Author's note: In canon, exams for Harry's sixth year likely would have taken place after the invasion of Hogwarts by the Death Eaters, because they were not mentioned. In this version, the invasion was postponed until a later point. After all, with the locket already being destroyed, Dumbledore would have no reason to be out of the castle, and this would not give them an opening. I am sure there would be other mitigating factors in this universe, which I may or may not go into at a later point. Without further ado...

It was that dreadful time of year where the end of term exams were upon the students, as well as the NEWTs and the OWLS for the seventh and fifth years, respectively. Even with the OWLs behind them, everyone was nervous, even Hermione. They were rather relieved, upon receiving their timetables, that the sixth year exams were spaced out over a two week period, with free days (to study, as Hermione promptly reminded Harry and Ron) between those with exams.

"Here's what we'll do, if you like," Sirius suggested, when the three of them appeared at his door that evening. "I know you've been studying since the Easter holidays, and you'll likely want to study even more before the exams. However, it's been my experience that it's best to focus on one exam at a time."

"You mean we'll review for the exam that's nearest on our timetable, and then the one after that, and so on?" Harry asked.

His godfather nodded. "You want to focus your entire attention on the lesson at hand. Especially since it's mostly reviewing what you already know."

Harry rather suspected he said that last part for Hermione's benefit. Yes, he'd been studying as hard as he could, but he'd also had the disadvantage of being in treatment for the better part of the weeks the teachers had set to review. Ron and Hermione had shared their notes and done their best, but he knew that he would be doing far more "studying" and less "reviewing what he already knew."

They agreed, although Hermione also thought it would be best to let Harry take full advantage of Sirius as a study aid, and promised that she and Ron would only approach him if they had questions they couldn't locate answers to on their own.

With the exam period set to begin on Monday, and the Friday before (as always) being a shorter day, Harry pretty much stayed in Sirius' rooms that entire weekend to prepare for Potions. In addition to giving him a good place to study that was neither too quiet, loud, or full of tension, this rather gave him a good taste for what he could expect from Sirius as his godfather helped him study for exams.

Sirius' teaching persona became rather like Remus' when he was Professor Lupin. Kind, clear, to the point, and not at all cruel or snarky. At the same time, Sirius expected Harry to work hard-while allowing for short breaks as his focus wavered.

It wasn't nearly as bad as studying with Hermione, and Sirius had all of the knowledge that his friend did.

His godfather also kept an ample supply of chocolate, claiming it was essential brain food when reviewing for exams, and large quantities of caffeinated hot tea. They consumed both in large amounts during that first weekend.

The first exam for the sixth year students was Potions. Anyone not taking this lesson, which was about three quarters of the sixth year students, had a free day to study for their first exam. On the whole, Harry felt very confident about his performance. It didn't hurt, either, that Slughorn gave him an approving nod and a smile upon seeing his completed work. Hermione also left the exam looking relieved bordering on happy, and Ron said he didn't think it went as badly as their previous Potions exams. The days of them worrying about Snape failing them out of malice were long gone.

Still, Harry knew that he couldn't take too much time to celebrate, with a whole set of exams before him.

While Hermione went for her Arithmancy exam the following day, Ron and Harry made good use of the time to study for DADA in Sirius' quarters. Knowing Snape, they all knew that it would be brutal. He, of course, had decided to give a written and practical test, something no teacher had set before them until now. ("OWLs are one thing, but Snape's just being a prat!" Ron had complained to Harry, upon learning of this.) Snape had informed them that they would have an hour for the written test ("Not that it should take you that long if you've been paying attention, and for some of you, a full day would hardly be sufficient," he'd sneered at them during their last lesson), and he would test them individually. All spells were to be performed with nonverbal magic, and points would be taken if he could hear any muttering of spells. Fully recovered though Harry was, he was certain he would be nearly comatose by the end of the day.

Thankfully, Harry learned later, Hermione left her exam feeling cheerful, clearly confident about her performance in her favorite lesson.

Harry had remained in Sirius' quarters, but was surprised that he was able to sleep reasonably well that night. It would not be the first time he'd seen Snape since their meeting at Sirius' temporary apartment, but it would be their first time speaking alone since...well, probably since he'd thrown Harry out of his office during his fifth year. There had always been people around, a type of barrier between the two. All the same, Snape had removed his cursed scar, and he had accepted (or claimed to accept) their apology for having treating him and his memories with such callousness. Had they come to an understanding, or would his professor hex him into oblivion under the guise of testing his DADA skills? The only way to know would be to face what would happen-something Harry certainly had plenty of experience in doing.

"You'll do great," Sirius promised, giving Harry one of his customary bear hugs. "When it comes to the practical, follow your instincts. I wouldn't be surprised if you end up at the top of the class."

Easier said than done. Harry wouldn't have been surprised if Snape failed everyone.

He went to the Great Hall, but might have had an easier time had he eaten breakfast with Sirius. No one spoke, several were reviewing their notes, and less than half of Harry's classmates even made a pretense of eating. Hermione was the only one who appeared confident, but her face was a bit paler than usual when they left the Great Hall.

Snape stood, almost motionless, as he handed out the exams with a mere flick of his wand. Then, he sat down at his desk and began to mark papers or exams that he had previously administered. Harry felt a bit of relief that the former Potions master was not intending to prowl the classroom as he had during their other exams, and went to work.

The written portion wasn't as hard as Harry had expected, which led him to wonder if Snape was saving the worst for the practical. Once again, though, he was pleasantly surprised. It was not exactly a duel: Snape simply and dispassionately told Harry which hexes and counter curses to use, and he did so with ease. Snape gave him a nod and dismissed him without any further comment.

He tried not to feel too optimistic. After all, it was Snape grading the might still get a low mark. Perhaps not, though.

Really, what ultimately mattered was how he would perform on his NEWTs next year...

Harry's thoughts were on this when he came to Sirius' that evening, and he was practically assaulted by a bear hug.

"How was it?" Sirius asked, once he let Harry go.

"Not too bad, actually," Harry answered, grinning up at his guardian. "Although as it's Snape, I don't reckon he'll grade fairly."

"He better," Sirius nearly snarled. "Anything less than a full marks, and I'll demand to see the exam and hear his justification."

Harry groaned, but it was good natured, and was rewarded with a hair tousle.

"You already have dinner?"

Harry nodded, and they sat down on the couch. Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders, and Harry leaned into the affectionate gesture. He hadn't managed much for breakfast or lunch, but he felt full after dinner that evening. Perhaps a little too full.

Also, tired.

"Good," Sirius said. "Now, remind your old godfather again. Have any exams tomorrow?"

"No, and you're hardly old," Harry answered, which resulted in a chuckle. Before Sirius could become too excited, he added, "But the day after is Transfiguration, and I don't feel nearly ready."

"That's why I'm here. I know that stuff backwards and forwards," Sirius boasted.

"That would be helpful," he agreed, closing his eyes and leaning against his guardian, just a bit. "Not tonight, though. I'm way too tired."

"Understandable," Sirius said, with sympathy.

He woke up having been tucked into bed, with a sleeping Sirius as Padfoot by his feet. Or, rather, sleeping on top of his feet.

They spent the day studying-or, rather more accurately, Harry trying to study and Sirius patiently interpreting his notes from McGonagall's increasingly complex lectures. Hermione hadn't been much help, because she understood everything, and Ron was as lost as Harry.

He could make the spells work, usually, but she'd strongly hinted that there would be a written test as well.

By the end of that day, Harry felt nearly as drained as he had upon taking his DADA exam, but far better prepared than he'd been twenty-four hours prior.

He was surprised to find that his exam went reasonably well, judging by McGonagall's almost smile at him. Also, his ability to complete the Appearing (rather the opposite of Vanishing, which they had spent much of their fifth year on) without leaving any noticeable gaps in the animals.

Then there was the weekend, followed by Charms on Monday and Herbology on Wednesday. And then, finally, he would be finished.

Hermione also only had those two exams remaining, having written her Ancient Runes exam on the previous Thursday. She hadn't been entirely pleased with how it went, but Ron reminded her that she received an Outstanding on her OWL even if she thought she had made a mistake or two.

That weekend, the library was too tense, and the common room wasn't quiet enough for her taste, so they all bunkered down in Sirius' suite of rooms (specifically, the sitting room). Ron and Hermione arrived after lunch on Saturday and remained until after dinner, leaving Harry alone with Sirius, and promising to return the following day.

"I don't remember studying this hard in my sixth year," he admitted, slumping down on the couch next to Harry. "I recall it being rather an easy year."

Harry shrugged. "I feel like I've been studying every day for exams since September."

Sirius nodded, and they remained there for some time, sitting quietly. Finally, Harry broke the silence with a yawn, and Sirius helped him to his feet.

"Think it's time for bed, pup," he said, softly.

Harry made no protests.

They spent half of Sunday studying, and the other half playing games. It appeared that even Hermione had had enough of books and practicing nonverbal charms. At any rate, as Sirius pointed out, if they didn't know it by now, they wouldn't by the time the next day rolled around.

Harry went to bed early again, and rose moments before Sirius.

"Fancy breakfast here, or with your friends?" he asked, sleepily.

"I'd planned to meet Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall," Harry explained. He hoped the atmosphere would be less tense than the previous mornings. "The exam should be over by lunchtime, and then I only have one more after that."

"Best of luck, pup. I know you'll do well."

He ended up being correct. Flitwick didn't tell the students their scores immediately afterwards, but he beamed as Harry cast the charms flawlessly and immediately after he gave the instructions. Harry only struggled to remember the incantation once, and even then, he managed it all right. He left feeling quite pleased with himself.

Ron and Hermione had done well, too. He could see by the looks on their faces. Ron was grinning almost sheepishly, and Hermione had that small smile she wore after succeeding in class.

"Say, how are Ginny's OWLs going?" Harry asked Ron, over lunch.

Ron shrugged, and Hermione rolled her eyes as she answered.

"She felt confident about Charms, Herbology, and very good about Defense. She offered to produce a Patronus, and the examiner allowed her to do so. Transfiguration was a bit more difficult, but she thinks she passed. She's rather less certain about Divination, though, and Astronomy. But Ginny thought that Care of Magical Creatures went particularly well." Hermione drew in a breath. "All that's left are Potions, which is today, and then History of Magic tomorrow."

"Hope that goes better for her than us," Ron noted. "We both failed miserably, eh?"

Harry nodded, then quickly changed the subject from that exam in particular. Not because he particularly cared about having failed, but the exam brought to mind the false vision of Sirius being tortured.

"Ginny's taking the same extra classes as me and Ron, then?" he asked, taking a bite of food without tasting it.

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "Percy convinced her about Divination, even though it's pure rubbish. And she likes Hagrid as much as we do."

"Hope she didn't end up having to care for the Skrewts," Ron muttered, darkly.

"She hadn't even heard of them, thankfully," Hermione answered, shuddering. "I do believe Hagrid stopped attempting to raise them after trying with our class."

"Didn't help that they kept trying to kill each other," Harry noted, and Ron snorted.

"A class five species like that should have been for the NEWT lessons," Hermione lectured, glancing towards the staff table. "I can't believe Dumbledore allowed it!"

"Dumbledore's done loads of stuff that probably wasn't allowed," Ron pointed out.

Harry shook his head to indicate not here. As the others went back to disparaging Skrewts, he stole a glance down the table at Ginny, who was talking animatedly to another girl.

They returned to Sirius' after lunch for a final review of their Herbology notes. There was no doubt that the exam would be entirely practical, and they would be working with some of the more dangerous creatures. No one was too concerned, though, having had ample experience in their classes with Sprout.

"She was among our favorites," Sirius said, smiling to himself, as he passed out a large plate of biscuits. "A bit no-nonsense, mind, but very kind and very fair. Also very helpful when we were on our journey to becoming animagi."

Hermione looked up from her cinnamon biscuit, a bit startled. "How's that, Sirius?"

"There were many steps to becoming an animagus, and one of the most important ones was keeping a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month. She was essential towards securing the leaves for us," Sirius recalled. "We went through more than a few in the attempt."

"I'm surprised that you managed at all!" Ron looked at Sirius in amazement. "You had to eat around them? And sleep without swallowing them?"

Sirius chuckled, taking a seat between Ron and Harry on the floor. "It was certainly a learning process."

"And you didn't know what animal you would become until it happened, did you?" Hermione asked. "For all you knew, the three of you could end up as insects."

"We were rather lucky," Sirius allowed. "Peter ended up as a rat, but that was not as useless as you might think, because he could get the knot open at the base of the tree. James and I ended up as much larger animals. He'd joke that I had a better temperament as a dog than a human."

Harry frowned. "That's not true!"

Sirius put an arm around his shoulders. "He was mostly teasing. Although, I was a very lovable dog. Still am, in fact. Patient, too. The number of times you pulled my tail as a baby..."

Harry reddened, Ron let out a snort, and Hermione looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh. Encouraged, Sirius went on.

"You also liked to ride around the room on my back like a horse. Your mum and dad would be in tears. Back and forth, for hours on end." Sirius grinned. "I'm sure I have a picture, somewhere."

"Sirius!" Harry protested, but he was grinning.

Ron and Hermione held in their sniggers and refrained from asking to see said picture.

Sirius moved onto safer topics. "Now, I will say that our other teachers were useful as well, but we had to be careful not to ask them too much. We got most of our information from the library, and very little from the Restricted Section. Those books were mostly about transformations that had gone wrong." He shuddered. "It's a ruddy dangerous process, becoming an animagus, and if you do it wrong and don't have help, you could become stuck for weeks, even months. Some witches and wizards never turn back entirely. It's why the Ministry keeps tabs on those attempting the process. Impossible for us, as we were underage, so we knew we had to be extra careful. Even then, we made mistakes. Nothing that didn't go away or couldn't be fixed by Madam Pomfrey, thank Merlin."

"I expect that's what she thought happened to Hermione in our second year," Ron recalled, glancing in her direction. At her nod, he continued, "We made Polyjuice Potion to spy on Malfoy, because we thought he was the heir of Slytherin. But Hermione accidentally used a cat hair in her potion instead of a human one."

"Yes, and I looked monstrous!" Hermione shuddered. "She put me right in the end, but I was there for weeks!"

Sirius winced. "That never happened to us, but I've heard terrible stories...wait, you brewed Polyjuice in your second year? The three of you?"

"Mostly Hermione," Harry and Ron said at once.

"And it worked?" Sirius looked impressed.

They nodded.

"I must say, I am impressed. That's NEWT level, as I'm sure you're aware."

Hermione looked pleased. "Well, it was the most complex potion I had seen up until that poison."

"And you got it right on the first attempt?"

"Had to," Harry put in. "It wasn't easy getting some of those ingredients."

Sirius just shook his head. "We thought we were bloody brilliant, and we were," he said, with a grin. "Still took us a few attempts to get it right." Sirius looked at Hermione with appreciation. "Remus was right when he said you were the cleverest witch of your age he'd ever met."

Hermione's face went even pinker as she took another biscuit.

"How'd you manage to get everything you needed?" Ron asked. "We had to nick some stuff from Snape's supplies."

"Sweet talking Slughorn, and owl order," Sirius answered, with a laugh. "And pass me some of those biscuits, will you? Oh, and you must tell me how you stole from Snape. Not that I necessarily approve of that, of course," he added in a mock serious manner that fooled no one.

They took turns telling the story, and Harry wondered yet again what his years at school would have been like had he been living with Sirius since the death of his parents.

Compared to Transfiguration, Charms was almost easy. But his Herbology exam, while not exactly difficult, was physically grueling. Harry went back to Sirius' rooms to take a long, hot shower. Between that and the mental and physical effort of the exam, he thought he might sleep through the rest of the day and into the night.

"Have something to eat, first," Sirius insisted, pressing a plate of sandwiches towards Harry on the bed.

Harry nodded, then began eating a ham and cheese one. He'd barely tasted his breakfast, and the sandwich tasted especially good. He ate another after swallowing the last of the first, and then a third with tomatoes. Finally, too full and tired to eat more, he stretched out on the bed. Sirius Vanished the crumbs and stretched out next to Harry, holding him and carding his hair. Harry let out a murmur of contentment as he nestled closer against his godfather. Before long, sleep overtook him.

He awoke to the smell of ink and parchment. Upon putting on his glasses, Harry saw Sirius writing a letter from the other side of the bed. Sirius looked up from the missive and smiled at Harry before placing pen and parchment on the bedside table.

"Have a good rest, pup?" he asked, affection in his voice.

Harry nodded. "I reckon that naps after the end of exams are the best ones."

Sirius chuckled and wrapped his arms around Harry. "Your dad certainly thought so. And your mum, though we didn't know this until the end of our seventh year. After NEWTs, we nearly slept for two days straight. Good thing it was midway between full moons." He held Harry a bit closer. "You're the splitting image of your dad when you're asleep."

"Not when I'm awake?" Harry asked, letting his face rest against the robes covering Sirius' shoulders.

"Some of your mum's features are a bit more prominent when you're awake. Her eyes, of course, but your smile is rather more hers than your dad's." Sirius began to card Harry's hair. "When you're asleep, you look just like him."

"Does it bother you? Make you miss him more?" Harry asked, softly.

Sirius sighed a bit. "I don't reckon I will ever stop missing your dad, but it certainly doesn't bother me that you look so much like him. He lives in you, Harry. As does your mum."

"That's what Dumbledore said," Harry recalled. "About my dad living in me."

"Oh?" Sirius gently released Harry so that they were facing each other. "When was this?"

Harry didn't need to think hard to remember. "End of third year. The night we rescued you from the tower. When the Dementors were closing in on us, before, I thought I saw my dad produce the Patronus, only it was me, because of the Time-Turner."

Sirius looked utterly confused. "Say what?"

Then, Harry realized he had never told Sirius the full story about that night. So he told it now, and Sirius was properly perplexed and impressed by the end of it.

"I had wondered how you managed to get back so quickly. I thought that Dumbledore must have revived you immediately, doused you with chocolate and other potions, and set you to rescue me." He shrugged. "I wasn't in much of a position to question my incredibly good luck. So. Time-Turners, then."

"Just the one. Hermione used it to get to all her classes," Harry reminded Sirius.

His guardian rolled his eyes. "She ought to have asked the teachers for their notes and made appointments with them once a week to ask questions. Far easier than living out extra hours, and no extra sleep or study time," Sirius said. "Poor girl must have been beside herself with exhaustion by the end of the first month."

"She lasted all right until...February, I think. That's when it started to catch up with her. Hermione did drop Divination before the Easter holidays, but she was still working harder than the rest of us," Harry recalled. "She dropped Muggle Studies at the end of the year, even though she received something like a thousand percent on her exam, because she didn't want to go through that again."

Sirius chuckled to himself. "Charity Burbage was always one for ample extra credit. Well, that explains why I still have my soul in my body, instead of in some Dementor's...essence. Her insane schedule did some good after all."

"I don't reckon we could have managed within it. Even if we still managed to let Wormtail escape," Harry added, bitterly.

Had they known Summoning Charms, or thought to perform the Full Body Bind, Voldemort might never have risen to power again.

Sirius placed both hands on Harry's shoulders. "That's more our fault than any of yours. We knew more magic and could have used it. Come to think of it, we probably could have used Snape's help had we revived him and put him in a body bind first."

"Doubt it," said Harry, flatly. "He hated you."

Sirius sighed. "Not without cause. Perhaps he never would have helped."

"He did alert the Order about us going to the Ministry to save you," Harry pointed out.

"That he did," Sirius allowed.

They were quiet for a moment.

"Sirius?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"D'you think Dumbledore was right? That the time will come when I will be glad I saved Wormtail?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't think he'll change sides or anything like that. But, perhaps? We'll have to see how this war plays out."

"And you don't think the castle is safe?"

Sirius shook his head. "Snape's been hearing plans of an attack. A bad one. If Voldemort can manipulate things in the right manner, it might all end here."

"If he brings Nagini, we could try to end both in one go."

Or they could end them in one go.

Author's note: One theme I've observed in some fics is bashing Hermione's intelligence and abilities, often occurring as Harry becomes closer with Sirius and Remus. While I don't disagree that Hermione has many, many flaws, and I do NOT ship Harry/Hermione, I will insist that JKR intentionally wrote her as the smartest witch in her year-and with the exception of DADA, her grades reflect this. She doesn't just get 100 in a class, she gets well over that. Yes, she may memorize a definition rather than saying it in her own words, but when you're THAT smart, the definition could easily become your own words. (My IQ, judging my a test my sister gave me several years back, is average. I have strengths and weaknesses in learning, and I believe my good grades came from a combination of working towards my strengths and working hard. I would almost never consider a technical definition to be "my own words.") She also brewed the Polyjuice Potion almost entirely by herself in her SECOND YEAR. So, yes, she can be bossy and a know-it-all, but she DOES know (mostly) "it all." Rant over. :)

Next up: Visiting Remus leads to some surprising news.