Author's Note: First, thank you for still reading! Second, not much to say except I will be taking the fifth year at a rather fast pace because there are many fics that deal with the aftermath of Pettigrew being found and other things that I don't want to spend time with. My focus is towards the future and how Harry deals with coming out and Cedric and then learning the prophecy and how that affects him. Plus, I want to get to Charlie sooner rather than later seeing as that is the main pairing.

Posted 8/2/15

Standard disclaimer about not owning anything; I am so thankful for JKR and all that she did for us. She gave us one of the greatest gifts, and so many people have taken to this site and played brilliantly with her creation. We should have a JKR day and it should be a global holiday!

Harry was ecstatic at leaving the Dursleys behind. It had taken just under two weeks for everything to fully come together, and there was hardly any interaction between anyone when Sirius had come to collect him. The Dursleys couldn't wait to be free of him, and the feeling was mutual, but Harry didn't care about the past now.

Pettigrew had finally had his trial and Sirius had been cleared. In fact, he had even been given a considerable remuneration for the time that he had spent in Azkaban. Even without the aid of what was left of the Black Fortune, Sirius would never have to work another day in his life and would be able to provide for a very nice life for Harry – who hadn't even made a dent in the money left to him by his parents.

Though, it wasn't all good news. During the trial, Pettigrew had been asked carefully crafted questions in order to make sure that information about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's alleged return remained secret. The Ministry had no intention of releasing that information just yet, and, to be sure, Pettigrew was quietly given the Dementor's kiss instead of serving life in Azkaban.

Harry was a little nervous about Grimmauld Place after reading about some of the stories that Sirius had written in their letters during his brief and final time in Little Whinging. He was relieved as they walked from their apparation point and through the park when Sirius had told him that the entire house was now clean. Although, Harry was surprised to learn that there would be a house elf, who Sirius wasn't particularly found of, and that painting of Sirius' mother had been unable to get removed. Still, Harry thought, anything short of having to live with Voldemort was better than being at Privet Drive.

Harry was given a piece of paper upon exciting the park; Dumbledore had insisted on the Fidelius Charm being used, and he had offered himself to be the Secret Keeper. He was adamant that if Harry was giving up the protection from his mother's sacrifice, that there would be some kind of assurance of his safety going forward and the Fidelius Charm was the next best thing to ancient protection magic.

Harry was still both a little confused and intrigued that a secret could be hidden inside of someone, and noted the magic that went through him when he read the address and this house that just appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

Thoughts about the magic were soon swept aside as he saw the house for the first time. It was magnificent in Harry's mind and he couldn't wait to settle in, and he could definitely feel himself soon being able to call this place home.

They walked through the threshold and even though they were being as quiet as they could, Sirius' mother, Walburga Black, came to life and started screeching bloody murder.

"Who dares enter the house of the Ancient and Noble Blacks? This is the house of my fathers and I will not allow it!" She roared.

"Forgive me Harry," Sirius gave him a pained look.

"She still isn't used to me living here after all of that time spent alone these past few years."

Harry gave him a look and shrugged his shoulders; there really wasn't anything that they could do about it. Sirius had warned him about his dear mother and told Harry that he wouldn't rest until she was removed. For all intents and purposes, Sirius had made it clear to Harry that he was his only family now and to never be concerned with what someone else said.

Fortunately, the painting was in the entrance hallway and so it would remain somewhat out of the way while they were in the rest of the house.

But that did mean that they had to walk right by it.

"Traitor," she cried at seeing Sirius walk through.

"You don't deserve to have this house!"

Harry could see the look of pain that briefly flashed through Sirius' eyes; he didn't like it at all.

Then, Walburga caught sight of Harry. "And just who is this that thinks they are worthy of being in this house? Are you a blood traitor?"

Harry just rolled his eyes at Walburga, which, granted, wasn't the best idea and immediately set her off wailing again.

"Don't treat me with such disrespect. Do you know who I am? I could have you killed!" she cried out, preferring to act as if she did have that kind of power and was alive.

Harry was sick of taking people's crap. His time since the cemetery had allowed him to do a lot of thinking and reevaluate his life so far. He had been through too much to let what anyone said affect him, and Harry was beginning to develop this new confidence in his abilities born from having access to his full mental faculties that he had gone his entire life without. No more would he be a punching bag.

"I'm sorry – but do you know who I am?" He bit back, arms folded across his chest. Sirius had to turn around, surprised at Harry's comeback and intrigued at where he was going with this.

"What does it matter? You are beneath us and everything this house stands for." The painting was surprised at someone talking back to it in that manner and so there was less venom in her retort.

"Well, I am someone that also goes by the name the Boy-Who-Lived." If Harry could face Voldemort, and hold his own with Albus even if it had been just a single time, then he certainly should be able to handle some painting who had only the footprint of who the person had been when they had been alive.

"I got that title because Voldemort, yeah I can say that name, killed my parents and then came after me. He cast the killing curse at me, a baby, but I survived. Since then, I have battled trolls, Voldemort's spirit, Acromantulas, killed a Basilisk and Voldemort - again, driven away about a hundred Dementors, encountered a werewolf, terrorists, faced off with a nesting dragon, escaped a deadly maze only to find myself face to face with another episode of surviving a killing curse, to knowing that Voldemort has returned and has a body once more. So tell me, why should I care what you say? You have a great son here, who battled a mad man intent on killing everyone it seems. Plus he escaped from a prison, where he was being held illegally, once thought to be inescapable to find me and protect me, his Godson."

Sirius had to admit, it was an impressive sight seeing Harry stare down the memory of his dear mum, and was a rant more than worthy of being a marauder. It also made Sirius' heart ache, because although he was incredible proud that Harry had faced and beaten all of those thing – Harry was still just a kid and should never have had to face any of those things even once. His Godson meant so much to him and he swore to James and Lilly that he would do his best to make sure that their son lived through what was to come and he would make sure that Harry's life was as enjoyable as possible.

Walburga didn't know what to say. Her first thought that the kid was lying, but she couldn't find it in his eyes. It was remarkable for anyone to face all of that, and survive - in their entire lifetime – and here this boy in front of her was just that, a boy. As much as she didn't want to because it went against how she had been used to acting, she had to respect someone that faced all of that and lived.

She nodded at Harry and became silent, too deep in thought evaluating her small world to continue her acidic barbs.

Harry walked towards Sirius, who had a gobsmacked expression on his face and together they headed into the kitchen.

Sirius was floored, "Harry, I don't think I have ever seen anyone make my mother speechless before. Where did that come from?"

It was a fair question. Before the cemetery, Harry would never have had the confidence or the mental abilities to remain cool, calm, and collected during such a tirade. In the past, he would have felt this daze of anger spread through him and cloud his judgment and cause him to rush into something. Now though, he could certainly see how he had changed and what that afforded him. Again, he appreciated it knowing that Voldemort was out there now, seemingly having his eyes set on him – and Harry would be prepared for the next time something happened to him.

"I guess you can say I have changed since the cemetery. I feel older I guess and thinking is easier for me." He didn't want to worry Sirius about his thoughts with the scar and figured it would become clear when Albus told him what he wanted to know. Which reminded him that he needed to come up with a schedule to learn Occlumency.

Sirius thought he was describing growing up and sometimes it feeling like progress was in spurts rather than at a slow, steady rate.

They ate some lunch and Harry was taken on a tour of his new home. Sirius had introduced him to Kreacher, who had observed the incident with Walburga and was also deep in thought. He knew when someone had won her respect, and it gave him pause. He had usually taken up things and ideas that she respected, and even though he loathed Sirius because of the pain he had put his parents through and how the man treated him, he didn't know how to feel about someone that had just become his new master.

Harry settled into his room and started putting away the small number of possessions that he owned. He had decided back at The Dursleys to go through all of his textbooks because he was going to treat school very differently than he had in the past and wanted to make sure he had a firm grasp of the basics before committing fully to his plan. It had become painfully obvious to him just how abnormal his life was and how much luck had been involved with him surviving up to this point. Harry didn't want to take any more chances and he wanted to be as prepared for the future as he could. So, he set to work and continued going through his old books. The good thing about his time at Privet Drive had been all the time that he had had and he was able to nearly finish two years of review in two weeks.

Studying had also given him something to focus on besides Cedric. He had spent his first few days moping around his room at the lack of contact and wondering if it had even happened at all. It was also easier to not focus on the sudden intensity of these feelings and question as to why that was.

They had been writing to each other non-stop and some days even exchanged two or three letters, which meant that Hedwig actually had the best summer that she had ever had mainly because she never inside her cage.

At first the letters had been desperate, as each were going through an acute withdrawal of kisses and the close contact that they had quickly become accustomed to – but as time went on, the tone of the letters changed. They became calmer, more accepting that there would be a considerable amount of time between their next encounter. Both were sharing things and learning about what the other had gone through in life and becoming closer in more intimate ways that had nothing to do with anything physical.

Harry and Cedric had settled into a routine: they would wake up, and read the letters that had been delivered overnight before responding and then going through their day before reading and responding to the letters from the morning at night.

The distance also gave Harry a chance to focus on what was happening in his life outside of Cedric. He realized that there were likely things that he didn't know about Voldemort and what was going on with his scar, while at the same time, beginning to let someone into his inner circle, potentially sharing things that he had only ever experienced with Ron or Hermione before.

But the one thought about a relationship that he couldn't try to ignore concerned both his and the other person's safety. He had some doubts in the very back of his mind that any relationship he entered into would be challenging given who he was and what was constantly happening in his life, but so far Cedric didn't seem to mind that despite not knowing everything that Harry had been through. Some of what Harry wanted to tell him was better left for in person and if and when their relationship progressed.

Although just thinking about the future, now that he was almost hyper aware of what had been going on and what was going one, sometimes gave Harry an uneasy feeling. And that wasn't even considering how he was going to handle coming out. Even though homosexuality wasn't as frowned upon in the wizarding world, it was just something else that he would have to go through and he wondered how that would impact his relationship with Cedric. How he wished that his life were easier and that there were fewer things that he had to worry about; it would have made things so much easier.

But Harry had had a sheltered life before Hogwarts, and then at Hogwarts had basically only ever gotten the chance to react to things as they happened. He had learned to just go with things and to not really think about them until later, if he ever thought about them at all. He may not have liked the routine, but it was the only thing that he knew.

Still, what was happening with Cedric was sudden; he couldn't deny that. But it made him feel so good inside that he latched onto what was happening. Every letter that he would get was saved and then reread again and again when his studying for the day was finished.

And Harry found himself enjoying getting to know who Cedric was and he couldn't wait until he could see him again. Which now that he was living in Grimmauld Place, he would have to see about Sirius letting him have friends over, though that would involve having Dumbledore in on it as the Secret Keeper as Sirius had destroyed the initial address that he had given to Harry to read and enter his new home.

At dinner that night, Harry gave it a go.

"Sirius," he called between bites of his shepherd's pie that Kreacher had made, which were divine by the way.

"Yeah, pup?" he looked up at Harry after pouring himself a small glass of whiskey.

"I was wondering about having friends over. Normally, I go over to the Burrow at the end of the summer and this year, well, I was thinking if Ron, Hermione, and possibly Cedric could come here?"

At the very least, Harry wanted to be able to go and see his friends if he wasn't able to have them over.

Sirius smiled at him. "Actually, I had already spoken with Dumbledore, thinking it would be a good idea for you to be able to feel that this was your home, which it is, by having people over. Obviously, it will be a little more challenging because of the Fidelius, but I don't see why not."

"Though, Cedric, huh?" Sirius raised his eyebrow. "I didn't know you were good friends with him, or was it because of what happened in the cemetery?" He asked concernedly, knowing that traumatic events often brought people together.

Sirius took another bite of his potatoes but kept his eyes on Harry who sat right across from him.

Harry tried to keep the color out of his cheeks, but some crept through, making his face feel a little warmer than usual. Sirius noticed it.

"We became friends," Harry accented accidentally, "at the end of the year." Harry realized his unexpected giveaway, suddenly not feeling that hungry and wary of Sirius' response.

Sirius raised his eyebrows in slight shock, but not because he had a problem with it. To him, it was just one more thing that Harry would have to endure, along with everything else on his plate.

"Friends, huh?" Sirius wanted to make this as easy on Harry as possible, but couldn't resist all of his marauder tendencies.

"I'll make this simple, Harry – never worry about telling me anything. I just want you to be happy, okay? And your parents wouldn't care either who you ended up with."

Relief flushed through Harry and he released a breath that he didn't know that he was holding.

"Really, Sirius? You are okay with it? It kind of surprised me how quick it suddenly all came together. It was like one minute I didn't really notice how attracted I was to anyone, and then all of a sudden, wham, I saw him and …" He trailed off, the nodding of Sirius' head indicating that he had more than gotten the point that he thought Harry was trying to make.

"I think that is how it goes for most people when they get their first crush or whatever is going on between you two; one minute can change everything at your age."

Sirius smiled warmly at him, finding himself enjoying the parental aspect of this much more than he ever would have thought. Perhaps he knew how Harry felt with feelings all of a sudden becoming apparent that you hadn't really thought about before. He knew he was overjoyed at having Harry as his Godson, but now though, he would die for him without question and the most important thing to him was that the young man that sat across from him was happy.

Harry returned the smile, but he still wasn't hungry anymore. Though, this time, the reason had nothing to do with any negative emotions.

"So, do you have any questions about that or is it too soon do you think?" a wicked glint in Sirius' eye because he could see the sudden awkwardness that took over Harry's countenance.

Harry's face nearly blanched; he was not ready for this talk just yet, if ever.

"No, no, no. That is quite alright." Harry responded with cherry-colored cheeks. Though, internally, his mind did begin to wonder about that sort of thing and what was involved and what would happen, and he began to sweat slightly. He felt his pants becoming a little tighter because of the excitement that train of thought had led him towards, but he was also aware that Sirius was present and that was very uncomfortable for him.

Luckily, dinner was over soon and Harry was able to excuse himself and turned in for the night.

'Sex,' he thought to himself, suddenly aware that being in a relationship could lead to sex and honestly wondering what he thought of the subject.

'It's much too soon,' he told himself, 'I just had my first kiss two weeks ago!'

He rolled over onto his back on the largest bed that he had ever gotten to call his.

But he began to wonder what Cedric thought about that, which was something he reasoned could be on the mind of the other boy considering that he was two years older than he was.

Needless to say, Harry had some interesting dreams that night and was awoken in the middle of the night after having another first.

He moved silently through the dark night, seemingly walking on air as he maneuvered around the heavily guarded fortress known as Azkaban. Ever since Sirius Black had escaped, the prison's defenses had improved considerably. But it was no matter to him; the Dementor's did not bother him.

Dementors fed on the joy that was in someone's soul, and that was what they craved to the point they allowed the Ministry to subjugate them in return for a never-ending buffet of prisoners, most of whom where committed for life. It was a relatively easy life for them, despite not having their preferred source of nutrients. Adults had older souls and even though there could be joy, it wasn't the same as the unbridled and pure joy that a child could possess. It was also why it had been so difficult to control the Dementors at Hogwarts, and had the Minister known better, well, it was the Ministry and they probably wouldn't have done anything differently.

But his soul was different; Lord Voldemort had split it so many times that it was not recognizable to a Dementor and their presence barely affected him and they didn't even see him as a source of food.

And so Lord Voldemort, the greatest Dark Wizard of all time, suddenly appeared at the very top of the tower and made his way into the fortress to enact the first phase of his plan.

The next morning Harry made it downstairs before Sirius, finding that he was unable to go back to sleep after that surge of hormones that had run through him. Now, it wasn't because it was the first time that he had had a wet dream, but this was the first time that he had known who the other person was. In the past, it has always been some nameless face – and now that Harry thought about it, he wasn't too sure what the gender had even been – but now it had been Cedric, his kissing person and it was slightly shocking.

Unfortunately, he would find that his day would get a lot worse because a few moments after Sirius had come down for break, the Daily Prophet had been delivered.

Azkaban Prisoner Missing

By Rita Skeeter.

My Dear Readers,

I wish I had better news. Earlier today, guards noticed that a prisoner was missing at Azkaban. The Ministry does not know for certain everything surrounding this incident and whether the prisoner escaped, but the Ministry is asking the wizarding community to be vigilant for any sightings of Bellatrix Lestrange (nee Black). This is the second event in less than two years to involve a missing prisoner at the fabled prison, once thought inescapable. Readers will remember the Sirius Black fiasco, who we learned recently was innocent and had simply been desperate to protect his Godson. Unfortunately, this will not have the same ending because Bellatrix was sentenced lawfully for her admitted role in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom in order to extract information on the whereabouts of the recently defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Let us hope that this is not the case, but again, readers are cautioned to treat her as heavily armed and exceedingly dangerous.

Let me know what you think! Reviews are great!