Disclaimers - All characters, settings, etc belong to the wonderful and
talented J.K Rowling *bow* and the only thing original to me is the plot ;)
Also, read no further unless you have read the Order of the Phoenix -
SPOILERS!
And: Kurbani - I'm getting to it! ;) *is secretly glad she was reminded about that and very thankful :P*
Tara- You'll find out soon enough, MWHAHAHA! *slaps self* Kidding...
Harry barely noticed what direction the group were flying in, or the tiny pin-pricks of light far below him, or even the icy rain that was blown against him, cutting through his robes like a blade. His whole body and brain felt numb and he was still in shock - what had just happened? Unless he was very much mistaken, someone had just attempted to kidnap him. And he would bet his life on where that person came from.
Why, though, would Voldemort send someone to his house to try to steal him away? To murder him? It seemed to him that that would have been an idiotic thing to do - obviously Voldemort had not realised that Harry would easily suspect things of newcomers into the house who came alone, knew nothing of the Advance Guard and acted almost nothing like the person they were pretending to be. And did the Dark Lord think there was no-one guarding Harry? Well, there wasn't, thought Harry bitterly. No-one came to help me until I sent Hedwig. Maybe they don't care about me as much after all, he thought miserably.
They had been flying for some time before Harry began to recognise the surroundings speeding by around him, and only then did he realise that they were headed for Grimmauld Place. He suddenly felt as though there was lead in his stomach and his heart sank; he had not thought about ever returning to Grimmauld Place, for even thinking of the home where his godfather had been encased for many months brought back painful memories. However, since he did not have much say in the matter, Harry mutely followed Tonks as she made her dive, aware of the rest of his Guard following suite around him.
As they touched down and leapt from their brooms, Harry saw Number 12 emerging from between Numbers 11 and 13, the battered looking door appearing first before the rest of the tatty looking home squeezed out from nowhere. Moody ran up the stone steps, beckoning the rest of the group with his clawed hand, and hastily pulled out his wand and tapped the door. Instantly there were sounds of chains being drawn and metals clicking, and the door was pulled open by a mere fraction. From behind Kingsley or Lupin, (Harry wasn't sure who,) bundled him roughly inside through the opening and slammed the door shut behind them. Moody quickly tapped everyone in sucession and instantly they all re-appeared, looking rather bedraggled and wet.
"Journey alright, I hope?" Harry came face-to-face with his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. The old man was dressed in robes of a deepest purple, giving him a regal air, and the long silvery coloured beard and the half- moon glasses comforted Harry. He gave a brief nod, surprised to find Dumbledore here - he was certain the elderly wizard would have been away somewhere on a dangerous mission. Harry saw his eyes flicker over the bound body of the imposter to the real Tonks, and if he was confused he did not let it show. He turned to face the ruffled-looking boy. "How are you feeling, Harry?" He said kindly, leading the teenager through into the living room - Moody was dragging the seemingly lifeless body of the fake Tonks upstairs, whilst Tonks was beginning to follow with Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage. Kingsley ran to catch up with Moody and proceeded to follow him out of sight into the upstairs corridor.
Harry was unsure how to answer this question, for he wasn't entirely sure how he felt anyways, never mind trying to explain it to other people. He felt upset, and hollow, and guilty about the sudden death of his godfather; he felt angered and maddened, though he didn't know why; he was confused and unsure of the role he would have to play in this great war. Unable to put forth his emotions in words, he gave a sort of shrug, though the stony expression set deep into his face was a sure indication of what he felt.
"Look, Harry, I understand how you must be feeling right -"
"No, you don't." Harry's words were deep, sullen, and low, but from the look on Dumbledore's face he knew he had comprehended exactly what Harry had meant.
"It wasn't your fault, Harry. You have to stop blaming yourself - Sirius wouldn't have wanted it."
Harry directed his emerald eyes to the grubby floor and sank into a dusty armchair; it immediantly gave off large clouds of dust and he wished he had stayed standing. "Well, he wouldn't have wanted to be dead either, would he?" The phrase was no more than a mumble.
Dumbledore sighed. "Of course not, but.....Sirius....he went to the Department of Mysteries to save you, Harry. We couldn't stop him, no matter how much we told him to remain here. He knew that he was risking death to go up against Voldemort, but he wanted you to live - he sacrificed himself for you, Harry. He wanted you to have a good life, a happy life - as much as the current circumstances will allow, anyways, not spending all of your time moping around, barely moving. Don't let his sacrifice have been in vain."
Harry nodded resolutely.
"Also, Grimmauld Place now belongs to you....it is your decision whether or not we may continue to use it as Headquarters." Harry nodded once more. "Goodnight, Harry; I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon."
With those words Dumbledore swept out of the room, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts in the dank, dark coloured living room, seriously considering everything his headmaster had said.
~*~
Harry's life at Grimmauld Place was increasingly dull and rather boring. The previous summer in his time spent here he had had Ron and Hermione for company, along with the twins and Ginny - they had been busy trying to rid the house of a myriad of magical creatures, but there had been some fun times too, and plenty of conversations with barely a moments quiet. Now, however, he was the only person under 20 in the house, and though Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, Lupin and the other members of the Order were nice enough, he longed for some company with people his own age.
There was always hustle and bustle and constant callers who stayed for a few minutes of snatched conversation, and almost every second or third nights there were meetings - Harry wasn't allowed to listen to any of these things. It was rather irksome, being left out of such important conversations, and being treated like a child was forcing a great rage to build up inside him and he felt sure one day it would be unleashed upon someone. To help relieve his anger he spent a lot of time upstairs feeding Buckbeak - in this way he felt closer to Sirius, for Buckbeak was one of Sirius' only companions when he was cooped up by himself inside the house.
Harry began to immerse himself in books concerning the Dark Arts; Lupin and Sirius had given him a wonderful set of books entitled 'Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts' for Christmas, and he was beginning to read up on the theorys of the complicated spells - although he wasn't allowed to actually perform magic whilst away from school he could practice the wand manouvres easily enough. Lupin had also lent Harry some of his large thick volumes; a particularly interesting one called 'Combatting The Dark Arts' contained some extremely handy curses and counter-jinxes; Harry had asked Lupin to buy him a muggle notepad, and he had begun to plan out lessons for the next meeting with the DA. Harry wasn't sure whether or not they would have to continue - perhaps they would be provided with a competent teacher for their sixth year - but it still helped to be prepared.
On July 31st Harry awoke early, feeling excited. He had no reason to be, but, he supposed, you don't turn 16 everyday! He knew he would be spending his birthday alone, most likely, so he changed into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt before going downstairs to make himself breakfast. Yawning and ruffling his hair sleepily, he put his hand to the door-knob and opened the kitchen door....
"SURPRISE!!!" Harry jumped back in shock, caught totally unawares by the large crowd of people crammed into the kitchen. There were enchanted pieces of confetti fluttering about, balloons attached to the back of the dining chairs and large banners across the wall. He couldn't help but grin - sure, it was a rather babyish thing to do when he had just legally turned into an adult, but it showed that people cared. He beamed around at all the smiling faces, taking in the number of guests; there was Tonks, Lupin, Moody, Kingsley, Hermione, Ron, Fred and George, Ginny, Bill, Charlie, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Mundungus, Hagrid, Dumbledore and even Professor McGonnagal. Hermione rushed forward and embraced him, followed by Ron who gruffly hugged him and patted his back.
"Look, Harry, your presents!"
He was steered over to the dining table that looked like it was going to collapse - it was laden with packages and parcels, all wrapped carefully, and decorated with streamers. He felt happiness overwhelm him, for clearly everyone had been thinking about him, no matter how much it seemed he had been ignored.
"Go on, open them!" Mrs Weasley said, her cheeks flushed as she watched Harry. Her eyes were watery and he noticed how she seemed almost maternal of him - he was painfully reminded for a moment of how Molly was almost all the family he had now, but he brushed the feelings aside. Now was a time for celebration.
He spent some time opening his presents, and he received many excellent ones - Ron had given him an enormous tub of Chocolate Frogs and a Chudley Cannons t-shirt; from Hermione there was a large book entitled 'Curses and Countercurses'; the Weasley family gave him a new Weasley Jumper and Molly had added her usual enormous slab of Treacle Fudge. From Hagrid there was a miniature winged horse, pure ivory, about the size of his hand; Harry thought it was a model until it began to whicker and canter about the desk. Tonks gave Harry a large, expensive looking eagle quill and a new leather thong for Hedwig's leg; from Moody there was a squiggly golden piece of metal he recognised as a Secrecy Sensor - at present it was still. Fred and George gave him large box stuffed full of their practical joke foods and wands, Fainting Fudge and Nosebleed Nougat, (Molly frowned,) and Dumbledore, McGonnagal and Lupin presented him with some new deep blue dress robes.
The party lasted for most of the day, with Molly providing an amazing feast and an enormous birthday cake - as they all sang to him, smiling at him and mucking about with him in general, Harry realised there was no place in the world he would rather be than here with his friends.
Harry told Ron and Hermione about the encounter with 'Tonks' at the Dursley's, and received soom looks of pity and awe from the both of them. That led him to remember he didn't know who it had been that had taken the Polyjuice Potion; however, when he got Moody on his own and asked him Moody frowned and shook his head, indicating the room full of people and mumbled, "I'll tell you later."
Ron and Hermione were to stay at the Headquarters for the rest of the summer - "It'll be so much fun!" squealed Hermione excitedly - and the whole Weasley family would be joining them. Harry was thankful that he would finally have some company, and when he retreated to his room that night with Ron he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
~*~
/Tap.Tap./ Harry's eyes flickered open as he tried to adjust them to the total darkness that had engulfed the house. Was there someone outside his room? Rubbing his eyes wearily he put on his glasses and picked up his wand, cautiously tip-toeing over to the close door. He put his ear to it and heard what he thought was breathing - "Whos there?" he whispered.
"Its me," came the reply. /Lupin./ thought Harry. "Come on out."
Harry opened the door and came face to face with his ex-Professor, greeting him with a smile and lowering his wand. "Whats wrong?"
"I've got something to show you," muttered Lupin, "But I thought you'd like to see it on your own, without everyone else. Come on..."
Lupin walked along the pitch black corridor with Harry close in tow, taking him to a part of the house he had never been to before. /"Goting,"/ whispered Lupin, and instantly a step-ladder dropped from above their heads and dangled a few inches from the floor. Lupin beckoned to Harry and began to ascend it, quickly disappearing into darkness above him. Harry followed, and realised he was going to the attic.
"Are you up?" whispered Lupin.
"Yes, what is it?" replied Harry.
/"Lumos."/ mumbled Lupin, illuminating the whole spacious loft, and he pointed towards a large rectangular object that was covered in a white, dusty sheet. He handed Harry a folded up piece of parchment from inside his robes and handed it to Harry, before silently nodding to him and going back down the ladders. Trembling, Harry opened it.
/'Dear Harry, If you are reading this it means I am no longer with you. I just wanted to tell you that I am so, so proud of you, and I love you like my own child - you are truly your father's son. Please remember to try your hardest in your Occlumency lessons - I realise Snape is a total wanker but you need to try hard. And remember to stick in with your studies, particularly Defence Against the Dark Arts, for I fear now that Voldemort is rising once more you are really going to need it. Just thought I'd get these things off my chest; things I can't say to you face to face.... Snuffles.'/
Feeling slightly disappointed, Harry walked across to the white-covered rectangle and pulled the sheet away; he dropped it with a startled gasp and felt the first true smile he had posessed since leaving school break onto his face.
His emerald eyes swept over the large, life-size portrait; a pair of intelligent-looking grey-blue eyes bore into his own, and a handsome white face was framed by long, silken locks of black that fell to the male's shoulders. He was dressed elegantly in tight-fitting dark robes and wore a smile identical to Harry's own, and was painted standing in a hallway beside a table which seemed to have a troll's leg for a stand...
"Alright, Harry?" said the picture of Sirius Black, grinning broadly at the shocked expression on his godson's face.
"Sirius?!?!" he gasped. "But, I thought you were, well - "
"I am," cut across the male, his features turning to bitterness.
"Then how -?"
"I had this portrait painted over Christmas." He smiled warmly. "I suppose it was just in case - I realised you needed someone who was like family to talk to."
Harry simply stood, flabbergasted at Sirius' brilliance, a thousand questions running through his mind but none that he dared to ask. The two stayed in silence for many moments, simply staring at one another, before Sirius spoke.
"Stop blaming yourself, Harry." he said gently.
"Wh-?"
"Lupin and Dumbledore told me. Its not your fault - it was that bitch Bellatrix's fault if we're going to blame anyone, but other than that you had nothing to do with it."
"If I hadn't rushed off..."
"You can say that all you like, Harry, but you were mislead by that little dick of a house-elf."
Harry frowned. He hadn't seen creature - he hadn't noticed his absence. He would have killed the wretched git in an instant had he crossed his path.
"Don't worry about it. We can still talk, can't we?"
Harry grinned slightly. "Yeah." He paused. "What happened when you fell....?"
Sirius frowned thoughtfully. "I would tell you if I myself understood....all I know is I died." He gave his trademark bark-like laugh. "Now, you look shattered! Run off to bed and I'll see you tomorrow, OK?"
Harry nodded and turned. "Oh, and Harry?"
He stole one more glance at Sirius, who was grinning mischievously. "Happy 16th Birthday."
A/N - Look, another chapter! :P Please keep reviewing and tell me what you thought :)
And: Kurbani - I'm getting to it! ;) *is secretly glad she was reminded about that and very thankful :P*
Tara- You'll find out soon enough, MWHAHAHA! *slaps self* Kidding...
Harry barely noticed what direction the group were flying in, or the tiny pin-pricks of light far below him, or even the icy rain that was blown against him, cutting through his robes like a blade. His whole body and brain felt numb and he was still in shock - what had just happened? Unless he was very much mistaken, someone had just attempted to kidnap him. And he would bet his life on where that person came from.
Why, though, would Voldemort send someone to his house to try to steal him away? To murder him? It seemed to him that that would have been an idiotic thing to do - obviously Voldemort had not realised that Harry would easily suspect things of newcomers into the house who came alone, knew nothing of the Advance Guard and acted almost nothing like the person they were pretending to be. And did the Dark Lord think there was no-one guarding Harry? Well, there wasn't, thought Harry bitterly. No-one came to help me until I sent Hedwig. Maybe they don't care about me as much after all, he thought miserably.
They had been flying for some time before Harry began to recognise the surroundings speeding by around him, and only then did he realise that they were headed for Grimmauld Place. He suddenly felt as though there was lead in his stomach and his heart sank; he had not thought about ever returning to Grimmauld Place, for even thinking of the home where his godfather had been encased for many months brought back painful memories. However, since he did not have much say in the matter, Harry mutely followed Tonks as she made her dive, aware of the rest of his Guard following suite around him.
As they touched down and leapt from their brooms, Harry saw Number 12 emerging from between Numbers 11 and 13, the battered looking door appearing first before the rest of the tatty looking home squeezed out from nowhere. Moody ran up the stone steps, beckoning the rest of the group with his clawed hand, and hastily pulled out his wand and tapped the door. Instantly there were sounds of chains being drawn and metals clicking, and the door was pulled open by a mere fraction. From behind Kingsley or Lupin, (Harry wasn't sure who,) bundled him roughly inside through the opening and slammed the door shut behind them. Moody quickly tapped everyone in sucession and instantly they all re-appeared, looking rather bedraggled and wet.
"Journey alright, I hope?" Harry came face-to-face with his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. The old man was dressed in robes of a deepest purple, giving him a regal air, and the long silvery coloured beard and the half- moon glasses comforted Harry. He gave a brief nod, surprised to find Dumbledore here - he was certain the elderly wizard would have been away somewhere on a dangerous mission. Harry saw his eyes flicker over the bound body of the imposter to the real Tonks, and if he was confused he did not let it show. He turned to face the ruffled-looking boy. "How are you feeling, Harry?" He said kindly, leading the teenager through into the living room - Moody was dragging the seemingly lifeless body of the fake Tonks upstairs, whilst Tonks was beginning to follow with Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage. Kingsley ran to catch up with Moody and proceeded to follow him out of sight into the upstairs corridor.
Harry was unsure how to answer this question, for he wasn't entirely sure how he felt anyways, never mind trying to explain it to other people. He felt upset, and hollow, and guilty about the sudden death of his godfather; he felt angered and maddened, though he didn't know why; he was confused and unsure of the role he would have to play in this great war. Unable to put forth his emotions in words, he gave a sort of shrug, though the stony expression set deep into his face was a sure indication of what he felt.
"Look, Harry, I understand how you must be feeling right -"
"No, you don't." Harry's words were deep, sullen, and low, but from the look on Dumbledore's face he knew he had comprehended exactly what Harry had meant.
"It wasn't your fault, Harry. You have to stop blaming yourself - Sirius wouldn't have wanted it."
Harry directed his emerald eyes to the grubby floor and sank into a dusty armchair; it immediantly gave off large clouds of dust and he wished he had stayed standing. "Well, he wouldn't have wanted to be dead either, would he?" The phrase was no more than a mumble.
Dumbledore sighed. "Of course not, but.....Sirius....he went to the Department of Mysteries to save you, Harry. We couldn't stop him, no matter how much we told him to remain here. He knew that he was risking death to go up against Voldemort, but he wanted you to live - he sacrificed himself for you, Harry. He wanted you to have a good life, a happy life - as much as the current circumstances will allow, anyways, not spending all of your time moping around, barely moving. Don't let his sacrifice have been in vain."
Harry nodded resolutely.
"Also, Grimmauld Place now belongs to you....it is your decision whether or not we may continue to use it as Headquarters." Harry nodded once more. "Goodnight, Harry; I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon."
With those words Dumbledore swept out of the room, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts in the dank, dark coloured living room, seriously considering everything his headmaster had said.
~*~
Harry's life at Grimmauld Place was increasingly dull and rather boring. The previous summer in his time spent here he had had Ron and Hermione for company, along with the twins and Ginny - they had been busy trying to rid the house of a myriad of magical creatures, but there had been some fun times too, and plenty of conversations with barely a moments quiet. Now, however, he was the only person under 20 in the house, and though Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, Lupin and the other members of the Order were nice enough, he longed for some company with people his own age.
There was always hustle and bustle and constant callers who stayed for a few minutes of snatched conversation, and almost every second or third nights there were meetings - Harry wasn't allowed to listen to any of these things. It was rather irksome, being left out of such important conversations, and being treated like a child was forcing a great rage to build up inside him and he felt sure one day it would be unleashed upon someone. To help relieve his anger he spent a lot of time upstairs feeding Buckbeak - in this way he felt closer to Sirius, for Buckbeak was one of Sirius' only companions when he was cooped up by himself inside the house.
Harry began to immerse himself in books concerning the Dark Arts; Lupin and Sirius had given him a wonderful set of books entitled 'Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts' for Christmas, and he was beginning to read up on the theorys of the complicated spells - although he wasn't allowed to actually perform magic whilst away from school he could practice the wand manouvres easily enough. Lupin had also lent Harry some of his large thick volumes; a particularly interesting one called 'Combatting The Dark Arts' contained some extremely handy curses and counter-jinxes; Harry had asked Lupin to buy him a muggle notepad, and he had begun to plan out lessons for the next meeting with the DA. Harry wasn't sure whether or not they would have to continue - perhaps they would be provided with a competent teacher for their sixth year - but it still helped to be prepared.
On July 31st Harry awoke early, feeling excited. He had no reason to be, but, he supposed, you don't turn 16 everyday! He knew he would be spending his birthday alone, most likely, so he changed into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt before going downstairs to make himself breakfast. Yawning and ruffling his hair sleepily, he put his hand to the door-knob and opened the kitchen door....
"SURPRISE!!!" Harry jumped back in shock, caught totally unawares by the large crowd of people crammed into the kitchen. There were enchanted pieces of confetti fluttering about, balloons attached to the back of the dining chairs and large banners across the wall. He couldn't help but grin - sure, it was a rather babyish thing to do when he had just legally turned into an adult, but it showed that people cared. He beamed around at all the smiling faces, taking in the number of guests; there was Tonks, Lupin, Moody, Kingsley, Hermione, Ron, Fred and George, Ginny, Bill, Charlie, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Mundungus, Hagrid, Dumbledore and even Professor McGonnagal. Hermione rushed forward and embraced him, followed by Ron who gruffly hugged him and patted his back.
"Look, Harry, your presents!"
He was steered over to the dining table that looked like it was going to collapse - it was laden with packages and parcels, all wrapped carefully, and decorated with streamers. He felt happiness overwhelm him, for clearly everyone had been thinking about him, no matter how much it seemed he had been ignored.
"Go on, open them!" Mrs Weasley said, her cheeks flushed as she watched Harry. Her eyes were watery and he noticed how she seemed almost maternal of him - he was painfully reminded for a moment of how Molly was almost all the family he had now, but he brushed the feelings aside. Now was a time for celebration.
He spent some time opening his presents, and he received many excellent ones - Ron had given him an enormous tub of Chocolate Frogs and a Chudley Cannons t-shirt; from Hermione there was a large book entitled 'Curses and Countercurses'; the Weasley family gave him a new Weasley Jumper and Molly had added her usual enormous slab of Treacle Fudge. From Hagrid there was a miniature winged horse, pure ivory, about the size of his hand; Harry thought it was a model until it began to whicker and canter about the desk. Tonks gave Harry a large, expensive looking eagle quill and a new leather thong for Hedwig's leg; from Moody there was a squiggly golden piece of metal he recognised as a Secrecy Sensor - at present it was still. Fred and George gave him large box stuffed full of their practical joke foods and wands, Fainting Fudge and Nosebleed Nougat, (Molly frowned,) and Dumbledore, McGonnagal and Lupin presented him with some new deep blue dress robes.
The party lasted for most of the day, with Molly providing an amazing feast and an enormous birthday cake - as they all sang to him, smiling at him and mucking about with him in general, Harry realised there was no place in the world he would rather be than here with his friends.
Harry told Ron and Hermione about the encounter with 'Tonks' at the Dursley's, and received soom looks of pity and awe from the both of them. That led him to remember he didn't know who it had been that had taken the Polyjuice Potion; however, when he got Moody on his own and asked him Moody frowned and shook his head, indicating the room full of people and mumbled, "I'll tell you later."
Ron and Hermione were to stay at the Headquarters for the rest of the summer - "It'll be so much fun!" squealed Hermione excitedly - and the whole Weasley family would be joining them. Harry was thankful that he would finally have some company, and when he retreated to his room that night with Ron he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
~*~
/Tap.Tap./ Harry's eyes flickered open as he tried to adjust them to the total darkness that had engulfed the house. Was there someone outside his room? Rubbing his eyes wearily he put on his glasses and picked up his wand, cautiously tip-toeing over to the close door. He put his ear to it and heard what he thought was breathing - "Whos there?" he whispered.
"Its me," came the reply. /Lupin./ thought Harry. "Come on out."
Harry opened the door and came face to face with his ex-Professor, greeting him with a smile and lowering his wand. "Whats wrong?"
"I've got something to show you," muttered Lupin, "But I thought you'd like to see it on your own, without everyone else. Come on..."
Lupin walked along the pitch black corridor with Harry close in tow, taking him to a part of the house he had never been to before. /"Goting,"/ whispered Lupin, and instantly a step-ladder dropped from above their heads and dangled a few inches from the floor. Lupin beckoned to Harry and began to ascend it, quickly disappearing into darkness above him. Harry followed, and realised he was going to the attic.
"Are you up?" whispered Lupin.
"Yes, what is it?" replied Harry.
/"Lumos."/ mumbled Lupin, illuminating the whole spacious loft, and he pointed towards a large rectangular object that was covered in a white, dusty sheet. He handed Harry a folded up piece of parchment from inside his robes and handed it to Harry, before silently nodding to him and going back down the ladders. Trembling, Harry opened it.
/'Dear Harry, If you are reading this it means I am no longer with you. I just wanted to tell you that I am so, so proud of you, and I love you like my own child - you are truly your father's son. Please remember to try your hardest in your Occlumency lessons - I realise Snape is a total wanker but you need to try hard. And remember to stick in with your studies, particularly Defence Against the Dark Arts, for I fear now that Voldemort is rising once more you are really going to need it. Just thought I'd get these things off my chest; things I can't say to you face to face.... Snuffles.'/
Feeling slightly disappointed, Harry walked across to the white-covered rectangle and pulled the sheet away; he dropped it with a startled gasp and felt the first true smile he had posessed since leaving school break onto his face.
His emerald eyes swept over the large, life-size portrait; a pair of intelligent-looking grey-blue eyes bore into his own, and a handsome white face was framed by long, silken locks of black that fell to the male's shoulders. He was dressed elegantly in tight-fitting dark robes and wore a smile identical to Harry's own, and was painted standing in a hallway beside a table which seemed to have a troll's leg for a stand...
"Alright, Harry?" said the picture of Sirius Black, grinning broadly at the shocked expression on his godson's face.
"Sirius?!?!" he gasped. "But, I thought you were, well - "
"I am," cut across the male, his features turning to bitterness.
"Then how -?"
"I had this portrait painted over Christmas." He smiled warmly. "I suppose it was just in case - I realised you needed someone who was like family to talk to."
Harry simply stood, flabbergasted at Sirius' brilliance, a thousand questions running through his mind but none that he dared to ask. The two stayed in silence for many moments, simply staring at one another, before Sirius spoke.
"Stop blaming yourself, Harry." he said gently.
"Wh-?"
"Lupin and Dumbledore told me. Its not your fault - it was that bitch Bellatrix's fault if we're going to blame anyone, but other than that you had nothing to do with it."
"If I hadn't rushed off..."
"You can say that all you like, Harry, but you were mislead by that little dick of a house-elf."
Harry frowned. He hadn't seen creature - he hadn't noticed his absence. He would have killed the wretched git in an instant had he crossed his path.
"Don't worry about it. We can still talk, can't we?"
Harry grinned slightly. "Yeah." He paused. "What happened when you fell....?"
Sirius frowned thoughtfully. "I would tell you if I myself understood....all I know is I died." He gave his trademark bark-like laugh. "Now, you look shattered! Run off to bed and I'll see you tomorrow, OK?"
Harry nodded and turned. "Oh, and Harry?"
He stole one more glance at Sirius, who was grinning mischievously. "Happy 16th Birthday."
A/N - Look, another chapter! :P Please keep reviewing and tell me what you thought :)
