AN: Thanks to every one that reviewed! I trying to get my beta to finish with chapter 11, but I have the feeling she's not happy with it. However, I will try my hardest to get it up sometime next week, but I'm not making any promises.
Chapter 10
Sirius hadn't liked the Christmas holiday season until coming to Hogwarts. His family hadn't exactly been a good example of good cheer - or anything even close to it. No, they were firmly ensconced in the 'we are Dark and damn proud of it' category.
That's why he had so enjoyed Christmas in his first year. He had signed up to stay at the school, knowing that his family Were Not Happy with Sirius being sorted into Gryffindor. His new best friend, James, had signed up after learning Sirius would be staying. He had stated to his parents, in his letter home, that he was determined to show his friend Sirius how the rest of the world celebrated the holidays.
He had had so much fun that year, and the years that had followed. But the best Christmas that he had celebrated - up until this one - was the Christmas after Harry had been born. James' parents had visited, and all of their friends had joined their Christmas Eve party. Sirius had cajoled Peter (grr) into coming as the Muggles' Father Christmas.
Looking back on it now, Sirius realized that Harry had begun to shy away from Peter starting then. When Lily had set him in Peter's lap for a picture, Harry had started crying and refused to sit still. James had joked that 'Father Christmas' smelled of reindeer, which had set off another of James and Lily's famous arguments about the difference between Father Christmas and Santa Claus. Their fight had just amused Sirius, ignoring Harry's behavior when Lily declared he was just tired.
Now he knew much differently how things would have changed if he had paid more attention.
He wasn't going to dwell on it now, though. Not when he was sharing this holiday season with Harry once more. Sirius had thought last year had been as fantastic as it could have been in Grimmauld Place. But this year was already better, because they were staying at Hogwarts. It hadn't taken much to persuade Dumbledore to let them stay, using the 'Harry is safer staying here' card.
Most of the students had gone home this morning, leaving just a few students per house. Even Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had returned home. One morning last week, Ron had reluctantly told Harry and Siri that his mother had written that they needed to come home, because Molly wanted to visit her last remaining aunt, who lived somewhere in York. At least, that's where Siri thought Ron had said where they were going.
Hermione was also going home, but by her choice. She had told them that while she wanted to stay and be with Harry, she also wanted to visit with Ron and meet the rest of his family. Instead of choosing between her friends, she had decided that she wanted to visit her parents while she could. After all, she had told them, it wouldn't be very much longer before she moved away from them after graduating, and she wanted to have at least one more family Christmas with them. Ron had gotten angry, but Harry had agreed with her that family was important. Siri, himself, hadn't been all that impressed with his own family, but had privately agreed with Harry, since Hermione's parents were some of the nicest people on the planet. Even if they did drill holes in people's teeth.
At lunch, Dumbledore had announced that all remaining students were welcome to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow, as long as a teacher accompanied them. Siri had already badgered Hagrid to be his and Harry's escort. He would have asked Remus, but the man had left for a mission for Dumbledore regarding something neither man would tell Sirius about. Hagrid had gone to take care of Grawp for a few days, leaving Harry in charge of Fang. And Fang, of course, had somehow sensed Siri's animagus form was a dog, because the boarhound was always goosing him. Siri wanted to get back at Hagrid solely for that.
Siri looked across the table at Harry as they sat in the Gryffindor common room an hour before dinner. The green-eyed teen was writing some notes as he read his Transfiguration book. Together, the two of them had decided that they would finish their holiday homework as fast as they could. That way, they wouldn't be rushed once the Weasleys returned from York.
Harry looked up, as if able to sense Siri's gaze on him.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
Siri smiled. "Nothing. I just like looking at you."
Harry's face flushed to a light pink. "Don't, Siri."
He smirked as Harry put his face in his hands to cover his reddening cheeks. Siri looked away for the briefest of seconds to see where the Creevey brothers were. They were the only other Gryffindors to stay at the school for the entire holiday, and their youngest brother, Eric, joined them rather than sit with a seventh year in the common room of Ravenclaw.
Colin waved when he made eye contact with Siri, alerting Dennis. Siri thought it was hilarious that Dennis practically worshipped the ground Harry walked upon. Harry, of course, thought otherwise. Siri waved back at the Creevey brothers before turning his attention back to Harry. The other boy had gone crimson, and with his green eyes, he looked like the muggle wrapping paper Hermione had sent their gifts wrapped in.
"Stop it, Siri," Harry pouted from between his fingers. "You're being cruel."
Siri laughed evilly and launched across the table, digging his fingers into spots he knew that Harry was ticklish. A loud peal of laughter followed the both of them to the floor. Siri moved his hands quickly up and down Harry's sides, making sure to catch the spot between his neck and shoulder.
He leaned forward and scraped his teeth over the sensitive spot, whispering in an Eastern European accent, "I vant to suck your blood!"
Harry giggled and pulled him down for a swift peck on the lips. "You big goof! I should have never let you watch Dracula."
Siri smiled. "I do aim to please, kind sir."
A breeze came from the side and Colin abruptly shut up. Siri looked over and saw all three Creevey brothers staring in horror in their direction, but beyond where he and Harry lay.
"Malfoy," Harry spat from underneath Siri as he straddled Harry's legs. "How did you get in?"
A smirk crossed the blond's face. "A portrait is all you have to guard the sainted Gryffindor tower?" He looked at his two companions - Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini. "How pathetic can they get?"
Dennis stood up. "Get out, Malfoy. You're not supposed to be in here!"
Nott scoffed and slapped Malfoy in the arm. "Get that, boys. Think he's going to make us leave, or will they have to go crying to Catlady?"
Zabini brayed like a donkey as Malfoy snickered. "Is she going to meow at us?" Zabini laughingly said.
Below Siri, Harry moved his legs. Siri looked down into green eyes. Harry smiled reassuringly and nodded. Siri gave an answering smile and climbed off of Harry's legs.
Harry slowly climbed to his feet to stand tall in front of the three invading Slytherins.
"Malfoy," Harry began in a level voice. "You have exactly ten seconds to leave Gryffindor tower."
The Slytherin trio laughed.
"Very funny, scarhead!" Malfoy retorted.
"Five. Four. Three. Two." Harry smirked. "Too late to run, Malfoy." He clapped his hands and shouted "Bassinet!"
The room went dark. About three seconds later, screams came through the darkness from where the three Slytherins had been standing. Sirius blinked as a bright light flashed into the pitch black room.
When he could see once more, Siri found the Slytherins missing and Harry panting heavily. Sweat had popped out along his brow and his skin was as pale as Nearly Headless Nick was.
"Harry?" he asked, moving forward just in time to catch Harry as his knees gave way.
"How did you do that, Harry?" Dennis asked as he came closer.
"Are you all right?" Eric asked as he and Colin watched from behind Dennis.
Siri could feel Harry's arms shake against his own. He picked up Harry, who didn't even utter a sound - not even of protest - and carried him over to the divan that sat in front of the fire. Siri made sure he was comfortable before pulling the afghan off the back and draping it across Harry's legs.
"Okay?"
Harry nodded. "I'll be fine in a little bit."
It was at this moment that a harried looking Professor McGonagall came barreling through the portrait hole. A wisp of hair had fallen out of her severe bun, and she wielded her cane as though it was a sword.
"Is everything all right in here?" she asked, the tiniest bit winded.
All five boys nodded.
McGonagall eyed them all with a judicious look. Her gaze rested on Harry and her expression turned to concern. "Are you feeling well, Potter?"
Harry shrugged. "I'm okay."
She leveled a look that said she didn't quite believe that. McGonagall lingered a few seconds more before addressing the five Gryffindors before her.
"What happened here? Headmaster Dumbledore and I happened upon three very terrified boys at the bottom of the stairs five minutes ago."
"They somehow got past the Fat Lady, Professor," Dennis volunteered the information. "Then they laughed at us. Then Harry stood up and said 'You have ten seconds to leave,'" he tried to sound like Harry. Siri and Harry rolled their eyes at that.
Dennis continued in a breathless, excited voice. "And he counted down 'Five four three two.' Then 'it's too late, Malfoy.' Then he yelled 'Bassinet' and the room went dark." He turned to Harry. "Why did you say 'bassinet' anyway?"
"It triggers the wards in case any person from another house breaks into the tower," Harry said in a solemn voice. He winked at Siri as he finished.
Siri smiled and nodded. "I think it's passed down to each batch of sixth years. Isn't it?"
Harry nodded in agreement and they both turned to look at McGonagall in tandem.
McGongall's thin lips were quivering, but Siri wasn't sure with what. Even though it was the holidays, she could still mete out any detention or punishment that could be given during term.
The Head of Gryffindor gestured to the Creevey brothers. "You three head down to the Great Hall. Dinner will be served shortly." She turned to Siri and Harry as the three left, Colin throwing a worried look in their direction before climbing past the portrait.
"What is this all about, gentlemen? And what happened to make those boys that scared? What have my students done with my wards?"
Siri looked at Harry, trying to convey the idea that he could explain. Harry nodded.
"Professor, Harry made up the idea of the wards because of Colin, Dennis, and Eric. Professor Dumbledore doesn't want any of the students to know that Harry can do some wandless magic."
"What did you do, Potter?" McGonagall asked, a worried frown on her face.
Harry sighed. "I doused all of the lights and made them think their particular boggart was touching them. Then I gave them a push down the stairs, which had become a slide."
"And you did this all without touching your wand, inside of the common room?" she questioned.
Harry nodded in a tired manner. He snuggled down into the cushions and pulled the afghan closer.
"Well," the transfiguration professor sighed. "We should get you down to the infirmary and have Madam Pomfrey give you a check up."
Harry shook his head. "I'll be fine, professor. I'm just a little cold and hungry."
Professor McGonagall aimed a stern glance at Harry. Siri held back a smirk when her expression softened in the face of Harry's puppy dog eyes. His pupil had learned well, Siri decided.
"Very well. But if you have any problems at all, Potter, I expect you to head to the infirmary right away." She turned and leveled an even gaze at Siri. "And you keep an eye on him, Sirius."
She was almost out the door when she turned around. "Remus found where Kreacher was hiding, Sirius."
Siri perked up. "Where was he?"
McGonagall smiled a quite evil looking grin. "Inside Buckbeak's stomach. Second stomach, actually."
Both Siri and Harry's laughter filled the room. Neither one was being cruel. It was hard to be, when both of them had been betrayed by the evil house elf.
Siri looked at Harry. "Are you okay to go down and eat?"
Harry nodded. "I'll just be a little slow."
"Too bad you don't have a convenient animal form that I could carry you down in my arms," Siri offhandedly remarked.
Harry's face lit up. "I could try."
Siri glared at him. "You are not going to be doing anything like that tonight, Mr. Potter! It takes too much out of you the first hundred times you try it, and you're not strong enough to do that right now!"
Harry touched his arm. "Siri, I was only teasing you." He gave the puppy dog look again. "I'm sorry."
Sirius looked at him and couldn't resist the slightly pouty lips. He opened his arms and Harry walked into him embrace.
"I really am sorry, you know."
"I know."
They stood there for almost a minute when Harry's stomach growled, closely followed by Siri's.
Siri smiled into Harry's ear. "Let's go tame the beast that is your tummy with some nutritious victuals. Then we can find some chocolate to satisfy my own."
Harry laughed and nodded, tugging Siri out the portrait hole and down the stairs.
000000
Harry smiled as he watched the snowfall gently outside the window. He remembered an old Christmas song from an old American movie that Aunt Petunia always cried when watching. He would silently sing along, inside his cupboard, wondering what was happening on the television screen. Harry doubted he could watch it, knowing that it was nothing like what he imagined it to be. He didn't think that his parents had ever been Hollywood stars.
Warm arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him up against a solid, comforting chest. Siri rested his chin on the top of Harry's head, his black hair hanging slightly into Harry's peripheral vision. Siri slid both of them a little more into the window seat, tucking his body along Harry's back and legs.
"Whatcha' doing?" Sirius asked after a while.
Harry smiled, even if Siri couldn't see it. "Singing in my head."
He chuckled, and Harry could feel it through his back as Siri's chest moved. "And what are you singing about?"
Harry ducked his head and looked at where his and Siri's hands were clasped. Shaking his head, he said, "nothing, really. Just an old song that Aunt Petunia cried at."
Siri squeezed Harry's waist the tiniest bit. "Sing for me, then would you?"
He shook his head. "I can't sing, Siri. You know that from last Christmas."
"I know very well that you have quite the pleasant singing voice, Harry," Sirius admonished. "You can thank your mother for that. She sang quite prettily. James, on the other hand, sounded like a frog when he tried to carry any sort of tune, whatsoever."
Harry laughed, trying to picture it next to the image he'd created so long ago.
"Sing for me, then?"
Resigned to humiliation, even if it was meant in good stead, Harry began.
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card I write...."
Once finished, he waited for Siri to say something. When he didn't, Harry twisted enough to look back at him. What he saw astounded him.
Sirius Black was speechless. Even as Harry watched, it took him several minutes to gather himself.
"Harry, that was beautiful."
He started to protest, but Siri shook his head.
"No, I mean it, Harry. It felt and sounded beautiful, and I could almost taste your happiness. It was almost as if...."
He looked at Harry with a very calculating look to his face. "I think that we'd better see Dumbledore in the morning after the Christmas Feast. I think you just stumbled onto another one of those abilities, Harry."
Harry sat, stunned. He was doubtful that this would amount to anything but the humiliation, only this time from Snape when Dumbledore brought him in. At least McGonagall, who was sure to also be in the headmaster's office when they went, wouldn't laugh.
"Harry."
He looked back at Siri, who smiled gently at him.
"Don't worry about it, Harry. I think this is the real deal, but I'd rather you spend the rest of the evening thinking about the holiday." He grinned widely. "Or you could just concentrate on me. I guarantee that you won't have any problems in not thinking about anything except singing my praises."
Harry laughed, a deep belly laugh like he usually did whenever Siri boasted in a grandiose manner.
"Siri...." He could feel his cheeks start to redden as Siri leered down at him.
"What? I like looking at you, Harry." Sirius seemed to sober. "You're beautiful, Harry."
Harry squirmed a little at the compliment, definitely not comfortable with the sentiment at all.
Siri tilted his head down and caught Harry's lips in a slow, soft caress, and Harry forgot to be awkward.
000000
"So you think you're big man on campus now, right, Potter?" Draco Malfoy came from the side hall that Harry and Siri were walking past.
Harry turned to him and lifted an eyebrow. "Jealous of the one position you've never held? After all, I've heard you've tried lots of them, but never have a repeat." Harry paused as Malfoy grew red in the face. "Repeat customers, that is. Isn't that correct?"
Malfoy lunged at him, but Harry just stepped to the side. Malfoy's newest set of companions, Nott and Zabini, laughed as the blond Slytherin tripped over his own feet and almost fell flat on his face. The boy sneered and glared at his fellow housemates before reaching for Harry again.
Harry dodged the clumsy punch aimed for his head - he couldn't tell which part it really was for. Malfoy swung again, this time more towards his stomach. Harry danced out of the way and looked over at Siri. He was watching the entire scene with a mix of amusement and worry on his face. Harry smiled at him reassuringly and sidestepped another jab from Malfoy.
"Fight me like a man, Potter!" Malfoy jibbed.
"And go up against a little boy like you?" Harry retorted. "I doubt your pals here could fight against me like a man, either."
"Harry?" Siri asked in a worried tone.
"I'll take you on, Potter," Nott said as he stepped forward with a swaggering step. "Let's see how you do against the two of us - "
"The three of us," Zabini interrupted. "And whoever punches you out rules Slytherin the rest of the year."
"Harry..."
Harry looked at Siri and shook his head. "Let me do this by myself, Siri." He looked off into the distance as something buzzed in the back of his mind. "Besides, Dumbledore's on his way."
Malfoy rushed up suddenly, pointing his wand between Harry's eyes. He wore an evil smirk as he said, "I'll be the one who rules."
Harry moved swiftly and ended up behind Malfoy, pointed his index finger into the small of the blond's back. "Whom are you ruling?" He let loose a stunner point blank and threw up a shield as Malfoy dropped to the floor.
"Dirty bastard," Zabini snarled as his hex reflected off Harry's shield with a bright green flash.
"I'll have you know," Harry said as he twisted and moved in a zigzag pattern towards the dark haired boy, "that my parents were perfectly and happily married to each other an entire year before I arrived."
He shifted so that he was an inch from Zabini's nose. "Boo!" He fell with another point blank stunner, this one in the chest.
Harry turned and faced his final opponent with a grin that felt like it stretched from ear to ear.
"Ready or not, here I come."
Nott rushed forward, and Harry knew he was totally depending on his size to take him down. While he wasn't as large as either Crabbe or Goyle, he was still pretty big and twice as smart as the two put together.
Harry wasn't worried though, because Nott used the same theory as Dudley had until he took up boxing: overpower them and then beat them the hell up. And it wasn't like Harry hadn't had lots of practice avoiding any punches, kicks, etc, thrown at him by his cousin.
He smiled and swooped his right leg, tripping the bigger boy. "And they all fall down." This time it was a stunner in the thigh.
Harry stood, his head feeling a little woozy as he panted slightly. He looked over at Siri, whose eyes were large, and he wore a stunned expression.
"Did I do okay then, Siri?" he asked, dizziness creeping through his head as he turned to face him.
"Harry?" Siri asked, incredulously.
"Mr. Potter?" came McGonagall's voice as she, Professor Dumbledore, and Snape approached.
He threw a loop smiled at Siri. "I think I'll pass out now," he said as he pitched forward.