Long time no see haha but guess whose spent the last few days furiously writing to get this out to you guys! I didn't expect it to take so long given it was just supposed to be about the Wizengamot but Harry took the second half out of my control and ran with it, like this chapter is over 5000 words alone! That's double the length of my usual chapters lol. Also there may be a little projection of my current tiredness levels haha but I do hope you enjoy!

Amory K – oh thank you that's so sweet! And here the next chapter is! I hope you enjoy this one as well :)

jkarr – thank you so much 3

DarkRavie – I'm so happy you like the story! This chapter's quite a long one and I hope you enjoy it! :)

Chapter 29

Harry glanced around nervously as the Wizengamot begun to gather, Hermione's hand gripping his tightly. Sirius had offered to let him stay at home, to continue being his regent for this session especially since he was seeing Healer Morgan afterwards, but he had refused since he wasn't about to leave Hermione there alone as Sirius wouldn't be seated anywhere near her.

"Do you know where he is? I thought he'd be here now?"

He turned to look at Hermione who gazed anxiously back at him, biting her lip as she looked around, searching for the familiar dark hair. "I'm sure he'll be here soon, he might have got caught up coming down here, I know he was meeting with Madam Bones this morning."

Hermione only hummed in return, eyes still scouring the room as it slowly began to fill up with robed members of the Wizengamot, most of whom were either outright ignoring them or giving them disdainful looks.

Finally, sweeping in with Madam Bones and Lord Greengrass, Sirius appeared and tossed the two of them a grin as the doors now opened for everyone to flock in. Gripping Hermione's hand tightly Harry was moved along in the crowd, trying to hide his grimace at the hands and material brushing himself as the entire Wizengamot tried to make their way in at once.

A buzz of chatter arose as members began taking their seats as Harry made his way over to his seat he held with the title Lord Gryffindor, a choice that had been made after much discussion since Sirius would be on the opposite side of the room and the Lord Potter seat, while closer, was still too far away for either his or Hermione's comfort. Mostly his, Harry had to admit as he took his seat, knowing that of the two of them it was hardly like it would be Hermione who would begin to struggle if it became too technical.

As Madam Bones introduced the new session, Harry's attention began to drift. He caught sight of Tonks and Kingsley by the doors guarding it and gave a smile in response to Tonks grin when she caught his eye. His attention then turned to thinking about the evidence of who the mystery group terrorising the wizarding world they would have to present when Madam Bones began reading out the agenda for today's session. His throat dry he swallowed, knotting his fingers together on his lap as he let the words wash over him, his mind on the speech Hermione had him prepare for when it was his turn to speak.

"On the first topic to be presented to the Wizengamot, I invite Lord Black to stand."

Whispers whipped around the hall at her words, the volume only increasing as Sirius stood up to speak. Harry couldn't help but admire the relaxed look on his face, wishing that one day he could appear like that to the masses, particularly when in a room of people that hated and were suspicious of him. Merlin, he'd had enough of that in fifth year, and doing it again in a room of people who by all means should be adults was not fun.

"The downfall of Voldemort should have been the end to the waves of terror our world has undergone in the last few decades." Sirius's voice was loud in the silence, echoing around the smooth walls of the chamber. "But instead a new group, one we mistakenly thought was remnants of death eaters that led to accusations that once again this house, this ministry, had failed it's people in keeping them safe," his eyes swept over the room, everyone focused on him, drawn to the depth of power that reverberated in his voice as he spoke. "These accusations are wrong and damaging. However, they will soon be put to rest now the true identity and motive has been identified by two of our members." His eyes then gravitated towards Harry, face passive but eyes looking upon him with such pride he could barely stand to keep eye contact with the man. "I invite Lord Gryffindor and Lady Ravenclaw to stand."

The use of this title, not Lord Potter, was also deliberate in a political sense and not just an emotional one. There hadn't been a Lord Gryffindor or Lady Ravenclaw available to take the House seat for centuries and the fact that there were now was a big deal, with this session the first that either would be filled given all previous ones had had Sirius stand as a proxy from his seat as Lord Black, leading to little actual attention from the Wizengamot on their new titles compared to the gossip columns in the press. Now, however, now it was a fact they couldn't ignore. Two of the oldest and most respected houses had representatives once again, and they weren't willing to mess around and pander to some of the more archaic beliefs of the Wizarding world perpetuated by the ministry.

As agreed previously the night before, Hermione stepped forward to speak first. "Last week, I was approached under the assumption that I would join a new group who were looking to expand muggleborn rights, an area left behind long ago by this very government. In fact, an area so long ignored while those very people have spent the last few decades being mercilessly persecuted during the rise and fall of Voldemort that they have decided to take matters into their own hands. Under the guise of death eaters by reclaiming their symbol they have taken action against purebloods and those that associate with them, regardless of their beliefs on muggleborns, due to seeing them as either bigots or enablers of them as this very government has had so much time to change things, particularly after Voldemort fell for the first time back when I was an toddler, but instead you allowed known death eaters back into the ministry with nothing more than the exchange of galleons and allowed the deep divide being sown between magical beings to deepen. With this knowledge, while I declined to join the group due to their abhorrent actions, can anyone truly blame them for reacting this way, for distrusting the ministry about their safety after knowing what happened last time Voldemort fell, how they were treated and ignored?"

"It is why," Harry continued, stepping forward next to her while raising his voice over the explosion of noise in response to her speech. Still, it took Minister Bones calling out for silence until he was able to hear himself speak. "It is why," he repeated, "that alongside rounding up members of this group so they can accept justice for their actions of violence against others, it is also important that we do demonstrate change so that these groups have no power anymore. This is not a group that should exist but it does due to being pushed and pushed and pushed to the extreme by constant persecution for something they were born with. And that is why I propose a new bill, a bill that champions muggleborn rights, rights that they should have had and have deserved this whole time."

And with that Harry fell silent and sat back in his seat alongside Hermione, rather proud he didn't just collapse back into it like he wanted to, happy to let the ensuing shouts wash over him as it meant the attention of the room was no longer on him and instead lay on Minister Bones attempting to lay order to the room and have people speak their thoughts one at a time so it was possible to hear what they wanted to say. He gave a rather shaky smile to Hermione when she caught his eye and she gave him a nervous one back, something that brought relief to him at knowing he wasn't the only one not quite comfortable in such a situation. As Minister Bones began to regain some control of the situation, Hermione leaned over to him, voice soft as she whispered "Do you think they'll actually agree to draw up a bill?"

Harry frowned, gaze flicking around the room as he thought. "I mean, ever since Madam Bones became Minister, she has been far better at clearing out any death eaters in the ministry who had clung on back when Fudge had her position. Therefore you'd think that with enough traditionalists weeded out we at least have a chance now."

"But you don't think they will?"

The weight on his chest was oppressive as Hermione's question hung in the air. "I don't think it can be guaranteed," he said eventually, voice heavy. "And with the past… actions the Wizengamot have done, I quite frankly don't trust them at all, even with those like Malfoy now out of their seats."

Hermione grunted, brows drawn and arms crossed as she stared ahead when Harry turned to look at her. "It's ridiculous," she burst out, her scowl deepening. "The amount of obstacles just to be seen and treated as equal to purebloods is – it's absurd! I mean, I'm just as much a person as – as Ron, and just because my parents are muggles that should not determine my value. Not to mention because of that it is so unfair as we have to work twice as hard to only get half as far as purebloods in some situations, and then they wonder why muggleborns have little interest in remaining in the wizarding world. Like it's not as if they are welcoming or anything."

"I know, it's just stupid," Harry muttered, sighing as he swept his hair out of his face, leaning his head against the back of his chair and closing his eyes. He was just so tired. So tired of the constant fight with the ministry to be heard, the fight to have purebloods recognise them as equals, the fight against extremist groups such as Voldemort trying to destroy peoples right to live based on nothing but the blood they were born with. It was all just so exhausting.

The rest of the session passed excruciatingly slowly, the only things agreed upon were the aurors going after the muggleborn rights group to stop them causing anymore harm and that plans for a bill on muggleborn rights would be drawn up. The rest was spent going through the other few issues Minister Bones had scheduled, such as the issue that witches were not allowed to stand as regents when wizards were, and then spending the remaining time arguing over every issue that had been brought up. Finally, after hours, most of which Harry spent propping his eyes open and doing his best 'I am definitely listening and knowing what is going on around me' face that he had practised to perfection in Snape's class, the session was brought to a close and they were allowed the leave.

Relief flooding through him Harry almost leapt to his feet, gratefully stumbling towards the door and his brain only briefly acknowledging it was Hermione's hold on his robe that meant he didn't faceplant right on the floor.

"What has got into today?" she hissed, a frown marring her face that was a lot closer to his then it was a second ago as they left the chamber.

Harry blinked slowly, brain feeling like mush as he tried to organise his thoughts coherently. "Um, just, tired you know," he said eventually, shrugging loosely, his shoulders feeling about as light as two chunks of concrete.

"No, actually, no I don't know." Her voice had risen slightly, tone sharpening as she clung to his arm and dragged him to the corner of the Wizengamot room – or, wait, hadn't they already left that? The corner of the chamber outside then? Harry wasn't sure, most of his brain power focuses on Hermione's face, or rather the way her lips moved as she talked and he could hear the noise but couldn't make any of it out as he blinked slowly, his eyelids feeling like they were weighed down with stone. Swaying slightly he squeezed his eyes closed, hoping when he opened them he may be a little rejuvenated only to discover just how hard it actually was to reopen them, eventually forcing them open to slits and getting a blurry look at the concern painted over his girlfriend's face. Worry settled inside him, he didn't like it when she was worried as it never meant anything good, and attempted to ask if she was okay, ask what was wrong, but with the way her concern only deepened as he tried to speak, words coming out slurred, he frowned, frustration bubbling when he couldn't seem to express what he wanted. It was only when another touch landed on his shoulder, the warmth of his godfather's voice floating over him, that he let his eyes drift closed again, the increasing urgence in his tone not being picked up by his thoughts as everything returned to a beautiful, beckoning black that he finally let himself sink into.

Sirius buried his face in his hands as Hermione sat silent across from him, hand gripping onto Harry's tightly. Finally, Madam Pomfrey stepped back, eyes still tight but the purse around her lips relaxing slightly as she moved away from the patient she was treating. "It's nothing serious, just extreme exhaustion from what I can tell. He must not have slept well for quite a few weeks now or had extreme insomnia for the last few days to be at the point of collapse," she said grimly, but her face softened a little as she turned to Hermione. "Have you noticed any changes to Lord Potter's sleep pattern lately? It's alright if not." The fondness in her voice for the brightest witch of the generation and regular visitor to the Hospital wing was clear.

Pursing her lips, Hermione shook her head regretfully, saying "I had no idea, I mean, I knew he wasn't sleeping well per say but then that's hardly a surprise, he's always had nightmares, especially after fourth year. And then with how Voldemort messed with his mind last year…" she glanced over at Sirius anxiously, "well having interrupted sleep isn't something uncommon for him. But to this extent?" She shook her head. "It's never been this bad, but why I don't know, it's not something he ever mentioned to me."

Madam Pomfrey hummed, frowning down at Harry before turning Sirius. "He'll be perfectly fine once he wakes, just as long as you, or indeed Hermione," she said, glancing at the girl, "keeps him on a somewhat normal sleep schedule for the next week at the very least, just so his body has some time to recover and catch up properly. After all, aside from the obvious," she waved a hand at his prone body, "poor sleep can affect far more than you can realise, such as your overall health and the likelihood of catching illnesses. Not to mention the effect it could have on his grades, which he needs to be good if he still wants to be an auror."

With that she turned sharply, returning to her office and leaving a few spare potions of dreamless sleep to be given to Harry if he didn't improve his sleep. Sirius meanwhile stayed frozen, mind stuck on the last words uttered out of her mouth. 'If he still wants to be an auror'.

"Sirius?" Hermione asked hesitantly, "Are you alright?"

"Since," he frowned, his voice coming out all croaked and he cleared, trying again. "Since when did Harry plan to be an auror."

Hermione's face shuttered at that, her gaze falling from his and returning to Harry's. "He never said anything to you?"

"Not a word. Not –" Sirius paused, mind flicking back to a conversation where Harry actually had said he wanted to be an auror, a decision he had praised at the time not even thinking just what the consequences of that job could be. "Well, he mentioned it. In passing."

"Ah." She stayed silent for another minute before sighing, turning to face him head on. Meeting her gaze anxiety curled within him, thoughts flicking back to the Quidditch match where they were attacked, and then further back, to the fight in the Ministry. The fear he had felt when he heard Harry had gone to the ministry, pulled in by a trap, lured in by his connection to his broken godfather who had been such as burden on Harry's mind for so long, and knowing that it was that which could get his beloved godson killed. To know that Harry was planning to go into a field that was filled with so much danger, danger he had a first hand knowledge of due to his own auror career before his arrest, danger he didn't even think to consider when Harry had first brought it up… he felt sick. What if he lost him? How could he keep his promise to Prongs and Lily to keep him safe if he became an auror – a promise he had already broken to pieces but had sworn, back to the cruel stone in Azkaban, that if he ever got a second chance with Harry he would hold himself to that promise with his life.

"It's the only career path I think he's ever considered," Hermione began, shrugging. "He's never been particularly drawn to any other vocation like healing, and he's only ever seen himself as any good at DADA, even though he still does well in his other subjects, in particular transfiguration and charms." Her gaze dropped from his back to Harry's, mouth twisting as she looked sadly at him. "I think because of all that Voldemort did to him, all the danger he's suffered over the last five years, it's what he is comfortable with. Being in danger, having to adapt and think of his feet in high pressure situations? He's amazing at that. Being an auror seemed like an obvious next step I suppose, especially when in fifth year we had Tonks, Mad Eye, and Kingsley around."

Sirius grimaced at the names, remembering the way Tonks had joked about Mad Eye rejoining to train Harry if he became an auror. "Mad Eye has always been excited – or as excited as that man can get – about the thought of Harry becoming an auror," he groused, a sour feeling building in his chest. He knew he didn't really have any legitimate reasons for stopping Harry, especially when it would be so hypocritical since he himself had been an auror, not mention Amelia had asked him to help the aurors take down the muggleborn group. It made him feel worse, in a way, given that he was against Harry doing something he was happy to do himself, but it was hard. It had been hard enough when Prongs had been an auror, and they'd often worked together, not to mention the difficulty he had wrestled with when they had joined the Order of the Phoenix the first time and having to watch others go on missions without him and when they came back injured he felt like it was his fault, like he hadn't protected them well enough. This feeling though, this feeling was multiplied ten times at least with Harry, and yet with his life so far, who better to become an auror?

"You do know I don't like him throwing himself into danger any more than you do, right?"

Hermione's voice, while tired, also had an undertone of amusement as she gave him a small smile. On reflex he gave her a weak one back, acknowledging her with a nod. It seemed to be what she was looking for though, and she continued "But I'm also happy for him to – well also to do what he loves – but mainly for all that being an auror is dangerous, it's the… safest danger, I suppose. Given that he spends most of his time in dangerous situations unprepared and by himself, while when he's an auror he'll have an entire team he can fall back on, as well as the resources to go into a situation with as much knowledge as possible."

"I know," Sirius sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, "and with his father and I also having been aurors it's incredibly hypocritical as well."

"You were an auror?"

He looked up in surprise, a little bit of shock creeping in at the wide eyed look Hermione gave him demonstrating that she truly hadn't known. "Oh yes, um, we started training the minute we got out of Hogwarts. Mad Eye trained us as well, just like he did for Tonks, and we had a lot of fun under him, obviously less so on the missions, especially when the war really began to intensify."

"He'd like to hear that I think, some of the stories," Hermione said softly, glancing at Harry with a fond smile on her face, a flicker of wistfulness crossing her face. "He knows so little about you and his dad, I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

Sirius wanted to kick himself. Why had he never thought of that? It wasn't as if they never talked about Prongs anyway, he had entertained Harry and Ron (and Hermione, although she would never admit it) enough times with stories of the pranks they pulled at Hogwarts but he'd never even considered talking about their time after Hogwarts, his thoughts only ever drawn to the war they'd been pulled into, followed swiftly by his grief over Lily and Prongs's deaths.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a soft groan as Harry shifted, eyelids slowly starting to flutter as he began to wake up. Both he and Hermione turned towards Harry, Sirius dragging his chair closer until his knees were almost touching the bed.

"Harry," Hermione voice, while low, still carried a tone of urgency to it as his eyes finally opened, Harry blinking slowly at her. Sirius was relieved to notice that at first glance he appeared okay, if a bit confused.

"Hermione? Sirius? Where – why are we in the hospital wing? I thought we were at the Wizengamot?" Harry frowned as he struggled to pull himself up, Sirius quickly laying a hand on his arm to gently push him back down, murmuring something about him needing to take it easy. His frown deepened at the words and Sirius internally winced; perhaps that hadn't been the best thing to say to Harry of all people.

"You collapsed Harry," Hermione interrupted, a matching frown on her face. "You collapsed in the room outside the Wizengamot chamber after talking and looking like you had been drugged Harry, drugged! Then Sirius and I rushed you here as it would be far quicker to get Madam Pomfrey to look at you then a healer at St Mungo's and you know what she found Harry? That you were sleep deprived. That you were so sleep deprived your body could physically not keep you awake any longer. Do you know just how much sleep you need to miss to get that bad? Do you know how –"

"Alright Hermione," Sirius interrupted, his calm voice a sharp contrast to the increasingly hysterical tone she was starting to take. He knew she was tired herself, having had many a late night staying up to plan this very Wizengamot meeting, and to have her boyfriend fall unconscious after a very controversial topic was breached when he had been so recently attacked… it was hardly a surprise she was beginning to reach her breaking point. "Now he's awake why don't you head down to the Great Hall to get something to eat and then you can bring something back for Harry, given neither of you have eaten since breakfast this morning."

For a minute she looked like she was about to protest but eventually nodded, getting up and giving them both a tired smile before leaving. Sirius watched her go with a flutter of concern and turning back to Harry, he could see it reflected it his godson's face.

"Is she okay?" he whispered, gaze dropping to his hands as he fiddled with his sleeve. Sirius sighed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"I think she's had a lot on her plate, you know she's had the media on her case, the difficulty of what was thought to be death eaters and now we know are the very opposite, and now with your little episode I just think it's becoming a bit much for her." At the remorseful expression settling on Harry's face as he looked up at his godfather, shoulders dropping, Sirius sighed. Placing a hand on Harry's shoulder he squeezed, giving him a smile that he hoped looked more real than it felt. "It's not really your fault, I know you wouldn't have let it get to this point if you thought this would happen and I don't want you blaming yourself, okay? But what I do want from you is some honesty." He paused to make sure he had Harry's full attention, the jittery feeling of anxiety beginning to bubble under his skin. "Just – how did this happen? How long haven't you been sleeping for? And why? Is it nightmares again? Something else? And why wouldn't you mention it? You know I'm here for you, alright, and we've talked about asking for help before, so why didn't you this time?"

He hoped the hurt didn't show through his voice at the end, after all he knew that although it wasn't like Harry had just come to live with him, after over 15 years of being unable to ask for help or rely on adults in any capacity it wouldn't be a skill he'd learn overnight but rather something he had to be constantly reminded until it began to sink in. Still, all the logic in the world couldn't cover the instant irrational hurt he felt every time Harry didn't come to him, swiftly followed by guilt and grief over how different things could've been, how different things should've been. It was then he had to think of something else and not go down the path long trodden during his time in Azkaban. Too much thinking of what ifs and it would drive him mad.

"I didn't think it would get this bad." Harry sighed, looking away from Sirius and instead focusing on the bits of Hogwarts grounds that he could see from the window. "It just… the dreams from last year never really went away. Not that Voldemort is still in my mind," he added hurriedly, correctly guessing the panic Sirius felt at his words, "but that I still see the door in my mind, that and… and what happened next."

Harry's gaze dropped back to his hand, one of which Sirius immediately took hold of, his mind flicking back to the attack at the ministry. He didn't have to guess to know just what Harry's dreams of the door turned into.

"I just – I didn't mean to not sleep, it just happened. There was always another reason not to go to bed such as homework, planning quidditch practise or sessions of the duelling club, or, or, just anything that I could think of so I didn't have to sleep until I had too and was so tired then I wasn't just lying there thinking, or likely to remember if I dreamed at all. It just – it was easier, I suppose, then dealing with it."

"Have you not talked about the fight at the ministry with Healer Morgan?" Sirius asked, frowning. He would've thought that would be the place they started at, given it was the most recent… event or whatever you called the shit Harry was put through every year.

Harry shook his head. "We've just been doing my childhood mostly, unlearning stuff from the Dursleys, that kind of thing. And – and we've touched on fourth year, the last task, as well. Only recently, but um, yeah, we haven't talked about the ministry fight yet."

Sirius sighed, pulling Harry into a hug. His godson stiffened slightly, clearly not having expected the contact, before moving to return the hug and squeezing Sirius tightly while burying his head in Sirius's shoulder. Sirius felt something relax within him at the contact, finally feeling some of the stress of the situation begin to bleed out of him. Harry was with him and he was okay, no one drugged him or anything bad, just his own inner demons. Still not a good thing, but at least he didn't have to worry about yet another person targeting his godson.

It was only the click of the door opening that he finally pulled away from his godson, turning around to see Hermione enter with two trays carefully held as she shut the door with her foot. Sirius stood up and took the trays, giving her a grateful smile as he handed one to Harry and kept the other for himself as he retook his seat. Hermione settled back into her seat on the opposite side of the bed, focusing back on Harry.

"Ron said he'd stop by later and that he would've been by earlier but Professor McGonagall gave him detention. Guess he found out that the number of times you can't hand your homework in a row is only three times with her class."

Harry laughed at that, the sound further causing Sirius to relax as he started in on his dinner. For all he had berated the two earlier for not eating since breakfast, it wasn't like he'd had anything since then either. They then fell into a semi comfortable silence, him and Harry eating while Hermione tried to sit still and pretend that she wasn't affected by Harry once again ending up in the hospital wing. Eventually Sirius decided that it would be him that had to bite the bullet, clearly waiting for one of the teens to address the elephant in the room would leave them sitting here in silence for as many years as it took to take Voldemort down.

"So, Harry, would you like to inform Hermione what happened?"

While the look of his face shouted no, he eventually put down his fork that had been clutched tight in his hand while hovering in the air for at least a minute. "The dreams haven't stopped," he mumbled. "Like, it's not from Voldemort anymore, but I still keep having nightmares about the door and the fight in the ministry after except – except that not everyone makes it out." He swallowed. "That, combined with everything else going on, just meant that I avoided going to bed until late. I didn't realise it had gotten so bad."

"Oh Harry," Hermione said softly, squeezing his free hand softly. "That's awful, why didn't you tell us? We could've helped you, or perhaps Healer Morgan could? I presume you haven't mentioned this to him," she finished, lips down turning slightly in disapproval. Harry's mumbled conformation of that fact was then interrupted by Madam Pomfrey swanning back in, arriving at Harry's bedside in seconds. Hermione and Sirius both sat back to let her work, watching her quiz Harry as she poked and prodded him for a few minutes before giving him a strict lecture and then releasing him.

With a relieved look on his face Harry stood up, Sirius pulling him in for another hug before being about to head to McGonagall's office when he remembered something, instead turning to face Harry and Hermione. "Hey Hermione, just quickly, have you ever considered seeing a mind healer?"

Hermione blinked in surprise at him before shaking her head slowly, frowning as she thought about the idea. "No, I've never seen a particular need to. After all I had a nice childhood with my parents and it's hardly like I'm the one who went through hell every year thanks to Voldemort's obsession with me."

Sirius sighed internally. "Just because someone had it worse doesn't mean you haven't had your own struggles. You've been through just as much shit as he has, supported him through all the situations and joining him in many of them to the detriment of your own health whether that be your injuries in the fight with the ministry or being petrified in second year. I do think it would be a good idea for you to see someone as well, especially after recent events and that for all your parents are lovely, they don't and probably never will properly understand this world and it would be a good idea to have someone to help you cope with your experiences. Anyway," he finished, deciding to wrap his impromptu little speech, "just have a think about it."

"I will, thank you Sirius," she said gratefully, giving him a smile. With that she and Harry both disappeared in the direction of the Gryffindor dorms, leaving Sirius by himself in the corridor. Running a hand through his hair he began to make his way to McGonagall's office. Hopefully, Moony still had some of that firewhisky. He needed a goddamn drink.