A/N: I had some major problems writing this chapter. I'm worried I wrote Sirius and Harry out of character, but, at the same time, this Harry isn't quite the same as in the books. He's been abused; Sirius on the other hand, I'm aiming to be similar to the books and movies (though more so the movies). I can't really imagine him punishing Harry too intensely, but I remembered the letter he sent Harry in Goblet of Fire when Harry went out with Krum that night, and felt that this was an appropriate chapter to add and fairly important to the plot. Tell me what you think, and please tell me if they're too out of character. Thanks!
"Harry," Krum called, walking up to him in the Great Hall before breakfast a few mornings later. "Can ve meet up tonight? I vant to ask you somefing about Hermione."
Harry looked up at him skeptically but nodded, "Yeah, sure, what time?"
"Nine, in vront of the Forbidden Forest." Krum said simply before walking over to his Durmstrang friends.
"What do you think that's going to be about?" Ron asked, glaring after Victor. Despite Victor being one of Ron's idols before the start of school, Ron had begun to hate him. Harry believed it had something to do with Hermione, but he didn't express this to his friend.
"I don't know," Harry said with a shrug, turning back to the book Hermione had gotten him that she believed would help him figure out his golden egg.
"Harry!" Cedric called in the hallways after breakfast, running up to Ron and him.
"Blimey, mate, every champion is trying to talk to you today." Ron said, exasperated.
"I know, it's kind of odd…" Harry mumbled, turning to walk towards a grinning Cedric. "What's going on?"
"You helped me with the dragons so… I wanted to help you with the golden egg clue… take a bath." Cedric said, smiling maniacally.
"What?" Harry asked, wondering if it was a joke.
"Take a bath, you can use the prefects bathroom on the fifth floor. The password is fizzing whizbees. Just trust me, okay?" Cedric mumbled before turning to meet up with his friends again and leaving behind a baffled Harry.
"Hello Harry," Victor said as Harry approached the edge of the forest.
"Hi, what's going on?" Harry asked, not really liking the idea of being out so late with an opponent.
"I vas just vondering… do you like Hermione?" Krum asked, turning incredibly serious.
Harry had to bite back a laugh to avoid annoying his opponent. "Like Hermione? Heck no, she's my best friend."
Krum visibly relaxed and looked as if he was about to comment, but then the bushes rustled behind him. Both boys immediately tensed and looked to the forest. "Barty Crouch?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Weaselby, if you will- Harry! Need Dumbledore…" Crouch mumbled, latching onto Harry's arm.
"I'll go get him sir, you have to let me go though." Harry said, slightly panicked at the odd behavior.
"NO. Don't leave, you can't… oh Weaselby, good, my coffee." Crouch said, going from a fearful expression to one of contentment.
"Hagrid!" Harry yelled, watching Hagrid walk out from his hut in the distance.
"'Arry?" Hagrid yelled back, starting to head their way.
"Hagrid go get help, quick!" Harry yelled, still trying to pry Crouch off of him. Then, everything went dark.
"Harry! Harry, can you hear me? Listen to my voice, come on." A gentle, yet panicked voice spoke in his ear, urging him out of the darkness.
"Whuzgoingon?" Harry mumbled, willing his heavy eyes to open. He was laying on the ground outside the Forbidden Forest, staring up into the eyes of his livid father.
Sirius huffed in response, then stood. "Thank you for coming to find me, Hagrid. I'll take Harry. Will the other boy be okay?" Sirius asked through clenched teeth.
Harry tensed - Sirius seemed angry with him, furious even. He could hardly even remember what had happened prior to him passing out.
"Dumbledore's taken the boy to Karkaroff, he 'as no idea who stunned 'em. When we got here he told me to go get you and said there wasn't anyone else nearby. As ya know, Moody came out 'ere too." Hagrid said, shrugging before walking back towards his cabin.
Sirius nodded before turning back to Harry, still frighteningly angry. "Can you walk?" He asked sharply.
Harry swallowed and nodded as Sirius helped him up, not ungently. Sirius then walked off ahead of him and Harry stood frightened for a moment before realizing he had to follow. He had never seen him so angry, and the tense silence that had surrounded them hung thick - Harry felt as if he was suffocating.
As soon as they had returned to his quarters, Sirius had nudged Harry forward into the living room. Harry immediately turned to face him, as if he was scared to have his back to him. He met his father's eyes with - was that fear? Sirius swallowed and stepped forward reaching his arm out. Harry cowered away, jumping behind the couch and hugging himself.
Sirius stopped, completely shocked at the reaction. He stood there for a second, feeling the rage completely drain out of him. Had he been that threatening? Surely Harry didn't think he would hurt him, did he?
Sirius thought back to his actions in the last hour; yes, he had let a tense silence hang in the air on the walk back between Harry and him. However, he had done that on purpose. They couldn't talk about it out in the open like that, so he wanted to discuss the matters privately with Harry back in his quarters. In truth, he was angry with him. Harry had completely gone against his wishes recklessly, even after he had told him of the suspicious activity of Igor Karkaroff. But did Harry really think that Sirius would hurt him out of anger?
Sirius's intentions had been to place a hand on his son's shoulders to get his attention, then lecture him. He probably would have sent him to his room for the evening, maybe taken away his broom privileges or one of his upcoming Hogsmeade visits. But he wasn't going to hit him out of anger - he hadn't even considered taking him over his knee. So why was Harry so afraid?
Sirius knew Harry would continue to be afraid of him if he didn't calm down, so he stepped back towards the kitchen and sat in a chair, breathing deeply. He could hear his son's quiet sobs from behind the couch and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He had done this to him, he had frightened his son so badly that Harry's only reaction was to cower away… but how was he to be a parent if he couldn't even discipline his son? Harry said he thought of him like a dad, did he not trust him? Even after all this time of Sirius showing him nothing but affection?
But Sirius wasn't daft; he knew in his heart that Harry didn't think he would hurt him. The boy had panicked and this was his response to that, whereas Sirius's response to panic was to be angry and rash.
Sirius took a deep breath and stood up again, willing his facial expression to take one of love and concern and not of anger. Harry's discipline could wait, his son needed him.
Sirius gently walked around the couch and looked his boy, still curled in a ball on the floor. He heard Harry whimper, and Sirius mentally cursed the Dursley's for doing this to his normally brave and strong son. "Puppy," he started gently, "you aren't at the Dursley's, you know that. I won't ever hurt you or berate you for a mistake."
Harry swallowed, then slowly looked up and saw his father's kind grey eyes emanating love. Harry didn't make a move to go to him, but Sirius knew it was safe for him to get closer, to put an arm around his son, without panicking him.
Sirius pulled Harry close to his chest and rubbed his back. "Harry, when I stepped up to you a minute ago, I was going to place my hand on your shoulder. We needed to have a serious talk, that was all. Why were you so afraid of me?"
Harry swallowed again and buried himself into his father's embrace. "Just… you had the same look in your eye that Vernon used to have, whenever he was going to throw me in my cupboard or… hurt me. You seemed so angry and you've never directed it at… well, me. I didn't realize people could be reasonable when they were that angry."
Sirius pressed a kiss to Harry's black hair, then spoke. "I will never lay a hand on you out of anger, puppy. I will admit that I was unbelievably disappointed in you tonight. After all the precautions we've been taking to keep you safe this year, you willingly walked right into danger tonight, knowing what I've told you about the people from Durmstrang."
Harry stayed silent, burrowing deeper against Sirius, soaking up the comfort, but also listening to the chast words.
"I don't know what Victor's intentions were - they could have been pure. But he also could have been leading you straight to Karkaroff to do who knows what. I couldn't have lived with myself if something had happened to you tonight." Sirius said, tightening his grip on Harry.
"But nothing did," Harry mumbled, not meaning it as an argument, but instead some form of comfort for his distressed father. "Victor was hurt, and I don't think Karkaroff would hurt his own student when he could have gotten me, right?"
"I didn't say it made sense - none of this does. Nothing is adding up right now, but that doesn't matter. The point is, knowing the dangers that are out there, you went on a late night stroll with someone you don't know well at all. You know I can't let you get away with that." Sirius said, a strict tone returning to his voice.
Harry nodded against him, waiting to hear his punishment.
Sirius sighed. "I panicked tonight, Harry. When Hagrid ran to get me and said you were involved in something that happened outside the Forbidden Forest, I thought the worst. That's why I was so angry when I realized you were okay - that was my reaction to panic, and I've always been that way. I was so scared something had happened to you, and then when I found out nothing did, I wanted to make you realize how severe the situation was. I wasn't thinking about your past or your perception to the situation, and I hope you will forgive me for the way I behaved."
Harry looked up at him, shocked. He wasn't expecting to hear Sirius say that - he thought he was going to tell him that he'd take his broom away or keep him from seeing his friends for weeks.
"Of course I do, Siri." Harry mumbled after a moment of looking into the kind, but sad, grey eyes.
Sirius visibly relaxed, then gently grabbed Harry's chin. "Thank you. Now, as I said, I won't stand for you endangering yourself the way you did tonight. I warned you and you disobeyed me. For that reason, you aren't allowed to go to Hogsmeade this upcoming weekend. Understand?"
Harry nodded again, trying to figure out a way to explain to Cho that their date was canceled. Then, as if remembering something odd, looked up at him with a curious expression. "You aren't going to wallop me?"
Sirius smiled gently, brushing Harry's bangs off his forehead. "No puppy. I had considered it on the way here, I know we talked about it before… but I didn't know how you would react since you got so upset a second ago."
Harry looked up into Sirius's eyes and tightened his features. "You can do it, I'm not afraid."
Sirius placed a hand on the back of Harry's head and pressed him into the crook of his neck. "I know you're brave, Harry. Hopefully there won't be a time when I'll need to again, but if there is, I'll decide on a suitable form of discipline. Let's just stick with the Hogsmeade punishment today. I don't think I can bare to do it right now, even though I know you can handle it."
Harry relaxed in Sirius's arms and felt his eyes getting heavier. "I'm going to fall asleep, Siri…" he mumbled, not wanting to burden his father anymore by having to make him take him to bed.
Sirius pulled Harry closer and stroked his hair. "Shh," he said gently, silently thanking the heavens that his boy was safe in his arms and nothing had happened tonight.
