Okay, I know that Sirius in the last chapter was a little darker than you are used to seeing him in my story, but I thought it was important to point out that he is flawed and still has the same high emotions that got him thrown into jail in the first place. He's not perfect and will still struggle from time to time. Also, Harry is still a bright and observent boy as he always was. Also a bit stubborn and independent. He never cared for being manipulated and I thought it would be very likely that he would find himself in the middle of a grudge match between Sirius and Severus.
I also know that we have been going at a pretty slow pace so far. Things are going to pick up a bit soon, but there were two months of classes at Hogwarts before anything started with the Tri-Wizard and I wanted to use this time to explore the new dynamic between Harry and Sirius as student/teacher as well as parent/child.
So, bear with me everyone. I promise that we will get there.
Thanks for the reviews and feedback! Enjoy today's chapter.
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Harry looked over the top of his bowl of cereal at his godfather who was absently drinking his morning coffee. Things were still a little awkward between the two of them over the past few days. For the first couple of days after the blow up over the fight with Snape, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that Sirius was treating him differently than he had been before Harry's outburst. He seemed hesitant and nervous. Not unlike the way he had acted when Harry had first come to live with him. Harry didn't like the regression in their relationship. He enjoyed the feeling of security that having a proper guardian gave him. He definitely had wanted his regular godfather back.
For Sirius' part, his confidence in his abilities to effectively parent Harry had been royally shaken over his complete loss of rational behavior that wretched morning. Uncomfortably, he had found himself walking on eggshells around the boy, nervously watching for any signs that his godson was going to just throw his hands up in the air and declare Sirius' parenting skills to be complete pants and walk out disgusted, content to raise himself for the next three years. Shaken, he wondered what he had ever been thinking when he thought that he could be a proper parent to a teenager. With an ability to have such a complete lack of restraint, and a godson who had clearly proved himself to be more adult than Sirius was, what did Harry need him for anyway?
Harry had wanted to reconnect with his godfather after the turmoil and, as such, he had been staying in his room in Sirius' quarters. Ron and Hermione had agreed with him on the issue, Hermione sagely advising him that his godfather was probably feeling a bit insecure right now.
He still felt very guilty for being so blunt and hurtful and was taking full blame for the fact that Sirius now seemed to be reluctant to even tell him to eat vegetables at dinner. It was too similar to the way he had been allowed to run amok at the beginning of the summer and it hurt him a little to see Sirius withdraw from an authoritarian role. Although he knew that most of his peers would have run shrieking through the corridors with unbridled glee if their parents had just rolled over and allowed them free reign, Harry missed having the comfortable structure that Sirius had been providing. He didn't want to go back to the days when he could crash into trees with a flying car and have no notice paid to it by his guardian. Uncle Vernon had always shredded anything that came from Hogwarts while Harry was at school without looking at it. He hadn't cared what the little freak was up to when he wasn't invading the serenity of Number 4 with his presence.
After another uncomfortable breakfast, where Sirius had not even bothered to fuss at Harry over taking his vitamins, Harry had decided that he had had enough of this rubbish. He just didn't know what to do about it.
He went into his room to gather his school books before leaving for class when he saw Hedwig tapping at his window, just returned from a long hunt. Opening the thick pane of glass obligingly, he let her in and she nipped his finger affectionately, clearly wanting a treat. He remembered that he had just bought a new bag of treats for her during his Hogsmeade visit with Sirius. Dropping to his knees, he half scooted under his bed where his shopping bags were. As he stared at his purchases, an idea popped into his head and he grinned madly.
Yes, that would do nicely
Quickly, he grabbed the necessary items and shoved them into his book bag. In a fit of inspiration, he expanded the plan and prepared another other item as well. Hurrying out the bedroom door, he saw Sirius standing uncomfortably in the living room. Sighing, Harry initiated the hug that his godfather was longing to give him but reluctant to force upon him. This whole thing was just entirely too bothersome, Harry thought, as he bid Sirius good-bye, confident that by the time the day was over, things would be back to normal.
*****
His last class of the day on Fridays was Divination which worked completely to his advantage. At lunch in the Great Hall, he explained his plan to Ron and Hermione. Ron had practically laughed himself sick over the mental image and promised to help, but Hermione frowned and gave him the glare that she reserved for when she thought the boys were doing something really stupid. Undeterred, Harry shrugged and told her that his mind was made up. Drastic measures were called for.
Sitting at their normal table in the blindingly colorful classroom that reeked of incense, Harry and Ron sat and quietly perused their crystal ball for a few minutes before Harry jumped up on cue and started to yell, perhaps overdoing it just a little too much. In a panic, he grabbed his things and tore out of the classroom as Professor Trelawney rushed over to Ron.
"He saw The Grim again, Professor," Ron informed her in a hushed tone. His eyebrows were knitted in deep sincerity. "I'm sure he just needs some time to himself to get over his impending doom. He'll be fine," he assured her.
Nodding in an understanding manner, she patted Ron's back and returned to finish answering Lavender Brown's question regarding the Inner Eye. Ron smirked and, seeing as he no longer had a partner, he took the latest Quidditch Weekly issue out of his bag and spent the rest of his lesson happily reading.
Harry had snickered the whole way down the winding staircase and out the front doors. Opening his bag he retrieved the necessary items and put his plan into action.
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In the serene peacefulness of the Astronomy class, Sirius was giving an entertaining talk on the magical properties of asteroids when several projectiles were flung inside the classroom window, landing on top of his notes and the desks of three of the students in the front row. It didn't take long to figure out what they were. Splattering in a revolting manner, their unpleasant aroma forced those in the closest proximity to them to wrinkle their noses in disgust.
Another wave came hurtling through the air and spattered those in the second and third rows. A commotion began when the students started to leap up from their desks in an effort to put distance between themselves and the offending projectiles.
Sirius knew in a heartbeat what they were, having used them on many different occasions himself in his Marauder days. Dungbombs had been a favorite torment for the unsuspecting by James and Sirius.
Coming to his senses amid the squealing of the fleeing students, he looked towards the direction of the open window just as the third volley came through. He ducked in time to avoid the onslaught, but not before getting a good look at who the assailant was. With his short but still messy black hair and the unmistakable profile of the Firebolt underneath him, Sirius had no trouble recognizing his godson hovering a fair distance outside the tower.
The classroom was inundated with a foul stench and his fifth year students were turning an unhealthy shade of green. Sirius was growling at both the mess and the identity of the troublemaker.
"Class dismissed!" he hissed. The students didn't need another invitation and they quickly dispersed. Sirius took another agitated look outside just in time to see Harry struggle to grab another armload of the revolting rounds and start to slip off of his broom. His heart practically leaped out of his chest as he watched Harry drop his payload and frantically grab for a better hold on the Firebolt's handle and failing. Drawing his wand, Sirius acted quickly.
"Accio Harry!" he roared, relief flooding through him as his godson sailed through the air, into the classroom window and crashed into his godfather's chest with a loud thump! Panting from the stress and exertion, Sirius held Harry tightly as he caught his breath, the adrenaline receding. Once he accepted that Harry was safe and sound, his earlier anger returned and he jumped to his feet, dragging Harry up next to him. Scowling, he reached out his hand and firmly latched onto the little miscreant's ear and marched him downstairs to his quarter's.
Once inside the living room, Sirius spent ten very loud minutes scolding Harry within an inch of his life. It wasn't so much the dungbombs, after all Sirius had bought them for the boy himself, but he had almost had heart failure when he saw his child start to fall from his broom while hundreds of feet in the air. Harry kept his eyes downcast as his godfather ranted about how he could have killed himself, just for a silly prank. Finally spent, Sirius had spun him around to deliver a sharp smack to his behind and pushed him in the direction of the bedroom.
"Go to your room, young man, and get comfortable in it. You are grounded for the weekend," he said sternly, his eyes glaring in anger.
Harry attempted to form a small pout as he gave his godfather a contrite look. "Yes, sir," he said sullenly before turning back around and trudging slowly in the direction of his room. Facing away from his godfather, Harry rolled his eyes and sighed with a small smirk on his face. The paternal Sirius was definitely back, he noted happily, pleased with his success.
The things one had to do sometimes.
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It was beautiful weather for September, Sirius thought happily as he ambled through the main street of Hogsmeade. He felt a small pang of guilt as he thought about his godson confined to his room in the Astronomy tower. Surely Harry would have enjoyed walking around the little wizarding village on such a fine day. Sighing, he pushed aside any feelings of remorse over grounding Harry. Watching his beloved child almost plummet to his death had been enough to snap Sirius out of his pity party and allow the guardian in him to assert control once more.
He felt foolish that he had allowed himself to doubt his ability to parent his godson. After the first initial fits and starts, it had felt perfectly natural to him. It was only the mocking tone in Snape's voice that had riled him, reminding him of his intemperate youth. He knew he would not ever allow it to happen again. Harry was too important to gamble away in a fit of pique.
His confidence returned, he felt better than he had in days.
Sirius had forgotten that it was a school weekend for Hogsmeade visits. He had also forgotten that, as low man on the teaching totem pole, he was required to serve as chaperon for the first visit of the year. Reluctantly, he had left his godson behind. Bloody poor timing, he thought miserably. He had been surprised that Harry had been so understanding about it.
***********
After breakfast that morning, Harry had obediently returned to his room without being told. Sirius had felt enormous guilt when he went into the boy's room to say good-bye. Harry was sitting cross legged on his bed reading his Charms textbook and gave his godfather a friendly smile as he entered. Grimacing, Sirius strode over to the bed and sat down next to him.
"I'm sorry that I can't let you go with me today, Harry," he said truthfully. Even though he was already making plans to take his godson back to the little village next week, he felt bad that Harry was going to miss the visit with his friends. Sirius had not yet persuaded Minerva to allow him to take Ron and Hermione with them on their private visits.
Harry shrugged a little as he kept his eyes on his book. "'s okay, Sirius."
Sirius sighed. He didn't want Harry to think he was being cruel by going off without him. It was quite possible that, if he had remembered the school plans for the weekend, he would have thought of a different restriction for his godson. All things considered, he could not back down on the punishment he had given, no matter how much he may have wanted to.
"I've asked Dobby to bring you your lunch around noon, okay?" He tilted his head a little bit forward so he could see Harry's face. Harry just nodded and continued to read. Frowning, he reached out and ruffled the boy's short black hair.
"I'll be back around four o'clock and we'll have tea, alright?"
Harry kept his head down and nodded briefly again. "Um hmm." Sirius took a good look at his godson's face. Harry didn't seem to be pouting. In fact, he looked quite placid about the whole thing. Sirius had been expecting another row but Harry didn't seem interested.
He stood up and bent over to press a quick kiss on top of his godson's head. "Okay then," he said, a bit bewildered. "I'll see you later."
"Bye," came the response from the book.
Shrugging, Sirius had left the room and joined the assembled group at the castle entrance.
***********
Now as he patrolled the streets looking out for mischievous students, he missed Harry's company. He had really enjoyed the time they had spent there together the previous weekend. It had been a fairly uneventful day of chaperoning. He was a soft touch, after all, and he didn't really fuss too much with the little transgressions that he had come across. He did have the pleasure of sending little Malfoy and his overgrown goons back to the castle early when he caught them tormenting a few of the meeker Hufflepuffs. The smoldering glare from the freakishly blond boy was worth the price of admission alone.
It was almost time to start herding the students back to the castle before Sirius spotted Ron and Hermione standing in front of the window of the little silversmith shop. Hermione was bright eyed as she admired something in the window, Ron barely even acknowledging her interest. Careful to keep himself at a distance so as to not intrude on their private time, Sirius heard Hermione bid Ron farewell before dashing across the street to Scrivenshaft's. He was surprised to see Ron wait for her to be safely ensconced in the quill shop before ducking quickly into the silversmith's. When the affable redhead emerged, he looked decidedly downtrodden. Sirius' knitted his eyebrows in concern but decided against approaching the boy. Ron was more of a suffer-in-silence type of boy and he didn't want to upset him any further.
He waited until Ron met up with Neville Longbottom and joined him in Honeyduke's before he too went into the quaint little silver shop. Making his way determinedly over to the counter, he got the attention of the pleasant faced witch minding the store.
"Excuse me, dear lady," he drawled, summoning up his most charming persona, "My nephew was just in here a moment ago. The nice boy with the shocking red hair."
She smiled widely and nodded. "Oh, yes. Sweet child, he was. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help him," she replied regretfully. The redhead had seemed so unhappy when he had left her store.
Sirius pressed. "May I ask what he wanted? I've been looking for a gift for him for ages," he lied smoothly.
The witch beamed. What a nice uncle he must be to be so thoughtful. Too bad she couldn't help him out. "I don't think so. He inquired about the price of our charm bracelets that we have on display in the window. He mentioned something about a birthday gift for a young lady. I'm afraid they were a bit too pricey for him."
Sirius nodded, knowingly. "Ah, I see."
He spent a few more minutes speaking with the helpful proprietress, an idea forming in his head. Obviously, Ron wanted to purchase the item that Hermione had been admiring for her birthday and couldn't quite swing the full price. Sirius knew that, even with the pay for helping him clean out the tower rooms, Ron would only have half the necessary amount by the time the day in question came. It was only a couple of weeks away, after all. He knew he couldn't just offer to pay Ron in advance. The proud boy would never go for it. Leaving the store, he wrinkled his nose in concentration until he came up with a solution. He just hoped that it would work.
After he had done a final sweep of the main street, he began to make his way back up to the castle. As luck would have it, he saw Ron a short way in the distance walking alone. Calling to him, he was pleased to see his godson's gingered friend stop and wave happily at him, waiting for him to catch up.
"How was your visit today, Ron?" Sirius asked as he made his way to walk next to the beaming boy.
Ron kept the smile plastered to his face and shrugged non-committally. "Alright, I guess. Nothing special." He paused for a moment before speaking again without thinking. "It's more fun when Harry comes, of course." Catching himself, his eyes widened and he began to stammer an apology. "Oh, sorry, Professor. I didn't mean.."
Sirius grimaced slightly, but he put a hand up to stop the boy's embarrassed rambling. "It's okay, Ron. I'm sorry that he couldn't come too. I feel bad that I had to make him stay behind, but the next trip is only a few weeks away. He'll join you then if I can't arrange for you and Hermione to come with us sooner."
Ron cheered slightly and the two walked slowly up the steep hill towards the castle. He heard Sirius sigh wearily beside him.
"Something wrong, Professor?" he asked, concerned.
Sirius just shrugged a little. "I'm a bit knackered today, Ron. Sorry. I didn't know how much time it would take to prepare lessons and demonstrations. I'm a little overwhelmed."
Ron looked at him in surprise. "Really? I never realized how much work it might be for the teachers here."
Sirius nodded at him in earnest. "Oh yes. I'm considering hiring someone to help me out with a few things. Nothing major, just making a few models and filing papers and such. It would only be for a couple of hours a week, but I could use the assistance. They would have to make sure that their other grades were kept up, mind you. I'm not looking to have someone fall behind in their class work just to do a few errands for me."
He paused, waiting for the words to have the right impact, before proceeding nonchalantly. "You wouldn't know of anyone that might be interested in doing something like that, do you?"
Ron hesitated for a moment. He was really interested. Not just because it would mean that he could buy the pretty little bracelet that Hermione had her eye on, but because he really enjoyed spending time with Sirius. He just didn't want to look too greedy. After all, Sirius already paid him for the cleaning chores he did with Harry on Sunday afternoons. He pursed his lips thoughtfully and then decided to risk it.
"I..I would be interested, Professor. That is, if it's okay with you. I'm doing pretty well in my classes, so far," he promised hurriedly. "Hermione makes me study an awful lot," he added, grinning sheepishly.
Sirius let out a barking laugh. "I'm sure she does. Harry has already told me how she is just as much of a study bully with you two as Remus was with us back in the day." Ron laughed as well. The comparison was very accurate.
Looking down at the boy affectionately, Sirius wrapped an arm around Ron's shoulders as they walked past the Astronomy tower. "I'd be grateful for the help," he said with a large smile on his face, happy that he could help out his godson's best friend. Ron smiled back, pleased with the turn of events that would allow him to proceed with his plans to surprise Hermione. "Anytime, Professor."
Being so far down on the ground, neither of them noticed the hurt face of the raven haired boy staring out of one of the tower windows.
*************************************
Harry had worked hard to keep an appropriate look on his face that morning as his godfather took his leave of the tower residence. He couldn't allow himself to be too cheerful about his grounding. Sirius wasn't stupid. He would know that something was up.
It wasn't that he didn't enjoy visiting Hogsmeade. He did, really. But he had just been there the week before and, quite frankly, he had had a rough week with his godfather's angst, the Occlumency lessons and practice, as well as his regular classes. Although he couldn't say with any pleasure that he enjoyed being confined to his room for two days, he didn't mind it as much as he might have some other time. He was looking forward to some peace and quiet, some extra time to work on the studies he was falling behind on and, in all actuality, he could use a few more hours of sleep to recharge. He was just happy that his plan to bring his godfather out of his funk had worked.
It hadn't been easy. Sirius wouldn't have gone mental just over the pranking. Firstly, a seasoned Marauder would have applauded the guts it took to do that in broad daylight, on a broom no less. Secondly, with the way his godfather had been acting, Harry figured that he would have been too uptight about recent events to even give him a halfway decent telling off. It had been a fit of inspiration that had convinced Harry that a little close call with danger would be required to wake up the parent in his guardian. Harry had been in no real danger of falling off of his broom. His Firebolt was like an extension of his own body. Even if he had really fallen off, he was prepared to summon it back under him, wand at the ready.
Of course, Sirius didn't know that. Harry had not been too sure of his acting skills but, thankfully, he got the response he was looking for. He had predicted the heated lecture, the grounding and even the smack. Sirius was getting much easier to read, after all. The only miserable part of the whole mess had been Sirius' insistence on having him clean the classroom of the dungbomb debris without magic. Harry hadn't considered that, but he had obeyed without complaint. It was all a small price to pay to right their world back onto its proper axis.
He had contentedly spent a quiet day reading and resting. Dobby had brought him a nice lunch and they spent a few minutes chatting amiably before the little elf popped back off to the kitchens. As Harry noticed the sky getting a little darker as the afternoon faded away, he could hear, through his open window, the sounds of groups of students returning to the castle. He shifted himself up off of his bed and stretched lazily, deciding to gaze out across the large lawn and look for his godfather's return. He was expected soon and Harry was looking forward to his company at tea.
He had not been keeping lookout very long before he saw the unmistakable form of Sirius striding back towards the tower and Harry smiled to see Ron at his side. He was pleased that his godfather was keeping his mate company. Harry felt a bit guilty thinking that Ron might have to go to Hogsmeade on his own. Hermione had mentioned needing to get back early to work on a paper. He waved at them briefly before realizing that he wasn't getting their attention. Sighing good naturedly, he sat in the window seat and watched them approach. They were laughing about something and Harry wondered fleetingly what it was that amused them. He would remember to ask.
It wasn't until he saw his godfather put his arm around his friend's shoulders in the same way that he did to Harry that the boy felt a crushing pang of jealousy come over him.
***********
Harry had been sulky during tea, Sirius noticed. He wasn't at all surprised. Actually, he had been a bit relieved that his godson was finally behaving normally during a grounding. His unnatural calm had been disturbing his godfather earlier in the day.
Sirius wanted Harry to know that he wasn't mad at him any longer. He took extra pains to be good humored, teasing his boy as they ate and ruffling the unruly black tufts more than usual. He even gave his little sulker a small bag of his favorite Honeyduke's treats, although he knew that he probably shouldn't have under the circumstances.
With the added attention, Harry's feather's smoothed out a little and he felt a small measure of guilt over his earlier reaction. After all, Ron had been sharing his family with Harry for years. Molly and Arthur had always treated him like a surrogate son and Harry grimaced at the selfish way he had reacted. He realized that it was only fair that he share his godfather with his best mate every now and then.
Feeling better, he was in a much more companionable mood during dinner and Sirius didn't immediately send him back into his room after they ate. He kept Harry with him for a while and they enjoyed an hour of much needed bonding time before he reluctantly pushed the boy in the direction of the bathroom for a pre-bedtime bath. He also happily accepted a tighter than usual hug from his godson when he went in to wish him good night.
It was unfortunate that he did not think about telling Harry about his new arrangement with Ron. He had no idea of the wedge that it would drive between the two best friends during the coming weeks.