A collection of random missing moments from my story Brumous, which is a Sirius Lives AU. The order has no rhyme nor reason, but the chapter titles will place you where you are in the story.

"Brumous Missing Moment"

"Late September 1996"

Sirius, like always, was the first one to move when the Order of the Phoenix meeting concluded for the evening. Ever since school started again, the Order held their meetings at Hogwarts so the castle wasn't left unprotected every Friday night, though it was pushed back after curfew so the students would be in their common rooms. That was fine with Sirius. He always made sure to arrive at Hogwarts after he knew Harry was secure in Gryffindor tower.

"Mr Black," the voice of Professor McGonagall called before he could dash out of the room. "May I have a word with you?"

Sirius felt like he was fifteen again and about to receive a scolding. He glanced over at Remus who only chuckled, a smile gracing his features.

A hand rested in his arm. "Dinner, tomorrow?" Molly asked as she leaned into his side. "Arthur's on a mission again."

Sirius nodded. "My place?"

Molly smiled. "I'll be by around six."

"Perfect. I'll see you then."

Slowly, the room emptied out. Marlene gave him an odd look as she departed. Tegan shot him a sly smile. Robards snapped that Sirius needed to practice his shield before Sunday, which Sirius only rolled his eyes at in response. Snape sneered at him, like normal, and Sirius scratched his cheek while discretely shooting him a rude gesture. Andromeda kissed him on the cheek. Ted clapped a hand on his back. Sirius stood impatiently waiting for his old professor to talk to him about Merlin only knew what.

Once the room was empty, McGonagall rounded the table towards Sirius. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"I didn't do it," Sirius blurted out.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Do what exactly, Mr Black?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like that's my automatic response whenever you tell me you have to talk to me."

McGonagall laughed. Sirius felt like he had traveled to a parallel universe. Had Remus felt the way Sirius was when he became more friendly with McGonagall as well?

"I wanted to talk to you about Harry," McGonagall explained.

Sirius' brows furrowed. "Harry? Is he all right?"

"He's fine," McGonagall assured him. "I wanted to talk to you about his academic performance."

Sirius sucked in a breath, more than confused. Harry had done wonderfully on his O.W.L. exams. Sirius had been exceedingly proud of the kid, especially given all the shit he had to deal with on a daily basis.

"Are his grades… slipping?" Sirius asked slowly. "I mean, the dueling lessons are important but I'll make sure to bring him back earlier on Sundays if he needs more time for his coursework or, or something."

Sirius winced. He felt very out of his depth. Loving Harry was easy. Protecting Harry was like second nature. But what was he supposed to do if Harry's grades were slipping? Be all stern and tell him to do better in a cruel Orion Black voice? Fuck that.

"No, he's been doing exceedingly well in class," McGonagall replied, a rare smile appearing on her face. "Professor Flitwick as well as Professor Sprout have also told me his assignments are more thorough and engaging than normal. I daresay, he's earning a solid Outstanding in my class, which normally he averages an Exceeds Expectations, barring a few months last year. But his essays have been quite impressive already."

Sirius blinked at her, relief flooding him. "So, you called me back to say he's doing better than normal?"

"Yes, I am," McGonagall confirmed. "I think the absence of Dolores Umbridge has helped him concentrate better academically. Even more than that, I think being under your guardianship has helped tremendously."

Sirius shifted. "I'm glad," he replied in a thick voice.

"Not just academically, but socially I've noticed a difference as well. Not to mention general demeanor," McGonagall added. "Several professors and I have always… watched him closely."

Sirius stared at her. "Oh? For…?"

"His first year, he was very shy," McGonagall explained. "He and Ron Weasley ran around together, keeping mostly to themselves. He seemed to get along well with the Weasley twins during Quidditch practice but seemed anxious socially around the rest of the team. Then, he became friends with Hermione Granger and I thought he was starting to branch out more but he never really did."

Sirius frowned. "I didn't really branch out socially either. I mean, it was James who befriended Remus. Then Remus started bringing around…" he trailed off, clearing his throat. "But I wasn't a very social creature either."

McGonagall's lips thinned. "I trust you know what happened at the end of his first year and then his second?"

Sirius nodded, more than glad Harry had gone more in depth into those years while they were in France. "Yes."

"So you know everyone called him the Heir of Slytherin," McGonagall confirmed.

Sirius nodded again, wondering where exactly this was going. "Yes, I'm fully well aware that the entire student body essentially bullied my godson that year and, as a matter of fact, bullied him all last year. Oh, yeah, I'm also aware that a professor permanently scarred him with a blood quill and I've been in contact with an attorney to bring charges against her."

McGonagall's face remained stoic. "Harry seemed to become angrier as the years went on. Closing himself off more and more."

"I don't blame him," Sirius defended Harry without a second thought.

McGonagall stared at him. "There were serious concerns last year after Christmas of him failing his O.W.L. exams. I was rather… generous while grading some of his essays because I knew he was dealing with a lot. Though, under normal circumstances, I would have outright failed him. Some assignments he didn't even bother to turn in."

Sirius hadn't known that. Suddenly, he was upset that McGonagall hadn't brought it up to him last year. What was he supposed to do with that information now? Although, to be fair, at that time, he had been grumpy and probably would have snapped at her that Harry had a lot on his plate and grades were the least of his concerns. Now that he was out of Grimmauld, free, and had full custody of Harry, he was in a better place mentally.

"I saw his O.W.L. results and I'm not displeased," Sirius said.

"I was surprised yet pleased that he did so well given his disposition last year," McGonagall agreed. "This year, he seems a lot happier and more content. He spends a lot of time in the library with Ginny Weasley and her friends."

Sirius wasn't surprised by that. "Harry and Ginny are dating."

McGonagall chuckled. "Yes, it was rather obvious when they started holding hands and kissing in the corridors."

"She's good for him," Sirius added, because he was beyond elated for Harry and Ginny. "She calms him. He can relate to her trauma in a way no one else seems to have been able to."

"He smiles more," McGonagall added. "His grades are up. He seems more social."

"Are you sure you shouldn't be giving Ginny all the credit?" Sirius inquired lightly.

"Oh, she's been a wonderful influence on him," McGonagall confirmed. "But… I just wanted to say that I think your unwavering presence in his life has helped him grow immensely. He's a remarkable young man. He always had been. But you have really helped him grow in the last couple of months."

Sirius didn't know what to say to that. He just wished he had always been there for Harry so there was no growth needed.

"I have just loved him," Sirius confessed. "Nothing more than that."

"I think it's far more than that, Sirius," McGonagall whispered. "You have not only shown him that he is loved unconditionally, but you have gone above and beyond to protect him, to listen to him, to break down the walls he built around himself. I must admit, he reminds me so much of you as a child."

Sirius swallowed, hating that this wasn't the first time someone had said that about Harry. "Don't insult my godson, professor."

McGonagall ignored the comment. "You were self-isolating as well. Your grades were abysmal for a while. You were angry and lashed out often. It wasn't until you came back for your sixth year after spending an entire summer at the Potters did you seem more content. Your grades improved drastically, you laughed and smiled a little easier, and you were far more social. I see Harry going through the same transformation that I witnessed you go through."

"Funny what living with someone who loves you for you does to a person," Sirius said, his voice hoarse.

"It seems as though history repeats itself," McGonagall mused. "The Potters took in a very lost Black. Now the Blacks are taking in a very lost Potter."

Sirius' throat clogged.

"I hear Andromeda and Ted have been wonderful to him as well," McGonagall added.

"They call him their nephew," Sirius croaked.

McGonagall reached out, her palm pressing against his arm. "You're doing good, Sirius, all right? You're doing right by him. I thought you should know."

Sirius blinked, feeling a bit misty eyed at the words. It was something Andromeda had said to him, multiple times, but he had never believed her because she was his cousin. But to hear it from McGonagall? That was something else entirely.

"James would be very proud," McGonagall added in a fierce tone.

Sirius' eyes slid closed. McGonagall gave his arm a squeeze.

"You were and remain to this day, the best choice of godfather for Harry," McGonagall added. "I hope you know that."

Sirius swallowed at the lump in his throat but it remained stubbornly there. He opened his eyes and looked at his former professor.

"I'm trying," Sirius whispered. "I really am."

"You're doing wonderful, Sirius," McGonagall insisted.

Sirius nodded. "Thank you, professor."

McGonagall arched an eyebrow at him. "I think Minerva will do."

Sirius let out a watery chuckle. "Don't be weird, professor. I can hardly handle Remus calling you that."

McGonagall laughed once more, her hand dropping from his arm. "Good night, Mr Black."

Sirius shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "Good night, Professor McGonagall."

Sirius nodded in McGonagall's direction before he made his way out of the room. He walked down the corridors of Hogwarts alone, thoughts of Harry filling his head. A small smile spread across his lips at hearing Harry was doing better in his classes this year and seemed less closed off. Sirius did that. He helped Harry be a kid just for once.

His back pocket vibrated and Sirius reached around to pull his mirror from his magically expanded pocket. Harry's face shined in the mirror. He was obviously in bed. Sirius glanced down at his watch to see it was nearing midnight.

"Harry Potter," he answered, his eyes flickering from the mirror up to see where he was walking to ensure he didn't walk into anything.

Harry's brows furrowed. "What are you doing? Are you at Hogwarts?"

"Order meeting," Sirius confirmed. "Yes, I am at Hogwarts."

"Where?" Harry asked, sitting up in his bed. "I'll come meet you."

Sirius snorted. "The fuck you will. You're staying put and I'm going home to sleep."

Harry laughed. "We both know you don't even think about going to bed until at least two."

Sirius shrugged, turning so that he was at the staircases. He hadn't talked on a mirror and walked down a flight of steps in bloody ages. Sirius couldn't recall a time he had actually tripped down the stairs while trying to meet up with James, but he was thirty-six now and a lot less graceful than he had been as a teenager.

"You have class tomorrow," Sirius said, not bothering to even look at Harry.

"Tomorrow is Saturday," Harry replied.

"Oh, well, then you have Quidditch practice, don't you?" Sirius insisted, his eyes flickering down just in time to see Harry roll his eyes. "Do you force the team to run five miles before practice even begins?"

Harry scoffed. "No! Why would I do that?"

Sirius' heart twisted, but he cleared his throat and pushed through the pain. "James did. Used to drive Marlene bonkers. She once threatened to quit the team in sixth year when he had the moronic idea to up it to ten miles."

Harry's nose wrinkled. "What's the point? I mean, Oliver used to make us run when he was captain. Angelina had us run like every other practice last year. Ginny's adamant we should start because I sort of dropped it all together."

"Endurance or some shit," Sirius replied. "I don't bloody well know. You're asking the wrong person, kid."

Harry sighed. "I should probably listen to Ginny, shouldn't I?"

Sirius paused in his walking, waiting for the staircase to swing back to him so he could continue. "I mean, I'm not an expert or anything, but I think girls generally like when their boyfriends listen to them."

"Yeah, that sounds right, I think," Harry replied, his face pulling.

Sirius chuckled.

"Why are you walking by yourself anyway?" Harry asked. "I mean, I've called before after an Order meeting and you're usually with Remus and Dora."

Sirius shrugged. "McGonagall wanted to talk to me."

Harry's brow furrowed. "About what?"

The staircase stopped in front of Sirius. He made his way down.

"About you," Sirius replied.

"What? Why? About, about what?" Harry asked, his voice slightly panicked.

Sirius thought about messing with him for a moment, but decided against it. "Just a normal little conference between parent and professor. You received a good report so stop freaking out. Unless there's something you don't want me to know, then you should just confess now because I'll walk right back to McGonagall and demand she tell me."

"Why would she have a conference with you?" Harry asked.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Because it's normal. I doubt she ever bothered bringing in the Dursleys, and I know for a bloody fact she lied to Walburga and Orion a lot about shit because if they knew half of what I was written up for then I wouldn't have seen the light of day for a long time, but she must think I'm a good enough guardian for you to talk to."

Harry swallowed visibly. "What did she, uh, you know, what did she say?"

"Said your grades are up and you seem happier at school," Sirius replied, stepping off the staircase and making his way towards the entrance hall. "Said you did well on your O.W.L.s despite concerns about your assignments last year."

Harry didn't say anything.

"Look, it's fine. That was last year, all right?" Sirius insisted. "It was a rough year. So what? You blew off a few assignments. I'd be a fucking hypocrite if I said anything. Right before I ran away from home, I was so far behind in my assignments and basically failing all of my classes that Fleamont had to have a talk with me. He went to McGonagall and everything, saying I'd turn everything in. You know what? It took me forever, but I turned in every single assignment I had blown off for nearly two months."

"I just… I had Occlumency and, and I lost Quidditch and Voldemort was always in my head–"

Sirius stopped walking and stared hard at Harry. "I know. Merlin, you're not in trouble. That's in the past, all right? You're more than making up for it. I hear you're averaging an Outstanding in Transfiguration now. That's bloody brilliant, Harry. Truly."

Harry fidgeted. "Yeah, Auror Robards said it would be helpful in a duel. You know, to use my surroundings and manipulate them to my advantage. He said I needed to master some basic Transfiguration concepts before he'd teach me."

Sirius nodded. "He's not wrong. I'll have you know that Transfiguration and Defense were my top two subjects when I actually applied myself. So, if you don't understand something, you can always ask me."

An easy smile crossed Harry's face. "Thanks, Sirius."

"Anytime, kid," Sirius replied, waving his hand as he continued towards the entrance hall once more.

"I'm sorry, you know, about last year," Harry added. "I should have, I should have tried harder."

"Harry, I think it's a testament to how smart you actually are that you blew off a bunch of assignments and still received as many O.W.L.s as you did. I'm proud of you."

"I just… studied a lot a couple of weeks before the tests," Harry admitted.

"Take a compliment, kid," Sirius insisted.

A lopsided smile crossed Harry's face, causing Sirius' heart to ache. Harry always looked the most like James when he smiled like that. It was a swift kick in the gut. Sirius cleared his throat, putting his former best mate out of his mind and focusing on his godson.

"I should go," Sirius said, pausing by the front doors and catching Tegan's eye as she stood guard of the door. "You know, pay attention as I walk to Hogsmeade."

She winked at him and Sirius smiled back.

"Yeah, all right," Harry agreed. "Good night, Sirius. I'll see you Sunday."

"See you, kid," Sirius said before he disconnected his mirrors, sliding it in his back pocket.

He walked up to Tegan, stopping short of her. Sirius looked down at her.

"I'd kiss you right now if it wasn't so damn public," he whispered. "When's your shift over?"

Tegan grinned. "I'll be here until morning but… we could grab breakfast tomorrow."

Sirius looked around. They were alone, or at least appeared alone. Bending down he pressed a kiss to her cheek, his lips lingering near her ear.

"Come over anytime. You know the Unlocking Charm," Sirius whispered.

"See you in the morning," Tegan agreed.

Sirius smiled at her as he backed away. She let him out of the castle and he walked back to Hogsmeade with a little skip to his step.

Hope you enjoyed the missing moment! Don't forget to drop a review it you want more missing moments that didn't make it into the main story. If there's any moments you wished I wrote but didn't, drop by my Tumblr (seriouslysam8) and drop an ask. I won't promise I'll write it, but if it's interesting and I have the time, I will write it!

Special thanks to Bell for editing! Special thanks to MyrtleWarren for the idea!