Author's note. Again, there are some changes here but that's mostly due to the fact parts of the first chapter were changed. So, for the most part, this is the original chapter, the next one will be all my own work.

Adopted from EmilyDawn94.

Suggestions are welcome.

Enjoy and please review.

Chapter two

Chapter Two: Confessions and Tasks.

Sirius was sitting alone in the living room, staring intently into the crackling fire, a half-empty glass of Firewhiskey in his hand. It was past midnight and he had yet to tire, unlike his almost sixteen-year-old godson, who had disappeared upstairs an hour previously. Perhaps it was his mind contemplating everything Harry had informed him of that was keeping him awake. No matter how hard he tired to refrain from thinking about it, he couldn't.

His First year defence teacher had repeatedly tried to murder him and he'd met his parents killer that same year. Not to mention all the other crap that had followed although Sirius was still hazy about his Second year. But piecing together little scraps of information he'd gotten over the last year or so, he knew something big had happened. Because it had been his first dinner with Harry, he hadn't brought it up but there was no denying that no student should have had their life in danger so many times.

Yet Harry had.

Sirius wanted to scream. This was his fault. Harry would still have his parents had he not failed to see the signs that there was a traitor amongst them. Pettigrew's animagus form was a rat for Merlin's sake. How much more obvious could it have been?

Despite what Molly said, there was no doubt within Sirius' mind that the kid lying asleep was his godson. His Harry. Not James, no matter how alike they looked. There was too much Lily inside Harry for him not to realise the difference, and it was something that he would never change. He was just glad to have Harry now after so many years apart, but he would forever hate the reasons that brought them together in the first place.

Times had been much simpler back then. They had been happy. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything had changed.

Peter had betrayed them; James and Lily died; he was sentenced to Azkaban for crimes he didn't commit, leaving Harry to suffer years of a miserable exsistence, and Remus to suffer years of hardship alone.

I miss you, Prongs.

Almost fifteen years to the day his best friend died with not a day going by where neither James or Lily failed to appear in his thoughts.

If only you could see Harry now. I know you'd both be proud of the man he's become.

Sirius knew they would be extremely proud. He was proud, too. Fifteen-years-old and he'd already endured more than most wizards would in a lifetime. By now, most would have gone mad, but not Harry. He was living proof of the saying, 'what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger'. There was no doubt in his mind that Harry will have the power, the strength, to defeat Voldemort for good. The so called 'Lord' couldn't even kill him as a baby, as an adult it would be near to impossible.

Downing the glass of Firewhiskey in one, Sirius grimaced as it burned his throat - a sensation he thought he would be used to by now - and got to his feet, extinguishing the fire as he went.

He had reached the fifth step when a bloodcurdling scream rang out, stopping him dead in his tracks as his heart hammered erratically inside his chest.

Harry!

Taking two steps at a time, Sirius finally found himself on the top landing outside Harry's bedroom. Another scream sounded at the same moment Sirius burst through the closed door. Immediately his eyes found Harry writhing around on hid bed, his blankets a crumpled heap on the floor. His face was pale causing the scar on his forehead to stand out drastically; his face was scrunched together in pain. In one fluid motion, Sirius was crouched down next to Harry's side and was trying to shake him awake.

"Harry," he called, his voice sounding uneven. "Harry, wake up. You're all right. It's just a nightmare, Harry. Wake up."

Harry remained irresponsive to his godfather's attempts. Sirius watched as his eyeballs rolled wildly behind closed lids, whimpering to whatever it was he was seeing.

"Harry!" Sirius called louder, shaking him rougher that time.

A moment later, Harry's eyes snapped open, gasping loudly as he bolted upright. Sirius grabbed him around the waist to prevent him from toppling out of the bed.

"Easy there, Harry. Take a slow, deep breath."

The pair sat in silence for a minute or two, listening to the sound of Harry's loud, ragged breathing that he was attempting to get under control.

"Are you all right?" Sirius finally asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

Harry nodded. "I - I'm fine. Lucius Malfoy, on the other hand, is not."

"What happened?"

"Cruciatus Curse. I - I didn't hear everything but he's not happy. Voldemort is not happy, Sirius," Harry stopped to take a deep breath.

Sirius gazed at his godson to see unmistakable fear present.

"He's ordering someone to kill Dumbledore."

Sirius blinked. Dumbledore, like Harry, was on top of Voldemort's 'to kill' list, they all knew that. But he had never ordered the man's death before. Voldemort was afraid of him. He knew from experience that Dumbledore would always best him in a duel.

Voldemort usually killed the most skilled or valuable once he was positive there was no possible way to sway them onto his side. Like James and Lily; Marleen and Dorcas. Voldemort had killed them all personally just as he would Harry... but not Dumbledore. To Sirius that made no sense. He imagined Voldemort would revel in the murder of Albus Dumbledore, the man whom he was said to fear.

However, there would be time to worry about that later. For now, Sirius had to take care of his godson, who was trembling under his touch.

Being an Auror and an Order member in the height of the first war, it wasn't rare to see the Cruciatus Curse performed first hand. Neither was feeling the effects. Having his teenaged godson actually seeing the curse performed caused his skin to crawl. There were certain things no one should ever have to watch, and that was one of them.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

One look at Harry told Sirius that his godson was not fine. Nowhere near, in fact. His hands were trembling despite how hard he tried to hide it; his face was covered in a thick layer of cold sweat and, if it were possible, he was looking paler.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Let's try this again. How are you feeling?"

"Really, I'm fine," Harry attempted a reassuring smile. "I'm tired but it's late."

"Do you want to go back to sleep?"

Harry shook his head frantically. "Not - not yet," he answered hoarsely.

"Okay," Sirius murmured. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe in the morning."

Harry began to sway despite the fact he was sitting on his bed.

Taking his hands from around Harry's waist, Sirius placed his palm in the centre of his godson's chest, pushing him down into a vertical position.

"Lie down. You'll feel better."

Harry doubted that but didn't protest. These visions did take a lot out of him, real or not, and that was Harry's problem. Was this vision real? Or was it yet another one planted inside his mind to lure him out and kill him? To kill someone he loved? If there had been one thing he had learned in the last month, it would be not to trust his mind. It wasn't safe. He wasn't safe. No one was safe around him. No matter where he was, or who he was with, they would be in danger for as long as Voldemort was around. For as long as it would take for him to fulfil the prophecy.

"What's on your mind?" Sirius' voice interrupted his thoughts.

Harry took a breath. "Was it real? Or was it planted inside my mind to lure me out into the open to kill me, or kill someone I care about?" Harry was surprised at how hysterical he sounded.

"Harry..."

"No! It's happened before, Sirius! You almost died last time and it would have been my fault. No, Sirius, it would have been my fault and mine alone. I could have gotten everyone killed because I was too incompetent to learn how to close my mind. I should have tried harder, we all know that. I - I don't know what I would have done had you died. I probably never would have forgiven myself, Sirius. I still haven't. I'm meant to protect everyone, to save the world, and I've failed already before I've even had a proper chance -"

Sirius had enough of listening to Harry talk himself into a panic attack. He placed a hand over his godson's mouth to silence him.

"Now you're silent I can talk." Sirius smiled faintly at the wreck that was Harry. "It would not have been your fault if I had died, it would have been my own fault for letting my guard down whilst I goaded her. I've been trained by some of the best, Harry. I should have known better than to let my own personal vendetta against Bellatrix get in the way of saving you. I never want to hear you blame yourself again, do you hear me?"

With his godfather's hand still clamped to his mouth, Harry couldn't answer. He nodded his head, though it didn't decrease the feelings of guilt washing over him.

"Good. We all make our own choices, Harry. I made mine that night to save you and I wouldn't change it for a thing. You're the most important person in my life. I would willingly give my own life for yours. Believe me when I say that."

Tears sprung inside Harry's eyes. He closed them before any could spill. Though the gesture in itself was a loving one, Harry didn't want it to happen, he never did. His parents died for him. This war was centred around him - Harry. Voldemort wanted him dead, no one else, except Dumbledore now, so it seemed. Though he's going to try and bring Voldemort down with him, Harry wasn't sure he was going to survive this war. He knew it was inevitable that those closest to him were going to join but how many were going to survive it? Because of him.

Sirius nudged him in the shoulder; eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," He paused for a beat. "What are we going to do about Dumbledore?"

"You're going to go back to sleep and get some rest now. Then, in the morning we'll head up to Hogwarts, together, and inform Dumbledore about your dream."

Harry nodded, yawning widely.

"I want you to take a Dreamless Sleep Potion," Sirius told him. "I want you to get at least a small amount of sleep if possible."

"Okay," Harry agreed.

Rather than leaving Harry to get the potion, Sirius pulled out his wand and said, "Accio Dreamless Sleep Potion."

Not a second later did a clear vial filled to the top with a purple potion come flying into Harry's bedroom, caught neatly in hand by Sirius, who uncorked it and handed to him. Harry grimaced as he drank it in one gulp. He had taken it once before - after the third task - and yet it hadn't tasted as vile as it did now. Perhaps it had been the aftermath of watching Cedric die... watching Voldemort's rebirth, that he didn't pay much mind to the taste of a single potion. Now, however, it was revolting. Harry looked up, with drooping eyes, to see his godfather smirking at him.

"Go to sleep now, Harry," he murmured, pulling the covers over Harry's chest.

Sirius watched as a faint smile formed on his godson's lips before his eyes shut tight and his breathing evened out into the steady rhythm of sleep.

It was a comfort to Sirius knowing that Harry would be undisturbed in the rest of his sleep. In the morning they would take a trip up to Hogwarts and alert Dumbledore to Voldemort's, relatively, new plan.

With a fleeting glance towards his slumbering godson, Sirius quietly shut the door and headed for his own bedroom.

Harry awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. It had been one of the best night's sleep he'd had in a few weeks. Most nights he would dream of what occurred in the Department of Mysteries. He knew his godfather was all right but Harry still couldn't get the image of seeing Sirius hit with the spell, only in his dreams Remus didn't get to him in time.

Pushing those thoughts aside (his godfather was downstairs, or knowing Sirius, still asleep, but very much alive) Harry rolled onto his stomach and lifted his head to check the alarm clock sitting on his bedside cabinet. It was ten past nine. Groaning, Harry stretched before dragging himself out of bed.

He was surprised to meet Sirius, fully-dressed, in the kitchen. A steaming mug was sitting in front of him.

"Good morning," Sirius greeted cheerfully.

"Morning."

"How are you feeling this morning?"

Harry sat in the chair opposite his godfather. "I'm fine. The potion helped."

Sirius' gaze lingered on his face as though trying to contradict Harry's words. There was colour back on Harry's face much to Sirius' pleasure. Being the cool godfather was one thing but being a parent was another. Last night he even considered having Madam Pomfrey giving him the once over but thought better of it. He didn't think Harry would appreciate him dragging him to see the Hogwarts matron because he had a nightmare.

This was going to be a long summer.

"Up for a trip to Hogwarts then? If we go early we can get the house-elves to feed us. There's nothing better than a Hogwarts feast." Sirius sighed wistfully. Hogwarts had been some of the best days of his life.

Harry grinned. "Sure. Give me five minutes to get changed."

"Hurry up. I don't know about you but I'm starved."

"When are you not?" teased Harry, mirth twinkling in his eyes. "You eat more than Ron and that's saying something."

Last night Harry was shocked to see his godfather managing to keep down a steak dinner, four slices of Harry's favourite treacle tart and several bottles of butterbeer while Harry could only manage his steak and kidney pie and a single slice of tart. Then again, thought Harry, Sirius needed the food. Azkaban had rendered the man to nothing but skin and bones. The year after his escape he lived on rats in order to be closer to Harry. It was only in the last year whilst cooped up inside Grimmauld Place that Sirius had been given decent meals. Now he was free, Harry wouldn't have to worry about that.

Five minutes later, a fully-dressed Harry and Sirius standing besides the green flames dancing inside the fire. They were to floo to Hogwarts.

Sirius was about to offer the floo powder to Harry when he began to frown. "Have you ever travelled by floo before?"

"Yeah, I - er - well, I sort of got lost during my first time... that's a story for another time, though."

"Lost? Do I need to hold your hand to Hogwarts?" Harry glared at him. "Okay, you'll have to speak clearly, though, all right."

"I'm almost sixteen, Sirius."

Sirius grinned down at him. "I never would have noticed," he replied dryly. "Try not to get lost. I haven't had breakfast yet."

Rolling his eyes, Harry took some floo powder from the pot Sirius was offering him and stepped into the green flames.

"Dumbledore's Office, Hogwarts," he called out, clearly emphasising the words for his godfather's benefit. Before he flamed out, Harry could see the smirk on Sirius' face.

A moment later Harry tumbled out of the fireplace inside the Headmaster's office. As usual he almost landed on the floor but a pair of hands reached out to steady him. Harry gasped as he saw the state of the Headmaster's right hand.

"Sir, your hand - " he began to say as he drew himself upright, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"It is a most enthralling tale, I will admit, but that will be for another day. I'm rather curious to hear about this dream of yours. Ah, here comes your godfather."

The flames ignited and Harry saw the tall figure of his godfather come rushing out. Unlike Harry, Sirius did not almost fall.

"You made it I see," commented Sirius with a grin. Facing the Headmaster, his smile faded. "What's the matter with your hand, Albus?"

"As I was explaining to Harry here, it is a gripping tale that I hope to share one day with you, but alas, that is not today. Sherbet lemon?"

With a shrug, Sirius took one of the sweeties Dumbledore offered him, and then ushered his godson into a seat.

"Now," Dumbledore continued, sounding grave; the twinkle in his eyes had gone out as he appraised Harry from behind half-moon spectacles, "Harry, can you tell me about your dream?"

Harry gave a jerky head nod and began to recount his dream. Sirius, not having heard in full detail, paled considerably as he listened attentively at his godson's words. For both himself and Harry, Sirius placed a hand in the centre of Harry's back and began rubbing soothing circles.

Once Harry had finished, the younger man looked up at his godfather and smiled tentatively.

"Are you all right?" Sirius asked him, concerned.

It was one thing to have seen it, let alone having to recount it in detail.

Harry nodded, it wasn't the first time he'd reencountered a bad vision. "Yeah. You?"

"Don't worry about me, kid. Your old godfather is just fine," Sirius added with a fond wink. Noticing that the Headmaster was unnaturally quiet, Sirius snapped his head up to gaze at the older man. He frowned. "What's the matter, Albus?"

Hearing Sirius' voice seemed to snap Dumbledore out of the trance he had found himself in. Both Harry and Sirius were staring at the Headmaster with concern.

"Ignore an old man," chuckled Dumbledore. "I am merely over thinking as usual."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"I do not think it's anything to worry about -" began Dumbledore, but Harry cut across him.

"Nothing to worry about?" he repeated incredulously. "I saw Voldemort ordering Lucius Malfoy to murder you!" He couldn't believe how lightly Dumbledore was taking this.

"Harry!" Sirius warned quietly, grasping his godson's hand in his own and giving him a gentle squeeze.

"I appreciate the concern but I do not believe that Lucius Malfoy will attempt it. Now, as I was saying, I don't think it is anything to worry about, but I do think it will be wise for Harry to resume studying Occlumency. These dreams are only going to get worse."

"I'm not having Snape teaching me," Harry blurted out at once, momentarily forgetting his concerns regarding Dumbledore's sanity.

"Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected, his eyebrows raising. "And I think I have a solution to that, if you would be interested."

"Okay..."

"During the holidays, your godfather can teach you -"

Harry's head snapped up to look at his godfather. "But I thought you didn't know Occlumency."

"I learnt when I was younger because of my -" his lips thinned, "- parents. Though I haven't used it in a long time."

"A few refresher courses and you should have it down," Dumbledore told him, his blue eyes twinkling away. "As I was saying, you, Sirius, can teach Harry during the summers, and I can teach you during term. I would also like to begin teaching you a different type of lesson to what you are used to."

"Like what, Sir?"

"Something that will help you along the way."

Harry sighed. "To defeat Voldemort."

"Essentially, yes," Dumbledore smiled. "But we can discuss that at a later date."

Harry nodded. "Okay. Oh, and Sir? Hermione keeps bothering me about the O.W.L results. Do you know when they'll be arriving."

"Sometime in the next couple of days, I believe."

As Harry smiled, a little nervously as he wasn't sure what kind of results he'd get, Sirius suggested.

"Why don't we head over to the Burrow so you and your friends can receive your results on the same day?"

"Sounds good," Harry replied, knowing Hermione would go crazy until she could find out what all three of them had gotten. Plus, he'd enjoy being able to hang out with his friends casually.

Dumbledore now chuckled and said.

"It would also give Molly the perfect excuse to throw a little party."

"That's another reason to go," Sirius said with a nod. "Molly's promised to teach me how to cook; I need to learn how to really take care of myself...and my Godson."

"I can cook," Harry pointed out but Sirius said.

"Yes but you're at Hogwarts most of the year. And Molly is right that I can't just eat out all the time, I need to learn to be able to cook for my family...especially if I meet someone."

Sirius said this last part with an eye roll as though he really doubted it. But it made Harry wonder, how would it be if Sirius did find someone? Someone he wanted to settle down with and maybe have kids? Of course, Harry would be graduating Hogwarts in a couple of years so realistically; he'd be looking for his own place so it wouldn't really matter if Sirius wanted to start a family.

Was it normal to feel jealous at that thought?

Author's note. Dumbledore needs Harry and Sirius's help getting a certain teacher to come back to Hogwarts but what happens when Harry finds out new information about his families school days? Find out next time, until then.