AN: Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews. They are what keep me motivated when all I want to do is curl up in front of the TV and vege on the bad days. I'm not very happy with this chapter, seeing as I've rewritten it twice. I feel like I'm missing something. Anyhoo, please enjoy!

Chapter 7

Sirius sighed as they walked down to the Great Hall in the center of Hogwarts. Last night they had portkeyed to the school after dinner. Molly had made a veritable feast, which he had greatly enjoyed, even if he had been stuck as Monster.

It was strange being able to walk around the castle as himself. And in the daytime as well. The last time he'd been in the castle, all he'd wanted to do was to find Wormtail and kill the bastard. Sirius had crept around the castle to avoid meeting up with Snape - although he hadn't known that fact at the time and he would have done something about it - and Filch. But, he'd taken great pleasure in scaring Mrs. Norris. He hadn't known at the time that she was Filch's cat, but it had been very fun for Padfoot.

Sirius looked over at Harry, worried about the younger man. He had nightmare again last night, but this time, Sirius had been in a room of his own. Dumbledore had shown them a suite, and Sirius had wanted to give Harry a little bit of privacy before checking up on him. He had ended up falling asleep on the other bed, only to awaken to loud moans coming from the bed where Harry was sleeping. Harry had almost been hyperventilating in a panic when Sirius reached him. He thought that it must have been the portkey trip that had triggered Harry's nightmares, in order to not feel guilty about not being beside Harry in bed.

Now the young man was positively staggering he was so tired. Sirius had tried to get him back to sleep, but Harry didn't want to close his eyes. So Sirius had stayed with him to keep him company, the two of them curled beside each other on the narrow bed in the room Harry had chosen. There had been the barest hint of light in the eastern sky when Sirius had slipped into a doze, even though he was trying his hardest to stay awake.

The two of them were almost at the Great Hall when Snape approached from the dungeons. The potions master sneered once he caught sight of them. Sirius glared at him, but was determined to ignore him otherwise. Instead, Sirius turned away from him and guided Harry into the Great Hall and to a seat at the round table near the head of the room. The large table was dwarfed in comparison by the vast emptiness of the room, cleared as it was of the House and teachers' tables. The room was devoid of people except for Remus, whom Sirius knew had always been an early riser, much to the dismay of his friends while they were still in school.

Remus waved a greeting at them, but waited until Sirius was settled until he spoke.

"Are you all right, Harry?"

Harry turned slightly towards Remus, but Sirius could tell the question didn't actually register.

"Harry?" Remus asked.

Snape glared. "How very familiar this little scene is. Potter ignoring Black and Lupin to daydream. Although it's a little incomplete without the other two tagalongs."

Sirius half-stood and was grabbing his wand when Dumbledore entered the Great Hall.

"Severus," the headmaster intoned. He looked at Snape and then Sirius with a stern gaze. He then looked at Harry and his face softened, before he gave a welcoming smile to Remus. "We will begin talking this afternoon, gentlemen. Now, let us enjoy this beautiful spread." His eyes twinkled briefly, and Sirius had to hide a smirk.

They were halfway though their meal when McGonagall entered the room. "Albus. Severus." She paused as she caught sight of Sirius, who threw a grin in her direction. "Lupin. Mr. Black. I see you have arrived safely." She had obviously been told of his arrival back to the land of the living. Sirius couldn't remember if his former Transfiguration professor had been there at the Order meeting when every one had been told about his reappearance.

"Ah, Minerva!" Dumbledore began. "Did you have any problems in Dublin yesterday, talking to Lord Morrigan?"

McGonagall looked pointedly in Harry's direction - which Sirius frowned at - before saying, "it went well, Albus. I trust I can tell you the details in your office later this morning?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, Minerva. Please, sit down and join our repast."

Sirius looked over at Remus and they shared a smile. It was always quite fun to watch Dumbledore and McGonagall interact with each other. It was like watching that tennis match Lily had dragged them all to just after she and James had been married.

Once he managed to get some food into Harry, Sirius dragged him and Remus to the library to find that hex he wanted to include in his 'letter' to Bellatrix. Madam Pince, who had thrown the Marauders out of the library an average of once a week for seven years worth of schooling, was still on vacation in the north of Australia. Which meant they had free range of the library at the moment.

Sirius guided Harry to a table, transfigured a chair into a sofa, and made a loudly protesting Harry lay down and take a nap. The younger man had fussed so much, Sirius had directed a Sominus charm on him, silently apologizing to Harry for the treatment. Still, he needed the rest so much, Sirius would give it to him any way he could.

Once Harry was settled, Sirius took off into the Restricted Section.

Sirius had laughed at Hermione last Christmas when she had said the books in the Restricted Section were all Dark. Most of them were about the Dark Arts, but they weren't necessarily Dark, per say. When Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter were researching how to become animagi, they had found a plethora of books they could use for pranks and other nonesuch.

Sirius searched the different rows, laughing when he saw Remus had already made himself comfortable back at the table, a large pile of books stacked next to him. That was his Remus, the power geek.

Just as Sirius was about to give up and haul Remus back in to search, he found the book he'd been looking for. As he pulled it down, the book next to it caught his eye. The gold-leaf lettering was peeling off of the crackled, black leather binding of the book. He could just barely make out the words 'Gryffindor' and 'Torch.' Intrigued, Sirius pulled it down as well, to read a little bit later.

He spent the rest of the morning working on his 'gift' for Bitchatrix, as he was now calling his cousin in his head. He just needed to transfigure and charm an owl to deliver it. He most certainly wasn't going to send a real owl to the bitch. The poor thing would be dead in a matter of no time at all, and Sirius wasn't about to do such a thing. He and Remus squabbled a bit about whether or not Sirius should add a hair color-changing hex to the outside, so that the hex would hit anyone who touched the letter. Remus won by pointing out that it might not get to Bellatrix if that was the case.

Harry finally woke up, about half an hour before lunch, and joined Sirius and Remus in their reading until it was time to head to the Great Hall. Sirius saw that he had picked up the other book he'd gotten off the shelf, but didn't think about it as Remus pointed out a spell in one of the other books that would make a marvelous way to freeze an opponent - literally freezing them in an instant.

"Shall we go to lunch, then?" Sirius asked as he put the finishing touches on the letter. He and Remus stood, but Harry was still reading.

"Harry?"

"Hm?" His green eyes looked dazed as they peeked over the top of the book.

"Good book?" Sirius smirked.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Could I? Would Madam Pince mind it terribly?"

"What she doesn't know can't hurt her," Sirius answered.

Remus shook his head. "Sirius." He looked at Harry. "We well bring it back for you, Harry, as I don't think Madam Pince would appreciate you having a book from the Restricted Section."

"No. I doubt she would," Harry said as he looked at the page number for memorization. "You know, this book really shouldn't even be in the Restricted Section. At least, what I've read so far is pretty much about how he and the other founders created Hogwarts. Hermione would love to read this book. I mean, what with her quoting Hogwarts - A History at Ron and me all the time."

The other two men laughed, and Sirius turned towards the door, eager for some food for his rumbling tummy, earning another laugh from Remus and a chuckle from Harry.

"Sirius?" Remus called to him as he reached the main doors of the library.

"Yeah?" he asked as he turned back around.

"Are you not going to help me put these books away?" Remus asked, his arms full of books, the top one sliding haphazardly back and forth between Remus' upper arms.

Sirius grinned. "We can do it later, Moony." He whipped out his wand and spelled the books back onto the table, though he was a little forceful with the spell - who knew what else Azkaban had done to his memory - and some of the books ended up landing on their pages, half-way open on the chairs and floor. "Oops!" He rushed out the door. "I'll fix it later! I'm starving."

"Sirius!" Remus' protest about cleaning up after himself grew faint as Sirius hotfooted it to the Great Hall. Once he was there, he knew he would get in trouble, but it would be worth it.

~~~

Sirius was not a happy camper by any long shot. When Dumbledore had said they would get down to business after they finished eating at lunch, he had meant it. Now he was literally stuck to the sofa, sitting next to Snape, courtesy of a sticking charm on his rear. It irritated Sirius even more so than usual because Remus had calmly pointed out, once the 'fight' was over, that Dumbledore was correct in treating the two of them like the children they were acting like.

As soon as they arrived at the headmaster's office, Snape had been acting like the snot he was. It wasn't Sirius' fault he had to respond to some of the greasy git's snarking insults. But no, Dumbledore didn't see it that way.

"I have had enough of the fights, gentlemen," Dumbledore said with a fierce frown on his face. "This meeting will finish what was started long ago. I know you have grievance with each other, but you will learn to let them go!" The headmaster looked each of them in the eye. Sirius shuddered at the power in those eyes when they laid on him. Dumbledore had the power to make Sirius think he was six again and he had just broken Aunt Agatha's favorite vase, which had contained no less than twenty Cornish pixies, which had then destroyed Sirius' Mother's favorite room - the study. Thinking now on it, he wondered if some of those pixies they had cleaned out last summer weren't the descendents of the first ones.

He was back to being properly cowed by Dumbledore when the headmaster brought Sirius' attention back to the problem at hand.

Once they were all suitable chastised for the moment, the headmaster brightened. "Now, Miss Granger and I were talking about Muggle Psychiatry the other day. Reading a little more on it, I've discovered several different exercises we will do to get you four to work together. Without fighting."

All four of them groaned for different reasons, but couldn't do much more in the light of Dumbledore's determination. "Now, the first exercise is called...."

******

Sirius could feel himself beginning to wake up, even though he really didn't want to. He'd had some nice dreams involving Harry, but they hadn't been naughty or anything like that. But they had been wonderful to have nonetheless, because it had always just been the two of them with nothing to bother them.

A hand fell on his shoulders, but it wasn't quite enough to motivate Sirius enough to fully wake up. It must be Harry, though, because he was the only one who knew the password to the suite, since it had been a house elf whom had shown them their room when they had arrived. Sirius reached up and pulled on Harry's arm, wrapping his own around the warm, male body sharing his bed.

"Mornin', Harry."

"Sirius Black!"

Shite, Sirius thought, that's Moony! He let go of 'Harry's' arm and sat up, his eyes opening wide at the very irate look on his friend's face.

"Are you so perverted you would grope Harry?" Remus shouted, practically foaming at the mouth. His amber eyes had a feral look to them, scaring Sirius more than anything else "Moony" had ever done. "You would have scared Harry to death, pawing him like you just did to me. He's not one of those stupid girls and boys you slept with while in school, determined to fill up the notches on your bed!"

"But I - " Sirius wanted to deny that accusation, but Remus cut him off.

"And what would James and Lily have thought of their son's godfather doing such a thing?"

"I don't think - "

"You obviously didn't think of that, now, did you?" Remus began to stalk around the bed, his eyes never leaving Sirius. "They appointed you to look after Harry in their stead, but no. You have turned it into a sick thing."

Sirius flinched at that remark and felt something wither inside of him.

"Moony, I - "

Remus growled at him.

"Remus," a voice called from the doorway. They both looked up, startled at the intrusion, to find Harry entering the room.

Remus made a motion to Sirius. "Harry. Sirius was - " he stopped cold at the expression on Harry's face. Behind the long bangs, green eyes were peeking out, seemingly lit with a strangle backlight.

Harry shut the door and walked over to Remus. He took the man's hand and led Remus over to sit on the bed. Harry sat between Sirius and Remus, leaning slightly against Sirius.

"Remus, I know you mean well," Harry began "But Sirius and I have never had a father-son relationship. I may have wanted it at first, but it never developed into that. Up until Sirius fell into the veil, both of you were more like older brothers to be, but never a paternal influence."

Sirius knew all of this, but hearing it didn't make it any easier not to feel the hurt. When he had gotten out of Azkaban, all he had thought about, besides killing Wormtail - and it didn't matter how he did that - was giving a home and a father to Harry. There had been that brief period of time when he'd offered that to Harry, but then Wormtail had escaped, taking Sirius' freedom with him. They had talked about this while at Privet Drive, but it still hurt.

Still, he saw the surprise on Remus' face at the admission. His friend had always been astonished whenever Sirius, James, Peter, and even Lily had expressed affection for him. It was different for Sirius, who had seen the affection between his mother and Regulus, but all Remus had know was indifference. He flashed a quick smile at Harry when the younger man looked his way.

Harry ducked his head and shrugged. "But when he fell behind the veil and I got him out, my feelings changed." He raised his head to look at Sirius again. Sirius nodded and him, understanding what he was saying. His feelings had undergone such a radical change in only a few short days.

"I didn't know they could change until they already had," Harry continued in the silence of the room. "It was never a son's love for his father, and... I'm probably not saying this right, but I'm not sure how to put it." Harry took a deep breath. "I know how I feel about Sirius now, and I won't change it for anybody. Our feelings are between the two of us and no one else."

Remus made a noise, as if to interrupt, but Harry hushed him.

"I've already told Sirius that nobody is going to take him away from me again. And this time, I have the power to keep it from happening again."

"What if he wants to leave?" Remus suddenly asked. His eyes flashed between Harry and Sirius, studying them both.

Sirius felt Harry stiffen as a look of hopelessness crept over his face. "If that happens," Harry said in a tiny voice, "I will let him go."

Sirius grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed. "I won't leave you, Harry. Ever."

All three of them were quiet, digesting all the information just dealt out. Sirius squeezed Harry's hand every once in a while, taking the time to relish in the contact, and not having to hide it anymore from Remus.

Eventually Remus broke the silence. "How, or rather what have you done?"

"Done?" Harry asked.

"In your relationship?"

Sirius had a horrible flashback to when Lily's father had talked to James about his intentions about Lily in the middle of Kings Cross Station.

Harry flushed red. "Nothing more than..."

"We kissed, Remus," Sirius ground out. "Now keep your nose out of it!"

Remus laughed.

Sirius could just imagine what the bloody man was thinking. The werewolf was the bloody pervert in the room. Which reminded him of what Remus had said earlier.

"Am I really a pervert?" he couldn't help the broken voice in which the question was asked.

Remus looked as stricken as Sirius felt. "Siri, I... I'm so sorry about all the things I said."

"What's this?" Harry asked, his tone worried and almost angry at the same time.

Sirius shook his head, unwilling to talk about it at the moment, even if he had broached the subject. "It's nothing, Harry. Remus was - "

" - Being a bastard," Remus finished quickly. The amber-eyed man ducked his head this time. "I... Sirius and I will need to work this out between the two of us."

"Oh," Harry responded, not sounding very happy about it, but he obviously understood that it was a matter between the two longtime friends. "Then we're okay for now?"

"Yes," Sirius and Remus answered at the same time.

"We'll make it through," Sirius added, wrapping his arm around Harry's shoulders. "It'll work out in the end, Harry."

******

Sirius brooded quietly in his chair, thinking about that messy scene in his bedroom with Harry and Remus. All of yesterday, the werewolf had been jumpy about any mention of Sirius and Harry in the same sentence, and while it had been amusing at first, it had worn on Sirius' nerves.

In all actuality, their little fight had been the best part of yesterday. From there, it had only gotten worse when they had to do more 'exercises' with Snape. Sirius just thanked Merlin that he wasn't a Muggle and had to do all that shite all the time. By the time that was over, Sirius had just wanted to fall into bed he was so exhausted.

Harry had dragged him to the Great Hall for the evening meal in spite of his protests, making sure he ate well. Then the green-eyed man had taken Sirius back to their suite to chat - no heavy stuff allowed. And they had talked for a good hour before Sirius had totally calmed down.

He took it back. That had been the best part of the day, when he and Harry had sat on the sofa in front of the fire, sitting close enough to each other without being in the other's lap, their hands entangled in their laps. After they talked, he didn't remember much more than laying down on the large sofa.

Finally opening his eyes, he found himself in his own bed, Harry sleeping soundly beside him. The faint light shining through the window told him that it was a little after dawn. Still early then.

Sirius lay there for a long time, content in just watching Harry sleep, his chest moving rhythmically with each breath. The younger man must not have had a nightmare last night, which was always a good sign. That meant that at least a couple of Dumbledore's exercises were working, even if Sirius wanted to shove them up the old man's arse when it came to working with Snape. Ew, bad mental image.

He cleared his mind of that and contented himself with watching Harry. As it neared the time to get up, Sirius reached over and touched Harry's cheek, feeling the beginnings of stubble.

"Harry?" he said in a low voice. "It's time to get up, Harry."

Green eyes sleepily opened halfway. "Hm?"

Sirius smiled at the cute face in front of him. Harry reminded him of a large, sleepy cat in a patch of sunlight. Not that Padfoot was all that fond of cats. Maybe he would be of a Harry-cat. "Time to wake up."

"Oh?" Harry returned the smile then yawned. "Already?"

He nodded. "Yep. Time to face the loveliness of Snape's face."

Harry frowned and looked a little green in the gills. "Ugh. That's an awful thought to wake up to, Siri. Why couldn't you have said something about what Dumbledore is finally going to do about you staying here?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. Then you probably could have fallen back asleep. Now you're wide awake, which is what I wanted."

Harry scrunched up his nose. "That is not funny, Siri."

He pouted. "Then you don't love me anymore, then?"

"No, it's not that!" Harry almost shouted.

Sirius was taken aback by the vehemence of that statement, and it must have shown on his face.

"I do love you, Siri," Harry whispered. "I do. It's just..."

"What are we going to do?" Sirius for him, understanding what Harry was talking about. There was so much up in the air right now that it was hard for them to do any thinking beyond just talking about things they wanted to happened and being unable to actually do them. "I love you, too, Harry." He reached over and tugged the younger man into his arms, tucking Harry nicely against him. "I always will. And no matter what Dumbledore has me do, we will work at this."

"Good," Harry said, brush a kiss across Sirius' jaw.

Sirius planted a return kiss gently on Harry's brow. "My thoughts exactly."