The rest of the summer holidays passed far too quickly for Harry's liking, and before he knew it, he had reached the final day of his holidays. While he wasn't dreading going back to Hogwarts, exactly, he certainly wasn't looking forward to leaving Sirius for nearly four months. Harry wasn't worried about his godfather's safety, especially since he planned to keep his mirror with him at all times, safe in his robe pocket opposite of the one that would hold his invisibility cloak. No, this felt more like, he reckoned, what younger students felt when they went away to school for the first (or even second) time. Harry had never spent as much time with Sirius as this past summer, and the idea of going until October without getting a hug from him filled Harry with a pang in his stomach.

Harry could tell Sirius felt similarly. His mood was hardly as gloomy as it had been during the last couple of days after the Christmas holidays, but he was noticeably more solemn. There were also more hugs, which Harry hadn't thought possible until now. Not that he minded in the slightest. It seemed like he had only to open his trunk to put away a few books or pair of robes that Sirius would swoop in and pull him close, even place a kiss on the top of his head.

A year or so, Harry might have felt overwhelmed by this, but now, he soaked up Sirius's affection. How had he managed to survive in the Dursley household for so long, without the slightest hint of a friend, much less a family member beside him? It seemed impossible to imagine.

Sometimes, after a companionable meal with his godfather, or sitting next to him while they read (usually curled up to Sirius, with at least one arm around his shoulder), or after an impromptu back or foot massage, or a grin after a well brewed potion or successful dueling match...Harry would wonder, not without some pain, what it could have been like this had Sirius raised him from the start? Would he have grown up calling Sirius "Dad" or by his name, or, perhaps, "Padfoot"? How old would he have been when he learned why he didn't have two parents, and what had happened to them? Harry must have been three or four when he first found the courage to ask. Aunt Petunia had simply snapped that his parents had died in a car crash, leaving him with her and his uncle, and he should be grateful for it, and Vernon had added that he better be grateful, because they hadn't planned on having two kids, and it cost a lot to raise a second boy who wasn't even theirs.

It hadn't needed to be this way. He could have had his godfather this whole time. Sirius, who had broken out of wizard prison, not because of the dementors or being wrongfully convicted, but because he had heard that the traitor who had as good as killed Harry's parents was at Hogwarts with him. Who had offered Harry a home less than an hour after Harry had believed in him. Who had bought him his Firebolt even while on the run-and two other amazing gifts besides. Who had lived on rats for almost a year, just so he could be in the same vicinity of him, just because of a line in his letter that he had woken up with his scar hurting. Who had ran to the Ministry of Magic, never mind that he was supposed to be in hiding, when Harry had been foolish enough to believe the vision and run headlong into danger-nearly getting everyone killed. Who had spent most of the summer not on missions for the Order, as he must have wanted, but spending every day with Harry, teaching him, showing him memories from his childhood, showered him with the affection and love he had missed for most of his life, and just being the best parent he could have imagined. More than imagined, really.

Sirius had told Harry that everyone James's family had been very open with affection, which had certainly been passed onto James, who must have "taught" it to his friends. Even though Remus had been more reserved, he accepted hugs from Sirius without any hesitation, and had begun giving them to Harry, perhaps upon seeing how well he reacted to Sirius's. Perhaps, regular families weren't quite so demonstrative with affection, but if the Weasleys were anything to do by, hugs got distributed on a daily basis.

While Harry had never considered himself very affectionate, before, he was beginning to think he took after his dad in this way, too. Well, maybe his mum, since she had married him.

"I'll miss this," Harry murmured, after what might have been the tenth hug, on the final day of holidays.

Sirius placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, looking in straight in the eye. "Me too, pup. We'll talk every day, and I will see you at your first Quidditch match and every Hogsmeade visit. You know," he added conspiratorially, "you can sneak in with the map."

Harry chuckled. "Maybe another kid could, but I would be caught. Besides, you saw what Diagon Alley was like. Can't imagine Hogsmeade is much better."

Sirius nodded, sobering a bit. "Yes, you're probably right." After a pause, he added, "If the Death Eaters went after Honeydukes or Zonkos, there will be hell to pay."

Harry snickered. "They wouldn't dare."

Smiling, Sirius glanced over at Harry's open trunk, which was still open. "How are you coming along with that?"

"Nearly finished. Just have a bit more to pack. I want to look around my room once more, just to make sure I've got everything. Then, I'll perform the feather light charm on the trunk," Harry answered.

He'd read, and learned once the hard way, that this charm was best performed after the packing finished, because it made it more difficult to load your wardrobe into a trunk that weighed almost nothing. When Harry's trunk arrived in his Hogwarts form the following evening, he would have to cancel the charm upon unlocking it, or he'd encounter the same difficulty.

"You'll carry the mirror on the train, right?" Sirius asked. "Just in case you need to contact me?"

Harry nodded, even though they had gone through this exchange several times in the past few days.

"I promise, Sirius. It will be in the opposite pocket as my cloak." Smiling a bit, he added, "You can check, if you like."

Sirius ruffled his hair. "I just might, pup."

They took a final trip into the Pensieve before dinner, and, afterwards, Sirius sent an owl to Dumbledore to send Fawkes to pick it up. He had purchased another one through a wizarding catalog for specialized goods, although it would take at least another month to arrive. Still, that would give them more than sufficient time that he wouldn't need to borrow Dumbledore's for the Christmas holidays.

Sirius had prepared a dinner consisted of all of their favorite foods. Not only that, thanks to a food preservation charm (which Sirius had taught Harry), they were able to eat the final two-very large-pieces of cake from Harry's birthday. There were still numerous treats that Mrs. Weasley sent over, and they planned to eat a few of the muffins with breakfast the following day. The rest would go to the Order as snacks-upon Harry's insistence.

"You know, she'll probably bake loads more if she sees them and recognizes them from your birthday," Sirius half teased.

"Mrs. Weasley always tries to make me to eat my weight in food," Harry returned, grinning. "Granted, I usually had just lost a bunch of weight from being at the Dursleys, when I finally get a chance to visit, or else I might be as large as Dudley."

Sirius snorted. "Hardly. Your dad was always rail thin, and he ate like a bear. Your mum didn't have quite as voracious an appetite, but I don't believe she went on a diet even before her wedding. Not only that, I would bet money that she went back to how she looked before her pregnancy immediately after the delivery." Sirius shook his head. "You couldn't be overweight if you tried, pup."

After a final walk through of Harry's room and the parts of the house they used, Sirius suggested going to bed early. Even though Harry wasn't especially tired, he agreed, and he lay down under the covers, closing his eyes as Sirius walked him through the process of clearing his mind.

Instead of joining him immediately, Sirius offered Harry a foot massage. Harry readily agreed, opening his eyes as Sirius moved a few feet to the bottom of the bed. He removed the covers from Harry's feet, but left the rest of him covered up. He began to massage the heels first, and Harry let a happy sigh escape him. He didn't miss Sirius's smile, nor his chuckle.

Even though Harry had had a few within the past few weeks, this one was undoubtedly the best. Sirius went over each foot several times, carefully and thoroughly, and Harry could feel the love his godfather felt for him by the care he put into this ministration.

"Don't your hands hurt?" he had asked, yawning, at one point.

"They're fine, pup," Sirius reassured him. "Don't worry."

He didn't stop until Harry yawned five times in the span of one minute.

"All right, guess it's really time for bed, now," he murmured with affection, moving to join Harry on the bed. Carefully, he tucked the blankets around them both, and wrapping his arms around his godson, who sighed with happiness.

Instinctively, Harry snuggled close to him, letting out another contented sigh when Sirius squeezed him tightly, then planting another kiss against his forehead.

"Love you so much, kiddo."

"I love you, too, Sirius."

The following morning was the least stressful Harry had experienced since starting Hogwarts. Most of the time, he had traveled with the Weasleys, and as much as they tried to prepare the night before, it ended up being varying levels of chaos. With only Harry and Sirius to go to the train station-and Sirius would be Apparating using side along for Harry-there was little to do before leaving. Harry dressed in his Hogwarts robes, since it would save him the bother of changing later, and he had already given up wearing muggle clothes (except pajamas for sleeping, because wizard sleepwear felt too much like muggle nightgowns). After a leisurely breakfast and only about five hugs, Sirius glanced at his watch and suggested they get going.

Harry had precisely one experience with side along Apparition, and why it was hardly the worst thing his body had experience, he certainly didn't look forward to a repeat experience. Still, it would be easier than the Knight Bus or using his broom under a disillusionment charm. Another comfort was that it would be quick and the horrible feeling would disappear in a few minutes.

Not that Sirius wasn't aware of Harry's physical discomfort. When they arrived, Harry nearly threw up his breakfast, and Sirius had him stay close and ran circles along his back until the nausea passed. He would have felt embarrassed, except they were surrounded by witches and wizards (all underage, but some close to his) who looked equally pale, and most were being given similar treatment. None that he recognized from his house or year, though.

"I'm all right, now," Harry managed to get out, once the remaining nausea left him.

Sirius stopped his ministrations and simply squeezed his shoulder.

"I promise, it gets easier after a few more times. It's bloody awful before then, pup, but your mind will adjust before too long," Sirius assured him.

Harry smiled, albeit a bit weakly. "Is it easier when you're the one in control of it?"

"Yes, and you'll have your license before your next year, so, very soon, you'll be long past the initial discomfort," Sirius promised, now facing him. At Harry's nod, Sirius asked, softly, "Ready to head out to the platform?"

It was twenty minutes before the train would depart, but he would want to meet Ron and Hermione there. If they had arrived yet. A hint of a smile came across his face at the recollection of Ron and him taking the flying car the second year. Last time they had seen it, the car had been roaming the Forbidden Forest. Might still be, for all they knew.

Harry nodded, taking another deep breath, mostly to reassure himself that he could still breathe again. Sirius didn't take his hand, but they stayed close to each other as they walked.

A few muggles eyed their wizarding garb with interest, but they were hardly the only ones in robes.

Then, they crossed the platform 9 and 3/4, and the number of people wearing robes increased dramatically, as none of the adults would wear muggle clothes. Ron and Hermione were not yet there, so they took a seat and Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders.

Harry didn't mind in the least.

"Oh, before I forget!" Sirius reached into his robes pocket and handed Harry a rather large bag. "For the trolley, and it should be enough for your first trip to Hogsmeade. I know you have money," he added, as though expecting Harry to protest, "but humor your old godfather and let me treat you and your friends, all right?"

Harry took the bag and put it in his pocket. "Thanks, Sirius, but you're not old."

Sirius chuckled and gave him another squeeze. "Good to know."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Ron and Hermione came into view. Then, Harry and Sirius rose at the same time, and Sirius drew Harry to him once more.

"Love you, pup."

"Love you, too," Harry whispered, holding Sirius tightly.

They let go. "We'll talk tonight, all right? Every night," Sirius said, softly. "Until you get sick of me."

Harry shook his head. "That could never happen."

Sirius gave him a final hug, smoothing his hair with one hand, and let go as the Weasley clan approached.

"Harry!" called Hermione, grinning.

"Good to see you!" Ron added, giving him a friendly punch.

"Had a good holiday, dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

After hugs all around (Sirius managed a final one, to Harry's relief...and a bit of amusement), the younger witches and wizards boarded the train.

A/N: Up next, Harry reveals to Ron and Hermione how h spent his summer holidays...and perhaps snubs Slughorn?

Reviews are always welcome! (Hint, hint!)