Sirius, heaving a sigh, opened the door. "Come in," he said, glancing from him to Harry, who was still standing in the middle of the room.

Robes billowing from behind him, Snape gave Sirius the briefest of nods before entering the room, taking in the sight of their new home.

Or, perhaps, taking in Harry, who was in his direct line of vision.

"Have a seat," Sirius added, rather hesitantly. "Unless you would prefer to remain standing."

Sirius' tone was neutral enough, but Snape shot him a dark look before swishing over to one of the couches. Harry could tell that his godfather was fighting hard not to roll his eyes as he sat on the couch across from the Potions/DADA professor. Harry joined Sirius on the couch, and felt his godfather's hand on his shoulder, briefly.

"Hello, sir," Harry said, rather more quietly than usual.

He wasn't afraid, exactly, but it felt entirely out of place to have Snape in their living quarters.

"Potter," Snape replied, and Harry had to admit that his teacher didn't sound nearly as cold as usual. "You know why I'm here, I trust?"

"To see how I am recovering from the Cruciatus curse, and to check and see if there's anything else he can do. Sir," Harry answered, carefully.

"Quite correct," Snape returned, with the briefest of nods. "I will ask you a series of questions, and I require your complete and thorough honesty. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Professor," Harry answered.

"As you know, I have worked as a spy under the Dark Lord," Snape began, "and while he believes me to be a loyal servant, no one in his inner circle has been spared the Cruciatus curse." Snape shuddered, just a bit. "In part, because he believes it reinforces loyalty to him, and in part because he wants people who will suffer pain simply if he asks them to."

He paused, and Harry nodded his understanding.

Snape continued. "Some of his servants have experienced this on multiple occasions, others hardly at all. Like all Unforgivables, you must mean them, and I assure you that the level of intention behind the Dark Lord's administration of these curses varies based on his mood and how he intends to inflict pain upon someone." He stared intensely at Harry. "Between us, Bellatrix is one of the few who received it only once, during the time she received her Dark Mark. She is, as you can imagine, quite proud of this fact. With that being said, although neither of you have asked, I rank on the lower side of his inner circle, but with a higher intensity because of my role. The Dark Lord does not forgive," he added, looking somewhat paler at that moment, "without requiring much in the way of payment. As I am still able to walk around and use magic the day or so after he has cursed me, which occurred the very night he returned to power, I can provide personal assistance for recovery. I can also gauge how well the treatments Madam Pomfrey gave you are working."

Harry longed to ask if these tests would hurt, but he would almost rather go through the cure a third time that day than do so.

Sirius, thankfully, had no such inhibitions.

"How much will it hurt Harry?" he asked, bluntly.

Snape seemed, if anything, surprised. "Hardly at all, in all likelihood. Perhaps, not at all."

Sirius turned to Harry. "It's up to you."

"I want to, Sirius," Harry replied, with determination.

It could help in his recovery, after all.

Sirius nodded, and Harry could see the pride in his face.

Harry addressed Snape, even though the professor had just heard what he'd told Sirius. "I'd like to see what you can do to help me, Professor."

Snape looked almost approving.

"I'd expected more resistance, Potter, but I can't say I'm not pleased by your receptiveness." The faintest of smiles. "Very well. Stand up, if you will."

With that, they both rose, and Snape removed his wand from one of the pockets of his robes.

Standing in the middle of the room, Snape ran the wand over Harry, touching his robes on occasion, then his hands, and head. Finally, he requested him to remove his shoes and socks, which Harry did without difficulty, and tapped the wand in various places around his feet. It didn't hurt, but he felt rather like a zoo animal, or perhaps a patient on an operating table before an audience. At last, Snape placed the wand back in his pocket and fired off a series of questions at Harry.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much does the pain of the cure hurt currently?"

"Do you recall how long you felt Mr. Malfoy's curse before you blacked out?"

"Did you attempt to block the curse with verbally or nonverbal magic?"

And so on. Some of the questions, Harry could answer fairly definitively. Others, he had no idea, and said as much. Finally, the interrogation ceased, but only after a final question that Harry found puzzling and Sirius downright offensive.

"When did you last take a hot bath?"

"Yesterday night."

"Are you implying Harry smells?"

Snape briefly closed his eyes, and Harry was reminded of Hermione when she couldn't understand why he and Ron didn't grasp something that was plain to her.

"Of course, the boy does not smell! I am not asking when he last washed himself, but when he had a hot bath," Snape snapped back.

"Last night," Harry repeated, unsure why it would matter.

"A long one, or simply to get clean?" Snape clarified.

Harry turned to Sirius. "Er, rather long, I reckon. I relaxed in the tub."

"How often do you do this?" Snape wanted to know.

"Every other day, maybe? Every two days?" Harry shrugged. "Sometimes, I'm in just to get clean, but other times, I rest a bit."

He wasn't going to add that Sirius helped him with his hair. That was just too personal, much like their sleeping arrangements.

"Hot water is very restorative to the body after the curse. A good long soak...can do wonders," Snape explained. "You should take a hot bath at least once a day through the duration of your treatment. For, at a minimum, thirty minutes."

Harry frowned, just a bit. "H-how hot, sir?"

"Not hot enough to cause pain. Simply warm enough to be comfortable. If you fall asleep this way, so much the better." He glanced at Sirius. "Does the tub contain pressure bubbles?"

"I believe so. I didn't check...one moment." Sirius disappeared, leaving Harry alone with Snape. Before either could say anything, Sirius was back. "Yes, there are."

Snape nodded, almost approvingly. "Have Potter use those for the duration of time he's in the tub."

"I will."

"Do the baths release any of the poison?" Harry wondered.

"Negligible. They are, however, a great restorative after the cure has worked its way through your body," he answered, almost gently.

Snape spent the next several minutes providing more advice, such as the best way to sleep, foods he found helpful to eat and avoid, and ways Harry could distract himself from the pain caused by the remaining potion dosages

While none of it was exactly a magic pill for getting through the last week (or longer), it would help Harry and Sirius, and they both thanked Snape for having taken the time to give them this information.

"Looks like you'll be getting another long bath tonight," Sirius noted, after Snape had left and they had begun eating dinner. "I can help you with your hair, if you like."

Harry smiled. "I know I'm too old for it, normally."

Sirius shrugged. "I helped your dad with his after Quidditch injuries when he was seventeen, and we all helped Remus after his transformations even after our time at Hogwarts."

"I'm hardly a werewolf, Sirius," Harry pointed out.

"If you were, you could have bit Malfoy. Oh, not infected him, but given him a nice scar on that pointy face of his," Sirius teased.

Harry snickered in spite of himself. "You're a dreadful influence, Sirius."

"Of course," Sirius replied, proudly. "Come, let's eat before we get to the unpleasant part of the evening."

Harry would have been loathe to admit it a year ago, but Snape's advice was rather helpful. After the necessary potion, Sirius steered Harry to the tub.

"I'll help with your hair, if you like," he added.

Harry had to laugh. "I can't say no to that."

"Then don't."

With another flick of his wand, the jets went on.

Harry let himself lay there in the warmth for several minutes before placing his feet on the jets closest to the floor of the tub, then let out a deep sigh.

Sirius gently propped Harry up on the lowered ledge where his head was meant to go, and began applying shampoo to his already clean hair. Not that he minded in the least. He closed his eyes as Sirius began to work in the suds, alternating between kneading and scratching.

"I'll be asleep by the time you're finished," he warned, already fighting drowsiness.

"Then I will just have to continue when you're asleep," Sirius remarked, in a tone that could have been entirely joking, or partly serious.

He woke up a bit when the water drained and Sirius wrapped him in a towel (after rinsing him off), and brushing his teeth seemed to make him more alert.

"How's the pain?" Sirius asked, gently guiding him onto his back.

"It's gone, but is it odd that it stayed afterwards?" Harry wondered.

Sirius sighed. "I have read about this. More than half of the poison is out of your body, so it will empty more slowly. What does will linger."

"Great," he grumbled. "Just when it was starting to become almost manageable."

The fact that Harry didn't generally complain showed Sirius how bad things had been. Also, the older man suspected that Harry's current level of pain after the cure was far higher than what most witches and Wizards could bear without resorting to potions.

"Tell you what," Sirius suggested, holding Harry close, "tomorrow, we'll have a free day."

"Is that safe?" Harry mumbled.

Sirius sighed. "Probably not. All right, then, we'll take the foul potions and the cure, but no schoolwork. If it's nice, we will spend the day outside, maybe bring a few good books, pack a delicious meal, that sort of thing. Just laze around the lake."

"And if it's gloomy?" Harry prodded.

Sirius gave him a light tap on the leg before returning to his feet with extra attention.

"A roaring fire, plenty of books, good food, and lots of blankets," Sirius answered, promptly.

Harry didn't answer right away, and Sirius wondered if he'd drifted off.

"I'd like that," he answered, finally.

"Then, it's settled."

Sirius gave him a light kiss on the top of his head.

"Sweet dreams."

Harry slept especially well that night, and after the necessary treatments and potions the follow morning, Sirius had a lunch assembled and escorted Harry outside. It was a beautiful day, sunny and without any clouds, and he felt happy to be able to spend it with Sirius. They sat on a blanket under a tall, thick tree that was wide enough for them to both lean against. Sirius casually put an arm around Harry, who leaned into his warmth and protection.

"Would you tell me some more stories?" he asked, stretching his legs and letting the sun warm his bare feet.

"Of course. Anything in particular?"

Harry shook his head, knowing that anything Sirius told him would be good. He shifted his position a bit, and Sirius adjusted him so that Harry's head rested on his shoulder.

"How about when we first met your mum?" Sirius asked, after a moment.

Harry turned to Sirius. "I saw that memory, remember?"

"Oh, yes, I forgot." He thought for another moment, pulling Harry a bit closer to him.

Harry felt a bit like a teddy bear, but didn't mind in the least.

"In our first Charms class," Sirius began, laughing, "your mum accidentally set Professor Flitwick's hair on fire..."

"How?"

"We were practicing creating sparks with our wands," Sirius began.

Harry listened as Sirius told the story, which concluded with a partially bald and very drenched Flitwick. The front row of the class, including Lily, had been in need of drying spells before the lesson had concluded.

"Good thing Flitwick isn't like certain other teachers I could mention," Sirius finished, "or Lily would have surely failed the class. It ended up being her best one, and she was very close to Flitwick throughout school and afterwards."

"I can't imagine what Snape would do if his hair caught fire by a student," Harry mused. "Probably take off a thousand points and detention until they graduate."

"Likely so," Sirius agreed, "but McGonagall might fight to have you expelled."

"Not much chance of flames in her class, though, is there?" Harry pointed out.

"Not until the seventh year, I believe," Sirius answered, after a moment of thought. "By then, if you made it that far, it would have had to be intentional."

"She's definitely strict, but I can't imagine anyone wanting to do that to her," Harry mused. "Or Sprout, either."

"I suppose it speaks highly of a teacher when their students don't generally wish to set them aflame," Sirius mused, resulting in a snort from Harry.

"Tell me a bit more about my mum?" he requested.

Even after living with Sirius for months, and in the wizarding world for years, he still felt that he would be denied information about his family if he were so bold as to ask. The Dursleys' doing, of course, but Snape hadn't helped matters. Even if his dad had been awful to him on occasion, the Potions master had to know by now that Harry's family was nothing like that.

Well, Snape hadn't been too awful this year, and he had told Harry and Sirius how he could recover more fully from the curse, even if he refused to let Malfoy get expelled...

After listening to stories for at least a couple of hours, Harry and Sirius stopped to eat lunch. Even though Harry still had to take four revolting potions, the pumpkin juice got the taste out quickly, and he could almost forgot about the upcoming evening. And, if all went well, the potions would be finished in three days...

Feeling drowsy after a large lunch, Harry stretched himself out on the blanket on the ground, and Sirius revealed another one, along with a very deep pillow, from a travel bag with an extension charm he had included in their picnic basket. Sirius stroked his head after he got comfortable, and even though other students might be able to see, Harry couldn't bring himself to care.

Three days later, Harry returned to Madam Pomfrey's with Sirius.

"Well, Potter, let's see how you are recovering," said Madam Pomfrey, briskly but kindly, as she sat him down on the hospital bed.

After doing a scan with her wand, she had him do various light physical movements that ranged from simply holding his wand in both hands to walking backwards while reciting a tongue twister. Finally, she asked him detailed questions about how he was feeling and if any pain remained after taking his potions.

Finally, she provided her verdict.

"You're a bit behind where I had hoped, but nothing too alarming. You'll need extra dosages until Saturday evening. Moreover, you should take a hot bath twice a day, both times for at least a half an hour. The Monday afterwards, you may resume classes, but you will see me immediately afterwards for a final evaluation." She paused, taking a breath. "Any questions?"

"What happens if there's still, er, pain on Saturday night?" Harry asked, and felt Sirius's hand on his shoulder.

"I would have you continue to take the potions for up to another week. If there's pain occurring after that, it likely won't go away. Or," she added, "it will on its own. Without treatment, how do you feel when you wake up, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "Worried? A bit stiff, I reckon. That's about it."

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "The intent of the potion is to remove the poison from your body, but if any remains and it doesn't prevent you from your daily activities, then you might just have to live with it."

It was, oddly enough, almost enough to ask to end the potions entirely. His godfather might agree. Say that Harry had been through the entire treatment period and been brave. Yet, while it still hurt, it was a dull kind, annoying without being anywhere near agony, and his godfather certainly helped him afterwards. Besides, he had only had his horcrux removed in December. What if this acted in a similar way, even made him darker?

No. Better to abide by the plan Madam Pomfrey outlined.

They thanked her, and left the hospital wing feeling a bit more relieved than they could have been, but aware that Harry's treatment wasn't over yet.

There was something else nagging at Harry. There had been no lessons from Dumbledore since before Malfoy's attack, of course, but they had ceased before then. Now that Harry thought about it, the last lesson they had had, if you could call it that, had been Harry and Sirius's confession to the headmaster that all of the horcruxes, save Nagini, had been destroyed. Sirius had even had a talk with Slughorn to confirm that Voldemort had only intended to make seven. More than that, there were no other known artifacts from any of the founders that had gone missing and could have been used. With only the snake and the Dark Lord himself to destroy, Dumbledore appeared to have lost interest in meeting with Harry. He also made no more trips away from the castle.

This bothered him for two reasons. The first was that Dumbledore had seemed happy enough to have the horcruxes mostly destroyed, but there had been a moment where his face fell, and Sirius had noticed this as well.

The second was that Sirius would likely return to Grimmauld Place within a week's time, and Harry would not see him for almost another month. His treatment would conclude at the beginning of June.

If he had missed Sirius at the beginning of term, with a few months before his Christmas holidays, it was only slightly less painful to know that he would go a month before returning home. Of course, they would have to spend two weeks at the Dursleys, first, but they were minor inconveniences. Sirius likely could hex them without punishment if they got too bad. Harry knew that he would go after Vernon and Petunia long before Dudley, and after seeing just how bad he'd had it with them, he wouldn't be inclined to stop Sirius.

Well, as long as it was just a minor hex. Large pimples or boils. Perhaps, Sirius could put boils on their intimate areas. Just like Snape had done to James and Sirius a day after their DADA OWL.

Harry knew he wouldn't return to Hogwarts. It was simply too dangerous, and he could learn far more under his godfather. Other parents were taking their kids out, including the Creeveys, and part of that was because the news had spread that Draco Malfoy, son of an escaped Death Eater, had performed the torture curse on Harry Potter. That he had only received a handful of detentions as punishment. Surely, no formal education was worth that risk. Other schools would be better, or private tutors.

He couldn't blame them.

That night, as he ate, Harry felt rather gloomy as he knew that the next four weeks would be filled with studying for exams and little else. He had caught up, or felt that he had, but he was hardly looking forward to cramming for his end of term tests with only Ron and Hermione for help.

Sirius was a genius.

"Harry."

Harry looked up from his steak and kidney pie.

"Sirius?" he asked.

"You seem a bit down, pup."

Harry considered, pushing a piece of his dinner around on his plate.

"Pup?" Sirius prodded, gently. "You know you can tell me anything."

He sighed. "It's stupid."

"If it's bothering you, it's not stupid," Sirius said, gently.

"You'll be leaving soon."

He spoke this in a whisper, then took a bite of his food.

Sirius was watching him when he looked up, and he was smiling.

"This rather makes things easier, then."

"Er-sorry?" Harry asked, brow furrowed.

Sirius stood up, and beckoned Harry to follow him. They sat down in the sitting room, next to each other. Sirius put both hands on Harry's shoulders, gently.

"I had been thinking that with the end of term so soon, I might as well stay," Sirius began, "but I didn't want to intrude. If everything ends in a week, you'll have another four before term ends. And your exams are included in that time."

"Yeah, I know." Harry frowned a bit. "Wait. You want to remain here?"

"If you like. Hogwarts is hardly as safe as it once was, Harry, and I want to be here if anything else happens. Also, between us, Voldemort is gaining more power than ever. Remus and I are sure he's planning an attack on the castle."

"Voldemort?" Harry balked. "Attack Hogwarts directly?"

"Hasn't he tried before? Stealing the stone, the Chamber of Secrets? Is it so far fetched that he'd plan an outright attack?" Sirius pointed out.

"He's never gone that far when Dumbledore's been here."

"The headmaster's been away for weeks on end." Sirius sighed. "And it's not just Voldemort, anymore. He's stronger than ever."

Harry wasn't so sure, but he felt the pain in his chest go away, replaced by a lump in his throat.

"You really want to stay?" he managed to ask.

Sirius hugged him tightly. "Yeah."

After Harry got his breath back, due only in part to Sirius's crushing hug, he asked what this would mean as far as where he would room.

"That's up to you," Sirius reminded him, placing his hand on top of the one closest to him. He began to trace patterns on it, almost absentmindedly. "I rather think you would miss spending some nights with your friends in the dorms, but I would like to see you on occasion. We could play it by year. Perhaps, weekends in Gryffindor are weeknights here one week, and switch it the next, and see what you prefer? Or, you could simply decide day to day."

Harry considered. "I reckon I would do better having a plan."

"That's fine. Personally, I would suggest spending the weekends with your friends and weeknights here. Especially since, if we work smart, you could spend most of the weekend without much work."

"Not with exams coming up," Harry pointed out.

"Well, half a weekend, then," Sirius grinned. "Too bad I can't take polyjuice and take them for you."

This reminded Harry of his still unopened bottle of good luck potion-but if that weren't banned for school tests, he would save it for his NEWTs.

Anyway, Sirius was right. He was nearly as good of a teacher and study aid as good luck.

Entirely pain free, Harry went down to the Great Hall for breakfast before class for the first time in three weeks. Ron and Hermione saved him a seat, and Hermione gently hugged him.

Sirius sat next to him, but unobtrusively. He had to keep an eye out for Harry on his first day back, after all.

Harry helped himself to some toast and scrambled eggs, cleaning his plate without any problems. He could feel the eyes of most of the students on him, as well as at least half of the teachers. Snape actually caught his eye and gave him the faintest of nods. That was practically a bear hug from anyone else.

He and Ron had a free period after class, so they returned to the Gryffindor common room, Sirius following them at a distance.

"Is he going with you to class? Be great to see him duel with Snape!" Ron asked, grinning.

"Naw, just escort me to make sure no one hexes me or I don't break out in pain," Harry answered, honestly. "And just today."

"Too bad, mate. With your godfather on your heels, the Slytherins wouldn't dare try anything," said Ron, rather put out.

"He's staying for the rest of the term," Harry volunteered, taking out his Transfiguration book. "Make sure I stay safe."

"Since when have you spent a full year safe?" Ron teased, and Harry laughed.

They spent the free period studying Transfiguration in preparation for the lesson on changing one type of farm animal into another, something they certainly couldn't practice from the common room. When Hermione returned to walk with them to DADA, Sirius was with her.

Snape gave Sirius the same faint nod that he gave Harry. Perhaps because they were early and the room was empty except for the five of them, he studied Harry carefully.

"You have recovered sufficiently?" he asked, his tone even.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, politely.

Snape nodded. "Very well. You missed quite a lot while you were-out-but between reading and your godfather, you should be able to catch up rather easily."

"Yes, sir," Harry repeated.

The lesson wasn't practical, but a long lecture about the types of curses most commonly used for dueling and their history. For their homework, an absurdly easy assignment of practicing ten different spells that they would need to use for their exam. Harry knew all but one with ease.

They spent the free period in between practicing these hexes, but not on Harry. Harry alternated between using them on Ron and Hermione, and the two of them practiced on each other. Harry rather thought he could have managed to prevent most of them with a Shield, but appreciated their care.

Potions was a review of the potions they had made in the last term, and Slughorn impressed upon them the importance of remembering key physical characteristics.

"The exam will not cover what you were tested on in the December exam, but it will be more difficult. I would not say that you must memorize each step to each potion, but you will need to remember the amounts of each ingredient," Slughorn explained. "You will be expected to create five potions within two hours, from the ten we learned. The ones you choose are entirely up to you."

Classes were over after Potions, and while it had been a rather short day for Harry and Ron, he felt a bit drained. Not in pain, but certainly tired.

"I think I'll go to Sirius's after dinner for the night," he said, after they had finished beginning their memorization for Potions.

"Play a game of Chess before you go?" Ron asked, hopefully.

Harry nodded, smiling in spite of himself.

Sirius greeted him when he arrived with the bear hug Harry had come to expect, but he held on extra long this time.

"Long day, pup?" Sirius asked, softly.

"Draining," Harry admitted. "Not as bad as some, and I got all my work done, but still..."

"First days back can be hard," Sirius told him, giving him a hug. "Come, into your pajamas."

"I thought we were finished with the potions," Harry protested, rather crossly.

Sirius looked hurt. "We are."

Harry understood, and stared at the floor. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Sirius hugged him again. "Don't be. I should have been clearer."

"Thank you, Sirius," he said, as the older man tucked them in under the blankets, and he nestled against his guardian without any self consciousness.

"I love you, pup," Sirius answered simply, holding Harry a bit more tightly, more securely, to him.

"I love you, too," Harry murmured.

He slept soundly that night.

Author's note:

We're approaching the end of the school year, but there's still a ways to go. Also, I'm thinking of changing how Bill and Fleur's wedding goes. I haven't written it out yet, and it's probably at least 10 chapters before it gets any mention, but it's out there. If you have any ideas, send them my way.

Up next: Two of the Marauders confront their past.

As always, constructive feedback is most welcome!