It happened only weeks after they had arrived.

Though the trio had successfully immersed themselves in the past thus far - mostly due to the friendly efforts of the Gryffindor class of '76 - they still enjoyed their own moments of peace. Hermione was sitting across Ron and Harry, slowly twirling a spoon in her tea while reading a book. The two boys were distracting themselves with a rather hearty breakfast, casually debating over quidditch stats. Owls flew into the hall, though that was hardly worth mentioning. The three young veterans were hardly strangers to the sight of birds flying about and delivering papers. Hermione smiled and deposited a few knuts into the pouch of the owl and unfolded the Daily Prophet.

The Great Hall began to silence slowly. Loud conversations turned to stony whispers. Ron and Harry looked up finally to see Hermione clutching the newspaper, pale-faced. Her eyes were wide, knuckles white with stress.

"Hermione?" ventured Harry in a quiet voice. She looked up at them suddenly, her entire position frantic and afraid. She slowly lowered the paper down with a shaky hand and pushed it to the boys who quickly looked at the paper.

Bellatrix Lestrange's manic grin stared up at them. Apparently, she had taken a picture of herself at a scene of a crime and well… the results were not pretty. Harry swallowed and Ron had frozen completely, his gaze falling upon his girlfriend.

"She's still here," murmured Hermione before she closed her eyes and bit her trembling lip. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, speaking in a slightly steadier voice. "She's still here." Ron reached out over the table and clutched her hand in his.

"I know. She's not going to get you. Not here. I won't let her get you," said Ron.

"Remember what you said in first year?" asked Harry. "As long as Dumbledore is around, you're safe. As long as Dumbledore is here, no one can hurt you." Hermione's gaze switched from Ron to Harry and back and forth rapidly. She gave them a watery smile.

"Thank you boys," she whispered, her eyes, though glassy and slightly tearful, gleaming in relief.

Just then, the trio were distracted by a plate shattering. They looked up just in time to see Sirius rush out of his seat and out of the hall in obvious distress. The other Marauders stared after their friend uncomfortably, sharing worried glances with one another. The three got up and slowly got up after their friend, but Harry stopped Remus.

"What's wrong with Sirius? Is he going to be okay?" asked Harry, looking at the Great Hall entrance longingly. Harry wished dreadfully to be able to go speak to his godfather. It had been years since he had been able to confide in tone of the few parental figures he'd had. He would do anything to see his godfather again. While it was beyond amazing to be able to see a younger and happier Sirius, this young man was not his godfather. This boy did not have his godfather's wisdom or humility. This boy did not have the years his godfather did, though Harry wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing considering those years had been mostly spent in the company of dementors.

"Did you read the article?" asked Remus uncomfortably, shifting from one foot to the other and eyeing the door as James and Peter escaped quickly. The trio shook their heads.

"Just glanced over it, really," said Ron quickly.

"Well, er, I don't think you'd know but Bellatrix, she's Sirius' cousin. The attack was listed with Sirius' name attached. Bellatrix is targeting families with two sons and killing the elders pretty badly because Sirius is anti-Death Eater." Harry felt sicker and sicker as Remus spoke. He felt as though he'd just swallowed a rather large boulder and it was currently sitting in the pit of his stomach, unable to be digested.

"That's horrible," whispered Hermione, her expression stricken. Remus looked away with a frown.

"I'm only telling you because you'd find out sooner or later… Sirius doesn't like to talk about it though, so I don't recommend asking him about it or even mentioning it. Look, guys, I gotta go. I don't want him doing something stupid while he's upset, you know?"

"Of course, Remus," said Hermione with a nod. Remus smiled at them before half-running out of the Great Hall. After a beat, Harry stood up.

"Harry?" Ron asked after him.

"I'm going to go look for him," supplied Harry.

"Harry, he's not your godfather yet you can't - "

"I know what I can and can't do, Mine," said Harry with an annoyed tone of voice. "But that still doesn't change the fact that he lived in a cave and ate rats for an entire year just for me. He might not be my godfather right now, but he is my friend right now."

Harry grabbed some toast and walked out of the Great Hall, his eyes scanning around him for any teachers who might have been lurking the corridors before the early class rush. He quickly made his way into the Forbidden Forest, thinking on a conversation he'd had with Sirius in Grimmauld Place before fifth year.

Buckbeak clucked noisily as he waited impatiently for Sirius to feed him. Harry watched on in despondence, the weight of his hearing bearing down heavily upon his shoulders.

"They won't expel you, you know. Even if the Ministry's been after you and Dumbledore, they wouldn't cast out the boy-who-lived. I know it's bollocks and shit politics, but that's just how the world works," said Sirius angrily, tossing a piece of meat at Buckbeak who chomped down on it immediately.

"Yeah," said Harry, not feeling much better. Sirius turned his head slightly, looking at his fifteen year old godson from the corner of his eye.

"I wish I could tell you something comforting, but life sucks. Especially at this age. I mean, yours probably sucks more than most, but…" trailed Sirius with a slight grin on his lips. Harry scoffed and gave a wary grimace at his godfather.

"I remember being young… thinking that the entire world was against me. Turned out it was since I was thrown into prison without a trial because of my last name," he said with a bitter laugh. Harry snorted but allowed Sirius to continue. "Sometimes my family was just… too much. I would read stories in the newspapers about families being claimed by Voldemort and the papers used to say that the deaths were quick, but I knew otherwise. I'd been on the receiving end of torture as punishment… and I was related to them. What would they do to a bunch of blood traitors and mudbloods? Your father… he helped a lot, you know? Convinced me that I wasn't dark, but he didn't always understand. He… he never had to see the dark because he was raised in light. You and me, though, Harry. We've seen it."

Harry looked down at his feet anxiously, his heart beating thunderously against his chest. He thought about the dementors, about the graveyard… Cedric's glassy eyes…

"I used to change into Padfoot a lot during those times. Just to run around a bit in the Forbidden Forest. Exhaustion helps. I do not recommend that to you though, especially not during O.W.L. year," said Sirius with a mock warning glance. Harry held up two fingers in salute.

"I'll get some sleep. As much as my scar let's me anyway. Scout's honor," said Harry tonelessly. Sirius frowned worriedly before he crossed the room and stood in front of Harry, who found - embarrassingly enough - he couldn't look his godfather in the eye. Sirius placed his hands upon Harry's shoulders, forcing Harry's gaze upwards to meet Sirius' dark gaze.

"You got the shortest straw in the lot, Harry. I can't even begin to understand what you go through and I- I would give up a million and more memories of your father to give you a night of peace, but if you need anything or anyone, I'm nothing more than a mirror call away. Remember that."

Harry would never let anyone know about how teary-eyed he'd become at Sirius' words to him. James Potter was everything to his godfather. He knew that his father had saved Sirius from a terrible fate and that Sirius always felt as though he owed his life to James, so for Sirius to wish for something so strongly that basically meant losing his only connection to happiness just for Harry to get a night of sleep? He'd never felt so guilty and loved all at once. The worst part of it all was that he'd never used that mirror.

It was that foolish mistake that cost Sirius' life and Harry his godfather.

He stepped into the Forbidden Forest, looking around without a beat of anxiety. After all he'd seen in these trees, he didn't think he'd ever really be afraid of the forest ever again. He walked for about ten minutes before he heard a growl. He turned around and his throat caught as he saw a large grim staring at him warily.

Padfoot.

"H-here boy," said Harry slowly, holding up his empty palms. He slowly knelt to the floor, pausing every so often as the dog took a step back. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Harry slowly reached into his pockets and pulled out the pieces of toast, mentally berating himself for not grabbing a napkin in his haste. Now he had pockets full of crumbs. He held out his hand with the toast and waited for Sirius to approach him. His heart beat furiously as the dog crept ever so closer until he reached him and whined at the food pitifully, eating it quickly. With his other hand, Harry went to pet behind his ears. Sirius shied away at first but soon acquiesced to his gentle petting. Harry could only imagine the embarrassment Sirius would feel if he knew that Harry knew about his animagus form. He knew he had to act oblivious though, no matter how hard it was. He hadn't seen Padfoot in so long…

"Good boy," said Harry in a pitch a bit higher than he would have liked anyone to know about. What was it about animals that forced a person to speak in higher tones anyway? "No collar… must be a stray old mutt, aren't you, boy?" Sirius yipped playfully and gave Harry a look that he interpreted as, if only you knew.

Harry nodded and continued to pet the large dog, relaxing against the soft dirt in the forest. "Yeah, I know how that feels. I'm a bit of a stray myself, you know. No parents. They passed away. Now it's just me and my sister," Harry lied easily. It was astounding how quickly he, Ron, and Hermione had been able to assimilate into their roles. "I have to take care of her now… even Ron. Sometimes people think responsibility is easy, you know? But it's not. It's horrible and it's utterly terrifying… and the worst part is when they tell you that it isn't yours. It's not your fault if something goes wrong because… because it shouldn't be your responsibility. The only problem is that it still feels like your responsibility and you can't help but feel as if you failed." Sirius laid down upon the ground, resting his head on Harry's legs as Harry continued to pet him.

"And even when people tell you it's not your responsibility, they still look at you when things go wrong like it is your fault. I remember once I was… I thought I was going dark. I still remember everyone looking at me like I was going insane, and I didn't know who to talk to. I was too mature compared to kids my own age but still too foolish to adults even if I'd gone through more than any of them. I was just so bloody afraid. It was only when my godfather - great bloke, you know - talked to me about it that it finally clicked. He told me, 'We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.'"

Harry wanted to say more. He had so much more to say… especially considering he wasn't even sure if he was making sense. Padfoot lifted his head then, tilting slightly so that he was giving Harry a rather significant look for a dog. He stood up, shook off his fur, and licked Harry in the face before scampering off. Harry blinked in shock before laughing and wiping his face in slight disgust. He gathered his things before heading off in the direction of the castle, feeling rather pleased.

"Harry! Over here!" Harry turned to look over his shoulder and saw Lily waving at him, hunched to the side and wobbling slightly as her tower of books threatened to spill over. He quickly made his way over to her and took the books out of her hands, ignoring her protests.

"I'm a Gryffindor. Chivalry is apparently a fault of mine," he said with a wry grin. Lily laughed breathlessly.

"I suppose you're right. Thanks, though. It's just N.E.W.T.'s. I've been studying like crazy! How are you handling everything?" she asked with a happy smile. Harry shrugged, well as much as he could with a bunch of books in his arms.

"Okay, I guess. Sometimes it's a bit weird but I think I'm adjusting pretty okay. Ron and Hermione like it here too," he added.

"Oh, I'm so glad! Are you excited for Hogsmeade on Saturday?"

"Uh, um, I don't think I'm going to go…" said Harry with a sheepish grimace.

"What!" exclaimed Lily. Harry jumped at her sudden explosion, though she seemed to take no notice. "Why not? You have to go to Hogsmeade! It's the cutest little place. The Three Broomsticks has the best butterbeer ever."

"Well, I mean, Ron and Hermione and probably going to go together and I don't want to hang around the two of them alone and I think the other blokes are going to do their own thing and I don't know anyone well enough to ask them to go so…," trailed off Harry. "But I mean, I can use the time to study! N.E.W.T.'s right?"

"Is that the problem?" asked Lily with a scoff. "Everyone needs a break from N.E.W.T.'s, Harry. Besides, I'll go with you!"

"Wha - ?" began Harry with an open mouthed expression of surprise. Lily laughed as she took the books from his hands, stopping in front of the library.

"I won't take no for answer, Granger. Isn't it my duty as a Head Girl to make sure you have the full Hogwarts experience? That includes Hogsmeade, you know. You can meet me at my dorms? Around 10?"

Harry stared at her before she merely smiled and skipped into the library. He stood outside for a few minutes.

Had his own mother just… just asked him out to Hogsmeade? Harry's eyes widened in disgust. No, she must have meant as just friends, Harry. You're worrying over nothing…. but then… why didn't she mention it as just friends?

Harry put his hand to his mouth to stop himself from screaming, wondering how he was going to tell Ron and Hermione that he… he had a date with his own mother.

You are one sick bastard, Potter, he thought to himself before suddenly halting to a stop.

Oh, bloody hell. How the hell was he going to tell James?

Harry suddenly wished he was in front of Voldemort instead of the inevitable conversation between his father and himself.

A/N: I know it's been forever again, but this story is just a side story! I'm a lot more focused on Shades of Black and I haven't even been able to update that. WORK SUCKS!

Anyway, I just wanted to update because you guys are the absolute sweetest! The reviews I've gotten for this story make my heart swell ten times its normal size! *grins* Hope you guys enjoy the update! Also, does anyone else feel like Lily is a bit weird? I feel like she's so hard to write... there's so many versions of her that I never feel like I do her justice! Ugh, hopefully I can find a good balance!

Quick question, is there anything anyone wants to see in this story? Any specific character interactions? I, myself, cannot wait for Harry to meet a few key Slytherin's ;)