Harry tossed and turned in his sleep. His sweat covered skin clung to the sheets, and his hair stuck to his forehead. Harry grit his teeth and shivered violently as he thrashed. His scar throbbed ominously.

Harry slithered through the dimly lit corridor. It was dark, but everything around him stood out in vibrant color. Harry scented the air with his tongue. More flashes of color came into the picture.

Around the corner, a man dozed in his chair. So vulnerable. Harry longed to dig his fangs into the man's exposed neck and spray his blood on the clean wall behind him.

No.

He had a mission. He had no time for distraction. Harry slithered around the man's desk, but the man's soft breaths suddenly picked up. The man startled, his heartbeat picking up like a scared mouse. Harry hissed happily. Getting rid of evidence did not count as a distraction.

The man took aim at Harry with his wand, but his spells would never break through his enchanted scales. Master had made him impenetrable. Harry's powerful muscles tensed, lifting him off the ground and rearing back. He could see himself reflected in the man's terror-filled eyes, a perfect creature of death.

He launched himself forward to bite the man's wand arm. The man cried out in agony, and Harry bit down harder, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone in his jaws. Harry wrapped his coils around the man's and body, silencing his screams and breaking several other bones in the process. The man struggled, briefly. Harry held on until the man's screams and wriggling died down. He released him after he passed out. Harry's venom would finish him off soon enough.

For now, he had a job to do and little time to do it.

Harry startled awake with a gasp. A vision. Harry would recognize them anywhere after fourth year. Harry's heart raced in his chest, his eyes blown wide as he tried to orient himself.

Harry had been a snake, Voldemort's snake, and he'd attacked someone… Mr. Weasley!

Harry launched himself out of bed and toward his desk. Mr. Weasley was injured, dying, and Harry needed to talk to the Order NOW. There was only one way Harry knew to get in touch with the Order. Harry stumbled, adrenaline waking him up but making him sloppy.

He slammed open the mysterious Tome of Requirement, urging it to tell him where he could find the nearest floo flower. The book must've sensed his urgency as the words filled the empty page almost instantly.

Youkai Forest

Glowing green

Scent of magic and cinnamon

Located in the coldest, darkest corners

Not much, but it will have to do.

Harry sent a patronus to each of his friends, begging them to wake up and help him search.

He didn't pause a second between sending out the last patronus and rifling through his trunk for his broom. He spelled open his window, almost hard enough to break it, and shot out into the night sky like a dart. Harry had no time to appreciate the familiar feeling of the wind whipping his face or the beautiful full moon. He could only be thankful that he was getting to the forest quickly, and the bright moonbeams would light his way.

Harry swooped down into the forest, startling every critter and creeper in proximity. He searched every nook and cranny, every burrow and hidey-hole, every cave and tunnel.

The coldest, darkest corners in the forest.

Harry twisted through the forest, using all of his quidditch skills to avoid getting decapitated by tree trunks and gravestones. No matter how hard he looked, time was against him. He hadn't caught so much as the glow of a firefly. The search was maddening.

Every second that ticked by was another second the poison in Arthur Weasley's blood had to spread. Another second that Arthur lied on that cold, stone floor all alone and dying. Another second Harry didn't know if he'd just witnessed the Weasley patriarch's murder.

Some time into his search- could've been a few minutes or a few hours, Harry couldn't tell- a large, winged shadow passed overhead. Kurumu dropped Yukari and Moka in different sections of the forest before flying off to one of her own. Harry spared them a grateful thought and ducked his head back into the abandoned fox den he was rooting through.

His search became more frantic as the seconds ticked on. Harry's face was covered in sweat, but he wouldn't spare a moment to wipe it. His hands were covered in blood from thorns, but he didn't notice. All his thoughts were of glowing green petals and a bloody form lying crumpled on the floor.

An excited howl cut through the still night air. Hope surged through Harry's heart. Gin had found it. He shot into the sky at break-neck speeds, following the howl to another part of the forest. Gin held the flower high above his head with a proud grin spread across his face.

Harry dive-bombed the clearing where Gin stood and gently took the flower from his hand. Harry sucked in a breath as he took in the sight of the floo flower, its glow made all the more beautiful with the knowledge that it was Mr. Weasley's lifeline.

Harry nodded his thanks, unable to form words as he tore off into the night once again. He slipped into his room, nearly avoiding injury, and flipped the Tome of Requirement open to the blank page and asked for the floo powder recipe. It came up quickly, like before, and Harry got to work.

He read and reread every step. Failure was not an option. The powder needed to be perfect. Harry mixed the ingredients dutifully. He followed every instruction to the letter.

Harry held his breath as he added in the final ingredient: crushed dragon shell. The glowing green mush turned into a familiar fine powder as the magic of the shell ran its course.

Harry transfigured a pencil and paper into a fireplace and some wood and lit it. He poured the small handful of powder into his palm. There was only enough for one attempt. This was the moment of truth.

Harry tossed the powder into the fireplace, praying to any God he could name that this would work. The fire stayed red for a few, heartstopping moments before bleeding into a beautiful green. Harry nearly cried.

He steadied his breath and spoke in a clear voice, "Grimmauld Place."

Harry stepped into the fire and immediately knew that something was wrong. The floo fire yanked him in, spinning him head over end and much faster than ever before. Unlike his first floo travel, there were no other fireplaces to look through, only endless spirals of green flames. The flames licked at Harry's arms and face like acidic kisses. His sleeves and pant legs caught on fire. Harry tried hopelessly to pat them out, but they always relit.

Harry's stomach turned as he was flung through the seemingly endless tunnel of green. Harry was just aware enough to be happy that he'd magically glued his glasses to his face or he'd have the added problem of losing them in the flames. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to get through this trip without throwing up on himself. He tucked his limbs in and brought up a hand to protect his head. Harry knew that this would be a rough landing.

After an unknowable amount of time, the flames spat him out onto solid ground. Harry hit the ground rolling. His tumble was stopped by a wall much tougher than his skin. Harry hit it with an audible smack. That was going to leave a mark. Harry remained curled up, trying to absorb the shock as he coughed his lungs out.

"HELP! *cough cough* Mist- *cough* Weasley! *cough cough*" Harry cried through fits of coughing.

Heavy footsteps came from upstairs as Harry tried to blink a fuzzy mixture of tears and ash from his eyes and pat out the flames eating up his clothing.

A pair of hands gripped Harry's shoulders steadily. "Harry! What's wrong?" It was Remus.

"Mister Weasley *cough* dying. Get help!"

Harry heard a gasp and Remus let go of him, his footsteps rushing towards the floo Harry had just burst out of. Another pair of hands settled on Harry's arms, helping him onto his feet.

The flash of green from the floo died off, and Remus's frantic footsteps disappeared, leaving the house silent. If it weren't for the steadying hands on his arms, Harry would've thought he was alone.

Harry wiped at his eyes, hissing as the salty tears met fresh burns. Harry felt someone push his hands out of the way. Something that felt almost like a breeze blew into his eyes, and then he could see. Harry blinked his eyes and looked up to see a familiar wand and an even more familiar face right behind it.

"Better?"

A big grin spread across Harry's face as he pushed the wand aside and wrapped his arms around his godfather. Sirius smiled down at him. He looked better than he had when they'd first found him, but not as good as he should have been after all this time.

Harry thought ruefully that his absence might have had something to do with that. Sirius had told him some time ago that animagi often took on the characteristics of the animals they turned into. Dogs were undoubtedly pack creatures, and Harry's absence may have slowed Sirius's recovery. Harry hugged the older man closer, a small frown playing at his lips. It was a good thing Remus was living with him now.

Sirius led Harry to the kitchen. Harry was thrown a bit when he noticed sunlight coming in through the kitchen window, but he soon remembered that time zones were very different in Japan and England. Harry took a moment to look around as it finally settled in that he was really there. He was in Grimmauld Place, in England, with Sirius. He was back.

"You alright there, Pup?"

Harry blinked, grounding himself quickly and smiling tiredly at his godfather. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Sirius raised a brow, his face flat and unbelieving. "You look like you've been put through the wringer and I don't just mean physically… but you don't look too good there either, you're crisp, and your clothes are torn to pieces."

"Damn, Siri. Don't sugar coat it too much."

Sirius smirked. "Never." He went about healing the burns and bruises that littered Harry's skin.

"So, what's happened since I've been gone?"

Sirius huffed a bitter sigh. "Nothing good. The Prophet's been slandering you and Dumbledore left and right, and some fools are actually starting to believe them. And Hogwarts isn't faring much better. Fudge planted his little groupie as the DADA professor. Ron and Hermione tell me she's a downright bitch. Won't even let them use magic in class, all theory. Last I heard, anyway. That was a while ago since she's got them under lock and key most of the time."

Harry hissed with a grimace. "That bad, huh?"

Sirius nodded ruefully. "That bad." He leaned forward, studying Harry for a moment. "So, really. What's wrong, Pup?" Sirius asked.

"I- I saw the attack on Mr. Weasley in a vision. I was inside the snake's head, and… I can remember it- attacking him, crushing his bones. It was a bit… disturbing. It's just… for all I know, Mr. Weasley could be dead. Maybe I was too late. What if I didn't get here fast enough?"

Sirius's eyes softened a bit, and he pulled his godson into a tight hug. "You can't keep blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault."

Harry's chest tightened. Judging by his tone, Sirius wasn't just talking about Mr. Weasley. Images of a cold graveyard and a bright green light flashed before his eyes unbidden.

"You can't just carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, Pup. Me, Remus, Ron and Hermione, the Weasleys: we're your family, maybe not by blood but family all the same, and that's what family is for. We're here to help you carry your weight just like you're always rushing to help carry ours. It's okay to rely on us sometimes."

Harry cracked a tiny smile. "I know," he said, almost too low to be heard.

Sirius tilted his head, curious at the wistful look in his godson's eye.

"I've made some great friends at the school Dumbledore sent me to. A while ago, they made me fill them in on the situation here in Britain. Of course, I'd been trying to protect them, keeping my life here and my life there separate, but they wouldn't have it." Harry chuckled, remembering the determined look in all of their eyes with a warmth that almost surprised him. "I think you'd really like them."

Sirius grinned, his eyes alight in a way Harry hadn't seen in a long time. "I'm glad you found some friends who could rein you in. Merlin knows Hermione tried her best, but Ron was right along with you."

The two shared a laugh. The tension in Harry's shoulders finally slipped away, and his smile grew just a bit lighter. No matter what had happened, Sirius could always cheer him up. No matter how many nights Sirius couldn't force himself to sleep or how many days he could hardly eat, he always tried to make Harry smile. He and Harry had a similar reckless nature, never truly caring enough about themselves and willing to give everything for those they loved.

It was saddening, seeing Sirius still trapped within the walls of this house, with all the wretched ghosts of his terrible childhood. The portrait of Sirius's mother, even though it was out of sight at the moment, mocked Harry with its very presence in the house. Sirius deserved better than this. After all of those years in Azkaban, the last thing Sirius needed was another prison.

Then, a thought struck him. "Hey, Sirius… are you any good at art?"

Sirius raised a brow. "Art?"

The next morning, Arthur was released from the hospital. The potions regimen he was on was strict, and he was covered in bandages because Skele-gro would mess with the antivenom potions, but he was fully lucid and would make a full recovery.

The second she saw him, Mrs. Weasley pulled Harry into a hug that would've squeezed the air out of him were it not for his reflexive inhale. Kurumu's constant hug attacks had trained him well.

"Thank you," Molly whispered, her voice tight with emotion. She pulled away, wiping at her eye, and placed a big kiss on Harry's forehead. "I'm making your favorites tonight, anything you want," she sniffed.

Harry smiled lightly, unsure of what to say to that. He placed his hand over hers and squeezed, hoping it would say what he couldn't. Molly nodded and retreated towards the kitchen to distract herself.

Harry finally greeted Arthur, who was sat at the head of the table looking exhausted but grateful.

"Thank you, Harry," Arthur said and nodded with a sincere smile on his face.

Harry nodded back and sat down next to him. "I'm glad I managed to get here in time."

"Speaking of which, how did you get back, Harry?" a voice said from behind him.

Harry turned around to greet the newcomer. Dumbledore smiled down at him. The old wizard sat down across from Harry and waited expectantly for his answer.

"I made a floo," Harry replied.

Arthur sputtered and Sirius, who had just wandered into the room, choked on his tea. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled just a bit brighter than usual, and he let out a jolly laugh.

"Well done, my boy. That's quite a tricky bit of magic you've accomplished."

"That's more than tricky, Albus, it's impossible!" Arthur exclaimed.

"How'd you even make it out in one piece?" Sirius asked, his hands twitching as he resisted the urge to re-check Harry for wounds.

Molly and Remus, as if summoned by the mention of Harry's possible injury, walked into the dining room with matching worried looks.

"Will someone please explain why this is such a big deal? I mean, it was pretty hard finding the floo flower before Gin started helping, but the powder itself was easy enough to mix." Harry looked around at the confused faces around him, hoping at least one of them had an answer.

"It's a big deal because illegal international floos are strong enough to tear you apart!" Arthur said, his eyes wide with worry and confusion.

Harry blinked. That wasn't the answer he'd been expecting.

Dumbledore's pleasant expression hadn't changed the entire time. "I do believe that our dear Harry has experienced a bit of youki absorption," he remarked calmly.

"Huh?"

"Harry has been exposed to youki, or monster energy, in copious amounts for an extended time period, and his magic has adapted to it. In fact, his magic seems to have used the youki to strengthen Harry's body."

"But… I don't feel any stronger," Harry protested.

"Well I wouldn't think so. If you were just constantly using the youki your magic has absorbed, it wouldn't be much of an "absorption" now would it?" Dumbledore said pleasantly.

Harry raised a brow, suspicion beginning to brew. "You don't seem awfully surprised about this development."

"Of course not. That is, after all, the reason I sent you to Youkai Academy in the first place, well… part of the reason. Must've forgotten to mention it."

Harry gave the Headmaster a flat look. "Yeah… forgot."

Dumbledore smiled guilelessly at him.

Harry sighed. He'd spent enough time with his youkai friends to be used to the feeling of exasperation. "Alright, fine. More importantly, is there a way I can stabilize the floo so that others can travel to Youkai Academy without the risk of death?"

"But of course, why do you ask?" Dumbledore said, his eyes glittering with curiosity.

"Well, I was thinking…"

Harry walked through the floo the next day, for once landing on his feet instead of his face. Soft morning light streamed through his window and illuminated the pile of monsters laying on his bed.

Harry smiled fondly at them. They were here waiting for him. And they were so peaceful, Harry didn't really want to wake them. This was the closest Harry had ever seen them all together without a fight breaking out.

The sound of the floo flaring up once again took Harry out of his thoughts. The figure that stepped out dusted off his coat and grinned at the sight before him.

"What's this, Pup? I thought you said the pack of youkai you picked up over here were just friends of yours?" Sirius teased.

Harry sputtered out denials, and his godfather's grin grew wider. The commotion stirred a few of the sleeping youkai from their slumber. Mizore's head poked up first. She rubbed at her eye sleepily and yawned.

A blush dusted across Harry's cheeks. Cute.

Moka woke next, and her eyes lit up in excitement at the sight of Harry standing at the end of the bed.

"Harry-kun!" the vampire exclaimed, waking the others.

She leapt out of bed, disentangling her limbs from Yukari and Kurumu's, and tackled Harry in a hug. Harry had to fight to keep his legs under him as he caught the excited vampire.

"Can I...?" Moka asked shyly, her head tucked into Harry's shoulder.

Harry chuckled. "Knock yourself out."

"Capu-chu," the vampire squealed as she bit into Harry's neck.

"That's enough, Moka. You'll bleed him dry if you keep sucking on him so recklessly," Mizore spoke suddenly from behind them, glaring her warning at the vampire.

Moka pouted but let go, licking the last beads of blood from her lips as she pulled away. Harry looked back at the others. Gin was wide awake now. Unsurprising with Mizore's unfortunate use of the word "sucking." Kurumu and Yukari both eagerly slipped out of bed to greet Harry. Kurumu's preferred method of "greeting" was, of course, smothering by boob.

"Kurumu~" Yukari sang warningly as she waved her wand at the sleepy succubus.

"What, he can still breathe," Kurumu whined. She released the wizard nonetheless. It was much too early in the morning for a concussion.

Sirius cleared his throat from behind the group. Harry turned around, mentally smacking himself for forgetting his manners.

"Sorry about that. Guys, this is my godfather, Sirius Black. He's here to replace Ishigami."

The morning bell rang, and everyone had long since headed back to their rooms to get ready for the day. Harry was showing Sirius around campus.

"That's the teacher's lounge. That bathroom always has freezing cold water, so use the one down the hall. Don't drink from that water fountain over there on Tuesday. The water turns green for some reason, and no one really wants to find out why. There's the Home Ec room. If you stop by after third period on Friday, sometimes they let you taste the baked goods... And here is the Headmaster's Office."

"Thanks for the tour, Harry. If you hurry, you might make it to homeroom on time. No need to wait up."

With that, Sirius knocked on the Headmaster's door and walked in to meet his future employer. Harry walked off and made it to homeroom with seconds to spare.

"Do you think Sirius-san will get the job?" Moka asked worriedly.

Harry snorted. "If this place hires people like Ishigami, Sirius'll get in no problem. Besides, Sirius worked on his pitch all morning, and the man could sell ice to an Eskimo on a bad day."

"If that's the case, then he probably should've signed up for marketing. Noru-sensei is the most boring man alive, and I never learn anything in his class," Kurumu remarked.

"You're in marketing? I'm surprised you need a class to sell things… I was under the impression you'd just use your boobs to get through life," Mizore jibed.

Kurumu growled at her, raising a fist threateningly. "What was that Frosty? I'll have you know that I'm taking that marketing class so I can open up a successful bakery in the human world, and if you keep that up, I won't be selling any ice lollies when I do!"

Mizore glared. "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

The two glared at each other for a moment before snapping their heads away and crossing their arms at the same time. "Hmph."

Harry smiled. Despite their constant bickering, his friends were getting along rather well.

Sirius joined Harry and his friends that afternoon in their favorite spot on the roof. He had his bag on his shoulder. Harry frowned. Had the Headmaster really turned him down?

"Oh no, Sirius-san! I'm so sorry," Moka exclaimed

"What happened? Did the Headmaster choose someone else?" Kurumu asked.

"We have to convince the Headmaster that he made a mistake!" Yukari declared.

Moka nodded her agreement. "Yeah! We'll show him Sirius's capabilities as an artist and a teacher."

"Don't worry, Sirius-san, we'll all help you, okay?" Kurumu said.

Sirius's eyes widened at the onslaught of support from his godson's friends. His lips trembled briefly, and his eyes squeezed shut. The teens panicked, rushing to comfort him. That is until Sirius's composure broke and he let out a bellowing laugh.

"Who're you calling Sirius-san, kids? From now on, it's Sirius-sensei!" the wizard chuckled.

"What? What's the bag for then?" Yukari asked.

"Well, I can't very well stay with Harry, can I? I'm sure you kids will be using that room, and I don't want to be there when you get up to… whatever it is you do in there."

Harry felt his cheeks heat up rapidly. "Sirius!"

"What? Are you telling me that was a friendly boob-plant earlier?" Sirius laughed again. "Don't worry about it, Harry. When I was your age, I had girls and lads lining up in the Great Hall to ask me out. Can't say I ever tried for a harem, but I suppose the next generation was bound to surpass me at some point." Sirius wiped imaginary tears from his eyes. "I just didn't think it'd be so soon!"

Harry's cheeks got redder. "Sirius, please shut it."

"Now, now. Is that any way to talk to your new sensei, Harry?"

"Merlin, are you serious right now?" Harry facepalmed as he realized what he'd said.

"Yup! That's the name, Pup!" Sirius wore a broad, shit-eating grin.

Harry heaved a put-upon sigh as his friends burst into laughter. At least they're having fun I guess.