A/N: I'm very sorry for taking ages with this. It just doesn't want to be written. Really, this was supposed to be the last chapter, but I haven't finished it. So, I decided to post it as it is and finish it in the next chapter.

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I promise I'll start answering to your reviews through the e-mail thingy from now on, 'kay?

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"They did what?" Sirius screamed. His magic, uncontrolled, made a nearby window shatter.

"It was just a prank, I suppose. Rationalizing, we can't deny it would actually be something beneath us when we were their age," Remus said reasonably, his arms still sore from holding Sirius to stop him from leaving to kill Charlie. He hoped he wouldn't have to do that again but on the twins' behalf, especially when he himself was still having to keep his temper in check.

Sirius looked at him dryly. "It doesn't make me want to kill them any less."

"No, it doesn't," Remus agreed, tilting his head.

Grimmauld Place's living room was only partially illuminated, the fuming men not having given themselves the trouble of lighting all the candles when they arrived from the Burrow. Some of the glass shatters now lying on the carpeted floor were reflecting the candlelight, creating a phantasmagorical effect in the ambient. It prompted Sirius to murmur a quick Reparo to fix the window.

"Well," the dog Animagus started, after a long awkward silence, "what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't think we have to do much," Remus answered with an enigmatic smirk. "Apparently, Harry is a lot more of a Marauder than we figured. And I'm rubbing off on Charlie too."

"Moony," Sirius interrupted. "Spare me the details of your rubbing on your boyfriend. I love you, but I really don't want to know about how you get off with him."

"As I was saying," Remus continued as if not interrupted—though he couldn't help the light blush that coloured his cheeks—, "Harry and Charlie have done something about it already. Something to do with boils and not being able to sit without flinching for a few months."

A bark-like laugh echoed through the room. "Merlin, he is lovely, isn't he? Harry, I mean."

Remus raised an eyebrow suggestively. "So, I assume you made a decision when you talked to Harry?"

"You assume correctly, Messer Moony," Sirius replied, not able to keep the smile off his face. "Gods, but that kid can kiss!"

The werewolf gave Sirius a hearty laugh. "Padfoot, if you say something like that you can't call him a kid anymore!"

"I s'pose you're right. I have to get used to it. But I'm falling for him, Moony," Sirius said, earnestly. "I'm falling for him hard."

Remus smiled, walked up to Sirius and enveloped his friend in a bear hug that lasted a long time.

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"Hello there…" Charlie said tentatively as he Apparated into Grimmauld Place to find his boyfriend hugging his friend tightly and not giving any sign of letting go.

"Err- Charlie!" Remus said, hastily ending the embrace. "You're here!"

"No, I'm in Egypt breaking curses until Bill can get back to work… Of course I'm here!" Charlie replied ironically. He turned to Sirius. "Is it safe for me to be here yet?"

Sirius smiled, albeit it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sure. I think I'll go see Harry. Squeeze the 'incident' for all it's got. I figure I can at lest get a good snog out of it," he said, smirking.

"Oh, I'm sure you can," Remus and Charlie answered simultaneously, which prompted them to double over laughing.

"Well, on that note, I'll be going," Sirius said, giving them a mock glare. "And Harry told me about your little problem…"

"What little problem?" Charlie said indignantly.

"The one where you feel the need to… let's say 'christen' every room, closet, bathroom or kitchen you can think of. So, stay out of my bedroom," he explained and Disapparated.

Again, Charlie and Remus looked at each other and doubled over laughing. When they calmed down, Remus prompted, "So, Sirius' room?"

Charlie's smirk lit up the room. "You bet."

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Sirius Apparated outside of Hogwarts and cast his Patronus away to let Dumbledore know he was there. Soon enough, the Headmaster appeared in a burst of flames, holding a still not fully-grown Fawkes in his hands.

"Sirius! You shouldn't Apparate around like this, especially outside," the old man chided. "I know we are close to clearing your name, but it won't do to have you thrown back in Azkaban or given the kiss."

Merlin! How Dumbledore always made him feel like he was a first-year caught roaming through the Forbidden Forest, he would never know. "I'm sorry, Professor." Sirius couldn't help calling the Headmaster by his old title.

"Well, come in, come in," Dumbledore said, waving his wand to open up the gates. "What brings you here, Sirius?"

"I…" the Animagus faltered, unsure of how much he should tell the Headmaster. Of course, he wouldn't be surprised if the nosy codger knew all about it already. "I came to see Harry," he decided to say simply. Dumbledore didn't say anything after that and simply started climbing the path towards the castle.

They were almost at the castle doors and Sirius was just thinking that the silence between them was almost a companionable one, when the old man decided to break it. "I don't think he is ready for this," he stated.

"What?" Sirius asked puzzled.

"Your relationship with Harry. I don't think he is ready for it," the Headmaster explained. "He is too young. But," he continued, holding up a finger to stop Sirius' protests, "I shall not interfere. Harry's love life is his and his alone. Merlin knows he has suffered enough interference in his life as it is."

"Thanks," the dark haired man replied, plainly, though in his head he added 'Yeah, he's had enough interference in his life. Mostly from you'

"Yes. As I have already told Harry, after the unfortunate incident when Minister Fudge fell through the veil, his successes are his to celebrate but his mistakes are also his to make." Dumbledore said, bitter-sweetly, as he opened the oak doors. "Here, take Fawkes. He shall take you directly to the Gryffindor tower and then come back to me."

"Thanks," Sirius repeated. "But I think we will prove you wrong," he continued, disappearing right afterward.

"I hope so, dear boy," Dumbledore muttered to himself as he walked inside the castle. "I certainly hope so."

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"…I absolutely hate her. Despise her, really. I mean, she's already dead, what's there left to complain? 'Oh, please, stay with me,' she says. Like I'm going to spend my afterlife locked in a bathroom with a whiny little bitch."

Harry's laugh reverberated through the room. "I don't think I've ever heard someone talk about Moaning Myrtle like that."

"Well, it's all true, is it not?" Sara replied. It was odd seeing her, considering she was directly in front of the window; the daylight was shining right through her translucent form. "Enough about the annoying bint, tell me about you and Sirius!"

"First, where the hell did you learn to swear like that? I mean you were 10 when you died, you certainly didn't talk like that…" Harry said, ignoring the question.

"Err- So, I might have spend some time with the Bloody Baron in the Slytherin dungeons. I mean, the snakes have a really dirty mouth," she explained, "but the Baron has the dirtiest of them all. There's a rumour that it's the castle's magic that doesn't let him speak anywhere outside the dungeons, because of all the swearing." At Harry's raised eyebrow, she added, "It's just a rumour; I didn't say it was the truth. Anyway, you didn't answer my question."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Fine. Sirius and I are…"

"…going to talk now," Sirius said, striding into the room and startling both Gryffindor and ghost. "So, out with you," he added, making a shoo motion with his hands toward Sara.

The girl turned narrow eyes to Sirius. "Talk to me like that again and I'll make sure to accidentally drop an Impotency potion Snape has in stock on you."

Sirius' just stared at her open-mouthed. "Snivellus has an Impotency potion stored up? And I always thought he couldn't get any because of his… Well, because he's just plain ugly," he said laughing, but he soon sobered up, remembering the threat. "Anyway, sorry. Can you please leave so that Harry and I can talk?" he asked as politely as he could.

"That's better," the ghost said, disappearing through the floor.

"Hmm…" Sirius muttered as an awkward silence stretched over them.

"So," Harry answered in the same tone, knowing well enough what Remus and Sirius had talked about prior to his arrival.

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"Harry", Charlie had called, his head floating around the green flames now lighting the hearth in the Gryffindor common room.

"Charlie," the Gryffindor teen answered enthusiastically, quickly striding there form the couch where he was reading The Necromancer of Westminster. It was a light, funny reading that left Harry in an excellent mood. "What are you doing here?" Harry asked, but, guessing Charlie's answer to that, he amended, "I mean, it's nice to see you again!"

"Nice to see you too, mate." The redhead took a deep breath. "Sirius knows. Of our ordeal, I mean. And the twins' fault on that."

"Oh," Harry said simply, not quite knowing how to react. "How did Sirius take it?"

"Err- I only saw the initial reaction, really; so I can't really tell," Charlie mumbled noncommittally.

"Charlie," the green-eyed youth warned.

"Fine," the Weasley huffed. "He didn't take it well at all. He was about to kill the twins when he found out. Remus was, too. Merlin, Remus was growling and his eyes were all golden and shiny. That was such a turn-on…"

"Charlie," Harry repeated, "don't sidetrack!"

"Oi, sorry, Har. Anyways, Sirius was about to kill them when I came in and he and Remus Apparated to Grimmauld Place to talk," Charlie's floating head finished explaining. "Just thought I'd give you a heads up. Seriously, be ready for anything when Sirius talks to you again."

"God! Is it that bad?"

"Maybe not," Charlie answered, not quite earnestly.

"Oh," Harry murmured, falling on an armchair. Alright then... Thanks, Charlie."

"Don't mention it," the red-head said. Looking pointedly at Harry, he added, "Cheer up, Har. I'm sure you'll get through it. It's not like it was your fault—or mine for that matter," and disappeared.

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"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Harry said loudly, breaking the silence.

"Who's Christ?" Sirius tried to ask, while his mind went back to his Histoty of Magic classes to find some wizard with that name.

"Never mind," Harry muttered dismissively, "it's not important. I had sex with Charlie, influenced by an aphrodisiac potion. It was my first time and it was good."

Sirius gaped at Harry and he was coughing a bit hysterically after the green-eyed teen said it was good. "Merlin, Harry!" he exclaimed when he got control of his diaphragm. "Way to treat a delicate subject."

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Harry said dejectedly. "But it's not going away. Just like me loving you didn't go away and just like when you told me you couldn't love me didn't go away," he continued, half annoyed and half depressed. "We're gonna have to deal with all of that sooner or later, and you know damn well I don't have the patience for later."

The older man took a deep breath and took a seat on one of the beds. "Yes. I know."

"So," Harry said, sitting on the same bed as Sirius, "let's start from the start. And I'm not complaining. Believe me," he murmured, chuckling despite the wetness in his eyes. "But what happened? What changed between that day when you couldn't love me like this and now?"

"What happened?" Sirius repeated, stroking one of Harry's hands. "I lost my ground, Harry. You left and all of a sudden my chest felt too tight and my stomach clenched and I was shaking. And I had no bloody idea of what was going on!" The Gryyfindor opened his mouth to say something, but Sirius squeezed his hand to stop him. "It's just. I had forgotten. Forgotten what love felt like. The dementors," Harry felt Sirius' shudder through his hand, though he didn't have the courage to look at Sirius' haunted eyes, "they sucked it out. All I knew is that being around you was good. I liked it. But, you see, heartbreak is something I remember all too well. All kinds of it; I fucking relived every single heartbreak I had for over a decade." Sirius was by now shaking, and Harry simply held him.

The haunted man tried to continue a few times, but Harry wouldn't let go of him, his head was being pressed against Harry's chest by an arm, while another caressed his back. Harry was resting his nose on the top of his head and every now and then the green-eyed teen would kiss his hair.

However, Sirius was some inches taller than Harry and his position was getting uncomfortable. Eventually, he pressed against Harry's arm and straightened his back. "Where was I?"

"Heartbreaks," Harry answered simply.

"Yeah," Sirius said, chuckling sadly. "I couldn't see that I could love you like that, but when you left, how I was feeling… After talking to Remus a couple of times and doing a lot of thinking, I figured I had lied to you, I can love you like that. I've started to love you like that."

"Started?" Harry murmured.

Sirius looked Harry in the eyes, honestly. "Yes. I'm sorry, Harry. I don't love you the way you love me. But I have some romantic feelings for you. And they're growing. But I can't give you more than that right now."

Surprising the older man, the Gryffindor took Sirius' lips in a searing kiss. "And I can't ask you more from you right now. You're already giving me so much more than I thought you could."

A few moments of silence followed, broken by a yawn from Harry. "Damn," he said, looking at his watch. "It's almost midnight."

"Already? We should sleep. We'll continue this tomorrow."

"Yeah," Harry said, laying down on the bed and kicking his shoes away. When he got under the duvet, he looked up at Sirius. "What're you waiting for? A written invitation from the Queen?"

Sirius laughed his bark-like laughter, got rid of his own shoes and cuddled Harry. It didn't take long for either of them to sleep, though Sirius had to ignore Harry's erection pressing on his belly, and Harry's subsequent blush.

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