Author's Note:

This was something that I have been planning since I first introduced this character back in chapter fifty-one. I'm still working it out, but here is the beginning and I hope you like it.

Reviews and Comments: To Steelcode: I think that was wise as well, not telling Sirius until after the date lol. Draco and Harry can have a sort of calm, friendly conversation. Theo helped buffer. Thanks for loving the Marauder Patronus! To Paola1991: I'm glad Harry filled Ginny in as well and yes, Molly wouldn't be happy if she knew what her children knew. Thanks for thinking you might like Theo. Theo holds a special place in my heart and I have so many ideas for his storyline! To scrappy8: Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Friends are definitely important. Cho is aware, yes. Sirius would have TOO much fun with that knowledge lol. I like the idea of Remus' boggart changing with his love of Tonks. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! We will see more of Remus and Tonks and eventual Harry and Ginny. There will be more of Zee and Sirius as well! Thank you! To Shamelessnweird: Thank you!

To speedsONEandONLY: Thanks for liking Theo. Harry is a bit slow and it might take him a bit to figure out why Theo asked about Cornfoot lol. Tonks isn't in heat, she's just randy because her boyfriend is gorgeous. To PolarWriter95: Yes, I think Tonks' would definitely match her pubic hair to her hair. Harry and Cho is definitely ugh — it won't last long. Thanks for liking Harry's Marauder Patronus. To supersandman86: You think Teddy Lupin will make an appearance earlier than in the books? Haha, Remadora are quite handsy. Love the theory! You think Harry knowing about the prophecy and the Horcruxes early on will cause Cedric to live in fourth year and that dating Cho now will mean he won't ask her to the Yule Ball which means Harry will realize he's in love with Ginny when he takes her to the Yule Ball? Love the theories! Thanks! I guess you'll have to wait and see if you're right! To alix33: The middle of the room is just an expression, they didn't measure the exact specifications first. Thanks for liking Harry's Patronus. To storp930: Thank you! I think the colour plays into it to some extent, but mostly a super powerful Patronus would be levels of blue-white. Thank you!

Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!

My posting schedule: every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends.

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 ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX:

The One With Harry's First Date

By the time Saturday morning came around, Harry was a nervous wreck. He changed his shirt five times, finally deciding on the light blue jumper with dark blue vertical stripes over blue jeans. He had written to Zee two days before, asking her not to inform his father about his date before asking her where she thought he should take Cho in Hogsmeade for their first date and what he should wear. Zee had written back that night, telling him to take it slow; to walk around the village and to see what she was interested in, and if she gave no suggestions, to choose a pub or restaurant and treat her to a meal so that they could talk. She told him to wear something he was comfortable in, nothing fancy. The advice had made him feel better until he had awoken this morning with the realization that he was going on his first date in only a few hours.

Then the panic had set in.

He tucked his wand in the holster that Tonks had bought him for Christmas and hastily tried to fix his hair to no avail. It was still a little damp from his shower as he carefully sprayed on a bit of cologne, which he had started using daily in October.

"As good as it's going to get, Potter," he mumbled to himself before he headed downstairs to meet Cho.

He was ten minutes early and he leaned against the wall of the entrance hall, one leg on the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest in his attempt to look casual. It was a typical Sirius pose and he desperately hoped he had managed to look as suave as his father usually did.

He figured it was a good sign when two Hufflepuff second years giggled and smiled brightly at him as they walked by. He smiled back before looking out for Cho. She was five minutes late, but she smiled brightly when she saw him.

"Hi, Harry, sorry I'm late."

"It's no bother," he said, smiling at her. She was wearing blue jeans and a red jumper. Her silky black hair was up in a bun and he thought she looked incredible. "You, um, you look pretty."

"Thank you," she said brightly. "You look nice too."

He smiled as she buttoned up her coat and they headed out of the castle as Filch angrily checked their names off the list. Neither of them said anything as they walked across the bridge out of the castle, but when they stepped into Hogsmeade, he smiled at her.

"So, where do you want to go?"

"I don't know," she said with a smile. "Maybe we can just walk through a few shops along the way."

He nodded and let her take the lead as they wandered through Gladrag's Wizardwear and Cho browsed some of the dresses and robes there before they headed into Dervish and Banges to look at some of the magical equipment and the dark arts detectors they carried. Cho needed to send a package home so they stopped at the post office and then Cho smiled and pointed ahead to the tea shop.

"Have you ever been in there?"

"Madam Puddifoot's?" Harry asked, glancing through the windows at the tiny tea shop. "No."

"Oh, it's wonderful," Cho insisted, taking his hand in hers and tugging him through the doors.

They stepped into a quaint little teashop with doilies on all of the tables and little mini chandeliers over each table. The chairs had red bows on the back of them and soft jazz music played over the speakers.

"They make the best lattes here," Cho said with a bright smile.

Harry only nodded as they went to the counter to place their order. Cho ordered a non-fat latte with soy milk, extra whipped cream, and extra chocolate sauce on top as well as a chocolate biscotti on the side. Harry raised an eyebrow and ordered an earl grey tea with milk and a strawberry tart.

They took their orders to a small corner table and Cho smiled at him. "You should have gotten a latte, earl grey is so boring."

Harry shrugged. "I like it."

Cho smiled and took a sip of her latte, wincing. "They did not use soy milk in this. I'll be right back."

He nodded and watched her go back up to the counter to get her drink fixed. He sipped his tea, pleased with it and looked around the tea shop. He recognized Seamus and Lavender over on the other side and they were sitting with Dean and Parvati. He gave a little wave and Seamus gave him a thumbs up sign, making him laugh. He bit into his strawberry tart as Cho came back to sit down.

"Much better; sorry about that."

"It's all right," he said. "Is your latte all good?"

She took a sip and nodded, licking chocolate off of her lips. "Mmm, yes." She took another sip and smiled at him. "I was glad that you asked me to come with you today, Harry."

The back of his neck flushed a bit at that. "Oh, yeah? I'm glad, too. I was a little nervous to ask you, especially because you know, you're a fourth year."

Cho smiled and shrugged. "It's barely a year between us."

He nodded and grinned back at her. "So, you like the Tutshell Tornadoes, eh? Why?"

"I've supported them since I was a kid. My dad is a big fan and it was something we shared between us."

"Not your mum?"

Cho shook her head. "Nah, Mum isn't a huge fan of Quidditch and she's not too pleased that I play on my house team. I've been injured a few times too many for her."

"Injured like getting all of the bones removed from your arm?"

She laughed as she sipped her latte. "No, thankfully not that severe, but I did break my arm and my collarbone last year in a game against Slytherin. I was hit by a Bludger. The year before, my first ever Quidditch game, I caught a Quaffle to the face and broke my nose. I just got in the way instead of seeking like I was supposed to be."

"Ouch," he said, wincing sympathetically. "Well, you can't tell."

She smiled, tapping her fingers on the cup. "What about you? Are you a Tornadoes fan?"

"Definitely not," he said with a grin. "I love Pride of Portree."

"Is that before or after Lexie Longhorn joined the team?"

"Before," he said with a chuckle. "My favourite player growing up was always Benny Goodwin. He's the best Chaser I've ever seen."

"He does have some skill, I'll give you that, but Portree is not my team."

Harry smiled and drank his tea. "I like them. They were my dad's team too. So, is it just you and your parents?"

She nodded. "Yes. Mum wanted more kids, but it never seemed to happen. I have an aunt I'm close too. She lives in Tokyo. I always go stay with her for a few weeks every summer."

"That's fun," Harry said. "Uncle Sirius and I travelled this summer. We did eleven countries in fifty days on his motorbike. He even let me drive it."

"You drove a motorbike?" Cho asked indignantly.

Harry grinned widely. "Sure did. It was great! Uncle Sirius says that I can't take it out myself until I'm at least fifteen, but he did teach me how to drive, and let me drive part of the way since he was with me. It was completely brilliant! One of the best summers I've ever had by far."

"Is that who you live with, is your godfather?"

He nodded. "Yeah, its just me and him mostly, but Uncle Remus is around ninety-five percent of the time. They are basically both my dads in my eyes. That's Professor Lupin."

"Oh, yes, I heard that he was your uncle. He's a really good teacher. Much better than Lockhart that's for sure."

"You can say that again," Harry said with a grimace. "I still can't believe that he turned out to be such a fraud and to have been with students like that?"

Cho nodded. "I know, it's completely mad! My best friend Marietta told me that he tried to hit on her last year, too. She said nothing happened, but that he had made some rather uncomfortable comments to her. We told Professor Flitwick and then all of this came out a few days later. I'm so glad that he's in Azkaban."

"Me too," Harry said.

He sipped his tea again and swallowed slowly, his eyes on her lips. She had soft shiny red lips and he couldn't help but wonder what they tasted like; what it would feel like if he kissed her. He hoped that he didn't mess it up somehow.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?" he asked, his eyes meeting hers.

She smiled coyly at him. "You were staring at my mouth, but I don't think that you were quite hearing what I was saying."

"You have a really pretty mouth," he said, dropping his gaze back to her lips.

"Thank you," she said with a smile as she finished up her latte. "Do you want to go walk again?"

He nodded and grinned widely at her when she placed her hand in his. His hand was a little sweaty and he hoped that she didn't notice as he laced his fingers with hers before they headed back out into the street. They walked in silence for a few moments before Harry stopped her near The Hog's Head. She turned to smile at him when he tugged her into the little alley next to the pub.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, chuckling. "It's cold!"

He smiled at her, reaching up to play with the wispy flyaway strands of hair that had escaped from her bun. "I know, but I didn't want to do this in the middle of the street."

Cho only tilted her head back to smile up at him. "Do what?"

Harry smiled nervously. "Kiss you."

A slow smile slid across her face. "Oh."

Harry's gaze moved back down to her lips and his heartbeat sped up. His palms were definitely sweating, he thought, as his brain literally yelled at him to just lean down and kiss her. Cho seemed to sense his hesitation because she leaned forward, her hands sliding up his shoulders and her lips softly touched his.

Harry's eyes flew open in surprise and then he let them close as he focused on her lips. They tasted like cherries, he realized, and he let his own lips meet hers hesitantly. He tried to remember what his fathers had told him about kissing, but all he could think about was how soft her lips were. He kissed her softly and gently and when she pulled away, she was smiling at him.

"That was nice," she said.

Harry nodded. It had been nice. He wanted to do it again. He put his hands on her waist and gently pushed her back against the brick wall of the alley, leaning in to kiss her again. This time he let his lips be a bit more aggressive, but he kept it gentle, soft kisses, firm and lingering. She made a small moaning sound and he leaned in closer to her, his body touching hers. Her hands slid over his shoulders, linking at the back of his neck as they kissed, lingering and soft and then her tongue gently stroked his bottom lip as she pulled away. Her cheeks were flushed and Harry wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the warmth of the kiss, but he hoped the latter.

Cho's eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him. "Wow."

He grinned, his confidence soaring. "I like kissing you."

Cho nodded, her brown eyes wide. "I like kissing you, too." She reached up and kissed him softly again. "We should head back to the castle though."

He smiled, taking her hand in his as he led her out of the alley and they began their trek back up to Hogwarts. Both of them couldn't stop grinning at the other.

Harry was practically skipping as he made his way back up to Gryffindor Tower that afternoon. He had walked Cho back to Ravenclaw Tower, kissing her again. He had asked to see her tomorrow and she had happily agreed to meet him in the library after lunch. He plopped down on the sofa next to Hermione in the Gryffindor common room afterwards, grinning widely.

Hermione, who was curled under a blanket and reading her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook, only smirked at him. "Good day?"

He nodded, smiling at her. "It was great! She's so nice, Hermione. I was nervous, but, she was nice and we talked about Quidditch and it was great. I kissed her."

Hermione smiled at him. "Good for you. I'm glad that you had a nice time."

"I'm going to meet her in the library tomorrow after lunch to study."

"That's great, Harry, I'm happy for you," Hermione told him. "You've fancied her for a while now."

Harry blushed at that. "Not that long."

She only grinned at him. "A few months at least," she said, teasingly.

"Did you, Ron, and Neville go to Hogsmeade?"

"We did. We spent some time in the shops and whatnot, but I left after we had Butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks as they met up with Seamus and Dean who also had finished their dates. Seamus was complaining about how they had gone on a double date, but that Dean had spent most of it snogging Parvati. I decided that it was time to head back."

"Why was Seamus upset that Dean was snogging Parvati?" Harry asked, his eyebrow rising in confusion.

"Well, I would be, too, if I was out with you and Cho and the two of you spent the whole time snogging in front of me," Hermione said sympathetically. "I totally get it."

Harry nodded. She did have a point, but he couldn't help but find it interesting that Seamus would be annoyed that Dean was snogging someone, especially when he had probably been snogging Lavender during the same date. Maybe Hermione was right though, maybe it was just because he had been doing it in front of them.

"What else did I miss?"

"Not much," she told him honestly. "We spent some time in Zonko's and then we headed to the Shrieking Shack. It really is a creepy looking building. Do you actually think it's haunted? I mean, ghosts run rampant in Hogwarts and other than the Bloody Baron, I wouldn't say any of them are haunting the school."

Harry shrugged and tried not to grin. He had always loved the stories of the Shrieking Shack being haunted; the idea of the loud bangs and screeches and eerie sounds all coming from Remus, had made him smile. Sirius had even told him that some villagers claimed that they could hear a mournful woman's love song on the piano through the night which told of her woes, when in reality it had been Remus trying to calm himself before the moon forced his change upon him.

"I don't know. Could be."

"Also, don't you think it's strange how… well, I suppose nice isn't exactly the word I'm going for, but how nice Snape has been lately? Do you really think that those pranks were enough to change him?"

Harry grinned. "Not change him, no, but I think that he knows that he's being watched and you have to admit, his classes still aren't exactly a ray of sunshine, but he's less patronizing, especially to me and Neville."

"I still can't believe that Sirius sent that Howler to Neville. It was so sweet and when it blew a raspberry in Snape's face and covered him in sparkles!" she said, laughing at the memory of it. "But actually, I've found Potions to be quite enjoyable this year without his constant nitpicking. He still snarls, and well, is Snape, but I've always admired him to be an amazing Potions Master despite his rather negative disposition towards the students."

Harry smiled at her. "I think Snape knows to watch his step at least for now. I know he and Uncle Sirius hated each other when they went to school here and Uncle Siri is just looking for a reason to get into a fighting match with him. But so far, the pranking seems to have changed his tune, so let's just hope it stays that way." He glanced at his watch and grinned. "Should we head down to dinner? I'm starved."

And Hermione was forced to hurry after him in his haste.

~ ASC ~

When Harry got back to his dorm that night, he couldn't stop reliving that kiss. It had been nice. It had been more than nice, he thought, especially the feeling of how she had pressed her body up against his. Just the memory of it made him hard and he shifted his legs slightly as he sat down on the edge of his bed to take off his shoes.

Cho had been so nice and so sweet and he wanted to spend more time on her lips. He wondered if he were to kiss her neck what her skin would taste like. The thought sent shivers down his spine and he grinned foolishly. He had unconsciously reached into his trousers and had gripped himself firmly and it was the low moan that escaped his lips that made him realize what he was doing. He pulled his hand out of his trousers and grabbed his pjs and toiletries. He would at least shower while he did that, he thought and he whistled on his way over.

When he finally emerged almost thirty minutes later, he was clean, refreshed, and he felt good. He climbed up into his bed after putting his stuff away and his clothes in the laundry, before he tugged out his mirror.

He let out a slow sigh before bringing it up to his lips and saying, "Sirius." A few seconds later, Sirius' stubbled face appeared in the mirror.

"Hello, my Prongslet!"

Harry grinned at him. "Hi, Uncle Padfoot."

"I heard about your Dementor lesson with Uncle Moony. He was really impressed with you."

"I was impressed with myself. I think with a few more practice sessions and I might have it."

"I'm proud of you."

Harry beamed at him. "Did Uncle Moony tell you what my Patronus was?"

"Yes, he did. That's incredible and I am honoured that its me, Moony, and your dad. It seems right somehow that the three of us stand around you in protection."

Harry's grin widened. "I want to try it on a real Dementor, but Uncle Moony says not yet."

"And I agree with him, Harry. Dementors are very dangerous creatures and I love that you want to protect yourself against them, I agree with that, but I don't want you facing them either."

Harry nodded. He knew his father's concern about them was genuine and only partly because of his own fear of them and his memories of being imprisoned. "Did Uncle Moony tell you that I was late for our first lesson?"

Sirius frowned at that. "No, no he didn't tell me that. Why were you late, Harry?"

"Originally because of Wood. He made me stay longer to practice drills on the Firebolt," he said with a grin. "It's seriously the best broom in the world!"

"I know. It's why my star Seeker deserves to ride it."

Harry grinned. "Thanks. Um, anyway, so I ran up to meet Uncle Moony right after, but I almost ran into Cho."

"Cho?" Sirius asked, his eyes lighting up mischievously.

"Yeah. I er... asked her to go to Hogsmeade with me, and she said yes."

"Prongslet! That is great news! When is your first date?"

"It was today actually."

Sirius frowned. "You went on your first date and didn't tell me about it until after it was over?" He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "I'm so proud."

Harry laughed. "I was going to tell you, but then I thought you might show up at Hogsmeade!"

Sirius chuckled. "I would have been discreet!" At Harry's look of horror, he grinned. "All right, all right, I see your point — but a lovable dog following you around would only have made your date better!" When Harry only glared at him in response, he smirked. "So, how did the date go? Were you nervous?"

Harry nodded. "Really nervous! But once we started talking about Quidditch, it was okay. She's the Seeker for the Ravenclaw team."

Sirius smiled at him. "Did you kiss her?"

Harry blushed but nodded, biting his bottom lip. "It was, you know, nice."

"Nice is good," he said with a grin. "Tongue?"

"Uncle Padfoot!"

Sirius chuckled. "I'm just looking out for my boy, have to make sure you do it right and don't drool all over her or something."

"I didn't drool," Harry said stubbornly. "Her lips tasted like cherries."

"Cherries are nice," he said with a smile. "So, when are you going to take her out again?"

"Well, we're meeting in the library tomorrow afternoon to work on some school work and hang out."

"That's a good start. And then?"

Harry frowned. "Well, the next Hogsmeade trip isn't until March."

Sirius grinned widely. "Prongslet, you can't wait all the way for Hogsmeade! You have to plan a nice date somewhere in the castle!"

"But... where?"

"There are lots of options! You both like Quidditch so maybe a friendly flying competition, pass the Quaffle that sort of thing, walk by the lake, ice skating on the lake, a picnic, eat lunch or dinner together… there are tons of options. Jamie used to take your mum to the kitchens for snacks. Think of something. Plus, women really like it when you show them you appreciate them, show them some token of affection."

"Like what?" Harry asked.

Sirius smiled at him. "You can send her a note saying that you're thinking about her, send her a flower, or a box of her favourite sweets. Nothing too fancy, but something for her. "

Harry frowned. "Should I do that already?"

"No, save that stuff for later on, but for now, I bet she'd appreciate it if you sent her a flower with something along the lines of, 'Had a great date, can't wait to do it again.' Bet she'd love that."

Harry nodded, thoughts flying through his brain. He hadn't realized that dating was so complicated. "Uncle Sirius, does this mean that Cho is my girlfriend now?"

Sirius chuckled. "Not quite yet, I'm afraid. Go on a few more dates and if things are still good, ask her to be your girlfriend."

"Oh," he said quietly as if this thought hadn't occurred to him.

When he said goodnight and closed the mirror, he jumped from his bed. There was only one person he knew who could help him find a flower this late at night.

~ ASC ~

Sirius was pacing in front of the fireplace in the living room waiting rather impatiently for the Floo to light up. He had been more than happy to hear from Thea and Xander about agreeing to come to London and meet him. They had already had plans of coming to the UK to see Thea's parents so they had assured him over and over that making a stop was nothing. But nevertheless he was a bit nervous. He hadn't even brought his idea up to anyone, determined to speak to Xander first about his thoughts.

He had to know if it was even possible.

He and Dumbledore had spent the better part of the last month trying to figure out how to destroy the Horcrux inside of the locket without destroying the entire locket, but so far, all of their attempts decimated the casing that the Horcrux was trapped in. They decided that destroying the Horcrux itself was more important than trying to keep the locket restored and had planned on taking it out within the next week or two. His eyes lit up when the fire turned green and he smiled broadly at the face of Xander Papakonstantinou floating there.

"Xander! Wonderful to see you, mate!"

Xander smiled warmly at him. He looked much the same as the last time Sirius had saw him, but even happier. "You too, Sirius. Your last letter to Thea left a few questions. You asked her about removing magic from the brain?"

Sirius nodded, sitting Indian style in front of the fire. "Yes. Have you ever done anything like that before?"

Xander shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, no. As a brain healer, my job entails helping to heal the brain of injuries including memory loss, magical damage, and sometimes brain damage from the torture curse when permissible, but we all know how damaging that curse can be. I'm not quite sure what you're exactly asking me to do here."

"The thing is, what if there was a piece of dark magic that had attached itself to the brain, but wasn't actually inside of the brain nor affecting the brain itself. Could you safely remove it?"

"Well, I don't know. It's not actually inside of the brain?"

"No, it's more or less latched onto the general vicinity of the brain in a way that can cause pain to the brain."

"Hmm," Xander said thoughtfully. "That is an interesting dilemma. And it is a form of dark magic?"

"The darkest," Sirius said carefully.

"And you can't tell me what it is?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, not at this time. I am first interested to hear your theories on if it would even be possible to do such a thing safely."

Xander nodded. "Let me check with Thea and the boys, see if I can sneak off for an hour or two and I can stop by to speak to you about this in more detail."

"That would be great. Thanks, Xander."

He nodded and disappeared from the fire. Sirius ran his fingers through his hair and let out a slow breath. He didn't want to get his hopes up. But the fact that Xander wanted to discuss it instead of just claiming it was impossible was a great sign in his opinion. If they could somehow remove the piece of soul that had latched itself onto Harry's brain... in a way that would not leave Harry damaged… it terrified him.

There were too many what ifs and it worried him.

He headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on and less than ten minutes later, he heard the knock on the front door. He made himself and Xander each a cup of tea as they sat down in the living room.

Xander sipped the tea for a moment before he leaned forward in the armchair as he spoke. "All right, so as you know the brain is an incredibly powerful organ. It runs our entire body. Allows us to function, to move, to think, to process, and to perform the magic that hums in our souls and in our blood. Fiddling with it is very dangerous and very difficult. It is not recommended unless absolutely necessary to preserve life."

"I'm aware," Sirius told him.

"Well, keeping that in mind, if this form of dark magic is pressing on the brain, suppressing the brain's ability to perform to the best of its capabilities, this is a problem. Is it suppressing the brain?"

"I don't think so. It just causes pain to the brain."

"Constantly?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, not constantly. Occasionally. Few and far between actually, but it is imperative that it be removed for safety reasons."

"Hmm," he said, drinking his tea again. "Can you explain anything else?"

"It is located all in one place?"

Xander nodded. "With the information that you have given me, I do believe that the dark magic could potentially be eradicated, but in doing so it could damage the brain stems that it has attached itself too, and that injury could possibly be impossible to heal. The dangers of removing it safely could affect the magical core of the person; affect their magic altogether or even affect how they walk, talk, or think, depending on how close it is and to what area of the brain it is near. Doing anything with the brain is extremely dangerous. I would need to do more research on it and if possible see the figment or the magical mark to make a thorough conclusion."

Sirius nodded, letting out a slow breath. "That would be fantastic. Can you start with the research and get back to me?"

"I can. It may take a few months if not longer. This isn't a task to be taken lightly."

"That's all right. I'd rather it be done correctly than injure the party."

Xander nodded and smiled at him. "Can I ask who?"

Sirius shook his head. "Sorry, not yet."

He nodded. "All right. I promise to work on this and in the meantime and if you could get me an imprint of the brain in question, it would help a lot." He finished his tea and grinned at Sirius. "So, did Thea tell you our happy news?"

"That she's expecting again?" Sirius asked with a grin. "She did, it was in her last letter. You're both hoping for a girl this time?"

"Yes. Niko, Nilo, and Phoenix are getting so big now and I know that Thea is starting to feel outnumbered. She says that she needs another girl around. This is it though. We've decided four is a nice number so boy or girl, we're done."

"That's great, mate. I'm really happy for you guys. You make her really happy."

Xander smiled at him. "Thanks. What about you? Any ideas of making little spawns of Black running around?"

"Oh my kids would be spawns, would they?" he said on a laugh. "But no. I have Harry and he is my world, although Zee has become a huge part of that world. But neither one of us are quite on the kids bandwagon, at least not right now."

Xander nodded, smiling at him. "Well, I was forty-three when Niko and Nilo we're born so there's no rush, Sirius. And like you said, you have a son."

Sirius smiled at him. "I do. He's dating now."

"Actually?" Xander asked with a grin.

Sirius grinned back at him and began to fill Xander in on Harry's new girlfriend.

~ ASC ~

After getting Neville's help, Harry had sent Cho a yellow tulip with a simple note that said, 'had a great time, can't wait to do it again, Harry.' He thought Sirius had a point and it obviously worked because she'd squealed in delight when it arrived at the Ravenclaw table the next day for breakfast. She had come over to speak with him almost immediately, smiling brightly and had thanked him with a soft kiss on the cheek before reminding him that she would see him in the library that afternoon.

He had written to Zee to thank her for her advice and to tell her how great his first date was and to let her know that he had told Sirius. He wrote about how he had sent her the flower on Sirius' suggestion and now how he needed to come up with a second date plan, as today they had a study date in the library. He sent it off with Hedwig, smiling as he did so.

It was nice being able to write to her for advice.

By the time he got to the library that afternoon, they spent almost twenty minutes studying and each working on their respective homework, but then Cho's hand brushed his arm and they somehow moved closer together, and then his lips were on hers, his fingers in her hair as they snogged. This time when Cho's tongue gently brushed his bottom lip, he touched it with his own; the sensation surprising him. He slid his tongue between her lips just a little, and her tongue met his, dancing along with it.

He moved closer to her at the table, kissing her gently and deeply. He had to admit, he rather liked snogging, he thought. They broke apart when they heard voices from nearby, both of them grinning at each other and Harry's body reacted rather suddenly when she licked her bottom lip.

"We should be studying," Cho said sternly, turning her attention back to the Potions homework that she had been working on.

Harry smiled at that and leaned forward to rest his chin on her shoulder. "I was studying. I'd rather kiss you."

Cho smiled at him, kissing him again. "Study now, kiss later."

Harry only sighed, but turned his attention back to his Herbology homework. He was hard and he wasn't sure what to do about that fact. He shifted slightly, carefully adjusting himself under his robes as he tried to focus in on what they had learned in class the other day instead of what her lips had tasted like. But he could smell her musky perfume and it fogged up his senses a bit.

They studied in silence again for a while before Cho asked him if he wanted to go for a walk. He took her hand in his and they walked outside in the courtyard, taking a seat on a bench outside despite the chill. They talked a bit more about their holiday and then Cho simply leaned in and kissed him again.

It didn't take long for Harry to forget about the cold.

The next few weeks were kind of wonderful for Harry. For once, he had actually managed to forget about the Dementors. He spent most of his spare time snogging Cho: In broom closets, in empty classrooms, in the library, and in alcoves around the school. He had snuck her into the kitchens for lunch one day and she had smiled at him and said that he was the best boyfriend ever. Harry had flushed at that. He hadn't even asked her to be his girlfriend so, he felt like that hurdle was over for him.

His lessons with Remus were going extremely well. Remus would give him two or three new spells to learn and Sirius would send him some spell suggestions once a week as well and he practiced constantly. Not to mention that he was now able to make a fully corporeal Patronus, but he was anxious to try it on a real Dementor and Remus was still hesitant about it. When he brought it up with his friends, Hermione had only pursed her lips.

"Harry, I'm sure that Professor Lupin is just concerned about the danger of it. He doesn't have the authority to stop the Dementor from actually hurting you."

Harry frowned at that. "I need to know that I can defend myself, Hermione. You don't get it, they don't affect you like they do me!"

"Harry, Hermione isn't saying otherwise," Ginny butt in, her eyes blazing. "She's just saying that Professor Lupin probably is worried you'll get hurt. Don't be a prat!"

He sighed. "Sorry, Hermione."

Hermione grinned at Ginny, linking her arm through the younger girl's. "At least someone is finally on my side."

Harry made to roll his eyes and Ron simply grinned at him as the girls wandered off. He heard someone call his name and he turned to grin at Cho who was making her way towards him in the Charms corridor. He said goodbye to a bemused Ron and took her hand in his.

Five minutes later they were in an empty classroom, her arms around his neck as she straddled him on one of the desks, and they snogged.

He was more than all right with the distraction.