So a brief note about something in this chapter… I mention a William Hitchens in this chapter who is basically my in-universe Hogwarts Legacy character. Phineus Nigellus Black had a sister that was struck off the family tree named Iola Black, and she married a muggle called Bob Hitchens. My playthrough of the game was their child who I turned into an outrageously evil character that simply wanted to cause as much nuisance for Professor Black as possible.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Some dialogue is borrowed from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises.

It took a couple of weeks before the atmosphere between Harry and Leo had settled down enough to be considered more normal with Leo not speaking to him for a number of days until a frustrated Hermione sat them down together and forced them to both to apologise to one another, something that Leo frowned at before a scolding look from the 17-year-old made him gulp and do as she asked, after which January rolled along quickly, turning into February as the snows melted around the Hogwarts grounds, being replaced by the typical Scottish biting cold and constant rainfall from the dark grey clouds above. It was usually a miserable time, but the terrible weather was a bonus for the 6th years as their first Apparition lesson was moved from the Hogwarts grounds into the Great Hall, and their excitement was even more heightened as they passed the Entrance Hall, where Professor Dumbledore stood with Professor Snape, the pair of teachers seemingly blocking somebody from entering…

"Is that…" Ron asked from behind Leo, bemusement in his voice. "It is! Harry! It's the Minister!" The red-head snorted in laughter, and the whispers of the students grew louder as everybody tried to get a glimpse of Rufus Scrimgeour.

Leo quickly saw that Ron was correct as the recognisable mane of tawny hair could be seen in between the two Professor's, but the students didn't get much of a chance to stop and stare as Professor McGonagall guided them in. "Quickly now!" She called out. "Weasley, stop gawping and move!"

Hoping to find out more about what the Minister for Magic was doing at Hogwarts later, Leo arrived into the large room early with Anna and Fay, finding a spot by the doors to the gardens above the Hufflepuff Common Room and leaning back against the wall. The floating candles had been levitated higher into the air, almost level with the thin, misty layer of the enchanted ceiling detailing the miserable day outside. All of the tables had vanished too, so as more and more students, along with Professors McGonagall , Flitwick, Sprout and Professor Snape who had joined them after slamming the giant doors shut. Beside the Heads of Houses stood a very small, elderly wizard too who instructed them to gather round near him.

Once the final 6th years had found a spot to stand in Professor McGonagall called for quiet, before allowing the small wizard stood atop the handful of stairs in the position that Professor Dumbledore's owl lectern usually stood to speak to them all. "Good morning!" The man called out to the group. "My name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry Apparition instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition Tests in this time…"

"Malfoy, be quiet and pay attention!" barked Professor McGonagall, causing everybody to turn and face the Slytherin. Malfoy looked furious as he stepped away from Crabbe, his cheeks a feint pink colour.

The interruption didn't seem to have disturbed Wilkie Twycross however, who continued as if nothing had happened. "By which time, many of you may be ready to take your tests. As you may know, it is usually impossible to Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts. The Headmaster has lifted this enchantment, purely within the Great Hall, for one hour, so as to enable you to practice. May I emphasize that you will not be able to Apparate outside the walls of this Hall, and that you would be unwise to try." The thought made Leo gulp. His Grandfather had enjoyed telling stories of when Apparition went wrong, and Leo had no wish to lose any limbs. Twycross continued again after the pause. "I would like each of you to place yourselves now so that you have a clear five feet of space in front of you."

As seemed to be the usual case with Leo's year group, even that instruction couldn't be followed calmly. The Ravenclaw students all darted to the front, with Stephen Cornfoot almost knocking Anna cleanly over as he shoved through the crowds. "Oi!" Leo called out after him angrily, his blood riled and his arm darting down to where his wand was stashed, but Professor Sprout had beaten him too it and cautioned the Ravenclaw boy.

"Come on." Fay whispered, before the trio were stood in a triangle with enough distance between them, and the room settled down again once all four of the Heads of Houses called out for quiet.

"Thank you," Twycross said to the four adults in the room. "Now then . . ." He waved his wand, and Leo was surprised as an old-fashioned wooden hoop appeared on the floor in front of him. "The important things to remember when Apparating are the three D's!" Twycross added. "Destination, Determination, Deliberation!" Repeating the words in his head as he stared down at his hoop, Leo began to clear his mind, focusing. "Step one: Fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination, in this case, the interior of your hoop. Kindly concentrate upon that destination now."

Leo could hear the rustling of clothes that indicated that others were looking around to see if the others were doing as instructed instead of just doing it themselves. He simply found a small stone slab inside his hoop and tried hard to block everything else out from around him, something which was shattered when Wilkie Twycross continued. "Step two, focus your determination to occupy the visualized space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body!"

The wording almost made Leo break his concentration and laugh, but he continued to stare harshly down at that stone slab, imagining his foot on top of it… "Step three," called Twycross. "And only when I give the command… Turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation! On my command, now… one… two… THREE!"

Leo turned on the spot as instructed, and the next thing he knew his nose was sore, having fallen flat onto his face. Groaning, he pushed himself over so that he was staring up into the miserable enchanted sky before hauling himself up to a sitting position feeling like an absolute prat. Thankfully, he was not the only one. Neville was flat on his back, Kevin Entwhistle looked like he had done a summersault instead of disappearing and reappearing, and as he looked behind him, he could see Fay roaring in laughter as Anna had spun herself directly into the wall.

"Never mind, never mind," said Twycross dryly, who to Leo's relief did not seem to have expected anything better. "Adjust your hoops, please, and back to your original positions."

The second attempt was no better than the first, though this time at least Leo managed to keep his balance and simply staggered around dizzily for a moment, with similar happening on the third attempt. The fourth went no better for Leo either, though from the middle of the room came a terrible screech of pain and everybody shot their glances to see Susan Bones of Hufflepuff wobbling in her hoop with her left leg still standing five feet away where she had started.

As Leo went to gag, the sight of the lone, unattached leg making him retch loudly, the Heads of House converged on her at great speed. After a loud bang and a puff of purple smoke, Susan could be seen crying profusely, but thankfully she was whole again.

Wilkie Twycross was proving himself to be an unemotional teacher, barely reacting to the horrifying scene before him and instead using it as an educational tool. "Splinching, or the separation of random body parts, occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined. You must concentrate continuously upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation… thus."

Twycross stepped forward and turned gracefully on the spot with his arms outstretched in a showman type of way, and vanished in a swirl of robes. Leo for a moment was completely baffled as to where the man had gone until a voice sounded from the other end of the room. "Remember the three D's." Twycross called out. "And try again. One… two… three!"

Leo tried once more, but once again nothing happened other than a short dizzy spell from spinning. That was the case for the rest of the hour, as time after time the Gryffindor struggled, and was feeling rather sorry for himself as the lesson came to an end.

"I thought I felt something…" Fay was explaining as they began to rise up the Grand Staircase. "That last time, I swore I could…"

"I couldn't." Anna muttered grumpily, still upset about spinning into the wall. "And the way he made it look so easy… urgh."

Leo could only nod in agreement, happy to join in on moaning about Wilkie Twycross as they made their way up to the Common Room.

"He said what?" Hermione was asking. Once in the Common Room after their poor attempts at Apparition, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Leo had all moved to a secluded corner of the cosy area. Leo found himself staring out of the window towards the Quidditch Pitch, where he noticed that the Ravenclaw team were holding a practice, while the other 4 were crowded around a small table whispering to one another.

"He's using Crabbe and Goyle as look outs." Harry explained again. "I told you he was up to something!"

Hermione sighed, unimpressed. "He's been using the pair of them to do his muscle work for as long as we've been at Hogwarts Harry. This doesn't mean that your theory of Malfoy being a Death Eater is true."

It was Ginny who retorted. "Wake up, Hermione." The red-head said. "Something isn't right with him this year, surely you've noticed? He doesn't boast, he isn't as much of a bully… he's distracted, and it looks like it's making him ill."

That caused Leo to turn around with a frown. "He has looked ill." He muttered, looking at the younger Weasley. "Ginny… you mentioned that at Slughorn's party and that was over a month ago."

Hermione looked up at Leo, exasperated. "Not you too…" She groaned.

"I still don't know if You-Know-Who would actively trust a 16-year-old, but Malfoy is different this year." Leo noted. "Almost…"

"Scared." Ron finished his sentence for him, scowling down at the table. "As if whatever he has been told to do, he can't, and he's scared of failure."

Harry nodded fiercely, before turning to Hermione. "It's worth keeping an eye on him." He told her. "Him, Crabbe, Goyle, and where they are going."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but conceded that. "You're right, it can't hurt." She admitted.

"So what now, are we each going to take turns in scouting the Slytherin Common Room?" Leo half joked, but the looks between the other four made it clear that he was missing something. "What is it?"

"Have you not told Leo?" Hermione whispered harshly.

Harry shrugged. "I thought you must have, given how close you are nowadays." That earned him a punch to the arm. "Ouch, Hermione!"

"When will you learn!" Hermione continued the whispered tirade, causing Leo to gulp and feel like he was intruding on yet another moment he shouldn't be there for. "He is as much a part of this as we are now, you need to start trusting him! After all he's done for you!"

"Give the guy a break Hermione." Ron muttered.

"No, I will not!" She continued, before turning to Leo. "Harry has a map, created by both of your Father's, Professor Lupin, and Wormtail when they were in school together. It shows the location of everybody within the castle grounds in real time. Technically, it belongs to the both of you." She looked pointedly towards Harry at that final sentence

A million thoughts began racing through Leo's mind ranging from being intrigued as to what his Father was like at school, to the knowledge that this was yet another thing that Harry had obviously not wanted to involve him. He ultimately felt hurt however, and the look must have shown. "It's fine." He said before anybody else could add anything. "I get it, it was always the three of you before now and I've just been dropped in the middle of it."

Harry shook his head. "Leo it isn't like that."

"It is." Leo snapped. "But I never asked for this, remember. Just over a year ago I thought my mum was a miserable Ministry employee and my dad was dead. Now because of their bravery and longing to do good, I'm as involved in the war as any of you and I don't think I've done anything but try and help you. The least you can do is be honest with me when it comes to my own bloody family."

Without waiting for another response, Leo grabbed his back and swung it forcefully over his shoulder, before storming out of the Common Room towards the library, eager to take his mind off of Harry Potter.

With the next Hogsmeade trip being cancelled, something that really frustrated Ron Weasley who told everybody loudly how it had fallen on his 17th birthday, all the 6th years had to look forward to as February turned to March were the Apparition lessons, and even they turned sour quickly as Twycross continued his less than empathetic teaching methods, and Splinching became more and more common. Fay's first incident had been when her nose had been left behind, while Leo was certain that his toenail hadn't been reattached correctly.

Instead of Hogsmeade and eager to stay as far away from Harry Potter as humanly possible, Leo decided that he would spend his time in the Library. Not only was the Boy-Who-Lived not likely to interrupt him here, the interruption of the Minister for Magic over Christmas, his insistence on trying to get through during their Apparition lessons and the reasons behind it had slowly lit a fire within the Gryffindor's belly and he was even more determined to learn everything about the magical government that he possibly could, from the history, to the makeup of its members throughout the years. One book in particular gave him mixed opinions at the sight of a name, as he learned that Henry Potter, a Wizengamot member between 1913 and 1921, was one of those most influential in the incarceration of William Hitchens, a mass murderer operating around the local Hogwarts area in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.

As he was reading a fascinating part about the Muggle First World War and the lack of aid coming from the Wizarding World, the opposition to which was led by Henry Potter, something in his pocket began to vibrate. Quickly realising it was the enchanted mirror, he closed his books and grabbed his bag, rushing out towards the Transfiguration Courtyard before he found a bench, cast Muffliato and brought the mirror out. "Sirius." He greeted.

"Leo, mate!" Sirius beamed through the mirror. Leo noticed he was in the Grimmauld Place Library, with piles upon piles of books surrounding him. "I heard your Hogsmeade visit got cancelled so just thought I'd check in."

Sensing there was more to the story, Leo raised an eyebrow quizzically at the mirror. "So you aren't trying to get me to talk to Harry then?"

The feigned look of surprise didn't kid the teenager. "What? No! You aren't speaking?" He tried to pretend, but the look Leo gave him made Sirius sigh. "I just, wanted to chat, to see what was up and if I could help in any way."

"He doesn't trust me." Leo said bitterly, making sure that the other students in the courtyard were too occupied to listen in to him. "Every time I think we're getting somewhere… he throws something new back into my face. This time it's that map you made at school. Surely I should know about it if it's something you made with his dad?"

Sighing, Sirius leant back against the bookshelf. "He mentioned that in his last letter." Sirius admitted. "And don't start!" He added, seeing Leo's face. "I've heard enough from the pair of you and your mother to know that there's some level of resentment, on both sides."

Scoffing, Leo shook his head. "He has no reason to resent me." He muttered. "He's the Chosen One, the one that's good at everything, the one…"

"With no family that cares for him but me." Sirius interrupted. "The one that for 10 years of his life was in a place he hated and found a home at Hogwarts." He took a moment to pause. "He's jealous of you too. Of the family you have, of how your new relationship with Hermione is affecting the status quo. No don't interrupt, you need to hear this, as he needed to hear what I wrote to him about so don't you go thinking I'm taking sides here. You are both stronger together, not apart, and Harry needs all the friends he can get given what is looming over his head."

"What is?" Leo asked.

Another pause followed as Sirius took a breath. "This is top secret, so don't breathe a word of this to anybody else. This is Harry trusting you."

"I swear." Leo nodded, curious as to what would follow.

"Last summer, in the Ministry." Sirius began. "Voldemort lured Harry there for a reason."

"A prophecy." Leo nodded. "I remember, Neville mentioned it in the Hospital Wing."

Nodding, Sirius continued. "A prophecy, yes. One that says that when James and Lily died, and Harry survived, Voldemort marked Harry. In trying to kill him he marked Harry as his equal." He took a breath and Leo could see the emotion in his eyes. "Neither can live while the other survives, that's what it says. Basically…"

"Harry has to kill You-Know-Who." Leo muttered quietly, realisation settling in. "Or be killed by him."

Another nod followed from Sirius. "He's just a kid, like you, but with the weight of the world on his shoulders and the Minister for Magic constantly breathing down his neck trying to get him to support the new regime. If word of the prophecy or its contents gets around… if people like Draco Malfoy or any other children of Death Eaters catch wind of it… then there will be battles in the corridors at Hogwarts for anybody trying to incapacitate Harry to send to their master…"

It was a tough thought to process. "He's just trying to keep things normal." Leo whispered, more to himself than anything. "But he should still realise I'm not out to harm him…"

"He does." Sirius told him. "It's an all-round shit situation Leo, I won't sugar coat it for you. Give him patience, and the benefit of the doubt, and I promise he will be more forthcoming with you too."

The talk had given Leo a lot to think about, and after another 5 minutes or so of general chit chat, with Sirius admitting he had found nothing so far on Horcruxes in the Grimmauld Place Library, the pair said their goodbyes to one another. It was a slow dawdle back up to Gryffindor Tower and the Common Room that allowed him to process this new information, though it was almost immediately put to one side when the Fat Lady swung her portrait open and Leo was almost barrelled over by a frantic Ginny and Hermione, the latter of whom dragged Leo by the arm and marched him over to the Hospital Wing, where Ron was currently recovering from a terrible birthday ordeal…

Reviews:

Floriano97: Well, thank you for reading up to this point and I'm sorry it wasn't your cup of tea!

RodrickBlueLord: Leo 'stealing' Harry definitely wasn't the intention, but that's part and parcel of having a son/daughter of Sirius OC, and half of the enjoyment out of those stories is the pull that Sirius can feel.

SkepticPrinceArthur: He definitely is underrated, I just didn't find a good enough excuse to expand on him there, though he makes another… small appearance here! A part of keeping Sirius alive here is finding some uses for him and so bringing him in and giving him something to do just made a lot of sense, especially when it's clear he would be loyal to Harry over Dumbledore all day every day.

Lightningscar: I'm glad you're back in the headspace to review, and I hope everything is ok! The broomstick is made up (the number, not the maker) and I imagine it as a top of the line broom for the casual flyer, whereas Harry was a Quidditch Player and needed an athletic model. I think Hermione also doesn't think of outside help because she likes to be the one in control and the one that finds all the information out so she didn't even think of outside help because she presumed she could do it herself.