"Brumous"

"Chapter Twenty-Four: Back to Hogwarts"

Remus groaned, his muscles sore and twitching. Forcing his eyes open, he soaked in the unfamiliar room. The previous night washed over him. Somehow, Sirius had convinced him to stay at the Black Villa and they boarded up the wine cellar. Sirius, Nymphadora, and Harry stood in the corner of the cellar chatting in a little triangle. Fucking great. Remus sat up, searching around for his clothes because he was starkers after transforming.

"Ah, you're up," Sirius greeted, sipping on his cup of coffee, sounding far more cheerful than Remus appreciated.

"Yeah, thanks for bringing everyone down here," Remus grumbled, shifting to hide himself. "Really great way to wake up."

"They were concerned," Sirius replied with a shrug, like it was no big deal and they were back at Hogwarts.

Nymphadora rushed forward, grabbing a blanket off a table and draping it across his shoulders. He closed it around him, his eyes screwing shut. He just wanted his muscles to stop fucking spasming. Nymphadora's fingers tangled in his hair, which seemed to abate his original anger.

"Nothing happened last night," Nymphadora confirmed the unasked question. "Harry and I had a lovely time stuffing our faces with sweets and talking about what it's like to be an Auror. We even had a friendly duel, but don't mention that in front of anyone. I'm supposed to be enforcing the law and not breaking it."

Remus opened his eyes, his head turning to glance over at Nymphadora. "You're a terrible influence."

Nymphadora beamed. "You're right, the kid is dead powerful and quick too."

Remus' eyes flickered over to where Harry stood next to Sirius. The kid looked rather chuffed by the statement and Sirius practically glowed with pride. Sirius ruffled Harry's hair before pulling him into a loose side hug.

"Well, anyone who could produce a Patronus at thirteen is powerful," Remus replied, offering Harry a smile.

"Oh, he showed me!" Nymphadora added. "It was bright too. I didn't expect it to be so bright."

Sirius cleared his throat. "Are you up for breakfast or do you want me to help you to bed? Dora and Harry made breakfast. Or, from what I gather, Harry made breakfast and Dora tried not to make a mess."

Nymphadora shot Sirius a rude gesture. "At least I know not to put out a grease fire with water!"

"We had house-elves!" Sirius shouted, stressing each word. "I never cooked before!"

Remus shook his head, his eyes darting around the room for his clothes. "I don't know how you and James survived living a year on your own."

Sirius snorted. "We would have had takeaway every single night if it wasn't for Euphemia, Lily, and Marlene."

Remus let out a chuckle, stopping quickly when his ribs started to hurt. Sirius picked up a pile of clothes and tossed them at Remus. Harry seemed to be the only considerate one since he turned around to offer Remus some privacy as he got dressed. Sirius meddled, offering him an arm to keep him steady as he pulled his trousers up.

"I told you everything would be fine," Sirius emphasized, a shit-eating grin crossing his face. "The Wolfsbane was perfect and you were a cute little wolf the entire night."

Remus scowled. "I remember."

Once fully dressed, Sirius wrapped an arm around Remus to help him up the stairs. Harry rushed over to Remus' other side to help him as well. Remus felt like he was just a kid again, Sirius and James helping him down the long tunnel of the Whomping Willow as they cracked jokes and told him about their adventures of the night previous that he couldn't remember.

Remus sat down at the kitchen table, slumping in the chair as Nymphadora hummed while she brought a plate of food over to him. He never felt like eating much after the full moon, his stomach rolling with nausea. Sirius knew that, opting to sit a goblet silently in front of him before taking a seat next to him. Remus downed it in three gulps.

"We should talk about how Saturday is going to go," Sirius said, his face hardening. "We need to be at the Ministry by six to catch the Portkey. It's supposed to leave by seven thirty, but who knows if it will go off on time. I asked if anyone else was traveling with us, but they wouldn't disclose that information."

Nymphadora slid next to Sirius at the table. "Well, we'll just surround Harry. There's three of us. We'll have our wands accessible if things go to shit once the Portkey takes off. I'm sure if there's others arriving on our Portkey, Hestia will let us know somehow."

Sirius scratched the underside of his chin with his fingers. "I'll ask Tegan to look into it."

Remus shot Sirius a look at the mention of Tegan. Ah, so maybe Sirius actually took his advice. He wondered if Sirius had given her a mirror before he left England. Sirius had passed them out like sweets after all, giving a mirror to everyone and anyone he could even think of. It made sense he would give Tegan one as well given how casually he mentioned her name and talking with her.

Nymphadora picked up on it as well, her brow furrowing. "Since when do you talk to Tegan?"

"Since we were stuck in a cave together," Sirius replied in a dry tone.

Harry didn't seem phased by the conversation as he dug into his breakfast. Remus picked up his fork, feeling less nauseous around the food since the potion started to work its magic.

"Did something happen in the cave?" Nymphadora asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

This caught Harry's attention, his eyes watching Sirius carefully.

Sirius snorted. "No. We made a good team and she's helping me find someone to tutor Harry in dueling."

Luckily, Sirius' tone must have made it clear that the conversation was over with and he wasn't going to engage Nymphadora any longer. She dropped it in favor of going into great detail of her dueling session with Harry the night before. Harry's face lit up as the two explained the duel and how Harry had successfully Disarmed her once.

"What does that say about the Auror Department if a sixteen-year-old can Disarm one of their finest?" Sirius asked with a grin twitching on his face.

Nymphadora shrugged. "I think the Auror Department will be lucky to have him in a couple of years. He's already powerful and he's quick."

Harry only grinned into his breakfast, his hair falling down to obscure his features. Remus couldn't help but smile, knowing that despite being embarrassed by the praise he secretly enjoyed it as well.

"I think you should get Gawain to train him," Nymphadora said. "He's by far the best duelist in the department. Harry could learn a lot from him."

Sirius nodded. "That's what Dumbledore said but he also said he's busy and may not have time."

Nymphadora bobbed her head from side to side. "True, but he'd make time for Harry. Maybe not for you, but for Harry he would. Kingsley's a great duelist as well, as is Tegan and Sutton. It's not entirely a bad thing to switch it up a bit. Get him used to different dueling styles."

"I'll pay Gawain to have the best of the best," Sirius reasoned.

Remus snorted. "Of course, you would."

Nymphadora laughed. "Yeah, I don't think Gawain would take your money knowing he's training the Chosen One."

Harry squirmed in his seat, his eyes flickering up to look at Sirius. The titles and the pressure were an unbearable weight to carry. Remus couldn't even imagine what was going on in Harry's head. Luckily for Harry, Remus knew that Sirius would do everything in his power to prepare Harry for the final battle. Sirius would, no doubt, be standing by his side the entire time. Remus also knew that he'd do whatever he could to help Harry win.

"Maybe you two can duel again so I can watch," Sirius said, changing the subject. "Maybe you could teach me a thing or two as well."

"You're on!" Nymphadora exclaimed, a bright smile gracing her features.

Remus hoped he'd be awake enough to watch the duel without falling asleep. He had no doubt that a friendly duel between them all would be entertaining. He'd like to see how much Harry had progressed since he taught him, even though they really shouldn't be encouraging him to do underage magic outside of school. But Remus knew Sirius didn't care. Fleamont had allowed James and Sirius to break the rules repeatedly when they were younger.

Sirius let out a long breath, his head rolling to rest on the back of his chair. Harry sat next to him in the French Ministry of Magic Portkey Department, flipping through some Quidditch magazine that Sirius had bought him at the little stand in the lobby. That had been over an hour ago. Sirius' eyes flicked up to look at the little board, seeing that Paris to London was behind schedule… as were all the bloody fucking Portkeys. Sirius sneered at the board, remembering just how much he hated international travel when they weren't afforded special privileges.

"We have snacks!" Dora greeted them with an armful of snacks that nobody asked for as she took a seat next to Harry. "But the Vending Fairy didn't like how we didn't speak French so I'm not sure she gave us anything that we actually asked for."

"You're the only one who can speak French, Sirius, you should have gone," Remus grumbled as he took a seat next to Dora and turned his nose up at the snacks.

"I don't do Vending Fairies," Sirius replied, eyeing the options.

Harry did the same, peering in Dora's lap and choosing a bag of crisps. He thanked her before opening it, popping one in his mouth.

"This is torture," Remus mumbled, slouching in his chair. "I feel like I'm in Binns' class again, bored out of my bloody mind."

Dora handed him a bar of chocolate with a grin. "Can't know someone in the Portkey Department in every country! Cheer up! We're going home where Vending Fairies will understand you."

"This has nuts," Remus said as he accepted the bar of chocolate and made a face.

Dora made a small O-shape with her mouth, her eyebrows raising. "I forgot. Only one of us likes nuts in our mouths in this relationship."

Harry screwed his eyes shut, holding his breath for a few moments. Sirius let out a small chuckle.

"Not in front of Harry," Remus chastised as he opened up the bar of chocolate.

"He's sixteen," Dora replied. "If you don't think he's thinking about sex all the time, then you're sorely mistaken."

"I need to use the loo," Harry announced, standing up.

"Sit down," Sirius instructed. "You're not going off on your own. Dora, stop it."

Harry huffed, sitting back down in his chair. He no longer picked at his crisps as he slammed his head against the back of his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

"Merlin, you're all acting like a bunch of children and only one of you is actually a child," Sirius snapped, rubbing the back of his neck.

Dora popped a sweet in her mouth. "Someone is rather snappish today."

"How can you be so bloody cheerful all the damn time?" Sirius asked, leaning over Harry to snag a bag of crisps off her lap. "I swear to fucking Merlin that you put yourself under a Cheering Charm as soon as you wake up in the morning."

"I swear you're grumpier than a bloody Hippogriff half the time but nobody accuses you of casting a Grumpy Charm every morning," Dora shot back, riffling through her bag of sweets.

"Nobody is that happy all the time," Sirius argued, opening his crisps. "Life sucks. The world is shitty. What's there to be happy about all the damn time?"

Dora's eyes widened. "Have you ever seen someone for your depression? Merlin fuck, Sirius!"

Sirius rolled his eyes, settling back in his chair and staring at the damn board that hadn't changed since the last time he looked at it.

"They make potions for that, you know," Dora added.

"Fuck off, Dora," Sirius mumbled, his hand running down his face.

"Don't waste your breath, Dora," Remus said, breaking off a large piece of chocolate. "Sirius is the most stubborn person I have ever met in my life."

Sirius rolled his head to the side, looking past Harry and Dora to his friend. "If that's not the pot calling the kettle fucking black, then I don't know what is."

Harry let out a long sigh.

Sirius gestured towards Harry. "You two are upsetting my godson."

Harry grimaced. "No, I just want to go home. I'm tired of sitting in this room."

"Aww, Harry, I hate to break it to you, but you and Sirius don't have a home," Dora said in a too-cheerful tone. "You two are like little nomads that jump from house to house even though Sirius owns about fifteen million homes across the world."

Sirius shot Dora a look. "Try like a dozen."

Dora's eyes bugged out. "Is it really that bloody many? Why the fuck are you having Remus go bloody house hunting for you then if you own that many?"

"I have blood money I need to burn," Sirius replied with a long sigh.

"Well, I'm not ashamed to have some blood money if you want to share with your favorite cousin," Dora said with a grin. "Or, if Mum is your favorite cousin, then consider me your favorite niece. Make me whatever relative you need to in order for me to be the favorite."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. He'd have to give her a nice gift for Christmas, maybe make her a bouquet out of Galleons or something creative that would make her laugh. Andromeda would frown upon it, but he honestly didn't care.

Their Portkey was called forty-five minutes after their arranged time. Luckily, they were the only ones taking the Portkey back to England. Sirius reached into his pocket to pull out his and Harry's travel documents before enlarging their luggage for the Portkey officials. Sirius draped an arm around Harry's shoulders, pulling him close to his side. Harry leaned into him.

Their relationship had only grown stronger over the summer, and the time spent in France had helped solidify it. Harry no longer seemed uncomfortable with affection and even initiated it on several occasions. Things between them seemed, well, easy. It was almost as though Sirius didn't spend twelve years in Azkaban separated from him. Being a father figure to Harry seemed natural, like he had always been in that role for as long as he could remember.

Sometimes, sometimes, despite how much Sirius hated it, it was hard to remember James being around and even harder to picture Harry as a small toddler. Harry as a teenager just seemed right. Being able to talk to him, to laugh with him, to have meaningful conversations with him seemed to dominate his mind more and more. When he looked at the carrot tea on his bedside table, Harry as a toddler seemed to have happened in another life.

"I ended up liking France more than I thought I would," Harry commented.

Sirius rubbed his arm, a smile tugging on his lips. "Me too, kid. Me too."

"I wouldn't mind coming back," Harry added, pulling away from Sirius' side in order to look at him. "Maybe the Weasleys could come next time too."

Sirius nodded, enjoying the thought of laughter and love filling the otherwise dark house. "There's certainly enough room for everyone. Maybe we should get it redecorated though to fit our taste."

Harry smiled. "You mean you don't like all the green and silver and snake touches? I mean, my personal favorite was the fancy silver snake mirrors in the upstairs bathroom."

Sirius chuckled. "Did you notice the matching handles on the vanity?"

Harry laughed, his head rolling back. "I don't quite think lions would be as classy as the snakes. The shape might be odd for a handle."

Sirius shrugged. "We can have plain handles, you know."

Harry shook his head, his green eyes sparkling behind his glasses. "Not the same. I've become accustomed to a certain level of handle this past month. Although, I do appreciate how the France house was brighter than Grimmauld Place. I felt like I was living in a dungeon at Grimmauld."

Sirius had to admit, it was easier living in the Black Villa than Grimmauld Place for the brightness factor alone, coupled with actually having a few good memories in France. Sirius was able to escape with his uncle more in Agde than he ever was able to in Islington.

"I don't know, Harry, I kind of missed the decapitated house-elf heads," Sirius said in a casual tone.

Harry's face scrunched up. "Please, don't do that to Kreacher. I know you hate him, but that's just… it's morbid. Not to mention, awful."

"You think you're being nice to Kreacher by saying that, but that would only devastate him to know he doesn't have the honor of having his stuffed head on the wall," Sirius replied. "But, you know, he likes you better so he can be your elf and you can do as you see fit with him. I'm perfectly happy having no servants."

Harry chewed on his bottom lip for a few, his gaze locking with Sirius. "Did my grandparents or parents own house-elves?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nah, they didn't. Fleamont had a company he hired that would rent out house-elves to clean the potions' factory. I think I told you when your grandparents died, James hired the same company to keep up with the manor until he felt comfortable enough to go through everything. So they used them but they never owned one."

The Portkey officials shrank the trunks and handed back their travel documents, telling them their Portkey was ready to depart. Sirius translated for the group, gesturing them all to huddle around the tarnished oversized goblet. It was awkward to get everyone touching the Portkey, but they managed. The familiar tug at the navel occurred and colors swirled around them.

Harry followed Sirius into the Tonks' cottage, his eyes wandering around the house. The cottage reminded him more of the Dursleys' home than the Burrow. Everything seemed to have a place with not even a speck of dust. No picture was crooked nor were there any throw pillows or blankets not color coordinated perfectly. There was one thing in the house that Privet Drive would never have. A picture of him.

Harry swallowed as he stared at the picture of him and Sirius, both grinning widely. They were in their swim trunks on the beach, their hair windswept. Sirius had his sunglasses situated on the top of his head, an arm slung around Harry's shoulder. They looked like father and son on a carefree holiday.

But one detail struck Harry. While both were tan in the picture, Harry couldn't help but notice the thin pale scar along his neck which seemed to stand out more than ever. He swallowed, unable to help his fingers trailing along his neck where he knew the scar was even if he couldn't feel it. With school starting back up, he didn't want anyone to actually notice the scar and ask him what happened. He couldn't very well tell people he had been possessed and forced to slit his own throat.

"Harry, you'll be in Nymphadora's old room," Andromeda explained, drawing his attention away from the picture. "Sirius, you're in the guest room."

Harry's eyes trailed around the room once more, stopping on another picture of Sirius looking young with his clean-shaven face. On his back was a very small pink-haired toddler. They both laughed as he carried her around, her chin resting on top of his head.

It was always jolting for Harry to see pictures of his godfather looking so young and carefree. He smiled a lot easier and seemed a lot happier. Harry couldn't help but wonder what his life would have been like if Sirius had never gone to Azkaban. Would he have grown up knowing Tonks as a cousin? Would he have called Andromeda and Ted Aunt Andy and Uncle Ted? Would he have called Sirius Dad?

"The clinic closes at five today," Ted said to Sirius. "My friend is meeting us at five ten to give Harry an eye exam and then I'll see him afterward. That way, he's all situated before he goes back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"You're amazing, Ted," Sirius said in a sincere voice. "I can't thank you enough."

Ted waved him off. "What's family for if not to bend the rules a bit for them? I have to make sure my nephew gets the best care St. Mungo's has to offer after hours."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh, a soft smile crossing his features. "You won't get in trouble, will you?"

"Nah, we've done this before for other high-profile patients," Ted explained. "We once had to accommodate Stubby Boardman at half past midnight after one of his shows. That was a bit excessive. Besides, we have walk-in hours in the clinic down the hall. So technically we're allowed to see patients, but we're just going to go into the normal day office and not the walk-in clinic."

Harry's day was very, well, normal. Andromeda showed him all of his new school supplies, robes, and even just some new clothes in general. She had even bought him a new trunk, claiming his old was too beat up to continue using. Harry run his fingers along the scarlet red trunk with gold accents. His name Harry J. Potter etched in gold was a nice touch. As though acting like Harry had never actually packed a trunk before, Andromeda showed him all of the new compartments and taught him how to properly fold his clothes to make room for everything. Harry didn't even mind because it was nice to have someone take time out of their day to show him how to do mundane little things.

As Andromeda and Harry made lunch together, Sirius sat at the breakfast bar to chat with them. Andromeda was nothing like his Aunt Petunia in the kitchen. Cooking with Andromeda involved a lot of laughter and she was patient as she taught him something he didn't know. She gave an endless stream of praise and cracked a joke when he messed up instead of screaming at him.

"Oi, I was looking into that blood ritual to make Harry a Black," Sirius said in a casual tone, leaning back in his chair. "Will you help me with that?"

Andromeda looked back at Sirius, her brow furrowing. Harry hadn't thought much about it, since it hadn't been brought up again in France. Andromeda wiped her hands on a tea towel, turning her full attention to Sirius.

"While I would love to have Harry as a full-blooded nephew, I don't think you should do the ritual," Andromeda spoke in a soft voice.

Harry froze, his gaze locking on Andromeda.

"Why?" Sirius questioned.

Andromeda licked her bottom lip. "Because of Bellatrix. She's a Black. While you think it may help strengthen the wards against Lord Voldemort, it will weaken them when it comes to Bellatrix."

Harry relaxed, his gaze turning to look at Sirius. Comprehension dawned on his face, his head nodding.

"No, that makes sense," Sirius said slowly. "Bellatrix has that sick obsession with me. She's so far up Voldemort's arse that she would do just about anything to be able to be the one to deliver Harry to him."

"There has to be something other than ancient blood magic that could help with the wards around the Hogsmeade house," Andromeda continued. "I may have asked Bill and Fleur to look into it for you at the last Order meeting. They're pulling up the Hogsmeade ordinances and seeing what they can get away with."

"Bill and Fleur already put wards up around the house," Sirius explained.

"I know, but they also built those wards around your blood wards," Andromeda replied. "They're going to just research to see if there's anything better or equivalent."

Sirius swallowed. "I hate our family."

Andromeda smiled softly, her arm wrapping around Harry. "But we made a pretty great makeshift one. I just wish Uncle Alphard was here to see us now. He tried so hard to separate us all from the Black family madness. Only two out of five of us got out."

"Reggie could have gotten out if he wasn't such a bloody fucking fool," Sirius grumbled, his face pulling.

"I do wonder sometimes what happened to him," Andromeda said with a sad sigh, turning back to the stove. "And to Charlotte. I don't think the Macnairs ever declared her as dead."

Sirius frowned. "Well, from what I can gather, she never took the Mark so they couldn't summon her like they could Regulus."

Andromeda didn't say anything. Harry turned back to the vegetables he had been chopping, picking up the knife.

"I miss him," Andromeda announced. "I think something just snapped in him. The pressure of the family growing too much for him. He was always a people pleaser, wanting to make Walburga and Orion happy."

"I thought I saw him," Sirius whispered, clearing his throat. "Not him him but him as a teenager one day in France. Now I'm hallucinating, which is bloody wonderful."

Andromeda sucked in a breath. "You don't think he had a kid, do you?"

Sirius blinked, his frown deepening on his face. "Wouldn't we have bloody well known about it? An heir to the Black family? A son no less. Walburga would have announced it the moment they found out."

"Unless they never told Walburga," Andromeda reasoned. "Unless Reggie died before the baby was born and Charlotte fled. Are there any other Black properties in Agde?"

Sirius looked thoughtful for a few moments. "If there is, it would have belonged to Uncle Alphard. He handled all the real estate of the family. But I didn't inherit anything except for the cottage from him property wise. I didn't think Regulus was in the will."

"Maybe you should try to contact the lawyer who handled his estate," Andromeda suggested. "Oh, speaking of lawyers, before I forget, Ted made us an appointment for Tuesday with a mate of his about Umbridge."

"I was going to ask you when the meeting was," Sirius replied.

Harry winced at the change of subject, wishing they could discuss it all when he wasn't around. They didn't linger on the topic long, luckily, as they finished up lunch and sat down together at the small kitchen table to eat.

After lunch, he sat out on the back deck and called Ginny and Ron on the mirror. Sirius worked on a crossword while Andromeda swept the floor and cleaned off the table. Apparently, Remus and Tonks were coming over for dinner and Andromeda thought it'd be nice to eat outside.

"I'm so excited to see you tomorrow," Ginny commented. "What time are you getting to the station?"

Harry looked up at Sirius. "Uh, I don't know. Sirius, what time are we going to the station tomorrow?"

Sirius grunted. "The last fucking second."

Harry frowned before turning back to the mirror. "Not until it's about to leave."

"It's for security purposes. We don't need to be hanging around the platform for too long," Sirius replied, not bothering to look up from his puzzle.

Ginny waved her hand. "Doesn't matter. We can sit together on the train."

"It does bloody matter!" Ron protested, shoving Ginny a bit in the mirror. "Tell Sirius I'm a prefect! I won't see you for half the bloody train ride!"

Sirius chuckled. "Good thing you share a dorm room! You can get your Harry time then."

Ron scowled while Ginny's lips twitched. Harry couldn't help but laugh as he figured out how many more hours it would be until he saw them again. The excitement expanded and grew in his chest. While he'd miss spending his days with Sirius, it wasn't like they wouldn't see each other nearly every single weekend between the private dueling lessons Sirius was setting up, Dumbledore's private lessons, and Hogsmeade trips. Harry had no doubt that Sirius would most likely sign him out of Hogwarts more often than not on the weekends for a random lunch or something as well. Sirius had already alluded to that anyway. Harry didn't even mind it one bit. It was nice to have family that actually wanted to see him.

By the end of the day, Harry and Sirius went through the Floo Network together and toppled out into St. Mungo's. Sirius kept a tight grip on his arm as they marched through the hospital, ignoring all the stares and whispers in their direction. They made their way to the second floor, finding a little office tucked away at the end of the hall.

A little old witch sat behind the desk, glasses with a beaded chain hanging around her neck. She smiled at them as they entered, not flinching at Sirius nor making a comment about Harry.

"Hi, appointment for Harry Potter," Sirius said in a low voice, his face drawn in a thin line.

"Oh, let me see," she said in a slow voice, adjusting her glasses on her nose as she peered down at a scheduling book open in front of her. "Yes, yes, I see him right here with Healer Wright. Now," she turned to Harry. "You are Harry, I'm guessing."

"Uh, yeah, I am," Harry replied, pleasantly surprised that she was tactful enough to pretend not to know who he was.

"I'll let Healer Wright know you're here, dears," she said. "You can take a seat or browse the glasses a bit if you like."

Sirius gave the witch a tight smile before he led Harry into the waiting room. Harry wiped his hands on his trousers, feeling slightly nervous about the appointment. He couldn't even remember his last eye appointment that well, except that he knew Aunt Petunia hadn't been happy to take him nor did she allow him to pick out his glasses. As for his last regular doctor checkup, well, yeah, Harry had no recollection of that. He had no idea what was done during either checkup.

Harry looked at the glasses that littered the entire wall of the waiting room. Sirius lingered next to him and looked as well.

"See any you like?" Sirius asked as he plucked off a pair of thick black square-frames. "James had something like these. I'm not sure for you though. I'm so used to your round ones."

Harry swallowed. "Yeah, I don't really… know. There are a lot of choices."

"Well, do you like the round ones? Do you like the thickness?" Sirius questioned as he sat the square ones back where he got them.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know."

Sirius grabbed a thin-framed wire pair and held them out to him. "Try these."

Harry took off his glasses and Sirius held out a hand for them. He placed them on his face and leaned forward to look at himself in the mirror. He looked odd and didn't like them.

"Uh, I don't think so," Harry replied as he took off the glasses and sat them back where they belonged.

Sirius pursed his lips to the side, grabbing a rounder pair. They were larger than his current ones, the top thick and the bottom thinner. Harry tried them on and didn't think they were bad but he wasn't quite sure. He looked like an entirely different person with his tanner skin and different glasses.

"Harry? Sirius?" a male voice called.

Sirius turned first, holding his hand out to greet the Healer. "Sirius Black."

Harry put the glasses back on the little shelf before he turned to join his godfather.

The Healer took Sirius' hand. "Ben Wright. Ted said your son needed some new glasses and it's been a bit since he's been seen?"

Sirius cleared his throat as the handshake ceased, handing Harry his glasses back. "Yes, and I'm assuming you know the general history from Ted and… other avenues."

Healer Wright nodded. "Yes, and don't worry about Eleanor," he said as he waved to the witch at the front desk. "She hasn't the foggiest idea of what's going on half the time and has no clue who either one of you are."

"Thank you for being discreet," Sirius said, his hand clapping on the back of Harry's neck. "This is Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Harry," Healer Wright said, holding his hand out for Harry. "I've heard so much about you. Ted thinks the world of you."

Harry couldn't help but smile at the little tidbit, because he too thought the world of Ted. In fact, Harry didn't think he could name a nicer and happier person than Ted. He was always so warm and welcoming, a smile permanently plastered across his face.

The three of them made their way to a small exam room and Harry took a seat in the chair while Sirius lingered by the door as though he were standing guard. Harry wondered if Sirius would be able to relax at all now that they were back in England. Dragging his eyes away from his godfather, he looked ahead of him to see nothing but a wall. He wondered where the eye chart was.

"All right, I looked at your file that Ted gave me from your last eye exam," Healer Wright said as he held out a funky pair of glasses in his hand. "We do things a little differently here. These glasses will tell me your prescription with a tap of my wand. Then, we can coat your lenses with special potions to fit your needs."

"He plays Quidditch," Sirius spoke up.

"Ahh, yes, so we can coat them to repeal water and prevent them from fogging," Healer Wright explained. "There are also spells where we can reinforce the arms. One of the newest spells we have is one where if your eyes change within a certain level, the lenses will automatically shift as well to keep up with your changing eyesight."

"Just do all the extras on his lenses," Sirius instructed. "Whatever you think he'll need."

Healer Wright chuckled. "Looks like you're getting the works, Harry. All right, why don't you take your glasses off and we'll just check and see what you need. Now, try not to close your eyes. You may feel a little dizzy."

Harry slid his glasses off, folding the arms in and holding them in his lap. He held his breath as Healer Wright put the glasses on his face. The room swirled in a blur of colors. A clicking noise sounded every few seconds, the room in front of him coming more and more into focus. Harry could definitely see how some people would become dizzy or even sick with the process. He could hear Sirius and the Healer talking, but he could barely concentrate on what they were saying. He was just trying not to puke.

The room settled. Harry could, well, see far better than he had ever seen before. The room was sharp and clear and he could see well in the distance. The glasses lifted off his face and Healer Wright jotted down something onto his chart.

"How was it?" Healer Wright asked. "I bet you towards the end you saw a lot better. Your prescription is outdated. You really played Quidditch?"

Harry rubbed his eyes before he put back on his old glasses. "Yeah, Seeker."

"How the bloody hell did you even see the Snitch?" Healer Wright asked, his head shaking.

"Uh, it was usually the light reflecting off it. It glittered," Harry replied.

Healer Wright chuckled. "A natural right there."

Sirius smiled. "You have no idea. Best flyer I have ever seen. Think what he can do now that he's not half blind."

"I'll have to ask Ted how much you've improved with your new glasses," Healer Wright commented. "Now what happens is you will pick out some frames. I'll take them and cut the lenses to fit today. I can cast all the charms and coat the lenses with potions. Then you'll be on your way to seeing the world a lot clearer. Sound good?"

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Healer Wright."

Sirius led Harry back to the waiting room to look at frames once more. Harry really had no idea what he wanted. He liked the thought of something new and not something his aunt picked out. It was like he had slowly started to become a new person with Sirius around. New clothes, new glasses, new experiences. He was allowed to be his own person and have his own tastes and preferences. Sirius was always interested in his thoughts and feelings. It was unique to have an adult care so much.

Harry tried on frame after frame after frame. Sirius waited patiently, laughing when he tried on bright red frames as a joke and letting Harry know his honest opinion on what looked nice on him or what didn't fit his face. He tried on a pair of round and thick black frames. They were larger than his old glasses. He turned to Sirius, silently asking him what he thought with a raise of his eyebrows.

"I like those a lot," Sirius commented. "They look like you."

Harry turned to look at the mirror. They looked different yet felt familiar at the same time. Harry grinned. He had no plans on calling Ginny on the mirror. He wanted to see what she thought of his new glasses in person.

"I like these ones," Harry confirmed.

"You sure?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I am."

It only took ten minutes for the glasses to be ready. The new glasses felt odd on his face for a bit, bigger and heavier than he was used to. Except he could see a lot better than he had in, well, years. He followed Sirius out into the waiting room and made their way to the front desk where a little old witch sat behind the desk. She smiled warmly at them.

"Well, look at you, young man! You look handsome," she greeted them and Harry felt the blush creep up his neck.

"Thank you," Harry replied, his eyes glancing up to catch Sirius smirking.

"Did your dad help you pick out the frames?" she asked as she shuffled through some parchment. "They suit your face so nicely!"

"Uh," Harry started as he watched Sirius pick a quill out of the little cup. "Yeah, he did."

Harry sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, his eyes watching Sirius the entire time. Sirius smiled at the witch.

The witch slipped the piece of parchment across the desk. "That'll be seventy-two Galleons, Mr Black."

Sirius nodded as he wrote his vault number down and signed the parchment. He slid the parchment back to the witch. She accepted it with a smile.

"Have a great night, you two," the witch said. "You be careful, young man! You look double handsome with those glasses! All the girls will be all over you at Hogwarts!"

Harry felt the heat rise once more. Sirius clapped a hand on the back of his neck and chuckled.

"I'll let his girlfriend know," Sirius said with a wink.

The witch laughed, waving her hand at Sirius. "Oh, you! What a wonderful father you are looking out for him! Have a marvelous rest of your day."

"You too, Eleanor," Sirius replied with a broad grin.

Harry followed Sirius out of the office and they made their way across the hall. There was no secretary behind the desk. Ted sat there instead, scratching his quill against a bit of parchment. When they entered, Ted looked up and beamed at them.

"Well, don't you look nice, Harry!" Ted exclaimed.

Harry smiled his thanks as Ted led them to the back of the office where he was weighed and measured. The entire process was just awkward and Harry couldn't imagine anyone else being his Healer except for Ted. Even once they went back to the exam room, Harry sat up on the table with his hands clasped in his lap and tried to stay perfectly still as Ted took his vitals and ran his fingers along his neck.

"Any concerns?" Ted asked as his hands dropped from Harry's neck and he picked up the chart.

"No," Harry said.

"What do you know about curse scars?" Sirius said at the same time.

Harry glanced over at his godfather, his brows furrowing. Ted pursed his lips, his eyes flickering to Harry's forehead.

"Not a lot," Ted replied as he lifted a strand of fallen hair off Harry's forehead and peered at the scar, running his fingers along it. "I'm not quite sure this is a normal cursed scar anyway. Why?"

The muscles in Sirius' jaw rolled. "He had one of his dreams in France and it looked… redder than normal and it was hot to the touch."

Sirius hadn't told Harry that. His heart thumped in his chest as Ted reached into his robe pocket and pulled out what looked like a round tube with glass in it. He held it up to Harry's forehead, leaning in close.

"I've never heard of scars doing that before, cursed or not," Ted mused as he pulled back, pocketing the tube and touching the scar again. "Nothing looks out of the ordinary with it. Feels cool. It's not raised or bumpy. Just seems like a healed cut, you know?"

"It causes him headaches too," Sirius added. "When he has those dreams about Voldemort, he wakes up all sweaty. He almost feels like he's running a fever during them."

Ted sucked in a breath. "This is out of my league, Sirius. I'm by no means an expert. I wouldn't even know who to send you to in order to get answers since I'm not sure there is anyone I would trust enough to actually see Harry who would specialize in something like this," he explained, crossing his arms over his chest but his eyes lingered on the scar. "Nobody's ever survived the Killing Curse before. We have no idea what the implications behind it could even be."

"Dumbledore seems to think they have a connection," Sirius continued, his eyes glancing briefly at Harry. "Would the connection be because of the scar or do you think it's prophecy related?"

Ted let out a low whistle. "Again, Sirius, I couldn't even begin to wager what the cause is or isn't. I've never once heard of anything of the sort. This is just so purely unique."

Sirius nodded his head, his hands shoving into his pockets.

"Have you asked Dumbledore?" Ted inquired, his hip leaning against the table near Harry's leg.

"I think he knows more than he's letting on," Sirius replied, his upper lip snarling. "Or at least he has his little theories that he doesn't share with anyone."

Ted looked at Harry. "What do you think?"

"What?" Harry said, his brows tugging down.

Ted gestured towards Harry's scar. "You're the one with the experiences. Do you need a potion prescription for the headaches? How sick do you get after a dream?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm fine. It's fine. It's not, it's not that big of a deal."

Ted forced a strained smile on his lips, his hand reaching out to grip his shoulder. "If it gets worse, just call me on the mirror, all right? I can send you anything you may need."

"I'll add you and Andy to his mirror tonight before he leaves," Sirius said, a deep frown etched on his face.

"Excellent," Ted said in a bright tone, giving Harry a squeeze. "Let's finish his exam and go home for some dinner. I'm famished!"

Harry offered Ted a tight smile, ready for the examination to be over with because he too just wanted to go home to the Tonks cottage. He wished that his scar wasn't being made into such a big deal. It really wasn't. He was used to the dreams, the headaches, and the awful connection with Voldemort. Hadn't Occlumency been the answer to the questions Sirius was seeking? Or was there something else that Harry didn't know about?

Ginny rose on her tiptoes, trying to see Harry's messy black hair in the sea of people. Or, at the very least, she tried to spot Sirius' tall frame looming over everyone. But she couldn't see them. Either of them. They were nowhere to be found and the train was going to leave in fifteen minutes. Ginny chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes scanning and scanning and scanning. Arnold peeked out from behind her long mane of hair.

"Ron!"

Ginny turned to see Hermione rushing towards them, a smile crossing her face as she threw herself at him. Ron wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron greeted as they pulled away from one another.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked, her eyes looking around for him.

Ron shrugged. "Dunno. He was coming with Sirius, Remus, and the Tonkses."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "I thought he was staying with you."

"He was until that St. Mungo's fundraiser in Snowdonia," Ron replied. "Remember, I told you to read the front page after the attack," he explained before dropping his voice. "Sirius and Remus were there. Sirius took off with Harry to France after."

Hermione blinked. "Why?"

That's when Ginny saw them. She spotted Harry's messy hair first and Sirius walking beside him. Remus and Tonks were behind them while Andromeda and Ted walked on the other side of Harry. Ginny grinned, shooting her hand up and waving in their direction. Sirius spotted her first, leaning down to whisper into Harry's ear. His head shot up and a grin spread across his thin face.

"Err, well, a bloke named Fidelius was kidnapped," Ron explained in a casual yet low tone. "So, yeah, that should tell you all you need to know."

Ginny soaked in Harry's appearance. He was tanner than she had ever seen him with his new and pressed clothes that fit him just right. Perched on his nose was a pair of new glasses. They were still circular, but larger in size than his old ones. The frames weren't wire thin anymore but thick and black.

She wanted to bolt towards him but knew she couldn't. Not with the state the world was in now. Kingsley and Sutton had escorted them to King's Cross. She took a step forward, just to get a tad closer as Harry's group made their way towards the Weasleys.

Once the two groups converged, Harry pulled Ginny into a warm embrace. Butterflies erupted in her stomach, her entire body growing warm. Harry smelled different too, his normal woodsy smell mixed with sunshine and sand and salt. She could only melt into his embrace.

"I missed you," she murmured against him.

The corners of Harry's mouth made a soft clicking noise. "I missed you too."

"Oi, don't hog him, Ginny!" Ron snapped.

Ginny pulled back, but not before cupping his face and tugging him down for a quick kiss. He smiled against her lips and still he tasted sweet like treacle. When she pulled away, Ron pulled Harry into a bone-crushing hug, thumping him on the back. Ginny glanced over to see her mother hugging Sirius, fawning over how relaxed and happy he looked.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as Ron and Harry pulled apart. "You barely wrote over the summer!"

Hermione stepped up to give him a hug and Harry awkwardly patted her on the back.

"Sorry," Harry said, pulling away quickly. "It was just… a lot was going on this summer. We weren't allowed to say much."

"Ron still managed to write a couple times a week," Hermione argued, her bushy hair bouncing as she shook her head. "I mean, you didn't even tell me you were dating Ginny! Ron told me!"

Harry shifted, his shoulders shrugging. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I just had a lot going on. You know what it's like when you have to be careful with what you write in a letter."

Hermione huffed, nodding as though she thought better than to argue with Harry in that moment. She turned to Ron and said they needed to get to the prefects meeting on the train. Ron bid goodbye to his parents and asked Harry to save them a seat for later before the pair disappeared onto the train.

Ginny grasped his hand. "We should find a compartment as well. I'm sure Demelza saved us a spot."

Harry nodded before he turned towards his family. While Ginny hugged her mum and dad, Harry said goodbye to Andromeda, Ted, Remus, and Tonks. Finally, he turned towards Sirius. Their embrace lasted the longest, Sirius holding Harry close as he murmured something that Ginny couldn't hear in his ear. When they finally pulled apart, Harry promised to call Sirius on the mirror that night before he took his spot next to Ginny. They both waved at her parents and everyone else before they stepped on the train.

They found Ginny's friends easily enough. Demelza greeted her with a scream and a tight embrace. Then Ginny moved to hug a squealing Niamh and a laughing Gemma while Harry stood awkwardly in the doorway of the compartment. Demelza, being Demelza, squeezed past Ginny to greet Harry with an embrace as well. He shot her a panicked looked but Ginny only smiled.

"Oh, do we get hugs now?" Niamh asked as she pulled Harry into a hug once Demelza took a seat. "Are you hugging us now because you're dating Ginny?"

"Err, well, I guess?" Harry replied with a grimace.

"Aww, look how uncomfortable he is," Gemma cooed as she hugged him in greeting after Niamh. "Get used to it. Girls like to hug."

"We do!" Niamh agreed as she took her seat across from Harry.

Ginny just grinned at her friends as Harry took a seat next to her, causing her to be smushed between her boyfriend and her best friend. It felt so good to be going back to Hogwarts, her home away from home, as her friends immediately burst into conversations. Harry looked overwhelmed, like he often did when he was surrounded by the four friends. Ginny reached out a hand to grasp his, giving him a small squeeze.

The door to their compartment opened and Luna poked her head in. "May I join?"

Niamh was the first to stand up and greet Luna with a hug. Ginny tried to keep her giggles at bay as Harry watched each and every single one of them greet Luna with a warm embrace.

"Don't forget to get your hug from Harry," Gemma said with a sly grin. "He hugs now."

"Uh…" Harry looked like a Chaser facing down a Bludger. "Hey, Luna."

"Oh, hello, Harry."

He stood up, a strained sort of smile crossing his features as he held up his hands awkwardly. Luna dove into his arms, nestling her head against his chest.

"Oh, you give good hugs," Luna commented. "Your arms are so long and they wrap around nicely."

Ginny couldn't hide her laughter any longer, her side leaning into Demelza's. All the girls burst into a fit of giggles as Harry sat down next to Ginny, his hands shoving underneath his thighs as he looked between all the girls in the compartment. Luna took a seat across from him, next to Niamh.

"How was everyone's summer?" Luna asked.

Demelza smirked. "Well, Ginny and Harry are officially dating now so it was pretty great for them."

Harry shifted next to Ginny.

"How wonderful!" Luna exclaimed, turning her attention to the two. "It was very obvious that you two liked each other for a while last year. Harry was always sitting with you at breakfast."

Harry didn't say a word as the five girls chatted about their summers. She couldn't tell if he was uncomfortable or not. He seemed oddly more calm than normal, but he wasn't saying anything. Ginny leaned into his side and he slung a casual arm around her shoulders.

The compartment door opened again to reveal a tall boy in Ravenclaw robes, a gleaming Head Boy badge on the front of his robes. His eyes trailed across everyone in the compartment, his face angry.

"I heard Demelza Robins was in this compartment," he said. "Which one of you is her?"

Demelza sank down into the seat, her hand coming up to cover her face.

"Why are you looking for Demelza?" Niamh asked, her brows furrowed.

"She was supposed to report to the prefect compartment for our first of the year meeting," the Head Boy explained.

Demelza sank further down into the seat until she was nearly on the floor.

"You made prefect?" Gemma exclaimed, her head shooting to look at her. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why are you hiding?" Niamh asked.

Ginny frowned as she studied Demelza. "Were you hoping to skive off being prefect and hope no one would notice your absence?"

Demelza growled before sitting up and turning towards the Head Boy. "I'm good, thanks."

"Excuse me?" the Head Boy replied, his mouth gaping. "What?"

"I don't want to be prefect," Demelza said, emphasizing each word. "Find someone else."

Gemma shook her head. "Your mum is going to kill you. Go be prefect."

"I don't want it," Demelza seethed. "I want to do Quidditch, not fucking patrols."

Ginny sighed. "Look, Ron does both. It'll be fine. Besides, Harry's captain. If you make the team, he will work around yours and Ron's patrol schedules. Why don't you try to buddy up with him during patrols so it's easier?"

Demelza just huffed.

"Gemma is right! Your mum will murder you!" Niamh said with wide eyes. "Just go!"

"It'll look good for your Auror application," Ginny reasoned.

Demelza scowled even deeper for a few moments before she sighed. "I hate when you're right."

With that, Demelza pushed past the Head Boy and stormed down the aisle. The Head Boy let out a long sigh before he closed the door to the compartment. Ginny slid down the seat so that her back rested against the side of the train so she could see everyone easier. She stretched out her legs and plopped her feet on Harry's lap. His fingers ghosted along her ankles.

"What did I miss?" Niamh asked. "Why doesn't she want to be prefect?"

Gemma huffed, stretching her own legs out to rest them on the seat across from her near Ginny's knees. "Who would want to? We already have the O.W.L.s to worry about and we get our little career talk where a bunch of us will get our hopes and dreams crushed. It's just busy work."

"I sighed in relief when I didn't see a badge tumble out," Ginny admitted.

Gemma snorted. "No one would make you prefect to save their bloody lives."

"Ginny's nice," Luna interrupted, brushing her stringy blonde hair behind her shoulder. "She's very nice to the younger kids."

Niamh turned towards Harry. "I was surprised you didn't get prefect last year."

Harry shrugged. "Ron was the better choice."

Gemma nodded. "He is. He's way more social than you. You're a bit of a loner."

Niamh's eyes grew wide as she turned towards Gemma. "You can't just say things like that to people!"

"Why?" Gemma pressed. "I hate people. Most of them are rude and annoying. I like my group of friends and that's it. There's nothing wrong with that."

Luna looked thoughtful for a moment. "Gemma's not wrong. People can be very cruel."

Gemma waved in Luna's direction. "Case in fucking point. How many people are wankers to Luna?"

Nobody said anything. Ginny dared a glance over at Harry to see him unbothered by the conversation. He did peer at Luna curiously, his eyes studying her face.

"As long as Harry isn't offended…" Niamh trailed off as she turned to Harry.

"Err, no, I'm not," Harry replied, a lopsided smile crossing his face. "Promise. I mean, I've only had two friends for the past six years."

Niamh placed a hand over her heart. "Harry! Aren't we your friends now?"

"Of course!" Harry said in a rush. "We are definitely friends, Niamh."

Niamh beamed.

Gemma cleared her throat before turning to Harry. "So, is no one going to talk about how you got really fit over the summer or what?"

Harry's neck flushed, his head jerking over to look at Ginny. She laughed, leaning forward and rubbing his arm.

"He went to the South of France this summer," Ginny supplied.

"Oh, that explains the nice tan," Niamh said with a smile. "Not that you didn't look nice before. Just different."

"The glasses are different too," Gemma added with a wave of her hand in his direction. "You got rid of your trademark frames. Those fit your face nicer."

"He has stubble too!" Luna added. "Makes him look rugged."

"Err…" Harry trailed off as he rubbed his fingers against his chin. "I shaved like two days ago."

"All right, ladies, leave my boyfriend alone," Ginny said in a loud voice. "You're embarrassing him."

Niamh leaned forward, placing a hand on Harry's knee. "Just take the compliments. You really do look rather handsome."

"Uh… thanks?" Harry said in an uncertain tone.

Ginny laughed, leaning back against the train once more. The conversation turned away from Harry, who visibly relaxed once they were back to talking about normal things like classes, Quidditch, and their summers. Harry slowly became more comfortable bit by bit, and he even began talking more freely with Ginny and her friends than he had earlier.

It wasn't until after lunch that the compartment door opened. Ron, Demelza, and Hermione stood in the doorway. Harry scooted over, gesturing for Ginny to sit up right so they could make room. Demelza took the spot next to Harry, which only had Ron huffing.

"Here, come sit with us, Ron," Niamh said as she waved him in. "You can sit between us and be across from Harry."

"Better to look at him," Demelza added. "I know how you like to gaze at his lovely fresh pickled toad eyes."

Ginny held her breath as Harry's eyes stared at his best mate. Ron shoved his lanky frame into the compartment, nearly stepping on Ginny's foot. She drew her legs up to her chest, a scowl working its way on her face as she watched Ron squish himself between Niamh and Gemma. His cheeks blushed as he muttered his apologies.

"Here," Niamh said as she stood up, giving him more room.

"You can't stand, Niamh," Gemma told her.

"Well, I've been sitting awhile," Niamh replied as she leaned against the window. "I don't mind. Honest."

Luna leaned forward. "Just sit on Ron's lap, Niamh."

"Uh, well, I mean, that, that would be, I mean, you don't have to stand," Ron stumbled like a fool as he shot Harry a look.

Harry only shrugged with wide eyes, because he obviously was just as clueless on how to approach the suggestion. Niamh bent down to talk to Ron, his gaze snapping to her. They whispered back and forth for a few.

"Ginny, sit on Harry's lap so Hermione has a place to sit," Gemma instructed with a sly smile. "Show Ron and Niamh how it's done."

"I don't need any showing!" Niamh replied as she plopped down on a beat red Ron's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We decided that we are comfortable enough for this!"

Hermione cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I forgot something in the prefect compartment."

"Hermione," Ginny called, but Hermione didn't stop as she rushed away from the compartment, the door slamming shut.

"What's up her knickers?" Gemma muttered.

Demelza met Ginny's gaze but neither one of them said anything. It was no secret that Hermione fancied Ron and Ron fancied Hermione. But the two were both too stupid to say anything to one another. If they wanted to get upset over silly little things when neither one could admit their feelings, then that was their problem. Ginny wasn't about ready to let it ruin her day. Harry was finally back from France, they were headed back to school, and Ginny was going to make the most of her fifth year.

Sirius stood outside of the Three Broomsticks, his gaze focused on the castle in the distance. He leaned against the building, trying to stay out of people's way, as he tore his gaze away from the castle. It was odd to not be sitting at home, finishing up dinner with Harry and then settling down for the evening. He had grown so used to Harry always being around in the past couple of months that it seemed impossibly wrong to not have the kid by his side. Shoving his hands into his trouser pockets, he couldn't help but glance back at the castle.

It wouldn't be like previous years, when he didn't get to see Harry. Sirius was going to join him during his monthly lessons with Dumbledore. He would talk to Kingsley and Gawain at the next order meeting to try to set up some private dueling lessons for Harry on weekends at his house in Hogsmeade. Not to mention, Harry had already told him he would definitely stop by during Hogsmeade weekends for lunch or a quick hello. Sirius had already made plans with Andromeda, Ted, Dora, and Remus to attend Quidditch games. But still… Sirius felt lonely without Harry by his side.

The kid's laughter was contagious, his smile bright and blinding, and he never failed to make Sirius laugh his bloody arse off. Sirius just loved Harry. Now with him back at school, his world felt just a tad bit darker and it was harder to push down his demons. Resting his head against the brick wall, Sirius hated that he felt that way. Harry deserved to be a normal teenager and the last thing Sirius wanted was for his godson to worry about his depressive and melancholy godfather. That's not how things were supposed to work.

"You look nice," a familiar female voice greeted.

Sirius turned to see Tegan standing next to him, a wide grin spreading across her face. "So do you."

"Are you ready for a night of being a Muggle?" Tegan asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"I was born ready," Sirius replied, kicking off the side of the building. "I swear to Merlin, if I don't pass this Muggle test with flying colors, I'll throw myself off a building."

Tegan laughed, and Sirius' heart didn't feel so dead for a couple of seconds. "I'll Apparate us to dinner? Then our activity is right down the road."

Sirius extended his arm to her, a soft smile gracing his face. She looped her arm with his, the two disappearing with a crack. Luckily, Sirius didn't feel underdressed in his leather jacket as they entered the burger and chip shop. They scored a cozy booth in the back of the restaurant and Sirius cast a couple privacy charms around them so no one could overhear them talking.

"Excellent choice in dining," Sirius complimented as he browsed the menu of various burgers.

"I pegged you for a more casual bloke," Tegan replied. "A fancy five-course restaurant didn't really scream Sirius Black."

Sirius chuckled. "Trust me, I've been to enough of those types of restaurants when I was a kid to last a lifetime. This is much better than any of the crap they served there."

Sirius glanced over his menu at Tegan to see her staring at him, her chin resting in her closed fist. Sitting the menu flat onto the table, Sirius leaned forward.

"What's on your mind?" Sirius asked.

Tegan shrugged. "Nothing really. We just come from very different worlds. It's interesting to hear you talk sometimes."

Sirius wiggled his brows. "Only sometimes?"

"Can't be interesting all the time," Tegan reasoned. "I've heard you and Remus bicker. Half of that is just plain nonsense."

Sirius chuckled, folding his hands in front of him. "I realize that I don't actually know your background. Emerson is a Muggle name, right?"

Tegan nodded. "My dad was a Muggleborn and my mum a half-blood. I grew up around magic, but I knew a bit about the Muggle world because of my dad's side. Then, David was a Muggleborn so we went on a lot of Muggle dates and such."

"Do you want to know a horrid secret about me?" Sirius whispered, his lips thinning.

Tegan clasped her hands together, mirroring Sirius, as she leaned forward. "Always."

Sirius swallowed. "My family was such a blood supremacist shitshow that I didn't know Mudblood was a derogatory and demeaning term until James told me when we were eleven. I never heard the word Muggleborn before in my life. I just thought that's what they were called. So, you are right, we are from very different worlds."

Tegan's brows furrowed. "That's bloody awful."

Sirius nodded. "I had lived a very sheltered childhood, never allowed to venture out away from other equally minded and sick pureblood families. I had a bit of a shock my first year at school. I learned there was so much more to the world than I ever thought possible. And I loved every single second of it. I immersed myself in it all, wanting to learn everything I could. My grades were a tad terrible my first year, because I didn't even give a fuck about learning magic. I wanted to learn about everything else that I had been deprived of."

"You never really struck me as studious," Tegan replied, her hand reaching out and clasping over his.

Sirius chuckled. "I wasn't. I hated school. I found most of it boring, to be quite honest with you. I was more interested in topics that Hogwarts didn't teach, like how to become an illegal Animagus. Now that was challenging and definitely not boring. Some of it was even disgusting. But my interests lied outside of classrooms. Fleamont, James' dad, once said I was too bright for my own good because I found the topics taught in class too easy and therefore didn't apply myself. That's why my grades were inconsistent."

Tegan smiled. "Makes perfect sense. That about sums you up."

Dinner flowed nicely as Tegan caught him up to everything he had missed in the Order of the Phoenix meetings and Sirius told her stories about France. They talked about Harry and Demelza. She also told him a bit about the security measures around Hogwarts. Sirius already knew about the Aurors being placed around Hogwarts thanks to Dora, but Tegan was far more involved in the planning of the operation than his cousin was.

"I'm in the patrol rotation," Tegan said, popping a chip in her mouth. "I asked for the assignment. I'll keep an eye on Harry for you as well."

Sirius nodded. "I'd appreciate that. I told Dumbledore I'd patrol around Hogsmeade, keep an eye on things. There's not much else for me to do anyway."

After dinner, they walked hand in hand down a couple of blocks to a bowling alley. Sirius' lips twitched because he had, in fact, been to a bowling alley with his friends and Lily's friends once upon a time. Sirius and James had been kicked to another lane because they kept trying to sneakily cheat. The two of them determined to outsmart each other, their wands stuck up their sleeves, as they tried to stop one another from knocking down the pins with magic.

Sirius held the door open for her, a grin plastered across her face. "If I ace this little test, what do I win?"

Tegan smirked at him, turning around to walk through the door backward. "I'll go home with you tonight."

Sirius arched his eyebrow, his lips curving. "This, my dear Emerson, is called bowling. Let's go get our shoes."

Tegan's eyes sparkled. "I'm not going to explain anything, am I?"

"Fuck no," Sirius replied as they stepped up to the counter. "Hi, just two," he said as he pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. "Size ten, please."

Tegan bumped her hip against his, giving her shoe size. Sirius paid for them, accepting the ugly shoes with a grin. They grabbed their balls before they went to their lane. Sirius squinted at the little chair and the screen in front of the lane. That was new. He could remember just having paper and a pencil when he came before. Sirius pointed at it.

"This is new," Sirius commented. "But it's not my fault I don't know this. The last time I went bowling was in '79."

Tegan gestured for him to take a seat. "You type in your names and it'll keep score automatically."

"Ahh," Sirius replied, rubbing his chin as he stared at the screen. "All right, this doesn't count though because I was in jail for twelve years."

Tegan laughed as she helped him set up the screen. "Merlin, I went bowling once with David without the screens. I didn't understand how to score the blasted thing."

Sirius pressed the letter buttons to spell out his name, mildly impressed. "Yeah, well, that was all Remus. His granddad was a big bowler and he went a lot as a kid with him."

Tegan draped her arms over his shoulders, her chin resting against the side of his head. "Okay, press that and now type my name."

"Type? Is that what this is? Typing?" Sirius inquired as he used his index fingers to type her name next. "Merlin, this is so fucking ingenious. We should have little typing things like this. This is fun."

Once the screen was set, they bowled. Sirius laughed, both of them abysmal and often having the ball veer off into the gutter. It wasn't long before Tegan asked for the bumpers to be put up and they started to actually knock some pins down. Sirius cheered when Tegan knocked all the pins down towards the end of their second game, laughing as she did a little happy dance. Sirius couldn't help but think Harry would have a blast and he knew he had to bring him bowling at some point.

"You're a bloody natural, look at you," Sirius congratulated, slinging an arm around her shoulders as the pins sat back up and pressing his lips to her forehead. "Good thing we didn't bet on a winner."

"Still time for that," Tegan replied, wiggling her eyebrows. "Maybe a miracle will happen and you'll actually win the next game."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh as he stepped away from her so he could grab his ball. "I don't make bets I know I'll lose."

He sent the ball down the lane, his bottom lip sliding between his teeth as it slammed against the bumper. Half the pins fell. Sirius whipped around holding his arms out. She gave him a pity clap, a grin spreading across her face.

The rest of the evening was filled with laughter as the two chatted, getting to know one another better. In the middle of their third and final game, Sirius felt his pocket vibrate and knew Harry was calling to check in like the good kid he was. While he slipped out to the back alleyway, Tegan went to grab them a snack.

"How was your first day back?" Sirius asked, all smiles as he leaned against the brick wall of the building.

"It was good," Harry confirmed. "It was nice seeing Ron and Ginny again. Although, I miss… I miss home."

An odd look crossed Harry's face as he looked down in his lap. Sirius cleared his throat, telling himself that he must have done something right to have Harry miss him.

"I miss you too, kid," Sirius replied. "But, hey, we'll talk every night if you want and we'll see each other soon."

Harry's gaze flickered back to the mirror. "It's weird, I've never actually missed home before."

Sirius nodded. "Even last year?"

"Well, last year was different because if I wasn't at Hogwarts, I was at the Dursleys," Harry explained. "So even though it was awful, I just, well, I'd prefer that over the Dursleys any day."

"You're stuck with me now," Sirius tried to keep the conversation light.

A shy smile crossed Harry's lips. "I'm glad."

"Well, hey, I know you've been anxious to see Ron and Ginny again," Sirius said, kicking off the wall. "Why don't you go spend some time with them? I don't want to keep you. What's your schedule tomorrow?"

"Defense with Snape first thing in the morning," Harry said, grimacing. "I didn't know he was teaching Defense. I kind of just thought he wasn't teaching anymore."

"Oi, that's your favorite subject, don't let him ruin it for you," Sirius instructed. "If he gives you any issues, let me know, all right? And before you say anything, I promise to keep it civil but I will get my point across."

Harry nodded. "Starting in a couple weeks, I'll have Apparition after Defense. Then I have Potions with Marlene in the afternoon."

Sirius sucked in a breath. "Let me know how that goes. With Snape and Marlene," he clarified.

"I will," Harry promised. "It'll be odd calling her Professor McKinnon. I mean, I think it will. It's not like we spent a lot of time together over the summer. We just wrote a few times."

"You'll get used to it pretty quick," Sirius assured him, thinking of the adjustment James had going from Albus to Professor Dumbledore. "It'll be fine, all right? Don't forget, if you're stumped with Potions, just call Andy. Or just give her a random call once a week. She's anxious to hear from you. She worries about you, you know. Oh, and Ted too. You can't forget to call Ted. He'll be hurt if you don't."

Harry chuckled. "I promise I won't forget to call Andy and Ted."

"All right, mate, go have fun with your friends," Sirius said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

Harry smiled softly at him, one of his lopsided smiles that was purely a Potter trademark. "Love you too, Sirius."

The mirrors disconnected and Sirius let out a long breath of air. He shoved the mirror back into his pocket before making his way into the bowling alley to see Tegan sitting watching a group of teenagers bowling a few lanes down from her.

"Sorry," Sirius greeted her. "He calls nightly when he's at school."

"How do you manage that?" Tegan asked. "I'd love to hear from Demelza more. I swear once she's with her friends, I'm not even a thought. It was terrible getting her to write."

Sirius chuckled. "I don't know. Harry's just a good kid. He knows I worry."

"The kitchen was already closed for the night," Tegan announced. "I was thinking, well, we are both rubbish at bowling. Maybe we can call it a night here."

"Are you hungry?" Sirius asked, reaching out a hand for her.

She accepted it, allowing him to help her up. "A tad. Got any food at that house of yours yet?"

"I think I have dessert," Sirius replied, his eyebrows raising.

Her hands cupped his face, her fingers splaying across his bearded cheeks. "I was hoping you'd offer that."

They handed in their shoes quickly before they exited the bowling alley. Tegan leaned into his side, their hands intertwined as her free hand gripped his elbow. They looked for a secluded alleyway, finding one a block away from the bowling alley. Sirius held her close as he side-along Apparated to Hogsmeade.

The village was dead as they walked along the cobblestone street. Sirius could see the peeks of the castle over the trees as they went. They turned down the last lane and the house he hadn't even spent one night in came into view. He explained to her he needed her blood and she didn't even flinch when he drew his wand to slice her hand.

"Let me take your coat," Sirius offered as he hung his and hers up on the coat hanger by the front door.

"Oh, wow, you already decorated in here?" Tegan asked, walking into the house and pausing at the wall of pictures from France.

"This was all Andy," Sirius explained. "Uh, Andromeda Tonks. I call her Andy. She's my cousin. Although, half the time, she acts like my mother."

Tegan laughed as she soaked in the pictures of Sirius and Harry on the beach. "I knew that actually," she confirmed as she turned towards him. "I guess not all of your family is awful."

"The Tonkses are the only good ones left alive," Sirius confirmed. "The rest can go fuck themselves."

Tegan closed the space between them, her arms resting on his shoulders. "Want to give me a tour of your new place?"

Sirius' heart thudded harsh in his chest. "Yeah, I would."

He showed her around, still getting used to the place himself. He showed her the parlor and the little kitchen downstairs. He showed her Harry's room first, decked out in all red and gold even though he doubted his godson would ever spend the night there. But he wanted to show Harry he was thinking of him, and Andromeda hadn't even questioned his request.

When they walked into his bedroom, Sirius cupped Tegan's face with his hand and bent down to press his lips against hers. Sirius would be a big fat liar if he said he wasn't nervous. It had been a long time since he had been with a witch and he didn't want to embarrass himself in the process. If Tegan was nervous as well, she didn't show it as she pressed her chest against his, her hands riding up his sides and dragging his shirt with them.

Tegan tugged the shirt up and up until they were forced to break the kiss. It was the only signal Sirius needed as he tugged her shirt up off her head. When their lips met again, it was bruising and hungry, the two of them starved. Shoes flew across the room, fingers fumbled on buckles. Sirius pressed a half-naked Tegan against the wall, his thumbs hooking under the band of her knickers, sliding them down her legs as her fingers coiled in his hair.

They stumbled over to the bed, tumbling down on the mattress. She laid below him, her touch sending shivers down his spine as he pressed his lips to the sensitive spot beneath her ear. He didn't know how much he had missed the touch of a witch. His touch-starved body seemed to twitch the longer she touched him, caressed him. Sirius was on fire, and he never wanted the feeling to end. Tegan wiggled underneath him, pushing his boxers down and Sirius nearly lost it right then and there.

"Sirius," she moaned, her fingers wrapping around his chin and crashing her lips against his.

Sirius felt himself slowly become unraveled at the seams. He had been denying himself pleasure for so long, torturing himself for his past mistakes. The guilt had consumed him, chipping away at him to the point where he unconsciously punished himself by not allowing himself any real joy in life. But France had been a breath of fresh air. He had begun to feel more and more like himself again as he laughed freely, opened himself up to Harry, and tried to overcome the guilt that had consumed him for so long.

The guilt was still there, taunting him in the back of his mind every so often. But he felt like he was slowly starting to become Sirius once more and not the man who made enough mistakes to get his girlfriend and his best friends murdered. He was no longer Prisoner 360, a stain on society and a soul to toy with. Now, as he trailed kisses down Tegan's body as his fingers pressed against her folds, he was human again with wants and urges and bloody needs.

Sirius couldn't take it anymore as he adjusted his body over hers and slid inside of her. Her nails dragged down his back, her body knocking against his. He knew he wouldn't last long. The last time he'd had sex was when he was twenty-one years old and now, now he was thirty-six. It seemed so impossibly long, too long. Sirius felt himself slipping into bliss, his chest heaving as he screwed his eyes shut. He pressed his forehead against hers, his hand slipping down between them.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he pulled out, moving down the bed. "Scoot up."

Tegan smirked as she did as she was told, her head rolling back against the pillow as Sirius dragged his tongue against her. Her hands gripped his hair, holding his face close to her. She rocked against his face and Sirius assumed he was doing something right. It was natural, even after all these years, remembering exactly what to do. Light engulfed him as she unraveled around him, her body going slack and her hands falling from his hair.

He collapsed down next to her, the back of his hand wiping against his mouth. Tegan rolled over, her breasts pressing against his side. Her fingers trailed along one of his tattoos, her touch feather-light. He swallowed, licking the taste of her off his lips and thinking he could definitely get used to this.

Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Don't forget to drop a review! They motivate me to keep writing and keep me on my posting schedule!

Special thanks to Bell for being awesome like usual in editing.