AN- thank you to my reviewers, both of you. To answer your questions again, yes some aspects of Harry and Sirius's personalities change as they have to for this story to work.
The timeline got a 'little' screwy as I just noticed. I am repairing it as best as I can while still continuing on what I want to do.
There are parts in here where I say reference this section. The reason I do this is because I want to keep with what Ms. Rowling wrote as much as possible, but I also think it is a waste of all of our time for me to just transcribe what she wrote. Hope that doesn't sound to harsh. R and R please.
Also, I urge people who like this tale to read Pack Issues by Fairytale. A very good SB/RL love story and HP as 'son' story.
Sirius wiped away some more tears. "Well, at least he is alive for now. If he is alive to get there and after the 1st night… he'll be okay."
"I am sure he will." Harry said, deciding this was the right time for platitudes.
Sirius looked away. Harry looked at the clock. "Ron should be up soon, I am going to go. Are you going to be okay?"
Sirius gave Harry a half-smile. "I'll survive. I did when you were not here."
Harry's heart went out to Sirius. This was good for Harry too, though, taking care of someone else meant he had less time to brood on what had happened last year, and less time to get angry. As a result he was much less angry and restless then he was when he was at the Dursleys.
Harry sat back down next to Sirius. He knew from experience, that you just needed someone to listen, to prod you. But here, Harry knew the best answer was to sit and listen. Sirius would talk when Sirius was ready.
"I mean," Sirius said, his voice a bit ragged. "Remus was a DADA professor, he knows how to handle himself."
"True." Harry said.
"Professor Dumbledore, whatever I may think of his decision to keep me here, would not send Remus if he thought Remus wasn't up to it. If nothing else because of how important the mission is."
'True."
"I don't want to have to bury him!" Sirius said, in half-hysterics.
Harry almost said, you won't have to, but he knew that he didn't know that for sure. "If you have to, which I doubt, you won't be alone." Harry said.
But he almost gagged on those words, the memory of Cedric looming strong. Sirius gave Harry a quick look, anticipating the reflex action. "Not your fault, Harry, not your fault." He murmured.
"Whatever." Harry said, trying to push the emotions aside.
"You are still getting nightmares?" Sirius asked.
Harry was glad to hear the sounds that indicated that Ron, Fred, Hermione, George, and Mrs. Weasley had started cleaning again. "I had better go help." Harry said, leaping up.
"Yeah, I will be down in a few." Sirius said, letting Harry go, knowing the moment was gone.
Harry went downstairs. "Where were you, mate, I was lookin' for you everywhere. You have been vanishing and appearing all day today!"
Harry bit his lip, how to do this, now he could appreciate a bit how hard it had been for Ron and Hermione. "I was with Sirius." He said, honestly. "He needed someone to talk to and listen to him."
Ron's eyes told Harry that Ron was wrestling with something. But whatever it was he worked it out. "I hope he is feeling better." Ron said, quietly.
But before Harry could respond, Ron turned back to his work. Harry shrugged a bit and started working again.
The rest of the week passed similarly, Harry would wake up early, go sit with Sirius for as long as he could, and on some days succeed on coaxing him down to breakfast. Then he would spend time with Ron and Hermione, then help with cleaning. In the evening he would play a game of wizarding chess, or exploding snap with Ron, and sometimes Hermione and Sirius.
The doorbell would ring several times a day, which was the cue for Sirius's mother to start shrieking again, and for Harry and othe others to attempt to eavesdrop on the visitor, though they gleaned very little from the brief glimpses and snatches of conversation they were able to sneak before Mrs. Weasley recalled them to their tasks. Snape flitted in and out of the house several times more, though, to Harry's relief they never came face-to-face; he also caught sight of his Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall, looking very odd in a Muggle dress and coat, though she also seemed busy to linger.
Sometiems, however, the visitors stayed to help; Tonks joined them for a memorable afternoon in which they found a murderous old ghoul lurking in an upstairs toilet. Mundungus redeemed himself slightly in Mrs. Weasley's eyes by rescuing Ron from an ancient set of Purple Robes that had tried to strangle him when he removed them from their wardrobe.
Friday evening, a knock came at the door. "Finally," Sirius grumbled as he rushed towards the door, "someone remembers not to use the doorbell."
Sirius always rushed towards the door, in hopes that it would be Remus. The fact that the person knocked made him even more hopeful. Remus knew how much his mother and her portrait hurt him, so he always made a point to knock in hopes of sparing Sirius some pain. Sirius, being the first person to arrive to the door, opened it. It was Remus. Sirius's face lit up in joy at seeing his love and best friend return safe, and except for severe exhaustion, sound.
Sirius put his arm under Remus's shoulders and helped him inside. "How did it go." Sirius asked in a whisper.
"Well. The only death eater I spied was Lucius Malfoy, and that was with Fudge. So, I think that means that Voldemort is hoping that Fudge will let something slip to Malfoy that would be of some use. Meaning he doesn't know how to get it yet." Remus said. He broke off seeing all the occupants of Grimmauld place rush at him.
He put his hand up. "I am fine, no battles, nothing. Just tired from staying up too long."
Molly came forward. "Fred, George, get Professor Lupin's bags. Remus, I will start up the dinner. Ron, Hermione, come and help. Harry, you also."
Ron and Hermione followed Molly out, but Harry told them he would be there in a moment.
"Right away." Fred and George said, for once serious.
"It really isn't necessary." Remus protested as Fred and George came to get his bags.
"Mother's orders." Fred said.
"You know we obey our mother." George said, grinning.
Sirius snorted. George winked at him. Remus let Fred and George take his bags upstairs.
"Really, Bambi, I am okay." Remus said to Harry's concerned look. "Just tired."
When Harry did not look convinced, Remus pointed to Sirius. "Wouldn't he be having a coronary right not if I wasn't?"
"Point." Harry said, smiling. "All right, rest up, I will see you at dinner." Harry went to the kitchen to help Mrs. Weasley.
"Come on, Moony, let me help you upstairs." Sirius said.
Sirius helped Remus up to Remus's nominal bedroom. (All the known couples got their own rooms, and the other adults also had their own rooms, only the kids had to share.)
They saw that Fred and George had already left Remus's bags there. "No one to disturb us." Sirius said, slyly.
"I guess not." Remus said, smiling.
Still Sirius got up for a second and locked the door. "Every minute away from you makes me feel like I am dying."
"I love you, Sirius."
"I love you, too." Sirius leaned in and kissed Remus. (AN-I was flipping through OOTP and I realized that I messed up the timeline a bit, oops. So let me fill you in on what happened, Fred and George did tell Harry about the joke shop. Ron, Hermione, and Harry had the conversation that ends with Harry yelling and Fred and George apparating in. As I said, everything that happened in OOTP on the eve that they arrived happens here too. But the hearing is a little later.)
"His hearing is in two days." Remus said.
"Yeah, poor kid. I have seen him, when his mind wanders, start to brood." Sirius said. He shook his head." A fifteen year old kid, getting caught in the middle of this political mess."
"Yeah." Remus said. "But if he isn't allowed back into Hogwarts…"
"You and I both." Sirius said, grimly. "Even if Professor Dumbledore tries to stop me."
They brooded on that for a while. Then Molly called up. "Dinner."
"Shall we?" Sirius asked.
"We shall." Remus said, smiling at Sirius.
Remus and Sirius went downstairs. "Smells wonderful, Molly, I tell you, one of the things I missed dearly was your cooking."
Molly beamed. The doorbell rang, Sirius sighed, as he anticipated what would come next. "Mudbloods, scum of the earth." The painting started to yell.
"How many times must I tell people." Sirius said through gritted teeth. "How many times!"
Remus gave Sirius a quick look. He knew that look on Sirius's face, even though no one but Sirius and Harry had seen a gloating Kreacher, Remus knew that something was bothering him deeply. He put a calming hand on Sirius. He looked to Harry for help, but saw that Harry was on the verge of losing his temper himself. Remus gave Hermione a look to prod her to calm Harry down. "Molly, would you mind getting the door?" Remus asked, his voice a bit tight.
Molly nodded, she really didn't see what the big deal was. That portrait of Mrs. Black had been yelling for almost the entire time the order had been stationed here. Molly didn't realize that for Sirius it was just in a way the last straw.
Remus whispered to Sirius in a soothing voice to try and get him calmed down. "Excuse me." Sirius said, rather abruptly.
He then marched upstairs and went to the tapestry room. Remus stayed for a moment to soothe things with everyone else, as everyone was looking kind of puzzled. "Sirius just needs some time." Remus said.
"Sure." Molly said, a bit startled. "I wonder what agitated him so, I mean, Mrs. Black's portrait has been screaming and yelling for a while now."
Remus had no intention of telling Molly what the problem was. "It is hard for Sirius." Was as much as he was going to say.
Molly realized she wasn't going to get anymore out of Remus. "All right, kids, that has been a lot of excitement for one day, get some rest."
The kids protested, but listened, even Harry after Remus gave him an encouraging smile.
Remus couldn't bear it any longer, he knew he was supposed to be the calm, cool, collected, and patient one, but his Sirius was hurting. "Excuse me." He said, and almost raced upstairs.
He opened their bedroom door, but did not find Sirius there. Puzzled he went to 'his' room. No one was there. He wandered a bit, and found Sirius sitting in a secluded room to the side, his head in his hands. "Padfoot," Remus asked quietly.
"I am all right, Moony."
"Yeah, and I am Minister of Magic."
"I should salute then." Sirius snapped. "Moony, really, I just needed time to think."
Remus got up and went to leave, but Sirius grabbed his hand. "I didn't mean I didn't want you to stay. Your presence would be… comforting." Sirius said, regretting making Moony feel unwanted.
So Remus sat next to Sirius quietly as Sirius engaged in introspection.
Sirius fell asleep there, and Remus levitated him carefully to bed. Luckily for Sirius's dignity, everyone else was gone.
"Sirius, there is an order meeting, wake up." Remus said.
"Mmph."
"Sirius!" Remus said, exasperated.
Sirius just turned over. "You asked for it. Floventum." A river of water flew onto Sirius's head.
Sirius coughed. "I am up, I am up."
"Drieus." Remus said to dry the water. "Scourgify." He said to the bed, it made up rather neatly.
"How much time do I have?"
"Ten minutes."
"Good, I thought I was going to be rushed."
Remus shook his head wryly.
As they went down they caught sight of Harry, Ron, Fred, Ginny, Hermione, and George put to work by Molly cleaning out the cupboards. It was obvious she had put them so far away so they could not listen. "They will be clambering down as soon as Molly leaves." Sirius said to Remus.
"True."
But as they came down they saw Molly charming the door so the Extendable Ears wouldn't work.
Sirius laughed short barklike laughs. "So I guess the kids are out of luck then."
Molly glared at Sirius. "I should think you would be helping me."
Remus put a restraining hand on Sirius's shoulder. "We were just discussing their eavesdropping coming down. Well I guess we will see you at the meeting."
Remus guided Sirius inside, and sat him down next to Mundungus.
At the end of the meeting. "I do have some catching up to do with certain folk." Dumbledore said, catching Remus's attention, signaling that he wanted a more private debriefing. "But I am afraid, the Minister wants to talk to me about the new DADA professor."
Everyone groaned. "I know, I am not happy with it either." Dumbledore said simply.
Remus and Sirius exchanged gloomy looks, the Educational Decree meant that the Minister could chose a DADA professor.
"So see you all." Dumbledore left quickly.
After the meeting Remus got caught in a conversation with Tonks about Wolfsbane. "I hope you don't mind." She said.
"Not at all." He said, stretching the truth just a bit.
He went to look for Sirius and found him standing with Harry in the tapestry room. "You are not on here!" he heard Harry said.
"I used to be there," he saw Sirius point to a small, round, charred, hole in the tapestry rather like a cigarette burn. (AN-read the American version pgs 111-114 and all the way to the end of 115, I think it a waste of both of our times to type up all those pages.)
Remus saw Harry give Sirius a very hopeful and desperate look. " But if they do expel me," said Harry quietly, "can I come back here and live with you?"
Sirius smiled sadly. Remus walked in then. "Definitely." He said, softly. "But it won't come to that. Now you need to get some sleep."
Harry left after hugging Sirius and Remus good night. "The Dursleys must be really bad if he would prefer to live here."
"Or he just really loves us." Remus said.
"I can't believe I am trapped here again." Sirius said, as he started to pace. "Trapped!"
Remus took a deep breath. He had been expecting this for awhile. "Sirius, it is just a bit longer. Soon Voldemort will move out into the open. The ministry will have no choice but to acknowledge his return. Once they do so, they will realize that Professor Dumbledore is right. If he is right about that who is to say he is not right about the innocence of one Sirius Black. Then you will be free. You will do daring missions, with me. It will be like the old times."
"The old times." Sirius said with a half grin.
"Do you think Harry is actually asleep." Remus asked, changing the subject.
Sirius snorted. "No, especially not since Fred and George got their apparation license, they are all probably in the same room scheming."
Remus put his arm around Sirius, "Let's go to bed and get some rest."
The next morning came quickly, and this time Remus did not wait for Sirius. He had been given another task, and he wanted to finish it early so he could be with Harry on the eve of his hearing. So Remus quickly grabbed a bite to eat and then left after charming a note for Sirius and Harry.