A/N: See, told you guys I would get back into writing! (Though I can't promise that every update will happen this quickly). Read, review, and enjoy!

Harry woke up the next morning to blissful silence; he sat for a moment, taking in the peace of the quiet atmosphere. Then, with no warning, the shame from his behavior the previous evening washed over him. Shame for letting himself get injured again, shame for yelling at and upsetting Sirius the way he had… shame for being so weak and useless. At least if the Order just killed him off, they'd be closer to defeating Voldemort; then he'd really have a purpose.

He heard the door click open and watched his father peek his head inside. When Sirius saw that Harry was awake, he pushed the door all the way open and smiled, his grey eyes filled with warmth. "Good morning mate." He greeted, carrying a tray of food over to Harry's bedside, then sitting down beside him.

"Morning," Harry said quietly, his cheeks still hot from his embarrassment of last night.

"Are you feeling better?" Sirius asked, pretending not to notice Harry's timid nature.

"Mhm," Harry said quietly, eyeing the breakfast food that had been placed beside him. He really didn't get much to eat last night, what with all that transpired.

"Tuck in," Sirius said, gesturing to the tray. Harry reached for the plate of pancakes and turned his attention back to his father. "Now, we have a few things to talk about, but before we do that, I want to put some more burn salve on that injury." Sirius said, reaching for the small container on Harry's bedside table.

Harry allowed his father to lift his shirt enough to expose the injury. Sirius dabbed a little of the salve on it, and Harry felt immediate relief again. The injury definitely had improved - it wasn't nearly as large and blistering as it had been the night before.

"There, that's better. Aren't you glad you told me about this?" Sirius asked gently - regardless of the man's tone, Harry caught the reprimand. He nodded.

"Right, well I have to take you to Pomfrey's after lessons today so she doesn't have my head for neglect of a patient. I'll make sure it's a quick visit, I know you have quidditch practice tonight." Sirius said, watching Harry eat a bite of his pancake.

Harry nodded again, and Sirius sighed in response. "Listen, puppy, if I'm being honest with you, I didn't want any of this to happen. When you were born, I never expected to take on the role of a parent for you. I wanted to be the cool godfather - the one that took you out flying when you were grounded and spoiled you with all kinds of presents. I hate yelling at you or trying to restrict you, but that's what I signed up for when I agreed to be your guardian. I let my temper get way out of hand last night and I shouldn't have tried to stun you, so I'm sorry for that. Alright?"

Harry smiled a little and nodded, "alright."

Sirius smiled back. "Good, now onto the part that I hate. I need you to stay in here with me for the next couple of weeks until holiday. I'm doing this more to protect you than to ground you, although I feel that the punishment might be necessary after last night, wouldn't you say?"

Harry nodded, his cheeks heating up from embarrassment again. "Alright, you'll go to classes with either Remus, Ron and Hermione, or me, then go to any lessons with Dumbledore, the DA, or quidditch practice. You will not walk alone through this castle. You'll come back in here and do whatever homework you need. Ron and Hermione are welcome to join you until bedtime."

"Bedtime?" Harry asked, appalled. Bedtime with Sirius had never really existed - he was fifteen years old, after all.

Sirius chuckled, but nodded. "You're wearing yourself thin, pup. Fifth year is extremely stressful, but you just also happen to have the weight of the wizarding world on your shoulders. You don't need to make it harder for yourself by staying up all hours of the night. You're to be in bed by eleven at night, at least until holiday rolls around."

Harry huffed and looked down at his sheets. He hated when Sirius treated him like a baby, especially since the Dursley's never bothered to.

Sirius ignored Harry's frustration and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. "You'll be alright," he said gently, before giving his shoulder a squeeze and standing up. "Get ready for class, I'm going to make a cup of coffee before we leave."

Despite Sirius's new restrictions on him, Harry felt relieved, as if a burden had been lifted off of him. Since the confrontation in Dumbledore's office, Harry still had his doubts that Sirius wanted him alive - after all he was the reason Sirius lost his best friend. Voldemort killed his dad because he, Harry, existed. Why would Sirius want to be reminded of that every day? Not to mention, Harry had almost gotten the man killed in the Department of Mysteries. But Sirius punishing him showed that the man still cared, at least a little bit. Regardless, Harry wished he could bring up this fear to his father - he knew it sounded ridiculous though and it would be another thing for Sirius to worry about.

Once Harry had brushed his teeth, put his robes on, and attempted to comb through his hair, he stepped outside to see Sirius leaning against the counter, a cup of hot coffee pressed against his lips. The man was dressed in dark blue dress robes that complimented his grey eyes. Not for the first time, Harry thought about how much his godfather's appearance had changed since escaping Azkaban. He looked like the young guy in his parent's wedding photo - he looked happy, though Harry could see the time that had passed in the creases around his eyes.

Sirius smiled warmly when he noticed Harry scrutinizing him. "Do I have something on my robes?" He teased as he approached his son.

Harry shook his head, smiling a little bit back at the man. "No, it's just, you look better than you did a year ago… Even though I'm sure you'd be… happier somewhere else…" Harry trailed off, worried about his godfather's reaction to the question he wanted so badly to ask.

Sirius's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Like, you know… somewhere you wouldn't have to worry about a mass murderer or… or me." Harry mumbled, messing with the shirt sleeve of his robe.

Sirius abruptly grabbed the boy's hand and stilled it, causing Harry to flinch. "Look at me," he said gravely and Harry did.

"Don't ever question my decision to be your parent, Harry. If I implied that at all this morning, I didn't mean it. I am very well aware that I could have taken off when my freedom was secured and gone to live in a safe space. I know I could have met a girl and had a family of my own. I have never wanted that, though. I want to fight, I want to help our cause, and I want to be your dad. I said it last night and I mean it, I love you with all that I am. Understand?" Sirius said, his steel grey gaze boring into Harry's bright green one.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, feeling reassured of his father's dedication, though he still had doubts of his worthiness. "I love you too."

Sirius nodded, but this time he did not smile. "Let's go then, we'll be late."

Harry followed the man out the door of his quarters and down the hall to the charms classroom, where his first lesson would be. Harry stopped outside the door as his father went on in the class. When Sirius realized Harry didn't follow him, he turned around. "What are you doing? Get in here, after yesterday I don't want you in the corridors alone."

Harry grimaced, but nodded and went to sit at one of the empty desks. He watched his dad move about the room, setting up for the lesson; Sirius had a grace about him that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake. It was in his walk, his posture - Harry would never have that trait. Harry was also not nearly as brilliant as his godfather, real father, or Remus - he still didn't understand how the man could claim to love him with so many faults.

Sirius, unbeknownst to Harry, had been watching him as he set up for the lesson. He could tell Harry was still feeling insecure, but he wasn't sure where it had come from. The happiness Harry had shown when he realized Sirius was still alive was gone completely, replaced with worry and angst about things Sirius was unaware of. He was dying to help his child, but was unsure how he could.

Slowly, the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors began to pour into the room, ready for their lesson. Sirius discreetly walked by Harry's desk and squeezed his shoulder, wanting to reassure his boy before he had to give his attention to other students. Harry didn't acknowledge the gesture, but Sirius knew he appreciated it by the small smile the boy wore for the rest of the period.

After the lesson, Ron, Hermione, and Harry walked on to their other classes. Nothing extremely interesting occurred, and Draco managed to leave the three alone in their shared classes - Harry made a mental note to ask Sirius what he did to Draco for hurting him.

"What time do you have to meet Sirius, Harry?" Hermione asked after their last lesson, Care of Magical Creatures.

"Not for another hour, he has double charms with the second years right now, I believe." Harry said simply.

"Why don't we go study in the common room then?" Hermione suggested as they reached the castle doors.

"You always want to study!" Ron complained, following Hermione nonetheless. "It's almost holiday, we should be relaxing."

"Honestly, Ronald, do you want to pass our OWLs?" Hermione asked scathingly.

Harry, however, had stopped listening to their argument, and was instead brooding over his godfather. In truth, he was miserable. Since the incident with the Department of Mysteries, Harry had discovered what a burden he was to his father - he almost got him killed. Harry was dangerous, and he was beginning to see that those he loved the most were going to end up paying for it.

"Harry… Harry, did you hear me?" Hermione asked, looking with concern at her best friend.

"Er- no, sorry Hermione." Harry said gruffly, noticing that they were approaching the Fat Lady.

"What's going on with you, mate? You haven't been the same since you got out of the hospital wing," Ron too, looked concerned.

"I… I have something I need to tell you guys. I'm supposed to wait for Dumbledore's consent, but if you promise not to say anything, I'll tell you." Harry said quietly. At his friend's nods, he gestured into the common room. "Right, let's go upstairs. Neville and Seamus will be in the library and Dean-"

"Will be snogging Ginny," Ron said with disgust.

Harry felt a pang in his heart - another thing to make his life miserable, he was beginning to have a crush on a girl with a boyfriend… and that girl just happened to be his best mate's sister. "Right… so we'll be able to talk."

Once they went upstairs and got situated in the dorm, Harry started to pace. "So, I know Hermione's probably figured it out, but Voldemort created things called horcruxes. Whenever he murdered someone, a part of his soul latched onto an object. It essentially makes him invincible - the diary I destroyed second year was a horcrux. So now, the Order's goal is to find and destroy all of the horcruxes. The only issue is… I'm one of them. When… when Voldemort tried to kill me and the spell backfired, a part of his soul latched onto me. That's why I have the scar."

"So… for Voldemort to die…" Ron trailed off, looking at Hermione, worried.

"I have to die," Harry finished for him.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione exclaimed, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Surely there's another way..."

"I don't know… Dumbledore's being very vague about it. He didn't want me to know in the first place, Sirius made him tell me." Harry said, sighing. "Sirius keeps saying that he'll die before he let's the Order or Voldemort kill me, but that's just it! I don't want him to die for me. I'm ruining his life, he could be somewhere else, he could be happy, but he's stuck having to protect me. It'd be better off if the Order just did me in…" Harry mumbled, turning his back to his friends.

"But… but Harry, the prophecy says you have to be the one to face Voldemort," Hermione tried. "And besides, Sirius loves you so much… he'd rather be here with you than anywhere else."

"Yeah, and Voldemort will be the one to kill me. And I know he loves me, but he deserves better. I just don't know how to convince him of that." Harry sighed and sat down on his four poster.

"You can't convince him Harry, he won't listen. You do need to talk to him about this though, it won't be good if you keep bottling this up." Hermione suggested, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Blimey mate, you can't possibly think you're a burden?" Ron said, exasperated. "If you were, this many people wouldn't care about you. Professor Lupin, Sirius, my family, Hermione, we all love you, mate."

"Thanks Ron," Harry mumbled, shaking his head. "But I couldn't handle it if something happened to all of you because of me."

"Please, just talk to Sirius tonight, Harry. He's your dad, he'll help you." Hermione said, checking the time. "You need to meet him soon anyway, don't you?"

"Yeah," Harry mumbled, picking up his bag. "I guess I won't see you guys tonight, I've gotta stay with Sirius anyway. I'll be at breakfast."

The two nodded. "Let us know if you need anything, mate." Ron said, watching as his friend walked out the door.

The rest of the evening went by without event. Harry and Sirius saw Pomfrey and she agreed that the injury was better, and cleared him to play quidditch. After practice, Fred escorted Harry back to his father's quarters. The two ate dinner in a comfortable silence, then Sirius excused himself to his bedroom while Harry studied for his OWLs.

At ten-thirty, Sirius stepped out to remind Harry of his bedtime. Harry grudgingly got ready for bed, but didn't try to fall asleep. Instead, he worked up the nerve and walked to his father's bedroom.

He hesitated right outside the door - what if Sirius got tired of his insecurities and yelled at him for being foolish?

Remembering Hermione's words, Harry took a deep breath and knocked three times.

"Come in," Sirius's gruff voice rang out, and Harry turned the knob. Inside, he found his father already in bed, a motorcycle magazine sitting on his lap. He was smiling at his son, and gestured for Harry to come sit beside him. "What's on your mind, mate?"

"You know how Malfoy cursed me yesterday?" At Sirius's affirmative nod, Harry continued. "What did you do to him? He barely looked me in the eye today."

Sirius smiled mischievously. "I worked out a deal with Hagrid - Draco will be in detention the rest of the year with him, cleaning up any creature feces that inhibit Hagrid from doing his lessons. He will also be serving detention with me, but I'll probably just make him write lines or clean - something dreadfully boring. He technically could have been expelled for harming another student, but I would rather not go to a hearing with the ministry, and I assumed you wouldn't want to testify. Was I correct?"

Harry nodded, then looked back down at the comforter.

"Something else is bothering you," Sirius stated, eyeing his son. "What is it?"

"I don't want to say…" Harry mumbled, flushing red. "You'll be angry with me."

"Did you hurt someone?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"No," Harry said, taken aback.

"Did someone hurt you?"

"No."

"Are you failing your classes or did you disrespect a teacher?"

"No…"

"Hmm… have you joined sides with Voldemort?"

"What? No!"

"Did you steal anything?"

"No dad."

"Alright well, I think that's most everything I would be mad about... Go for it," Sirius said, a small smile playing on his features.

Harry took a deep breath and stared at his father's Gryffindor red comforter. "I… have been upset lately."

"I noticed," Sirius said gently, squeezing Harry's shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Since the incident with the Department of Mysteries, I've realized that… I'm burdening you all-" Harry began, only to be cut off by his father.

"Harry, we've talked about this-"

"No, let me finish please. These people attacked and almost killed you because of me. They'll stop at nothing to hurt you because they want to get to me and I can't let that happen. I'd rather die myself than see you or Ron and Hermione or Remus get hurt. It would help The Order anyway." Harry finished, breathing deeply.

Sirius did look angry, but he simply shook his head and grabbed Harry by both shoulders. He turned him so that they were staring each other in the eye - Harry almost cowered away when he saw the hurt look in his godfather's grey eyes.

"Listen to me very carefully, Harry - you are not a burden. You are one of the best things that has happened to me, and I would be a wreck without you. Don't ever suggest otherwise. Now, about the people attacking me - do you really think so highly of yourself that you believe they wouldn't kill me if you were out of the way?" Sirius said harshly.

Harry was taken aback by his father's words. "I… what?"

"Harry, I am a blood traitor of the most powerful, dark wizard family in Europe. They wanted me way before you were even born for fighting on the side of the light and betraying my family. Now, they want me so they can get their hands on the Black fortune. When it comes to me and the war, it's never been about getting to you - they have plenty of other reasons to kill me, so I don't want you to ever blame yourself for the danger I've been put in. Got it?" Sirius said, the expression on his face challenging Harry to contradict him.

Harry was too surprised at his father's demeanor to speak, but he managed to nod a response.

"Right then," Sirius scooted closer to Harry on his bed and threw an arm around him. "I don't know what I can do to make you stop doubting how much I love you, Harry."

"I don't doubt that, dad," Harry said, startled that the man thought this. "I love you too."

Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head, then turned his head so that he rested his cheek against the boy's black mop of hair. "Then quit pushing me away. Alright? You can tell me anything and everything."

"Thank you," Harry said gratefully, burying his head into the crook of his father's neck. "I've just been… so confused lately."

"You don't have to figure it all out right now, Harry." Sirius said, wrapping a strong arm around his son. "Soon we'll be on holiday in a safe place and you can relax."

"But you hate Grimmauld Place," Harry said quietly.

"If I have Remus and you there, I can deal with it." Sirius said simply, rubbing circles on Harry's back. "Don't worry about me, though."

"How can I not?" Harry asked, though he didn't remove himself from the comforting embrace Sirius was offering. "Remus and you are the only real family I've ever known. Without you, I really am the lonely orphan that everyone's always thought me to be."

Sirius's heart broke as he had a flashback of his son stuck in the cupboard under the stairs with his aunt and uncle. Never again. "James and Lily might be gone, but I will be here to support you as long as I am able - I'll do it beyond the grave if I have to."

Harry whimpered a little at the thought of his beloved godfather dying. "I know you don't want to think about that," Sirius amended, feeling the boy tense up, "but I mean every word. Now, it's getting past your bedtime."

Sirius attempted to get up so that he could tuck Harry into his own bed, but the boy grasped his forearm tightly. "Don't go, please. Stay here."

The naked pleading in Harry's voice broke Sirius's heart. "I won't leave you, puppy, we can stay in here. Let's get some rest."

Sirius felt that things had been amended for now, though they still had a long way to go before Voldemort was destroyed. For now, he held his son close to his chest and dreamed of happier times, when James and Lily were still alive and the weight of the world hadn't been weighing on the small, happy baby Harry had once been.