-Sorry it's been a couple of days. I'm a college student and things get crazy, but I'm planning on keeping this story going as long as possible! Thanks for sticking around!
"So Harry, I imagine your first year at Hogwarts was full of pleasant surprises, especially after the rotten childhood those Dursley's gave you." Sirius said, looking expectantly at his godson.
"Er-sure, I guess… I mean, there were definitely a lot of surprises, and I was probably the happiest I had ever been in my life. I had met some great friends and was the youngest seeker in a century, but-"
"THE WHAT?" Sirius's expression was a mixture of pride and nostalgia. "Harry, that's amazing. James would be so proud of you."
Harry looked down at his shoes to hide the blush rising to his cheeks. "Thanks Sirius." He whispered, before looking up to meet Lupin's eyes. "You guys ready to see?"
They both smiled. "Absolutely," Sirius said, ruffling his hair affectionately, something Harry was not quite used to.
"Okay, but before we begin I need to warn you, first year wasn't really a peaceful year either-"
"Harry, first year is always full of excitement. I'm sure it was great, no matter what happened." Lupin said reassuringly. Harry fleetingly thought that Lupin and Sirius didn't quite understand, but didn't feel like going into too much detail, so he simply allowed them to extract his memories from his first year and watched as it turned into a swirling mist in the pensieve.
Next thing he knew, the ground was being tilted, and the three of them were falling back to Number 4, Privet Drive.
After another less than comfortable landing on the couch, they watched as Vernon yelled for his young nephew to collect the mail. Present Harry flinched at his uncle's aggressiveness, despite it being only a memory. Sirius noticed this and immediately gripped his godson's shoulder in silent support.
They watched as young Harry walked back in the room, smiling to himself over the first post he had ever received and handing the remaining post to his beefy uncle.
Dudley runs and grabs Harry's letter out of his grasp. "DAD, LOOK! Harry's got a letter!"
"Hey, give it back! It's mine," Harry shouted, chasing his cousin while his uncle rips the letter out of Dudley's grasp, laughing to himself. "Your's? Who'd be writing to you?"
They watched as Vernon's laughter immediately died and he looked frighteningly at his young nephew. The memory shifted to an old house out in the middle of the ocean. "Harry, what is this place?" Lupin asked, staring specifically at Harry laying on the floor while his cousin slept on the couch.
They watched as Harry drew a birthday cake in the dirt and Sirius, still grasping his godson's shoulder, gave it a squeeze.
Soon Hagrid bursts through the door of the small house and Sirius and Remus both chuckled. "Dumbledore sent Hagrid? Of all people? Blimey, I know he trusts him, but I'm sure it scared you and your relatives senseless" Lupin said.
"If you wait a few more minutes you can watch him scar Dudley for life." Harry said with a small smile.
"Mind, I haven't seen you since you was a baby, Harry, but you're a bit more a long than I expected. Particularly 'round the middle!" Hagrid said, smiling down at Dudley.
Dudley was not smiling. "I-I'm not Harry."
Harry stepped from around the corner, "I am."
Hagrid turned to Harry. "Oh, well of course you are! Got something for ya. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point! I imagine that it will taste fine just the same. Ahh, baked it myself, words and all."
"Thank you," Harry said, taking the cake.
"It's not everyday that your young man turns eleven, now is it?" Hagrid said kindly. Hagrid then sat on the couch and shot flames into the fireplace. Harry and his relatives gaped at him and Harry placed the cake down on the floor. Dudley dug in, never missing a chance to enjoy some type of pastry.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Harry said politely to the half-giant.
The trio watched as Hagrid explained to Harry about the wizarding world and his parents, stopping a few times to yell at the Dursley's for keeping so much from Harry. Sirius's grip tightened on Harry's shoulder when Harry yelled at the Dursley's for telling him his parents died in a car crash. "Those good for nothing-"
"Padfoot," Lupin said warningly, though he too seemed angry at the Dursley's for their lie.
Then the scene shifted, and Harry was standing outside his aunt and uncle's car. They were laughing at him for having to be dropped off at Platform 9 ¾. "What!" Sirius said indignantly. "The number of times Petunia went with Lily to be dropped off at the platform, she knew exactly how to get there. Despicable old…" This time Remus didn't stop him from cursing, but instead mumbled his own incoherent speech at Harry's treatment. Harry smiled at their behavior, then turned his attention to the group of redhead's walking towards his eleven year old self.
"Come on! Platform 9 ¾ this way! All right Percy, you first." Mrs. Weasley shouted to her group.
Harry shook his head in disbelief as the oldest of the group disappeared through the barrier.
"E-excuse me, could you show me how to-"
"How to get on the platform? Yes, not to worry dear, it's Ron's first time to Hogwarts as well. Now, all you've got to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Best to do it at a run if you're nervous."
Sirius and Lupin smiled at Harry's innocence, as well as how Harry met his best mate. Then the scene shifted to the Great Hall and the sorting ceremony.
"Harry Potter," McGonagall announces, the great hall quieting as she does so.
"Hmm… difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage I see, not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh yes, and a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?" The sorting hat croaked out.
"Not slytherin. Not slytherin," Harry whispered, eyes closed.
"Not slytherin eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know. It's all here, in your head. And Slytherin would help you on your way to greatness! There's no doubt about that! No? Well, if you're sure, better be… GRYFFINDOR!"
Sirius barked a laugh and ruffled Harry's hair. "Ha! Grew up with muggles and still knew he needed be in Gryffindor."
"There's nothing wrong with Slytherin you know, Harry. Your father and mother would have been proud of you no matter the house," Lupin said, smiling kindly.
"I-I know… but after meeting Draco for the first time and seeing that he was in Slytherin, I got a very bad impression." Harry mumbled, looking down.
"Hey kid, my whole family was in Slytherin. They considered me to be the bad egg, I suppose, but I embraced the Gryffindor pride quickly." Sirius said with a wink. Harry smiled at him and then continued to watch as the scene changed again to the first day of transfiguration.
Sirius laughed at the bewildered looks on Ron and Harry's faces when they found out McGonagall was an animagus. "I remember the first time we saw her do the transformation. She was probably one of my favorite professors." Sirius said, smiling nostalgically.
"McGonagall?" Harry questioned. "But-but she's so strict. And it sounds like you weren't quite keen on following the rules yourself."
Remus snorted and Sirius shot him a dirty look before explaining. "Yeah, but with all my detentions I got to know her fairly well. By our seventh year I think she almost appreciated the pranks we played, we were adding humor during a time that almost no one laughed."
Harry nodded, not wanting to think about Voldemort or the previous war at the moment, and watched as the memory shifted again.
Next, they were in the dungeons, watching Harry's first day of potions, in which Sirius uses choice words to describe Snape's treatment of Harry. At this, Remus smacks Sirius in the back of the head and the two begin quarreling, Harry laughing at their theatrics. "You know, maybe Snape was right in the Shrieking Shack. You two do fight like an old married couple."
Remus and Sirius looked at each other and smiled, then turned their attention back to the changing scene. They were now outside, watching Harry chase down Malfoy on a broom to retrieve Neville's remembral.
"Blimey Harry, I knew you could fly when I saw you that one day last year, but this was the first time you had even touched a broom! And- wait, is that McGonagall?"
Sirius was doubled over in a fit of laughter when he realized that Harry became the youngest seeker in a century by completely breaking the rules and McGonagall, of all people, was the one to choose him for that position. "The look on your face when she caught you, I can only imagine what you were thinking!"
His laughter stopped however, and his expression turned from joy to- was that sadness? Nostalgia?- when Hermione showed Harry's father's name on the Quidditch plaque.
"That's right, it is in your blood. James would have been so proud of you, it's exactly what he wanted. In fact, I don't know what he would have done if his son had not played quidditch at some point during his time at Hogwarts," Remus said with a chuckle.
"I gave you your first broom you know," Sirius said, beaming down at his godson. "I knew James would want you to start young, but that broom proved to be a little more dangerous than I had expected-apparently you broke a vase."
Harry snorted, but looked up at his godfather with the same familial love mirrored in his own eyes. "Really?" He whispered, wanting to know more about his parents and his time with them before their murder.
"Oh yes, I'm sure I still have the letter and picture from Lily lying around Grimmauld Place somewhere. I won't take you there, but when we're finished here I'll go and search for it for you. Feel free to ask me, or Remus for that matter, anything about your parents. We would both love to tell you all about what brave and wonderful people they were."
Moisture began to cloud Harry's vision, but the sweet moment was interrupted when the eleven year old students ran for the third floor corridor that was roped off. "Didn't Dumbledore say that corridor was out of bounds?" Remus asked, his brow knitting in thought.
"Just watch, you'll see why it's out of bounds," Harry mumbled exasperatingly.
Sirius and Remus gasp at the encounter with Fluffy, the three-headed dog guarding the Sorcerer's Stone. "Wha-MERLIN HARRY. When the teachers said that you had a knack for finding trouble, I thought they meant a detention or two every so often. Not this!" Remus exclaimed, jumping out of the way of the running eleven year olds, despite it being a memory.
"This is only the beginning of the first year, just wait until you see the rest." Harry said, a wicked grin playing at his lips.
However, Sirius and Remus were not grinning. "What do you mean?" Sirius mumbled sheepishly. "I just got you back Harry, I don't need to have a heart attack before I can enjoy spending sometime with my godson."
"I mean, I could give you a quick summary if you'd prefer. It's a very long story though." Harry said.
"At least give me a hint when something really bad is about to happen, how about that?" Sirius smiled and ruffled Harry's hair.
"Okay, well, this is your hint," Harry mumbled, amusement playing on his lips as he watched the familiar scene of Ron and him running into a restroom on the third landing, looking for Hermione.
Sirius and Remus watched in horror as the eleven year olds fought a grown troll and left completely unscathed. "How-why… why was Hermione Granger in there in the first place? I thought you guys considered her to be the 'brightest witch of her age'?"
"She is, I forgot to include that part though. That was before Ron, her and I were really friends. Ron was a little mean to her and she left for the bathroom crying. We didn't see her all day until we realized she was still gone when the troll was about, so we went to make sure she was okay. That's when the troll showed up. We've been friends ever since," Harry said, a smile pulling at his lips.
"Okay, okay. First, couldn't you make friends in a less dangerous way? For old Siri's sake?"
Harry chuckled at his godfather's weary expression, then shook his head. "I'm the boy-who-lived, I don't think I'm meant to live a quiet life at this point. You sure you want to see more? I can always give you a summary of everything. Second year gets worse if I'm being quite honest."
Sirius looked at his godson in shock for a second before shaking his head. "I'll keep trying to watch, but no promises on how long I'll last. Gosh, a three-headed dog and a fully-grown troll? What's next!"
Over the next few minutes, different significant memories from Harry's first year flooded their senses. Sirius and Remus both seemed to get emotional while watching Harry in front of the Mirror of Erised; however, they soon tensed upon watching Harry and Hermione attempt to get rid of the baby dragon, then sent to detention in the forbidden forest.
"Harry-what is that thing drinking the unicorn's blood? That's vile, one of the dumbest decisions you can make as a wizard in my opinion." Sirius mumbled, a look of disgust covering his sunken, once-handsome face.
"I suppose I should go ahead and tell you so you don't freak out when we get to that part. That thing drinking the blood is Professor Quirrel, being possessed by Voldemort-DON'T FREAK OUT." Harry said, grabbing his godfather by the shoulders and looking up at him. "I'm currently here, touching your arms and looking you in the eye, meaning that no matter what you see in these memories or how dangerous the circumstances, it worked out for the better."
Sirius nodded at him while trying to calm himself down. Voldemort? With Harry? The thought chilled him to the bone.
Soon though, they were smiling and laughing again, watching Harry catch the snitch in his mouth for the first time.
As more memories flashed by, Harry realized it was almost time to give his godfather yet another warning, and probably the most important one from his first year. "S-Sirius? Don't freak out, but this is about the be quite the grand finale. You'll see what I mean, but try and stay calm please. You too, Remus. Remember, I'm standing right beside you guys, so no matter what appears to happen, I come out fine."
They nodded meekly and watched as the trio approached the third corridor, then went through each test set up by the professors to reach the stone.
"Okay, not to accuse anyone from Hogwarts, but how come these tests, designed to stop bloody Voldemort, were bested by three first years? I'm proud of you three for handling the situation so well, but lets face it, it's a bit odd." Sirius said, looking questioningly at his godson.
Harry nodded, "I've thought about that too… but Ron is the best at wizard's chess, and Hermione's brilliant. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them."
"You're brilliant too, Harry." Remus mumbled and Sirius nodded. "Your courage is abundant and your flying skills are impeccable, they couldn't have done it alone either. Together, you three are quite a force to be reckoned with."
The kind conversation came to a halt when Sirius screeched and pointed at the new scene in front of them. "Harry-you met Voldemort AGAIN?"
"I told you it was quite the grand finale, Sirius." Harry said, looking to the ground to avoid his godfather's worried gaze.
"I-I can't watch this." Sirius said. The man, who usually looked put together and strong, seemed to be quivering at the thought of his young godson facing Voldemort.
"Sirius, it's almost over. You know this is important." Remus said encouragingly.
Sirius nodded, but looked away as Voldemort attempted to choke the young boy. Harry too flinched at the contact and subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck.
Remus, noticing the effect it was having on the two, decided that Sirius was right. They had a fairly good idea of what Harry's first year was like, and Sirius got to watch all of Harry's milestones his first year. He felt it safe to move on to second year. With that, he grabbed Harry and Sirius's shoulders, and tugged them out of the pensieve.
"Wow, Harry, I don't know what to say." Sirius mumbled, still staring at the ground, his expression shocked.
"I told you it wasn't exactly a peaceful year. I learned a lot about who I was, who my family was, and what Voldemort was capable of, so I think it was a pretty successful year." Harry smiled reassuringly at him, trying to comfort his distressed godfather.
Sirius nodded again, but didn't respond the way he usually did.
"So, er, do you guys want to move on to second year?" Harry said sheepishly, not wanting to rush but also eager to show them more.
"For Sirius's sake, why don't you give us a quick summary before we begin. That way we have an idea of what to expect.
Harry began to explain the petrification, the basilisk, and the Chamber of Secrets incidents to his two new guardians. If possible, the color from Sirius's face drained more. "Let me get this straight. First year was a three headed dog, a dragon, the forbidden forest, and a face-to-face encounter with Lord Voldemort. Second year involved a giant snake, an ancient chamber, another Voldemort possession? And you stopped it all?"
Harry nodded and looked down at his feet, waiting for the proper scolding. He comforted himself after a few minutes with the idea that Sirius was just trying to calm down and he wasn't angry with him. "Third year was the worst though, Harry said with a playful grin. "Did you hear about the mass murderer that was after me?"
