A/N I'm floored by the response you guys gave for the sequel! Thanks so much for taking the time to read and review!
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The collective gasp gave way for raucous applause as the students of Hogwarts expressed their delight in the choice of the new Astronomy professor. After all, these days Sirius Black was practically a rock star in the wizarding world. The boys looked up to him as a brave soldier in the fight against Voldemort. A highly decorated former Auror who battled the dark lord himself during the last war. Not only that, but he had the reputation of being the largest ladies man that ever walked the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. That alone put awe in the minds of the young impressionable men. The girls were swooning at his movie star looks, the daring escape from his unfair imprisonment, at great personal peril, just to rescue his beloved godson from the clutches of the vermin filth that was responsible for the deaths of the parents of the boy who lived and, most importantly, the dreamy way he made all the female reporters fall all over themselves from his effortless flattery when they interviewed him.
In the eyes of the Hogwarts students, Professor Black was danger, bravery, chivalry and genius with a big gooey center all wrapped up in a devilshly handsome package.
So, even though the enthusiasm over his appointment was a bit underwhelming over at the Slytherin table, the other three tables shot to their feet and thundered their approval of the latest addition to the staff.
While the other staff members at the table just rolled their eyes at the overt display of welcome, mostly ignoring Snape disgustedly muttering 'oh, for Merlin's sake!, the new professor raked his silvery eyes across the room searching for the one student whose approval he sought most anxiously. In the middle of the sea of black robes, he finally found the small figure at the red and gold accented table, his black hair, seemingly wet, plastered to his forehead, his green eyes shining excitedly in the middle of the round spectacle frames, his mouth grinning widely as he energetically clapped his hands together. Silvery gray met emerald green as the boy communicated his sincere affirmation. Sirius let out a deep breath in relief.
After a fair bit of appreciation, the excitement died down and the headmaster directed the students to go off to their common rooms to get settled in. Sirius stood on the platform of the staff table waiting for the large crowds of buzzing adolescents to file out of the Great Hall. Likewise, the three fourth year Gryffindors that he was so fond of waited patiently at their own table, knowing that he would find them.
Once the prefects had led their charges away from the massive room, the new professor strode casually over to his former house's table to where his godson stood watching him intently. When he was finally standing in front of Harry, the boy leaned into his offered embrace and gripped him tightly. Sirius held him for just a moment as he realized that Harry's clothes were damp and cold. He couldn't believe that his godson was still drenched from being outside earlier.
"Merlin, Harry. You're going to get sick at this rate." He frowned as he cast a drying and then a warming charm on the slightly shivering boy before doing the same for his two companions. Gratefully, all three enjoyed the new comfort, finally free of the dank clammy environment of the castle.
Harry was smiling at him, his green eyes dancing with mirth. "Professor?" he asked. Sirius reached out a hand to cup Harry's chin and looked at him, worried.
"Um, it would seem so," he stated uncertainly. "Is this okay with you? I admit, I wasn't sure what Albus had in mind when he assured me that I would be making the right choice in letting you come back this year. It might make things awkward for you to have your guardian on staff and on the grounds. You won't just be another student to me."
Harry answered him by shaking his head back and forth rapidly. "No, no. It's brilliant, Sirius! I'm really glad you're here," he insisted.
Ron and Hermione, not having previously heard about Harry's return this term ever being in doubt, decided that now was a good time for them to make their excuses and leave the two alone. Saying good night to Sirius and telling Harry that they would see him later in the common room, they left.
Sirius put an arm around his godson and leaned over to wink at him. "Do you want to go see my new quarters?" Harry nodded and his godfather gave him a quick squeeze and led him in the direction of the Astronomy tower.
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After climbing their way up the curling staircase, Sirius stopped them in front of a door that Harry had never noticed before just below the level where the classroom was. His godfather tapped the door with his wand twice and then it swept open to reveal a very homey sitting room, a crackling fire already dancing merrily in the hearth. A leather overstuffed sofa and two handsome, but mismatched, high back chairs surrounded the stone fireplace. To the left of the room, a small square table of polished mahogany with four slightly scuffed matching chairs stood underneath a serene portrait of the night sky.
Across from where they were standing were four other doors, their layout circling the room as if to inform an observer that the spaces behind them followed the soft curve of the tower. At Harry's questiong look, Sirius pointed out each one to let the boy know what was there.
Starting with the door furthest to the left, he indicated, "My room, then that's the bath, next to that is a spare room for Remus...what?" he asked, a little defensively at Harry's smirk. Harry just shook his head, smiling widely. After a second, Sirius rolled his eyes and admitted, "Alright, perhaps I might miss the furry little monster every now and then." Harry just shrugged. He had no trouble believing that his godfather might miss spending time with the only close friend he had left.
"So, what's the last room, then?" he asked innocently. Sirius frowned for a minute before trying to put a hopeful smile on his face. He gently propelled his godson over to the door and then leaned over to grab the handle. "This is your room, Harry."
Sirius opened the door wide for Harry to see. The boy was surprised to find that the room was very similar to his dorm room in Gryffindor tower but just a little bit smaller. There was one window that oversaw the grounds behind the castle. A four poster bed with the same hanging curtains that Harry's dorm bed had took up most of the space against the curving wall. A small but serviceable desk and chair were propped up across from the bed next to the door. There were even a couple of Gryffindor banners decorating the stone blocks. Harry walked around the room with a small smile on his face. He was pleased beyond words that Sirius would have thought to ask for an extra room for him in his professor's accommodations.
Then, an unpleasant realization came over him and he stopped short to gaze in horror at his confused godfather.
"Uh, Sirius? Does..does this mean that I won't be living in the dorm this year?" he asked, a little worriedly. While he was pleased that Sirius was thinking about him, he didn't want the stigma of being the only student at Hogwart's that had to live somewhere other than the dorm. People stared enough as it was.
Sirius frowned and let out a large breath of air. Slowly, he walked over to the bed and sat, motioning for Harry to come and do the same.
"I thought about it," he admitted. "I know that it would be much easier keeping an eye on you if you lived here with me. To be honest Harry, it wasn't easy for me to let you come back here knowing about all the terrible things you have had to face since you started school. Can you understand why I would be worried about you?"
Harry nodded slowly, desperately trying to ignore the little queasy feeling that had settled in the bottom of his stomach. Sure, he knew what kind of troubles he normally found himself in, but it was just going to be too embarrassing to be singled out like this. Malfoy, for one, would certainly take every opportunity to insult him with it.
"However," he heard his godfather continue, "I decided that it would be very unfair to you so, no, you won't be living here, exactly. What I would like to do is have you stay here on the weekends, when the chances of you getting into dangerous mischief seem to be a little higher." Harry blushed as he internally acknowledged that the statement was pretty true. Sirius winked at him when he saw Harry's mind working.
"Also, I want you to come and eat dinner here with me at night. Call it making up for thirteen missed years of family time. You may invite Ron and Hermione once a week to join us and I'll arrange something special for all of us," Sirius said in what he hoped would be an encouraging voice. Harry knew that he should have taken umbrage against such a suggestion, but surprisingly, he found himself looking forward to it.
"Okay," he agreed affably. He was rewarded with a big grin as Sirius saved the best part for last.
"I know it won't be easy having your guardian here at school, and I am sorry about that. But, that doesn't mean that there can't be upsides to it as well."
Harry's ears perked up at the suggestion that this arrangement was just about to get better. Sirius always had a way to compensate for something if he thought it particularly dreary for Harry.
"Since I am here, I can do things like take you to Hogsmeade on the weekends, even when the other students can't go. Also, seeing how you are apparently going to be missing out on Quidditch this year, I can always take you home for the weekend and you can fly there if you want."
"Yes!" Harry whooped enthusiastically as he launched himself at his godfather. Sirius was pleased with Harry's reaction and relieved that he was taking everything so well. He couldn't imagine what his reaction would have been at fourteen to find out that James' father was going to be at the school teaching or, even worse, his own father. That unpleasant little thought sent shivers of revulsion down his spine.
"Well, I'm glad we have that settled," he chuckled as he hugged his godson. "I'll take you on Saturday so we can get some things to decorate your room with." Harry pulled back, nodding enthusiastically. Sirius pushed the fringe off of his forehead and gave him a sad smile. "I owe you a trip there, anyway," he said softly. After that horrible day, they never did find the time to go together, even after the media interest died down.
Harry's ears flushed red in embarrassment, remembering how awful he had acted at the beginning of the summer. "I'm really sorry about what I did that day, Sirius," he apologized sincerely. His godfather just shook his head. "Don't. It was forgiven and forgotten long ago. Let's just go on Saturday and have a proper day out, what do you say?"
Harry grinned in deep appreciation at his godfather's easy going manner. "Okay."
They were quiet for a moment before Harry remembered to ask about the other big event that day. "So, why didn't Dumbledore ask you to teach DADA instead of Mad Eye Moody?"
Sirius frowned. "Well, for one thing, I don't want to hear you call Alastor that. It's very rude. Alastor was the best auror the Ministry ever had and he deserves more respect than that," he scolded. "He saved my life on more than one occasion. Your dad's too."
Harry blushed from the stern rebuke and lowered his eyes to the stone floor. "Sorry," he muttered apologetically.
"The official reason is, of course, his vast experience in the field of defense," Sirius continued, not wanting to dwell on Harry's chastisement. He paused, thinking, and then decided to proceed. "The unofficial reason is you, actually." Harry's head jerked up and he gave his godfather a look of surprise. "Me? What about me?"
Dumbledore had not wanted Harry to know the reason behind Alastor's presence but, once again, Sirius had disagreed with him. Harry always seemed to act more rationally when given the truth behind an action. He did not respond well to being left in the dark.
"I'm going to tell you something. I'm sure you already realize it, but I want to say it anyway, okay?" he couched his wording. Harry, perplexed, nodded. "We believe that your nightmares are a sign that Voldemort is once again on the rise. Add those to the very blatant outbreak of death eater activity at the Cup and we would appear to have quite a problem on our hands. Dumbledore is seeing the signs, even if the Ministry is not. It is for this reason that I have taken a position here this year and why Alastor was cajoled out of retirement. You have a lot of people working very hard right now to ensure that you are kept safe. Do you understand?"
Harry took a minute to process this information. He had thought that his nightmares were something more than what they seemed. He could just feel it. He hated to be the cause of so much extra work for everyone though. He didn't like to bother as he got enough unwanted attention as it was. He looked up at his godfather's expectant face and nodded slowly.
Sirius placed a comforting arm on the boy's small shoulder. "With the Tri-Wizard Tournament being held here this year, there are going to be a lot of unfamiliar faces milling around the castle grounds. I don't want you to trust anyone, do you hear me?"
Harry nodded again. "Yes, sir."
Sirius' face relaxed visibly. The fact that Igor Karkaroff, a known death eater who bargained his way out of Azkaban, was going to be spending most of the school year at Hogwarts was reason enough to get Alastor on board. Sirius was grateful for the presence of his former mentor. He had been livid when he found out about the tournament. Bloody Barty Crouch and his big ideas. Sirius wanted nothing more than to hex the man into next week for a variety of reasons. Endangering his godson unnecessarily was top of the list, although not by much.
"The Tri-Wizard is nothing to mess about with. I'm actually quite unhappy that they have decided to revive it," Sirius griped.
He didn't seem to feel the need to mention that, if the Tri-Wizard had been held during his time at Hogwarts, he and James would have tripped over themselves trying to get into it. His godson did not need to know that little tidbit of potentially problematic information at all.
"I don't want to hear about you or your friends trying to get past the age restriction. It is nothing to be mucked about with. I don't want you anywhere near this thing. Do you understand, young man?" He gave Harry the sternest look he could manage. Age had obviously not factored into any of Harry's previously planned adventures.
Harry nodded quickly. He didn't want any part of it either. "Yes, sir."
Sirius let out a long breath. It had been a very tiring day. Looking over at his godson, he could see that Harry's eyes were beginning to get heavy as well.
"Come on, its time to get you back to the dorm and into bed," he stated, standing up quickly and waiting for Harry to follow. Harry stood slowly, a small grin spreading on his face.
"Astronomy, Sirius? Really? You didn't even make me study for it this summer. How important could it be?" he teased.
Sirius let out a huff. "Don't be cheeky, young man. I know a thing or two about astronomy. Just you wait and see." He put an arm around Harry's shoulders and led him out the door.
"It's past curfew. I'll walk you back."
The two made their way through the darkened corridors, quietly laughing and making plans for the Hogsmeade trip. As they approached the door for the Gryffindor common room, the Fat Lady recognized Sirius and let out a shriek of horror.
"You! Stay away from me! I'm warning you!" she yelled in her tone deaf high pitched squeal.
Immediately, Sirius was suave and apologetic. "Dear lady, please forgive me!", he cooed sleekly as he flashed her a sparkly toothy grin. "I apologize for being so...enthusiastic the last time we met. Surely, a thing of such beauty as yourself is well used to men desiring to ravage you?"
It worked. She shamelessly began to flutter her eyelashes and simper as Sirius favored her with a rakish wink. Standing next to him, his godson was feeling a bit sick as he usually did when observing his godfather's oily smooth flattery. Vaguely, he wished for a sharp needle with which he might be able to poke out his mind's eye to avoid seeing the mental image that was threatening to burst forth in his brain.
Sirius noticed the boy's discomfort and smirked. "Go on in, then. I'll see you tomorrow." Harry nodded and allowed his godfather to give him a quick hug and a kiss on the top of his head. He wished his godfather good night and proceeded towards the now opened common room door. He turned briefly to see Sirius smiling sadly at him.
"I really am glad you are here, Sirius," he said earnestly. His godfather brightened up at the words. "Me too. Sweet dreams, tonight." Harry returned his smile and went inside. Sirius watched him close the door behind him and his face grew cloudy and dark again. "Please, Merlin. Sweet dreams for him. He doesn't deserve any of this."
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When Harry arrived in the common room, Ron and Hermione immediately jumped on him.
"Did you know Sirius was going to be teaching here?"
"Why didn't you tell us you might not have been allowed back?"
"Does he really enjoy astronomy?"
"Is this anything to do with Moody?"
"Are you going to be living with him now?"
"Why didn't you tell us anything?"
Harry sighed and tugged off his heavy robe. Throwing it casually over the back of the sofa, he plopped down on the seat in front of the fire and viciously ripped his tie off.
"Come on guys, one at a time," he groaned wearily.
Ron butted in before Hermione could open her mouth. "Did you know?" Harry shook his head, closing his eyes. He was really tired. "No, I didn't. Neither did he, really. It was all sorted out today while we were on the train."
Hermione frowned at him, her eyes half scrunched in displeasure. "Why didn't you tell us that he was thinking about keeping you home, this term?" Harry opened his eyes and shrugged. "No reason, really. I only found out that he was considering it at all the same day he decided that I could go. It wasn't that big of a deal."
"Not a big deal?" Ron stated, unconvinced. "What would you have done if he had made you stay at home?"
Harry shrugged again. He didn't want them to know how worried he had been about the possibility. Hermione spared him the task of responding. "Well, he was already being tutored, wasn't he? Surely Sirius and Remus would have continued with his lessons at home."
"Blimey, mate. That would have been really bad luck," Ron commiserated companionably.
"Does this have anything to do with why Dumbledore hired Mad-Eye?" Hermione probed. Like a tenacious terrier, once on the trail of a subject, she pursued the answers aggressively.
Harry frowned and winced a little. "Don't let Sirius hear you call him that. I made that mistake just a little while ago. My ears are still ringing. Sirius says that Moody is here because of the nightmares that I have been having."
He stopped and looked around the common room. It was empty except for Fred and George who were huddled over in a corner whispering to each other furiously. They obviously were not interested in the conversation that the other three were having, so Harry felt safe to continue.
"He says that Dumbledore is seeing signs that Voldemort..cut it out, Ron...that Voldemort is getting stronger. Also, with all of the activity here with the Tri-Wizard, there are going to be a lot of unfamiliar faces around school. He says that I'm not to trust anyone."
Ron perked back up. "It would be brilliant, though, wouldn't it?" he sighed longingly. "A thousand galleons in prize money. I can think of a few things to do with that. I bet Sirius would be dead useful in helping us figure out how to get through the tasks."
Hermione rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Sirius couldn't help even if you were of age, Ronald. Teachers are prohibited from giving assistance to the champions."
Ron grunted at her tone. "Just saying, Hermione. No need to get your knickers in a twist."
Ignoring the redhead, Hermione turned her attention back to Harry who had been sitting quietly watching the little sparring match in amusement. "So Sirius is going to let you stay in the dorms, then?"
Harry nodded. "Mostly. I have a room of my own in his quarters and I have to stay there on the weekends but, otherwise, I can stay here. I have to go up there for dinner every night though. He's calling it 'family time'," he snorted.
Ron joined him in a smirk, but Hermione wasn't fooled. She could see the genuine smile underneath Harry's teen aged bravado, and he could see that she could see it. The two shared a small look of understanding.
"But," Harry continued, "I'm allowed to have you guys join us once a week, if you want to. Sirius said that he would plan something special on the nights you come up."
The other two were visibly intrigued. Sirius' plan were always brilliant. They both nodded in enthusiastic agreement. Harry decided to tease them with the best part.
Affecting an air of nonchalance, he announced "oh yeah, I get to go to Hogsmeade on the weekends, too. Even on days when they're not on the student schedule. One of the perks of being a professor's kid, I suppose. Also, he said if I wanted to fly, he would take me home on the weekends. Guess he feels bad about Quidditch being canceled."
Hermione gave him a disapproving look at the overt bragging, but Ron just groaned and smashed his head back into the sofa cushion. "So completely unfair, mate," he griped.
Harry laughed before pushing himself up off of the sofa. "I'm knackered," he said with a yawn. "G'night."
His friends bid him good night as he trudged up the stairs. In the room, the other three boys were already asleep, so he quietly changed for bed and let Hedwig out to hunt. Slipping gratefully into the warmed bed, he fell into a pleasant sleep, content that his life was finally perfect.