DEDICATION:
To Hilel, who Imperio-ed me to update (although well out of the one hour line)

To:

Kalliope, AthenaKitty, Sarit Halivana, Yana5, Lyss33, Atticus J. Finch, rika-chan, Harry's Sister, Starlight Dreams, Tati1, padfootalltheway, Eric2, J Wish, SilverKnight7, texasjeanette, John Surber, Elvett -- Thank you so much for all your lovely comments!
ParanoiaIn2005 -- Uh-oh. Jinxed! Okay, let's try it again: Write 'shorter' reviews, Paranoia!
Me -- *hugs you*
ERMonkey, Queen of Insani -- I love Barney! Attack of the Purple Monster!
Lily Skylo -- Long live Sirius!
Japonica -- Yeah, Petrificus Totalus is the body bind, I mentioned that, too! You said I used the Leg-Locking charm (Locomotor Mortis) wrongly, so what is the correct one? Beam. Haha, expanding, yes, and fast running out of ideas! LOL
Kikyogirl021989 -- I do? Thanks!
Lory -- Just one more chapter to go!
Mikee -- Ooh, yes of course. Can't let them just wait at Hogwarts lazing around!
Serebii -- Yeah, technically. In Chapter Two, Dumbledore said 'Once in a Year'. Make that a day in a year. *cheating* Haha!
Tielle -- Thank you! Of course, I do take time to thank you! You are one of those people who make my writing trip a lot more fun :)
Siri Kat -- To the torture chamber!
Froboy -- Oh, yeah. Big time.
Amie87 -- Hope you enjoy wherever you are going! It's okay...just do a longer one when you come back! Haha! *evil*
Serpent of Light -- Thank you! *blushes furiously*
Raphaelle -- Thank you for reading and reviewing! Continue doing so, too, haha! Don't worry about long reviews, I like them :)

Me-Love-You Owl to Hilel and My Lil' Angel -- *Jumps on top of you and starts squashing you* Thank you!

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With Time Comes Trust: Broken Promises

Minerva yawned, opening her eyes slightly only to snap it shut again when the afternoon sun blinded her momentarily. She snuggled closer to the large, soft, warm object next to her, looping her arms around it. Nice.

Poppy suddenly gave a loud snore that promptly rattled the bottles of medication on the table next to her. She turned over from her side to rest on her back, bringing up her hand and smashing it painfully against the bedrail in the process.

"Ouch!"

Minerva sniffed, annoyed that all the sleepiness she had had been swept clear thanks to the interruption. Meanwhile, the thing she was holding was also moving. Startled she opened her eyes to meet sleepy black ones and then screamed as Severus shouted in horror and tumbled off the bed, disappearing over the other side with a loud thud. She scrambled off hurriedly, almost tripping over the sheets.

"What are we doing here?" Severus demanded.

Poppy released another snore, apparently oblivious to her smarting red hand.

"I would also like to know," Minerva said haughtily.

"Good. Very good." Severus picked up a pillow and dropped it back on the bed.

"Excellent," Minerva looked around and spotted her hat and crammed it on her head. "Good." Then turning with dignity, she left the hospital wing.

Severus scowled stretching himself. He had a bad ache in his back, and his neck hurt from the awkward position he had slept in last night. He glanced over at Poppy who had a mouth wide open. Her drool pooled in a spot on the pillow. He snorted disdainfully then left the hospital wing too to freshen up for the day.

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Remus was the first to awaken. Sirius was beside him, hands flung above him and legs propped up against a chair, his body half on the bed and half on the chair. Remus discovered himself lying on his stomach, head and hands dangling off the bed. He pushed himself up and sat still for a moment, clearing his thoughts.

"Sirius," he called shaking his friend. "Sirius."

"Five seconds," Sirius muttered.

5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

"Sirius."

"Go 'way."

"Sirius!"

"What the hell!" Sirius shot upright.

"It's...one thirty, respectively, in the afternoon," Remus told him.

"Do I look like I care?" Sirius asked, annoyed.

"Afternoon, Harry!" Remus called ignoring Sirius.

Harry had awaken and were surveying them with half droopy eyelids. "Afternoon."

"Had a good sleep?" Sirius asked. He jumped out of bed (nearly kicking the chair over) and entered the bathroom. He re-emerged a second later holding a mug and brushing his teeth with a bright yellow toothbrush.

"Yes," Harry said, sitting up and yawning.

"Foo 'ou seal feal sull?" Sirius asked, specks of foam flying from his mouth.

"Sirius!" Remus said distractedly, ducking to avoid the flying paste and spittle.

"What?"

"Foo 'ou..." Sirius started again.

"Still feel full," Remus said, trying to push him back into the bathroom.

"Oh," Harry said. "Quite full."

"Tosay zee go to Fogsseade, zo buy..." Remus slammed the bathroom door on Sirius and leaned against it.

"I'm really sorry," he apologized to Harry. "But I really can't stand those flying missiles."

Harry grinned. "Yeah."

They were plunged into awkward silence for a moment before the kitten Minerva had given him gave a tiny but loud 'Meow', nudging it's little wet nose against Harry's ankle. Harry bent down to pick it up.

"So...what are you going to name him?" Remus asked.

"I don't know," said Harry thoughtfully.

"There! All done!" Sirius burst out, arms wide open. "Go wash up, Harry, I'm taking you to Hogsmeade today to get your school books. Plus, I want to show you Honeydukes."

Harry didn't know what the names meant but got out of bed, settling the kitten down and trotting to the bathroom. A knock sounded on the door. Remus opened it and Minerva entered, her face pale. "Remus...Sirius...Albus wants to see you at his office. Now."

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"Yes, yes of course," Minerva looked flustered. "I'll, I mean, we'll see you there."

"Okay," said Sirius puzzled. Both of them watched until Minerva scurried out of sight.

"What's wrong?" asked Remus.

"No idea," Sirius shrugged.

A soft clicking sound of the door closing alerted them to Harry's presence. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, all is fine," Sirius bent down to lift Harry up. "Before we go, Remus and I have to go and see Dumbledore for a moment. Have you seen the Hogwarts library?"

"No," Harry said.

"Can I put you there for a little while? I'll come get you," Sirius asked.

"Sure," Harry said, wondering what was up but not wanting to know enough to ask.

"You go ahead, I'll join you," Remus said, disappearing into the bathroom.

"Kay," Sirius answered, exiting the room and closing the door.

"Is it big?" asked Harry.

"Big? It's gigantic," said Sirius. He walked briskly past jabbering portraits ("May you break your neck this afternoon and I mean it!" and "That color looks awful on you, dear") and entered the Hogwarts library.

Harry's mouth fell open. "Wow!"

"You can say that again," Sirius grinned. "I was just as awed when I came in for the first time years ago."

He set Harry down on a couch and started a fire in the fireplace. Taking a book from the nearest bookshelf, he handed it to Harry. "Here, see if you can find any nice names to name your pet. "I'll come get you soon."

Harry accepted the 'Magical Creatures' and settled back. "Okay, bye."

Sirius quickly left and met Remus on his way to Dumbledore's office. Knocking on the door, it slid open by itself and they entered. Severus and Minerva were already there and judging by their serious expressions, this was not good news.

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"No."

"I don't want this either, but it will only be..."

"NO."

"Minerva and Severus will accompany you, you'll be close to the house."

"You heard me."

"Sirius..."

"He is not going back there, I promised him he'll never need to, and I'm not about to break it." Sirius set his jaw and crossed his arms, determined to fight till the end.

"I'm sure Harry will understand," Minerva whispered, her voice breaking.

"Don't you understand?" Sirius exploded. "There's no telling what will happen there in the 24 hours! I'll be damned if I ever let him step into that house!"

Without giving time to Albus, or anyone else, to object, he left the room in a fury, slamming the door so hard until the gargoyle threw him a nasty glare and a portrait declared, "Honestly!". Once Sirius had left, the atmosphere was tense, silent. Severus spoke first.

"You can say that I'm the one who knows extensively about Harry's past, and I can tell you that Sirius is not even over-reacting. Yet. Those Muggles don't feel anything at all for their nephew, protection or no protection, he is not safe there."

Albus sighed heavily. Being the bad guy, truthfully to put it be, sucked. "Harry still has a long life ahead of him. During those years, there is no guarantee that Voldemort would not rise again. We all know our extent of power, and that we all are not even close to coming equal with him. Once Harry does not return a day after his birthday, the charm will be destroyed and who or what, can I ask, can protect him from Voldemort if he chooses to come after his rival again?"

"You can," Severus said.

"And how long can I live?" Albus shot back. "No, Harry needs more than just someone who can protect him. The only one thing can ensure his safety and protects his soul is only the gift Lily bestowed upon her son. I promise, Within the next 363 days after this, I will try and find a solution to reseal the charm onto another person other than the Dursleys."

"They'll kill him," Severus said stubbornly.

"They won't," Dumbledore's eyes flashed with anger for a moment. "If they do..."

And he left it at that.

"I'll go talk to Sirius," Remus offered, then slipped out of the room to find his friend.

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"Does anybody see the crisis over here?" Sirius snarled. He leant against a window, looking out, not seeing anything but red. "The Dursley's will be mad when we take him there. And they'll take it out on him."

"Not if we give a warning first," Remus said.

"Yeah, right, it'll stop them," Sirius huffed.

"I understand how you feel, Sirius," said Remus, rubbing his face with his hands. "But you must admit Dumbledore has a valid reason. You can't protect Harry forever from the Dark Lord."

"Remus..." Sirius turned worried eyes on his former classmate. "I can't let Harry go back there. I can't. Not when I just earned his trust. Everything will be shattered, don't you understand? I can't lose him now, he's like a son to me."

"We'll be watching, Sirius." Remus laid a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder. "One wrong move and the Muggles are blasted."

"How am I going to tell him?" Sirius leant his elbows on the windowsill and buried his head in his hands.

"He'll understand," Remus said softly. "I'm sure he will. He's just like his father."

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Harry looked up as his Godfather entered the library.

"I found a name for the owl!" he announced proudly. "Hedwig! It was in one of the History books from the History section. Is it a nice one?"

He watched his Godfather sit down slowly on the opposite couch. His face was haggard and he looked tired.

"Is anything wrong?" Harry asked, a bit afraid.

Sirius raised his eyes to meet his Godson's lively ones. "Harry."

Harry fell silent, waiting. Watching.

"You need to go back to the Dursleys for a full day."

Harry let no expression escape but his eyes clouded with sudden fear.

"Harry, I wouldn't let you if I had a choice, but when your mother...passed away, she left a..."

"Does Snowball sound nice?" Harry interrupted. "I thought it be a contrast since it's black."

Sirius swallowed painfully. "Yes. Snowball's a great name."

"You think so? I don't like it," Harry said, tonelessly. He closed the book with a soft thud.

Sirius looked up. He had lost him. He knew it.

"You promised."

"I know, Harry. I know so well."

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They used a portkey, all four of them (Sirius, Severus, Minerva and Harry) and arrived at a corner of the playground tucked neatly out of sight from any Muggles. Minerva held Harry's hand and she could feel it slightly shaking but didn't say anything squeezing it in reassurance instead.

Dumbledore had warned them not to seriously injure the Dursleys if anything should happen (although Sirius wasn't paying much attention to that) and to take Harry back as soon as the 24 hours were up. Remus had wanted to follow too, but Dumbledore told him to stay behind, three were already more than enough.

He had thought of asking Sirius to stay at Hogwarts for he was afraid that Sirius may thrash up the Dursleys before Harry could even enter the house, but the killer look Sirius tossed to him was enough for the idea to shrivel up.

None of them were moving from the spot they had appeared on and Severus was the first to take a step. After that, Sirius, Harry and Minerva just followed him, not really seeing what they were passing or looking at. "Number four." Severus said, stopping.

Sirius froze. Minerva's hand tightened around Harry's painfully.

"We'll be near," Severus said, lowering himself down in a half kneel so he was eye level with Harry. "Just give a shout."

Harry nodded mutely.

"24 hours." Sirius said, voice catching in his throat. "Time passes. Fast."

"This is the last time you'll be returning here," Minerva said, determination flaring from within. "The last time. I promise."

Sirius inwardly groaned. Perfect time to be talking about promises.

"Okay," Harry returned softly.

"I'll have a word with Dursley first," Severus announced. He strode up, yanked the gate open and trampled over the garden to the porch. Knocking loudly, he didn't wait until someone opened it for him choosing to slam it open magically.

"What's your problem!"

Harry could see his Uncle striding up to the front door. Vernon took a look past the cold dark man on his porch and saw his nephew.

"Not again," he snarled.

"Your nephew is returning for a day. During this period, if you dare lay a blasted finger on the boy, you are going to lose more than just that finger. Do you understand me?"

"So you are bringing that scumbag back here, expect me to take care and feed him for a whole day, and you are telling me what not to do?" Vernon bristled. "If you don't mind, may I take the opportunity to remind you that Harry is my nephew and I am in charge of his welfare, I don't need cows like you coming in to teach me how to treat my...."

Severus had grabbed his collar with such vicinity that a button popped from the collar and fell to the floor, spinning a few crazy circles before rolling into a corner. "If I had a my preference, a pig like you will be slaughtered immediately without hesitation."

"That boy is in my custody!" Vernon spluttered hotly. "You have no right to take him away or return him anytime you wish!"

"Yes, I have no right," Severus grabbed his wand and pointed it at the TV in the hall. The machine exploded, pieces of glass and metal embedding themselves in the leather couches and striking the opposite wall. "But do you have any objections?"

"N-No," Vernon stuttered, his fingers helplessly clawing at Snape's.

"What is happening!" Petunia's shrill voice sounded.

Severus released his hold on Harry's uncle. "Just a mild warning." He could feel someone standing behind him and turned to see Minerva, Sirius and Harry. He took Harry's hand gently and led him forward. "We'll be back in 24 hours. And I want him whole and unhurt. Any violation of my words will be severely punished. That thing is not the only thing I can destroy."

"Do you expect us - " Petunia started indignantly.

"Hush!" Vernon hurriedly spluttered. "He'll kill us!"

Grabbing Harry roughly, Vernon tugged him in and tried to close the door on the three wizards.

"Don't you dare hurt him, I'm warning you!" Sirius yelled. The last thing Harry saw before the door closed, barring him from the world he was in for the past few weeks, was his Godfather's worried eyes, locking desperately on his own.

Vernon brought up his hands to massage his neck and smooth down his collar.

"So...come back now, have you?" he sneered.

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Okay, let's have a conference code-named 'Name the Kitty'. What name should Harry give his black kitten? I forgot to ask that question in Chapter 7 and had to settle a Snowball for the meantime. Quick, suggestions!

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