Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters (except Clara)…blah blah blah!

Harry was messaging his temples aggressively as he sat alone while thinking in the library. He had just told Clara about how Sirius and Genevieve had been in love since they were still at Hogwarts and how they were married. He had put it delicately when he explained how Sirius didn't even know Clara's mom was pregnant and that he had thought she died the same night his parents did. After telling her everything, he sighed, relieved that she finally knew the truth. Considering what he told her, she took it very well. After Harry explained it all to her, she tried to convince him to tell her where her dad was, but he found it best that she not know, he didn't know why. I mean, he told Hermoine about it, why couldn't he tell Clara? Harry couldn't reason why, maybe it was because she would have probably had the same reaction as he had, she would have wanted to rescue him.

Now he was still alone and it was getting late. Harry finally rose from the table he had been sitting in for hours and sluggishly headed out of the library. He walked around the corridors deep in thought about all the drama in his life and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the porthole.

He quickly murmured the password and crawled through it. Harry hoped that he wasn't out too late because there was a certain someone that he needed to talk to. As he scanned the common room he was delighted to see about a dozen people were still awake, one of those people being Ron. Harry knew that Hermoine had said he should wait until she talked to him or until he cooled off, but he felt that this couldn't wait.

Ron was doing his homework with Hermoine by the fire. He looked frustrated as he wrote down on his scroll vigorously. Harry meekly hoped that Ron's frustration wouldn't turn into anger once they started to talk.

"Err…Hey Ron." Harry tried to present a convincing smile, but he felt like he wasn't even close.

"I'm still mad." Ron replied shortly without even looking up. Well, at least he answered back, thought Harry.

"You don't have to talk to me, I just really think I should tell you something." He pleaded trying not to sound too desperate.

"I don't want to hear an apology if that's what you're going to tell me. Saying sorry doesn't magically fix everything." Ron's voice was cold, so freezing cold, that Harry cringed a little.

"It's not an apology. I already said I'm sorry." Harry took a quick glance at Hermoine who was giving him a look that asked him what in the hell was he doing. "I didn't tell you about Sirius because it was really, really bad news. I didn't want to have to say it because it upset me too much and I felt like I shouldn't burden you with my problems."

Ron had stopped writing on his scroll, but still didn't look up. Harry took a deep breath, then, he told him exactly what he told Hermoine, everything.

………………………….

After Harry told Ron all about Sirius, and Clara being his daughter, all went silent. Ron didn't say a word, and Harry didn't really care if he spoke or not. Now the truth was out, and there were no more secrets.

Hermoine looked impatiently between the two boys, like she was waiting for them to say something. Finally she gave up and exasperatedly and said, "Ron, don't you have anything to say?"

"Don't you?" He shot back irritably. She looked puzzled a moment until he continued, "Or did he already tell you all his secrets?"

She looked taken aback once she understood what he was talking about. Ron was mad that Harry hadn't told him first! "Harry didn't tell me about it until just this morning, and he was going to tell you, but he couldn't find you."

"Well that's nice." Ron's voice sounded bitter. He went back to writing on his scroll like nothing had just happened. He obviously was still not very happy.

Harry didn't care whether Ron forgave him right now or not. It would happen eventually, but what he wanted right now was reassurance and advice. "Do you think Voldemort still has some control over my mind?" He didn't know why this question had tumbled out of his mouth, but it was a very valid thing to be worried about. This had been a fear in the back of his mind for quite some time.

At this, Ron had dropped his pen and put his hands gently on the table in front of him. Hermoine just looked confusedly at Harry, until she answered, without even really thinking about it, "I'm sure he couldn't still be controlling you, Harry."

"But it makes sense. I've been angrier this year and Voldemort has a knack for making you feel that way. He did that to me last year, he made me want to hurt Dumbledore."

"Are you sure you weren't just angry this year because you thought Sirius had died?" Ron finally spoke. He didn't necessarily sound friendly, but Harry was sure he was at least interested in the conversation.

"I've thought about that, and even after I accepted Sirius' death, I still felt it. I didn't even know why I felt mad, either."

"He must have a little bit of control if he can still make you have those dreams," Hermoine reasoned.

Harry gravely nodded. He knew that it was true, but it was still hard grasping that Voldemort could control certain things about him. "Yeah…" He remembered all those nights after that one dream when he wouldn't sleep at all.

"I'm going to bed." Ron interjected suddenly before gathering all of his homework that he had been attempting to do, and jumbled it up into his arms. He turned with his jaw clenched and his shoulders stiffly set and walked up the staircase. Once he entered the boys' dormitories, Harry and Hermoine both looked at each other.

"Okay?" Hermoine said with eyebrows raised. She shook her head and rolled her eyes while she broke out into a slight smile

"So how is it like being in love with Ron? He seems thrilled!" Harry couldn't help but try to lighten the mood. He was also fascinated by Hermoine's crush on Ron, it was simply hilarious to Harry.

Her face was abruptly flushed, and she answered back with clenched teeth, "I think it's time we ALL get to bed."

Harry laughed at her as she stormed off into the girls' dormitories. He was still smiling when he lay down in his bed. He slept quite soundly that night.

…………………………………..

Harry found himself bored out of his mind in Defense of the Dark Arts class two days later. The teacher, Ms. Lachlan, was the most forgettable person he had ever met. She wasn't tall nor short, she wasn't pretty or ugly, she wasn't fun nor was she strict, she wasn't mean, but she wasn't nice either. She was just sort of…there. She was talking about some creatures called Grubworms, which interested no one. Harry could tell everyone else in the class, besides Hermoine, was counting down the minutes until they could leave.

"Um…Harry? Why are you ignoring me?" Clara asked worriedly. She had been trying to talk to him since he told her about Sirius, but every time she tried, he had to "go".

"I'm not ignoring you. What makes you think that?" Harry replied unconvincingly.

"Oh bull shit. All I want to know is where my father is and then I'll leave you alone. I mean what does it matter that you kissed me then decided to ignore me, whatever. I don't even care about that. What I care about is my dad. So tell me." Harry had never heard anyone whisper something with such a pleading tone. She really wanted to know.

"I'm not going to tell you about him now. Sirius—"

"Potter and Delmont, how about you save the conversations for after class." Ms. Lachlan was behind them and her sharp gray eyes were narrowed on the two.

"Sorry" they both mumbled quickly.

As the teacher resumed to rambling on and on, Harry noticed the glare that Ron gave him. Damn it, Harry thought to himself. He had tried so hard to not to talk to Clara, especially in front of Ron, but of course, the one time he does talk to her, Ron sees him. There was just no winning.

After twenty more minutes of excruciating boredom, the class was over and it was off to lunch. When the bell had rung, the entire class jumped up so fast and ran out of the room that the teacher had no time to object.

As Harry strolled down the hallway watching Ron and Hermoine race ahead of him, he could feel a presence behind him. "Clara, I don't want—" He turned around and was surprised to see Ms. Lachlan peering up at him.

While Ms. Lachlan wasn't short, Harry was still taller than her because he had suffered a growth spurt over the summer of about three inches. She looked at him sternly as she stated, "No, I'm afraid I am not your little girlfriend, Clara." She said this so matter-of-factly that it was irritating. Of course Harry knew she wasn't Clara, she didn't have to act like he was dumb, "While I do not mind you having friends, Mr. Potter, I mind it when you decide to socialize in my classroom, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am" Harry answered robotically.

"I'm sure whatever you were going to tell Clara could have waited." Professor Lachlan didn't give Harry the chance to reply before she turned on her heel and stalked off; leaving him to look after her in wonderment. I guess she was listening to our conversation a little more than I thought.

"Harry!" This time it really was Clara that was talking to him. "Can we talk?"

"Sure" he said not at all too excited. Oh well, Ron already thought they were together and talking anyways, he might as well.

She led the way up a staircase and across the corridor into a bathroom. She pushed Harry inside of it and then quickly entered while locking the door behind her. "Um, why are we in a bathroom?"

"Because, no one comes in here since, for some odd reason, people in this school don't see the need for a shower." She said this like conversing in the bathrooms was such a normal occurrence. Maybe that's the way it was with girls, but guys just liked to get their business done and leave.

"Oh" This was all Harry could think of to say. He was just waiting for her to ask about Sirius…again.

"So…..?" she questioned expectantly.

"So what?" Harry asked.

"You know what I'm talking about. Where is my father?" Clara literally started tapping her foot impatiently, like that was going to convince him to tell her.

"I just don't think it's a good idea for you to know…" Harry started running his hand through his hair. "You will probably want to go and get him, if I tell you, but you can't. So it's just better if—"

"What if I promise not to do anything stupid or to try to go after him?" she asked this hopefully and gave him the most to-die-for pouty face he had ever seen.

"Well, you could break your promise and then…"

"I won't!" she interrupted yet again. Clara was like a child begging their parent for candy as she looked at Harry. He was such a pushover that he had no choice but to give in.

"Sirius is…he…he's trapped somewhere." Harry thought that was an okay start. It was harder explaining it than he had thought, but then again, it always was hard.

"What do you mean, where's he trapped at?" she asked completely befuddled.

"Well, I don't know the exact location, per say. I just know the person that is trapping him."

"Who," she breathed. Harry could see the worry in her eyes.

"Voldemort."

As he had said this, he could have sworn he heard her gulp and gasp as the same time. She backed up a little towards the wall and slid slowly down to the ground. She shook her head as she said to no one in particular, "It's just one bombshell after the other." He walked over to where she was and sat beside her.

"I know it is hard, having to learn something so huge and life changing almost every week, but Dumbledore said he is doing everything he can." Harry didn't even believe his own reassuring words. He started wondering whether or not he was comforting Clara or himself.

"I almost wish that my father was Snape instead. At least then I would be able to meet him."

"Don't say that."

"Why not?" she scoffed challengingly.

"Because Sirius was the best godfather to me that I could ever ask for. I never knew what it was like to have a family before he came along. Sure, I lived with the Dursely's but they despised me and my parents. That's not a family. If he was that great of a godfather to me, than he will make a kick ass real dad to you."

"Yeah he probably would have been a great father." Clara said sadly.

"He's not dead yet! And he's not going to die!" Harry shot back irritably. Why was she giving up so easily? Sirius Black still had a chance at life.

"Harry thanks for telling me about my dad and all, but now would be a good time to start ignoring me again."

"I was only trying to not talk to you while I was in front of Ron. The last thing I need is to piss him off even more!"

"Yeah, well either way, he is still going to be mad at you. But I guess you'd rather lose two friends instead of just one."

"That's just it, I don't want to lose anyone as a best friend." Harry shot back exasperatedly.

"Not talking to me isn't really helping that mission then." Clara hissed at him. He could tell that what he was doing was hurting her. Maybe she was right, that just because he wasn't talking to her anymore, that didn't mean Ron would all of a sudden forgive him. If he did openly talk to her though, in the halls and at lunch, that would be like saying to Ron that a girl was worth more to him than a best friend was. At the same time though, Clara had become a best friend to him, and he would hate to lose yet another one of those.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do when people get mad at me. I promise to stop ignoring you as long as you keep your promise about not trying to rescue Sirius."

She looked at him suspiciously, making sure that his apology and offer was genuine and when she saw that it was, she smiled. "It's a deal." She gave him a small peck on the lips before getting up and dusting off her ripped jeans. Harry wasn't expecting that and just looked at her as she continued to brush the dirt off her butt.

"I was thinking…since we were already caught kissing…there's no reason to hide it anymore. I want to be with you, and if you want to be with me, we should be open about it."

"Huh?" Harry asked dully.

"What do you say? Do you want to be with me, like 'go out'?" she asked with a nervous smile.

Harry thought about it and figured that this was really what he wanted. He had been denying himself of it because of Ron, and as much as he tried to please his best friend, Ron wasn't giving in. He might as well let himself get what he wants because he no longer has his best friend to worry about. Ron didn't care what he did anymore. "I would love to go out with you." She flashed a lovely smile and threw her arms around Harry while pushing her lips roughly against his. She nibbled his lower lip playfully and all he could think to himself was, I get to do this with her every day now?