A/N Sorry to leave this on a cliffhanger, but the chapter was getting too long. The second part will be up tomorrow, I promise! Thanks again for the reviews!

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"You do know that, no matter how long it takes you to finish your breakfast, you are still having your lesson this morning, right?"

Harry peered over the top of his bowl of hot wheat cereal and glared at his smirking godfather. He had spent the past twenty minutes trying to figure out if he could possibly eat the bitter mush grain by grain. Sirius had told him that lessons would begin after breakfast.

Well then, what if breakfast didn't end?

After a moment, Sirius cocked an eyebrow at him, looking directly into his eyes very pointedly. There was no mistake in the non verbal message he was trying to relay. Dejected, Harry picked his spoon up again and jammed it into the bowl.

"I know, I know," he muttered miserably as he scooped up a clump of the brown paste and shoved it unwillingly into his mouth. Keeping his eyes cast down, he bit back a retort when he heard his godfather snort over the theatrics.

"There is no need to look like you are on your way to your execution, you know," Sirius continued, trying to lighten up the mood. "I'm sure Remus would be very hurt to know that you are dreading spending the next few hours with him."

Harry looked up, genuine surprise on his face. "I don't mind spending time with him. But does it have to be in a classroom?" Lately, he had been having visions of sitting at a hard desk, mountains of books stacked up in front of him, rolls and rolls of parchment that needed to be filled, all while the warm sunshine of summer streaked in through the windows...mocking him.

"It's not going to be in a classroom, Harry," Sirius frowned at his godson's exaggeration. With a mock scowl on his face, he stared the boy down for a moment. "Have you even seen our library?" he asked sarcastically.

Harry rolled his eyes. The large room, at the corner of the house, had floor to ceiling windows on the two walls that were not covered in multi-tiered bookshelves. A large rolling ladder was attached to a track in the floor that allowed for the access of even the topmost books. By one window stood a cozy seating area with a large plushy sofa and two wingback chairs with a marble topped coffee table between them. Directly across the room though, was a long burnished wood table and four straightbacked chairs. Three green shaded reading lights stretched down the length. It was here that Harry assumed he would be taking his lessons and the chairs looked just too much like the classroom chairs at Hogwarts for his taste.

"Yes, I've seen the library, Sirius," he grumbled in a weary voice. He gave his godfather a sad look. "Can't I study outside instead? It's a fine day. I'm sure Remus wouldn't mind."

Sirius thought for a moment. Remus was teaching him the summoning spell this morning. Surely that could be done just as easily outside as in. No reason to keep the boy trapped in the house if it was not completely necessary.

"If Remus says yes," he began, watching the hopeful expression creep across Harry's face, "then you may. But," he declared sternly and Harry's face fell a bit, "if you spend more time preoccupied by the pitch than you do on what you are being taught, then you will come right back inside and there will be no more outside lessons for the rest of the summer. Agreed?"

Harry nodded eagerly at this most welcomed turn of events. Lessons outside in the warm sunshine suddenly sounded less ominous than sitting at the hard table in the library surrounded by books, books and more books. "Agreed. I promise I'll pay attention."

Sirius gave Harry a wink and an indulgent smile. It didn't usually take much to make his godson happy. He had promised himself that they would do whatever they could to make the morning tutoring as painless as possible to take away the sting of summertime studies. Of course,` the potions lessons would have to be held indoors in the small lab that Sirius had commissioned last week, just for safety reasons, and he also couldn't see Severus agreeing to teach Harry occlumency whilst hunkered down on a blanket in the garden, a pitcher of lemonade and a plate of biscuits between them. Although, the mental image was humorous and made him laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?", Harry asked suspiciously. Sirius grinned slightly in embarrassment. It wouldn't do to share his musings with Harry if he was to expect the boy to take Snape's lessons seriously. "Erm...nothing, Harry." Fortunately, he was saved from further examination by Remus' entrance into the dining room, Dobby directly behind him bringing a pot of Remus' favorite morning tea blend.

"Good morning, Padfoot. Harry," he greeted them cheerfully as he tousled Harry's wayward hair. "Are you ready for your first lesson?"

"Um hmm," Harry murmured non-committally. He didn't want to make Remus feel bad, but he wasn't going to pretend that he was happy about it. Remus wasn't fooled but he wasn't upset. You couldn't blame the boy.

"Harry, before we get started this morning, I need to speak to your godfather for a few minutes in private. Could you go get your wand and meet me in the library?"

Harry shot his eyes up, first at Sirius and then at Remus.

"Professor? Sirius said that, if it was okay with you, I could have my lessons outside as long as I pay close attention. Is it okay? It's really nice out today and I'm sure we could find somewhere comfortable to sit."

Remus looked down at him with a knowing smile. Obviously, Harry was using the professor title again, not only to signify his acceptance of Remus teaching him, but perhaps as a way of buttering him up for the favor. Ignoring what was certainly an attempt to give him puppy dog eyes to persuade his response, he glanced over at Sirius who was grinning madly and then looked back at the pleading green eyes.

"I guess that would be alright, Harry," he responded, laughing. He knew when he was beaten.

Harry beamed. He knew that his favorite professor would not let him down. He started to get up from the table and then realized that he had not finished his cereal. Looking hopefully at Sirius, he was rewarded with a small nod. This was going to be a good day. First outdoor lessons and now amnesty from the hated breakfast food. As he was leaving the table, Sirius' voice stopped him.

"After you get your wand, you may ask Dobby to help you set up a place for your lesson in the back garden." Harry nodded and started to sprint to the door. "And don't forget to take your vitamins and brush your teeth!", he called after the disappearing boy, hearing a groaning "Yes, sir" as Harry banged his way up the staircase.

"What?", Sirius asked, seeing the amusement on Remus' face. "Nothing," his friend replied with a smirk. "Just nice to see the change in you."

Sirius glared at him with feigned annoyance. "Oh really, Moony? And what change would that be?"

"I don't know," Remus responded with a smirk. "How about the one where the famous Sirius Black, scoffer of rules, eschewer of responsibilty, now incorporates things like encouraging extra tutelage and good dental hygiene habits into his daily conversations?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and snorted a bit. "Fine, fine. Tease all you want. For years you told me to grow up and now that I have you have to rib me for that too. Make up your mind."

Remus said nothing as he poured himself a cup of tea, but his eyes were dancing with mirth. He quickly resumed a serious tone though as he gave his friend a pointed look.

"I got a letter from Gringott's today."

"Oh, really?", Sirius responded innocently as he reached to spread more marmalade on his toast. Clearing his throat, Remus continued in a slightly aggitated tone of voice.

"Yes. Apparantly, there was a large deposit made into my account there recently. They wanted to inform me of the new amount of gold that I have on deposit."

"Hmm." Sirius refused to meet his gaze and continued to cut up his tomato. The look on Remus' face became murderous.

"Sirius."

"What?"

"Sirius."

"What?"

"SIRIUS!"

With an exasperated huff, Sirius threw down his knife, clinking as it hit the plate. He scowled and looked at his enraged friend of many years before throwing his napkin down on the table as well and taking a deep breath.

"Remus, this topic is not up for discussion. You are doing Harry and I an enormous service this summer and I won't have you sacrifice all of your time without compensation. You won't just let me give you the money, even though you know I have more than we will ever need. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. However, this is different. You are a teacher. Teachers get paid. That's all I'm doing. It's no different from your position at Hogwarts.

Remus' face turned very melancholy as he slowly shook his head.

"Padfoot, old friend. Would you shame me so badly by not allowing me to help you protect James' son without receiving gold in return?"

Sirius reached over and placed a comforting hand on Remus' arm. The two men locked gazes as Sirius gave him a small smile.

"Would you shame me? Would you have me forget what I owe you? In the Shrieking Shack when you helped me explain to Harry? The support you gave during my convalescence and Peter's trial? The advice to help me become a proper parent? What would James think if I sat around in the lap of luxury and did not lift a finger to assist you because of circumstances beyond your control?"

After a long moment, Remus gave his old friend a weak smile. "No, I wouldn't. Thank you, Sirius." Sirius clasped his shoulder tightly. "No, Remus. Thank you. Harry and I are very blessed to consider you part of our family."

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Harry's lesson in Charms that morning was brilliant. As he and Remus sat on plushy cushions spread onto a thick carpet in the shade of a weeping willow tree, they contentedly passed the morning exploring the finer points of the summoning spell. By the time the chimney sparked for lunch, Harry had Accio'd plates, books, a cushion and, very nearly, one of the house elves as she weeded the flower beds, the last one earning him a stern rebuke from the former school prefect and professor.

During his Wednesday morning DADA lesson with Remus, he was quickly able to grasp the concept of the shield charm, much to the delight of both his professor and his godfather. Sirius breathed a little easier that night knowing that having a decent Protego in his repertoire greatly enhanced Harry's ability to protect himself from any unknown lurking danger.

Harry didn't fare quite as well in either of the lessons with Sirius. Tuesday morning Transfiguration was not too bad. His switching spell went only a little haywire, resulting in the lawn chair acquiring teeth instead of a sun shade.

Potions on Thursday morning was terrible though. Sirius, having been given Harry's school records and becoming appalled at the dreadful Potions marks earned by Lily's son, made his godson recreate two of his previous year's class assignments. Both tries during the lesson failed utterly and they resulted in acrid smoke, burnt cauldrons and Harry being grounded for the afternoon. Although Sirius had tried, very patiently, to assist Harry as much as possible, the boy was just in a foul mood. In a fit of frustrated temper, he had intentionally set the last cauldron on fire instead of using a banishing spell to get rid of the gloppy mess inside of it. Although fires in a potions lab were not at all uncommon, Sirius was highly unamused by the scorch marks on his new lab robes that were hexed there permanently as he put the flames out. The concerned godfather again made several overtures to ascertain the origin of Harry's brewing temper, only to be rebuffed by the disagreeable boy. Defeated, and more than a bit perturbed by all of the attitude, Sirius received a glare, a scowl and a few hours of the silent treatment when he confined his godson to the library to write 'I will not lose my temper around unstable brews' 200 times.

Remus joined them for tea that day. When Sirius went into the library to collect Harry, he was pleased to note the change in his godson. Harry, appearing much calmer than he had been earlier during the lesson, gave his godfather his best contrite face and a quiet "I'm sorry" as he handed the long scroll with his punishment lines to him. Harry leaned into him for a hug and Sirius just held him for a bit, deciding that his godson might be a little more forthcoming at bedtime after the air had cleared.

At tea, once he had made sure that his godson ate a decent amount, Sirius relented on his earlier promise to himself to make Harry stay indoors for the rest of the day and allowed him to go flying until dinner. He had an ulterior motive. The project he had been working on since Harry's nightmare was finally finished and he wanted to share it with Remus privately.

While the house elves were clearing the table, Remus helped himself to another cuppa as Sirius sprinted into his study. On his return, he placed a thick square of parchment on the table. Tapping it three times with his wand, he chanted "I solemnly swear that I am an overprotective git." Immediately, swirls of red ink started to form across the top of the parchment until it very clearly read The Marauder's Map: Sprog Edition. Sirius unfolded the parchment and Remus gazed appreciatively over the small detailed drawing of what was obviously Celestial Court and the surrounding grounds. A small broom with a scroll reading "Sprog" was flying circles around the Quidditch pitch.

"Well done, Padfoot. Well done," Remus congratulated his friend. "Did you manage the charms for the special additions?"

Sirius nodded, very pleased. "Yes. It is now charmed so that it will appear in front of me and open directly if Harry is under any kind of duress. I wanted to hex myself after realizing that I didn't hear him screaming during his nightmare. This bloody house has so many old silencing spells flying around that I can't seem to counter them all. At least now, if it happens again, the map will let me know."

Tapping the map again, Sirius chanted "Sprog care managed" and the ink vanished as the parchment folded itself back up.

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At ten minutes to ten o'clock Friday morning, Sirius and Harry sat in silence in the left side parlor listening to the ticking of the grandfather clock in the entry hall. Sirius was watching his godson very carefully and was concerned to note that Harry still seemed overly nervous about this morning's lesson with his potions professor. He had been hoping that their talk the previous night would have calmed the boy somewhat. Apparently not as Sirius had needed to repeatedly banish the new map back to his study as it kept materializing in his hand. Harry was so distracted that he had not even noticed.

When Sirius had gone to Harry's bedroom the previous evening to wish him a good night, Harry was still on edge. The concerned godfather had a sinking suspicion that Harry's atrocious performance during his lesson that day and his continued unease were directly related to Severus' inevitable appearance at Celestial Court the next morning. Sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, he had leaned over to brush back the hair from his godson's face before gently cupping his left cheek in his hand.

"Do you want to tell me what happened in the lab today? I know you are a better student than that. Was it me? Did I do something to upset you?", he asked, very concerned when Harry looked intent on staying silent. After taking a deep breath, the boy finally spoke.

"No, it wasn't you. I just couldn't keep the memories of doing those labs the last time out of my head. I tried, I really did, but it was never good enough for Snape. He always found a reason to scream at me," he hesitated before going on. "It will be the same tomorrow. I won't be able to do anything right. Now he'll just scream at me in my own house," he finished miserably.

Sirius moved his hand down to place it comfortingly on top of Harry's. His godson was obviously distressed by Snape's upcoming visit and it made Sirius all the more angry with Severus over his past treatment of the boy. If Lily could see what Severus was doing to her son, Sirius was sure that she would return from the afterlife just to hex her childhood friend into oblivion.

"Harry, listen to me. Really listen, because I am only going to say this once. Professor Snape will not be allowed to bully you here. I will not allow it. If, at any time, you feel that you are being treated unfairly, you have my permission to leave the library and tell me. I will deal with it from there."

Watching Harry's face, Sirius could see him relaxing just a little bit. He didn't want to upset the boy further, but he also knew his godson well enough to know how abstinent he could be. Harry needed these lessons. He didn't need to be tortured while receiving them, but he also needed to know that he would be responsible for behaving as well. With that in mind, Sirius continued to speak in a firm tone.

"However, you will treat Professor Snape with courtesy and respect at all times. You don't have to like him, but he is doing you a great favor by coming here and you will show appreciation for that. If I find out that you are acting inappropriately, I will deal with you as well. Do you understand me?"

Scowling briefly, Harry finally nodded as he began to realize that it was only fair. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best. I promise."

Sirius dropped the stern demeanor and gave his godson a loving smile before kissing his forehead and wishing him good night. Harry really was, in his heart, a good boy and this whole thing could not be easy for him and, while Severus could show traces of decency from time to time, he could be a heartless git when he wanted to be. On top of that, he had good reason to detest Sirius and James and it hurt the godfather deeply that the boy he loved beyond reason was paying the price for his father's, and Sirius' own, actions as reckless teenagers. Gritting his teeth, Sirius had vowed to make overtures to Severus before the lessons began to remind him that Harry was an innocent child and not responsible for his father's sins.

Now, as the two sat and waited for the arrival of their shared foe, the minutes seemed to drag out into hours and it was an interminably long time before the clock struck ten and the fireplace flashed bright green. Dressed from head to toe in black (although minus his flowing robes in the summertime heat), Severus Snape stepped out of the flames and onto the paisley parlor carpet at Celestial Court. His face was void of emotion, but his mere presence had the effect of a cold bucket of water dropped over your head in the middle of a winter's day.

The three occupants of the parlor stared at each other for a silent moment before Sirius came to his senses and remembered his manners as host. Striding over to where the disagreeable potions master stood perfectly still, he extended his hand.

"Hello Severus. Thank you for coming this morning," he greeted in a voice that was as polite as he could possibly make it.

Snape looked at the outstretched hand in disdain. He swallowed back the overpowering urge to hex it off from the wrist but, remembering his promise to Albus, he settled for ignoring it altogether.

"There is no need for false pleasantries, Black. I am here at the headmaster's request. Nothing more, nothing less. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would just as soon get this over with so that I may go back to my interrupted personal time. I am supposed to be on holiday, you know."

Sirius bit his cheek to avoid making a rude, and somewhat profane, reply to the rebuff. It would not do to start off Harry's first lesson with hostility. His godson would surely pay the price for his actions. Clenching his jaw, he forced his unwilling mouth into a smile and beckoned to Harry to come and stand next to him.

"Harry, come say hello to Professor Snape," he requested as calmly as he could. Harry hesitated a moment and then walked over to Sirius, standing as close to his godfather as he could without actually pressing against him. Sirius easily put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a comforting squeeze, never dropping his eyes from Snape's. Harry, sensing the tension in the room so thick you could slice it, forced himself to be polite.

"Good morning, Professor Snape. Thank you for taking the time to tutor me today," he stated, using the words that Sirius had spoken to him about the day before. Snape glared at the boy for a moment, trying to sense any bit of cheek that he might be trying to hide with his words. Finding none, he slightly curled his lip before responding.

"Potter."

Wishing to put an end to the tension that was mounting in waves in the room, Sirius leaned down and put his mouth next to Harry's ear. He spoke quietly, loud enough for Snape to clearly hear him, but keeping his voice gentle so as to not upset his godson further.

"Harry, be a good boy and go wait for Professor Snape in the library. We'll be along directly."

Unsure as to whether or not leaving would be a good idea, Harry gave his godfather a disbelieving look and stood his ground. When Sirius nodded at him encouragingly and gently pushed him towards the door, he finally obeyed, although it was under protest. Once Harry was out of sight, Sirius turned back to Snape and gave him one of his devastatingly handsome smiles. Unlike the ones he had gifted Molly Weasley with, this one had the clear underlining threat of menace to it even as his voice remained gentle.

"Severus, regardless of our past, I want you to know that I am genuinely grateful to you. Not only for what you are doing for Harry, but for what you did for me in the spring."

"I didn't do anything for you, mutt!", Snape sputtered distastefully, his black eyes shooting daggers of venom at the taller man. Sirius took a calming breath and fought to keep his voice under control.

"Be that as it may, whether intentionally or unintentionally, what you did allowed me to regain both my freedom and, more importantly, my godson. For that, I owe you my deep gratitude."

Snape spat at the words. "Spare me your ridiculous Gryffindor platitudes, Black. I neither need nor want your gratitude. If I had had my way, you would be just as soulless as that rat right now, and you would deserve it."

"Regardless," Sirius fought to continue, "wanted or not, you have it. Especially for what you are now doing for Harry. He's vulnerable, Severus and he's just a boy. I can only die to protect him one time and I have dark feeling that once may not be enough. He needs more help than I can give him."

Snape glared with all the hate and rage he had inside of him. "He's vulnerable because he is weak! He is undisciplined, just like his worthless father."

The stinging assault on James prickled against Sirius' nerves and he struggled to keep his composure. He knew that Snape was just trying to get under his skin and he refused to allow it. What would happen today was too important to his living godson's future to risk taking umbrage against the memory of his dead friend. He forced himself to reel in the bitter words he wished to throw in the vicious man's face. It was for Harry, he reminded himself. It was all for Harry.

"Harry is James' son, it's true, Severus. I'm not going to say that I am not proud of some of the similarities between the two, because I am. However, you should remember that he is Lily's son as well. There is a lot of her inside of him. He has her heart and her gentle nature, as well as her keen sense of fair play. He's a good boy, Severus. I wish you could take a moment to look past James' face and see Lily's heart beating inside of him. As long as we fight to keep him safe, her sacrifice will not be for nothing."

Under his calm demeanor, Snape was seething. How dare that mutt invoke Lily's name to him! As if he knew the extent of Lily's sacrifice better than Severus himself did. As if Black or anyone else knew the pain and suffering that he had endured to atone for the his crimes against the woman he had loved beyond all other people in the world. He had dedicated his entire existence to make amends for his mistake. How many times had he saved her son's life? How much torture did he accept to act as spy for the Order? Black had no idea and he would not stand around and let the overgrown child lecture him.

"Do not speak to me of sacrifice, Black. You barely have the slightest comprehension of the word. I suggest you remove yourself from my presence so that I may get on with the duty that I am charged with here. I assure you that I don't like it any more than you do." As he prepared to sweep past Black, he was halted by the other man's words.

"I loved her too, Severus. I was willing to give up my life to save hers. The fact that I still live while she is dead will forever haunt me. You are not the only one that hurts."

Enraged, Snape turned around and grabbed Sirius by the collar. He would kill this man even it if meant Azkaban. The words strangled in his throat as his mind reeled. Albus would pay very dearly for imparting any of Severus' private thoughts to his worst enemy. The boy be damned. Severus was done.

"I don't care what anyone has told you, MUTT...," he fumed, but Sirius interrupted him in his infuriatingly calm voice and made no attempt to free himself from Snape's grasp.

"No one had to tell me anything, Severus. I was there, I saw, I knew. Long after she and James married, she still regretted the falling out between the two of you. She loved you, you know. You were her best friend. She couldn't help who she fell in love with. It pained her to chose between the two of you, but you didn't give her much of a choice. You despised James and she was in love with him. She died regretting your loss of friendship. I ask that you do not let an innocent boy suffer for that."

Severus felt his temper wane. As reason slowly overtook him, he renewed his personal vow to watch over Lily's son. He had wronged her more than once and he would atone for it. Even if it meant dealing with the mutt and a boy that looked like his worst enemy, even as Severus enviously wished that he belonged to him. No one would ever know how hard it was to keep the rough demeanor around Lily's son. If only things had been different. Releasing the mutt with a sharp pull, Severus resumed his icy exterior.

"I will teach the boy, Black. However, you should expect that I will be very demanding of him. Occlumency is difficult art and he will have to be disciplined to achieve success. I warn you, if he gives it less than his full attention or is disrespectful to me in any way, I will assume that I am wasting my time and these lessons will be at an end."

Sirius straightened his collar and took deep breaths to maintain his even temper. He would not let the greasy git get to him.

"Fair enough, Severus. I have already told Harry that he is to give you his complete attention and to mind you under threat of punishment from me if he doesn't. He will behave himself."

Snape chortled. "Yes, I am sure that you keep the boy in line, Black. Having been so disciplined yourself. Poor Potter. I'm sure any punishment you would dispense are truly horrible, indeed. Quite an incentive to behave."

"How I raise my godson is not your concern, Severus. Suffice it to say that he knows what to expect. However," Sirius continued with sheer loathing in his eyes, "I expect you to treat him appropriately as well. I will not question your teaching methods, but if I find that you have been unnecessarily cruel to him, the lessons will be at an end, and the disagreement will become between you and myself. You will not find me as easy a target as a thirteen year old boy."

With that said, Sirius led Snape into the library where a very nervous Harry was waiting for them.