Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hello everyone, and thank you so much for all the reviews. I want to answer some of my readers' concerns.

I'm sorry the last chapter was short, and not much seemed to happen in it. I just felt that the Aurors' arrival was a good place to stop. Also, I was told that the chapter was melodramatic. If you feel that way, I apologize, but I will warn you now that this story will probably not be to your taste, and for that I'm sorry. I just feel that if it wasn't written this way, it wouldn't sound natural or like my story at all. We're also dealing with awful subjects like false accusations, murder, and fear. I couldn't possibly write such a thing dispassionately.

As far as pairings go, I won't spoil it, but I will say that no, Harry and Ginny won't be linked romantically. They will be good friends, and she will be supportive of him. But that's all. You'll have to wait and see who I put with Harry later on, and I hope you end up enjoying it.

There is a reference in this chapter about Silencing Charms and Grimmauld Place that is different from canon. In a later chapter, I will explain why I did it differently.

Please enjoy!

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There had been several times in Sirius Black's life when he felt as though the entire world had ground to a halt, and time stood still. It had lost all meaning, and the disorienting feeling was something he could never forget. And as he held his godson in his arms after Madam Pomfrey's announcement, this was most definitely one of them. His brain was frozen, unable to dredge up one single thought.

The silence was so profound, and it spoke volumes as to how dire this situation really was. The boy had also gone abnormally still, not making a single sound. It seemed as though the entire room was holding its breath, struggling to process the information that was just not sinking in.

But then, as quick as it had come, the numbness fell away, and a terrible, resounding fear clamped its icy hand around Sirius's throat. No. No. No. Oh Merlin, no. They were here. They were going to take Harry away from him, and they would have no mercy. They would wring every single bit of information from Harry, and not show an ounce of compassion. Sirius knew only too well what Aurors would do, and how far they were willing to go. And the fact that Harry was a child wouldn't even factor into it. There would be no peace for Harry, who was now beginning to tremble in earnest.

Finally, the silence was broken by Sirius's barely audible whisper as he unconsciously held Harry closer. "Where are they?"

"The staff are doing their best to intercept them," said Madam Pomfrey, her voice a mixture of panic and fury. "Minerva just sent me an urgent Patronus. She received word of their arrival and instantly informed me."

Sirius hoped with every fiber of his being that no one had seen McGonagall perform this action. But knowing her as well as he did, he knew she could be very discreet.

"We'll fend them off, too," said Ron, his face hard and eyes cold. "We're not going to let them do this."

Harry suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse with terror. "No, you won't," he said softly. "They'll land you in trouble too."

"Harry, honestly, do you think we care?" Hermione demanded, tears sparkling in her eyes. "You should know by now that we're not just going to let them do what they want to you!"

Ginny nodded, an enraged look on her face that was rarely seen on her. "And we're going to find out who called them here," she snarled.

"No," Harry said, his tone raw with desperation. "Don't you understand? Enough has already gone wrong because of me! I don't want anyone else getting hurt!"

Sirius looked back and forth between a seething Madam Pomfrey, the group of livid teenagers, and his trembling godson who was shaking very badly in Sirius's arms now. His mind was going at a hundred miles an hour, many panicked thoughts battling for dominance. Merlin, what was he going to do? How was he going to protect Harry? He was going to be tormented, accused of a crime he didn't commit. And Sirius could think of no worse fate than that. He had dealt with the Ministry and their so-called humane methods of questioning for himself, and he knew exactly what would happen.

And in the days after Sirius's own arrest, he had begged and pleaded with the human guards to let him explain himself. He had offered up Pensieve memories, and said he would take Veritaserum. He had shouted and screamed, completely humiliating himself, but nobody had listened. Instead, they had spat at him that Pensieve memories could be tampered with, and it was possible to be immune to Veritaserum, although any such circumstance was extraordinarily rare. "With the family you come from, I don't doubt you're one of those that can resist it," he could recall one of them sneering at him before his cell door was slammed shut with a deafening bang.

And if the Ministry had Harry Potter in their clutches, Sirius reckoned it would be even worse. Because of his supposed defeat of Voldemort at the age of fifteen months, he was feared as well as revered. In their minds as well as many of those in the public, Harry was to be watched very closely. They would celebrate and idolize him until they found a reason for his reputation to shatter. After all, he had defied the very laws of magic itself, hadn't he? He'd survived the Avada Kedavra curse, a feat that had never been accomplished before. The public worshiped and adored him until he stopped doing what was expected of him.

And in that instant, Sirius knew what he had to do. It was honestly the last thing he actually wished to do, but he could think of no other plan. He wanted nothing more than for Harry to fight for his place at Hogwarts, and to have his innocence proven. He would give up the whole world so that Harry could have the peace he yearned for. He desperately hoped that there would come a day in the future when that would be possible. But now, at this exact moment, Sirius knew this was nothing but a beautiful dream.

The Portkey to Twelve, Grimmauld Place burned a hole in his robe pocket. During the time he'd been on the run, he had taken a Muggle coin that was lying forgotten on the ground, used the new wand Dumbledore had helped him to acquire, and charmed it into a Portkey, one that nobody knew about, not even the Headmaster. He had had to set foot in the house, because you had to be in that precise location to cast the necessary spells to create the Portkey. Sirius had despised every second of it, but something niggled at him, telling him this action was warranted.

It was almost funny, Sirius thought with a note of bitter sarcasm, that his old childhood home could actually be a safe haven. Growing up, there was nowhere Sirius despised more than the frigid, unwelcoming house. When he had made the Portkey there, he had tried to convince himself it would never, ever have to be used. Grimmauld Place was a last resort only, when there was truly nowhere else to turn. It was useful, because the entire house was unplottable. It had wards protecting it which were almost impenetrable.

The thought of taking Harry there made him feel physically nauseous, but what else was he supposed to do? Aurors were literally moments away from snatching his godson and subjecting him to more trauma than he'd already had to deal with. Sirius also knew that if he himself was caught, his life was over. He realized this with a crystal clarity, but even though he knew it was true, his focus was on Harry's suffering and not his own. He'd promised to never leave his godson again, though, so he couldn't let himself come to harm if only for the boy's sake.

But he despised the fact that he would be taking Harry away from Hogwarts, and doing exactly what Jeff's stupid petition wanted. Many would think that because Harry was removed from the premises, it alleviated the danger they faced. Sirius knew this was far from true; Voldemort and the Death Eaters had many targets; Dumbledore was right next to Harry on his "to kill" list. But fear was permeating the school right now, after Cedric had been kidnapped and killed. And many would deem it much safer once Harry was removed.

Sirius knew there would be many consequences for this hasty action. He might end up making things far worse than they already were. Throughout his life, he had always been reprimanded for his rash, impulsive behavior. It had chased him through his whole existence, and was a defining factor that led to his twelve-year stint in Azkaban.

But there was a marked difference between then and now, Sirius reasoned with himself. Then, he hadn't put Harry first and had gone haring off to seek revenge for James and Lily, whose lifeless bodies would always be glued to the backs of his eyelids. All his mental faculties were gone; his blood had screamed Peter, Peter, Peter. Catch, tear apart, destroy, kill. His anger had been out of control, and Peter had known it. Known it, and used it against him, landing him in the hottest pit of Hell.

But now, he felt as though this was a major step he could take to put right what was done wrong. He was doing it, and he was damn well prepared to deal with any consequences that arose from his decision. He was going to do what Lily and James had wanted, what he had promised them fiercely that he would do. He was finally going to show Harry what having a real family felt like. He was going to take care of him like no one else ever had before. As his hand entered his robe pocket and felt the warmth of the coin inside, he was just sorry it had to happen this way.

"What are you planning, Sirius?" asked Madam Pomfrey quietly without preamble.

Sirius looked her straight in the eye, the simple Muggle coin clutched in his tight grasp. "I'm getting him out of here," he said just as quietly.

"What?" exclaimed all three teenagers, sounding frantic.

Harry's grip on Sirius grew extremely tight, almost to the point of pain, but the man couldn't have cared less. He looked into the boy's green eyes, and swallowed convulsively to try and dislodge the sudden lump that was constricting his throat. Those eyes were looking at him with fear, but there was hope and trust there, too, which Sirius truly didn't think he'd earned. "Where are we going?" he asked softly.

"Don't you trust us?" Hermione asked desperately, her eyes flicking back and forth between godfather and godson.

"We're his best friends! He needs to stay with us!" Ron protested, his breathing sharp and quick. "And Dumbledore is here. He'll get Harry out of this."

Sirius felt anger come over him again, but he forced it down. He was not going to snap at Ron for his faith in Dumbledore. After all, Sirius used to possess it himself, until the man had let him down, and above all, let both Cedric and Harry down in unforgivable ways. Instead of shouting, he only said to Ron, "I don't trust him. Dumbledore is not infallible. He's only human."

"Madam Pomfrey?" Ginny asked softly, her face white.

Poppy and Sirius exchanged a meaningful glance that seemed to last for an eternity. "Do what you feel is best," she finally said.

Hermione turned into Ron, burying her face in his neck so the others couldn't see her renewed flow of tears. Ron hugged her close, his own eyes full of pain. "Harry?" he murmured, his voice thick with suppressed emotion. "Aren't you going to fight this?"

Harry's emerald eyes met Ron's blue ones, exhaustion and grief plain to see in their depths. Sirius's heart literally ached; he had been observing Harry for a long time, especially during his third year, and he'd seen the boy's strong spirit and willing eagerness to fight and win against any struggles that pursued him.

But the boy clinging to him now had none of that zeal in him. He looked frail, guilt-stricken, and exhausted, and Sirius's mind flashed back to the days of the First War when he, James, Lily, and the other Order fighters had returned from battles looking like that. A wild anger roared to life in Sirius again; how was it at all fair that his fourteen-year-old godson had to live with the same burdens? If anything, he had it far worse due to what the wizarding world thought and expected of him.

But Sirius decided, then and there, that he would fight twice as hard for Harry now. He swore he would return the spirit back into Harry, and he knew that the first step in this process was to allow Harry to be the child he never had the chance to be. He would take him away from all of this for a while, and fulfill the role James and Lily had trusted him with.

In response to Ron's desperate words, Harry just continued to look at him, those green eyes conveying everything he was feeling. Sirius realized that Lily and James had been open books, just like their son; their emotions were never hard to read.

"He needs to be taken care of right now, Ron," Sirius said earnestly, his voice quiet. "I promise you that I will do so. He needs to be looked after. The best way to help him right now is to support my decision."

Ron's expression didn't change, but Hermione's and Ginny's did. They caught Harry's eyes, their faces full of understanding. "We're here for you, Harry," Ginny whispered.

"We'll take care of everything here for you," said Hermione, tears still flowing freely down her face. "And don't try to stop us. Where are you taking him?" she asked Sirius, her eyes boring into his.

Sirius hesitated. He had trusted the wrong person before, someone who he thought had been one of his best friends. Did he dare do so again when it came to the well-being of his godson? Yes, Grimmauld Place was unplottable, but he still felt that the less people who knew Harry's location, the better.

Hermione saw the conflicted look on Sirius's face, and after a few seconds, she nodded. "It's okay," she said. "I know he'll be safe with you. Harry?" She turned to her best friend, who had been still and silent this entire time, still trembling. "Write to us when you can, won't you?"

Harry finally spoke. "Be safe," he said desperately. "Please be safe."

Ron looked as though his entire world was spinning. "We will, mate," he managed to say. "We're going to fight for you. We won't let them get you," he said, his face pale as he referred to the Aurors.

And then, Sirius made his move. Grasping Harry tightly, he permitted both of their hands to grasp the Muggle money. "Safety," he said, feeling a surge of irony at the single word. Grimmauld Place, safe. But, as the saying went, desperate times called for desperate measures. The last thing he saw before he and Harry were whisked away was Harry's three friends holding tightly to one another, both girls still crying and Ron looking dazed and numb. And then, they were gone.

They landed in the parlor of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, Harry still clutched protectively in Sirius's embrace. As soon as they arrived, Harry scrambled away, and was violently sick all over the floor. Shocked, Sirius instantly waved his wand, removing the mess. "Harry? he whispered in worry. "Harry, what's wrong?"

But before Harry could answer, it hit him. The Portkey. Harry and Cedric had been taken away from the Hogwarts grounds by Portkey, and Harry had returned with his dead body to Hogwarts by Portkey. It had been less than twenty-four hours and he had already been forced to endure another one.

"Oh, Merlin," Sirius breathed, feeling like the world's worst person. "I-I'm sorry," he gasped, quickly conjuring a glass of water and handing it to Harry, who gulped it down. "I'm so stupid. God, I'm so sorry."

Harry was shaking worse than ever, but he immediately attempted to make Sirius feel better. "It's okay," he murmured. "It was probably the only way to get here, wasn't it?"

Unfortunately, Harry was right. "It was," he answered, still feeling awful. A surge of irony washed over him again; Floo travel to and from Hogwarts was very restricted, and Apparition was out of the question because time was of the essence.

Sirius took Harry's hand, and led the shivering boy into the drawing room. He sat down on the couch with him, and began to rub soothing circles on his back to calm him down. As the silence of the house settled against them, Sirius was incredibly glad he'd had the foresight to cast a Silencing Charm on the foul portrait of his mother on the wall. He'd received a nasty surprise when he'd briefly returned here to make the Portkey; he had barely stepped in through the door when the portrait started shrieking all manner of vile things at him. He'd learned during his stint in Azkaban that Mrs. Black had died, and it seemed as though she'd had the last laugh by installing the portrait, as though she suspected that Sirius might someday return. The more logical part of him knew it was Black tradition for family members to install portraits of themselves, but Sirius couldn't help the feeling that it had been done to spite him. Right now, though, he was just glad he had cast the Silencing Charm on it; her screams and disgusting insults were the last thing Harry currently needed.

Harry took some deep breaths, trying to get his swirling emotions under control. Eventually, he lifted his head from Sirius's shoulder and asked, "Where are we?"

"My old house," Sirius replied, stroking Harry's hair. He hoped his face wouldn't show his abhorrence for the place, but knew he was not at all well-versed in hiding his true feelings. As predicted, Harry caught it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and Sirius's heart constricted at the fact that despite his own ordeal, Harry was concerned about what the other man was going through.

And it was true that Sirius was going through a deep well of turmoil as snatches of memories flew through his mind at breakneck speed. Focus on Harry, he told himself fiercely. Your childhood happened years ago. Your priority is Harry now. He comes first. Your wallowing needs to wait. They're just memories. Just memories.

But he couldn't help but answer Harry truthfully as he saw the compassion in the boy's emerald eyes. "I hated this house growing up," he admitted. "My parents ... well, let's just say they were the worst kind of people. I ran away from here when I was sixteen."

Harry's eyes widened. "You did?" he said in shock. "Then why ... why did we come here?"

"That's simple," Sirius said. "It's the safest place for us. This place holds many secrets, one of them being that no one can find it if they don't know exactly what it is they're looking for. No one will find us here unless we want them to."

At this, Harry's face sagged, the guilt-stricken expression returning at full force. "Sirius, you didn't need to do this for me," he said softly. "I'm only going to cause more trouble for you."

Sirius gazed at Harry, adopting a stern but soft tone. "Now, let me make one thing clear, Harry James," he said, holding his gaze unyieldingly. "This guilt has to stop, and it will stop right now. You are in no condition to be questioned by those Aurors, or face the rest of the school. And even if you were, I wouldn't allow it. I vowed I would take care of you, and I am going to do so. Harry, you are a child, and you have had to go through things many have never had to face in an entire lifetime. And the adults in your life, I must say, have done piss-poor jobs taking care of you. I might hate this house, but guess what? It doesn't matter. Besides," he added, his voice softening, "with you here, it won't be so bad. You and I can make it more of a home than it ever was." As he spoke, a million ideas flashed through his mind of how to make the place more habitable. "We're family, kiddo," Sirius continued, still stroking Harry's hair. "You're stuck with me."

Harry's hold tightened again, and he buried his face back into Sirius's shoulder, his breaths coming out shaky. "It's okay, Harry," Sirius soothed, and as he held onto the boy, he truly felt, for the first time, that he was on the path to redemption. His heart expanded as he clung to Harry as tightly as the boy was clinging to him. "I won't let them hurt you. Not ever. It's you and me against the world, kid, but we're going to make it. Everything will be all right now."

And despite what lay in front of them, Sirius suddenly felt a surge of hope. Maybe, just maybe, everything would be.