Hey Guys! Sorry I'm so late in posting. This chapter just wasn't working for me and I had serious bit of writers block. I'm finally happy with it! (thank Merlin) Anyway, hope you're all still liking the story so far. I honestly can't believe how any people have favourited/followed/reviewed! Thank you all for the support, it's been amazing!

Also, I hope you're all looking forward to the next books in the FF because they're not far away :-D I intend to be finished with book one by chapter 30 (fingers crossed!)

I do not own any right to Harry Potter, or it's character's/plots, etc.

Also, definitely, not making any money by writing this fanfiction (unless personal satisfaction is now a currency).

Beta'd by: Bombadilo Baby.

A Fascinating Weekend to You All!

-G

"Yeah, yeah" Harry grumbled, face bright with embarrassment as he clutched tightly to his friend.

Draco smiled, an honest warm smile "Besides. It's far more fun to dance with you, horrible as you are, than with Daphne's younger sister who sometimes hangs around." Draco told his friend.

Harry smiled in return. Glad to be dancing with his friend, not that he would admit it now. "Prat." Harry grumbled, though anyone could hear the fondness in his voice.

The entire Ballroom turned in surprise to the terrified shriek as Draco suddenly dipped Harry close to the ground during the dance, and the cackling laughter from the Malfoy heir that followed.

Chapter 26: A New Professor

Harry was walking through the Manor looking for his Dad when he caught the familiar tones of his voice. Smiling, Harry hurried down the corridor. He was excited, feeling proud of the break through he'd just had in his weekly therapy sessions with Alexis Greengrass (one of Daphne's aunts). They'd been at his Dad's insistence, ever them since coming to live with him and the Malfoy's, but he'd gradually started to like them. Alexis had told him a couple of times now that she was happy with his progress.

As he drew closer to the library door Harry's steps slowed. Curiosity piqued as he also caught the sound of the Headmistress and Lucius' voices. There was someone else in there with them, someone that Harry didn't recognise. The unknown voice sounded annoyed as Harry drew cautiously closer to the room. He paused outside the door, feeling slightly guilty as he listened to the argument. He knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but living with the Dursley's he'd learnt quickly not to go near Uncle Vernon or Dudley when they were miffed about something. It had never ended well for him.

"-been approved by his Healer's, Severus. And is more than qualified for the position." Minerva was saying in a rational tone, and Harry thought it sounded as though she was trying to reassure someone.

Harry jumped slightly as the stranger butting in loudly. "You can't keep me away from my Godson, Snivellus!" the man snarled.

Wondering who they were talking about, Harry peaked around the corner just in time to hear his Dad's reply. "He is my Godson too, Black, and son. And I would not hesitate for a second" Severus hissed venomously. "to bar you from his presence, if I thought it was the best option for Harry. A Healer's endorsement or not." Severus' voice was ice cold as he replied to the stranger. "You're outburst now, only proves that you are much unchanged from your time behind bars. Still just as arrogant, reckless, unstable -"

Harry stared with wide shocked eyes, realising they were speaking about him.

Minerva cut him off, voice tight. "Now really, Severus! I understand that you've both-"

The stranger ignored the Headmistress completely. "What?! You told me that Lily named him Godfather, not that-!" Harry looked across the room, finally managing to catch a glance of the angry stranger. He was a lean man, with ragged black hair and furious (wild) ice coloured eyes. Harry's anxiety shot up as he saw the vicious look the man was shooting his Dad, reminding him of Vernon's face just before the moments he'd lashed out. "What did you do, Snivellus!?"

Harry was frozen, chest tight, heart beating loudly as he was torn from racing to his Dad and scurrying quietly back down the hall.

Surprisingly it wasn't his Dad who replied. Lucius' voice was cold and crisp as he answered. "He stood as Harry's Godfather, Black. Whilst you were too busy running off getting yourself imprisoned in Azkaban." He said, looking distastefully at Black. The blonde aristocrat was standing beside his friend in solidarity, his hand trailing along his wand as though tempted to pull it on the stranger.

Harry's glaze was flickering around the adults in the room, catching a flicker of shame(?) on the strange man's face, before the swiftly overrode it. "I couldn't let Peter- !"

Severus' steps were sharp on the polished floor as he shot toward Black, body fairly vibrating with fury. He stopped within inches of Black. "How like the coward you are. Too proud, Black?" Severus sneered. "Too easy to pin the blame on the traitor then admit your own screw ups? You were the one that made the rat secret keeper. You were the one that left Harry alone that night, Black!" Severus stood tall, black eyes dark with loathing as he met Black's gaze directly. "Sirius Black, the fully trained Auror, too important to stay with his one year old cursed godson on the night of his parents deaths!"

"Albus was on the way, and if I let Pett-"

"ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IS SWINE, AND YOU ARE A FOOL FOR TRUSTING HIM! Want to know what your great Headmaster did that night Black? He discarded Harry at the front door of his disgusting excuse of muggle relatives. Untreated. With only a note and a blanket. Left there all night, outside, to be found along with the morning paper! He was struck with a killing curse, Black!" Severus spat furiously. "And then abused for ten years by his so called family. If Lucius Malfoy hadn't come across him in Diagon Alley he would have been dead by nightfall.

Black was pale, ice coloured eyes wide and disbelieving ". . . .what?" he replied quietly. "No." he said, shaking his head slowly, eyes glazing over.

"Severus that is enough!" Minerva snapped, standing between the two men.

The potions master wasn't listening "So continue to blame Peter, Black. But if Potter and Lily could see how you have treated their son they wouldn't spit on your grave."

Black was shaking with fury, white knuckles clenched into fists. "How dare you. How dare you say this is my fault, when we both know the truth, Snape! I know about the prophesy. I know who told the Dark Lord!"

Severus blanched, the colour draining from his face like pain running in the rain.

"You sold out your only friend to the Dark Lord, and yet you have the gall to - "

"Stop!" Harry's voice carried from the doorway as everyone turned in surprise. "Stop it! Leave my Dad alone!" he shouted, horrified to see his Dad's face at that moment, filled with excruciating pain at the words of this stranger.

"Harry" the man, Black, gasped in shock as he saw Harry standing in the doorway. He took an almost hesitant step forward.

Harry glared furiously across at the intruder. "Leave my Dad alone!" he repeated darkly before rushing across to his Dad who was watching him with masked black eyes, as though his mind were torn between two places.

Black's face was frozen in shock as he watched Harry run into the embrace of Severus Snape, who's arm automatically curled around the smaller boy protectively.

Severus' looked down at his son, dark eyes thawing, tinged with warmth as Harry burrowed into his side. Long pale fingers reached up to stroke back Harry's hair, an unconscious effort of reassurance.

"Everything's fine, Harry." He murmured, shifting without thought to shield Harry from Black.

"I don't like him." Harry muttered, head tucked against his Dad, glad that everyone had finally stopped yelling. Though his heart still bet loudly in his chest.

A quiet chuffing laugh was pulled from Severus' chest, surprising the potions master. "That is hardly surprising." He replied, tension finally draining out of his. Severus lifted his head, eyes catching Lucius' amused expression.

"Harry." Black was standing stock still, alone on the other side of the room.

Harry peeked around his Dad, frowning darkly at the man, green eyes suspicious.

The man let out a strangled sound, eyes suspiciously damp. "You look so much like James." he choked.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Actually, apart from some hints of Severus, he's almost identical to his Mother." He drawled, stroking his silver cane head.

Sirius stiffened, ice-coloured eyes frantically cataloguing Harry's appearance. "You blood adopted him!" Harry heard him growled lowly, reminding him of Aunt Marge's bulldog. Black's eyes were pinned on Severus.

The Potions Master nodded in confirmation, assessing Black's reaction. Both Lucius and Severus were considering the means to remove the volatile man should he explode. "I offered the potion to Harry during the Winter Solstice; he accepted."

Sirius was catapulting forward before he'd even finished his sentence "How dare you! How dare you steal his heritage!" Sirius bellowed, wand drawn and pointed straight at Severus' throat.

Harry slipped himself out from his Father's arms, surging forward, magical pressure flying around him "I said, leave him alone!" he yelled, the tone of his voice high with stress. Harry's magic burst from its constraints, slamming into Black, who flew across the room. Wands all around the room were wrenched from their owners, clattering loudly in a pile at Harry's feet.

The adults around the room looked at Harry with astonished eyes, shared glances promising to discuss this new matter later, before Minerva collected herself.

"That is enough!" The Headmistress looked thunderous, finally reaching her breaking point. She strode angrily towards Black, waiting for him to pull himself up unsteadily from the ground. "This appalling behaviour stops now." She snapped, her Scottish accent slipping through. "Sirius, the Healer's may have approved your return for work, but make no mistake, I will not allow this personal vendetta to reside within Hogwarts. I will be drawing this matter to the Mind Healer's attention, and only when it has been addressed completely shall you step through the walls of Hogwarts. I don't care if you two have the worse history in the world, if you refuse to talk with Severus like the rational adult, you can kindy go elsewhere!" she snapped, eyes hard.

Harry was listening half-heartedly, shifting uncomfortably as Minerva continue to dress down Black, before looking up uncertainly at his Dad.

"Dad?" Harry asked softly, voice nervous.

Severus looked down at Harry, dark eyes questioning.

"Is- ? I mean you said. . ." green eyes flickered across to the strange man. ". . . Who is he?" the question was barely above a whisper.

Harry felt Severus tense for a moment, making the smaller males heart beat speed. In that instant Harry wished he could suck the back in, rather than say them aloud. Thankfully Severus relaxed once more.

Severus' gaze seemed weary and almost reluctant. "That," he replied "is Sirius Black. . . . An old friend of your fathers, and your Godfather." The worse were spoken slowly.

Harry's brow crinkled as he frowned at the thought. "But. . . aren't you my Godfather?" he asked cautiously.

"I am." Severus confirmed, nodding.

Lucius, who had been standing nearby decided to clarify the situation for Harry. "It is typical for parents to choose two Godparent's for their child at their naming ceremony." He told Harry. "Both Severus and Sirius were chosen for you."

Harry's eyes flickered warily over to where Black stood; he shifted closer to his Dad. "I don't like him." Harry said quietly, remembering the hatred he'd seen in the man's eyes when he'd looked at his Dad. He didn't like it.

"You need not spend any time with him. Not if you are uncomfortable in his presence, Harry." Severus reassured him in a low voice, his hand sweeping through Harry's hair once more.

Harry smiled up at his Dad in relief, the anxiety gripping his chest leaving in a rush. Harry wouldn't admit it, but he had been scared. He'd only caught part of the conversation before walking in, but Harry had an uneasy feeling that the Man had wanted to separate Harry from his Dad. Thankfully his Dad seemed to dislike the man as much as he did. Harry burrowed further into his Dad's embrace, content to stick to him like a barnacle whilst he allowed it.

So absorbed in his own thoughts, Harry didn't notice that both Minerva and Sirius Black had disappeared through the floo. Severus and Lucius were standing, walking quietly beside an oblivious Harry.

Shaking his head, coming out of his own thoughts Harry glanced around the room. Surprised and glad that Black and Minerva had apparently left.

Harry smiled up at his Dad. "Hey, Dad" he called, drawing the man's attention. "I meant to come tell you. Healer Alexis said I was doing really well" he beamed, remembering the praise from his last therapy session. "Umm. . . " he paused, trying to remember exactly what message he'd been supposed to pass on. "I think she said she wanted to talk with you about it?" he finished, somewhat questioningly.

Severus' lips tilted slightly in the corner, amusement in his dark eyes. "I shall go discuss your progress with her now." He nodded, withdrawing his arm from around Harry and dipping his head in polite goodbye to Lucius.

Harry hung around impatiently, shifting his weight between both feet, wanting to ask Lucius something quickly.

Lucius was just about to inquire if Harry needed anything when the floo fireplace flared, and Draco came through, stumbling somewhat on the landing before righting himself.

"Draco!" Harry called delighted, rushing over to his friend in excitement. He's been waiting for his friend to return from fencing practice for the last half hour, ever since he got out of his therapy session.

Draco looked up, slightly startled but smiling quickly. "Hey" he replied, walking to meet Harry half way across the room.

"Draco" Lucius greeted, also making his way over to the two boys. "I trust practice went well?" he inquired.

Draco smiled, straightening. "Yes. I was able to best Blaise during rounds." He said smugly.

Lucius raised an eyebrow, in slightly surprise and pride, the Zabini Matriarch was well known for her talent in combat, and trained the rest of the family meticulously. "Indeed. Congratulations, Dragon." He smiled at his son.

Draco's chest puffed up in pride.

Harry was smiling too. "Really?" he asked excitedly. "Aww. I wish I could have seen!" he moaned in disappointment. Draco and Blaise had both taken to occasionally challenging each other in the weekend shared house Recreation Rooms at Hogwarts, under the supervision on Professor Flitwick when he was on duty. The small professor was a brilliant fencer, and always provided excellent tips. Even Harry'd had a chance to learn some of the basic's with a borrowed sword.

Draco turned to harry with a wide exultant grin, nodding. "It was pretty close, but you should have seen his face when I got the point!" he laughed, grey eyes sparkling.

Lucius interrupted their conversation before they got too distracted "You may discuss this later, boys. For now, you had best both go get changed. Dinner will be served soon, and we have guests." He informed the boys.

Draco looked up in surprise, whilst Harry eyes Lucius cautiously, hoping it wasn't Black again.

"We do? Who's coming over tonight, Father?" Draco asked.

Lucius replied "Your Aunt Andromeda and her family will be joining us." He told his son.

Draco's brow creased in surprise. Of course he knew of his Aunt, but in ten years he had only seen her briefly perhaps two times. "Really?" he asked, stunned. "Even my cousin?"

"Yes. I shall introduce both you boys properly once they arrived." Lucius confirmed, slightly amused at Draco's startled response, but also slightly ashamed that he knew so little about his own family. Lucius felt he had much to answer for.

Draco nodded, before grabbing Harry's hand and pulling them both off down the hall towards Harry's room.

"Who's your cousin?" Harry asked interest, as they climbed up a set of stairs.

"Ah. . " Draco trailed off unsure. "I think her name is Nymphadora? She's older than us . . . I think. Pretty sure she just graduated from Hogwarts." He told his friend.

"Oh." Harry replied, more distracted wondering if Draco's cousin was anything like his own.

Draco pulled open the door to Harry's bedroom, letting go of his friends hand so that he could pull open the door to the wardrobe. Harry watched idly as Draco started digging around through his clothes, muttering to himself.

He knew better than to try and help, since Draco had determined quite early in their friendship that Harry had terrible clothing sense. It was for the best really, Harry thought admittedly, since he couldn't honestly say he knew what was appropriate to wear. If given a choice, he would most likely just pull on another pair of jeans an a tee-shirt.

A bundle of clothes smacked Harry in the face, interrupting his thoughts. He spluttered a shout of protest, hands reaching up to pull the items off his head so that he could see what they were.

Harry groaned, shoulders drooping. Dress robes. He still felt so horribly awkward wearing them. They were like girl's clothes!

Draco rolled his eyes. Walking over to Harry to eye the outfit with satisfaction as Harry laid it out ready to put on. "Stop complaining, and put them on." He said impatiently, sticking around to make sure Harry put on everything correctly (he'd put in on backwards once, much to Draco's hilarity). Harry was tangled awkwardly for a moment with his arms, stuck part way through changing until finally managing to yank everything into place. Draco eyed a huffing (finally dressed) Harry critically, checking that everything was sitting as it should. After a moment he nodded. "Looks about right." He said, pretty pleased with his hard work.

Harry was wearing a dark blue dress robe, with lighter aquamarine accents that Draco chosen specifically because he thought they matched his green eyes nicely.

Draco ducked out of Harry's room and into his own to get ready and then the two of them wandered back down the stairs to the foyer, chatting more about his fencing lesson. Draco was just promising to teach Harry their new move as the joined the rest of the family, startled to see that their guests had arrived early before them.

One guest in particular heard their arrival, and turned to see their entrance. Both boy's eyes widened in shock as they saw messily plaited bright turquoise green hair and a toucan beak bounding towards them. "Watcha, cousin Draco!"