw a large circle had been drawn on the floor in red chalk, symbols were written around it and Sirius stood at its centre with the same red chalk dusting his fingers.

"Good. Then do exactly as I say...don't hesitate, because if you do then it'll go wrong. And make sure you know your intent, intent is the key to dark magic, you need to mean everything. Understand?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Then we'll begin." Sirius said softly. "Right..." He took a shuddery breath. "There's a silver knife on the table, pick it up and bring it into the circle." Harry did as instructed, when he stepped over the red chalk line he felt a tingle race up his spine he shivered and looked back over his shoulder, everything seemed normal. "Harry...concentrate." Sirius said gently, taking his hand and guiding him closer, they gazed into each other's eyes for a long while until Sirius took Harry's wrist and guided the blade to his own hand. "Cut deep and precise." He whispered, his eyes glittering oddly in the candle light, his hands shook almost imperceptibly. Harry nodded and turned Sirius' palm over, he took a sharp breath and pressed the blade into the flesh, Sirius winced but not a sound escaped his lips as Harry drew a long and deep line across his hand, he then repeated it on the other. "Do the same to yours." Sirius whispered, they were so close they could feel each other's body heat. The blade flashed as it bit deep into Harry's own hand, once he had cut into both his own hands he looked into Sirius' eyes. "Right...now..." Sirius lifted his hands, palms outward and Harry clasped them in his own. Their blood mingled and dripped slowly down their wrists, splashing on the floor. Harry felt a shiver rip through his body as Sirius leaned close. "Say it." He muttered, lips brushing Harry's. "Tell me what I need to hear, Harry."

Harry swallowed and closed his eyes. "Sirius Black, I free you from the Malfoy's using my blood which carries the love I bear you." He whispered, putting all his feelings behind those words.

There was a sound, like a light bulb popping and suddenly Sirius gasped, his fingers tightened on Harry's and he could still feel the blood running down his wrists. When he opened his eyes he saw Sirius' own glowing in the gloom, half the candles had gone out and he was shaking. He felt pressure building in his chest, as a wind with no apparent source blew through the hall, whipping their robes and hair about them. Without thought Harry closed the gap between them and kissed Sirius hard on the mouth, their groans were drowned out by the noise of something snapping. A sudden explosion of pleasure erupted in his gut making him gasp into Sirius' mouth, he pressed himself closer. He felt Sirius released his hands and slip his arms around his waist, he pulled him closer and kissed him with as much passion as he ever had. The pressure increased and he felt a wave intense passion sweep through his body, almost ripping the breath from him, he pushed Sirius to the floor and finally drew away, he was panting heavily and saw that Sirius had a tiny trickle of blood coming from where Harry must have bitten his lip. His hair fell across his face but it was his eyes that drew him, they were bright, almost too bright and a fine sheen of sweat had broken out on his brow slowly that small smile appeared and he licked the blood away slowly.

"Mm...Well...I'm free now." He said softly, pushing fingers through Harry's hair. He touched his throat where the red mark had been and his smile widened. "You did it, Harry."

Harry felt a small smile of his own light his face and he leaned down kissing Sirius gently, "It was..."

"Good, yeah?" Sirius breathed, as he allowed his hand to slip down Harry's chest. "This is why Death Eaters do it...this is what makes it so dangerous. Welcome to the Dark side Harry Potter." He giggled as Harry grabbed his hair and pulled him in for another searing kiss. "Mm...but that wasn't such a bad spell, it was pretty tame, the only reason it's illegal is because it uses blood."

Harry frowned and pulled away slightly. "Is that it? I thought..."

"You thought it would be dangerous? Not really. If it hadn't have worked I'd have had to put up with being under the Malfoy's control for a bit longer, that's all." He laughed at Harry's incredulous expression. "Harry, I wouldn't let you do anything really Dark, I like you just the way you are. You don't need to be dragged into my world...keep your innocence for as long as possible."

"I've used an unforgivable curse." Harry muttered. "On your cousin."

Sirius smiled. "What, the Cruciatus? Harry, she told me you were useless at it."

He pouted. "You have to mean it, yeah, I know."

"But, if you didn't mean the words you said here it wouldn't have worked." He gazed into those bright green eyes for a long while, absorbing the moment and storing it away forever. "You...you really do love me, don't you?"

"Yes." Harry looked back and smiled softly.

With a devious smirk Sirius dragged Harry's head down to his and parted his lips for his tongue. He slid his hands downwards and began fumbling with the button of his jeans, his fingers still slippery with blood. "Harry..." he gasped as Harry pulled away to help him and shed his robes. "Harry, I need you. I need you to say it again..."

"I love you." He replied, his voice made hoarse by his dry throat as he opened his trousers and tugged down Sirius' own. "Sirius..."

Pleasure exploded inside Sirius as Harry moved above him, his hands planted on either side of his head. They gazed into each other's eyes, Sirius swearing softly as a moan escaped him. "Harry...Harry..." He chanted under his breath until Harry leaned down and kissed him, swallowing his moans and cries. It wasn't long before he felt that glorious stab of heat twist his gut, he arched his back, his fingers tangling in Harry's clothing as his eyes snapped shut and he came.

They lay there for some time afterwards, both breathing hard as they regained their senses. Harry broke the silence. "Well...that was intense..." He muttered as he turned his head to look at Sirius who was smiling like a contented cat.

"I'm good." He replied with a chuckle.

"I know." Harry pulled him in for another probing kiss before they broke apart again.

When Harry returned to his dorm he was greeted by Ron who was sat up in bed. "Well?" He asked, leaning forward, blue eyes burning with curiosity. "What was it like? You did it right? That spell...?"

Harry walked to his own bed and sat down. "It was...different."

"Different how?"

"It was much more intense than normal magic, like...I don't know...we just kind of exchanged blood." He shrugged.

"How do you feel? Any different?"

"A little...But it wasn't a particularly bad spell or anything, apparently most Dark Magic requires sacrifice, but all this one needed was blood. But it did feel good...amazing actually..." He smiled slightly and adjusted his glasses.

"W-would you...do it again?" Ron asked carefully. "Hermione's worried, she reckons you'll get in too deep and not be able to get back out again."

"Hermione's worrying over nothing, I'm fine."

"But what about Sirius?"

Harry frowned at that. "I...I don't know. Even Remus told me that Sirius was into Dark Magic from an early age...I doubt he'd use it for anything though. Knowing is totally different to actually doing it, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess. Well, glad you're alright mate." Ron smiled and yawned. "Night."

"G'night." Harry fell asleep quickly, feeling exhausted but satisfied as he dreamed of Sirius with a small smile on his face.

XXHPSBXXXHPSBXXX

"Sirius, where have you been?" Draco demanded when Sirius got into the Slytherin Dorm.

"Why do you care? And when did you get out of the Hospital Wing?" He replied pulling off his robes and throwing them vaguely towards his trunk, they missed by half a meter.

"Madam Pomfrey dimissed me when she had worked out that I was being poisoned...I was given an antidote."

"Oh really? How nice." Sirius muttered as he pulled down his trousers, his hands were still covered in blood and he picked up a towel and began moving towards the shower in little more than his boxers.

"Why are you bleeding?" Draco asked, catching up to him and grabbing his hands. He frowned down at them. "What...what have you done?" He asked lifting his eyes to meet Sirius'.

Sirius was smirking. "You think you're the only one who knows things, Malfoy? Come on, you're talking to the heir to the most ancient and noble house of Black here. I can get out of just about any situation if I try."

He watched Draco grab his hair and move it roughly away from his neck. "You...you broke the spell...!"

"Yes I did. And be grateful I didn't go the other root for breaking such a powerful enchantment, Draco..."

"Which was...?"

"Murder." Sirius grinned and Draco stepped backwards on impulse. "Yeah, didn't think Harry'd take too kindly to that one so I went with the whole blood thing...less sure, but worked this time."

"Potter did this? You...You can only break this spell with something more powerful...what did you use?"

"Love." Sirius chuckled at Draco's doubtful expression. "It's a sure-fire way to undo the majority of Dark curses and enchantments, your parents really have taught you nothing, haven't they? Poor kid, I have no idea how you're going to complete this task the Dark lord set you...you're a pathetic excuse for a pureblood."

"Watch your tongue, Black!" Draco snarled angrily.

"Oh, does it piss you off that I'm better than you? Or is it...oh I see, it's that even Harry was willing to try a branch of Magic that you're much too scared to use...isn't it?" He pushed Draco against the wall, tipping his head to the side and grinning. "You're too funny, Draco. I would so dearly love to chat a while longer but I have to clean myself up..."

"You smell of him." Draco whispered.

"I know, good isn't it? I have Harry Potter, the one thing not even the Dark Lord will ever have...and you most certainly won't." With a sharp laugh he went to take his shower.

XXXHPSBXXXHPSBXXX

The sun shone down on the four teenagers, Sirius lay with his arms beneath his head as he gazed up at the clouds, Harry lay at his side while Hermione leaned against the trunk of the tree and read and Ron dozed quietly. They were surrounded by sounds of chattering students and buzzing insects, the scents of summer blew over them on a cool breeze. Sirius had his shirt sleeves rolled up and his green and silver tie hanging loose around his neck, Harry had removed his robes and covered his eyes with his arm.

"Abyssopelagic..." Sirius said, causing Harry to turn his head awkwardly and raise a curious eyebrow.

"What?"

"It's a good word, isn't it?"

"I...suppose so."

"Abyssopelagic; of, like or pertaining to the depths of the ocean...I like saying it. It's almost as good as zabaglione which is a frothy custard..."

Harry giggled. "You're so weird."

"I know, and proud of it." Sirius laughed.

"I've always liked the word Ictus." Hermione said softly, being drawn out of her book by their laughter.

"What's that?"

"Stress in poetry or verse."

"Oh..." Sirius watched a cloud float lazily past, birds whirled in the sky and he smiled softly feeling perfectly content to never move again.

"...Spiders!" Ron sat upright suddenly and gazed around blearily. "What...? Where am I?"

"Outside, Ron. The spiders are in the forest." Harry said with a yawn.

"Oh..." He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, didn't get too much sleep last night."

After a moment of silence Hermione put her book aside. "Have any of you ever thought about Marriage?" She asked absently.

"Marriage?" All three boys chorused, sounding as horrified as if she'd just suggested they snog the giant squid.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, Marriage, not enslavement."

"Same thing." Sirius said wrinkling his nose in distaste. "One of the reasons my mother decided it was high time she disown me was because I refused to marry anyone...admittedly most of that was purely out of spite, but still...it is enslavement pure and simple."

"Like having a ball and chain stuck to your ankle..." Harry shuddered dramatically.

Ron simply shook his head. "What bought this on?" He asked.

"I was just thinking about your brother getting married..." She replied absently.

"Yeah, but if mum has her way it won't be happening."

"I don't know, Fleur seemed pretty determined to me." Harry said with a shrug as he rolled onto his front so he could face Hermione properly. "You thinking of getting married one day?"

"I don't know...It seems like a nice idea, but it's not very practical and the expenses must be enormous."

"Most girls tend to plan their weddings from the day they're born...all fluffy dresses and pink roses and doves and golden tiaras..." Sirius pulled a disgusted face. "If I ever did get married I'd knock the bride out first and get it over and done within ten seconds." He mimed signing a paper in mid air and grinned. "Done and dusted, no worries about flowers or any of that other stuff..."

They laughed loudly as the clouds passed overhead and the sun shone down upon their heads. The days passed in much the same way, Draco was seen only occasionally, he appeared to be avoiding Sirius and Harry which worked to their advantage as June closed in on them like a hot, sticky vice. They spent as much of their free time as they could kissing and making love, Sirius was a ball of raw passion, his eyes shone with lust and his hands were as greedy as his lips as he dragged Harry's mouth to his.

One evening Harry was sat dreaming by the fire when he spotted Ginny climbing from the portrait hole, she walked over to him and handed him a small scroll. Harry recognised it instantly as one from Dumbledore, he had been continuing his lessons with the Headmaster, even around all the other things he had been contending with, but there had been a rather long silence from him that had Harry worried at first but now he opened the scroll and read the neatly slanting script. He had, of course, explained to Harry about Horcruxes but he had made Harry tell no one but Ron and Hermione and now it appeared that Dumbledore had discovered a hiding place for one of them. He leapt to his feet.

"Harry?" Hermione looked up at him from her homework.

"It's Dumbledore..." Harry replied, his eyes glittering with excitement.

"He's found it?" Ron exclaimed but went quiet at a warning look from Hermione.

"Yeah...I have to go. If Sirius asks..."

"You're with Dumbledore at one of his special lessons, we know." Hermione assured him. He nodded and ran for the Portrait Hole.

XXXHPSBXXXHPSBXXX

Sirius lazed on one of the Leather sofas, draped over it as if he owned it. The other Slytherin's had always treated him with a wary respect, and they tended to avoid him which suited him just fine. He had tied his hair back from his face and was scratching absently at a piece of Parchment with a quill, writing things, crossing things out again and re-writing it.

"The last will and testament of Sirius Orion Black, third of his name..."

Sirius jumped and glared at Malfoy who was peering over the back of the sofa curiously, his eyes were bright and he looked doubly pleased with himself. "What do you want, prick?" He snapped, hiding his will in his bag.

"I want you to come see something amazing, Black. I want you to bear witness to an act that will be talked about for centuries."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Just come with me." He grabbed Sirius by the wrist and began frog marching him towards the door. "I have finally completed it!" He laughed as Sirius gaped stupidly at him. "They're coming soon..."

"Death Eaters?"

"Of course." Draco smiled like a snake. "And you told me it was impossible."