By the time they arrived at Sirius's home, both were tired, but neither was ready to go to bed, although they both changed into their night clothes and wore dressing gowns.

"Shall I make us some hot chocolate?" Sirius asked, after they set their bags down in the kitchen. "I can add a sleeping agent that's not as potent as the dreamless sleep potion."

"Sure," said Harry. Then, he added, "I didn't know you could brew potions."

Sirius gave him a light push. "I received an Outstanding in my Potions NEWT, and can easily brew the Wolfsbane potion for Moony now that my name's cleared."

Harry briefly looked down at his feet. "Oh, right. Sorry, I didn't know."

Sirius reached out and hugged his godson. Immediately, Harry felt himself relax in Sirius's arms. Remaining like that for several moments, Sirius spoke softly.

"Hardly your fault for not knowing about my near genius levels of Potions, Harry," he teased. At Harry's chuckle, Sirius continued, holding Harry a bit tighter to him, "We haven't had nearly as much time together as I'd have liked."

"No, we haven't," Harry agreed, solemnly.

Sirius released Harry, but kept his hands on his shoulders. "It will be better, now, I promise." At Harry's nod, Sirius continued, almost tentatively, "And once I purchase a pensieve, I'll show you some memories from Hogwarts that don't involve us being cruel to Snape. Unnecessarily, anyway," he added, as an afterthought.

Harry smiled, nodding a bit. "I'd like that. A lot."

Sirius squeezed his shoulders a bit tighter. "Good," he said, softly. "Then, we will. Soon."

After lifting his arms from Harry's shoulders, Sirius walked around the kitchen, Harry taking a seat around the table at his nod. He watched as his godfather began summoning various ingredients from the drawers instead of opening them and taking them out. Part of it, he suspected, was because Sirius might not be entirely sure where something was located. But it was certainly quicker this way. He couldn't wait until he was seventeen and able to do magic outside of school. Oh, he knew that Sirius would let him now, but he was still rather uneasy about being caught. And after nearly getting expelled last summer...

They drank their hot chocolate in silence, and Harry felt the effects of the potion as soon as he'd drained his cup. By the time they'd reached the top of the stairs, he was almost asleep on his feet.

"Where am I staying?" he asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper, feeling himself held upright by Sirius.

"How's my room, for tonight?" Sirius answered, softly. "We'll decide tomorrow what works best for the rest of the summer."

"Okay," Harry agreed, straining to keep his eyes open.

Even in his sleepy haze, Harry knew what Sirius meant. While his Occlumency lessons were going quite well, Harry had still woken Sirius up from nightmares two more times. Each was worse than the previous one. His godfather hadn't minded either time. Sirius had remained the night with Harry, even rubbing his back while he tried to recover from the nightmares and fall asleep. Harry might have felt awkward the first time, but it felt almost...well, if not normal, at least something they could manage between the two of them. He just hoped that he'd remember to use a Silencing charm around his bed when he was back at Hogwarts, because his screams would surely wake his roommates.

At least, this was a good six weeks away.

Harry felt like a small child as Sirius led him to his room, a hand wrapped around his back to keep him upright. Even in his sleepy haze, he realized that he'd never been inside Sirius's bedroom before. Of course, his godfather's room was very dark, and had Sirius not lit the end of his wand to provide a large beam of light that led them to the bed, Harry was sure he would have stumbled. He was vaguely aware of moving images on the walls, but too tired to focus on what they were. Probably photographs.

Sirius, still holding Harry steady with one hand, pulled the covers off the bed and then gave him a gentle push.

"In you get, pup," he murmured, with another chuckle. "Next time, I'll use less of the sleeping aid."

Harry hardly needed to be told twice. The bed was the softest he'd ever slept in, he was sure. Certainly better than the one at the Dursleys, and even an improvement over his four poster one at Hogwarts. The sheets felt soft against his face, the blankets warm and smelled...familiar. He couldn't recall like what.

Sirius was next to him within seconds, tucking the covers around him, securely. The way he'd done each time Harry had woken up from a nightmare. Even though Harry knew, intellectually, that the wizarding world had never been in more danger, and that he and Sirius were only safe now because of the Fidelious charm, and that he would likely die in an attempt to kill Voldemort in the near future...he felt safe and protected. Sirius was there, holding him, and while he was almost sixteen and too old to need to be tucked in or sleep with an adult guardian, he still yearned for the comfort, and right now, he had it.

Harry heard Sirius say, "Sweet dreams, pup," and pull his arms around his frame more securely, and he slept soundly until late the next morning.

He woke up the next day to the weight of Sirius's frame next to him, with one arm pulled around his chest and the other running a hand through his hair. Harry let out a small sigh, not wanting any of it to stop.

Sirius must of known, because with the exception of the arm around Harry tightening a bit, nothing changed.

"Good morning, Harry," Sirius said, softly. "Sleep well?"

Harry nodded, instinctively turning his head towards Sirius. "Yeah, really well. What about you?"

Sirius smiled. "The same, pup."

"D'you--ever get nightmares?" Harry asked, rather tentatively. "I mean, if you don't mind..."

"You can ask me anything, Harry. I won't yell at you for asking questions," Sirius assured him. "If there's something I'd rather not say, I'll tell you, but I won't yell at you."

Harry nodded, feeling some of the tightness lessen.

"Those damn Dursleys really did a number on you," Sirius sighed. "Had I known, I would never have let them get a hold of you. It's what your parents wanted, you know. I don't think Lily would have ever wanted Petunia to be the one to care for you." A pause. "'Course, had it been between her and Lucius Malfoy, she might have had cause to consider it."

Harry grimaced. "And have to grow up with Draco Malfoy?"

"Like I said, it would have been a tough decision. Likely as not, you'd have been given to my favorite cousin before him," Sirius murmured, contemplatively.

"That's Tonks's mum?" Harry recalled, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, Andromeda. My family has a thing with the names of stars, in case you couldn't tell." At Harry's laugh, Sirius continued, "She did end up in Slytherin, but married Ted, a muggle born. That got her burnt off the great tapestry, but she's managed to bear that disappointment. No, you'd have been happy with her and Ted as family. Plus, you'd have an older sister, a real troublemaker, to set a good example for you."

Harry snickered. "Do I really need much help in that department, Sirius?"

Sirius snorted. "I s'ppose not, but I notice that you mostly break rules to help others. Your father and I were a tad more...self-serving. Even though we became animagi initially to help Moony with his monthly horrific transformations, it was certainly an advantage that we took full advantage of later."

"And you had my dad's invisibility cloak to avoid detection," Harry recalled, sitting up, still leaning against Sirius.

The hand around his frame transferred to around his shoulders, and the other continued to stroke his hair.

"Would have been easier had no one known about it," Sirius mused. "How'd you end up with it, anyway?"

"Dumbledore gave it to me for Christmas my first year, but I didn't know it was him until the end of term," Harry explained.

"Ah, then he likely knew about your nighttime escapades, too," Sirius said, sagely. "A pity."

"Do you think it was a bit odd that he said I should have it on me at all times this year?" Harry asked, recalling the instructions from the previous night.

Sirius guffawed. "More surprised that you haven't been doing it all along."

Harry reddened, and Sirius gave him a squeeze.

"That's what I mean about you not getting into trouble except to help others," Sirius explained.

"I wouldn't say that," Harry protested, lightly. "I used it to sneak into Hogsmeade twice during my third year."

"Oh, that." Sirius's tone was dismissive. "You would think that if a dangerous murderer was on the loose, they would have cancelled all visits, not just prevented kids with gits for relatives from going."

"I s'ppose that Wormtail had been on the loose for twelve years, even if they didn't realize it," Harry noted.

"That's why I broke out of that hell hole," Sirius said, turning to face Harry. "I needed to protect you, Pup."

Harry swallowed hard. The anger he had felt when he'd heard that Sirius had betrayed his parents returned, but it was directed at Wormtail.

Especially given his role in taking Harry's blood and bringing Voldemort to power.

He didn't realize he was shaking until Sirius tucked the covers around him, his arms holding him into a tight hug, his voice comforting, soothing.

"I--I hate him. Both of them," Harry whispered, voice shaking.

"So do I. I promise you, he'll pay," Sirius soothed.

Harry nodded, taking a deep, shaky breath.

Sirius held him even more tightly, and they remained like that until both of their stomachs were growling too audibly to ignore.

"Time for breakfast," Sirius sighed. "And since that elf is no longer here, we'll have to fend for ourselves. Not that I would have trusted anything he would serve us," he added, reflectively.

Since they were both wearing their dressing gowns, they headed downstairs to find something to eat.

Fully awake and feeling well-rested, Harry reflected that the house didn't seem as awful in the morning. Sirius had told Harry, several days ago, that they had finally manage to remove the horrific portrait of his mother, although it seemed impervious to destruction. Mundungus and Lupin had taken it to one of the attics, placed a Silencing charm around it, and there it would remain. Harry was relieved not to hear the slurs and shrieks from Sirius's mum, and hated to think what that woman had been like while living.

"I suppose you'll have toast again?" Sirius asked, once they were in the kitchen.

Harry nodded, with a smile. "And eggs for you?"

Sirius chuckled. "Naturally."

They had made it halfway thru breakfast when an owl arrived, a piece of rolled up parchment tied to his leg. Harry glanced at Sirius, who was closer to the owl by a few feet, and his godfather removed the parchment from the leg before grinning and handing it to Harry.

"It's your OWL results," he said, smiling.

Harry felt his heart begin to race. As circumstances had arranged things, he had only taken the Hogwarts end of term exams twice. Both times, his heart rate sped up as he searched for his name and exam results. But those were just school tests, and all you needed was an overall passing score to advance to the next year. These are official.

Sirius placed a hand on Harry's. "Breathe, pup," he murmured. "I'll be proud regardless. Especially with the year you had."

Harry managed a nod as he opened the parchment. One Outstanding in DADA, an Acceptable in Astronomy, failing grades in History of Magic and Divination, and E's in everything else.

Including Potions.

He handed the parchment to Sirius, unsure of what his godfather would think. Sure, he'd done far worse than his father and godfather, but at least he'd passed everything that mattered. Even managed an O in DADA!

Sirius eyed the results, stood up, and pulled Harry into a long hug.

"Good job, Harry," he said, softly. "Really good job."

"Really? I didn't do as well as you or Dad..."

Sirius released one hand to tousle his hair. "We didn't have visions of our guardians' deaths during ours, or incompetent professors, either. Besides, I think the exams have gotten harder over the years. James's dad got nearly all O's without much studying." Releasing Harry, he put his hands on his shoulders. "Seven OWLs, six of which are E or better, is nothing to be ashamed of."

Harry had to smile. "D'you think Slughorn will accept an E for his Potions class?"

"I think so, but why don't you send him an owl and check?" Sirius suggested.

"Yeah, I'll do that," Harry decided.

"I'm surprised you want to continue studying it?" Sirius asked, eyes furrowed. "Would have thought Snape had ruined the subject for you."

"He did," Harry admitted, "but McGonagall says I need it if I want to become an Auror."

Before Sirius could respond, a familiar face appeared in the fireplace.

"Harry? You there?"

It was Ron. Harry peered over at his friend, whose face was becoming more clear amid the flames.

"Hi, Ron," he said, grinning a bit. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Cool! This is the first time I did a floo call. It's really odd, though. Wonder what would have happened if I tried that at the Dursleys?" Ron wondered.

"You'd've got stuck, remember?" Harry chuckled at the memory. "They've got an electric fireplace."

"Oh, that's right!" Ron recalled, then laughed. "Anyway, Hermione's here, too..."

A face appeared next to Ron's. "Hi, Harry! Can you see me? And hear me?"

"Yeah. You at the Burrow, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I arrived a week ago," Hermione explained. "Did you get your OWL results? Ours came this morning."

"Yeah." Harry displayed the parchment so his friends could see it. "Bet you got an Outstanding in everything, right?"

"Not quite," Hermione admitted, looking slightly put out. "I received an E in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"So did I," said Ron, showing his parchment so Harry could read it.

The results were nearly identical to Harry's, except for an E in DADA.

"Mum's proud, though. She says seven OWLs is more than the twins combined," Ron added. "I s'ppose we will be giving up Potions, though. We'll have to choose another career, since we can't be Aurors without it, but at least we won't have to see Snape's greasy hair."

"Snape's not going to be teaching it," Sirius put in, with a smile. "Horace Slughorn will be. He taught me...probably taught your parents, too. He's not half bad at teaching."

"That's a lot better than Snape," Harry noted, earning a chuckle. "I'm going to send an owl asking if he'll accept students with an E. Hermione, I expect you'll be taking him either way?"

"Of course! Potions is very important!" she said, seriously.

"Yeah, but don't tell me you wouldn't think twice if it was Snape!" Ron grumbled.

"I certainly wouldn't!" she retorted. "Harry, do you know who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

Harry shrugged. "Dunno. Can't be worse than Umbridge, at least."

The others voiced their agreement with enthusiasm.

Next chapter includes...

A simple question about nonverbal magic leads to unresolved baggage, and Sirius offers to tutor Harry during the remainder of the holidays. Could Harry actually have a knack for Potions with the right teacher?