Author's Note:

Harry experienced a lot of horror at the trial and obviously that is something that's going to affect him. Not necessarily in his every day life, but it's going to stay with him, feed into his own nightmares; even though the really bad stuff (the rape and the torture), he never actually saw or heard — they were still discussed by the court after the fact or mentioned in later memories.

Reviews and Comments: To Lost: No, don't worry! I wouldn't have let Sirius go back to Azkaban! Thank you for saying the rape twist was a nice touch. Harry definitely saw and heard a lot more than he should have, but Remus did block him from a lot of it as well. To Rachael Frost: Thank you! To WarMunger98: Thank you! Peter should have died protecting his friends, but he did suffer a lot of terrible things. He does want the easy way out now and you're right, he doesn't deserve that. To Steelcode: Thank you! Yes, what happens next with the Chamber of Secrets, we will find out soon! To Leshal: Thank you! It's cool that you've seen my name around a few times. Thank you for saying this is the most realistic Peter story you've ever seen. I like the memories as I feel they really give me a chance to explore the personalities of the Marauders more. Thank you very much!

To trickstersink: Thank you for saying my writing is incredible, both raw and emotional. I don't like to hold back, no. Thank you for saying I don't skirt around the hard stuff. Yes, I do have to prepare to write these scenes and sometimes I need a mental break afterwards, but I always feel better once the words have come out. To alix33: Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! It's nice to know I nailed it. To Claire Fraser: Thank you! Yes, it was good that Zee was there to calm him down. Sirius needed her. Thank you!

Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!

CHAPTER NINETY-NINE:

The One Where Ginny Tells Harry She Has A Pen-Pal

After the trial, they all headed back to Black Cottage and Zee immediately said that she was going to cook up something fantastic. Within ten minutes she had delicious smells coming from the kitchen. McGonagall stayed as well and the six of them ate dinner quietly, all still in shock from the stress of the day.

Pettigrew was to be transferred to Azkaban Prison first thing the next morning. Tonks explained that the names Peter mentioned in the trial were being investigated by the DMLE, but that most of the so-called Death Eaters had already been exonerated by the Ministry at the end of the war. Those that hadn't been locked up, such as Abraxas Malfoy, had claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse and ultimately proven innocent. Sirius' snort of disbelief had only made her shrug, claiming it was before her time and that no new charges would be drawn up against him because the memory had shown nothing that he hadn't already been accused of nor of him committing any crime. Rosier was dead. Voldemort gone and the Carrows and Lestranges in prison, so there was no one left to investigate about Peter's memories.

Pettigrew had been the only one left.

McGonagall hugged Sirius tightly, kissing his cheek, and telling him that if he needed anything to let her know. Harry loved how Sirius just looked at her gratefully, kissing her cheek in turn and promising to let her know and promising to send Harry back to Hogwarts after dinner the next day. She hugged Harry tightly as well before she left and he smiled at her.

Sirius insisted that they needed time together to process and Harry was rather relieved to know that his father wasn't sending him back to school immediately. The entire day seemed to have been part of someone else's life almost and he felt like he was in a bit of shock after learning so much about the man who had once been a friend and a brother to the two men that he loved most in the world.

After McGonagall left, Zee and Tonks both took off as well and left Sirius and Remus alone with Harry. Harry was sitting on the chesterfield with Marauder's head resting on his knee as he rubbed him down mindlessly. Remus sat down next to him and Sirius chose his other side, lifting Marauder's butt and plopping it onto his own lap as the dog merely turned to look at him like, 'why are you disturbing me?'

Harry waited until they were both sitting next to him before he spoke. "So, that's what Voldemort is capable of."

Remus sighed and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Harry…"

Harry shook his head. "No, I wanted to know the truth and I think today… I got more of it than I ever thought I would and you didn't even let me see all of the memories."

"Some of them were too dark," Sirius said, gently. "Prongslet, Peter was tortured and he was raped. He was physically and psychologically traumatized by Voldemort and by his Death Eaters. And yes, that's exactly what Voldemort is capable of."

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, sighing when Remus merely tilted him to rest on his shoulder. "I… I never knew a bloke could be raped."

Remus' eyes met Sirius' before he spoke. "Anyone can be raped, Harry. Anyone. A lot of people assume that because a man is stronger, because a man's sexual chemistry is easier to set off than a woman's, that the man lets it happen somehow. But that's wrong. If someone touches you and you don't want them to — it's wrong."

"But he…" he trailed off, his face red as he realized what he was going to say. "Before you blocked the memory out he… he had an erection."

Remus nodded. "Harry, we had the talk two months ago about your body and about how your penis reacts sometimes without you realizing it. If someone is to fondle or touch or play with your testicles, you will get an erection from it. In fact, it's almost impossible for you not to as the blood rushes down to that organ. That doesn't mean that it's not rape because if you don't want it to happen and someone forces you to have sex with them, that is rape. Rape is not about sex. Rape is about the control and the violence of the sexual act. That's important for you to remember. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman, if you don't want something to happen and someone forces it upon you, then that is considered rape."

Harry nodded.

Sirius sighed. "Harry, there was a lot of stuff at that trial today. A lot of terrible things that happened to Peter and things you saw… and things that you didn't see directly, but that were implied to have happened."

"I know… he… Voldemort tortured him. That curse he used…"

"The Cruciatus," Remus supplied. "It's one of the Unforgivables. There are three and performing any one of them on a living person is enough for a life sentence in Azkaban."

"It's the torture curse, Harry, and as you saw before Uncle Remus blocked it out for you, it creates pain."

"How though?"

Sirius dragged his fingers through his hair. "Harry, the curse affects your entire body. It bends and stretches and breaks it in ways that you didn't know your body could move in. It feels like… a thousand knives are stabbing you all over while an electrical current is shocking you from the inside out… it is beyond horrible. More pain than you can possibly imagine."

"And the Dark Mark?"

Remus hesitated.

Sirius nodded and looked into his godson's eyes. "It's a form of dark magic that Voldemort performed to scare people during the war. It was an eerie green and would be hovering above where he had committed a crime, often leaving bodies behind. It was a sign that Voldemort or his Death Eaters had been there. It was everyone's worst fear during the war to come home and see that symbol hovering above your house. Until today, as far as I'm aware, no one outside of the Death Eaters knew about the branding of the mark on the skin of his followers. And Peter mentioned that Voldemort was clever in that sense, no one knew the names of more than six other Death Eaters at a time, keeping it exclusive and mysterious and extremely hard to track down all of them. Also therefore preventing them from ratting each other out once they were captured."

Remus leaned in and kissed Harry's forehead. "How about you head on upstairs and try to get some sleep. It's late and today was emotionally draining on all of us."

Harry nodded, said goodnight to his fathers and made his way upstairs to get ready for bed. He fell asleep quickly, but the dreams were there waiting for him.

The nightmare was familiar at first and Harry knew it for what it was. Uncle Vernon was kicking him, but then there was a flash of green light and the Dark Mark hovered above the house in Godric's Hollow, but when he looked back down from the sky, Voldemort's face was straining against the back of Quirrell's skull. Peter was whimpering on the floor next to Quirrell and Voldemort was leering at him, his hands outstretched to grab at his throat, strangling him as the scream begged to be let out.

The scream woke him and he gasped for breath as Sirius and Remus both came running into his bedroom and Marauder barked madly.

Harry's bottom lip trembled and he willed himself not to cry as Sirius engulfed him in his strong arms, holding him tightly and rocking him gently.

"Shh, it's just a bad dream, Prongslet, just a bad dream."

Harry buried his face in his godfather's shoulder and took deep gulps of air, his heartbeat racing as Remus ran his hand in long gentle strokes up and down his back and his godfather muttered reassurances in his ear. It took a few minutes, but he calmed down and pulled away from his godfather, turning to Remus who sighed when he wrapped his arms around him.

"I'm sorry."

"Shh," Sirius said. "Never be sorry, Prongslet. After today, how could you not have a bad dream?"

"You stayed, Uncle Rem."

Remus kissed his temple. "There is no where else I'd rather be."

Harry nodded, hugging him tightly before he pulled back, smiling gratefully at his fathers when they each made themselves comfortable on either side of him in his bed. "There was… green light and Uncle Vernon and Voldemort and Quirrell, but Peter was there too."

Sirius nodded, kissing Harry's forehead. "It was just a dream."

"But —"

"No," Sirius said sternly. "It was just a dream, Prongslet. Voldemort is gone. He's too weak at the moment to do anything and Quirrell is dead. You saved your friends and you stopped Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's Stone, from gaining immortality. He is weak and pathetic right now and Merlin hopes that he will stay that way. It was just a dream."

"I know," Harry told him, rubbing his tired eyes.

Sirius kissed his forehead again. "Harry, when you're at school, I want you to use the mirror to call me if you have a bad dream. I don't want you to be undergo these nightmares alone."

"What if it's every single night and the exact same dream?"

"I don't care. You call me if you need to. I am always here for you."

"As am I," Remus said, running his hand along Harry's back. "Day or night."

Harry hugged his father tightly, the feel of Sirius' strong arms calming him and making him feel safe and loved. "I know that."

Sirius held him for a long moment, kissing the top of his head before he pulled away, smiling when Harry merely turned to hug Remus again.

"Do you think that you can go back to sleep or should we go downstairs for some hot chocolate?"

Harry gave him a half-smile. "Hot chocolate."

Sirius smiled and stood up, grabbing Harry's glasses from the nightstand and passing them to his son. "All right, hot chocolate it is. Then back to bed."

Harry nodded gratefully and followed his godfather out of his bedroom, Remus' arm around his shoulders. But he knew that when he went back to sleep, his thoughts were still going to be restless, he just hoped that the hot chocolate helped keep the nightmares at bay.

~ ASC ~

When Harry went back to Hogwarts the next day, he found his friends in the Gryffindor common room and he quickly tugged Ron, Hermione, and Neville aside to fill them in. When he explained how Remus had hidden most of the one memory from him due to its violent nature, Hermione had only gasped.

"You'd think that You Know Who would have wanted people to like him," Ron said, a queer look on his face. "To torture someone until they agree to join your side doesn't seem like an effective way to make your point."

Neville nodded. "Bellatrix Lestrange… she hurt everyone."

Harry gave his friend a sympathetic smile. "And then some. Hermione, are you okay?"

She nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. "Yes. It's just so awful. I feel bad for him. He didn't want to make those choices, but he felt trapped, like he had no other way out and look what happened to him."

Ron crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. "He chose his own life over his friend's lives. That's selfish! He did have a better choice! He could have told his friends about what was happening to him and they would have protected him!"

Hermione took his arm in hers. "Most people would choose survival, Ron, it's basic human nature. It doesn't make him selfish for not wanting to die."

Ron shook his head. "I get the not wanting to die thing, Hermione, but to betray the people that he loved most? I could never! I'd rather die! He should have told his friends."

"He wanted to, but they made him swear an Unbreakable Vow."

Neville's eyes widened. "Forced him to swear the vow on top of it? You said that it was awful?"

Harry nodded. "Beyond awful. Uncle Remus hid a lot of it from me and I was angry at first, but what I did see was… so horrible, I can't imagine anything worse happening and I don't want to. He was tortured and he was raped and he was psychologically terrorized, I can see how he caved and made his choice even if I don't agree with it."

Hermione nodded, her hand still over her mouth in shock. "But he's going to prison now?"

"He's there already. Tonks told Uncle Sirius and I this morning that he was transported and put into his cell at nine o'clock this morning."

"And he was really sentenced to almost two thousand years in Azkaban?" Neville asked.

"Yup. The lives he took alone were a hundred years each. He's going to die in prison."

"Why was he following Sirius?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes on his. "Did you find out?"

"Not officially," Harry admitted. "But we think it's because he was tired of living on the run, of living with the guilt, and being forced to hide out as a rat. Uncle Remus thinks he chose Uncle Sirius because he's hot-headed and he was hoping that Uncle Sirius would do the job for him and take his life."

Ron blew out a long breath. "He wanted to die?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but Uncle Sirius says that he's too much of a coward to take his own life which is why he's glad he's sentenced to die in Azkaban because the Kiss is too good for him."

"The Kiss?" Hermione asked, her brow crinkled. "I don't think that I've ever come across that term before."

Ron scratched his chin as he spoke. "The Dementors that guard the prison, they feed off human souls and when a prisoner is sentenced to death they kiss them and suck the soul from their body. Dad says that it's worse than death to live without a soul."

Hermione's eyes were wide. "That's barbaric!"

"How is it any different than the death penalty, Hermione?" Harry asked her.

She shook her head. "Because it's the death penalty, Harry! You die and it's over, which is still barbaric, but to be forced to live without a soul… I don't know, doesn't it seem… worse somehow?"

Harry sighed. "It's… I guess so, yeah. It was a lot to take in, I admit. I think I'm going to head up to bed, try to clear my head and… I just need to think. I didn't sleep well last night."

Hermione nodded, leaning in to give him a hug. "If you need us…"

"I know," he said with a smile. "Thanks."

And when he climbed into bed and shut his eyes, he could see that courtroom and he felt the pity deep in his gut.

Peter had chosen the wrong side and everyone he knew and loved had suffered for it.

Including himself.

It was something that did result in Harry feeling pity and he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that.

Dreams plagued him again that night.

He tossed and he turned, visions of Peter's torture mixing in with his own past and Voldemort's head appearing on the back of Quirrell's as Harry tried to run. He woke with his heart pounding in his chest and he lay there for a moment fighting the urge to cry.

After a few minutes, he decided to get up and made his way down the stairs and into the common room. He was surprised to see Ginny dozing by the fire and he made his way over to her, climbing into the chair with her.

She jolted awake when he touched her and offered him a small smile. "Hi, Harry."

"Hey," he told her with a smile. "Mind if I sit with you for a bit?"

She shook her head, watching him for a moment. "Bad dream?"

He nodded, relieved when she linked her arm through his.

"How did the trial go?"

"He's being sent to Azkaban obviously, but it was hard." He quickly explained what had happened, minus the extreme graphic details, and watched as her eyes widened. "It was weird, Gin. I mean, I knew that he was the reason why my parents are dead, the reason why Uncle Sirius had to go to prison but… I felt bad for him. The way that Voldemort manipulated him and tortured him into doing what he wanted. I pitied him and I don't know if I can really hate him."

"Hate is a harsh feeling, Harry. Papa always says that hate cages all of the good things about you. He says that having the capacity to love and to forgive are two of the best things about people. He says that loving Gamma and having her love him in return, despite the hate that followed their choice from Gamma's family, is the best decision he ever made," Ginny told him with a smile. "And Bill says that hating anyone is too much work and not worth the effort."

Harry hugged her. "Thanks, Ginny."

Ginny hugged him back. "I didn't do anything."

He only hugged her tighter. "Yeah, you did."

She smiled when he made himself comfortable next to her. "I'm sorry about the last time we spoke, Harry. I'm not… I've just been feeling really lousy lately. Bill always says that sometimes it's best to write out your feelings and frustrations, but the more I write them out in the diary, sometimes the worst I feel."

Harry's brow furrowed as he recognized the tiny black book on the table next to them. "Ginny, you said before that you write to 'Tom' because that was the name of the previous owner, but why are all of the pages blank? If you are writing to him, where is your writing?"

She hesitated a moment and he wondered if she was going to answer him, but then she let out a slow breath before she spoke. "When I write my thoughts, they disappear into the book as if they never were."

Harry frowned at that. "Don't you find that strange?"

She nodded. "I was scared at first because Dad always told me never to trust anything if you can't see where it keeps its brain, but then…"

"But then?" Harry prompted.

Ginny bit her bottom lip. "But then the diary answered me back."

Harry's brow rose. "What? And that didn't scare you?"

Ginny shrugged. "He gives me advice. He's my friend, Harry. Like a pen pal. What could be scary about that?"

Harry reached for the diary, relieved that his scar stayed normal at the touch before he flipped it open and looked at the blank pages. "What do you write to Tom about that's too private to tell your brothers or your friends?"

She shrugged. "My hopes, my dreams, my fears, my thoughts… it's what a diary is for, Harry. I just record my feelings and what my day was like."

"And you're comfortable with the fact that the diary seems to answer back? Doesn't it seem… I don't know, strange? Have you ever heard of a diary that spoke back before?"

"That's why it's special, Harry! Tom is… a friend."

Harry only nodded. "Well, as your friend, will you tell me if Tom says anything that hurts you again? He's upset you a few times, Ginny, which doesn't sound like a very good friend to me."

Ginny smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "It's just a silly diary, Harry." She stood up and stretched her arms. "I'm going to head up to bed. Are you going to be okay?"

Harry nodded, smiling at her. "Yeah. Goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight, Harry."

He sat there for a few minutes watching the fire.

Ginny was right, it was only a diary and it was healthy for her to write out her thoughts and feelings the way that she did, he imagined it was even kind of liberating sometimes. He was just being paranoid because the diary had somehow provoked pain in his scar that one time. He still didn't know what to make of that.

But he was curious about who this Tom Riddle was and he decided that he was going to try to research him. He had probably attended Hogwarts at some point so, finding out who he was shouldn't be too hard. Hermione would be glad to help out he was sure.

Harry stood up and made his way back upstairs to bed feeling exhausted. After everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours, he just wanted to sleep. His eyes were closed before his head hit the pillow and he slept dreamlessly.

~ ASC ~

Sirius woke up suddenly.

He wasn't sure what had woken him up and he blinked owlishly around his bedroom to try to find the disturbance, but there was nothing around him. He turned onto his side, a small smile on his face as he looked at Zee. She was curled in a tight ball facing him, her wild curls all over the pillow, one hanging over her eye and down her back. She was wearing his Ramones tee shirt and the sound of her soft breathing soothed him.

He let his eyes travel down her body, carefully tugging the sheet down as he looked his fill. He trailed a finger over her cheek, down her neck, her shoulder, her arm to her fingertips, and then slowly down her hip and leg, marvelling in the smooth skin and the way the gooseflesh pimpled up where he touched her.

She had been incredible the last few days; just holding him, soothing him, and helping him try to understand the pity that he was feeling for his friend — the friend who had betrayed them all. Having her with him at the trial had felt right, had felt like exactly what he needed.

Having her love him back still seemed like something that was too good to be true.

He let his fingertips trail around her ankle and then slowly brush up her calf to her thigh. He brushed his fingers gently over her, sliding them up her stomach and beneath the tee shirt to pebble a nipple and placing his mouth over her other nipple and through the shirt. He sucked gently before moving his lips up to her neck and planting soft kisses on her shoulders and throat as she let out a soft moan.

"Sirius…"

He smiled against her skin. "Morning, Zahira."

She opened her eyes, a sleepy smile on her face. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Trying? Aren't I succeeding?" he asked, his hand sliding over to cup her breast and thumbing the pebbled peak.

Zee smirked at him. "I don't know yet, maybe you should try harder."

Sirius just licked his lips and bent his head to her breast.

The moan that erupted from her seconds later had her debating on whether continuing to tease him on his lack of success was wise when she felt the heat pool between her legs. His wet, hot mouth was wrapped around her nipple, expertly sucking her through the tee shirt while his hand had slid up the shirt to fondle her other breast and the other down to tease her folds, his fingers intentionally not touching her where she wanted him most.

His mouth switched to her other breast and his hand slid over. He let his fingers trail along the edge of her, dipping in occasionally to emit a small gasp from her before retreating back to tease. He pulled his mouth from her breast and tugged the shirt over her head, tossing it behind him and lowering his mouth again. Her fingers were in his hair as she held him to her, sighing in pleasure as he kissed her breasts.

His mouth moved down, licking and nipping at the underside of her breast, down the sides of her ribs, stopping to suck her skin and his finger circling her belly button, dipping in gently and then out. His lips followed his fingers, over her abs, down her sides and into her navel, soft kisses and sucks, nips and licks, down and over her thighs, between her legs — intentionally ignoring the pool of heat.

She groaned his name, sighing in pleasure when his fingers finally slipped into that wet heat. The feel of her hot and wet around his fingers almost undid him, but he worked her, slowly and torturously, sliding a third finger inside and watching her eyes widen.

"I'm close," she gasped.

Sirius pulled his fingers out and kissed her lips softly. "Can't have that, love."

He slid back up her body, mouth on her breast again and his hands everywhere except where she wanted them most. He rubbed against her, mouth on her throat, sucking and nipping as he slid it down her body and then his hot breath was against her and his tongue slid into her.

Zee cried out, her body arching towards him as he licked and nipped, swiping his tongue over her in long languid strokes, fast and quick and circling her around and around and then his tongue was gone and she cried out in disappointment. He was kissing the inside of her thighs, his fingers trailing over her bum.

"Sirius…"

He smiled against her leg. "Yes, love?"

Zee's fingers were in his hair again and she tugged him up to look at his devilish smirk. "Stop playing games."

Sirius kissed her quickly. "Am I playing games?"

"I want you inside of me."

He grinned and kissed her again softly. "Eventually."

She groaned as his mouth went back to her throat and he started his torturous trail down her body all over again; hot kisses, soft licks, and then he was back between her legs, his tongue sweeping over her deeply and roughly. When his fingers joined in, she cried out his name. His tongue over her clit, suckling it into his mouth as his fingers moved in and out of her. He rolled it between his teeth and tongue — once, twice, three times — before releasing her.

"Fuck, Sirius… please…"

He grinned against her before he slipped his tongue back into her. He swept it over her, side to side, up and down, and then licked her thoroughly before kissing his way over her. His mouth moved up her stomach, between her breasts and then he turned her on her side, lifted her leg to his chest and plunged into her so deeply, she gasped.

"Siri… yes…"

Sirius held her leg against him, his other hand holding her hip as he pounded into her, his pace quickening, as she felt so perfect wrapped around him; how warm and soft and tight she was. He slid his fingers back inside and she released, screaming his name as she came not once, but twice. He kissed her ankle as he held her leg, his fingers working her desperately while he moved in and out of her, rocking against her.

As her third orgasm built, he lost control and they both crashed together, riding the wave of their emotions out, both crying out in pleasure.

Sirius tugged her up against him, spooning her happily from behind, his hands splayed across her flat stomach, one creeping up to hold her breast. "I love you."

Zee snuggled back against him, her heart still pounding in her chest and her body still vibrating from the aftermath of the pleasure that he had just given her. "I love you."

She felt him smile against the back of her head and she couldn't help but smile back. And then they were both drifting back to sleep, happily cocooned in each other's arms.

~ ASC ~

As January changed into February, Lockhart seemed to become more unbearable than usual to Harry's mind. He was giving autographs out to those students who completed their homework (which was beyond pointless in Harry's opinion as the homework still never had anything to do with actual Defence Against the Dark Arts) and he was always singing in the hallways.

Harry had gotten detention from Filch for tracking water in after Quidditch practice as even though he had changed his clothes, the snow was still on his boots as he clomped back up to the castle. After being forced to spend the evening scrubbing the floor of the hospital wing, Filch instructed him to bring a package up to Lockhart's office before going to bed for the night.

Harry had groaned at this prospect as he had done everything in his power to avoid Lockhart outside of class since he had removed the bones from his arm. He knocked on the door and heard a muffled sound from behind it that sounded strange, almost like the person was in pain. He knocked again a minute later, and there was shuffling before Lockhart opened the door with a big smile on his face.

"Harry! What a wonderful surprise! Come in, come in!" he insisted.

Harry ignored him and stayed in the doorway. "Mr Filch asked me to bring this to you."

"Oh, yes, thank you!" Lockhart beamed, showing off every one of his pearly white teeth. He turned to smile at the boy grabbing his book bag. "Yes, off you go, Damien, you be back tomorrow at eight to finish off that detention."

The boy, a third year Ravenclaw that Harry recognized, looked pale and a bit uncomfortably ashamed, almost as if it had been his first detention or something as he turned to nod at Lockhart.

Lockhart's smile widened. "Misbehaving in my class, I do so hate to give out detentions but when you have to, you must, you know?"

Harry nodded. "Right. Anyway, I have homework to do."

"Of course, Harry, my boy, of course! If you ever need advice or help with that homework, please come to me! I would be honoured to share my expertise with you! I'd love to teach you a few things."

Expertise, Harry thought with a smirk, right. "Right, thanks. Goodnight, Professor."

Harry headed back to the common room, thankful to have escaped another conversation on fame appreciation. He made it up to his dormitory before he pulled out his mirror to call Sirius. He smiled happily at the sight of his godfather's face.

"Hey, Harry! What's going on?" Sirius asked, brightly.

Harry sighed. "Can you just crush my dreams already and tell me that Uncle Moony is never going to be the new professor?"

Sirius laughed. "Harry, I told you, these things take time. I can't promise anything. I can only give my opinion, but ultimately Dumbledore has to make the decision."

"He's just so annoying!"

Sirius grinned. "Be patient. We'll see what happens, all right?"

Harry nodded and used the time to fill his father in on the last few days, but he couldn't help but wonder if they were really going to be stuck with Lockhart for the rest of the school year and why Dumbledore wouldn't want Remus instead when he was clearly the better choice.