Harry Potter and TGTL: Fourth Year

by KappaIota

Sequel to Harry Potter and the Godfather that Lived. AU Fourth Year with Harry facing the Tri-Wizard Tournament, his first crush, Voldemort's return and an overprotective guardian. As with the original, will include teen discipline themes/adult language

33. Chapter 33

A/N This chapter might seem to progress weirdly, because really it's only half the chapter I wrote. If I left the entire thing intact, you'd still be reading it a month from now, lol

I'm not sure why my characters have had so much to say recently, but there's just a bunch of exposition involved in this part of the overall story arc. Be warned, Sirius is struggling under all the stress and having a bit of a mental health episode, which means he's very moody and short tempered. Harry's also being a bit of a brat and Hermione's parents are getting thrown into the deep end of the pool with magic.

There's a lot going on.

Thanks for the reviews everyone! Sorry I can't address the guest reviews in PMs. I hope you manage to snorkel your way through my terribly long word salad today.

************HP*************

After a great deal of thought, Sirius chose the name Fulminare for their little school.

It was appropriate in a few ways in his opinion. The direct translation of the word meant 'to flash with thunderbolts', bringing to one's mind the image of a stormy sky of lightning.

Not a particularly far creative stretch for a school whose sole purpose for organizing was to ensure the safety of its primary student, who also just happened to have a rather distinctive scar.

But that wasn't necessarily the full reason he chose it.

As far as Sirius was concerned, he was simply done with the machinations of others taking a heavy toll on his son and it was long past time to take proactive measures in ensuring Harry's safety.

Because the new school's name was also a derivative of the word fulminate.

Or 'to issue a thunderous attack of protest'.

Sirius couldn't think of any phrase more fitting when it came to how he felt about all the dangerous trials his son was forced to endure as a Hogwarts student. Most especially when it came to the positively cruel and underhanded way Harry had been compelled to compete in that blasted tournament.

And because Sirius wanted to send a very clear message to Albus, he'd chosen as the school's motto Discendo Discimus.

By teaching, we learn.

Something that he was pretty sure the old headmaster had somehow forgotten along the way.

While the majority of magical families in Britain were pleased to send their children to Howarts, most of them knew that it wasn't the only option available to them.

Hogwarts was simply the oldest and largest school, with the financial and political support of the Ministry, so it was generally the default choice of generations. There was a reason, after all, why the Hogwarts letter was worded as an acceptance to the school and not a command to attend it.

Families had until July thirty-first, coincidentally Harry's birthday, to confirm the attendance of their children or to refuse admission, and while it didn't happen often, it sometimes did.

If parents so desired, they were permitted to continue to home school their magical offspring, or even group together with a few other families to form a sort of satellite school.

It was unusual, to be sure, but not unheard of.

Sirius knew all about this practice since Walburga had threatened it every other day during the holidays once he'd been sorted into Gryffindor. She wielded the notion like a club in an attempt to keep him in line, but it wasn't particularly effective since it was also one of the few times that Orion had exerted his authority over her.

Not that Sirius ever thought his father was protecting him.

Quite the contrary.

He was pretty sure that Orion just wanted his disappointing firstborn far away from the house as much as possible.

Nevertheless, Sirius knew enough about the possibility to have a reasonable idea on how to go about making it happen for his son. It helped that Remus had a sympathetic acquaintance situated in a mid-level position inside the ICW who assisted them with the paperwork required to make the Fulminare Academy of Magic an actual recognized institute of learning by the ICW Educational Office.

While Remus himself had been fortunate enough to attend Hogwarts, other children who were victims of werewolf attacks were not quite as lucky. Over the many years of his interactions with more wizards and witches afflicted by the curse, he'd met another young man who'd had the misfortune to be bitten after his second year at Beauxbatons while on a family vacation in the Black Forest.

Once the boy's condition became known, Beauxbatons had immediately expelled him as a danger to the other students. The entire family, already devastated by the attack, were left struggling with the best way to ensure that the boy lived as normal a life as possible after that.

Through a determination to help the afflicted members of the werewolf community in any small way, this young man's older brother eventually secured a place inside the ICW itself. Often acting as an advocate for a wider acceptance of the lycanthropes within the official international government's policies.

He and Remus had met occasionally when Remus was hitting dead ends looking for employment and needed help from a private foundation the brothers had established to provide wolfsbane and other necessities to the non-violent members of the community when they were down on their luck.

As a favor to an old friend, the elder brother had been more than happy to assist Remus in pushing through the application for Fulminare as quickly and discretely as possible. In appreciation for his help with the paperwork, and grateful for everything they'd done for Remus over the years, Sirius had then funneled a generous amount of gold to the foundation with the promise of a steady monthly endowment to ensure that those in need were adequately provided for.

Formal approval by the ICW Educational Office was a necessary accreditation for any school if they wanted to participate in a joint program promoting International Magical Cooperation like the TriWizard Tournament, which meant that Sirius couldn't just give his son casual lessons like he had in the summer.

Home schooled or satellite schooled children were not eligible to enter, so in order to keep Harry within the required parameters for a school champion, it had been necessary to make their little home school official.

Harry, and any other students associated with Fulminare, would have to sit for end of the year exams at the Ministry in the usual subjects, but as long as they did, their education was considered acceptable by the ICW as long as all the guidelines were followed.

Unfortunately, there was some bias against students who didn't attend the larger traditional schools when it came to opportunities for employment after graduation, but Sirius wasn't necessarily concerned about that aspect when he was making his plans for his son.

Harry had both the vast Potter and Black family fortunes backing him up. He'd never actually have to work a day in his life it he didn't want to and still be able to handsomely provide for his family for generations to come.

Having Ron and Hermione join them, however, made the situation a bit more tricky if the two of them never went back to Hogwarts.

Hermione, as a Muggleborn, was always going to experience a measure of prejudice in some official areas anyway, whether any of them liked it or not. Ron at least was a pure-blood with a father who, while not prominent, did have connections through his own job at the Ministry.

But Hermione had just jeopardized her entire post-Hogwarts career by choosing to stand by Harry.

As someone who had always greatly valued friendship, Sirius was enormously touched by her loyalty, and he vowed that both of the other children would have the support of the Black family vault if Fulminare turned into a long term project and they weren't able to land on their feet after graduation because of their attendance.

It was the least he could do to show his appreciation to his son's friends.

The three kids were upstairs right now getting Ron and Hermione permanently settled in the bedrooms they always used when visiting Celestial Court. A big improvement over the tiny shared dorms and bathrooms at Hogwarts, which Hermione, as a girl who liked a quiet place to study, really appreciated.

She'd never actively disliked the other Gryffindor girls of her year, but sometimes the inane chatter of someone like the very bubbly Lavender Brown was more than the book-loving Hermione could take with good humor.

Having her own room as a Fulminare student was just one of the many perks for someone who'd often retreated to the quiet recesses of the Hogwarts library just to be able to focus on her schoolwork.

Although the chateau boasted twenty-seven bedrooms altogether, only six of them were in the family wing. All almost identical suites, the family bedrooms were occupied by Sirius and Harry, of course, along with rooms for Ron and Hermione as frequent guests, as well as one for Remus when he chose to stay over instead of returning to his own cottage on the estate and an additional spare.

The other twenty-one bedrooms made up the entirety of the second floor of the guest wing, which had only been in use once since Sirius and Harry took up residence when all of Harry's other Gryffindor friends came to visit for the weekend after they returned from The Maldives.

This arrangement was going to change tomorrow after Hugh and Jean Granger arrived. Wanting the first time guests to be as comfortable as possible, Sirius had already had the house elves prepare the largest suite in the guest wing for Hermione's parents to use.

At least that's where they would stay until the very grand five bedroom "gatekeeper's cottage" on the outskirts of the property had the new electrical service installed for the Muggles who would find it hard to live without it.

Because Celestial Court was a magical house, electricity tended to go haywire more often than not, so it wasn't used. Which was fine if you had the handy use of a wand to take care of your daily chores, but wasn't exactly convenient to a non-magical person used to living in the twentieth century.

The estate was also inhabited by a full staff of house elves, ready to serve the needs of its residents that had never driven horse-drawn carriages nor ridden through the invisible front gates, so there had never been a need for an actual "gatekeeper" either.

But when Phineas Nigellus Black commissioned the construction of what he haughtily called their Summer Lodge, he was determined that Celestial Court would rival any of the famous royal estates that Muggles had built in the Black family's native country of France.

By the time it was finished, the chateau was more than just a grand home for a magical family.

It was a sampling of every lavish structural amenity and ornate household fixture available in either world at the time.

Including a cottage for a non-existent gatekeeper.

In Phineas' opinion, if a dirty, half-wit Muggle can have one, so could he.

Phineas could be just a tad bit pretentious when it came to flaunting his wealth.

His time as Hogwarts least popular headmaster was nothing more than a desire to instill pure-blood politics and high regard for the dark arts in the vulnerable minds of her children, and not a career for the money.

Right now Sirius and Remus were in the library installing the new blackboards that they would all use for classes. Because their student body was so small, they'd decided that it was just going to be easier to have the kids stay in one place and let the individual professors move back and forth instead.

The only time this changed would be when Remus and Hermione broke off from the boys to move next door to the music room for her advanced lessons.

Together the two wizards had drawn their wands and were working to hoist an especially heavy slab of slate so it could be mounted on the wall with a heavy duty sticking charm. With Transfiguration being the first class officially scheduled for next Monday morning, they were both trying very hard to get everything in place as quickly as possible.

"I'm starting to think it might have just been easier for you to buy an actual schoolhouse at this rate," Remus teased good-naturedly, as the two of them struggled with the unwieldly thing.

Scowling, Sirius used his free hand to convey a very specific message to his oldest friend in response. He wasn't about to admit that the same idea had occurred to him about two days ago.

Certainly neither of the men expected there to be so much work involved when they first started talking about having an official school. Last summer tutoring Harry had been very casual and relaxed with no special equipment or lesson structure really needed.

But there was no getting around the ICW's strict criteria for a recognized institution, including the very specific guidelines as to what constituted a proper educational environment, so it was going to take Sirius and the others a few days to catch up before they could start the official classes.

For now, once Hermione and Ron were settled, the kids were expected to spend the days reading ahead in their textbooks so they didn't lose any real study time while it was all sorted. Harry, with a helpless roll of his eyes, had already assured his father that Hermione had arrived with a timetable all drawn up.

When the floo sounded in the parlor down the hall, the two wizards immediately put their guards up.

Not that they were necessarily expecting trouble, but unfortunately that was usually when trouble came, so it never hurt to be alert and prepared.

Thankfully it only took them a minute to recognize the bustling steps of Molly Weasley sounding through the entry hall as she made her way towards them.

As usual, the busy wife and mother was positively laden down with covered plates and Sirius knew her pockets would be full of shrunken packages and bags as well.

Molly didn't know how to travel light.

"Goodness!" she exclaimed with a big smile. "Look how much you've done already! And here's me thinking that I'm in plenty of time to help."

"We got a fairly early start, Molly," Sirius assured her as he leaned down to give her a friendly peck on the cheek. He'd already learned to keep on her good side since it just made for a calmer environment. "I was sure you had things you wanted to do for Ron's birthday dinner."

Molly hadn't been easy to convince that one of her brood should leave the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, even if it was for Harry's sake, who she adored. She and Arthur were fiercely loyal to Dumbledore and they both respected the time honored tradition of attending the oldest wizarding school.

But Sirius had eventually been able to talk her around once he made his case about how upset Harry was about the possibility that something could happen to one of his friends just because he was fond of them. The Weasleys knew perfectly well about the dangers of the tournament and the threat to Harry behind it.

It also helped to subtly refer to all of the harrowing events the three kids had gotten up to since they started their first year together

At first Molly had dismissed it as bad luck and plain old irresponsible behavior on the part of the children themselves, but once Sirius brought up the Chamber of Secrets in the broadest of terms, not actually mentioning Ginny directly because he wasn't an idiot, a look of fear flashed across Molly's face and she began to soften up.

After that, it was just a matter of playing up the fact that Ron was terribly excited to be able to see his parents regularly and to spend one-on-one time with his mum for the first time. Something that Arthur, who knew how much his youngest son actually missed his Mum during term time, was more than happy to take advantage of his wife's soft spot for her children by agreeing with Sirius.

But ultimately it was enticing Molly herself to be one of the instructors for them. She'd loved homeschooling her children, when she didn't want to wring their little necks for all their combined mischief, and she finally broke down and let Ron leave.

Sirius had even made the offer to have Ginny and the twins join them as well, but Arthur, always a good wing-man who could read the room where his wife was concerned, loudly cleared his throat and muttered to Sirius that he should probably just quit while he was ahead.

"Oh, yes," Molly laughed as she began to sort her packages of school supplies and Ron's favorite freshly baked treats. "I haven't had a birthday with Ron since he turned eleven. It's going to be lovely to be with him today. They grow so fast."

Remus, having finished hanging the blackboard with Sirius, walked over to help in an effort to keep her busy and away from Sirius as much as possible.

Sirius was trying to hide it, but Remus knew him too well to not notice that his friend was in a bit of mood, and he could guess that it had something to do with Albus. For the most part, Molly and Sirius were usually pretty good about getting along, but they could still bicker occasionally when it came to Harry since Molly was pretty determined to mother him along with her own kids.

"There's no guessing what this is."

Reaching into the pile of gifts that Molly had just enlarged, Remus smiled as he plucked out the very distinct shape of a broomstick wrapped in brown paper with a silly, colorful bow on it. But because he hadn't been part of the original discussion, he didn't realize that he'd just inadvertently stepped in a wasp's nest in an attempt to keep conversation light.

"Yes, well," Molly said, a bit of venom in her voice as she threw a pointed look in Sirius's direction, "Ron's been begging and begging, and as it happens, Arthur and I had a bit of an unexpected windfall when we checked our vault yesterday. "

Across the room Sirius sighed audibly and busied himself unwrapping an assortment of glass vials so he wouldn't be tempted to engage in a conversation that could end badly.

A few weeks ago, when Harry was trying to think of happy things to take his mind off the upcoming task, he'd asked Sirius if he could use his saved up allowance to buy Ron a broom for his upcoming birthday.

Not anything too extravagant like a Nimbus or a Firebolt, but just a run-of-the-mill model that most kids their age had. Something new that Ron didn't have to have handed down to him from one of his many brothers.

Sirius' first reaction was to wonder if he should lower Harry's pocket money if the boy had so much of it set aside he could afford to pay for a gift as costly as a broom, but after seeing the earnest look in his son's eyes, he relented.

Harry might have been born wealthy, but he'd never had access to, or even knowledge of, his fortune until he'd come to school, so he also hadn't grown up to be the kind of entitled, snotty, rich kid that spent his galleons with wild abandon.

Besides which, Sirius never let his son want for anything. Which maybe wasn't always a great idea when it came to children, but then again Harry rarely asked for anything either, so it wasn't as if the boy was spoiled.

The fact that his son wanted to spend such a large amount of money on his friend and not himself spoke highly of Harry's unselfish manner and it had been hard for Sirius to tell him no.

While Ron might be thrilled with the gesture, he also might be so embarrassed by it that it would throw a wrench into the friendship between the two boys.

Either way, Sirius wasn't taking the chance, since he also knew, no matter what, that Arthur and Molly wouldn't take it well.

Of course Harry had been upset, but he said that he understood, and Sirius knew that his son could sometimes feel quite a bit of guilt when Ron's eyes would stray towards the Firebolt Supreme when he came up to the residence to study with Harry or have dinner with them.

Lately, Sirius and his son had both taken to making sure the broom was put away under Harry's bed before they had guests just so it didn't seem like Harry was showing off.

But then the idea of creating the new school came about, along with the offer to hire Molly to teach, and since the ICW rules also required a school to hire professional instructors, which meant they got paid, Sirius decided he had a better plan to help with his son's request.

During a fire call he had with Molly to discuss the schedule, Sirius casually remarked that he'd be picking up Ron and Hermione on Ron's birthday. Along with a reminder about the availability of the Celestial Court Quidditch pitch and oh wouldn't it be lovely for Ron to have a new broom to fly there?

The ICW didn't specify a salary and Sirius was prepared to be quite generous, so he'd quietly had his Gringotts account manager deposit compensation for the entire term in the Weasley's vault.

Molly was no fool and she hadn't been amused by Sirius' less than subtle suggestions or the sudden appearance of new pile of galleons, but she and Arthur were already saving a bit of money here and there for a nice gift in the hopes that Ron would be made prefect in his fifth year anyway, so she relented but wasn't particularly happy about it.

Looking over at his friend, and knowing Sirius as well as he did, it wasn't hard for Remus to guess what happened and he found himself suddenly exasperated knowing that he also probably had a surprise waiting in his own vault as well.

Molly and Remus looked ready to spit nails and Sirius was absolutely in no mood to be scolded like a child by either of them, so he excused himself and stalked off to his office.

The decanteur of Firewhiskey sitting on his side table was looking awfully appealing at the moment, but he fought the urge and reminded himself that he couldn't afford to self-medicate in the middle of the afternoon now that he was responsible for running an actual school, small as it may be.

Plopping down behind his desk, he closed his eyes and massaged the growing migraine out of his temples. He felt decades beyond his years and just so incredibly tired of fighting today, when all he was trying to do was what he thought best for his son.

Damn Albus Dumbledore and his condescending eyes and damn Molly Weasley and her shrill voice.

Sirius was tired of trying to be a good guy.

After a few far too short moments, he heard Remus saunter in, because of course the busybody couldn't stay away and give Sirius a moment of peace, and he heaved out a huff of annoyance over the intrusion of his much needed solitude.

From the long hall also came the dulcet tones of Molly Weasley as she bellowed like a banshee for the children to come downstairs and say hello, which didn't particularly help Sirius' aching head in the least.

"If you've come expecting an apology, or for me to feel an ounce of guilt about it, then I'm afraid you're going to be sadly disappointed."

Remus could clearly hear the irritation and finality in the sharp growl of his friend's voice and wisely decided to back off. While Sirius' actions may have been a little high-handed, Remus, better than anyone, knew they came from a place of love and it wouldn't help anything to verbally beat him for it when Sirius would never change his ways.

"Do you want to talk about what happened with Albus this morning?" he said instead, deciding to change tactics. "Is there a body I have to help you bury?"

"No," Sirius responded angrily. "On both counts. Although I was sorely tempted."

"I don't suppose it would help to remind you that you're not alone with all this?"

At that, a small fraction of the pent up hostility drained out of Sirius as he grudgingly acknowledged that Remus wasn't actually the one he was really angry at.

Lately he'd been feeling a strong return of the fight-or-flight psychological response that he'd needed to maintain almost constantly for so many years to make it through his nightmare imprisonment. But with too much going on right now, he knew that he couldn't afford to lose his focus and drop any of the balls he was currently juggling by feeling sorry for himself.

"I realize that," he finally admitted. "It helps more than you know."

The boisterous cacophony of voices coming from the library was earsplitting at this point and Remus could see Sirius struggling to hold on to his temper, so he pulled his wand from his robe and gave it a flick.

"Quietus!"

Immediately the noise died down to a more manageable level and Sirius sent him a grateful nod and called for some tea.

"That woman is going to be the death of me," he predicted as he poured cups for himself and Remus. "Merlin knows, she's a lovely lady, but I swear her voice can make paint peel. Reminds me too much of my own shrew of a mother."

"She means well," Remus soothed, taking a sip. "We'll all have to learn to get along now that we'll be spending so much time together. For the kids' sake if nothing else."

"I know."

The two of them spent a few quiet moments just drinking their tea and keeping out of Molly's way. They could hear that she already had two of the house elves scurrying about hanging the party decorations in the dining room for Ron's birthday dinner while she helped the others organize the food.

At times like this it was best to just let her handle everything if they didn't want to get drafted themselves. Molly didn't like to see idle hands when there was work to be done.

A few minutes later, Harry peeked his head in the door to the office, already wearing a warm coat since it was still very chilly outside and he hadn't been recovered from his cold all that long.

"Papa, I'm taking Ron down to the orchard to see if that nest of puffskeins is still there. Is that okay?"

The tone in the boy's voice didn't indicate any concern that permission would be refused, which only made Sirius frown in response as his temper started to rise again. If Harry was going to skive off from his responsibilities, Sirius would at least like the courtesy of being asked before plans were actually made.

"Did you all complete your reading assignments for today already?"

His father's brusque tone surprised Harry, since he didn't think it would be a big deal to take a little walk and escape Mrs. Weasley's clutches for a few minutes when she'd already guilted Hermione into learning a charm for blowing up balloons.

"No, sir."

"Then you have your answer already, don't you," Sirius snapped. "Just because you're home doesn't mean it's not a school day, young man. Go find a quiet place away from all this nonsense and do your work before you ask again."

Thoroughly embarrassed, Harry's face blushed bright red as he glanced over to Remus for an indication of why his father was so sharp with him, but there was no help coming.

"Yes, sir."

Before his father could continue to reprimand him, Harry made a hasty exit. Across from Sirius, Remus was staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

Holding his hand up in surrender, Remus only shook his head, not wanting to agitate his friend any further when Sirius was a scant millimeter away from completely losing his cool.

"I didn't say anything, Padfoot."

"He needs to understand that this isn't just a long holiday," Sirius continued in an effort to convince himself he hadn't been too harsh just then. "I can't have him falling behind on his studies on day one."

"I'm not disagreeing," Remus placated. "I don't think that it's unreasonable to set limits for them when this is all going to take some getting used to. Harry will understand that once the novelty has worn off."

Sirius sincerely hoped that his friend was right. The last thing he wanted was for his son to be as unhappy and restricted here as the boy had been at Hogwarts. Otherwise, what was it all for in the first place?

Harry had obviously broken the news to his friends about them needing to study if the loud squawks of Molly shooing them all back upstairs was any indication. The clock on the mantle chimed four and Sirius, his head aching and his resolve faltering, summoned the bottle of Firewhiskey to pour a large measure in each of their teacups when he heard Molly calling for him and Remus.

He'd buck up and go out to help her with the party in a few minutes, since it wasn't fair to make her do it all alone, but he definitely needed something a little bracing first to face it.

"Shut the door, please, Moony."

*************HP*************

Checking his watch, Sirius frowned at the time and stood up from his desk. He'd been so caught up in drafting lesson plans that he'd completely lost track of how late it was getting.

Arthur and Molly had left ages ago after all the birthday dinner festivities and it had been Sirius' intention to work for an hour or two and then get a good night's sleep before collecting the Grangers tomorrow.

He'd assumed that his son would have come down to say goodnight before getting into bed, only he now realized it was more than likely he'd have to be the bad guy and go upstairs to break up what he knowingly guessed was a continuation of the party.

Sure enough, as he climbed the stairs and headed for the bedrooms in the family wing of the chateau, he could hear the sounds of youthful chatter and laughter emanating from his son's room. The Marauder in him wanted nothing more than to just retreat and let the teenagers have their fun, but the parent and now headmaster in him no longer had that luxury.

Merlin, sometimes being the grown-up was a right pain in the arse.

Harry's door was slightly ajar and Sirius lifted his hand and rapped smartly on the frame twice before walking in. Harry and Ron were sitting cross-legged on the bed, Ron's new broom between them, while Harry was giving helpful tips on how to use the broom maintenance kit Hermione had gifted Ron.

Hermione herself was curled up in the armchair next to the bed and stroking Crookshanks' fur, prompting Sirius to remind himself to speak to the house elves about some gourmet treats for the part-kneazle he'd become very fond of during his time on the run now that the magical feline was living with them.

All signs pointed to the clear evidence that the three teens had made no effort at all to abide by their curfew, which simply grated on his already sensitive nerves.

"Harry James! It's almost eleven o'clock," Sirius scolded sternly, feeling the stirrings of his blood begin to boil over the blatant disobedience. "We talked about this, young man."

And they had talked about it. They had all talked about it.

Sirius was touched beyond measure that Harry's friends had chosen to upend their lives to stand by him, but he'd been very clear with the kids that the rules established early on for the Black-Potter household were still going to be obeyed regardless of the changes.

Harry understood that.

Or at least Sirius thought his son understood it, but you couldn't tell by the way the teens were all just lazing about Harry's room almost an hour after they should have been in their respective bedrooms.

It wasn't as if he expected the other two kids to go to sleep at ten o'clock, like his own son was supposed to, but they were required to be in their own rooms and settling down for the night by then, just like they would have been at Hogwarts.

Ron and Hermione weren't just house guests anymore. They were here now to attend school like regular students and not for a never-ending slumber party. So it was especially important for them to remember that Celestial Court was no longer the fun private home they'd been to for visits and holidays, and that the curfew established for all three of them would be as strictly enforced as if they were still living in Gryffindor tower.

Harry was genuinely shocked by his father's annoyance, while Ron, always somewhat skittish around Sirius anyway, jumped up to gather his things from the bed as quickly as possible. Hermione, realizing they'd broken the rules already, couldn't even make eye-contact with Sirius as she stood from the chair, forcing Crookshanks to leap to the floor in her haste to be on her way.

The part-kneazle, sensing that his old friend the animagus was in a testy mood, sauntered over to Sirius for a nuzzle to calm the wizard down a little and Sirius obliged by leaning over to gently scratch at the feline's ears while Ron and Hermione mumbled awkward apologies and good-nights and fled as fast as they could.

"Sorry, Papa. We were having such a good time we didn't realize how late it was."

Harry indeed appeared contrite as he sat with his head down, nervous fingers fiddling with his comforter and obviously waiting for further chastisement. When it didn't come, because Sirius was concentrating very hard on keeping his temper in check, he peeked up cautiously through his growing fringe to judge his father's mood and then wrongly assumed he was probably in the clear when all Sirius did was cock an annoyed eyebrow at him.

Moving swiftly to avoid angering his father even further, Harry stood and clumsily gathered his pajamas from the top drawer of his dresser before scooting over towards the doorway to his en-suite where Sirius was now standing with his hands on his hips, his face flushed with irritation.

"Best you get ready for bed then," Sirius barked crossly, suddenly reaching out to grasp Harry's arm and giving his son's backside two very firm swats as the boy tried and failed to skirt by him. "I'll be having a quick word with you before you go to sleep,"

Harry winced and ducked his head.

"Yes, sir."

Avoiding his father's displeased glare, Harry darted into his bathroom to wash up and change. Once inside with the door safely closed, he squeezed paste onto his toothbrush and began to vigorously scrub his teeth while sneaking a hand back to gingerly rub at his smarting bum.

He knew then that he was probably in some pretty big trouble because Sirius wasn't usually so quick to dole out a smack for something as minor as going to bed a little late, let alone two of them, and he also didn't smack quite as hard as he did just now unless he was actually giving Harry a proper spanking.

A sobering thought that had Harry fervently hoping wasn't part of the 'quick word' they were going to have when he went back out.

The boy couldn't help but be bewildered about Sirius' greater than average annoyance at a missed bedtime. Although his father was pretty firm on keeping them both on a regular schedule, he'd never really been all that put out if Harry wasn't in bed exactly on time, and there had always been a little bit of leeway allowed.

So to have Sirius suddenly cross enough to smack Harry for it was fairly out of character for the man who was strict but generally reasonable. But thinking about it now, Harry realized that Sirius had actually been in sour mood all day.

First there had been the refusal to let Harry and Ron go out walking, which Harry hadn't thought would be a big deal since Sirius was the one to tell him about the nest in the first place.

It also hadn't escaped the boy's notice that everyone else had quite a merry time gathered together for Ron's birthday dinner, but Sirius had barely managed a smile during the whole thing. Which in itself should have been telling, considering how much Harry's normally fun-loving father took every opportunity to celebrate any joyous event he could after so many years of being locked away and literally starved of any happiness.

Even when Ron unwrapped his broom, something Harry knew his father was especially looking forward to seeing, Sirius had remained quiet and slightly removed from the festivities.

Instead, he'd been looking on as a fairly disinterested observer and not as the person who had skillfully pushed Mrs. Weasley into making sure Ron got the gift he'd been desperate for in the first place.

Truthfully, his Papa been exceptionally moody from the moment he returned from Hogwarts earlier that morning with Harry's best friends in tow.

Which maybe shouldn't be such a surprise.

When they first talked about the plan to pull Harry from Hogwarts, they both agreed that telling Dumbledore was going to be a difficult one no matter what. The old headmaster, who had always taken an exceptionally keen interest in Harry since his first arrival at Hogwarts, wasn't likely to take the news of Harry's withdrawal very well.

Mostly because, as Harry now knew, Dumbledore had really been the one to make all the truly critical decisions that impacted Harry's life between the time of his parents' deaths until Sirius assumed guardianship.

From keeping him out of the wizarding world during his childhood, to placing him in the loveless home with his detested relatives, to how and where Harry spent his school holidays every year.

It was safe to say that Professor Dumbledore liked Harry right where he was at Hogwarts, under the old man's watchful eye.

And while it hadn't really mattered before now, since in the past Harry had always been more than happy to spend as much time at the castle as possible when the alternative was even one more miserable day at Privet Drive anyway, things had certainly changed with Sirius taking custody of him.

So of course Dumbledore would take strong exception to Harry being schooled elsewhere. Simply because it took a large measure of control over Harry's life away from the man who had governed it for twelve years, even if most of that had been at a distance.

To the old headmaster, it wasn't going to matter if Harry was being removed to live in the safety of his own home. Or even the fact that he was going to be given instruction by his father and Remus who were both professors that Dumbledore himself had hired to teach the students of Hogwarts.

All that would matter is that Harry was now beyond his reach, and while Harry respected Headmaster Dumbledore and somewhat appreciated the various kindnesses the man had shown him over the years, he couldn't help but feel that what Harry's father decided for him going forward was really no longer any of the older wizard's business.

Foolishly, Harry hadn't really worried too much about the meeting because Sirius was generally fairly unflappable, especially in the face of adversity, but now the boy wondered if that had been a mistake.

Whatever happened that morning had obviously upset his Papa more than the man was willing to admit.

Now moving with purpose, he hurriedly washed his face with the wizarding soap his father had given him to prevent the outcrop of spots he'd been getting lately and then used the toilet before changing into a T-shirt and pajama pants.

It wasn't a good idea to keep Sirius waiting longer than necessary when the man was already in a mood.

While Harry was in the bathroom, Sirius turned down the covers on his son's bed and then got himself settled in the armchair Hermione had just vacated. He was at least honest enough with himself to admit that he'd probably slightly overreacted just now, but the simple truth was that this whole plan was only going to work if Harry took it seriously.

The class schedule the adults had mapped out was fairly aggressive and it was going to take determination and self-discipline on the parts of the kids to manage it successfully.

So it didn't exactly bode well that the teens were already misbehaving right out of the gate, even if it was something as silly as ignoring their curfew for a bit when they didn't actually have class in the morning.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Sirius could hear his mother's shrewish voice cackling in triumph over the lack of respect being shown by the children. One of Walburga's most frequent pasttimes had been to wax poetic about shameful and disobedient brats getting what was coming to them when the tables were turned.

Spitefully assuring her disappointing firstborn that he'd never be able to inspire respect and loyalty from his own children when he was wholly incapable of showing it to his parents.

She'd wanted Sirius to fail as a father, since clearly he was the one that was the problem and not her or Orion.

Especially when Regulus was such a good boy.

A real credit to the Black family name.

Another little voice in his head tried to argue that it was just the unpleasant encounter with Albus that had Sirius at sixes and sevens at the moment, and not any real problems with the kids who were more than likely just happy to be together again and harmlessly goofing off, as teenagers often did.

He wanted to not take their behavior personally, but Merlin it was hard to do that right now.

Closing his eyes, Sirius leaned back into the soft cushions of the wingback chair to patiently wait for his son to return and sent up a silent prayer that things would be better tomorrow.

After just a few moments Harry emerged from the bathroom and cautiously made his way across the room to his bed. Seeing his covers already drawn back, Harry knew he should probably just obediently climb in under the blanket and lie down before he set Sirius off again.

But since his father had very clearly informed him that they needed to talk, he decided instead to take a seat on the edge of the bed across from Sirius in his chair. If nothing else, he would be within easy arm's reach if he really was in trouble and going over his father's knee.

Harry sat silently as he waited for Sirius to start speaking, but his father didn't seem to be in any hurry to talk. The boy stewed for a moment as he chewed on his bottom lip before finally folding his hands in his lap to keep them from twisting nervously as he summoned up the courage to offer another apology.

"I'm really sorry, Papa. It won't happen again. I promise."

At these words, Sirius opened his heavy eyes and saw his son's young face so earnest and scrunched up with worry as the emerald green orbs flicked back and forth, unable to look directly at him. He really hated to be the cause of Harry looking so distressed, even if the boy did earn his scolding.

He was also much calmer now, having taken a quiet moment to reassess, so he leaned forward to gently take Harry's chin in his hand.

"I don't want to be the bad guy here, kiddo," he said softly. "Really, it's absolutely the last thing that I want. I hope you know that."

Harry did know this.

He'd certainly heard more than enough stories of the teen years of both of his fathers to have a good understanding of what they'd been like at his age.

"I know it seems like I'm being unreasonable right now," Sirius continued, wanting the boy to understand why he was annoyed. "It's Ron's birthday and you lot just wanted to have a bit of fun together. And of course I want you to do that and be able to enjoy having them here."

Harry nodded slightly, because he did know that Sirius always tried to make the times Harry spent with his friends special. How often had his father gone above and beyond in planning festive Friday night dinners for them all?

"But here's the thing," his father warned, relaxing his grip on Harry's chin to affectionately stroke his son's cheek with the pad of his thumb before pulling away. "From now on, Ron and Hermione are going to take their cues from you, and if they see you disobeying my rules right off the bat, then they will think it's okay for them to do it too. They both agreed to the curfew when we all talked about this and it undermines my authority when it isn't taken seriously."

Feeling truly guilty now, Harry could see his father's point. Ron and Hermione would follow his lead on how he behaved in his own home, just as he would do the same if he was living in one of theirs. If this new arrangement was going to work, Harry realized he was the one who would have to do better about setting a good example.

"Yes, sir," Harry sighed, now understanding his father's irritation and why this was so important. "I suppose it was just that it's Ron's birthday, and since we haven't actually started our proper classes yet, I guess we just didn't think. Or...I didn't think, really. You usually come up to say good-night too, so I wasn't paying attention to the time like I should have, but I swear we didn't do it on purpose."

That was fair.

Sirius had missed his regular bedtime visit tonight. Although he would hope that by now Harry could be responsible enough to keep his own schedule, it wasn't unreasonable to think that the boy really had just innocently lost track of the hour on this occasion.

"This is your one free pass," Sirius warned his son, tapping Harry on the nose playfully before leaning back in his seat. "The next time you'll all owe me some lines, just like if you were at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded his head and swore to himself that he'd do a better job going forward of remembering that he might be sleeping in his own bed, but he was still at school.

"Yes, sir."

With the air cleared a little, Harry now had the chance to give his father's face a closer perusal and felt guilty about seeing just exactly how tired and stressed out the man really looked.

While it had been a rough week since that day at the lake, the tense set of Sirius' shoulders clearly attested to something more than just annoyance over Harry breaking his curfew now that they'd talked about it.

"Papa, are you okay? Is there something else that's the matter?"

Sirius sat silently for a moment, tapping his fingers on the arm rests of his chair as he carefully decided on how much of his conversation with Albus he should share with his son.

Experience had taught him well that Harry didn't like being kept in the dark about matters that pertained to him, which really the boy could hardly be blamed for.

But there were some things about his past that Sirius would rather just not talk about any more today unless he absolutely had to. It was all just too painful to keeping dwelling upon when he was already under a fair amount of pressure as it was.

And to be honest, it wasn't only the words he'd spoken about the war or his time in the Order that had Sirius so rattled today.

A large part of it was the infuriating flash of fake grandfatherly condescension on Albus' face when Sirius mentioned starting his own school for Harry.

It was brief, but definitely there, as if to say that the older wizard had no confidence in Sirius' ability to pull off something so complicated and that Sirius was completely deluded if he even thought he could try.

Sirius was already nervous enough as it was about taking over the reins entirely for his son's magical education, and he could certainly do without Albus chiming in on his shortcomings.

When it had just been a question of himself and Harry, Sirius had felt that they could make a real go of it. But now that he would be responsible for Ron and Hermione as well, it was more pressure than Sirius had been expecting when he'd set his mind on removing Harry from Hogwarts.

Even with the help of Remus, along with the Weasleys and the Grangers, Sirius wasn't entirely sure that the decision to open Fulminare to others besides his son was a completely wise one.

After all, he did spent twelve long years away from his magic, and who knows how much of his education and training he might have forgotten during his time under duress by the dementors?

Sirius may have been a brilliant student in his youth and then a talented auror as a young man, but that was a long time ago. He might have once been completely at ease with his skills and abilities, confident to the point of being cocky even, but what if he absently missed something truly important in Harry's training, or the other children's, and didn't realize it until it was too late?

He was literally playing with their lives.

So maybe that insecurity was also contributing to his annoyance with the kids at the moment. Or maybe his annoyance was a manifestation masking the thing that was truly bothering Sirius most of all since he stormed out of the headmaster's office.

Maybe it was really the way that Dumbledore seemed set on undermining the father-son relationship Sirius and Harry had developed with each other since their reunion last year that had Sirius so angry.

A relationship that had not come about without several trials and tribulations along the way and was finally in a really good place.

With a lot of effort on both their parts, Sirius and Harry had more than earned the closeness they now shared as a family, and Sirius would be damned if he allowed Albus Bloody Dumbledore of all people to belittle Sirius' place in Harry's life.

The older wizard's arrogant presumption and subsequent dismissal of the paternal feelings Sirius felt for Harry had made him absolutely furious and he'd clearly allowed that anger to bleed into his own behavior today, causing him to be short with his son more than once.

"I'm sorry, little one," he said at last, coming to grips over the true source of his sour disposition for the past several hours. "I guess I haven't exactly been much fun to be around today, have I?"

Harry loved his father and he didn't want to make Sirius feel any worse by agreeing with him, so he simply shrugged as he knocked his knee against Sirius' own, unconsciously seeking affection after what had been a rough day.

"S'okay, Papa. You've had a lot on your mind lately."

It wasn't okay. Not even a little bit, now that Sirius was really thinking about it.

The very last thing he wanted was for his heavily burdened son to worry about anything more than he already did, and Harry certainly shouldn't pay for Sirius' own insecurities and the drivel spouted by Dumbledore.

Feeling terribly guilty now, Sirius got up from his chair to take a seat next to his son on the bed and held out his arms.

"Come here, you."

Harry went willingly into the offered embrace, relieved that his father no longer seemed cross with him, and tucked his head under Sirius' chin as his father cuddled him close. At fourteen, he probably shouldn't need his father's arms around him to feel safe and at peace, but the truth was, he still did and he wasn't about to apologize for it.

"You know that I love you more than anything in the world, don't you?"

There was a note of fear and a bit of desperation in Sirius' voice as he asked his son that question. As if he was genuinely afraid that by this point Harry didn't know how much he meant to his father.

Which was simply ridiculous considering how often Sirius made a point to tell Harry that he loved him.

Nodding, Harry tightened the grip he had around his father's waist and took in a deep comforting breath of Sirius' aftershave. The familiar mix of cedar and heavy spices surprisingly soothing to him as he relaxed under the feeling of his father's hand softly rubbing his back.

As comfortable as he now was, the boy could have easily fallen asleep from the gentle ministrations that were relieving all the tension he'd felt since his father appeared in his room. He was quite happy right where he was and in no hurry to move away from the encompassing and much wanted hug any time soon.

By the way he could feel Sirius' own frame lose some of its tension, he could tell that his father felt the same way.

Closing his eyes, Harry let his mind start to drift just a bit and skirt the outer rim of consciousness until he felt a small rumble in his father's chest that alerted him to the fact that Sirius had just spoken without Harry hearing him.

"Hmm?"

Letting out a tiny amused chuckle at his son's drowsy reply that belied his own nervousness from the question he'd just asked, Sirius leaned down to brush a kiss against Harry's now upturned forehead. His goatee intentionally tickling the boy who wrinkled his nose before rubbing the sensation away against his father's brocade waistcoat.

"I said," Sirius murmured softly into his son's hair as the boy snuggled closer, "What would you say about me formally adopting you?"

Harry stilled in his arms, clearly surprised by the question. Already skittish about asking it in the first place, Sirius' heart leaped into his throat when he couldn't tell whether it was a good sign or a bad sign that his son didn't answer right away.

After a painfully long silent moment, Harry slowly pulled back from their hug and fidgeted, looking downward as he picked at a loose thread on his comforter.

"I'd say that I've been wondering why you hadn't already," he finally confessed, chancing a quick glance at his father's face before dropping his eyes again.

To say that Sirius was a bit startled by the boy's response was an understatement.

He'd had no idea at all that Harry was even thinking of such a thing. It's not like the two of them had even talked about it before, since it would mostly be a formality as far as their daily lives were concerned.

"Have you really?" he asked in disbelief. "Then why didn't you say anything before?"

Now looking truly uncomfortable, Harry's face blushed four shades of red as Sirius gently tugged his hand away from the errant thread before he unraveled the whole blanket.

"You'd already taken on so much," his son shrugged, looking away again. "I thought that if you wanted to adopt me, you would have done. "

Reaching out, Sirius took Harry's face in both his hands as he stared intently into his son's startling green eyes.

"Nothing would make me happier or more proud. I promise you."

He waited until he could see that Harry believed his words. Although the boy still looked uneasy, Sirius felt they'd come to a place in their relationship where Harry had enough trust in him to know that Sirius would always be honest with him.

It was true that he'd thought about adopting Harry outright more than once. Almost on a daily basis, in fact. But it was an idea that stirred up a great deal of very complicated emotions inside of him since it wasn't solely about how committed he was to being the boy's father.

Harry pulled out of Sirius' hold and swept his fingers through his perpetually messy mop of hair. Scooting backwards against the headboard, he drew his feet up onto the bed and wrapped his arms around his folded legs.

"So, why now?"

It was a good question.

Sirius would like to be able to tell his son that it was simply a natural progression of things between them, but that wouldn't be the whole truth. In fact, if Dumbledore hadn't made that caustic comment today, Sirius might never have been able to summon up the courage to ask the boy if being formally adopted was something he wanted.

And that wasn't even taking into consideration the primary reason why he continuously discarded the notion whenever it popped into his head either.

The truth was that the adoption would officially remove James as Harry's father for all intents and purposes as far as the Ministry and all of wizarding society were concerned.

It was an unavoidable consequence of a blood ritual that aggrieved Sirius too much to truly contemplate before today, since he keenly felt that such an action would effectively deprive his brother of the heart of his rightful place in Harry's life.

Sirius knew that logically he was probably the only person who would think of it in those terms, but really, somebody had to speak for James when James was no longer around to speak for himself.

And Sirius also couldn't help feeling that it was all just a bit greedy on his part to make that kind of decision when it would be he himself that most benefited from it.

A very complicated situation, to be sure.

"Well," he began cautiously, "I suppose it's because I realized today that there are always going to be people who question my role in your life, no matter how we feel about each other within our own home."

"Is that what Professor Dumbledore said that upset you so much?" Harry asked quietly, looking down at his knees instead of at Sirius. "Something that made you feel like you had to adopt me?"

"No, little one," Sirius rushed to assure his son. "That's not it at all. Hey. Look at me, please"

Harry hesitated a few seconds before lifting his head up and meeting his father's gaze. Sirius was giving him a soft smile that showed nothing but love, his liquid silver eyes encouraging Harry to believe him.

"Dumbledore couldn't make me do anything when it comes to you," his father professed firmly, "let alone something I've already wanted to do for a very long time. The reasons that I've hesitated so far have nothing to do with you and everything to do with me."

The boy's face scrunched up into a frown of confusion, but he didn't say anything, willing to just sit quietly and let his father explain everything to him. Somehow it helped to know that Harry hadn't done anything inherently wrong that kept Sirius from adopting him in the first place.

Even if he didn't realize how much it truly bothered him until just this moment.

"Magic itself already accepts you as my heir," Sirius began slowly, "as a result of the vow I made with the Jacturius charm."

Harry nodded, remembering with great clarity everything he had learned about that ritual last year when he and Sirius were just starting to get to know each other. His memories of that turbulent time not all good ones.

"And as far as material wealth is concerned," Sirius continued, "Gringotts accepts you as the heir to my entire estate."

Which was something else that overwhelmed Harry when he thought about it. The idea that he would irrevocably displace any biological child Sirius might have in the future still making him feel uncomfortable.

"But where the Ministry is concerned," Sirius hedged, a frown of distaste spread across his face, "which means our overall society in general, I'm only seen as your guardian and not as your father."

"You're my father as far as I'm concerned."

Sirius had to smile at the vehemence in his son's voice and the look of solid determination on Harry's face when he made his declaration. A warm bubble of happiness rose up in his chest at being so very clearly wanted.

"As far as I'm concerned, as well."

Harry smiled at that and shyly ducked his head, looking all for the world to Sirius like the little boy who'd always hugged his Uncle Padfoot with his whole heart.

It took Sirius' breath away, how much he loved this child of his, and it made him feel like kicking himself that he kept allowing his own insecurities to interfere with giving Harry everything he should have.

But the boy also needed to hear the whole truth before he could make an informed and life-altering decision.

"The thing is, if you are really okay with me adopting you," he warned cautiously, once again all business, "you should know that an adoption ritual in our world is quite different from anything you might know about adoption in the Muggle world."

Harry glanced up curiously. Not that he seemed ready to change his mind about it all, but there was definitely a spark of worry in his eyes.

"How so?"

Sirius took in a deep breath, searching for the words to explain it all properly. Harry was generally so laid back about the enormous upheavals in his life, but this might be the one time when it was a bridge too far for the boy to just accept.

"Well...firstly, it's not just a paper transaction. The adoption involves a blood ritual, a blood pact if you will, and afterwards, it means that my blood will run through your veins and yours through mine."

Harry wrinkled his nose in distaste in response to this news and Sirius didn't blame the boy. There was a reason that rituals that involved blood magic were mostly dark and abhorrent ones.

"It's not like a nasty potion I have to drink or anything, is it?"

"Merlin, no." Sirius slightly gagged at the very thought. "It's just a small cut on each of our hands that we'll join together with an incantation. It will constitute a binding magical contract between us that affirms that I accept you as my son and you accept me as your father."

"Well, that's alright, then," Harry sighed in relief. "Doesn't sound too complicated."

"It's not," Sirius shook his head. "That isn't what stopped me from bringing it up before."

With his eyebrows raised, Harry waited with decreasing patience for his father to get to the troubling part of this scenario. Surely there was something dangerous or terrible involved if it kept Sirius from doing it once they'd accepted their new roles with each other.

"I don't have to fight another dragon to complete the ritual or, I don't know, dance a jig on a table at The Leaky Cauldron with a tea cozy on my head or anything weird like that, do I?"

"No," Sirius chuckled, genuinely amused by his son's small attempt at humor. "But I think your Dad might actually have done that once. Or maybe that was me. To be honest I was probably so pissed that night that I can't really remember anymore. Let's just blame Remus."

Harry burst into peals of laughter which only made Sirius' smile grow wider. He loved to hear his child laugh so heartily with the ease and innocence of youth. Far too often Harry was burdened with things that were much darker and more serious than any young boy should to have to face.

Which was why he hated to finish explaining his reluctance.

"No," he said again, his smile faltering. "It's actually the fact that it means I'll officially be recognized as your father when the ritual is done. Your only father," he clarified when Harry didn't immediately understand the significance.

"Oh."

Oh, is right.

"I understand if you want to change your mind," Sirius said quickly, reaching to take one of Harry's hands into his own. "I won't be at all offended, I swear. To be honest, I'm not entirely comfortable with it all either. It feels a bit too much like I'm trying to take the last thing James has away from him if we do this."

Harry let Sirius hold his hand, entangling their fingers together. Looking down he casually observed how much bigger Sirius' hand was compared to his own. Like it was truly a pair belonging to a father and son.

Except that Harry's hand doesn't look like Sirius'.

Harry's hand looks like one of James Potter's hands. It's an average size for a young male. Slightly wide across the palm which makes it good for catching a tiny snitch. There's not much difference in length between the three middle fingers, which aren't necessarily stubby, but they're not particularly long either. His knuckles are knobbly and his pinkie fingers curve inwards.

Sirius' hand looks like it was shaped by a sculptor. His fingers are longer than Harry's by several inches, but it's more narrow in the palm. It's classically shaped and smooth, pairing well with the aristocratic features of Sirius' face. It exudes an appearance of grace and refinement that covers a foundation of steely strength underneath.

Harry doesn't really remember anything about his biological father other than the distressing and twisted memories that too much exposure to dementors gives him. He's seen pictures of them together, of course, and even viewed a few of Sirius' memories in the pensieve of moments when his dad was holding Harry as a baby. Playing with him and singing him to sleep.

Harry can look at a photo of twenty-one-year-old James Potter and clearly see his own face staring back at him. Just a little bit older maybe, but so similar that it was sometimes eerie.

That young man in the photos and the pensieve memories had given Harry life twice. Once when he and Lily created Harry, and then again when James laid down his own life to save his baby boy.

As much as he would have loved to, Harry didn't know that young man.

But what he did know was that no magical ritual or Ministry documentation would ever stop Harry from loving him.

And he also knew that it was something Sirius would never ask him to do, which was one of the things Harry loved about his Papa.

Because the hand Harry was holding onto right now didn't belong to James Potter.

This hand is the one that pours pumpkin juice for him in the morning and tucks him into bed at night. The one that checks his forehead for fever when he's sick and plays chess with him when he isn't.

It's the hand that helps him with his homework and stirs the bolognese sauce for their dinner.

This hand had escaped from a dark hole in the middle of the sea and swam in freezing waters to protect Harry from the murderer that took his parents from him.

It ruffles his hair affectionately and claps when cheering him on while he flies. It taught him how to use his wand to duel properly and how to dance with a pretty young girl.

It's the hand that holds him close when he wakes up screaming from a nightmare and the one that spanks him when he misbehaves.

This hand is the hand of his father.

Gripping that hand now, tight enough to almost hurt, Harry shook his head. He already knew what he wanted and no arbitrary opinion of the bloody Ministry was going make a difference.

"I'm not changing my mind."

*********HP***************

*POP!* *POP!*

It was raining heavily when Sirius and Remus apparated in front of the Granger home, so the two wizards quickly cast an Impervius on their clothing to keep from getting wet. Silently they agreed to leave from inside the house since it had already been decided that it was better to introduce Jean and Hugh to the daily magic they used relatively slowly as not to overwhelm the Muggles.

It was going to be disconcerting enough as it was to take them to Celestial Court by side-along Apparition after shrinking their luggage. No reason to put themselves into unnecessary situations where more charms would be required.

Jogging up the steps to the front door, Sirius pressed the doorbell, the Westminster chimes tinkling grandly in the background again. It reminded him that he should probably check on his old bachelor flat at some point.

He still owned it, but it had been years since it was maintained, so there was no telling what kind of shape it was in.

There was another property he now owned in London as well, but the less said about that house of horrors the better.

A few seconds later, Hugh Granger opened the door with a wide smile and beckoned them quickly inside. He didn't seem to notice that the wizards were perfectly dry, but then Muggles were often oblivious to things like that.

"Good morning! Jean and I are just about set, I think. She's fetching the brollies. Wouldn't want to drown before we get there."

"That won't be necessary," Sirius shook his head. "The weather is clear where we are headed. And if it's okay with you, we can take our departure from right here inside."

"Oh right," Hugh realized, grinning. "I'm afraid it's going to take us a minute to get used to that kind of thing."

Just then Jean came down the stairs, looking a little flustered as she wrestled with a large suitcase which didn't seem to quite fit between the banister and the wall. Immediately Hugh sprinted up to his wife and relieved her of her burden.

"Darling, I told you I would take this."

"Darling, you've said that three times, already," Jean said, rolling her eyes in fond exasperation. "I didn't want to become a pensioner waiting for you."

She gave her husband a sweet peck on the cheek and then made her way over to the other two men.

"Good morning, Sirius. Lovely to see you again Mr. Lupin."

"Remus," the werewolf said, extending his hand in greeting. "Lovely to see you as well. Ready for a new adventure?"

"I think I am, really," she chuckled, her eyes bright with excitement. "We're so looking forward to seeing this part of Hermione's life. I know it's hard for her to have her magic restricted when she's home with us. She so desperately wants to show us all the things she can do."

Overhearing this, Sirius frowned as he absently tapped the large suitcase with his wand and shrunk it.

This was one of the worst sacrifices for the parents of Muggleborns. It was hard enough already to accept their magical child, but to be prohibited from seeing their gifts for so many years was just cruel.

"That's something I think I'm going to try to change," he announced, looking from Jean to Remus.

Remus cocked an eyebrow at his old friend, confused by the statement. This wasn't a topic that they had ever talked about, but clearly Sirius had been giving the matter some thought.

"Oh really?" Hugh asked, taking the shrunken bag that Sirius handed to him and slipping it into his jacket pocket. "What could be done?"

"Well," Sirius started, letting his mind start to work through the idea, "my family has a hereditary seat on our Wizengamot. That's our similar equivalent to your Parliament," he clarified, seeing the Grangers' confusion. "I've never really cared for politics, myself, so I've let my cousin's husband stand in for the family, but I think it's time I get involved."

Looking very surprised, a smile started to widen on Remus' face. He'd been hoping that Sirius would consider taking this action at some point. Merlin knew old Lucius wasn't voting for anything positive if it didn't benefit the dark pure-blood families.

"You'll be busier than a one-armed paper hanger, Padfoot," Remus teased gently, "what with getting the school up and running as well. But I'm glad to hear it."

"Maybe," Sirius shrugged, "but the purpose is the same. Whatever I need to do to further Harry's interests. And if I can do a little good for others along the way, so much the better."

"Perhaps we can make the government portion of the History class a joint project?" Hugh suggested. "I'll handle our world if you handle yours?"

"A little comparison between the two?" Sirius agreed, liking the idea very much. "That's an excellent idea."

"Gentlemen," Jean interrupted, coming into the sitting room with a bag that smelled of freshly baked cinnamon rolls, "could we possibly talk about this later? I'd really love to see my daughter."

Looking sheepish, Sirius immediately apologized.

"Of course. I know she's anxious to see you both as well. She would have liked to come herself this morning, but apparating for the first time, even for one of us, is disconcerting if there's only one passenger along for the ride. Two would be especially disagreeable until you're used to it. I'm sorry to say it's a sensation you won't particularly enjoy at first."

The Grangers exchanged looks of trepidation before Remus shot his friend a half-heated glare.

"It's not that bad, really," the werewolf assured the suddenly worried couple. "A brief moment of discomfort. That's all. It's perfectly normal and after a few trips you'll hardly notice it at all."

His words didn't exactly make the Muggle couple feel any better, but it was a little too late for that now. Today would be the first of many such trips, so it was probably just best to get used to it.

"Ready?"

Sirius held his arm out to Jean who looked like she was having second thoughts until she reminded herself that her daughter was on the other end of this journey, and that was worth whatever feeling of unpleasantness this peculiar mode of transportation required.

With one last look at Hugh, she hooked her arm through Sirius' and took a deep breath.

*POP!*

Jean realized almost immediately that whatever she had been expecting, the reality was infinitely worse.

Sirius had to hold her up on her feet when they arrived, otherwise she would have fallen flat on her face which would have made it entirely impossible to choke back the vomit that was threatening to spew from her throat.

In her entire life she'd never had a more uncomfortable experience, and that included the nineteen hours she spent in labor with Hermione.

But at least she managed to maintain her dignity, although it was quite a battle. Hugh, arriving just a moment later clinging to Remus, wasn't nearly as fortunate.

Of course Jean felt badly for her husband who was on his knees in the grass and currently sicking up what looked like possibly everything he'd ever eaten since birth, but she did warn him against that large breakfast this morning.

Clearly the wizards were used to this reaction as Remus just waved his wand and the mess vanished without a trace and neither of them looked the least put off by any of it.

Taking a moment to get her bearings, she looked around and saw that they were outside on a grand lawn that seemed to stretch towards the horizon forever. The intricate hedges weaving their way around the enormous fountain they were currently standing in front of were beautifully manicured.

Obviously Sirius had a groundskeeper who took enormous pride in their work.

Jean was so enraptured by the sight that it took her aback when she realized that the fountain they were standing next to was somehow alive. It was adorned by a beautiful choir of cherubs, with one that was particularly mischievous looking and who seemed just about poised to spit water at her when Sirius sharp voice called out.

"Oi! That's enough out of you if you don't want to be stuffed in the garden shed!"

Chastened, the cherub scowled and stuck out its little tongue, but it did move back to join the others playfully frolicking in the water. With eyes wide in amazement and unable to speak coherently, Jean turned to Sirius who just shrugged.

"My apologies. The fountain cherubs are terribly misbehaved. I'm not here often enough to keep them in line."

By this point Hugh was back on his feet and staring at something behind Jean intently enough to have her spin around. Immediately she understood what had her husband so silent and spellbound.

"Mon Dieu!" she whispered in amazement.

The grand chateau in front of them rivaled any she'd ever seen during all of her summers visiting in France with her Grandmere. Hermione had mentioned that Harry's home was quite impressive, but neither of her parents had really understood the scale that their daughter was talking about.

"Welcome to Celestial Court."

Sirius was smiling enigmatically as he waved his hand towards his breathtaking home while the Grangers stood in absolute awe of the sight. Something as incredible as this place made them wonder why it wasn't on the National Heritage List.

"How have we never seen photos of your home before?" Jean asked, simply amazed. "Surely you must have people pounding down your door for tours day and night?"

"Ah," Sirius began a little uncomfortably, "You see, Muggles don't actually know that it's here. Simply put, there are several charms in place that hide the entire estate from your world and ours alike. It's only because you have arrived with me that you're able to see past them. Otherwise, this is nothing more than empty pasture land."

"You know," Hugh muttered, giving the enormous house a closer look, "I'd almost swear it looks just like..."

"I believe you're thinking of the Château de Fontainebleau," Sirius answered helpfully, his face twisted in an embarrassed frown. "Not quite as large, obviously, but my great-great-grandfather Phineas had somewhat of an obsession with the original. Although I assure you that it was very unusual for an intolerant pure-blooded wanker like him to want anything even remotely similar to something that a Muggle built."

"That's it, exactly!" Jean exclaimed as she now clearly saw the resemblance. "How marvelous for you to have such a beauty to live in."

Sirius shrugged. He'd never really cared for the house, especially given his childhood history with it. But over the past few months he'd come to value it as the place where he and his son first called home together.

"It's quite a bit too large for just Harry and myself to rattle around in on our own, I'm afraid. So we're terribly pleased to have you all come and join us."

"Mum! Dad!"

They turned to look as Hermione squealed in a very un-Hermione-like way as she dashed down the granite stairs outside the front entryway to meet them. Hugh rushed towards her and opened his arms, lifting his daughter up into a tight hug and swinging her around off her feet.

"Hello, Poppet," he said affectionately as Hermione practically choked him to death in her embrace.

He no sooner let her down before Jean was engulfing her daughter in a just as exuberant hold. Behind them, Harry and Ron had caught up and now stood wide-eyed with huge disbelieving grins on their faces. They'd never really seen their friend around her parents before and hadn't expected the normally very staid Hermione to be quite so girly.

"I can't believe you're here!"

Hermione had a million watt smile on her face, and as Sirius watched the reunion, he took no small amount of pleasure in the fact that this was just another good part of establishing Fulminare.

Sandwiched between her parents, Hermione led them over to her two best friends. Jean and Hugh had shared a cup of tea with Molly and Arthur a couple of years ago in Diagon Alley, but they hadn't actually met Ron or Harry.

After introductions, the group made their way inside the house, Jean and Hugh were both more than a little leery of the formidable looking knights guarding the doors, but their eyes were quickly drawn to the magnificent decor of the marble entry hall and the wonderfully unique and massive moving galactic chandelier that took up most of the cavernous ceiling.

As well as the line of tiny, oddly dressed creatures with long ears and enormous eyes that were smiling widely at them in greeting.

Feeling decidedly out of their depth, the two Muggles quietly gave each other looks of disbelief as the incredible scope of their daughter's world began to sharply come into focus.

****************HP***************

"So does this mean I'll be Harry Black from now on?"

Sirius looked up from the box of new potions ingredients he was unpacking and took a deep breath as he ran a hand down his face. It was a question he'd been waiting for his son to ask ever since they talked about the adoption.

He and Harry were by themselves in the library at the moment, putting away the latest delivery of school supplies that arrived by the morning owl post from Diagon Alley.

Remus had Ron at his cottage on the estate this morning. Theoretically to cut and gather some early herbs, but they were more than likely playing chess, while Hermione was out for a walk with her parents to show them the path for the goldfish pond and the apple orchard that would lead to the gatekeeper's cottage.

"That's up to you," he answered noncommittally, shuffling a package of fresh newt eyes to the side.

It clearly wasn't the answer Harry wanted, given the perturbed scowl on the boy's face. Harry let out a poorly restrained huff as he continued to fill a dozen new inkwells and quietly muttered a string of colorful expletives when some of it spilled in his haste.

Biting back a small smile, Sirius put down what he was doing and walked over to his son's table. Holding out his wand, he beckoned his son closer so Harry could clearly see the motion he was about to use and indicated that the boy should copy him.

"Ready? One...two...three...Scourgify!"

Harry watched as his father gave his wand two flicks and a sort of half-twist that sent out a small stream of pink bubbles to attack part of the mess and quickly vanish it. Extending his holly wand in front of him, Harry practiced the motion silently, getting a feel for it, before casting his own charm.

"Scourgify!"

The bubbles that Harry's wand emitted weren't quite as well formed as Sirius' were, but they somehow managed to land on what remained of the spill anyway and did a fair job at cleansing the rest of the area.

When everything was all tidy again, it was hard to tell who was smiling wider at the successful job. Harry or his very proud father.

Unfortunately, Harry's good mood vanished faster than the pink bubbles did when Sirius pointed his wand at his son and repeated the charm.

"Scourgify."

Grimacing, the affronted boy shot his father a very dirty look as he fought to keep from swallowing any of the foul tasting soap.

"Watch your mouth, young man."

Sirius wasn't entirely heartless, however. He only kept the spell going for less than thirty seconds before canceling it and then handing his grumpy son a small glass of water to rinse his mouth.

"Can I have some pumpkin juice too?" Harry asked hopefully, when the world's tiniest water glass was empty.

"No, you may not."

Harry pouted.

Sirius tried hard to ignore it.

Then his son gave him the big, sad doe eyes, throwing in an obviously fake wobbly lip for good measure, and Sirius pathetically gave in and summoned the juice.

While Harry drank his juice with a smug grin on his face, Sirius grumbled to himself about potty mouthed kids who were far too adorable for their own good.

Once again in good spirits, the boy returned to his task, but it wasn't long before he repeated the question Sirius had hoped he'd somehow forgotten.

"So...Harry James...Black? Or will it be Harry James Potter-Black? How would it all work?"

Accepting defeat, Sirius sighed and motioned for his son to come and sit down with him.

He'd already been giving this particular subject an unhealthy amount of thought, hence his reluctance to speak about it with Harry. On the one hand, he was pleased beyond measure about the possibility of giving his son his own name. Like many fathers have been before him.

The problem with this, however, was that Sirius himself didn't exactly like his name.

In fact, he more often than not detested it.

As Harry took a seat at the table where he would be studying from now on, Sirius called for a pot of hot chocolate and some biscuits. Harry had already finished his juice and looked ready for more, and Sirius had a feeling that they'd both need something soothing after having this conversation.

A moment later Lolly popped in with their snack, pouring the chocolate into two cups for her wizards before popping back out again.

"If you wanted to take the Black family name," Sirius began, taking a sip of his chocolate to help brace himself, "I would be okay with that. In fact, it would please me greatly because I love the idea of sharing everything with you as my son. But being a Black has certain stigmas attached to it, and I'm not entirely sure that I want you saddled with them when you already carry a far more decent name."

Harry took a bite of a chocolate covered biscuit and chewed thoughtfully for a moment at his father's words. He could understand why Sirius would be reluctant about giving Harry his name, and to be perfectly honest, his fears were not all that unfounded.

Besides which, truthfully Harry kind of liked the name he had already.

"It really wouldn't bother you if you adopted me and I stayed a Potter and not a Black like you?"

"No," Sirius shook his head honestly. "Not at all. I almost became a Potter myself years ago when your grandparents offered to adopt me, so it's not as if I harbor any bad feelings about the name."

"They did?"

Harry's eyebrows disappeared under his fringe in his surprise. He'd known that Sirius had moved in with the Potter family after he ran away from his own, but he never knew that it was almost more official that just a cast out teenager taking refuge with his best friend's parents.

"Yes," Sirius said with fondness in his eyes. "You don't know how much it meant to me when they asked if it was something I wanted. I did want it, very much. Especially after losing what little family I'd had before, as much as I hated them. But eventually I decided that someone had to show the world that not every Black was a dark, raving lunatic. So I kept my name."

Sirius shrugged and allowed a pained frown to show on his face. Harry could see the wisdom behind making that kind of choice, but he hated that his father had been forced to think about things in those terms in the first place.

"Of course," Sirius continued after a moment, "that grand plan went sailing out the window when I went to Azkaban. I sometimes wonder if I might have actually been afforded a trial if I had been a Potter and not a Black at the time."

As Harry continued to nibble on his chocolate biscuit he contemplated the potential changes involved in taking a new surname. It wouldn't be easy. He already carried a fair amount of notoriety as Harry Potter as it was.

Harry Black might just stir the pot even more, considering the backstory behind Sirius' infamous prison escape and the sensationalized tale of him being the new guardian of the Boy-Who-Lived.

In all honestly, Harry really couldn't even imagine what the press would be like once it was known that Sirius was now Harry's adoptive father.

"Can I think about it some more?"

"Absolutely," Sirius nodded in relief, not looking at all put out by Harry's indecision. "Take all the time you want, little one. Take forever if you like, even. There's no rule saying when or even if you have to change your name after the adoption ritual."

With enough to think about already, Harry appreciated the lack of pressure being put on him about a change this big. He'd really only wanted to honor Sirius in some way and had just thought that taking his last name would be a good way to do that.

But his father was right in pointing out that it wasn't really a simple choice. Harry had to at least admit to himself that he might never be ready to entirely shed his Potter name.

Just like Sirius would always be a Black, for better or for worse, Harry would probably always be a Potter.

No matter how much Sirius meant to him.

***********HP***************

It took the Grangers the entire first day they spent at Celestial Court to just get used to the house itself. Not to mention the absolutely incredible talents that their daughter possessed.

Upon their arrival, Sirius had told Harry to escort them all up to their suite and Hugh and Jean were practically overwhelmed when they walked into something directly out of a Louis XIV fantasy. It didn't get any less extraordinary when their daughter proudly used to her wand to tap their tiny suitcase and enlarged it right in front of them.

After that they were introduced to two little creatures that Harry called house elves named Bicky and Lolly and told that these were the beings that would be ferrying them back and forth to their offices every day using the same method of transportation that had Hugh practically expelling his spleen.

Which left Hugh needing a drink.

Things got a little smoother by dinner, if you could ignore the rows and rows of lit candles that were suspended in mid air over the table with no visible means of attachment to the ceiling to speak of.

But neither one of them had seen Hermione quite so happy in all the years since she first started at Hogwarts either.

Of course she was always pleased to see them when she returned for the holidays, but they could tell that there was something missing in their daughter's life that pained her.

It was one of the reasons why they tried not to be hurt when she started to ask if she could spend more and more time in the magical world, when they'd been hoping she would be home with them.

Now, seeing her really shine in her element, they finally understood what it was that their only child had to give up when she returned to them.

It might have seemed a tad fanciful at first, but the way Hermione naturally used her magic, without thought really, made Hugh and Jean realize that being without it must feel like missing a limb to their daughter.

Which only reinforced their decision to take this opportunity to be with her in a place where she could practice freely.

Hermione was fifteen already, and since they had been told that seventeen was the age of majority in the wizarding world, they knew they didn't have much time left with her before their daughter was off to a different life full-time and there would be no way to get any of these lost years back.

The morning after their arrival, excitement and trepidation making their sleep the night before uneasy, they met some familiar faces when they came down for breakfast. It had been a couple of years, but Arthur Weasley's enthusiasm hadn't decreased in the slightest. Hugh and Jean were quite taken with the jolly man, even if his unorthodox attire was something that needed getting used to.

Until they reminded themselves that it was in fact they who were the visitors here now.

It was most likely that everyone else in the house, including their daughter, possessed something similar in their own wardrobes.

But it was really after breakfast when they finally came across the first real hiccup in their new surroundings, and it gave them some genuine pause about whether or not any of them would be staying, including their daughter.

"Before we start on work this morning," Sirius began, folding his napkin next to his plate and rising from his seat, "I need to show you something and make you aware of the dangers involved."

The Grangers could see by the knowing and uncomfortable looks that passed on the faces of everyone else at the table. Clearly the rest of them knew exactly what he was talking about and they too were worried.

It didn't really bode well, to be honest.

One by one they all rose from the table and then followed their host out to the long corridor and then towards the rear of the chateau where two sets of gleaming French doors gave a glimpse of the lush lawn beyond.

The backyard area was just as stunning as the front and the vibrant green of the sculpted landscaping stretched far into the distance. There was a large section of bushes off the right side that was clearly a rose garden, and the Englishwoman in Jean couldn't help but look forward to seeing it in bloom.

But Sirius was leading them off the rear porch and to the left where they soon saw what looked to be some kind of home stadium, complete with tall stands and a set of three hoops at each end of a large pitch.

"That's for Quidditch, Mum," Hermione explained with a big grin. "Remember the game I told you about?"

Nodding, Jean couldn't help but be impressed. It was incredible to think of Hermione's friend having this massive structure standing in what was basically his backyard when their own garden in London was too small to fill half the room they'd just had their breakfast in.

"It's quite something, darling. Are they always this big?"

The three kids looked at each other and laughed and Jean got the impression that there was a private joke between them.

"You should see the one at Hogwarts, Dr, Granger," Harry said with a big smile. "It's really a lot bigger."

"Forget that!" Ron exclaimed. "The one at the World Cup! That thing was bloody enormous!"

"Ronald Weasley!" Molly snapped, cuffing her son on the back of the head. "Watch that tongue of yours, or I might just be cutting it off!"

Ron squeaked and darted ahead with Molly charging after him and continuing to scold her son for his bad language. Jean exchanged a worried look with her husband and then leaned over to whisper to her daughter.

"Would she really do that? And could she attach it back on again if she did?"

Hermione giggled as she took her mother's arm and nudged closer to her as they strolled.

"Well, she could, but she wouldn't. We can do a lot of things, but it doesn't mean that they're acceptable in polite company."

Although she nodded, Jean didn't seem particularly convinced. It was odd to think about how different parenting was for magical people when they had drastically different abilities that sounded quite frightening to her, but would seem commonplace in her daughter's world.

Even walking slowly, it didn't take the group long to reach Sirius' destination. Stopping well away from it, he pointed in the direction of a spectacular copse of tall, vividly hued and oddly spinning trees. With long strands of exotic blooms streaming from the branches, they were practically mesmerizing in their beauty.

"I can't stress enough how important it is that you never, ever go anywhere near this place," Sirius warned them grimly. "There are terrible unseen dangers that lurk inside the perimeter and I assure you that people have died from too much exposure."

Clutching her daughter more closely, Jean recoiled in horror.

"Then why do you keep it?" she asked, shocked. "Can't you just wave your wand and get rid of it?"

Ignoring the vaguely insulting remark on his magic, Sirius crossed his arms and pursed his mouth so tightly that his lips went white.

"Believe me, Jean,' he growled, "if I could I would. Unfortunately, some curses have no defense, and what you see in front of you is a physical manifestation of one of the darkest curses that exist in magic. There's no removing it."

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Remus rushed to console the scared mother who'd gone incredibly white. "Now that you know to avoid it, it won't be a problem for you. You have to physically be inside the perimeter to be hurt by it."

While Sirius, Remus and Hermione herself were working hard to reassure Jean that everything was fine, and the boys were having an animated discussion with Arthur and Molly about the chances of the Ballycastle Bats beating the Tutshill Tornadoes in the upcoming match, no one seemed to realize that Hugh was determinedly making his way to the grove's entrance.

Moving swiftly, without even realizing that he was doing it, the quiet dentist was almost directly on top of the flowering scourge when Hermione gasped and whipped out her wand.

"Immobulus!"

Instantly, Hugh came to a halt, his arms and legs frozen and stiff as a board as he found himself unable to move and began to really panic.

Horrified, Sirius and Remus charged off to retrieve the stunned man, while Molly and Arthur explained to a hyperventilating Jean about how Hermione had possibly just saved her father's life with her quick thinking.

Jean had never been so proud of her daughter's academic prowess, but she was also shaking in terror that it had even been necessary in the first place.

Hugh was pulled away from the temptation and then levitated back to where the group was standing, where Sirius unfroze him while Molly did a quick check to make sure that he wasn't injured. It took a minute for the badly rattled man to be able to form a coherent sentence, but when he did he was furious.

"Is that normal for you?" Hugh asked in an enraged voice. He was still trembling somewhat and the willpower that it was taking to stay away from the enticing technicolor trees was requiring a large part of his concentration. "Magical people, I mean. Do you feel that too?"

"Some of us do," Arthur chimed in, sadly remembering the problems with his youngest son the previous summer. "Not everyone, but enough to make it an attractive nuisance."

Sirius grimaced internally at the mild way Arthur was phrasing the horrible scourge that blighted his home. He was incredibly fond of the Weasley patriarch who was unfailingly kind about the darkness in Sirius' ancestry. Probably because they shared a lot of it.

"It gets easier to resist, the longer you are here," he assured the Grangers, noticing that Jean looked quite sickly and wondered if he should fetch some Pepper-up potion. "I don't think the children even notice it anymore, to be honest."

"Either that, or neither of the boys want another smacked bottom like the one they both got last summer, do they?" Molly said sharply, surveying said boys with a raised eyebrow. "I know Ronald will stay far, far away from it if he knows what's good for him."

Sirius and Arthur both winced in empathy for the two teenagers who were blushing furiously and looking down at the ground as if they hoped it might open up and swallow them whole.

Molly certainly didn't see any problem with a little public humiliation if it kept one of her brood from repeating a mistake, but Sirius would have preferred that she at least keep Harry's private business private in front of the Grangers.

Poor Ron's face was as red as his hair when he muttered a barely audible Yes, Mum, and seeing that his own son was about to die of embarrassment, Sirius cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"I bet Jean and Hugh would love to see how you lot fly and I'm sure Ron is itching to break-in his new birthday present. Why don't you run back to the house and fetch your broomsticks and give them a little display on the pitch?"

Desperately wanting to escape the embarrassing situation, neither of the boys needed to be told twice and they immediately turned to dash back up the lawn before Molly could say anything else.

"Harry James!" Sirius called to his rapidly retreating son. "Bring back my old Comet for Hermione in case she wants a go!"

Charging towards the house, Harry threw a wave of acknowledgment without turning around. Sirius didn't blame the boy. He would have wanted to get far away from Molly's indelicate scolding as quickly as possible too.

But apparently the Grangers were no slouches in the protective department either. A still dazed Hugh turned around with his hands on his hips and gave his daughter a very stern glare which made the always confident Hermione practically wilt.

"You've never gone in there during one of your visits here, have you young lady?"

"No, Dad," Hermione assured him with a fervent shake of her head. "I promise."

Hugh's temper wasn't helped by the disconcerting ringing in his head and he was still feeling a bit more irritated than was easily manageable as a side effect of the poisonous grove maliciously drawing him in, as well as the thought that his own daughter had to use magic to save him from what he could only assume was a very bad fate.

If he had been thinking clearly, he might have realized that there was a part of him that was having difficultly swallowing all the differences in their new lives, especially the dangers that could threaten his only child, as well as knowing that he didn't have the magical skill to protect her from them.

Which left him feeling just a bit helpless.

"See that you keep it that way," he said sharply to his stricken daughter, "or I might take a page out of Mrs. Weasley's book."

Poor Hermione was crestfallen, obviously not used to her father being so cross with her, as her mother put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Yes, sir," the girl whimpered, dangerously on the verge of tears.

Jean didn't like her husband's tone at all, although she understood where it was coming from, but they had a rule to be a united front in their approach to parenting so she'd wait to rebuke Hugh until they were alone. Hugging her upset daughter close to her, she turned to Sirius to change the subject.

"Can they really fly? I mean, the idea that wizards and witches actually fly on broomsticks. It's all just soo.."

She looked at Sirius skeptically, still too new to the wizarding world to truly believe all the stories her daughter had shared with them over the years.

"Oh yes," Sirius laughed, waiting a moment for the boys to reappear outside the house and immediately mount their brooms for the trip back over. "Just take a look for yourself."

The Grangers turned and went wide-eyed at the sight of the boys racing each other in the air.

Harry was skillfully flying one handed as he held another broomstick in the other. Approaching their group, he slowed just enough to hover for a second next to Hermione and gently handed her the spare broomstick before letting out a joyous whoo! and rocketing high into the sky to chase behind Ron who was already inside the stadium.

As Hermione and the adults strolled over to the pitch, they watched the boys race each other and do aerial acrobatics that had Molly again scolding them while Jean and Hugh just shook their heads in wondrous disbelief at the sight they were seeing.

Although, even Sirius got a little green around the gills when his exceptionally talented child suddenly flipped his broom downward sharply and began to speed towards the ground.

He'd seen Harry practicing to perfect his Wronski Feint on several occasions, but it never got any easier to watch the boy intentionally lose altitude at a breakneck pace. Besides which, his son hadn't had a lot of flying practice lately, and he'd been sick recently too which meant he wasn't necessarily in top form at the moment.

Next to Sirius, an already upset Jean gasped in horror just before Harry pulled up in time to avoid splattering like a pancake.

"Don't worry about Harry, Mum," Hermione quietly comforted her mother. "He was chosen as the youngest seeker in a century for a good reason."

"Well, he doesn't have a critical match to practice for any time soon either," Sirius growled, worried about his son and feeling badly about the way Jean's face had gone completely pale again. When Harry came closer, Sirius waved his hand to get the boy's attention.

"That's enough of that, young man! You're scaring Hermione's mum."

And me.

Looking sheepish, Harry flew over at a decidedly slower speed and landed next to his father who reached out to affectionately tousle his windblown hair.

"Sorry, Dr. Granger. I just haven't been in the air much lately. I miss it."

Jean gave her daughter a cautious look, eyeing the broom that she was holding. Hermione didn't even like being on the higher ski lifts when they vacationed in the Alps. She couldn't imagine her daughter being remotely comfortable up in the air on nothing more than a slender piece of wood.

"Do you do what they do, darling? It seems awfully fast."

"The boys are very experienced with their brooms," Sirius rushed to assure her, hooking an affectionate arm around his son's shoulders. "And Harry's broom is an international standard racing model that even most adults aren't skilled enough to fly."

Harry blushed heavily from the praise as he let his father drop a kiss on his head.

"That Comet Hermione is holding is the same training broom that Hogwarts uses for its first year students, Dr. Granger," Harry said, pointing at the one Hermione held. "It can't come anywhere close to the speed and height Ron and I can do. It's perfectly safe."

"I don't really care for it," Hermione admitted, her face puckered in annoyance. "But, as a witch, I think I should at least have a rudimentary grasp of flying."

Having been removed far enough away from the grove for a few minutes, Hugh was beginning to recover from the sickly compulsion and he started to realize how sharply he'd spoken to his daughter.

Now feeling bad, he walked over to her and gave her a tight hug that took the pucker off her face as she smiled shyly.

"Come on then, Poppet. Daddy will hold you steady, just like I did when I taught you to ride your bike. Alright?"

Hermione beamed widely as she nodded and pulled Hugh by the hand a short distance from the group. She put Sirius' boyhood broom on the ground, racked her shoulders back and took a deep breath before extending her arm.

"Up!"

The broom twitched slightly at first but then slowly rose upwards until it was grasped firmly in her outstretched hand. She smiled in triumph as her parents looked on in amazement and then mounted the broom with Hugh standing at the ready to assist her.

Harry re-mounted his broom and then zoomed back into the sky to meet up with Ron and play a game of Seek with his practice snitch, while Hermione slipped and wobbled a bit on her broom as she flew low circles around her father, who looked ready to catch her at any moment.

Moving away from the group, Sirius and Remus stood side by side as they both stared in Hugh's direction.

"That one's going to need watching, Moony."

****************HP***************