"Brumous"

"Chapter Twenty-Two: The South of France"

Hagrid met them at the gates of Hogwarts with a broad smile on his face. Harry greeted him, looking painfully like James with his lopsided grin. Remus glanced over at Sirius to see if he looked like he was stuck in a memory as well. Except Sirius looked oddly calm, like he wasn't seeing James right in front of him like Remus was. Maybe it was the simple fact that Sirius knew Harry better. Remus stuffed down the jealousy that rose in his chest. He knew it was his own fault for being so hot and cold with Harry. Sirius had done nothing but to encourage a close relationship between the two, but Remus couldn't help but stumble when it came to Harry. Part of him wanting to do right by the kid and the other part feeling like he was choking at the memory of James. What Remus wanted most of all was to be able to be around Harry without thinking of James all the bloody time as well. He just didn't know how to accomplish that.

"Yeh all right, Sirius?" Hagrid asked. "Heard yeh were in St. Mungo's."

Sirius nodded, squinting up at Hagrid. "Just a broken leg. Had a lot worse done to me over the years. This was nothing."

Hagrid laughed as he walked with the trio up to the castle. "Dumbledore's waiting for yeh three. Said he fancied cockroach clusters," he explained with a wink.

They bid Hagrid goodbye once they reached the doors with a promise to stop by for some tea after their meeting with Dumbledore. The walk to the headmaster's office was oddly quiet. Honestly, Remus didn't think he should be tagging along for this conversation and knew his sole purpose was to keep the peace between Sirius and Dumbledore. Or, at least, keep Sirius civil with Dumbledore in front of Harry.

Once they reached the gargoyle statue that led to Dumbledore's office, Remus gave the password and Harry took the lead up the stairs. The office door was already open for them, so Remus knocked as they entered to gain Dumbledore's attention.

"Ah, right on time," Dumbledore greeted. "Sirius, how is the leg?"

Sirius grunted. "Fine."

Dumbledore smiled, his gaze moving to look at Harry over his moon-shaped glasses. "I have heard great things about your Occlumency lessons, Harry. You have become steadily more consistent in pushing Sirius out of your mind."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied politely, taking a step closer to Sirius until their shoulders bumped against one another.

"Sirius explained what we are doing here today, I trust?" Dumbledore pressed as he rounded his desk to stand in front of them.

Harry's eyes flickered to Sirius for a brief moment before he looked back at the headmaster. "If I can push you out of my mind, then I get to know the rest of the prophecy and know more about what's going on with Voldemort."

Dumbledore smiled, his hands clasping in front of him. "Sirius has the upmost confidence in you."

Harry shifted awkwardly, his gaze snapping over to look at Sirius once more. It was something that Remus had noticed a lot since the previous summer. Harry always seemed to seek out Sirius' expressions or his approval. Once upon a time, it used to be Sirius always gauging James' reaction.

Sirius cleared his throat. "I, uh, I have some things I want to say first."

Remus winced, his lips parting and ready to interrupt if need be.

"Harry and I are leaving for France on Friday," Sirius announced, his hands shoving into his pockets as he rocked on his heels. "Hestia is already securing us a discreet Portkey and I think this is what's best for Harry."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I heard you two were headed to France. I think that's a wonderful idea, Sirius. I assume you are still planning to send him to school in September?"

Sirius stilled. "Uh, yeah, I am."

"Wonderful! If you need any assistance in France, Madam Maxime is always at your disposal. Fleur Delacour and the Delacour family are also amazing resources for you as well," Dumbledore explained. "In fact, Apolline Delacour has been a wonderful asset to the Order of the Phoenix."

"Thank you, that's good to know," Sirius said in a slow voice. "I also need to tell you that you shouldn't have the Order go back to Potter Manor. I had a little talk with Lucius Malfoy at the gala. He knows that the Order has been meeting there."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Did he say how he knew that?"

Sirius cleared his throat. "He, well, he said that Bellatrix put a tracking spell on me when I was sixteen."

Remus grimaced at the words, knowing full well what had happened when Sirius was sixteen. He glanced over to see Sirius looking stoic, his gaze straight ahead. Harry's eyes darted between Sirius and Dumbledore.

"I don't think that's true because they didn't find Tegan and I in that cave," Sirius elaborated. "But… I would appreciate it if you could double check for me."

Dumbledore nodded, his face drawn in a thin line as he waved his wand along every inch of Sirius. Remus chewed at the skin around his thumb nail as he watched, anxious to hear the verdict. Several minutes passed, and Remus had no doubt that Dumbledore was being more than thorough. Finally, he stepped back.

"I have found no tracking spells on you, no enchantments or curses or hexes," Dumbledore explained.

"Does that mean there's a spy?" Remus asked, catching Sirius' eye.

Dumbledore's brows furrowed. "It seems suspicious that Lucius would bring up a tracking spell with Sirius. He was always one to brag about accomplishments."

"He likes to fuck with me, more like it," Sirius grumbled. "He's always had this sick sort of obsession with me."

Dumbledore nodded. "I am curious if they have placed a tracking spell on someone else. I think I will pay Marlene McKinnon a visit when we are finished here. Ever since she arrived in Godric's Hollow, Death Eaters have been seen roaming the village. I thought one was clever enough to track the Apparition trail, but now I am wondering if it was something as simple as a tracking spell."

Sirius stiffened. "Can you check Harry as well?"

Harry snapped his entire body to Sirius. "What? Why?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why the suspicion?"

"They had him alone after the third task," Sirius explained, his hand reaching out to grip Harry's shoulder. "Not to mention Crouch was a professor here for that entire year. A tracking spell could have easily been slipped on him. Dementors did attack Little Whinging. They attacked us at Grimmauld. They knew about Potter Manor. They didn't attack the Burrow, so that's my only hope that I'm wrong. But there's no point in going to France if we don't check first."

Dumbledore nodded before he ran the same spells over Harry. Remus glanced over at his friend, seeing the stress lines carved deep in Sirius' face. Sirius looked worn and exhausted, looking far older than thirty-six. In fact, Remus even caught sight of a couple of stray gray hairs sprouting near his ears.

"You are fine Harry," Dumbledore announced as he dropped his wand before turning to Sirius. "I detected nothing out of the ordinary on Harry."

Sirius let out a breath, his head rolling back to look at the ceiling. Dumbledore turned his attention back to Harry, a warm smile crossing his features.

"Are you ready for an Occlumency lesson, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded, his shoulders squaring. Dumbledore's wand pressed to Harry's temple, both of their eyes sliding shut as the spell cast wordlessly. Sirius turned to Remus, his lips drawn in a thin line.

"Are you coming to France with us or are you going to stay behind to shag my cousin?" Sirius asked in a dry tone.

Remus scowled. "I'm not intruding on your France holiday."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's not intruding if I'm bloody well asking you to come."

"I think it would do you and Harry some good to have some bonding time on your own," Remus replied.

"It would do you some good to have some bonding time with Harry too," Sirius added. "At least come for the last week and help me get him home. I doubt the French Ministry is going to cater to giving us an early and private Portkey. I remember sitting in that Portkey Department as a child. It was long and boring and packed."

Remus sighed. "I can't, Sirius. The full moon is on the twenty-eighth."

Sirius blinked. "So? I'll make sure you have some Wolfsbane and we can ward a room in the house. Bring Dora and she can stay with Harry that night."

Remus shook his head. "I'm not going to put anyone at risk," he whispered, his eyes flicking over to where Harry and Dumbledore were oblivious to everything going on around them. "Especially not Harry. That would be the ultimate slap in the face to James if I bit Harry or something."

Sirius snorted. "You're not going to bite anymore. Merlin, Remus, I've seen you under the Wolfsbane Potion. You're as calm as calm can be. I could even be me."

Remus remembered the night in Grimmauld when Sirius had transformed from Padfoot to Sirius, petting him on the head like he was a docile little pup. The next morning, Remus had raged at how reckless and stupid Sirius had been.

"You know how unreliable apothecary Wolfsbane is," Remus grumbled. "It doesn't store well on the shelves."

Sirius waved him off. "I'll see if Ted and Andy can come too. Andy is excellent at brewing it. Nearly as good of a potioneer as Fleamont, I think."

Remus shook his head. "I'm not risking anyone's safety, Sirius. End of discussion," he stressed, his attention fully on Harry whose body seemed to sway to the right.

"Look, Andy will brew the potion," Sirius insisted, not knowing when to leave well enough alone. "If something goes wrong, I can keep you in check. Dora, Andy, and Ted can get Harry out of the house. It will be fine. Let's face it, it's not the first time I've warded a room well enough to keep Moony inside. We didn't even have Wolfsbane back then."

Remus knew it was a lost cause fighting with Sirius over France. He would just harp on it from now until then, so Remus said he'd think about it. Sirius beamed, clapping a hand on Remus' back as though he thought he won the battle… for now.

The minutes dragged on in comfortable silence, and Remus could feel Sirius' anxiety roll off him in droves as they watched the mental battle between Harry and Dumbledore. Remus could tell the moment the assault ceased. Harry stumbled forward, a shuddering breath escaping his lips. Sirius was up and out of his seat in a split second, wrapping an arm around the kid's shoulder to keep him upright and brushing his sweaty locks off his forehead.

"Could you tell which memory I was searching for?" Dumbledore asked in a calm voice, his hands clasping together in front of him.

Harry nodded, leaning into Sirius' chest. "The graveyard."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore exclaimed, looking far too cheerful. "I have noticed that if it's a memory you don't mind someone seeing, you struggle to push the assailant out. The moment an unwanted memory surfaces or perhaps a distressing one, your mind reacts immediately."

Harry didn't say anything as Sirius helped him sink into the chair beside Remus. Sirius took his seat on the other side of him, scooting his chair closer to Harry's and draping an arm around the back of it.

"How long did it take for you to process what was happening?" Dumbledore questioned as he sat down behind his desk.

"Uh.. by the third memory, I think," Harry replied as he leaned back in his chair looking exhausted.

"So you knew you had not successfully pushed me out but that I was cycling through your mind?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded, his body leaning closer to Sirius' once more.

"It is what Lord Voldemort will do if he ever penetrates your mind looking for something," Dumbledore explained as he propped his elbows up on the desk and leaned forward. "To the best of my knowledge, Lord Voldemort has only planted a false memory in your mind, possessed you, and tried to locate you by seeing what you are seeing, correct?"

Harry swallowed. "Well, I have sometimes seen what he's doing."

"Ah, but you see, Harry, you are forcing yourself into his mind," Dumbledore explained.

"I've never tried to," Harry replied, a frown tugging on his features.

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Yes, but the connection between you is not always kind and often yields surprising side effects."

Remus let out a long sigh as he glanced over at Harry. The kid sat there with slumped shoulders as Sirius rubbed his back. There was an ease between them, a special bond that had been forged between them by just merely existing in each other's orbit. It was how Sirius was with James, the two automatically just fitting together like two puzzle pieces upon the first hello.

Sirius had slipped into the role of guardian with ease, fiercely protective and offering comfort as though it were second nature. Remus had to laugh to himself, as Sirius hadn't been a particularly affectionate person growing up nor did he ever come across as parental. No, that role had always been placed on James' shoulders as he had taken care of their small friendship group, offering them warm embraces and soft words of comfort.

"Is he ready to know?" Sirius asked, breaking Remus out of his thoughts.

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe he is. But, Harry, I must warn you. If Lord Voldemort even suspects that you know any of this information discussed today, he will not stop in relentlessly attacking your mind to find out exactly what you know. It is imperative that you continue to practice and perfect Occlumency. Sirius will continue to work with you for the rest of the summer holiday, but I would like to start private lessons with you come September. Lessons beyond just safe guarding your mind."

"What kind of lessons?" Sirius demanded. "I already plan on hiring him a private Defense tutor."

Harry's head snapped to Sirius. "Really? Why?"

"Because, despite being top of your class in Defense and being advanced for your age group, you're nowhere near advanced enough to go up against Voldemort or his Death Eaters," Sirius explained, his eyes soft. "You need to be ready to go up against them sooner rather than later, because Voldemort won't stop coming after you. If it makes you feel any better, I'm going to take some private lessons as well. I'm severely out of practice and sloppy. What happened at the gala proves that."

Harry only nodded, looking a bit better after Sirius explained why to him.

"I think that's an excellent idea, Sirius," Dumbledore interjected. "May I suggest one of the Aurors in the Order? Perhaps, Kingsley or Tegan or Beauregard? Gawain, if he has the time, is also an excellent duelist. I daresay, he is possibly the best duelist in the entire department and I have been fortunate enough to have a friendly duel with him. He nearly even beat me."

Remus noted that Alastor Moody wasn't mentioned. Which was a good thing because Remus thought Sirius might lose his collective shit if his name was brought up casually.

"I'll take that into consideration," Sirius replied, his lips drawn in a thin line. "What private lessons are you thinking of for Harry?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his eyes observing Sirius over his glasses. "I want to teach Harry about how a boy named Tom Riddle became the man known as Lord Voldemort. I think it's invaluable knowledge, especially given what you and I know about the lengths Lord Voldemort will go to stay alive."

Sirius nodded. "I want Remus and I to be at the meetings," he demanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Dumbledore turned to Remus for the first time. "You've been quiet, Remus."

"Sirius already filled me in on everything," Remus replied, feeling guilty for reasons he couldn't quite explain like he wasn't supposed to already have the knowledge he did.

"That does not surprise me," Dumbledore replied with a soft smile. "Your friendship group always seemed impossibly close."

Remus squirmed, his eyes glancing over to see Sirius glaring at Dumbledore. His elbow was propped up on the arm of his chair, his chin resting on his closed fist.

Sirius cleared this throat. "Can we move on? Catch Harry up to speed?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Sirius, would you like to explain to Harry what we know about the lengths Lord Voldemort has gone to ensure immortality?" he asked, his hand waving in Sirius' direction.

Sirius leaned back in his chair, his head turning to look at Harry. "There's a lot of Dark magic that goes beyond the Unforgivable Curses. Magic that's banned from books, that common witches and wizards don't even have any idea exists. This old and terrible magic is only passed down through very prominent pureblood families, and even then most of those families are scared to even speak of this magic," he explained, sucking in a breath. "Have you heard of the Sacred Twenty-Eight?"

Harry shook his head in the negative.

"Well, it was a list of pureblood families created by the Nott family," Sirius continued. "Of course, the Blacks are on the list. As well as the Malfoys, Lestranges, Notts, Averys. A lot of Death Eater families. It's not all bad, though, as the Weasleys, the Shacklebolts, and the Longbottoms are also on the list – though I'm sure if it was ever revised, it would probably be the Sacred Ten or even something smaller. The Potters were not extended an invite, mostly because of their very outspoken progressive ideas. The list was created at a time when your great-grandfather became very vocal in the Wizengamot, passing equality laws and condemning the more outlandish pureblood ideologies."

Remus couldn't help but glance over at Dumbledore. The headmaster watched Sirius carefully, as though he were waiting for him to let something sinister slip from his lips.

"As you know, the Black family has always been very connected with Lord Voldemort. I met him several times growing up, having dined with him and had invitations extended to join him. Lord Voldemort became friends with Walburga in school, hence the close connection," Sirius explained. "She was only a year ahead of him. From what I gather, they have always been exceedingly close."

Dumbledore nodded. "I think Walburga and Tom shared a very similar and alarming sense of cruelty between them. They were often together, never seeing one without the other. It is my belief, and I believe Sirius shares this belief, that it was Walburga who first mentioned this very dark and terrible magic to Tom."

Sirius nodded, his face tugging down in disgust. "There's always been a fascination amongst the pureblood families to live forever and reign supreme. My great-grandfather died in his attempts to seek immortality. He tried to make what is known as a Horcrux. It splits a wizard's soul and places it into an object. As long as that piece of soul is encased in that object, a wizard cannot die."

Harry blinked, realization settling deep within him. "So Voldemort made a Horcrux? That's why he didn't die all those years ago when he killed my parents?"

Sirius swallowed, his jaw tightening. Remus looked down at the floor, his eye twitching as he stared at his shoes for a few moments.

"I believe he made more than one Horcrux," Dumbledore added.

"Six Horcruxes," Sirius whispered. "He wanted to split his soul into seven pieces, so he made six Horcruxes."

Dumbledore snapped his attention to Sirius. "How did you come across this information, Sirius?"

Sirius refused to look at the headmaster. "In a memory where he was talking to Walburga. He believes that seven is the most powerful number. So there's no need to try to connect Harry with Slughorn anymore. There's six."

Dumbledore blinked. "I would like to see the memory."

"No," Sirius said in a flat tone, his gaze finally focusing on Dumbledore. "Don't you even dare try to break into my mind."

Remus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, leaning in to speak with him. "Why don't we step outside?"

"No," Sirius said, not bothering to look over at the pair. "Harry knows I don't trust Dumbledore."

Dumbledore shot Sirius a strained smile, his hands folding in front of him on his desk. "I thought we reached an understanding, Sirius."

"Look, I've always known that you didn't trust me during the first war," Sirius started, a sneer on his face. "The only reason I was even in the Order was because of my close connection with James. You knew James wouldn't join if I didn't. I know you believed me to be a traitor long before Halloween. I know you didn't do anything to help me after I was arrested. What I didn't know until very recently was that you and Moody kept a file on me and were slowly building a case against me, just waiting for me to do something."

Dumbledore sighed, his head shaking. "No, Sirius, Alastor and I were never building a case against you. The Ministry had files on everyone who was a member of a family that had Death Eater connections. Even Ted, who is a Muggleborn, had a file because of his marriage to Andromeda."

Sirius sneered. "Did you know they had a file on Fleamont? Fleamont, Dumbledore, for fuck's sake."

Dumbledore sighed, the sparkle all but gone from his eyes. "Fleamont had adopted you in every single way that mattered. The only thing he didn't have was a bit of parchment that made it legal. But you were not the only Black that Fleamont was in close contact with. Fleamont and Alphard became extremely close in the years after you had run away from Grimmauld Place. The Aurors were very interested in why Fleamont and Alphard were often seen together. It did not go unnoticed that they had even done several business deals together over the years."

"Alphard was one of the good ones," Sirius said through clenched teeth. "But just like me, nobody cares about that. He was a Black and therefore an evil little shit."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his hands clasping on his lap. "Alphard was an informant for the Order of the Phoenix. Fleamont acted as his handler. Did you know Alphard was forced to take the Mark?"

The color drained from Sirius' face. "He wasn't a Death Eater."

"He was," Dumbledore whispered. "Alphard had been barred from Grimmauld Place unless he took the Mark. He received the Mark on Christmas Eve of 1975, merely an hour before he helped you escape. Alphard took it in order to save your life. It was only a couple of days later that Alphard revealed this to Fleamont and the two started to work together. When Alphard passed away unexpectantly, it was a very massive loss to the Order of the Phoenix."

Sirius squinted, his face tugging down as he stared at Dumbledore. "You still didn't trust me? Even though you trusted my uncle?"

Dumbledore leaned forward. "It wasn't that I didn't trust you, Sirius. It was the fact that I didn't trust your cousins, your aunt and uncle, your grandparents, nor your parents. I know how they tried to break your mind when you were only sixteen. I had seen the fallout of that when you returned to Hogwarts as a shell of the boy you had once been. I also knew how Lord Voldemort wanted the heir to the Black family to be by his side. I had concerns that your family had succeeded in breaking you or that, perhaps, you had recklessly joined to try to save Regulus and had been manipulated beyond repair. It was never you, Sirius, but merely your family that gave me pause. You saw what Bellatrix did to Marlene, how strong her memory charms are."

Sirius swallowed. "Right, because even though you thought I had been manipulated, you still let me rot in Azkaban."

"It was a grave mistake I made in my grief," Dumbledore replied, his eyebrows tugging down. "Even the best of us can be blinded by our despair. I am sorry, Sirius. Truly. I am."

Remus held his breath, waiting for Sirius to respond. No words escaped his lips but he nodded slowly, the previously palpable tension leaving the room in one fell swoop. With a warm smile, Dumbledore turned his attention to Harry. Talk of Horcruxes, a diary, and the prophecy were laid out in front of them. Sirius answered every single one of Harry's questions in a sad yet earnest tone. Remus felt like his mind would explode with all the information that Dumbledore and Sirius had kept to themselves since the day Harry had been born.

Harry woke up at an unreasonable outrageous hour in the morning with Sirius looming over him and quietly saying his name. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, barely able to function as he forced himself out of bed. It took him all of five minutes to get ready while Sirius shrunk his trunk to take downstairs. Harry lingered for a few moments, running his finger along Hedwig's grumpy cheek.

"Ginny will take good care of you," Harry reasoned but Hedwig just turned away from him. "Sirius said it's better if you stayed behind and are seen around England. You're too recognizable."

Hedwig ruffled her feathers and turned her entire body away from him. Harry felt his heart sink, another reason for not wanting to go to France sprouting in his mind. Not for the first time, nor probably the last time, Harry just wished he was normal. He wanted to enjoy a summer holiday with Sirius and the Weasleys. He didn't want to be hunted or manipulated by Lord Voldemort. He wanted to forgot the word Horcrux even existed. Mostly, he wanted prophecies not to be real. Harry couldn't help but wonder if he would ever be allowed to lead a normal life.

With a sigh, Harry made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Sirius stood by the stove with Mrs Weasley, a large travel mug of coffee in his hands. Ginny and Ron, his head resting on his arms, sat at the table. Ron snored loudly, a line of drool escaping the corner of his mouth. Ginny perked up when she saw Harry enter, an exhausted smile crossing her face.

"Arthur's getting ready, dear," Mrs Weasley said. "He's going to go with you and Sirius to the Ministry. Remus went by Dora's flat to grab her as well."

Harry nodded as he slid into the chair next to Ginny. She leaned into him, a content sigh escaping her lips as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I could fall asleep on you," she murmured into his hoodie. "You're so comfy."

Harry's heart swelled, savoring their last few moments together before he had to leave for the rest of the month. That moment came too soon when a bubbly Tonks and a tired Remus arrived at the Burrow. Mr Weasley yawned as he gathered everyone together to go over the plan. Harry hated that there needed to be a plan.

Ginny kissed Harry goodbye, her hands cupping his face. Ron sat up for a split second to give Harry a quick hug with a thump on the back before he went back to napping at the kitchen table. Mrs Weasley kissed his cheek and held him close to her chest, whispering that she would miss him into his ear. Without another moment to waste, Sirius wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders and the small group made their way out of the Burrow.

The Ministry being so empty was odd, a stark contrast to the last time he had been there when it was bustling with people. Nobody had even seen them in the building except for Hestia Jones who stamped their travel documents before activating the Portkey. It had been done so quickly that Harry didn't even have the opportunity to say goodbye to anyone.

When they landed in the French Ministry of Magic, Harry stood there while Sirius spoke in what sounded like perfect French. The Ministry officials at least had no problems understanding him as Sirius pulled their shrunken luggage from his pocket and expanded it with his brand new wand he had acquired at Diagon Alley a couple days ago.

It took twenty minutes before they were leaving the French Ministry of Magic, and Harry realized that they were in Paris when he saw the Eiffel Tower to the right of him. Sirius didn't let him sightsee and instead steered him away from the main road and out of sight.

"I'll Apparate us to Agde," Sirius explained. "It'll be faster than trying to get another Portkey. Let's see if I remember how to get there, yeah? I'll try not to Splinch us," he added with a wink as they slipped out of sight.

Harry had never been sicker due to Apparition. Vomit spluttered from his lips as Sirius pressed a hand between his shoulder blades.

"Sorry," Sirius commented as Harry rose to his full height. "I had to change last second. I haven't been here since I was, Merlin, probably fourteen?"

Harry only nodded, clamping his lips together to stop from embarrassing himself any more than he already had. He looked around, his nostrils flaring at the salty smell that assaulted his senses. He had never been to a beach before.

"You ready to walk to the house?" Sirius asked, his head cocking down just slightly to catch Harry's gaze.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Harry replied. "Next time, let's just take the Portkey."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh, his hand ruffling Harry's hair as the two of them made their way down a street lined with houses on the sea. Harry caught sight of the sand between the large, gorgeous houses. The excitement that had been absent when he first learned about the trip ramped up exponentially now that they were actually there. They stopped in front of a sandy lot at the end of the road. Harry squinted out at the water as Sirius drew his wand.

"Give me your hand," Sirius said as he sliced his own palm open with his wand.

Harry held it out without a word, wincing as Sirius sliced his palm open. Sirius grasped his hand, their wounds pressing together as Sirius muttered something under his breath that sounded like it was French. Harry was fairly positive he heard the Black family motto of toujours pur escape his lips at one point.

The sand rippled out of the corner of Harry's eye. He snapped his attention to the sandy lot to see a house rising from the sand – a massive house at that. Harry didn't think he had ever seen a house so grand before.

"Can you see it?" Sirius asked, their hands still tightly intertwined.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it's… Merlin, Sirius."

Sirius let go of his hand before he healed Harry's hand but not his own. They made their way up the little path to the front door, smearing blood on the door before it opened all on its own. Harry watched as Sirius did a series of runes on the door for a little bit before he turned around to look at the house. He walked towards a massive picture hanging in the entryway, his eyes lingering on a sulky teenage Sirius standing next to Alphard Black. Harry's eyes stopped on Lucius Malfoy, his hand clamped on the shoulder of an uncomfortable-looking Regulus' shoulder. He couldn't help but notice Andromeda and Ted were absent from the photo.

"That was the last time the family came," Sirius grumbled as he stepped up next to Harry. "The war started to really amp up and I had left the family not long after that. I didn't even want to bloody go that year. I dragged my feet all the way to the Portkey, pleading not to go and complaining as loud as I could. Uncle Alphard went just to keep the peace, I think. I spent the entire holiday holed up in his room ranting and raving about my parents and the lot of them. We left two days early and I was punished when we arrived home. When they all went to bed that night, I snuck out to your dad's because I couldn't stand to stay around any of them for another moment."

"You look pretty miserable," Harry commented. "Then again, everyone kind of does."

Sirius pointed his wand at the picture and yanked his arm back. The picture fell to the ground, smashing. Another flick and it vanished.

"There," Sirius commented, a twisted smirk working its way on his face. "Now we can take a picture of us and put it up there."

Harry smiled at the idea. His happiness was short-lived as the floors creaked. Turning his attention to the left, Harry saw Kreacher creeping around. His face fell when he noticed Sirius.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Sirius seethed.

Kreacher sneered. "Mistress Andromeda," he spat out, his words dripping with contempt, "sent Kreacher to clean the house for Mmm… Mmm… Master Sirius and Master Harry."

"Of course, she did," Sirius muttered, his hand carding through his hair.

"Kreacher cleaned out Master Alphard's old room for Master Sirius," Kreacher choked out. "Kreacher thought Master Sirius would love to stay in the same room as his degenerate uncle."

Sirius growled. Harry gripped Sirius' elbow to stop him from grabbing his wand.

"Kreacher also cleaned out Master Sirius' and Master Regulus' old room for Master Harry," he continued, his yellow teeth baring.

"Oh, so now you're going to be helpful?" Sirius challenged, his jaw tight.

"Thank you, Kreacher!" Harry shouted as Sirius looked at him like he had sprouted two extra heads. "Sirius and I really appreciate you coming all the way to France to clean the house for us."

Kreacher jutted his chin up. "Kreacher lives to serve the ancient and most noble house of Black."

Harry grinned, taking a step forward. "That's great. Could you, err, keep up the good work? It looks really brilliant. I don't even see a speck of dust."

Sirius groaned from behind Harry.

Kreacher narrowed his eyes. "Kreacher does not mind Master Harry, even if he is adopted and not a Black by blood."

Harry shrugged, bending down to Kreacher's level. "Sirius says he's going to make me a Black by blood, so there's that, I suppose."

While Harry didn't know all that entailed of Sirius' little blood ritual, he didn't mind at all. He was becoming used to the use of blood magic that Sirius seemed to perform like it was second nature. There was a little bit of excitement at becoming Sirius' family through blood as well.

Kreacher looked dubiously at Harry. "Kreacher will believe it when he sees it."

"Right," Harry replied. "Uh, could you make us some breakfast, please? I'm starving."

With a snap of his fingers, Kreacher disappeared. Harry rose to his full height and turned around to look at his godfather, who looked oddly at Harry.

"What?" Harry asked.

Sirius swallowed. "Nothing. You just, well, you reminded me of someone."

Harry blinked. "Let me guess, my dad?"

Sirius licked his bottom lip, his eyes squinting. "No, my brother."

Harry's face fell. "Oh…"

"Regulus had a soft spot for all the elves," Sirius explained, his voice sounding distant. "His favorite had always been Kreacher. In fact, I heard Kreacher muttering one day that when Regulus moved out that Kreacher had gone with him. It was only after Regulus died that Kreacher returned to Grimmauld Place."

"I have a house-elf who's a friend," Harry explained. "His name's Dobby. He used to serve the–"

"The Malfoys," Sirius interrupted, his hand rubbing his chin. "Yeah, I've met him before. Odd elf. He was… different than any elf I had ever met in my life."

Harry frowned at the way Sirius described Dobby. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of protectiveness for Dobby. Even though Dobby hadn't always gone about things the right way, his heart had always been in the right place. Harry appreciated that.

"He's free now. Works at Hogwarts," Harry commented in a proud affectionate tone. "He even gets paid."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, definitely odd."

Harry shifted. "Not all house-elves are bad."

Sirius arched an eyebrow. "They're servants, Harry, not people. They are who their owners make them to be. Walburga was spiteful and crude, therefore Kreacher is the same."

"No, that's not… Dobby is kind and the Malfoys were nothing but cruel," Harry retorted, his head shaking. "They're their own people."

"You clearly haven't met enough house-elves then," Sirius replied, his hand waving. "It doesn't matter, all right?"

"No, you're just… you just have a bias," Harry replied, his brows furrowing below his glasses. "Ron is the same way. He can't fathom that a house-elf can think and feel for itself."

"Look, I'm not fighting with you about this, Harry," Sirius said his hands scrubbing his face. "Dobby was clearly an oddball. You've met Kreacher. He's the norm. I hate to break it to you."

Harry didn't say anything, not wanting to fight with Sirius either. Especially not on their first day in France when they would spend the next three and half weeks together in the house. Instead, Harry just nodded and dropped the topic of conversation altogether.

The day was spent exploring the house. Harry watched as Sirius took down each and every single Black family picture that included any family members he hated. There weren't many pictures left. There were only several that survived the purge, pictures that included only Sirius, Regulus, Andromeda, and Alphard. Sirius set fire to the other pictures, which ended in awful wails from Kreacher to the point that Harry had to order him back to Grimmauld Place so he wouldn't have to watch any longer. While Harry appreciated that the house was actually clean unlike Grimmauld, Harry didn't think it was the best idea for Kreacher to be around Sirius.

That night, Harry laid in his bed with his mirror propped up against a pillow as he chatted with Ginny about his first day in France.

"Sirius gave me my wand back," Harry said with a smile as he waved the wand in front of the mirror. "Right after he made Kreacher cry by tossing a picture of Walburga Black across the room and stomping on the frame. He then added it to the burn pile."

Ginny chuckled as she produced her own wand. "I got mine back too. We moved into Uncle Bilius' old house today and Mum wanted us to have them for protection until it's fully warded. Bill and Fleur are going to come by tomorrow and help with the blood wards. Mum's on the mirror downstairs with Sirius talking about them."

If Harry strained his ears, he could hear Sirius' low voice talking indistinctly below him. Harry glanced over at the silver bracelet on his wrist. Sirius still insisted they activate it every night just in case. He had free reign of the upstairs and it would go off if he stepped down even one step.

"So tell me about the house!" Ginny insisted. "Your bedroom looks really nice."

Harry glanced around the room that had once belonged to Sirius and Regulus decked out in deep greens and bright silver. He felt like he was in the Slytherin common room, but oddly he didn't even mind. That could have just been because he had a nice view of the sea from his window. He even had the window open so he could smell the salty fresh air. So, Harry showed her his room and told her about his day. In return, Ginny told him everything about her Uncle Bilius' house and how Ron dragged his feet around since it smelled like mothballs.

The first week in France went by surprisingly quick as Harry built a routine. On their second day in France, Harry found himself lounging by the sea for a large part of the day, his feet sinking into the sand as the waves washed over his ankles. Sirius preferred to lounge in a chair with a pair of sunglasses so that no one would know he was extremely paranoid and watching every single person that so much as walked near them. There was no relaxing on Sirius' part, not until they were inside at night.

They talked at night about things both of them had been putting off talking about for so long. It started innocently enough. Sirius just so casually asking Harry to tell him about his first year at Hogwarts. Harry told him everything and anything he could remember from Norbert to the detention in the Forbidden Forest to finding the Mirror of Erised.

"Do you think I was actually seeing my family?" Harry asked. "Like was it actually Fleamont and Euphemia and whoever else? Do you think you were in the mirror? Or was it just figments of my imagination, what I thought they all looked like?"

Sirius just stared at him, his gray eyes boring into him. "I've never heard of that mirror, so I don't know."

"I wish I had paid more attention," Harry admitted. Though he had spent so much time just staring at all the people in the mirror, he couldn't identify any of them for certain. "Maybe Dumbledore will tell us where it is and we can check."

Sirius shifted. "I'm not sure I want to see my heart's desire, Harry," he replied. "I bet yours has changed since you were eleven."

Harry pondered that for a few. Thinking about what he wanted at sixteen. He realized that Sirius was right. Harry wanted to survive the war, marry Ginny, and become an Auror. If he allowed himself to really daydream, he pictured small children running around the house in a blur of messy black and vibrant orange hair. To have a family of his own, all with the last name of Potter. He couldn't help but think Ginny would be a fantastic mum. Maybe he'd be an all right dad. Sirius would help. Harry was certain of that. And at sixteen, Harry no longer craved his parents because he had Sirius. He had Andromeda and Ted. He had Remus. He had Mr and Mrs Weasley. He had Ron and Ginny.

"So are you going to tell me what Fluffy was guarding or am I going to have to guess?" Sirius pressed, knocking Harry out of his daydream.

He smiled and told him all about the Philosopher's Stone, leaving out no details. In return, Sirius told Harry all about how he had killed Bertram Nott. From the battle that had left James dying on the cobblestone to Sirius showing no mercy when Nott was about to finish off James.

"Sometimes, you have to do what's necessary and not what's right," Sirius whispered. "I hold no regrets for saving James' life. If I hadn't, you wouldn't be here today."

Harry knew he wouldn't hesitate to save Ron's life. There was a small part of Harry that knew that in this war, if he was supposed to defeat Voldemort, he'd have to make necessary choices as well to survive. And Harry's stomach coiled at the very thought of it.

When they parted to go to bed, Harry called Ginny on the mirror and talked to her into the late hours of the night. He told her all about his day and his conversation with Sirius in the evening. Ginny commented he looked a bit pink and needed to apply more Sun Potion the next day. His heart ached for her in a way it had never done so before.

"I miss you," Harry said in a lame tone.

Ginny smiled. "I miss you too, Harry."

In the morning, he called Ron and the two chatted over breakfast together. Mrs Weasley said hello, beaming brightly at them as she told Sirius she had to call him later because she wanted to share with him the latest Order gossip. By the end of the call, Ginny and Ron started arguing about Quidditch. Harry could only smile, like they were all still together having breakfast at the same table.

The next day they spent on the beach again. Sirius helped him build a massive sand castle as he told a story about how the summer after his seventh year, his friendship group and Lily's friendship group went to Holkham Beach in Norfolk where James and Sirius cheated in a Muggle sand castle competition and won. James had kept the trophy since it had been his idea and it was somewhere in the Godric's Hollow house.

That night Harry told him all about his second year, which Sirius already seemed to know a lot about due to his talks with Ginny at Grimmauld Place. But Sirius listened and never interrupted, his head nodding when he recognized a part of the story. In return, Sirius told him all about how he had betrayed Remus' trust and told Snape how to access the Whomping Willow in their fifth year.

"It destroyed our friendship," Sirius admitted. "He never trusted me again after that. We were at each other's throats during the war, each thinking the other one was the spy. I think we caused James a few gray hairs. And the Potters are notorious for graying early too. We didn't help matters."

Harry only wrinkled his nose at that bit of information. Not believing that there was anyway his dad had gray hair at twenty-one when he died.

"Aren't you two fine now?" Harry asked, his brows furrowing.

Sirius shrugged. "Mostly, I suppose. I think there's still some… I don't want to say distrust because I think we learned our lesson the hard way but, perhaps, sore feelings."

That just made Harry sad to hear, because he hadn't seen any of that displayed between them. But, perhaps, Harry didn't know either one of them well enough to pick up the subtle hints in their tone and body language to detect it.

"It's easier to forgive than it is to forget," Ginny had said that night when Harry told her about the conversation. "I'm sure it just creeps up in unexpected ways and not something they dwell on all the time."

By the fourth day, Harry's shoulders were bright red and tender from spending too much time on the beach. While Harry looked like a tomato, Sirius had only tanned and Harry didn't even see him bother to reapply the Sun Potion at all.

"Your mum was a redhead," Sirius said with a shrug. "Should have figured we needed to be a bit more on top of it with you. You have a lot of freckles too."

Harry rubbed the Sunburn Potion on his shoulders, feeling instant relief. "No, I don't."

Sirius gestured with his chin, his sunglasses tangled in his hair on top of his head. "You have a weird cluster of triangle freckles on your arm. You have a rather big one on your neck. A few on your back. And–"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Everyone has that," he replied, leaning back in the chair on the back deck of the house. "Do you want me to point out all your freckles?"

"I don't have any," Sirius replied.

"Yeah, only because you covered your body in tattoos so they all blend in now," Harry retorted, his eyes soaking in all the tattoos that littered Sirius' body and his gaze lingering on his initials and birthdate.

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh, a wide grin spreading across his lips. "All right, smart-arse, do you want to learn to play Conjurer's Relics or not?"

Harry grinned, his head nodding as Sirius shuffled the cards and even bridged them perfectly before dealing them. It was apparently a game Sirius used to play at the Potters all the time, a favorite of Euphemia's. Sirius thought playing cards and chatting on the covered deck would be better for Harry's sunburn. Honestly, Harry was happy for a lazy day filled with snacks and fizzy drinks. Sirius filled the silence with stories from Hogwarts and even stories of Harry when he was a baby and toddler. In turn, Harry told him about his summers with the Weasleys, the time Dudley became stuck behind a glass enclosure at the zoo (though he left out his punishment), and about teaching the D.A.

That night, Sirius chatted about being sorted into Gryffindor and the Howlers he received from every single Black family member imaginable from his parents to grandparents to aunts and uncles to even Bellatrix. They had all exploded at breakfast on the first full day of school and he had been so embarrassed that he skipped the first day of classes altogether.

"I was in this crazy mindset that if I was going to get in trouble for something beyond my control, then I might as well earn my Howlers," Sirius spoke in a soft voice before diving into his crusade to land himself into as many detentions as he possibly could and how James soon started joining him in order to keep him company.

That was how the pranks started. It had been James' idea to have a bit of fun and land detention that way instead of actually doing something they'd regret just to stick it to the Blacks. Apparently, Fleamont enjoyed a good prank as he often pranked James when he was little or Euphemia once in a while. Fleamont gave them a few good-natured ideas, but he was also the first one to chastise them over the mirror if they went too far.

"I don't normally get detention," Harry said, shrugging at not being able to relate to Sirius' and James' plight in school. "Well, I guess except for last year. I received a lot of detentions with Umbridge."

"Well, she's gone now so you don't have to worry about being banned from Quidditch or spending your nights in detention," Sirius explained. "Which, Dumbledore's assured me that your ban has been lifted and he's already put your Firebolt in the dormitory for you."

Harry nodded. "I'm just glad to not spend another moment with Umbridge. Her detentions were brutal," he mumbled in a bitter tone.

"I thought you just had to write lines," Sirius replied, his gaze boring into Harry.

Harry squirmed, realizing his mistake. He did some quick thinking because he had told Sirius that the detentions were just writing lines. But that hadn't been the full truth and he knew Sirius knew that too now.

"Harry, tell me what else happened besides lines," Sirius pushed as he leaned forward at the table. "We don't keep secrets from each other, right?"

Harry swallowed. "Well, I did do lines but with a special quill."

Ripping off the plaster, Harry extended his right hand to Sirius. His gray eyes flickered down, a sharp breath hitching in his throat as he reached out and grabbed Harry by the wrist.

"I must not tell lies," Sirius read, fury clouding his face as he snapped his attention up to Harry. "Why didn't you tell me about this when it was happening? I would have liked to know this when we were still in bloody England so I could have done something!"

Harry wretched his hand away from Sirius' grasp. "That's exactly why I didn't tell you! I didn't want you to do anything!"

"Harry–"

"You have a bit of a temper, Sirius," Harry reasoned. "I was worried you would have done something to wind up back in Azkaban!"

Sirius looked at him with crazed eyes. "She maimed you!" he hissed. "You're damn fucking right I would have done something about it!"

Harry threw up his arms, no doubt in his mind that he had done the right thing by trying to keep it from Sirius.

"Blood quills are illegal," Sirius said in a slow voice, emphasizing each word like Harry was two years old. "You will be scarred for the rest of your life."

"What's one more scar?" Harry challenged with a scowl. "I wasn't about ready to give her the satisfaction that she upset me!"

Sirius' eyes grew wide as saucers. "Are you kidding me right now? You didn't want to give her the satisfaction that you were upset so you let her scar you for life? Do you understand how mental that sounds?"

Harry stilled, his jaw squaring. "Well, when you put it like that, yeah a bit."

Sirius leaned his head against the back of his chair. "I am sending an owl to the Ministry tomorrow with pictures of your hand."

"Sirius, no! Can't we just leave it?" Harry pleaded.

Sirius sucked in a breath and held it for a few moments. "It's either I tell the Ministry all about it or I find out where she lives and force her to carve that she's an abusive cockwomble who deserves to rot in prison into her hand."

Harry huffed, his arms crossing over his chest as he threw himself back in his chair. "Fine. Write your stupid letter to the Ministry."

It wasn't much later that Harry heard Sirius talking to Andromeda on the mirror as he told her about the blood quill. Andromeda seethed as she listed off a few of the best lawyers she knew to take legal action against her. Harry only groaned when Sirius asked for their names, not wanting it to become a huge ordeal. It was over and done with. Why couldn't it just stay that way?

After they parted into their separate bedrooms, Harry lamented on the mirror to Ginny about his slip-up with Sirius and how the last thing he wanted was to get into some huge legal battle. Ginny only shook her head.

"You should have told him when it happened," Ginny reasoned. "Then it would have been between her and Dumbledore. But now Sirius is out for blood."

Harry beat his face into his pillow as he wondered when he had become so loose lipped. Normally, he was good at not slipping up and holding everything in. Now, he seemed to blab more and more about things he'd rather not talk about.

On the fifth day, Harry entered the kitchen to hear Sirius plotting his revenge on Umbridge in even more detail with Andromeda on the mirror. Harry rolled his eyes as he sat down next to his godfather and shot him a pleading look to stop the madness. Although, Harry didn't think Sirius would oblige, especially not with Andromeda egging him on.

"We care about you, Harry," Andromeda addressed him through the mirror. "Let me tell you, Ted is a very mellow man. Nothing really upsets him and I can count on one hand the number of times I've heard him yell. But when I told him last night about you and that blood quill, Ted lost his mind. He fire-called a lawyer friend of his immediately. Nobody should be punished the way you were. There should be consequences."

Harry only frowned. He knew he was losing the battle. Even Ted had sided with Sirius and Andromeda. Harry only brooded over his coffee – something he had acquired a taste for since Sirius seemed to only survive on no less than four cups a day since he refused to sleep more than a handful of hours every night.

"Well, Ted and I will be arriving in Adge early on Saturday morning," Andromeda commented. "Our Portkey leaves at seven, so don't sleep the morning away. I may need your help getting the wards to recognize Ted. You actually seem to know what you're doing with blood wards."

Sirius chuckled. "Only because I watched Orion obsess over it my entire childhood."

Andromeda rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Harry. "Oh, Harry, darling, I heard Hogwarts letters were going out by the end of the week, so be sure to give me your supply list when we get to France. I'll grab all of your supplies for you when we get back to England, so you don't have to worry about owl ordering them."

"You don't have to do that," Harry replied.

"Nonsense! There's no use to you ordering a bunch of supplies and having to take them through the Portkey screening," Andromeda replied with a wave of her hand. "Besides, you two are heading back on the thirty-first. Professor Dumbledore is helping secure our house so you can spend the night here before heading to Hogwarts. I'll help you pack it all. It'll be easier that way."

Harry thanked Andromeda, feeling very grateful that for the first time in his life that he had a caring and kind aunt in his life. He went from having virtually no family for so long to having so many people who cared about him. Harry couldn't help but smile at how wonderful the Black family had been to him.

Sirius shivered, his teeth chattering as he ran down the mountain of Snowdonia. He could see Fidelius in the distance just standing there, eyes shining with fear. All Sirius had to do was reach him, wrap his finger around his arm and Apparate. If he could just save Fidelius, he could protect Harry.

Out of nowhere, Fidelius disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Sirius heard himself screaming, his throat ripping in half at the failure. That's what Sirius was good at: failing the people he loved. Harry would die because Sirius couldn't protect him without hiding him. Sirius just wasn't good enough on his own. Slow and out of practice, too broken to know how to be a proper guardian.

Sirius fell to his knees, his breaths coming out in harsh huffs. He should have been the one to die all those years ago. Harry would have been better off with anybody except for him. Sirius would give his life in order to bring back James or Lily or Fleamont or Euphemia. They would know what to do, how to protect Harry, how to end the war. A body sat down next to him on the cold grass, a hand touching the back of his neck.

"It'll be fine, Pads," a familiar voice echoed in his ears.

Sirius turned his head slowly, his wide eyes staring at James Potter. Blinking, Sirius thought James looked, well, odd. He had spent so much time studying Harry's facial expressions and gauging his reactions that James looked like a virtual stranger now. He looked nothing like Harry, even though just three years ago he would have sworn Harry and James were twins when he first laid eyes on Harry after all those years in Azkaban.

"Am I dead?" Sirius croaked.

James laughed. "Nah, mate."

Panic rose in his chest. "Am I in Azkaban? Have the past few years been a dream?"

James' face fell. "No, Sirius, you're not in Azkaban."

Sirius screwed his eyes shut. "Are you haunting me? Am I not protecting Harry well enough?"

James squeezed the back of Sirius' neck once more. "I don't want to haunt you, Padfoot. I just… wanted to make sure you were all right. I'm worried. We're all worried."

Sirius snapped his eyes open, his gaze catching sight of two new figures walking towards him. Fleamont stood tall and stoic with Uncle Alphard at his side. Beyond them, Sirius caught sight of Lily and Euphemia pressed close together.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked in a hoarse voice.

"You're dreaming," James explained. "And we wanted to talk to you."

Sirius swallowed, watching as Fleamont closed the gap between them. "I've gone mental then. I mean, I was mental before but I've officially lost it."

Fleamont crouched down in front of Sirius. "You're doing well, son. I know it's been a hard and long road to get here, but Harry has never been safer than he is right now. Breathe a bit, yeah?"

Sirius' throat clogged. Tears burned his eyes. He hadn't been called son in a very long time.

"I'm proud of you," Fleamont said in a steady voice, his hands reaching out to cup Sirius' face. "You've been an excellent godfather to Harry."

"I've been shit," Sirius whispered, sniffing. "I left him for twelve years."

James sighed. "I don't blame you for that, Pads. You were grieving and Peter… I only blame Peter."

"I went after him. I left Harry," Sirius insisted, unable to look at James or Fleamont.

"You're here now," James pressed. "Harry is happy. He loves you more than anyone else in this entire world. He's stopped seeing you as his godfather and has started to see you as his father."

Sirius' stomach clenched at the words, his eyes staring at his hands in his lap. "I'm not trying to replace you."

James chuckled. "I bloody well want you to! Harry deserves to have a father. I can't be that for him, but you can. He wants you to be."

"What lies ahead is dangerous, Sirius," Fleamont said in a soft voice, causing Sirius to finally look up. "It will not be easy. Harry needs you to be strong and he needs you by his side. You know what is being asked of him, what we all feared since we heard that prophecy."

"It's true then?" Sirius asked, his heart threatening to burst from his chest. "The prophecy is true?"

"I think you've known for a while now that it is," Fleamont responded, a frown etched deep on his face. "I know you tried to deny it for so long, screaming at anyone who would listen that Divination isn't real and prophecies are only what people make of them. But you've seen with your own eyes the connection, you've seen the damage that has already been done. You know, deep down, only Harry can end this."

"He's just sixteen," Sirius said in a desperate tone.

"Seven is a very powerful number, Sirius," Alphard said, suddenly looming over them. "That number is everywhere around Harry. You'll notice that too if you took the time to look."

Sirius shook his head. "Uncle Alphard… I don't understand."

Alphard crouched down next to Fleamont. "There's not six, Sirius. There's seven."

Sirius couldn't breathe, his body freezing in fear. "There's seven Horcruxes? He split his soul in eight? Not seven?"

"Sirius," a voice called, far away.

Sirius turned around, his eyes darting to see who else had come but he saw no one. Whipping back to his family, they were gone. He wasn't in Snowdonia anymore either. He was in a pit of darkness.

"Sirius," the voice called louder, on edge and scared.

It sounded like James towards the end of his life, with a kind of desperation etched in every syllable that haunted Sirius over a decade later. The silent plea in his tone as he slowly withered away right in front of him.

Eyes fluttering open, Sirius soaked in the dark room. It took him a few seconds to figure out where he was. France. In the Black Villa. Though Sirius felt like he didn't know when he was, considering he had just had a conversation with dead people.

"Sirius," the voice said a bit louder but still on edge.

Sirius turned to the door to see a tall figure standing in the frame. Wild hair stuck up in every direction possible. The outline of glasses sat perched on the person's nose. Sirius' heart beat harsh in his chest as he fought the fog of sleep.

"James?" he said before he could stop himself.

The figure shifted. Sirius struggled to sit up, his head shaking the cobwebs of his dream from his mind. No, James was dead. It was a dream he has just had. It hadn't been reality.

Dead.

James was dead.

Deader than dead.

Sirius swallowed. Even all these years later, Sirius still found himself searching for James despite knowing he'd never be there again.

"It's Harry," the voice said, a slight disappointment etched in his words.

"Right, sorry," Sirius amended as sat up in bed, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and scrubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I was… half-asleep and James was in my dream and…" he cleared his throat. "Are you all right?"

"I had a dream," Harry whispered, his face pulling.

A bucket of ice water trickled down Sirius' body as he pushed himself off the bed. Suddenly, he was more alert than ever at the drop of four simple words. Sirius found himself in front of his godson, his hands gripping his shoulders. Harry's t-shirt was drenched in sweat. His cheeks flushed and some of his wild hair was limp.

"What happened?" Sirius croaked.

Harry trembled underneath his touch. "I think I saw Fidelius," he said in a hoarse voice. "Voldemort was torturing him and demanding answers. The man kept saying he didn't know how to do it. Then…" he trailed off, a giant shudder running down his body. "He knew I was there. And he tried to force himself into my mind to find out where we are and said he knew we changed locations. I think I got him out."

Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulder, forcing the most reassuring smile he could muster on his face. "You did good, son."

Harry's eyes brightened a bit. Sirius could remember the shockwaves that had always traveled through his nerve endings whenever Fleamont had called him son. Still did even in his dreams. It had been the first time in his life he had felt wanted and loved, like he was actually a part of a family. Sirius wanted Harry to have that same damn feeling. Honestly, Sirius was the only one left to call him that since Fleamont and James were both gone.

Harry's hitched a breath. "You don't think he saw, do you?"

"Even if he did, he doesn't know where this place is," Sirius explained. "Nor would he even know how to get here. If he tried to get a Portkey from a tout, Dumbledore has enough connections to hear about it."

Harry let out a long breath, his shoulder sagging. "Right. Yeah. I… uh, I'm sorry for waking you."

Sirius smiled tightly. "You're fine. Why don't you stay here for the rest of the night?"

Harry rolled his eyes, looking a bit more like himself. "I'm not five, Sirius."

"Who said it's for you?" Sirius challenged, a soft smile gracing his features. "Maybe I want some reassurance after the dream I had."

Harry swallowed. "About my dad?"

Sirius frowned, his hands rubbing down Harry's arms. "I miss your dad, Harry, more than I could say. But when he crops up in my dreams I just… I don't know. It's not exactly pleasant."

Harry nodded. "I used to have these faceless dreams about them when I was younger because I didn't know what they looked like. I would wake up disappointed."

Sirius nodded, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders and steering him towards the bed. "Yeah, it's been a while since I've had a James dream. Probably not since Azkaban and he was a lot crueler in those ones."

They sat down on the bed, side by side, their bodies pressed together. Harry rested his head on Sirius' shoulder with ease, like it had become second nature to each other to seek out one another's comfort. It certainly hadn't been like that a year ago. But Sirius was happy that they had progressed to the point they were at.

"I have to admit," Sirius said in a thick voice, his cheek resting against Harry's sweaty mess of hair. "I couldn't help but notice he looked different. I think I'm so used to looking at you all day long that I forgot what he looked like."

"He doesn't look like me?" Harry asked, shifting against him to get closer.

"Hmm, a bit, I suppose," Sirius commented. "I think I told you before that it's easier to see the differences between you two now where I couldn't before, not right after Azkaban. Everything was so muddled in my mind. A lot of good memories were just gone. That first year, I had trouble distinguishing reality and the darkness that the Dementors had left behind."

That first year, Sirius wandered around half-starved with a dark stain clouding his memories. The more he saw Harry, the more he interacted with the world around him, the brighter everything seemed to become. Things he had long forgotten were now clearer. He liked to think he regained all his happy memories with Harry but he knew that wasn't true. There were probably still a lot of happy memories that were unreachable.

"Is that you and your Uncle Alphard in that picture?" Harry asked, sitting up and pointing to the picture on Sirius' bedside table.

It was him at nine, a wide grin on his tan face at some summer music festival Alphard had taken him to. Nobody else had wanted to go, turning their nose up at it being a Muggle event. But Sirius had been happy to go, despite Walburga's tirade about how inappropriate it was.

"Yeah, it is," Sirius confirmed.

"He looks like you," Harry mused. "With the beard and the hair."

Sirius saw a lot of himself in Alphard. They had always looked like they could have been father and son. People had commented on it in the past, and Alphard had always smiled and never corrected them.

"Yeah, but then again, all Blacks look alike," Sirius commented. "Even Draco Malfoy looks like a Black."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "You look more like Alphard than Orion."

Sirius shrugged. "Maybe. He was my mum's brother," he explained, turning his attention to Harry. "You would have liked Uncle Alphard. He would have loved you."

Except Harry wasn't looking back at him. His gaze was still focused on the bedside table.

"Why do you have a cup with a plastic carrot?" Harry asked.

Sirius turned to the bedside table, the little plastic cup and carrot sitting right next to the picture of him and Alphard.

"I took it from the Hollow when I was over there grabbing your baby book," Sirius explained, turning his attention back to his godson. "You always made me carrot tea when we played in your kitchen. I have no idea why, but I always got the carrot. I saw it sitting there and I wanted it. You can have it back if you want."

Harry shook his head. "Nah, you can keep it," he agreed, his gaze meeting Sirius'. "That was in that memory I saw, right? It was carrot tea? I remember us playing by the kitchen set."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"I wish I had memories of my own from that time," Harry said with a frown. "You have a bunch of memories and I don't have any."

An odd twisting occurred deep within Sirius' chest. "Nobody has memories from that age, Harry. It's not just you."

Harry shrugged, his eyes casting down to look at his lap. Sirius reached out, brushing the kid's hair back. The lightning bolt scar looked red and angry, as though the dream of Voldemort had activated it or something. Sirius traced his thumb along the scar, the skin hot against the pad of his finger.

"I can show you more memories from that time," Sirius offered, even though they were hard to watch, his thumb running through the line of missing hair in Harry's eyebrow before dropping to his lap. "We were close back then too so I have a ton of them."

Harry brightened at the idea, the corners of his lips twitching. "I'd like that."

"Most of them are just us playing together," Sirius added, remembering the little boy who had laughed like a hyena and smiled so bright that he could rival the sun. "Or feeding you. Or building towers out of blocks for you to knock down."

"Sounds so normal," Harry commented.

"For the most part, yeah," Sirius replied. "I mean, most toddlers got to go to the park or the store. You barely were even allowed visitors. I'm going to be honest, Harry. If you think you're going to see memories of you interacting with anyone except for me, you are going to be disappointed. I refused to let anyone hold you or play with you when I was over. I wanted to be your favorite and I think I succeeded because as soon as you learned to walk you would come running towards me whenever I stopped by to visit."

Harry grinned. "Lucky for you, you're still my favorite."

Sirius laughed, his hand ruffling Harry's hair. "I better be! I took you to bloody France!"

Harry ducked his head away, the smile still spread across his lips. "Do you want to go downstairs? If we don't go back to bed, you may be able to sneak in an extra cup of coffee this morning."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh as he reached over for his wand on his bedside table and pressed the tip to Harry's bracelet. "Look, I don't smoke anymore and I haven't had any alcohol all summer. Caffeine is my only vice and it's a damn good one."

They made their way down to the kitchen and Sirius started the coffee. Harry grabbed the tin of biscuits that Andromeda had sent with Kreacher a couple days ago. Despite it being only three in the morning, Sirius couldn't help but appreciate how normal the two of them were living together. Maybe his subconscious had been right in his dream. Harry was safer than he had been all summer. Voldemort couldn't touch him in France without them knowing ahead of time. He just had to breathe a bit because nothing would be easy once Harry was back at Hogwarts.

I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Don't forget to drop a review! I could really use the motivation right now, since I keep slacking on actually getting ahead in my writing. It only takes an extra minute, so please show some love and appreciation!

Special thanks to Bell for editing. Oh, I totally forgot last chapter to thank funbunnypotter for helping me with the Sirius visiting Godric's Hollow scene. She's amazing as well!