A/N: Thank you to whoever is still reading this. I honestly have no excuse and I can't even promise more regular updates.

Chapter 17

James was feeling a little disconcerted. Sirius had been pranking the hell out of McLaggen for over a week now. It was getting to the point where even James was feeling sorry for the guy, although he definitely deserved it for spilling Sirius' secret and selling his private thoughts and memories to the Daily Prophet.

But Sirius was taking it a bit too far, even for James' liking. His dad had told him how his godfather got a little unhinged when it came to taking revenge. But James had never seen this side of Sirius for himself – until now. It was disconcerting.

Sirius was very sneaky about it though. Everyone knew it was him, yet no one could prove it. The teachers had yet to catch him red handed, which meant they could not punish him.

James wanted to talk to Sirius and tell him to at least tone it down, but whenever he had the opportunity, he chickened out. He was afraid to lose Sirius' friendship, which had become very precious to him over the last year. In the end it was his father who sat Sirius down and told Sirius he needed to stop. Sirius sulked about it for days until Roxanne told him how she had overheard Harry threatening McLaggen.

"Never do something like that again, because next time I won't stop him. In fact, if you ever do something like that again, I will help him." Fred guffawed as Roxanne imitated Harry's threatening tone and even Sirius couldn't help but chuckle.

Sirius hadn't had a lot to laugh about since his identity was publicised. His classmates were still wary of him. Even Liam and Alex were acting awkward around him, not sure how to treat him now. And his vicious revenge on McLaggen definitely didn't help his reputation. All in all it was a mess and the summer holidays couldn't start soon enough in James' opinion.

However, before they could finally escape the school for the summer, they had to sit their exams. James was slightly panicking about his potions exam but with the combined help of Frank and Julia he felt somewhat prepared and like he might be able to pass. Roxanne and Louis were even worse off, because it was their O.W.L. year. They spent almost all their time now in the library, even though they usually weren't the most studious ones. Dominique was often with them, studying for her N.E.W.T.S.

Sirius himself didn't really bother. He was confident enough that he would manage to scrape by and that was all he cared about. James thought it was unfair that his friend didn't even need to try to pass all his classes.

Eventually it was over though and they all celebrated in the Gryffindor common room the night before they left for home. Unfortunately, they had not won the House Cup. That honour had gone to Ravenclaw this year. Rose, Lily and Molly had all been very smug about it.

"Where are you guys going to spend the holidays?" Fred asked James after he had taken a swig of his butterbeer.

James took a big gulp of his own butterbeer. "I'm going to stay with Dad and Siri at the Marauder's Den. Lily and Al decided to stay with Mum in London. It's going to be so weird without them. I think I'm actually going to miss them."

"Is Albus still not talking to Harry?"

James shook his head. "No, he's still ignoring him. Dad is pretty upset about it, I think, but he tries not to show it."

"Family dinners at The Burrow are going to be so awkward now. You're still coming, aren't you?"

"Of course, Grams would never forgive me if I didn't. I don't know about Dad though."

Sirius could see James was getting agitated talking about his family situation, so he decided to change the topic. "What are your plans for the summer?"

"I'm going to help out at Dad's shop to earn some extra money," Fred answered.

Hugo grinned brightly. "We are going to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Australia."

"I'm going to do an internship in Romania with Uncle Charlie and one with Gringotts as a curse breaker. I also want to try out for the Holyhead Harpies."

"So you still haven't decided what you want to do now that you've finished school?"

Dominique pouted at Roxanne. "No, everything just sounds so interesting."

"You mean dangerous. I swear our family are all addicted to the thrill of near death experiences." They all laughed at the face Louis pulled but couldn't disagree. Their family members had a tendency to choose dangerous jobs and in general find all kinds of trouble.

"Are you going to France with Mum and Dad again?" Dominique asked her little brother. Of the three siblings Louis was the one who enjoyed visiting France the most and the only one who spoke French almost as fluently as he spoke English.

"Oui, I want to see Grand-maman, Grand-papa and Aunt Gabrielle."

They continued talking and drinking butterbeer until the sixth and seventh year prefects ushered them off to bed. It was the most content Sirius had felt in weeks.

The next morning was hectic. Tired students kept rushing around looking for things they had forgotten to pack. James, who had not bothered to pack at all the night before, just threw everything carelessly into his trunk, while Frank watched him in exasperation. Every year he told James to pack the night before to spare himself the stress, but he never listened. Consequently they were some of the last ones to get to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Sirius was already there, chatting with his dorm mates Alex and Liam. He probably wouldn't see them over the summer holidays so he wanted to spend this last breakfast with them. Fortunately they had finally gotten over their awkwardness around him and treated him like they had before. James was glad Sirius had not lost any friends over the truth being revealed like this.

After breakfast Sirius and the Potter children boarded the Hogwarts train, although Harry had offered them to floo home with him. They had all declined, preferring to spend a little more time with their friends on the way home. Lily wanted to sit with Hugo, Rose, Lorcan and Tessa Boot. Albus shared a compartment with Scorpius, Lysander and the Zabini siblings. While James and Sirius as always decided to sit with Fred and Frank, but now with the addition of Maya, Fred's girlfriend.

As they were getting closer to London, Sirius couldn't help but wonder how Harry and Ginny would behave around each other now. It was inevitable that they would see each other at King's Cross when they picked up their children. Would they try to ignore the other or would they continue to pretend that everything was fine?

To Harry's surprise Ginny was already waiting for him, when he flooed home for the first time since they officially announced their divorce.

"Ginny? What are you doing here?" His ex-wife was supposed to have moved out by now.

"Hi Harry. I wanted to talk to you in private, before the kids come home. I really want you to hear this from me and not find out through someone else." Ginny seemed slightly embarrassed about whatever she was preparing to tell him, but not ashamed or apologetic.

"Ok, let's sit down first. Do you want a cup of tea?" Harry dropped his luggage in the hallway and headed into the kitchen. It felt awkward to treat Ginny like a guest in his house, although that's what she was now.

"No, I won't stay long."

Harry nodded and prepared a cup of tea for himself. Then he sat at the kitchen table across from Ginny, looking at her expectantly. "So, what is it that you need to tell me in person?"

His ex-wife took a deep breath. "I'm seeing someone. And I would like to introduce him to the family as my boyfriend at the next Sunday dinner, if that's ok with you."

"I admit, I didn't expect you to move on quite so quickly, but I'm happy for you, Ginny. You don't need my permission to introduce your boyfriend to your family though."

"No, I don't. But I can introduce him some other time, if it makes you too uncomfortable. I know Mum expects you to be there."

"Who is it anyways? Do I know him?"

"You do." Ginny blushed but held her head high. "It's Viktor."

"Viktor? Viktor Krum?" Harry asked for confirmation.

"Yes, I'm seeing Viktor Krum. It's obviously still very new but it's going really well."

Harry had to admit it hurt a little that Ginny had seemingly gotten over their divorce so quickly. He also felt somewhat bitter over the fact Krum had not wasted any time to go after his ex-wife. "I guess I should have seen this coming. He's always had a thing for you."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked defensively.

"At Bill and Fleur's wedding he called you a very nice-looking girl. He was obviously disappointed when I told him you had a boyfriend."

Ginny looked at him in confusion. "But we broke up at Dumbledore's funeral."

"I might have stretched the truth a bit there," Harry admitted.

The red head shook her head in exasperation but didn't actually seem angry.

"Anyway, can I bring him to dinner or not? I don't want any unnecessary drama."

"I won't cause any drama if you bring him, but I can't vouch for anyone else. I hope you plan to talk to the kids beforehand, too. Albus probably won't take it well." Harry couldn't help but sigh at the thought of his younger son. Albus still avoided him as much as possible.

"Of course, I'll tell them tomorrow. Maybe Albus will decide to stay with you after all."

Harry laughed without any trace of humour. "I doubt that. But he's always welcome here."

Silence fell in the kitchen for a moment.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about? I still need to unpack before I have to pick up James and Sirius from King's Cross." Harry didn't want to be rude but he really needed Ginny to leave. He needed time – not only to unpack his trunk – but also to deal with all the emotions churning inside him.

"Yes." Ginny got up and moved towards the door. "I'll see you there."

And just like that she was gone. Harry sighed in relieve as he slumped over the table. The conversation had exhausted him, although it had barely lasted more than ten minutes.

Eventually Harry got up to unpack his trunk. He levitated it up to one of the guest rooms, because he wanted to refurbish the bedroom he had shared with Ginny for nearly twenty years before he moved back in there. Afterwards he contacted the Floo Network Authority to revoke Ginny's unlimited access to his fireplace and altered the wards so they would recognise her as a guest who needed to be granted entry rather than an inhabitant who could come and go as they pleased.

When it was time to pick up James and Sirius, Harry got into his car and drove to King's Cross. He crossed the barrier to the platform with the usual sense of nostalgia and joined the Weasleys who were already there. Ginny was also with them and they exchanged a short greeting, not mentioning their earlier meeting.

Thankfully the Hogwarts Express soon came into view and they both focused their attention on the train which was slowly pulling into the train station. Harry was not surprised when James went straight to Ginny to greet her. James had not seen his mother for several months, while he had seen Harry just this morning. Sirius on the other hand stopped besides Harry to wait for James to finish talking to his mother.

Albus followed a lot more slowly and deliberately ignored his father. It still stung, but Harry reminded himself to be patient. The situation wasn't easy for any of them and forcing the issue would only backfire. He hoped Albus wouldn't take Ginny's news too badly.

Harry was distracted from his musings by Lily, who threw herself into his arms to bid him goodbye for the holidays. He hugged his daughter and gently kissed her cheek, which she quickly wiped off in embarrassment. Harry laughed and wished her a nice summer, reluctantly sending her off with his ex-wife and Albus.

Sirius was still fascinated by the car and kept asking Harry questions all the way home. James just watched him with a fondly amused smile, without interrupting. He was not nearly as interested in muggle technology, but liked seeing his friend so enthusiastic. Sirius was usually loud and outgoing but sometimes he became moody and silent, brooding quietly about whatever bothered him.

James had not been surprised when his mother had invited him at King's Cross to her new flat in London for the next day. They had not seen each other since the Easter holidays and a lot had changed since then. He had finally gotten used to the idea that his parents were no longer together. But it still sucked that he had to choose between them. If it wasn't for Sirius, he would not have been able to decide who he wanted to stay with during the holidays. Either way, he was looking forward to spending a day with his mother and siblings.

The next day after a late breakfast, James flooed over to his mum's leaving Sirius alone with Harry. His guardian took the opportunity to sit him down to ask him how he was doing.

"Is there anything you remember or found out that you want to talk about?" Harry was obviously trying to sound casual but ended up just sounding awkward.

"No, not really. The only interesting thing I remember is trying to become an animagus. But I don't remember succeeding, yet. Do you think I will be able to transform again, when I remember how to?" Sirius looked up at Harry hopefully. Becoming an animagus sounded really cool but the process was very long and difficult.

"I don't know. You will have to test it when the time comes. But if you become an animagus again, you will have to register this time. Too many people already know about your animagus form to hide it."

"Well, I guess my main reason for becoming an animagus doesn't exist anymore. I don't think I want to go through the whole process again."

"Fair enough," Harry smiled. "I never bothered to do it myself, although I thought about it, because I wanted to be like you and Dad when I was younger."

"Sorry, but that is still too weird for me to think about. In my mind James is still fourteen and hopelessly in love with Lily. Honestly, it was embarrassing the way he pined for her."

Harry laughed. "Ah, love does that to you. Ron and Hermione were pretty bad as well. They were exasperating to watch in school. It took the Final Battle for them to finally admit they liked each other and in the Chamber of Secrets of all places."

"Really? Hold on, the Chamber of Secrets? That place is actually real? I always thought that was just a myth."

"Oh no, it's very much real. I found it in my second year," Harry assured him. "So you don't have your eyes on anyone, yet?" He abruptly changed the topic. Apparently Harry didn't want to go into details on how or why he had found the Chamber of Secrets.

"No, I'm not really interested in dating anyone right now." Sirius decided to humour Harry and went along with the topic change. But he quietly resolved to ask Jamie about the story later.

"Well, you are still young. There is no need to rush it." Sirius was glad Harry didn't push the issue.

"Who was your first girlfriend?" Sirius asked, always curious about his guardian while trying to deflect from himself.

"Oh, I guess Cho Chang in fifth year. We only went on one date. It didn't go very well." Harry answered with a sardonic smile. "The only other girl I dated afterwards was Ginny."

Sirius wanted to ask Harry if he intended to date someone else now, but thought it might be too soon, so he refrained. But he kind of hoped that Harry wouldn't. He didn't want to have to share his home with a strange woman. Then he remembered how Madam Bell seemed to have a crush on Harry and thought, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

However, when James returned in the afternoon, Sirius quickly learned that Ginny had already found a new partner. Someone she would be introducing at the next family dinner. James was slightly upset, but his reaction was nothing compared to his brother Albus. The younger Potter had apparently blown up at Ginny. Then he had gone to his room to repack his trunk and flooed to Harry's. Albus had not even spared them a greeting when he arrived and just growled "I'm not staying", before vanishing in his room.

Harry had just sighed and had shaken his head at the sight of his younger son as if he had expected something like this. When James followed moments later and explained the situation, Harry didn't seem the least bit surprised.

That night was the first time Jamie crawled into Sirius' bed because he couldn't sleep.

A/N: Would you like Sirius to become an animagus again, or not?