Disclaimer: Nope.

Author's Note: Hello everyone, and thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! I'm really glad you liked that chapter about Harry finding out about the counterpetition. Yes, he's very supported, and it's definitely true that people deeply affected by Cedric's death doesn't at all equal turning against Harry.

That's perfectly okay, what you said about Dixon. I'm just really glad you're warming to him now - he's definitely a character I love to write about.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. This one is also dedicated to Yellow 14. I honestly wasn't going to do this so early in the story, but I realized that this chapter presented the perfect opportunity. You'll see what I mean as you read! I really hope you enjoy it.

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It was the end of another week - Sunday had come, and Sirius had woken up that morning with his nerves on edge. This afternoon, he was going with Harry to Diagon Alley. They were going to face the larger wizarding world again, and in a setting that Sirius had once loved. Every year of his Hogwarts education, he had looked forward to going to the one place where witches and wizards from all walks of life could mix and mingle.

Once his first year had passed and he had developed friendships of his own, he'd had to fight with his parents to even be allowed to go. His mother certainly didn't want him "mingling with Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers", as she put it. Oh, Walburga Black certainly had a way with words, he'd thought sourly. It had taken much manipulation on his part - growing up in his family, he'd learned how to play the game. After much persuasion, Walburga and Orion had finally allowed him to go, but it couldn't be more obvious that they'd been very unhappy about it.

Now, all these years later, and after everything that had transpired, he was venturing out into familiar territory again. He remembered that as the war had gotten worse, fewer and fewer people felt safe leaving their homes. Many resorted to buying school supplies through owl order instead, fearing that Voldemort and the Death Eaters would launch an attack.

And indeed, such a thing had come to pass. Sirius had just finished his training and become a full-fledged Auror when he received the news that Diagon Alley was under attack. He and several Aurors, including James, were called to help. The Order had shown up as well, none of them surprised that Voldemort had been so brazen as to attack in broad daylight. It was chaos when Sirius arrived - there were flames coming from many of the shops, including Quality Quidditch Supplies, where several families with young children, who had ventured out despite the risks, had been browsing.

Needless to say, there had been casualties that day. Sirius had been taught that no matter what he saw in battle, he had to keep fighting. If you froze - if you hesitated for just one second - it could cost you everything, or someone near you because you weren't thinking quickly enough to shield them from whatever spell came their way. Sirius had been fighting with the Order for two years by that point, but still, when he saw several bodies littering the floor, their glassy eyes wide open and staring at the sky, he almost forgot everything. He'd seen dead people before, but this attack was more vicious than he had ever seen. Voldemort and the Death Eaters normally attacked at night, but now they were really ramping up their cruelty. They wanted people to be afraid.

Sirius recalled with crystal clarity James's face as he fought fiercely. The energy coming from him had been intense as he shot spell after spell at his enemies. Lily was so pregnant at the time that she was about to pop, and Dumbledore had forbidden her from taking part in any battles. Lily, who was usually such a firecracker and would have normally been furious at such an order, did not put up a fuss, yet both James and Sirius could see how useless she felt. She knew she had to protect the life inside her, yet she despised seeing the people she loved in battle while she had to stay at home.

Thankfully, all four Marauders had escaped that battle with only minor injuries. But Sirius would forever be haunted by the fact that others had not come out so lucky. He would never forget the sound of screams or the acrid stench of smoke as buildings he'd known and loved burned around him. He would forever recall scenes of mothers jumping in front of their children, trying to protect them from oncoming curses.

After that day, Diagon Alley practically became a ghost town. The buildings that had burned were rebuilt, but no one wanted to go there. Sirius couldn't blame them. The horror of that attack was all too fresh.

But, of course, when peacetime came, it had become a place of joy and frivolity again. Though those who had witnessed the attack or lost loved ones would never forget it, they owed it to themselves and to those they had lost to pick themselves up and go on. Sirius remembered Harry's description of how he'd felt when he'd first gone there at eleven, the awe and wonder so clear in his voice, and Sirius was glad for it. Every witch and wizard should experience that joy.

But now, another war had started. Sirius knew Harry was very much on edge about going, and it wasn't just because he was nervous about how the wizarding world would react to his presence. The fact was, there had been no attacks since the horrific murders on the night of August 31 and the pre-dawn hours of September 1. When would the next one take place? Voldemort loved to do this - he got a kick out of leaving the wizarding world in limbo, wondering when he would pounce next. It was a tactic that kept many living in fear.

But Sirius could also see Harry's determination. He was scared, but he was willing to go out there. Seeing that counterpetition, with all the names written on it, had given him a great amount of motivation. Whenever Sirius thought about how Harry had mentioned Diagon Alley in front of most of the Order, a fierce pride swelled within him. That bravery Sirius knew Harry possessed had blazed within his green eyes, and Sirius's heart was bursting with love.

And now, the time had come. Harry wandered into the living room and sat down on the couch. He was dressed well, and Sirius could tell that Harry had combed his hair to the best of his ability, but some of it still stuck up. Sirius couldn't help but smile reminiscently - how many times had he heard Lily nag James about his hair? It had always been a bone of contention between them, and when Harry had been born with the same hair, Lily was not at all amused. "What are you complaining about, Lil?" James had teased goodnaturedly with that lopsided grin that had always driven his wife insane. "He has your eyes. So what if he got stuck with my hair?" He'd reached out his hand and mussed up the tiny amount of fuzzy hair that the baby had had on his head. Lily had tried her best to look supremely annoyed, but the upward quirk of her lips had given her away.

"Harry?" Sirius asked quietly as he observed his godson. "Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to."

"I'm sure, Sirius." Even though Harry was trying, he couldn't hide the nerves he felt. And though Sirius wanted to do nothing more than deny it, he was nervous, too. He was furious with himself - as a young man, he'd never been nervous about going out in public. He was always the loud one, the boisterous one, the energetic one. He remembered the days when he was with his friends - Remus and Peter could sit and be quiet for hours, while Sirius and James saw absolutely no fun in such an endeavor. They could go out and drink the bar dry, chatting and laughing and having a grand time. Sirius had wanted that adrenaline rush as he flew his motorcycle through the sky, the wind in his hair and the joy exuding from him as he dared the world to stop him. He was the rebel, the daredevil, the one who pointed his middle finger at life when it wanted to bring him down. He was the one who laughed in the face of everyone who insulted him and had his own insults to hurl right back at the perpetrators.

But now, after experiencing Hell, after hearing the deranged cackles of prisoners night after night, after living in his worst memories year after year after year, after facing everyone at his trial and telling them what happened to him - he was not so keen to play his old role. He hated the world-weariness that would take over his entire being some days. He knew with certainty that he had only come so far in his recovery because of Harry. His responsibility over his godson had given him a focus, an anchor. And he knew that today would be just the same - no matter what he faced in Diagon Alley, he knew he could bear it. Harry's recovery took priority over his. He was the guardian, the one whom Harry counted on. Though the boy was scared, he was determined to face down his demons. He was giving Sirius an example to live by, and so he knew he had to face down his own fears.

"Are you okay?" Harry was staring at Sirius with concern, and the man realized that he might not be doing as masterful of a job of hiding his own anxiety as he thought as a sudden look of realization and sadness stole over the boy's face. "What was I thinking?" Harry whispered, and he sounded ashamed. "I should have thought of what this must be like for you. It's your first time out in the wider wizarding world since your trial."

"No, Harry." Sirius reached out his hand and gently stroked Harry's hair. "Don't ever feel guilty - I won't allow it. Today is about you, not me."

Harry shook his head, and Sirius could see stubbornness shining in his green eyes. "Just because you're my guardian and you're trying to help me recover doesn't mean that your feelings don't matter, too. If you don't want to go to Diagon Alley, we don't have to. You don't have to do this for me if you don't feel good about it."

"Harry." Sirius pulled the boy close, and Harry rested his head on his godfather's shoulder. "I do want to go. No, I won't deny that I'm nervous about it. If I said I wasn't, you wouldn't believe me." Sirius squeezed his shoulder. "But I think that in the long run, this will help us, no matter what happens. Healer Dixon has been harping on about me facing down my demons - and he's right."

Harry lifted his head from Sirius's shoulder, and he was smiling. "And I'll help you face them down, just like how I know you'll help me." Sirius saw some of the worry evaporate from Harry's expression at this pronouncement, and Sirius felt his own heart lighten as well. It still amazed him at how close the two of them had become, and how both had helped the other stay afloat through the turbulent times that they were living through. You're not alone. The three words that defined their bond came into his mind, and he knew they would always be true.

At that moment, a beeping sound filled the room. "That'll be Kingsley," Sirius said as he leaned forward towards the coffee table, where a book was resting. Aurors normally used these books to communicate with one another, but Kingsley, who was now the official Head of the Aurors, had given one to Sirius due to Harry's circumstances. If Harry was to go out in public, he would need Aurors to discreetly follow him. And Kingsley would make sure they were Aurors he trusted implicitly. It was not a situation that Harry liked in the slightest, but he understood. The Aurors would not say anything or make their presences known unless they had to, but they would keep a lookout for anything out of the ordinary.

Kingsley had informed Sirius that he, Sturgis, and Tonks would be the ones on guard duty while he and Harry were in Diagon Alley today. They'd been waiting for Kingsley to give a signal, and it seemed he had now done so.

"Are they there?" Harry asked as the determination in his eyes only grew brighter.

Sirius opened the book and read what Kingsley had written. "We are in the Leaky Cauldron now," the simple message read. "Yes, they're there," Sirius replied as he stood.

Harry stood up, too. "Let's go, then," he said simply as he and Sirius walked towards the fireplace.

The next thing they knew, they had taken the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron. It was Sunday afternoon, and there were quite a few people in the pub. Harry grinned embarrassedly at the awkwardness of his landing - he'd told Sirius all about the time in his second year when he'd Flooed to Knockturn Alley by accident. Sirius was very relieved that the boy had run into Hagrid, avoiding a situation that could have been very bad indeed. Sirius knew all too well what dangers Knockturn Alley possessed - it was a place that certain members of his so-called family frequented way too often. It was no place for someone like Harry to be.

Tom the barman spotted them, and he did a double-take at seeing who it was that had Flooed into the bar. "Oh my soul!" His exclamation caused others to look up from their meals. In the next second, though, he lowered his voice. "Will you two be wanting a table?" he asked, trying to be discreet now, and they both nodded.

But it was too late. People were beginning to stare at Sirius and Harry as Tom pointed them towards a table. The conversations everyone had been having seemed to cease instantly as all their attention was focused on the two newcomers. "I'm sorry," Tom murmured to them.

"It's okay," Harry said warily, although Sirius could sense that he was trying to be strong and not let it affect him. Sirius wanted to glower at Tom on Harry's behalf, but he also knew that the older man had meant nothing by it - he had just been startled by seeing them suddenly show up in the pub.

In order to distract himself and Harry from the scene playing out in front of them, Sirius started up a conversation with his godson about Quidditch. Harry, taking Sirius's cue, smiled and joined in, attempting to ignore all the hubbub in the pub. Conversations had started up again, and now Sirius could hear nothing but his and Harry's names.

Unfortunately, some of the talk was loud enough that Sirius could hear exactly what was being said. "The nerve," one woman was saying. "Merlin, I was so relieved the governors listened to that Hufflepuff boy who was Diggory's best friend. My Rose is a second-year Gryffindor and Potter's very presence would put her at risk. He should stay away from wizarding society until the war is over," she proclaimed.

"I hear what you're saying, Joan, but I think you should speak a little quieter," her companion said, glancing over at Sirius and Harry. "They might be able to hear you."

The first woman, Joan, shook her head. "I don't really care if they hear me or not. It's completely irresponsible for Sirius Black to be taking Harry Potter out in public at a time like this. What, do they want to see us all dead? It's bad enough what happened on August 31."

"And may I remind you that Potter didn't play a part in any of that?" the other woman said, and Sirius got the feeling that though she would always listen patiently if this subject came up, she was getting sick and tired of hearing about it. When Joan had first started speaking, Sirius had wanted to leap up from the table and start shouting at her. Her loud voice had made him completely lose track of the discussion about Quidditch that he'd been trying to have with his kiddo. It was only Harry's pleading look that stopped him, and his expression seemed to say: We talked about this. We both knew this might happen.

The second woman's true statement stopped Joan short. None of those deaths had occurred because Harry was standing there, although Sirius knew that the boy felt, in some way, responsible because he had witnessed every single one, and he wasn't sure if Voldemort had shown them to him on purpose. But none of those Ministry personnel, nor Professor Crewer, had had anything to do with Harry.

After a few seconds, Joan recovered herself. "I still think he shouldn't be out in public," she stated. Her voice grew more assured as she continued. "And no matter what Sirius Black said at his trial, I don't see how he's sane enough to care for Potter. I mean, Merlin, he was in Azkaban for twelve years!"

Now, it was Harry whose expression grew furious. "It doesn't matter." Sirius took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had been prepared for people to make comments like this about him. "She doesn't know better."

Tom came over at that moment, placing a glass of cold water down in front of both of them. "Would you two like anything else to drink?" he asked, his voice falsely cheerful. "And is there any food you'd like to order?"

"I'll have shepherds' pie, please," said Harry quietly, and Sirius ordered the same, along with a butterbeer for each of them. Tom smiled at them, and Sirius could still see the regret in his eyes at his loud exclamation when they'd first Flooed into the pub.

Sirius continued their discussion of Quidditch, trying desperately to ignore any further comments made about them. As the minutes passed and people saw that neither Sirius nor Harry were rising to the bait, conversations returned to other matters and therefore, it gave godfather and godson some respite. Harry gave Sirius a shaky smile, and Sirius felt his heart warm. They just might be able to make it through this, after all.

xxx

After both their meals had been eaten and paid for (Sirius had insisted on paying for Harry even though it was plain that the boy had wanted to pay for his own), they thanked Tom and exited the Leaky Cauldron. Even after all these years, Sirius still remembered what brick to tap with his wand in order to get into Diagon Alley. He could close his eyes and be about to start second year all over again, feeling the excitement of rebellion churning in his stomach as he waited for just the right moment to get away from his horrid family and spend time with his friends, the only people who had kept him sane that summer.

Sirius almost wished that the Aurors had stepped in when all those people had been making comments about him and Harry at the Leaky Cauldron, although he knew that they would only do so if the situation grew dangerous. He hadn't wanted it for himself - people were bound to say things about his stint in Azkaban, and there were still times when Sirius questioned his own sanity and thought they might be right. It was the comments about isolating Harry from the wizarding world until the war was over that made his blood boil. They were treating Harry like he was some kind of dark object rather than a human being with thoughts and feelings. They had no concept of what the boy had been through or that he had had nightmares night after night about Cedric's fate. Sirius wondered how many of them had been at Fudge's trial. If they'd really seen the memory of Voldemort's rebirth, how could they still treat Harry like that? Surely they'd seen the look on the child's face upon seeing Cedric's lifeless body. Surely they'd witnessed his bravery and his defiance, the way he'd stood up to Voldemort while witches and wizards so much older cowered before him.

But Sirius realized that it was fear motivating them. They didn't want the same thing happening to their loved ones. And they'd seen how Voldemort had had Cedric killed so quickly. Sirius knew how much Molly Weasley loved Harry and did not hold him responsible, yet she had explained the whole thing from a parent's perspective. As much as Sirius despised it, he understood the fear that was rocking the wizarding world now. It was just horrible that some people were using Harry as someone they could blame it all on - it wasn't fair.

But right now, he knew he had to straighten his spine and try to enjoy himself in Diagon Alley. There were people wandering around, but there was a definite difference in the atmosphere. It was true that no one was buying school supplies right now, as Hogwarts was already in session. Most of the people on the street were adults, although there were some children here who were younger than eleven. But there weren't as many people as there usually were, which was a testament to the war which was plaguing their world.

"Let's go and get you some new robes, kiddo," Sirius said with a smile; he had promised Harry they would do this today. Even if the boy didn't return to Hogwarts for a while, it didn't matter. His skin still crawled whenever he thought about the horrid clothes his so-called family had made him wear. They were huge and baggy and didn't fit Harry at all. Just the thought of them made Sirius livid.

Thoughts of this nature always led him to thoughts of Harry's reaction when he'd learned that Eileen Diggory would help them fight against Dumbledore if he wanted Harry to return to the Dursleys. His heart had broken at the look of sheer shock and grief that had stolen across the boy's face. He'd let Sirius hold him as he'd taken some deep breaths and softly asked, "She ... she'd really help me? Are you sure?"

"That woman would do anything for you, Harry." Sirius had said this with certainty. "You know that she knows where the blame for Cedric's death lies - she always has, even on the night it happened." He'd never forget the way she'd looked at Harry the morning after - her eyes had been so full of compassion and sadness after Harry had made the promise to her son that he would always fight for him. He remembered the look on her face when Harry had fainted, and the way Amos had caught him in his arms with no hesitation at all.

Still, he knew that Harry was having a difficult time dealing with the fact that she would be the one they'd go to if they had to resort to such measures. Sirius hoped they'd never have to, for the simple fact that Harry didn't need that turmoil in his life as well. Sirius honestly dreaded the day when Albus Dumbledore would come back on the scene and start interfering. Merlin, he never thought he'd have such a thought about Dumbledore, especially knowing how he'd been attacked so violently.

"Why do you always insist on getting me new clothes?" Harry asked as the two of them made their way towards Madam Malkin's. "You've already gotten me so many."

"Every teenage boy needs new clothes." Sirius patted Harry's shoulder. "And you're not about to stop me from buying them for you, so don't even try," he grinned.

Harry mock-pouted at him. "If you say so," he said in a long-suffering tone that made Sirius laugh. Still, he could tell that Harry was uncomfortable at the prospect of people buying things for him, another side effect of him living with those ... those ... those filthy monsters.

Thankfully, they had no incidents while buying robes, because Madam Malkin took no nonsense in her shop. Harry and Sirius were very grateful for that fact. The instant they exited, however, Sirius wished they'd stayed in there longer. The reason was simple: an all-too-familiar woman spotted them as she walked by, and she let out a profound, dramatic gasp. It had been years since Sirius had seen her, but Merlin, he'd know that face anywhere, unfortunately. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she stopped in her tracks. "Merlin above!" Her voice was shrill and loud, and Sirius actually cringed at its cadence. "Oh, my Lord! Oh, sweet Merlin! Sirius Black?"

"Hello, Doris," said Sirius, his heart sinking. Of all the people to run into in Diagon Alley ...

"I can't BELIEVE this!" Doris Purkiss exclaimed as her face transformed, and she gave Sirius one of the biggest smiles he had ever seen. "I've been thinking about you for all these years - I could NEVER get you off my mind! I always knew that you would come back to me someday! You were magnificent at your trial - I always knew you were innocent. I waited for you in the atrium - I wanted to congratulate you! Where were you?"

Sirius openly scoffed. She hadn't always known he was innocent - what a bloody joke. Why in Merlin's name had he made the mistake of dating this nutcase for three weeks? She might have been a pretty face, but she had one of the most cringe-worthy personalities he had ever discovered. During his Hogwarts days, he'd had flings with girls of all different types, and it had boosted his ego to know that so many ladies worshiped the ground he walked on. But she had been too much for even him. Hearing her talk about destiny and fate, about how incredibly lucky she was to be dating the great Sirius Black - that kind of talk had stroked his ego at first, but when, after only three weeks, she'd asked him about marriage and babies, he knew it wasn't going to work out. Obsessed didn't even begin to cover how she felt about him. It was actually scary. When he'd broken up with her, she hadn't believed it. "You don't mean that," was her constant refrain, and even when he'd begun dating other girls, she was absolutely convinced he'd come back to her.

"What the hell did you get yourself into?" James had asked, his eyes round with shock after hearing Doris spout some nonsense about how the stars had told her that she and Sirius were meant to be together. "She's a complete psycho."

Remus, however, hadn't been so sympathetic. He'd given Sirius a disapproving look that told his friend plainly that it served him right. Sirius had been known to hurt many girls' feelings in the past, stringing them along and then getting bored with them. Now there was one that wasn't leaving him alone, and Sirius was reaping what he'd sown.

And now, all these years later, Doris still seemed like she hadn't changed at all. "Excuse me, Doris," he said, his voice cold, but he didn't care. "My godson and I are here to go shopping." He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder protectively.

"Oh! Oh, that's right! Harry Potter, you are the luckiest boy in the world to have Sirius Black as your godfather!" The woman's smile grew even wider.

"Yes, I am," the boy said proudly, grinning at Sirius reassuringly as if to say: I'll help to get you out of this. "And we have a very busy day ahead of us. It was really nice meeting you."

Sirius wanted to laugh - Harry couldn't have made it clearer that it wasn't "really nice" meeting her at all. He was looking at Doris rather coldly too, knowing that she could pose a problem.

Doris didn't get the hint, which Sirius had been afraid of. "It's been so long since I've seen Sirius. I'd at least like to talk to him for a minute," she persisted. "Why weren't you in the atrium after your trial?" She turned back to Sirius, and repeated her question from earlier.

Before Sirius could answer, Harry stepped in. "Because he was exhausted," the boy snapped. "Because he didn't need people asking him a thousand questions when he'd been stuck at the Ministry for six days. Because he'd just had to share the worst years of his life with practically the entire wizarding world. Because he knew that people wouldn't mind their own business," he said, giving her a pointed look.

But this didn't sway her. "Well, at least I get to see you now," she said to Sirius. Turning to Harry again, she said, "I'm sure Sirius told you that we dated while we were in school, right? He was the best boyfriend I've ever had."

"More like I was the only boyfriend you've ever had," Sirius said, his voice as cold as the Arctic. "I wasn't smart enough to discover that you were insane before I dated you."

Doris looked shocked for a split second before she recovered herself. "You don't mean that," she said with a loud laugh, giving Sirius flashbacks to when he told her, after three weeks, that he didn't want to be with her anymore. "Maybe you could go and get yourself some ice cream while Sirius and I have a little chat? After all, children your age could never say no to ice cream, hmm?" This time, when she looked at Harry, it was with a condescending glance. She would much prefer that Harry go away, and she wouldn't care where he went or whether he was safe as long as she had Sirius all to herself.

"I think Harry is staying here with me, thank you very much, and you're going to bugger off." Sirius was getting angry now. "You need help, Doris. Major help."

"But you love me." Tears filled the woman's eyes suddenly, and Sirius was horrified. "I knew you broke up with me because you were trying to protect me from your evil family. And now you're trying to protect me from You-Know-Who. It's okay, Sirius. You don't need to do that for me. I'm not afraid of You-Know-Who. You know I'd do anything - anything - for you, Sirius, even if it meant my own safety, my own life. It wasn't a coincidence that I met you here today, after all. We were meant to be together - even after all these years, I know it. None of the other girls you dated mattered to you. I always knew I was the one."

"Get away from him." Harry sounded scared and furious in equal measure. "Didn't you hear him say no, that he doesn't want you? What's the matter with you?"

"You're just a stupid child, Harry Potter. Don't you get it? We're in love!" Doris shouted at the boy, causing others in the alley to start staring.

"I was NEVER in love with you, you stupid cow!" Sirius snarled at her. "Dating you was one of the worst decisions I ever made. You were talking about marriage and babies after three bloody weeks! And no, I'm sorry to burst your egotistical bubble, but I didn't end things with you to protect you from my family. I ended things with you because you're a lunatic," he seethed. "And if you ever deign to speak to Harry like that again, I'll ..."

"Doris Purkiss, you will leave Sirius and Harry alone this instant." Sirius felt a flood of relief as Kingsley, Sturgis, and Tonks suddenly appeared as if from nowhere, surrounding Doris. "What you are doing is unacceptable."

It was Sturgis who had spoken, and Doris was taken aback by the authority in his voice. "I ... I wasn't going to hurt them." She now spoke in a small voice. "I ... I've just missed Sirius so much ... it's been so long ... and he wants me. He loves me. He can try to deny it all he wants, but he does."

Kingsley looked at her coldly. "If you continue this harassment, we will have to take you in." His tone was completely serious.

"You wouldn't do that! I'm not a criminal!" Tears were streaming down Doris's face now. "Why am I getting punished because I love someone?"

"You'll get punished because you're harassing someone." Sturgis spoke to her quietly. "Please cease what you are doing and allow Harry and Sirius to be on their way. Thank you."

"You'll be sorry for this, Sirius!" Doris shrieked hysterically before turning and running in the opposite direction, not caring how many people she shoved out of her way as she went.

"Are you okay, cousin?" Tonks asked, looking into Sirius's face before addressing Harry. "Merlin, I'm sorry that happened. Are you okay, Harry?"

"I ... I'm fine." Harry was looking horrified. "What's wrong with that woman?"

Sirius sighed, exhaustion suddenly consuming him. "It seems as though," he said softly, "my Hogwarts days have come back to haunt me." He looked at Harry with guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

"It's not your fault that woman's crazy, Sirius," Harry said, smiling shakily. "You look horrible - I think we'd better go home."

"I think that's best, yes." Kingsley nodded. "We'll make sure you get back to the Leaky Cauldron without any further issues, okay?"

"I'm very proud of how you two handled that altercation," Sturgis said sincerely. "But we couldn't let it go on any longer."

"Thanks for stepping in," Harry said, smiling at the Aurors.

"Yeah," Sirius croaked. "I don't think I want to know what might have happened next."

"No problem." Tonks smiled. She, Kingsley, and Sturgis then walked away, and within a few seconds, Sirius couldn't see them anymore. They were doing a very good job of keeping themselves hidden. He had no doubt that they would make sure that he and Harry returned safely to the Leaky Cauldron so that they could Floo home.

The next several minutes passed without incident, thankfully. Many people gaped at them, but no one asked any questions - even though the Aurors had disappeared out of sight, it was clear that many in the alley were afraid they would return and be after them if they gave Harry and Sirius any trouble.

It wasn't until godfather and godson had returned to Grimmauld Place and they were sitting in their customary positions on the couch that Sirius finally spoke again. He let out a slow, deep breath and asked gently, "How are you holding up, Harry?"

"I ... I'm okay." He answered slowly, but Sirius knew he was telling the honest truth. "It's you I'm more worried about."

Sirius pulled Harry close, feeling his heartrate slow as Harry's familiar warmth soothed him. "Do you know how incredibly lucky I am?" he whispered.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he snuggled into Sirius.

"You were amazing back there." Sirius smiled at him warmly. "The way you spoke to her ... I can't believe you defended me like that."

"I was rather rude to her, I know." Harry smiled back. "But I'm not sorry," he said with a wink.

Sirius laughed. "That's one person you should never be sorry for being rude to," he replied. "But ... seriously, Harry. Thank you. Thank you so much. If you knew what I got up to at Hogwarts, I don't think you'd be so quick to stand up for me."

Harry looked embarrassed as he asked his next question. "Did you date a lot of girls?" he asked hesitantly.

"Too many." Sirius answered ashamedly. "I was stupid and couldn't commit to any of them. I'd date them for a few weeks, or a few months, and then dump them. Granted, I was called nasty names and hexed a lot for my trouble. But there was something ... exhilarating about so many girls wanting me. Looking back on it, I know I behaved very badly. Remus called me out on it a time or two. I honestly didn't mean to hurt them ... but that doesn't matter because I did. There's no justification for it."

"And so Doris was one of those girls you dated?" Harry asked quietly. Sirius was surprised at how well the boy had taken his confession - he'd expected him to be angry, or at least disappointed.

"Yeah," Sirius said. "At first, I loved how much she seemed to love me, but it got old really quickly. I mean, really, really quickly."

"Did she really talk about marriage and ... er ... kids ... after three weeks?" Sirius had a difficult time not smiling at Harry's sheer embarrassment when he spoke those words.

"Yeah. I ended things very, very quickly after that." Sirius sighed. "Once again, because of past decisions I made, this happened. I'm so sorry, Harry."

"Sirius, I said it before. It's not your fault that woman's mad." Harry looked Sirius directly in the eye. "And I know you think I should judge you for what you did in the past. I didn't know you then, Sirius. It wouldn't be right of me to judge you. You already know that what you did was wrong - you don't need me to tell you that. And you're not trying to justify it, and I don't think you'd do that kind of stuff anymore."

"You're right, pup. I wouldn't." Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head, truly cherishing what he had and knowing he didn't deserve it. "If we'd gone to school at the same time, I don't think you would have liked me very much," he confessed guiltily. Scenes of him and James humiliating those who they thought were lesser came to mind, and he cringed at his own behavior.

It was clear that Harry didn't quite know how to respond to that. Sirius sighed, knowing he could never, ever tell Harry that James had thought Sirius's complete inability to commit was funny - well, he had until he grew up and realized how serious he was about Lily. Trying to get her to date him had been a game to him for so long - that was, until their world darkened and James saw that Lily was a human being and not a prize to be won.

Harry finally spoke, and Sirius knew he meant every word. "I love you now, and that's what matters," he said quietly. "You changed, Sirius. You're not the person you were then."

"I changed because of you," Sirius whispered. "I want to be the right kind of guardian, for you."

"You are." Harry reassured him quietly. After a few seconds, he said, "I really am sorry, you know. About Doris. I hope she never bothers you again."

"The Aurors will see to it that she won't. Of that, I have no doubt," Sirius reassured.

"So you'll be okay if we go into Diagon Alley again soon?" Harry asked, and another surge of pride came to life within Sirius.

"We can go whenever you want, kiddo," Sirius promised. "Just say the word."