After classes, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny returned to the Room of Requirement as Madam Bones had asked.
The big black dog that was Sirius was there as well.
"Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, if you two would walk to back of the room for now, I want Sirius to meet his godson one on one first," asked Madam Bones respectfully.
A nanosecond later, Hermione and Ginny had zoomed to the back of the room faster than a cheetah chasing its prey without a syllable.
"Sirius, "said Madam Bones seriously, "The time has come. Please resume your human form."
The big black dog wagged its tail once and gave off one bark before transforming into Harry's godfather.
"HARRY!" said Sirius eagerly, running up to Harry and engulfing him in a bone crushing him, "It's about time."
"It's wonderful to meet you, Sirius, " said Harry happily, "I never even knew I had a godfather."
"Those bastards, Dumbledore and Pettigrew!" spat Sirius.
"OHHHHHHHH!" piped up Harry suddenly, "It was you I saw in dog form in Magnolia Crescent."
"Very good, Harry!" smiled Sirius.
"So, the first time I actually met you was-"
"When you were a baby, "interjected Sirius, "I was always close with James and later Lily as well. I actually bought you your first toy broomstick. James was delighted to see how you took to it. It was your favorite first birthday present. You actually destroyed a vase Lily's sister Petunia sent her for Christmas."
"I've been living with Petunia and her husband since mom and dad died," explained harry.
Sirius's and Madam Bones's faces both darkened. They made no comment for now but filed away the information.
"I actually still have a letter Lily sent me thanking me for your birthday present, "said Sirius warmly, "I hope to show it to you someday."
"That would be nice, " said Harry happily, "I do have some pictures of mom and dad but the only possession of theirs I have is dad's invisibility cloak."
"You have at least two, then, "said Sirius cheerfully, "Your father was one of the creators of the Marauder's Map. He was Prongs. Remus Lupin was Moony-
"He's our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year," Harry informed Sirius.
"I've heard, "smiled Sirius, "I know he must be a good teacher. His combination of skill and humility makes him well suited to a teaching post."
"Yes, he's a fantastic teacher, I've learned loads from him in class and he even gave my individualized Patronus lessons, " Harry informed Sirius.
Harry took his wand out of his right hand pocket, raised it, and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"
As Harry's stag Patronus erupted from his wand, Sirius and Madam Bones both looked startled.
"A corpreal Patronus at thirteen?" cried Madam Bones in amazement.
"Remus would be the right teacher for such a thing, but for a thirteen year to master it is stunning, " mused Sirius.
"Remus taught me the Patronus Charm because the dementors were taking an interest in me, "said Harry uneasily.
"Those creatures don't belong anywhere near a school, "said Sirius fiercely, "But I am proud of what Remus has taught you and what you have accomplished. The fucking traitor was Wormtail, and I am Padfoot."
"My father and his friends created the Marauder's Map?" said harry in a surreal voice, "Wow!"
"There is another bombshell here, "smirked Sirius. "It was I who sent you the Firebolt!"
"Ha!" said Hermione triumphantly, "See I told you it was from him!"
"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" Harry grinned back.
Hermione and Ginny had come over to join Harry and Sirius.
"And who are these two fine young ladies?" Sirius asked Harry.
"This, " Harry said, indicating Hermione, "Is my BFF, Hermione Granger."
"And the other?' inquired Sirius.
"My former friend Ron's little sister, Ginny Weasley, " explained Harry.
"Former friend?" asked Sirius.
"I ended my friendship with Ron after he was a COMPLETE asshole to Hermione last week. Shaking bedsheets in her face, yelling at her in front of the whole Gryffindor Common Room, " said Harry firmly, "You DON'T treat people like that! If you do, you are not my friend, period!"
"From what I heard, " piped up Ginny, "It sounded like Ron was taking his own personal problems out on Hermione."
"That's exactly what it was, " confirmed Hermione.
"Even if Ron is my brother, I'm proud of Harry for shedding him, " said Ginny heartily.
"I stayed friends with Ron too long because he was my first ever friend, " admitted Harry.
"Could Ginny replace Ron in your circle of friends?" asked Sirius.
"She's not in my year, so not exactly, but I would like to develop more of a friendship with her," replied Harry.
"And what's this about Hermione saying I had sent the Firebolt?" asked Sirius sharply.
"After Christmas dinner, Hermione reported the arrival of the Firebolt to McGonagall, who confiscated it, and had it tested for jinxes. This caused a temporary falling out between me and Hermione because I was angry at her for running to McGonagall. Once it tested out jinx free, McGonagall returned it."
"Well, Harry, "smiled Sirius, messing up Harry's hair, "You are my godson, but your friend was right in this case. ALWAYS exercise caution with any anonymous gift. This is especially true if the gift is rare and/or expensive."
Hermione smiled at Sirius.
"I fully expected McGonagall to test it for jinxes before anyone was allowed to fly it. Harry, you should have gone to McGonagall yourself. Hermione, thank you for looking after my godson."
"Harry is brave and loyal, but also impulsive and careless, " explained Hermione.
"Not unlike myself, "smirked Sirius, "But Harry please do treat magical objects with more caution in the future, especially anonymous gifts."
"Yes, Sirius, " promised Harry, "And thank you for getting the Firebolt for me. It was awesome. But how did manage to get one?'
"I had Crookshanks take the order form to the owlery for me, " grinned Sirius.
"You know Crookshanks?" Hermione asked Sirius breathlessly, "He's mine."
"He's actually part kneazle so he can detect unsavory characters, " answered Sirius, "He knew that twisted rat was really the fifthly double crosser. Crookshanks tried to bring Peter to me but was unsuccessful. No matter, it's been resolved and Crookshanks has been very loyal to me."
"I did not know Crookshanks was part kneazle, " said Hermione slowly, "But that reality would make it impossible for him to have any loyalty to a person of low character."
"If I may ask, "what motivated you to escape from Azkaban?" Harry asked Sirius.
Sirius stunned Harry by dogging into his pocket and retrieving the photo of the Weasleys that had appeared in the daily Prophet the previous summer.
"OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" said Harry, "You recognized the rat in the picture, realized he was a threat to me, knew he was at Hogwarts, and used your dog form to escape Azkaban to go after him."
"Very good, Harry, " grinned Sirius.
Harry grinned back at Sirius.
"Harry, " asked Sirius curiously, "Which elective are you taking?"
"Unfortunately, I had no idea what the elective classes were all about when I made my choices. I ended up choosing the same classes as Ron. I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, " piped up Harry ruefully.
"Care of Magical Creatures is fine, but Divination was a very poor choice, " said Sirius firmly.
"That has become obvious, but it's too late now, " sighed Harry.
"Not so fast my friend, " smirked Sirius, "Hogwarts students are allowed to change electives between years provided they do some catch up studying over the summer. If you can pass a test at the start of a new school year, you can get into a new elective."
"Dropping Divination seems like a no brainer, " said Harry matter of factly, "But what should I replace it with?"
"Ancient Runes, " said Sirius at once, "More useful and more interesting."
"Harry, if you'd like I can help you catch up on Ancient Runes over the summer, " offered Hermione.
"I would like that, " said Harry brightly, "But how do I change my elective for next year?"
"Just go to McGonagall and talk it over with her at the end of the year, " said Sirius simply.
"That's simple enough, " replied Harry., "Any other advice?"
"It can be tempting to goof off and be adventurous at Hogwarts. Resist such temptations and focus on your education, " said Sirius seriously.
"That will be much easier with Ron out of the picture, " said Harry bluntly, "I haven't realized it, but Ron has been a poor influence on me. Hermione's been right all along-"
"Don't fall into the trap she did this year and kill yourself though, " said Sirius clearly.
"It's not as though I've earned enough trust that McGonagall would give me a Time Turner. After Hermione's poor experience with the Time Turner this year, I don't think the staff will approve the use of one again any time soon anyway."
"Another piece of advice I have for you, " Sirius told Harry, "Is to avoid making eye contact with other people. Some witches and wizards have a skill known as Legilimency that allows them to access the thoughts and feelings of others. This is a weapon that can be used against you in many different ways. But eye contact is usually critical to Legilimency so don't give it."
"I'll keep that in mind, " said Harry, "Is there anyone in particular who I should not trust?"
"Dumbledore, " said Sirius firmly, "Dumbledore is a manipulative old bastard. Don't trust him, do not allow him to seduce you into thinking he cares about you, and if you already have developed a relationship with him, then terminate it. The less you have to do with Dumbledore, the better. The less Dumbledore has to do with your life the better."