A/N Hi everyone. Here's my little piece of fanfiction. Before you even start to read, know that this is a parent/child interpretation of a possible relationship between Sirius and Harry, so please expect it to be partly OOC as this is part AU and part canon. There are also going to be scenes of Corporal Punishment. I don't want to discourage readers, but after a couple of people have gotten the wrong idea about where we are heading and saw fit to review as such, I'm trying to be as honest as possible about the intentions behind my writing. I would appreciate it if you didn't spam me with bad reviews. If you don't like the story, that's cool. Just go find something else to read as I assure you that neither my writing style nor my interpretation of the characters will change from one chapter to the next. There are thousands of stories as you are well aware and I don't want you to waste your time on my story if it doesn't appeal to you.

I hope you do enjoy it, but if not, peace and here's hoping you find something that you do.

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Harry squinted in the early morning light. In the receding haze of the sleep induced fog, his brain slowly took in his unfamiliar surroundings. It was quiet and he was quite comfortable, snuggled under a warm comforter. His bed was soft, his pillows fluffy and his crisp linen sheets smelled lightly of sunshine and the fresh outdoors. Although similar, it wasn't his bed at school, nor the small cot he slept on at the Burrow. Nor was it the hard, thin mattress of his room at the Dursley's…wait…

He was at the Dursley's! But as his wretchedly sluggish waking awareness took in his surroundings, he found himself having a hard time equating the small miserable space he spent so much of his summers to the enchanted chamber he now found himself in. Slowly, like a dreamer unwilling to wake to the realization that the blissful peace they found themselves in was merely slumber, everything came crashing back to him.

Yanking the bed clothes off and jumping to his feet, he jammed his glasses onto his nose, threw open the door of his room and went barreling down the short hallway to the small tidy kitchen. There, like he had been the past two mornings, a man with shoulder length black hair and a mustache was sitting on one of the high stools at the counter, drinking his morning coffee and reading the Daily Prophet. Hearing Harry enter the kitchen, he looked up from his reading, a broad smile on his thin, formerly handsome face and his gray eyes twinkling with happiness. Harry's heart burst with unaccustomed joy.

"Sirius!"

Harry dashed over to his godfather and threw his arms around him. Sirius wrapped his long arms around his thirteen year old godson and held him tightly against his chest. Chuckling fondly, he brushed a small kiss on the top of Harry's messy bed-head.

"Good morning, Harry. Still happy to see me here, then?" he teased, but was inwardly elated at yet another enthusiastic greeting from the boy. "I'll admit, I could get used to this."

Unwilling to relinquish the comfort of his godfather's embrace, Harry's response was muffled into Sirius' shirt.

"So could I."

Holding him for a moment longer, Sirius finally gave him a quick squeeze and then pushed him back a few inches. Harry's normally messy hair James all over again was even more wayward than usual, the long bangs almost covering the scar on his small forehead. His shocking green eyes oh Lily still a bit glazed over from sleep, but his face held a joyous expression. Sirius held him by the shoulders and lowered his head to meet Harry's eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"

Harry nodded and then grinned sheepishly.

"I forgot where I was again. I'm not used to feeling happy when I'm here."

A small pang of guilt choked Sirius at the blunt statement. He inwardly swore yet again that Harry would never know another moment of anxiety over the behavior of his so called family. He cupped the side of Harry's face with his right hand and gave him a soft look of apology.

"I know. But it's only for a couple of weeks and I promise you that you will never even know that they are in the same house. Our house will be ready soon and it will all be over for another year."

Harry nodded again and forced himself to smile. He didn't want Sirius to worry.

"It's okay. I understand why it has to be this way. Honestly, I don't care where I have to live if it means that I get to live with you."

Sirius' chest swelled with sudden emotion. From the first moment that his best friend had placed his newborn son into his arms, Sirius had loved the small being with a fierceness that he had never known before. That love had not diminished one iota during his hellish years of false imprisonment and hopelessness. Now, with the boy back in his arms again, the love Sirius felt for him grew greater every moment. He would give his life for Harry's happiness.

Snapping himself back into the present, he gave Harry another fond smile.

"Hungry?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay then. Go get washed up and we'll have our breakfast."

Harry turned and strolled back down the hallway into his bedroom. He padded across the thick carpet into the adjoining bath to get cleaned up. When he was finished, he went back into his room and pulled a T shirt and jeans out of his chest of drawers, dressed and made his way back into the kitchen after putting his pajamas in the small hamper in the bathroom.

Right on schedule, Dobby had appeared while Harry was dressing and the sweet natured house elf conjured another breakfast feast onto the counter. Upon seeing Harry, Dobby had immediately started waving excitedly at his favorite boy wizard.

"Good morning, Harry Potter sir! It is an honor to see you, as always."

Harry blushed fiercely at the house elf's enthusiasm.

"Good morning, Dobby. It's lovely to see you too. Please don't call me sir though, okay? Just Harry is fine."

A horrified look crossed the small wrinkled face.

"Oh no, sir. Harry Potter is the greatest of all wizards! Kind and generous! Dobby could never call him just Harry, sir. Dobby would have to shut his ears in the door for such a slight!"

Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. It was the same routine every morning.

"Okay, Dobby. Just don't hurt yourself, alright?"

Sirius smiled to himself, witnessing the exchange again. Dobby was such a difference from the miserable servants that had been attached to the House of Black during his childhood. Of course, he had to admit, being in the service of his vile family would certainly drive any creature mad.

It was Dumbledore who had thoughtfully suggested that, with school in recess for the summer, Sirius might want the benefit of a school house elf to care for Harry and himself. After all, Sirius was still on the mend from his years of ghastly imprisonment and having the convenience of one might make the confined stay at the Dursleys a bit more bearable. Upon hearing of the need for a house elf for Harry Potter, Dobby had thrown himself at Dumbledore for the task. He had assured the kindly headmaster that there could be no higher honor than to care for the boy during the summer holiday.

When Sirius was informed about Dobby's unswerving dedication to his godson, he had agreed immediately to the proposal provided, of course, that Dobby accept payment for his services. Sirius was adamant that the free house elf be compensated for his care. Truthfully, it was more Dobby's dedication to protecting Harry's well being than his housekeeping skills that had enticed Sirius into gratefully accepting the offer. There could never be too many precautions taken in ensuring the boy's safety in his godfather's eyes.

After routinely refusing the invitation to join the wizards for a meal….Dobby had been overwhelmed once more by such generosity, wringing his hands in grateful discomfort….the elf vanished with a snap and Sirius and Harry were left to eat together at their cozy kitchen table.

Between bites of egg and sausage, Harry's eyes strayed again to their surroundings. Sirius smiled, knowing what was going through the boy's mind.

"So, are you still duly impressed?"

Harry's head jerked back towards his godfather, his expression questioning.

"Hmm?"

Sirius winked mischievously and waved his elegantly shaped hand slowly towards the rest of the living space.

"Your old room. It looks quite a bit different now than it used to, does it not? Do you want to change anything? Was there something that I forgot?"

Surprised registered on the boy's face.

"What? No! No, it's brilliant, Sirius!".

Truly it was.

Sirius had been horrified when Dumbledore explained about the mystical blood protection that Lily's sacrifice had afforded her small son. It cut him to the very core to be forced into allowing Harry to spend even one second in his childhood house of horrors. Two weeks every summer until he was of legal age chafed at Sirius' nerves in a way that even the Dementors had never managed. It had taken monumental patience on Dumbledore's part to make him see reason. In the end, Sirius was persuaded that it was in Harry's best interest and that, of course, was always his first priority. Sirius' condition had been his insistence on living with Harry during the time as well. He would personally make sure that no one upset or harmed Harry in any way during his forced residency with the miserable Muggles that had plagued his godson's existence.

However, no one said that it need be bleak and unpleasant for the boy. With a menacing insistence (and a very large cheque), the Dursleys were made amenable to improvements for Harry's bedroom as long as it was left in the condition in which it was found. The assurance that they need not see Harry at all during his stay there was just the icing on the cake. As a friendly warning, they were cautioned that the room was not to be bothered at all during the two week stay and it was strongly hinted that any attempt to open the door would result in…unfortunate consequences. That was to be the Dursleys' part of the bargain.

With Dumbledore's assistance and the use of his recently acquired wand from Olivanders, Sirius dusted off his wizarding skills in transforming the small dreary bedroom on Privet Drive into a large living space for Harry and himself. When they were finished, what had been little more than a glorified closet (although substantially bigger than Harry's first "room" in the house), now became an open airy space that contained two large bedrooms with bath, a cozy kitchen, a small study and a comfortable living room.

Each room had large windows that were charmed into reflecting the outside weather. The living contained an overstuffed couch, a small reading table with two armless chairs and a fireplace with two squashy chairs reminiscent of the ones in the Gryffindor common room. The kitchen was just a good size for two people. Decorated with a mix of warm woods and stone work, it was cheery and practical. With Dobby's assistance, it would only be used to serve and consume meals and it was suitable for the task. The study had large bookshelves against three of the four walls filled with books of all sizes, a vibrant Persian carpet that ran almost the full length of the hard wood floor, a large desk with a padded back chair, two wing back chairs with a floor lamp between them and it smelled pleasantly of leather and antique paper. Sirius' room was decorated in a muted gold color with cherry furniture. His large half tester bed was butted on each side by nightstands and a matching high chest of drawers stood to the side of the door. A good sized marble bathroom was off to the left of the chest. Across the small hallway, Harry's room held a large bed with crimson curtains just like his bed at Hogwarts. A similar nightstand and chest to the ones in Sirius' room complimented the wooden desk and chair that were in the corner near the windows. His own bath exactly like the other. On the wall was a large Gryffindor house crest, the lion roaring in regular intervals during the day and sleeping at night. The ceiling was charmed to show a sunny summer sky during the day and a fantastic meteor shower at night. All the flat surfaces held framed photos of Harry's parents and friends, smiling, waving and fooling around.

Harry loved every inch of it, so he wanted desperately to assure his indulgent godfather of how pleased he truly was.

When Harry was full to bursting, Sirius had banished the breakfast dishes and left over food with a flick of his wand. Dobby always provided more than was necessary as Sirius was determined that Harry never know another moment of hunger in this house. The tall man stood up and clapped his hands together with a large grin on his face.

"Well now. We have about an hour before Remus drops by to visit. How would you like to play some wizard's chess?"

"Wicked!"

Jumping up from his chair, Harry eagerly followed his godfather out to the living room and flopped unceremoniously on the couch. Watching Sirius set up the board on the small table, Harry reveled in the happiness surrounding him and, thinking back to the events of the past few weeks, marveled at how much different it all could have been…..