Author's Note:

Just wanted to say thank you to all of you who are following this story every week. I am really enjoying writing it and it's nice to know that people care enough to continuously come back and read what I've written. I've spent the last three weeks trying to re-read this story myself, help organize what I've written, and to keep myself on track with my plans and plots. While doing this, I also took the time to organize the story a bit by chapters as a few reviewers have mentioned breaking it up — which I don't want to do unless necessary (i.e. can't post anymore chapters which I don't actually know if there is a chapter limit on this site) but for those of you that are interested in going back and re-reading certain areas of the story, or just to help you keep track of the story, this is the breakdown once again.

Part I: Chapters 1-49 — Harry's first year with his dads. (1985-1986)

Part II: Chapters 50-61 — Harry ages 7-11. (1987-1991)

Part III: Chapters 62-73 — Harry's first year at Hogwarts. (1991-1992)

Part IV: Chapters 74-105 — Harry's second year at Hogwarts. (1992-1993)

Part V: Chapters 106-143 — Harry's third year at Hogwarts. (1993-1994)

Part VI: Chapters 144-present — Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts (1994-)

The start of Harry's summer holiday to me deems a new year in his life as that is usually how the books began so, I figured I'd go the same angle. Yes, I realize each school year seems to jump up proportionally longer than the last. No, I don't know how long year four will be, but I do have up to chapter 165 currently written and it's only half over. I'm really good with outlining ideas and plot points, but I'm really bad with judging length once I actually get writing. In my defence, I have a BA in history and was used to writing fifty plus page papers every few weeks for multiple classes.

Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there for anyone who is interested. Don't even know if anyone reads these notes, but here we go! Here's 146, I hope you enjoy it.

Reviews and Comments: To alix33: Thank you! I do think it is a moving present. Harry is very lucky! To Guest: Thank you! It's nice to know this was what you were looking for in this conversation. To Steelcode: I am also happy that Sirius and Harry made up. But tempers will flare again as they are both stubborn and Harry is a teenager LOL. Thank you! To PolarWriter95: Thank you! As to writing another story about the Marauders, probably not. I actually started writing a Marauder-era story first, but it turned into these memories. However, I do have a Jily story called Crazy Little Thing Called Love that I wrote back in 2013-2014. It's not bad. Thank you! To midnitewanderer: I love that I gave you happy tears! Thank you! To frasisersmom: I do wish I had a Pensieve to look back upon memories and loved ones. It would be wonderful! Thank you! To Paola1991: Sirius was willing to be honest and Snape was included in that. Yes, we will meet Hermione's parents in this chapter and find out more. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To alyson3il: Yes, I always wondered why no one mentioned the side effects to Hermione having essentially time-travelled for an entire year. Thank you!

To Wolf's scream: Aunt Druella is bigoted and it would be funny to tell her, if she hasn't heard by now with Remus being arrested. The meeting with the Grangers should be interesting, I think. Thank you! To geekymom: Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: Thank you! It was a much needed conversation and I do think it has helped Sirius just as much to tell Harry about it. You noticed that Sirius never told Harry how old he was when he first had Firewhiskey — that's a parental privilege LOL. Do as I say, not as I do. Thank you! To E-Dett: Thank you! I think Sirius did need to apologize just as much as explain. To coloredwords: Thank you for saying you love how I explain time travel. I did a lot of research on it and I agree, it cannot be used to fix plot holes like going back in time to save the Potters. There are consequences for it. As to you not liking the memories, there are going to be a lot of them peppered through so prepare yourself. Thank you! To AntiCreator: Thank you! I think we needed to see a bit more of Sirius' past and that it was needed to further cement Sirius and Harry's relationship. Thank you!

To Moony The Sheep: This was very different than you expected, thanks I think? Sirius' parents were definitely not nice to him. That is very interesting that Zee means "sea" in Dutch. I didn't know. I agree though, knowing Zee or Zahira, it is perfect for her. Thank you! To Ana: Aww, I'm sorry I made you cry but also honoured. It amazes me that words I write can move people to tears. Thank you! To HinnyMe: Thanks for catching up! Sirius was very open about everything and he and Harry definitely needed it. Yes, the Grangers should be interesting. Thank you! To Saz J: Poor Hermione indeed! Her parents are probably not going to be thrilled. Thank you for saying my time travel bit and explaining about borrowed time was cool. To Millie072: Thank you! Harry does understand it and I do think Sirius is making the right decision about telling the Grangers. To CF: I love that Sirius' past got you. Sirius should definitely tell Zee everything and yes, him pulling the parental card was interesting. Thank you!

To teachergirl: I did not gloss over Snape being responsible for the death of James and Lily — he did not kill them himself. I never said he hasn't paid the price for his role in their deaths only that he is trying to make amends. To Guest: Thank you for saying every time you can't think this story could get better, it does! Ha, you think Sirius pulling the parent card will cause some major angst in the Harry and Hermione friendship? We shall see! Thank you! To .1: Thank you! I'm glad you're looking forward to the Grangers and to Harry and Ginny falling in love. Though the latter is still a bit of aways away yet. To Matt9917: Thank you! To ZeeNooblet: Thank you for spending seven days reading ASC to catch up! I love that you freaking love my story! I love that you almost got lost on your way home from work because your eyes were glued to your phone, but I do hope you weren't driving! Thank you so much for saying that this story gives you chills and is amazing! Thank you! To Jmcglynn522: Thank you for saying that 145 was an awesome closure chapter! They did talk their feelings out. And of course Harry is going to share his first memory trip with Sirius. Ha, you feel sorry for Hermione? It should be interesting. Thank you!

Thank you to Bex for giving me the idea of using the mirror.

Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!

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

As always, 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 for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SIX:

The One Where Sirius Acts the Adult and Tells The Grangers

Harry looked up at his father in surprise when he saw the younger version of himself, skinny and terrified, emerging from his cupboard under the stairs at Uncle Vernon's behest. He was wearing clothing that was hanging off of his skinny frame. The cut on his cheek hadn't been tended to. Sirius stood there, looking almost the same as he did now, leather jacket, black jeans, and smiling up at him.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon?" The younger version of Harry asked timidly, closing the cupboard door.

"You have a visitor," Vernon said, his teeth clenched as if it caused him great pain to admit to such.

Harry looked up, his head tilting slightly to the side as his gaze landed on Sirius. Sirius knelt down from his spot by the front door and smiled at Harry.

"Hi, Harry," he said, softly, watching the boy closely.

"Hullo, Sir," Harry said, carefully, staying in front of his cupboard.

"My name is Sirius Black," Sirius told him, smiling, kindly. "I don't know if you remember me, but I used to babysit you when you were a baby. You used to call me Uncle Sirius," he said with a grin. "I thought maybe, since it is a Saturday, your aunt and uncle might let us hang out today. Would you like that?"

Harry's eyes darted towards Uncle Vernon whose face was flushed with rage.

"No! I forbid it! You've seen the boy, now get out of my house!"

Sirius simply stood up. "I didn't come here just to see him, I came here to get to know him; to be a part of his life. And I am taking him with me today. I'll have him back in time for bed."

Petunia made to protest, but Sirius reached for Harry suddenly and Harry moved away, plastering himself against the door of his cupboard, eyes wide and full of terror.

"Ha! He doesn't want to go with you!" Vernon exclaimed, looking incredibly pleased with himself. "He knows that you're a hoodlum! Torn jeans and long hair and earrings! You are a disgrace!"

Sirius ignored them and knelt down in front of Harry. "I'm your Uncle Sirius, Harry. You don't have to be scared. Would you like to come to the park with me? We'll have fun, Prongslet." He extended his hand and Harry's eyes watched him for a moment, his eyes lighting up at the nickname as if he recognized it, but then he stepped away from him.

"He doesn't want to go with you, now get out!" Vernon demanded, holding the banister so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

Sirius turned to glare at him. "Why does he look so terrified, Dursley?"

"Look at yourself!" Vernon exclaimed, his face flushing purple. "You look like a hoodlum, why would anyone trust you?"

"You can trust me, Harry," he said as he stepped back from Harry and he transformed into the big black dog and watched in delight as Harry's eyes lit up. Harry's arms went around him immediately and he nuzzled his neck, licking his face, and then he stepped back and transformed into himself. "I'm your Uncle Siri, Harry, or Uncle Padfoot. You called me both when you were little."

Harry stared at him in awe and amazement. His eyes were wide as if he couldn't comprehend what had happened, but believed it wholeheartedly.

Vernon's face on the other hand had turned an even darker shade of purple. "How dare you use that — that freakish stuff in my house!"

"Shut up, Dursley. Your nephew is a wizard and he deserves to know," he held his hand out again to Harry. "Do you want to come to the park with me, Harry?" Harry nodded before he gently placed his hand in Sirius', who beamed at him. "Seems like he wants to go. We'll be back later tonight."

He led Harry out of the house by his hand, ignoring Vernon and Petunia who were still protesting, and gently helped him into the child seat that he had installed that morning on the back of his motorbike, strapping him in and placing the helmet onto his head.

"Are you ready, Harry?"

Harry nodded as Sirius kicked the bike into gear and with a loud roar they zoomed out of the drive, Harry laughing at the speed as they headed out. Sirius took him to one of the larger playgrounds nearby and they climbed out and headed towards the jungle gym.

Harry watched as his younger self played on the jungle gym with Sirius; the way he kept looking back at his godfather as if he didn't truly believe anyone would want to spend time with him.

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Hmm?" Sirius asked, his eyes sad as he looked at the younger version of Harry.

"Thank you for giving me a home. I don't always remember everything that happened there, but… thanks for not making me stay with them."

Sirius reached over and tugged Harry close to him, kissing the top of his head. "Bringing you home with me that day was the best decision that I have ever made in my entire life. I love you."

"I love you, too," he said sincerely, letting Sirius keep his arm around him as he watched the younger Sirius open up a bag and serve lunch.

The younger version of himself was looking at the food in amazement. He knew that it had been the first time that he had ever had a bacon sandwich, let alone been given such good food. He watched as Sirius pat him gently on the back and his younger self practically jumped away in fear and from pain. Harry remembered exactly how those welts on his back had felt.

"Hey, hey, Prongslet, it's okay. Slow down. You don't have to eat so quickly. The food's not going anywhere."

Harry slowed down a little, but he kept staring at the food in wonder as if surprised to see it still before him.

"So, school? Do you like it?" Sirius prompted.

"It's okay," Harry said, swallowing his sandwich.

"Do you have lots of friends?"

Harry shook his head and drank the pumpkin juice. "No."

"No? How come? Don't you want to make friends?"

Harry shrugged. "No one wants to be my friend."

"How come no one wants to be your friend, Harry?" he asked him, eating his own bacon sandwich and watching his godson carefully.

Harry used his hand to wipe the back of his mouth and Sirius handed him a napkin.

"Use this, Harry."

Harry did as Sirius showed him and used the napkin to wipe his face. "Dudley doesn't let them."

"Dudley's your cousin?"

Harry nodded. "Evan was nice to me. He let me play with his fire truck, but then Dudley took it and broke it and now Evan doesn't like me anymore."

Harry let out a slow sigh. "Ginny was the first friend that I ever had. I think about that sometimes, how nice she was and… the Dursleys barely even let me talk to anybody."

Sirius kissed his temple, his arm still around his son as they watched the memory unfold.

"You're a dog," young Harry said quietly.

"Sometimes. I thought maybe I'd meet you as a dog first, to see if you remembered me. I think you did. You knew that my name was Padfoot."

"But you're not a real dog," Harry said, carefully. "You said your name is Sirius."

Sirius grinned, leaning back on his hands. "Your dad used to tell me that I made a better dog than a man sometimes, but I'm not a real dog, no. I'm an Animagus." At Harry's blank look, he smiled. "It's a skill a witch or wizard can learn where they can turn into an animal at will. I can turn into a dog and my nickname was always Padfoot, but my real name is Sirius. You can call me either one."

"You said wizard."

"There's magic in the world, Harry. I'm a wizard and so are you."

Harry only stared at him.

"Come on, Prongslet, we're going to go on an adventure."

"An adventure?" Harry asked, looking at Sirius in wonder.

Sirius smiled, reaching down to swing him up into his arms and stopping when he saw Harry flinch and scramble away from him before he could pick him up.

"Yeah, an adventure, come on, little man."

"It killed me the way you scrambled away in fear like that," Sirius told him as they watched Sirius strap a young Harry onto his motorbike. "I wanted to just snuggle you close and never let you go and I was so fucking afraid to touch you; terrified that you wouldn't trust me."

Harry smiled at him. "You and Uncle Remus showed me what a real home was like, Uncle Sirius. I'll never forget that."

Sirius let out a slow breath. "This next part… when I tried to give you a bath, Merlin, I sometimes have nightmares about it, about your poor back, and how I hadn't been able to save you."

Harry rested his head on his father's shoulder. After hearing about Sirius' childhood, he understood why Sirius would feel so guilty about how the Dursleys had treated him. "You did."

He watched as Sirius carried his younger self up the stairs of Black Cottage and into the bathroom.

"All right, Harry, Uncle Padfoot is going to help you clean up and we'll put on some new pyjamas, and then I'll teach you a fun game before I take you home, okay?"

Harry wrapped his arms around himself as Sirius filled the tub with warm water, his eyes wide and fearful as he looked towards the tub. "I don't want to have a bath."

Sirius smiled at him. "We got pretty dirty at the park, Prongslet. We have to clean up or your Aunt Petunia will think we rolled around in the mud."

Harry shook his head, biting his bottom lip. "No, please," he said, his voice whimpering now.

Sirius looked at him then and the fear in the child's eyes had him stopping. "Harry, look at me." When Harry's green eyes met his, he reached out and carefully took both of Harry's hands in his own. "I am your godfather. I will always protect you. I will keep you safe and I will never hurt you. Do you believe your Uncle Sirius?"

Harry's green eyes stared at him for a moment and then he nodded. "Yes. But I don't like baths."

Sirius reached a hand into the warm water. "It's warm, see?" he reached for the children's bubble bath that he had purchased. "And we can fill the water with fun bubbles, watch this." He poured some of the rainbow liquid into the tub and smiled when Harry's face lit up at the blue, green, purple, and pink bubbles that floated in the water. "And," Sirius said, reaching under the cupboard and pulling out the two ships he had bought. "We have toys."

Harry stared in wonder and then he nodded and moved to get into the tub making Sirius laugh.

"Harry, wait we have to take your clothes off first, silly."

He reached forward to help him, but Harry took another step away again, looking scared.

"No!"

"Harry," Sirius said, carefully. "You can't take a bath in your clothes."

Harry hugged himself tightly and shook his head, backing away from Sirius. "You can't see! Uncle Vernon said no one can see!"

Sirius' eyes narrowed at the sheer panic that was radiating from the small frame of the child in front of him, dread filling his chest. "What can't I see, Harry?"

Harry turned and booked it out of the bathroom before Sirius could stop him. Sirius climbed to his feet as he chased him, catching him just at the top of the stairs and when his hands gripped the child's shoulder, Harry flinched so hard that he carefully loosened his grip in fear that he had hurt him.

"Harry," Sirius said, carefully. "Does Uncle Vernon hurt you?"

Harry was trembling under his hands. "I'm not supposed to tell! He'll get cross!"

Sirius gently rubbed his hands along Harry's arms. "It's okay, Harry. I won't tell, I promise."

"Really?" Harry asked, his green eyes wide.

Sirius nodded and held his hand out to Harry. "But you have to come with me and have a bath, that's the deal, okay?"

Harry watched as Sirius slowly helped his child-self undress and his breath hitched when he saw his tiny back. It was covered in fifteen welts. Some were fading, some old and scarred, but some were blistered, red, and ugly looking. He remembered how he had gotten them — Aunt Marge and Uncle Vernon — and looking at them now made him remember the pain of it.

"Okay, time to wash up now. You can keep playing while your Uncle Sirius washes your hair, okay?"

Harry nodded as Sirius tugged his glasses off and placed them on the floor, using a small cup to wet Harry's hair, but Harry jumped to his feet and plastered himself against the wall of the bathtub as the water rose up from the tub; twisting like a water tornado and shooting Sirius straight in the face as Harry's eyes widened in fear. "No!"

"Harry," Sirius said, calmly, holding the cup of warm water in his hands, spitting out the soapy water. He waved his wand, trying to control the water twister while keeping his focus on his godson's face. "I'm only going to wash your hair, little man. There's nothing to be scared of."

"Please don't hold my head under, I'll be a good boy, I promise!" he exclaimed, the twister rose higher, brushing the ceiling as the coloured soapy water splashed the walls, splashed Sirius, and poured over the edge of the tub onto the floor, hitting everything but the small boy plastered against the side of the tub, eyes wide in fear.

"Harry, I would never do that to you. Never. Sit down, and I'll wash your hair while you sit here. Okay? Let's put the water back in the tub. The water is safe. You're safe. I promise."

Harry stared at him a long moment, his eyes wide as saucers. Sirius only continued to stare back, wondering if the child was going to move and then he let out a slow breath of relief when the twister crashed down into the tub, overflowing down the sides, sending soapy bubbles across the bathroom floor. His eyes were on his godson, who had slowly sat back down in the tub. Sirius gently held a hand over his forehead to block the water and he gently poured water over his hair.

"See, just like this," he told him, reassuringly, as he lathered shampoo into his scalp, rubbing and massaging softly but vigorously.

Harry watched as the younger Sirius finished Harry's bath and wrapped him up in a big fluffy towel, reassuring him that he wasn't upset about the mess and covering him in baby powder that made him giggle before he gave him some new clothes and they went downstairs for food. His younger self tried to make his own sandwich, assuming that it was his job as he had been taught and Sirius gently urged him to sit down and let him handle it. After they ate, Sirius took a seat on the couch and gently pat the seat next to him for Harry to join him. Harry sat down and looked at Sirius as if waiting for what to do next. Sirius moved closer, draping his arm over the back of the couch so that Harry fell towards him a bit and he watched as his young self seemed startled by the close contact, but then he gently let his head rest against Sirius' chest and Sirius smiled.

"How about a story, Harry?"

Harry nodded and Sirius summoned the stuffed stag down from Harry's bedroom as well as The Tales of Beedle the Bard. He handed the stag to Harry who looked at it in awe and then snuggled it close to him. As Sirius began to read, Harry's eyes drooped and before he had even finished the first story, Harry was sleeping soundly, the stuffed stag cuddled in his arms.

The memory faded away and Sirius nudged him, urging him to leave the Pensieve and Harry was surprised to find tears rolling down his cheeks.

Sirius smiled at him. "Hey, no tears. We grew used to each other, didn't we?" Sirius reached into the box and picked up a phial from two rows lower than the one they had just watched. "How about this one next?"

Harry nodded. "What is it?"

Sirius smiled. "I don't know. We agreed to be surprised, didn't we?"

Harry grinned at him and together they moved into another memory.

Harry immediately knew that it was an older memory. Sirius looked younger, more carefree and he had a big smile on his face as he rang the bell of the door to the nice looking cottage. It was his mother who answered the door, Harry realized with a jolt of surprise, smiling at Sirius and giving him a hug as he came inside. Her red hair was in a messy braid down her back and she was wearing a Gryffindor Quidditch tee shirt and jean shorts.

"Sirius! Lovely to see you!"

"Hi, Lily, you're looking lovely," he told her, handing her the gift of two large Honeyduke Chocolate Bars, he had brought with him.

"Liar. I'm a mess right now," she told him as she put a hand to the messy braid her hair was in. "Chocolate, how sweet of you!"

He shrugged. "It was Remus' idea so you can thank him. He said that babies always get all of the attention and sometimes the mum needs a little treat for herself."

Lily's eyes welled up and she hugged him tightly. "That's the sweetest! Sorry, my hormones are still a little out of whack and sometime I can't stop the waterworks." She told him on a laugh. "Jamie is upstairs in the nursery with Harry. I'm going to take a shower, much needed."

Sirius smiled and watched her head off to the bath so he made his way upstairs to the nursery, smiling when he heard his friend singing. He stood outside of the door, out of view from James who was sitting in the rocking chair, holding his two- week-old son in his arms. His finger was clapped tightly in Harry's little hand and he was smiling at his son as he sang and Harry was staring up at him wonder.

"There's nothing you can know that isn't known. Nothing you can see that isn't shown. There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be, it's easy. All you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love; love is all you need."

He turned his head to kiss Harry's small head and Sirius stepped into the nursery as James looked up at him.

"Starting him off with the Beatles early on, eh, Prongs?"

James smiled, standing up with the sleeping child, kissing his cheek tenderly, before gently laying him down in the bassinet. "Can never be too early. He likes it when I sing to him. So far I've been alternating between 'All You Need is Love,' 'I Will,' and 'Blackbird.' He likes to hear me sing."

He carefully crept away from the sleeping baby and gestured for Sirius to follow him down into the living room. He flicked his wand and the room suddenly filled with the soft sounds of Harry breathing.

"What the —?"

"Baby monitoring charm," James explained, grinning at his friend. "So, what have you been up to, Padfoot? It's been almost a week since I've seen you!"

Sirius shrugged, stretching out on the chesterfield and dragging his hand through his locks as they fell around his face. "Not much. Figured I'd give you and Lily some time with the new baby, get a routine down, like singing to him."

"You're just jealous because I can sing better than you."

Sirius grinned at him. "You can sing well, that's true. Probably could have been famous if you made an effort at it. Lily still love it when you play the guitar for her?"

James smiled. "Of course. I've played for Harry once, too. He becomes very calm when I sing to him."

"The Beatles, every time?"

"Mostly," James said with a grin. "What did you think I was going to go all conventional and sing 'Lavender's Blue Dilly Dilly' or 'Hush Little Baby' when there are so many amazing songs by The Beatles to sing?"

Sirius laughed. "Never. You rock out to the Prongslet, Prongs."

"I will." James had said simply.

The memory dissolved and Harry grinned at Sirius. "Dad really did sing to me."

"I told you he did," Sirius said with a smile. "You used to love it too, absolutely mesmerized by his voice. It could always calm you down and make you feel better. He loved you so much."

Harry nodded, staring at the box of memories. "One more?"

Sirius smiled at him, leaning in to kiss his son's cheek. "As many as you want."

Harry added the memory back to the box and shifted around, pulling out another phial from the case and pouring it into the basin. Sirius smiled at him and they both lowered their face down and lost themselves in the memory.

Sirius grinned when he recognized the Gryffindor common room. His younger self was lounging on the floor in front of the fire next to James who was busy writing his essay for History of Magic, his books strewn out in front of him. Remus was on the sofa next to a pretty brunette.

"That's Mary MacDonald," Sirius told Harry, smiling. "Uncle Remus dated her when we were in seventh year. She was a friend of your mum's."

"What is this memory?" Harry asked, watching as his dad studied on the floor.

Sirius grinned. "If I remember correctly, one of the many embarrassing attempts your dad made to ask your Mum out. I think this is in fourth year and she still wanted nothing to do with him."

Harry watched as Lily came down the stairs, her arms full of books and James immediately spotted her, jumping to his feet.

"Evans!" he said brightly, moving towards her. "Here let me get those for you!"

He immediately shuffled her books into his arms. "Someone as beautiful as you should have servants to carry books for you."

Lily rolled her eyes, tugging the books out of his arms. "No thanks. Go away, Potter."

James' hand immediately went to his hair, making it stick up even more. "It's Hogsmeade on Saturday."

"I'm aware."

"So, you, me, a tall glass of butterbeer, two straws — what do you say?"

"No."

James pouted. "If I buy the butterbeer?"

"No."

"Evans, why won't you go out with me? I'm a nice bloke and I'm the best snog you'll ever have!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "When you learn to ask a girl out with some finesse, Potter, maybe I'll take you seriously! Go sit with your delinquent friends and leave me alone!"

Sirius frowned. "Uncalled for, Evans! I am an innocent bystander in Jamie's failed attempts. He wanted to use the poem he wrote, but Rem and I talked him out of it."

Lily blushed. "Please tell me that's a lie."

James grinned broadly. "Lily, my flower, the bloom in my heart; please go on a date with me, I'll even bring treacle tart!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I am not going out with you, Potter! Merlin, you might be worse at poetry than you are at romance. Mary, I'm heading to the library to get some work done, want to come?"

"I can also bring lilies!" James shouted as the girls moved towards the portrait hole.

Lily turned to stare at James. "Contrary to my name, I don't like lilies, Potter."

The portrait hole closed behind her and James sighed, grinning at Sirius. "I'm growing on her."

"Like a fungus," Peter said from the floor.

Sirius laughed. "I mean, shouting at her all the time might not be the best way to get her attention."

Remus merely raised an eyebrow. "You mean when he asked her out for the eighth time last week and shouted across Charms class that he had more than enough charm to charm his way into her heart?"

"What about when he asked her if she was magical because he had fallen under her spell?" Peter added, making Remus groan.

"I forgot about that one! What about when he sent her that singing note in Potions class that called out: Are you a Snitch? Because you're the finest catch here!"

James shrugged. "So, what are you trying to say? Do you think that I'm going about it wrong?"

"YES!" The three of them exclaimed together.

James pouted and let out a long sigh. "Okay, okay, I'll find another way to ask her out. Do you know what kind of flowers she likes?"

"Not lilies," Peter supplied.

James glared at his friend. "Noted, Pete." He tapped his chin as if lost in thought. "What if I send her a different flower every day until I find out?"

Remus sighed. "Jamie, we love you, but no. Lily is not interested. It's time for you to move on. You know Madison from Hufflepuff has had her eye on you all year. She'd let you snog her in Hogsmeade."

James simply grinned, ignoring his friends completely. "I'm going to send her flowers."

The memory dissolved and Harry grinned at his godfather. "Didn't Dad ever get embarrassed? Merlin, I was embarrassed for him!"

Sirius chuckled. "Hardly ever. He loved being the centre of attention and he loved doing everything he possibly could to get your mother's attention."

"Did he actually send her flowers?"

Sirius nodded. "Every single day for almost three weeks. Finally, Lily just stormed over to him and said: 'Fine, my favourite flowers are apple blossoms and yellow tulips, please stop!'"

"Did he?"

Sirius grinned. "He did. But every year on her birthday he sent her a dozen apple blossoms and a dozen yellow tulips and she mooned over them when she thought no one was looking."

Harry grinned. "She didn't really hate him, did she?"

"Nah, she didn't. She thought he was an immature bullying prat, which granted, he was, but he was also kind, intelligent, and funny and when he matured, he realized what a bullying prat that he had been and he stopped. He started telling others to stop, started defending those that he had bullied and apologized to them, she took that second and third look and they became friends. Then they fell in love," Sirius told him with a smile.

"Good."

Sirius glanced up at the clock. "It's after midnight, Harry. Why don't we save some of these memories for another day, eh? I want to go to the Grangers tomorrow morning and talk to them. Then I want to talk to Dumbledore about what we're going to do with Peter."

Harry's eyebrow rose. "Is he still at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Sirius told him. "And it's not the place that I want him to be. I was thinking of maybe moving him to Number Twelve. Kreacher can keep an eye on him and we can ward off one of the rooms to keep him up there until we know what he knows. I don't know yet. I need to talk to him first."

"Can I be there?"

Sirius hesitated. "Harry… let me talk to him alone first and then we'll see, all right?"

Harry looked like he was going to protest, but he nodded. "Okay."

Sirius smiled at him. "Up to bed, it's late. We'll talk to the Grangers tomorrow and go on from there."

Harry nodded and put the memory back into the box before he closed the lid and made his way upstairs to get ready for bed. He sent a quick owl to Hermione informing her of their visit around ten the next morning and warning her that Sirius wanted to talk to her parents about the Time Turner. He cleaned his teeth and his face, changing into his pyjamas and crawling into his bed, smiling when Marauder jumped up to stretch across the end.

He couldn't believe how amazing the gift of the Pensieve and the memories were. Seeing his parents, seeing Sirius and Remus, so young and carefree at Hogwarts was incredible. Seeing how his father had held him so tenderly, singing to him, and showing him how much love was there. He wished that he had gotten the opportunity to know them; to know his parents.

Viewing the memories made him incredibly sad for what he had lost and therefore never had, but he was so grateful to view the memories despite the pain that it brought him.

Harry loved how kind and how loving his father was towards him and how funny and conceited he was in trying to get his mum to go on a date with him. He loved how pretty his mum was, even as a young girl, and he liked her sass. Uncle Remus looked so young and to see him even then with those two scars on his face made him sad. He couldn't imagine the little boy undertaking such a terrible ordeal all alone. Marauder was asleep at the end of his bed and the comfort of the dog reminded him that he was home. It was only then that he let the tears fall.

They poured down his cheeks and he turned into his pillow. With everything that had happened in the last few weeks, seeing memories of his parents young and carefree, their childhoods full of love and wonder, not living with the knowledge that the darkest wizard to ever have lived wanted to kill them — was a gift.

It was because of Voldemort and his Death Eaters that the Dementors had been at Hogwarts.

Because of Voldemort and his Death Eaters that the Dementors had Kissed Sirius and he had died!

Re-living the memory had been harder than he had anticipated and the happy memories that had followed, even the one of him coming from the Dursleys, had only reminded him of what he had almost lost. He wished Remus was here and that hurt him as well knowing where his father was, alone.

He punched his pillow, turning it over onto the cold side and snuggled in. He didn't know how he felt about it and that was the last thought to consciously drift through his mind before he fell asleep.

~ ASC ~

Remus sat in his cell, the sliver of the moon barely visible through the thick fog that the Dementors trailed around Azkaban. The stone bench beneath him was cold and the thin sheet that he had been provided with did nothing to keep him warm. He was thankful for the fact that he had always been hot-blooded. He scratched his chin, looking up at the parchment that he had stuck to the wall, counting down the days until he was released.

Seven down, he thought, twenty-three to go.

He wanted to sleep, but the feel of the Dementors outside made him afraid to close his eyes. He spent every sleeping moment awash in nightmares that he had no desire to revisit. He pulled the petition out from under his thin pillow and smiled down at it. The sight of it bringing him more joy than he could even begin to explain.

In all of his years, he had never imagined that people would write so many wonderful things about him. It wasn't just students either. McGonagall had sent him a letter along with a package of ten letters from parents who had gone to Hogwarts with him; informing him of how much he had helped their children and how much they remembered his kind disposition from when they themselves had attended Hogwarts with him. No one seemed to really care that he was a werewolf.

The thought alone brought a warm feeling to his heart and he brought his legs up to hug them close to his chest. He took the other letter out from under the parchment to see Tonks' pretty block letters.

Remus,

I'm working on the cottage, making it a home for us. I want everything to be perfect for when you return. Charlie is helping me. The bed is lonely without you. I miss you and I can't wait to see you again; to hold you again.

Be strong for me, for Harry, and for yourself.

I love you.

Love,

Your Nymphadora

He clutched the letter to his chest, smiling at her words. The parchment smelt like her and he kept it under his pillow when he slept because it made her feel near. When he inevitably was awoken to a nightmare, her scent helped calm him while at the same time made him miss her terribly.

Kingsley had been true to his word. On his seventh day of imprisonment, a large stack of letters had come for him. One from Sirius (detailing his big fight with Harry and how he planned to speak with him when he returned from school), the one from McGonagall containing the letters from others (and a note from her telling him what she planned for the second year of Defence Club), the one from Tonks, and one from Harry (telling him about his final grades and how much everyone at school missed him) — each letter urging him to be strong, telling him how much he was missed, but each one only made him ache for home; for his family.

His head rested against the stone wall as he glanced out the tiny circular window at the night sky.

Twenty three more days…

~ ASC ~

Sirius looked up at the large red brick house the next morning with a grimace. This was actually the last place that he wanted to be today, but after what had happened this year, he was forcibly reminded of how shocked and surprised Lily's parents had always been when they found out something that their daughter had done in the magical world.

And this... Lily had never done anything like this. He smiled behind Harry as his son parked the motorbike, that he had let him drive. Harry pulled the helmet off, hanging it on the bike and grinned widely at his godfather.

"Forgot how brilliant that feels, almost as good as flying."

Sirius smirked at him. "Potter to the core. This bike is clearly a superior machine."

"Sure, but it's not better than my Firebolt."

"Blasphemy!" Sirius exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart as if Harry had wounded him.

They could hear the piano playing as they walked up onto front stoop and he glanced over at Harry. He had his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans, his black combat boots trudged up the porch rather grudgingly, and he wore one of his Gryffindor Quidditch tee shirts that Sirius had bought him for Christmas.

"Do we have to do this, Uncle Sirius?" he asked for the fifth time that morning

"Yes, Harry, we do."

He knocked on the front door and smiled brightly at the pretty woman who opened it. "Hullo, Mrs Granger." He held his hand out to her with a smile. "Sirius Black, it's lovely to see you again."

She smiled kindly at him. "Yes, you as well. Hermione told us that you were planning to drop in this morning. Please, come in."

Sirius and Harry followed her inside to a warm living room decorated in rich colours. He and Harry both took a seat on the sofa just as Hermione came hurrying into the room.

"Harry! Sirius!" She hurried over to hug Harry, sitting next to him. "Hi! I was surprised to get your letter. What's going on?"

"Piano sounds great, Hermione."

"Thanks!" she exclaimed, beaming. She turned to look at Sirius, biting her bottom lip nervously. "Are you really here to tell my parents about the Time Turner?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"But Sirius, they —"

Mr Granger came into the living room and stopping Hermione's plea. "Jean is making us some tea."

"That sounds great, thank you," Sirius said with a smile. "Sorry to drop by so unexpectedly like this, but I felt like it was important that we talk."

"Talk? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, and no," Sirius said, looking over at Harry and Hermione. "I wanted to make sure that Hermione has been keeping you up to date on her school year activities."

Hermione blushed, looking down at her feet. "I — er, no."

Sirius nodded. "That's what I thought. First of all, I want to thank you, Hermione. Harry told me what you did in capturing Peter and I am incredibly thankful and grateful to you for that."

"Capturing Peter?" Mrs Granger asked as she came in with a tray of tea and scones. "What am I missing in here? Who on earth is Peter?"

"That's what I would like to know," Mr Granger replied.

Hermione blushed and Harry nudged her shoulder gently, mouthing that he was sorry as they settled themselves in the living room. He knew that if her parents reacted like Sirius did, she was going to be in big trouble.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Your daughter is an exceptionally bright witch, which I believe that you already know. In fact, Professor McGonagall has called her the brightest witch of her age on more than one occasion. She has a love of knowledge and that is wonderful. But with her love of knowledge also comes a desire to take on too much. Hermione decided that this year, instead of picking course electives, she would take every single class that Hogwarts has to offer."

"Sounds like my jellybean."

"Daaad!" Hermione moaned at the nickname, burying her face in her hands.

Mr Granger smiled at her. "It does! You, my darling, are always trying to learn how and why the world spins the way it does."

Hermione blushed again. "Dad, I only want to learn about everything that I can. Knowledge is a gift, you always said so."

"And there's nothing wrong with that, jellybean. Knowledge is a gift, but sometimes you take on too much. You don't want to overload that big beautiful brain of yours. We want to nurture it."

Sirius smiled. "I agree with your father, Hermione. Nurture it; don't overload it. Which brings me back to what I was saying, because Hermione is so smart and so bright, the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress decided to bestow upon her the honour of using a Time Turner."

Mr Granger frowned. "A Time Turner? What is that? Is that more comparable to the Eye of Agamotto or a TARDIS?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Dad!"

"What? Am I not close?"

Hermione let out a slow breath. "It was a necklace with an hourglass and when I rotated it, I could go back in time a few hours and that way I could go to two classes at once. I used it all year. I wrote all of my exams; did all of my homework with it and I realized that it wasn't worth it. I was exhausted and my classes were too much to handle and it made me not enjoy doing my school work."

Mr Granger nodded. "So, it taught you a valuable lesson then. Sounds more like the TARDIS."

"What is a TARDIS?" Sirius asked, his eyes moving between father and daughter.

"A time-travelling machine from a television show," Hermione explained. "And the Eye of Agamotto is from a comic book. My dad is a big geek."

"Um, the correct terms are that your dad is brilliant and awesome."

Hermione gave her father an amused look. "Right, sorry."

"And using a Time Turner for educational purposes is fascinating, darling, but, who is Peter and why and or how did you capture him?" Mrs Granger interrupted, her eyebrow raised in amusement as she looked between her husband and daughter.

Hermione let out a deep breath and she began to explain; Harry occasionally jumping in to fill in the blanks. By the time that they were finished, Mr and Mrs Granger were both staring at Hermione as if she had two heads.

"Hermione Jean Granger! You could have… DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT WAS?" Mrs Granger exploded.

Mr Granger grabbed his wife's hand, squeezing tightly. "Honey, yelling is not going to make this any easier." He turned to look at Harry. "And you got her into this?"

"No," Hermione insisted. "I got myself into this, Dad. Peter kidnapped me. Harry, Ron, and Neville came after me. They saved my life!"

"And this… Peter, he can turn into a rat? Like an actual rat?" Mrs Granger asked, her voice a little higher than normal.

"Yes, Mum. He's an Animagus and he can turn into a rat and when he changed, I put him in a cage and I gave him to Professor Dumbledore."

"And he's an escaped Death Antler?"

"Eater, Death Eater, and yes."

"And what are they again?"

"Kind of like Extremists, I suppose."

Mrs Granger's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Hermione Jean, you are only fourteen years old! You can't be running off after criminals and Extremists! What were you thinking?"

Sirius held his hands out. "I'm not here to get Hermione into any kind of trouble. After talking to my son, I realized that there is a lot going on and Hermione is one of my son's best friends, which means that he trusts her and that he tells her everything. I wanted to make sure that as Muggles, you were not being kept in the dark just because you don't have the knowledge of the magical world."

"Well, we obviously were! Hermione, how could you not tell us this?" Mrs Granger demanded.

Hermione looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, Mum, I didn't think that you and Dad would understand."

Mrs Granger snorted. "Understand or approve? You are not an adult yet, Hermione Jean, and we are still your parents! You can't keep us in the dark on stuff like this! If your life is in danger, we want to know. We need to know!"

"And if this school is becoming a danger for you," Mr Granger began.

"— No!" Hermione exclaimed, interrupting her father. "Dad, it's not! I'm sorry. Please don't make me leave Hogwarts! Please!"

Mrs Granger took her daughter's hand in hers, squeezing tightly. "Honey, we don't want to make you leave a place you love. We're just worried about you. Hermione, you can't keep secrets like this from us. You can help us to understand better if that's your concern. Now, tell us more about this Time Turner, was it dangerous?"

Hermione hesitated.

Sirius nodded, clearing his throat. "Hermione, do you realize how dangerous using that Time Turner really was? By your hesitation to answer your parents, I'm thinking that you were more than aware of the dangers. You are one of the brightest witches in the school according to McGonagall, which is why you were given it in the first place. I explained the dangers of using it to Harry last night; told him that you essentially aged at least half a year, because by going back in time over and over, you were just adding those hours to your life. Do you know that?"

Hermione's eyes widened and she nodded. "I know. Professor McGonagall and I had a very serious talk about it before she gave it to me. We went over the history, the dangers of using it, and some of the problems that people had with it in the past. I knew what I was getting myself into."

"And you still decided that it was worth the risk for your academics?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I know that it wasn't the best decision to make, Sirius. I returned it to McGonagall after everything… I learned my lesson."

Sirius nodded. "Good." He turned to the Grangers. "I understand that allowing your daughter to attend Hogwarts is more than you can fully understand as she is immersed in a world that you are unfamiliar with. I can't honestly say that is something that I understand, but I want to extend myself to be able to stand for her if she needs anything in the magical world that you might not be able to give her as Muggles. In the meantime, have you considered getting an owl for your household? It would allow you to communicate more frequently with your daughter."

Mr Granger frowned. "I don't understand why we can't just use a telephone! Surely installing one in the school wouldn't be that difficult!"

Harry turned to his godfather. "What about our mirrors?"

Sirius looked at Harry in surprise and he smiled. "Yes, I don't know why I didn't think of that before." He turned to Mrs Granger with a smile. "Do you carry a compact mirror with you?"

Mrs Granger looked bewildered by this, but she nodded. "Yes."

"Could I maybe see it?"

Mrs Granger nodded and left the room, coming back a moment later with her purse where she tugged out a small bronze compact mirror with her initials on the back. "It was a gift from my grandmother when I turned sixteen."

Sirius accepted the mirror, pulled out his wand and duplicated the mirror. On the duplication mirror, he changed the name Jean Marie to Hermione Jean and muttered a few different charms over it before he handed each mirror to the women.

"This is now a communication mirror, similar to the one that Harry and I have. They are connected to each other and I connected it to my mirror as well incase your parents ever need to get a hold of me for anything or the same for you, Hermione."

Mrs Granger stared at the mirror in confusion. "What does that mean, a communication mirror?"

Harry grinned at her. "Say Hermione's name into the mirror."

Mrs Granger stared at the mirror skeptically, but did as Harry instructed and Hermione's compact mirror vibrated in her hands. She flipped it open and saw her mother's face. Mrs Granger smiled brightly. "Oh!"

Sirius smiled at them. "Now you can communicate with your daughter no matter where she is and vice versa."

"Thank you," Mr Granger said, his eyes on the mirror. "This is an extraordinary gift."

Sirius nodded. "I know how much I worry about my son and I couldn't imagine worrying about him and also not fully understanding everything that is going on with him and his life. Hermione, I would hope that you will use that to keep in better touch with your parents."

"Thank you, Sirius," Hermione told him, moving to sit between her parents, who cuddled her close, kissing her cheeks.

Sirius smiled. "Of course."

Mr Granger turned to smile kindly at them. "Well, if you two aren't in too much of a hurry, would you like to stay for lunch? Maybe you can fill us in on some of the other things Hermione has yet to tell us?"

Hermione blushed, biting her bottom lip.

Sirius smiled sympathetically at her. "That sounds nice, thanks."

End Author's Notes:

First, no, that's not the end of the Grangers. Once Harry and Sirius leave, they have more to say to their daughter.

Second, the first two memories are snippets from moments already included in this story. My Beta is currently helping me edit as I mentioned before, my current and old chapters — the first 28 chapters are Beta-complete and that includes adding a little tweak here or there as some of you might have noticed above in the first memory.

And third, thank you again for reading and please review. Your reviews are what give me life and to those that take the time to leave me a review after every chapter, you are GREATLY appreciated. Thank YOU!