Part Six
Part Six

(dedicated to the riddles… coz u guys rock! Thankyou so much for your support!)

Sirius woke with a start but was pleasantly surprised to see that it was simply a crackle from the roaring fire that had disturbed him. After days of travelling in his dog form through the unseasonal cold, it was heaven to allow the heat of the cosy living room to slowly thaw his bones. With a smile Sirius buried himself deeper into the blankets that Moony had covered him with.

Turning his head Sirius noticed that Remus was watching him from a chair across the room with a mixture of disbelief and frightened happiness on his face. It was as if he was scared to believe what he was seeing.

"Moony, are you alright?" Asked Sirius his voice muffled slightly by a blanket.

"Me! What about you?!" Said Remus in a strange voice.

"I suppose I should explain what happened." Said Sirius frowning.

"Can you?"

Sirius scrunched his eyes shut. This was going to be difficult. He had been worrying about how to tell Remus about Harry ever since he'd escaped.

With Sirius unable to form words there was a silence. Remus broke it.

"Perhaps you would find it easier to tell Dumbledore. We should go to Hogwarts. Then Madame Pomfrey can get a wand to you."

Sirius nodded numbly.

Remus was slightly surprised knowing the animosity between Padfoot and the bossy matron, but he realised that Sirius had probably been through hell and would need the help of the woman.

Without any more delay the two of them went through the fireplace, which glowed green from Floo-powder.

~~~

"Okay so, what was with the hat?" Asked McGonagall glancing sternly at the headmaster.

"Just a minute Minerva." Said Dumbledore drawing the latest smokey thought from his temple, and adding it to the many others he'd begun placing in the pensieve once Harry had been calmed back to sleep.

"Okay. Now I think we need to get everyone together so that I can explain. I'll contact Remus. You can go and fetch Severus. Meet back here in my office and hopefully well be able to sort out what has been going on, once and for all." Said Dumbledore finally, stirring the thoughts in his pensieve almost absentmindedly with his wand.

"Alright then." Said McGonagall sounding slightly miffed and striding quickly away.

Fawkes the phoenix fluttered to Dumbledore's shoulder.

"Will you fetch Remus Lupin for me Fawkes. I'm feeling ever so tired." Said Dumbledore stroking the wonderful bird's ample plumage fondly.

With a steeling note of song the bird swept into the air and disappeared out of the window.

Dumbledore scratched his beard and took one last look through the thoughts he'd collected. "I wish I'd seen it earlier." He mumbled to himself quietly.

~~~

Harry had pretended to fall asleep in order to get some time alone. He was still pondering what Dumbledore was playing at with the hat when he received a surprise visit from Fawkes the phoenix.

The fiery bird arrived through the broken window and flew over.

"Fawkes!" He breathed quietly.

The bird rested on the bed opposite and seemed to stare through him from its perch. Harry shuddered.

"I suppose you hate me now. You can sense the bad things, the evil that's in me." Whispered Harry seeing the distance that the phoenix had put between them.

He was greatly surprised when Fawkes swooped over and landed right on his shoulder.

The soft trill of phoenix song sent waves of warmth and relief through Harry.

Smiling properly for the first time in a long time Harry stroked Fawkes softly hardly daring to breathe.

When Fawkes returned to the air Harry whispered

"Thankyou."

He watched peacefully as the amazing bird flew back out through the window.

~~~

Dumbledore frowned. He couldn't understand why Fawkes hadn't returned with Remus yet. Shaking his head he turned back to where Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape were waiting impatiently to be received into his confidence.

"I guess I should tell you both now. We can explain to Remus later."

Said Dumbledore with one last glance at the window.

Gesturing to the pensieve he said. "I think you'll understand what my suspicions are if you view these thoughts."

Without another word he tapped the pensieve and the professors all watched intently as the memories in the bowl swirled into focus…

**

"Professor, I have something I need to tell you…"

Draco Malfoy's conflicted emotions had in reality been almost perfectly masked… but this was Albus Dumbledore's perception, and the torment shone through in the boys face.

"My Father is a Death Eater."

**

McGonagall and Snape looked at Dumbledore questioningly but he simply gestured back to the pensieve.

**

"Father specialises in the imperious curse. He's really very good at it… I should know…"

Draco's frown had deepened and anger was clearly evident, but what Dumbledore had seen was the sadness, and the fear.

**

Snape raised an eyebrow at this point but Dumbledore didn't see it as his eyes remained fixed on the pensieve, on seeing this the potions master did likewise.

There were several scenes that followed.

**

Harry looked very small sitting across from Dumbledore. It was obviously difficult for him to relive the events of the Third Task. But he did so, telling Dumbledore everything, the part shown in the pensieve focused mainly on his direct verbal exchanges with Voldemort.

**

**

The last event was not given a visual representation. The swirling silver thoughts emitted instead the sound of Harry's incessant screams, his conversation with no one.

**

McGonagall and Snape strained to find the connection that linked all of these events, but neither could discover the significance.

Seeing the blank looks on their faces, Dumbledore went on to describe what the Sorting Hat had unearthed.

"It told me what I had suspected was true. Harry's mind is a jumble. But not just from the terrible guilt and anguish he's been feeling. There were signs that someone has been trying to 'suggest' things to Harry, to manipulate him from inside his own head. In the form of a voice."

McGonagall's face was hard as stone, anger blazed behind her typically composed visage.

Snape, on the other hand did little to conceal his anger.

"Lucius Malfoy." He hissed glaring his own forearm.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, that is what I believe."

It was at this point that the three wizards were disturbed by the floo-arrival.

~~~

As Lupin stumbled out of the fireplace he looked back towards the fire as if expecting to be followed.

"Nice of you to join us Remus." Said McGonagall warmly getting no response from Lupin who was still glancing at the fireplace

Suddenly the fire sparked and a mess of dirty robes and limbs came flying out of the flames.

"Black!" Yelled Snape jumping out of his chair.

McGonagall swayed unsteadily on her feet grabbing hold of Lupin's arm as a look of relief flooded his face.

Dumbledore was visibly surprised to see Sirius Black tumble out of the fireplace but being ever practical and alert his mind shot straight to…

"Harry."

On hearing his godson's name Sirius winced and paused from brushing the soot from his apparel.

"Oh Sirius Black! Don't you ever do that to me again!" Said McGonagall sternly her eyes shining suspiciously brightly behind the frown.

Sirius raised his eyebrows.

Dumbledore noticed this and said.

"Harry told us that you'd been killed."

Sirius' eyes snapped to Dumbledore immediately.

"Harry? When? Where?"

"He's in the Hospital Wing right now. He thinks you're dead, and he's not taken it very well." Said Snape quietly having sat back in his seat to lean heavily against the chair back.

"He's… what?" Said Sirius frowning and looking very confused.

"He came back Sirius. He came here, to Hogwarts. He's come back to us." Said Remus putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder to calm him.

Sirius almost crumbled but he managed to grab Remus around the shoulders and clung onto his friend to hold himself together.

"He's normal again… he's safe?"

~~~

Harry felt rested and surprisingly calm after Fawkes left.

He heard Madame Pomfrey humming next door as she arranged her supplies…

He heard the birds outside singing brightly…

He heard Peeves the poltergeist knocking over suits of armour…

He almost fancied he could hear the familiar roar of the quidditch crowd drifting over from the quidditch pitch…

But most comforting of all was that, for the moment at least the voice was gone.

Thinking for once about nothing at all he started to doze, untroubled and peaceful at last.

~~~

Dumbledore eventually managed to get everyone seated and calmed, this was difficult in Sirius' case as he desperately tried to escape the room to see Harry straight away.

But after a brief scuffle they were all ready to sort out what had happened.

"Sirius. Perhaps you would enlighten us with your version of events." Said Dumbledore peering intently at Sirius over the top of his glasses.

"When I set off for Hogwarts I was in my animagus form. I thought I was safe. I hadn't expected a confrontation, and especially not with Death Eaters.

There were four I think. They didn't seem to question that I wasn't just an ordinary dog. They stunned me before I had a chance to react to four masked figures blocking my path.

When I woke up I was ordered to transform. I didn't, but then they told me that they had found out about my animagus form from Harry… Of course I thought Harry was in trouble so I co-operated so that I might be able to see him. It was then that they took me to him.

Voldemort seemed very happy to see me. He taunted me for a while about my failure to be there for my godson.

When he stepped aside to introduce me to my executioner I found myself looking at Harry.

I couldn't believe it. I closed my eyes when he said Avada Kedavra. Hearing Harry say those words it was the hardest thing of my life.

He tried to kill me. I must admit that was all I could think of at the time… Harry tried to kill me!

But it didn't work.

It hit someone else instead.

I heard Lucius Malfoy try it again twice. When I looked I saw that Peter had taken one of the blows. But Harry and Voldemort had disappeared.

Then all I remember was green light.

When I woke up I thought I was dead. When I realised I was hurt I knew I wasn't. There was a graze along my side as if a curse had just narrowly missed me. It must have been the killing curse.

I looked around but no one was there.

In the end I started back for Remus' house, as it was closest. Then he brought me here."

Everyone was silent as Sirius' story fell into place in their minds.

Sirius however was unable to tolerate silence.

"Now will someone explain what's been going on with my godson?" He said.

~~~

It was a much more subdued Sirius Black that limped slightly as he walked into the Hospital Wing. He was still feeling the effects of his brush with death, but he felt the pain of knowing what Harry had been through even more keenly.

As he drew towards the bed he saw that Harry was asleep. His covers were straight as though he'd hardly moved. His face was relaxed, his forehead smooth aside from the familiar lightening bolt groove. His left arm was hanging down off of the bed and the ugly dark mark remained faintly branded there forever, but in the end just another scar.

Sirius wiped a stray tear from his cheek. He could hear the others talking to Madame Pomfrey outside.

As he stood next to his peacefully sleeping godson he felt the paternal instinct inside of him telling him to hug Harry.

Not wanting to wake him he settled on tucking the covers carefully around the boy.

~~~

Harry felt the comfortable sleep starting to fall away and was aware of someone softly wrapping him up in enveloping warmth. He wondered who it was… Madame Pomfrey, or Lupin perhaps. When he heard the person whisper his name his heart jumped.

"Sirius." He whispered, his throat constricting painfully as soon as the words had passed in realisation that it couldn't possibly be Sirius Black.

"I'm here Harry."

Harry's eyes flew open. Even though his sight was distinctly blurred and his eyes close to tears Harry could make out the long black hair and persistently thin frame of the most wonderful person in the world.

"Sirius!" He yelled, praying ferociously in his heart that this wasn't a dream or illusion.

As godson and godfather hugged each other tightly nothing in the world could have drawn their attention away.

Harry gasped in his breath as he felt his heart pound with joy.

"You're alive!" He cried hugging Sirius even more tightly.

"Ouch! Yeah, I know." Said Sirius clutching his side.

"I'm so sorry." Chocked Harry his eyes clouding over with the guilt that had been so consuming of him.

"Harry. I'm proud of you, you made the right decision when it really mattered. And I love you, no matter what." Said Sirius reaching over for Harry's glasses and sliding them onto his godson's tearstained face.

Sirius sat down next to Harry who smiled and said.

"I love you too. And I'll never forget that again."

The End

A/N

There you have it!

*Wipes sweat from brow*

I hope the ending wasn't too mushy, but hey! It had to be!

I feel I might need an epilogue just to put a few little things to rest but this was the ending I planned, tell me what you think!

Enormous thanks to everyone who reviewed any or all of the parts. *Grins*

Reviewers of Part 5

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Thanx u guys!

This is the first proper fic that I've finished, (unless there's an epilogue!) And I'm very proud if myself.

Rest assured that I should be getting back to DoR and Auriellis soon. They're not going to be forgotten!

Love U All!

Jona

xxx