A/N: No matter how busy 'real life' gets I always seem to have time for this story! Enjoy :) x

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Chapter 10 - Speaking Out

Harry got the distinct feeling Sirius wasn't telling him something as he prepared to leave Grimmauld Place for Hogwarts.

He hated leaving his godfather in the house he detested, and wished there was a way to see more of the man when he was at school.

"Go have fun." Sirius said with a forced smile as he waved Harry and the others off. "And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Harry wasn't sure exactly what there was that his reckless godfather wouldn't do, but he promised to behave himself nonetheless.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Hermione said as he voiced his concerns to her later in the common room. "He just doesn't like being alone in that house."

"No, it's more than that." Harry insisted with a frown. "It was the way he was looking at me. It was like he knew something I didn't…"

"Why don't you ask him?" Ron suggested. "It's Sirius. He won't say no to anything from you."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I think I will."

They agreed to meet up with Remus and Sirius during their next Hogsmeade weekend at which Harry determined to ask his godfather what was really going on.

Term was off to a bad start. He'd argued with Umbridge in a DADA class again and been given another week's detentions. He was missing flying more than ever and, possibly worst of all, being tortured on a weekly basis by Snape in their occlumency lessons.

The potions master seemed to take great pleasure in forcing him to relive a number of painful and embarrassing memories from his time at the Dursleys, or else pretending to vomit as more recent ones of him and Sirius came to mind.

Fortunately he had the DA to distract him, and it was very good seeing them all again after the Christmas break. Neville in particular had made enormous progress. Cho and her friend Marietta Edgecombe had stopped attending.

Another thing Harry wanted to talk to Sirius about was the news that ten death eaters had broken out of Azkaban as well as Wormtail, who had been inside up until now too.

"Does Wormtail count as a death eater?" Ron asked curiously over breakfast.

Harry wasn't sure about this. He knew the man had sold his parents to Voldemort, but from what he understood from Sirius and Remus his motives were saving his own skin more than actively wanting to support the death eaters.

"But he's on the run again." Harry said, thinking of the man who had betrayed his best friends all those years ago and feeling the familiar knot of hard anger in the pit of his stomach. "Presumably he'll have gone to join Voldemort with the other death eaters. They'll keep him safe there at least." His feelings of bitterness and dislike intensified at the thought of the man hiding away, avoiding justice once more for his crimes.

The mood was certainly grim across the castle over the days that followed the news. Though Harry had to admit it was working in his favour. He'd agreed to be interviewed by Rita Skeeter for a piece to appear in Luna's father's magazine, the Quibbler, about what really happened last June. As Hermione quite rightly pointed out, people were 'looking for answers' that they weren't getting from the Daily Prophet. He'd be only too happy to provide.

The next Hogsmeade weekend was turning out to be a very busy one indeed.

"An interview, eh?" Sirius said, ruffling his hair as he told him and Remus of the plan for later. "Well good for you, Harry. I don't see the harm in it. But just be careful opening any mail over the next few days, won't you? Anyone who shares anything publicly usually gets a deranged troll or two sending them something unpleasant."

"It's worth it." Harry said fervently. "It feels like something I need to do."

"I get it. And I'm proud of you." He smiled at him and threw an arm around his shoulders. "It's not easy speaking out against the likes of Lucius Malfoy."

In the end, he didn't have a chance to ask Sirius about his peculiar behaviour over Christmas. Most of their time was spent discussing the mass breakout from Azkaban.

"I've been getting the odd letter from the odd nutter myself." Sirius told Harry and the others grimly. "Some people still think I'm guilty and now they think I've somehow helped Wormtail and Bellatrix break out too. I don't know why some people can't understand I want my old friend and cousin behind bars."

Harry sympathised with him. He knew exactly what it was like to be misunderstood in the way Sirius so often was. Just because you were family didn't mean you thought in the same way as someone.

"Can't wait to get her thrown back inside." Sirius said darkly, clearly still thinking of his cousin. "Things should start picking up for us in the Order now. No more boring bloody guard duty."

Remus frowned at him. "That shouldn't be a good thing."

"What do you mean? It's a great thing! Now we'll actually have something to do. If I know Bellatrix, and unfortunately I do, she won't be slumming it somewhere. My money says she's gone straight to Malfoy Manor. If I don't get it signed off by Moody I'm just going to execute a raid anyway."

"A wonderful example to set for Harry." Remus said dispassionately.

"I think it's a great idea!" Harry said eagerly. "Malfoy's dad's definitely a death eater. Someone needs to do something. Can I come with you?"

"No." Sirius and Remus said together.

"No one's going to Malfoy Manor." Remus said.

"Except Sirius." Sirius said.

"No one with any sense is going to Malfoy Manor." Remus rephrased. "We're going to do this the way Dumbledore and Moody tell us. They know what they're doing. Now let's change the subject. How are your classes?"

As Sirius and Remus were already in the Three Broomsticks with him, and for some reason Sirius seemed to enjoy awkward situations, they joined Harry for his interview with Rita Skeeter.

Harry knew his godfather deeply disliked the reporter for the article she'd written about him and Remus the previous year. She'd made him out to be wholly unsuitable to care for Harry, and also cast aspersions over the nature of his relationship with Remus.

"I don't care if people think we're dating." He had insisted, but Harry knew this wasn't strictly true. He'd overheard his godfather complaining to Remus on many occasions that it was 'ruining his chances' that women thought he was gay.

"Rita!" Sirius cried as he approached the woman with Harry and Hermione.

Harry knew he was very impressed by the way Hermione had caught Rita in her beetle form the previous summer. "A stroke of pure genius!" He had told her, making Hermione flush with pleasure.

Rita Skeeter looked deeply unhappy to see Sirius.

"How are you? How's life in the jar?" He asked her brightly. "I can empathise. I didn't like being imprisoned much either. Still, at least my incarceration was for something a bit more interesting than being a scheming bitch."

"Or an unregistered animagus." Hermione said, smiling wryly at Sirius who winked back.

Hermione explained to Rita what the plan was as Sirius grinned appreciatively and Harry began to feel nervous.

Though he'd promised Hermione he'd do it, now it was time to talk about what happened, he suddenly found his mouth was very dry and his palms sweating slightly. He was very glad his godfather was with him.

"So what's this article going to look like then?" Sirius asked Rita cheerfully in an obvious attempt to ease the tension. "A nice juicy death eater line-up with a few facts for each underneath? If you like I can provide you with some for Malfoy. How about the time in his sixth year he got explosive diarrhoea in the great hall? Or maybe the time Narcissa dumped him for peering up Laurel Lestrange's skirt in potions?"

"So, Harry." Rita said, ignoring Sirius (and unfortunately not giving Harry a chance to find out if these facts were true) and turning to face him across the table. "Let's get started, shall we? So, what really did happen the night Cedric Diggory died last June?"

"Are you alright, Harry?" Remus said concernedly when the interview was over and Rita had thrown her crocodile-skin handbag over her shoulder and left the pub.

Harry nodded. It had been very difficult reliving the events in the graveyard, but now it was over he felt strangely lighter. The words were out there now. Rita and Luna's dad together were going to share them with as many people as wanted to read them. That was a good feeling at least.

"Send our best to your dad, won't you?" Sirius said to Luna. "He's a good egg, Xeno. And it takes guts to do what he's doing."

Luna shrugged. "Daddy prints anything that's true. That's why he started The Quibbler in the first place. He was tired of all the lies in the Daily Prophet. He's always found it sad how few people want to believe the truth. The magazine's never sold all that well. But maybe more people will want to read about this." And she smiled at Harry.

Harry glanced amusedly at Hermione who was clearly restraining herself from speaking her mind with difficulty.

"Will it come before or after the articles about the… crumple horned snorgle?" She asked in as measured a tone as she could presumably manage.

Luna turned to her. "The crumple horned snorkack you mean." She corrected. Well, they're both very important, so I'm not sure. If it really means that much though I can write and ask him."

In the end, Harry's interview ended up on the front page.

He was a hero in the Gryffindor common room that night, and teachers went out of their way to congratulate him throughout the week.

Umbridge retaliated in usual fashion - giving him detention and banning anyone from reading the magazine. Unfortunately neither response did much good. Though it was never particularly enjoyable cutting into the back of his hand with a sharp quill, at least it only lasted as long as the detentions did thanks to Sirius' continuous supply of essence of murtlap.

As for banning the magazine, it seemed that the students of Hogwarts couldn't resist their curiosity, and by the end of the day, not a single one seemed not to have read it.

Best of all, for Harry at least, was the response he had from his godfather.

Harry had never known what having a parent was like, and though he was incredibly grateful to have Sirius in his life, he supposed Hermione had a point that he wasn't really traditional in his guardianship.

"I agree he's improved in the last year, but he's still not particularly responsible, is he?" Hermione had said sniffily after spending some of the Christmas holidays with them. She had been surprised and put out that Sirius had let Harry and Ron get away with pinching a bottle of firewhisky and disapproving that he had appeared to be making jokes about Arthur and the snake rather than taking it more seriously.

"He does take it seriously." Harry insisted, which was almost true. "And besides, I don't really care if he doesn't. What's the harm in having a laugh about things?"

"I agree." Ron said predictably. "And who really cares what he's like? He cares for Harry, and that ought to be enough."

It was more than enough.

He took the scroll of parchment he'd been sent from his godfather from Hedwig, unfurled it and began to read.

Dear Harry,

While I know popping into the fireplace at random is my usual style when it comes to communication, I wanted to write just so you know how incredibly proud I am of you.

Every day I count my lucky stars (the ones my family aren't named after..) that I've got you back in my life, Harry.

You're as brave as your father, as kind as your mother and quite honestly a better person than anyone I know.

Well done on the interview. You nailed it. And you made Malfoy sound like a sack of dragon dung, so old Xeno got his wish for the truth there.

I know you probably don't really need me, but I'm always here for you.

With love,

Sirius

Harry hadn't known what to feel on reading it. He'd never had anyone tell him they were proud of him before.

"Oh, that's nice." Hermione said, reading the letter over his shoulder. "I suppose he only feels he can be sentimental if there's a joke or two in there to disguise it." She rolled her eyes a little but she was still smiling.

Harry smiled too. Remus had warned him about Sirius' 'bluntness' when they'd first moved in together. He confessed to Harry that he often found some of his best friend's personality wearing at times, as he seemed to see any genuine self expression as a personal weakness.

"It's not his fault I suppose." Remus had said tiredly. "You never met his parents. You'd be pretty guarded if you lived with them too."

Harry had been about to say they 'can't be worse than the Dursleys' then realised this probably wasn't true. Sirius had told him exactly what his parents had been like. And he'd had a brother who had gone the same way too, which must have been hard, though Sirius spoke very little about him.

"Regulus?" Sirius had said with the same guarded expression as Harry queried him on the name beside his burn mark on the family tapestry one day. "Yeah, he was a couple of years younger than me. We used to get on when we were young kids but then… well, he's dead now."

'He or she's dead now' was a constant refrain of Sirius', usually said to cheer himself up when discussing his ancestors. But there was something different in the way he said it about his brother. There was something more there… was it regret perhaps?

Harry didn't feel able to question him further on it. Whatever Hermione or Remus said, Sirius seemed perfectly sane and well balanced to him. And however lucky he felt to have Harry back in his life was absolutely nothing compared to how Harry felt towards him.