Some of you might have felt that Harry started addressing Sirius as 'Dad' a little too early but I personally felt that it was the perfect time. Like I mentioned in the previous chapter, he never remembered having a father before. Besides, in my story, Sirius is everything that Harry ever wanted in a parent so it is natural that he looks up to Sirius as his dad.

Canon Sirius didn't get a lot of credit. This is my own portrayal of his character. In the books, if his name had been cleared and he would have adopted Harry, I can pretty much imagine him behaving the way the Sirius in my story does.

Ok people, hope you'll like this chapter.

"He actually got sealed in?" Ron asked for the third time. "Yes Ron, he was sealed in." Harry replied. He hadn't ever mentioned what his Uncle had done to him throughout his childhood but this was a particularly funny one. He was telling Ron and Hermione about the visit to the zoo and how Dudley had ended up on the other side of the glass.

Ron had been openly laughing away but Hermione looked thoughtful. She hadn't said a word during the little story. "You can speak to snakes." She mused out in a hushed whisper. "You're a parselmouth." She continued.

"Blimey mate! She's right. How is it that you can talk to snakes?" Ron asked, his expression was a combination of awe and confusion. "I don't know. I bet lots of people can do it." Harry defended. He was starting to get a little uncomfortable with the way the two of them were looking at him.

"No Harry, they can't. Parseltongue is a very rare... gift. It's associated with the dark arts. There are very few known wizards and witches whi can speak it. You-know-who was one of them." Hermione elaborated cautiously. She searched Harry's expression for any sign of anger, fear or anything else but the boy's face remained neutral.

Harry felt sick. He was like Voldemort. What if he started hurting people? What if he became evil? He wasn't evil, he just wasn't. He couldn't be.

He looked at Ron who didn't have anything to say while Hermione was frowning intensely like her brain was running at a thousand miles per hour. "Come on, lets get to potions. The last thing I need is a detention from Snape." Harry tried to steer the conversation away and fortunately, it worked. The three of them gathered their books but all the way to the dungeons, although Harry and Ron talked quite a bit, the bushy haired brunette didn't utter a word. Her mind was miles away.

During potions, Harry finally lost his temper. He had tried his utmost to keep his anger at bay but Snape had been particularly harsh and continuously taunted him, making snide remarks whenever possible. "Honestly Potter, you seemed to have surpassed all levels of stupidity. Your skills are deplorable. Absolutely useless." Snape provoked, loud enough for the Slytherins to hear. They snickered away at the boy's expense.

He hovered over Harry's potion, sniffing at it disdainfully. With a flick of his wand, the cruel professor banished the contents of Harry's cauldron and turned on his heel. "Bloody git." Harry mumbled, not quite softly and as luck would have it, Snape heard him.

"Thirty points from Gryffindor you insolent brat." Snape snapped at him. "Stay after class, Potter. I'd like a word." Harry forced himself to remain silent. He couldn't afford to land himself into anymore trouble with his wretched potions professor.

At the end of the class, once everyone had left, he approached Snape's desk and stood in front of it. "For that little display of your unnecessary arrogance, I expect you to write me an essay on the ingredients, uses and side effects of the Girding potion. Do you understand or are you so thick skulled that you are unable to decipher the simple meaning of my words? I trust you to apply that unused brain of yours." With clenched teeth, Harry forced the words out. "Yes, sir."

"Now get out."

Sirius was sitting in his room on his bed, back against the headboard when he heard a small knock on the door. "Come in."

He smiled when he saw Harry come inside. "Hey pup. How was your day?" The boy didn't reply but instead he climbed into bed and leaned against Sirius's side.

"Dad, am I evil?" Sirius froze at the unexpected question. Whatever had made Harry think that? "No, pup. You're most certainly not evil." Sirius replied. "But I can speak to snakes and Hermione said that Voldemort could do that as well." Harry looked distraught and was desperately looking at Sirius for reassurance.

Sirius knew about this particular ability that his son possessed. The boy had told him about it over the summer. He looked at the unconvinced expression on Harry's face and tried a different approach. "Harry, do you think I'm evil?"

Harry temporarily forgot about his own concerns when he heard that question. He stared at Sirius, as if the man had done barmy. He deeply respected Sirius and vaulted his opinion above anyone else's. He found it impossible to believe that his father could be remotely evil. "Of course not dad!"

"But my family was very cruel, heartless and merciless."

The boy frowned at the mention of Sirius's family. His father didn't like talking about his parents or his childhood but Harry knew enough about them to deduce that they weren't the kind of people one would like or talk to (understatement). But, Sirius wasn't like the rest of his family. He was totally different.

"That doesn't mean your a bad person. Dad, just because your family was vicious, doesn't mean you are too. You're one of the best, kindest, and the most brilliant person I know. You're. Not. Evil." Harry asserted.

Sirius smiled and wrapped an arm around the thin shoulders. His pup really did have a heart of gold. "Exactly my point, kiddo. Just because you share a certain trait with Voldemort, that doesn't mean you are like him. You can never be like him, son. You're you." Sirius consoled Harry.

"Remember, I'm right here okay. If there's anything you want to talk about, come to me. Don't worry your head about it." The man said, ruffling his boy's hair. "Thanks dad." Harry replied.

His father was right. He wasn't like Voldemort, not one bit. He'd been so stupid to think otherwise. He smiled sheepishly at Sirius before tackling him with a hug.

"Anything else?" Harry paused before answering that question. He contemplated whether or not to tell Sirius about what Snape had said and finally decided against it. It was no secret that the Animagus loathed Snape so the last thing he wanted was for Sirius to go and threaten or hex the potions master. Besides, he had called Snape a 'bloody git' so it wasn't totally Snape's fault.

"No, nothing. Hey dad, can I go flying now?" Harry asked, hoping that Sirius would say yes. Sirius glanced at his watch. It was nearly 10 o'clock. With everything that was going on around the castle, it was too risky. "You can, but you may not." Sirius spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument. Harry's shoulders sagged slightly but he didn't protest. He knew that once Sirius made his mind up about something, there would be no point in trying to convince him. "Fine." He mumbled, with exaggerated exasperation, earning a chuckle from the older wizard.

"Mr. Weasley, when I ask you to pay attention, I expect you to do as such." Mcgonagall barked when Ron was unable to answer a question since had been busy talking to Dean Thomas. "Five points from Gryffindor. Pay attention and eyes on the board." She said sternly before resuming her teaching.

Normally, whenever a professor reprimanded Harry or Ron, Hermione would be quick to express her displeasure as well but his time she didn't even look up. Although she was looking at the board, her mind was a million miles away.

After the class, they had a free lesson. "I'm going to the library." Hermione announced. She went to the library more than any other student but over the past few days, she spent nearly ninety percent of her time with her nose buried in thick books. "I'll come as well." Ron stated, not because he wanted to study but he was hoping that he would be able to wheedle the smart muggle born into helping him with his herbology essay. "You coming mate?"

Harry shook his head. He had to go back and finish Snape's essay before he could work on any other subject. "I'll see you'll at dinner." He responded and took off in the direction of the Defence chambers. He had quidditch practice the next and he didn't want to miss it just because he had been unable to complete Snape's work. He had another Potions lesson tomorrow and the sooner he got done with the essay, the better.

He climbed the staircase to the seventh floor and arrived at the corridor that led to his destination.

Rip. Tear. Kill. I'm coming for you. To torment you. To kill you.

Harry stiffened the moment he heard the words. Panic gnawed at his insides. The last time he had heard this voice, things hadn't gone well. Not in the least. He looked around and cured his luck. Not a single person was about. The boy quickened his pace, trying to reach the end of the corridor as soon as possible but the voice just kept getting louder and harsher.

RIP! TEAR! KILL! You cannot escape!

I WILL GET YOU. NO MORE RUNNING, NO MORE HIDING FROM ME. I will KILL you!

Harry felt hopeless beaches there was absolutely nothing that he could do, other than run. There was no way he would be able to outrun this voice. It was too late.

He felt a sharp blow on the back of his head and as he fell to he ground, losing consciousness, a searing pain erupted down his back. The last thing he felt before he slipped into a state of unconsciousness was an inordinate amount of pain rippling all over his upper still, unconscious form just lay there, with blood oozing out through the material of his robes and a throbbing ache in his head.

Minerva Mcgonagall crisply marched around the castle, doing the mandatory security rounds that had been assigned to every professor. Her wand was out, ready to take down any obstacle or enemy she might have to face.

As she made it to the top of the staircase of the seventh floor, she caught the distinct smell of blood. Something was majorly wrong. Holding her wand up, with a Stupefy on the tip of her tongue, she cautiously made her way towards the source of the smell.

She nearly screamed when she saw it. Mcgonagall had seen a lot in her fifty eight years but all that experience did not prepare her for the sight that awaited her.

Harry Potter, was lying on his front, on cold marble floor, his arms and legs spread haphazardly. The small pool of the crimson liquid that surrounded the boy made her feel dizzy. She looked around for any sign and there it was, in big, bold, red letters:

And I shall continue.

Mcgonagall shook herself and hurried over to Harry. The message could be interpreted later but first, she had to see to the inert student. She encircled the thin wrist with her fingers, checking for a pulse and was relieved to find one. It was a little weak but it was still there.

Mcgonagall conjured two patronises. She sent the two patronuses with a single message. One to the Headmaster and the other to a certain Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. The two silver cats dashed off in different directions.

Dumbledore arrived first since. His eyes lost their ever present twinkle when he saw everything. "Things have gone too far, Albus." Mcgonagall said. The headmaster remained silent, thinking about the last time the chamber had been opened.

The two of them waited in the darkness for the third person to arrive.

Sirius had finished dinner and was heading back to his quarters. He hadn't seen Harry at dinner and was a little worried. He hoped everything was alright.

In the dimly lit corridor, he caught a flash of silver rushing towards him. When it got closer, he saw that it was Minerva's patronus. He immediately knew something was wrong.

The cat stopped right in front of him. "Seventh floor corridor, come quick."

Sirius didn't bother to think, he briskly climbed the stairs, two at a time. The knot of worry in his stomach was growing by the minute.

Of all the things that could've gone wrong, never in his dreams had Sirius imagined that he would have to face such a day. He found Mcgonagall and Dumbledore on the seventh floor but he didn't bother to acknowledge them. His eyes went straight to the immobile body lying in the pool of blood.

Harry.

Sirius knelt down in front of his pup and gently turned the boy over, his fingers trembling. No, no, no! This couldn't be happening! Not to Harry. He felt the bile rise in his throat when he saw all the blood that Harry had lost. The other two professors didn't say anything and for that, he was grateful. The only sign that his son was alive was the sound of his ragged breathing. Sirius heard it, thanks to his Animagus skills and it brought an infinitesimally small amount of relief to his mind.

He hadn't felt this devastated even in the night James and Lily had died. No, this was a whole new level of misery. Pull yourself together, Black. Sirius mentally chided himself. He couldn't afford to be weak now. He had to be strong, Harry needed him. He could host his own little pity party afterwards.

As gently as he could, so as to not cause further injury, Sirius lifted Harry into his arms. He didn't care about the blood that soaked the front of his robes. Cradling the small form against his chest, he swiftly went off to the hospital wing, Dumbledore and Mcgonagall right behind him.

The man set his son down on one of the many unoccupied beds in the Hospital wing. "Poppy!" He called out sharply, trying his best to keep the panic at bay.

The mediwitch had been sleeping when she came out to greet the source of the voice. Madam Pomfrey took one look at the distraught look on Sirius's face and the bleeding boy on the bed. She immediately got to work. Questions could be asked later.

With a swish of her wand, the robes and uniform disappeared, leaving the boy in just his pants. She muttered a series of spells under her breath. The bleeding was stemmed after which she started cleaning the wounds. There was a deep gash running down all the way from his shoulder blades to his lower back along with numerous small cuts. Once she had completed the cleansing, madam Pomfrey bandaged the cuts, taking care to not aggravate them any further.

Throughout the procedure, Sirius simply stood quietly, taking everything in. His heart had plummeted when he had seen the extent of the damage on Harry's back.

Pomfrey came up to him, her face tense. "How bad is it?" Asked Sirius and was surprised by how hoarse his voice sounded. "Mr. Black, the wounds on his back are quite serious. He's lost a lot of blood from that deep bruise. Its a knife wound. Thankfully, his head injury is not a major concern. There has been no brain damage since he lost consciousness only due to a blunt force. I'm afraid that Mr. Potter will have to stay here for at least a few days. Other than that, there's nothing else to worry about."

Pomfrey hurried off to talk to Dumbledore, leaving Sirius alone with his boy. Sirius conjured a chair and sat down by Harry's bed. He was lying in his stomach. The man sighed dejectedly as he took in his twelve year old's appearance. Harry was pale due to the blood loss, his back was covered with bandages and lying on the large bed, he seemed to appear even smaller than usual.

Sirius gently ran his fingers through his pup's hair. Oh pup. This wasn't supposed to happen, not to Harry.

The old mediwitch approached him with a few potions. "Here's a blood replenishing potion. Make sure you give it to him every three hours once he has regained consciousness. Also see to it that he does not apply any pressure on his back. It will only cause more pain. He also needs to take this potion every twelve hours for the next six days. He'll be back on his feet in no time." She have him a reassuring nod before going back to bed.

Now that the initial panic had dissolved, Sirius felt the worry return. How could this have happened? He looked at the sleeping child and nearly cried. He had come so close to losing Harry. His boy would get better, Sirius would see to that. He would do whatever was needed but he'd make sure that his son was okay.

Sirius looked around and saw that Dumbledore and Mcgonagall had left. He relaxed into the chair, closing his eyes briefly. He wouldn't leave Harry alone. "You'll be alright, little one."

"I. Said. No." Sirius spoke firmly, glaring at the headmaster. "Sirius, please try and understand what I'm saying. I need to speak to Harry so that we can understand what caused this. Surely, you care for the boy enough to allow me find out the root of this cause.

"Don't you dare try to manipulate me into this Dumbledore. Harry can speak about whatever happened when he is strong enough. There is no bloody way I am allowing you to carry forward with that vile plan of yours."

Dumbledore sighed internally. He didn't know how long it would take for Harry to regain consciousness. He did not want to wait that much and so he had asked Sirius of he could look into the boy's mind and find out what had happened. Dumbledore knew better than to try anything on Harry without his guardian's consent but the man had staunchly refused.

"If you would only let-"

"My mind's made up, Albus. I will not allow you to use legilimency on Harry. Absolutely not. This is what I want. Try anything behind my back and you'll regret it."

Dumbledore looked at his former student and saw the anger, worry, and frustration outlining his face. He decided to let it go. He hadn't expected things to go this way but there was nothing that he could do about it. "Very well Sirius. As you wish."

Harry's head hurt. It felt damn heavy like he'd been trampled upon by a herd of elephants. His back felt worse. It hurt like hell. He hadn't felt this degree of pain ever before, not even when Uncle Vernon had caned him to the point of unconsciousness. To top it all, he felt bloody exhausted.

Summoning every bit of energy, he cracked an eye open. He was in the Hospital wing, lying on one of the beds. His dad was right there, resting in a chair by the headboard. Harry turned around so that he could sit up and immediately regretted it. He let out a hiss as his back made contact with the mattress. He returned to his original position on his stomach.

Sirius awoke at the slight noise that disturbed the quietness of the hospital. His eyes landed in Harry who was staring back at him, large green eyes blinking owlishly. He leaned forward and stroked the boy's hair. "Hey, how is it?"

"It hurts." Harry whispered and Sirius felt his heart break. He knew that his pup always underplayed things so if he was actually telling him that it hurt, then Sirius could only imagine the level of pain Harry must be experiencing. "I know pup, I know."

"Do you want to sit up?" When Harry nodded, Sirius got up and helped him sit up. Harry winced slightly but he relaxed as comfortably as he could, against the many pillows. The man held out the blood replenishing potion to his son.

Harry took it without protest, grimacing at the sour taste. Once the required potions had been taken, Sirius settled back into his chair. "So, how long do I need to stay here?" Asked Harry, hoping he could get out maybe today or tomorrow. "Well, Poppy says that you need to be here for at least the next couple of days."

"But I'll miss so many classes." Harry tried. He really didn't mind missing his lessons but the didn't want to stay cooped up over here. The hospital wing was just so boring. "That's perfectly alright. I'm sure your friends will fill you in whenever they come and visit you. I'm not taking any chances, Harry. You scared the hell out me last night." Sirius said, looking at him.

Harry felt guilty. He had never wanted to worry his father. "I'm sorry dad. I didn't mean to scare you." Grey eyes looked at him. "Don't you apologise pup. You had no control over what happened. I'm just thankful that we found you." Harry looked at his dad, his eyes glistening. He wanted to hug Sirius and never let go but his current condition prevented him from doing so. Instead, he settled for taking the man's hand.

Sirius lightly squeezed Harry's hand before standing up. "I've got a class right now. After that's done, we'll eat lunch together. Okay?" Harry didn't want the man to leave but he nodded anyway. Sirius picked up on the boy's thoughts and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back soon kiddo. I promise."

"Okay."

Two hours later, Ron and Hermione came to see Harry. "Harry!" The boy looked up from his Quidditch magazine to see his two best friends looking at him worriedly. "Hey." He said. "You gave us quite a scare mate." Ron commented. Hermione nodded in agreement. "We were awfully worried, Harry. Professor Black told us."

Harry smiled at the two of them. He really had the best of friends. "I'm a little better now, I swear." It was true. His back still hurt a lot but at least his head wasn't throbbing. Instead it had settled down at a dull ache.

"I got you your homework for the day." Hermione said, placing a rolled up parchment in Harry's lap. The boy groaned dramatically.

The three of them talked for a bit. Neither Ron nor Hermione brought up the issue as to how Harry had hurt himself and he was grateful. He didn't want to talk about it, at least not right away.

Shortly after the two of them said goodbye and left, Sirius came back. He ruffled the boy's hair before settling himself in the chair. They are lunch together, chatting pleasantly. Sirius avoided the discussion completely. They could talk once Harry felt better. "I got you some clothes from your wardrobe. I figured you'd rather wear these than the hospital gown." The man held up a pair of pyjamas and a t-shirt.

Sirius helped Harry to put them on. The boy's face turned red. He was twelve years old for Merlin's sake and he couldn't even dress himself! He had to rely on his father for something so small.

"Dad, this is so embarrassing!" He mumbled, dropping his gaze. Sirius laughed lightly at that.

"This is embarrassing? Just wait till I show you that picture in which you were running around the house, absolutely starkers."

"Dad, I really don't-"

"Or when you wore a diaper on your head and danced around-"

"Dad stop-"

"The best one was when you threw-"

"Dad! You're not helping!" Harry burst out. He wasn't angry, not one bit. In fact, he was actually feeling better. Trust his dad to cheer him up using the weirdest of ways. "You do realise that it is part of my job description to embarrass you whenever possible. Especially in front of you friends." Sirius said, smirking at his son.

Harry tried to frown but couldn't contain his smile. Yup, his dad was the best.

"Good afternoon, Harry. I hope you are feeling better." The two of them turned around to see Dumbledore approaching them. The boy nodded. "I'm alright now, sir."

The old man smiled at him. "My dear boy, I was hoping you would be able to tell me about what happened the other day. What was the last thing you remember?"

Harry gave the headmaster all the details right from his trip to the Defence quarters to the blow on his head. By the time he was finished, Dumbledore looked grim while Sirius was nothing short of furious. He now realised how close his son had come to dying.

"Is that it, my boy?" When Harry nodded, Dumbledore left after wishing Harry a speedy recovery.

"Rest for a while now. I'll see you later." Sirius said, getting up. He had one last class to each that day after which he was free to spend the remainder of the day with his son.

Four days later, Harry was released from the hospital wing and none was happier than him. Sure, his dad had spent a lot of time with him and Ron and Hermione had visited whenever they could but it had still been terribly boring. To sit there all day with no one other than the bossy Mediwitch.

"How are you now?" Sirius asked, probably for the fifth time that day. "I'm fine, dad." Harry replied, rolling his eyes to appear annoyed but he was secretly pleased with all the affection. His father had been quite overprotective of him over the past few days and although Harry had made a big show of being unhappy about it, he had relished every bit of it.

"Turn around, pup." Sirius said and Harry complied. The man pushed Harry's shirt out of the way and undid the bandages. He applied the salve as per Pomfrey's instructions, taking care to be as gentle as he could. The wound was healing but it was slow. The gash had been a very deep one and had it gone any deeper, it would have caused serious harm to Harry. "You'll get better." He said although it was more of a reassurance for himself than Harry.

Whoever had done this, was going to suffer. It seems as though everyone was after his son. First Malfoy, and now, whoever it was who had played the dirty game.

Sirius ran a hand through Harry's hair and walked out of the room. He would keep Harry safe. They would get to the bottom of all of this. It would all work out.

The worried father chanted these lines in his head before sleep overtook him.

So, how was the chapter?

Who attacked Harry? Only time will tell...

Me- Cackles mysteriously and walks away.