The Dog and His Boy [Harry Potter] PART 4/4

[rhye]

Title: The Dog and His Boy PART 4/4
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Remus/Sirius
Characters: Harry, Sirius/Padfoot, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, Remus, other Weasleys and Hogwarts professors.
Summary: After the canon events of October 1981, Sirius is not captures by Aurors. He transforms into his animagus form, and he follows Harry to the Dursleys. Harry grows up with the feisty Padfoot as his best friend and companion and thus, when he is accepted into Hogwarts at his 11th birthday, he refuses to come unless he can bring his dog as his familiar. Once at Hogwarts, Snape is behaving suspiciously and mysteries unfold. Can Padfoot prevent harm from befalling the boy he thinks of as his own son? Does Dumbledore suspect that Padfoot is more than just a dog? Light Remus/Sirius.
Word Count: 32,000

The Dog and His Boy PART 4

Chapter Eleven

Sirius smelled Remus Lupin even before the knock landed on the door. Confident of being recognized, he hid in Fang's usual hiding place: under the bed. Thankfully, Fang was not currently occupying the space, as he was not afraid of Remus.

"Ev'ning" Hagrid greeted Remus as soon as he opened the door. Whatever he had seen on Remus's face, though, must have upset him. "Has something happened?" Hagrid asked. Sirius easily heard the distress in Hagrid's voice.

"Ginny Weasley," Remus answered. This was the closest Padfoot had been to Remus since that fated day twelve years ago, and he crawled closer to the edge of the bed to see his old mate. Remus looked careworn. His hair had greyed. His clothes were threadbare with the hems coming undone. His face seemed even more heavily lined than Sirius had surmised from the glances he had gotten here and there of Remus around the grounds.

"Wha's wrong?" Hagrid asked breathlessly.

"She's been carried into the Chamber of Secrets."

Sirius registered the words. Ginny Weasley. He had not spent much time with her but in the time he had he'd become fond of the youngest Weasley.

"It's real, then?" Hagrid asked, almost reverently.

"Apparently," Remus answered humorlessly.

"How can she be rescued? Where is she?"

Remus shook his head. "We've started to evacuate the castle, send the students home. There's nothing else that can be done."

"What do you mean? You can't jus--"

"We don't even know where it is!" Remus exclaimed. "We can't hope to rescue her. She'd be dead by the time-- That's not what I came for," Remus added flatly.

"What did you come here for, then?" Hagrid sounded quite a bit colder now towards the child he used to look after. "Jus' ter tell me yer gonna let 'er die?"

"Harry," Remus answered breathlessly. "I can't find Harry."

"He's not here," Hagrid answered flatly.

"Ron either--"

"There's yer answer," Hagrid blustered. "If they're both missin', count on it, they're together. Ron wouldn't leave his sister behind."

"They can't have found the Chamber," Remus shook his head. "Even the faculty don't know where the entrance is. Even Dumbledore doesn't know."

"Wouldn't be the first time Harry knows somethin' Dumbledore didn't," Hagrid snapped.

"It's not a joke!"

"'M not laughin'."

"We've got to find them. Could I borrow Fang?"

Hagrid turned to see his dog and the shock of realization crossed his face. "Padfoot!" he called out. "Where's he got to? Padfoot, 'Arry's in trouble!"

Sirius had heard. Oh, he had heard very clearly. His muscles were shaking with nervous energy. He needed to get out of there. He would track down Harry, Ron, and Ginny.

"Padfoot's not..." Remus started, but he seemed to change tacks. "Severus said something about Sirius Black being in the castle."

"Oh no, it's just 'Arry's dog. I don't know where he got that name but he's a good'un." Hagrid was still looking for the missing Padfoot but Fang was no help to Sirius, as Fang had caught Hagrid's meaning and was sniffing intently at the bottom of the bed.

Soon, it was not Fang's face but Remus's staring at him the edge of the bed. "Sirius?" Remus looked blatantly amused and not even a little bit enraged. Sirius braced for the hex he felt must be coming but instead, when the humor dissipated from Remus' face, it was replaced with a very grave frown.

"I suppose," the greying professor started, "you heard that Harry is missing? Ginny's-- Ron and Harry are missing."

Sirius didn't wait, recognizing an invitation when he heard one. He scrambled out from under the bed. That was not really the easiest of tasks, since the bed was rather low to the ground and Padfoot was not a small dog. Still, he'd slipped under it quickly enough and he did manage to slip back out. He did not wait to be asked again, but rather stood by the door to Hagrid's hut and waited for Remus to open it. Remus obliged as soon as he crossed the room. He opened the door to the cool night air. A million insects chirruped away, seemingly unaware of the tragedy unfolding in the mysterious and unreachable Chamber. Padfoot could not have been more certain that Harry and Ron knew--or at least thought they knew--where this Chamber was. They'd gone to find and save Ginny.

"You aren't going to transform?" Remus' voice interrupted his reverie. Sirius did not respond. He tried not to react at all. Maybe Remus would doubt that he was truly the Padfoot of their youth. Maybe he could be convinced that Padfoot was merely Harry's dog. Or if not, perhaps he would believe that Sirius had entirely lost his humanity. If Sirius was honest with himself, he didn't want to transform because this wasn't the time for confrontations or reconciliations. He didn't want to speak to Remus. He was afraid.

This realization didn't sit well with him, though, and so he told himself that at the moment he needed his nose to track Harry. It was somewhat true, but tracking Harry was pointless until he at least located a fresh scent.

Once back in the castle, Sirius found a fresh scent even sooner than he had expected. He did not have to go all the way to the Common Room. Rather, right on the top of the stairs on the floor leading to that haunted bathroom where the kids spent so much time earlier this year, Padfoot picked up a scent he could not mistake. No matter what, he knew Harry's scent as well or better than he knew his own. He took off at a skidding, claw-clicking run through the deserted castle. He did not wait for Remus when he reached the bathroom, but rather threw himself against the door. The door gave, and Padfoot slid on scrambling claws across the wet stone until he slammed into a sink.

"Hello," a ghostly voice giggled. "I recognize you. You're Harry's dog," Myrtle chortled in exactly such a tone as to say to Sirius that she knew who he was.

Then the door swung open behind him, and Remus entered.

"Oh," Myrtle gasped, "Not again. I'm not recovered from last time," she pouted. "Why are all the gorgeous ones taken?" She winked at Sirius and disappeared down a toilet.

Sirius was especially glad at the moment to be a dog and not a man. If, however, he hadn't been a dog, he was sure he would have blushed at that. The incident and the relationship to which Myrtle had referred was such a part of ancient history that Sirius wouldn't be surprised if they studied it in Binns' class. It was nearly worthy of the subject, too, the way it had torn apart the Order.

From the depths of his cynical self-loathing, Sirius noticed that one of the sinks was somehow transfigured into a gaping hole in the floor, and that Harry and Ron's scents led right into it.

"What on Earth?" Remus breathed, edging closer to the sink.

Padfoot sniffed the edge and whined.

"No," Remus muttered. "They can't have gone down this."

Sirius, however, could not have been more certain. Without delaying a moment longer, Padfoot leaped right into the hole in the floor. He heard Remus mutter, "Bloody idiot," behind him before there was a yelp, and Sirius assumed his old friend was likewise sliding down the tunnel.

Padfoot landed at the bottom with a grunt, only to be landed on top of a moment later by Remus, who clearly weighed more than his appearance would suggest.

"Thanks, mate," Remus chuckled, "I owe you one."

Sirius was rapidly coming to the realization that Remus did not believe Sirius had lost his humanity. Nor did he appear to be especially mad at his old friend--his old betrayer.

Then he came to an additional realization--they were not alone. "Hold it--who's there?" A shaky voice asked from the darkness of the tunnel. Sirius immediately recognized the voice of Ron Weasley.

"Lumos," Remus answered calmly. He stood and held up his glowing wand in the small tunnel.

"Professor Lupin!" Relief was evident in Ron's voice.

"Mister Weasley," Remus smiled tightly. "Do you mind lowering your-- err... wand?"

Ron looked down at his wand, cracked after the incident with the Willow at the beginning of the year. The tip dangled by a bit of spellotape. He lowered it, muttering an apology.

"That's all right," Remus nodded. "We're here to help. I don't suppose you could fill us in?"

Ron's eyes skittered over Padfoot, and he drew in a deep breath. "This is the entrance to the Chamber, it just has to be! But the tunnel collapsed and Harry got through. I'd've tried to follow him, but..." Ron raised his broken wand by way of explanation. "Thought I might vanish myself or something by accident," Ron continued, dejected.

"I see," Remus tried for a reassuring smile, but to Sirius it simply seemed nauseous. "Stand back, then." With an easy wand movement, the wall of fallen stone blocking the rest of the passage vanished. Ron breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"Harry and Ginny are ahead?" Remus asked, hardly waiting for an answer as he forged onwards. Ron didn't answer, anyway. He simply followed behind his Defense professor.

In a very short while, the man, boy, and dog reached the end of the tunnel. Here, the top curved away into a vast cavern punctuated by columns. The dripping of water was audible from nearby, but they hardly had time to notice. Padfoot into a full run when a very familiar cry pierced the silent chamber, seeming to echo around all of the walls and right into his head. Harry was in trouble, and from that moment on everything else became meaningless.

*****

Remus Lupin saw the large black dog disappear into the darkness of the cavern. He wanted to call after, to prevent Sirius from doing anything rash, but he knew he had as just as much likelihood of Apparating them all out of there through Hogwarts' anti-apparition wards, or even of stopping the Moon in its monthly journey around the Earth. The name he had been prepared to cry out, therefore, died un-uttered on his lips. He paused to think, wondering what his next course of action should be, and not wanting to endanger Ron through ineptitude of any sort--though likely Ron was already in about as much danger as he could be in at the moment. Remus had meant to ask the boy to stay behind in the tunnel but at the last moment he simply hadn't said so. He knew Ron wouldn't have listened anyway, so why waste time on the argument?

Just then, Ron seemed to see something, as he let out an unrecognizable groan and darted across the puddle-ridden floor. Only when he arrived at the foot of a large stone statue did Remus notice that there was a person on the floor there. Not Harry, Remus knew, as the sound of Harry had come from elsewhere. Ginny, presumably. Remus turned this way, hoping to help Ron and to check on Ginny, when a horrid noise caught him unawares from behind.

Spinning on his feet, he was greeted with the sight of a retreating row of scales, flashing in the dim light around a column nearby. Following in the snake's wake was a wizard, pale golden spells spilling forth from his wand. Sirius Black.

Then Remus's brain, so far slow to take in his surroundings, noticed the creature Sirius was chasing. He hadn't the faintest idea whether Sirius, Harry, or Ron knew what the creature was but years of studying dark creatures left Remus with very little doubt, even from so little a glance. His heart began to hammer, and he hoped to God that Sirius could not outpace the creature--or, more appropriately, that the creature would not turn around to see what it was that followed him.

For, if the snake did turn, that would be all there was for Sirius, the friend he hadn't even begun to reconcile with. This creature was no enormous snake. It was a Basilisk.

As if the snake had read his mind (and who was to say they couldn't?) Remus saw the Basilisk begin to turn then, as if in slow-motion. "Sirius!" he yelled. "Duck!" Sirius immediately fell to the ground; Remus smiled to himself that Sirius still did what he asked without hesitation, with complete trust. Just as he could almost imagine himself seeing the golden eyes of the Basilisk (though of course he must not have really seen them, as he was still alive to think about having seen them), Remus squeezed his eyelids shut and yelled, "Occus conjunctus!"

The screams that filled the chamber were unearthly. Harry had been on its back, and he fell to stand by Sirius' side, firing off spells along with a now-standing Sirius. Remus rushed over and cast his own--whatever spells he thought might breech the rough scales of the creature. Nothing seemed to have much effect.

A terrible laugh echoed around the chamber once the screams of the Basilisk died down; the three wizards fighting the creature turned to see Ron aiming his broken wand at a ghost. The snake retreated in pain.

"What are you going to do with that?" the ghost asked. "Your wand couldn't harm a flea, blood-traitor, but maybe you haven't noticed, thick as you are. I haven't got a body."

Ron growled something back at the ghost, and in a moment Remus, Sirius, and Harry had joined Ron by his sister's body. Remus leaned down to feel for her pulse.

"Is she--" Sirius started asking.

Remus shook his head. "She's very cold, but I've still got a pulse."

"Not for much longer," the ghost of the young man smiled smugly. "As soon as I've got a body, as soon as you lot want to try and hex me, she'll be dead."

"No!" Ron screamed. "I don't know who you are, but I'll--"

Sirius restrained Ron, wrapping strong arms around the second-year. Ron looked up at the dark-haired wizard and mumbled a startled, "Who in bloody hell are you? Gerroff."

"What I'd very much like to know," Remus interrupted, "is the identity of our young assailant here."

"Tom," Harry whispered.

"Very good," the boy named Tom grinned. "See, Harry knows so much about me. He and I have been chatting. In a way, this is all his fault. I knew that by capturing this girl, Harry himself would come. Harry, the boy who lived," the ghost of Tom spat into the air. "Why were you so bloody lucky, then? Why can't you die? No matter. I'll kill you--"

Sirius let go of Ron and stepped suddenly between Tom and Harry. "Stop threatening him." Sirius, even though facing down a rather maniacal ghost, managed to come off even more frightening himself. He was good at that, always had been.

"Or what?" Tom flicked his hair out of his eyes.

"Who are you?" Remus repeated calmly.

Tom laughed, seemingly delighted to be asked, and began to write with his wand in the air. "TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE," the words spelled. Then suddenly, they rearranged themselves and instead Remus read in the air before him, "I AM LORD VOLDEMORT."

In an instant, Remus had picked up Ginny and grabbed Ron. He was pulling them away from this boy-ghost of Voldemort's. Sirius was pushing Harry away, keeping himself always between Tom and Harry.

"How charming, to see how afraid you are, and I haven't even got a body yet," the ghost called after them. "You can't save her."

Sirius suddenly spun, pulling out his wand. "I'll show you fear."

"Sirius!" Remus cried out. Sirius looked mad in the half-light of the wet dungeon.

Tom laughed again. "Fear is not an emotion I am even capable of."

This time it was Sirius who answered. "That's not true! You were afraid of Dumbledore! You always were afraid of him!"

"Was not," Tom yelled, sounding every bit a teenager at the childish snipe.

"If Dumbledore were down here, you wouldn't even dare hurt Ginny," Harry continued.

And then Tom opened his mouth, but instead of the childish retort that Remus expected, he hissed.

The Basilisk came out of nowhere, quite suddenly, and charged at them. Without its eyes, it could do them no harm from afar, but that did not stop the danger its feet-long fangs posed to them. It also seemed easily able to smell them. Luckily, Remus, Ron, and Ginny were a good distance off still.

Unluckily, Sirius and Harry were standing right in the path of the Basilisk. Wand raised, Sirius waited as the creature opened it yawning mouth over him. Only when the maw of the creature came near to closing right over Sirius did Sirius shout, "Rictusempra!"

Remus didn't remember yelling, but he heard a noise and then realized it was issuing from his own mouth. He was running across the chamber, sliding on the wet floor, splashing up puddles. "Sirius!" he yelled. Harry had beat him there, but Harry didn't know-- Harry didn't even know who Sirius was dammit. Remus closed his eyes as he slid across the stone floor to Sirius' side. He knew he'd scraped his knees, but he didn't care. All he could see was the growing pool of red, looking black in the dim light and quickly coating the stone floor.

Somehow, Harry had the most presence of mind. He used his wand to move the Basilisk off of Sirius. Remus was surprised to see Harry's hands shaking, to hear Harry muttering, "No, no."

"Sirius," Remus whispered, able to see now that Sirius himself seemed fine. His right arm had been pierced through above the elbow by a Basilisk fang, but his eyes, glassy as they were, were still open.

Tom Riddle began to laugh.

*****

Chapter Twelve

Harry wasn't sure who the man, the man who had fought with him and saved him, really was. He was not the man from his photo album, not his father, not the man from the Mirror. He was, though... Harry couldn't think what else to call him but 'dad'. His face was eerily familiar from all the dreams he'd had about his father. He didn't know who the man was, but he knew he wasn't going to lose him before he'd had a chance to find out.

Harry saw Professor Lupin slowly cradle the man's head in his lap. Harry realized then that he was gripping the man's arm as hard as he could, desperate that he shouldn't die. Familiar grey eyes found his and parched lips formed his name soundlessly.

And then Tom Riddle began to laugh.

Harry looked up at the boy who had, until this hour, seemed so like him. Voldemort. "Shut up," he screeched.

"Why, so you can say goodbye to all your friends as they die?" Tom laughed harder. "Don't worry Harry. I'll let you join them soon."

Harry looked over to Ron, who was holding Ginny. His friend was nearly as ashen-faced as the little sister he held in his arms. "I hate you," Harry whispered at the ghost, though in truth the ghost looked almost real now.

"Good." Tom Riddle laughed again.

"I HATE YOU!" Harry screamed, and, reaching for anything he could to demonstrate and abate his intense emotions, his right hand found a fang from the dead Basilisk, and his left found the diary. He stabbed the diary, screaming all the while. He didn't know at all what he was saying, he just knew that he wanted Tom to go away, to never come back, to have never existed at all.

And then he looked up from the burbling puddle of blood-like ink to find that-- that that was exactly what had happened.

The silence that followed was eerie, but Professor Lupin broke it. "Harry," he said quietly. "Sirius won't be with us much longer. If you want to say goodbye--"

"I don't underst--" Harry started, wondering how he was supposed to say goodbye to a complete stranger.

Professor Lupin, face streaked with tears, looked up and met Harry's gaze. "Sirius is Padfoot. Your dog. He's an animagus."

"What?"

"Your dog wasn't a dog, Harry. He was-- is-- your godfather." Then Remus looked back down at the wreath of hair in his lap.

"I don't want to say goodbye!" Harry cried. "He's not-- what--"

"Well," Professor Lupin pressed a hand tenderly to the man's throat and looked up. "I think he's spared you the need."

"Wha--"

Just then, their stilted conversation was interrupted by a new sound. In the first moment Harry heard it, he worried that perhaps it was another snake, though not one speaking Parseltongue, as he couldn't make any sense out of the noise. It sounded almost more like--

"Is that music?" Ron asked from behind them.

The music slowly began filling the entire chamber. It was a thick, swirling, and lilting sound, crescendo-ing until they discovered its source. Fawkes, still young this go 'round, streaked across the cavern ceiling as a red blur on black stone. The music was entrancing, and Harry found it almost hard to feel anything besides calm. Then, quite suddenly, Fawkes alighted on the dark-haired man-- had Professor Lupin called him Harry's godfather?-- and began to cry.

Professor Lupin gasped as the tears fell from the phoenix's face into the gory wound of the man's open arm. When Fawkes had finished his job, the arm seemed almost well again. Professor Lupin pressed his hand to the man's throat once more, and laughed in joyous relief.

"Where are we?" a small voice asked from behind them. They both spun to see Ginny Weasley sitting up, looking very confused.

"Time for explanations later, I think," Professor Lupin smiled wearily. "For now, I think we'd all better find a way to the Hospital Wing. That is, as long as there are no objections?"

*****

Fawkes had flown them back up the drain pipe from the sink and into the bathroom. Remus thought he ought to levitate Sirius to the Hospital Wing now that Fawkes had dropped them off. However, he found he could not convince himself to release the unconscious man in his arms. Sirius was heavy, but not as heavy as he looked, and Remus was forced to wonder whether he was eating enough for a man, in his dog form.

Ginny, at least, looked better. Her cheeks were tear stained, and Remus couldn't begin to understand why she felt this all to be her fault, but Harry did seem to understand. He was speaking quietly to her about a diary-- the book Harry had destroyed, presumably. As they made their way from the bathroom, Remus looked down to find Ginny Weasley clinging resolutely to his own robes.

With Ginny starting to calm down, Harry seemed to have lost his own well of calm. He was not as agitated or tearful as Ginny, but he walked with a restless air, watching Remus and Sirius closely as they made their way towards the Hospital Wind.

Around one corner on the second floor, the group of shaken refugees from the Chamber-- Remus, Ron, Harry, and Ginny, and of course the still-unconscious Sirius-- ran directly into Fred and George Weasley.

"Been looking for you!" George announced triumphantly. He had a bit of parchment in his hand, and to Remus, it looked eerily familiar.

"Ginny!" Fred ruffled his little sister's hair, even as George scooper her up and held her to his chest.

"Fred, is it?" Remus asked, hoping he was telling them apart properly.

"Yes sir," Fred answered.

"Professor McGonagall was planning to Floo call your parents and ask them to come immediately. Have they--"

"That's why we were looking for you," George interrupted. "They're here, and they were looking for Ron--" He stroked his hand across Ginny's hair. "And with Ginny--" He didn't finish the sentence.

"Ginny's safe," Remus answered, "But Sirius needs the hospital wing immediately. Bring your parents there? I think we could all stand to be looked after by Madam Pomfrey."

Fred nodded and ran off, but George kept a hold of Ginny, who was much too old to be carried about, but let her brother do it anyway. The parade of individuals continued on to the Hospital Wing.

Upon entering Madam Pomfrey's domain, Remus could not have been more surprised to see Auror Moody standing there with Dumbledore. "How did--"

"Fawkes has kept me apprised," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Mmmm, Black," Moody replied. The Auror-- ah, retired now, Remus had forgotten that-- had eyes only for Sirius.

"He's innocent," Remus laid him carefully on a bed and stepped between Sirius and Moody.

"Oh, I know." Moody acted offended that anyone thought he might not have known this.

"You do? How long--"

"I've always known," Moody shrugged. "I can't prove it and I don't have the power to do anything about it, so don't ask. I've decided, though, that letting Mister Black be guilty is probably for the best."

"For the best? How dare you--"

Dumbledore raised a hand to silence his newest professor. "Let Alastor speak, Remus."

"Letting Black take the fall means that the real culprit can lower his guard. We will find him."

"How long have you been trying?" Remus pinned Moody with a glare.

"That's not the point," Moody answered.

Remus turned his back to the retired Auror, knowing he was not going to win the argument. At the end of the day, Moody simply did not have the pull or evidence to pardon Sirius. That much was clear, and the rest was simply academic.

Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley rushed into the hospital wing. Ginny was being looked over by Madam Pomfrey, and they flocked to her, demanding the story. In fact, as they did so, all eyes suddenly fell upon Ginny, who chocked down a sob, fixed her eyes on Harry, and began to explain the events of the year to everyone around her.

Only when she had finished did the Weasleys seem to notice the man on the bed beside their daughter's. "Sirius Black!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed, eyes quickly searching out Alastor Moody, understanding for perhaps the first time why the retired Auror was there.

Moody shook his head, and Dumbledore interrupted. "Mister Black is as innocent as you or I, Arthur. Well, perhaps rather more innocent than I can claim to be," he sighed.

"He killed a--"

"He didn't kill anyone," Dumbledore's voice rose with authority. "I can't deny, and I daresay neither would Sirius, that he made several disastrous mistakes." Dumbledore's eyes caught Remus's. "But mistakes is all they were, and his wand has never taken a life. You could no doubt perform a priori incantatem on it to confirm this."

"Could have," Remus supplied. "He has performed too many spells since the one he did not perform that night."

"Too right," Dumbledore nodded.

Harry looked down at the still-unconscious form of Sirius Black. "Is he really my godfather?"

Dumbledore rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. "He is, at that."

Harry turned his wide green eyes up at Dumbledore. "Is he really Padfoot-- I mean, really my dog?"

Mrs. Weasley gasped at this insinuation, but Dumbledore simply nodded.

"We've been harboring a fugitive!" Molly Weasley turned, red-faced, to her husband.

"Clearly not," Arthur shrugged. "Not if Albus Dumbledore says he's innocent. That's good enough for me."

"So he's not a fugitive?" Harry asked. "Not anymore?"

"As I've already shared with Remus," Moody shuffled forward, "It would be best if Sirius were to continue in hiding as he has done. At least until we find the real culprit of the massacre of which he is accused."

"I'll do it," a groggy voice answered from the bed. Remus turned with a smile and pushed through the small crowd to capture Sirius's hand.

"Sirius, old friend, how do you feel?"

"Like I've been digested by a Basilisk," Sirius groaned.

"Not quite, thankfully," Dumbledore smiled. "Sirius," Dumbledore continued, instantly grave again, "You have understood the request that Alastor is making of you?"

Sirius nodded. "Lay low. Got it."

"Not here," Dumbledore added. "I'm sure, as much as Mister Potter must appreciate your affections, that a teenage boy does not want to be dogged at all times by his guardian."

"Oh, I know," Sirius groaned and leaned his head back. He would lose Harry to this. He was sure.

"Everyone here," Dumbledore turned to address the room, "Can I count on you to refrain from exposing Sirius's identity or whereabouts?" His look lingered especially long on the Weasley twins.

"Don't look at us," Fred bristled.

"Yeah, we've known about him for ages!"

"You have?" Molly gasped. "You didn't think it proper to notify the authorities?"

"Mum," George answered sternly, "Sirius is Padfoot. He's been living with Harry for his whole life. If he wanted to kill him--"

"I'd say he had more chances than You Know Who," Fred laughed, though Ginny winced uncomfortably.

Harry, suddenly, spoke up. "You aren't going to expel her, are you?"

"Who?" Dumbledore peered at Harry over his glaces. "Miss Weasley? Heavens, no. If I thought it proper to punish everyone who had been once a pawn of Lord Voldemort, most of the people in this room would fall victim, myself included. Do you hear that, Miss Weasley?"

Sniffling, Ginny nodded. "But I almost killed Harry."

"You have good company," Dumbledore continued. "Sometime, let us all share with you our experiences of almost killing-- or Merlin forbid actually causing the deaths of-- the people we care most about. I'd suggest your first stop would be Mister Black." Sirius winced this time. "But time gives us the opportunity to repay all debts."

Sirius nodded, as though receiving a secret message from Dumbledore. He eyes slid shut and he sighed.

"Really," Madam Pomfrey said to them all, "the patients need some rest now."

"Of course, Poppy. Come on, everyone. It should be breakfast time in the Great Hall shortly." Dumbledore left the room, and most everyone followed him.

*****

Chapter Thirteen

Harry followed everyone out as well, but when he saw that Professor Lupin was approaching the bed instead of coming to breakfast, Harry took the opportunity to head back to Gryffindor Tower. Sirius Black, he was fairly certain, would soon be sound asleep, but Harry wanted to be there-- unseen-- when Black woke up. The two men knew each other, and had known his father, so he could not stop the impulse to eavesdrop on anything they might be saying about him. Ron had not followed him back, but rather had been hurried along with the rest of his family, so Harry was free to grab his invisibility cloak and run back to the hospital ward unobserved. As he slipped quietly back inside, he paused a moment by Hermione's petrified form. Madam Pomfrey said it wouldn't be long now before the mandrakes were mature. Harry missed his friend, and would have appreciated her opinion on the events of the past twenty-four hours.

The door to the hospital wing was still open-- just barely-- and Harry was able to flatten himself enough to slip in through the open space. He moved almost instinctively to Hermione's bed and watched Professor Lupin from the safe cover of his invisibility cloak. Professor Lupin was leaning on the hospital bed next to the strange man. Sirius Black-- that was his name. Black's eyes were closed, and he breathed steadily: the absolutely picture of sleep.

"Sirius," Professor Lupin said softly. even though Lupin's voice was hardly above a whisper, it broke so profound a silence that Harry jumped.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Lupin continued.

"I'm not," Black answered from the bed. Harry jumped again. He had been nearly positive the man was asleep.

"Oh bollocks," Lupin groaned.

Black opened one eye, then the other. "Alright, fine, I am avoiding you." He sounded angry to Harry's ears. "But what am I supposed to say? I'm sorry I thought you were the traitor? I'm sorry I was a bigoted fool and I got my best friend killed?"

"It's a start." Lupin was smiling.

Black did not smile back. Rather, he groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. "I feel like I've been eaten by a Basilisk."

"Very nearly," Lupin deadpanned.

"And Harry?"

"Confused and shaken, I'd wager, but he hasn't got a scratch on him."

Black released an audible sigh. "Remus, I don't know what I'd--"

"Hush," Lupin interrupted, "Best not to dwell on hypothetical horrors. Our lives hold enough of the genuine article."

The ghost of a smile crossed Black's lips. "I'm sorry for thinking you were the traitor. Can you forgive me for believing it of you?"

"If you can forgive the same of me." Lupin pushed off the bed he was leaning on to rest his weight instead against Black's.

"I thought--"

"It's in the past," Lupin broke in. "Let us leave it there."

"Peter was the--"

"Sirius, yes, I know. Otherwise, do you think I'd just stand here and carry on a conversation with a Death Eater?"

"Remus," Black croaked, and this time he sounded desperate, his breathing ragged. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"We'll have to start from the beginning, Pads. As friends. I've changed, and you've changed. Merlin," Lupin smiled, "you're a single da!"

Black laughed, but he sounded profoundly sad when he answered, "I may lose him over this."

"No, you won't," Lupin waved as if to physically bat Black's concern away. "He's amazing, Pads. Top of his class, conscientious, strong. You've done a brilliant job. Lily couldn't even say otherwise."

"I did the best I could, under the circumstances-- When did you realize Peter was the secret keeper?" Sirius jumped topics with more agility than Harry was used to even from Hermione.

"Oh, Dumbledore and Moody had a chat with me when they asked me to come on as Defense professor, after poor Gilderoy..." Lupin spared a glance at the bed where the pompous Defense professor was still unconscious.

"What a git," Black said, and Harry couldn't help but feel that he quite agreed with his mysterious godfather on this front.

"At any rate," Lupin continued, "I was expecting to see you when I arrived. I thought we had many things we needed to say to each other. But, you were nowhere to be found."

"I was avoi--"

"Yes, I know. And now, after all of that," Lupin shrugged, "I'm not sure we have all that much to discuss after all."

Black looked suddenly drawn.

"I mean that in a good way," Lupin clarified. "Haven't we just said all we need to say?"

"Remus?"

"Hmm."

"I missed you."

"I missed you as well, Sirius."

"Remus?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Harry heard himself gasp aloud as soon as the words were out of Black's mouth. Suddenly, words he had been hearing throughout this conversation clicked very clearly into place, and he understood what he was seeing. It was yet another minute before he was able to register that both of the men across the room were staring at him. Or towards him, at least.

"Moony, did you hear something?"

Lupin silently drew two wands out of the inside of his coat and handed one to Black. "I think we may have a spy."

"We'll just have to hex him!" Black stood and wobbled a bit. "Together?"

"I think so," Lupin smiled. "On the count of three. One--"

"No wait!" Harry threw off the invisibility to cloak. "It's me! Don't hex me! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to overhear your entire conversation."

Lupin and Black didn't even respond to Harry's apology, however. Both were too busy laughing at him.

"I didn't--" Harry started again.

"Harry," Black raised his arms, "Of course you were trying to overhear. Why else would you be in here with that cloak on?"

Harry felt himself blush as Black collapsed into even wilder fits of laughter, leaning on his bed for support.

"It's alright, Harry. Don't mind him. He's just proud."

Black laughed harder, and Harry found himself growing quite angry. "Quit laughing! That was frightening. It wasn't funny."

"Oh Harry--" To his credit, Black tried to stop laughing. Harry could see that much. He failed rather spectacularly.

"You--" Harry sputtered, shaking with anger. "You follow me, live with me, lie to me. I thought you were my best friend, but now I find out I don't even know you!" Harry felt a thrill of satisfaction when he saw that Black was no longer laughing. He'd sobered very quickly.

"Black, is it?" Harry had raised his voice by now. "Or am I just supposed to call you Sirius? You're just some bloke? I undressed in front of you. I mean, when I thought you were a dog... I told you all my secrets."

"Harry, I've known you since your mum was sprogged up. I changed your nappies. Do you think I care if you undress in front of me?"

"But you're-- you're with him." Harry pointed an accusing finger at Lupin, who grunted a sheepish assent. "I mean, with him, like that." To be honest, Harry didn't care a bit, but he didn't know this stranger, and it was the only ammunition he had against Black.

"Were," Lupin answered quietly.

"Right, so why would I want to look at your scrawny arse?" Sirius laughed awkwardly, ignoring Lupin's comment. Harry's mouth dropped open. "Harry," Black gestured with his arms open, then dropped them helplessly.

"You're not my dad," Harry sniffed.

"No," Black answered quietly, "I'm not that."

*****

"Well, you're not my dad."

Sirius couldn't deny that the words hurt, but he'd known this day would come. "No," he said softly, "I'm not that."

"In my dreams-- I mean, I know what my dad looks like. I've seen pictures, and that mirror. Dreams are just dreams."

"The Mirror of Erised?" Remus interrupted, breathless.

Harry plowed on ahead, ignoring is interjection. "I know you aren't my dad."

Remus stepped forward, placing himself between Sirius and Harry and resting a hand slowly and carefully on Harry's shoulder. Harry flinched, but Remus didn't let that stop him. "Harry," he asked in a voice somehow reminiscent of Dumbledore's, "Have you had dreams of Sirius?"

"No," Harry answered abruptly and with startling finality.

"Was he your dad in them?"

"I was just a kid!" Harry protested. "I was confused."

Sirius felt his mouth drop open. He couldn't say what he was feeling beyond the desire to wipe the lost expression from Harry's face, and an overall sense of gratitude towards Remus for facilitating this reunion.

"Sirius raised you, Harry. It's not a betrayal to your father's memory if you think of him as your dad." Suddenly Harry's large green eyes shifted to Remus. In the process, they caught the light, and Sirius could see they were wet and shining with un-fallen tears.

"The only times I felt loved were in those dreams," Harry answered meekly.

Sirius was there just a moment later, pushing Remus aside and wrapping Harry up in his arms. He felt ten shades of bliss when Harry responded in kind, holding onto Sirius as a man might hold onto a life raft in the vast ocean. "Harry, Harry," Sirius whispered, "I have always loved you."

*****

Two days later, Harry found himself back in the Hospital Ward. This time, however, the reason was much more joyful than all the other times he had come here. The mandrakes had matured, and today Madam Pomfrey was waking up Hermione and the other petrified denizens of Hogwarts. Lockhart was the first to awake after Mrs. Norris. The teal-robed ex-Defense professor yawned and asked everyone why he was taking his beauty sleep in the hospital wing. Dumbledore carefully led him aside. Harry guessed Dumbledore would have to break the news to Lockhart that he'd been sacked.

When Creevey awoke to see Harry standing nearby, the tiny boy immediately started blathering about the Basilisk and who all even knew what. Harry wasn't paying much attention, because Madam Pomfrey was waking up Hermione. Harry couldn't wait. He and Ron had so much to tell their friend before the school year came to its official end. There was no time to lose.

*****

Epilogue

Harry pretended to sleep, silent in the dark room. He turned over, then turned over again. He thought he heard a noise from the cot at the foot of his bed, and he held still a moment, willing himself to sleep. He persisted in this horrible state of affairs for what felt like three hours, but might have only been twenty minutes.

He could not deny the awkwardness of this situation. Conversations with Hermione and Ron aside, Harry had to live with Sirius Black. All summer, they were to share a room and act as if nothing had happened. Clearly, though, something had happened. Sirius was no longer Padfoot on the foot of Harry's bed; rather, he had transfigured the hard desk chair into a cot that looked, to Harry, nearly as inhospitable as the chair had done. Sirius and Harry had changed quietly in opposite corners of the room. They hadn't spoken more than a word or two. Then, after a tense goodnight, they'd both slipped into bed. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Sirius was having as much trouble falling asleep as he was himself.

He hesitated before speaking. The name 'Sirius' was still awkward on Harry's tongue, but 'Black' sounded rude, and 'Padfoot' seemed wrong. 'Dad'-- Harry just wasn't prepared to go there yet, even if, sometimes, watching Sirius, it was the name that came to mind first. Finally, he simply resolved himself and said it.

"Sirius? Are you asleep."

"Yup." The answer came quickly.

Harry laughed. "You can't say yes if you are asleep."

"It's magic."

Harry laughed again, and then, by the trace of light from the streetlights coming in the window, he saw Sirius sit up.

"Is something wrong?" Sirius asked.

"No," answered sullenly. Then, he say the shadows in the room shift and the bed neck to him lowered with the weight of a man as Sirius sat next to him.

"Harry."

"'M fine."

"Harry..."

"'M fine!"

"Except you can't sleep." Harry felt a large hand bury itself in his hair.

"Da, I'm fine." They both held their breath for a moment as Harry, and presumably Sirius, needed time to digest what Harry had accidentally said. "Sorry," Harry whispered. "I didn't mean--"

Suddenly, arms encircled Harry. They were warm, strong, and exceptionally familiar. He had been in these arms many times he was sure. He squirmed instinctively. "I love you," Sirius crooned into Harry's ear.

"Da, oh my god, let go."

Sirius chuckled and then did as requested.

"I just..." Harry sighed. "I don't want things to change, you know?"

"They haven't," Sirius said.

"Oh course they have."

"Ok, but maybe they've changed for the better."

"I guess."

"Either way," Sirius said, "you're not going to do anything by staying up except make yourself sick."

"Yeah."

"Come on," Sirius forced Harry's head down onto his pillow and lay behind him. Harry didn't even feel like protesting. "Maybe tomorrow we can go to the zoo. You can discuss philosophy with the snakes."

Harry smiled into the pillow.

"Or I can chase your aunt around that house. That's a good way to spend the simmer, isn't it?"

"Brilliant," Harry whispered.

"Come on, Harry, sleep."

Harry closed his eyes. That night, he did not dream of his dad. He didn't need to. He knew he could wake up to him.

*****

"What are you doing?" Harry whispered to Padfoot. The dog ignored him and started out of the window of the Dursleys' car as they drove towards King's Cross. "I can't believe you just aren't going to tell me where you're going." Still no answer. "Don't you think it will look suspicious if I don't have a familiar at school this year?" Padfoot turned a sloppy kiss on him, and Harry dodged with a groan.

"Stop talking to your mutt," Uncle Dursley snapped. "And tell him to keep his tongue in his mouth."

"I can't tell him to keep his tongue in his mouth if I can't talk to him." Uncle Dursley turned beet-read at that, but by now they had arrived at King's Cross and Harry jumped out of the car. Padfoot followed close behind, and they both ran towards the station without even a glance back at the Dursleys. They stopped only for Harry to lift his heavy trunk onto a cart.

Harry turned to Padfoot as he began to push his cart. "Are you just seeing me off?" He asked, knowing he wouldn't get a response. He did though. Padfoot barked twice.

Only when Harry looked up did he realize that Padfoot had not been barking at him. "Professor Lupin!"

"Hello Harry!" Lupin rested one hand on top of Padfoot's head, also, Harry surmised, in greeting, though of a somewhat more intimate and familiar nature. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Are you teaching again this year?"

"Yes, in fact, I am." Lupin smiled.

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed. "Do you know where Padfoot is going? He won't tell me."

"I do," Lupin grinned. "He's coming to Hogwarts!"

Harry's mouth fell open as the three of them wound their way through the crowded station towards Platform Nine and Three Quarters. "Wha-- But why wouldn't he tell me that? I didn't bring any of his things..."

"Don't worry, Harry. I've taken care of it. I think someone--" Lupin's hand moved affectionately on Padfoot's head, "Is looking forward to being a bit human this year."

"What do you mean? He doesn't have to hide any more?"

"Oh no. Nothing that exciting, I'm afraid. But he now has his own private quarters. Well-- not so private."

Harry blushed, catching on. "You're stealing my dog," he griped.

"Harry," Lupin stopped as they approached the Platform barrier. "He was mine first.You stole him from me."

Harry pouted, but he was allowed to pout long. Padfoot reached out and licked him.

"Uck, never mind! You can have him."

Padfoot barked with joy and cut loose to chase his tale in one small circle before he disappeared through the barrier.

"Ready for another year of adventure, Harry?" Lupin asked.

Harry grinned up at his Defense professor and then pushed his cart and trunk as quickly as he could towards the barrier.

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4